Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 782 San Mateo, CA
Volume 51
Issue 02
October 20, 2011
Aragon High School
900 Alameda de las Pulgas
San Mateo, CA 94402
SAM ALAVI
BY ANDREW LYU NEWS
From Alaska to Idaho to just across the bay, Alumni from all around the country traveled to San Mateo last week to celebrate Aragon’s 50th Anniversary. The attendants ranged from recent graduates to members of the first graduating class. On Friday night, Oct. 14, Aragon held a 50th Anniversary football game against South San Fransico (for coverage of this game flip over to page 16). Alumni were invited to the mezzanine level for a
bird’s eye view of the game. Many commented on how the Aragon Football team has improved since their time at Aragon. Many of the alumni noted the improvement in facilities as a major difference between the football program of their day and today’s. Sharon Woodward, class of 1964, said, “First of all, you got bleachers. We’d have to sit on the field. You have grass or turf. There was a lot of dirt in ’64.” Speaking about the quality of play, Frank Park, class of 1963,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
SAM ALAVI
Turn to the
Centerspread for a look at
Aragon through the years
Did you know that Aragon alumni... Have played in the NFL Have played at Wimbledon
Alumni flock to
Have taught at Harvard
Aragon’s 50th ALEX FURUYA
Have played for the SF Giants Have been on Jeopardy!
KORE CHAN
International Food Fair Tues., Nov 1st 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Top Left: Alumnus Keely Reynolds looks at Aragon spirit gear with her daughter. Top Right: Junior Tammy Ng gives tours to alumni. Bottom Left: Aragon faculty and staff hall of fame inductee Robert McLean gives a speech on his time at Aragon. Bottom Right: Attendants to the 50th Anniversary banquet.
at the Large Gym
Torlakson: Schools of the Future BY LANDON HART AND BRANDON LIU NEWS
Monday September, 26, Aragon hosted the Clean Renewable Energy Dedication, a commemoration for the newly installed solar panels. Speakers from varying professions around the state were there to commemorate the event in front of Aragon’s faculty and the entire student body. State Superintendent Tom Torlakson was the keynote speaker and presented his “Schools of the Future” initiative which focuses on state school facility program reform and green schools. Among the other speakers was Aragon alumnus Jason Bade, a student who was instrumental in the push for solar panels. Bade proposed the idea to have the solar panels installed. “It was the end of my sophomore year, and I always had this idea that solar panels were cool, so I started up the Environmental Impact Committee. Our two main goals were: recycling and solar.”
The EIC was formed with help of two teacher advisors, Doug McGlashan and Amy Schwartz. McGlashan spoke of Bade during his speech, saying, “A determined Jason Bade is a determined force and the only credit I give myself is not having gotten in his way and thus providing his sponsorship so that his student needs would be taken seriously.” Though the event only lasted for a brief hour, the process of development and construction took about four years. “The solar panels were the fruits of many people’s labor,” said Bade. Bade’s proposition would have to meet with district approval and would require coordinated efforts in order to be brought to fruition. He was directed to Deputy Superintendent of Business Services Elizabeth McManus, who had also installed solar at her previous school. Budget cuts provided a difficult obstacle for the district to overcome, so McManus applied
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Turn to page 11 to experience the revival of the Potter craze.
Watching your teachers watch teachers Peer Observation Week at Aragon is
Oct. 17 - 21
11 Aragon teachers are Aragon Alumni State Superintendent Tom Torlakson proclaims his vision for the future of Californian schools KORE CHAN
Turn to page 7 to explore the utilities of various musical stytles!
Turn to page 3 to read up on ELC changes
02 NEWS
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Aragon strives to incorporate freshmen
JUSTIN CHING NEWS
With another entering class of freshmen, Aragon has been taking steps this year to ease their transition into high school. Amongst these initiatives are the controversial freshmen treats, additional support classes, and a newly implemented “band buddies” program. Headed by the PTSO freshman committee, the freshman treats are amongst other ideas intended to ease the transition into high school. The committee, headed entirely by parents, is active in promoting Aragon’s academic excellence. Parents made all the treats themselves and had administrative support in executing the event. Counselor Stacy Becker had conceptualized revamping freshman orientation, in which freshmen would be closer knit into the student body. Dounia Kardosh says, “[Freshmen] are more welcome [and] not as intimidated. [Its] a nice way to show they’re being recognized.” Freshmen themselves bear mixed response to the new freshmen treats. Some express that the treats have little effect other than being “free food.” Freshman Daniel Halbeib says, “It is candy, it is not going to make me think any different. Candy is not going to make my day any better. I understand that it can help some people, [but] not me.” Halbeib expresses that the transition to high school is solely
controlled by one’s own perception of it. He says, “I didn’t really think I got a lot of people welcoming me; I didn’t expect everyone to hold my hand. This is a public school; you’ll have to deal with it on your own.” Freshman Rachel Leung says, “I just thought of it as free food.” Of high school, she also says, “I was only scared of getting lost; it was not intimidating.” However, others recognize the importance of these treats, as they are intended to help new students transition to an unfamiliar e nv i ron ment. Senior Andrew
presses discontent that freshmen are receiving treats before the seniors have received theirs. He says “If there are free snacks on campus, they should be for seniors [first]. Lower classmen need to realize they need to
H
C YN AL
Perotti says, “High school [is] daunting. [These] initiatives are a positive thing to ease the transition. It’s a good incentive to have freshmen feel welcome and open.” At the same time, Perotti ex-
p a y their dues and wait for [their] N LU
snacks.” Regardless, Perotti says, I do support the initiative taken to make [freshmen] feel welcome and not isolated or scared. In the long term it is a good way to make
freshmen more comfortable.” Similarly, Aragon’s band program has taken action to more fully integrate freshmen through the band buddies program. Upperclassmen students were paired with freshmen playing the same instru-
Though “band buddies” has only existed for little over a month, band director Troy Davis believes he has already noticed its benefits. “[Freshmen] are definitely more inspired, because band council is taking initiative for things to happen. There’s more of a willingness to step up and less waiting for someone to do something.” Furthermore, the school has been taking steps to help freshmen through additional support classes. Winston says, “[We’re] really [getting] freshmen on track, [keeping] them for falling behind.” The classes are intended to provide help for freshman at an early stage so as to prevent them ments, from dropping out of Aragon. intending Placement in support classes t o serve as mentors for is determined on middle school their younger counterparts. performance. Primary factors are The buddies program intends the California Standards Tests to create a bond between band taken during seventh grade, midstudents in different grades. Vice dle school grades, and teacher president of the band council ju- suggestions for placement. In nior Marie order to bolMihara says, “I didn’t expect everyone ster some stu“We wanted dents’ perforbands to be to hold my hand. This is a mance, some more cohesive public school; you’ll have to are placed [and] more of into approdeal with it on your own.” priate classes, a bridge be-Freshman Daniel Halbeib such as Algetween bands. Not just musibra Support. cally, but [also] socially.” All in all, the recent changes Mihara draws on personal ex- have been made with the intent to perience as a justification for the hopefully improve communicaband buddies program. She says tion throughout campus. Fresh“As a freshman who moved into man committee chair Cheryl [Wind Ensemble], I probably Westmont accurately says, “[It’s could’ve transitioned faster if I to] make them feel welcome and had some support in the form of transition better.” a mentor.”
Red Cross Club starts year with cell phone drive ANGELA SOLIS NEWS
The Red Cross Club, a humanitarian group dedicated to raising awareness to better the local and global community, kicked off the year with a cell phone drive, sponsored by HopeLine from Verizon Wireless. “We encourage[d] everyone to find old, working cell phones they don’t need anymore and donate them,” said sophomore club treasurer Jonathan Staryuk. “Our goal is to increase awareness of domestic violence, especially with younger people [who] might not realize how prevalent it is.” After days of advertising through Facebook, fliers, and announcements, the Red Cross Club was able to gather 20 cell phones from the student body, parents and teachers. One of the donators, sophomore Arash Jalali Sohi, commented on how he had a personal connection to the drive. He said, “One of my distant relatives was a victim of domestic violence and this drive is important to me because I can help people like her.” The Red Cross Club collected both working and nonfunctioning phones. Teens who suffer from domestic violence will receive a donated cell phone
and free minutes so that they both for our Bay Area commucan reach out for help when it is nity and the American and Interneeded. The donated cell phones national Red Cross. You’ll hear could be from any carrier, pro- about them on the announcevided that they have their battery ments once plans are finalized.” and charger. The phones which do Club members expect great not work will be disposed of in an turnouts for future events, coneco-friendly way. sidering the successes of past “I think it’s a really good idea... years’ events, which include the we all want the newest technolo- previous year’s fashion show, the gy, so it’s great we can give our old Japan earthquake relief fund and phones a second life,” said sopho- the selling of pins for measles remore Stanley Krzesniak. lief in Africa. Sophomore Marisa Jewett Speaking about a hopeful fuadded, “I think that the cell phone ture, Staryuk added, “We’re workdrive is an ing really “We’d like to promote more ini- well with amazing idea... it’s incredible tiatives this year, both for our Bay the new the things that Area community and the Ameri- leadership. people can do can and International Red Cross.” There aren’t to help out -Red Cross Treasurer Sopho- any delays teens in need.” more Jonathan Staryuk or setbacks When asked with planabout the future of the cell phone ning the initiatives, which is good drive, club president Brandon Yan … We’ve had good participation said, “After a successful first drive, and contributions from students if we chose to continue this at a last year, especially for Japan future time, we may consider giv- earthquake belief. ing prizes for those who contrib“Anyone who wants to help ute as our way of saying thanks.” out their community and help The cell phone drive is not the the American Red Cross with its only big event planned for the mission can come join! We meet year. “We’ve already gotten more Mondays at lunch in room 161.” members, and we expect to have more fundraisers and awareness Please visit aragonoutlook.net campaigns throughout the year,” for even more exciting content! Staryuk said. “We’d like to promote more initiatives this year,
DAVID DIBA
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Parking lot modifications disrupt neighborhood BY BRENDAN BLOSSER-MCGINNIS NEWS
Due to construction of the new science wing, Zolman Construction and Development Inc. is occupying an estimated 50 parking spots as space for offices and building material storage. The few remaining spots have been allotted to only a handful of seniors while juniors have been excluded entirely. “It’s really annoying and inconvenient,” said Jenna Raffo, one of the many juniors denied parking permits. “There’s really nowhere else to park except Georgetown [Avenue].” Because it is one of the only streets adjacent to Aragon without “No Parking” signs strewn along it, Georgetown Avenue has become one of the few places to park for students without permits. During school hours, it is packed with students’ cars, angering some residents of the street. “Sometimes I can’t park in front of my own house,” said Georgetown resident Cheryl Jenkins. “I’m not happy with it at all.” This opinion seems to resonate throughout Georgetown. However, many other residents of the neighborhood contained within the vicinity of Baywood, Aragon, and Borel disagree, saying that the only time they
actually have a problem with Aragon-related parking is during weekend events. “I’m indifferent about it; to me, the street is public. I don’t think we have the luxury to live in the Bay Area with 8 million people and feel like parking in front of our house has to be exclusively ours,” said Edward Jackson, a resident of Aragon Boulevard. “I consciously decided to live here, so I knew people were going to do that.” Among the students of Aragon, the opinion varies between sympathy towards the residents and irritation due to the restricted of freedom to park. “I guess it would be annoying if the people who live there couldn’t park in front of their own house, but who’s even home during the middle of the day anyway,” said junior Tyler Bray. Junior Justin Ordonez added, “They have driveways, why don’t they use them?” Assistant Principal Joe Mahood said, “Construction will be done in January, so we’ll have the parking places back in February.” “I’m sure they’ll open it up for juniors, just to be fair,” says Staff Assistant Dounia Kardosh, referring to the reassignment of parking permits that will happen with the return of the parking spaces. VALERIE PEREZ
Junior Melissa Matthews parks her car several blocks from Aragon.
