March 26, 2010

Pg. 2

Pg. 4-5

Diversity week thrills the school

Controversy for Revelation Club Tug-of-war over speaker

Dancers, speakers and culture

Alice in

Pg. 6

Won-DEAFLand raves

ASL program educates and entertains

$5.1 million cut: “This is the worst”

Officials try to save athletics program

Save our schools

By Georgina Sousa Staff Writer

With a $5.1 million deficit, CVUSD will stop funding athletics program district wide. As a result, the CVHS administration will try to save the athletics program.

The CVHS athletics program costs more than $200,000. Without the district funding sports, officials don’t know how much of the sports program they can save.

“We’re not sure where we are yet,” said Athletic Director Andy Popper.

At the end of the last school year, families were asked to donate $150 for each sport their children play.

However, only one-third of the sports players actually paid their fees. CVHS hoped that 837 student athletes would pay their fees, but only 296 actually paid, creating a $63,500 deficit from the $107,300 CVHS estimated to get from student donations.

Even with these donations and paid fees there’s still a long way to go to reach the goal.

If there isn’t enough funding for sports, then the administration will decide what will go and what will stay. District officials know that losing sports teams will hurt the school in many ways, including attendance.

“It’s a domino effect,” said Superintendent Jim Negri.

Even though it seems like Castro Valley schools have suffered greatly, there are schools that are

SPORTS: Page 8

Sports, jobs on the cutting block

By Joseph Wan Editor-in-Chief

Hillman Zheng / Business Manager

Elementary school students rally for their schoola and teachers at the protest.

Protest dominates the boulevard

By Hillman Zheng Business Manager

Cars honked their horns in approval of students, teachers, and parents from all over the district protesting public education budget cuts on the busy intersection of Castro Valley Boulevard and Redwood Road on March 4. The afternoon protest organized by the Castro Valley Teachers Association joined the statewide rally against cutting funds from public education and services for poor children.

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not been friendly to education,” said Barbara Siegel, CVTA president. “Sixty percent of state budget cuts

have been out of education, and they threaten to take apart a wonderful program we’ve built over the years in Castro Valley.”

The budget cuts have clearly affected CVHS this year. Some classes increased in size while others got cut, and athletics support fell among other changes.

Social studies teacher John Green helped spread the news in Castro Valley about the statewide rally to raise awareness about the cuts.

“Students at UC Berkeley called out to us for a statewide call for action,” said Green. “We started planning it in early February and the CVTA endorsed it.”

The rally hoped to not only

let people know about the budget cuts from education, but also to join different organizations and community members to support schools, like the California School Employees Association, which also helped plan the rally.

“I think the protest is wonderful,” added Green. “It’s great to see all the teachers and students here.”

Many students also expressed their enthusiasm at the protest.

“It’s really great that we have this opportunity to have our voices heard,” said junior Ahyrun Han. “It’s great that we can actually do something.”

“We don’t want our future to be ruined,” added sophomore Janela Nartates.

February’s district budget announced that more cuts will hit the 2010-2011 school year. The cuts most relevant to the high school include the elimination of funding for all school sports. In addition, some 20 teachers and five assistant principals got notice of possible layoffs.

Though the figure is not set in stone, the district expects a $5.1 million budget deficit next school year despite money from the federal stimulus and donations from Save Our Schools Castro Valley!

If worse comes to worst, there is a possibility the deficit may reach as high as $7.5 million, said Superintendent Jim Negri.

After holding public forums and board meetings, the district has drafted a budget that, though subject to change, hopes to address most of the deficit.

Because about 88 percent of district funds supports the salaries for personnel, the proposed cuts include elimination of small class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, which will eliminate about 45 teaching positions. It also looks likely that the district will cut funding to the entire K-12 athletic program.But if the state bud-

BUDGET: Page 8

“Christian, gay and celibate” speaker causes rift

By Amanda Chouinard Staff Writer

Howard Whang / Photo Editor

Christopher Yuan speaks to the Revelation Club.

To prevent a possible lawsuit, CVHS allowed a speaker who delivered a controversial message about homosexuality on campus during Days of Diversity week.

The Revelation Club hosted Christopher Yuan, who told students that he embraced homosexuality while in dental school. He also became involved with drugs and was arrested and sent to prison for three years.

During his stay in prison for drug dealing, Yuan found out that he was HIV positive. He turned to Jesus and made the

decision to turn away from his homosexuality and become celibate, Yuan said.

Yuan’s visit angered campus

“It’s pouring

gasoline on the fires of hate... ” John Green Social studies teacher

members who consider his message anti-gay and hurtful to the LGBT community.

“Having Christopher Yuan on campus creates a hostile environment by telling students that being gay is wrong and it is something to be ashamed of and suppressed,” said social studies teacher Roger Kim. “We need to protect them, not make them feel ashamed of who they are.”

Yuan’s request to appear as a Days of Diversity speaker was denied. A committee discussed about the controversial subject matter and whether it was appropriate for CVHS. The Days of Diversity committee consisted of Principal Pete Alvarez, Leadership Advisor Nick Whitaker, Penelope Hughes, and CVUSD officials. “[Some teachers] were adamant

about not having him on the campus,” said Whitaker. “The priority has always been to create a safe place at CVHS. The intolerance of the message couldn’t be included in the message of Days of Diversity.”

Then the Revelation Club invited Yuan to speak during a lunch meeting. When that idea was also denied, lawyers from the Pacific Justice Institute warned the school that its decision violated a federal law concerning equal access.

Parents Betty and David Tong, who first petitioned to Whitaker to have Yuan as a

SPEAKER: Page 8

Revelation Club speaker inappropriate for Days of Diversity Yuan’s message polite, but faulty

Watch news at school

By Nick Leonardo Editorial: We at The Olympian believe that the undertone and implications in Christopher Yuan’s presentation were not appropriate for Days of Diversity week.

