Jan 21, 2011

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 5

Pg. 2

Nuke treaty, DADT repeal welcomed

The Olympian supports new policies

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011

Pg. 4

Students battle to win

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

CVHS annual Battle of the Bands

Defense, defense!

Teacher appears on Jeopardy

Episode airs on ABC Feb. 4, 7pm

Drug dogs to invade campus

By Hillman Zheng Business Manager

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Roderick Bobbitt defends against the Tennyson Lancers. See page 7.

Last-minute policies of 2010 pass

By Kearny Combs Sports Editor

Christmas and New Year ’s Eve weren’t the only big events over winter break. Congress took important action on nuclear weapons, immigration, gays in the military and taxes.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is an agreement between America and Russia saying that both will reduce the amount of nuclear armament to 1,550 and no more than 700 ballistic missiles. Both America and Russia also agreed to inspections by each other’s weapons experts to make sure the deal is being upheld. But some disapprove of the treaty because America will seem vulnerable to other countries, like Iran or North Korea.

The Senate approved the treaty that Pres. Barack Obama worked

out with Russia.

The 17-year frustration over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy in the military has finally ended. It was a policy that forced homosexuals to be quiet about their sexual orientation; they were discharged from the military if they came out.

Congress voted to remove DADT because many believe sexuality has nothing to do with how effective a soldier is and it was considered immoral to force people to live lies and feel guilty while serving their country. Even though reports show that soldiers don’t really care if there is a homosexual in the army, the main argument for the opposition is that relations between soldiers would become uncomfortable and ruin military chemistry.

If it had passed, the DREAM

Act would have allowed illegal immigrants who were brought to America as children to earn citizenship by going to school, studying in college or serving in the military.

Research shows there are about 25,000 undocumented high school students each year who graduate. However, because they don’t have citizenship, many cannot go on to college or join the workforce easily.

Some people think the act will be an incentive for illegal immigrants to come to the U.S. for their children, and make life more competitive for legal U.S. citizens. Others say the act would boost the economy with more people in the workforce and in college. The DREAM Act passed the House of Representatives but not the Senate.

which students are given written tests. Passing grades earn licenses and call signs, which are unique combinations of letters and numbers, used as identification tags for individuals legally permitted to transmit on the radio.

“I’d never heard of a call sign, let alone wanted one, [but that was] before I was provided with the opportunity to get one,” commented junior Sophia Barnhart.

Since the early 20th century, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has regulated the provision of licenses, call

signs, and exams. Amateur radio, or ham radio, defined as broadcasts by any individual for personal (not monetary) gain, is also considered an emergency system of communication.

Pinsky explained that amateur radio was one of the first social networks, allowing people all over the world to communicate, though, “originally [in the early 1900s], there weren’t very many women.” Ham radio had apealed to Pinsky for a length of time, but only recently met a friend who recommended him to a ham/

POLICIES: Page 8

CVHS to dominate the airwaves

By Rebecca Fong Staff Writer

CVHS students have joined the airwaves of ham radio, an amateur technical hobby supported by the U.S. government.

Through the new ham radio class, individuals are aiming to receive a license for broadcasting worldwide.

The challenging six-hour class, hosted by physics teacher Bertram Pinsky, consists of rigorous studying from an intimidating 600-question packet, in which students learn the theory of transmitting, and at the end of

Pg. 5

HAM: Page 8

Who let the dogs out? No one has yet, but Interquest Detection Canines, hired by the Castro Valley School District, will release drug-detecting dogs on CVHS in the spring to search for illegal substances. There will be at least a couple of random visits this year where the dogs will sniff lockers and parking lots.

“We don’t really want to catch anyone,” clarified Leslie Rothwell, director of pupil service at CVUSD and a former CVHS principal. “The whole point of the program is to reduce the presence of drugs, alcohol, abused medication and weapons on campus and school grounds.

That is why we are getting the information out to the students in advance. We want those items to be kept off campus.”

Each visit costs $350 for the whole day, which is paid for by a safety grant that can only be used to improve or secure campus safety.

When the guided dogs smell

an illegal substance, they simply sit down next to the locker or the car possibly containing illegal substances. A school official then brings the student to watch the search of his or her property. If an illegal substance were to be found, a deputy would be summoned to arrest the student.

Possible punishments for students who are caught include a five day suspension, loss of parking privileges, and/or loss of sports and dance eligibility, said Assistant Principal Jesse Woodward.

The drug-sniffing dogs paid the school annual visits in years past, but the program was lost the last school last year due to budget cuts. The visits were reinstated due to a number of incidents involving drugs this year.

“I personally think the dogs are going to get really stuffy noses after sniffing our school,” said senior Hiu Keung. Despite his concern for the dogs, Keung does not mind the presence of drug dogs on campus and believes it is a good program.

Students connect with Project Homeless

By Jennifer Price Staff Writer

Teacher John Green and Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke took 55 freshman students to take part in San Francisco’s Project Homeless Connect put on by Mayor Gavin Newsom on Dec. 8.

“I really feel like we got them to where they need to go,” freshman Johnathan Dunn said.

Project Homeless Connect is an event created by Newsom where the community gets together with the homeless to show them that they are cared about and can receive help. At the event, students directed the homeless to many different stations that provide them services including haircuts, legal advice, phone cards, eye glasses, food, and even voice-mail messages.

Project Homeless Connect partners more than 1,000 volunteers with government agencies, nonprofits and private sectors to help unfortunate people gain health and human services that otherwise might take them over eight months to receive.

“I really wished students were

able to more appreciate what they have and will remember to help those less fortunate,” Steinecke stated when asked what he wanted the students to learn from this experience.

Students who took part in the project were able to see how hard it is to be homeless and experience what it is like to live a completely different life. By having the chance to help those unable to help themselves, students had the ability to give people a chance at a better life and reevaluate the lives they lead.

Project Homeless Connect is a great success to the people of San Francisco. In the five years that it has been put on, over 31,000 homeless and poor people of San Francisco have been helped in ways that they before had no chance to be.

“It would be good to have something like this in any city with high homeless populations,” Dunn expressed after partaking in the event.

It is uncertain whether Green will take students again next

PROJECT: Page 8

k

.

