Trident March 2014

Corona del Mar High School v Volume 52 v Issue 5 v March 2014

Humans of New York pg. 06 Students for pg. 16 Solar Tame Impala

pg. 2 0

Humans

People of Earth...

Visit TridentOnline.net Editor’s Note:

Current Events

Reviews

Hello fellow humans of CdM, Do you know where you can find more pictures of awesome animals, beautiful faces of Natalia Bruening, great lifestyle advice, delicious recipes, great sports news, and school current events? You might get lucky finding all of these by visiting TridentOnline.net. That’s right, you read me, tridentonline.net. Visit it. Now. No, read the magazine first, then visit it. But definitely check it out. Tridentonline.net.

From your Online Editors, Liz & Emma

Sci-Tech

Lifestyle Student Life

Arts

From the Staff Editors’ Note Dear Trident Reader,

We’ve been seeing those deep “Humans of New York” Facebook posts for so long that we finally wanted in on the action.

The Humans Issue was inspired by the photographer Brandon Stanton, who discovers the stories behind the seemingly faceless New York residents.

You might be thinking, “Well, yeah, that’s New York, and this is CdM.” But if you really think about it, CdM is like our very own city. We buzz through the hallways, avoiding traffic and on a mission. We’re all united in the common purpose—keep calm and just graduate—while hopefully having some fun in there.

But beyond our similarities, there’s something within each of us that makes us special. As high schoolers, we’re constantly maturing from our experiences and developing unique qualities. In this issue, we tried to probe those special qualities and those life-changing experiences you might not know about in our CdM community.

Get the scoop on Daniel Leedy’s life (pg.

8), read about our custodian Ernie (pg. 12), and explore everyone else’s stories in this issue. Hopefully their stories will make you think of what makes you, you.

Keep doin’ you,

Rafah & Amanda

Staff Adviser

Contact Us

Rafah Ali

tridentonline@gmail.com

Laura Holk Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Penna Editor-in-Chief

Elizabeth Greenberg Online Editor

Emma Sung Online Editor

Lauren Lamm Photo Editor

Victoria Hill Photo Editor

Krista Schildwachter Section Editor

Hannah Schoenbaum Section Editor

Maddie Tenebaum Business Manager Aleah Berger Reporter

2101 Eastbluff Drive Newport Beach, CA Phone: (949) 515-6023 Fax: (949)-515-6070

Legal

Trident is a student forum used to inform and entertain the students and community of Corona del Mar High School. Opinion articles reflect the views of the writer; they do not represent the beliefs of Corona del Mar High School staff, administrators, or the Newport-Mesa Board of Trustees. Letters to the editor may be submitted to room 224 or e-mailed to the address listed. Trident reserves the right to edit letters based on consideration of accuracy, length, clarity, obscenity, and libel. 2012-2013 ©

Sophia Cianfrani Reporter

Suhaa Dada Reporter

Rourke Funke Reporter

Sophie Ganion Reporter

Elizabeth B. Greenberg Reporter

Connor Mickelsen Reporter

Sponsors Thank you to all of our subscribers for supporting Trident.

Your donations allow us to continue the production of Trident!

Kyle Rodewald

Cover photo by

Nick Snyder

Editor Photo by Lauren Lamm Table of Contents photo by

Reporter

Reporter

Rafah Ali

HumansofNewYork.com

FEATURE 06

Humans

07 08

Class of 2014

09 10 11 12

Daniel Leedy Tove Widell Girl Scouts Fernando Ospina

13

Pulp

14

History of St. Patrick’s Day

15

College

16

Students for Solar

ATHLETICS

18 19

Diving Natalia Bruening

ENTERTAINMENT

20 21

Tame Impala Oscars

TECHNOLOGY

Ernesto Chavez

22 23

Red Cross Month Genographic Project

GLOBAL

Pg. 24

24 26 20

Fast Forward International Earth Day International Women’s Day

CONTENTS

March

2014

Humans Issue

CAMPUS LIFE

FEATURE

Humans of New York

W

ho knew that deep down in the staged social media world could be such a beautiful, realistic, and unique idea to show-off something as straightforward as humans?

Brandon Stanton knew, and has managed to find the purity and soul of humans in the “Melting Pot of the Country,” New York City. He created a popular photoblog that captures the simplest moments that New Yorkers walk pass every day, but unbelievably showcases the true beauty and power hidden in these daily routines.

His idea became a reality once he moved to NYC, after losing his high-stress job trading bonds on the Chicago Board. On his website (humansofnewyork.com), Stanton explains his idea of walking around the neighborhoods of New York, taking pictures of strangers and posting them to Facebook wasn’t the most stable job decision to make, according to his mother, but luckily it never stopped him from creating this distinctive form of art.

The summer of 2010 marked the start of the Facebook fame and more for Stanton.

His inspiration was simple-- the diverse variations of personalities of the humans that made New York so special.

“Humans of New York (HONY) resulted from an idea that I had to construct a photographic census of New York City,” he said on his website. As he expanded on his idea, he started to add little snippets, quotes, and short stories as captions. He states in countless interviews that his most inspirational quote from all interactions so far came from an 80-year-old woman walking in the pouring rain. She told him that right before her husband (Mo) died,

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he told her, “Take the love you had for me and spread it around.” In response, Stanton ran around the corner and started sobbing uncontrollably. The picture-quote combination became the major appeal to HONY-lovers, who could now match the faces they scroll through with diverse personal stories. The large numbers of responsive followers grow daily between Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Stanton decided to take a “business trip” to a very different culture that was provided in the whimsical city of New York, so he ventured to the country of Iran. Although he knew it would be a challenge as an American to stroll down foreign streets and shops asking Iranian strangers for a picture, he took the chance and resulted with the stunning outcome of “Humans of Iran”.

With kindness, patience, hospitality, and a multiplicity of smiling faces came sensational snapshots and stories of the people in Tehran and other Iranian cities.

His travel also showed how popular his page really is worldwide, when during a blizzard, several thousand feet on a mountaintop, a man shouted, “I love your Facebook page!” He was shocked, and overjoyed with the openness the Iranian people had with a random foreign photographer.

You would think that asking the stereotypical busy-bee New Yorkers for a picture and a quote about the saddest moment of their life would be next to impossible, but Brandon Stanton has seemed to achieve the unachievable.

According to numerous video interviews, he explains that what he does is solely based on energy. “It’s about being as non-threatening, genuine, and natural as possible.”

He starts by scouting around countless numbers of neighborhoods, looking for

someone he thinks has a story to tell.

Then, he simply asks for a picture. As he takes the pictures, he starts a comfortable conversation and asks questions, gathering different quotes and incite. Once the “ice is broken,” it just becomes a simple conversation between two people.

Finally, after getting permission to post, within two to three days that person’s story and picture is officially blogged. In a situation when someone changes his or her mind about being that public, Stanton easily removes the post, no harm done.

He has captured 10,000 stories so far.

According to an interview, 2 of every 3 people say yes to him. The most inspirational, cute, and rare interviews went into his top best-selling book also called “Humans of New York”.

Brandon Stanton has created a pathway of inspiration from what inspires him in New York City. Other Facebook pages like “Humans of India”, “Humans of Rome,” and “Humans of Paris” follow along the same lines as HONY, but bring in endless new stories from all around the world.

Stanton said, “Every day I become amazed how people can be so open to a stranger with a camera, more than their family and friends.” Through all the hard times people go through, “Humans of New York” reminds other humans that we all have similar struggles and all have something to add to this beautiful planet that we live on.

A quick snapshot of the man behind the camera, Brandon Stanton.

article by Sophie Ganion photos by HumansofNewYork.com

FEATURE

Humans of

The Class of

H

umans of New York was founded with the purpose of cataloging New York’s population through photography, but as the concept evolved, founder Brandon Stanton began to collect stories and quotes from the people he was photographing.

Trident decided to interview Elizabeth Russell and Kyle Mohan of the Class of 2014 and through their stories and quotes, CdM will be able to get to know them better.

What is an experience that has made you who you are today?

ER: Last year, I got really, really sick and I missed the first three weeks of second semester junior year. To say the least, I was extremely discouraged and didn’t think I could bounce back to achieve what I wanted to school-wise. I was in a deep rut.

