TELLING THE TRUTH SINCE 1916
October 4, 2011
The Hatchet Washington High School
38442 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94536
www.whshatchet.com
Vol. 93 Issue 1
Students have yet to get Tdap vaccination Noelle Fujii
Editor-in-Chief As of Friday, Sept. 30, about 90 students did not show proof of vaccination or file exemption for the Tdap vaccine booster for pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Teachers have gotten a roster of students that have not gotten the vaccination or exemption from it. As of yesterday if a
student that has not gotten the vaccination shows up at school that student will be sent home and any days he or she misses will be unexcused until he or she shows proof of vaccination or files exemption. Students are able to be exempted from the vaccination policy by having their parent fill out a form in front of an office official stating his or her child is clear of the vaccination.
On July 1, 2011, California law AB354 went into effect. This law states that all students in grades 7 through 12 must have proof of the Tdap vaccination or file exemption by the first day of school, Aug. 30. The school was given a 30 day extension from when school started. “It is very widespread so by doing this they are trying to prevent it from spreading,”
Vice Principal Vinh Lam said. Last Wednesday Lam and Principal Linda Fernandez held an assembly for the students who have not gotten vaccinated or shown exemption. They informed the students about the law and the consequences if they did not follow it. “Students have an obligation to adhere to the law,” Lam said.
Cross country team prepares for the ‘building year’
Funds secured to improve street corner Kyle Floyd
Staff Reporter
Photo by Britney Santchez Sophomores Shane Riemer, Chris Yee, freshman Hunter Phelps, and senior Ed Kingsly Dungo run during cross country practice. This year the team is focusing more on building up the team’s strength. To read the full story, go to page 7.
Administration cracks down on policies
Alexander Rich Karen Arayata Staff Reporter Staff Reporter
School Resource Officer (SRO) Robyn Berlin, along with the administration, held assemblies about enforcing the dress code and electronic policies on Sept. 9 through 14. The assemblies were age specific, with one day per class and mostly involved Berlin and Assistant Principal Lance Miller informing students about punishable offenses. Since it’s Berlin’s second year at WHS, she felt she needed to do something this year to get students
Freshmen
Sophomores
more aware of consequences. The school board recommended consequences, as stated in the husky planner, ranges from a dress change to expulsion, including a possible referral to the SRO. “There’s no new enforcement,” Miller said. “We just took the time to explain the rules.” Among the rules the assembly addressed was the school dress code. According to Campus Supervisor Kathy Fetz, in recent years since dress code rules prevented wearing hats or the colors red and blue, fights on campus have dropped significantly. “It’s good to have rules, and it’s
M: Pajama
M: Ninja
good to enforce them. It keeps things running smooth,” Fetz said. Berlin mentioned during the assemblies that blue or red shoelaces are violations of the dress code policy, as well as the rule that hats are not to be worn inside of class, but may be worn outside of class as long as they are school colors. To some, these rules aren’t as important. “If a kid is doing well in my class, I don’t see why I need to bug him or her about a hat,” Teri Hu, a teacher in the English Department, said. Dress code has always been a large source of debate at WHS,
both among staff and students. “It keeps things orderly, and it keeps students focused on school,” government and economics teacher Mike Soltau said. “Hats in class are just disrespectful.” Though the dress code policy was the main idea of the assemblies, the electronics policy will also be enforced in the same manner. If electronics are not surrendered to a teacher, students may be arrested, Berlin stated at the assemblies. The administration hopes raising awareness will prevent future violations.
