04.20.12

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Lilli Babb co-stars in Hello! My Baby at Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara.

Westlake High School VOLUME XXXIV, ISSUE 7

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Page 15 Boys baseball looks towards CIF Playoffs.

Boys tennis fights for Marmonte League Championship.

April 20, 2012

100 N. LAKEVIEW CANYON ROAD, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362

Seniors To Showcase Talents Shannon Reiffen Feature Editor

PHOTOS BY BARBARA MAZEIKA

Oklahoma Stakes Acclaim

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he Performing Arts Department’s rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma continues performances in the Carpenter Family Theatre April 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. The production is the first musical collaboration by the orchestra, theatre, band, and choir groups in over ten years.

Senior Receives $20,000 Scholar Athlete Award Lisa Battaglia Editor-in-chief

PHOTO BY LISA BATTAGLIA

Jada Webster ’12 was awarded a $20,000 scholarship from Foot Locker Dosomething.org on April 16. She was one of 20 recipients nationwide to receive the award for college expenses.

About 11,000 seniors in high school nationwide applied for the scholarship.

Webster’s counselor Moira Fagan Simpson kept the award presentation a secret. Webster was summoned to the main office where Fagan-Simpson pretended to interview Webster in the office.

Webster was surprised by Foot Locker manager in Santa Monica, Stuart Stone, District Manager Ryan Anderson, basketball coach William Burr, and her parents, Marsha and Thomas Webster.

Webster completed an application including essays, a resume, and a Skype interview before she was chosen as one of the recipients of the scholarship.

“I’m so blessed that my hard work paid off,” said Webster.

Webster “epitomizes” the kind of scholar athlete Foot Locker and dosomething.org endorse, said Anderson. “[She] is motivated to lead by example,” said Anderson as he rewarded Webster on her hard work as an athlete and a standout scholar

SLAM DUNK: Senior Jada Webster was presented with a check from Foot Locker Scholar Athletes.

achieving above a 4.0 GPA. Coach Burr has watched Webster emerge as a varsity basketball player for the past two years. Webster has been a member of the WHS team for four years and one of the team captains during her senior year.

Webster’s parents kept the secret from her for about a week and were “proud” when they heard the

news.

Foot Locker awarded all 20 recipients on the same day. “It’s the extra things she does that makes her perfect for the award,” said Anderson.

Foot Locker and dosomething. org recognized her several awards and achievements in her high school career including the President’s

Volunteer Service Award and the National Youth Leaders Conference Teacher Nomination.

Webster has been accepted to many of the most prestigious universities all over the country including Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern, which are her top choices as of now, but she has not made her final decision.

Once a year, WHS seniors tune their instruments, warm up their vocal chords, and practice their dance moves all in preparation for Senior Showcase.

Senior Showcase will take place in the Carpenter Family Theatre on April 27 and 28.

Senior Showcase is a WHS tradition that lets all the seniors with any sort of unique talent show off their skills for their friends and family.

After the difficult process of selecting the final 17 acts for the show, the students are now preparing and practicing for the important night.

“I am excited to see the talent my fellow peers will showcase, show off a little of my own rap skills and end my senior year doing something for my class with my classmates before we all leave for college,” said performer Josh Rose ’12.

Rose will not only be doing the rap part of a song with Lexi Sloan ‘12, Tyler Baca ‘12 and Alissa Ross ‘12, but will also be performing with the Advanced Anatomy class.

The Advanced Anatomy is just one of the many groups and pairs performing in the senior showcase. There will also be a performance from the ABCD club. Jesse Hou ‘12 will be showing off his dance moves in his “Single Ladies” dance, and David Goldberg ‘12 will wow audiences with a drum solo.

The showcase is a time for the seniors not only to shine, but also to hold a fundraiser.

The class will sponsor a silent auction before and after each night’s show, with items for parents, teachers and students to bid on.

Some of these items will be gift certificates to local boutiques, beauty salons and spas.

Four teachers—Scott Holloway, Lora Novak, Ashley Tomkins, and Lauren Palotay—have also volunteered to have lunch with a lucky raffle winner.

Tickets are sold at the Wigwam for $1 from April 23-27.

“If the senior class can raise at least $4,000, we can lower the price of prom tickets a little bit, which everyone would want,” according to Dean of Activities Brandy LaRue. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for non-students.

They may be purchased ahead of time or at the door.

News

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April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

SkillsUSA Members Qualify for Nationals Tickets Go on Sale for Senior Events

Student Speaks at TEDxConejo Conference

Alex Nutkiewicz ‘12 participated in TEDxConejo, a self-organized, local version of Technology Entertainment, and Design (TED), on March 31 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. TED is a nonprofit global set of conferences with the motto, “Ideas worth spreading,” designed to incite sharing of ideas and discussion among people around the world.

Physics teacher Scott Holloway and Nutkiewicz spoke at the event about the importance of opportunities for inspiration and the potential of new nuclear fusion technology to solve the current energy crisis, respectively.

“I felt sharing information about this developing form of energy was important because so many people are now afraid of nuclear power,” said Nutkiewicz.

Choral Music Wins Gold Awards in Anaheim Michelle Noyes News Editor

WHS Choral Music Department received six gold awards at the Heritage Festival, the national festival that took place on March 30 in Anaheim at the Rose Theater.

Vocal Ensemble, placing first, won gold in the Concert Choir division. Vocal Ensemble, performing as Premiere, won another gold award for show choir.

Women’s Chorale sang their way to two gold awards. In the Women’s division at the festival, the group won gold for Concert Choir. Performing as Treble Makers, Women’s Chorale won third place scoring a gold in the Show Choir division.

Men’s Ensemble received two gold awards, one for their classical Men’s division and one for its Show Choir performance.

“It was a wonderful festival. I think the kids stepped it up. Not only did they perform well, but I also think they were a great audience to the other choirs there,” said Choir Director Alan Rose.

Premiere won the Top Choir award in the entire competition out of 62 different choir groups. All three groups of students brought back the Adjudicator award. The award is given to choir groups receiving separate scores of 94 points or higher out of the possible 100 points. It took nearly a month of work to learn the new classical pieces for the festival.

For being inspirational to her peers Ashley Pray ’12 won The Spirit of Disneyland’s “You Make Your Memories” award. Michael Mancuso ’12 earned the Mistro Award for his outstanding solo work.

The scores received by all the groups at the Heritage Festival were the groups’ highest ever.

COURTESY PHOTO

Tickets for Prom will go on sale at the student store and online on April 30 for $85 with an ASB sticker and $90 without.

Grad Nite tickets will also go on sale that day for $90. Prom ticket prices are subject to change after the Senior Showcase fundraisers on April 27 and 28. The last day to purchase Prom and Grad Nite tickets is May 20.

Graduation tickets will be available at the student store during the week of May 29 only. Each graduating senior will receive two free tickets for guests and may purchase up to eight additional guest tickets for $10 each.

MEDALS OF HONOR: Team members wear the medals they earned at the SkillsUSA Competition held in San Diego.

Frances Ling Feature Editor

SkillsUSA members competed in the SkillsUSA California Skills Championships and Leadership Conference in San Diego on April 12-15.

The WHS team competed in the regional competition on Jan 28. and Feb. 4, and 22 students qualified to move on to the state competition. SkillsUSA competed

with other schools from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties.

SkillsUSA California was formed in 1965 and aims to provide leadership training for students and instructors.

SkillsUSA “capitalizes on individuals competitive drive and encourages the development of leadership and career skills through competition,” according to its website. It “is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives,

working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.

Gold medal winners at the state level will move on to the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City in June 26-29.

Gold medal winners from WHS include Frank Duan ‘12, Fandi Lin ‘12, Joyce Zhang ‘12, Amanda Zhou ‘13, Jesse Hou ‘12, Inez Lam ‘12, Jacquie Teobaldi ‘13, Amanda Zhou ‘13, Kevin Chian ‘12, and Peter Yan ‘14. Bronze medal winners include Stephan Aman ‘13 and Jane Chen ‘13.

“Obviously, I hope that we’ll place, but I’d just be happy to know that we tried out best, won state, and all had fun!”, said Zhou.

In addition, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) will compete in the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Irvine on April 19-22. According to its website, the SLC aims to “offer leadership and career development training, and to determine who will represent California in national competitions.”

“Our FBLA chapter has been competing for 2 years. We have had several individuals place at the regional level,” said Dr. Laurie Looker. This year, 16 students qualified at the regional competition to attend the state competition.

“FBLA is a great club because it presents you with real life situations where you need to apply what you’ve learned,” said FBLA club member Amy Li ‘15.

Sophomores Win Award in Global Science Competition Science Olympiad is no longer the only science competition that WHS students have won awards in; four sophomores have changed that.

WHS students Amanda Shi ‘14, Monica Shi ‘14, Vivian Hu ‘14, and Cynthia Yin ‘14 won the honorable mention for the Best Usage of Multi-media at the USC QuikSCience competition on April 5. They also received $150 for classroom usage at WHS. The team competed against 74 other teams that were from schools as close as Oak Park and as far as Hawaii and Guam.

The QuikSCience challenge is a competition in which a team of students compiles a portfolio that includes community service, a lesson plan to teach students, a research proposal, and an environmental solution.

WHS team’s focus was on the preservation of wetlands, and the members created a Facebook page (Westlake Wetland Awareness) and a website (www.wix. com/whsquikscience/westlake-wetlandawareness#!) to raise awareness about the deteriorating state of the wetlands and alert the community that there are local wetlands that need help even in Southern California.

They spread their ideas and got over 1,800 views on their Facebook page. Also, they organized a community service cleanup at Ballona Wetlands with club members from the Cove Club and Science Olympiad to help a local wetland, one of the biggest in Southern California.

Their research proposal targeted the effects of pollution on water and different

plants that can be used to naturally filter the water.

The team, although happy with this year’s outcome, hopes to earn an even higher award next year. The members are determined to work hard and return next year with an even better portfolio for the project and are excited to start the project again. But even this first year of participating in the competition has been an enjoyable experience and huge learning opportunity for the members.

“Through the QuikSCience Challenge, I have been exposed to the significance of wetlands to native species, the environment, humans, and society… I have been inspired to make an impact in my local community by educating others about wetlands,” said Yin.

News

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Italian Unit Inspires Cash Award Krista Lamorie-Foote Staff Writer

PHOTO BY HANYI HUANG

VIVA ITALIA: Maria Scirone (right) receives a grant from Cash 4 Conejo Schools Foundation.

Yin Places 1st at Science Fair Ryan Cheng Staff Writer Cynthia Yin ‘14 won first place at the 2012 Ventura County Science Fair, in the Senior Division Biochemistry Category for her project titled “Structural Integrity of the Cytoskeleton in Response to Myosin Inhibitors” and was honored at an awards ceremony on March 22.

Yin has competed in science fairs since 6th grade, earning first place at the county level and third place at the state level for junior physics in 7th grade, second place at the county level for junior physics in 8th grade, and a first place at the county level for senior biochemistry last year.

“Winning again does feel great,” said Yin, “though the knowledge gained from the project and the feedback from fellow competitors and the judges that review my project are equally as important. I’ve been interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) since I was young.

I started conducting research at a mechanical engineering lab at UCLA, which is where I completed my science fair experiments,” stated Yin when asked about her past experience.

Yin will compete for the state title on April 30 to May 1, and for the international title in Pittsburg, PA on May 13-18.

Students Catch Rare Glimpse of Catch-22 Plane Vivian Hu Feature Editor Crawling around an old plane used in the movie of Catch-22? Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

A few AP English Literature students, along with English teacher Lora Novak, visited the American Aeronautical Foundation near the Camarillo Airport on March 31 to see a B25, Executive Sweet, used in the movie version of Catch-22.

With all English 12AP students reading Catch-22 this semester, their study coincided with the visit. The plane played a central part in the World War II novel as well as the movie, which was filmed in the 1960s.

