The Knight Magazine November 2013 Issue by The Knight News Blog

WELCOME NOTRE DAME OPEN HOUSE 2013 GUESTS!

VAUGHN HIMBER EDITORIN-CHIEF

SOPHIA PAGE MAGAZINE EDITOR

STAFF

CAMERON DE MATTEIS

ADVERTISING MANAGER

GABRIELA AVILA WRITER

NICK HALABY BLOG EDITOR

KATHRYN BRACKEN WRITER

ANDREW GAVINET WRITER

HALEY GILFORD WRITER

JEANNIE GONZALES WRITER

VERONICA HUSTON WRITER

VICTORIA MARTINEZ WRITER

ALEX STEPHENSON WRITER

ERIC TALAMAS WRITER

HALEY WIMMER WRITER

JANET YEO WRITER

GRACE MCKAGAN

BUSINESS/ SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

ANNOUNCEMENTS: SPECIAL THANKS to Ms. Lelia May for taking the cover photos for the October 2013 issue. ERRORS: The Knight Magazine regrets its misspelling Mr. David Savage’s name as “Dan Savage” in “The History of Halloween” story in the November 2013 issue. COVER ART for this issue is from a public domain image and is taken from a Little Nemo in Slumberland comic strip by Windsor McCay.

VISIT NOTRE DAME’S ONLINE PUBLICATION AT

www.ndhsmedia.com for the latest news (written by students, for students) from Notre Dame High School, the community, and world. NOVEMBER 2013

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Arts

Twelfth Night BEHIND

By Alex Stephenson

THE

SCENES

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is finally coming to Notre Dame, and the theater department is already working hard to make sure this play will be an amazing one. With the play set to open on November 13th, coming to the Black Box Theater near you, Twelfth Night is not one you will want to miss. With rehearsals everyday, for generally three hours (more or less), putting on a good show is no vacation. “We train through acting exercises, we do script work, we do script and character analysis, we block scenes and we do anything else that helps us develop the performance of the play,” reveals Judy Welden, Play Production teacher, about what goes on “behind the scenes”. Shakespeare, as everyone knows, can prove to be difficult when reading, let alone acting it all out. As Stage Manager, Emily Bisno, says, “Shakespeare can be tricky to navigate, so right now, we are going through the script making sure we know everything we’re saying.” For now, rehearsals are being broken down by scene, and as all 166 actors are not in every scene, not all need to come to every rehearsal. However, “everyone in the cast will meet two days a week for a couple hours,” says Bisno, so not everyone is off the hook! During rehearsals, “we warm up and stretch and then do some relaxation and just get in the zone and get ready to work,” says actress Lauren Kelly. “We will break up into smaller groups so we can get more work done,” adds Bisno. Because they are still in the early days of rehearsal, “we are still doing some getting to know you stuff.” Kelly explains that, “we just finished reading through the script” and are now starting to block scenes. As for costumes and props, the cast will be costumed in Elizabethan attire. “We already have a few costumes we can use and we will rent and build the rest,” says Welden. As for her prop secrets, “most of the props I typically find on eBay.” Now, one may be wondering, “How was Twelfth Night chosen?” Well, Welden chooses her plays by reading them over the summer, and hopefully, something catches her eye. “If I can’t stop reading it, I know it’s the right play.” True for each play she puts on, Welden expresses, “I feel in awe of the playwright’s work and try to honor the writing. I am thrilled by the opportunity, and have a sense of responsibility to do the script justice.” What makes the Notre Dame plays worthwhile are the hard work and dedication of the students and faculty involved, so with all the hard work going into this one, as with all the others, Twelfth Night by Shakespeare will surely be an Notre Dame favorite.

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Thanks for the Memories By Victoria Martinez

Thanksgiving is a time of food, family, and high spirits. Students and teachers shared some of their reasons for being grateful for this wonderful holiday.

“Two years ago [the Thanksgiving celebration] was on my mom’s side of the family and we had this huge pumpkin pie eating contest and it was a tie between me and my brother. He won, but I told everyone that I won.”

– Grant Kraemer, Senior

“We would all get together, my mom’s and my dad’s brothers and sisters would come by and we’d eat all day and watch football. Then all the cousins would play football outside usually in the snow. I’m from Michigan so that was usually the first snowfall, so that was fun to go out and run around the snow and get all wet and freezing, and then go eat again.”

– Mr. John Hirn

“I don’t spend much time with my cousin who’s the same age as me. He goes to a similar school, so Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to connect on a friend basis.”

– Electra Reihel, Junior

“The Thanksgiving before my wedding [is the most memorable] because I got married the Saturday before. All my family was in town from the east coast and my husband’s family was in town so we all got together at my mom’s house for Thanksgiving. It was kind of disastrous because my grandpa set the turkey on fire so my mom had to run down to the market and get another ginormous turkey at the last second. It all worked out. There were a bunch of tables in our living room, not our dining table, and there were just a bunch of people stuck together laughing and telling stories. Our families ended up comparing baby photos of my husband and I. It was just really nice because this was the first time our families had ever been in the same room for an extended period of time. It was great.”

