Highlander

LOOK INSIDE:

What classes do you need to graduate?

Carlmont turf is torn up

How to prepare for college

page 15

page 13

pages 8-9

The Highlander Carlmont High School Newspaper Volume III, Issue II, October 2011 See us online at http://scotscoop.com

Campus commute too long

With opening of new building, students do not have enough time to travel from U-hall to F-hall within six minutes

By Shannon Chang

Staff Writer Students are struggling to complete the trek from the newly opened U hall to F hall within the six minute passing period.

According to the administration, students should be able to walk from the F wing all the way to U hall within the 6 minute passing period, but others think it is unreasonable to ask this of students.

An anonymous source stated, “As a teacher, I went to S wing and when the bell rang I walked all the way to my classroom in F hall. I got here right when the bell rang but I wasn’t inside a classroom, so I usually give students coming from T or S wing an additional 30 seconds. Biotech students have about a minute extra.”

Once the Biotech building opened, the questions arose as

These times were not calculated during passing periods, so foot traffic is not taken into consideration.

to whether students should be excused for being tardy if they had to walk from one side of the school to the other.

The anonymous teacher also commented, “Occasionally, a teacher will let their class out late and then the students don’t make it on time and it’s frustrating because I don’t know if they were taking advantage or if they are being truthful.”

Vice Principal Ralph Crame said,

“We are studying it. We have asked teachers to collect data about how many students are late and we will work on it from there. The administration realizes that there is a second story and stairs that may add on to how long it takes to walk.”

If there is to be a change in the passing period, the Governance Council, a council comprised of students, teachers and parents, will have to approve it.

Sleep deprived students

By Kiana Valdez

Staff Writer Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to feel awake in the morning, especially when at school.

This can be true when students do hours of homework, constantly change their Facebook status, party, or any thing else that could stop them from going to bed.

To add to that, many students have so much to do in such a short amount of time.

“I’m usually doing homework until around 10:30 and then I still have to eat and take a shower,” said Brittney Benavidez, “the next day I’m really tired and can’t focus well enough.”

Because of the lack of sleep, some students have developed various sleep disorders such as insomnia, which is a disorder when someone finds it hard to fall asleep and remain asleep.

According to some sources, insomnia can be cured by doing

yoga, refraining from caffeine and by going to bed as early as possible.

People can even get some form of sleep apnea. In this sleep disorder, victims have a difficult time breathing while sleeping.

“Some teenagers have sleep apnea,” said Shannon Demosthenes, a sleep apena specialist. “An overnight sleep study can be performed to rule out sleep apnea for a teenager who is overly tired during the day, has been told they snore, has frequent urination breaks during the night, or has been diagnosed with ADD.” Surprisingly, there is even a syndrome for staying up and looking at electronics.

“Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is common in teens,” related doctor Mehran Farid. “If they work with

Z

Z

Z

computers and computer games at night, light emitting from these devices delays the sleep phase.”

The study of sleep has been a new form of examination for many scientists. In fact, the first sleep center was established at Stanford Continued on page 14

How many hours of sleep do you get per night?

“My teacher usually lets me be 30 seconds late but its impossible for me to get there even within this time limit because my other teacher usually lets us out a little late. I wish both my teachers would take that into consideration,” junior Hallie Freitas complained.

While some teachers sympathise with students to a certain extent, as of now administration requires students to be in class promptly when the bell rings. Students have

become both angry and stressed about their amount of time to walk to class.

“As a solution, I wish every teacher would e-mail us when they let a class out late,” the same anonymous teacher said.

The administration is trying to come up with a more realistic solution.

“Personally I have walked from U20 to F13 a couple times to see Continued on page 14

Trash detention rewards cheaters

By Erin Greig

Staff Writer

Students fill bags from teachers’ rooms

Some students have found a way to cheat in order to clear detentions.

Students serving detentions by means of campus beautification would often rather take trash Photo by Grace Chang out of trash bins rather than actually clean up Students do not view picking up the campus. trash as punishment but rather a The majority of students who do chore they need to complete. They campus beautification take trash do not understand that they are in from the bins in teachers’ rooms, the bins around school or plastic bottles stored in their lockers.

Continued on page 14

News and Opinions

Page 2

Congresswoman Jackie Speier visits Carlmont

• She attended Mercy High School in Burlingame •She wanted to By Steven Tsujisaka Online Editor major in Rep. Jackie Speier, D-CA, made a spescience at cial appearance at Carlmont High School to speak to students on what she does in U.C. Dagovernment and answered any questions the vis but changed her mind students had about politics.

On Oct. 19 during period 5, Speier spoke after she disliking a few to the senior class in the Student Union classes. (Speier admitted about her position in government and any questions students had about that giving up science was answered her job and different policies she’s dealt with the biggest mistake of her while in Congress.

Speier, who was born and raised in the life) San Francisco Bay Area, began her career in • She was shot five times politics as a congressional staffer to ConLeo Ryan. She was a part of the and survived for 23 hours gressman 1978 mission of investigating allegations of while waiting for assisabuse by Reverend Jim Jones and followers of Peoples Temple. While Speier was with tance Ryan, several Peoples Temple constituents • When Tom Lantos ambushed the Congressman and his staff leaving them all dead, except for Speier who passed away in 2008, lived 22 hours waiting for assistance.

Speier won a special priOn a personal note, Congresswoman Speier spoke briefly about an abortion mary election to fill in for she hadalso due to a miscarriage, her first husLantos’ term. band’s tragic death in a vehicle accident, and

Facts about Jackie Speier’s history

consider graduate school and need to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, also known as “S.T.E.M,” because the future will consist of more jobs requiring students to perform well in these subjects.

Lastly, debt. Debt has become a major issue in the United States with the rise in unemployment rates, Wall Street protests, and a higher national debt of $14 trillion.

The Congresswoman stressed that the older generation is leaving debt for the younger generation to take care of when they’re older. She compared the concept to parents’ using a credit card and handing over the bill to their kids. “It’s not fair,” Speier boldly stated.

Kris Weisman, the Carlmont government/ economics who organized the event, believes that this experience allowed “students [to] hear from someone who works in Congress.”

Weisman also believes that once the Congresswoman began to talk about her roles in politics, students began to understand how much of an impact she makes in our government.

“[They] ambushed the Congressman and his staff leaving them all dead, except for Speier who lived 23 hours waiting for assistance”

Photos by Grace Chang

her experience adopting a baby which she ended up losing the child because the birth

mother wanted the baby back.

“There’s nothing straight-forward in life... you’re looking at a three-time looser,” the Congresswoman said after explaining to students that she’s lost some elections, but never gave up.

Questions asked by students to Speier ranged from the financial crisis to Afghanistan. The Congresswoman explained to the audience how all of their questions are related with an acronym: A.B.C.D. A, which stands for Afghanistan, stands for how the United States government is borrowing all of the money to pay for the war efforts, which add up to $13 billion a month. She also noted that the government is always upgrading national security due to terrorist threats against the United States.

Speier believes that banks, or B, currently have too much power in the United States. With the financial meltdown and higher mortgage rates, “we need regulation.”

The California Congresswoman also talked about how the United States is not competitive, or C. Speier stated that students should

Who will be your next City Council member?

By Matthew Harris

Belmont 2011 Candidates :

Commissioner before being elected in 2007.

She holds a BA in English literature from Staff Writer UC Berkeley, and is also endorsed by former As we come closer to the Nov. 8 elections, Representative Anna Eshoo. races for city council are heating up in BelChallenger Brownlee, a local blue-collar mont and San Carlos. radio technician, is focusing on stopping In Belmont, there are two city council seats California’s new high-speed rail from comup for debate this Nov., held by incumbents ing up El Camino, and wants to make the David Braunstein and Christine Wozniak, city more traffic friendly and pedestrian who are being challenged by Paul Brownlee, accessible.

Michael McGuinness and planning commisWhen asked about Recology’s recent rate sioner Eric Reed. increases at a candidate forum at Twin Belmont Council members Braunstein Pines Community Center, he stated that “we and Wozniak played a key role in developshould consider putting our trash collection ing Belmont’s Fire Department and Library out to bid from other companies.” projects.

Belmont’s recent planning commisBraunstien has served on the council since sioner Eric Reed wants to rebuild Belmont’s 2007, and is also a teacher at Carlmont High relationship with Notre Dame University School; furthermore, he is endorsed by As(the largest landowner in the city) and have semblymen Jerry Hill and Jackie Speier. a more proactive approach to building a Wozniak served as the town’s Planning centralized downtown area.

Candidate Michael McGuinness, who also ran in 2009, is a Software Sales Executive at Microsoft and wants to revitalize the business community, bring more fiscal responsibility to the city council and use green initiatives to make residents adopt a eco-friendly lifestyle. McGuinness is also endorsed by the San Mateo County Association of Realtors.

The San Carlos City Council created controversy when they voted 4-1 to disband the San Carlos Police Department and hand over duties to the county sheriff office to cut down on the city’s deficit.

While the move was a significant step in cutting down the town’s burgeoning $3.5 million deficit, it divided the local community.

Councilman Randy Royce, the mayor at the time, is running for reelection against San Carlos School trustee member Mark

David Braunstein

Christine Wozniak

Eric Reed

• Social studies teacher at Carlmont High School • BA in political science from UCLA

• BA in English literature from UC Berkeley • Served on Belmont city council since 2007

• BA in Biology from UCSC • Currently an Associate director at Genentech

Olbert and the president of the San Carlos Chamber Board Ron Collins.

Olbert is serving his third term on the San Carlos school board, and volunteers in the San Carlos Educational Foundation, where the Mark Olbert award for outstanding generosity was named after him. In addition, he has worked at several large companies, such as biotech leader Amgen and oil giant ARCO. Collins is the founder and owner of the local Ron Collins Finance & Insurance, is a current member of the town’s Economic Advisory Council and served as San Carlos’s planning commissioner from 1988-1992.

If you want to participate in either of the elections happening in Belmont or San Carlos, be sure to pickup a registration form from your local library or post office (if you are 18 or older) and mail it to the San Mateo County Elections Board by Oct. 24.

Michael McGuinness

• Children attended Nesbit Elementary • BSA in accounting from CSU Chico

Paul Brownlee

• Was a licensed Radio Technician • Local resident of Belmont

News and Opinions

Page 3

Teacher bias Wikipedia is a unavoidable Should opinions be incorporated in classroom curriculum?

reliable source

By Alex Porter

Sports Editor

Wikipedia, the website that teachers love to hate is wrongly judged as not being trustworthy.

Most people disregard Wikipedia because “anyone” can edit the information on a subject, but what these people tend to misunderstand are the advantages of “anyone”

By Carly Bertolozzi

News and Opinions Editor

“Freedom of speech,” a phrase Americans tend to hear quite often. We all know that we have the right to use it. The question is not if we are able to voice our opinions freely, it’s when and where doing so is appropriate.

