Feb 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day! See more CVHS lovebirds and handy pick-up lines on Page 4.

VOLUME 56, ISSUE 6

THURSDAY, FEB. 14, 2013 CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

Trojan on top at NCS

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Prop. 13 tax change could help schools

By Hans Mortimer Staff Writer

and Colleges (WASC) visited for three days. The visitors noticed that CVHS did not offer much background and support for our African American students.

School leaders sought to close this learning gap and to offer curriculum that is important to all students.

“It’s still a very different experience for African Americans than whites in our schools,” said teacher Kevin Batchelor, who may teach the new African American U.S. History class.

Batchelor believes that this new change is a good idea and very helpful.

Overall these classes won’t

change drastically from the state and district required courses; they will just be adding to their curriculum.

“Anyone can take these classes with the interest of learning about African American culture,” said English teacher Amanda Staab, who serves on an advisory committee considering the classes.

Offering more support and information about the experience of the African Americans in America will make our student body feel more attuned with their history, teachers hope.

Teachers are still discussing and planning the new project.

A group of politicians and political activists are working to change Proposition 13, a law limiting taxes passed in 1978.

“Prop. 13 was a property tax measure that rolled property taxes back significantly and reduced school funding significantly,” said English teacher Claire LePell.

Changes to Prop. 13 could mean more money for California and its schools.

Currently, property owners pay about one percent of the original purchase price for land in annual property taxes. The taxes can increase when property is sold.

Additionally, Prop. 13 requires bills changing state taxes to be passed with a two-thirds majority in the state legislature.

While Prop. 13 is seen by many as a safeguard against unreasonable property taxes, increased taxes could help to increase school funding in many districts.

While California is currently ranked the 47th state for school funds per pupil, it is ranked the 7th state in tax burden per capita.

Affluent areas can circumvent insufficient funding from the state by asking for yearly contributions from families. Impoverished areas, such as inner-city schools, are not nearly as successful in accumulating private donations from families. The families in the inner-cities do not have the economic means to substantially support schools.

CVHS English teacher Peter Brewer agreed that schools today receive less funding than they should.

“In my time, schools bought

can be found in this incredibly helpful place is coordinator Melanie Small. Students are encouraged to go and talk to her to learn more about the aforementioned things.

Small advises seniors applying for scholarships to “follow directions, include all necessary information and pay attention to deadlines.”

Besides visiting the Career Center, students can also learn more about scholarships by going to castrovalleyhigh.org and, under Academics, click on College & Career Center. In the box on the right, there is a link to a page that lists the scholarships

that are exclusively for Castro Valley students as well as another link that lists other scholarships that are open to students outside the Castro Valley Unified School District.

Scholarships that are available to students nationwide, such as the Coles Family Foundation Scholarship and the Buick Achievers Scholarship program, are more competitive due to the larger pool of applicants. Deadlines vary; for the Coles Family Foundation Scholarship, the deadline to apply is April 1. The deadline for the Buick Achievers Scholarship program is Feb. 28.

The scholarships that are lim-

ited to CVHS and Redwood High School seniors only have a smaller applicant pool. The CVHS senior class has about 700 people, and odds of receiving a scholarship are greatly increased when the applicant pool is smaller. However, students are encouraged to apply for all scholarships, no matter what the odds of winning it are.

“The only way to know for sure is if you apply,” said counselor Duane Magno. “Start early in February, March, and April. Don’t wait until graduation.”

For Castro Valley Educational Foundation (CVEF) scholarships, there is generally only one application that needs to be completed

Emily Courchaine / Sports Editor

Junior Alyah Thomas competes at the NCS wrestling tournament. After struggling with a back injury all season, she still took third in her bracket. See more on Page 7.

New history, English classes planned

By Savanah Khan

Staff Writer CVHS has offered the same history and English classes for many years, but now there may be a slight change. Starting next year some sections of U.S. History and American Literature may be changed and begin to have an African American focus.

The core material in these classes will be similar but the new courses will have a focus on African American culture and experience.

The reason for this change goes back to last year when Western Association of Schools

the books and gave them to us,” recalled Brewer.

Key figures in the effort to change Prop. 13 are Brad Johnson from a group called Evolve, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, and Senator Mark Leno.

According to Evolve, a political organization in the Bay Area, corporations could be paying more for their property taxes.

The proposed idea to help fund education increases property taxes for businesses to one percent of the current market price for land, regardless of when it was last sold.

“You need tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund education. Businesses can afford to support schools and organizations,” said LePell.

California Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff disagreed with the proposed policy change.

“First of all, public safety and education are your highest priority. You fund it first and find ways to fund the rest. Why do I not like the split-roll property tax?

As one property owner told me, he says, ‘Bob, the thing people forget is that property owners don’t pay taxes, consumers pay taxes because the business guys pass it on,’ ” said Huff.

“Yes, it could be an income stream dedicated to something noble. Yes, it could give the appearance of taking from those that are benefiting from a broken system and benefit the few, but all in all, you’re paying for it one way or another,” said Huff.

Voters would have to approve any changes to Prop. 13.

Finding a solution on how to deal with Prop. 13 may take a long time and an even longer time for people to get used to the changes.

for several different scholarships.

However, there are a few exceptions that need applicants to fill out different, individual applications. Students must submit their applications for the CVEF scholarships by April 1.

Some scholarships have been there since the 1970s, while others are newer as more people are starting to give money. Other websites for finding scholarships are careercruising.com and fastweb.com.