Spirit Week Dress-up Schedule
T: Hawaiian
W: Superhero Th: Sports
T: Cowboy
W: Fashion Disaster
Th: Punk Rock
Juniors
Seniors
M: Old Fart
T: Toga
M: Army
T: 70’s
On Sept. 13 the city of Fremont announced that they secured $316,200 in funds to make several safety improvements on the corner of Eggers Drive and Fremont Boulevard. “We hope it will have a pronounced effect on drivers,” said Fremont Senior Transportation Engineer David Huynh. “We’ve noticed that there were a lot of pedestrian/bicycle collisions.” The agenda reported there were 30 pedestrian/bicycle collisions on Eggers and Fremont from 2001 to 2009. In December 2010, the city submitted an application to the Caltrans Division of Local Assistance, requesting the funds needed for construction. Having been granted the funding, the city plans to enhance safety by widening sidewalks and modifying traffic signals to include a countdown and more accessible pedestrian signals. “We are going to make the crossing distance shorter and hope to minimize the exposure of pedestrians in the road,” Huynh said. The city will also be tightening curb corners in an effort to limit the number of collisions. The move is designed to reduce turning speeds. According to Huynh, those changes will likely be implemented within the next year. However, on the weekend of Sept. 16-18, the curbs along the sidewalk adjacent to Washington were re-painted to denote ‘No Stopping’ (Red) and ‘Loading/Unloading’ (Yellow) areas.
W: 50’s
W: Celebrity
Th: 80’s
Th: Nerd
NEWS
PAGE 2 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
Students enjoy a barbecue filled lunch to buy all the materials necessary for the event. TAs from Activities Director Helen Paris’ first through As the lunch bell rang on Sept. third periods prepared the food. 23, crowds of students joined Improvements were made based one of two lines that led onto the upon previous experiences. An amphitheater for the barbeque example would be the two line lunch celebrating Washington’s method, suggested by senior Billy nineteen point increase on the Bergendahl, to increase efficiency. STAR tests. Wisps of smoke flowed It was a team effort. The same is attributed to why the out from the barbeque, at the center and through the speakers school got the point increase. “[It “Good Life” by OneRepublic was] everyone, together, teachers and students, played. In the working hard,” next forty-four Miller said. Some minutes, the teachers, like English student body Call it a burgerfest! teacher Sharon Jones, celebrated a did more practice nineteen point Lance Miller problems with increase in students in what her the school’s API score with 800 hamburgers, students called “Grammar Parties.” Students, such as senior Brady cheeseburgers and 200 hotdogs. “Call it a burgerfest!” Assistant Knight, continued to take the test seriously, as he did every year. “I Principal Lance Miller said. Leadership students and try my best, so I guess that’s why I students from the special education do well,” Knight said. Other students, like senior program served, for a 50 cent meal ticket, chips, a hotdog or a burger, Stephanie Zee, received constant and a small bottled water. Final encouragement from her parents preparation for this barbeque to do well. When prompted with began the day before, where the question of how seriously her students from ASB went to Costco parents took the STAR test, she
Amelia Chu
Staff Reporter
“
Photo by Maleka Mau Freshman Erik Correia, junior Annastasia Black, and sophomore Natalia Neira put condiments on their food. The barbecue lunch was held on Sept. 23 in the ampitheater. rolled her eyes and said, “Oh my God, you have no idea!” If the school had reached the goal of an API score of 801, students would have been given an extended lunch. Although there was a nineteen point increase, the school dropped 29 points the previous year, leaving the school still ten points away from its API score in 2008.
Because of this, sophomore Hamza Muhammad said, “If we didn’t really improve upon our best API score, I think we shouldn’t have gotten the barbeque.” Zee agrees, stating that she was surprised when she heard about the barbeque. “We shouldn’t have gone down in the first place,” Knight said. Others, like Miller and Jones,
had a more positive outlook. “No, I was not surprised by the news,” Jones said. Freshman Moses Ordona loved the “awesome food” that was bought with funds from ASB cards, a small grant, and student fees. When he heard that the barbeque was because of STAR test results, he promised that he would work harder to help earn another lunch.
