Issue1

Palisades Charter High School

Enrollment Reaches All Time High

Tideline

15777 Bowdoin St., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

September 16 - September 30, 2008

Volume 49 Issue 1 FREE

BY F IONA HANNIGAN

BY ELANA JOFFE

Tideline News Editor

LaTegola joins Pali’s wave of new administration.

Tideline Editor-in-Chief

When the school opened its doors this September, it was faced with a tidal wave of over 200 more students than the 2600 that matriculated the previous year, due to over enrollment.

Over enrollment is a common issue faced by many LAUSD schools, but according to the Admissions Policy posted on the school website, “Palisades has [almost always] received considerably more applications than there are openings. 700 openings in the 9th grade are offered, as well as 20 openings in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.” These are however, only estimates.

With the number of students constantly in flux at the beginning of the school year, it can be difficult to determine the exact number until weeks into the semester. Ms. Iannessa, the new Director of Student Services, is attempting to correct the issues of an “enrollment process that [she] did not start. I was teaching at the time,” she said. She has reminded teachers and students alike, that the admissions process is very complicated; it includes “over 100 different zip codes, and Charter, Magnet, and Traveling students.”

Class sizes have grown since the new influx of students.

According to a study conducted by School Data Direct, the average student-teacher ratio in California is 21 students for every teacher; the national average is 16 students for every teacher. Many classes at the school are nowhere near either the state or national average. “[The teachers] have been troopers,” said Iannessa. They know that “there is an attrition rate that happens throughout the year.”

Some teachers, however, are unaffected by the students arriving to campus in droves. Mr. Klima, a junior and senior English teacher, said his “average [class size] is about 35,” though he considers this a good mean.

The rising numbers on campus also affect students; it means more competition and more difficulty getting into the right classes.

Continued on page 2

series of interviews during which Mr. Griffin had the opportunity to address particular questions and concerns raised by the constituents of the school. He was also able to speak to fellow staff members, faculty, parents, and students regarding his own personal philosophy about how the school should be managed.

In June of 2008, the selection committee offered Mr. Griffin the position of principal and announced his addition to the administration. “I was very excited to come to Pali because it is a charter school. Parents, teachers, and staff members come together to provide for the students. I also like their commitment to benefit the students,” said Griffin, “I could help students and teachers in a greater position.”

Before becoming the current principal, Mr. Griffin worked as a teacher and previously taught English, history, and psychology in various cities and states across the nation, including Buffalo, New York, Birmingham, Alabama, and Washington D.C. He became involved with administrative duties after he was offered the position of assistant principal at Serra High School.

Additionally, Mr. Griffin has also served as principal of San Pasqual High School, a part of the Escondido Union High School District, where he also worked as a district administrator. He has also held positions in Conaty High School, Loyola High School, Hoban High School, and Mount Miguel High School.

As a principal as well as a

leader, Mr. Griffin wishes to lead the school in a positive direction.

“I see myself as an educational and instructional leader. I implement and shape the direction of the school. I work with parents, teachers, and staff members to help students with their future,” said Griffin.

Mr. Griffin has set his own goals that he wishes to accomplish and achieve during his time at Pali that will benefit the school along with its students, teachers, and staff. He said, “My goals are to continue to be a support for the teachers, and to help the school continue to improve in academics and school culture. My main goal is to help us as a system to make us work more effectively and efficiently for our students.”

Continued on page 2

BY WILL ANDERSON

swim coach, and a 3D representation of what the upcoming aquatic center will look like. The video ends with short video segments on some of the new staff, allowing students to get familiar with these new faces.

Students can find out the latest news and updates involving Pali as easily as they can watch a YouTube video. “The main purpose of the podcasts,” said Network Systems Administrator Greg Munda, “is to keep students informed. We already have newspapers and morning announcements, but this is an additional, interactive and modern approach to getting student’s attention.” In the future, Munda hopes to create a video podcasting club, enabling any student interested in this new

form of media to participate in creating Pali video podcasts.

It is no secret that Internet video is growing in popularity. A May 2007 study by Comscore revealed that nearly seventy-five percent of U.S. Internet users are watching online videos. That’s up from four percent four months earlier. Websites like YouTube enable over 80 million people to produce and distribute videos to mass audiences. Even major news organizations have begun distributing video podcasts and online television, creating a quick and easy way for viewers to download and watch their content.

Currently, these videos are made available for students on the school website under the “feature” section.

As the school year begins there are several new administrators on campus, one of which is Ms. Grace LaTegola, the new Director of Instruction replacing former Director Ms. Lauren Allen.

LaTegola comes to the school with experience and a vision. “It is an interesting change for me,” said Ms. LaTegola who had previously worked in Gilroy Unified School District in Santa Clara County and Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego County. “I have walked in the shoes of a teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, and a district administrator,” said Ms. LaTegola, who has been in education since 1973. She taught for 13 years, and has been around students from kindergarten to high school. Ms. LaTegola thinks it is important to know “what happens, educationally, before kindergarten, through high school, and how we are preparing them [students] to be college ready.” She has also been in charge of AP, GATE, AVID, and programs for English learners.

Not only does Ms. LaTegola bring a broad amount of experience with her, but she also brings a strong passion for education.

She decided to come to the school because of her “love of curriculum and how we can influence change in our students’ learning,” as well as her interest in charter high schools. “I really support the concept of charter high schools.

Traditional American high schools just don’t work in our global society anymore.”

Excited to “join a dynamic new team,” LaTegola said, “Right now it’s nice to be able to be here when we are celebrating student success.” The school has recently increased its API score by 16 points, 3 away from achieving the school’s goal of 800.

As Director of Instruction at a charter school, Ms. LaTegola has the duties of a Curriculum Director at a district level and an Assistant Principal in charge of Curriculum at the school level.

She must watch over the big picture of the school’s curriculum and day-to-day instruction and make sure they correlate. “The most powerful thing I can do is be a really good listener to teachers and students, and support them by following through,” said Ms. LaTegola.

“I hope I’m bringing a sense of broad perspective of what has worked in education and what needs to be strengthened to support creative initiatives,” LaTegola said. She hopes to be considered a long term asset to the school, and her educational experience, her strong belief in charter schools, and her support of innovation in education are sure to make her one.

Sarah Palin Page 5

Radiohead Live Page 6

Track and Field Page 8

Say Hello to Principal Griffin

MARY HOBBS Photographer

Principal Griffin talks about his past achievem ents and future goals for Pali, expressing a refreshing enthusiasm for our school.

BY DANIEL HARTONO Tideline Editor-in-Chief

Mr. Griffin becomes the newest addition to the administrative team.

At the start of the 2008-2009 school year, Mr. Martin Griffin joined the administration and the Palisades Charter High School community as the new acting principal, replacing former Interim Principal Ms. Marcia Haskin.

Mr. Griffin made the decision to apply for the position after seeing a posting last year about the job opportunity and after reading about the school and its success.

He was invited to the school for a

Pali Rides the Podcasting Wave of the Future Tideline Staff Writer

PALIHIGH.ORG

The Breaker can be found on the official Pali High website.

Q&A with Principal Griffin Page 2

WELCOME, NEW DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION

Fall Fashion at Pali Page 3

During the first week of school, students, with help from the technology office, uploaded a new video podcast, titled The Breaker, onto the Pali High website in order to provide a new way of informing the student population.

The first episode of The Breaker, made available earlier this week, presents information and updates on the much-anticipated Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center, Pali’s new principal Mr. Griffin, and other short segments.

It features clips from the official Groundbreaking Ceremony for the pool, interviews with Ms. Gilbert and Ms. Nance, Pali’s

Over Enrollment Page 4

Page 2

N

E W S

- I

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Heati ng Pi pe Ex pl o des

R I E F

A heating pipe that runs directly beneath the walkway that bisects the C and D buildings has ruptured. According to plant manager Mr. Jefferson, the pipe exploded in mid-July, prompting construction crews to unearth the ancient pipe and replace it.

All work is expected to be complete within 2 weeks.

- S am Dubin S ecuri ty Fi tted Wi th New Radi o s

Pali’s security staff made technology updates this school year. All security staff members received new radios to better communicate with each other. The staff further upgraded their technological communication system by getting earpieces for their radios, making it easier to clearly understand their radio correspondents. Despite these technology modernizations, Pali’s L.A.U.S.D policeman, Officer Plascencia said that school security has kept the same focus as last year. “Our main goal is to make sure all people on campus are students or certified visitors," said Plascencia.

