March 27, 2015

Students need more sleep!

Page 3: Are we overworked in school?

Volume 58, Issue 8

Students “exchange” their talents Page 4: Japanese exchange group arrives

March 27, 2015

Bringing Bomont to CVHS Page 5: Footloose hits the stage

We are born to seek the truth! www.cvhsolympian.com

Drug use prom-pts concern about dances

By Desiree Broome Staff Writer

Caitlin Forbes / Staff Writer

Steve Wilkinson helps students Ben Barraza and Sean Luster perform and enjoy music.

Teacher nominated for a Grammy

By Caitlin Forbes Staff Writer

A glimpse inside of Steve Wilkinson’s guitar class reveals guitar students working hand in hand with students with disabilities, communicating by the universal language of music.

Wilkinson, guitar and geometry teacher at CVHS, has been nominated by parents for a special teacher’s Grammy Award, recognizing teachers who have impacted their students in the best ways possible, allowing them to grow to the best of their abilities.

The parents who nominated Wilkinson are Don and Juliet Barraza. Their son Ben Barraza receives special education and electives that suit his needs are scarce. Once he experienced Wilkinson’s guitar class, however, the Barraza family knew that guitar class would be the best for him. Ben has been with the guitar class for three years, since sophomore year.

“Our son loves it,” said Juliet Barraza. “Mr. Wilkinson creates a group of students for our son to play with and listen to.”

The Barraza family has nominated Wilkinson for his “desire to want to teach all children,” and his “ability to see students’ ability.” For the Barraza family, this is “just a glimpse of the appreciation we have for him.”

“As parents, to have our child accepted and embraced in his class is amazing,” said Juliet Barraza.

Wilkinson was quick to share credit with his students and the aides who work with the students with disabilities. “I feel that the nomination is more of a recognition for the guitar students and the special ed aides and how they interact with them,” he said. “It’s less of an award for me.”

Not only does the class benefit the students receiving special education, but it also benefits the guitar students. “By interacting with the kids with disabilities, the

guitar students obtain a deeper sense of people, community, and life itself,” Wilkinson said.

“I want to minor in special education in college, so getting to interact with the special ed students, and watch them develop skills such as guitar is a good experience,” said guitar student Corrine Girard.

“It’s cool working with the special ed students. They always listen, even if I mess up they still listen. It’s really nice to play in front of them,” said guitar student Sean Luster, who also credited his teacher, Wilkinson. “As a teacher he has been playing guitar so long, and hearing what he plays is inspiring. He always encourages me to learn new songs.”

The next Grammy awards ceremony is about a year away, but Wilkinson, his students and the aides who enrich the lives of others through music are already winners.

the excitement surrounding it. Although nothing about the owners of the page or its origin are known for sure, some information about the owners was released on the page March 2. The owners claim to be three students: one freshmen, one sophomore, and one senior.

Two of the students claim to be male, and one a female. When asked if they ever planned to share their identities, they responded “most likely not.”

While the page proves entertaining for students, it can also be hurtful for others. Many of the confes-

sions contain themes of bullying, racism, and sexism. One recent confession was among the more offensive. “Almost every Asian female driver i know sucks ... Please, get off the road.” Posts like these are common on the CvConfessions page, and not only hurt feelings, but perpetuate stereotypes as well.

Other posts detail explicit drug and alcohol use by students. “I drink so much alcohol at school it’s the only thing that gets me through the day,” confessed one. Posts like this are numerous, and if true, could indicate gaps and weak-

Quite often around campus, you hear many stories about so-and-so getting suspended for something drug related. Sometimes drug related incidents even occur at school events. An incident recently occurred at junior prom, and resulted in a student being taken away by paramedics.

“It was really scary, while waiting for our limo outside, we saw a fire truck come and paramedics racing inside. We had no idea what was going on,” said junior Adrianna Dianda.

Although only one student was treated by paramedics, it is clear that there were others participating in the drug use as well.

Many students were seen seemingly intoxicated and some even smelled of drugs and alcohol.

It seems although the use of drugs such as tobacco and cigarettes has dramatically decreased, other drugs that can severely alter the state of mind, like marijuana or molly, are becoming much more popular within the high school community. Molly, also known as MDMA, is a psychoactive drug that not only puts you in a euphoric state, but can also cause dehydration, hypothermia, and many other negative effects.

As Senior Ball approaches, many are wondering what is going to be changed to ensure that another incident like the one at junior prom doesn’t happen again. The administration is looking into ways to make sure that anyone who is intoxicated or under the influence isn’t allowed into prom.

“There’s only so much that we can do, we aren’t the police and we don’t want to violate anyone’s rights,” said Assistant Principal J.C. Farr.

Students in Leadership have said that breathalyzers are also being looked into as a way to make sure that students are sober when arriving to prom. One issue with breathalyzers is that they only detect alcohol. This would be somewhat effective, but since there has been issues with other substances, it may not be as successful as many would hope.

Others also believe that the drug use that takes place at our school is a result of lack of knowledge and awareness. What students learn in the required semester of health class taken freshman year doesn’t quite parallel to the drugs that are being used today.

In classes and presentations, the ideas are usually focused on drugs that aren’t as commonly used.

“I think awareness will be more effective than consequences. If students were more aware and thought out what could happen when they decide to abuse drugs or alcohol, a lot of them just wouldn’t do it,” Farr said.

Along with awareness, consequences also may be bigger than before. Seniors who are caught intoxicated at Senior Ball may not be able to walk during graduation..

Hopefully the incident at junior prom has opened students’ eyes and made them more aware of the effects of drugs and alcohol, and improve the chances of thinking twice before using them.

