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Carlmont High School Newspaper Volume III, Issue 1, September 2011 See us online at http://scotscoop.com

Biotech building construction delayed New year,

new policies

By Steven Tsujisaka Online Editor

By the time August came and students were checking-in and returning from vacation, the biotechnology building that was expected to be complete was still not finished.

The biotechnology building, which was approved by voters in the $165 million Measure J bond in 2008, is expected to be complete by the Fall of 2011. Even though the Sequoia Union High School District lost $4 million due to the bankruptcy of Lehman Bros, the district was able to make up for the lost money.

Because most science teachers were hoping the new building would be open by the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, teachers began to pack their equipment too early in the year.

For “We’ve been trying to do students who are an eighteen month job currently in nine during one of the taking heaviest winter’s we’ve biotechhad in a while” nology at Carlmont, classes are not able to complete as many labs and assignments as usual.

“We haven’t been able to do many labs because Mr. Raffa is trying to get the new classroom ready,” replied Noe Zane, a current biotechnology student.

The soon-to-be new classrooms located behind S- and T-wing are reportedly much larger than the current classrooms located in C-hall.

“Our class is really overcrowded,” Zane noted. “[The] building is delayed because most construction projects run into hurdles. Time lines are always adjusted because you are

By Erica Valbusa Fun Stuff Editor

Photo by Steven Tsujisaka

building an enormous place,” commented Dan Raffa, a Carlmont biotechnology teacher, “everyday district people are over there trying to get things done.”

Because the new 13,000 sq. ft. building contains elevators, the science teachers have been waiting for inspectors to approve the new building for student access.

“We’ve been trying to do an eighteen

month job in nine during one of the heaviest winter’s we’ve had in a while,” stated one of the construction workers building the biotechnology building.

When the biotechnology building is complete sometime in the near future, more students will be able to enroll in AP biology, biotechnology and biology and take advantage of the new, high tech equipment.

Senior parking lot costs too much

By Dana Bloom Editor-in-Chief

Incoming seniors look forward to parking in the senior parking lot even though the price of permits has increased to $100 for this school year.

The senior parking lot is located between the tennis courts and softball fields. It has 109 spots and this year, and after four days of permit sales, they were all distributed.

Multiple seniors rushed to the treasurers office the morning they went on sale to ensure they would get a permit.

“I wanted a permit so that I could be late and still get a parking spot,” senior Maxine Ansaldo commented, “It was annoying to have to pay $100 though.”

Many seniors opted not to pay for a permit and instead decided they would park on the street, even though it is first come first serve.

Senior Kristen Crawford stated, “It is too expensive and chaotic to get in and out of,” referring to the senior parking lot.

Out of the schools in the Sequoia Union High School District, Carlmont charges the most for a parking permit.

The difference in price between Carlmont

and other schools in our district is dramatic. For instance, Sequoia charges just five dollars for a parking permit, a 95 dollar difference.

When asked why the permits were so expensive, administrative vice principal Ralph Crame said, “They aren’t expensive,”

he quickly added, “all the money goes back to the students.”

Where does the money from the permits go? And how is it given back to the students?

The 1,900 dollars in profit from the permits this year goes towards ASB (associated stu-

dent body) and they use it for school events throughout the entire year.

Activities director Jim Kelly stated, “Because ASB is a non-profit organization, all the money we earn and make is spent. It all goes back to the students for extracurricular activities.”

Kelly agreed that the parking permits are a revenue generator, but was on the same page as Crame when discussing the price.

“Related to anywhere in the world, they are cheap,” Kelly commented, “and when you break it down for the year it is not expensive. It comes down to 50 cents per day and 11 dollars per month.”

Because the population of Carlmont is so big and multiple students drive, parking is very scarce and is a major reason why permits are able to sell, even at such a high cost.

Carlmont administration has looked for new parking opportunities as they know parking can be an issue.

“We are always looking to see how we can improve parking because we know it is not the ideal situation,” Crame said,” with all continued on page 13

At the start of the new school year Carlmont High School’s administration made multiple modifications to traditional school policies.

The teachers were instructed to make sure that their students were aware of the new changes. “I knew about the new policies because all of my teachers read them to the class” commented sophomore Dominique Berrios.

However, some students did not understand the changes or did not know about them at all. “I did not know that any of the policies changed because none of my teachers let us know about them. I eventually found out what they were from my friends,” added sophomore Charlotte Jackman.

The tardy policy has been altered once again. Instead of automatically receiving a detention from being tardy one time, the punishment is up to the discretion of the teacher. On the third tardy, however, the teacher will write a referral to the Administrative Vice Principal in addition to receiving a detention. Detentions will now be tracked on Infinite Campus instead of on eBehavior.

Cell phones and electronic devices continued on page 13

Naviance support comes to Carlmont

By Jenna Chambers Editor-in-Chief

As college application seasons rapidly approaches, seniors are suddenly faced with the overwhelming tasks of searching for universities to apply to as well as completing college applications that are due within the next few months.

Lucky for this years graduating senior class, searching and applying to schools may be a simpler process now with the help of Naviance Succeed.

Naviance Succeed is described as an “online resource for planning and advising students.” Furthermore, the program allows for students and parents alike to research college, scholarships and careers.

Hard at work putting together the program is College Counselor Connie Dominguez who said, “[Naviance Succeed] will help the guidance counselors help the seniors with their college applications.”

Through Naviance Succeed, students will be able to search for colleges, compare schools and begin building a college list among other things. But perhaps one of the sites most important features for college bound seniors is being able to request teacher and counselor recommendation letters. continued on page 13

Page 2

News and Opinions

Carlmont’s view of 9/11 Staff Writer

While the country marks it’s tenth anniversary of 9/11, Carlmont students and administration reflect on how their life and America as a whole has been affected.

On Sept. 11, 2001, America was attacked

by Al-Qaeda. Four commercial airliners were seized by 19 hijackers. At 8:46 am Eastern time, five hijackers took over American Airlines Flight 11, and plunged it into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

At 9:03 am, five other hijackers took over United Airlines Flight 175, and demolished the World Trade Center’s South Tower. At 9:37, another five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.

Lastly, United Airlines Flight 93, under the control of four hijackers, crashed in a field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Carlmont’s business teacher Lisa Simpson vividly remembers the attacks on 9/11.

Her brother, Paul Nuti, was working inside the World Trade Center during the attack.

Fortunately, Nuti managed to escape before the towers could collapse.

“My brother had survived the terrorist attack ten years prior in the same building— the South Tower of the World Trade Center,” Simpson replied, “He was in a meeting when he and his colleagues heard a horrific noise, and the building shook terribly. Since he had survived the first attack [a bombing], he knew he and everyone else needed to get out of the building immediately.”

U.S History teacher Michelle McKee also remembers where she was on 9/11. “I was home watching the news while getting ready for work,” said McKee, “I was speechless and emotional. I was wondering how I was going to get through the day teaching.”

Unlike Simpson and McKee, students aren’t able to fully remember where they

were or what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I have no idea what I was doing on 9/11,” said Junior, Christopher Fong, “ I might have been watching television or doing homework. But, I don’t remember hearing about the attacks at the time.”

Another junior, Joey Craig, was able to recall a little bit of information about what he saw on 9/11. “I was in first grade, and I remember seeing all the adults freaking out,” said Craig, “I didn’t know much of what was going on.”

Sophomore Alec Castaneda has no recollection of what he did or what he saw on 9/11. “I don’t remember anything,” said Castaneda, “I was going to school in Arizona at the time. But, I don’t remember hearing anything about nine-eleven.”

Being at such a young age at the time, students weren’t really affected by the 9/11.

As they’ve grown older, they now know the effects of 9/11.

The 9/11 attacks have also left America scarred with fear and suspicion in American Airports. America has had a stronger airport security system since. People can no longer just walk in with their boarding pass and get on a plane. To this day, both the passengers and their luggage must be scanned for any possible threat before boarding a plane.

America will never forget the lives that were lost during 9/11. In honor of their memories, both a World Trade Center Memorial and a Flight 93 memorial has been opened.

Reprinted from Wikipedia with permision from UpstateNYer

By Chris Leong

Biotech building anticipation

The status of the biotech building and the effects it will have on students

By Matthew Harris Staff Writer

With the new biotech building almost ready for students, teachers have already begun to move into the new wing.

The new 13,000 square foot building, supported by Bond Measure J, will offer new restrooms, a conference room, and three classrooms with chemical preparation and storage areas when completed.

The building was expected to be finished before school began this semester, but has

yet to be completed.

When asked about the delay in construction, the General Manager for the project stated that they were correcting a previously undiscovered design issue, and thus the building had not yet been cleared for students by a state inspector, but the building should be ready by December in time for the second semester.

The new classrooms will afford space for Biology, AP Bio, and Biotechnology classes.

Science Department head, Tina Doss, stated that the new building will allow more

students to enroll in Carlmont’s Biotech program next year.

She also commented that “the new facilities will allow students to develop real lab skills they can use in a college or professional environment.”

Also, she claimed that “We’ve gotten the opportunity to rent the labs over the summer to private companies”. However, she would not mention which companies were interested.

The building is also eco-friendly, with solar panels to help power the buildings’ climate control, offsetting heating costs.

More importantly, the new rooms are lined with brand-new equipment and untouched desks, and will be able to accommodate many more students than the older rooms.

Biotech head, Daniel Raffa, said that the new rooms will allow “more opportunities for independent student research in each class,” and that the building will improve the overall quality and depth in the biotechnology classes.

Also, he stated that the biotech teachers will now have the opportunity to enroll more students in the Biology Biotechnology programs, due to the increased space afforded by the new building.

Raffa also said that the building would have a tissue-culturing area, and hopes to have an outside garden for students.

Both teachers repeated that the new labs were unsurpassed in quality in the entire district, and that teachers were more than eager to start classes in there as soon as

Girls: Do you have any self-respect?

