Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110- thefourthestate@lagunablanca.org
Volume XVI
March 17, 2011
Issue 5
Interact Club Reaches Its Fundraising Goal with ‘The Meaningful Meal’ BY HELENA DAVILA
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Held during lunch break, the club eld by Laguna Blanca’s Interact Club, the Meaningful Meal offered African themed dishes such helped raise much needed as couscous, Moroccan chicken, and funds to be donated to global non- hummus. For $5, students could build a plate profit “Empower Congo Women.” The Democratic Republic of the Congo is of African food with profits being doone of the most dangerous places a nated to the ECW. The proceeds from this meal were woman can live. Gang rape and torture of women are donated to help provide sewing lessons rampant, and as a result of this vio- and sewing machines. “It was great that we were able to lence, each day more and more young donate money women are soto such a worthy cially cast aside cause,” Interact and expected to “Not only was I Club member economically suscontributing to a good Cailtin Connor tain themselves. said. However, most cause, but I also was Each Interlack the basic able to learn more about act Club memskills to become ber signed up to economically selfundervalued culture.” bring a dish like sufficient and end falafel, saffron up living in the rice, or fresh fruit. slums of the ConAll members pitched in and helped to go. “Empower Congo Women” has de- serve the food and to share ECW’s mission. voted itself to changing this cycle. “I really enjoyed learning about the The nonprofit uses the funds they raise to provide sewing lessons, soap different foods served in Africa and making lessons, formal education, and other regions. Not only was I contribmuch more to struggling young women uting to a good cause, but I also was to help them get back on their feet and able to learn more about undervalued culture,” said sophomore club member become economically autonomous. Thanks to countless donations, the Daria Etezadi. “The Meaningful Meal was very sucECW has been able to help over one cessful! We raised over $150 for ‘Emhundred struggling Congo women. In an effort to help raise funds for the power Congo Women’, and surpassed organization, Laguna Blanca’s Inter- our goal of $100,” said sophomore Inact Club decided to host a benefit for teract Club member, Jessie Dusebout. Middle Schoolers, Upper Schoolers, ECW; they decided on a lunch inspired and faculty alike flocked to the Meanby African cuisine. On Thurs., Mar. 3, the Interact Club ingful Meal for something a little different for lunch. hosted a “Meaningful Meal.”
PHOTOS: ELLIOT SERBIN
So Nice They Named it Twice: Students and faculty help themselves to the African fare. Interact Club member Caitlin Connor and “Meaningful Meal” participants eye the buffet spread. Among the selection was Helena Davila’s Moroccan couscous with dried cherries, carrots, onions and celery.
“I thought the food was so good, I went back for thirds! My favorite was the sour rice and the Moroccan chicken,” said senior Sean Burke. Faculty club sponsor Ms. Trish McHale prepared and served a dish called Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate Cookbook. She’s had several requests for the recipe. The club will continue to hold bake sales for ECW with hopes that they will raise as much money as “The Meaningful Meal.”
Debate Team: Laguna’s Newest Champions By ANDREW McCAFFERY
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he Debate Club started last year due to interest generated from the mini-debates held in Ms. McHale’s Public Speaking class. The initial group was a small conglomeration of students who met once a week, holding infrequent inter-squad debates throughout the year. Over the summer, the club’s founders, Alex Greer and Justin Shand, traveled to the Dartmouth Debate Workshop for three weeks to hone their debate skills, doing as they put it, an “unhealthy amount of research.” Now, the Laguna Blanca Policy Debate Team holds the title of the most successful competitive forensics program in school history, as well as the only high school debate program in Santa Barbara County. Led by theater arts instructor Mr. Joe Beck, a former varsity policy-debater, the team has made much improvement since its humble beginnings last year. “Given the fact that we don’t have a program backed by tradition, or a lot of resources, it’s pretty impressive that we are able to compete with other, more defined programs,” said coach Beck. To clarify, policy debate is a form of research-based speech competition in which two teams -- an affirmative and a negative -- argue for/against a policy change, usually by the United States government. There are four constructive speeches 2 AFF, 2 NEG with cross-examination periods in between, and four rebuttal speeches. Usually, this procedure takes close to, or more than two hours. Most competitive debate teams take policy-debate as a class, 4 to 5 days a week. They are able to construct their arguments together, and usually with
the over-the-shoulder guidance of a and was especially successful in its first two tournaments: the coach or more experiStanford High School enced teammate. Invitational Tourna“We’re all pretty The LBS Debate ment and the HolTeam only meets once excited that we won lywood Invitational each week for 30 minboth utes during lunch. This the whole tournament, Tournament, makes preparing ar- and at only our second this February. At Stanford, the guments, and practictournament.” team placed in the ing competition much middle of the JV divimore difficult. sion, recording seven Despite this disadwins and eight losses. vantage, the Debate “The competition was really stiff, Team is still able to be competitive,
but we all did a great job, especially for our first tournament. Also, it was cool to debate at such a beautiful campus like Stanford’s,” said co-captain Alex Greer. In Hollywood, the team won first place in the novice division, recording ten wins and nine losses. However, three of these losses were to varsitylevel debaters. Team morale was through the roof after this initial victory, “At Notre Dame, we really stuck it to them! We’re all pretty excited that we won the whole tournament, and at only our second tournament. We came, we saw, we kicked their... butts,” co-captain Justin Shand said. Most likely, the Debate Team will attend a district tournament for its next competition. This would be in the weeks following spring break. Looking farther into the future, members of this year’s team hope that the School will offer a Policy Debate class for 2011-12. This would allow the Debate Team to be even more competitive, and encourage new members to join. The results of the school-survey showed that this idea is popular among the student body: close to 40 students said “Yes,” they would consider taking Policy Debate as a class next year. For now, the team meets weekly on Tuesdays during lunch in the Kalfas Computer Lab. The team has 12 members: co-captains Alex Greer and Justin Shand, Olivia Berci, Brandon Bickett, Kai Gamble, Luke Judson, Andrew McCaffery, Lauren Mounts, Brendon and Molly Nylen, Justin Palmer, and Alex Shirokow-Louden.
Laguna Blanca Mock Trial
Long Term Faculty Members
Style Profile: Ari Rodriguez
The LBS Mock Trial team competes against local high schools. Page 3.
Teachers who have worked at Laguna for decades offer a glimpse into their stories. Page 5.
PHOTO: JOE BECK Standing Tall: (From left to right) Andrew McCaffery, Kai Gamble, Luke Judson, Brandon Bickett, Alex Greer, and Justin Shand pose on the University’s Campus prior to the Stanford High School Invitational Tournament.
Over-Diagnosing America America’s tendency to over prescribe drugs. Page 6.
Assembly Line Education The repetition and routine of education in America. Page 6.
The Global Leadership Conference
Juniors participate in the Global Leadership Conference. Page 4.
Social Networking and Protests in the Middle East Page 8 & 9.
Highlighting a fashionable Junior. Page 10.
Food Trends The biggest food fads of 2011. Page 11.
Inside SB
An insider’s guide to Santa Barbara. Page 13.
CIF Wrap Up.
Education versus Incarceration
Laguna Sports in CIF. Page 14.
Should California reexamine its penal system? Page 7.
Where Laguna Students are traveling for the upcoming break. Page 16.
Laguna Blanca Spring Break
STAFF EDITORIAL Attack Shows the Ugly Side of the Internet “She should have known what Islam is all about…Egypt is a country of savages.” This was the response of blogger Debbie Schlussel to the brutal gang rape of CBS reporter Lara Logan in Egypt. Not only is this an unjustified attack on the Islamic religion and the Egyptian people, it is also belittling the crime of rape. Logan, the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CBS News, is well known for her reports from war-zones. While covering the Egyptian Revolution, Logan was amidst a thousands of people celebrating the resignation of former President Hosni Mubarak. She and her camera crew were overcome by a mob. She was then brutally beaten and raped several times before being rescued by a group of women and soldiers. Medical sources have revealed that marks on her body were consistent with being whipped and beaten with the makeshift poles that were used to fly flags during the demonstration.. An unnamed friend of the reporter told The Sunday Times:
This is illogical. Why would ‘Lara is getting better daily. The psychological trauma is as bad a respected journalist who has as, if not worse than, the physi- risked her life countless times cal injuries. She might talk about to report the truth invent a drait at sometime in the future, but matic tale of her own rape? There were hundreds of eyenot now.’ Laura Logan was victimized. witnesses present and Logan spent two days in the hospital And yet, she is recovering. facing more atAdditiontacks now from We must recognize the ally, false rape a group just as cruel—online power of the Internet to reports are inmobilize and empower credibly rare. bloggers and people, but maintain In fact, rape is opportunists. While some awareness of the damage the most frequently unrepeople have that it can inflict. ported crime in offered mesAmerica—84 sages of hope for Logan, this support has been percent of victims stay silent. Logan is courageous for taking marred by hateful comments the details of her assault public, from her critics. In a particularly cynical re- and media outlets such as Fox sponse, Nir Rosen, a fellow at News should be ashamed for enthe New York University Cen- tertaining any doubts of the atter for Law and Security, wrote tack. Other sources claim that Lara to his Twitter followers, “[Rape] is wrong, that’s obvious, but I’m Logan deserved to be sexually rolling my eyes at the attention assaulted—that she deserved to be severely wounded and reshe’ll get”. Some bloggers have gone as far peatedly raped for being naïve as to claim that the attack never enough to report from the highhappened. But rather, Logan risk location. They attribute the herself fabricated the story in a attack to her being blonde and beautiful in a Muslim country. desperate publicity stunt.
A LOOK INSIDE
Letter from the Editor Hello Everyone! Getting excited for Spring Break? I know I am! I think everyone could use a little vacation, whether it’s skiing, hitting the beach, or just hanging out at home. On a more serious note, today, as we go to press, Japan is still experiencing aftershocks from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck last night. The 7 meter tsunami waves that followed ravished the farming villages of north east Japan. The raging fires and potential nuclear threat posed after the failure of a cooling system at the Onagawa nuclear power plant which continues to threaten the safety of those living nearby. Currently, there are no accurate statistics that provide an idea of what is sure to be catastrophic damage in Japan. My heart goes out to those affected by this disaster. As a community, I think we have an opportunity to help. With so many service-based clubs on campus, I think we can raise funds individually through bake sales and coin drives, combine the profits, and donate them to relief organizations working in Japan. I encourage everyone to ask themselves what they can do to help. Sincerely, Carolina Beltran Editor-in-Chief
This theory is simply a coverup for these reporters own racism. They are using the myth that “only pretty girls get raped” to target Logan. Rape is not a crime of passion; it is an abuse of power. It is not the result of physical attraction. Rape is not a crime unique to Muslim countries. Every minute, 1.3 people are raped in the United States alone. This translates to 78 victims per hour, 1,871 per day, or 683,000 per year (Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center). Rape is not a defining characteristic of any particular country or religion. As journalists, The Fourth Estate staff is moved by Logan’s determination to share her story with the world and concerned about the extensive verbal abuse given by her critics. Social networking, the tool that to a large degree enabled the revolution in Egypt, is now being used to distort Logan’s reputation. We must recognize the power of the Internet to mobilize and empower people, but maintain awareness of the damage that it can inflict.
NEWS
School Musical Preview. 3 Global Leadership Conference 4
PROFILE
Dedicated Laguna Faculty. 5 Singer/Songwriter Courtney O’Donnell. 5
THE OPINION
Assembly Line Education. 6 The Cheating Epidemic. 7
THE DOUBLE PAGE Social Networking in the Middle East. 8 & 9
STYLE
Vivian the Mini Van. 10 Style Profile of Ari 10
HEALTH
Food Trends. 11 The New Hamburger. 11
FEATURE
The Persian New Year. 12 Insider’s Guide to Santa Barbara.13
SPORTS
Violence in Sports. 14 Featured Athletes. 15
BACK PAGE
Spring Break 2011. 16
he Fourth Estate is a public forum for student expression. It T is written and produced solely by the journalism students. The Fourth Estate welcomes guest articles and letters to the editor.
Letters must be signed and may be no longer than 300 words. Drop letters off in the main office or e-mail them to thefourthestate@lagunablanca.org. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate accepts advertising. Contact Trish McHale, MJE. at thefourthestate@lagunablanca.org for more information. Subscriptions are also available.
