the knight
the knig ht staff
f f a t s ADVISOR
ADS MANAGER
Devon Gearhart
Cameron De’Matteis
REPORTER
REPORTER
Elisia Harkins
Ebone’ Chatman
EDITOR IN CHIEF
REPORTER
Anna Hovanesyan
Jessica “Jo” Aquino
EDITOR IN CHIEF
REPORTER
REPORTER
REPORTER
REPORTER
Tayce Taylor
BLOG EDITOR
Vaughn Himber
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Tina Nagai
Sidney Stephens
REPORTER
REPORTER
Ben Sloan
Sophia Page
REPORTER
Grace McKagan
Mina Kim
Nick Halaby
NDHS
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
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page 4 welcome freshies page 5 Senior beach trip page 6 school on wheels page 7 The Soloist Author Visits ND: steve Lopez page 8 A Day outside planned parenthood page 9 sat season page 10 aftermath of the colorado shooting page 11 Ireland for cinematography page 3
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page 12 Trip to greece page 13 bonjour, nice page 14 rose bowl flea market page 15 Food Truck Frenzy page 16 Social Sites Taking Over page 17 top movies page 18 track: keeping the name page 19 Cross Country Goes to Mammoth
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
New Kids On The Block By Sidney Stephens
Freshman year is all about new experiences. From a new school to a change in uniforms—everything becomes completely different. Each year the freshmen class rolls into Notre Dame amazed with all it has to offer and anxiously waits to soak it all in. It is a step towards new responsibilities and more freedom. It is a chance to experience something completely foreign to middle schoolers. Classes become harder, friendships become deeper, and talents are discovered. It is the beginning of four great and challenging years that will not be forgotten.
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A A
“ I am looking forward to taking a bunch of new extracurricular classes that I’ve bever tried before.” - Julia Scorupco “I’m excited about running on the track team and meeting some new people.” - Price Stephens “I’m really excited to go to the football games.” - Sarah Incerpi
“ I think my favorite class will be World Geography.” - Yasmeen Faisal
“I’m excited to enjoy the athletics and make new friends.” - Jesse Fitzgerald
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
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SCHOOLS ON WHEELS By Cameron de Matteis
As summer begins to wind down and August quickly approaches, millions of students prepare for the upcoming school year. It’s a frenzy of picking out the latest school supplies, trying on new uniforms, rapidly finishing last minute summer work, and, of course, counting down the days until school is back in session. For many of us, the biggest drama might be getting the strict teacher, not knowing anyone in class, or for some freshmen, anxiety about the first day at a new school. Back-to-school is a hectic and exciting time for all students, so it can be easy to forget that many children can’t afford to go to school and many more don’t have access to the supplies they need. California has a staggering amount of children who experience homelessness each year: 334,131. Over 20% of homeless children are not enrolled in school and many more fall behind, due to lack of resources. “Homeless children typically are behind in school because of their high mobility,” states Melissa Schoonmaker, the homeless education program coordinator at LAUSD. Today in society, every child needs an education to have a better future and in hopes of competing in the job market. Educating homeless children is the most effective way to improve their lives and break the cycle of poverty. School on Wheels, is a local organization that provides education for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The charity does a variety of things to strengthen their education. They enroll children in school, give them school supplies
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and uniforms, provide bus tokens for those who have no means of transportation, match each student with a qualified volunteer tutor, and grant scholarships to worthy students. “School on Wheels helped me through my life,” states former student, Joshua Lamprecht. Lamprecht is now training to be a mechanic. The students aren’t the only ones who enjoy the program. “Tutoring has easily become one of my favorite things to do,” says Felicia Salmon, a tutor at the charity. It’s very easy to support the charity and their movement. By visiting their website, www.schoolonwheels.org, students can do numerous things to help out. Students and families can donate money directly through the website. To take things one step further, students can donate new backpacks and supplies to one of the Los Angeles headquarters. The website confirms a list of items needed for the kids. Students who care to get more involved and truly have an impact on these kids’ lives can choose to tutor kids once a week. To become a tutor, one can apply online and then attend an online and in person training session. Students under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian present during tutoring sessions. Sessions take place at either of the learning centers, in the heart of Skid Row or in South Los Angeles, or even at a public library or book store. So as students start the new school year, let’s not forget all the children who could use our help.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
STEVE LOPEZ, LA TIMES COLUMNIST, VISITS ND’S JOURNALISM CLASS
By Vaughn Himber
Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist whose life inspired the film The Soloist, visited Notre Dame on Thursday, June 21, 2012. He arrived as a guest speaker for the high school’s Journalism Camp program. Journalism and Television class students, as well as several faculty and staff members, attended Steve Lopez’s talk and listened with interest as he discussed his career beginnings, his past and current projects, and his experience while working on the inspirational columns that led to the writing of his book The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. A question-and-answer session was held after his speech. As part of his introduction, Steve Lopez began by saying how lucky he felt to be in the newspaper business. After informing the crowd that he had written five books, including three novels and two short story collections, he then described his early life. Born in northern California, Lopez was not sure about what career he would pursue after high school and reassured the many teenagers in the audience that this state of uncertainty is not as completely bad as it sounds. As a result, he attended a community college for two years. At the end of his program, a school counselor suggested that he should start off as a sports writer since he liked writing and watching sports games. Heeding this advice, Lopez then went to San Jose State University and received his degree in Journalism. While Lopez’s career in journalism has had him cover countless of diverse topics and situations, his most prominent story was about Nathaniel Anthony Ayers. Nathaniel was the homeless, middle-aged, schizophrenic bassist he met in the streets of Los Angeles seven-and-a-half years ago who served as the inspiration for the columnist’s Soloist project. Lopez began his retelling of the first, fateful meeting with Ayers, observing that he had written the words “Little Disney
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Concert Hall” on his shopping cart and that the musician produced elegant sounds from his violin despite the fact that the instrument only had two strings on it. Lopez offered to buy him the missing two strings, but Ayers said that he did not take anything that he could not pay for. He mentioned that he played next to the Beethoven statue in Pershing Square for inspiration, a monument that Lopez did not notice until Ayers pointed it out. This seemingly trivial exchange would come to symbolize the level of support and inspiration they each provided to one another. The high school’s guest speaker soon found out that Ayers was a former student at Julliard that ended up on Skid Row because of his mental illness. It took Lopez an entire year to finally gain Ayers’ trust. With Lopez’s help, the homeless man eventually moved into an apartment, but he was initially reluctant because of what Lopez thought to be the fear of playing his instrument in a small, quiet room where, unlike the atmosphere of a noisy street, he could hear his own mistakes. This reminder of failure might also take Ayers back to the time when he mentally snapped; although no one is completely sure about how this occurred, Lopez surmised that the cause of the transition could have been the pressure Ayers felt while performing at such a high level at such a competitive school. When Lopez had Ayers’ tale published, the story “got an amazing, huge reaction,” the author said. Many of Lopez’s moved readers donated strings, cellos, and violins to Ayers. Lopez further explained that Ayers is not open to medication because he remembers the brutal and uncomfortable treatments of the 1970’s (like shock therapy) and is not certain that the drugs would help stabilize his condition. Ayers has since played his music at a multitude of diverse venues, but Lopez always worried that he might not be able to handle the pressure. The columnist said that Ayers “was a gift. He gave me an authority to write how to address this [the issues of the treatment of the homeless and mentally challenged], and to humanize him.” Lopez said how Ayers ended up being his teacher and friend with “purpose and passion”, telling his audience that it is “not worth doing something you’re not passionate about”. Lopez said that stories are everywhere. “The guard that walked me here must have a story,” the columnist added. He also went on to explain how journalistic objectivity differs between a columnist and a reporter, as the former is supposed to share a more personal viewpoint with their audience. “But you still have to stand back a little bit,” he added. Ayers, however, was a different case: Lopez felt that part of his mission was learning how to best serve someone he would not abandon. Still, he said that he always informs his readers of his personal biases and organizations he supports, such as those relating to the treatment of mental illnesses.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
Volunteer Work Tests
Comfort Zone A day outside Planned Parenthood
By Tayce Taylor