Students share their confessions via twitter

By Maia Samboy Staff Writer

CvConfessions, the Twitter page where CVHS students can make anonymous confessions about the school and their personal lives, has become infamous among students and teachers alike. The page which at first seemed like harmless fun has now turned into a hot-spot for student on student hate and dangerous allegations against teachers.

The anonymity of the page (@ confessionsofcv) adds greatly to

nesses in the school’s handling of substance abuse.

On the other hand, some of the posts are positive and funny as well. “I’m a junior and I still suck my thumb at night,” wrote one.

Students all over campus, and even those from other schools, are having fun reading the CvConfessions page. Other students are not happy with the page, and see it as a nothing more than a platform for bullying and hate. “It’s actually funny to see others invest their time into bein[g] a hater,” wrote one contributor about those only

“confessing” insults.

“I think its funny, but I think some of it gets out of hand. Maybe it should be put to a stop because some of the things being said is hurting peoples feelings,” said junior Jade Alarcon-Baca.

Students are not the only ones talked about on the page, many teachers have come under attack as well. David Roth-Rossi is one teacher talked about often on the page. “Roth-Rossi is soo hot he makes my day happy,” reads one recent confession about the social

See TWITTER: Page 8

2 Staff, students must work together against drugs Editoral: Prom is the quintessential high school party. Hundreds of juniors focused on enjoying the most extravagant dance, but some had other plans in mind. Students exchanged pot, molly, and liquor prior to the dance in preparation for the biggest party of the year. But in carelessness, issues regarding drug abuse arose, and at least one student suffered a medical emergency at the dance.

We at The Olympian believe that school administration could have taken many more steps to prevent drug use during Junior Prom. We suggest more precautions be taken leading up to Senior Ball, and a new drug policy be put in place for all future school events.

Upon arriving at the prom venue, students were searched for various prohibited items by staff members at the door. We believe that these searches are not necessarily the most effective, as students can easily hide items in undergarments, making them nearly impossible to detect in a quick scan. With hundreds of attendees, more thorough searches are unrea-

Alison Dhont/ Photo Editor

sonable, and would waste too much time.

Despite the best efforts of security, students are able to bypass this barrier, and bring drugs into the dance. In order to combat its use in the venue, we suggest having more on-site supervision. Teachers and administration should patrol all of the rooms and bathrooms in order to ensure proper student conduct. With the presence of an authority figure, and the prospect of punishment, stu-

dents would be less likely to abuse illegal substances.

Punishment for offenders should not only be enforced, but intensified as well. The student handbook dictates that being under the influence, as well as possession of drugs and alcohol, are punishable with a five day suspension and filed police report. State law makes possession of drugs punishable with a fine and up a month in jail. However, few students suffer these consequences.

Drug use cannot be taken lightly at CVHS and offenders should be rightfully punished for their activity. Consequences should be amplified in order to ensure compliance to these rules. The drug rules should be enforced to their highest extent, creating a truly zero-tolerance attitude towards drugs. For Senior Ball, we suggest taking away the privilege to walk the stage during graduation for those who are caught violating the drug policy. Students need

to realize the severity of their offense to prevent abuse.

As it is in many cases, the first step in ending this problem is with prevention. The administration needs to continuously address the CVHS drug problem as it arises on campus.

Sometimes students show up to class high and the hallways smell like marijuana. Students aren’t seeing the consequences that come with the possession or use of drugs and alcohol, and by showing leniency in the policy, administration is encouraging the continued abuse. In order to maintain student safety both on and off campus, school officials need to take more steps in enforcing the drug policy.

Students, however, still assume a majority of the responsibility of their actions. School and school-run events are not the time and place for drug use, and students need to take their peers into consideration. Users should be aware of the physical and legal consequences of consumption, and take steps necessary in staying safe , even if it does mean leaving drugs behind on prom night.

Drugs at school aren’t cool

By Brittany Bracy Staff Writer

Remember those “above the influence” commercials, in which teenage actors say “It’s just one hit,” followed by a “Naw I’m good,” from an above the influence, typically designated friend?

Whatever happened to those?

What happened to drug awareness in society? It’s as if drug awareness is becoming slowly nonexistent within society, putting youth and future generations in danger.

There are those who seem almost oblivious to how pervasive drugs are in schools. In the fifth grade it was easy to say one would

never do drugs because they’re bad. But it’s as if now, many students second guess the whole drug-free life.

As colleges and society becomes more demanding and competitive, it's not shocking that more students are turning to the bottle to have a good time and forget about their worries.

In 2012 the CDC released statistics that over 23 percent of high school students used or use tobacco related products including hookahs and vapes. Cigarette use is declining, but newer, more lethal drugs are often being introduced to youth.

It’s really sad seeing that the youths’ place of learning and growth seems almost infected with daring students who show up to the workplace or school functions in a dazed or “faded” state. Not only that, but another bold, small percentage are daring enough to use drugs and alcohol on campus.

Prevention and awareness is one of the most important and realistic things that schools should teach.

“It seems like there’s plenty of stuff for kids to learn about pre-

vention. Health class is great for freshmen since they’re being exposed to older teens and parties,” said school nurse Francine Mays.

When I say prevention and awareness, I don’t just mean a sometimes tedious health class that freshmen take for a semester, nor a presentation about an outdated drug like cigarettes. I mean something more like anti-drug seminars, realistic facts, and drug prevention tips and alternatives.

Why not a club for the decreasing percentage of students who are anti-drugs? It’s important to spread awareness in classrooms when most students are attentive.

“We’re going to strengthen the approach to regulating drugs and alcohol at school related events, but the only way that prevention could work is if the students do their part,” said Assistant Principal J.C. Farr.

It’s beyond troubling to see peers act in such a shameless way.

