February 27, 2015
T h e
Volume 19 Issue IV
M u s ta n g
the Mustang | February 2015
beHind the Pages anne Bilse Cover Artist Junior Anne Bilse’s aboriginal art piece was just one of many paintings she’s done. “I really like art and painting and I’ve probably been doing it since middle school,” she said. While in Neal Glasgow’s painting class, Bilse was assigned an aboriginal art assignment, which she described as “dots you create images with.” Using acrylic paint and various tools to create different sizes and amounts of dots, Bilse painted her own unique and colorful aboriginal piece. Bilse is also creative outside of SDA classes. “I like to do art on my own. I like painting surfboards and doing small art projects,” she said.
Photo courtesy of Caroline Susan Coppock. Photo by Daniel.
Elise and Elise
Quick notes from the co-editors in chief Passions. We all seem to have one - something that we love. Something that we feel compelled to do. Some of us find it in a sport, whether it’s practicing a three-pointer or perfecting a kick flip (see “A Skater’s Paradise” on pg.12). Some of us find it in volunteer work, receiving great personal satisfaction from positively contributing to the community (see the “Giving Back” volunteer chart on pg. 16). Some of us find it in the arts, whether it’s theatre, painting, photography, or sculpture. Those individuals are able to express and lose themselves in their own craft, showcasing their talent for others to see. It is particularly special when there arises the chance to combine more than one passion. Such is the case with the upcoming Theatre for a Cause production “Of Mice and Men” (see “The Art of Charity” on pg. 18), in which students have been able to combine their talent and appreciation for theatre to benefit a worthy charity. High school is a time for exploration. A time to try the things that we may never have the chance to – or the time to – in future. But it also allows us to discover what passions we want to further pursue later in life. We are currently molding ourselves into the people we to be. And, ten years down the road, we might be surprised how the creative atmosphere of SDA has impacted out life’s passions. Just look at SDA alumnus Nathan Reese, a 2004 graduate who has gone on to a successful journalism career in New York City (read about him in “‘A Fan First and a Writer Second’” on pg. 14). He first cultivated his appreciation for music and culture during his time at here. For as much as we may complain about the stresses of high school, there’s something to be said about what it gives us: the opportunity to explore. Elise Echeverria and Elise Gout
Autumn kleinrath Backpage Photographer Freshman Autumn Kleinrath shot the photo featured on the back page last summer while on a family road trip in Mammoth. When they came near a bridge on the road, she thought “it was a pretty view.” Kleinrath has been doing photography for two years. She started in seventh grade, when she was tasked with taking pictures for the school’s yearbook and just “really liked that.” She prefers taking nature shots like the one featured on the back page with her Nikon camera. Although she doesn’t intend to pursue photography as a career, Kleinrath said that she’ll “probably always be taking photos” in her future.
Who’s who? The Mustang Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF/NEWS EDITOR Elise Echeverria EDITOR IN CHIEF/FEATURES EDITOR Elise Gout OPINIONS EDITOR Carina Julig SPORTS EDITORS Andrew Naimark Kevin Gallagher CAF EDITOR Dylan Hendrickson
2 | a little insight
ONLINE EDITOR Caroline Daniel ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR Kate Sequeira STAFF WRITERS Daniel Ballard Linden Amundson 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 or mailed to
San Dieguito Academy / Room 98 / 800 Santa Fe Drive / Encinitas, CA 92024
sdamustang.com Who’s Blazing the Trail?
Some fear that administering teacher evaluations to students may not be in the best interest of education. Art by SophiaHurley.
Evolving Evaluations Student surveys about their teachers and websites like RateMyProfessor have been the norm in the college world for years now. But only recently have these surveys been taken to the K-12 scene.
S
tudents in the corner of their third period class groaned as they attempted to study for another impossible test in their next class. The teacher strolled over, curious what they were whining about. The SDA students complained about the unfair, ineffective and frustrating teaching style in their next class. Why don’t they do something about it, the teacher said. The students merely dismissed him, saying it was a hopeless situation, out of their control. Though this may be a reality at the majority of high schools across the nation, the increasing use of student surveys of their teachers’ effectiveness is paving the way for students to have some say about unfair or frustrating teachers. According to a report done by Hanover Research on teacher evaluation methods, the Memphis City School district was the first school to incorporate student feedback surveys in their teacher evaluations, having student surveys account for five percent of the evaluation. At least a dozen other schools have followed their lead, many using surveys created by Tripod, a teacher evaluation survey created in 2001 by a Harvard professor and reviewed by the Measures for Effecitve teaching project (see sidebar.)
For years, colleges have been employing various types of formal student surveys to help analyze their professors’ effectiveness. In addition, there are independent websites like Rate My Professor that allow college students to praise, complain, and give advice about professors in order to benefit their fellow classmates during course registration. With colleges leading the way, and a few high schools beginning to try student evaluations of their teachers, SDA students and teachers talked this month about using them here. The Reactions They had mixed opinions on whether they would be helpful. “I certainly think that teacher evaluations would be beneficial to SDA because often students are not satisfied with the way a teacher teaches, but it is hard to communicate what their thoughts are so if this is the case than there should be surveys,” said sophomore Daniel Chagnon. Sophomore Ray Mosko said they could help by giving teachers insight into what their strengths and weakness are so they know where to improve upon with their students. Spanish teacher Angela Vazquez-Herrera agreed that it would helpful to know what was and wasn’t
The use of student surveys in high schools has already been researched and put into practice at a select number of school districts by the company Tripod. Information regarding this survey and the research done surrounding it and others similar to it was found at Tripod’s official website and in the MET study published in 2013. Tripod is a teacher evaluation survey created in 2001 by Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson of Harvard University with teachers in Ohio. It was studied by the MET (Measures of Effective Teaching) Project, a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation that began in 2009 to build and test measures of effective teaching and find out how. When the study ended in 2013, it was concluded that Tripod was found to be a useful and effective tool for evaluating teachers. Tripod focuses on seven main components of a teacher’s adequacy: care, control, clarify, challenge, captivate, confer, and consolidate. Available for evaluating teachers in grades k-12, Tripod surveys ask students to rate the level they agree with a list of statements describing their teacher and classroom environment. Examples of statements include: “In this class, we learn a lot almost every day.” “My classmates act how my teacher wants them to.” Versions of the Tripod survey are being used in the Memphis City School District, the Pittsburgh Public Schools District, and Denver Public Schools. Memphis was the first school district in the nation to incorporate student surveys into formal teacher evaluations. The surveys, which are taken twice throughout the school year, account for five percent of a teacher’s evaluation. Making the Grade is a blog created by the Washington Post for teachers to reflect on new evaluation methods used in their districts. It revealed that for the most part student perception surveys were being met positively by teachers. However, there were a few concerns. According to one particular post focusing on the implementation of Tripod surveys in the Memphis City School District, teachers shared concerns over the wording of the questions (potentially confusing for younger or special needs students), unclear instructions for implementing surveys (who to give them to, whether or not to be in the room), and finally the results are reported too slowly and in a hard to interpret format. Despite difficulties, Tripod continues to be implemented and reconfigured in a select number of districts across the country. Though deemed most effective, Tripod is not the only student survey that is being used in elementary and high schools. Other student surveys include My Student Survey, developed by Ryan Bert of Vanderbilt University which was researched and now administered in grades 4-12 in the state of Georgia. The Davis School District, the third largest school district in Utah, uses its own student survey was created by its educator assessment committee.