Yuan, a HIV-positive Christian who was imprisoned for drug dealing, spoke about his sexuality and how he found Christianity in prison.

We praise Yuan for the respectful and polite manner in which he spoke to the Revelation Club. He further deflected conflict when he mentioned that Christians should be the first to disapprove of the mistreatment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

However, the implication that homosexuality is sinful and comparable to using and selling drugs is offensive to the LGBT community and not appropriate for Days of Diversity.

Staff Writer

Days of Diversity should be a week to learn about the cultures and lifestyles of different groups. To bring down a minority group such as the LGBT community should not be tolerated.

To sell and use drugs is to commit a crime, but to love whomever you want is not.

The comparison bears a negative and damaging image to the LGBT community.

Yuan respectfully voiced his opposition to gay mar-

riage on the second day of his presentation, because marriage should only join one man and one woman under God, he said. His reasoning is false because many non-religious people marry, and all citizens should be given the right to marry regardless of their sexual orientation. This view promotes discrimination and hurts members of our campus.

The real victim here is

the LGBT community. The parents and the lawyers at the Pacific Justice Institute should not have undermined the school’s effort to prevent discrimination and prejudice.

CVUSD should not have caved in to the pressure. Instead, the high school and district should have remained firm in the mission to teach students to tolerate different cultures and groups. After all, that is what Days of Diversity is all about.

PHOTOpinions BY: Yoon Jung

What did you like about Days of Diversity?

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2010 Editors-In-Chief.................................................................Irene Liang Joseph Wan City Editor.......................................................................Erin Mundy Alicia Harger News Editor............................................................Alexandra Gomes Opinion Editor.............................................................Simrit Kaur Feature Editor............................................................Lawrence Ham Sports Editor.............................................................Moises Fonseca Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Sarah Gilchriese Copy Editor...........................................................Brandon Lui Photo Editor..............................................................Howard Whang Business Managers......................................................Lindsay Oda Hillman Zheng Staff Writers: Bianca Arias, Wessam Aziz, Nic Barradas, Aditi Bhatia, Igor Breyman, Tiffany Choi, Amanda Chouinard, Kearny Combs, Joe DiRosa, Yoon Jung, Max Kahane, Georgina Sousa, Kate Kim, Melissa Lau, Nick Leonardo, Dana Lin, Jose Luna, Trevin Smith Advisor...........................................................................Matt Johanson

“I liked the Iranian music they played.”

Eric Bruce Tucker Jr., freshman

“I liked the lady who spoke about Japanese internment.”

Matt Narahara, junior

“I liked Mr. Schneck’s pink shorts, and his Japanese costume.”

SangEun Choi, sophomore

“I liked the Polynesian dancing. It was fun.”

Julia Magallanes, senior

Let’s face it; the majority of students at CVHS do not have the greatest knowledge of the world beyond their own. I’m not saying students here are stupid by any means. I’m saying, that as far as what is going on in U.S. politics and the affairs of the rest of the world are concerned, most aren’t current. This is not a good thing for many reasons.

First of all, come election time, how can you make a decision about anything if you don’t know what’s going on with the issues at hand? You shouldn’t just automatically be behind one candidate because of their party. You have to know what he or she stands for.

Another reason to stay current, at least for me anyway, is to be prepared for when a conversation starts about an issue, say around your dinner table.

You don’t have to stare at a napkin while you twiddle your thumbs because you have no idea what anybody is talking about. You can be informed on the topic and offer your insight to the conversation.

I think there is a very simple solution to this problem.

We should watch the news at school. It doesn’t take very long to get a lot of information. Just 15 minutes a day, every day in first period or better yet in history class, would keep students and maybe even teachers current. It would be just like morning announcements; only it would be world news instead of campus news.

Most of us hopefully know that some news stations are extremely biased towards their viewers’ political parties. I say we must completely stay away from such stations and watch networks like BBC World News.

Think about how much everyone would learn in that short period of time because events are occurring daily all around the world. This would result into a well-educated student body which, when it comes time to graduate, knows what’s going on in the world.

At first this idea might sound a little silly because it is watching TV at school. However, I think it would be a great way for students to learn about current events that are happening in their country and around the world. What better way to learn the news than to watch the news?

No more homework: “Do it for America”

By Nic Barradas Moises Fonseca / Sports Editor

Jerry Brown (right) meets Alicia Harger (left) and Irene Liang (center).

“Moonbeam” wins editor’s approval

By Irene Liang Editor-in-Chief

March 12 marked the deadline for the gubernatorial candidacy bids. Months prior to this deadline, I was one of the many who anticipated the announcement that current Attorney General Jerry Brown would run for governor. I didn’t have to wait any longer when Brown turned in his candidacy bid on March 5.

Although the man nicknamed “Governor Moonbeam” is more moderate this time around, I truly believe that Brown is the most qualified and best for the job out of all the candidates. He has been governor twice before and was mayor of Oakland. He is the one person who can get the respect

from state legislators to promote bipartisanship to resolve the state budget crisis. This is something that Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner cannot do considering their lack of political experience working with state legislators. Brown is the only candidate capable of getting things done in Sacramento.

During his two terms as governor from 1975-1983, Brown successfully built up California’s largest state surplus and was on the forefront of environmental reform. As mayor of Oakland from 1999-2006, Brown restored the city by bringing 10,000 new residents through his 10K Housing Program. In addition, Brown also showed his dedication to education by opening Oakland School for the Arts and Oakland Military Institute, which are still among the best performing schools in the city.

