June 8, 2007

Staff gets strict with student drinking

By Alexandra Shiluk

Se P fo g. e rm 7 in or fo e .

Staff Writer

Chris (Hongzhe) Qian / Staff Writer

Junior Felicia Viveiros slides safely into home in the game against San Ramon Valley.

Baccalaureate honors graduates

By Amber Kury Staff Writer

Graduation is a very nerve wrecking and exciting time for seniors. On Sunday June 10, the Parent Teacher and Student Association (PTSA) will be sponsoring the Interfaith Baccalaureate, an annual event that will honor hard work of the graduating seniors. ”The Interfaith Baccalaureate was a great chance to experience lifelong advice and knowledge from learned people of many different religious backgrounds, and culminate my high school career with a sense of purpose.

Also, the Madrigals rocked,” said Eric Bugosh from the Class of 2003 and brother Parker Bugosh from the Class of 2006.

Superintendent James Fitzpatrick, Principal Lisa Garcia

and faith leader representatives from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist communities will participate in a service of celebration that will inspire, encourage, glorify, congratulate, and bless the graduating seniors.

The Baccalaureate has been a 25-year tradition since 1983. It is open to the community to celebrate with the seniors. Selected seniors will have the opportunity to give good-bye speeches. There will be performances by selected graduating seniors, as well as a choral performance by the CVHS Madrigals.

The speeches and entertainment will take place in the Center for the Arts from 2:00 p.m. to 3: 00 p.m. There will be a reception following the service in the cafeteria annex. During the reception from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.,

graduating seniors and their families and friends will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the faith leaders and school administrators, as well as enjoy refreshments.

The PTSA sponsored event gives the graduating seniors the closure needed to start the new and exciting chapter in their lives. The interfaith ceremony will give the graduating seniors the inspiration and courage to step into the world with their heads up. The ceremony will convey the deeper meaning of high school.

Graduating seniors will have the opportunity to reflect upon this important time in their lives. They will also have the opportunity to say meaningful good byes to friends, families and their high school experience.

CVHS administration, wishing to impress upon prom-goers the dangerousness and illegality of underage drinking, instituted a stricter policy for this year’s Senior Ball, banning alcohol consumption prior to prom. Though administrators stationed a breathalyzer at the prom entrance, no students were found to be intoxicated upon entering prom.

Administrative actions at Castro Valley High School mirror the growing trend in intolerance for underage drinking and are part of a broad movement by schools in recent years to prevent alcohol consumption at pre-prom parties.

The administration’s efforts throughout senior ball included mandating the signing of contracts that pledged good behavior and conducting sobriety tests at prom entrances. Officials did not test students randomly, however, but breathalyzed every 40th prom-goer in boy/girl order.

“I’m not trying to be unrealistic about underage drinking. I realize it happens,” said Assistant Principal Sue Goldman. “At the Junior Prom there was an issue with alcohol and we do not want

anybody to get hurt. I want to make sure that everyone who comes to Senior Ball gets home safely and sober.”

Goldman was active in the administrative-backed compulsory ban of alcohol on prom night, and was present at the dance’s entrance with a portable Breathalyzer kit – prepared to inspect any students who showed even minimal signs of drunken behavior.

“They came up to me and said ‘you need to come with us quickly,’” said senior Ryan Turner on being breathalyzed.

“I think it might have been because I was wearing stunner-shades.”

Students who were breathalyzed and found to have an abnormal alcohol content in their blood would have been unable to walk during their graduation ceremony.

Administrators also anticipated students sneaking alcohol into the prom-site and endeavored to prevent this by padding down male students and searching any girls' purses and bags.

“If people snuck alcohol in that’s very, very disappointing,” said Goldman. “The whole point of this policy was to keep

Facebook keeps graduates in touch

By Candace Wong Business Manager

Many CVHS graduates have moved on to better and brighter things. But who at CVHS knows what happened to them?

Few graduates have been traced to how they are doing now. But many of them have become very successful. After graduation, many students are never to be heard of again or are very difficult to keep in touch with. CVHS is determined to find out how and where these ex-students are doing now.

As part of the Small Learning Communities, science teacher Richard Schneck is planning to start an account on Facebook.

This account will invite those who are graduating from CVHS to keep in touch with other graduates.

“We hope the class of 2007 can keep in touch with each other on this website, as well as

give CVHS some information on how they are doing,” explained Schneck.

Currently, Schneck has two teacher aids working on setting up this new Facebook account and plans to spread the word to economics and government classes before students graduate this year in order to stay in contact with them.

Although Schneck feels this is a good idea, some students may disagree.

“I think doing that puts a bunch of unneeded pressure on high school graduates who are already nervous about going to college. It's like the school is putting a tracking device on us.

If we want to report how our lives are going that's fine, but I think using a Facebook to track people is excessive,” said senior Chen Wang.

The main reason for creating this Facebook account is to allow students who feel they are suc-

cessful in their post high school career, such as college or work, to be able to inform CVHS regarding their success. Also, if they feel as though their experience in CVHS was “meaningful,” then they can enlighten the high school so they can know what to improve on or keep doing.

Though we have lost contact with many of the graduates from CVHS, we still have more to come. The soon-to-come Facebook account will be something students can use to keep in touch with their high school life.

