The Highlander

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March 2013, Vol IV, Issue VI

Bursting at the seams

Carlmont at full capacity, new buildings to be made How much do you know? Pgs. 4 & 5

Tattoos

Free expression for teenagers. Pgs. 6 & 7

Riding the yellow bus

With each passing year, new faces arrive at Carlmont. But how many of these new faces can the school accept before the capacity reaches its maximum?

The school district aims to continue expanding the campus in order to push this maximum to a new high, scheduling the construction of several new buildings to commence soon.

“Up in U-wing, there is a flat area that was originally going to be a green engineering building, but that project didn’t get funded,” said Assistant Vice Principal Ralph Crame.

Instead, after reviewing the projected enrollment increases, the district decided to fund the construction of two science buildings, three regular classrooms and a staff restroom. All of these additions are expected to be ready for the 2014-2015 school year.

This project stemmed from a district-wide upsurge in enrollment that caused a reevaluation of the boundaries dividing the living areas that determine which school a student will attend.

Since Carlmont will be receiving the greatest amount of new students, its population rising to about 2400 students in the future, the new construction is seen as absolutely necessary.

“It is true that Carlmont’s population is increasing at a faster rate than that of other schools,” said Crame. “But there has to be a limit because we will eventually run out of space.”

Junior Ethan Wallace believes that the school already has run out of space, stating, “Personally? I think Carlmont is overpopulated right now. I wish I went to smaller school in general where teachers are

Photos by Gianna Dimick

By Rachel Schuster Senior Editor

more one-on-one with students.”

Some students expressed similar concerns about population size becoming overbearing in a classroom setting.

“Some of my classes are a little packed.

Sometimes I don’t ask as many questions because there are so many people, so it does affect my ability to learn,” said sophomore Amanda Breslauer.

Within the next 10 years, the Sequoia High School Union District is predicted to be educating approximately 10,000 students

Honor the honor code The daily struggles of living in EPA. Pg.13

Hidden holidays

National High Five Day and other outrageous holidays. Pg.14

By Reggie Chatman Jr. Staff Writer

In a school of 2,135 people, the diversity of a student differs but where is the line between right and wrong when it comes to an individual’s moral code?

That depends on the individual.

Everyone has a unique standard that they live up to. That standard is based on who a person is and how they hold him/herself. Individual standards then affect your morals.

One’s morals helps one decide what is wrong and what is right.

One’s morals help one decide where the invisible line between working together and cheating on homework and tests is.

The line is different for everyone.

“As long as you’re helping the person, but in not in the way that they are not learning the subject,” said junior Parsa Attari. “If you just give them the answers and they just copy it, that’s not ok.”

The idea behind cheating is often clearer on tests than with homework, but the invisible line about what is right and what is wrong is still apparent.

“For tests, it’s pretty clear as to if

someone is cheating or not. There is a certain expectation that if we are taking tests at school that obviously you cannot use unauthorized aid,” said senior Luke Li. “I think the line gets a little more blurred with take home tests.”

In the technologically advanced society that we live in today, online take home tests, quizzes and homework assignments are becoming more prominent. The lack of teacher supervision during these at home tasks creates an easier opportunity for students to cheat.

The use of technology has affected some students here on campus multiple times duration of the throughout the school year and has caused cheating to become a widespread issue for teachers.

As described by senior AP Government student Max McBride, at the end of last semester, the schools, AP Government teachers found that the there had been mass cheating on the final exam. A version of the test had been leaked online.

Whether the online test and answers were stumbled upon and used as a study tool or deliberately passed from student to student knowing full well that it was the

Continued on pg.16

– Carlmont with close to 2400, Sequoia with 2300, Menlo-Atherton with 2000 and Woodside with 1800.

“We believe that the increase in students is due mostly to the relocation of large corporations, like Facebook, into the areas near Carlmont,” said Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom.

This movement has caused the population to rise in not only the cities near the campus, but also in the feeder schools like Ralston Middle School, Terra Linda Middle School,

Continued on pg.16

Celebrating in secret

Telling friends about college acceptances

By Graham Godwin News and Opinion Editor The proverbial “skinny” or “fat” letters are starting to arrive in mailboxes, signaling the answer to the long awaited questions, “where’d you get in?”

Students now know if they have been accepted, rejected or waitlisted to the colleges of their dreams.

When the answers flow in, people naturally want to broadcast the results to everyone they know.

Logging onto to Facebook with endless updates of smiley or sad faces, or posting acceptance letters on Instagram on a daily basis has become a natural occurrence for high school seniors.

Naturally, students are extremely excited, as March symbolizes the accumulation of 14 years of back breaking schoolwork.

But the other side of the process must be taken into account too, for every success story, comes one with an opposite ending. Instead of elation, a feeling of helpless

dejection and second guessing.

Some students openly boast about getting accepted to schools that their best friends may have not gotten into, making what should be a joyous occasion, into a rather awkward conundrum. Students ask themselves, “How do I celebrate my achievements, without hurting the people around me?”

Which bears the question, should the college admission process be a bit more private?

Senior Emily Cox, was recently informed that she didn’t get into Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, but all around her it seemed that her friends were getting nothing but good news, “Getting rejected from a college is a challenge within itself, especially when I knew that my grades, SAT scores, and extracurricular activities greatly out did some of the people that did get in, So yes, I was frustrated that some of my friends got into Cal Poly when I didn’t, but it must mean that they either had

Continued on pg.16

News and Opinions

Page 2

Procrastination nation Unquantifiable equality

By Sarah Levin Columnist You know, I had a really great plan for this column.

I was going to do all of this research on where the phrase “procrastination” came from, and then provide some anecdotes from my own personal life. Maybe throw some interviews in there. A few quotes from someone famous. Like Mark Twain. Or Kim Kardashian.

Yeah, this column probably would have made you all burst into sympathetic tears and eat the newspaper out of sheer jealousy. There would have been riots, and a few people would have been sent to the hospital after passing out on the staircases.

God, it would have been glorious. So I’m sure you’re all wondering what happened.

Well... I was sick. And I knew that if I wrote while I was sick, the column would just be a rambling account of me hacking up my own lungs.

And then I had to babysit. How could I be expected to focus on my writing when one kid is pulling on the back of my hair and another is slamming their own face into the drywall over and over, all while their baby brother somehow manages to get feces on every single inch of his skin?

After that... well, the weekend rolled around. My schedule was packed. First, I had to sleep in until it was physically impossible for me to get more sleep. After a busy breakfast consisting of me eating the marshmallows out of Lucky Charms in front of the television, I vacillated between eating, watching TV, eating, watching my computer, eating, checking my phone, and thinking about eating.

And that was just Day One. I still somehow had to squeeze in hanging out with my friends, watching a movie, and waking up in a cold sweat after remembering I had homework.

Then the school week came along. I had so much I had to do- homework, pretending to do homework, pretending I wasn’t pretending to do homework. Not to mention going to sleep while pretending to do homework.

I actually did start to write this a few days ago, but then I accidentally walked out of the room, went downstairs and turned on the television. This is very closely related to an event a few days ago when I tripped on my laptop cord and somehow opened Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube all at the same time.

So, I’m afraid that I have no ground-shaking column for you this month. But, can you really blame me?

I’ll admit it (and this may come as a shock); I’ve had issues with procrastination in the past. The constant battle to prevent it is an intense affair, costing many man-hours online and thousands of useless captioned pictures of cats sent to friends. I try to fight it. I do everything from turning off my computer to locking myself in a bomb shelter underneath my house.

The latter usually fails, considering there’s still internet connection down there.

Either way, I know when I’m staring down the belly of the beast. Usually, it’s when I have seven essays and four tests to study for and I’m busy reasoning to myself that one more YouTube video won’t make a difference.

However, I do feel pretty bad about procrastinating this column (ironically enough, it was ABOUT procrastination in the first place. You know you’ve hit bottom when you’re procrastinating on procrastinating). So, why not try to turn over a new leaf? My New Year’s resolution was to stop procrastinating and as I put off starting my resolutions, there seems to be no time like the present.

So I promise, next month’s column will be amazing. I’ll start on it right after the new episode of Doctor Who. And after I get a snack. And I really should wash my car.

But then, it’s column time.

By Annie Wesolek Columnist Feminism, according to Google definitions, means the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. It’s important to note that at the root of feminism is the struggle for equality.

Throughout history, women have been overlooked, mistreated, and deprived of the rights they were entitled too. Slowly and not without a good fight, supporters of feminism have worked hard to create more equality between the sexes.

As is the case with groups who have faced discrimination, society tries to tiptoe around the stigma of the past transgressions by treating the injured party differently than others. More often than not, our society tries to right past wrongs by seeking equality in terms of fairness.

In the past, the common belief was that a woman’s duty was to make her husband happy.

Controversially, in the modern day we unconsciously support the idea that married men are ruled by their wives, and that women have a stronger presence in the household.

This perception of the marital relationship is shown in sitcom television shows such as “My Boys” where the supporting character Andy is portrayed as a powerless husband who is constantly constrained by his wife’s wishes.

Characters like Andy’s are prevalent in our media, but you’d almost never see a sitcom show where a woman was as submissive to her husband. Screenwriters and directors understand that it isn’t fair or politically correct show submissive female characters in a light-hearted sitcom because it mimics the oppression females experienced in the past.

Instead, they create female characters differently than male by writing more women into powerful roles. Our modern media is known to overcompensate for the sigmas of sexism.

Independent and powerful women are wonderful role models and their presence in the modern media demonstrates just how far the feminist movement has come, however when these strong women are constantly juxtaposed against submissive males it changes the perspective of society; we begin to believe that these unbalanced relationship dynamics are the norm.

Female supremacy is also emphasized because while our societal views toward the sexes are changeing, there are still many facets of society where women remain unequal. The media overcompensates for the lack of physical, quantitative equality between the sexes by subconsciously teaching that women are self-sufficient and commanding, and male empowerment is comparatively insignificant and should be disregarded.

You wouldn’t argue that women can not a perform corporate job to the level that a male could because it would be a sexist and as a public we’ve decided this fact to be untrue. Yet despite the belief that female ability in the workforce is equal to male, many women are still receiving lower wages comparatively with men for the same job.

In addition, women, who make up around 50% of the population are vastly underrepresented in government. In the 2013 congress, women only hold 97 seats, only 18.1 % of the 535 seats available.

It seems as if there is a separation in the advancement of women in the minds society and the physical advancement of women in business and government. Our view of women has become inflated by the media’s quest to portray the sexes “fairly,” but the truly important aspects of life are unaffected by societies views.

What we as a society need is less talk and more action. We need less belief and more quantitative equality. Less days celebrating female self sufficiency and more organizations working for equal levels of representation in government and business. We may believe with all of our hearts that females are every bit as capable as males, but until actions are taken to equalize our businesses and our government, we’ll continue to overcompensate psychologically.

Is high school an accepting place?

People form opinions about others without even meeting them

By Arianna Bayangos Staff Writer

You come to school on the first day as the new kid with no friends. As you look around, you see different groups of people. Many questions race through your mind as you walk down the crowded hallway of her high school: Will I fit in here? Will I be accepted for who I truly am?

High school is the time in most people’s lives when they are discovering their passions and interests. People form opinions, switch groups of friends, and sometimes, take bold steps like changing their gender identity. With all the changes occurring within each one, some wonder if they can be accepted for the way they truly are or if they should suppress their true selves in order to fit in with the crowd.

Some have a more difficult time than others because of peers who form opinions about them immediately.

A junior, Ryan Pau commented, “People are arrogant, ignorant, and judgmental towards everyone about what everyone else wears, how they look, and what they do.”

When people think that they are superior to another, they bully him or her because of the way the person looks, acts, or dresses because they think a “normal” person should be and look like.

Pau added, “People get bullied because of their differences and that people do not know how to accept other people’s differences so they take advantage and bully their underlings [in their minds].”

When someone is a victim of bullying, the bully’s friends often join in the teasing in order to fit into a crowd at school or to avoid being taunted for defending the victim.

A student who wished to remain anonymous, doesn’t feel accepted for who she is at Carlmont. She said, “A lot of people exclude people if they are different. When a person feels that, they tell their friends and they look down on someone. If you get the attention of more popular people, they’ll bully you, but if it’s regular people, they won’t bully you.”

On the other hand, some people believe that although people in high school can be judgmental, they can tolerate people who are different.

Claudio Cortez, a senior, said, “It’s not that we don’t accept (people who are different). I feel like we don’t put that much attention to them. I just feel like we’re very seperated at school.”

In most high schools, there are cliques depending on one’s personality and interests. A lot of people hang out with their own group of friends rather than try to meet new people. People don’t necessarily look down on other groups at school, but often stick with their own group.

Others believe that Carlmont is an accepting place.

Freshman Spencer Stewart said, “People are really accepting and don’t judge people that much. I think people would find friends easily at Carlmont and join friend groups quickly.”