“
9/11 memorial brings the Fremont community together Anirudh Pamula Staff Reporter
On Sept. 12, students gathered quietly in front of the flagpole during lunch in remembrance of the people who died on 9/11. “ASB organized the event,” senior Sameed Siddiqui said. The event brought together a large variety of students. “We had about 400 people attend the event,” senior Noah McFerran said. Students were not the only ones in attendance; dignitaries such as veterans from the Fremont community were also present, as were the school adminstration and several Fremont residents. The event was unique in that Washington was the only school in the district to host a memorial service for 9/11, prompting
the Superintendent of Fremont Unified School District James Morris to attended the memorial. Students paid their respects in various ways to those who died during the 9/11 attacks. Many students wrote messages of rememberance onto a large paper, while other students gave a somber salute with music. Seniors Daniel Brown and Francesco Fernando played the military funeral song “Taps” with their trumpet and drums respectively. Many others watched speechlessly during the ceremony. ASB students also held the American flag proudly during the ceremony. During the ceremony, many students from ASB, like ASB President Janesh Gupta, spoke to the crowd about the tragic attacks.
A few servicemen along with a handful of students proceeded in a flag raising ceremony. The flag flew at half staff, which is tradition on days of of remembrance. Although this was the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, many younger students were too young to remember the events clearly. However, other students vivdly remember that fateful morning. “When I watched the second plane hit the tower on TV, my jaw dropped,” senior Adrian Yip said. Senior Allen Liu expressed satisfaction with ASB’s execution with the event. “When such a tragic day occurs, people are oftentimes shocked and don’t know how to react.” ASB plans on doing this ceremony once every five years.
The Hatchet
Washington High School / 38442 Fremont Blvd. / Fremont, CA 94536 www.whshatchet.com ▪ editor@whshatchet.com ▪ Tel (510) 505-7300
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The Hatchet is a forum for student expression and discussion of ideas uncensored by school officials. The Hatchet staff seeks to ethically produce an accurate record of the news, sports, issues and people of the Washington High School community.
& TRAINING
2011-2012 Hatchet Staff Editor-in-Chief Noelle Fujii
Sports Editor Eric Chu
News Editor Daniel Tsay
Photo Editor Kenneth Chang
Opinions Editor Nadine Morishita
Business Manager Karen Arayata
Features Editors Bharathi Gandhi Kaitlyn Martinez A&E Editor Teja Thota
Staff Reporters Adrianne Manseau Alex Rich Amelia Chu
Angely Guevara Anirudh Pamula Anjelo Tulio Britney Sanchez Brooke Eicher Chloe Ng Christina Chen Gerald Li Harley Litzelman Jennifer Chang Jessica Stiles Jill Huynh
Josh Rozul Kelsi Ocon Kimberly Henderson Kurt Pena Kyle Floyd Lydia Kung Maleka Mau Mark Soltero Maureen Madrid Sylvia Liang Zoe Hu
Photo by Stephanie Thune Senior Austin Bender helps hold an American flag during the 9/11 memorial ceremony. Over 400 people, including the Superintendent of Fremont Unified School District, attended the ASB-organized event.
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PAGE 3 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
OPINIONS
Hats off to the dress code Maureen Madrid Staff Reporter
Students have been abusing the dress code’s tolerance from the tip of their hats to the length of their shorts. Now that the policy has been heavily enforced, the leniency of the dress code has practically disappeared, not only with the no hat policy but also in disallowing students to wear blue or red on nearly any article of clothing, due to gang affiliations. I can understand the administration’s frustration with the hats as the staff last year was
taking them away. Beanies have been accepted, as long as they have appropriate school colors, but forcing students to forget wearing red or blue shirts and jackets seems a bit much. “I don’t like that. I want to wear blue and it doesn’t mean I’m in a gang,” junior Stephanie Heckman said. Officer Robyn Berlin addresses this saying that red and blue clothing are what gangs will first see when driving by, and generally won’t check to see whether the victim was a member or not. “From police perspective, hats
poses as [a] safety problem,” Berlin said. It’s saddening to me that gangs are controlling the colors we can wear. What if they choose green as their next color? Yellow? It’s beginning to influence our community and will eventually affect our entire dress code to the point where we might not even have small details of those colors in our wardrobe. Students use hats to represent their individuality, from their favorite sport teams to covering up a bad hair day. Even with these limitations emphasized, our school is still
tolerant in some students’ eyes. “It’s not so bad because transferring from Moreau, I had to wear [a] collared shirt everyday and couldn’t wear blue jeans. Dress code here’s a lot better than what I’m used to,” senior Cole Mathews said. Either way, violating these dress code rules would result in what might be inconvenient punishments, for instance, going down to the police department and then writing the entire dress code by hand. For now we will have to leave those hats and colors for places elsewhere.