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Culinary Arts teacher Maria Scirone, received a $250 grant from the Conejo Schools Foundation to enhance her Italy unit in her foods classes.

The foundation’s program, Cash 4 Conejo, selects and rewards four teachers in the CVUSD each month with a $250 grant. The goal is to supply teachers with money to enrich their programs and the students’ educational experience.

Since Scirone is an Italian

American, she had no obstacles creating an Italy unit to help students “understand the general characteristics, the geography, unique cooking tools and techniques, brief history, culture, and philosophy of Italy.” In the new unit, students will decorate the room with Italian inspired art, listen to Italian music, and cook authentic Italian food. There are 14 different recipes that they will learn, including an antipasto salad and cheesy garlic bread.

Scirone is excited to receive the grant to update her Italy unit, as it will help her students better

understand the unique aspects that make up Italian food. She plans on using the grant money to buy new Italian posters, cooking tools, and food.

“It is important to understand not only how food is made, but how and why each culture prepares their food,” Scirone said. The grant now allows her to enrich her program, benefiting the students’ knowledge.

“I would like to thank Conejo Schools Foundation for the opportunity. I am happy to teach students a vital life skill,” Scirone said.

Welcome to UCLA!—not so fast Alex Farkas Sports Editor

Matt Weir ‘12 was one of 894 students who received an email from UCLA on April 7 congratulating him on his acceptance to the university.

What should have been an exciting moment quickly became a disappointment when news broke that the school had erroneously accepted 894 students who were supposed to have been wait-listed.

Weir had planned to attend UC San Diego when he started

receiving emails from UCLA congratulating him on his admittance to UCLA. He, as well as the other waitlisted students, received emails about financial aid and others that invited him to join the Bruin family.

One email read, "Once again congratulations on your admission to UCLA. We hope that this information will assist you in making your decision to join the Bruin Family in the fall."

The students then received emails last week from the admissions office apologizing for

their mistake.

“Mistakes happen and you can’t get your hopes up when you’re on the wait-list,” said Weir.

In total, UCLA received 72,000 applicants. They waitlisted 2,900 of those applicants this year for only 5,400 available spots for freshmen.

This is not the first time this has happened within the college admission process. “In 2009, the University of California, San Diego, accepted all 46,000 students who applied, including the 28,000 it had decided to reject,” according to the Washington Post.

Bronze Have More Fun!

One of the planes that was used in the movie, Executive Sweet, was in Camarillo on March 31. The B25 then flew to Ohio for the 70th and possibly last reunion for the surviving members of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942.

Novak and WHS students had a “preflight” walk around the airplane, and then visited the inside of the aircraft, seeing the flight deck, bombardier, turret gunner, waist gun, and tail gun stations.

In the plane, they got a glimpse of the 1940s systems and technologies, as well as the sacrifices the soldiers made.

“I had no idea how tiny that crawl space is or how claustrophobic it could feel,” said Novak.

Aca Deca Returns from State Finals with 2nd Place Win Krista Lamorie-Foote Staff Writer WHS Academic Decathlon team, led by advisor Joe Nigro, triumphed, winning second place in Division III during its first-ever state championship in Sacramento March 15-17.

The hardworking team finished 31st out of 65 teams, despite coming in with the 46th highest score from the regional competition.

Wyatt Green ‘12, the highest scoring participant in Division III, achieved great success, winning one gold medal and three silver. Also, Lily Chen ’13, the third highest scoring competitor, acquired a silver medal in science and bronze medals in economics, math, and music.

Furthermore, Brian Ho ’12 won a gold medal in math and silvers in both essay and science.

Elliot Friedman ‘12 and Siyuan Wang ‘12 each received a silver medal in science.

Nigro is very proud of the team’s accomplishments, saying, “The members of our team this year are not only brilliant, but they are also all team players, constantly supporting and encouraging each other.”

However, taking tests for five hours was not the only problem the Aca Deca team had to face.

Andrew Hill ’13 needed to be in Chicago to attend a band trip immediately after the competition. Leaving a day early, Hill was rushed on a midnight flight and arrived in Chicago at 6 a.m., to go straight to a music clinic.

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Opinion

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April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Ivy Leagues Occasionally Fail A Dash of Sanity: In'tall'erant

Dashiell Young-Saver Editor-in-chief

I will make this short: tall people have been prejudged, stereotyped, and discriminated against. We have been teased. We have been tortured. And we have become terrified as a result.

We must no longer hold our heads in shame and accept the wrath of our oppressors. I say that we fight back. We need rights. We need privileges. And, above all else, we need equality. It is time to stand up for the rights of the verticallygifted peoples of America.

We are just like everyone else, except that there is more of us. Our high stature distinguishes us in a crowd, making us easy targets for smaller people to compensate against. When I hear statements like, “How’s the weather up there,” or “Excuse me, your Giantness,” I bear it. I grit my teeth. I try not to get short-tempered.

But do you realize how hard it is as a 6’3” individual to have to constantly look down upon your short person world every day, seeing you do all your shortpeople activities, and then just accept it?

I realize that I must say something.

And what I have to say is no tall tale.

It is not right to let the discriminating situation progress as it stands. We need a new standard for treating tall people in this country.

First, no using the word “tall.” It is profanity. Only we can use the word “tall.” I might go up to another verticallygifted person and say, “Yo! What’s up my tall guy! How’s the weather up here?”

If a short person said that, it would be shortchanging our rights. It would give us the short end of the stick. It would make our equality short-lived.

However, there are some alternative words that you can use to refer to my people. For instance, you may call me a vertically-gifted man, a person of “higher” principles, or a towering god among men.

Also, similar to how we have to call midgets “dwarves,” all short people must refer to “talls” as ogres, Cyclopses, or Big Foots (or is it Big Feet?). In the modern world, mythical creatures are the new standard of political correctness.

Second, special privileges must be given to tall students to combat the prejudice they face in school. Thankfully, there are heroes in this country that support our cause. For example, I can apply for the Tall Clubs International Scholarship Program. It awards up to $1000 to help pay for the college education of the tall children of America.

Bravo! Tall people need this money so much more than the poor, the disabled, or the parent-less students of America.

You can just put them on the short list.

Okay. You may be saying, “but tall people have it best.” Well, while it is true that we are more physically suited to play basketball, view standing-roomonly concerts, reach high cabinets, play volleyball, cast shadows, breathe fresh air, stand in the deeper end of a pool, make fun of vertically-challenged people, and win at life, what you don’t realize is that tall people suffer because we can’t do things like…like...like…be short.

Many say that our society nowadays is too sensitive about political incorrectness with regard to race and religion. I say that we are not sensitive enough. All groups, including tall people, need to be referred to and treated specially.

I know that it is a tall order, but to make a long story short, when it comes to tall people’s rights, we must not come up short.

IRONIC IVY: Contrary to popular belief, an Ivy league education may in fact impede future success.

Lauren Chin

Entertainment Editor The allure of Ivy Leagues can be tempting, especially for students whose lives revolve around academics or want to enter highly competitive careers. Yet, sometimes an illustrious Ivy League education isn’t the best choice for every student to pursue. While the weight behind a renowned college education will always impress prospective employers, an Ivy League education will not always help people get ahead in their chosen field or become successful.

One of the great errors of an elite education, according to Ivy League graduate William Deresiewicz from The American Scholar, is “that an elite education inculcates a false sense of self-worth... You learn to think of yourself in terms of those numbers [from numerical rankings such as GPA or the SAT]. They come to signify not only your fate ... but your value.”

This type of mind set can be very detrimental, as it only encourages students

from a young age to work towards a numerical score with the misconceived notion that their future is determined by that one number. They lose sight of the fact that there is an entire world outside of college, where success is not so simply quantified in points.

In the real world, a person needs to show that he or she has a strong work ethic and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. When students are motivated by points and grades, not by the value of the work and its accompanying knowledge, they don’t develop the determination to work hard for rewards less concrete than a numerical score.

Employers look to hire those people who are ready to perform to their maximum potential and soak up all the knowledge they can, not the people locked into a system of working only towards a score.

Furthermore, an Ivy League education is not necessary to reach great success in our society. For example, prosperous entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (the co-creators of Apple)

UC Question Infringes On Student’s Right to Privacy Yangzong Guo Staff Writer

Californian schools in the UC and Cal State systems are considering asking applicants a question that is potentially offensive in real life situations. The question is Are you gay?

As if a student’s gender, race, and age weren’t enough, colleges believe that knowing a student’s sexual orientation will help increase the diversity of the student body and accommodate the needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual groups on the campuses.

Although some gay activists welcome the idea of being recognized and considered by higher institutions, others are concerned that it would invade privacy.

Some believe that the bill is not only an invasion of privacy but also a risky accumulation of information that could be improperly used and wrongly divulged.

According to Christopher Ward, chief of staff to Assemblyman Marty Block, the law, written by Block and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last fall, was “partly inspired by a UC report showing that gay students had much higher rates of depression than their peers and more often felt disrespected on campus.”

However, potential leakage of such private matters as one’s sexual orientation can be damaging not only to one’s reputation, but also to one’s selfimage. The question of a student’s sexual orientation does not serve much purpose

other than to give higher institutions knowledge of their school’s demographics.

But, for what use is this knowledge?

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, gave a slightly vague answer: “Just as with demographic information on race, gender, and age, this will help higher learning institutions gauge what they want and need to offer.”

One can easily question the validity of this statement. Demographic information on race, gender, and age can aid institutions in accommodating the academic needs of different students. However, information on one’s sexual orientation does not provide much, if any, benefits for school officials who are trying to establish a proper protocol for enhancing a gay student’s academic career.

Arguments have also been made about prospective students wishing to keep that information from parents who may view their applications, as well as the notion that a high school senior may not yet be aware of his or her own sexuality.

Those who believe that the idea is a waste of resources and would provide little benefit will agree with Villanova University‘s professor Len Shyles’ assertion that “the job of the university is first and foremost to provide an opportunity for students to learn and get exposure to the repository of knowledge residing in the halls of higher education. Nowhere is it part of that mission to count up how many members of this or that sexual orientation are in attendance.”

did not create a household brand because of their Ivy League backgrounds; in fact, neither of them went to an Ivy League school and dropped out of college before graduation, according to biography.com.

Others have achieved success by downright rejecting the teaching style of higher education. Albert Einstein is a well known Nobel Prize winner who quit high school that depended almost exclusively on memorization and obedience to arbitrary authority, reports aip.org. Einstein’s true learning came from his self-motivation to learn from books on mathematics, physics, and philosophy at home.

This lesson applies to the modern world for the current generation as well.

According to juniorbiz.org, 17-year-old Philip Hartman became an entrepreneur at the tender age of eight years old. He won the 2008 Young Inventor of the Year award for inventing a new system for fusing optical fibers. According to Hartman, his success came from “just [going] ahead and [doing] it. I could never learn what I’m learning at college. They don’t teach it there, because it can’t be learned in that way.” Unlike Hartman, many lose the self-motivation that gets replaced by a highly pressured point/grade-based reward system that many Ivy League schools depend on.

Nevertheless, this is not to say that students should stop doing their best in school. Rather, students should not focus only on a prestigious Ivy League when a college that might better suit their needs would allow them to be just as successful, if not more so. Attending an Ivy League school certainly signifies receiving an elite education, worthy of admiration, desire, and respect, but those graduates aren’t always successful.

Success today is more dependent on the individual and his or her self-motivation.