Even though there are many cliques and groups in high school, a new student would easily find a crowd that matches their interests and their personalities.

Freshman Chamonn Baldwin said, “You have to find the right group to be in. Everybody is the same in different ways.”

In a school with over two thousand students, it would be impossible to not find anybody who is different in the same way as you are. Is the environment not accepting or are you just not willing to search for the right group of friends for you?

If you are not willing to put yourself out there and search, then you may not feel accepted.

Yes, people are judgemental. But that shouldn’t prevent you from being who you are. If you take a step back and truly look, our student body is very diverse in various ways to people who may be considered “different.”

Carlmont is full of different people

Photo By Gianna Dimick

News and Opinions

Page 3

Music piracy good for industry

Widespread nature of piracy has destroyed the status quo, unleashed music

By John Russell Staff Writer Piracy is widely regarded as the bane of the music industry.

Those sentiments are most often spouted by big record labels and advertising agencies who seek to maintain the status quo that is rapidly crumbling around them.

From a consumer standpoint, piracy is great. Free music, average sound quality, and minimal work to download songs.

The current arrangement,however, with sales from record titans like Warner Music and EMI declining steadily according to Nielsen Soundscan figures from 2012, doesn’t fulfill the needs of either party.

Consumers are forced to deal with sub-par sound files, no cover artwork, and less than reputable websites.

The record companies lose money, consumers get less than quality products, and above all the artists suffer.

Junior Eric He said of music piracy, “It’s just a part of using the Internet now. Kids do it without a second thought nowadays. I don’t think I know anyone who actually pays for their music.”

But what if these were only growing pains for a new status quo?

Record companies take an antiquated and rapidly aging approach to peddling their products. Music is no longer controlled by the industry itself, instead it is now distributed

freely, and record sales mean next to nothing.

Wider economic forces have already affected other sectors of the economy, it follows that the entertainment industry would be forced to adapt to this paradigm shift.

In the Age of Information, content can be produced and distributed by smaller and smaller companies, and content is now more personalized than ever.

Sites like Bandcamp and SoundCloud support this new straight-to-consumer business model which is only growing in prominence.

Supported by an infrastructure of blogs like hypetrak.com and gorillavsbear.com and a new generation of “armchair A&Rs,” bloggers whose posting decisions dictate who makes it and who doesn’t, this business model is constantly evolving and advancing online.

Retweets, reblogs and page views are the currency of the day, as the hype surrounding a new artist discovered on a blog can quickly snowball to mainstream appeal.

Already this has taken a toll on the industry,with bloated record companies falling into bankruptcy and smaller, more niche-focused record labels, signing smaller artists who can produce music for a specific audience, growing in market share.

This trend leads to more content of higher quality for consumers.

Music is now made with smaller margins, and as recording equipment continues its free fall in cost, the quality of music

Toro y Moi performing

Photo by: Creative Commons

coming from smaller outfits will increase.

Record labels are being forced to adapt in the age of page views and blogs, ad revenues and twittersphere buzz.

Soon we will no longer see the current class of plastic, commercialized artists peddled by record labels hell bent on making a profit.

The Taylor Swifts and Miley Cyruses of this world have had their day.

More and more young people are turning their attention online to find new, fresh music that they can’t find anywhere else.

A thriving indie culture has lived online for decades, but it is only now that it is being embraced on a large scale, and in lieu of mainstream music.

This period of decay will only serve the consumer, and more music produced with heart, and for the right reasons, will make its way to the consumer.

Students locked out of U-hall bathrooms

By Gabby D’Souza Staff Writer Many people have experienced the disheartening event of going to use the bathroom, tugging at the door and then realizing they can’t get in because it’s locked.

As most have come to learn the U hall, F hall and a few other bathrooms around campus have been locked throughout the day.

While it is hard to say exactly what is been going on in each bathrooms there are a few theories.

Using the school bathrooms as a meeting place to smoke, or do drugs, or graffiti, or just get out of class with friends is not uncommon at Carlmont.

“Sometimes when I am walking to AP bio I can smell weed coming from the bathroom hallway,” said junior Kiana Ghazouli.

Part of the problem is that some students use the bathroom as a party room for friends and drugs and other prohibited activities.

But this really causes a problem for the

people who want to use the bathroom for its intended purpose.

So how does the administration respond?

Well evidently they think that the best way to stop illegal activities in bathrooms is to close them down.

Thus the students who actually need to use the bathrooms are forced to either run to an open bathroom in the short amount of time they are allotted for such breaks, walk around school antsy with the I-need-to-pee face, or hold it in till they get home.

Therefore some students are angry all day because they are unable to let a natural process happen, due to the actions of a small minority of the students at Carlmont.

However, the administration does realize that closing the bathrooms is both effective and disruptive to students.

So why are all students being punished for the crimes of a few?

“Bathrooms can be closed for a variety of issues - anywhere from illegal activity taking place to plumbing and janitorial situations. I do not know specifically why they were closed

recently,” stated Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom.

But there are so many things that this could cause the bathrooms to be closed, and while closing the bathrooms could help to solve the problems they are simply forcing everyone to suffer, however it’s also stopping the bathrooms from being used incorrectly.

Personally, I think poop coming back up and out of toilets is a lot worse for bathrooms than drugs. It’s my belief that it’s easier to “go” in a smelly bathroom then in ones covered in other peoples “stuff.”

Nevertheless, if the problem isn’t due to janitorial issues, which it most likely isn’t because then we would all literally be able to smell the problem, then it has to be that students continue to use the bathrooms for prohibited activities.

So the best way to solve the problem would be if students just used the bathroom for its intended purpose and do any of these other activities off school grounds so that they do not force the rest of us to suffer from their YOLO mentality.

Kyler McDaniel finds U-Hall Bathrooms closed

Photo By: Gabby D’Souza

Editor-in-Chief: Gianna Dimick

Managing Editor:

The Highlander Back Page:

Carly Bertolozzi

Alex Porter

Mulitmedia:

News and Op:

Junior Editors:

Graham Godwin

Entertainment: Sabrina Leung

Campus Jacob Rudger

Features: Anna Wheeler

Sports: Ryan Freeman

Online: Erica Valbusa

The mission of The Highlander is to accurately and honestly cover communal as well as school events. As a student run open forum newspaper, we strive to incorporate multiple views and represent the diverse community at Carlmont.

Kellan McDonough Dominic Gialdini Ashley Kawakami Sarah Klieves

Senior Editor: Rachel Schuster

Faculty Adviser: Justin Raisner

Photographers:

Karenna Meredith Veronika Dvorak

Staff Writers: Ayesha Abbasi Jessica Adair Michael Bastaki Arianna Bayangos Monica Bayasgalan Grace Chang Reggie Chatman Jr. Gabriela D’Souza Tara Ebrahimpour Nikos Frazier Kristen Friis Ivan Garin Graham Godwin Timothy Layten Claudia Leist

Robert Lyon Conrad May Virginia O’Callahan John Russell Katherine Savin Scott Schulze Shira Stein Karissa Tom Natalie Tussy Daniel Wang Maxwell Ware Andrew Wedvick Alan Yan Grace Yi

Columnists:

Sarah Levin Annie Wesolek

Follow us on twitter @ScotScoopNews

World News

Page 4

Europe aims to preserve environment North Korea’s nuclear threat

By Kellan McDonough Multimedia Editor It looks as though the fight to save our environment is finally showing results, but t is Europe who takes the lead in the fight against climate change.

According to a report from the European Environment Agency, severe climate changes are to come and severe consequences will come to cities that do not make efforts to adapt.

In an effort to adapt, many European buildings have adapted green infrastructure.

Such green infrastructure is designed to deliver benefits that are friendly to the environment.

This need to adapt to a changing climate could provide a model for future city and architectural development.

In Germany, one can own a car, but they have to pay $30,000 dollars to park it down the street in a garage.

Also in Germany, there are houses so energy efficient that they don’t need to be heated.

It is not so much

European’s willingness to change that makes them more eco-friendly, but the way they adjust and live their life.

In Rome, for example, the average home does not have air conditioning and a roomy fridge. Clothes are hung outside to dry, not dried by a machine.

Not only do Europeans use less appliances, but they produce less personal waste. Americans package everything separately and in bulk amounts. In Europe it is socially disgraceful to carry around a plastic bag.

Junior Theo Fedronic commented, “As far as public transportation, Europe works much harder to promote alternatives to cars. Trains are the fastest to get around and buses provide intercity travel.”

Americans rely on cars, but maybe if more focus and attention was put on public transportation our carbon footprint could be reduced.

Although the United States is not exerting every possible effort to be entirely eco-friendly, we have made considerable progress.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, energyrelated emissions in 2012 were the lowest since 1992.

In contrast, energy emissions were highest in the EU because more people are using coal.

This is significant progress for the United States and it contradicts the pattern we see in environmental progress for Europe, usually taking a greater stance in conservation efforts.

Europe is consuming mass amounts of coal due to the closure of the country’s nuclear fleet, higher gas prices, and cheap coal imports from the US. Europe is friendlier to the environment in day to day activities.

An example would be, in New York, garbage is collected 3 times a week while in Zurich garbage is collected once.

Europe has set the example for environmental conservation. It’s about more than changing the way society treats the environment, but how we choose to live our daily lives.

By Carly Bertolozzi Chief of Design Preceding a blatant threat to bomb the United States of America, North Korea completed a successful rocket launch on Dec. 12, 2012 and its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, 2013. Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, violated earlier restrictions placed on North Korea by the United Nations Security Council by going forth with the rocket launch, resulting in further sanctions.

In response to North Korea’s recent tests and launches, which specialists believe is an attempt to form a nuclear missile capable of reaching the United States, China and the United States drafted the fourth sanctions resolution to be placed on North Korea.

The newly implemented sanction, agreed upon by all 15 U.N. Security Council members, is intended to affect North Korea’s ruling class by not permitting other nations to export luxuries such as jewelry, yachts and race cars. According to Time News, North Korea threatened to cancel the cease-fire along the Korean Peninsula that ended the Korean War in 1953.

Tension between the United States and North Korea has been heavy since the Korean War. During the war, the United States urged the United Nations to force back North Korean troops that had invaded South Korea.

Troops pushed out North Korean forces, and then continued the attack into North Korea.

Eventually the dispute resulted in a stalemate.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that the North “strongly

warns the U.N. Security Council not to make another big blunder like the one in the past when it earned the inveterate grudge of the Korean nation by acting as a war servant for the U.S. in 1950.” It was also said that North Korea will not hesitate to carry out “a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors,” according to Time News.

North Korea has blatantly threatened to commit a nuclear attack against the United States of America, and specialists believe that, if they are not there already, the country is inches away from gaining the technology to form a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States. According to The New York Times, Fu Ying, a Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs, visited North Korea’s capital and insisted against a missile test, however North Korea disregarded China’s warning.

So, if North Korea is launching missiles, testing nuclear weapons, threatening to bomb the United States, and opposing its closest ally—an ally that is crucial to the economic survival of its government—then why are American’s not fretting over potential catastrophic events?

Chloe Sorenson, a senior, said, “I think they took the term ‘bombs away’ a little too seriously.” Students at Carlmont have adapted to hostile relations with North Korea.

Americans have adopted the mentality that we are safe because we are a world superpower and North Korea does not yet have the technology to put force behind their threats, but the later is soon to be proven wrong.

Carlmont students discuss current world news Cartoon by Annie Wesolek

The fight over Jerusalem

By Nikos Frazier Staff Writer Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, holds some of the most sacred sites and artifacts of the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Because of Jerusalem’s value to many groups of people, since its creation in 1948, the country of Israel has had numerous wars with its neighbors and within itself, specifically between Palestinians and Israelis.

The United States has sent trillions of dollars throughout the years, and now about $3.1 billion per year, in addition to military support and technology to Israel to help reduce conflict.

Through the relationship with Israel, the U.S. has tried to take a neutral stand with the interior conflict with the Palestinians (the Palestinians were the original inhabitants before the 1948 Establishment of an Hebrew state in the Middle East, which had been conceived in the Balfour Declaration).

William Dahu, a senior at Carlmont, commented, “As a Palestinian-American, it bothers me how we support one side. It should end.”

The Balfour Declaration, written in 1917,

stated that “His Majesty’s governments view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

The United States claims it has a neutral stand but it seems that the U.S. wallet has favored Israel greatly over the Palestinians.

Was a new country granted for the displacement of Palestine?

To this day, many lives have been lost to the fighting inside Israel. Lives have been lost on both sides.

One cannot say one side is solely responsible for the lives lost, but the uncooperative and rigid Israeli government and America’s hefty support has been under much criticism for their mistreatment of the native Palestinians.

But does this criticism justify the $3.1 billion given in aid?

Just last week, the White House released a press briefing stating that they would no longer be giving tours because of lack of funding.

We can not even give tours of one of the landmarks in our country but we are giving all of this foreign aid to other countries, is this right?