It is commonly accepted throughout many societies that classrooms are not the place for personal views to be discussed, however many educators still display political, social, religious etc. standpoints in the classroom.

According to Principal Raul Zamora, “Teachers cannot use the classroom as a forum to express their own political views.”

As stated in the Sequoia Union HSD Administrative Regulation: Controversial Issues, a “teacher [may] not use his/her position to forward his/her own religious, political, economic or social bias. The teacher may express a personal opinion if he/she identifies it as such and does not express the opinion for the purpose of persuading students to his/ her point of view.”

Carlmont administration has clearly banned any form of teaching concerning viewpoints without opportunity to refute. However, many students at Carlmont have openly admitted to having a biased teacher.

A quick survey of twenty students revealed that nineteen of them have had a biased teacher at some point. Only one student said they have not (and that person had previously heard stories of biased teachers from other students).

From this statistic, I’d say a lot of students either do not know what “biased” means, or are overly sensitive. However, it is not valid to state that Carlmont is free of prejudice either.

Multiple witnesses acknowledged that, during a discussion about a political debate, their teacher denied any validity to a statement made by a Republican party member, articulating that the statement was “stupid,” and gave no evidence to solidify his/her opinion.

Another incident, occurring earlier this year, offended students when their teacher discussed different racial towns in Los Angeles, such as Korea Town or China Town, and answered a question along the lines of, “Is there a town like this for African Americans?” with the statement, “Yeah, South Central.”

In the past, a similarly unconfirmed, offensive statement was made by a Carlmont educator, forcing school officials to step in and verbally reprimand the teacher.

The evidence that biases occur in the classroom is incontrovertible; however, it is understandable. The United States is idolized around the world because its citizens have the

Editor-in-chief: Dana Bloom Jenna Chambers

Copy Editor: Ashley Dierolf

News and Op: Carly Bertolozzi

Entertainment: Sarah Levin

Campus:

Gianna Dimick

Features:

Anna Wheeler

Fun Page: Erica Valbusa

Sports:

Alex Porter

being able to edit a page.

In judging its reliability, first it is necessary to understand how Wikipedia functions. Many are unaware of the process that goes along with adding and editing articles.

When asked about how the system in which the site functions, Gail Langkusch, an English teacher, commented, “I am not sure. It does not appear that they are doing editing, but I don’t know; maybe they are.”

Articles on Wikipedia are under certain levels of protection. On each page, one can find a small symbol of a padlock indicating the article’s level of protection. Ranging from fully protected articles, which only administrators can edit, to semi-protected, to the most simplistic level of an unprotected article.

It is the stereotype of the unprotected articles that gives Wikipedia some bad reputation because these changes will be immediately uploaded.

“Anyone” being able include information does not conclude that all they are posting are false statements.

But to be sure information is accurate, there is a lot of behind the scenes editing of which a lot of people are not aware.

Administrators, computer programs and groups of Wikipedia reviewers are frequently filtering undesirable, illegal and opinionated contents. Wikipedia states that their “median time to detect and fix vandalism is very low, usually a few minutes.”

Wikipedia follows a series of conduct policies called the Five Pillars which include, civility, consensus, editing policies and editing wars (disagreements between editors in which they continuously revert each other’s additions), no personal attacks and ownership of articles.

If major changes are controversial, discussions about the right to form and voice their own opinions.

Though these biases do not belong in the classroom, one must acknowledge the existence of opinions and learn that, as long as they are not belligerent, teachers have a right to their own beliefs, and in turn students have the right to agree or disagree with them.

Keeping this fact in mind, teacher opinions in the classroom are beneficial to students because teachers are highly educated adults who are capable of assembling intellectually informed viewpoints of different issues.

By doing this, they can use these viewpoints to invoke students into a more in depth debate of controversial issues by presenting concrete details for both oppositions.

The tricky part is first acknowledging that their opinions

subject will be held before a publication.

Wikipedia encourages people to be proud in adding their contributions to a page. Editors become very involved with the additions and possessive of organization and accuracy.

As junior Kai Haake pointed out, “Who would go through the trouble of typing false information?”

In fact, Wikipedia also encourages all editors to be bold.

But what concerns teachers the most is just how bold people’s information becomes. Teachers seem to prefer the safer route in using Wikipedia as a starting point for data.

Most teachers agree that Wikipedia is a good website to start any research on a subject and support the use of the sites provided at the end of each article.

When asked if she allowed her students to use Wikipedia as a resource, Michelle McKee, history and AVID teacher, replied, “I don’t allow them to use it as a formal source.

They can start there.”

“Wikipedia is good for looking up basic information...vocabulary and individual facts, but not to use it as evidence,” backed up Langkusch.

To counter this, Wikipedia is a great resource because it has a broader range of subjects, than say, a normal encyclopedia.

Wikipedia has advantages on fewer known topics such as pop culture. One can look up information ranging from a list of tracks from Incubus’s new album, to street artists like Shepard Fairy to synopsis on each episode of LOST. This is where it is convenient to have the concept of “anyone” being able to edit an article. They can add information that perhaps only a limited number of individuals know.

Another benefit of Wikipedia is it has near instant updates.

For example, Wikipedia was quick to add information regarding the recent passing of Steve Jobs. The Wikipedia article page already issued the date of his death and added a paragraph pertaining to his death in minutes (Wikipedia also added a note advising people the information may change on the current event).

A book or an ordinary encyclopedia would not have this information published until its newest edition, which could be in years.

Wikipedia is a great resource when it comes to modern information and urban knowledge. It can be used for looking up all aspects of data with sites from all over the world.

With many people editing the site continuously, all the information is up to date. Wikipedia is filtered and portrays well-rounded common knowledge.

As sophomore Bita Shahrvini puts it, Wikipedia has “got it all.”

are arguable, and then presenting sufficient evidence for the opposition’s argument as to make sure student opinions are not tainted by their own.

I believe this is the intention of most, if not all teachers; however, there is confusion because as we are in high school, most teachers expect that were are capable of distinguishing opinion from fact, and therefore do not clarify when they are presenting their opinions and when they are presenting facts.

Consequentially, teachers should strive to make aware the introduction of an opinion during class.

However, I also believe students should be less naive and learn to distinguish facts from opinions; otherwise our lives would be too easily led by false pretenses.

The Highlander Staff Online:

Steven Tsujisaka

Cartoonist: Isabella Paragas

Business: Nikos Frazier

Faculty Adviser: Justin Raisner

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 mission of The Highlander is to accurately and honestly cover communal as well as school events. As a student run open forum newspaper, we strive to incorporate multiple views and represent the diverse community at Carlmont Comments can be sent via e-mail to editor@scotscoop.com Visit scotscoop.com for daily content updates, videos, slideshows, and more.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Page 4

Features

De er poop problems Carlmont’s recycling efforts

By Gabby d’Souza

Staff Writer

At Carlmont, there are many hassles, such as the stairs, the turf, the number of students, and deer poop.

“It looks the same as bunny poop and you can find a lot of it all through Belmont,” said sophomore Isabella Sziracky when asked her opinion on deer feces.

Carlmont is located in the middle of a deer habitat so at night herds of deer travel through and around the school campus.

In 1940 researcher Logan Bennett found that deer go poop exactly 13 times a day.

Deer, like humans, tend to poop after eating a meal, but deer do not care where they drop their feces, so, while walking, they simply let it out.

The droppings of a healthy deer, which can be found on Carlmont’s campus, are shaped like small round pellets that are pointed at one end.

Because deer are herbivores, their feces are actually a very healthy substance to have on the school fields.

Jerome Harris, the school Plant Manager, believes that deer poop is not all bad for the school and that it is “in fact somewhat [like] a fertilizer.”

Many students say that deer poop is bad because they always step on it, but the school’s janitorial team does their best to

keep it away “Deer, like humans, tend to from stupoop after eating a meal, dents and but deer do not care where their shoes. they drop their feces, so, “Whenever we find deer while walking, they simply poop [on let it out.” campus] we try to get it up as fast as we can,” said Harris.

Harris and his team seem to do a very good job of keeping deer poop away from students.

“I never see deer poop around,” said the puzzled sophomore Laila Rafi when asked her thoughts.

“It is always a hassle,” acknowledged Harris, “[and] it’s not very sanitary, but then again we are in their habitat.”

Cena Cook’s straight forward response expresses what many students feel for the hindrance. “It’s poop and it’s gross.”

In July of 2011, Oregon Public Health Division officials found that deer feces are a source of E. Coli (O157:H7). This summer the E. Coli strand made 15 people sick and killed one.

Many students have hostile feelings toward poop because it gets on their shoes, or simply because of the ideas that the word poop represents.

“Deer poop is annoying,” said freshman Kayla Coyne, showing her shoe. “I always step on it while walking around campus.”

Have you

noticed

the deer poop?

Out of the 380 students polled, only 38% said they have noticed the deer poop on campus, while 62% of them said that they haven’t noticed the deer poop.

Poll by Gianna Dimick

By Isabella Paragas

Staff Writer

Recycle. Save the Earth. Go Green. These catch-phrases can be heard everywhere.

The mall, on billboards next to the highway, even on campus.

As a high school with a population that is now more than 2100 students, Carlmont students have the capacity the create a lot of trash. Everyone can make a difference, even in the smallest of ways.

The Recycling Club is one way that our school is making a difference.

The president of the Recycling club, Brenna Lewman, has many ideas about how students can help.

Lewman suggest that students write on scratch paper from the classroom’s recycling bin to quickly write down some notes instead of using a whole new piece of paper, or in the bathroom, use only one paper towel instead of two or three.

“Many students will cut a piece of paper and then just throw it away. Instead, throw it in the recycling bin,” said Lewman.

The Recycling Club plans on collecting the recycling from bins, including those in the classrooms, and emptying them into the larger recycling bins at school.

“We plan on expanding our recycling system,” said Ralph Crame, the Administrative Vice Principal. “We will be adding a couple more large recycling bins up near U hall, the new BioTech building.”

Many students may not even care to even try to recycle. They don’t see the point in

doing so. The Recycling Club plans to raise awareness on the importance of recycling, especially now that global warming is becoming a big issue.

“The things that we do not recycle end up going into the trash, then into landfills,” commented Lewman. “Global warming is very tragic for our environment, as it ruins many animal habitats.”

The club will also be making posters to bring awareness to the whole school.

Students don’t even have to recycle just during school, they can collect plastic bottles and aluminum cans and exchange them for money at various recycling centers, such as at Lunardi’s or the Sierra Pacific Recycling Center in Redwood City.

Even if students are not a member of the Recycling Club, they can still support the club simply by setting a good example.

“If you start to recycle then it will rub off onto your friends,” explained Lewman.

Helping “save the Earth” is easy if everyone contributes to the rescue. Easy ways to help out are using less water by taking shorter showers, turning off and unplugging all lights and electronics when not in use, drinking from reusable water bottles, walking more often and making recycling a habit; every little bit counts.

