Issue3

Tideline

Palisades Charter High School • Pacific Palisades, CA • October 14 - 31, 2008 • Volume XLIX, Issue 3 • www.tidelinenewspaper.com

RICK STEIL Pali Photographer

Marching Band Renews Vision RICK STEIL Pali Photographer

Marching Band members take a short break during rehearsal for the evening’s football game. The new and improved marchers have got loads of enthusiasm and talent, as evidenced from their performances.

Dolphin Football steamrolls opponent Granada Hills in a 21-0 blowout, destroying the competition and winning the Charter Bowl (top). Students and parents browse tons of colleges and talk to college reps (bottom).

Due to the influx of new instructors, the school’s Marching Band is transforming from a pep-band to a competitive marching powerhouse.

BY ALISON WHITE Tideline Staff Editor

With the arrival of new band director, Arwen Hernandez, and percussion coach, Jeremy Miller, the marching band is beginning to adjust from being a less structured program into an intense, competitive field marching band.

This is the first year such a large staff is conducting the band. The new staff has set high goals for the band this year and plans on competing in marching field competitions throughout the region. The transition from previous seasons has been dramatic, but band members seem to be adjusting quickly. “[Students] have been flexible and helpful throughout my time here, as have my colleagues and administrators,” said Hernandez; “It seems that everyone is excited about the opportunity for

growth.” Drum Captian Nicole Hendifar has seen the change as well. “Our technique and sound have been magnified. Without the new staff, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have now and even go beyond that.”

To the student body, the marching band is best known for their ability to excite the crowds during football games with fun pop songs and drum cadences.

But it is obvious that the crowds are not the only ones having a blast. Looking at the band one can see the band members are enjoying themselves as well.

They enthusiastically cheer the team on with their music, while instructors cheer alongside them.

Freshman Tenor Drum Player Jesse Victoroff said, “During the game it’s really fun because we are supporting the football team, and playing music energizes the crowd.

It’s awesome.”

Participating in fun activities such as games helps the band bond and motivates them for their competitive endeavors that extend throughout the rest of the school year. Later in the football season, the band hopes to perform their field show during half time.

After games, the band is dedicated to working hard to perfect their competitive field show.

They are committed to rehearsing music and marching hours that extend beyond seventh period to produce the best show possible. This year, their performance features Brian Balmages’ “Flight of the Griffin,” a classic field marching piece. Although the work is extensive, it is a team building process that rewards discipline and hard work.

“We have to rehearse for hours in order to master twenty seconds of show,” said Hernandez, “Through

all of this, it is a huge pleasure to watch certain students distinguish themselves as leaders and to watch the ensemble become a tightly-knit, supportive team.”

The band is constantly fine tuning their skills and improving their technique. “I anticipate better instrumentation and an increase in numbers. I would like to have a color guard join us on the field next year and for color guard to continue to perform in competitions throughout the spring. I would like to see a successful marching band program become an expected part of Pali’s many achievements,” said Hernandez. In upcoming years, the staff hopes that the entire band will continue to develop.

“With a lot of effort and support,” said Hernandez, “We can have a wind, percussion and guard program to be very proud of.”

is alive. Junior Mia Canter will portray the role of Olivia, who in addition to inadvertently falling in love with Viola (thinking she is a he), also wards off several romantic attempts by the Duke Orsino, played by Alex Caan. The eighteen other cast members and understudies are a mix of ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders. Some are Drama veterans, and others are participating in their very first show.

The decision to choose a Shakespearean play for the fall show was a somewhat controversial one. “Pali has a great reputation for Shakespeare,” said Ms. Kraus, referring to the Shakespeare Festival that the school competes in every spring. “And I thought it would be fun to bring that to the main stage.” However, many people feel that Shakespeare is inaccessible to the modern teenager, and

therefore fewer people will feel inclined to attend. Junior Elena Loper, who will be playing Maria in the production, said, “I love Shakespeare. It’s so eloquently written. But there may not be many people outside the Drama Department who are that interested.”

To remedy the presupposed lack of interest by the student body, Ms. Kraus and her team of student techies have a few things planned.

Co-head of Set Lexi Rubaum said, “We’re picking our own era to set the show in. That’s going to lighten up the Shakespeare. We might set it in the 70’s, or the turn of the century, or the 1920’s. We’re not sure yet.” In addition to a different setting, the people involved in the show can look forward to some professional help that will make it a success. Ms. Kraus has already contacted a Shakespeare professor

to help coach the actors. Dr. Wesley Vantassel will fly in from Washington at some point during rehearsals to lend an expert hand.

Not only that, but Ms. Kraus said she will be hiring a lighting designer to “expand lighting possibilities.”

Overall, Ms. Kraus said she was extremely pleased with the audition process and the first day of rehearsal, which consisted of a cold read-through of the entire play. “It’s a great comedy,” she said.

Greatness is an important component of the play, in fact. One of the most famous quotes from Twelfth Night is “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

The cast, crew, and most of all, the director, will soon be hard at work, preparing and rehearsing in order to make this show achieve its greatness.

Swim Team Camping Trip Page 3

Teacher Evaluations Page 4

Lunch Time Page 5

Shakespeare Takes the Main Stage

BY KATY P OOL

Tideline Staff Writer

This year, the school’s first main stage production will be Twelfth Night, a comedy by William Shakespeare. This also marks the first main stage production to be directed by the new Drama teacher, Lisa Kraus. The play premiers Friday, December 5th, and the final performance is the evening of December 13th.

Rehearsals began the week of September 29th after the cast list had been posted on Mercer Hall that same afternoon. The list revealed that Junior Chloe Wilson will play Viola, a young woman who disguises herself as a man after surviving a shipwreck.

Viola’s brother Sebastian, played by senior Alec Strassmore, also survives the shipwreck, but both siblings are unaware that the other

Pali Blacks Out Page 2

College Fair Attracts a Crowd

WILL ANDERSON Tideline

BY DANIEL HARTONO Tideline Editor-in-Chief

Students and parents had the opportunity to learn more about particular colleges of interest during the annual College Fair in Mercer Hall on Tuesday, October 7 from 6:30-9 p.m.

The College Fair, featuring about eighty-five different colleges, allowed students to view a scope of schools from across the nation.

Colleges such as Harvard, MIT, USC, Columbia, UCLA, University of Puget Sound, Colgate, and Vassar were present among an array of others.

“The main reason we do the college fair is to expose students to the incredible range of colleges in this country. Everybody is chasing after the same few brand name schools, but there are 3,000 colleges in this country, and a place you’ve never heard of before the College Fair might end up being the perfect place for you,” said College Counselor Ms. Kunkle.

“It’s all about having an open mind, and looking for a college that suits you, rather than trying to tailor yourself to what you think a particular college wants.”

Additionally, in conjunction with the Fair, several test preparation companies were present such as Princeton Review and Kaplan.

Workshops and informational sessions were also held for students who are interested in applying to historically black universities or who desire to be recruited as athletes. Ms. Martin also conducted an informational meeting and workshop for Spanish speaking parents.

This year’s College Fair continued with the time changes implemented last year in which the hour of 6:30-7:30 p.m. was reserved strictly for seniors and juniors, so that students would be able to com-

Radiohead’s Reckoner Page 6

municate more freely with the college representatives without interference from parents.

“Reps have told me that they wish more schools would ‘ban’ parents! They experience improved dialogue with students when parents are absent and that students are ‘forced’ to think of intelligent questions,” said College Counselor Ms. Grubb. Ms. Kunkle also said, “Our upperclassmen love the change, and colleges love it too, because they are really mostly interested in talking to students.”

The actual planning for the College Fair began last June, before the conclusion of the school year and continued throughout summer until the actual day of the event.

Ms. Grubb, who was responsible for organizing the majority of the College Fair, said, “I received responses [from colleges] throughout the summer months, either by mail, e-mail or telephone calls. I probably spent between 15 - 20 hours over the summer dealing with it. Probably around another 20 hours during September and then a good part of the day prior to the Fair and all day on Tuesday, [but it] seemed like a lot more!”

“Many of the college reps wouldn’t miss it and have been coming for years. They know Pali students and want to attract them to apply to their institution.”

However, “Some need convincing that it would be beneficial for them to spend the time and money to attend,” continued Ms. Grubb.

Students enjoyed the Fair because they had the opportunity to learn more about the type of college that they may want to attend. “I attended the College Fair to have a broader scope on colleges and have a better idea of the type of college I wanted to go to. I learned that there are many options in the types of colleges I could go to such as urban Continued on page 2

Football Page 8

Page 2

Senior Class Meeting Peps Up Students

Tideline

NEWS

October 14 - October 31, 2008

CLASS RANKS RELEASED

BY LAYLEE S ALEK

BY ELANA JOFFE

Tideline Staff Writer

Tideline Editor-in-Chief

Senior class gathers in large gym to listen to important information.

