March 25, 2005

FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2005

Volume 48, Issue 8

Castro Valley, CA 94546

Workers picket against non-union labor

By Amanda Gelender Staff Writer

Eric Lee / Art Editor

Angry teachers and workers picket in protest to the governor's new proposals.

Governor’s proposals cut back on funding Pensions, minimal budget for schools at risk

By Analisa Harangozo Business Manager

Due to the short notice of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 40-minute press conference held in American Blinds and Drapers Factory in Union City on March 2, not one CVHS teacher protested in regards to his three proposals at the press conference.

“This is not a teacher vs. administrative issue. This is a public education vs. the governor’s warped ideas,” CVHS teacher Rich Schneck said. “This is my penance for voting for the guy.”

The governor’s first proposal, “Automatic Spending Control Amendment,” will break apart Prop. 98 and its minimal funding guarantee to public education. The second proposal, directed to merit pay for teachers, will include a five-year tenure track, dismantle salary schedules, and pay teachers based on their students’ test scores. The last proposal regards the state employee pension system.

It would allow teachers to choose between funding retirement or a smaller salary.

“In my opinion, he appears to be doing these press conferences during teaching hours,” said Barbara Siegel, president of the Castro Valley Teacher Association. “We are going to be very proactive about this. We are not going to sit aside and let him destroy public school systems.”

Despite the lack of CVHS teachers, 300 protesters, which included the members of California School Employee Association, the Cali-

Non-Varsity players eligible to get jackets

By Katie Parr Staff Writer

Frosh-soph and JV athletes can purchase letter jackets without having actually earned a Varsity letter. The CVHS Student Store now sells participation blocks to non-Varsity athletes who want a jacket, but do not have a letter.

According to the CVHS physical education department, the new policy is a result of parental complaints. Most athletes make Varsity their junior year, and many parents believe that jackets are too expensive to be worn for such a short period of time. The cost of

the jacket itself plus the standard patches and first embroidery can already be well over $300.

Not many frosh-soph athletes showed interest in purchasing the new blocks. Some students question if non-Varsity athletes deserve a jacket at all.

Junior Danielle Blevins competes on the Varsity level in two sports. She believes the idea of the participation block is strange, but it doesn’t bother her. “Obviously if they’re willing to spend the money to get a jacket, then they are confident that they’re going to eventually make Varsity. They can

VARSITY: Page 8

fornia Nurses Association, firemen and police officers, showed up that day to give messages to the governor.

“We had a message to give the governor. As you saw, a lot of people came here today to tell the governor what their priorities are.

They wanted to let him know that we should make education, health care, and public safety top priority. The governor did not make himself available to the people who elected him. I don’t think that sent out a very good message,” said Ellen Corbett, former Assembly member of the 18th district (Castro Valley).

“We support the teachers. We object to his pension proposal, defunding of educations, and attack on teachers. He’s trying to end the law on how many patients a nurse can have and that’s mostly what we’re fighting about,” said Leah Rotchstein, one of the 50 members of the California Nurses Assosiation who protested.

A labor dispute over hiring nonunion workers for construction also ignited a conflict between CVHS Principal Debbie Coco and Joe Upchurch, a picketer.

On the morning of Friday, Feb. 25, students and teachers were greeted with picketers at the entrances of CVHS holding signs that read, “Kim Flooring’s 16th District is Unfair!”

The picketers are upset because Kim’s Flooring (the contracting company the district hired to do 800 hall construction) hired a nonunion floor contractor, according to Joe Upchurch, a representative/ organizer with District Council 16 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

“They’ve got a floor contractor who’s performing our work and behaving unfairly to his workers.

State law says that everyone who works on a publicly funded project must get paid for union wages and benefits,” said Upchurch.

He discovered the non-union workers during a routine visit to monitor the job the week of Feb. 14.

“The district is trying to get as good a deal as possible. While that is important, we believe it’s the district’s social responsibility to make sure every person working on one of their projects gets fairly compensated with wages and benefits,” said Upchurch.

No one from Kim’s Flooring Company or the Castro Valley Unified School District was available for comment regarding the picket.

On Tuesday morning, Coco had a clash with the picketers.

“When I arrived at school on

Tuesday, [the picketers] were fine,” said Coco. “I went over and introduced myself, and told them that I respected their right to picket, and asked them to please respect our teachers and not to smoke on campus.”

Upchurch was agitated about their interaction.

“It is unfortunate that the principal of this campus was so incensed by our presence that she felt the need to come to the picket and harass me on three separate occasions in the three and a half hours I was there,” said Upchurch.

“Her complaints about my lawful activities, conducted in the public right-of-way, certainly served no purpose for the students or faculty of this campus entrusted to her care.”

Coco said that one gentleman picketer continued to smoke at the entrance of the school.

He wanted to argue that he had the right to smoke.

Upchurch countered by claiming that he was in the public right-ofway: “an area defined as extending 30 feet from the centerline of the road onto the property,” he said.

“If people are going to picket on my campus, then you follow the rules. I have no problem with that,” said Coco.

“I always try to keep my professionalism intact.”

Coco said, “He’s just angry about the comment about the cigarette smoking. I even told him that if he wanted the kids to respect him, he shouldn’t smoke.”

“Our presence annoyed her, she did not want to overtly complain about our presence, she latched onto the smoking issue as a PC way to harass us without directly confronting the issue of the demonstration,” said Upchurch.

Sean Ryan / Photo Editor

Junior Rolando Lee performs Wushu with his sword for the Days of Diversity assembly.

2

OPINION

Friday, March 25, 2005

Much ado about patches

Editorial:

Until recently, block jackets were just a way to show off the Varsity letter, obtainable only through participation in a Varsity sport. Most students don’t compete at the Varsity level until their junior year, which doesn’t give them much time to show off their jacket.

Now, however, the student store will sell a participation patch for $4. This allows students to get more use out of their block jackets during the beginning of their school careers.

Instead of being useless without a Varsity letter, the block jackets will be respectable attire for even non-Varsity athletes.

There is still a concern about the jackets’ $200$300 price tag, but that hasn’t stopped students before.

We at The Olympian believe that it is a good idea to include all athletes in the glory usually associated with Varsity, via the participation patches.

Even non-Varsity athletes work hard and are committed to their respective sports.

Non-Varsity athletes deserve to have a way to show their commitment, and a participation patch is a great way to do it.

Missing: American freedoms, reward if found

By Stephanie Spitzer Staff Writer

LETTERS To the Editor

Dear Editor:

I really enjoyed reading today’s issue of The Olympian, especially the article on Senate Res. 1545 and House Res. 1684.

Thanks for informing the students about vital issues affecting their peers.

Linda Little, Director of Student Activities 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 must be signed. Submit letters to cvhsolympian@yahoo.com or the Olympian office in room 113.

Proud of picketers Editorial:

The picketers protesting against the hiring practices of Kim’s Flooring outside of CVHS are justified in calling for union support.

The cause for the picketing was the hiring of non-union workers by Kim’s Flooring, a company contracted work on the 800 hall.