If one is looking for different ways to “go green” besides the traditional methods, then consider donating clothes that one doesn’t want anymore so they can be sold again, or can even just be given away to people who need them.

Interview with Recycling Club President, Brenna Lewman: 1. What activities are you and your club planning for this year?

The main activity that we do as a club is collect the recycling from the various bins around campus, as well as in the classrooms. We then dump all of the recycling into the big recycling bins at school.

2. What are different ways a high school student can make a difference when it comes to reducing their waste?

There are many ways a student can make a difference, but the main way is just to start with the basics. Many students will cut a piece of paper and then just throw it away. Instead, throw it in the recycling bin! Or if you need a piece of scratch paper to quickly write something down, look in the recycling bin instead of using a whole new piece of paper. Or maybe when you are in the bathroom, take one paper towel instead of three.

These are just some easy ways to get in the habit of recycling.

3. How can students support your club without being a member?

Students can support our club by setting good examples for the rest of the students. If you start to recycle it will rub off onto your friends. If you see someone throwing a whole piece of paper in the trash, tell them to throw it in the recycling bin.

4. Why do you think that high school students should even care about recycling and “saving the earth”?

High school students should care about saving the earth because things such as global warming are a huge issue today. The things that we do not recycle end up going in the trash, and then into landfills. As these landfills build up, they start to emit harmful gases into our atmosphere that can lead to global warming.

Joining the military after high school Whether it’s due to personal choice, the many benefits, or family tradition, many make the decision to join the military after high school

By Virginia O’Callahan

Staff Writer

Some high school students are choosing to enlist in a branch of the military after graduating high school. Whether or not the option is favorable among students is variable.

The military offers benefits that several people find hard to pass up. Whether it is for further educational purposes or the sense of empowerment enlisting evokes, some people are finding its advantages favorable. “[The military offers] financial assistance for college. And it also gives out health benefits to people who enlist,” Armen Samurkashian, a junior, said.

Samurkashian plans to join the navy, but after college when his education is completed.

In relation, joining a competitive military college after high school is a way to automatically enlist in the military after high school.

“I plan to go to the Air Force Academy (in Colorado Springs),” said Mark Grushka, a

junior. “It gives one of the best educations and gives you a guaranteed job after you’re finished.”

“It’s a commitment after a certain amount of time, then you have to finish your time in the academy and enter the military as a second lieutenant,” Grushka commented.

Another way to enlist in the military after high school would be to do the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, rather than joining a competitive military college.

The ROTC is a college-based, officer commissioning program that allows students to attend college and get an education. After graduating, the men and women enter a branch of the military as officers of varying ranks.

“If I didn’t get into the Air Force Academy, I would maybe enlist in ROTC,” Grushka

said. “But my end goal is to enter flight training and I need to be an officer to do that.”

After all the benefits the military offers, faults still exist in enlisting right out of high school. While enlisting and fighting for the country can be admirable, many people do not find it so appealing.

Generally, being away from family for an extended period of time is a “no-go” for most people, but for others it’s merely a necessary inconvenience.

“There’s a lot of moving around involved if you do get drafted,” Samurkashian said. “There are a lot of deployments. The pay is also less than satisfactory.”

Even considering the military’s list of guaranteed helpful benefits, some people be-

“...People’s opinions certainly do influence the outcome of one’s decision to enlist in the military after attending high school.”

lieve that enlisting in the military after high school isn’t the most tempting idea.

“It’s dangerous,” said Brendan Kain, a sophomore, “It takes you away from your family and can make you a different person afterwards. Personally, I would not want to join.”

Laila Rafi, a sophomore, stated, “I want to go to college and get a job and have a family.

Being in the military may limit my ability to have those things.”

“I guess it’s a personal choice, like if your family did it before you,” Rafi added. “People might just like to fight for their country.”

Rather than immediately enlisting in boot camp training after high school, other options such as joining a military college, joining the ROTC or enlisting after college are other choices for high school students who would like to join the military.

Depending on the situation, enlisting in the military after high school is a viable option for some young people. Either way, people’s opinions certainly do influence the outcome of one’s decision to enlist in the military after attending high school.

Features

Page 5

B U L LY I N G

Bullying [v]: using superior strength or influence to intimidate someone

Distress among students Virtual hate is still hate

By Chris Leong

By Kristen Dames

With rumors, stealing, and fights, many schools, including Carlmont, are infected with a case of bullying. Everyday, a person can hear many rumors going through the hallways at school. Whether it’s about the way someone looks, or how they act, students are always being judged.

There are many different kinds of bullying. Sometimes bullying means hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, or making someone do something they don’t want to do. Sometimes bullying is using inappropriate words or threats, calling someone names or saying hurtful comments about someone behind their back.

People who are at risk for being bullied tend to have low self-esteem, a hard time getting along with others and have few or no friends. People who bully others tend to view violence in a positive way, get easily angered or frustrated, worry about their popularity and have the desire to dominate or be in charge of other people.

Bullies harass other people because it makes them feel superior to others. They might get power and strength from bullying others. People bully to get attention.

They think that it makes them popular, or that bullying may be a way to fit in. Truthfully, the only thing that bullying does is give the student a bad reputation.

Junior Daniel Page strongly opposes bullying. “I think people only bully because they have personal issues at home or other things,” said Page. “People shouldn't be bullied just because someone is different from you or you just plainly don't like them; there is no reason to treat that person different then anyone else.”

When a student is bullied, they often feel helpless and they can feel like the whole world is against them. No student would ever want to experience the torment from bullies. Sadly, the people who are bullied begin to feel depressed. On top of that, some cases of bullying lead to fighting, and even suicide.

“When I was bullied, it brought me down a lot,” said sophomore Danielle Ramos. “I didn't tell anyone or ask anyone for help and I regret that. It’s best to tell someone trusted for help.”

What some students don’t realize is that they can deal with a bully without getting into an altercation. Junior Monique Mendoza knows a solution to this problem. “I know it may be the last thing anyone would want to do because people would make fun of them for doing it, but notifying a teacher for help would benefit more than trying to ignore it,” said Mendoza.

“Ignoring [bullying] won’t necessarily put an end to it.” Other ways students can deal with bullying are to spend time with people they trust, and to avoid contact with whoever is bullying them.

Recently, the Carlmont SOS program went to the freshmen history classes to give a presentation on different kinds of bullying and the effects bullying has on others. Presenters also shared their personal experiences with bullying.

Tailoring and Boutique Bullying is a serious problem that can happen both on the inside and the outside of school. It is not a phase students have to go through. It is not "just messing around,” and it is not something to grow Custom Made, Alterations, Men & Women out of. Bullying can cause 889 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA 94070 Bring in this ad and (650) 622-9439 M-F 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM serious and lasting harm SAT: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM receive 10% off and it should be stopped.

Teenagers use their cell phones, computers and iPods everyday, but what happens when those technological escapes become an inescapable prison of cyber-insults?

Cyber-bullying is defined as “the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner.”

“The effects of cyber-bullying can be devastating and life altering such as depression, suicide, anxiety, flashbacks, loss of self esteem and long lasting negative memories,” said Shelley Bustamante, a school counselor.

On such common websites as Facebook, online bullying happens almost everyday. Bustamante says that types of online bullying “can be, but are not limited to, ridicule involving physical appearance, spreading rumors or gossip about someone, posting unauthorized photos of someone, creating or altering profile pages or any negative comments about an individual.”

Once words or pictures have circulated on the Internet, there is a possibility that they will never disappear.

Anti-bullying campaigns are becoming common on TV and in classrooms. They all give the same advice; don’t fight back, find an adult and get help.

But not everyone knows what to do when the bully is posting on their wall instead of pushing them against a wall.

Bustamante has some guidance for victims of bullying: “My advice for anyone being bullied online is to save all messages from the bully. Print them out if necessary. Tell a parent. Report it to the police. Those who witness this kind of interaction need to do the same even if it doesn't pertain to them.”

Carlmont’s own SOS program is full of students offering support for all kinds of troubles, including bullying.

Bustamante is the staff member in charge of SOS and every year she and the other members put on presentations for the new freshman about drugs, abuse, sex, bullying and other kinds of issues teenagers might be faced with.

Ty Davis, a sophomore, is one of the many members of SOS. Having experienced online bullying herself, she knows the painful effects of online bullying.

“It hurts,” stated Davis. “I did something that someone didn’t like, so they posted horrible things about me on my wall. I tried to delete them, but I couldn’t stop the instant messages they sent me. It got to a point when I started to think they might be right about me. I felt worthless.”

Davis has now been a member of SOS for two years and fully supports the program and its goals. “SOS is an extremely great program that helps people change their lives by letting students share their stories and by sharing our personal stories with them,” said Davis.

Bullying is more likely to take place online than in a hallway, and dealing with the effects can be difficult on one’s own. When telling oneself that words will never hurt is not enough, SOS students will be there to help.

Photos by Alex Porter

Nancy’s

Staff Writer

“Once words or pictures have circulated on the Internet, there is a possibility that they will never disappear.”

Graphic by Nikos Frazier

Staff Writer

Page 6

Campus

Spirit on the rise Staff Writer Carlmont students are looking for ways to further increase the school’s spirit, which some students feel needs the improvement.

Carlmont’s Screaming Scots pump the school up before games, dances and other school activities, yet some students seem to think Carlmont is missing the biggest component. “Our school is not as spirited as it should be. Spirit is an important part of our high school experience,” said senior Laila Talpur.

The Screaming Scots is a club run by students that dress up and get the school excited for an event. They paint their faces and cheer at every football game. They are the ones that are seen in the bleachers in the back, cheering Carlmont’s teams to victory.

They encourage others to cheer with their positive attitude and energetic spirit. But the Screaming Scots just can’t seem to get all students off their feet.

With the hard work ASB and Screaming Scots put into to make Carlmont spirited, the student body is still not as motivated.

ASB is designed to be the voice of the students and encourage them to attend school activities. They design posters, advertising and say Carlmont’s daily announcements.

“ASB focuses more on the students that have school spirit than those that don’t in

order to have the students that are spirited influence others,” said ASB advisor Jim Kelly.

But as homecoming approaches, these myths of Carlmont not having spirit vanish.

The school comes alive with the end of the Carlmont cup and Powder Puff games, and the students become more familiar to school events.

“For the Carlmont cup, we try to bring the diverse groups of students together and encourage spirit,” said ASB president Kelly Robinson.

“Students believe that we don’t have spirit, but it’s not like seen on TV; it’s almost hidden, but you can feel the spirit in the art department, which is great,” said Robinson.

Yet some students believe that school spirit is weak. “You really don’t sense the school spirit. The Screaming Scots are interesting but they don’t really help,” said sophomore Ariana Caveness.