The senior class started the new year off with its first meeting in the large gym on September 25, 2008 where teachers, administrators, and Leadership students prepared the Class of ‘09 for their final year.

Beginning with a warm welcome from Director of Student Services, Ms. Iannessa, the meeting was later taken over by Community Service Director, Gretchen Miller, who reminded students of upcoming service opportunities, and reassured the senior class, “We are all here for you.” Senior Class Sponsor, Mr. Lee, was then passed the microphone to let students know of the College Fair and the senior delinquencies policy.

The next big topic of the hour was graduation. “Senior year is all about graduation. We need you more than ever before; to be experts, to be models, to be citizens,” said Ms. Iannessa, “I would like to see you all there to walk the stage.” ASB President, Nick Morshed, and Senior Class President, Melody Javidzad, then took the stage to pep up the students for various leadership activities throughout the year, including a laser tag night and a senior luncheon.

“You guys have a really fun year to look forward to,” Javidzad said.

As the meeting came to a close, guest speaker, Marques Jessie, made a final announcement about the graduation package. Then, Ms. Iannessa left the senior class with some lasting words: “I’m already getting a little sentimental. I wish you all a happy senior year, you will shine in ’09.”

All of these discussions of the upcoming year have increased anticipation throughout the senior class. “I’m really looking forward to all the fun things to do as a senior, but I hope senioritis doesn’t paralyze me academically,” said Eric Pietraszkiewicz. Another senior, Erin Newman, said, “Entering senior year is really exciting.

I’m more motivated to be engaged in my studies because college is more of a reality now than previous years.”

MARY HOBBS Tideline

MARY HOBBS Tideline

Pali Lies in Darkness Before Big Night

WILL ANDERSON Tideline

Students excitedly discussed the school-wide blackout at nutrition, and did not all return to class on time because the bell wasn’t ringing (top).

Seniors gather in the gym for a class meeting (bottom left). Seniors lined up at the College Center for their class rank (bottom right).

School wide power outage affects students, teachers, and other faculty members.

BY JAMES BOURNE Tideline Editor-in-Chief

Teachers and students worked without electricity last Thursday, October 2 as school administrators attempted to restore full power before Back to School Night. The mysterious blackout affected several businesses in the Palisades, including the Getty Villa according to Executive Assistant Angie Gee. Power was restored before Thursday night’s event thanks to a large generator that was activated

during sixth period.

Announcements had warned of a brief outage at the beginning of the period, and the school blacked out again at 12:52 p.m. with power restored only minutes later.

Due to the power outage, students arrived at a dark campus on Thursday morning. The tardy bell did not ring, nor did the nutrition bell. Campus remained powerless until approximately 9:40 a.m. when a small generator restored minimal amounts of electricity for lighting and keeping the cafeteria

College Fair Attracts a Crowd

Continued from page 1 and rural or large and small,” said Senior Justin Atlan.

About the benefits of the College Fair, Ms. Grubb said, “I like to think that by attending the fair students can recognize the huge variety of colleges available to them. It is in fact a fairly small percentage of colleges

running according to school offiAnnouncements over the cials.

PA system by Director of Student Services Monica Iannessa urged teachers to unplug all electronics and only use lighting to avoid overloading the generator.

“We postponed work in math,” said Senior Ava Grueneisen. “The projector didn’t work and there weren’t really that many windows in the bungalows.”

Despite inconveniences, students seemed undaunted by the

outage. “It didn’t bother me,” said Grueneisen. “I didn’t mind not doing work in my classes.”

Though the power outage caused frustration and some minor confusion, the day ran smoothly and Back to School Night went ahead as scheduled according to administrators. “PCHS has the best students and the best staff,” said Executive Director Amy Held. “Everyone did what they needed to do. Everyone worked as a team. Of course it had to be this one night right?”

Members of the senior class flooded the college center on October 1, in order to receive their class ranks and GPAs. Anxious seniors lined up at nutrition and lunch to find out where they stood amongst the 627 students in the senior class. These ranks and GPAs will be sent to colleges across the United States, and are handled in many different ways.

Carter Delloro, a Pomona College Admissions Officer, said, “Because we’re a small school, we have the benefit of looking at a lot of things so [class rank] is not going to be an overriding factor.” Pomona prefers to have students from the top GPA deciles, rather than counting student’s individual numbers. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t more [schools] that acted the same way, ” said Delloro.

Some colleges will use rank as a way to place a student within their school, but others will chose to forgo rank altogether when considering applicants.

C ampus C ollege C ounselor, Helene Kunkel said, “F or [Admissions Officers], it becomes difficult to get a sense of the student without rank. ” She also emphasizes that applying to colleges is not strictly a numbers game and admissions officers take many factors into account. She said, “Many students feel that they have the numbers and ask ‘why didn’t I get in?’ ” The use of class rank in high school can be controversial, and students have differing opinions on the subject.

S enior C laire C rollalanza said, “It creates an atmosphere of competition.

S chool should be about learning, not about who can get more A’s.”

Other students, however, feel that class rank is an accurate reflection of how a student spends their time over a fouryear period.

that are truly highly selective. I hope that by attending, students, in particular 9th and 10th graders, can start to think outside the box and start thinking and learning about colleges that they know little about and to make a plan on how to make sure they will be eligible to apply when they reach senior year.”

Homecoming Promises Spirited Fun

BY KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again when Leadership attempts to put together a celebration that the entire student body is welcome to attend. Homecoming is an annual tradition in which a high school comes together to welcome back former residents and alumni. In the midst of this celebration, leadership has planned for a dance to take place on November 8, 2008, the night after the actual homecoming football game.

The event is about a month away, but Leadership has already planned out the dance.

Freshman Class President Isaac Margulies, who did not go to the homecoming dance last year, agrees that Leadership has taken the right steps to plan the festivities. “I think we’re on top of it,” said Margulies. “These events that we do off campus, we always start planning way ahead in advance.”

The change in planning may prove to be prodigious, as students have often criti-

cized Leadership for a lackluster performance. Kareasia Dunbar-Jones, the Song Leader of Pali’s Dance Squad, expressed a sense of disorganization from last year’s dance.

“I don’t think there was a theme last year. We just came and were dressed up,” said Dunbar-Jones. “There wasn’t really a theme at all; I made it enjoyable.”

The theme for this year’s dance is still undecided as Leadership continues to debate over the right one. Midnight in Paris was a tentative idea, but the theme is the least of Leadership’s worries as they focus on making the event appealing to all students.

Sophomore Class President Kimberly Hong wants to bring the student body together for this year‘s dance. “I didn’t go last year.”

Said Hong. “I expect that people can actually come together and enjoy the event without having any division and everyone can actually enjoy the theme and abide by it.”

Margulies and Hong both

had trouble finding the right words to express their views of Homecoming, especially with their absences at the dance last year, but they both agree that attending this event helps bring spirit to the school. Margulies agrees that homecoming is a great way to contribute to Pali. “I think it’s really fun, because it’s a way to basically support your school. The whole idea is centered around your football team and the homecoming game; you want your school to do well in the football game and then you go have fun at a dance. It’s all schooloriented,” said Margulies.

As this “school-oriented” event continues to be planned, students can expect a more thoughtful and organized Homecoming experience this year. The game will be held on November 7 at 7:30 on Pali’s Stadium by the Sea. The dance will be on November 8 from 7:30 to 11:30 at the Westin Bonaventure in Downtown LA with the cost still up in the air.

Lady Dolphins “Kill” The Gondoliers

KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline

Senior Samantha Jaffe prepares to set the ball for one of the Lady Dolphins’ powerful hitters.

BY KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline Staff Writer

The once-prodigious Girls Volleyball Team showed signs of superiority yet again as they beat the Venice High Gondoliers three games to none on Thursday, October 2, 2008. The Lady Dolphins had just come off an impressive win against University High School and wanted to carry their momentum into this game. This proved to be one of the biggest games of the season as Pali’s home court advantage paid off, leading to an assiduous victory over their longtime arch nemesis.

Athletes on the Girl’s Volleyball team left class at

around 1:45 p.m. and trotted towards the Pali High gymnasium with magnanimous expectations on the outcome of the game. Although the Dolphins had previously beat Venice just eleven months ago in the City Section Championship, they lost experience and seniority with the graduation of six seniors and the injury to Senior Starting Middle Blocker Kelly Yazdi. Despite the fact that Yazdi suffered an injury (tendinitis) to her heel, she was still optimistic and supportive of her teammates. “Even though I have an injury in my heel, I still come to all the practices and games,” said Yazdi. “The girls are like my family, I support them any way I can.”