- R achel Levitan

NEWS

September 16 - September 30, 2008 Tideline Claus Begins Job as Operations Manager

BY DANIEL NIKNAM Tideline News Editor

The new operations manager, DeVere Claus, began working on September 4, 2008 and is eager to fulfill his job.

Claus’s duties include tasks that were previously distributed over several administrators. His job is to keep the bells ringing, lights shining, plumbing working, and to make sure that the students are protected from hazards around campus. These hazards include tripping dangers and construction zones, such as the current construction occurring around the C and D buildings.

“Safety is very important to me,” Claus said, “It is my job to keep the students safe.” Furthermore, Mr. Claus is responsible for

Q&A

P R I N C I PA L G R I F F I N

The Tideline recently had the opportunity to sit down with Principal Martin Griffin and discuss the future of Palisades Charter High School. We also got a glimpse into Mr. Griffin’s personal life.

Tideline: How did you get into education, and more specifically become a principal?

Mr. Griffin: Growing up, I had never even thought of getting into education. In college, I was interested in psychology, and I had wanted to work with people, do some therapy, things like that. The school I went to trained me in that field, but afterwards we basically had an internship where I was sent to teach.

During this one-year internship, I was teaching all of the 9th graders history and English, and it was very interesting. I enjoyed working with the students, I enjoyed being able to work with and inform young people as they grew, and I decided that this was something that I had wanted to do. I continued to teach for a number of years, taught all over the country, and then finally while I was stationed here at Serra High School in Gardena, I was asked by the principal if I would be interested in considering a job as assistant principal. It was something I had never thought about. I enjoyed being a teacher and wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted; but I decided to accept, and I really began to enjoy being an assistant principal as well. It enabled me to work with students on another level, allowing me to not only affect the students but it allowed me to help my colleagues as well. Eventually, after six years of doing that, one of the principals I worked with approached me and recommended I apply to be a principal. So I decided I wanted to try it, applied to my first “principalship,” and became principal of Mount Miguel High School.

Tideline: How do you plan to maintain relationships with students?

Mr. Griffin: You will see me

around going to classrooms. You will see me in the quad at lunch and nutrition so people know that I am accessible and know who I am. I want the students to know who their principal is. I will work with ASB and meet with them monthly to hear their concerns for the school.

Tideline: As you were previously quoted, how do you plan to motivate people to “shoot for 3” regarding the API score in the coming year?

Mr. Griffin: Rigor and challenge, having students and teachers stress rigor. We want them to stretch beyond minimal standards, to stretch and strive for higher heights.

Looking at our school’s data, both as a whole school and each individual student, looking at where we are and where we can go and what we need to do to move to the next level.

As far as teachers, looking at how our students are doing individually and in classes. Figuring out how we can take the data that we received from their testing, from their class work, and grade, and try to help students to achieve at higher levels. As a school, we’re trying to provide programs, classes, facilities, and the culture that supports learning.

Those are the things I think that will shoot us over to the next level.

There’s no reason why a school like this shouldn’t be over 800. That should be easy for us. We can do that if we continue to focus and work together on those areas. We’re going to work hard to break that 800 and go beyond.

Tideline: What are the previous schools you’ve worked at?

Mr. Griffin: I’ll start from the beginning. I’ve taught at Saint Francis High School in Athol Springs, New York, I’ve taught at Holy Family High School in Birmingham, Alabama, I’ve taught at Carroll High School in Washington D.C., I’ve taught at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, Serra High School in

WILL ANDERSON Photographer

Gardena, and I’ve been an administrator at Serra, at Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio, and the principal of Mt. Miguel High School in Spring Valley, which is in San Diego, and then at San Pasqual High School in Escondido.

So I’ve been all over.

Dolphins Welcome Principal Griffin

WILL ANDERSON Photographer

Claus will keep the school year running smoothly for everyone.

Continued from page 1 He would also like to continue to work with students at both extremes, those who achieve highly and those who need more assistance, in order to develop a rigorous program for people to accomplish their own goals.

Principal Griffin also has ideas for improvements in order to help the school progress. “I would like to continue working to improve facilities, using technology as a tool for the educational process, and broadening the curriculum.” He said that he is also “excited to work with the student government to raise school spirit and make the education experience more enjoyable.”

Prior to starting his new job as principal, Mr. Griffin did feel

some initial concerns. “I did have my fears about being in a school with much involvement and committee groups and trying to bring them all together and focus them toward a common goal and vision. But I feel that it is happening and it is doable.”

About his impression of the school thus far, Mr. Griffin said, “I love the diversity of the student body and the focus that the students have.

I would like to increase the amount of school spirit and student involvement in activities. After having been here since the middle of June, I have learned a lot and am very proud to be principal and look forward to working with the community and the students to move the school forward.”

New Softball Coach a Familiar Revere Face

Tideline: What did you like or dislike about the previous schools that you have taught or worked at?

Mr. Griffin: Every place I have been has helped me to grow. No school is alike. You have to go in and be willing to adapt. The last school that I worked at was a lot more conservative. I am very excited to come here with the diversity and the willingness to push the limits and think outside the box.

Tideline: What’s your favorite part of being principal?

Mr. Griffin: Seeing successive students and being around a great diversity of students. That’s always good. People ask me, “Do you have kids?” Yeah I have 2800 kids.

Tideline: Do you have any sports interests?

Mr. Griffin: I used to play basketball in High School, but my bad back and knees don’t permit me to play anymore. I enjoy watching.

Tideline: What are your top 3 favorite movies? What kind of music do you enjoy?

Mr. Griffin: I enjoyed Godfather, Scarface, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I enjoy a wide variety of music, it just depends on what mood I am in. Occasionally, I like to going out with friends and go dancing.

Tideline: Where is your favorite travel destination?

Mr. Griffin: Acapulco, Mexico.

And a second: Bangkok, Thailand.

VAL KARUSKEVICH Photographer

Mr. Marsden previously taught PE at Paul Revere Middle School.

BY EMMA C ARTER Tideline Staff Writer

Among the many new staff members here at Pali is Raymond Marsden, a new PE teacher and Girls Softball coach.

He has fresh ideas and big expectations for this year’s softball team.

Mr. Marsden is anything but a rookie. He taught PE at Paul Revere Middle School for eight years and summer school at Pali for one year. He enjoys teaching and is excited to be at Pali.

Marsden also hopes to vamp Tideline: How do you feel about the current political race?

Mr. Griffin: Thank God! Thank God for some new leadership! This country is in need of a leader to change the course of our economy and our presence in the world especially. Go Obama!

Tideline: What is your favorite quote or moral that you apply to your everyday life?

Mr. Griffin: I’m going to pull this from a scripture. You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself because respect and dignity are very important factors.

up the softball program and has high expectations for next year’s team. Last year, the varsity team had an overall record of thirteen wins and six losses. “They’ve never won a city title. I want to win one,” Marsden said.

Marsden wants to let all the girls trying out for the team to know one thing: “It’s not recreation, it’s competitive softball.”

He plans to focus on all aspects of the sport this season, including strategy, skill and terminology. His last word of advice for girls who plan to try out for the team: “They have over three months to get ready and prepare.

supervising the custodial staff and the technology staff.

Mr. Claus has a background in construction and safety that makes him eligible for the job.

Claus has previously worked in areas of safety and transportation in colleges around California including West Valley College located in Northern California.

Additionally, Claus worked with several construction companies as a high school student.

After formerly working in areas throughout California, Claus said, “I am happy to be back home in the Los Angeles area.” Claus is eager to carry out his job properly by keeping facilities running and keeping the students and faculty safe on campus.

Claus said, “I am very excited to be working at Pali.” Claus can be reached on campus at his new office located in U110.

Swimming Pool Will Open Next School Year

BY HANNAH R OGERS Tideline Staff Writer

Last month, the school broke ground on a new Olympic size swimming pool located on school grounds and funded by Rose Gilbert, a longstanding teacher at the school. However, “construction on the pool cannot begin until the school receives approval from the DSA or Division of State Architecture,” said Jeanne Goldsmith, a parent leader of the project, whose consulting group was hired to fundraise. She also said, “Expect the pool to be finished and ready for use by September 1, 2009.”

Once the pool is completed, it will have twelve lanes for competitive swimming and two lanes for instructional swimming.

The pool will have spectator stands in the facilities and its own locker room. Rose Gilbert gave $2 million of the $2.8 million raised so far. Her contribution will fund most of the construction costs.

The entire project is estimated to cost a total of $3.5 million.

“The remaining money needed should be raised from a slew of fund-raising parties in the Palisades neighborhoods,” said Goldsmith.

There was an official ceremony for the groundbreaking of the pool on August 4. Members of the school’s swim team, members of the school’s Board and other members of the Palisades community attended this event. The groundbreaking included the digging of a hole in the ground, which signified the start of construction.

