Feb 6, 2012

Pg. 2

Get to class, slackers!

Olympian agrees with tardy phone calls

VOLUME 55, ISSUE 6

From Sudan to the USA

Pg. 3

Musa amazes as a math teacher

Trojans conquer Dons

Pg. 4

Varsity soccer team beats Arroyo

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012 CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Bye-bye Sci-Fi: three senior English electives cut Ring ring!

Latebirds get calls at home

By Ryan Gray Staff Writer

Next year CVHS will remove three English electives to make room for the new "Expository Reading and Writing" (ERWC) college prep class.

These three English classes are Science Fiction, British Literature and World Readings, all of which were chosen to be cut based on student course requests, class sizes and availability.

By Joyce Liang Staff Writer

“ Personally

I don’t like having to give up electives for this new class.

”

Peter Brewer Science Fiction teacher

"Personally I don't like having to give up electives for this new class," said Peter Brewer, the only Science Fiction teacher.

This new class was created by the state to help students who did not pass the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP) test during junior year. CSU’s new policy now requires students to either have passed the EAP no later than May before they start

Ryan Gray / Staff Writer

English teacher Peter Brewer enjoys his last year teaching Science Fiction before the new “Expository Reading and Writing” class takes its place. college, or to have taken a remedial summer English course after their senior year.

However, retaking the test and attending the summer course both cost money.

"Our goal in bringing the ERWC class to CVHS is to provide our students who have not passed the EAP a cost-free option in response to CSU's new policy and to continue to align our curriculum with the demands of college level literacy," explained Assistant Principal Erica Ehmann.

The EWRC class is designed to prepare seniors to pass the EAP when they take it a second time and to help students be more successful in the CSU summer

program. For the 2013-2014 school year, CSU is considering allowing seniors to take and pass the ERWC with a B or better in lieu of retaking the EAP test or attending the CSU summer course.

Not only is the English department sad to see these three classes go, but students both from past and present enrollments have been outraged to hear the news of the loss of Science Fiction.

"It was a very very difficult decision for the department; it's not like we wanted to get rid of Science Fiction," said Robin Munsell, the English department chair.

This new class will focus on

reading, writing and discussions on interesting issues ranging from the politics of food to juvenile justice.

"It's not a bad idea to have a class tailored for expository writing,” Brewer said.

Staff members do not know how long the new class will last at CVHS and when the other electives may return.

“We are really at the mercy of the CSUs because we want our students to have access to college,” Munsell said. “We aren’t sure how many sections we will fill and how many we will need in future years and that is what will determine how many other sections of courses we offer.”

Pedometer-carrying PE students walk among us

By Matt Talajkowski Staff Writer

You walk to your English class, and now you have to walk to your math class. Then, at lunch time, you walk with your friends some more. Do you ever wonder how much you walk in a day?

Well the U.S. Department of Education sure does.

About 500 students from CVHS have been wearing pedometers in recent weeks. A pedometer is a device which counts the number of steps you take, and then converts that into a distance.

In agreeing to have students wear pedometers, CVHS has signed up for a rather “exclusive

club” of the U.S. Department of Education that funds the CVHS students with sports equipment and training.

“The money is going to professional development and equipment,” said P.E. teacher John Edwards. The data collected from the pedometers are sent to machines, which feed all the numbers to a research team.

But the pedometers are not the end.

“Pedometers are just the beginning,” said Edwards. “We will be getting heart rate monitors soon.

There will be a new test every two to three weeks, and this could go on for several years.”

The funds will be indirect, which means we will not see

any actual money. Instead, the funds will appear in other forms, such as new equipment or better trained physical education teachers. But how much money is the equipment actually worth?

The Castro Valley Unified School District has already received a machine worth thousands of dollars to collect data, and new weight lifting equipment is expected too.

“I think it’s fine,” said sophomore Casey Hauber. “The pedometer only gets in the way when you’re changing, and you just have to remember to not get it wet or step on it.”

Speculations did arise, however, after students were asked their thoughts about the timing

of the deal.

