April issue

La Costa Canyon High School

MavLife

April 2016

One Maverick Way, Carlsbad, CA 92009

Volume 10 Issue 6

Sean Young Travels to White House for Medical Summit

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n February 25th, senior Sean Young went to the White House to attend the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Summit.Young, along with a small group of others, were able to listen to President Obama speak about the developments of the initiative.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the PMI is a generation of medicine in which researchers and doctors utilize the advances in research and technology to develop individualized care.

“Precision Medicine Initiative is a bill targeting more and better funding for individualized diseases,” Young said. “So, it’ll be more specific, instead of stuff you find at the Pharmacy, which is more generalized medicine. It will specifically target cancer or other diseases.”

Young was invited to join the summit by a government officer a couple weeks prior to the actual event.

“Over my entire life I’ve done a lot of advocacy for certain illnesses, so I have a lot of experience in the Courtesy of Katrina Young area,” Young said. “A government Sean Young (left) walks through the halls of the Old Executive Office Building.

President Obama (right) speaks at the PMI Summit. officer from a block number called “The event started off with a discussion group to talk about cyber Like many others, the PMI me and they formally invited talk by President Obama and some security. is important to Young because it me saying that I will know more other officers of an overview of [the “I was in one of the circle means being closer to finding a cure information later on.”

PMI] and then we broke off into discussions and mine was about for certain diseases.

The summit began with little circle discussions all around online security,” Young said. “They “Today with medicine they’re President Barack Obama giving a the White House,” Young said. don’t want medical information not completely targeting the disease, speech about the PMI and what the After the talk with the being available to cyber theft or any itself, they’re targeting a symptom initiative is working to accomplish.

President was over,Young joined a information being leaked.” or an aspect of it,” Young said. “If

PMI is more focused, then they can actually have a chance at curing diseases that they never thought they could. [PMI] is important, because it’s giving scientists better access to a means to solve the world’s health issues.”

According to the White House website, “advances in precision medicine have already led to powerful new discoveries and several new treatments that are tailored to specific characteristics of individuals, such as a person’s genetic makeup, or the genetic profile of an individual’s tumor.”

Over the past couple of years, Young has given over 50 speeches in the community to help those fighting certain illnesses.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve made it a hobby of mine to reach out in the community and advocate for all sorts of reasons,” Young said. “I talk to different people and help those in need.”

After attending the PMI in Washington, D.C.,Young continues to be a voice and outlet for many people in need.

“I feel like I’m a voice, because I’m fairly healthy and I see and know a lot of people all the time who aren’t,” Young said. “It’s just a cool way that I was able to just spread awareness and get it out there.”

Emily Brown News Editor

Vandalism Sheds Light on Importance of Custodians

Kalli Anderson

Assistant principal Jaime Garman (top) cleans up broken glass from vandalism that occured in March. A grounds custodian (bottom) makes sure that walkways are clear of debris to ensure student safety.

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any students on campus go about their daily routines without worrying about the cleanliness of their campus. However, recent vandalism has raised awareness of the importance of the physical appearance of campus and the work that goes into keeping it clean.

The vandalism, which occurred on March 14th, went completely unnoticed by many students. This was due to the various custodial staff members who were responsible

IN THIS ISSUE

NEWS 2

for cleaning up the mess before students arrived at school.

The clean-up process that occurs on a daily basis is much more complicated than many students expect. It consists of multiple levels of custodians who each have a different responsibility on campus. When vandalism and major disturbances happen, the school calls on a department known as Maintenance and Operation.

“Maintenance and Operation is at the

OPINION 4

The Hungry Mav

MavLife tasted pitaya bowls from local cafes and determined the best tropical fruit bowl in town.

PAGE 16

FEATURE 8

SPORTS 10

Softball Preview

The Maverick Saftball team looks forward to a successful season after their 2015 championship win.

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district level,” Principal Bryan Marcus said.

“They have a whole team there that they send out every time that we have an issue.

We had some vandalism that occurred over the weekend so we look to our maintenance department to look at the area, clean it up, get the windows replaced. That’s how we have our maintenance department involved in it.”

The Maintenance and Operation department is for major disturbances or issues only. The minor messes and daily maintenances are taken care of by the custodial staff on campus. They are not only responsible for cleaning up messes, but they also make sure that the campus is running as usual. This includes opening gates and unlocking buildings before the students arrive.

The key to this level of the maintenance crew, according to Marcus, is Ambrose Quebedeaux who serves as the School Plant Supervisor.

“We have one Plant Supervisor named Ambrose,” Marcus said. “He’s here every morning around 5am. He opens up every gate, makes sure the campus is ready to go.”

The next section of maintenance staff is the grounds maintenance. Their job is to keep the walkways free of trash and the grass freshly mowed.

The third and last subdivision of maintenance is the night custodians. They work after-hours to ensure that the campus stays clean from day to day. They are also responsible for locking all of the gates, buildings and classrooms for the night.

“We have night custodians who start at 2pm and they work all the way until about 11pm,” Marcus said. “They come in every day right after school and they will clean every

EXPLAINER 13

single classroom, take out the trash, wipe down desks. They do that for over a hundred classrooms.”

The maintenance of the campus does not rely on a single group of staff members, but rather a wide variety of people dedicated to the school. The job of these staff members is to refrain from disrupting students in order to create a clean environment for them to learn.

This means that they often go unseen and unappreciated.

“I would hope that the students know how impactful these individuals are on their education,” Marcus said. “I think kids need to understand how much goes into this school site and how much all of these individuals care about it. They are literally here every day cleaning and making the campus what it is. I’m very proud of this campus, I think our grounds are amazing, I think it looks beautiful.

We are all one big family and it takes all of these people to make this school run.”

ENTERTAINMENT 14 Girls and Boys State

Four students are selected to attend a California conference aimed at teaching teens about the government.

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Brittany Bloom

Assistant News Editor

Apr/May 2- 10 SPRING BREAK FRESHMEN

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AP TESTING PROM

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News

April 2016

SDUHSD Student Selection and Boundaries

History of the Boundary Lines: I

n the 1970’s, the San Dieguito Union High Some suggest that there is an unequal balance such as our own. In order to solve the School District (SDUHSD) implemented between student per teacher ratios and the problem, suggestions arose that asserted the a boundary line in hopes of balancing the amount of opportunity given to the respective boundary be moved. While this change might amount of students attending current high schools on either side of the north-south line. seem simple, redrawing boundaries is most schools. At the time, the district’s high schools “We went through a process of examining definitely a complex process. only consisted of San Dieguito Academy and this idea like a high school enrollment study “New boundary scenarios would’ve Torrey Pines High School. Due to an increase group,” Grove said. “We met multiple times required a change in high school and middle in overall population, the district has since and considered all kinds of different options.” school boundaries,” Grove said. “To balance added two more high schools, those being When concerning high school selection out the demographics, the boundaries Canyon Crest Academy and La Costa Canyon plans, some families have questioned the needed to be drawn would’ve made no sense High School. practicality of these attendance borders due geographically.”

“San Dieguito High School was getting to demographic and economic welfare issues.

The district went back and forth with pretty close to 3,000 students and the Some began to wonder if the once historically research studies on enrollment and equity population in our district was growing beneficial plan needed to be remodeled in until a viable solution was drawn in one of the pretty rapidly,” Associate Superintendent of order to fit with modern-day conditions school board’s meetings held in August. The Educational Services Michael Grove said. “So at that point, Torrey Pines High School was planned and opened in ‘74.”

The plan was proposed to reduce skewered enrollment sizes. Subsequently, the line was drawn between the Carlsbad and Encinitas counties and the Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Solana Beach, and Rancho Santa Fe counties. The southern boundary was dramatically less populated, during the 1970’s, when compared to the north; this explains why a larger region was granted to the south. Even today, the district has maintained the boundary’s location and the south district still holds a larger portion of the total geographical size.

“The reason the south end is geographically bigger is because there are fewer homes that go out into Rancho Santa Fe and other areas like that where houses are much more spread out and not as dense,” Grove said.

The boundary is currently drawn along San Elijo Lagoon, as it was originally Kalli Anderson planned in the 1970’s. There have been concerns within the community regarding SDUHSD boundaries have been set up for over 40 years and have included cities like, Carlsbad, Encinitas, this plan since it might be called outdated.

Solana Beach and Del Mar.

Lottery System of the High Schools: W ith a broad selection of high schools to choose from, eighth graders often find the process overwhelming as they pick the school they will most likely attend for the next four years. In the San Dieguito Unified High School District, students may pick a school within boundaries of the district.

Students that reside in the San Dieguito Unified High School District’s (SDUHSD) boundaries have the choice between high schools La Costa Canyon, Torrey Pines, San Dieguito Academy or Canyon Crest Academy. A lottery system is setup for schools with a higher demand of students than they are able to seat in a class on campus.

“The lottery process is articulated in state education code and when demand exceeds capacity at any school site we must develop a fair and impartial process to decide who gets to enroll,” Director of SDUHSD Student Information Services Patti Gaul said.

Students that enter the lottery system are a product of high demand for a certain school. Its purpose proposes that students will be chosen at random to adjust the number of incoming students to match the capacity of the school.

Though La Costa Canyon (LCC) has been working on

strengthening other subjects including academics and arts, the school is famous for becoming one of California’s best athletic programs offered to high school students. This has been a major factor that differentiates LCC with its neighboring schools and for students making their high school choice.

“I chose LCC because they have better academics and more athletic opportunities,” sophomore Mari Burigana said.

The ability to pursue subjects that interests the students are key components in high school selection. Students may decipher their high school selection based on the reputation of school and ease of their attendance.