.

After debates, mostly happy endings for Congress in 2010 Editorial: At the end of 2010, the government passed judgment on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” START, the DREAM Act, and tax cuts.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” START, and the tax cuts were all accepted to become law, but the DREAM Act was not.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) military policy was repealed in the last few days of the year, to the great joy of thousands of service members who were either discharged from the military or remained in the service under the constant stress of keeping their secret. The Olympian supports the repeal of DADT, because it allows our fellow Americans to serve the country they love.

Russia and the United States have agreed to lower the number of nuclear weapons that each country keeps for protection in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, also known as START. The Olympian agrees with the government’s actions for the most part. While we feel a bit uneasy about the inspections, because they allow Russia to know exactly where our intercontinental ballistic missiles are, it will stabilize

the arms race. On top of that, this smaller number of nuclear weapons still has the power to destroy the world several times over, so our “safety” is not being compromised in signing the treaty.

Another issue that went through the government’s

hands this past December was the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act. This act, which did not pass, would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants to attain citizenship.

Considering the fact that

the children did not have the choice of coming to our country illegally or not, The Olympian supports the DREAM Act. The children would become citizens of the country and have to pay taxes like any other American, which would benefit our economy and those who would

while intoxicated.

Now if you are here reading this and this is something you have heard for the first time, it’s not your fault. CVHS hasn’t educated any of its students about this topic. However, the education of the student population can be affected by the tenure

spark, they stay at the teaching job because they have nothing else to do. The teacher is high on the pay scale because they have been working at the school for a long time.

Last year, I had a teacher who was here at CVHS just for the money. He insulted me every day, making fun of me in class while “teaching.” I told my counselor about this, but there was nothing I could do. I had no power.

This teacher was protected by tenure but didn’t commit violations serious enough to be removed.

Now, I’m not here to completely complain about this thing. The concept of the system is wonderful; however, some things need to be adjusted in order for this thing to work properly. Tenure does help teachers who really do have a passion to teach generations of kids to carry on the burdens of the world.

School is one of the biggest impacting places in a person’s life. A future can be molded and shaped for many students here at CVHS. All we need as students is the proper teaching and training to do so.

Now, to the administration and district officials here: why don’t you give us students a say in this? Instead of evaluating teachers only twice a year, do more evaluations every quarter.

Don’t be concerned about time and money. You are here to lead students and teachers in the right direction. Don’t shy away from student feedback.

As a student body, we need to voice our opinions. We need to know about these issues and topics that affect us as a whole.

Instead of just ranting about how horrible and sucky your teachers are, think about what you really have to say about them. Give legitimate reasons as to why you are saying what are you saying.

To all the teachers here at CVHS: be honest. Have integrity.

join the military would serve our country in that way as well.

While we do not want to encourage illegal immigration, because it is illegal and we won’t pretend it isn’t wrong, the children have lived here for a good portion of their lives and may not even know their original homeland. However, the national government disagrees and the act did not pass.

The final issue was tax cuts, an always interesting topic for taxpayers. The cuts for everyone including the wealthy passed, and will stimulate the economy while not aiding the growing national debt.

The Olympian chose to support the cuts for everyone but the wealthy, but unfortunately, it passed only because it included the rich.

The Olympian, believes that with or without these tax breaks, the rich will remain rich, and the country cannot afford to give them cuts that they would easily be able to go without. Although we disagree with giving the wealthy a break that isn’t necessary for them, we believe that the middle and lower classes needed the cuts.

Tenure system hurts students education, needs reform

By Tim Pak Staff Writer

The problem with CVHS is that it doesn’t provide information that students really need to know.

I interviewed over 200 students the week before Winter Break and only one out of 15 knew what the tenure system was at school. Some of them gave me funny looks, perplexed at the word I had just told them, trying to figure out what it meant and then shaking their heads, telling me they had no clue what tenure meant.

For this article, I searched high and low for opinions about the tenure system at our school. For you readers who do no know what the tenure system is, let me sum it up for you in a couple of sentences. In California public schools, new teachers go though a two-year probationary period.

At its end, they could be rehired or fired.

If rehired, they become tenured at the beginning of their third year. The now-tenured teachers can only be fired for cause, such as serious violations including sexually abusing a student or showing up to class

“ Last year, I

had a teacher who was here at CVHS just for the money. ” system.

If you have ever had a teacher who you believe should be removed because he or she jeopardizes your education and future, continue reading on.

The tenure system allows a teacher to be well-protected from removal at a school. No matter how dispassionately or horribly a teacher teaches, a tenured teacher cannot be removed for petty reasons.

Another problem that has risen in my past experience is the age factor. When a teacher become old and loses his or her

Keep the passion you started teaching with and keep it going.

Don’t give up on us students.

If you feel like your time is up and you need to move on with life, do it.

Hopefully this article has educated you somewhat about the tenure system. I did my best do write all that I can on this page, but the rest is up to you. Voice your opinion and don’t be afraid.

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

Olympian

The January 21, 2011

“We can embrace whoever we are”

Destroying the ego: a lesson in futility

By Dana Lin Copy Editor

One day after class, I was prompted by a bearded intellectual to do something meaningful with my life. Through a Post-It note with illegible handwriting, I was ordered to explore how students and the greater community dealt with the shifting socioeconomic and ethnic makeup of CVHS. Rather than taking on the impossible task of asking all the nearly 3,000 students at CVHS what they thought, I took a sample size of four students that consisted of a random white student, an African American student, an Asian American student and a student of mixed race.

To all of them, I straightforwardly asked “How are you dealing with the shifting socioeconomic and ethnic makeup of CVHS?” “As for the shifting ethnic makeup of CVHS, I don’t really mind,” said Kyle Kole. “It’s a gradual change and it’s really hardly noticeable. It’s not like all the whites died and were replaced by black people.”

That is indeed true. Now that I think about it, when I was in elementary school I was one of three Asians in my fifth grade class. Now when I look at my class, I see a lot of them. We sit alphabetically in math class, and the rows go down like Lau, Lee, Lee, Lin, Lin, Liu, Liu, and then maybe ten students down there’s a last name like Meza.

