Volume 38, Issue 4. December 13 2006

With love, from me to you pg 6-7 // centerspread December 13, 2006

preview pg 3 // news

Winter Ball court no longer limited to senior class

Goodbye bus circle, hello nightmare

$3.5 million construction project to relocate afternoon drop-off and pick-up to student parking lot

by Austin Cheng photography editor

I

n a year where the school has tried its best to deal with numerous traffic accidents, it is ironic that there is no choice but to complicate the traffic congestion even further. MVHS is entering its next phase of construction, a $3.5 million project lasting 12 months that will affect almost everyone’s transportation to or from the school.

Erected fences will surround the perimeter of the old office and ASB building, and the bus circle will be closed, reserved for delivery trucks and construction workers to access. Previously, construction in the back provided ample freedom for the trucks and rigs to park away from traffic. Now, however,

pg 5 // perspectives

SEEING THE FUTURE The front office (left) is to undergo renovation connecting the office and ASB chambers with a glass-window lobby (digital design, right) The project should be completed Jan. 2008. with construction moving to the front of the school, a close location to the construction is needed for the trucks. One of Administration’s main concerns

is traffic competition between construction workers and daily commuters.

see BUS CIRCLE on page 3

STRUT YOUR STUFF Finals week proves trickier than usual

College essay editing services grant unfair advantages

Unbalanced semesters force teachers to adjust curriculum pg 9 // entertainment

by John Ho

Gamers rise in “Wii” hours of morning for red-hot consoles

copy editor

G

junior Kenta Akaogi. “One day he didn’t come to practice, and then we got this e-mail.”

The e-mail sent on Dec. 4 contained a letter of resignation from Torres, stating the reason to be “based on various problems [he saw] happening with high school soccer in general and things that [he didn’t] like at Monta Vista.”

“We were mad that we had just lost our coach

overnment AP begins with double quizzes every other day and a reading quiz to fill the rest. There is method behind the madness: as a semester-long class, the entire curriculum must be covered by the end of this month. The institution of the new finals schedule this experimental year sent several classes scrambling to complete material before the semester’s premature end.

While impact has not been quite as severe on the year-long classes, the new schedule is set to affect almost every course.

Last year, teachers passed a waiver authorizing the shift of finals before the vacation, effectively slamming the brakes on the first semester two weeks before its natural mid-academic year mark.

The measure was generally well received among students and faculty; however, the artificial shortening has its own statistical fallout.

“What has been meant by [the new scheduling] is that there is now less time in the first semester.

Grading periods have been compressed. Normal six week periods have become five,” math teacher Jon Stark said.

From a mathematical view, as Stark explains, the worth of first semester material is inflated, since the lower number of tests and quizzes are used to calculate the same grade. In effect, the differences between the two semesters cause students’ grades to be misrepresented.

The teachers of the one-semester-long classes Economics and Government (and their Advanced Placement counterparts) must also adjust to the severe gap between the lengths of their two classes in addition to the already unbalanced system.

“Classes are differently timed now. It actually balanced the AP classes but changed the regular classes. It’s in some ways unfair, but overall I think it’s a reasonable compromise,” said social studies teacher Ben Recktenwald, who instructs both regular and AP Government. The scheduling accounts for the breakneck pace of the class; the first semester must shoulder what was once a second semester exclusive rush.

Social studies teacher Pete Pelkey voiced a somewhat different opinion for his AP Economics class: “The scheduling doesn’t quite affect the curriculum itself. It’s just extra material squeezed in a

see SOCCER on page 4

see FINALS on page 4

pg 11 // sports

Boys Basketball Revamp: New coach, renewed intensity

Austin Cheng | photography editor

SEQUINS IN SEQUENCE Sophomore Katie Roslund and her fellow dance team members shimmy to Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La” at the Dec. 5 winter show in the newly renovated gym.

Flashback Hotel fiasco page 2 Movie Review “Apocalypto” page 10 Snapshot Girls soccer back page

Soccer coach abruptly resigns

Team confused about departure, struggles to progress in season

by Carolyn Chuang

T

sports editor

his year’s boys varsity soccer team seemed to be starting off on a better foot, getting past their disappointing season last year which dropped them down into the El Camino league.

The last thing the team expected was for their coach of three years, Pedro Torres, to resign.

“We thought all the problems were solved,” said

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news

flashback From our vault of El Estoque archives...

February 12,

1993 Top Story: “Winter Ball hotel

room incident raises questions of authority”

A week before Winter Ball, a senior received permission from his mother to rent a room at the LeBaron Hotel where the dance was held. Since the student was a minor, he was unable to reserve a room. He asked a former MVHS student, who was already planning to celebrate a friend’s 22nd birthday party, to rent an extra room. The neighboring room hosting the party was stocked with alchohol. Instructions were left at the front desk to deny students access to this room.

When the principal was checking for students in rooms, a hotel staff member mistakenly gave one of the students a key to the neighboring room, where the party was being held. Because they were thought to be involved with the party, the students were asked to leave the dance. The students and their families proceeded to contact the hotel with an appeal, and in the end, the hotel apologized for their mistake of handing the senior the wrong key.

Due to this incident and all the confusion involved, Administration decided that the annual Winter Ball would no longer be held at hotels.

MVHS Seasonal “Drives” A Success This year the traditional “drives” were led by commissions of the Community Leadership class—a new twist on the old custom. On Nov. 21, the Health Commission led the blood drive in collaboration with the Stanford Health Center. Over 150 students and teachers signed up to donate blood, although some were unable to donate due to failing to meet medical requirements. On the day of the drive, various students from CSF and the Community Leadership class volunteered to help run the blood drive. Just a day later was the culmination of the food drive led by the Community Commission. Just shy of the schoolwide goal of 50 barrels, around 43 barrels were filled by the end of the Food Drive on Nov. 22.

Simultaneously, the Gift of Reading book drive, which was from Nov. 6 to Nov. 29, was carried out by the Youth Services Commission of Community Leadership which collected over 620 books from donations and purchases for underprivileged children in the Bay Area. Over 420 books were donated by students and teachers through literature classrooms while 200 were bought through CSF’s Project LIT.

highlights A Real World Issue Displayed in Cloth

Season’s Greetings From Santa Plaza

“Save the humans! Save the humans!” An animal version of the UN chants in unison after discussing whether or not it should “help the humans” with the AIDS epidemic.

This AIDS prevention ad and other awareness video clips were played in the library on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, from 6 to 8 pm, a part of MVHS’ AIDS Awareness Week.

The week included the showcasing of a 12square-foot quilt, one of the trademark AIDS awareness mediums in the San Francisco area, in the library. Informational display boards about organizations battling AIDS, testing centers, and myths about the disease accompanied the quilt. Red ribbons were passed out to students and staff who wanted to show their support for the fight against AIDS. The week ended with guest speaker Sill Reyas, from the Santa Clara County Health Commission, who spoke of the severity of the disease in the Bay Area and gave suggestions on how students can help.

Watch out for administrators clothed in Santa suits because they may very well be deciding who’s naughty or nice. Assistant Principal Dennis Plaza and Principal April Scott will dress up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the entertainment of staff members and their families after school on Dec. 14.