The girls then walked into the normally calm gymnasium only to find themselves in a hostile environment as the Gondoliers brought numerous players and fans, which helped precipitate the humidity and simultaneously brought the noise against Pali. Junior Varsity played first and energized the home crowd with a narrow 20-18 win in the third and final game with a game-winning bum-kill

by Freshman Outside Hitter Maddie Hausberg. Varsity was then ready to play and walked onto the court to warm-up as cheers and applause still continued to be heard from the JV game.

Continued on page 8

October 14 - October 31, 2008

Tideline

CAMPUS LIFE

Dolphins Work to Save the Community

EDWIN POULDAR Tideline

D

BY P AULINA F IROZI Tideline Staff Writer

olphins start the year off inspired to get involved with the community, and Gretchen Miller invites everyone to join in.

T

BY VAL KARUSKEVICH Tideline Staff Writer

he process of preparing for and applying to college is becoming increasingly stressful for students with every passing year. In order to create some sort of a balance, there are many tools designed for juniors and seniors to give them the necessary information and sources to guide them through the process of applying to, and hopefully getting into, the college that is right for them.

One of the most imperative and weighted components in applying to college is the SAT

Since the world around Pali is going green, many students have jumped on the bandwagon by collecting pennies for peace and building habitats for humanity, For years, students have volunteered their time to help those

in need and make a difference.

Students will have the opportunity to join service clubs on Club Day, a day filled with booths and ideas for the upcoming year. On October 15, everyone will be able to see some of the hard work students have put into creating great opportunities to serve the community. Some service clubs people may join include Roots and Shoots, Best Buddies, Echo Club, Heart to Heart, Nit for the Needy, UNICEF, and PAKD: Performing Arts for Kids with Disabilities.

Many may have also heard about the Red Shirt events mentioned by Ms. Gretchen Miller on the P.A. The Red Shirts are the shirts that students wear to represent Pali at local events. One of the upcoming Red Shirt opportunities includes a monthly cleanup of the Palisades Village which will occur on October 18 and November 15.

Some popular service events like AIDS Walk LA and Epilepsy Freedom Walk are also coming up on October 19 and November 2.

Those who are interested may register online or through the school.

Students from all grades can join together to “double the previous years in dedication to those less fortunate,” which Ms. Miller says is this year’s top priority.

About starting the year off in the right direction, Ms. Miller suggests to, “Just do it!”

New activities are posted on the “Community Service” link in the “For Students” section on PaliHigh.org, which also provides a monthly calendar and tips on volunteering. With the weakened economy and both social and natural disasters happening left and right, there are more opportunities now than ever to lend a helping hand.

Many colleges also require a minimum of two SAT Subject Tests, also known as SAT IIs, that are offered in over fifteen different subjects. As an increasing number of applicants vie for the same college spots, these tests quickly become a determining factor in college acceptance.

Due to increased competition and the desire to reflect only their best selves on their applications, all students should be aiming for the highest possible score. The perfect score for the SAT was recently changed from 1600 to 2400 when a new “Writing” section was added.

There are a myriad of ways to prepare for these tests including cram books, tutors, and practice tests such as the PSAT, which will be administered by Pali High on October 18.

Also, Pali SAT offers preparat ory classes that can be taken after school in the spring, in preparation for the June 6 administration.

However, not

all of the aforementioned test prep tools have fee waivers, so expect a reduction in wallet size.

Many students are simply overwhelmed when trying to choose between the hundreds of colleges available to them.

However, creating a researched list of a few colleges based on specific needs or qualifications is the best way to go, and there are many resources made for that purpose. Online, collegeboard.com offers a matchmaker engine that produces specific college matches based on many different criteria such as size and urban or rural setting. In bookstores and libraries, as well as on classroom shelves and in the College Center, there are guide books such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges and America’s Best Colleges, which both sport rankings of the Top 100 National Universities in the country. More importantly, these books not only help to narrow down one’s choices, but also feature articles that give tips on making peace with the whole process as well as showcasing one’s best self on college applications.

Though the resources seem endless and the process seems daunting, the College Center is always open and ready to answer questions. After all, students are not only applying to college, but also preparing to set foot into the world of adulthood.

Juniors, WAKE UP

Reasoning Test. According to the College Board, “The SAT Reasoning Test is the nation’s most widely used admissions test among colleges and universities.”

In March 2009, a new scorereporting policy recently approved by the College Board will allow students taking either the SAT Reasoning Test or any SAT Subject Tests to select their highest scores and send them to the colleges of their choosing.

Many students plan to take as many as possible, and can choose from a variety of test dates that range from October to June.

T

Tideline News Editor

Ms. Smith

EDWIN POULDAR Tideline

BY JAMES DONOVAN Tideline Staff Writer

Believe it or not, you’re not the only one enjoying the precious and anticipated weekend. She may love converting units and memorizing the periodic table during school hours, but once the clock hits 3:08, Ms. Smith drops her chemistry textbook until Monday.

Hi t & Run: First, I’ll sleep in. Saturdays I do my long run, usually 12-15 miles. I get home, clean my apartment, then usually go steal some fruit from people’s trees and make margaritas, enjoying alcohol safely in our own home. I love breweries, and that’s a really cool thing to go visit. As a science teacher, I like to learn about the different ways of fine brewery. So you drive down to Pasadena, and kinda just hit each brewery down there. You need somebody else to drive, that’s a very important detail. It’s a lot of fun.

Local God: Sunday I’ll usually go for a trail run, go to church. Then I might go out for some breakfast. I’m very picky about where I eat...La Cabana, which is on Rose & Lincoln, hasa great Mexican breakfast. Locally, Mogans on Palisades Drive has amazing food.

When it comes to traditional breakfast, you can’t beat Dupars in Hollywood.

Basically my favorite weekends involve getting out and doing stuff. It’s much more fun then when I was in High School. It’s hard to have fun when you have all that stupid homework to worry about.

Swim Team Camps at Joshua Tree DYLAN PALLADINO Tideline

BY DANIEL NIKNAM

My Favorite Weekend

Page 3

he Swim Team headed towards Joshua Tree campsite after school on Friday, September 26, 2008 and returned on Sunday, September 28, 2008 in order to achieve team unity, familiarity with new swimmers, and to have a pleasurable time.

Joshua Tree is located about 140 miles east of Los Angeles and features a variety of desert rocks, plants, and animals, along with dark night skies. Fifty-eight swimmers, parents, and coaches went on the trip in order to develop greater relations and unity before the season starts next semester. Although the temperature went as high as 98 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, the swimmers enjoyed hiking, rock climbing, catered food, and bonding with other students. Senior Lizzie Ebert said, “The trip was a great chance to get to know the new swimmers and have fun with returning swimmers. I think it’s going to be a great season. The team looks really good.”

The team arrived at Joshua Tree after the sun had set and enjoyed a starry sky. That night, the team shared their most embarrassing moments around the campfire after setting up tents in the desert sand. The team went on a six-mile hike on Saturday followed by rock climbing, team bonding activities, and camp games with s’mores in the evening.

Finally, the team went on a shorter hike on Sunday morning before heading back home.

When asked what his favorite part of the camping trip was, Senior Charles Kim said, “My favorite part was the camping activities because it was a really good bonding experience and also climbing the rocks because we got so high and enjoyed a stellar view.”

Junior Wyatt Elliot also had a fun time.

“Camping in the desert terrain was awesome and getting to rock climb and hike with fellow swim members was fun too,” he said.

Coach Nance was delighted with the outcome of the trip. When asked whether she thought that the team connected and had fun, Coach Nance said, “Absolutely. This trip was

better than any I can remember.” Assistant Coach Ms. King said, “The most amazing thing was seeing the stars and also who knew that swimmers made such good rock climbers?” The Swim Team currently practices at Santa Monica College and their season starts this upcoming spring.

Mr. Burr

EDWIN POULDAR Tideline

BY MELINA C HARIS Campus Life Editor

Having taught at Pali for nearly twelve years, AP World History teacher Mr. Burr has spent his share of time at school. However, whether its grading papers or simply watching the Steelers game, Mr. Burr cherishes his limited time away from the Pali’s bustling atmosphere to recuperate, relax, and, of course, sleep.

Typi cal Weekend: I wake up late on Saturday, watch college football, and grade papers. Sunday morning I’ll go to church and watch the Steelers play.