When I first met Brown at a journalism event in Sacramento, I was amazed by how truth-

LETTERS

To the Editor Sexual orientation shouldn’t matter

Editor, Joseph Wan’s approach to opponents of gay marriage being harmed or harassed may be true, but it’s completely ridiculous to think that these people are in the minority. Hello? Ever heard of Christian America?

There are so many stories of gay or lesbian people being hated on, and here are just a few: “On Dec. 13, 2008, in the Bay Area city of Richmond, a lesbian woman was gangraped by four men who used homophobic epithets [hostile expressions] as they violently assaulted her for almost an hour, before leaving her naked in the street,” according to socialistworker.org.

Compare that to being whacked over the head with a Bible? There’s no comparison.

Even kids who are gay or lesbian or have gay or lesbian parents are being called out, and during school.

According to civilrights.org, another kid in California, who was gay, was shot in the head twice while in a computer lab because of his sexual orientation. The kid, Lawrence King, was known for being openly gay and people often made fun of him and threw wet paper towels at his head. He tried to overcome it by not letting people get him down and laughing it off.

Regardless of what your or my sexual orientation is, we should all be allowed to express ourselves in whatever form we find suitable. I support gay marriage because equality for all is something that I believe needs to be recognized in America and worldwide, and at the moment it most certainly is not. Let people be who they are, and even if you disagree with gay marriage, accept the fact that they won’t change who they are to make you feel comfortable.

Emma Silver, freshman

ful he was. When I asked him about education, he gave me an answer that truly made my day. He said that students have to take responsibility for their education. Brown mentioned that students cannot expect their teachers to drill a hole in their heads and pour the education in. That is so true.

It is Brown’s honesty that California needs during this budget crisis. Brown truthfully explains that California will have its deficit for more than a year, reminding everyone that restoring California’s economy requires time. I believe that Brown will be looking for more long-term solutions, instead of short-term solutions like Whitman’s proposal to lay off 40,000 state workers. After all, long-terms solutions are the key to resolving the budget crisis.

The race for the governor seat will start to heat up within the next eight months. Although I wish he were running with more liberal ideals, I still cannot wait until November to cast my first vote for Jerry Brown.

Staff Writer

Every day when I get home from school, I look at what I have to do and how long it’s going to take me.

I realize that if I were to do all of my homework and truly study, I’d be up till midnight at the earliest.

That doesn’t even include dinner and playing my guitar. Then I’d have to get up at six in the morning and repeat. That’s about three and a half hours less of sleep that we should have according to the National Sleep Foundation. This hinders my ability to learn, makes me more aggressive and makes me prone to more illnesses. Are teachers trying to kill us?

Ok, maybe not all of them are. However according to David Baker and Gerald LeTendre, professors of sociology at Pennsylvania State University, this push for more homework came from the alarming realization that the United States is lacking and falling behind in education.

Many teachers must think that more homework would solve the problem. However Baker and LeTendre believe that they are simply wrong. Students who come from households with two parents who are college graduates usually have a huge advantage. They are able to complete the homework, and they can get help if they need it.

However, many other students

with single parents and less fortunate circumstances are overwhelmed and struggle.

This only increases the gap between students and brings down overall scores.

To add insult to injury, students in Japan receive less than an hour of homework a week.

So much for the American stereotype that the Japanese are more studious than us. According to the book written by Baker and LeTendre, students in Japan have more leisure time after school. The Japanese educational system wants students to focus on relaxing and forget about school when the students aren’t in class. This attitude came about 10 years ago when American teachers started assigning ridiculous amounts of homework. Yet Japan remains in the top three when it comes to test scores.

Other countries like the U.S. where homework is intensive, like Thailand, Greece, and Iran score low when it comes to overall student test scores.

The truth is homework is bad and in most cases it is counterproductive. Although it is meant to help by enforcing repetition and memorization, it often fails to achieve its goal.

One of the reasons the U.S. is falling behind in our educational system is because of this homework intensive program that is common in our schools.

The day that teachers begin to reduce the amount of homework is the day the U.S. will start to improve test scores. So teachers of CVHS, lighten up on the homework and don’t just do it for us, your dedicated students. Do it for America.

When I learned about diversity

By Alicia Harger Opinion Editor

I am white. I am of European descent and in almost every situation I am in a majority. I take it for granted that I will always be with people that look like me and who share at least some cultural similarities with me. I always feel comfortable in my skin. It’s just the way I am and I don’t expect it to make a difference in my life.

I am trying out for the school badminton team. Suddenly, I’m

not in the majority. In fact, there are only two other white girls trying out for the team. Almost every single person in the room is Asian. I feel my “whiteness” so strongly. Suddenly, my eyes and hair and skin aren’t “normal.” I feel like judgments are immediately passed about me, because of the way I look. I feel really left out when coaches rattle off instructions to players in Mandarin.

So now I think to myself, “Do all these people feel like this all the time?” I finally understand why we are spending so much time learning about diversity at school.

It is because we don’t want others to feel hated or at an immediate disadvantage. We don’t want them to feel like they don’t really belong. No people should feel like everyone else in the room shares a connection, but that they are left out. It is an incredibly belittling

feeling. They can’t help but feel isolated and accosted. We learn about diversity to reverse these belittling feelings.

Now I wonder, how do these other kids deal with this day in and day out? More importantly, how can I help these people feel more included? Addressing and tearing down a deep physiological barrier isn’t something that happens overnight. It isn’t going to happen through the efforts of just one person, although that’s where it can start.

A smile or even just eye contact can help a person feel included and accepted.

The only way to truly eradicate racism is to change the way our society functions. We even need to stop seeing skin color.

We need to stop even thinking about differences and embrace our similarities.