This past summer I decided to spend two weeks with my aunt in Denver, Colorado to do some volunteer work with a Catholic youth group while visiting some relatives; little did I know I would end up outside of Planned Parenthood with 15 other teenagers listening to screams and blow horns looking at vulgar posters of deceased babies. Three months prior to my arrival in Denver I booked my flight to visit my aunt and do community service with Christ in the City. Christ in the City is a Catholic youth program for college students who want to develop a deeper relationship with God by doing community service for three weeks. I called my aunt to see what kind of volunteer work I would be doing with this program. She told me it would be basic work with the homeless and charities related to people in need, so I decided to join the program. After a two hour flight, I went to my aunt’s house in Denver and directly to sleep. The next morning I would wake up and experience the most memorable and heart-wrenching day, testing my comfort zone, completely taking me off guard and immersing myself in one of the most debated topics existent today: the topic of abortion. My aunt, founding a pro-life clinic, Lighthouse, across the street from Planned Parenthood is very against abortion and very current with this topic. Lighthouse is a pro-life center in Denver that opened in August of 2012 which tries to give women hope and help for their pregnancies. It has on site doctors, counciling rooms, and a chapel room to encourage women to keep their babies and understand why it would be a good decision. page 8
My aunt showed me the schedule for the day, labeled on the calendar as “Pregnancy Day” which consisted of touring Alternatives (a pro-life clinic), praying the rosary outside of Planned Parenthood, and working with the Gabriel Project folding baby clothes and cleaning baby bottles. After touring the Alternatives Facility (which is basically the same thing as Lighthouse), seeing counseling rooms for pregnant and post-abortion women, my aunt decided that she wanted to show the group her clinic, Lighthouse. When my aunt and I pull up in front of Lighthouse I hear my aunt say, “Not again. I have to call somebody about this. This is not how we do things. This is horrendous.” When I looked up at her and then out my window I saw plastic baby limbs hanging on strings covered in red paint on the tree branches covering the whole street. I then looked down at the stumps of the trees and saw posters of black and blue aborted babies with the title “Obama Nation.” After I closed my eyes in horror I started hearing the screams of the crowd of people in front of the Planned Parenthood across the street yelling at each car that drove into the lot. The dangling, dismembered doll parts were a pursuit from the crowd of people in front of Planned Parenthood to stop abortion by instilling fear in the women who were considering it. Instead of fear, my aunt, as well as the Catholic church, uses a different tactic: freedom of choice. I got out my rosary and I got out of the car to meet with my group to go pray for the struggling women who were being yelled at by crowds of angry people waving vulgar posters out of their windows. Me, with 15 other teenagers clenching their rosaries, got into a circle and started the Apostles Creed: day one.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
w o n s i It By Mina Kim
SAT PREP TIME
As students walk into Elite SAT prep school, they check their backpacks for their homework: three thick packets of writing, critical reading, and math, a practice essay, test corrections of the practice SAT and two hundred fifty words of vocabulary. They have a quiz in each subject that requires a 90% to pass and if they don’t pass, they are given an hour of detention and a retake of the quiz. Without a doubt, academics have reached a new level of competitiveness as the young generation of the twenty first century struggle to survive in this downtrodden economy. Through excellency in school, high school students harbor the hope that their grades will give them the opportunity to a secure profession with a big salary. But the dream starts with college and college starts with the dreaded SAT or ACT. The SAT is a three hour and forty five minute test that includes ten sections of writing, critical reading and math. Although these sections test us on basic academic skills, the test was designed to trick the test taker. Questions are hard to understand and answers are hard to choose. But the scores on the SAT have a huge impact on our educational career. The colleges and universities of the US follow an admin-
Keep Calm and Study On
Keep Calm and Study On
istrative system called the ‘holistic system”. This means that college administrators look at everything on a student’s transcript, which includes GPA and SAT or ACT scores, to determine the student’s eligibility to attend that school. So how difficult is the SAT? To each student, it’s different. At the SAT prep school called Elite, there are hundreds of high school students who come every week to take the practice test and analyze the nuances of each question in order to increase their SAT scores. There are hours of homework assigned and high expectations for every student. Students are expected to continuously increase their scores each week. They spend summers, weekends, precious social lives and sleep for a single test that yields so much importance. The teachers at this institution are highly qualified for what they do. All the teachers got above 2200, and some even received a perfect score of 2400. Mr. Keshyvaiah says, “I wouldn’t work at Elite if I didn’t believe that this place actually helps students significantly increase their scores.” Students share similar attitudes for the SAT. Joyce Kim from Beverly High School says, “I’m spending a significant chunk of my summer for this one test… in a way, it’s ridiculous but I know it will pay off in the long run.” Another
Keep Calm and Study On
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Keep Calm and Study On
