Dec 18, 2008

VOLUME 52, ISSUE 4

Pg. 5

Locals' tales from Vietnam

CFA houses artwork of veterans

Pg. 6

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2008

Volleyball girls go to NCS semis

Great finish to great season

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

Car of the future?

Pg. 4

Electric-powered ride

Trouble with the Village people

Cross country girls dominate again

By Sarah Gilchriese staff writer

By Lisa Carmack

The Castro Valley girls varsity cross country team ran their way to first place at NCS Saturday, Nov. 22 at Hayward High School for the second year in a row. Out of 17 teams, Castro Valley took first place for the Division One race with a team time of 94:25, setting a new school record.

“We did better than we anticipated all season long,” Coach Peter Brewer said about the varsity team. The girls were expected to place at NCS and advance to state, but astonished the coaches when they came in first place for the third time in five years.

Five out of the seven girls set their own personal records, and all seven finished within the top half of the race. The team overall broke the old record of 95:22 by running a spectacular race.

“I was very proud of how we did as a team,” said sophomore Kelsey Santisteban. Santisteban took third in the race overall, and first place for Castro Valley. She took 15 seconds off of her best time, running a personal best of 18:10. Santisteban took first out

staff writer

CHAMPS: Page 7

Sarah Gilchriese / Staff Writer

Kelsey Santisteban leads her teammates in front of many spectators at Hayward High School during the NCS Meet of Champions on Nov. 22.

A recent increase in complaints from business owners and patrons in Castro Village pertaining to students loitering, skating, and smoking around the premises has caused the local authorities to increase patrols in the shopping center.

Owners of popular hangout places such as Starbucks, Blenzers, and the Village Bowl have lodged formal complaints with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

Officers have promised to increase the frequency of patrols in the village, especially in the afternoons when teens are likely to be out of school.

“Mainly CVHS and Redwood [Alternative] kids have been seen around the village smoking and loitering in groups,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Velasco.

“There have been rumors of drug activities as well as accounts of fighting.”

Many teens object to the increased patrolling, viewing it as unnecessary. “[The officers] should be glad

VILLAGE: Page 8

CSUs admit fewer students due to state’s fiscal crisis

By Irene Liang and Joseph Wan city editor and copy editor

Economic times prove to be hard even for students, as the California State University system is cutting down on its admissions as a result of budget cuts to the educational system.

Approximately 10,000 students will be cut from admittance to the CSUs, and many more will find their options severely limited.

“We will do the very best that we can on getting the word out. We have put the word out through the press. We had a large rock star bus traveling throughout California,” said Chancellor Charles B. Reed during a phone

conference on Nov. 17. “It went to the largest high schools, to the conferences of the high school counselors, shopping centers, and what have you.”

Despite the fact that California boasts the tenth largest economy in the world as of 2007, according to The World Factbook published by the CIA, California revenue can be expected to decline by $28 billion in the next 20 months in addition to the already massive amount of debt the state has accumulated in past years. Budget cuts to the state treasury mean there is less money the government can provide to the CSU system to fund admittance to its campuses.

At this time, the accumulated

student body is approaching 460,000, but with the decrease in enrollment, the number would drop to slightly above 450,000.

To go with the estimated decrease, the Board of Trustees has created a priority list for applicants. Existing and returning students already enrolled at a CSU will be given first priority.

Fully eligible students transferring from community college take second priority. All incoming first-time freshmen who live in the service area of the campus they are applying to will be given third priority. Lowest priority will be given to foreign students, those who do not live in the service area of the campuses they

CSU: Page 8

Incumbents win rare school board race

By Trevin Smith staff writer

Voters of Castro Valley elected school board members on Nov. 4. It was an opportunity for two new candidates and a challenge to three incumbents, who each won new four-year terms in a close race.

Kunio Okui, John Barbieri, and Jo Loss shared a motto of “Continued Excellence.”

When questioned about joining with Okui and Barbieri as a campaign slate, Loss replied, “I think it was a smart decision on our part.”

Newcomers Marc Crawford and Judith Radousky fought for reform in Castro Valley schools.

“I think that a new member on the school board would force them to take a new look at how things are done and be more

responsive to the public,” said Radousky.

The two challengers spoke as much as possible in an attempt to present themselves as an alternative to the long-serving incumbents, whom the challengers described as out of touch.

“Nobody has run against these guys for 13 years,” said Crawford.

Barbieri won overall with 23 percent, followed by Okui with 21 percent and Loss with 19 percent. A fraction behind was Crawford, also at 19 percent.

Radousky took 18 percent.

“I think they’ve made the right decision,” said Barbieri.

CORRECTION: A frontpage headline in the Nov. 21 Olympian should have read, "Administration tries to stop homecoming wars." The Olympian regrets the error.

Today’s entertainment spawns EDITORIALISSUE4 California State University cuts only clichés, carbon copies slashes enrollment, students’ futures

By Brandon Lui Staff Writer

The entertainment business has been around for some time.

We have seen huge strides in the industry since the days before cinematography. Sadly, when people’s minds can dine on some of the funniest, dramatic, and show-stopping entertainment, they settle for the questionable fast food entertainment, the passing fad.

Take Twilight for example.

The theme is a “Romeo and Juliet” scenario, which is completely overused. Edward, the male vampire protagonist, is idolized as a strong, seductive, flirty, suave, handsome, passionate, fit, and all around saint on earth. I think that’s a little over romanticized. The fact that Bella, the female human protagonist, “smells good” to Edward forms the only noticeable attraction between the couple. They’re not an odd couple because they’re a human and a vampire; they’re an odd couple because their attraction is shallow and physical.