“Well, it’s never only been a white man’s world. There’s always been diversity whether we’ve accepted it or not,” said Seamus Guerin. “It does seem though that time has progressed heretofore, the diversity has become more tolerated by everyone.”

Indeed it has become more tolerated. Going from a Castro Valley famous for KKK members and neo-Nazis like Shaun Walker who wrote for the Bay Aryan published by the Aryan

By Trevor Kwong Staff Writer

Yoon Jung

Revolution Front in Castro Valley, to a Castro Valley where Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans can run for ASB, is a great improvement.

“Honestly, it has been difficult adapting to the change in demographics in terms of ethnicity as an African-American,” said Sam Ison. “I look around campus and look in my classes and I honestly feel like an ethnic minority.

There may be two, maybe three African-Americans in a class. At least, this is what I have experienced.”

Perhaps CVHS is not as diverse as we thought.

“The effects of such drastic differences in ethnic population are an increased feeling of pressure as well as seclusion from the student population,” continued Ison. “No, our ethnicity is not what defines us as individuals; but it does, unfortunately, generally dictate how the world views us.

“Whenever anything racially based is mentioned in class and is even remotely related to African Americans, eyes turn to me,” Ison said. “I even receive stares of awe and confusion when people

find I do not ‘act black,’ as if my ethnicity is defined by my personality or a personality defines an ethnicity.”

After hearing what Ison has had to say, I must admit that perhaps my sample size is not as random as I said it was. When I realized that I would need a quote from an African-American, Ison was the first and only one whose name popped into my head. He is definitely part of a very small minority at CVHS. Finally, Trinity Bustria shared these thoughts.

“I personally feel that I am not accepted as being of partial Asian ancestry by some Asian Americans at CVHS unless I show some external proof that my dad is Asian,” Bustria said.

“I most certainly have a place, but it would be nice if some were not so reluctant in accepting my claim of being half Asian.”

Here we see that a multiracial student has the desire to be recognized as part Asian, rather than part white. This is a sign that “fitting in” no longer means “be like white people.” It now means that we can embrace whoever we are and be ourselves.

3

A few weeks ago, I realized beliefs were illusions. Since then, I’ve been trying to destroy my ego—the mechanism that creates these illusions—to achieve awareness.

I stumbled upon Freud’s main concept: the id, ego, and superego. Those three things, Freud said, are the basic foundations of our mind. The id consists of our innate drives that want immediate satisfaction; the superego consists of the morality or rules built into us by parental figures and society; and the ego is the mediating force, which tries to satisfy the always opposing id and superego.

Most of the time, the ego can’t fully satisfy the id and consequently, anxiety occurs.

To relieve this anxiety, the ego constantly makes up illusions, or “defense mechanisms,” for the individual to believe in.

After reading this, I started to see implications of all our thoughts. Ultimately—because our id wants immediate satisfaction for all desires—we want total dominance over everything we encounter. This implies that we want complete control over our lives, a desire that, if not fulfilled, creates major anxiety. On the other hand, our superego tells us we can’t have total dominance because society doesn’t function that way. In doing so, our superego implies that we can never have complete control over our lives. So what happens? The ego creates belief systems to satisfy both sides—it creates the impression that we do have control, while at the same time not actually having it.

Thus, all belief systems are defense mechanisms. When we most strongly believe in a belief system, we are the most egotistical.

We constantly worry about our distorted reality’s safety, which is why we impress and suppress. We impress to receive confirmation that our distorted reality is “real”—meaning we have control over our lives— and suppress any thought that prevents a confirmation (the parallel actions of impress/suppress are absorb/ignore: absorb any information that supports the distorted reality, and ignore any information that doesn’t).

After I thought of all of this, I tried nonstop to destroy my ego.

But by trying to destroy my ego, I enlarged it. And then this came into my head: The more you try to destroy the ego, the faker it gets; the faker it gets, the realer it is.

This applies to any belief system. The more you believe in something, the more it seems like your beliefs represent reality—and the more your ego seems to disappear. But the more your ego seems to disappear, the realer it is, and the more distorted your reality becomes.

In sum, this concept is a belief system in itself. If I become too involved with it, I’d be creating illusions just like any other egotistical person—which is exactly what I did and still do all the time.

What all this implies is that if we want to be aware, we have to approach every situation with nothingness, and then observe.

And if we start to believe in something—so much that it starts to seem true—we have to always consider the possibility that we may be only supporting our distorted reality, and ask ourselves if we really believe it.

That includes what you’re reading right now. Because by jumbling up words to describe how I think one achieves awareness the further I get from describing it accurately and the more I’m creating a belief system, this next sentence is the only way to describe my thoughts which I can’t completely do with this article because articles require words and because everyone requires words and because nobody including me understands that this is how all suffering can be ended and all life can be fulfilled.

Ingratitude abounds among rude Castro Valley students

By SangEun Choi Staff Writer

When one takes time out of his or her daily life to help another, it’s simply respectful to offer

a “thank you” in some form.

Helping pick up dropped items, holding the door open, lending an item–all of those acts are done out of one’s own time by putting others first. Yet rarely do teenagers appreciate those random acts of kindness.

The other day, I held the door to 700 hall for 11 people (yes, I counted) yet not a single person was grateful.

Sure, it was during passing period and perhaps those 11 people were hurrying to their classes, but is it really that difficult to

say two words? Or even just one (“thanks”)?

I spent at least ten seconds of my life holding the door open yet not a single person could spend two seconds to utter a word or so of appreciation.

Other similar incidents always seem to happen to me during school time.

For one, whenever somebody near me drops his or her belongings, I help him or her pick the items up. I believe it is common courtesy. Yet for some reason, seldom does anybody show

gratitude.

In fact, I’m given an inconsiderate glare as if I were stealing their possessions. Sorry, but why would I want your ugly chewed up yellow pencil?

I’m not trying to complain about how nobody appreciates things I do (maybe a little bit).

I’m trying to prove a point about the lack of manners teenagers

Letters to the Editor

nowadays possess. It’s disgusting, really, because I personally can’t think of a way to fix it. We can’t throw half of the population of minors into a machine and expect them to return as polished youth.

Hopefully, people at CVHS will take the first step and at least offer some thanks for the efforts of others.