D

I

V Chinese

By Lawrence Ham

E

What does it m

有時候，當我們有機會坐 下來靜靜地想一想我們現在生 活在怎樣的世界，我們會意識 到世界各囯的不同文化歷史背 景。如果我們將不同國家的人 聚集在同一個地方，我們可能 會在一個象現在一樣聚集來自 不同國家人民的美國。如果我 們遙看美國的未來，我們會意 識到美國加卅和其他卅相比更 多來自不同國家的人民居住在 這裡。特別是灣區就更多了。

在CVHS，我同樣有不同的 經歷慶祝這個日子，我們更有機 會和來自不同國家的人員相聚在 一起互相交流了解各國的文化背 景。從中互相學習，學習尊重對 方的文化習俗，更希望將來開發 一個更加和平共處的社會。各界 人士通過宣傳演講媒體學習更多 不同的文化，學校的師生們更會 因此建立彼此親蜜的關係。 我本人覚得這個日子 Days of Diversity 是一個對我們的社區有 福利有建設的曰子。我們住在這 樣的社區生活，相信歧視是不會 發生的。

Once in a while, when we get the chance to sit down and think about the world we live in, we realize how diverse our world is. If we put all of the races in one place, we would probably end up with a place similar to the racial groups in the United States. If we looked further into the United States, we would realize that California is also a very diverse state compared to other states in the Midwest. Especially since we live in the Bay Area, we are more aware of diversity than

others.

At CVHS, I have experienced many of the great ways we celebrate diversity. Days of Diversity is a time when students of all races can get together to learn more about each other ’s ethnic backgrounds. By learning about other cultures we can eventually learn to respect them and create a peaceful environment on campus.

I feel that Days of Diversity is very beneficial to the community we live in. Learning about each other can potentially relieve racial tensions in the world we live in.

Feature editor

Portuguese

O que faz a diversidade significa para mim, eu tenho feito esta pergunta tantas vezes eu já perdi a conta. Talvez seja porque eu cresci como eu tenho uma melhor compreensão do mesmo. Não é apenas sobre as pessoas têm orgulho com o país de onde vêm. A diversidade é um conceito profundo, é o seu estilo de vida, a forma como pedaços de sua vida e

peças vêm de todo. A diversidade é também ser capaz de aceitar as pessoas pelo que elas são, ninguém neste planeta vive, respira e pensa como qualquer outra pessoa, assim que todos deveriam tentar obter um entendimento do que as pessoas são. Tão simples como eu poderia dizer que a diversidade é, não importa se o preto, branco, chinês, mexicano, surdo, cego e gay, hetero ou todos devem ter orgulho de dizer de onde vêm e estar disposto a ouvir as histórias dos outros também.

What does diversity mean to you? I’ve been asked this question so many times I’ve lost count. Maybe it’s because as I grew I got a better understanding of it. It’s not just about the pride people have with the country they come from.

Diversity is a deep concept; it’s your lifestyle, the way your life’s bits and pieces come from all over. Diversity is also being

able to accept people for who they are. No one on this planet lives, breathes or thinks like anyone else, so everyone should try to get an understanding of what people are about. As simply as I could say it, diversity is no matter if you’re black, white, Chinese, Mexican, deaf, blind, gay, or straight, everyone should be proud to say where they come from and be willing to listen to others’ stories as well.

By Bianca Arias Staff Writer

R

Korean

By Yoon Jung Staff Writer

다양성은 다민족이 한공동체 를 이루며 살아갈때 완성이 되는 단어이다 .나는 2년전 다양성이 라는 단어를 부딪혀야할 새로운 숙제로 받아들이게 되었다 . 내 인생 처음으로 발딛은 미국이라 는 땅에서 나는 벌써 미국의 다 양한 문화에 적응하는듯 보이 지만 가볍게 스쳐가는 문화충 격은 세상이 얼마나 넓은지 일 깨워준다 . 미국이 세계의 중심에서 강하 게 서있을 수 있는 가장 큰 이유 중의 하나가 다양성에서 나온다 고 생각한다 . 토속적이고 전통 에 따라 민족성을 지키는것 보다 는 다른 나라의 색깔을 이해하고 교류함으로써 온민족이 모여 한 나라를 이루어가는 모습이야말 로 다양성의 좋은 예로 다른 나 라에도 그 영향을 끼치고있다 . 어느 나라에서 , 어느 동네에 서 왔는지는 중요하지 않다 .삶 을 살아가는데 있어서 중요한것 은 너와 내가 어떤 사람이고 얼 마나 다양한 그릇을 담을수 있는 사람이 되었는지가 그사람이 누 구인지를 알게 해줄것이다 . 나 는 아메리칸 드림을 이루려 온또 한명의 유학생이 라는 이름표 대 신에 알록달록하고 다양한 사람 이 되는 꿈을 갖게되었다 .

Diversity can be fulfilled when a variety of nations live without a fence to each other. I faced this word as my new assignment, which I had to work on two years ago. It seems I already got into American cultures and adjusted, but sometimes slight cultural shock teaches me how wide the world is.

I think one of the reasons why America is in the center of the world is because it is diverse.

Rather than insisting on traditional racial traits, America understood the other countries’ cultures and made trades, which led to a great example of diversity for other countries as well.

Whichever country or city you are from, it is not important.

Throughout living life, the most important thing to know about one of the people you have met or you will meet is to understand how their life was different than yours. I don’t want my name to tag me to another student who came to achieve the ‘American dream,’ but I want to be a colorful, diverse person.

R

S

mean to you?