In Memory of Evan Macht. ~Rest in Peace~

Tim Buhlig / Staff Writer

A professional cowboy competes in the event of saddle bronco riding.

See Pg. 2 for more info.

Rowell Rodeo rallies crowd

Then the cowboy has to jump off his horse, run over, and very Staff Writer quickly tie the steer’s legs after th knocking it over. The cowboy to The 87 Rowell Ranch rodeo do this in the fastest amount of on May 19 and 20 were days time wins the event. filled with blood, sweat, tears, Bull riding was success and failby far my personal ure. The events favorite event. I of the rodeo were respect the people bareback bronco who do this event riding, steer wresbut also think they tling, team roping, are crazy. The obsaddle bronco ject is to stay on riding, tie down the bucking bull roping, bull ridfor eight seconds, ing, and wild cow g e t s c o re d , a n d milking. win by having the Bareback riding highest score.Wild is dangerous and cow milking was can easily result in great. A team event injuries if the peragain, one person is son don’t know on a horse and one what you’re doTim Buhlig / Staff Writer is on foot. ing. The competiA professional cowboy competes in the saddle bronco They have to get tor sits on the back milk from a wild of a bucking horse riding event. cow. The person on with the objective of the heeler, has to get his rope the horse has to rope the cow staying on for eight seconds. around the two hind legs of the around the neck. The other man, If you can hold on for eight secsteer. This, once again, is a time the mugger, has to try and keep onds, then you are given a score event, and the fastest pair wins. the cow still. The cowboy on the by the judges and the highest Saddle bronco riding is much the horse has to jump off and try to score wins. same as bareback riding except milk the cow, and then run to Steer wrestling is also very for the fact that you are in a sadthe judges so they can see if he dangerous and takes a great dle instead of on the horse’s back. has milk. amount of skill and dedication.

The cowboy still has to stay in the “Wild cow milking was my The cowboy who is doing the saddle for the eight seconds and favorite because it’s a real man’s wrestling has to jump off of a the highest score wins. sport,” said junior Jackson Philhorse onto a running steer. Once Tie down roping takes a lot of lips, and I would have to agree. he has hold of the steer, he has to muscle, effort, and talent. The The rodeo is good wholesome wrestle it to the ground. The cowcowboy competing must first fun and if you didn’t go this boy who does this in the fastest get a rope around the steer’s neck year you should definitely go amount of time wins the event. and stop it from running away. next year.

Team roping takes a lot of

By Tim Buhlig

skill and hours of practice. The team consists of two cowboys.

The cowboys have two different jobs to do. One of them has to get his rope around the steer’s head, while the second person,

Student CD is “otherworldly”

of his work on his own, using minimal equipment, including a Copy editor freeware audio program called Audacity to “make things sound as otherworldly and out there as possible.”Indeed, “otherworldly” and “out there” describe Three EP near perfectly.

Though the disc is unlike When senior J Ericson sent his latest musical endeavor, a anything I already have in my CD entitled Three EP by his solo personal music collection, it would be a lie to say m u s i c p ro j e c t that I do not admire Abrasions, to Ericson for the effort the Olympian ofand emotion he has fice, nary a soul put into his works. dared review it The three tracks on due to its near Three EP are lowindescribability. fidelity, tonal songs The homemade, with metaphorical handmade CD lyrics that conjure ended up on my u p “ re l e n t l e s s l y desk at home, dark, depressive and and after a few lonely” images. The listens, this abstract, fleeting Chris (Hongzhe) Qian / Staff writer influence of groups such as Pink Floyd, work can finally J Ericson Nine Inch Nails and be reduced to The Cure is apparent, with its words.

Ericson, who is Abrasions, own DIY twist. Even if Three EP has been writing and recording is not musically my own cup of music for a little over a year. tea, it is evidence that CVHS “Music has been the driving has more creative souls than force in my life for years now, just those who win Battle of the and it made perfect sense for me Bands. Ericson is working on a the day I decided to finally sit full-length album but is not sure at my keyboard and start play- when he will finish. Abrasions ing,” he said. Ericson writes, can be found online at http:// records, edits, and packages all www.myspace.com/abrasions.

By Dawn Berden

Teachers give aid to African students

By Esther Lee Staff Writer

Teachers Kelly Abbott and Sherry Vargas are going to spend their summer in Kenya educating secondary school children. They will be staying at a house situated on the school campus and receive food and board.

The school will decide which course Abbott teaches. She will most likely be teaching math, but the level varies, since the Kenyan education system is different from America’s.

Abbott will spend one month at the school, while Vargas is planning to spend six weeks volunteering. In addition to volunteering at the school, Abbott will be going on a week long safari in Kenya and Tanzania.

She will also explore Egypt for two weeks. She expects the total duration of the trip to last almost two months.

Abbott has been volunteering her summers helping school children for four years. She has taught in Mexico, India, and Costa Rica. She enjoys helping people and making memories she to share with her students.

Her goals for her trip include bringing the knowledge of Americans and education to Kenya. She’d also like to bring back stories to share with her students in America. Journey-

ing to third world countries also gives Abbott a fresh perspective on life.

“I want to do something out of the United States, partly because I love traveling and partly because I get to pass knowledge learned abroad to CVHS students,” said Abbott.