It makes me worry for not only my generation, but also future generations. I hope that students clean up their act.

PHOTOpinions

By Stephanie Huerta

“People would be more comfortable with dogs sniffling drugs out than having a pat down.”

Sonia Espiritu, freshman

“I think they should make check points when students enter dances to avoid having drugs at the dance.”

Will Stein, sophomore

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2015

Editors-in-Chief...........................................................Stephanie Huerta Anna Talajkowski City Editor.........................................................................Rachel Du News Editor..............................................................Anna Nguyen Opinion Editor............................................................Sally Liang Feature Editor.....................................................Callie Ross-Smith Sports Editor................................................................Laniah Lewis Arts and Entertainment Editor......................................Lauren Jelks Photo Editors........................................................Alison Dhont Jes Smith Business Manager......................................................Robbie Brandt

Staff Writers: Martin Baez, Desiree Broome, Brittany Bracy, Neo Diesta, Caitlin Forbes, Halley Lin-Jones, Laura Macchiavello, Alexander McIntosh, Jessica Mi, America Morales, Danika Newlin, Maia Samboy, Isaiah Siordia, Meiling Zhang Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

How should the school deal with drugs at dances?

“There needs to be stricter regulations at dances because the ‘pat downs’ clearly didn’t stop drugs from getting into the dance.”

Samantha Fong, junior

“If students are found with drugs they shouldn’t be allowed in. The checks at the door should be more thorough.”

Justin Wong, senior

The Olympian March 27, 2015

“Accept it and learn to deal”

3

Teenagers face choices, pressure on path to future

stephanie huerta

/ editor-in-chief

A sleep-deprived student is struggling in calculus. rachel du

By Meiling Zhang Staff Writer

Get good grades. Pass every standardized test. Research a career. Pick challenging classes. Every choice you make in these four short years of your life will help determine the next few decades of your future.

We’re all teenagers, but all the adults around us expect us to make decisions for ourselves with a certain amount of maturity and foresight.

Some of us have trouble figuring out what we want for lunch, so how can we be expected to plan out the next few years of our lives?

Half of us aren’t old enough to drive. Almost all of us can’t drink or vote or even watch R rated movies. To the government, we are virtually still babies that need to be taken

care of every step of the way.

We are being told to make all these choices and decisions as if the world is expecting us to fly and survive after throwing us out of a window from the top floor of the Empire State Building.

Teenagers don’t rebel because we’re “at that age.” We rebel because we can’t handle the pressure, and the expectations to be the wondrous new generation, to fix everything that is wrong, and to make many improvements and innovations for the world.

Like most people my age, I procrastinate. I like to put everything off even though I know that the only thing left for me to do would only take a second. I always tell myself, “You have time. What’s the difference between doing it now and doing it later?”

With that train of thought, I ask myself, “Why should I

have to start preparing for a job I’ll have seven years from now? Why can’t I wait six more years to make all these choices?”

Counselors try to ease us by letting us know we can go into colleges with an undecided major and that we can always choose to change careers when we grow older. In a way, that does help assuage our anxiety by letting us know the results of our choices are ephemeral. Throughout our entire lives, we will be forced to make choices, so even though things may seem unfair now, we’d just have to accept it and learn to deal.

In the end, everyone, no matter how old, is just experimenting and hoping for the best. There’s still two more years left of high school for me, and I just hope my choices will bring me to favorable outcomes.

People who care aren’t awkward

By America Morales Staff Writer

She’s so quiet, she must not have any friends. Look at him, he’s so awkward. Hey look, they are left alone with no one to talk to, well, it’s not my problem.

They are socially awkward. I don’t want to be seen talking with them, they are not considered as one of the popular kids.

Who is qualified to make these judgements? Haven’t people been taught that you can’t judge a book by its cover? Just because people may appear different, or

out of what kids consider being “normal,” doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings. Wouldn’t you feel guilty making fun of someone for the way they dress, act, speak, or express themselves, without knowing more about who they are as a person, what they’ve been through and experienced?

I feel like nowadays, kids are so caught up trying to please other people that they change who they really are as people in order to be accepted and gain respect from others. In reality, it’s these people who need to take a better look at themselves and ask themselves what they will get out of preying on others.

Sure, it seems to be working out while you’re in high school.

You’re popular, you have millions of friends, everybody loves you and your name is praised and known throughout the entire school. But what is all of that worth once you are in the real

world, outside of the protected gates of high school?

I’m sure everybody is guilty of looking down on others and making them feel like they are less than we are. We’ve all done it, but the true difference in people is that some choose to continue doing it to make themselves feel better and to show the rest of their friends they can cause others pain, and then there are those who learn from it and see that the kids who are constantly being picked on are human, too.

Next time you see someone sitting by themselves in class or lunch, when you see the shy person in your class who never gets to work with anyone, or when you hear others talking badly about them, step up and take the opportunity to do something different. Show people that what is truly considered “cool” is being a nice and caring person, who sees people for who they are inside and not what they look like.

/ city editor

“The real world needs laws”

By Rachel Du City editor

Batman is not one of the good guys. He may fight crime, defend the city of Gotham, and have a strict sense and execution of justice, but by what means? The villains he defeats bleed and writhe in pain like any human would, for the most part. What gives Batman the authority to seek out these criminals and beat them to a pulp?

The answer is nothing. Batman does not get to draw the line between good and evil; he does not get to distinguish between innocent civilians and villains. The problem with one person standing above the law is that his judgment is not always sound.

We live by the rule of law, which states that our nation is governed by laws rather than by men. People are flawed.

People do not make consistent, fair decisions.