student, Henry Griffith from Flintridge Prep says, “I chose to come here because I want to go to a good college… and coming here with other high school students is really motivating.” It’s true that students at Elite cry, whine and sweat over the loads of homework and assignments, but they also bond over the experience. Similar to the SAT, the ACT is another standardized test that is an alternative from the SAT. The ACT is two hours and fifty five minutes and is comprised of English, math, science, reading and writing. Unlike the questions from the SAT, the questions on the ACT are more straightforward and are designed to be more like tests from school. Students who work hard in school tend to do better on the ACT since the questions are largely knowledge based and are most likely already have been taught in class. The SAT and ACT standardized tests are very different from each other which can bring out the academic strength of a student to show future colleges or universities. In the end, the hard work pays off. Studying for either of these tests can make a difference whether it’s buying an SAT/ACT prep book or taking prep classes. Scores go up and the chances of going to an excellent college are that much higher.
Keep Calm and Study On
Keep Calm and Study On
The Knight Magazine
Keep Calm and Study On August 2012
Safety Precautions Taken After Colorado Shooting
By Jessica “Jo” P. Aquino
How safe is too safe? And how reasonable can public areas be when they are both protective and suspicious of their patrons, in equal proportion? Undoubtedly, immediately after the movie theater shooting in Colorado this past July, movie theaters in various other states took more safety precautions: adding more security and even police officers, checking basic belongings (jacket pockets, purses, etc.), and prohibiting facecovering masks and fake weapons inside the building. It only made sense that they would tighten security then, after such a freak accident had occurred. In hindsight, that shooting could’ve been prevented by simple precautions which happen to be, sure enough, the same precautions most theaters enacted after Colorado.
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Even as the actions afterwards were hugely necessary and appreciated, lives were still lost to a possibly avertible calamity. Despite the tragedy and the new safety precautions, many moviegoers remained undeterred. They still went to the movies, including The Dark Knight Rises, with the best in mind and the incident behind them. This response initially appeared deemable because of how resilient Americans seemed to be, but in reality this unaffectedness in regards to tragedy was not resiliency at all. It was nonchalance. It was a sympathetic but fleeting “Oh no, that’s terrible.” Most people in this culture have been desensitized in the worst possible way, moving past tragic shootings, such as the one in Colorado, so easily. Over the past years, countless
gun-related massacres have pervaded our streamlining news. Such incidents from Columbine to Virginia Tech to Tucson to Seal Beach to Aurora, Colorado. In the end, Colorado’s shooting inspired little more than standard sorrow and a minimal fear of movie theaters. Yes, disappointing but not at all surprising. In attempts to simply go on living and hope for the best, few people in this culture acquire safer and wiser choices which help prevent senseless incidents such as in Aurora, Colorado. Taking safety precautions would be wise, if done regularly, and would more efficiently prevent other incidents rather than the usual way of going about it: waiting until something has happened before actually doing anything.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
Senior Cinematographer Heads to Ireland By Anna Hovanesyan
Chris Vukasin, Senior, has been one of eighteen lucky teenagers from around the world who has gotten the opportunity to participate in a week long filmmaking program in Ireland. Vukasin has been an active member of our very own NDTV and has participated in many film projects. However, most of his projects have not involved the intense, serious atmosphere and bigger crew that was awaiting him in Ireland. “I already sort of know most of the major things about both filmmaking and trying to story tell, so what I really wanted to get out of the camp was the experience of working with a bigger crew, since most of my older projects have been with a group of no more than four people,” explained Vukasin. The program had originally involved only students from Ireland and England; however, this year the program’s organizers had decided to include other foreign students. Therefore, the organizers contacted ND, catching Vukasin’s attention at this once in a lifetime opportunity. During this week long program, all the students were assigned different positions in attempts of creating a short film called “The Mantle”. The film was about a young boy coping with the death of his father, being forced out of childhood into the real world. “I was assigned to be the cinematographer and was honored to be mentored by Ian Fox. Fox was the camera operator for The Amazing Spider-Man, and more recently the film adaptation of The Life of Pi. Being mentored by Ian Fox not only inspired Vukasin, but he also learned a thing or two about cinematography. Besides absorbing lessons and tips from the mentors, he grew closer to many of the students participating with him in this program. “The whole thing was a great experience altogether. I can’t pick out a single moment, it was all so incredible. It was very exciting meeting other students from Northern Ireland, the UK, and a couple from Hamilton High School here in Los Angeles,” said Vukasin. Vukasin will continue pursuing cinematography, but sadly he will not be able to attend the program next year due to the fact that the opportunity is only provided for high school students. The experience was phenomenal and it was a great honor to have a representative from ND at this program.
