April 5, 2012

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Days of From World Diversity a Cups to success NASCAR

The Olympian shares experiences

VOLUME 55, ISSUE 9

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Vendsel captures CVHS moments

More than smiling and waving

Shania Shanks wins pageant

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012 CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

Break-through performance

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Cars towed, ticketed in parking crunch

By Eva Chen Staff Writer

Melody Moteabbed / Staff Writer

Senior Michael Nguyen shows off his breakdancing skills with his dance group Urbanize at the annual DECA Variety Show in the CFA. See story on Page 5.

Too much trash goes to waste, audit shows

By Suzanna Chak Staff Writer

“Reduce, reuse, recycle! Reduce, reuse, recycle...” blasted from the speakers of the large gym where students from Leadership, Smart Energy Club, and American Cancer Society helped out in conducting a waste audit by digging through bags and bags of smelly garbage.

“A waste audit is when you take all the garbage from the

day before to see what can be recycled and what is waste,” said Su-Lin Terhell, Leadership student and environmental commissioner.

Waste was sorted into three general categories: organics, recyclables, and garbage. Organics are things such as food scraps and food-soiled paper.

Recyclables consist of things like bottles and dry paper (because of

WASTE: Page 8

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CVHS student drivers have been scrambling around the school area to find parking spots since a multi-million dollar solar panel project began in the school parking lots. A new rule prohibiting student parking on campus increased the number of tickets issued.

Students in CVHS have violated parking rules, such as blocking driveways or parking in areas where there are “no parking” signs. Two students who got their cars towed were fined $400 for blocking driveways in Mabel and Santa Maria avenues.

Another ten students got tickets for parking on campus without a permit.

However, those who were lucky enough to not be caught in the clutches of the ticket mon-

ster have to face other problems, namely the long and slow traffic.

“I think I'm fortunate that I have zero period because I always get parking, but there's a lot more traffic in the morning and after school than there was before,” commented Sarah Kim, a junior.

The county and staff have been working together to try to improve this parking situation by “bagging” some signs and allowing some cars to be parked in an otherwise “no parking” zone.

Some students have resorted to walking to school, waking up early, or carpooling to make it to school on time.

“It is not a crisis, merely an inconvenience. We try to stay ahead and work with the students,” said Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke.

A couple of years back, the

PARKING: Page 8

CVHS goes green with recycling

By Natalie Fazeli Staff Writer

Students at CVHS are encouraging more recycling on campus, with the intention of lowering our waste school-wide.

The Leadership class, along with Smart Energy Club, has been promoting recycling throughout the CVHS campus.

Last year, Leadership students did a lot of new and “green” activities to gain the Green Ribbon certificate at our school. They went around to each classroom to make sure that every teacher

had a green bin for recycling.

This year they are still working on the goal of becoming a certified green school.

“In Smart Energy we do a lot of different events that encourage recycling at CVHS,” said junior Jaime Lu. Smart Energy has done events like electronic recycling days and a waste audit at CVHS. Most Castro Valley schools are also trying to gain their Green Ribbon certificate. CVHS, the biggest school in Castro Valley, has a harder time achieving this award because of the sheer number of students. With nearly

3,000 students attending CVHS, it makes a lot of waste, and a lot of people have to be convinced to recycle.

This year they are taking it up a notch. Leadership has decided to start making public service podcasts that promote recycling.

Also, at four places in the courtyard, trash cans and recycling bins will be stationed, with signs depicting what or cannot be put in, and someone from administration will watch that people are throwing garbage away.

RECYCLE: Page 8

Days of Diversity: “Thunder Dog” saves blind man

By Lily Carrell Staff Writer

During Days of Diversity, presenter Susy Flory, author of Dog Tales, told the story of Thunder Dog, an inspiring account of how a blind man’s dog helped him survive the attack of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

Michael Hingson had spent his entire life without the aid of his eyesight, having relied on his guide dog, Roselle, a playful, yellow labrador retriever who could be described as a “pixie” in regard to her ebullient personality. Flory described how Michael had sometimes felt isolated from people, and how having a guide dog meant always having a friend by his side.

“There becomes this relation-

ship of trust and teamwork that develops over time,” Flory explained.

At 8 a.m. on 9/11, Michael was on the 78th floor of the North Tower doing paperwork while Roselle slept under his desk.

Forty-five minutes later, Michael heard a deafening boom; the plane taken over by the terrorists had crashed into the building about fourteen floors above him.

Michael recalls that he felt the tower tilt and embraced his desk in fear that the building would fall to the ground.

People in the office were running around frantically, watching debris fall outside the window.

Michael could not see this, however, and had no idea of what was happening.

Meanwhile, Roselle remained asleep as alarm quickly filled the room. When Michael stood, Roselle slowly sat up and yawned, not once submitting to the panicked state that surrounded her. “That was the best thing that she could have done,” Michael said in response to Roselle’s serenity. “Because she was so calm and relaxed, I was able to stay calm as well.”

Michael then packed up his things and walked with Roselle to the lobby, which had become a place of complete chaos. When he came to the stairwell, he stood there, trying to decide whether to travel down the stairs and evacuate, or wait for help. Michael finally commanded Roselle to

DOG: Page 8

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Susy Flory holds up her book Thunder Dog about how a blind man was saved by his guide dog on 9/11.

cvhs celebrates our diversity

Editorial: The recent Days of Diversity activities at CVHS, which took place between March 19 and March 23, were a fantastic way for students and staff to connect with the broad cultural backdrop that comprises our school’s student body. The activities consisted of a multicultural assembly and a variety of guest speakers from around the world who related their experiences to a student audience.