It may be a big school to encourage to throw on their blue and white, but some classes are getting there. “The junior and freshman class are the most spirited, which helps because it’s hard to pump up the crowd at games,” said president of the Screaming Scots Kimberly Bean.

The junior class’ spirit can be seen the last Wednesday of every month, with “Wacky Wednesday.” Many juniors dress in the craziest clothes they can find to encourage their

Photo by Grace Chang

By Luisa Zepeda

Freshman Elena Winfield screams with the scots in Carlmont’s home game against San Mateo on Oct. 6. peers to be outgoing and show some spirit.

The freshman also get into the spirit as they excitedly experience their first year of high school by going to games and cheering as loud as possible.

To increase school spirit, students can be

more involved and dress for each school event, support Carlmont’s football team, have more spirit days and go to more rallies.

The school spirit Carlmont seems to have lost can be gained once more with the energy and smiles of all of the Scots.

Sojourn: an opportunity for students Carlmont students raise for civil rights journey

By Ivan Garin

Staff Writer During spring break there is a program called “Sojourn to the Past” in which students journey to the South in order to garner a better understanding of the civil rights movement and African American suffrage.

These students get a first hand experience with renowned civil rights activists and get to explore historical monuments that

symbolize the rights that today’s African American citizens possess.

With multiple awards and honors, such as being a finalist on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities National Award, Sojourn has earned national recognition. Sojourn was also honored by the National Education Association.

Along with multiple appearances on national television shows such as NBC and ABC, Sojourn has earned a national recognition as the top Civil Rights Education

The Monthly Quad Snapshot

Program in the United States for its very much unique and fascinating social justice lessons.

The name Sojourn originates from Sojourner Truth, a famous African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist during the 1800’s. She was famous for delivering speeches and recruiting black soldiers for the union army during the civil war.

Sojourn was started in 1999 at Capuchino High School, and Carlmont has been going the last four years.

Every year about 10 students take the journey, each fundraising 2600 dollars for the trip.

This year, with the help of fundraising, the Sojourn program has made more money than in previous years and the fund for the trip could be cheaper.

When students fund raise for Sojourn, they have several choices on how to earn their money.

Students can earn a personal fund, by asking through letters and friends for money to fund the trip.

The Sojourn program itself has several fundraisers, some are small, like collecting money for See’s candy, but the biggest will be the tri-tip dinner at Carlmont on November 12. Sponsored by the San Carlos Lions Club, Vivace Restaurant and the Belmont Lions, the dinner will raise enough money to make the trip cheaper for all students.

Lastly, if students work hard enough by attending most meetings and fundraisers, the can earn a scholarship fund.

On this ten-day trip, 11th and 12th grade students learn diverse academic, racial, and ethnic differences at specific sites of racial segregation such as the school where the “Little Rock Nine” attended.

Along with visiting famous historical places, students get the chance to meet US Congressman John Lewis and other infamous civil rights activists, such as Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who started the Southern Christ Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr. His achievements spirited Birmingham through it’s intense racial discrimination period. Unfortunately, Shuttlesworth passed away last Wednesday and his presence will be missed on the Sojourn trip.

Through these experiences, students come back to their daily lives changed. They learn that even an individual has the power to change the course of history and society.

When asked about her most memorable moments in all of her Sojourn trips, Sojourn leader and history teacher Karen Ramroth noted that out of the two times she has gone, her favorite moment of the trip was “eating cake with Senator John Lewis on his birthday last year,” but also “loves when the students become empowered and understand that they can really make a difference.”

History teacher Kristen Davis stated that her favorite part of the trip is “the reaction of the students when they get back and how their characters changed over the trip.”

With hate-crimes and racial based injustice rising nowadays, Sojourn allows students to learn acceptance and equality among different races while enjoying their spring break exploring the South.

“Through these experiences, students come back to their daily lives changed. They learn that even an individual has the power to change the course of history and society.”

Photo by Gianna Dimick

Michael Saber represents choir in the tiebreaker game “balloon pop” against AVID in the Carlmont Cup semifinals on Oct. 20.

Campus

Page 7

Vending machines finally restocked After years of disuse, they are now back in business

Staff Writer For months students were left to ponder why three unused vending machines stared them down as they walked by.

The machines were finally restocked on Oct. 24.

So the question remains, why were they empty for so long?

It has to do with the strict health regulations that California has placed upon its public schools.

In 2005 former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation to ban some junk foods from California high schools in an effort to stem child obesity.

"We are going to terminate obesity in California once and for all," the former bodybuilder and actor said.

The new laws extended the ban on soft drinks already in place at primary schools to high schools.

New limits on fat and sugar content were also set for vending-machine snacks and food sold in school stores.

The School Junk Food Ban policy went

into effect July 1, 2007, and students around the state have felt the effects ever since.

Kemper Ray, a junior, is in his second year at Carlmont. He attended Serra High School during his freshman year. Ray is a prime example of how students have been affected by the School Junk Food Ban. “If there’s one thing I miss about private school it’s the junk food I used to buy out of the vending machines. I’d buy Pop Tarts everyday. It almost became a habit. It’s too bad kids can’t use the vending machines at Carlmont,” said Ray. A

Photo by Jacob Rudger

By Jacob Rudger

typical vending machine consists of items such as Snickers, Skittles, M&M’s, Sour Patch Kids, and Starbursts.

However, these snacks have a lasting effect on the human body, and none of them fit the health regulations set by the state of California.

So what’s a vending machine without junk food?

The answer: A big black box.

Although the vending machines are now restocked, they are no longer filled with junk food.

Simon Pugliano, a transfer student from Massachusetts, was a bit thrown off when he saw that the vending machines were inoperable.

“My old school had vending machines and they attracted lots of students. I think it would be a good idea to put these ones to use. It just seems unreasonable for them to be vacant. Even though there are certain things the state can’t sell, they can always sell healthier items,” said Pugliano.

Freshman Andrew Wach followed up on Pugliano’s suggestion for healthier options, “Lets be realistic here... Who’s going to want to buy an apple or a bag of carrots out of a vending machine? I know I wouldn’t. Every time I see a vending machine it makes my day, but if I were to walk up to it and it had fruit in it, my day would be ruined,” Wach said.

Nora DeCaro, the head of the Sequoia Union High School District food service department, attempted to explain the mysterious emptiness of the vending machines.

“The contract the district has with the vending services states that we are able to sell bottled water, all natural juices, and some sports drinks that meet the requirements of SB965 (the Healthy Beverage Bill).

We are also able to sell certain snacks that meet the requirements of SB12 (School Nutrition Standards), which says we can sell items under 250 calories per serving and less than 0.5% trans fat,” said DeCaro.

“When I found out about the problem I immediately contacted the vendor. He then informed me that there have been some electrical issues with the machines and there seems to have been miscommunication with the vending services. He will work on taking a look at these issues.”

There is a timetable for the return of vending machines at Carlmont.

“The goal is to have these machines up and running with healthy options such as baked chips, trail mix, and other low fat goods as soon as possible,” said DeCaro.

Teacher’s vending machines:

While students are waiting for their vending machine fix, teachers have had it all along.

Photo by Gianna Dimick

Hydration makes a comeback with the Camelbak The water bottle that everyone wants to drink from

By Sabrina Leung

Staff Writer The new trend in hydration at Carlmont, the CamelBak water bottle, is thought to be very practical, appealing greatly to the thirst-quenching needs of Carlmont students.

“I’ve had my CamelBak water bottle for around six months. I got one because I saw it at a store. Everyone was raving about them and I wanted a water bottle,” stated sophomore Kenzie Phillips.

Some students love it so much they have even bought more than one. Students claim that the CamelBak water bottle is more convenient, great to use while on the go and is more durable compared to other water bottles.

“The best thing about this water bottle is the top. It’s so easy to pop up the nozzle and sip some water while you are walking to class or moving quickly. Other water bottles require you to unscrew the cap. The greatest advantage is it doesn’t spill,” stated Phillips.

“It has lasted me a long time, even though a dropped it a lot. Most of my old water bottles have broken pretty quickly,” said

sophomore Laila Rafi.

It’s not a surprise that many Carlmont students love using the CamelBak water bottles.

It comes in many colors and designs. It is also BPA free, spill proof and certain models even contain water filtration systems. However, these water bottles aren’t cheap though, ranging from $12 to $30 per bottle depending on the design and features.

Furthermore, some students find the CamelBak water bottles just a trend and nothing different compared to other water bottles.

“I started noticing people sitting near me in class drinking out of CamelBak water bottles in the beginning of the year, so I decided to get one. I don’t see a difference with it compared to other bottles,” stated sophomore Ian Quan.

Others believe its a just simply a great water bottle.

“I think it’s a combination of both trend and thirst. Obviously, it’s a trend and everyone loves it. But it’s not some crazy weird thing; it’s a water bottle. So if it works well, and you’re going to use it, why not get one?” said Rafi.

CamelBak water bottles originated from Michael Eidson in 1988 while he was competing in a bicycle competition in the

grueling summer heat of Wichita Falls, Texas.

He decided to fill up an IV bag with water and slip it into a white tube to hydrate himself while biking.

This became the first invention of a handsfree hydration method.

Years later, CamelBak began producing water bottles and variety of other hydration products.

The CamelBak water bottle will continue to be a trend here at Carlmont and students claim they would recommend anyone to buy it.

“I think everyone should get a CamelBak water bottle. It lasts for a long time and its a reasonable size, so you don’t have to refill it more than once a day. My water bottle is still in great condition and the marks haven’t washed off even though I put it in the dishwasher every few

Photo by Gianna Dimick

days,” said Phillips.

Passing fad or not, CamelBak water bottles will certainly be seen in the hands of Carlmont students for years to come due to their unique functionality and convenience.

College

Page 8

7 Tips

to take

Start Early : >

Top

10 SAT Tips

1

2 3 4

Use Process of Elimination (POE): Get rid of as many wrong choices as you can on the SAT before answering a question.

Answer every only if you can eliminate answer choices: Unlike taking the ACT, you are penalized point when you get an answer wrong on the SAT test. So the smartest thing to do is to only answer a question if you can use a process of elimination and get rid of two or three answer choices.

Leave any question blank where you can’t identify at least one wrong choice, except for the math grid-ins: If you can’t eliminate even one wrong choice from the answers, leave the question blank, except for the math grid-ins, where there is no penalty for guessing.

Write in the test booklet: No one is going to read what you wrote in the test booklet, so use it to your advantage.

5

Transfer your questions at the end of each section: Instead of going back and forth between the scantron and the test booklet, just write your answers in the test booklet and transfer them over at the end of every section/page.

6

Take full length SAT practice tests : online at collegeboard.com, SAT classes or tutor, or PSAT.

7

Remember the order of difficulty: Because each section is arranged from easiest to most difficult, the obvious answers toward the beginning of a section may actually be correct.