Out with the old pope, in with the new

By Anna Wheeler Features Editor In a nearly unprecedented turn of events, Pope Benedict XVI resigned Feb. 28, 2013.

This news brought about much confusion; because something like this has never happened in our lifetime, several people found themselves asking questions such as “Is he allowed to do that?” “How does this work?”

The pope is allowed to resign; however, because so few popes have resigned, it seems more shocking than it actually may be. In fact, the last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Pope Gregory XII resigned in order to end the “Great Western Schism.”

However, it is unclear as to why Pope Benedict XVI stepped down from the papacy and may remain that way.

There are several theories, but the most prominent and likely of these theories revolves around a faction of gay priests within the Vatican.

Another fairly popular theory is that Pope Benedict XVI resigned because he was facing criminal charges for protecting child-molester priests.

This is a well-known theory due to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has become infamous for allegations of child sexual abuse in recent years.

“I think he resigned because he wants to be remembered how he is right now: a messenger of God,” said Gianna Glazer, a freshman at Carlmont.

The questions now are who will take over as pope and how it will happen.

The pope is elected by 120 cardinals within the Catholic Church. They congregate in conclave in the Vatican, this year starting on Tuesday, Mar. 12, and do not come out until they have chosen the new pope.

On Wednesday, Mar. 13, the white smoke appeared from the Vatican, signaling the election of the new pope. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was chosen to be the 266th pope, adopting the name Pope Francis.

“Because he’s a Jesuit, he’s going to make a difference for all the Christian people in the world. Also because of that, a lot of Catholic schools are really happy about it, especially St. Francis” said Gianna Glazer. “I respect him for taking on the job of the messenger of God.”

World News

Page 5

Students ignorant about world news

By Sabrina Leung Entertainment Editor

Although students are required to learn about World history, American politics and current events throughout their high school classes and have instant access to news through social media platforms, some students are still ignorant what is happening beyond the boundaries of their everyday lives.

“I have talked to some of my friends about the Sequester.

It’s national news, not even international, and I thought it was kind of weird how most of them didn’t even know what a ‘sequester’ was,” said sophomore Andrew Yazhgar.

With a society overflowing with advanced technological developments, the general impression is that we are living in an age where people are particularly knowledgeable, possibly the most well-formed generation in history. However, some argue that we are living in an Age of Ignorance.

“Kids are so confined by school these days that they hardly have the chance to explore anywhere else that gives them outside exposure,” said junior Leesan Kwok.

Today, many American students are ignorant of critical facts about important events in the news, ranging from the death of the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, to China’s success of sending a man to the moon. Some are even clueless about presidential elections, and how our government functions.

A study conducted by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 out of 100 Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms.

In fact, a number of Americans can not even answer basic questions that are significant in our daily lives.

In 1991, the Pew Research center revealed that only 25 percent of Americans knew who their senators were for their own state. The National Geographic Society revealed that only 37 percent of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 can find the nation of Iraq on a map of the world, and only 50 percent can locate the state of New York on a U.S. map.

This has led some to question why students are becoming

more ignorant about world news.

One contribution to this problem that some have noted is negligence, otherwise known as the disinclination to seek reliable sources of information about important news events.

Unlike their parents, who were forced to rely mainly on newspapers and network news shows to find out what was happening in the world, students can flip on CNN and NBC or search the internet.

Although Twitter and Youtube allow one to watch developments as they occur halfway around the world in real time and have instant access to current news across the globe, many students simply do not have the interest to learn about what is happening outside of their own personal lives. In 2005, the Pew Research Center surveyed the news habits of 3,000 Americans age 18 and older and found that only 59 percent on a regular basis watch the news from local TV, and just 23 percent from the Internet. In fact, the average age of CNN’s audience is sixty, and only 11 percent claim that they regularly click on news web pages.

“Entertainment is such a money-making business and is too emphasized. Kids are attracted to the glamorous aspect of the entertainment industry and want to relate themselves to that glamour by knowing fully what’s going on with celebrities.

With world news, not so much,” added Kwok.

Additionally, “wooden-headedness,” or the inclination to believe what one wants to believe regardless of the facts, can be attributed to ignorance. The influx of social media and celebrity advertisements have caused many students to become susceptibility to stereotypes, irrational biases, and simplistic diagnoses that play on our hopes and fears. With hoards of information online, sometimes it becomes difficult for one to sift through it all and find the truth. Many things one views on the Internet are blatantly false and absurd, yet thousands of Americans have been caught into believing these facts.

“People might think that all the news they need is on Facebook but it definitely is not. They should not believe all they see because it might not be the whole picture of the issue,” added Yazhgar.

Another factor is shortsightedness: The support of public

policies that are mutually contradictory, or contrary to the country’s long-term interests. Some students are not interested in learning about foreign affairs because they don’t find it relatable to their daily lives. Junior Iris Choi blames the potential “ignorance” of students on the local news stations.

“My family usually watches the Chinese news, which generally broadcasts news related to China and nothing else.

Also, I’m not really interested in politics and sometimes don’t understand what is going on,” said Choi.

However, young Americans have already been noted in earlier times for being ignorant on foreign affairs. In the 1940s, the National Election Studies (NES) by the University of Michigan, revealed that only a small percentage knew a lot about politics, 50-60 percent knew enough to answer basic questions, and the rest knew next to nothing.

In the 1990s, political scientists Michael Carpini and Scott Keeter concluded that there was statistically little difference between the knowledge of the parents of the “Silent Generation” of the 1950s, the parents of the “Baby Boomers” of the 1960s, and American parents today.

While some believe that ignorance is an issue among students, others do not view this as a problem.

“I may not watch the world news every day, but I eventually find out what is going on later. I don’t think it’s necessary to pay attention to every foreign issue if it doesn’t have a huge impact in our society,” said Choi.

However, others conclude that it is crucial for students to study world news to keep up with the rest of the world.

“I believe that if everyone knew what was going on around the world; how horrible some peoples’ lives are, then everyone would actually be thinking about their own actions, responses to certain situations, and he or she would be more appreciative of what they get,” remarked Yazhgar.

Even though foreign affairs or economic issues may not appeal to everyone, learning about world news will help one develop critical thinking skills and gain the insight needed to understand how our current society functions.

Features

Photo by Veronika Dvorakova

Oliver Surovell shows off his numerous tattoos.

WARNING: side effects

By Tara Ebrahimpour Staff Writer

Tattoos are appealing to many young people, but they don’t realize the health risks and long term effects that come with them.

Tattoos are artistic and expressive.

For many, they are a way to express their feelings and emotions, and for some, they hold an even deeper meaning. They are a way to hold on to a memory.

Behind these meaningful tatoos are some health risks include blood borne diseases that are commonly spread if a contaminated piece of equipment is used. According to mayoclinic.com, one can contract diseases such as tetanus, staph, HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis. These diseases are costly and affect people’s lives. However, they tend to be an avoidable burden.

Other minor health risks are caused by skin breakage, which can cause granulomas (red bumps caused by inflammation), keloid scars, skin irritation and other chronic skin conditions. Finally, one of the most serious problems associated with tattoos are tumors.

Some people are allergic to specific inks.

The most common allergies come from red, green, yellow and blue inks. These inks contain the metal nickel which is the most common cause of these allergies. Sometimes, these allergies can cause rashes years after getting a tattoo. Some people even have to have their tattoos removed, due to allergic reactions or infections.

There are many things to look out for while getting a tattoo. Before entering a tattoo parlor, one should make sure to get a tetanus shot. According to Webmd.com, if you haven't had one within the last ten

years, it is crucial, since tetanus is a disease that can be spread through contaminated needles.

Getting a tattoo can be a serious decision, so it is always a good idea to review the precautions that go with it. There are several factors to consider while getting a tattoo. One has to make sure the materials used are all sterilized and properly cleaned first, the tattoo parlor is clean, and that the tattoo artists have a good reputation and are preferably recommended by a friend.

If possible, get your artist to use a new, unused needle, rather than a sterilized one, so the chances of getting an infection are lowered. Infections shouldn’t be taken lightly, as they can worsen over time. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, or fever.

One should not be under the influence while getting a tattoo, since it is a serious decision and should be made with a clear mind.

Also, be well aware of the procedures your tattoo artist follows while creating tattoos.

One huge downside of getting a tattoo is not being able to get an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which can be life-saving.

According to mayoclinic.com, MRI testing labs will refuse to do an MRI on people with tattoos because metal particles in tattoos may cause a burning sensation during the MRI. As people get older, they might want them removed. Tattoos are more expensive to remove than to get, as they only cost from tens to hundreds of dollars, while the removal of a tattoo can cost thousands of dollars.

Certain colors such as red, black and blue are easy to remove while lighter colors such as yellow and white are much harder to remove sometimes these colors aren’t even removable. They aren’t removable because during the removal process, the ink can break down into toxic chemicals which are dangerous to the body. Removal also can result in permanent scarring.

With so many problems associated with tattoos, one should keep in mind all the health risks as well as the long term consequences that come with it.

A permanent scar

scholars believe tattooing is a sin because it alters a person’s body, which is considered a creation of God. In the past, tattoos represented a rebellious, different, and very exclusive item that many people didn’t have.

“I was in a rebellious phase when I got my tattoo, it was something I wanted to do in order to be my own person,” said Robeck.

However, times are changing.

“Tattoos are now the popular, fashionable thing,” stated Clarke.

In June 2006, The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published a study showing that 36% of Americans 18-29, 24% of Americans between 30-40, and 15% of Americans 41-51 have tattoos.

Clearly, more people are getting tattooed today than ever before.

However, before succumbing to peer pressure, high schoolers must remember that a tattoo will stay on one’s body forever.

As Clarke noted, “I had wanted a tattoo since high school, but because tattoos are so permanent I decided to wait fifteen years.”

In addition to being permanent, tattoos are also very expensive.

The Alliance of Professional Tattooists estimates that tattoos cost $75-$150 dollars an hour, depending on the tattoo artist.

If getting a tattoo is already expensive, than trying to remove a tattoo will break the bank.

The average cost of receiving laser treatment to erase a tattoo is 10 times the price of the tattoo, and it isn’t even guaranteed to work.

All in all, tattoos are a permanent way for one to express themselves.

By Michael Bastaki Staff Writer

Why would high schoolers want to do something to their bodies that can lead to infections, cancer, and large scars?

Tattoos are nearly as old as the human race, and have been used independently by thousands of cultures.

For instance, Otzi the Iceman, from around 3300 BC, had 57 different tattoos.

Even several mummies dating back to 2000 BC had tattoos.

While the history of tattoos is very clearcut, the reasons for getting them aren’t.

Tattoos are very individualistic, and represent different things to different people.

For some, tattoos give meaning to one’s body and style, with good colors showing off the artist’s talent.

“It’s art on one’s body that just looks cool,” said sophomore Emily Morales.

For others, tattoos are used to remind individuals of the highlights of their lives.

“I’d get a tattoo to remind me of the good things I did in my life when I was younger,” said sophomore Anthony Fischetti.

Furthermore, tattoos can also represent one’s spiritual beliefs about the world.

“My tattoo represents the power of change; how the human spirit can change over time regardless of any obstacles,” stated AS English II teacher Sarah Clarke.

Tattoos can also represent an uniqueness and individuality about a person.

“It’s something permanent that identifies you,” said sophomore Leila Stier.

However, tattoos and certain religions can collide in a very negative way. For instance, in Judaism, the Torah (Leviticus 19:28) states that, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves."

“I knew it was against Jewish tradition, so I found it important to go research whether or not I could get buried in a Jewish cemetery if I got a tattoo,” stated Algebra II Trig. teacher Laura Robeck.

Similarly, tattoos are forbidden in Sunni Islam, as Sunni Muslim Oliver Surovell’s tattoo stating, “Only God can judge me.”

Photo by Veronika Dvorakova

Page 6

Features

Page 7

Why make an indelible mark?

ended up being the ones that he regretted. If you know what tattoo you want, you can wait until you’re 18 because hopefully it won’t change.”

Some parents do consent for their children to get tattoos before they are 18. Others want their kids to be independent and make their own choices, while others want them to wait until they’re older to make a permanent mark on their body.

When asked if he would let his child get a tattoo, Spanish and English teacher, Martin Turkis, stated, “No because it seems to make a lot of sense for him [the child] to wait to become an adult and make his own decision.”

Another controversial question that gets raised is whether or not it is the child’s right to decide what he or she gets on their own body. Robeck stated, “As long as they are under 18, I am legally allowed to dictate decisions like that.”

Despite the warnings, many teens do decide to get tattoos.

Tulchinksy said, “Teenagers get tattoos because they believe that it’s rebellious, they want to be different, and some just know what they want. It actually makes more sense to get a tattoo young before your skin stretches, otherwise it is a waste of skin.”

Whether it’s to show what clan you belong to, or to express yourself, tattoos have been telling stories since the beginning of time.

Each tattoo would hold a different meaning, a different secret to my life.”