These interesting presentations made impressions on Olympian staff members.

Tina Phillips taught us the meaning of LGBT terms and about the consequences of homophobic bullying and slurs.

Norman Hirose told us about his life in a Japanese concentration camp in the United States during World War II. His family was relocated to Topaz; luckily, there was a school at the camp, and his father was able to get a job. Although they did not suffer as badly as the Jews did in the European concentration camps, the relocation was difficult for everyone involved.

Paul Cox, a Vietnam veteran, talked about the physical and mental trauma of war, and how it changed his outlook on the necessity of war in general. His speech was informative, but also gave another perspective of how a young soldier who was originally neutral about the war

Dana Lin / City Editor

came to vehemently oppose it.

Now, Cox works to help Vietnamese citizens and veterans who continue to be affected by the war in the form of poverty and illness, especially those who were harmed by Agent Orange, a chemical weapon employed by the U.S. to destroy plant life during the war.

Kinriereth Jory, a student teacher here on campus, taught students about the different

By: Victoria Liang

PHOTO pinions PHOTO pinions

experiences one can gain from studying abroad. Different foods and unique celebrations give a broader view of the world. For example, Jory went to Spain for a year and lived in a 17th century town. One of her favorite memories there was of Christmas, when everyone in the town gathered at the community center and Santa Claus passed out gifts for the local children.

The breakdancing club taught

us about where breakdancing came from and how it developed.

The club members shared about how they got started and what they loved about it; they then gave the audience the pleasure of demonstrating some breakdance moves.

David Livingston discussed the cost of living for a high school graduate and emphasized the importance of going to college.

He made it clear how much

Trash talking the recycling perpetrators recycled their papers, they wouldn't have had to walk that far and they would be saving some trees.

Should the school district save or spend now?

“ No matter

By Victoria Liang “Situations like this are what money is for. We should use some of it for our most urgent needs, though not all.”

-Megan Hickman, senior

“We should spend because I think right now is an emergency. They’re on the verge of cutting so many programs and teachers.”

-Kevin Moyung, freshman

“I believe if we invest money in the schools, we will get money and education back.”

-Ace Spitzer, junior

“I definitely say we spend the money now because the decisions we make now will affect us later.”

-Ashna Deo, sophomore

money it costs to live on one’s own and how difficult and often impossible it is for a high school graduate to support himself. He also explained the significance of credit scores and how important it is to stay out of debt.

Bill Green taught our class of the horrors of the vietnam war, and the use of Agent Orange in vietnam. Green brought a new perspective of the Vietnam war, showing the hardships and devastating effects of the constant fighting. He also showed our class pictures that he took while he was in vietnam, along with an educational powerpoint.

As this year ’s Days of Diversity presentations come to a close, CVHS students are left hungering for more. Though we are done for now, the messages that stay with us are universal.

Namely, it is important to remember that diversity, no matter what form it takes, is critical to the success not only of a school but of society at large.

The Olympian would like to thank our guest speakers for their dedication to the cause of school diversity, and for taking time out of their busy schedules to enable CVHS to have one of the best diversity weeks yet. We also sincerely thank all members of the CVHS leadership and administrative staff who have worked tirelessly to put on this invaluable event.

Staff Writer

As you take a deep breath, the strong stink of burnt plastic and the odor of the weekold rotten butter attacks your senses. Not only that, but you can also feel the pollution in the air. You walk away from these smells and you can hear the crunch of broken glass every step that you take.

This could be what everyone on Earth experiences in the near future if we don’t start recycling.

People make recycling look like it’s the hardest thing to do. It’s not unusual for me to see many of my classmates walking right by the recycling bin and straight to the trash can to throw away their unused paper scraps. If they

how you look at it, recycling will always be the best way to go.

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When people throw things in the trash can, not the recycle bin or the compost bin, the trash goes to one of two places. One of these places is the landfill. Tons and tons of trash are deposited daily into these landfills. But this isn’t the scary part. The scary part is how many landfills are being closed. At least one

landfill is being closed a day because there is no more room for trash. After being closed, these landfills will be covered with dirt, then the trash will take its natural course and start decomposing. Many plastics take more than 300 years to decompose. We could prevent this by recycling the plastic or reusing it.

The second place the trash can go to is to the incinerator. As the word implies, the trash gets burned. Some of this comes back as electricity, but most of it just burns and pollutes our earth. The plastic, batteries, and all the other recyclables are a big contribution to the pollution when it is burned, but if we recycled it instead of throwing it into the trash can, then the pollution would be lessened and our air would be cleaner.

No matter how you look at it, recycling will always be the best way to go. Not only will everyone benefit from this, but the earth would be a better place for everyone, even the animals.

Please just do your part in saving our planet because this is your home too.

Olympian

The April 5, 2012 Lily Carrell / Staff Writer

Shining a spotlight on shadow jobs

By Rebecca Fong Photo Editor

The Melting Pot Boils Over

By Natalie Fazeli Staff Writer

As a young white female I can walk down my street without fear of someone attacking me.

I don’t have to think, “Should I put my hood down, or make sure I have a big smile on my face?” I’m not afraid someone will confront me because I look threatening. I will not be shot because of the color of my skin.

I am not Trayvon Martin.

We have a problem in our world when shooting an innocent young man is accepted by many. Martin, barely 17 years old, walked down the street in Sanford, Florida on his way

home. He looked “threatening” according to George Zimmerman, who followed the boy.

How could a high school student, with no hate towards anyone, look menacing enough to be shot? It wasn’t Martin’s actions that Zimmerman was observing.

The fact is that Zimmerman’s eyes couldn’t go past the color of Martin’s skin.