Favori te Restaurant: It would be Chevy’s...Tex Mex...there’s one off Ventura Boulevard.

Nothi ng to Do: Sleep! I would sleep late, and maybe go to the park with my daughter.

Weekend Company: My daughter. Also, my brother and his family. They live in Texas so I don’t see them that much.

Favori te Late Ni ght S nack: Reese’s Miniatures. I keep them in my house.

Weekend Escape: Driving down the coast, on PCH.

Perfect S aturday: Sleep in late, watch UCLA win, and go out to dinner with my wife and daughter.

SHELBY PASCOE Photographer

Lazy S unday: Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers destroy some other team.

Favori te Breakfast: IHOP. Ten silver dollar pancakes.

Page 4

Tideline

OPINION

October 14 - October 31, 2008

A word to the wise ain t necessary, it s the stupid ones who need the advice.

E D I T O R I A L S

The Tideline

Publishing Manager: Diva Joshi

Editors in Chief:

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

IT Manager:

Graham MacGillivray

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, Katy Pool

Campus Life Editors:

Melina Charis, Lexi Green

Photography Editor: Mary Hobbs

Business Manager:

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

Poll taken on 10/7/08

Do you think teachers should be put through a more rigorous evaluation process before being hired?

(128 Polled) Yes 86% No 14% Should lunch be extended by 5 minutes?

(128 Polled) Yes 96% No 4%

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Just Don’t Ask

hether it was fate or my early morning stupor, something possessed me to actually pick up and read a “What’s Crackin’� on September 25, 2008. While the weekly newsletter rarely catches my attention, Issue #3 had a new feature that I was immediately drawn to: the “Ask Britt� column.

If you haven’t seen or heard about this new addition, the concept revolves around the editor of the column, “Britt,� answering the desperate pleas of distressed students in need of personal advice. After reading the column for the first time, I figured I’d write my own letter to Britt�.

-Bill Cosby

Getting Better at Being Good

BY JACKIE ROSEN

Tideline Opinion Editor

Dear Bri t t ,

To call someone a loser, especially in such a poor manner (“You are loser�- in which you forgot the ‘a’), is unacceptable. Regardless of whether or not Erin is an actual person with actual guy problems that actually decided to write to you about them, the advice you gave to your probably imaginary patron was absolutely despicable. If she was real, I’m sure you were just as surprised as I was that someone would actually come to you with a genuine problem, but seeing as how they may have, shouldn’t you have taken the initiative to at least attempt providing a plausible solution? Perhaps I’m just being silly, but I thought that the purpose of an advice column was to lend helpful advice.

Now, that’s not to say that you didn’t lend any advice. In fact, you suggested that Erin take pictures of the boy she likes from a distance, which is excellent advice should Erin wish to become a stalker. However, I seriously doubt Erin wants to turn her heartbreak into an obsession that can only be satisfied through paparazzi style photography and pictures already posted on Facebook. Hopefully, Erin had the foresight to understand that the advice you gave her was, simply put, terrible.

So, here’s a suggestion: stop helping people. Anyone hurting enough to write to a complete stranger about his issues is in serious need of empathy and compassion, neither of which you provided. Instead of giving a heartfelt response, you flat out insulted the person that came to you for help and turned their problem into a mockery for the whole school to laugh at. Luckily, most of us are mature enough to understand that the so-called “advice� you gave should be taken with a very large grain of salt. We aren’t laughing.

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-Your Wake-up C al l

Invest in the Future: Evaluate Teachers

s your teacher putting more stress on cleaning up your personal space than doing well on tests? Do you get points subtracted if a rogue wrapper happens to sneak under your desk while you are busy copying phrases from an integrated science book? Even in less extreme cases, your attitude towards your teachers at Pali should not directly affect your grades. It’s obviously common courtesy to treat your teachers with respect, but when it is necessary to go out of your way in order to obtain an A, that’s unjust, we say.

We have respect for our teachers, but only as long as they have respect for us. The golden rule applies to everyone (when one follows it). When a teacher does not give me the basic respect that a stranger deserves (no one gives strangers dirty looks if they do something wrong- after all, they’re dangerous), we lose respect for them. Some teachers abuse their positions by allowing students to think that they have some kind of power that overrides

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a student’s right to be respected.

Some teachers give out detentions like old ladies giving birdfeed to pigeons in Central Park. We don’t care about tenure, or any other contractual, binding agreements that allow dreadful teachers to keep their jobs- bad teachers should be fired. Teachers who allow cheating should be fired.

Fairness in the classroom is an essential aspect of a healthy learning environment.

Why are these types of teachers allowed to pass through the screening process at Pali with not so much as a second glance? Have you ever seen an interview with the neighbor of a convicted murderer? They always say, “But he was such a nice fellow.� We only use such a harsh hyperbole because fairness and safety in the classroom comes before learning does. We, as students, do not have the spare time to listen to a teacher rush through a lesson and then teach ourselves the same material later that night due to the teacher’s poor methods. We understand that a textbook may walk

hand-in-and with daily coursework, but it is no substitute for a teacher.

Honestly, it surprises us that some teachers actually made it through the application process here at Pali. It is not enough to simply interview a teacher - this reporter’s seven-year-old cousin is already a great liar. We believe psychological profiling should be conducted on prospective teachers, as, after all, aren’t they training today’s youth to run a country torn by massive debt, and to succeed in a world that is falling apart? Between global warming and decaying third world counties, someone is going to have to sort out the mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into. We don’t want it to be students who’ve been disgruntled and disillusioned by egotistical teachers. We need teachers who are passionate about teaching, not teachers who teach for a paycheck. We must evaluate teachers more closely if we wish to have educated men and women who will provide a future that we can all rely on.

Reign of Terror Must End

very morning thousands of our students go through pretty much the same routine which includes reluctantly waking up, showering, pulling on a suitable outfit, maybe grabbing some breakfast, and then finally hitting the road. Even the most uninspired student can handle a monotonous routine like this one, unless there is a constant barrage of spit-fired artillery being blown into a microphone rattling everybody’s nerves.

Who is thinking, “What time is it?� or “Should I be walking to my first class?� at 7:50 in the morning? The answer is not many, except, of course, our beloved commissioner of communications who takes it upon himself to badger us to start running to class with two minutes, three seconds and seventeen milliseconds left until the tardy bell. The truth is that these harassing warnings disgruntle both students and teachers, who then create vicious, panicdriven circles by spinning like saw blades throughout the school.

Every minute, of every hour, of every day of a student’s school life is planned, and then dictated.

Therefore, these stressful missives are unnecessary and unwanted among the student populace. Why

Letters to the Editor

Dear Tideline,

make an already unpleasant situation more so?

These excessive and often overly accurate clockwatchers’ anonymous warnings unhinge students before their most unanticipated class of the day leading to disgruntled teachers, and students down the line of this barbed wire trail. School is an ominous rain cloud over every student’s parade, so if your rebuttal is that fragility like that is not present in the every day attitude of a student, I beg to differ.

This article is not to bash our ray of sunshine on the Tideline or try to prevent the pumping of the day’s activities through each room’s speaker and into our ears, giving us the necessary information to survive in this Pali community. It is not my wish to completely nuzzle him; however, the Reign of Terror must end and the God-forsaken ticking clock ritual must be abolished so that mornings are endured in peace and tranquility. On a brighter note, at least leadership hasn’t taken reporting the current events away from us yet, and the sun will rise tomorrow. However, when it does rise, let us hope that we hear a delightful tune first and not the terrorinducing boom of a tardy sweep warning.

Although we know you guys make up most of your stories anyway, I was upset and annoyed at your complete lack of skills of looking up the facts before you print them. The Pali High football team is made up of proud, fast, strong and motivated players, and it’s sim-

ply not true that we are being funded the most, but I will agree we bring the most fans.

This year the football team has already proved themselves and are showing lots of improvement. Maybe you guys at journalism should go run laps and get the oxygen flowing so you guys can then write stories that aren’t completely false and not

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JUST-A-CLIP

he whistle blew the evening of Thursday, September 25 not only to signify the beginning of our football game versus Peninsula, but also to “kick off� the administration’s new year.

That night was the first monthly Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting of the 2008-2009 school year. Our administrative team was interviewed, and it was clear then that all members were already excited to start work on the various goals and priorities crowding center field. They want to continue Pali’s transformation into a national model for all public schools. That perfect picture, however, will be put on hold for a few matters that must first be taken into consideration.