THE WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL

ARROW

100 N. Lakeview Canyon Road Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 497-6711 ext. 4225 westlakearrow@yahoo.com EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Lisa Battaglia, Dashiell Young-Saver MANAGING EDITOR Brian Chang NEWS EDITORS Meini Cheng, Michelle Noyes OPINION EDITORS Harry Chung, Woody Chung, Orly Greenberg FEATURE EDITORS Nicolette Blatt, Vivian Hu, David Huang, Hanyi Huang, Frances Ling, Shannon Reiffen Julia Shi, Victoria Wang ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Lauren Chin, Tara Spencer SPORTS EDITORS Alex Farkas, Stephanie Kim, Monica Huskins STAFF WRITERS Shane Bogan, Erica Boucher, Katrina Brewer, Tracy Chavez, Ryan Cheng, Cam Clark, Brian Danziger, Samantha Doctrow, Genna Gmeiner, Yangzong Guo, Brandon Homan, Teodor Jaich, Stacey Kane, Skye Kriger, Shayna Kudler, Alexa Lucas, Chris Lam, Krista Lamorie-Foote, Kelly Mark, Dylan Moore, Kelsey Murphy, Jonathan Rifkind, Melanie Rosen, Morgan Stark, Robert Varblow, Max Wang, Vivian Xu, Vallia Yu ADVISER Caron Battaglia

The Arrow is written, designed and run by the students of the Advanced Journalism and Journalism 1CP classes at Westlake High School and is published monthly. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Westlake High School administration, faculty, or student body. We welcome feedback. Letters must be signed by the writer. Please send submissions to Mrs. Battaglia’s box in the main office or to Room 42E.

Opinion

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

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Should Americans Be Required To Pay for Health Care?

PRO

Victoria Wang Feature Editor

Getting sick in America costs money--lots of it.

According to the International Federation of Health Plans, American medical fees average almost three times higher than those of other industrial countries, even though the overall quality and availability of treatments aren’t much better. People who have trouble buying coverage in the first place have no way to pay for their own treatment in the case of an accident, leading to billions of taxpayer dollars spent covering the uninsured. And sometimes, cases like preexisting medical conditions bar people from buying coverage even if they can afford it.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to expand coverage to the 32 million American citizens still uninsured while boosting health care efficiency, essentially patching up the holes in our national safety net. If followed through properly, it will lower American medical costs and improve treatment quality at the same time.

Directly contradicting this argument, critics of the new act claim that universal health coverage will lower performance standards and make medical care worse--but let’s take a look around. All the 32 other developed countries in the world already have some form of universal health coverage, and the majority of their health care ranks around equal, if not above, America’s.

Party rivalry, irrational fear

of socialism, and whatever other political nonsense aside, health care for all American citizens is a pretty sweet deal.

But here’s where the bill really loses popular support: once the act goes into full effect, every American citizen above a certain financial cutoff must buy health insurance.

Now, wait just a moment, critics say. Isn’t that unconstitutional? The government cannot force its citizens to buy anything.

But the truth is that it can, if it is protecting the citizens by doing so. In this case, people are harmed because they sometimes put off hospital visits because of costs, or are forced to cover medical care for the uninsured. In addition, America’s health insurance system is infamous for being unfair, expensive, and inefficient; a problem that can only be solved by pinning universal standards to it.

When you get down to it, health care is a matter of life and death, so government intervention in it is to be expected. There are already several similar acts put into place: all car owners are required by law to buy matching car insurance; drug abuse is illegal; schools have set up mandatory immunization procedures. If universal health care is voted down, these perfectly reasonable measures might as well be next to go.

Besides, the dreaded “domino effect”—that letting the government take this one small step further into private lives will eventually lead to abuse of power—is completely unfounded. This is America. Your choices will always be yours to make,

Children’s Autism Linked to Mothers’ Obesity Katrina Brewer Staff Writer

The U.S. Center of Disease Control and Preventation suggests a relationship between mothers who are obese and the likelihood of children born with autism, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With half of the causes for autism being genetic, the other half come from controllable causes, leaving parents accountable. Parental age as lack of prenatal vitamins are known culprits--but research shows obesity is a large contributor to the recent jumps in reported cases of autism.

Up significantly from 2009, the number jumped from one in every 110 children to 1 in every 88. A study involving the new research, (published in the journal “Pediatrics”), revealed that obese mothers have a 60% increase in the likelihood of having an autistic child.

These shocking statistics show that obesity effects more than the individual. Mothers who do not care for their own health show a disregard for their children’s as well, with obese mothers giving birth to twice as many children with cognitive and behavioral disor-

ders as healthy ones.

“The brain is quintessentially susceptible to everything happening in the mother’s body,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, chief of the division of environmental and occupational health at UC Davis. While a mothers’ health isn’t solely responsible for a child’s development, it is a large factor.

During its time in the womb, a baby develops solely on what is provided by the mother. An obese mother not only consumes unhealthy food, her physical processes and neural impulses lack the efficiently of a healthy person, hindering efficiency within her and her baby’s body.

One specific problem caused by obesity, suggested

by Dr. Herz-Picciotto, is insulin resistance.

Obesity often causes insulin to not be made or used properly within the body, and prevents energy in the form of sugar from reaching brain tissue. Fetal brains require large amounts of sugar for proper development.

Mothers should always consider their responsibility as a physical caregiver, which includes maintaining their health.

CON Alexa Lucas Staff Writer

provided that nobody else has to suffer from your mistakes.

So dear reader, let me ask you. Does your right to choose not to buy something that is beneficial to the whole of America really outweigh your right to life?

America: the land of the free.

In 1776 our American forefathers finally got the British government’s hand out of their pockets.

But today, the American government’s hand is creeping its way back into the pockets of American citizens with the enactment of universal health care. Who is to say what other purchases they will require?

While the government insists ObamaCare is beneficial to the country, doctors have become increasingly vocal on their disapproval.

“The ObamaCare plan is based on drastically increasing the degree of government control over medical practice and medical financing...by depriving individuals of this freedom, the plan destroys any possible redeeming qualities,” said Dr. Paul Hsieh, co-founder of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM).

In a country based on freedom, Obama is promoting the forceful requirement to purchase health care—a violation of the Commerce clause. This is a slippery slope to increased government involvement.

Our democracy is creeping towards socialism, as this mandate forces every individual to purchase government-approved health insurance. If an individual

refuses to abide by the new laws, the individual may face penalties that rack up to 2.5% of the households annual income.

This health care plan has faced a significant amount of abhorrence with almost 20 federal lawsuits.

Not only does this mandate affect the freedom of the American citizen to make a decision as to which health care company they would like to work with, if at all, it also has the potential to destroy the quality of current health care.

With the necessity of government-approved health care, competition will falter and the quality of health care will diminish, as there will be no incentives for companies to provide high-end service. Also, the economy has the potential to suffer beyond its current state.

Dick Morris, a political analyst, says this ObamaCare will even force social health care to be rationed, potentially decreasing the senior life span as a significantly smaller amount of expansive health care is available.

Not only does this new policy affect the quality of health care in the future, it clearly illustrates the direction America is traveling towards following the enactment.

In a country that has fought for democracy for other countries, America is inching away from the desired democracy. The more control the government has over the people, the further from democracy our country travels. If the people allow this type of control, it is inevitable that socialism is in the near future.

Clearly, ObamaCare does not aid the people of America; rather, it pushes everyone further from life and liberty.

ObamaCare Causes Court Uproar Monica Huskins Sports Editor

The arguments for and against ObamaCare are deep rooted, bipartisan issues that make the bill seem highly impracticable. Mixed with a terrible economy, the idea of increasing the deficit is almost shocking. In 2009, President Obama promised in a joint session of Congress, "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, either now or in the future."

With this notion 'promised,' Obama continued pushing for the health care bill. However, there are different estimates as to how much the bill will add to the deficit but according to Fox News, the estimation is roughly $340 billion.

To any American, this amount is not a mere number and it is proven that it does not aid the economy in procuring jobs. On the contrary, the bill will cut jobs and weaken what strength the job market has. This point is especially important to young people today because we are the ones who will be reeking the harsh realities and having to face all the consequences.

Furthermore, the bill takes powers and freedoms away from the people and the states. While some do not want to admit it, ObamaCare is, in itself, a play on socialism and Marxist ideals. The United States was created on cer-

tain core values that will be taken away if this bill is to pass in the Supreme Court.

The question now is what the Supreme Court's ruling will be on this issue. The importance of this decision goes farther than the High Court doing its duty; it defines the direction America is turning, which is concluding to be

“If [Congress] has the power to compel an otherwise passive individual into a transaction...it is not hyperbolic to suggest that Congess could do almost anything it wanted.

-”JUDGE C. ROGER VINSON” an extremely political move.

After oral arguments, Chief Justice Roberts asked to put off rulings on ObamaCare until 2013.

Yet another play on politics, the Court is holding off on the decision in order to aid in Obama's reelection. On February 27, 2012 Gallup poll shows that 72% of Americans believe the universal health care individual mandate is unconstitutional. Why then would there continue to be a push for the approval of this bill?

Recently however, controversial remarks have been made by

the President that prove his negative feelings if the courts, before they aided him in not coming to a decision on the bill, strike down the bill. He described it to be, "unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress."

Obama is clearly forgetting that each branch of government has the same power of checks and balances and overturning a bill is not such a rarity as he is making it out to be.

According to The Washington Times, Florida Federal District Judge C. Roger Vinson stated, “Never before has Congress required that everyone buy a product from a private company (essentially for life) just for being alive and residing in the United States. If it has the power to compel an otherwise passive individual into a transaction … it is not hyperbolic to suggest that Congress could do almost anything it wanted.”

The facts behind this bill are that Americans do not want it.

The Constitution is there to protect the people and yet there is still a political push for this bill.

It seems that Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court, each have their own ideas as to what the next steps should be, when the real answer should be in the people’s vote, not governments.

Feature

6

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Caught On Camera: Bullying Exposed Skye Kriger Staff Writer

Many of us, presumably, have never had any serious encounters with bullying.

And while we have all been lectured about the importance of reporting any bullying we notice, we cannot even begin to imagine the terrors a victim might be faced with.

The recently released documentary, Bully, directed

by Lee Hirsch, brings this social issue to the public’s attention by exposing not only the horrifying abuse that victims endure but also the astonishing ignorance that adults—who are in a position to stop the abuse— exhibit. The film explores the heart-wrenching stories of five bullied students (two of whom committed suicide at the ages of 11 and 17) and their families, presenting to the audience the awful and often overlooked truths of bullying and harassment.

These five students are barraged with verbal tirades and physical attacks from the time they board the morning bus until the time they reach the safety of their homes, with little to no support from surrounding authority figures.

In one scene, Alex, a 12-yearold boy who “[likes] learning but [has] trouble with making friends,” is told to “get his a** off [a schoolmate’s] book bag” and then is repeatedly punched and shoved, all in

FIGHT VIOLENCE: About 13 million kids will be bullied in the U.S. this year, according to the documentary Bully. The above poster sums up its call to action.

front of the camera. Furthermore, when Alex’s mother approaches a school administrator and asks that something be done about the bullies on the bus, the administrator brushes the issue away, claiming that she had “ridden on that bus before” and the children were “as good as gold.”

Many viewers will undoubtedly wonder if the presence of the documentary camera affected the way the subjects of the film behaved.

“We believe that the bullying was [...] much worse when the camera was not present,” said Hirsch, in a Q&A about both the film and the movement against bullying. However, the bullies, allowed to continue their abusive behavior without consequence for so long, were probably unafraid of getting into trouble either, he

continued.

That comment is without a doubt true. I had some personal experience with bullying during elementary school, and on one occasion, a bratty classmate with a superiority complex kicked me forcefully in the side while I was sitting no more than three yards in front of a teacher, who turned a deaf ear and a blind eye toward the situation and did absolutely nothing to solve it. Once a delinquent child knows he or she will not be stopped, they become unstoppable.

While the film successfully portrays the victims’ tragedies and the truth about adult involvement (or lack thereof) in bullying, it does neglect the other end of the story: the bullies’ side. What these mean-hearted children did is undeniably unforgivable; however, the film

fails to consider the reasons why an innocent child could turn out to be so cruel. Often times, so-called “bullies” are actually victims also, either from abusive parents or from a previous school. The documentary failed to educate viewers about how to prevent children from evolving into bullies and how to identify when a bully is actually just projecting suppressed anger or insecurities.