Hmm… where else can one read a romance with such cheesy and corny elements? Look no further than the convenient store books with the covers filled with scant-

ily-clad men holding women in their arms, only $5.99.

The High School Musical series smells fishy as well. It’s another “Romeo and Juliet” scenario for the protagonists. “Hey, we love each other, and society says “no” to us, but we don’t care about

“

It’s like the writers have slithered into the hidden tomb of great writers, pillaged their corpses of everything but [...] countless parts to a good book or show.

”

conformity.” Then everyone on screen jumps up dancing, singing about how different and individual they are, to the same song, with the same choreography, in matching color schemes.

All those singers must feel like they really are so special and

different. Personally, I haven’t watched anything past the first movie since it came out in 2006 and I don’t plan on doing so.

Everyone breaks out in song so much, everyone and everything looks so clean, it’s not a “high school” musical, it’s a “fairy tale and/or robot” musical. It’s like the writers and choreographers for this series took some high school students, knocked them out, bleached their faces, tattooed smiles onto their faces, and stitched radios onto their skulls permanently set on radio Disney.

The funny thing is, it’s called High School Musical, but the masses of fans all consist of preteens who have been completely brainwashed to believe high school is remotely like this.

These are only some of the many existing, and soon to be more, clone forms of entertainment. It’s like the writers have slithered into the hidden tomb of great writers, pillaged their corpses of everything but important things like thematic motifs, full circles, genres, storyline, characters, justification, relationships, and many other countless parts to a good show or book. It’s a sad time for entertainment and the human race.

Five things I hate about you, CVHS

By Lindsay Oda Business Manager

CVHS: my dear home, my school, my every day for five days a week, you know I love you, but you do have flaws.

I’ve made a list of five things I hate about you. Don’t take it personally.

1. Schedule Is it just me, or does eighth period end too late? Students with after-school sports hardly have time for dinner and homework.

Not to mention that they have to miss a lot of class time for away games. A late eighth period is just the start of our bad schedule, 7:15 a.m. equals death. How are teenagers supposed to function at 7:15 a.m.? School requires thinking, and thinking doesn’t come easily at 7:15 in the morning. I say, “Bring back tutorial!” so we can have shorter days that don’t start at 7:15 in the morning.

2. Cell Phone Policy

I understand no cell phones during class time, but if it’s after school, and I need to call my mom to say I’m coming home late because I have to make up a test. I don’t think I should have to walk off campus just to make that call. And I don’t understand why we can’t use cell phones during lunch on campus. It wouldn’t

be a disturbance because there is no class in session. And what harm can I do by texting a friend and asking what they want to do after school?

3. Seagulls

Everyday I cross the courtyard in fear. I cover my head with my books and binders to guard myself from being bombed by birds.

One day I dream of crossing that courtyard with confidence, being able to cross as slow as I want, no books or binders attached. This problem won’t be fixed until students pick up their trash (FYI: this problem won’t be fixed).

4. Inconvenient Lunch

I love lunch, it’s one of the only things I look forward to in my day of school, but it could be better. Our campus is way too crowded with limited space to sit with friends and enjoy lunch.

Don’t even get me started on rainy days. On rainy days it’s impossible to sit and eat lunch, unless you like your food wet.

Letters to the Editor

We have a multi-million dollar football stadium, but not enough lunch tables. Let’s buy some. There’s a minimal amount of space, but there’s even less lunchtime. If we go to class for at least seven hours a day, you’d think we’d have more than 35 minutes for lunch.

5. 200 Hall Bathrooms… …are hella grody. Students really need to clean up. The smell is terrible, there’s graffiti everywhere, and no one flushes. One time I went in there, and found a used tampon tied to the stall door. What the hell? And that’s the girl’s bathroom. I heard the guy’s is worse. Can I get a janitor please?

Don’t be too hard on yourself CVHS. To tell the truth, I was going to make a list of ten things I hate about you, but to my surprise, I could only find five. And I was going to make a list of everything good about you, but my editors yelled at me for making my story too long.

Please take my solutions into consideration.

The Olympian encourages letters from our readers. Please note that pieces should be under 300 words and are subjected to editing and verification. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at the Olympian office in room 113.

As most of you surely know, the state budget is in crisis. What some of you may not know is that some funding is coming out of education. The colleges in California are all getting budget cuts.

The California State University system is suffering specifically.

They are lowering admissions by 10,000 students, which would reduce freshman admissions by about 10 percent.

We at The Olympian deeply resent these cuts. Fewer college admissions mean fewer college graduates and fewer skilled workers. How would you feel if your chances at a better life were cut out from under you? Money issues should not keep anyone from getting the education that they deserve.

High school students are going to be very affected by these cuts. There are 10,000 seniors that will apply to CSUs this year that won’t get in. That’s a lot of rejection letters.

These cuts are going to force more students into already overcrowded junior colleges. Now there isn’t anything wrong with junior college, but they aren’t

ideal places to learn, and it can take several years to get the credits you need to transfer into a CSU. All this just adds up to one thing. The state needs to learn how to prioritize. Is education an important asset to the state and to the people living here, or is it just a money eater that doesn’t serve a real purpose? There are other institutions that could receive budget cuts. Education needs to remain a priority in the mind of the government.

High school students already feel a huge amount of pressure to get into college. With fewer acceptances, the pressure will be even higher. So couldn’t the cuts come from some other place?

Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if they did?

The state is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do they cut from something else, borrow money, or raise taxes? There really isn’t a good option, but kids shouldn’t have to suffer for the mistakes an older generation made.