LCC opened in 1996 to accommodate the growing population of students within the boundaries. Attending students, grades nine through twelve, began to surpass the capacity of SDA. The middle schools, Oak Crest and Diegueño, began teaching grades seven-nine to alleviate the overpopulation SDA was experiencing during the construction of LCC. “The lottery only comes into play if we have more students that apply exceeding the available space,” SDUHSD Associate Superintendent, Dr. Michael Grove said. “So, it’s not

Real Estate Within the Boundaries: W ith its pristine beaches, large homes and warm, mild climate year round, the state of California is a popular, yet expensive place to go on vacation, but living here is another story. According to the California Government website, California is one of the most expensive states to live in, especially in certain school districts around the San Diego County. A family would need to make a 94k salary to live a comfortable life in this sunny state.

With its great reputation for academics, arts and sports, prices of houses within the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) boundaries skyrocket every year. It can take families months or even years to find a perfect house within the school boundaries.

Two students at La Costa Canyon recently moved within the district boundaries, and they experienced how hard it was to find a house.

“It took about two to three months to find a house here,” sophomore Gemme Buhaenko said. “We moved from long-stay hotels to short-stay apartments in the meantime.”

From February to May, many houses go up on the market.

Interest rates rise slowly every year, which causes the house prices rise as well. This makes it increasingly difficult to find a home, especially for large families. Many families settle in a

rented home, until a perfect house goes on the market.

“My dad and I visited in May to look at houses and it was crazy,” senior Skai Bekeris said. ”In the real estate market, everyone wants a house right now. If you see a house, it could go away the very next day. It took a while to find a house, but we are renting right now because we haven’t found anything we like yet.”

The boundaries for

the SDUHSD are placed in strategic lines around Carlsbad and Kalli Anderson Encinitas. If a family lives 5.5 miles from LCC towards the coast, they can go to the school here.

However, if they live one mile towards San Marcos, they

board decided to create a plan that advertised and promoted equal attendance by creating various, yet not extremely diverse, themes within each high school.

“The school board ultimately decided that doing more for schools to get students to balance out between them was the route they wanted to pursue,” Grove said.

By implementing such a plan, the district managed to integrate more persons of different backgrounds into their respective schools, further creating equity within one’s educational environment. The district supports families of diverse origins and welfare statuses to attend the same schools in order to create more balance within not only the student body, but the community as a whole.

“You have to provide pretty equal opportunities and so you can rightfully say that if you live in this boundary, you go to this school,” Grove said.

The extensive collaboration efforts between the students, schools, and school board allows the district to coincide logically and efficiently. The San Dieguito Union High School District, since opening San Dieguito High School in 1936, continues to serve families by supplying students with a viable source of education along with beneficial opportunities that intend to equally support the schools in the district.

“I think our district really looks at students’ needs,” Principal Bryan Marcus said.

“LCC is still a brand new school and I think that the equality we’ve created here has been a huge factor in presenting ourselves and sending out our message to the community in a meaningful way.”

Jasmin Sani Staff Writer

something that is unique to the academies [SDA and CCA], although those are the only places we’ve had to do a lottery.”

Students are able to make their high school selection during their second semester of eighth grade. If demand for a school exceeds their capacity, there must be an unbiased lottery held to decide who will attend. Students that aren’t chosen for the school with high demand will be reassigned to their boundary school.

“Right now, on the North end [of the boundary], we’re seeing a stagnant growth,” Principal Bryan Marcus said. “Not a lot of people are moving in, so we have our capacities. If for some reason we saw a spike in our population and more students select LCC as their choice school, then we would forgo the process of a lottery.”

LCC looks forward to being the high school of choice for future students. With the new seven period schedule to be instated this upcoming school year, the school hopes to offer students a variety of classes and the opportunity to achieve.

Erin Sumabat Staff Writer

cannot attend any school in SDUHSD. The houses prices also relate to which district the student lives in. According to real estate websites, a house for a family of four is at least $800,000 in the SDUHSD district, but in the San Marcos school district a house of that same size is $580,000.

“It was really hard to find a house near a good high school, especially in La Costa,” Buhaenko said.

There are many reasons the real estate differs from district to district. How good the schools are in the area, the house size or how close the family wants to be to the ocean are all deciding factors.

A lot of the time parents choose a district they find to be the best fit for their children, however sometimes the cost of living in certain districts is too much of a financial strain.

For the last 20 years, SDUHSD has refused to expand its boundaries. There’s a big difference in the real estate from one district to the next, and it will continue to be this way for years to come.

Kennon Aarnes Senior Staff Writer

News

MAVLIFENEWS.COM

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Four Students are Selected for Girls and Boys State

Three boys and one girl from LCC are attending the upcoming Girls and Boys State this summer in California.

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he American Legion Boys State and the American Legion Girls State are two programs that teach students about the government and how it works. It is a nonpartisan program and teaches both young women and men about the government. A nonpartisan program means that the Boys State and Girls State are for a specific political side. The program helps the students learn how to run for office, and learn about public speaking. It also helps students develop leadership skills that they can use later on in life.

Most students are nominated during their junior year of high school, but to be eligible to enter Boys and Girls State, students must have completed their junior year. This is because the program takes place over the summer.

Boys state was created in 1935 to show boys what it is like to work and be a part of the government. The Girls State was created shortly afterwards, in 1937, and consists of the same principle.

Both the American Boys State Legion and the American Girls State Legion are educational programs that have utmost respect throughout the country. The students become extremely involved with the government.

“I am pretty excited to be able to go to Boys State this year,” junior Eliott Park said.

“I think that attending will help me learn about the government and help with college applications. Attending will also let me understand the government a lot more.”

The students learn how to become part of the state’s government so they can become even better citizens in the future. The program also allows the participants to meet other students from all over the country.

At La Costa Canyon, several students have been selected this year to enter. Lisa Levario, a counselor at La Costa Canyon High school, is excited for the opportunities these students will have.

“This year the top three boys and top five girls have been selected,” Levario said.

“Three boys and one girl are going this year.

They have to run for some kind of office, then campaign and learn about whatever is going on in the government and deal with things going on in their own community.”

Usually, only one girl and one boy from each school ends up being chosen, but this year three of the boys from LCC will be attending: Eliott Park, Simon Yei, and Zachary Ermert. There is also one girl, Brianna Straley, who will be attending.

“Usually they only choose one boy, but because they were so good this year, they picked all three. So this year we have three boys going and one girl along with an Jade Harabedian alternate,” Levario said.

In order to be chosen for the Boys and Girls State, students need to go through a process, which includes being nominated and then interviewed by a committee.

“Students can be self nominated or be nominated by their teachers,” Levario said.

“The top four students are chosen; the top girl and the top three boys. Then they are interviewed by the American Legion in this area.”

Kalli Anderson

LCC’s Girls and Boys State nominees (Left to Right): Simon Yei, Brianna Straley, and Eliott Park. Not pictured: Zachary Ermert.

The graphic to the left is the nationwide symbol for both the American Legion Auxiliary Girls and Boys State.

Some of the students joining Boys State and Girls State spoke out about how joining the program will be beneficial to them.

“The experience is very worthwhile and you get to make connections with other students all over the state,” Straley said. “It also helps when you apply to college.”

Girls State and Boys State not only looks good on college applications, but it also lets students experience what it’s like to live on a college campus.

“It looks really good on college applications and we will get to live in a college dorm for a week and get the experience of a dorm life, which is exciting,” junior Zach Ermert said.

To junior Simon Yei, attending the Boys State will better educate him about the government and how it works, and

encourages future juniors to participate if given the opportunity.

“Boys State is worth going to or applying for, because it shows us how government works and we can talk about different bills we feel are important in the government.

We will also get to campaign and talk about everything,” junior Simon Yei said.

The Boys State and Girls State program teaches students about how to be better citizens of the United States and expands their knowledge of the government. This unique experience will provide a lifelong understanding of the government.

Sophia Gambale Staff Writer

LCC Academic Team Finishes Strong This Season L

a Costa Canyon’s North County Academic League season has ended this year, but they had, yet another, successful season. The team lost a couple of matches, but according to almost everyone on the team, the scores were very close.

LCC students participating in the league compete against other schools in the North County area. Just like sports, the academic team has a freshman, JV and varsity team.

“The North County Academic is a group of schools from North County competing against each other with different levels,” Varsity coach Paul Giuliano said. “We have a freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity team. We gather questions from teachers all around the North County, and we ask questions in like a quiz show type of format to the students and their competitors.”

Giuliano has been involved with the academic team for almost eight years, andin middle school he competed in the North County League himself.

“I love academics here at LCC and I think we are a great athletic school, but I love how we can also compete against academics as well. I wanted to be a part of that and the students that are academic leaders are just unbelievably great people,” Giuliano said.

Along with Giuliano, Doug Heflin coaches the junior varsity team for the academic league. With his many years of experience, Heflin knows the ins and outs of an academic competition.

“I have been in the North County Academic League since 1999. I started coaching the freshmen team before LCC opened,” Heflin said. “In total though, I’ve probably been coaching for about 25 years now.”

Before LCC’s academic team was made,

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the freshman from the middle schools would compete for the league.

“When LCC opened in 1996, we needed an academic team,” Heflin said. “Before LCC opened there was Diegueno and Oak Crest, and they had 9th grade at the junior highs back then, because San Dieguito High School was too crowded. The freshmen from Oak Crest and Diegueno made up the freshman league.”

Heflin has summarized most of La Costa Canyon’s records regarding the Academic league since the high school just started to open. “[The academic team] was in the middle of the pack when LCC first opened,” Heflin said. “We would finish in the middle of the six or seven teams in the division. This year the varsity team had some really tough matches.

Most of the matches they lost would come down to the very last question.”

The academic season this year started in January and ended in March. A typical competition for the team involves fast movements and quick thinking.

“Basically 80 percent of winning in a competition is buzzing in faster than anyone else,” Heflin said. “There are a lot of toss up question, Will Fox but whoever touched [the buzzer] a millisecond faster gets the point. I tell the students that anticipation is important.

The topics are basic curriculum. Usually you sometimes get a feel for where the question is going and then you just have to anticipate, go with your gut and just go for it.”

After practicing once every week, the team has to get ready to compete the following Thursday. The competitions usually take place in the Learning Commons.