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.

Robotics class to offer physics and fun

and students would also learn about robotics with the robots that they build,” said Matheny.

The college prep class would be open to nearly anyone who desires to take it. Any sophomore, junior, or senior would be able to enroll in the class; the only prerequisite is passing Algebra 1.

As a first-year class, Pinsky expects a learning curve, but is optimistic about the class’s future.

“I have 30 years of experience

By Holden Parks Staff Writer

CVHS will offer Engineering Robotics as a “test class” during the next school year. Bertram Pinsky, who currently teaches physics and chemistry, would teach the class.

“This class has been the goal of both myself and Mr. [Sean] Fottrell,” said Pinsky. “We intend it to be a hands-on class for students to learn physics, and we’ll structure that around using Legos and robots.”

Mindstorms, a programmable robotics kit made by Lego, would be the primary programming and building medium used in the class.

However, Pinsky hopes to interface the robots with other equipment in the classroom. He also hopes to build more sophisticated robots as the class obtains more resources.

The class is being given serious consideration, chiefly due to the success of the CVHS Engineering and Robotics Club, which is headed by club president Lindsey Matheny and advised by Pinsky.

The club currently has about 15 members that meet every Wednesday to solve “challenges” given to them by Matheny.

“It’s a handson class for students to learn physics.

Sophomore Ryan Miller fidgets with a robotic gadget.

“Every two weeks, club members start and complete a challenge,” explained Matheny. “For example, one challenge was to build a robot that would grab a

ring off of a pole and place it onto a tic-tac-toe board.”

The club members also meet every Thursday to learn about different types of engineering.

Matt Barney / Staff Writer

The activities from the club would be taught in more detail to create the curriculum for the class.

“Different types of engineering would be taught in greater depth,

Bertram Pinsky

Physics Teacher

”

in designing and research, but I’ll admit that some of these students are more knowledgeable about this than I am,” said Pinsky. “We’re all in here learning this together.”

DECA’s Battle of the Bands rocks the CFA

Every band put on a fabulous performance this year

By Reyna Garcia Staff Writer

A teacher pulled down his pants and $100 was given away on Dec. 17, which was an especially memorable night for CVHS. It was DECA’s Battle of the Bands at the Center for the Arts.

Bands competed for a $100 cash prize. It was a great idea for fundraising; DECA profited from the food, ticket and, t-shirt sales. It was also a great way to watch the bands with students and teachers from CVHS. When the show started, the host was greeted by chants of his name, “Damori, Damori, Damori.” He was very well liked and obviously well known by many that attended.

All of the bands were very good, but one stood out to me in particular: No Tomorrow. They were the band that opened the show, and under that pressure they had the audience clapping along. They

Reyna Garcia / Staff Writer

Zach Chandler, lead singer of No Conspiracy, rocks out at Battle of the Bands. also had the misfortune of one of their band members being absent and had to have another guitarist fill in. Despite everything they had a great performance.

The Geezers were hilarious; the band was made up of teachers including David Roth-Rossi, Nicholas Whitaker, Ian Rodriquez and Jason Marlis.

The teachers jammed out to songs including some from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Whitaker played the guitar, Marlis the keyboard and Rodriquez the bass.

Whitaker even ran to the side of the stage to yank his pants down to reveal cutoffs for a costume change. Roth-Rossi played the songs on a video game guitar.

Brandon McChesney and Militant Fam were the only rappers at the battle.

McChesney worked through technical difficulties, but was still able to get his message through in his raps.

Militant Fam, which is made up of college students from the Bay Area, Ricky Rivera and Malcolm

Coronel, rapped to remixes of “Like a G6” and “Cooler Than

Me,” which had the crowd singing along.

Fillers such as Kyler White played well on their ukuleles.

“Those two kids with the ukuleles were cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Roth-Rossi.

Defiler was well received as people screamed, “I wanna see you cry,” lyrics from their song, well before they performed. As soon as they took the stage the audience was on their feet screaming along.

A group rushed to the stage to head bang along to the music.

Aviadora took the prize, winning the $100. Lead singer Joel Aguilar threw stickers off the stage to promote the band as he screamed out his songs.

His stage presence was good, it held attention, as did the rest if the band, they all knew how to work the stage.

They were very professional and were very good performers; the skill they played with will take them places.

Olympian

The January 21, 2011

5

Teacher to appear on Jeopardy Donatella competes in gymkhana

By John London Staff Writer

By Reyna Garcia

The cycle has always gone, teacher teaches students, and those students become geniuses. Sometimes the part about the teachers being geniuses to begin with is skipped, but there are a couple geniuses here at CVHS. On Feb. 4, history teacher Roger Kim is going to prove it when he appears on ABC’s Jeopardy.

When asked about the process it took to record the show, Kim said there was a series of auditions and

“ I reviewed

things like the Bible and Shakespeare.

Roger Kim History Teacher

”

tests both online and in person that took place in Los Angeles back in September.

“They even make you come back to take a second test in October, just to make sure you didn’t cheat,” he explained.

Even though it was a couple of all-day events that seemed end-

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

History teacher Roger Kim practiced for his debut on Jeopardy by playing in class. less, Kim said it was very fun and entertaining.

The online test involved 50 questions with only seven seconds to answer each one.

Going on a television show that requires such a high level of intelligence also demands a high level of preparation.

“I studied the things I wasn’t

good at and reviewed things like Shakespeare and the Bible,” said Kim. Kim also said he received a tote bag and a free pen, when it comes to free promotional items.

Kim isn’t allowed to tell how he did in the game itself, but tune in to ABC at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 to see him competing on Jeopardy.

Herendeen to the rescue Computer supporter works in the CVHS labs

By Kearny Combs Sports Editor

Although she’s new to CVHS, Monica Herendeen is not new to the Castro Valley Unified School District.

She has given 20 years of loyalty and commitment to the district.

She started out at Canyon Middle School and has worked her way up to the high school.

“It’s actually kind of funny, since I was never really formally introduced to the rest of the staff, most of them don’t know me. So it’s usually awkward when they see me in their classroom working,” said Herendeen.

Of all staff members, Herendeen wins the nomination for “most versatile.”

