June 1, 2018

Page 4: Mr. CV contestants show talents

VOLUME 61, ISSUE 11

JUNE 1, 2018

Page 7: Review of Habit Burger restaurant

Page 6: Trojans find success at championships

WE ARE BORN TO SEEK THE TRUTH!

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Pertussis breakout afflicts students

By Hayate Moro Staff Writer

Nathanial Ortiz / Staff Writer

Students protest sexual assault in the courtyard at break on May 9.

Teachers use AP tests for grades

By Stella Ho News Editor

The first two weeks of May are often fraught with anxious high school students studying and taking their AP exams.

But some teachers are offering to raise students’ grades based on how well they scored on their AP exams, a controversial policy.

Math teacher Mindy Holmes is against this move. She teaches AP Calculus AB and AP Computer Science, and believes that raising grades for students who take and do well on the exam is unfair.

“I think it’s discrimination,” she said. “You’re essentially paying for a grade. The educational code in public schools is that you shouldn’t have to pay for anything, but students paying around $100 per exam for a changed grade doesn’t seem legal to me.”

Holmes believes that a students’ performance in the class strongly correlates with what score they will receive on the exam, and thus does not believe an extra push or raised grade is needed. “I think I give pretty hard tests, but I also curve whenever needed. Letter grades in my classes tend to match up with AP scores,” she said.

When asked whether she would ever consider raising

a student’s grade, Holmes replied, “On a case by case basis. I would have to look at their test scores on everything and see their work ethic in class, but I would never raise their grade based on an AP test.”

On the other hand, history teacher Jeffrey Goldstein, who teaches AP US History, believes that students who usually work hard in class could earn that extra boost provided they follow his rules.

Goldstein looks closely at each student’s performance in the class and offers this grading system as an incentive to do well on the test.

“I tell students that if they earn an 89 percent, which is a B+, in my class for the semester and scores a five on the AP test, which is the equivalent to an A, I will change their grade from a B+ to an A-.

Similarly, if a student earns a 79 percent in my class for the semester and scores a four on the AP test, which is a B, I will change the C+ to a B-,” said Goldstein.

Goldstein believes that the disparity between GPA and grade percentages don’t make for a perfect grading system.

“As I see it, there is a small difference between an 89 percent and a 90 percent and a huge difference between an

80 percent and an 89 percent, however, in terms of GPA, the differences between an A and a B are significant...the way I look at it, the AP scores can make the argument for the student with the 89 percent or the 79 percent.”

Because AP scores come out in mid-July and all gradebooks close in June, he would then submit forms to the registrar to request grade changes for the students. “This is what I have done for many years. I

At least nine CVHS students have contracted whooping cough this year, according to district nurse Sandee Velasquez. In response, the school has sanitized many areas thought to be contaminated.

The first date the school identified an exposure was March 23. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious disease that infects the respiratory tract, which may result in a long lasting cough that may lead to death.

“The cough has been waking me up at 12 a.m. or 5 a.m.,” sophomore Katherine Ratinho said. “It screwed my whole family too.”

Pertussis can be prevented through vaccines such as DTap for children and Tdap for preteens and anyone older. Vaccines given at a young age, however, may wear off over time and some people could be unprotected.

“Pertussis cycles like this every three to five years. We’ll see peak seasons and we just happen to be in one of those seasons,” said Velasquez.

Special precautions should be taken for anyone in close con-

tact with infants younger than 12 months or pregnant women in their third trimester. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics for those who are exposed or want to prevent themselves from being exposed.

“Our night crew last night sanitized all the affected classrooms, the cafeteria, the locker rooms and some of the shared areas. It’s a ground negative bacteria so we made sure that they used a specific disinfectant,” said Velasquez.

Some diseases have been spread through the school like a yawn in a classroom full of sleep deprived kids. One reason being the stressful classes students take that discourage them from missing a single day of school filled with important lessons and hours of homework.

In the long run, it is better to miss a couple days, see a doctor and rest instead of spending weeks being attacked by harrowing symptoms. Additionally, staying home helps isolate the disease that can contaminate other hard working students and staff.

“We’re all busy. We all have a million excuses but if they are coughing persistently, then they need to see a doctor,” Velasquez stated.

“Every teacher The times, they are has their own system, and this is mine.

Jeffrey Goldstein History Teacher

”

do not advocate other teachers do it. Every teacher has their own system, and this is mine.”

Assistant Principal Nic McMaster stated that he has not heard of any grade changes based on AP exams, but if there were, the administration might take issue. “This is a practice we do not want to be occurring here. There are potential ethical issues involved when money and grades are linked — even indirectly.”

a’ changin’

By Sam Ahn Staff Writer

Upcoming school years may see major changes including a week-earlier start in August, combined lunch every day, and tutorial periods. Many students are bound to have questions, so here are the must-know facts for the upcoming schedule changes in the upcoming school years.

The primary and perhaps the biggest alteration to the school year schedule is the fact that starting from fall of 2019, the school year is expected to start a week earlier than usual, meaning school will begin during on Aug. 13. If

the school year starts earlier, it will end a week earlier than other previous years.

This adjustment was made due to the numerous complaints about finals being taken after the two week winter break, instead of before it. Some students claimed that taking finals before the winter break actually undermines their performance, as students often forget what they have been taught prior to the break. Many others claimed that having the finals right after winter break is too much pressure and prevents students from truly enjoy-

SCHEDULE: Page 8

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In opposition to using AP testing scores for grade boosts Editorial: Taking AP classes? Have your AP exam scores stressed you out already? If so, the pressure may not be over for you. Certain teachers change grades based on AP scores, adding stress to many already overwhelmed students.