As a whole, the interviewees agreed that they’d like to keep a closer eye on student programming. This means they want to know exactly what the programs are achieving, what they are not achieving, and what exactly they are producing. “In running drama programs for years,� said Ms. Iannessa, “I’ve never seen students take more ownership with a program than here.� We are very lucky to be at a school with a drama program that is so successful, but it is just one slice of the pie. In other cases, what students do with the power and support they are given should be better analyzed. Leadership, for example, discussed the happenings of a fly in the library under “School Updates� in their weekly “What’s Crackin’.� Flies are certainly not things that should be discussed using the school’s time and money. “After several more fly bys, I immediately sprung up and began my mission to kill the fly,� Nick Morshed brilliantly, acutely, dramatically stated in Issue 3 of the “newsletter� (sarcasm completely intentional).

This should be taken care of as soon as possible. It’s as if this eye the administration is using is only half open. “There are a lot of different aspects to the class size piece,� said Amy Held when questioned on the topic by Parent Liaison Julia O’Grady. Held continued by saying that we have the same number of teachers as last year, and we needed to bring in even more students because of the

school’s capacity. Huh? Last time I checked, we didn’t have enough desks to go around, though people are still discussing capacity. My guess is that our school is like a clown’s car that can fit more than we think it can.

Already up to twenty in that little Volkswagen bug? Try to fit someone in the glove compartment. To reassure parents in the audience who were still correctly jabbering on about the forty-plus conditions of math classes, Ms. Davenport reported that, “These numbers drop at spring semester because that is when some students drop out.� Way to ease the panic.

Another thing that was mentioned at the meeting was a change that was put into action before the school year had even b e g u n .

This change let the 2008-2009 freshmen class take only a math placement test instead of that and an additional science one. If they were tested into Algebra 2, they were put into chemistry. It was a hand in hand thing. Even though this plan of action was promised to the class of 2012, nobody in the administration got a clear picture of it. Many freshmen and their parents were distressed by the fact that, though they were placed into Algebra 2, in most cases chemistry was a schedule conflict away. The Counseling Office described the ordeal as, “A lot of miscommunication.� That has always been a theme here at Pali, although hopefully, with the help of the administrative newcomers, everything will finally come together for the remainder of the year and those to follow. “Next year all policies and procedures will be set up,� said Davenport regarding the science class debacle. “An apology from Pali and from me.�

It seems like next year is always the answer, but maybe this time it will actually be true.

As long as the administration deals with these undeniable loose strings that must be cut as soon as possible, their priorities can undoubtedly be met. Principal Griffin announced that the overall goal for everyone at Pali this year is “to get better at being good.�

We will all try. We must try. We lost that game against Peninsula.

true. Please do not write any more stories about the Football team, or at least no more opinions.

was written about the football team was incorrect. Facts that needed to be obtained were not.

Therefore the Tideline’s Editors & chief should formally apologize to the coaching staff & the football team.

-Anonymous

Dear Tideline,

I believe that the segment that

Chidera Izuchukwu Team Manager Student A.D.

October 14 - October 31, 2008

Tideline

Chaos in the Restrooms

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BY TATIANA COLE Tideline Staff Writer

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Tideline Staff Writer

student wanting to express the repulsion that sits and waits in the campus restrooms. Bryauna Smith, a junior at Pali described the bathrooms as, “horrible, stinky, and lacking tissue and supplies.” The use of bathrooms in a shared environment is a situation that students will encounter for the remainder of their lives. The maintenance team at Palisades is without a doubt hardworking and determined to ensure the cleanliness of the campus. Perhaps a resolution can be reached if students make an extra effort to conduct their usage of the rest rooms in an orderly manner.

It is a unanimous observation that students want change in the campus rest rooms. To the Student body of Palisades, work together to make your rest rooms a pleasant place. Cease the graffiti, excessive use of paper towels and other materials. Thousands of individuals that attempt to make minor adjustments may result in a large change and appearance of the student campus restrooms.

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Tideline Staff Writer

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Tideline Staff Writer

he Drama Department at Pali is known for its excellence and its talent. It was also, until recently, known for its dedicated teacher, director, and supervisor, Ms. Monica Iannessa. Ms. Iannessa worked tirelessly for the Drama Department and its students, directing all shows, teaching the Drama Pod students, and guiding the more experienced students in her Play Production class as well as her seventh period drama class. She was a familiar face to all, and now that she has taken up an administration position and is no longer involved in the drama department, we all wait with anticipation to see what the first show of the year, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, will be like without her.

Though drama students were familiar with her directing style as well as her person, a fresh new talent has appeared in Ms. Lisa Kraus.

This newly appointed drama teacher brings enthusiasm, experience, and dedication with her, and promises not to disappoint as director of her first production here. “I’m so excited to be directing Shakespeare again!” said Ms. Kraus, who previously directed “Much Ado About Nothing” at a high school she taught at in Washington. “We’re having a Shakespearan professor, Mr. Wesley Vantassel, work with the actors.

We’re also hiring a lighting designer from Washington.”

Set to open in December, The Twelfth Night is Ms. Kraus’ first Pali production, and she is eager to bring her own flair to the Mercer stage. “I hope it will be fun, colorful, and alive! I don’t want Shakespeare to be thought of as just a dead, white male.”

As a drama student who has worked with both Ms. Iannessa and Ms. Kraus, I can safely say that the Drama Department is in good hands. Ms. Kraus brings extensive experience and a unique edge into every aspect of her role as director and teacher. Though the department has been a positive experience for many students, it is time to see the new changes that accompany new leadership. New direction can only bring even more prestige to the drama department, and while we patiently await the first show of the year, we can at least rejoice in the fact that it promises not to disappoint.

No Longer From the Heart

s high school students, one of the biggest things that haunts us constantly is the daunting task of getting into college. From the moment that we take our first steps as freshmen onto this campus, we are greeted by the college center and older students who frantically run around, worried about the test that they have next period, their community service clubs, and all their extracurricular activities that coincide with their SAT classes that run late into the night and roll onto weekends. This frenetic race is all an attempt to try to get an edge over the other students applying for the same college spots, who just so happen to be taking the same exact classes. This constant cycle stresses everyone out and pressures us into participating in activities that don’t reflect who we are.

In a society that takes pride in its diversity and encourages people to embrace their differences, we are basically being told that it is almost impossible for us to be individuals and get into the school of our choice.

The pressure to get into college is immense. Many of us feel that if we don’t get into the fabulous college that appears in our dreams, then we will not succeed in life and be happy. So, as we’re planning out our schedules, we compare our semester blueprints with

BY MARIEL REDLIN

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

BY MELINA CHARIS

or s t udent s ai m i ng t o recei ve an educat i on, High school is like a second home. In this case, P alisades C harter High S chool houses thousands of teenagers 5 days a week, for 10 months per school year. While students work, eat and share publ i c res t room s , i t i s inevitable to not go and use the restroom during an active 7-hour day. The question is not whether to go to the bathroom, but it is what is the campus bathroom experience like? attending high Once school, students learn that the bathrooms are often halos for grooming and getting the latest gossip. However, in this midst of action, students are actually using the bathrooms. As time progresses; trash, food wrappers, graffiti and odors are left as evidence that the bathrooms are being overlooked by its occupants. Malcolm Creer, a sophmore said, “The male bathrooms are disgusting and disgraceful.”

Malcolm was not the only

BY LIZ PAULY

OPINION

have to make it look like we are well-rounded. That’s right, make it look like we are well-rounded, because this often entails participating in activities for which we have no passion. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard of someone taking an extracurricular because “it looks really good on college applications.” We are subjecting ourselves to doing things we do not want to do, in the socalled prime time of our lives.

When we finally get around to filling out the application, manipulate any aspect of our lives in order to make them look sexy.

The sad thing is that these appliJUST-A-CLIP cations, which are supposed to the ones of our friends. We do this to see how the admission people an overall idea of give many APs they’re taking (most of which we who we are, really do not show off our true unfortunately have no interest in) in order to character.

Many students are conforming to make sure that we are keeping up with the these generic guidelines set up by institutions competition. Within any school, there are like the College Board, and in doing so, denyonly so many AP classes one can take anying themselves of their prized teenage years. way, so if our peers plan on applying to the If the attitude that has developed towards same schools, how are we supposed to stand college admissions continues in this superfiout from the crowd and make our college cial tradition, there could be serious repercusapplications appealing?