– Mrs. Beth Moulton

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The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Producer

Thanksgiving in New York By Kathryn Bracken

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual television event that takes place in New York City on Thanksgiving Day, which I go to almost every year. A major contributor to the production process of this parade is the producer, Bill Bracken, a.k.a my dad. This television special brings the parade into the homes of over 25 million people and gives them an up-close and personal look at the parade. Luckily, I do not have to watch the program at home, because I get to experience it in a special way with my family. My dad works under the production company, Brad Lachman Productions, and this company got the opportunity to produce the parade 20 years ago because of their previous experience in working with Disney. As the producers, they worked together with Macy’s to put the parade on each year, always trying to exceed the viewers’ expectations. My dad is responsible for all aspects of the broadcast, including hiring the crew, determining the talent, picking the camera locations, laying out the rundown of the show, and bringing the best possible broadcast to the viewing audience. I love watching my dad do his job – I have an interest in TV and film production because of him.

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The process for the producers begins in August and takes three months to prepare the parade, and my dad takes the entire process very seriously. The whole production company talks about how to open the broadcast and looks at every aspect of the television special. My dad works with the executive producer, Brad Lachman, who is downtown in Herald Square in a truck for the first hour while my dad stays uptown at the start of the parade with Al Roker. From our VIP spots along the parade route, we sometimes get to see my dad in action! His favorite part during this period is “seeing all the kids line up along the parade route, who were lining up at four, five, and six in the morning in order to get a spot to see it live, and to see how much they enjoy it.” During the second and third hours, he is downtown in the truck working with Lachman to make sure that the timing of the parade comes out as expected. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is live on the east coast on Thanksgiving Day from 9 a.m. to noon live, and is delayed and run for the west coast from 9 a.m. to noon as well. My dad shares that, “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade runs over a two and a half mile route. It starts at 77th and Central Park West and goes all the way down to Broadway and 34th Street, in the middle of Manhattan. We have to cover the entire parade route.”

After the parade, the producers take a moment to relax and celebrate another good broadcast, which is when my dad comes and joins us and we all finally get the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with him. My dad enjoys working on the parade very much because, “It’s a very unique and one-of-a-kind event that happens only once a year…many people spend all year looking forward to the parade.” He believes that the parade is an American tradition and that it is something we should never take for granted. The parade is not just another production for my dad; it is a tradition for my whole family. A couple times, my mom and I rode on floats in the parade waving at the people crowded along the route to watch the parade. When my mom and I were invited to be on one of the floats in the parade, we were so excited. Unfortunately, we had to get up at about four in the morning and sit around in the parade’s costume room for several hours with all of the other people who were going to be on floats, waiting to get on the float. It was tiring and boring, but soon forgotten, because as soon as we got on the float, I saw the huge crowd and cameras all around, and I saw my dad in the distance waving at us. We smiled and waved for three hours at families and especially loved the children waving back with the faces pressed up between the slats of the metal barriers.

N FUF ACTS

• The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 was called the “Macy’s Christmas Day Parade” although it took place on Thanksgiving Day • Macy’s is the world’s second largest consumer of helium. The United States government is the first • Live animals including camels, goats, elephants, and donkeys, were a part of the parade in the inaugural year • The floats used to be pulled by horses

One year we went on the Animal Planet float dressing up like zookeepers. Another year, we were on the Barbie float dressed in pink winter clothes and black sparkly hats and gloves. It was pretty cold that year, but I had the time of my life. My family and friends enjoyed my on camera close up, and I felt like a celebrity in my circle of friends. The best part of the day was seeing the faces of kids, cheering and laughing, their parents pointing out things for their children to see, and soaking in the good feelings from everyone involved whether they were working or there to be entertained. Riding on a float is not the only perk of having a dad as the producer. My family views the parade up close from a VIP section in front of a church, where we’re able to go inside, get warm, and have something to eat or drink. The church is also used as a green room, and my family and I have met Al Roker, Matt Lauer, David Giuntoli and Russell Hornsby from the TV show Grimm, Lauren Graham from Parenthood, and Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock. Also, we’ve watched the director and other key staff work inside the production trucks, taking a look at what they do behind the scenes. I really enjoy learning about what my dad does. He works harder than anyone else I know, and it all pays off. He’s won six Emmy Awards for the parade. Someday I hope to have a career in TV/film production myself.

Turkey Day Leftovers By Haley Wimmer

The kitchen is filled with lots of smells, from the turkey in the oven to the apple pie filling the room with sweetness. There is food everywhere, on each counter top and table. Thanksgiving is known for being a holiday about giving thanks, but also for the amount of food that is being made and consumed. The excitement on everyone’s face shows how hungry they are, and how much they are about to devour it. By the end of the night, when everyone is full, they walk into the kitchen again and see all the food that is still left. The big question is…what do you do with all of it? The following days there is no need for much cooking because there are so many leftovers. Junior Nick Baca said, “I usually go to San Diego to celebrate with my whole family. My parents and I will most likely take home the left over turkey and tamales. I like to make myself turkey tacos over the week.” Parent Diana Jackiewicz of Junior Olivia Jackiewicz said, “I like to make a turkey stuffing casserole. It has a lot of flavor and the family loves it!” Though the meals get repetitive day after day and people soon become tired of the same thing, here are some ideas that may help make your boring leftovers fun and yummy just as they were on the day they were made. 1.Turkey and Mashed Potato Pot Pies: Keep things simple with a cozy dish that combines bacon, mushrooms, leftover turkey, and mashed potatoes. 2.Turkey Cobb Salad: Feeling a little unhealthy? Try the crowd-pleasing salad, including tangy blue cheese, creamy avocado, crisp bacon, and tender turkey. 3.Cranberry Tartlets: These bite-size pies use leftover pastry dough and cranberry sauce. Serve them with turkey sandwiches for a perfect post-Thanksgiving repast. 4.Turkey BLT: Nobody will complain about another leftover turkey sandwich when it is made with bacon and tomato on toasted bread. These turkey BLTs are also terrific when made on warmed leftover dinner rolls. 5.Cranberry Pancakes: Thanksgiving leftovers for breakfast? Extra cranberry sauce adds holiday pizzazz to your favorite pancake batter.