Television turns fiction into fact Brooke Eicher Staff Reporter
Portrayed on many of our television screens, and relayed in real high school hallways, adolescents become robots of the common misconceptions they are accustomed to seeing. In high school, students are labeled either a jock, a brain, an outcast, a stoner, or a member of the infamous “popular crowd.” Race, religion, and backgrounds often shape which category a person is cast into. There is no denying these stereotypes, to us, this is reality. It is common in high school to feed into these conventional labels and become exactly what society presumes one person will
Illustration by Christina Chen Media portrays high school students stereotypically like the popular cheerleader, the nerd, and the rebel. be, because it is an easy scapegoat. While the camaraderie expects a brain to study hard and become something of themselves, someone
labeled a stoner is not seen having the same aspirations as this socalled brain, therefore leading them to perform poorly. Yet, students
subject themselves to these silly clichés thinking that these are their identities. When buying into the stereotypes, it begins to put a label on others, separating peers more indefinitely than before. The media plays a major part in how high schoolers are perceived. Though society has made some progress in discrimination against racial groups we still have preconceived notions about who an individual is, based on these common labels. Through life, labels become less important and are rarely used outside the confines of high school walls. It is a personal choice whether or not to fall into this trap and become a machine of these high school cliches.
STAFF EDITORIAL
UC tuition could increase every year
Everything is becoming more expensive and that includes college tuition. The University of California system has a plan to raise its tuition by eight to sixteen percent every year through 2016. This plan was ignored at the UC regents meeting on Sept. 15. UC President Mark Yudof said that other solutions to get the UC money would be to freeze the faculty, lengthen time to graduate, or have more nonresident students. There are other ways to provide the college system with the money it needs that does not include raising tuition. Lack of state funding is the reason why tuition prices have to go up. The more money the state gives to the UC system, the less tuition will increase through this plan. This year, California has cut back on $650 million to the UC system. Raising taxes could be one solution to funding not only the UC system, but the entire California college system as well. But raising taxes to help the California colleges would burden everyone
else in the state. Another means of giving the UC more money would be to cut down on the teachers’ salaries since their salaries make up part of the college tuition. But in doing that, teachers would be tempted to go on strike or to teach less efficiently. Maybe the UC college system should save money instead of focusing on raising money through tuition. Other schools have had to cut down on the number of courses and increase class sizes so why can’t the college system do the same? People are already struggling trying to pay the rising costs of everyday living. In addition to that, the UC college system could potentially raise its tuition up to sixteen percent a year for the next 16 years. They should consider other options that will bring in the same amount they need for their system.
Huskies in the Halls
“I don’t like it because I got used to 7:30.”
“I don’t think it made that much of a difference.”
Kristi Bernardez, 12
Linda Abdelsalem, 10
“I’m fine that we can be here at 8:00.”
Sydney Monkman, 11
Jesse Wheeler, 9
What do you think about the new bell schedule?
“I think it was really hard to adjust because we are so used to the old time.”
Worm Of the Apple By Harley Litzelman
Note Taking: A Delicate Experiment in Misery What if you could collect every complaint you’ve ever uttered against your teacher’s petty command and be validated by a legitimate, educational philosophy? What if you could recognize your boredom with school assignments not as a given of your required duty as a student, but as a significant failure in the education system to which we are committed? I begin with a familiar part of our homework schedule: the assignment of notes as a substitute to actual teaching. Having noticed the abundance of note taking assignments in solid, unquestionable formats added in our curriculum, I have assembled three major principles which may help explain some teachers’ addictive reliance upon this method. Note taking must abide by the teacher’s convenience, strict format, and discipline. The principle of teacher convenience is interesting because teachers are not interested in reading boring notes! They are interested in the time and labor spent doing them. Teachers aren’t looking at your interpretation of the material or your personal research. It is regurgitation of stale information and is too inconvenient for them to bother with. Therefore, the teacher must ignore your personal style of note taking and replace it with a standard style they can quickly breeze through. The idea of strict format is then enforced, not only by the suggestion that this method and only this method, will enhance your learning, such as with Cornell notes, but by the fact that your grade depends on your adherence to this method. Regardless of the success you may discover with your own style of note taking, the teacher is so offended by this independence that your success in his or her eyes depends on your obedience. In other words, you have been disciplined. I do understand that teachers are sometimes cornered into impersonal methods of explaining their material, and that is something all students should be aware of. If certain responsible classrooms require some background knowledge, perhaps a few key notes are a good thing. However, that should only provide for even more engaging discussion, debate, and expression of the material. It becomes the teacher’s job to enlighten his or her students, not beat them down with endless labor. The enforcement of note taking is a closely observed experiment in misery, and it is entirely offensive to who students are and who they can become.