working with her students. “They could then give me suggestions about what helps them learn in school,” she said. “Any feedback is helpful,” said AP US History teacher Kerry Koda. But she noted that there could be problems. “There’s the potential that a survey will turn into a popularity contest, or that teachers will be rated on things that aren’t in the students’ best interest.” continued on page 04
students are talking about | 3
the Mustang | February 2015
A modern desk for a modern classroom. Photo by Andrew Naimark
TURNING THE TABLES While everyone ponders the appearance of the to-be-built classrooms (and their dual-storied nature), the largely overlooked task
of choosing the furniture for these rooms begins early.
A
s SDA begins to prepare for this summer’s demolition of the classrooms surrounding the senior court, the school has begun to look for new furniture to put in the new replacement classrooms. Currently, sample furniture has been put in P-4 for teachers and students to check out. SDA Principal “We have many different vendors come in and listen to [teacher] feedback,” Principal Tim Hornig said. Hornig added that many other schools are going through similar processes currently and that it is the districts goal to find “standard” desks or tables for all the classes. However, Hornig noted that this selection process excludes tables for special classes, like chemistry. SDA has been, since last year, bringing in different samples of furniture to get opinions from teachers. Hornig said that teacher feedback is mostly based on their style preferences about things such as shapes of tables or desks, whether they should be on rollers, or even if they prefer the normal, rigid desks to more flexible ones. Although they are making progress, Hornig said, “We are still in the early stages of giving companies the feedback and getting samples to look at.” Hornig added that it’s not only teachers that are testing the samples but students as well: “The students in the class P-3 have been put through a sort of test where they actually try using some of the furniture to
4 | students are talking about
see what is sturdy, if something rolls too much, and if it not only appears nice but actually helps.” When these new classrooms are created, Hornig made clear that they will feature only brand new furniture as they will be “fitted” with it. “As we build new rooms we will put in new furniture,” he said. “What we have left [of the old furniture] we will keep...and resurface it in the other buildings,” he added. Hornig said that in his past four years at SDA, many teachers have started to prefer using tables in their classrooms rather than desks, so extra tables will likely be dispersed into the classrooms where they were requested. The process of selecting furniture is quite complicated, to the extent that SDA has a facilities committee that will continue to look for new ideas at sites that have recently bought a large quantity of new furniture, such as San Marcos High School. Hornig said that the new furniture will truly be tested next year, as displaced teachers move their classes into interim buildings for the remainder of contruction. “Two or three of these rooms will be fitted with the new furniture so we can see for sure what is working and get more feedback then.” This entire process of selecting the furniture will be budgeted by the prop AA which will cover the building of the new classrooms as well as the features of it that includes this new furniture. Andrew Naimark
continued from page 03 Fairness and student honesty can be major concerns when implementing student surveys. A recent article in The New York Times examined this issue. It highlights a study done by a Northeastern History professor upon 14 million reviews on Rate My Professor. The study revealed that students were fairly biased towards male professors, rating them in a positive manner for the same behaviors they gave female professors negative reviews. Would high school students be able to take something like this seriously enough to give honest feedback? “It would depend on the student. For me personally, I would judge it on how much I learned in the class, or if I thought it was really interesting. But a lot of students are like ‘Oh, they gave me a bad grade so I don’t like the teacher,’” said junior Sammy Mead. Senior Lauren Gonzales agreed that students don’t always evaluate teachers fairly, ““Some people don’t like teachers for the wrong reasons. [Students will say] ‘Oh they give me too much homework, oh they’re tough on me,’ but that’s what a teacher’s supposed to do. They’re supposed to prepare you for college, and yeah they might give you a lot of homework and they might get down on you to do something and be serious, but honestly that’s what they’re supposed to do.” Science teacher Trish Hovey also pointed out that how questions were asked could play a large factor. “The survey questions need to be phrased carefully so that the students’ answers can be objective if the data is to be evaluated statistically. Just asking students to rate a teacher as being «effective» and not stating explicit criteria would make it difficult for any data to be analyzed with any consistency,” Hovey said. So, with fairness and consistency as potential problems, would student surveys ever be something incorporated into the SDA environment? Principal Tim Hornig said introducing a teacher evaluation method like that is a complicated process. But Hornig said if the idea was brought up , “It would need to be something that we work on with the teachers union and it would need to be something that was mutually beneficial.” As of now, the evaluation process largely consists of observations from administrators like Hornig. Temporary teachers are evaluated annually. “The process involves multiple observations. It involves pre-meetings, post-meetings, notes on areas to address and goal setting among the evaluator and the teacher,” said Hornig. For teachers with tenure, this process occurs either every other year or once every five years. Hornig pointed out that in addition to these formal evaluations, teachers often give their own version of a student survey at the end of the term. “I think a lot of teachers who I know of do a relatively informal process. It may not be a survey per se, but I know that when I taught I always asked for students exit criteria and input. I think that it is a common practice to a reflective professional.” Hornig also pointed out that no matter what evaluation process and procedures they undergo, “Teachers are their worst critics. We continually find faults with how we do what we do. That’s what drives us from day to day, week to week or term to term.” Elise Echeverria
sdamustang.com
Before the new nutritional guidelines were instated this past summer, students enjoyed selling and buying food during Exhibition Day.