8 9 10

Don’t second-guess yourself: Statistics prove that your first answer choice is usually correct.

Slow down: Don’t rush through the questions. It’s better that you answer 75 out of 100 correct, than all 100 and get 45 wrong.

Plug in Numbers (PIN): On questions with variables in the answers, plug in your own numbers Compiled by Hailey Miller

Begin planning for college during Sophomore and Junior year

>

Know your graduation requirements

Find your passion: >

Colleges look for commitment and dedication to activities over time.

How To: Get A Scholarship

By Erica Valbusa

Fun Stuff Editor Each year numerous scholarships are available for high school seniors to apply for, but many go unclaimed.

A scholarship is a grant made to support a student’s education, usually awarded for college on the basis of academic or other achievement.

“This year I recommend seniors to check their Naviance accounts for available scholarships. They should also sign up for the College Center e-list, where I send scholarship notices. It is also beneficial for students to come to the College Center to get tips on how to search for scholarships,” said Carlmont College Counselor Connie Dominguez.

The first stop for students on the road to searching for scholarships is the high school counseling office. After this, the college aid section at the library should be the next stop. There, students can find books on financial aid as well as on scholarships.

The last stop should be search engines, such as the College Board, to find national scholarships. For UC campuses, the scholarship is the application itself. Scholarships for CSU campuses and private universities can

be found on the specific school’s website.

Juniors who take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test may qualify to enter the competitions for prestigious scholarships and participate in recognition programs.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures a student’s critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills.

This not only helps students prepare for the SAT, but it also allows them to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The NMSC honors academically gifted high school students and stimulate increased support for their education.

The scholarship application process is similar to the college application process.

Many scholarships require students to submit transcripts, test scores, one or more essays, one or more letters of recommendation, financial aid forms, proof of eligibility, and parent’s financial information.

“I am planning on applying for a scholarship, but I’m not exactly sure how many yet,” commented senior Nicolas Delfino. “My sibling applied for a scholarship it was really helpful.”

“In December, I go out to all of the Ameri-

can Government classes and give the seniors a checklist regarding financial aid and scholarships,” added Dominguez.

Despite the large number of students who apply for scholarships, many remain without any applicants at all and are left with a large amount of money. Recently, San Diego State University offered a scholarship for women, but it ended up being awarded to a male student due to no females applying for it.

“As long as students have enough time, they should apply for as many scholarships as they can. That being said, they should be careful and make sure that they are going to secure scholarship websites. If you have to pay to apply for a scholarship, then it’s a scam,” stated Dominguez.

In addition to academic scholarships, athletic scholarships are also offered by many colleges. These scholarships are awarded to students based on their ability to play a certain sport. Athletic scholarships may cover all or a part of a student’s tuition.

Students hoping to be recruited must contact the coaches to see if they might be interested in having them play for their team and school.

“I’m currently working on getting scholarships for NCAA Division I schools for soccer,” commented senior Brandon Butler.

Some invest in private counselors

By Courtney Heatherington

Staff Writer

College: (noun) to where one’s high school career leads one; for what parents and students pull out all the stops. College application time: (noun) a stressful, nervewrecking, confusing, complicated time; happening now.

If only there was some sort of fairy godmother to magically breeze one through applications and achieve one’s college goals.

Wait, what if they exist?

They are called college counselors. They help with any aspect of college admissions one feels overwhelmed by.

They can help students with countless issues, ranging anywhere from improving essay writing skills, selecting colleges for the best fit, completing the seemingly endless applications, helping with career goals and much more.

Additionally, the loads of stress placed on parents and students is diminished greatly, as a professional, highly esteemed in his or her work, is handling the applications.

A new-found confidence is instilled in the student after receiving the appropriate professional help necessary for them to succeed likewise.

Sounds pretty perfect, right? However, perfect in this case comes at a high price.

A student can purchase guidance from these college counselors by the hour or in a packaged deal of a year or two.

Only one hour of guidance can cost up to $150 and a whole year can be $7,000 or more.

With college prices rising, is it worth spending the extra thousands in the hopes that their counselor will be of sufficient help?

Rachel Wright, senior at Carlmont this year, does not think it’s worth the big price tag. Although she does not have one personally, she states, “I definitely don’t think it’s necessary to have one; it’s easy enough to do yourself.”

Here at Carlmont, students don’t even have to go through this stressful time alone. Connie Dominguez is the free, on-site college guidance counselor.

She claims that she can assist students with “everything [that private college counselors can] except I can’t meet with them on the weekends individually.” She continues to assert that “we [she] knows more” as she assists 500 students per year, as opposed to private college counselors who help much less students and therefore have less experi-

ence.

Erika Tom, a senior at Carlmont, has a college counselor and has enjoyed her experience thus far.

Tom uses her hourly sessions to focus mainly on her essay writing.

“At first I thought mine were good, but I’m already surprised at how much I have improved in such few sessions.”

Tom pays $75 an hour and believes it has been very beneficial and advantageous for her future college career. She also finds it much easier to arrange times to meet with her private college counselor, as Dominguez is busy almost constantly.

If one can’t afford the pricey private college counselors, don’t fret; there are many more economical alternatives.

Need assistance with a college essay? Current or previous English teachers are great to ask for assistance. They are always eager to help a student in need.

If students are not sure which college fits their needs a wants, a Google search can produce many fun interactive quizzes which help students find their best fit.

Carlmont also hosts many informational College Nights for parents and students.

Whether one chooses to purchase a college counselor or not, remember to utilize those resources that are readily available.

College

Take advantage Take the PSAT : Get an idea of your strengths and weaknesses of summer > to help you prepare > for the SAT enrichment

Meet with your counselor

>

Page 9

Serve your community :

Participate in activities that give back to the community and add them to your college resume

How to prepare for college Freshman year Sophomore year -Focus on grades -Develop academic interests -Get involved with community service -Check out clubs and extra-curricular activities

-Focus on grades -Prepare to take PSAT -Get involved with community service -Check out clubs and extracurricular activities

Junior year Senior year Fall: [October] Take PAST (eligibility for National Merit Scholarships) [November]Register for Dec. SAT Reasoning or ACT Plus Writing test.

-Prepare for SAT Reasoning and ACT Spring: [January] Take SAT Reasoning -Register for Mar., May and/or June SAT Reasoning and/or SAT Subject Tests -Register for Feb., April, or June ACT Plus Writing [May] Take AP Exams if completing AP classes -Start searching for colleges -Start asking teachers to write letters of recommendation Summer: -Visit colleges if possible -Prepare for Standardized Test -Prepare preliminary list of colleges

August

Check ACT dates and register

September

-Check SAT dates and register

-Ask teachers for letters of recommendation

-Narrow list of colleges that includes reach, match and safety schools.

October

-Take advantage of college fairs and college information -Start drafting sessions college admissions essays

November

-Put finishing touches -Make sure to on application essays submitted all components of your applications if you are applying to UCs -Start researching and/or CSUs on scholarships and grants

December -Complete

-Make sure letters of recommendation have been sent

Parents package kids for college

By Gianna Dimick

Campus Editor The top colleges in the country are now rejecting over 90 percent of people that apply, but that isn’t stopping parents.

Many parents are now completely taking over the system of “packaging.”

Elizabeth Wissner-Gross describes packaging in her book What Colleges Don’t Tell You as a strategy used by many applicants today and in past generations to make “his [or her] application seem so appealing that he [or she] was sought after by some of the most desirable colleges and summer programs.”

All teenagers planning on attending college participate in packaging, as every person wants to show off what makes he or she special and stand out from the rest.

The hard part is not overdoing it.

Senior Nicole Heller commented, “Parents should be able to recognize their kid’s potential and push them to achieve that, but not any more than that.”

Colleges want to see students who balance school with sports, volunteer hours, work and anything else that appeals to them. It is important not only

to balance them, but to excel at them and prove that these extracurriculars are something that he or she is passionate about.

More parents are becoming the “packagers” for their children, seeking out opportunities that will benefit his or her child, contests, awards and titles that will stand out on the college application.

Wissner-Gross herself helped her two sons achieve success by finding every possible opportunity that was available to them and interested them.

As she mentions in her book, they were both valedictorians of their classes, both were named as one of the top 20 high school students in America by USA Today, both were one of the top forty finalists in America’s Intel Science Talent Search and both won several other math and science awards. One of her sons also participated in and eventually starred in the New York City Opera.

Wissner-Gross was able to raise two children that were sought after by the top colleges in America by taking advantage of the opportunity surrounding her family. Moreover, she stresses that as a parent the job is not to create a desirable applicant, but “to make opportunities available to one’s kids, to help them to succeed in the fields that interest them most.”

The interests of one’s child is what is sometimes lost in a parent’s journey to creating the dream application for the dream school.

Parents tend to think that their teenager needs to be the star of the football team and volunteer at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital every weekend for the next four years in order to get into Stanford, when really, it all comes down to the student being passionate and having a desire to improve in the extracurriculars he or she is involved in. If the student is not, when it comes time for the essays on the Stanford application, there is nothing that the applicant has to write on because the teenager never got to explore the subjects that truly interested him or her.

“I’ve seen parents who try to push their kids into careers in medicine or business, for example. I think that’s terrible,” stated Wissner-Gross.

No one can deny that college is important, but the way parents are now picking the pathways for their child is exactly what should be avoided. Colleges are not fooled by amazing extracurriculars displayed by an uncommitted student.

Parents are ultimately there not to package the child, but to help the child package himself or herself

-Be sure to have midyear grades sent to desired colleges

applications for regular admissions

-Send test scores to colleges that require them

January -Continue scholarship search

February -Submit form for

FAFSA (Free Application for Financial Aid)

March -Register for AP ex-

ams if completing an AP course

April

-Avoid Senioritis—

colleges will revoke acceptances if grades have dropped drastically

-If you have ruled out the colleges that have accepted you, notify them for courtesy of other applicants; for accepted colleges go to open houses if they are offered.

May

-Most schools have

a deposit deadline of -Take AP Exams May 1. Don’t be late -Have final transcripts sent to -If receive any scholarships, notify college college

June -Graduate

Entertainment

Page 10

The evolution of slang

From ‘the cat’s meow’ to ‘hella chill, bro’

By Sarah Levin

Entertainment Editor Since the dawn of man, language has played a dominant role in the very fabric of our society.

It started with one caveman uttering a fateful “ug.” Whether he was asking for a piece of food, commenting on the weather, or simply emitting an extremely irregular belch, that “ug” changed the future of the human race.

Soon, all of his caveman buddies began using “ug” to express various needs or concerns. Then, the “ug” evolved into “ooga ug”, which soon evolved into “eega ooga ug”.

You get the picture. Eventually, it would occur to a few human beings that language should evolve beyond guttural noises like that of the common gorilla. Thus, the evolution of language advanced once again.