The answer: extracurricular activities. It sions. It is teaching our generation that in is nearly impossible to get into a decent order to be successful, we must lie and work school if one keeps his or her nose in the the system to our advantage, instead of nurturbooks all day (apparently we are only expect- ing our strengths and passions. Community ed to do this when time stops in order to keep service and hobbies are no longer from the those GPAs flying high). In addition to the heart, but for the application. grueling schedules that we must maintain, we

The Sacred 35 Minutes

ack in the days of elementary school, when monkey bars and slides were what we daydreamed about all day, the idea of being free from our hard work and having that glorious lunch period to ourselves was as sacred then as it is now. Frankly, a 35-minute lunch is not enough time for seniors to go off campus, let alone enough time for anybody to actually enjoy their meals. There would be no serious harm in extending our lunch an extra five or ten minutes, which is why Pali should make our lunch break at least 40 minutes long.

This “break” we call lunch is not a very relaxing time of day. After spending about two hours in an overcrowded classroom, a 35minute break becomes somewhat of a joke. As students, lunch is a time when we want to just sit and not have to fry our brains doing math equations or writing some timed essay (which would usually last about 40 minutes - how ironic). Some students have to go to club meetings, talk with their teachers, or buy their lunches; after doing all that, how much of a break is left? Fifteen minutes maybe? This is why lunch should be ten minutes longer.

I wouldn’t mind getting out at 2:13 or 2:18 if it meant having a slightly longer lunch period. Yes, our school is required to have a certain number of instructional minutes, but if adding minutes on to our lunch wouldn’t diminish those

instructional minutes, I don’t see how that would be a problem.

These time restraints affect the seniors immensely. They are the ones who have the privilege that allows them to go off campus for lunch, but barely have enough time to use it without being late for class. Senior Natasha Milner said, “They give us 35 minutes, but it takes five minutes to get to the car, a few to get to where we’re going, 10-15 to get the food, and then we have to come back. It gives you no time to eat it.” This 35-minute time limit restricts the seniors from being able to savor the food they are actually allowed to get off campus. Longer lunches would not only benefit the seniors, but the whole student body as well. The time students waste standing in line to buy lunch shortens their time to eat.

By adding on more minutes, they will not have to rush through their meals either.

“Ideally lunch should be an hour or at least 45 minutes…I wouldn’t mind getting out 15 minutes later for a longer lunch,” said senior Olivia Franzen. This 45minute break would help everyone.

Students would be less frazzled when they arrive back in class, and even teachers would have more time to take a break from their “troublesome” students.

Would it really be that difficult to call for a vote? I recommend that we lengthen lunch by ten minutes and get out of school ten minutes later. Students, staff, and parents, you are the ones who can make this change possible, so go for it.

WILL ANDERSON Tideline

Do you feel compelled to participate in activities just for your college applications?

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No, because football is fun. I like to hit people.

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Elmer Garcia S HOPOMORE

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No, because I take classes keep me entertained.

They’re cool.

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Ra’Shee Byrd JUNIOR

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Community service stuff, I guess.

Gabriel Abcede S ENIOR

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Yes, I do. The competition is just so high.

Samantha Elander S HOPOMORE

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Because there’s like a gazillion people applying for the colleges I want to go to. I need to be better than all of them.

Shaina Ganjian JUNIOR

Do you think teachers should be put through a more rigorous evaluation process before being hired?

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Some teachers they don’t teach.

Just switch classes or fail.

Bryan Berookhim

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JUNIOR

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Yeah, most defiantly my entire four years at Pali. I usually just fall asleep or pretend I’m sick and go to the nurse’s office.

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Carter Wilkes S ENIOR

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They all teach, pretty much. They don’t go off topic, and if they do they catch themselves.

Cody Reynolds JUNIOR

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Yes, I do I just have to do more work, stay ahead of the class, and go to the study center.

Ashley Wald JUNIOR

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All my teachers teach. They actually do something.

Ariel Albright S ENIOR

Page 6

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Eagle Eye

October 14 - October 31, 2008

Editor’s Note: Have you heard a song that you love recently? Let The Tideline know what song and why you like it by emailing us at hctideline@yahoo.com, and it may be featured in this column!

Britney S pears Womanizer It looks like, after almost two years of insanity in her life, the pop princess is ready to retake her crown. Britney’s new song is angrily declaring her return with a loud siren ringing throughout the song, and a beat that will have every club from L.A. to Tokyo hopping.

Vampire Weekend Ottoman Even though they kind of JUST-A-CLIP suck live, Vampire Weekend records some Britney Spears on the set of her new pretty fantastic songs, and music video for “Womanizer.” this new one is no exception. Ottoman is frighteningly catchy, and sounds like all of VW’s best qualities coming together for something that’s seriously hard to stop listening to.

The Killers - Human Say goodbye to the raw, Springsteen style of “Sam’s Town,” because The Killers’ sound has been electrofied. Human asks in the hook “are we human, or are we dancer?” and judging by the song’s bass beat, we are most definitely dancer.

Jennifer Hudson and Ludacris - Pocketbook The American Idol alum and star of “Dreamgirls” is releasing an album, and Pocketbook is quite the highlight. The song’s beat is classic Timbaland, Ludacris is spitting hard, and J-Hud’s voice has never been stronger.

A Force to Be Reckonered With S O N G

S P O T L I G H T

“Reckoner” was the most controversial song on Radiohead’s most recent album “In Rainbows” because of the incredible transformation it had made from its original version.

In 2001, Radiohead debuted the song at a concert in Washington, with the subtitle “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses.” The song was extremely violent and angry. The chorus was an explosion of drums, cacophonous guitar, distorted bass, and the screaming vocal hook, “Reckoner, ba ba ba,” being repeated over and over again. For those who are unfamiliar with the song, the “In Rainbows” version shares virtually nothing in common with its angry, older incarnation.

The transformation of an ugly rock into a perfect diamond comes to mind as far as “Reckoner” is concerned. The jarring, whining vocals morphed into a spine-tingling falsetto, and the discordant guitar riffs became soft, gorgeous noodling.

The distorted bass is nowhere to be heard, but piano chords and various symphonic effects were added to the song to enrich its beauty. Violent lyrics such as “feeling pulled apart by horses” have vanished, being replaced by “dancing for your pleasure,” and “you are not to blame for bittersweet distractor.” The song also includes the lyric “in rainbows,” the only utterance of the album’s title present on any of the ten songs.

The celebration of a song as overwhelmingly wonderful “Reckoner” could not be any more warranted. The song is now being released as a single, and to celebrate, Radiohead has begun a “Reckoner” remixing competition.

At http://www.radioheadremix.com , over five hundred remixes have been submitted since Tuesday, September 23. An album of remixing “stems” are being sold on iTunes for ninety-nine cents.

- Henry Conklin

And the Winner is... Who Cares?

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BY S AM ANDERSON Tideline Staff Writer

ward shows of late have been slow-moving, clumsy events that inch along through every awkward moment and prematurely cut-off acceptance speech. We once anxiously anticipated these occasions, eager to see our favorite actors or musicians all concentrated into one theater for a night. Now, much of their luster has worn off and many shows end up being dull and anticlimactic popularity contests.

The 2008 Emmy Awards, which aired last week, was a prime example of a lackluster show. As one of the few who watched, junior Rhana Tabrizi said, “The quality of award shows has gone down, and the Emmy’s was no exception.” One of its main pitfalls was its selection of hosts. Not only reinstating Ryan Seacrest, last years host who brought in the second lowest ratings in the history of the Emmy’s, but tacked on four more: Heidi Klum, Jeff Probst, Tom Bergeron, and Howie Mandel - all nominees for best reality television host. The organizers of this event curiously chose to bring this motley crew to the forefront, as opposed to putting them at a table in the back, safe-

ly away from industry greats like Stephen Colbert and Alec Baldwin. After a cruelly long intro, the quintet made their dreaded appearances periodically throughout the show, interrupting all the good parts like Ricky Gervais’ faux-fight with Steve Carell. Without any natural comedic abilities, the quintet resorted to shtick after contrived shtick. In one particular shtick, Tom Bergeron, known for his ground breaking work as the bland and unfunny host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, held Heidi Klum like he was going in for a smooch and instead dropped her. The skit garnered few laughs but left Klum with a baseball-sized bruise on her thigh. All of the awkward moments, however, were not left to just the hosts. When comedy legend, Don Rickles, entered the stage with fellow comedian, Kathy Griffin, the sleepy crowd was apparently not enthusiastic enough, prompting Griffin to yell, “Get up!”

The recent VMA Awards on MTV luckily chose a more relevant host: Russel Brand.

However, despite his penchant for rude comedy, his monologues were disappointingly tame, save for one jab at the Jonas Brothers’ promise rings. Gone are the days

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BY DRUSILA R IVAS Tideline Staff Writer

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Yes We Can, Through Music

BY ARIANNA F ISHER Tideline Staff Writer

arack Obama’s idea of change is not only beginning to change the world, but it’s beginning to change music. It is evident that democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appeals mostly to a younger spectrum of voters, and to add to this appeal, many music artists collaborated on a CD in support of his campaign. “Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroot Movement” was released on Friday September 27th and is being sold exclusively on

http://store.barackobama.com.