Editor-in-Chief Carolina Beltran
Business Manager Olivia Berci
Senior Editors Lillie Hodges Jordan Shannon Arabella Watters
Online Manager Abby Reutzel
Photo Editor Elliot Serbin Copy Editors Helena Davila Andrew McCaffery Morgan Raith Zoe Serbin Artists Julia Kent Sean Burke
Staff Anastasia Antonova Brandon Bickett Caitlin Connor Jess Davis Jessie Dusebout Daria Etezadi Jeffrey Nelson Fletcher Sipple Monica Watson
Faculty Advisor Patricia McHale, MJE
A Preview of “Chicago” BY ABBY REUTZEL
When putting on a show that is well known and loved, it is important to have just the right cast with the right amount of passion. This is the case this year with the selection for the spring musical the classic, “Chicago.” Most people only know “Chicago” from its Hollywood revival in 2002. However, the show actually premiered in the 1970s on Broadway. Director Joe Beck said “the musical had the misfortune to debut in the same year as “A Chorus Line,” to which it lost most of the Tony awards for which it was nominated.” This setback didn’t stop the musical from becoming one of the most famous and reproduced of its kind. The musical this year has a large cast of Laguna students spanning all grade levels. See the info box at the bottom for the cast list. Senior Layla Christian who will portray the role of Matron Mama Morton said, “We have a really fun cast this year. There are a lot of people you wouldn’t expect in this show. Everyone should support their fellow classmates and come see the show.” Mr. Beck described the musical as a “cynical view of the American legal system and our cultural obsession with celebrity. Every number in the show is an homage to a popular Vaudeville performer from the early 20th century; the music is fun and fast and full of syncopation.” Linda Nager Brandt, who has played a pivotal role in the Santa Barbara theater company for many years, will reprise her role as the music director for the third year in a row while Laguna Blanca’s Middle School hip-hop instructor Shannon Abero will return to choreograph the show. “Chicago” will run from Fri. April 15 through Sun. April 17 so be sure to check it out while it’s playing.
Cast List Roxie Hart: Autumn Van Diver Velma Kelly: Cameron Platt Billy Flynn: Andrew McCaffery Amos Hart: Briggs Boss Matron Mama Morton: Layla Christian Annie: Bryana Schantz Liz: Becca Brooks Hunyack: Elia Doussineau Mona: Ari Rodriguez June: Kelly Furukawa Emcee: Dante Bozzini Fred Casely: Parker Lilly Ensemble: Sean Burke
Digital Photography students and faculty gather on the steps of the Getty Museum before their visit.
Learning on Location: Digital Photography Students Visit the Getty By MONICA WATSON
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ith notebooks in hand, the Laguna Blanca students from the Digital Photography class piled into a van and headed down to the J. Paul Getty Museum. Visiting the Getty is something that classes have done in previous years and look forward to going to again in the future. Along with chaperones, Head of Upper School, Mr. John Berry, Visual Arts Department Chair Mr. Chris Johnson, and Finance Assistant Ms. Heather Dvorak, this group of 29 students took the school day to observe some of the fantastic and historic pieces of art there and to see the special exhibition of Felice Beato’s Photography. The Getty Museum is located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and holds many different forms of art, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. The main reason for the trip was to allow the digital photography students to study the artistic styles of photography, students who were also interested in ceramics were able to view the professional pottery, and students enrolled in drawing and painting could appreciate the different styles of paintings. “One of the highlights of the trip for me was look-
ing at some of the first war photography taken by Felice Beato. It was good to see his collection of early panoramic photographs,” said Mr. Johnson. Although the group was having fun, their main reason for making the trip was to observe two important exhibitions: Photography from the New China and Felice Beato: A Photographer on the East Road. “It was fun to learn about the different forms of art we saw. Both of the exhibitions we viewed intrigued me,” sophomore Chanelle Janssens said. The group saw Felice Beato’s photography of the Crimean War (1855-56), the Indian Mutiny (185859), the Second Opium War (1860), and the American expedition to Korea (1871). They also observed surrealist Hai Bo’s and Wang Qinsong’s recent photography representing the influence of the West on Chinese culture. “It was a very eye opening experience. The photographer’s photos let us have a better idea of their culture. The overall trip was very interesting and educational,” junior Becca Braly said. Students found the trip to be very beneficial. “The Getty Museum was a good learning experience. It was good to see abstract art and paintings that are brought from all around the world,” sophomore J.T. Aubery said.
Ensemble: Austin Rusack
Mock Trial Team Competes in County Competition By JORDAN SHANNON
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rosecutors, defense attorneys, expert witnesses—they’re all elements of a criminal case that’s all too familiar to this year’s Mock Trial Team. Laguna Blanca’s 2011 Mock Trial Team competed in a county-wide competition on Sat., Feb. 27 at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. The competition was directed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), a California based organization that was created to help students acquire a working knowledge of our judicial system. The team has been working on the case since early September often coming together to practice on Sundays and school nights. History instructor Ms. Martha Elliot and former LBS parent and attorney, Mr. Michael Murphy were the team’s coaches. Both helped to formulate a case for both sides while providing insight on the law and the nature of our judicial system. Cyber bullying rested at the root of this year’s case, as Laguna students argued over the constitutionality of the hypothetical Anti Bullying and Cyber-Bullying of Students Act (ABCS Act), in which a fictitious student, Angel Sterling, was being harassed on social platforms and was said to have been assaulted with a deadly
weapon by the defendant Jessie Woodsen, the leader of a gang-like school group called the Pirates. Laguna’s team went against Santa Barbara counties’ top mock trial teams, demonstrating both their strength and knowledge with this year’s case. However, despite successful rounds for both the prosecution and defense, Laguna Blanca will not be moving on to the next round. The day began with Laguna’s prosecution team against Dos Pueblos, and the defense team against Santa Maria High School. Prosecution lawyers seniors Carolina Beltran, Kelly Furukawa, and sophomore Olivia Berci showed poise, confidence, and a deep understanding of the case and the legal issues involved. Witnesses also demonstrated their strengths, portraying their roles with perfection and conviction. The final verdict for the morning trial resulted in the defendant, Jessie Woodsen, to be found guilty on count one for assault with a deadly weapon—an outcome which proved to be in the prosecution’s favor. The defense team scored well during the first round against Santa Maria High
PHOTO: Lina Beltran Laying Down the Law: (From Left to Right) Carolina Beltran, Tyler Douglas, Cameron Matthews, Fletcher Sipple, Marshall Alex, Kelsey Douglas, Brendon Nylen, Olivia Berci, Jess Davis, Teacher Coach Ms. Elliott, Amanda Schulenberg, Boo Goldmuntz, Jordan Shannon, Kai Gamble, Eva Davis, Kelly Furukawa, Austin Rusack, Daria Etezadi, and Justin Palmer.
School demonstrating their strengths in the courtroom. Seniors Marshall Alex, Kelsey Douglas, and Fletcher Sipple, the defense team’s attorneys, proved their knowledge and insight on the case, firing questions left and right while still maintaining composure and confidence. The final verdict found the defendant Jessie Woodsen not guilty on both counts. Although the morning round for both Laguna’s prosecution
and defense resulted in successful verdicts, round two did not produce the same outcome. Both the prosecution and defense went against Cate School in the afternoon round. At the end of the competition Laguna Blanca came in 4th place overall, just missing the cutoff for Semifinals. The program provides a great way for students to gain an “insider’s view” of our judicial system, and also to gain confidence speaking in front of
others, a skill which will help for future careers. “I think that our team showed great determination and perseverance against the opposing teams. Although we did not advance to the Semis, our hard work throughout the year was what truly mattered,” added Kelly Furukawa on her insight on the team’s performance. In the semi-final round of competition the Dos Pueblos team lost to the San Marcos team.
Student Standouts By: JORDAN SHANNON
Abby Reutzel Fletcher Sipple: Senior Fletcher Sipple won the Zone Level in the 74th Annual Lions Club Student Speaker Contest. This year’s speaker topic is “Enforcing Our Borders: State Versus Federal Rights.” After winning the first round and $75, Fletcher competed against other Club Level winners from Dos Pueblos High School and San Marcos High School on Mar. 3. He was awarded $100 for winning this round. He hopes to win the entire competition for which he could potentially earn a $20,000 scholarship. Fletcher will compete again against student winners from Ventura Apr. 5 in the Region Level at the Lions Club in Carpinteria.
Abby Reutzel: Senior Abby Reutzel was awarded The Fleischmann Community Service Award from the Santa Barbara Foundation for her continued community service commitment. Abby volunteers on a weekly basis for United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Work, Inc. at their Power Wheelchair Soccer Program. Abby also spends her time volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, thanks to her creation and management of the Santa Barbara CureFinders Club for Cystic Fibrosis. As part of The Fleischmann Award, Abby has been given $500 to donate to a charity of her choice. She has chosen UCP Work, Inc. to receive the award. The money will go toward their Power Wheelchair Soccer Program of which Abby has been a dedicated volunteer.
Juniors Attend Global Leadership Conference By MORGAN RAITH
Fletcher Sipple Zoe Serbin: Sophomore Zoe Serbin recently won several awards for her artwork in the California Region of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Her intriguing piece “Don’t Do Drugs” has been recognized with the highest award, a Gold Key. She also received a Silver Key for her piece “Misery Loves Company,” as well as Honorable Mentions for her pieces “The Whole World,” “My Hands,” “The Eye Jar,” “Teacher’s Pet,” and “Howl.” This month, Zoe will attend the Los Angeles Basin California Arts Project’s Celebration to exhibit her work. It will be held at the Camarillo Public Library in the Community Room on March 23.
Zoe Serbin
PHOTOS: ELLIOT SERBIN
Student Wins Screenwriting Competition 10 Days- 10 Crews- 10 Films
By CAITLIN CONNOR Starting as early as August high school students all around Santa Barbara begin to write screen plays to submit to the 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking Competition, held annually by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The first competition was held in 2004 with the goal of bringing together industry professionals and rising screenwriters and filmmakers. This year, freshman Aija Mayrock won the screenwriting competition. Finalists were announced on Nov. 3 from five high schools and then assigned to mentors. Aija was paired with Josh Conviser. “He was so supportive. We had a very productive collaboration.” Advancing through the first round Aija put in hours and hours of work to make the masterpiece she wrote come to life. Her next project was to revise drafts and actually create the film. The subject of the film was bullying and teen suicide. “I have felt very moved by the amount of suffering and bullying amongst teens. I’m driven to write about social issues and this seemed to be one that needed attention. I did a lot of research and felt very connected to this subject.” In total, Aija wrote 15 drafts before they started filming. But once pre-production filming began, all eyes were on Aija. “I was involved in every aspect. I found locations, I cast, and I wound up playing the lead role. The only thing I did not get involved in was the editing of the film,” said the 14-year-old, who was by far the youngest finalist. Monique Soltani interviewed Aija on the red carpet and said, “When I interviewed Aija Mayrock on the red carpet I could literally feel her excitement, she was radiating brighter than the best chemical peel money could buy… My ten minutes with Aija was more inspiring than the past 10 years I’ve spent
PHOTO: KIM BUSCH
Students Today, Leaders Tomorrow: Juniors assemble in the courtyard outside of the Corwin Pavilion at UCSB during a break in the Global Leadership Conference. (From top left to right) Juniors Andrew McCaffrey, Austin Abrams, Justin Shand, Luke Judson, Troy Ritter, Jess Davis, Vera Lopez, Allie Lafitte, Elise Scheuermann, McKenzie Scarborough, Fiona Jessup, Mackenzie Campbell, Amanda Harvey, Kai Gamble, Morgan Raith, Eva Davis, Alex Greer, and Lauren Alef.
