The Mustang Feb. 2014

02.28.14

02.28.14

Read about some of SDA’s talented freshmen on

The 86th Academy Awards is this weekend. Who do you think will win Best Picture?

Read our Oscar predictions on Freshman Claire Brady

Boys basketball earns a victory over San Pasqual on senior night, Feb. 13.

Read about the team on Art by Manon Wogahn

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Senior Ty Gibson

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I have come to realize the power of this video game as it has taken from me what I hold most dear: attention.

Which SDA teacher named his/her child after an Incan god?

Student Artist:

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banana, sliced and frozen That’s one of the delicious ingredients for the healthy protein shake recipe on

Find out at www.sdamustang.com

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Taylor Johnson

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Teacher Tidbit

Taylor Knudson reconsiders her choice in friends on

I enjoy trying to capture the emotions of the people I paint and draw.

Art by Manon Wogahn

NEWS EDITOR Nicole Smith

FEATURES EDITOR Katie McPherson

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Elise Echeverria

ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR HEALTH EDITOR Elise Gout

ARTS EDITOR Gabby Catalano OPINIONS EDITOR Kira Elliott SPORTS EDITOR Sarah Kochanek PHOTO EDITORS Tacy Manis Kirsten Walz

BUSINESS MANAGER CAF EDITOR Lily LeaVesseur ONLINE EDITORS

Sam Winter Sierra Zounes

ONLINE ARTS EDITOR Sara Portnoy

STAFF WRITERS Linden Amundsen Terren Brin Caroline Daniel Dylan Hendrickson Lindsey King Taylor Knudson Olivia Mock Andrew Naimark Katrina Olsen Ivan Ramales Joseph Swit Keely Thompson Manon Wogahn

STAFF ARTIST Roya Chagnon ADVISOR Tim Roberts

The Mustang is the student newspaper of San Dieguito Academy.

Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the newspaper. The Mustang is an open forum which welcomes letters. Letters can be submitted to room 98, emailed to sdamustang@gmail.com, submitted at www.sdamustang.com, or mailed to the above address.

San Dieguito Academy / Room 98 / 800 Santa Fe Drive / Encinitas, CA 92024

02.28.14

Testing the limits

Biology teacher Michael Santos provides an insight into why students get kicked out of the SAT and ACT. Story by Katie McPherson.

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f all the tests that teenagers dutifully sit through, the SAT and ACT are considered the most important.

These two standardized exams are measurements used by colleges in order to determine where a student stands compared to other applicants. For example Columbia University is known for not accepting math scores lower than 700, while a state school would be more likely to accept one of 490.

According to biology teacher Michael Santos, who runs the SAT and ACT at San Dieguito Academy for the College Board, these long tests tend to expose the ill-prepared and poor listener in many a high schooler. At least one student per test will get kicked out for “going ahead or behind in a section,” said Santos.

Santos recalled a time when a proctor was reading the instructions for the SAT and a student was already on question 10. Said Santos, “[The students] just aren’t following directions.”

Santos pointed out that most disqualifications occur because of

Art by Madeleine Karydes

“noise violations,” such as someone’s “cell phone goes off, watch alarm goes off, things like that.”

While not following directions will commonly get a student kicked out, traditional cheating occurs much less often. “I’ve only experienced [cheating] once when I was a proctor. I was in a classroom where individuals had the same exact test and one person was looking directly over at what the other person was do-

ing,” said Santos.

Although rarely caught, Santos said he expects that students do cheat: “If you look at a proctor, they’re doing lots of things, they’re grading maybe, but in a lot of cases when you have 20 people, individuals will do it when they know that the proctor is not looking.”

Students who catch a cheater have an opportunity to report them to the College Board. Santos

said he has never seen anyone do this, but said, “There are instances where people say that they are going to do that.” He continued that students may choose to report someone this way because “it’s easier for them to do that anonymously, after the fact.”

Whether caught for something as minor as cell phone ringing or something as major as copying from another student’s test, the consequences are the same; “They are dismissed from the classroom,” said Santos.

Santos noted that whether or not a student’s test scores are canceled is not up to him. “It is up for College Board or for ACT to decide if they are going to mark [the scores] void or not,” said Santos, “I give them the facts and then they make the decision.”

As to how widespread this occurrence is, College Board neglected to comment.

The cancellation of scores does not bar a student from taking the test again.

The only consequence of cancellation is the loss of the examination fee, $51 for the SAT.

Regardless of what they get caught for, the threat of having an important test like the SAT or ACT be made void provokes a wide range of emotions in students.

“It gets to the point where some of them just give a sigh and say, ‘Okay, I’m done.’ In other cases they get pretty violent. I’ve had individuals go back to the classroom and start yelling at the proctor,” said Santos.

He added that one student, after being kicked out, “looked like he punched the wall several times and was bleeding from the knuckles.”

On the ACT and SAT, high scores are often credited with many a college acceptance, and Santos used this to explain why students cheat, whether it’s something as minor as changing answers on a previous section or as monumental as copying another student’s answers, said Santos.

“They [the students] feel it’s such a high stress thing that they need to get as much as possible out of it,” he said.

Making a Difference

Sophomore Shovik Sarkar takes time out of his day to tutor refugee children from Africa. Story by Sierra Zounes.

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eaching is not about helping out those on your level, but helping others rise above it. Sophomore Shovik Sarkar created a non-profit tutoring organization called “Each One to One” (EOTO), which is run both at chidlren’s homes in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood and online via Skype, Idroo, and other online teaching programs.

“We teach children from wartorn countries in Africa who are now refugees in City Heights,” said Sarkar. The teachers who teach these children can have difficulties understanding the problems they face, such as the language barrier and insufficient education, so Sarkar’s program offers work that is at their specific

skill level.

The program started during Thanksgiving Break of 2013 when his mother took him to a youth group meeting in City Heights for the IRC Youth Ambassador Program. He wanted to reach out to these refugee children, and as a result, created EOTO. His first student was the daughter of the youth group’s leader, Lameck Nyabenda. From there, he expanded to other families and children.

While there is always a tutor onsite at the children’s homes with the students during their lessons, there is also the option to have an online tutor as well. That way, they can more efficiently teach their students and enable them to utilize their computer for

Photos courtesy of fosbyouth.wix.com

learning, said Sarkar.

“Online isn’t always the best, though. Some families don’t own computers, or have internet,” said Sarkar.

Tutors go to family homes to teach, and will help multiple students at a time. This allows them to teach four to five kids per

hour. The only trouble they may face with this is controlling their behavior, especially during family gatherings or events that occur at the house during their lesson time.

Sarkar is not alone in his project. Sophomores Rebecca Lim and Alice Wang are two

San Dieguito Academy students that Sarkar has brought into his program, as well as five other tutors from other schools. His youngest tutor is a five-year-old who teaches four-year-olds the alphabet and the different colors.

In addition to tutors, contributors to his project include AP world history teacher Scott Huntley who donated food to one of the families, biology teacher Michael Santos, and Sarkar’s middle school teacher Emily Coulter.

“Why did I start this? I wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives,” said Sarkar.

For more information about the program and how to get involved, visit http://fosbyouth. wix.com/eototutors.

02.28.14

Mustang Minds still going strong

The Mustand Minds team hopes to fine tune their game and have a strong season, despite some initial losses. Story by Joseph Swit.

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s spring sports begin to start up, the Mustang Minds team is wrapping up its season which has seen a fair share of highs and lows.

The team began the year eager to build on the success of last year’s squad, who won the Coast Division championship.

“The season started with high hopes and we were looking to be competitive,” said senior Terren Brin. However, their record this year is 1-2 in the North County Academic League. (A game was scheduled Thursday against Torrey Pines after the paper went to press.)

The team takes part in teamstyle Jeopardy with five students per side. The teams have to be prepared to answer questions ranging from world history, politics, calculus and even last month’s Grammys.

With such a broad knowledge base required, each of the seven seniors on the varsity team has categories in which they specialize: Brin and Astrid

SDA Mustang freshman team prepares for a match against Pacific Ridge School. Photo by Dylan Hendrickson.

Gonzales focus on social studies, Ian McGregor keeps up with math and current events, Kathryn Chapman is the literature expert, Tacy Manis does fine arts, while

Joey Levin and Zachary Evans specialize in math and science.

This season started off a little rough for the varsity. They lost a close game to LCC on Jan. 30 and

suffered a disappointing loss to CCA the next week.

“I think we are on our way up though, and with some hard work we have a chance of maybe

making the playoffs,” said Brin.

Despite bumps in the road the varsity started a comeback effort on Feb. 21 by edging Pacific Ridge in a nail biter 63-58. Winning their last game could mean a return trip to the league playoffs.

“CCA was really good this year but we did pull out some wins and the last game (against Pacific Ridge) was really good,” said senior Joey Levin. “We are looking forward to next week (a game at Carlsbad) and hopefully continuing our season.”

In their all-important final game some enthusiastic support could benefit the Mustangs. The team embraces this support as long as the audience remains respectful. “A supportive crowd can raise our morale,” said Brin.

“But when they cheer too loud and take away from game time it can get annoying. We like a mix between supportive and not too loud and distracting.”

Their season finale is on March 6 at 6:30 at Carlsbad High School.

02.28.14

Robotics team prepares for competition After hundreds of hours of commitment from FIRST Team Paradox 2102 robotics team members, they have wrapped up their build season and are now preparing to travel to competitions in San Diego and Las Vegas. Story by Nicole Smith.

