May 2013 Highlander

The

Highlander Where are students in the class of 2013 going for college? Pgs.12 and 13

May 2013, Vol IV, Issue VIII

www.scotscoop.com

Langkusch leaving

Scots get caught

By Erica Valbusa Online Editor

Carlmont’s AP English Language teacher retires after 20 years of teaching.

Page 15

Senior sports wrap-up

Senior sports highlights and spotlight athletes from the 2012-2013 school year.

Pgs. 22 & 23

Our generation

Kids today live a very different lifestyle from the generations before us.

Pgs. 6 & 7

Who shares your seat?

One seat in E11, three students throughout the day. Do you know the person who sat in your seat before you?

Pgs. 18 & 19

Many students spend countless hours studying for tests and exams. Others cheat.

Recently, Carlmont administrators found that a group of students were using cell phones to take pictures of exams and communicate answers with each other.

“I got caught on a chapter test for AP Psychology. The reason I got caught was because the kid that gave me the answers for the test got his phone confiscated and searched. He didn’t delete his message history, thus showing he sent out the answers to the test,” said an involved student whose name is being withheld.

Carlmont had a similar cheating occurrence during first semester finals, when students found the answers to the AP Government final on the Internet.

What is it exactly that drives students to feel the need to cheat?

“It is difficult to say,” stated Administrative Vice Principal Ralph Crame.

“A lot of stress is put on students, it can be hard to keep up in high-level classes.

The competition to get into college is definitely a high level of stress.”

“I feel badly for students who feel this is the way. The adults in society, parents, have put amazing pressures on students. It is crazy. There are more kids and more competition. Times have changed. Cheating is a cry for help,” said Carlmont Principal Lisa Gleaton.

Carlmont is currently looking at the academic policies of other schools in the district to help decide what kind of policy should be implemented on this campus.

“We like Woodside High School’s academic policy, but nothing has been cleared yet. We would like to have more people look at it. The more buyin, the better. We never want to be in the position of people saying that they don’t know about the policies,” added Gleaton.

If a student is found cheating, his or her parents and teachers will be informed and he or she will receive a zero on the assignment.

Students might not receive a letter of recommendation if he or she is caught cheating. Some college

Photo by Gianna Dimick

require students to submit letters of recommendation with their application.

Without them, students will not and cannot be considered for admission.

“Students don’t have a right to a letter of rec.

What is a teacher supposed to write about you if you are found cheating in class?” said Gleaton.

Is it legal for a school to search through a student’s cell phone? With probable cause, yes.

“The administration has the right to search a phone if we have reason to believe that there is an issue. That being said, we can’t go way far back in the phone’s history,” stated Fishtrom.

“I wouldn’t do it again. The reward really isn’t worth the risk. The consequences were F on that test and a disciplinary action on my record.

Think about the consequences if you get caught,” commented the student involved.

Continued on pg. 20

Turning the page Seniors reflect on high school

By Rachel Schuster Features Editor As graduation nears closer each day, Carlmont seniors look to the event not as an ending, but a fresh start.

Graduation is seen as a rite of passage, an event where the student moves from one life stage to the next. Carlmont senior Emily Cox is ready to take this leap, much like the majority of her peers.

“I’m excited to graduate, but I’m terrified,” Cox said. “I want to go to college and start a new part of my life, but at the same time I don’t want to leave Carlmont because it’s like my home. I feel like I grew up here and it’s made me who I am.”

Cox joked that her class of 2013 is “not normal,” in the sense that her peers are “so smart, way above average, and everyone is going to such amazing colleges.”

Connor Moore expressed a similar opinion, commenting, “We are an exceptional group of people in terms of our ability to succeed. I can name people that are going to Ivy League schools, Stanford, Berkeley, and I’m so proud to be affiliated with that.”

The journey the seniors endured to reach their graduation was no easy feat. Especially this past year with challenging classes, college applications, loads of extracurriculars, and flourishing social lives.

“Considering the amount of craziness and stress we had this year, I feel like all we've been through has brought our class closer together," said Cox. Ironically, the closer the seniors may have become, the farther apart they will be next year when they have all parted their separate ways.

“I’m ready to move on, but graduating means leaving behind a lot of memories and a lot of people. And that can be positive or negative, depending on how you look at it,” said Moore.

Amanda Morris couldn't believe that graduation was just around the corner, explaining how her “four years at Carlmont are over,” and she couldn't believe how “they flew by.”

Seniors have spent their past four years

Continued on pg. 20

Beloved Carlmont VP announces departure

By Dominic Gialdini Campus Editor After six years of service to the Carlmont community, Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom is leaving to become the Director of Instructional Technology for the Sequoia Union High School District.

Fishtrom’s decision to take the newly-created position for the district did not come easily.

Although he looks forward to beginning his new career, which will entail enlightening staff members throughout the school district on how to integrate technology into their curriculums, there are numerous aspects of Carlmont that he will miss.

“I am sad about leaving the students here. I love the students, as well as the team that I work with,”

said Fishtrom.

Throughout his time at Carlmont, Fishtrom developed strong relationships with staff and students alike.

“The entire Carlmont community has been very supportive of me and I am very thankful for that,” said Fishtrom.

Sharon Bologna, Fishtrom’s secretary, explained her mixed emotions on Fishtrom’s parting: “I’m sad because I love working with him and he’s a great boss, but [the new job] is a great opportunity for him because it’s something that he’s always wanted to do, so you can’t not be happy for him. But we [the faculty] are definitely going to miss him.”

As administrative vice principal, Fishtrom experienced many rewarding moments at Carlmont.

“The highlight of my Carlmont career was an accumulation of a variety of individual things, such as connecting with students and making them see their potential,” said Fishtrom.

Fishtrom especially took pride in the students whose academic careers he helped turn around.

“There are students who struggle during freshman year. Not giving up on them and telling them that they have value is key. There are many students who come back as adults and thank [the faculty] for helping them out. That is what the job is about - getting people in the right direction,” said Fishtrom.

Students sense the dedication that Fishtrom has shown for them.

Senior Connor Fenech expressed the high regard in which he holds Fishtrom: “I think he is a very hon-

est guy and is very supportive of all the kids, with their academics and extracurriculars. He is very involved with students and it is a shame that we are losing him.”

Fishtrom experienced humbling moments at Carlmont that will continue to resonate with him after he leaves: “The moment that was one of the most powerful for me is when Mr. Tsuchiyama and I were walking up a hallway as he and I were talking and seeing the number of students who stopped everything they were doing to address him, and say, ‘hi.’ The impact he had on everyone for being a person who leads so much and cares so much about students really impacted me.”

In addition to the profound moments, Fishtrom has had his fair

Continued on pg. 20

News and Opinions

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Physical, personal, cerebral growth

Looking back as a senior

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

By Annie Wesolek

When distant relatives come in from out of town, they always comment on the same thing: how much I’ve grown. They wonder at what instant I grew to be so different from the little girl they remember. Though I consider myself a highly attentive person, I’m unable to find a definite timestamp. Growth is a process that happens over time rather than in one instant.

Growth is a universal process for all of humanity. It takes place over the span of your whole life. It’s easier to see if you look at two endpoints, but almost impossible to perceive if you look at only one moment. The act of growing is comparable to riding an airplane: you know where you began, but you can never realize how far you’ve traveled over the time period you’ve been flying until you see where you’ve landed. Witnessing growth is strictly a retrospective pursuit. Over the past year of school, every student at Carlmont has experienced some sort of growth, whether it’s physical or internal.

Physical growth is probably the most recognizable form of change. Height, weight, or hair length changes are all common identifiers of the natural passage of time. By comparison, personal growth is much harder to identify because it takes place on the inside.

Personal growth covers a wide range of areas, but can best be described as a change in attitude or perception of the world. An individual can most commonly experience personal growth through learning from past mistakes. As time passes, you often look back at mistakes you’ve made and cringed, even if they seemed like a good idea at the time.

George Washington once said, “To rectify past blunders is impossible, but we might profit by the experience of them.” With each mistake we make, we gain knowledge and wisdom for the future.

Knowledge acquired through life experience is instrumental in advancing our personal growth. Though as a kid it may have seemed like you were superman, multiple broken bones and trip to the hospital have taught you that you are not as invincible as you had previously suspected and that you should be more careful with your body.

Not only does personal growth helps us to gain a better understanding of the world and increase our capacity to complete tasks, but cerebral growth does as well. Due to recent advances in MRI technology, scientist have discovered that the brain continues to develop past the beginning years of life and well into the thirties. The prefrontal cortex, which is active in inhibiting inappropriate behavior, performing high level cognitive functions, and social interactions, undergoes significant growth of the period of adolescence.

As your brain develops during these, you may notice that your actions and speech become more regulated; Thoughts that you would have probably announced in front of a crowded room when you were younger, now seem more private and less appropriate for publication.

You may also notice an increased ability to complete sophisticated tasks. As a freshman, the idea of taking one let alone four AP tests is unfathomable, yet junior and seniors accomplish this feat all the time. The development of your brain is yet another way in which you grow and progress.

If you were able to take a snapshot of your physical appearance, aspirations, thoughts, and mental comprehension from a year ago and compare it to a snapshot of yourself today, you would see a significant difference between the two. It’s important to recognize all the changes you go through, because changing and growing are the fundamentals of life. Though it may not seem like it, you’ve grown significantly this past year. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself where did I start? Where did I finish? Recognizing both the beginning and the ending of a journey will help you identify how you got there.

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“The Spirit of Determination”

By Sarah Levin

You know, looking back, I probably learned more in the first few years of school than I did in the later ones.

Oh sure, high school has taught me a lot of useful things. Equations for surface area. The periodic table of elements. How to drop an egg three stories without breaking it. You know, all the things I’ll need for a career in writing. But, truthfully? Looking back, it’s the lessons I learned early on in life that prepared me for the real world.

Preschool was a well of knowledge; it’s where you learn that unlike at home, you’re not the most important person in the world. There are other kids out there, people your age and your level that you need to learn to get along with. Some of them, you like a whole ton. Some of them, you want to push off the top level of the playground. That doesn’t matter. They are all people, and all of them deserve your respect.

Kindergarten is where you learn to treat others how you want to be treated (a rule that isn’t followed by nearly as much of society as it should be). Where you learn that recess is the exception, not the norm. Where you learn the twenty-six letters that will make up every picture book, every novel, every piece of paperwork you’ll ever read. Where you won’t appreciate the naps that you’ll yearn for later in life.

Then, later on, you learn another lesson. It starts with cursive in third grade, and is culminated by being forced to play “Hot Cross Buns” on a squeaky recorder. Sometimes, in life, you have to do things you don’t like. Things that seem pointless, and sometimes they really are. The lesson you learn, however, is that sometimes, that’s just life. You need to put your head down and suffer through the things you don’t like in order to reach the things you do.

The more school you go through, the more teachers and bosses you learn to get along with (despite how much they make you want to scream). Group projects come and go, leaving the knowledge that picking up someone else’s slack is, unfortunately, something we all have to deal with.

And now, we’ve reached graduation. A point in our lives when we are expected to be adults, to make our own lives and blaze our own trails. But, even as we head off to our “real” lives, we shouldn’t forget what we learned as kids.

That sharing is always going to make friends.

That though sticks and stones may break your bones, words hurt more than you’d think.

That you need to clean up your own mess.

That saying “I’m sorry” is sometimes the hardest thing to do.

And, most importantly, that you need to raise your hand. To speak up, and speak out. Because in this world, you need to learn to make yourself heard.

Good luck, seniors. And no matter where you go and what you do, don’t forget kindergarten.

What are SAT Subject Tests?

By Tara Ebrahimpour Staff Writer

Juniors at Carlmont have been frantically studying and preparing, even after taking their SAT test. One might wonder what they are stressing out about; the answer is the SAT subject tests.

SAT subject tests are standardized tests that are optional for students to take. There are 20 different subject tests, each with a time limit of an hour. The subjects include History, English, Math, Sciences, and Language. Within each subject, there are specific categories such as US History, Literature and Biology amongst others.

Junior Alex Kumamoto took the Math, Chemistry, and History tests. He recommends subject tests, “Anyone applying to college should take them. It doesn’t affect you much.” Junior Raj Aurora, who took the Chemistry and Math subject tests said, “I do recommend them since it helps for college applications and they [the subject tests] are the subjects you choose, so it’s a plus!”

Students can take up to three tests on any given day, but they cannot take them on the same day as the official SAT test. The test is offered six times a year, giving students more opportunities to take them. The cost is 77 dollars per test.

Students take the tests to better their chances of getting into their dream school.

Usually, they are optional, but some schools require students to take them for admission.

They are a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and showcase their strong suits in specific subjects.

Some colleges use them to place students in the right classes, ones that are appropriate for their abilities. Senior Hailey Miller, who got a perfect score on the Biology test said, “ I would recommend it only if you do well, especially if you are really strong on certain subject, you will stand out.”

