Feb 14, 2014

The Olympian wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day *#

Volume 57, Issue 6 February 14, 2014

Castro Valley High School

Phone thefts common, no thieves caught

By Anna Nguyen Staff Writer

Cell phone thefts at CVHS are depriving students of their prized possessions. Yet while about 40 lost phones have been reported, absolutely no students have been punished for related offenses this school year, according to a survey of assistant principals.

“It seems to be pretty much the same over the years. I would say about one to two students come in each week telling me they’re missing their phone, either that it has been lost or stolen,” said Charity Hastings, head of the Finance Office.

Phone thefts have long been a significant problem on campus, with many of the cases remaining unsolved. While some phones do eventually get returned, many owners are forced to replace the stolen

Staff Writer

As high school students, we have encountered and partaken in many different circumstances that include, but are not limited to, campus fights and drug and alcohol abuse. The consequences vary from school to school. However, in some high schools across the US, the school boards have enforced a “Zero Tolerance” policy.

Zero Tolerance, initially implemented in schools around 1994, is a policy that requires suspensions and expulsions in response to weapons, drugs, and violent acts in schools. For instance, legislation had required states to expel any

State fines district for safety violations in 700 hall

By Rachel Du Staff Writer

Anna Nguyen / Staff Writer

Students hold tightly onto their prized cell phones.

property, which may cost hun- responsible for returning found dreds of dollars. phones to their rightful owners.

The Finance Office runs the PHONES: Page 8 school’s lost and found, and is

Zero tolerance policies reconsidered

By Grace Moon

www.cvhsolympian.com

student who brought a firearm to school for one year.

However, some believe Zero Tolerance went too far and led to excessive suspensions and expulsions. In January, the Obama administration encouraged school districts to review and rethink their policies.

At CVHS, the assistant principals believe that the Zero Tolerance policy is not necessary.

“Castro Valley High doesn’t believe in the Zero Tolerance policy.

Instead, we follow the guidelines of the CVHS Student Handbook which lists the certain consequence depending on the severity of the strike that took place,” says Assistant Principal Matt Steineke.

Zero credit for “Zero Tolerance” Page 2: Olympian supports flexible discipline

In addition to the examination of the action that had been taken, the assistant principals look into the motive, circumstance, and history of each student involved, in order to come to a fair decision. They also bring up different situations to the youth court to carry out the action of restorative justice. Members and students who are involved in certain events that may be considered as mistakes more than crimes are given an alternative decision to give back to the community through community service, and also are offered counseling.

“We want students to be able to fix their mistakes,” Steineke emphasizes. “Here, at CVHS, we believe in equality among students.”

Castro Valley Unified School District has been fined $1,050 by the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for ventilation and health violations in the 700 wing. OSHA inspected the science building in September and issued the citation on Jan. 27.

Recently, a science teacher decided to call OSHA to get the building up to safety codes. Science classrooms were missing necessary stations, such as fume hoods and eyewashes, to ensure the safety of their occupants.

There were also concerns about ventilation in the 700 wing. Since the summer of last year, the district has significantly improved the ventilation system and other needed safety precautions.

OSHA reported four violations: 1) there were no self-contained eyewashes in the storerooms between the classes where chemicals were being handled, 2) one lab-type hood was not equipped with quantitative airflow monitors, which indicate whether air is flowing into the exhaust system, 3) not all fume hoods were marked to show the average face velocity of at least 100 feet per minute, and 4) the ventilation rates on every system used to prevent exposure were not tested annually.

Originally the agency set the fine at $2,430. On Feb. 5, OSHA reduced the fine to $1,050 in consideration of the safety improve-

Kiva benefit show takes place at CVHS Page 5: Musicians and performers take the stage

ments.

“They came, found more faults than indicated on the citation, but based on their assessment that the district has been making an effort to mitigate the issues, the findings are actually, in essence, a small fine,” said teacher and Science Safety Committee member Deborah Yager.

Stickers on fume hoods indicate their test dates, the velocity of the exhaust rate, and the sash height, which measures the opening of the hood door. Fume hoods are supposed to be inspected yearly, and some stickers indicated they were out of date. All hoods are now in compliance.

Prior to the inspection, the committee and district had fixed many of the issues already. The final eyewash stations will be installed this month.

The Science Safety Committee continues to meet monthly to keep communication open between the members and district.

“Dr. Yager and I are continuing to define and finish the chemical hygiene plan,” said Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke. “As with everything, it just takes time to fix things.”

The chemical hygiene plan will outline training staff members need to recognize safety hazards and violations.

“While the district should and was held accountable for its negligence, it has stepped up and made things much, much better. We wish to maintain a positive spirit going forward,” said Yager.

Cheer team jumps up to fourth place Page 7: Cheerleaders compete in Deer Valley

The Olympian does not tolerate zero tolerance policies

Editorial: The policy of “zero tolerance” on school campuses has come into national spotlight after recent criticism. Zero tolerance policies have been implemented in schools in an attempt to lower violent and drug related incidents on campuses.

They allow school administration to easily suspend, expel, and take other disciplinary measures against any students in order to maintain a safe school setting.

The strict approach has, however, shown to be ineffective in solving crime on campus; it has been inappropriately used by school officials, and can also harm the students affected by it.

The Obama administration has recently spoken against zero tolerance as an adequate way of encouraging a peaceful environment, also adding that it can unfairly target minorities.

The Olympian agrees that zero tolerance is an appalling way to deal with school problems. Often times these policies, instead of creating safe settings for students, can create a hostile one. Kids are discouraged from attending school in fear of being unfairly persecuted

by administration, since often times zero tolerance can be used in mere minor offenses. A simple disagreement with a teacher can lead to excessive consequences.

Zero tolerance also is an ineffec-

tive way of dealing with punished students. Often times the students who are penalized under this system are taken away from a learning environment that is essential to helping them overcome their is-

Reform our school system

By Evan Kwong Online Editor

If you search “why does school make me” on Google, you’ll find that the top search suggestions complete the statement with “stressed,” “feel stupid,” “cry,” “depressed,” and “suicidal.”