We were one of the most successful programs that has been through this school thus far.”

“For normal competitions we have a

Courtsey of Doug Heflin

La Costa Canyon’s varsity academic team poses in the Learning Commons right before their competiton against another school.

moderator who sits in between the two teams,” Heflin said. “His job is to call out the name of the person. We also have the timer judge who sits in between them. The timer judge has a little stop watch in their hand and after the question is read they start the timer.”

For every competition, the students have a certain amount of time to answer a question. If they do cannot answer, however, they have to move onto the next question.

“The students have five seconds to buzz in and if no one answers the question, it gets thrown out and they go to the next question,” Heflin said. “If they do buzz in then they have three seconds to answer the question. For the bonus question, as soon as they stop reading the question, they start the stopwatch and they have 20 seconds to answer. Once the 20 seconds is up, the team captain has to give their answers. It is kind of like a jeopardy team.”

LCC’s academic team has won many of their competitions this year and their losses

were all very close.

“We are a little disappointed that we lost those two games, but I am still really proud of our team,” varsity team captain, Nolan Durfee said. “We played really well this year, and if we don’t make the playoffs we will still have some pretty good memories over the last four years. We have a really successful program and it has been an honor to be the captain all three years.”

Varsity team member and senior, Will Fox, is proud of the academic team’s accomplishments over the last couple of years.

“We were one of the most successful programs that has been through this school thus far,” Fox said. “We made the playoffs twice and we were league runners up twice.

We also won our division twice and we were undefeated one year.”

Hunter McGahan Staff Writer

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Opinion

The Implications of Justice Scalia’s Death Discussing the implications Justice Scalia’s sudden death in the realm of politics. a Justice that share his political beliefs.

However, if a Democratic Justice is chosen, this will shift the Supreme Court from being primarily Republican to primarily Democratic. However, this may be beneficial and provide an opportunity for new ideas and rulings in the Supreme Court.

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he death of Justice Antonin Scalia in his sleep on the morning of February 13, 2016 may have had a tremendous impact on the rulings of the Supreme Court. His vacancy decreased the number of Justices on the Supreme Court from nine to eight, creating an even number of four conservatives and four liberals. Having eight people with four Justices on opposite sides of the political spectrum has the potential to end rulings with a tie, delaying important rulings if there is an equal number of Justices for and against the issue. Also adding to the legislative conflict, the Supreme Court was shifted from a majority of Republican Justices and a minority of Democratic Justices to an equal number of both.

President Barack Obama had put forward a potential candidate to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court: Federal Judge Merrick Garland. Garland is a Democrat.

Seeing how Obama himself is a Democrat, it makes sense that he would want to appoint

Justice is chosen, this will shift the Supreme Court from being primarily Republican to primarily Democratic.”

The Academy Awards are chosen by actors, designers, and directors who have had past movie and motion picture experience, and are mostly, due to tradition, caucasian men who have been in the business for many years. This in itself can be worrisome; nominees may be concerned that the votersnearly 7,000 entertainers-could be choosing primarily white men to represent the Oscar

Opinion Editor: Cooper Gee Entertainment Editor: Reilly Tiglio Democratic Party

Republican Party

Supreme court Dan Stuart

nothing to do with the color of the actor’s skin.

Another issue that has been brought up is sexism in Hollywood, and its effect on women actresses and performers. Many of the Oscar nominees have been primarily males; going back to the ideology that Hollywood does not focus on the minorities of the performing arts.

Females should be celebrated in this industry, because it is so much more difficult to be successful in a “man’s world.”

on and a new century develops, other talented individuals started to step forward to show their skills.”

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Sports Editor: Connor Hines

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Antonin Scalia supported the death penalty, opposed the Supreme Court declaring that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, was against abortion, and believes in the right of gun ownership.

The Democratic Party supports same-sex marriage, opposes the death penalty, and are in favor of more strict gun control. In potentially attaining the Supreme Court’s party majority, Democratic Justices’ practice

Personally, I think that minorities should be seen as just as equal as the majority of caucasian males. Being unique and being different, whether that is determined by gender, race, sexual orientation, or religion, makes someone capable of making a name for themselves. Of course, this does not eliminate any opportunities for the average male actorthese roles will always be in demand in any movie or film.

Now, is Hollywood really discriminating these performers? Most people would say no; however, many of the movies, shows, and films that were primarily produced with black actors might not have been rated as high as other motion pictures that made the box office explode. They did not get low ratings because the actors were black-more likely, they just were not as popular because of the plot, setting, or production. A bad movie has

Feature Editor: Kailey O’Connell

Assistant News Editor: Brittany Bloom

“ As the years go

n February 28th, 2016, the Academy Awards aired with over 34 million viewers watching the top movies and actors of the year get nominated. To most people’s surprise, Chris Rock, the host of the show, dived right into controversial topics like racism and sexism in Hollywood. After many demonstrations of this discrimination, however, critics took note; saying that the whole show was centered around victimizing the black actors.

Design Editor: Jade Harabedian

News Editor: Emily Brown

winners, simply because they are used to it.

Of course, this does not mean that black or female actors and actresses are not talented; to be frank, these people are not represented well enough in the industry.

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Editors-In-Chief: Aneleise Frandsen, Cassie Amundson

The death of Antonin Scalia, while tragic, could result in new laws being passed that may not have had the opportunity to be passed during his time in the Supreme Court.

The change may overall be beneficial for the progress of the United States of America.

Questioning the Traditions in Hollywood A discussion on the underlying biases that exist in the entertainment industry.

Gillian Chaffer Senior Staff Writer

MavLife 2015-2016 Staff

of their party’s stances may manifest new legislature and hold more weight than in the prior circumstance- to which the Republican party was the majority. I believe that this is a positive change because these new decisions may lead to our country moving in a positive direction.

“If a Democratic

Jack Stevens Staff Writer

April 2016

In Hollywood, appearance is everythingwhen the film industry first begun, the majority of actors and producers were white men who were very successful and well known. As the years go on and a new century develops, other talented individuals started to step forward to show their skills. In 2016, it is important that we focus on how one acts, sings, directs, designs, produces or writes because of their natural talents, not the color of their skin or their biology.

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Photo Editor: Kalli Anderson Social Media Manager: Kara Gibson Copy Editors: Kailey O’Connell, Brittany Bloom Adviser: Stacy Hardcastle Senior Staff Writers: Kennon Aarnes, Gillian Chaffer, Chad Crilley, Bryce Gallagher, Soren Gregory, Danielle Lee, Amanda Mester, Calvin Zeljack Staff Writers: Trevor Ferguson, Sophia Gambale, Claire Granich, Jenna Husong, Sophia Imparato, Sydney Kay, Hunter McGahan, Jasmin Sani, Samantha Sinatra, Jack Stevens

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avLife is the student newspaper of La Costa Canyon High School.

LCCHS student media products are public forums for student expression.

Students are responsible for their work in print publications, online content and video broadcasts, as well as in other products, none of which are subject to administrative approval. Students make all final content decisions.

Media programs follow Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Student Press Law Center standards. In addition, student media programs work to follow all copyright laws and avoid libel, slander, and infringing upon the rights of others.

Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the editorial board, while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective.

Advertisements do not necessarily represent the newspaper’s views.

Opinion

MAVLIFENEWS.COM

Editorial: On a Quest to Follow the Taxpayer’s Money

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Taking a look at where La Costa Canyon has invested grant money in the past and where it should invest in the future.

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ver the course of the four year period all students glide through in the fast-paced motion of their high school experience, it is common for a campus to change on both a cultural and physical level.

our website, 46% of student voters answered that they would prefer allowance of all grades to leave campus for lunch instead of the current system in place allowing only seniors to leave. In close second on the voting block, 40% of student voters answered that they would like to see renovations made to increase incoming and exiting traffic flow for students who drive to school.

In reaching out to students who are active members in La Costa Canyon’s campus life, we found a few commonalities in the renovations they felt would be beneficial to campus life. Speaking more towards the classroom environment, students saw a divide in campus technology quality between our campus and the other campuses in the SDUHSD district.

In the case of La Costa Canyon, student demands have been the driving force towards the recent renovations made on campus, such as the re-vamp of our library now labeled the “Learning Commons” as well as the opening of the calf-cafe, offering more options for students who need a quick meal for lunch.

As with any new year, student demands may change as the campus ages or as common interests begin to shift in a new directionand this exact phenomenon is what we may be facing in the coming years. Luckily there is still an answer to this problem, as in November of 2012 La Costa Canyon was given approximately 11 million dollars through an AA grant that can only go towards the enhancement of the campus facilities by popular vote- and nothing more. While there are still funds available in the grant given to us by the district, it is important that student voices be heard in how and where that money will be spent.

When asked what would be the best solution to closing this divide, the common answer was the purchasing of more chromebooks to provide accessible technology in any given classroom. Another large request by the likes of the students was the purchasing of fresh textbooks- as many sets are torn up or are simply short in supply.

As Mavlife, we feel it is our job to make sure that student voices are heard and channeled through a news outlet that has the student body’s best interests in mind- and by speaking to students as well as allowing them to vote on what would fulfill their requests for a better campus we are allowing such voices to come through.

According to a poll conducted on our website Mavlifenews.com, 39% of voting students would prefer for school spending to go towards the development of a two story science building- which was already elicited in the future renovation plans for LCC’s campus.

Changing focus from educationally focused renovations, in another poll conducted on

Graphics by Dan Stuart

On the New Bell Schedule Diversity in Superheroes A look at the new bell schedule from a student’s perspective. An analysis on the importance of Diversified Superheroes. in order for the new teacher collaboration implementation to take effect. On Week A mondays, there will be a MavNation broadcast after 3rd period.

F

If students do not want to take seven classes, they can take six instead and get out early or come to school late.

Kennon Aarnes Staff Writer

or the past 20 years, the bell schedule here at LCC has been the same: a rotating block schedule with six periods consisting of three classes a day for two hours each. However, next year this will all change. We will get seven periods with two different weeks that have different schedules, and everyday will be different from the last.

minutes, with brunch and extended periods.

