May 2010 by Justin Raisner

INSIDE

Teen driving deaths increase in summer p. 9 Do you do your summer reading? p. 10 Tips on how to find a summer job p. 3 Celebration Assembly photos p. 7

Summer movie previews and the Evolution of Warped tour in Entertainment

The Highlander

MITCHELL AUSTIN LOUIE 1992 - 2007

Mitchell taught us all how to live life having a heart filled with love, compassion and courage. Mitchell is eternally young and will be missed forever. He spent countless days having fun on this field. these bleachers are dedicated in Mitchell’s honor.

Carlmont High School Newspaper Volume I, Issue viii - May 2010

Become a fan of Carlmont Highlander on Facebook and browse to carlmonthighlander.ning.com

Four years later Louie still remembered

To remember a beloved student who didn’t make it to graduation, a tree was planted on Carlmont’s campus Four years ago in August, a young man enrolled at Carlmont as a freshman. Sadly, he didn't make it to graduation. During his freshman year, Mitchell Louie, a brave and loving individual, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a very rare and difficult form of

ADAM TAYLOR LOUIE

Adam will be forever linked to his twin brother Mitchell. Adam has taught us the true strength of brotherly love. He continues to honor Mitchell’s memory through his compassion in caring for others. These bleachers are a living tribute to Adam.

A tree was planted on Carlmont’s campus in honor of Mitchell Louie, a Carlmont student, who died of cancer in 2007.

Carlmont’s energy overuse is troubling

Energy inefficiency at Carlmont contributes to the spread of global warming By Christina Belasco

Photo by Christina Belasco

to power everything. So, at first glance, it seems that Carlmont News & Opinions editor We live in an era where people is well on its way to becoming are more concerned about the in- an environment friendly school, convenience of flipping a switch however new research proves to turn off lights than the ef- otherwise. Mr. Casey O'Hara's Engineerfects energy inefficiency has on the environment. Such lack of ing and Green Technology classattention to one of today's big- es conducted a survey in which gest problems, global warming, they determined Carlmont's enis leaving our generation in a ergy efficiency by interviewing teachers and rather then mealarge suring the hole amount of to dig energy they o u ruse in the selves classroom. out of. Turns out Global we aren't as warmgreen as we i n g Computers left on while not in use are a thought. obviously Mr. O'Hara cannot be significant waste of energy. said that most everyone thought solved overnight, but we can start somewhere, and that place the biggest culprit for energy wasters would be the Smartis with ourselves. Carlmont's brand new per- boards, but this proved to be forming arts center has been wrong. The projectors alone use built keeping green in mind more energy than the Smartwith new state of the art venti- Continued on page 8 lation systems and solar panels

of the tumor. Benefits were held to gain donations, show support for Louie, and spread awareness about glioblastoma. Senior Alysha Painter recalls, "It was a very family-like environment. I always found them [the benefits] to be hopeful, loving, and supportive. They were rarely sad, and everyone made them about being with Louie rather than about his condition or situation." Louie left us on November 12,

Louie was more 2007. A beautiful then just another memorial service student. He was was held in his honor, remembera friend, a musician, a fighter, and ing his wonderful a twin brother. attitude and con"Mitchell alstant smile. Reways made me cently, his family planted a tree on laugh," states senior Kelsey CurCarlmont's camran. "He was one pus in his rememof the most conbrance. A plaque will soon be addsiderate and senMitchell Louie now has a ed as well. sible guys I've plaque on campus. To many of us, ever known."

Carlmont student scores a perfect on the SAT Junior Lara Sichi received a 2400 on the critical exam Lexi Friis

Staff Writer

In high school, students take several important tests, but the SAT's are the most important. Colleges use SAT scores for placement, so the results are crucial for the student's future This year, Carlmont High School happened to have one student receive a perfect score. Junior Lara Sichi scored a perfect 2400. Sichi didn't expect to get a 2400 because of the writing subject test, so when she found out her score, she was pretty surprised.

Her parents were pleased with her because she "upheld the family honor," while her friends were jealous of her. Sichi says said she didn't prepare at all for the SAT's and didn't study at all. Though she hasn't been contacted for scholarships yet, in September she might be contacted for the national Merit Scholarship. There are 2400 total possible points, and the average is approximately 1500 according to about.com. The SAT's are held seven times a year, and there are

three sections: writing, reading and math. Each subject is a multiple choice test, and the writing section also includes an essay. Out of 1,000,000 students who take the test, only 20 people get a perfect score per year, so congratulations to Lara Sichi!

Photo by Lexi Friis

Staff Writer

cancer. Glioblastoma generally takes its form as a brain tumor in males over the age of fifty. For Louie, however, it was a tumor on the spine of a fourteenyear-old boy, causing his case to be exceptionally rare. Glioblastoma is incredibly difficult to treat due to its resistance to conventional treatment methods and the fragility of the location

A tradition comes to an end

The class of 2010 will not be decorating cement squares By Dylan Coyne Editor-in-Chief

Graduating seniors will no longer be able to claim a patch of cement squares and decorate them with the memories of high school. Traditions are an important part of culture. Traditions offer familiarity, a right of passage and often serve as senti-

Photo by Dylan Coyne

Laney McGrew

mental reminders of times past. For these reasons, many seniors were dismayed when they were informed that one important Carlmont tradition would not be held this year. Since the 1960s Carlmont's graduating class has decorated cement squares. Students today can still walk the outdoor halls at Carlmont and see the eroding squares of classes decades before their time. The reasoning behind the abrupt halt of this school tradition is simple, "Last year's junior class [class of 2010] voted on whether to have a senior picnic or to create a senior walk.

They chose to have a senior picnic," said Mr. Jim Kelly who oversees senior activities and senior week. But why should seniors this year have to choose between the two? Every class since 1962 has been able to have both activities during senior week. What makes this year any different? It turns out, it's all just bad timing. According to Mr. Kelly, "The biggest reason is because this year the Monday of grad week is a school holiday." Unfortunately, a school holiday means one less day for senior activities and the "senior walk" was the first thing to go. Feelings about the loss were mixed among seniors. Some, like senior Liliana Urbain were upset. "I was shocked when I found out [we weren't doing senior walk]. I was also confused

Continued on page 8

Page 2

May 2010

News & Opinions

The separation of church and state

A necessity of democracy, despite what some politicians preach By Arik Schoessow Staff Writer

There has been a disturbing tendency among some politicians and media figures of late that questions the durability of the constitution in a striking way. There is a trendy belief spreading around: that the institutions of Church and State should not be separate, and it is gathering more followers who base their decisions not on reason and logic but instead on what the Moral Majority dictates. Recently, the Texas Board of Education voted 10-5 for a reformation of textbooks to eliminate such concepts as Darwin’s theories, Thomas Jefferson’s influence beyond the Declaration of Independence, and call into question concepts like the separation of Church and State. Several of the board members were even very blatant in confirming their opposition to the concept, in direct support of religiously involved government. Yet, despite the reasoning, or lack thereof, behind these individuals they have still managed to work their way up to the top of the Texas Board of Education, which raises awareness to the bias of the entire system, another problem entirely. The main issue is the opposition to the division of Church and State; with the existence of such a denial of prime reason, there seems to be need of a clarification

on the basics of governance philosophy. Somewhat ironically, a truly righteous government must be separated from religion in its duties as a government to its people. It is no issue for people within

that government to belong to some faith, as long as their actions are not made on the behalf of that influence. Governments should not impose any religion on the people, else the rights of mentality are broken and freedom can never truly exist. Governments are made for the governing of men in their bodily forms. For all of time, mankind has experimented with different degrees of theocracy, ushering in new eras of more dilute forms of religion. Thomas Jeffer-

son, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, George Washington, and John Adams were the most successful men to discover and implement a successful policy of deism without religion being involved with government. By being deists, the Founding Fathers believed that there exists an eternal being, an entity capable of creating the earth and the universe entirely. The Fathers did not believe in the God that is most popular among local prayer circles today. The first Americans were responsible men who did not believe that God acted in the actions of men, thus they were selfserving and manly, with no reliance on a personal god-helper. If, in the modern day, the United States were to become a theocracy, the result would never be a society of moralists and saints. The religion of today does not create followers capable of maintaining a society in a free manner. There is a line that government cannot cross between