These teachers only change the grades of students who receive a five on the AP exam.

They say that it will reward students who do well and will give many students a shot at redemption. But if their grade would now depend on their exam score, the pressure will end up being even more stressful.

Students have to pay $100 for every AP test they take.

Many students are enrolled in multiple AP classes and might find it difficult to afford to take every single test and fee waivers are difficult to acquire.

Getting a sufficient amount of

money for exams will add to the mountain of angst In addition, not all AP teachers apply this policy and only a handful of students’ grades will be affected by their score on the exams. It would be unfair to students who might benefit from having their grade in the class be boosted by their score if they are not given this opportunity. If changing grades based on high AP scores becomes a practice, it should be an opportunity available for all students taking the exam.

However, this should not be necessary. Students who receive a five on an AP exam most likely already have an A in the class and do not need a grade boost.

In the end it would affect a very small number of students.

Inflating grades for students who achieve high scores on AP tests is unneeded, and if it remains a practice, it should be offered consistently across the board.

Da Di

Berkeley-bound Bear shares college application advice ent types of colleges: California State Universities (CSUs), Universities of California (UCs), and private schools. Each institution has its own application.

Most CSUs do not require a writing portion and rely heavily on grades, but both private schools and UCs ask prospective students to write various essays. With this in mind, I hope you take something away from the advice below.

By Wailea Siler

Feature Editor My heart felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest. I held my breath as the click! of the mouse signalled the beginning of the end. I had officially submitted all of my college applications.

A couple months after hitting the submit button, I can proudly state that I will attend UC Berkeley in the fall.

I applied to the three differ-

RESEARCH SCHOOLS AHEAD OF TIME. Don’t just apply to a college because your friends did, or because of the name. It’s super important to have realistic target and safety schools that you love. I think it’s helpful to figure out what you’re looking for in a school early in the process, whether that be a specific major, program, geographic location, political climate, or shared student value,” said senior Lauren Fung, who will attend Brown University this fall.

BEGIN WORKING ON YOUR APPLICATIONS EARLY. Oftentimes, colleges will provide you with options of different prompts you can respond to. If you can’t begin writing over the summer, at least try to compose a list of the prompts you have chosen for each college, ideally with outlines or notes.

BE GENUINE. I found that longer essays like those required by the Common App gave me more room to be creative. The UC Personal Insight Questions, however, are only 350 words each and gather as much information about you as possible. Don’t be shy! Colleges are asking you to brag about yourself.

“It’s almost impossible to know what the schools will want so it’s important to show your best qualities and passions in your application rather than trying to give them what you think they’ll want, like a sob

PHOTOpinions

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“If it helps students with their grades then it’s a reasonable practice.”

Jinein Dirbas freshman

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“

“There’s pros and cons to it.

If you mess up on the test really badly it could really hurt you after you’ve worked hard all year.”

Elena Lottich sophomore

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story,” said senior Reilly Berberian, who will attend UCLA.

which teachers you think know you best ahead of time.

TALK TO YOUR COUNSELOR. Know the deadlines for turning in letter of recommendation request. Typically, counselors will submit your first semester transcripts for you, but you might want to go ask them to

TAKE A DEEP BREATH. A vital lesson of this process is learning to accept whatever happens. College decisions remain a mystery to me. I know people who were rejected from some schools they should have gotten in to. I know equally as many people who were accepted into some schools that they didn’t believe they even had a shot at.

If you don’t receive an offer of admission into a school, it doesn’t make you any lesser of a student. Wherever you end up, you will enjoy yourself.

“Though applying to college can feel like determining the course of the rest of your life, don’t worry! You will end up where you’re meant to be. Even if you don’t get in to your dream school, chances are it wasn’t the right fit for you anyway,” said Fung.

“Wherever you end up, you’ll enjoy it.

”

just in case. Neither UCs nor CSUs require official transcripts, but you will have to self-report your grades in each application.

Private schools are usually the only colleges that will require letters of recommendation. UC Berkeley may also require them. Try to choose

Should teachers change students’ grades based on their AP test scores?

“

“I believe it is fair to increase one’s grade based on the AP exam. It shows the level of improvement, and willingness to excel.”

Caitlin Hipona junior

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“

I think it’s good because pretty much the whole point of an AP class is to prepare for the AP test, so it can help a lot of people.

Samantha Jewell senior

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By Emma Yin Staff Writer

“

“It’s not fair because not everyone takes the test and we cannot mandate everyone to take the test because it costs money and the school cannot pay for everyone.”

Candice Tigerman teacher

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The Olympian June 1, 2018

Michelle Wolf in the right

By Rachel Stein Staff Writer

Michelle Wolf’s controversial appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 28 elicited howls of outrage by many in the mainstream press.

Wolf’s monologue took digs at President Donald Trump, his staff, Republicans and Democrats alike.

Her most unusual, perhaps unexpected target, however, was the media itself, particularly corporate media and the news personalities who focus on the latest Trump tweetstorm while ignoring serious issues within the

country and abroad.

“There’s a ton of news right now, a lot is going on and we have all these 24-hour news networks and we could be covering everything. But instead we’re covering like three topics: every hour it’s Trump, Russia, Hillary, and a panel of four people who remind you why you don’t go home for Thanksgiving.”

