March 28, 2013

Pg. 2

More peace, not more guns

Olympian opposes arming teachers

VOLUME 56, ISSUE 8

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Science teacher inspires

Dr. Yager is a student favorite

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2013

Trojans win against Lancers

Pg. 7

Tennis team scores for CVHS

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

CVHS celebrates student diversity Students suspended, facing arrest after Student Union brawl

By Hans Mortimer Staff Writer

Natalie Fazeli / Photo Editor

Monica Pidoy sings the national anthem at the Days of Diversity assembly. The annual event showed off cultural displays from around the world. See more on Page 8.

New online test to replace STAR

By Kristen Jensen Staff Writer

Very soon, students will not have to spend hours upon hours bubbling in answers at the end of their school year. Starting for the 2014-2015 school year, the nonetoo-loveable California STAR test will be replaced by a completely new standardized test called the Smart Balanced Assessment Consortium test, or SBAC for short.

“The change is prompted by the adoption of new standards,” said Gerald McMullin, assessment coordinator of the Castro Valley Unified School District.

“The assessment has to change.”

It is a very welcome change.

This new standardized test will be on par with the new set of state school standards that McMullin mentioned, called the Common Core State Standards (CCS), which will focus more on the process of a student’s problem solving, not just the plain knowledge of the student.

“It is assessing the process, not the content,” said Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke. The goal of the SBAC, stressed Steinecke, is to get a better picture of how students learn instead of what they have memorized in class.

The “smarter test” will be given to students in grades 3-8 and to juniors in high school. The SBAC will be taken entirely online using a computer-adaptive

test.

How exactly is the test going to be carried out on computers?

Here is a rough sketch of how the test will work: When students answer questions on the SBAC, their answers shape the next questions, allowing the program to assess the students’ knowledge. For every

“ It is going

to be a very different type of assessment. ” Gerald McMullin

Assessment Coordinator correct answer, the next question will be slightly more challenging.

If a question is answered incorrectly, the next question’s difficulty will be constant until an answer is once again answered correctly. If an answer is wrong, the choice that was picked will help the computer determine

why the wrong option was chosen; in short, A, B, C, or D will tell the computer whether or not the error was a simple miscalculation, a misunderstanding of the concept, or the result of a learning disability.

There will also be sections that are not multiple choice. “Constructed Response” questions will be answered by filling in words or giving short answers.

“Performance Tasks” will require logical thinking and an explanation of the answer.

Currently, the only subjects in the SBAC are English Language Arts and Mathematics, but there will be more subjects added in the future.

Report cards will be sent home after the test detailing how well a student performed on the SBAC. Also, the test will take quite a large chunk of time to complete, as every student participating will need time in computer labs.

How this will work during one of the busiest months of the school year is still to be announced.

“It is going to be a very different type of assessment and it will be difficult at first to adjust to it, especially at a large campus like CVHS,” said McMullin. Despite the sudden change, however, this new method of test-taking is no doubt a much needed improvement on the outdated bubble-in STAR.

A fight involving at least six students occurred at CVHS on March 12. According to witnesses, two students had a confrontation and began a fight in the Student Union. More students began fighting and the fight grew to include about six students, reportedly all girls.

“I usually hear about fights, but actually seeing it before and seeing it spew out, I was actually scared. I was worried about Mrs. Valles,” said junior Alex Esparza.

The fight began, Esparza recalled, when one of the girls looked at another. “What are you looking at?” she reportedly said.

“Then they gave each other a look,” Esparza said. “Then they ran at each other. Another girl jumped in with Mrs. Valles in the middle.”

According to witnesses, one of the girls struck Principal Mary Ann Valles.

As the fight continued, a crowd of students gathered around yelling, pushing and taking pictures and video. “A sea of people came in. A gazillion phones were out taking pictures,” Esparza said.

Administration, other staff and two sheriff’s officers intervened to stop the fighting. In that effort, one of the officers

tackled a girl and pinned her to the ground.

According to Deputy Travis Brannon, a CVHS school resource officer, six students were involved in the fight and an additional four students helped to stop it.

Deputy Brannon explained that videos taken by students are being used to corroborate the students’ testimonies, and there will be arrests.

“There were six girls total.

All six were suspended,” the deputy said.

“Nearby staff members responded quickly to the fight and did their best to stop it,” said Valles. “It was a full response.

All the appropriate staff members responded including some PE teachers who came with whistles,” Valles said.

Fights are not common at CVHS. This fight was unusual in that there were a large number of students fighting and a staff member was struck.

“This rarely happens at our school, which is something we are proud of,” Valles said. “It is a testament to the staff’s and students’ abilities to resolve conflicts before they escalate.”

The school and district take fighting seriously and work to prevent violence.

“This is not what we come to school for. I want all students to feel safe. No one should feel on guard at school,” said Valles.

Rummage sale will raise school funds

By Joelle Bassett Staff Writer

Students and community members all over Castro Valley will be able to purchase a variety of items for themselves at Castro Valley High’s first rummage sale on April 20. The sale was put together by Leadershiop students.

Earlier in the year, Whitaker took his students on a field trip to visit Los Lomas High School's leadership class. There, they discovered that the school had an event where people donated used items and sold them to earn money for the school. Knowing that the funds at CVHs had been reduced, Whitaker thought this

event would be a great fundraiser event to incorporate into our school.

"We're having people drop off anything from clothes to furniture. All the proceeds will be going to ASB to help fund dances, Days of Diversity, prom, and more," explained Whitaker.

The students will be in charge of pricing the items and the sale will be held in the courtyard and the school gym. The leadership class is hoping to make this an annual event to not only to raise money for the school, but to also get people together as a community. They are optimistic about their debut rummage sale and plan to expand it in the future.

Fighting guns with guns will not stop violence Editorial: After the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Massacre, fear of child safety in schools shot up tremendously. What should America do about the increase in shootings across the country? How should we protect our kids? Several states, such as South Dakota, have considered or passed bills that allow trained staff members to secretly carry guns around school to “increase student safety.” That same type of legislation was introduced to California, and is now being reviewed by the state government.