Arizona have they gone too far? By Joseline Diaz Staff Writer

Arizona, the fifteenth most populated state in The United States, home to hot weather, one of the four corners, is now home of one of the first state immigration law and other laws banning teachers with accents and banning ethnic studies. The antiimmigration bill was passed when their g o v e r n o r, Jan Brewer, signed it on April 30, 2010. What is this law and how will it affect the citizens of Arizona? This law makes it legal for a police to detain anyone who they reasonably suspect is an illegal immigrant, and if they don’t have papers they are thrown in jail and deported. And those who are legal are obligated to carry their immigration

papers at all times and it’s a state crime to not carry said documentation. It’s a harsh law and clearly targets Spanish speaking Latinos, though they aren’t the only ones who can be targeted. This is a form of racial profiling which

is a violation of civil rights and can be viewed as unconstitutional. President Obama spoke out on May 5, 2010 during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House.”The answer isn’t to undermine fundamental principles that define us as a nation. We can’t start singling out people because of who they

look like, or how they talk, or how they dress. We can’t turn law-abiding American citizens —- and law-abiding immigrants —- into subjects of suspicion and abuse.” A new bill that now sits on Governor Jan Brewer is the bill that bans ethnic studies. This bill applies to both public and charter schools starting from kindergarten all through high school. It would ban classes that teach things that promote the overthrow of the US government, a class designed to specific ethnic group or a class that advocated ethnic solidarity. The Arizona State Superintendent for Public Instruction, Tom Horne claims that these classes encourage “ethnic chauvinism, encourages Latinos to rise up and...tries to intimidate conservative teachers in the school system.” As if the schools aren’t suffering enough, another bill in the making is that teachers with “very heavy accents” and “ungrammatical speech” aren’t allowed to teach English. They are either reassigned or fired. These laws are harsh and have caused a giant stir in the United States. How could these laws affect California or any other state? That is the question that only time can tell.

population control and consciousness control. It is somewhat ironic though to find that most supporters of a religious government, a government that penetrates deep into the minds of society, are conservative republicans who fight with brutality against any form of government intervention. Americans who say that a staggered tax is unjust, Americans who insist upon deregulation of businesses, Americans who lower taxes, then increase spending immediately after. All the qualities of super-capitalist, anti-big government conservatives are present amongst the Moral Majority, yet they still vouch for the melding of government and religion, a system that would shove government down the throat of every man, woman, and child in the country. It is clear and reasonable that the institutions of Church and State should be kept separate, yet despite the blatancy of this there are some who insist upon not only sliding religion into higher government function, but sliding it into education as well. If there is one thing in any nation that should be kept protected from any sort of slant, it is the education. Education is the best foundation for success of a nation, if it is tainted an entire new generation of Americans will only continue to recede the status of our country as a world symbol of justice and liberty.

Trial of Carlmont student’s shooter underway Verdict soon to be announced in trial of Zarate’s killer By Christina Belasco News and Opinions Editor

On September 13, 2008 Carlmont student Solomone Zarate was fatally shot multiple times by Ricardo Garcia outside a Redwood City party. Now, twenty months later, Zarate and his family may finally have justice . The trial began earlier this month and is still underway. The shooting was a result of a fight that got out of hand between two alleged gang members. There is a photo of the shooting taking place that will be used as evidence against Garcia, along with the cross-examination of Jose Zavala, Garcia’s younger cousin who tried to prevent the fight. As the trial continues, Garcia remains in custody on a no-bail status. This was a tragic loss for the Tongan community and Zarate will never be forgotten to those who knew him.

FREE SKATE RENTAL

Free ice skate rental with your Carlmont ID Every Saturday night from 8:30–10:30pm

Buy one get one free Tapioca drinks 815 Old County Road, Belmont 650-592-0533 • www.belmonticeland.com information@belmonticeland.com

2202 Broadway Street in Redwood City

Across Century 20 Theater Downtown Tel: 650.298.8268

News & Opinions

Overcoming your programming The simplification of existence By Arik Schoessow Staff Writer

The lives of the masses are lives of constructed chaos and disorder. Transcendentalism is the wrecking ball to this constructed distortion. To begin, let it be made clear that humans are born into a world of foundations and principle, mannerisms and custom, politics and influence, injustice and power. Society is a beehive, maintained by all contributing members, the bees, who generation after generation build upon and maintain parts of the hive while abandoning others. Each new bee is born into the busy and chaotic atmosphere that is his hive and expected to follow suit while making additions to the hive. This is the same for humans. Now suppose the foundations of this societal clamor were to suddenly vanish, there would remain the only man, unaware of customs, practice, ritual, obedience- the ideal transcendentalist. Transcendentalism in thought is the process of clearing all aspects of unnecessary excess to a point of personal sufficiency; forming a unique connection with the natural world is fundamental. Established as an official philosophy in the nineteenth century, Transcendentalism is largely the work of the titans: Henry David Thorough and Ralph Waldo Emerson. These men both established the supreme connection to true existence and simplified their lives as social experiments, both reaching points of sheer necessity. This opened their minds to the flaws of modern society and its subversive power to divide man and his creator: the natural world. Society in the nineteenth century was only the beginning of this habit. Man has now easily reached a condition of existence that isolates him from that in which all other life on this earth dwells. Transcendentalism can be affiliated with governance and power, but that was not its intent. Unlike many other philosophies of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Transcendentalism was not designed for controlling men and gaining wealth. Instead, it was conceived as a system of governance for oneself, to retain the eternal bond that links man and nature. Transcendentalism in practice means somewhat of a purging for most people. To reap the rewards of simplified existence, one must sincerely shed the unnecessary garments of status and ideological comfort. Materialism must fade to a vague distraction, the mind must value reason and repel irrational discontent, and dramatization should be overrun by reason. The entire being must be perceptive of itself to yield realization and true tranquility. Today, finding content and relation with the natural and surreal world is much more difficult for the average person. Most individuals aren’t subject to the experiences and hardships that the average individual was subject to at any previous time in history. As made clear earlier, we are all born onto the foundations of opportune existence, and as much as you would love to make yourself think you’re free from the insane grip of society, you’re fooling yourself. Ignorance is bliss, until you breathe the fresh air of knowledge.

New music and art building Carlmont will be moving into its new two-story, 22,000 square-foot music and art building, which is adjoined to the 21,000 square-foot performing arts center that opened last spring. Replacing the 8,500 square-foot music facility, the new $16 million music and art building provides spacious facilities for the vocal and instrumental music programs, including practice rooms and a music library and recording studio. Rooms in the new space feature acoustical doors and windows, SMARTboards and connectivity with the performing arts center. Art facilities include space for photography, drawing, painting and ceramics.