They can also take more electives, such as culinary arts, sculpture and shaping. While students will have more homework to complete for the multiple classes per day, the EST periods should help to lighten the load.

Next year will be a confusing year at first due to the Week A and Week B schedule, but everyone will take to it in time. I know that I will be using one binder instead of two so I won’t be switching out my sections constantly, hence there will never be a constant schedule day after day. The next school year definitely will be interesting with the new bell schedule as well as the extra period and ESP periods. In looking for a positive though, the homework load will definitely become easier.

“ Next year will

be a confusing year at first due to the Week A and Week B schedule, but everyone will take to it in time.”

Week A and B are going to be the two different rotating weeks. Instead of six periods, there is also going to be an extra period added, along with Extended Study Periods (ESP) on most days.

These allow students to get the extra help they need from teachers, as well as lighten the homework load they will have for the next day.

Every other Monday will also be concluded with an early release at 1:27,

However, it is highly recommended that students take seven classes because they can accumulate class credits faster, which looks more impressive on college transcripts. On the bright side, with these seven classes, students won’t be sitting for two hours while their mind starts to wander. Instead, they will be learning for 90

Danielle Lee Senior Staff Writer

M

any children idolize superheroes. With their makeshift bedsheet capes tied around their necks, they become whoever they want to be and possess whatever powers they can assimilate into their fantasies.

Arguments have been made of whether or not ethnic and cultural diversity should be more prominent in superheroes. Superheroes ultimately accomplish what seems impossible, striving to serve the greater good and conquer the impossible.

Children look up to these figures, wanting to have special powers of their own and defeat their own supervillians.

The main concern associated with the push for diversity is the question of whether the fact that superheroes are primarily white is placing harmful ideas in children’s minds.

Does this place a barrier of racial bearing in their minds?

Will this affect how they see others around them?

A Marvel comic superhero named Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim, made her first appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) when she discovers her shapeshifting abilities and adapt the name Ms. Marvel from her idol, blonde and blue-eyed Carol Danvers.

Ms. Marvel represents what Kamala wants to be, without the baggage of being Pakistani. She struggles to find a balance between being a good superhero and being a good Muslim girl.

“ I think it’s important to

emphasize acceptance of cultural and ethnical diversity.”

Her brother is conversative, her mother is paranoid and afraid that she will get pregnant from any interaction with a boy, and her father is pushing her to be a doctor.

Kamala has to deal with these pressures and find a balance between saving the world and saving face. I think it’s important to emphasize acceptance of cultural and ethnical diversity. Kamala represents the struggles that many people

can relate to and it adds a layer of depth to the concept of a superhero. However, I also think it’s important to keep in mind that children who learn of these superheroes don’t always see them in the same light as those who are aware of the struggles that may accompany finding a sense of individualism and identity as well as bias and discrimination of particular races and cultures.

Children are automatically associated with innocence.They don’t completely understand the concept of discrimination and exclusion due to race and culture. All that they focus on is becoming the superhero they want to be, and their only concern is the fact that their supervillain next door neighbor is secretly plotting against them.

Representing various cultures, ethnicities, and societies is important. People aren’t aware of the interesting and diverse beliefs and ideas that different people live by, and thus aren’t aware of the problems these people can face. Maintaining sensitivity and positivity and acceptance of these cultures will only create a positive influence for children who look up to superheroes.

6

Opinion

Taking a Stance on LCC’s Athletic Programs Two contrasting perspectives on LCC’s apparent efforts towards repressing athletics and pushing forth the arts.

Sophia Imparato Staff Writer

L

a Costa Canyon High School’s reputation is studded with the likes of many star athletes as well as highlighted by consistently high reaching academic achievements, but are we ignoring the other great qualities too? With lots of new budding programs at LCC, athletics seem to continually override them. In short, La Costa Canyon has many clubs and activities for anybody to participate around campus.

Around LCCs campus, I often hear and see students recognizing the achievements of athletics or how cool a touchdown was at the most recent game. But what I rarely hear is students talking about the great achievements of other programs around and on campus of LCC. With so many programs on and off of campus under La Costa Canyon, they deserve recognition as well.

Some often feel as though the athletic programs often overpower the other programs offered on campus, such as studio art or theater. For example, LCCs academic team has been competing in events and excelling in their progress- yet this seems to be overshadowed by the prevalence of sport-related victories on campus.

April 2016

Danielle Lee Senior Staff Writer

Providing another example, the LCC theater program, which has put on two plays so far this year and working on a third, still continues to lack in attendance behind the likes of football games.

Many students feel as though athletics is what LCC is all about and if a student is participating on a sports team, they might not feel as connected to the school as a whole.

With programs such as theater, LCC is thriving. At LCC everyone can participate and have a full high school experience without being the star athlete or winning a CIF championship.

In conclusion, both athletics and academics should get equal recognition in their achievements.

By showing and presenting more programs and opportunities besides sports, both current and incoming students will likely feel more accepted into the culture our campus fosters. With so many enriching activities students get to choose from on campus, it is a shame that such options are pushed to the background.

L

a Costa Canyon High School is known for focusing heavily on sports and overshadowing the academics and arts aspects of our school.

Our school already has an established reputation for having a large focus on athletics.

People will always know that sports play a huge role in shaping our school and our students. I understand the need to emphasize the fact that the school supports academics and the arts and will not betray those at the expense of athletics. I don’t think that any one aspect needs to be repressed in order to hold up the others on the same level. This, in turn, makes it seem like we’re trying to ameliorate our image as a school.

If the worry associated with contributing to our reputation as an athletic school is that the students aren’t as academically focused, that’s ludicrous. Athletics and academics are not on opposite sides of the spectrum.

One doesn’t need to be brought down in order to bring success in the other. Maintaining a healthy

focus on athletics doesn’t mean our school isn’t academically focused and it doesn’t mean that the students aren’t intelligent, innovative and creative.

It is important to make it clear to both the incoming students and their parents that the school values academics and arts, but it’s important to not do that by trying to present ourselves in a light that suppresses an important aspect of our school. I think some people have a very fixated perspective of the student body at LCC; we’re seen as focused on our image, appearance and our sports that it takes away from other important aspects of our school. Showing them that’s not who we are and that we want to hold up arts, academics and athletics on the same level will hopefully stop them from making assumptions and make them more aware that the dynamic of our school isn’t only focused on competitive sports.

Finding a balance between the different values of our school can be a difficult task. I do think it can be easy to focus too much on

our image and how we’ll appeal to incoming or deciding students.

It’s a question of whether or not the dynamic of the school is perceived as a positive or negative appeal to new students and if it’s the latter, what we can do to improve upon that.

But we also have to keep in mind that sports do play a huge role in shaping the student body at LCC. It’s a part of who we are as a campus and we shouldn’t try to hide it. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t and shouldn’t be opportunities or other outlets to express individuality.

I understand the motivation behind trying to build a stronger backbone for the arts and academics programs at LCC. Students should feel that they have the freedom to choose what kind of activities they want to participate in, and athletics shouldn’t overshadow that freedom. I just think that there needs to be a balance between trying to hold academics and arts up and pushing athletics down.

Daylight Savings Mishaps: Changing Time Around Getting a fresh perspective on the mishaps and victories students faced in the Daylight Savings change

“The morning that daylight savings day started it was a 2,4,6 day so I was supposed to go to math for 2nd period but I woke up at 8 o’clock in the morning because no one woke me up, and I woke up and I was like ‘oh no- I am supposed to be at school” -Emily Gamboa, 12

“I got up and attached breakfast to my dog’s collar so we could run around the yard and feed the chickens and I had to watch the whole thing and then I got to school at nine o’clock” - Kat Inverso, 12

“ One night after the time change it was like 7 o’clock and I was really tired and so I just closed all my blinds and closed my door and turned off all of the lights and just went to bed” - Aneleise Frandsen, 12

MAVLIFENEWS.COM

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15

CHANGE building

T

he saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, LCC’s pristine campus has recently gone under some major renovations.

In November of 2012, voters of the San Dieguito Union High School District approved Prop AA, a bond initiative worth 449 million dollars. Divided up among the 11 schools of the district, this proposition seeks to “provide safe, modern schools and prepare students for success in college and careers by repairing and upgrading outdated classrooms and schools, construction and upgrading school facilities, including classrooms, science labs, and libraries, improving safety and security, and supporting career training and math, science, and technology instruction with 21st Century instructional technology and facilities,” as the San Dieguito Union High School District website said. In simpler terms, according to principal Bryan Marcus, the district’s vision for Prop AA money is “looking at the buildings that kids occupy on a daily basis and strengthening those to ensure that they’re receiving everything they need to get a good education.”

What’s Been Done:

From the total budget of 449 million dollars for the district, La Costa Canyon was allotted approximately 11 million (roughly 2.4 percent of the total budget). The first project to access the money launched in 2012, at the time when Kyle Ruggles was head principal of La Costa Canyon.

“Once the bond was issued and the work started here at LCC, we updated the infrastructure,” Marcus said. “We updated our wifi, our voice over IP (Internet Protocol) and our bell system.”

These initial reforms sought also to improve the learning experience inside the classroom. In over 88 classes, short throw projection systems with speakers were implemented at a cost of about 8,000 dollars per classroom. Additionally, the air conditioning systems were addressed.

“One of the biggest projects was to update the air conditioning in most of the classrooms, because LCC sits in a canyon and it gets very hot,” Marcus said. “In a classroom, having air, having projectors and having wifi really help kids accomplish what they’re here for.”

Together, these two projects cost about 7 million dollars to accomplish. Some view the changes as essential to a healthy school environment--especially because La Costa Canyon is

38% Prioritize a two-story science building

know to reach high outdoor temperatures, sometimes even 90 degrees.

“We needed [air conditioning],” English teacher Jill Lax said. “You can’t have students sitting in the heat.”