By Alex Porter Sports Editor Facebook recognized Sept. 20 as “National Girls Wear Yoga Pants Day!” letting thousands of girls fall victim to the objectification, whether they were aware of it or not.

No girl can deny that yoga pants draw attention from boys. Yoga pants are skintight and accentuate girl’s legs, but more over, their curvaceous backsides.

There is no way of getting around it; there are girls who specifically wear yoga pants to draw attention to themselves.

On the wall of the Facebook event, a girl who was enthusiastically attending “National Girls Wear Yoga Pants Day!” wrote, “Yoga pants aka slut pants.”

These girls are well aware that this day is made for girls to show off and flaunt their bodies for the benefit of guys.

Not only are they giving boys satisfaction, but these girls are also objectifying and degrading themselves and other women.

Women should not let their bodies be put on display for men.

Now, I respect women wearing yoga pants for comfort. After all, the material is made tight and smooth for moving around.

Even the idea of girls feeling good about their bodies as they wear yoga pants is something to support; but as soon as this attention turns from encouraging women to degrading them, that is when there is an issue.

However, the confidence and seemingly strong inner strength that these girls claim to have is contradicted by the attention draw in a self-conscience way.

Even worse are the yoga pants that have patterns or writing on their butts.

Companies trick women into thinking the designs are fun and cute, while being all too aware that their male consumers are overjoyed by the convenient placement of the writing.

Sure, Victoria Secret promotes their yoga pants through ads of their sexy models doing actual yoga and other physical activities, but who is really convinced?

Girls, stand up for yourself and do not let the obvious incongruity of yoga pants go unnoticed.

In supporting yoga pants, you are supporting the denigration of women and the sense of body over mind.

Give yourself and fellow women the respect they deserve and do not support clothing that objectify women.

Leave the yoga pants to those who actually do yoga. possible. Doss stating that “some of my older students think the labs are nicer than the ones they use at college.”

The new building has drawn much attention around the school; However, Junior John Sattman said “We should be spending the money on teachers and the existing facilities.”

But other students are excited for the new building; Junior Daniel Johnson exclaimed that “I am extremely excited for the mysteries it could potentially hold within its hallowed

walls.”

News and Opinions

Facebook (dis)

Page 3

Steve Jobs leaves the core of Apple to Cook

Reasons why Facebook should not be a part of everyday life

By Nikos Frazier Business Manager

By Carly Bertolozzi News and Opinion Editor

Over the last year, Apple Inc. has undergone many changes, and last month, they experienced the most unexpected one yet: the resignation of then CEO Steve Jobs.

Apple has made only one official statement in regards to Steve Jobs resignation, which named him as Chairman of the board.

In his letter to his employees, Jobs stated, “I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.”

With the loss of their leader, how will Apple’s employees uphold his legacy and continue to amaze their clients with technologically advanced devices and computers for years to come?

Science teacher Tina Doss commented on how well Apple will preform product wise, “It all depends on what products he designed before he left. I think he set up a legacy and has been planning on leaving for a while.”

How will their new products compare to Jobs ideas? Without Jobs, people may think Apple’s ideas will be a lot less

Photo illustration by Nikos Frazier

For all those who have previously opened, currently use, or are thinking about signing up for a Facebook account, I have one question: why does Facebook play such a large role in our lives?

I say “our” because yes, I do have a Facebook account and yes, I do check it regularly. My honest to God opinion, however, is that it is completely unnecessary.

A few months ago I got so fed up with the craze and obsession of Facebook that I flat out deactivated my account, swearing to myself that I would never reactivate the wretched thing again, only to (who guessed it?) reactivate it one month later.

I told myself it was because I was missing out on all the party invitations... because why would anyone actually call a person and ask them to help you celebrate your birthday? That’s just plain stupid.

But truthfully, I missed Facebook. I missed being able to write inside jokes on my friends’ walls. I missed being able to see the pictures from last weekend’s party. And I missed the infamous “lurking sessions,” which, you have to admit, we all do.

However, Facebook does pose some serious issues to our growing society. One of the more serious issues is communication.

We have all heard our parents say, “Get off the computer! Why don’t you actually talk to the person instead of hiding behind a screen?”

Well, in all truth, they’re right. What happened to relationships where you actually talk to people in person?

Speaking over the Internet or cell phones gets the point across, but it’s impersonal and takes away important aspects of the conversation that you can only get in person.

According to a study used by CNN, 25 percent of the people they interviewed in June 2010 had been previously dumped over Facebook.

I found this quite humorous considering the fact that you can’t really have a relationship without communication, which is exactly what this statistic proves.

However, that was arguably the main concern of the adult population, but what about the people who play some of the largest roles in our lives? Our friends.

It has become a common fad to deactivate Facebook accounts at Carlmont, and by talking to some of our peers, I have discovered why.

Reason number one: Facebook is one of the number one distractions a teenager can have.

Doing homework while checking your Facebook is like trying to take a history test in the middle of the Quad while ASB is hosting the Carlmont Cup competitions. You are more interested in the person wearing pantyhose on their head and less focused on what you should be doing.

Reason number two: plain and simple, it’s a popularity contest. In the past, people I have never talked to in my life have messaged me asking me to like their status.

What I don’t understand is how one “like” can make you feel any better about yourself, especially if you had to ask someone to do it.

Although, now and again, this aspect of Facebook is somewhat sadly amusing in the sense that some people seem to try to outdo each other with the game of “who can post the best intoxicated or suggestive picture.”

Finally, reason number three: drama. If you have personal issues with certain people, why is there a need for it to be publicized? True enough, some people may just be dying to know what’s going on in your life, however I’m willing to bet a few dollars that more people would rather not hear about your boyfriend cheating on you with his best friend’s ex-girlfriend.

I do admit these are all generalizations, and people have specific reasons for either having a Facebook account or deactivating theirs, but if you are going to use Facebook, I find it a bit nonsensical to make it such a large part of everyday life.

creative and as a result not sell.

“The Board has complete confidence that Tim [Cook] is the right person to be our next CEO,” commented Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech.

Previously, in Jobs’ medical leave, he had appointed Tim Cook to act as CEO while Jobs was fighting his pancreatic cancer.

Jobs started Apple with his then partner, Steve Wozniak.

They publicly opened on the stock market at $2.84 in 1985.

In 1996, Apple’s then CEO Gil Amelio was driving Apple into bankruptcy. The Board decided to fire Amelio and re-hire Jobs as CEO. To bring his company out of debt, Jobs made a $150 million deal with Bill Gates, guaranteeing Apple’s safety and a place for Microsoft technology with Apple products.

Just thirteen years later, Apple is not just back to its former glory, but has far surpassed their consumers imaginations.

With Cook as CEO and Jobs on the sidelines, will Apple provide consumers with newer and better products?

As Apple comes out with new products, will consumers upgrade their products or instead keep their old Apple products manufactured and thought by the Jobs?

Jobs might have set up a legacy, but how long will it stand now that he has left?

Jobs commented in his letter to the employees that, “I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.”

How does there new leader compare to Jobs?

Timothy Cook has spent more than 13 years in the tech world before he was hired by Jobs in 1998.

Cook worked in the Macintosh department until 2007 when he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO). During Job’s 2010 medical leave, Cook was responsible for the running of Apple, but Jobs still made the major decisions and announcements. His experience makes him a good candidate for running Apple.

The Highlander Editors-in-chief: Dana Bloom Jenna Chambers

Copy Editor: Ashley Dierolf

News and Op:

Sports:

Alex Porter

Online:

Steven Tsujisaka

Cartoonist: Isabella Paragas

Carly Bertolozzi

Entertainment: Sarah Levin

Campus:

Gianna Dimick

Business: Nikos Frazier

Faculty Adviser: Justin Raisner

Features:

Anna Wheeler

Fun Page: Erica Valbusa

Staff Writers: Grace Chang Shannon Chang Gabriela D’Souza Kristen Dames Ryan Freeman Ivan Garin Graham Godwin Erin Greig Matthew Harris Courtney Heatherington Chris Leong Sabrina Leung

Ian Madden Conrad May Kellan McDonough Hailey Miller Virginia O’Callahan Jacob Rudger Miranda Santana Rachel Schuster Chloe Scott Selina Sorensen Kiana Valdez Luisa Zepeda

The Highlander is published eight times a year as an open forum for student expression.

Comments can be sent via email to editor@scotscoop.com

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twiter.

Visit scotscoop.com for daily content updates, videos, slideshows, and more.

Features Trendy TOMS: Tacky or tasteful?

Page 4

The new shoe trend that is sweeping the school and helping humanity

Staff Writer

Motivation to help others has helped spark a fashion trend at Carlmont.

Over the past year, TOMS shoes have become a wardrobe staple for many of Carlmont’s students. It seems that a student can’t walk to a single class without seeing someone wearing a pair of TOMS shoes.

“So many people are wearing them!” exclaimed Abbey Holman, a junior at Carlmont, and proud owner of TOMS. The now well-know shoe is based off of a traditional, Argentinian alpargata. An alpargata is a flat, light-weight, canvas shoe.

Alpargatas are said to have been introduced to the Argentinians by immigrants from the middle east, deriving from an ancient Egyptian sandal. Regardless of its origins, alpargata type

shoes are now worn all over the world.

TOMS, a specific brand of alpargatas, is widely popular for a variety of reasons.

People claim that they are amazingly comfortable, extremely versatile, and love that they are available in a multitude of different colors and styles.

“I love my TOMS! I have two pairs, black crochets and tan burlaps. I like that they are comfortable and cute, but most impor-

Photo by Gianna Dimick

By Hailey Miller

tantly, they support a good cause,” Holman responded when asked why she loves her TOMS. TOMS’s admirable charity, “One for One”, has inspired people to purchase their shoes.