Leo Frank, a factory owner in the early 1900s, was accused of killing a 13-year-old girl who had refused his advances. After Frank’s death sentence had been reduced to life imprisonment, a group of 25 men took matters into their own hands when they kidnapped Frank from the penitentiary and lynched him. Decades later, a

witness came forth claiming to have seen the factory’s janitor carrying the girl’s body into the basement. Frank was granted a posthumous pardon.

Jonathan Keith Idema, a convicted con man and delusional terrorist bounty hunter, imprisoned and tortured eight Afghans in his home with two of his colleagues. He believed they were getting terrorist information out of the prisoners.

The dark side of vigilantism is we don’t know when the law falls into the wrong hands. A vigilante like Batman is revered – but only because he was made that way. The city of Gotham had the fortune of avoiding a misguided “hero.” However, unlike in the land of fictional ideals, the real world needs laws to hold society together.

When one civilian decides he or she is an exception, our laws cease to work. It is a collective mindset we must all share, an accepted and widely held belief that our system works. If we believe it fails, it will.

Even Batman understands that. In Alan Moore’s acclaimed graphic novel, The Killing Joke, the Joker tries continuously to push Detective Gordon and Batman over the edge, to prove that “one bad day” leads to insanity. In the end, Gordon insists an enraged Batman to go by the book, to show the Joker that their way works. So even after the Joker paralyzes the detective’s daughter and humiliates Gordon, Batman refuses to kill him. In the end, even Batman understands we are ruled by laws, not by people.

It’s not to say that we should blindly follow the law. There are just better ways to deal with an ineffective system than dealing out our own punishments.

4

Japanese performers show Trojans their talent

By Danika Newlin Staff Writer

Japanese exchange students put on a breathtaking band performance on March 15. The students, around 40, came earlier that week from an all girls high school in Hiroshima, Japan and stayed with CVHS host families.

The girls’ talents were on display at the performance ranging from playing rhythmic music in the band, doing impressive routines as a color guard, and skillfully tossing batons in the school’s nationally ranked majorette club.

“We practice every day for four hours,” said baton tosser captain, Emiri Tamaka (translated from Japanese). With 11 years of majorette experience, Tamaka went through three costume changes throughout the performance.

Their hard worked really showed with the synchronization and accuracy of all of the acts including an amazing “Let it Go” baton routine to finish off the show. The color guard

Danika Newlin/Staff Writer

A color guard spins and twirls her flag to the music of the band. and band also worked together in an amazing act where both sounds and sights complemented each other through three band-played songs.

Student’s script strides to the stage

By Jes Smith Photo Editor

At CVHS we have a plethora of talented people, from dominating athletes to fantastic musicians. Now Castro Valley is the home to senior Sami Cowan, who won second place in a writing competition for a script she wrote. The play will be performed live at the California Thespian Festival of 2015.

Her one act script was written for her final in Advanced Drama.

“I wrote a one act about a couple kids that get locked inside a classroom during a blizzard. It’s kind of sad ac-

tually. One of the characters dies at the end and the narrator is sort of like the ghost of a girl who’s been there for a while. It’s supposed to be the way people deal with death,” Cowan explained.

She didn’t think much of her script, but drama teacher Tiffany Daily thought elsewise.

She convinced Cowan to enter her script into this writing competition called Playworks.

Playworks gets hundreds of entries each year, and a couple of winners are chosen.

Both drama teachers are very proud of Cowan, and rightfully so. CVHS’s visual and performing arts has greatly benefitted from Cowan’s contribution.

Though the exchange students didn’t spend much time during the day at their hosts’ homes, there was still time for CVHS students to get to know

their guests. “They taught me how to write my Japanese name in kanji,” said host Angel Lam. The language barrier was a difficult thing to get through

between the hosts and the students who only spoke a little english. “I tried my Japanese but it was really hard and awkward to try to speak to them in their language,” said Lam. The exchange students will be going to Disneyland after their stay in Castro Valley although they enjoyed their time in the Bay Area.

“Maki, one of my family’s exchange students, was overwhelmed when we took her to the Build-a-Bear in the mall because they don’t have anything like that in Japan,” said Emiko Hendee. Tamaka, on the other hand, had the most fun playing board games with her host family.

The girls of Sanko high school have seen and experienced much more than the average CVHS student. Although their travels are because of their incredible talents, most find that their favorite part about traveling is meeting new people.

“I enjoy coming here and making new friends and meeting you guys!” said Tamaka.

From superintendent to super retirement

By America Morales Staff Writer

After six years of working with the Castro Valley community, Superintendent Jim Negri has decided to retire in June. With 41 years working as a teacher, site administrator, district officer and superintendent, Negri has come to realize that the timing for retirement is right with his health in good condition, the district doing well, and the internal feeling of it being the right choice.

“I enjoy what I’m doing.

I’m walking away from what I think is one of the greatest jobs in the world, but I’m walking away feeling good about it,” explained Negri.

As superintendent, Negri is responsible for making sure that all students get a quality education by making sure that teachers and staff members are getting the resources they need in order to make it happen.

In educating the next generation, he wants to ensure that students graduate and are ready to go into the world being productive citizens.

For Negri the most rewarding part of his job is having the opportunity to visit the schools in the district and see students learning. He tries to go to one school per week, especially enjoying the elementary students who are beginning to learn how to read and write.

Reminiscing on his years in the job, Negri is proud that Castro Valley is recognized as a good district and one that people want to come to. In addition, he is thankful for all of the professional and personal contacts he’s made throughout the years. Having lived in Castro Valley since 1985, he enjoys being involved in the commu-

Jes Smith / Photo Editor

Superintendent Jim Negri talks about his retirement

nity where he has spent all his life doing what he loves.

Along with the memorable moments, Negri has experienced many challenges, one of them being the economic recession that took place starting in 2008.