We at The Olympian see no reason not to hire union workers. Considering that

Patience before procreation

By Trini McGeogh

The Olympian is a publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2005 Editor-In-Chief............................................................Rada Feldman City Editors........................................................................Erin Gaab Athena Gianopoulos Ben Topkins News Editor..........................................................Yelena Teplitskaya Opinion Editor.........................................................Randy Eisenberg Feature Editor.............................................Marie Antoniette Manuel Sports Editor.................................................Kawaianiani Malandish Copy Editors.............................................................Samantha Basto Divya Gopakumar Photo Editor.......................................................................Sean Ryan Art Editor..............................................................................Eric Lee Systems Manager..............................................................Fabian Ma Business Managers................................................Moryah Schindler Analisa Harangozo Staff Writers: Krissy Bussell, Amanda Gelender, Meghan Heuer, Saritha Kosarussavadi, Alexia Laines, Eladia Laines, Kara Lawrence, Trini McGeogh, Jasmine Nand, Katie Parr, Stephanie Spitzer, Arianna Spratley, Flora Tsang, Brett Volz, Denise Wong Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

employing union workers would make no difference in the cost of the project, supporting unions is the least we can do to show gratitude for what unions have accomplished, such as the minimum wage, eighthour day, paid holidays, and even our own 40-minute lunch period.

Hopefully, the work on the 800 hall will be completed with the appropriate speed and quality despite the absence of unionized construction workers.

Staff Writer

Most high school students have plans to go to college and then start the career of their choice.

With college to back you up, it’s much easier to do what you want as a career.

How does a baby, or a sexually transmitted disease (STD) factor into your plans for college? They probably don’t, do they? Having an STD or having a baby makes high school much more difficult to complete. The Advocates for Youth web site says that teens who delay childbearing until age 20 are three to five times more likely to attend college as their counterparts who do not delay childbirth.

The health teachers can tell us all they want on the various brands of birth control and condoms, but even students who have protected sex sometimes still get pregnant or contract STDs. According to the

National Abstinence Clearinghouse web site, surveys indicate that roughly 50 percent of teens say they have sex before they leave high school. While the nation’s teenage pregnancy rate is declining, young people 15 to 24 account for about half the new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States each year.

Many choose to abstain from sex until they are married, because of personal choice or religious beliefs. Even from a non-religious perspective, many young people agree that waiting to have sex makes it more special.

The future is yours. If you don’t have sex, until you finish school, it’s one less thing that stands in your way of achieving your goals.

Why risk something as precious as your future for the sake of physical pleasure? You have nothing to lose if you abstain from sex, but you have everything to lose if you don’t.

After spending a week in Washington, D.C. and taking part in some of President George W. Bush’s inauguration activities, my philosophical mind has come to ask why we exaggerate “freedom” in this country. What does it mean?

Someone needs to explain it to me because I seriously don’t understand. We have the gift of free speech— to an extent. We have the gift of wealth— to an extent. Is this freedom? If so, I believe there are quite a few countries in the world with these gifts, such as European countries like the United Kingdom. Why don’t they proclaim their freedom to the world, as we do? Is it simply that those other countries do not feel it is so grand?

Or do they feel so secure in their freedoms that they don’t wish to shout it out to the world?

The theme of both of the inauguration activities we attended was “Celebrating Freedom.”

What are we celebrating, exactly?

Must we celebrate it? Or is it all a ruse to remind people that we have a form of freedom and that freedom is good? Is this a truthful celebration of something other countries count as a basic thing?

Or is this a deceitful celebration meant to remind everyone that “we’re the best?”

I believe it could go either way.

Not so long ago, people adored the government. The United States of America was the “promised land” to those in the midst of tyranny.

No longer. We are strongly disliked in many other countries and people are no longer as interested in sustaining the government as they were before, as in World War II when everyone was so intent on helping out the war effort. We no longer celebrate our freedom every day as they did before. So does the government intend to reinspire these celebrations? Does it wish to deter the cynics among us from their doubting ways? Is the government malicious and are we too trusting, or does the government simply wish to continue the lost dream?

I don’t believe we are really free. There have been so many restrictions placed on us in the name of security that we aren’t really free sometimes. And security restrictions haven’t made me feel more secure, they’ve made me feel uncomfortable. I am not free when I feel uncomfortable because of the government. That is a single example – where are our freedoms?

What are our freedoms? What defines a U.S. citizen? What are we here for? How are we to behave as active citizens, still pursuing the American Dream?

It is time to reexamine ourselves.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Dear homophobe...

By Rada Feldman Editor-in-Chief

Rock the casbah

One fine day, an anonymous letter (signed CVHS Patriot) appeared in my teacher’s box. It started off, “Dear CVHS, I would like to bring this to the attention of the school. I watched a video in class that had to do with homosexuals. Why do I have to learn about this? … I don’t believe in homosexuality, yet you keep shoving it down my throat.”

Wow. I can’t believe that people like that actually exist, let alone, roam the hallways of my school.

The writer of this letter went on to say, “Days of Diversity is just an excuse to accept gays … there would be a very big problem if you showed a video that said being ‘gay’ was wrong. Yet, it is no problem to advertise it as being okay. I am sickened by this. I have my beliefs that I have been taught all of my life, but you seem to be trying to say that I am wrong.”

Okay, homophobe, last time I checked, the entire purpose of Days of Diversity was not to force you to convert to homosexuality or

accept it as “right” (although, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, in my opinion) but to learn about other cultures that you would otherwise not be exposed to.

You are right; you have your beliefs that you have been taught all of your life by ignorant, closeminded people. Sorry to bust your balls, but your beliefs are absolutely wrong.

The belief that we shouldn’t open up our minds to things different from us, the belief that those not like us are the devil, and the belief that the school is secretly conspiring to turn everyone gay are all wrong. Homosexuality isn’t only a sexual orientation but also an entire culture, a culture that has been oppressed countless times within our dark, embarrassing history. In order for this oppression to cease, we must learn how to accept. Accepting does not mean believing or converting. Accepting means learning how to make other people feel safe and wanted.

The writer then brought up the question of, “Why can’t we ever show a video about not being gay?… Why can’t we have a school club to promote straightness?”

Let me teach you something.

Spectrum is not the “gay” club. It’s the gay straight alliance. Additionally, video productions that touch upon the issue of homosexuality, such as the one recently aired by the video production class, aren’t

brainwashing you into becoming gay. Since straightness is accepted within our society, it isn’t necessary to “promote” it. I don’t recall any kids getting murdered and left in ditches simply because they were straight.

Then, of course, religion is brought up by the writer, “We are not allowed to talk about Jesus, yet it seems okay to talk about this.

I don’t remember a homosexual giving his life by being nailed to a cross. Let us promote Jesus more instead of this so called ‘Gay Pride.’”

First of all, this nation of ours has a little something called the separation of church and state. It means that public schools cannot require students to worship Jesus.

If you want to learn about Jesus so badly, whom, might I add, could have very well been gay, go to church or the Revelation club.

No, you are right, no homosexuals have been nailed to crosses.