“Everyone should apply to at least one scholarship. It’s free money. An essay might take an hour, but that hour can earn you $1,000,” said Small.

Planning for college? Apply for scholarships now

By Suzanna Chak A&E Editor

With college tuition increasing year by year, any financial help is welcome. One such form of help is scholarships.

On March 2, there is a scholarship workshop at the Castro Valley Library from 1-4 p.m.

Students will receive scholarship advice, information about how to apply, and get a chance to meet the donors of the scholarships and seek tips from them.

A valuable resource and place available to students to learn more about scholarships is the Career Center. The person that

Castro Valley High School falls in love with love

Editorial: On Valentine’s Day, there seems to be love everywhere you look.

You hear people saying “I love you” to each other almost as often as “hello.” It’s all cute and floral and rosy.

It really gets you thinking: do they truly mean it? After all, what is love? And does true love even exist in high school?

We at The Olympian believe that the definition of love differs from person to person.

For instance, in some cases, love can be a deep feeling of romantic or sexual attachment to someone or an intense feeling of deep affection.

But in others, love can be the feeling of always wanting to be with a person because life without them is unimaginable. That person is someone’s world because they are more important than anything else.

With such different interpretations of love, how do we know which one is right?

In high school, maybe there is love. However, in most cases, the first boyfriend or girlfriend one has usually isn’t the person one falls in life-long love with.

They could really like each other, but usually never truly “love”

Leia Saelee / Staff Writer

each other.

To find true love, one must explore. Being glued to one person for a lifetime may not be true love, but merely a sense of comfort.

One cannot know what love is if they only try to find it with one person. Every person is different and looks for different things in love. Loving someone could just

mean someone who made a really big life impact and to whom there will always be ties, because of who they were and what they meant.

True love may exist, but probably not in high school. This is because in high school, people are constantly changing. They’re in a time of their lives where they are trying to find out who they are.

So if they’re trying to figure themselves out, how could they truly know and love someone else?

We at The Olympian believe that people often mistake being in love for attraction. Teenage hormonal levels are at their peak in high school. Thus, “love” could simply be hormones, nothing more than a physical attraction to someone.

Also, teens are in love with the idea of love, and aren’t mature enough yet to know for sure because they are inexperienced in life.

When looking at all the balloons in the hallways, the couples kissing, and all the cute things done on Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to believe in true love. We at The Olympian believe everyone will find love in their own time, even if it’s not in high school.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and good luck getting a prom date!

PHOTO pinions PHOTO pinions By: Amanat Riar

What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?

“I’m going to go home and do my regular things, but eat more chocolate instead!”

Jovenson Leopoldt, freshman

Close Up experience is “absolutely priceless”

By Kate Pellegrini Editor-in-Chief

When I first signed up for the Close Up Trip to Washington DC, I had no idea what I was in for.

I couldn’t possibly foresee how much of an impact the trip would have on my life or my world views. I couldn’t predict the closeness of the bond I would form with my “Close Up family.” And I certainly didn’t think I would

walk right by the president’s dog, Bo, on our tour of the White House on the first day.

When people ask me about my trip, I am left with both a loss for words and a flood of memories.

I don’t know where to begin.

Watching the debate over the debt ceiling in the actual House of Representatives was pretty incredible, but the Korean War Veterans Memorial almost made me cry. The Holocaust Museum completely altered my beliefs and assumptions about life, but it’s hard to hold a candle to being in the crowd at President Obama’s inauguration.

No matter what I tell the person, however, it is said with a giant grin and the sparkle of dear memories in my eyes.

I think that the part of the trip that made the biggest impres-

sion on me, far from the gleaming memorials and charismatic politicians, was the stunning patriotism and energy found in the people. Our Close Up group leaders were so excited to teach us about the place many of them call home, and every government worker in the district seemed proud to be there and happy to see young people interested in learning about our nation’s capital.

Especially enthusiastic were the crowds at the inauguration.

Hope and pride glistened in their eyes. The power of their emotions could be seen in the miniature flags they waved, in the “Four More Years!” buttons they displayed on their hats and chests.

Young and very old, fit and disabled, black all the way down the spectrum to white, and in an array

to successfully save a life.

I took a CPR training class on a chilly May morning last spring. It was my intention to increase my value as a babysitter by adding a CPR credential to my resume.

A long hallway led to a sparsely furnished room where the class was held. A cheesy CPR dummy sat in a chair by the door, a sign propped against its leg welcoming students in.

I snuck a handful of caramels from the oversized jar next to the empty cookie tin and cof-

fee machine on the table on one side of the room and took a seat.

A woman whose smile was too big for her face led the class through four hours’ worth of training videos and practice exercises.

We reviewed procedures for general first aid, what to do in various medical situations, and how to stay calm when others may panic. I hungrily absorbed information, greedy for the knowledge of how to save lives and protect people.

It came as a huge surprise to

of accents and foreign tongues, every citizen in the crowd shared the same passion for America, the same faith in the promise this country provides for our future.

It was a very powerful energy, a feeling I will never forget. It reminded me of all the reasons I had to be proud to be an American. Especially after having taken AP U.S. History last year, and therefore becoming extremely judgemental and cynical about American politics, this was a weighty realization. I became patriotic. Go figure.

Many people, after hearing my elaborate speel about the trip, ask me, “But is it really worth all the money?” In response to this, I give a hearty “Yes!” Though the trip was a bit expensive, the kind of experience you get is absolutely priceless.