FEATURES
PAGE 4 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
New Kids On The Block
Subject: Physical Education Birthday: July 5 Hometown: Fremont High school attended: Washington College attended: Cal State Fresno and Cal State East Bay Favorite book: Anything by Chelsea Handler Favorite movie: The Goonies Favorite song: “A Decade Under the Influence” by Taking Back Sunday Describe yourself in three words: Athletic, fun, and kind-hearted Why did you become a teacher? Her life is based around health and fitness. Quote: "You can't put a wishbone where a backbone should be." - Elizabeth Gilbert
Connie Chiang
by Kelsi Ocon Subject: Chinese 1-3 Birthday: December 14 Hometown: Taiwan High school attended: Hualien Girl College attended: San Jose State University Favorite book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Favorite movie: Fiddler on the Roof Favorite song: Anything on KDFC/KLOVE radio stations Describe yourself in three words: Caring, encouraging, and enjoys learning Why did you become a teacher? Loves kids Quote: "Stay foolish, stay hungry." - Steve Jobs
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by Lydia Kung Subject: Biology and Chemistry Birthday: July 10 Hometown: Fremont High school attended: Mission San Jose College attended: UC Riverside Favorite book: Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Favorite movie: Adventure novels Favorite song: Anything classical Describe yourself in three words: To the point. Why did you become a teacher? Enjoys teaching science, and the subject in general. He hopes to bring something useful to his students; something to build upon. Quote: "Don't be tardy."
by Jill Huynh Subject: English 10 and English 10H Birthday: August 12 Hometown: Fremont High school attended: Washington College attended: SF State University Favorite book: She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb Favorite movie: Forrest Gump Favorite song: “My Generation” by Nas & Damian Marley ft. Lil Wayne & Joss Stone Describe yourself in three words: Weird, outgoing, and creative Why did you become a teacher? She is passionate and wants to educate the youth to become leaders. Quote: "An idea is only as good as the action that follows it."
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by Jennifer Chang Subject: Economics and Government Birthday: June 4 Hometown: Union City High school attended: James Logan College attended: Cal State East Bay Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Favorite movie: Ferris Beuller's Day Off Favorite song: “Dani California” by Red Hot Chili Peppers Describe yourself in three words: Funny, creative, and tall Why did you become a teacher? Influence from family and friends Quote: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Beuller
Vincent Wu
by Kelsi Ocon Subject: Geometry and Algebra 1 Birthday: September 17 Hometown: Fremont High school attended: Mission San Jose College attended: UC Davis Favorite book: Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince by J.K. Rowling Favorite movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Favorite song: “Complete” by Girls Generation Describe yourself in three words: Younglooking, Asian, and drummer Why did you become a teacher? Likes to help kids Quote: "Power to the nerds."