Certain schools recommend that applicants take the subject tests. One particular school

that recommends it is Berkeley, which recommends it only to students who are applying as Math/Science majors, according to college counselor Connie Dominguez.

It is recommended that these students take the Math Level 2 test and a Science test that is related to their major. Not many schools in California require SAT subject tests, but many Ivy League schools do as well as other private schools. These schools include California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell University, and Duke, among others. According to collegeapps.about.com, Ivy League schools require two or more subject tests for admission. A fraction of Carlmont juniors are applying to in-state schools.

Neither UC’s (University of California) and CSU’s (California State Universities) require applicants to take subject tests. According to Dominguez, UC’s used to require them, but don’t anymore, due to miscommunication regarding the application process.

If a student submits an SAT subject test score with their application to these schools, they will be ignored and it won’t help or harm their chance of admission. Students who come to California from other states or who haven’t met all their A-G requirements can take a subject test to earn credits.

The A-G requirements are a set list of required courses that are needed in order for students to be eligible to attend UC or CSU schools. Aurora added, “As for the tests they aren’t too easy. But they are nowhere near the difficulty of the AP Chem test.”

A student who wished to stay anonymous said that the majority of the schools he was considering require the SAT subject tests. “I found the experience frustrating because of the Math subject test. I took it twice. I didn’t do well the first time, because I wasn’t well prepared, but when I took it the second time I did well. I prepared with prep books.”

All in all, an SAT subject test is a great opportunity for students to be recognized by colleges, and in many cases improve one’s chance of getting accepted to college.

News and Opinions

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Should getting a scholarship be based on race?

Some colleges offer scholarships to students of a specific race, background, ethnicity or sexual orientation

By Grace Yi Staff Writer With the increase of ethnic minority groups in our community, some question whether current scholarships that revolve these types of people should be considered “racist scholarships.”

The Bill of Rights states that all people have the same natural rights regardless of race, sex, or other characteristics. However this phrase does not stand true for some scholarships. Diversity of race, gender and traits has become a factor of many scholarships.

Scholarships, such as the Hispanic Scholarship, Council Scholarship and the Korean American Scholarship, are awarded to students based on their race and ethnic background.

Some claim that these forms of scholarships aren’t fair because a person cannot change their race just to obtain a scholarship.

“You shouldn’t be given a scholarship or rejected from something you can’t control and which has no impact over who you actually are,” noted junior Scott Harris Similarly, others note that universities

should accept students for their potential instead of their indigenous culture.

“Scholarships should be based on actions like academics, community service, and extracurricular activities. I don’t think it’s fair to give someone a scholarship over something they have literally no control over such as their race,” commented junior Sarah Burry.

These specialized scholarships have led some to believe that the abundant amount of minority scholarships has put the “majority races,” such as Caucasian people, at a disadvantage. However new studies have shown that although foreign civilians are labeled as minority groups, Caucasians are identified as being discriminated against by other races.

A Public Religion Research Institute poll found 44 percent of Americans as being discriminated against in the same bigotry as blacks and other minorities.

Sophomore Amanda Breslauer said, “There are plenty of affluent races other than Caucasians. I should have an equal chance as any other race to get a scholarship.”

Although ethnic minority groups consisted of African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics, many are arguing that white people are

Several scholarships are offered to students of specific races and other criteria becoming the minority because the white students cannot obtain many scholarships because they are not part of the minority group.

A Texas group called “Former Majority Association for Equality,”offers white men $500 college scholarships which Colby Bohannan, the group’s president says white men do not have the equal scholarship opportunities as women and other ethnic groups.

“There aren’t many scholarships that a white person can walk into based on race, then again there seems to be more opportuni-

ties for white people if you look at poverty rates in the US,” said Burry.

Associations that support minorities such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant (AICPA) which is the world’s largest association representing the accounting profession, awarded a total of $14.6 million in scholarships to approximately 8,000 race minority students.

There are debates on who receives what scholarship, however regarding race based scholarships are still discussed today.

Editorial: How to say goodbye before you graduate A little appreciation goes a long way, say thank you to those who matter For about 500 students, there will never be another homecoming in high school. Or another fall sports season. Or another quote and baby picture in the yearbook. It is the end of senior year.

Graduation signifies that a new beginning is ahead. College is near for most of us and we will make new friends and start a new chapter of our lives. But in order to do that, we first have to say goodbye.

Goodbye is the hardest part. How is it possible to tell people who mean so much to us exactly how much you will miss them?

It’s not. You can, however, say thank you.

Say thank you to everyone, your classmates, your best friends, the person who sat next to you in photography for the entire year whom you did not know before taking the class. Say thank you to everyone who made your year that much better.

Say thank you to the people who taught you something. It is hard to leave any class at Carlmont without having learned anything, whether it be an intellectual concept, emotional point of growth or a physical task you overcame. Thank the teachers who taught you these things.

Thank your parents. Parents, as protective as they might have been, as “cool” as they might have been, as embarrassing as they might have been, did help you through high school. It might have been directly or for some of us, indirectly, but regardless, they have helped you reach where you are on now. Thank them for being there, pushing you to do well, or for accepting the path you are on even if it is the one they never wanted for you. Thank them for every meal they made you before you went rushing off to soccer practice and every time they brought your parka to the swim meet because you left it at home. They really do more for you than you think.

Thank your friends for their support. High school would be twice as stressful and not as much fun without them. Friends are sometimes the people in high school that you feel you can go to about anything and it is important to show them your appreciation.

It is easy to underestimate the power of gratitude, after all we say thank you to the people who bring us our food at a restaurant and give us our change at a cash register, but in truth, a simple thanks means more than that to people who matter. Thank you means you depended on him or her at some point, you required their help, their guidance, their support. You needed them.

Goodbyes are difficult but saying thank you will make it easier. We will all miss our best friends, our teachers, our families, but we tend to reflect on that longing and sadness and forget to remind them how much they have done for us.

If all goodbyes are easy for you, then what are you leaving behind that is important to you?

Maybe there are some things that seem irrelevant to our future and we are ready to give them up with an simple goodbye but there should be something in high school that made an impact in your life one way or another. Someone who taught you who you shouldn’t be or who you are. And they deserve to have a proper goodbye.

The Highlander 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.

Editor-in-Chief: Gianna Dimick

Managing Editor: Alex Porter

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Online: Erica Valbusa

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Fun Page:

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Faculty Adviser:

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Staff Writers: Ayesha Abbasi Jessica Adair Michael Bastaki Monica Bayasgalan Grace Chang Reggie Chatman Gabriela D’Souza Tara Ebrahimpour Nikos Frazier Kristen Friis Ivan Garin Graham Godwin Matthew Harris Timothy Layten Claudia Leist Robert Lyon Conrad May Virginia O’Callahan John Russell Katherine Savin Scott Schulze Shira Stein Natalie Tussy Daniel Wang Maxwell Ware Andrew Wedvick Alan Yan Grace Yi

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Freshman Year: the start of it all

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By Kristen Friis Staff Writer It’s not that scary.

Despite what the TV shows and movies about high school may say, freshman year is not that bad.

Freshman Friday is not real. No throwing into dumpsters or shoving into lockers, no smacking papers out of hands so they fly through the hallway. None of that.

As an incoming freshman, it is normal to be nervous or feel as if you aren’t prepared.

According to a poll asking if students felt as if they were prepared coming into freshman year, about 36 percent of Carlmont students did not feel prepared.

“I’m pretty nervous, everyone is taller and a bigger school is intimidating,” said incoming freshman, Benson Wu. In today’s society, it is common for freshman to believe all the stereotypes they hear about high school, and that can scare them.

Behind all of the typical “captain of the football team beats up the freshman” and “homecoming queen shoves the freshman

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down the stairs” rumors, high school is pretty normal. Normal meaning you just go to classes then go home.

Though it may seem intimidating being a freshman at a large school of over 2100 students, there are ways to survive.

One or the greatest things you can do at Carlmont is get involved. There tons of clubs and electives to choose from, one of which you could fall in love with.

“Do everything you can to get involved,” said freshman president and upcoming sophomore president, Timmy Miller. “You’ll have more work to do, but just be a part of any extra curricular classes you can take.”

Another great way to get involved is try out for a sport. Even if you don’t think you’ll make the team, try out anyway.

“I did cross country before school even started. I met so many fun people so high school wasn’t as scary the first day,” said freshman Amelia Armstrong. “Knowing a lot of people in the upper classes from the sport made me feel alot better. I was also on soccer and it made me become so much closer with people I already knew so I’m really thankful for high school sports.”

Don’t be afraid to talk to people in your classes.

A lot of times if you come from a small school, branching out to new people in classes will help you connect with other people.

Even if the people in your classes are older than you, talk to them anyway, because they could give you good advice.

“If I could re-do freshman year, I would try to make friends with people from older grades,” said sophomore David Maia. “It helps to get tips on what classes to take for following years.”

It’s really easy to succeed freshman year if you keep up academically as well.

“I wish I could have done better academically my first semester,” said freshman Zoey Poulicakos. “Do your homework, go to class, and do what you’re supposed to do and you’ll be fine.”

Whether you are coming from a big school or a small school, sometimes just hearing the words “high school” can be scary. As long as you do what you want to do and make the most out of your time, you will be bound to have some of the best four years of your life.

Junior Year: so close, yet so far

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By Monica Bayasgalan Staff Writer

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Junior year is often referred to as the hardest year of high school according to some Carlmont students.

When junior year rolls around most sophomores are excited to become upperclassmen, finally being able to go to prom, and having priority over underclassmen.

“I am looking forward to finally being able to say that I am an upperclassmen! Based on what everyone has told me about the classes I am planning to take, I am not expecting my workload to be that strenuous. Most students use junior year as an opportunity to stock up on as many AP’s as they can, but i know that if i put myself in that situation than i would be overloaded and fall behind. I’m taking two APs and I think that’s plenty along with 4 other junior-level classes,” said sophomore Gianna Schuster.

But along with all the benefits of becoming a junior, the title also comes with a lot of hard work and studying.

“I wish I knew that I would have so much homework and so little time; it sucks,” said Julian Smith a junior.

Junior year is also the year with the most

tests and exams.

“There are so many tests to take like AP tests, SAT, ACT, and SAT subject test,” said junior Jessie Real.

The incoming juniors also have to start thinking about college and considering their major.

Picking a major is one of the hardest decisions during high school as well as choosing which college to attend.

Touring colleges is another experience students may have during junior year. The process of traveling and choosing a ‘dream school’ takes a long time and can affect school work.

Another hard decision to make is picking what classes to take. Many sophomores while making their schedule for the next year will choose to take the most AP classes they can in order for it to look good on college applications.

“You shouldn’t feel like you have to take every advanced class available, you should only take the advanced classes you actually want to take,” advises Real.

Picking the classes that benefit you the most will allow more time to do other things such as sports and volunteering.

Charley Bernardo, a junior said, “Make sure to balance out your AP classes because if

you do activities outside of school it can affect your grades tremendously.”

A big tip for incoming juniors is to start early and get ahead on everything.

For example, start studying for big exams such as SAT and ACT. These tests go on college applications and are a big part of getting accepted into college.

“My biggest tip is don’t procrastinate on SAT, take it as many times as you can and study for it because before you know it it’s time to take it and you are gonna be unprepared,” said Kiana Yekrang.

Getting caught up in school work can affect your friendship with someone, according to Yekrang “Try to make a lot of new friends because you only have two more years with these people and you want to make the best of it,” added Yekrang.

Juniors have to juggle AP classes, school activities, sports, volunteering, and preparing for college all while trying to maintain a social life.

Although junior year is the toughest year out of high school the memories you make along the way and the people you meet is worth the hard work.

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Sophomore Year: the wise fool

By Natalie Tussy Staff Writer After the end of freshman year, everyone feels a sense of relief, knowing that they will no longer be a freshman, but instead a sophomore.

During sophomore year there are many new experiences that students go through, such as learning how to drive, and starting to look into colleges, but at the same time sophomores quickly learn how to deal with the increase in work and stress.

The expectation of sophomore year is different for every person, with some looking forward to sophomore year and others dreading the thought of more work and difficult classes.

“I expect more work because the classes will be more challenging than this year, but at the same time I look forward to the new classes because I will get to meet new people,” stated freshman Daphne Schwartz.

Although many freshmen have an optimistic view of sophomore year, they may be underestimating the many differences between freshman and sophomore year.

“Freshman year went by so fast! The classes I took were manageable and so was the homework. I didn’t realize how much more work sophomore year was going to be,” stated sophomore Adelyn Yau. The amount of homework students get as freshmen increases greatly for some, depending on the classes they take as sophomores.

Sophomore Andrew Wach commented, “I wish I knew how much homework I would have. Although, I felt pretty prepared going into sophomore year.”

