May 13, 2011

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A way to “We’re all raise school in this funds together”

The Olympian supports new tax

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 10

Disney’s High School Musical

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

John Green is new union president

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Ready to take on the challenge

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Students weighed down by extra pounds

By Simrit Kaur City Editor

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Newly elected ASB officers are ready and excited to take on all student body repsonsibilities for the 2011-2012 school year.

Newly elected class and ASB officers

By Kearny Combs Sports Editor

Memorable elections, mindblowing selections, and mournful rejections all happened in less than a week on campus. Voting for the ASB elections took place on April 26 and 27, and sadly, even though every candidate has the qualifications, not every candidate can win.

Kyle Linayao has been promoted from his current treasurer position to the prestigious rank of ASB president. He plans to devote himself to the job, even if it means sacrificing his roles in the DECA and Teens Reaching Out clubs. One of his biggest promises can be found in his slogan: “A vote for Kyle is a vote for a smile.”

“I will bring the most dedication to the job. My goal for the 2011-2012 school year is to

inform and involve the student body as much as possible. I have more than enough experience for the job, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to use it,” said Linayao.

Samuel Ison has always had a passion for public service, and he believes his new role as ASB vice president is the best way he can help out the students and the student body. He is well known for how effective his public speaking is, which is fantastic because he will be speaking during announcements next year.

“I will strive to make it so no assembly announcement or public meeting is attended regretfully. Every last one should have more purpose, be more engaging, and overall more enjoyable.

And of course I’ll bring as many fresh ideas to the leadership class as possible,” said Ison.

As for the other honorable ASB positions, Brenda Liu won the polls for secretary, Kenji PinzonShigeta won for treasurer, and Victor Hernandez-Vega won for school board representative.

“I’m very organized and a very quick thinker. I’m wiling to work with others and put my responsibilities as a priority. I promise to encourage more student participation and student generated ideas. I wish to bring more spirit onto the campus,” said Liu. “Leadership isn’t a new concept to me, I’ve had to serve as the praised position as Senior Patrol in the Boy Scouts. And I’ve actually been in leadership since the seventh grade. So commitment isn’t a problem for me,” said Pinzon-Shigeta.

“I plan on taking in new activities for the House of Reps.

ELECTIONS: Page 8

About 20 percent of CVHS students are overweight, according to the state Department of Education.

Exceeding the established Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by taking an individual’s weight in pounds, multiplying it by 703, and dividing the result by his/her height in inches squared, can lead to many problems in the future. Being overweight makes an individual prone to many sicknesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, shortened life span, sluggishness, and lowered mental ability.

“The statistics vary in different schools and states because of the availability of fast food and the overall lack of education,” said health teacher Sue Anderson.

“The more access students have to [physical and health] education, the more knowledgeable they are about eating right.”

Though many schools, including CVHS, have a wellimplemented, two-year physical education class and one semester health class, students are not taking full advantage of their resources to establish a healthy lifestyle.

“We’re doing a nutritional analysis in class to see whether students are eating well or not,” said Anderson. “I haven’t seen any significant changes in the ten years I have been teaching health; most students lack in fruits and vegetables.”

However, lack of a good diet and exercise are not the only factors that contribute to living an unhealthy life. Studies have found that people who sleep about five hours a night are more likely to become overweight than those who sleep seven or eight hours a night.

“When we lose sleep, it creates more fat and inflammation of the body, which also increases the risk of being overweight,” stated Anderson.

In order to change the lifestyle many Americans are living with, they must enforce a “balance of lots of water, green foods, and plenty of exercise.” Being overweight can lead to obesity, which “is cheating many years off of healthy lives.”

“The main problem with being overweight is that we got lazy, and got comfortable with being lazy,” said Anderson.

In 2009, less than 20 percent of CVUSD students were deemed to be overweight according to state records.

“The average has definitely shifted in the past generation,” informed science teacher Laura O’Brien. “The average weight a generation ago is considered skinny now.”

Students can prevent becoming a victim to obesity through plenty of exercise and sleep, as well as a healthy diet that contains an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.

“If we don’t establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, we are going to keep feeding this problem…pun intended,” said Anderson.