While working at Cupertino High School, Plaza, who is often noted to resemble St. Nick, used to dress up as Santa Claus every year and has now brought the tradition to MVHS. Scott explained that the MVHS staff has become much younger in the past few years. “We have a new generation of youthful staff with young children and growing families,” said Scott.

“And we also have an ‘Old Guard’ of veteran teachers who now have grandchildren.”

This tradition allows faculty to come together during the holidays and integrate the several generations of the staff’s families.

Families will bring gifts for their own children, which Plaza and Scott will present in the role of the jolly couple.

“It’s a way to extend goodwill during the holidays,” said Plaza. “It’s just a very uplifting tradition.”

Teacher Recovers from Bike Accident

The student planner misled students to look forward to a winter dance—an event that was never actually scheduled to begin with. Assistant Principal Brad Metheany said, “It was something [former Leadership advisors] Tim [Krieger], Melanie [Walczak] and I decided last year. Because attendance had always been low, we just decided that with the winter formal closely following, it was not an event we wanted to hold.”

Historically, the winter dance has posed a financial problem to Administration. In the past years, the school lost money on various costs like the DJ and sheriff supervision. Money brought in by paying attendees was insufficient in offsetting the cost.

Math teacher Colin Anderson, who regularly bikes around the Saratoga Hills, was found unconscious after what he believes was a wet terrain related accident. “I don’t actually remember the accident,” said Anderson. “I remember about a while before it happened, so about five minutes, and an hour after when I woke up in the emergency room.”

Suffering a few broken ribs and general pain, Anderson had to take 10 days off school to recover, unable to lie down or raise his arm. Although he is back teaching, he still feels pain and is unable to sneeze or partake in any strenuous activities.

Since Anderson cannot drive, he is currently carpooling with staff members until his health fully recuperates and the effects of his concussion and injury wear off.

District’s Model for Code Red Drill The much anticipated Code Red drill, originally planned a week earlier but interrupted by a fire alarm, took place Nov. 27. The drill was during fourth period and Administration as well as several police officers began checking classrooms immediately after. Several barricades were actually tested after Administration randomly unlocked some doors. “I was impressed by the science teachers who did an excellent job despite having to consider multiple doors to barricade,” Principal April Scott said. Although some rooms had minor flaws in their barricades, Administration and the police officers were able to inform the class immediately on how to improve for next time. The Administration considered the drill itself a success despite prior confusion, and MVHS may congratulate itself for rising from last year’s failure to becoming the District’s model school for the drill. The next drill, expected to be more realistic, will be in the spring.

An Unscheduled December Dance

Just An Anonymous Phone Call Away Students looking on the back of their ID card for a “Free Rides” phone number may find it slightly outdated.

Now students must receive a new sticker indicating “SafeRides: Fri 11-2” with the new phone number.

Safe Rides, initiated four years ago, is a student run, non-profit organization, in which MVHS students graciously give their time to offer a free, anonymous, and safe ride to other students who find themselves in an uncomfortable environment, or are unable to drive.

“If a student is incapacitated and finds himself in a bad situation, all they have to do is call Safe Rides. Two students will be sent out to pick up the caller, and they will then drop the student off at his/her house. There will be no adults involved. It is completely anonymous and confidential,” said senior Hamish Ferguson, member of the Safe Rides focus group.

Safe Rides’ new phone number is (408) 391-1211.

Newspaper, holidays share similarities

by Jordan Kolb editor in chief

I

t’s that time of the year. If finals haven’t already turned our brains into mush, the number of holiday songs heard on the radio and in department stores surely will. Winter isn’t the season, shopping is, and President Bush yields the responsibility of running the country to Hallmark.

I could be judgmental about how commercial this month has become, but see, a newspaper and the holiday shopping season work in similar ways.

The day after Thanksgiving is “Black Friday”, the official kick-off of the shopping season, although arguably it feels as if holiday knick-knacks fill up shelves as early as summer. With only three weeks to complete this issue, we had our own early start: production on this issue started two weeks before our last issue came out. Our ambitions, unfortunatly, are no better than those of the average holiday bargain-hunter.

The average shopper walks into a store with ten things on their shopping list and has plans to be in, out, and done. Five minutes later, that same shopper is wandering the aisles, wondering where the oversized coffee mugs are and debating whether or not to buy his or her best friend’s aunt’s dog’s groomer’s brother a present. Shopping trips are never as quick—or as easy—as one had hoped. Neither is producing a newspaper.

Our production starts with strong goals in mind, but our hopes and

dreams of finishing at a certain time almost never seem to come true. News doesn’t nicely time itself out for us, and many times will throw a curveball at us the last week of production, à la a soccer coach resigning. Everything we do is part of an ever-changing, and often times frustrating, process that overwhelms the actual distrubution and amount of time it takes just to read the paper.

Through this flurry of writing, editing, and designing--or in the case of the holidays, the planning, shopping, making, and wrapping---enormous amounts of time, energy, and money are spent leading up to one grand event. The anticipation is much to handle, but it all comes and goes, and before we know it, we’re back to an average existence. There is a large difference between the amount of time spent in preparation and the amount in celebration. So what makes the long process worth it?

As a newspaper, we have a product to put out, but the time spent creating it can be just as, if not more, enjoyable than distribution day. It’s that moment when we look back on everything that justifies the hard work.

While the holidays may mean long lines and trips to Target, it’s important to enjoy the holiday process of shopping just as much as the process of giving. Neither newspaper production nor holiday shopping are for the selfish: we don’t do them for ourselves, we do them for the enjoyment of others. So sometimes, it’s okay to get a little crazed.

So go crazy. Revel in the long lines, enjoy the mush, and have a happy holiday. Unlike our newspaper, it only happens once a year.

EDITOR’S LETTER

elestoque

2006-2007

Editors in Chief Jordan Kolb Steffi Lau Managing Editors Aniqa Hasan Anagha Vaidhyanathan Copy Editor John Ho News Editors June Kim Samika Savanur Perspectives Editors Nandini Dasarathy Audrey Feldman Centerspread Editors Jenny Sun Daniel Yang Entertainment Editors Symrin Chawla Ishita Mitra Sports Editors Ellen Casavant Carolyn Chuang Design and Layout Editor Cheryl Ho Photography Editor Austin Cheng Staff Writers Janhavi Athavale Radhika Chandrasekhar Cameron Lee Eric Lu Chris Moe Shibi Murali Ahmed Naguib Harold Pan Militza Petranovic Kevin Ragothaman Bilwa Ravikiran Pooja Shah Shawn Shah Casey Wong Cindy Yeh Adviser Michelle Balmeo Disclaimer Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District.

Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. The staff of El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the Monta Vista community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers.