Cartoon by James Rose

The Olympian is a publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2008 Editor-in-Chief...............................................................Malena Bell City Editor.......................................................................Irene Liang News Editor......................................................................Tim Wong Opinion Editor...............................................................Becky Chao Feature Editor....................................................................Eva Poon Sports Editor....................................................................Frank Chao Copy Editors...................................................................Erin Mundy Joseph Wan Photo Editor..............................................................Howard Whang Systems Manager........................................................Malia Goulart Business Managers............................................................Isabel Chi Lindsay Oda Staff Writers: Lisa Carmack, Sophiana Carrell, Moises Fonseca, Sarah Gilchriese, Alexandra Gomes, Lawrence Ham, Alicia Harger, Brandon Lui, James Rose, Trevin Smith, Tracy Tope, Elizabeth Tran Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Change in gay rights will depend on new tolerence

By Malena Bell Editor-in-Chief

Homosexual couples will one day have the same rights as heterosexual couples; it’s undeniable. Despite ballot measures in several states that passed on Nov. 4 to restrict the rights of homosexual couples, our society is moving in the right direction.

Civil rights are never easy to earn. There are always people in a society who, no matter how bizarre or unreasonable their arguments are, refuse to change. But as the bigotry that is more present in older generations fades away, an acceptance emerges in younger generations, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing happen now. My generation, the most of which was not able to vote in this election, is refusing to endorse bigotry and choosing instead to accept gay couples and gay marriage.

When my peers and I are able to vote, we will vote for tolerance and love instead of bigotry and hatred.

One day in the future we will look back at this civil rights

struggle as we now do the struggles for equal rights for women and African-Americans. We will understand that the arguments against gay marriage are as ridiculous as the arguments against interracial marriage. We will progress as a society. We will learn tolerance.

It’s going to take lots of hard work from lots of people. It’s go-

“ There are always people... who, no matter how bizzare their arguments are, refuse to change.

”

ing to be a difficult and emotional battle. It’s going to be rough, but we are going to win.

Progress may seem slow, or even nonexistent, and it may go slow at times. But we will get there one day. It is up to us to decide how quickly we get there.

Prop. 8 approval equals indifference, segregation

By Sophiana Carrell Staff Writer

Isn’t it great that we live in a country that prides itself on equality and justice? Isn’t it great that all people are considered equal individuals, free to express their unique individuality?

I was greatly disturbed, to say the least, when California voters approved Proposition 8. Though the decision was close, I was shocked that the majority of Californians had the nerve, felt they held the authority, to withhold a right from more than 7 percent of the population. Within that statistic are humans with emotions who love one another. This group of people should have the right to love and be loved, regardless of whether their partner is of the same-sex.

Prop. 8 supporters agree that a homosexual couple will still be considered as a “domestic partnership,” but not “married.”

But that is not the point. The point is that they are not considered as “equals” in society.

Forcing them to take the different label of “domestic partners” is

separating them from what we deem as “normal,” the uniform heterosexual marriage.

I just wonder if this vote was fueled by people’s natural fear of change. The fear of the uncertain and “unconventional” is understandable, but when this intrudes upon the rights of other citizens, it is truly immoral.

A popular argument for Prop.

8 was that the true dictionary definition of marriage is between a man and a woman, and that there can be no exceptions to this.

Prop. 8 is proposing an amend-

“ Forcing them to

take the different label of ‘domestic partners’ is seperating them from what we deem as ‘normal.’

”

ment to the Constitution, but if people are mainly concerned with staying true to this definition, wouldn’t it be far easier to change a dictionary definition than the California Constitution?

I think it is extremely ironic that America is, finally, able to elect an African American president, yet it still can’t accept a group of people who choose to lead a different lifestyle than their own. In a sense, with this proposition, people are creating and supporting a type of segregation. These supporters are, most likely, heterosexual, so why do they think they have a say in what others can or can’t do? If this proposition doesn’t pertain to them, it doesn’t call

for their input.

I don’t know about you, but in no year of my previous education have I been “taught” the definition of marriage. No teacher sat down my class and proceeded to show a Powerpoint presentation on how marriage was, and only was, between a man and a woman. In fact, marriage has never even been mentioned in any class I’ve taken. So why was this such a large component of Prop. 8? If voters had chosen to vote no, it doesn’t mean that the next day teachers would quickly construct a lesson plan on the greatness of gay marriage, telling their first grade students to all turn homosexual! How can Americans believe such outlandish, bizarre assumptions?

A common catchphrase of No On 8 supporters was, “Why does it matter if it doesn’t affect you?”

As the election drew nearer, I would hear this phrase in hallways and see it decorating whiteboards in classrooms. I realized there is so much truth to it. This law will only affect those it pertains to, which are not the ones who voted to pass this Prop.

Oddly enough, Prop. 8 reminds me of the “white-man’s burden,” people believing they have the obligation to educate the “corrupt” on the “proper” way of living. I just have a hard time accepting this extreme self-righteousness that is still so obviously prevalent in American society.

But California has voted, and to my surprise and dismay, they have decided to strip the rights of good citizens. I just wish Californians could realize they are essentially depleting the happiness of worthy human beings, proving that the world could use a strong lesson on empathy.

PHOTOpinions Compiled by Elizabeth Tran

Graphic by Becky Chao

Get back here! Stealing disrespectful, uncalled for!

By Lawrence Ham Staff Writer

“Hey, did you see where my pencil went?” I am sure students hear this sentence more frequently now than they have in the past.