Recalling the phrase, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” The Olympian staff disagrees with the bill, noting that fighting a gun with a gun is not going to stop the violence.

Having anyone, whether a student or staff member, be in possession of a gun on a school campus is a direct threat to the security of the students. Who knows what kind of person that staff member may be, or what threat he or she could make if “they go crazy.”

The bill also mandates that the identities of the gun-carrying staff members be kept confidential;

Lily Carrell / Opinion Editor

however, this infringes on the parents’ rights to know what kind of classroom their children are occupying. Also, if the identities of the staff members with a gun are somehow revealed, then trouble-

making students could steal them.

Even worse, what if students gang up on staff members and steal their weapons? That poses a huge risk to the safety of the schools, increasing trauma and stress.

Sequestration could harm hungry Americans, says writer government aid in order to make ends meet for themselves and their children, even in a time of constant threats of austerity measures, or reductions in government programs to avoid deficit.

The budget cuts would eliminate 600,000 people from the Women, Infant, and Children food program, and could cause

By Anya Keller

Business Manager It is no secret that Republicans and Democrats have been battling over the sequester, or general cuts in government spending.

It appears that Democrats and Republicans will not come to a conclusion to prevent the sequester, and drastic budget cuts will be implemented across the board.

These cuts are threatening to harm the poorest of Americans, which is a shamefully large group considering that the United States is the wealthiest country in the world.

An estimated 50 million Americans currently live without secure access to food.

Many parents work minimum-wage jobs and receive food stamps, but are still unable to support their families with sufficient food and housing.

These Americans rely on

“ Many

parents work minimumwage jobs and receive food stamps, but are still unable to support their families with sufficient food and housing. ” a reduction of $4.5 billion from the program responsible for providing food stamps.

The budget cuts threaten

to dramatically hinder thousands of Americans’ abilities to access food.

They could also harm those who have insecure access to housing by cutting 100,000 families from housing assistance.

Clearly, the sequester threatens the most vulnerable of American families.

The United States government has a responsibility to ensure that its citizens do not go hungry.

Congress members, and specifically Republicans, are rating the essential needs of thousands of citizens as a secondary priority by cutting the funding directly responsible for feeding the hungry as a political tactic.

These spending cuts are in no way necessary. The national budget could be improved by decreasing tax loopholes for oil and gas companies, raising taxes on high-income households, and cutting military spending.

It is more important to ensure that our fellow Americans are able to feed their children than for us to put money back into the pockets of the wealthy or pay for weapons.

It is our responsibility as Americans to demand that the United States government make the basic welfare of its citizens an absolute priority.

At the The Olympian, we think this whole bill is just an overreaction to the Sandy Hook shooting, and does not offer a realistic or plausible solution to the rising problem of violence in our na-

tion. Instead of encouraging the component that causes these problems, we should be focused on conducting effective solutions that target the root cause.

A majority of the mass shootings we all fear are caused by people in possession of a guns in the first place, most of whom have mental health problems or easy access to guns they should not be around.

Using education, schools should implicate more mental health programs to make sure the people who need it are guided in the right direction.

In order to reduce the gun shooting problems in the country as a whole, America should have better gun protocols, and make it harder to buy guns. Using security guards at entrances of schools can also help reduce the chance of dangerous people entering our campuses.

Although it is impossible to make the world completely safe, the first step to make it better is not to encourage such a destructive weapon as a gun. We at The Olympian believe guns do not guarantee safety, especially in a school environment.

By: Marissa Wu

PHOTO pinions PHOTO pinions Do you think teachers should have guns?

“No, it is not safe for teachers to have guns.”

William Hargreaves, freshman

“I think that more problems than solutions will arise if teachers have guns.

Students can steal the guns or the teacher themselves can go crazy and start a killing spree.”

Deric VanDamme, sophomore

“I don’t believe teachers should have guns as they might not be trained to use them. Guns don’t make us safer, the people that hold them do.”

Andrea OrtaDiaz, junior

“Teachers with guns wouldn’t be a good idea.

Think about it: a distraught teacher with rowdy students who don’t obey. I rest my case.”

Christopher Purnell, senior

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Olympian

The March 28, 2013

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Unplug for awhile and put down the phone!

By Anna Talajkowski Staff Writer

How often have you been spending time with a friend when, in the middle of a conversation, he or she has whipped out his/her phone to reply to a text? My answer would be a number somewhere close to the population of Finland (which, if you are wondering, is roughly five million).

Although nothing is ever said, the message sent by reaching into your pocket is clear: “I am so uninterested in our discussion that I feel the need to talk to someone who is not even inside of this room.”

Often this person never means to be intentionally rude; however, in my mind, it is considerably the opposite of what one might consider “polite” manners. But my complaint stems further than just proper etiquette. My annoyance is centered fully on the machine allowing such impertinent actions:

Evan Kwong / Staff Writer

the cell phone itself.

Some may say it is wrong to shoot the messenger; I say there is an exception to every rule.

People develop these bad manners because they have acquired the means by which to carry them out.

Therefore, if cell phones did not exist, neither would the rudeness.

This entire problem all comes from a rapidly growing situation I have dubbed the iPhone Dilemma. I re-

cently made a poll and discovered that 16 out of the 20 friends I talk to own some sort of iPhone, 9 of them being fourth generation or higher.

I find this number to be ridiculous.

The idea of this ratio regarding the school or even Castro Valley itself, quite frankly, somewhat frightens me.

The super-wave of technology that has drowned us these past couple of decades has left us cling-

ing to our phones, computers, and tablets as our only life preservers.

We feel the almost constant need to use electronics. And although I cannot completely denounce these actions, I believe that our need for them has become far too strong for our own good. Electronics have improved our lifestyles, but we are now letting them control our lives, causing us to be habitually changing our Facebook status,

playing games, and, yes, texting in the middle of conversations. I admit, I know how enjoyable it is to download new apps and exchange messages with friends. We don't, however, need to keep our iPods as close to us as the IV of a terminally ill patient. We need to change.