Artists supporting Obama joined together to create a new CD that encapsules the campaign’s themes of hope, unity and change. A wide range of artists, including Kanye West, John Legend, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Crow, have contributed to this album in support of Obama.

The artists hope to inspire thousands of people with their music and messages to encourage them to vote in the November election. Kanye West and Adam Levine’s song, “Promised Land,”

JUST-A-CLIP

BY ALAN KIM Tideline S taff Writer

JUST-A-CLIP

of Eminem and a hundred other “fake” Slim Shady’s marching into Radio City, or Britney Spears prancing around stage with a giant yellow python on her shoulders. Much hype surrounded the VMA’s due to a rumor that Spears would be putting on a comeback performance, but the hype was deflated once she came on stage, uttered a few hasty words, and then exited.

The more respected award shows were also sub-par this year. The trend started with the Golden Globes debacle, which, due to the writers strike, literally consisted of two people reading off names at a podium.

The Oscars drew in 20 percent less viewers than in the previous year.

It appears that organizers of award shows are running out of ways to make them interesting.

They have essentially become big arenas full of self-congratulating marketers and executives looking to boost their DVD and CD sales.

Fooling us into caring about the “Best Native American Music Album” is becoming more difficult. As the ratings go down, the only solution may be to stop broadcasting them and hold them as private ceremonies. Somehow, I don’t think the American people would mind.

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i rect ed by D. J. C aruso, penned by no l ess t han fi ve wri t ers, and execut i ve p ro du ced by S t ev en S pi el berg, “Eagl e Eye” i s a fas t an d fu ri o u s race agai nst t i m e t hri l l er t hat pum ps act i on and adrenaline i n s i de t h e v i ewer ’s m i nd.

Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is brought to an anti-terrorist facility after he attending his twin brother’s funeral. An anonymous voice calls him and breaks him out of the mysterious facility. Meanwhile, Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) is also called by an anonymous voice saying if she does not follow the demands, her son’s train will be derailed. As the anonymous caller continues to make demands, the assignments intertwine in a convoluted web of international crisis.

“Eagle Eye” is a tightly compacted explosion of action and suspense, creating and adrenaline filled atmosphere.

This film is filled with unexpected twists and turns and will surely give viewers something to talk about long after the credits roll. Although this was supposed to be one of the greatest movies of 2008, the cliché ending dampened the experience. Overall, the movie is a must-see action packed film meant for everyone.

Death is Not the End

etallica, the famed Metal playing band that has come out with such hits as One, St. Anger, Enter Sandman, and Master of Puppets, have come out with a new CD called Death Magnetic.

Debuting on September 16th, 2008, and now sitting atop six of Billboard.com’s top 100, including top Rock album and Top Internet Album, they have finally returned to glory after a four-year hiatus. The album is the band’s fifth release to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, making Metallica the first band ever to achieve five number one debuts.

Listening to the CD itself, it is seen that they are still revered as one of the best Metal bands of all time. Tracks one through ten are non-stop headbanging tunes. Track 3, “Broken, Beat & Scarred” has an array of solid guitarmanship and drumming. Although most of the album is relied heavily on beats and less than improved lyrics, the overall composure of the CD is right with what Metallica fans have come to know and love, since they first came out with Kill ‘Em All back in 1983.

After St. Anger brought a mild mannered style to the Metal band in 2003, and less than spectacular solos, the true hard-

core fans have been waiting anxiously for Death Magnetic since St. Anger. One track that brings back the old school Metallica is Track 8, “The Judas Kiss.” If you have yet to listen to this CD, listen to Track 8, because it brings back the Metallica of old. Another track that is sure to attract those who do not enjoy guitar solos as much or a Metal style can look no further than track 9, “Suicide & Redemption.” It’s slow beat and deep impact on the mind parallels the alternate style that they tried to incorporate into their St. Anger CD. Overall, the CD brings new and old together and also allows new people to entertain their ever-growing musical minds.

BARACKOBAMA.COM

displays the hardships that America is facing and exactly what it is that Obama refers to as “change.” Popular artists find a way to relate with their audiences, creating songs that the average younger American can enjoy. From Kanye West’s inspiring rhymes and John Legend’s hopeful gospel sound to John Mayer’s infectious guitar riffs, the CD is incredible. The album can be admired for its ability to capture through music the themes of Obama’s historic campaign, and is a great addition to any CD collection.

JUST-A-CLIP

October 14 - October 31, 2008

Tideline

CLASSIFIEDS

Page 7

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SPORTS

FOOTBALL REDEEMS ITSELF Tideline

T h e Va r s i t y Football Team c r u s h e s Granada Hills

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BY KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline Sports Writer

he Boys Varsity Football team assured fans in the Stadium by the Sea on Friday, October 5 that their talk was for real as they shut out the Granada Hills Highlanders in the third annual Charter Bowl 21-0.

After a week of criticism and satire concerning the team’s validity and a public accusation stating that they were “overrated,” the Dolphins were able to gain some credibility in their quest to play in the City Championship Game held at the Coliseum.

The first quarter began slowly as Pali was unable to convert on their first possession, but the tempo soon picked up with a Granada Hills fumble, which Pali recovered on their 30-yard line. Sophomore Quarterback Conner Preston was able to complete a 21-yard throw to Senior Receiver Loren Artis that put Pali in the redzone. Artis then caught a lob pass from Preston in the corner of the end zone resulting in a touchdown with only 5 minutes off the gameclock.

Pali’s offense and defense continued to dominate throughout the first half and was able to create a 14-0 lead going into halftime. Artis thought that his performance in the first half was fair. “I performed okay,” said Artis. “The only way I can play well is with the team.

We stay together even if the school is against us.”

The second half was similar to the

first as Pali continued its dominance and scored a final touchdown, while the defense kept the Highlanders scoreless.

Brice Williams, Senior Defensive Lineman, was able to get his first interception of the year in the third quarter.

“It felt great,” said Williams. “Even though I got lit up, it was an opportunity I took.” Senior Running Back Khalid Stevens also played well with a 4-yard touchdown run that put Pali up 20-0. “I did my best to help my team and my team helped me, and it all came together,” said Stevens. “We’re definitely going to the playoffs; expect to see us even in the Coliseum this year.”

Stevens finished with 20 carries for 158 yards along with his touchdown.

As the fourth quarter came to a close, the team ran onto the field and grabbed the Charter Bowl trophy,

Lady Dolphins “Kill” The Gondoliers

BY KENE IZUCHUKWU Tideline Sports Writer

Continued from page 2 Despite this boost, Pali started the off the match surprisingly shaky and almost gave away the first game. Venice came out thundering, and they and their fans seemed to shake the cortex of the Lady Dolphins. Junior Hannah Fagerbakke, Starting Middle Blocker, felt that her team began the game with a nonchalant attitude and that Venice started play in a poised manner. “I think they [Venice] really came prepared,” said Fagerbakke. “We weren’t really ready for them in the beginning of the first game and we had to get used to them but I think after that, we dominated and that’s what’s important.” Pali indeed dominated as they came back from a 12- 4 hole and were able to pull off a 25-23 victory in game one, winning on a free point due to a red card given to Venice coach Allen Hunt.

Head Coach Chris Forrest also thought Venice played well.

“Surprisingly, I thought Venice did really well,” said Forrest. “I think we got them out of their groove but they’re definitely going to come back and give us a harder time next time.”

The second game began with an almost complete shift of mentality for the Dolphins as they took a 10 - 4 lead. Emily Cristiano, starting Junior Outside Hitter, finished with seven kills and thought her overall play was good. “I think I did pretty well,” said Cristiano. “Our passing could always be better, but we did pretty well, so it was fine.” Pali continued to play well throughout the second game as Laura Goldsmith crushed a ball down the line to give Pali a 25-19 win.

Senior Defensive Specialist and Setter Samantha Jaffe felt that even with the convincing victory in the second game the Lady Dolphins still needed to enhance

RICK STEIL Photographer

S enior W R Loren A rtis catches a touchdown pass from S ophom ore QB Connor Preston in the first quarter.

their play. “We need to step it up and we need to get kills off more sets,” said Jaffe. “Every ball needs to go up; any ball that drops on our court is unacceptable.”