It took a lot, but I finished the semester better than I thought I would. It was then that I realized it is the attitude you have that shapes what you can do.

KM: The creation of Point Loma, my band, as well as my friendship with two of the most important people in my life shaped my outlook on life and me as a person greatly. My friendship with my band mates Nate Pozin and Andrew Francini has helped not only my creative ability as a songwriter but also has shaped the values of my character as well as given me the confidence to try my hardest and increase my chances of success in anything I put my mind too. I will never forget my friendship with Nate and Andrew.

What is your biggest fear?

2014

ER: My biggest fear is losing precious moments of my life to social media.

Sure it’s fun, but the stress that is put on how many “likes” you can get is a little ridiculous now-a-days. I feel bad for the generations younger than me the most though; they are already consumed by it at such young ages.

KM: My biggest fear is disappointment from my friends, family, and myself. I live my life trying to set high expectations for myself and with the confidence that I will be able to fulfill anything I set my mind to.

My biggest fear is that one day I will not be able to fulfill a promise or a goal that I made to myself or a loved one. This fear forces me to take loyalty, promises, and commitments very seriously.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

ER: I would change my tendency to fall into patterns. I seriously do the same thing every day; wake up, school, eat, practice, eat, Netflix, sleep. It’s hard to be adventurous or spontaneous when you’re as busy as I am.

KM: If I could change one thing about myself, I would change my lighthearted spirit. I find that if you don’t take things too seriously then you will never become stressed and you will be more successful as a result. In some instances this philosophy works; however, in some instances it can be more harmful than helpful. In my case it made me take my grades to lightly in my most crucial years. My most disliked feeling is regret, or as if you could have done something else to be more successful but chose not too. This sense of regret that I feel on a daily basis could have been avoided if I had taken my life more

seriously.

Who has influenced you most in your life?

ER: My biggest influence in life would have to be my dad. Everything he has achieved in life he did on his own.

Compared to the lifestyle we all have in Newport, it is hard to believe that that’s possible. My dad not only worked four jobs by the time he was 18, he also paid for his own braces, his own car, and eight years of college. Whenever I think I have it tough, he’s always there to motivate me and remind me how blessed I am to have so many great opportunities.

KM: My family friend, mentor, and my brother from an emotional standpoint, Sid Arya has been a role model in my life since I was just a small child. Sid showed me by example what it meant to be a good person and how selflessness is a much more rewarding trait that being self centered.

Sid showed me the importance of respect and loyalty and how in a world of 7 billion people you can feel significant simply by sharing your life, talents, and compassion with others.

What is your greatest struggle right now?

ER: My greatest struggle right now is trying to savor the months I have left with my friends and family before I leave for good. College is getting so real. A year ago, I would have never thought the reality of leaving would come so fast.

KM: My greatest struggle right now is making crucial decisions that will affect the future of my life and the life of my loved ones. With so much depending on my decisions to pick the right school, right major, and what kind of person I become, it is a time of stress and contemplation that is filled with uncertainty and self doubt.

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article & photo by Suhaa Dada

TRIDENT

March 2014

FEATURE

More to Him Than Math Daniel Leedy’s Life Beyond the Classroom

M

Leedy stands in front of the white board after his Geometry class. Looks like his students are learning some difficult concepts.

any students go through a rotation of periods every day at school without fully wondering about what their teachers are like off campus. Whenever students do get a glimpse about how their teachers are like outside of the classroom, it sometimes surprises them.

For example, many students of Daniel Raymond Leedy do not know that he is licensed in scuba diving and skydiving.

Leedy’s classroom is located in a portable hidden behind all the construction of CdM, and those in his class mainly know him as a math whiz. Although Geometry, Honors Algebra 2, and other math problems are something Leedy is more familiar discussing with students, he answered some other questions that let us know a tad more about him.

There are several holidays we celebrate in America every year. If Leedy could create his own national holiday, he would declare an Everybody Birthday Day. What exactly is an Everybody Birthday Day? “On this

day, everybody could celebrate everyone’s birthday, and if someone ever missed or forgot a birthday, they could celebrate and people would give each other gifts,” Leedy said. He loves birthdays; they are his favorite days of the year.

Other than birthdays, Leedy loves scuba diving. This is why if he could visit any of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, he would visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia because of his love to scuba dive.

He enjoys it so much, he even has a license for it.

To those who may think a scuba diving license is impressive, Leedy also has a license in skydiving. Since he has already done these two daring activities in his life, the top of his bucket list currently does not involve jumping out of a plane or exploring the ocean’s depths.

“The top of my bucket list is to take a trip with someone special down the east coast.

I have never been, and I’d like to do all the touristy things from Maine to Florida,” Leedy said.

He would take several stops along the way and try all kinds of foods.

Not many people have had the chance to cook for the President, but if Leedy did,

he would prepare his best dish. “I would make him fajitas. I make really good, spicy fajitas,” Leedy said.

If Leedy had the chance to play with any singer or band in the world, current or disbanded, he would play for a classic. “I would play for Aerosmith. If I knew how to play the drums, I would want to be their drummer,” said Leedy.

When Leedy is not teaching, he likes to bowl. “Also, I am a total computer science geek. I love computer programs,” Leedy said.

The trait that Leedy admires most about himself is that he is so adaptable. “I can adapt to situations easily,” said Leedy.

Overall, many can say after reading these questions and answers that there is a fact or two that they did not know about this likable math teacher.

“Mr. Leedy is the best math teacher I’ve had at CdM. He’s a good teacher and is also really nice,” said freshman Venice Loar.

Teachers can be very interesting to talk with because they are all unique, even if they teach the same subject. It is usually not easy to tell how they really are outside the classroom.

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article & photo by Victoria Hill

Tove Widell From Stockholm to Newport In A Day’s Time

M

ost people take months just to decide on a vacation spot, and a few more months to plan everything out.

Tove Widell, Swedish exchange student at CdM, decided to spend her next year in the U.S. in a matter of mere hours.

Widell arrived in New York last August, and came to Newport Beach soon afterwards. She was originally placed in North Dakota, but she had her sights set on living in California. She was staying with some family friends, but Widell now lives with the Grables.

Indecisiveness is definitely not one of Widell’s weaknesses. Inspired by a classmate in Sweden, Widell spoke to her mother (who had studied abroad) about her experience. “I thought about it all day and I got really interested—I submitted an application to study abroad the same night.

So it all went from a morning to a night!”

She’s glad she made the decision that quickly, though. “If I had thought about it for a few days, I never would have taken the opportunity,” she admits.

Before coming to America, Widell had always dreamed of seeing the world on her own and experiencing everything. “I was so happy when I left because I was tired of Stockholm. Everything there was little, and I knew there was so much more to see,” she exclaimed.

Since this was her first time visiting the U.S., Widell’s main impression of California was through Hollywood. “In Sweden, the American lifestyle is so famous because we always see them in the movies.” Widell found that American shows like Pretty Little Liars, Carrie

Diaries, and Vampire Diaries all influence the foreign perception of American life because their experiences are so different from ours.

Widell mostly spends time with her friends after school, so the extracurriculars that many students engage in here was a foreign idea to her. “It becomes like a dream to European students because school is such a big part of your life. Our lives are so different; we don’t have clubs or sports or activities, or anything you have here, so seeing it here is really cool to me.” Widell admitted to having a few other expectations before coming here. “I always thought Americans were a lot nicer than Swedish people,” she added, laughing.

Widell’s favorite part (and biggest culture shock) about California has been the accessibility of Los Angeles, and how much people travel. “You have no sidewalks here!

We don’t use cars there. It’s so cool to me that you can just get together with friends and plan a day trip to L.A.” But Widell’s not the only one having a culture shock.

People often ask her about her experience in Sweden. “Sometimes people ask me if we have polar bears as pets, and I feel so bad because I can’t stop laughing. They’re being completely serious, too!”

Though it is often difficult to make friends as a new senior, Widell made friends soon after coming to Newport Beach. “I think I’ve been lucky in meeting really nice people because I found the really friendly ones.”

Because Widell was less versed with English and slang when she first came to the U.S., she was nervous to talk to people.