Secret Life of the American Teacher Questionairre: How Well Do You Know Your Teachers? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
This teacher broke their leg on a first date. This teacher is an ambidextrous artist. This teacher enjoys tap-dancing and quilting in her spare time. This teacher almost died during a trip to India. This teacher works out six days a week and has a trainer who was a former boxer. 6. This teacher spent part of her childhood in Africa. 7. This teacher has a deaf but happy 17 year-old dog. 8. This teacher can build his own computers. 9. This history-loving teacher enjoys collecting World War II memorabilia. 10. This teacher can play the piano, flute, guitar, saxophone, mallet, and percussion. 11. This teacher taught himself Calculus in high school. 12. This teacher sold knives for Cutco. 13. This teacher dances during class. 14. This teacher was the National Pinball Champion in 1988. 15. This teacher was born premature and weighed only three pounds. 16. This teacher was crowned the most beautiful baby in 1948 at a Sears’s store. 17. This teacher has six Koi fish living in his backyard pond.
by Gerald Li & Angelo Tulio
A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S.
James Briano Steven Chow James Drage Edwin Duerr Holly Falck Joann Garbarini Deb Joseph James Kleckner Nina LaRosa Clifford Miller Dana Nelson Ludmilla Nikolaeva Jackie Omstead Jennifer Pardini Aliza Selinger David Skillings David Stephenson Keith Webb John Wharton
Answer Key: 1. I, 2.H, 3.F, 4.A, 5.K, 6.L, 7.E, 8. B, 9.S, 10.M, 11.D, 12.N, 13.G, 14.R, 15.O, 16.Q, 17.C
Cory Audiat
by Jill Huynh
PAGE 5 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
A&E
PAGE 6 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
Board rejects more books Jessica Stiles Staff Reporter
Based on issues over controversial content, the FUSD Board of Education is continuing to reject proposed reading material for the accepted reading list. At a March 2011 meeting, the Board refused to include the drama “Angels in America” on the list, under the argument that certain content may be viewed as obscene or offensive, especially to more concerned parents. Teri Hu, the AP English instructor, originally submitted the book to be approved for WHS’s AP English Literature course, normally designated for seniors. As per standard procedure, the Board voted on whether or not to approve the request. Majority vote declined the proposal. Hu explains that the play was rejected because some members of the Board have reservations about the sexual or religious material being inappropriate for high school senior level selected reading. AP English Literature offers
opportunities to better understand society through academic enrichment. Students that choose to participate in the class have earned the right, under Board Policy 6144, “to study controversial issues which have political, economic, or social significance, and concerning which the student, at his/her level should begin to have an opinion.” This means any supplementary materials provided that are relevant to the topics being discussed in the class may be rightfully allowed. “The Board is going against its own policy. Over the years, they’ve become more conservative with the books they allow,” Hu said. Despite the policy, there remains an unsettled matter. While AP English students were enjoying a viewing of the film version of the play last year, a board representative unexpectedly confronted the class to insist that the viewing not continue. Since films shown in class supposedly require only parent approval, there seemed to be no viable reason for the interruption. The students in
that class sent in a written request to the Board to reconsider its decision on the matter. “What happened was more than unfair. There was no reason why we shouldn’t have been allowed to watch the movie. We followed the rules, and [even] received voluntary signatures from students in not just the AP Lit class, but also the regular class,” Washington alumnus Shadin Awad said. The novel “Bastard Out of Carolina” was turned down twice for similar reasons, in June of 2009 and 2010. But these two books stand alone when it comes to the Board’s disapproval. “I’ve been on the Textbook Adoption Committee for most of the last 15 years, they’ve never rejected a book before 2009. Both books are by gay authors, I can’t help but think that’s a factor,” Hu said. The School Board is allegedly revamping the process of approving curriculum-based books, but both of these readings shall remain on the waiting list for approved books for the time being.
Leon Eng poses for a picture at a cross country meet at Mission San Jose. The drums are his favorite instrument.
