Feb 14, 2011

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 6

Pg. 2

Drug dogs are no danger

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Pg. 4

Olympian welcomes canines

Student of the year award

Junior Austin Bruckner wins

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

Valentine’s Day is today!

Pg. 5

Love is filling the air

CVEF Out for blood provides grants for teachers

UC fees to increase for next year

By Andie Smith

By Tim Pak

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Recently, the Castro Valley Educational Foundation (CVEF) provided block grants to several teachers at CVHS. The head of the science department, Melissa Kindlespire, was given $300 for pH, temperature, and voltage lab equipment. Andrea Eldridge, head of the mathematics department, received $440 for Ti-84 plus graphing calculators to lend to students who cannot afford to buy them.

Physics and chemistry teacher, Bertram Pinsky, received $400 to buy kits for students to learn about the Cavendish Experiment, involving gravity and the gravitational constant. Also, a sum of $700 was given to teacher Jo Sutton for art supplies.

“The Educational Foundation has been great in supplementing the funds that we’ve been losing little by little and allowing us to do some of the extra that we would have lost otherwise,” said Eldridge.

In addition to the block grants, CVEF also provided mini-grants to teachers at CVHS. John Green received clickers for several classrooms, Roger Kim a minigrant for books, Terri Bucklin for books and videos, and Pinsky for robotics kits and supplies.

With the $500 million budget reduction plan proposed by Governor Jerry Brown in play for the University of California, students who are attending and those who plan on attending will face many financial issues.

On Jan. 11, Brown announced his plan to balance the deficit California had gotten itself into.

He stated with a solemn face that these budget cuts will be “very difficult” but altogether necessary.

UC will have to plan out a system that works without the help of $500 million. This enormous cut will include financial aid, transportation (bus services), housing, food and many other accommodations that alleviate the life of college students.

These budget cuts will force UC to reduce its acceptance rate. However, the UC system is planning to raise the tuition fees another 8 percent for the 2011 – 2012 school year. This increase will approximately raise the tuition by another $1,000.

Brown’s proposed state general fund budget will return UC to 1998 funding levels when the system enrolled only 161,400 students, 73,600 fewer than today’s enrollment of 235,000 students.

This means that those students who were not accepted into UCs will most likely try their luck in the California State University system. However, this makes the CSU situation even harder because of its own budget cuts. For this reason, many students have veered away from the path of college and have turned to other methods of making a living.

Many CVHS seniors have been worried about the situation about financial aid and the rising costs of attending a public university. Senior Judy Tian told The Olympian that she would rather go to a private school than go to a UC. “The prices are pretty much the same. When you compare a UC and a private, there isn’t much of a difference, and plus, there is more financial aid available at a private in many cases,” explained Tian.

As years go by, college profes-

GRANTS: Page 8

Tim Pak/ Staff Writer

Junior Steve Davidson prepares to donate his blood in order to help others in need of blood donors.

Red Cross club hosts blood drive

By SangEun Choi

CVHS held a blood drive on Feb. 2. The American Red Cross hosted the event which much of the CVHS family attends to help those in need.

“This was my first time donating,” said Daniel Yim, a senior. “I was walking across the courtyard when my friends convinced me to sign up.”

In order to donate, one has to be 16 years of age or older and meet certain requirements.

When asked why they chose to give blood, many answered that it was because they felt it

was a respectful organization to help out.

“I signed up to donate because it’s for a good cause,” first-time donor junior Jessica Yee explained. “I’ve always wanted to donate but I’ve been too afraid to do so.”

“I donated because I think that it’s good to help out others,” said junior Sean Meehan. It was his third time donating to the American Red Cross and he agreed to donate even more in the future.

The donation process was facilitated by members of the American Red Cross. They all worked quickly and profession-

ally to ensure the safety of those donating blood and helped firsttime donors escape the feeling of being anxious and nervous.

“I’m glad I got over my initial fear and donated,” Yee enthused.

“The man who drew my blood was extremely kind.”

After students donated blood, they rested at least five minutes and took refreshments in order to rehydrate to avoid dizziness and faintness.

“The best part of the process was the food!” declared Karina Ng, junior, rather happy with her blood donation. “I will definitely donate again in the future.”

peaceful protests turned violent.

The protests have been calling for the resignation of President Mubarak. Although protests like these have happened many times before specifically calling for the resignation of Mubarak, none have been this successful or garnered so much support. Mubarak has been president for the past 30 years and it is speculated that although Egypt has had democratic elections Mubarak has just been fraudulently reelecting himself. Mubarak has also only allowed a one party system.

Some analysts have speculated that the reason that the protests are becoming so successful now is because of the violence.

Although it seems like Egypt is far away, it is hitting very close to home for many students here at

CVHS. Wessam Aziz is a junior here at CVHS who moved here from Egypt three years ago. Although he understands where the protesters are coming from, being a Christian Egyptian, he does not want the situation to get any worse.

“So the president has been there for awhile and the people are trying to overthrow him now which is good, but the way they are doing it is just violent protesting,” commented Aziz.

“It’s good to get him out of office but there is no one ready to take over. If the Muslim brotherhood took power they would destroy the country. They wouldn’t ally with the U.S., and we need the financial aid that the U.S. gives us. Plus discrimination against Christians would increase. If he

stayed in office until September it would have been a much smoother transition. This seems like there is going to be unrest in Egypt for a couple years now.”

Although Aziz feels Mubarak should stay in office a little longer, there are those who want change, like president of the Peace in the Middle East club Sheba Sharifi. “[President Mubarak] oppressed the people.

It is great to see them standing up for what they believe in, and although it’s unfortunate to see what they’re going through, it is inspiring for the rest of us,” commented Sharifi. “I really hope the protests and all the violence aren’t for nothing. It’s obvious that change needs to happen.”

Both Aziz and Sharifi agree

Staff Writer

Conflict in Egypt leads to concern at CVHS

By Nic Barradas Feature Editor

About two weeks ago, CVHS seinor Cody Bacho and his older sister went on sight-seeing trip to Egypt. What had been planned as a fun, educational trip took a turn for the worse once they arrived in Cairo.

“I was in a van and we stopped in the middle of one [of the protests]. Our driver got out. Lots of the protesters started looking in our van. It was kind of scary to see these people walking around with AK-47s like it was nothing.