Over many years language developed even further. During the height of Ancient Rome, Greek and Latin became the stepping stones for hundreds of different languages, including the one that most of us speak on a daily basis.

Klingon. Nah, I’m just kidding. English.

During the time of Shakespeare, someone decided all the English words were too short, and decided to add “-eth” and “thy” and “doth” onto them. Like little word tumors. Thankfully, these literary hemorrhoids soon fell to the wayside as English progressed further.

In fact, mankind began doing to opposite of their renaissance counterparts; they began shortening words. This practice is one we all know and love: slang.

During the roaring twenties, slang really began to take off, and teens began using it full force. No longer did you have to tell your friend that her new glasses are great. Now you can tell her, “Golly-gee, Doreen! Your new cheaters sure are the cat’s pajamas! But you better get a wiggle on, or you’ll miss your date at the sock-hop with Vern! He sure is the bee’s knees!”

The sixties was a magical time for slang.

When else could teens pay for a new car with “bread”? Hopefully the damage won’t be too bad, or else you won’t be able to go “catch some rays” with the girls, “slug

down some antifreeze,” and check out the new guy. I hear he’s got great “buns.”

Being physically sick (not as in, “Oh, that’s so sick,” but more like, “Gimme a bucket and hold my hair, I’m gonna be sick”) took on an entire new meaning depending on when you were born. In the forties, you’d chuck up. In the fifties, you’d barf. In the sixties, you’d upchuck. And (my personal favorite) in the seventies, you’d bork up your lunch.

Pleasant, no?

And where are we now, in regards to slang? At Carlmont, at least, most of our slang consists of two key items: text slang and Bay slang.

Text slang is a more recently developed form of slang. Originally becoming popular while texting (in order to save time and space), it is now becoming prevalent in day-to-day life. For example, instead of telling your friends, “Oh my god! You guys have matching sweaters! That’s totally adorable!”, you can now tell them, “OMG! You

The sixties was a magical time for slang. When else could teens pay for a new car with “bread”?

The Official Dictionary of Slang

Bomb: Something considered excellent and/or the best.

By Rachel Schuster

Staff Writer

Hella: Originated from the streets of San Francisco; commonly used in place of "really" or "very" when describing something.

Art by Sarah Levin

Swag: The way in which you carry yourself. Swag is made up of your overall confidence, style and demeanor.

Holla: A word used to acknowledge the presence of a friend, for a man to express interest in a lady, to contact via telephone.

Sketch: Situation, place or person that possesses qualities that are ominous or scary or weird.

Bomb Diggity: Awesomeness in its purest form.

Bro: A friend or an obnoxious male.

Cool story, bro.: phrase sarcastically used to indicate one's disgust or indifference towards a story.

Epic: Being unusually large, powerful or wonderful. On a grander scale than the modified word would otherwise imply.

Peace: Like saying goodbye.

Homie: Close friend.

Dawg: Close friend.

guys are matchers! Totes adorbs!” By making those changes, you just saved yourself twelve syllables. Just think about how much your BFFs will appreciate it.

Finally, we come to Bay slang. This area of slang seems to have no definition except slang that seems to be directly synonymous with the Bay Area. Walking around any area on campus, you are sure to hear any of the following words: “Hella,” “swag,” “swole,” or even “chillax.” These words have gotten so widespread, there’s even a Wikipedia page called “California Slang.” Don’t believe me? Look it up.

God only knows where slang will progress to next. Considering the fact that seventies slang like “peace” and “man” is slowly making a comeback, maybe our slang will progress backwards.

Imagine: years from now, you’re sitting with your family and in a flash of nostalgia, you describe something as being “hella sick.”

Your kids proceed to look at you and say, “Gee wiz! Could you be any more of a square?”

Randy: Random.

Fosho: Abbreviated form of “for sure”.

Stoked: To be completely and intensely enthusiastic, exhilarated or excited about something.

Broski: affectionate term for a bro, dude, guy, man.

Come at me, bro.: Used to show that one will not physically initiate fight but is willing to fight if the situation arises.

Be out: To leave a place.

Legit: Real or cool.

Boss: Incredibly awesome.

Swoop: To grab, steal or take possession of.

Raw: Serious or hard core.

Entertainment

Page 11

Gala preparations in full swing From acting to animation, dancing to drawing, Carlmont students showcase creative talent

By Rachel Schuster

Staff Writer

Students in both visual and performing arts departments are getting ready to put their singing, acting, dancing, drawing, animating and other talents on display.

“We’ve been working super hard,” exclaimed advanced dancer Charley Bernardo.

“Lunch rehearsals, practicing after school and staging dances in the theater.”

Last year, program directors Kim Wong and David Hendershott got the idea to showcase the talents of the art students.

“We began discussing ways to get the public into the building to proudly show it off,” said Hendershott. “What better way to do that than to have a benefit event that incorporated the students themselves? A gala performance seemed like it fit nicely.”

The Gala is both a fundraiser, with the proceeds benefiting the ongoing operations of the Performing Arts Center, and a way to let the community see the wide array of talent and training in the arts provided here at Carlmont.

“We are especially reaching out to eight grade families this year, so incoming students will be inspired to be involved in the arts programs,” said gala producer Melissa VanArsdel. “In one night, every single department of the arts is shown off in a special way.”

During the pre-show reception, guests will be directed to enter through the new art building to see the talent in the visual arts programs. All the classrooms in the building will be displaying student created art of many types and there will be a few students in each room acting as “tour guides” and

Photos by Luisa Zepeda

making demonstrations.

Buffets of delicious food, provided by popular restaurants such as Mistrals, will be available, as well as an assortment of delectable desserts and beverages.

As time drifts closer to 7 pm, guests wandering through the arts wing and visual art classrooms will be ushered toward the

Performing Arts Center where they can view the gallery of student artwork.

“The gallery area along the windows in the PAC has many compelling and impressive works of student art on display,” commented VanArsdel.

Then the performance will start. George Metropulos, the former mayor of Belmont,

DID YOU KNOW?

Riddles:

Sea

ttle Tim e

s

er Inqu ir

olis S

lphia

nea p

Min

s erald

ade

mi H

Mia

Phil

ne

Tim e

Ang eles

Los

ic

Trib u

al c rit

Chic

Loc

ago

New review

tar T ribu

ne

Movie picks The Big Year Drive 50/50 Footloose Ides of March Moneyball Real Steel The Thing

© 2011 MCT

Week ending Oct. 18, 2011

#1 Album

Top tracks

( ) Last weekÕs ranking in top five

United States Sexy and I Know It • LMFAO

(3) 1

We Found Love • Rihanna

(5) 3

Someone Like You • Adele 21 Adele

Pumped Up Kicks • Foster the People Moves Like Jagger • Maroon 5

(1) 2 (2) 4 (4) 5

United Kingdom We Found Love • Rihanna Lightning • The Wanted Video Games Lana Del Rey

Wherever You Will Go • Charlene Soraia Moves Like Jagger • Maroon 5

Mr. Know It All • Kelly Clarkson

(1) 1 2 3

(2) 4 5

Spain Moves Like Jagger • Maroon 5

(1) 1

Rain Over Me • Pitbull

(3) 3

Rolling in the Deep • Adele Mylo Xyloto Coldplay

Got 2 Luv U • Sean Paul

Perdoname • Pablo Alboran Source: iTunes

(2) 2 4 5

© 2011 MCT

Answers: 1. The letter “E” 2. A coffin 3. Charcoal 4. Your word 5. A hole 6. In the dark 7. Halfway. After that, he’s walking out.

8. The woman is a nun.

9. It makes a splash.

10. A teapot

1. I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I? 2. The man who made it didn’t want it, the man who bought it didn’t use it, and the man who used it didn’t know it. What is it?

3. What’s black when you buy it, red when you use it, and white when you’re done with it?

4. What can you give, and still keep?

5. It cannot be seen, it weighs nothing, and when you put it in a barrel it makes it lighter.

What is it?

6. Where was Moses when the lights went out?

7. How far can a dog walk into a forest?

8. There is a man and a woman. The woman is the man’s sister, but the man is not the woman’s brother. How is this possible?

9. What happens when you throw a yellow rock into a purple stream?

10. What starts with a T, ends with a T, and has T in it?

Outstanding Worthy effort So-so A bomb

will emcee the show, introducing each department and its performances.

For the drama program, a select few of the advanced drama students will read monologues. Also, a couple of scenes from the fall play William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night will be shown, as well a quick performance from the Carlmont improv troop.

Students are both nervous and excited as the date slowly approaches.

Carlmont’s Intermediate and Advanced dance classes will present an array of pieces, including some which have been student choreographed.

“I think the Gala will be a great way for some of our dancers to show off their choreography,” said advanced dancer Kiana Yekrang. “This will be the first time that I perform on the Carlmont stage and I’m glad to be dancing in such beautiful pieces.”

Choir will be performing songs from their Pops Benefit concert and the symphonic band will play a variety of medleys from different movies, operas and a ballet.

“I would have to say that I am super excited,” admitted orchestra member Sam Ek. “I remember performing last year with the Jazz Ensemble and remembering how much fun it was. I was amazed at the turn-out in guests that came! It was a great success last year and it’s great how the Gala supports artistic opportunities for students to explore at Carlmont. I can’t wait for the Gala!”

The Carlmont Arts Showcase Gala will be held on Saturday Nov. 5. Reception begins at 6 pm in the Arts Building, and at 7 pm the Performing Arts Center will be opened to enjoy highlights performed by student ensembles. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for students and they can be purchased online.

* LL Cool J’s name is short for “Ladies Love Cool James” * Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French Toast sold for over $3,000 on e-Bay * Keanu Reeves is afraid of the dark * Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team * Brad Pitt has been smoking since sixth grade * Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a bellybutton * Alfred Einstein never wore a single pair of socks * Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were roommates at Harvard funfactz.com

Fun Stuff

Page 12

Horoscopes

Did You Know?

Staff Writer

* Every ton of recycled paper saves about 17 trees. * Animals that lay eggs don’t have bellybuttons. * The average cat can jump five times as high as its tail is long. * The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips. * Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween. * Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. * There are approximately 7,000 feathers on an eagle. * Dolphins sleep with one eye open. * 50% of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween. * Slugs have four noses.

Sources: realfacts.snapple.com acts.randomhistory.com/halloween-facts.html

The evolution of the Halloween costume

By Selina Sorensen

By Rachel Schuster

Staff Writer

Aries (March 21 – April 19), you are dreading Halloween, but try to keep your head up. Get together with some friends and go to a party.

You may just find a spark with a mysterious someone.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20), feeling extra good lately? You should be!

Positive energy surrounds you this month, and absolutely nothing should go wrong. Have a lot of fun, but study extra hard for your next exam, unless you want your good mood to fall flat. Keep up the amazing perseverance you have, even when others around you have given up.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20), this is a good month for you to have an adventure. Finish your homework early one weekend, and spend the rest of it going wild. Also, romance seems to be coming your way. You are flirty by nature, so let it all out this month.