Eighteen juniors with “It was a great support they deserve. In applications in hand opportunity to meet our complex and ever joined fellow juniors future leaders of the Santa changing world many from Santa Barbara Barbara community challenges must be met. High, Bishop Diego, San and it helped in my In order to confront and Marcos, Cabrillo, and preparation for college tackle these challenges Santa Ynez at the Corwin and my future career,” we need strong leaders.” said Harder. Pavilion on the UCSB said Kai Gamble. The GLC program is a Campus to participate Students learn how in the Global Leadership having athletic, spiritual, unique item on a college Conference in February. social, scholastic, and resume because it is not a After being nominated personal balance could camp that can be paid for. Unlike other leadership by their schools, students improve their lives. are required to complete “The Global programs which charge fees, a lengthy application, Leadership Connection participation which includes a resume Conference connects this program is only and a personal essay. youth leaders to each available to students who have been These can later be nominated. This used when applying for college. “It was an inspirational is an important distinction to The conference conference full of colleges as it tells consists of three interesting lectures and them more about events: all-day the merit of the group activities, fun activities.” student. individual and According to group interviews, Harder, the first closing day activities, and an awards other in a caring, fun and question that a Naval interviewed ceremony. learning environment,” Academy The first of three said Global Leadership asked Austin Patrick, events involves typical Connection Director LBS alumnus and GLC “Youth Leader of the meet and greet group Carole Harder. activities designed to For the second event, Year” scholarship winner, get participants to better students participate in was “can you tell us about understand the qualities group and individual this Global Leadership of a successful leader. interviews by local Connection?” On Mar. 20, students Students work in small professionals held on groups and compose the Santa Barbara City will attend an awards complements for each College campus in the ceremony at Westmont other, engage in focused cafeteria. Students earn College. Four students conversations, and create points, which are added will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college short skits about health to their score. and nutrition which they The program’s goal of their choice with an later perform. is to give recognition to all-expense paid week“It was an inspirational students who otherwise long trip to Washington, conference full of may not be recognized D.C. Several other students interesting lectures for their hard work in the and fun activities,” said community and at school. will receive a variety Justin Shand. “To stimulate talented of smaller scholarship based on The day was mainly young people to develop awards outstanding focused on getting to and meet tomorrow’s their know and work with new demand, we must give participation over the people. them the recognition and course of the conference.
Students Hold Second Annual Sports Drive to Benefit Those in Need
Aija Mayrock gathering celebrity sound bites.” At the end of the night, on Feb. 6, after all the student films were shown, winners were announced names were called, and speeches were given. When Aija Mayrock’s name as the 10-10-10 SBIFF winner was called, she was ecstatic. “I didn’t know until the moment they called my name that I had won. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I don’t even remember getting up from my chair! I just remember looking out at the audience and wondering how I got on stage.” The ‘radiant’ freshman seems truly delighted and happy with her achievement as is the rest of the Laguna Blanca community. “I am so grateful for my involvement and I feel very honored that I won. I’ve learned so much from this experience. This whole process was an incredible learning experience. This has been one of the most amazing experience of my life.”
The Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club hosted the second annual Sports Club Drive on Mar. 5. Students from several local schools held drives on their campus to collect new and gently used sports equipment for those in need. The idea for the drive came from former LBS student Matt Wagonhurst a friend of sophomores Eli Bittleson and Eddie Conk who led the Laguna drive. In addition to putting in about 150 hours of community service and gathering equipment, students also raised $600 in donations which will provide yearly memberships for local kids to the Boys and Girls Club. A yearly membership is $20. “Last year we had a ton of kids come up with their faces glowing,” said Eli. It takes a huge collective effort to make it happen. Help came from a sponsorship with Make it Work who donated PODS for storage. “We had to push a little
PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN Donations Wanted: Sophomores Eli Bittleson and Eddie Conk collected new and gently used sports equipment on campus for the second annual Sports Drive.
harder (this year),” said Eli. As the need for equipment and membership continues to grow, so does the determination of the students to keep
the Sports Drive going. “We’re trying to make a (how-to) kit to give to other communities,” said Eli. It’s such a great thing, we want to keep going.”
Five Faculty Show Dedication Over 25 Years By MORGAN RAITH
Carol Nordgaarden
Chris Johnson
Peter Angeloff
Ray Robitaille
Susan Burke
When asked about how she got into teaching, Middle and Upper School English teacher Mrs. Carol Nordgaarden responded, “I didn’t really have to make that decision. It just came naturally.” Mrs. Nordgaarden saw an ad in the paper for an English teaching position in the fall of 1984 at Laguna, and sent in her application. Interestingly enough, that very same day the head of school called her about the job. “I was replacing a very popular teacher. The kids were looking forward to him, and they were scowling at me, but it was a great group, and we had fun eventually,” said Mrs. Nordgaarden. Prior to teaching at Laguna, Mrs. Nordgaarden held a teaching position at Anaheim High School. She got married and moved to Santa Barbara where she became part of the public school system, and worked as a substitute at Santa Barbara and Carpinteria High Schools. “In ninth grade I found my creative writing flair,” Mrs. Nordgaarden said which steered her towards English. Mrs. Nordgaarden has taught a variety of English classes over the years. She’s taught eighth, ninth, and twelfth grade English, journalism, sixth grade history, study skills, elements of grammar, and creative writing electives. “I taught journalism in the early 90s before there were computers, so we had to type everything and take everything to the printer by hand.” Private school has its benefits. According to Mrs. Nordgaarden, “there is a lot of freedom that you don’t have in the public school system. I was amazed that I could assign any books that I wanted.” “Occasionally I’ll get emails from previous students who are now teachers asking me to send them a copy of a lesson that they remembered.”
Before graduating from UCSB with a BA in 1977 in Art, and an MFA in 1979, Mr. Chris Johnson joined the Air Force for a “four-year hitch,” where he served as a radio communications analyst in Italy for two and a half years. “We had to have a top secret clearance for the position because we listened to the Russians,” said Johnson. Mr. Johnson was a marine biology major before he switched over to visual arts as his major. Before he began teaching at Cate School in 1980, he worked for the office of Veterans Affairs as a recruiter for UCSB. In 1984 he was offered a oneyear position at Laguna as the only art teacher for the Middle and Upper Schools. The Kalfas Computer Lab used to be the art room where Mr. Johnson taught drawing, painting, and B+W photography classes. He also taught art classes including woodshop in the Middle School, and ceramics in the Upper School. Mr. Johnson continued to teach during this time “I tried to make it artsy, but it was mainly about teaching students how to use tools. I was amazed at how many students had never used a hammer or a saw,” said Mr. Johnson of his woodshop class. In addition to teaching, Mr. Johnson held the position of Director of the Physical Plant from 1985 - 2005. In 1994 the students nominated him as teacher of the year. When asked about the most rewarding part of his job, Mr. Johnson replied, “the quality of the students, the small class sizes, and teaching in the new art facilities.” Mr. Johnson is the current Visual Arts Department Chair. He teaches ceramics and digital photography in the Upper School. This is his twenty-seventh year.
“I chased a fiancé across country and caught her here in Santa Barbara,” said physics instructor Mr. Peter Angeloff as his reason for moving to the Golden State. When Mr. Angeloff called the headmaster of the Laguna Blanca School to inquire about a job, he heard the secretary whisper in the background, “There’s a physics teacher on the phone!” The headmaster answered, “Get him! Get him!” Mr. Angeloff started his career at Laguna in the fall of 1983. When asked if he imagined himself working here for as long as he had, Mr. Angeloff answered, “I’m surprised I’ve been living for as long as I have.” Mr. Angeloff’s favorite activities outside of being a physics teacher include: “backpacking in the wilderness, riding the Harley Davidson, and golf.” When asked what job he would have if he weren’t a physics teacher, Mr. Angeloff responded, “There is no job that can compare to teaching physics.” Mr. Angeloff likes that his job allows him to help students, “first understand physics, so that they can better understand the universe.” From the universe to the school community, Mr. Angeloff understands it all. “I enjoy attending all Laguna sporting events, that is what it means to be a member of the community.” Although he has taught a variety of subjects in the sciences, including chemistry, Modern Physics Seminar, and astronomy, he has had the same classroom for decades. “For all these years the Jackson Lab has been Angeloff’s home,” he said. Although Mr. Angeloff has spent most of his life in California, he is not willing to give up his title as a New Englander.
Mr. Robitaille’s career at Laguna “started at summer camp in New York State.” A friend of his was hired by former headmaster Jack Adams, to redesign the athletics program at Laguna. That friend left the position of athletic director open when he moved to UCSB. “I had to pull out a map. I had no clue where Santa Barbara was. I made my truck my covered wagon and headed west.” Coach Robitaille took the position of athletic director at LBS in 1980. “I was the youngest athletic director in the Condor League at 24,” said physical education teacher Mr. Ray Robitaille. He is also the coach for boys football and lacrosse. On what he loves most about working at Laguna he said, “I don’t do any one thing the whole year round. I really enjoy the different age groups and different activities. I don’t even really think this is a job. This isn’t work.” In addition to his own three children who have attended Laguna, Mr. Robitaille has coached multiple secondgenerations of students whose parents he also coached years ago. “I can remember faces but I can never remember the names. It’s nice to see students come back and tell me what they are doing now.” “I started lacrosse about five years after I came to Laguna and it killed the boys basketball team because it was a winter sport and I had all of the boys playing lacrosse. In 1999 we stared the football program and that meant that the entire configuration of boys sports had to change.” Even in his thirty-first year he looks up at the mountains and the ocean, he sees no reason to ever leave Laguna. “Where do you go from here? I could be a lifer,” said Robitaille.
While attending a meeting at the Laguna Blanca School library in May of 1977, as the librarian for Thatcher School, Mrs. Susan Burke heard that Laguna was in need of a new librarian. Mrs. Burke immediately jumped at the opportunity and was interviewed by Headmaster Jack Adams, who “gave her the job on the spot.” That was 34 years ago. Later, when Mr. Art Merovick was headmaster, Ms. Burke took charge of the Lower, Middle and Upper School’s libraries on either side of the Hope Ranch Campus. She suggested to Mr. Merovick that the Lower and Upper School libraries be combined into the current Isham Library space. In 1994, “we called out an S.O.S. for red wagons because we had so many books that needed to be moved. We didn’t even have to box the books, we just put them straight in the red wagons and onto the shelves.” When LBS acquired the Howard School Campus in Montecito, the Lower School library moved there. In 2005, Mrs. Burke saw the need for a computer lab in the annex. She proposed an auction project to raise funds for the current Annex Computer Lab and for new furniture for study space in the library. “My job has changed so much over the years,” Mrs. Burke said. “It was a lot of work when I ran two different libraries. It was a lot of reading to do.” “My kids attended Laguna from kindergarten through twelfth grade.” Her two children graduated in 2002 and 2005, but she still remembers “those special days” of having them at the school with her. “It’s wonderful to see the kids of parents that I used to teach when they were students at Laguna.”
Catching up with...
Singer Songwriter
Courtney O’Donnell
By JESSIE DUSEBOUT
E
ver since her fifth grade songwriting class, sophomore Courtney O’Donnell has completely fallen in love and dedicated herself to singing and songwriting. Courtney describes her singing style as a mix between country and singer/ songwriter. She writes her own lyrics with inspirations from her life experiences. She also draws upon her outlook on what is most important in life, and how to enjoy it to the fullest. Courtney finds motivation from her own love for music and other musicians including John Mayor, Michelle Branch, and Taylor Swift. Courtney’s schoolmates and teachers have the opportunity to hear her sing in the LBS Upper School talent show every year as well as at other local events. In the Santa Barbara’s Got Talent Competition which she won, she competed against San Marcos, Dos Pueblos, and Santa Barbara High School students.
She followed this opening for a Five for Fighting Benefit Concert. “It was an amazing experience, I felt so honored,” Courtney said. Courtney also explained how her family has been nothing but supportive through all of the ups and downs that come along with singing. “They want to support me as much as they possibly can,” Courtney said. Over the years she has written, recorded, and produced songs into CDs. In addition to creating two of her own CDs, with four original songs on each, Courtney decided to pursue advertising her songs online. Within the past weeks, Courtney signed with a social networking company called Oniracom. The company will help Courtney promote her songs through online opportunities, which many say is becoming a more important step for success today. “This company helps promote musicians through
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and their own website,” explains Courtney. She has recently posted two of her songs on YouTube, including her original song “Traffic Lights.” Within days of her posting, Courtney received hundreds of hits. Courtney’s cover song “Before You Decide” which she wrote and sang at competitions last year, is also on YouTube and has been viewed by almost 2,000 people. Along with posting her own songs, Courtney has begun singing popular songs, such as “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayor, “What’s My Name” by Rihanna (feat. Drake), and “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. “Courtney is really good at taking already popular songs and making them her own,” junior Eva do Couto said. In addition to frequently updating her YouTubes, Courtney has a fan page on Facebook where she posts her videos and upcoming events. Courtney is currently
PHOTO: MADELINE PHOTOGRAPHY
directing her focus on what she has written and recorded and has been spending her time exploring new ways to advertise her work. Over the years Courtney has had many opportunities to sing in front of large crowds. When asked how she deals with the nerves, she responds, “I get nervous right before I go on, but once I start singing I’m fine and forget all the
nerves.” Courtney will pursue music as a career, “Yes, definitely. I want to major in music in college and pursue it as a career. It’s my dream.” To keep up to date with Courtney and her music view her Facebook page, YouTube account, or on Twitter; which all stay current with her progress.