“The actual construction on this project is expected to begin this coming October or November,” said Goldsmith.

The school only awaits DSA approval so that construction can begin.

“The community can expect to swim in the new pool as early as the beginning of the next school year,” said Ms. Gilbert.

Enrollment Reaches All Time High

Continued from page 1 Freshman Lucy Yu said her classes “are pretty good, but wishes the teachers would pay a little bit more attention. I think it’s because there are too many students.”

Even though she has taken multiple AP and Honors classes, senior Elizabeth Yeh has rarely had a class size around the state average of 21. “All my classes seem bigger and the quad seems more crowded,” she said. The crowded quad may be attributed to both the expansion of the student population and the seniors that have yet to attain permission to leave campus during lunch.

In fact, student enrollment has gradually increased since 2002.

According to School Data Direct the number of incoming 9th graders in California has jumped almost 50,000 in only four years and the state is constantly building new schools to deal with the new students.

September 16 - September 30, 2008

Tideline

BY LEXI GREENE Campus Editor

P

CAMPUS LIFE Welcome Back

Page 3

MR. STEIL Photographer

Pali High Staff gathers for picture for the new school year.

alisades High welcomes two new administrators: Mr. Griffin, the new principal, and Ms. LaTegola, who replaced Lauren Allen as our Director of Instruction, for the 2008-2009 school year. Also joining the administrative staff is former drama teacher Ms. Iannessa as the new Director of Student Services. There are many new teachers on campus as well. Out of the 117 teachers, 7 are new.

In addition to a new principal, administrators, and teachers, there are a handful of security guards on campus this year. The security staff is made up of four people wondering the halls, or waiting in the front of school to make sure people are out with permission only, plus Jorge Gracias, to keep campus safe. However, they aren't alone either. Dean Howard and Dean Loftus are on the look out as well along with two police officers in the case of necessary precautions.

Fall Fashion of 2008

BY ARIANNA F ISHER

W

Tideline Staff Writer

ith the start of the new fall season, comes the start of new fall fashion trends. It’s a new school year and now is the best time to reinvent. This fall’s two primary looks are grungy and bohemian. With a few key pieces and the addition of accessories, it’s very easy to achieve both of these looks and make them personal at the same.

The first major fall must have is an amazing pair of boots,

BY PAULINA F IROZI Tideline Staff Writer

perfect funky jacket. All types of jackets are incredibly in this fall, including leather jackets, blazers, military jackets, and motorcycle jackets. Jackets have the ability to make or break an outfit, and there possibilities are endless.

Fall wouldn’t be fall without a cute high wasted skirt. A high wasted skirt, or a two-piece illusion high wasted dress is a key fall fashion piece. High wasted skirts look cutest when belted at the waist and are extremely flattering on all body types. It’s easy to find casual or dressy high wasted skirts, and they add a lot to an outfit.

One last fall fashion trend is the forever-loved fabric, leather.

Leather is a timeless addition to any wardrobe, and never seems to go out of SHANE LILIEDAHL Photographer style. Whether it’s the peras the key to fall fashion. There fect pair of leather boots, the gorare a few different styles of boots geous leather jacket, the grungy that are apart of fall’s fashion leather vest, or even a pair of trends. Ankle boots are very in; leather leggings, leather can add whether they are leather or moc- the perfect touch to any outfit. casin, a pair of cute ankle boots Any form of leather is a great can fit any fashion style. Also for addition to every fall wardrobe. fall, it is key to get a pair of close With these fall fashion to knee length boots. A pair of trends, it is impossible to go boots can change an outfit and wrong. These trends can be found make it just the right style; cheap with the right bargainer and whether it be dress something up fashion finder. All these pieces or down, boots are key to this can be high end or thrift shop fall. found, but no matter what, they The second item that is are always in style. prominent to fall fashion is that

Best Weekend Ever

Less than two weeks have passed since the dreaded start of the new school year, and already students are looking to the weekend for an escape from the stress, the APs, and the busy hallways of Pali High. The two days of freedom granted each week are welcomed with open arms, even when the arms are filled with books. As the end the first three days of the 20082009 school year approached, a sigh of relief came as the last bell rang on Friday afternoon. To think this is just the beginning; what kind of oasis will students be looking for when the real craziness begins?

A few anxious students were asked what exactly their perfect weekend would involve. It’s no

surprise; everyone was pretty much on the same page. Summer not yet completely gone from their minds, most wanted the familiar warm and sunny retreat, while others just wanted to get far away.

Unfortunately the weekend is only two days long. Sophomore, Kasey Janousek’s shared, “I’d like to just go to the beach with friends and play volleyball.”

Freshman Missy Jamieson said, “I just want to hang out with friends, and maybe go see a play, I love the theater.” She added that eating good food was always a good answer, and who could argue?

Junior Christine Farris wanted a very relaxing weekend, but it seemed her mind had fast-forwarded to winter. “I’d like to cuddle up with a good book by the fire and sip on some hot cocoa”, she said.

Some of our Pali daydream-

ers, on the other hand, had slightly crazier ideas. Junior, Jeremy Smith was completely set on flying three “babes” and himself to Costa Rica.

Meredith Kornfiend, a sophomore, started off with normal plans like playing soccer but then continued to explain how the rest of the weekend would include, “Meeting Chris Brown and going to a party with him.”

No matter what the ideal weekend, it is no doubt that the two days (or three when we are lucky) are very important in a teenage student’s life. Whether a weekend involves catching up on some sleep, doing a weeks worth of homework, or jetting off to Costa Rica, it’s a much-needed getaway.

That is of course, until the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night and it is back to reality.

Envirothon Gets Ready For the New Year of Competition

BY LAYLEE S ALEK

teacher, Mr. Engelmann. Pali’s Envirothon usually attracts those who enjoy the outdoors and are interested in a career path involving the envihe Envirothon Team is ronment. well on its way in prepaAlthough the competition ration for the 2008-2009 season does not actually begin competition year. With its until the first Los Angeles first meeting on Wednesday, Regional Competition in late September 10, 2008, the February, the team has chosen team was open to all students to begin training during the interested in the environFall Season. Mr. Engelmann ment. showed his yearning to begin Having been quite sucthe upcoming year when he cessful in its previous comsaid, “What keeps me going are petitive season with a qualithe kids that are really passionfication into the national ate about the environment. finals, the team hopes to EDWIN POULDAR Photographer This is what gets me excited.” achieve even greater success under the supervision of AP Environmental Science

T

Tideline News Writer

The Man Behind the Scenes Keeps our Campus Clean

BY TYLER MILES

I

Tideline Staff Writer

t’s the end of lunch and you are on your way to class, as you walk through the quad you try not to step on the many discarded pieces of trash that careless people have left on the ground.

“Hopefully there won’t be as much trash on the floor tomorrow,” you might think to yourself, but what you are unaware of is the fact that one person is in charge of overseeing everything that keeps our school in top aesthetic condition. That person is Plant Manager Mr. Jefferson.

Mr. Jefferson started working at Pali in February of 1998. For over ten years, it has been his job to ensure that cleanliness, maintenance, and various plants around the campus are up to par -- a job that is necessary for the comfort of Pali High students.

Despite the messes that occur frequently during nutrition and lunch, when asked how he felt about working at the school he said, “It’s a pleasant place to work.” Not only does Mr. Jefferson keep the existing areas

of the campus clean, he is also in charge of bringing new things on to campus.

The current project that he is overseeing is the much anticipated new elevator. The exact

you were in the quad is no longer there.

When school is out and you are on your way home Mr. Jefferson and his staff are picking up the trash we left behind, taking care of the plants, trees, and any other foliage on the campus, deconstruction, and building of new things especially for our use. They are all hard workers set out to make our learning environment a better place. So, before you decide that the trashcan is too far away, and the floor is a much more convenient place to throw your garbage, you might think twice with the knowledge that you are making very hard workers jobs that much harder and take the few necessary steps to the trash can.