So how do we free ourselves from our electronic addiction? I found the answer, ironically, while flipping through articles on the web. I was reading up on the latest news one night when I noticed that it happened to be National Unplugged Day, an unofficial holiday devoted to challenging oneself to spend 24 hours with absolutely no phone, computer, or other electronic. I had caught the memo a little late, of course, but sitting there that night, I decided to shut off the computer and do something else. And, quite unsurprisingly, I managed to have a perfectly normal night.

Now, I am urging you all to do the same. No, you do not have to freeze your phones in blocks of ice or go live outside in a tent with no technology. All I ask is to be more aware of the time you spend staring at a screen each day. Maybe then we can all realize how much time goes down the drain just by uploading photos and making a new status. And maybe, finally, we can put the phone down and actually talk to the friends next to us.

“Consumers like us can change business practices”

By Matt Talajkowski Business Manager

Throughout my high school education, I have learned about the Industrial Revolution and the horrible working conditions that workers face every day. Workers

dying daily in factories and children operating dangerous machines were details in the textbooks, but were far removed society today.

Now in 2013, we should be thankful that workers are guaranteed rights, the environment is protected, and the products we buy are safe.

Right? However, the underlying conflict is that many of the products you use today are made with the same practices that were in place during the American Industrial Revolution.

On Nov. 24, a factory fire broke out in the Tazreen factory of Bangladesh, killing 112 workers. The factory was producing clothes for major American retailers including

Walmart and Sears. And to make situations worse, the factory managers locked the workers inside every day to make sure they continued working. When the managers found that there was a fire on that day, it was too late.

And while these workers faced dangers far beyond any other factory in the United States, each worker made only about $40 a month. That’s less than $2 a day.

This factory makes $35 million a year. If even a half a million dollars was spent on the workers’ safety, then Bangladesh would not be in the records of having the worst factory fire in its history. And if the companies gave a small percentage

realize what this generation of high school students is experiencing, the quest to be “successful” becomes the bane of our childhood.

The reality is, school has become much too focused on molding its students into perfect models in order to get them into college.

Stress levels have rocketed in both students and teachers, who have to cram more information into their lessons as state standards rise. Standardized college entrance tests such as the SAT, ACT, and many more, attempt to quantify students’ full abilities just by the amount of bubbles filled correctly on a scantron.

This lowers the acceptance rate for colleges, and cuts futures off for thousands of well-deserving students, leading to a depressing loss in the love of learning. Students are taught to memorize words from a book all day, rather than how to present those words with a coherent understanding to their peers.

Social skills are lost, competition increases, and the simple life of being a kid disintegrates. Students are left with no choice but to stick their heads in a book with no time to witness life passing by around them.

We are losing the opportunity to explore subjects we love and forced into classes we hate, all to try to shape ourselves into the cookie cutter mold colleges desire. Is taking an extra AP class worth losing two hours of sleep you know a teenager needs? Is that added extracurricular something you actually enjoy or what the admissions officer wants?

Are you understanding what you are learning or letting it go in one ear and out the other?

Students need to realize that it’s okay not to take an advanced class and instead, enroll in one you are truly passionate about. It’s okay to do something because you truly love it and want to go into the field you’re interested in. It’s okay to go to community college; it’s cheaper than a UC, has smaller class sizes, and has a two year UC transfer program! We must get rid of this stigma that is slowly asphyxiating our childhood, robbing us of sleep, and burdening our shoulders. We need to understand how to love learning again, and remember that the meaning of success does not lie in how many points you can accumulate but what you actually do with the knowledge you attain.

Success renders education meaningless

By Reema Kakaday Staff Writer

With classroom capacities bursting at the seams and the exponentially increasing pressure of college admissions, it seems that the definitions of education and success have been altered into the exact opposite of their original roots.

In the past couple of years, I have noticed several friends taking classes just for the GPA boost or for the fact that they “look good” on college applications.

Many students have taken up an extracurricular or joined a club they wouldn’t have otherwise.

It is now somewhat of a norm to take challenging courses; a hidden stigma underlies the phrase, “I’m taking regular subjects—no honors, no APs.” When you step back and

of their factories’ income back to the workers, it would double every workers income. Yet, large companies refuse to increase the workers’ salaries. And so, I wouldn’t mind paying $4 more for my sweatshirt just to know that the people making it were not mistreated or in danger.

In America, we have laws and regulations so businesses have to protect their workers. Some companies simply left the United States and set up factories in countries that were just starting in industry.

Unfortunately, big businesses are accustomed to workplace disasters like Tazreen. In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York killed 146 women who were making

clothes. Similar to the situation at the factory in Bangladesh, the doors were locked to keep women working and there were no safety precautions or fire exits in the building.

But consumers like us can change business practices around the world.. For example, we could stop buying things from stores such as Walmart, L.L Bean, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

When I look back at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the recent blaze in Bangladesh, I see history repeating itself. I don’t know how many more lives it will take until big businesses will finally realize that their practices are immoral and it’s necessary to change things.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2013 Editors-in-Chief....................................................Melody Moteabbed Kate Pellegrini Copy Editors..................................................................Reyna Garcia Joyce Liang News Editor..............................................................Michael Castillo Opinion Editor.................................................................Lily Carrell Feature Editors.............................................................Reema Kakaday Amber Yang Sports Editor.............................................................Emily Courchaine Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Suzanna Chak Photo Editors................................................................ Natalie Fazeli Alexa Ludke Business Managers......................................................Matt Talajkowski Anya Keller Online Editor........................................................................Eva Chen

Staff Writers: Joelle Bassett, Olivia Berden, Cameron Beresini, Kelly Chan, Stephanie Huerta, Kristen Jensen, Savanah Khan, Evan Kwong, Felicianna Marquez, Hans Mortimer, Amanat Riar, Leia Saelee, Anna Talajkowski and Marissa Wu Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Chemistry teacher Yager has a close “bond” with students

By Leia Saelee Staff Writer

You will rarely ever encounter a teacher who is as dedicated and as genuinely passionate about the subject he or she teaches as Dr. Deborah Yager. She has taught at CVHS for six years now, and over the years has instructed Kitchen Chemistry, Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, Pre-Nursing, and PreEMT. Currently teaching Chemistry and Honors Chemistry, Yager has truly committed herself to a lifelong obligation to better her students.