“I always thought if I make a joke I’ll just lose my words or pronounce things

wrong.” However, the longer she’s been in Newport, the easier it’s gotten. “I have like a Google Translate in my head. I just use it so much faster now.” Widell joked about still feeling lost when it comes to slang words. “I still don’t know the slang. I feel like a grandma because I’m like, ‘What does dank mean?’”

Widell’s unfamiliarity with English may have made her feel shy here, but she says she is anything but shy in Sweden. Widell is actually employed by her school as a promoter to attract prospective students to join. “I’m literally an employee on paper at my school at the highest level of promoter.

I’m the one going up to random people and convincing them to sign up.”

Widell shared a few lessons she’s learned from her experiences in the U.S. “I would advise people to be outgoing. You have to put yourself out there. Make bad jokes, lose your words, take risks—because I didn’t do that and I think I lost a lot of time.” She enjoyed having the opportunity to have a fresh slate. “Try things you would never do at home because you can just be whomever you want.”

Widell has greatly enjoyed her time here and wants to study abroad again in college.

“If I could have my friends and family here, I’d never want to leave,” she said.

Hopefully Widell will come back and visit CdM in the future with her family.

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article & photo by Rafah Ali

TRIDENT

March 2014

FEATURE

It’s Not Just About The Cookies Girl Scouts of CdM

G

irl Scouts are known for selling their delicious cookies, but that is not all they do. Their goal is to have girls live up to their full potential through community service activities, skill-building workshops and relating to each other to increase respect and understanding of others.

Juliette Gordon Low, a housewife, was the founder of Girl Scouts. Low was trying to figure out what do with her life when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. She was inspired to create her own youth group. In 1912, she gathered her niece and seventeen girls in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, and taught these girls skills from how to be a housewife to how to be successful in a profession.

Starting from an 18-girl group, Girl Scouts with its popularity has grown to over 3.2 million participants. A couple dozen Girl Scouts attend CdM. “I like Girl Scouts because I get to hang out with my

Freshman Girl Scout Jodi Parker gives the Girl Scout salute, which represents the three promises of the Girl Scout Promise.

friends. Also, I learned how to be a loyal friend and how to deal with others. It’s a really great experience,” said freshman Amanda Simmons. Simmons has been participating in Girl Scouts for six years and hopes to participate for many more years to come.

One of the highest awards for a Girl Scout to achieve is the Gold Award, which is a community service project that makes a sustainable change it their community.

“I am going to continue Girl Scouts until I get my Gold Award. It is kind of like the Boy Scout’s Eagle Award,” said freshman Jodi Parker, who has been in Girl Scouts for ten years.

In order to earn the Gold Award a minimum of 80 hours of community service is required. Many community service activities are available, even if it is just cleaning up our beaches. “Girl Scouts taught me how to saw and as a group we made benches for a local preschool. We painted them according to the themes of each classroom. It was so much fun and so gratifying to be able to help them out,” said Parker.

Overall, Girl Scouts is known for their

unique cookies from the classics like Thin Mints and Samoas/Carmel deLites. Of the total amount of Girl Scout cookies sold, 25% of them are Thin Mints and 19% Samoas/Carmel deLites. They also have new flavors like Lemonades or their gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread.

But where does your money go when they sell cookies? The money is sent to the troop’s local Girl Scout council. There, the money is pooled together and distributed to the troops to spend on workshops and other activities that the Girl Scout troop does for fun.

Low died in 1927 from breast cancer but her death was honored in many ways. For example, on October 28, 1979 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at Seneca Falls. In 2012 Low was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor

by President Obama, the highest-level award for a civilian.

The Girl Scouts program is such a great way to empower and teach life lessons to our nation’s girls. Our CdM troop has already done some amazing community service projects and are working their way up to achieve their gold awards.

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article & photo by Elizabeth B. Greenberg

FEATURE

Keeping It

Classy, Not

Trashy

The Scoop on our Custodian, Ernesto Chavez

W

e all see the custodians around, courteously picking up our trash we so lazily drop. The head night custodian, Ernesto Chavez, is one of those good-hearted people who so willingly does this job.

Before working on maintenance, Chavez was employed in warehouses. His career began around 2001 when a student in the San Juan Capistrano district lit an entire school into flames. The school requested volunteers to come out and help clean the school and get it back into shape. Chavez volunteered and went to help; as he was helping out, an advisor offered him a job as a custodian and Chavez took it.

After he was offered the job, Chavez worked and worked until he transferred into the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in May of 2003, and has been loving CdM ever since.

Chavez has three kids, Anthony,13, Jennevy,10, and Ernesto Jr., 3 months.

“Ever since my first child Anthony was born, my life has drastically changed because I had all these new responsibilities as I became a dad,” said Chavez. On the weekends, he enjoys taking his kids to

theme parks such as Disneyland and just goes out to have fun. As hobbies, Chavez enjoys playing basketball and fixing cars.

Since he relocated to CdM, Chavez said, “ I like being a custodian because I get to work with the staff and coworkers, and all the students are so funny.” Chavez likes his job because he gets the opportunity to meet new people. He wants to make this job a career for himself. After living in Southern California his whole life, Chavez has always looked up to his dad and admires him. Chavez said, “My father has influenced me by always being there.”

Chavez wishes to tell the students here to “to stay humble.” As many of the students can get a little arrogant, but we still should show gratitude to the people who pick up after us. Chavez likes living by the motto, “Respect people and be fair, don’t forget to lend a helping hand.” As you can see, Chavez is a very admirable person who always hopes to do the right thing.

The job of a custodian is not just picking trash up, it is caring for the campus enough to make it look presentable.

Chavez does what he has to do and in this case, it’s being a custodian. As long as he gets the job done and does what he loves, that’s all that really matters besides feeding his family and caring for them. He shows an inspiring example to his children that

you don’t have to be a lawyer or a highclass businessman to get the job done.

Chavez embraces his responsibilities doing whatever he can to take care of his family which shows how honorable he is. In honor of all our staff who picks up after us, keep it classy Corona, not trashy.

Chavez smiles for the camera as he waits for his next call on the job.

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article & photo by Aleah Berger

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March 2014

FEATURE

o d n a n r e F

M

Ospina

CdM’s Security Guard

ost students don’t talk to Fernando Ospina every day, but some have admitted that this is because of his intimidating figure and authority as a security guard, while others do not find him intimidating at all. But in either opinion, students have expressed their gratitude for his service at our school.

“I don’t find the security guards intimidating because we are usually friendly with each other,” sophomore Caitlin Martinez stated. “I just think that intimidating is what first comes to a student’s mind because of the control that the security guards have on students.”

On the other hand, sophomore Erica Chen admitted “by looks they may look intimidating but…[I am] thankful for them as well.”

Ospina has been working as the CdM security guard for 15 years and still enjoys his job. The most interesting part of CdM to Ospina is when “students [are] scrambling when they see seagulls and put books on their head to prevent from getting pooped on.” He still “enjoy[s] working with the kids,” but “one change I would wish for is students’ attitude towards the security guards and not seeing

us as the bad guys,” he admitted.

Students only seem to change their attitude towards him because of his authority, when in reality he is trying to secure the safety of our school. In general, he wants to let students know that he is here for security and to fulfill his duty— to protect students and not intimidate them.

One piece of advice Ospina wanted to give to students was that they should

site is Yosemite. One advantage Ospina can implement in his house from his work is the ways to detect trouble his sons can make. “It’s harder for my kids to be mischievous… I see the bad and good habits and the trends of students,” he said.

During summer, Ospina opens a stand in the OC Fair called Myuhka’s Plumerias to sell plumeria plants. He purchases them from Hawaii and raises them in California

“One change I would wish for is students’ attitude towards the security guards and not seeing us as the bad guys.”—Fernando Ospina

be aware of where they are and their surroundings because some troubles are caused when students are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Security guards may seem slightly frightening at first; however, they are just another human of CdM, just like every student in this school. “…[They] are all really helpful and kind if you need assistance or have a question,” said sophomore Jenny Conde.

When Ospina is not at school working as a security guard, he spends time with his wife and his two sons camping and playing baseball. His favorite camping

at his house. After a month of selling plumerias during summer, he spends the rest of summer camping at Yosemite, Mammoth, or Yellowstone.