Some sophomores say that they wish they knew how fast the year goes by and that they should have started thinking about the future, and college applications.

“I wish I knew how fast everything goes by because now I have to start worrying about AP classes and SAT and college,” said sophomore Emily Rudger.

During freshman and even sophomore year, SAT and ACT seem so far away, as both are taken during junior year, but the reality is that preparation for both can never start too early, and getting a head start on studying is not a bad idea.

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Sophomore year may seem like a dream to freshmen who just want to get rid of the label “freshman,” but don’t realize the differences in difficulty between freshman and sophomore year.

The reality is that as a sophomore, a student is still not an upperclassman, but is finally not a freshman anymore.

As a lower classman, students still don’t have the ability to go to prom, and also do not have priority over upperclassman. On the flip side, students go into the year knowing the campus, the people, and what to expect.

Learning to drive is one of the biggest benefits of sophomore year, and many freshmen think of it as the best part of being a sophomore.

Freshman Natalie Stainton said, “I’m looking forward to being able to drive myself around so I don’t have to rely on my mom and my sister for rides all the time.”

Sophomore year is a fun experience and freshmen should not be scared of going into the next grade, but they definitely need to be prepared for more work, and getting serious about college.

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Senior Year: the final countdown

By Virginia O’Callahan Staff Writer College applications. AP testing.

Graduation. Saying goodbye.

Senior year is a daunting year for most people. It is the year everyone is told to pick out where to go for the next few years and what they should do for the rest of their life.

Not everything is as it seems, though.

There is so much more than applications and tests that go into senior year. There are a few things people do not emphasize enough about senior year that are some of the most important aspects.

If college is the future plan, do not stress out every minute about whether or not a college is going to offer admission or not.

Everyone is going to go where they are meant to go, and colleges will recognize who will be the best choice for their school. A lot of the time, they will accept a person. So start early, and do not freak out. People look crazy when they obsess over it.

Application results are simply decisions that reflect how successful a college thinks an individual will do when in attendance.

They are more projections than final judges of character.

Some things not told to incoming seniors

is that—SHOCKER—grades and test scores do not reflect a person’s real intelligence.

Of course, it’s all helpful, but they do not express the individuality a person has. This individuality is something colleges look for, sometimes more than raw scores.

Speaking of individuality, although it has been beaten into the ground, “being yourself ” is important. No one likes a copy-cat.

Personal statements in applications can be as or even more important than SAT/ACT scores or grades. The essays are supposed to tell schools who the person is behind the numbers and need to reflect a person’s abilities that cannot be shown otherwise.

Talents, passions, and explanations should be put into these statements and should not be taken lightly.

Rather than be perfect, be authentic.

Perfection is not as important as authenticity.

So what if there is an “A-” rather than an “A,” it is still an “A.” “B”s will not kill anyone, either. A person who is genuine is much more interesting not only to colleges, but also to his or her peers.

Also on the college topic, not everyone is Ivy League or even UC material. For many, it has been pounded into our minds that getting perfect grades and getting into a great school is the only option after high school. Maybe

for some people, it is.

But for most people, there is not one formula that must be followed in order to be considered successful. Life itself is not a onetrack road everyone follows, and much is the same for high school. College is not the only option, either. The military, the work force, and community college are completely viable options for anyone.

Do not stress. Yes, it is easier said than done, for sure. But what some people do not know is that too much stress can actually have physical effects on a person. Ranging from fatigue to depression, stress is no laughing matter. Taking time out of thinking about school and work is important. Go for a run, paint, do anything just to get school off the mind.

Senior year is a perfectly fine time to perfect study habits, it is not too late if they are not perfect yet. Improve upon note-taking and studying habits, it helps enormously to have them down going out of high school and into college.

So incoming seniors, one last thing: do not forget to be awesome and have fun with this year. It is the last year of high school, so be sure make it the best one yet.

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A: Kendal Wise B: Nick Monteiro C: Mduduzi Hlatshwayo D: Shannon Chang All photos taken from Facebook

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Features

Terrorism: Making us stronger

Infographic by Ashley Kawakami

By Karenna Meredith Staff Writer

Just because we have lived under the shadow of terrorism, doesn’t make it any less terrible. People consider our generation to be desensitized to terrorism and mass murder since we have never lived in a world without it.

Most of us were young when 9/11 occurred. Our parents were shaken by the unthinkable violent acts that transpired, but we were merely thrust unknowingly into a lifestyle where terrorism would be present in the rest of our lives. Violent crimes happen so often that sometimes it can seem as though we are immune to their shock value. But we are not.

We survive in an era where safety is diminishing. Nothing is safe anymore, not movie theaters, classrooms, office buildings, or even finish lines at a marathon. The world throws these horrific tragedies at us and just when we think it can’t get worse, it does.

According to The Daily Beast, “Since the rampage at Newton nearly 4,000 people have been killed in gun violence or roughly 30 a day.”

Earlier generations consider us to be lazy and insensitive to the many tragedies that have occurred over the last ten years.

It may be true that we do not respond in the same manner as those who are less familiar with such travesties, but we are still affected by them. Our parents’ generation was hit with the tragedy of terrorism unexpectedly.

Consider a child whose parent died when they were young.

They will grow up without a parent. While they may be used to their situation, it does not make them any less sensitive to it than someone whose parents died when they were an adult.

We have merely adapted to the reality of our situation.

There will always be pain that resonates, sometimes a tragedy can strike and take our knees out from under us. But we regain balance and stand up even stronger than before.

The media glorifies violence and terrorism so it is not wonder that some members of our generation could struggle with a lack of sensitivity. Instead of shining light on the positive events that occur daily, the news covers each and every tragedy. More likely than not, the cover story on a local newspaper is about the latest adversity the country has had

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to face. Whether it be an act of terrorism or mass violence, the media has decided that the negative elements of the event garner more attention than any positive aftermath. That is not to say that tragic events do not deserve the public’s attention, or that the public does not deserve to be informed. But there is unnecessary coverage of the individuals who commit such heinous crimes, from which they gain extreme and undeserving attention.

Take for example the Boston Marathon bombing, where runners continued racing past their 26.2 mile mark to a local hospital where they could donate blood.

We are a society that does not stay down for long, we refuse to tap out. But I do not consider that to be weakness or lack of sensitivity, I consider it to be strength.

Features

Page 7

Social media: the new online popularity contest Imagine not looking at your phone for more than an hour.

Our generation has become obsessed with sharing everything that is happening in their lives through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Alexis Wilson, a junior said, “Teenagers like to keep in touch with their friends. We like to be updated with the most popular trend.

Whether that’s keeping in touch with friends or our favorite celebrities.”

According to a survey of over a thousand 13-17 year olds conducted by Common Sense Media in June 2012, 90% of teenagers in the United States have used some form of social media.

The craze has increased over the past few years with students constantly on Facebook throughout a school day or posting pictures of everything they do and where they go. The issue of privacy has been completely disregarded while students are on social media.

Social media allows people to update their friends and family around the world on their lives and find out about others.

Leah Roe, a sophomore commented, “(Facebook) just entertains people, but I think I read somewhere that Facebook actually makes it seem like everyone is having more fun than you. I agree because it does seem like everyone's life is really eventful.”

Facebook and Twitter let people highlight important events in their lives such as moving

Photo by Grace Yi

By Arianna Bayangos Junior Editor

Social media rules some lives with notifications while others are not. to a different place or a relationship update. picture is ‘good’ and ‘pretty enough.’”

However, with the endless amount of sharIn addition to wanting approval from their ing on these websites, some people get caught peers through social media, most teenagers up in gaining popularity and approval in sofeel inclined to use social media because of its cial media sites through many “likes” on their popularity among people their age. photos or followers on Twitter or Instagram.

Victoria Nilson, an English teacher comWilson added, “I feel like people want to mented, “Teenagers are by nature very social. get a lot of likes on their profile pictures to I would imagine that there must be a feeling feel good about themselves. They feel their that if you don’t participate in it, you’re miss-

Raising the bar

ing out on something. Stereotypically, teenagers tend to function a bit more with a herd mentality. It’s hard to resist that social pressure and that’s something that’s been spoken about forever not just for this generation.”

On the contrary, some older people don’t rely on social media as much as teenagers.

Gayle McGinnis, a Math teacher said, “We’re used to socializing without it. So some of us appreciate talking to a person face to face or talking to them on the phone rather than texting or emailing. I think we’re just less inclined to pick up a new tech device when we’re used to our old ways. I use my landline more than my cell phone.”

Even though social media makes it easy to communicate with others, the older generation may sometimes be overwhelmed by the amount of detail shared by others.

McGinnis added, “Facebook is great for families to keep in touch with each other but I don’t need to know what my nephews and nieces are doing every minute of the day.

With Twitter, I’m sure there are valuable uses for that but it’s a lot of detail I’m not interested in and so my life is much more simple without it.”

The trend of social media obsession will continue to grow, making it easy to connect with friends and family. While this may be an irreversible trend, teenagers should consider adopting the same values of older generations, keeping their personal lives private and not solely relying on social media as a tool for communication.

By Kellan McDonough Multimedia Editor

Our generation has a much harder time getting into college than the older generation did. Thirty years ago, getting into schools like Stanford, UCLA, and even Harvard were highly possible without doing much more than getting okay grades and taking the SAT. Our parents did not have to take as many AP classes, nor did they have to participate in as many extracurriculars to get accepted into college. Furthermore, most of the schools our parents attended did not even offer AP classes.

Math teacher Robert Tsuchiyama said, "When I was in high school I had no AP classes. School only had advanced English and Math. I only had a 3.7 and I still got into Berkeley. I didn't even go.”

That’s not to say that it wasn’t impressive to get into those schools. Our parents did have to work hard to get accepted into college, but our generation has to work much harder.

Junior Isabella Sziraczky commented, “More people are trying to get into college and we're expected to be smarter than past generations because we have more resources.”

Students applying to competitive schools are expected to take at least two AP classes, but most competitive colleges like to see advanced placement in a majority of a student’s studies.

SAT or ACT scores are expected to be above 2000. Focus and preparation for standardized tests is expected if students in this generation want to get into a competitive school.

Tsuchiyama continued, “I applied to one college and took the SAT one time. There wasn’t nearly as much pressure and we were still getting into good colleges. Now there’s more pressure and competition.”

The higher standard isn’t just between now and our parents generation. Six years ago, high school juniors did not have to take the rigorous courses we currently do to get into college.

Junior Theo Fedronic commented, “When my older sister applied to college, she only took two AP classes.”

Sometimes students take classes to please and impress colleges, not because they want to take them. And this trend won’t change as long as colleges continue critical and harsh examination of applications.

Two friends sit at the same table on their phones instead of interacting.

Photo by Grace Yi

Group text: a benefit or a bane?

By Gabriela D’Souza Staff Writer

Social cliques are rooted in high school campuses, but now with new technology, cyber cliques have also begun to form.

Apple iPhone messenger, as well as other applications such as the Kik messenger app, now allow people to communicate in groups via one thread.

“It's pretty neat because you don't have to send individual messages to a select few,” said senior Andrew Cardozo, “but instead send the messages to the entire group.”

Group messages, or “grexts” as they are called in some circles, allow for a continuous conversation with multiple people, that can begin in person and never end over text.

In some ways, when people create group messages they are also creating a new social group. For some this is a way to bring more people together, but for others it does the exact opposite.

“Group messages keep you in the loop on what your friends are doing, [and they] can bring some serious entertainment,” said senior Michelle Swarovski.

This entertainment, however, can sometimes come at the expense of other friends as group messages allow for cliques to form within cliques adding for social tensions within groups of friends and disengagement of others.

“Group messages can be really good for the people in the message but it also excludes others and gives them a sense of marginalization,” said junior Pasha Minkovsky.

Group messaging enables a select few to create special ties in a group in the form of inside jokes, references, and memories.

In creating these ties between some people, group messaging can push others to the side and account for a sense of loneliness and disparagement among friends that many teenagers face.

“In the end, group messages are good and bad- it really just depends on the situation,” said Minkovsky.

Just as text messaging and other forms of socialization take time and focus away from work and school, so do group messages.

“Group messages are an efficient way to talk to more than one friend at once and they're good for planning. But they can be distracting and hard to keep up with,” said junior Isabella Sziraczky.

These conversations can continue for hours, taking up time that people would normally be spending on other things.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids ages 8-18 now spend, on average, seven and a half hours in front of a screen each day, three of which are for phones and other such devices.

“Because they are constantly being used, group messages need to be looked at a lot,” continued Minkovsky, “If you put your phone down, even for a little, you can miss a ton of messages and then have to spend time scrolling up to figure out what everyone is discussing.”

By adding extra “screen time” to the already large three hours used daily by social networking and other activities, group messaging pulls people into never ending conversations about constantly changing topics.

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Features

My business is none of admin’s business

By Andrew Wedvick Staff Writer

Kenny Linnell, a junior at Carlmont high school, made a common driving error: he forgot to turn his headlights off after he parked his truck.