Date of Manufacture Year 2013 By OLIVIA BERCI Our education system as a consummate model for manufacture—an efficient production line. Recently, a YouTube video has surfaced the web of Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk on “Changing Education Paradigms.” Robinson, an international advisor on education, paints a bleak image, exposing the inherent flaws in our educational structure and the way today’s youth are educated. “The current public education system was developed during the enlightenment for the economic situation of the industrial revolution.” Ironically, this, in itself, is a novel idea. Our society is driven by progress, advancement, improvement, and establishment—an ultramodern mentality. Why, then, is public education fastened to such a straight-laced approach to learning? At six years old, I learned to conform to ringing bells. At 8, I was introduced to the fascinating culture of standardized state testing. At 11, my grade was separated into three math levels: A, B, and C. Why is there this perception that 60 sum 4th graders divide into group A, group B, or group C? Why does the state test the ability of a student and the accreditation of a school by a standardized test? Second graders, third graders, and fifth graders are all completely different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Why are we testing them in a standardized way? We, as students, are homogenized from the time we step into our kindergarten classroom. Our name, last then first, typed onto an inventory listing, we’re assigned a workstation, and bound to a schedule. We are clumped together based on whether we are six or eight, whether I know my multiplication tables or not. I was put onto a conveyer belt when I was six years old, a date of manufacture stamped across my personal file. I test best at a certain time of day. I am better at writing my answer on a line than filling in a bubble. By the time I graduate, I will have earned my credits, taken my fair share of standardized testing, and have been placed based on 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C more times than I can count. Robinson presents a study. 1500 kindergartners were tested for divergent thinking, the ability to see lots of possible answers to a question. 98% tested at the genius level. Testing again at 13-15, only 10%, tested at that same level. There is something seriously flawed here. From age 6 to 15, should students not be making progress—leaps in their comprehensive capacity? But rather, these students’ ability to creatively think and problem solve was gradually curtailed. This expounds a discomforting concept: we are taught to think linearly. We know the difference between right and wrong. We know that cheating is bad, and that if you get the answer listed in the back of the book, you are doing something right. Some students are
academic and others are athletic or artistic—nonacademic. As first graders, as middle school students, as seniors in high school we think about our peers—we think about ourselves—as being one type of student. We have all taken the quiz: are you a visual, auditory, or hands-on learner. A, B, or C. I am a visual learner and I am better at reading than math, but that description of my academic aptness is insulting. Those tags put a cap on my ability as a student, as an individual, as a contributing member of society. At six, eight, and eleven, I went to a public school. Now I go to a private school. Does this issue really affect me anymore? How far can Laguna push the envelope? How different is our educational experience really? Laguna Blanca School is in the fortunate position of being able to pay more attention to each individual student—we have a smaller student to teacher ratio—but does the school have the ability to truly specialize each student’s educational experience? This time of year, among many things, means I have to think my schedule for next year. I can’t help but feel frustrated that I don’t have time to take the classes I want to because I have to take the classes I am required to in order to graduate. I have options, yes, but because of the constrictions put on those opportunities, they have become more discouraging than anything else. Junior Jess Davis, who is new to Laguna this year, says, “One of the reasons I came to Laguna was because I felt that while I was at public school, teachers were constantly working on a timeline to make sure we were prepared for the state’s standardized tests rather than making sure we really understood the concepts.” Laguna isn’t working towards state testing, but as a junior next year, AP classes are something that are on my mind. What is the real benefit of an AP class? AP tests put the class on a strict timeline with a limiting curriculum— just like state testing. Why would I want to take an AP class? I have the option not to, but the consequence of opting to take, arguably, a more enriching class is how will I compare as a college applicant to a student who took four AP classes their junior year? Math teacher Mr. Paul Chiment says, “Although we are far from perfect, Laguna has a long history of hiring teachers that develop relationships with students that transcend the typical, hierarchical teacher-as-boss, student-as-employee factory model. Over the years, the most successful teachers at Laguna are the ones who have both the interest and emotional capacity to truly care for their students.” Picture very different image: an educational experience unique to you—an education unabridged, unconfirmed, and radically comprehensive. Unattainable? No. Difficult achieve? Yes. Worth struggling for? Definitely.
Formspring: A New Kind of Cyber Bullying By CAROLINA BELTRAN
Graphic: JULIA KENT
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n Feb. 9, 2011, F o r m s p r i n g announced their hasty approach of acquiring 22 million registered users. For those of you who don’t know, Formspring is a social networking website that allows users to create question-andanswer based profiles. Essentially, people post questions on someone’s page and that user responds. What sets Formspring apart from Facebook or Twitter is that membership isn’t required in order to post a question. Therefore, people can post anonymously. Have you ever wondered what you might say to someone if they didn’t know it was you? Well, there’s probably a reason why you’re too uncomfortable to say it to their face.
I don’t have a Formspring, but I have spent some time browsing people’s profiles. It isn’t surprising that Formspring is a hotbed for provocative comments. People can anonymously attack the way you look, the way you dress, your friends, your relationship, your sexuality, and the list goes on. There is no way to monitor the things people ask, and I think that poses a serious threat to people’s mental health, particularly vulnerable teens. In March of last year, West Islip High School senior Alexis Pilkington took her own life after receiving a stream of nasty messages via Formspring. How is this okay? And while this particular incident
is an extreme case, I, personally, can think of plenty of other circumstances in which Laguna students were hurt by comments posted on the site. And, as I mentioned previously, while I am not surprised that people write such rude comments on Formspring when there names aren’t attached to the post, I am surprised that the site is so successful. How are so many people willing to take the risk of being verbally assaulted? Formspring practically promotes cyber bullying, and users are essentially inviting others to insult them. While some may be “mentally strong enough” to brush off these anonymous blows, other are not. And, because Formspring cannot differentiate
between these users, the site should enforce some kind of censorship, which is something I usually would never stand for. I think the best solution would be to remove the option of posting anonymously. The root of the online bullying that Formspring procures is the anonymity factor. When people know they won’t be connected to or reprimanded for the things they say, they are, of course, going to be much more willing to post harmful comments. Cyber bullying is a serious problem, particularly after 2010, when suicide due to cyber bullying skyrocketed. The growing popularity of Formspring will only allow online harassment to continue in its relentless growth, while what we need is the reverse effect.
Over Diagnosing American Teens: The Mass Attack of Meds By ANASTASIA ANTONOVA Today, doctors are giving out prescriptions like flyers, containers filled with antidepressants rattle in about 1 out of every 12 teenagers’ backpacks. Infants are being diagnosed with mental disorders and prescribed medications. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD drugs going up from 759 million, in 2000 to 3.1 billion in 2004. Why has America become the ultimate nation for drugging our youth? T r e a t m e n t s , medications, and even discovery of mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and ADHD weren’t being focused on until the 20th century. The problem isn’t that doctors are greedy for money as some might argue, but that the symptoms are usually hard to accurately detect as part of an actual disease. According to WebMD, symptoms for ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in minors, include disorganized work habits, procrastination,
and not being focused in a conversation. Well then, sign me up for some Ritalin, because I, along with my whole generation of multi-tasking teenagers, don’t have organized lives, don’t like to do my homework right when it’s due, and don’t like to listen to people chatter on when we have more
communicate with one another in a matter of seconds. Although ADHD is probably the most commonly diagnosed disorder, other disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder have been misunderstood since teenagers have existed. How do you diagnose a
“Maybe some of us don’t have ADHD and just get hyper with friends or distracted from homework.” important things to do… like texting. Sometimes, parents get our lack of focus mixed up with our generation’s essence: internet’s speeding up by the G’s, information’s traveling through ten billion different sources (with status updates sending to Tweets and Tweets to text notifications and those being forwarded to all your contacts in a click of a button etc. People who are thousands of miles apart from each other can
disease whose symptoms are naturally found in adolescents such as mood swings or depressive states? So, maybe we need to slow down? Maybe the reason we, as adolescents of a speedy century, are prescribed so much medication is because we are focused on too many things, becoming too bratty to our parents, and are taking anything that promising to make us feel better in a single gulp.
But it’s a problem that we’ve created just as much as the adults in our lives. They are overly worried their child might not been considered “normal.” In the United States, diagnoses of ADHD are directly proportional to the number of standardized tests students take. Although I’m not trying to say these diseases don’t exist— with an increase in teen suicides, violence, and cyber bullying still prevalent in our society and shown to be linked with some of these mental disorders—I think that some of us are too eager to jump on the boat. So maybe some of us don’t have depression. We’re just a little sad. Maybe some of us don’t have ADHD and just get hyper with friends or distracted from homework. Maybe some of us don’t have an obsessive– compulsive disorder (OCD). We just like our things neat. We should, at least at first, try to fix ourselves instead of letting a pill do it for us.
California Closes Schools and Builds Prisons By JESS DAVIS
What’s Your Opinion? “Skins” is an award-winning British teen drama which began airing an American adaptation on MTV in 2011. This show’s edgy plot line explores controversial issues such as dysfunctional families, sexual orientation identity, mental illness, substance abuse and death. It is the subject of a significant amount of controversy. We want to hear your opinion. It contains adult content & strong language. It is suggested that viewers are in the over 18 crowd. So, if that’s you, tune in, check it out, and let us know. Leave a comment on our website. www.thefourthestate.net. GRAPHIC: JULIA KENT
By ARABELLA WATTERS dream about a devouring a five-pound burrito while the academic honesty assembly is going on? Truly, these assemblies change nothing. I almost don’t dare to utter the
:J IST ART
A
c a d e m i c dishonesty is essentially a euphemism for the word cheating. Cheating communicates something dirty and sinister. Cheating requires plotting and planning, clever conniving, and premeditation. When the administration forces us to trudge into Spaulding Auditorium every few months to belabor the importance of academic honesty, cheating is pushed by the wayside in favor of something decidedly less evil and serious. Academic dishonesty denotes a mistake under pressure, a stressful breakdown due to the pressures of finals or midterms or APs where a student just “happens” to glance over at someone else’s paper or write down the answers on their forearm or bring in notes to a test. Academic dishonesty is nothing compared to its disgraceful cousin cheating. When the student body is instructed to remain “academically honest” it is a gentle suggestion. Clearly, the suggestion isn’t clear enough. It also isn’t quite clear what the administration hopes to achieve by having multiple assemblies belaboring this point every single time an incident which violates academic honesty occurs. Frankly, nobody is paying attention during those assemblies. People are checking their iPhones and debating with their friends whether they should go to In-N’-Out or Freebirds for lunch. The choice between Double Double and Quesarito does seem to be of more pressing concern when virtually nothing changes once the student body tramples over itself to get to lunch after assembly. Why shouldn’t people
enough. To be doing all that and knowing that other people are reporting grades they didn’t deserve and scores they didn’t earn was frankly the most annoying thing I encountered in the college process. Annoying does not do my emotions justice.
ENT
Is Academic Honesty Really a Policy at LBS?