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The Knight Magazine
August 2012
People-to-People Student Ambassador Program By Sophia Page
What better way is there to spend the summer than traveling to another country with other local teenagers? People to People is an amazing program that takes high school students from all over the United States and sends them to different parts of the world for an unforgettable learning experience. These locations include seven continents and forty countries, with People to People programs usually lasting from 14 to 23 days. High school students can make friends while increasing their global awareness. Going on a People to People trip awards college credit at the end of the experience. I personally was able to go on one of these programs to Europe and had an amazing adventure! It’s hard to forget the first sight of the Eiffel Tower in person. For me this was an unforgettable moment. I was lucky enough to visit France, Italy, and Greece this summer for three weeks with other high school students in the Los Angeles area. We boarded our flight together from LAX and ended up in Paris where our journey awaited us. I learned so much about history, different cultures, and made a ton of friends at the same time. We visited Paris, Venice, Verona, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Olympia, and Athens all in three weeks. This trip was not just educational; we did a lot of interesting things that most people don’t get to do while in Europe. Some of these things include propelling down a one hundred foot tall medieval tower in Assisi, Italy, helping us step out of our comfort zones. In Venice we took a gondola ride through the city which was completely
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unbelievable! Also, in Italy we visited the Vatican which is a country on its own. We also climbed Mt. Vesuvius, an active volcano that covered the city of Pompeii in ash in 79 A.D. One of the main purposes of our journey was to experience another culture. We were all assigned an Italian home stay family and stayed with them for three days. It was really fun to experience everyday Italian life, not to mention their delicious home cooked meals! What better way to end our trip than go to the beautiful beach in Greece after exploring the capital, Athens! After a long twenty days it was time to board a plane back to Los Angeles and say goodbye to Europe and to all the wonderful friends I made. Signing up for People to People is very simple. It consists of finding a program that interests you and going online to fill out an application. After a while an interview will be conducted by the delegation leader in your area. Turning in two teacher recommendations is necessary. After the interview there will be a few orientation meetings to get to know all the other students going on the same trip as well as learning more about the program. People to People is already accepting applications for next summer. It’s never too early to sign up for an unforgettable journey! Deciding to sign up for People to People was one of the best decisions I have made. Not only did I make lifetime friends, but I also got to see incredible monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, and the Acropolis. Find out more at: http://www.peopletopeople.com/
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
e c i N , r u o j n o B Carte Postale
By Tayce Taylor Not wanting to blink in order to not miss a second of the beautiful scenery, stepping on dog poo because of the distracting gelato shop across the street, speaking French in little boulangeries, and laying by the Mediterranean Sea every day after French class: that was my summer in France. After taking French class for the past three years in school, and wanting to be fluent in the beautiful romantic language, my dad sent me to Nice, France for a French immersion program. The switch from LAX to London’s Heathrow Airport, would be the last time I spoke English for a month. I took classes every weekday for six hours in French and took field trips on the weekend. I visited three countries (France, Monaco, Italy) and a lot of different cities (Monte Carlo, Saint Tropez, Cannes, Anthibes, Ventimiglio) and small beaches in France. Instead of taking a 40 minutre drive and still being in
Dad
C’est la vie