They have been murdered, raped, mutilated, bashed, humiliated and disowned. Matthew Shepard was a gay college student from Laramie, Wyoming that was taken from a campus bar, tied to a fence, maliciously beaten and pistol-whipped by his attackers and then left for dead in the freezing cold. Take that, Jesus.

Hopefully, Days of Diversity was an “excuse” for you to accept gays and discard your disgustingly myopic views.

LETTERS To the Editor Dear Editor: I am writing in response to your article entitled, “‘Unity’ Divides More Effectively.” Not only am I a teacher here at CVHS, but I am also one of the facilitators leading United for a Hate Free Community. While I appreciate your effort in bringing awareness to a dissenting viewpoint, I hope to help you understand the power of destructive words.

We are very fortunate to have a group of students and staff dedicated to making positive change, and reaching out to every person on this campus. Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Unfortunately, there is no perfect plan or solution to create this change.

Change is difficult and takes time.

You say that the lesson is a “supervised guilt trip,” however this statement is far from the truth. The classroom activity is a way for all students to have access to making positive change. Instead of dividing people as you say, the activity was a way for every student and staff member on this campus to have access to the same information and opportunity; a chance to reflect and learn more about the

diverse experience of their peers.

Additionally, the pledges were not given out in classes to ensure that students did not feel obligated or as if they were signing a “contract” as you say. Moreover, this was designed to acknowledge that we are all different, and signing the pledge is a choice without judgment. If someone is not wearing a Lance Armstrong bracelet, we do not say, “Oh, that person is against finding the cure for cancer.” The Unity bracelets hold the same intention. One should be able to wear it or not without any judgment on their character.

Negativity is a choice. A person can choose to be involved with something or not with a sense of neutrality. Why must something meant to be positive, a movement that many students in this school believe in and care about, be turned into a pro or con article? Why must we take a positive force and try to create negativity around it? Sure, there are ways which the project can use constructive criticism.

Yes, there are ways in which the project will change and grow as it continues. But, why take the hope and hard work of students trying to make change, and bash those hopes by calling their symbol of change “plastic.” Many times I have told my students that change

is hard. It is much easier to sit back and criticize something than to step up and do something about it. I know I have been guilty of this myself. But I ask you, is this wellintentioned project creating an “us versus them” mentality because it is meant to shine a positive light on the many wonderful students here? Or, are harmful words and needless negativity creating an “us versus them” mentality? Did Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi clock out at the end of the day simply because they would not be paid for overtime? Did they give up simply because people were against their movement?

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I also would like to thank the many students who worked so hard on this project. I trust that the merit gained by our dialogue will continue to send a message of harmony throughout the school. As a teacher, I wish to continue growing and learning as I educate. I look forward to remain watching a good school such as Castro Valley High becomes great. As a human being, I continue to be grateful watching students become the change they wish to see in the world.

K.C. Wachs

OPINION

3

Dances be damned

By Meghan Heuer Staff WRiter

School dances are pointless.

They are simply an excuse for our school’s majority to pay about seven dollars to go into the school and be surrounded by flashing lights and loud music so that they can create useless drama and rub up against each other.

The school promotes these dances because no matter what happens amongst the students, it ends up raking in our cash to put towards pointless activities that most of the overall student body could live without anyways.

Sure, some people enjoy these dances and have a good time.

There is no doubt about that.

But there are also many others who you tend to see sitting on the outskirts of the dance floor.

They aren’t hard to notice and yet they are overlooked. They are the ones who came to the dance for the same reason as everyone else, to have fun. And yet they are the ones who either “can’t dance” or are sitting there in tears because they are unwanted and haven’t been asked to dance yet.

The drama that is caused by these dances ruins good friendships and can even tear apart strong relationships. The rumors spread when the dances are over are just

as hurtful. You know you’ve heard these rumors before: The whole story about how “so-and-so” was dancing with “whatsername” even though “whatsername” is dating “that one kid” and how “that one kid” was just using “whatsername” to get back at his most recent ex and blah, blah, blah. It just keeps spreading. There is no possible good that can come from it.

However, I feel that formal dances like Senior Ball, Junior Prom, Winter Ball, etc. are an exception. Even though the same drama and pointless actions exist, most of the people there have paid good money to make sure that they look nice and more importantly that they are going to this expensive dance with someone, their friends and/or their date, that will make them feel comfortable throughout the night and help them to have a good time. This, I think, causes less drama than non-formal dances and makes the scene of a girl running out of the gates of the school in tears a more unlikely site.

I think that school dances should be limited to having only formal dances or maybe even be completely eliminated all together.

Yeah, some people would whine about it but dances are something that our school doesn’t need. In other words, people would survive without them.

PHOTOpinions COMPILED BY SEAN RYAN

How do you feel about the name change of the Sadie Hawkins Dance?

“Changing it at the last minute kinda took the fun out of it.” – Ryan

“A dance by any other name would still smell as sweet.” – Barron

“I think it’s ridiculous. It’s not about the name, it’s about tradition.”

–Laura Phillips,

“It’s stupid, it’s pointless and it doesn’t make any sense.”

Frueh, freshman

junior

King, senior

– Aaron Levin, sophomore

4

FEATURE

Friday, March 25, 2005

Holocaust survivor shares haunting stories

By Trini McGeogh Staff Writer

“I never saw my brothers, mother or father ever again,” said Dora Sorrel.

Holocaust survivor Dora Sorrel came to CVHS on March 1 to speak about her experiences to World Civilizations classes during fourth period.

Sorrel started out telling the audience that before the Holocaust started, life was very peaceful.

After Sorrel graduated high school in 1940, the discrimination against the Jewish people in her hometown began. Sorrel’s father lost his job, Sorrel couldn’t attend college because she was Jewish, Jewish children people couldn’t attend school, and citizenship was taken away from the Jewish people.

“There was a lot of hardship,” said Sorrel.

In March of 1944, the Holocaust affected Sorrel’s hometown. The Nazis applied the Final Solution, forcing the Jewish people to wear the yellow star, and taking all of their belongings. Soon after, Sorrel and her family were forced to move into a ghetto with just a few of their belongings.

The family, with several other families lived in a small house with two rooms. Sorrel, her brothers, and the other family’s children had to sleep on the porch because there was no more room in the

cramped house.

Life in the ghetto was extremely difficult, the ghetto had no doctor, no markets, and the people were only allowed to bring two weeks worth of food.

After two weeks of living in the ghetto, Sorrel and her family had to leave.

Sorrel, her family, and thousands of others were chased to a train station with the Nazi guards

yelling at them to go faster, beating them, and hitting them. Sorrel and her family and many others were forced into the train car (where 60 or 70 people were put in one train car) and were locked in. Sorrel, her family, and the other people in her train car, had one bowl for the toilet, no lights, no benches, no food, and no water for three days and two nights.

When the train stopped, the Nazis unlocked the train car, forcing people to get out where the train had arrived in Poland.

“There was wailing of the elderly, crying of the babies and children, dogs barking and flames,” Sorrel said.

Getting out of the train was chaos, and in order not to lose each other, Sorrel and her family held tightly onto one another. Then a Nazi yelled, “The men should leave the women and Sorrel’s mother started crying and collapsed in misery. Then Sorrel, her mother, father, and brothers hugged tightly and the men in her family left. Then the Nazi said, “The young women should separate from the old women.”