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e’re given six weeks after kickoff to design, prototype, program, and manufacture our robot. It gets really hectic,” said sophomore Kylah Clay, treasurer for San Dieguito Academy’s robotics team.

Team members were required to finish their build season on Feb. 18 in order to meet the deadline for competition in this year’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.

According to Team President senior Lauren Shaw, the team will pit their robot aginst those of other teams at the San Diego Regional competition at the Valley View Casino Center from March 6-8.

Then, they will travel to Las Vegas for a second regional competition from April 3-5. If the team preforms at a high level, they will move on to the World Championships at St. Louis in late April.

The team received the challenge for this year’s game on Jan. 4 and worked on the robot for the six following weeks, building and preparing their robot for competition. This year’s game is titled

“Aerial Assist.” “Teams have to shoot exercise balls into various goals that are placed on both sides of the field,” explained Clay.

Robots from three different teams play in an “alliance” and cooperate to earn extra points.

Clay explained: “There is also [a] truss, a large metal beam raised halfway over the field, [that] robots can shoot the exercise balls over for extra points. Additionally, robots gain extra points for catching the ball tossed over the truss and passing it to alliance members.”

Junior Richard McClelland is heavily involved in build for the robotics team. McClelland designed this year’s robot chassis.

He said, “This season is going pretty well. At week five our robot is almost done.”

As far as competition, team members are generally optimistic. “I think the season is going really well right now and I’m looking forward to competition.

It’s going to be so much fun and I can tell we’re going to do well,” said Clay.

The success of the team is dependent on commitment from students as well as the help from team mentors. “There are 65

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students this year on robotics but we also have a lot of mentors, teachers and parents who play a huge role on our team. There is no minimum amount of time that members have to contribute to the team; however we do log in our hours and there is a minimum [of 30 hours necessary in order to be allowed] to travel for away games,” said Clay.

According to McClelland, he, as well as other very involved members, have logged around 250 hours of work throughout this year. “This year the freshmen have gotten to be more involved in build. I remember last year a lot of freshmen complained about not getting taught how to do tasks in build. This was brought up to our executives’ attention and so this year we worked on Geared Learning. Geared Learning is a really cool series of workshops we do for new members to teach them the basics of Solidworks [a 3D design program], programming and machining,” said Clay.

Clay stated that the team will still be working hard in the time before competition, as “After bagging and tagging the robot, we will be finalizing travel plans and still working on grants.”

Robotics team members put the finishing touches on this year’s robot. Photo courtesy of Stacy Jimenez.

02.28.14

02.28.14

Leap day babies

Leap Day is more than a calendrical anomaly: to some, it’s a birthday dilemma and a historical moment. By Keely Thompson.

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oday is Feb. 28, and tomorrow will be March 1.

No, this is not a leap year and I do not have a birthday, again. Just in case you don’t know, which seems to be pretty common, Leap Day is Feb. 29 and it comes every four years, except for centenary years like 1800 and 1900 that didn’t have Leap Days.

It wasn’t just created to torture the 5 million leaplings on this planet and confuse everyone else with 366-day years. Leap Day was made by Caesar so we don’t end up having our seasons slowly get flip-flopped. The earth rotates the sun in approximately 365.25 days, so adding an extra day every four years keeps our calendar on track with the seasons.

In elementary school, it can be an unfortunate birthday. I got in trouble in kindergarten for not knowing why Leap Day existed.

In fact, being a leapling can be such a traumatizing experience that there is an Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies which promotes Leap Day awareness.

This may sound dumb, but in some cases it’s important.

Leaplings with legit IDs have been charged with having fake IDs because people think that their birthday isn’t a real day.

I guess it’s kind of cool to be able to say you were born on

Leap Day. People are always shocked, “even though you’ve told them at least like three times,” said senior leapling and triplet Rafael Swit.

the planet. The US has no rules pertaining to leaplings’ birthdays, but other countries do.

For example, in the United Kingdom, leaplings legally turn

thought that I would be born on Leap Day, even though my due day was two weeks earlier. As the day got closer she predicted that I would be born at 4 o’clock in

Interesting Leap Day Facts: 992: St. Oswald, archbishop of York, dies and gives Leap Day its nickname St. Oswald’s Day 1468: Pope Paul III is born 1504: Christopher Columbus wins a bet with some Native Americans about a lunar eclipse and they have to give him supplies 1736: Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers, is born 1796: Jay’s Treaty, between the US and Great Britain, goes into action 1916: Child labor reform in South Carolina changes working age to 14

Art by Roya Chagnon.

From there people ask, “How old are you? What it’s like? When do you celebrate your birthday?

When you’re 21, can you drink on Feb. 28 or March 1? So, do you not have a golden birthday?”

By tomorrow, I will be 4½.

It’s like a normal birthday, until you’re reminded 400 times that you’re weird. You celebrate your birthday on whatever day is most convenient or on the weekend, like every other non-leapling on

18 on March 1. But in New Zealand, a leapling’s driver license would expire on Feb. 28. Also true, leaplings have no golden birthday. We will never be showered in luck for an entire year.

But, our life didn’t start out particularly lucky anyways. In fact, in Scotland, being born on Leap Day is considered to be as unlucky as Friday the 13th is in the United States.

My mom had a friend who

Art of letting people in

the afternoon. In reply, my mom said, “No one is born on Leap Day.” Sure enough, I was born Feb. 29, 1996 at 4:25 p.m. Of course I was. But, on the bright side, I can propose to a guy on my birthday and he will have to say yes or else buy me 12 pairs of gloves (it’s a tradition in Ireland), and I will never grow old.

For more information on past Leap Days, look at the side bar.

1964: Dawn Fraser sets 100m freestyle world record 1980: Hockey player Gordie Howe scores his 800th goal 1996: Plane crashes into the Andes killing all passengers and crew 2012: Tokyo Skytree is finished and becomes tallest tower in the world

Letting down your guard and inviting people into your life is absolutely terrifying but ultimately rewarding. By Olivia Mock.

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’ve always been terrible when it comes to making decisions; I am the type of person who makes someone else order my ice cream for me because I can’t choose a flavor. When given the option between trusting people and losing my privacy or letting no one in, I panic. I choose the safer option everytime and keep to myself.

Yet, people willingly let their guard down and open up to others all the time. People share secrets, personal stories, their insecurities, their fears, and their expectations of life.

People give up any control they had over a situation and put it into another person’s hands. I see

this happen constantly and the only thing that goes through my mind is, “that is absolutely, completely, and utterly terrifying.” I can’t comprehend why anyone would put themselves in such a precarious, open, and vulnerable place.

Despite that letting your guard down creates the same gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach that you get when you trip and fall in slow motion, people who trust and have close relationships with other people look happy. They don’t have to be smiling, but it is obvious that they are, at the very least, content.

Seeing this again and again

Art by Manon Wogahn.

made me realize I didn’t have anyone I truly trusted. So I decided, the next chance I got, I would try trusting someone. Turns out all you have to do is choose an aquaintance you can tolerate and start talking to them. There was no golden opportunity handed to

me; I had to make it happen. So I took a chance and told a friend everything there was to know about me. Instead of thinking I was a head case, he trusted me in return. Because of him, I have been able to open up to and trust other people, even if it still ter-

rifies me. I figure, if all else fails, I still have my cat and therefore I’m never really alone.

Giving up my security and letting someone actually get to know me for the first time was the scariest thing I have ever done.

It does not always work out; sometimes you choose the wrong people to trust. I have had my personal life spread all around the school because friends I had trusted were careless with that responsibility.

Every once in a while you meet some truly amazing people, and you’ll kick yourself for not giving up earlier and letting them in.

02.28.14

Squirtle versus real life people

Pokemon may be beginning to take over real life relationships, creating real life problems and solutions. By Taylor Knudson.

“S

quirtle. Cloyster.

Mudkip.” Contrary to my initial belief, these words are not a new breed of curse words, manufactured by particularly edgy first graders. They are pieces in the all-consuming game known as Pokémon.

This Nintendo DS game steals consumers’ money, dignity, and worst yet–time that could be spent paying attention to me.

When Pokémon X and Y was released last Fall my life changed forever. I began to feel neglected, like a yappy Pomeranian trapped outside on Christmas, as a few of my friends slowly became tangled in the clutches of their Nintendo DS’s.

I once believed that Pokémon was a game played predominantly by middle school boys who spent their lunches holed up in the back of the

library, alternating between Pokémon and “Cool Math” games. However, since the release of Pokémon X and Y I have come to realize the power of this videogame as it has taken from me what I hold most dear: attention.

A few of my friends have become obessed with this game.

While I also once went through a rather intense gaming phase, having reached level 15 on Tetris a few too many times, this game is different.

For instance, when I try to maintain a normal conversation with two of my friends, discussing for example, how pretty I am or thinking of newspaper article ideas, I am almost immediately shut down.

I might as well be trying to decipher an argument in a telenovela. They shout words in a practically foreign language with

Art by Manon Wogahn.

such passion and excitement that I’m almost scared. Conversations usually go something like: “I could go Dark Pulse Extrasensory Ice Beam U-Turn. Ha. Just freaking mad confuse my opponents!”

“You can beat those meta poison types. The cream!”

Are we talking about driving?