I went to Monte Carlo, Monaco today.... not a lot of people get to say that sentence. I didn’t want to blink because I didn’t want to miss a second of the beauty around me. I found myself tripping on steps because I never wanted to look down. If only I was old enough to go into the Monte Carlo Casino, because I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The old buildings, the people from all over the world speaking French, the gardens and parks with flowers I’ve never seen before, the bright blue water, the huge yachts, the boutiques with French names...it’s paradise. My friends are literally from all over the world: Denmark, Finland, Spain, Germany, Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, Slovakia, El Salvador, Canada, and all over the US. I normally stick with my Danish roomie, Camilla, but she’s leaving next weekend so I’m not sure what I’m going to do. We have made friends from Indiana (Alyssa) and Finland (Emma) and all four of us are in the same class and go everywhere together. My teacher is from Senegal! And he is so funny! My roommate never understands him and it’s so funny!! He has a weird way of explaining certain words or phrases that is unnecessary...but we all laugh at it (especially because I can’t roll me R’s). My daily routine is waking up at 8ish and eating pain et Nutella ou beurre and then we walk to school (40 mins). We eat lunch at 12:15 and go back at 1- 2:30 for intensive. After that, all 4 of us either go the beach or go shopping (aka THE LIFE). So basically I’m in heaven and I can’t believe I’m having this experience. I’m trying to take everything in, but it’s hard when everything around you is so different, yet so beautiful. There is just sooo much to appreciate here I’m so happy, and thank you for this experience. Love you, miss you, kiss you Bisou Tayce
California, I took a 40 minute train ride to Italy and a 20 minute train ride to Monte Carlo, Monaco. After school I went to the Mediterranean Sea and laid on the rocky beaches letting the sun beaming down on me. I walked around Place Massena and all the little boutiques and street vendors hearing people speak French to each other. Not only was I in heaven, but I was learning another language! I met people from all around the world (I even had a Danish roommate). My friends were from Germany, Austria, Finland, Spain, Holland, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Russia, and on and on. The experience I had was incomparable to anything else I have every experienced. I learned so much about culture and how different people live. I have a greater appreciation for the French culture and couldn’t have hoped to have a better summer.
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The Knight Magazine
August 2012
Food Truck Junkie
By Ebone’ Chatman & Devon Gearhart
Food trucks have become increasingly popular since 2008 and have continued to grow into a phenomenon. The reason for all this attention is because food trucks provide not only gourmet meals, but are also within most people’s budget. Every truck must get inspected and graded just like a restaurant, so they are completely safe to eat off of. From being called mobile kitchens to roach coaches these trucks are taking over, so watch out for the next one in your area.
On a sweltering August day in the L.A. Valley, four food trucks glistened invitingly in the afternoon light. Sweet E is a baked good truck known for their vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, low-fat deserts that still maintain their criminal deliciousness. Their stuffed cookies and cake pops are two delectable snacks that could make even the grumpiest individual bear their sweet tooth.
The No Jodas food truck peppers a zesty Latin flavor to a Cuban cusine. These talented chefs bring their customers to a tropical oasis with just one bite of their spicy sandwiches. The No Jodas food truck employees take pride in their food while serving the locals with unique flavors. Their most popular dish is the Cuban sandwich.
The third food truck was Pranzo, a food truck dedicated to bringing fresh organic ingredients to their myriad of sandwiches. Their love of food and motto to “keep it simple” makes them a crowd favorite. Loyal customers can always count on a fresh healthy sandwich served with a smile. A popular dish is the pesto sandwich.
Feel like indulging yourself in some Asian cusine? The OG Tempura is the truck for you! Their signature technique is adding a tempered style option for many of their dishes. The food is original, delicious, and quite the crowd pleaser. The most popular dish is the chicken teriyaki that is filling and scrumptious.