We strive to report accurately, and will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. El Estoque also reserves the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

Contact Us El Estoque 21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 Attn: Michelle Balmeo, C210 elestoque07@gmail.com

,

MV student by morning, elf by night Junior Divya Kaliswamy trains with Santa Claus at the Vallco Fashion Park

by Bilwa Ravikiran staff writer

A

s junior Divya Kaliswamy arrives at Vallco Fashion Park, she notices the crowd of parents waiting in line with their children to take pictures with Santa Claus. Realizing that the cashier is in need of help, she grabs her candy cane-striped elf costume and rushes to the nearest bathroom to change into it. She comes out looking like she has just arrived in Cupertino on Santa’s sleigh all the way from the North Pole.

MVHS students who are 16-years-ofage and older and who are interested in being elves working with Santa Claus at Vallco Fashion Park this year were invited to apply for this seasonal job starting in midNovember. Students who are elves for Santa are paid $9 per hour for the 10-20 hours they choose to work per week, starting Nov. 24 and lasting through Dec. 24.

These student elves get work experience and earn money in the process as well. The students who are going to be elves for Santa Claus at Vallco this holiday season will have a variety of jobs and will be trained in them all, handling customer service, working at sales, being cashiers, and also photographing the children with the personal Santa Claus.

In order to become part of the elf community at Vallco, MVHS students had to schedule an interview with Charlene Laymon, who was, in a way, one of Santa’s helpers, too, as she was the one in charge of hiring the elves. Students also had to complete an application form that was looked over during the interview itself. Kaliswamy said, “I saw it on Schoolloop, and I was interested, so I just called.”

Upon being hired for the job, students are required to attend a training day during which they learn about the various elf duties.

“Getting trained for being an elf took only a day because the tasks we have to do are not that hard to begin with,” adds Kaliswamy.

They receive their elf costume on their first day. Kaliswamy said, “On the first day, they showed me my costume, and I was like,

More than just kings and queens Winter Ball court to include all four classes

by Cindy Yeh staff writer

A

Bilwa Ravikiran | staff photographer

ELF WORK Junior Divya Kaliswamy chats with Santa Claus during a break from her work.

‘Oh my gosh!’ because it was not the best elf costume I’ve ever seen. I was worried that somebody I knew would see me there working as an elf, but then later, I realized that it was not a big deal, and so all of my friends now know where I work, and I am no longer embarrassed to be an elf.”

Both children and their parents enjoy having elves there at Santa’s workshop. “It’s really fun sometimes because the kids get really into it. They will ask me questions like ‘Does Santa make you work hard?’ or ‘Is Santa a nice guy?’ and I play along with them and usually say that he is a nice guy, so he doesn’t make us elves work that hard. I also say that we have a lot of fun at the North Pole because of Santa Claus. It is sometimes hard to have the same high imagination level as some of the younger kids, but I do try my best,” Kaliswamy said.

Should MVHS students wish to see their friends working as elves this holiday season,

they need only to follow Buddy’s directions from the movie Elf and pass through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then walk right on through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to Santa’s workshop conveniently located at Vallco this year.

Kaliswamy, however, finds that the job of an elf is not always for everyone. “To be an elf, you have to be brave enough to wear the costume that comes with the job.

And apart from just wearing the costume, interacting with kids is also not as easy as it may seem,” she said.

As an elf, Kaliswamy is a child’s intermediary to Santa. She said, “Some kids get scared of Santa Claus, and I have to hold their hands, walk them over to Santa, lift them up, and then place them on Santa’s lap, while trying to convince them that Santa is a really nice guy.” Santa is just going to have to get used to MVHS elves.

BUS CIRCLE: Student parking lot to be new bus circle due to office renovation continued from page 1 “We are going to have to make sure the trucks have a place to get off the road, especially during the rush hours,” Principal April Scott said. “We can work with most construction workers and subcontractors to some extent, but they’ve got other deliveries they have got to make.”

Administration is currently trying to negotiate with the new contractor so that the bus circle is not completely shut off to parent drop off and pick up, efforts geared mainly toward keeping it open from 7 am to 7:45 am. It has focused its attention on morning traffic, as the afternoon is not as worrisome since the number of students leaving is spread out through lunch, the end of sixth period, and the end of seventh.

“Our goal, if we can, is to keep two loops open in the mornings and then at 7:45 we’ll fence off the drive ways so people cannot use the bus circle. Workers would be out there if a delivery comes in and would move the fence, let that person in, and close the fence up,” Scott said.

The innermost lane of the bus circle next to the visitor parking spaces is the prospective site Administration hopes to keep open in the bus circle. A new visitor parking lot of 10 to 12 spaces will be designated in the staff parking lot, and those staff spaces taken up will be moved to the back of the school on the blacktop.

A new bus circle will be created in the student parking lot. Without sacrificing parking spaces, a new loop will be designated through the parking lot for parents to drop off and pick up students along the curb next to the rest of campus. Not only would this provide a

temporary solution to a lack of a bus circle, but Administration is hoping it might be beneficial for traffic.

“Because [the student parking lot] is a much more extensive length of asphalt, we may be able to get more cars off the road and it might even improve the flow of traffic,” Scott said Until the circle is created, only anticipated problems can be addressed. Currently, traffic is not packed inside the lot itself in the mornings. However, as a driver, senior Shawn Voigt predicts, “Having only one opening [to the lot] makes everyone need to get through there, making traffic congested for it to move in.”

Junior Alex Kato, also a driver, said, “It will be a lot more hectic with everyone walking around through the lot. There could be a safety issue. It’s one of those things that shouldn’t happen, but it has to.”

Rather than tear down the office, it will be revamped and connected to the ASB/Career Center building by a glass hallway, providing MV with its first real front entrance. The cafeteria is expected to also be modernized, starting in May and ending in October 2007. The office itself is projected to be finished in January of 2008.

In the future, the empty Measure X Company Building lot at the intersection of McClellan and Bubb may be used to provide an accessible drop off and pick up location if the school gets the green light from officials.

As for finding any alternate solution to the student parking lot circle, Scott said, “We’ve talked to the city, we’ve talked to the sheriff and they don’t have any suggestions except cross your fingers.”

mid the sparkling dresses and a running river in the Decathlon Club, there will be a platform, revised and renovated from last year.

Starting this January, the Winter Ball court will introduce an eight member royalty, as opposed to the traditional two. Each and every class, even freshmen, will be able to nominate who they consider an “all around” guy or girl, on and off campus, within their own class.

“I think that the flaw of the previous year’s system was that some of the winners weren’t even present at Winter Ball,” said ASB vicepresident senior Jessica Lau, who is heading the court portion of Winter Ball.

Eight boxes will be set up with Leadership adviser Brian Dong in the rally court to take nominations, beginning Jan. 2 and ending Jan 11. The criteria for the nominations are outstanding character and service to both the school and community.

To ensure fairness, whenever a student votes and puts his nominations into the corresponding class’s box for one guy and one girl, their name will be marked off of the master list, so no one can cast more than one vote for the candidates.

The four boys and four girls from each class who received the most votes will be among the prospective 32 winners. The only exception will be those who served on Homecoming court, who will be excluded from the Winter Ball court.

After the 32 prospective winners are interviewed by the ASB officers, Lau will construct an “informational board”, which will then be put on display, so that the voters will know specifics about the candidates and their service to the school.