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Take a Walk on the Art Side By Haley Gilford

Speed walking through the Burns Building and nothing can stop you. You’ve got that class to get to, but you look left and right and the view pauses you. There is the art program. There is the double take. Notre Dame’s students are talented, and a huge credit goes to the art program and its teachers. Ms. Hutchings, Mr. Lee, and Ms. May collaborate to produce the best students. The goals of the art program are not limited to the techniques of composition, shading, and perspective. “Our collective goal is that we want the kids to open up to new ideas and not be stuck in a mode of thinking they know what art is or what it can

be,” shares Hutchings. Notre Dame students step in the art room and are encouraged to find their own opinion and expression. Observe the world, open up to new ideas, push forward and explore. “My favorite part about the program is the freedom and flexibility,” said Junior Maya Zhobi who has been in the program since sophomore year.

Ms.Hutchings has been at Notre Dame since 1999 and when asked what her favorite thing about teaching teenagers, her answer was, “seeing them wake up to art and suddenly see it not as decoration, not as something that’s on the wall but something that can be a more all-encompassing part of their experience of the world.” The Notre Dame art program focuses on the individuals’ growth and is worth the hand cramps that come with it. The walls prove we are not running out of talent.

Alumni

Weltman’s self portrait inspired by artist Chuck Close.

Adrianson posing with his favorite personal artwork.

Self portrait done by Rosato, realist painter.

Sophia Weltman

Wesley Adrianson

Olivia Rosato

* Class of 2013, now at UC Berkeley taking drawing classes. * Plans to be an art therapist or museum curator. *While at ND went straight to Art II, then AP art *Encourages everyone to participate in art and look for programs. Weltman took classes at Saturday High Art Center over summer. * “AP art was my favorite since we had about 7 kids in the class. We really got to have a personal relationship with Mrs. Hutchings. Bringing in live models were my favorite days since I love figure drawing.”

*Class of 2013, now at UC Berkeley majoring in Civil Engineering and wants to pursue architecture major. *While at ND took Art I & II as well as AP art. *Never had an art experience until ND, but program allowed Adrianson to find his talent. *Favorite moment was the AP art reception spring semester where each person got their own wall. “Gave me the chance to put my skills and vocabulary to use, to create work that really reflected yourself as a person.”

* Class of 2013, now at UCLA majoring in Fine Arts *Plans are to become a costume designer or gallerist. * While at Notre Dame took Art I, II, Painting, Photography and AP Art *Wants to assure all ND artists that the AP tests are ridiculous and she did not pass, but stuck with her own stuff * “I had a lot of great conversations with Mrs. Hutchings. She gave me a lot of room so I could make decisions on my own. There was a trusting atmosphere in the classroom.”

Help!

I’m Being Bullied! To report physical, verbal, relational, or cyber-bullying, do the following: 1. Tell the person causing the harassment to stop; if the individual does not cease their behavior, the student may report their complaint to “the Principal, or to a teacher who will report it to the Principal.

By Alex Stephenson

Junior Eric Babajanian has an intriguing heritage, maybe shown most plainly by his intricate last name. However the Armenian-rooted Babajanian is not a very common name, and sadly people have a tendency to outcast the uncommon. In 6th and 7th grade, Babajanian experienced verbal bullying because of this. “I was offended and ashamed of my last name,” Babajanian admits. After a while, it became a real problem. When Babajanian told his parents, they offered a solution. They told him to take pride in his name; that was what made him special. “Instead of taking offense

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at the jeers, I laughed with them because I knew that my name me unique and made me stand out which was a good thing,” he says. “This experience made me proud of my Armenian heritage and made me value what made me unique instead of being ashamed of who I am.” Therefore, Babajanian’s bullying experience was resolved simply because he no longer cared. In a way, Babajanian viewed himself as “stronger than them,” and thought the whole experience had a positive outcome, shaping him into the mature and good-natured person he is today.

2. You then fill out a “formal, written complaint”. The ensuing investigation will include “only the necessary parties. Confidentiality will be maintained as much as possible.” 3. Part of the investigation will entail meeting with the alleged harasser (who may be suspended during the investigation), who will then be informed of the allegations and “the name of the person bringing the allegations.” 4. After the facts have been determined, the Principal and President will decide “what, if any, disciplinary action is warranted”, which may include dismissal from the school. Usually, the alleged bully will meet with the Principal and receive one warning. If the allegations are made “against a non-employee or nonstudent, such as a parent, parishioner, volunteer or vendor, the school will take steps, within its power, to investigate and eliminate the problem.”