Hate crimes occur everywhere.

Here in America, where every country in the world is represented, hate crimes happen every day. A hate crime, by definition, is when, “a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group.” A social group could be anything, whether it be political, religious, ethnic, etc.

We have many famous examples in history, like the KKK for its hate against AfricanAmericans or the Nazis and their discrimination against Jews. People don’t realize that these hate crimes are still ongoing today.

An Iraqi woman, Shaima Alawadi, was murdered in her home

on March 24 in our own state of California. A note was left next to her dying body saying, “Go back to your country.” What could this woman have possibly done to be beaten to death? Is America not the land of the free? America isn’t your country just because you are white and your parents have lived here for generations.

It is your country because this is where you choose to live.

Being the most diverse country in the world, we receive a lot of racial crimes. Wars are fought, pitting one race against the other and neighbor against neighbor.

No good comes out of it, just more hate for each other.

Violence should never be the first answer to a difference between people. You don’t shoot someone, or start a war with their country, because of what they look like or what their ideas are.

Talking is always the first thing that should be done. Whomever you are in disagreement with will never think exactly like you, no matter what you say. People should accept differences and move on.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find out what it means to me

By Cheyenne Donatello Staff Writer

There have been many occasions during a lesson when many other students and I have had difficulty trying to do our work, or even think because of disruptions. As students, it is our job to learn; we are provided with a free education, many opportunities to better ourselves, and a chance to prepare ourselves for our futures. But I have seen a recurring trend of disrespect towards teachers, a

constant battle of disobeying authority. While there are a lot of respectful students here at CVHS, there are also those students who wish to challenge their teachers. These students’ challenges cause a disruption to all of the other students in the classroom.

Talking back to a teacher during class is one of the most rude things there is. If there is a dispute between a student and a teacher, it can be better solved after class calmly and maturely. There needs to be a line between a group discussion and a classroom outburst.

Is it so much to ask for a bit of cooperation? Just to be decent human beings?

Teaching is a very difficult job. Assigning only one homework assignment to students can mean hundreds of homework pages that the teacher must correct. Add on to that

rude students who are disrespectful, and the teacher has a very stressful situation.

You are in high school. You are on the verge of being an adult and starting your life in the big world. It is time for you to start acting like an adult and taking responsibility for your own actions. In 15 years it will no longer “cool” to talk back to the person in charge because you will just get fired from your job. Teachers put up with these bad attitudes when you’re protected by the soft cushion of high school. But when you’re in the working world and you talk back to your employer, there will be nothing stopping them from kicking you to the curb.

To prevent that from happening, take the opportunities you are given now to help your future. Start by doing your work, don’t talk back, and above all, be respectful.

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My upcoming induction into adult life at the end of this school year and the poor job economy into which I will also enter often reminds me of an article I read online some time ago about something called a “shadow job.” This is not to be confused with job shadowing, mind you, which is the practice of following an experienced professional in order to learn about his or her particular field. The shadow job is any everyday duty that once functioned as a paying occupation.

Members of older generations remember the days when an attendant greeted them at the gas station and filled up their tank, and when elevator operators were necessary to manually drive the lifts. Milk used to be delivered to one’s front door fresh every morning, and travel agents once arranged everything for vacationing needs.

Technological developments have rendered the first two examples nonexistent. In other words, the introduction of selfserve gas stations and pushbutton controls for elevators has eliminated the need for people to

occupy those jobs. The last two examples signify adjustments of convenience, i.e. groceries are more convenient to procure now than in the days of the milkman, and online travel sites allow for more control over booking a trip to Honolulu. In each of these cases, completing these tasks that people were once paid to do now falls on the burden of the individual.

Multiple hours can be spent comparing hotel rates and plane fees. At least an hour will be devoted to restocking on groceries every month. Refilling the car’s tank takes a few solid minutes.

Even something as simple as pressing a button to ascend a building requires that brief second of pinky flex. Despite how trivial they might seem, these everyday tasks once constituted a means for providing for a person’s financial needs.

Even today, shadow jobs in the making can be observed all around us. Rarely do you hear the voice of an actually-present human when calling customer service. Supermarkets one day may decide to install only selfcheckout machines and never hire clerks again. Who sends snail mail anymore? The rise of the Internet era and email has long predicted the severe reduction in the US Postal Service.

The bottom-line is this: shadow jobs create more unpaid work for everyone and are cutting down available occupations that, however small-time, could mean the difference between a meal a day and nothing. Now where does that leave a college-bound student who will eventually seek work like me?

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2012 Editor-in-Chief.............................................................Anna Balassone Copy Editor.........................................................Holden Parks City Editor...................................................................Dana Lin News Editor...........................................................Natalie Chin Opinion Editor.............................................................Kate Pellegrini Feature Editor............................................................Amber Yang Sports Editor.............................................................Reyna Garcia Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................SangEun Choi Photo Editors..............................................................Rebecca Fong Tim Pak Business Manager......................................................Matt Barney Online Editor......................................................Michael Castillo

Staff Writers: Lily Carrell, Suzanna Chak, Betty Chen, Eva Chen, Emily Courchaine, Rachel Crary, Cheyenne Donatello, Natalie Fazeli, Alex Gao, Jane Hong, Anya Keller, Joyce Liang, Victoria Liang, Melody Moteabbed, Camilo Riveros, Fassa Sar, Matt Talajkowski, Lillian Xie, Christina Yee Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

The Olympian encourages letters from our Letters readers.

Please note that letters must be

to the Editor

signed and no longer than 200 words.

They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@ gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at our Olympian office in room 113.