German

By Igor Breyman Staff Writer

Verschiedenartigkeit ist ein Geschenk und ein Segen. Leben in einer verschiedenen Gemeinschaft, ich fühle mich sozial privilegiert, weil ich das Privileg gehabt habe, verschiedene Kulturen, Sprachen, Leute, Nahrungsmittel, Gewohnheiten und Traditionen zu erfahren. Ohne Verschiedenartigkeit würde es keine Vielzahl, keine Unterscheidung und kein Konzept der Identität geben. Viele Sachen, die wir heute genießen, sind tatsächlich von anderen Kulturen.

Glücklicherweise wohnen wir in Amerika, hauptsächlich in der Bay Area, eine vereinheitlichende Richtung der Verschiedenartigkeit existiert und bildet das Leben für einen getrennten Amerikaner wie ich außergewöhnlich erfreulich.

Insgesammt, bin ich auf das Wort verschiedenartigkeit stolz.

Diversity is both a gift and a blessing. Living in a diverse community, I feel socially elite because I have had the privilege to experience diverse cultures, languages, people, foods, customs, and traditions. Without diversity, there would be no variety, no differentiation, and no concept of identity. Many of the things we savor today are in fact from other cultures. Luckily, living in America, primarily the Bay Area, a unifying sense of diversity looms over us, making life for a hyphenated American like me exceptionally enjoyable. Overall, I’m proud of the word diversity and everything it stands for.

French

By Joseph Wan Editor-In-Chief

Dans certains pays, la diversité signifie la discrimination, la misère, des conflits et la violence.

Mais aux États-Unis, la diversité représente la tolérance, l’acceptation, la coopération. L’unité. Et ça c’est quelquechose que nous devrions chérir.

In some countries, diversity means discrimination, hardship, conflict, and violence. But in the United States, diversity represents tolerance, acceptance, cooperation.

Unity. And that’s something we should treasure.

I Spanish

By Jose Luna Staff Writer

Para mí la diversidad es la variedad de grupos étnicos que existen en el mundo. Y la semana de diversidad es cuando muchos grupos étnicos que existen en el planeta, se juntan para difundir su cultura con otras personas que tal vez estén interesados en aprender un poco más sobre esa cultura, y saber cómo vive la gente del país que ellos vienen, o también saber cómo les gusta a la gente ese lugar, y que les gusta hacer.

La semana de diversidad es un tiempo muy divertido, y es asegurado de que se disfrutará, porque se aprende demasiado sobre otras culturas.

For me diversity is the variety of ethnic groups that exist in the world. And the week of diversity is where many ethnic groups that exist on the planet come together to spread their culture with others who perhaps are interested in learning things about that culture, and know how people live in the country that they come from, or also know how people like it there, and what they like to do. Diversity week is a very fun time, and is sure to be enjoyed, because we learn much about other cultures.

Punjabi

By Simrit Kaur Staff Writer

Anykqw dw mqlb hY ik dUijAW dy siBAwcwr, ivcwr, Drm, kul, Aqy ilMg nUM mh~qqw dyxw[ Anykqw dw mqlb hY ik dUijAW dy ipCokV Aqy ivSvws dy nwl sihmq hoxw, Aqy aunW dy nwl p~Kpwq nw krnw[ Anykqw dw mqlb hY ik dUijAW nUM auh jo kuJ vI hMn ausy qrW svIkwr krnw, nw ik rMg rUp dy ADwr qy Prk krnw[ Anykqw dw mqlb hY ik dunIAW dy fr q`o ibnw, Awpxy FMg dy nwl jIvn jIauxw[ hr iek bMdw Awpxy Awp iv~c ivl~Kx hY, Aqy aus dI ivl~Kxqw dy muqwb~k aus nUM pCwnxw hI Anykqw hY [

Diversity means to accept other people’s cultures, opinions, religions, races, and genders. Diversity means to be comfortable with other people’s backgrounds and beliefs, and not be prejudiced against them. Diversity means to accept people for who they are and to not judge people by their looks or skin color. Diversity means to live your life to the fullest, and not be afraid of the world. Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing these individual differences.

Russian

By Max Kahane Staff Writer

Дни разнообразия не означают, что слишком меня, но очень важно иметь знание о различных культурах, потому что это помогает людям понимать друг друга,и это приносит уважение. Я рад, что наша школа имеет это случай, потому что это уцит уважение и это забавно! Я надеюсь, что событые наслаждаетса каждим.

Days of Diversity doesn’t mean that much to me, but it is very important to have knowledge about different cultures because it helps people understand one another, and this brings respect. I am glad that our school has this event because it teaches respect and it’s fun! I hope everyone enjoys it.

T

Y

Disney remake disappoints

By Lindsay Oda Business Manager

Melissa Lau / Staff Writer

Marissa Bannister as Alice talks with the caterpillar in the play Alice in Won-DEAF-Land.

Creative trip down the rabbit hole

By Melissa Lau Staff Writer

Alice in Won-DEAF-Land was a production put on by the American Sign Language class held at the Center for the Arts, and written by American Sign Language teacher Ovida de Julia. It was meant to be a parody of Alice in Wonderland. The performing dates were Feb. 26-28.

When a girl named Marissa, played by senior Marissa Bannister, takes part in the ASL tradition of the Day of Silence,

she is forced by her teacher to speak or fail a project.

Marissa, not knowing what to do, passes out and the story begins there. She wakes up in a place where no one uses voices to speak, but uses sign language instead: Won-DEAF-Land. In that world, her name is no longer Marissa, but is Alice.

She cannot speak, and tries to find a way to find her voice and a way out of the strange world. She faces many obstacles, including many encounters with Peter White, the twins Tweedledeaf and Tweedledumb, and a rebellious princess.

“The play had my attention the whole time, and that says a lot,” said junior Joshua Lieu.

Alice in Won-DEAF-Land was a very unique play because while

the characters on stage signed all the words, there was a voice-over to let the audience know what was going on.