Pali High partly EDWIN POULDAR Photographer owes its high prestige date of completion was not to the hard work, time, and divulged, but physically handi- devotion that Mr. Jefferson and capped students and staff can his staff have invested in to our look forward to its service. school. Therefore, speaking on Mr. Jefferson does not do behalf of the entire school, we these jobs alone, he works with would all just like to give a spea team of eleven trained staff cial thank you, to Mr. Jefferson members, nine of them are and all of the staff members who building and grounds workers, make our school a comfortable and the other two are gardeners. place to be, we all really appreTogether they make up the rea- ciate the job that you do. son why a piece of trash you saw on the floor the last time

Page 4

Tideline

OPINION

September 16 - September 30, 2008

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. -Charles De Gaulle

E D I T O R I A L S

The Tideline

Publishing Manager: Diva Joshi

Editors-in-Chief:

James Bourne, Daniel Hartono, Elana Joffe, Dexter O’Connell

Junior Editors: Jackie Rosen

Layout Editors:

Henry Conklin, Rex Kirshner

News Editors:

Fiona Hannigan, Daniel Niknam

Sports Editors:

Justin Nam, Alison White

Opinion Editors:

Alex Caan, Jackie Rosen

Entertainment Editors: Caroline Coster, Arya Davachi

Campus Life Editor: Lexi Green

Photography:

Mary Hobbs, Graham MacGillivray

IT Manager:

Graham MacGillivray

Business Managers:

Edwin Amirianfar, Milana Kalimullova, Rex Kirshner

Faculty Advisor: Ms. Cappelli

TIDELINE POLICY S TATEMENT

Published twenty times a year, the student newspaper of Palisades High School (the Tideline) is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents.

Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor are welcomed and will be published as space allows. Letters must be signed, although the staff may withhold the name on request. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process, as are all contents of the paper.

Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

Student Poll Do you feel like you don’t have enough room in your schedule to take the classes you want to take?

(248 students polled)

A

Request for Schedule Reform

new year at Pali means new experiences for everyone, regardless of age or grade – the freshmen begin to learn the ins and outs of their new environment, the sophomores enjoy a more flexible schedule, the juniors begin to immerse themselves in the harsh but exhilarating college grind and the seniors reap the benefits of their hard work as the high school experience begins to wind down. Yet, even with the buzz of a new year lingering in the air, one particular issue never seems to change. If you find yourself itching to fill out the ever-popular “Request for Schedule Change” form, you know exactly which issue I am talking about.

It is truly astonishing how such a simple, little piece of paper with a few classes printed on it can doom a student’s entire year. Even more mind-boggling is how commonplace the scheduling snafu has become.

Finding a student who has a perfect schedule – and I use this term loosely – is like finding a four-leaf clover. If you don’t hear disgruntled students whining about their botched schedules during nutrition and lunch of the first day, it almost feels wrong. Walking past the Counseling Office without having to fight your way through a swarm of angry students waving lavender slips like torches and pitchforks might as well be the eighth wonder of the world. It may seem like an exaggeration, but there isn’t one student at Pali who hasn’t fallen victim to indecent scheduling.

Despite the frequency of this problem, there have been efforts to repair it. Unfortunately, tossing glitter on a pile of garbage does not make it more appealing. The process begins with the student selecting his or her classes prior to the start of summer. At some point during the summer – usually a few weeks before school starts – every student receives his or her schedule in the mail. Should our schedules displease us, which they usually do, we are given the option to come see our counselors before school starts and essentially redesign our ensuing year.

This is where things begin to fall apart. Transferring from one class to the other is nigh impossible, especially when the class you should have been put in to begin with has already reached capacity. How is this handled? With a lottery, of course! We fill out a tiny information sheet containing our name, grade and desired class, and then we leave it all to chance as our fates are drawn from a hat. Unless you have a major stroke of luck, the odds of you getting into every single class you requested are unlikely at best. At this point you are probably thinking, “What more can go wrong?” Then comes the first day of school where you find out just how much worse it can get. It’s as if our requests have been completely ignored and we have been put in classes we never requested to be in. In extreme cases, students find themselves missing key classes or even end up being put in the same class twice. If the counselors think that “AP Government” is the equivalent of “Honors Spanish 3,” something must have gotten seriously lost in translation.

Having said all of that, we do have to cut the counselors some slack. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, those poor souls are often put in impossible situations with an unhappy student at one end and an angry parent on the other. Even so, there has to be something that can be done to make this awful reoccurrence at least a little less prominent. Perhaps class sizes need to be recalculated, or maybe even just estimated, but we should never have to hear that a class we enrolled in well before the summer started is completely full and has no room for us. Regardless of whether or not a new system is successfully implemented, it can safely be said that the one currently being employed simply isn’t working.

P

Please Stay. Pretty Please?

ali has many new faces on campus this year, and that is not talking about freshmen (a whole other issue).

A new administration provides this school with the opportunity to rise up. As a school, we collectively have the responsibility to keep good, competent people on this campus, a responsibility to do more than give away four measly “Pali Positive” winners each month and a weekly gift card raffle.

A bit of history for the uninformed reader: Principal Gloria Martinez resigned from Pali at the conclusion of the 2006-2007 school year. The school was unable to hire a suitable candidate for the 2007-2008 school year, and brought Marcia Haskin out of retirement to serve as interim principal for last year.

To add to the confusion, Pali reached the end of its five-year charter, and LAUSD gave Pali staff an ultimatum: come back to the district and lose the seniority they gained for five years at Pali, or stay with the school and hope that Pali could provide benefits and retirement for them.

Director of Human Resources Colleen McCarthy worked hard with LAUSD and Pali staff to try to make the transition smooth, but then almost to spite her and the nervous staff here on campus, the district didn’t get its act together and gave Pali a one-year extension.

But the looming threat of this change, known as “right of return,” was enough to prompt an exodus from the school. We lost valuable teachers and administrators (not referring Director of Instruction)

and most notably, we lost the revered Mr. Danziger, formerly one of the school’s most popular teachers.

Now, in September of 2008, Pali sits in a unique position. We have new teachers on campus and new administrators around every corner. Pali needs to rise from the proverbial ashes under its new leadership and not look back. We can consider ourselves successful when we have a school that people want to work at, not retire or transfer from.

We need a school where teachers respect each other, and each other’s inboxes. The era of email fights between two teachers sent to the entire staff must end. The era of a factional faculty must end.

The era of selfish self-interest must end. School is about students, please; let’s make it that way.

We need a school with open leadership. We need a school where teachers are not afraid of their bosses, or the Board of Directors. New administrators: what you see is not what you get. You see a talented staff of teachers in a successful school. There is more: there is talented staff who does not trust you just yet. Prove your competency to them and to us, the students.

Lastly, we need a school where students are willing to learn. An over-enrolled school with a wait list shouldn’t have to put up with students who don’t want to be here. Students, make it worth your teacher’s time to come to school. Try or at least pretend to care. It’s the least we can do to keep people here. The time to stop the revolving door is now.

Let’s keep good people here, and keep the bad ones out.

BY DEXTER O’CONNELL

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Tideline Editor-in-Chief

Yes- 60% No- 40%

What is your experience with the counseling office like?

(141 students polled) Excellent - 8% Good - 35% Fair - 35% Poor - 5% Bad - 9% Awful - 9%

WILL ANDERSON Photographer

t is a rare and beautiful sight to see an administrator at Palisades entirely concentrated on successfully completing the stated mission of his job. Though he has only been on campus for a few days, it appears that DeVere Claus, the new Operations Manager, is just such an administrator. Mr. Claus was selected for his position based solely on his competence, and he is already bringing it to bear on Palisades.

Mr. Claus, a former Naval reservist who, at age 24, took up long-haul trucking for a year and a half in order to see the United States, says his job at Pali is to “keep the lights working, plumbing working and keeping everyone as safe as possible.” His job

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

There needs to be more Kool-Aid in the school. Kool-Aid is a nutritious drink full of vitamin C to keep students going. If you sell Kool-Aid, your funds will go up by at least 15%. This leaves the door open for other things like more funding into sports and extracurricular activities. So Please give us Kool-Aid! Sincerely, -Josh Brandon, 9th grade Dear Editor,

I have highly enjoyed my past days at Pali, but something that has been bothering me is the very short nutrition. After a two hour class, we are only given 15 minutes to relax and take a break before enduring two more hours.

- Jordan Chutick, 10th Grade Dear Editor,

My first week at Pali has been

Thank You, -Nancy Escalante 9th Grade Dear Editor,

The first week and a half at Palisades has been great and tons of fun. But the one thing that I don’t like is how long the classes are. All I am saying is maybe we can have five minute breaks in the middle where we can go outside and stretch, because I get very sore from sitting in a desk for an hour and a half straight. It would be very nice if we could have a short break in the middle.

Thank You Very Much!

- Chester Hoover, 9th Grade

Time to Face the Music

BY LIZ PAULY

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Tideline Staff Writer

n the past two years, our music program has become increasingly stronger and has broadened thanks to the introduction of two enthusiastic new music teachers. This year, as enrollment has shown, the music program’s numbers have dropped dramatically, and threaten the future of the program itself. A large crop of music classes have been added to the list of available courses, but our students of are not taking advantage of those opportunities because they simply do not have the room on their program cards.