Updating the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) network to increase bandwidth around campus also meant tearing up grass areas and parts of walkways.

However, students noticed grass areas were quickly replanted and walkways quickly fixed.

“

I really like all of the plants and green on the campus The campus as a whole is a lot nicer and more welcoming than a lot of the other campuses out there.”

Simon Y ei “I really like all of the plants and green on the campus,” junior Simon Yei said. “The campus as a whole is a lot nicer and more welcoming than a lot of the other campuses out there.”

The next project, which took place in 2014, consisted of improving LCC’s 800s buildings. Once completed, it cost an approximate total of 3 million dollars.

“We got the go-ahead to remodel the existing media center, which is now the learning commons,” Marcus said.

“The AP offices were moved, the learning commons was established, and the ASB room was retrofitted with some other adjustments.”

Staff members point out the advantages of having an updated media center on campus.

“I was a little hesitant at first, but I think [the Learning Commons] turned out nice,” chemistry teacher June Honsberger said. “The openness is definitely a benefit. The new flex room is very nice, and students seem more able to use the Chromebooks.”

At first, many individuals may not have noticed, and therefore not have appreciated, the changes made to La Costa Canyon’s campus. This may correlate to the fact that not all the renovations have been tangible.

“A lot of improvements may not be visible, but you feel them,” Marcus said. “You don’t go up and look at the air conditioning, but you know it’s working when you’re sitting there in September. The wifi--you may not notice it, but we probably have over 200 devices [working] right now, with all these computers and people on their phones.”

Establishing these primary upgrades, administration looked ahead to see what else can be improved with the Prop AA money.

What’s Planned:

Coming up in June 2016, the La Costa Canyon theater department will undergo the next revampment, which entails restructuring individual rooms to better suit them for learning.

“The band room, the black box and the theater are areas we use as classrooms, and they never put the projection systems in them,” Marcus said. “So we’re going to move forward with the auto-visual enhancements in those rooms.”

Administration additionally plans on updating the ventilation systems in the theater. Likewise, this summer’s final project targets the other main building of La Costa Canyon’s southern half, the gymnasium. The changes will ideally make sports games, practices, school dances and other major gatherings that take place in the gym more enjoyable.

“We’re just fixing the ventilations [in the gym],” Marcus said. “We have turbines that are supposed to extract out all of the heat and move it elsewhere. As you’ve seen during the Homecoming dances in the gym, we want to try to start moving that air.”

The decisions of where the remaining one million dollars will go are in the hands of both the school’s administrative committee and the San Dieguito Union High School District office. These two forces assess each school in the district, and decide which specific areas require the most attention.

“Our district really looks at students’ needs and what is going to further their education,” Marcus said.

In the past, community members expressed frustration regarding the inequality of Prop AA funds given to each school.

San Dieguito Academy, for example, received 70 million dollars, as opposed to La Costa Canyon’s 11 million dollars.

Possible Future Renovations 23% Prioritize a new basketball court

18% Prioritize the restoration of the art yard

14% Prioritize a field house with a flex room

7% a video conference building

Students Speak: What Renovations Do You Want?

Suggest expanding parking lot space

Suggest improving school lunches

“It’s never going to be exact, because every school is different,” SDUHSD Assistant Superintendent and Director of Educational Services Michael Grove said. “LCC is a pretty nice place already--we don’t need to tear down buildings and build new ones. SDA and Torrey Pines are getting the largest chunks of the money because they have the greatest facility needs.”

The bond was divided up specifically so as to modernize the district’s schools equally. The area contains some schools that were built decades ago, so the common goal was for schools to no longer “have science labs that were built in the 1950s,” as Grove said. However, not every school required brand new buildings.

“You can build a building to make it look pretty, but we want to build things to make sure that we’re actually doing what’s right for kids,” Marcus said. “It doesn’t make sense to build another building when we’re not at population capacity at 2,500 students. Instead of investing five million dollars into a building we wouldn’t occupy, we see if there is another project on our campus that would be more meaningful.”

Suggest off campus lunches for all grades

“

Our district really looks at students’ needs and what is going to further their education.”

Bryan M arcus featured renovation is achievable with 11 million dollars. In the same way, some changes are more difficult to accomplish than others.

“A lot of projects get pushed down the timeline--not because we don’t want to do them, but because they’re still waiting on the permit process to get the work done,” Marcus said.

Although the possible projects were decided in advance, students and staff members have ideas of where the remaining money should go. One of these ideas stems from the fact that some of the classrooms on campus aren’t properly built for students and teachers to use.

Suggest improving traffic flow

think it would be beneficial to have more computers in the classrooms.”

During the 2012 media center renovations, LCC received hundreds of chromebook for students to access, but wireless technology has its disadvantages as well.

“I think one of the drawbacks [of the learning commons] is the lack of hardwired computers,” Birchall said. “I’m not a big fan of the chromebooks. I think they’re awkward for the students.”

“

Having real books sends a positive message to students: that you care enough about the reading to give them a book that isn’t scratched on or is tattered and torn.

In literature, there’s nothing like reading a book.”



What’s Next:

Prop AA required each school in the district to provide a master plan of potential renovations (available on the SDUHSD website under the “Prop AA” tab, and the “master plans” subtab). For La Costa Canyon, some of these included a two-story science building, an additional basketball court, restoration of the art yard, a field house with its own flex lab or a video conference building. MavLife Resorting to other sources like conducted an online poll textbooks, however, may not be to see which plan was the answer either. Students the most desirable to experience downsides students on campus. to using physical According books as opposed to a to Prop AA, “The vote was to allow the district to sell bonds. They’re investments chromebook. plans are “Spanish textbooks restricted that get sold through Wall Street, and investors go out and buy have to be brought to only back and forth every those bonds so they earn interest on them. That’s why they buy those day, and that’s a listed in them--they’re going to earn a percent per year. The district promises pain,” junior Brynn the original Middlebrook said. master that if you give us the money now buying that bond, we’ll pay you “Also, a lot of them plan. over a 25 year period, at a certain percentage of interest. Now, those are outdated, so “You newer textbooks would could only bonds are secured by the money that’s coming in. So the votbe helpful.” spend the Similarly, teachers er--each person who owns a piece of property inside our district--is money on what favor books over the voters approved,” paying a little bit more tax over a 25 year period, and that’s how we technological sources Grove said. “Even if because of their authenticity we decided we want pay them back. We get a lump sum, and then we pay it back over 25 and meaningfulness. another gym at LCC, years.”

“Having real books sends a that wasn’t a part of positive message to students: that you the master plan. We care enough about the reading to give can’t just change our them a book that isn’t scratched on or is tattered and minds.” torn,” Lax said. “In literature, there’s nothing like reading Despite the a book.” variety of new ideas Staff members also feel that learning is improvable in the master “We still have portable [classrooms], like Stapko and Evers through a change of scenery. A few years ago, Honsberger plan, not have in the 700s,” Marcus said. “One of the plans is to take wrote grants to get six lunch tables in the science quad. every those science classrooms and rebuild those.”

“I think it would be nice to have more outdoor seating Students often experience the downside of these for students,” Honsberger said. “It also creates an outdoor classrooms compared to other ones. classroom where students can work.”

“The other day, there was thunder in physics and the Whether students work in the Learning Commons, the entire classroom shook,” junior Jenna Birchall said. flex lab or outdoors, students adapt to the new improvements Another aspect of campus that the public would like to at LCC. address is the available online resources. Having used Prop “There are field trips that we can’t take, such as going AA money, La Costa Canyon not only created a schoolwide to Disneyland, because it’s very expensive for students,” Lax wifi system that every smartphone can connect to, but it also said. “I would love to see us branch outside of just the school acquired more technological resources for students to use. environment.”

These resources, however, are only available to students in the While the administration decides where to invest the media center, in the flex labs attached to the media center and last million dollars of the Prop AA budget, La Costa Canyon in certain classrooms. embraces the improvements already made and expects many “Other schools have more advanced technology or more to come. more available technology,” junior Jenna Birchall said. “I

Assistant Superintendent and Director of Educational Services Micheal Grove breaks down Prop AA bonds:

Kailey O’Connell Feature Editor Jade Harabedian Design Editor Claire Granich Staff Writer

J ill Lax

Sports

10

April 2016

Maverick Softball Takes Center Stage for 2016 Campaign With only two returning seniors on the Maverick Softball team, the upcoming season will be a time of building a strong team.

A

s the winter sports season fades into the past, spring athletics at LCC move into the spotlight for the final sports season of the school year.

One sport that is looking to add to the success of last year will be the Mavericks’ Varsity softball team. Coming off of a CIF Division II championship in 2015, the Mavs will look to build on their success from last year as they hope to add to the Maverick athletic legacy. This year’s team will feature a platoon of talent that will look to help lead the Mavs to a successful season.

The Mavericks will be led by seniors Riley Casper and Megan Ruiz, as they will look to be the sparks for success.

“Since there are only two seniors, the underclassmen watch a lot of what we do,” Casper said. “I think it’s going to be different for them because when I was a freshman, there were a lot of upperclassmen; there is only us they can watch.”

The expectations for the team this year will be nothing short of what they were last year, as the team eyes another CIF title.

“We want to win CIF again,” Casper said. “We won CIF last year and we want to do it again.”

“

Erin Sumabat

Top: Senior Megan Ruiz rounds third base in a game against Del Norte on Friday, March 25th. Bottom: The Lady Mavs look on in between innings in a game during the NC Tournament at LCC.

We want to win CIF again. We won CIF last year and we want to do it again.”

Riley Casper

As the team looks for success this season, they will rely heavily on their leadership and versatility to help them along the way.

“Everyone is very versatile and can play multiple positions,” Casper said. “It’s not like everyone just has one position to play and that can really help us.”

This year’s expectations will be no different from last year as the Mavs will look for new talent to step to the forefront.

“I think we’re just as strong,” Casper said. “We lost a few of our main players but we’re going to make it work. I don’t think we are any less than we were last year.”