Ceilings in the new building measure 18 feet high, and natural lights floods through a large expanse of windows. Other highlights include a 2,000 squarefoot corridor/circulation space on the second floor that features a gallery to showcase student art and a wall of windows offering panoramic campus views. The new facility has been designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, one of the highest recognized sustainability standards for green design. Over 90 percent of the demolished building was recycled, and a solar-paneled roof will provide approximately 12 percent of the building’s annual energy use.

May 2010

Page 3

Highlander Staff

Faculty Advisor Mr. Justin Raisner Editor-in-Chief Dylan Coyne News Editor Christina Belasco

Staff Writers Scots Scoop Editor Laney McGrew Hannah Abney Savannah Jack Jenna Chambers Noele Pennington Daniel Rubinstein Joseline Diaz Features Editor Arik Schoessow Ashley Dierolf Nicci Betteo Selina Sorensen Lexi Friis Theo Yeh Han Li Sports Editor Dana Bloom

Entertainment Editor Graphics Design Daniel Rubinstein Sarah Biklen

Become a fan of Carlmont Highlander on Facebook

How to get a summer job

The do’s and don’ts that could move you up the corporate ladder By Hannah Abney Staff Writer

Summer is almost here, and for those ages sixteen and up, that presents the opportunity of a summer job. However, in the current economy, finding a job, especially with no work experience, can prove to be rather difficult. Although the age to obtain a job is sixteen, sometimes even fifteen and a half, many places refuse to hire anyone under the age of eighteen. Stores such as Express, Wet Seal, Nordstrom and even Blockbuster will simply recycle an application from anyone under eighteen. But luckily for high school students, those aren’t the only options. The best places to look for a summer job, especially a first job, are local stores, such as shops on downtown Laurel or in the Belmont shopping center. Restaurants are also good to try, as well as stores in the mall, which are always busier during summer. What’s especially important however, is to not be picky. When looking for a job, don’t stick your nose up. A first job or just another summer job, is

not going to be the job of your dreams, it’s not guaranteed to be at your favorite store or even pay more than minimum wage, but it will give you valuable work experience that will surely aid you in your future job searches. With today’s technology, many stores accept or even prefer online applications, which are great to try, but to find a job as quickly as possible, an in-store application may be most preferable, as stores can often be negligent on checking online applications. When filling out an application be sure to use proper grammar and spelling. An answer to “What do you think is excellent customer service?” sounding like, “Is being good to customers. Be friendly. Say thanx.” makes one seem uneducated--- not a desirable quality in an employee. Also dress appropriately, especially for interviews or even turning in applications, first impressions count. Wear nice black pants and a nice dress shirt; girls don’t wear too much make-up unless you’re applying for a job at Mac. Whatever you do, act as professional as possible.

May 2010

Page 4

Entertainment

Movie mania: top 10 summer flicks By Theo Yeh Staff Writer

Summer is almost here, and the best part of it (besides no school), is watching movies with friends. When Junior Erica Jon was asked what movies she was looking forward to see during the summer, she responded, “I want to see Despicable Me because the preview was really cute. Oh yeah, I totally forgot, I want to see The Last Airbender because I’ve seen every episode of the actual television show.” Sophomore Mindy Yasuda countered, “I want to see Letters To Juliet because it is the type of movie that gives you hope that something good will happen to you too in the end.” My top 10 anticipated summer movies of 2010: 10. Knight and Day Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in an action comedy. Let’s remember how hilarious Tom Cruise was in Tropic Thunder. This film should be gleeful. 9. The Last Airbender This much loved T.V. series is now being turned into a movie billed with a good story line and great effects.

8. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse The third series in Twilight. The first two were a success. Girls like it... So guys like it. Senior Sara Broyles said, “I would like to see the new Twilight because I’ve seen the last two. I think the guys are attractive and I guess I like the book.” 7. Shrek Forever After The first three Shrek movies were hilarious and successful. This final comical animation will not disappoint. 6. Toy Story 3 After ten years, this highly anticipated movie makes it’s way back into theaters in 3-D. Junior Thomas Yeh mentioned, “I really want to see Toy Story 3 as it is a part of a classic series of movies that never cease to entertain you no matter what age you are.” 5. The A-Team Remake of the 1983 A Team. The casting looks good: Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, and Sharlto Copley as Murdock. 4. Takers Paul Walker

(Brian

Horoscopes

O’Conner

What’s your destiny?

By Savannah Jack

bikini/swim trunks (and sunscreen) and soak up the sun all summer long.

Gemini (May 21 -June 20) You may be eager to get out of school, but before you throw out your old homework you might want to double check your papers...There might be something you forgot.

Sagittarius (November 22 -December 21) Do the unthinkable, and try something you’re scared to do; something positive will come out of it.

Scot Scoop Editor

Cancer (June 21 -July 22) Head out to the lake this summer and you may find your self making interesting new friends! Leo (July 23 -August 22) You’re not usually one who radiates confidence, but this month you will have a chance to shine.

Libra (September 23 -October 22) If you notice your friend is feeling down, try and cheer them up. You may be just what they were looking for. Scorpio (October 23 -November 21) Listen to your favorite song, put on your

Aquarius (January 20 -February 18) You may find yourself with an opportunity to travel somewhere new! Go and you may find a new side to your self that you have yet to discover. Pisces (February 19 -March 20) Before you graduate make sure to achieve that one thing you’ve always wanted to do at Carlmont High School.

3. The Expendables It looks like a really great action movie. You have all these male action stars in all the great action movies: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke.

2. Despicable Me The teaser trailers look hilarious. Steve Carrel plays the main character in this comical animation. Sophomore Parker Pestana commented, “I’d like to see Despicable Me because it has Steve Carrel in it. He is a funny man.” 1. Inception Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Self explanatory.

BFD lineup too mainstream for some fans By Daniel Rubinstein Staff Writer

Live 105 isn’t just the Bay Area’s premiere mainstream rock station, it’s a staple of the nationwide alternative music scene. They remain the local powerhouse even despite the shortcomings of this year’s BFD lineup. The radio station contributes to a rich culture of alternative and indie music in the Bay Area by spinning local bands on Sound Check and throwing three major festivals: BFD, Not So Silent Night, and Subsonic Spookfest. BFD, which stands for “Big F@#$ing Deal” takes place annually at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California in June. This festival-style concert runs all day with up-and-coming bands performing on the festival stage during the afternoon, and the more established headlining bands on the main stage at night. The first BFD concert took place in June 1994 with artists such as Beck, Green Day, and The Pretenders. It has since hosted bands which went on to platinum-album status such as System of a Down, AFI, HIM, The White Stripes, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, 311, Third Eye Blind, the Foo Fighters, Panic at the Disco, The Offspring, Stone Temple Pilots and the Beastie Boys as well as older bands such as Duran Duran, Social Distortion and The Cure. The thing that used to make BFD so special is that while the headliners were normally settled in on the nation’s top 40 billboards, the rest of us could head on over to one of the side stages to enjoy an artist who is a little bit more relevant to today’s teen demographic of alternative music fans. While last year’s lineup included main-

stream headliners such as The Offspring and 311, the bill was balanced out with Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, and Crystal Castles, as well as a ton of extremely relevant and equally awesome local bands including Dizzy Balloon from Oakland, CA. The reason that 2010’s lineup has been generally attached to a negative connotation since its announcement is because it is way too predictable. Featuring Live 105 veterans such as Silversun Pickups, Against Me!, and Flyleaf, the festival comes short of that wow factor. Sublime is back (with a new young singer) and Hole (Courtney Love) will be headlining. While these artists aren’t bad, and I myself am excited for 85% of the real Sublime, I cant help but be disappointed in Live 105’s choices for the side stages. BFD has said to feature the best up and coming bands out right now but there have been so many more-deserving indie artists that had their first semi-mainstream debut in 2010. Say Anything and Circa Survive both upstreamed to major labels in the last 8 months. Blink 182 reunited this past year. It seems as though this year’s lineup is only relevant to the top 40 listener, proving that Live 105 is playing it safe. My recommendations for good lesser known music when you’re bored a this year’s BFD: Matt & Kim, Violent Soho, The Limousines, I the Mighty (San Francisco, CA), and I Am Empire (San Jose, CA). As for the rest of the bill, the most hype I’ve heard about this year’s festival is a bet regarding how many times a drunken Courtney Love will flash her genitals on stage.