The company’s founder, Blake Mycoskie, created the program back in 2006 where, for every shoe they sell, they will donate a new pair of TOMS shoes to a person in need.

Since then, through the program, over 1,000,000 pairs have been given away to children in over 20 different countries.

Despite their obvious popularity, some people don’t understand what there is to like about TOMS. Carlmont sophomore, Logan McPherson, is one of those people.

When asked why she doesn’t like TOMS, McPherson replied, “Because they’re not fashionable, or flattering, and are not good for when it rains.”

Although there are people who share McPherson’s opinion, TOMS

Clubs: A different way to spend your lunch

By Ryan Freeman

Staff Writer

Many students have found a more creative use of their time during lunch by joining clubs that are not only entertaining, but allow students to make more friends.

From building fighting robots to expressing one’s self through poetry, Carlmont offers just about everything one could think of doing during the 50 minutes between fourth and fifth period.

With the constant creation of so many new clubs, it is hard to list every single one.

Over the year, however, a few clubs have survived to join a prestigious, but selective group.

Freshman World Studies teacher Carolyn Wade’s Black Student Union, also known as BSU, has been around longer than even Wade herself. “The movers and shakers of the future” is what Wade called the students at the biannual leadership meetings. These can be attended by any willing

members of the club.

Although upon entry of A-15 it may seem solely for AfricanAmerican descendants, Wade assures,” We are open to all races.

We embrace diversity.”

In A-16, Carolyn Wallace and John Parker-Campbell’s Creative Rewriters club plans to meet every Thursday to edit, discuss, share and write, “not only poetry, but also songs, short stories and other forms of writing,” explained Parker-Campbell, co-advisor and professional poet. “[The club] allows students to have special training that is not usually taught,” continued ParkerCampbell about the motives and function of the club. When asked about the end result of some of the literature, he joyously explained, “25 poems a year are publishable in Poetry @ Carlmont [a magazine].”

Maybe the thought of sitting for an hour writing poetry and learning about leadership and culture is not everyone’s thing. If so, Laura Robeck (E12) and her over-sized,

“From building fighting robots to expressing one’s self through poetry, Carlmont offers just about everything one could think of doing during the 50 minutes between fourth and fifth period.”

student-made, battle-bots may have the exact thing someone is looking for.

“If you enjoy engineering and playing with 130 pound robots,” explained Christopher May, one of the student leaders of the club, then Carlmont’s Robotics team could be the perfect match.

The Key Club is a prestigious convention with the purpose of helping the less fortunate and giving others the opportunities they never would have gotten.

Now this may seem like a waste of your precious lunch hour, but community service is a good way to, “Give back to the community,” explained Theo Fedronic, who was a Key Club member last year.

Of course doing community service instead of playing Xbox or PS3 or watching T.V. on a Saturday morning may not seem exactly...exhilarating, but “Last year I realized community service can be really fun, especially if you do it with your friends,” continued Theo.

Thinking about joining? Meetings are every other Thursday up in D-12 in Matthew Miskelly’s room.

With all the crazy clubs that are out there, everyone is bound to find one they like, but if for some reason you still find yourself standing in that same circle eating that same bag lunch with the same people, creating a club of your own is always a valid option.

“TOMS’s admirable charity, ‘One for One’, has inspired people to purchase their shoes.”

continue to be bought by many people.

They are so popular in fact, other companies have started to produce TOMS knockoffs, one of them being Sketchers. In 2010, they released their own version of an Argentinian alpargata, called BOBS. In addition to their similar name, the design of their shoe is almost identical to that of TOMS. To top it off, Sketchers has teamed up with a charity called “Soles 4 Souls”, claiming they will donate a pair to a child in need for every shoe sold.

Although TOMS is most know for their Classics, TOMS has started producing new shoes styles, their own clothing line, and accessories such as jewelry and sunglasses.

Between their popularity at Carlmont, inspiring philanthropic work, recent knockoffs, and expanding line, it’s obvious that TOMS are already a major trend, and only growing.

Easy as one, two, three

By Isabella Paragas Staff Writer HOW TO START A CLUB Even with all the clubs at Carlmont, there is always room for more.

Many students are unaware that it only takes three easy steps to start a lunch-time club.

The first step is thinking of an idea for an interesting club. Make sure it will also appeal to other students at Carlmont, not just a small group of friends or classmates.

“I decided to start a club that would focus on helping the less fortunate in Asia,” said Michelle Guan, a Sophmore, who started a club called Formosa. “I wanted my club members to be able to experience life in Taiwan.”

Students must make sure the club is school appropriate. The most recent occasion when the administration felt the need to shut down a club was last year’s Airsoft club, which involved realistic guns that are used to shoot plastic bullets.

“I was unaware of the issues of safety involved in airsoft until I received a call from a parent,” said ASB advisor, Jim Kelly. Though termination of a school club is not common, it is important to be cautious about the club activities.

The second step is finding a teacher who would be willing to be an advisor for the club. “The advisor of your club would help give

1:

Think about things that you are interested in

2:

Find a teacher who is willing to be an advisor for the club

3:

Fill out the forms that are necessary to register

you advice and support,” explains Guan.

The third step is filling out forms to register the club.

“All the clubs are approved by the ASB, in a process called ‘chartering’,” said Kelly.

There are old clubs, new clubs, and clubs for everyone, and even if someone does not find one they are interested in, they can start their own. If someone wishes to see the complete list of school clubs, see Kelly in the ASB room.

Photos by Ryan Freeman

features

Page 5

Counting on caffeine for a fix

By Courtney Heatherington

Staff Writer

Caffeine can be found on every street corner, racks in billions of dollars annually, and has held addicts of all ages captive since the Stone Age. Found in a plethora of substances, the most popular being caffeine and soda, this drug affects lives on a daily basis.

Many consume it every day and experience withdrawals if deprived of their daily fix.

David Talcott, physics teacher at Carlmont High School, admits to being a caffeine addict since his high school days. His vice is Dr. Pepper preferably; however, any soda satiates his fancy.

He also confesses that with deficiency of this guilty pleasure brings headaches, a common side effect of caffeine withdrawal.

Other signs of caffeine withdrawal as shown in the official diagnostic at the World Health Organization include: headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleepiness, irritability, depression, anxiety and much more.

Julia Schulman, art teacher at Carlmont high school, confirms these assertions from personal experience. She enjoys coffee on a regular basis and when asked how she copes without it she says, “Headaches…crabbiness…it’s bad.”

Dr. Pepper is also a favorite of fellow caffeine addict, J.R. Vitale.

He goes as far to say, “Water does nothing for your body. Dr. Pepper saves lives.”

His passion for this beverage continues as he expresses his decade-long relationship with soda, consuming anywhere from 2 to 6 cans daily.

He enjoys its taste and bubbly feeling along with the blissful feeling he undergoes during consumption.

Vitale also notes its ability to keep him awake for long hours.

Caffeine has become a study tool for teen students nowadays for that very reason. Students look to it as a way to keep them alert for long studying hours during the night.

This is because of the effects on the nervous system and brain which causes the caffeine buzz and

“Students look to [caffeine] as a way to keep them alert for long studying hours during the night.”

essentially provide the pleasurable feelings fueling the addiction.

However, some such as Abbey Holman argue that the harmful effects on your health aren’t worth this studying tactic.

Holman states that caffeinated beverages are detrimental to one’s health and lead to crashing anyway.

She follows a unique alternative which many would struggle with.

“I prefer water and exercise. It

gives me the natural endorphins I need to get through the long nights without the artificial preservatives.”

Unfortunately, not everyone can be as conscious concerning health as Holman is. Forbes Jones is another who has fallen victim to caffeine addiction.

He drinks both soda and coffee daily and has been doing so for the last five years. He employs it as a way to keep him awake at night

finishing his studies, as well as getting him through the grueling school day along with many other students.

Should it be necessary for students to depend on a drug such as caffeine to fuel one’s day? Whether yes or no is the case, you can count on these addicts to keep guzzling away.

Poll by Gianna Dimick

Coffeehouse competition

By Conrad May

Staff Writer

With new coffee houses flying up, citizens will soon start to wonder, is there too much coffee?

Laurel Street in San Carlos has two Starbucks, several privately owned coffee stores, and will soon have a new Peet’s Coffee & Tea after construction is completed.

Peet’s, a common place to grab coffee and a small breakfast, has 22 stores from South San Francisco to Mountain View, plus another 29 in San Francisco alone, with more flooding in.

Peet’s began with a single store in Berkeley, which

spread to 183 stores in 6 different states.

Starbucks, like Peet’s, is everywhere, with 48 stores in San Francisco and 49 from Palo Alto to Millbrae.

Starbucks originated in Pike Place Market, Seattle in 1971, but grew to over 17,000 stores in 50 different countries.

Kelsey McNellis, an enthusiastic barista at Starbucks, said, “We are so successful because we care about the coffee, partners, customers and farmers that grow the coffee.”

McNellis also explained why Starbucks is so popular.

“We provide the best customer service in the food service industry. We offer a perfectly made beverage combined with a sense of community and family in our stores.”

Coffee houses also create a nice and warm environment for young workers.

“I initially decided to get a job for the summer in high

Peet’s enters fray in San Carlos

school and then when I graduated college it became my career,” explained eight-year employee McNellis. “I absolutely love my job and Starbucks and my partners are fantastic.”

Both coffee houses are fighting fiercely to make the best cup of coffee, but are leaving little room for local businesses.

Sophomore Evan McClain said, “I support local coffee houses because I like to give back to local businesses.”

McClain also explained that “they have nice workers that are willing to help.”

Although new coffee houses may be loved, they could also be unnecessary.

Campus

Page 6

Ready to rule the school The leaders who were elected for the 2011-2012 school year are prepared to prove they belong in their leadership roles.

Being a school leader is a big responsibility and each and every one of them are willing to take it on with an iron fist.