The team will have to compensate for the loss of star pitcher Shannon Hennessey, who was a big time contributor to the team’s success in 2015, and is someone that the Mavs will need to compensate for in order to repeat their previous success.

“I think losing her was big but I don’t think it’s

going to make our season better or worse,” Casper said. “If she was here I think we would have the same results.”

In order to replace the talent Hennessey once provided, the Mavs will look for a new fresh crop of arms to help lead them through the season.

“We have Emma Souter pitching and she hasn’t pitched since eighth grade,” Casper said. “I’m pitching too and I haven’t pitched since eighth grade as well.”

“

Losing her [Hennessey] was big but I don’t think it’s going to make our season better or worse.”

Riley Casper Not to mention the team will also have to fill the holes left by last year’s seniors if they hope to compete at a high level.

“Some people are playing positions that they may not be comfortable with playing,” Casper said.

“We are doing a really good job at adjusting to what we have.”

The Mavs will have to face a tough level of competition in order to repeat last year’s success.

“I think it [the schedule] is pretty difficult,” Casper said. “We moved up a division, and we always get harder schedules.”

Some of the Mavs’ most difficult opponents include Cathedral Catholic, Poway, Torrey Pines and Rancho Buena Vista.

But one thing that will be working in the Mavs’ favor is the confidence and experience gained from last year’s championship run.

“We don’t have very many returners from last year’s team, we only have five girls returning,” Casper said. “But all the new girls were on JV so they all know what it was like and we always talk about it, so they know how exciting it was for us, especially since we hadn’t won it in a long time.”

With the season already underway, the Lady Mavs are looking to start strong in order to build up for the postseason. Without question there are some obstacles that the Mavs will have to overcome, but this year’s team looks ready to overcome the challenges that face them in hopes of once again reaching CIF Championship glory.

Calvin Zeljak

Senior Staff Writer

Wrestlers Compete at State Level, Continue Program’s Historic Success

Senior wrestler Kai Kramer attempts a half-nelson against an opponent from Mt. Carmel during the Jimmy Hamada Tournament at LCCHS in December.

W

ith the winter sports season wrapped up and the spring season well under way, the LCC wrestling team is enjoying their cool down after the recent State Championship Tournament.

The Mavs this year had three of their top wrestlers compete for the gold--seniors Alec Baker, Kai Kramer, and Andrew McDonald. In the end, Baker placed sixth overall, with Kramer ranked in the top 12, while McDonald just missed the cut in placing. However, whether they placed or not, these standouts are joining Maverick history.

“We’ve had 55 wrestlers that have qualified for the state wrestling championships in the last 19

Kalli Anderson

years.” Maverick Wrestling coach Dwayne Buth said.

“Only the top two percent qualify for state and we’ve had 55 compete.”

With this said, the Mavericks were competing against the top wrestlers in the country.

“It was really tough,” McDonald said. “California is one of the toughest states because it’s made up of only one division, so everyone in the state comes to the meet.”

Another way the competition may dominate on the mat is experience.

Still, there remains a large difference in experience. Kramer and Baker have been wrestling at LCC for the entire high school careers, while this

winter marked McDonald’s first year back since freshman year, due to a torn meniscus in both right and left legs.

“I started in 6th grade and missed two years,” McDonald said. “But besides that, I wrestled during 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th.”

But inexperience didn’t stop McDonald from rising to the top of the San Diego section in his weight class.

“He wrestled as a freshman and came back as a senior.” Buth said. “A two year wrestler taking second in the section to qualify for the state championship? That’s amazing. That’s awesome. That’s not supposed to happen.”

As for wrestlers like Kai Kramer, experience didn’t even cross his mind.

“I’ve qualified the past three years, so it wasn’t anything new,” Kramer said. “But it’s still an exciting tournament to wrestle at.”

As for Baker, the competition wasn’t so easy, as he had to overcome wrestler after wrestler to make it to the top. In order to place, Baker had to beat Justin Hansz from Liberty High School in Brentwood, who ranked higher in the state.

“In the match to place, I was ranked ninth in state,” Baker said, “I ended up beating the kid who was ranked fifth in California.”

With this, Baker placed sixth in the state championship and has become one of the top wrestlers in the country.

“He’s only the thirteenth individual ever to place in state in our school district history.” Buth said. “So

to be the thirteenth state placer, that’s a tremendous honor.”

Coach Buth isn’t unfamiliar with the state championship experience either. Along with coaching 55 state wrestlers, Buth competed himself.

“I qualified three times.” Buth said. “I was fortunate enough to be a two-time state finalist and I was also California State Champion way back in 1989 when I had hair.”

With this knowledge and experience, Buth leads his team to not only become better wrestlers but better people.

“All 55 of those wrestlers and the all the others who have competed for this wrestling program in the last nineteen years, they’re going to be successful in life because of what they got out of the sport of wrestling.”

Buth said. “I’ve got guys who are accountants, people who are attorneys, police officers, firefighters, I have have guys working in Washington D.C. right now. I think that they’re using that mentality that they acquired in the wrestling room in everyday life.”

The three wrestlers are only a small sample size of the larger tradition at play that continues inside the Maverick Wrestling program and at large on campus at La Costa Canyon High School.

Bryce Gallagher Senior Staff Writer

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MAVLIFENEWS.COM Freshman Commit Continues to Represent Maverick Tradition at Varsity Level

Kalli Anderson

Freshman Spencer Jones will be a part of the Vanderbilt University Class of 2024.

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s upperclassmen start to commit to the college they will attend, unlikely freshman baseball phenom Spencer Jones lies in the same boat.

The 6’6”, 185-pound freshman Spencer Jones has committed to Vanderbilt University for the class of 2024.

“It’s exciting,” Jones said. “I don’t have to worry about college applications in the future, and I don’t have to worry about where I want to go in the future.”

Colleges are now beginning to recruit in underclassmen years.

“Recruiting has started a lot earlier this year than it has in the past,” Jones said. “If they were going to give me a legitimate offer to go play at their school I was definitely going to consider it, and

Vanderbilt talked to me and I decided to go with it.”

His contribution to the team is recognized by fellow players.

“He’s a pretty good player for being so young,” junior Cole Cardinale said.

“His attitude towards the game and his love for it makes me appreciate the sport.”

The freshman standout, as a highly courted player, had a realm of options choose from when it came to picking the team he will play for in the future.

“I was being recruited by UCLA, USC, Arizona State, Virginia, Cal State Fullerton, Oregon, Washington, LSU, University of Arizona and Ball State,” Jones said. “I visited USC, UCLA, Arizona State, SDSU and USD.”

Each school boasts a prestigious baseball program, with many players going on to play professional ball. With all of those schools recruiting Jones, Vanderbilt stood out the most.

“I went to Vanderbilt at the beginning of February, and the campus was so nice,” Jones said. “The tradition there is so great, and all the players that have come out of that school and play pro ball have made an impact.”

Committing as a freshman can be risky, in the face of possible better offers, or an injury that can take the offer off the table. Jones willingly took the risk for the number one ranked Commodores.

“I think it’s really good for him because he committed to Vanderbilt, and

Following Year of Conflict and Coaching Changes, Cheer Team Looks to Regroup

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hange is always a common theme in sports.

When one often thinks of cheer, one thinks But too much change can often be a bad of a strong sisterhood between the cheerleaders thing, especially when the change is neverthat could never be broken. As the season went ending. Over the course of one full season, the on though, the bond began to strain between La Costa Canyon cheer program went through a some of the cheerleaders as the uncertainty at total of six coaching changes. After letting go of head coach wore some of the cheerleaders out. four-year coaches Bri and Noelle Hanggie, the “This season was such a bummer; I went Mavericks decided to go in a different direction into this year expecting a season that was as by hiring Shaylee Welch who was thought to be a much fun as it was last year,” Sprague said. “But perfect fit for the job. But conflict came early for sometimes in life, you get obstacles thrown your the Mavs. way and it definitely taught me a We will definitely be “Our first set of lot. However, it was not the most coaches were too young ideal situation.” looking for someone and they couldn’t control Despite all the conflict, senior us very well,” senior that is open minded and captains Savannah McMahon and Janelle Sprague said.

Whitney Naccarato did the best listens to our opinions “They were only a year job they could to keep the ship older than us so it was afloat and guide this team in right and points of view.” really hard to try and direction. look up to them.”

“I think Savannah and I Chloe Brouillette Three games into the handled it the best we could; Maverick football season, there was a coaching there were a lot girls that we had to keep in change with the cheer squad. At the time, it was line,” Naccarato said. “All the seniors stepped up viewed as a smart move but as time went on, though and helped lead this team effectively”. controversy emerged.

One can only imagine the mess that was last When the second set of coaches proved to season, and there is thus an increased sense of be inexperienced and yet another improper fit, importance to learn from last season and move another change at head coach was prompted. The on.

Mavericks decided to hire interim head coach “I’ve been cheering for six years so last year Erin Gorman, until a future, permanent coach was definitely unlike any other,” Naccarato said. can be found.

“It definitely made me a stronger cheerleader, After last year’s coaching debacle, the I learned a bunch , and I still plan on pursuing administration, along with the cheerleaders cheerleading in college. It hasn’t scared me or themselves, will be looking for key attributes in anything, It has just helped me become a stronger the next candidates for head coach. person.”

“We will definitely be looking for someone Soren Gregory that is open minded and listens to our opinions Senior Staff Writer and points of view,” junior Chloe Brouillette said.

“But we will also be looking at someone who has a dance background because our previous coaches had no idea what they were doing.”

“

that’s a top school in the nation, so if that’s what he wants to do that’s a good place for him,” Cardinale said.

Other upperclassmen have also already noticed Jones and the way in which he stands out among the rest.

“He made me see how much fun he’s having with it, and it definitely influences me, and makes me want to have fun playing too,” senior Griffin Teisher said. “He’s really nice, and doesn’t say anything mean.”