ELC Expansion in UCs BY ANNIKA ULRICH NEWS
This year, seniors applying to the University of California sites will experience a change in their application process, specifically their ELC rank, or “Eligibility in Local Context”. A student’s ELC rank is calculated by high schools and the University of California system the summer before an applicant’s senior year. It can guarantee a student admission into the UC system if he or she qualifies. In recent years, a student’s ELC rank was determined by a student’s high school administrators. The summer before senior year, high school counselors would select the top 15 percent of the class by GPA and send that information to the UC system, which would then go through the list and select the top 4 percent of that high school. Several weeks ago, this system changed so that UC-selected ELC would expand from the top 4 percent to the top 9 percent of a high school class. “We were told to send the top 15 percent [this year]… we sent the names and addresses, and [the top 9 percent] will be mailed a letter with access to a website. This website will tell them if they are ELC,” said Laurie Tezak, Aragon college and career adviser. Once students are confirmed as ELC, they must maintain a 3.0 GPA, take and submit two SAT subject tests if they have not already done so, and complete all UC required coursework through the senior year in order to keep their admission into a UC. In previous years, ELC students were guaranteed a place at several of the UC campuses in the UC system (UC Irvine, UC Davis and UC Riverside were previously included), though not necessarily their top choice. Now, the only UC that will automatically accept
Filmmakers at Aragon BY ISAAC WANG NEWS
Here at Aragon, there are a lot of under the radar film makers. Last year’s Donception inspired many students to start filming. Some of the students have big aspirations to become YouTube stars while others just film for fun. Senior Ali Imani, a young director who helped edit and put together Donception last year, said, “Filming is just a hobby. I know some professional filmmakers who only get four hours of sleep so I don’t want to become a professional. I just want to have some fun with it.” On the other hand, former Aragon student Andrew Wong, a YouTuber claims he wants to, “accomplish recognition in the YouTube community and in real life”. So what motivates these young directors to start filming? For Wong, it was, “YouTube sensations like Ryan Higa and KevJumba. Another reason I grew interested in filmmaking was because I created some videos for a class
project, and my other friends thought the videos were funny. I initially started v-logging, early this year because I heard that many YouTube celebrities get paid for what they do, and it sounded pretty cool to get paid for what I liked doing”. As a v-logger, Wong video logs, which is basically a video diary. One can describe their life stories, or anything that has happened to in your life; all you have to do is turn on the camera, and start talking. There are millions of possibilities of what these filmmakers could choose. They rely on their creativity to come up with something fresh and exciting. Imani focuses on stunts and editing, while Wong focuses on his own personal life. For Senior Calvin Ng, he is open to whatever his filmmaking group wants to film about. The hardest part of filmmaking could very well be starting. It is hard to find the right editing software, the right camera, and the right topic to film about. Filming is a very time consuming procedure. When asked about
the procedures of filmmaking, Ng stated, “You have to come up with an idea of what to film first. You then find a location and then think of what to film. It’s usually during lunch when our filming group meets. Our cameraman Tim Leung usually like to film from multiple angles so we end up doing the same shot at least four to six times. Most of the time however, we get distracted and don’t accomplish much. Most of the time, we are short on people because people you don’t see in shots, are usually doing something, like holding the boom microphone or something”. When asked about the procedures, Wong stated that, “First, you come up with an idea. You then try to build off of it. I also like to keep to my room, where there are few disturbances because if you have disturbances, it could mess up your whole video. Sometimes, when I don’t know what to say in the middle of my v-logs, I can edit that part out. Editing can make your video look a lot better because it allows you to
NEWS 03
ELC students is the University of California at Merced. “I think [ELC] is more of an attempt by the UC system to get more interest in [Merced] rather than to encourage students to attend the UCs as a whole,” said senior Jamie Moore. “UC Merced MARIEL WONG may be a good university, [but] I think that the top 9 percent of students would prob- Tezak. As in previous years, the ably be looking at one of the more fourteen point comprehensive reestablished schools.” view takes several other factors “With the [current] economy, into account, including extra-curcollege can be very expensive,” ricular activities, SAT scores, and says Tezak. Because they are ELC status. more affordable than private colAs of now, the change in the leges, UCs are receiving more ap- ELC process should not have any plications than in previous years. major impact on students after This has caused the other eight they start college next year, Tezak UC campuses to face impacted said. Although it has generated enrollment. With more students questions about the impact of attending the UCs, class sizes more ELCs being admitted next have increased and certain ma- year, UC admissions officers say jors have become impacted. “The that this should not have a great UCs have the right to set policies effect on class size. While graduhowever they want, but transition ation time has been extended to years are always hard,” said teach- five years for many UC students er Cristina Trujillo. due to overcrowding, many of the This ELC change will also af- UC campuses stated that they still fect the way a senior applies. aim for students to graduate in “Absolutely no D’s or F’s. If you four years. Many details are curdo have one, it should be made rently unavailable due to budgetup. If you have one or are getting ing difficulties. one, you need to report it to the Because of the increased comUC system,” says Tezak. Because petition for UC admission, Tezak more students are applying to UC reminds students to not look schools than ever before, admis- down on community college. sions officers will be accepting a “UCs will take a transfer student smaller percentage of students. from a community college before Being marked as an ELC student a high school senior if there is could be extremely beneficial be- room,” Tezak said. cause it shows that you are in the As seniors start to enter the aptop 9% of your graduating class. plication process, Tezak advises, This advantage comes into play “Be kind to yourself and never during the review performed on compare yourself to other stuapplications. “The UCs do a four- dents. Everybody takes a differteen point comprehensive review. ent road”. One point on there is whether or not you are the first person in Please visit aragonoutlook.net your family to go to college,” said for even more exciting content!
Four aspiring filmmakers review a scene. From left to right: Bobby John (graduate), Timothy Leung (12), Gregory Portnov (12) and Aaron Fong (12)
take out unwanted pauses or slurs that may happen”. Not only is filmmaking a time-consuming procedure, it is also a grueling process, that creates frustration for many people. Aside from filming, one also has to edit in the special effects and cut out the mistakes. Then, after one finishes the editing, one has to process and convert your video, and then upload it. According to Imani, the hardest part of filming is, “Thinking on your feet. There are lots of challenges; things don’t work out, bad quality on your camera, bad weather, you just need to think on
SAMANTHA SOON
your feet”. For Ng, the hardest part was, “Getting over the initial acting shyness”. The success of Donception proves that even amateur filmmakers can produce professional quality content. Be sure to check out Donception and other student-produced content on YouTube. See student Youtube channels Andrew Wong: andrewdoubleu Ali Imani: AliImani94 Calvin Ng: Ne3won
04 NEWS 50th Celebration CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Alumni view the new pool while on their campus tours SAM ALAVI
the first graduating class, noted, “You guys have a team; we didn’t have a team. When it came to sports, I assume that it took a few years to get it together.” On a similar note, Dave Baumann of the class of 1967, who played football, said, “We were an expansion school … We didn’t really have our feet on the ground. And then you read in the paper every now and then that we’re winning titles and championships.” The next morning, alumni were invited to take tours of the campus. Many marveled at how parts of the school were virtually indistinguishable from the images from their high school memories. Laurie Brown from the class of ’69 said “The girl’s locker room is exactly the same.” Others were surprised at the huge changes
to the school. Mike Wood, who graduated in Aragon’s first graduating class in ’63, says “When I came here, you could see over the trees in center court.” As alumni roamed the halls of Aragon, they spoke about their memories from their teenage days. Lynne Abell from the class of ’70 said “we used to, after school, take blocks of ice and put burlap on them and race down the hill in front of the school.” Furthermore, alumni often laughed when passing by the new pool. Historically, the pool was the setting of various pranks. “In 1967, some people filled the whole pool with pumpkins,” said Abell. She also recalled “one time there was a Volkswagen on the room and one time [there was a Volkswagen] in the pool.” John Farris from the class of ’66 recalled that his senior year, “everyone came to school in the morning and there was a tombstone in the pool.” Center court was also a site of many memories. Farris said “there was a senior hill and a junior hill where, during lunch, you could only eat on the hill if you were a senior or a junior.” Wendy Kunz from class of ’76 met her husband on the center court field. “We met here at Aragon… making out,” she said. The couple has
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011 Wendy Kunz, class of ’76, and her husband Dale find themselves on the centercourt lawn once again
ALEX FURUYA
been married for 33 years. After eating lunch and talking with friends, all the celebration participants gathered in the library for the Faculty and Staff Annual Hall of Fame Induction. Every year, five former faculty are inducted into the Aragon Faculty and Staff Hall of Fame. This year, the five inductees were Don Hill, Peter Lawrence, Bob McLean, John Mahaffy, and Margene Noyes. Saturday night, people were invited to attend a banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. For the next three hours, graduates and their friends enjoyed music, food and dancing. California Assembly Member Jerry Hill presented Aragon a resolution as part of its fiftieth anniversary. Coordinators Heidi Bowman and Lorna Kelbe were approached by Principal Kurtz and Assistant Principal Mahood six months ago to organize the event. Initially they debated on having it
the previous year, but decided to integrate it with the Hall of Fame Induction. Klebe says “We wanted to celebrate Aragon as a community treasure. It defines the neighborhoods around it. We wanted it so that everyone could acknowledge this.” Despite the initial difficulties, Bowman was excited at the turnout. She says “There were 250 people at school during the day and more at night. Considering we have 17000 graduates, 5000 would have been nice, but we have 350 people here tonight and that’s great.” Additional credit for this article goes to Taylor Westmont, Brandon Liu, Sangwon Yun and Sabrina Imbler. Visit aragonoutlook.net for web exclusive content, past articles more and photo spreads.