“Why do these tests during finals week?” asked Hauber.

“Most people are getting around a lot less than usual because we all have to sit down and study.”

It will be for the Department of Education to decide, but the P.E. teachers also want to know what’s going on.

“Remember that about 1,400 steps running is a mile, and 2,000 steps walking is a mile. Along with the heart rate monitor, we will be able to see how hard each student is really trying, and can assess the needs of the study students,” said Edwards. “And you can always see the pedometer students. Now, they have a little more pep in their step.”

Since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, the CVHS administration has sent out automated calls home for tardies.

According to the administration, these phone calls are designed to be a useful tool for parents to be more connected with their children’s attendance.

“I think the phone calls home is a good idea because it allows parents to be more involved with their students’ challenges in school,” said science teacher Deborah Yager.

Once the phone call is picked up, the automated calls relate information about the students’ tardies from that day.

While staff members find the phone calls home a great idea, some students disapprove of this new system.

“Sometimes we don’t have enough time to get to class,” explained sophomore Cassidy Rubino. “I try not to be tardy, but sometimes I have to walk all the way across campus just to get to my class that’s in the 400 hall.”

Junior Thien Huynh agrees and believes that it puts students who are rarely late or try not to be late under the bus with their parents if they were to get a call home from school.

“I dislike this system because I have to put away the resources used to support the Urbanize Dance Club after lunch, which causes me to sometimes be tardy due to interference with other students,” Huynh said.

Assistant Principal Matthew Steinecke supports the system and says it is a great way to help students do better in their classes.

“I think it’s cool anytime the school reaches out to parents,” Steinecke said.

Statistics from the attendance office show that students’ attendances have improved since the administration started these automatic calls.

From Aug. 10, 2010 through Dec. 10, 2010, there were a total of 26,238 tardies from all class periods. But from the beginning of this school year, Aug. 11, 2011 through Dec. 11, 2011, there were 16,734 tardies total, a total of 9,504 fewer tardies from the 2010/2011 school year.

Phone calls crash the tardy party Editorial: A student walks home from a friend’s house at night and sees that it’s almost six o’ clock. The student starts speeding up, knowing that the call of doom is about to arrive at home. He runs up the steps and opens the door just to find mom on the phone, and realizes it’s too late.

“You were late for three of your classes?!” the mom screams. Then the lecture begins.

While students may not like them, we at The Olympian approve of these tardy phone calls because they help parents to be aware of their children’s attendance at school. When parents become notified about their children’s tardies, they can encourage or discipline their kids to stop being late.

These phone calls home started at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. Before this system, there were a lot more tardies. In between August and December of 2010, there were around 26,238 tardies. But from August to December of 2011, there were around 16,734 tardies. That’s about 9,500 fewer tardies. It seems like these tardy calls are working.

The thing about these calls is

By Lily Carrell Staff Writer

Kate Pellegrini/ Opinion Editor

that the school only calls once.

If a parent picks up the phone, she would hear a recording of all the tardies that her student had that day. This can be a good thing because one phone call can tell the parent everything that is needed to be heard, but it can also be a bad thing, too. The phone call can be intercepted by the student, and the parents would never know. The student would then be able to get away with being tardy.

But there are more things that The Olympian feels are good about

these phone calls. They would help catch errors that teachers make when they are doing the attendance, and the faster the students know about these mistakes, the faster they can get them fixed. Another good thing about these calls is that they can encourage good attendance for those who don’t police themselves well.

For these reasons, we at The Olympian believe that these tardy calls are good for students and the school.

PHOTOpinions pinions By: Kate Pellegrini

What do you think about the school calling home for each tardy?

“I think it’s unnecessary and they should stick to calling for absences only.”

-Jamie Thomas, senior

“Although parents should be aware of tardies, ultimately it’s the students’ responsibility to be on time, whereas missing class should be brought to parents’ attention.”

-Michael French, freshman

Letter to the Editor Re: “Go out and vote Republican!