Every class, freshman to senior, has a representative: president, vice president, and secretary. On top of that, there are the extremely powerful positions of Student Body president, vice president, and secretary.

These are all major commitments to make, especially in the busy life of a high school student.

Kelly Robinson has been involved in Associative Student Body (ASB) since her sophomore year at Carlmont. This year she has taken on the challenge of representing the school as Student Body President.

When asked why she decided to become president, she said, “I really wanted to become a bigger part of ASB and to become more involved in the school. I am a people person and wanted to use my leadership skills to help make the school a better place.”

This year’s Vice President is Kristi Tom. “As vice president, I mainly help Kelly with whatever she needs. Our jobs are similar in many ways,” she said.

A major assumption of the student body is that the Senior

Photo by Jacob Rudger

Newly elected ASB officers are prepared for a great year

By Jacob Rudger Staff Writer Freshmen Class Officers President: James Pak Graduated from Ralston Middle School

“As class president I will give 100% effort, I will always tell the truth, I will do my best to represent everyone, and of course the main goal is to have fun.”

Vice President: Megan Guillermo Graduated from Ralston Middle School Class President tends to be overshadowed by the Student Body President.

Many people believe that this position is irrelevant because the Student Body President does most of the work for the senior class.

Senior Class President and Varsity Football Quarterback, Jack Karasky disagrees with this stereotype. “We work together. It’s a team effort. We each have different goals and responsibilities,” he stated.

A big part of being a class officer is making sure the school year is as fun and successful as possible.

Junior Class President Luke Li was asked how he, personally, would make this happen. “School Spirit,” he said, “Plain and simple. I will be dressed up for every spirit day. I have a personal mission to improve our school environment.”

Though the class officers do there best to be spirited, much help is need from the student body. By doing so it creates a vibrant school atmosphere.

It’s not only upperclassmen that get the chance to become class officers. Sophomores and Freshman get that opportunity as well.

Sophomore President Reggie

Chatman is known not only for his outstanding leadership, but also for his jubilant personality.

When asked about his plans for the future, he stated, “First of all, I’d like to say that the Oakland Raiders will win the Super Bowl this season. Secondly, if the sophomore class raises enough money, we’re going to the moon for prom.”

Bold predictions Reggie, bold predictions indeed.

It looks like the class officers are poised to lead another exciting, fun-filled and successful year at Carlmont High School.

“I know for sure that this will be a great year.”

Secretary: Amanda Breslaur

Graduated from Tierra Linda Middle School James Pak, Megan Guillermo and Amanda Breslaur will begin their terms as class officers on Sept. 26.

Students suffer as classroom sizes soar Overcrowding Carlmont classrooms continue to be a problem

By Kiana Valdez

Staff Writer

The number of students in a classroom has increased due to the never ending shadow of budget cuts.

This means that some teachers will need to instruct more students then they normally would.

This has a great effect on the quality of how the students learn.

Sabrina Talpur expresses her concern, “I like my classes where there is less people because I feel like our teachers can focus on us as individuals.”

But not all students at Carlmont feel this way.

Marta Ramon expressed her satisfaction on the matter, “I actually like more crowded classrooms because you get to interact with more people. If you are absent, you have more people to help you on what happened that day.”

The whole issue with budget cuts and overcrowding also has an impact on teachers, “I think

that it is an issue. That one on one moment with students is gone,” said social studies teacher Alexandria Kirberg, “Trying to teach every single student and making sure that they keep up with their work and that they understand becomes more challenging because you have more people that you are responsible for.”

By contract, teachers in Carlmont High School can teach up to 172 students per year. Some teachers can teach about 40 or more

students in just one class period.

“We need to keep teachers under contract. If they are part-time teachers, they have less students to teach, which can push more students into other classes with teachers that can teach more students.” stated Robert Fishtrom, the Vice Principal.

Overcrowding in classrooms is also occurring in many different places in the United States. According to The New York Times, some schools in Detroit teach up

to 60 students per class.

Many students and staff wonder if that will ever become a reality at Carlmont.

“I wouldn’t like it,” said Talpur when asked, “It would just be too crowded.”

Certain individuals that have attended Carlmont in the past tell of how their classroom conditions were, “They were average. There was pretty much always empty seats,” recalled former Carlmont High Student, Katie Brake.

Although Brake graduated in 2010, class sizes have increased.

Brake continued, “I think there’s a lot more kids attending school these days then when I went to school.”

Looking towards the near future, Fishtrom conveyed, “Right now we estimate that the district has about 8,200 students and there will be around 9,000 students that will be in the district by 2014.”

Countless individuals wonder if the District is prepared for the large multitude of students that are coming.

“The District is aware. But there will be very interesting times ahead as to how the District will deal with it,” Fishtrom remarked.

Whether there will ever be a change in the student to teacher ratio is still not confirmed. As regards to most students and teachers, changes are something for which they greatly yearn.

Campus What’s for lunch? Seniors locked out

Carlmont subtly changes the lunch menu

Page 7

Carlmont seniors forced to give up lockers to freshmen

By Sabrina Leung Staff Writer

The school administration has made the decision to only assign lockers to freshmen, sophomores and juniors, causing seniors to lose their lockers this year.

Many seniors were dismayed to discover their lockers were taken by someone without any notification ahead of time.

“I was shocked to find a freshman using my locker.

After learning seniors can no longer have lockers this year, I had to ask a bunch of my friends whether I could share lockers with them,” said senior Michael Yih. With no lockers, seniors are now forced to either share lockers with someone else or carry all their belongings with them throughout the day. Seniors who take multiple AP classes now have to carry their textbooks with them, causing some backpacks to weigh between ten to fifteen pounds.

“It’s really hard to bring projects to school or other things, since I don’t have a place to store them. I take three AP classes and have to carry around my two textbooks throughout the day. I think my backpack weighs at least 10 pounds,” said senior Sean Ang. Many seniors are angry and upset about this decision and would like to have their lockers back. They believe they have as much right as a freshman to have a locker.

“Seniors need lockers as much as freshman do. I think it’s really unfair how the school just took our lockers from us without asking our opinion,” stated Yih. As Carlmont exceeds a student population of 2,100 students, the school is unable to provide a locker for every single student. After an administration meeting, the administrators decided to make this locker

assignment change to solve the crisis.

“We have studied that most seniors don’t even use their lockers and take less classes compared to freshmen. A freshman transitioning into high school and figuring out their classes is already difficult enough.

The burden of not having a locker freshman year is much greater than not having a locker senior year,” said Administrative Vice Principal Ralph Crame.

According to Crame, Carlmont was not designed to accommodate a population of over 2,100 students with a locker. In the past, every student was able to have a locker due to lower school population.

Many seniors hope that the school will find other ways to solve this problem.

“If people would like a locker, they should share one with someone. Additionally, having a storage place in classrooms and class set textbooks would help reduce the weight of our backpacks. But I think the school should have asked which seniors used their lockers often last year before making the decision to remove lockers from all seniors,” suggested Ang. “They should build lockers near the new biotechnology building. It’s far away, but at least seniors can have a locker,” replied Yih. There have not been any plans to take away lockers from other grade levels in the future.

“The school administration will evaluate this locker assignment change and will decide whether or not to keep it next year.

Carlmont can only accept a certain number of students, so the other grade levels will not have their lockers taken away. Seniors who would like a locker this year can go to the office and request one,” said Crame.

Hopefully, every student will be able to receive a locker next year.

“Seniors need lockers as much as freshman do.

I think it’s really unfair how the school just took our lockers from us without asking our opinion”

By Shannon Chang

Photo by Jacob Rudger

Staff Writer

From bean and cheese burritos to spicy chicken sandwiches, the student union and various other school lunch centers have changed their menu.

Despite the small changes in the lunch menu, most students have not noticed a difference at all.

Junior Rachel Cissna commented, “If there has been a change in the lunch menu, I have not noticed it.”

The current lunch menu includes a bean and cheese burrito, cheeseburger, chicken and rice burritos, deli sandwiches, pizza, rib, salads, and spicy chicken sandwiches. The

only changes to the menu were small additions such as more options of pizza type.

Junior Forbes Jones said, “The only difference in the lunch menu that I’ve noticed is that they have been serving different types of pizza.”

English teacher Anne Frost stated, “I wish they would have more fresh vegetables, more fresh fruit, and a variety of yogurts.”

Junior Brent Tom commented, “They have the same basic lunch menu as last year. I buy something from the lunch menu once a week and sometimes their specials are less than satisfactory. I wish they had tastier options.”

The Monthly Quad Snapshot

What is the Carlmont Cup? “Carlmont Cup is a bunch of rallies held through ASB that different sports and clubs participate in and they compete against one and other. And the finalists go against each other at the homecoming assembly,” Emily Cox. FUTURE DATES FOR CARLMONT CUP:

Sept. 29 - Girls Basketball vs. Tennis

Oct. 7 - Boys Soccer vs. Football

Oct. 14- AVID vs. Cross-Country

Oct. 21- Choir vs. the winner of game on Sept. 29

Oct. 27- Homecoming Assembly, finalists face off

Photo by Gianna Dimick

Carlmont volleyball team screams excitedly as Kayla Wright wins a point for their team in the “yo-yo” game of Carlmont Cup on Friday September 16 in the quad at lunch.

Page 8 Founded in 1940 and currently has over 32,000 locations.

Founded in 1941 in Canada and has 1,262 locations.

Founded in 1948 and currently only has locations in 5 Western States

Founded in 1951 and has 2,200 locations in 19 states.

Fast Food

Which fast food place is most popular among Carlmont students?

What is so special about In-n-Out?

By Shannon Chang Staff Writer

72% say

Other

In-n-Out Burger

In-n-Out Burger 72% Taco Bell 9% McDonalds 7%

(Burger King, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box)

12 %

In recent years, there has been an increased population of people that enjoy to eat at the fast food joint In-n-Out. Fast food restaurants are notorious for their unhealthy, yet quick and cheap foods that most people generally try to avoid.