There have been many more thieves on campus this year. It is not only pencils and school supplies, but also cell phones, iPods, and even backpacks.

My friend was eating lunch recently in the cafeteria. He bought his lunch, sat down, and began to eat. When the bell rang, he turned around to grab his backpack only to find it missing. He had set his backpack down for only ten minutes and someone had already stolen it. After a few

days of searching, he found it in the library with his money and calculator missing.

My question is: why would students steal someone’s backpack? I am sure they wouldn’t want anybody stealing their valuable items. Please remember that stealing in the real world can put you in jail!

For example, instead of stealing another student’s school supplies, they could just kindly ask them to borrow a pencil or eraser. Many people would gladly lend an extra pencil to a fellow classmate.

I have heard many stories of people losing things they value.

School is a place to meet new people and learn. It is not a place

for students to steal things from one another. When students lose something they value, it hurts them a lot. When my friend got his backpack stolen, it hurt his grade because his binders and notes were in there.

We all know that binder checks are worth a lot of points and could hurt your grade dramatically. Could you imagine having your notebook and binders taken away just before a binder check in a class? Last year, I left my math binder underneath my seat accidently and when I came back the same day searching for it, someone had already taken it; it hurt my grade a lot.

So, please, let’s be respectful of other people’s property.

“How do you feel about the CSUs accepting fewer applicants?”

“ALL colleges and universities should provide students with more opportunities and acceptances.”

Young (Michael) Lee, freshman

“This is not the way to conserve money. We shouldn’t deny people a valueable education.”

Emily Valadao, sophomore

“It is unfair to be rejected because of the state’s financial shortages instead of my qualifications.” Jennifer Yu, junior

“Since I am interested [in] going to college after this year, I’m a little angry about this decision.”

Cristovao Chocha, senior

Sophomore builds 100% electric car Harry Potter Club conjures magic

By Alexandra Gomes Staff Writer

Howard Whang / Photo Editor

Sophomore Nolan Reker shows off his 1999 Toyota RAV4 that is powered only by electricity.

By Howard Whang Photo Editor

Where would you go if you had a car that could go 80 miles on half a gallon of gas? Sophomore Nolan Reker will be commuting to school in a car like that as soon as he gets his drivers license. Although school may not be the first place one would want to drive such an awesome car to, a car like that would make a really good commute car because of its efficiency.

The only difference is that Reker’s car does not run on gas.

Over the past summer, Reker and his father have worked together to convert their 1999 Toyota RAV4 into one that runs only on electricity, evidenced by the sporty “Electric” sign posted on the side of the car.

Electric cars are nothing new to the Reker family. This is the second car that they have converted to run on electricity. The first one is an older 1980 Volkswagen, which Reker’s father converted in 1990, during the

Gulf War, when gas prices started to climb. The older 1990 technology provides the VW with about 35 miles per charge.

Now, 18 years later and with gas prices soaring multiple times higher than back in 1990, the Rekers have put together another efficient electric car. They started this project in July, although most of the time was spent on waiting for parts to arrive. In total, Reker estimates that they spent around 200-300 hours doing all the work at home, and a grand total of, including the car, $21,000 to convert.

That may sound like a lot, but calculated out, it really isn’t that bad in the long run.

“A lot of people ask if it is really cost effective to do. We calculated that it would pay for itself in gas, because it costs $1.50 to go 80 miles. Electricity isn’t really going up, and gas is,” Reker commented.

Reker also made a little money back by selling the old, unneeded parts such as the gas engine and

transmission, which helps with the final cost of the car.

The car runs on lead-acid batteries, which are about the cheapest batteries possible. Lead-acid batteries are like regular car batteries but have higher capacity. Each one weighs about 72 pounds, and the car takes 24 of them, attached to the bottom of the car. The charge time is fairly short, taking only about four hours to get an 80 percent charge, and six hours for a full charge.

Besides having to replace the batteries when they wear out, there is virtually no other maintenance that the car needs to have done. “There’re no filters, nothing you have to regularly replace.

There’s really no maintenance you have to do regularly,” said Reker.

Reker had done most of the electrical work on the car, describing it as fun and “a good experience.” To Reker, this is a project that could be done easily.

If you know what you are doing that is.

Stand up for “Just Stand Up”

By Elizabeth Tran Staff Writer

Beyonce Knowles, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Fergie, Leona Lewis, and Natasha Bedingfield, along with eight other female artists, got together and sang their hearts out for the Stand Up to Cancer foundation.

“Just Stand Up” is a good collaboration of the artists’ voices, each line highlighting each singer’s strong points.

The youngest and the least experienced, Miley Cyrus croaked and cracked her way through the song. Although that’s true, her voice did add an edge to the song; plus, Rihanna’s catchy voice cancels out Miley’s horrible one. Beyonce’s voice was as strong as ever, as well as was Mary J. Blige’s. Let’s not forget to mention Keyisha Cole’s and Ashanti’s touches. Overall, everyone did well.

The song has inspiring lyrics and a fun catchy beat. “If the mind keeps thinking you’ve had enough, but the heart keeps telling you don’t give up. Who

are we to be questioning what is what? Don’t give up! Through it all, just stand up!”

“Just Stand Up” holds #11 on US Billboard Hot 100 and is a part of Ryan Seacrest’s America Top 40. A song like this is worth purchasing off of iTunes because, not only is it for a good cause, it’s also a song that features female singers from different genres of music: hip-hop, pop, country, and R&B. Help support the fight against cancer by purchasing this inspiring song off of iTunes because this song is worth it. “This is where the end of cancer begins.”