This past summer proved to be a major turning point for the young Jones.

“The summer of eighth grade going to ninth grade, I started playing for a new team, going to these tournaments, seeing all the coaches there, and I realized I’m as good as these guys,” Jones said. “At that point, I thought maybe I could get a scholarship.”

Though Jones is already committed, academics are still very important to him.

“It’s important because Vanderbilt is a good school, and I want to succeed while I’m there. If I can take tough classes here, and exceed academically that will help out in the future,” Jones said. “I like the academic part a lot, I didn’t want to go to a big party school, I’m not that type of guy. Academics and athletics go hand in hand.”

According to Jones, committing early remained a priority.

“It’s good, getting to know the coaches before I go there,” Jones said. “I was accepted to part of their culture on the baseball and football fields.”

Though a freshman, the Major League Baseball draft has definitely been a point of interest. Just last year, senior Shane Potter was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 29th round, and this year, senior Mickey Moniak is expected to be drafted as well, if he turns down his offer with UCLA. “I’m not sure about the draft as a freshman because things could happen, but if that were to ever come around it would definitely be an interesting conversation,” Jones said.

His teammates also see the possibility of entering the MLB draft in lieu of college baseball.

“I think he will get a lot more recognition [for being committed], because a lot more pro scouts looking at him for will know that, and they might want to go after that more,” Cardinale said. “Maybe he skips college and goes to the draft if enough people recognize his talent.”

“I think it could for sure lead to him getting some pro scouts watching him, and if he continues to play well, he’ll be better in high school, and have some pro scouts to come watch him,” Teisher said.

Trevor Ferguson Staff Writer

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Sports

April 2016

The Explainer

MAVLIFENEWS.COM

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A Global Perspective: Keeping An Eye On The World Taking a look around the globe to provide a snapshot of current events. News from Brazil, Syria, North Korea, and more.

President Obama landed in Cuba on March 20, marking the first time a sitting United States leader has visited the country since 1928. On the trip, Obama met with Cuban President Raul Castro, and the two leaders agreed that the 54 year trade embargo placed on Cuba by the United States needs to cease. Both would like economic relations between the two countries, which have been strained since the Cold War, to improve.

President Obama’s intent on visiting Cuba is to ease relations with the country that is just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

CUBA

WASHINGTON D.C.

On March 16, President Barack Obama named Merrick Garland as his Supreme Court Justice nomination. Garland is the chief judge for for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and he is viewed as a moderate. However, this nomination comes with disagreement from the Senate, who must approve the president’s nomination. Once the announcement was made, Senate leader Mitch McConnell reiterated that the Senate would not approve any of President Obama’s nominees.

They believe the next president should choose who is named the next Supreme Court Justice that would be replacing the recently deceased Antonin Scalia, as President Obama’s term ends in January 2017.

Therefore, a new Supreme Court Justice may not be named until after the presidential election.

BRAZIL

Over the past several months, Brazil has been dealing with health, economic and political problems.

The mosquito borne virus known as Zika has become widespread in the country, especially in expectant women.

It has recently been discovered that the virus is correlated to microcephaly, which can cause neurological defects in newborns. Meanwhile, the country has been in the midst of a recession, and the president, Dilma Rousseff, is facing the possibility of impeachment from her political rivals over financial improprieties. With all the social and political unrest in the country along with health issues, this is all occurring just a few months before the 2016 Summer Olympics are set to kick off this August.

Aneleise Frandsen and Cassie Amundson

SYRIA

In 2011, anti-government protests broke out in Syria, igniting massive retaliation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This has created thousands of rebel groups in the country. One of the groups prominent in Syria is the terrorist group known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has been gaining more power as the war drags on. Hence, Syria is still in the midst of a massive civil war, with more than 200,000 people dead. The United States has opted to side with the moderate rebels, and believes that President Assad and ISIS need to come out of power as soon as possible. However, Russia has backed President Assad, and the two countries have kept a close alliance. This indirectly causes tension between the United States and Russia. However, on March 15, Russia announced that the country would begin withdrawing troops from Syria. This announcement came as United Nations peace talks on Syria began. This brings hope that the peace talks may bring improvements to Syria, and it causes the United States to evaluate its role in the war-torn country.

Editors-in-chief

Flint, Michigan

Information from: CNN Michigan.gov Help For Flint FlintWater Study Vox Washington Post

Flint, Michigan, a town with nearly 100,000 residents, has been lacking a safe water supply for a couple years. No one in the town knew until just a few months ago.

During March of 2014, the town decided to switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in order to save money. The town had been in an economic state of emergency, so the state of Michigan was attempting to help the struggling city out. However, people began to notice the differences in their water soon after the switch. The water began to look dirty and taste odd. And unfortunately, the state did little to alleviate the stress of Flint’s citizens. Citizens were told by city and state officials that everything in their water was fine. The state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) claimed there was nothing to worry about in the water The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not make an effort to figure out the situation either, despite the demand from citizens. This was what happened for nearly two years, and nothing was done about the situation.

What has been brought to light in recent months is that the city and state officials were incorrect, and there was in fact something wrong with the water the town of Flint, Michigan had been supplying its citizens. Research from Virginia Tech University revealed that the water from the Flint River had increased levels of both iron and lead. Think about it from a numbers standpoint: The US EPA level of lead that is considered dangerous is 15 parts per billion (ppb). In the town of Flint, the ppb level in the water was found to be anywhere from 200 to 13,200 ppb per sample. This high level of lead can cause harm in both the brain and nervous system, and

A subway station and the airport in Brussels, Belgium was attacked on March 22, killing at least 30 people and wounding about 230 total. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for what is now considered a terror attack. Belgian forces have been going after terrorist threats for months; on March 18, officials captured Europe’s most wanted man, Salah Abdeslam, who was believed to have been the last suspect in the November 2015 Paris attacks. He was caught in the city of Brussels. It is thought this capture may have spurred the attacks that occurred on March 22.

BELGIUM

NORTH KOREA

North Korea most recently launched five short-range projectiles from the country’s east coast on March 21. This is the latest action in which heightened tensions have been escalated between North Korea and its neighboring country, South Korea, over the past few months. In January, the country conducted a nuclear test, and 15 various projectiles have been launched on four different occasions since the month of February. All of this comes when United States and South Korean militaries are in the midst of annual joint exercises on the west coast of South Korea, and there is question if the launches violate sanctions placed on North Korea by the United Nations. Also, on March 16, University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for allegedly attempting to steal a North Korean propaganda poster from his hotel. Warmbier admitted to the crime, but it is not known if he was forced into his confession. He was visiting the country as part of a tourist group. The United States is trying to bring the young man home as soon as possible. currently affects nearly 8,000 children.

When the state admitted that the water wasn’t being treated properly and therefore unsafe, they switched Flint’s water supply to Detroit’s. However, the water pipes had been corroded with lead by this point - now the water coming from Detroit was too dangerous to drink. This was because the unsafe water from the Flint River had damaged the pipes with its high lead levels. This caused the pipes to decay, and hence affected the perfectly clean water from the Detroit water supply. Today, the citizens still live off water bottles as the water pipes are being changed to new ones, or use government-issued water filters on home faucets to help cleanse water.

The government failed the citizens in the sense that the vital necessity of water was not met. Furthermore, no one looked into the possibility of poor water treatment when the citizens asked. There are several lawsuits occurring because of the mistakes made by the state of Michigan. Recently, the governor of Michigan signed a supplemental budget bill for Flint that would give $28 million to do such actions as supply free bottled water and fund follow-up services for children with high lead levels. In addition, citizens will be reimbursed for the water bills paid during the time of damaging and unclean water.

The crisis in this town is one that been discussed in the 2016 Presidential Campaign, and has made national headlines.

Several humanitarian efforts have sprouted up across the United States in order to help the citizens of Flint, Michigan, receive the water they need.

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cancer 6/21-7/22

April Horoscopes

scorpio 10/23-11/21

Pisces (2/19 - 3/20)

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ou have been feeling down lately, Pisces, but as you head into April, a change is underway and good fortune is headed for you. Be ready to start April with a fresh and pisces 2/19-3/20 optimistic mind.

Aries (3/21 - 4/19)

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old Aries, April follows you this month, and encourages you to take bold changes.

The stars are on your side as you step out of zone to do thingsgemini you wouldn’t Aries your comfort taurus usually do.

Go in with full force and you are 5/21-6/20 3/21-4/19 4/20-5/20 unstoppable.

Taurus (4/20 - 5/20) pril is the month to reflect on how the

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Land, Sea and Everything in Between: What are you doing this weekend?

Weekends are short, but the quick breath of freedom we are given each week is essential in maintaining our sanity as students. If you ever feel like you’re stuck in the same old routine and want to vary your weekend activities, you have come to the right place. Here are some fun things to do on a friend date, a real date, with your mom or even by yourself!

   In and around town:

cancer 6/21-7/22

year has been going for you so far. Perhaps things haven’t been as well as you have hoped, take timegemini this month to change what needs to cancer leo virgo scorpio libra taurus to increase your 6/21-7/22 satisfaction with 10/23-11/21 7/23-8/22 be changed 8/23-9/22 9/23-10/22 5/21-6/20 4/20-5/20 life. Things will be looking up, Taurus.

Gemini (5/21 - 6/20)

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ou will soon be taking on a leadership rolthis month, Gemini. This is different than usual, but change is good.

Embrace it, as saggitarius capricorn aquarius virgo scorpio libra you are on a lucky streak in all aspects of your cancer gemini 11/22-12/21 12/22-1/19 1/20-2/18 8/23-9/22 10/23-11/21 9/23-10/22 now. This is the time to take a risk.

6/21-7/22 5/21-6/20 life right

Cancer (6/21 - 7/22)

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his month is not the time for you to take any bold chances, Cancer. Let things in capricornyour lifeaquarius pisces play out and make sure you look at scorpio libra 12/22-1/19 1/20-2/18 2/19-3/20 all options before you make any sudden decicancer 10/23-11/21 9/23-10/22 Aries sions. Keep a balance between gemini your head and taurus 6/21-7/22 5/21-6/20 3/21-4/19 your heart and you will be fine.