Or not…”

Something Democrats often overlook is the Constitution, which doesn’t include provisions for a Department of Education. Ron Paul’s rationale in cutting this department is to restore local control over education. Cut out the middle

People of the world, wake up!

man and let states collect their own revenues to fund education.

“Romneycare” did succeed, but that does not mean that a similar plan would be successful nationwide; just because bacon tastes good on hash browns doesn’t mean that you should add it to ice cream. It goes against reason to think that a federal bureaucracy would be able to manage all 300 million Americans. Also, the 10th Amendment allocates all power not designated to the federal government to the states, including whether or not they want universal health care.

“I think it’s inconvenient if you have a good excuse; it’s unfair for your parents to know about them and get angry about it.”

-Eiji Kono, junior

“Being tardy is bad because if you’re there on time, you can learn everything you’re supposed to learn.”

-Sierra Smith, sophomore

Let’s consider what the President hasn’t done. DADT was repealed, but what did he and his bicameral Democratic congressional majority accomplish in terms of social rights in his first two years?

The answer is nothing. The President ordered the killing of Osama Bin Laden, but the persistence of the Bush administration made it possible. Finally, if experience is crucial, the Democrats must have forgotten in 2008 when they nominated a senator who had served only two years.

Seamus Guerin, senior

Think about your life for a sec.

Not about the math test next period or about that party this weekend.

Think about your life as a whole and how many times a day it intertwines with so many others’ lives. Think about how a single action of yours can influence change.

Change. Now that’s a word we hear quite a lot. But do we truly know what it takes to inspire change, let alone make a change in ourselves?

We all discriminate; it’s part of being human. Every person has walked into a room some point in their life and has automatically made judgments about the people who are in it. But all these judgments are based off of a person’s appearance.

Meanwhile, the true being hidden beneath the skin and bones waits to be discovered. Don’t judge a book by its cover? Yeah, no kidding.

Differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation are just some of the qualities that people seek out as a means to categorize others. These traits should still be recognized and respected as a part of who we are, but not all of who we are. For example, when you look at a person, the first thing that comes to mind should not be “Caucasian,” or “African American,” or “gay,” or “straight,” but rather “a person I look forward to getting to know.” And even if you find that this person is not someone you are very fond of,

make sure you have looked beyond the surface.

Every day, you probably hear stereotypical comments or references made about, well, anyone. Friends constantly joke about one another, often in the form of derogatory statements. But honestly, what’s funny about laughing at one’s appearance, one’s gender, one’s ethnicity? Let me answer this one: nothing.

Sure, your friend doesn’t mean it when he says you’re a terrorist because you’re Muslim, or when she says you believe anything because you’re blonde, or when he says you aced that test just because you’re Asian. And you’ll both laugh since the “friend” who made the comment assumes you won’t take it to heart, because why would you take a remark so cruel, so insolent, to heart?

Why would you care that your “friend” just insulted a part of who you are? After all, your “friend” was only kidding. Right?

It may have been disguised as a joke, but comments like those are just like any other type of discrimination observed in this world. And the reason this intolerance still exists is because people don’t make a great enough effort to eradicate hatred and ignorance within themselves. As a result, a cycle forms: people learn to discriminate and then go on to teach others to view the world with the same narrow-mindedness. Unfortunately, it is difficult to reverse this cycle. There are, and have already been, too many wars and conflicts kindled by prejudice.

So what can we do when we encounter the bigotry that infests our world? Let’s start with standing up for morality. Spread the word, lend a hand, hold a sign. As hard as we may try to extinguish its fire, discrimination will always exist. However, its damage can be minimized; all it takes is an open mind.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2011 Editor-in-Chief.............................................................Anna Balassone City Editor...................................................................Dana Lin Copy Editor.........................................................Holden Parks News Editor...........................................................Natalie Chin Opinion Editor...........................................................Kate Pellegrini Feature Editor............................................................Amber Yang Sports Editor.............................................................Reyna Garcia Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................SangEun Choi Photo Editors..............................................................Rebecca Fong Tim Pak Business Manager......................................................Matt Barney Online Editor......................................................Michael Castillo

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

ASL dives into the CFA with “The Little Mermaid”

By Eva Chen Staff Writer

Theater is known to be one of the most time-consuming, beautiful, and graceful forms of art.