As inauguration into the Harry Potter Fan Club (HPFC), one must take the sorting hat quiz. For this quiz, there are a series of questions asked that will determine what house the member will be in. Like in the books and movies, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Once the quiz results are scored, the members will one by one be called to the front of the room, have the “sorting hat” placed on their heads, and will be sorted into their particular house.

“We also have fun making up our own Potter games, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Gallows and our version of the Tri-Wizard Tournament,” junior and club president Kelsey Paiz added.

Throughout the year, the club members play games such as the Harry Potter version of 20 questions and Harry Potter hangman, rightfully renamed by Paiz as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Gallows.” There is also the occasional debate over any Harry Potter related topic of interest.

Also, on rare occasions, they watch one of the movies.

Last year, club members stayed after school to watch the fifth addition to the movie series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and brought treats to snack on.

Those that did come noticed the actors’ tendency to wear horizontally striped shirts.

Then, there is the Tri-Wizard Tournament held once every year where the houses compete against each other by playing a series of games and challenges. Last year, the different houses made dragons out of recyclables.

“We have so much fun in the Harry Potter Club because we get along so well. We can talk endlessly about our common love of Harry Potter,” said Paiz.

Whatever they are doing, the members of the HPFC are having fun with anything Harry Potter related, be it playing games or having debates.

The HPFC was founded on Oct. 2007 by the more than average Harry Potter fan, Paiz.

It was in her English class, with her teacher Gabrielle Hedlund, where the club came to be.

Times have been tough for the club though since its advisor, Hedlund, left on maternity leave, but has been going on with the current substitute teachers. Despite these troubles, the club still meets every Tuesday during lunch in room 313, having fun, discussing the books and movies, and playing games.

“Harry Potter is like pudding.

I hope there’s more,” stated junior and the vice president of the HPFC, Ashley Ison, referencing the quote given by the character Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

NBA 2K9 loaded with features

By Moises Fonseca Staff Writer

Basketball has always been a popular sport among teenagers.

Some teenagers’ dream is to play for the NBA. But while they wait for that dream to come true, they play basketball during their free time with their friends and they also play basketball on video games.

Xbox 360 just released their latest basketball game, NBA 2K9.

On a scale of 1 – 10, I would rate this game as an 8.5.

This game has a lot of good

features, such as fewer missed layups, living rosters that provide up-to-the-minute statistical changes, and the announcers do a nice job calling and analyzing the action. Even the signature, character animations look great.

This game has some key additions, like the ability to play five-on-five online.

But not everything in this game is perfect. For instance, free throws are still harder than they should be, and the controls are too complex.

If you thought NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K8 were great, then you should try NBA 2K9.

There are many other features I can tell you about this game, but I don’t want to spoil it, so go check it out yourself--especially if you are a baller.

CFA artwork honors bravery of Vietnam vets

By Tracy Tope Staff Writer

Hankie anyone? The Vietnam Veterans’ exhibit was an emotion-stirring piece of work put together by senior Amy King and various visual arts students. The exhibit was displayed in the CFA during the running of the plays A Piece of My Heart and Tracers.

“I think it was great to recognize and honor the men and women who served. It really brought them back to life, because they had been forgotten,” said King.

Originally the idea of drama teacher Tiffany Daily, the exhibit was brought to life by King. It consisted of six elements that made it a great place to stroll during intermission. The first thing that jumped out at you was the wall of tallies for every death in the Vietnam War, which had a depressing total of 58,260 American losses. There were also eight plaques hanging on the wall beside the tallies. The plaques contained quotes from the families of the person that the plaque was dedicated to and that person’s military standings.

The different things written on the plaques made you really feel like you had an idea of their character.

“It made them more personable to the community,” said King.

In the center of the room, there

was a tree that took the graphic design students two and a half weeks to make, and their effort definitely showed. The leaves had the names of all the different Castro Valley citizens who fought in the war.

To make the exhibit even more special, the ceramics students got to work on ceramic helmets that went on display. They had names and rankings of the people from Castro Valley who served.

A cool part of the exhibit was the open message board,

By Isabel Chi

“It really brought

Business Manager

them back to life, because they had been forgotten Amy King Senior artist

”

where people could write their thoughts about the exhibit, the war, or whatever else they were feeling after looking through the exhibit. In the corner of the room, there was a cabinet that was full of pictures of war veterans of Castro Valley. The cabinet contained pictures, letters, medals, and other trinkets that four families of local veterans were willing to share. The powerful display contained everything from pictures of guys having a

Tracy Tope / Staff Writer

On display is a Vietnam veteran’s uniform that was worn by a Castro Valley veteran during the war. great time to notices of deaths.

The display was very touching to the different people looking at the exhibit, because of the contrast between life and death of a soldier. The uniform set up

beside the case was a nice touch to make the entire display as near perfection as possible.

“The exhibit and the plays were a nice combination for Veterans’ Day,” said King.

Review: Brisingr has good plot, lack of conclusion

By Alicia Harger Staff Writer

B r i s i n g r, b y C h ristopher Paolini, was supposed to be the anticipated third and final book of the Inheritance trilogy. However, the author thought that it would be too long and decided to write two separate novels, leaving fans disappointed but excited for the next book.

Aside from the lack of conclusion, Brisingr does not disappoint. It has plenty of action and keeps readers on the edge of their

seats. The plot zips along right to the end.

The main character, Eragon, is driven by conflicting oaths to various people. He pledged his allegiance to the rebel group, the Varden. Eragon promised the elves to complete his training. He promised the dwarfs he would fix their prized jewel. Eragon also promised his brother Roran he would help rescue Roran’s fiancée Katrina. He struggles to do what is best for the greater good, while keeping his promises.