“Governments don’t want a population capable of critical thinking,” said social critic George Carlin. “They want obedient workers: people smart enough to run the machines and dumb enough to passively accept their situation.”

We students are trained to be factory workers for factories that no longer exist. In the early 20th century, children were expected to have a mindset for an industrial job. The compliance-based education system is perfect in training us to be workers that clean lint out of machines.

Now, an American education does not reflect the current job market that applauds creativity and curiosity. Despite that, the current system that all children in America are shoved into strips them of imagination and natural motivation. Like a prison, schools cut us off from

the rest of the world and limits creativity.

Kids are the only humans on Earth who aren’t afraid of being wrong. In schools, we’re taught that making a mistake means game over. After branding us with letter grades and percentage scores we become scared of being wrong, and lose the capacities that kids have.

We’ve been brain-washed to think that intellectual growth is the only necessary com-

“America has

not taught kids knowledge, nor fostered a need to pursue it.

”

ponent in our development.

We’re trained to value cognitive development at the expense of our social, emotional, and physical maturation. Why is physical education not taught as aggressively as algebra?

We’re not just brains with a GPA written on the front, but also artists and athletes.

We’re taught that studying STEM subjects are the only way to be financially fruitful. If I’m not a doctor or engineer, I won’t make money, and I can’t

be successful. We’re not taught to think of creative ways to be successful in other fields, but rather force ourselves to fit into one of the four categories.

America has not taught kids knowledge, nor fostered a need to pursue it. All they’ve learned is to manipulate the system by memorizing useless information long enough to pass assessments. How many adults in America know or even care that James Buchanan was president before Abraham Lincoln?

Billions of them probably don’t even know what a hyperbole is.

Instead of forcing a specific amount of information to learn onto students, schools need to teach students to, how, and why to learn. Students must view the pursuit of knowledge as appealing, relevant, and supportive for them to do better in school. Dumping a class onto middle schoolers is okay, but adding no practical context and real-world value to it makes teaching the subject useless.

Schools do not prepare students enough for the real world. Students aren’t given enough freedom to choose what they’d feel they’d enjoy studying, and are forced into a standard template for American students, who “passively accept their situation,” as Carlin described.

A reform in the American education system is essential, not only for the welfare of youth everywhere, but also for the nation as a whole. But if change does not arrive, those search results on Google will continue to worsen until nobody is left to type it in.

sues. Instead of using counseling or other help, these students are sent away from the only secure place that might encourage them and give them assistance.

The guideline has been con-

demned for discriminating against racial minorities and students with disabilities. African American students embody more than one third of students who have been suspended one time, and over 40 percent of students who have been suspended more than once, even though they make up only 15 percent of the student body. Black students are three times more likely to be arrested for minor offenses than white students. Mentally handicapped students are also unfairly treated by zero tolerance. Since the policies usually address the entire student population, students with disabilities can be punished and removed under them, taking away precious time in a school setting and decreasing their chances of graduating high school.

The Olympian credits zero tolerance for trying to keep school campuses safe. For the effort put into the approach, however, the success has been inadequate.

Luckily, CVHS does not have a zero tolerance policy. It instead has a set of more flexible rules for violent and drug related offenses. The Olympian supports these measures to keep the campus safe.

Snore! Why not make announcements fun?

By Daniel Witte Staff Writer

CVHS's announcements need to be more cool.

Currently, announcements at CVHS are done over the PA system during third period.

These announcements are simply three minutes of listening to someone's voice crackle through a loudspeaker with nothing entertaining. Besides this, the loudspeaker has no volume control, therefore the teachers cannot adjust it to the noise in or outside the classroom.

The good news is that the school has started to transition to using podcasts for the announcements, but only for once a week. Not only that, teachers must log on to their computers to listen to this podcast that is similar to what they would get on the PA system.

In addition, some teachers are unwilling to log on to their computers for something so short. One of my teachers, for example, doesn't have a desktop computer, which

means he would have to use his laptop. He prefers not to do this because it is difficult to boot it up for only a few minutes and have to shut it back down again.

Furthermore, wouldn't it be cool if we had a video broadcast with more students being involved? This could be broadcasted on the televisions in the classrooms. This way, the announcements could be informational as well as entertaining and include videos of activities or slide shows. At the beginning and end of the announcements, we could have fun music. The music would get people in a good mood and make them excited about listening to the announcements. We could allow the students to submit music for the announcements and have their names announced. We have a video production club on campus that might like to be more involved and put their skills to work daily.

When I went to Canyon Middle School, we used this announcement system and it was a lot of fun. Besides listening to the announcements, I was one of the morning anchors. Everyone that did this had a great time putting the broadcast together. This broadcast was always entertaining and the students really enjoyed it. Perhaps CVHS can implement a similar program so that more students can participate and pay attention to the announcements.

The Olympian Feb. 14, 2014

Valentine’s Day: a weird holiday

Feminism equals women’s empowerment

By Robbie Brandt Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day is a day for love, free candy, marriage proposals, and more clichés, right? Well, has anyone ever stopped to think about how weird the holiday is itself?

One example is Cupid. He is symbolized as a little naked baby with wings who shoots you with arrows and supposedly makes you fall in love. I’m pretty sure if someone saw a flying baby they would freak out instead of fall in love.

In addition, if Cupid shot you in the heart with his arrow, I don’t think you’d fall in love, I think you would just die. Or even if Cupid were to shoot you in the bottom

By Felicianna Marquez Leia Saelee / A&E Editor

with his arrow, normal people would probably shout out in pain.

The symbol of Valentine’s Day is a heart with an arrow; however, it seems like that would be the more appropriate symbol for getting killed by an arrow.