Before each play, actors memorize and rehearse their lines until they reach perfection. One single mistake can cause a whole play to stop or become a complete disaster. In theater, each person needs to be dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to make the play successful. This itself is already hard enough, but the CVHS American Sign Language class takes the meaning of theater to a whole new level.

From Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, the ASL class is presenting a tale of adventure, love, and hope in The Little Mermaid...An Eternal Perspective.

In ASL’s production, the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, The Little Mermaid, is molded into a perfect story about the boundaries between the Deaf and the Hearing world.

Eva Chen / Staff Writer

ASL students rehearse enthusiastically for their upcoming production of The Little Mermaid...An Eternal Perspective.

Chris Martinez, an Honors ASL student who is playing Brad (the Prince of Bel-Air) commented, “It’s not your average Disney movie.”

Set in the modern time, Bree (Katie Grasseschi) is a deaf teen who gets her romantic dreams of

receiving her first kiss from the school’s hottest guy, Brad (Chris Martinez), crushed by the misfortune of landing in a hospital.

There, her world is turned around when high school students Charlie (Hayley Hall), Leo (Janeiro Golson), and Phoebe (Alex Ad-

kins), Prue (Kiaira Rosby), and Piper (Nicole Braski), volunteer to cheer Bree up and create a unique fairytale of The Little Mermaid along the way.

Brielle (Chelsea Allen-Fiero), a mermaid and the daughter of King Eli (Tyler Reince), is dissatisfied with life in the sea, the Deaf World. She longs to explore the Hearing World, the world on the surface, and therefore goes to Coral (Candice Lozano), the Sea Witch, to strike a deal, defying her father. Coral gives her a cochlear headpiece which allows her to hear but not speak to the people in the Hearing World, on the condition that she never be able to return to the Deaf World.

Since the summer of 2011, the CVHS ASL class has been preparing for the big play, first making the script, then auditioning, and finally rehearsing.

Unlike the previous plays that the ASL class performed, where the actors sign what they are say-

ing while a voice at the pit translated it, they are going to take the play to a professional level.

“This year we’re going to use a method that only the professionals have used. Instead of having a voice translating off stage, we’re going to have someone sign or talk and the person answering would reply with either one,” explained Ovida de Julia, CVHS ASL teacher.

Basically, for parts of the play, an actor on stage will say dialogue and the person replying would sign answering back but not repeating what the previous actor has said.

This method would allow the audience who doesn’t know sign language to understand,” de Julia commented.

Aside from the unique sign language and dancing, the play will be featuring songs such as “Octopus’ Garden,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,” “Hate on Me,” “California Prince Minty Fresh Mash-up,” and others.

CVHS senior Musa makes math amusing goes on overseas college tour

By Cheyenne Donatello Staff Writer

By Emily Courchaine Staff Writer

Senior Emma Leathley had the opportunity to travel overseas and meet intelligent students from all over the world when she visited the United Arab Emirates for a college interview at New York University at Abu Dhabi’s Candidate Weekend last month.

“It was such a great experience,” commented Leathley. “It was really interesting because I got to talk to a lot of smart people who come from completely different backgrounds.”

NYU Abu Dhabi is a difficult school to get into, and only about 7% of early decision applicants are invited for an interview.

Leathley took on the challenge and applied Early Decision to NYU in Abu Dhabi because she felt that this school had a lot to offer her.

“I chose this university because I am interested in politics in the Middle East, as well as in learning Arabic. I am really interested in politics in the Gulf,” said Leathley.

At the Candidate Weekend, Leathley and the other 70 candidates were able to learn more about the school, meet current staff and students, and tour the campus as well as attractions in the surrounding cities and deserts. A late night trip to Rub al-Khali, the desert nearby, proved to be a highlight of an amazing trip.