“I really don’t have a favorite class,” replied Yager. “The truth is that each class has its own unique challenges and I enjoy each one. They’re a different group of students, with different ways of looking at things. It’s all part of the human experience and I honestly enjoy all of it.”

In college, both her undergraduate and graduate majors were in bioengineering, and as an undergraduate she also had the equivalent of a mechanical engineering degree, but fell one course short of obtaining it. Nonetheless, Yager’s true interests lie in the field of biomechanics.

Recently, Yager has been working closely with a professor at Stanford whose interest is in chemical biology, specifically on the research of biofilms (such as plaque on your teeth, or what bacteria produce to create a sustainable community).

After over 35 years of researching biomechanics, studying asthma in the lungs and how it works

Leia Saelee / Staff

mechanically, by chance, Yager had the opportunity to teach for a longterm substitute in a teacher’s place.

Needing someone to teach the rest of the year, the school asked her if she was willing to take on the opportunity. Between jobs at the time, she decided to try it out and fell in love with it ever since.

“My favorite aspects of teaching are mainly developing relationships with students, getting to know students and their interests, trying to inspire them to become scientists, and getting them to see the importance in having a basic science knowledge no matter what

they decide to do in their lives,” she remarked.

Yager describes her dedication as a duty to give back to the world, training the next generation of scientists to improve the place we live in before it is too late. As a teacher, she strives to motivate her students and steer them on the right path.

“My students are everything to me, and that’s the privilege of being here. I get to know them and I get close to them,” she said, “One of the most satisfying parts about this job is having students come back to visit and stay in touch, and I’m now, finally, hearing back from

Teacher’s busy bees beautify campus

By Emily Courchaine

students who are starting to graduate from college. My first group is starting to graduate, which is really exciting. I do hear from them occasionally, and several of them have gone on to science, which is extremely gratifying.”

Her students definitely acknowledge the effort Yager makes.

“She is fantastic,” said sophomore Eleanor Kaj. “She gets students energized and makes all these little jokes that make it relevant. She makes things a lot more interesting, even when students didn’t have interest in it before. She’s a great teacher with a

Students plan for fun over spring break

By Savanah Khan

Sports Editor

If you take a walk down the pathway between 200 and 300 halls, you can’t miss the most recent addition to the brightly colored mosaic mural recently finished by the ceramics classes.

Ceramics teacher Jennifer Jervis decided to begin this year’s mosaic with the theme “birds and bugs,” and gave her students the freedom to interpret it however they chose, realizing that her vision for the mosaic wouldn’t necessarily turn out in the end product.

“I never know what I will get until everything is done,” said Jervis. “ Everyone’s creative vision is in the piece.”

Students began creating their pieces in October. After all the individual pieces in the mural have been glazed and fired, the classes begin the task of organizing the pieces and assembling them into a unified design.

The process of arranging the pieces is slightly different every year, and this year Jervis and her students were focused on creating interesting visual pathway movements rather than simply

writer

Dr. Deborah Yager works along side her students during a recent chemistry lab.

Staff Writer

Emily Courchaine/ Sports Editor

Jennifer Jervis and her students’ newly expanded mural buzzes with bees and birds. organizing pieces by approximate size and shape.

Jervis began the mosaics two years ago with an ocean theme, hoping to “bring a pop of color” to the dull beige hallways and give her students the opportunity to showcase their work.

“I wanted to make the students’ artwork more visible and permanent,” said Jervis.

“It shows what the students are

learning and lets them leave their mark on the school.”

Senior Karen Chaw expressed her enthusiasm for the idea.

“I really liked it and I think it’s really cool that something I made will be a part of the school forever,” said Chaw.

Although specific plans for next year’s mural is not yet in place, Jervis definitely intends to continue the project.

genuine interest that she bestows upon her students.”

Although she is no longer in Yager’s class, junior Sophia Lam still has fond memories of sitting in that classroom.

“She was an amazing teacher.

Even though her class was tough, she made it interesting, intriguing, and easy to understand,” she reminisced. “All her students love her because she’s considerate and understanding. She’s kind and is always there when you need her help.”

Yager ensures that her students are able to measure, calculate, and record properly by grading her labs seriously. This sets up students to prepare for the real work outside of school that involves accurate data.

“Inspire kids, give them a foundation to be able to think about these problems, because they’re serious and hard,” Yager explains.

“Everybody needs a science background if they’re to know how to contribute and give back.”

Truly dedicated and passionate about her profession, Yager goes above and beyond. She is constantly contributing to society and giving back to the students of CVHS by taking weekends to spend with clubs and working to make the world a better place. “‘Do what you love, and love what you do,’” she recited, “It’s seriously something I’ve been blessed to live by. . . I’ve really been able to do things I’ve actually had interest in.”

Some last words of wisdom she offered: “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”

Real life doesn’t imitate TV, and this is especially true with spring break. Most kids plan to stay home and don’t go to Cancun and come back with a sea of regrets and bad decisions.

But even for those who do leave, they aren’t partying it up in the way VH1 or MTV suggests.

Las Vegas seems to be a popular getaway all throughout the year. Two students, Maddy Olivetti and Amanda Huerta are both planning to spend their break in Las Vegas.

“I’m going for my birthday. I didn’t want to have a huge party for my sixteenth birthday,” said Olivetti. She plans on driving over to the Nevada desert with her family for a fun-filled celebration vacation.

“We’re going just because. But there’s no way we’re driving out there!” said Huerta.