Next time if you encounter Ospina or any other security guards, ask about their day. Each person has special interesting hobbies unknown to students at CdM. Talking and initiating a conversation is a great way to discover more about them and their daily life.

All of them are friendly, approachable, have sweet personalities and are always willing to be at your service in case of danger or any general help.

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article & photo by Emma Sung

CAMPUS LIFE

Literary Magazine A Revived Club that Supports Creative Writing and the Arts

I

t’s back in action. CdM’s Pulp Literary Magazine has been reborn and is ready to produce a magazine by the end of the year. This magazine features high school students’ artwork including photography, paintings, sketches, and even sculpture.

Accepting all forms of art, Pulp also emphasizes the importance of creative writing, and publishes short stories and poems. For the past two years, Pulp Literary Magazine was unable to fully produce a magazine and was somewhat forgotten. With the help of junior English teacher, Kira Quesnell and a group of approximately 20 high school students, the magazine is scheduled to be produced by the end of May. “I was the advisor for our literary and arts magazine at my last school. I really enjoyed working with students to produce a creative and artistic project. I didn’t want Pulp to fade away from the CdM community,” said Quesnell.

Since Pulp is a club rather than a class, the club members gather every Monday and discuss plans for publishing, marketing, online plans, and different contests for the student body to participate. At the moment, Pulp has one contest available for fine arts called the “Art Through Words Contest.” The goal of the challenge is to integrate at least two or more of specific words into a piece of original artwork. The words that one can choose from include, skull, eyeball, green,

flower, and chair. All contests are open to the whole student body.

The Pulp club is split into five different groups. This includes web, layout and magazine design, photography, creative writing and fine arts. Each group has a head coordinator that focuses the group and helps Quesnell pinpoint what needs to be done in order for the magazine to become produced.

“I am very excited about the online literary and arts magazine that was established this year. We don’t have to wait until May to see a collection of student art and writing,” added Quesnell.

This is the first year that Pulp Magazine created an online site. In the past, with so many submissions, it was infeasible to print all the submissions. With the online site, it is guaranteed that all work submitted to Pulp will be uploaded on the site for the public to see. Junior Sabrina Froehlich created and maintains the website. With a group of about 4 people, together, they have been able to successfully upload and market Pulp’s site.

“As Head Coordinator of Web, it is my responsibility to keep the website updated and running smoothly. Along with some help, I designed the site and update it with submissions as they come in. Usually I try to update the site weekly with a few of the submissions we get, in order to avoid overloading the site with new content,” said Froehlich.

Froehlich’s goal is to help promote the arts at CdM. As an artist herself,

she understands the importance of a creative mind and does so by dedicating approximately 3 hours a week to the site.

One can view the site and the work of peers at cdmpulp.com.

Along with Froelich’s endeavors with the website, she also closely works with other head coordinators. The other heads include juniors Maddie Tenebaum, Krista Schildwatcher and senior Rafah Ali for layout and design, senior Isabella Bradley for creative writing, senior Courtney Garkani for photography, and juniors Sunia Khan and Mona Hobbal for fine arts.

“I enjoy photography and believe Pulp is a great way for students to become more acclimated with it. Within our group of photography we discuss new methods, themes for ourselves and the rest of the student body to be able to participate in. It’s fun and it’s a great program,” said Garkani.

Not only does Pulp enable students to have their work published on a website, but it also looks great for college. One doesn’t have to be closely involved with the Pulp group in order to be a part.

Submit artwork, sketches, writing, photography, and embrace the inner artist and poet within. One can submit their work to cdmpulp@gmail.com and check out the website for more updates on different contests and details of submissions. Creativity is important, support your fellow classmates and check it out.

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article & photo by Amanda Penna

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March 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

St. Patrick’s Day

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From Ireland to America

he holiday known as St. Patrick’s Day is incredibly different than the holiday that was originally celebrated in ancient Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is a unique holiday because it is celebrated all over the world by every religion. An example of these traditions is to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. Every one knows to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day but does anyone ever ask why? Green is the color most commonly associated with Ireland, where the holiday originated. It is the color of shamrocks,

Pots of gold at the end of rainbows are commonly accosiated with leprechauns

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one of the three colors of their flag, and the color of the low rolling hills that cover the land of Ireland. The irony of this situation is that the man this holiday was created for, St. Patrick, is not even Irish; he was born in Britain. The modern St. Patrick’s Day has little to do with the saint and more to do with the festivities of the actual day.

St. Patrick was a priest that moved to Ireland in attempt to convert the Irish to Christianity. He was unsuccessful and he had a horrible life in Ireland. People did not agree with his beliefs so they tormented him on a daily basis. St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 and this date later became the day known as St. Patrick’s Day. Of course this day was not established right away. It took centuries for the church to realize all of the amazing work that St. Patrick had done. Because of this he did not become an official saint for hundreds of years after his death.

The traditions of St. Patrick’s Day originated from Irish myths that may or may not be true. According to one of these myths, St. Patrick used the three leafs of a clover to explain the Holy Trinity: the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. This is why shamrocks are a typical representation of St. Patrick’s Day. Before St, Patrick’s day reached America, it was a small religious holiday where a family would celebrate with a large traditional meal. When St. Patrick’s Day was brought to the United States, we brought the celebration to a whole new level. On St. Patrick’s Day every year in Chicago, the rivers are dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick. We also

celebrate with huge St. Patrick’s Day parades, four leaf clovers, and of course, we have incorporated the myth of the leprechaun.

Though we don’t dye a river green here in Newport Beach, many CdM students enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with friends and family. Senior Ally O’Malley said, “I love St. Patrick’s Day! I’m Irish, so celebrating this holiday is practically part of my heritage.” She jokingly added that “We don’t mess around. If my friends aren’t wearing green...they will get pinched.”

Leprechauns did originate from Irish folktales but Americans have completely changed them. We believe that leprechauns spend their free time makings shoes and hide a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when in reality they were originally “evil spirits”. They were said not to be fully evil, but definitely not good. This is where the myth of leprechauns playing practical jokes on people originated. There are many other myths about leprechauns that do not apply to how we see them today because of their modernized concept of being friendly, short, Irish people.

St. Patrick’s Day has changed since it was originally established. Even Ireland has grown accustomed to these changes made in their small, traditional, religious holiday, but still celebrate it slightly different than in America, as do most countries. In fact, most holidays are celebrated differently from country to country and have a tendency to change tradition, which St. Patrick’s Day is likely to do again over the years.

article by Sophia Cianfrani photos by sheknows.com, blog.summerhillhomes.com

CAMPUS LIFE

The Educated Decision CdM Seniors Start to Pick Their Schools of Choice

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“Mama Mary,” responsible for most everything college-related, poses for a picture in the SRC. We seniors owe her!

Raymond Zhu’s face lights up whenever he talks about his college choices. Hopefully he chooses the right one.

ver ninety percent of all students that attend Corona del Mar high school attend college after they are finished with their senior year. With so many young adults thinking about their future college experiences, Trident decided to get some interviews to find out which colleges the CdM senior class of 2014 find most interesting.

Raymond Zhu, an avid photographer, artist and navigator of the world and worldwide web says that “I want to go to Colombia because I want to learn Biomedical Engineering at a top school. I love New York, and Colombia happens to be right in New York City, one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It has world-class facilities that I can use to do research in my field of choice.”

Ally O’Malley loves the beach and said, “I want to go to Harvey Mudd College because I want to be a computer science major and stay in California.”

Jared Eckenweiler is a business-oriented guy, who said, “I want to go to Fordham because it’s in New York, it has a lot of great ties and great internships that are close to New York City or Wall Street and I want to be a finance major, so naturally I want to be

in New York.”

Some students got into their top schools early because of their sport. Elizabeth Russell said, “I was lucky enough to get into my top school in November when I committed to row for the University of California at Berkeley.”

The Student Resource Center college coordinator, widely known across campus as “Mama Mary,” says, “I have been chosen by the principal to be in this position. I coordinate all the college visits and talk to all the students and give advice to them as well. I talk to them about ACT and SAT and produce college fairs, so I do a lot to help aid each student’s transition into college life.” When asked about why students call her “Mama Mary” she said, “I was given the nickname, Mama Mary, years ago back when I was teaching to special students. They couldn’t pronounce my last name, Russell, so I told them to just refer to me as Mama Mary. Four years ago, Youth and Government started calling me that nickname too, so now everyone calls me Mama Mary. Even my co-workers, teacher friends and the principal. I don’t mind it, and I even think it’s kind of fun that they can call me a name that makes me feel closer to every student.” From teachers to students it seems as if everyone here is college obsessed.