“I think ‘bullying’ is the psychological and physical projection of fear as a means of control and intimidation inflicted upon those perceived as weaker or inferior by those who fear their own weakness [...] and seek strength in diminishing their peers,” said G! PeBenito ‘12.

“I think that Westlake is much more inclusive than other schools, and that is due to the fact that wealthier areas tend to be more educated and education is the medicine to prejudice,” added PeBenito.

Despite its lack of concern for the bullies, this documentary is a must-see for American students, who are generally uneducated about the issue of bullying and underestimate its gravity.

Its PG-13 rating (which was finally settled on after a long rating dispute) allows teachers to show it in classrooms, and teens should watch Bully to gain an understanding of what goes on in a bullied child’s life.

Teachers Get Media Limiter Yangzong Guo Staff Writer

Students are not the only ones who need to be careful about what they post on social networking sites like Facebook. A new policy bulletin from Los Angeles Unified School District warns teachers and any other district associated persons to keep their socialmedia personas in check.

It turns out that cyberbullying is not only a teenage phenomenon.

The need for a new social-media policy became apparent when Nicole Tsugranes, an El Sereno Middle School teacher, called a student “fat” in a Facebook post, and later added “STOP raising lazy a** freaking kids,” obviously directed to parents.

LAUSD’s new social media guidelines definitely fall on the harsher end of online monitoring, however. One important but alarming point is that under the policy, “users should have no expectation of privacy regarding their use of District property, network and/or Internet access to files, including email.”

The District warns employees that postings of a serious nature can be subject to the same punishments as violence, bullying and threats. This bold statement likens seemingly harmless posts like “I don’t like kids” to serious crimes worthy of penalty.

“Educators are held to higher standards than the rest of the working world,” explained the Los Angeles teachers’ union.

Even though it is unlikely that teachers and other school employees would be affiliated with underground Facebook gangs, this new social media policy will make them think twice about what they post online.

Feature

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Be Classy,

7

not trashy

It is often difficult to balance sophistication and fashion in today’s trends of sheer, lace, cutouts, and crop tops. Here are some tips to keep it classy this spring.

Sexy and We Know It (Too Well)

Wardrobe Essentials to Have

David Huang Feature Editor

Genna Gmeiner Staff Writer

Trends come and go with each year and season, but classic pieces that have survived decades of fashions ups and downs will never go out of style. These next five items are essentials for every girl’s wardrobe.

PHOTOS BY STACEY KANE

“Everybody stops and they staring at me...I’m sexy and I know it.”

These are the lyrics to “Sexy and I Know It,” by the popular music artist LMFAO. Songs like that top the charts and are played all the time on the radio, and the sexualized messages are obvious. Music, media and pop culture in modern American society has been increasingly graphic, racy, and provocative in recent years. Examples of drug, alcohol, and sexual abuse, which are liberally presented in movies, songs, and television, expose young children and teenagers to subject matters that they may not yet be mature enough to handle.

Overhearing children at the ages of 10 and 11 singing the lyrics to “Teenage Dream” can be both alarming and troubling. What kinds of messages is pop culture sending to the youth of America?

According to Livestrong.com, the teenage pregnancy rates are higher in the United States than in any industrialized country.

SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) says that 72% of students have consumed alcohol by the end of high school, and 37% have done so by eighth grade, 6.7% of students from the ages 12-17 reported marijuana use, and 1% reported hallucinogen use.

In addition, teenage clothes are becoming more revealing and society does not question the transformation. There are sheer see-through tops, translucent mini dresses, and lacy tights. What is next?

Understandably, people want to be perceived as attractive, but it should not be at the expense of respect and dignity.

Of course, we cannot tell all the popular music artists to remove any type of explicit content from their songs or ask television companies not to play anything overly inappropriate.

Pop culture always moves forward and becomes less concerned with the effects it has on the youth culture, and the black-and-white old fashioned entertainment is no longer appealing compared to the racy content in our daily lives.

The solution to pop culture over-exposure lies in the parents of America’s youth.

In the increasingly technological world with easy access to the Internet and other media, people need to understand that technology is not as simple as it was twenty years ago, and is instead overwhelmed with media influences.

Parents and other authorities should take the initiative to let children know from an early age that not all pop culture happenings are morally correct or acceptable.

This is definitely easier said than done, but American adults need to start taking a stand against the morally corrupt condition of our popular culture.

SPRING STYLE: Amanda Meyer models spring class (left) and spring trash (right).

1. A loosely-tied, low ponytail creates a relaxed, yet sophisticated look.

2. The blouse looks attractive without being showy, and the white color adds a classic element to the outfit.

3. A flowy, metallic skirt is perfect for spring. The appropriate length keeps the outfit looking classy.

1. The bow is unnecessary and ruins a look that was meant to be casual.

2. The excessive layering of the scarf and the necklaces is too messy.

3. The shorts are an appropriate length: the only decent part of the outfit.

4. UGG boots with shorts looks very contradictory.

Guys and Showy Fashion: A Love/Hate Relationship Feature Editor

THOU SHALT: - Mix cheerful colors (three max.)

- Wear bold, vibrant prints (flower prints make outfits look more vivid and flirty) - Wear flirty, A-line dresses and skirts - Try Africa or safari inspired pieces; they add wildness to the wardrobe - Try new pop neon colors as a tribute to the 60’s

Blue Jeans A great pair of jeans is a staple item to any clothing set. It is hard to find the perfect pair, but when you finally do, your outfit choices are endless. Skinny jeans are great with heels for a dressed up appearance and pairing them with boots gives an effortless edge to your style. The boot cut style is another great choice. They are good with any heels or boots. The Straight Leg is extremely flattering and, like the skinny jeans, will go with any heels or flats. Try Urban Outfitters or the Levi store to find a pair that fits you.

Black Pumps Even if you only wear heels for homecoming or special occasions, investing in a great pair is always beneficial. Take black pumps with skinny jeans and a blazer when you are going to a concert or a formal brunch with the family. Whether you are going to a business meeting, an interview, or a date, black pumps will always keep your style looking trendy and classic. Check out Steve Madden for a great pair of black heels.

Hanyi Huang What type of clothes do girls look good in? Preppy with dress shirts? Relaxed with sweats and plain T-shirts? Showy with short skirts and sparkly glitter? Classic with cardigans or indie with high-waisted shorts? Do guys even care what girls wear?

Approximately 60% of the WHS male population said they care, while 40% said they did not.

Alper Vural ‘12 is one of the 40% who do not care what girls wear “It’s what’s inside that counts.”

The Arrow asked 38 freshmen, 20 sophomores, 16 juniors, and 32 seniors on what type of clothes they prefer girls to wear. Results showed that 31 male students prefer girls to wear showy clothes, making showy the most popular style among males.

Nine other students chose preppy, 23 chose relaxed, 14 chose classic, five chose indie, 16 said they like other styles, and eight said they do not have a preference.

Most freshmen prefer girls to wear relaxed clothing; most sophomores like relaxed and showy clothing; juniors and

Little Black Dress (LBD) No matter what kind of occasion, the LBD always comes to the rescue and gives you a classic polished look. Pairing one with black pumps and simple jewelry gives a formal look, while adding a denim jacket and strappy heels gives a young and fun appearance. You can also go for a casual look by adding a loose cardigan and ballet flats to your LBD. Forever 21 and Nordstrom offer great LBDs at reasonable prices.

seniors choose showy clothing as their favorite style.

Despite the results, the majority of the male population believes girls wear revealing clothing to attract attention and impress guys. Harrison Han ’12 said that some girls often wear revealing clothes because they “think they will be more liked by guys.”

Some males disapprove of girls who dress in racy clothing. “I prefer girls not to wear that type of clothes because they are setting themselves up to be disrespected,” said Ryan Malouff ’12.

Stephen Leicht ’12, who chose relaxed clothing as his most preferred style in females, advises girls to “be comfortable and wear practical clothes.”

In spite of the results of the poll, there are guys who dislike showy clothes and view them as unprofessional and inappropriate.

White T-Shirt When you are rushed for time in the morning or cannot decide on what to wear, a white T-shirt combined with jeans and sneakers is a foolproof outfit.

This look is careless, yet put together at the same time. Tuck one into a skirt for a cute girly look or keep it loose with a long maxi skirt and some flats. The shirt should be loose but slouchy and thick enough so that it is not see-through.

Black Blazer The timeless black blazer will keep any look polished and stylish. Pairing a blazer and heels with a white T-shirt and jeans is a classic, casual look for any occasion. It will keep you looking formal and help you stay warm! TjMaxx and Neiman Marcus Last Call (located in the Camarillo Outlets) offer designer blazers at great prices.

THOU SHALT NOT: - Wear pajamas outside of thy home - Put on gaudy colored makeup (e.g. pink eyelashes, blue lips) - Mix more than three colors in one outfit - When wearing sheer fabrics, keep style inconsistent - Wear extremely tight sweaters with extremely tight pants with extremely tight boots Compiled by David Huang and Hanyi Huang

Bedtime Basics Helpful to Harmful Sleep Aids

Chamomile: Commonly drunk as a tea, chamomile can also be administered in oil, powder, or pill form. Easy to use and with few side-effects, this is a good solution to a minor sleeping problem.

Lemon Balm: Another light treatment and one of the most popular remedies for children, lemon balm has been used since the Medieval Ages as a long term cure for sleep problems. Unlike many other sleeping aids, it doesn’t cause heavy drowsiness.

Passion Flower: Like Lemon Balm, passion flower is not an overly strong solution. It can be taken in tea or capsule form and promotes relaxation of body and mind.

Ginseng: Panax Ginseng is the highest quality ginseng and the most effective for sleep. It helps prevent anxiety, depression, headaches, and insomnia; however, it tends to have strong estrogenic effects and can lower blood sugar levels and slow heart rate. Ginseng should be avoided by children, pregnant women, and those with diabetes or heart disease.

Lunesta/Ambien: Lunesta and Ambien are sleep-inducing pills that work quickly to increase drowsiness and sleep. They both have several side effects and cause allergic reactions but do not form addictions.

Melatonin Affects the Tone of Day

Lauren Chin

Entertainment Editor Maybe this has happened to you: in the middle of class, while you pretended to be paying attention to the teacher’s lecture, your eyelids started to droop. You began having second thoughts about staying up late on Facebook the night before.

Similar to your bedside alarm clock, your internal clock runs on a 24-hour cycle. This cycle, called a circadian rhythm, helps regulate when you wake, when you eat, and when you sleep.

Somewhere around puberty, something happens in the timing of the biological clock. The clock pushes forward, so adolescents and teens are unable to fall asleep as early as they used to.

Teenagers are put in a “gray cloud” when they do not get enough sleep, said Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University in Providence, R.I. It affects their mood and their ability to think and learn.

But just like your alarm clock, your internal clock can be reset. In fact, it automatically resets itself every day. How? By using the light it gets through your eye.

Scientists have known for a long time that the light of day and the dark of night play important roles in setting our internal clocks.

le S o T “

For years, researchers thought that the signals that synchronize the body’s clock were handled through the same pathways that we use to see.

But recent discoveries show that the human eye has two separate light-sensing systems: one system allows us to see; the second system tells our body whether it is day or night.

The light signals sent to your body’s master clock tell you when to be sleepy and when to be alert.

But not just any light will do. The circadian clock can distinguish between different colors, or wavelengths, of light. Blue light — such as the light from the blue sky — is best for stimulating the circadian system.

Exposure to the morning sun is best for synchronizing the body’s clock with the Earth’s natural 24-hour cycle of light and dark.

The problem is, adolescents and teens may have limited exposure to the morning light.

Melatonin is an internal factor affecting the circadian clock that is produced by the pineal gland.