Wolf also discussed how the media helped give Trump a platform and continues to profit off of him through their constant coverage of his candidacy and presidency.

“I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you,” she said. “He couldn’t sell steaks, or vodka, or water, or college, or ties, or Eric. But he has helped you. He has helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you’re profiting off of him.”

While awkward at times given her audience, Wolf’s critique of corporate media is on point. Cable TV personalities were quick to get upset about her supposed sexist

remarks about White House Communications Director Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ appearance. However, the closest Wolf came to mentioning her appearance was when she referenced her trademark eye makeup.

“I actually really like Sarah, I think she’s very resourceful. Like she burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey-eye.

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s lies.”

What did these cable pundits expect when they hired a comedian to come in and speak to them? Instead of condemning Wolf for criticizing them, they should look around their city, nation, and the world for important news to report on.

Bringing attention to the immigration problems in this country and the ongoing crisis in Flint, Wolf concluded the night by stating, “Like an immigrant who was brought here by his parents and didn’t do anything wrong, I gotta get outta here, goodnight! Flint still doesn’t have clean water!”

Upcycling: the green trend

By Jenny Pham Staff Writer

In a world where trendy-inthe-moment clothing is mass produced, upcycled fashion pieces can be an anomaly.

Yet, it is a growing trend.

Upcycling is one of the most sustainable things people can do in fashion as it utilizes already existing material, conserving resources and keeping undesirable items out of the waste stream.

The average American throws away about 65 pounds of clothing per year, and along with other textiles (like sheets and bedding), the total comes out to 14.3 million tons of textile waste, equaling about 126 million cubic yards of landfill space a year.

Space is not the only problem. Textiles and decomposing clothing release methane, and the dyes and chemicals in the fabrics can seep into the soil.

While donating clothes is a good step towards avoiding the landfill, the reality is that 85 percent of all of our

discarded textiles are still sent there, and only about 20 to 30 percent of donated clothing is actually re-sold.

Upcycling is the new wave of sustainable fashion.

“Upcycling is a way of processing an item to make it better than the original,” as defined by Triple Pundit. In the context of clothing, it can mean refashioning a wearable product from something that is stained, torn, ill-fitting, or “un-trendy.” Maybe there aren’t any problems with the piece, but you’re looking to change up your style.

Rather than pocketing out $30 extra to buy into the ripped jean obsession, a simple how-to YouTube video will do the trick. After 30 minutes or less, your boring blue jeans can parallel any light-wash distressed pair from the mall.

They can even be rainbow, the possibilities are endless!

Upcycling can be done using a combination of pre-consumer or post-consumer waste.

Pre-consumer waste, such as leftover pieces of fabric, is produced while items are being manufactured. Post-consumer waste, such as a T-shirt from five years ago, results from the finished product reaching the end of its useful life for the consumer.

Upcycling efficiently reuses materials that may otherwise add to the ever growing landfill in a creative and innovative way and often produces oneof-a-kind items from pieces that may seem like “a waste

3

Appropriation more like appreciation

Cultural appropriation is often seen as a negative practice, associated with racism, ignorance, and disrespect of cultures. While in some cases that is true, I do not follow in that thinking and actually believe it is a beneficial thing for society, unity, and prosperity.

Living in the United States, “the great melting pot,” I witness a great variety of cultures, people, religions, races, everything really. Taking aspects of different cultures and integrating them into your own is usually beneficial and allows for growth and prosperity.

It can be taken too far and used to disrespect and belittle other cultures, but determining

the parameters of what’s too far and what’s not is subjective.

I recently saw a post by a young girl who wore traditional Chinese garments to her school’s prom. She was hit with waves of backlash and support.

Some said that she disrespected Chinese culture, while others said she deserved to wear something she found beautiful without criticism for it. To me, her wearing the dress is an inclusion of the Chinese culture.

Staying within one’s own cultural bubble and prohibiting others to use that culture and disallowing those from your culture to adopt new culture is regressive.

In a society that is still very much separated by race, politics, and moral views, integration and appropriation is extremely necessary. By adopting aspects of other cultures, we can understand and empathize, to an extent, what other people go through.

People need to unite and change the connotation behind cultural appropriation. So if you want to make tamales or wear a kimono to your next prom, I support you.

Editor, Today I am writing because I would like to talk about The Olympian newspaper. Whenever I see the paper and it talks about our president or gun violence, I feel that there is a bias. It just annoys me as the paper is supposed to not have a bias and state just the facts.

And even then, some of your facts are wrong and false. One thing I think that you should do is that if you are writing an

article on let’s say gun violence, you should find the statistics from many news sources and not just one. I also think that you should write about local events that happened. For example two or three weeks ago the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office was raising money for the Special Olympics and in total raised over $32,000 and I believe that it could have been a good article.

Will Austin

By Andrew Watanabe Staff Writer

“I feel that there is a bias”

of money.”

Everyone’s doing it. Take the local student clothing brand, 1NE CUT by Han Poulsen, for example. 1NE CUT features reconstructed pieces, from cut off jeans to two-in-onesweatshirts, sometimes with the inclusion of embroidery.

Ordinary non-fashion designer students do it too. It’s not uncommon that the raw hemmed-sweatshirts, cropped tees, and ripped jeans seen on students around campus are do-it-yourself (DIY) projects.