Even though she currently works in computer support, she has also been an attendance clerk and an aide for special education during her years of service.

“The frustrating thing about being a computer tech supporter is that your job is never done.

And even though it can be a little

Kearny Combs / Sports editor

Computer supporter Monica Herendeen works hard on CVHS servers. tiring and boring, I enjoy it. I like helping others out, and working at a school, with teens, certainly keeps things interesting,” Herendeen said.

Whether there’s a problem with the school Internet or a problem with computer applications, Herendeen will always be our wonder woman at CVHS.

Staff Writer If you ask Cheyenne Donatella what gymkhana horse back riding is she’ll tell you, “It’s another type of sport for horse back riding. It’s sort of like barrel racing except for that in gymkhana we have nine different courses. They place barrels and poles in a certain pattern depending on which event it is and we must do the course in the fastest time.”

If you ask her what gymkhana is to her, she’ll tell you something completely different. She’ll tell you gymkhana is another life to her, something she wants to continue and something that means a great deal to her. When you talk to Donatella you can tell just how passionate she really is.

Donatella considers horse rid-

ing her whole life because she has always lived on a ranch. She has been competing in gymkhana horse back riding since she was seven years old and she is quite the star at it.

Each gymkhana competition has around forty to fifty competitors and so far this year she has won 12 out of 12 competitions. Competitions vary from states to regional’s to locals. She has been riding her horse, Bear, for the last two years and she rides him in every competition.

When you talk to Donatella about her success at gymkhana she is completely modest. She is proud of herself, but it doesn’t go to her head. She is friends with many of her competitors which competing fun for her.

Luke Teyler travels to the far East for charity

By Natalie Chin

Staff Writer How many CVHS students have been to Thailand and Cambodia? How many went in the middle of the school year? How many have gone in order to do charity work? The answer is probably not that many students have done that, but junior Luke Teyler has done all three of those things.

Teyler went to Thailand and Cambodia from Nov. 21 to Dec. 4 with 400 pounds of medicine and clothes purchased from fundraising to help out the people living in the Eastern Asian countries. With his father, grandfather, and two other helpers, Teyler braved the hot, humid weather and poverty of Eastern Asia. He passed out the supplies to children and people who had almost nothing.

During the first week, he went to Thailand and stayed in a church while getting to know some of the Thailand people. Then, he flew to Cambodia during his second week and assisted in a Cambodian orphanage.

“Cambodia was way poorer than Thailand. They had rice pools and market place farms. Once you got out of the city, there were lots of poor kids,” said Teyler.

When he visited outside of the cities, he witnessed the poverty of the natives, who are extremely poor, and mostly naked. On his second-to-last day, Teyler participated in a feeding program, where once a week, the program goes to the villages and feeds about 400 people. This meal is the biggest meal the people receive all week and it consists mainly of rice.

Despite the language barrier, Teyler was able to connect with some of the natives in Thailand and Cambodia. His translator, John, and he both played the drums and Teyler became friends with a four-year-old orphan in Cambodia named Spanky.

“From this trip, I realized how blessed I am, we all are, to live in America and how easy it is to go share that blessing to others,” said Teyler.

s

Entertainment Calendar

MusicJan. 25: Cold War Kids- Mine is Yours Jan. 25: DestroyerKaputt Feb. 14: ChamberlinBitter Blood MoviesJan. 21: No Strings Attached Jan. 28: The Mechanic Feb. 4: The Roommate Feb. 11: The Eagle Video GamesJan. 25: Dead Space 2 (PC, PS3, X360), $59.99 Feb. 1: The Sims 3: Outdoor Living (PC, Mac), $19.95 Feb. 1: Rock Band: Country Track Pack 2 (PS3, Wii), $29.95 Feb. 7: Mario Sports Mix (Wii), $49.99 BooksJan. 25: Famous– Todd Strasser, $15.99 Jan. 25: Held – Edeet Ravel, $12.95 Feb. 1: A Vampire’s Promise: Deadly Offer/Evil Returns/ Fatal Bargain – Caroline B. Cooney, $9.99 ConcertsJan. 29: The Get Up Kids, Slims, $22-$25 Feb. 6: Sarah McLachlan, Paramount Theatre-Oakland, $55-$85 Feb. 6: Plain White T’s, The Fillmore, $32.75 Feb. 14: The Decemberists, The Fox Theater, $37.50

Roger Waters blows audiences out of water

By Anna Balassone Staff Writer

At once a compelling story, an anti-war assertion, and a light show spectacular, Roger Waters’ The Wall is everything that one could hope for in a rock concert, and more.

In 1979, the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd released The Wall as a concept album, or one tied together by a theme. It reached immediate success, but only toured in two American cities, Los Angeles and New York. Ever since the band broke up in the 1980s, fans have been hoping that its lead singer Roger Waters would tour for The Wall again. And so, the wish of thousands of middle-aged Americans has come true. Now, at age 67, Waters is finally touring the concert throughout the US and Europe.

The concept of the show is a story that follows the life of a rock musician who is forced to cope with the death of a father fighting in World War II, an ineffectual British education, a protective mother, a divorce, an inability to trust the government,

Photo Editor

You met the parents and the Fockers, now it’s time to meet the Little Fockers. Even with loads of giggles, the young Focker children don’t exactly live up to the two films before them. Little Fockers would be a great movie to rent and watch at home on a rainy day, but I wouldn’t really say it’s the best movie to pay to see at the theatres.

Robert DeNiro was the same overprotective father-in-law that he’s been in all the movies, so that wasn’t disappointing.

However, Jessica Alba’s charac-

and a growing enmity between himself and the audiences for which he plays.

At the beginning of the concert, the stage is set with the groundwork of a 30-foot high wall. Throughout the show, as the main character endures his hardships, more bricks are placed on the wall. Thus, as the songs describe a man’s growing isolation from the world as a metaphorical wall, a physical wall is simultaneously being built. By intermission, the band

is completely covered by the wall.

During the entire process, videos are being projected upon the bricks to tie the songs into modern-day issues. For instance, the lyrics that deal with the brutality of war coincide with images of current soldiers and impoverished children. The videos add to the poignancy and relevance of the concert’s message, hitting home with every audience member in some way or another.