There was not one time in Alice in Won-DEAF-Land where it was not signed; even the songs were proficiently signed. Not only were the acting and voice-overs well synchronized, but the actors’ attire was very fitting for Alice in Won-DEAF-Land.

On top of that, the play was also lightly educational, and taught the viewers about deaf people and the stereotypes of deaf people being dumb.

“I think it was really entertaining to watch. It was really creative, and I’m sad that the performances are over,” said sophomore Cordelia Lim.

Thrills and chills from Shutter Island

By Kate Kim Staff Writer

Looking for drama, thrill, mystery, twists, and Leonardo DiCaprio in one movie? Take a trip to Shutter Island and you’ll find everything you want. Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, was released for audiences to enjoy on Feb. 19.

Starring actors such as Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, and DiCaprio, the movie was a great hit. The story is about a U.S. Marshal named Teddy Daniels who goes to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a mental hospital patient who is a murderer. Daniels claims that there is another mystery that the whole

hospital is keeping from him, and tries to uncover the mystery.

The storyline is not simple. It is jam-packed with twists and surprises that will catch the audience off guard.

Out of five stars, I would give Shutter Island four and a half. I really enjoyed this movie especially because I am a fan of thriller, mysteries, and drama.

From the beginning to the end, I was interested in what was happening. I don’t think there was a scene that was boring; every moment was attention-grabbing. It was a bit confusing at first, but then everything made sense at the end when the story twists into even more excitement.

There were a few confusing parts. For example, when Daniels experienced quick flashbacks that did not relate to his life, and he had sudden migraines whenever a certain

subject was brought up. It was mysterious and I had no idea what was going on, until the mystery unfolded at the end.

Because the ending was created to surprise audiences, the earlier parts in the movie were confusing and mysterious.

The climax was my favorite part of the movie, when it goes to Daniels’ flashback of what truly happened; it answers all the questions about the movie.

I was at the edge of my seat, deeply absorbed in the movie.

There were many parts where I flinched and even screamed because of sudden surprises and gore. Since the movie is Rated R, some parts are violent and contain Rated R material, but other than that, it was a well-made movie.

Shutter Island is 138 minutes of excitement—satisfaction guaranteed.

What do you get when you mix Disney, Tim Burton, and Lewis Carroll? A terrible attempt at a sequel to the original story of Alice in Wonderland.

The movie began with Alice as a girl with bad nightmares of herself in Wonderland. She grows up to be an imaginative and curious young woman in a strict, traditional British society when one day she is proposed to by an ugly lord. As he waits for her reply, she is distracted by a white rabbit in a waistcoat.

And don’t let me surprise you, she follows the rabbit into a hole.

The rest of the movie consists of her running around Wonderland trying to save the people from the tyranny of the Red Queen by killing the evil Jabberwocky, a dragon-like beast (a character from Carroll’s poem). The plot, hardly like the original Alice in Wonderland played out in about two hours and left me very unsatisfied and unamused.

The promised vibrant and fanciful scenery was only shown for the first five minutes in Wonderland.

The rest of the movie was played out in scenes of stark, grey land.

The 3-D was gimmicky, simple, and came at expected moments when objects were thrown or a creature flew.

Many were excited about the role Johnny Depp would play, the Mad Hatter. His character was the center of movie posters and billboards instead of protagonist Alice, and this could be seen in the movie. Alice’s character, was dreary and indecisive making the two hours hard to watch and her character annoying.

On the other hand, Johnny Depp’s character was dynamic and interesting, but dynamic and interesting became a problem when outbursts of Jack Sparrow’s pirate voice found its way into the Mad Hatter’s monologues. Confused? So was I. All roads in the movie lead to an expected climatic epic battle. Unfortunately, the battle consisted of 20 playing cards fighting 20 chess pieces, with a few other characters sprinkled in. At least Alice was to have a heroic victory, but her fight with the Jabberwocky seemed easy and short as she stumbled on a few stairs and dodged some flying debris to slay him.

It was small, it was weak, it was Disney.

Remaking Alice in Wonderland seems like a good idea, but only when following the original animation and story, which succeeded because of it’s twisted, crazy adventures.

Burton however fails to do this, deviating from the original Alice in Wonderland, and making his own plot expected and too predictable.

Coach makes athletes Huskies defeat Trojans in two overtimes “push past their limits”

By Aditi Bhatia Staff Writer

Coach Dooney Jones is the new coach for the CVHS track and field team. Ever since Peter Brewer stopped coaching two years ago, CVHS has been looking for replacement coaches. After Matt Rainwater left, Jones was invited to coach the track and field team.

“I received a phone call asking if I’d be interested in heading the team. Track is in my blood and I live nearby, so I said yes,” said Jones.

As former head track and field coach at Mt. Eden High for 15 years, and former sprint and jump coach at James Logan High School for four years, he has already gained 19 years of experience.

“He makes us, including me, work extremely hard,” said Alex Gao, sophomore. “But I like him because that means we’re better than the other track teams out there!”

Now that Jones has taken the place of head coach instead of Brewer, he plans on proving to the school and its athletes that he will be able to maintain the high reputation of the track team for the upcoming years. As head coach, he will take charge of mainly the long and triple jumps, and will also be

in charge of the organizational and administrative duties of the track team.

“I expect the team to work hard and push pass their limits and achieve more than they’ve ever thought possible for themselves,” said Jones.

Although Jones is not a teacher at CVHS, he is already becoming extremely popular within his team. A lot of students on the track team praise him highly and respect him already.

“I think he’s a great coach. He pushes everyone to their best potential, and I think he really wants everyone to do their very best at all times,” said Monica Gamez, sophomore.