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The Knight Magazine
August 2012
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By Tina Nagai
Now, let’s be honest--when was the last time we have picked up an actual, tangible newspaper? We tend to rely on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to tell us what we need to know. Whether it’s a story about a bank robbery or the clumsy fall of a politician, our favorite networking sites have it all covered. So what is the point of reading actual newspapers and articles with difficult words that we have no idea how to pronounce--let alone want to read? For one, when these stories are spread around through these sites, all kinds of people with different opinions have the power to alter them. So things aren’t always what they seem. “Social media is like a telephone call. It goes through line after line and gets distorted after a while,” says Junior, Vivian Markel. However, if we keep depending solely on networking sites, the next generation will not be very well-informed at all. In fact, politics would be twisted and even the most important warnings about earthquakes, volcanoes, and a variety of natural hazards would not be distributed correctly or accurately, thus endangering thousands of lives. So is society going to adjust to our needs today? Absolutely not. Even though it seems as if no one picks up a newspa-
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per these days, there are a few old fashioned souls who prefer to read their daily dose of information on solid paper rather than on a dimly lit computer screen. Truthfully, it isn’t the rest of society that needs to change, it’s us--the future generation. Believe it or not, we need to come to terms with our dependence on modern technology and social media and start balancing out the old and the new. “Although we can’t trust Facebook completely, a good balance would be to use those rumors floating about to spike your interest,” says Sophomore, Samantha Winchester. “From there, you can look up the truth on your own.” So it seems that in some cases, that old phrase “Out with the old, in with the new” isn’t exactly the answer we all need.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
A Summer Trip to the Movies
By Nick Halaby
After a spring that was dominated by the popularity of The Hunger Games and The Avengers, the summer was anticipated to have more of a variety of hits. Filled with big name sequels like Ice Age Continental Drift and The Dark Night Rises and new concepts like Ted and Prometheus, audiences everywhere were filing into theaters to see which movies would deliver. With many films to choose from, I believe that that the following three were the definite must-sees of this summer. Brave, Pixar’s latest film, was about a young Scottish princess who attempts to take her fate into her own hands. Brave was very well written and the graphics were amazing. Each character had a dynamic that could be related to in real life and the actors who gave them voices did a stupendous job in making the characters believable. This movie was a great fairytale classic with an original Pixar twist. The brilliant animators at Pixar have made another hit that can now be added to their many cinematic achievements. Another great summer movie was Moonrise Kingdom, the story of an orphan boy and misunderstood girl who embark on a quest for happiness. This was more of an abstract film, the kind of style that only director Wes Anderson can master. Moonrise Kingdom was brilliantly done, the writing was very witty and the actors did a phenomenal job of maintaining the overall sense of their characters. Big name actor Bill Murray did a great job as the father of a young, misunderstood girl. The concept of this story is one that might have not worked if it wasn’t taken on in an unusual way. This movie does not follow the norm of movies today and is a refreshing change from what we are used to seeing. Moonrise Kingdom is an unexpected joy and is a movie that will definitely be in contention for some major awards. Finally, the best movie that was released this summer was The Amazing Spider-Man. This redo of the 2002 Spider-Man rose to expectations and was much better than the 2002 version. With amazing visual effects and a well written story line, this Spidy was probably the best that’s been made so far. Director Marc Webb did a brilliant job of making the classic hero’s story one that was fun and entertaining. Andrew Garfield did a much better job than Toby Maguire of giving Spider-Man the wit and loveable modesty that was portrayed in the original comics. With great supporting roles from Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Rhys Ifans and Martin Sheen, the entire cast brought the world of Spider-Man to life and gave it the classic comic book setting that past Spiderman movies were lacking. When AMC employee Lavantae was asked which summer film he thought was the best, he said, “There were a lot of great movies this summer but the one that I thought was the most entertaining and fun to watch was Spiderman.” The Amazing Spider-Man is at the top of a list of great, sure to be, summer blockbusters. page 17
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
KEEPING THE NAME
By Ben Sloan