The production of these melatonin hormones peaks during darkness and lowers during the day. Sleep becomes more invit-

ing as the level of melatonin in a person’s bloodstream sharply rises. Melatonin levels stay elevated until the light of a new day when they fall to daytime levels, which are barely detectable if a person has gotten enough sleep.

According to sleepfoundation.org, bright light directly inhibits the release of melatonin.

That is why melatonin is sometimes called the “Dracula of hormones”—it only comes out in the dark. Even if the pineal glad is switched “on” at the usual time, it will not produce melatonin unless the person is in a dimly lit environment.

To get morning light during the school year, researchers suggest using morning breaks— sometime around 9 a.m.—to go outdoors or look out a window and get light.

Working at the computer or watching TV late at night can make matters worse. Computer screens, TVs and other electronic devices emit some blue light.

By following guidelines, students can feel more awake in class.

Grades can shoot up with the increase of attention and alertness.

And that’s nothing to make light of.

r D o t e c n a h c r e P p e

EYES: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep when most dreaming is done, and the eyes twitch and roll.

MOUTH: About 50% of Americans grind their teeth at night, this is known as bruxism. Salivary flow is also reduced during sleep, causing a dry mouth in the morning.

BREATHING: When throat muscles relax so throat gets narrower e we inhale. Sleep apne when the windpipe c and a person stops br from ten seconds to a

BRAIN: We forget 90% of our dreams. Men and women dream differently.

Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men, and women dream about men and women equally.

Xanax/Valium: Both drugs are benzodiazepines, which are anti-anxiety pills. These drugs can form addictions and become harmful.

Compiled by Vivian Xu

Design by Lisa Battaglia

s

The Arrow examines sleep and dreaming problems as well as their solutions for teenagers.

Sleep Probes the Teen Mind

Lisa Battaglia

Editor-in-chief

Caught in the vicious sleep cycle, teenagers have felt the effects of sleep deprivation more than ever before as they fall into a slumber during school hours instead of nighttime.

With the increasing use of technology, teens have drained their batteries and themselves by staying up late at night on Facebook and texting on their phones.

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates our circadian rhythm based on our exposure to light.

With our over-exposure to artificial lights like computer and phone screens, the hormone levels become off-balanced.

In a recent poll of 110 WHS students, about 35% expressed that technology was one of the reasons they cannot sleep at night.

Another common reason for teenagers’ lack of sleep was the homework they had to complete.

During the stressful junior year, 72% of juniors questioned said that homework was the most prominent cause of their lack of sleep. As the amount of homework

and pressure increases, teenagers are unable to get the recommended amount of sleep.

The need to appeal to college admission boards has also increased the pressure to pad resumes with several extracurricular activities on top of homework.

Around 10% of WHS students claim that sports is one of the reasons for their lack of sleep.

As teens struggle to get to bed at a reasonable hour (reasonable being around 11:30 p.m.), they still wake up as early as 5:30 a.m., never getting the recommended 9.5-10 hours of sleep that teenagers need to grow and develop properly.

Only 15% of teenagers worldwide reported sleeping 8.5 hours or more during the week, according to sleepfoundation.org. This lack of sleep results in a lack of REM sleep, which stimulates the areas of the brain used for learning and memory. REM sleep also completely rests the body.

By going to bed at varying times, teenagers develop irregular sleep patterns, that affect their biological clocks and hurt the quality of their sleep.

Over 66% of WHS students said that they do not go to bed at the same time every night; conse-

quently, they do not prepare for the long, stressful day ahead of them.

During long days at school, work, volunteer service, and homework time, they often struggle to stay awake.

More than 42% of WHS students admitted to falling asleep during class occasionally.

Lack of sleep can also result in a short attention span and an inability to listen and focus even if awake.

Struggling to stay awake during school causes students to stay up even later to study and begins the vicious cycle of teenager sleep habits.

This sleep deprivation affects not only mental health but also physical health. Each year at least 100,000 car crashes are due to drowsiness and sleepiness, according to all-about-sleep-insomnia.com.

Lack of sleep can also result in weakness and fatigue, making it difficult to stay awake during crucial moments like driving.

Side effects of sleep deprivation include acne, aggressive behavior, weight gain, and inability to concentrate.

To cure sleep deprivation, teens should stick to a sleep schedule, eat healthful foods, and exercise during the day.

ream”: The Body at

we sleep, o that the each time ea occurs collapses reathing a minute.

STOMACH: During sleep, our digestive system slows down. Therefore, one should not eat late at night because the food will not convert to energy in one’s sleep.

Re st

LEGS: One in every ten Americans has Restless Legs Syndrome, the neurological disorder characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping, or uncontrollable sensations in the legs.

POSITION: Around 41% of people sleep in a fetal position, which can be harmful to the neck and back.

10 Suggestions for a Better Night’s Sleep 1) Establish a bedtime and wake-time and stick to it.

2) A short nap of only about 20-30 minutes is recommended for short-term alertness. Do not take a nap close to bedtime.

3) Refrain from exercise before bed. It may take a while for you to relax after a workout.

4) Create a routine. If you do the same things before you go to sleep, you condition your body to recognize that it is time for bed.

5) Do not eat before bed. If you are hungry, however, have a small healthy meal, like a small bowl of healthy cereal, a granola bar, or low-fat popcorn.

6) Try to avoid TV, computer, and telephone in the hour before going to sleep.

7) Read a book or take a bath.

Stick to calm, quiet activities before bed.

8) Stretch your body. Loosening your muscles before bed will help you relax.

9) Do not drink or eat any caffeinated substance before sleeping.

10) In the morning, let in the bright light to signal your body to wake up.

Feature

10

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

How to Save a L.I.F.E.

COURTESY PHOTO

BE ALL YOU CAN BEETLE: The Great Horned Beetle is a blue dung beetle the size of a tangerine that feeds on dead animals.

New Species Discovered Around World Feature Editor

Coyote Aggression Intensifies

Morgan Stark Staff Writer

Ever since a coyote jumped over Renee Merrill’s six-foot fence and dragged off her dog Zeus, she has been doing everything that she can to warn her neighbors in the Thousand Oaks area about the threat that coyotes pose.

Merrill puts up fliers giving information about coyotes, and she and her neighbors have even considered hiring a trapper, but it costs too much. The city will only take action if a human is attacked or threatened, and so far, that hasn’t happened.

In 2009, when Merrill left Zeus and her other two dogs unattended outside, she never thought that coyotes might actually

attack during the day. Now, it is a daunting possibility that haunts her every time her dogs go outside. She is there with a golf club ready at hand whenever she lets them outside.

Merrill intends on keeping everyone informed in order to keep small dogs like Zeus from being killed.

In 2005, wildlife specialist Robert Timm, of the University of California’s Hopland Research and Extension Center, documented at least 160 dangerous attacks over the past 30 years in California alone, and the numbers have only grown.

The Canis Latrans, or the coyote, is native to many parts of the United States.

In recent years, the coyote population has grown significantly. This is partly due to the fact that “in suburban areas, coyotes

can lose their fear of humans as a result of coming to rely on ample food resources including increased numbers of rabbits and rodents…,” according to Broomfield.

Coyotes adapt easily and are cunning and crafty as well.

If you see a coyote, you should make loud noises, spray it with a hose, or throw small things at it to make it leave, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. If the coyote gets too close, spray it with mace or a similar product.

By using the right methods, we can protect small dogs and humans from the dangers of our shaggy neighbors.

Coyotes should not be messed with and if you see one, do not tease or bother them.

Hopefully, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

Immortal Jellyfish Reveals Secret

Kelsey Murphy Staff Writer

Floating in the seas for centuries, the Turritopsis Nutricula has finally surfaced with its secrets. The Turritopsis Nutricula, otherwise known as the Immortal Jellyfish, has discovered the secret of immortality in an unusual fashion.

These jellyfish were discovered in the Mediterranean Sea in 1883, but their unique ability was not discovered until the early 1990s, and not much was known about it.

The top part of the Turritopsis Nutricula is bell shaped, and measures about as wide as a human pinky nail at full growth. The inside of its translucent walls are extremely thin, except for a thick center. The stomach is a beaming red and has a cross-like shape. While young jellyfish are only one millimeter in diameter, with eight evenly spaced tentacles, adult jellyfish can have up to 90 tentacles.

There are two main stages to jellyfish development. The first is called the polyploid stage, where the jellyfish starts

off as a fertilized egg. It then develops into something called a planula larvae, which swims freely in the ocean for a short part of its life cycle. Once the planula larvae settles on a hard surface, it anchors itself, and it grows into a polyp. Polyps grow other polyps, eventually forming a colony, connected by feeding tubes.

Under the right conditions, the colony can asexually reproduce jellyfish to form a medusa in the final stage of its development. The secret to the Immortal Jellyfish’s on-going life cycle is called transdifferentiation, which allows the medusa to return to the polyp stage again.

Scientists believe that the immortal jellyfish may help advance the study of cancer, bringing us closer to a cure.

Transdifferentiation has made researchers hopeful that they can find a way to reverse the process of cancer.

“It is fascinating how a simple creature such as a jellyfish can help us solve a problem as complex as cancer,” said Garrison Wilkins ‘15.

Although the studies may lead to

COURTESY PHOTO

Not much is known about rare, exotic animals, yet they are appreciated for their beauty and uniqueness. Scientists strive to discover as much information as they can about these extraordinary creatures.

There are about 8.7 million species around the world. According to the New York Times, only 1.3 million of these species have been discovered, named, and catalogued. Scientists are constantly adding to this list.

In a three-week survey from August to September 2010, scientists from Conservation International discovered several new species in Suriname.

Scientists joined indigenous villagers from southwest Africa to document nearly 1,300 species for a project hosted by the Conservation International Rapid Assessment Program or RAP, which aims to “record biodiversity and promote conservation across the world,” according to CNN. Out of the documented species, 46 of them are new to the scientific community. The researchers found dozens of new insects, freshwater fish, and several other new species.

For example, the Pac-man Frog is a sitand-wait predator with a mouth as wide as its own body. The Crayola Katydid is a colorful katydid that uses chemical defenses to repel birds and mammal predators. The Armored Catfish is covered in spines to protect itself from predators such as piranhas.

Dr. Trond Larsen, director of RAP, said that studying these isolated landscapes provides the greatest chance for “maintaining globally important biodiversity and the ecosystems people depend upon for generations to come.”

“Perhaps the species are so biologically different from us that they will revolutionize our current perspective of science,” said Sabrina Shenker ‘15.

Recently in Papau New Guinea, a new species of frogs, the Paedophryne amauensis, was discovered by American researchers from Louisiana State University.

This species is the world’s tiniest known vertebrate, measuring about one-third of an inch or 7.7 millimeters.

Learning about such tiny creatures can help scientists “better understand the advantages and disadvantages of extreme small size and how such extremes evolve...” said Steven Beaupre, a scientist from the University of Arkansas.

In Australia, scientists have found the first wild hybrid sharks. Sharks are typically known for breeding only with sharks of the same species, so scientists believe that this recent cross breeding shows that the sharks are responding to climate change. This hybridization may also make the sharks physically stronger.

Scientists found 57 of these hybrid sharks along the Australian coast. The sharks are a hybrid of the Australian blacktip and the common blacktip.

“As a scientist it’s exciting to do research in such remote areas where countless new discoveries await you,” said Larsen.

Staff Writer

COURTESY PHOTO

Frances Ling

One animal still waiting for his second chance is Bruno, an 18 First impressions are month old chihuahua everything, and many who aims to please. He shelter animals know cooperates well with other this too well. Those who dogs and is great with fail to create a bond with people as well. He is very a person are sentenced to social and happy; however, life in “animal prison,” his amicable personality and only a few get bailed hides a somber past. out to an everlasting Bruno was brought home. from a kill shelter, where The Humane Society he would have been put estimates that six to down that day. He has eight million animals are been with L.I.F.E. for eight annually entered into the months now and has shelter system, with three seemingly put the past to four million getting behind him, now looking euthanized. One rescue toward a brighter future in group understands the a permanent home. unfair treatment all Bruno is up-to-date homeless animals get with all of his shots and and is trying to stop it, is neutered. He would one life at a time. make a great addition L.I.F.E. (Living Is to any family household For Everyone) Animal looking for long-lasting Rescue was formed about ALL HE NEEDS IS LOVE: Bruno is one of the many pets available at L.I.F.E. Rescue. companionship.