Health Initiative Inspires Frustration
New nutritional guidelines have restricted the food sold at school with the intention of creating a healthier menu for students.
C
ulinary arts will not be selling their usual ice cream sandwiches and pulled pork sandwiches at Exhibition Day this year due to changes in the state’s nutritional guidelines. These new guidelines have caused frustration among students and staff due to greater restrictions on the food that can be served on campuses. This year, food sold at schools needs to meet certain standards in regards to calorie, fat, and protein as well as other categories, according to Siri Perlman, Nutrition Specialist of the San Dieguito Union High School District. The nutritional guidelines became official on July 1 with the purpose of fighting childhood obesity in schools throughout the state. But, as a result, they have also restricted the food sold through vendors and culinary arts classes at school events. These Smart Snack guidelines have been put into place in order to provide students with healthier food options so that they can maintain a healthy diet, Perlman said. The new standards have restricted which snacks, beverages, and entrées can be sold at the
schools, whether through the Mosaic, vending machines, or any other method of selling food during the school day. “We can no longer serve Gatorade or Munchies, but have found alternatives such as the 100 Percent Juiced Snapple, Fruit Wave H2O and a variety of whole grain rich snack items,” said Perlman. “In an interesting way pizza is approved, but a pulled pork sandwich that Mr. Huntley [Scott Huntley, SDA culinary arts teacher] could make wouldn’t be. Supposedly pizza is more nutritionally sound because it goes through a process of review that a pulled pork sandwich [doesn’t],” said Principal Tim Hornig. Some students are frustrated that their favorite snacks and beverages are no longer being offered at school. “My fear in offering a very limited menu is that I, in a sense, push kids off campus.” Hornig said. “I don’t want five hundred freshmen running down buying a Slim Jim, some Ruffles, and a Slurpee and thinking that that is their lunch, when $3.50 could have purchased something that I feel is relatively nutritional.”
These new guidelines have also affected the four noncompetitive food sale days in which off-campus vendors, such as Board and Brew and Rico’s Taco Shop, are able to come on campus in order to sell food. These four days include the Bazaar, Water Day, Exhibition Day, and Teen Expo. Before the creation of these guidelines, there were no restrictions on what could be sold on those days, but now the venders must follow the guidelines as well, said Hornig. ASB must now search for other avenues in terms of providing food for students on campus during these special events. “It’s fun to keep students on campus. One way to do that is to have food vendors and when they’re there then they can experience the activity we have at lunch,” said ASB Advisor Rod Keillor. One option that ASB has is to find a way to give away food for free said Keillor. If the food does not require purchasing from the student, then it does not have to abide by the guidelines. “For example, Senior Javas were okay because all that food is donated and we don’t sell it,” Keillor said. “We’re just giving it to the students.” Because of this, ASB is able to provide the seniors with a variety of foods ranging from fruits to donuts. According to Huntley, these guidelines will also be affecting Culinary Arts, in that they will no longer be selling food on any of the noncompetitive food sale days. “We could reengineer our recipes, but I like to make really cool stuff that sort of showcases what we do in the class,” said Huntley. “We probably will not be able to sell food for Exhibition Day. It’s not that we’re prohibited from it, it’s just more difficult to create a recipe and it kind of takes some fun and creativity out of it.” “I just think it’s unreasonable. We need to raise money because we’re on a low budget. If we don’t fundraise we won’t be able to do everything we can in the class. I support Huntley because this school is all about being creative, and these regulations seem to downgrade the idea,” said senior Olivia Nguyen, culinary arts student. This decision will financially affect Culinary Arts since they used to earn some of their money through these four days. However, according to Huntley, they are looking for other alternatives in fundraising. The Smart Snack guidelines do not affect any after school selling, so the class can then sell at different sporting events and school-related events he said. Huntley said that Culinary Arts’ absence from the noncompetitive food sale days will be most missed at Exhibition Day. “I think that [on] Exhibition Day people are really used to the things that culinary arts makes, like ice cream sandwiches and chicken and barbeque and stuff like that,” said Huntley. Although the new nutritional guidelines have presented difficulties, they are still important in that they provide healthier food menu for students at school, said Hornig. “To me [the guidelines are] no different than the government telling you that you should wear a seatbelt: [the government is] looking out for your safety and your health and in this case, your food health,” said Huntley. story by Kate Sequeira with reporting by Daniel Ballard
students are talking about | 5
the Mustang | February 2015
Up Front
A quick look at the events around the SDA campus. Dec. 20 - Feb. 27.
Selecting the Future
Theater FUNdraiser
O
C
Prospective students visited on Feb. 19 to catch a glimpse of SDA culture before choosing which high school they will attend in the fall. n Feb. 19, San Dieguito hosted the annual Making the Choice Night for perspective future students and their parents. Students from the middle schools of SDUHSD came to visit SDA to see if they would like to come to the school. The event started at 6 PM, with clubs and electives setting up outside of The Mosaic to promote themselves and SDA. Clubs like Robotics showed off their creations, while electives like Auto Shop and Guitar Making showed the endless possibilities of those classes. At 6:30, Principal Tim Hornig delivered a speech to the students and parents in the gym, detailing information on class system,
abaret Night featured small groups of actors and musicians performing a large variety of scenes and songs from icons of musical theater. Highlights of the evening included a sneak-peek of the next Theater for a Cause
performance, “Of Mice and Men”, the flute section of the SDA band’s rendition of songs from “ Mary Poppins”, and the culinary arts class’ catering that was available before and in between performance acts. story by Daniel Ballard
Egyptian Elegance Photo by Caroline Daniel.
clubs, electives, and all that the school has to offer. After, the students had a chance to visit different classes and hear from students and teachers about why they should not only take those classes, but also why they should come to SDA.