Sorrel’s mother collapsed again and yelled to her daughter, “Please,

voiced by Caylin Gentile) and the Narretes. It contained an upbeat tempo along with an eye-catching rap performance by Narry in her ghetto-fabulous attire.

Charlie (junior Kevin Chi voiced by James Huh) performed each of his scenes with charismatic energy. Although he did not use his voice, he sang through his swaying hips and snapping fingers. He performed with crisp, clean body and sign language. Same kudos goes out to the petite Tracey (junior Jamie Tam voiced by Alysia Leong) who gave a massive, electrifying performance through her extreme emotion throughout the show.

I would like to applaud the stage and technology crew on their job well done with creating creative settings, especially in the scene with the red lighting where the dentist (senior Grant Boyer voiced

by Kevin Wong) sang “Dentist” along with the Narrettes.

One of my favorite scenes was during the comical song “Don’t be the Bunny,” where the Narretes had some competition from the Dadettes, the musical’s male singing trio. However, the Narretes stole the show in their adorable bunny costumes and kept the attention till the final applause.

One of the best songs throughout the musical had to be “One Hundred Easy Ways” sung by Sarah (senior Tessa Haris voiced

by Rebekah Weinacker), Charlie, and Precious who all sung an entertaining song giving advice on ways to lose a man, which many female audience members could possibly use or relate to.

The ASL crew that participated in the musical had a successful opening night. Their dedication towards translating each word through their hands showed the audience how unique sign language can be.

“I never saw

my brothers, mother or father ever again.

DORA SORREL Holocoast Survivor

”

Moving hands capture hearts of many

By Analisa Harangozo Business Manager

Rhythm rolled through the hands of the America Sign Language cast on opening night for “I’m In a Musical: Get me out of here!” Although no sound came out of the mouths of these cast members, their body language and hand movements spoke loud and clear.

Narry (senior Becky Alcantara voiced by Nicole Watson) the narrator of the musical, gave the show pizzaz with her sassy character and stunning ensembles. She added an extra splash of amusement with her backup female singing trio, the Narrettes, who synchronously sang songs throughout the musical in their matching attire.

One of the most liveliest, entertaining performances was the song “Rich Girl,” sung by Precious Clarkson (junior Alysia Wan

Analisa Harangozo / Business Manager

Graduating seniors signed the senior song to commemorate their ASL experiences.

don’t leave me.”

Sorrel promised her mother she wouldn’t leave and tried to disguise her as an old woman in order to stay with her mother, but a Nazi knew she was not an old woman and because Sorrel would not let go of her mother’s hand, the Nazi slammed Sorrel’s hand so hard with a bat that she was forced to let go of her mother’s hand.

“She was a sculpture of pain and despair,” said Sorrel. After that, Sorrel never saw her family ever again.

Sorrel and other women her age were taken to a concentration camp. They had to get their hair cut off; they were forced to take off their clothes and received only two pairs of underwear. The girls were then gathered into the camp.

“If you woke up one day on Mars that would probably be about as strange as waking up in the camps,” said Sorrel.

Everyday the girls were forced to wake up for roll call at 3 or 4 a.m. when it was dark and cold, then slept in hard bunk beds with ten to 12 girls in each bunk. About 1,000 girls were in every barrack.

For meals, the girls received a couple of gulps of coffee, a slice

of moldy brick bread and for the other two meals got thin vegetable soup. Girls soon lost weight, and their periods stopped coming, they had swollen legs, and skin problems. Soon after, they had new transports arrive and were separated into “healthy” and “unhealthy.” Sorrel was chosen as one of the healthy girls and put into a work camp.

The morning they were liberated, the girls noticed that there were no guards. The girls went to the kitchen and stole as much food as possible and then went to the Nazis headquarters and stole bread and potatoes, and Sorrel saw a notebook and took it into her room and started journaling her experiences.

After the war ended, Sorrel went home and saw that no one in her family was there but found her boyfriend and soon married and had children.

When she was working as a physician she started writing letters to her granddaughter Miriam about her experiences and soon put those letters in a book called “Tell the Children, Letters to Miriam.”

Sorrel speaks to many schools in California.

By Brett Volz

“We go with the kids on activities and make sure they go to bed at night. We have to police the campgrounds and bathrooms to make sure they go to sleep, because they’re just kids, they never seem to get tired,” said Saunders.

Many of the kids have never spent more than a few days at a time away from their parents. This makes the counselors’ jobs all the more important as they lead the kids in their daily activities.

The trip was so incredible, Saunders said, that she has a hard time thinking of a bad part.

Students return as outdoor school counselors Staff Writer

The Sempervirens Exploring New Horizons outdoor school is an exciting place of learning that reminds many high school students of good times in sixth grade. It’s full of giant redwood trees, tide pools on the beach, campfires and hiking. So when given the chance to return there, this time as counselors, many students take it.

“It’s so much fun; I love going as a counselor,” said junior Linda Saunders, a two time counselor at the outdoor school. “It’s a really incredible, once-in-a-lifetime thing. Everything you do leaves a good memory.”

Despite such a good review, enrollment in the school has declined since last year.

“This seems to be a trend, as we are finding fewer students are signing up to be counselors at most high schools throughout the Bay Area, primarily because of the focus on academics. High schools are also often less than enthusiastic about supporting [outdoor school] because, I think, of the difficulty in quantifying the life skills one learns while being a counselor at the school,” said Don Kleinfelder, the executive director of the school.

Outdoor school is designed to show students a week of school in the wilderness, complete with principal, teachers and counselors.

It is the returning students’ jobs, as counselors, to get to know the kids and act as their parents for the week.

“ I think the

worst part was punishing the kids when they were bad...

LINDA SAUNDERS Junior

”

“I can’t really think of any part that was that bad. Coming back to lots of schoolwork is kind of annoying, but I can handle that. I think the worst part was punishing the kids when they were bad, because once you get to know the kids it gets really hard to punish them.”

FEATURE

Friday, March 25, 2005

5

Madrigals make music magic Vagina Monologues gives pleasure

By Alexia Laines Staff Writer

The best of CVHS talent is gathered in the choir room every fourth period. The Madrigals, a sensational singing ensemble, sing and maybe even dance all of the time.

Apart from school concerts, the Madrigals sing all over the Bay Area. “Every year we go to San Francisco to perform,” said Madrigal junior Shara Neff. “We actually start off performing at the Oakland Children’s Hospital, and then we head over to Union Square.” Even after performing, these singers just can’t help belting out a song here and there.

“Well, one time on the way back from San Francisco we had to take the BART back because we didn’t have enough drivers. It was

during rush hour so everyone was packed in there,” said Madrigal Darwin Tsang. “Shara and I just started singing. Eventually we got everyone in and we started performing on the BART, I think the people really appreciated it.”

The Madrigals also just performed at a benefit concert in Black Hawk to help support Cancer. “It went really well,” said Neff. “We compiled songs from our past performances and sang what we thought the audience would like to hear.”