It’s not just Cupid and his arrows, or even the symbol that’s strange about the holiday; it’s the day itself. Saint Valentine, who the holiday is named after, was a priest who was beheaded on Feb. 14 for marrying Christian

couples and helping them escape persecution – hence the name Valentine’s Day. It’s been said that Valentine’s Day celebrates the feast of Saint Valentine’s death, but if you look around, all you see are hearts, flowers, candy, sad single people, and a little baby shooting arrows at you.

Personally I believe that if Saint Valentine saw how Valentine’s Day turned out, he would probably roll over in his grave.

niably helped minority groups reach milestone achievements; however, more than half a century later, its effectiveness comes into question. It’s true that without affirmative action, America might have never seen a black president, Hispanic doctors, or Muslim professors. After years of subjugation, these people needed the advantage, as success would have been impossible without it. But in today’s world, is it in the best interest to categorize the needy by race?

The United States has undergone tremendous social reform in these past few generations, and minorities have been able to gain

athletic standing, it was found that an African American student was 15 times more likely than an Asian American to be admitted to a competitive university. Hispanics have six times, and whites three times higher of a chance of being accepted than that same Asian student.

Although many of these students do extremely well, some accepted under affirmative action end up falling behind their peers, and are unable to remain competitive. It is only through race-blind application processes that an academically balanced student body would come to exist.

Under affirmative action, the legitimacy of those who succeed in the most selective schools is often questioned, and they are faced with more discrimination, under the presumption that their success was entirely dependent on affirmative action.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas remains outspoken on his stance against affirmative action. As an African American student, he was a beneficiary of racial preference, but faced prejudice towards his work. In his memoir My Grandfather’s Son, he recalls how “Many asked pointed questions unsubtly suggesting that they doubted I was as smart as my grades indicated. Now I knew what a law degree from Yale was worth when it bore the taint of racial preference.”

In a society where equal opportunity has become so valued, it is illogical that any form of racial discrimination still exists.

It is not until racial preference is completely eradicated that social justice will be reached, and minorities will gain the equality they deserve.

As Justice Thomas wrote, “just as the alleged educational benefits of segregation were insufficient to justify racial discrimination then ... the alleged educational benefits of diversity cannot justify racial discrimination today.”

End affirmative action to achieve true equality

By Anna Nguyen Staff Writer

Throughout our high school careers, we’ve dedicated our lives to rigorous classes, athletics, and extracurriculars, all for the sake of getting into a good college.

Yet despite all the hard work we put in, admission officers at the nation’s top colleges continue to consider racial background alongside academic merit and personal achievement.

Several recent Supreme Court cases have brought light to this subject, sparking a nationwide debate. While Fisher v. University of Texas examined the ethics of racial preferences, the new Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action case challenges whether banning these advantages is even constitutional.

Following the civil rights movement of the 1950s, affirmative action, also known as “positive discrimination” or “employment equality,” was created in hopes of increasing representation of minority groups in the professional world. The federal government began to implicate policies that primarily gave advantages to Latinos and African Americans when applying for employment or higher education. The goal was to promote diversity in these institutions, creating the opportunity for varied ideas and perspectives.

Affirmative action was created with good intentions, and unde-

“It is illogical

that any form of racial discrimination still exists.

”

a significant presence. Though we are far from achieving complete racial equality, it has come to the point where racial preference has become more detrimental than it is beneficial. While it may seem like a moral obligation, giving certain minorities an advantage can only act as a temporary solution in this battle.

In their 2009 book No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal, Princeton sociologist Thomas Espenshade and researcher Alexandria Walton Radford explore the racial injustice of the education system. In an experiment controlled for grades, legacy status, test scores, and

3

Photo Editor

In preparation for finals, my expository reading and writing teacher decided that we would read an article called “It’s a Jungle Out There” by Camille Page. The article talks about anti-feminism. The article starts off with stating that feminism teaches women to be weak, victims in a cruel man’s world, and that men are animals. As a result, women must protect themselves against their savage ways. It states that feminism does not teach knowledge about the opposite sex, but instead, teaches women “piein-the-sky fantasies about the perfect world.” She goes on to say that the feminist revolution has done nothing and has not brought sexual happiness.

In fact, there has not been any change in equality between men and women.

My class discussion consisted of “What is this article even talking about?,” “Why is this woman bashing men so much?

I’m not a rapist,” and many

Letters to the Editor

more statements like those.

As I read the article, I agreed and disagreed with many of her ideas. It states that women should be more self-conscious when going out to parties and other similar situations.

Feminism, in ways, can teach women to always be the victim and not stand up for oneself.

Also, does not always acknowledge that men and women are naturally going to be unequal; not in a rude way, but that each sex has its strengths and weaknesses. This should be taken more into consideration by feminists. However, equality within politics and respecting each other is important to reach equilibrium between the two sexes.

After reading the article, I felt flustered in my thoughts.

Being someone who considers herself a feminist, I felt that this woman indeed was fighting for what feminism truly is, a self-empowerment for women.

However, because extremist feminist have corrupted her view of what feminism can be, she wants it completely gone. Feminism is necessary for women. Even though full equality can never fully be reached because there are always going to be things that men can do that women can’t and things women can do that men can’t.

Feminism teaches women to stand up for themselves and the more they are taught this the less they will be harassed and disrespected.