“We were tight, we upped class sizes, we stopped funding athletics, and cut back a lot on maintenance projects,” discussed Negri.

He continued to explain that while the district cut funding for sports, it did not actually eliminate any sports at the high school. Negri is still not sure if the sports will be restored anytime soon. In addition, larger class sizes and the inability to get all the classes that students want added to the problem. Although

it wasn’t the greatest, Negri stated it still was not as bad as other districts.

“I am proud that as a district, we were able to maintain programs during the cuts,” said Negri.

Although Negri has no definite plans after his retirement, he plans to travel and go back to Italy to visit family members.

“I’m going to watch my seven seasons of Doctor Who that I still haven’t been able to watch. They’re still sitting in my DVR,” Negri jokingly mentioned.

However, he is still focused on his last months of work and doesn’t plan to start worrying about retirement until June.

The Olympian March 27, 2015

5

Put away that broom! Crowd loses their heads for Footloose Musical makes everyone feel at home

By Halley Lin-Jones Staff Writer

Alison Dhont/ Photo Editor

Custodian Dave Elliott retired after 38 years of service to Castro Valley High School. We thank him and wish him well on the road ahead.

Are you thinking about becoming a *teacher *psychologist *social worker *speech therapist *adaptive P.E. specialist *music therapist *assistive technology specialist *physical therapist *behaviorist *occupational therapist *or vision specialist?

If so, become a mentor in room 401.

Talk to an adult in 401 to see what it’s all about.

Any Castro Valley resident who has ever been asked “Where the heck is Castro Valley?” was able to relate to Ren in the recent production of Footloose.

Main character Ren, played by senior Chris Baker, has moved away from Chicago to an obscure small town called Bomont. There he meets a rebellious girl Ariel, played by Sarah Choi, who is the daughter of the town’s influential and well-respected reverend.

“Ren doesn’t fit in. He’s very different from everyone in the town,” said Michael French, who played Willard Hewitt, Ren’s goofy and dim-witted friend.

When Ren learns that dancing has been legally banned in Bomont, he is surprised and confused. He makes a plan

Alison Dhont / Photo Editor

Michael French and Chris Baker practice for Footloose. to convince the town of the value and importance of dance, challenging the reverend’s statements about dance being heretical and therefore unacceptable.

The musical is based off the popular film released in 1984. The show featured lots of upbeat, rock tempo songs played by CVHS musicians and conducted by Steven Hendee.

“It’s been really fun,” said sophomore Grace Hancock, who played Ariel’s sassy friend Rusty. “I have met new people, learned new skills from the director, and just grown overall

from this experience.”

Audience members enjoyed seeing the variety of CVHS talents that this musical showcases. Hancock stood out as a very talented singer, and French as a hilarious and convincingly dumb Willard.

The entire cast was strong throughout the show, with elaborate dance numbers and funny yet sensitive acting.

“I think this show is special because the theme of it is very important. It makes you realize that arts have the power to bring people together,” said French.

6

G-Eazy is my favorite rapper Rachel Du / City Editor

By Lauren Jelks A&E Editor

50 Shades of Grey: submissively bearable

By Alexander McIntosh Staff Writer

Released less than a year ago, These Things Happen, G-Eazy’s third album, is an angsty, well-versed, and diverse 14 track-filled rap album with a lot more to offer than you’d imagine. While his songs focus on stereotypical rap themes such as money, success, and women, G-Eazy’s ability to craft tunes that balance featured artists, good beats, and memorable lyrics brings the whole album together, while creating pearls of each individual song.

Now before I talk more about his songs, let’s discuss G-Eazy a little bit: he’s like that hot bad boy you always see around school who is too cool to not be popular online somewhere. He gels his hair back and wears all black. He smokes weed openly, signs girls butts, and grew up in Oakland. If that’s not claim to fame enough, what is? In a lot of ways, G-Eazy is a smokin’ hot James Dean of rap.

“He’s like

that hot bad boy.”

If looks and persona aren’t enough to enthrall you, however, his actual music might.

Fifty Shades of Grey, the book series and new movie that has everyone in a hype, is filled with abuse and a wrong portrayal of BDSM. I would say it’s actually worse than Twilight, if it wasn’t originally a Twilight fanfiction.

The story starts when Anastasia Steele goes to interview the young entrepreneur Christian Grey. Later they realise they want each other but on his conditions. Christian is obsessed with BDSM, the abbreviation for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. Anastasia does not like the idea, but she also doesn’t like the idea of losing Christian. She says okay, creating a safe word in case she felt too uncomfortable, which later means nothing.

Tracks like “Downtown Love” and “Shoot Me Down” fully personify unrequited lust, surrounded by influences such as drugs and alcohol that quintessential moody teens can relate to. He tells of hook ups, lost girls, and millennials in ways other rap artists can’t.

If angst isn’t your thing though, his other tracks such as “I Mean It” and “Lotta That”

fully get you pumped, blasting the bass and listening to verses such as “Listen I’m telling you, it’s my world, I does what I wish to/ If you’re mad well too bad sounds like a personal issue.”

Through his mix of quintessential rap and fantastic choruses, G-Eazy’s album truly stands out as a careerlaunching album.

Check out the Best Place for jeans Shop till you drop at American Eagle

By Laura Macchiavello Staff Writer

Being six feet tall, you can imagine how hard it is to find jeans that fit just right. I used to dread the day I would have to go jeans shopping. Jeans either barely fit,

or they would flood above my ankles. It was my least favorite part of shopping, until I discovered something that altered my mindset on jean shopping forever.