This night is a way to introduce these prospective students to SDA’s culture and system, to see if they feel like they would fit into the school, so that if they are accepted they would want to come here. story by Caroline Daniel
Let the Games Continue
A Photo by Caroline Daniel.
lready four events into the competition, homerooms are fighting to reach the top of the standings in Homeroom Olympics. Students are looking forward to the next couple events, including Mystery Box, Fandom Wars Trivia, and the armwrestling tournament. story by Kate Sequeira
MiraCosta M Offers FourYear Degree MiraCosta College will be offering a bachelor’s degree in biomanufacturing.
6 | students are talking about
Theater and band students performed Feb. 21 to raise money for the arts progams.
iraCosta College will be offering a four-year degree in biomanufacturing, one of 15 community colleges across California that will be offering fouryear Bachelor’s degrees in upcoming years for a tuition price of roughly $10,000. California is the 22nd state to offer four-year degrees at community colleges, and
the new degrees will be beginning in fall of 2015 to fall of 2017 once details are finalized. Community colleges could only submit one degree for consideration, and MiraCosta chose biomanufacturing to take advantage of the numerous local jobs in the industry. The new degrees are
Winter Formal was held at the Natural History Museum on Feb. 7.
S
DA held its Winter Formal Feb. 7. The Ancient Allure Egyptian theme was displayed with many decorations and pictures hung up throughout the venue. Among the many events that students could enjoy were face painting, a photo booth, a dance floor with a DJ, a chocolate fountain,
and a green screen that put students in an Egyptian background. Three floors of the museum were open, each featuring a variety of exhibits and fun activities. The museum also opened up its roof where students could go out with their dates or friends and enjoy live music played by SDA students. story by Carina Julig
Enriching Your Mind
A
s of Feb. 10, SDA has begun offering afterschool Enrichment Courses for students. Students have the opportunity to take classes not taught during the school day. Courses being offered include “Engineer-
ing and Design in Science” taught by teacher Jocylen Broemmelsiek, “‘Growing Up is Hard to do’: How to Deal with Adult Stuff” taught by teacher Blaze Newman, and “Art From the Heart” taught by teacher Kajsa Medak. story by Kate Sequeira
required to be something that students can’t take at other local universities, and MiraCosta collaborated with surrounding colleges to make sure that there wasn’t any overlap. “I think it’s going to be a huge advantage to come out of a college with a four year-degree. In a lot of these industries it is going to give
a lot more flexibility to these graduates in terms of having an ultimate career path,” said Eric Neubauer, a teacher at MiraCosta and SDA. The desire to give students an affordable degree of the same caliber was one of the motivations to offer fouryear degrees at community colleges. story by Carina Julig
sdamustang.com
STAFF EDITORIAL
RATE MY TEACHER
The Mustang staff is wary of students acting as the be all and end all of evaluating teachers, but sees the value of student surveys serving as a supplement.
I
n 2001, Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson of Harvard University began a project known as Tripod. Its purpose: to provide a new form of teacher evaluation, one that gathers high school students’ opinions of their instructors through surveys. Such surveys have the potential to offer instructors insight on how students feel about their teaching. Through Tripod’s data analysis engine, patterns are noted and scores are given in a variety of subjects ranging from student engagement to instruction practices. Teachers can use the survey results to help them focus on areas in their instruction that could use improvement, giving them a chance to increase their students’ performance. Proven a valuable tool to many, Tripod surveys have been used by over 100,000 teachers. Now some are wondering whether San Dieguito Academy could profit from implementing student surveys, like Tripod’s. If used, the surveys could help SDA administrators to discern which teachers are running their classes efficiently, and those who could use a little
renovation. SDA teachers could improve the quality of their classes, benefitting both themselves and their students. However, regardless of the apparent promise shown by Tripod, some teachers have reservations against using the implementation of such surveys. If students were provided with this manner of evaluation, the results would likely be studied by administrators, and negative reviews by students could hold unpleasant consequences for teachers. Students could hold biases towards teachers, not towards the actual quality of their instruction. For instance, those teaching core classes could be unfairly given criticism from students who dislike the subject in general. Additionally, teachers who are thought of as being “easy” could be promoted by students, sometimes undeserving of such praise. While difficult courses can be demanding and time consuming, students should still be expected to try their hardest to succeed in them. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes students capitulate
after becoming frustrated, rejecting help from others and declining to study or focus in class. Often, these students will, rather than accepting responsibility, will blame their teacher for their dissatisfactory grade. If given a survey, these students would likely continue to unfairly blame their teachers. The Mustang believes that while students would be likely be dishonest or biased if given these surveys, that fear is no reason to avoid the possible benefits of implementing them. We believe there are precautions that could make the system seem less intimidating to teachers and could make its benefits accessible to teachers. School faculty should keep in mind that students will not always be honest, and not to make any concrete decisions regarding teachers off of the surveys. The surveys alone should not have the power to fire teachers or demote them from teaching certain classes, but should be used a supplemental evidence. When implemented, one should keep in mind that while student opinion is a helpful resource, it should also be taken with a grain of salt. The Mustang believes that these surveys could be a valuable form of information gathering on campus, and could be useful in assuring the happiness and success of future students academically . As such, the use of them should not be avoided due to minor fears, but should be conducted in a manner and mindset that is reasonable and cautious.
perspectives | 7
the Mustang | February 2015
Art by Julia Wengler.
SAME OLD, SAME OLD
Routine is helpful, but it can get you down. By Sophie Peeler.
T
he idea of routine is a tricky subject. People either hate it, love it, or, if they’re like me, hate and love it. For day-to-day life, I think it’s 100 percent necessary to spice things up every once in a while. Who would want to do the same things, go to the same places, and see the same people every single
8 | perspectives
day? If you need a hint, the answer is nobody. It seems like everyone is stuck in this never-ending cycle of dreading Monday all weekend, waiting impatiently for Friday all week, and then being back to dreading Monday. I’m pretty certain that this is solely because of one thing: routine; it’s like everyone is a
brain-dead zombie going through the same motions. Don’t get me wrong, though; routine is also pretty important. Without it, nothing would really get done. If medical researchers didn’t go to work every day, the cures for diseases would never be found. If students didn’t go to school, nobody would learn anything. Society as a whole would fall apart. Routine helps people know what to do. Otherwise, everyone would wander around aimlessly, never completing important tasks. Procrastination would become rampant. All things considered, routine is pretty important to daily function. But, I still think it’s one of the worst parts of life. I like to be surprised every day. For me, one of the worst feelings is waking up and thinking, “Well, looks like it’s time to do the exact same thing that I did yesterday.” There isn’t really anything I (or anyone else, for that matter) can do about it. Life isn’t a TV show; there isn’t going to be some new, life-changing drama every day. But there are things that people can do to break routine every once in a while. Taking vacations to new places is one of the best ways, since it provides an entirely new environment with new things to do. People usually use vacations as a break from school or work, so it’s like leaving routine completely behind. I think that my disdain for routine is probably why I think that one of the best things about SDA is its fourby-four schedule. Instead of having to go to the same classes every day for 30 to 40 weeks like other schools, the school year comes to an abrupt stop at the end of January. Then, second semester starts, and it’s like the first day of school again: New classes, new people, new teachers. It’s an incredible refresher from the tedious grip of routine, if you ask me.