By Isabella Paragas

Cartoonist

Crossword: Candies

Cancer (June 21 – July 22), this month you will discover a new talent, but it may take a few tries, so don’t be discouraged when you fail at some things. Also, you may find a note in your locker sometime soon.

Secret admirer? Homecoming invite? Or detention notice? Be sure to check it out.

Leo (July 23 – August 22), by nature you love attention, and you also like to be admired. If you aren’t getting as much this month, you just might let your inner lion roar, so be careful. Your love life is complicated this month, but just remember to never settle for second best.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22), school just sucks this month, especially with the end of the quarter coming up. If you have a few grades that aren’t so good, don’t hide it from your parents; it will only make things worse. Also, you tend to over analyze things, so take a breath and relax.

Libra (September 23 – October 22), feeling rebellious? That’s unfortunate. Anything you do this month that breaks the rules will just end you up grounded, computerless, and phoneless. By nature, you are likely to hide your own true feelings in order to bring peace within a group. This month, you need to stop trying to make everyone happy and do something for yourself.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21), October is going to be a great month for you. You are super optimistic about everything and can’t wait to start planning for Halloween. Throw a party or go to one, and flaunt your awesome costume. Also, the odds are in your favor! Good luck will follow you throughout the entire month.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), you are feeling very health conscious this month. So much candy all over the place and Halloween isn’t helping. Try going for jog; it will help clear your head and make you feel a lot better, and you might run into someone new. If that doesn’t work, try dropping by the gym or starting a diet with a friend.

Connect the Dots .47 .48 .46 .45

.49

.44 .50

1 ..67 .66

.43 .51

.2

.65

.3

.42 .64

.52

.4

.41

.5 .53

.59

.58

.40 .54

.63

.60

.9 .8

.61 .62

.57

.7

.6

.10

.39 .55 .56

.11

.38 .37

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), sweet romance is in the air for you. Girls: make it obvious that you have feelings towards your crush. Guys: get the hint! Ask her out already!

.12 .24 .25

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18), really try to focus this month.

You need to think before you speak, unless you want to really hurt someone’s feelings. October is going to go by slowly, and every day is going to seem endless, so don’t get caught daydreaming in class.

.23 .22

.26

.36

.35

.14

.27

.34 .28

Pisces (February 19 – March 20), everything this month is just kind of awkward in general. So, if you feel the urge to do something really random, go for it. You have nothing to lose! Embrace your natural ability to be easily inspired and let your creativity flow.

.13

.21

.29 .30 .31 .33

.20 .19

.32

.15 .16 .17 .18

Talk Back

Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, as what? author: anonymous

“Yes, I am going to be Pauly D from Jersey Shore.”

- Antoine Abinader

“Yes, me and all my friends are going to be a super hero, and I picked to be Spider Man.”

- Kalila Kirk

Make dot to dot puzzles at picturedots.com

“No, I am not dressing up because I have basketball tryouts the day of Halloween.”

- Kiana Ghazouli

“Yes, but I can’t say, I want to save it for Halloween.”

- Peter Johnson

Photos and interviews by Selina Sorensen

Calendar

Page 13

Carlmont Events in November

nfrazier@scotscoopnews.com Sun

Nov 2011 (Pacific Time)

Mon 30

Tue 31

Wed 1

Thu

Fri

2

3

Sat 4

5

ASB Food Drive Winter sports tryouts Volleyball vs. HMB

Math Contest

Volleyball vs. SM

WaterPolo Girls @Hills

6

7

Fros/Soph Football @Elcamino

Clearence Packets D ue Varsity Football

SAT

@Elcamino

8

9

10

11

12

ASB Food Drive Frosh/Sopf Football @Sequoia Varsity Football

No School-Veterans No School-Veterans Day Day

@Sequoia

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

22

23

24

25

26

2

3

ASB Food Drive Math Contest

20

21

Minimum Day

Send Transcripts

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Four day weekend 27

28

29

30

1

Adopt-a-Family Dogeball Tournament

Dodgeball Tournament

Fox & Sandpiper @OutdoorEd Math Contest

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

Countdown Beginning from October 26:

~5 days until Halloween ~16 days until Veteran’s Day ~21 days until Golden State Warriors begin season in Philadelphia ~29 days until Thanksgiving ~56 days until Hanukkah begins ~58 days until Winter Break ~60 days until Christmas ~102 days until the 46th annual

Superbowl ~111 days until Valentine’s day ~128 days until Heritage fair ~139 days until CAHSEE testing ~142 days until St. Patrick’s Day ~154 days until Open House ~158 days until Spring Break ~162 days until San Francisco Giants begin season in Arizona ~163 days until Passover begins ~164 days until Easter ~179 days until STAR testing begins ~199 days until Mother’s Day ~225 days until Summer vacation

College Applications Due

Is Halloween becoming hollow?

By Chloe Scott

Staff Writer With Halloween quickly approaching, talk about parties and costumes have come up around campus.

For the past few years, Halloween has been on weekends - perfect for parties and staying out all night. This year, however, Halloween is on a Monday, which means students are required to have school the day after.

Because of the fact that it is a school night, Halloween might affect the number of students coming to school on

both Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

When asked if he would be coming to school the day after Halloween, Max Dobson, a sophomore, said, “Nahh! It is ridiculous for us to waste a holiday and not go out to parties!

So I’ll just stay home the next day.”

But not everyone will be going out to party all night, like sophomore Kalila Kirk, who said, “I’m not going to parties because I’m going trick-or-treating.”

When Nick Rich, a junior, was asked if he would be going to parties on Halloween, he replied, “Party on a Monday?

Monday’s are boring! Why party on a Monday?”

Many parents will not be letting their kids stay out and skip school the next day. Freshman Elise Dimick and sophomore Melissa Talgo will be coming to school because they “are going to be forced to.”

But is it possible that Halloween could be dying out? As kids grow into teens, trick-or-treating becomes less and less of a priority, which may make it seem like the holiday is dying out.

In reality, most people just transfer from trick-or-treating to going out to party.

But because of the fact that Halloween is on a Monday, and most of the parties are going to be on the weekends, this may give more Carlmont students the opportunity to go trick-or-treating if they would like to relive that childhood experience. “Trick-or-treating was always so fun, I can’t wait to go this year,” said an enthusiastic Kirk.

A few people on campus simply dislike the holiday and agree that this year, more than the past years, it just isn’t

important anymore.

Many Carlmont students have very fond memories of Halloween in elementary and middle school, dressing up, getting to go out at night, get candy and just having fun, but those late nights trick-or-treating have quickly become staying up partying.

One of the greatest parts of Halloween is the fact that one can stay out as late as one want and even pull an all-nighter and not have the stress of getting up and going to school in the morning. “I loved staying up late and getting all that candy!” said Chloe Sorensen.

Instead of going to parties on Halloween day and then staying home the day after, quite a few Carlmont students will be partying all weekend, and not coming to school on Halloween.

Many of the elementary and middle school’s gave their kids the day off after Halloween, assuming that if everyone did come to school, they wouldn’t be able to concentrate due to sugar highs the night before.

Even though we don’t have that day off, there is no doubt in any one’s mind that the weekend before will be full of fun and of course, parties.

“I’m gonna have an epic weekend for Halloween,” says senior Gio Tenorio, speaking not only for him, but for many others.

Photo by Nikos Frazier

Extras

Page 14

U-hall to F-hall

Will I graduate?

Continued from front Required classes and credits to graduate Carlmont have changed if the time is reasonable. We will be having a meeting addressing this issue on Friday,” Crame explained.

The walk from the new F hall to the far away land of U hall is already quite long and exhausting for students. The only thing that could make it worse is being reprimanded by a teacher for their inevitable tardiness.

Cheating on detention

Continued from front trouble and do not realize that what ever it was that landed them a detention is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by school faculty.

Senior Sean Michaels, who admits to have taken trash from the bins around school, said, “We’re not following through and we’re not thinking about what we did. We only do it because we’re told to.”

Senior Jeff Haslam, also admitting to have taken trash from school bins, has a different outlook on this. “Other kids who have detentions can pick up the trash laying around,” replied Haslam when asked if he feels bad for taking trash from the school bins.

Students also take trash from classroom bins and one teacher in particular feels strongly against this.

English teacher Joseph Hill believes it is unethical and stated that, “It infuriates me!

If you’re man enough or woman enough to have done what got you a detention, then you should be man enough or woman enough to pick up trash around school.”

Hill asserts that if he ever catches students doing this that, “I will go Bon Qui Qui on you.”

Although students may be getting away with stealing trash from trash bins, the administration does know what is going on.

Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom stated, “Yes, we are aware of what students are doing and we plan to implement a new policy, but even then there are over 2000 students and just a handful security guards, so we won’t always be able to catch them in the act.”

When asked if issuing detentions are pointless since our campus is not getting cleaned up, Fishtrom said, “Believe it or not, since my first year here, campus clean up has improved by a lot. It’s not pointless; it was ten times worse before.”

Maybe through the implementation of the new policy Carlmont’s school grounds will be cleaned up and be transformed into a school in which it is worth taking pride and care.

Until then, even though the administration is aware of what is happening it does not seem like students getting trash from trash bins will be ending anytime soon.

for incoming students

By Kellan McDonough

Staff Writer Many students are confused about what classes they need to complete in order to graduate.

CTE and driver’s education are the two main sources of confusion. CTE credits, or “Career Technical Education,” are required, starting with the junior class. Driver’s education is no longer required for all classes.

The Sequoia Union High School District defines CTE as “a program of study that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to post secondary education and careers.”

The district integrated CTE into the graduation requirements because CTE can help students with life long skills. Leadership and responsibility are skills needed beyond high school.

One year of a CTE class equals ten credits.

Ten CTE credits is all it takes to pass that specific graduation requirement.

However, the current seniors are not required to take a CTE, but instead are required to take a practical art class. Similar

to a CTE, a practical art is worth ten credits. The seniors are the last class to need a Practical Art. Tammy DePaoli, the head guidance counselor in the college and career center, said that, “Practical arts is a requirement for only seniors. After this year, it will be gone. Starting with the junior class, the new requirement is CTE.” Carlmont offers a wide variety of CTE classes. Some examples include art, film critique, video production, illustration, journalism, performing arts, engineering and green technology, biotechnology, computer applications, web design and digital photography.

In addition to CTE and practical arts credits, all classes must attain 10 credits for fine arts. Fine Arts credits can be accumulated by classes like animation, art, ceramics, graphics, drawing and painting, illustration and graphic design, digital photography, art studio and web design.

Students are no longer required to take driver’s education.

Sleep Deprivation University in 1970.

This sleep center continues to be the lead sleep study organization in the world.

Another problem is that high school might not be the end of late nights spent doing homework, many students that attend college have the same problem.