There were tanks everywhere.

People used metal clubs and poles to hit cars,” said Bacho.

This was the scene witnessed

by Bacho as he and his sister traveled to one of their destinations.

Two weeks ago in Cairo, Egypt

EGYPT: Page 8

BUDGET: Page 8

Film about school system misrepresents

By Hillman Zheng Business Manager

Yoon Jung

Drug dogs will improve campus

Editorial: Drug-sniffing dogs have been a point of debate for many students. About three times a year, CVHS pays drug dog services to have specially trained dogs come to sniff out drugs and ambiguous substances in lockers.

If they sniff something suspicious, authorities have the right to search the lockers. Some feel that this invades privacy, while others think it keeps the school safe and drug-free. Most of us at The Olympian feel that drug dogs do help our school.

First of all, the benefits outweigh the possible negative effects. If in rare cases, drug dogs may sniff out something that isn’t a drug and authorities will still search the locker. But because the fail rate for dogs is

low, the searches will ultimately keep our school drug-free.

Next, the direct reason why CVHS has drug dogs is to keep the school a drug-free campus—not to suppress drug use.

Obviously, suppressing drug use is the implied reason for the searches, but it does not directly do that. Its main goal is to keep CVHS a drug-free campus.

What this ultimately means is that if people do drugs, they can do them at home or somewhere not on school property. There would not be a reason to bring the drugs on campus and the searches accomplish their goal. If people do bring drugs to school to sell them—something we at The Olympian do not encourage—they will be caught by the searches and discouraged from

doing it again.

Again, the purpose of the searches is not to directly suppress drug use. While that may be the obvious implied reason and many will disagree with it, we believe that secretly bringing drugs to school is a bad idea anyway.

The school system already has rules restricting the use of drugs. Those who disagree with the school’s position and secretly bring drugs to school are only hurting their own cause, by undermining the legitimacy of their rights and breaking school rules. If drug users believe they do, in fact, have that right; they should first speak up for it and take political action—though that is a different topic entirely and needs discussion elsewhere.

PHOTOpinions By: Simrit Kaur

What are your thoughts about having drug dogs on campus?

Race to Nowhere, a documentary about the high-pressure and high-stakes nature of our country’s education system and its effect on young students, teachers, and parents, was screened at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts on Jan. 20.

The film primarily featured stories of students who face stress-induced illnesses like stomach pain, depression, and even suicide, all because of pressures to excel in advanced classes and balance numerous extracurricular activities in order to get into good colleges.

While the film does raise valid points about the competitive nature of our schools, I believe it only reflects the concerns of a small portion of the education system’s population.

Not everyone balances six Advanced Placement (AP) classes, sports, and music and suffers from the pressures of the need to overachieve. There are those who simply do not care much about school and a majority of students who are sensible and only participate in a reasonable balance of classes and activities.

Personally, I know more students who are able to balance hectic schedules successfully than those who have suffered physically

,

from doing the same.

An issue in the film I found that rang true was the test-dependent nature of our education system. From the STAR to the CAHSEE to the SAT, students are constantly being tested for their academic competence.

However, the tests are not as useful as educators may think. A student in the film says he usually crams into his brain only the necessary information that will show up on a test, and empties his mind of all the knowledge right after the test. I completely agree as I find myself doing the same quite often.

After the screening of the film, a panel consisting of child psychiatrists, counselor Duane Magno, the director of the documentary, Vicki Abeles, and other professionals were on stage to answer questions from the audience and encourage dialogue.

As expected, after about an hour of discussion of similar situations, nothing close to a feasible solution to the problem of our education system was proposed.

Of course, this problem is not going to be solved anytime soon, especially in our society’s culture of competition encouragement.

However, that is exactly my point. There is no solution and there does not need to be a solution. There will always be winners and losers. The education system may be flawed, but it is still highly functional and a majority of people are able to succeed with it.

I would love to have a perfect, functional education with no woes like budget cuts but it is simply not possible. I believe the film is implying a bigger problem in our schools than actually exists.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2011 “Having drug dogs on campus creates a safe learning environment, so I don’t mind as long as they don’t bite.”

Freshman Amy Poon

“Although I can see it becoming a little invasive, I don’t mind the drug dogs because I am not affected by them.”

Junior Victor Castano

“Go get ’em, boy!”

Sophomore Jeff Zhang

“I don’t do drugs, but I do feel that it is an invasion of privacy.”

Senior Julia Yu

Editor-In-Chief...............................................................Alicia Harger City Editors...................................................................Sarah Gilchriese Simrit Kaur News Editor...........................................................Lawrence Ham Opinion Editor.............................................................Kate Kim Feature Editor............................................................Nic Barradas Sports Editor.............................................................Kearny Combs Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Anna Balassone Copy Editor.........................................................Dana Lin Photo Editor..............................................................Bianca Arias Business Managers......................................................Hillman Zheng Staff Writers: Matt Barney, Natalie Chin, SangEun Choi, Daniel Chung, Abby Clark, Rebecca Fong, Dan Galvan, Samantha Gamble, Reyna Garcia, Yesenia Gutierrez, Jason Hazari, Yoon Jung, Max Kahane, Trevor Kwong, Noelia Ley, Emily Lin-Jones, John London, Tim Pak, Holden Parks, Jennifer Price, Andie Smith Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Olympian

The February 14, 2011

3

“N-word” needed to teach tolerance period prior to the Civil War. It is essential that the “n-word” appears often because such slang was, at one time, an undeniable part of the American vocabulary.

The presence of the “n-word” should not be viewed as a hindrance, but rather an aid, to the education of today’s

By Anna Balassone A&E Editor

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not only a classic novel, but also an unparalleled window into the nature of our country’s troublesome antebellum period. Since its initial publication over a century ago, the novel has been banned countless times throughout schools nationwide, due to its lack of politically correct language. The novel now appears at the forefront of a recent censorship scandal, in which the American publishing company, NewSouth, intends to remove the “n-word” from Twain’s immortal pages.

The publishing company rationalizes its decision by explaining that the new edition would be accessible to an audience that would otherwise be prevented from reading the novel because of its language. In essence, the idea of NewSouth is that an altered version of the novel is better than no novel at all.