Tattoos show much more than a design. They are a creative way to show people your secrets, stories, and things of significance.

Elise Sprinkel, a senior with a unique tattoo, said, “It's [the tattoo] a Byzantine cross. It incorporates the tree of life which is in a lot of philosophy and it shows up in the bible multiple times. I always wanted that tattoo and I was born and raised Catholic. It's timeless and it has a lot of meaning to me.”

There used to be no laws restricting tattoos, but nowadays it is harder for a minor to get a tattoo. According to California Penal Code 652, it is illegal for a minor to get a tattoo without parental consent. Penal Code 653, another code relating to tattoos, states that anyone who offers or gives a tattoo to an unconsented minor will be charged with a misdemeanor.

Many people are skeptical about minors getting a tattoo because making a permanent decision at a young age, increases the chance of regretting it later on. According to the Huffington Post, tattoo regret is three times more likely if you get one before the age of 16.

Math teacher Laura Robeck said, “My husband got tattoos before he was 18 and those

By Jessica Adair Staff Writer

Tattoo, by its very definition, is a mark with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin. But it seems to be much more than that.

For years upon years, people have been getting tattoos for various reasons. Although times have changed, tattoos continue to leave their mark on the world.

The word tattoo, which comes from the Tahitian word tattau, meaning “to mark,” has been around a lot longer than you might think. According to the History of Tattooing, mummified bodies dating back to 3300 B.C. have been found with certain markings that indicate a tattoo.

In ancient times, tattoos were used by women to represent their skills and increase the likelihood of marriage. They were also used to identify slaves, statuses, and clans. Throughout the course of history, the reasoning behind getting a tattoo has changed drastically.

Some people get a tattoo to be different, while others get one to make a statement. Others get one to remember a loved one, while others just want to rebel.

Mark Tulchinsky, a sophomore looking to get a tattoo, has a slightly different motive, “I believe my body is like a journal.

By Veronika Dvorakova Staff Writer

She has taken on the roll of a mother and a dad to me.”

His acknowledgement of the fact that he can’t fix his father’s previous behavior is an example of how his struggles have caused him to mature. He said that “you can’t really change another person, they stay who they are. I wish I had a dad, but that just isn’t how it happened.”

He got by without his dad because of the support they received from other family members. He agreed that it is better to have his mom and other family members present in his life than a father who was a questionable influence. Gutierrez Nava’s father left his other sons as well.

According to Gutierrez Nava, “They’re trouble makers; they go in and out of jail.”

During a time period in which Gutierrez Nava hoped to connect with his father, his efforts were met with neglect. He said: “I called him for three months straight but he never answered, so now when he calls me I just don’t pick up; I don’t want him in my life.”

Gutierrez Nava feels as though his life wasn’t ultimately worsened by his father's absence. It has contributed to the person he is and the way he connects with the people around him; especially his mom.

“A son holds his mother’s hand for a little while, her heart forever.”

The tattoo on Osvaldo Gutierrez Nava’s arm will stay with him for as long as his memories of his familial struggles stay with him- forever.

A few month ago Gutierrez Nava, a junior from Carlmont High School, and his mother got matching tattoos on their arms to symbolize their commitment to each other.

The inspiring quote that is featured in their tattoos demonstrates that his love for his mom is as permanent as the ink used to write about it.

Gutierrez Nava said: “Me and my mom, we have been through a lot in life; my dad was never there for us. She’s the one that has always been there to support me.”

While demonstrating a lack of self pity, Gutierrez Nava said that “[his dad] tried to come back but [his mom] didn’t let him. Things happen for a reason.”

His father’s absence did have an impact on his life, however his mom worked to be there for him.

“I feel like I can talk to her about anything, even about personal problems most people wouldn’t share with their moms.

Photo by Veronika Dvorakova

Osvaldo Gutierrez Nava: hard times leaving a mark

“A son holds his mothers hand for a little while but her heart forever.”

The perception People often use clothing, cosmetics, hair styles and body piercings to form impressions of each other. Tattoos in particular bring judgement to a whole new level.

Visible tattoos allows people the opportunity to instantly judge them and create an image for that person. However people with tattoos are often perceived as “scary” or “threatening.” Also, some people tend to relate and connect criminal nature to tattoos.

"I never judge someone based on their appearance; I always look into their personality and their actions and then form my opinions off of that. But I do understand how someone with tattoos could come off as intimidating, because getting a tattoo is seen by many people as daring or dangerous," said Gianna Schuster, a sophomore.

Having a tattoo is a way to be unique or different, symbolizing the things that are important. Since they are permanent they can show mindfulness and the ability to follow through with actions.

“All of my tattoos have special meaning and story behind them,” said Oliver Surovell, a sophomore.

Some teens now get tattoos to represent who they are or a tattoo may have a special story behind it. Others get it to be rebellious.

“I got my tattoo as a freshman because I thought it was cool and the fact that I had gotten it before all my other friends made it even cooler. Although I do regret it, it is a decision I know must live with,” said Jessica Rivera, a junior.

Getting a tattoo at a young age does have its negative side.

In some cases, employers don’t hire people with tattoos.

Also in the future tattoos can fade and the person's feelings

Infographic by Monica Bayasgalan

By Monica Bayasgalan Staff Writer

about the tattoo may change.

Rivera mentioned one downside,“Since I have a tattoo I’m not allowed to donate any blood until a year has passed but still after that there are many precautions.”

Even with these facts in mind, people’s perception of

tattoos may not change. “Whenever I’m walking down the hallways people look at me differently and stare at my tattoos.

I get a lot of unwanted attention sometimes,” said Surovell.

Unfortunately, people with tattoos are stereotypically perceived to be something that they are not.

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Entertainment

Why are certain #trends so popular these days?

By Daniel Wang Staff Writer There are all sorts of trends, from technological trends such as the new iPhone to fashion trends like Silly Bandz. In essence, anything that causes a large population of people to follow a certain behavior can be considered a trend, which includes videos.

Within Youtube’s eight year history, there have been a handful of ridiculously popular videos, including Gangnam Style by Psy. Ever since Gangnam Style was uploaded, thousands upon thousands of people filmed themselves performing their own version of the Gangnam Style dance and uploaded it to Youtube.

Now, Youtube is being taken over by the latest trend: the Harlem Shake.

So what exactly is the Harlem Shake?

In the Harlem Shake, one person starts off dancing to a song, usually wearing some head wear, for 15 seconds. Meanwhile, there are people in the background, totally unaware of the dancer.

Then when the song says “do the Harlem Shake,” everybody in the video dances convulsively for the next 15 seconds.

All in all, most Harlem Shake videos are only between 3032 seconds long.

Nothing too special, right? So how do videos like these become so popular?

Sophomore Brian Lee believes that one of the reasons Harlem Shake videos are so popular is due to the difficulty involved with making a video.

“It’s not difficult to make a Harlem Shake video at all, so everyone can make one,” stated Lee. The Harlem Shake just involves one camera angle and only one person is needed to make a Harlem Shake video. No lyrics are written, no choreography is performed, and no real organization is needed.

The simplicity allows anyone to make a Harlem Shake

video anytime, anywhere, as long as they have a camera. After they spaz out for 30 seconds, the actors/actresses just have to sync what they recorded with music, and it’s ready for upload.

In addition, sophomore Mackenna Galicia has another idea why the Harlem Shake is so popular.

“It’s a chain reaction with the video-making,” Galicia said.

“People find the videos really entertaining. The more bizarre the video the more entertaining it is, which makes other people want to try and make a video of themselves.”

Since there are so many Harlem Shake videos right now, a lot of people are trying to make a really entertaining video that will stand out.

Therefore, people from all different backgrounds have made their own rendition of the Harlem Shake. Some notable actor include players from the Miami Heat basketball team and Norwegian soldiers.

As a side note, the Harlem Shake that is going viral right now is not to be confused with the Harlem Shake a man named Albert Boyce performed in Rucker Park, Harlem, in the 1980s.

According to NBC News, during halftime in basketball games at Rucker Park, Boyce would perform a dance on the basketball court where he would dance and twist his shoulders. His dance was also known as the Harlem Shake. The two Harlem Shakes have no relation to each other, though.

The Independent, a British national newspaper, says that the current Harlem Shake was created by five teenagers from Queensland, Australia, whom put up the video of them doing the Harlem Shake on February 2, 2013.

Ever since the upload, hundreds of thousands of Harlem Shake videos have been uploaded to Youtube, from countries including the United States, China, and Brazil.

In addition, the artist of the song that accompanies the Harlem Shake, Baauer, has also been quite successful.

The creator of the Harlem Shake song, Baauer, used to live in Germany and moved to the United States at the age of seven. Ever since Baauer turned 13, he’s been making dance

Infographic by Sabrina Leung

songs, with his breakthrough song being the Harlem Shake.

Due to the popularity of the videos, Baauer’s Harlem Shake song has reached #1 on the Billboard Top 100. However, Baauer’s original song is over three minutes long.

Right now, Baauer is working on a track called “Higher,” with fellow artist Just Blaze.

No matter what the reason, the Harlem Shake has been taking the internet by storm. However, it’s quite likely that the hype surrounding the Harlem Shake will die down soon.

So, who knows what the next trending video will be?

Fans help spread entertainment across the globe

By Shira Stein Staff Writer Most musicians, actors, and other people in media have consistently stated that every piece of entertainment in the world would be nothing without its fans.

Mass media and public opinion have helped shaped the entertainment community. For example, British media has spread to the United States and shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Downton Abbey have become huge phenomenons in America.

“People are excited by the reminder that there are others outside our country and culture. Getting something different once in a while is exciting. We’re so used to our own languages and practices that a culture shock once in awhile is enticing,” stated freshman Sierra Segal.

The media from other countries have spread mostly due to multiple social platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr to discuss entertainment. These social platforms make it possible for someone in San Francisco to listen to a new J-pop song in a matter of seconds over these websites.

Sophomore Samantha Fong stated, “It helps people from across the world to see the media [television, movies, books] from other places. It shares things with us that we wouldn’t be able to see without it.”

Blogging and other forms of feedback also serve to help celebrities learn about their fans opinions and feelings. This helps create a connection between the actors, the writers, and the fans.

Today, fans can potentially have the ability to make change and do something about their opinions with the connection of

actors and writers on social media.

The self-named “fandoms,” a subculture of fans who talk about a common interest, discuss their feelings about the media and how they would change the future of the movie or television show.

Freshman Dana Reynolds said, “Social media also offers a place for people to connect over their mutual love of [movies, television, and music].”

For example, in the Glee fandom, the fans managed to bother the creator, Ryan Murphy, to have the characters Kurt and Blaine singing Come What May from Moulin Rouge enough to where it happened in the latest episode of the television show.

Even a book series like Harry Potter, which doesn’t have any more movies or books coming out, still has a huge fan base.

The fans have stuck with the series from beginning to past the end. Without the original fan base, the books and movies never would have made the difference in so many people’s lives.

Fans even contribute to the craziness of the actors or musicians lives. Yesterday it may have been Beatlemania and chasing the members of The Beatles through the streets, but today it has continued with fans like the Directioners (what fans of the British boy band One Direction call themselves) and spamming the internet with their obsessions.

Junior Sarah Burry, a self-proclaimed Whovian (the name for a fan of the BBC television show Doctor Who) and Sherlockian (the name for a fan of the BBC television show Sherlock) has even said, “Doctor Who is life and anyone who does not think so is living their life as a meaningless fraud.

Even Mr. Turkis likes Sherlock.”

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Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in the form of a web series, fans can regularly tweet to the characters and actors of the show. The fans can express how upset of happy they are over different parts of the story.

Bernie Su, co-producer and head writer of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries said, “While I am still new to fandoms, I believe that fans can really help identify and discover breakout characters and plots. For LBD, the fans couldn’t affect the great narrative since we were following Pride and Prejudice, but I do know that the fans love for Fitz [Colonel Fitzwilliam] allowed that character to break out and have a larger impact in [our telling of the story]. Team FiGi [the fan’s name for Fitz and Georgiana Darcy] wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the fans.”

Even fans of Pride and Prejudice take it to Carlmont. Students Sarah Burry and Charlotte Lewis are directing a producBePrejudice a Friend tion of the play Pride and and!taking their fascinaJ story anu acharacters r y i s one Na t ifurther. onal tion with the and step Mentoring M onth Fans have the ability to make or break a television show, movie, or book and use their power accordingly.

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Entertainment

Page 9

Are the British going to take over Hollywood?

By Virginia O’Callahan Staff Writer It is like the infamous British invasion all over again, except in digital form.

As they rise in popularity, types of British entertainment such as television shows and music have captivated a large number of students, and Carlmont is no exception.

“It’s the witty banter that draws people in,” said junior Morgan Finlayson.

British and other forms of foreign media have become very easily accessible via the internet. If a person wants to see a show that just aired in the UK, or a new song, he or she can easily click a few button on the computer and find exactly what he or she wanted to find.