Sue Barizon cheers on the Aragon the football at the 50th anniversary football game. KORE CHAN
Solar Event CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for various grants that could fund the initial investments. However, she said, “The construction contracts were coming in below budget, so all of a sudden I had some capacity. I was trying to look at different options of installing the panels.” Peter Hanley, a member on the SMUHSD Board of Trustees, added, “We did a thorough analy-
Quick Statistics on the Solar Panels •Seven acres of panel •Saves $1.2 million a year for the district •3.72 megawatts of energy created every year •372 megawatts of energy is the equivalent of the fuel used by 394 cars each year or the power used by 597 homes each year. • Our solar panels will offset 2.6 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide gas each year. Right: Jason Bade speaks on his push for the solar panel project Bottom: The entire student body attended the solar day
JASON MAI
sis. The numbers started to look very positive and we had the benefit of the bond money under the current measure M.” The solar panels were only recently completed even though Bade graduated a few years ago. Bade adds, “I think many people wanted the solar for a long time, and it was just figuring a way to make it work. It’s good that the community can see, now, the benefit and the positive impact that [the solar panels] are going to have on things other than just the environment, but also education, and the green economy.” Supplied by SunPower, The solar panels were installed at Ara-
KORE CHAN
An alumnus enjoys the photo gallery displayed in the library. ALEX FURUYA
gon, Burlingame, Hillsdale, and Mills. The seven acres of panels will save about $1.2 million a year and will generate about 64% of the District’s electrical needs, the equivalent of 3.72 megawatts. Increasing energy costs will enable the panels to save nearly $3 million in a decade. Mark Quattrocchi came on behalf of Quattrocchi Kwok Architects, the company that designed the solar panel installation as well as several of the new buildings. Though Aragon was not the first to install panels, Quattrocchi says, “3.72 megawatts is definitely one of the biggest [solar] projects. I hope there will be more growth
in the industry. I think the cost and efficiency will definitely be improved.” State Superintendent of Instruction Torlakson says, “From the saved money, [the green initiative] will create jobs, put money into the classroom, help save the environment, and create tens of thousands of teachable moments for the students.” Torlakson’s Schools of the Future initiative focuses on creating an efficient learning environment. The team is comprised of many people from various professions including educators, business professionals, architects, school facility practitioners, green advocates, energy professionals, and policy makers. Torlakson spoke of a state appointed energy liaison that will be in charge for finding other energy saving strategies for schools. Torlakson also said that future reforms to the school construction process will streamline schools to improve energy efficiency. A Green School Award will be awarded annually to schools who promote environmental efforts Bill Savidge, Engineering Officer of West Contra Costa Unified School District, served as a chair of one of the sub groups in the Schools of the Future process. He said, “What we looked at was how can we as a state do a better job of building school facilities for the
21st century, how can we finance them, how can we make a commitment as a state, and engage in energy efficient projects. Savidge expressed his ideas during his speech and said, “We have to have a commitment at the national level, state level, and local level to fund facilities and building schools because that’s how we remain competitive in the global market base.” Torlakson hopes to implement new legislation, coining the idea “teamwork. ”I want to allow schools to build a solar farm to generate enough electricity to take care of a whole district. However, he said, “According to the [current] energy quota, each school can only generate enough energy to support the school.” Torlakson added, “I want it so that schools can put surplus energy into the grid and get paid for it. I want schools to make some money.” Within the next few years, the new solar panels will easily compensate for the initial cost of the investment. Torlakson says, ‘This is a model day for other schools to follow.” Indeed, the new legislation and his Schools of the Future initiative plan to increase the benefits of environmentally-friendly technology, thereby encouraging other schools to follow suit.
FEATURES 05
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Aragon Technology Revisited KORE CHAN
it’s easier to have a computer at go to magazines, go to books, go home instead of having to go to to newspaper articles. Now you the library can just go and other on Google “The best learning, that or Wikipedia places.” Although which occurs through so- and find evt e c h n o l o g y cial interaction, conver- erything you seems to be sation, and hands-on ex- need to know beneficial for perimenting, can not be very quickly a lot of our done with technology.” and I feel peers, they you’re losing -English teacher also bring a little bit of Victoria Daniel the thinking up unhelpful things such process that as distractions. Freshman David takes place when you search or Tong says, “I go on Facebook like research for something so effortSpanish teacher Nicole Elenz-Martín explores the novel applications of the every two minutes. It makes my lessly,” she says. Smart Board as useful tools in teaching her course curriculum. homework take twice as long, like Maurin also emphasizes the MARIELLA HERNANDEZ Maurin agrees and says, “I go on six hours. Sometimes I finish and skills that are diminished in our FEATURES Microsoft word documents to sometimes I don’t and I have to age of technology. “The basic project a much clearer image for finish it in class.” skills of how to spell and the baAragon’s technological ad- the students. Sometimes they say Goldin says, “When you’re do- sic skills of how to do math [are vancements have changed learn- [that they] can’t read [my] writ- ing homework and you get a text, lost],” she says. “There’s an intering and teaching on a whole new ing so it’s clearer when things are the phone goes off, and you just dependency that without the eleclevel. In some ways, they help and typed and projected.” want to answer it.” tronics, there isn’t an easy ability enhance teachers’ abilities to eduSome stuTe a c h e r s to do simple things without the cate their students, while in other dents also are well aware technology.” ways, they might affect or limit express posi- “When I started teaching, of the techEven students student’s abilities. tive opinions the only types of technolo- nological dis- are aware of PE and Health teacher Ed Lar- on the new gy were electric typewrit- tractions that these unhealthy ios says, “When I started teaching, technolog y. ers, ditto machines, and their students affects. “When the only types of technology were F r e s h m a n zerox copy machines.” face daily. you’re using electric typewriters, ditto ma- K a t h e r i n e They seem the computer -PE and Health chines, and xerox copy machines.” Goldin says, to be more basically the teacher Ed Larios c o n c e r n e d computer does Much has advanced and teach- “I find [the ers often find these new resources new techabout how the work and helpful. “When I think of how nology] helpful because [Smart technology may be affecting their you just put in much has changed in 15 years, I Boards] give more visuals than a students’ learning abilities. Span- your ideas,” says am astounded. Attendance, com- teacher lecture. It helps me learn ish teacher Nicole Elenz-Martín freshman Susan municating with parents, entering because if I see things, I hang on explains how her kids seem to Rodriguez. and posting grades has become so to them more.” be losing their “critical thinkThese opinmuch easier,” says English teacher Sophomore Audelina Marti- ing.” “When I was in high school ions and obserVictoria Daniel. nez says, “For some teachers, we we really had to do research. We vations from our Avid substitute teacher Sherri have to type [assignments] and had to rely on different sources, Aragon commu-
nity come to show that technology affects us in good ways and in bad. “[Technology] helps give us access to information and images we might never have,” says Daniel. “It can expand knowledge and communication in ways we never could before. I think [technology] may make it more engaging [for students], but easier, no. [Students] still have to think and process on their own and the best learning, that which occurs through social interaction, conversation, and hands-on experimenting, can not be done with technology.” Technology is a great tool- a tool that is used for access to information and communication. It could never be a tool for your ability to think, it will never think for you. It’s the people using the technology who decide whether it is the good or bad guy.
Eco-friendly or ego-friendly?
often trash in the recycling bins around campus. Unfortunately, throwing a piece of trash into a Warm my heart, not my planet. recycling bin creates the risk of There is no Planet B. Earth needs having the entire batch of recyyou. These empowering slogans, clables moved to the nearest trash among others, are commonly dump. seen embellished across shirts, reHowever, many are attracted usable water bottles, and bumper to the eco-friendly community. stickers with the goal of promotFormer Aragon student and ing green environmenawareness in “There isn’t enough moti- tal activist the young Bade vation because not enough Jason populasays, “If it tion. How- people are aware of how gets people ever, these easily students can help by to do the products are just using a reusable water right thing, plagued with bottle.” don’t look at contradic- -Sophomore Max the motive; tions—shirts at the Herrera look are often result.” Getmade of cotting the right ton, one of the most pesticide result is the difficult part. It may intensive crops, and eco-friendly be popular to participate in the stickers are often plastered to gas- social trend, but those who actuguzzling cars. Although teenagers ally contribute to improving enviare a huge part of the green move- ronmental conditions are rare. ment, they don’t always realize its Sophomore Max Herrera says, reality. “There isn’t enough motivation Current leader of both the En- because not enough people are vironmental Impact Committee aware of how easily students can and Recycling Club at Aragon, help by just using a reusable water junior Tammy Ng says, “The go- bottle.” ing green trend is a great thing, I In the United States alone, 246 think. I just hope that more peo- billion pounds of plastic are used ple take it seriously.” to produce plastic water bottles Ng notices that although many per year. This amount of plasAragon students recycle, there is tic production emits 3.2 million KATARINA DRAKE FEATURES
pounds of greenhouse gases into easily fix and it’s one I am willthe atmosphere, contributing to ing to change.” global warming. If this continues, Although some recthe pristine springs and majestic ognize these necessary alpine mountains depicted on changes, the probplastic water bottle labels will no lem of authenticlonger exist. ity remains. The Luckily, many Aragon students green movement have adopted eco-friendly hab- may be a soits. Junior Connor Ching notices, cial trend, but “There are a lot of people who re- its popularcycle and whose actions influence ity shouldn’t others to catch onto the green overs h a dow trend.” its importance to environ“I have been using reusable mental change. water bottles, and I only wash my Bade says, “Salespeople PE clothes once a week,” freshman take advantage of that sort of Vito Gano says. “I also recycle at thing, and people don’t really my house and always put raw ma- care because if they can be terials in a seen buyseparate bag ing profor comduce at the posting,” he far mer’s -Use reusable containers for lunch adds. market or -Bring your own mug to coffee shops Sophodriving a -Wrap a present with newspaper more Quinn Prius that is -Unplug appliances when on vacation Bredl says, all that mat-Shop at and hold garage sales “I love recyters. Once cling, I hate you become l i t te r b u g s , aware...it and I compost regularly.” will become hard to ignore. You Not everyone can be an ada- will want to engage in greener mant green activist, but many methods… and make a difference recognize room for improvement. on Earth.” Junior Angela Hung says, “I always forget to turn off my lights Please visit aragonoutlook.net in my room when I leave, but I refor more articles and photos. alize that this is a habit that I can
Tips for being eco-friendly:
SHANNON BODEAU
FEATURES 06
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
In the shadow of achievement BY SAMANTHA R. WONG FEATURES
“I’m pretty sure most siblings fight…if not, there’s something wrong with you,” says junior Smita Jain. Sibling rivalry often affects the relationship between the older sibling and the younger sibling, and, especially in high school, it tends to be based on competition. When a younger sibling establishes this competition by trying to follow the choices and successes of their older sibling, they are inevitably placed in
DAVID DIBA
a “shadow of achievement,” a metaphorical image that represents the certain amount of pressure hefted upon the younger one by the older one’s accomplishments. Many younger siblings view this “shadow” as a motivator to exceed the achievements of their older siblings. Freshman Amy Yu experiences the pressure of having two older sisters, one of whom is an Aragon alumni and the other a current junior. Yu openly expresses her desire to exceed her sisters’ accomplishments in the future. “Maybe I won’t be able to surpass them in everything,” she says, “but to be able to do better than one of them in a certain subject or activity is something I would feel proud of doing.” Melissa Ma, a sophomore with an older sister at UCLA, says, “If she’s able to accomplish something, I think I should be able to do that too.” Junior Sally Hosokawa has an older sister who graduated from Aragon last year and now attends Brown University. Hosokawa says, “Lots of people tell me I should go to an Ivy.” However, in spite of this, she doesn’t let the pressure of the shadow damage her relationship with her sister. “She inspires me to work hard in school, but also in playing the violin and with my social life. I admire how she has such a diverse and wide range of friends,” she adds. Many younger siblings experience similar benefits. For
sophomore Jordan Lim, athletic pressure is balanced out by his healthy relationship with his older sister, who is also an athlete. He says, “I feel special when being compared to her [by teachers].” He adds, “I like it when she helps me run and practice soccer.” Some feel relieved that they don’t have to follow siblings’ footsteps. “I’m more interested in sports, and [my brother] is more interested in music,” freshman Kevin Wang says. English teacher Victoria Daniel notices these differences in siblings. Many times she has taught an older sibling for one year, and has then received their younger sibling later enrolled in the same class. “I find [teaching
older and younger siblings] fascinating,” she says. “I think I’ve only seen one or two cases where a younger sibling didn’t feel good about himself, where it became a problem in class. Usually [older and younger siblings] have different talents, like academics versus sports or theater.” She adds, “There are also instances where a lot of younger siblings do not want to be associated with the older sibling, maybe because that older sibling wasn’t a good student or has established a name or reputation.” Like Daniel, math teacher Alice Hu receives many siblings of the same family. “I don’t even notice at first,” she says, “but when I do, I try to see them as a different person. I don’t compare them at all.” For the most part, the idea that all younger siblings with successful older siblings endure rivalrous pressure is a bit of an exaggeration. Hanna and Hillary Koh, twin sisters and seniors at Aragon, have a younger sister who is a junior. They understand their younger sister’s determination to study well in her junior year, but they do not purposely try to be inspirational or pressure their sister in any way to achieve the things they have achieved. “She’s too close in age,” they explain, “so we see each other the same. We recognize each other as friends.” Most do not define themselves under the “shadow of achievement.” In fact, it may not be a shadow at all but a spotlight, which allows younger siblings to make the best of an opportunity. Senior Alyssa Block thinks along these positive lines about her own freshman sister, saying, “I just hope she can use lessons from me and apply them to her own life.”