sdamustang.com
A CRUSHING FEAR Admitting your feelings is hard. Stupid hard. By Caroline Daniel.
I
feel like I am constantly giving out crush advice like a street vendor with free samples. Whenever someone has a problem with anything regarding a boy/girl/person they like and can’t seem to get themselves together, I feel like I’m always in the middle, telling them what to do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind giving out advice, because I truly love helping the people around me. The frustrating thing is I always tell people the same thing: Just. Talk. To. Them. I’m starting to wonder if this is a problem of the 21st century. I wouldn’t want to live in any other time period, but I do have to wonder if back before cell phones and Facebook people actually made an effort to have face to face conversations. Or made an effort to talk at all. I don’t know what it is about stalking someone’s profile at two in the morning to find out if their ex-girlfriend was more attractive than me but it doesn’t make me feel much better about the situation. I can’t say that I’m perfect in regards to actually talking to people. I’ll admit that I’ve Art by Caroline Daniel. pretty much only ever told people I like them through Facebook or texting because it’s easier to hide behind a screen and possibly get rejected than get rejected face to face and not be able to run to my bed and hide under my covers until I hear my phone vibrate. But the effort is there. I spend way too long formatting a huge message admitting my feelings for someone, and then wait. Forever. (Or like, five minutes, but after spilling your heart out that feels like forever.) And I’ll be honest, it’s never actually worked out for me. But the feeling of getting it out of your head and into a real, feasible thing is more satisfying than just trying to bury it in yourself or complaining to your friend so much that they eventually ask you to “Please, please just shut up. You’re killing me.” I know it doesn’t sound easy to tell people that you like them, and honestly it really isn’t. It’s terrifying. Putting yourself out there, unless you have serious confidence (which kudos to you, I wish I was like that) is really difficult. I can’t promise that talking to the person that you like will garner the results that you want, but the relief you’ll feel of getting it off your chest is worth it. And hey, you never know. Maybe that’s how you’ll find your date to prom.
perspective | 9
the Mustang | February 2015
The park includes a bowl that is seperate from the main plaza, where skaters can show off their tricks or hang out on the benches surrounding it. Photo by Caroline Daniel.
sdamustang.com
Skaters of all ages, all different backgrounds, and all different modes of transport have gathered at the park, creating a new safe community. Photo by Caroline Daniel.
a skater’s
PARADISE
The Encinitas Community Park is home to a brand new skate park, creating a new safe, legal environment for skaters to enjoy their passion. The park is beautiful on a clear day, making it a prime spot for skaters to enjoy the weather. Photo by Caroline Daniel.
Although many of the people who are at the park are there to skate, some come to just watch the skaters, or film videos or take photographs. Photo by Caroline Daniel. Photo by Patrick Hall
10 | the middle
the middle | 11
the Mustang | February 2015
N
a skater’s
PARADISE
The new skate park at the Encinitas Community Park has provided a safe, legal place for students of SDA and the community.
A skater looks on as his friend grinds a railing. Photo by Patrick Hall.
ormally relegated to supermarket parking lots and empty school campuses, local skateboarders are rejoicing that they have a new place to call home. Now, any given weekend, one can watch as scores of skaters make their way to their skate heaven. After years of planning and months of building, the newly christened Encinitas Community Park opened Jan. 13. Spanning some 44 acres, the park features two baseball fields, a softball field, a soccer field, walking paths, a dry creek bed, separate dog parks for large and small dogs, a large playground, and, the crowning jewel for high schoolers, a brand new skate park. Covering roughly 13,000 square feet the skate park has already become a local favorite. The park features a pool, various staircases, ramps, rail, and a something that looks to my non-skating eye to be a small volcano. The plaza plays host to dozens of skaters at any given time. During non-school hours and weekends the plaza has become a veritable ant-hill of skaters, bikers, and even scooter-ers. The entire park has been a long time coming. The city of Encinitas bought the land that the park is built upon, the Hall Property in 2001. It went unused for over ten years due to disputes over what to do with the land. As far back as 2004, focus groups of teenaged skaters were consulted with the hopes of putting in a skate park. Finally, in late 2012 construction began on the property, ending late last year. Officially dubbed the Encinitas Skate Plaza, the park has already become a big hit. Just a month and a half after opening there are already hundreds of skate videos featuring the plaza as well as a popular Facebook page, “The Encinitas Skate Plaza,” featuring pictures and videos taken at the park. Most of the appeal of the skate park comes from the intelligence of the design. “It has a nice flow in the plaza and it can hold a lot of people.” said senior skater Bryce Hagen. Sophomore skater Patrick O’Mahoney added, “I don’t really go to other skate parks, but I think this one is really fun. It’s good for people of any skill level.” Skaters seem incapable of agreeing on a best feature, because the park has something for skaters of all type. Hagan said, “The pool is my favorite feature there, I like skating the transition.” O’Mahoney prefers “the big lip on the west side of it.” Hagen says the popularity of the park is already easy to see: “A majority of the cars I see parked down there [in the park] are for the skate park. It seems like that area of the park gets the most people.” O’Mahoney added, “I do think it will get used a lot. It’s getting used a lot right now, it’s usually packed, it’s going to keep getting used.” As the home to such famed skaters as Tony Hawk, Shawn White, Bucky Lasek, and Mike McGill, many have felt that the parks Encinitas already had to offer were inadequate. Options for young skaters are slim, and although the Magdalena YMCA already has a well-known park, featuring urban fixtures, a bowl, and a half-pipe; it also has a fee, something that keeps many from using it frequently. The other main park, Leucadia Oaks Park, while free, lacks any larger features. Local skates have been vocal in their support of the new skate haven, “It’s nice that there’s a skate park that you don’t have to pay for. And the cops don’t hound you ever, except for not wearing your helmet,” said senior skater Zach Lara. Besides being a well-designed park, the location is a big draw for skaters as well. “It’s nice to have all the businesses there, if you get hungry you can just skate around the corner. I’m sure [local businesses] appreciate it too, because there is a lot of people going there.” said Hagan With a park this well-made, skaters have a hard time finding anything to complain about, “The only downside right now is that a lot of moms bring their little kids there, and the little kids are roaming around kind of unsupervised and the parents will just walk through the skate park oblivious that they’re, like, at a skate park,” said, Hagan . Kevin Gallagher
12 | something different
www. sdamustang.com
something different | 13
the Mustang | February 2015
‘a fan first and a
WRITER SECOND’
After graduating from SDA, Nathan Reese has gone on to establish a successful journalism career in New York City, interviewing artists he greatly respects.