The Olympian encourages letters from our readers. Please note that letters must be signed and no longer than 200 words. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at our Olympian office in room 113.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2014

Editors-in-Chief.....................................................................Lily Carrell Reema Kakaday City Editor......................................................................Joyce Liang News Editor..............................................................Matt Talajkowski Opinion Editor............................................................Suzanna Chak Feature Editors.....................................................................Eva Chen Stephanie Huerta Sports Editor..................................................................Amanat Riar Arts and Entertainment Editor......................................Leia Saelee Photo Editors........................................................Lauren Jelks Felicianna Marquez Business Manager......................................................Anna Talajkowski Online Editors........................................................................Kelly Chan Evan Kwong Staff Writers: Cameron Beresini, Robbie Brandt, Luke Busby, Alison Dhont, Rachel Du, Sally Liang, Tyler Macias, Grace Moon, Anna Nguyen, Amelia Ortiz, Karla Paredes, Tyler Quan, Brittany Roberts, Callie Ross-Smith, Adrianna Vandiver, Olivia Wallace, Daniel Witte Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Wonders of the writing workshop Auf Wiedersehen, Freundin Manisha

By Callie Ross-Smith Staff Writer

Castro Valley Education Foundation hosted its third annual writing workshop for grades six through 12 at the Castro Valley Library on Feb. 1. Around 50 students arrived at 10 a.m. to learn about how to improve their nonfiction, fiction, and poetry writing.

Writing club president Laila Birzneiks opened the workshop by challenging the young writers to rant about anything that they could possibly think of.

After reading her rant of being an introvert, she let them write on the prompt.

The room fell dead silent, as everyone hurriedly scribbled their ideas down. Then the Writing Club members asked if anyone wanted to read aloud.

Eighth grader Caroline Foley raised her hand and began her rant about the fake pockets on girls jeans.

Everyone thundered with laughter when she ended with, “In men’s jeans, you can fit three blue whales, ten wallets, and the whole freaking Harry Potter series, all in one pocket!”

The narrative panel, led by author Amy Franklin Willis, began with her asking the audience what they enjoyed writing, and what would they like to improve on. When everyone around the room had spoken, she read a quote that singer Lorde had said in a Rolling

By Lauren Jelks Photo Editor

Callie Ross-Smith / Staff Writer

Students and local authors gathered to enjoy the writing workshop at the Castro Valley Library.

Stone magazine interview: “Every word counts, and sometimes five words can be more valuable than 20,” Willis said.

Willis also took the class outside and asked students to recreate the weather and use writing techniques to describe if it was happy, sad, or tranquil. All the writers happily accepted the experiment, and went off to work.

In the next room, teacher Matt Johanson was sharing his ideas and pictures on his reporting. He asked his participants to write about what they enjoyed. He gave examples, such as his love for the Giants and Yosemite National Park. Then he showed the kids how to set up their own website domains to display their work.

He gave helpful advice for how to get their works published by first submitting it to small magazines and then working their way up.

The second non-fiction writer who was featured at this event, Hon. Lise Pearlman, also encouraged spectators to “find something that you want to say, even if you don’t know much about the subject,” as Pearlman said.

Poetry author Bruce Roberts demonstrated in his lecture that poems do not always have to be morbid: “It is great to have fun with words. Poems can be serious, but they can always be just as fun; they can be absolutely profound,” said Roberts.

CVEF member Gary Howard believes that this workshop is a great example of what CVEF works for. “We support the education enrichment of the CVUSD. Having a seminar that enriches writing seemed natural, and the most inspirational to students,” said Howard.

Taking part in a foreign exchange program, German student Manisha Elisamonteiro-Pai has spent the last five months studying at CVHS. Manisha was born in Germany and studied at an institution called Couvemgymmasium, where many students study abroad their sophomore year. As a sophomore, Manisha decided to take the opportunity.

“I wanted to do it because it’s a great experience and my aunt lives here,” said Manisha. “I didn’t really have too many expectations. I just said that’d I’d see what comes and take it as it is.”

After experiencing the many aspects of life at CVHS, such as Homecoming and Winterball, Manisha has learned a lot about American culture and how different it is from German culture.

“At my school, we have 1,200 students from fifth to 12th grade, and it’s a completely different system,” said Manisha. “Here, it’s much larger and the school system is much easier.”

Not only has Manisha learned

Manisha Elisamonteiro-Pai about what it’s like to be a student in America, but she’s also had the chance to meet new people and travel to San Francisco.

“The people are very nice here.

When I was here the first few weeks people just came to me and said ‘hi’ and asked how I was.

People here aren’t as judgmental,” Manisha said.

On Jan. 22, Manisha headed back to Germany to finish her final semester at her school in Germany.

“I’m very glad I had this experience and made new friends. I hope to keep in touch with them all,” Manisha said.

Author describes Haley’s odyssey

By Olivia Wallace Staff Writer

Adam Henig wrote an eBook titled: Alex Haley’s Roots; An Author’s Odyssey, released on Jan. 14.

“Your life will never be the same,” a person told Haley in the book about Haley’s life and the ups and downs he must encounter because of his success with Roots, his most famous book and later miniseries.

The book is filled with court cases, sold-out lecture halls and wild parties, all thanks to Roots.

Henig felt compelled to write this book because of his interest in the time period and the fact that not one person had written about it previously, and for its amazing story that deserves to be told.

Brittany Roberts/ Staff Writer

Freshman film club members unite in Anne Parris’ class for their meeting.

Freshman Film club fascinates

By Brittany Roberts Staff Writer

CVHS graduate Adam Henig authored a book about Alex Haley, who wrote Roots.

Henig graduated from CVHS in 1998 and learned a lot while

he was here too. He had some wonderful teachers who “made him appreciate literature” and “made learning history fun,” as Henig described.

Henig later went to CSU Chico, remembering that he “matured, became active on campus, and developed an ambition to succeed in whatever endeavor I sought,” he said.

His advice to any students dreaming of a future in writing is: find a day job (preferably one that offers health insurance), be patient, and read, read, read.

Anne Parris has started a new film club called Studio CVHS. The new club will work on projects such as movies, music videos, and editing film. So far the students have made one music video and are working on a comedy next.

There are about a dozen students in the club so far.

“The benefits of it being a freshman-only club is that nobody feels intimidated. Everyone has their own say and they all work really well together. I also really enjoy teaching freshmen because they are so open minded,” said Parris.

When deciding what film they want to work on next, they all get to vote and pick the one that they like the best. Everyone’s opinion matters and is valuable. Students in the club are learning a lot and are doing it mostly on their own,

and Parris is there to supervise and help when it’s needed.