Along with an informative video, Lau hopes that the efforts will be enough to introduce the 32 individuals for the school to be able to make an informed vote. The poster will feature a picture and a mini bio about who the nominees are, including interesting tidbits.

“I want this to not be so much of a popularity contest, but recognition for their greatness,” says Lau. “Our emphasis is how these people act inside and outside school.” On Jan. 19, a short informative promo video will also air during announcements and feature all of the 32 prospective royalty.

The second round of voting will occur from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18, the Winter Ball Court Recognition Week, where students can go online and vote for their class’ royalty. The reasoning behind online voting is that only those who truly care about the court will be the ones to vote, hopefully eliminating the number of “no preference” votes that almost won this year’s Homecoming court.

While the traditional titles of King and Queen will remain with the senior class winners, the other three classes will each have their own position in the royalty: a Prince and Princess for the juniors, a Duke and Duchess for the sophomores, and a Count and Countess for the freshmen.

The new system has been adopted with the intention of giving every class an opportunity to participate. “This is different from Homecoming because it allows [all the classes] to have people recognized,” senior and ASB treasurer Connie Liu said. “Recognition is good.”

At the Decathlon Club on Jan. 19, at 11pm, the lucky King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Duke, Duchess, Count, and Countess will be announced and given a tiara or sash and, of course, a dance to “At Last,” the night’s theme. Until the dance, however, many students wait earnestly for the Winter court nominations.

FINALS: New schedule brings mixture of opinions continued from page 1 shorter time.”

He emphasizes that as a college-level class, the course is already “very fast” and that students are capable of keeping up. “Overall I think it’s positive. It’s just a time issue that will hopefully give less pressure to the students,” he said.

The new scheduling, however, was designed specifically to minimize stress over the intended vacation. “The main target is the students,” Recktenwald said. “Kids here are notorious for not having actual breaks.”

With finals approaching, most students remained mildly enthusiastic about the work-free winter break. Sophomore Menghua Xu said, “I really like the new system because normally I never get to take time during Christmas, and studying for finals during break is really annoying. I have a really bad memory, so I also tend to forget a lot of things over winter break.”

“Last year I had to study through Christmas break because my parents are really strict. So it will be more fun this year without having to study,” sophomore Kyle Ju said.

Faculty opinion towards the shift was largely mixed. Several suggested that it could be improved if the entire year were shifted, instead of simply a point on the calendar. Stark explains, “The system doesn’t do any good.

I find it a nuisance, a rush to generate grades. Why not start in August and end in May?” The plan would sidestep the calendar inconveniences while maintaining an open winter break.

Principal April Scott was enthusiastic that there would be no tests or homework in the way of students’ holiday. “It’s a time to be a family,” she said.

The success of the schedule, however, remains to be determined by the students. “Was it overall an improvement?” said Recktenwald, “I think so, but we’ll have to ask the students.”

Eric Lu | staff photographer

ONE ON ONE TIME Chemistry teacher Kavita Gupta assists sophomore Daniel Haensel in preparing for finals at the Free and Fun Studying Adventure (FAFSA) on Friday, Dec. 8 in the MVHS library. The library was open extra hours after school as teachers and tutors came in to help students review for the Dec. final exams.

SOCCER: Coach’s resignation puts players in tough spot

continued from page 1 a week before league starts,” Akaogi said.

About three weeks prior to the email, Torres had asked the team to email any commens about him to the athletic directors. An email to the players read, “After the cuts, a few parents decided to complain about me to the athletic directors and are making things difficult. I would like to know that I have the support of the players and parents on the team this season... I don’t want to influence your opinions, so be truthful.”

Torres mentioned his possible resignation in his email, stating, “I will make a decision on coaching this season based on feedback I get from players and parents on the team this season.”

According to Torres, Athletic Director Brian Sullivan did not support his decision to cut a player from the team. He thought that Sullivan had allowed the situation to progress rather than ending the dispute.

“When I felt my authority as coach was

being undermined by the person who is supposed to have my back, I knew it was time to call it quits,” said Torres in an email.

Sullivan feels that Torres mistook his efforts in examining both sides of the situation as an unwarranted delay. Torres seemed to want an immediate answer. Sullivan noted that he did receive a series of emails in support of Torres, but did not know why Torres felt he needed them. “[Pedro] had my support; I just needed to get clear information,” Sullivan said.

Torres also cited lack of commitment from some players, work conflicts, and personal family situations as reasons. However, even with these issues, Torres said that he had planned to stay as a coach this season.

Sullivan acknowledged that Torres felt a lack of support, but he felt this came from miscommunication.

“I had some concerns that I would talk to him about, what I was seeing from my side of the story,” said Sullivan. “I guess he

felt he wasn’t getting my support since I was asking him so many questions…I actually do that with all the coaches.”

On Dec. 5, the morning announcements requested that the team meet at lunch. Sullivan ran the meeting and informed the team that the decision to resign was completely that of Torres.

“It wasn’t just one factor, which is what the boys were hearing, and I wanted to let them know that [Torres] and I had talked on numerous occasions and there were some things that were happening that were against District policy,” said Sullivan.

According to Sullivan, a District rule requires that all potential athletes be given at least five days of tryouts. A player’s parent claimed that this rule was not upheld, so they felt the cut was unjust.

Most players vaguely understood Torres’ resignation, but were not clear on the extent of his reasoning.

“I knew that there was something going

on because he mentioned it, but I never expected this to happen,” said senior Ashin Modak. “We sent our emails, so we thought that the issue was taken care of.”

“Things weren’t great, but I didn’t see this coming,” Sullivan said. “I saw it as something we’re going to have to work through and find a solution…for us to try to keep things as united as possible.”

Sullivan himself only found out about the resignation when visiting Principal April Scott’s office in the afternoon on Dec. 4.

They had to decide a plan of action to help everyone move forward on short notice.

The team has since been taken over by Sullivan and parent volunteer coach Mike Romelfanger for the rest of the season, and it will run as normal with the new coaches.

Sullivan has full confidence in the players and their ability to perform better this year.

With the new coaches stepping in, the team remains positive and quite sure that they can move forward.

Blackout week needed before finals

Why didn’t MVHS meet its 50-barrel food drive goal?

Students must be allocated time to review material for upcoming final exams

“MV students worry more about school; the food drive just isn’t on their priority list. If teachers could give extra credit, then people would be more likely to bring food.”

junior Caelyn Casanova “People who have PE third period didn’t know about the food drive advertised on the announcements. The PE teachers should be responsible [and] let the students know.”

sophomore Simran Singh “I don’t think it was competitive enough; I didn’t feel the competition. There should be more advertising, like people walking around with signs or balloons.”

senior Patricia Lee

Nandini Dasarathy | staff artist

S

tudents in AP U.S. History are feeling uneasy. With the new finals schedule this year, they are taking a unit exam on the Monday before finals, and their final exam as soon as the next day. Without any extended breaks or study periods, they are stripped of the three-week preparation time that would have been granted to them with finals in January. Although the idea of having finals before break is beneficial to those who want a study-free winter break, without adequate time given for review, students will ultimately suffer.