“Maybe some people are amazing writers from the time they’re 12, but most people aren’t like that. Most people have to write a shit ton to be able to do it.” Photo courtesy of Nathan Reese.
14| something different
F
rom the murals on the walls to the music in the halls, there is an unparalleled level of creative energy at San Dieguito Academy. And, year after year, former Mustangs – some as well as known as Eddie Vedder and Emily Ratajkowski – continue to exemplify this integral part of SDA’s culture within their careers. Free-lance journalist Nathan Reese is no exception. A 2004 graduate, he has since left the California sunshine, building up a resume as a writer in New York City. His pieces have appeared in a large number of publications (Refinery29, Complex Media, and Salon Magazine, to name a few) and his interviews have delved into the minds of emerging artists and Hollywood royalty. From SDA to NYC It wasn’t until high school that Reese first found his interest in writing. Following a passion for culture, he began to read reviews on websites like Pitchfork Media, an online publication devoted to independent music. “That was super important to me,” said Reese, “to figure out that people were writing about the kind of music that I was listening to then.” At that point, he said the Internet was a “very different place,” one that made it more difficult to discover unique artists. “I would have to go to Lou’s and poke around,” he said. “Have some dude there be like, ‘You should listen to Sleater-Kinney’ or something.” While at SDA, Reese spent much of his time in debate and had several “great” teachers including US history teacher Kerry Koda, physics teacher George Stimson, and former economics teacher Tom King. “I don’t think I could have had a better high school experience,” he said. “You end up meeting people who have these crazy horror stories [about high school]. I got to college and was like, ‘What are you talking about? It was super fun!’” College, for Reese, entailed majoring in philosophy at UC Berkeley. Despite the typical concerns about the major’s practical applications, Reese has found it to be quite valuable in his career. “There’s definitely a way of thinking that philosophy helps me with,” he said. “As far as writing is concerned, it makes you be extremely aware of what you’re talking about. You have to make a point without any affectation.” After receiving his degree, Reese taught English in Japan for about a year, returning to San Francisco amid the recession. “No one had jobs,” he said. “I was writing some, for myself, and I had an internship that wasn’t the best thing.” He decided to apply to a Columbia University publishing course, and it was that program that brought him to New York. Had he not been able to “relatively normalize” his life there, Reese doubted that he could have stayed. “I went through all of the living in the shittiest apartments imaginable,” he said. “I think everyone that moves out here has to go through that; then, at some point, you kind of carve a space out for yourself.” The Lifestyle In February, 2011, Reese began working as a writer, and later contributing editor, for the fashion and style website Refinery29. Three years later, he left to become the news editor at Complex Media and, this past January, recently transitioned to working as a freelance writer. “The initial access, to get on the phone or sit in a room with someone you’re really stoked about, is an extremely thrilling thing,” he said. “I’m a fan first and sort of a writer second, even though I’ve become [one] over time.” While Reese said that he doesn’t feel as many butterflies before an interview as he used to, he still can get “really nervous.” Once the conversation starts though, the feeling fades. “It’s kind of like in public speaking,” he said. “As soon as I’m up on stage or in front of people
www. sdamustang.com then it’s just happening. You’re in it.” Reese’s favorite interviews have come less from the people he expected, and more from those who were able to offer insightful answers. “Musicians are a crapshoot,” he said. “[The people I like talking with most] are usually older and have a large body of work behind them.” Few people fit that bill better than Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer. Zimmer has created the scores for over 150 films, including the “Lion King,” “Twelve Years a Slave,” and “Interstellar.” “You just look back and it’s like, ‘Oh my god, this man did the ‘Rain Man’ score, and the Batman score? That doesn’t even make sense!’” Reese was able to interview him over the phone, and he described the composer as “super candid, nice, inspired, and interesting.” Zimmer is not the only Hollywood name that Reese has talked to. Actor Lee Pace, best known for his role as Ronan the Accuser in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and his appearances in “The Hobbit” and “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” also talked with him on the phone. “He was very charming, professional, and thoughtful. [In the background] there were dogs running around and, I don’t know, he seemed like a normal guy doing normal guy, country-home things,” said Reese. “Then, meanwhile, he was in these massive, massive films.” Although “jockeying” with reporters for quotes makes red carpet events his least favorite to cover, Reese is no stranger to them. This year, he particularly enjoyed his first time at the National Board of Review Awards, given the high level of talent present. “I got to actually sit at a press table and eat dinner. It’s a trip,” he said. “At one point, you kind of get used to seeing people because, if you’re doing celebrity
interviews a lot, you end up interacting with people like that quite a bit. But it’s still never going to be normal to see Martin Scorsese.” On Freelancing and the Future After working for individual publications for several years, Reese was partially led to freelancing by his appreciation for sparking artistic discussion. “I wanted to write about music again, which I wasn’t really doing [at Complex Media],” he said. “And I could only write for one place, which was frustrating for me.” To Reese, the variety that freelancing offers compensates for the loss of a steady paycheck. “I think about what readers [of certain publications] would be interested in learning about, that I’m excited about,” he said. “[Something that] maybe the editor there wouldn’t cover without me bringing it to them.” He admitted that rejection plays a large role in the process. “You just hope that someone likes your ideas, and you can establish a relationship with them.” This February, he started at the New York Times T Magazine as a News Assistant, a freelance position that he now devotes most of his time to. When looking to the future, Reese said there are several things that he has his eyes set on accomplishing. “I’d like to write a book. I’d like to work at the New York Times.” He laughed. “I mean there are lots of things, mainly to continue on the path I’m on and write more things of substance, longer things, things that are more personal.” Just a few years ago, Reese dealt with endless skepticism regarding the continuation of journalism as a viable profession. Today, he has come to firmly believe otherwise. “There are lots of writing opportunities out there, lots of jobs,” he said. “As far as something that is creatively rewarding goes, I don’t think I could have picked a better career for myself.”