Choir sings to packed house Photo by Savannah Jack

Virgo (August 23 -September 22) The first week of summer may not turn out as you expected, but don’t let it lower your spirits. The rest of the summer will be great!

Capricorn (December 22- January 19) A summer romance is about to happen. Take the chance and go for it.

Fast&Furious), T.I. (Yes, the rapper), Chris Brown (yes, the R&B singer), Hayden Christensen (Anakin from Star Wars, also from Jumper), Idris Elba and Michael Ealy.

Aries (March 21 -April 19) If you have a summer job be sure to spend all that money you receive wisely, or you will regret it. Taurus (April 20 -May 20) You’ve noticed a flirtation with somebody unexpected. Don’t let it get to your head or your heart will be the one left hurting.

Carlmont’s choir students sing during the Music of our World concert

Entertainment How to: make the best Lost Crossword of your summer Page 5

May 2010

Summer seems to get shorter every year By Sarah Biklen

Crossword by: Laney McGrew

Entertainment Editor Summer is fast approaching and many are left wondering how they will spend it. Unless you are going on a school trip or an exciting vacation, you may be stuck like many of us in a little town we like to call home. But don’t be disheartened, because a summer at home can often turn into the best summer yet. It just takes a little willpower and a whole lot of imagination. First of all, try to avoid googling “things to do in summer.” These websites are typically geared toward younger audiences and suggest things such as, “make a fire plan,” or “read a story to someone.” Hopefully, you already know where to go in the case of a fire and reading a story to someone will probably last all of ten minutes, unless it is the last Harry Potter. Not exactly ideal uses of your time. Now that I have provided a suggestion of what not to do, let me offer some productive ideas of things to do with your two months of freedom. If you are interested in having some good old-fashioned fun with your friends, try making a video. This could be anything from a music video with choreographed dance moves to a parody of a video you’ve viewed before. If you aren’t too embarrassed at the final result, post it on YouTube. You might be surprised at the positive feedback you receive. Go camping with your friends or family. Camping is virtually free and you

could go somewhere as close as Half Moon Bay if you are worried about distance. Plus, it is always nice to get in touch with the peace and quiet of nature and you might discover something about yourself along the way. Or you might just come back with some mosquito bites and a handful of funny stories. Have a water balloon fight. It sounds lame, but on a hot day it can be just what you need. The more people you are able to get involved the better, as this adds an element of friendly competition to an otherwise purely recreational game. Experiment with food. This may also sound uninteresting, but cooking has its benefits (i.e. you can eat whatever you make...Usually). And who knows, you might discover some amazing recipe along way. Try to break a Guiness World Record. There are some crazy records out there that may never be topped, but the more low-profile records can sometimes be beat, such as the record for the number of rugby tackles in an hour, currently 4,130. There are tons of fun things to do in summer even if you are limited to a small and familiar setting. Try to stay active and make the best of the short time you get without the stress of homework and testing, but if all else fails you can always just watch a movie and eat junk food with a couple close friends...Or by yourself.

An eMotional performance

Hollywood high school vs. real high school

“...try making a video... If you aren’t too embarrassed at the final result, post it on YouTube.”

Carlmont dancers rock the stage

By Jenna Chambers Staff Writer

From May 6th to May 8th, Carlmont’s Intermediate and Advanced dancers did not cease to impress audience members during their stellar performances in the annual dance show this year titled eMotion. Each performance was based on a human emotion and was uniquely choreographed by the dancers themselves. The entire show portrayed choreography that told stories that were conveyed passionately through the rhythmic movements. The performances were introduced by the very entertaining Masters of Ceremonies who put on brief skits pertaining to the title of each dance. The dance show also included Carlmont’s Show Choir and Drum line who both featured in a performance with the dancers. The cast received nothing less than well deserved standing ovations for all their hard work in developing eMotion.

Ashley Dierolf Staff Writer

Perhaps the directors of movies and shows that focus on high school haven’t been there in the past twenty years, but the productions they make are painfully unrealistic and hard to relate to. It all started with those Saturday morning cartoons like Recess. There was no such thing as class or learning, just recess, hence the name. Not only is the school life of the characters portrayed unrealistically, but who knew there were cliques in elementary school? Of course it would be boring to watch a bunch of kids sitting in class the whole time, but poor naive children may end up with a false perception of school life at an early age. As time progresses, kids move on from Saturday morning cartoons to overly dra-

matic soap operas for teenagers. While watching Degrassi: The Next Generation, for example, it seems like every problem imaginable for a teenager to have is packed into a thirty-minute episode. “They emphasize everything,” replied Sara Garner, sophomore, “They make up scenarios that would never happen at an actual high school.” Not only do these shows make it seem like every teenager needs to see a therapist, but also that there’s a dance every week in high school and students only go to one class a day where all of their friends are magically sitting around them. Like normal high school, there are breakups, girl fights, and flirting; however, all these actions take place during their hour-long passing periods. “The shows are much more dramatic. Passing periods also seem a lot more eventful than they really are,” said Mi-

chelle Fox, sophomore. Most recently, though, the trend is having high school students who are extremely talented. Thanks to High School Musical, students are required to know how to sing and dance at any given time. How different would high school be if every time a math test was being taken, a group of students would bust out into a motivational song and a perfectly rhymed dance routine? “No one just breaks out into a song with a basketball,” said Fox. Not only does High School Musical have unrealistic expectations for the talent of high schoolers, but also for their personality. Only in movies can the smartest girl in school also be the most popular yet deeply misunderstood, or can the basketball team captain have a secret desire to join the drama club and fulfill his dreams in life. It’s obvious high school isn’t the worst place, but sympathy can be felt for the incoming 8th graders who have been mislead by their favorite movies and shows about high school.

Page 6

Scot Scoop

May 2010

Not all arts created equal for graduating Although similar, some classes are fine arts, some practical, and some not at all

“Football Freshmen year.” J. Hall

SENIORS: “Winning first place for water polo in our division.” Joe Shire

What is your best memory after four years here at Carlmont?