The advantage in having finals after break, as it was last year, was that it was far more efficient in giving students review time. On the week after break, teachers had time to wrap up all their topics for the semesters and work with students for the upcoming exam. However, this can still be done this year through the use of a “blackout” week.

Last year, the week after break was allotted to reviewing for the final, significantly

reducing stress for students and teachers.

This year, all those advantages have been taken away and students are left with only stressful weekends and designated periods to study for finals. A week where no new material is taught or tested would adequately fill the lost time, and students would not have to cram last minute.

It is not only AP U.S. History students that are suffering; most teachers have various scheduling issues in the way their material is spread out through the semester. The “black-out” week would further push teachers to rework their schedule or bring the class up to speed for the finals.

Being the first year where the Dec. finals are implemented, it is difficult to judge too harshly. Most math teachers have already fixed their schedule to create a finals review time before the actual test. Other teachers

Staff Editorial

need to catch on; this would create a gradual and smooth transition into the creation of this week.

Though the district wide vote resulted in finals before mid-year break, teachers have shortened their semester by two weeks; time was originally used to review and finish off the semester. Administration needs to play a part in the “black out” week for it to be a success. Students are always asked not to cram, and teachers should be asked to do the same. If the week becomes a part of school curriculum, teachers will be pushed to rework their schedules in order to fit in all the teachings for the grading period. The current situation is problematic because it gives teachers total control over the amount of time they use for review.

Even if this week is promoted, teachers still need to manage their time wisely. The students at MVHS deserve a break from the strenuous workload so that they have time to focus their attention on one of the most important tests of the year, the final.

“Some of the teachers didn’t even tell us about it so we could bring food. I think if the teachers reminded the students more, then students would meet the goals.”

freshman Serene Chang “I don’t think they had enough motivation to get the students to bring food. They could add more competition or let the teachers give extra credit in the future.”

freshman Sean Lee “It wasn’t publicized enough. If announcements talked more about the food drive and if they put up more posters, then more people would know to bring food.” senior Nick Rubin

Paid editors take the “personal” out of personal statement

College application process tainted by immoral students who pay for unfair college essay editing services

by Steffi Lau

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editor in chief

he personal statement—perhaps the most dreaded phrase in a senior’s vocabulary. No words can adequately describe the painstaking effort that is poured into these college essays. It seems that all seniors are in the same boat, commiserating about the trials of personal statements. But in reality, some have an unfair advantage.

With masses of editing services where students can have essays edited by Ivy League graduates, former admissions officers, and college counselors, all students need to do is pay to have their essays “extensively edited.” Although certainly appealing, these services are completely unethical and unfair to those who write their own essays.

Though the thought of rejection by a college is disheartening, it is even harder to accept when not everyone is competing on a level playing field. With the knowledge that your peers paid to have their essay edited while you relied on your own writing, the application process is soured. Though

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the fees span a broad range, it does not matter whether one paid $50 or $1000 or whether a counselor changed a few words or wrote the entire essay. It is the principle that counts, and in this case, it is that students are using money to race to the front of the pack. Since not all students can afford these services or are immoral enough to want to use these services, it is unfair that $1000 should make the difference between someone getting accepted or rejected.

Beyond affordability lies an even more crucial matter— ethics. When students submit a college application, they sign statements certifying that they are the sole authors of their essays. But how many students are crossing their fingers?

When a student’s essay is created through dozens of sessions of brainstorming, writing and editing with professionals, the essay is being more “written” than “edited.”

Hiring someone to edit a personal statement defeats the entire purpose, more specifically, the “personal” part.

These essays are meant to present to admissions officers a clear picture of who you are. When essays are written by

To the new blue recycle bins that were placed around campus.

To the lack of lighting by the portables near the student parking lot at night.

strangers, they do not present an authentic impression of the applicant. In addition, when all applicants write their applications, acceptance and rejection is fair. But when someone is accepted because an Ivy graduate inserted eloquent references to Dostoevsky or tweaked the essay to present a different picture of the applicant, the acceptance takes on a corrupted nature and puts the honest candidates at a disadvantage.

No one is going to argue that editing is wrong. However when students start paying to have their essays reworked to the nitty-gritty, the editing process becomes unfair. It becomes more like paying someone to take the SAT for you instead of preparing through SAT classes. Though these editing services may not be defined as cheating, cheating is what it ultimately comes down to. In fact, it is worse than being told the answer to a test. This kind of cheating is toying with one’s future and the futures of one’s peers. Those who pay money to bolster their chances of acceptance must be ashamed of their insecurity, their immorality, but most of all, themselves.

To the Free and Fun Studying Adventure (FAFSA) program for finals prep.

To students who smoke just off campus and leave a mess in nearby houses’ yards.

this month

by Austin Cheng, photography editor

through the lens

Nov. 29: PLATE FULL OF FUN Sophomore Amruta Patil helps clear the table after breakfast with fifth graders from Lincoln Elementary School. Patil and 13 other students volunteered for three days as chaperones at Lincoln’s science camp trip to Mission Springs in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Dec. 1: VISIT FROM FAMILIAR FACES Sophomore Keaton Chui listens to former teacher Tim Krieger’s words of wisdom about track and cross country during a lunch visit to MVHS. Krieger and former teacher Melanie Walzack returned for a weekend from their home state of Washington to visit family in the Bay Area.

Dec. 6: PLIP PLOP PIPETTE Senior Raymond Tan pipettes Taq Polymerase into a microfuge tube during a PCR lab in Biology AP class. Dec. 1: BALL OF ENERGY Junior Jessica Barry attempts to defend a The PCR lab allows students to duplicate DNA sequences through mixing DNA bases and primers with DNA catalyzing enzymes. The spike by Chemistry teacher Travis Hambleton in the annual staff versus DNA samples were obtained from the cheek cells of each student by swishing a saline solution in his or her mouth for 30 seconds. student game. The volleyball team beat the teachers 30-21.

This ‘Iron Maiden’

by Kevin Ragothaman

staff writer

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unior Paulina Dao gripped the microphone as she began to sing into the recording interface, her face skewed in concentration in order to hit each note perfectly. Dao was recording a song for Nekrogoblikon, a metal band from Sunnyvale.

Since her middle school years, Dao has been actively involved in the metal community in the Bay Area. Dao is generally considered to be one of the hardest rockers of the class of 2008, frequently making friends with local bands when attending their shows and even being featured as a guest vocalist in one of those band’s songs.

“When people ask me what kind of music I listen to, I respond by naming some of my favorite bands, like Cannibal Corpse,” Dao said. “The look on their faces is so funny.”

Ever since she started listening to metal, Dao has seen similar reactions from her peers, but they have not changed her headbanging ways. Her face lit up as she recalled the day she discovered what had been an untrodden realm of brutality.

“I’ve always had an obsession with vampires,” began Dao, “and when I looked up music related to them, I discovered lots of metal bands. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is so weird. Who does this?’ because I had never heard anything like it.”

But after grasping a fistful of the genre, Dao developed a taste for the darker tones of metal.

Dao means business when it comes to music, but what truly sets her apart from other rockers is her acquaintance with many local bands.