So why have many students been flocking to In-n-Out? There is a newly opened In-n-Out in San Carlos and one also in Redwood City.

Junior Shawna McDonough stated, “I like In-n-Out because it has good specialities and is more fresh than other fast food restaurants. I really like that they cook the potatoes in olive oil and it tastes amazing.”

Junior Tanner Piety agrees, “I think people are obsessed with In-n-Out because one of them just opened in San Carlos, so its closer for a lot of people. Also there are a lot of people from Carlmont that work there.”

Junior Mindy Yang commented, “I think people really like In-n-Out because it tastes good and because it is only in special places like the West Coast.”

Yang later added that, “I don’t think was a bad idea to have an In-n-Out in Redwood City and San Carlos because these cities are pretty far apart.”

Whether people dine at In-n-Out because of proximity or tastiness, it cannot be denied that this chain is becoming more popular by the second.

Evolution of fast food

By Erin Greig Staff Writer

Over time, a fast food evolution has sprung into action where large burgers in the past have become today’s smallest size.

Fast food chains gained popularity during the 1940s when the construction of highways began and the automobile became accessible to a majority of the middle class.

These fast food restaurants catered to the speed hungry nation.

Since then, the word “fast” in fast food has lost its meaning relating to speed and having a quick, yet efficient delivery service. “Fast” now deals with how the food is prepared in the least amount of time and cheaply.

As the meaning of fast food has changed, so have portion sizes.

Senior Sara Graves commented, “The mini meals at McDonald’s are what the regular size was,” furthermore she added, “While on a ski trip at Tahoe, a french tourist made the comment of how our small drinks are their large.”

There has been an evolution of how the past largest size is the present day’s smallest size. When McDonald’s first started, its biggest and only hamburger weighed 1.6 oz; now, the largest burger weighs 8 ounces.

Likewise, drinks have also grown in size.

The original glass coke bottle was 8 ounces, but increased to 20 ounces in the plastic

As portion sizes grow, so do we

bottle.

Fast food servings are two to three times larger than when they first started.

Although sizes have increased, the younger generations are unaware of these changes and have grown up with larger sizes.

Freshman Kayla Coyne said, “I don’t really see the difference in the portion sizes from the past until now.”

With the increase in portion sizes there

is also an increase in calories.

Portion control is seen on food labels in supermarkets, but the quick service industry does not have a set guide for the proper portions and

are therefore given the power to determine how their portion sizes will be.

By increasing the size, but not completely increasing the cost, people see it as a winwin situation, since they’re getting a bigger and more “fulfilling” meal for way cheaper.

Consumers have been brainwashed into believing that bigger size equals a bigger value.

There is great emphasis on why size matters because with the option of going bigger in fast foods, America has proven to have grown bigger around its waist.

In the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it stated, “strong evidence documents a positive relationship between portion size and body weight.”

The option of going bigger has brought up a debate of America’s body size. With more families each day eating out more, adults and children alike have placed themselves in a struggling battle against obesity.

Founded in 1965 and is currently located in 98 countries.

Founded in 1953 and currently has 12,200 locations.

Founded in 1969 in Ohio and has approximately 6,650.

Page 9

Founded in 1970 and it currently serves over 2 billion consumers a year.

Nation Fast food FATTENS us

By Anna Wheeler Features Editor

America is well known for being overhalf of those meals are fast food, delivery, weight and unhealthy. Most Americans are or takeout. highly offended by this accusation, but how Clearly the majority of Americans have far off is the stereotype? a long way to go before one can consider According to an article in 2006 on nationtheir lifestyles healthy. alnews.com, “Americans are getting nearly On top of that, cdc.gov/, a website based one-third of their calories from junk foods: on disease control and prevention, presented soft drinks, sweets, desserts, alcoholic bevdata which showed that approximately 33.8 erages, and salty snacks.” percent of adults and 17 percent of children A lot of people eat fast food and junk food ages two through 19 in America are obese. on a very regular basis.

Perhaps supported by the above data, Junior Byron Wu stated that he eats fast people as“Americans are getting food “once a week.” sume that the nearly one-third of their primary reason Some people, however, eat junk food on a regular basis but take the healthier calories from junk foods: for obesity is ways around it. fast food. soft drinks, sweets, des“Speaking generally, I eat at In-N-Out “The main serts, alcoholic beverages, cause is the about once a week, but I always only get and salty snacks.” protein burgers and no fries,” student low prices and John King said. advertisements A protein burger is just a regular burger, of fast food, if not the fast food itself,” King except the bun is replaced by lettuce. stated.

Although a healthier alternative, it is still America has a huge variety of fast food considered fast food. restaurants, some exclusive to certain states.

On the complete opposite side, some In-n-Out is an example, with locations only people try to avoid fast food at all costs. in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and “I rarely eat fast food,” junior Kelly Texas.

Shrader noted.

There are also the fast food restaurants that An article written in 2006 slowfood. are not only countrywide, but worldwide. gather.com explained that while 70 percent McDonald’s, for example, has over 13,000 of people eat their dinners at home, almost restaurants in the United States, serving

“Because you get it fast and you do not have to cook it.”

-Emily Fajardo

about 46 million people per day. Internationally, McDonald’s has about 32,000 restaurants.

If it is true that fast food is the main cause of obesity and being overall overweight, then why is it that America is ninth on Forbe’s list of World’s Fattest Countries (released in 2007), while the United Kingdom is all the way back at 28th?

Sure, the US has more McDonald’s restaurants – about 11,000 more in fact – but it also has 246 million more people living in it than the UK does. The number of McDonald’s restaurants per person in the UK is actually higher than the number of them here per person.

This suggests America’s weight problems do not rest solely on fast food.

Most people would agree that fast food is by far the biggest contributor out there, and is rapidly getting more and more dangerous.

Why do you think people still eat fast food even though it is a leading factor of obesity?

“Because it is cheap and people do not have a lot of money.”

-Kyle Montgomery

“Because it is fast and cheap. People do not have a lot of time to cook.”

-Lorraine Lehner

“Because they don’t care and it tastes good.”

-Amber Governale

“Because it is tasty.”

-Charley Bernardo

“Because it is quick.”

-Kaelen Ghandhi

“Because some people are ignorant about how bad it is for you and they just keep eating it because they think it tastes good.”

-Abbey Roe

Page 10

Entertainment

Glee fans stop believing Original cast set to “graduate” after the third season

By Sarah Levin Entertainment Editor

I am a self-proclaimed Gleek. I tune in every Tuesday night. I play the songs over and over again. I squeal like a schoolgirl every time there’s a scene with Kurt and Blaine.

And as a Gleek, I came across some truly horrifying news recently. It has shaken me to my very core. My fellow Gleeks, you may want to sit down. Are you ready?

After this season of Glee, a majority of the original cast will be “graduating” from the New Directions.

I KNOW. Shocking, isn’t it?

According to the creator of Glee Ryan Murphy, it isn’t. Murphy had apparently planned from the beginning to stay true to the timeline of high school, which means each cast will stay for four years then graduate from the show. They will be replaced with a new cast and the cycle will begin again.

“I think the thing about this [original] cast is people love them and they are incredibly talented,” Murphy said, “They’ve left sort of an indelible mark.”

I’ll say. Heck, I’m practically going through separation anxiety. And the season hasn’t started yet.

Junior Danielle Rosenduft feels strongly about this horrifying discovery. “They’re cycling the cast every four years? That’s really stupid,” she said, “The show only recently

Photo by Keith McDuffee, reprinted with permission

got popular, and now they’re getting rid of the good characters?”

She has a point. Those quirky, lovable characters are what holds the show together. So what will we do when they go off to college?

Who will keep the series alive?

Fear not, for there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Salvation, thy name is The Glee Project.

The Glee Project ran its course on Oxygen

during the past summer. The entire purpose of the show was to find a new cast member for the new season of Glee. They did far better than that.

They got four.

The two big winners (who each get a seven-episode long guest slot) are Samuel Larson and Damien McGinty. Samuel, a self proclaimed “Christian indie-rocker type”, wowed the judges with his soulful voice.

And Damien, a baritone with an absolutely adorable Irish accent, wowed them with his bubbly personality.

A hot rock star and a baby-faced Irishman?

Yeah, I guess I’d watch it.

Two competitors, Alex Newell and Lindsay Pearce also walked away with a prize: dual two-episode starring roles. Alex seems like the lovechild of Kurt and Mercedes: a flamboyant, gay diva with a voice to match. And Lindsay is perfect for Rachel’s arch-nemesis.

She shares the same tenacity, vocal power, and ability to make you want to take her by the shoulders and yell “SHUT UP!” at the top of your voice.

“I think bringing in new characters is a good idea,” said Junior Carol Painter, “We know everything about the other characters.

Kurt’s gay. Rachel’s a bitch. Finn’s dumb. We get it. Adding new characters will make the show better.”

We can only hope Glee remains just as awesome and entertaining as it has been for these past two seasons. Glee airs Tuesdays on FOX at 8:00 pm.

Beavis and Butt-head return to MTV

By Miranda Santana Staff Writer

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill, announced the return of the teenage metal-heads Beavis and ButtHead.

“I watched Beavis and Butt-Head when I was in high school, I think it’s funny seeing it again at high school,” said math teacher Matt Miskelly.

Come October 27, the duo will take on the presentday scene.

They will still trashtalk music videos, but most likely not videos from artists such as Nirvana or Metallica.

“I think that people will like the series, it’s like a South Park, Family Guy thing. In the nineties, it was outrageous,” said English teacher Emily Triebwasser.

You may have seen them last at the MTV Video Music Awards on Butt-Head’s couch with Nikki Minaj.