Not only are the visible aspects

outstanding, but the music itself is superior. From the very beginning of the show, the sheer volume of the instrumentals forces the audience into awe. Waters plays an impressive bass and the accompanying guitarist and vocalists are exceptional.

It is impossible to consider any Roger Waters performance without taking into account the musical and visual aspects. And, for both of those, the 2010 tour of The Wall made Pink Floyd proud.

sophisticated, European feeling.

The story begins with the beautiful and mysterious Elise, played by Jolie, being tracked by international police. She receives a note from the equally mysterious Alexander, and thus begins a continental chase for billions of dollars involving Interpol, French and Italian police, an English mobster, and Russian hitmen. Depp plays Frank, an American tourist, handpicked

by Elise on a train to Venice, who is unwittingly caught up

in the wild doings of Elise and Alexander. The plot continues to twist and turn, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats and guessing right up until the very end, which will take their breath away.

Of course, such talented actors like Depp and Jolie do a marvelous job. Their chemistry is undeniable and much of the movie revolves around their interactions. No other actors could fill the roles as perfectly; their acting skills make the movie.

This film would make the perfect date movie and has enough of many genres to please eclectic audiences. There are great chase scenes across the rooftops and through the canals of Venice to suit action-lovers and tender moments on a dance floor to captivate the romantic. Those who prefer a little mystery will be thrilled with the complex plot.

I recommend this movie to anyone who dreams of adventure and romance, and loves European sophistication.

Modern Warfare 2 (which only sold about 4.7 million copies).

Black Ops contains an excellent single player campaign. It has a great, mysterious twist. The player has to pay attention in order to figure out what is happening to the main character, Mason. Mason and his friend Victor Reznov have to kill three blood-thirsty men.

Two of them are Russians, Dragovich and Crevchenko, and the third one is a Nazi doctor called Dr. Steiner. Before the Russians defeated the Germans in World War 2, Steiner was working on project Nova 6. Nova 6 is a deadly gas that kills a person before he hits the floor. When the Russian army wins the war, Dragovich and Crevchenko capture Dr. Steiner so he could help them obtain Nova 6 and use it for their

own dastardly plan of destroying the US. The whole single player is a great twist and you must play it to fully understand the game.

While the single player is nothing to complain about, the multiplayer is very similar to all the other Call of Duty series. You earn experience points to gain unlockable things, and rank up to get promoted. In this game, there are a lot of things to unlock, and you can even put your emblem on your weapon.

Perhaps the best perk to this game is the new zombie mode.

Players must survive waves and waves of zombies. In order to survive, they must turn on “the power.”

The new single player and the new zombie mode make this game a must have for Call of Duty fans.

Drama and romance pull you into The Tourist

By Alicia Harger Editor-in-Chief

With just the right mix of action, romance, humor, and suspense, The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, holds thrills for all audiences.

Set all over Western Europe, the story shows spectacular sights, stunning scenery, and has a

Focker family fun

By Bianca Arias

Roger Waters performs in front of the 35-foot tall wall that pictures and videos are projected on at his The Wall Live tour in December.

ter in the movie was one of the most annoying people ever. It seemed like she was the one with a “double dose of Focker” in her.

Ben Stiller battles with trying to please his father-in-law and become the GodFocker by having financial security, a good education for his children, and a home for his family.

DeNiro also discovers that maybe using his old CIA techniques to spy on people might not be as good as simply just using Google.

There’s also a school entrance interview for the little Fockers at the Early Humans School, which happens to be one of the funniest moments in the movie.

Even though there are a lot of twists and turns in this movie it’s a great plot that won’t disappoint you.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops spellbinds

By Max Kahane Staff Writer

With Call of Duty: Black Ops selling 5.6 million copies and making $360 million on its first day of release, you can tell that it’s a pretty popular game, even more popular than last year’s

Pay to play falls short in fall, making team cuts possible

By Jason Hazari Staff Writer

As another fall season of CVHS sports has ended, many concerns and consequences have come up regarding the budget, which failed to pay for all the fall sports.

As a result, there could be serious consequences including team cuts, school officials said.

Fall sports, which include girls golf, girls tennis, girls volleyball, football, and cross country, collected enough donations to pay for 57 percent of their expenses.

Girls golf was the only team that met 100 percent of its requested

contribution. The lowest payment was 41 percent by all the football teams combined.

“It seems very low,” said finance coordinator Sandy Stiving, “but a lot of the teams are doing

“I want people

to know this is a need rather than a want.”

Jason Whiteman Assistant Principal

fundraisers now to make up for the lost money.”

The girls golf, girls tennis, girls volleyball and football team members each were asked to pay a donation of $325 and the cross country team members were suggested to pay $225.

The money goes to necessities of the teams such as equipment, transportation, health items, and more.

Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman had a lot to say about how to resolve this issue of team members paying for sports.

“The numbers are 50 percent better than last year,” said White-

Trojans terrorize and trump Tennyson

huge priority.

“I’m stressing it as much as possible,” said Whiteman. “I want people to know this a need rather than a want. I’m open to ideas being thrown out, but with no funds through the district, I’m stressing this issue and as for next year’s beginning sports season, the first thing to worry about is budgets again.”

But some athletes believe they should not have to pay to show their Trojan pride and spirit.

“Two hundred twenty-five dollars,” said cross country runner Anthony Martore. “Ridiculous.”

Varsity basketball team disarms the Lancers

By Nic Barradas Feature Editor

In a massive victory over Tennyson, the Trojans varsity basketball team won with a 44-point margin. Throughout the game Trojans led with more than double Tennyson’s score, ending in a 8238 victory.

Within the first minute of the game Trojans already had scored 15 points. Five of the first eight baskets were 3-pointers, scored

by Juan Anderson and Roderick Bobbitt.

“We try to treat every team with respect, regardless of the game, we are always trying to get better,” commented head coach Nick Jones. “We need to improve our defense and this game was just a chance to work on it and to improve,” Jones added.

“A win is a win, we are always going to go out and do our best,” commented forward Michael Prophet. “It’s been great to be back on the field after break and coming back to this win was great.

Every time we play it is just another chance to improve,” added Prophet.