San Francisco: everyone’s favorite city PHOTOS BY ALEX FURUYA
BY CAMILLE HALLEY FEATURES
Most Aragon students live only thirty short minutes from one of the country’s most famous cities, San Francisco. The city is known across the globe and visited by tourists each day, but what is it like for those of us who live only a stones-throw away from the City by the Bay? “I see [San Francisco] as the center for the arts,” says senior Meredith Charlson, who works at Oberlin Dance Company in San Francisco everyday. One reason for San Francisco’s artsy reputation may be its abundance of well-known museums. “There’s like five museums within five blocks of each other,” says junior Charlotte Braxton. Senior Allyson Kiefer says, “I usually go to the museums [in San Francisco], like the MOMA [Museum of Modern Art], the Legion of Honor…The de Young is my favorite.” But, according to junior Katie Barnes, San Francisco isn’t only about indoor art. “There’s a lot of graffiti,” she says, adding that it isn’t the average curse-word graffiti that one might find in a Taco Bell. “It’s colorful. It has people
and monsters…it’s really cool.” In addition, San Francisco is full of opportunities in the performing arts. Senior Kathryn Miyahira, who is active in Aragon’s theater department, says she often
visits San Francisco to see plays at the Orpheum Theatre, such as Hairspray and Wicked. Many students see the differences in San Francisco compared to other major U.S. cities. Although Los Angeles is close in proximity to San Francisco, some students do not see many similarities between the two.“[San Francisco] seems older,” says sophomore Candelaria BeltranMoreno. “[It has more of] an oldfashioned city vibe.” Some students think it’s the occupants that are different. “I think the people are a lot happier in San Francisco,” says Charlson. She also makes note of the differences between San Francisco and what many people consider to be “the capital of the world,” New York City. “New York City is really big and exciting, but it has just has a very different vibe from San Francisco. San Francisco is very laid back,” says Charlson.
Senior Ricardo Tovar, who has also visited New York, agrees that it differs from San Francisco. “It was big and it was just too crazy. I didn’t like it; I prefer San Francisco…It’s the most famous in the West Coast and probably the top ten [in the United States] and it’s well deserved.” He adds, “You see a lot more diversity [in San Francisco]…it’s a great place.” Miyahira agrees that San Francisco’s diversity separates it from other cities. “One area covers so many different religions and ethnicities and beliefs,” she says. “The Mission is kind of Hispanic and the Castro is kind of gay friendly.” Junior Alyssa Jang says, “San Mateo is beautiful, but it doesn’t have strong characters.” Barnes says, “In San Francisco, there’s hipsters, there’s hippies, there’s business people, and there are families.” According to junior Alexis Harrington, “San Franciscans tend to be really accepting of everything. There’s not a lot of prejudice or bias.” Brittany McOmber, also a junior, agrees, saying, “People there are so much more diverse and openminded…[They are] very liberal and open to change.” However, not all students hold the neighboring city in such high regard. “It used to be more important than it is now,” says junior David Koshy. “It’s actually pretty small compared to other cities.” To sophomore Adilene Sandoval, San Francisco is “kind of just there.” Braxton says, “I actually don’t really like the city. It’s really too crowded and it’s really grey and very dirty.” Koshy agrees. “It’s disgusting,” he says. “There are homeless people everywhere... San Mateo is so much better and cleaner.” Although “Everyone’s Favorite City” may not be every Aragon student’s favorite city, most agree that it is pretty special to have such a unique and well-known city so close to home. In fact, some even have pride. “When people ask where I’m from I don’t say San Mateo,” says Harrington, “I say San Francisco.” Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles and photos.
Pictured: a freeway sign in San Francisco (top), a wheel at Fisherman’s Wharf (center), Haight Street (bottom).
FEATURES 07
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Music to my mood
The psychology behind its utility BRANDON YAN FEATURES
There are few things in existence that can evoke the emotions of the heart and soul to as great a degree as music can. At its most basic level, it appears to be nothing more than sounds and notes. But in reality, music is a subject that is both deep and personal. As sophomore Patrick Lin puts it, “Music is life.” Acknowledging the utility of music, Senior Sammy Shufton says, “I’m aware of the fact that music triggers certain emotions… and too big a clash between emotion and what I’m listening to rarely helps.” People’s preference of music changes tremendously depending on their emotions. Lin says, “When I’m sad or lonely, I’d be listening to slow Drake songs [because of] the melodies and the smooth feel of the songs.” AP Psychology teacher Carlo Corti says, “Any time I’m getting a little more sad…I think [of] music that has a faster beat, more pleasant lyrics… An example I could think of specifically is the group Mumford and Sons. I can’t
listen to them and be upset.” Often times, lyrics and other musical decorations strengthen a song’s emotional connection to its listeners. “Lyrics are specific to every song,” says Corti. “Sometimes you don’t notice lyrics at all – they mean nothing at all whatsoever to you. But there are times where a musician, like a poet or writer, just captures so succinctly exactly the way you feel whether it’s happiness or sadness… and if the lyrics mean something... the music becomes more powerful.” Because of music’s ability to complement human emotion, it is often used in various activities. Sophomore Alex Garcialuna, a cross country and track runner says, “When I run, I kind of think of a song and pace myself to the beat of that song.” Sophomore Nathan Perisic says, “Before water polo games, I listen to motivating songs to get me focused.” He cites “Lose yourself ” by Eminem as an example and says, “The lyrics and the beat put me in the moment.” Many students also find music to be an appropriate addition to study time. Junior Miles Lang says, “For history, I listen to clas-
sical music, and for all other subjects I listen to light rock. History, I find, is a tad harder to concentrate on and classical music helps to kind of get me focused.” Freshman Wesley Lee says, “I like JRAquino’s music because sometimes I want something that is peaceful and not so upbeat… it keeps me calm when doing homework…[On the other hand] ‘Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO… is very catchy… and it’s just a stress reliever when [I’m] doing piles of homework.” Sometimes, music is an avenue for expressing religious beliefs. Lang says, “I use my acoustic guitar… to play songs for Christian club. We focus on singing worship and praising God, so [music] adds a different level of praise. There’s quite a few Christian songs that stand out to me in particular. ‘Our God’ by Chris Tomlin, ‘Indescribable’ by Chris Tomlin – they really reflect how God is and how great he is.” Junior Candy Tong, a dancer who has danced with the San Francisco Ballet, relates music with dance. “Music kind of takes you to a whole other world because without it, you’re kind of stressed and only focusing on
college was the money. There are a lot of expenses, though the two year route isn’t as bad as the four year route,” says Aragon graduate Alessandra DeVaughn, who currently attends College of San Mateo (CSM). English teacher Robert Thurtle concurs, “The student loan thing is huge. You can keep [the debt] with you, and it won’t hurt you like some other types of debt, but for certain families it’s difficult.” “Your piece of paper ends up being the same as everybody else’s,” adds Anthony Schurba, plumber
for Steve Dempsey Plumbing Company, in reference to college degrees. Schurba, who graduated from Aragon in 2007, found that for him, college was not the right fit. He attended CSM for three months and says, “I couldn’t make it feel right. I was not moving myself forward in the world.” Schurba left his minimum wage job at Smart & Final when he received the opportunity to work as a plumber. Schurba now makes more than $100,000 a year and really enjoys his work. He says, “It’s great because you can always keep learning. There is always something new to do.” Many vocational fields spark similar interest. Trades such as automotive mechanics and diverse management positions can be pursued. Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, agrees that college is not always the way to go. Thiel has a fellowship called 20 Under 20, which gives hopeful entrepreneurs $100,000 to follow their business
the steps,” she says. “You feel like you’re actually dancing when the music is there to help you.” When Tong dances, her style changes with the type of music. “If it’s staccato, then you are sharp and crisp. If the music is waltzy, you dance flowy and soft. And if the music is legato, we would do adagio [and] dance smoothly,” she says. Music is a unique addition to life, and though the way it is used may vary depending on the person, there is no doubt that it has the ability to affect the mindset of the individual. Explaining the psychology behind this idea, music teacher Troy Davis says, “[Individuals] feel a
MARIEL WONG
strong connection to music because it’s a way for them to express themselves creatively in ways they are not able to in words.” While human beings may never fully grasp music to its entirety, it is ubiquitously understood that it is something different and special to everyone. To Shufton, “Life and music… they’re one and the same.” Please visit aragonoutlook.net to browse through this year’s collection of articles and photos.
Career path or college math?