“Film club is a great way to gain knowledge about making movies and music videos. If you are interested in a career in film, this club is a perfect fit for you,” said Georgia Franklin-Willis, club president.

The club has a Youtube page called Studio CVHS if you want to see what the members have worked on so far.

“I like the club because you have the freedom to be creative and you get to make the films you want,” said Zoie Sanders.

Anyone is open to drop by Tuesdays at lunch in room 506 to join the new club.

“Learning how to make films starting as a freshman will really help them to grow and become advanced as the years go on. By the time their seniors they will have learned a lot and will be very skilled,” said Parris.

The Olympian Feb. 14, 2014

5

Reema Kakaday / Editor-in-Chief

William Baptista works his magic on yet another broken copier.

Amelia Ortiz / Staff Writer

Evan Ma strums, capturing the hearts of the audience at Kiva’s benefit show.

Kiva: financing the next generation of leaders

By Amelia Ortiz Staff Writer

Kiva hosted a benefit show in the CVHS cafeteria that showcased a number of talented students. The acts in the show, which took place on Friday, Jan. 31 in the CVHS cafeteria, ranged from acoustic guitar to hardcore rock band performances.

All profits from the show were donated to aspiring entrepreneurs through the Kiva organization.

Kiva is a microfinance organization that supports people by providing them with loans to start their businesses or support their education. When that loan is repaid, that money is loaned out again and becomes part of a large cycle.

The show opened with Monica Mendoza singing two popular songs in an R&B style. She accompanied her smooth singing with some killer dance moves too. Following her was Mae Mul-

dez. Muldez sang a few popular songs as well in her very pretty yet powerful voice. Then come guitar player Evan Ma. Ma cranked out a few tunes on his guitar and wowed everyone in the room. After that, there was a brief intermission where water and snacks were available for purchase.

Once intermission was over the atmosphere definitely changed a lot.“My Friend’s Band” performed their hard rock songs and raised the energy level up a lot. Following them, the group “Global Affront” rocked out as well, and had some pretty intense head banging going on. To keep the ball rolling and finish strong, the closing group “Tournament,” went out with a bang and sang, strummed and beat their hearts out. What a way to end a great night.

The show was definitely a success with a pretty good turn out, and amazing talent. Not only was it grade a entertainment, but all the money went to a good cause.

Art students paint the town

Lily Carrell / Editor-in-Chief

Art students Katarina Webster and Rachel Crary enjoyed a field trip to the Gallery of California Art in Oakland on Feb. 6.

CVHS Alum comes to photocopiers’ rescue

By Reema Kakaday Editor-in-Chief

Every week, the high school’s photocopiers either break down, jam, or run out of ink. Fixing these photocopiers is integral to the efficiency inside the classroom, as teachers rely on them to produce material for students to use. In order to work again, the photocopiers evidently need to be fixed.

Who is the brave soul that works his magic on these monstrous photocopiers? His name is William Baptista, a dedicated repairman and 1987 CVHS alum who often visits the school.

According to Baptista, pho-

tocopiers need frequent attention for general maintenance because they get so much use.

There are also cases of misuse.

Sometimes, teachers are using the machines during crunch time between classes. The rush to get everything copied often ends up jamming the machine. Then a teacher who tries to fix it might unintentionally break a part.

“I was here last week, for example, and somebody tried to install the toner for the 400 hall machine in the 100 hall machine, and it didn’t fit. The toner then got stuck, broke, and spilled everywhere, so I had to clean up that mess,” said Baptista.

The photocopiers break so frequently that Baptista finds

himself at the school more often than he thought. “There are three main machines here, and for each main machine, I’m here for once a week. That’s three times a week,” said Baptista.

Luckily, the district has a monthly plan which provides for the photocopiers to be repaired as needed. That way it is not too expensive to repair as it would be otherwise. Although not all the parts that need repair are necessarily expensive, the constant jams are hindering on teachers’ lesson plans and homework assignments.

“I never thought I’d be at CVHS as much as I am. It’s changed a lot since I was a student,” he said.

The Hobbit an unexpected success Ender’s Game

lacks gravity

By Adrianna Vandiver Staff Writer

Travel through the most treacherous lands, journey for hundreds upon hundreds of miles until you finally arrive to your destination. However, once you reach your destination, you only get stopped from retrieving your treasure by a monstrous, giant, fire-breathing dragon.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second of the threefilm continuous story directed

by Peter Jackson. The story is set in Middle Earth, 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, began.

In the first Hobbit movie, Bilbo agrees to help the exiled Dwarf king, Thorin Oakenshield, and twelve other Dwarves of Durin's Folk to retrieve their treasure

By Leia Saelee A&E Editor

Karla Paredes / Staff Writer

from Lonely Mountain so they could reclaim it as their own.

Within this wonderful land of Middle Earth in this second movie, Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, and his Dwarf companions come face to face with giant, bloodthirsty spi-

ders, an inescapable Elf prison, dozens of angry Orcs, barrels of dead fish, and so much more outrageousness.

This is the must see movie for all you secret geek lovers and non-secret thrill seekers.

Vinyl Records put a spin on music

By Matt Talajkowski News Editor

With vinyl making a comeback in many American music scenes, CD and record stores are once again the place to go for music.

Original companies such as Amoeba and Rasputin are now adding to their current selection, and new vinyl and CD stores are opening up around the bay area. Vinyl will never take the place of an iPod or walkman while going around town, or listening to music in the car, but an increasing number of people are now turning to vinyl to provide higher sound quality in their homes.

The most common place you will find vinyl is a local used vinyl store. There are about 20 of these stores in Berkeley alone, and many more are scattered around the Bay Area. You will often find the best deals on vinyl and other used mu-

sic products at a local used vinyl store, but you’ll rarely find what you are looking for.