AK ULI
At a recent Upper tive and costly. School assembly, proRather than fighting a fessor and community ‘war’ against drugs, we activist Mr. Noel Gomez need to explore ways to asked students, “How treat the problem. many of you know someDrug possession should one who is in prison?” be categorized as a mediOnly one or two hands cal problem rather than rose timidly and most a criminal problem. students looked uncomWithout treatment, fortable—surprised by abusers are likely to such a blunt, unexpected continue use upon requestion. lease. Medical treatment Prison is a foreign con- reduces the number of cept for most Laguna repeat-offenders and is Blanca students. more affordable than inAt a school where 100 carceration (Price 2010). percent of graduates atThe chief reason for tend college, incarcera- the overpopulation of our tion seems irrelevant to prisons is a lack of supour future. port for youth. No child However, 1 in every grows up with hopes of 100 Americans currently becoming a criminal. No lives behind bars (www. child dreams of a life beedweek.org). hind bars. In other words, a sigYet this is the reality nificant portion of our for an increasing numpopulation is detracting ber of people each year. from society rather than Petty crime is the result contributing to it—and of desperation—and destaxpayers are left with peration stems from a the bill. lack of options. Although the United The directly proporStates makes up only 5 tional relationship bepercent of the world’s tween poverty and crime population, we impris- has been demonstrated on 25 percent of its in- consistently throughout mates; with roughly 2.3 history (www.pubdef. million people currently ocgov.com). detained, we have more On average, college prisoners than any other graduates earn $20,000 country. more than those who In contrast, out of the finish their education 36 indusat high trialized school. nations E d u “Rather than we are cation ranked provides fighting a ‘war’ 18th for financial against drugs, we our edustability, need to explore cation which system in turn ways to treat the (www. reduces problem. Drug upi.com). crime. possession should There A n be categorized as is an unother deniable trend a medical problem relationthat has rather than a ship becontribcriminal problem.” tween our u t e d plumto our meting growquality of education and ing prison population is the exponential increase increased involvement in prisoners over the of law enforcement in past 20 years. California, dealing with disruptive ranked next to last in school behavior. national education, and Instead of addresshas one of the highest ing the root cause of a state prison populations child’s behavioral prob(www.edweek.org). lems, overworked and We are spending more underpaid public school money incarcerating counselors are taking people than we are edu- disciplinary action more cating them. We spend regularly. (www.edweek. $49,000 annually per org). inmate in California, a We must focus more cost twice as large as the funds on the payment of national average. qualified public school When compared to the teachers and adminis$8,700 we direct towards trators. Positive mentorthe education of each ship plays a major role in student, the distorted influencing the choices priorities of our state are of young people. illuminated. But while signifiHow can we justify cant steps can be made cuts in educational funds through state budget rewhen we are ranked next visions and local political to last in our nation’s efforts, the solution to mediocre school system? this problem lies in our We can’t. recognition of the power Mr. Gomez runs a pro- of young people. gram at Santa Barbara We must make educatCity College called Tran- ing, mentoring, and supsitions, whose goal is to porting youth a priority. help former inmates as- Investing state revenues similate back into society in education is an investthrough career education ment in our present and and support groups. future progress as a soThere are three things ciety. that we must do: direct Because when we more funding towards highlight juvenile delineducation and after quents in the media more school programming, frequently than hightreat drug use as a health achieving youth, devote problem instead of a more of our revenues to crime, and most impor- supporting inmates than tantly, reevaluate our so- students, underpay our ciety’s attitude towards teachers, do not provide young people. inexpensive after school Thirty years ago, Cali- programming, and unfornia revivified its ‘war derestimate the power on drugs’ and created of mentorship, we are harsher sentences for essentially telling young possession, which re- people that we do not sulted in the number of care about them—that drug offenders in prison we do not value their poincreasing twelve-fold. tential. Punishing possessors We are telling young of illegal drugs through people that they are not imprisonment is ineffec- as important as felons.
taboo, b u t people are still cheating. It is rampant, and to the carefully trained eye of all students and apparently none of the faculty, nauseatingly blatant. Chemistry instructor Katherine Pointer voices her frustration with cheating. “It’s really frustrating because it destroys my working relationship with students. I know students are cheating, but I don’t know how. I recognize students’ loyalty to each other, but if I don’t know how it’s being done, and no one comes forward, I don’t know how to solve it.” I don’t wish to rehash any points that I made last year in a similar column, but it is of consequence to mention the infuriating nature of cheating. Especially this year as a senior applying to college, watching my peers receive grades which they definitely do not deserve is enough to make my blood boil. We are at the zenith, the culmination of four years of grueling work. Spending the month of December writing personal essays, calculating my GPA, inserting SAT scores, and virtually living on The Common Application’s frustratingly maroonthemed website was hard
Maddening, irritating, aggravating, exasperating, those terms are better. There are countless episodes I can think of and I know that I am not the only one who gets so fired up about the cheating on campus. It is a terrible feeling to know that you did everything you possibly could in your power to be prepared for a test and the person across from you is still going to do better because they brought their notes into class. It isn’t fair to the students driving themselves into the ground to be successful.
I don’t understand the phrase “you’re cheating yourself;” it makes no sense. When someone cheats, they’re inevitably going to get a better grade, and frankly, if a person is at the point of cheating, I don’t doubt that they’re going to have any moral qualms about claiming the grade as their own. I understand that it is hard to catch cheating. Every teacher on campus wants to trust his or her students to be upstanding and reliable. Honest. It seems to be an insult to our integrity if cheating is ever mentioned before a test. A simple “eyes on your own paper” or “separate your desks” is enough to send jitters across the classroom and a collective shiver to slide down every spine. However, because nothing ever seems to happen as a result of cheating, despite the countless academic honesty assemblies, students aren’t scared. T h e punishment does not measure up to the crime. I am not
suggesting that every single person who ever glanced at someone else’s paper in passing be expelled on the spot, because the student body would probably consist of two people, but at least there should be some stronger consequences. A detention and a slap on the wrist will not do. I can get a detention for being tardy and spend 40 minutes after school cleaning the Quad. I honestly don’t think that cheating should be garnering the same punishment as tardiness. At this point, Laguna Blanca is talking the talk regarding cheating, but until someone actually gets punished accordingly for “academic dishonestly,” I can say without a doubt, that the administration doesn’t really know how to walk the walk.
The “Political” Network: How Social Media Is Re-defining Movements for Political Change By FLETCHER SIPPLE
“Go 2 EDSA. Wear blk.”
This Twitter post, made in 2001, set into motion what was to be one of the greatest movements of political change to ever hit the Philippines. Within days, downtown Manila was clogged with millions of protesters fighting for a fair trial in the impeachment of then President Joseph Estrada. In recent months we have seen the power of the “social network” to bring about political change and to even assist in the overthrow of governments. The whole world was shocked earlier this year when Egypt, a country
many Westerners perceived as relatively stable, erupted into protest. Everyone knew that the people of Egypt were tired of the Mubarak regime, his corruption and his police state, which had been running itself in “emergency” status for two decades. But, what many Westerners and outsiders wondered was: how in the world do all these people organize themselves in such a seemingly fluid manner? The answer, was, quite simply “the social network” Social Media, by its very definition, is designed to connect millions and now billions of people simultaneously
via Twitter “updates” and Facebook “statuses.” One can easily search the name of their favorite celebrity and usually, via Twitter, figure out what, say for instance, Justin Bieber, did today. But in countries like the Philippines or Spain, where social media has helped to instrument massive political movements, ordinary people and political activists are using these tools to disseminate ideas, plans of protest and political rhetoric to millions of people instantly. Twitter and Facebook, by their very nature, are a protest organizer’s best friend. They have given previously power-
Noteworthy News and Events By LILLIE HODGES, GRAPHIC By JULIA KENT
March 9: Eleven people died
in the suburbs of Cairo because of clashes between Christians and Muslims over the burning of a church. Six Christians and five Muslims were killed but more than 120 people were injured in this clash that tested the strength of the postMubarak government.
Feb. 26 - present: The revolts
in Libya turned violent quickly and a now fully-armed rebel army has been battling the pro-Qaddafi forces. Control of cities changes daily and there is no end in sight for this political revolution turned civil war. Leaders of Libya’s rebel forces appealed to the United Nations for recognition and protection in the face of the mercenary fighters employed by Qaddafi. The US has frozen the assets of Qaddafi, his family, and his advisors, amounts which total hundreds of millions of dollars. The American Embassy was also shut down and all Americans were evacuated.
less people and activist groups, the ability to organize and act out plans of protest on a massive scale. The question still remains, why were Facebook and twitter so influential in bringing about political change in places like Egypt and Tunisia? The answer is more complicated, especially in Egypt. Nearly two thirds of Egypt’s population are 30 years of age or younger. Likewise, most of Facebook’s user’s fall some-
“Twitter and Facebook, by their very nature, are a protest organizer’s best friend.” where in that age group. Certainly this will change as generations, like the ones we see at Laguna Blanca grow old-
er with their Facebook and Twitter pages. But, Egypt’s “age imbalance,” is certainly part of the equation. Not only is this younger group of people going to be more demanding of freedom but they are going to be exposed to the freedoms found in EU nations and in the United States. The nature of Mubarak’s “police state,” which controlled the media and the population in any way in it could, flew in the face of the hopes of Egypt’s young population. Why? Because this younger generation, linked to the rest of the world by the Internet, has access to information and exposure to the freedoms found elsewhere in the world that would make the likes of Stalin or Kim Il-Sung roll over in their graves. Both these communist era dictators used the censorship of media
Feb. 12 - present: The long-standing monarchy in Bahrain attempted to clamp down on protests that had spread to Pearl Square, Manama. The US suggested to King Hamad Khalifa that he deal with the protests without violence, however after two days of peaceful protests, the police raided Pearl Square. Protesters successfully retook the square and have been staging relatively peaceful rallies ever since. Shiite-majority Bahrain is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa family which retains a tight grip on the premiership and key ministries and is a major spark for the protestors.
as a control mechanism over their populations. But, today, such control in not possible given the nature of social networking sites and the Internet itself. Egypt had the population, the yearning, and now, with the dawn of Facebook and Twitter, the tools to bring about
“Both these communist era dictators used the censorship of media as a control mechanism over their populations.” greater freedoms through political change. These young people have the tools to organize and disseminate ideas, protest plans, and political rhetoric to a massive population of logged in Facebook and Twitter users. Tunisia has a unique
A Facebook page urging “revolt” in Bahrain amassed more than 6,000 “likes” on the social networking site. The Facebook group dedicated to the Revolution of Bahrain lists the goals of the protestors and urges the followers to fight injustice with peaceful protest.
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Key Players By LILLIE HODGES, ART By SEAN BURKE
Muammar el-Qaddafi “I am a fighter, a revolutionary from tents ... I will die as a martyr at the end,” said Libya’s autocratic military leader Muammar el-Qaddafi during a televised speech discussing the armed revolution that was forming. He has been in power for over 40 years and is the latest of the leaders in the Middle East to face prodemocratic protestors. His response has been to hire mercenary forces to combat the rebels (because the military has been split up by men defecting to the rebels and by those who refuse to fire on protestors). All of his assets that were held in America have been frozen. The revolution has largely turned into a civil war and the control of areas changes every day. However one thing is constant, Qaddafi is unprepared to let control of Libya go to the rebels and has blamed the West and Al Qaeda for the revolution. story of its own. Ben Ali, the former dictator, shut down Facebook three years ago. Not only did this set off a fire storm amongst the general population but he was forced to allow Facebook because of his daughter’s complaints over her inability to access her Facebook page. Little did he know that one day there would be graffiti scribbled on the walls of building all over the capital reading “Thank you Facebook.” Like in Egypt, protesters used social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to plan and carry out protests as well as to spread political rhetoric. The later bears even more weight in Egypt, where Google’s head of Middle East marketing, Wael Gonim, anonymously set up Facebook pages where frustrated citizens could post evidence of police brutality and wrong doing by the
Mubarack regime. Pages such as these have become extremely influential in motivating populations, ridden by fear of their governments, to seek social and political change like never before. Twitter and Facebook, by their very natures, offer platforms which are invaluable to a population seeking social or political change. They give the average man the ability to reach a huge population, to disseminate information instantly, to make posts, store information, and discuss ideologies in an open and moreover hard-to-control web based arena. These are the same reasons the “social” network has become so popular and now, for the same reasons, the social network is turning into a venue for political discourse and change.
Wael Ghonim “Pray for Egypt. Very worried as it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die,” tweeted Wael Ghonim the night before his arrest. By day he was Google’s head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, but by night he was the secret creator of the Facebook page “We Are All Khaled Said” which both acted as the organizer of the first Tahrir Square protests and commemorated the 28-year-old businessman who is believed to have been brutally killed by police in Alexandria in 2010. He moved back to Egypt from Dubai to devote more time to the revolution. After returning to Egypt, he was arrested and became the new face of the injustice of Mubarak’s regime. He was released after ten days of torture and came to speak in front of the protestors.
Hamada Ben Amor
Hamada Ben Amor, otherwise known as “El General” is a Tunisian rapper whose music became the theme song of the revolution in Tunisia and Egypt. He performed his original song “Head of State” and became a YouTube sensation for his post “President, Your People Are Dying.” In a largely censored country, his music touched the hearts and minds of the Tunisians after the tragic death of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian fruit vendor who literally felt the hand of injustice when he was slapped openly by a woman working for the government. His suicide was the spark for the Tunisians The events in Cairo were coordinated on a who began to speak out and protest the problems in the Facebook page - tens of thousands of supportgovernment. ers clicked on the page to say they would take Ben Amor was arrested and many feared the worst, according part. However, it only took minutes on Jan. 28 to the New York Times. He was released and took the stage for a technologically advanced, densely wired on Jan. 29 and was greeted by a crowd filled with thousands country with more than 20 million people online to be essentially severed from the global of protestors. His song which was the anthem of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia later spread to the Tahrir Square Internet. protestors in Cairo.