Twilight all right if you’re not a book die-hard

Eragon fulfills his promise to the elves by going to visits his elfish teacher. While there, he receives crucial information about defeating the antagonist, the evil emperor Galbatorix. He also fulfills his promise to a young girl he accidentally cursed, by muting the effects of the curse.

The characters seem to develop in good ways during the novel.

Eragon comes to terms with his role as a leader. In addition, his relationship with Arya, the elf he is in love with, is more satisfying

than in the previous novels.

Overall, the only negative comments I can make about Brisingr are that it isn’t a conclusion to the series and that the descriptions bog down the plot. It does set up the final book nicely.

I think that fans will be anxious until the final novel comes out when they can find out the fate of Alagasea.

I recommend the book to any fantasy fan that wants to have some fun. Brisingr is worth reading and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The lights dim and all you hear is a medley of teenage girls screaming. Then the previews come on. The movie hasn’t even started yet and everybody in the theater is emitting a crazy kind of anxious excitement. Finally, the previews end and the movie starts. Another spiel of screams.

All this excitement has been surrounding Twilight, but really, how was the movie? For true diehard fans of the novel, the movie might be a disappointment. A lot of things are taken out and some of the events that do occur are slightly changed. For example, in the book when Bella gives her theory about what Edward might really be, they are in the restaurant after Edward saves Bella’s life. In the movie, that whole exchange happens in the cafeteria. There is a medley of misplaced scenes and changed lines.

The acting done by the stars Robert Pattinson, Edward, and Kristen Stewart, Bella, is touching at best and mediocre at worst.

Edward’s supposedly penetrating gaze turns into an odd squinty glare and Bella’s shocked face has a slight tint of artifice to it. The overall acting of the stars was acceptable, however, both of them managing to pull off two amazingly hard characters. The other minor characters also do a good job; Jackson Rathbone, Jasper, pulls off Jasper’s uneasy awkwardness with surprising skill and Nikki Reed, Rosalie, pulls off the animosity with great emotion.

Even though those die-hard fans might be disappointed, the vast majority of viewers would give the movie a good rating. For a movie that spent only $37 million creating superhuman speed, superhero strength, diamondfaceted skin, and supermodel looks, director Catherine Hardwicke did a pretty good job.

If you would like to enjoy the movie to its fullest extent, just pretend that you have never read the book, however hard that might be. Enjoy the movie for what it is and enjoy the separate details and humor.

Don’t hold the movie’s potential back by nitpicking at every single miniscule detail like I did. Once I relaxed and let the movie play out as just another movie, I actually enjoyed it. It’s a dark indie love flick with a streak of humor hidden just under the surface.

Volleyballers fall in NCS semis

By James Rose Staff Writer

Castro Valley’s girls volleyball team lost their match against Danville’s San Ramon Valley Wolves in the NCS semifinals on Wednesday Nov. 19.

The night was full of competitive energy and an outstanding supportive atmosphere. Although CV won the first set at 21-25, the team lost the next three for a score of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-17.

“We played our hearts out. I had fun with the game. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but we played well,” said senior Stacie Redmond, who had 14 kills, four digs and one ace. The Trojans needed to win against San Ramon Valley in order to advance to the NCS finals.

“I was really surprised and grateful for all of the fans that showed up even though the game was far away,” said senior Malina Keaton, who scored six kills and three digs.

The girls volleyball team won most of their matches during the season, but the season was full of tough and trying games, and lots of ups and downs.

“We had a great season. We didn’t let anything hold us back,” said Redmond.

“I had a lot of expectations for the team, but I think that we went way beyond it. P’yaaw!” said Keaton.

Moises Fonseca / Staff Writer

Senior Ken Zelaya (right) squeezes the ball through Deer Valley defenders.

Trojan boys stay undefated in crushing Deer Valley Soccer team wins, 3-1, improving record to 4-0

By Moises Fonseca Staff Writer

On a sunny day with the perfect weather to play soccer, the Castro Valley boys varsity soccer team had a home game against Deer Valley High School on Dec. 6, and the Trojans made the day even better when they won, 3 - 1.

Deer Valley gave a good fight,

which is what assistant varsity coach and P.E. teacher John Edwards expected. “I expect them to be a good team, and give a good challenge,” said Edwards before the game started.

In the first 45 minutes the game was relatively calm. Junior Connor Thornton scored a goal for the Trojans within the first ten minutes of the game. Deer Valley scored

another goal afterwards and by halftime the game was tied 1 - 1.

In the second-half, the Trojans played aggressively and enthusiastically to win the game.

Thornton scored another goal five minutes after halftime started, which was assisted by sophomore Hunter LeBlanc. Twenty minutes later, senior Kevin Phillips scored another goal, leaving the game

3-1, with Castro Valley conquering the soccer field.

With the victory, the Trojans remain unbeaten and are now 4-0.

“We have great skills, condition, and the best disciplined team ever,” said Edwards.

Most of the soccer players agreed with Edwards. “Just work hard,” said junior Jared Keys after asked what the team needs to do.

S up e r S a v v y Sp o r ts St a rs

Trevin Smith / Staff Writer

Stephen Murakami, freshman Stephen “the brick wall” Murakami has finished an impressive first football season at CVHS. Murakami is the starting center for the freshman team despite only playing football for two years. When asked about whether or not he was interested in playing for the rest of high school, he replied, “Very much so.”