She participates in Days of Diversity and presents students with the experiences and wisdom she accumulated over the summer.

Another CVHS teacher, Christine Nandi, is involved in the preparations concerning Kenyan students. Nandi set up an organization to sponsor Kenyan schoolchildren for $400 a year. The $400 covers uniforms, books, and school fees for the student. The program has been running for five years. Last year the faculty sponsored twenty students.

“It’s really the sponsors that make this possible,” said Nandi.

Staff members Lynne Tierney, Peter Brewer, Jean Emrich, Pat Parker, Kathy Failing, Ovida de Julia, Glenn Mitchell, Ginny Wilson, Tracy Fields, and Jennifer Webber all participated in the program.

CVHS students interested in helping Kenyan schoolchildren can participate in fundraisers next year or directly sponsor them.

Language classes overcrowded

By Candace Wong business manger

By and by, CVHS has collected a large student body, and a majority of students have opted to take one of the many languages offered at this high school.

However, unlike Spanish, language classes such as French, American Sign Language, or German have combined classrooms for different levels of their language.

This may or may not serve as a problem for the students and teachers in these classes.

These language teachers have had their many levels of language classes combined into one.

It may seem easy at times, but other times there can be a bit of a separation in the classrooms.

Many students find it difficult to concentrate when half the class already knows the material while the other half has yet to learn it.

As of now, ASL 3, 4 and AP ASL are combined into one class.

Some students feel that they are able to learn more from the upper level students.

However, other students have differed regarding this situation.

“There shouldn’t be that many students in any class, except

maybe a P.E. class, but I guess (teacher Ovida) de Julia makes it work pretty well,” said junior ASL student Jessica Day. Not only are the ASL classes struggling over this issue, but also the French and German classes.

As of now, German 1 and 2 are combined into one class. Because not many students opted to take German, the school limited the course to one German class, allowing fewer students to advance to higher levels of German - hence cramming two levels of German into one class.

“The attention of the teacher split, like, if she helps one half of the class, the other half would have to learn the material on their own. For me, I work well alone but it may be harder for students who need more guidance. It takes a lot of self-determination,” claimed junior German student Ivan Tiet.

As German teacher Barbara Klews faces a large class every day, French teacher Theresa Marshment carries the heavy load of three French classes combined into one class. The three French classes Marshment has grouped into one consist of 18 French 3 students, four French 4 students, and six AP students.

Marshment claimed that this

particular mix of classes was an administrative and/or a scheduling decision and not hers, because of the small number of students enrolled in French 4 or AP French.

Marshment’s main concern for her students is if they all can stay on task. Because French is an extremely oral, aural, and activity based course, it is important that the students get a taste of all three of these parts. But with the “three-way combination” of classes, students are less likely to present the oral and aural section of the course. Marshment said that “control” is not an issue for her but her main target is to “choreograph” the class so that each and every group is able to have a constructive class.

Although this problem has been around for a while at CVHS, teachers have found ways to work around the issue and deal with the problem as it is. However, the matter still seems to frustrate students and teachers. Many students hope to have student expansion in the minority languages or at least have one class for each level of the language.

“This is not an ideal situation…the students and I our doing our best to make it work,” explained Marshment.

Spiderman caught in a web of mediocrity

By Kevin Hanley staff writer

Spiderman 2 was one of those rare movie sequels that was better than the original. Sadly, Spiderman 3 does not duplicate that success and improve on the two previous Spiderman installments.

Quite the opposite in fact, Spiderman 3 is enjoyable, but nowhere near the level of the previous two Spiderman movies.

I’ll start with the positive aspects of Spiderman 3, as there are several. First of all, the two lead actors, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, have perfected their roles as Spiderman and Mary Jane Waston respectively and their acting really comes across as genuine.

Secondly, this movie does outdo its precursors in one way: the action. The super hero vs. super villain brawls in Spiderman 3 are bigger, badder, and more intense than any in the previous two movies.

Now for the not-so-good-

aspects of Spiderman 3: the first hour or so of the movie is boring.

Besides one awesome, if a bit overlong, fight scene between Spidey and Green Goblin, the movie runs along with no clear direction until Peter Parker gets his black Spider Suit, which is when things start to pick up.

Also, there are just too many villains in the movie such as the Green Goblin, Sandman, and Venom. Some of the bad guys from the third film seem to have been thrown in just for the hell of it. Sandman in particular seems to be in the movie just because the director felt like putting him in. Other characters, like Gwen Stacy and Venom, are severely underused to the point where you wonder what the point of putting them in the movie was at all.

There’s no denying that Spiderman 3 is flawed, and when compared to the first two movies, it is rather unimpressive. However, it is still enjoyable and very clever in parts, and I urge you to see it if you enjoyed the first two movies.

Just don’t expect it to live up to the first two Spiderman films.

Book breaks barriers

By Ellen Yau Opinion editor

The wording and the way things are structured can make or break the readability of the things in written form. For example, the great and, might I add, deliciously enjoyable read Emma may put off those who find the classical English unintelligible, which happened to me several times before I actually finished the book. This time around for the novel Their Eyes Are Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, it was easy to get over the language difference.

The words are simply in the colloquial speech of the southern 1930s. There aren’t “I’s” but “Ah’s,” no “what’s” but “whut’s” and no “they’s” but “dey’s.”