Insightful knowledge of how to save a life

By Alexa Ludke Photo Editor

Thirty chest compressions, then two breaths. Repeat, and repeat, and repeat again. This is the procedure that we are taught today. It is the formula

me that without an official CPR certification, I could be sued for saving someone’s life. If a person does not wish to be saved, or the person giving CPR fails to save a life, family members of the accident’s victim can sue.

At the end of the class, the smiling instructor handed us all thick cardboard certification cards that I signed and carefully and proudly stored in my wallet. I left the class with a new spring in my step and a yellow-and-blue card in my wallet certifying me capable of saving a life.

“I’m going to have a study date with my boyfriend! And watch reruns of The Nanny.”

Sarah Keil, sophomore

“For Valentine’s Day, I will be spending the day with my girlfriend and will most likely take her out to eat after school.”

Morgan Javonillo, junior

“On Valentine’s Day, I will eat candy and share with my friends.”

Helena Zhu, senior

.

Olympian

The Feb. 14, 2013

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V-Day makes us wonder, “Is chivalry an act of sexism?”

By Anya Keller

Business Manager Many young boys are taught a code of how to treat women as they grow up. They are reminded to open doors, give up their seats, and pay for the women that they are romantically interested in if they are to be perceived as gentlemen. Girls, in turn, learn that boys’ acts of chivalry should make them feel special and desirable.

But while consideration and validation are both nice, in a modern world that is making tremendous strides toward women’s liberation, gender-based romantic gestures seem a bit like backtracking.

Chivalry, while mostly wellintentioned, has harmful implications and effects regarding the status of women.“Chivalrous” acts in dating rely upon sexist and

Lily Carrell / Opinion Editor

outdated assumptions. Men traditionally pay for women on dates because women have historically been barred, both through policy and culture, from making as much money as men.

The suppression of women’s wage-earning abilities was meant

to keep them dependent upon men, leaving more job opportunities for men and confining women in their homes. Chivalry aided in women’s complacency, making them feel wanted and special for having someone else take care of them, ignoring their losses of

independence.

Though opportunities outside of the home are greatly increasing for women, traditions such as chivalry are active legacies of a sexist and oppressive past that has not quite disappeared from history books.

Gender-based codes of romantic behavior have harmful effects on women. When men open doors or give up their seats for women, it can make women feel that they should be weak in order to be desirable. These actions also reinforce the stereotype that females are the more vulnerable sex. Traditional chivalry can give men more power in relationships.

When men pay, they have more leeway in deciding where to go on dates, and women may be hesitant to voice their opinions about relationships out of feelings of obligation to appear grateful for the favors bestowed upon them by their male significant others.

Although it may seem that men help women by opening doors and paying for dinners, such actions tend to produce harmful effects which set back women’s liberation.

Traditional chivalry in heterosexual relationships has negative effects on women. It reinforces harmful stereotypes, continues legacies of historical sexism, and diminishes female power in relationships.

I am in no way suggesting that all guys who give their coats up to their girlfriends believe in women’s oppression, but men and women should be aware of the implications of their behavior regarding gender on dates.

“Plow through and work together” worse.”

And divorce doesn’t just affect the couple; if they have children, it affects them too.

Their children will be four times more likely to get a divorce after they get married, according to BBC News.

They have learned that it’s okay to quit when things get hard and problems can’t be worked out.

By Marissa Wu Staff Writer

With divorce so common these days, everyone probably knows someone with a stepmom, stepdad, or just a single parent.

My own parents are not divorced, and for that I feel very fortunate. However, I know a handful of friends whose parents have divorced. I’ve never really asked them what it’s like, except for whether or not they like going back and forth between houses.

Most of them didn’t really care, or at least they didn’t seem to show it. I didn’t bother prodding too deeply, because it’s such a touchy subject and I felt that it wasn’t my place to ask.

Did you know 49 percent of marriages end in divorce?

This is a sad statistic. When you get married, you stand before God and promise to stick it out no matter what.

“Thick and thin, for better or

“

When you have a broken or unstable family unit, it reflects on society. ” Marissa Wu Staff Writer

In this generation, society tells everyone that it’s okay to walk away from problems.

This causes the morals of a country to decline, because the family unit is the base.

When you have a broken or unstable family unit, it reflects on society. You see more and more irresponsibility, bad choices, and corruption.

While I do believe that divorce is not okay, I understand that sometimes it is the last resort and necessary because of safety or other issues. Often, my parents donate money to an organization called Shepherd’s Gate, a shelter that provides temporary housing for battered women and children.

The mothers have left home because of abuse, financial problems, addiction, or other issues.

Shepherd’s Gate offers programs to help women regain their footing by providing them with education, scholarships, jobs skills training, anger management courses, medical services, recovery classes, and financial management.

It may seem that I am conflicted in my opinions, but I stand firmly planted on the side that does not support divorce. I do not mean to be ignorant or rude to anyone, but my religion does not support divorce, except for reasons noted in the paragraphs above.