“From the top of a sand dune

Emily Courchaine/ Staff Writer

Emma Leathley is all smiles to her new future ahead at NYU Abu Dhabi. it just looks endless. The desert was one of the best places I've been in my life, aside from the Grand Mosque,” Leathley said of the experience.

In addition to being interviewed, Leathley had to do a writing assessment which involved reflection on her experience at Candidate Weekend, and "Peer Ambassadors" (the NYUAD students in charge of watching candidates and leading tour groups) made observations of the students that factored in to the final decision.

Aside from being a great learning experience, the trip proved to be worth it for Leathley, who has received a full grant to the competitive college that only accepted 3.3 percent of applicants last year. She is looking forward to returning to Abu Dhabi in the fall of 2012.

We all studied the Great Pyramids in Egypt; we love all the myths and stories that have come from one of the seven world wonders. But many do not know that the Nubians helped build the historic monuments, and that the Nubians and the Egyptians both ruled Egypt.

Lucky for us all, we have a fantastic mathematics teacher Sharafeldin Musa who is a descendant of the great Nubians.

Musa began his journey in Northern Sudan, where he was born and raised Musa went to University of Gezira in Sudan; graduating with honors, he received his bachelor’s degree in textile technology.

Since the graduate requirements in Sudan are much higher,

“He is a

friendly fellow.”

Jason Seever Junior

Musa graduated with 193 credits, while in the United States the requirement is only 120 credits. He was therefore highly looked upon.

He then came to the California in 1992 and continued school where he got his master’s degree

Cheyenne Donatello/ Staff Writer

Sharafeldin Musa encourages “Critical Thinking” in his various math classes. in education and his teaching credentials as a Sudanese American.

“He is a friendly fellow,” said Jason Seever, one of his students.

Musa returns to Sudan every few years to visit his brothers and sisters. “The US has a great appreciation for different backgrounds,” said Musa.

Musa has been teaching for ten years and even has two sons who attend CVHS. In his classroom, he

never fails to promote the diversity in his students.

“During Days of Diversity or holidays we write on the board to celebrate. I write in Arabic and I let the students write in different languages, so we end up with about ten languages,” said Musa.

Musa can fluently speak three languages: English, Arabic, and Nubian, with English being his third language.

Trojans triumph, defeat Dons

Moreau Mariners top Trojans despite valiant hoops effort

By Suzanna Chak Staff Writer

After an intense game against the Arroyo Dons on Jan. 27, the CVHS boys varsity soccer team emerged victorious with a score of 3-1.

During the first half of the game, the Trojans made some close attempts at Arroyo’s goal, but did not succeed, while Arroyo managed to score once.

At one point, the ball was kicked, causing it to sail into the bleachers, drawing a few screams from the crowd. Luckily, no one was hit.

At the end of the first half, the score was Arroyo, 1, CVHS, 0. Arroyo’s lead, however, did not last. Twenty-seven minutes into the second half of the game, Andrew Kiland, assisted

by Sina Edalatjavid, and Gabriel Morfin-Guzman scored two goals, and Trojans were leading 2 to 1.

Later, much to the Trojan spectators’ dismay, Arroyo was awarded a free kick by the referees. In a defensive move, the Trojans formed a wall of players. Arroyo kicked it high, over the heads of the wall and, unfortunately for the Dons, over the goal, missing an opportunity to even the score.

The game continued, and

By Amber Yang Feature Editor

Tim Pak / Photo Editor

Matt Speegle outruns a jersey-grabbing Arroyo player to be the first to the ball. with fewer than two minutes left, Erik Flores, assisted by Camilo Riveros, scored another goal for the Trojans.

Goalie Jason Wong made a total of three saves.

After a long game and playing hard the whole way, the Trojans were rewarded with a well-deserved win.

“It was great to come back,”

said Gordon Tse. “The season has been not so great so far, but we still have a chance at NCS. We are still fighting.”

The team plans to continue to do its best and prepare for its upcoming games.

“The next game is another opportunity to win,” Tse said.