It’s a popular trend, especially between girls, to buy oversized tops and outerwear to crop at home.

Upcycling gives new life to worn-out jeans and tattered T-shirts, and adds a touch of originality to your personal style. Even just as everyday apparel, upcycling can challenge cultural codes — questioning what we consider to be trash versus fashion or beautiful versus ugly. It does not hurt that it also benefits our environment.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2018

Editors-in-Chief.............................................................Mia Babasyan Hannah Johansson News Editor..............................................................Stella Ho Opinion Editor............................................................Emily Salazar Feature Editor.....................................................Wailea Siler Sports Editor................................................................Pau Gutierrez Arts and Entertainment Editor......................................Da Di Photo Editor........................................................Beruk Tsegaye Video Editor........................................................Mara Moysen Business Manager........................................Audrey Manzano Online Editor..............................................Ria Panjwani Staff Writers: Shaelly Adams, Sam Ahm, Milagros Aquinos, Olga Buzueva, Layne Johnson, Bilal Messaoudi, Hayate Moro, Amina Moummad, Derek Neyer, Nathanial Ortiz, Jenny Pham, Young So, Rachel Stein, Thomas Vergara, Andrew Watanabe, Katelyn Wong, Emma Yin Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

4 Spirit Squad hosts annual Mr. CV event

By Shaelly Adams Staff Writer

The Spirit Squad boosters put on their annual Mr. CV show on Friday, May 11 in the cafeteria as a fundraiser. This is an annual pageant where a group of well-known senior boys display their talents and are judged by popular local alumni to win the title of Mr. CV. Sponsored by Men’s Wearhouse in San Leandro, 12 senior boys competed to fill the audience with laughs, surprise, and emotion.

The talent portion of the show included singers, a monologue, a pie eating contest, a Star Wars battle, and more.

Cheer and dance team members helped escort the contestants and some helped out choreograph the multiple dance numbers with and without the Mr. CV contestants.

Other volunteers worked at the snack booth or helped sell tickets.

Emcees of the night were Shaelly Adams and Matt Betti, who kept the crowd entertained during all the transitions.

Five contestants qualified for the final round: Mo Dia, Chris

Mr. CV contestants pose with their escorts.

Kusumonegoro, Peter Maina, Thomas Tran, and Kyle Estabillo. Questions were drawn by the emcees for the contestants to answer with pride.

Examples of these questions were, “What does winning Mr. CV represent to the school,” or “If you inherited a million dollars

tomorrow what would you do?”

In a shock, the audience had to re-vote for People’s Choice due to not all contestants being listed during the first vote. Luckily the judges were still not done decided after the ten minute timer.

Finally, Carter Stambaugh was awarded People’s Choice as

Shaelly Adams / Staff Writer

Participants flash light sabers from a Star Wars act. a crowd favorite with Cameron Brown as Mr. Congeniality for his positivity. Kusumonegoro was awarded first runner-up to his partner Mania was crowned as the 2018 Mr. CV. “Winning Mr. CV was an honor," said winner Maina. "To represent the senior class as

someone who cares about school spirit, diversity, and the interactions we all share felt amazing."

Mr. CV left the audience feeling postive and entertained by the senior boys, who also seemed to have enjoyed their time onstage and cherished their experience with each other.

Robotics Club battles creations Chris K thrives as DECA protégé

By Sam Ahn Staff Writer

Curious about a career involving engineering? Love programming robots to smash stuff up?

Looking to join a club that’ll look good for college applications?

Have a love for bad puns? Then, the CVHS Robotics Club is just right for you.

Robotics Club takes pride in undertaking many challenging projects every Thursday after school. These projects so far include programming codes using a variety of computer languages, going on tech-themed field trips, and forming unique teams to design robots for sporting competitions that include tasks and prizes. These projects do not only strengthen members' knowledge of engineering and coding but also build teamwork and dedication, as each member is required to put in their share of the work in order to achieve victory as a team.

The recently upcoming project features the battle of three uniquely designed robots: Hammerbot, Jessi, and Anteloper, which are engineered by three teams in order to battle it out in an obstacle arena. The project took numerous hours of dedication as teams had to brainstorm the structure of their robots from scratch, build their robots with metal rods, nuts, and volts, attach the motors and batteries, program the instructions into the robot for maneuvering, and come up with strategies to win. The los-

By Katelyn Wong Staff Writer

Sam Ahn / Staff Writer

Teams build robots in preparation for their competition.

ing team, as a punishment, will have to buy the winning team ice cream.

Apart from educational projects, Robotics Club goes on numerous festivals and field trips. After every meetings on Thursday, the members of the club grab food at local restaurants around the village, which can include Chipotle, Habit, I-Tea, or Milk Cow. They use this time to hang out, socialize, and discuss details and meeting dates about their projects.

Once or twice a month, public relations officer Stephanie Thach organizes a club outing to festivals, carnivals or theme parks which takes place on the weekends. These outings have included trips to the Facebook festival, the Southland carnival, and a Stoneridge shopping spree.

“Robotics Club is awesome because people are welcoming even to the newbies and all the members are like family here,” said Thach. “Next year we’re planning on going to even more bonding trips to festivals and events all throughout the Bay Area. All members are invited and anyone can have a great time, there is always delicious food and fun events.”