One shouldn’t give up because issues are difficult to work out. Plow through and work together.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2012 Editors-in-Chief....................................................Melody Moteabbed Kate Pellegrini Copy Editors..................................................................Reyna Garcia Joyce Liang News Editor..............................................................Michael Castillo Opinion Editor.................................................................Lily Carrell Feature Editor.................................................................Amber Yang Sports Editor.............................................................Emily Courchaine Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Suzanna Chak Photo Editors................................................................ Natalie Fazeli Alexa Ludke Business Managers......................................................Matt Talajkowski Anya Keller Online Editor........................................................................Eva Chen

Staff Writers:Joelle Bassett, Olivia Berden, Cameron Beresini, Kelly Chan, Stephanie Huerta, Kristen Jensen, Reema Kakaday, Savanah Khan, Evan Kwong, Felicianna Marquez, Hans Mortimer, Amanat Riar, Leia Saelee, Anna Talajkowski and Marissa Wu Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

CVHS Couples shot by Cupid’s Arrow Photos and stories by Amber Yang

Even after one year into the relationship, seniors Viktoriya Malkina and Dominick Abundiz still haven’t left the honeymoon phase.

“She cares so much about me even though she’s not family and totally isn’t required to, and I love her so much for that. She’s an amazing person, who started off as an amazing friend and is now the girl I love,” Abundiz says.

Juniors Jennie Hankins and Andrew Choi have been dating for over half their high school career. “He’s always there for me and always tries to make me laugh,” Hankins exclaims.

Over the past two years, they managed to keep the romance strong. “I compensate with my sweet and sexy looks for her mean and nasty looks,” Choi jokes.

PICK UP LINES

By Kate Pellegrini In the spirit of the season, some students feel pressured to find just the right thing to say when in the presence of that special someone.

In a school where a B is considered failing and students can name off more digits of pi than you have friends on facebook, it’s easy to feel like you don’t have a chance with that cute girl in AP Calculus BC or that clever boy in AP Bio. But have no fear! We have accumulated a list of eight fail-proof pick-up lines that are sure to make you the envy of your friends and the apple of that special someone’s eye.

So walk confidently in the direction of your crush and let loose one of these bad boys. You won’t regret it!

“I wish I was your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves.”

“If I was an enzyme, I’d be helicase so I could unzip your genes.”

September of their sophomore year was when seniors Ryan Miller and Katherine Kolden started dating. What’s most unique about this couple is the fact that they have never fought. “She’s forgiving, we communicate, and there’s mutual respect. We talk through everything,” Miller proclaims.

Miller and Kolden are going to different colleges, and Miller even admits to the fact that they may not still date after high school. However, they will always keep in contact and be friends for life.

Seniors Jake Peterson and Amanda Lemoine never knew that they would be destined for each other when they first met in the same link crew group freshman year. However, they started dating at the end of their sophomore year and as of now, are 20 months strong and have been inseparable since.

The secret to their sucess?

“Trust, honesty, and having the ability to be ourselves is the most valuable thing in our relationship,” Lemoine says.

Terrific tenor takes over theater

By Kristen Jensen Staff Writer

An emerging star was born as Ricardo Garcia took to the stage for his first solo recital. The 2010 CVHS graduate, now attending the University of the Pacific, gave three performances at the California Conservatory Theater in San Leandro recently.

The tenor sang an assortment of songs from Broadway to the opera, from Tosti's "MareChiare" to West Side Story's "Maria, Maria." My personal favorites were "Close Every Door" from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and "Besame Mucho" by Consuelo Velasquez. Garcia sang those particular songs with great emotion and his voice sounded excellent.

It was obvious that Garcia was nervous, but he handled himself well and sang with

enthusiasm, acting out and bowing at the conclusion of each song. During the question

“You have to

enjoy what you’re doing and you have to be dilgent.

There are no shortcuts.”

Ricardo Garcia Opera Singer

and answer session, I discovered that he was planning on pursuing a career in opera and

that he plans to go to Juilliard or USC after graduating from the University of Pacific to later perform on stage.

Garcia kindly allowed me to interview him after the recital and he answered all my questions with a smile. At first I had thought that the "charismatic tenor" wouldn't be as friendly as the advertisement had claimed, but he turned out to be quite polite and friendly.

His advice to aspiring singers?

"You have to enjoy what you're doing and you have to be diligent. There are no short cuts," said Garcia.

I left the theater knowing that someday I would see Garcia perform again. He is extremely talented and is on his way to becoming a star in the musical world. I have no doubts that he will someday be singing Verdi and Wagner in the San Francisco Opera House.

“Baby, if you were words on a page, you’d be what they call fine print!”

“I wish I were adenine because then I could get paired with U.” “What’s your sine? It must be pi/2 because you’re the 1.”

“If I was an endoplasmic reticulum, how would you want me: smooth or rough?”

“Our love is like dividing by zero…. you cannot define it.”

Olympian

The Feb. 14, 2013

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Students of all ages can “ACE” the test of life ferent in our lives that will help our environment, such as using less water, eating less meat, or recycling more.

ACE educates about the threat of climate change

“ If there’s

anything you learn from this presentation, it’s that you are not too young to make a difference.”

By Amber Yang Feature Editor

The Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) gave a presentation discussing the issues of climate change and global warming on Thursday, Jan. 17 at the CVHS Center for the Arts.

According to presenter Wen Lee, 97 percent of climate scientists agree that global warming has to do with human activities. ACE believes a solution to this urgent problem should be in place.

ACE is an award-winning national non-profit organization dedicated to educating high school students throughout America about the science behind climate change while inspiring them to do something about it.

Amber Yang / Feature Editor

ACE representative Wen Lee encourages viewers to “Do One Thing” in a riveting powerpoint presentation about climate change and our roles in it.

Lee explained how humancaused emissions affect the world’s climate at a concerning rate by showing an easyto-understand animation and real-life videos about greenhouse gases.