Now really, isn’t the effort to get over these little departures from our day-to-day use of “correct” English worth it? According to senior Antonio Gomez, “Heck, it killed me reading it but it was worth it. When you get over the dialogue then it is a good book about the universal experiences

of pain, happiness, love and lost.”

Janie is raised by her caring grandmother and lives a “normal” life with nice white landowners where she didn’t even know she was black until a photograph of all the children on the plantation showed that she was darker than the white kids.

Her grandmother, to ensure a life not under the whites, saved up money to buy a plot of land.

When Janie kisses a boy over her grandmother’s gate, she enters adulthood. Her grandmother thinks it is time for her to be married and Janie begins her search for love and happiness.

Like Gomez says, it’s worth it. Nevertheless, like any other book, not everything about it can be praised. All books have something in them that people can criticize on; it’s only that the great books simply have fewer things to criticize about.

For one, I wasn’t satisfied with Janie’s life. It wasn’t the fact that she jumped from husband #1 to husband #2 to husband #3 the way she did, disregarding her late grandmother’s efforts and dream to have her sit up there on a throne.

It also wasn’t the things Janie did in life but how the events of her life were portrayed. Hurston’s lack of making Janie’s life

experiences any more significant than her daily chores was something I mulled over after finishing the book.

Was it accidental or intentional that Hurston downplays Janie’s marriages and the deaths in the novel when she could have easily given it the same focus that she did concerning Janie’s dreams?

And why is it that Hurston makes Janie passively let the occasions fly by her? No red anger, no stabbing pain, no horrific wailing of sorrow.

And then it clicked. C’est la vie. That’s life. That’s how the system works. The events of the ordinary, the usuals, and the regulars pass through the lenses of time and history like a speck of dust; not making any difference to the entire scope. With that we should learn to live and let go.

Hurston, despite writing fiction, was implementing the way life just happens to be.

Albeit the book’s lesson is of a black woman’s struggle with love and the racial chains of society in the 1930s, an entirely different world from today, it still comes down to the basic line of living the life we want and that message, to do what one desires, within itself is powerful.

Janie listened to her heart and did what was meant for her to do. What about you?

By Becky Chao

be disappointed. Captain Jack Sparrow was not a major character in At World’s End. Where was his double-crossing? Why were his jokes so pathetic? Even Captain Barbossa was a better pirate than Jack was in this movie.

Most of the jokes were from the monkey named Jack, not the seemingly constantly drunk and formerly cuttingly witty fellow.

The villains became jokes.

Davy Jones, chief evil guy in Dead Man’s Chest, was little more than a reluctant lackey to the Men in Wigs. Also, the new evil guy, the fearless Captain Sao Feng of Singapore, wasn’t a real addition to the movie. His threat to the other character disappears quickly. In fact, the producers should have left him out. They could have concentrated on the rest of the antagonist cast and saved some time.

Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones makes an appearance as Jack Sparrow’s daddy. It was an interesting little bit, but he doesn’t have to do anything with the plot. Within minutes, Richards’ cameo is forgotten.

Not everything about this movie was terrible, though. The amazing sceneries and elaborate costumes are up to par with the last two.

When the movie was over, I waited for the scene after the credits and even watched most of the credits roll off the screen before deciding that going to the restroom was more important.

Pirates walk the plank in third film staff writter

Boring is the best word to describe Pirates of the Carribean At World’s End. The movie never ascended to an exciting climatic level and it just wouldn’t end.

The (hopefully) last sequel to Curse of the Black Pearl starts off nicely with a creepy pirate-hanging scene that ends with singing and hope, reminiscent of the first scene in Black Pearl. The importance of the scene was obvious: the time of free pirates ruling the open ocean is coming to an end.

The Men in Wigs are in charge now, unless the pirates all band together and stop them.

In the second installment of this series, pirate Jack Sparrow was eaten by a gigantic sea monster called the Kraken and his crew realized they wanted him back. Captain Barbossa, who happened to be an evil guy in Black Pearl, returned from the dead to help out, thanks to the Jack’s friend Tia Dalma, a swamp lady and major character.

The new plot is confusing and it is very hard to keep track of every character’s motives and location. Fighting and swashbuckling came in smaller doses and packaged scenes.

Even Johnny Depp’s fans will

Mind of Malena

By Malena Bell Sports Editor

Left vs right Alexandra Shiluk / Staff Writer

By Kevin Hanley Staff Writer

On May 15, 2007, Jerry Falwell died. Who is Jerry Falwell, you ask? He was a preacher and televangelist who, in the 70’s, mobilized the religious right and turned them into the mighty political force they are today.

The reason partial birth abortions were banned? Jerry Falwell.

The reason gay marriage and even civil unions are illegal in most of the 50 states? Jerry Falwell. The reason the president of the United States did not, until recently, admit that global warming exists? Jerry Falwell.

Good riddance, I say. The neo-conservatives and religious right are doing serious damage to America with their bigoted, narrow-minded, and ignorant views on topics like abortion, homosexuality, and the Iraq war.

The religious right wields immense power in America. A Republican presidential candidate cannot get the nomination without catering to the narrow views of the religious right. John McCain, the second most popular Republican presidential nominee behind Rudy Giuliani, called Falwell and the religious right “agents of intolerance” while running for president in the year 2000. He lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush.