“Having dreads, wearing sweats everyday Freshmen year and being awesome.” Kyle Zink

“The night game this year!” Eugene Kostikov

“In Mr. Ligget’s class Freshmen year Sharon Turkinetz “When the fire alarms wore her super woman outfit went off like 20 times for Halloween, stood up and danced, then fell and her skirt last year.” flew up. I still laugh about it.” Kwok Cheung Caitlin Morrill

“Streaking through Carlmont before they put up the security cameras.” Jeremy Renard

By Savannah Jack and Sarah Biklen

Photo by Niko Fraizer

“Prom this year and last year were really fun and also winning football games, like against Sequoia last year.” Eva Macvoy

ation. A devoted current Journalism student in this situation overheard a conversation about Journalism and its qualifications for becoming a fine art. Sophomore Ashley Dierolf quickly defended Journalism stating, "How is writing not an art?" Journalism and certain other classes meet most of the same standards as current fine art classes and should be approved by the district and state to become an official fine art class at Carlmont.

The Monthly Quad Snapshot

Photo by Savannah Jack

Talk Back

submitted to the district then the state to be approved as a certain requirement. "When the course was created for Web Design the course may have already existed or it was submitted to the district and then state to become a fine art," Mr. Zamora mentioned after being asked why Journalism does not qualify as a fine art like the other classes. Although Journalism has applied for designation as a Fine Art, and yearbook is investigating doing the same, students still don’t know whether or not their class will be what they need it to be for gradu-

Photo by Sarah Biklen

depending on what the kids needed." If Mrs. Jenoff could waive credits for Sports Editor students, why can't they be waived in reSeveral classes at Carlmont fit the de- cent times? scription of a Fine Art but do not fulfill Many Journalism and yearbook stuthe Graduation requirement. dents are finding themselves in this situEvery year students have the hard task ation, needing fine art credits but are deof deciding what classes to take the fol- voted to their program and don't want to lowing year. Before their final choices leave the class. are made, students' transcripts are looked When current principal Raul Zamora over and they have to choose what class- was asked if he would ever think of waives to take that will satisfy If the same skills are ing credits his response, the graduation requirejust legally can't." learned, why are all "We ments. Several elective classes Previous yearbook stu- these classes not un- meet the guidelines for a dents were eager to take der the same elective fine art, including Web yearbook the following Design, Computer Graphyear but needed their topic as a fine art? ics, and Photography. fine art requirement. Instead of dropping Somehow Journalism and Yearbook do the class, they talked to past principal not qualify as a fine art although what is Mrs. Andrea Jenoff, who allowed them done during the class follows the same to participate in yearbook but still fulfill basic ideas as other fine art classes. the requirements to graduate. For example, both Journalism and YearMr. Harrison, the current yearbook book work on layouts, take pictures, deteacher, recognized what Mrs. Jenoff had sign computer graphics, and sometimes done,"I was told seven years ago by the manipulate photos with Photoshop. If the previous principal that yearbook could same skills are learned, why are all these count as a practical art. Upon further classes not under the same elective topic discussion I learned that the principal as a fine art? waived practical or fine art requirement When classes are starting up, they are

By Dana Bloom

As the year comes to an end, Carlmont students celebrate by dressing up for spirit days (Kyle Zink, Elodie Stephan and Caitlin Morrill bottom right), participating in Carlmont Idol our famous contest which shows that Carlmont can be like Glee, and dunking seniors in tanks (Joey Klieen top right) because what more do younger classmen want than to dunk people who don’t have to come back for another year at Carlmont High school? Have a good summer Scots!

Senior takeover day taken over by administration Students who were perhaps failing all their classes would be permitted to miss Staff Writer class to takeover a teacher’s class. The Senior Takeover Day is a day cherished change this year was that students could by all students as the moment of shin- takeover whichever class they like for the ing glory where they may become their entire day, if they received approval from teacher of choice for the day and “rule their teachers to miss class. Another change to Senior Takeover Day the school.” However, this year students was that “Seniors can take over for teachwere worried about no Senior Takeover ers only,”said Kelly, meaning that as opDay at all. Senior takeover day typically falls on posed to previous years, seniors were not the third week of May, the week before permitted to takeover for a security guard senior finals and this year it fell on May or the principal, etc. “I think it’s fun, but a lot of people 21st. Among the changes to senior activities this year, seniors feared that they get annoyed of it when people take it would only be permitted to take over a too seriously and take over for Gordon fifty minute class on Senior Takeover or people who aren’t teachers and give Day; as opposed to the traditional school like one-hundred detentions,”said senior day. This idea caused many complaints Ashton Wolgast. As for the fear of the end of Senior from members of the senior class. Takeover Day, However, seKelly says niors found that” The trathey had no dition of Seneed to wornior takeover ry, as senior day is to taketakeover day over a class,” went along and shows no smoothly. Mr. intention of Jim Kelly said ending the trathat the main dition. change to SeThe changes nior Takeover made this Day was the Senior Aryn Moore teaches students about Macbeth year were requirement after taking over Mr. Raisner’s English class. primarily to for taking over a class. ensure a good “balance between aca“In the past all students needed to do is demia and enjoyable activities.” request it,”said Kelly.

By Hannah Abney

Scot Scoop

May 2010

Page 7

Celebration Assembly entertains Photo by Ashley Dierolf

Photo by Dylan Coyne

Photo by Ashley Dierolf

Photo by Dylan Coyne

Photo by Ashley Dierolf

Cancer survivor back in the classroom By Savannah Jack Scot Scoop Editor

Most of us are familiar with the pink ribbon that is associated with relays, that companies promote, and the ribbon that people wear on their chest during the month of February, they are the symbol for breast cancer. Fortunately not many of us are actually acquainted with the reality that breast cancer can bring into a persons life. Breast cancer affects 191,410 women every year, including our own Carlmont English teacher Ms. Cynthia Faupusa. Faupusa was diagnosed on October 14th 2009, ironically the 5 year anniversary of her grandmothers death, who also had breast cancer. Not only did her grandmother have breast cancer, but her mother and multiple family members had also been diagnosed with different types of cancer. Her complex family history with battling cancer already put her at a higher risk for being diagnosed than the average female. Faupusa had first noticed symptoms before her mammogram, (which she had been putting off), at the age of 35. So instead of having a normal check up Faupusa went straight to the Breast Cancer Center at UCSF. “Regardless of my family history the doctor told me that I was fine” said Faupusa. Since she had the confidence

instilled in her that she was okay she figured it was a waste of time to have another check up in early September, but she went anyway. After her second mammogram she received a voice mail regarding the examination that Faupusa felt didn’t seem normal and seemed strange to her. This for her was the most difficult part of the whole nightmare, “The hardest part was not knowing if I had it, waiting for my diagnosis asking myself, what if I die”. She found out that she needed to go in to do an MRI guided biopsy, which would retrieve tissue for analysis to see if anything was wrong. “At this point it was or wasn’t cancer,” stated Faupusa, and unfortunately it was. During this time Faupusa was at stage zero, with stage four being the highest and most aggressive kind of breast cancer. She went back to UCSF to see her surgeon the day after her diagnosis, since it wasn’t certain how far the cancer had progressed. The sur-

geon gave her three options to treat her cancer. “The first was a Lumpectomy with radiation where I would still have to go to the doctors every six months. The second the removal of one breast and I would still need to go in every six months with an increased risk every year, so it wouldn’t completely prevent having cancer. The third was the Bilateral Mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, and I would not get the cancer again.” UCSF now has breakthrough research with a 97% accuracy telling which option is the best choice, but since this is six months after Faupusa’s surgery she was unable to use this s cientific revelation. Faupusa was featured on KTVU news discussing her take on the latest discovery.