story by Elise Gout
something different | 15
the Mustang | February 2015 Rancho Coastal Humane Society
Wee Companions
What you’ll do: Assist with virtually every aspect of the organization from direct animal care to clerical and administrative tasks in order to help the animals find their second chance homes. Primary volunteer roles include people with guinea pig and rat experience to help socialize animals, foster and clean cages, but roles are open to people with other special talents. Who can help: Anyone 14 years or older Mission: To rescue guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, and other small exotic mammals from shelters, places of abandonment, and from persons relinquishing their pets. Additionally, to educate foster parents, school children, and others on the care, feeding and prevention of unwanted litters of these animals. How to get started: Contact Antonella at antonella@weecompanions.org.
Large mammals intimidate you
You love animals more than people
What you’ll do: Perform maintenance on shelter facilities and help socialize different adoptable animals Who can help: Full volunteers must be 18 or older, but kids under 18 can participate in the Kids Community Service Program. Mission: Among Rancho Coastal’s many goals, some include to find loving families and forever homes for homeless animals through their Pet Adoption program, provide Humane Education for today’s children who will become tomorrow’s leaders, deliver the unconditional love of animals through their Pet Assisted Therapy program, keep families and their pets together through the Community Pet Food Bank, and provide a safety net for the pets of domestic violence victims and others in crisis through the Animal Safehouse Program. How to get started: Go to www.sdpets.org and click on “Volunteer.” This will provide information on how to volunteer, apply online, volunteer opportunities, Foster, and Kids Community Service. Additionally the Volunteer Coordinator Mary Pilon can be reached at 760-753-6413 or volunteer@sdpets.org.
giving BACK
You never got that puppy for your b-day
Looking for new experiences this year, needing to pad your college applications, or just wanting to help out the community and get paid in warm-n-fuzzy feelings? The Mustang has you covered. Featured in this chart are profiles of local charities to help make the search easier. You get excited about education
You’re nostalgic about your elementary school years
San Diego County Library
What you’ll do: Help organize and conduct programs, shelve materials, work in the Friends of the Encinitas Library bookstore, help with projects, become part of the LEARN program and help teach non-English speakers English, become a Storyteller Volunteer and read books to children, and more. Who can help: Anyone 12 years or older can be a Service Learner, and anyone 18 years of older can be an adult volunteer. Mission: To inform, educate, inspire and entertain in order to create informed, literate, and engaged communities How to get started: Contact Nancy or Wes at 760-753-7376 or find Encinitas Library at VolunteerMatch.com.
16| something different
You like a little bit of everything
Community Resource Center
Ocean Knoll Elementary School
What you’ll do: Volunteer in the before (7:15-8:00 a.m,) and after (2:30-3:30 p.m.) tutoring program by reading with students and helping them complete their homework in all subject areas. Who can help: High school freshmen and up Mission: To maintain ongoing growth and innovation within our educational programs by meeting to the diverse needs of our students. How to get started: Contact Jennifer Bond, school principal, at Jennifer.Bond@eusd.net or 760-944-4358 .
What you’ll do: Volunteers work in the Food Distribution Center, Thrift Stores, and administration and development departments. Who can help: Anyone 16 years or older Mission: To partner with the communities, creating paths to safety, stability, and selfsufficiency How to get started: Contact Colleen Collazo at 760-230-6306 or ccollazo@crcncc.org.
story by Leigh Houck
www. sdamustang.com Laughing Pony Rescue
What you’ll do: Become a team member for a working horse rescue ranch, which includes grooming horses, mucking stalls, helping with the feeding and general care of the horses, and helping with whatever tasks are needed to make sure the horses and facilities are safe and secure. Volunteers may also help with administrative work such as filing, marketing, fundraising, and mailing lists. Who can help: Anyone, but they ask that people under 18 are accompanied by an adult Mission: To rescue and rehabilitate all breeds of neglected or abused horses, to train and provide horses for use for therapeutic riding, and to teach and disseminate educational materials to the public. How to get started: Email laughingponyrescue@gmail. com or visit www.laughingponyrescue.com and clicking on one of the specific email addresses.
Photo coutresy of Laughing Pony Rescue.
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
What you’ll do: Plant native species, remove invasive species, perform restoration site maintenance, and do trash cleanup Who can help: Anyone over 13, if under 18, one needs a minor volunteer information form filled out with a parent/ guardian signature. Mission: To protect and restore the resources of San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, its watershed, and related ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. How to get started:Visit http://sanelijo.org/restorationevents. Events are held on the 3rd Saturday (4th Saturday in April) of the month from 9-12 p.m. at various locations in the reserve. RSVP at http://sanelijo.org/restoration-events-signup. Email Platoon@sanelijo.org or call 760-436-3944 x709.
Photo coutresy of San Elijo Conservancy.
something different | 17
the Mustang | February 2015
Seniors Samantha Laurent, Ben Ellerbrock, and Caleb Gibson rehearse for “Of Mice and Men. Photo by Carina Julig.
THE ART OF CHARITY SDA’S Theatre for a Cause production returns in March to perform a classic with charitable intentions.