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article & photo by Kyle Rodewald

TRIDENT

March 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

Students

T

for

Solar

Students Take the Reigns to Make CdM Eco-Friendly

he typical fourth period honors English class taught by Mrs. Topping includes extravagant vocabulary usage, entertaining and informative lectures, dramatic readings of even more dramatic books, and the sharing of opinions and ideas in a safe and open-minded atmosphere.

But this year, Team Period 4 is not your typical Honors English class. Erin Topping introduced a new lesson plan and challenge: find a way to give back to the community in a helpful, innovative way. ““Community” was one of the discussion points in the literature we were reading in class at the time,” Mrs. Topping explained the origin of the plan. “Originally I had planned the project to be a mock proposal, but my classes were so excited about [the project], they wanted to bring it to life.”

Topping’s Fourth period took the project to heart, and after much deliberation and multiple votes, Team Period Four voted for a solar panel initiative, an idea which stemmed from a group containing sophomores Albert Szabo, Arthur Pescan, Jennifer Conde, Robert Naruse, Kevin Langley, and Elizabeth Greenberg (yes, me too!). The initiative is exactly what is sounds like: a plan to install solar panels here at CdM. Zsabo and Pescan quickly emerged as the two leaders on the project, and despite the set back of being mere sophomores, the two friends take the task seriously.

“Honestly at first I didn’t know if the class thought it was really going to take off,” Pescan admitted, “but now we are meeting with the school officials and district officials; we’re really getting it going.”

The class was soon divided into six different committees, ranging from precedents and community impacts to public relations and counter arguments. Each group collected research, which was then given to Szabo and Pescan, as well as sophomore Daniel Ginsberg.

“Daniel Ginsberg, myself, and the glorious Arthur Pescan are working on making a formal proposal that we can submit to the school and the district,” Szabo said.

The trio is taking their work to Principal Scott, as well as Principal Olguin, the director of facilities here at CdM. Karen Yelsy, school board president, “seemed to be very enthusiastic about the idea,” said Pescan.

“Right now we are trying to get that initial publicity and introduction to the school and administration,” Pescan added.

Currently, the three boys have taken the project themselves, doing the busy work while the rest of their class waits for the later stages.

“In a later stage, all of our classmates will be involved,” Zsabo said, “but right now we are in mid-stage where it’s only a couple of people working on writing.”

With all this extra work added on to their already staggering workload, one wonders where the boys find time for the project.

Writing a formal proposal is not a simple task; generous amounts of research are vital, as well as citations.

“You can’t just write something; you have to back it up, every single time with a verifiable source,” Szabo explained. “It does take a lot of time, but we’re working towards a good goal, so we don’t really mind.”

This is difficult enough when

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article by Elizabeth A. Greenberg

the research is already substantiated, but myriad fact checks must be made.

“We’ve had to go back and redo the research,” stated Daniel Ginsberg, a friend of Szabo and Pescan, who joined the two after finding out the project was serious. “And that’s perfectly understandable.

We’re hoping to eventually work around that and finally present good and significant and well-developed research for when we make the final presentation to either administration or district officials.”

No; this project is not any easier than it sounds. There is an abundance of checkpoints and miniscule details that must be figured out before construction can begin. The administration, the district, city planners, and the city council must approve the initiative before it can get underway. Funding is also a major issue; first a company must be chosen and approved, and then

Erin Topping addresses her three classroom CommuniTies leaders, Arther Pescan, Albert Szabo, and Paige Nelson. Nelson became Chief of Staff in the early stages.

proper funding must be achieved, either through grants or bake sales. These factors, as well as several others, caused students to be skeptical.

“I think [the fact that] we’ve gotten this far shows people how committed we are to getting it done,” Zsabo said. “Of course there are obstacles, but if you are passionate enough to overcome those obstacles then maybe we’ll get it done.”

The trio has set up numerous goals, both short term and long term, some dwarves and some giants. After ski week, the boys have a meeting with Olguin, and then its back to work on the final proposal, which will, if all goes accordingly, be done within the month. After that, its presentation time.

Pescan, Ginsberg and Zsabo hope to complete a majority of their work during the third quarter, and meet with officials directly after.

Optimistically, the construction will be done by 2016, the year Szabo, Pescan, and Ginsberg graduate. But even though the project will take a long time to be completed, it was the original conception that is truly amazing.

“There’s a lot of students that do care about the environment

and are taking the steps to reach out to communities to be more eco-friendly,” Pescan said.

“With this approach, we Sophomores Arthur Pescan, Albert Szabo, and Daniel can show the Ginsberg have been working on the solar panel initiative. administration Most of the work is completed outside of class. of the school and the district that we’re serious about this and it’s the students [who] want to change the school and make it better for the future.”

Team Period 4 is in the process of accomplishing exactly what the CommuniTies project was designed to do: take a passion and turn it into a way to help the community.

“This project represents what our community can really do when working on a project that means something to them, and that gives back,” Topping stated. “This is an example of what people can do when they work hard towards a common goal.

With this passion and determination, the boys are willing to put the time and effort to slowly but surely turn this dream into a reality. In this situation, perfection is key; in order to move forward, one must make every step flawless in order to achieve their goal.

“As we move forward, we want to perfect everything before we move on and we don’t want to push things too hard,” Ginsberg said, “we want to let things ease in” perfectly so it works.

With high hopes for the future, the trio and Team Period 4 work to bring solar panels to CdM. Whatever happens, the hard work and zeal galvanized by the project show exactly what makes CdM special: the capability of its students.

“I think this project, even if it doesn’t come to fruition, highlights that our students are capable of thought, care, sincere effort, and kindness ¬-all qualities that we can’t measure by test scores or GPAs. Those are the qualities worth nurturing,” Mrs. Topping saluted her student’s staunch character. “High grades and college acceptance are inconsequential if a person has no character or sense of community.”

Topping’s Team Period Four, lead

by Zsabo, Pescan, and Ginsberg, is sure to make a lasting difference here at CdM with the solar panel initiative.

It certainly will help the environment, and the reputation of our CdM.

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photos by Elizabeth A. Greenberg (r) & Cleantechnica.com (l)

TRIDENT

March 2014

ATHLETICS

Flipping, Flying, and Belly Flopping

Diving Into the Lives of Rex Barden and Darien Moses

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killed athletes Rex Barden and Darien Moses may seem like ordinary freshmen, but when school gets out, they accomplish the unthinkable.

They take their Sea King pride straight to the water, where they practice a series of difficult dives, fit for only the bravest and elite student athletes on campus.

Rex Barden, one funniest freshman at CdM, describes himself as easily excitable and fun to be around. He enjoys using his sense of humor to lighten the mood and make his classmates laugh. He and Moses both dive for the Mission Viejo Nadadores and CdM dive team. Their fellow Nadadores teammates and friends, freshman Jen Wetton and junior Tabby Taykre, also dive for CdM. Additionally, their friend, freshman Chris Ziglar, dives with them, just on the CdM team.

Barden has been diving for one year. He started diving in eighth grade because he was a former gymnast and was ready for a new challenge. Since then, he has fallen in love with the sport and hopes to one day get a college scholarship for diving.

“My favorite thing about diving is that it is a unique sport that not many people participate in,” said Barden.

To be a successful diver, one must have dedication and a specific skill set of flexibility, athleticism, and balance. For Barden, his years of gymnastics training and swim practice have prepared him and allowed him to perfect his diving

technique with little difficulty. However, practice makes perfect, so he and Moses practice their moves on the high dives four times a week for two hour time periods.

The highest Barden has ever dived from was the seven meter tower, but he prefers to dive from the one and three meter springboards, or a five meter tower.

Sometimes the nerves get to him, but after he completes the dive, his fears just fade away. “Sometimes diving makes me get all tense and nervous, but it also gives me that rush of adrenaline, which makes me feel unstoppable,” Barden exclaimed.

After he perfects one dive, he is ready to move forward and learn a new dive.