Used vinyl stores are not the place to go to find specific albums or artists because the vinyl is arranged by genre, not artist. The other major problem with used vinyl stores is they often carry unheard of artists and reject albums. You must cherry pick your way through hundreds of albums to find a recognizable name, but when you do, you will be sure to get a great deal on it.

Amoeba is one of the largest vinyl retailers, with two Bay Area locations. One store located is in San Francisco and the other is in Berkeley. If you are on the hunt for a specific artist or even album, Amoeba is the place to go. The staff is helpful and educated and the albums are neatly marked and easy to find. Amoeba is also the best place to find new vinyl from current artists. They carry a collection of new and used vinyl, just as

all vinyl stores do. The downside of Amoeba music is the price, with vinyl process easily reaching $20 to $30 for a popular album.

Rasputins is the closest and most affordable option if you are looking to add to your vinyl collection.

Rasputins has three locations in the bay area: San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Lorenzo. Although the San Lorenzo store does not have a huge collection of vinyl, it carries many popular titles at a much lower cost than Amoeba. The store also has an extensive collection of CDs, movies, and shirts.

If you are a vinyl enthusiast or just enjoy music, all of these locations have many options including CDs, audio books, and movies. When buying an used CD or record, it is always a good idea to check for scratches and marks that may reduce audio quality.

Although vinyl may never live up to iPods or mp3 files, it is a hobby worth looking into if you are a music lover.

Inevitable to get “Stuck in Love”

By Kelly Chan Online Editor

Stuck in Love is an independent romance movie released in the summer of 2013 about a family broken apart by a divorce. The main character, Bill Borgen, is waiting for his ex-wife, Erica, to fall in love with him again. Bill’s college-aged daughter, Sam, hasn’t believed in love since her mom left her dad, which provokes her to be sexually active without emotional accompaniment. Bill’s son, Rusty, is the opposite, as he falls in love with the girl sitting across the room of his high school English class. The whole family environ-

ment is rocky, as Sam pretends Erica doesn’t exist in her life, while Bill tests private boundaries with Rusty.

The storyline is very simple and straightforward, but sprinkled with controversial ideas. In multiple instances throughout the movie, a character is caught stalking his or her love interest. Watching someone with their family outside their house is seen as acceptable as long as it was done in the name of true love. Also, the subject of drug use is frequently brought up in the scenes with Rusty, who smokes marijuana, and is always stoned. Bill and Erica are aware of his marijuana use, but rather than telling him to stop smoking, they tell him never to touch any other drug. Apparently marijuana use is ok, but even just a mention of cocaine gets the parents freaked out.

Overall, I give Stuck in Love 3

out of 5 stars, as this was a nicely produced film. Stephen King is featured in a cameo, Kristen Bell is featured in an extended cameo, and this all-star cast also includes Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins, Natt Wolf, and Logan Lerman-- most of which are teen favorites. A big secret is unveiled at the end of the story, along with the unexpected endings of some characters and relationships.

I would recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys a dramatic family story or has an hour or two to kill. It’s also safe for the entire family to watch. This may ease the process of bringing up more mature conversation that’s usually deemed awkward, but it’s also good for the family to realize how thankful they should be to not have to experience the Borgens’ situation. Just make sure no one gets “stuck in love” too.

Lights, lasers, and zero gravity.

Orson Scott Card's science fiction novel Ender's Game was finally brought to the big screens in a huge cinematic production drawing in many sci-fi lovers and book-tomovie enthusiasts.

Grow up with Ender (Andrew) Wiggin as he is recruited at age 5 by the International Military to defend earth and defeat an alien race which nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion. The school recruits the world’s smartest kids, monitoring their actions from a young age to scan for the right characteristics of the next greatest military general.

In their society, families are only allowed to have a maximum of two children, but Ender is a third.

His birth was allowed because the government believed he would be the savior of the human race. Being a genius child and a third, Ender was always subjugated to bullying by his peers. His troubles continue as he chooses to leave his family

for Command School where he will become a military general and aid in protecting Earth.

During the movie, Ender is constantly bullied. He is bullied at school, at home, and in Command School. This becomes repetitive and antagonists are eventually turned into allies. Watching the movie, I was thrilled to see what I had read translate into awesome cinematography. There were parts in the book I was afraid the makers of the movie would butcher, but the scenes were interpreted and displayed wonderfully.

My concern is if you have no background information on the movie whatsoever. Personally, I would have no idea what is really going on. The character tension and interactions are much deeper and severely more personal in the novel than displayed on screen.

The time for viewers to really bond with the characters is shallow and brief versus the gripping moments you flip through in the novel. For those who have read the book, sit back and enjoy the beautiful effects and visual aids. For someone who has never read the book, and never intends to, the movie isn’t worth watching unless you’re easily awed by lasers and preteens running around in alien fighting simulators.

Rae Talbot Salon

By Lauren Jelks Photo Editor

On Castro Valley Boulevard, right by the village, there’s a tiny salon called Rae Talbot. You may ask “Why does this matter?” or “So?” But let me tell you, this salon is amazing.

I discovered this tiny, modern, chic, fancy, totally un-Castro-Valley salon several months ago, but never had a reason to get anything done.

When Winterball came around the corner, however, I knew I had to do something amazing with my hair and makeup. After scouring Yelp, I came upon the positive reviews for Rae Talbot. I then walked into the salon, booked an appointment easily, was told to find pictures of what I had in mind for my hair and makeup, and to come

back the day of Winterball.

Fast forward to the morning of Jan. 11. I got up, got ready, and went to Rae Talbot. Immediately, I’m asked if I want anything to drink, and was told to sit comfortably while the stylists got ready. The staff were polite, talkative, professional, and very helpful. They were patient with me when I was flustered over the makeup, and styled my hair perfectly with my dress.

It took two hours, but the end result was worth it. They did my makeup with products I didn’t even know I should use. They didn’t hurt my head when they curled, pinned, and finally sewed my hair into a loose updo.