How I Became Friends with My BULLY

The following are excerpts from the diary of a fifth grader:

April 7th, 2008 Dear Diary, I am so sad! Today Mrs. Rogers brought up the topic of high school and it got the whole class talking about it. I leaned over to Angelica and I told her I wanted to go to Notre Dame because it was so cool and, ugh, that annoying Joshua overheard us. He told me that I wasn’t smart enough for that school and I would never get in. That really hurt. I know when people tell you something like that you usually want to work harder to prove that person wrong, but I don’t know. His words just make me not want to work at all and strive for it. It just really bugs me, you know? Sincerely, Tory. April 28th, 2008 Dear Diary, I am sorry I haven’t written in so long! I’ve been quite busy. Today we got back our math tests from chapter 11. Let’s just say I need a tutor and pronto. When I look at this test I can’t help but think of Joshua’s words. Maybe he is right. Maybe I AM not good enough for ND. They’ll never accept a loser like me. I’ll just fail in life. May 5th, 2008 Dear Diary, Today Joshua made fun of me again. He said something about me being a loser with no friends. He is so lucky I don’t tell on him for stealing snacks out of our classmates’ lunch boxes…. If anything he should be grateful towards me and just leave me alone! Oh, how I wish he left me at peace. I guess you don’t get everything you want. Anyways, Ms. Huntley announced today that the fifth grade play is going to be Macbeth! I am so excited! I want to be, no I HAVE to be the leading lady. I HAVE to be Lady Macbeth. This is great. I’m gonna rock it. I just have to continue looking to the bright side and be confident. Much love! Tory.

May 6th, 2008 Dear Diary, We had P.E. today and according to Joshua I’m unathletic and I should just accept the F I am bound to get in the class. I work hard in that class, I KNOW I’m uncoordinated but at least I don’t go around kissing up to those teachers for the A. My mom just tells me to ignore him and that he’ll find someone new to pick on soon, but she and I both know that’s not going to happen. He is so mean. Seriously, what did I do to him? How did I become his victim? I have never even spoken a word to him. May 7th, 2008 Dear Diary, I feel like an ape. I feel so hairy. I have too much hair on my arms. That’s probably why you know who keeps calling me a gorilla and offering bananas. He even threw one at me. May 8th, 2008 Why can’t Joshua just leave me alone?! What have I done to him for him to treat me this way? Why does he like to make fun of me some much? I’m getting tired of this. May 26th, 2008 Dear Diary, I didn’t get the part of Lady Macbeth. This is terrible. I really wanted it and I worked so hard. In return I get to be one of the twenty witches casted to play one of the three same roles. To top it all off I got into big trouble today. I got a pink slip today. Joshua KNEW how much I wanted that role and he KNEW how hurt I was not to get it. Yet he still asked if I got the role. That was the breaking point. I was fed up with his constant bullying. I know it’s wrong but I just had to! I HAD TO HIT HIM WITH MY BINDER! He deserved it, plus it wasn’t me who pushed him down the stairs, he rolled HIMSELF down. He just made it look like I did. After that we were both sent to the principal’s office. We both got pink slips and oh boy was my mom mad. She’s making me write an apology letter to him right now. Ugh

whatever. G2G. May 27th, 2008 Dear Diary, I gave him my apology letter, he read it and accepted it. He apologized as well! Surprising right? Well anyway today while being benched he said that he was truly sorry and that he was just trying to be cool. Then Joshua said the most surprising thing! HE SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO BE MY FRIEND AND THAT I’M ACTUALLY A COOL PERSON! :O WOW. Those words are definitely not in his vocabulary. I’m glad he said that though, I wouldn’t mind being friends with him. I guess we’ll just have to see what the future has in store for us. Sincerely, Tory. October 16th 2013 Dear Diary, Wow. My fifth grade diary! I haven’t seen this in forever. It’s funny how most of my entries were about Joshua and how mean he was. It’s funny how things change! Now we’re best friends! In fact, just today he picked me up from school to get lunch. It was a great mini-adventure. I can’t believe he drives now! We’re getting old. I’m thankful for that day in the benching room. It was the start of a great friendship. Sincerely, Tory.

BULLYING 101 - Freshman seminar By Alex Stephenson

Jenny Reznick, therapist and counselor, was once a victim of bullying. Now, she helps others to understand and cope with their situations and more importantly, how to protect against it. Reznick starts off her Freshman Bullying Seminar by defining bullying as unwanted, aggressive, repetitive behavior, observing that, “It impacts all of us,” including adults. “Everybody can change,” Reznick observes throughout the presentation, implying that some, if not all bullies have the

capacity to “change” their actions and reform their ways. As for the individuals being bullied, or as Reznick reluctantly calls them, “the victims”, there are ways in which we, as third party observers, cam assist. We can support the victim and “get out together” by comforting or advancing other such relief. Reznick reminds the students to tell a teacher or adult if bullying is ever observed or talk to the friends of the bully to try to end the situation. A catchy motto to remember if you are ever feeling bullied is, “Be assertive, not aggressive.” NOVEMBER 2013

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Tackling A New League By Jeannie Gonzales

Hearing every heart in the stadium pound out of the crowd’s chest, watching the sweat roll off of the player’s faces, and praying to God that Kelly Hilinski knew what he was doing, the night of October 12, 2012 was a night to remember for all. The game against the Crespi Celts had gone into quadruple overtime, and the Knights never backed down. It was tied 34-34, and everyone was praying for a miracle. Khalfani Muhammad had the ball and took it to the end zone, for a Notre Dame Victory. Many say it was greatest high school football game they have ever witnessed. This year’s game was not as intense and nailbiting as last year’s, but there is no doubt everyone was excited to beat Crespi at their Homecoming game and for the last time until the next league change or pre-season game. Chris Colarossi picked a perfect time for the best football performance of his life. The Notre Dame Senior rushed for 238 yards on 28 carries, including a touchdown that resulted in the victory of ND, 4127. The Notre Dame vs. Crespi rivalry has been ranked one of the nation’s top 100 high school rivalry teams by the Great American Rivalry Series, NOVEMBER 2013