“When I am attempting a new dive, I first practice it on the ground a few times, then dry my legs so I don’t slip out of my position and give it a try,” explained Barden. “It’s important to concentrate on the dive and keep practicing until you perfect it.”

Some of Barden’s favorite dives are the armstand dives, front one and one half pike, back one and one half, and the gainer flip with a half twist. The most difficult dive Barden can complete is the front double, which requires two forward somersaults, but he is excited to learn even more advanced dives.

Though Barden has only been diving for one year, he has already earned five first places, four second places, and one third place in various competitions. Darien Moses, his fellow teammate, has won several second places, but is still training

hard to win that first place.

Moses describes herself as confident and determined because she always tries to perform to the best of her ability. She spends her free time hanging out with her friends and does not mind embarrassing herself in front of others if she gets a good laugh. She has been diving for CdM and the Nadadores for one and a half years, and has enjoyed every minute of the experience.

Out of the four types of dives—fronts, backs, inwards, and reverses—the most difficult dive that Moses can complete is the front two and one half tuck. Her favorite dive, however, is the back one and one half twist.

Diving has had a major impact on Moses’ life. “It helps me come in contact with my fears and how I should get over them. It makes me feel different than everyone, being that I do a sport that isn’t practical,” said Moses.

The highest tower Moses dives off of is the seven meter tower. She also dives off the one and three meter springboards, and the five meter tower, like Barden.

Occasionally, Moses gets nervous about a new dive during practice. To avoid getting nervous during a meet, she prepares for all new dives by starting small and leading up to the new dive. “Sometimes we use water belts that the coach uses to hold us up and make sure we don’t get injured while practicing a new dive,” said Moses.

In the future, Moses dreams of joining the diving team in college and one day becoming nationally ranked. Until then, she hopes to qualify for nationals in Tennessee.

Diving is an enjoyable sport for all dedicated thrill-seekers who love the water.

“For anyone interested in pursuing diving, it’s is important to have an open mind about heights, spinning, and twisting.

Also, be the best you can be and know that anything is possible if you set your mind to it,” said Moses.

Diving may seem scary at first, but with hard work and dedication, you can be flipping, flying, and diving right in no time.

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article by Hannah Schoenbaum

ATHLETICS

Natalia Bruening

A

lthough Natalia Bruening may be merely a sophomore, her amazing attributes make her impossible to over look. If her powerful 6’3” stature isn’t enough to grab your attention, the way Bruening is able to excel both athletically and academically should.

Her time management skills and wellrounded features are an inspiration to her surrounding peers and friends.

Bruening’s activeness has been fostered from early on in her life. Since she was in first grade, Bruening has dominated the basketball court. “I was pretty much born into a basketball family,” Bruening said, “It caused me to start playing from a super young age.” Her years of basketball experience paid off as she has been apart of the school’s varsity basketball team since freshman year.

Bruening has also won numerous sports awards, such as being placed on the second team all-league last year and being put on the Daily Pilot Newport Mesa Dream Team. This year, she was awarded with a spot on the All-Tournament Team for the Ocean View Winter Classic, and was named a Daily Pilot Player of the Week.

Her prior expertise allowed her to develop an affinity for court-based sports, as she also tried volleyball in seventh grade. Beginning with volleyball clinics, Bruening has grown to play both club volleyball and be on CdM’s varsity team.

The Best of Both Worlds

Her mom played both basketball and volleyball in college, which helps inspire and motivate Bruening to play hard.

Both her mother and father are huge inspirations for the young superstar.

“They keep me grounded and have a huge impact in my life,” Bruening said, “They provide me with life lessons, comedy, and love,” Bruening laughed and jokingly apologized for being sappy.

Bruening not only excels on the courts, but she is studious and hardworking in the classrooms as well. Bruening deals with a heavy workload of an AP class and two honors classes. Bruening has well over a 4.0 and will continue to challenge herself academically.

“The way Natalia is able to handle all of her activities is amazing,” said friend and classmate Mia Schuman, “another remarkable thing that some over look is Bruening’s numerous extra curricular activities, including yearbook class.”

Not only is Bruening on the board and in leadership positions for multiple clubs throughout campus, but she somehow manages to be editor-in-chief of CdM’s yearbook as a sophomore, something that is a remarkable feat.

“Natalia is so meticulous and skilled that she developed the nick name the ‘One [wo]man yearbook staff.’ She has shown more responsibility than most of the senior editors I’ve had,” said yearbook advisor Laura Holk.

Bruening started her yearbook career by participating in the elective journalism

during middle school. She was the over-arching theme editor of the middle school yearbook in eighth grade and the experience trained her enough to be able to handle the tremendous responsibility of the high school one this year. Bruening is described as being very focused, driven, and deadline oriented, which all attribute to being the perfectionist the yearbook editor must be.

“I like yearbook because I am able to display so many memories made throughout the year, and create something that people keep for the rest of their lives. It’s surreal,” Bruening explained. It’s her passion for the things that she does that motivates her to balance her busy schedule.

Bruening has become an expert of time management and does not fall privy to the allure of procrastination. Juggling two varsity sports, good grades, and extra curricular activities is not something that comes easy.

“I basically live at the gym and spend two to six hours exercising and training every day. Because of this, I really have to focus when doing homework, studying, or working on the yearbook. I have been playing sports for quite some time now, so time management has become second nature for me,” added Bruening.

As only a sophomore Bruening has taken on more responsibility than most on CdM’s campus. It’s students like Bruening whose remarkable traits provide inspiration for those around them.

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article & photo by Krista Schildwachter

TRIDENT

March 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

Tame Impala: “The Psychedelic Beatles”

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hen one first hears Tame Impala, they often compare the voice of front man Kevin Parker to that of John Lennon or even George Harrison. Tame Impala is often referred to as the “psychedelic Beatles,” and they truly bring new life into the late 60’s early 70’s style of music.

Tame Impala has their own style, groove, and most of all sound. The native-born Australians describe themselves as “a steady flowing groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody.” Fans often share that they feel as though they are dreaming while listening to the band.

“Tame Impala creates a perfect balance in their music, making it both calming and uplifting. Their uniqueness is due to the music’s psychedelic vibe and its ability to make one feel like they are in another dimension while listening,” said junior Elin Wolker.

Tame Impala started as one of Parker’s home-recording projects. His music began to spread on MySpace and he needed additional band members to perform the music on a live stage. He then recruited

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bassist Dominic Simper, who he had already been a musical companion with since the age of 13, and drummer Jay Watson. Since then, guitarist Nick Allbrook has joined the gang to help with live performances.

“Kevin Parker is a genius. I can listen to Tame Impala over and over again and still find different parts of the song that I think are cool,” said junior Amy Maxwell.

Tame Impala released their first EP in 2008, in which Parker performed every instrument himself. Since then, the band has released two more albums, InnerSpeaker and Lonerism.

InnerSpeaker, their first album, focuses more on guitar than electronics. It truly meshes together as a whole, and should be listened to in its entirety. The album was released in 2010 and immediately caught the attention of MGMT who took Tame Impala with them on tour.

Their sophomore album, Lonerism, was released in 2012 and brought the band into the radar of many music lovers. Songs like ‘Elephant’ and ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ can now be heard almost daily on KROQ and other popular radio stations. Every song on the album is its own work of art, and serves as its own story to each listener.

“Tame Impala’s music enchants me. I like to just close my eyes and succumb myself to their dreamy tunes,” said junior Kirsten Hansen.

Tame Impala is all about the feeling their music evokes. It’s impossible to not feel impacted by the psychedelic vibes and sunny sounds, which are brought upon by Parker’s vintage instruments and music editing.

“Their music is perfect to blast while cruising down PCH,” said junior Matilda Bress.

Tame Impala is unlike any other band and should not be looked over. They have reinvented the sounds of the late 60’s without attempting to recreate another artist’s work. Hansen.

Tame Impala is all about the feeling their music evokes. It’s impossible to not feel impacted by the psychedelic vibes and sunny sounds.

“Their music is perfect to blast while cruising down PCH,” said junior Matilda Bress.