This is simply wrong. Mark Twain, undoubtedly one of the most revered authors in American literature, created the story of Huckleberry Finn to illuminate the distasteful and widespread prejudice of the 19th century. Twain ensured that each of his characters spoke with a distinct dialect in order to represent the various types of people from the time

“ The

presence of the ‘n-word’ should not be viewed as a hindrance, but rather an aid. ”

Senioritis: just a lazy excuse with a D. In the eyes of all of the noncommunity colleges, that is a fail; they can turn you away even after you’ve been accepted. Just because you’re lazy and feel the need to watch reality TV instead of doing the 20-minute home-

By Sarah Gilchriese City Editor

youth. Like no other phrase, it adds depth and historical context to a novel that exists for the sole purpose of condemning racism.

The children of this nation will not learn tolerance by ignoring historical intolerance. How can we expect kids to avoid saying the “n-word” if they are unaware of why it was ever socially unacceptable in the first place?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, unlike any other novel, shows the harmful effects of these hateful words and actions. Changing such a piece of literature would be nothing if not a crime.

LETTERS To the Editor Disagreement with his view First let me say to Tim Pak, I am sorry for your awful experience last year. No one should be made to feel unwelcome at our school. When a teacher abuses a position of authority, this is a serious problem.

Here’s my personal response to his column.

Mr. Park writes, “Last year, I had a teacher who was here at CVHS just for the money.” Who isn’t here for the money? I have a small daughter. She relies on me to keep a roof over her head, pay for her daycare, pay for doctor’s visits and put healthy food on the table. Of course I love working with students, but teaching is not an act of charity.

Andie Smith

Mr. Pak continues, “No matter how dispassionately or horribly a teacher teaches, a tenured teacher cannot be removed for petty reasons.” Should anyone lose their livelihood over “petty” reasons? Bad teaching isn’t a petty reason, though. And state law clearly allows a teacher to be dismissed for poor teaching (and unprofessional conduct, such as bullying a student).

It’s a good thing that the state law spells out exactly which offenses a teacher can be fired over. It makes the process clear to everyone involved and helps prevent unreasonable firings.

So why do teachers need permanent jobs? Having a permanent job allows us to plan for

I am a senior. I know that we’re approaching the beginning of the second semester of our last year of high school. I’m aware that we are going to start receiving our college acceptance letters soon.

However, I don’t think these reasons give my classmates and myself any reason to slack off and use the excuse of “senioritis.” We are still in school, our grades still matter, and colleges can still turn us away even after we’ve graduated, so stop making excuses and do the work!

When you don’t do homework and choose not to study for tests and quizzes, your grades are in jeopardy. When your grades are in jeopardy, you increase the risk of failing a class, or passing

retirement instead of constantly worrying about our old age. I think we deserve that.

Having a permanent job gives us the confidence to speak our minds to administrators when we see something wrong. I think that improves our school for everybody.

So what about bad apples?

Let’s bring back peer mentoring programs, so teachers can connect with other teachers to improve. The school district cut that program last year due to budget cuts. And this year we only have one staff improvement day. What a joke!

There’s a clear step-by-step process to remove ineffective teachers. Let’s use it. Principals evaluate teachers, note any issues and make recommendations. If a teacher fails to address any serious inadequacies they can be fired at the end of the year. Sure the teacher gets a final hearing to plead their case – but if they are truly rotten, it should

“We are still

in school, our grades still matter, and colleges can still turn us away. ”

work your government teacher assigns, you can lose your acceptance to a college and to your future. Is it worth it? I highly doubt it is.Many students also choose to forgo the Advanced Placement

be a slam dunk for a principal to demonstrate that. Problem solved.

Again, I am truly sorry for Mr. Pak’s experiences, even while I disagree with his view that my tenure is the cause.

John Green, social studies teacher Statistical errors create bias Hello, my name is Jeremy Meza and I am currently a student in AP Statistics under the tutelage of Professor Hager. I am responding to copy editor Dana Lin’s article titled, “We can embrace whoever we are.” Ms. Lin wrote, “Rather than taking on the impossible task of asking all the nearly 3,000 students at CVHS what they thought, I took a sample size of four students…”

If Ms. Lin had taken AP Stat, she would have known that a sample size of four students does not accurately represent a population as big as 3,000 students.

(AP) and honors classes when selecting classes during junior year, in hope of an “easy” senior year. The only thing easier than your class load is the college’s decision to turn you away when they see you’re enrolled in four electives and two real classes.

Contrary to belief, colleges still look at what classes you are currently enrolled in, to see if you choose to challenge yourself or to slack off. They are more likely to accept students who challenge themselves, since it shows that the students have potential to push themselves, even when faced with the option of “senioritis.”

All in all, to the seniors this year, do your homework, study for your exams, and most of all, try to achieve a grade point average higher than a 2.0. To future seniors, choose your classes wisely. Although three AP classes are not advised, as that is a lot of work, at least a consideration of an AP or honors class is recommended. This will not only prepare you for the more rigorous classes in college, but will also show your dream college that you aren’t a lazy slacker who claims to have “senioritis.”

Secondly, it is no surprise that the sample size Ms. Lin chose was not as random as she had hoped, seeing as she used a convenience sampling method, one of the most dangerous methods to use. This has resulted in selection bias, or undercoverage, as Ms. Lin has seen. In my professional opinion, I would use a stratified random sampling. If there existed a list of students by race, one could use a random number table to randomly choose an equal number of students from each race.

In conclusion, the results of Ms. Lin’s survey are biased and cannot be used to accurately represent our school. For more information on how to best perform a statistical observational study, please consult Professor Hager or Professor Eldridge or read Chapter 5 of The Practice of Statistic by Yates, Moore, and Starnes.

Jeremy Meza, senior

Kim cashes in Matheney makes a difference on Jeopardy

By Natalie Chin Staff Writer

By Kearny Combs Sports Editor

If you missed Roger Kim’s appearance on Jeopardy Feb. 4, you missed the most actionpacked and phenomenal game show there’s ever been. Our very own government and US history teacher defeated all his opponents in an epic showdown on national television.