Because while I agree that driving on El Camino Real is often stressful, I’ve never thought of using

a “Dark Pulse Extrasensory Ice Beam U-Turn” to merge into a lane behind an aggressive soccer mom.

I thought my senior year of high school would be spent with insightful discussions relevant to paying car insurance bills and contemplating writing supplement prompts for college applications.

But now, I’m lucky if I can engage in a conversation

without the word “Squirtle” or “Jigglypuff” used more than three times.

Sometimes they’ll try to explain their world of Pokémon to me, but I usually end up feeling like a mother listening to her children explain to her the concept of Tumblr or the significance of Blue Ivy in contemporary culture.

I feel confused and slightly more concerned for them than I was before.

I initially was a bit put off by this phenomenon, viewing it as a massive waste of time, energy, and money.

However, I have come to have a fearful type of respect for it; sort of like how people respect the ocean or their mother-in-laws.

Seeing my friends so entranced by something is sweet in a way, even if that something isn’t my stunning beauty.

02.28.14

Raise your hand

Society is beginning to value the importance of human collaboration and human discussion, and so should you. By Kira Elliott.

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he teacher finished his somewhat long-winded explanation and let out a sigh. He glanced around the room, waiting for one of the students to raise their hand, say something, say anything.

The kids in the back were resting their heads on their binders, slumped onto the tables. A few were flipping through something on their phones. An even smaller number were furiously taking notes, glancing over their unit sheets, formulating ideas. The teacher, crestfallen, slumped slightly in his chair, disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm and discussion in the class.

As students, we are not used to discussion-based classes. We are used to sitting down, listening to the teacher, asking questions if we don’t understand. We are used to filling up our brains, then turning the spigot and letting it spill out on test day so that we can fill it again. On top of this, we keep our schedules filled, stay up late to work on projects for classes we end up sleeping through. For us, this is school.

With the development of Common Core - a new

Art by Roya Chagnon.

educational curriculum and testing that emphasizes literacy and project based learning - a lot of our traditional curriculum will be restructured so as to fit in more interactive learning and more writing based projects.

So for those of us not about to graduate, what we know as school will be changed substantially.

For those of us soon to join collegiate life, our classes will

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be split between lectures and a growing number of small, discussion-based classes or workshops (depending on the field of study).

Those entering the workforce are affected as well, as more businesses are working on becoming increasingly interactive in the workplace by encouraging dialog and creativity. All of us are going into this world, and our expertise is currently limited.

In order to survive, we need to adapt. We need to learn to talk.

Don’t be afraid to raise your hand. Prove the stereotype of the lazy teenager wrong. Don’t sit idly by, thinking that you’ll do it later, thinking that your opinion doesn’t matter. You have a voice, you have a mind, so let’s hear what you think.

Any teacher could probably talk for hours about the importance and benefits of

discussion in the classroom.

I know some of you understand, spend most of class with your hand raised high in the air.

I know some of you just want to get through high school, get it over and done with without anyone noticing you.

I know that most of us fit into that gray area, getting alright grades and focusing more on life outside of school. I, like your teachers, want to hear from all of you during class because each and every one of you has an opinion.

That opinion can help another student understand, could help start a discussion, could make the class just that much more interesting.

Discussion helps broaden perspectives, and broad perspectives promote learning. It’s a win-win situation here. So, next time your teacher starts having a one-sided discussion about a topic because the class is dead silent, raise your hand and contribute.

You’ll make the teacher happy, and maybe encourage someone else to raise their hand.

Be the first, spark a chain reaction. It’s time to talk.

02.28.14

San Dieguito Sentinel Accurate

sdamustang.com

SDA accepts sponsorship from snack company SDA accepts a sponsorship from Frito-Lay and becomes San Dorito Academy. Story by Terren Brin.

236-98-9023

Dating website sweeps San Dieguito Academy; 15-year-old somehow makes millions of dollars and matches A new website matches couples solely on their most intimate and personal characteristics: their social security number. Story by Tily LeaVeKnudson.

The school found this one meter flag more appealing than the 200 ft North Korean one. Photo by Lily LeaVesseur.

The San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) has been facing economic troubles, forcing the administration to take sponsorship deals with high profile corporations. The district recently solicited bids for those willing to fund the school in a sponsorship deal.

A number of companies, including Hostess, Panda Express, Coca Cola, and even the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea expressed interest. In the end, however, it was Frito-Lay that seized victory. It only offered half of what Korea had extorted from its citizens, but the savory mid-meeting snacks won over the tired and famished district administration.

“Really, though, as happy as we would have been to accept the generous offer the North Koreans put on the table, the sight of those Doritos® Cool Ranch® Flavored Tortilla Chips looked delicious after all those hours of dealing with Dennis Rodman,” said Superintendent Saul Tee. Chris P. Chips, the CEO of Frito-Lay, commented: “I’m very happy to have this sponsorship deal go through. Not only did we give the school $100,000 to spend on scholarish stuff, but we also included a 15-year supply of

Doritos® Cool Ranch® Flavored Tortilla Chips for every student in the district! Isn’t that so cool?”

When asked about how many of those free chips would comply with the district’s nutritional requirements, Chips said that those regulations were relaxed to allow for mandatory distributions of Doritos® Cool Ranch® Flavored Tortilla Chips every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Alongside the free Doritos® Cool Ranch® Flavored Tortilla Chips, teachers are now required to repeat a Doritos® approved sponsor message at the end of every class period. In addition to this, the school must make two announcements daily, at homeroom and lunch, with similar sponsorship messages.

When asked about the matter, San Dorito Academy Principal Krun Chi defended the sponsorship deal. “The only other acceptable alternative would have been the North Koreans, and we would have had to erect a 200 foot tall flagpole flying the North Korean flag, as well as blare communist propaganda over the PA system every hour. We just don’t think it fits with our school mission, which is to achieve Crispiness, Zestiness and Safe and Delicious Learning®.”

This screenshot of the website is an example of the simple and accessible format that draws many patrons.

In the face of all the recent post-formal date rejections, the new dating site “Nine Digits to Love” is up to 12 million users from SDA alone. Those who have given up on pursuing a relationship have found renewed hope in this site, which requires its users only to enter their social security numbers to be matched up with a partner.

The innovative matching algorithm, pioneered by Einstein(‘s Bros Bagels cashier Skamm Murr), takes three social security numbers and puts them into the Pythagorean theorem.

It then takes that number and uses it to find the derivative of the user’s mother’s maiden age.

That number will determine how many times they should throw a die up into the air. Whatever number the die lands on is how many dozens of dollars from the

bagel tip jar/Murr’s eighth grade graduation money they will use to pay their interns to arbitrarily choose a match.

“Recently my 95-year-old aunt Doris went through her fifth divorce – it was quite the milestone. To help her get back into the dating game, I thought I’d create a simple system that she could easily navigate on her 1987 Macintosh II. She’s especially afraid of having her identity stolen, so she’s uncomfortable entering personal information like her name and address on the internet. But with ‘Nine Digits to Love’ it’s only a one-step process because you just have to enter your social security number, or alternatively your credit card number. We don’t even require an email address!” said Murr.

The website has also gained

popularity among teens. “I was rejected three times asking guys to formal. Even worse, I wasted at least three prime puns on people who were not interested in my really quite unique sense of humor. But now that I’ve started using ‘Nine Digits to Love,’ I’m excited to be matched up with the Nigerian prince of my dreams,” said SDA junior Naya Eve. Murr has made so much money from selling “advertisements” that after just two weeks of the site’s existence, he’ll be retiring at the age of 15 and passing the business on to the team who created the Obamacare website. “I’ll finally have time to get my driving permit and watch the eleven season box set of ‘Frasier.’” Murr will also be donating one million dollars to both the Free Martha Stewart campaign and #KONY2012.

02.28.14

My Life in ‘Jeopardy’ In his attempt to conquer a lifelong dream, one staff writer fought the best and brightest of the West Coast for a chance to achieve game show immorality or be silently rejected trying.

STORY BY DYLAN HENDRICKSON. ART BY ROYA CHAGNON.

A

nervous silence had already been established when I got to the official “Jeopardy” audition waiting area, 15 minutes early. It was a small, hotel conference room with doily curtains and portraits of palm trees and beaches far, far away from drearily sunny Culver City.

About 16 pen-disassembling teenagers and 16 arm-around-shoulder, hand-on-knee parents sat in rows looking towards the empty space up front that they assumed someone would fill. Two people, a middle-aged man and a younger-looking woman, entered in silence.

The man turned around, smiled, and with a certain familiarity greeted us with the words, “Welcome to Teen Jeopardy.”

Yes, I am a trivia buff. I pride myself in knowing all sorts of useless information that never fails to not impress anyone, with the exception of one time in freshman geometry where I named Rutherford B. Hayes as our 20th president. It wasn’t right, but Chaker was astounded nonetheless.

I answered Alex Trebek’s call for teenage nerds extraordinaire and took the online test to prove my worth. It was a couple weeks before I got the letter. It was actually an e-mail, but it didn’t matter. This was the way of the future! The future that held me diving in swimming pools of my Jeopar-dollars and making dollar angels in my penthouse! They will rue the day they said I couldn’t be successful by knowing random facts!

An uneasy stillness filled the gaps of the man’s monologue, though he didn’t appear to be affected by the tough audience. “Hey, I didn’t hear you; who’s excited to be here today?” An enthusiastic, but still insidevoiced “wooooo” came from the crowd. “Eyyy that’s better!”