Tame Impala is unlike any other band and should not be looked over. They have reinvented the sounds of the late 60’s without attempting to recreate another artist’s work. Check them out for yourself and fall in love with the sound. article by Maddie Tenebaum photos by Tameimpala.com

ENTERTAINMENT

The Oscars The Celebration of the Evolution of Film and the Flair of Fashion

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he Hollywood buzz surrounding the Oscars is always palpable, and this year was no different, judgement of stars’ outfits, predictions of the winners, and excitement for Ellen Degeneres as the host were all over the media. The 86th Annual Academy Awards took place on Sunday, March 4th, continuing the tradition of honoring films and actors in different categories of excellence for the year 2014.

Regardless of all the hype, the Oscars are still a competition, and the real news is who won. This year, ‘Gravity’ racked up numerous awards, winning 7 Oscars in total including Best Visual Effects and having the Best Director. The coveted Best Picture award went to the historical drama, ‘12 Years a Slave’, directed by Steve McQueen. The film also had the Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o.

The decisions of the Academy caused, as usual, their fair share of controversy especially among CdM students. “I feel like ‘12 Years a Slave’ didn’t really deserve Best Picture. It was a pretty unoriginal story that didn’t do anything we hadn’t seen before,” said junior Emily Fujita.

Fujita’s disappointment with the winners were not uncommon, as ‘Gravity’s’ many awards were an often debated topic.

“I can’t believe ‘Gravity’ won so many awards. It felt like all the other nominees were virtually ignored,” said sophomore and film-enthusiast Shane McCartney. The litany of grievances over who won and lost is far longer, with complaints ranging from the lack of attention to some films and the article by Connor Mickelsen photos courtesy of NBC.com

continued withholding of an Oscar from Leonardo DiCaprio to the organization of the show and presenters.

Despite all this, nearly everyone agrees on the talent and poise of Ellen Degeneres.

She was almost universally praised as a host this year. Her casual attitude and playful banter brought some needed levity to the notoriously long awards ceremony.

Junior Johnny Rhone described Ellen Degeneres as “a really awesome host. She made the time in between presentations super entertaining.” Degeneres’s antics while hosting included ordering pizza for the stars, constantly changing costume, and tweeting a group photo that was viewed by nearly 39 million people on Twitter. She stole the stage as The Oscar’s main attraction.

The awards show recently struggled with falling ratings and was even called archaic and boring, but this year was a tremendous success. Despite the inevitable drama, outrage over the awards, and ridiculous wardrobe scrutinization, the Academy Awards proved their relevance and true necessity this year. The show is meant to honor achievements in film, and we had that in spades.

Top: Ellen Degeneres and many celebrities posed for a photo in the middle of the Awards.

Bottom: Oscar host: Ellen Degeneres, courtesy of NBC.

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March 2014

Red Cross Month

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Calling Support for our Nation’s Premier Humanitarian Organizations

ho are the brave souls who are at every disaster scene providing support? What network has worked to meet the needs of communities world wide for 130 years? The American Red Cross is the world’s largest humanitarian network. Clara Barton founded it in 1881 but there was no Red Cross month until 1943 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed March as Red Cross Month.

“I request that during that month (March) our people rededicate themselves to the splendid aims and activities of the Red Cross. I summon the men, women, and young people of our country, in every city and town and village, in every county and state throughout the land, to enlist in the arm of mercy mobilized under the banner of the Red Cross War fund,”stated President D. Roosevelt, 1943.

Since Roosevelt laid the foundations for this tradition, every subsequent President has followed in his precedent and proclaimed the month of March as

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Red Cross month. This simple, mutual gesture among the presidents signifies the acknowledged importance of the foundation.

The Red Cross consists of a network of donors, volunteers, and employees. It å to provide support and care to those in need around the world through five key service areas.

One of the reliefs includes the disaster relief. The disaster relief focuses on the immediate needs of people in a disaster.

They provide things such as food, shelter, and emotional support. This service is invaluable because each year the American Red Cross responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made disasters in the U.S. whether they are hurricanes, earthquakes,tornadoes, hazardous material spills, transportation accidents, and explosions.

Another one includes the Supporting America’s Military Families. The Red Cross has numerous methods of supporting America’s military families. They use advanced methods of supporting America’s military families.

They use advanced communications technologies to link service members with their families. They also connect

military families to local resources and support services. They provide training that helps them to cope with military life.

And, of course, they provide transition and reintegration support to wounded warriors, to veterans, and Veterans’ affairs.

Also, the Red Cross is in charge of supplying blood. The American Red Cross is the largest blood collection organization in the nation,supplying approximately 40 percent of blood and blood and blood products in our country. They are also a leader in research and testing to protect the safety of the blood supply.

Each year there are approximately 5.6 million blood donations. Also, roughly 3.3 million generous volunteer blood donors, and more than 8 million transfusable blood products.

Lastly, the Health and Safety Services provides courses and certifications ranging from life guarding courses to becoming a Red Cross instructor. They also have a library of tips and checklists to help you before, during, and after an emergency.

Clearly Red Cross month is an essential time for the eligible to help out, because of the effect the American Red Cross has on everyone’s welfare. article by Rourke Funke photo by Redcross.com

SCI/TECH

T he

G enographic

P roject

The Human Story

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ecently, advancements in the science of DNA testing have occurred.

Now all people who want to test their DNA, for personal reasons, can do so from their own home and for a very inexpensive price.

Many different people, from various countries attend CdM. These people’s families have come from everywhere around the world. When asked about where their families come from most say, “America.” But, when they say that, they are not necessarily telling the truth about their heritage. To be an American is often being comprised of multiple ethnicities. While websites like Ancestry. com give people their list of relatives, the Genographic Project tells the user where they are from, up to 500,000 years ago. The Genographic project is led by Dr. Spencer Wells in collaboration with The National Geographic Society.

The Genographic Project was first launched in 2005, when 11 global regional teams of scientists asked for and took DNA samples, specifically, cheek swabs, from more than 450,000 people wanting to know their ancestry. The places where the teams took the DNA samples were from small indigenous tribes from around the world, including tribes from Africa and some of the Pacific Islands.

After seven long years of studies and tests, later, in 2012, the Genographic

article by Nick Snyder photo by Nationalgeographic.com

Project was up and running at full speed.

The scientists were finally prepared to obtain the results that they desired. This year the project introduced The Geno 2.0 Public Participation Kit. This kit invites the members of the test to take part in the second phase of the project to learn groundbreaking information about their families’ ancestry, like where the family was started and began its journey to where they are now.

Now with more than 660,701 people from over 104 countries the possibilities are endless for this project and other technological advances using DNA analysis. With the information that the scientists, under Dr. Wells, have received, the scientists involved with this project, have created a map that could possibly be the answer to a major scientific question, how did humans populate the world?

Most people have the same ideas as these scientists, but not to as a conclusive explanation as these people have made.

Older maps have stated that the humans were colonized in many different groups around the world. But, the newer information from the current study suggests that everyone started out colonized in a big group in Africa and moved north. The entire group moved towards Asia and Europe. But most of the people stopped there. However a small group continued on to the Americas.

The scientists have made this conclusion because of the information that they have gathered from the DNA in the Americas.

The Geno 2.0 is the device that people use to send their DNA to The Genographic Project.

The people in these areas have produced results that a lot of the people in Europe and Asia have not.

The man who is primarily responsible for this project is Dr. Spencer Wells, a leading population geneticist, who has been wondering how we, the humans of the earth, have come to populate our world.

With the help of National Geographic, Dr. Wells has come up with The Genographic Project. The Genographic Project is a notfor-profit, non-medical, multi-year global project that uses genetics to tell people where they, and their families, originated.

Clearly the Genographic Project has made steps in technology as well as DNA studies. Before the Genographic Project was even started, to get DNA tested, it would cost over $1,000. But now the scientists involved have managed to get the price down to $160. Because of this reason, the project has been able to receive as many participants as possible.

Sophomore Marcus Hamilton stated, ”It’s amazing that the world has been able to make so many technological advances to be able to now know this information, of our extensive heritage, by just a cheek swab.”

The Genographic Project keeps growing larger and larger every day. With every person who joins the experiment, the scientists get closer and closer to finding out the final answer. When thinking about the different ethnicities at CdM, imagine what the tests you and your fellow classmates would produce.