In our jam-packed schedules, most students who take a language only have room for one elective. These “electives” aren’t necessarily classes we want to take, but classes that we have to take in order to graduate. It is a shame that we are forced to sit in a classroom and learn “life skills” when we could be learning something a lot more productive, like playing an instrument or music theory.

Music is considered an escape for many students, and allows them to break free from the daily stresses of AP classes and homework. By restricting the amount of electives that we can take, many potential musicians are withering away behind a desk instead of developing their musical skills, which have been shown to increase SAT scores significantly.

Another major factor contributing to the music program’s demise is the inflexibility in ninth grade schedules. The majority of our ninth graders are coming from a renowned music program at Paul Revere.

When these talented musicians start high school, they are greeted with a long list of requirements and barely have a say as to what classes they want to take. The pressure to fulfill these requirements make music classes seem like a poor choice, as many of the visual/ performing arts credits are already filled by the elective assigned to them by their POD. After fulfilling all these credits, their passion for music has dwindled down to the point where it’s not worth their time, and something else would look better on their college applications.

“I have no freedom to choose my classes, because all of my classes were chosen for me. I would like to be in the music program, but I’m not willing to get up early to fit it into my schedule. I need that extra hour of sleep,” said Amy Rosen, a freshman who has played piano for nine years.

Although our school has numerous departments that make it unique, the music department is a small but mighty jewel. All of the students and teachers involved are extremely talented and dedicated to the program. However, if the enrollment rates continue to decline to the extent that they have this year, all of the hard work put in by the teachers and the musicians will be jeopardized. If there is no one to play the music, the music program could be silenced.

Claus is Gift to Pali

also includes supervision of the custodial staff and transportation infrastructure, as well as the technology staff. These essential tasks, once spread out over several administrators, are now concentrated in the hands of one man. Pali could not have hired a better person for the job.

Mr. Claus has extensive experience in all areas of his new position. He has supervised transportation. He has supervised custodial staff. He has worked in construction, and he has supervised construction. Most importantly, in terms of his experience, he has overseen safety at all of his previous jobs. After last year’s emergency response fiasco, it was clear that one of the most important challenges facing Pali was safety and emergency pre-

great! Some things at Pali can be improved though. One thing is the vending machines. Every time I want to get water, all the water vending machines are sold out.

When there is no water, I have to go without drinking water and I get dehydrated. Maybe you can get the water companies to refill the vending machines more often.

paredness. Mr. Claus will be able to lead a rewrite of the emergency response plan written by the Duck-and-Cover Association of America and figure out a way to safely evacuate the school which does not use either the tunnel (due to its earthquake risk) or the stadium stairs (large delay in getting students to safety and large risk of trampling in an actual emergency) to move students.

Mr. Claus also has the attitude that Pali needs. He is focused entirely on the successful completion of his appointed rounds, some of the most vital in the school. He is clearly a hard worker, and from records of his interview, a competent, fair, and firm boss. His work to improve Pali is eagerly awaited.

I am happy to note the

improvements made in the hiring of administrators lately. After last year’s experiences with the epitome of incompetence, Lauren Allen, the fear that mistakes would be repeated was high.

However, in this hiring season, it looks like Pali has acquired a prime crop of administrators in Mr. Griffin, Ms. Lategola, Ms. I. and Mr. Claus.

This is a huge step in the right direction for an administration that has received its fair share of broadsides from these pages. Hopefully the current fiasco in the front offices (Adventures in Counseling and Over-enrollment) will be resolved in an equitable and appropriate manner, and all will be right with the world of Pali.

September 16 - September 30, 2008

Tideline

The Reforming Mavericks

OPINION

BY JULIAN SCOTT

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Can you name the last three principals, including the newest addition?

Tideline Staff Writer

t first glance Senator John McCain’s surprise Vice President pick of Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, appears impulsive and foolish, but upon deeper inspection, McCain’s choice rings true with his maverick status. Sarah Palin and John McCain are not the average politicians with their own private agendas; their ultimate goal is to serve our country, rather than further their own political careers.

Palin has demonstrated clearly to the Alaskan people that she will not fall in line with the Republican Party. Only days after being sworn in as governor, it was clear she was determined not to cave to the energy industry, Alaska’s lifeline, and to crack down on the corruption rampant among the Republican ranks. To take on the oil giants, such as Exxon Mobil, and crush the corruption within her own party, she has had to develop working alliances with Democrats and as a result has alienated much of the Republican legislature in Alaska.

Palin has had to take on the leadership of the state Republican Party at a time when many Alaskan politicians are being indicted on corruption charges because of the oil industry. She has won over Democrats such as Ray Metcalfe, a former state legislator. Metcalfe has called Palin “a Republican Governor who is not part of the system, and she has set out to reform the party.”

What Palin lacks in a political career, is made up by her tenaciousness for politics and her unwavering desire to guide our country. Palin has another way of putting it. “I will unambiguously, steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state as a mother naturally guards her own,” she said in her inaugural speech.

In her relatively short political career Palin has had the courage to address and challenge corruption within her own party, and had to crack down on oil giants - more than many politicians accomplish in decades of political experience. Political experience should not be critiqued on the number of years one has served our country, but what one has done with those years.

Senator Barack Obama frequently talks of change and getting new blood in the White House. Yet, for all his talk of change, it is mostly just that, talk; his choice as vice president, Joe Biden, could hardly be called fresh blood with over thirty years in the senate. On the other hand, Palin is very clearly an agent for change and fresh blood that refuses to be tainted by corruption.

Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, is pregnant and soon to be married. Many people attempt to criticize Palin for Bristol’s choice to be sexually active and have a child. Bristol’s choice is her own; surely one cannot critique Palin for someone else’s actions. How can Bristol’s personal choices accurately reflect on Palin’s ability as a vice president? Surely Bill Clinton’s scandal was even more personal but despite his own personal choices, not his daughter’s, he proved himself to be adept at the role of president. Clearly, whom someone chooses to be in their own time does not reflect on their ability to serve our country, so why judge Palin on that level?

Sarah Palin and John McCain are clearly deserving of their titles as mavericks because they are not the run-of-the-mill Republicans we are all so used to. They have a commitment to changing our country and safeguarding our interests. Sarah Palin has shown her willingness to disregard her party obligations to do what is best for her state and our country. She has proven herself to be committed and able to revive and guide our country through tough times that are ahead of us of all.

O

Tideline Staff Writer

ver-enrollment has flustered Pali teachers, administrators, and students. Teachers have to instruct classes at maximum capacity with minimum deskspace (I am less than happy with being thrust into a unsightly stranger’s personal space). The new administration is doing the best they can to accommodate for the excessive amount of students, as counselors work out the intricate puzzle that is the scheduling system.

Besides the unprecedented number of freshmen enrolled this year, AP and honors classes for upperclassmen have been overenrolled as well. Already, students have been denied entry into classes such as AP Literature with

BY JACKIE ROSEN

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Tideline Opinion Editor

reeted by a wave of sudden applause at the Republican Convention on National Wednesday night, Sarah Palin was in her element. She was adorned with a pristine hair-do, flawless make-up, and an attitude -downplayed only by her conservative suit, glasses, and morals.

This former beauty queen and current vice- presidential candidate was probably trained for such a moment within an inch of her life back in the day of her Miss Alaska competition in 1984 (where she was appropriately awarded the runner-up title). She knows how to walk, talk, and present herself elegantly, but as far as her stance on multiple issues is concerned, citizens might as well start vying for a new candidate - Miss South Carolina 2008. It is not that Sarah Palin addresses our nation’s population as “U.S. Americans,” like our beloved girl from South Carolina, but that her issues resemble just as much ignorance.

In August, Palin stated in an interview with Time Magazine that, “We don’t know what the plan is to ever end the war,” and yet during her speech at the convention, only a couple weeks later, Palin attacked Barack Obama by saying “Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit.” Now, Ms. Palin, the rest of America must be blind because, as much as we pray for it, nobody else can see this end you are referring to. Like world peace, it is another beauty competition illusion that is somewhere over the rainbow. As much as we yearn for it, there is no proof it is near.

Sarah Palin is also against physician-assisted suicide.

Although heartbreaking, it should be perfectly acceptable for a person, or the loved one of that person, to make the choice of ending a life that has an unbearable level of physical pain – a pain that will

Bursting at the Seams JUST-A-CLIP

BY ALEXANDER HELMINTOLLER

A Woman of Disastrous Intrigue

IZABELLE NEW Editorial Cartoonist

the renowned Ms. Gilbert due to over-enrollment. Obviously, the new administration is not to blame, as enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year was conducted last year.