Jeff Vendsel shares experiences in photography CVHS welcomes photography teacher

By Michael Castillo Online Editor

Attending the World Series, climbing to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, and driving with a NASCAR driver during a race are just a few experiences from the photography career of Jeff Vendsel.

As if that weren’t enough, CVHS’s new photography teacher has also taken pictures at the Skiing World Cup, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and every 49ers home game from 1992 to 2005, as well as gone skiing with Olympic skier Jonny Moseley.

Vendsel graduated with honors from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 1992 with a degree in journalism.

From 1994 to 2010, he was a staff photographer at the Marin Independent Journal while simultaneously teaching photojournalism at SFSU. The tales of daily excitement from his life as a photojournalist beg the question, “Why quit?”

“There are times when I miss shooting for the newspaper,” Vendsel said. “I really like to

Michael Castillo / Online Editor

Jeff Vendsel has taken photos at the Skiing World Cup, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and every 49ers home game from 1992-2005. be outside, and working at the newspaper allowed me to be outside all the time. Being outside and having that variety in my daily life is what I miss most.”

There were some aspects of the job, however, that were not so sunny: “Being a news photographer, there were times when I had to go to situations that were, I should put it mildly, really unpleasant, and it’s your job to take that picture,” he said. “And

I don’t miss that; I don’t miss taking pictures of somebody’s worst day in their life, ever ... I don’t miss that at all.”

After quitting his job due to a rapidly shrinking newspaper staff (the Marin Independent Journal had lost three quarters of its former staff by 2010), Vendsel and his wife moved to Washington where he lectured in photojournalism at Washington State University.

After a year-long stint there,

he finally moved back to the Bay Area to become a photography teacher at CVHS. According to Vendsel, his newfound love for teaching high school stems equally from the students and the environment: “It’s really, really rewarding to watch somebody who has no training, visually, learn to use a camera and learn to express themselves visually and watch their progress,” he said. “It’s great to watch that change, to

watch people who have no training, and all of a sudden they can make beautiful pictures.

Everybody has that in them, I’m convinced, and that’s really, really rewarding.”

In addition, he enjoys the open-ended, art-focused approach to photography at CVHS, a contrast to the more rigid journalistic curriculum at SFSU. He says he encourages his students to emphasize people in their images, and to think of photography as storytelling rather than simple reporting.

However, with the current job market for photojournalism so impacted, Vendsel is cautious about steering his students towards that career path.

“I have scores of friends who are unbelievably great photographers who are not working anymore, because the newspapers have shrunk in size. There are jobs in other areas of photography, but in that particular journalism area, it’s getting more and more difficult,” he said.

Nonetheless, Vendsel will continue to teach the art of taking great photos.

A few photography students each year will meander into the school newspaper, some continuing on into college and the professional world.

Others will enjoy photography simply as a fun and beautiful way to express themselves and say something about the world in the process.

Indian village to welcome Response club Students set out for unusual spring break

By Rachel Crary Staff Writer

Nothing could be as meaningful as personally helping those in underdeveloped countries that are in need. For many, it is just a vision that could hardly be accomplished.

For junior Sabrina Li, it is a dream come true.

“This will be my first time going somewhere where I don’t speak the common language,” said Li. She also will not be able to drink the water in the village she will visit, another thing that is new to her.

From April 5 to 15, Li will be going to Hushui, India, along with a small group from her church, New Life Christian Fellowship.

Hushui is a very small village that just started getting electricity last year.

The whole village shares its water in a public well, and there is no plumbing available to its residents.

As president of the Response Club, Li will be representing her club by bringing supplies and gifts to the children and adults in the small village.

The particular date for the trip was chosen to avoid the bad weather that moves into the region during the summer. If the team members were to go in the summertime, they would face six hours of hiking before reaching their destination.

“ I’m really

excited to see the kids there.”

Sabrina Li Junior

Founded by Melissa Rathbun and Alex Bau, Response Club focuses on helping those in India that are in need, specifically the small village of Hushui. The club originated from New Life Christian Fellowship, which was founded by

the reverends at the church. Two of the reverends, Khan Lolly and Jonathan Zingkhai, had originally come from Hushui, and hence the club’s focus on the village.

The reverends went back to India regularly to visit their families but, due to political unrest in Hushui, have been unable to go recently. The reverends’ kids are excited to be able to visit their fathers’ homeland for the first time.

These two reverends, plus a third, Augie Bau, and Li’s dad will also be accompanying them on the trip.

When Li heard of the village of Hushui in its desperate state of need, she decided that she wanted to go and help out in any way she could.

Once her idea became known, more people from her church and her club supported her, while a few others decided to go as well.

Junior Nick Walsh, secretary of Response Club and member of the same church, will be the only other person from the club that will also be going to India.

Members of the team traveling to Hushui will be responsible for their own plane tickets, as there is no funding from the club for this trip. Any donations made, whether it be supplies or money, will go directly to those in need at the village.

The main goal of the trip is to bring materials over to the inhabitants of the village. However, many other activities will take place for the children’s entertainment. Members of New Life Christian Fellowship will be doing arts and crafts, introducing technology, and teaching English songs to the children. Walsh will be the one in charge of teaching the kids American sports such as baseball and some others.

Li and Walsh will be missing spring break as they will be in India by that time. For juniors, the break is an important time of studying for AP tests that take place in May. However, the two are willing to sacrifice their time to go on a meaningful trip to help those that need them. “[I’m] really excited to see the kids there,” said Li, showing her enthusiasm to help the children in Hushui. She is looking forward to seeing for herself how people are able to live without the technology that we are used to in the states and the happiness of simple living.

Although the people of Hushui do not own many materialistic things, they do receive a lot of family support and love, which is a great learning experience for those that are more fortunate.