Murakami’s stats are strong, with no false starts or holding calls on him all season. His coaches have been pleased with his teamwork and hard training all season long. Murakami looks forward to representing the green and gold in the future.

Carolyn Gilchriese, sophomore Carolyn Gilchriese is getting ready to start her sophomore season on the JV Trojan soccer team. She is a standout forward who scored four goals last year. Gilchriese has had a great time playing on the high school team and continually works very hard to always give her best effort while representing the Trojans. She has been playing soccer for ten years now and has been playing forward the whole time. She has a great feel for the game that she loves. “It’s my passion,” said Gilchriese.

Christian Gascon, junior

Candace Christianson, senior

Christian Gascon is a top competing wrestler. He is currently in off-season training preparing for his third varsity season. When asked about how he feels about wrestling, Gascon replied, “It’s my favorite sport.” Impressively, Gascon is a member of the top twelve North Coast Section Wrestlers and trains gruelingly to be so. Despite all of his hard work and accomplishments, Gascon remains very humble. When questioned about his thoughts on his wrestling career he said, “I consider myself a decent wrestler.”

Candace Christianson is a star basketball player. She’s been playing the game since she was in second grade and is preparing for her senior season in a Trojan uniform.

Christianson plays point-guard and wears her number two proudly.

This upcoming basketball season will be her third year on varsity and she’s looking to leave the CV court with a bang. Christianson is still undecided on whether or not to play basketball after high school. Until then, she practices everyday with her team. “I love it and I love my teammates,” said Christianson.

Girls take 17th in state

CHAMPS from Page 1

of 165 sophomore runners that ran the NCS course that day.

The rest of the girls finished all in the top half of the race. Sophomore Marisa Martines took seventh place with a time of 18:44. Senior Ayla Granados took tenth place with a time of 18:55. Junior Nicole Yang ran to seventeenth place with a time of 19:16. Junior Chelsea Schneider took twentieth place with a time of 19:20. Sophomore Gabbi White ran to twenty-second place with a time of 19:21. Freshman Samantha Fong was the seventh girl for the Trojans, taking fifty-third place out of 113 runners, with a time of 20:32.

“They were the favorite to win, and they did,” said Coach Dino Cardiasmenos after he found out the good news that the girls had placed first overall for the second

year in a row.

A week after NCS, the girls ran again at the California Cross Country State Championships in Fresno. There, the team took seventeenth place overall, finishing a spot below last year’s sixteenth place. However, the girls broke their own team record from last year’s state meet.

“The girls ran faster, but we would like to see more,” said Brewer, who wanted to break the top ten for team ranks.

Overall, the girls varsity team has created a dynasty for itself throughout the season. It ran its way to first place in the HAAL finals, first place in NCS finals, and seventeenth place at the State meet.

Next season will hopefully bring more broken records and faster times.

Eva Poon / Feature Editor

Junior Tom Ashby smokes his competition in the NCS Meet of Champions.

Boys tie for league title; take third in NCS

By Eva Poon

Feature Editor It was a day of victory for Castro Valley’s varsity boys cross country team at the NCS Meet of Champions on Nov. 22 as they took third place in Division I. Their team time was 1:20:27 for three miles, just one minute behind College Park and Amador Valley.

The team quickly took spots in the front of the race and they continued to dominate, battling against a field of over a hundred runners. The boys were on a tear as they got near the finish line.

The first runner for Castro Valley, sophomore Ben Eversole finished with a time of 15:41 in third place individually with a mad sprint to outpace Granada High’s second runner. Junior Tom Ashby, in eleventh place, sprinted in with

a time of 15:52.

Junior Will Weekes ran to sixteenth place with 16:05 and sophomore Anthony Matore took twenty-fourth place with 16:14. Rounding out the team were sophomore Erich Coulter in 16:35, sophomore C.J. Hamilton in 17:03, and junior Greg Owyang in 17:20.

The victory was especially sweet for Eversole, who qualified for the state meet, after a “frustrating” race at the HAAL championship where he placed twelfth.

“I definitely had my best race of the season. I really wanted to do well to make it up,” commented Eversole. “I felt excited…I left everything out there. I’m really happy.”

“The boys did great. They ran as a whole group with a 52 second gap between the first and fifth runner,” noted assistant coach Dino

Cardiasmenos. “These guys are all going to be here next season.

There were ups-and-downs this season but overall they achieved their goal of placing in the top three.”

Weekes was the number one runner at the HAAL championship, where the varsity boys tied for first overall with Bishop O’Dowd after a narrow onepoint loss at the meet. He felt he did well at NCS. “I had my best season yet with Castro Valley,” said Weekes. “We’re all close on the team.

We’re all friends, we work out hard, and we had a great season.”

“It’s a

whoo-hoo moment..

Whoo-hoo!”

Peter Brewer Cross Country Coach

Coach Peter Brewer was especially proud of the team.

“They put in their minds to run and do their best and they did. All seven of them had their personal best times. We were really close to getting to state and it’s a real great end to the season,” he said. “It’s a whoohoo moment. Whoo-hoo!”

At the state meet in Fresno on Nov. 29, Eversole ran the course with a time of 16:29 and placed one hundred-and-second out of 194 runners. His time was the fastest in Castro Valley records for a sophomore at the state meet.

Sculptures go to hospital Art students make bronze animals for Kaiser

By Erin Mundy copy editor

This year’s studio art kids are part of a collaborative project that will be lifting the spirits of both doctors and patients at the Hayward Kaiser pediatric offices.

