MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. XLVII, NO. 4
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
A Season of Gift-Giving
December 20, 2011
Baseball field fixed By Brandon Fuhs Staff Writer The MSJ baseball field has received a makeover this past fall, mainly due to the multiple safety hazards that endangered infielders. The torn up, weed-infested infield that turned into a swamp on rainy days has been redone thanks to the hard work of many parents and the varsity head coach Steven Griggs. At the beginning of the school year, Coach Griggs worked with an active group of baseball parents to create a proposal to present to Mission Possible and MSJ Boosters, requesting financial help for redoing the infield. Mission Possible granted the baseball team $10,000 and MSJ Boosters gave another $2,000. Griggs commented about the necessity of a new field, “Extended use, improper irrigation, wrong maintenance practices had all contributed to the failure of the infield turf area, making it unsafe.” The renovation of the field began with the removal of the old infield grass, followed by filling in the grass area with 24 tons of topsoil, seven thousand square feet of sod, and sprinkler repairs. Eighteen tons of PacBell infield mix were laid down across the infield dirt and leveled out as well. The rebuilding of the mound and the batter’s box is planned this coming month. Even before the proposals were made and the infield was replaced, there were dozens of players and parents that helped, and they continue to help improve the field and its facilities. Lucky Ott, father of sophomore Wyatt Ott, supervises the projects on the field. He facilitates meetings to work on the field and creates schedules to have certain projects completed. So far, the parents and players have removed many large rocks from the home dugout area and a batting cage, restrung and hung up a net for the batting
photos and layout by graphics editor angie wang
Egypt’s renewal: first elections By Nihar Parikh Staff Writer Ten months have passed since the spectacular Egyptian uprising that led to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, ending his 30 years of autocratic rule, but the future of the revolution is still anything but clear. The uprising that sparked much of the Arab Spring is now shrouded in confusion as thousands again took to the streets of Cairo’sTahrir Square.Their goals and motives spanned a multitude of issues that reflect the current state of affairs in the country. The fate of the new Egyptian government is up for grabs as different groups try to secure their position. Supported initially by the
masses, the military and its civilian council have been the interim rulers since Mubarak’s fall, but their push to maintain power as the country yearns for democracy has many wondering if they had switched one military regime for another. Also, young, secular students, the root of the February revolution, are feeling “robbed” of their cause as early elections are showing huge wins for traditional Islamist groups. The military council was embraced by the Egyptian republic as it was the primary force that drove Mubarak from power, but it has gathered significant opposition because it seems reluctant to give up its newfound power. Early in November, the council declared that it (and not yet-to-be-elected Parlia-
December 21 Minimum Day
ment) had the right to elect the prime minister, and even went so far as to nominate the prime minister during Mubarak’s rule as the new head of cabinet. Most protesters rejected the nomination and insisted that not only does the council not have that authority but also the council clearly doesn’t understand that Egyptians want nothing to do with the old regime. This was reinforced when the generals authorized violence against the protesters, which seemed a bit too similar to the police brutality of Mubarak’s administration. The military eventually conceded to many of the protesters’ demands and promised to transfer power to the democratically elected
Baseball players and parents all pitch in to renovate the baseball field.
See EGYPT, NEWS Page 3
See FIELD, NEWS Page 3
December 22-January 4 Winter Break
January 5 Return from Winter Break
staff writer brandon fuhs
January 16 Martin Luther King Day (No classes)