California aims to add LGBT requirement into state standards Disputed bill to be discussed again

By Holden Parks Staff Writer

The California State Legislature is attempting to pass a bill that would require the contributions of LGBT citizens to be included in public school curricula. State Sen. Mark Leno, who proposed the bill, called SB-

48, asserts that the legislation is needed to address the bullying of LGBT students in schools and that it would provide the long overdue recognition of contributions to society by LGBT historical figures.

“It’s important to teach about the history of gay rights,” agreed Ian Tsurumoto, a senior at CVHS. “The gay rights movement is a civil rights movement. Every school kid in America can tell you about Martin Luther King Jr., but how many know about Harvey Milk, or the Stonewall Riots that created the modern gay rights movement?”

A similar bill was passed by the Legislature in 2006, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold

Schwarzenegger. If passed, the new bill would require the addition of events and people from LGBT history to state school textbooks.

The change in curricula would vary with grade level. Supporters of the bill claim that educating students about LGBT contributions to American society would lessen fear and misunderstanding of gay citizens.

“There are many myths perpetuated by people who are against gay rights, like the myth that it can be cured, or that homosexuals are child molesters,” stated Tsurumoto.

Opponents of the bill assert that it would prevent parents from controlling what is taught

to their kids.

“Parents would not be able to enact their right of opting out their children from any instruction or course affected by SB-48 because the bill requires the contributions of LGBT people to be part of the main curricula,” said Trinity Bustria, a junior at CVHS. According to the Bustria, however, the fatal flaw of the bill is that its structure makes curricula unbalanced. Historical figures would not be incorporated into the curricula based on their accomplishments, he claims, but because “they did something worth noting in history and happened to be LGBT.” In order for the bill to provide “equality” in school curricula, Bustria believes

that all of the accomplishments of LGBT people should be taught no matter how unfavorable they may be.

“Two of the most outstanding state-led slaughters resulted from the actions of two bisexuals: Idi Amin and Adolph Hitler,” remarked Bustria. “[To have equality in curricula] they should have their contributions mentioned with their sexuality.”

Despite opposition, allies of the bill believe it to be crucial to ending anti-LGBT sentiments and stereotypes in schools and creating acceptance of LGBT citizens.

“Education is the first step towards true, lasting equality for LGBT people,” said Tsurumoto.

Perfect students not measured by grades rearrange exams to the students’ benefit.

However, what I am trying to bring to attention is that we’re not superheroes. The occasional

“ The occaBy SangEun Choi Staff Writer

As a high school student nearing her senior year and cramming to achieve a better GPA, I sometimes wonder what makes a “perfect student.” Perfect GPA? Perfect SAT scores?

I definitely have neither of those two and sometimes I feel I’m not achieving things to my full potential (especially when my parents check my grades with the awful Aeries system and nearly faint).

The thing is, I feel as if we high school students already have so much going on in our lives. Some students have sports, musical activities, and/or part-time jobs, and most have social lives. It’s difficult to juggle extracurricular activities, homework, tests, and quizzes.

I am not complaining about the amount of homework our teachers give us. It is a teacher’s job to assign homework.

There are also many teachers at CVHS who are understanding and sympathetic about our schedules and try their best to

sional B or C isn’t because we’re slacking off. We really may have tried, but simply experienced off days.”

B or C isn’t because we’re slacking off. We really may have tried, but simply experienced off days.

Teachers and parents need to get off our backs, but we ourselves have to appreciate ourselves for the amount of work we’re able to achieve each day.

We are all perfect students so long as all our effort is offered.

Parcel tax may benefit schools

Editorial: The Castro Valley school board is currently considering proposing a parcel tax in order to alleviate cuts to the district’s budget over the next few years.

The tax would require each resident in the district to pay a lump sum – likely somewhere in the range of $50 – for every individual piece of property that they own. The tax must be approved by a two-thirds majority of voters in the district in order to go into effect.

The Olympian supports the institution of a parcel tax as a way to lessen the impact of state budget cuts on academic and extracurricular programs.

We believe that a parcel tax

Stop in the name of life and listen ily says that she called the police due to a domestic disturbance at home.

If family members knew there

“ If we

By Jennifer Price Staff Writer

What is wrong with society that every single day it seems people lose their minds and decide to take it out on the society that raised them? Why is it that we aren’t doing more to help these people before they choose to take matters into their own hands?

Recently, a mother of four decided to drive her minivan containing her and all her children into the Hudson River. Only her oldest son, at age ten, was able to escape the sinking van and swim to shore for safety. The rest of the children ranging in ages from five to eleven months all drowned along with their mother.