Led by President Sofia Ravina and Vice President Nicole Yu and assisted by hach in room 409, the club is full of unique and vibrant members who form tightly-knit communities. If you’re looking to improve your STEM skills, or learn how to code or are simply searching for like-minded peers, perhaps Robotics Club is the place for you.

As his sophomore year came to an end, Chris Kusumonegoro knew that he wanted to follow in his older sister’s footsteps in making an impact as a part of DECA in his remaining high school years.

To Kusumonegoro, DECA was not just a typical student-centered organization, but rather a big step towards “limitless” opportunities and experiences.

Kusumonegoro began his DECA career by running for vice president of marketing and communications for the CVHS chapter. Soon after, he took a chance and ran for president of NorCal after his passion for DECA grew.

It took Kusumonegoro countless weeks to put his campaign together. He was running for district officer at his first conference ever.

Nonetheless, Kusumonegoro earned the well-deserved position and recalls it being the “most work I’ve ever put into something.”

Additionally, it was an extremely huge milestone in January of his junior year.

On the week of April 21-24, Kusumonegoro flourished even more at the annual DECA International Career Development Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia alongside nine other CVHS chapter members. In the biggest DECA event held for the high school level, attendees were able to gain networking opportunities, learn skills geared towards their pos-

Chris Kusumonegoro

sible career path, develop stronger public speaking skills, and even explore the city.

Despite being the only one from the Castro Valley chapter competing against top competitors worldwide, Kusumonegoro became a top ten finalist in the world for the marketing/communication series. This was especially monumental for him because it showed tremendous self-improvement.

“I’m a person who strives to do the most I can and DECA allowed me to go beyond my community and pursue other countless opportunities,” remarked Kusumonegoro, who’s now a senior.

However, his success doesn’t end there. Kusumonegoro plans to major in business and finance on a full ride with the Goizueta Scholarship to Emory University.

Moreover, he is hoping to further his interests in consulting and building bigger connections in the future.

5 Student turned SoundCloud rapper: West Laurent THE OLYMPIAN

June 1, 2018

By Andrew Watanabe Staff Writer

West Laurent, a junior at CVHS and formally known as Jaden Irby, has a passion and talent for music.

His life has been centered around music beginning with playing the piano at age eight. At age 16, Laurent began to use his musical background to create songs.

Laurent doesn’t restrict himself by sticking to one genre of music, but listens to anything as long as it has a good beat and melody. His range is diverse, with each of his three songs being a different style.

“I have many more on the way, from EDM to Pop,” explained Laurent talking about future songs.

Laurent also dedicates all of his effort towards perfecting his art by putting in many hours at Atlantic studios. It’s been his dream since he was a kid to make it big and now he’s starting to turn his dream into a reality.

Music, to him, is more than just nice sounds and rhythm; music is

West Laurent stresses that music is more than sounds and rhythm, it can help people through their struggles.. a tool that can be utilized to help people struggling all around the world.

“It’s inspiring to me how some-

Library offers projects to relieve stress

Emma Yin / Staff Writer

Students make colorful projects in the library.

By Emma Yin Staff Writer

The CVHS library has started to offer many new arts and crafts projects to help students relax and take short breaks from the stress of schoolwork and their studies.

These new activities promoted by the library help students feel included and accepted into the wider school atmosphere.

“We intend to provide generative activities that will promote interest, relaxation, and curiosity among students,” said librarian Dana Adams. “When creating these projects I ask: ‘How can this help the students relax?’”

In addition to creating a mural that students had the chance to contribute to, the library staff has also brought in butterflies for observation, started painting stations, and opened the library’s resources to all students.

“These projects have been very successful in encouraging a feeling of community throughout the school and giving students the opportunity to collaborate over

fun and engaging activities,” Adams said.

Students have participated to the best of their abilities-resulting in works of art that the library takes pride in.

“The library should be a place that the students own,” Adams said. “The librarians are really just the caretakers of a safe space for students to learn and grow.”

The idea of student ownership of the library is strongly supported because the library staff believes that students should be able to walk into the library and feel at home.

“I think the little art stations set up by the librarians are really creative ways to let students express their ideas,” said junior Jessie Ng. Alternative projects are offered to students who prefer more secluded activities, including beading and drawing on the library wall. Through these projects, students are still able to thrive and escape their stress for a little while.

The objective of the library staff through all of these activities is the same, to provide a safe space for students to be happy and at ease during and between school hours.

one depressed, suicidal, or sad can listen to a song and their whole mood can change,” said Laurent.

Another motivation for Laurent is his mother. Witnessing her toil and hard-work motivated him to keep pursuing his passion.

“I work a million times harder than others. I’m in the studio from 8 a.m. to the next day, on 24-hour lockdown recording, studying and making sure I get better, pushing to the top so I can buy my mom anything and take care of her, my team, and my family,” Laurent said.

His non-stop grind has already garnered him success, as his first song “I Wanna” blew up in the Bay and has played in Canada and Los Angeles. He has signed deals, partnerships, and done a show with rapper Lil’ Skies who recently had a hit song “Nowadays." He has been expanding and growing even more since then. So far he has two songs, a video, and a mixtape on the way.

Laurent can be found on SoundCloud, Youtube, Instagram @ westlaurentt, and he is even verified on Spotify.

As Laurent continues to attract success, he has and will continue to encounter negativity because of his work as. Instead of letting this get him down, he uses this hate as motivation.