With her family by her side, and her will to survive she endured a bilateral mastectomy on December 8, with the risk of her life. “They were there for me through thick and thin. This has shown me who I can really rely on.” Throughout this predicament her family supported her 100 percent of the way. When asked if she ever cried with them she responded, “I didn’t cry in front of people. I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me or taking pity on me.” Despite her determination and bravery she recalled how she felt after the surgery, “I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was in the hospital for a week.” Even two months after the surgery she was not physically the same, but exhausted and weak. Even though she had little to no energy she didn’t have much to occupy her time post-surgery and decided to return to teaching. She has also become different mentally and has realized that her family is number one in her life, “I don’t want to waste my energy on things that aren’t that important. I don’t tolerate things as easily anymore”. Faupusa has recovered a lot throughout this whole process, and her attitude for next year is to come back in better physical shape with more energy. Her motivation and will through this unique journey has made her a true survivor.

Page 8

May 2010

Features

Periodic mood swings

Both women and men PMS

By Hannah Abney

lay around with chips and a beer or soda Staff Writer watching “the game.” It’s the monthly monster where horThey’ll also refuse to clean the house, mones race and emotions run wild---pre- scratch themselves in odd places, and menopausal syndrome, better known as play video games for an unhealthy porPMS. Although mainly associated with tion of their day. Perhaps it’s not a synwomen and the sporadic monthly break- drome, but really a life-long defect; as down, PMS affects men as well. men of all ages, young adults, business While the dragon-like mentality that executives and assisted living residents controls women when PMS hits may follow the same pattern of vulgar behavcause men to run for iors. their lives, or perhaps Women have their cheat, men have their moments of obnoxflaws as well. Flaws iousness; but having that can push women a guy who is in tears over the edge. over the Raiders losing Think about it; what while they’re stuck in drives women to ema prison of raging horbark on crazy shopmones doesn’t help. ping sprees and trips For countless years to the spa? Not just companies have the love of fashion searched the stretches and flawless skin; but of the Universe for a men suffering from PMS---pathetic man cure to the dreaded PMS, but no cure has syndrome. ever truly been found, aside from Advil, Whereas when “Flo comes to town,” which never fully helps. so to speak, and women suffer from preLadies, relax. Go to the spa with your menopausal syndrome causing them to GBF(gay best friend) or try to create the become bloaty, moody, chocolate fiends, perfect man. If you can surgically defy refusing to go out in daylight due to mind- gravity, could a perfectly engineered guy numbing cramps, or hot flashes, men will be so far off? Until that day comes, stick to the Advil and chocolate. Men, PMS is no fun. Why you suffer from it, the world may never know; it must be laced deeply within your genetic coding. But to make the consequences of female PMS less severe for yourselves, try buying a broom and learning how to use it. Would this bring an average guy to tears?

Women have their moments of obnoxiousness; but having a guy who is in tears over the Raiders losing while they’re stuck in a prison of raging hormones doesn’t help.

Did you know? By Lexi Friis Staff Writer

* Most lipstick contains fish scales. * No two corn flakes look the same. * 11% of people are left-handed. * The average person falls asleep in 7 minutes. * The most common spoken language is Chinese. * There is no such thing as naturally blue food. * The United States consumes 25% of the world’s energy. * Every minute 35,000 dead skin cells fall of your body. * Most people blink 17,000 times each day. * In your lifetime, you will shed 40 pounds of skin. * There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in every human.

Carlmont wastes electricity Continued from front page

boards themselves. However, the number one energy waster turned out to be classroom lighting. The survey showed that lighting uses much more energy than Smartboards or computers, in fact for the whole school it costs over $1000 per month for lighting alone with 480 kW-hours per day being used. (For those of us who don't speak physics, that's a lot.) To cut down these numbers and save money as well as energy, the class has offered the suggestion of only using half of the lights at a time and take advantage of natural lighting by keeping windows and doors open whenever possible. In addition to this, computers are being left on overnight and even through the weekends. Regardless of whether or not they are in sleep mode, computers are still a big energy drainer and should be shut off all the way and even unplugged whenever possible.

Sophomore Mduduzi Hlatshwayo stated that "I think Carlmont is inefficient with energy because the fluorescent lights are always on." The survey was conducted partly because a big focus of the class is energy and efficiency in everyday life and how to improve on it, but also because "It was empowering for the students to find out about this and they got to boss around the teachers a bit", said Mr. O'Hara. The class also made flyers with energy saving tips that will be posted around the school.

Senior cement square tradition abandoned Continued from front page

because I don't get why we have less of a right to leave our mark on this school as the previous graduating classes. I think senior walk is important because it means kids have enough pride in their school to want to show others that they were here." Other students were less upset, seeing other things as more important. Senior Jake Nilson said, "My personal opinion is that cement squares aren't that big of a deal because we're going to college. We're going to have different lives and be involved in so many different activities that we're not really going to come back to Carlmont and look at some cement with our names on it. It should be the last thing on our list of priorities." Although certainly not the main reason for bringing the tradition to an end, environmental concerns were also a factor to consider. "Each year we have to fill 600 square feet of unpaved earth for this activity. We can't keep doing it. It has to end sometime. Environmentally it's not good. I'm against it," said Mr. Kelly. However seniors feel, there is very little chance of bringing back the tradition, at least for this year. Even with the loss of "senior walk" senior week 2010 should be a great one. Besides, the minor sadness that might be felt by some who were really looking forward to having their very own patch of concrete will be greatly overshadowed by the excitement of graduation.

Features

May 2010

Page 9

Teenagers and cars: Behind the scenes of the SPCA A deadly combo By Selina Sorensen Staff Writer

Study done by SADD and Liberty Mutual reveals risks By Jenna Chambers

to the six percent of teens who do so during the school year. Staff Writer It is unfortunate that as teenagers pile Ah, the joys of summer. Days at the into their cars to enjoy what often bebeach, the sweet smell of barbecues, gins as innocent summer cruising with staying out late, hanging out with friends, friends, some of them will tragically confamily vacations, and no school are all tribute to leading cause of death among things that students look forward to dur- teenagers. ing their three months of freedom. Curfews that were once strictly folSummer does bring the pleasant free- lowed, are now forgotten allowing freedom to do what one wants and is often dom to enjoy those long summer nights used as a time to relieve stress of school which 72 percent of teens take advantage and ; yet it is the assumptions that sum- of during the summer. The study also mer is a license to do what one pleases adds another 47 percent of teen drivers that leads to risky are more likely to stay and careless actions, “Twenty-four percent out driving during the sometimes resulting summer compared to of teen drivers are more in death. the 6 percent of teen A study conducted likely to drive under these drivers that are more by SADD (Students likely to drive late [dangerous] conditions Against Destructive at night during the Decisions) and Lib- during their summer school year. erty Mutual found months compared to the As a direct result that teenagers are of staying out late more likely to en- nine percent ... during the and driving at night, gage in risky behav- school year.” eyelids naturally get ior while operating heavier and tiredness a vehicle during the sets in leading to poor judgement addsummer months leading to more crashes, ing to the statistic that two thirds teen car injuries, and ultimately deaths than dur- crashes occur during the night. Nevertheing the school year. less, 24 percent of teen drivers are more The Centers for Disease Control and likely to drive under these conditions Prevention (CDC) reports that every day, during their summer months compared nine teens ages 16 to 19 die due to a mo- to the 9 percent of teen drivers who are tor vehicle injury or accident. This statis- more likely to drive fatigued during the tic is not including the increased number school year. of deaths that occur during the summer Sadly, these are the summer driving months. realities that unfortunately continue to In the study it was found that the rea- affect young and inexperienced drivers sons for the increased number of car everyday and especially during summeraccidents among teenagers during the time. summer include more driving, “piling in”, later nights and heavy eyelids. With nothing else better to do and more free time, it seems that teens spend on average 23.6 hours on the road per week compared to the 16.4 hours spent on the road during the school year. Teenagers driving in a car with a bunch of other teenagers is a recipe for disaster as judgment can easily be clouded by the influence of friends. Teens are more likely to engage in unsafe practices such as, speeding or texting while driving as well as drug and alcohol usage while teenagers drive alone and with others in the car. The dangers of driving with friends is a well known topic that has been preached to students by adults for years and yet research still showed that 23 percent of teen drivers are more likely to drive with three or more other teens in the car during summertime compared