“You can meet a lot of musicians at shows and keep in touch with them on Myspace or just by hanging out. Just

with a fistful of metal go to shows and have fun, and you’re bound to meet other people from different bands,” Dao said.

Dao frequently spends time with her friends’ bands while they record or rehearse, and she watches them perform at local shows.

One of her favorite experiences is being featured in a song by Nekrogoblikon, a local band that focuses its themes around goblins and calls their music “goblin metal.” Dao remembers “imagining that goblins were taking over the world” while recording her voice for a song that is essentially a “goblin metal” version of the Power Rangers theme song.

At Dao’s sixteenth birthday party, metal bands from different parts of the Bay Area put on a show for her at the Gaslighter Theater. Dao remembers an act in which the vocalist of the headlining band, Left to Die, growled a short happy birthday song while wearing her Burger King crown.

The party also featured Vornagar, Rectify, Fog of

War, and other popular local metal bands.

Though Dao has been a fan of metal for years, the amount of misunderstood criticism it receives and stereotypes that exist never cease to amaze her.

“Do you sacrifice virgins under the full moon?” laughed Dao, imitating the voice of senior Nick Rubin. “People just hear the stereotypes of the metal genre, especially how all metalheads are apathetic, antisocial, and hard-partying worshippers of Satan. When people first hear the music I listen to, they expect me to be a demonic person.”

She disproves this claim by participating in various extracurricular activities and leading a healthy social life.

“I’m not a Goth, and I’m not apathetic. I’m in Leadership, Verdadera, and varsity volleyball, so I need to be a social person. And the whole drugs and alcohol thing… I don’t do that. So, do I sacrifice virgins under the full moon?

No! I sleep under the full moon!”

Other matters that perturb Dao are the claims that metal is nothing but noise and all the vocalists do is scream. Urgently itching to disprove these theories, she began describing various techniques that metal musicians use that are distinctive of the genre.

A prime example of a skilled musician is also one of Dao’s favorite drummers, Vornagar’s Marco Pitruzzella, known for his fast drumming and “blast beats.”

see DAO on page 10 ROCK ON Dao meets Oderus, the vocalist of Gwar, a metal band famous for their stage antics, at the Sound of The Underground concert on June 23, 2005 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

photo Illustration by Aniqa Hasan, Kevin Ragothaman | managing editor, staff photographer

photo courtesy of Paulina Dao

Camp Out: Gamers line up for new Wii, PS3

Fans of Nintendo and Playstation gaming systems flock to local retailers in hopes of scoring the latest electronic craze

by Eric Lu

Playstation 3 were released in limited stock, forcing people who wanted them to wait in line. MVHS students were no exception. intendo and Sony decided to test Junior Alvin Chiao shifted his hoodie to how loyal their fans were in the month of November. With the holi- adjust to the chilly wind well after midnight day season drawing nearer, the Wii and under the dim lights of Target. Chiao and 100 equally excited fans lined up, each in hopes of obtaining the 81 Wiis at Target. The “revolutionary” Wii created a frenzy due to its motion-sensing capabilities, which involve players more deeply into the game Kevin Ragothaman I staff photographer KILLING TIME On Nov. 10, local students spend their second day waiting in t h r o u g h physical

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line outside Target at Westgate Mall for the release of 125 Wii consoles.

movement. The PS3 meanwhile, stirred the gaming community with its breakthrough graphics.

Chiao is deemed one of the “hard-core” for braving the night in hopes of buying a Wii. After all, only a hard-core fan would reply “14 hours” when asked how many hours he spent immobilized at Target. Chiao’s drive to obtain the Wii was not to play it, but rather to auction it on eBay for a profit of over $200. The 14 hours however passed by quickly for Chiao who had an entertaining time with his friends.

“We hooked up a TV to a car and we watched movies and played games,” Chiao said. He and his friends each clutched a Wii at the end of their madness.

Differing in strategy from Chiao’s tenure at Target was junior Matthew Marshall. He and his friend, junior Nate Perkins, had originally planned to camp out at Target, but the mere sight of 100 people clamoring for the limited Wiis created a change of plans. Marshall and Perkins decided to take the gamble and head to Sears, where only two Wiis were held in stock.

Marshall and Perkins woke up at 6 am on Nov. 19 and obtained tickets guaranteeing

them the Wiis at 8 am Marshall would not have received a Wii had another man, who had come before him, not walked away due to his inability to find the spot to wait.

When asked if the Wii was worth the few precious hours of sleep sacrificed, Marshall said, “I wanted it before the end of the year since I knew there would be limits [on the production numbers]. The Wii is innovative due to its motion-sensing usage in Wii Sports and Zelda: Twilight Princess.”

Junior Kyung Chan Min had perhaps the most unique way of picking up his console of choice, the PS3. Min was able to earn the gem by paying a random stranger from the curbs of Home Depot to wait for him. When asked whether he trusted him, Min replied, “I paid him in increments. He would get the most payment on the last day.” Min eventually made $650 in profit after selling it on eBay’s wild market.

Regardless of whether they wanted a console for play or profit, everyone said they would endure the experience again.

While the wait came with a hefty price of time and money, it has brought bragging rights and serves as a testimony to their gaming ambitions.

‘Apocalypto’ falls short of epic status Mel Gibson’s production on ancient Mayan culture fails to live up to potential

by Harold Pan

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of the film, in a nutshell, is Jaguar Paw escaping and killing his captors.

At this point, one might have reason to praise Gibson.

He remains true to the Mayan culture, portraying them not as cannibals but as a tribe trying to survive. Furthermore, he chooses once again, like in “The Passion of the Christ,” to require his cast to learn the language. Even so, “Apocalypto” can hardly boast historical “[Gibson] to mayan culture, portraying them accuracy. the capbut as a tribe .” tivesWhen arrive at the altar of the great Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto” is no exception to this re- Mayan city, the scene is filmed with brutal emphasis. While gressive trend in movies, where the ends fail to meet. Never the scene lasts all of ten minutes, the images of jagged obmind the mystical and majestic atmosphere portrayed by sidian blades plunging into the chests of struggling captives the short chase scenes and towering pyramids in the trailer, and bloody heads bouncing down the tower of the gods Mel Gibson’s dreaded “Apocalypto” is, at best, merely an remained in my mind. For those blood and gore mongers this may be paradise. For avid and faithful movie watchers, action film.

The protagonist, Jaguar Paw (played by Rudy Young- however, nothing substantial is portrayed.

In short, “Apocalypto,” is not a piece of cinematic art. blood) is the central focus of the film; not, as its title suggests, the fulfillment of a prophecy regarding good and evil. Un- The camerawork for Jaguar Paw’s scenes, including one like the ominous low-pitched horn and clouded solar eclipse where he is being chased by a jaguar, is done smoothly, shown at the beginning of the trailer, the movie begins with contributing to an entertaining thrill ride. This, however, can’t the introduction of Jaguar Paw and his village of savages make up for the actors’ poor performances. While no memhunting a wild boar. As they divvy the entrails, Jaguar Paw ber of the cast quite regressed to the level of Keanu Reeves, humorously hands the pig’s testicles to one of his fellow sav- they did not do full justice to their characters, detracting from ages and the hunting squad bursts into laughter, already my attempts to enjoy another day at the movies.