Being in a class brings students together, but in an intimate class like this with a little more than 20 students, it feels more like a big ring of friends.

“In my sophomore year, we didn’t go on the regular Madrigals retreat,” said Andrea Blunt. “So instead we all hung out like every

weekend. I thought it was important as an underclassman to get to know everyone.”

The Madrigals do a ton of performances each year, but surprisingly they don’t come with a bucket full of butterflies.

“Beforehand I feel just a twinge of nervousness,” said Tsang. “But when we start performing I calm down. It’s a very fun and enjoyable experience.”

For newcomer sophomore Amanda Anderson, the Madrigals threw in a little something extra special. “Going caroling was a great experience, it was so much fun.”

These are the future’s next rising stars, so if you ever get the chance to hear them, you might want to ask for an autograph, because these kids are packing some serious talent.

Ceramics elicits sensation

By Alexia Laines Staff Writer

The smooth feeling of silver stone clay in your hands while you listen to the soft hum of the pottery wheel in the background gives students at CVHS a reason to play with clay.

“I found out that there are people who come into my room and are just frustrated with ‘traditional’ school,” said ceramic teacher Barbara Siegel. “Right when they walk into the class and put some clay into their hands, they mellow out.”

Here at CVHS, ceramics is the needle in the haystack of electives students can choose. Many of those who choose to take this yearlong course love it, and those who didn’t wish they had.

“I hear all my friends talking

about how fun it is,” said sophomore Steven Holland. “I’m going to try and take it next year.”

Ceramics is a class devoted to the art of clay hand building, and the potter’s wheel. Many students enjoy the elective and all it has to offer.

“I took ceramics because I thought it would be interesting and fun,” said junior Angel Vega.

“I needed to have a fun elective.”

Some find the class a very therapeutic and fun way to calm down a busy schedule. “It’s [ceramics] a very relaxing way to end the day,” said senior Monica Jacquez.

Others just like the feeling of accomplishment after a project is finished. “It’s cool how you start out with this hunk of clay, and end up with something that you can say you made,” said sophomore

Trevor Piekarcyzck. “I see so many amazing things that people just right next to me make.”

By Amanda Gelender Staff Writer

Orgasms, infidelity, masturbation, sex, menstruation, rape, birth, and much more is packed into Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, a play that seeks to combat violence against women by re-telling their stories on the stage.

The Vagina Monologues is based on personal interviews with more than 200 women, and premiered in 1998 as a one-woman show.

It has since played all over the world, celebrating female sexuality and womanhood while simultaneously raising over $3 million for organizations seeking to end violence against women.

One such production played in the Castro district of San Francisco on March 6, and featured

“I was really

blown away by the movement.

JENNY BROKER Senior

Alexia Laines / Staff Writer

Senior Liz Hamilton displays one of the many creative projects she has done in ceramics.

”

CVHS’s own Sue Anderson, a health teacher.

Anderson describes her character as “really complex in that she is in her seventies, she’s Jewish, and she had a really traumatic experience with a date she went on in high school with a boy. He shamed her when they got physical so she made a decision to shut down physically and mentally,” said Anderson. “She starts to discover how much she’s missed in her life, and a lot of it comes

Leadership revives prom for senior citizens

By Denise Wong Staff Writer

Please recycle this newspaper. J

More than 30 years later, senior citizens got to relive their prom moments, as they danced at Leadership's annual Senior Citizen Prom on Feb. 12. “[It's] to give them a positive experience,” said sophomore Anita Hegedus.

Leadership students were dressed up as well, to add to the formality of the occasion. The ballroom was decorated with hearts and a silvery disco ball. There was also a refreshment room, with snacks and drinks, for the seniors to eat and talk in a quieter atmosphere.

“There's usually a bigger turnout,” observed ASB President Tim Cole.

Music, ranging from the tango to “Spanish Eyes,” was played from CDs, with Student

Activities Director Linda Little and sophomore Nick Nordgren selecting the numbers. The senior citizens applauded at the end of each number, whether anyone was dancing or not.

“It makes them feel appreciated,” said senior Nikolitsa Paranomos, when asked why Leadership holds this senior citizen prom.

Senior citizen Jack Kim, grandfather of sophomore Briana Kim, sang a few songs for the others. Most of the seniors danced along with his singing while others rested and listened attentively.

The Valentines' Day themed prom was held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Kenneth C. Aitken Senior and Community Center. It cost $10 for a couple and $6 for singles.

“It gives them hope for the younger generation,” commented Hegedus.

out of the recognition that she has uteran cancer.”

“The performance was wonderful,” said senior Jenny Broker who saw the play. “It was so empowering being around women who are completely proud of and open about their sexuality. It was a bit shocking in the beginning, but by the end of the performance, any modesty that I ever had was out the window, and I couldn’t have felt more liberated.”

Author Eve Ensler dubbed Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day) “V-Day”, or “end violence against women” day. The Vagina Monologues is traditionally performed all over the world on or around Feb. 14 with the motto, “Until the violence stops.”

“I was really blown away by the movement,” said Anderson.

“It’s not just an American fad; it’s a global movement for change in so many different countries like Pakistan, Bosnia, Africa, and the Philippines. It’s not about me being an actor onstage; it’s about me being part of the movement.”

Anderson’s production raised over $15,000 for battered women shelters and rape crisis centers in San Francisco.

“The fact that it was a V-day performance was also special,” said Broker. “There is no better way to combat injustice against women than to speak honestly about, and celebrate, what makes us who we are: our sexuality, our strength, and our beauty in all of its forms.”

CVHS alumni joins the army

By Alexia Laines Staff Writer

Be all you can be. An Army of one. These are the life changing words that affect many people every day. Many CVHS alumni advance to the various branches of the US military.

“There are quite a few [students] that have an interest in going to the Army,” said Melanie Small of the Career Center. Sophomore Bob Benson plans on going to the Army after he graduates. “It will give me good training,” said Benson.

On July 6, senior Chris Bassard plans to join the Army. “I’ve always wanted to go,” said Bassard.

“Seeing Sept. 11 happen made me want to go even more.”

Often recruiters are seen walking around campus.

“We actually have recruiters come in every so often to talk to the kids,” said Small. Students have the desire to join the military for many different reasons.

“I think it will give me more disciplinary and leadership skills,” said Bassard.

It could be for the training, or the chance to learn and develop new skills, but for others, it is just the pure love of their nation and the desire to protect it.

6

SPORTS

Friday, March 25, 2005

Boys tennis team gets new coach Dutra takes over for Barnes

By Flora Tsang Staff Writer

After 15 straight years of having the same tennis coach, the CVHS boys tennis team started off this year with a brand new coach who has experience, a love for the game and the perseverance to build up the team.

“It’s a very young but talented team and everyone has a passion for tennis. It’ll be a great year,” said Dutra. “My goal is just to have everyone play their potential, have fun and use smart tennis.”

Tim Dutra, a coach for more than ten years, usually coaches for organizations such little league baseball, youth soccer and basketball. Dutra works for UC Berkeley in sports medicine, for its 27 sport programs. However, his home has always been in Castro Valley having graduated from CVHS. Jokingly, he said, “It’s actually my thirtieth CVHS reunion soon.”