The Moreau Mariners girls varsity basketball team came to Trojan grounds to play against the Castro Valley girls varsity team on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The Trojans put up a great fight but unfortunately, they ended up losing by only a four-point difference.

The Trojans led the first quarter 17 to 13, but in the second quarter, the Mariners fought back and the two teams battled back and forth until they ended up tying 27 to 27 before halftime.

There were excited cheers, the shrill sound of whistles and deafening stomps and claps.

Tons of people screamed, “Defense! Defense! Defense!” This is just an idea of the lively ambiance in the gym during the second half. The Trojans seized momentum and diminished the back-and-forth scoring pattern, leading by 47 to 41 when the buzzer signaling the end of the third quarter echoed throughout the gym.

But Moreau didn’t give up the fight and caught up to Castro Valley at the start of the fourth and last quarter, tying the Trojans 47 to 47. With five minutes left, the score

was 52 to 52. With less than a minute left in the game, the Mariners pushed forward and won 62 to 58 when the buzzer sounded.

“We did well and had really great teamwork, but we just couldn’t finish or pull through.

Michelle Miyamoto Senior

”

Seniors Michelle Miyamoto and Elena Ala provided many helpful assists, scored many points, and stole many balls from their opponents along with senior Nicole Yee, junior Jazel Talauta, freshman Jenna Sparks, and many more competitive Trojans in it to win it.

Although the Trojans lost, the girls still made a valiant effort.

“We did well and had really great teamwork, but we just couldn’t finish or pull through at the end,” said Miyamoto.

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

Melody Moteabbed / Staff Writer

Jenna Sparks, freshman

Jenna Sparks is a freshman who is already on the girls varsity basketball team at CVHS. She wants to continue playing at the varsity level throughout high school, not only because she loves her team, but also because it is one of her favorite pastimes.

Sparks also currently plays for the Clubsport Cobras, and altogether has played basketball for eight years now.

Until recently, she had also been a soccer player, having played for the soccer team Bay Oaks for nine years.

“I’m really enjoying basketball right now,” Sparks said.

When asked whether she will pursue the sport in college, she responded, “If I get the opportunity, I would love to play in college. It’s so much fun. I love getting the chance to meet new people and be competitive.”

Joel Velasquez, sophomore

Finding someone who has time to play a variety of sports as life continues to be busy is difficult.

Sophomore Joel Velasquez is a talented athlete, having participated in several sports. Just recently, Velasquez joined the diving team at CVHS because he wanted to try something new.

He has played a variety of sports including track, baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. He played football for CVHS his freshman year, and he played on a variety of soccer teams for 12 years.

“I really like staying in shape,” he said. “And it’s fun to switch it up so I can try new sports. It’s a fun way to be fit.”

Velasquez sees playing any sport in college as a possibility.

Kristin Elam, junior

You can spot long legs running determinedly around the track and soccer field belonging to junior Kristin Elam.

She has participated on the CVHS track team since her freshman year. She also briefly ran for the Castro Valley Track Club.

Elam is also a soccer player. She currently plays soccer for Castro Valley Thunder. Altogether, she has played soccer for nine years.

When looking at the not-too-distantfuture, Elam says she considers track in college a possibility.

“I’ve been doing track for this long because I want it to help get me into college,” said Elam.

With a smile she added, “I love my teammates. They make it ten times better. Of course, I like it too. Running track is a win-win thing for me.”

Misha Brandeberry-Kiel, senior Senior Misha Brandeberry-Kiel is a devoted soccer player playing on the Trojan varsity soccer team for the fourth consecutive year.

In addition to soccer, he is also talented in a variety of sports, including baseball, track and swimming. He swam for the Chabot Marlins and played baseball for CVHS as well.

Soccer has always been his favorite sport, however. While also playing for CVHS, he played competitively for five years, including two years of soccer at Bay Oaks.

“Soccer is definitely the best sport,” he said. “It’s fast-paced and you’re always moving. You never get bored.

It’s fun. You don’t wait around too long for anything. You’re always in action.”

He hopes to continue pursuing soccer in college, wherever that may be.