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but how can a rivalry stay strong in the next few years if we are not in the same league as Crespi anymore? Most of us know of the recent league change that has occured in our sports program. Every four years the CIF goes through a process of “releaguing,” where the schools meet in their geographical section and the leagues are arranged according to everybody’s wants. Every sport will continue to play the same teams, with the addition of Oaks Christian to the roster. Our Notre Dame football will be the only the team playing different teams, including Loyola, Bishop Amat, Serra, Oaks Christian, and Damien High School. The Notre Dame coaches are usually not excited about leauge changes because we “lose some of our natural rivalries, which is not that big of a deal, but adding another school, Oaks Christian, makes it an 18-league, which is a lot of teams.” says Rooney, head Varsity coach. He does think every team will put up a good fight, but we will need to especially watch out for Serra. No need to worry Knights, we will probably see our neighborhood rivals, Crespi, during a pre-season game, keeping our antagonistic battles alive. Photo Credit: Sophia Page

Kicking In A New Direction

By Nick Halaby

A change in leadership is an exciting time for any organization, especially in sports. The Notre Dame Girls Soccer team is under new management this year, which will make the team even more intresting to follow. Of course, with a new coach comes uncertainty, which can be both exciting and nerve wrecking for any sports program. Coach Greg Avila is the new leader of the Lady Knights Varsity soccer team. He is a valley boy, being both an alumni of Chaminade and Kennedy High School and a former soccer player for Cal State Northridge. He later went on to coach numerous soccer teams, like Valley United Club Soccer. For five years he has been an assistant coach to the Boys Soccer team at Notre Dame under Coach Patrick Thompson. His history also includes some success, as he won a CIF title as an assistant coach with the Lady Knights’ rival, Louisville. His experience is something that he feels he can bring to the Lady Knights along with his “leadership, confidence and knowledge.” Soccer is a game that requires a coach to be focused on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With that in mind, Coach Avila is willing to admit that he sees offense being a slightly bigger focus this season. “It depends on the team. I was a central midfielder, and as a midfielder you need to kind of do both offense and defense. For this team, I think it seems like we are blessed with a lot of skillful offensive players and defensive players. Now, you know you can’t win if you can’t put goals in the back of the net. I definitely want to focus on both, but with an emphasis on scoring and on offense.” His players sense that emphasis, and when asked about it, Junior Camillia Nwokedi said that, “he focuses mostly on passing, opening up and being patient and then going to the goal to score. It is a different technique than we are used to but it is going to be really good.” When it comes to what he looks forward to the most, Avila says that he is excited for everything. He says that he is blessed to step into a position where there is a solid group of girls talent-wise, along with some powerful

team chemistry. Avila says that his team has a large group of Juniors and Seniors who have played together for a majority of the time that they have been at Notre Dame. “There’s not a lot of changes that I need to make, it is just a matter of fine tuning, little things, and hopefully my experience and coaching ability can provide something extra to put us at the top of league and continue on to playoffs. ” When asked of his biggest goal, he said that it was to make it to the playoffs. “We didn’t make playoffs last year. I think that playoffs is a goal, the biggest goal. Obviously if you win league, you will be able to make playoffs.” With that expectation set, Coach Avila can only hope that his experience, coaching ability, teams’ talent and most importantly chemistry can push the Lady Knights to postseason play. Coach Avila is not the only one with expectations; both his players and fellow coaches have their mind set on what the near future should hold. Nwokedi says that, “I think that we are going to do better than we have ever done before, hopefully we can be league champions this year. We are in a hard league but I think that we can do it...”. Coach Patrick Thompson, who is the head coach of the boys’ soccer team and a good friend of Avila, says “I think he is going to bring stability. Coach Avila and I have known each other since we were eight or nine years old so we have grown up under the same system. He is going to teach the girls a new system which is to get the ball on the ground, play quick, spread the ball out, get it out wide and not rely so much on just kicking the ball forward and just chasing it the entire time. I think that they are one hundred percent going to be a playoff team again.” Taking over a team, no matter the sport, is not an easy task. Luckily, coach Greg Avila is taking over an experienced Lady Knights team that, he claims, has some great chemistry. His goal for the season is to make playoffs. Although it takes much more than one season for a body of work to be realized, a trip to the post season would be a great start to his Notre Dame Coaching career.

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By Janet Yeo

November is not just a month of eating, shopping, and long weekends. It is filled with deadlines, deadlines, and wait for it, more deadlines. NOVEMBER 2013 This month, or as Director of Counseling Ms. Greenwald likes to call it, application fever, is when all the University of California school and California State school applications are due, specifically on November 30th. There are nine UC school’s and twenty three CalState school’s. With the application, the SAT and ACT scores must be submitted as well. “There is a very set way to go about [the application process.] Once students understand the way and timing that these things happen, it gets so easy and happens organically,” Ms. Greenwald said. DECEMBER 2013 The late time for Seniors to take the SAT is December 7th and the ACT is December 14th. The SAT/ACT dates for next year are mostly for Juniors, so it is important for Juniors to get involved now as well. While applications are due, searching for scholarships is simultaneously happening now for the upperclassmen as well. Ms. Greenwald’s biggest advice is to breathe. “Get some milk and cookies, calm down, get involved in school, and stay calm. This should be a happy process.” With this hectic, stressful procedure, the counselors are always available and eager to help us with every decision, not just school. In every way, they will help us make decisions that will make us happy and successful.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