TV shows are also shown on websites like Netflix, which provides many TV shows for people to watch.

Shows such as “Doctor Who”, “Sherlock”, and “Merlin” provide exciting and foreign entertainment to the American mass media outlets. Some students and other teenagers find it addicting and become obsessive over them.

Students have become so enthralled with the shows, talking about them with friends in many conversations or discussing what had happened on the previous episodes. “[The shows] are just so good,” said Finlayson. “The actors are nice to look at, too.”

Whole “fandoms” have been created around the forms of media, and many teenagers participate in giving their feedback along with other fans on the internet.

Many fans, teenage girls especially, have admitted to liking the shows because of the actors. The actors in many of the shows have had great spikes in fame, slowly becoming household names in many parts of the world.

The shows, especially, have a large fan base. “Doctor Who” for example is a very popular show that has been on BBC for a while and has gathered worldwide attention with its plot twists and constantly changing characters.

In the show, a man that is really an alien named “The Doc-

tor” travels through time and space in his T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time And Relative Distance In Space) which is shaped like a vintage blue police call box. The Doctor picks up humans, called his “companions”, and adventures through the universe with them.

Popular actors such as David Tennant and Matt Smith have played The Doctor in recent years, and with the show being so popular, their fame has skyrocketed.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star in the modern version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In “Sherlock”, the famous genius detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend John Watson solve mysteries previously unsolved by other authorities. The show is set in modern day London as Holmes seeks out his ever-elusive nemesis James Moriarty.

The show “Merlin” is also a twist on a familiar tale. The adapted version of the tale of King Arthur depicts a young warlock, Merlin, entering Camelot, a great kingdom that forbids the use of magic. Merlin learns how to harness and use his magic to continually protect Arthur, the ever-so annoying prince.

The show’s run on BBC ended this past Christmas Eve, but the last season continues to be shown in America on the SyFy channel. “[Merlin] has a lot of twists,” said junior Hilary Schulz. “I love watching it because I feel for the characters and can connect with them on some level.”

Each of the shows can be described as both dramas with some comedy, but they never cease to do the unexpected.

But TV shows are not the only types of entertainment that have arrived from across the pond. British music has had an enormous impact on American media.

One Direction made their fame on the show “The X Factor”, a singing talent competition with a grand prize of $5 million. Although they did not win, they have certainly made a name for themselves in America and worldwide.

“I think they got so popular because they have a different sound and make relatable music for teenagers,” said senior Michelle Swarovski. “They’re nice looking, too.”

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T.A.R.D.I.S. from the British TV series, Dr. Who Photo illustration by Sabrina Leung

One Direction’s sophomore album “Take Me Home” topped charts both in the UK and in America.

“I think they have a lot of influence for being newcomers,” said Swarovski.

The British media has no doubt influenced the American media. Thousands of people ranging from young children to adults have taken advantage of the easy access to the foreign media and incorporated it into American pop culture.

While this British invasion may not be to the scale of the first, it sure has made a dent in the entertainment industries of America.

Beyond ‘Gangnam Style,’ why Korea is becoming a pop culture powerhouse

By Grace Yi Staff Writer Korean pop music, known as Kpop and the Korean culture is more than “Heyyyyyy, sexy lady. O, O, O, eh eh eh eh eh eh Oppa Gangnam Style!”

At Carlmont, Korean culture and entertainment has influenced students around school.

Some find Korean music intriguing because of its different melodic style compared to American music.

“The tempo and everything is different than like hip hop and stuff in America. For example, I know [the girl band] 2ne1 has really bizarre hair. The way they do their hair and their outfits with all the spikes is much different compared to American singers,” said native Korean, junior Esther Kim. Currently, Korean music has affected America and other countries to the extent that in social networking sites such as Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram, Korean media fans have made their profile pictures as their “bias.”

A “bias” in Kpop terms is a favored idol or singer in which Korean entertainment fans obsess over.

Senior Jordan Pon noted, “It’s pretty much the same on all of the social networking sites, for profile pictures, it’s still just to show how much of a fan they are of that certain idol.

Like Kina Grannis is in my profile picture because I want to show people that I am a fan of hers.”

In America one of the most notable Korean stars who has given America and the world an immense Kpop impression, is the Korean singer, Psy. The song “Gangnam Style,” choreographed and composed by Psy, even made it to popular radio stations in the United States, which surprised many students like senior Ryan Yen, who “never expected a foreign language to be on the radio.”

The song debuted in August 2012 and climbed to the top rated as the second best song on the International Music Billboard.

“Baby” by Justin Bieber, was previously Youtube’s most viewed video; however it was recently surpassed by Psy’s “Gangnam Style” as of March 10, 2013, which currently holds 1.4 billion views.

The unusual choreography of the song attracted many people whom have watched the video. “If you compared [Korean entertainment] to what Americans [dance to], like bboying and jerking, [Kpop] is really different because who acts like they are riding a horse?

Korean ideas itself are so different [in contrast to America], is why people find [Kpop] really interesting,” said Kim. Similarly, senior and native Korean Erica Pak said, “It’s just a bandwagon effect. Some people started liking it so when it got popular, people were just like ‘Oh okay, I guess I like it too.’”

Some students think that “Gangnam Style” has given a bad connotation over the perspective of Korean music.

Angelica Gutierrez, a junior said, “[‘Gangnam Style’] has given a negative connotation to Kpop, people associate Kpop songs with ‘Gangnam Style’ and they can judge [other Kpop songs] with ‘Gangnam Style.’”

Others noted that “Gangnam style” is not the most ideal way to introduce Korean pop music to foreigners.

Junior Sarah Lew said, “People take ‘Gangnam Style’ and basically blanket it over all Asians [music] saying ‘Oh, this is what Asian music sounds like.’”

Furthermore, other schools have been affected not only by the universal song but also by the Korean culture, perhaps, even more than Carlmont has.

“In Monta Vista High and even San Mateo High, Korean culture has definitely had more of an impact than it has on Carlmont.

I remember one of my friends told me that they had a ‘Gangnam Style flash mob in their lunch quad,” said junior Michelle Guan.

This year’s Carlmont heritage fair consisted of different dances from cultures all over the world.

Riding the Korean Wave

Photo illustration by Sabrina Leung

Korean culture was introduced as the Kpop Club performed a mix of songs by Korean bands, like SHINee’s “Sherlock,” B1A4, Miss A’s “I don’t need a Man,” Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” and Big Bang’s “Fantastic Baby.” Two years earlier in 2011, the Asian American Club (AAC) danced to a mix of popular Kpop songs such as SNSD’s “Gee” and Big Bang’s Taeyang, “Wedding Dress.”

Despite this performance, students think that there has not been a grand effect or influence on others over Korean media arts outside of Kpop club and AAC. Pon said, “Honestly I don’t think our dance really influenced people, it was just for entertainment. People are just used to seeing the AAC or Kpop club dance to Kpop for fun. I didn’t see much cultural influence in our dance. They would probably only be motivated to join just to dance.”

Not only is Kpop music a key element in Korean media entertainment, Korean dramas are also popular within the genre of Korean media. Korean dramas used to range from 50 to 100 episodes, now most dramas end with 16 episodes.

Many students have found the dramas to be addicting because of the cliffhangers at the end of every episode. Most students say when they start to watch a new drama series, it comes with consequences.

Guan said, “It has really affected some people’s study and sleeping habits because people have to learn new time management skills especially when you watch these dramas since they are really addicting. They have dramatic plot lines and cute actors. Also being able to escape the stress of reality is a big factor.”

Junior Lexie Liu stated, “It’s making our grades go down. We’re spending too much time watching [Korean] variety shows and [Korean] dramas because they are about an hour each episode and you can’t stop.”

Ultimately, although some people have differing preferences in Korean entertainment, fans of Korean entertainment embrace and enjoy the uniqueness and variety that the Korean culture offers.

“The entire genre is random and not something that everyone can relate to. However, when someone can relate to it, it’s addictive.

It’s either you hate it or you love it,” said senior, Ryan Yen.

Page 10

Social Media Safety

The picture perfect profile

By Ayesha Abbasi Staff Writer Attempting some spring cleaning? How about trying to clean up that Facebook page.

Imagine losing the choice at the college or job of your dreams all because of one silly Facebook post. This seems to be a fairly new reality for many students when applying to schools or looking for work.

“A lot of people upload all these bad photos to seem cool online but what they don't realize is it won't seem cool to colleges,” said sophomore Amanda Breasulauer Posting pictures of underaged drinking or abuse of drugs is a common error many teens make. When uploading a photo one must be careful of the image being created. The best way to go is to think of what a college would say when they saw the pictures.

The consequences of not getting rid of these pictures could end up meaning the loss of a scholarship or job.

Many colleges already have problems with underaged drinking and partying the last thing they’d want would more students who participate in these activities.

Another problem many teens have is using abusive words online. Dropping the F-bomb around friends may be okay and casual, but it unfortunately expresses a lack of formalities.

Jobs are not looking to hire informal people who cannot use proper language to express their feelings.

"I try not to publicly post anything with bad words because I'm friends with a lot of family and I need to watch what I say," said sophomore Mariko Orii.

The consequences and risks of posting things online are widespread and have become a common mistake made by many teens. The best way to completely prevent any of this from happening is to just not have social networking that can potentially put you in danger.

"I try and stay on the safe side by not having a Facebook so that I don't have to deal with any issues later on," said sophomore Hiba Dahbour Another way to regulate posts and who can view them is to change the privacy settings. By limiting the privacy setting you can change the audience who can view these posts.

At a time when technology plays a large

Having a clean Choose an appropiate picture that reveals more about yourself examples: your pet, a sunset, group of friends profile is important because you want to enhance your image and give a good first Choose an appropriate imprespicture that shows sion for your face and gives colleges, you a good impression teachers, examples: school jobs, and picture, family photo, others It is always photo shoot that best to just put would your real name need to review your Include profile. information that Here’s inhances your some character tips for a perfectBe sure to watch what your looking friends post on your wall Facebook profile.

Scotty McScot

part in everyday life, there needs to be a filter on what is being posted. Without clear boundaries for what colleges and jobs will and can look at in applicants means that online profiles are also considered.

Some people don’t find this as a very fair basis of judgement, “Sometimes what people post doesn’t necessarily portray who they really are and what they stand for, and sometimes they might be tagged in a bad picture when really they weren’t doing anything,” said freshmen Michael Lima.

In the end the consequences that might be faced are overweight any possible amount of likes, shares, comments, or reblogs. Especially when the thing at risk is your future.

=

each person is equivilent to 10 real people 130 students polled

Who are you friends with?

67%

parents:

68%

siblings: extended family:

40%

teacher: employer/ employee:

81%

2%

Be careful what you tweet

By Claudia Leist Staff Writer Twitter is for people who know how to communicate.

Nobody wants their friend on Facebook to update their status every five minutes, but on Twitter, it is considered normal.

Twitter is usually used by people to be in constant contact with everyone and to know basically everything that is going on in peoples’ lives the moment it is happening; not only friends and/or family, but also celebrities, athletes, and famous people in general.

"I only use it to follow celebrities and to see what's going on with them," said sophomore Hiba Dahbour.

Snap Porn

While some people join Twitter for enjoyment, others join for school or business, in order to stay updated with news, and much more.

It can either be very informative or very distracting, depending on how one uses it.

Some people use Twitter to share funny or exciting news with one another. They check it a few times a day and it keeps them busy when there isn’t much else to do.

"I use Twitter to keep up with topics that I like," said junior Jeremy Chow.

On the other hand, some people use Twitter to vent, complain, and keep their followers updated on every single thing going on in their life until the point where someone can feel like they are living the life

of someone they follow.

"If you aren't famous, does anyone really care what you have to say?" said sophomore Boston Funk.

If you are somebody who is looking for a job, using their Twitter account for work or school, or have some other professional engagement when using Twitter, it is probably safest to keep the invasiveness of your tweets on the down-low and to minimize the complaining, profanities, and minute details that are a bit too much information.

Nobody wants to be penalized, lectured, or scolded for what they tweet, so make sure to always keep it clean, classy, and light-hearted.

That’s what Twitter is for.

By Alex Porter Managing Editor

and police concerned about child safety and privacy.

“That really sucks. It is so easy for stuff like this to happen now-a-days because it’s so easy to access everything,” commented Nava Dallal, a senior.

There are so many sources (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.) for teenagers to post pictures on in today’s society

A recent Snapchat scandal resulting in child porn allegations, has teenagers rethinking what they post on social media.

Naked pictures sent via Snapchat went viral over Instagram at a highschool in New Jersey this past week and left school officals

that seems too easy to make a mistake.

Teenagers should always take caution in the content they send out to other people.

Once it is out there, it is out there forever.

“Don’t send a naked picture of yourself to other people, even over Snapchat. There’s always a risk,” commented Kelli Finale, a senior at Carlmont.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Social Media Safety

Faceless

By Scott Schulze Staff Writer Facebook is one of the largest social networking sites.