KIRA BRENNER FEATURES
As fall rolls around, a common question enters the minds of Aragon’s senior students: where am I going to college next year? However, perhaps the question should really be: should I go to college next year? Signs hang around campus classrooms proclaiming the importance of a college degree, and counselors visit English classes to explain college requirements from freshman year forward. College has become the expected route for many Aragon students. However, the debt one might accumulate paying for a college education is enough to give one pause. “The least attractive aspect of attending
YUZO MAKITANI
dreams and innovations. The fel- wrong reasons… they think they lowship’s main catch is that recip- are entitled to a job.” ients cannot be enrolled in college Counselor Laurie Tezak says, during the two-year fellowship. “My stance is that not everybody Even with programs like takes the same path... not everyThiel’s popping up around the body can go to college.” Tezak says country, many still think college that she has suggested both paths is the only safe path. to students in past years. However, Senior Camila Lastrilla, who Tezak says, “All these doors open attended Aragon for her junior up [in college], suddenly. You get year, says, “I canexposed and not see vocation “Get in there and get find what you being a viable it done; be happy at truly love.” option. I believe the end of the day. History that success is a teacher JenYou can’t second guess fruit born from nifer Seif conwhat you really want.” curs, “I inhereducation.” -Anthony Schurba ently believe in Senior Jonathan Pan coneducation becurs, “I want to go to a four year cause I am a teacher, but I believe university. College is the first step in other paths too. I want to wear to the careers I want to follow.” both hats at the same time.” “A high school education is not Many students are influenced enough to get a good job. College by the same expectations. “Goopens up your freedom for work,” ing to college is more responsible says senior Kathryn Miyahira. than just going straight into a proSenior Paul Gonzalez agrees, fession,” says senior Alex Achtar. “I thought of dropping out and Whatever path one takes in being a mechanic, but I saw my life, be it college or vocation, Seif brother go through a tough time says, “You need to have an honest when he dropped out.” Gonzalez conversation with yourself and wants to go to CSM or San Fran- find the best personal decision.” cisco State University. He adds, “I Schurba agrees, “You have to need a college master’s degree to push as hard as you can in life. get further in life and get a better Get in there and get it done; be job.” happy at the end of the day. You However, many remain con- can’t second guess what you really cerned that the promise of success want.” after college is unrealistic. Thurtle maintains, “There are Please visit aragonoutlook.net all of these college graduates who for more articles and photos. can’t find jobs. Some of these students are going to college for the
(September 26, 2011
720 2010 2011
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
680 2002
Mandated federal funding and schools (at all levels) to-
760
1999 2000 2001
1989-1990
ward preparing students for a technologically oriented
800
API
1988-1989
CCS DIV III Basketball
future in the workplace.
840
1990
NorCal Basketball final four, Nor-
Champs
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technologies Act
Cal Boys Gymnastics Champs
In 1961, Aragon High School opened its doors to its first c l a s s o f s t u d e n t s . To h o n o r A r a g o n ’ s s e m i - c e n t e n n i a l a n n i v e r s a r y, t h e O u t l o o k s e e k s t o c e l e b r a t e f i v e d e c a d e s o f h i s t o r y a n d bring the past to today’s generation of Dons.
In terms of its physical structure, Aragon High changed substantially over the years, except for perh lyptus trees in center court. Despite this external cha er, Aragon alumnus and current physics teacher Stev “the quality of the school is the same--as a student, I high and it still is.” Despite necessary changes in cer parts of the curriculum offered at Aragon have remai over the past. For example, novels such as Othello, R Juliet, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and Th by have been taught by English teachers for several y the physical changes are drastic, Aragon remain as co a school as ever.
1992
CCS DIV III Football
Champs
Health teacher Ed Larios recounted the origin of Aragon High School’s name, along with its colors and mascot. He said, “Obviously [the school’s name] was from the neighborhood [the school] was in: Aragon Boulevard. The area around it was named after the country of Spain’s cities, and Aragon was a province in Spain. And the Don, which was a significant gentleman in the Spanish hierarchy, was the name which we chose for the [mascot]. It wasn’t until 1986 that the official Don logo was adopted. Regarding the colors, he added, “There was only two high schools in San Mateo before Aragon. There was San Mateo and Hillsdale. The kids that went to Hillsdale and San Mateo who were now assigned to Aragon High School brought with them one color. The kids that came from Hillsdale brought red with them from red and blue. And the San Mateo kids brought black from orange and black. And that’s how the colors for the school came about.” 2000-2001 - Measure D Bond passed for new
2
1993-1994
1994
1998-1999
construction and modernization of
CCS DIV III Basketball
CCS DIV III Football Champs
Varisty Football
Aragon.
Varsity
Champs
State DIV III Football Champs
P.A.L. Champs
- Varisty Baseball P.A.L. Champs
Basketba
2010
2009-2010
Aragon is ranked 348th in News-
- Varisty Boys Soccer, Varisty Girls Track
week’s Top 1,500 High Schools
and Field Champs
2011 ) - Solar panels’ official ceremony
2001-2002
y Football, Girls-
all P.A.L. Champs
1500
1000
500
1993-94
Year
White Filipino Asian Two or more races
2010-11
African American Pacific Islander Hispanic or Latino Indian/ Alaska Native
Club and EIC “Aragon Outlook” P.A.L Champs
2000
0
to Aragon High School’s Recycling
California Distinguished School
Ethnic Distribution
- Aragon Aristocrat Newspaper renamed: Frosh-soph Boys Baseball & Boys Golf Program honors Aragon High as a
J. Russel Kent Award is awarded Track and Field, Varsity Baseball Champs 2007-2008
Senior Bow Day 1964
California School Recognition
h School has aps the eucaange, howevve Ratto says, I knew it was rtain aspects, ined the same Romeo and he Great Gatsyears. Though ommendable
2008-2009
- Beginning in 1963, Aragon had a Thanksgiving Day football game reminiscent of Grid. During this game, the royal court took part in a parade as cars carrying the nominees traveled around the football field. - In addition to all of the sports currently offered at Aragon, gymnastics, hockey and a dance class were also available in the past. - In 1964, Aragon students participated in Senior Bow Day, during which underclassmen were expected to bow down to seniors. - In the past, Aragon had longer lunch periods at forty-five minutes, rather than the thirty minutes that is devoted to lunch now. - In Aragon’s early years, only Aragon seniors were permitted to use the “smoking rail,” which was on the balcony railing area right above the boys locker room that overlooks the baseball field. - Aragon used to be an open campus, permitting students to travel outside of school for lunch.
- Varsity Girls Basketball, Varisty Girls
Neal Schon: ( Guitarist for Santana and Journey ) Schon was born in Oklahoma in 1954 where he grew up playing several instruments, including the guitar. He moved to San Francisco at a young age and attended Aragon High School as a freshman in 1969. A young guitar prodigy, Schon was recruited by Carlos Santana at the age of 15. Schon left the Santana band at age 19 and later co-founded Journey, another hit band which became internationally recognized.
2007
Brad Lewis: ( Movie Producer ) Born in 1958, Lewis is most notably known for his work producing Pixar’s Oscar-winning Ratatouille, DreamWorks’ Antz, and his most recent work co-producing Cars 2. He began working with Pixar in 2001 where he was first a stage and camera actor for The Incredibles. Lewis also has experience in local politics, both as a San Carlos city council member and mayor in 2007.
2009
- CCS DIV II Girls Soccer Champs
(September 2006) - Measure D projects completed yet leaving Ara2002-2003
2005-2006
gon disappointed. Fortunately, Measure M is
Varisty Boys & Girls Bas-
Varsity Football, Varsity Girls
passed in the fall, leading to most of the ongoing
ketball P.A.L. Champs
Basketball P.A.L. Champs
construction
10 FEATURES THE ARAGON OUTLOOK Mission Statement
The Aragon Outlook staff publishes a monthly newspaper created for the students to express themselves on issues of interest and importance to them and to provoke thought and discussion within the Aragon community.
Advisor Scott Silton Editor in Chief Sabrina Imbler News Editors Brandon Liu Andrew Lyu Sangwon Yun News Writers Brendan Blosser-McGinnis, Justin Ching, Landon Hart, Matt McHugh, Angela Solis, Blake Tandowsky, Annika Ulrich, Isaac Wang, Taylor Westmont, Victoria Yan Features Editors Paniz Amirnasiri Rebecca Hu Olivia Marcus Features Writers Kira Brenner, Katarina Drake, Diyar Eyuboglu, Jan Galabay, Camille Halley, Mariella Hernandez, Jack Herrera, Sophie Rubin, Jacqueline Tang, Samantha Wong, Brandon Yan Photo Editor Kore Chan Photo Staff Sam Alavi, Brittney Chew, Alex Furuya, Jason Mai, Valerie Perez, Kayla Solomon, Samantha Soon Arts and Graphics Editor Brian Barch Arts and Graphics Staff Shannon Bodeau, Monica Cunich, David Diba, Luna Lynch, Yuzo Makitani, Mariel Wong Center Spread Editor Emily Yip Technology Editor Dylan Wang The Oulook would love to hear from you. Visit us at: www.aragonoutlook.net or: E-mail us at: aragonoutlook@gmail.com
Editorial
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Race should not be considered in college admissions On Tuesday, September 27, a student group at UC Berkeley sold baked goods with racially adjusted prices to protest the CA Senate Bill 185, a policy that would reinforce affirmative action in California. Governor Jerry Brown has since vetoed Bill 185, making it illegal in California. Coincidentally, the Supreme Court has been asked to hear an appeal regarding affirmative action within the following term, which, according to analysts, will lead to the deeming of the policy as unconstitutional. The Aragon Outlook believes that Brown’s actions were justifiable and, also, that race-based affirmative action should be ruled unconstitutional. Essentially, affirmative action manifests in policies that take factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., into special consideration to benefit a minority constituency; such policies generally intend to rectify the lasting effects of historical discrimination against such minorities. However, the results of affirmative action often fall short of its intentions. While initially intended to establish diversity on campuses, most affirmative action policies now establish reverse
Alternative education BY JAN GALABAY FEATURES
In eighth grade, when the clock hit the designated time, feet marched towards their assigned destination. Every ear only heard the teacher’s voice. Classes began. While all these hassles occurred early in the morning, Kimberly Hilby, now a junior, was just about to wake up. After having her breakfast, she headed towards her computer table to start her study session, which would last for four hours. After spending her first two years of high school at Aragon, she now attends middle college at CSM. In eighth grade, Hilby experienced two alternatives to public education: homeschooling and online education. Instead of a more facilitated environment such as a public school, some students and parents turn to these kinds of education to explore a different and more convenient way of acquiring knowledge. There are many reasons to be homeschooled varying from religious affiliations to despise of public education, financial reasons, and personal beliefs. Hilby says, “Middle school was so horrible, and I just needed a change. I hated the structure of it.” Emily Heiden, a former Aragon student, who is currently homeschooled, adds, “I didn’t like the curriculum, the busy work, and the class setting at Aragon.” Moreover, home education
discrimination, a phenomena that passes over a qualified nonminority individual in favor of less-qualified minority. Adverse to stereotype, the most disadvantaged individuals maintain their status not due to their race, but instead their socioeconomic backgrounds. Consequently, affirmative action policies that focus on ethnicity benefits wealthy minorities and exacerbating the situation of a poverty-stricken white, who faces the same dearth of opportunity as does his or her minority neighbor. As such, minority groups’ standards of accountability drop due to their lowered standards of admission. Students whose acceptances bore the benediction of affirmative action often perform poorly and are ill-equipped to handle the rigor of their schools. Clearly, this correlation is in no way true for all minority individuals admitted to top colleges. Nevertheless, the cases in which this belief validates itself perpetuate the perception that the success of many minorities is due to affirmative action, not individual skill. In fact, many minorities oppose affirmative action for this reason. African-American Suaids students who lack the opportunity to go to school. Computer lab teacher Candy Bandong, who knows a homeschooled student, says, “There are students who need to drop out because they need to work and support their family. Home schooling is a good way to continue their studies.” Homeschooling gives a child an opportunity to focus on particular fields of interest and provides parents with immediate feedback. Heiden says, “My curriculum includes more classic literature than I was reading at Aragon. “ Bandong adds, “Home schooling personalizes and customizes learning. Some kids are not meant to do math, and parents are sensitive to that.” Moreover, homeschoolers do not have to wait for the bell to ring before moving on to their next class; they have the freedom to manage their day. Heiden says, “I have more time to try different things and mix up my schedule. I can run to a Taqueria and eat Mexican food for lunch.” Furthermore, the social pressure of fitting in at school or being part of a stereotypical group can be avoided. Hilby says, “I thought it was easier for me to adjust because I came to high school feeling like I knew who I was. I took classes that I wanted and not just because a friend said they would take it. I also did not have those ties to the drama that my other friends did.” Also, although the environments are different, both public school and home school share the same goal of teaching and preparing a child to face a competitive world. Hilby says, “I went into high school not feeling like
preme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a notable critic of affirmative action, worked his entire life to remove the “taint of racial preference” that overshadowed his success. Moreover, many minorities oppose affirmative action on the basis that a policy that introduces the belief that minority groups are inferior is unjust. Indeed, organizations have already endeavored to counteract, in the form of standardized testing, the obstacles faced by disadvantaged students. While the ACT measures achievement, or what a student has learned in school, the SAT measures aptitude, or each student’s potential. The SAT helps to identify bright students in lowperforming high schools, one goal of affirmative action. Still in the domain of college admissions, the UC system has arguably circumvented the illegality of affirmative action through its second prompt, which asks students to “[d]escribe the world [they] come from—for example, your family, community or school—and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.” While not explicitly, this prompt allows students to describe possible hard-
YU
ZO
MA K
ships placed upon them due to race or gender, information admissions readers can consider in the decision-making process. Incidentally, this year the UC System expanded the number of students with Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) to nine percent. ELC rank is determined in each individual school, thus highlighting strong students in a potentially underfunded and disadvantaged school. This expansion also addresses the aims of affirmative action; minority students facing handicaps to their success that might not have achieved ELC last year now are guaranteed into UC Merced, accounting for a more students in California. Incidentally, the Outlook acknowledges that, as a relatively racially homogenous group of editors, our stance against affirmative action does benefit us as individuals. However, the Outlook determined its position against affirmative action for society, not a single group of individuals. For everyone, affirmative action is a toxic policy that, once entrenched, is difficult to remove, and hurt minorities more than it benefits them.