with STEVE JONES

SeX PisTOLs

By Grace McKagan

The Sex Pistols, the boys who created punk in the 1970’s, ravished and rocked the whole world with their profanity and awesome new sound. Though the band had broke up after a short three years, they live on as a legacy, performing for up to 100,000 people at the peek of their career, and as an inspiration to both new and old performers. The Sex Pistols were both a cultural shock and a wake up call to music. I had the awesome privilege of interviewing a family friend, Steve Jones, the guitar player for the Sex Pistols, and all the experiences he endured. Jonsey explains how his music career really started when he was around the age of ten or eleven, when he first stared grabbing inspiration from music. “I noticed that I liked music a lot more than other kids my age. But as far as actually forming a band, I formed a band a year or two before the Sex Pistols. I started a band with the drummer of the Sex Pistols [Paul Kurt] and I was singing. Initially, we were called the Swankers, then we called ourselves The Strand, because it was the name of a Roxy song that we liked,” said Jonsie.

Jonsey then explains how his manager, Malcolm Mclarin, bluntly told the artist that singing wasn’t for him. Jonsey then learned how to play the guitar in just three months. “It was like a crash course for learning” The guitarist also explains how because he has A.D.D. he would just practice the same two chords for hours, because he was forced to be focused on just one thing. “[Because I wasn’t a perfect guitar player] I think it added to our sound, because it was different from everybody at the time, the sound was different and it give us a different image,” Jonsey lists his musical influences such as Roxy Music [Aladdin Sane], David Bowie [The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust], and Rod Stewart and the Faces. He reminisces on how the music you listen to when you’re a teenager, really does influence your musical taste for the rest of your life. I asked the Pistols guitar player how the band formed its punk image, “Whatever we were, it wasn’t planned, and we didn’t want to be a certain way. However, we didn’t want to be like all the hippie bands before us. As far as being differ-

Fun Fact: Anarchy in the UK (1977) outsold Rod Stweart’s “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” [number one song at the time] but suspiciously remained at number two on the charts...

ent, it was just the right time for us. It’s so important for musicians to come out during the right time. For example, part of the reason why Nirvana was so huge, was because the came at a time when ‘hair rock bands ‘were fading, and they proved to be something new,” The Sex Pistols were cool in a rebellious and infamous way. Jonsie tells a story about how he rocked the conservative culture of the 1970’s, “At the time, there were only two television channels in England, and it was a big deal for our band to be interviewed on a show called “The Today Show” because so many people were watching. I remember I swore on live television, and the next day, the Sex Pistols were all over the front pages of magazines and newspapers, and everyone was talking about us”. Jonsey and the Sex Pistols created a new “we don’t care what you say” attitude that has lasted decades and still lives on today. Hits such as “God Save the Queen” and “Anarchy in the U.K.” remain punk cult classics.

Notre Dame STEAM Club

By Alex Stephenson

All aboard for the ND Steam Club, ready to kick off the year to a great start. The Steam Club, short for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, is a club founded to further student’s education in these specific fields and to better understand what type of majors are out there. The Steam Club has monthly meetings with professionals from the STEAM fields who give interactive presentations to club members. With meetings occurring monthly, Steam Club President Veronica Irwin and Vice-President Anna Blake have their hands full finding presenters in the STEAM fields willing to come in and speak to the student population. On October 22, 2013, Leana Golbuchik, head of computer science at USC, presented about her field and the kind of research she does.

Special Dates and Events

Next, the Steam Club directs its attention to Stereography, or 3D animation with a speaker who worked on Nightmare Before Christmas and Hotel Transylvania. The meeting will take place on November 18th in Room 60. Be sure to look out for announcements as the date draws near!

USC COMPUTER SCIENCE PRESENTATION

Jackie Hynes, Junior, thought the presentation was very interesting. “It was a nice insight into a world I don’t really know that much about.” Hynes believes the club to be interesting and beneficial. “It’s a good opportunity to look at the specifics of subjects and majors in college and great way to learn more about what you’re interested in.” The Steam Club began when Irwin remembered a program at her middle school, The Mirman School, and decided to implement it at Notre Dame with a few minor tweaks. “We used to have a bunch of speakers from the STEAM fields come and kids would sign up for whoever they wanted to see.” For Steam Club purposes however, Irwin felt it

would be better to “spread out the speakers.” Speakers make interactive presentations and are usually “from major universities doing research or doing something to advance their field,” Irwin explains. Many presenters who have previously presented at The Mirman School, are parents of Notre Dame students and some “are people I hear about from science journals or the newspaper and decide to reach out to them,” says Irwin. Club moderator Sean Ryan fully supports the Steam Club and loves the computer science aspect. “Anything that promotes science and mathematics is a good thing. It’s a great and interesting endeavor.”