I was browsing around the jeans section of American Eagle, which was one of my favorite stores, when a very kind lady asked me if I needed any help finding pants. She was about as tall as me, so I explained my problem to her, hoping for some helpful advice. She told me that she used to have the exact same problem and then shared a very exciting piece of information with me. American Eagle didn’t just sell short, regular, and long, which are the lengths commonly found in stores, but they also sold extra-long exclusively online.

That same day I rushed home, got on the computer, and ordered

my first pair of extra-longs.When they finally arrived I tried them on and I couldn’t believe it. They fit perfectly! I couldn't help but look at them in utter joy. The curse of not being able to find jeans was finally broken.

To this day American Eagle is my favorite store to buy clothes.

They always have the latest fashion, cutest clothes, great customer service, and most notably, they always have sales, especially online. When I am at the mall, the first place I walk into is American Eagle. Whenever I feel like doing some shopping, I always log onto americaneagle.com and purchase a few things, for a very good price, and, of course, buy a pair of jeans.

Now cuffing my jeans is a choice, not an obligation, because for once they're not too short, instead they fit just right.

In Chapter 12 in the first book, Anastasia says “No,” to Christian and kicks him, obviously showing she does not want him.

He proceeds to force himself on her.

BDSM is about caring for partners and letting them have a choice in the matter, which Christian doesn’t do. In Chapter 15, when Ana has a few drinks and is clearly intoxicated, Christian starts making a move on Ana even though she has not given consent. She even says, “It scares me when you’re angry,” so she doesn’t fight back, letting Christian have his way.

BDSM is a consensual exchange of power between partners where they both feel empowered in a safe environment.

It is not tying up your partner or forcing them to do it with you.

That is rape.

Fifty Shades of Grey has given people the idea that it’s okay to do this to their partners and consent doesn’t matter. Yes, it’s a popular book and movie, but it’s one that can cause harm.

Kingsman is a royal adventure

By Robbie Brandt Business Manager

Based on the best selling comic books of the same name, Kingsman tells the story of Eggsy Unwin, played by Taron Egerton, a young adult petty thief who has no plans for his life. That is, until he meets Harry Hart, played by Colin Firth, who is an undercover Kingsman agent posing as a tailor. After the two meet one another, Hart begins training Eggsy to become an agent.

Everyone, however, doubts his capability, especially the agency’s leader Arthur King, played by Michael Caine. Meanwhile Hart is investigating the

business of Richmond Valentine, played by Samuel L. Jackson, because the agency knows that he is up to no good.

One of the best scenes in this film is towards the end, when all the agents are in the villain's secret lair and there is lots of action and adventure, which this film is already full of. Another good scene was when the Kingsman agents were training to become agents. I found those scenes to be comedic and adventurous.

Kingsman has a wide variety of comedy and action, and the casting choices were perfect, which made the film a one-ofa-kind spy movie. Honestly for me, it was better than an average Bond film. And as a fan of the comic, I’d say that this adaption was perfect and I wouldn’t change anything. I would definitely go see this movie.

.

7

Trojans conquer Pirates in badminton match

By Anna Nguyen News Editor

Erik Clemensen flies through the water during the swim meet.

Jessica Mi / Business Manager

Trojans splash down Encinal Jets

By Robbie Brandt Business Manager

Wednesday, March 18 was a day to remember as the Trojans sank the Jets at a home swimming meet. The Trojans stayed calm and confident as they went to face their rivals, the Encinal Jets.

“If we stay in the zone and work together as a team we can win this thing,” said junior Joey Jerome, in anticipation for the meet.

Jerome’s prediction came true.

The beginning of the meet started smoothly with the 200 medley relay. The Trojans took not only first but second place as well. “ As a group we did well. Our entries were solid and we had great team spirit,” said sophomore varsity swimmer Matt Proctor.

The girls varsity team performed spectacularly in this event as well; the Trojans took third place against our rivals.

“I think our lane worked well together and that’s why we did well,” said freshman varsity swimmer Jenna Garcia.

The big event for the Trojans was the 500 freestyle race. The 500 consists of 20 laps nonstop, and can be tiresome on the hardworking team.

“I’m in between throwing up and not, it’s a long race and there is a bit of pressure,” said junior varsity swimmer Peter Altoff. Altoff’s performance, however, was amazing, with him receiving third place with a time of 5 minutes, 38 seconds, his new personal best.

The overall winner of this event however was junior Brandon Chin,

who swims on the varsity team.

“It was a good race. I could have done better, I got 4:56; my best is a 4:42, but I got first so I’m not complaining,” he said.

Overall the swim meet was a success, with the Trojans defeating the Jets.

“Our kids did wonderful especially today because there was a lot of diversity. Many swimmers were sick and couldn’t swim so we had kids swimming things they normally don’t swim and they did fantastic,” said coach Travis Miranda, who also had nice things to say about the Jets.

“I want to thank Encinal for coming out here today their performance and their spirit was top notch; I am glad to have them,” he said.

The CVHS badminton team remains undefeated following a victory over the San Leandro Pirates on March 19, with a score of 13-2. It was only the Trojans’ fourth game of the season, but the team has shown remarkable progress.

“The badminton team is really good this year,” said senior Kyle Chan. “The coaches and captains are great, and its been really fun.”

The game started out with varsity matches, with the top seed players going against their opponents.

“Playing Varsity 1 Girls Doubles is a lot of pressure, but I try my best in every match,” said senior Ada Huang. “I’m so proud of everyone and how far we’ve come.”

This match marked the first time playing varsity for junior Bethany Bin. “It was nerveracking,” Bin said.

“I underperformed, but I’ll work to be better next time.”

While badminton is played in either single or doubles games, the amount of support and unity the team has as a whole is undeniable.