“I watched them when I was younger and they were hilarious. Butt-Head was my favorite,” said senior Brynn Bradley.

Beavis and Butt-Head successfully ran on MTV from 1993 to 1997 and produced their movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America in 1996. The duo had not been on air in nearly fifteen years.

“Hopefully the new version will be as funny as the old episodes, their movie was hella funny,” said senior Sally Juarez.

This time around they will be commenting on shows such as Jersey Shore and Teen Mom as well as numerous YouTube videos and UFC fights.

“They’re rednecks,” stated sophomore Kai Cachia, “They have a different sense of humor.”

The show takes place in the fictional city of Highlands, Texas, where they get into crazy shenanigans and manage to survive without any bad consequences. They are your stereotypical 15 year-olds with raging hormones.

First you have Beavis, and his alter ego

“Cornholio.” He sports a grey Metallica shirt and has an under-bite. Nicer and more optimistic than Butt-Head, he is also oblivious to almost everything and has a fixed stare in his eyes. When given caffeine or sugary products, he turns into the hyperactive Cornholio.

Then you have Butt-Head, the dominant and abusive one out of the pair. He’s always seen in his signature AC/DC shirt. With more of a confident personality, he is seen as being more intelligent than Beavis. His eyes are squints, he has a small upper lip, and braces.

“Basically, they’re exactly the same,” creator Mike Judge told MTV news, “The world’s

changed; they’re still on the couch working at Burger World.”

The first time they were seen in a good thirteen or fourteen years was their appearance In Jackass 3D in 2010. “It was hilarious,” said freshman Cole Lotti. As the introduction, the number one movie at the box-office started off with a bang. “I thought it was amazing,” added freshman Brian Gordon.

Although the duo didn’t begin in our generation, it’s a new beginning for a classic show. Who knows how long the series will last this time, but nevertheless Beavis and Butt-head have been missed.

WORD SEARCH

Fun Stuff

Horoscopes

Crossword

Libra (September 23 – October 22) Start off the year right and take this month to mend old problems. September brings more outgoing energy and a stronger desire to mingle, making friendships especially lively.

19

8

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Your social life is on fire this month! Your ability to persuade others is stronger than ever and everyone is looking up to you for the next new fashion trend. Although you love the attention, you still need to make room in your busy schedule for some personal down time.

20 4 2

11

3

17

15

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) When a family member or friend reaches out to you this month, it will help you remember to live life to the fullest and never take anything for granted.

6 5 1

7 12

18 9

14

13 10 16

Across 1. Mrs. ______ hates bananas 3. Mrs. ______ got married but did not change her last name 6. Mrs. ______ owns two Viper cars 9. Ms. ______ loves cats 10. Mrs. ______ played in the Carlmont orchestra 12. Mrs. ______used to be a cheerleader for Carlmont, Stanford, and the Golden State Warriors 16. Mr. ______went to Antarctica for research 17. Mrs. ______ went to verify bodies for 9/11 18. Mrs. ______was in the tsunami from a few years ago 20. Mr. ______won a milkshake-drinking contest and a 10k race in the same week Down 2. Mr. ______ beat Mr. Ramroth in basketball 4. Mrs. ______ has her own photography business 5. Mr. ______ has 11 brothers and sisters 7. Mrs. ______’s brother escaped from inside the World Trade Center 8. Mr. ______ used to work at a sushi restaurant 11. Mr. ______ owns a Harley motorcycle 13. Mr. ______ was Mr. Raisner’s P.E. teacher 14. Mrs. ______’s son just published a short novel Low Waller McGinnis 15. Mr. ______ likes to surf Abdilla Oliviera Ramroth 19. Mr. ______ was the mayor of Belmont Braunstein Frost Langkusch Codianne Torres Silva Humes Turkis Simpson Raisner O’Hara Fishstrom Secrist Nguyen

Word Bank

Did You Know?

By Virginia O’Callahan Staff Writer

* Hippo milk is pink. * A glass bottle takes 1 million years to decompose. * The bat is the only mammal that can fly. Flying squirrels can only glide. * The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado. * Dolphins sleep with one eye open. * The average person spends about 2 years on the phone in a lifetime. * American car horns beep in the tone of F. * When you die, your hair still grows for a couple of months. * A Neanderthal’s brain was larger than a modern human’s. * You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

By Isabella Paragas Staff Writer

The Freshman Backpack

Source: http://www.allrandomfacts.com/

Page 11

Talk Back What are your plans for the new school year?

“I want to get on the honor roll.”

- Michael Saber

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) This month is an emotional roller coaster for you. Keep holding on and carry an extra pack of tissues in your backpack.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Good energy surrounds you this month, and relationships really heat up. This is a good time to let that special someone know how you truly feel. Also, don’t stress yourself out too much with school work; you have a bright future ahead of you so there’s no need to overthink everything.

“My plans originally were to stay out of trouble, but then I got in trouble.”

- Bita Shahrvini

Aries (March 21 – April 19) This month you are super busy and feeling eco-friendly. Try finding ways to recycle waste to help your environment. Being busy actually feels good, and this is a strong month for getting a whole lot accomplished.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Played any tricks on a friend lately? You might need to tone down the mischief or your victim will come back for revenge! Also, relationships both old and new are tested. September heightens emotions and increases your need for self-expression.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20), September is a highly romantic, fun, and creative month. Others are finding you especially appealing, and you are making time for socializing. Get inspired on your next school project and give it an artistic twist.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20), September is likely to be a serious issue. You may find yourself longing for summer and falling behind in school. Grab a few friends and study hard because this month will only get tougher. The good news? The last week of September brings new energy to a possible romance.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22), September is going to be crazy!

You will have piles of things to do, but you manage to stay on task. Love is in the air, but it comes with major drama, so be prepared. Also, if you are feeling a little bit rebellious, go ahead and dye your hair a new color.

Leo (July 23 – August 22) Money is a big focus this month, so try getting a job or start saving up. The love in your life becomes more about communication and understanding, so be prepared for some heart-to-heart talks.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22) This month is all about charity. You feel like you need a purpose, and the homeless people on the streets are a great way to start. Drop a few extra cents in their coin jars.

“Get good grades while having fun.”

- Franklin Rice

“Get good grades and do well on the PSAT and the AP tests.”

- Jordi Vasquez

Bulletin

Page 12

elivery Driver D a z iz P ’s o in ople Dom looking for pe is a z iz P ’s o in Dom ood attitude and g e v ti si o p a h wit a pizza n skills to be o ti a ic n u m m co st have r. Drivers mu e v ri d ry e v li e d , and car insurance their own car, license with a s r’ e v ri d ia rn a Califo . Locations in rd o c re g in v ri San good d edwood City, R , o lt A lo a P clude cisco. and San Fran t, n o lm e B , o Mate

The bulletin features jobs and volunteer opportunities for students around the Bay Area.

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Extras

New year, new policies

Naviance

continued from front

continued from front

may also be used during passing periods.

Teachers are no longer permitted to confiscate a student’s cell phone should it be used or heard in class. A detention will still be issued, but the student will be able to keep his or her phone.

On the second cell phone violation, a student will receive three detentions and on the third violation, five detentions will be issued and a meeting with the Vice Principal will be arranged.

“We highly discourage teachers to confiscate cell phones because if they get lost or stolen, the school has a big liability,” stated Administrative Vice Principal Ralph Crame.

Some teachers are using this new policy as an opportunity for students to use their phones in class for education. David Talcott, a teacher at Carlmont, allowed students to use the stopwatches on their cell phones during a physics lab.

“Students have a higher sophistication with technology than teachers, and with its amazing capabilities, it is important to incorporate it in modern education. All this said, texting in class and surfing the Internet creates an uncontrolled situation where teachers can’t enforce not cheating or bullying. That’s where our challenge is and need for rules,” stated Talcott.

“I like the new cell phone policy, because I

“We’re trying to make the letters of recommendations a paperless process. [Naviacne] will save us a lot of paper,” said Dominguez.

Naviance Succeed allows teachers and counselors to submit the letters of recommendations via the Naviance website for all schools that use the Common Application. Through the site, students and parents will be able to track when teachers and counselors have submitted their letters, essentially keeping everyone involved in the process.

In an effort to make the college application process less stressful, the Naviance website also features the most helpful college websites that were each hand picked and highly recommended by Carlmont’s guidance department. “[Naviance} provides you with all of the websites you need to search for schools and apply for financial aid,” said Dominguez.

Students will also be able to search for schools based on specific parameters entered into a Naviance database and Naviance can provide students with specific information about colleges including costs, location and deadlines.

Another one of Naviacne Succeed’s most helpful tools are the scattergrams specific to Carlmont students. These scattergrams will show students which universities accepted

feel like it will cause less problems. Last year, some of my friends had their phones taken away before Winter Break, and they weren’t able to get them back until school started,” said junior Amanda Morris.

Another policy that has been changed is the I.D. policy. Students are no longer required to wear their I.D.’s around their necks, but they are still required to bring them to school and be able to produce it when asked by a faculty member. In addition to this, temporary I.D.’s will no longer be issued to students.

“Formal policy statements will be issued concerning the I.D. policy in the near future,” stated Governance Council Chair Justin Raisner.

In addition to in the hallways, students must also have their I.D.’s in the main office and the library and be able to produce them on demand. The enforcement of the I.D. policy in the classroom varies from teacher to teacher.

All of the changes to the policies will be reviewed by the Governance Council. The council will work with the school to come up with the most effective policies.

“I think the changes will have a positive impact on the school, however, it is possible that they might be changed throughout the year if needed,” added Crame.

Page 13

previous Carlmont students and what their GPA and SAT scores were.

For example, if a student wanted to attend UC Berkeley, they would be able to see admission history to that school for Carlmont applicants.

Since Naviance is new this year, students will be able to utilize this feature beginning next year.