It seems they’re both in for a wonderful vacation. Another student said she was going to go snowboarding for the break.

“There probably won’t be very much snow but I’m taking advantage of everything I can,” Kira Evers stated enthusiasti-

cally. She is determined to hit the slopes and terrain park for some good times.

“The majority of students are staying home to do what they do best: relax.

”

“I’m going to sleep, and then sleep some more,” said Julian Trevizo. Despite the fact he isn’t doing anything special, he still can’t wait for the long-awaited break.

People are spending their break doing things all across the board. Some people are even travelling so far as to be outside of the country. No matter what students are doing the schoolfree week, spring break is still the best thing to happen in the second semester.

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Olympian

The March 28, 2013

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’78 CVHS Grad reaches new heights

By Matt Talajkowski Business Manager

Marty Schmidt was from Castro Valley’s graduating class of 1978.

He is now a world famous mountain climber running his own business called Marty Schmidt International Guiding.

He has been on peaks such as K2 and Everest, and recalls his time in Castro Valley when he was a boy, along with his world travels.

Q: You were climbing at a very young age. Why did you start climbing?

Schmidt: I had a calling to the mountains. What basically got me to the mountains were my immigrant parents who couldn’t afford the vacations everyone else was doing. So we went hiking, and we did a lot of hiking trips in the Sierras during the summer time.

And once you touch the Sierras and put a pack on your back, you can go for weeks on end. You get another sense of what life’s all about. You start tapping into the weather, into the mountain sense and movement. I even started guiding when I was 15. I also got into modifying my own gear. My dad bought me an industrial sowing machine, and I still do my own modifications. I would get up in the morning and I would come to high school early and train. There was a cable around the track, and I would balance on the cable. There were no gyms when I was climbing, so I did “buildering.” I would

be in Castro Valley, I’d go down to Castro Valley Boulevard and I’d climb the “Jack in the Crack.”

It was across the street from Jack in the Box. I’d climb the crack on the Bank of America building. As soon as I got out of high school, I went up to the Sierras and started living up there.

Q: You served in the US Air Force for several years. Describe that experience.

Schmidt: At age 21, I packed up all my stuff and went to see a recruiter. In three days I was in the Lackland air force base. I went into the service for para-rescue, which is land, sea, and air rescue.

It is a hugely elite organization.

Ten thousand airmen start in basic training, and 1,500 get to take the para-rescue test. And basically only 200 passed it. And then they work you. It’s an eight-week program. They work you beyond your blood and bones. The first week is called hell week. Those 200 people, in the first week, dropped down to 20. In the second week the 20 went down to ten. We lost two more along the other six weeks.

We graduated eight para-rescue men. I heard in the very beginning that the honor graduate got the choice of where he wanted to be stationed. I graduated, and I chose Alaska. Whenever they needed us, we went. And this was a calling for me, even though it was service. I don’t totally believe in the military.

I looked at it as a job. And I narrow-minded it to the point where I was just rescuing people. I rescued 18 lives, and had 25 assists.

Q: You live in New Zealand.

What brought you there?

Schmidt: It started off with Australia, and then we moved over to New Zealand. I got to New Zealand when I was 28. As soon as I got there in ‘88 I heard about Mount Cook, so I decided to travel there and get to know it. And I ended up climbing it. It was like walking into Alaska for the first time and climbing Denali. It was the same amazing feeling.

Q: What would you say your favorite climb was?

Schmidt: I don’t have any favoritism. That would be like having a favorite child. I love both of my children. Each mountain has its own special abilities to reach out to you. Denali is very special. Once you touch that mountain, you’ll never forget it. Same thing with Mount Cook, I love going there.

But as far as my favorite, every mountain range has beautiful climbs in it.

Q: I understand you had to rescue people on Everest. Describe that.

Schmidt: This was Michael Rhinberger’s seventh attempt to reach the summit, and he left saying he would make the summit no matter what. And he made the summit, but unfortunately he made it at 6:30 p.m. And he collapsed on the summit. Michael actually died that night. Another guy, Mark, had bad frostbite. My client and I were ready to go for the summit that morning, and we ended up rescuing Mark. We turned him around and got him

Trojans sweep poetry and art show CVHS talent wows the crowd at the annual library event

By Felicianna Marquez Staff Writer The Castro Valley Educational Foundation (CVEF) along with the Castro Valley Unified School District put on their third annual Art and Poetry show for middle and high school students on Saturday April 10 at the Castro Valley Library.

Rita Mateo, president of CVEF explained that this was the highest year of entries, with over 400 poems from both the middle schools and the high school. Out of the 400 poems they got, they chose the top 25.

“It was very difficult to choose the top 25 out of all the amazing poems and art we had gotten.

All the students who turned them in did such a great job.

This program is great because these young adults are able to express themselves and give them a chance to do something amazing,” said Mateo.

CVHS Principal Mary Ann Valles showed up to support the high school students in their hard work. CVHS teachers Daren Wilkerson, Anne Parris and Jo

Felicianna Marquez / Staff

writer

Poetry and art line the windows at the library.

Sutton helped to put everything together, their hard work could be seen in the amazing displays and how nice everything went.

Participants in the show could take first and win $100, second and win $50 or third and win $25.

The Olympian’s own Leia Saelee took first for her “Game of Cat and Mouse” poem and artwork.

“I was shocked. I didn’t hear my name called for the longest time and I started thinking that a they didn’t even have me in the contest but then all of sudden, I

took first,” exclaimed Saelee.

Kimberly Low took second and Kimberly Tang took third.

Other art work done by the high school students were “Have we evolved?” by Jackson Stephens, “I know” by Monica Baca and “No longer a girl” by Minorka Reyes.

The top 25 high school participants along with the middle school participants will all have their artwork and poems published in a book that will be available at the end of the month at the library.

down. So you give up summits.

There was a similar situation in Makalu where I rescued three people. Except that time I went back up to the summit.

Q: So you would say rescuing people is a big part of your life?