Dutra played tennis for the CVHS team during his school years and continued at UC Davis.

“Tennis is my absolute favorite sport. It involves a lot of mental aspects and good judgment,” said Dutra.

With eight courts and a maximum of four students on each court, there should be room for about 32 tennis players. However,

this team is a little out of space.

Instead of four on each court, the overflow has resulted into some courts having to rotate players.

“The team is a too crowded and a lot to handle. There are 52 guys on the team and not enough courts,” said sophomore Krish Khatri.

Back from Hawaii, the retired coach of the tennis team is excited about passing on the torch.

“Tim Dutra will be a good coach. He’s a really nice guy and I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome,” said Barnes From both the coach and student’s side of things, the change from Barnes to Dutra has been rough so far.

“He’s a good coach, but since it’s his first year of coaching tennis, he doesn’t have much experience–but we understand,” said freshman Matt Baldo.

“It’s been a pleasure so far, but the time commitments are hard to keep because I’m in private practice and working. The transition is demanding and so are many administrative things. Still, the hardest thing is keeping track of so many players,” said Dutra.

Even so, the team won their first practice match against Newark Memorial High School by a huge margin of 6-1 and did extremely well in its first league match against Moreau Catholic with a final score of 5-2. In their second league match, the team defeated Tennyson High 7-0.

“I’m sure this season will be great–I’m definitely looking forward to all the matches, tournaments and experiences,” said junior Jesse Sabharwal.

A not so happy ending for boys soccer

By Eric Lee Art Editor

The CVHS Varsity boys soccer team’s season ended with bittersweet results. The team composed a roster that had old returns and new players from junior Varsity. Their season was one full of triumphs as well as disappointment.

“The season started out well, but towards the end we had a lot of ties which ended our chances for the [North Coast Section championship],” admitted senior Chris Casey. “The season went well overall, but the ending not so well, which upset the team.”

“It was pretty good, but we had a rough time in the middle of the season,” said sophomore Kurt Thompson.

Margaret daSilva / Parent

Allysia Kidd, Carleen daSilva, and Cassidy Dolstra have been doing gymnastics together for two years.

daSilva reaches for the stars and the Olympics

By Moryah Schindler Business Manager

Switzerland in September, Belgium in March, and Russia in May sounds like the itinerary of a celebrity on tour. However, this kind of international traveling is normal for junior Carleen daSilva.

Since she was four her mom has been rushing her to practice five times a week in Livermore.

Dasilva is a junior elite gymnast at Wings USA. DaSilva also counts on the support of her best friend Bridget Devine.

“She’s [daSilva] really talented and it’s cool to watch her perform…it can be hard sometimes because she practices so much but we’re so important to each other we make it work,” said Deviine.

“It’s a lot like ‘Cirque du Soleil,” said daSilva, describing what she does at her gym.

“I work with a nine-year-old and another 17-year-old. Our trio’s been together for two years,” said daSilva.

Together the trio participates in the dynamic routines, balance

and combined, which involve flips and pyramids. Although the actual event only lasts about two and a half minutes at a competition, daSilva and her partners must practice in four hour sessions.

“I see them more than I see my own family,” exclaimed daSilva.

However daSilva does not have a problem with this. On the contrary, daSilva says their trio is very close.

If daSilva continues with gymnastics she and her teammates could be eligible for the Olympics in 2008.

As exciting as this is, daSilva says she is not sure if she will “stick with it.”

DaSilva already misses at least two days of school a month and is constantly making up class work, homework, and tests.

“It can be hard when my grades start to drop…I wonder why I’m doing this,” commented daSilva.

Going to the Olympics would require even more rigorous training. Workouts would increase to two a day and daSilva would have to forget about going to the college of her choice.

“ We had a

very good season.

JASON HUBER Senior

”

Despite not making it to NCS, the team was very successful in overcoming many challenging opponents.

“We did not make it to NCS, although we had beat and tied some of the top NCS teams,” said senior Jason Huber. “And we actually beat the team that won all of the NCS.” The CVHS soccer team was highly competitive and competent thanks to a good mixture of both defense and offense, Richie Arredondo being one of the top players in the team according to Thompson.

The team led the high school soccer league in first place for most of the season. Up until the last game, the team fell to second place.

However, the Varsity team was happy with the way the season turned out in the end.

“We had a very good season, it was one of the most talented teams I have ever played for at the high school,” said Huber.

SPORTS

Friday, March 25, 2005

Girls basketball ends season sucessfully

By Samantha Basto Copy Editor

This season proved to be another success for the CVHS girls Varsity basketball team. The team began the season with its first win over Amador Valley in overtime, and ended it by making it all the way to North Coast Section (NCS) semifinals. The team finished with an overall record of 18-10, and 115 in the league.

On March 2, the team went on to the first round of the NCS Division I girls playoffs. The girls basketball team played against Monte Vista, and found victory with a win of 57-46.

“I wasn’t nervous and I don’t think the team was either at our first game. We just expected to win,” said junior Jay-Marie Hill, forward/center.

The girls basketball team went on to challenge the top-seeded Deer Valley in the NCS semifinals on March 4.

Unfortunately, their season came to an end with their loss to Deer Valley 76-54. Despite their loss, Coach Nancy Nibarger was pleased with the team’s performance.

The girls basketball team felt proud to have made it as far as they did in NCS, and above all had a fun and exciting season.

Senior Vanessa Robles, guard, felt their team had a good season.

“I think we did really well. We outperformed everyone’s expectations, except for our coaches, of course, who always believed in us,” said Robles. “The highlight [of the season] was winning our first NCS game. Our team played really great together and we beat a higher seeded team on their court.”

Although the team lost in the NCS semifinals, the team accomplished much more.

“Of course we wish we could have gone farther in NCS, but we were the underdogs and we still made it to the semifinals. We have a lot to be proud of,” explained Robles.

“I think the season went extremely well for what people thought at the beginning of the season…We’d lost all our seniors and people thought we’d be horrible and get fifth or sixth in League. We got second in League, tied with Hayward and O’Dowd,” explained Hill.

Nibarger felt the girls Varsity

basketball team did wonderful as a team and proved many competing teams wrong by beating them.

“I was really proud of them, and they exceeded everyone’s expectations. The players worked really hard and did really well,” said Nibarger.

According to Nibarger, the star players were not specific players; instead the “star” was the defense.

“A lot of different people played exceptionally at different games, and a lot of players stepped up in games. There was not really one star, the star of the team was the defense,” said Nibarger.

The end of the girls basketball season also means that the many seniors will leave the team.

“We’re always going to miss the senior leadership. They pushed each other in practice, and made everyone better. We will be smaller, have to run more, and be a little quicker. I think we’ll be okay,” explained Nibarger.

Hill is also optimistic of the future of the girls basketball team.

“I think we’ll do okay, because I have a lot of faith in the coaches.

And as long as we play with heart, it will be a fun season.”

Boys volleyball starts

By Kawaianiani Malandish Sports Editor

The boys volleyball team started conditioning on Monday, Feb. 7, for the regular season.