“Haters and people who just talk cause they can’t do it are goofy. At the end of the day you don’t have to like me, but you gotta respect my music and my grind because I’m farther than you and I’m doing this!” exclaimed Laurent.

6 Varsity boys, frosh-soph teams win league championships

The girls ended with a score of 95.5 and took second place in the league, with the help of senior Allanah Lee, who secured first place in the 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter

hurdles, triple jump and long jump.

“I wanted to go out with the championship in all four of my events for the last league championship in high school,”

said Lee. She amassed 24 points for the team as well as running her season’s best time in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 46.03 seconds.

“I tried to go out with a bang

and that’s what I did,” said Lee. Many athletes competing at this meet were freshmen and sophomores who advanced to varsity after placing top three in their events.

The Trojans also won championships in both boys and girls frosh-soph divisions. On the boys team, Miles Bennett won the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Elijah Washington, Collin Thompson and Rylan Boyd won two events each. Other event winners included Enrico Giovannoni and Marcus Miller.

Girls event winners included Emily Xu, Leikela Lunt, Josephine Taylor, Alyssa Tung, Chloe Platz, and members of both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

title since 1996.

Ten varsity players from the badminton team qualified from the WACC tournament to play at NCS. They include singles Wei Wei Lee and Hugo Lin, girls doubles Rachel Dong, Sylvia Dong, Mei Yi You and Amenda Lee, boys doubles Jackie Wong

and Matthew Liu, and mixed doubles Patrice Cheung and Austin Ng. You and Lee placed in top four to go to the NorCal championships.

“My progression from freshman year to senior is really worth it...I’m graduating with a

huge accomplishment we have been working for,” says You, the team captain for the past three years, who mainly plays girls doubles. She’s been playing badminton for fun ever since she was a little kid, but only began playing competitively in high school.

“Our team showed a lot of improvement,” said senior Sarah Chen, who plays mixed doubles.

This was the first time the Trojans beat Mt. Eden twice in a season. Usually the team loses to the Monarchs.

Congrats to the Trojans for the huge accomplishment.

By Bilal Messaoudi Staff Writer

Trojan boys ran, jumped, threw and vaulted all the way to victory on May 12, winning the varsity track and field league meet and taking home their first championship since the 2014 season.

Despite only winning first place in one event, the boys were able to beat out Bishop O’Dowd with a score of 101.5.

Austin Fields won the high jump and Trojans took second in the 1,600 meter race, shot put, and triple jump.

“Everyone competed well in every event and that was what got us to beat O’Dowd,” said distance coach Dino Cardiasmenos. “With the girls, we had really good marks but we still couldn’t overtake them.”

Abigail Arellano fights to get ahead in her relay race.

Bilal Messaoudi / Staff Writer

Trojan badminton team wins first league title since 1996

By Amina Moummad Staff Writer

A 22 year championship drought has finally ended for the the varsity badminton team.

The Trojans compiled a 14-1 record, finally defeated rival Mt. Eden and won their first league

Athletes of the Month

Track star Davis strives for success

By Young So Staff Writer

Young So / Staff Writer

Caleb Davis shows his game face at the league meet.

He sets his position on the ground, waiting for the gunshot… BANG! The gunshot fires and he sprints around the curve then quickly passes the baton. Caleb Davis is a sophomore at CVHS and he’s a diligent track runner for the school. Davis is seen by his peers as a motivating studentathlete.

Davis initiated his track career through the motivation given by his father who also ran in high school and has contin-

ued through the support of his friends and family.

“The things that motivate me are my coaches and my hopes of going to college for sports like basketball or track,” said Davis.

He hopes to gain the opportunity of competing in the Meet of Champions or the State Meet. His drive to succeed can be seen clearly through his accomplishments in track.

In Davis’ freshman year, he made it onto the varsity team and was able to improve enormously as a result. He was able

able to climb the ladder up to North Coast Section with his team. He holds a personal record of 5 feet 10 inches in the high jump, a solid 11.9 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and a 53.6 seconds for the 400-meter run.

Davis specializes in the high jump where he hopes to achieve 6 feet 6 inches and also participates in the 4-by400-meter relay. Davis is amazingly talented for his age and a flexible student athlete who will continue to grow and improve.

Le makes a splash for CVHS

By Shaelly Adams Staff Writer

From being on the varsity swim team since her freshman year, junior Cynthia Le is a swimmer who stands out amongst her peers.

When Le was younger she started taking lessons until her coaches persuaded her to join a club team. She has been swimming with the team East Bay Bat Rays for the past nine years.

Outside of the high school team, Le is an athletic repre-

sentative who takes care of conference calls, works on a diversity committee, and wants to change the face of her swim league. She takes pride in a program she is creating to bridge the gap between age groups.

But her true passion for the sport is also evident in the way she trains.

“Swimming on a club team is all about individuality. It’s exciting to do sprint based workouts over yardage and distance. However I enjoy the high school team because

it’s more about winning as a team in dual meets,” Le states.

Le usually competes in the 100 freestyle (her best time is 57 seconds) and the more challenging 200 freestyle (personal best of 2 minutes and 7 seconds).

Le explains she is sad to see her senior teammates go away, but is excited to be swimming with some new faces doing what she loves, and being a resource outlet for all.

Shaelly Adams / Staff Writer

Cynthia Le enjoys being a team player for CVHS.