Schmidt: It’s part of me. I’ll never step over a dying body. But at the same time. I’m not there to do rescues. Unfortunately, you get caught behind people who need assistance. I’m much more wise in my older age now. I always know who is ahead of me. So I don’t get caught in those kind of positions anymore. On Everest I got caught behind some people. I saw four people dying that day. I was working with another person, and he said, “Do not rescue those people.

You take care of your own clients.”

Q: There are enormous risks while climbing, but you choose to push the boundaries even further by not using portable oxygen, or helicopters. Why do you do this?

Schmidt: It’s more than just pushing boundaries: it’s a philosophy. It’s about not being dependent on anything, and I take that into my day-to-day world.

My horizontal world, I try not to be dependent on anything. If you get in a big habit of using oxygen, and your mask freezes up and you don’t have it and you didn’t train for it, then you’re not coming home. It’s a more puristic approach to mountain climbing.

Q: How do you prepare mentally and physically for these climbs?

Schmidt: I try to train every

day. Running. I do a lot of sports, racket sports. Whenever I can do something I will do it. Also I do a lot of yoga and breathing exercises. Mentally, it’s visualization. You put out there what you want and you don’t waste energy.

You don’t go on tangents, and you don’t get caught in the bad things other people get stuck in.

Even eating habits and disorders.

People don’t work their bodies anymore. They don’t clear their minds. They’re scattered. You keep your life simple on the mental side, and you work on your soul and your spirit.

Q: What advice do you have for a marginal climber who wants to improve?

Schmidt: If you really want to do something, doors will open.

Get out there. Go from rock skills to mountaineering skills. Now start swinging some tools. Try some ice climbing. Then it comes down to your time, your money, and your energy. Always keep training for the technical rock, don’t stop climbing. And it will all build your skills. Everest is not that far off for a lot of people. Just have a positive attitude.

Q: What are looking to do in the future?

Schmidt: Well, right after this presentation, I’m off to Everest, and then after Everest, I’m off to Pakistan to meet my son. And we will go after Broad Peak and K2. Then I’m back to Nepal, to go after Manaslu. That’s my immediate future. And after that, we will see. It’s a big year coming up.

Giants slay movie viewers’ hearts

By Kelly Chan

Colin and his Katherines

Staff Writer

In a place between heaven and Earth, giants roam. In the danger and hellish surrounding, director Bryan Singer manages to weave a sappy love story between a princess and a pauper. The pauper has to save the princess who is captured by perilous giants in Jack the Giant Slayer. Of course, the princess is actually going incognito as a pauper herself.

The humor of the movie is very weak, killing instead of making moments, and the acting is quite poor. Although the concept of combining the fairy tales Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer is fresh, how it was portrayed wasn't. Scenes

By Felicianna Marquez

were made to seem intense, but that was rather unsuccessful.

The film almost made up for its problems with decent graphics.

I give this movie 2.5/5 stars, and would only recommend it to people who are bored. It isn't a horrible movie, but it didn't catch my eye or my attention. I

Leia Saelee / Staff Writer

found myself doing other things during the movie, like thinking about what else I needed to do later, instead of focusing on the plot. The movie would be great to get lost in, but your attention would either be in the visuals, music, or plot. Getting the whole effect was hard for me.

The Powerful Oz is not so Great

By Natalie Fazeli Photo Editor

Welcome to dreary and colorless Kansas. Here you will find the traveling Baum Brothers Circus with many talented acts, such as Oz the Wizard, a man destined for greatness stuck in a shabby tent deceiving the crowds with his so-called magic.

Oz also uses his “magic” to win the hearts of women, but he leaves them all broken-hearted, when they realize that he has fooled them into thinking he loves them too.

In the film The Great and Powerful Oz, a tornado sweeps up Oz in a hot-air balloon transporting him from black and white Kansas to the colorful land of Oz. As Oz flies somewhere over the rainbow he becomes ecstatic that he is alive, but is shocked

at all the unusual sights that he sees.

Cascading waterfalls drop to forests of flowers that make music when they sway in the wind, while river fairies use their tiny sharp teeth to bite people’s ankles. The hot-air balloon crashes into a river and finally sinks, leaving Oz on shore where a woman looks expectantly at him like she has been waiting for him.

Theodora is a witch who tells Oz of the prophecy that a wizard with the name Oz would come and defeat the Wicked Witch to free the people of the land.

When Oz realizes that he would become King of Oz and would receive all the riches he decides to deceive Theodora and everyone he meets into believing he is that wizard, while knowing that it can’t really be him since he has no true magical power.

Oz saves a flying talking monkey named Finley from the slithering vines of a tree, thereby gaining a loyal servant for life.

With Theodora and Finley by his side, Oz enters the Emerald City and meets the temporary ruler, Theodora’s sister Evanora.

Evanora tells him that to get his royal title and wealth he must first kill the Wicked Witch. He embarks on a journey, acquiring friends and foes, and is shocked to find that the Wicked Witch is not who he thought she was.

The Great and Powerful Oz captivates audiences with its imaginative special effects, elaborate costumes, and intriguing sets, but that’s not enough to make up for the confusing and disappointing storyline. The movie is just a little too slow in the first half to keep up with the fastpaced films that people are used to these days.

It also fails to incorporate many ideas from the original movie The Wizard of Oz that it is supposedly a prequel to; it should instead be thought of as a separate movie series, because there is no need for a hero named Dorothy in this land of Oz.

owns a factory and is mayor.

As the plot thickens, multiple problems arise. Valjean must flee from his nemesis Javert (played

by Russell Crowe) and take care of a young girl he considers his own. His “daughter” falls in love with a man who loves her back, but there is another girl that likes the same man. Meanwhile, the French Revolution begins, and everyone is involved, whether they want to be or not.

Although there were many things happening at once, it was never too confusing to follow what was going on. The names of the characters were a little harder to catch than in other movies, but not impossible.