Meet the President

The Steam Club began when Irwin remembered a program at her middle school, The Mirman School, and decided to implement it at Notre Dame with a few minor tweaks. “We used to have a bunch of speakers from the STEAM fields come and kids would sign up for whoever they wanted to see.” For Steam Club purposes however, Irwin felt it would be better to “spread out the speakers.” NOVEMBER 2013

THE KNIGHT

RoboKnights SQUIRING in a New Day By Eric Talamas

Many of us already know about the school’s robotics team, having dubbed themselves the “ND RoboKnights,” but how many know much about the robotics team besides the fact that they exist? Today, just about anyone can join the RoboKnights, that is, as long as they are a student at Notre Dame, have an interest in this field, and are able to put up with the work and schedules. But for those of you who actually know how to do that, there is only one word that will probably be able to describe the team, and that word is “FUN.” The RoboKnights meet almost every day of the school-week (Monday through Friday) with the exception of Wednesdays and a few occasional meetings on the weekends. The meetings generally last from 3-5 p.m., where they try and get in as much work as they can. During this time, the team works hard to prepare their robot to compete and to make sure to “smooth out the rough edges” in the design. Once that is done, the team prepares to head off to one of the many competitions where their robot competes. Miriam Brady, the moderator for the ND RoboKnights, says that “the purpose of Robotics is to allow students to apply the knowledge they learn in a classroom in a fun and competitive environment.” The RoboKnights get to do this by competing in the FLL, for the RoboSquires, the FTC, a High-School level competition in Autumn, and the FRC, a more difficult competition in the Spring. But the RoboKnights do more than just prepare for competitions. As described by Junior Alexander Diaz, “It’s a club where once we get into the swing of things . . . it feels like a second family instead, from the times we work efficiently

like one coherent unit to the times we completely go wild and party at our varsity tournaments. An awesome time, overall.” Right now, things are going rather well for the RoboKnights. So far, the robot they are working on is close to being done, with all of the essential parts having been just about taken care of. The team is mainly focusing on, as I said before, “smoothing out the rough edges,” as they hope to improve some of the functions so that they can get more points during the competitions, because every little bit counts. Ms. Brady herself said that she was very optimistic about the team so far, stating that the team right now is doing better than it ever has in its history. And the team-members could barely be happier, as Alex Diaz commented that joining the RoboKnights was “probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in High-School, if not the best.” And, finally, a look at the RoboSquires. The RoboSquires are a team of Middle-School students that the RoboKnights mentor every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, seeing that their schools don’t have a robotics program to start them off. The RoboSquires helps out students from schools such as St. Cyril, Walter Reed, Millikan, and Jordan Middle-School. The main goal of the RoboSquires is to help them to get through the FLL, a competition based on Lego robots programmed to carry out specific tasks and functions. This helps to give younger students a similar experience to the one that the RoboKnights provide for students at Notre Dame, and it helps to bring out that “spark” in students who are truly interested in robotics in general.

NOVEMBER 2013

THE KNIGHT

BLACK FRIDAY FUN (?) By: Gabriela Avila

The Friday after Thanksgiving marks the first official day of the Christmas shopping season. Retail stores celebrate the occasion with massive sales that have people lining up for miles. The day of shopping and saving has come to be referred to as “Black Friday”. Whether or not it was intended, the name does have an ominous sort of feeling. One cannot help but think of the things that make the day less than stellar. Every year it seems like stores open earlier and earlier. The earlier they open, the earlier shoppers have to get there and ensure that they get what they want; however, the negative effect of this is not only sleep deprivation but also complete lack of it. Thanksgiving seems to be becoming less about spending time with family around the dinner table and more about waiting in line to buy things. Both employees and shoppers are taken away from the part of the holiday that really matters. “I think it’s kind of hypocritical,” said Junior Jade Teetsel, “that the day before Black Friday we’re giving thanks for all we have and then we go out and buy things. It’s almost like we’re forgetting the meaning of Thanksgiving in the first place.” Junior Eric Babajanian thinks that the whole day is overrated. “It’s not worth all the hustle and bustle,” Babajanian said. The employees of Black Friday sales get to deal with the worst aspect of the day. A regular day working retail is enough of a headache, but Black Friday sales just makes things worse. Even if you as a shopper get to spend the day happily buying presents for yourself or others, employees just get a bigger workload with no extra pay. Junior Isabella Rivas has to work the afternoon shift at Brandy Melville on Black Friday this year. “I think it’s going to be crazy,” Rivas said, “I already do all the work on a regular day.” Bath and Body Works employee Kayla Cohen has worked the sale before. “Customers expect major deals,” she said, “but not everything is on sale. A lot of people walk out disappointed. Aside from a few things most of the sales on that day are available at other times of the year. The media has really glorified Black Friday.” Shoppers also have to manage something pretty tricky: other shoppers. Stores like Target and Walmart can get pretty crowded on regular shopping days. Black Friday brings in even more shoppers who want normally expensive goods at rock bottom prices. Sometimes those people are willing to do anything to get what they came for. In 2011 a woman at the Walmart in Porter Ranch pulled out pepper spray to get an advantage over several other shoppers. There have also been Black Friday stampedes and shootings in the past that have led to deaths and severe injuries. They do not happen all the time, but when you think of it as a possibility, is it worth it? The truth is stores are not going to stop having these sales. It is one of the most profitable days of the year. As long as the sales keep happening, people will just keep coming. What can you do to avoid the headaches of Black Friday and still get all your Christmas shopping done cheap? Many stores offer Black Friday in-store prices online, from the safety and comfort of your house. Plus there is also Cyber Monday and all of its online shopping glory. If you really want to save money on Christmas gifts you could always try making them yourself. You would be amazed at how many people’s names you can cross off your list with a box of beads and some string.