The SPCA is wellknown for its humane efforts for saving animals, but some SPCA employees believe that they can play the roll of God. Many people come to visit beautiful creatures that are behind bars. What many people don’t realize though, is that these dogs are suffering, they are given a limited time in the kennels before euthanization (being put down). The cages reek of urine and feces, and many of the dogs in there look scared and hopeless. A large number of people have had to have their dogs euthanized because they’ve been deemed “irresponsible”, by SPCA employees, sometimes erroneously. Citizens report animal abuse, in which case the owners and the reporter go to court to fight for that dog’s right to live or die. One of the cases that broke my heart is the case of Kelly Lemon’s dog, Indo. I knew Indo on a personal level; he touched my heart in ways many people can’t understand. Lemon had a baby girl seven months ago and was raising her, while Indo was around, he was protective of the baby and the household as well. Indo was a brown pitbull, ten years old with the spirit of a child. Many people saw him as a threat due to his breed. But one citizen saw him as a danger- that citizen happened to be an SPCA employee. The employee and Lemon went to court for Indo, the employee stated that Lemon was “irresponsible” with her dog. The SPCA employee has as much power as a police officer does in cases involving animals, so the courts took her side. Indo was euthanized, and many people were left broken-hearted, in pain and sorrow. Lemon went to say good-bye to Indo and was horrified, Indo’s paws were bloody and she had no idea what could have caused it. It was also obvious he was not taken care of properly because he was nothing but skin and bones. From three weeks to ten years old, Indo lived a long and happy life with love, care, responsibility, and passion by the owner, as well as Lemon’s loved ones and friends. Through it all there are some good things about the SPCA and their employees such as, saving dogs from animal abuse and taking them out of broken homes. They help the neediest animals and give them a second chance at life. Many need medical care, behavior training and love before they enter a new home and the SPCA gives them exactly this. For some, the SPCA is the only chance they have left. They save an average of 170-175 animals every month. However, the SPCA can, and has overstepped their boundaries by going after animals unnecessarily. Although there will always be people who have had negative experiences with the SPCA, the organization has helped millions of animals nationwide. People with bad experiences such as Lemon,her loved ones and friends tend to not be as positive towards the SPCA.

Page 10

May 2010

Features

Why are summers spent doing homework?

Every student has the tedious task of doing homework over the summer By Dana Bloom Sports Editor

Summer is the time of year when students should have no homework, but every year summer reading is assigned along with other homework depending on the class. Students expect to have summer reading assignments; although that does not mean the assignment is completed before the summer ends. When class levels increase, the homework load students have increases as well. It does not only increase the amount of homework during the school year but it also implies more homework over the summer preparing for upcoming classes. Every summer the English department requires students to read at least one book over the summer. Depending on the level of the class taken, other responsibilities are obligated by the students, including more books to read. Many students choose to take the easy way out and use Spark Notes or Schmoop instead of actually reading the assigned book(s). An anonymous student commented when asked if she read her summer reading, “Why would you read the book if you have Spark Notes and the Internet?” This disinterest of doing summer homework is popular among many students. Teachers must question if giving work over the summer really benefits the students. When science teacher Mr. Felix Guzman was asked why teachers give summer homework he stated, “Teachers consider it important. Teachers can not cover all assignments and topics in eight months. Summer assignments make a difference on learning.” Summer homework may impact students’ learning; although some assignments do not cross many students minds in a friendly and helpful way. Instead,

summer assignments are often looked at as busy work and are considered pointless to the students. A student who asked to be kept nameless commented, “I think teachers just give out summer homework to be mean. Why can’t we just have three months without homework?” Teachers do not give out homework over the summer to be mean. It is a misconception many students have of their teachers. The duties students have to complete over the summer are only t h e r e to benefit our learning. Even though many, but not all students hate the task of doing homew o r k over the summer, it must get done so students can start their upcoming school year on a high note. Homework assignments for the 2010 summer: * AP Physics: Packet with reading questions and problem sets. More information with Mr. Fung. * APUSH: Read the first three chapters of Enduring Vision. More information with Mr. Garcia. * AP Calculus AB: Summer assignment, check with Ms. Mills. * AP Spanish Language: Summer reading and writing assignments. More information with Sra. Scott. * AP English Language and Composition: Required to keep a dialectical journal with certain assignments for each of the 100 essays. Students will be allowed to use this journal on a 100 question objective test at the beginning of the school year.

* BC Calculus: Summer assignment, check with Mr. Ramroth. * AP Government and AP Economics: No required summer reading although the suggested reading is Naked Economics, by Charles Wheelan and The Supremes Greatest Hits, by Michael Trachtman. For more details check with Ms. Weisman. * AP Psychology: Read Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research. Summarize and comment on these three studies. If you have any concerns contact Ms. McKee or Ms. Perna. * AP Biology: Set up an interactive notebook. Read and outline the first eight chapters which will be covered over the first two months of school. More information with Ms. Doss. * AP Chemistry: Check out textbooks (after Memorial Day) and do eight exercises in the book. Also nomenclature exercises and pre-lab work will be assigned. Purchasing a research lab notebook and Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam will be necessary. Three of the assignments will be turned in on August 18 and failure to turn them in will result in having to drop AP chemistry. For more information contact Mr. Guzman. Summer reading list for all students: * English II Choose one of the following: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlen Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Republic of East L.A. by Luis Rodriguez Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Death Watch by Robb White Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston * AS English II Required Reading: Beowulf by Seamus Heaney Grendel by John Gardner * English III Choose one of the following: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor Killer Angels by Michael Shaara East Side Dreams by Art Rodriguez How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende On The Road by Jack Kerouac Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass * AS English III Required Reading: Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor Native Son by Richard Wright Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson * APEnglish and Composition(Juniors) Required Reading: One Hundred Great Essays (Penguin) edited by Robert Diyanni * English IV: Contemporary Literature Choose one from the following or one from AP English Literature & Composition: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson The Cider House Rules by John Irving This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin The Devil’s Teeth by Susan Casey *AP English Literature & Composition(Seniors) Required Reading: Jane Eyre by Charolotte Bronte Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys * English IV: Creative Writing Required Reading: Flash Forward Fiction: 80 Very Short Stories edited by Robert Shapard & James Thomas Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life by Natalie Goldberg If books need to be purchased, bring in the ad to The Reading Bug for 20% off.

Highlander beats yearbook in dodgeball

Sports

May 2010

Page 11

Women in the Racing World Spring Season Wrap-up Why do male race car drivers always think the women can not compete with them?