Donations to Hushui that would be appreciated: for the school: • Pencils (with the sign “Made in the USA” rather than “Made in China”) • Pens • Crayons • Erasers • Calculator • Badminton Racket and Badminton Net • Volleyballs and Volleyball Net • Playdough • Christian Music DVD’s or CD’s • Christian storybooks (not heavyweight) • Used laptop *All preferably with the sign “Made in the USA” For Orphanage home: • There are 30 orphans total, $10 for each orphan • Checks to “New Life Christian Fellowship” and put Naga school in the memo section or give a cash donation General Gifts: • Reading Glasses (Costco) • Neck Ties • T-shirts

Olympian

The April 5, 2012

5

DECA VARIETY SHOW SHOWS ITS STUFF

By Melody Moteabbed Staff Writer

The annual DECA Variety Show this year proved to be a hit, with eight performances that left the audience laughing, shouting in approval, and smiling all the way through.

DECA is the organization on campus that prepares students for business and marketing ventures in the future. It put up the show this year as “a fundraising event for future trips to state and national conferences,” explained junior Victor Hernandez-Vega, Northern California vice president of DECA. “We have a lot,” he added.

Fortunately, a fair number of tickets were sold and the viewers were intrigued by each performance.

Senior Jasmine Mangabay, who sang a cover of “Fix You” by Coldplay, said it was her second

Melody Moteabbed / Staff Writer

Urbanize wins the annual DECA Variety Show with fancy, unique dance moves. year performing in the variety show.

“Last year I was a bit nervous, but it was a learning experience.

I have improved a lot,” she said.

Senior Marla Bradford, who sang duet covers of “Sunday

Morning” by Maroon 5 and “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean with senior Taji Mekki and guitarist junior Alvin Lin, loved the experience of singing on stage.

“I already performed in Pops,

so I decided to try out this year. I wish I had done it last year, too,” said Bradford.

Judge junior Eunice Jung, teacher Jo Sutton, and guest Shelbi Doyeto all were able to sense the passion flowing from each performer. ‘“It’s so cool watching everyone I see in the halls at school express themselves this way, doing the things they love,” Jung stated.

Sutton was especially excited at the variety this year, considering she hadn’t judged since ten years ago.

“The kids are great, and you can just see how well-prepared they are. They put so much passion into this, and I really like doing this,” said Sutton.

Doyeto, a friend of Sutton’s, came all the way from North Carolina to be pleasantly surprised to spontaneously find herself a judge. Having judged shows in the past, she found the

DECA show to be a familiar yet exciting task.

“It’ll be really hard to pick from all these choices,” she said, “but I know what to look for, and it’s passion.”

The specific categories that were graded on a scale of one to five, with the latter being the highest, included preparedness, creativity, spirit, and stage usage. The overall performance was ranked out of ten. When the show ended, dance group Urbanize proved successful once again, surpassing the judges’ expectations and winning for the third year in a row.

“Going into this, no one ever spoke of or had their minds set on winning. Our main goal was to share and showcase to everyone what we love to do, ” said junior Tammi Ramos, part of the winning ensemble. “Our love for dance is what brought us together and is what I think won us the recognition.”

Sophomore wins MissTeen California Golden Coast

By Fassa Sar Staff Writer

In a crowded theatre, one of the judges asked, “What would you do to prevent bullying in schools?”

Shania Shanks thought for a second and then answered, “I would show the kids who bully what the kids they bully feel like and how it affects them. To show them how they can make someone so depressed to the point of suicide.”

The audience applauded. This answer brought Shanks one step closer to receiving the California Golden Coast Pageant title.

What do you think when you

think of beauty pageants? Maybe dresses, glamour, Miss America, or even the newly aired reality TV show Toddlers and Tiaras.

Actually, many people don’t even know what a pageant truly is or what the girls do. A pageant is a competition that focuses on appearance, personality, and talent.

Shanks, a CVHS sophomore who has been competing in pageants for four years, recently participated in the California Golden Coast Pageant.

“I like doing pageants a lot,” she said. “It’s a lot of work to get there but it’s worth it in the end but then you have to start over and prepare for the next one.”

Big hair, makeup, five inch heels and costumes seemed to be the theme of this California Golden Coast Pageant. What does it take to be a pageant girl?

Does it mean that you have to have a skinny body and expensive outfits?

“To be a pageant girl, you just have to like being able to get in front of a large crowd and be able to do public speaking,” explained Shanks.

As a contestant, Shanks spent hours getting her makeup and hair done. Later, she went to a “closed door” interview between her and the judges that accounted for a quarter of the score.

There are many girls compet-

ing for the same title, so what does this mean? It means rivalry, so sometimes the girls aren’t as nice as they should be.

“There are some genuine girls. Usually the newer girls are very nice but then you have girls that have been doing pageants for forever so think they are better than everyone else,” said Shanks.

The California Golden Coast Pageant is one of the biggest pageants of the year. Winning this competitive pageant can lead you to the state competition title “Miss California,” which Shanks had been working long and hard for. During this pageant many girls

competed but only one could be crowned and become a title holder per age group. Shanks faced interview, swimsuit, personality, formal gown and questionnaire rounds. The pageant lasted for a total of three suspenseful hours.

As the girls lined up so the judges could name the winners, most of the contestants started to cry. Finally, they announced Shania Shanks as the newest Miss Teen California Golden Coast. The theatre roared with cheers and tears started to roll down Shanks’s face.

“I’ve wanted this for so long.

No one understands how hard I’ve worked for this. I’m just so happy,” said Shanks.