Kim played a smooth, safe game. He didn’t take wild guesses or hit the button without thinking. For the most part, each question he responded to was right. He tended to answer the ones nobody else seemed to know, and luckily, these were the big 1,000 and 2,000-point questions. Two of his correct “questions” were “What is detention?” and “What is Thailand?”

To be honest, things started poorly for Kim in the first round.

Either he didn’t know the answers or didn’t push the button in time. His opponent Fred Cofone started by sweeping a set of questions on golf.

“It was really challenging to hit the button before everyone else. I knew a lot of the questions in the game, and I was trying my best on the buzzer, but unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough,” said Kim. By the end of the second round, Kim had $10,400 while Cofone had $17,000. Both of them

wagered lots of their money on Final Jeopardy with the category of “British businesses.” The answer was: “For decades, RollsRoyce also owned this luxury brand named for its founder; now both are produced by German companies.”

Only Kim got the “question” right: “What is Bentley?” He swung into the lead at the last moment and won the game, winning $17,401. For finishing second, Cofone won $2,000.

“I didn’t expect to get the question right because I don’t like talking about British stuff, so yeah I was surprised that I immediately knew the answer in Final Jeopardy,” said Kim. It was clear that Kim played a smart game. He may not have started out with a bang, but he ended with pizzazz.

Because he won on the first day, Kim was able to compete on a second episode. Unfortunately, Kim’s second appearance on the show on Monday, Feb.7 was to be his last. He missed a Daily Double question about 16th century British politics ultimately didn’t steal the win.

“I’d like to personally thank all the teachers and students for supporting me. It’s nice to know people watched Jeopardy for me and I appreciate everyone’s consideration,” Kim said.

While CVHS students will be tanning at the beach, traveling the world, or relaxing at home, junior Lindsey Matheney will be in Kansas City, Missouri at the Juliette Low Girl Scout Camp.

The Juilette Low Girl Scout Camp is named after Juilette Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, and is designed for girls ages 8-18 who have physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, polio, etc.

Lindsey Matheney will be working as a camp counselor, leading girls in activities like swimming, hiking, and more.

Located in Lake Jacomo, the Juliette Low Camp is specifically designed for children with

physical handicaps. It contains pools, cabins, a dining hall, and more on its 40-acre campus.

As president of the Engineering and Robotics Club at CVHS and an avid member of 1868 Space Cookies (a Girl Scout robotics team that competes around the US), Matheney is excited to share robotics with other girls.

“I actually wanted to go to a camp in Alaska, but it seemed like an amazing experience at Juliette Low. Since these kids can’t play physical sports, I thought if I could bring robotics and engineering, then they’d have an amazing experience,” said Matheney.

To become a camp counselor, Matheney had to write an application letter describing why

she deserved to go to the camp and obtain two letters of recommendation. After a long period of wait, she received her acceptance letter on Jan. 11.

“I was ecstatic that I received my acceptance letter. I felt like I conquered the world. I was singing ‘I Feel Pretty’ from West Side Story and jumping around the house,” said Matheney.

Matheney will stay with a host family for three days in Kansas City before moving to the camp, where she will be from July 9-31.

“I’m very proud of Lindsey. Watching her and the rest of our Girl Scout troop grow up has been an experience and joy,” said Berenice Sullivan, Matheney’s Girl Scout troop leader of 12 years.

what a restaurant of that caliber is capable of. When you first open the large wooden doors to the restaurant you are immediately greeted by two large statues and an impressive wall filled with vintage wines. Then you turn right and see the beautiful main dining room. It has picturesque lighting and soothing music constantly playing.

“We wanted to put everything on the menu, that’s why it’s called Asian fusion. We have Japanese,

Thai, and Chinese,” explained manager Desmond Chin.

With such a diverse menu, there isn’t much you cannot find at Genghix.

One of the hidden features of Genghix is their VIP room. As you first enter, a wave of sheer awe washes over. The room is painted mostly gold and decorated with gorgeous glass sculptures. The room is reserved for parties and special occasions.

Genghix: a classy place to eat

By Nic Barradas Feature Editor

Eighteen years ago Chuen Lau opened the restaurant, Genghix and since then it has only seen more and more success.

Three years ago the restaurant made the change from a buffet style to a cozy sit-down. Redoing the entire interior design to display Asian culture and reflect a classy atmosphere, Genghix has truly shown

Awesome student Austin Bruckner

Staff picks outstanding junior for Student of the Year

“ He is the

first to come and always the last to leave.

By Nic Barradas Feature Editor

Every year, the CVHS administration searches for a student who is a model of what a hardworking student should be.

This year, the administration chose Austin Bruckner as Student of the Year.

Bruckner is the community service commissioner of the CVHS leadership class and has been organizing school-wide and community charity events all year long.

He has headed Adopt-aFamily, multiple blood drives, and the food drive, just to name a few.

“He is the first to come to class and always the last to

Nicholas Whitaker Activities Director

”

“What’s great about this award is that it doesn’t focus on academics. It is solely about

Nic Barradas / Feature Editor

Community Service Commissioner Austin Bruckner presents his student of the year award. leave,” commented Activities Director Nicholas Whitaker.

“I often have to kick him out.

He is always working on ways we can help the community,” Whitaker added.

who is a role-model and who shows true character,” Whitaker continued.

“I was very surprised when I found out that I had won. It all happened really quickly,” commented Bruckner.

“It was really cool to receive the award. Everyone was constantly congratulating me,” Bruckner added.

The award was given to Bruckner on Jan. 13 at a school board meeting where ASB School Board Representative Sam Ison presented the trophy.

The award symbolizes hard work and effort, and is meant for a student who puts in countless hours.

It is easy to see that Bruckner was the right choice.

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? You are a photon quanta to my valence electron; you excite me to a higher level.

I want to stick to you like glue-close.

“I can’t say what we’re doing in front of Alice. It’s a surprise.”

Nathan Irvin and Alice Liu

“We make each other cards, and I’m going to surprise Jamie.”

Zaiah Jones and Jamie Thomas

I’ll take you to your limit if you show me your end behavior.

I’m not being obtuse, but you’re an acute girl.

Can I borrow your phone? My mom said to call her when I fall in love.

I bet you ten bucks that you’re going to turn me down.