The makeup and hair all went perfectly with my dress. It cost about $100 in total, but don’t let the prices scare you off. The professional attitude and great atmosphere is definitely worth the price.

I can’t give enough praise for Rae Talbot. I never felt as grown up and classy as I did with all of their help.

Five starts out of five!

Trojans defeat the Dons, 6-0

By Tyler Macias Staff Writer

Alison Dhont / Staff Writer

The CVHS varsity cheerleaders flashed their winning smiles at the camera on Jan.18.

Cheerleaders victorious at Deer Valley

Michaela Wood. “Overall, I was very proud of our accomplishStaff Writer ment!”

CVHS is very proud of the CVHS varsity cheerleaders performed in spirited fashion school sports it offers. Most during their Deer Valley cheer CVHS teams are very successcompetition on Jan. 18, and ful, and stride to make a name won fourth place in their divi- for the school. The spirit squad sion, qualifying to compete in is no different.

Since the beginning of the Disneyland for USA Nationals school year, the CVHS mat in March.

The team was very excited room was turned into a learnwith the placing since last com- ing center. The mat room is a petition the girls received sixth very large space with a high place. Although the placing ceiling and large mats on the was high, some varsity cheer- floors right off of 600 hall. For leaders say that they should years the cheer teams have used have been more prepared for the room to practice because of the cushioned floors and high the competition.

“The competition wasn’t ceilings are perfect for stunting.

Since the loss of the room, flawless, but we are improving. We had to change a lot cheerleaders feel that they are of our routine a week before being deprived of a large opcompeting, so that affected portunity.

“The mat room being taken our performance,” said junior

By Alison Dhont

away from us is a very tough situation,” said junior Emma Donovan. “Now, CVHS cheer does not have a specific spot to practice in. We are a school sport, even though we are not considered one. What dignifies the cheerleaders as the ones who get penalized? If you walk into the mat room you can even see all the cheer trophies up near the windows.

Why can’t cheer and wrestling at least share the mat room?”

Despite the setback, the cheerleaders of CVHS are always dedicated to do what they love, and will continue to work hard to prepare for nationals in March.

“I’d say we just need to communicate more and work together as a team and we’ll do awesome,” said senior Adriana Gascon.

The girls varsity soccer team played an exciting game against Arroyo on Jan. 31, as the Trojans defeated the opposition, 6-0. They wanted to prove that when they play, they are serious about winning, and that’s exactly what they did with their rewarding win.

As the two teams warmed up, it was already clear that the Trojans were eager to win.

When the whistle blew to signal the teams to get ready for the first half, both teams shouted to pump each other up.

It seemed that as the other team was hardly heard, the Trojans cheered loudly, exciting both the team and the crowd.

“The performance was really good by the whole team and we held the ball well,” said coach Paul McCallion. “The forward did great shooting.”

Although both teams fought hard, the first half ended with Trojans leading, 5-0. However, falling behind, the Dons knew that they must put up some defense to stop the Trojans.

Luckily, the Trojans were able to score another goal and prevent the other team from scoring, ending the game 6-0 and proving as a clear statement that they were there to get the job done.

“It was not my best performance and I could've done better. But I'm happy that we won 6-0,” said sophomore Victoria Kiani.

Tyler Macias / Staff Writer

The girls varsity soccer team comes together for a final pep talk before their game.

A s p i r i n g A C c o m p l i s h e d At h l e t e s Tyler Macias and Felicianna Marquez

Kailani Frey, freshman

Freshman Kailani Frey has been cheering for six years, and it is her first year as a CVHS junior varsity cheerleader.

When Frey attended Creekside Middle School, she cheered for two years and loved it.

When she was younger, she was a Junior Raiderette and was able to cheer at a few Oakland Raider games.

“I really like cheering for the high school because I get to meet a lot of new people through it,” said Frey.

So far, her freshman year has been successful due to her good classes and making many new friends.

She plans on continuing cheer throughout high school and is working towards making varsity cheer next year.

Esiason Rodriguez, sophomore Esiason Rodriguez has been wrestling for the past four years, pushing himself to overcome every obstacle.

His wrestling experience in middle school was quite easy compared to his wrestling experience in high school. Throughout his middle school years, he had placed in both first and second place.

As a CVHS varsity player, he has also placed in second and third.

Unfortunately, he dislocated his shoulder during a match, but will hopefully be wrestling again soon and continue his great effort and success.

“I’ve wrestled for about fours years, but had to stop. Middle school wrestling was, for sure, easier than high school, but that’s expected because now I’m on varsity.”

Anthony Caracol, junior

Megan Warhurst, senior

Junior Anthony Caracol has been playing soccer for ten years and is a midfielder and defender for the boys junior varsity soccer team.

His season so far has been exceptional, from making new friends to even scoring a few goals.

“I really like playing for the high school. It’s awesome,” said Caracol.

He plans on continuing his high school soccer career and is training hard to be on varsity his senior year.

Caracol’s competitive flare has made winning his favorite part of soccer, and it has shown in how well the JV team has been doing.

Senior Megan Warhurst started dancing at age three and hasn’t stopped since.

Although it is her first year dancing for the school on the varsity dance team, she has been dancing for 15 years.

Her favorite part about the dance team is cheering for our CV Trojans, dancing in front of the student crowds and being near the Trojan Den. In her free time, she dances ballet and performs in a series of recitals.

After high school, she plans on attending a college of her choice, and of course, continuing to dance.

“I love how my daily problems just go away when I’m dancing,” said Warhurst, expressing her passion for dance.

The Olympian Feb. 14, 2014

8

A big innovation for a big school, 3D printer comes to CVHS

By Tyler Quan Staff Writer

In CVHS, there are orders for new innovative technology for the students and teachers to promote the progress of the class using technology to simplify the complexity of the subjects. One of the outstanding new innovations at CVHS is a 3-D printer that has intrigued everyone who has seen or used it.