20 years ago and rescues L.I.F.E. will celebrate Every Saturday, L.I.F.E. sets up in its 20th anniversary with a Cinco de Mayo approximately 100 dogs and cats per year.

This small group of volunteers aged 14 and front of the PetSmart in Westlake Village, Fiesta at the Calabasas Community Center up is a nonprofit organization whose goal is but their semi-permanent base is located in with the accomplishment of having saved to rescue animals in kill shelters and grant Agoura Hills. over 6,000 dogs and cats tucked under its Before finding their “forever home,” belt. “It is sure to be a lot of fun with dinner, them a second shot at happiness.

“All of the money we get goes toward all of the animals are kept on a 15-acre music, a dog show (on a catwalk), a raffle, the animals,” a volunteer coordinator ranch, a nice change of pace from the cold and a silent auction,” said Ribas. The event stated. “They stay with us until they get a atmospheres found in shelters. Although is on May 5 from 7-11 p.m. and tickets are this sounds like an ideal place to be, available on its website. forever home.”

Each animal varies with a different nothing can compare to a forever home, a Whatever the occasion, helping background and demeanor. “The animals place to truly belong. so many animals is truly something to “The dogs are very happy when they celebrate. as a whole are very interactive, except for a few who are shy,” says student volunteer arrive in their new homes and realize they Mara Meighen ’15, “but they warm up to are safe and loved,” said Linda Ribas, Kelsey Murphy also contributed to this article. another volunteer coordinator. you too.”

Melanie Rosen

UNDER THE SEA: The Immortal Jellyfish floats majestically in its ocean habitat.

renewing damaged tissues in the human body, they will not support the increasing studies of “anti-aging” beauty products.

After centuries of being hidden under the seas, the Turritopsis Nutricula has emerged with the secret of immorality.

Melanie Rosen also contributed to this article

SUMMER STUDY I.D. Tech Camps

I.D Tech camps take place at Cal Lutheran University. The camps offer a wide variety of courses, including movie editing, photography, game design, robotics, programming, and even app creation for Apple’s App Store. Different courses allow different age groups, ranging from seven to 17. The courses are four days long each and take place from June 18 to July 20. Students will learn from a family-friendly staff. Many graduates have become professional game and app designers. Visit internaldrive.com for more information.

11

Feature

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Summer Dockets Tap Student Talent Shane Bogan Staff Writer

Summer programs give teens a chance to pursue their interests, gain work experience outside of the classroom, improve their high school transcripts, and try their hand at real college work. They also give teens a chance to give back to their community, meet new people, make new friends, and keep the brain active during the dog days of summer.

These attractive opportunities, combined with the continuing recession that makes it difficult to find jobs, have helped to make summer programs much

more popular in recent years. According to a 2011 Wall Street Journal study, in the summer of 1985, only about 17% of teenagers attended some kind of summer program, instead opting for more lucrative occupations like jobs. Now, more than half of high schools students are enrolled in a summer program.

It is hard to see why they wouldn’t be.

Summer programs can help people cultivate talent or interest in the arts, humanities or sciences. Programs like Broadreach are both educational and exciting for people who have decided that they might want to go into Marine Biology, whereas colleges like Johns Hopkins University give students

Westlake Sports Camp

Junior Statesmen Offers Chance To Study Democracy

USC is offering college level summer programs to high school students.

Programs range from two to four weeks and the over 20 subjects vary from introduction to game design to introduction to neuroscience. Four week courses are worth three college credits and cost $6,995 for residential and $4,803 for commuters. Two week courses for residential are $3,605 and for commuter, $2,579.

Yale-bound Senior Attends Ivy Scholars Program For students interested in expanding their knowledge of American politics, international relations, and general argument formation, the Ivy Scholars program is an excellent opportunity for prospective sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Held at Yale University in New Haven, CT, the Ivy Scholars program is divided into three different programs: the Program in American Political Philosophy, Law, and Economics, the Global Leaders Development Program, and Studies in Grand Strategy for High School Leaders. Each program lasts for two weeks, the first program starting on July 8 and the last program ending on August 12.

Past Ivy Scholar attendee Rachel Phillips ‘12 noted the experiences that she gained through the Ivy Scholar program. After attending the Grand Strategies program, which “required prereading of numerous texts and was filled with lectures from members of Yale’s faculty,” Phillips described the experience as intense yet memorable.

“Although my experience at Yale was incredibly challenging, I would do it again in a second,” she stated. “I learned how to persevere, practice, and most importantly, work with others on what seemed like the most important project of my life.”

Phillips, who recently committed to Yale University, noted the various benefits of attending the event.

Applications for the American Political Philosophy, Law, and Economics program are past due; however, the other two programs are still accepting applications.

For more information on the Ivy Scholars program, visit ivyscholars.yale. edu.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Westlake Sports Camp is a camp for kids of all ages to enjoy and excel in their favorite sports. From 9:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m. students can play baseball, football, soccer, and many other sports.

The camp also offers relaxing activities like yoga and art. Each week ends with go-carts, a carnival and other special events. Parents and their children decide their own unique schedules, choosing the number of days the kids attend and how they spend them. The camp starts June 18 and registration is available. Go to www.westlakesportscamp. org for more information.

Live the USC Experience

the chance to learn about a broad range of subjects, including U.S. history, politics, environmental studies, film and media, psychology, and computer science and decide which one is the most interesting.

These programs get students ready for college and often end up being fun.

When deciding which summer program to attend, one should consider what he or she wants to learn about and what type of summer program provides the best experience. School counselors are a great tool to help decide this; they usually have knowledge about the best programs to take, especially if a student is looking to attend one at a college.

TWO WRONGS MAKE A WRITE: Students at CSSSA write, read and critique each others’ work on their way to becoming future authors, screenwriters, playwrights and poets.

Art School Makes Impressions Chris Lam

Staff Writer A trumpet case clothed in a sweater with a bag perched on top bearing the name PHRED sat flanked by students sitting in front of laptops or pencil and paper.

Between stories about potty training and how a kid was bullied to the point of violence, the students discussed what would happen if a ninja popped out of the ceiling and killed the teacher, who actively led the discussion.

Just a regular Thursday at California State Summer School for the Arts held at California Institute for the Arts in Valencia, CA .

When I applied to CSSSA as a brooding little sophomore, I had no idea that ninja emergency discussions and PHRED would be an important part of my life for almost a month.

I had no idea what living in a dorm was like, no idea how to write a screenplay, no idea that I would have to run around so much in college. But all that happened, and for that I am glad. CSSSA has earned a place in my mind as one of the greatest experiences of my life.

CSSSA gave me the opportunity to develop my skills as a writer, forcing me to write about private subjects, and pushing the boundaries of what I could write.

Most summer programs—whether related to science, business, politics, or leadership—certainly provide similar experiences. Programs like these allow students to establish lasting connections that

DAY 1: Students and parents bring their luggage to the dorms on the first day of CSSSA.

could prove useful later. Especially crucial is the first week, where friendships could be made in less time than it takes to burn breakfast calories.

I didn’t know anything about summer programs when I stepped inside the CalArts campus July 14. But as my CSSSA teacher told the class, “Do something that scares you.”

SUMMER PROGRAMS: Costs for summer study programs vary by schools and length.

(NOTE: some application due dates have already passed). Graphics by Max Wang.

Teodor Jaich Staff Writer

One of the most challenging summer programs a student can take is the Junior Statesmen Summer School.

Offered at Georgetown, Stanford, and Princeton, the Junior Statesmen program combines politics, government, leadership and public speaking into an intense three-week experience for those students ready for the next step up.

Junior Statesmen was started in the 1930s as an answer to Communism and Fascism. The founder wanted to give high school students a chance to see how democracy works. E.A. Rodgers started Junior Statesmen with that goal in mind in the mountains above San Jose, California as an experiment to see if young people could be taught to get involved in the democratic process. Since those early days, Junior Statesmen Summer School has grown to over a thousand students each year learning what it means to be good citizens and how the democratic political system works.

Each summer school offers college level classes in American politics, public speaking, and government. In addition, the campuses offer specialized classes for advanced students.

At Georgetown University there are classes in international relations. At Princeton Summer School students can apply for classes in Constitutional Law. Stanford offers an advanced class in Economics.

Students interested in attending Junior Statesmen Summer programs have to apply, write an application essay, and send transcripts and letters of recommendation from teachers.

Normally students can only take the advanced courses after at least one summer taking the basic politics and debate classes. Many Junior Statesmen students get credit for their summer work at their own schools and they often take the AP test in American Government following the program.

Scholarships are also available to needy students. Junior Statesmen also sponsors an academic year program at many schools where delegations attend conferences where students debate current events and discuss contemporary problems. Such programs include Junior Statesmen clubs, miniconventions for neighboring schools, and large conventions for entire states.

Junior Statesmen of America has been around for over 70 years and continues to grow. The Junior State motto is Be the People, or get students involved in the political process.

12

Entertainment

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Adele Sets Fire to the Stage

A Day To Remember Finds Fame

Tracy Chavez Staff Writer

Erica Boucher Staff Writer

COURTESY PHOTO

“As soon as I got a microphone in my hand, when I was about 14, I realized I wanted to do this,” said Adele.

This is what she had said a couple years ago before she had won six out of eight nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards. No one had known that this small town girl would come straight out of high school to international stardom.

Known for her emotional ballads, Adele found inspiration after a heartwrenching breakup after high school.

While jotting down the lyrics of soon-to-be award- winning songs, she found salvation by breaking through in the music industry.

Her first album, “19,” put her in the spotlight when she released it on Jan. 28, 2008. It included the lead single “Chasing Pavements” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s song “Make You Feel My Love.” It also featured the song “Hometown Glory,” which she wrote after her mother tried to persuade her to leave London to attend college.

Her album peaked at #56 on the U.S. charts and held the position for an impressive amount of time.

After the release of her sophomore album, “21,” she reached stardom. The album hit number one in 18 countries, including her native United Kingdom and the United States. Singles such as “Someone Like You,” “Rolling in the Deep,” and “Set Fire to the Rain” made her the first ever artist to have had an album hold the number one position on the Billboard 200 with three singles.

In April, the multi-award singer rose as number one on the album charts, surpassing David Bowie and Dire Straits for number of weeks at the top.

This year’s Ivor Novello awards, which celebrate excellence in songwriting and are judged by the songwriting and composing community, nominated Adele for her single “Rolling in the Deep” for best song music and lyrics. Past winners include

SOMEONE LIKE HER: Adele performs “Rolling in the Deep” at the 2012 Grammys.

Sir Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, Sting, David Bowie and Radiohead.

In her Grammy speech, she tearfully accepted her award and thanked her mother, who had single-handedly raised her.

“My mom fell pregnant with me when she would have been applying for university, but she chose to have me instead. She never, ever reminds me of that,” said Adele.

Even with all the glamorous awards and nominations helping her fame

Music Rides Future Rhythms Industry’s top hits continue to use explicit lyrics

Dylan Moore Staff Writer

Go on iTunes today and you will see what kind of music dominates the top 100 charts. It isn’t country, the blues, jazz, or even rock. The music genre that everybody is listening to nowadays is hip-hop and rap.

Now more than ever, teenagers everywhere are loading their iPods with up-andcoming artists who use vulgar and derogatory lyrics.