If I tell you you have a gorgeous figure, would you hold it against me?

You’re pretty.

“I don’t think we’ve thought about what we’re doing.”

Alex Colbert and Megan Chiu

“We are thinking about dinner and a movie.”

Michael Dangler and Sydney Wong

Places to meet new Valentines in CV -The skate-park near CVE: You’ll get to meet people who share the same interests as you and open yourself up to new opportunities.

-The vegetable aisle at the local grocery store: What’s better than locking eyes over your favorite veggie? Plus, you’ll get an instant conversation starter.

-24 Hour Fitness: Working

out releases pheromones which make you more attractive to others.

-The library: You’ll get to bond over your favorite book and have an intellectual conversation.

-The book store in the Village: When your hands touch over the new copy of your favorite series, you’ll just know.

-McDonald’s play structure:

You’ll release your childish side and show how fun you can be to that cutie in the corner.

-The comic book store: Your nerdy side makes you cuter to others.

-Baskin Robbins: Get a scoop of love.

-The community center: By trying new things, you can meet new people and find the one.

Single people: celebrate Agatha’s Day

By Alicia Harger Editor-in-Chief

Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine’s Day sucks if you’re single too! It seems like everywhere I look there’s nothing but roses and red candy boxes. Sappy pink cards and heart-shaped lollipops swarm stores.

All of this is fine and dandy if you have that special someone

to share it with. For a significant portion of the population however, it’s just an excuse for stores to raise candy prices and sell more cards.

Not that I’m knocking the idea of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s great that people take time to show their significant others how much they care for them. I just think it is highly inconsiderate to hold a holiday celebrating couples, while completely ignoring those many, many people who are single.

During the Christmas season, people go out of their way to say “Happy Holidays,” including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrators. But no one seems to give a whit about single people on Valentine’s Day and honestly, being ignored kind of sucks.

So to all those reading this who are devoid of that special someone, I propose a new holiday, Agatha’s Day. In the Catholic church, Agatha is the patron saint of single women.

This holiday will be celebrated at the same time as Valentine’s Day, but will be completely devoid of cards and cupids.

Instead, the colors associated will be forest green and blue, any and all chocolate boxes will be nicely rectangular, and most importantly, under no circumstances will stupid rhymes about sugar and flowers be uttered.

I have nothing but good wishes for my all my friends in happy relationships, but would politely ask them not to rub their joy in my face and wish me a happy Agatha’s Day.

Go on a date in CV! -Chabot Theater: Going to see that new flick can give you two the perfect chance to bond and maybe even give you some laughs.

-Mini-Golf: You can make a simple game into a fun bet: whoever loses buys pizza.

-The Bowling Alley: Playing a fun game of bowling can give you the chance to learn and laugh at each other.

-Loard’s or Yogofina: Ice cream or frozen yogurt is the perfect treat to share your sweet side with your sweetie.

-Aran’s Pottery Place: Making crafts shows your artistic side and gives you the chance to make up for not getting your sweetie a gift.

-Rigatoni’s: The perfect place to have a quiet and romantic date where you can learn more about each other and maybe have a Lady and the Tramp moment.

-Mountain Mike’s Pizza: What’s better than eating a slice of pizza and staring into your lover’s eyes?

-Run around the track: By working out together, you’ll keep fit and get to see each other’s competitive side.

-Getting coffee: An early morning date. The coffee will warm you and you can read the newspaper together.

-Sherry’s: Everybody loves pie, by sharing some, your boo will love you even more too.

-Norman’s Grill: Why not try out a new restaurant together, every time after they go there, they’ll think of you -Lake Chabot: Walking around the lake and watching the sunset is the perfect evening for two sweethearts.

-Stay home: You get to pick the movies, the food, and even cuddle closer if it gets too cold.

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Entertainment Calendar

Music: Feb. 22: Adele – 21 March 1: Papercuts – Fading Parade March 8: Avril Lavigne – Goodbye Lullaby March 8: Lupe Fiasco – Lasers

Sing, sing a song

By Jennifer Price

Movies: Feb. 18: I Am Number Four March 4: The Adjustment Bureau March 4: Beastly March 4: Take Me Home Tonight

Staff Writer

Video Games: Feb. 22: Killzone 3 (PS3), $59.99 March 6: Pokemon Black Version (DS), $34.99 March 8: Major League Baseball 2K11 (PS3, PC, WII, PS2, PSP, DS) Books: Feb. 17: Leverage – Joshua Cohen, $17.99 Feb. 22: Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales – Tamora Pierce, $18.99 March 1: There’s No Place Like Home: Secrets of My Hollywood Life – Jen Calonita, $16.99 March 8: The Queen of Water – Laura Resau & Maria Virginia Farinango, $16.99 Concerts: Feb. 17: The Twilight Singers, Amoeba Music, Free Feb. 22: Yo La Tengo, The Fox Theater, $25.00 Feb. 25: Aesop Rock, Great American Music Hall, $20.00 March 4: Norma Jean, Slim’s, $20.00

Kate Kim / Opinion Editor

Chiko Shimizu sings her heart out preparing for the CVHS Choral Department’s annual POPS Concert.

Editor-in-Chief

Lights, camera, red carpet.

Glittering jewelry, glamorous ball gowns, and well-quaffed stars came together at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards.

The Social Network was the real star of the night however, winning Best Motion Picture-Drama,

When you go to see a movie these days, you usually don’t expect it to make you think.

However, this is exactly what Black Swan does. Black Swan is a dark psychological thriller that leaves the mind racing and wanting more.

In the movie, the main character Nina (Natalie Portman) is a naive professional ballerina fighting for the main role in the performance of Swan Lake.

However, when she receives the part, she begins to slowly lose perception of reality in a mesmerizing way. As the pressures to keep the role begin to mount, Nina will do whatever it takes to keep the part, turning to a life of psychodrama and sexcapades.

This movie is a wonderful depiction of what the pressures of perfection can do to both the body and mind. It captivates the audience with the utter realism

of the challenges which Nina goes through and also terrifies the viewer with the startling madness that unfolds.