ITA
NI
everything was such a push and not having quite as hard of time adjusting to the work that happened in high school. I also felt like I gained a better sense of myself when I was home schooled.” Bandong adds, “Home schooling curriculum also has to align with the district’s standards.” However, homeschooling has some shortcomings. Hilby says, “You have to try and work to be your best because you have no one to compare yourself to and I did not have much of a social life.” Heiden disagrees. She says, “I love dancing. Being homeschooled gives me more time to dance. I still hang out with my friends. There are also formal dances for homeschoolers every year that I could go to.” Meanwhile, modern technology affects home education the
same way it dominates public education. In some way, it replaces the teachers and parents and limits their influence. Hilby says, “I took my classes over the Internet. It was called California Virtual Academy. They send you all the materials that you will need for all your classes. I had a teacher I had to report back to or I could talk to over the Internet.” Education is an integral part of many people’s lives. Public education is the first choice of some people as their learning ground. However, with the growing technological advancement and needs for a more focused environment, home and online education provide an alternative to public education. Check out aragonoutlook.net for more articles and graphics.
11 FEATURES
BY DIYAR EYUBOGLU FEATURES
When desperately striving for a break from a stressful day, blogging is a much-needed getaway. Formally, blogging is a journal type entry that one posts on their personal website to express their ideas, sometimes about a specific subject, or just life in general. Many times, blogging is an outlet for unvoiced qualms, or simply a subject to be passionate about when lost in a world of schoolwork and stress. “If I didn’t blog, I would be a lot more preoccupied with my thoughts” says sophomore Priyam Das, “I would keep all this stuff bottled up inside me. I’d kind of be more drawn in”. While Das blogs about her daily woes, many others bloggers focus on a specific interest or passion. Junior Carly Olson has a nail polish blog that she considers to be more than just a collection of information and advice. “I enjoy writing,” she states, “And this is a chance to free form write out of English class, which is really structured.” As a whole, blogging seems to stand for something different for
BY JACQUELINE TANG FEATURES
Those that did not receive an owl-delivered message on their 11th birthday confirming enrollment at Hogwarts now get another chance to be a wizard. J.K. Rowling, author of the acclaimed Harry Potter series, is launching an interactive website called Pottermore. More than thirteen years ago, the first of seven Harry Potter books was released. For some students, that is how long they have been following the series. Junior Derrick Leong says “I have been following Harry Potter since the very beginning.
everybody, some write to escape their problems, some to enhance a certain interest, and some because it is preoccupying. Yet, more than just a hobby, blogging seems to have many benefits, and its perks make the time put into it worthwhile. “It’s a little bit of a break from reality,” says senior Dani Cutts, who maintains a fashion blog with friend Dominique Hebert, also a senior. “It really needs a lot of dedication” says Hebert, “[But] we love being able to put in our own fashion views. It’s a great way to express yourself,” says Cutts. Blogging, even if merely the expression of emotions, is essentially writing, so one needs to reach a certain point of stimulus where they can get the most out of it. Olson says, “There’s not a lot to lose [by expressing yourself], so don’t be hesitant.” Combined with commitment
[Ever] since I was born, my parents have been reading it to me.” Fans find the magical element of Harry Potter to be intriguing. Leong says, “I like the fantastical element of the whole series set in this world with magical elements into it. Harry Potter ties the ‘muggle’ world and the ‘magic’ world together.” It appeared as if the Harry Potter era for this generation was coming to an end with the release of the final movie; fans were devastated. Freshman Vivian Shen says, “I was really sad. I just wanted her [J.K. Rowling] to write more. Sophomore Alexandra Griffis adds, “I knew that the last movie was coming out for a long time, but when I heard the date I just didn’t want to
MONICA CUNICH
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011 and perseverance, blogging grows to be a vital aspect of one’s life, something on which to focus, and something with which to keep up. Therefore, as a blog ultimately represents the blogger behind it, effort is put into making it an object of pride. With success in mind, it is apparent that a proper drive is essential in writing something that is engaging and interesting to read. “Personally, my inspiration is that there are people on the internet
you don’t know. There’s a thrill in that that motivates me to write more.” Blogging is essentially releasing emotions, the basis for so many art forms, but sometimes blogs are not made expecting recognition. “First and foremost, to me, it’s just to put it out there” explains
SHANNON BODEAU
who c a r e about my thoughts” describes Das. Sophomore Roshanne Arathoon, who runs a tumblr account that she tries to update at least once a day, says, “A blog is almost like a diary that you are willing to share with people
Das, which is in essence the same basis of expression for all artists. “Sometimes you can’t find comfort at school and when you blog, and someone reblogs you it means they feel the same way, and it makes you feel less alone in your problems,” suggests Arathoon. Perhaps blogging isn’t about being heard, but simply about speaking and having a voice in a community where opinions can be muffled and ideas overlooked.
see it because that meant Harry Potter was going to end.” In July 2011, the end brought about a new beginning when J.K. Rowling announced the creation of Pottermore. Griffis says, “When Pottermore was announced I was just like ‘Oh my God, I get to read all the books in a different light again, and I get to see all the pictures and find out more about all the characters!’ I was just really excited.” Pottermore gives fans the opportunity to experience Harry Potter interactively. Pottermore users can make potions and duel other wizards to earn points for their assigned house. Shen says, “[In Pottermore you] basically live in the book. You get to see never before seen excerpts of the book.” Yet, like with all great things, there is a catch. So far Pottermore is only open to one million people in what is called a “Beta Testing Period.” Junior Eli Mayerson says, “[The makers of Pottermore] limited the website because they said that the early people can give them input, so when they finally open it to the public all the bugs will be tweaked out.” Students were so dedicated that they stayed up late into the night to complete a quest and hopefully receive one of the one million emails sent to newly registered wizards. Freshman Emma Wynn says, “I did
[the registration process] on the first day and stayed up ‘til one.” Other faithful fans found a way to register early despite being out of country. Mayerson says, “We [me and my brother] were actually on vacation in Costa Rica when the clues were being released, and it was actually kind of hard to get on [to the website]. But eventually we both got accounts.” After entering their personal information to register early for Pottermore, students anxiously waited to receive an e-mail to confirm that they got into Pottermore. The one million e-mails were sent out in intervals from Aug. 7 to Sept. 30. So far students that are fortunate enough to have access to Pottermore enjoy it. Sophomore Julia Murray says, “My favorite part of Pottermore is making potions to gain house points. House points are something that you earn to win the house cup.” Wynn says her favorite part of the website is, “The sorting hat part. There’s this really in-depth quiz that determines your house.” Although Pottermore has been welcomed warmly, there are still many areas in which it can improve. Sophomore Natalie Rutgers says, “There needs to be more games, I think that as soon as more people can get on they’re going to put on more stuff.” Mayerson adds, “Right now they don’t have any background music, but a lot of people have suggested it, so they’re probably going to add
Blogging, since publicized to the world, allows room for self-expression to the otherwise shy and reserved. As long as it remains anonymous, the blogging can be relieving. “My blog is not something that is known within my friend circle, otherwise that restricts the purpose” elaborates Das. The freedom behind blogging comes from the fact that it’s open to whoever cares to read it; it upholds the privacy factor so that one can freely express themselves without worrying about their audience. When asked about how her work would change if she knew her friends could read the entries, Das states “I might censor my thoughts or ideas”. Blogging gives the freedom to voice whatever one might want to, but at the same time makes it especially coveted by putting it out for the public to take in. It’s desirable because bloggers know their writing has the potential to affect somebody out there reading it, and that’s thrilling. Das adds, “It’s your work, you have free reign over what you put into it, whatever comes out is a product of what you do. There’s a certain power behind that”. Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles and photos.
sound effects later.” Additionally, many believe that Pottermore is simply an extension of the franchise. Sophomore David Leong says, “I think she made Pottermore just to keep the Harry Potter fad going, so Harry Potter doesn’t die. It’s already made so much money, and it’s already so big. You can’t just let something so big disappear.” Junior Preston Harry adds, “[Pottermore was launched] to make money. I like the books, but those books were only written to make money too.” Sophomore Nathaniel Blood says, “Pottermore was made for publicity. It’s to keep the Harry Potter name alive after the last movie.” Nevertheless, anxious Potter fans await regular registration. “I’m waiting to log onto Pottermore in October because Beta Testing is the trial run. After, [Beta Testing], everything is perfected,” says sophomore Rebecca Zipkin. As the end of October approaches, the anticipation for Pottermore builds as eager fans look forward to the opportunity to access and experience the site for themselves. “[Pottermore] is the closest thing that there is so far to transport yourself to the world of Harry Potter,” says Zipkin. For many students Harry Potter is a significant part of their life. Zipkin adds, “[When Harry Potter is] something that’s been part of your life for a long time, it becomes a part of you.”