Six out of the top ten Billboard Hot 100 songs are either hip-hop or rap, demonstrating that the biggest hits for the next generation are getting less old-school and more revolutionary. Also, the trend shows that teens care less about the message of a song and more about the sounds that they hear.

With the resurgence of the Dubstep genre, many artists and song producers are seeing the opportunity to get more creative than ever before with the sounds they use in their songs.

From Kanye West and Jay-Z to female stars such as Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj,

the fame of rap and pop artists continues to grow.

Kanye West was one of the first rappers to put an array of different sounds in his music, veering away from the standard mainstream rap album.

West is best known for his hit album “808s & Heartbreak,” where he impacted hip hop music stylistically, as a new wave of rappers adopted the album’s aesthetic.

He changed rap forever.

Another reason for rap’s rise in popularity is the influx of young, white rappers who write their own lyrics and make their own sounds. It gives their style of music a unique sound and can make up for mediocre singing.

The rising stardom of rappers such as Mac Miller, Sam Adams, and Asher Roth is giving them a huge following from teens everywhere.

Eminem can be credited for giving white rappers the belief that they too can make it big without being doubted or not given a chance.

Adults may not take too kindly to the lyrics their children hear, but there is no denying which type of music is most popular.

skyrocket, a hemorrhage in her vocal cord temporarily threatened her career, but she has recovered. No concert dates, however, have been announced.

She has also announced that she is taking a break for the next five years. It has been rumored that Adele’s upcoming album will be called “28.”

“If I am constantly working, my relationships fail. So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record and be in love,” she stated.

American rock band A Day to Remember, known for its creative combination of metalcore and pop punk sound, has been rising into one of the most popular bands of its genre. With over 500,000 albums sold worldwide, the band is looking forward to what will happen next in its career as it make its way up on the Billboard charts.

The group was signed in 2003 to Indianola Records, playing small shows in its home town of Ocala, Florida. By 2006, base guitarist Joshua Woodward was able to get the band signed with Victory Records, which led to the release of the band’s 2007 album “For Those Who Have Heart.”

The album quickly rose to number 17 on the Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. Their first greatly successful album, Homesick, hit number 21 and appeared in the Rolling Stones top 40 albums in 2009.

Since their post-hardcore sound is very different from what is played on the radio, it almost seemed like a risk to continue with the style. But that did not stop them.

“We’re not just one band,” singer Jeremy McKinnon said. “We’re four different bands in one, drawing from these different genres of music. There’s a bunch of people who don’t typically like one side of our music. But we kind of bridge the gaps and bring some of those people over to the dark side.”

A Day to Remember has been touring with the punk-rock band Rise Against since Jan. 17 and will continue the tour until the middle of May.

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Entertainment

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

13

Titanic 3-D Passes $2B Mark Samantha Doctrow Staff Writer

COURTESY PHOTO

HELLO! MY BABY: Senior Lilli Babb (center) stars as Alice Tierney in the professional cast for H!MB. The production moves to the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara.

Senior Stars in Professional Musical Production

David Huang Feature Editor

Lilli Babb ’12 will star as Alice Tierney in the production of Hello! My Baby (H!MB), written by Cheri Steinkeller, at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on May 5 and 6.

Hello! My Baby is a fresh musical that includes rewritten songs by Gershwin, Berlin, and others, and it is a family friendly romance for all ages.

Babb recently completed a series of performances at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. Starring in professional productions, she has performed at other venues, such as Conejo Players, Young Actors Ensemble, and Moorpark High Street Arts.

Babb took a few minutes from her active schedule to answer a few questions for the Arrow newspaper: What other experiences have you had in musical theatre?

“During freshman year, I played Sandy in Grease. I also worked at the Rubicon starting the summer before my freshman year. I had performed in the youth production of Hello! My Baby and now I am in the professional production and it has been an amazing experience to see how it has evolved.”

What process did you go through to get into “Hello! My Baby”?

“In October, I auditioned for the musical, but at the callback I was rejected.

They told me I was too young. Then, they

called me back a second time, but they once again told me I was too young, not what they were looking for. At the third callback, they told me I was exactly what they were looking for. In theater, you often get thrown around like that.”

How would you describe your working with a professional cast?

“It’s actually a lot more enjoyable because things get done faster. There isn’t any drama or showmances or things like that.”

What sort of advice would you give to an aspiring musical theater actor/actress?

“If you want to be in musical theater, you have to be 100% dedicated. You have to really want it, because it isn’t a very high paying job.”

Josh Hutcherson plays Lawrence’s love interest Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth plays Gale, her lifelong friend. Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Lenny Kravitz join the cast as well. These actors had much to live up to, portraying characters that are loved by millions. For the most part, the movie follows the book. The main plot

is well understood by the audience, but those who have read the books can easily tell details are left out. Director Gary Ross stays true to the feelings of Katniss and her physical and emotional roller coaster during the games, leaving the childish jokes out, keeping the pain and violence in, and getting the audience to stay on the edge of

The re-release of the massive blockbuster Titanic came out in 3-D on April 4, making a great splash at the box office.

The film recounts the true historic tale of the ocean liner Titanic. On April 15, 1912, the ship sank after colliding with an iceberg. Nearly 2000 people died in the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The movie Titanic, directed by James Cameron, stays true to the general facts of the sinking but adds a romantic plot between two star-crossed lovers. Kate Winslet stars as Rose DeWitt Bukater, a disenchanted first class girl forced by her mother to marry in order to maintain their highsociety status. Right before she attempts to commit suicide, she is saved by the charming but penniless Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The two quickly fall in love, but their romance is ill-fated. When the Titanic hits the iceberg and begins to sink, the inseparable couple must struggle to stay alive in the icy Atlantic.

The film’s passionate love story and ground-breaking special effects, as well as the phenomenon of “Leo-mania,” propelled Titanic into box-office bliss. When the movie was released in 1997, it grossed $1,843,201,268 worldwide. The film later won 11 Academy Awards, including “Best Picture” and “Best Director.” The movie even won three Grammy Awards for the film’s theme song sung by Celine Dion.

The newly enhanced 3-D version of the movie took Cameron 60 weeks and $20 million to produce, nearly one-tenth of the colossal budget for the original Titanic.

Even with its new release in 3-D, Titanic still captivates audiences worldwide.

May the Odds, Money, and ‘Fandom’ be Ever in Your Favor

Genna Gmeiner Staff Writer

their seats.

The Hunger Games isn’t a love story, nor is it light-hearted and funny, but it is a great story. This movie might not be for all ages, but it is for both genders. With intense fights and two male heart throbs, The Hunger Games is the new phenomena for this generation.

Making over $155 million in its opening weekend, The Hunger Games captured the hearts of millions all over the world.

Having such a massive fan base already, the movie was set up to be an instant blockbuster success.

The trilogy began in 2008 when author Suzanne Collins published The Hunger Games, the first out of the three books.

The story takes place in a futuristic North America called Panem. Panem is split up into 12 districts and its cruel government (The Capitol) forces the districts to participate in the annual Hunger Games. One boy and on one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each dis!

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14

Sports

April 20, 2012 • The Arrow

Boys, Girls Track Reach New Heights

and see myself get better,” said Barrios.

Rachael Maurer Entering with records ‘12 is on the WHS of 2-3 each, the boys and Track and Field team girls Track and Field teams for her fourth year. It competed in their last is her thirteenth year league meet this season, participating in the which was held against sport. Maurer ran the Agoura High School 110 meter hurdles in and Royal High School 16.4 seconds. Her time yesterday. is 1.54 seconds away The team has broken from the school’s multiple school records in record. a wide variety of events Distance runner this season. At the Arcadia Rocky Peterson ’13 Invitational on April 6 competes in the 800 and April 7, the girls meter, 1600 meter, and 4x100 relay team placed 3200 meter races. fifth.

Sara Schwartz “As of now, ‘14, Abigail Smith ‘15, I’m working on Nicole Greenberg ‘14, improving my power and Brooke Edell ‘14 ran to hopefully quicken the race in 48.04 seconds, my pace and drop my setting a new school times,” said Peterson. record. Edell also holds the OVER THE HURDLES, UNDER THE GUN: Rachael Maurer jumps over the hurdle in her race at a track meet held April 12 at ThouHis time for the mile is girls school record for the sand Oaks against T.O. and Moorpark. a quick four minutes 100 meter individual with and 28 seconds. inches.

Augustyn is still working at getting a faster a time of 12.14 seconds.

On April 20 and April 21, a select Adam Augustyn ’12 ranks 15th in the time. “My goal by the end of the season few of WHS track athletes will compete Nicki Ghazarian ‘12 won the 3200 meter run in 10 minutes 55.82 seconds state for the boys 110 meter hurdles event is to be down to at least the 14.50s,” said in the Mount San Antonio College Relays.

Augustyn. at the Arcadia Invitational, running the with a time of 14.75 seconds.

Following Mt. Sac will be the Ventura “This year in hurdles the biggest thing Four year team member Erica Barrios County Championships at Moorpark High second fastest time in WHS history.

This season, a new school record for I am working on is my running form in ‘12 is a standout in the pole vault. She has School on April 27. The Marmonte League vaulted 8 feet 3 inches this year. the boys pole vault was set by Gino Colella between the hurdles,” said Augustyn.

Finals are on May 4 and will also be held at Even with a top 15 state record time, “I like being able to practice everyday Moorpark High School.

‘14. Colella vaulted a record 15 feet 6.5

Michelle Noyes News Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

Marmonte Football Moved to Pac-5 Playoff Division Alex Farkas

Sports Editor Next season may be a bit more difficult for the WHS football team to repeat as CIFSouthern Section Champions and possibly make the State Championship Game. They have joined a new division for playoffs, the Pac-5.

The Pac-5 consists of highly ranked teams from Orange County, such as Long Beach Poly, Santa Margarita, and Mater Dei. Instead of playing in their normal division for playoffs, the Northern Section, the CIF Southern Section has put the Marmonte League into the Pac-5 division.

The Pac-7 will take the Marmonte League’s spot in the Northern Division.

Coaches and administrators tried to argue that the distance between the schools in the Marmonte League and the Pac-5 could span over 150 miles, way to far to

travel just to play football. The teams in the Marmonte League wanted to participate in a closer division such as the Pac-7 or the Mission League; however, the appeal was shot down by the CIF-SS commission.

“WHS accepts the CIF decision to move the Marmonte League to the Pac5 for playoffs and we look forward to bringing another Marmonte League and CIF Championship to WHS,” said Assistant Principal of Athletics Jason Branham.

The Marmonte league will still send four teams as usual to the CIF Playoffs.

Girls water polo has also been placed in a similar scenario. The league tried to enter Division 3 and play teams closer in the Ventura County. Also, in Division 3, Marmonte League teams would play different teams than in Division 2. The Marmonte League teams, besides Agoura, have not won a first round playoff game in Division 2; however, the proposal was shot down and the teams must play in D-2.

Golf Takes a Swing at League Title Woody Chung Opinion Editor

Get your binoculars and ornithology field guide because it’s birdie season.

Recently, the WHS golf team finished first in two different invitationals.

During the Calabasas High School Invitational at the Calabasas Country Club, golfers played on three man teams, going for a par of 72. WHS placed first, with Jake Andl ’15 shooting an even round of golf with a score of 72, Sean Crocker ’14 with a 74, and team captain Brandon Shaw ‘12 with a 77. Andl was awarded an individual medal.

At the Santa Inez Invitational, golfers played at the Alisal River Course aiming for a par of 72. WHS placed third, with a three-man team consisting of Blake Wing

’12, Michael Dansey ‘12 , and Brian Cook ‘12. Wing and Dansey both placed as individual medalists.

In addition to winning at the invitational, the team has had a successful league season. The players have won all their matches except for one competitive face off against rival Moorpark. The team has an overall record of 16-1.

“One of the reasons for our success is the personal relationships between the players. We like to mess with each other but there is a strong little brother/big brother bond between us,” said Crocker.