Natalie Portman plays her role magnificently. She moves between the roles of an innocent and fragile girl who wants to make the world proud, to a schizophrenic with elaborate hallucinations flawlessly. Due to Portman’s exhilarating performance, the viewer is able to go deeper into the madness surrounding Nina and see the mental instability behind her life and dreams.

This movie was very tastefully done and represented ballet in way that many had never thought of before. Black Swan shows the viewer the pain and torture that ballet stars endure not only physically to be perfect but mentally as well.

Black Swan is a movie that will not soon be forgotten. It is startling and dark in ways that curve your thought and make you wonder. I would recommend this movie to anyone, even if ballet is not an interest, because the psychology behind it will definitely make it one to talk about.

Britney Spears hits the charts one more time

By Reyna Garcia Staff Writer

Oops, she did it again. She

Glitz and glamour at Golden Globes

By Alicia Harger

Black Swan puts a dark spin on ballet

Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. This story follows Mark Zuckerberg for the creation and boom of facebook.

Colin Firth won Best Actor for The King’s Speech and Natalie Portman won Best Actress for the dark psychological thriller, Black Swan. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress were Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, both for performances in The Fighter.

Glee was another big star; it was nominated in five categories and won three including Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical. Jane Lynch won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role as the cantankerous Sue Sylvester and Chris Colfer won Actor as the melodious Kurt.

Toy Story 3 ran away with our hearts this summer, and managed to steal the award for Best Animated Film from cute classics like Despicable Me, Tangled, and How to Train Your Dragon.

wrote another song and it’s all over the radio. Britney Spears just released a single, “Hold It Against Me” which is a hit. The day after it was released, Jan. 12, it hit number one on iTunes and not only in the U.S. It was number one in 14 other countries including France, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Ireland.

The song is classic Britney; the beat is bouncy and futuristic.

The song is well written and the chorus is catchy. While the lyrics aren’t very original, the way they

are coordinated into the song works very well. The pickup line theme of the song is humorous, but it is not as racy as her other singles like “If U Seek Amy.” The pick up lines in the song may work well for Britney, but “Cause you feel like paradise and I need a vacation tonight,” and, “Pop It like a hood and show me how you work it out,” might not work for everyone.

The song is well formatted to the pop on the radio. It holds just the right amount of make-youwanna-dance beat and make-

you-wanna-sing-along lyrics.

The vocals are not that impressive; they are actually kind of desperate. Although Britney may have aimed for her heavy breathing to be sexy, it sounds desperate and where her voice should have sounded techno, it sounds digitalized and not in a good way.

This isn’t enough to drag the song down completely, weeks after its release it’s number 16 on iTunes here in the states and still heavily requested on the radio stations.

There are many options to create your individual avatar including gender, hairstyle, eyes, skin tone, face and even blood type.

When it comes to the actual game play, you’ll be amazed at how such a cute game can turn into an addiction. Fighting and defending yourself from the monsters that try to stop you on your journey is key. Weapons take the form of various blunt implements such as brooms, flyswatters, and microphone stands. Players enter combat by right-clicking on a nearby monster, at which point the avatar and the monster will begin to exchange blows.

You can even own pets that you can train, play mini-games, work on your own private farm property, and travel to places like London and Beijing, all while interacting with fellow Hello Kitty

Online members.

Now to the socializing part of the game. Hello Kitty Online promotes the striving concept of social networking. Players can view other players’ blogs, send emails, and watch uploaded game play. Players can also work together to give tips, form farm housing properties together, and group together on quests.

When I was baby-sitting my little cousin, and she dragged me into watching her play, I just couldn’t help myself from playing too when she was napping.

I was hooked and played for a good three hours to pass time.

For the younger generation, this is an excellent game; it allows kids play a game with goals and objectives in a fun and interactive way. For teens like me, it’s still fun if you need to pass time, or if you’re into Hello Kitty.

Never too old for childhood games

By Jason Hazari Staff Editor

Do you have periods of endless downtime sometimes? Well there’s a new and fun approach to kill it. With the interactive world of Hello Kitty Online, you can meet Hello Kitty and all her friends.

The game, which can be played at www.hellokittyonline.com tells the story of a hero who helps Hello Kitty and her friends defeat a “mysterious and malevolent power.” Players from all over the world, who are customizable human avatars, work together to complete tasks and missions.

Taking flight with the Oregon Ducks

By Daniel Chung Staff Writer

There is no doubt that the Class of 2011 has shown its athletic worth with students like Matt Narahara going to USF for baseball and Juan Anderson playing basketball for Marquette. It seems that there is simply no shortage in the athletic talent that has shaped, arguably, one of the best athletic classes CVHS has seen in many years. Carlyle Garrick continues to prove this point as he recently committed to play football for the Oregon Ducks after high school.

“Growing up I wanted to run in the Olympics or be a NBA player.

Football was never a sport I really cared for until my sophomore year in high school. Fortunately, it ended up working out for me,” said Garrick.

As a child he was first introduced to soccer by parents, and by the age of 10 he was playing every sport imaginable. Three years after that, his interest soon turned to the athletics program that the Ducks had to offer. “Oregon was a school that, since the 8th grade, I’ve dreamed of going to,” explained Garrick.

Going into the Oregon team, Garrick plans to play as either a strong safety or outside linebacker and hopes to become a versatile asset to the Ducks as a sort of “hybrid” player, capable of playing both positions. With Oregon’s most recent loss to Auburn in the BCS Championship Game, Garrick shows even more determination in “bringing the Natty back to the

school every year.”

On a different note, success out on the field is not the only thing Garrick hopes to accomplish during his college career.

Wanting to become a huge part of the Oregon community, he wants to have a positive impact out on the field, classroom, and community. He also dreams of incorporating his education with his passion in athletics by getting a degree in sports business and becoming the eventual owner of Nike, which is actually based in Oregon.

Of course, Garrick acknowledges that he couldn’t have accomplished all that he’s done during his life without the help of some key people. He thanks football coach Nic McMaster for always giving him great advice and help with the recruitment process, athletic trainer Hank House for the “countless hours of his time and effort to rehabilitate his knee,” his CVHS teammates for their never ending support, and lastly, his parents for making him the person he is today and motivating him to excel in both academics and sports.

As CVHS sends off yet another athletic star to a renowned university, we can only wonder what is in store for Garrick as he goes off to the University of Oregon.