Now that McCain is once again

a presidential candidate, he has recanted that statement, as well as some of his more moderate beliefs, in order to get the presidential nomination.

Bottom line: if you’re a Republican presidential candidate, and you publicly disagree with the religious right, you won’t get the Republican Party nomination. That’s the amount of power Jerry Falwell’s religious right possesses.

In addition to shaping conservative Christians into a powerful political force that is able to make its ridiculous and narrow-minded whims into laws, Jerry Falwell was also prone to ridiculous statements in the vein of Pat Robertson, a neo-conservative television talk show host. Referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, Falwell is quoted as saying, “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union], People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘You helped this happen.’”

Though Falwell is now dead, the damage has already been done to our country, and I for one will not mourn his passing.

By Hayden Folks Staff Writer

Though full of flaws and poorly run, the war in Iraq was and is worth fighting.

The United States had good reason to go to war. The possibility that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was a danger to the safety of our country. Although it turned out that they had none, it was necessary to check out the threat. It was not only the CIA that was believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, but intelligence agencies from many allying nations also agreed.

Also, it was not a bad thing to get Saddam out of power.

He funded terrorism and let his country be a haven for terrorists.

Saddam was also responsible for a terrible genocide against the Kurds. He used poison gas to exterminate towns. Toxic gas is not even considered moral for war. He also put people in meat grinders and had many other terrible punishments.

Many Democrats and some Republicans support pulling out of Iraq. Hillary Clinton says, “When I am president I will pull the troops out.” I am afraid that this would be a foolish endeavor.

I truly believe Clinton means well. The problem is that if we pull our troops back, the terrorists will follow us back to the U.S.

It is true there is still violence and chaos in Iraq, but there has not been another attack on American soil since Sept. 11. Our troops have been successful in keeping the terrorists over there.

We also have a moral obligation to the people of Iraq. We have overthrown their government and now we have to give them order. Pulling out would make it so all the soldiers who have died, died in vain. It would mean that their sacrifice meant nothing.

The war in Iraq has not been a complete failure, even though it is riddled with problems. We have overthrown the dictator and, according to polls, although life is not good over there, it is still better than it was under Saddam. I heard this story from a veteran at a Memorial Day service I attended: in the Ambar province of Iraq, terrorists would kidnap babies and put bombs in them. When the mother saw her child in the street and ran to it, the terrorist would set the bomb off. Since the U.S. occupation there has been none of that.

I believe that there is a possibility that we can still turn this war around. The troop surge has reduced the violence except for the month of February, which was especially violent.

The US should stick it out for the people of Iraq and our own national pride.

Standardized testing could have been a good idea.

The principle of standardized testing, to provide a fair basis for equally comparing students, was not terrible.

But do standardized tests do a good job of accurately portraying a student’s knowledge?

There are a number of equality issues related to tests like the STAR exam, SAT, SAT subject tests, and AP subject tests.

These issues may be resolvable, but right now the tests are unequal and unfair.

Some people are simply poor test-takers. Some students need more time than that allotted; some have difficulty understanding the confusing questions that are thrown into the test, and some simply blank out.

Even the brightest of students can forget information due to stress during a high-stakes test.

These students have a significant disadvantage to students who have good test-taking skills. Due to these differences among students, high-stakes tests are inherently inaccurate.

Students can pay for tutors and books to help them prepare for tests like the SAT and AP subject tests, and the students who do use these services get higher scores on average.

Many people, however, don’t have the money to get a tutor, or buy the expensive books for all of their tests. Taking into account the high costs of the tests, they might also only be able to afford taking a test once, where other students can take the same one several times to try for a higher score.

When people can buy good test scores, how are these tests providing a fair basis for comparison?

These high-stakes tests should be providing a fair and unbiased way to compare students’ knowledge and abilities.

Especially when they are being used as a major factor in determining college admissions, there must be equality in them, or they must be eliminated as a factor in college admissions.

Considering all the factors that make these tests so unfair to many students, why do colleges still insist on depending upon these tests for college admissions? Not only are these tests unfair, but they show very little about how well a student will perform in the real world.

The only thing these tests measure is the ability of students to bubble in scantrons.

Well, I suppose our generation will be full of talented scantron bubblers. Because how could we possibly prepare ourselves better for the real world than by bubbling in a scantron?

Would-be artists vandalize bathrooms

By Sophiana Carrell Staff Writer

If students believed everything they read, then “Suzy is a whore,” “Ben is a fag,” and “Jennifer is a slut.”

Yes, one can learn a lot while using the bathrooms at CVHS. As I notice that every stall is covered in permanent carvings, I question the motives of the students who have so generously decorated our facilities. I would like to personally express my gratitude to each one of these aspiring artists.

As I continue to ponder this expanding problem, I decide to give them the benefit of the doubt and consider this a “form of self-expression.”

Self-expression through art dates back to prehistoric times when cavemen would depict their lives though drawings on cave walls.

Millions of years later, cave drawings morphed into tree carvings, when lovers would scratch their initials in the bark of oak trees, preserving their legacy for thousands of years to come.

Maybe that’s it. Are CVHS girls just trying to establish their own personal “legacy” by

scraping phrases into the stall walls? Is this our generation’s way of “leaving our mark on the world?”