He introduced himself as Glenn, and walked us through the steps of the audition: an introductory video of the rules, a 50-question timed test, and a mock run of a Jeopardy game with a brief personality interview. He also tells us that we will only hear back if we make it on the show, leaving the rest of the Hopefuls stuck in limbo like military wives waiting for their missing husbands to somehow return home.

The Head Honchos led our group out and away from the supportive arms of our moms/dads wishing us the Best of Luck and Lots of Fun. They led us down the hall into a larger room of more chairs and more tables. A large, blank projection screen stood at the front, next to a desk loaded with an array of computers, mysterious black boxes, and protruding wires. We uncomfortably chilled when it was realized that interaction was unavoidable.

The group I auditioned with consisted of exactly the kind of people you would expect to try out for “Jeopardy,” with about two-thirds being guys and everyone complete nerds. Later on, I found myself stuck in a debate on whether having your father smell of elderberries and your mother a hamster was really all that bad. Consensus: having a rodent mother would be pretty cool, but elderberry stench is pretty gross.

The formal start of the audition began with a video of Mr. Alex Trebek himself welcoming the lucky few and congratulating us on our skill and giving his most sincere apologies that he couldn’t be at the testing that day but wished us the Best of Luck. The Jeopardy Clue Crew appeared on screen and explained how to take the timed quiz that was to follow.

There would be 50 questions on 50 subjects.

The “Jeopardy” team launched the quiz, and we wrote the best answers we could think of in eight seconds. I supercharged my metaphorical V-8 engine and scribbled down the first premonition of an answer, but by the end of the quiz, I felt as nervous about my prospects as I did coming in. What is the word that literally means “light writing”?

Was the Princess of Genovia from “The Princess Diaries” or “The Princess Bride”?

(Apparently the former. Sorry.)

The audition holders took our quizzes and selected us for a practice round of Jeopardy against the others. I was up first with two other guys.

We played three minutes of ferocious mock “Jeopardy” with furious buttonmashing and half-relaxed stances of attack. At the end, the show runners interviewed us to see if we’d be likable for the “Jeopardy” audience, mostly athome retirees. We stood at the front of the room, waiting for what was supposed to be the easiest part of the process.

“What school do you go to?”

“San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas. I’m a junior there.”

“What do you like to do in your free time?”

Oh man. What do I do when I’m not at school? I mostly just lounge around and do nothing but they’re not going to take that as an answer, now are they?

“I would like to say I read in my free time…but I really just go on the computer and relax and do nothing most of the time.”

Some people in the crowd chuckled. “Well, we appreciate your honesty here,” said the interviewer jokingly. “What do you intend to do with your money if you win?”

At that point, I never fully wondered what splendors could lay in wait with the $75,000 grand prize. I tried to think of a response that was realistic but expressive of who I was on the spot.

“I would…uh…just like to have, like, a stack of money to look at.

You know, like, just to be able to have that in front of me…to hold…” I gestured a triangle to somehow make my idea more understandable.

I don’t remember what the response was from the audience in my smug satisfaction of being different to what people would normally say, like college or computers or traveling. Yes, I thought, I am the funniest, uniquest of them all.

“You know, we had one kid a couple years back who said that he wanted to buy a bunch of stamps with his money, since he was a stamp collector, and roll around in them if he ever won,” the interviewer replied. Message: “You’re kind of weird, kiddo.”

Once everyone’s minds had been thoroughly picked, the group was let free and was given a pair of white “Jeopardy” headphones in a mesh bag emblazoned with the show’s logo, most likely my sole earnings. I returned, optimistic, hoping for the best in a situation where the best was seemingly impossible. I was going to be invited, I told myself, even if I have a better chance at getting in to Harvard. I went back to my parents and told them what happened. My mom promptly told me that she was disappointed in my responses and that I probably screwed myself over for a spot on the show.

02.28.14

Fresh Faces

As seniors’ SDA experiences begin winding down, these freshmen are only starting to develop their passions and aspirations.

“What drew me in was having the ability to view the world in a different way and really explore every little detail of every object or every story behind each person.” - Claire Jantzen.

Photo courtesy of Claire Jantzen.

“My parents first started me into [kung fu], but I stuck with it because it was a good source of physical activity [and] kept me in shape. It was just fun too.” - Matthew Zounes. Photo courtesy of Matthew Zounes

CLAIRE BRADY began rock climbing three years ago when the Vital Climbing Gym started a Youth Team. She climbs both indoors and outdoors, but prefers climbing on real rock in places like Tramway, Joshua Tree, and Red Rocks.

Despite an arm injury in 2012, Brady continues to climb at least twice a week.. She has found ways to fit rock climbing into her schedule, sometimes sacrificing time with friends or other after-school activities. Independent Study Physical Education has allowed her to get out after third period, so she can get her homework done or head off to climbing practice early. Brady hopes to find a job after college that works with her active lifestyle in a place with plenty of rocks to climb.

DELILAH FORREST is an experienced cellist and plays with

the Mozart Youth Orchestra. She devotes countless hours of community service with the Encinitas Youth Commission by giving the “city council advice from the teen perspective.”

Also, Forrest is an active player for the SDA Mustang Minds academic team.

MATTHEW ZOUNES has been doing Kung Fu for eight years at White Dragon Martial Arts Studio. “I am a brown sash going on to black,” said Zounes. In Kung Fu, Zounes can do combat with weapons, takedowns, or “just fists.” By using his time “wisely,” and going a few days a week for a more extended period of time, Zounes can make sure to stay on top of both school and sport.

“That’s just what I do, I draw a lot..” - Nana Ueda. Photo by Katie McPherson.

“I wish I could say how climbing makes me feel, but it is beyond anything that words can explain.” - Claire Brady. Photo courtesy of Claire Brady.

NANA UDEA started drawing in preschool with everyone else, but it was in first grade when she started to pursue art more. She uses it as way to chase away boredom or to relieve stress – sometimes, it can even distract her from getting her homework done. Even though she likes traditional art, Udea is looking into digital art and possibly a career in either animation or concept art. If she was to go into concept art, she would design character clothing and setting for movies.

CLAIRE JANTZEN, a photographer and entrepreneur, took social media to a new level. Initially she just used Instagram to share her photos but she has grown beyond that. “I now have my own small business getting paid to take portraits of people and/or their families,” says Jantzen. From long nights of editing to fighting to meet client’s deadlines, Jantzen conquers it all, saying, “I am positive I see myself still continuing with my passion in the future.”

VERONICA NESS is involved in cross country and robotics.After trying out for the cross country team thinking that “giving it a try would be fun,” she made varsity. Ness said she has sacrificed sleep to keep up these activities, but that she has, “gained more from them than I lost.” She continued, “I got better endurance” and was able to, “achieve the necessary exercise for growth.” Ness plans on continuing these two activities for the rest of her high school career.

Stories by Katie McPherson, Elise Gout, Joseph Swit, Sam Winter, Elise Echeverria, Kira Elliott, Katrina Olsen, and Sara Portnoy.

“I have been playing the cello for 10 years.” - Delilah Forrest. Photo courtesy of Delilah Forrest.

“To get to the point I am at... I had to put a lot of effort in and try my best. I tried to have fun with it.” - Veronica Ness (right). Photo courtesy of Veronica Ness.

02.28.14

Fashion Geek

A glimpse into New York’s Fashion Week and the business behind it, all through the eyes of a fashion fan-girl.

STORY BY ANNIE SMITH

R

egardless of the countless hours I have dedicated to watching “Project Runway,” I had no idea what to expect as I made my way to this year’s Fall 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. The event, which took place from Feb.10-14 at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York, was unlike anything I could have ever imagined. From the outside, one would never guess that showroom is in fact a faux-room, a tent built just for the event. On the inside, it’s easy to forget that fact and get swept up in the magic that is Fashion Week.

Filled with booths ranging from graphic designers to a Tresemme hair salon, the inside of the Mercedes Benz tent is like the mother ship for all fashion fans. At the booths, free handouts are given such as magazines, totes, designer fashion greeting cards, and hair and makeup supplies. The people in attendance are clothed in fur coats and huge hats to keep them warm outside in the snow, before shedding the heavy clothing once inside to reveal more fantastic outfits, like clothing by a featured designer paired with heels so high that the women looked like New York skyscrapers. After overcoming my initial shock of entering the tent, I managed to get in line for Nanette Lepore’s show, a New York based designer who happens to be distant family.

Inside the runway room, a white stage glows under lights, surrounded by seating for guests and facing rows of photographers. Cameras flash as actress Kelly Rutherford of “Gossip Girl”, Peyton List of Disney Channel, and Edie Falco of “The Sopranos” take their seats in the front row after posing for photographers. As other guests start to find their seats, the lights fade, low music with strong beats for the models to walk to fills the room, and the lights come back up to reveal the first model; Lepore’s show starts.

Photo by Kendall MacDonald.

Photo by Annie Smith.

Model by model, the designer’s collection for this year’s fall season is filled with grey tones and berry hues, along with cozy sweaters and midi skirts. Throughout the show I constantly had to remind myself to actually be in the moment and not just capture the moment through my camera’s eyes. Only lasting about 15 minutes, the show ends with the designer walking down the runway escorted by her daughter. After applauding, I stand up, mingle with some of Lepore’s family whom my aunt introduces me to, and then re-enter the main room of the Mercedes Benz tent.