After leaving them on all day, it was no surprise that his truck did not start after school. Once his friends helped him jump the battery, they remained parked in his spot on Alameda de las Pulgas, just outside of Carlmont.

“We were sitting in my car, and a school resource officer walks up and asks to see my license for no reason at all,” said Linnell. “Under pressure, I gave it to him and he made us get out and sit on the curb while he searched our backpacks and our persons, which resulted in finding nothing illegal.”

While School Resource Officers do not work for Carlmont directly, they do enforce school rules and are a reflection of the values that Carlmont holds. Carlmont administrators and School Resource Officers alike want to do everything they can to keep Carlmont as safe as possible, but students like Linnell think that these measures are now intruding

on student’s privacy and natural rights, especially outside of school.

According to Carlmont’s student handbook, if you are on school property, then you may be searched at photo by Veronika Dvorakova any time if there is a reason to do so.

Where things start to get less distinct is determining what out-of-classroom activities interrupt learning, and what constitutes “reasonable suspicion.”

If sitting in your truck outside of school grounds is reasonable suspicion for search and seizure, then where do we draw the line to determine what is “unreasonable suspicion.”

Robert Fishtrom, Carlmont’s Instructional Vice Principal, said, “reasonable suspicion

can be a smell coming from a backpack, a report of illegal activities, or a student returning from being off the closed campus.”

Another form of monitoring students outside of school is through social media.

When asked if tracking social media is necessary for students’ safety, Fishstrom said, “Yes and no. If something happens on a social network that creates a disruption in the learning environment, then California Ed Code says we can take disciplinary action on it.”

Lucas Rich, a junior at Carlmont, was called into the office and given a four day lunch suspension when administration uncovered a photo of him on facebook flipping off the camera.

“I felt angry and confused,” said Rich.

“They said it was because the picture was taken on school grounds, but its not like it was directed towards someone in particular.

Plus, they had gone through my other photos which made me feel unsafe... It felt like an invasion of privacy.”

Carlmont’s liability of their students’ safety allowed for intervention +in Rich’s case, since they are “responsible for the safety of students until they get home,” said Fishtrom.

Essentially, if a student has not been home after school, everything they do must be in line with what the school rules dictate is okay and is not okay.

Students like Rich and Linnell feel these rules are unfair, and give the administration too much wiggle room to punish students for breaking school rules, outside of school grounds.

As students of Carlmont high school, we are bound to certain rules that are in place to ensure our safety. However, as citizens of the United States we are guaranteed certain inalienable rights that are in place to ensure the majority does not become less powerful than the minority. If you value your privacy, then know your rights and do not make yourself a target for unwanted attention.

Student rights vs. administrative authorities

By Sabrina Leung Entertainment Editor

One has seen enough crime shows to know what to do if the police knocks on one’s door and demands to search one’s property: stand, look indignant and demand to see their warrant.

After all, it's one’s property, and unless one gives permission or a judge orders the search, one should have control over their rights, right?

Yes, provided that one is not a student.

“After the school administration conducted Facebook searches on three of my classmates’ accounts, the students were suspended because they posted ‘vulgar’ comments on their Facebook wall,” said junior Chris Wong.

The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects all Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures performed by a government entity. While students are granted the same rights as any legal adult under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), school administrators have more power to restrict the right than any other right of a student when dealing with student privacy, otherwise known as the right of a students to be secure in their person. Legally, teachers and administrators can search without either permission or a warrant.

According to Sequoia Union High School District’s school policy, no school employee can conduct a search that involves “conducting a body cavity search of a pupil manually or with an instrument” or “removing or arranging any or all of the clothing of a pupil to permit a visual inspection.” Additionally, the school can not search a student without “reasonable suspicion.”

Reasonable suspicion includes a school official overhearing, seeing or smelling something first-hand, or a tip from a reliable source. The school officials must also be reasonable in the way they search one, based on one’s age and what they are searching for. Students do not have to consent with the decision in order to be searched.

Another form of suspicion that can be used is individualized suspicion, which means school officials must have a reasonable suspicion that a search of a particular student might uncover evidence of a violation of a school rule. For example, if a school official has information that some students are using drugs or drinking alcohol, it would not justify a search of all students in a class or at a game.

Currently, school lockers are an exception even to the lower standard of constitutional protection from unreasonable searches that applies in schools generally. However, the right to search one’s locker does not extend to closed bags inside one’s locker. Those may only be searched if a school official has a reasonable suspicion that the search might uncover evidence

that one violated a school rule.

“I don’t think the school should be allowed to search students because it’s an invasion of privacy. But one time, the school searched a student and the student ended up being the actual suspect of the crime,” said freshman Cameron Kuo. Others believe that schools should only be able to search students under reasonable condition and must draw a line between the safety of students and one’s privacy.

“I think they should be able to search us, but only under a suspension of drugs, liquor, or weapons. However, students should be allowed to stop the search; teachers shouldn't be searching phones though because there's no reason too,” said sophomore Dario Johnson.

In the 1985 case of New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Supreme Court held that a “reasonable cause” standard applies to searches of students and their possessions by school officials under the Fourth Amendment. California's own state Supreme Court expanded upon the ruling by stating that "reasonable grounds" must be supported by "articulable facts” that are not based on hunches or rumors are not justified.

While the “reasonable cause” standard continues to govern most searches, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that a more intrusive search, such as searching a student’s underwear, is in a category of its own, demanding its own specific suspicions.

Although these regulations are meant to impose school safety, some students believe that the school administrations searches are infringing students’ rights and invaded one’s privacy.

“It’s unfair that students can't deal certain issues on their own and the counselors at our school can information to suspend students. The administration shouldn't have the rights to do so since it is violating our privacy. School life and social life should not be put together unless it is a direct threat to the school or another student,” commented junior Chris Wong.

A matter which has not yet been reviewed is what powers school officials have to search students before they are on school grounds. It is clear that the power exists on school grounds to provide a safe environment for learning, but it may be a leap for some schools to make to insist that they also have the power to prevent drugs or weapons from even entering school grounds.

Some, however, believe that this should not be allowed.

“I think it’s ridiculous that the school can already search us anytime and anywhere at school.

They would be abusing my constitutional rights if they could search me even at home or anywhere outside of school,” added Wong.

Where the limits of such a power lie, or if such power exists at all, is subject to debate until they are taken up by the courts.

Features

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Profoundly private: administration searches explained All Americans are protected against “unreasonable” searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment. But what is and isn’t classified as “reasonable” varies depending on the context.

“The moment a student walks onto campus with a cellphone, car, or backpack we have the right to search and confiscate it,” said Carlmont’s Assistant Vice Principal Ralph Crame.

Preventing harm from occurring is a critical job for administrators, and to ensure safety, certain measures must be taken.

Searching students lockers, phones, and backpacks can be a useful tool, not only in preventing harmful attacks, but also in keeping schools alcohol and drug-free.

“Students need to realize that bringing bad things onto campus is not only going to hurt them but hurt others too. You’re supposed to learn here not throw a party,” said junior Luca Cargonja.

It’s very rare that searching a student’s locker or backpack is not a justifiable act.

However it may be inappropriate for a school to conduct an extensive search on a student’s personal property.

“I think it’s really understandable that administration is allowed to do things of that sort, but it would be weird if they searched your house,” said sophomore Ravina Gujral.

When administration searches a student’s personal property on the basis of a supposed attack with the use of weapons and they come across drugs it can’t always be used against the student in a court of law.

“It depends on what it is, but the parents will be informed if I have concerns of any sort,” said Crame.

Junior Hayden Seto said, “My phone was recently searched because someone had dropped my name during the cheating scandal and I honestly had nothing to hide.”

He continued to explain that he was not a part of the cheating scandal at all, so he simply “handed it over and let them look through whatever they needed to so that my name was cleared.”

Seto questioned, “If you’re not doing anything wrong, then why would you try to ‘defend your rights?’”

Knowing rights and laws is a prominent aspect of being an American citizen, but giving up rights on school property is an ordeal students everywhere are faced with everyday.

photo by Veronika Dvorakova

By Ayesha Abbasi Staff Writer

Administrative Vice Principal Jennifer Cho searches a student’s locker.

Opinion: How much freedom do we really have?

By John Russell Staff Writer We are conditioned to expect some degree of privacy when it comes to our personal affairs. So when an administration begins to sift through the personal lives of its students, problems are bound to arise.

Administration has taken to unlocking phones and examining their contents, even using police software to unearth erased messages.

For a nation so emphatically pro-civil liberties, it comes as a surprise that students are forced to expect such Big Brother tactics from a young age.

What are students being taught for the rest of their lives if their privacy is not respected now?

It isn’t simply about pragmatism and possible student crimes, this is about conditioning our students to forget that democratic society is built upon the idea that every person is granted certain civil liberties, and that a government that does not respect those liberties is rightfully overthrown.

No one is advocating revolution, but it is important to examine the effects of the administration’s actions.

Our phones, the centerpiece of our digital

lives, carry all of our thoughts, feelings, photos, intimate discussions, and are the single most private device we carry to school everyday.

If we simply submit to these breaches of privacy without questioning them first, we are blind to the fact that by giving up our phones for examination and punishment so willingly, we are crossing a boundary that may have wider reaching implications.

We run the risk of desensitizing students to breaches of privacy if these deep examinations of personal contents are allowed to continue without proper evaluation.

Probable cause has become quite elastic in the light of recent cheating scandals, and the following phone witch-hunt highlighted to many the underlying causes of the increased searches.

Search our phones when student lives are at risk, by all means. But the recent cheating scandal had nothing to do with student lives.

No, Administration only started this inquisition because of a picture taken during the STAR tests.

And no, not of the test.

A picture of a student sleeping, posted on Instagram hours later.

This student’s phone was searched and seized, and a following deep examination of personal contents found evidence of academic

dishonesty.

If all students phones were seized and examined, then the culture of cheating within our school would be uncovered. But Admin knows this! Yes, everyone and their mother knows that all students cheat in some fashion.

Why did this only come into their sights now?

Because state tests are taken much more seriously than regular tests.

So really, Admin could pursue cheating much more severely, but that would result in the punishment of the vast majority of the student body.

As seen in the AP Government cheating scandal during finals week last semester, the quantity of students caught cheating lessened the punitive blow felt by individuals. The students were given minimal punishment, and the threat of withholding letters of recommendation and permanent marks on student transcripts were not applied to the AP Government students, threats held over the heads of the few involved in last month’s cheating scandal.

This type of macro enforcement would only be used if Admin decided to pursue cheating in a concerted fashion. However, no governing body should be expected to examine all of its students; that would only confirm the Orwellian fantasies of those look-

ing to lambast the administration.

It is more nuanced than that: Students are always going to be engaging in some nefarious activities, just as not all citizens of a society follow every law.

The important thing to realize, is that if we just submit to these searches without question, we run the risk of teaching students that their privacy is permeable, and that without substantial cause every message they have ever sent can be poured over by a room-full of administrators.

As we near adulthood, we should be given the same rights afforded to adults under the Fourth Amendment, preventing search and seizure without probable cause. Our rights should be respected just as all citizens’ are.

Without reasonable cause for a search and seizure of student property, administrators should not be allowed to take our phones and sift through every detail of our lives.

Yes, some cases where student behavior merits search and seizure may fall through the proverbial cracks, but we risk far more than a few cases of harmful behavior if we let our privacy be infringed upon so readily under the California Education Code.

We stand to lose our commitment to civil liberties, and ideology that our country was built upon.

Entertainment

Page 10

Country invading, terrorist sacking: the movie

By Scott Schulz Staff Writer

The theme of terrorism has become a common concept in different movies. Often, plots are based on terrorism or the thought that America has external threats.

It is curious why many movies are moving towards this trend.

Its possible that it could be due to over actual way of life and how there are legitimate terrorists organizations trying to attack us.

Another possibility is that the way the news stations broadcast events makes reality appear more threatening.

A few examples are Iron Man 3, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, and G.I Joe Retaliation.

There are two main types of terrorism movies.

There is the and G.I. Joe type, where the heroes have to defend their country or themselves from the terrorists’ attacks. The other type is like Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, where

the story focuses on a the United States entering into the terrorists’ countries to counteract their terrorism.

Argo is a movie set in the late 1970s to early 1980s. The plot of the movie is

constructing a plan to bring six American captives home from the heart of anti-American Iraq. They try to escape using a scheme of filming a movie called “Argo.” They run into many obstacles to make their escape as difficult as it can be.

This relates to today because recently three college student from America accidentally crossed into Iranian territory and were held in prison for many months. The United States government had to work hard to get them released.

Zero Dark Thirty is based on the event of Osama Bin Laden’s assassination by Seal Team Six. It retells the event from the American soldiers’ point of view.