7 Habit Burger hits Castro Valley

By Sam Ahn Staff Writer

Originating from the coastal t o w n o f S a nt a Ba r b a r a , expanding overseas into the United Kingdom and now making its way into Castro Valley, Habit Burger offers a variety of charbroiled burgers with its trademark smoky taste and distinctive crisp freshness. Already offering a free order (under $10) to the members of Charclub, a club exclusive to avid Habit goers and participating in a fundraiser for CVHS where all profit made is funded to the high school, this local friendly restaurant made its grand opening on May 2.

The Charburger stands till today, as the symbol of Habit Burger. From this single burger Habit established its trademark and with good reasons too. The now famous Charburger boasts the typical flavorfulness of a fast food burger and adds its own unique smoky and crispy taste.

This unique taste is due to the fact that every burger is cooked on a charbroiler grill, searing the smoke into the burgers and retaining its distinctive taste.

Soon the Charburgers attained the title of one of the tastiest burgers on the coast and from there the menu only kept expanding. Now at Habit you are able to order a variety of different types of Charburgers including the BBQ Bacon Charburger with crisp bacon and caramelized

By Milagros Aquino Staff Writer

Sam Ahn / Staff Writer

Delicious burger shop comes to Castro Valley onion, Teriyaki Charburger with grilled pineapple and the classic Santa Barbara Char, all great quality for very reasonable prices. The menu doesn’t stop there as now you can also order aother dishes like chargrilled sandwiches, french fries, onion rings, chicken salad, malts and milkshakes.

“What makes Habit Burger different from the rest of the family restaurants in Castro Valley are our employees. They are very hardworking, the food is quality, absolutely everything is made fresh to order,” said Cindy Dunn, the manager of Habit Burger when asked about what makes Habit Burger special.

The staff was overwhelmingly friendly, and the restaurant itself presented itself as very clean with a tropical vibe. The

“A Quiet Place” makes loud impact

By Katelyn Wong

Staff Writer “A Quiet Place” is a new type of post-apocalyptic, horror film packed with emotion and a powerful storyline around topics of family and sacrifice.

Director John Krasinski plays the father and co-stars among Emily Blunt who plays the mother.

Additionally, the couple has three children including Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds, who is deaf in real life. She greatly helped with allowing the movie to accurately portray the life of a deaf adolescent.

Ironically, the movie contains very minimal dialogue due to the fact that the family has to stay to quiet in order to survive.

Throughout the entire film, they communicate using sign language and walk everywhere as quietly as possible in order to avoid the alien creatures that kill their prey at any sound made.

One of the most most heartwrenching scenes in the movie

“Overboard” overtakes the theatres

is when the young son in the family creates multiple loud noises with his toy rocket, inevitably leading to the soundhunting creatures on the track to murder.

Even though the theater may be extremely quiet, there’s no doubt that the amazing visual storytelling along with the expressional characters would evoke many emotions.

During an interview with TORYmax, Krasinski explained that the movie was “really about family...about the extremes that you would go to to protect your kids,” which adds to the sense of empowerment and intensity to the entire film.

In all, this movie is filled with numerous jumpscares and a unique plot. So if you’re looking for a good thriller or something to get you on the edge of your seat, then “A Quiet Place” is the perfect film to watch. And don’t worry if horror films aren’t your type, because this movie is unlike any other. Rate: 4/5.

Charburger, although a little too salty for me was, all in all, very flavourful and rich with fresh ingredients. The onion rings are semi-average but are in good taste if you’re looking for a quick snack.

The highlight for me however, was the milkshake. As an avid milkshake lover, I found the milkshake one of the best out there among fast food restaurants. On par with the In and Out milkshakes, it is thick with tasty cream and has its own distinct refreshingness about it.

If you’re looking for ice-cold drinks on a back drenching summer day and are not afraid to venture and try new things, I highly recommend the Habit Burgers handcrafted shakes which can be ordered in your choice of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha and coffee.

“Overboard,” directed by Rob Greenberg starring Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez, is a remake of the original “Overboard” that was originally released in 1987.

The film starts off with Anna Faris who plays Kate. Kate is a struggling and busy mom who is trying to become a nurse while working two jobs. Her job includes being a carpet cleaner and delivering pizzas. There’s only a month until the big nurse test and Kate’s mom decides to follow her dream of being an actor, leaving her to take care of her girls all alone. She ends up having to go on a yacht to clean carpets for Leonard, played by actor Eugenio Derbez. He is a spoiled man from a family controlling one of the largest businesses in the world.

Kate is cleaning the carpets when Leonard asks her to bring him fruit. When she refuses he fires her, and she refuses to get off the yacht unless paid. He pushes her off and throws her expensive borrowed cleaning supplies off as well. He ends up falling off the boat drunk and landing on a beach with amnesia. His sister goes to identify the man who has no memory but realizes that she can just say it isn’t him and get to own the family business. She

fakes his death when she comes home, saying he got eaten by a shark. Kate’s best friend and owner of the pizza place she works at tells her to pretend to be his wife. She does it and they end up falling in love only for him to find out the truth.

He leaves but Kate decides she loves him and he realizes the same. They then use a boat and honk the horn three times which was a story he told her with a deeper meaning. They then jump into the water, kiss, and she becomes a nurse after passing her test and he becomes the father of the girls. They end up selling the yacht which means they aren’t poor and have the wedding there.

The movie to me was overall a very enjoyable movie. I liked how since there was a Latino actor in the movie from Mexico, the filmmakers chose to have plenty of Spanish in it.