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Fast-Forward

Turning the Clocks Forward for the Future of our Planet

osing an hour of sleep can be a difficult transition for most high school students.

Daylight savings time typically has no effect on how early teenagers fall asleep at night, but when the morning comes around, the sleep deprivation really shows.

As a result, most students dread the spring forward time change, and anxiously await the fall back change in November when they gain an extra hour of rest.

For those adults who work later hours, however, the extra hour of daylight can be a real advantage.

Most countries in the northern hemisphere change their clocks for daylight savings, but surprisingly not all.

This year, daylight savings time began at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 9 and ends at 2:00 AM on Sunday, November 2.

As ridiculous as it may seem to alter time and fast-forward an hour into the future, daylight savings actually has its rewards. The concept was created for the farmers about one hundred years ago to get better use of the daylight and enjoy every sunny moment to the fullest.

Studies show that daylight savings time has helped reduce road accidents by giving drivers an extra hour of light during the day. Crime rates have also decreased during daylight savings months because most crimes are committed during the night, and with shorter hours, there is less time for these crimes to be committed.

Additionally, daylight savings has been proven to increase daily leisure, family bonding, and overall socialization.

“I actually like the spring forward daylight savings change because it mixes things up and forces our bodies to go through a transition, which I believe we need every once in a while,” said freshman Lauren Oberreiter. “Our ability to make adjustments in the face of change is what really prepares us for the future.”

But perhaps the greatest benefit of daylight savings is reduced energy consumption. When Congress extended

On March 9, the clocks were turned an hour forward, from 2:00 to 3:00.

daylight savings time by four weeks starting in 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy investigated the impact on energy usage. The study concluded that the fourweek extension saved about 0.5 percent of the nation’s electricity per day, which is

enough to power 100,000 households for a year.

Daylight savings is not the only timebased strategy for reducing energy consumption. Every year, on the last Saturday of March, millions of people flick off their lights and enjoy a peaceful hour of darkness, in honor of International Earth Hour. With the tagline, “Dark city, bright idea,” this short, but highly beneficial celebration of the planet is observed on a global level at 8:30 PM in each local time zone. According to an international online survey, 36 million people participated in Earth Hour in 2008. Just by turning off the lights for one hour, the Earth can save much-needed power and take the first step toward a brighter future.

Being environmentally friendly should not just be limited to a single hour, or even just the single month of March for that matter. Even in the CdM community, students can do their part in improving the environment. “This year I have made it my goal to take shorter showers and I am currently only buying environmentally friendly paper, so for every tree that is cut down, two more trees will be planted in its place,” said Oberreiter, as she instinctively reached over to clean up a piece of trash on school campus.

Whether one is a senior, junior, sophomore, or freshman, they are still a valuable member of this generation. Every environmentally beneficial and hurtful act that this generation performs will come back to affect us in the future. What goes around comes around, so it is important fast-forward and start preparing for a better future today.

article & photo by Hannah Schoenbaum

GLOBAL

Earth Day

Three Ways to be Environmentally Active in Your Community

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or over 40 years, millions of people worldwide have vowed to contribute their help to the environment in honor of Earth Day. Although many show support for the environment throughout, Earth Day allows everyone an opportunity to reach out

Plant A Tree

Planting a tree can benefit the Earth far more than one may imagine. According to SavATree, a single tree produces 260 pounds of oxygen per year and absorbs as much carbon in a year as a car produces by driving 26,000 miles. Besides benefiting the Earth, trees are useful for anyone outdoors who needs a break from the heat. Trees provide cool shade and are home to many types of wildlife. While buying seeds to plant trees, keep in mind what kind of trees grow best in your community. Ask an employee at a garden shop nearest you or do a bit of research yourself before planting a tree.

in their community and make positive changes that support environmental protection. The ways in which people can help are limitless; but for one looking for an easy way to help conserve nature’s beauty, these three ideas will get a person to show appreciation on April 22.

Walk, Hike or Ride a Bike

Take this opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Instead of staying cooped inside all day, take a walk with friends, or your dog, go on a hike and exercise, or take a bike ride through a park.

Many people enjoy Earth Day outdoors, so you may even make some new friends on your outdoor adventures. If you’re feeling more inclined to be environmentally conscious, the easiest way to save gas and help keep our air clean is to find an alternate way of transportation. Instead of driving here, there and everywhere, use public transportation or carpools to conserve energy and reduce pollution. Although alternate transportation may not be possible every day, Earth Day is an awesome day to try it out.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

People hear the slogan “reduce, reuse, recycle” all the time, and now it is time to put the phrase into action. Reducing your waste goes along with reducing your spending. Think environmentally and economically smart. Instead of buying an excess of products on your next trip to the grocery store, purchase less to avoid throwing away leftover goods.

Especially pay attention to the products with lots of plastic packaging and try to avoid them. Also, be sure to bring or buy reusable cloth grocery bags. Instead of using a plastic water bottle, why not use an environmentally friendly water container? Recycling is key, and one of the easiest earthfriendly activities someone can do. Instead of having one trash can, utilize one for garbage, and one for recyclable products such as plastic, paper, and empty cans. If you are unsure of the policies for recycling in your community, ask your neighbors or community officials.

We may be under the impression that planting one tree or reducing our waste may make no difference. But if everyone pitches in a little bit of effort on Earth Day as well as every other day of the year, our Earth will be a much healthier, cleaner, and more extraordinarily beautiful place.

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article & photos by Lauren Lamm

GLOBAL

International 2 01 Women’s Day 4 Fighting For Equality One Century at a Time

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s a nation and a world, equality is a principle for which citizens collectively strive. Most dream of an unprejudiced society founded upon egalitarianism; however, both the past and present have been laced with intolerance and inequality between races, religions, and sexes.

Throughout all of history, women have been stereotyped as subordinate to the male gender. Women have been oppressed and have been looked down upon in every way: culturally, religiously, economically, and politically. However, as decades proceed, the walls of sexism are being chipped away. Although President Obama reports that women still earn 77 cents for every dollar a man makes working the same job, society has modernized and progressed immensely from the constant injustice that once poisoned it.

The continuous improvement in decreasing gender discrimination is due to the motivated and capable minds of womankind. In 1908, during an era of mammoth expansion and radical ideologies, women became restless with the oppression and inequality relayed onto them. On March 8th of that year, 15,000 impassioned women courageously took to the streets and marched for equality and fought for their rights. Ever since the monumental moment, women have consistently been standing up for themselves and their ideals. article by Krista Schildwachter photo by Internationalwomensday.com

This year, Women’s Day will be internationally celebrated over a hundred years later on March 8 to honor the growing power of feminism that has taken hold of the hearts of males and females alike. Although the United States is not one, this occurrence is an official holiday in over twenty countries and is spreading rapidly. In some regions, Women’s Day is even held to an equivalent status as Mother’s Day and generates vast participation.

“International Women’s Day is important to showcase the progression of becoming a more equal society.”

—Suhaa Dada Internationally, both genders engage in the celebration of womankind. Male citizens honor the female figures in their lives, such as mothers, wives, and colleagues by gifting flowers and trinkets of appreciation, while women celebrate the day by pushing for more change and recognizing the past accomplishments that allow them to be the people they are today.

“International Women’s Day is so important to showcase the progression of becoming a more equal society,” said senior and feminist Suhaa Dada.

Globally, territories hold local events to motivate and honor the important day. Rallies, conferences, performances, and numerously more activities are held to help unite females from all over the planet. Some worldwide corporations run widespread events and campaigns to help connect the world in a bond of sisterhood.

In the past, Google has even changed its logo to have one of the ‘o’s be the common symbol for female.

A multitude of significant changes have been made in society, and International Women’s Day is a time to appreciate and ponder the spectacular progress earth has made in individual rights. Emancipation has been achieved, females are welcome into universities, they can work, express valued opinions, and have choices.

It’s easy to fixate on the minuscule amount of female political figures and businesswomen, and the idea that in some areas health, education, and violence equality is worse for women than men, but there is a hopeful future of inspired females to encourage further justice.

The only two attributes one needs to positively impact the world is passion and determination. Hopefully as future decades pass, our generation is able to inspire a wave of change in support of equality for all. In the upcoming decades, let’s strive to make every day International Women’s Day.

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