Ultimately, the Naviance Succeed program is to be used by seniors this year, and the years to follow, to make the college application process much easier and more efficient, eliminating the need to use handouts to convey information and forms for letters of recommendations.

“You’ll be able to do everything through your own personal account,” said Dominguez, “ you can see deadlines to your specific colleges, and check to see if things were sent to your colleges by guidance.”

Dominguez also commented that starting this year all seniors will be required to have a Naviance Succeed account.

Starting in late September, guidance counselors will be visiting senior English classes to lend further information about Naviance and give instructions about how to acquire their Naviance account.

Carlmont students work to Save the Music

By Rachel Schuster Staff Writer

Carlmont performing arts students are hard at work preparing for the upcoming Save the Music Festival.

In 2003, the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District’s SchoolForce Education Foundation created the Save the Music Festival to bring the community together and help preserve music enrichment programs in our local public schools.

Carlmont’s Treble Clef and Chamber singers are teaming up with Ralston Middle

School’s choir to give a performance of British songs, and are practicing everyday in class.

In addition, the symphonic band is focusing on instrumental pieces, including a medley of songs from Pixar movies like Ratatouille and Toy Story, as well as a song from the musical Ragtime.

“Even though preparing for the festival is challenging due to the limited time we have,” said Kayla Wright, a Carlmont saxophone player, “I really enjoy performing because it illustrates the high quality of the artisitc students that Carlmont has.”

The Carlmont intermediate and advanced dancers are participating as well, reviewing

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several pieces from their spring show this past school year to perform. They are taking

“Even though preparing for the festival is challenging due to the limited time we have, I really enjoy performing because it illustrates the high quality of the artisitc students that Carlmont has.”

will be held Sunday, Oct. 2 at Twin Pines Park in Belmont from 11a.m. to 5p.m.

This article was originaly published on scotscoop.com. Visit scotscoop.com for more breaking news.

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time out of their lunch and after school to re-choreograph the dances to fit smaller casts.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Carlmont Dance Teacher Ame Secrist. “But it’s worth it to see the dancers acquire performance experience, have lots of fun, and support arts in the community.

The 9th annual “Save the Music Festival”

Trash everywhere

By Hailey Miller Staff Writer

Here at Carlmont, the bleachers and the quad, the two most popular lunch spots, are covered in students’ leftover garbage after lunch.

“The campus is a mess,” said Ralph Crame, Carlmont’s Administrative Vice Principal.

Faculty members already struggle with a number of things including cleaning up after the students on a daily basis. Although trash has always been a nuisance for staff, this year it has become a much bigger issue. “[Students are] not being thoughtful in picking up after themselves,” Crame commented.

With a smaller number of staff members

and a bigger population of students eating their lunch in the quad and on the football bleachers, there are not enough staff members to manage the massive amount of trash left across campus.

Because students left so much trash along the bleachers, staff members were left with no choice but to close off the bleachers last week.

“When we approach groups of students and tell them to pick up after themselves, they respond,” Crame said. Crame also said it is important that students become aware of themselves and start picking up after themselves.

When asked what needs to be done to fix the problems, Crame replied, “Awareness on the students’ part. They need to start caring about their school.”

Sports Carlmont coaches disappear

Page 14

In recent years the Carlmont football and volleyball teams have gone through a lot of coaching changes and many question how it has affected the team’s overall play and record.

In high school sports the purpose of the coach is to transfer as much of their knowledge and experience to form skilled athletes, and in turn win a couple games.

An experienced coach can change a “losing” team to a “championship” team.

Most notably, the De La Salle Football program is a good example.

De La Salle is known throughout the US for its unique football program. Unique meaning in other words, unstoppable.

In 1979, Bob Ladouceur took over a team that had never enjoyed a winning season since the school's founding in 1965 and turned it into a perennial winner. Winning a total of seven national championships, Ladouceur remains today coaching at De La Salle.

The team currently holds the national record for the longest high school undefeated

this year.”

Varsity football safety Jesse Gifford has commented that “Selli has definitely made us a lot better after one year, but the longer he stays the better I think we will get” Carlmont’s volleyball team as well has had it’s share of coaches, many leaving after having communication trouble with the player’s parents. Previous coaches have complained that parents pressure the coach to give their own child more playing time, thus stressing the coach out even more.

Recent coaches have included Jennifer Cho, Irene Olivera and this year’s current coach Chris Crader.

Varsity volleyball player Kayla Wright commented that “ In recent years the pressure from parents rather than that from the game has scared our coaches away.”

In some cases, the coach of a team can decide the outcome of a team’s whole season.

The longer he stays to become better is what decides whether the outcome is good or bad. One way or another, both the Carlmont football and volleyball futures are looking well as these coaches strive to reach a higher success every year.

photo by Ian Madden

Staff Writer

streak with 154 wins, over ten years without a loss.

Carlmont football has had 4 coaching changes in the last 4 years, and many more before that. In recent years the program has been criticized for its often losing record and inconsistency. Perhaps having a more stable coach could in turn lead to a more stable record.

This years coach, Jason Selli will return to Carlmont football for the second time after being the defensive coordinator in ‘02-’04 and the head coach in ‘05.

Mr. Selli agrees that the longer a coach stays and the more experience he garners the better he becomes stating that “continuity with coaching can lead to success in most of all winning, as the players get used to the coach’s style”.

After a successful last year with a record of 6-4, Selli hopes to raise Carlmont to the top of the Lake by continually using the same plays as last year and using strong conditioning.

After losing team MVP running back Robert Johnson to graduation last year, Selli plans on “using a combination of Mark Concilla, Joe La Salle, and Marquis Harrison

Jason Selli

VOLLEYBALL:

Chris Crader

photo by Ian Madden

By Ivan Garin

FOOTBALL:

WATER POLO:

Cole Bielskis

photo by Grace Chang

Why Carlmont sports coaches tend not to last

Carlmont’s coaches:

New volleyball coaches spike in wins In with the

By Gabby d’Souza Staff Writer

This year Carlmont has two new volleyball coaches, Chris Crader from City Beach Volleyball coaches the varsity team while Linnea Vilen coaches junior varsity.

Crader, who has been coaching at City Beach for 16 seasons and at high schools for 22 seasons, has three medals at Junior Olympics, two regional championships, six CCS championships, and has tied for 5th in the state, or higher, in nine of the past 10 years, has coached a few AllAmericans and one Olympic silver medalist, is expected to live up to the standard set by his predecessor.

“I think he is really nice and I think he does what is best for the team,” reports Ashley Duba, who is going into her third year on varsity volleyball, “[he is] laid back but still tough.”

Crader began coaching at Carlmont after being approached by the school because the prior coach retired. “As a coach, if you have players who want to work hard, and a school that gives you a chance to be successful, that’s a great situation,” stated Crader while speaking to us about the team, “So here I am!”

Crader knew that the girls volleyball program at Carlmont has very good in the past and he expressed great joy while speaking about his part in it, “we have a very talented group of seniors, and a lot of younger players who I think will be really strong in time.”

Linnea Vilen, who has previously coached at summer

photo by Alex Porter

camps and the junior high level, is also expected to be good for the team.

“I think the team will be more confident with [Linnea],” states Alyssa Espiritu, “[she] connects with the girls and understands what we are going “‘We have a lot

and I look forward to watching it.”

This year Carlmont has two new volleyball coaches, Chris Crader from City Beach Volleyball coaches the varsity team while Linnea Vilen coaches junior varsity. of great play- Crader, who has ers; we’re learning how to been work really well together...’” coaching at through.”

City Beach for 16 seasons Vilen, who is doing her and at high schools for 22 student teaching at Carlseasons, has three medals mont, has wanted to coach at Junior Olympics, two at the high school level for a regional championships, six long time. Crader had need- CCS championships, and ed help with the junior varhas tied for 5th in the state, sity team and she thought or higher, in nine of the it would be a great way to past 10 years, has coached a get to know more students few All-Americans and one and be more involved in the Olympic silver medalist, is school. Vilen knew a few expected to live up to the of her players from Terra standard set by his predecesLinda and a few that played sor. in club teams, “we have a lot “I think he is really nice of great players; we’re learnand I think he does what is ing how to work really well best for the team,” reports together so I think it will be Ashley Duba, who is going a really great season.” into her third year on varsity Both coaches have already volleyball, “[he is] laid back led their teams into victories but still tough.” in the Battle of Belmont, Crader began coaching which has not been won by at Carlmont after being Carlmont in the past three approached by the school years. “I think we can do because the prior coach very well in league, and retired. “As a coach, if you in the playoffs, if we keep have players who want to working hard to improve, work hard, and a school that

gives you a chance to be successful, that’s a great situation,” stated Crader while speaking to us about the team, “So here I am!”

Crader knew that the girls volleyball program at Carlmont has very good in the past and he expressed great joy while speaking about his part in it, “We have a very talented group of seniors, and a lot of younger players who I think will be really strong in time.”

Linnea Vilen, who has previously coached at summer camps and the junior high level, is also expected to be good for the team.

“I think the team will be more confident with [Linnea],” states Alyssa Espiritu, “[she] connects with the girls and understands what we are going through.”

Vilen, who is doing her student teaching at Carlmont, has wanted to coach at the high school level for a long time. Crader had needed help with the junior varsity team and she thought it would be a great way to get to know more students and be more involved in the school. Vilen knew a few of her players from Terra Linda and a few that played in club teams, “we have a lot of great players; we’re learning how to work really well together so I think it will be a really great season.”

Both coaches have already led their teams into victories in the Battle of Belmont, which has not been won by Carlmont in the past three years. “I think we can do very well in league, and in the playoffs, if we keep working hard to improve, and I look forward to watching it.”

old coach, out with the new JV football coaches quit, former coach rehired

By Selina Sorensen Staff Writer The junior varsity football team has started off the season well, standing at 1-1.