I also liked how the characters reversed because in the 1987 version she is the rich one.

Overall the movie was a good four out of five only because the ending was predictable and the originals are always better.

I recommend that people go out to watch the movie to see for themselves because everyone’s opinion is different and everyone has different taste.

Rate: 4/5.

“Deadpool 2” crazier than first

By Ria Panjwani

Online Editor “Deadpool 2” is not your typical superhero movie, as actor Ryan Reynolds embodies a persona in his characteristic suit that almost feels like stretch of his own.

“ audience ...the can see Reynolds’ heart ” and passion...

The film itself can only be described as cunning, out of the box, and humorous. Many people have asked, how does it compare with the first? Crazier.

It features Reynolds playing the character Wade Wilson, a Special Forces operative turned mercenary turned cancer patient turned mutant cancer patient creating Deadpool, also

known as Wilson with a mouth and a mask. The plot involves Wilson trying to fit with a superhero team, but being ousted due to his tendency to kill, rather than hurt. The plot follows him trying to save the life of a kid with whom he develops a close relationship with.

Another part aspect of the film that makes it that much more enjoyable is the fact that the audience can see Reynolds’ heart and passion in the movie.

He truly enjoys being in the suit, having the unique position

of making fun of all the other superhero films he wasn’t chosen to be part of.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Deadpool decides to assemble a superhero team and he satirizes the superhero industry by commenting, “They need to be young enough to carry this franchise for the next 10 years.”

I highly recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys cunning comedy and gory fight scenes, as it truly was an entertaining two hours. Rate: 4.5/5.

8 New CVTA president elected THE OLYMPIAN

June 1, 2018

Schedule changes after complaints SCHEDULE: from page 1 ing their time off. However, others claim that a two week gap between finals allow for students to prep for finals and ease the immediate pressure.

School administrators considered a later daily start and finish of the school day but decided instead to stay close to the current times.

But next year will probably see a seven minute passing period, and combined lunch every day.

Students will be given the option to express their opinion at the end of the school year whether they like the change or not.

“Leave my breaks alone!” replied junior Ying Gao, when asked how she felt about the upcoming schedule changes.

Like Gao, many students are advocating against the upcoming schedule changes as numerous students complained, especially in response to the change of combined lunch every day.

However, due to combined lunch being the key factor

to the schedule change, it is likely that it’ll be implemented despite the complaints.

Another major change is the insertion of a tutorial period on a trial basis in the fall and then twice a week throughout the spring.

“So basically what a tutorial period does is, it allows for students to catch up in classes that they may be lacking or need help in. For example on block days (theoretically) school will end at 3 p.m. instead of 2:30 p.m. adding the extra 30 minutes for the tutorial period which can be used to catch up for classes or make up work,” explained Gisela Sandoval, a counselor at CVHS. “Nothing is yet decided,” stated Assistant Principal Nicholas McMaster when questioned about the schedule changes.

“There were a lot of new ideas and we’ve been constructing the schedule, patching it then reconstructing it. We’re working extremely hard to come up with a schedule that’ll satisfy majority of the students.”

By Nathanial Ortiz Staff Writer

Mark Mladinich has been elected as the new president of Castro Valley Teachers Association (CVTA). Current president Roger Kim has announced he is stepping down.

Kim has decided to leave Castro Valley and take another job in the Mountain View-Los Altos District which offers better pay and benefits, he said.

"I'm sad that I won't be finishing my career in Castro Valley," said Kim, a social studies teacher. "I do not see a future here, and that is sad for our educators, but even worse for our students."

Kim believes CVUSD needs to raise teachers’ salaries to compete with surrounding districts. If this does not happen, he suggests that higher quality teachers will continue to leave for better districts, hurting both students and staff.

"I am the third CVTA president to leave the district for greener pastures," Kim said.

Mladinich has taught social studies at CVHS for 20 years and thanked Kim for his service.

"Mr. Kim has been an ex-

Nathanial Ortiz / Staff Writer

Mark Mladinich has been elected the new president of the Castro Valley Teachers Association. cellent voice for CVTA; there are big shoes to fill," said Mladinich.

Mladinich pointed out that he did not want to stray from Kim's work, but instead continue it into his presidency. He mentioned that he wanted to

continue to increase member and community involvement in the union.

"Just like the Golden State Warriors, I believe in strength in numbers," said Mladinich about his goal to increase engagement.

By Olga Buzueva

be elected.

Prior to an election, voters research in order to understand the full campaigns of the candidates.

While some of the current seniors planning on voting have yet to start this research, they understand it is a necessary part of the process.

“I was going to really read up and watch a lot of videos before I went to vote,” said senior Matthew Lubarsky.

While unclear about who they will be voting for, the voters do have some ideas of the traits they are looking for in a candidate.

“I’m looking for candidates who make their stance based on empathy, so as long as that’s the case, I’ll probably vote for them,” said Petalver.

Seniors participate in June election Staff Writer

The 2018 elections are coming up, with voting on June 5. Participants in voting will include many of the current 18-year-old seniors.

Many claim this opportunity to be an exciting and anticipated moment. “I think it is definitely a very big step. I’ve always wanted to start voting, even when I was really young,” said senior Cyan Petalver.

Other seniors echoed similar ideas and mentalities.

“I think it is a great opportunity to express my opinions,” said senior Mei Yi You. Some of the upcoming decisions include voting for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The new California governor will also