7: Fighting
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Jan. 25 - Feb. 11: Protests are uncommon in Egypt, which President Hosni Mubarak has ruled since 1981, tolerating little dissent. Mubarak addressed the nation in a televised broadcast which further infuriated the protestors because he disregarded their demands and refused to step down from his post. The protests began peacefully but violence soon seeped into the mix with the arrival of the pro-Mubarak supporters. Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 and a week of celebrations began throughout the nation. Mubarak’s resignation marked the second successful toppling of a long-standing leader in the Middle East.
Dec. 17: Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of the local government building. It is estimated that more than 5,000 people joined in the funeral procession that started in Sidi Bouzid and continued through to Bouazizi’s native village a few miles away. On Feb. 4, Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, publicly announced that a place in Paris will be named after Bouazizi as a tribute to him. Dec. 18 - Jan. 14: Sparked by the tragic
death of a young fruit vendor touched by the injustice of his government, the revolution in Tunisia began the domino effect of revolutions spreading across the Middle East. The ousting of President Ben Àli of Tunisia took 28 days and gave hope to millions of youth and adults who wanted to fight for democracy. “Àli” is the code name of a key online player in the Tunisian revolution who organized videos, pictures, and messages about the revolution on the Internet and compiled a website that was the go-to site for protestors. Sami Ben Gharbia, a Tunisian exile in Berlin who runs Nawaat.org, another key organizer of information for the protests, says that with half of the country’s 3.6 million Internet users on Facebook, Tunisia’s online activism complemented the activism on the ground.
A Style Profile:
Ari Rodriguez BY JESSIE DUSEBOUT
Junior Ari Rodriguez gets her inspiration from the online fashion blogsphere, adding edgy, unexpected touches to her downtown style. This LBS renegade sports the newest fashions with her own dash of punk. What she’s wearing: “A black coat from Nordstrom, a laced grey sweater, an eggplant colored bandage skirt, Theory black tights, and Naturalizer lace up black boots.”
What is your favorite Season:
“I would have to go with fall because I can start to wear warmer clothing items, but can still wear dresses and make them seasonal.”
Favorite Clothing Item:
“Right now my favorite item in my closet is my Alice and Olivia gold shorts.”
Accessory:
“I don’t really wear accessories, but I love my salmon colored leather tote bag.”
Current Trend:
“This is mainly an online blog trend, but right now I really like high-waisted cut off shorts. There aren’t any current fashions that I don’t like”
Style from the Past: PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN
Anticipated Spring Fashion: “Definitely, looser and flowy clothing. Mainly more ‘romantic’ clothing.”
Style Icon:
“I draw my inspiration mainly from pictures and fashion blogs.”
“The 1940’s!” The 1940’s fashion consisted of patriotic utility clothing and items that represented the World War II.”
Regular Shops:
“H&M, and the Gap for basics. I also enjoy thrift shopping and think they are a cool place to shop.”
Future in Fashion:
“Yes, I do consider pursuing fashion as a career.”
PHOTO: EVA DAVIS
Edgy Automobile: Vivian the Minivan Gets a Makeover A Commentary By EVA DAVIS Driving along Route 101 on my way to school, I notice little kids in the car next to me blatantly staring. I assume there are breakfast remnants on my face or sweater. Groggy, I blindly wipe my face and pull on my sweater in an attempt to launch the alleged crumbs off. Without a full minute passing, I feel someone else looking at me. I look over and make awkward eye contact with a girl about my age, she continues to stare. I retrace my morning trying to think what could possibly be attracting such an audience. Then, pushing self-absorbance aside, I’m enlightened: the little kids and teenage girl weren’t looking at me; they were staring at my car. Minivan, I should say. Purchased by my soccer mom of a mother in 2001 and responsible for the transportation of countless kids, in addition to disastrous road trips mistakenly taken by my family, has resulted in this car having a lot of character. So much character, that I thought she deserved a name. After I passed the driving test, I decided that I would name my car after my driving evaluator. Unbeknownst to her, Vivian had just become my minivan’s namesake. Let’s be real here: driving a minivan is pretty awful.
Trendspotting At Laguna BY CAROLINA BELTRAN WITH ELLIOT SERBIN
Fashionable Laguna students flaunt this season’s hottest trends including military style boots, fitted cargo-pocket pants, lace tops, light scarves, and tribal prints. As Spring approaches, students shed their heavy jackets for breezy knits, button down flannels, and slouchy cardigans. Throw on a pair of classic Wayfarer Ray-Bans to protect your eyes from Springs’ warming sun.
Driving a minivan as a teenager is even more awful. The only thing worse than having to drive a minivan is having to drive a gold minivan, which of course was the color of my hand-me-down vehicle. Just under a year into my licensed life, I had an idea. In the past year, the inside of the car had acquired dozens of notes and little autographs left by passengers of the van armed with sharpies. That day, I thought: why not do the same thing on the outside of my car? I told people that they could write on the outside. Unfortunately, sharpies were no match for Vivian’s heinous paint job. In addition to this, the sun faded the writing rather quickly. I was bummed, but determined to find an alternate paint job for Viv. I went to Michael’s Crafts and raided the craft store’s acrylic paint aisle. Then I headed over to Dos Pueblos High School where I met a close friend. After sitting and staring at the car for about five minutes, we decided that we should just go for it. Oddly reminiscent of kindergarten fingerprinting, we began to cover the van with our handprints. Others joined in, and in the next month or so, Vivian acquired a couple hundred handprints.
A Balanced Diet is Chocolate in Both Hands: The Benefits of Chocolate
Top Food Trends for 2011 By: HELENA DAVILA Designer Ice Creams Ice cream with a twist! Recently, some innovative ice creameries have begun experimenting with new, gourmet ingredients such as goat cheese, lavender, avocados, and rose water. Where can you find it? Gelson’s Supermarket offers soft-serve Rory’s ice cream in unique flavors such as salted caramel, malted milk ball and peanut butter and jelly.
By ARABELLA WATTERS
Arguably, there is no better edible aphrodisiac than chocolate. Whether your poison of choice is pale milk chocolate, ivory white, or the deep and dark velvetiness of dark chocolate, nothing satisfies a craving or calms a violent mood swing like a large slab of chocolate. However, chocolate is no longer just a satiating sweet; new physiological and health research has shown that chocolate has a myriad of both physical and emotional benefits. Take chocolate milk for an example. Once stereotyped as a schoolyard beverage in soggy mini cartons reserved for little children on the playground, chocolate milk is taking its much deserved time in the spotlight. It’s a wonder chocolate milk hasn’t gained popularity earlier on; it’s sweet, delicious, and energizing. Recently published research in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism has proven it to be an efficient recovery drink post-workout. Chocolate milk’s prowess lies in its simple ingredient list. Chocolate milk not only replenishes fluids like water does, but it also builds carbohydrates which reenergize the body after an intense workout. Next time you’re pumping iron and you feel that tell-tale burn, reach for an ice cold bottle of chocolate milk to give you an extra boost of energy. Fortunately, for all you chocolate freaks out there, chocolate milk isn’t the only dessert with benefits. Chocolate seems to be the nutritional gift that just keeps on giving. Next time you’re struggling with algebra or banging your head against the wall trying to differentiate a linear equation in calculus, sprint to your kitchen and devour that chocolate bar you undoubtedly have stashed in your back drawer. Research from a LiveScience study showed that people who drank a large hot chocolate had a much easier time counting backwards by threes than people who hadn’t consumed the chocolate. This increase in mathematical skills can be attributed to the flavonoids (antioxidants which protect cells from damage from environmental or physical damage) which have shown to increase blood flow to the brain. In slightly more consequential news, because of the protection flavonoids provide, chocolate is proven to help prevent cancer by fighting the cell damage which spurs cancer growth. Forget apples, a piece of chocolate a day can definitely keep the doctor away.
S t a r t
Macaroons What are they? Made from almond flour and cream, these yummy morsels are a unique new trend perfect for tea time. Where are they from? France Where can you find them? Renaud’s makes macaroons from scratch in flavors like salted caramel, pistachio, Dutch chocolate and raspberry
Pies New twists-Savory pies with potatoes and meats, as well as mini fruit pies are becoming increasingly popular. Where can you find it? Simply Pies of Santa Barbara offers a wide variety of sweet and savory pies always made from scratch.
Whoopie-pies What are they? Traditionally, whoopie pies are vanilla icing sandwiched between two chocolate sponge cakes. Where are they from? US Where can you find them? Williams and Sonoma sell pre-made whoopee pies, and also offer a mix version.
Savory Desserts Combine Sweet and Savory. Channel your inner Parisian by buying sweet cheeses such as Compte and pair with a salad tossed in a sweet vinegar dressing. Or, try serving thinly sliced baguette topped with brie and an apple slice and drizzled with honey.
Meatless Monday Go vegetarian or vegan on Mondays to lower cholesterol levels and clear up your system for the week. Try tofu or veggie patties in place of meat.
Food Trucks Why are they different? Mobile restaurants that drive from location to location, often posting their upcoming stops on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Like regular restaurants, each food truck is different from the next. Where can you find them? The Burger Bus of Santa Barbara offers gourmet burgers at a variety of locations.
Exotics What’s different? Korean, Hawaiian, and Indonesian foods are all emerging as hot new trends for 2011. What to order? Where can you find it? L&L Hawaiian Barbecue offers authentic Hawaiian plate-lunches for a reasonable price. Going Local Why is it growing? The trend of ‘going green’ is larger than ever, with it comes local farmer’s markets, and the “agritainment” industry How can you participate? Apple Lane Farms grows orchards of organic apples ready for picking in the early fall. Fairview Gardens offers a variety of seasonal fruits and veggies for picking and purchase throughout the year
Seafood For Breakfast How to make it- Add smoked salmon to your morning bagel and cream cheese for a change of pace. Where to buy it- Don’t want to make your own? Find the ‘Salmon B-Eggl’ at Jack’s for under $8. PHOTOS: HELENA DAVILA AND ELLIOT SERBIN
Super Fruits Acai berries, Goji Berries, Blue berries, Pomegranate seeds Health Benefits- Many claim to help boost the immune system, and provide a yummy snack packed with rich antioxidants. Where to find them? Trader Joes carries pomegranates, and Acai and Goji berries are easy to find at specialty markets like Whole Foods.
BY JORDAN SHANNON
Grass-Fed Beef Burger
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Burger with Mozzarella and Spinach-Arugula Pesto
Turkey Burger
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Cheddar Cheese
Red Onion
Baby Spinach
Turkey Burger with Cheddar, Smoky Aioli, and Spinach
Veggie Burger
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Avocado
Sprouts PHOTOS: JORDAN SHANNON
Veggie Burger with Avocado and Sprouts
Picture Perfect: The Art of the Photographic Mind Tricks to improve memory: 1. Pay attention 2. Don’t skimp on exercise or sleep 3. Make time for friends and fun 4. Keep stress in check 5. Bulk up on brainboosting foods 6. Give your brain a workout
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http://www.helpguide.org/ life/improving_memory.htm http://psychology.abo http://psychology.about.com/ od/cognitivepsychology/tp/ memory_tips.htm
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5. Visualize concepts to improve memory and recall
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4. Structure and organize the information you are studying
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3. Avoid cramming by establishing regular study sessions.