Practicing for that one win was not easy due to many chaotic changes.

Former coach Patrick James had been at Carlmont for one year and was let go due to complications.

Their new head coach Jesse Valez has been coaching at Carlmont for three to four years and has seven years of previous coaching experience.

“He seems to be bringing new techniques as well as new plays,” according to sophomore Miles Harper.

Valez is the new head coach and is being helped out with two other coaches, Marcos Aguilar and coach George.

Nicholas Thompson states, “coach Valez yells a lot, but I feel like he can take our team far. We are in it to win it”.

Hopefully the new head coach doesn't let his players down and can step up to these big expectations.

photo by Ian Madden

Sports Gi ants f a lte r i n qu e st to re p e at

Page 15

Where it all went wrong for the Giants

By Graham Godwin Staff Writer

photo provided by HarmonyRae via Creative Commons

Cody Ross wasn’t a boss, nobody really feared the beard and the Arizona Diamondbacks successfully dispatched the band of misfits that defied baseball odds almost a year ago.

Last year the Giants brought baseball excitement back to San Francisco with a stunning and exhilarating World Series championship. In a season filled with ups and downs the Giants won the Fall Classic with timely hitting and a pitching staff that was superb all season long.

This year, Giants fans entered the season with a feeling of optimism and raised

expectations. The Giants hung tough in the first half of the season clinging to first place while attacked by a slew of injuries. During the second half of the season the Giants stumbled their way into second place, and many fans were left wondering, where it all went wrong?

Many could point to the teams overall health issues which had 25 DL stints and notable season ending injuries to star catcher Buster Posey and reliable all-star second baseman Freddy Sanchez. With so many injuries, manager Bruce Bochy was forced to mix and match his lineup on a daily basis.

Others have turned their blame to the management of Bochy and his reluctance to bench struggling veterans in favor of younger players. In particular, the way Bochy coddled first baseman Aubrey Huff. By advanced statistics, Huff is the worst at his position in the National League; however he still leads the Giants in at bats and games played. His eventual replacement Brandon Belt has been confined to the bench or AAA for large portions of the season.

Last year was a career breakthrough for center fielder Andres Torres; he was an offensive spark plug who came through in the

clutch countless times during the season.

This year he is just one of the many offensively challenged Giants to struggle at the plate. Sophomore John Palladino said, “Last year, he was such a threat at the top of the order. This year, he has just been a strikeout machine.”

No Giants fan can deny that the team would not have reached greatness last year without the savvy additions by General Manager Brian Sabean. He caught lightning in a bottle with outfielders Cody Ross and Pat Burrell and smartly upgraded the bullpen at the trade deadline.

However, in Sabean’s tenure at San Francisco, his obsession with signing veterans has started to take its toll on some fans. His deadline deal for veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera has proven to be a head-scratcher for many. Sabean did pull the trigger on the Carlos Beltran saga and successfully acquired him from the Mets.

Beltran was struck with a hand injury and the Giants went 5-8 without him, falling to second place. If Beltran stayed healthy, the Giants could be in a better position right now.

Although this season has been painful, the future is not that bleak. Math teacher Andy

“Cody Ross wasn’t a boss, nobody really feared the beard....”

Ramroth believes the team can be in the playoff race again next season. “With the pitching we have and an offense that can’t possibly be worse than it was this year, I think we will retain the N.L West next year.”

Pitching will be crucial again with the staff returning all of its key pitchers. The lineup also has the potential to score more runs with the expected promotion of promising young players in the minor leagues and the return of the injured Posey and Sanchez.

With this quest for a repeat officially down the drain, fans can turn their attention to next year and hope for another run at the World Series.

photo by Dana Bloom

Making a splash with the ladies in blue New girls water polo coach finally arrives

By Kristen Dames Staff Writer

Cole Bielskis joined the Carlmont water polo coaching staff Sept. 2 after former coach Lyndsey Kneebone left to pursue a teaching career.

Many of the returning players stated that they were sad to see Kneebone go, including senior-varsity player, Erin O’Loughlin, “A lot of the time, Lyndsey was more of a girlfriend to us than a coach,” she said, “Cole is much quicker and direct about dealing with mistakes. He’s not afraid to mince words.”

A few short days after Bielskis took over, forty dropped to twenty-eight as cuts were promptly posted. He got to work organizing new workouts to train and re-train the girls

for the rapidly approaching season and help them obtain a “better understanding of the game.”

Bielskis said, “I want to focus on the fundamentals because then I have a clean slate to build on, without over ruling past coaches’ training.”

Every school day from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bielskis can be seen on the pool deck calling instructions to his teams, the juniorvarsity on one side and varsity on the other.

If anyone appears to be slacking off or not following instructions, Bielskis is quick to correct them.

Last year the girls varsity water polo team did not have a winning season and some of the new junior-varsity players are showing concern for the beginning of the competi-

tion season.

“I feel as a team we aren’t ready. We know some skills but we don’t know how to play the game well enough yet,” said freshman Lauren Raccoppi, who remains optimistic for the later season with Bielskis as coach, “He’s a strong coach and he could take us far.”

The season is just starting off and Bielskis hopes to arrange around twenty games in which both teams can play. The girls played their first games on Sept. 15. The varsity had a difficult loss with a final score 15-16 against Mercy High School. The junior-varsity team had different outcome; they ended in victory against Mercy with a final score of 20-1.

photo by Grace Chang

Bielskis has set his goals high with the ‘Lady Scots’ and wants the girls to not only win this year, but he hopes they are able to move up in the brackets and join the Bay Division, a league higher than the one they currently play in.

New cour ts for Carlmont

New tennis courts cause inconvenience to girls team

By Grace Chang Staff Writer

Carlmont’s tennis team recently had their courts fixed and redone due to a dangerously beveled area at the west base line of court seven.

Getting new courts sounds great; however, it has caused many inconveniences towards the girl’s tennis team. Since the courts were not finished before school started, the tennis team was forced to go to Highlands Park in San Carlos for practice.

“It is very inconvenient for me because people with seven periods need to rush, and also if you don’t drive you need to find rides there,” commented junior Jackie Gabovich.

Another obstacle in the way of the girls was that the Highlands tennis courts only had five courts rather than the usual seven at Carlmont. This resulted in less space for the girls to practice.

photo by Grace Chang Some of the girls tennis players believed that they did not need the new courts. “It was not necessary, the tennis courts were still in decent condition,” said junior Taylor Choye.

On the other hand, Gabovich disagreed, “Some of the courts were very messed up and not leveled, which caused the ball to be unpredictable.”

Former Carlmont tennis coach Rebecca

Pearlman explained that since court seven was in no condition to be used, there were only six playable courts, causing a wait for the last match. With daylight savings around the fall season, the girls’ tennis team would be in danger of running out of light during games or practices.

How was it possible to get new tennis courts with all the budget cuts this year?

When Pearlman consulted Carlmont’s AVP

Ralph Crame about the tennis courts, they both discovered that the Sequoia Union District had a budget dedicated for the maintenance of physical plants, which included the tennis courts. Along with Carlmont, Woodside was also able get their tennis courts redone.

Another benefit of the new courts is that they are rented out to local league teams, thus bringing in a profit to the school. Also, with such big P.E. classes that have a tennis unit, there are now more courts for the students.

When asked how the new courts will affect the tennis team Pearlman said, “Now there is no worry about running out of light, and the current coach Amina Doar said that it has improved the morale of the girls.”

Though the girls had to practice at Highlands for a couple weeks, they are still very happy to receive the new courts.

Sports photo by Grace Chang

photo by Steven Tsujisaka

photo by Alex Porter

photo by Grace Chang

photo by Steven Tsujisaka

photo by Gianna Dimick

CARLMONT

Page 16

photo by Ian Madden

Strong start to Fall sports With new coaches and new courts, the players are feeling good

By Chole Scott & Luisa Zepeda Staff Writers

This new season is turning out to be a great season for sports. We have football, water polo, volleyball, cross country, and tennis all beginning games or matches.

The JV Football season started out well under new coaching, winning their second game of the season against San Jose.

Joseph Hamdun, a JV player, thinks, “We will have a great season of hard work, dedication, and fun times.”

Varsity hasn’t been as lucky, playing 2 games and losing both, but as Gio Tenorio, on varsity, said, “I feel really good about our team this year because we are learning more plays then last year. I know we will make a comeback!”

Even though Girls Water polo hasn’t had any games yet this season, the girls have

little doubt that they will go to CCS. Monika Skinner says that this year is “much more serious than last year which really brings JV and Varsity together.” ‘ Boys Frosh-Soph has won 1 out of 2 scrimmages, and Varsity has also won 1 out of 2 scrimmages. Boys Varsity also won 2 out of 3 games in a Tournament last week.

Volleyball has an anticipating season com-

compared to last year’s season,” said sophomore Ryan Dimick.

Last year’s cross country team was strong, yet it did not have the unity that it has achieved this season.

This cross country coach has been able to help the team win its first meets and hopefully be able to take them to CCS again.

For tennis this season, the team can expect to win even more matches than last year. Along with most of the fall sports, tennis received a new coach, Amina Doar; who took over for Ms. Pearlman.

“Amina makes us condition more than Ms. Pearlman did, though both the coaches are very supportive in our matches and improving our techniques,”said Junior Mary Farmar.

As a whole, the team is as strong as ever with players that have played since fresh-

“This new season is turning out to be a great season for sports.” ing up with a new coach, new players, and an exciting new energy.

Unlike last year, the new coach has brought new strategies that are expected to bring in wins.

“The coach has been much more supportive, which encourages us to make it to CCS,” said sophomore Charlotte Jackman.

New Junior player, Kallan Bedard, agrees that this season’s team has a stronger unity and a welcoming environment.

“Cross country has a better beginning

photo by Steven Tsujisaka

man year and new players that plan to work hard and put in their best to make Carlmont proud.