12 FEATURES
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
Self expression:
LUNA LYNCH
piercings and tattoos SOPHIE RUBIN FEATURES
During their four years of high school, teenagers try to discover who they are. Teens seek to express themselves through personal style, interests and family background. One of the more public ways to express personal style is through body and facial piercings and tattoos. A study by the Boston Chil-
dren’s Hospital estimated that roughly ten percent of teens have tattoos. The most popular body parts to pierce are the ears, nose and navel. One freshman, Cruz Madero, has six piercings which include, “[his] eyebrow, [his] lips twice, under [his] tongue, [his] neck, and [his] nipple.” The term for the two lip piercings is spider bites and the piercing under his tongue is referred to as a web. Madero chose these piercings not only be-
cause he likes their look, but because they “make [his] face look shiny. [His] eyebrow, neck and nipple were all pierced at Rubin’s in Millbrae and [he pierced] both of [his] lips and web [himself].” Madero says, “I chose to get piercings because it brings out the crazy in you.” As far as getting a job with facial piercings, he thinks it’s not an issue: “You can easily just take them out for work and slip them back in after. No big deal,” says Madero.
Sophomore Marcos Gomez has four tattoos: “R.I.P Jose Luis,” “Gomez,” “Borrego,” and “Beto.” The first tattoo was for his grandfather’s remembrance, the second and third are his last names, and the fourth is his dad’s last name. For Gomez, these tattoos symbolize his respect and honor toward his family name. “I got the tattoos in order to show pride for my family and for who I am. The tattoos are mainly for me and I don’t really care what other people think or if they like them. I always wanted tattoos and waited a few months, after deciding on a design, to get them this summer.” Gomez believes that, “we only live once, so do what you want in life.” Biology teacher Amy Schwartz says, “I was in high school when I got my cartilage loop and [I got] my other ear piercing studying abroad in New Zealand.” When asked what her parents thought at the time, she said “there was a sense of rebellion, and I was over 18 when I got my last piercing.” She comments that, “not many kids had their tragus pierced and I wanted to be unique.” Tragus is the term for the part of skin right in front of the ear canal. One senior, Jordan Suarez, has twelve piercings: five on her right ear which include her tragus, earlobe, cartilage and rook (located in the upper inside of the ear). She also has four piercings on her left ear, one on her belly button, one on her lower back, one in her dimples and, previously, one on her finger. Regarding her finger piercing, she says, “[it] looked like a ring band.” She got her back dimples pierced because, “I
thought they looked cute. I love that they aren’t permanent and you can take them out whenever.” Her back piercing is called an anchor piercing because it hooks into the back. “I don’t think anyone should judge a person based on their piercings,” Suarez added. Gauges, one specific type of piercing, lead to the gradual stretching of the earlobe. This is achieved by upgrading the size of the earring over time. One freshman with gauges, Kitty Clohessy, says, “The smaller the number, the bigger the gauge and it goes down by twos. Once you pass 00 it goes into fractions. I do them myself.” When asked why she preferred gauges to regular piercings, Clohessy said, “I had regular piercings but I didn’t like having to pick out what earrings to wear everyday, but I liked the way gauges look.” She has size four gauges, which will still allow her ears to heal all the way should she choose to take the gauges out. These students chose to get piercings or tattoos as a way to decorate themselves in an original and creative way. High school students trying to figure out how they want to present themselves can seek fun ways to let the world know what they are about. The challenge for these students is how to do so in a way that is unique and conveys a positive image to the world. Make sure to visit the Outlook’s website at aragonoutlook.net in order to check out a variety of articles and view more vivid photos and graphics.
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
FEATURES 13
14 FEATURES
BOO!
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
JACK HERERRA FEATURES
JACK HERRERA FEATURES
America has an obsession with fear. We covet the most terrifying and gruesome movies Hollywood can produce, line up for miles to ride the most intense, bone jarring roller-coasters in existence, bungee-jump, sky dive, and pull other ridiculous stunts that produce the alltoo endearing “adrenaline rush”. Anything that gets our hearts pounding and our adrenaline pumping is automatically on our radar. Psychology teacher Jim Smith explains the psychology behind thrill seeking. “Psychologically, or even biologically, [people enjoy thrills] because of the adrenaline rush. Serotonin [a body chemical known to induce feelings of happiness] is emitted…and… for some it is an exhilarating experience.” However, there are those who don’t enjoy being scared. “Some people get off on adrenaline rushes, others don’t,” says Smith. “For some that adrenaline rush is pleasurable, while for others it can be a frightening experience… [I, for one], hate horror movies; they scare me. But, other people like them, because the fear gets their adrenaline going and they get charged up by it.” Explaining the effect of such excitation, junior Ian Barrie says, “It’s a great feeling after [an adrenaline rush]… During a horror movie, putting yourself in the movie, and seeing it through the characters eyes is great, because… once it’s all over and done with, you’re still there, and you feel really alive…[Theme parks and scary movies] are a way for you to experience excitement in your life without any danger.” In America, there is even a day dedicated to thrill-seeking: Halloween. America’s youth literally flock to the streets in search of
MONICA CUNICH
anything that can quicken heartrates, anything from sugar rushes to haunted houses. Events like Great America’s “Fright Fest” draw crowds from miles around with the promise of roller-coasters, haunted houses and countless other ghoulish ways to obtain an adrenaline high. “I’m interested in going to Fright Fest because it’s a lot of fun to get scared…and it really gets your adrenaline going” says senior Dominique Hebert. “[ During fright night] a lot of the fun comes from the fact that you know you are safe, so you don’t have to actually get too freaked out. Usually [my friends and I] end up making a huge joke out of it and laughing.” “I would definitely go to [Fear Fest] around Halloween, but I’m not sure if I would go in another time of the year,” adds Hebert. There’s no denying that people seem more willing to be scared in late October. The weeks leading up to Halloween are filled with haunted houses, scary movies and plenty of other creepy thrills. As Halloween approaches, fear-seeking behavior seems to become more and more common.
Explaining the psychology behind people’s behavior around Halloween, Smith says, “I wouldn’t necessarily associate it with fear, as much as the aspect of dressing up…which could affect, psychologically, how people act on Halloween, in terms of their alter ego, and how they’d like to be perceived. So that’s not really a fear factor as much as people dressing up and acting kind of crazy,” says Mr. Smith. “I think people are more likely to do more adventurous things when you can’t tell it’s them,” says Barrie. The evolving ways in which people celebrate Halloween is also something to note. As children, many people go trick-or-treating, carve pumpkins and tell ghost stories. But as they grow older, trick-or-treating becomes partying, carving pumpkins becomes thrill seeking, and ghost stories become horror movies. “You change how you celebrate Halloween as you get older. [This happens because] as you get older, you have the ability to do things that you couldn’t have as a kid,” says Barrie. “I wonder if there’s not something that’s hardwired from childhood [that decides] how willing someone is to seek thrills,” says Smith. “Certainly one of the things as you mature is that there are definitely more opportunities.” In America, the opportunities to get your heart pumping are endless. From horror movies to fear fests, it truly is a land of plenty. Perhaps it’s the ease of obtaining an adrenaline rush in our society that drive us towards thrill seeking, or perhaps it’s our own unique American mindset that leads to our obsession. Regardless of which explanation is chosen, in America, days like Halloween are always exhilarating. Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles and photos.
Halloween is an American holiday, but spookiness is in no way uniquely American. All around the world, different cultures have their own fascinating holidays that celebrate the return of ghosts and spirits to the living world.
In Mexico, the second day of November marks the celebration of Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead.” On this day, families honor their ancestors and make remembrances for the dead. Families build altars in their homes and decorate the graves in the cemeteries with flowers and offerings. Death-related spookiness is also celebrated. Skulls and other ghoulish decorations adorn the streets, and people wear masks, called calacas, to look like skeletons. Many even believe the souls of their ancestors visit them on this day. “Día de los Muertos has nothing to do with Halloween,” says Ana Maria Ramos, an Aragon Spanish teacher and Mexican immigrant. “Día de los Muertos comes from the ancient Mayan traditions…that is why they don’t celebrate it in the North as much. A lot of superstition [surrounds this holiday]. There are people that will come to your house and clean it of ghosts and bad spirits.”
The Chinese celebrate the Ghost Festival on the fifteenth night of the seventh lunar month. The festival spans the entire month, but on this day, it is believed that ghosts and other spirits come up to earth from the “lower realm”. Like Dia de Los Muertos, it is a time for honoring one’s ancestors through offerings and rituals. The Ghosts are thought to be deceased ancestors who were not given a proper tribute upon their death, and now come back in search of food and entertainment. People burn joss paper representations of houses, servants, cars and other luxuries as offerings. Fourteen days after the festival, people light floating water lanterns to help the ghosts find their way back to the afterlife. When the lanterns go out, it is believed to symbolize that the ghosts have found their way back home.
In Japan, Buddhists celebrate Obon from the fifteenth to the eighteenth of July (dates vary throughout the different regions of Japan). During this time, families travel back to their ancestral homes to pay homage to the deceased. Graves are cleaned and visited and spirits are believed to visit the families’ household altars. A large part of the Obon tradition is the Bon Odori, or simply the “Bon Dance.” While the style and music of the dance varies greatly from region to region, the purpose of the dance remains the same; to welcome the spirits of the dead back to earth.
The concept of a “Ghost Holiday” can sound frightening, but in reality it is a fascinating way of appreciating family and honoring the deceased. By celebrating death as a part of life, people are able accept it as a natural and peaceful phenomenon.
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20,2011
SPORTS 15
2 1
6
Photographs by Kore Chan
1. Daniel Gorn (11) raises his attempt to make a clean left hand out of the water pass. in attempt to block a pass 4. Sangwon Yun (11) makes from a Hillsdale player. a hook pass to a team2. Jonathan Zuehlke (11), mate. Brian Lin (11) and Alex 5. Gabe Hargis (12) takes a Zha (12) look down while stroke to protect the ball listening to the conversafrom a Hillsdale player. tion of the team huddle. 6. Sangwon Yun (11) safely 3. Gabe Hargis (12) treads passes the ball across the high out of the water in pool.