Unexpectedly, the entire movie was in song. However, this strengthened the plot more and added another layer of depth

which would have been otherwise impossible to achieve if it were in normal spoken dialogue. It not only served as the method of communication between the characters, but it also allowed the characters to express how they were feeling at a particular moment, serving as a window into their emotions.

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and the rest of the actors all did a beautiful job and were incredibly devoted to playing their roles. Hathaway even had her real hair cut on screen.

Les Misérables is one of the best movies I have ever had the opportunity to see. The movie was the perfect combination of music, drama, and love.

Les Misérables a musical masterpiece

By Suzanna Chak A&E Editor

Two and a half hours of singing and a giant sea of tears later, Les Misérables came to an end.

It left me devastated, but the elaborate, 17 year-span plotline left me satisfied.

Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman, is a recently released convict on parole. After being treated with much kindness by a bishop, he is inspired to do good and to help others.

However, he must leave town in order to accomplish this, breaking his parole. Fast forward eight years later, where Valjean

Staff Writer Have you ever been obsessed with a name? How about to the point where you date 19 people all with that name? In An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Colin Singleton is a seventeen year old anagramming child prodigy who has just graduated from high school along with being dumped by Katherine XIX. Ever since Colin was a child he has been gifted, being young and extremely intelligent. He never really fit in with the other kids, but he always seemed to find himself a Katherine. He never tries to find Katherines to fall in love with, but his heart always tends to find one and then be broken by one. As he is falling into a case of love sickness his best friend, Hassan Harbish, comes to his rescue and decides to take him on a

road trip. The road trip takes a turn when they land in a town named Gutshot in the middle of nowhere where supposedly the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is supposedly buried.

As they arrive to the site Colin meets not a Katherine but a Lindsey, a feisty, short tempered girl with a smile that could “cure cancer.” As the road trip turns into a short term visit, Colin finds himself falling in love with Lindsey and also putting his genius to the test with coming up with the equation for how long it will take for the relationship to end and who will be the dumper or the dumpee. As Colin and Lindsey find themselves in a relationship, he tests his equation and figures that she will be the dumper after four days. But who will actually turn out to be in that position?

This book is full of humor and vibrant energy. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Not only is the story entertaining but also it leaves you thinking about life and the world around you.

Our Version of Events helps you do homework

By Amanat Riar Staff Writer

Every high school student needs that one musical album to stay pumped and motivated while doing homework, but which can also be relaxing and soothing when studying for a test. Emeli Sandé’s debut album, Our Version of Events, was released in early February, attracting R&B and soul music listeners. The album does justice to those students working busily through their school days.

Although Emeli Sandé has been in the world of music

for a few years now, this is her first album and the first time many people, including myself, have heard of her. The album starts out with a positive and 90s dance style song titled “Heaven,” showing what this new artist can bring to the music industry.

While the next few songs are a bit of letdown, the upbeat sounding songs come back with “Wonder” being the clear winner. The lyrics, vocals, and rhythm are all contagious, leaving the song stuck in my head for a while.

Personally, I think this is a great album for all music lovers, regardless of one’s taste in music. Hopefully Sandé can continue making good music and release a new single as her fan base continues to grow.

Trojans slay Lancers in tennis

By Eva Chen Online Editor

The CVHS boys tennis team remains undefeated after a brilliant match against the Tennyson Lancers with an overall score of 3-0.

Doubles team Victor Lee and Brian Ho played an effortless match, finishing the game with a score of 6-0 and 6-1.

“We were so much better than the other team. It was an easy game that allowed me to measure my own skills,” commented Lee.

Daniel Chen follows the bird with his eyes and prepares to swing.

"I had to work so much to improve a lot," said Ho, Lee's doubles partner as he remarked on the work he put in to get to the middle of the “ladder," or rankings of the team.

Other successful doubles teams consisting of Justin Lew, Kevin Moyung, Spencer Siu, and Calvin Tang, who played two perfect sets of 6-0.

"The tennis players are head and shoulders above last year’s.

Everybody played as a team," said Coach Greg Lowe on the excellence of the game and players.

Kelly Chan/ Staff Writer

Promising Start to Badminton Season

By Kelly Chan Staff Writer

The CVHS badminton team beat the Encinal Jets 12-3 in the Trojans’ second competition of their season.

Spirits were high during the game, as teammates cheered loudly for each other from the sidelines. Cameras snapped at different angles, and spectators from school came together to support the players. “ We’re a great team, and our

teamwork has brought us to victory,” said junior Andrew Fox, who plays varsity doubles for the team.

The Trojans led early on, winning most of the first couple matches. So far this season, CVHS has been undefeated and aspires to continue a good year.

“This team has improved significantly from last year, and from the beginning of season this year. They continue to improve themselves, and I hope to see more of the players make NCS

this season,” remarked head coach Eva Lai. The Trojans have a promising season ahead, but they won’t forget that success comes with hard work and moral strength.

The varsity two mixed doubles pair, senior Max Liu and junior Connie Mac, represented the team’s encouraging mentality. “ We support our team no matter what. We play for the fun, not just to win,” said Liu. “ It’s not about the game, it’s about the sport,” said Mac.

Eva Chen / Online Editor

Junior Jesse Pawid serves the ball over the net to his opponent.

A w e s o m e l y A d m i r a b l e OliviaAt h lete s Berden and Kelly Chan / Staff Writers

k

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Aariana Linen, freshman

Although Aariana Linen is only a freshman, she has been hard at work playing basketball for seven years now. Her love for the sport has driven her to play not only for herself but for her family as well.

Not only does her family help her achieve her dreams, but so does her basketball team.

Nothing about the sport is boring to Linen and she plans on playing for a long time and plans to continue playing for CVHS girls basketball team throughout her high school career.

“The team can always put a smile on my face and they are always able to push me to do better and be a better person,” said Linen.

Kevin Moyung, sophomore Kevin Moyung is a sophomore on the boys tennis team. As a singles and sometimes doubles player, Moyung has been playing the sport for more than three years.