As of late 2012, Facebook reached over a billion users, 50 million of which are teens ages 13-17.

However, having one is not completely necessary. As a person without a Facebook account, I believe that it is not a necessity.

I personally have chosen not to create a Facebook because of all of the risks and excessive procrastination that is potentially involved with having one.

Facebook can lead to more than just procrastination outside of school. For many students, it is a distraction inside of the classroom. I often see students using their cell phones in class changing their status or writing comments on Facebook.

Even with its “protections”, Facebook shows other people things you have said, “liked”, taken pictures of, what other people may have taken of you, and many other personal things you may not want to have a future employer see or judge you based on your Facebook history.

Recently, a Carlmont student had her facebook profile picture taken and abused on another website. This goes to show that Facebook is not as secure as many Carlmont students may think.

In an article by Lauren Bayne Anderson, she wrote, “It’s the not so ‘new’ thing. Potential employers (or current ones) looking at your Facebook page to glean information about your personal life—and make a decision on whether or not to hire (or fire) you!”

I plan on going to a good college and trying to get a nice job in the near future.

I would hate it if I was turned away from either of these based on the content I might have on a social media account.

Before schools accept students and employers hire, they go through background checks to learn about your personal history. The first place they often look is on Facebook, which is a gateway into your personal and “private” life.

Imagine they find something on your Facebook that they believe is not how an employee of their should be acting or doing. You would be sacrificing your potential job position or acceptance into the college of your dreams. And for what, just some silly posts?

Michael Phelps’ swimming career was tainted when someone at a party posted a picture of him doing something illegal.

I have heard stories of people procrastinating on Facebook and then needing to give their password to a friend during finals week to prevent them from accessing their main distraction.

Say a student spend about 10 hours on Facebook each week. It would, in theory be more productive to use those hours on studying in order to boost a grade or a report cards.

There is not much to be gained from having a Facebook account. The only thing it provides is a way to make and keep “relationships” with your “friends” and family. But it can also open the door to creepy stalker kids to find out way more about you than they should.

Do you have a Facebook?

YES 97% NO 3%

The benefits of being connected

By Sarah Klieves Fun Page Editor Throughout life, everyone encounters risks. The risks of having a Facebook account are not exempt from this, however, the benefits of Facebook seem to outweigh the risks.

Facebook and its multitude of benefits allows teens to stay in touch with people, coordinate events, and many other things too.

The average teenager is usually busy with school and extracurricular activities that it is hard to carve out time to spend with friends and family, as well as accomplish the endless list of things they need to get done. One major benefit of Facebook is that it enables students to be able to stay in contact with people while still having time for all of the other activities in their busy lives.

Sophomore Omid Afshar said that Facebook is “a great social experience online” that allows users to “[share] pictures, experiences, and ideas with friends and family.”

There are many helpful tools that make it easier for users to plan events, contact people, and stay in the know with their friends.

The messaging tool is great for contacting friends and family privately.

The messages are a private conversation between the people invited into the conversation and are not posted publicly, therefore, protecting members’ privacy.

Carlmont students also like to post status updates to let their “friends” know what they are up to. Sophomore Aaron Karpie said that status updates are his favorite feature because he likes to “keep [his] status’s really funny and get a lot of likes.”

Afshar finds it to be “very exhilarating when friends agree with something you say or like a picture you have posted.”

Creating “groups” on Facebook allows users with similar interests to stay in touch. Groups can be created privately and members to the group can only be invited to join, which helps to keep the privacy of the members in the group.

Many students also find that using the groups can be a helpful way to solve problems.

Carlmont sophomore Gianna Schuster recently encountered a situation involving the popular app Instagram, and was able to use Facebook communication to help solve the problem.

Schuster had an impersonator on Instagram that made a fake account with her name and profile picture from Facebook.

Schuster explained that although the problem stemmed from Facebook and was not solved completely using Facebook, she was able to invite all of her Facebook friends to a group and let them know about the problem she was having in order to help “spread awareness to everybody.”

Other students are members of groups for various classes that allows them to communicate about homework assignments, in addition to asking and answering questions that they might have about the topics being studied in class.

Afshar stated that using Facebook groups “helps out when you don’t know the homework because you can just ask somebody on Facebook.”

While risks are everywhere, Facebook is a place where many Carlmont students can interact socially in a fairly safe environment. Many choose to overlook the potential risks because obviously, the benefits of using Facebook and other social networking sites like it far outweigh the costs.

Page 11

Did you know?

Current number of users on Facebook

~1.06 billion Some of the most #trending topics on Twitter in 2012 #Olympics #Election2012 #cute #throwbackthursday #sfgiants #PLL #21JumpStreet #hiphop #coffee #romney

86% Percent of 18-29 year olds on Facebook in the United States Current number of users on Twitter

Total: 500 million Active: 200 million

Campus

2,135

Page 12

students Pacific Islander

African-American

4%

3% Filipino

White

Hispanic

55%

19%

Asian

14%

3%

American Indian

1%

How do we deal with...

Photos by Karenna Meredith

DIVERSITY?

By Kat Savin Staff Writer

Carlmont is more than just a “white” school.

Carlmont students really value the unique diversity at their school.

“I think it’s great [diversity] because you get different perspectives on different situations around the school,” said Henson Kwok, “You don’t just get one bias, you get everyone’s point of view.”

Having so many different races at the school is very important and is also a learning experience.

“I think Carlmont is lucky to have a variety of races and so many people with different backgrounds because we learn from it and get to have fun activities like the Heritage Fair,”

said Nina Wyatt, a junior.

Carlmont is made up of 2,135 students, being a large student body, Carlmont consists of many different races. The school is 55 percent white, 19 percent Hispanic or Latino, 14 percent Asian, 4 percent African American, 3 percent Pacific Islander, 3 percent Filipino, and 1 percent American Indian and Alaska Native.

Having a diverse population plays a very important role regarding the overall environment.

“I think it’s a good thing [diversity] because I went to Tierra Linda and it was all white people and no diversity, but at Carlmont there is so much more diversity,” said freshman Camille Duvalsaint, “I feel more comfortable.”

More than half of the population at Carl-

mont is white. Most students don’t care about race because they get along with everyone no matter what race.

“I don’t feel any different from someone who is not white,” commented Wyatt.

Many people don’t take race into mind, but how do the minorities feel at Carlmont?

The United States consists of 12.6 percent African Americans, Carlmont only has 4 percent.

“I don’t mind being a minority, I have many friends of different races,” said sophomore Aniles Devoe.

Because students are exposed to so many different cultures and races, many are just used to it.

“It feels regular to me because no one treats me differently because of my race,” said Duvalsaint, “It’s normal.”

Seven out of every 50 Carlmont students are Asian, this is not that many considering the amount of students at Carlmont.

“Being with so many diverse people is normal,” said sophomore Komei Wang.

Students seem to not have a problem with going to such a diverse school.

“Our school doesn’t have that many [Asians] compared to other schools,” said Kwok, “There isn’t anything special or significant about being a particular race because I think this school is so well distributed when it comes to race. I hang out with a lot of friends who are all sorts of races.”

Carlmont has such a good environment with people from all over the world, the students really value the unique diversity at their school.

Involved academically and passionately

Carlmont offers a multitude of opportunities for its students to pursue

By Alan Yan Staff Writer

Our students are more than a number.

May it be Advanced Placement (AP) classes or Key Club, there is something for every Carlmont student.

For the academically inclined, Carlmont offers 28 AP, AS, and Honors classes that range from math to foreign languages. These classes offer rigorous curriculums to challenge students that enjoy a certain subject and can handle more coursework.

According to Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom, 55 percent of Carlmont students are enrolled in at least one Advanced Studies (AS) or AP. “These classes challenge me by introducing complex concepts that require time and commitment to understand,” said Carlmont sophomore James Xie. AP classes allow students to earn college credit when they pass the AP test near the end of the year.

Twenty-four percent of the Carlmont student body supplement regular classes with an art. Carlmont presents a wide range of arts from Ceramics to Orchestra.

“Music is a class that not everyone fully understands. It is not just a whole bunch of random sounds, but a perfect way to express the soul. One feels music with their heart and brings on a feeling of pure serenity. Other classes are mainly memorization and cold facts,” said senior Orchestra student Alex Lee.

Carlmont offers 14 sports ranging from golf to swimming. Sports offer a fun and relaxing pastime that can be enjoyed with friends.

“It creates a time where I can just get away from the worries of school and all the homework. It relieves me of my stress basically,” said Carlmont sophomore swimmer Nico Camerino.

If classes are not one’s specialty, Carlmont hosts dozens of clubs ranging from the more educational, Model United Nations, to the service-orientated California Scholarship Federation (CSF).

Model UN president Tereza Dvorakova said, “It is a fantastic way to learn about different topics and practice skills that aren’t emphasized in school. Model UN allows students the opportunity to learn about a broad spectrum of world issues and how to solve them while also cultivating debate and public speaking skills.”

Twenty-three percent of Carlmont students participate in some type of club.

“CSF offers an opportunity for students to volunteer with their peers in community service events, leading to the creation of strong friendships and unforgettable experiences between CSF members,” said CSF secretary Andrew Sohrabi.

Finally, Carlmont offers a class, the Associated Student Body, and clubs such as the Junior State of America, that aim to build leadership.

Junior State of America secretary Adam

Cobb said, “Programs like these nurture students into becoming effective leaders by raising awareness of what is happening in the community, the state, and the country.”

For those looking for a class to facilitate leadership growth “[ASB] offers the opportunity to organize and lead activities like fund raisers and spirit days.

Before ASB I never had led anything. Now I facilitate different situations almost everyday! It’s different because the students lead the class,” said Sophomore Vice President Amanda Breslauer.

Every student has a place at Carlmont, as long as they are willing to get involved.

Lauren Denney, a senior, had taken advantage of the many opportunities to be involved at Carlmont. She was on the water polo team for four years, soccer team for four years, and swim team for three years. She is the co-president of the Carlmont Student Academic Foundation, which put on its first annual Dash for Dollars in 2012, a student ambassador, and a fouryear AVID senior. At the same time, she holds a 4.1 GPA.

Photo by Gianna Dimick

Campus

Page 13

‘I live in EPA... ... and it’s not fair.’

Photo by Karenna Meredith

Carlmont students who live in East Palo Alto (EPA) wake up early every day to catch the bus to get to school. There is no high school in EPA, which causes major inconveniences in the lives of its residents.

By Erica Valbusa Online Editor Sophomore Alenna Winfield waits outside in the cold to catch one of the busses to Carlmont High School. Her school day begins 75 minutes before many of her classmates’.

Winfield lives in Redwood City half of the time and East Palo Alto the other half.

During the time she lives in EPA, she wakes up between 5:30 am and 6:00 am to take the bus to Carlmont.

“I usually take either the 6:45 am bus or the 7:10 am bus. It all depends on what time I wake up that morning,” said Winfield.

No big deal, right? Wrong.

Students who take the bus from EPA are at a disadvantage to those who live closer to the school. While they must wake up early to catch a bus, their classmates are able to get roughly an extra hour and a half of sleep.

“In the morning on the bus, it’s pretty

dead. People are still waking up and it’s really quiet. I have a seventh period, so there aren’t that many people on the bus after school. But I have taken a bus after sixth period before and there are a lot of people and it’s pretty noisy,” added Winfield.

The bus stops at various locations throughout EPA, some as early as 6:45 am on regular days and 7:45 on late start days.

Many students who live closer to Carlmont do not leave for school until 7:30 am, giving them much more time for sleep and time to get ready.

Although Winfield must wake up early, she has a positive outlook on the situation. “It is far, but I am glad I have a ride to school.”

There are eight different bus routes, they do not all stop at the same locations.

On occasion, the bus is late to school due to morning traffic, causing students to miss part of their first period classes. According to Winfield, “some teachers will get mad at you

when the bus is late to school.”

Athletes who live in EPA are at a further disadvantage, as there is only one “sports” bus that picks students up from Carlmont at 6:30 p.m. Those who rely on this bus to get back home may have to leave practice early in order to do so.

Sophomore Willie Teo, who participates in both football and track and field, has experienced hardships with juggling athletics and the bus back to EPA. “Our track practice ends before the bus comes, but occasionally I have had to leave a practice early to catch the bus,” commented Teo. “I usually don’t get back to EPA until 7:10 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Everyone sleeps on the bus ride home.”

Teo also expressed that social time with friends can be influenced or affected by the bus.

“If practice does end early, you have to base your free time around the bus schedule. One

time, I was coming back from the shopping center and I saw the buses leaving the school, so I had to call my mom to come pick me up,” added Teo. “I also missed the late bus in the morning one time, and had no other way to school, so I just didn’t go that day.”

Many students, like Teo shouldn’t have to constantly worry about catching a bus back home. They shouldn’t have to gauge their free time around a bus schedule and shouldn’t have to miss a day of school if they miss a bus.