Teammates rooted for their peers from the bleachers, yelling “Nice shot!” or “Good save!” Doubles partners high fived on and off

the court. Players mingled in the stands, watching the matches, exchanging game tips, and showing their camaraderie in the most intimate way: in sharing their Chipotle.

As the season moves along, the team looks forward to continuing to play together and developing skills.

“This is my first season playing with my partner,” said senior Sarah Kim. “We’ve won all four of our games and I’m really glad and excited for the end of the season.”

As for her partner, senior Sunny Zhou, when asked about his hopes for the rest of the season, he says, “Give me a real challenge.”

cludes a four-mile run, stretches, 100 push ups and 150 crunches.

Voss commented on how she started wrestling her junior year, eventually making her way to the top and learning to love the sport.

“My whole life I've been overweight. My brother wrestles for Creekside and kept telling me about it. I never really considered myself as the most outgoing person but I thought I would push myself to try new things

so I thought I would join the wrestling team to lose weight and be a little more active in after school activities,” said Voss.

“Not only did I lose 37 pounds by the end of my junior year, I found something new that I loved, and I made new friends.”

Voss has big plans for the future, and she hopes that wrestling is among them.

“Wrestling has become a big part of my life, and I have my school and coaches,” said Voss.

Anna Nguyen/ News Editor

Sarah Kim prepares to hit the birdie over the net.

Girls wrestle at California state championships

By Alison Dhont

Photo Editor Castro Valley’s own CVHS girls wrestling team had three team members attend the CIF State Girls Wrestling Championships on Feb. 27-28. This meet is the largest tournament for student wrestlers in California.

Seniors Zoe Voss, Joy Pihana, and Shylah Hill all received the opportunity to wrestle some top competitors.

No CVHS girls placed in the

tournament, but Voss shortly missed placing within her division. Reaching this tournament makes them as among the top 24 wrestlers in their weight classes in the state of California.

“The fact that these girls made it to the state meet is amazing in its own right,” said Summer Scott, the CVHS girls wrestling coach.

Scott graduated from CVHS in 2004, and continued to wrestle in college. This is her first

year as head coach of the girls wrestling team. Scott uses her previous wrestling experience as coaching techniques for her team.

“I put the girls through a similar training process as I was put through when I earned a state title in 2004 for Castro Valley High School,” said Scott. “Each of the girls work hard and they push themselves to limit each day.”

The girls typical workout in-

A m a z i n g A s t o u n d i n g At h l e t e s

By America Morales / Staff Writer

Allanah Lee, freshman

Varsity hurdler Allanah Lee is one of the newest stars on the girls track and field team.

Her events are the 100 meters and 300 meter hurdles, and her best time for the 100 meter hurdles is 15 seconds.

Because she has just started to run the 300 meter hurdles, she is looking to practice and get a good time. Her favorite things about the sport are the meets and being able to hang out with friends.

“By the end of the season I hope to go to state, get the title and break some records,” said Lee.

Kat Averill, sophomore

Kat Averill enjoys swimming alongside her friends and feels very accomplished that she made the varsity team her freshman year as well as her sophomore year.

“It’s been a really big accomplishment, at least for me because I always strive to better myself in the best way possible,” said Averill.

Throughout her eight years of competitive swimming, her favorite part about the sport is the friendly environment.

“I think there’s a lot of family in the sport, we’re all very close to each other and we’re all friends. It’s just a great environment,” said Averill.

Joaquin Soto, junior

Joaquin Soto loves being out on the baseball field and working hard while being able to have fun with his friends at the same time. Having made varsity this year, Soto now realizes the level of competition and the amount of work he needs to put in to continue growing as a player.

“It’s a good feeling to be on varsity this year because you have to work hard, compete with others and be more polished in your skills,” stated Soto.

Soto hopes to make NCS and is currently working on improving his game and becoming a better player to get to the next level.

Jorge Toro, senior

Making NCS and winning a WACC championship was Jorge Toro’s most memorable moment in his four years of wrestling.

“I remember my entire team was excited because we are a small team and winning was a big deal for us.

It felt really good, all my hard work paid off,” said Toro.

Toro began wrestling freshman year and since then has been passionate about what he does and has accomplished.

“It’s a tough sport, not many kids go out and do it. It really shows who you are and what you are able to do,” stated Toro.

The Olympian

Too many teacher’s assistants?

By Laura Macchiavello Staff Writer

The number of teacher ’s assistants earning credit in School Service has been problematic for years.

In 2013 there were 530 students serving as TAs in one, or in some cases two, of their periods. This time last year, there were 441 TAs, 89 less than the previous year. Currently, this semester there are 416 student TAs, ten whom presently are unplaced. This number is higher than last semester, where there were roughly 375 student TAs. The minimal amount of elective classes has continuously been an issue, due to its correlation to the excess number of TAs. There are only a select few semester long elective classes, including Psychology, P.E., Sports and Leisure, and On Your Own. These electives aren’t offered every period and because of the complications that take place when rearranging schedules, many students are simply assigned to School Service, where they frequently wind up not having much to do.

One of the major concerns is that students are choosing to TA in order to escape challenging classes they are struggling in.

“The biggest reason we have so many TAs is that kids flounder in their year long academic classes and need a way out and the only thing we can do is have them TA, because there are no other electives provided,” said counselor Susan Elliott.

The district has to value and approve any new electives before they are provided.

Having a study hall, where students can be more productive during a free period, was considered. The proposal was never

Opinion Editor

Stephanie Huerta/ Editor-In-Chief

Teacher’s assistant Sam Song has time for homework. finalized because in order to have a study hall there would have to specifically be a teacher, supervising at all times. This is problematic since the supervisor, someone with a licensed credential to teach, would be getting paid a teacher’s salary for practically babysitting students.