When questioned if she had had a higher number of students this year than last, Rose Gilbert said, “It’s always been high. I cope, that’s all. Hopefully, it won’t be done again.” In fact, according to the Palisades Charter high school website, the average class size at Pali is 42 students. Perhaps summer has veiled the truth and clouded our memories of an annually overenrolled school. Certainly we would have noticed students sitting on each other’s laps on the first day of school last year… wouldn’t we?

Pali High has simply

enrolled more students this year than they over-enrolled last year.

It is only noticeable now that seats are contended for, and students are not accepted into classes that they were assigned to after initial schedule changes. Alex Coluzzi, grade 11, said, “There aren’t enough desks in my Spanish class, so people have to sit in random chairs brought in from other rooms.” This is also common in my AP Environmental class, as wandering students without desks rely on other students’ desk space. The rolling chair has become a symbol of over-enrollment.

However, space is not the only issue when dealing with quality of learning: There is a point at which 30 is equal to 38 I recently spoke to a teacher who explained that there is no differ-

never cease until death. Families witnessing slowly crumbling lives of suffering patients gripped by diseases impossible to recover from should be allowed to follow their loved ones wishes. It is inhumane to think otherwise.

When children or teenagers aren’t being told an entire story, or are having something hidden from them, they know. It is naïve not to realize that this is true.

Their first impulse is to obviously go and find out more about it.

This can be very dangerous, especially when the subject is sex.

Those who have never had the technicalities of sex introduced to them end up finding out through the abundant references chocked into modern entertainment.

They become greatly interested in the idea of something being unknown and scandalous.

These kids, who have never had the explicit sexual education that Sarah Palin is opposed to, start experimenting. The product?

Spring Awakening. Or better yet, Palin’s own seventeen-year-old daughter, Bristol Palin, who is five months pregnant.

Palin also thinks contraception should not be handed out for free in schools and that being safe means abstinence. Bristol, unfortunately for her, has turned into a walking contradiction of her own mother’s beliefs. The moral, folks? It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the nurse has condoms if you’re ever considering “doing it.”

Bravo Mr. McCain for choosing such an intriguing woman to run by your side in November - a woman who is also against gun control, thinks gay marriage is for the birds (and therefore does not understand the concept of love), and believes she knows a thing or two about homeland security though her sheltered, small town of Wasilla, Alaska. The murder rate in that area, according to www.disastercenter.com, is literally 0 out of a total population of 7,835. Before this becomes a disaster, let’s all vote Paris Hilton.

ence between teaching a class of 30 students versus a class of 38 or40, as each individual student cannot get the attention and advice they seek when the class size is no longer small. The reason teachers may be rejecting any further applicants for their classes is due to the fact that they wish to do the best with the class that they currently have. Over-enrollment is not the fault of the teachers, but it has made their jobs more difficult.

Overall, there is not much that can be done about this predicament. Some students are not going to be put into the classes that they signed up for, and if they are, teachers may even decline them. The best we can do is cope, and as Rose Gilbert said, “Hopefully it won’t happen again.”

Page 5

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Diana Kats S ENIOR

Who was the principal when we were freshmen? Ms. Haskins?

Mila Bromberg

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S OPHOMORE

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Gosh... I don’t remember the new one. In 9th grade...

10th wasn’t she?

No. Keegan McFadden

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S OPHOMORE

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I don’t know at all.

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Nope. Ms... nope.

Gabriel Lee S ENIOR

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Marsha Haskins, this guy Griffin, and uhhhhhh, oh, what’s her name?

Kene Izuchukwu JUNIOR

How do you feel about the over enrollment of our school?

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From the budget standpoint we need to enroll as many people as possible, but in doing so you end up with a problem on class size. This year, however, we’re in a better financial situation than most schools.

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Mr. King

AP U.S. TEACHER

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My class sizes are pretty normal. We even have empty desks. The quad is crowded, though.

Jessica Brackeen

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S OPHOMORE

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TeeCee Sprowel S ECURITY

Ryan Legaspi JUNIOR

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I don’t like it. The lines are getting longer and before you know it, nutrition is over and they haven’t gotten any shorter.

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AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

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I think it’s kinda crowded and harder to walk around.

Jennifer Benarrdes S ENIOR

Page 6

CALENDAR

Tideline Radiohead is a Pretty Good Band

Dramies Prepare for Annual Festival

September 16 - September 30, 2008

MARY HOBBS Photographer

Ms. Morford, Pali’s new dram a teacher, works with her new students in preperation for the upcom ing festival.

I

By HENRY C ONKLIN Tideline Staff Writer

n late 2007, Radiohead set off a media explosion and delighted scores of crazed fans when they unveiled the "pay what you want" release of their album, In Rainbows. The album was not only hailed as album of the year by many respected music publications, but also gave fans a rare opportunity in the age of Internet piracy and music leaks: a communal experience. It is hard to remember that there was a time before Limewire, Napster, and even the Internet; when an album was actually released in stores, and fans flocked and excitedly listened simultaneously. At around 10:30 p.m. on October 9th, Radiohead finally sent out the mass email allowing fans around the world to

download and listen to the new album, all at the same time. The next step in Radiohead's plans for laying out the album was a world tour, which began in May in Florida and after traveling back and forth from Europe, made its way to the state of California.

Radiohead played several cities in California, starting off with San Francisco, where they took the stage to the intriguing sound of melodic electronic bleeps, and proceeded to overwhelm an audience of about sixty thousand people. Perhaps the most endearing quality of Radiohead is the range of their musical style. With songs like "Airbag" and "Just," Radiohead effortlessly rocked Outside Lands, the festival where they were performing. They ended the show leaving loops of various sounds

from the performance of "Everything In Its Right Place" playing over and over long after the band members had vacated the stage.

Following the performance at Outside Lands, Radiohead traveled to Los Angeles to play two nights in a row at the Hollywood Bowl. Both shows in the City of Angels sold out within minutes, and were easily the most sought after tickets of the entire tour.

Radiohead have been known to do special things for their devoted L.A. fans, and this time around was no different. On the second night, Radiohead launched into a cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why," an exciting move for a band that plays covers very rarely. Singer Thom Yorke had an infectious energy, dancing wildly to the beeps and bass booms of "Idioteque" and the clashing of

Starting off with the song “The Recession,” Young Jeezy plays clips telling about the “recession” going on the United States and about how “everybody is broke.” The majority of the CD follows the trend of “recession,” while also showing support for Presidential candidate Barack Obama, who Jeezy raps about becoming the first black president in the song “My President is

Black.” The record, however, does goes through twists and turns of focus, ranging from the every so popular "recession” to being “welcomed backed” to how crazy the world is.

Fans of Young Jeezy’s first CD, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, will be disappointed to know that the Young Jeezy from that record is not present in many of these tracks.

Songs like “Circulate” and “Don’t Know You” are dull and sound like afterthoughts. Since his first CD, it seems like he has unfortunately not grown very much lyrically as well as musically, which is shown on this album. That being said, the Young Jeezy that is known by his fans does decide to show up on a few tracks, the only ones worth listening to.

Even though this CD is not a stunning example of Young Jeezy’s rapping skills, he does not totally destroy his career as a relevant rapper. Songs like “Crazy World,” “Hustlaz Ambition,” “Who Dat,” and his single “Put On,” which features Kanye West, keep his rap career alive and all show that the old Young Jeezy is still here.

Young Jeezy’s Recession From Grace

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By DYLAN PALLADINO Tideline Staff Writer

oung Jeezy's third album, The Recession, was released on September 2, 2008, and it unfortunately does not live up to its expectations. Fans of Young Jeezy should prepare to be disappointed with the mediocrity of the new record, which might be due to its deep concentration on politics.

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By ALAN KIM

Tideline Staff Writer

Bangkok Dangerous

irected by the Pang brothers, Bangkok Dangerous, a remake of the original 1999 Thai film, portrays friendship, betrayal, love, and sadness, but fails to bring a new and exciting kick to today’s “killer” movie. Though the original film's directors returned for the remake, the effect brought on by the original, which is considered to be a grade A action film, sadly lost its way through the translation from Thai to English.

In the film, a proposition is given to Joe (Nicolas Cage). If he

is to kill four of crime boss Surat’s (Nirattisal Kaljaruek) opponents, a large sum of money will be his. Joe lives by four “commandments”: Don’t ask questions. Erase every trace.