With the lack of effective characterization, however, undermining the mystical component of the film.

A series of foreshadowing events come to pass as the Jaguar Paw’s angry face simply isn’t angry enough and village is raided and pillaged by a group of “civilized” Ma- overall facial expressions don’t correspond to the subtitled yans. All the savages except the children and Jaguar Paw’s dialogue. At least Gibson can’t be blamed for being antichild and pregnant wife are taken captive. The remainder Semitic this time. ddly enough, every time an epic film is released, a number of film critics argue that “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.” When Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy came out, we bought into this credence. But as prospective filmmakers in Hollywood have tried to mimic Jackson’s influence in epic film making, few have ever succeeded.

remains true not as cannibals

trying to survive

DAO: Metalhead ‘shreds’ stereotypes of her music genre continued from page 9 “Drumming in metal by itself is like a workout because you have to use almost every part of your body to keep up with the intensity. And it isn’t just the standard snare plus hi-hat that you find in mainstream rock and alternative songs,” Dao said.

The guitars have also been a key part of why Dao is a fan of the genre. Metal guitar solos are commonly associated with “shredding,” a technique of playing guitar that requires technical aptitude in order to maximize speed.

Guitar solos throughout the last few decades have also been abundant with sweeping arpeggios, legatos, and many other techniques derived from jazz, but

what amazes Dao the most is how guitarists of the genre use their abilities to come up with innovative ways to awe listeners.

“A solo could be composed of so many elements, even good guitarists may not be able to recognize them all just by listening,” she said.

She was eager to talk about the vocals, readily saying that the presence of harsh vocals is barely a reason to avoid listening to metal.

“There are so many different styles of vocals a band can have. Like in death metal, there are the growls, but there are also clean vocals in power and folk metal,” Dao said.

She claims that, though growls and grunts may not prompt many to listen to death

metal, talent is still required to be considered a good vocalist.

“Honestly, growling takes a lot of skill, lung capacity, and an ability to hold notes,” Dao said. “It isn’t just random screaming, which can really hurt your lungs.”

Being a follower of the genre for years has led Dao to the inference that only few other genres offer the same technical proficiency as metal.

“The skill required to do what they do is immense,” Dao said. “Metal is as complex as jazz, just with the brutality-factor. It’s crazy how members of a band can fit so much into each song.”

Though metal has been a significant part of Dao’s life since middle school, she

does not pose as a recluse from all the other genres of music that dwell in the world.

“Another stereotype of metalheads is that we don’t tolerate any other form of music, but that isn’t true at all. I mean, I totally listen to hyphy music,” Dao said.

Dao hopes that people will open their ears to different genres of metal, even if they do not find them appealing at first.

“Anything could sound like noise if you don’t like it the first time. There are so many kinds of metal, so there really shouldn’t be an excuse to not give it a second chance,” Dao said.

And for those who scorn the genre without giving it a chance at all? Dao said, “I pity them for being closed-minded.”

Skiier slides down slope, eyes set on the future Freshman Dinah Draluk races down the giant slalom, carving her path in the world of competitive skiing

by Casey Wong staff writer

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ith skis snapped onto their boots, a group glides across the snow covered ground like ghosts, but with Spyder brand ski suits and faces masked by racing helmets.

They are all here to slice down a local slope at peak speeds of up to 25 mph in their slalom event. Most of these skiers hail from the nearby towns of Tahoe, who can train any time they want because of their location. Yet at the end of one exhilarating run down the course, one skier removes her helmet to reveal herself as freshman Dinah Draluk, who had traveled 184 miles from Cupertino to Tahoe for the usual weekend training for her life’s passion: competitive skiing.

“It’s really dangerous, and I love it,” Draluk said, describing her activity, which she was introduced to by her parents, who also love to ski. Having skied recreationally on the same slopes of Tahoe’s Northstar Ski Resort since the age of four, Draluk excelled in even the most advanced skiing classes. Soon able to ski along with the teachers themselves and tired of being “bored in regular ski school,” she took things to the next level in 2003 by joining the Northstar Ski Team, a reputed competitor in Tahoe league level tournaments.

With her infatuation with skiing rekindled by the newfound ging

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challenges of training for competitions instead of mere classes, Draluk found herself in the company of coaches with PhDs in P.E., and leaders who had trained Olympic level athletes. However, even with great coaches, Draluk emphasized that, “in order to do extremely well, [skiing] has to be your only activity.” Apparently in Tahoe, there are even “ski academies”, where children are schooled in standard academic subjects from the morning until noon, and then ski for the rest of the day on the slopes right outside the classroom.

Unable to attend such an academy herself, Draluk’s commitment to improving herself as a competitor remains unshaken. It is one of her personal goals to “become as good or even better, than [those who train daily in Tahoe].” For the past three years, she and her parents have driven four hours to Tahoe every weekend during the seasons of competition, staying in their own lodge over the weekend.

Practice for Draluk is seven hours

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every day from 8 am to 3 pm, where she and her teammates engage in intense drills to improve balance, and to adapt in all sorts of unpredictable, forested terrain.

Even after such tolls on her energy which leave her sore and tired, “the whole feeling of being in Tahoe, training with incredible coaches, friends and the whole team spirit always makes it all fun.”

Though the training is purely enjoyable for Draluk, she admits that “competitions are so stressful.”

Upon arriving at the designated areas at the resort hosting the competition, Draluk must take substantial time in familiarizing herself with every aspect of the slope. She s a i d , “ Y o u have to

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work. Though she will be competing with skiers who train every day at Tahoe, her coaches still believe that her contribution to the team will be incredibly valuable.

Self-management is essential for Draluk, who also plays piano, takes art lessons, and competes with a tennis team in addition to the workload as a student. Her parents require top-notch grades, and adeptness in all of her extracurricular activities. School is accepted

by Draluk as her top priority, who explains herself that “in skiing, you can get injured, and it might be all over. But with an education, you always have something to fall back on.”

Though Draluk realizes that she will not be able to compete in competitions of any higher caliber because of her lack of time and the need to commute such a large distance, she is determined to never give up skiing, even throughout college.

“I hope to travel out of state to ski in the future,” she said. “But not to the East Coast.

The slopes there suck.”

know where every bump is, if the snow is slushy or icy, and just be able to close your eyes and remember everything.”

In slaloming, these skiers must maneuver through a zigzag path in order to ram open small gates located along the path, all while maintaining their speed after crashing through each barrier to reach the next. Draluk has tried every competition event for skiing during training, but focuses primarily on the slalom, giant slalom, and super giant slalom because the other downhill events are much too dangerous.

She has been so successful in these competitions that she had been selected by her coaches to compete in the esteemed Far West Skiing Competition. This race, organized by the renowned Far West Ski Association, is often the key step towards recruitment for the Junior Olympics. Should she qualify for the Junior Olympics, Draluk explains that she would not want to participate because of the extreme amounts of necessary training that would take time away away from school-

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giant slalom

This style of skiing is the same as slalom skiing except that the gates are spaced farmoguls Moguls are bumps in a course ther apart from one another. that skiiers must travel around downhill quickly and with good form.