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ALL NIGHT WITH ALL MY THOUGHTS By Andrew Gavinet

It is something we have all done as teenagers. Everyone has stayed up at least one entire night to see the morning come up the next day, only to pass out in our couches from exhaustion and wake up at 5 in the afternoon wondering where the heck we are and where all of our friends went. Most of the time that will happen at a slumber party with friends or even during a special event like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. But have you ever stayed up an entire night by yourself? Your answer is probably a puzzled no since you are thinking why anyone would do that in the first place. Alone in the dark at 3 in the morning with only your thoughts and Netflix to comfort you. Sounds kind of depressing. Well if that is the case I may very well have been depressed last Saturday night. Not from the boredom of having to waste a weekend writing some kind of super exciting story on sleep loss but rather from looking back on a night where things I would have never expected happened. A night where finding joy in the simple things was highlighted by staying up later and later. Where you stare at the ceiling for hours on end thinking about what you are doing with your life. Where you think about that girl you have been texting since 11:30 and start to think that maybe texting her at 2 in the morning was not the best idea. Where you find some amazing movies on Netflix that make you cry since there is no one around you and you can just let out your emotions out freely. Where you become a spectator in a fast and changing world that for just a few hours slows down entirely into a grinding halt. It is hard to say when exactly my “all-nighter” began but I guess it started at 10:30 since that is when Netflix and I officially became best friends.

After that, I woke up at 12:30 p.m in my bed, right where everything had begun. I dusted off the Oreo crumbs, picked up the empty Mountain Dew cans, and went to take a shower. I checked my phone. She had texted me back at 5 in the morning. What is with this girl? What is that smell in my room? Where did I put my Xbox controller? All the questions crowd my tired head like people trying to walk in a crowded stadium of thoughts and ideas. Had staying up an entire night really affected me this much? Who knows? But I can tell you one thing. Once you mix Mountain Dew and Netflix, it is hard to wake up.

10:30 since that is when Netflix and I officially became best friends. 10:30 p.m: Began watching the documentary “Undefeated” about a poor high school football team in east Tennessee that amazingly goes onto a 10-1 regular season with a lot of team turmoil, tragedy, and triumph. 11:55 p.m: Began to cry a little after they lose their playoff game 28-27. Some of the guys missed the opportunity to play in front of college scouts in the championship game and ultimately their best chance to go to college. 12:00 a.m: Mountain Dew and Oreos break.

12:15 a.m: Started watching “American Pie” 1:45 a.m: Have to stop watching it because I’m afraid I’ll wake up my mom from laughing so hard. 2:00 a.m : A girl I am just starting to know randomly texts me in the middle of the night. 3:15 a.m: Chocolate milk break 3:30 a.m: Begin contemplating my life and start to think about college, career, and future model for a wife. Starting to think about those big questions starts to make me seem small and skeptical even in my own future. What if I don’t get into that college, what if she never responds back to my messages? Do I want to be spending my entire life behind a desk? All the thoughts rush into my mind like a water hose through an empty pool of imagination. In the end I digest and go back to my Netflix and Doritos, content with myself in the moment. 4:00 a.m: If there is ever a more strange time to play Call of Duty and be on Xbox live it is about right now. 5:00 a.m: Started watching ESPN College Gameday in Oregon 7:00 a.m: Started to see the sun rise 7:10 a.m: Strange sense of pride in completing the allnighter 7: 30 a.m: Fell asleep with my arms extended out as far as they go in a sleepy celebration. NOVEMBER 2013

THE KNIGHT

Westside Thanksgiving

By Jeannie Gonzales

Waking up Thanksgiving morning, smelling the sweet and savory scents of the holiday, is a joy many people take for granted. Most of us imagine Thanksgiving as a day spent with friends or family. A meal is prepared, we eat and drink, and enjoy each other’s company. Unfortunately for some that is not what the holiday looks like. Volunteer centers across the United States open their doors to the masses to try and create a warm and welcoming Thanksgiving for all. For the past thirty years, Westside Thanksgiving has turned the Santa Monica Civic Center into an energetic and lively lunch room, with balloons and banners wishing the crowd a happy holiday. Anyone is able to volunteer to help cook, clean, seat the guests, decorate, serve, or simply donate food. The first year my family volunteered, I was placed in the kitchen and helped make buckets of stuffing and mashed potatoes. Music was blasting and everyone was cooking and having a good time, even though most of us had never met before. I was introduced to one married couple who had met at this event years before, and made it a tradition to go back. I became close to an up-andcoming band member, who just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to volunteer. The volunteers are doing this service out of the goodness of their heart, not just for service hours or a pat on the back. Last Thanksgiving, I was upgraded from kitchen duties to everything else. I gave the volunteers their assignments, took them where they needed to go, helped children with decoration, wrote letters to the homeless, seated the homeless, and had to make sure everyone working at their stations were doing okay. If you are an aspiring cosmetologist, you are welcomed to style hair and give manicures and pedicures. You can work as a security guard, a cook, a decorator, or you can even just sit and talk with the less fortunate.

The Civic Center also offers entertainment for children of all ages. There are pony rides, 3-legged races, face painting, dress up, and arts and crafts. My brother was assigned to check the homeless’ bags into a room, and said that he “was literally checking their lives into a box.” This program does not just focus on everyone eating a meal then leaving for the day, they try and have the volunteers and homeless interact and become a community. Before the meal, everyone in the building joins hands and prays, coming together as one. Every time I leave this event, I have a new understanding of how blessed I truly am, even in the littlest ways. I learn to not take things for granted, especially around the holidays. Everyone should try and get involved with the less fortunate in their community, because in the end we are all just one big family. Unfortunately, the Santa Monica Civic Center is closing, and Westside Thanksgiving will now be held at St. Anne Catholic Church and School.

For more information about donations and volunteer hours, visit their website at: www.westsidethanksgiving.org NOVEMBER 2013

THE KNIGHT