One of the main messages Lee was trying to convey

Happy, app-y students win big in app contest

By Anna Talajkowski Staff Writer

Move over, Bill Gates! CVHS students Caleb Kim and Stephen Ou are fast on their way to application domination after winning second place in the Alameda County Apps Challenge.

“ We didn’t

think we’d get anything, so we were pretty happy in the end.”

Caleb Kim Senior

Kim, a senior, and Ou, a junior, managed to beat out over 120 other participants at the Challenge on Dec. 8 and each received a $1,500 prize.

“We were a little surprised and kind of shocked,” said Kim. “We didn't think we'd get anything, so we were pretty happy at the end.”

The winning app, called the

APCR finder, lets users create a customizable map of county parks, using information from the Alameda County Parks and Recreation. Users start by choosing different park amenities, such as basketball courts or hiking trails, that they wish to find. The app then sorts through county parks to find locations that contain all of the preferences chosen. The final product is a personalized map showing all the possible parks suiting the user's desires.

The duo says that although they plan to use some of the cash prize for themselves, they also decided to donate part of their winnings to help a student from Africa attend high school.

Looking ahead, both students wish to work in the technological field and major in computer science. Ou even hopes to eventually start his own Internet company. The pair also wants to continue to compete together in upcoming contests, and hope to enter the next Apps Challenge.

“We're planning on doing other competitions and working on small projects together,” said Kim. Although the future is never certain, there's one thing for sure: app developers should be on the lookout, because these two teen techies are headed for the top.

was that students of similar ages were making huge impacts on the environment, as shown in various high schools around California that have taken an extra step to going green or finding alternative ways to generate energy.

“If there’s anything you learn from this presentation, it’s that you are not too young to make a difference,” said Lee. ACE has a “Do One Thing” (DOT) campaign to help the environment. DOT encourages us to do one thing dif-

Wen Lee ACE

“It was fun and interesting to learn about climate change since we don't always hear about these issues during class,” said senior Brian Shinn.

To help the fight against climate change, text DOT to 306-44 (text messaging rates apply).

Green Day overly ambitous

Django Unchained dark but genius

By Evan Kwong Staff Writer

In an extremely short 78-day time period, Green Day released three brand new albums titled ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré! towards the end of 2012. But isn’t releasing three full-length albums, totaling at 37 tracks, a bit over the top and too much to handle?

With ¡Uno! kicking off the trilogy in September, Green Day released a fairly decent album, reinventing their musical style and bringing a new energy to the stage with an excessive pop feel.

The band also experimented with sounds and genres that they’ve never touched before, as seen in their dance-punk song, “Kill the DJ.” ¡Uno! is probably the best album out of the trilogy, bringing a positive start to Green Day’s three-album release. However, songs like “Oh Love” prove otherwise. A combination of pop punk and alternative rock, the song features a crisp guitar lead as Billie Joe Armstrong sings how his “heart’s on the loose.” Nevertheless, the overall track isn’t the best and the music video features the members of Green Day partying with some scantily clad models: nothing unique or worthwhile like the band has made in the past.

Compared to ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, released in November, was rather dull. The entire album features an assortment of disappointing and unorganized songs, proving the band to be a group of 40-year-old men trying to act like adolescents. ¡Dos!, far from the pop punk feel eminent in ¡Uno!, sounds as if Green Day is trying to play classic

By Amber Yang Feature Editor

Leia Saelee / Staff Writer

rock and roll in a garage, which makes the album rather unsuccessful.

Unlike ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! was able to hold a candle to ¡Uno! in its December release. Bringing the dynamic energy back on the stage and mixing together sounds Green Day had used in their earlier albums in the 90s and 2000s, Green Day successfully created music composed of their modern and old styles.

The song “The Forgotten” had been included in the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, and the single “X-Kid” is an inspirational track, with lyrics describing a youthful desire for a better future. ¡Tré! is a

great album, closing Green Day’s newest saga with a bang.

The trilogy of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré! is symbolic in Green Day’s deviation from the rock operas and the tales of American youth, as seen in their albums American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. However, the step away from what they’ve become known for almost an entire decade isn’t necessarily progressive. The three albums are riddled with unnecessary profanity and describe the sexual frustration of aging men.

Overall, all three albums could have been much better. Maybe releasing three whole albums in a short span of time wasn’t one of their best decisions.

Blow the Roof soars to meet high expectations

By Cameron Beresini Staff Writer

The album Blow the Roof is made up of heavy Dubstep beats

by Flux Pavilion, an English DJ. The album is made up of eight original mixes, including my personal favorite, “The Scientist.”

Flux Pavilion has been off the scene for the past year after releasing his single, “Daydreamer.”

Joshua Steele, known as Flux Pavilion, co-owns his own record label, Circus Records, with Doctor P and DJ Swan-E. He is known best for his hit single, “Bass Cannon,” from 2011, which peaked at number 56 on the UK singles chart and was placed on the Radio 1 A-list. One of his tracks, “I Can’t Stop,” was used in the viral Kony 2012 campaign

and was featured in the snowboarding game SSX. The heavy beats in this album really helped me enjoy it because the songs themselves sounded so simple. My favorite mix from the album would have to be “The Scientist,” due to the clever adding of lyrics which give the song a funky vibe.

If you are a bass head like me, or looking for something catchy to listen to, I definitely recommend this album.

next couple of weeks.

The popular R&B/pop singer revealed that he is planning to make a comeback this year, starting with this new song.