According to Jones, a regular day on his team is just like a circus act. Helping him coordinate the varsity track team are assistant coaches Mike Spencer and Barbara Klews. Spencer and Klews have been helping the team for a long period of time, back to when the previous coach Brewer was in charge.

With this experience, assistant coaches Spencer and Klews will help Jones and the track team to and maintain its reputation around the Bay Area.

Jones recounted two moments in his career that stood out to him. “One is while coaching at Logan, I helped an athlete become a two-time state champion. I’ve been close many times before,” he said. “The other moment is re-occurring. It comes in knowing many of them received scholarships to school for their hard work.”

By Moises Fonseca Sports Editor

The nearly unstoppable Trojans finally reached the end of their journey with big highlights through their last game in the state tournament. The Trojans lost against Sheldon High School’s Huskies, 85-82, on March 10 during a second overtime.

Castro Valley did its best performance throughout the game. Castro Valley needed five more seconds for the

game and they could’ve claimed the Northern Regional Division trophy. However, Sheldon’s Darius Nelson scored a three-pointer to the game with 4.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The first overtime session started with a 69-69 game. The Trojans and the Huskies desperately tried to score as many points as they could.

Despite the hard play, the Trojans tied up the first overtime.

In the second overtime, Nelson scored in a free-throw with 30.4 seconds towards the end of the overtime.

The Trojans were losing 83-82.

Unfortunately, they didn’t score afterwards; instead the Huskies scored a two-pointer. The court flooded with fans cheering the Huskies.

“It was a great year, the fur-

thest than any other team has gone in this school,” said coach Nick Jones.

The Trojans’ varsity boys basketball team never made it this far in the postseason before. They won two NCS games and ended with a record with 23-7.

Their season ended for this year, but their spirit is still unstoppable, waiting for next year to accomplish the same as this year, or even claim the title of NCS. According to Jones, this big event was his most memorable event in his coaching history.

The Trojans also had some other highlights within their team. Junior Roderick Bobbit was named HAAL basketball player of the year.

Hoop team’s road ends in state tournament

By Max Kahane Staff Writer

The Castro Valley High School girls basketball team had a successful season this year. They consider themselves a different team because of their accomplishments. They played hard this season and focused their

efforts on winning.

Their hard work paid off when they went to the NCS as an underdog. In the end, they made the semi-finals in the NCS basketball tournament.

“We made it far in the season and nobody expected us to make it as far or play as well as we played, were ready to do it all over again and make it to state,” said Elena Ala, sophomore.

They played competitive schools like Monte Vista, Newark Memorial, and Deer Valley.

Monte Vista, second in the state, was a very hard team to beat.

Despite this, the girls played hard and beat them by one point,

advancing to play Newark Memorial, who they also defeated.

“I’m proud of my team, how hard they played. I couldn’t ask for a better senior year and for a better team to play with,” said Kaitlin Endo, shooting guard.

Despite all their success, a strong opponent, Deer Valley High School, defeated the Trojans in the end. But even though the girls didn’t win NCS, they qualified to play in the state tournament. This is a very big accomplishment for them as well as getting to the semi-finals in the NCS.

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

Aditi Bhatia / Staff Writer

Justin Lew, freshman

Freshman Justin Lew has been playing tennis for four years, and is on the tennis team at CVHS. He plays both doubles and singles for his team. “I started because I really enjoyed it. It’s just extremely fun for me,” said Lew. He gives credit to coach David Pawid for helping him become an exceptionally good tennis player. His favorite time at school is lunch and P.E. because he gets to spend time with his friends. On the other hand, his least favorite class is science. Aside from his love for tennis, he enjoys playing golf, chilling with his friends, and walking to the library.

Rebecca Fong, sophomore

Starting her second year at CVHS, Rebecca Fong is a part of the CVHS badminton team. She joined the team because it has always been a fun and recreational sport for her.

“I like how badminton requires fast reflexes and quick thinking, but not too much in the way of brute strength. It’s all strategy and reflexes, which is good for me,” said Fong.

She also plays tennis and enjoys going mountain biking. Her favorite subject in school is history, while her least favorite is Honors Chemistry.

A few of her other passions include photography, reading, and hanging out with friends. Her favorite TV shows and channels include Mythbusters and Food Network.

Judy Tian, junior

Junior Judy Tian is a part of the tennis and badminton teams. She loves playing tennis and has been playing since she was eight years old. She enjoys playing first varsity doubles. Her most successful moment was when she, along with her partner, Kristen Chun, won second place in the HAAL championship. What she especially likes is the amount of fun and excitement she and her team have together and the mutual support that they have for each other. In her spare time, Tian takes pleasure in watching movies.

Richard In, senior

Senior Richard In is on the varsity track and field team and plans to compete in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters races. He also played on the varsity football team.

During his football career, he played as a defensive back and receiver. He joined football because it was his last opportunity to play for the school, and he loves the workouts for both track and football. His other hobbies include watching movies, working out at home, and flirting with girls. His top two favorite movies are District 9 and City of Gods.

SPEAKER: from page 1 Days of Diversity speaker, were two of the petitioners in last year’s lawsuit against CVUSD about Arlene Nehring, the lesbian minister who presented during Days of Diversity.

“It has become clear that CVHS is seeking to silence the student club and Mr. Yuan because his experiences with homosexuality were not positive, and he encourages celibacy. The school’s favoritism toward some religious and political viewpoints, and disfavor toward other positions, is blatantly unconstitutional,” claimed Kevin Snider, Pacific Justice Institute’s chief counsel.

After receiving the warning, district officials decided to let Yuan appear.