Mr. CV competition kicks butt

By Camilo Riveros Staff Writer

Fassa Sar / Staff Writer

Sophomore Shania Shanks has been competing in

pageants for four years and recently participated in the California Golden Coast Pageant.

What do you get when you combine 13 outgoing and wellknown senior young men, 13 beautiful and talented escorts, two very entertaining MCs and a cafeteria full of Castro Valley’s most enthusiastic and supportive townspeople? The answer is simple enough: a “beauty” pageant that comes dangerously close to rivaling the popularity of the Miss Universe beauty pageant. On Friday, March 23, Castro Valley High’s “Mr. CV” competition took place and may have become one of the most memorable in the event’s recent history.

Operas were sung, love jams were performed and buttocks were dangerously shaken as all 13 participants tried to do their best in order to impress the four judges. These four, all active members in our community, were given the difficult task of choosing five finalists to advance to the second part of

the competition. The only issue was that the competition was so fierce and was such a close call that they couldn’t decide on five and had to allow for a tie and call up six contestants for the second part of the show.

At the end of it all, after all the grueling questions and laughs provoked by the responses, senior David Valladares took home not one, but two of the top three prizes for the night. Having impressed the judges so much with his extremely brave and outgoing dance routine, he won the title “Mr. CV.” But that wasn’t all; he also went away as the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

“I had to come up with the dance and attend practices every day of the week from 4-8 p.m. It was all worth it now that I look back and I’m extremely excited to now hold the title,” exclaimed Valladares.

Not only did he win the title and prestige that comes with it, but he also went away with over $450 worth of prizes, with almost all of his Senior Ball trip

paid for him and his lucky date.

Anyone watching the show could obviously see how much work and dedication it took every participant to prepare for the event, but some of the hardest workers definitely had to be the female escorts who were overshadowed by the magnitude of attention all the young men received that night.

“There’s about 40 hours worth of practice, for two weeks pretty much every day trying to teach the boys a little rhythm. It’s hard work but you don’t realize it because it’s so much fun,” senior Domonique Rodriguez commented.

It is hard to imagine any event that entertains its audience more than the Mr. CV competition and to be able to hold the title may be the best way to wrap up one’s last year of high school.

After this year’s competition, students should be excited for what next year’s competition may bring and one can never really say it’s too early to start practicing!

Power Girl

Volleyball saved from budget cuts

By Anya Keller Staff Writer

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

DeNia Nelson launches the shot put with all her strength at the Castro Valley Invitational on March 30.

The CVHS Volleyball team is active once again after a year off in 2011 and a scare of possibly not existing in 2012.

The team was suspended last year due to lack of interest and funding.

“Well from last year I was kind of confused about why the team was cut because when Mr. (Jason) Whiteman came to us right before we were going to get on the bus to go to our first game he said that it was cut because we didn’t have enough players but then at a meeting he told

the parents that we didn’t have enough contributions so it was mixed,” senior Tyler Dupuis commented.

The team ended up gaining enough support to compete this year.

They even played their first preseason match on Monday, March 3, beating the San Leandro Pirates JV squad in two matches, but losing to their varsity squad in four.

Members of the volleyball team are thankful that they have been able to continue playing this year, and have found their experience to be positive and rewarding.

“My experience with volley-

ball so far this year has been an overall good one. The coaching staff brings a very positive atmosphere to help the team learn the skills and techniques necessary play well, even if it requires long hours of conditioning and training,” senior Kyle Linayao said.

The coaches have also been very pleased with the team’s work.

“Between the dedication and skills of our coaching staff, senior leadership and a hard working team, we are progressing daily and have come a long way since try outs,” coach Frank Largusa commented.

Trojans defeat Tennyson, remain undefeated in HAAL

By Natalie Chin News Editor

The CVHS boys tennis team creamed the Tennyson Lancers during their match on Tuesday March 20. Both varsity and JV teams were undefeated in every match played.

Varsity doubles included junior Paul Wallace and sophomore Jesse Pawid, sophomore Jason Cheung and junior Justin Lew, and sophomores Eric Silverness and Matt Cheung.

“My teammate and I have great chemistry on the court,” said Wallace after his win against Tennyson.

Varsity singles included sophomore Jensen Pawid, senior Philip Patton, junior Jason Wong, and freshman Justin

Wong.

In addition to the triumphant victory varsity had, the JV team added to the CVHS glory.

“Coming out here today, we were pretty confident in our strenuous training we’ve been through thanks to the Great Roth-Rossi. And so we just came out here and executed our game plan and luckily it paid off,” said doubles team Andrew Coulter and Brendan Korbas.

This win makes the boys tennis team undefeated 3-0 in the HAAL. Part of the reason why they have so much success is the inspirational talks coach David Roth-Rossi gives them.

He says things such as, “When life gives you lemons, you should be like ‘Hey life!

What the heck!? Why’d you get me lemon? I’d much rather have watermelon!’” or “The early bird gets the worm, but worms taste like crap, so sleep in.”

Boys Varsity Tennis: Singles Jensen Pawid: 6-0, 6-0 Philip Patton: 6-2, 6-2 Jason Wong: 6-2, 6-1 Justin Wong: 6-0, 6-0

Boys Varsity Tennis: Doubles

Jesse Pawid/Paul Wallace: 6-1, 6-0 Justin Lew/Jason Cheung: 6-0, 6-0 Eric Silverness/Matt Cheung: 6-1, 6-1

Natalie Chin / News Editor

Doubles team players Andrew Coulter and Brendan Korbas work together to defeat Tennyson.

Wo n d e r f u l W i t t y W i n n e r s

Matt Talajkowski/ Staff Writer

Cricia Silverberg, Freshman

Freshman Cricia Silverberg is a talented basketball player, and a strong racer on the swimming team.