“We’ve had conditioning, which the coach is still evaluating,” said senior Lorenze Legaspi. Others on the team have singled out Legaspi, as well as John Lee and Alex Muxen, as the star players on the team.

Last year, the Varsity volleyball

team placed fifth of eight in the league. It was Coach Eric Unti’s first year.This year, players on the team hope to do much better. “[We hope] to have a winning record and be in the top three in league,” said Legaspi.

“Last year it was basically all juniors, with one senior and a sophomore, so it’s basically going to be the same. It’s going to be better because the seniors from the other teams already graduated,” said senior Eric Ho.

Unti took over for Shari Cabral last year, and the guys on the team seem to like the new coach. “It’s only his second year, but he’s doing a really good job trying to keep the team bonded,” said Ho. Although the competition will be fierce this year, especially from San Ramon Valley and Foothill, the team still hopes to do well.

“They have really strong programs and we should be able to compete with them,” said Legaspi.

7

New steps team starts on campus

By Arianna Sprately Staff Writer

A steps team has formed on campus. While CVHS already has a dance team and a cheerleading squad, a steps team is very different.

Stepping is traditionally associated with African American fraternities and sororities because the art of stepping came from Africa.

However, there are many high schools that have teams that perform a combination of steps and hip-hop style dance moves to create a routine.

The performance will also have a theme which will be shown through the costumes and songs used.

The team was created by juniors Haile Fitzwater and Fallon Rodriguez in addition to senior Bila Abiera.

“At my old high school in New York, they had a team so when I came here this year, I thought a steps team would be a good addi-

tion to CVHS,” said Rodriquez.

The three founders are friends and one day began talking about the creation of a Steps Team.Then they went to Assistant Principal Shamar Edwards. Edwards was part of a sorority in college which and has stepped for many years.

With Edwards’ help, they set up their first performance just in time for Black History Month on Feb. 26.

The team performed on that day at lunch on the stage. Before the performance the Black National anthem was performed and some facts about famous African Americans were shared.

Edwards taught the team the steps and a member of the team came up with the dance interval between the stepping used in the show.

“I want everyone to know that the step team is open to people of all races and genders are open to join the team,” said Edwards.

The team also performed at the Days of Diversity assembly.

Varsity wrestling team makes it to NCS tournament

By Yelena Teplitskaya News Editor

Senior Haseeb Sadat was one of the three Varsity wrestling team captains placed in the North Coast Section (NCS) tournament on Saturday, Feb. 26.“I was seated sixth and end up taking second [place],” said Sadat who qualified for state.

“Then I won my three matches and lost my next two.”

The players have to continually win matches to progress until they lose two of them consecutively, causing them to be eliminated.

“Unfortunately, I lost two in a row,” Sadat said.

Additionally, juniors Malachi

Mata and Sean Schantin seated in the tournament. “[Mata] was supposed to do very good. He seated fifth but didn’t place,” Sadat added. “We have a good, young team.”

“In the beginning of the year we weren’t that good,” commented sophomore Keoni Bail. “[But] I say we did pretty well. We won league [Hayward Area Athletic League].”

Freshman John Sayage agreed that the team this year improved.

“It was better than last year, I heard,” Sayage said.

“For the most part [we did] pretty good in all the tournaments,” agreed sophomore Chris Mata.

S u p e r S a v v y S p o r t s S tByaKatierParrs

Freshman Justin Cruz Freshman Justin Cruz stays active all year long by wakeboarding in the summer, playing soccer in the winter, running track in the spring, and playing football for CVHS in the fall.

Cruz enjoyed his first season on the frosh football team, especially when the coach gave them a break.

“One day after warm-ups, Coach Popper made a bet with a kid on the team that if they raced to the baseball diamond and the kid beat him, we wouldn’t have to run. The kid lost, but we didn’t run anyway.”

Even though he likes football, it’s not his favorite sport. He plans to continue with track and soccer in college instead.

Sophomore Sergio Perez

Junior Steven Erceg

Senior Lindsay Fischer

Soccer lets Sergio Perez compete, have fun, and work out all at the same time. This sophomore has been playing for three years and just completed his second year on the JV team at CVHS. “Soccer was fun this year,” he said. “It got me in the best shape of my life.” The most satisfying part of this season for Perez was beating all the other teams in the HAAL to eventually win league. Especially rewarding was the win against Moreau.

Perez also runs sprints for the school’s track team. He plans to keep playing soccer throughout high school, but will not pursue it further. “In college I want to study to become a chef,” said Perez.

Steven Erceg, a junior on the Varsity tennis team lets three things motivate him when he plays: his teammates, love for the game, and a trip to NCS. Instead of dwelling on last years loss to O’Dowd during the league championships, Erceg draws inspiration out of it.“When you get so close to victory that you see it in your grasp, and you let it go, you work that much harder to take control of your destiny and bring your game up to the next level,” he said.

Erceg has been playing tennis for five years and his second year on the Varsity team. Even though tennis is fun for him, Erceg does not plan to keep it up in college.

Senior Lindsay Fischer has been scoring points for the CVHS Varsity basketball team for all four years. Fischer loves basketball because it is “fun, exciting, competitive, and it keeps you in good health.”

Fischer is pleased with her team’s performance this year. “The best part about this season was beating Hayward at home… payback! They beat us at their place, then we beat them at ours.”

In college, basketball is a possibility for Fischer, but she doesn’t plan to pursue the sport as a career. “I really want to become a nurse after college,” Fischer said. Fischer is also involved with powder puff football at CVHS.

8

DISTRACTIONS

Friday, March 25, 2005

Let’s put out for God

By Jasmine Nand Staff Writer

Revelation is a gathering of students who have a common faith in Jesus Christ. It is a club mainly for Christians.

“Like any other club it gives a chance for students to come together, to share a common belief and pray for each other and encourage each other,” said Pat

Parker the advisor of Revelation.

Since 1981, Parker has been teaching Freshman Science and Health at Castro Valley High School. She has been the advisor of Revelation for at least 15 years.

It is a club where students worship and pray to Christ.

Each meeting opens up with a prayer from the bible or from a speaker.

“We usually start off with a little ice breaker game, sing, or listen to a testimony,” said freshman Andrew Cabrera.

There are upcoming events once every couple of months.

The activities are usually prayer requested.

“Last year we had an event called ‘See You at the Pole,’ where the students met at the flag pole and prayed for each other, their

“This kind of change isn’t instantaneous,” commented Gelender.

“My hope is that in the next several years, students will abandon the traditional ‘girl ask guy’ ritual, and all students will feel free to attend the dance without institutional discrimination and added social pressure.”

“I personally disagreed with the name change but my job is to fulfill people’s needs and wants with school related activities so we changed it,” said junior class officer Chang Chi. “I thought it was important to keep the 70 year tradition but I got feedback on the dance from

the leadership class and overall it was positive,” said Chi. “I definitely wasn’t expecting people to wake up and have acceptance towards homosexuals but I hope the name change is a movement to get people to think about it as a good thing,” said senior Athena Gianopoulos. “Attitudes haven’t changed yet, but this is a step forward.”