For students, being a TA acts as a break in their schedule, so most of them don’t mind. In contrast, many teachers and administrators yearn for a major decline of TAs. “When we have student TAs we feel that we’re not providing the maximum education for these

students,” stated Assistant Principal Jesse Hansen.

TAs are considered necessary and helpful in the front office, house office, and library, but in many other classes TAs are just wasting their valuable time and education.

“For the kids that are truly struggling I feel that we should have an alternate support program for them, so they can stay in their class instead of being a TA,” said Elliott, who feels that this approach would significantly decrease the number of TAs there are now.

know at least who your accuser is, because anyone can just put anything on there,” said RothRosi, speaking more seriously. “I think the school’s hands are really tied, especially when it’s a social outlet...where you don’t know who does what.”

The administration is taking steps toward shutting down the page, and counteracting its negativity. “Our first priority as educational leaders is to insure the safety of our students, of our staff, and everyone else, so obvi-

ously we are taking the CvConfessions page very seriously,” said Assistant Principal Jesse Hansen.

“We have been in contact with law enforcement in an attempt to find out more information about some of the meaner and more degrading posts,” he continued.

In addition, several projects are underway to minimize the damage done by CvConfessions.

“There was a discussion with the leadership class of how to put out a more positive message,” said Hansen.

studies teacher.

“I feel bad sometimes that people just see me as a piece of meat and a beautiful face, rather than a teacher who has real intellectual things to offer students,” said Roth-Rossi. “Sometimes it hurts my heart.”

Some posts to the page concerning Roth-Rossi and various other teachers are extremely serious, and contain allegations of sexual assault. “You have the right to

Olympian Man saves a Damsel in Distress

Story By Robbie Brandt/Illustrations By Neo Diesta

8

Many scholarships available for seniors

By Sally Liang

CvConfessions raises concerns

TWITTER: From Page 1

March 27, 2015

As a growing number of high school students seek financial aid, middle-income parents are pressured more than ever these days. With the cost of college also increasing rapidly, from six to 20 percent more per year, it becomes more difficult to afford an education.

A four year undergraduate degree at a UC projects to cost over $105,000, while average cost of tuition, room, and board at private institutions now exceeds $48,000 per year. Tuition at UC and California State University schools have nearly doubled in the last few years.

Recent College Board data reveal that a family that earns $75,000 a year might have to pay around $10,000 each year toward college tuition before qualifying for need-based aid. With income of $150,000, the expected family contribution ranges from $35,000 to $40,000. Over the last 30 years, the average published price at public two-year colleges rose by 150 percent, from $1,337 to $3,347, and the increase for in-state students at public fouryear institutions was 225 percent, from $2,810 to $9,139.

Supporting high school students in their quest to strive to achieve their career goals, Castro Valley Educational Foundation offers a variety of scholarship opportunities based primarily on academic promise and leadership potentials.

“I think education in America has become so expensive that any help our students receive is greatly appreciated,” said Gerry Cox, history teacher.

Volunteering in local communities can lead to community service scholarships. Community engagement displays an individual’s commitment to

making the world a better place.

Scholarship providers, as philanthropists themselves, appreciate students who demonstrate an early interest in helping those around them. The Castro Valley Women’s Club Scholarship, for example, offers $1,000 for those who have participated in community service, extracurricular

“ Any help

our students receive is greatly appreciated.”

Gerry Cox Social studies teacher

activities, or student government and plans to attend a fouryear college. A minimum of 3.0 GPA is also required. Likewise, CVHS Class of ’91 Public Service Scholarship provides $10,000 for students who display interests in careers dedicated to public service.

“Scholarships are excellent ways to propel students into path of life that they want to pursue,” said senior Kyle Chan.

“With support of our local communities, many people have a higher likelihood to attend their dream college.”

There are also many scholarships available aimed for individual ethnic groups. Dr. Joshua Fong grants two $500 scholarships for students of Chinese descent. Moreover, for students of Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovakian, Polish or Austrian descent, the $500 CHRSPA Scholarship is offered on basis of academic performance and community service activities.

Students throw out bad trash habits

By Jessica Mi Staff Writer

Thirty cubic yards: that’s how much garbage CVHS produces in a single week of the school year.

Thirty cubic yards is equivalent to the volume of a large storage container or the trailer of a semitruck. Only seven cubic yards out of this 30 are actual garbage. In one year CVHS will produce 42 semitruck trailers worth of garbage.

If students sorted their garbage into the right bins, we could cut our garbage outputs by about 77 percent.

At the CVHS waste audit on Feb. 7, 2015, a total of 75 brave student volunteers tackled the difficult task of sorting one days’ worth of our school’s garbage: 91 full 19-gallon trash bags. In total, CVHS staff, students, and teachers produced 1,729 gallons of trash in a single school day. The large volunteer team made quick work of the trash and finished their task in less than two hours.

“It was gross!” said freshman Kyle Tran. “People throw a lot of weird things in the garbage.”

Castro Valley Sanitary District

analyzed the sorted trash and found that 79 percent of items thrown in the garbage were not actually garbage, but recyclable and compostable materials. If students threw their trash into the right bins, waste output could be reduced to only seven cubic yards per week.

As sophomore Maya Moore put it, “People need to realize that the smallest thing, like sorting your trash into the right bins, really does make a difference.”

Looking at the statistics, CVHS has improved the amount of trash it produces over the years. We have cut our trash output almost in half compared to the amount of trash from 2011.

It seems that as a school and a community CVHS has become more aware of the importance of recycling and reducing the amount of trash we produce.

“I’d really like to see more people participating in this event,” said sophomore Melanie Chuong.

“It really raises awareness for the effect our trash has on the planet.”

Needless to say, the waste audit made a profound impression on all students who participated.