The new single is definitely a comeback, but is it some of his best work? To that, I reluctantly have to say no. The song is catchy in a way, but it is lacking that infectious rhythm and soul that Timberlake is known for.

Usually Timberlake's songs flow and appear nearly effortless. However, “Suit & Tie” has a few awkward transitions, and is

lacking the charisma that usually shines through his music.

The single isn't terrible, but it is definitely one of those songs you have to listen to a few times to really get into it. As a Timberlake fan, I am sad to say that his selection for his comeback debut is a little disappointing.

A few days ago, Timberlake revealed that his entire new album will be released on March 19. Hopefully the CD will have more of the soulful songs that everyone loves to hear from Timberlake.

Justin Timberlake’s new single disappoints critic

By Joelle Bassett Staff Writer

Justin Timberlake's new single, “Suit & Tie”, was released just a few weeks ago. Since its release, the single has shot to the top of the pop charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. and is estimated to reach the most online downloads ever in the

It’s no wonder why Django Unchained was nominated for five Oscars including “Best Picture.”

Quentin Tarantino is back with this new film that brings us a chaotic overdose of bloodshed, romance, comedy, revenge, and man’s inhumanity towards other men.

If you have ever seen Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and enjoyed it, you’ll perhaps fall in love with this movie, as it sticks to the director’s infamous warped sense of humor and bold creativity, turning history on its head to carry out a daring revenge fantasy.

Django Unchained takes on the horrors of slavery in the South prior to the war thatcenters around a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx). He is lucky enough to be freed by a German dentistbounty hunter-genius Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who takes him on as his apprentice to

kill wanted men for money.

With that, Tarantino has us off to the races, offering us one lurid sequence after another, providing audiences (who don’t get easily offended by language and violence) huge fits of laughter and excitement.

Under the help of Dr. King Schultz, Django transforms from a poor man in rags to suave assassin, seeking revenge to all horrible plantation owners while devising a plan to save his wife from the cruel grasp of a particular slaveholder named Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his betraying sidekick Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

There is no question that Django Unchained is sometimes offending, full of profanity and is intensely violent; I’ll even admit that I found myself cringing at some parts of cruelty between owners and slaves.

However, if one can look past some of the dark themes in this movie (that aren’t supposed to be taken seriously anyway), they can find one of the most hilariously genius, quasi-spaghetti Westerns ever to make on the big screen.

Tapes reveal journey to tragedy

By Leia Saelee Staff Writer

Why would individuals be compelled to end their own lives?

What if you were one of the reasons why? The compelling story Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher follows Clay Jensen as he listens to tapes that reveal how small incidents build and consequently lead to suicide.

After school one day, Clay receives an anonymous package containing seven tapes, which turned out to be recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate of his who recently committed suicide. In the tapes, she explains how 13 people take part in her ultimate decision, also leaving instructions to pass on the tapes to ensure her life was not taken in vain.

Clay is driven to meticulously follow the specified locations on the map accompanied by Hannah’s recordings. Clay strives to under-

stand Hannah as she reveals stories that will make a reader’s heart ache with empathy.

The people involved in the tapes have seemingly small parts, but invariably set the next event in motion, snowballing into one big ball of rumours and chaos. Something that most would see as “no big deal,” a joke, or a small mistreatment, could be a part of something much bigger and unpredictable.

Rumors and lies breed in one’s imagination, only to infect and spread like wildfires from one high school teen to another. In order to justify their actions, the minor characters mentioned within the tapes often said that their actions were “just an excuse to kill herself” in order to wave off the guilt they felt. In many ways, their actions were as “petty” as Hannah had described in the tapes.

Curl up with this 288-page book that will leave readers thoughtful and satisfied. Be sure to read from the front and back cover, because you won’t want to miss a thing.

This book deserves four out of five stars because it’s easily relatable to high schoolers and a pleasurable leisurely read.

Trojans Roasted by Dragons

By Eva Chen Online Editor

The CVHS girls varsity basketball team was defeated by Bishop O’Dowd on Feb. 1, losing with a score of 92-34.

Six minutes into the first quarter, the girls were already losing with a score of 26-4. By the end of first quarter, the score was 32-9 and the Dragons were shooting ahead by a margin of 21 points.

By Emily Courchaine

“All the girls

can do is compete as hard as they possibly can. ” Jim Lemmon Coach

Though the girls put up a great fight to keep the Dragons from scoring, O’Dowd’s girls were shooting basketballs in hoop after hoop.

“This year, we have the youngest team. We lost eight players from last season,” said Coach Jim Lemmon.

Though the players are young, Jenna Sparks, flew on the court, playing a defensive position and blocking O’Dowd’s girls from shooting.

At the end of the second quarter, the Dragons were crushing the Trojans, with a score of

Girls take down competition in NCS wrestling tournament

Eva Chen / Online Editor

Asia Robinson looks up at the basket to take a shot as teammates cheer from the sidelines.

58-17.

As the game continued, the Trojan girls were falling farther behind, with a 52 point difference by the end of the third quarter. The score was 72-27.

With one minute left on the clock, the Trojans’ Jaime Massey made a grand effort to fight back, scoring two points for the team. However, with a gap of

58 points, the Trojans were still defeated.

The girls may not have a lot of experience on the court, but they still gave their best efforts.

The Trojans’ record fell to five wins and 16 losses.

“All the girls can do is compete as hard as they possibly can and play smart,” said Lemmon.