The next day I toured Lepore’s studio, getting to finally meet the designer and distant relative, before her Director of Special Projects Erica Wolf showed me around the three-story work place. After seeing production rooms for creating garments, a shipping floor for organizing sold garments, and a collection of clothes for an upcoming sample sale, I saw Lepore’s personal office and the meeting room where she deals with buyers. Yes, they’re just rooms, but I’m still thankful that I managed to stay on my feet and not faint from excitement. The room was stark white with delicate chandeliers and clothing racks along the walls – it looked like fashion heaven. “This is where Nanette can set up a display to showcase her work to potential buyers,” said Wolf, pointing to a blank wall facing a meeting table. I oohed and aahed over the clothes on the racks before we returned to our main starting point.

Upon completing the tour, I thanked Lepore and her team, got some encouraging college advice as usually happens when talking to a relative, then headed back out to the snow covered streets of Manhattan, in search of MOOD Designer Fabrics, since I had gotten in the mood for a little bit of designing.

Overall, it was a fashion-filled first 48 hours in my trip to New York.

Nanette Lepore’s showcase room. Photo by Annie Smith.

Me with designer Nanette Lepore (right). Photo by Erica Wolf.

02.28.14

02.28.14

Sound and cinema

2013 was full of chick flick films, emerging pop artists, and head-banging beats, but now it’s 2014, and the entertainment industry has introduced even better. From a London rock band, an electronic duo, a mental illness love story, an After Death tale, and a robot cop, these albums and movies have kicked off the year to a creative start.

Credits: barefootthemovie.com

Barefoot

By Gabby Catalano In this far-fetched mental illness story, a free-spirited patient in a mental institution named Daisy meets the rich and rebellious Jay, and the two embark on a crazy journey of love, acceptance, and realization. Hoping to impress his parents by making Daisy his “girlfriend” for his brother’s wedding, Jay realizes that there’s more to Daisy than just her naive and terminally sheltered self. “Barefoot” is a remake of an older German film, and is an indie story minus the Hollywood setting.

Evan Rachel Wood (Daisy) played the troubled character in the most enthusiastic way. Although at times her performance wasn’t realistic or believable due to her speaking like an eightyear-old and putting her hair in pigtails to seem like an adolescent, I commend her for branching out in the movie industry.

And then there’s Scott Speedman (Jay), who’s handsome and seductive, but honestly, someone more obscure and less “perfect” would’ve been a better fit. It would’ve made the movie less glitzy.

The film was glamorous with an unglamorous story. The concept is indie, but the delivery was too forced and over-the-top.

Jay fell for a girl-child who wore provocative clothing while saying phrases like “I have to go potty” and “My mommy said driving makes you pregnant.” I hope I’m not the only who finds that creepy.

I love indie films with eccentric story lines, and although “Barefoot” fit that description, I wasn’t impressed.

Credits: robocop.com

Credits: facebook.com/pompeiimovie

RoboCop

Pompeii

So Long, See You Tomorrow

By Manon Wogahn

By Sara Portnoy

By Caroline Daniel

Kicking originality to the curb, Hollywood has added cult classic “RoboCop” to its brutal cycle of remakes. This revival did nothing to break the trend.

“RoboCop” explores some valid questions about the morality of allowing a robot to take human lives and the corruption rampant in law enforcement and corporate America. In that regard I have to give director Jose Padilha credit for trying to take the film seriously. He could have easily filled two hours with just car chases and smashing robots and still gotten fans of the original along with entertainment-starved moviegoers alike to show up in droves.

However, the film fails miserably to delve deeper into these moral questions with several clumsy attempts at satire. Padilha left Samuel L. Jackson out to roast by having the veteran actor spew pro-robot propaganda on his futuristic talk show. Jackson looked hilariously uninterested of the heroics of the new and improved cyborg police officer Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman). I wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson filmed his scenes in about five takes before jetting off to the set of whatever Marvel movie they’re making next.

There are a few saving graces in the film; Jay Barachel has a nice comedic role as “the guy from marketing” and is a nice foil to OmniCorp’s chief scientist Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman).

Yet both actors are underused.

If you’re a fan of the original, you may want to check out this version but leave any high expectations or basic cinematic standards at the door.

How to save yourself a movie ticket: Watch “Gladiator” (2000) to get the gist of the ancient Roman form of entertainment. Afterwards, watch the “60 Minutes” segment on volcanoes. Then, close your eyes and use your imagination to combine both in the setting of Pompeii.

The movie opens with Romans slaughtering the inhabitants of what appears to be a nomadic tribe. All are killed except a young boy. Flash forward 18 years, and the boy is reintroduced as a champion gladiator in the outskirts of the Roman Empire.

After his owners determine he is wasted talent, he is brought to a more popular arena in Pompeii.

While on the journey to the city, he meets a future love interest, the daughter of the governor of Pompeii.

Personally, I was distracted by the historical inaccuracy of the film. Is it possible for Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns to be in the same city at the same time?

Would the writers of a movie forgo the laws of physics just to make a historical event look “cool?”

I felt nothing from watching this movie. There were some points where the acting was overthe-top and others where it was nonexistent. My favorite part of the movie was the costumes, which were beautiful.

If you’re looking for a stereotypical romantic action flick sprinkled with revenge and topped with overbearing natural disaster, this is the movie for you.

If you’d prefer something historically accurate, don’t spend time watching “Pompeii.”

If I had listened to these songs separately without knowing they were all on the same album, I probably would have guessed that they were all by different artists.

After a three year hiatus, the London-based alternative rock band, Bombay Bicycle Club, has returned to the music scene with their fourth studio album “So Long, See You Tomorrow.”

I was impressed by this incredibly diverse album. Each song had its own unique feel and tempo, and the vocals sounded well-blended into each loud, thumping beat. The album is able to effectively incorporate sampling by re-using sound recordings in a piece, and each song is influenced by cultural music from around the world.

Some songs feel really upbeat, while others give off a more somber and softer tone. The melodies flowed really well together, and I think that really helped give the album such a positive reaction.

Bombay Bicycle Club included many interesting instruments and synthesizers into “So Long, See You Tomorrow.” Some songs featured very soulful sounding piano tunes that created a fresh tone while others added a little Bollywood style to a few of the tunes. Something interesting about this album was that lead singer, Steadman, was inspired to create this album after visiting countries such as India, Japan, and Turkey.

Even though this band isn’t too well-known quite yet, this album is definitely worth listening to.

The originality that it brings to the music industry really makes it stand out.

A new anthem for late nights and rainy days has been released

by New York-based duo Phantogram. Their second full length album “Voices,” the sequel to their best-selling “Eyelid Movies” album released in 2010. Phantogram is very distinguishable in their strong beats and poetically dark lyrics that introduce listeners into a state of melancholy and self-reflection, and lyrics in songs like “Never Going Home” are meant for listening alone in bed instead of a crowded room.

The album is sad but introspective, and just from listening one can hear that there was a lot of time and energy put into the album by members Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter who work so well as a duo. They bring out the best in each other and both have haunting voices that are well reflected in the songs.

It’s nice when bands have a strong female vocalist lead, and it’s especially the case with this album. It’s hard to find bands of this genre with female vocalists but Barthel really brings the spirit of Phantogram to light with her voice, using it to deliver extreme emotion that doesn’t ever fall flat and putting the band at the forefront of mournful music alongside bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Sufjan Stevens, a hard pedestal to put yourself on.

Phantogram has really pulled themselves up with “Voices” and also conquered the amazing feat of having a sophomore album that’s just as good, perhaps better, than their first.

This is an album that will forever sit on the rainy day playlists in Spotify accounts.

By Joseph Swit

Voices

02.28.14

Oscar Predictions

There are two more days until The 86th Academy Awards a.k.a The Oscars, and you know what that means. The glamorous dresses, the teary-eyed speeches, the glittery makeup, and the captivating interviews will surely be watched by millions on this anticipated Sunday.

After surveying the 26 journalism staff members on who will win the following six categories, the Oscar goes to...

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Costume Design: “The Great Gatsby”

Leonardo DiCaprio should win an Oscar. You know it.

I know it. We all know it. The staff of the Mustang predicts Leo will take home the little gold man this March for his role in the movie “The Wolf of Wall-Street,” also nominated for Best Picture. The movie provided a perfect medium for DiCaprio to portray Jordan Belfort, a corrupt stock-broker, high on money, sex, and just about every drug available, especially an extinct breed referred to as “ludes.”

In one of the best scenes of the movie, Belfort nearly overdoses on a strong version of the ludes, known as “lemons,” and desperately crawls out of a wealthy country club in a panic-stricken attempt to prevent another character from doing something stupid. DiCaprio masterfully and seamlessly combined every emotion and drug/sex-crazed action in this movie into a performance worthy of an Oscar.

It is the final ceremony for the 2014 awards season and the nominations for Best Costume Design in films have been announced for the 86th Academy Awards.

Between “American Hustle,” “The Grandmaster,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Invisible Woman,” and “12 Years a Slave,” the best contender for the award is “The Great Gatsby.”

Flapper dresses, slick suits, feather boas – glitz and glamour galore! While the women of the film were adorned in beads, feathers, laces, and furs, the men were equally as luxurious in silk suits and bow ties.

Each outfit was perfectly matched to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s characters, from the effortlessly glamorous Daisy to the wannabe wealthy Myrtle. While other nominated films had equally interesting wardrobe collections, they lacked the ultimate wow factor of “The Great Gatsby.”