Silverberg has been swimming for CVHS for the first time this year on the JV team. Silverberg swims two individual races: the 50-meter butterfly and the 100-meter individual medley. She describes swimming as stress-relieving and helpful.

“The thing I like best about swimming is the feeling where I’m in the water and I feel like I’m in a different world with no problems or stressful thoughts,” said Silverberg.“I also like the feeling of winning a lot. And of course beating my own personal records.”

Allison Decker, Sophomore

Sophomore Allison Decker is currently playing on the JV softball team at CVHS. Decker has been playing softball for six years and is getting ready to play another regular season.

“It’s a lot of fun, and there are a lot of pretty cool people,” said Decker.

Decker started playing the sport when she saw her neighbor playing with a softball, and decided to join in. Six years later, she is the softball player she is now. Decker’s favorite part of playing softball is being part of the team and playing hard.

“They are good team players. I get along with them,” said Decker.

Michelle LaPonte, Junior Junior Michelle LaPonte is following in her sisters’ footsteps in track and cross country this year.

Early on, LaPonte saw her sisters run track, so in the second grade, she started running.

“My sisters ran, so I started running too,” said LaPonte.

LaPonte likes to run cross country events more than track ones because sometimes she gets bored with track.

“I prefer cross country because we’re not just running in a circle,” said LaPonte.

After all these years of running LaPonte hopes to be able to get a running scholarship to go to college.

Steven Heinsma, Senior Senior Steven Heinsma is on his final year of varsity swimming for CVHS, but he will not end his 11 years of swimming quite yet. He also swims for a summer league team, which calls themselves the Columbia Crocodiles.

“I really like the people in it,” said Heinsma. “I like being part of the team with them.”

Heinsma’s favorite part of swimming is racing. “Working hard and racing is great, and it’s a really good workout.”

Heinsma’s current time is 52:75 for the 100-meter freestyle, and 1:59:47 for his 200-meter freestyle.

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Three performers share South American culture through drums and dance. David Livingston speaks about the cost of living as a high school graduate.

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Junior Gabbey Norflin (right) and three friends perform a dance at the Days of Diversity assembly to show their African culture.

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Norman Hirose speaks about his time in a Japanese internment camp.

Rebecca Fong / Photo Editor

Senior Samantha Briseno demonstrates traditional Hawaiian dance.

Veteran reminisces about Vietnam War experiences

By Jane Hong Staff Writer

A Vietnam War veteran once created a theory that there are three types of people in society: sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves.

Sheep make up most of the population and they spend their days in the field, avoiding the wrath of the wolves of the land. Of course, the wolves feed on the sheep mercilessly—if they manage to pass the sheepdogs.

The sheepdogs live to protect the flock of sheep and confront the wolves. But even though the sheepdogs defend them, the

sheep don’t like them for they resemble the wolves with their sharp fangs and their capacity for violence.

I listened as Bill Green unfolded this story and explained, “I will always be the sheepdog.”

During the week of Days of Diversity, CVHS welcomed several presenters to speak about a variety of subjects. Students were opened up to different issues, cultures, and historical events.

I myself had the pleasure of listening to Vietnam War veterans Green and Mike Martin speak of their experience in Vietnam dur-

ing the tumultuous war.

Martin started off the presentation by sharing little anecdotes about his life as a naval supply officer in Da Nang, Vietnam in 1969. When he was given a bit of rest and relaxation time, he chose to vacation in Sydney, Australia.

Upon his return home, Martin expected to be welcomed by his fellow citizens only to be disappointed to see a crowd of protesters demonstrating disagreement with the war. One woman even labeled Martin to be a “baby killer” and spat in his face. While he agrees that all

Americans should have the right to assemble, he believes it is important that people understand what to protest against.

Green continued the presentation by showing a picture of his draftee letter that ironically started off with a cheerful, “Greetings!” The PowerPoint he had prepared showcased archaic black and white pictures of an unfamiliar land featuring a man in his soldier attire. Green spent most of the war in the jungles of Vietnam, acting as a point man.

He went into details of the ill effects of the overall war experi-

ence—not only for himself, but for Martin as well.

Both veterans currently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their service in the war. Unfortunately, such mental and physical disorders are not uncommon among individuals who assist their countries by taking part in such violent wars. While the effects of PTSD are difficult to deal with, Martin and Green both thanked the student-listeners for being a part of their solution.

“Coming to speak to all of you is our therapy,” Martin said.

Olympian

The April 5, 2012

PARKING: from Page 1

date a parking problem into their schedules since they already know what to do and expect.

Steinecke tries to help parents and students by updating the school website with new information on the construction of the solar panels. Students can check out the school website at www.castrovalleyhigh.org to plan ahead.

DOG: from Page 1

in doing so, seemed to instill a new strength in them.

At 9:45, Michael and Roselle finally escaped the World Trade Center. As they were trying to gather themselves and catch their breath, a firefighter ran up to Michael screaming, “Get out of here!”

Michael instantly picked up Roselle and ran for his life. Behind him, he could hear debris falling from the the sky and the tower starting to collapse. In some kind of miracle, Roselle led Michael to a subway station.

A few hours later, Michael and Roselle eventually made it back to their house, exhausted from having experienced so many traumatic events in a single day. Roselle, however, acted as though nothing had ever happened, and was able to “shake off the dust of that day and move on.”

Flory concluded her story of “Thunder Dog” with the reminder of the significance of the guide dog command “forward.”