W inning the CIF Championship three years in a row, Notre Dame’s Track team defeated Serra for the state title in 2012 and essentially blew away all competition in the three most prolific races in that same competition. To say that Joe McNab’s Notre Dame track and field team isn’t a perennial powerhouse is like calling Kobe Bryant a mediocre basketball player. Absurd. Throughout every sports season there are always setbacks. Some teams fight back, others don’t. The ones that fight back tend to succeed. Notre Dame sprinter, Nick Holland, told me how his team “persevered through injuries and mishaps” and eventually they “came together and pulled through”. Pulled through would be an understatement considering they defeated Serra High School by four points to claim the state title. During that competition Khalfani Muhammad ran an explosive 10:52 seconds in the 100-meter race while running a staggering 21:15 seconds in the 200 meter race backing his award as the California athlete of the year. Eric McDaniels also finished third in the 100-meter race with a time of 10:60 seconds. The 4 x 1 relay also took the Gold with a time of 41:13. Supporters and readers don’t actually realize how long and tedious the track season is for those athletes that advance that far into the competition. Practicing far beyond what is expected. These athletes were required to attend morning practices, on top of spending extra hours on the track every afternoon. The success that the team achieved was definitely not just handed to them. Top notch preparation lead by the great Coaches McNab, Garcia, and Genova greatly consequence with the teams achievements. Congratulations to all those on the track team and good luck next season! page 18
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
The Trail Leading to State
By Anna Hovanesyan
In order to get in some extra training prior to the start of their season, a selected group of individuals from both the JV and Varsity Cross Country teams was chosen to go to Mammoth this summer. The group consisted of both new runners and those who had been a part of the team since freshman year. Apparently, the team heads to Mammoth because of the higher altitude, which causes the runners to work harder; therefore, when returning to a normal elevation, they are able to run even faster and more efficiently. A newbie to the Mammoth trails, Senior Anthony Guinnip explained, “Some runs were really challenging but the entire trip was rewarding and I had a lot of fun with the team; we all grew closer and bonded. We go to Mammoth to train because the altitude will help us all when the season starts. Since we are so high up above sea level, our respiratory system adjusts and our lungs get stronger. Also, the trails up there are like no other.” However, even before the Mammoth trip, the Cross Country team had been practicing since mid-June for their fall season. Not only does the trip create stronger runners, but it also helps create stronger bonds. Alex Reilly, Senior, who has gone to Mammoth since his freshman year said, “The trip creates good team bonding time and brings us closer together. I’ve always enjoyed spending time up in mammoth and greatly appreciate the time and effort the coach and parents put into making the trip possible.” Ernie Estiva, Senior, added, “We all run constantly with one another, and we push each other to run to our best abilities, and we also have a great coach who not only appreciates you, but pushes you to do better, telling you what you need to work on to pass your initial limitations.” On the trip the runners were lucky enough to run into page 19
Olympic Silver Medalist, Meb Keflezighi. Not only was the group stunned but they were also humbly honored. Senior, Anthony Guinnip, said, “Meeting Meb was one of the many highlights of the trip! I remember my teammate telling me about how she met him last summer, since he’s a Mammoth Lake’s resident, and we didn’t think we’d see him, but we did! We thought he had left for London already but he was still there doing some last minute training. At the beginning of his work out he was about to pass us and we all started chanting “USA! USA!” and he stopped to take a picture with us, it was awesome.” Junior teammate, Vanessa Lainez, gleamed, “It was very inspirational, motivational and it definitely boosted our team’s confidence to train harder and strive for higher goals.” All the runners, including those who did not attend the Mammoth trip, are very dedicated to their team and the sport. The team practiced six times a week, with endurance workouts ranging from 3 to 4, and longer distant workouts from 6 to 10 at Woodley Park, since the middle of June. The girls’ team especially is the best they’ve ever been, and the team is expecting to go quite far this season, even hopes of making it to state. In addition to a very great girls’ team, the Boys Varsity team is hoping to beat Loyola and win league, along with JV who has won league two years in a row now, and is highly likely to take league another year. Both teams are anxiously waiting to not only win league, but get a chance at state. With a spectacular and dedicated team, Notre Dame is sure enough going to be hearing about a lot of cross country related successes in the morning announcements.
The Knight Magazine
August 2012
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