The third game proved to parallel the first as the Dolphins again found themselves in a 19-11 hole. Pali began to make careless mistakes, as an overconfident mindset seemed to consume the players in hopes of winning a quick third game. However, Pali again showed superiority, as they were able to rally back and tie the Gondoliers 23-23 prompting Venice to call a necessary timeout. From that point on, the Lady Dolphins showed that they had heart and stunned Venice 26-24, ending the match. Forrest was jovial and impressed with his team’s play. “My team played outstanding today,” said Forrest.

“I was really impressed with the fact that they came from behind in both games one and three to really show some heart, and to really come back and just show that they wanted the game by winning. It was awesome, they played great.”

The team not only enjoyed the win but looks to win throughout the season. Michelle Kaufman, Assistant Coach, believed that this win paints the picture for the rest of the season.

“I think the game was a good telling of how the Varsity is going to do this season,” said Kaufman. “Venice is one of the strongest teams in our league this year, and I think the fact that we beat them in three [games] is a good telling of how it’s going to be for the rest of the season.”

Along with the great play by Cristiano, Kelsey Keil, starting Middle Blocker, finished with seven kills, and Laura Goldsmith, starting Outside Hitter, finished with 12 kills. Pali improved to a 4-4 record and is 2-0 in League play. The team hopes to carry their win streak in their next match on Thursday, October 16, against University High.

which Granada Hills had held for two years straight. The team’s practice and hard work came together as they celebrated their shutout win. Preston agreed that the team played well as a whole.

“Things took a while to get started,” said Preston. “Tonight was the first night we really clicked, even though the scoreboard didn’t really reflect the game.”

Coach Mark Fearon enjoyed the win but also found things for the team to improve on in order to make the playoffs. “I think we played well, but we need to improve our conditioning,” said Fearon. “We are projected to get there [playoffs], but projections are just hopes. Football is a sport of adversity, and men coming together in the middle of that adversity to try and create something workable. If we can get through

all the adversity the season is going to throw at us, we will be fine.”

Other contributors also made Senior Wide the win possible.

Receiver Joseph Hyman had four receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown; Junior Tyquion Ballard contributed with four carries for 81 yards; Sophomore Kicker Alex Anastasi was 3 for 3 in PAT kicks; and Preston finished 9 of 15 for 161 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.

As the team looks ahead to Reseda on Friday, October 10, it can expect a different attitude from the Pali fans and community alike. After a week of critique and criticism from the Pali student body, the football players showed that at least for this week, they are indeed not “overrated.”

October 14 - October 31, 2008

Girls Tennis Stays Perfect in League

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BY JUSTIN NAM

Tideline Sports Editor

he Varsity Girls Tennis Team improved to 4-0 in League play with a resounding 7-0 match sweep of the University High School Wildcats on October 2. Led by Senior Captains Audrey Ashraf and Rose Schlaff, the team dominated their opponents to stay perfect in their bid for a fourth City Title. The team, which started its season on September 22, has played in four head-to-head regular season matches and the Bay Area Classic Tournament.

Coach Sean Passan in his first year as Head Coach has inherited a team that is rebuilding after losing eight of its ten Varsity players from last year to graduation. The team knows that it will have to work extra hard if it wants to repeat.

“The team is definitely weaker than last year because we lost all those seniors,” said Passan.

“I’m trying to prepare them for Cities and the teams that we will face that aren’t in our League, like Taft and Granada [Hills].”

Passan likes to play in tough regional tournaments like the Bay Area Classic because, in comparison, “the regular season seems easy.”

The team goes through set routines of about two hours to stay fit. The format of the dual tennis matches are that the four top singles players play each other and the three top doubles pairs play each other. Senior Audrey Ashraf, who is the top-ranked singles player, feels that while the team is weakened from last year, it is getting better with each day. “It’s always a little chaotic at first, but everyone is starting to get comfortable with their positions in the line-up. I definitely have confidence that we will sweep all of our League matches because we’ve already played our toughest League rival, Venice.

As for the playoffs, it all depends on how hard we work and how the other teams are looking this year. It would be ideal to win our 4th consecutive CIF title, but even if we didn’t it would still be all right because the team is seemingly getting along better than it has in previous years.”

Likewise, Coach Passan said, “We have a good chance of winning Leagues,” he said. “As for Cities, we’re not favored to win it again this year. That’s all I’ll say about the postseason.”

The team has several more matches coming up before the Playoffs start November 10.

SPOTLIGHT: Erika Martin Gears Up for Another Season

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BY EMMA C ARTER

Tideline Staff Writer

s Girls Soccer kicks off the year, Varsity player Erika Martin prepares for another competitive seao n . s Martin, now a junior and last year’s most valuable player, has played on the Varsity Soccer Team since her freshman year.

This year she hopes to continue playing well and lead Palisades to the championship.

During the off-season, Martin plays soccer on a gold-ranked club team and runs track for Palisades. Last year, she made the city finals in three events, including the 100 and 300 meter hurdles. She was given the title of MVP last year

and led the team in assists. She mostly played right midfield, using her speed and strength to

Possibly the most notable thing about Martin is her dedication. “I have been playing for 11

a club soccer team and competes in games and tournaments on the weekends. To stay healthy, Martin just tries to “sleep as much as possible, and eat healthy food.”

The one force Height: 5’7 that drives Martin the Grade: 11 is the support most Team: Varsity of her teammates.

Position: Right Midfield “My favorite thing Number: 15 about soccer is being Age: 16 on a team and having Favorite Show: LOST a whole team to support you,” said Favorite Movie: Dirty Martin, “It really Dancing II inspires me when one Favorite Sport besides of my teammates Soccer: Track does something good Favorite Subject: History on the field. It makes Favorite Music: None me want to do the WILL ANDERSON Tideline same.” Her record proves that this tactic drive the ball down the line and or 12 years,” said Martin, “and I has worked well for her, and hopewhip in crossing passes for her have practice almost every day.” fully it will continue to inspire teammates.

For most of the year, she plays on her throughout the year.

Cross Country Races to a Pre-SeasonWin

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BY ERIC LOPEZ

Tideline Staff Writer

alisades Cross-Country took a solid pre-season step forward at Elysian Park’s Weisenburger Invitational, held on September 27, 2008. The Boys Frosh/Soph team placed second place overall in the race and Freshman Grant Stromberg broke the course record.

Now that the pre-season is winding down Cross Country has begun to show that it is not lying about its aspirations to win the City Championship this year.

The Palisades Frosh/Soph boys team, made up of mostly first year runners, won 2nd overall at the meet with the majority of runners collecting personal record times. “It was a new course, but we all still ran a good race,” said Sophomore Danny Escalante.

Freshman Grant Stromberg led the team with a time of 18:20, Sophomore Danny Escalante with an 18:47, Freshman Daniel Hernandez with a 19:01, Sophomore Evan Shaner with a 19:55, Sophomore Ryan Bertwell

with a 20:02, Freshman Austin Gelber with a 21:14, and Freshman Andrew Dean with a 23:15. Ultimately, Freshman Boys stole the show. “They really fought hard and going home with a 2nd place team award is a great prize for their hard work,” said Head Coach Ron Brumel.

The Varsity Boys also took strides forward with the top 3 runners showing much promise.

Junior Carlos Bustamante came in 6th overall with a 16:28, Senior Micheal Fujimoto with a 16:41, and Junior Malcolm Suhr with a 18:37, Suhr’s personal best. “We did well but we can definitely do better as a team,” said Junior Carlos Bustamante.

Unlike the boys, the Varisty and Frosh/Soph Girls Teams faced an uphill battle from the start and were not able win at the meet.

Racing for the Varsity Girls were Junior Michelle Colato with a 21:30 and Senior Melina Vanos with a 23:35. Sophomores Karli Feder and Kaitlyn Kim came in with a 24:53 and a 24:55 for the Fresh/Soph team. “It was just a bad race,” said Sophomore Karli

ERIC LOPEZ Tideline

Cross Country races to the lead at the Weisenburger Invitational

Feder.

T h e We i s e n b u r g e r Invitational, a City Section meet, was the first real test for the entire team, and the team managed to score an A. “The team did well, everyone did great.

The Frosh/Soph boys are looking amazing at this point,” said Head Coach Ron Brumel. But, unfortunately, the Girls Frosh/Soph might not be digging deep enough to pull it together. “There are definitely some things we need to

fix. But overall, the team is young and by the end of the season the girls [frosh-soph] could be a great team,” said Coach Brumel.

This week the season begins with a non-league race versus Canoga Park at Pierce College.

The Saturday after that is the last invitational of the year, The Pepperdine Invitational. The Pepperdine Meet, a NationalLevel meet, will test the willpower of this young team, yet again.