Know when to get out. Have no interest in anyone outside of work. As his time increases in Thailand, his emotions grow for his assistant Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm) as he takes him in as his pupil, and falls in love with Fom (Premsinee Ratanasopha), a deaf-mute pharmacist. As he breaks his rules Joe’s life becomes at risk when Surat decides to take him out using his

pupil as bait.

Bangkok Dangerous is a film for those who live for action and suspense, but like most films of its genre, also has many flaws.

The movie does not give a clear background to Joe nor does it give much information about the other characters. Although the actions give a decent kick to the film, some of it starts to become unrealistic and very “coincidental.”

The storyline’s overall dullness and predictability, all resemble a CSI: rip-off. Bankok Dangerous is the standard action film and, like most others, should be left for DVD rental.

HENRY CONKLIN Photographer

angry cymbals and guitars in "Bodysnatchers." Yorke even performed "Cymbal Rush," a song from his solo album The Eraser, a rare treat for diehard fans.

Finally, almost a year after releasing In Rainbows, on August 28th, 2008, Radiohead gave their fans yet another surprise which they could share together: a live webcast of the final concert of their North American tour. Radiohead understands the overwhelming bliss of experiencing with like-minded fans such a wonderful thing. The concert took place in Santa Barbara, the fifth and final show of their California trek. It was a special thank you to fans, and another reminder from one of the best bands in the world that great music is not only judged by its sound, but its ability to bring people together.

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By C AROLINE C OSTER

Tideline Entertainment Editor

s the school year quickly gets underway, the 7th period drama class is preparing for their highly anticipated fal l festival, held at Calabasas High School at the end of October and early November.

The festival, a competition of many different drama departments, is broken down into categories such as comedy, musical and women playwrights.

The drama students are assigned into relatively small groups to compete in specific categories, which will be managed by an appointed director who will write the script and choreograph. Each skit is student run, and utilizes only student actors.

Neither props nor music are allowed in the performance.

The 7th period class has not been assigned groups yet and

does not know any details regarding the categories in which it will be competing.

However they do know that they will be entering in the B division, which is made up of freshmen, and also the C division, which is strictly for the upperclassmen.

Pali dramie, Sarah Williams said, “ I am hoping to direct one of the categories, and I am really excited for the production.” The Pali students that competed in the past have been very successful, and have worked very hard and put much effort into their skits.

As a fourth year drama student, senior Suah Kang said, “ This is one of my best experiThe ences at this school.” drama department is eager to start dispersing into their groups, and will hopefully have time to present their skits in front of the student body before competing in late fall.

TV is Back and Bolder than Ever

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By ARIANNA F ISHER Tideline Staff Writer

his fall, many television shows, such as Gossip Girl, The Office, and The Amazing Race, are returning with new seasons, promising the entire spectrum of television at its best, and with the writer's strike long gone, it seems to be an extremely promising fall season. In addition to old favorite shows, many new shows are also beginning this fall, such as the new 90210, Do Not Disturb, and Stylista.

Drama, the forefront for television as a whole, is the best place to find everyday problems on a higher magnitude. Shows like Gossip Girl, 90210 and House take problems that face everyday people and show the

audience the other side of the story. And it's a khown fact that viewers cannot help but immerse themselves in televisions hottest scandals. Though Monday is traditionally known for football, the night has now turned into the new night for television’s cream of the crop, with Gossip Girl on CW at 8, One Tree Hill on CW at 9, along with Prison Break and Heroes on FOX and NBC, respectively. This falls brand new and returning shows will exceed all expectations, providing the audience with never before imagined drama.

Television shows are at their best when they can make anyone laugh, and comedy is one of the most important aspects to the success of any television show.

Whether its quirky, dry, or just

plain stupid, the ability to make people laugh while watching TV is key. Luckily, some of televisions favorite comedies are returning such as Ugly Betty on Thursdays on ABC at 8 followed

by The Office on NBC at 9. New comedies are gracing the TV world such as Do Not Disturb on Wednesday on Fox at 9:30, and Surviving Suburbia with Bob Saget on Sundays at 7:30 on CW. Television comedy will reach its ultimate peak during this fall with the addition of new shows, along with the continuation of old favorites.

This fall it’s hard to choose which shows to watch because there are such a variety of choices. Whether its drama, comedy, or reality, television promises not to disappoint this fall.

September 16 - September 30, 2008

Tideline

ON THE SPOT

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Bureau of Jewish Education

March of the Living we remember

Join thousands of other Jewish teens and Holocaust survivors from all corners of the world in Poland on Holocaust Remembrance Day and in Israel to celebrate Israel Independence Day

April 19th - May 3rd 2009* *subject to change

for further information visit www.bjela.org or contact Monise Neumann at mneumann@bjela.org • 323-761-8613

SPORTS

Football Team Comes Up Short in Preseason Page 8

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BY KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline Staff Writer

he football team started their preseason on a flat note as they lost by a single touchdown to Washington Prep Senior High on Thursday, September 4, in the renovated Stadium by the Sea. The football team is attempting to redeem itself after last season’s disappointing 1-9 record, and saw the scrimmage as a good way to start by looking at the team’s cohesion as a whole.

Since the game was only a scrimmage, a touchdown was awarded one point, field goals were nonexistent, and each team started their drives on the 30-yard line. In the midst of these temporary rules and with the bizarre and shocking resignation of offensive coordinator Coach Larry Wine on the day of the game, players like Sophomore starting quarterback Conner Preston were still satisfied with the team’s play. “I felt really comfortable, even though I had to learn the offense 20 minutes before the game started,” said Preston after the game. “We all really like each other, and that makes us stronger as a team;

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we’re having a lot of fun and we looked pretty good tonight.”

The game started off slowly as each team seemed to be warming up, but soon picked up with a huge touchdown run by Pali’s Senior running back Khalid Stevens. The score came on a handoff by Preston to Stevens, thanks in part to a huge hole created by the offensive linemen.

After Stevens exploded through the hole, he broke two tackles, beat a safety, and received help from Senior wide receiver Trevon Jimenez, who blocked the other free safety, which enabled Stevens to finish a 72-yard run for a touchdown, giving Pali a 1-0 lead.

Coach Al Heath was especially impressed with his players’ performance on the field. “I enjoyed seeing the line of scrimmage open,” said Heath. “I also enjoyed seeing Khalid come flying through there for 72 yards!”

However, some players, like junior defensive end Juan Climaco, were not content with overall team and personal play. “To be honest with you, I‘m not satisfied with the way I played,” said Climaco. “As a team we can get better; we have got to pick up on the offense. Our defense is solid

MARY HOBBS Photographer

Varsity Reciever Trevon Jimenez looks to the crowd for support. but we can still get better.” against a tough team, but is also As the team prepares for its looking further into the future. “I season opener against Hollywood thought we did rather well; High at Pali on Friday, September Washington is a tough team with 12, coaches and players alike feel a really tough schedule and I was that they need to exceed all previ- pleased,” said Heath. “But we need ous expectations. Coach Heath to make the playoffs.” feels that his players played well

Soccer Team Hopefuls Battle for Position

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BY C ONSTANTINE S AMOILOV Tideline Staff Writer

he first week of the school year brings three things for students: homework, increased lunch prices, and fall sport tryouts. The soccer team began their 5-month-long journey towards the playoffs this month, holding tryouts from September 10 through September 12. They plan to start conditioning and practice later this month in preparation for the season due to start in November.

The new Head Coach of the team, Mr. Suarez, is eager to start the year and begin training the brand-new squad for the season.

“We expect about 70 people to come out to the tryouts,” Suarez said. “We think that we can make a formidable team this year.” The Varsity team will, once again, consist of mostly seniors and juniors, but, with the departure of former star players such as Eric Rosen and Alex Smith, there will be more spots open for players of varied skills.

Aspiring players look forward to the tryouts, hoping to

“We’re going to have to play as a team.”

Both players and coaches are looking forward to the season ahead. The coaches have set goals in mind that they look to accomplish, and the players anticipate they will play further past February, when the regular season ends and playoffs begin. “I expect our teams to improve and build upon last year’s performance,” Suarez said. “I believe that we will make the playoffs.” There is certainly change brewing and the players aim to bring the Dolphins WILL ANDERSON Photographer back to glory. “We want to Returning soccer player Jesse Vasquez shows off in front of his teammates. get back into the playoffs,” Junior Harrison Mathis said. make the team. Junior Andrew adjustments to the team’s strateGreen, a JV player for the past gies. “We’ve been running the 4- “I’ll consider it a failure if our run two years, is optimistic about his 4-2 for the past couple of years,” ends in February.”

