November Issue

Page 1

Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110

Volume XVII

Monday, November 28, 2011

www.thefourthestate.net

Issue 2

Bottom 1 Percent Steals the Spotlight Homeless Join “Occupy” Movements By ANDREW MCCAFFERY

PHOTO: TRISH MCHALE

VETERANS DEPART: Master Sgt. Jon L. Parra, an active-duty soldier, chats with Sgt. Major Robert Forties, a veteran of WWII, following the Veterans Day assembly held in Spaulding Auditorium on Nov. 10.

Tennis Expands into Hope Ranch By CAITLIN CONNOR On campus, Laguna sports teams make use of the track, football field, soccer fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and a baseball diamond. The tennis teams, however, are subject to a 15minute drive to and from the public tennis courts. Thanks to an extremely generous donor, Laguna is in the process of building four tennis courts on the athletic fields. New tennis courts will allow teams to practice on campus as well as hold official matches. “Having tennis courts at our school will not only make it easier for the tennis team to get to practice after class, but they will also make the sport feel more a part of school. The separation is always difficult for those who can’t drive yet or don’t have a car, and the bus schedule is always a little unreliable. With the courts on campus, the players won’t have to worry about last minute rides or being left behind,” said tennis team member junior Monica Watson. However, the process of building the courts will take time. There will be many meetings before the plans for the courts are approved and finalized. “The courts would be much more convenient to the school. They would bring more people to the matches, and we wouldn’t have to practice all the way out at the Municipal Courts,” said senior Alex Louden.

Veterans: Not Just Another Part of History By JESSIE DUSEBOUT They memorize the names of important battles, dates, and death tolls. They think they know what happened in the 1940s throughout Europe between the Allies and Axis Powers, and what currently is happening in Iraq. They even watch movies like “Saving Private Ryan” that attempt to recreate the horrors of real warfare. But, students’ knowledge about World War II, the Vietnam War, and

Operation Iraqi Freedom from a history class cannot compare to what students learn from a primary source, especially when that source is standing right before them in a school assembly. It is indeed rare to hear a first-hand account of what it was like to parachute into Normandy on D-Day. The audience was exceptionally quiet as Sgt. Major Robert Forties talked about his experiences on D-Day.

Speaking at the Nov. 10 assembly in honor of Veterans Day were a soldier on active duty and two veterans. Students embraced the opportunity to hear Sgt. Major Robert Forties, Lt. John Blankenship, and Master Sgt. Jon Parra give their personal accounts of their service. The assembly was organized through the Santa Barbara Service for Soldiers Club, specifically by the club president senior Kai Gamble. Continued on Page 3

“Think Globally, Act Locally: Street Medicine from Santa Barbara to Haiti” is the lecture presented by Dr. Mimi Doohan, a family physician with a private practice in Goleta and co-founder of Doctors Without Walls— Santa Barbara Street Medicine, a local nonprofit that provides volunteer, free medical care to the most vulnerable. She spoke to the students about providing care “without walls.” This lecture provided a glimpse into the current homeless situation in Santa Barbara. An emerging situation associated with the “Occupy Movement” is that the homeless, who generally are not politically involved, are joining the protesters. The Occupy Wall Street movement, already facing criticism for its disorganization, disobeying various public ordinances, and lack of clear objectives, now has to deal with another threat to its image: the homeless. Protestors in New York City and around the country see a threat in having the homeless population joining the “99 percent.”

Some view this perspective to be somewhat hypocritical, since the Occupiers are protesting similar inequities that are faced by the homeless. “I think it’s okay for the homeless to join the ranks of the Occupy movement if they share the same goal rather than using it as a place to hang out,” said senior Eva Davis. However, many homeless have to deal with more than economic hardship: one must factor in the various illnesses, disabilities, disorders and habits that also influence homelessness. Because of these variables, some protestors fear that if the homeless population joins the movement, Occupy Santa Barbara will risk losing its credibility in regards to its safety and cleanliness. “To the homeless, the Occupy movements propose a duality in their opportunities,” said Laguna’s Mr. James Tur, a volunteer for Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara Street Medicine. Continued on Page 4

Community Walks4Water By JESSIE DUSEBOUT Volunteers were greeted by a large balloon arch, banners, music playing, and enthusiastic H4O leaders ready to make the event they had planned for months a success. Hands4Other’s hosted their first annual Walk4Water on Oct. 29. Sporting blue Hands4Others T-shirts, running shoes, and warm sweatshirts to ward off the early morning fog looming low on the horizon, the walkers took off. Coffee, water bottles, and dogs in tow, parents, teenagers, and elementary school students began the three-mile trek along East Beach. Hands4Others is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sustainable access to clean water to those in need around the world. With over 150 people at East Beach ready to walk,

A Week Full of Spirit

Cowboys, Aliens, Party-Rockers, Patriots and Owls. Page 3.

the event provided an opportunity for H4O to share their goals and get the youth of Santa Barbara involved. The Walk4Water “got everyone really into it. PHOTO: JUDSON MORGAN Each participant seemed HELPING HANDS: The Santa Barbara community gathers at East Beach in support of truly intrigued H4O’s mission to establish clean water systems around the world. with our moveeral milestones recently. ment and many young prizes, children watched lecting money for H4O. “Stories like his are They’ve helped to propeople participated [in intently waiting for their the walk], which gave us name to be drawn from what H4O is all about. vide clean water to over We want to get people 100,000 people in nine the opportunity to share the bucket. with them what we are Ten winners were an- excited and involved,” countries. Most recently all about. nounced for specific said sophomore Sammi they have adopted villagIt was awesome to see categories, including Schurmer, a leader of es in Mexico and Belize. “We look forward to the community come out the most money raised, H4O. Recent donations add- continuing our work in and support a movement largest team, and fastest ed to the proceeds from these countries as well of young people,” said time. Spencer Dusebout, H4O“A second grade boy the walk provided a vil- as the rest of the third co-founder and Laguna won the raffle. The night lage of 3,000 access to world,” says another alumnus. before he had gone door clean water for the first H4O leader and freshman at Laguna, Bryn With newly designed to door around his neigh- time in their lives. H4Ohas reached sev- Jewett. H4O sweatshirts as borhood on his bike col-

The Divas of LBS

An Altered Lens

Taking Down Joseph Kony

“The Liar” Takes the Stage

Understanding Africa’s struggle with child soldiers. Page 6.

The fall play, a French farce, was delightfully deceptive. Page 11.

Every Second Counts

AP Classes Visit Art Museum

Who’s Reading Your App?

The Hipster Phenomenon

Budget cuts cause the disappearance of the traditional application-reader in California. Page 7.

Fall Sports Wrap-up

Power and creativity: stand-out girls on campus.. Page 5.

Society’s evolved emphasis on the here-and-now. Page 7.

Freshmen Harvest Vines

After a lecture on the homelessness, students travel to Gainey Vineyards. Page 4.

How the media has created the way we look at women. Pages 8 & 9.

Where are they now?

Alumni Owls on the court, on the field, and on the links. Page 15.

A sneak peak at the Picasso and Braque Exhibit. Page 11.

Not a trend: a way of life. Page 13. Football focuses on the future. Tennis and Volleyball finish strong. Page 15.

Holiday Gift Guide

Present ideas for all: how to buy and wrap the perfect gift. Page 16.


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November Issue by The Fourth Estate - Issuu