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2. Focus on understanding basic ideas
ceived by many. “One of the problems with hav- ing a photographic memory is that [one] may absorb too much information, and [one] may have to deal with a lot of data that is irrelevant... Humans are not designed to be mere databases which store tremendous amounts of information” said Exforsys Inc’s article “Photographic Memory.” If one’s mind is crammed full of extraneous information and ideas that one attained several years previous, the mind is used for the wrong reasons. And so in these ways, having a ‘recall-all’ memory is a disadvantage. The science behind eidetic memories is still very rough and yet to be fully explored. Because of the individuality of each person’s brain, it is often hard to research, and even the most educated college professors struggle to understand the way in which the mind
C:
1. Relate information to what you already know
thing bright for a long period of time, the image will be imprinted on their retinas, so they will still be able to retrace and see the outline of that image, or ‘afterimage.’ One with eidetic memory will be able to see an exact copy of the image, as if it was never moved from their sight. “A common visual that we can all create from memory (such as an image of a bedroom) does not have the characters of most eidetic images, which almost always fade away involuntarily and part by part,” Searleman said. However, it takes tremendous focus and patience to imprint an image on the mind, for those who have eidetic memories, as the images can be destroyed from memory by merely blinking. But there is a rumor about eidetic memories which is largely untrue. Eidetic memories, contrary to popular beliefs, do not last for a long amount of time. In fact, “unlike common visual images created from memory, most eidetic images last between about half a minute to several minutes only.” And eidetic memories are not as accurate as many assume. “The accuracy of many eidetic memories is far from perfect. It is not unusual for eidetikers to alter visual details and to invent some that were never in the original.” So it seems that having an eidetic memory isn’t as much of an advantage as is precon-
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Study Tips:
The human brain is an extraordinary muscle, capable of retaining information, remembering faces, recognizing feelings, and regulating the body. In rare cases, the brain is not simply a sponge that soaks up information, but a black hole with an endless vacuum bag. After studying something for no less than 30 minutes, the brain sucks in the information and is able to store it there for several years later. This type of memory is known as ‘eidetic’ or ‘photographic’ and refers to a person’s ability to “study an image for a period of about 30 minutes and then maintain its near-perfect photographic memory even after it has been removed from the field of vision,” as defined by the School of Phenomenal Memory. While the truth of eidetic memory has been disputed, there is strong evidence that it is not something you can ‘learn to have.’ People with eidetic memory are able to confidently describe exact images after they have been taken away from their sight, recalling tiny details that most could not remember. “An eidetic image is not simply a long afterimage, since afterimages move around when you move your eyes and are usually a different color than the original image,” said Alan Searleman, a psychology professor from St. Laurence University. When someone without eidetic memory looks at some-
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7. Involve as many senses as possible
By ZOE SERBIN
Graphic inspired by “Photographic Memory” by Zara Pickton.
works. However, one thing is for sure. Eidetic memories are a fascinating subject, and perhaps their mystery is what attracts us to the psychology and makes them so intriguing to research.
Teens in SB Lack a Safe, Fun Place to Go at Night A Commentary By JEFF NELSON
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PHOTO: DARIA ETEZADI The Traditional Hafshin: A typical setup of the Haft Sin, a table filled with seven items starting with the letter “s” in Farsi.
Another New Year: Nowruz at LBS Every year, Americans celebrate the New Year by opening up bottles of champagne or sparkling cider and watching the ‘ball drop.’ For members of the Persian culture a different celebration of the New Year takes place on the first day of spring. The Mashhoons and Ghodoussis, two Laguna families, celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The 13-day-long celebration begins on the last Wednesday of the year, known as Wednesday Suri. Over two thousand years ago, Persians would summon their guardian angels, or forouhars, by lighting bonfires on their rooftops in the middle of the night. These forouhars were believed to descend from heaven sometime during the last five days of the year, in order to meet up with their human counterpart. In preparation for these visitations, Persians jump over bonfires they lit the night before Wednesday Suri as a way of symbolically cleansing themselves from any sickness and adversity, so they would be presentable to the forou-
By DARIA ETEZADI hars. Today, Iranians still celebrate Wednesday Suri to commemorate their ancestors’ traditions. “When I was little, we’d go to the beach. We made a little fire and jumped over it about eight times, but I was really scared,” said junior Kimiya Mashhoon. Within days of Suri, it’s Nowruz. On the morning of the New Year, children eagerly get dressed up to meet their grandparents, who they know will have gold coins. These gifts represent affluence and good fortune. Additionally, a special table, known as the Sofreye Haft Sin, is set up with seven symbolic items, each of which start with the letter “s” in the Persian language, Farsi. The items are: the green sprouts of wheat, barley, or lentil, which represent rebirth; apples, which signify beauty and well-being; a sweet pudding or custard, which is a sign of wealth; jujube fruit, which represents love; garlic, which denotes medicine; sumac berries, which have a deep burgundy color that’s similar to the tone of the sunrise; and
vinegar, a symbol of patience and age. Some families add extra items to the table, in order to give their Sofreye Haft Sin a personal touch. A few of these additions are: gold coins, a sign of wealth; eggs, a sign of fertility; sohan, a candy made with honey and nuts, which signifies the sweetness of life; and a mirror, which represents possibilities. “Sometimes we paint eggs. We hard-boil the eggs, then shred onion skins and put them in the boiling water, which turns the eggs pink. But, sometimes we color them with crayons,” fifth-grader Arman Ghodoussi explains. The Mashhoons, on the other hand, bring seven goldfish home to add to their family’s display. Characteristics such as these make the Persian New Year one of the most prominent celebrations around the world. Regardless of the unique traditions that Persian families incorporate into this annual cultural holiday, as freshman Kiyan Mashhoon notes, Nowruz always dons “a bright and exciting atmosphere.”
s a pre-eighteen, pre- rarely succeed in their cause, twenty-one-year-old as they are trying to push a teenager, there seems to message on the teenagers who be nothing to do during a typi- really do not want to hear it. cal night in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara desperately The options boil down to go- needs a club to open that ofing to a friend’s house, seeing fers food and entertainment a movie, going to a party that to teenagers during the weekwill ultimately get “rousted,” ends. or going glow bowling at ZoA Los Angeles club owner do’s. recently tried to do just that Nevertheless, the options are with “Teenight.” dwindling down, and teenagIt was supposed to be a safe ers are resorting to potentially downtown club for teenagers dangerous alternatives. to go to on the weekends. Clubs make money as they But, evidently, the owner got cater to the twenty-one-and- distracted with his more profup crowd because they can sell itable over-twenty-one clubs alcohol. and abanClubs for doned the underage project. Would it be that teens are There needs hard to profit from fraught with to be a better a club that caters legal worries way to create more to the needs of and adults revenue from do not want a teenage-foteenagers? to spend cused club. their nights Other cities with a bunch of teenagers. have done it with great sucWould it be that hard to prof- cess, and if Santa Barbara clubs it from a club that caters more stopped seeking the immedito the needs of teenagers? ate profits from legal drinkers If it charges a cover fee, and refocused on teens, which serves food, and sells non- have spent an estimated $190 alcoholic drinks, one would billion per year in America, think that the respective club they would surely benefit. could make a large amount of Senior Kayla Schwartz grew money. up in the New York area, where Recently, the downtown res- there are many places for kids taurant and club, Live Culture to go. closed due to management “In New York there are a problems. lot of clubs. The winters are Though not extremely large, so boring in East Hampton, it was actually a great location where I am from, but there for teenagers to go to at night, was a teen night at the Club as it provided constant live Resort and Star Room. It was music and great food. basically from 14-18 and evThe Laguna Blanca stage eryone would go; there was a band was fortunate enough to $15 cover and no alcohol was play on stage at Live Culture, served. It was cool because all where many Laguna students, the schools would go,” said faculty, and parents came to Kayla. watch. So maybe the solution isn’t It was a great venue, but the opening a teen club; the key club has closed and will remain is to have the local clubs make closed until it resolves its legal teens-only nights. If all the issues. Many anti-drug, anti- clubs would do this on differalcohol, and anti-gang type ent nights, then there would be organizations attempt to cre- many options for minors lookate safe, fun events for teenag- ing for something fun to do. ers to go to at night, but these
An Insider’s Guide to Santa Barbara By LILLIE HODGES
Start a McConnells Wow Cow or Ice Cream Addiction
Never Too Old for Kid’s World
Beware: Known to cause intense cravings which potentially lead to overconsumption or hanger (anger that results from hunger). Their ice creams have been part of the Santa Barbara lifestyle since 1949. The maze of wooden structures closer Everyone has enjoyed their delicious ice cream and frozen yogurts. resembles a log palace than a playground. Their frozen yogurt selection is vast and ever-changing, keeping Built and designed by the community, it even the most frequent McConnells visitors on their toes. holds a special place in every Santa Barbarian’s heart. A great place to go if baby sitting kids of any age, and let’s admit, no one is ever too old for kids world so convince your friends and make a picnic under the roots of the giant tree next to the park and run around for a bit. If you’re not into the gleefully screaming children or potential crowds, just being out in the sun in the beautiful park setting is great.
Stroll on Coast Village Road & Butterfly Beach Starting on Coast Village Road, one will be constantly entertained with the variety of shops, restaurants, and people. Whodidily cupcakes with their famously quirky yet breath-takingly decorated treats should be the first stop so one can work off the delicious cupcakes. Down the street are many options for eating: Giovanni’s, Los Arroyos, Cava, Jeannine’s, Lucky’s, Trattoria Mollie, and the Montecito Inn. Shopping wise, there are many places worthy of dolling out the extra dollars. Angel Boutique is a hotspot for women’s clothes and jewelry, and, although expensive, is always cute. For guys, there is always Ever or the Tennis Shop. Down the street, Butterfly Beach is a great place to take a dog and go for a walk. With the Biltmore Hotel directly across the street from the beach, there will always be people there.
Grab a Sandwich from Panino Panino tastefully combines traditional sandwiches with delightfully surprising additions. Positioned across the street from the historic Presidio of Santa Barbara and Our Daily Bread, one can kill three birds with one stone: getting a delectable sandwich for lunch, picking up freshly baked bread for home, and then culturally enriching oneself by walking through the Presidio.
Catch a Movie at the Historical Arlington Famous for its Spanish styled interior and star studded ceiling, the Arlington Theater has been one of Santa Barbara’s hot spots for nearly 80 years. Rain or shine, fog or humidity, the elegance and exotic charm of the Arlington transport tourists and locals alike into a world paused in time.
Enjoy a nutritious Backyard Bowl Backyard Bowls provides a healthy, delicious, and fast meal option for the Santa Barbara community. They are leading the way by using all green containers, local produce, and recycling or composting options. Opened just two years ago, it has become part of every Santa Barbarians’s eating routine, with stores downtown and in Goleta.
Discover Burrito Heaven at Freebirds Tasty at all hours of the day, Freebirds offers premium burritos, nachos, soft tacos, and quesadillas. Their secret menu includes quesaritos (a quesadilla around a burrito) and tacadilla (a taco with a quesadilla soft shell). Popular with college students and parents alike, the drive to Isla Vista always seems shorter when you are dreaming of your burrito.
Hiking Hotspots By LILLIE HODGES & JESS DAVIS
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Franceschi Park Franceschi Park offers one of the most beautiful views of the city and the coast. The small, somewhat worn-down area was the former residence of the Franceschi family, and ruins of their mansion still remain on the property. The deceased owner, Dr. Francesco Franceschi, was passionate about horticulture and introduced hundreds of plants to the area. The result is a unique garden full of species from around the world that have adapted to Santa Barbara’s Mediterranean climate.
More Mesa More Mesa is 264 acres of undeveloped land. More Mesa’s landscape is covered with a mix of native grasses and coastal sage scrub and dotted by several vernal pools. A mile-long walk will take you to a stunning ocean lookout. A steep flight of stairs will take you down to More Mesa Beach. A short walk to the West will take you to a rocky point where seals can almost always be seen lounging.
s Santa Barbara residents we are privileged with some of the most breath-taking landscapes in the country. The Pacific Ocean is our own backyard and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are just a day trip away from our front porch. However, many residents are unaware of some of the most peaceful areas in town. Hiking may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are many areas of Santa Barbara that are easily accessible for those who don’t spend their free time in sturdy boots with Nalgenes clipped to their belts. Santa Barbara is famous for its unparalleled weather and beauty. Professional and novice hikers alike enjoy the trails in Santa Barbara because the hikes range in difficulty and location. Santa Barbarians may not know that at the top of Montecito Peak there is a community journal which people can sign and share their stories. If you fall into the category of thrill-seeking hikers, Cathedral Peak offers fantastic views and a level five difficulty hike, with areas where rock climbing is necessary. The hike is about four miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 3,000 ft. If you hike for relaxation, or to improve your skills, take a picnic and some friends to enjoy the beautiful spring sun and the blooming flowers. The website www.santabarbarahikes.com charts flower growth and maps hikes. Here are four of the potentially lesser-known gems to try.
San Marcos Foothills Preserve San Marcos Foothills Preserve is a relatively new area that was set-aside in anticipation for home development that was later canceled. Several large oaks are scattered throughout the property and provide perfect locations for a picnics with views of the entire coastline. Residents passionate about model airplane flying come every sunset and the models can be seen zipping through the skyline.