Anderson led scorers with 27 points with Bobbitt following close behind with 21 points. The game was an overall success for the Trojans.

man, “but this is a totally new process and experience we’re going through. We need everybody’s cooperation to make it happen or there will be some serious setbacks in the sports, including cutting a specific team in general.”

With Whiteman’s insight on cooperation, CVHS needs encouragement, support, and donations from the community, including the Castro Valley Boosters, parents, CVHS staff and CVUSD. Whiteman concluded that we do have to wait and see what happens, but this matter is still a

Girls proclaim the power of CVHS in a blowout game

By Emily Lin-Jones Staff Writer

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Roderick Bobbitt wows the audience with a vicious dunk in the Lancers’ territory.

The CVHS girls varsity basketball team clinched a solid win over Tennyson on Jan. 5 with a final score of 66-23. The victory tipped the team into a winning record of 7-6.

The Lancers established a brief 4-point lead early in the first quarter but were swiftly overtaken by the Trojans, who made the score 15-12 by the buzzer with the help of a rapid 7-point scoring streak. At this point, incredible offense and impenetrable defense started to come into play.

The Trojans held onto that lead for the rest of the night. The score was 34-16 at the half, and the Trojans took advantage of Tennyson’s flagging energy to more

than double their score before the final buzzer sounded.

Defense was strong throughout, most notably in the third quarter when Tennyson was only allowed one basket.

Elena Ala, a girl who is enfactuated by basketball, was the leading scorer for the night with 11 points, followed closely by teammates Jazel Talauta and Arianna Posey with 10 points each.

Ultimately every player on the

team did a great job, and should feel proud of what they’ve accomplished.

All in all, the Trojan girls basketball has a promising season ahead of them, and the school looks forward to watching and supporting these girls in the upcoming games.

C o m m e n d a b l e C u t t h r o a t C o m pBye ti to rs Daniel Galvan / Staff Writer

Alyah Thomas, Freshman

Alyah Thomas is young wrestler with a very bright future. She has thoroughly enjoyed her first year wrestling for CVHS and hopes to continue her wrestling career far into the future.“My goals are to become undefeated and place in NCS and state,” she said.

While her sights seemed to be aimed high there is no reason to believe this tough freshman can’t blow away her fellow competition in her 132 pound weight class.

Thomas likes to hang out with friends and teammates during her free time. “I had a great time with my teammates in Disneyland in our recent trip to SoCal,” she said.

We are all expecting big things out of this young wrestler over the course of her high school career and she is a sure bet to make everyone at our great school proud.

Nicole Erichsen, Sophomore

Nicole Erichsen is an authority on the floor, playing center for the JV girls basketball team.

While she is great as a basketball player she plays for more than just a love of the game. “I play basketball for the competition and the friends,” she said.

She also made it clear that she aspires to use her high school basketball career as a means of getting to college.

Erichsen is sure to be a top contributor to the basketball team and our school for the duration of her time here at CVHS, but don’t be surprised to be hearing about this stellar athlete long after her high school days.

Sal Osorio, Junior

Sal Osorio is a wrestler who holds a lot of promise. Osorio, at 145 pounds, is a force to be feared and certainly not someone who any normal person would be comfortable going head to head against.“My goals include making ‘The Wall’ and going to state by the end of my career,” he said.

Of course making “The Wall” is a prestigious honor that only the best CVHS wrestlers achieve.

In his free time he likes to eat, workout, and hang out with friends. His teammates all attest to his dedication and hard work as a wrestler and a teammate. Osorio has a long and successful wrestling career on the horizon and the bar is never set too high for him to succeed.

Warren Wright, Senior

If you are looking for the perfect “big man” to grab those boards in a tight game, look no further than Warren Wright. Playing at the center position for our varsity basketball team, Wright is a dominating force to an already dominant team.

“My goal this year is to average 10 rebounds a game,” said Wright.

In his free time he enjoys playing NBA 2k11. “It’s my favorite way to pass the time.” He also loves hanging out with his friends.

You can expect to see a lot of Wright this year as we all have high expectations for this team. Don’t be surprised if it’s Wright you see jumping to grab that game saving rebound.

e

8

Olympian

The January 21, 2011

The Student club makes Cheesecake a call for peace Factory

By Daniel Chung continues to impress Staff Writer

By Abby Clark Staff Writer

The Cheesecake Factory is located at Stoneridge mall in Pleasanton. Going there was a great experience filled with elegant decor, amazing food, and awesome service. It was a chance to experience fine dining at good prices.

At the Cheesecake Factory you walk into elegant Asian simplicity, detailed with gold accents.

You are offered the options of sitting inside or outside on the patio. After being seated we were assisted by a friendly waiter who brought us a free bread basket to start. There is something for everyone on their extensive menu.

You will definitely be able to find something that to suit your appetite.

This establishment is famous for its cheesecake, which you would obviously expect due to the fact they named their restaurant after it. I wasn’t expecting their food to be so good too.

I honestly went just to try the cheesecake but ended up choosing the Chinese Chicken Salad

“I

finished off my night with the Oreo Cheesecake which was ‘heavenly.’

”

and soon found out I had chosen a winner. The Chinese Chicken Salad consisted of chicken, fresh greens, mandarin orange wedges, lightly sprinkled with their special soy dressing, topped off with a mountain of rice noodles.

I finished off my night with the Oreo Cheesecake which was “heavenly.” This dessert of chocolate cheesecake with an Oreo crust topped with a cherry met every one of my expectations. I will say one slice is enough for two people to share or dessert for tomorrow too.

The Cheesecake Factory is a great place to go to celebrate a special occasion or lunch after shopping. My friend and I ate there for about $20.00 per person which included an entree and dessert. It is a restaurant where you can relax visit with friends while eating yummy food. I would definitely recommend it to any person and hope to stop by again. It was a taste of a lifetime.

From Dec. 13 through 17, the Peace in the Middle East Club (PMEC) hosted a phone-in with the White House to raise awareness about the events that are occurring in that region. In addition to the phone-in, PMEC handed out bracelets to anyone that donated money to the cause.

Emma Leathely, a member of PMEC since last year, described this phone-in as a way to bring light to U.S. involvement in the Middle East, especially Palestine.