Be sure to keep your eyes open in the following years to come.

We might be seeing him on the television in a BCS Championship game soon enough.

Crazy legs in action

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Marisa Schneider smoothly handles the soccer ball down the field during a 5-0 win against Moreau Catholic on Feb. 2. The girls varsity soccer team’s record is 15-2.

Wrestlers tap out another season

By Matt Barney and Kearny Combs The girls wrestling team is looking forward to nationals this year after “training through hell.”

Practice consists of about two hours of warm up runs, weight room exercises, and mock wrestling matches. On top of all this, the girls still have achieved a 3.63 team GPA. “Our girls work hard as hard if not harder than the boys. I’m proud of every single one of them. I give them bonus points for not giving up, for accepting their roles on this small team, and for always giving their best effort. We may not be number

one on the charts, but I believe our girls deserve more credit,” said coach Dennis Solise.

Six of seven wrestlers have been injured this season, and some of them have even quit the team because of their injuries. Rebecca Busch hurt her knee while senior Shashana Markus hurt her back.

Junior Pam Crosby dislocated her shoulder but still offers support for the team.

“Injuries don’t give reason to abandon your team. You push all that aside and come out spirited no matter what. I didn’t quit the team, and I wouldn’t want to if I could,” said Crosby, who is, the “spiritual guru” on the team according to coach Solise.

Whether it has been all seven wrestlers, or just a few, the girls

have placed exceptionally well in every tournament. A couple weeks ago they placed fifth overall in a tournament in southern California against with only six wrestlers, who were competing with about 300 wrestlers.

Unfortunately the girls wrestling team will have to do without some critical wrestlers because of the injuries in the upcoming tournaments. Their had a tournament on Feb. 5 and they have competition through Feb. 26.

“I’ve wrestled since eighth grade and have loved every aspect of the game. This season was fun and I will work to improve for next year to stay on top of my game,” said Busch.

Tr u l y Tr e m e n d o u s Tr o j a n s

By Lawrence Ham/ News Editor

Tamiko Cavey, Freshman Tamiko Cavey plays as a shooting guard on the CVHS JV basketball team. Cavey has been playing for eight years and still enjoys every minute of it.

She was first introduced to basketball by her older sister and older brother who both used to play. Basketball has also given her the opportunity to meet different people while having fun and exercising. She has also participated in many basketball camps over the years.

She is constantly trying to improve her skills and to overall become a better player.

In order to get to where she is now, she practices everyday with the rest of the team after school and at least once a day on the weekends.

Aside from the school basketball team, she also plays for the San Jose Zebraettes and the Tri-Valley Elite teams.

The highlight of this season for her was when CVHS beat Dougherty Valley High School, the game in which she performed her best.

Andre DeCoito, Sophomore

Kayla Bufardeci, Junior

Juan Anderson, Senior

Andre DeCoito is a wrestler on the CVHS wrestling team. During wrestling matches, he plays against a mix of both JV and varsity wrestlers.

He gets the chance to work with both types of wrestlers ranging in skill. This will be his fifth year wrestling, starting in sixth grade.

He decided to try out for wrestling in middle school and has loved it ever since.

He is the only member in his family who wrestles but his team is his second family.

The feeling of winning is indescribable, and that acts as his drive to do well and try his hardest.

He also believes that the intense “near death” practices keep him in shape and allow him to succeed in his matches.

In his free time, when his schedule allows for it, he enjoys spending time with friends and just having fun.

In order to improve his wrestling skills, he practices five days a week in addition to his tournaments on Saturdays.

Kayla Bufardeci plays the forward position for the CVHS varsity basketball team.

She has been playing for six years and has loved it ever since she was a child.

As a child, she was introduced to many different sports such as baseball, waffle ball and basketball. Bufardeci gets motivation to play her hardest from her teammates.

In addition to playing for the basketball team, she also plays on the Varsity softball team. She practices Monday through Friday every week during the season and enjoys working with her teammates. Basketball has allowed her to meet many new friends and also allows her to prepare for the spring softball season.

Although she is a junior, she is already looking forward to playing college sports.

Her top schools are North Carolina University, Oregon State and many other schools around the country. She hopes to play on a traveling team throughout college in order to achieve her lifelong dream.

Juan Anderson has been playing basketball since the sixth grade and currently plays on the varsity team as a shooting guard and small forward. He is also the first member in his family to actually play basketball.

Anderson enjoys playing basketball because he discovered his love for the sport by himself instead of being forced to play.

He practices every day and works very hard to perfect his skills.

Next year, Anderson will be attending Marquette University on a basketball scholarship. However, due to his exemplary basketball skills, he also received scholarship offers from UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Texas at Dallas, Arizona State and many other schools.

In his free time, he likes to spend time with his friends and although he stands at 6-foot-7, he enjoys sleeping, so he can grow taller.In addition to playing for CVHS, he plays basketball for the Amateur Athletic Union with the Oakland Rebels.

8

Olympian

The February 14, 2011

Science team competes at regionals Brainy band quizzes its way to tenth

By Holden Parks Staff Writer

The Science Alliance, a competitive science team from CVHS, recently competed in a regional round of the U.S. Department of Energy Science Bowl, where they placed 10th out of 24 teams.

“I tend to look more at the fact that we finished third in our division,” said Bright

“I enjoyed the

camaraderie of working with my team. ” Kristie Hiue Sophomore

Zhou, a junior and Science Alliance team member.

On Jan. 29, the team, consisting of Zhou, seniors Alice Liu,

Jeremy Meza, Chiko Shimizu and sophomore Kristie Huie, traveled to Las Positas College in Livermore. There, they competed against other teams from high schools in the Bay Area in science and math related subjects.

“It was a really good experience,” remarked Huie. “I got to see students from other high schools and their levels of intelligence.”

According to Zhou, the heat of battle was the best part of the contest. “[The competition] was exhilarating; like Jeopardy, my favorite show,” stated Zhou without a hint of sarcasm.

As preparation, the team held mock competitions at the houses of team members.

There, with occasional snack breaks, the team studied math, chemistry, physics, earth science, astronomy, and energy to better their chances of winning.

“I enjoyed the camaraderie of working with my team,” said Huie with a smile.