A group of 33 students have been working with art teachers Jo Sutton and Jennifer Jervis to create small, solid, bronze sculptures of fantasy animals. These individual pieces will be a part of a bigger carousel structure that will be permanently displayed in the pediatric office at Hayward Kaiser.

The carousel structure itself is being sculpted by Fernando Hernandez, a local artist that the CVHS students have been working with throughout this project.

“Working with bronze is a very long process,” explained Sutton.

Unfortunately, bronze is both hard to obtain and difficult to work with. The pieces begin as small wax sculptures, are heated in a kiln, become a plas-

VILLAGE from Page 1

they aren’t dealing with anything more serious,” said senior Paris Watson. “There are many more dangerous things happening in Oakland and Berkeley; loitering in a public place is pretty harmless.”

The business owners and patrons were unavailable for comment, but a number of employees were able to give their personal opinions.

“I’ve noticed problems with littering in the potted plants around the village, and I see large groups of [teens] walking around the village, but they don’t really bother me,” said a

ter mold, and then finally the bronze pouring can begin. The students are just over half way finished with the sculptures, and should be done by the end of this semester.

CVHS does not have the machinery needed to work with bronze here on campus or the budget to purchase bronze often, so this project is a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Sutton. Because the students don’t have access to the tools and have not had the chance to work with bronze prior to this project, they have spent time at Hernandez’s studio working on the sculptures that will be a part of his sculpted, moveable carousel.

Although the sculptures require much time and effort, the students’ hard work and skill will pay off when they are finally displayed for the kids at Kaiser.

When asked why the two teachers chose to be a part of this gift of art to the hospital, Sutton and Jervis agreed “[It’s] an opportunity to work with a professional artist. [It’s] artwork that’s going to be a significant part of the community.”

Blenzers employee when asked if she noticed any disturbances because of loiterers.

An employee at the Village Bowl expressed his surprise that no serious problems have arisen from the groups of teenagers that hang out in the Village.

“We have bowling teams with elderly people that come here, and they regularly comment on the groups of kids around the entrances, but no one has been hurt,” one employee recounted.

Loitering laws specify that offenders have to be suspected of illicit or drug activities in order to be removed from public property.

Leadership announcments Informing you about upcoming events

Want a discount on CVHS basketball tickets? It’s not too late to buy your ASB sticker! You will also get discounted tickets to all CVHS dances, performing arts events, and even many club events. Get yours in the finance office today.

Have you checked out the student store in the 600 hall? It’s open every day at lunch. Not only can you buy school supplies, but you can purchase balloons (and we sell them at the cheapest price around only $2 for mylar balloons and $0.50 for latex balloons), beanie babies to use as weights, Trojan fan shirts for only $5, and even USB drives. See what’s in store for you today.

Quiet week will be January 1418: no student activities to give you a chance to study for finals.

Club presidents, be sure to

listen to PA announcements in January for the club presidents meeting, which will be held during the first week of the new semester. Winter club day will be Tuesday, Feb. 3, so we will meet in January to give you information and accept sign-ups.

Leadership would like to thank the 1,300 people who attended Winter Ball. We hope you enjoyed yourself! Thank you so much for making it a night to remember.

Thank you to all third period classes; together we raised a tremendous sum of money for the Adopt-a-Family fundraiser this year, despite the tough economy.

With your help, we improved the holiday season for eight Castro Valley families.

Leadership wishes you a safe and fun Winter Break. See you in the new year!

CSUs take less students

CSU from Page 1

apply to, and those coming from out of state.

Each of the 23 CSU campuses has been assigned an enrollment quota number that restricts how many students it can admit.

The Board of Trustees believes that most of the students impacted by these new priorities are those who come from families that are of color or underserved. In addition, the families of students who apply late are usually unsure about their financial situation.

“They are not sure how to get together their finances to be able to go to college. They are [also] unsure about financial aid and when and how to apply for that.

So that hesitancy will put them at a disadvantage,” Reed said.

Hesitancy will also put other students at a disadvantage since the CSUs will not be accepting students after March 1, 2009.

For over-enrolled schools, such as San Diego State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and CSU Long Beach, the cut-off date was Nov. 30.

Overall, the projected, and

hopefully temporary, decrease in graduating students will have repercussions much farther into the future than it might at first seem.

The CSU system is the largest provider of California’s workforce.

Trustee William Hauck said, “We graduate in excess of 90,000 students, baccalaureates, each year and they are all out in the workforce in the jobs that were mentioned plus many more.

And if we go for a year to four years graduating 10,000 or 15,000 fewer students, that’s going to add up pretty quickly to a lot of people that are needed in the workforce, but are not going to be there.”

Unfortunately for the graduating class of 2009, which is the largest graduating class ever, many will not get into colleges as a result of this budget cut, and next year will be worse. This decrease in admission to CSUs will impact space in community colleges.

“I understand why the colleges are cutting back admissions, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. This reduction will just cause more

problems in the future. Most of my friends are applying to four or more schools in the hope that they’ll get into at least one,” said senior Christine Matheney.

The Chancellors plan to meet with the Board and the state to discuss and make recommendations for the 2009-2010 budget over the next few months, until the official deadline for the budget plan in June. However, the Board has already approved a $5.1 billion budget request to the state.

The Board will decide whether or not the student fees for the 2009-2010 school year will be increased.

The Board has asked for resources from the state to avoid having to increase student fees, which is already currently at $3,797 for fulltime undergraduate students.

“It’s the responsibility of the Governor and the legislature to fund access. As a matter of fact, if you look at the statutes and the Master Plan in California, it says that the Governor and the legislature will fully fund access and that’s not what’s happening,” said Reed.