However, if this particular theory holds true, then I must ques-

“Why would

anyone want to be remembered as the girl who informed us of Jennifer’s sluttiness?

”

tion why anyone would want to be remembered as “the girl who informed us of Jennifer’s sluttiness.” Is that your significant contribution to society?

Recently, the CVHS administration decided they had had

enough of this vandalism and proposed a possible solution: to close down the bathrooms.

While I completely understand their motives and applaud the staff for taking the initiative, I couldn’t help but think, “There must be a better solution,” as I painfully held my bladder throughout the day.

I don’t think students realize the severity of their actions.

While these vandals may not consider it a big deal, their choice of using bathroom stalls and keys instead of paper and pens is costing the school serious amounts of money.

Their “pieces of art” aren’t easy to efface, either. The only way to cover this type of graffiti is to paint over the indentations and, considering that new phrases are added to the walls daily, this method would be impractical.

The only hope for the restoration of the stalls is for these “artists” to join a real art class on campus and express themselves through a less disturbing and more mature way.

But until that happens, I’ll just continue to multitask while visiting our bathrooms: relieving my bladder and catching up on some “light reading.”

Physical education at CVHS is an exercise in futility

By Alexandra Shiluk Staff Writer

I am looking forward to being a senior next year: homecoming, senior ditch day, and another mandated, nonsensical semester of P.E..

As a third year varsity soccer player, what really does P.E. do for me? Why should anyone who plays a competitive sport have to spend 15 percent of their school day doing… doing what? Nothing.

P.E., as mandated by the state of California, is a joke. What is the objective of P.E. at CVHS? The goal is to meet the standards set by the state. No more and no less.

What does P.E. stand for anyway? Physical education.

Maybe the school should be educating us about physical activity as opposed to obstinate, half-hearted attempts at physical activity. Maybe they should teach us about resting heart rate and the burning of calories. Maybe they should teach us how not to get fat.

The current standard of physical education is a knee-jerk reaction to obesity and is consistent with America’s growing trend

towards weight-gain. Physical education, as it is currently set up at Castro Valley High, is a waste of everyone’s time. It does not teach anyone anything about physical related activity and it does not even help those who are overweight.

Such a lackadaisical outlook on physical activity is how a country becomes obese. We live in a society that has the most calories available per person in the history of mankind. The U.S. produces 5,000 daily calories per person. This includes adults, the elderly, infants, and newborn babies. Health-conscious magazines promote the consumption of, on average, 2,000 calories per day. It is impossible and unreasonable to assume anybody could consume 5,000 calories, on average, daily.

So what do we, as Americans, do with this excess food? We either toss it in the garbage, or store it as fat. And if we, as students, are taking P.E. in California, this blubber is not going anywhere.

Yes, after three semesters of P.E., I know how long it takes me to walk one lap around the track with my friends. I know that I have 30 minutes, three times more time than needed, to get

dressed and to my number for roll. I know how to play obscure sports like volley-tennis, but I do not know and never learned how many calories it would take me to walk that same lap around the track. And I do not know how to find my basal metabolic rate, or my maximum heart rate. I do not even know how to prevent myself from overtraining in the gym.

It is unbelievable in this day and age that “Physical Education” does not teach these subjects. If, instead, P.E. was transformed into a four-semester course which focused on teaching the basics of physical training and activity, then any student could leave school with a competent knowledge of physical activity and conscious weight management.

In this way, you can actually take your theoretical knowledge and apply it in real life: taking your pulse, managing your weight, working out in the gym, balancing your diet.

Sure, I learned how to play badminton, but what else did I learn about the importance of maintaining my health and fitness and increasing my knowledge of physical activity?

Breathalizing bogus Editorial: This year at the senior ball, just about every 40th student in line at the entrance was breathalyzed, a move that created some buzz before the ball, with announcements being made about it nearly every day.

No students were caught with alcohol on their breath; however that didn’t stop some from sneaking liquor in the dance anyway.

While most boys entering the event were patted down to make sure that they weren’t concealing any flasks or miniature bottles on them, girls only had to open

up their purses to be let inside, something that some girls took advantage of; they tucked flasks into their garters or even into their bras.

We at The Olympian feel that enforcing the drinking laws by using breathalyzers was a good idea, but that they should have been used more frequently and not just at the entrance of the ball.

If the administration really is so serious about cracking down on student drinking, they should be more stringent in their approach and really go after those students who are equally determined to get in a little drinking during the dance.

Individual kindness makes world brighter

By Esther Lee Staff Writer

The charred wreckage of the MacArthur Maze left many commuters confused and worried.

Heavy traffic was expected and people had to adjust their routes by finding alternate ways to arrive at their destination. Some relied on BART and buses, while others stayed home and took a day off from work.

One truck driver ’s mishap affected millions of Bay Area inhabitants. One person’s actions were all it took to make a difference in the lives of numerous people. If people committed those catastrophic actions every day, the world would be a much more complicated place. But the effects don’t always have to be negative. One person has the potential to positively affect the people around them.