Photos: Jess Davis
Lake Los Carneros Lake Los Carneros is both an interesting historical site and a wildlife reservoir. Lake Los Carneros is home to a variety of migrating and resident birds and some very unique plant species. Following the main loop will take you to the historic Stow House, which is still used by the city for major events. The lake is also a fishing destination for both it’s variety of fish and it’s majestic views.
Bruises to Blood: Violence in Sports By ZOE SERBIN
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hesitate to bite, claw, scratch, and mutilate their way to the top. Anyone who has been to any contact-sport game, has witnessed the competitive drive that players have. They will stop at nothing to make sure their score tallies above their opposition’s. But in order to make sure things don’t get out of hand, referees
heckling from both teams and their supporters. One wrong call can send players, coaches and parents into fits of incredulous fury. In some cases, violence on the court has occurred not between two players, but a player and an official.
GRAPHIC: ZOE SERB IN
roken bones, bruised limbs, bloody noses, brain damage – these potential injuries are accepted risks by players who partake in contact sports. Though their parents complain, when children suit up for sports their minds aren’t focused on watching for flying elbows or skirting rogue feet. Physicality in sports can’t be avoided. In order to win while playing a contact sport, you need contact. In football, defensive linemen can’t do their job without aggressively bashing into the opposing team. If a player wants an extra chance to score some points during basketball, they have to get fouled thus making contact. Contact sports can get brutal and vicious, but that’s part of the reason they’re entertaining to watch and fun to play. “Many high school athletes … believe on-field intimidation and violence are normal parts of sports,” said Michael S. James and Tracy Ziemer in their article “Are Youth Athletes Becoming Bad Sports?” in ESPN Sports. Aggression in sports is accepted. No one raises their eyebrows when players are covered in ‘battle wounds’ at the end of a game. In fact, they’re praised. They played hard and gave it their all; they sacrificed for their team and weren’t afraid to take a few blows. But where do we draw the line? Players throw themselves pell-mell into the chaos of contact sports because they want to feel the sensation of being the best, souring to new heights, and tromping others beneath them. They want victory, and this illusive and ego-boosting ‘win’ drives them to incredible lengths. Because of this thirst for success, acquaintances who seem cordial and friendly in the classroom turn into bloodthirsty beasts once they hit the court or field, and will not
trot court side as the game goes on, giving their whistle a feverish hoot when they feel something ‘out of line’ has occurred. And though they get the most complaints, refs have arguably one of the toughest jobs in sports. While making sure the clock and score are correct, they have to keep an eye out for unnecessary contact or misconduct near and away from the ball, all while braving
“Referee James Clay, a 50-yearold with seven years of officiating experience, was slugged in the head and neck after ejecting a Clayton High School player with 12:47 left in a scoreless game. “Five players and a spectator were charged with beating a referee following a men’s basketball league. “A parent body-slammed a high
school referee after he ordered the man’s wife out of the gym for allegedly yelling obscenities during a basketball game,” said the National Association of Sports Officials. There is no winning for a referee – no matter what call they make, players, coaches, parents will be angry at them and disagree with their decision. If they’re constantly badgered and assaulted for making the wrong calls, then the referee will just stop blowing the whistle. The easiest decision is not to decide. But when referees allow players to play without cracking down and enforcing the rules, already aggressive sports can turn nasty, and that’s when people start getting hurt. If players aren’t monitored to follow the rules of sportsmanly conduct, most of them won’t. And in most cases, if the referees aren’t cracking down on misconduct, they enable players to turn their competitive drive up several notches – especially if the two teams are rivals and the scores are close. A perfect example of this was in the second half of the girls varsity basketball game against Cate, their Condor League rival. Over the course of the game, one player sustained a concussion, another a knee injury, and one was flagrantly fouled. The competition was close and heated. Players were frustrated and coaches were tense. Referees were relaxed with their whistle-blowing and several players paid the consequences. Even though contact sports are physically taxing and dangerous, this doesn’t mean that they should be so violent that players’ health should be put at serious stake. Referees need to understand the consequences of not cracking down on brutal competition, and leagues should take extra precautions to make sure that the sports are as safe as they can be.
CIF ROUNDUP:
Another Great Season for the Owls By BRANDON BICKETT
Girls Soccer
Boys Soccer
Girls Basketball
Boys Basketball
PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN
PHOTO: ARABELLA WESTON-SMITH
PHOTO: BRIGGS BOSS
PHOTO: ARABELLA WESTON-SMITH
Poised to Strike: Senior Lauren McAlister dribbles down the field in their first round CIF match.
Saved the Day: Although he played goalie for the first two games, senior Pascal Karam moved to play on the field for the rest of the season.
Perfect Form: Senior Krysta Brown shoots a flawless jump shot during a game at Thacher.
Attacking the Basket: Senior Peter Sorensen channels his inner “Jimmer Fredette” as he takes the ball to the hoop against Cate.
Although the girls soccer squad lost a lot of talented seniors from their last season, they still lived up to the prowess and standard of an excellent team. In place of the well-regarded, long time coach, Greg Luna, Kevin Shertzer and Fernando Montes led the team to some big wins in the Condor League and ultimately pushed them to the second round of the CIF playoffs. Despite the loss of a few key players due to injury and illness, the girls soccer squad still maintained a near perfect record and dominated their first round CIF game by defeating Sacred Heart of Jesus High School in a 0-8 win. The Lady Owls ended the season on a sour note, losing 8-1 to Sergerstrom High School in the second round of the CIF competition. Junior McKenzie Scarborough said, “The end of this soccer season wasn’t the end result we hoped for. On the other hand, I know that every player strived to play their very best, whether it be in the games or practice. This season will be remembered, and I’m thrilled for next year.” The team will be losing eight seniors next year, seven of which played soccer for all four years of high school. While they will be missed, next year holds a bright future for the team.
Up against all odds, the boys soccer team, with a roster of only 13 young men, qualified for the CIF playoffs. Throughout the season, in a display of heart, hard work, and courage, the boys soccer team played tough opponents across the Condor League. “I’m really glad the way our season turned out,” said junior defensive player Kai Gamble. “Our team consisted of a lot of skilled freshmen, so we didn’t really have a squad of veterans out there, but we played well with the great players we had,” added senior Marshall Alex. The boys only won three games this season and had one tie, but that was enough to earn them a place in CIF playoffs. “I was surprised when we got into CIF, but still excited. It’s always a good feeling when you know you’ve made the playoffs,” said senior Sean Burke. The boys entered their first CIF game as clear underdogs and missing a few important players, namely Pascal Karam, a four year starter. They lost in the first round 10-0 to a very skilled team. The team has plans to keep building and improving skill next year, regardless of the devastating loss.
Despite losing center Megan McAlister, who anchored the Owls defense and was an intimidating inside presence last year, the girls basketball squad this season consisted of a motivated and determined group of girls. The team played a tough schedule, with games against bigger schools such as San Marcos. The ladies won about half their Condor League games, and a few out of league games as well. The girls ended the regular season on a high note with a win against rival Cate School. “I was so happy that we won that game against Cate. It’s always a tough game with Cate and I’m glad, especially in my senior season, that we ended the regular season on a high note like that,” said Amanda Schulenberg. The girls found themselves bitting their nails for a while, until they ended up receiving an at large bid to play in CIF. The girls, who came in with a low ranking, played the number two seed in the first round. “We were nervous since they were the former champions in our division but we played hard and had fun! It was unfortunate that we lost but in the end we were all happy with our performance,” said senior Julia Kent.
Finishing the season at 9-8, the boys basketball team maintained the best record for an LBS squad since 2008. Although the squad started off the season a little shaky, losing the majority of their opening games, the team proved themselves over the Winter Break in the Santa Maria tournament. With a finish of 2-2 at the turn of the season, the team would pull out a 7 game winning streak (8 games including the infamous alumni game) that would propel them to take third place in the Condor League. Since two other teams, Cate and Midland, also qualified for the third spot. CIF conducted a coin toss was which fortunately earned the Owls a CIF bid. Boys Basketball was the fourth team to make the CIF playoffs this winter season. The boys played their first round against a tough, Los Angeles Adventist squad. They played hard but lost by 11 points. “Adventist was a very good team. We played a great game and we played them close but in the end they edged us out for the win,” said Spencer Dusebout Junior Logan Elder is looking to next season, “I am really excited for next year, we are going to win our league.”
Featured Athletes By Daria Etezadi Photos: Elliot Serbin
PHOTO: EVA DAVIS On the Practice Field: Lacrosse player Morgan Raith practices in hopes that there will be a girls lacrosse season.
Girls and Boys Lacrosse Remains Up In The Air By MORGAN RAITH & FLETCHER SIPPLE
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he start of the lacrosse season is often slow for the girls and boys lacrosse teams especially with overlaps due to soccer and basketball teams entering CIF. However, this year has proven itself particularly slow for both squads, who, due to a lack of numbers and consistent turnout, are fighting for a season. There have been a lot of questions about the number of the players on the team. Athletic Director Mike Biermann has set a requirement of no less than 13 players per team in order to carry through with the seasons. While both teams have 13 players signed up, neither team has seen this prerequisite at any practice so far this season. “We have at least 13 players on the roster, but so far we are seeing dismally low numbers at practice,” said girls captain Amanda Schulenberg. The girls team only lost two players from last year, when they fielded a team short on numbers. While the team may have been talented, they played many games with few, if any, substitutes or even a man down. Coaching is also of issue. Last year’s coach, Jillian Boyd, has not been able to commit full time this season.
However, she has been replaced by two of her players from the UCSB’s womens A and B squad. The boys team is also finding it hard to put together a solid roster of 13 this season. On paper, they are returning seven starters from last year’s roster, however junior defenseman and senior midfielder, Kevin Drew has been out most of the season with injuries. “We are really short on numbers, furthermore, players haven’t been showing up to practice which hinders our ability to get better,” said captain Luke Judson. Only seven girls returned this season from last year. Captains Morgan Raith, Amanda Schulenberg, and Hilary Williamson have been working hard to recruit a solid number of new players. The boys team has a few key players returning including Fletcher Sipple, Cameron Matthews, Luke Judson and Brandon Bickett. Fletcher Sipple and Cameron Matthews are both being recruited by multiple college programs and Brandon Bickett has been seeing more and more letters on his desk from colleges looking to make him a future student athlete. Since both teams are struggling to pull together a season, there has been talk of combining the boys and girls squads. For now at least, they have been practicing regularly.
Spencer Dusebout What sports have you played this year? I played basketball in the winter, and I’m now on the volleyball team. What were the highlights of the basketball season? Winning nine games in a row. We had quite the run going for a while. What are you looking forward to this season? I’m looking forward to crushing everyone in league and pushing the team far into CIF. We have a lot of talent, and a great coach! Coach Bennett brings mounds of experience, it’s taking our game to another level both in terms of skill and in terms of volleyball IQ. Do you prefer either sport to the other? I like volleyball more, but we had a great basketball team with fantastic chemistry. What will you do after the season is over? I will play club volleyball and probably head out to the golf course more often. Will you continue either of these sports in college? I’ll keep playing volleyball, but not basketball. Like I said before, I plan on playing club in order to get ready for the college game. Do you play any other sports outside of school? Yes, I play golf.
Lucie & Margaret Hartmann How long have you been playing tennis and golf? We learned how to play tennis when we were five, and we learned how to play golf when we were four. We prefer tennis over golf. What are your favorite things about these sports? We really like tennis and golf because they are outside sports and they both aren’t very aggressive. We love being able to play outside in the fresh air as opposed to being cooped up in a gym. What positions did you play on the Laguna tennis team? Lucie: I played number three doubles for a while, and then I played number one doubles. Margaret: I usually played 3rd doubles. I am on JV team for golf. Can you describe some highlights from your tennis teams? What are your favorite memories and what were your most rewarding experiences? Lucie: The highlights were being able to work as a team, getting to play tennis almost everyday, and getting better at the sport. I loved getting exercise while playing a sport that I love. Margaret: Being able to play a lot of tennis and getting exercise while being on a team and having fun. Some rewarding experiences are being able to compete and learn more about the game. Are you involved in any other sports outside of Laguna? We fence. We’ve been fencing off and on since fifth grade!
This poll was distributed through advisories to all students in grades 9-12.