3
5
4 BY MATT MCHUGH NEWS
As the Volleyball season winds down, Aragon is cruising into first place in the Bay Division with a 20-5 record. Although, they came up short to Menlo-Atherton in their most recent home contest on October 6, they remain a top tier team. Menlo-Atherton is not only just a tough team but also Aragon’s top competitor for first place in the eight-team Bay DiSenior Jamie Moore and Junior Chanel Joyce jump to block a ball vision. Menlo-Atherton is curfrom the San Mateo team rently in second place with a 14-4 record. Last year, they finished in energy level was down today, and Atherton, the team has signifisecond place with a 22-9 record. In their most recent contest that might have been why we lost, cantly improved from last year. with Menlo-Atherton, Aragon [but] I think we could definitely Aragon finished fourth place with a 10-14 record. McSheery says, fell behind early in each of the beat this team another time.” Aragon struggled to keep the “Seven of our upperclassmen are three games, which lead to an 0-3 momentum, and that could be a seniors whereas last year we only loss. The Dons possible rea- had three seniors. We have three briefly held the “Volleyball is a game of mo- son for the really strong senior captains: Ariel lead in the first loss. When Mangum, Jamie Moore, and Steffi game, before losing 27-25. mentum, and we try to use that Aragon is on Miller. They push the team to its a hot streak in limits.” Aragon is also in third For the rest of the games, the to our advantage on the court.” a game, they place of the 24 teams in Division are virtually 2 of the Central Coast Section or team would -Coach Annette Gennaro u n b e a t a b l e . CCS. After the halfway mark of be plagued by Coach An- the season, Aragon appears conslow starts. Senior Taylor Scherer said, “We nette Gennaro says, “Volleyball is fident with CCS approaching. probably could have done better; a game of momentum, and we try Co-captain Jamie Moore says, they were definitely a tough team.” to use that to our advantage on “Coach Gennaro enters us into a lot of tournaments and extra However, there was a bright spot the court.” Junior Elizabeth McSheery points which has developed our for Aragon in that contest. Despite the loss, Aragon made says, “Unfortunately we lost good chemistry and given us significant comebacks. After be- against Carlmont. We were hop- more points [towards CCS]. She’s ing down 18-8 in the second ing to do well against Menlo- talked a lot about having energy game, the Dons managed to min- Atherton, but we lost. We kind of and playing together.” Co-captain Ariel Mangum imize the loss to 18-25. Fresh- peaked, but not solidly.” Although they lost to Menlo- agrees and says they have been man Miranda Taylor said, “Our
KAYLA SOLOMON
Volleyball victorious
Junior Anjali Joshi spikes the ball past San Mateo’s defenders
preparing for tough games against Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont. Mangum says, “We run a faster offense and blocking is huge. Serving has to be in. They’re all basics because there’s not much you can control against those teams.” Captain Steffi Miller adds, “Physically we’re so much stronger. This is probably the highest point as far as team chemistry this season.”Aragon has also played in three tournaments this year, which all count towards their overall record. They finished in
second place in the Bakersfield tournament, first in the San Lorenzo Valley tournament, and second in the Irvington tournament. In order for Aragon to maintain their standing for the rest of the year, they will need to finish the season strong. Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont are right on their heels, so every game is important. Mangum says, “The teams in this division are either really good or not that great. We have to play to our potential and not risk lowering ourselves to lower level play.”
16 SPORTS
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 02 OCTOBER 20, 2011
PHOTOS BY JASON MAI
Dons continue to dominate DONS beat WARRIORS: 32-22 BY BLAKE TANDOWSKY NEWS
A week after losing to Sequoia despite an initial 21-6 lead, Aragon defeated a previously undefeated, 25th ranked team, South San Francisco Warriors. The Dons were able to build and maintain their lead in the South San Francisco game showing that the team has matured greatly in the short period of a week. On Warror’s first possession, the Warriors were forced to punt. But the ball was snapped over the punters head and recovered by Senior James Egan, at the 24-yard line. Aragon capitalized on this gaffe when Senior Victor Jimenez made a 7 yard scamper to make the score 7-0 Aragon. A strong defensive stand by Aragon on South San Francisco’s next possession, highlighted by Senior JP Noda’s sack, kept Aragon in control early. The next Aragon touchdown came with a Sport Center worthy 53-yard touchdown run by Senior Davarian Redd. Redd took the carry up the middle before breaking it outside for the score. Redd, Egan, and Jimenez all would rush for 84 yards on the night. After a touchdown by South San Francisco’s tailback, Junior Anthony Shkuratov, made the score 14-7, Aragon responded with a powerful drive dictated by their running game. The drive culminated in a 3 yard touchdown run by Egan with 50 seconds left in the first half. On the point after attempt, a bad snap to Junior Aldo Severson left him
scrambling before passing to Lyons for the two-point conversion. South San Francisco, however, scored as time expired in the first half to make the game 22–15 in favor of Aragon. The Dons found themselves in a similar situation as they had the previous week against Sequoia. They once again had a lead against an opponent that showed no signs of letting up. Coming out of halftime the Dons were able to regain momentum after a South San Francisco fumble was recovered on the Warriors 27 yard line. After a first down, a great Greg Lyons downfield block opened the way for Jimenez’s second touchdown run of the night. An injury to Shkuratov late in the 3rd quarter forced the Warriors into more passing situations the rest of the game. Aragons pass defense was stout as the South San Francisco quarterback was pressured into many incompletions down the stretch. After a 26-yard field goal by junior James Garcia with 5:52 left in the game made the score 32-22, Durhan recorded his second interception on a prayer thrown by the Warriors quarterback. The interception iced the game and iced any hopes South San Francisco had of going undefeated in league play. The victory gave Aragon their first league win in what is expected to be an extremely competitive Ocean Division. Aragon’s undefeated home record will be put to the test next against Menlo on October 28.
Above: Sophomore Linebacker Patrick Pauni, sophomore Jordan Mapa, and senior Defensive Back Kevin Durhan bring down a South City offender. Left: Junior Quarterback Dominic Proia looks to pass as junior Linebacker Anthony Shkuratov closes in.
In the 1990’s and early part of the new millennium, the Aragon Football Team, led by Coach Steve Sell, was the bully of the Peninsula Athletic League. With their smash mouth approach, they routinely won PAL Bay Division Titles leading to deep runs into the CCS playoffs. For the Aragon Football program, the 2011 season is looked at as defining campaign. Would the Dons regain Peninsula Athletic League dominance or again be decimated by injuries and turnovers thus leading to a subpar season? Says Senior Safety Thomas Sortwell “We went 4 and O in the preseason. That is always the expectation for Aragon.” Two of those wins were against Carlmont and San Mateo who Aragon had lost to during the 2010 season, after years of lopsided games. What changed? According to All League Lineman Derek White, “Last year we were playing against
two teams [ourselves and the opponent]… this year we are only playing against one.” The non-league victories reintroduced a dominant running game, a staple in teams of the past, led by White, a Division 1 prospect at Left Tackle, along with Keenan Woodard, Alexander Medan, and Cong He. The senior laden group works hard to open up holes for the explosive rushing attack. Senior Running Back Victor Jimenez thinks, “Our offensive line is more physical, we basically out muscle the other team. This year we are the hitters; we are the attackers.” Along with Jimenez in the backfield is Davarian Redd. The two backs create a sort of thunder lighting combination, with Jimenez using his imposing size and strength to bowl over opponents, while Redd uses his speed and physicality to create big runs. The backfield, however, is not a two-man show with Senior Wing Back James Egan, Marcel Jackson, and Junior Kyle Kaye all excelling out of the backfield this season.
have visited and played on worldrenowned courses such as San Francisco’s Olympic Club, which is hosting the U.S. Open next year. Even as experts, there are some courses that are challenging, yet exciting to play on. “The 18-hole course in San Francisco is pretty hard,” Chen recalled “[it was] the one with the cliffs.” With regard to Coach Oling, the players laughed as they described him. “He’s cool.” Mallos said. Some of the other players added that he is “forgiving and encouraging.” Freshman Kelly Fang included that he had “a good sense of humor.” For the finals, Soong said “we definitely have a shot at placing at the top for the PAL’s, however going to CCS as a team is not possible.” Then she added, “As of right now, we are locked into third place, however if we all miraculously place in the top 5 in the PALs, we do have a chance of going to CCS, but we won’t win the league.”
Chen said “the team’s not what I expected to be. Everyone’s much nicer, including the coach. The team…well even though golf isn’t really a team sport, out team is really…like a team. We all support each other.” Others on the team agreed that their team was not just about individuals. “Our greatest strength is teamwork,” Soong said. The other girls all agree. “Golf is a Junior Jessica Mallos appraises her shot with her driver. mental sport. It requires you to use your brain. achieved third in the league, and Emotions really run in the game.” continue to aim higher. The uniTeamwork has been a key in- ty and determination of the golf gredient for the girls golf team team may let them rise to the top to get this far. United, they have for the PAL’s and beyond.
BY BLAKE TANDOWSKY NEWS
Says Jimenez on the backfields depth, “It creates competition between (us). We want to out perform each other. We want to prove to teams that we are not just a two man team… we have running backs for years to come.” Coach Sell’s offense is orchestrated by 5 foot 5 Dominic Proia. Proia emerged victorious from an early season quarterback competition due to his athleticism on the run, and his smart game management. On the Defensive side the program is regaining its physicality. The defense struggled in years past with tackling players in the open field. That has since changed due to use of practice as a medium for aggression and competiveness. “We are doing a lot more hitting this year in practice. We are doing 3 times the hitting. Last years practice was passive in comparison,” says returning Free Safety Thomas Sortwell. Sortwell, along with seniors Gregory Lyons, Kevin Durhan, Victor Jimenez, and Derek White, leads a strong defense that has allowed an average of 15 points per game.
Aragon girls golf third in league
On October 12, 2011, the Girls Varsity Golf team took the Poplar Creek Golf Course to face their top opponents, Burlingame and San Mateo High School. Before the game, Coach Oling said “Play your best. If we win, we’ll be able to contend for first place.” After many heated rounds on the green, the teams shot near 251 strokes. The total number of strokes is the total score of five players playing on a nine hole course. When competing against Burlingame and San Mateo, only a few strokes of difference determined the winner of the game. The first place team, San Mateo, has an undefeated 7-0 record. Burlingame is at second with a 5-1 record. The Aragon Golf team now stands at third place with a 4-2-1 record. Senior Jackie Soong said, “The best shot we ever shot was a 239.” “The most important shot
was most likely our short game.” Soong said. “If every one of us scored a stroke lower, we may have been able to beat Burlingame and San Mateo.” After the game, Coach Oling said that “we had a great season so far, and coming in third place in the league isn’t too shabby. We, San Mateo, and Burlingame are the top three most competitive teams in the whole league.” He then added, “All three of the schools haven’t been this competitive in a long time.” As outstanding golf players, each of the team members started off with humble beginnings. To name a few, freshman Valerie Chen and senior Kaitlin Choy both say they “started golf after they gained inspiration from their fathers.” Junior Jessica Mallos said “I started golf after I saw my cousin playing.” These excellent golf players traveled a long path abundant in hard work and practice. From novices to outstanding experts, many players on the team
PHOTO BY BRITTNEY CHEW
BY VICTORIA YAN NEWS