“Forward, always forward.”

same problem arose with the construction of the stadium, but instead of the three-month construction of the solar panels that would be completed in mid to late may, the stadium took a whole year to build. Therefore, the staff members are more than prepared this year to accommo-

Emily Courchaine / Staff Writer

Japanese students and faculty plant the new cherry blossom tree from Japan in the courtyard on March 21 as a symbol of unity between American and Japanese culture.

New Japanese cherry tree to CVHS

By Emily Courchaine Staff Writer

Students from all levels of the CVHS Japanese program had the opportunity to plant a Japanese cherry blossom tree in the courtyard on March 21. The tree was a gift to our school from the Japanese consulate, and it now grows in our school as a symbol of unity between the two cultures.

“I think that it was really nice and an honor to be the first high school to be able to receive and plant a cherry blossom,” said Daniel Nourot, a junior in Japanese 3.

After the hole had been dug and the tree was propped up in it, the consulate and Japanese language teacher Emi Crow each gave a small speech about the significance of the cherry tree and what it meant to have one growing at our school. The cherry blossom trees have great cultural meaning and they symbolize life, amongst other things.

“You should be proud of this

WASTE: from Page 1

the rain, a lot of paper was wet and actually had to be put in organics). Film plastic, such as Ziploc bags and plastic shopping bags, were put in a separate bag to be recycled. Actual garbage consisted of things such as plastic utensils and chip bags. Hazardous waste, such as an HP laptop charger, was a different category.

Equipped with gloves, masks, and aprons provided by the Castro Valley Sanitary District, the students were ready. Bag after bag after bag, the students pulled out organics, recyclables, and garbage and put them in separate small trash cans. After the trash cans were filled, the bags were taken out and put aside. There were three rows of bags for the three categories of waste.

“It's really important for schools [to have a waste audit] because it shows students what could be recycled instead of going to a landfill,” said Michelle

cherry blossom tree, and make sure that this cherry blossom tree will grow bigger and bigger,” said Michio Harada, Japan’s

“ It’s really

exciting for the program...

Emi Crow Japanese Teacher

”

consul general.

After the significance of the cherry blossom tree had been introduced, students from each Japanese class took turns shoveling dirt around the tree using one of the five golden shovels the classes brought. Together, the Knudson, Castro Valley Sanitary District solid waste program intern.

Chemistry teacher Deborah Yager, who also spent her Saturday morning at the waste audit sorting garbage, agreed and said, “It's an opportunity to see with your own eyes how much waste our school community can create in one day. It's also sobering to see how much doesn't have to go in a landfill.”

After almost four hours, all the trash was sorted. Most of the garbage was actually organics and could be composted. Recyclables made up the second largest category, garbage the smallest.

Garbage disposal currently costs the school $50,000 a year.

However, if the school were to only produce the amount of garbage sorted, with the rest separated as compost or recyclables, it would only cost $10,000.

Although it was a rather icky experience, it was also interest-

Japanese classes filled the hole that the tree was resting in, and the tree now stands on its own in front of the old gym.

In 1912, Washington D.C. received and planted 3,000 cherry blossom trees in D.C. as a gift of friendship to the United States from Japan. CVHS is the first American high school to receive one since then. Every spring, Japanese cherry blossom festivals are held to commemorate this event and celebrate the lasting friendship between America and Japan.

It is an honor to receive such a meaningful gift, and when the sapling grows into a tree, CVHS students may celebrate the festival at our school under it.

“It’s really exciting for the program, my students, and myself, and we hope that we can grow this and I don’t know if next year or in years to come we can have a cherry blossom festival under our cherry blossom tree,” said Crow. ing. As Mary Doronkina, sophomore and Smart Energy Club member, put it, “It was an amazing experience. I had so much fun separating compost, recyclables, and garbage with my buddies.”

This waste audit is a step in earning the Green Ribbon Award, part of a program the Castro Valley Sanitary District started back in 2007. Since then, this award has been given to elementary schools, middle schools, and the adult school.

This is the first time a waste audit has been done at CVHS, but it has been done at other schools in the district. Doing a waste audit here was harder because CVHS is a lot bigger with more people than other schools, as Terhell pointed out.

In the end, students walked away tired, inspired, happy, and a bit smelly.

“I feel like I slept in a trash can,” Doronkina joked. “A nice trash can. I need a bubble bath.”

8

go “forward,” and they began to make their way down the 1,463 steps.

A few floors down, Michael and Roselle encountered a burn victim, her appearance startling a woman nearby who began to cry and scream, “We’re not going to make it out!”

Roselle then approached the woman and nudged up against her, providing the woman with comfort and a sense of security. “It was like the friendship between Michael and Roselle transmitted out to this woman... and she was going to be able to continue,” Flory said.

On the 30th floor, they came across the firefighters, who were on their way up the stairs to extinguish the fires in the upper part of the tower. The fire chief immediately offered to send some men to assist Michael, but he refused and insisted that they continue on their way. As the firefighters walked by, Roselle allowed each one to pet her, and

RECYCLE: from Page 1

Many classrooms were given two little bins for waste from students. There is a small black one for trash, and a blue one, two times the size, for recycling.

In the near future, Leadership students hope that the cans will accumulate the total waste for each week, meaning more is recycled than thrown away.

“It’s a pet peeve of mine, students who leave their trash out,” said Leadership teacher Nick Whitaker. Students don’t think

about the harm they are causing for seagulls and themselves later, like when the seagulls come for their food trash while scattering poop across the courtyard.

One teacher, Deborah Yager, has made an incredibly green classroom. This science teacher has provided many recycling bins, a worm bin, a broken glass box, a plastics collection, and a compost collection in her classroom.

“Hopefully, we will one day compost as a school along with recycling,” said Yager.