Acts of kindness occur every day and give happiness to all those concerned. Larry Stewart, who played Secret Santa during

Editor-In-Chief Flora Tsang City Editor Mari Robinson News Editor Gray Bae Opinion Editor Ellen Yau Feature Editor Kamry Zhang Sports Editor Malena Bell Copy Editors Dawn Berden Kyle Friedrich Photo Editor Saritha Kosarussavadi Systems Manager Gray Bae Business Managers Michelle Matsui Candace Wong

Staff Writers Tim Buhlig

Julianne Burnette Sophiana Carrell Becky Chao

Hayden Folks Kevin Hanley Amber Kury Esther Lee

Stephanie Lombardo Laura Mitchell Ariel Navarro

Chris (Hongzhe) Qian Sholeh Salimi

Alexandra Shiluk Advisor Matt Johanson

the winter holidays, presented thousands of people with large bills, eventually giving away more than a million dollars. He wasn’t familiar with the people he gave money to; instead they were strangers he found at thrift stores and Laundromats. He wasn’t obliged to give his money away, yet he chose to do so because he felt that it was right.

When people go out of their way to do something nice for you, it shows that they care. They took time out of their day to do something special for you, to make you happy. With these kinds of actions, people’s deeds happily affect those around them.

Even though the truck driver’s actions caused the freeway damage, it resulted in some good.

CalTrans was happy to learn that BART and Muni ridership had increased as people searched for ways of avoiding anticipated traffic. From negative actions, positive consequences can occur, as long as you know where to look.

The Olympian is a student publication of the Journalism Class.

Castro Valley High School 19400 Santa Maria Ave. Castro Valley, CA 94546 © 2007 The Olympian welcomes letters to the editor and reserves the right to edit letters for libel, spelling, grammar, length and style. Please limit letters to 200 words.

All letters to the editor must be signed. Submit letters to cvhsolympian@yahoo.com or The Olympian office in room 113.

Top 10 jobs for summer

By Ariel Navarro Staff Writer

10. Fast Food Worker: Would you like fries with that? Yes, you are contributing to childhood obesity and yes, your face is one giant zit, but hey, you’ll have money for that piece of crap car your parents refuse to pay for.

9. Lifeguard: “WALK” will become your most often used word and sunscreen will be your best friend. Your tan is fabulous, but alas, with global warming the tan will inevitably develop into skin cancer.

8. Babysitter: Taking care of little Johnny and Susie might seem to be fun, but when little Johnny decides to stuff a quarter up his nose and precious little Susie is playing with her mommy’s Manolo Blahniks, ten bucks is really not that much money, 7. Waitress/Waiter: Tips are the main and only reason for staying in the business of dealing with pushy impatient people.

Unfortunately, you actually have to be nice to the woman telling you that she wants a salad with no lettuce and you have to keep a smile on your face even when she tells you to take it back.

6. Grocery Store Bagger: Paper or plastic? You can

practice your ability to socialize with grown-ups and simply put cartons of milk and coco puffs in bags. You make money and friends at the same time. There’s a certain something about wearing the same stupid uniform that creates bonds between people.

5. Clothing Store Clerk: No, that color doesn’t wash you out at all, pasty white lady in the white dress.

Lies after lies earn you loads of money and you get to work in the air-conditioned world of the mall.

But alas, the employee “discount” ends up making you spend all of the money you just earned.

4. Record Store Worker: You learn about new bands and discover new genres of music like Russian ska while get getting paid.

But it’s the same deal as working at a clothing store; you end up spending more money on CD’s than mak-

ing money for college.

3. Camp Counselor: The pay is dismal but the smile on your campers face after he smears you with paint is all worth it. AND you get paid to sing songs and act like a little kid.

2. Lemonade Stand: You don’t need a work permit and you’re self-employed.

Squeeze lemons all day long and set your own prices. Five bucks for a glass of mediocre lemonade: good for you, bad for them.

1. Barista (Coffee Maker): Working for a life sucking corporate company like Starbucks really stinks but the pay and free caramel cappuccinos (not to mention hunky guys or girls ordering coffee from you all day long) makes the job number one on my list.

Athletes compete in NCS, Valentine to State

By Malena Bell Sports Editor

After excelling in the HAAL championships, the track team advanced 14 athletes to the NCS Meet of Champions, where they performed impressively.

“Everyone performed at just about their best or better than their best,” said coach Peter Brewer.

Junior Jack Leng placed second in the boys 3,200 meter run and freshman Pamela MacLeod placed sixth in the girls 3,200.

Each improved their personal record by nearly 15 seconds.

Many runners performed well, but sophomore Maurice Valentine was by far the star of the CVHS show.

He placed second in the 110meter high hurdles with a personal record of 14.56 seconds.

Even more impressive, Valentine won the high jump with a personal record of 6-6.

“I was confident but I didn’t want to be overconfident,” said Valentine on his success. “I was trying to be real positive.”

Valentine advanced to the state championships in both the 110 hurdles and high jump, an incredible accomplishment.

Although an occasional CVHS runner makes it to state, it is rare for him or her to actually win the event in NCS, so Valentine’s performance is excellent.

“I’ve always wanted to go to state ever since I was a little kid,” said Valentine.

Chris (Hongzhe) Qian / Staff Writer

Freshman Lauren Ermitano takes a cut during the NCS game against San Ramon.

Trojans edge San Ramon

By Hayden Folks Staff Writer

This year the Castro Valley High School team has been kicking butt. They have not only made it to NCS but they have also won two NCS games. This is the farthest they have been

since 1998.