Iron Man 3, even though it is not the most realistic movie, deals with internal attacks on

Cartoon by Dominic Gialdini

the United States. The terrorists existed within the united States and conducted bombings and national threats the progressively worsened.

This is really relative in the sense of bombings because of the very recent Boston Marathon Bombings. There were acts of terrorism on United States soil.

According to the American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Seeing and hearing about local and world events, such as natural disasters, catastrophic events, and crime reports, may cause children to experience stress, anxiety, and fears.”

Junior Kevin Juarez said that terrorist movies make him “a bit” worried in real life, just because “there are a lot of people mad at the US for the actions we have taken in foreign countries and they take their vengeance on innocent people.”

The constant reminder from movies and the news about terrorist organizations working to attack America is a thought often kept in the back of the mind for Americans, especially children. The threat of terrorism is ever present.

Although we live in a post-9/11 world filled with war, the United States still seems to be a safe place.

The standoff: the reel and the paperback

By Karissa Tom Staff Writer Turning a popular book into a movie has become an easy way to create a blockbuster.

Making books into movies is a unique way to involve the fans of the book while benefitting both the book and the movie.

Sophomore Johanna Hendriksen said, “When you read the book and you see the characters in your head, you have pre-defined notions. Being able to see how the director decides to represent the characters and how close [the movie] is to how I saw it in my head is cool.”

After the success of the Harry Potter movies, more companies have been looking into bringing books on the big screen. According to The-numbers.com, the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, made a total of $1,328,111,219 in the worldwide box office.

The movies and the books give readers a way to connect and see how someone else interprets

the book.

Hendriksen said, “You think that this actor would be great and you start hearing who is playing who. It is interesting seeing how the making of the movie unfolds.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower written by Stephen Chbosky was turned into a movie and it was released October 12, 2012. It is about an incoming high school freshman named Charlie who started writing letters to a stranger to cope with the fear.

The fans enjoyed seeing the book in the big screen and seeing the characters being brought to life.

Sophomore Anna Shutovska said, “They really brought the emotions alive. I liked how the movie stayed close to the book. The flashbacks added another element to the movie and it was cool being able to see [the main character] as a little kid.”

Another popular series, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is also being produced. The first book has already been released as a movie and Catching Fire, the second book of the series is

to be released as a movie in November 2013.

According to the Hungergamesmovies.org, there have been 23 million copies of the first book sold. The Hunger Games costs $10.99 at Barnes and Noble, making the profit about $252,770,000. The Examiner said, the Hunger Games movie made a box office profit of $251 million domestically.

Students are also excited for the release of the Great Gatsby movie. Some students are required to read the book and are looking forward to watching the movie. The book is about the life of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby living in New York in the summer of 1922.

“I’m excited to see the movie because the previews looked cool. The book doesn’t have as dramatic scenes as it might be portrayed in the movie,” said junior Isabella Paragas.

According to a poll from the students, 16 percent of students usually read the book after watching the movie.

A few teachers, like Mrs. Nilson use the movies as a way to supplement student’s reading.

The films give students the ability to understand

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the text on a deeper and visual level by seeing how the actors and the director decide to portray the characters.

“For novels, I think that it is good for general comprehension but you have to be careful because sometimes the films change the text.

But I think for engagement and having the students feel connected to a work, that film is a great medium,” Nilson said, “It builds a sense of connection and adds to an overall appreciation of the work.”

On the other hand, movies can leave out crucial details to books leaving fans unhappy.

Sophomore Samantha Fong said, “They always change stuff and sometimes it is not in a good way. Sometimes they change the whole plot, like in Percy Jackson.”

According to a student poll, 79 percent of students like the book series more than the movie.

From the pages to the big screen, popular books being turned into movies has become a new trend for engaging audiences every-

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Entertainment Harmonizing: friendship on a major scale Page 11

By Jessica Adair Staff Writer The music programs at Carlmont have created long-lasting friendships, helped students find their talent, and changed lives forever.

Choir has one of the most tight-knit and consistent group of music students at Carlmont. Masaya Takahashi, a senior in Mens Choir, the all-male choir, said, “Choir is different from everything else because it is generally open to all skill levels and there are more people. I met so many different friends through choir, and the best part is, I get to perform with them.”

Choir has six different singing groups. For groups like Womens Choir, Mens Choir, and Concert Choir, there is no musical experience needed to join. But for groups like Treble Clef, Chamber Singers, and Show Choir, extensive musical knowledge is necessary.

Despite the numerous different groups, choir unites under one common passion: singing. “Everybody in choir has a shared love for singing,” said Tereza Dvorak, a senior in Treble Clef who has been in choir all four years.

Despite having many different singing groups, choir comes together like one big happy family. “Everybody is friends,” said Danielle Bickel, a junior in Treble Clef, the all-female choir. “It’s like a huge family.

Everybody supports each other and there is no judgement.”

Whether it’s a love of singing, the value of making new friends, or the satisfaction of performing, there are many reasons to join choir.

“I joined choir because it’s an opportunity to meet people that you normally wouldn’t have the chance to. It opens you up to new things and people,” said Bickel.

Masaya Takahashi, a senior in Men’s Choir added, “I needed a CTE like others do, so I chose choir because it has both singing and it’s like a team. It’s significant because I know

how to sing, and I get to do things with people I like.”

Another unique aspect of choir is it’s cheerful environment, “Choir is that one place where I can be myself and people don’t judge me.

Everyone’s is weird and encouraging; choir kids don’t like to put down one another,” said Leesan Kwok, a junior in Chamber Singers, the advanced choral group.

Miles Harris, a senior in Men’s Choir, had a different reason.

“My counselor thought that choir would be a good fit for me, so I joined. I actually really got a lot out of it and made some good friends.”

Whatever the reason is for joining choir, the most important aspect is what you take away from it. Tereza Dvorak quote, “I’ve had many leadership opportunities in choir which have taught me a lot. My music skills of course have advanced a lot, which will help college choir auditions. But mainly the friends I’ve made over the years have mattered the most.”

Marco Sevilla, a sophomore in Chamber Singers, the advance choral group, added, “Choir has allowed me to express myself in ways that I never thought I could, like performing in front of people.”

Some students have even decided to further their love of singing.

“Because of choir, I decided to be part of our school’s musical, “Guys and Dolls.” I also plan to continue to sing in my college, if they have a choir,” said Takahashi.

Despite all the hard work in choir, students still find a way to have fun and relax together.

“Backstage of each concert was by far the best because I could intermingle with people, and do things like drawing, talking, dancing, giving and receiving piggyback rides.”

For seniors in choir, the school-year is almost over, as is their time in Carlmont Choir.

Dvorak said, “I will miss Mrs.Tep and having a choir class everyday.”

Harris added, “The constancy of seeing the same people every day in the choir room will

Photos by Doris Lee Photo collage by Sabrina Leung

be missed.”

Takahashi leaves his legacy of Carlmont Choir, “Without choir, I probably would not

have met the close friends I have now. They have been my support group throughout my high school career.”

Student bands create a buzz on campus

By Reggie Chatman Staff Writer

A popular high school stereotype is that bands are a part of the culture of a high school environment.

Even though times have changed and high school bands have become less a part of the popular culture, it doesn’t keep musically inclined students from participating in groups of their own.

“Its a fun process. I joined my first band going into freshman year. Playing shows all over the East Bay, all over California, including southern California and playing shows is a good experience,” said junior Ethan Wallace, “I learned a lot about communicating with managers, staying on top of handling money and tickets. It’s not just rocking out all the time, I learn a lot of responsibility, and a lot of being able to handle different situations.”

Bands such as the Beatles in the 1960’s were revered as superstars and people swooned at the sheer thought of being near them. The superstar rock star attitude continued through the 1970s as the band KISS rose to fame. Bands still exist but are not looked at the same way they once were.

“The music scene has really changed. We played at a party once and nobody was really into it. I wouldn’t say its diminishing but its just not a good area for bands in this area.

I wish there were more bands. It’s just not a popular thing

like in the 70’s,” said junior Wesley Settles.

The music scene has really changed as the use of computers have become more popular. Artists such as Deadmau5, and Skrillex use technology to create their music.

“I think the 90s were really big in music as far as real instrumental music. Bands, rock bands and grunge. That was really popular,” said Wallace, “this is a new era of music and now you have DJ’s as opposed to rock and roll artists and stuff like that. It’s just a generation thing. I wouldn’t say playing music isn’t as popular, it’s just that it’s a completely different style now so now it kinda takes away from your five piece rock and roll band to being one guy behind a computer writing music like that. It’s all about what you are into.”

“We played at a party before and it wasn’t that good.

Nobody was really into it. I don’t think this is a good area for bands,” said Settles.

Settles is in a school band called the FEDS that consists of Josh Fagel, Martin Adams, and Austin Lockhart. They played in the Carlmont’s Got Talent show last year and won the first place prize.

“We mess around. We jam a lot and then we find gigs which is the hardest thing ever,” said Fagel.

However, being a high schooler in a band has caused some to have a difficult time balancing between school and their interests.

“Being a high schooler in a band outside of school is stressful and hard. Having to deal with music and school at

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The FEDS band members jamming away at their music Photo by the FEDS

the same time and trying to figure out what you want to do after high school as far as staying locally and continuing with the band and in college or do I go off to college outside of the state and start anew again,” said Wallace.

“It’s hard to be in a band because venues don’t take them seriously. You can’t play bars or anything like that. We are barely able to play clubs. I feel like that should be changed.

Its music. Freedom of expression. I think everyone should be able to do it. It should be played wherever. If its good music, its good music. It shouldn’t be bias,” said Settles.

Page 12

College Colleges in California

75%

Attending a UC

23%

JOHN LUCKENBACH GPA: 3.8 COLLEGE: Purdue University MAJOR: Areonautical Engineering FAVORITE CARLMONT MEMORY: “APUSH with Mr. Gomez, because it was a challenging class but there was a lot of cool people and Gomez was a wonderful teacher, that it made it a good experience.”

DAIJA CRISMAS-HUGGINS GPA: 2.8 COLLEGE: College of San Mateo MAJOR: Education WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SCHOOL: “My parents didn’t go to college, so I knew I was going to be the one to go.”

ADVICE: “If you don’t know where to go or what to do, go to a community college to figure things out.”

American River Arizona State University Baroch University Baylor College Boise State Boston University Brigham Young University Brown University Cal Poly (SLO) Cal Poly (Pomona) Canada College

Chabot College Chapman University Chico State College of Redwoods College of San Mateo Columbia University De Anza State College Delta College East Bay College Foothill College

Fullerton State Gonzonga College Harvey Mudd University Kent State University Las Positas College Lewis and Clark Long Beach State Massachusetts Institue of Technology Menlo Atherton College Mesa College, San Diego

Mission College Montgomgery College Morehouse College Northridge State Northwestern State Ohio State University Oregon State University Penn State University Pepperdine University Portland State

College

Out-of-state college

Page 13

Attending a 2-year college

19%

30%

KAYLA TABARI GPA: 4.1 COLLEGE: University of San Francisco MAJOR: Nursing WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SCHOOL: “USF has a really good nursing program. It was also important to have local connections because I want to stay in the area in the long-run.”

each dot represents a college that a student is attending next year

Princeton University Puget Sound Purdue University Santa Barbara City College Santa Clara University San Francisco State San Diego State University San Marcos College San Jose State Skyline College

Sonoma State Stanford University Sterling College Texas Christian University Tufts University UC Berkeley UC Davis UC Irvine UC Los Angeles UC Merced

GPA: 3.6 SCHOOL: California Highway Patrol Academy WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SCHOOL: “I was always interested in law enforcement and Highway Patrol is a more advanced academy.”

4%

of students will be doing other activites besides college (military, international, travel, and others)

RYAN MCGUIRE

By Alex Porter and Nikos Frazier

UC Riverside UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz UC San Diego University of Alabama University of Arizona University of Colorado, Boulder University of Denver University of Hawaii, Manoa University of Kentucky

ADVICE: “Volunteer in what your’re interested in to see if you really like it as a career.”

University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Nevada, Reno University of Oregon University of San Francisco University of Southern California University of Tulsa University of Washington Wellesley College West Valley College Western Washington University

Page 14

Campus

Problem not solved: gravel remains Photo by Jacob Rudger

By Daniel Wang Staff Writer

Will the hallways between B and C hall and C and D hall ever be refurbished? If so, when?

When students returned from summer vacation for the 2012-13 school year, many were excited about the new renovations occurring at Carlmont.

For one, the football field was completely redone. The turf was new and, to the delight of football, soccer, and lacrosse players, stadium lights were added too, allowing athletes to play at night.

In addition to the face lift to the football field, the hallways between B and C halls along with between C and D halls were cleared into dirt and gravel.

Students were happy to see the halls being reduced to gravel since they believed the hallways would soon contain picnic tables, allowing more students to sit comfortably during lunch.