4/20-5/20

Leo (7/23 - 8/22)

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April 2016



If you’re looking to go a little further:

-Bike ride on the 101 -Paddle board in the Carlsbad Lagoon -Go to Walmart (very entertaining) -Go on a hike at Torrey Pines (It’s beautiful, it’s close and it’s a fun way to get a little exercise) -Simple walk on the beach (advanced version: night walk on the beach, even go swimming if you wanna get crazy) -Go to the farmers market -Picnic on the beach with the food you got from the farmers market -Roller skating -Feed the goats on the corner of Leucadia Blvd and Rancho Santa Fe Road -Go to a thrift store (DAV highly recommended) and buy your friends and/ or family weird gifts

-Go to Laguna (looks like Hawaii, feels like vacation) -Take the train downtown -Go to North Park (good restaurants/ cool thrift stores) -Oceanside (more good restaurants/ cool thrift stores) -Camp in Idyllwild (it's free! and there's sometimes snow) -Coastal drive with all the windows down and stop spontaneously -Go snorkeling in La Jolla -Beach day at San Onofre



From the comfort of your own home:

pisces 2/19-3/20

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-Build a good ole fashion fort out of cushions and sheets -Try a new recipe -Binge watch the bachelor -Arts and crafts -Make a bucket list -Slip and slide -Plant something (tree, flowers, herbs, vegetables, ect) -Youtube search: music videos from the early 2000s -Call your grandma?

cancer 6/21-7/22

Sydney Kay

Staff Writer

Question & Answer With Delaney Keefe

ou have an open heart with those you care MavLife sat down with junior Delaney Keefe about, Leo, and this month focuses on aquarius pisces those main people. Embrace those you care and learned about her past as a child actress.

1/20-2/18 2/19-3/20 scorpio for with extra love and you will libra only benefit leo virgo scorpio She was in multiple movies and TV shows when 10/23-11/21with extra happiness in your life. cancer 7/23-8/22 8/23-9/22 10/23-11/21 9/23-10/22 gemini taurus 5/21-6/20

4/20-5/20

6/21-7/22

Virgo (8/23 - 9/22)

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pril is an active month for you, Virgo. Take

time away with a loved one or friends to pisces saggitarius go enjoycapricorn the world.You haveaquarius some extra time 2/19-3/20 11/22-12/21 12/22-1/19 1/20-2/18 to be spontaneous, it and go with the virgo libra embrace scorpio flow. 9/23-10/22 cancer 8/23-9/22 10/23-11/21 gemini 6/21-7/22 5/21-6/20

she was younger. Delaney came to LCC this year from the Metropolitan School of the Arts, which was primarily focused on art training. Her plans for the future include majoring in musical theatre and political science. pisces

2/19-3/20

How did you get into acting?

“When I was two years old, I was in this playgroup and my parents would read me bedtime ou are outgoing and bubbly, Libra, and stories at night and then the next day at playthis shines out of you this month.You are group I would act out the stories. One of the happiness, and this attracts capricorn radiating aquarius piscesmany moms noticed I was doing it from memory and people.1/20-2/18 Give time to the people in your life 12/22-1/19 2/19-3/20 cancer scorpio libra that matter to you and it will only bring more suggested I get into acting. My mom was hesicancer 6/21-7/22 10/23-11/21 Aries 9/23-10/22 taurus love to your life as the month gemini continues.

6/21-7/22 5/21-6/20 3/21-4/19 4/20-5/20 tant at first, but then we just tried it and I loved Scorpio (10/23 - 11/21) it and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Libra (9/23 - 10/22)

Y

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his is a month of love for you, Scorpio, embrace it. Step out of your comfort zone and be bold with the people you are intrigued aquarius piscesnot to be too upfront about scorpio by. Remember 1/20-2/18 2/19-3/20 cancer leo virgo things as that could scare people off. Find bal- scorpio gemini libra taurus 10/23-11/21 6/21-7/22 “My biggest part was Cindy Cash in Walk the you will find yourself happy in love. 10/23-11/21 7/23-8/22 ance and 8/23-9/22 5/21-6/20 9/23-10/22 4/20-5/20

What movies have you been in?

Sagittarius (11/22 - 12/21)

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ou yearn for freedom, Sagittarius, and when you make up your mind about something, there’s no going back. This mindpisces set is just what you need as you make imporsaggitarius capricorn aquarius 2/19-3/20 virgo scorpio libra cancer gemini tant decisions.

Go with what feels right.

11/22-12/21 12/22-1/19 1/20-2/18 8/23-9/22 10/23-11/21 9/23-10/22 5/21-6/20

6/21-7/22

Capricorn (12/22 - 1/19)

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ocus on branching out this month, as new friends come easily to you. Welcome them with open arms and see where these take you. If you letpisces some develop capricorn new bonds aquarius further,1/20-2/18 a new relationship would emerge for scorpio libra 12/22-1/19 2/19-3/20 you, Capricorn.

Be open-minded.

10/23-11/21 9/23-10/22

Aquarius (1/20 - 2/18)

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ou are feeling emotional this month, Aquarius. Find a way to channel all your extra emotions into something you feel aquarius strongly about, piscesand this will help you relieve 1/20-2/18 stress. 2/19-3/20

Line, which was a Johnny Cash movie. I did Elizabethtown and also Back When We Were Grownups, which is a Hallmark Feature Film. I did Jake in Progress with John Stamos and that pisces was a television show. I played his niece. I also 2/19-3/20 did I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.”

Who was your favorite character to play?

“For I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry.

My character name was “adorable pigtail girl” and my whole line was asking if because he dated a woman that meant he was lesbian and I didn’t know what it meant at all at the time so I said it super spunky-like. I look back now and see myself doing it and it’s super funny.”

Sammy Sinatra

How is LCC different from your old school?

“It’s very different here, this is more of a sports school. But with Brad [Golden] I think that theatre is making a comeback here and people are taking it a lot more seriously and that people enjoy it.”

What are your future acting plans?

“I’m going into college as a musical theatre major. I’ve been gone every weekend for six weekends to different schools auditioning for their programs”

“I want to do musical theatre and political science and then do theatre for social outreach, which will bring to light people with disabilities or gender and sexuailty issues.”

How do you like comedy sports?

“I just played in my first game two days ago which was super fun and exciting. It’s such a supportive community and everyone is so nice, and we are just there to make people laugh.”

Sammy Sinatra Staff Writer

MAVLIFENEWS.COM

Entertainment

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Entertainment

The Hungry Maverick

April 2016

Pitaya Bowl Edition

The Hungry Maverick is an evaluation done by the MavLife Staff, to find the community’s best tasting food, drinks and desserts. For this issue, MavLife staffers were in the mood for some fresh pitaya bowls from around Encinitas and Carlsbad. Pitaya is a food trend similar to acai bowls, in both flavor and health benefits. Loaded with antioxidants, and typically served with granola and fresh fruit and sometimes bee pollen, pitaya is blended dragonfruit. We decided we needed to grab some from your favorite restauraunts: Juice Stop, Mozy Cafe, Swami’s Cafe, and Better Buzz Coffee. See who won below.

Reilly Tiglio Entertainment Editor

Mozy Cafe

RATED: 5/5

698 N Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 (760)-944-9168 nown for its quick and healthy menu, Mozy Our staff had nothing but great things to say Cafe is a local hot spot for anything between about this pitaya bowl. The appearance and taste burritos and acai bowls. Due to its popularity in had our staff’s mouths watering for seconds as well our classroom, we had to put its pitaya bowl to the as dazzling us with its bright colored appearance. test and turns out it tested extremely well. Mozy Cafe was the winner of this challenge!

“It was honestly a magical combination of fruity deliciousness,” senior Kailey O’Connell said.

“It was very sweet but not over the top,” junior Danielle Lee said. “The consistency was not too thick and not too thin, I would buy this again and again and again.”

K

RATED: 4/5

Juice Stop

1042 N. El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 436-4708 uice Stop, a smoothie place located in the Target shopping center, is a popular small family Although a large group of our staff liked business specializing in healthy fruit-based drinks. the taste of Juice Stop’s pitaya bowl, many Many students turn to this delicious place for a complained that the consistency was a deal treat. However, their pitaya bowls were put to the breaker. test by our staff.

“It looks extremely appetizing,” junior Calvin “It tasted great but the overall consistency Zeljak said. “It is just a little bit too liquidy for my was a little funky,” junior Savannah Johnson said. taste.”

“It was more saucey than Mozys.”

J

Swami’s Cafe

RATED: 2/5

1163 S Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 944-0612 ocated near its namesake beach on Coast Unfortunately, very few of our staff Highway 101, Swami’s Cafe is a great outdoor members enjoyed Swami’s pitaya bowls as much dining spot for beach-goers. Our MavLife staff as we anticipated. The taste was different than the thought it fitting to try the trendy pitaya bowls at rest as well as the overall appearance. this popular cafe.

“It tasted more like a berry smoothie rather “The first look was sort of appetizing,” senior than a pitaya bowl,” senior Sammy Sinatra said.

Amanda Mester said. “It was a lot darker than the other bowls.”

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RATED: 0/5

Better Buzz Coffee

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578 S Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 487-5562

etter Buzz, a quick walk up from Moonlight Beach, is a new hip joint taking over Southern California. Popular for its “Life is better buzzed” slogan, MavLife wanted to see if life is better with their pitaya bowls.

“This smells like cardboard and plates,” freshman Sophia Imparato said. “It was very chunky and milky and just gross.”

Sadly, the pitaya bowl from Better Buzz was not picked for the favorite by any staff members.

Many complained about the texture, taste and quite honestly the whole set up of the bowl itself.

“It tastes like plants and dirt,” junior Jade Harabedian said. “ It is very liquidy but also has wierd chunks of unblended items.”