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto

There is some tough competition this year for Best Actress. With Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, and Sandra Bullock, it seems like it could go to any one of them. After polling the journalism class, the top choice was clearly Bullock for her work in “Gravity.”

Bullock’s acting was memorable because she conveyed a realistic portrayal of a woman who was fighting for survival in space. Audiences raved about the emotional range Bullock was able to convey throughout the movie. She made such an impression by having the audience witness how she could handle the intensity of each challenge that came her way. Even though she didn’t use that much dialogue, she was able to convincingly react to the tough situation that was going on around her. Bullock certainly proved that she is a great contender for the coveted Academy Award, but the people will have to wait until March 2 to find out.

Jared Leto’s return to acting in “Dallas Buyers Club” has already been a resounding success; a win for Supporting Actor on Oscar night will be icing on the cake.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars vocalist has drawn rave reviews for his remarkable turn as HIV-positive transgender woman opposite Matthew McConaughey.

Oscar voters tend to reward actors for undertaking risky roles, and Leto, who shed 30 pounds in preparation for the role, certainly fits the bill. Leto was remarkable and portrayed the utmost sensitivity given the subject matter. The rest of the Supporting Actor field is not without its contenders however; Barkhad Abdi had a powerful film debut in “Captain Phillips” as a Somali pirate and Michael Fassbender who portrayed slave owner Edward Epps in “12 Years a Slave” could challenge Leto.

Awards season is all about momentum, and Leto has plenty of it. At this point the Oscar is Leto’s to lose.

Best Picture: “12 Years A Slave”

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

“12 Years a Slave” had it all - the tearjerker moments, the moving biography, and the unbelievable cast that set the bar high for Best Picture. There’s no question why this movie was voted to win.

“12 Years a Slave” is an adaption of the memoir by Solomon Northup, where a free black man is abducted and sold into slavery. The film presents American slavery in the most brutal way. No single moment is sugarcoated or overly exaggerated like it is in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “American Hustle.”

It’s obvious that what the other nominees lack in is actuality. “12 Years A Slave” will win Best Picture Award. It is the only nominee with true emotion and a real story.

Jennifer Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Tiffany in “Silver Linings Playbook,” earned another Oscar nomination for her performance in “American Hustle,” based on the Abscam scandal in the 70s. Lawrence’s character was Rosalyn Rosenfeld, the delusional and unpredictable wife of conman Irving Rosenfeld.

Lawrence’s performance captured the dramatic behavior of Rosalyn. Lawrence’s erratic movements and the complete conviction she has when she blurts out Rosalyn’s nonsensical beliefs prove that she constantly puts all her effort and talent into a role. As usual, her performance is nothing less than fantastic and Oscar worthy. She deserves an Oscar because she commands the scenes she is in and is enthralling as Rosalyn.

By Katie McPherson

By Sara Portnoy

By Gabby Catalano

The Oscar Statue. Drawing by Manon Wogahn.

By Manon Wogahn

By Joseph Swit

By Olivia Mock

02.28.14

The tale with a winter twist

The Old Globe has done it again, delivering a play full of comedy, romance, and tragedy. Story by Elizabeth Tarangelo.

I

f you find yourself debating on whether to go see the new movie “Winter’s Tale” at Edwards San Marcos or the timeless play “The Winter’s Tale” at The Old Globe, the latter is undeniably the better choice.

Something of a Shakespeare B-side, “The Winter’s Tale” is

Scene from “The Winter’s Tale.”

Photo by Jim Cox

one of the last plays written by the Bard. It’s unique in that it doesn’t stick with a single genre, but instead turns on a dime from tragic melodrama into comedy, and finally into romance. The Old Globe’s cast and Artistic Director Barry Edelstein (in his directorial debut) artfully maneuvered through the tricky changes in tone, pulling together a production that prompted its audience to laugh, gasp, wonder, and even sing along.

The story centers on Leontes, King of Sicilia, who works himself into an insanely jealous rage when he (incorrectly) connects the dots between his wife Hermione’s pregnant state and the nine-month-long visit from his childhood friend Polixenes, now the King of Bohemia.

Leontes descends into a spiral of violent jealousy, condemning Polixenes and Hermione and unleashing his wrath upon all who

dare to come close. Natasha Roi (Hermione) strikes an imposing figure as she’s thrown in jail, and easily has the audience empathizing with her plight. Leontes doesn’t even take pity upon his newborn daughter, ordering her to be abandoned on the outskirts of Bohemia.

The music enhanced the melancholy atmosphere a hundredfold. Music Director Taylor Peckham played Michael Torke’s original score on an onstage grand piano, hitting the keys heavily to accent Leontes’ more menacing moments.

The audience is welcomed back after intermission by Time, an ensemble with ticking metronomes to explain a 16-year leap into the future. The audience is treated to a love story between the long-lost Sicilian princess, raised by a shepherd, and her sweetheart, who just happens to be the Prince of Bohemia. The

The Old Globe Theater stage. Photo by Jim Cox

Shepherd and his son, played by Mark Nelson and Brendan Spieth respectively, brought in some much-needed comic relief.

The play progresses in hilarity and ridiculousness to a magical conclusion and an inherently happy ending (not to give too much away, but make sure to watch the statue). In the end, Edelstein’s modern take on “The Winter’s Tale” is accessible to

audiences. It brings up questions about what to do when disasters and miracles happen to you, and Shakespeare even provides with an answer, if you listen carefully.

If you’re interested in hearing what Shakespeare has to say on how to put your life back together when it’s in pieces, “The Winter’s Tale” runs at The Old Globe theater in Balboa Park through March 16.

02.28.14

Karmin crashes the party

The flashing lights, the ear-bleeding beats, the over-the-top performance: pop duo Karmin played at the House of Blues for their Pulses Tour to an audience of hundreds, shaking the city and rocking the night away. Story by Gabby Catalano.

W

hile walking down the streets of the Gaslamp wearing my newly purchased Karmin tee-shirt and a black velvet skirt, I could already hear the DJ in the House of Blues (HOB) spinning the classic club tunes.

It was around 7 o’ clock and the line wrapped around the entire HOB building. I stood on line while listening to the earbleeding beats and watched girls in six-inch high heels wobble past me.

The music grew in volume as the line moved closer and closer to the entrance, and by the time I was at the front, the building was practically shaking.

This was Karmin’s last show of their first tour, Pulses, and from what they said at the end, it was their best. Brycevine, an LA-based rapper whose song “Where the Wild Things Are” was the theme song for the X Games,

and DJ Skizz were the main openers for the night, kicking up the crowd with hip hop jams and electronic beats.

The venue mostly catered to a young, under-18 audience. Teenagers danced in the crowd while their parents chilled at the bar platform with Rum Runners in hand (my dad was one of them).

During the end of the opening act, there was an unexpected surprise. Karmin and her crew came out on stage and played trombones but then quickly left, leaving Brycevine speechless.

“I swear, I had no idea that was going to happen,” he said.

After that, him and DJ Skizz took pictures of the audience on their phones while shouting “Instagram!”

I had only seen Karmin, Amy Renee Heidemann and Nicholas Louis, on Youtube when they first started singing cover songs, “Look At Me Now” being

Photo by karminmusic.com

the most popular. They reached an audience of over 90 million, which is highly impressive considering that they are new in the music industry. Famous musicians like Radiohead and Lyyke Li haven’t even reached that many views yet.

Heidmemann’s voice and facial expressions are similar to Nicki

Minaj’s, both being extremely over-the-top and dramatic. I was excited to see if her Youtube videos lived up to her live performances.

When she came on stage with Louis, the crowd screamed, and then I screamed because by then it was 9:30 and I was pumped.

Heidemann wore a bright pink

top and tight leather pants, which basically summed up her performance as edgy and loud. Out of all the concerts I’ve been to, she had the most energy.

Karmin played their top-chart songs “Brokenhearted,” “Hello,” and “Crash Your Party” first, then moved to some not as known songs and also a few covers.

Heidemann announced that their new album “Pulses” will drop on March 25, and at the end, played the first track “I Want it All.” Although attending a concert with a parent isn’t a teenager’s idea of “fun,” it was a crazy first experience at HOB, and wandering the streets of 5th Avenue at midnight really topped it off.

I’ll definteley return to HOB again for their small but incredibly loud venue, and will remember that night I saw a mindblowing pop duo shake the city of San Diego.

02.28.14

Gym Buff

It’s not trap-easy Senior Keely Thompson puts her endurance to the test in a circus conditioning class.

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Senior Keely Thompson braves the trapeze bar for the first time. Photo by Serena Saake.

erena Saake told me we were going to a circus conditioning class at the San Diego Circus Center in Mira Mesa taught by her sister Kelsey Saake.

I thought, how hard is playing on a trapeze and silks?

Well, as I discovered, it would be very hard. Like crazy hard. I’m a runner, which means what little bit of muscle I do have is not on my triceps, shoulders, back, and abs. But after this class, I can tell you I did have muscles in those areas, and they weren’t happy.

Really not happy.

We started with 12 minutes of strength and cardio exercises.

There were six exercises, including planks, squats, and ab-holds, that we cycled through for 50 seconds on and 10 seconds off.

After that, we stretched out. Well, all the circus-people stretched while I sat there in a pretzel.

Upon seeing my complete lack of flexibility, Kelsey asked, “Are you a runner? I can see you’re having issues with tight hamstrings.”