Sports Editor After three months of grueling practices and long tournaments, the CVHS girls wrestling team wrestled their best in the NCS tournament on Feb. 1-2, with all seven of them placing in the top eight. Juniors Alyah Thomas and Rebecca Busch and senior Emily Courchaine placed in the top three in their weight classes, which qualified them for the state tournament.

“It proved to me that hard work does pay off and that in the end what really matters is how bad you want it and how hard you are willing to work to achieve your goals,” said Busch after qualifying.

The stakes were higher than usual because this year only the top three wrestlers in each weight class qualify for the state tournament instead of the top four, as it used to be.

Busch has an outstanding record of 37-7, but was seeded fourth in a very competitive bracket, and had to wrestle her hardest to meet her goal of qualifying for state. After losing to Alyssa Hernandez from James Logan High School in the semi-finals, Busch wrestled against Nallely Patino from Albany High School for third place. It was a tough match, but Busch came out ahead with a final score of 8-7.

“Being seeded fourth and knowing that only the top three would make it to state, I had to

choose from psyching myself out and giving up or working harder and not giving up so I could go to state,” said Busch.

“I knew that it would be tough, but sometimes it’s easier to be the underdog, you have to fight harder for what you want, and you get to prove everyone wrong.”

Although she was seeded second, Thomas had her own obstacles to overcome. Thomas has struggled with a back injury all season, and it forced her to forfeit her semifinals match in the third round even though she was winning. Fortunately, she came back strong for her next few matches, and also took third in her bracket.

Courchaine took second in her weight class, with a season record of 18-7. She too has struggled this season, and had to take some time off from wrestling to catch up in school. She was able to come back strong, however, and is now proud to be a state qualifier in addition to having a 4.3 GPA. Although only three girls qualified for state, the whole team will continue to practice together. Those not competing will go to the state tournament on Feb. 22 -23 as spectators to show their support for their teammates.

“I am so proud of each of teammates and I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to wrestle at state with two of my teammates,” said Busch.

Ve r y V i t a l V a l i a n t V i c t o r s Felicianna Marquez / Staff Writer

k

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Sumia Franco, freshman

Sumia Franco won’t be getting beat up by upper classmen -it could be the other way around.

A freshman on the girls varsity wrestling team, Franco has been wrestling for three years and is excited to begin her high school career as a promising wrestler.

She started wrestling in seventh grade at the encouragement of her dad, a former wrestler.

Franco enjoys everything about the sport, especially winning.

“Although the sport is tough and sometimes you literally feel like you are going to die, winning the match makes everything worth it," said Franco.

Franco plans on continuing to wrestle throughout high school and is excited to see how she improves over the years.

Samuel Hanson, sophomore Sophomore Samuel Hanson is kicking off his sophomore year playing for the boys varsity soccer team as goalkeeper, making it his fifth year as a goalkeeper and his tenth year altogether playing soccer.

From a young age, Moore was interested in the sport when he first watched his older brother play soccer.

With his older brother as an inspiration, he was enthusiastic to play the sport himself and ever since, he hasn’t been able to stop.

“What I really enjoy about soccer is the intensity and work effort needed to be at your best. Playing this sport has given me so much and taught me a lot,” said Hanson.

Nathaniel Moore, junior

No longer a dreadful O’Dowd Dragon, junior Nathaniel Moore plays for the Trojans’ boys varsity basketball team as point guard.

Moore has been playing basketball for ten years and he absolutely loves it. Though his injury has set him back from playing this year, he still attends every practice and game, ready to cheer his team on.When Moore isn’t scoring points for our school, he is playing for his travelling basketball team.

Though new to the school, Moore has already found himself a crowd and is enjoying a warm CVHS welcome.

“So far I am really enjoying myself at CVHS. It has some really great people. I’m glad to have come,” said Moore.

Michelle Baker, senior

Senior Michelle Baker lives for toe touches and being thrown into the air while maintaining her composure in front of a crowd of hundreds.

Baker has been cheering for eight years, four of those years spent as a Trojan. Her position on the team is the flyer, a daredevil, some would say. Her favorite part about cheering is performing and competing.

“Performing in front of crowds gives me such a great rush and I really enjoy getting to be up there with such an amazing team," said Baker.

Baker plans on going to Berkeley City College for two years before transferring to UC Berkeley, hoping to double major in business and psychology.

California lawmakers suggest changes for education

By Melody Moteabbed Editor-in-Chief

If there’s one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on, it’s the need for education reform.

“With a well-educated work force, we will not only be able to advance California, but the entire country as a whole,” said Republican Assembly Member Connie Conway.

Conway recognizes that while Democrats are the majority party in the state, the Republican minority is essentially the “conscience,” and it is the party’s duty to be watchful and hold Democrats “accountable” for their actions.

Still, Conway proved not to be very resentful. “A one party rule isn’t very effective, and I still believe that. The voters have spoken, so we have to try and work together.”

Prop. 30, which voters passed in November, promised to fund K-12 schools with extra money.

Conway appeared suspicious of the proposition and wondered how the funds were going to be distributed.

“Is the money going to other departments that people don’t know about? And how will the money

Connie Conway

be distributed to different school districts?” questioned Conway.

When it comes down to an issue like that, it’s not Democrat versus Republican: “It’s urban versus rural,” she said.

Coming to the topic of school safety, Conway stressed the importance of keeping K-12 schools safe because elementary, middle, and high schools are “the beginnings.” She opposed further restrictions to gun control without being abrasive, insisting that guns aren’t the problem.