In Yuan’s presentation entitled “Christian, Gay and Celibate,” he made his objective very clear. “I’m not here to talk of the morality of homosexuality,” he said. “I’m here to discuss more of what is defined

SPORTS: from page 1 a lot worse off, said Principal Pete Alvarez. CVHS is also one of the last schools in the Bay Area to ask for donations for sports, Alvarez added.

“I think it will be very difficult not just in athletics but in school wide,” said Alvarez.

BUDGET: from page 1

get changes for the worse, the district may have to consider even harsher cuts. Other possible solutions such as furlough days must be discussed with the teachers association before further decisions are made.

While looking over the budget, the Castro Valley Teachers Association (CVTA) found figures that seemed, at first glance, to imply that many of the cuts proposed by the district were unnecessary.

In an address to the CVUSD School Board, CVTA president Barbara Siegel presented figures from district funds and reserves set aside in 13 areas—building funds, technology investments, site carryover funds, and funds for adult school—that totaled $12,096,889. The official February budget plan has incorporated some of those funds, but many of the funds Siegel claims the district can use to offset the discussed cuts were left out.

In response to these claims, Negri explained that if the funds are used up to reduce cuts for

by the Christian life.”

He emphasized that everyone is created in God’s image and that people should treat each other the way they want to be treated.

“We need to be the first to defend and stand up for [people who are different],” said Yuan.

Still, many teachers, gay and straight, have spoken out against the recent presentation.

“The real issue that needs to be addressed is that gays and lesbians are discriminated against in this society, legally and socially. It’s pouring gasoline on the fires of hate when a speaker wrongly implies that sexually active homosexuals are sinners. Let’s get real, please, and invite speakers on brotherly love and tolerance next time,” said social studies teacher John Green.

Some took offense because Yuan’s presentation seemed to link homosexuality and drug abuse and promiscuity.

“I’m proud to be an example of a happy, healthy, well-adjusted gay man in order to counter Yuan’s characterization of a drug addicted, promiscuous partier like he used to be. It’s offensive that he correlates the drugs and promiscuity with his sexual orientation,” said Kim. Supporters of Yuan see his presentation in a different light.

They believe that true diversity represents all sides of an issue, even if it is controversial to do so.

“I am in support of respect and diversity for all people, but it must be true diversity, where all sides are given a voice. If only one side is heard, it is indoctrination, not education.

I am thankful to Castro Valley High School for respecting this by allowing ex-gays to have a voice in Days of Diversity and allowing our Christian club to invite speakers of our choice,” said Viktoriya Mukha, president of the Revelation Club.

The boosters club and head volleyball coach Shari Rodriguez have been thinking of ideas to save the CVHS sports programs for next year. One idea that was brought up in their last meeting includes selling San Francisco Chronicle subscriptions.

The second idea was to hold a

road race to raise money. The last idea was to sign up for ecards so that a percentage of the money of transactions will go towards the athletics program for next year.

“I’ve coached for 22 years,” said Rodriguez. “And to watch [sports] go away would make me real sad.”

the next year, there may be no reserves left to offset another year of cuts, which would then mean more severe cuts later on.

“It’s a balancing act,” said Negri. Also, many of the cited funds cannot be transferred over to general by law. For example, some are grants that can only be used for specific purposes.

Negri said that, if he had the choice, “There isn’t anything I would put on the list [of cuts].”

“If there’s not a reason to cut a program, why cut it?” added Principal Pete Alvarez. “I don’t ever approve of taking services away, but the fact of the matter is this crisis is so dire there’s nowhere else to cut.”

Other CVHS programs that may possibly lose funding in the near future include zero period classes, the student union, plays, and musicals.

Of all the budgets Negri has seen in his many years in education, “This is the worst,” he said.

Colleges institute new waiting lists

By Dana Lin Staff Writer

The UC system announced in January that six of nine schools with undergraduate programs will use waiting lists as part of their admission processes due to state budget cuts.

“I don’t like wait lists,” said senior Livia Lim. “They give people false hope.”

Some UCs are using a waiting list to eliminate the appeal process. Originally, a student denied acceptance to the school could write a letter of appeal to the school, sometimes accompanied with a letter of recommendation by a counselor or school official.

With the new procedure, a student denied acceptance would be put on the waiting list.

Private schools have previously used waiting lists and CSUs have adopted them.

“I think it’s a fair process,” said senior house counselor Ninah Asuncion. “If you’re on the waiting list, you’re still being considered.”

UC Merced and UCLA will not

use waiting lists. UC Merced and UCLA both are able to meet enrollment requirements without a waiting list.

UC Berkeley remains undecided.

“Every university is its own separate university, even though they may be part of the UC system,” said Asuncion. “They determine the rules.”

This is how the new system using waiting lists works: the schools give the accepted students a chance to decide whether or not to enroll. If someone decides not to enroll, the leftover spots are given to students on the waiting list.

“Apply to as many colleges as you can. You’re not going to be guaranteed a placement,” said Asuncion. “If you get accepted into a UC or CSU, I would take it.”

Asuncion suggests students should start considering private colleges. “It doesn’t matter where you go to school,” said Asuncion. “It’s whether or not you get the degree.”

Visit D rivers Ed.c during om and ent er the on line p discount* c ayme nt pro ode CAHS3 cess.

Online Drivers Ed

• Fun, flexible lessons so you pass your permit test • California DMV-approved • 50 free online permit practice tests

Driving Lessons in Your Area

• Practice driving in brand-new MINI Coopers!

• Free driving-lesson pick-up and drop-off • Licensed instructors teach you to drive Questions? Call us at 1-888-651-AUTO.

Want a fast, easy way to fundraise for your class? Earn a 25% commission and save your friends 15% off drivers ed. Visit www.DriversEd.com/Associate-Programs. *Discount for online drivers ed class only.

H_BW_6x8_F3 © 2009 DriversEd.com