Photo by Kimberly
Henderson
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‘Living Dead’ begins Sylvia Liang
Staff Reporter The drama department’s winter production of “The Night of the Living Dead” was chosen by alumnus and former tech director Don Joel. This is the first ever horror genre play being directed by drama teacher Matthew Ballin. “It’s not a genre I’m crazy about...it’s more fun to direct it than watch it,” Ballin said. The play is about a group of people who get trapped in a house by zombies. Auditions were held from Sept. 12 to Sept. 15. There are seven lead characters and five periphery characters. Cast members were chosen by how well their personalities fit with those of the characters and what their purpose is in the play. Other aspects that were considered were how well the characters interacted with one another. Currently, the majority of the cast has been chosen and has begun rehearsals,
but one of the lead male roles is unfilled because the cast member dropped out. Actors and actresses in this play include freshmen Jenna Frisbey, Nickolas Inman, Patrick Bacon, sophomores Claire Castren, Jaire Gipson, Griffin Sloves, Nicholas Quiroz, junior Joshua Laquian, and seniors Molly Tapken and Vanessa Steger. This play will also be the first to be performed in the new theater. The theater was moved to the old wood-shop room last year and has gained some new additions. The walls have been painted black and back-lights have been installed, so there is now a permanent lighting system. The windows and skylights have been covered with black paper and a utility sink has been built in. On the day of the performance, there will be temporary audience risers for the viewers to seat themselves in. Performances will be held on the nights of Dec. 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, and 17 with a preview on Dec. 1.
Artist Spotlight: Musician Kimberly Henderson Staff Reporter
Freshman Leon Eng is a talented musician who has been playing piano, guitar, drums, and singing for seven years. He has already accomplished what many musicians his age hope to accomplish one day. Eng began taking piano lessons from his cousin in third grade. Jonathan Eng, Leon Eng’s brother, was able to help and push Eng to master his scales. He believes that learning piano is essential to music. Eng had an opportunity in third grade to play the drums. His friend saw how much talent he had and encouraged him to pursue his talent. Eng joined the Parkmont Elementary School band, playing a single drum, and eventually moved to a drum set. “When picking up drumming you need to focus on learning the simple beats,” Eng said. Eng joined Parkmont’s Choir in third
grade. For two years, he sang alto and soprano. Sopranos are the high singers and altos are the level under them. Eventually, he learned important breathing techniques from his brother. He took a break from singing until seventh grade, when he joined his church’s worship choir. In Eng’s band, Eternize, he mainly plays the drums but also sings and plays guitar. He began learning how to play guitar in the sixth grade from his brother. “Where ever you go you will always find music and you can adapt to the different cultures of the world,” Eng said. “It is a great talent to have.” To Eng music isn’t an occupation, just a fun part of life. Although Eng knows all these instruments very well, he believes he is best at his favorite instrument, the drums. To Eng, music is a gift in life and he has shown what tremendous hard work can do if you have the patience to pursue it.
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PAGE 7 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
SPORTS
Girls water polo competes in Contra Costa tournament Josh Rozul
Staff Reporter
Photo Provided by Tracy Clark Senior Megan Ottoboni attempting a shot during The Contra Costa Tournament. Girls varsity polo finished the tournament with a record of 3-1.
The girls varsity water polo team participated in the Contra Costa Tournament and placed third. The tournament was held on Sept. 23-24 at Contra Costa High School. “We played better than we had expected,” senior Erin Swardenski said. Although the team did not practice much leading towards the tournament, they felt their teamwork and performance was superb in the water and should have taken better than third. The team ended the tournament with a 3-1 record with wins against Napa, Piedmont, and San Rafael High School. The girls’ only loss came later in the semi finals to Drake High School. “We stayed together, played well and stepped up to the challenge,” Captain senior Katelyn Clark said. Players mentioned that the referees were horrible. The team felt they impacted their effectiveness. After that experience, the team now knows that they cannot let future referees interfere with their focus. Although the team was not satisfied with how the tournament concluded, they do feel stronger. Even with the possibility of consequences that may come with having new coaches, the girls varsity water polo is still looking to go undefeated in the MVAL league and plan to make a mark in the NCS playoffs.
Losing star runners affect team Britney Sanchez Staff Reporter
The Cross Country team has drawn in new runners who are striving for the chance to gain last year’s running talents. The team lost three of their top girls and four of their top boys. Both genders placed in the top percentile of the North Coast Section(NCS) last year. “We’re going to try to do better then other people might think,” Vose said.
Coach Dave Iremonger calls this year the “building year” reflecting the training his runners will go through. This year, the coaches are mainly trying to build up the team’s strength. There has been three invitationals to start off the “building year” for Cross Country. First was the Ed Sias Inivitational in Martinez, where the team placed 12 out of 16. Following that was the De La Salle Invitational at Newhall Park in Concord where the runners finished twenty-ninth out of thirty-five.