Moyung enjoys playing tennis because the game is very dependent on mental stability.

Another aspect of being on the tennis team that has Moyung hooked on the sport is the camaraderie.

Moyung likes playing on the tennis team because he can make new friends, as well as train with his peers.

His long-term high school tennis goal is to climb up the tennis ladder and secure a definite spot in varsity. Outside of school, Moyung has played in several tournaments.

Stephanie Hill, junior

Emily Roscoe, senior

Stephanie Hill has always loved sports, but her true passions are track and field and wrestling. Hill has been running for the CVHS track and field team since she was a freshman, and she has just completed her first wrestling season.

She plans to play throughout college and will continue to have fun doing it.

Hill’s favorite part about playing sports is the adrenaline she gets from competing. The friendships she makes along the way also helps to make playing sports extremely rewarding.

“The excitement I get from competing definitely helps me to push through and continue playing,” said Hill.

Emily Roscoe has always loved swimming. While Roscoe has been playing for the high school since she was a junior, she started the sport when she was three, and began competing in fifth grade.

She was taken out of swimming temporarily for a shoulder surgery, but she made sure she healed as quickly as possible to join the school team her junior year.

Roscoe always works as hard as she can and always tries to improve, loving every minute of it.

“I love the team. I love the people, and the sense of community,” said Roscoe. “And there’s always something I can improve on, there’s always something to work on so it never gets boring.”

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Olympian

The March 28, 2013

CVHS celebrates learning in Days of Diversity Jewish students educate their peers

By Marissa Wu Staff Writer

Days of Diversity always offers a new perspective on different aspects of our culture, and often brings to light new and interesting things we may not have known about before. This year, one of the presentations centered around what it was like to be a Jewish teenager in Castro Valley.

Students Adam Blum, Emma Silver, and Spencer Blum presented an informative powerpoint that covered many aspects of being Jewish. They started with the basics, such as, “What does it mean to be Jewish?” to which the students responded that a person is Jewish if their parents are or if they have con-

verted.

“You can not tell if someone is Jewish by looking at them,” said Silver. Jewish people worship in synagogues or temples, and their leaders are called rabbis. Jewish men and women will often cover their heads as a sign of worship and respect.

The Torah is the holy scripture, handwritten on parchment; and some people dedicate their lives to writing it. Jewish children study Hebrew and Jewish history and culture. When they reach the age of 12-13 there is a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah (bar mitzvah is for boys, bat mitzvah for girls), a ritual that introduces the teens to adulthood.

The Jewish culture has many holidays, but the two most important are Rosh Hashanah,

the new year; and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In their culture, it is very important to be part of a community and participate in community service.

They then moved on to talk about what it was like being Jewish in Castro Valley. In Castro Valley, the Jewish community is small and many don’t understand what it means to be Jewish, so it is difficult because there is a lack of awareness and recognition. Israel and the US have the most Jewish people, with the United States having a high concentration in New York City. Three percent of California’s population is Jewish but Jews make up less than 2.5 percent of the US population.

In the entire world, there are around 13-14 million Jews.

Dietician teaches students about health

By Anna Talajkowski Staff Writer

Helenka Livingston, a registered dietitian, talked to CVHS students about the importance of healthy eating and body weight as part of the annual Days of Diversity presentations. Livingston, who currently works as a nutrition instructor at Merritt College, first discussed the negative effects of using models or celebrities, who often don’t live healthy lifestyles, as role models, and encouraged students to instead work to live balanced and active lives. Livingston then showed tips on mindful eating and stressed the importance of portion control.

“Restaurants these days trick you into buying the larger size because you think it’s the better value, but the thing is we aren’t even capable of eating that much anyways!” said Livingston.

She also encouraged students to go onto myplate.gov to find out which eating plan would be healthy for them, and to learn more about healthy eating habits.

Her most important tip, though, was to make one small change a day in order to start living a healthier and happier life. Her best suggestion?

“Cut out sodas! The body doesn’t register the calories you drink, so you end up consuming extra sugar and carbs and not feeling full!” Livingston said.

ACLU discusses state spending

By Evan Kwong Staff Writer

Alexa Ludke/ Photo Editor

CVHS graduate Austin Bruckner shares experiences about being gay in Castro Valley.

Caitlin O’Neill and David Moss of the American Civil Liberties Union of California delivered an extremely powerful and interactive presentation during Days of Diversity on March 21.

Moss discussed his experience with substance abuse in his younger years, and how through his past addiction he was incarcerated a total of 14 times. Connecting his story of substance abuse with California’s criminal justice system, Moss made a clear assertion that California funnels money into jails when it could

be funding other programs like education and social services.

“California is just out of money,” described O’Neill. “That’s why your schools continue to face budget cuts.”

The presenters discussed how $10.7 billion is budgeted to the California criminal justice system each year, while schools continue to suffer. Moss claimed that substance abuse was a key player as to why so much money is spent for the criminal justice system.

“Drugs and alcohol were a way for me to run away from myself, and to make sure the ugly memories of my past didn’t rear their heads,” Moss said. “And California kept

locking me up when all I needed was treatment.”

Moss and O’Neill took a stand, theorizing that if more money was put into schools instead of criminal justice, young people would be given opportunities to build themselves a future and have less of a chance in going to prison.

They suggested reforming the California criminal justice system by cutting their funds that would then be available to schools and the future generations of kids.

“We’re not powerless,” Moss said. “We have choices, and it’s time for us to think in a different way, to think outside the box.”

Alexa Ludke / Photo Editor

Danahlynn Alon shows off some Tahitian dancing.

Natalie Fazeli / Photo Editor

Seniors Sarah Gong and Gabby Ko carry the California flag at the Days of Diversity assembly.

Happy Birthday Grandma Irene!

Love Matt Natalie Fazeli / Photo Editor

Kristiana Federe performs a hula dance for the audience.

Natalie Fazeli / Photo Editor

Norman Hirose spoke about Japanese American internment.

and Anna