It is not fair for students living in EPA to wake up an hour and a half before their classmates.

It is not fair for students living in EPA to travel roughly 11 miles to school every day.

It is not fair for students living in EPA to worry about the bus arriving late.

It is not fair for students living in EPA to alter their lives to coincide with the bus schedule.

Downfall of East Palo Alto high school to blame

Ever since Ravenswood closed in 1976, students have been bused to high schools in more affluent towns

By Conrad May Staff Writer Many of the students that currently attend Carlmont commute from East Palo Alto due to the closure of Ravenswood.

In 1976, Ravenswood High School in East Palo Alto was closed after being open for a mere 18 years and provided the students the opportunity to go to surrounding schools.

Ravenswood High School was opened in 1958 and was part of the Sequoia Union High School District, but when it closed it left many students stranded without a high

school nearby.

Ravenswood was shut down for two main reasons, there was a decline in enrollment and it was more expensive than getting the students to other schools.

In the early 1960s there was actually an increase in the number of students that attended Ravenswood but the conditions of the campus brought attention to the Congress of Racial Equality and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The school board instituted a bus program that sent many of the students to neighboring schools to increase diversity, 60 percent of the

school was African American.

The bus system worked for a couple of years but eventually the number of volunteer students to attend Ravenswood became rare.

The cost of running the school with less and less students attending it finally brought the closure of the school.

The Board of Trustees decided to split up EPA into different sections and bus all the students to different neighboring schools.

Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom said, “It also provided for far more diversity on our campuses.”

1090 Alameda de las Pulgas Belmont 650.486.1530 monday - sunday 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

SamTrans has routes that accommodate the need for many of the students to go to their designated schools.

Junior Gabe Crespin said, “It is hard for some of my friends to go to sports after school that live in East Palo Alto but they contribute a lot to our sports teams but our team is more than happy to get them to or from events if there is a bind.”

The students that come from EPA have not only saved money for the district, but has also spread diversity throughout the school.

Page 14

Campus

* Note: all of the holidays on this calendar are real

Infographic by Max Ware

The choice is yours today Letting loose after Lent Time to slap some skin

By Ashley Kawakami Junior Editor

By Dominic Gialdini Junior Editor

By Karissa Tom Staff Writer

Everyday is a holiday. Literally.

There are silly, random holidays every day of the year and March 26th is no exception. However, March 26th is a little different than the rest of the holidays, it is National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, the one day a year people can actually make up their own holiday.

Everyone wants a day of the year that they can choose how to celebrate, and what they are celebrating.

Sophomore Veronica Pontis said, “I would want to have a holiday celebrating good health.”

National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day gives people free range to make up any holiday they please, and though their made up holiday is not a real holiday it lets people have fun making up their own.

For many students they would have a food oriented day.

Freshman Jacob Segal said, “I would make it national Carnivore Day and everyone would just eat meat all day.”

Food was a popular choice for people wanting to create their holiday, but sweets are even more prevalent.

Sophomore Nico Camerino said, “I would celebrate Ice Cream Day where everyone does not go to school or work and gets free ice cream for the whole day, because ice cream is life.”

Junior Quina Loaisiga said, “I would have Cake Day where everyone would eat cake.”

Creating a random holiday seems like a lot of fun but to actually create a nationally recognized holiday is much more work.

To actually create a valid national holiday in the United States it is a rather long process.

According to the Examiner, the first thing to do when trying to create a national holiday is to get in contact with either the state senator or some kind of representative and convince them to support your holiday proposal. If the representative gives approval and support the holiday proposal moves on to Congress. The final step of this process is to get approved by Congress, and then the day becomes a national holiday.

This is a lengthy process. However, holidays can be created within towns, cities, or states, where it is not nationally recognized but recognized in that local area.

For example, the only states that recognize Cesar Chavez Day are Calif., Colo., and Texas.

Getting a true national holiday is a difficult job however, March 26th is the perfect day for people to get around the long legal process and show off their creative side.

Have you ever wanted to throw buckets of water at girls, then hit them on the legs with pussy willows? If your answer is yes, you might want to move to Poland.

Dyngus Day, also known as Wet Easter Monday, is celebrated annually on the first Monday after Easter in countries with high Christian populations, most notably throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and especially in Poland.

The main objective of this holiday is to celebrate the end of Lent, a time when religious Christians practice self-sacrifice and solemnity.

According to holidayinsights.com, Dyngus Day’s origin can be traced back to the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko I in 966 AD. Representing purity, cleansing, and fertility, water plays a vital role in regard to baptism.

In honor of Mieszko’s baptism, the Polish decided to incorporate water into the day after the most important Christian holiday of the year, Easter.

On Dyngus Day, boys arm themselves with water in any container that they can get their hands on and chase girls in the attempt to drench them. More recent methods to achieve this include the implementation of squirt guns.

Some boys prefer to throw cologne, rather than water, at girls, in an attempt to appear to be more chivalrous, according to polishplate.com.

Freshman Jacob Segal stated, “It would be entertaining [to do this].”

Junior Angelina Gutierrez said, “I would not want to participate in this holiday because I wouldn’t want water thrown at me.”

In addition to the aquatic factors of Dyngus Day, boys hit girls on the legs with pussy willows, a plant that gets its name from its buds which resemble cat tails.

The reasoning behind the usage of pussy willow is less evident than water. One possible rationale is that, because pussy willows are among the first budding plants of spring, they represent spiritual rebirth.

Dyngus Day is essentially an excuse for boys to harass girls, but the day after, the tables are turned.

The Tuesday immediately following Dyngus Day is reserved for girls to get their revenge on the mischievous boys. Traditionally, girls throw dishes and other crockery at the boys.

Sophomore Raine Kerhin said, “That’s awesome. It’s an excuse to hit people with pans.”

Although Dyngus Day may seem bizarre to Americans, it remains a popular holiday in many other parts of the world.

Don’t leave anyone hanging on National High Five Day. National High Five Day celebrates high fives and promotes giving high fives to everyone you meet.

According to the Holiday Insights website, National High Five Day started in 2002 by college students at the University of Virginia.

National High Five Day was created by Conor Lastowka of San Diego, California, Sam Miotke of Corvallis, Oregon, and Wynn Walent of New York City. It is celebrated annually on the third Thursday in April.

The holiday is popular throughout the country. It has been featured on The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Sports Illustrated and The National High Five Day Facebook page currently has over 3,500 likes.

Many Carlmont students are interested in participating on National High Five Day. Sophomore Amber Governale said, “This sounds like a really cool idea because [people] can give high fives to random people who are shy and make them feel better.”

Freshman Taran Sun said, “I like high fiving people because it’s awesome. It’s a great way to greet friends.”

National High Five Day goes hand and hand with the National High Five Project.

The National High Five Project, also known as the National High-5-A-Thon, happens on the same day as National High Five Day. It aims to raise money towards supporting cancer research.

According to the National High-5-A-Thon website, the project, “believes generosity is viral, pass it on!”

Participants in the National High Five Project agree to give 55 high fives on National High Five Day and raise money through donations from family and friends.

The money raised from the project goes to four organizations doing cancer research across the United States: The Gateway For Cancer Research, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

High fives have been around a for long time. In 1980, “high five” was added as a noun to the Oxford English Dictionary and the following year as a verb.

The “high five” originated as a “low five” in the age of jazz and became popular with jazz musicians. It was referred to as “giving skin” or “slapping skin.”

It took time for high fives to escalate in popularity, but now they hold a special place in American society.

Campus

Page 15

Extras

Page 16

Bursting at the seams Continued from front

and Central Middle School.

Since there will be a lot more bodies roaming the hallways and sitting in classrooms, Fishtrom explained how it will be necessary to hire five to eight more teachers, one more administrator and another guidance counselor.

“We may possibly need another campus aid as well,” commented Fishtrom. “As the school expands, we need to keep a good focus on campus safety.”

The library administrators are also affected by the vast amount of new students, and they grasp onto the small hope that their staff will also increase.

“Every year we have to order replacement books,” said Library Textbook Coordinator Donna Feitelberg. “Now we will have to get more books as student numbers increase. It becomes overwhelming after a while.”

As construction plans continue to surface, Feitelberg hopes there will be potential for an expansion of the library itself to “make room for more bookshelves and maybe even a computer lab. We are already packed at lunch and after school, and with even more students to account for, we could really use the space.”

Crame said that though “we have plans to do other construction, we aren’t ready to reveal anything about them just yet because

they are preliminary discussion.”

A topic that is, however, up for discussion, is that of the effect of the increased population on school-wide statistics, such as graduation rates.

“The increase can have a negative effect on [statistics] only if students come in unprepared,” said Fishtrom. “As far as test-scores go, we will be switching from STAR tests to the Common Core State Standards Test, possibly this upcoming school year, so I can’t really comment on how that will change.”

On a lighter note, Fishtrom believes that the incoming students will “greatly benefit sports teams and clubs, as well as add to the diversity of the student body.”

Senior Kayla Tabari heartily agreed with Fishtrom, explaining that even though she won’t be able to experience the population growth, she believes it will only make Carlmont a better place.

“The new students coming in could be future doctors, lawyers, or even the next president,” said Tabari. “So I think our campus will be a great place for them to learn and explore, and I know the district will provide them with the tools and enough space to do so.”

Since the district is a basic-aid district, its budgeted money comes from local property taxes. According to Fishtrom, there is enough money in reserve to begin the U-wing construction plans in August of 2013.

One thing’s for sure; this isn’t the last project the Carlmont campus will endure. Once they are no longer able to build outwards, isn’t there always the option to build up?

Peninsula Youth Orchestra

Honor Code Celebrating Continued from front exact test being used for the final depends on the student and who you talk to. The use of the resource to cheat was apparent as there was a spike in students scores across the board.

AP Government teacher Kristine Weisman reported that she and the other [teachers] knew there was something wrong when “students who had a 65 percent testing average all of a sudden got perfect scores” on the final.

“No one gets 100 percent on AP tests,” Weisman declared. “It just doesn’t happen.”

The same issue of cheating came up again in AP biology classes as cheating on at the online homework assignments and quizzes became such an issue that it led to the abandoning of the online homework and test resources.

“Ultimately, if you cheat on homework, you are going to eventually cheat yourself on the test,” said senior Connor Moore.

The integrity of today’s youth will remain a challenge for many students as the line between what is right and what is wrong continues to blur.

in secret

continued from front

something that I didn’t, or their major wasn’t as impacted as mine. You never know with college admissions.”

Cox however, was adamant that she would never root against her friends, “I always root for my friends to get into their dream schools, regardless of whether or not I applied to the same ones” In the ideal world, everyone would get into the college of their choice, but with the competition so fierce it has become impossible for everyone to come out of the college admissions process happy, pitting friends against friends.

Cox said, “I was definitely upset that I didn’t get into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

I was frustrated that I was rejected and did not understand why I was turned away, but I reminded myself that I have been accepted into other great schools that see me as an individual, not just by my transcript.”

Students When: June 10-13 should not lament on the schools they did sequoiaymca.org not get into, 650.368.4168 but instead look for the good in the schools that do want them, because at the end of the day its easier to feel appreciative to those that see qualities they would want at their school, rather than being spiteful towards schools that don’t.

Become a certified Lifeguard!

for student musicians, ages 6-18 Mitchell Sardou Klein, Music Director Sara Salsbury, Preparatory Orchestras

Concerts at Carlmont Concert Tours Chamber Music Concerto Competitions Music Camps 4 Full Orchestras 2 String Orchestras

Making Music with Friends . . . Making Friends through Music

Auditions: April 17, 18, 19, and 20 Music Camps: July 22-August 2 Please Visit: peninsulayouthorchestra.org Photos by Jeff Bartee

3/22/2013—3/31/2013

Great Clips Belmont 2040 Ralston Ave Belmont Ca94002 650 595 5855 Mon-Friday 9am-9pm Sat and Sunday 9am-6pm

3/22-3/31/2013

Fun Page

Spring Crossword

Page 17

Talk Back: What are you going to do over Spring Break?

“I’m going to visit the colleges I got accepted into.”

- Yasmine Yavari, ‘12

“I’m going to go to Hawaii to climb volcanoes, swim, and all that fun stuff.”

- Sohun Awsare, ‘15

By Kristen Friis Photos by Kristen Friis

staff writer

Horoscopes Aries - (March 21 - April 19) This month try to take risks and step out of your comfort zone.

Taurus - (April 20 - May 20) This month you will encounter difficult things. Work through them and don’t get too stressed out.

Gemini - (May 21 - June 20) This month expect a great amount of money coming your way. Treat yourself to something special.

Cancer - (June 23 - July 22) Do not try to rush yourself this month. Take things slow and don’t worry too much.

Leo - (July 23 - Aug. 22) Virgo - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) Try not to be stubborn this month. Do something for someone else Forgive and forget. this month. Doing good deeds will make you feel a lot better.