“Considering where we are in training, we aren’t looking for high placings and amazingly fast times at this point,” Vose said. Finally, the Stanford Invitational for the top runners. The coaches felt running against good competition was great experience. Three runners were given the chance to run in this invite, juniors Jessica Yee, Nolan Peterson, and senior Gene Horecka. The coaches are focused and look forward to their improvements.
Ranked athlete playing for varsity tennis Kurt Pena
Staff Reporter Freshman Katarina McGaughy is ranked #75 in her Nor Cal age group, and is the tennis team’s varsity one singles player. Coach Matthew Brahbam is surprised to have a ranked player on the tennis team, let alone she being a freshman.
“It has been awhile since Washington [has] had a ranked player join the girls tennis team,” Brahbam said. McGaughy began playing tennis at a young age, and was inspired by her mother and father. She has played in tournaments since 2009 and is unfamiliar of the ideas underlying high school tennis. “I’m not used to being in a team, I usually
just play solo.” McGaughy said. McGaughy is ranked because she has participated in many tournaments, most of which were invitational. Playing in many invitationals and tournaments has secured her position within the state. Katarina has plans after high school with tennis, she wants to play tennis for the University of Berkley and one day go professional.
Hatchet athlete of the month Maleka Mau Chloe Ng Staff Reporter Staff Reporter
Photo by Britney Sanchez Junior Jessica Yee practicing on the field after school. Cross Country’s next even will be against James Logan on Oct. 5 at WHS.
Junior Jessica Yee has developed a love for running ever since she joined the Catholic Youth Organization Cross Country in eighth grade. She has been an avid runner ever since and now has the desire to run everywhere. “I like running because I enjoy pushing myself to the challenge of the sport. All you need is a pair of running shoes and a desire to do it,”, Yee said. Running appeals to her because she is able to go outdoors and run anywhere and it provides her with a
sense of freedom. Yee has been running varsity cross country and track and field since her freshman year. Her family and teammates are supportive and encouraging . Washington alumni, Jessica and Rachel Gerards, influenced Yee to push herself to every challenge. This season, Yee looks forward to seeing her teammates succeed and the opportunity to improve herself. As a runner, she is infatuated by the sport but believes it’s a great way for others to improve in their physique. “If you don’t enjoy it [ running ], don’t do it, but it’s a great thing to get in shape ... all you need is some shoes and you can run anywhere at any time,” Yee said.
Photo by Maleka Mau Freshman Katarina Mcgaughy practices serves for her next game. The tennis team will play James Logan High on Oct. 4.
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PHOTOS
PAGE 8 The Hatchet October 4, 2011
Huskies remember September 11th
Photos by Stephanie Thune Clockwise from the left; ASB President Janesh Gupta speaks at the 9/11 rally about the events that happened a decade ago; Principal Linda Fernandez, Assistant Principal Lance Miller, and students look on as they honor the deceased; Senior Daniel Brown plays “Taps” on the trumpet in the ceremony’s conclusion; History teacher Frances Stephenson writes a message of condolence to 9/11 victims.
Seniors start the year with a splash
WHS staff Michael Soltau, Brian Whitford, Michelene Wittmer, Debi Pavlecic and Lisa Duncan barbeque burgers and hot dogs.
Clockwise; Seniors Billal Nawabi and Joseph Dereis ride the slides; Taylor Loosli and friends have fun and make a splash; Matthew Hsieh, Cherry Liu, Cheryl Lee, Meilin Liang, and Dominique Dizon enjoy some food; Zachary Zapanta plays beach volleyball.
Photos by Joel Capra
Photo by Britney Sanchez
Seniors Brock Liebhardt and Akhila Nekkanti help themselves to some condiments. Photo by Maleka Mau
Photo by Britney Sanchez Junior Abigail Harrison hands out food during the barbeque. The lunches cost only fifty cents for a burger or hot dog, chips and a drink.