Zhou, eager for the thrill of competition again, has already begun to prepare another team for next year.

“It was way too fun not to do it again,” Zhou said. “My blood was pumping; the room was spinning, and I got a little dizzy when I stood up. That’s how intense it was.”

Top Thai satisfies vegan tummies

By Sarah Gilchriese City Editor

From a non-meat eating standpoint, I’m limited to the restaurants I can dine at in Castro Valley. Freshman year, I was introduced to a Thai restaurant on the Boulevard, recommended by a fellow vegetarian. Top Thai is potentially the cutest, nicest, and most delicious vegetarian-friendly restaurant in Castro Valley and the surrounding area The first time I ventured into the restaurant, I was surprised at all the decoration straight from Thailand. The pictures, decorations, and many ornaments really set the mood; they make you believe that you’re in the back door of Thailand. The waitresses are sweet and gen-

tle, giving you exactly enough time to browse the extensive and delicious-looking menu.

The atmosphere and experience are only secondary to the actual food.

I was hesitant to ask for the ingredients in the dishes that I was interested in, because most restaurants babble and make up some excuse of why they don’t know what is in their dishes. However, my friendly waitress excused herself briefly, and came back a few minutes later with a list in hand from the chef himself. She told me what was exactly in their delicious dishes; specifically, the vegetarian Pad Thai and the sweet and sour tofu.

When my dishes came out a few minutes later, I breathed in the heavenly aroma and got

straight to work. The sweet and sour fit the title exactly, being tangy, yet having a hint of pineapple. The Pad Thai came with an array of vegetables, and perfectly sautéed tofu.

Although they do have plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, don’t shy away from the meat choices. My parents have enjoyed the chicken curry many times, as well as the beef dishes.

This restaurant caters to every dietary need: vegetarian, vegan, or meat-eater. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the chefs in the back create wonderful and delightful dishes that are adequate to eat in the restaurant or for take out.

You can find Top Thai at 3837 Castro Valley Blvd., or call (510) 538-4400.

Teacher embarks on new journey

By Rebecca Fong Staff Writer

Students will be sorry to see math teacher Alan Archambault leave at the beginning of second semester. The man in question is hitting the road for a teaching job down at a southern California college in an effort to achieve one of his life’s ambitions; to open an optometry clinic. Archambault reassures that he’ll do his best to check back with his students a few times every month.

“I’ll come back to make sure the transition [for my students] is smooth. I wouldn’t want to leave them hanging,” Archambault said, glancing at the dozen Calculus students in the corner of his classroom, who had stayed behind after school to help each other cram for upcoming finals.

“It’s been a future goal of my wife and mine to open an optometry clinic in the L.A. area, and this teaching job would free up some of my time to start working on that,” Archambault explained about his life ambition.

His wife is presently working towards a graduate degree in optometry here in the Bay Area, which means Archambault would continue to live at his current residence.

“I’m definitely not too excited about the commuting, and even less excited about the timing of all of this,” he bemoaned.

Although leaving halfway through the school year is inconvenient to both Archambault and his students, he explained that

GRANTS: From Page 1

CVEF is a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers and businesses dedicated to raising money to donate to the Castro Valley public school system.

The organization provides scholarships for seniors in high

EGYPT: From Page 1

that they would like to see this unrest end peacefully. Looking towards the future, they are hopeful the turmoil won’t last a few years and that Egypt will not start a civil war. They hope for a new government that respects the rights of the citizens.

sometimes tough decisions must be made.

“I asked the college if there was any way to start in the fall, but they said, ‘No, out of 91 applicants, we picked you and we need you now.’”

Of the 91 applicants for the position at the college in Whittier, California, many have more experience than Archambault, so it’s no small feat for him to have landed the job. As he puts it, “It’s an amazing honor, because many of [the other applicants] have a higher degree in mathematics than me, but I don’t know. There must have been something they saw in me; what I regret is having to take that away from the kids here.”

Archambault has seven years of teaching under his belt, four of which have been here at Castro Valley High. His five periods this year, three Algebra 2 classes and two AP Calculus classes, will be divided between three other teachers. Math teachers Samantha Lamarre and Andrea Eldridge will split the Algebra 2 classes, and Glenn Mitchell will take on both Calculus classes.

Despite the additions to these teacher’s already busy schedules, Mitchell commented, “It’s going to be tough, but I’ll be getting some of my students from last year, and hopefully they’ll show me some grace. It really is a wonderful opportunity for [Archambault], with all the applicants vying for the job.”

Mitchell also stated that Ar-

chambault was the teacher who first suggested that AP Calculus BC, a second-year supplement class to regular AP Calculus, should be offered to incoming seniors who had already taken AP Calculus in their junior year.

“It’s his program, really,” said Mitchell, “So of course he wants to see the program and his students to succeed.”

As enthralling as teaching higher education, i.e. Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus (high school students everywhere cringe at the unfamiliar terms), will be, Archambault said he’ll miss the interactions with his students.

He’s taught at a college before, and clarified, “Although college kids aren’t much more mature than high school students, high school kids are more dependent on the relationship with the teacher. I’ve noticed that if teachers don’t try to establish a relationship with their students, they don’t learn as well. Kids at the college think it’s weird, like, ‘I’m here for my education, not to get to know you.’”

Despite it all, he offered a bit of advice, “As you get older, some opportunities will come knocking, and you have to answer them.” “ M r. A rc h a m b a u l t , y o u r friendship is more valuable than any lesson you taught us,” said senior Michael Wang.

Archambault passes along his sentiments by saying, “I’m going to miss you guys.”

school, and organized 2010’s annual Dynamic Dinner and annual Science Festival. CVEF also provides grants to fit specific needs of the schools. Applications for scholarships are available to download on the CVEF website, www.cvef.org.

At the same time, CVEF

donated money to Chabot, Independent, Jensen Ranch, Marshall, Proctor, Stanton and Vannoy Elementary Schools, Creekside and Canyon Middle Schools, Redwood High School, and Castro Valley Adult School.

BUDGET: From Page 1

careers in the competitive game called life.

sors and economists say that unless the California budget crisis gets resolved, prices will continue to rise. Many parents and students hope that they will be able to expand their careers through high level education and pursue their