With luck, this bond will be strong enough to carry the team in the upcoming league matches, tournaments, and invitationals. The team will play at the state finals. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to win state,” said Crocker.

Alumni Making Noteworthy Seniors Dominate Dodgeball Tournament Contributions As College Athletes Brandon Homan Shannon Reiffen Feature Editor

Dodgeball has arrived at WHS, and it was with much excitement that 16 teams prepared for the rubber ball rumble hosted on April 11, 12 and 13. Teams of five competed for spots in the championships held April 13.

Westlake Soccer, made up of Drew Ricklemann ‘12 (Shane Dulgeroff ‘12 subbed for Ricklemann), Bijan Saremi ‘12, Bijan Sobhanpanah ‘12, and Chris Turnbull ‘12, won the 2nd annual Dodgeball Tournament by defeating the Regicides.

This year, the league has made a few changes. For one, if a team lost in the first round, it would be placed in the loser bracket without a chance of moving into the winners bracket.

Those who won their first round could not lose a single game afterwards or else they

would be eliminated from the tournament.

Also, unlike the first tournament at the beginning of the school year, there was only one court where teams played, not two. This meant that if one game at the beginning of the event went too long, teams who were at the bottom of the roster had the chance of not playing at all the first day of the tournament.

Because of this year’s tournament success, there will likely be more tournaments in the future, according to Assistant Principal of Athletics Jason Branham.

This year, when the idea came up to ASG, “they ran with it,” said Branham.

The only award the winners from this year’s games received was the pride that accompanies winning the title.

PHOTO BY STACEY KANE

In the span of WHS history, the school has had many students graduate and go off to college to pursue whatever sport in which they excelled. In recent years, several students have attended prestigious universities to pursue their sport, or in some cases, they just head directly to professional sports.

Brandon Hagy ‘09 attends UC Berkeley and has been pursuing his golf game while studying at the prestigious college. The Berkeley team is currently ranked third in the country, and has PAC 12’s coming up in three weeks.

“Berkeley has been a great experience. I like the diversity of the student body and that the professors are very committed to students’ success,” said Hagy.

Hagy says he wants to continue chasing after the dream of a professional golf career, but has also gained admission to the Haas School of Business.

Travis Magorien ‘11 is attending Cal State Northridge and playing volleyball. He says they are playing some of the top teams in the country, resulting in a mixed record.

“I do think I have gotten better and improved just from practicing everyday and working hard in practice and in the gym,” said Magorien.

After college, Magorien wants to pursue a professional career in volleyball in Europe and expand his skill set. However in the meantime, he is majoring in Communications at CSUN, but may be switching to major in Communications, Television, and Media Arts (CTVA).

Staff Writer

DODGE, DUCK, DIP, DIVE, DODGE: Jordan Hobmann participates in the WHS Dodgeball Tournament.

Sports

April 20, 2011 • The Arrow

15

Young Team Off to Respectable Start

Alex Farkas

Sports Editor

photo by brian chang

The 2011 Marmonte League baseball champions are looking to repeat and take their momentum all the way into the CIF playoffs. The team has started off 4-3 in league play and 6-7-1 overall. It stands third in league behind Agoura and Newbury Park.

This year’s WHS baseball team is much younger than last year’s. “Age is nothing but a number here,” coach Zach Miller said to the Thousand Oaks Acorn.

The team has nine freshmen. After almost all of the starting rotation graduated last year the team looked to its number one pitcher, Nick Noack ’14.

Noack feels pressure as a sophomore this season because “a lot of this relies on my performances whenever I go out there and pitch,” said Noack.

So far this season, Noack has put up some exceptional numbers. He is 3-2 with 40 strikeouts, two complete games, and a 2.14 earned run average (ERA) in his seven starts according to maxpreps.com.

However, the defense cannot carry the team alone. As a team, WHS is batting .287 with 60 runs and 101 hits. Catcher Collin Yelich ’12 is playing very well this season,

batting .375 with a slugging and on base percentage of .550 and .500 respectively.

Yelich recently committed to University of Nevada Las Vegas to play baseball, while his WHS alumni brother, Christian Yelich ’10, plays for the Miami Marlins minor league team.

The team is also carried by young star Luke Dykstra ’14. He leads the league with three home runs and has a solid batting average of .256.

This season Dykstra has been “concentrating on staying middle and driving the ball the other way” when he is batting, according to the infielder.

Dykstra plans to take his baseball career to college within the next few years after he graduates; however, he is keeping his options open now.

“This year we definitely have to have each other’s back and know that the next person will get the job done too if the you either screw up or help the team. We are like one big family, not just a team,” said Jack Donovan ’12.

The team looks forward to a tough league schedule ahead. They faced Moorpark this week and will face Newbury Park and Agoura in upcoming weeks. They also have a few non-league games against Alemay and Campbell Hall.

Wound UP: Nick Noack pitches a fastball in a recent home league game against Calabasas.

Volleyball Prepares to Move into 1st Place in Marmonte League Brian Danziger Staff Writer

PHOTO BY FRANCES LING

GET LOH: Alexander Loh returns a volley with a strong forehand in a match against Valencia.

Tennis Aims for CIF Playoff Spot

Harry Chung

Opinion Editor Hide your card games ladies and gentlemen, for the WHS tennis team is stealing those aces.

WHS boys tennis has had tremendous success so far with a record of nine wins and only one loss in league.

Despite a recent 6-12 loss to the undefeated Calabasas team, WHS still maintains a standing of second place in the Marmonte League.

Overall, the record for the varsity tennis team is 9-3, with the team losing only to strong competitors from Calabasas, Chaminade, and Dos Pueblos.

Key players in singles are Matt Gottlieb ‘15 and Alexander Loh ‘14, both underclassmen who represent WHS well with their natural tennis prowess.

Significant doubles players include Harrison Han ‘12 and Brian Ho ‘12, both of whom have been playing doubles for four consecutive years. This year, the team goal

was to win Marmonte League.

A major foe that they will need to defeat is Calabasas High School.”The tennis team, this year especially, is flourishing with all the seniors and new freshmen we have. All that stands in our way is Calabasas High School,” said JV player Nathan Noh ‘13.

The WHS team also hopes to advance to the CIF playoffs.

Since the team made CIF playoffs last year, it is confident that it certainly has a strong chance.

Nevertheless, as Coach Connie Flanderka notes, there are a few improvements that the team needs to make in order to succeed.

Such improvement goals include putting away the points, not giving the opponent team another chance to win the point, and closing out the set when the team has the opportunity.

As of now, the team will have to volley itself to a couple victories so that it can win the Marmonte League and move on to the CIF playoffs.

The boys volleyball season is in full effect, and the team is hungry to win the prestigious league title. The team’s pursuit of the Marmonte League title is off to a good start with a 16-2 record overall and a 9-1 record in league play.

Despite getting off to a fast start, it has not been an easy road. The team had to win against tough schools like Royal, Edison, Ponahola and Saint Jonbosko, all of which are top ten teams in CIF. Due to the many impressive victories, WHS was ranked fourth in the nation at one point.

WHS suffered a crushing loss against its rival Thousand Oaks. TOHS is currently undefeated and is in first place in the Marmonte League standings.

The Warriors will have to face TOHS again this year and beat them if they want

to be at the top of the standings by the end of the season.

Outside hitters Jacob Delson ‘12, who will take his talents to UCSB next year, Taylor Tattersall ‘12, Captain Brandon Kohler ‘12, and Colby Magorien ‘13 have all contributed to the team’s success this season.

Coach Doug Magorien stated that “the team is going to need to continue to have veteran leadership from Delson and Tattersall in order for the team to sustain their success throughout the rest of the season.”

With a good part of the season left, WHS is determined to come out with a victory every time they step on the floor this year and claim the league title.

The team won against Royal on April 18.

Today’s game against Thousand Oaks will determine the team’s standing in league.

“A Starry Night in Paris” in Simi Valley

Ways to Get a "Yes" Still wondering how to ask your date to prom? Try one of these suggestions: Nicolette Blatt Feature Editor

Lead your special someone on a scavenger hunt that ends with dinner outside and candles spelling out “Prom?”

All dresses are from renttherunway.com, a website for renting designer dresses. Left to right: Rebecca Taylor Blue Smoke Tiered Dress Rental $50. Hervè Lèger Metallic Striped Bandage Dress Rental $200. Hervè Lèger Duplicity Contrast Dress Dress Rental $150.

Create a specific mix CD with all of her favorite songs and end with a recording asking her to prom.

Left to right: Badgley Mischka Aqua Queen Gown Dress Rental $125. Halston Heritage Noir Singapore Sensation Gown Dress Rental $125.

Left to right: Haute Hippie Gypsy Glam Gown Dress Rental $200. Badgley Mischka Glitz Gown Dress Rental $150.

Promising Night Shannon Reiffen Feature Editor

As the year comes to a close, seniors have begun to look back on their fond memories of the last four years, but more importantly, they are looking forward to the remaining events they will share with their peers.

Senior showcase, senior seminar, grad nite and the senior picnic are all memories they will forever remember. But the most important memory we all look forward to making is prom.

Prom will take place at the Ronald Reagan Library in the Air Force One Pavilion, June 2.

The Pavilion not only holds

historical interest, but is also an elegant place to hold this special event.

At this venue guests will be allowed to tour the inside of Air Force One, dance beneath the plane, and then adjourn outside onto the Ambassador's Terrace for a breath of fresh air and a chance to take in the spectacular views.

Class presidents have raised enough money, so that tickets are less expensive so prom organizers can put more money into the venue.

This year's theme, "A Starry Night in Paris," is bound to create an enjoyable evening for all. Prom is one last night for all the seniors to enjoy the company of their

classmates and create lasting memories.

The theme will encourage the seniors to dress and behave appropriately, and revel in the last time they can be together before graduation.

“I am really excited to go to prom with all my friends. It's a chance for us to be together one last time before we go our separate ways," said Michael Napolitano ‘12.

Left to right: Blugirl Gold Glam Sequin Gown Dress Rental $200.

Robert Rodriguez Black Label Berry Wild Lace Gown Dress Rental $125. Robert Rodriguez Black Label Bright Bodice Gown Dress Rental $100.

Address the Dress Code Hanyi Huang Feature Editor

Some high school seniors simply view prom as their last high school dance, while others view it as their last chance to create some notable memories before being thrown into the real world.

Girls spend weeks, even months, searching for the perfect dress. When they do, their hearts leap with joy, until they see the large numbers on the price tags dangling innocently on the side of the gowns.

Is all that time, money, and effort

really worth it, especially when finding the perfect dress is getting even harder?

Schools around the country created stricter dress codes for prom. The codes prohibit plunging necklines, hiked-up hems, low-slung backs, thigh-high slits, and midriffbearing cutouts.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the revealing trend in prom dresses comes from the red carpet and the media in shows, like “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Real Housewives.”

Despite the strict dress code, some WHS students believe that it is reasonable and helps prevent others from tainting the meaning of prom.

Send romantic secret admirer notes with compliments for a week, and then on the last day sign your name to one of the notes and have it say, “Beautiful will you go to prom with me?”

Give her one red rose in every class and have each one have a word tied to the bottom ultimately spelling out “Will you go to prom with me.”

Bake a cake and leave it on her doorstep. Then ring the doorbell and hide. When she opens the door, walk up to the door with red roses and pop the question.

Blow up several balloons with helium, and have each balloon have a compliment inside of it.

She has to pop each one until she finds the one balloon that says prom.

Go to build-a-bear and record your voice saying, “Will you go to prom with me.” Put it in the bear’s paw and have her press.

Call a fortune cookie company and have them print a fortune cookie saying, “Look to your left. The boy sitting next to you is your prom date.”

Fill 30 pink balloons with oxygen and fill two more with helium. On one of the two helium balloons, write “Prom?” and on the other, draw a pig’s face. Release the balloons and ask, “Will you go to prom with me when pigs fly?”