By Noele Pennington Staff Writer

In the racing world women are considered to be at a lower skill then the male racers. Many men believe that women cannot race as well as them. In truth many female racers are faster and more experience then some of the men that are well liked and known in the racing world. Fathers and daughters even race each other, Ashley Force a female funny car racer went up Erin Croker peeks out the window each women had moved around and tried against her Dad, John Force and won. There are nine women out of 97 to- different parts within the racing world. In the racing world, many women comtal racers in the NHRA. pete to show they are capable of doing For those who do not know what Drag racing is, it is a race with two cars going things men can do. The top 13 women in down a straight track for a quarter mile. the racing world are: Although recently the NHRA changed the length of the track because it was too 1. Ashley Force NHRA funny car racer hard for the faster cars to make it all the 2. Danica Patrick IndyCar way down the track without blowing up 3. Melanie Troxel NHRA 4. Sarah Fisher IndyCar or having problems. In the Full Throttle Racing Series, in the 5. Milka Duno IndyCar funny car division John Force holds first 6. Erin Croker NASCAR place with 616 points with his daughter, 7. Leilani Munker NASCAR Ashley Force Hood, in fifth place 161 8. Katherine Legge Deutsche Tourenwagon Masters points down with a total of 455 points. In the Pro Stock Motorcycle division 9. Erica Enders NHRA Hector Arana holds 1st place with 366 10. Liz Halliday Le Mans points and Karen Stoffer fellow female 11. Hillary Will NHRA racer holds 8th place with 202 points, 12. Angelle Sampey NHRA 13.Chrissy Wallace NASCAR Craftman 164 down. Women compete in many parts in rac- Track Series ing, some win and others come close,

Badminton: The badminton team finished in second place this year with 11 matches won and 3 lost, and no injuries. The battle with the first place winner, Aragon (12 / 2), was close with Carlmont losing by only 7-8 in one of our meetings. The Bay division was competitive, so it has been a challenging but rewarding season. There were many outstanding senior players on the team that will be missed next year. Nolan Richins led the team in terms of percentage of total games won, winning greater than 90% of the matches he played. Baseball: The boys Varsity baseball team rallied from a 9-2 deficit to pull together with an explosive 6 run 7th inning to win a share of the P.A.L. Bay Divison Title. With this win the boys qualified for their 3rd consecutive CCS appearance and second league title in the past 3 seasons. The Frosh-Soph boys dropped a heartbreaker losing on Friday but too had a tremendous season capturing a second place PAL bay Division Finish. Boys Tennis: Frosh/soph tied MA for 1st place. Varsity was 10-4 in league and 11-6 overall. They earned 3rd in Bay and made it to CCS for the first time in years. Golf: The golf team was 11-1 this year, which was good enough for second place. Tristan Reed was the PAL individual golf champion. Swimming: Both Frosh/soph teams ended up in second place. Many league records were broken though. Tristan Burrin took the school record completing the 200 Medley back stroke in 27.09 seconds. Ivan Garin completed the 200 Medley, fly style in 25.47 seconds. Vladmir Khrolov participated in free style, 200 Medley in 22.50 seconds. Spencer Weden completed the breast stroke in 1:02.70. Jason Wong did the 200 Medley, breast stroke style in 28.85 seconds. Softball: The Frosh/soph team had a great season finishing in 1st place. The Varsity team earned it’s 35th consecutive CCS berth.

e! test n i l n ermit o l l a rp

d you s e s s pa r u e o driv ons so y d s

S2 H A C e t e s d s e s v co * Tak , flexible leMV-approt practice te t n u . s o i c s n D s m u e i r a F c d • pe rni ro r o e f p i e n l i t l a t n n n e e • C free o d m n y 0 a a p •5 m ne .co i l d n E o rs e e h v i t r g D n t i i r s du Vi

Want a fast, easy way to fundraise for your class? Earn a 25% commission and save your friends 15% off drivers ed. Visit www.DriversEd.com/Associate-Programs. *Discount for online drivers ed class only.

Photo by Han Li

Photo by Arik Schoessow

Brooke Rothschild Mancinelli dives into the pool, beginning her meet.

Taylor Yzaguirre watches the ball hit the bat, making contact in a key situation in the game.

Ryan Yen concentrates and prepares to return the ball back to the opposing player.

Brian Barret races down the line after he hit the ball up the middle.

Photo by Noele Pennington

Photo by Dana Bloom

Tarilyn Won spins into her release during a victory over Terra Nova.

Caitlin Morrill comes up for a breath while completing the breast stroke.

Photo by Han Li

Photo by Sarah Biklen Daniel Madigan begins his windup, throwing a strike in a key point of the game.

Photo by Savannah Jack

Sports

May 2010

Photo by Jenna Castillo

Page 12

Curtis Fan sets up for a forehand shot. Lehua Zane gets in the ready position to smack a serve over the net.

Soccer fever hits as the World Cup begins By Han Li

An insight on what soccer teams around the world will bring to the World Cup

Staff Writer Every four years, the entire world puts aside all of their problems for one glorious month. Every four years, people around the globe gather to watch the biggest sporting event in the world: The World Cup. The FIFA Soccer World Cup has been held every four years since 1930, excluding 1942 and 1946. This year, the World Cup will be held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four teams each. These four teams will play one game against the other teams in the group, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss. The top two teams in each group will advance to the next round, which is a single-elimination tournament. While 18 tournaments have been held, only seven different teams have ever won the golden trophy: Brazil five times, Italy (reigning champions) four times, Germany three times, Uruguay and Argentina twice each, and England and France have both won once. Despite the extremely low chance that any team that is not a soccer superpower will win, the United States has very hopeful expectations. According to freshman Justin Quan, “The U.S. has a shot.” Other students, such as sophomore Jackson Criswell, are more realistic in their support, “I think either Spain or the Netherlands will win.” Group A: As the host country, South Africa received a free bid

to the finals. While Mexico barely managed to qualify, they always perform strongly and have advanced the past four tournaments. France also barely qualified, only getting in due to a controversial Thierry Henry handball goal. While Uruguay has won two tournaments, they have not played well in recent years.

Group E: The Netherlands are one of the most exciting attacking squads in the tournament. While Denmark does not have many stars, they have many solid players, the same can be said about Japan and Cameroon. Group F:

Group B: Argentina is the home of the undisputed best player in the world, Lionel Messi. While he is capable of completely taking over a game, they also have many other talented players surrounding him. They should easily advance through a pretty weak group with South Korea, Nigeria, and Greece.

The Italians are the reigning champions and have the best keeper in the world in Gianluigi Buffon. This group also contains Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia.

Group C: The United States got about as good of a group as they could have hoped for: while soccer power England is in Group C, so are relatively weak Slovenia and Algeria. The opening match against England is sure to draw plenty of attention and is full of star power in English striker Wayne Rooney and U.S. star Landon Donovan. Even if the U.S. were to lose this game, they would still have a very good chance of advancing. Group D: Germany always performs well in any major tournament and obviously have a very good team. Australia, Serbia, and Ghana are all very solid teams.

Group G: Widely regarded as the Group of Death due to the presence of Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Portugal. Brazil is almost always the favorite in any tournament they enter, Ivory Coast is probably the most dangerous African team, and Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo. North Korea is also in this group. Group H: As the number two ranked team in the world, Spain has to be considered one of the favorites, led by the attack of David Villa and Fernando Torres. Also in the group are Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile. Quan can not wait for the World Cup to start because “it’s a great time to be with friends.” Jackson is “excited to watch all the games and see all the goals” and “would like to see another head butt.” Mark your calendars, June 11, 2010, the world will come together and be captured by the beautiful game.