Fast forward to May 2013.

The large gravel and dirt patches between B and C and C and D halls respectively are looking more desolate than ever.

Since the hallways have consisted simply of gravel for the past nine months, many students are taking note of the situation.

Regarding the hallways, freshman Roy Lin said, “Carlmont should place picnic tables on the gravel really soon so that more students will have a more comfortable place to eat during lunch.”

However, according to Administrative Vice Principal Ralph Crame, the main reason for clearing the outside hallways to gravel was not to accommodate more students

Before the school year, some of the grass hallways were torn out and replaced by gravel. Students want the grass back, but there has been no resolution to this rocky problem. during lunch or to make the hallways look nicer.

Crame said, “Those halls below the gravel areas were leaking so water was coming down into the

hallways. So, workers had to waterproof the wall and install a french drain to divert the water away from the hallways.”

Water seeping into the hallways

can both be a hazard to students and objects left in lockers. Therefore, the wall separating the lockers from the outside hallways was waterproofed and a french drain,

which is a trench that contains a pipe that redirects water, was set up in the summer of 2012.

So that explains why the hallways were cleared to gravel. But will the hallways remain just as gravel?

“The workers haven’t completed the project yet because they want to first make sure the waterproofing is successful,” Crame said. “Since after this year there was no water in the hallways after the rainy season, there’s plans on what landscaping materials what we’re going to put on the gravel.”

At first, Carlmont administrators were planning on placing pavers where the gravel currently is. But according to Crame, the pavers would cost approximately $100,000.

Instead, , if everything goes to plan, the gravel will be replaced by grass this summer. In addition to the grass, Crame said, “There will also be some picnic tables, since we realized that students need more space to eat lunch.”

Hopefully, everything will go to plan, and by the time we return to school in the fall, there will be new picnic tables and grass, providing a stark change from the gravel.

Infographic by Nikos Frazier

Your new best friend, or your worst nightmare?

College-bound seniors have multiple options for choosing a roommate, but the questions still outweigh the answers

By Grace Chang Staff Writer As college approaches, many seniors have been busy getting settled with finding their roommates, who could potentially be their new best friend or their worst nightmare.

Most colleges have a group page on Facebook for the incoming freshmen class that allows them to meet new people and get to know the school better.

One aspect of the group page is that it allows seniors to post information about themselves and view others’ information in order to potentially find their perfect roommate.

“The group page is really helpful because it allows you to make friends early and find a possible roommate,” said senior Taylor Choye.

Many seniors have already been able to find their soon to be roommate.

“Basically, I just searched on the Facebook wall for someone who posted something I agreed with. I then messaged them asking about their hobbies, extracurricular activities, studying habits, etc. Then we

just hit it off and we’re homies now.

I was also able to meet him at the student day at Cal Poly,” said Tim Gachot.

Although there is always the option of having a randomly assigned roommate, some students have decided to not take the chance.

“My roommate commented on my post and I chose him because he had the same major and interests.

I didn’t want to have a roommate randomly assigned because I didn’t want to be living with someone who I don’t get along with,” said Ryan Hutson.

However not all seniors have found the perfect roommate and have decided to put the match up to fate.

“I think that it is part of the college experience to walk through the door with the excitement of not knowing who you will be paired up with,” said Choye.

“Getting randomly assigned a roommate is part of the college experience and it helps you meet new people and make new friends,”

Many college-bound students joined “admitted student” pages on Facebook, and received messages like the one above. said Bryan Ding.

Some seniors have been able to use the experience of older siblings or friends to decide whether they should leave it up to fate or find a roommate.

“I decided to go with a random roommate because it’s part of the freshman experience. My brother and sister both chose random roommates and it worked out well for them,” said Lindsey Berger.

They also have the option to experience best of both worlds; at many of the colleges the incoming freshmen can have up to three roommates. There are the dorms that typically live two or three students, and there are the suites that live up to four students.

Brent Tom, who will be living in a triple dorm, has found one roommate and they have decided to leave the third roommate to be randomly assigned.

“I wanted to have the assurance that I got a roommate that was compatible, but I also wanted to have the random roommate to meet someone different,” said Tom. On the other hand colleges such as Stanford have a different method of assigning roommates for the incoming freshmen.

“For [Stanford] you fill out an application and the school matches you up with someone that you will fit well with, so I didn’t get the opportunity to choose a roommate,” said Mindy Yang.

“I didn’t want to have a roommate randomly assigned because I didn’t want to be living with someone who I don’t get along with,” said Ryan Hutson.

Various seniors also believe that their roommate assignment will work out either way.

“Although my roommate and I may not get along, I hope for the best and I hear that there are residential advisors that can help you get a new roommate,” said Choye.

Senior Jasmine Rishi was going to have a randomly assigned roommate but was later pleasantly surprised.

“I was planning on having a randomly assigned roommate because I couldn’t find one after searching for a long time, but then this girl messaged me a couple weeks later and we clicked!” said Rishi.

Whether one was able to find a roommate, or was randomly assigned one, the seniors are looking forward to starting their college experience.

Page 15

Campus

Langkusch leaves 20-year legacy

By Graham Godwin Staff Writer

It was 1993, and Bill Clinton was sworn in as our 42nd President, succeeding George H. Bush.

Six people were killed and 1000 people were injured as the World Trade Center was bombed for the first time. The Buffalo Bills lost their third straight Super Bowl, and Whitney Houston was heard everywhere singing “I Will Always Love You.” It was two years before Michelle Pfeiffer’s infamous portrayal of a teacher working at Carlmont High School in the movie “Dangerous Minds.”

Amongst all of this, in 1993, Gail Langkusch arrived at Carlmont High School as an English teacher. She could not have known that she would remain at Carlmont for 20 straight years. Over those two decades, upwards of 3,000 high school students would learn English from Langkusch, and she would inspire and guide many more.

When Langkusch started at Carlmont in 1993, it was a much different place. The school population consistently fluctuated between 1200 and 1400 students, the football field was grass, and the facilities Carlmont had to offer couldn’t hold a candle to today’s.

Since her arrival, Langkusch has strived to implement the same message in all her students, Langkusch said, “I’d like all my students to leave here knowing that they don’t have to agree with anyone, they can develop their own world view, and whatever anyone else thinks doesn’t

matter, what they believe in is what matters.”

Carlmont has had Langkusch for these twenty years, but she wasn’t always set on the course of being a teacher. After majoring in Home Education and getting a minor in English from San Jose State, Langkusch decided to be a stay at home mom and raise her two children.

However, following a divorce Langkusch decided that it was time for her to pursue the profession of a teacher. She went back to school and got her masters degree in English and her teaching credentials.

Since then Langkusch has enjoyed continued success teaching many classes, ranging from AP English to Drivers Education.

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing during Langkusch’s tenure. Langkusch said, “The biggest challenge has been dealing with the government and how it has become more and more restrictive of the teaching that goes on here.” She credits rigid state requirements and an onslaught of standardized testing to the lowered morale of teachers throughout the years.

Regardless of state regulations Langkusch has remained one of the most popular teachers on campus.

Junior Pasha Minkovsky, who has Langkusch for AP English this year, credits Langkusch’s popularity to her “free flowing, interesting, and engaging teaching style,” and her ability to “connect with students outside of the classroom.”

Langkusch has also built a repertoire for the diversity of the content she teaches, “I like that she teaches

us about a plethora of issues and debates going on around the world instead of just making us write essays everyday,” said, junior, Josh Fagel.

Langkusch has a wide variety of plans for her retirement, this summer she plans to assist her daughter who is due to have twins.

She also hopes to use her Home Education degree to work with foster children.

Langkusch cannot work for the district for 6 months, but she plans on doing some substituting once and awhile here at Carlmont.

Traveling is also on the agenda, as Langkusch has a long list of countries she would like to visit when the opportunities arise.

On June 6 of this year Gail Langkusch will teach her final English class and retire after 20 years as an educator at Carlmont High School.

When asked about what she will remember most about Carlmont Langkusch had this to say, “Teenagers are the best, the way they think, the way they approach things, the way they deal with life itself.

What they think is funny, how they learn, and when they see that hall light turn Gail Langkusch is ready to say farewell to Carlmont High School, but the legacy she will on, that’s the best part of teaching here at Carlmont.” leave behind will not be forgotten.

Campus

Page 16

Same classes: not the same

By Sarah Klieves Campus Editor

“Why did you score better on that essay than I did?”

Having multiple teachers teach a course can lead to many problems, the main one being different grading scales for the same assignments.

Grading discrepancies “happen all the time,” according to sophomore Catherine Schulze.

While the reality of having one teacher instruct all classes in a

certain course is practically out of the question, multiple teachers have to teach the same course which leads to conflicts concerning grades.

English teacher Jody Humes believes that although grading discrepancies can be minimized, they will “inevitably happen.”

In a poll of 102 Carlmont stu-

dents, 96 percent believe that if more than one teacher teaches the same course, one teacher is an easier grader than the other.

In classes such as math, having two teachers teach the same course is not that big of a deal. There are set answers to the problem, and as long as a student comes up with the correct answer, they receive the points.

However, in classes such as English, assignments like essays may be interpreted in

photos by Reggie Chatman and Veronika Dvorakora

many ways depending on who is doing the reading and grading.

Freshman Nathan Kinsey is in Humes’ AS English I class. Kinsey stated that he feels “our [assignments] might be graded a little more easily, but our question topics might be harder.”

In contrast, Pyper Hayden who is a student in Justin Raisner’s freshman AS English I class believes that if multiple teachers teach

the same course, one is an easier grader than the other “because every teacher has a different style of grading.”

Students may also feel that their work is graded on who they are as a person, not so much as on the work they produce.

“In other classes if a teacher likes a student, they can grade them [either] unfairly or fairly, but in some of my classes it depends on who you are. I feel like most teachers grade on whether or not they like you,” said Schulze. “On something that’s your own work that they can judge, they grade it on who you are

and if your work is satisfactory.”

Kinsey thought the opposite. “All teachers have different grading styles, but they’re all pretty much based on how much effort you put into it.”

Hayden believes that “the relationship between the student and the teacher shouldn’t matter. That

When teachers make classes fun

By Tim Layten Staff Writer

Class can be a lot more fun if the teacher is hilarious. Teachers that have a great sense of humor have their own unique ways of teaching material to their students. Often times, these teachers are very popular among the students that take the class and they typically do well in the class thanks to the teaching

style.

“I think it’s a lot easier to do well in a class when you love the person that’s teaching the class, It makes you motivated to go to class every day,” stated senior Connor Moore.

Carlmont is very fortunate to be the home of several funny and eccentric teachers that entertain students everyday. Their teaching styles somehow can influence students to

History teacher Jaime Garcia educating students with a smile on his face

Photo by Kat Savin

always be motivated to get involved during class despite the subject.

“If I have a funny teacher I’m more likely to pay attention during class and always look for the next joke to be dropped, I feel like it get’s the class more involved,” said senior Max Mcbride.

Typically it’s hard for students to have respect for their teachers because they tell us to do work that we might not always feel like doing. However, students can enjoy the class more if their teacher has a good sense of humor and gets the class involved in a positive way.

“People will more likely respect the teacher,” stated senior Luke Li. Theo Chatman is only a freshman, but he has already been very fortunate to be taught by some great teachers at Carlmont.

“I have to say Mr. Garcia is the funniest teacher, he’s always cracking jokes and saying crazy stuff.”

One of the most popular teachers at Carlmont is history teacher Jayson Waller. He has been entertaining his students for years has an excellent sense of humor. Waller had a posi-

shouldn’t be affecting the student’s grade.”

Although some students feel that their work may be graded on who they are and their relationship with the teacher, that is not necessarily the case.

Humes believes that grading based on the relationship the student and the teacher have “should never happen.

I hope that is not happening because that is horrifying.

Grades should never be based on feelings.”

Fixing the problem of grading discrepancies would be arduous.

With the way schools are run today and the amount of students who want to take certain courses, it would be difficult to have only one teacher teach a course.

According to the Carlmont High School staff directory, there are twenty teachers that teach English classes for every Carlmont student. That leaves a lot of room for differences in teaching styles, classroom environments, and grading styles.

It would help to only have one teacher be teaching a course, “because then there’s not two different styles teaching the same subject and people wouldn’t get upset with different grades,” Hayden stated.

Humes said that teachers can help to eliminate discrepancies by having “common assessments and common rubrics,” in addition to collaboration between the teachers who are instructing a particular course.

It appears that no matter who teaches what classes, some students will always feel that they might be graded unfairly.

tive impact on Moore, even though he taught a subject he didn’t feel strongly about.

“I use to hate history but when I went to Mr. Waller’s class everyday, I enjoyed every class period because he’s a funny guy and he delivered the material well.”

Other popular funny teachers at Carlmont include Andy Ramroth, David Talcott, Joey Hill, Robert Tsuchiyama, and Jarrod Harrison. These teachers have affected the lives of students at Carlmont. Students like Chatman are lucky to have someone put a smile on their face every time they walk into class.