Out of the few teachers who now possess a $2,200 worth 3-D printer, Chris Burns is honored to be given the ability to utilize the printer to teach his students.

Currently, he is only allowing his students in his third period Computer-Aided Design ( CAD) class to use it. The students can feel free to use the printer as long as Burns approves their drawings.

Before Burns had the printer, students could only see their drawings in 2-D form and they were completely nonfunctional.

The printer has definitely improved the students’ creativity and ability to visualize their designs in 3-D, which helps inspire students to be more creative and motivated to draw new designs.

Tyler Quan / Staff Writer

The new 3D printer at CVHS slowly constructs a design created by a student in teacher Chris Burns’ classroom.

"I think we're very blessed.

The printer allows students to see their creation come to an actual object that they can touch and use. It changes conceptual ideas to actual working parts,"

said Burns.

This new technology brought new motivation into the students in Burns’ CAD class. The question is how does the 3-D printer work? One thing is for sure, it

is indeed interesting to see the 3-D printer’s process of making the model. The process begins by sending the drawing in a file to the printer, where the printer jumps into action of creating the

3-D object. The hot plastic comes up the tubes and sprays small dips of heated plastic on a blue platform and slowly builds from the bottom to the top.

Although it is a fascinating specimen, it takes quite a bit of time to create the model and the larger the model is, the longer the process takes.

"Usually in the video of the website, the process is fast forward, but usually it takes a really long time for the plastic to finally finish the object. The dice in the hall took about 32 minutes," said Burns.

Depending on the students’ intention of using the plastic 3-D model, there are different quality models that the students can choose from starting from low to high. As new technology squeezes its way into CVHS, hands-on teaching has now taken an exciting new turn in classrooms across campus.

“It is a real cool application of technology. Just getting to draw doesn’t give a full perspective of what CAD is about. It is a way to make your imagination real,” stated Brenden Brown, one of Burns’ students, .

Teachers get raise Trying to make the chemistry right

By Rachel Du in district-union deal Staff Writer

By Callie Ross-Smith Staff Writer

Teachers and the school district reached an agreement that will raise teachers’ salaries by three percent and increase their benefits.

Castro Valley Teachers Association (CVTA) and the Castro Valley Unified School District had been negotiating changes to the contract for several months.

Besides the raise, the union and district agreed to increase the benefits package by $450 per employee, for a total $6,000 toward health and dental insurance.

The new agreement also includes a 25:1 class size average for grades kindergarten to third grade.

“The increase in salary and benefits could prove to also be good for Castro Valley’s economy, after all, most of us shop

locally,” said teacher John Green.

This process of negotiating has been a long time-consuming period. Multiple offers were sent back and forth between the two sides.

There were also various possibilities for negotiating preparation days for the new Common Core standards and district-wide staff collaboration.

Although many goals were achieved, some were not. Teachers were denied the gradual restoration of retiree medical supplement benefits and additional resources for special education students and teachers.

“It’s great that we have gotten this much, but our ultimate goal is to keep fighting for better education and benefits for teachers and students,” said union treasurer and teacher Ian Rodriquez.

Teachers expect to see their raise in their January paychecks.

Prospective Honors Chemistry students will now be required to take an entrance test and complete summer work due to the increased dropout rate this past year.

More than 20 students dropped the course because they had not known exactly what was expected of them upon entering the class. Many were also unprepared for the heavy workload, as the lack of an Honors Biology class last year did not prime them for the challenges of an advanced class.

In order to resolve this issue, additional prerequisites must be met on top of having completed Algebra II with a “C” grade or higher or having concurrent enrollment in Algebra II Advanced

and having completed a recent science class with a “B” grade or higher.

An informational meeting in the spring will tell students about the entrance test, summer work, and expectations of the class.

There has never been an entrance test before and it is in place to ensure the students have basic math skills.

“The entrance test is basic. For example, we’ll give them problems like density equals mass over volume with two of the variables,” Yager said. “You’ll be amazed at how many kids can’t solve them.”

Students will also be required to complete summer homework like many other honors and advanced placement classes do.

Like the entrance test, the homework will not be too difficult.

Even those on the waiting list

will need to do the summer work and take the test so they will be prepared if they are placed into the class later in the year. These students will also keep up with the class until they get a spot in it.

Sophomore Jeremy Yu dropped the class earlier in the year because he didn’t understand the material.

“I think the test and summer work would have seriously prepared me more. I guess I wasn’t used to taking an honors class, and I had a bad grade in the class, so I dropped it,” Yu said.

The Honors Chemistry teachers and administration have made entering the course more selective, but this will distinguish students who can handle the workload from those who aren’t yet prepared.

“We just want kids to realize it’s not a cakewalk,” Yager said.

Keep an eye on your iPhone...

PHONES: Page 1

Hastings has played a part in assisting distressed students, and has overseen many happy endings.

“When someone does come in, I ask them to write down a description of their phone and their name,” Hastings said. “I’ve been able to return many.”

For these particular incidents, there does not appear to be a connection. There is little in common, with a wide range of students and phones being affected.

“There’s been a variety [of stolen phones], from iPhones to flip phones, from cheap phones to expensive phones,” said Hastings. “I don’t know that there’s a specific phone targeted. I think the one that’s targeted is the one that’s put down.”

Those who are caught with a stolen phone face harsh consequences, as outlined in the student handbook. A first or second

time offense for theft or possession of stolen property will result in a three to five day suspension, police report, and reparations against a guilty student.

However, it is difficult to assign blame for these thefts.

“Being able to prove the chain of custody is difficult,” said Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke.

“There’s no way to prove that someone did or didn’t do it. They claim that they were holding it

for someone else, and that they didn’t know it was stolen.”

To prevent becoming a victim, both Hastings and Steinecke advise keeping devices in a safe place, out of sight from potential thieves.

“Students shouldn’t leave their phone out, and mind their surroundings,” said Steinecke.

“The Find My iPhone app, using an Apple ID, has also helped find some phones.”