Yes, that’s a nice way to put it.

Then the main part of the workout started. Kelsey assigned a rotation done in pairs. Serena

Eats My cavewoman ways

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the recipes looked so scrumptious. Nothing I loved seemed to be missing. So finally I typed “Paleo diet” into my Google box.

After several blogs and articles repeating the same info, my confusion was cleared. Paleo eating wasn’t anything I thought it was. It wasn’t a shortcut, it wasn’t a diet. I hadn’t even been pronouncing it right (pay-lee-oh not pa-lay-oh).

This new eating fad actually makes sense. To succeed, one must eat as if reliving Paleolithic times. Basically, it means to eat like a caveman. Hunting and gathering are all you can do, so the only approved foods are meat, fish, nuts, berries and vegetables.

The only things you’re really missing are dairy and grains (fats and carbs).

To some, I suppose this seems silly. Why would someone revert

nice friend that I am, and I just jump-roped and watched her execute them perfectly. Then, it was my turn. My forearms, triceps, lats, abs, quads, hamstrings, and all other muscles I didn’t know felt like they would fall off. I could barely hang on to the bar much less get my legs up over the top. I tried like a million times but to no avail.

Kelsey had to help me and after a couple more attempts and nearly kicking her in the face, I got on the trapeze. Then she told me to hang upside-down. I was a shaking mess. The rest of the exercises followed suit. Serena performing seamlessly and me following her grace with a sloppy, exhausted mess.

Finally it was over, but my pain was only starting. I couldn’t bend my arms, or laugh, or sneeze for a week because I was so sore.This was honestly the hardest upperbody exercise I have ever done.

My triceps are cramping as I’m typing this a week later. This is a class I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to be in crazy, insane shape and is willing to work even crazier for it.

Banana Protein Shake

Although there are many contradicting takes on what a diet should entail, the best is one that works for you. Story by Wendy Disch.

he word “diet” has never boded well with me. To me, it seems like a strict set of rules that last until you’re three pounds lighter and miserable enough to stop. Then it’s back to eating like you were before.

I’ve found my system, choosing to eat as healthy as possible without starvation or despair.

One size and 15 pounds later, I gave myself a pat on the back for reaching my goals without any so called “diets.”

A year passed before my curiosity got the best of me. A new diet trend was emerging all over Pinterest and every recipe linked to it looked absolutely delicious.

The Paleo diet, they were calling it.

I tried to ignore it. But the recipes kept popping up and the more I looked, the more I couldn’t understand this diet; all

and I started on straps with loops in the bottom hanging from the ceiling. In these we did pull-ups, planks, and splits (or as close as you could get, which for me wasn’t very). While Serena was taking her turn, Kelsey told me to jump-rope instead of taking a break. Our next rotation was the ground. This wasn’t very much fun. We did push-ups, squats, and all sorts of other evil bodyweight exercises.

After that torture, we moved onto the silks, pieces of stretchy fabric hanging from the ceiling.

I finally got to work with the real circus stuff, and was so excited.

We put our feet in a loop in the silks and proceeded to do plank holds, tucks, pike push-ups, and every type of cruel, ab-busting workouts Kelsey could dream up.

The trapeze was last, and I was terrified. How was I supposed to hang on a swinging bar miles off the ground and do some graceful exercise? The first thing we were supposed to do was to flip upside down, put our legs over the bar, lift up, and do upside-down pullups. Excuse me?

Yeah, well, I let Serena go first,

back to the ways of cavemen after years of technology and advancements have made food so easily accessible and delicious?

I thought the same at first.

Then I realized that my magical life change, that I had thought was so groundbreaking, was actually the Paleo diet.

This new fad dieting is just clean eating, common sense, and a healthy lifestyle. Sure, I enjoy the occasional Greek yogurt and some quinoa as a side to my salmon. But that’s the point of eating right; you’re doing whatever works for you. As long as you know some basic nutrition, have an ounce of self-control, and avoid any form of extreme eating, there’s no reason you can’t reach your goals.

People tend to think eating right is difficult when it can be so easy “a caveman could do it.”

Shake up your morning with this potassium-rich protein drink. Recipe by Manon Wogahn.

Tired of eating cold cereal every morning? Too lazy to make an elaborate, nutritious breakfast? The savior to your turmoil is here.

Ingredients

1 banana, sliced and frozen 1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cocoa powder Note: the cocoa powder is an optional addition

Directions

First step (and the only step): Blend all indregients together

Tips

The frozen banana is necessary. Without it, it wouldn’t be a shake.

PS: this shake will melt if not eaten or refrigerated right after blending.

Drawing by Tacy Manis.

02.28.14

Track Tidbits

The all-inclusive guide to SDA’s new track and artificial turf field – from the Mustang decal to the new “no food” policy.

Story by Sarah Kochanek

Along with the new facilities, the district purchased new track equipment for the school.

Said Conn, “The starting blocks are the same ones they use in the Olylmpics; our [customized] hurdles are NCAA-approved. The equipment is the best of the best and we can’t afford to replace it.”

On the Southwest end of the field, there is a new, aesthetically pleasing face of SDA. On this corner of Santa Fe and Nardo, you can find desert landscape and a sign for SDA.

The bleachers are going to be put back where they were before construction started, on the east side of the field.

However, according to Kamon, this process is planned to be finished by graduation, meaning the Spring sports will not get to use them.

The new track and turf field are up to par with state-of-theart technology, unlike some of the older facilities, such as the ones at LCC. Instead of the field being raised at the center to let water drain, these new surfaces are permeable, meaning the water goes straight through into an underground drainage system.

In order to keep these surfaces like new, Kamon says, “No food or drinks other than water on the field, and no cleats with big spikes on the track.”

The required number of lanes to host CIF track events is nine. However, there was only enough room to give SDA’s track eight lanes.

According to CIF rules, this means the Mustangs can host track meets during the season, just not CIF races.

According to Kamon, The school cannot currently use the new field for fire drills because it is technically still a “construction zone.”

During the flag football tournament on Jan. 31, a GoPro camera attached to a flying drone captured pictures of students and the new field. Photo courtesy of Sean Kabo.

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DA has seen the completion of the first project from Prop AA, which is the bill responsible for the eventual remodeling of the school. The new track and field have been completed, with the bleachers soon to follow. According to Athletic Director Doug Kamon, “[The new track and field] have already made a huge difference here. The student athletes like it a lot and I think they are performing at a higher level because of it.”

The new addition also comes with greater responsibility concerning upkeep and care of the facilities. Track coach and English teacher Justin Conn has concerns regarding public use of the track and field: “I’ve already seen people out there on Saturdays. It’s the first face of Prop AA in Encinitas, so the community sees it as theirs as well.”

Said senior Laura Breidenthal, “I feel like this track has already had a pretty cool impact on the students and boosted morale for the sports teams. Plus, I think everyone’s looking forward to pole vaulting.”

The Mustang decal in the middle of the field was put in after all the turf had been laid.

The surface of the turf was then cut out to make room for the horse and lettering (also made of artificial turf).

02.28.14

Boys Basketball

The Mustangs earned a huge victory over San Pasqual on senior night. Story by Andrew Naimark.

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n an emotional senior night, SDA’s varsity boys basketball team pulled off a tough victory against San Pasqual 57-47. After losing by 16 points to San Pasqual two weeks earlier, SDA came back with a grind-out victory.

Throughout the game, the jampacked fan section was focused and into the game, cheering every time SDA made a basket. Seniors Brendan Walsh and Ty Gibson led the way for SDA with 18 points each. Senior Aaron Steger also contributed a solid 17 points including four clutch free throws to seal the game. The game started slowly, as SDA only scored six

points in the first eight minutes, while San Pasqual scored 11.

Gibson and senior Nick Brown had back-to-back “And1s” to start the second quarter.

Throughout the first half, Walsh carried SDA with 15 points including three of his four threes in the second quarter. SDA’s offense led to a new burst of energy, which allowed their defense to play at a higher level.

The third quarter was owned

by SDA, who locked up on D. It was highlighted by maybe the play of the game, when Brown had a huge block on a jump shot taken by San Pasqual with 20 seconds remaining in the quarter.

As if it seemed destined, Gibson came down and hit a buzzer beater three to go up 42-35 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final eight minutes started out with San Pasqual desperately trying to get back into the game.

They cut the lead down to four with a little over two minutes left.

Gibson came through with a huge “And 1” play to increase the lead back up to seven. Steger made two pairs of free throws in the last minute.

In a season where SDA finished at 1-7 in league play, the varsity team came up with an enormous win and a great finish on the day seniors said farewell to their fans.

Senior and varsity captain Ty Gibson prepares to make an offensive play during the senior night game versus San Pasqual on Feb. 13. Photo by Kirsten Walz.

Girls Basketball

The girls varsity basketball team finished the season with a win over San Pasqual at home. Story by Sarah Kochanek.

The seniors on the team were honered before the senior night game on Feb. 19. Photo by Sarah Kochanek.

Girls Soccer T

SDA tied San Marcos during the home league game. Story by Lindsey King. he fog rolled in as the whistle blew for the beginning of the girls’ varsity soccer game on Feb. 11. The lights shone down on the new stadium where SDA fought hard against San Marcos Knights. The first time the girls played San Marcos they lost 1-0, and the Mustangs were out to get revenge.