Their success this year is due to several reasons. According to the coach it is because “We have a strong offense, a good pitcher, and a solid defense.” That is all anyone can ask for.

During the NCS game against the San Ramon Wolves, junior Jamie Esmeyer made a heroic catch, which gave Castro Valley the out they needed. It was plays like this that won them the game and shut out the other team.

As the fifth inning came the first run was made junior Jennifer Hepworth. At the end the Trojans won, 1-0. “We did an awesome job compared to last year. We cut the game in half,” said Esmeyer. Last year it took fourteen innings.

Starting pitcher junior Jessica Lemon was on fire this year.

Lemon pitched a closed-door game to the Wolves.

The encouragement and the spirit of the players in the dugout also helped to inspire their fellow teammates.

“We have a very close team, almost like a family,” said Lemon.

Next year they are expecting more success. There won’t be much change in the team’s structure due to the fact they only have one senior who is leaving.

The team unity will continue and they plan to do even better next year.

This year their league record is 15 wins and 2 losses.

Swimmers shave to success

By Stephanie Lombardo Staff Writer

Chris (Hongzhe) Qian / Staff Writer

Freshman Morgan Castain intercepts a pass during the last minute of play.

Powderpuff players impress

By Sholeh Salimi Staff Writer

Powderpuff football, the annual event where girls face each other in a rough and tumble game of flag football, took place on May 24. As always, the freshmen and juniors wore black and played the sophomores and seniors, who wore white.

At 5:30 p.m. the game started off with the singing of our national anthem and the introduction of the tough girls playing on both teams.

At 6:00 the game started with the sound of today’s hits, encouraging classmates and screaming parents in the background. Frantic coaches, like Nick Nordgren, Michael Proulx, Shane Dunnigan,

and Justin Meadows paced back and forth yelling football terms like “reverse” and “defense!”

The game started slowly. It wasn’t until after the second half when the teams started scoring. Sophomore Tearna Sankofa scored the first touchdown for the white team. From there the game turned more physical when the flag pulling turned to straight up tackling. It came to the point where a miniature fight broke out among some girls. The announcer had to repeatedly warn the girls, “You will be ejected from the game if you don’t pull flags.” The game picked up speed when freshman Micaela Castain scored the first touchdown for the black team,

Trojan athletes balance sports and academics

By Alexandra Shiluk Staff Writer

A day in the life of a scholar athlete mainly consists of hectic rushing, missing cleats, late night essays, strained muscles, and caffeinated drinks. Any other recreational activity is based upon and approved by a double standard: the unnatural blending of elite athletics and education. Nonetheless, and despite being displaced from their home fields this past season, Castro Valley High School boasts some of the most achieved sports teams in the league – with grade point averages averaging above a 3.0.

The girls tennis and basketball teams’ mean GPA was one of the highest in the HAAL this year – carried by several high achieving students including senior Jodie Tam, junior Jessica Endo, and senior Caitlin Dougan.This year’s girls varsity tennis team, apart from having a collective GPA of 3.68, placed second scholastically over all teams competing in North Coast Section, including Pleasanton and San Ramon schools.

Girls varsity basketball also maintained their high team GPA of 3.61 and subsequently placed

third scholastically in NCS. “I think it’s a great accomplishment,” said Athletic Director Marie Gray. “It’s really hard to balance sports and academics; anything around a 3.6 GPA is big.”

Statistics corroborate that 85 percent of Castro Valley High’s sports teams have a collective GPA of 3.0 or higher, an incredible achievement given the continuous struggle between sports and academics.

tying the score seven to seven.

With 36 seconds to go, the game threatened to go into overtime, but then Morgan Castain made the second touchdown for the black team, winning the game. Two awards were given to the girls who scored touchdowns. Sankofa received one, and the Castain sisters received one together.

At their HAAL championship meet on May 10, the CVHS Varsity boys swim team placed first and only trailed Bishop O’Dowd by seventeen points for the girls’ title.

“We’re really well rounded. We don’t really have a weak point,” said head coach Brian Berry.

The boys ended their season with a record of 6-0 and the girls with 5-1, which guaranteed them a bid to NCS on April 18 and 19.

There, one of the girls relay teams and all of the boys teams battled it out with schools from all over the North Coast.

Junior Sarah Hurtubise placed first in the 200 IM event and firstyear team member Junior Justin Cox placed first in the 200 individual medley.

“We did really well this season.

We came back after losing most of our Varsity swimmers last year,” said senior Devyn Mills.

What did the swim team do to prepare for NCS? Well, besides

their hours of practice, the girls and boys decided to shave off all the hair on their body in order to gain speed.

“It makes you go faster and helps you glide through the water,” said junior Maria Hasset.

“A lot of it is a mentality thing. It gets everybody into the spirit and it’s also a bonding thing,” said Mills.

Before the NCS meet, the team got together in the showers and began shaving off the hair on their arms and legs, including the boys.

“Some of them had to be held down or the girls had to talk them into it,” said Berry.

“I remember not wanting to do it either when I was a freshman.”

The swimmers were happy with their results in NCS, and hope to keep doing well in the years to follow.

“We have a really young team. Our program should continue to be strong,” said Berry.