Libra - (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) This month you will encounter events that test your patience, so try to stay calm.

Scorpio - (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) Hard work leads to success. This month work hard and something good will come out of it.

Sagittarius - (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) This month luck will come your way, but use this luck wisely.

Aquarius - (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) This month your friendships will grow stronger than they have been before.

Pisces - (Feb. 19 - March 20) Don’t let the little things get to you this month. Be positive and understanding.

Capricorn - (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) Appreciate the small things that come to you this month and do something good in return.

Sports

Page 18

Highlander File Photo

Carlmont winter sports invade CCS

By Grace Chang Staff Writer

This year, Carlmont’s varsity basketball team disproved their underdog reputation with a strong run that ended deep into the CCS playoffs.

The team’s successful season started with winning the “Surf n’ Slam” tournament, a preseason tourney in San Diego.

After squeezing into CCS with a record of 20 wins and 8 losses, they continued to beat the odds until a 52-46 loss to Santa Teresa in the semifinals.

Although the scots went home empty handed, many of the players will never lose the experiences of the emotional season.

“This past season was an experience that I will never forget,” reflected senior power forward Connor Moore. “We did almost everything that people said we couldn’t and upset anyone who took us too lightly. We were probably one of the best teams in Carlmont history.”

Senior point guard Jason Ho emotionally explained, “My last words to the underclass-

men would be to finish what we started in CCS. To all the seniors, it was a pleasure playing with all of you for so long and it has finally come to an end after all these years. I will never forget the memories we have.”

For some, being on the team meant much more than just being successful on the court.

“I have become more disciplined, worked harder, and pushed myself to be better in everything, not just basketball, and believing in myself that anything is possible,” continued Ho. “I have gained a family, we went into the season as friends and teammates, but we left as a family,” said Moore.

Although they were unable to make school history by making it to the CCS finals, the team had a memorable final game.

“Our last game was not the outcome we wanted, but we played hard and played our best and that’s all that mattered. We ended on a strong night against a very good team,” concluded Ho. Any elimination game has both a thrilling and devastating side as one team’s journey must end. For the Carlmont seniors, their

high school career would end as well.

“Before, during and after the game was an extremely emotional experience,” said Moore Unfortunately for the Scots, they are not only losing their seniors next year.

Along with many new members, current head coach David Low has plans to step down from his position.

After a tough 2012 season, along with winning league Carlmont’s boys varsity soccer team reached the semifinals of CCS for the first time in more than 10 years.

In their semifinal game against Bellarmine, the Scots had a one point lead going into the half. They were unable to maintain the lead however and Bellarmine was scored twice in one minute making it a 2-1 game. Although the Scots continued to put the pressure on the Bell’s goal, they were able to hold them off for 2-1 win.

Both physically and emotionally spent, some players took the loss better than others.

Senior captain and left midfielder Andrew Durlofsky. “The game was an absolute heartbreaker.”

Defensive midfielder, Nick Monteiro de-

scribed the game as a “hard fought battle.”

Although the Scots’ season came up short, they still have a league title to be proud of.

The season ended with 10 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties; the losses coming from Sequoia and MA. Durlofsky credited the team’s success to more than just skill. “The teamwork and camaraderie that we had was truly incredible.”

Defender Daniel Montoya said, “We were very tight as a team with lots of chemistry and that’s why I think we did so well during the season. We bonded over the course of the season and got better after each game.”

Aside from an excellent record, league title, and strong CCS run, the season was rewarding off the field as well.

“I have learned the true meaning of teamwork. We played and practiced as a team and I was very honored to be the captain this year,” said Durlofsky Monteiro said, “I have gained a family from playing on this team, the season was unforgettable.”

The senior players have left some unfinished business for next year’s team.

Giants players invade the World Baseball Classic Every October, American major league baseball teams battle it out to determine the World Series champion. But is the winner really a “world champion”?

As opposed to the World Series, the World Baseball Classic pits 16 teams of different nationalities against one another to determine the

Giants Catcher Buster Posey

true world champion.

Since the sport of Olympic baseball was discontinued after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, this tournament has achieved a higher status of importance as America sends its top players in the hopes to end Japan’s streak as two time champions.

Many American baseball fans ask why it seems that nobody cares, or even knows, about the World Baseball Classic. How is it possible that the country that invented the sport, loses more games than it wins?

One of the main reasons

behind it are the different rules. For example, pitchers are only allowed to pitch for five innings and any games past the 13th inning begin with runners at second and first base.

Another reason is its unfortunate timing. For many Major League Baseball teams, the Classic happens during the same time as spring training, a crucial part of any pro-ballplayer’s season.

Senior Alex Crook said, “I, personally, am not that interested in the World Baseball Classic because there is no hype. I have never seen

Some of the Giants players waiting to take batting practice

it on TV and have only seen a couple commercials for it.

I think that the World Series is a lot more interesting to watch.

This year, Carlmont students and Bay Area baseball fans will have the opportunity to cheer on many of the same San Francisco Giants players that won this years World Series.

So far, at least eight Giants players will represent various teams in the classic.

They include Jeremy Affeldt and Ryan Vogelsong for the United States, Marco Scutaro for Venezuela, Angel Pagan

Photos by Emily Rudger

By Ivan Garin Staff Writer

for Puerto Rico, Santiago Casilla for the Dominican Republic, Sergio Romo for Mexico, and Tyler laTorre for Italy.

Jose Mijares injured his elbow and it is questionable whether he will heal in time to play for Venezuela.

Hensley Meulens will also manage the Netherlands.

Senior Vincent Leopardo said, “I prefer watching the World Baseball Classic over the World Series because it’s international, so it’s more important, that and my favorite player is Angel Pagan who plays for Puerto Rico.”

Giants 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval played for Venezuela

“Probably almost every game you turn on is going to have somebody from the Giants,” left-hander Eric Surkamp of the Giants said to MLB.com.

Whether one’s team is well represented or not, the general fan experience of the tournament has been on a completely different level than what the average fan is used to. With an abundance of cultural pride and exuberance for the game, the World Baseball Classic has given the United States a taste of the rest of the worlds passion for sporting events.

Giants reliever Sergio Romo Highlander file photo

Sports

Page 19

Athlete of the month: Yash Malik

By Tim Layten Staff Writer

Since coming to America from Naipur, India, Carlmont senior Yash Malik has been making a lot noise out on the basketball court.

“I started playing at four years old and I just grew an interest in it,” said Malik.

Malik got his start playing basketball

Photo by Niko Frazier

when his parents signed him up for basketball league for younger kids. At first, Malik realized he didn’t have a lot of talent when it came to playing basketball.

He didn’t want to accept the fact that he was just playing basketball for fun however.

Since he loved the sport, he wasn’t going to settle for being just a mediocre player. He worked diligently throughout his middle school years at Ralston Middle School so he could be a standout basketball player.

“I wasn’t very good at first, but I kept working hard and listened to my coaches and it eventually paid off.”

With the amount of time he practiced and focused on the sport, and with the help and assistance from his coaches, Malik began to become more skilled and coordinated out on the court. Standing at 6 feet 1 inch, he was one of the more notable players when he started playing on the Carlmont varsity team his junior year.

In his senior year, the varsity team competed at and won “The Surf and Slam Basketball” tournament in San Diego during the winter. After his team won, Malik was chosen as the MVP for the tournament.

The team had a pre-season record of 11-1 and an overall record of 20-8. In addition to the strong performance in the regular season, Malik led the team all the way to the CCS quarterfinals.

Senior Connor Moore has been on the team with Malik for four years and has always admired his ability and talent.

“Yash is the hardest worker I know, he practices every day and always tries to be better.” Malik’s motivation to be the best player he can has also motivated all his teammates to have passion and dedication when it comes to basketball, including Moore.

“His hard work has made the largest transformation out of all us on the team.”

He plans to play basketball beyond high

school for the college he will attend or in any outside leagues. He also wants to coach basketball after college. Malik says that he wouldn’t be successful at basketball if it wasn’t for the help and support from his coaches.

“Always listen to everything coaches say because they know what they’re talking about and they have always wanted to help me.”

Malik’s story is a perfect example of never giving up in what you do. That’s how you can be successful in life.

“If you put enough time in anything, whether it’s sports or not, you will get better.”

His story of hard work and perseverance is inspirational to everyone that watches him play out on the basketball court.

“Yash is the hardest worker I know, he practices every day and always tries to be better.”

Stars of the Spring

By Natalie Tussy Staff Writer

Baseball

Softball

Junior Kyle Barret stands out among his teammates as an overall great player, and has helped lead his team to their current 5-1 record.

Senior Justin Fink stated, “He is a very good all around player, he hits well and plays good defense.”

At second base, Barret has the ability to control the infield and contributes a lot of talent to the team.

So far this season the team has played well, with only one loss to San Lorenzo Valley High School.

The Milpitas Tournament was a shining moment for the Scots, when they went undefeated in three games.

In league standings, Carlmont is tied for third place, just behind Terra Nova and Aragon.

As a starting pitcher for Carlmont High School, many players count on junior Rebecca Faulkner to come through during important games, and many believe she does that and more.

Fellow pitcher, junior Melissa Pekarek commented, “She’s a really good pitcher and hitter, and it’s nice to have good all around players on our team.”

In fact, on Feb. 20, Faulkner pitched a no-hitter and hit a homerun during a game against Woodside in the Milpitas Tournament, and was later named player of the game.

The season looks promising for Faulkner and the Lady Scots, but only time will tell.

For the Carlmont golf team, Senior Andrew Witt is considered one of the best players.

Junior golfer Jack Tilly stated, “He’s consistent, he doesn’t really have any bad shots that can ruin his score.”

Witt is the number one player on the Carlmont golf team, and has led the team through the season so far.

Witt is currently ranked in the top three in league standings, and his teammates expect him to maintain that position through the end of the season, and into individual playoffs.The golf team has been able to win three matches so far and hopes to win many more by the end of the season, going into individual playoffs.

Rebecca Faulkner

Andrew Witt

Lacrosse

Many players on varsity lacrosse look up to Connor Swanson, a senior who plays the middle attack position and is considered a leader of the team.

Teammate and junior Matthew Amato said, “He’s just a great player, but what makes him really stand out is his knowledge about the game. He could easily be our coach.”

At the high level of varsity lacrosse it is important to have a deep knowledge of the game, and this contributes to why Swanson is so highly ranked.

Within two games against Gunn and Burlingame, Swanson had seven goals and three assists for a total of ten points.

Connor Moore

Boys Tennis Senior Corey Pang, the number one player on Carlmont boys tennis stands out among his teammates as a leader.

Junior tennis player Theo Fedronic said, “He’s an athletic guy, he’s talented, and he’s been working hard at it for years and years. He’s focused on tennis and has become exceptional at it.”

Pang is the team captain of Carlmont varsity boys tennis, and rightfully so; he has been working hard on varsity for three years, and has been consistently improving.

Many of his teammates believe he has the ability to win CCS this year.

Senior Andrew Durlofsky commented, “he’s got CCS on lock.”

Corey Pang

Photos by Jacob Rudger

Kyle Barret

Golf

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REFLECT YOURSELF You are not your Lucky Brand Jeans

Self Esteem TOTAl

By Andrew Wedvick Staff Writer

Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, said that “the things you used to own, now they own you.”

This idea is reflective of today’s materialistic society. People often value their possessions more than anything else. Despite our growing obsession with material objects and outward appearances, people are not gaining confidence, or fulfillment.

To some, this may not come as a surprise. Shelley Bustamante, Carlmont’s school counselor, said, “material possessions offer people a temporary boost to their self esteem... like a short-lasting inflation of self worth.”

People who lust for material possessions usually do so to try and create a façade, or an unrealistic portrayal of who they really are. They might see someone they admire with an object they perceive to be “desirable” and go after that object to imitate the success of their idol.

This form of low self esteem stems from a person’s inability to tell the difference between net worth and self worth. These people believe that collecting money and things will lead them to happiness, but they never have enough possessions to satisfy themselves.

Teens are more likely to succumb to low self esteem because many are uncomfortable with what they look like.

The human body undergoes drastic changes at this stage in a person’s life, and people with low self esteem are not comfortable in their own skin.

Teens often look towards celebrities to show them how they are “supposed to look.”

Bad move.

Celebrities often portray an unrealistic, airbrushed image that is unachievable for most human beings.

For instance, David Beckham, a household name, and a man whose handsome looks are synonymous with Calvin Klein underwear commercials, was exposed by USA Today for using a body double in one of his ad campaigns. Even Beckham is not good enough for the image that celebs are supposed to fulfill.

Comparing oneself to celebrities is a foolproof recipe for low self esteem.

In fact,the root of all esteem related problems can be traced back to comparing oneself to other people.

Bustamante went on to say “the best way to boost your self esteem is not to compare yourself to others, but rather to do service for others. Set goals that involve helping others, and see them through. Doing this is more rewarding than acquiring material possessions.”

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