From the beginning of the game, they fought and left everything out on the field. The entire game was very even, for no one team showed greater possession than the other.

After a goal by San Marcos, the game began to get a lot more physical. However, the refs “did not call anything,” according to Keri Jucha, senior and varsity captain. “I also got taken out by a girl on the other team super obviously and I had already passed the ball and the refs didn’t call it.”

“There were a lot of dirty plays that we thought should have been

called,” said Carly Belin, junior.

As the game continued, SDA scored two goals, one by senior Hyla Schneir and the other by Jucha.

The Mustangs had a 2-1 lead the rest of the game until the last couple minutes, when a foul called on SDA led to a penalty kick for the Knights, which they scored. The final score of the game was 2-2. Although the game did not end the way they wanted it to, the girls still had a positive attitude about how they played.

“I think we played really well and as a team. We really came together and put everything into it and I’m really proud of how the team played,” said Parker Rytz, junior and varsity goalie.

During their senior night on Feb. 19 against Escondido, Schneir scored off of a corner kick from senior Chelsea Cardenas to lead the Mustangs to a 1-0 victory.

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n an exciting senior night game on Feb. 13, SDA claimed a close victory over league rival San Pasqual. When the teams met previously at the end of January, San Pasqual beat the Mustangs by a margin of more than 20 points. With a crowd full of loud SDA students, parents, and even administration, the girls were ready to impress their fans on the night of the last home game for the seniors.

The first half mostly favored SDA; however, San Pasqual made a comeback that allowed them to hold a five point lead heading into halftime.

As the game came to a close, San Pasqual’s cheerleaders could not compete with the noise created by the enthused fans every time SDA made a basket.

The game ended in an exciting rally from SDA, keeping the score within two or three points of a tie for the last five minutes. Senior and varsity captain Karen Vela, who led the team with 25 points in this game, hit a three point shot with mere seconds left on the clock to earn the victory for SDA. The students in the crowd stormed the court to congratulate the seniors on their final game at home. They ended the season with a record of 8-19, with this being their first league win.

Said Vela, “Getting to play in front of a roaring crowd made it crazy exciting, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end my career at home.” This win earned the girls a spot in the CIF playoffs, with their first game this week against Imperial.

Boys Soccer A

Senior and varsity captain Karen Vela dribbles during the senior night game versus San Pasqual on Feb. 13. Photo by Kirsten Walz.

SDA couldn’t pull together a win on senior night, but their season had notable highlights. Story by Sarah Kochanek.

fter a season full of ups and downs, the varsity boys soccer team ended it with a scoreless tie against league rival Escondido. They ended with an overall record of 6-7-5, and a league record of 3-2-3, finishing third of five teams in the Avocado East League.

One of the season highlights was a win over Canyon Crest Academy on Dec. 19, only a couple days before winter break. A large crowd of SDA fans showed up to support the Mustangs in the game against their rival. The 3-1 win was a big accomplishment in itself, only made sweeter when two alumni ran

onto CCA’s new field after the game to plant a “Go Mustangs” flag.

SDA suffered a 0-4 loss to San Pasqual High School on Feb. 13.

However, the seniors were sent off with a proper farewell during the pre-game ceremony.

Their first CIF playoff game is this week versus Otay Ranch.

02.28.14

Surfer vs. Skater:

Seniors skater Andy Dolberg and surfer Ryan Walsh try to outwit each other.

Does it work? Not really. Story by Lily LeaVesseur. ­­ Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays?

Surfer: Life is our stage.

Skater: Because the system is corrupted.

Wow, Surfer, what a beautiful take on life. Life is our stage, the world is our oyster! That’s all well and good, but I need a for-real answer for this forreal life problem. None of that hippie-trippy romantic crap. I mean, as a smart person myself, I understand that you’re saying something very wise: does it even matter where we ‘recite’ or ‘play’, as long as we’re producing art and enjoying the fruits of our labor? What is life, if not to create and subsequently consume those creations? That is all rather brilliant of you (by which I obviously mean ME), but I ain’t here to stand around with our heads in the clouds. I need real answers. Minus 20 points for being the idealist you never realized you were until I told you

like it is. (You’re welcome.)

Skater, when I think back to my subpar performances in the plays and recitals of my youth (not to say I wasn’t stellar, but sometimes I’ve gotta let other people shine so I that I seem humble), I don’t remember any strange going-ons, or agents confusing the public with their manipulative switching of verbs.

However, despite the unstable vibe I usually get off of conspiracy theorists, I trust your answer.

I asked for facts, and, however inaccurate they may be, you delivered. Plus 51 points (shout out to the aliens in Nevada).

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Surfer: A mother’s milk.

Skater: Sex. Surfer, for some reason that answer is really pleasing to the ear. At the tender, yet hardened age of seventeen, I no longer really like to think of anyone’s

mother’s milk (least of all my own). But there is something very wholesome about your answer. Reminds me of the good ol’ days on the prairie. Thanks for bringing back memories of a place I’ve never been (if that’s not the translated title of the next Foreign Film Oscar winner, I don’t know what is). Plus 75 points for bringing me joy.

Skater, that’s really innovative of you. How avant-garde. With all the high school kids featured in this column, I’m surprised not a single one of them before you has given “Sex” as their monosyllabic, super-edgy answer (that I know of. Did this paper even exist before I was on it, though?)

I don’t know what kind of statement you are trying to make, but this is so ground-breaking that I’m having a hard time remembering what question you were addressing. Which is good, because the true answer is sliced bread. I’m not really sure now if

Photo by Tacy Manis.

I should give you points or not.

I do make up the rules, though (you may think of me as God, if you like), so plus zero points.

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

Surfer: Glycerine and Vaseline.

Skater: Baby fat.

Skater, I have no idea what’s really in baby oil, but I can guess that it’s not made of baby fat.

Whatever it is, I’m sure that parents aren’t going to spread other babies on their own babies.

Minus 60 points for contributing nothing to my future offspring.

Surfer, I’m familiar with

Vaseline. but I didn’t know what glycerine was so I had to look it up. It seems to be a substance used as a laxative or for making explosives? Sounds like some kind of strange brew to me. I ain’t no witch, I don’t partake in any of that voodoo sorcery you call ‘science’, nor do I condone medically-induced bowel movements/use of bombs.

But with all the big words you’re using I trust that you. Plus 33 points for all the minutes I didn’t spend looking up the real ingredients.

Surfer: 88 points.

Skater: -9 points.

Yay Surfer! You win nothing.

02.28.14

What’s in a Name?

Some names are extraordinary, some have a story behind them – all in all, San Dieguito Academy boasts some pretty unique names.

Photo Katie McPherson

Photo by Katie McPherson

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Photo by Katie McPherson

Photo by Elise Gout.

1. CASSIDY MAYEDA “My first name, Cassidy, is actually from a Grateful Dead song, which totally tells the story of my parents because even though my grandparents are very distinct and very different, my parents are super similar. They both came from really subdued or conservative backgrounds and then came and were like ‘no nukes’ and got into different rock bands and had totally interesting college experiences and found each other later in life both as graphic designers. It’s the story of them, sort of being counter-culture, I guess, or rebelling, or finding their own way and then finding Grateful Dead and then naming their child after a Grateful Dead song. So I’m definitely all wrapped up in this weird bubble of different cultures. I mean, I somewhat like the Grateful Dead – I like some songs, because I’ve grown up with them. But I’m definitely finding my own way as well which I think it the interesting part.”

2. ATTICUS SALMON “I was named after Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it was my mother’s favorite story. My full name is actually Atticus James Salmon, so I get the first name from that story, and James was my grandfather. Salmon was my father’s Irish last name.”

3. MICHAEL SANTOS “When my parents were pregnant with me, they already had my older brother two years prior and they said, “this one is going to be a girl”. My Mom said she could feel it. They didn’t want the doctor to tell them, but throughout all of the baby showers and everything they were telling everyone it’s going to be a girl. During the baby showers they would get pink and yellow clothes. So when I popped out it was like ‘Hey! You’re not a girl. You have something extra…’ My name was going to be

Photo by Katie McPherson

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Kristina, because my older brother’s name is Christopher and, you know, Kris, Chris.

A horrible idea. But we lived next to a church that my parents went to and it was called Saint Michael’s. That’s why my name is Michael. The bad part is every single picture I have from all the way to about a year and a half is all pink and yellow. The first picture where you’re just lying there in your onezie – it’s a pink onezie.”

4. BUCKSHOT GRAYHALL “So in the middle to late sixties, my father moved to Alaska from California and lived on the Yucan river with a group of native Alaskans. In this village, the native Alaskans have a cultural tradition of naming their kid after the first thing they see when it’s born. So my Dad became very close with one of the elders of this village and that man was having a child when my father was staying there. When his son was born, in the cabin where they lived, they saw buckshot, which is a type of ammunition, and so they named him Buckshot. So my Dad and this guy, since they were really good friends, thought it would be super cool to have kids named the same thing, and years later when I was born, and since I was a boy, my parents decided it would be alright to name me Buckshot. My last name, Grayhall, is my Mom and my Dad’s last names put together.”

5. WESLEY WHITTLESEY

“Well it actually wasn’t my original name, I was supposed to be named Azariah Theophilus after one of my ancestors, but my mom named me Wesley to follow the tradition of my family that the first born son of the first born son is named Wesley.”

Elise Gout, Kira Elliott, and Katie McPherson contributed to this story.