“We understand that there’s not a lot that we can do, but we are trying to get as many high school students to call the White House,” she said. “Hopefully, the White House phone lines will be jammed, which will make people realize what is going on in the Middle East.”

She continued by saying, “By doing the phone-in, the club really wanted to break the ice with the student body--that is, we wanted to invite people who may never have done activism to participate and learn about how the military aid the US sends to Israel plays a huge role in the violence toward Palestinians

and Palestinian removal by the Israeli military and some Israeli settlers.”

Some of the issues that this club is trying to draw attention to are the military prison, Abu Ghraib, the funding of the Israeli military, and the “injustices of Israeli checkpoints.”

Although it appeared that the club was targeting the people of Israel, Leathely went on to explain that they are condemning “the government, not its people.”

More than anything, PMEC hopes that the tensions between both Palestinians and Israelis will decrease and ultimately achieve peace.

In short, the clubs hopes that “average” American teenagers will “come out of their bubbles and care about the issues of the day, the world they are living in.”

“Americans’ somewhat uninformed complacency with American policies has cost many people in other countries their lives,” said Leathely.

The Peace in the Middle East Club meets every Thursday during lunch in Room 101 and welcomes anyone to come and ask questions. The group’s email address is cvhspeaceinthemiddleeast@gmail.com

McMaster turned the team around

By Matt Barney Staff Writer

Football coach Nic McMaster won HAAL football coach of the year. At the end of the year the coaches meet and vote for who they think deserves HAAL coach of the year.

“Staff of the Year award” is how McMaster describes it and went on to explain that, “We already have some wonderful coaches.”

“It’s nothing I’m gonna be thinking about,” said McMaster when referring to the award. He went on to explain that he thinks the first time you win this award might be a fluke, the second time you kind of have a sense of what you are doing and if you get it three years in a row, the coach is definitely doing something right.

For McMaster, the “Coach of the Year” award motivates him to do even better next year.

This is McMaster ’s second year as head coach and his eighth year as a coach. He is also a math teacher at CVHS. McMaster said he wants to

Castro Valley

focus his athletes into being mentally tough because “someone who is mentally tough can make their body do amazing things.”

The Trojans worked as a team this year to help show McMaster ’s excellent training. Most agree that McMaster deserved HAAL Football Coach of the Year.

“Yeah he deserves it. He turned our team around and made it so we could go to the playoffs,” said Junior Anthony Viveiros.

Viveiros was named “Lineman of the Year.”

“We won because of team effort,” said junior Cody Kulka.

When asked how he accomplished this feat McMaster replied, “I set the standards high to protect the program,” and went on to say “I’m not here to run a mediocre team.”

As to what the plans are for the future McMaster said, “I’m more concerned with a day to day approach.” Still, football athletes train year round for the season in the fall with weight training and other sports to stay in shape.

Super Print

(510) 889-8076

3223B Castro Valley Blvd Castro Valley

HAM: from Page 1 amateur radio test administrator, convincing Pinsky to introduce the radio class to CVHS this year.

“I hope to get our own station for ham. You don’t need a license for a half-mile broadcast,” said Pinsky. He believes knowing how to broadcast would be useful in the school’s disaster preparedness program. Additional plans include offering some of his students a shot at actually constructing radios, “but they wouldn’t need licenses for that [either].”

As an extra incentive for his own physics students, Pinsky granted extra credit to those who spent their free time to attend, as the class has been held twice so far, both on Saturdays.

“It’s just a hook to get them interested in radios,” said Pinsky with a smile.

The exam can also be taken online, but regardless of location,

exam fees are $15.

In addition, there are three consecutive license degrees, the Technician Class, General Class, and Amateur Extra Class, each permitting access to broader frequencies of the amateur radio airwaves.

“I can operate with a general license, which lasts for ten years, so I could broadcast during college,” said junior Tara Steward.

The license tests must be taken in order, and each requires a significant amount of studying.

Steward went on to say, “My favorite part was passing the test; I’m glad I don’t have to retake it.”

Amateur radio, and the exam, is for all ages, as Pinsky himself, science teacher Deborah Yager, and Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman all demonstrated by joining the class.

For ham enthusiasts out there, Pinsky’s call sign is KJ6LSU.

Wrestlers prevail at Reno tournment

By Erin Kim Staff Writer

During this winter break, the varsity boys wrestling team performed well in the tournament in Reno, Nevada on Dec. 28 and 29.

With nearly 99 teams competing to place within the top eight so they could medal, two Trojans were victorious. Adam Busch took fourth place and Travis Mocker took fifth.

The varsity wrestling team has been working hard this season and it has definitely paid off.

Busch and Mocker have been wrestling for more than eight years, the longest out of all the varsity members sent to the

tournament.

“Our team is pretty much a family. We joke together all the time,” says Mocker. “We’re always looking out for each other.

We get really close throughout the season.”

When asked how he felt when the medal was placed around his neck, Mocker answered with triumph, “It was awesome knowing I beat the expectations of 13th (place), which was the ranking I had at the beginning of the tournament.”

Sal Osorio and Nasir Nasir were also a few key members who helped score some points for our boys.

PROJECT: from Page 1

opportunity,” Dunn stated.

The event even had strong influence on the teachers and staff who attended to help those unfortunate people.

“I took part to be with the kids and help Mr. Green. I really didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a great day that I was proud to be a part of,” expressed Steinecke.

POLICIES: from Page 1

“What we need most right now is to efficiently put money into the economy, and these tax cuts do the opposite,” said economics teacher Eric Bahm, who opposes the tax cuts for the rich. “Taxing 10 percent from a paycheck of $500 dollars is not the same as taxing 10 percent from a paycheck of $50,000. It’s completely different, and completely unfair.”

year. However, the impact on the students who went this year is tremendous. Many freshmen expressed a feeling of extreme gratitude for what they never knew was needed by so many: a warm and loving home.

“Homeless people have a hard time surviving in this world and I would go next year if I had the Taxes were another big issue.

Congress and the president passed tax cuts for almost everyone; low, middle, and upper class. The cuts particularly favor the rich, intentionally, based upon the concept that if you give rich people money to spend, they will spend it and boost the economy with it.