The downhill allows skiiers to

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achieve the greatest speeds, up to 93 miles per hour! The Slalom is a downhill skiing Skiiers ski down a slope downhill courses have few event where skiiers move beand go off a ramp, pergates spaced far apart. tween poles with short turns. forming tricks in the air.

Arête philosophy leads boys basketball to slam-dunk season

day, I implement a new word that I want to see reflected through practice. For the first design editor five days, they were the words from arête, and after, I’ve chosen additional ones.”

This focus on inner strength eventually ttitude, respect, effort, togetherled the players to something they had never ness, esteem,” boys’ basketball done before: yoga. coach Matt Tait said, forming “Yoga requires a lot of focus, and it’s the acronym arête, the Greek word for exexhausting – for some reason the next day cellence. “These are the qualities I expect we were sore,” senior Phillip Kou said. “The to see in the boys both while playing basbest part is that Coach does it with us. It’s ketball and in their lives. The ones I put the pretty funny to see a bunch of boys crowded most emphasis into are attitude and effort, around a small TV trying to balance on one because there is nothing else you have full foot while leaning forward with the lady on control over in your life.” the screen sayTait was hired at ing, ‘You are a MVHS with previous COACH IS TO THIS TEAM AND HE KNOWS SO strong warrior! experience being assisI am so proud tant coach of the West . — senior Akshay Mani MUCH BASKETBALL, IT’S Valley College men’s of you!’” basketball team. The The boys varsity boys have been training since June, tices were two hours long, the practices now plan to use their newly gained “focus” to and it was clear before school even started are at least two and a half hours long, with zero in on their season goals. “I think that that Tait wanted to revamp the way boys an added 45-minute morning weight train- we are a better team this year and things basketball was run. He is the team’s third ing session once a week and an occasional are beginning to look upward. We put a lot tutorial practice. new coach since 2001. of focus, time, and dedication into this,” juTait’s goal is to continue to improve rath- nior Luke Liu said.

“Last year we suffered bonding difficulty because the coach was not on campus,” as- er than qualifing for CCS, which he says is Keeping arête in mind, and the word tatsistant coach Calvin Wong said. “There was too far away to think about. “I don’t believe tooed to their shorts, the team members are no team unity. This year, the coach is more in setting goals on others’ standards.” Tait more committed, but this level of dedication active with his players, keeping the players said. “Win or lose, that doesn’t matter.” does not only apply to the players. “Coach What does matter to him is character got married in the summer,” Mani said. “The motivated and hopefully introducing a new and integrity. “I try to teach them to be day after his wedding weekend, we had a culture of winning.”

Tait made the decision early on not to good, upstanding people,” Tait said. “Each game, and he was out there coaching us.” make any cuts from this year’s varsity team, believing that everyone should get the chance to play basketball. The team’s player count is 19, though only the top 12-14 players get playing time. Tait hopes this will push each player to do their best every time they are on the court to gain more game time.

“I don’t play that often,” senior Akshay Mani said, “but I go to practice everyday.

Coach is so dedicated to the team and he knows so much basketball, it’s amazing.”

The player count has not been the only thing to increase; practice time has gone up as well. While in past years, the boys’ prac-

by Cheryl Ho

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Cheryl Ho | design editor

EYES ON THE BALL Senior Eric Lee puts up a shot as sophomore Luke Liu and junior Wayne Pao prepare for the rebound.

SO DEDICATED AMAZING ”

sophomore Graham Paterson wrestling Instead of fighting an uphill battle against procrastination, why not work on honing the skill? Consult the following tips to procrastination with perfection.

Efficient procrasination. If you’re going to waste time, waste it effectively. Do something you like, so that when it’s crunch time, you are ready and focused.

Set your goals. Allot an amount of time to waste, so that you maximize your borrowed time: go for a jog, check your Myspace, or take a bubble bath.

Prioritize. Even when you have an insurmountable pile of tasks to accomplish, keep in perspective what matters the most.

Organize assignments by point value and minimize losses.

Have a good conscience. Nothing is worse than the awful feeling that follows wasted time. Don’t procrasinate habitually, and be able to justify why you’re doing so.

Freshman Jocelyn Ou Sport: Basketball Position: Guard change of clothes “We don’t have practice jerseys, so we just wear any big T-shirt and our basketball shorts.”

freshman Eli Cagan basketball

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Pawkit the gnome has gone hiking at MVHS, but where is he on campus? The first person to reach the location shown will find instructions to claim a fabulous prize.

Congratulations to senior Kelly Bodwin and junior Helena Montin for finding Pawkit’s location in front of the lamp post near the school marquee on Nov. 27!

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photo illustration by Aniqa Hasan | staff photographer

n the biome of the MVHS basketball courts, Paterson found himself out of his natural habitat. But as Cagan began to teach Paterson the basic skills of basketball, Paterson caught on very quickly. “I couldn’t do it any better,” said Cagan as he watched Paterson dribble the ball across the court.

“He’s a natural.”

Paterson impressed him especially with his long one-handed pass which Paterson accredits to his football experience. As Paterson quickly grasped the sport, Cagan asked, “Do you want to learn something fancy?” Hence, Paterson tried his hand at a three-point shot. His first try air balled and ended in an abrupt plop onto a backpack.

His second try, however, landed in a satisfying swish. Paterson lost his touch after that second try as the backboard denied his following attempts. Afterward, they played a quick game of one-on-one. With the exception of a few double-dribbles and flubbed shots, Paterson put up a fair match.

Reflecting on the sport, Paterson said, “It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and skill that I don’t really have.”

ooking at Cagan’s tee shirt and jeans, Paterson asked, “You don’t have any shorts?” Apparently Cagan hadn’t expected his lesson to require much flexibility.

Paterson began by demonstrating a basic standing takedown. He knelt on one knee and lifted Cagan onto his shoulder.

Cagan’s only response was that of a cry. As Cagan tried his hand at the takedown, he got through the first two steps, but his efforts to lift Paterson were futile. As they went into a mock match, Cagan asked, “How about for five seconds?” His wish was granted as Paterson quickly took Cagan down. Paterson then gave Cagan the upper hand by letting him take the top position in the referee stance. Cagan tried to push Paterson down to the mat but Paterson quickly came out from under him and took the upper hand.

After it all, Cagan was thankful the lesson was over. Cagan explained his difficulty by saying, “He has big muscles and I don’t have as much,” pointing at Paterson’s biceps. The matchup was not entirely fair: Cagan weighs in at only 130 pounds compared to Paterson’s 215.

ankle brace “Because my shoes don’t have built in ankle supports, I wear these to prevent turned ankles. ”

Band-Aids “I always have these just in case someone gets hurt. You never know. I haven’t had to hand them out to anyone though.”

water bottles “I only go through one and a half bottles per game, but I bring two just in case.”

Converse basketball shoes “A good basketball shoe has to have a good grip or else you’ll slip up on the courts.

Girls’ Soccer