“College is a lot like high school, but just on a more intense level. There’s more homework, more parties and a lot less sleep,” expressed Lauren Dempsey, who currently attends Creighton College in Omaha, “Finding success all comes down to finding the

right balance of everything and learning time management.”

A lot of the problem is the students themselves. Often the urge to go to sleep is ignored when the person is facing some sort of distraction.

Another big problem is the amount of homework that students have to do.

“Many teachers give us too much homework and they don’t think about the outside school sports or activities that we have,” lamented Benavidez, “or even the amounts of work from the other classes.”

Torika Ramulo, a graduating senior, says, “I like it because it makes me have one less thing to worry about for my requirements.”

However, many students are not aware that they no longer have to take driver’s education.

When Kayla Wright, a junior, was asked about the new Driver’s Education policy she said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Wright is not the only student confused about the Driver’s Education policy. The new policy was not advertised to sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Yet, the freshmen saw a presentation during the first weeks of school.

In the past, students had to take classes during the summer to make the graduation requirement. Other students have resorted to taking classes at the College of San Mateo or other local community colleges.

It looks like the sophomores, juniors, seniors and even freshmen could use a reminder.

Continued from front These distractions can hurt students’ grades, especially if the student was to fall asleep in class.

In the end, sleep is very important for a health lifestyle and happiness. The next time that a student feels like staying up an extra hour later, remember that sleep is more important.

What should I do to stay awake during class?

Do: 1. Give yourself every opportunity to move around. For example: tap your fingers and feet, switch position in chair, stretch, bounce your leg, pinch yourself, etc.

2. Take notes while the teacher is taking to keep your mind more alert. Another tip is to write the notes in different colors.

3. Participate in class!

4. Take a break. Ask to use the bathroom. Once there you can splash some water on your face to help wake you up. Do this quickly because the whole point is to prevent yourself from missing out on important information.

5. Go to sleep at least 30 minuets earlier than usual. You must get enough sleep!

Don’t: 1. Don’t drink soda or lots of caffeine or else you will crash! Instead swap them out for a nice bottle of cold water.

2. Don’t close your eyes. They might just stay closed!

3. Don’t lay your head down.

4. Don’t eat bananas, turkey or oatmeal for lunch because these foods are proven to make people sleepy.

5. Don’t rest your head on your hand.

Sports

Page 15

Morning practices The tenacious turf trouble affecting students Carlmont’s football field fix is over-due

By Conrad May

Staff Writer

Many sports have implemented early morning practices, which start before school. These practices start early in the morning and end before first period so the students have time to get to class.

Although morning practices give more time for the students to practice their sport, it also deprives many students of sleep.

Students do not have very much time to sleep to begin with, but when they have morning practices, they lose precious hours of sleep.

Sophomore Gene Shreck said, “I usually try get around eight hours of sleep, but when I have morning practices, I get around six.”

Other students that struggle in school have the same problem and the last thing that a struggling student needs is a lack of sleep.

Studies have shown that teenagers should have at least eight to nine hours of sleep for their brains to function correctly.

Morning practices are not only disruptive to student’s sleep but they are also hurting student’s schoolwork.

Shreck then went on to say, “I like having practice in the morning so I have my afternoon free, but usually after getting up that early I have trouble focusing in class and after school on homework.”

When students can’t pay attention in class it is hard for both the teachers and the students. The students can miss important information that will impact their grade.

Some sports like cross country have their coaches tell the students

that they do not want them to practice before school.

“My coach tells us not to run on our own before school and just run after school,” says sophomore Ryan Dimick.

Many coaches realize the harm that practicing early in the morning can do to the students and only permit them to practice after school.

Morning practices also mess up some students schedules of how they get to school.

Sophomore Tristan Gasperian said, “Usually I take the bus to school, but when I have practice before school my parents have to drive me.”

Not only do these practices disrupt the student’s schedule, but also their whole family’s schedule.

Although morning practices can disrupt both academics and agendas, it does leave a period of time without after school distractions.

Gasperian also said, “I like having time to workout in the morning because I find it peaceful and it wakes me up before school.

I also like to go to the library and study with my friends after school and usually I have practice so I can’t go.”

Other students similar to Gasperian like that they get the opportunity to hang out with their friends, which is harder when they already have a cramped schedule.

Morning practices can help a student focus on their sport and open up their schedule, but it can be harmful to their grades and their family’s schedules.

By Ryan Freeman

Staff Writer

After years of over use and bad maintenance, the field that has hosted countless Carlmont home games is finally reaching its breaking point.

With year-round sports and six periods of P.E. every day, the field has surpassed its capacity for usage.

“All the turf is gone and it is all rubber,” said Marty Milkovsky, a current boys varsity soccer player.

With the yellow and white strips starting to fade and the lack of plastic blades, the field’s physical appearance is not the only thing on players’ minds.

“It makes the ball bounce weirdly and it is not like normal turf,” continued Milkovsky.

With the excessive amount of competitions played on the field, the bad conditions could easily make the difference in a close game.

Of course any team’s main focus is to win, but with the turf lacking good condition, the chance of a loss is not the biggest fear for a team coming to play at Carlmont.

David B. Ryan, a writer for an online health forum E-how Health said, “Bacteria, left by bodily secretions such as sweat, saliva and blood, thrive in the artificial turf when heated. Cuts, open wounds and bare skin coming into contact with the bacteria can pick up infections that can develop into serious conditions. Turf burns from friction must be immediately disinfected.”

When playing any sport, no one wants to have to be worrying about getting hurt rather than focusing on the actual game.

Although sliding wrong could be the cause of severe burns, Ryan Wong, a current boys soccer player, has his own opinions of the source. “The turf is not soft enough; it’s too worn out.”

When asked how he thinks its possible to prevent turf burns, he seemed skeptical of a solution. “It can’t really be prevented.

The only real solution is to re-turf the field completely.”

With the current plans to put in lights, Carlmont administration has also seriously considered using the remaining bond money to returf it as well.

Unfortunately, neither of these projects would take effect until the beginning of the 2013 fall sports season.

“Until then we are doing the best we can”, explained Jerome Harris, the School maintenance manager and one of only three of current campus maintenance workers.

“We also need the students to pitch in as well.”

A turf maintenance and regulations sight, called FDU (Field Development Unit) explains “The frequency of such maintenance will vary and needs to be adjusted to reflect the hours of use but is likely to be at least weekly” With a shortened staff due to layoffs and the overwhelming 43 acres that make up Carlmont, the failing turf is not able to be maintained up to regulation.

“We usually just manually clean the turf for garbage and other debris,” continued Harris. “Three to four times a year we have someone vacuum as well” Even with a maintenance crew of three “cleaning” the field daily, the field’s warranty is way overdue.

“Turf fields should be replaced anywhere from one to five years after installment,” explained Harris.

In 2003, the turf was brought in as the last of the field renovations for the Sequoia Union High School District. Now in 2011, almost nine years later, students are still waiting.

photo by Alex Porter

49ers off to surprisingly good start

By Graham Godwin

Staff Writer

For most people, third time is the charm, and it is looking like seventh time is the charm for the former number one overall draft pick, quarterback Alex Smith. Smith has returned for his seventh year as quarterback of the 49ers and after six mightily disappointing seasons, he is starting to show why the 49ers made him their number one overall pick in 2005.

“Alex Smith is putting the team on his back,” said sophomore Josh Fagel, when asked about the quarterback efficient play.

The biggest addition to the 49ers in the off-season was head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, fresh off an Orange Bowl victory, was hired away from the Stanford to provide leadership and heart to the 49er team and organization Because of the NFL lockout, just as Harbaugh stepped in as head coach, he was restricted from communicating with his players in any form. When the lockout was finally lifted, the 49ers were expected to be in the running for marquee free agents such as Nnamdi Asmougha and Matt Hasselback; instead, the Niners had to settle for solid but not as exciting signings in CB Carlos Rogers and C Jonathan Goodwin. Rogers has been an instant success with interceptions now in multiple games.

So far though, none of these issues seem to be an obstacle for Harbaugh’s team. On opening day, the Niners beat division rival Seattle Seahawks behind an outstanding

special teams effort, which included two Ted Ginn Jr. touchdown returns. The following week, the Niners lost a tough game to the Dallas Cowboys, led by an inspired quarterback Tony Romo in overtime. This loss seemed to fuel their determination and it’s been smooth sailing since. They pulled out a win in Cincinnati with a strong defensive effort and an unexciting but efficient offense.

The 49ers then traveled to Philadelphia to face the Eagles who were picked by many to win the Superbowl. The Eagles rushed to a 21-3 lead at halftime but the game was far from over. A year ago the 49ers would have been done and the game would have been all but decided. This 49ers team is different behind Harbaugh at the helm. They stormed back to steal the game away from the Eagles in front of their home crowd (22-21).

“When the Eagles lost to the 49ers I was so devastated; the Eagles haven’t lived up to their preseason billing, but as much as it kills me to say this, the 49ers are the real deal,” said passionate Philly fan Andrew Durlofsky.

The 49ers came back to San Francisco brimming with confidence and they showed it with their absolute thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (48-3).

Fan’s started to recognize this team’s potential and excitement was at a recent high heading into the heavyweight challenge against undefeated Detroit at Ford Field.

The Niners knew that it would be a daunting task defeating the upstart Lions at their home field. After years of being historically bad Detroit had stockpiled enough talent to turn the tide and enjoy some early success in the season. The Niners seemed to be phased at first by the insane sound produced by Detroit fans in the domed stadium, racking up more penalties than first downs in the first quarter.

The defense came up big again however and kept the Niners in the game even though the offense was struggling mightily against the ever-increasing decibels of sound. In the end however Alex Smith didn’t make any critical mistakes and made key clutch plays towards the end of the game. The Niners won the game in emphatic fashion (25-19); players and coaches were visibly excited and pumped up after the game.

Six games into the season with the team headed into the bye fans can be confident in the teams ability to play

stellar defense and not making critical and game changing mistakes on offense. More success can be expected in the near future if consistent offensive playmakers Vernon Davis and Frank Gore keep making plays and leading the way.

The one wild card for this Niners season will be the play will be the quarterback play, if Alex Smith can continue to be average and not make mistakes then this team will be fine.

If the Niners can keep to their winning formula then playoffs are certainly within reach. The NFC West is notoriously bad, the Seattle Seahawks are extremely inconsistent, the Arizona Cardinals are terrible on defense and the St. Louis Rams have caught the injury plague and are currently unable to win.

With Harbaugh at the lead, a shutdown defense and an offense that’s just getting the job done, the San Francisco 49ers are breathing new life and a run at the Super Bowl is not as far fetched as it once seemed.

illustrations by Curtis Fan

photos by Grace Chang and Alex Porter

Page 16

Sports

CARLMONT STUDENTS SHOW OFF THEIR SPORTS GEAR