T
he small group of students gathered on the floor of the theater and began to rehearse, going through their lines scene by scene. They progressed through without props or costumes, only occasionally glancing down at their lines. Every so often the theatre teacher would stop them to give them a specific instruction on what tone of voice to take or where to go on the stage. There was plenty of laughing and joking, but it was clear that they were working just as much as they were having fun. The dedicated actors were practicing for this year’s Theatre for a Cause production, a stage adaptation of “Of Mice and Men.” Started five years ago by theatre teacher Stephanie Siers, the program pairs a production with a charitable organization related to that show’s subject matter. All proceeds from the show, as well as from silent auctions of donated items,
then go to the charity. The play runs March 19-21. Siers said that Theatre for a Cause was a program that she participated at in high school, and she brought it to SDA because she wanted to continue its benefits. “I was really passionate about it as a student [and] I wanted to recreate it here at SDA,” Siers said. A book that will be familiar to many from freshman English, “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, was published in 1937. The story centers on two California migrant workers, George and Lennie, during the Great Depression. “We really want to showcase the depth of the friendship between the two main characters, and we’re trying to give a very minimalistic feel to the technical aspects of the show,” said Siers. Lennie, one of the play’s central characters, is a gentle giant with an unnamed mental disorder. To go with the theme of mental health, this year’s charity is the
“My high school drama teacher created the program, and I thought it was a really wonderful idea.” -Stephanie Siers, teacher
Positive Action Community Theatre. Located in Encinitas, the PACT offers performing arts workshops to individuals with disabilities; many of their participants are teenagers on the autism spectrum. “We really strive to pick charities that have a local connection, so we’re thrilled to be working with Positive Action because they’re an Encinitas-based organization,” said Siers. “It’s nice to see that that money’s going back into the community.” All the proceeds from the play, as well as proceeds from the silent auction items donated by local businesses, will go to the charity. “We make anywhere from $3,000-$6,000 per year,” said Siers. The participants of Theatre for a Cause appreciate the opportunity to use their talents to improve their community. “We really enjoy it, and it’s really rewarding because all of the money that we earn goes to the charity that we choose,” said senior Samantha Steinberg, the show’s publicity manager. “Just seeing the good that we’re doing on a very tangible level is cool,” said senior Ben Ellerbrock, who will be playing the part of Carlson in the show. “Getting to see the people that it benefits means a lot.” This year, the charity is especially close to the actors’ hearts. “It’s a charity that has to do with theatre, and we’ve never really done that before, so the fact that we’re doing theatre and they do theatre is really cool,” said Steinberg. Along with donating money, there’s a possibility that the students will be able to do hands-on work with the PACT participants, adding another level of community involvement. Unlike the musical and drama production shows, which are school classes, the work for a Theatre for a Cause productions is done entirely after school. The casts tend to be smaller as well, with “Of Mice and Men” consisting of only 10 people. “I would say it’s more time-intensive, because normally it’s done in a very short amount of time compared to musical theatre, where it’s over a space of months,” said senior Samantha Laurent, who will play the part of Curley’s wife. “This one is two months, and it’s very intense because you’re trying to get prepared really fast. And [Theatre for a Cause] is a more of a drama. Normally SDA does lots of comedies and musicals, but [Theatre for a Cause] is usually a bit sad.” The tight time frame was considered the biggest challenge by students, but they attested that it was worth the effort. “We have to go out and ask businesses to donate and get our items in really quick, but when we give the check to the charity at the end, it’s really rewarding,” Steinberg said. “You have the added bonus of knowing that there’s something more than just hype for the theatre behind it, so there’s more of an incentive to do well,” said Ellerbrock. Siers said that she believes Theatre for a Cause is beneficial for the students as well as the organizations.“It really teaches students to be philanthropic and see the connection they have to the organization. [It] allows them to make a difference and see how their efforts are helping someone else out,” she said. “I think that’s an important skill for students to learn.” Carina Julig
18 | something different
sdamustang.com
Surfer vs. Skater
Sophomore skater Ryden Way debates the fiscal wisdom of the blind, while junior surfer Dominick Pazanowski deals with fame and death. Deep stuff as usual. By Dylan Hendrickson. Why do they put Braille on drivethrough bank machines? Skater: Maybe for blind people that need to use their bank accounts. Surfer: In case there’s a blind passenger in the car. Skater: I agree with the use of “maybe.” How do we really know if blind people use bank accounts? I’ve never seen a blind person at a bank and my scientific mind tells me not to assume anything, so you can understand that I’m in a bit of a conundrum. I asked my blind friend Kevin whether he feels the need to use a bank account, but he told me he was COLORblind and that I should probably stop talking
to him. Here’s seven points to memorialize the amount of weeks that me and him were friends. Surfer: After my broken friendship, I’m not really in the mood of responding to such meaningless guff. I could ask why the driver couldn’t just get the money himself, implying some sort of system of banning sighted hands from blind money (and then we’d get into Illuminati stuff, Eye of Providence, Blind World Order…) but I just don’t see the point. It’s just no fun anymore. Minus 14 points for being unlucky. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Skater: Well if you’re on Dom’s level... Surfer: If you’re Danny Way’s son, then you’re on the level. Surfer: I was under the impression that the line between assassination and boring old murder was a Bacon number under three. If you’re unaware, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” It involves linking celebrities to Kevin Bacon in the few degrees of separation as possible. For example, take Nicolas Cage: He and Sarah Jessica Parker were in “Honeymoon in Vegas,” she and Kevin Bacon were in “Footloose. ”Bacon Number = 2. So Michael Jordan (2)? Assassination. Tom Hanks (1)? National tragedy. William McKinley (4)? Who even
Dominick Pazanowski and Ryden Way display their methods of coping with “sun in the face.” Photo by Dylan Hendrickson.
cares? Danny Way, as it turns out, has a Bacon number of 2, so he would be considered assassinated but Skater would not. Sucks to suck and minus 23.5 points to Skater for not living up to his father’s Bacon legacy. Skater: Even though you’ll probably never be assassination material (sorry you had to hear this way), three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon makes you the most famous person I’ve ever met, apart from
Taylor Swift (met, photographed from 100 feet away, same thing). And if you think Surfer is capable of being the center of conspiracy theories for decades to come, then I believe you. After all, anything a famous person says is the word of God. Plus 65 points to Surfer for his new celebrity endorsement. Skater: -16.5 points Surfer: 51 points Congrats Surfer! You win nothing.
sports | 19
the Mustang | February 2015
20 | backpage