Varsity begins their season chances of making the squad and Suarez said. “But our formation the Varsity team’s upcoming per- and strategies will change depend- on an unconfirmed date in formance. “I’ll do my best to try ing on what type of personnel we November, but season-wide goals and make varsity,” Green said. will have on this year’s squad.” have already been set. “We intend “From what I’ve seen last year, I Players can also expect an to play our opponents one game think that the team is due for a increased focus on team play and at a time, to pursue victory with leadership, a big change from last honor,” Suarez said. “And, hopestrong showing this winter.” get-the-ball-to-the-star fully, we’ll score more goals than After a less-than-decent 4- year’s 6-3 record last year, Coach Suarez strategy. “I think that we’re not a the other team.” will be looking to make some team of superstars,” Suarez said.

Girls Basketball Tryouts Begin

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BY ALISON WHITE Tideline Sports Editor

s pi ri ng gi rl s basketball s t ars have been t eari ng up t he basketball court s and t he net s duri ng t he fi rs t week of s ch o o l i n an at t em p t t o b edazzl e C o ach To ri n o J ohns on for a s pot on t he am bi t i ous 2008 t eam .

A swarm of hopeful girls cluttered the courts as Coach Johnson observed their passing, dribbling and shooting skills.

This year, Coach Johnson and the returning players want to create the best varsity team Pali has ever seen. Johnson has set high standards for the new basketball season and plans on building a championship winning team. At tryouts, he looks to see improvement from returning players and new skills from freshmen and sophomores to help boost the team. “I want to destroy last year’s 17-13 record,” said Johnson, “but in a positive way. I want the players to strive for that winning feeling.” Some key players for this season are Dominique Scott, Utopia Kates and Nicole Flyer.

“I want this year’s team to make

other schools afraid,” said Senior Utopia Kates.

With only 14 spots open on the varsity team, Torino is being selective and is attempting to balance experience and skill. Many of the returning senior players have played together for the majority of their high school career and have finetuned their roles and skill sets.

In addition, the talented, new underclassmen should strengthen and mold the team into a force to be reckoned with.

Johnson hopes the depth of the varsity team will hoist Pali into a dominating position in the Western League. “Don’t be surprised if you interview me again after the City Championships,” said Johnson.

But most importantly, the players are excited to be competing again. “I’m excited for an intense season,” said Senior Emily Noel. “I love our team.”

When watching the players, the anticipation is contagious.

Every player seems thrilled to move around and dribble the basketball down the court. “My favorite part of a game is if we are on the verge of losing and there are minutes remaining, but we get it together to win the game,” said Kates.

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P O R T S

September 16 - September 30, 2008

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O M M E N T A R Y

Swimmers Struggle to Stay Afloat

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BY JUSTIN NAM Tideline Sports Editor

s another school year opens and returning students flock back to their AP classes and electives, and freshmen aimlessly walk around, most sports teams are gearing up for the 2008-2009 season.

While most teams have their own facilities, or at least a dirt plot on the baseball field to work out on, the swim team is currently forced to shell out about $10,000 in order to make the commute from Pali High to Santa Monica College to practice there for an hour.

In addition to rental fees for the pool, there is no school allowance for a team bus, which means that Head Coach Maggie Nance is forced to round up students’ parents and stuff their cars full for a drive over to the college. Besides the inconvenience for the parents, the traffic, and the complications of getting every student to the pool, there are many rules and guidelines which make it difficult to organize such a large commute.

The situation facing the swimmers is representative of how the “mainstream” sports, like football and basketball, get more while the “lesser” sports like swim and tennis, however more successful they may be, get less.

It wasn’t always like this.

Before last year and the football and track renovations, the swim team used the Palisades YMCA pool on Temescal in Will Rogers State Park. While not next to the school, it was within walking distance and therefore the journey was manageable. However, when the YMCA’s lease on the land expired and it discovered that once minor repairs to the facilities were in fact huge, the Palisades YMCA was closed down, relegating swimmers from both Palisades High and the YMCA swim club to the SMC facilities, which, while nice, are about 20 minutes away by car because of traffic.

About forty Pali students daily have to go to SMC to practice. While about twenty more swim with private swim clubs, these clubs are expensive to gain a membership at and are often held at inconvenient times that students normally reserve for homework and relaxation after school.

Palisades native Senior Lizzie Ebert, who swam with the YMCA Pali Y, now has to swim in Santa Monica at Westside Aquatics near Crossroads to get

the workout she wants. The club, which typically gets out at 8 p.m., is also two times further away from her house, which means that she gets home at 9, eats dinner, and normally does homework until going to sleep at around midnight or later. “The whole thing is just ridiculous,” said Ebert. “Not only have we swimmers lost our home pool, but this summer I was jobless since I normally teach swimming at the Pali YMCA. Some of my coworkers were also jobless, and the YMCA is losing money. I think I speak for the entire Pali Y team when I say we really miss our pool and our own team.”

While a pool is being built, it is basically being funded solely by the charity of 90-year old AP English Language and AP English Literature teacher Rose Gilbert.

Ms. Gilbert has already donated approximately $2 million dollars and says that if she could work for a dollar a year, she would do it.

Besides this charity, there is fundraising being done by the Palisades High Marketing Club, which is comprised of Head Coach Nance and various swimmers.

This situation leads into the main point: why are the swimmers being forced to make their own money if they want a new pool?

Why is a 90 year-old giving most of the money? Did the football team have to go to the farmer’s market to ask for donations? Did any of the other teams have to create a 4th of July float to draw attention to themselves in order to make money for a track and field?

Now, after only one year in service, the track is stained, the field has been vandalized, and the school still doesn’t have any team championships from the teams that use it. On the flip side, the relatively less popular teams like the tennis teams have been very successful. The Girls Swim teams have won the City Championship five years in a row. What do the teams have to show for it, besides their trophies, medals, and pride?

Two cracked up tennis courts and a fenced off section of basketball courts with no noticeable work being done. With the pool project behind its initial schedule and still $1 million dollars short of what is needed, this year’s class will never get to use the pool as a part of the Palisades team. Other groups within the school need to step up and contribute to try to balance out the inequalities that plague our school.

Bustamante Leads the Pack

Hamilton, then the top runner in the Western League.

“Every little pain, to represent your school and be in races with these people from all around the state. It is just amazing,” said Bustamante.

Carlos wants everyone around him to join him on his road to State.

“People just need to come out and try it, or just watch it and support it, because although we are not as big as, say, football, if people ran or watched us run three miles they would get it,” he said.

MARY HOBBS Photographer What Carlos’ Cross-Country Runner, Carlos Bustamante, poses for shot during pre-season training. watchers see Carlos championship. attributes to his coaches. “Mr.

BY ERIC LOPEZ Bustamante has smashed Marsden [now teaching P.E. and Tideline Staff Writer records both his freshman and Girls Softball at Pali] in 7th grade s the cross-country season sophomore year. Yet not even help me get my start. Then, it begins for Palisades, a Carlos expected this of himself. was Mr. Foxson [in eighth grade] star is rising and the name “I thought other runners were bet- and now Coach Brumel is taking of that star is Carlos Bustamante. ter [during 9th grade].” But even me even higher.”

Three months ago Carlos in that first year Carlos ran Coach Ron Brumel, Head Bustamante, then a 10th grader, Varsity for both Cross Country Coach of the Cross Country led the Los Angeles division in and Track & Field. Last year, team, will give anyone his opinthe mile and raced his way to the Carlos was finally able to see the ion whenever they want to hear it.

State Finals. This year, the junior result of all his work when he However, when asked about phenom in the making hopes to soundly defeated Ben Simon of Carlos, it is only praise. “At first, repeat his ascent all the way to a

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I only believed he could be a merely good, consistent runner, but it was in 10th grade where I saw that he could be part of the elite in Los Angeles or in the State.” But for Coach Brumel, Carlos’s work on the track and the trails are not what is most important. ”Carlos is one of the most intelligent and disciplined runners I have ever seen in my time at Palisades, because runners need the talent and the guts. Carlos has that and the brains which are more important than anything.”

Also giving their praises to Carlos was AP World History teacher Mr. Burr. “Carlos is a great student, an incredibly hard worker, and has a great character.

He is just a fantastic person to be around.”

Last year’s Cross Country coach and current 2ndyear baseball coach, Coach Mike Voelkel, said, “Carlos is a unique kid who has taken advantage of the skill Coach Brumel has given him, and has taken the guidance and tradition of Pali into something bigger and better. His talent level is amazing and he could be looking at a possibly great future.”

Carlos Bustamante starts off the year with the statewide Woodbridge Invitational meet, where he could give the audience a preview of the show many believe he will give this coming season.