“I know mental instability is definitely the cause of such tragedies,” said Conway. “But I wonder how these mental issues even start. Is it because of the harsh

Bob Huff

economic times driving people to insanity?”

While Republican state Senator Bob Huff also supports more effective and safer education, he believes extra funds are not the solution.

“Money isn’t everything,” said Huff, and went on to discuss a plan that was derived apparently from a Stanford study.

According to Huff, the study recognized Canada and Finland as the top countries in the world for primary education, and this is because the teachers are “incredibly smart and well-qualified.”

Teachers there are treated like professional “lawyers and doctors” because they are.

Leland Yee

From this, Huff speculated on the idea of creating a system in which the “lowest-performing teachers” in schools around California will be pulled out. Huff said that this number would be around five to ten percent. However, Huff did not explain how these teachers would be identified.

Huff also went on to criticize teachers’ unions, claiming that the organizations take money away from classes and are instead utilized for the benefit of the unions.

Democratic state Senator Leland Yee supports more mental health examinations. In addition, Yee once again reiterated his support for education reform and more funds to schools, especially

towards extracurriculars like journalism.

Governor Jerry Brown’s “State of the State” address praised the passage of Prop. 30 and teachers, unions, students, and school communities. While he boasted about California’s grand reputation and resources, he acknowledged the obstacles the state must pound through.

“We have a funding system [for education] that is overly complex, bureaucratically driven and deeply inequitable,” Brown said.

“I am asking you to approve a brand new Local Control Funding Formula which would distribute supplemental funds -- over an extended period of time -- to school districts based on the real world problems they face.”

Brown recognized the importance of giving other schools more money than others based on need.

“Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice,” said Brown.

The governor also opposed further college tuition hikes.

“I will not let the students become the default financiers of our colleges and universities,” said Brown.

Quirky Assemblyman meets students Capital visit proves value of field trips

By Hans Mortimer Staff Writer

Bill Quirk was elected to be the Assemblyman for District 12 in November. Quirk shared with The Olympian his ideas and motivation for serving in the state government.

Quirk has a Ph.D. in astrophysics and has worked on the Goddard Institute Climate Model.

He taught physics at Columbia, Caltech, and UC Davis. He served on the Hayward City Council. He now serves on the utilities, commerce and agriculture committees.

“I’m here because I was studying greenhouse warming in the 70s. We knew it was a real problem but we couldn’t see how bad it would be and it’s much worse than we ever expected,” said Quirk.

As a member of the utilities and commerce committee, Quirk wants to focus on reforming the energy grid instead of improving existing technologies. He explained that the grid is not set up to facilitate alternative energy sources to a capacity that would allow these technologies to supply a majority of the energy for California. He explained that wind turbines work best at night but not on hot days, and how solar works well on a good day but needs a place to store the energy.

Quirk wants to streamline agricultural regulation, as a part of the agriculture committee. Rather than changing the policies that protect the environment and the safety of the farmers, he wants to reduce the number of regulatory agencies.

“We try and make the regulatory system easier for farmers,” said Quirk.

Quirk would like to help businesses in the same way by simplifying the regulatory system.

By Reema Kakaday Staff Writer

Reema Kakaday/ Staff Writer

Assemblyman Bill Quirk won election to office last year.

In addition, Quirk is a member of the Assembly’s public safety committee. His main objective is to reform the penitentiary system to include more rehabilitation programs for convicts.

“Just get involved,” Quirk responded when asked about what

students can do about global warming. “When you’re in college, there will be young Democrats and Republicans, so just be involved because you have a voice. It’s about being out there and involved. That’s how you make a difference.“

A chance to skip a boring day of finals and go interview state legislators at a fancy conference with free food instead? You bet that journalism students Melody Moteabbed, Hans Mortimer and I jumped at the chance to go to Sacramento to attend the California Newspapers Publication Association’s Government Affairs Day with our journalism teacher Matt Johanson.

First on our agenda was listening to lawmakers Connie Conway, Bob Huff and Leland Yee. These are all very important leaders in the state Legislature.

We later toured the Capitol, poking our heads into legislators’ offices, meeting with Democratic Senator Ellen Corbett’s staff members, and even interviewing our Assemblyman Bill Quirk himself.

I found it notable how each speaker, Republican or Democrat, still discussed the same issues of education and environment. They were passionate about creating reforms for those areas and stimulated discussion.

It goes to say that even though we like to divide ourselves by

titles and parties, there’s still a part of us that connects on the most important issues at hand.

“We spend a lot of time in legislation and need more focus and discussion in the legislature itself,” explained Conway. “We need more public voice and exposure.”

Even though politics and reform seem like eternally hot topics, I think the dialogue between citizens does not reach or follow through in the legislation itself. Isn’t the point of “By the People, for the People” to have our voices influence the laws that we live by?

Nowadays, I don’t see a lot of the common folks’ opinion on what to do; instead, all we see are politicians talking on the television screen. I wonder if this is because people lack information about what’s happening in legislation, or if they’ve given up altogether trying to influence big leaders in government.

Whatever it may be, I’m just glad that CVHS at least encourages hands-on participation activities that make us more informed on our government.

In just one day, we learned more about our government, issues that our state faces, the perspectives on those issues, and how the Capitol works, than we would ever learn by sitting in a classroom or reading out of a book.

Even though we skipped a day of finals (which honestly felt very odd initially), we expanded our knowledge and had an unique experience that I’ll always remember.