“After we paid off debts to the leadership class and paid the dj, Decade Dates dance made 1500, dollars,” said Chi. “In the end, despite all the conflicts prior to the dance, I think it was successful,” commented Chi.

and no plays, the competition to get a leading role will be fierce.

It is also going to put the drama students who are not singers at a severe disadvantage with the competition.

While the decision means less parts in the musicals for the drama students on campus, it is great for those in the choir.

“I’m not going to try out for the musical this year. I think it’s unfair to the drama students they deserve to be able to perform a play. We already had our musical for the year,” said choir student Kelly Drinkward.

“I can see why people would feel they couldn’t be part of the drama department because there

won’t be a play this year,” said drama student Lauren Santos.

“However, I can understand Judsen wanting to display the talent coming from the senior class.”

With the switch in the performing arts program this year strongly benefiting choir students, drama students have been left out in the cold.

While the actors are not thrilled about the change, many of them still plan to try out for this spring’s musical, “Godspell.”

“We wanted to take advantage of the fact David Judson is here and do something I wouldn’t normally be able to do,” said Tiffany Dailey.

Decades Dates name change successful

By Krissy Bussell Staff Writer

Although Sadie Hawkins’ name was changed to Decade Dates, the outcome of the dance was still good.

The House of Representatives voted to change the name in January because some viewed the name Sadie Hawkins as homophobic.

“I hope that by calling the dance ‘Decade Dates,’ students no longer felt constricted by gender stereotypes or excluded on the basis of sexual orientation. Whether or not we achieved this goal is hard to gauge,” said senior Amanda Gelender.

Two musicals produce drama

By Arianna Spratley Staff Writer

This school year, CVHS will be put on two musicals instead of the usual one musical and a play.

This is great news for choir students and others who are vocally talented. However, this new arrangement is not positive for many drama students.

“After examining the amount of talent on this campus there isn’t enough to pull off a play because a lot of the talent our school has is crossover talent, which means we would be better off doing a musical,” said drama student Robert Pagan.

With two musicals this year

leaders, their school, their country, and etc.,” said Parker.

This helps students become more close to God and teach them the important life lessons. It is the time to put out for God. “It can help students grow into their faith,” said Cabrera.

Revelation is held every Tuesday in room 762.

“We always invite more students to join,” said Parker.

Opinions vary on block distribution VARSITY: From Page 1

get it early if they want to, but it is kind of different.”

Sophomore Katherine Pendleton objects to the idea. “As a frosh-soph athlete, I don’t think we should be able to get jackets because we aren’t Varsity athletes.”

Lawrence Wong, another froshsoph athlete, agrees with Pendleton. “It takes the meaning out of ‘Varsity’ jacket.”

Peter Brewer, head coach of the cross-country team, believes every athlete should receive recognition.

“I think it’s long overdue,” said Brewer. “It’s about time we acknowledge the lower divisions.

You think those kids don’t work hard? Why shouldn’t they get a jacket? It’s the letter that’s Varsity, not the jacket.”

Brewer sees absolutely no reason for any Varsity athlete to doubt the fairness of the new policy.

“There’s nothing innately sacred about being on Varsity. You don’t need to prove anything. We’re fussing about the wrong things.”

According to Brewer, the real problem is the general population’s lack of interest in non-Varsity teams. “The HAAL doesn’t even

Classes form for ESL students

By Stephanie Spitzer Staff Writer

Rather than having one or two students learning English in a normal class, entire classes of ESL students are forming.

“In my first year of teaching, I had four ESL students in one of my classes. This semester I have one class of all ESL students,” said CCG teacher Kevin Garcia.

Science teacher Susanne Holst also teaches ESL students. “This is the first year we’ve had classes for ESL students in a while,” she said.

Holst has been teaching an ESL Freshman Science class since the beginning of the school year.

However, not only freshmen can take her class. “My class is open to any students that transfer here,” she said.

Older ESL students can take her class if they are not ready for mainstream classes. The class concentrates more on vocabulary than a regular class does.

“I really like teaching the class,” said Holst. “There’s a huge range of diverse students, who have different stories to tell.’

“The need for the class depends on the students coming from Canyon and Creekside. That is what determines whether the class stays or not,” Holst said. keep records for frosh-soph or JV teams,” he said. “This could be a step towards getting around that, but it really seems to be a thinly disguised marketing ploy by the jacket manufacturers to get more people to buy their products.”

The participation block is a small, round patch with a Trojan in the center. It costs four dollars at the Student Store in room 607. Before purchasing one, athletes need to bring a certificate to prove they participate in a sport.

Proposal limits Campus celebrates diversity usage of steroids

By Eric Lee

By Trini McGeogh Staff Writer

With the recent effort to promote unity on this campus, also comes the celebration of Days of Diversity, celebrating all cultures and customs.

Days of Diversity is a series of workshops and presentations in classrooms that will hopefully increase awareness among students about various cultures, customs, and celebrations.

The presentations and workshops were about various dances, historical events, and celebrations in different cultures.

The Days of Diversity assembly was held on March 9, and there were many different kinds of

Art Editor

performance from many different performers.

The performances included members of ALHAJA doing a Mexican dance, the steps team doing steps that have derived from African American dances, unique dance performances from the Philippines, and many people of different nations carrying their flag around the gym.

Many students enjoyed the assembly and were quite impressed with the performances.

“I thought the assembly was very interesting,” said freshman Rachel Nartia.

In addition to the assembly, there was a presentation of Aztec dancing held March 11. In the assembly Aztec dancers that were

from the Bay Area, wore outfits representing night and day, love, and the unification of mankind.

“I really liked it, but I wish they had shown us more stuff,” said sophomore Robyn Monsen.

There was also a drummer dressed in Aztec warrior attire.

The dancers danced to the fast beat of the drum, and talked about the culture of their ancestors.

On March 11, there were also dancers that came all the way from Hawaii and displayed their talent of dancing with fire and beautiful hula dancing skills.

Days of Diversity not only seemed to be well-liked by the students at CVHS, but it also seemed to show people how diverse and unique every culture really is.

With the recent scandals involving both professional and student athletes, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) proposed regulations to limit the usage of steroids. On Feb. 4, the CIF proposed several measures to reduce or eradicate steroid use.

The first proposed policy requires all high school coaches to take a class to educate them about steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. In order to start coaching again, they must receive a certificate of completion from the class. The second proposal requires a doctor’s prescription for the steroids, with a signed declaration from the student and his/her parents that they will only be used for medical purposes.

Lastly, the proposal prohibits coaches from selling or endorsing any performance-enhancing drug of sorts to students, which also includes banning the schools from making sponsorships with the companies that make those types of products. Various CVHS athletes support the anti-steroid policies.

“Steroids should be prohibited by no matter what the circumstances are,” said senior Jason Huber.

“I’d hate to see high school students tested for steroids if we don’t do away with the climate that encourages it,” said cross country and track and field coach Peter Brewer. “We must be careful of the ‘win-at-all-cost’ attitude that we project.”

CIF officials will vote on the proposals in May.