“Somedays you might not be having a very good day but a teacher with a positive vibe can create a good effect on kids because it can brighten their day and make it a positive learning environment for students,” said Chatman.

Carlmont is very lucky to have so many interesting and intelligent teachers that really know how to entertain their students and prepare them with the knowledge they need to know. These teachers will always have a special place in the lives of every Carlmont student.

Campus

Different methods of learning

By Kat Savin Staff Writer

Photos from Google Images

Students dream of having teachers who are entertaining, but also want a teacher who helps them to understand the information being taught.

Teachers can teach by lecturing, interacting in the classroom with students, incorporating media with their teaching styles and a combination of these methods.

The style is not as important as the effectiveness of what is being taught.

Each student has a unique way of learning. Some may benefit from a lecture format, while another may learn more from interacting in the classroom and with other students outside of the classroom.

The three main ways of learning in which most Carlmont students use are visually, audibly, and kinesthetically.

Students at Carlmont seem to prefer teaching styles that keep them engaged and interested in class.

Most students are visual learners. As a visual learner, students usually work better with visual imagery such as pictures, charts, graphs, or videos.

Kinesthetic learners benefit from more hands-on activities such as projects.

Audible learners tend to learn more from lectures, listening to tapes or recordings.

“Ms. Kirberg was a fun and nice teacher,” said Joseph Hamdun a junior. “She made the whole class work together and we did a lot of projects to keep the class interesting.”

At Carlmont, 67 percent of students, who responded to a Highlander poll, are visual learners.

“The perfect teacher would be someone who doesn’t constantly lecture and keeps everyone involved,” said junior Carmen Larson.

“I think Ms. T, who teaches English III, is a good teacher because her class is a lot of fun and it is very interactive.”

Along with visual learners, there are kinesthetic learners.

According to a Highlander poll, 21 percent of Carlmont’s student body are kinesthetic learners.

“My favorite teacher freshman year was Mr. Raisner,” said Gianna Schuster, a sophomore. “He made us do a lot of group activities and projects, so I got an opportunity to learn from my classmates and I benefited a lot from that.”

Lastly there are audible learners.

About 13 percent of Carlmont students are audible learners.

“I learn the most from lectures,” said Angelina Castillo, a sophomore. “When they are interesting and when teachers keep me listening, I learn a lot from them.”

When asked what the perfect teacher would be like, students seemed to have the same reaction.

“The perfect teacher would be someone who is passionate about what they do and someone who really does want to make a difference in the student’s education,” said Schuster. “But, at the same time, they make learning fun and they have to have a sense of humor.”

“The perfect teacher would definitely be fun in class, but still teach us all of the material,” said Castillo. “I like it when the teacher really connects with their students and gets more on a friend level with their students because it makes it easier to ask questions and learn.”

In the end, Carlmont students all vary in the way they learn but most seem to have the same opinion when it comes to the dream teacher.

Page 17

When teachers don’t help their students

By Shira Stein Staff Writer High school students constantly face obstacles to their success, but sometimes it comes from people who are supposed to help them, which creates major problems.

While many teachers care about students’ well-beings and achievements, some don’t act like it and don’t put their best effort into teaching material, according to Steven A. Meyers, author of Do Your Students Care Whether You Care About Them? Those teachers, while not regular, are still easily found and make students lives more difficult.

Those types of teachers might over-control students, not have personal goals for teaching, have motivation driven by things other than the student’s needs, be highly disorganized, be unwilling to provide extra help, and may not encourage their students.

Sophomore Mariya Chichmarenko said, “I first ask my friends [for help with work I do not understand]. If they don't know, then I'll google it. If I'm really desperate I'll try the textbook or I'll go in before class and ask the teacher for help. They're usually more helpful with tips and what not when it's more oneon-one teaching.”

Students are able to voice their complaints to teachers or administrators, but some do not feel comfortable doing so and complain to their friends instead, which only hurts them.

“I want any complaint to be specific and to tell me how a student’s need is not being met through teacher instruction,” stated Instructional Vice Principal Robert Fishtrom.

Slam poetry such as “I Will Not Let An Exam Result Determine My Fate” and “Why I Hate School But Love Education” by poet Suli Breaks explains how schools today teach students to memorize facts and dates, but that the information learned will not help in the

real world, and that when students internalize the failure, they feel like they will never succeed.

Chichmarenko said, “I just try my best to keep learning. Most of the time I want to give up, but I know that'll never help me. The only thing I can do is try to help myself if no one else can help me.”

Of the teachers who do care, many use their colleagues for assistance and new ideas, according to Dr. Bob Kizlik, author of Tips on Becoming a Teacher.

“I pay attention to what the students are doing and how they react to [my teaching], but I have to balance that with what the state objectives are. The big thing is to pay attention to what you’re doing and being willing and able to adjust if it doesn’t work. In the history department, we try to collaborate and share,” stated social studies teacher Jarrod Harrison.

The school district also tries to help ineffective teachers improve their teaching styles with a lot of opportunities to do so.

Fishtrom commented, “The district provides a lot of professional development opportunities to give teaching strategies.

The district also gives lots of tools like Smart Boards, iPads, etc. We, as administrators, try to get into classes as often as we can to give teachers positive feedback. It’s really about staying positive and focused on our goals.”

Even when teachers receive all kinds of help, sometimes they still don’t improve in their quality of teaching.

“Teachers are evaluated on the teaching standards every other year. For a process of dismissal or improvement to begin, a teacher has to be found unsatisfactory though an extensive process. It’s a very intense process and, the bottom line is, we are here to educate students, so we need to meet their needs,” said Fishtrom.

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Campus Do you know Daphne?

The students in the seat Page 18

By Ashley Kawakami Junior Editor When we walk into a classroom we sit at our desk. Key word: our.

That wonderful fake wood desk is all ours for 50 minutes, so we stake our claim to it.

Normally we do not think about the person who occupied the same seat a mere seven minutes ago, the only time we do is when something is wrong with the desk we question the previous ownership.

We have all had that moment where we sit down and there is some mystery substance on the desk, or that awesome piece of fresh gum left right where you had to put your hand. Only then do we really think about the person who sat there and usually we are slightly annoyed and want to give them a piece of our mind.

So unless the person who sat in the desk was particularly slobby that day we do not think about that person or their life, and ultimately them and

their life remain a mystery.

It is no different as we mosey our way down C hall.

We walk past hundreds of people on a daily basis, sometimes

making awkward eye contact or accidentally bumping into them.

We never take time to think about that kid we unintention-

The stranger in second period

By Michael Bastaki Staff Writer

Photo by Alan Yan

Alexander Chung is a hardworking and determined student with very big plans for the future.

In order to reach his goals, Chung takes many advanced

classes, “I take AP Chemistry, AG Calculus, AS English II, Spanish I, and Modern European History.”

Chung is very talented at science, and even took a science class over the summer in order to take AP Chemistry his sophomore year.

When asked about how he plans to accomplish his goals, Chung stated, “I have to get good grades, and take a lot of extracurriculars.”

And Chung does just that. One such extracurricular activity is swimming, “I’ve been on Varsity Carlmont Swim Team since my freshman year,” he stated.

Another extracurricular Chung intends to do is NICAfund, which is a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that sends high school students to Nicaragua over the

ally knocked into on our way to math, what is their story? Who are they?

And then there are those kids you look at and say, “They go here?”

No matter how many people we think we know, in all honestly we know only a mere fraction of the total student body.

So for all those wonder-ers who have tried to carry on a conversation through scribbled handwriting on the desk to the next occupant, we have done a tiny bit of digging for you.

We selected one desk in math teacher Robert Tsuchiyama’s room and written about each of the unique students that occupy that desk in a day, students we may or may not know.

The person that sits in your seat before you in math may be a lot more interesting than you gave them credit for.

summer to help the natives learn English.

“All I know is that I’m going to teach kids... Every week their teacher changes, so I’m going to be their teacher for a week,” stated Chung.

Chung has also created a new extracurricular tailor-made to his interests, as he has added a new sports activity available to all of his fellow students.

“I created a cycling club recently, we have twelve members right now and we tend to go on monthly rides,” said Chung.

Chung’s main goal is to attend Harvard University, and after college he wants to become an astronaut.

Chung plans to be accepted to the college of his dreams by, “Scoring well on the SAT, and doing very well in all of my classes.”

Daphne Schwartz in a motocross race

By Ashley Kawakami Junior Editor Do you know a girl who rides motocross? Plays volleyball? Raises sheep?

Well, Daphne Schwartz does all of the above.

Here is a freshman with some very distinct extracurriculars.

Schwartz balances her time between a normal freshman load with the addition of AS English with all of her unique activities.

Riding motocross and playing volleyball, Schwartz is no stranger to sports.

At the young age of four Schwartz was introduced to motocross by her dad and continues to race and ride to this day.

Schwartz said, “I got into motocross because my dad has been doing motocross for a long time, so when I was four he bought me a bike.”

Daphne Schwartz with her sheep

Image courtesy of Daphne Schwartz

Schwartz finds time on the weekends to go ride and race motocross.

On top of riding motocross Schwartz is also a volleyball player, and played for the Carlmont junior varsity team.

Sports are not the only thing Schwartz enjoys, but she has an obvious love for animals.

Schwartz has been a member of 4-H for about four years.

Every year, for 4-H, she raises a sheep.

Schwartz said, “I buy a sheep every year and then I show it in the San Mateo County Fair.”

In addition to the annual raising of sheep, Schwartz has other pets including a dog, two cats, two rabbits, and nine chickens.

Schwartz has an obvious love for animals, and when she is older she aspires to be a large animal veterinarian.

In the future Schwartz wants to attend either UC Davis or Cal Poly.

Image courtesy of Daphne Schwartz

Hockey playing Pierce

By Max Ware Staff Writer

Photo by Reggie Chatman

www.justpanini.com 44 Hillsdale Shopping Center San Mateo, California 94403-3430

Were Pierce Bartolo to have his life described in one word, that word would be “hockey.”

Bartolo has been playing hockey for almost eight years now, and is currently on the Golden State Elite AA team on defense. His team made it to the Caja playdowns last year. On hockey, Bartolo said, “It’s fast paced. I’ve tried other sports, like baseball, but they were too slow, and I like the physical aspect of the game.”

Hockey can be dangerously physical at times, however, especially for a defender. “I’ve had two

concussions and a fractured AC (Acromioclavicular) joint,” said Bartolo.

For college, Bartolo is looking at Boston University and Boston College for hockey. He hopes to major in physical therapy or sports medicine. “[Going pro in hockey] is my first, ultimate dream. But, yeah, I got my back-up plan set up, in case everything goes wrong.”

When Bartolo isn’t on the ice, which is three to four days a week of practice, he enjoys watching movies on HBO, and also renting them. He also goes to church on Sundays, to Central Peninsula Church in Foster City. He also listed some of his favorite recreational activities to be hanging out with friends, and sleeping.

Campus

The Gamemaster

The amazing artist

By Alan Yan Staff Writer Carlmont junior Michael Ho sees a higher meaning to video games and plays Dungeons and Dragons when he hangs out with friends.

“As humans we cannot really do very much, so we play video games to get super human capabilities because beyond that we are nothing, but a bunch of thinking apes,” said Ho. Ho enjoys the feeling of power that was given to him from video games.

“I like the ability to make others seem like nothing. I like the abilities in video games like being able to destroy buildings, and fighting monsters the size of skyscrapers,” said Ho. When not playing video games, Ho plays a role playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, with his friends.

Ho said, “My other hobby is Dungeons and Dragons. My role as the Gamemaster (the person that creates the scenario of the game) is to try to craft a world for my players. I have to come up with

By Alan Yan Staff Writer

Photo by Alan Yan Photo by Reggie Chatman

every encounter, every non-player character (NPC), everything that they meet, fight, see, hear, and feel.”

Ho likes to be able to hang out with his friends while enjoying these activities.

Carlmont junior Alex Riley said, “He may not be that good at playing video games, but it is still fun to play with him. It is really fun to mess with him. I do not normally agree with him when he creates the Dungeons and Dragons scenarios, but when we play, we have a lot of fun.”

Ho mixes the deep meaning of games with the fun of hanging out with friends.

Infographic by Sarah Klieves

Lev Gamaley: An all-around athlete

By Max Ware Staff Writer

A sophomore, Lev Gamaley is in Mr. Tsuchiyama’s sixth period AG Calculus class.

He was a member of the Carlmont frosh-soph football team.

Gamaley has played football for 8 years, and also has played lacrosse on a club team for two years.

Page 19

Gamaley also enjoys mountain and BMX biking with friends.

Politically, Gamaley considers himself to be different from many of his peers at Carlmont: he is an active Republican.

“I want to do Tea Party rallies and stuff like that when I get a little older, when my vote really matters,” said Gamaley. Gamaley said that he did support the most recent

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Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, but that he disagreed with some of Romney’s policies. “I think Ron Paul would have been a very good candidate for president,” said Gamaley.

Gamaley also strongly believes in Second Amendment Rights. He has frequently visited shooting ranges and has been hunting. His family owns a few firearms, and Gamaley

stressed that his experience with firearms has been focused on education and self- protection, “not anything that would hurt anyone, except for defending oneself.”

As far as his choice of becoming a Republican, Gamaley said, “My parents were never very opinionated in politics, as far as I was concerned. I kind of chose my own path.”

Gamaley also volunteers with the Youth Men’s Service League, where he helps the needy and homeless. “It feels good to help people, to help the public out,” said Gamaley. In the same spirit of helping others, Gamaley hopes to attend UC Davis to study medicine.

“I have been doing art for as long as I can remember. I have always liked drawing and being creative,” said Carlmont junior Stefan Dismond.

Using his passion for art, Dismond created a business by selling shoes with his art on them.

Dismond covers shoes with art themes requested by his clients such as the Bust of Nefertiti, tigers, space, and the Giants.

Carlmont sophomore Zach Govani said, “When I see his art, I feel intense feelings of pleasure. It is nothing short of ecstasy.”

The birth of Dismond’s idea started with a small intention.

Dismond said, “It started with freshmen orientation and I wanted something cool to talk to people about, so I drew some Sharpie on my shoes and it took off from there. I started doing more and more stuff and last year I started selling them.”

From an attempt at an icebreaker, Dismond transformed something simple into a business venture that is admired by people in and out of Carlmont.

“I have gotten many people from track who are interested, so I should have a lot of business over summer. Many of customers are either students at Carlmont or people at my dentist office,” said Dismond.

Though business is growing, Dismond plans on expanding into other types of clothing.

“I am trying to branch out more because the shoes are pretty time consuming and I like doing it, but I want to start making t-shirts,” said Dismond.

Dismond has created a successful business out of a passion.

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Page 20

Carlmont VP announces departure Continued from front

share of laughs at Carlmont. He said, ”A couple of years ago we had a different cell phone and electronic device policy. We wouldn’t let kids use them during passing periods.

One day, I was walking out of the office and a student was using his phone between fifth and sixth period. I took it to see what he was doing and it turns out he was playing Words With Friends against Mr. Raffa.”

The only aspects of the job that Fishtrom will not miss are “the long nights and weekends, which are

hard on the family, as well as coordinating all the testing dates.”

Fishtrom is very pleased with the time he spent as instructional vice principal: “I have absolutely no regrets of being a vice principal here at school. It’s been the highlight of my career.”

“If I had one last message to send to everyone at school, it would be to always believe in yourself. Don’t ever give up on yourself, and if you can dream it, you can accomplish it,” said Fishtrom, “and I would personally thank them for everything they have brought to my life.”

Extras

Turning the page Continued from front building relationships that may last a lifetime.

“Out of everything at Carlmont I will probably miss the people the most because I've made some really good friends and its going to be different not seeing them everyday and playing hacky sack at lunch,” said Christopher Fong.

“I think I will miss my teachers the most,” said Lupe Tuitavake. “ I've had a lot of great ones that give me so much help and support” They've also experienced unforgettable moments at venues that Carlmont has provided for them.

“This year in water polo when we played our first CCS game. The whole team was pumped and every-

one was cheering,” said Bryan Ding.

“That was my favorite memory of senior year.”

Tim Gachot took a moment to reminisce on his favorite moments, at Carlmont.

“From complaining about swim team with all my teammates, to winning swim meets, to having a good performance with the improv troupe, to actually getting a song to sound good in Out of the Blue or Fine Tuning, Carlmont has definitely helped me sort out my priorities and find what I’m passionate about," said Gachot. "I got to try out multiple sports, clubs and I also got to choose my academic path which helped me understand

what I want to do in college.”

Like Gachot, Moore has also had some life-changing experiences this past year that have steered him in the right direction for his future.

"Now I know what kind of person I am. I know what I can and cannot do, I know how much time I need to prepare myself for certain things," said Moore.

As senior year comes to a close, the hardest task is the final goodbye, "Part of me wants to stay, but saying goodbye is a part of growing," said Ding.

But one thing the graduates will always remember is the spirited school that they leave behind.

"I would not have chosen any other school," said Moore. "I am so proud to be a Scot."

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Page 21

Sports

Page 22

Senior Athlete Spotlight photo by Johnathan Corvello

Ryan Hogan

Pitcher and junior year transfer helps lead Carlmont to CCS

By Ivan Garin Staff Writer The Carlmont varsity baseball team incredible season. Much of this success can be accredited to newcomer and star pitcher Ryan Hogan.

Hogan started playing baseball at the young age of four and was immediately recognized for his natural talent. He went on to become one of the top pitchers in little league. However, once he entered into the more competitive world of high school baseball, he realized that talent alone would not get him far.

Hogan said, “Playing against top teams in the nation really forces me to work all the more harder. CCS has a lot of very talented teams. It’s a lot more competitive than playing in most leagues.’

Hogan also played a crucial part on the U-18 Colt All Star team the last two summers when they traveled to Lafayette, Indiana for the Colt World Championships. In one of the biggest and most talented youth baseball competitions in the world, Hogan as a starting pitcher helped his team defeat Puerto Rico in the finals both years to take home the world championship.

After transferring to Carlmont midway through his junior year, Hogan was challenged to both adapt to a new team with a very different style of play than St. Francis.

Along with that, due to transfer rules, he was only allowed to practice with the team and not allowed to play in any games.

At the beginning of the season, Hogan proved his importance in a 9-2 win over Lynbrook. In six innings, he allowed just one earned run off of three hits.

In an early season game, Hogan led the scots to an 8-1 win over the Menlo-Atherton Bears, only allowing four singles over six innings. The Scots improved to a 4-0 PAL record and 12-2 overall record.

Leading into the final week of the regular season, the Scots were in a three way tie for first place in PAL’s with the Burlingame Panthers and the Terra Nova Tigers. Each team had a record of seven wins and four losses.

The Scots dominated their last two games to take first place over Burlingame and Terra Nova.

This year, Hogan is back and ready to prove himself in his final year of high school baseball. The Scots qualified as the top PAL seed in the CCS championships, where one game can be the difference between staying and going home.

Hogan’s teammate Marcus Fukuhara said “Hogan is definitely one of the hardest working players on our team, along with that he is really talented. Once he gets in the zone he is a force to be reckoned with. He’s definitely a great guy to be on our pitching staff, especially at CCS since he has already played other teams in the WCAL and knows a lot of their heavy hitters.’

Although the scots fell to Homestead High School, in part to an uncharacteristic start from Hogan in the first round of CCS, Hogan and the rest of the team still have a fantastic season to look back on.

photo by Kristen Dames

Rachel Bellin

The dual sport athlete shares her keys to a balanced life

By Claudia Leist Staff Writer

From water polo to track, senior Rachel Bellin has managed to be successful while having fun throughout her high school career.

She has played water polo and participated in track and field all four years at Carlmont, being the only girl hurdler for two years on the varsity track team.

“I started track because my brothers are involved with it, so it is sort of a family thing,” she said.

Bellin was awarded frosh-soph PAL champion her sophomore year for track, but was disqualified this past season for a false start.

“Getting disqualified was a really unsuccessful moment for me,” said Bellin.

However, getting disqualified didn’t stop her. She went on to secure her spot in CCS for high jump, hoping to end her track and field legacy at Carlmont on a good note.

On the other hand, Bellin succeeded in water as much as she did on land.

“I started playing water polo because a lot of my friends played, but then once they all quit I continued playing club, which took me to my first junior Olympics,” said Bellin.

This year will be Bellin’s third year at the junior Olympics for water polo, and she says

“Ray is the fiercest athlete and she kills her competition because she always puts 100% into workouts and meets.”

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it gets more exciting every year.

“My junior year we got a new water polo coach and we moved up a league, and this year we went to CCS for the first time,” said Bellin.

“Ray is the fiercest athlete and she kills her competition because she always puts 100% into workouts and meets. She’s DANGEROUS,” said Bellin’s water polo teammate Eliza Abinader.

When asked how she balances grades and sports in her everyday life, Bellin replied confidently.

“I get the best grades when I’m playing sports,” she said. “When I’m not playing sports, like during winter, my grades drop.”

Many students feel that when they are playing a sport every day after school, they are better with time management. They know how much more limited their schedules are for homework, so it keeps them focused and prioritized.

Bellin’s college aspirations are high as she moves on from Carlmont sports into her bigger and brighter athletic future.

“I am going to be playing water polo in college next school year at San Jose State University,” said Bellin.

San Jose State is ranked tenth in the nation for womens water polo, making this a prestigious honor for Bellin to be part of the team.

Not only has Bellin managed to keep herself sane every year while balancing sports, school, and a social life, she has continued to succeed in her goals as an athlete, a student, and a teammate to look up to.

Sports “The CCS semi-finals junior year for volleyball ~Monica Chin~

Page 23

“During a soccer game when we got in a fight with Burlingame.”

“When we made the CCS finals for basketball.”

~Justin Quan~

~Shawn Geronimo~

Senior Sports Highlights

“My 98-yard kickoff return junior year.” ~Jesse Gifford~

“Senior night for volleyball because it was special, fun, and our last night of playing.” ~Amanda Morris~

“Scoring a goal with a bicycle kick.” ~Luke Peterson~

Recorded by Bobby Lyon

“Winning PAL last year in soccer.”

“I finished 11th in state and broke a record with a five minute mile pace.”

“When David Hobbs tried to dunk but ended up falling.”

“Girls water polo going to CCS for the first time”

~Emily Cox~

~Daniel Bereket~

~Connor Moore~

~Lauren Denney~ Photos by Bobby Lyon

All good things must come to an end

P.E. teacher David Low steps down as the varsity mens basketball coach

By Ryan Freeman Sports Editor At the beginning of every high school sports season, players must reevaluate themselves and their team due to the departed seniors.

For Carlmont’s mens varsity basketball, they must cope with losing both seniors and their commander-in-chief. After 12 years, current Carlmont P.E. teacher David Low has decided to relinquish his position to current Athletic Director and P.E. teacher Patrick Smith.

“I have steadily been coaching for a lot of years,” explained Low. “A coach that wants to have a consistently competitive team has to be willing to put in a lot of hours...Physically I am tired” Although Low has spent a large portion of his life coaching, his love for the game started many years before he arrived at Carlmont.

photo by Grace Yi

“I have always had a passion for basketball and after my playing days in high school, coaching was the next step to staying involved with the sport,” explained Low. After coaching for 19 years at Lowell High School in San Francisco, Low made the switch over to Carlmont in 2001 and continued on until his 31st and final season last winter.

“It’s really sad that he is stepping down,” said basketball player Joseph Rodriguez. “Ever since playing under him for a few games after

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getting called up for CCS, I was excited to play under a coach with as much experience as him.”

Renowned by many for his dedicated coaching style and passion for the game, Low enjoyed developing strong relationships with his players.

“The best part of coaching has been being able to coach so many wonderful players and seeing them grow as both basketball players and student-athletes,” explained Low. “Out of everything, I probably will miss the most being able to develop player’s basketball skills, the strategy and competitiveness of the games, and the interaction between myself and the players on and off the court.”

Coach Low’s efforts have left a lasting impression on the players as large as the one they have left on him.

Star shooting guard Michael Costello expressed his feelings for Coach Low, “We looked up to him as a leader and a mentor.

I’ll never forget his dedication to making every player better.”

Newly named coach Smith has very large shoes to fill, but the players feel confident with the switch as he is familiar with the team’s current playing style and systems. “I am really disappointed that Coach Low is no longer in charge, but Smith is going to do a great job because he has been coaching under Low.” After years of dedication to his teams over the years, Low and the men’s varsity team capped off a tumultuous and emotional season with a semifinal finish in the CCS playoffs.

Low’s impact on Carlmont basketball will never be forgotten and although he will no longer be a part of the team physically, he will still be a part of the team in spirit.

“My last words for the team are to keep the tradition going,” said Low. “Represent your team with class!”

Low will still be a presence of inspiration and spirit as he will continue to teach physical education as he did previously.

Senior Notes Go Here Grace Chang Staff Writer

Karenna Meredith Staff Writer

Alex Porter

Managing Editor

Annie Wesolek Columnist

Rachel Schuster Senior Editor

Virginia O’Callahan Staff Writer

Gianna Dimick Editor-in-Chief

Nikos Frazier Staff Writer

Sarah Levin Columnist

Jacob Rudger Campus Editor

Carly Bertolozzi Chief of Design

Anna Wheeler Features Editor

Tim Layten Staff Writer

Erica Valbusa

Scots Scoop Editor-in-Chief