Before the mother drove all into the Hudson River, the fam-

stopped to help even one person who seemed down on life, it may lead a dramatic change in our world. ” might have been a problem, why didn’t they do something to solve the problem and fix it before it led to the tragic incident

that it did?

Obviously, there are many disturbed people in our society who choose to do things beyond even our wildest psychotic dreams, but something can be done before they lose their minds entirely.

There have to be ways in which we can stop all the violence and pain a sad soul can cause, if we simply choose to listen to their troubles and offer them a solution.

If people took the time to listen to others more and help those around them, there would be less of these dramatic incidents where many have to suffer for what could have been stopped by one person.

In our rushing culture, if we stopped to help even one person who seemed down on life, it may lead a dramatic change in our world that we did not even know we could make.

Reaching out to people can have an effect that you could not even dream of and could even save a life or many.

If we all simply took the time and cared about everyone around us, we could change the world.

could be an effective countermeasure against the many obstacles the district may face in the coming years, such as teacher lay-offs and ballooning class sizes. Some budget reform will have to take place regardless of whether the tax is passed or not, but the parcel tax should help protect our schools from the worst effects of the cuts.

While we acknowledge that not all Castro Valley taxpayers have a direct stake in the school system, The Olympian staff believes that well-funded public schools are a vital asset to the community as a whole.

Higher quality schools tend to raise property values, so an investment in the public school system truly is an investment in Castro Valley’s future.

Now that state legislators are in gridlock over statewide tax reform and massive cuts to education funding are all

but inevitable, it is up to local communities to take matters into their own hands. Tax rates in the United States, and in California especially, have been historically low for the benefits from the state we expect to receive. The parcel tax is a relatively low amount compared to income and property tax rates, and it goes directly to a local cause.

Parents, students, teachers and other members of the community have already shown great enthusiasm in protesting budget cuts and pooling resources in order to save athletics and other valued programs.

The Olympian encourages supporters of the school system to vote on the parcel tax initiative should it go on the ballot in the near future, and to explain to other members of the community why this cause is worthwhile.

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2011 Editor-In-Chief...............................................................Alicia Harger City Editor.......................................................................Simrit Kaur Sarah Gilchriese News Editor...........................................................Lawrence Ham Opinion Editor.............................................................Kate Kim Feature Editor............................................................Nic Barradas Sports Editor.............................................................Kearny Combs Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Anna Balassone Copy Editor.........................................................Dana Lin Photo Editor..............................................................Bianca Arias Business Managers......................................................Hillman Zheng Staff Writers: Matt Barney, Natalie Chin, SangEun Choi, Daniel Chung, Abbie Clark, Rebecca Fong, Dan Galvan, Samantha Gamble, Reyna Garcia, Yesenia Gutierrez, Jason Hazari, Yoon Jung, Max Kahane, Trevor Kwong, Noelia Ley, Emily Lin-Jones, Tim Pak, Holden Parks, Jennifer Price, Andie Smith Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Olympian

The May 13, 2011

Let Osama’s death bring US unity

Voc/Tech graduation rule unnecessary would rather pursue courses that might better assist them in higher education. This year, many seniors have been forced to take Voc/Tech classes at the expense of other courses, just to simply graduate high school.

By Alicia Harger Editor-in-Chief

“Tragedy as a whole has a tendency to cause overwhelming feelings of unity, respect, and togetherness that are rarely felt at any other time.” Almost 10 years ago, The Olympian wrote these words in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This sense of national unity has in the following years been shaken, but we came together again to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.

After nearly a decade of searching for this leader of Al Qaeda, the successful mission to bin Laden’s hideout marks an important victory for American forces. While this by no means indicates the end to the war on terror, it may mark the beginning of the end and is a huge psychological and symbolic victory.

Many people feel that killing bin Laden finally brought a sense of closure to friends and families of victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“For teens on the West coast especially, the acts of terrorism were nothing more than a special effect,” claimed The Olympian. If ten years ago teens were barely

Staff Writer

We have all encountered them before, had to work with them before, and probably all pounded our heads against the wall because of them before. That’s right, they’re the moochers, the people who will let others do all the work and then take the credit or simply just copy what others have done.

Every time we work with them, you expect them to help you with whatever assignment you’re given, but instead they just loll around. I sometimes wonder how people can goof off when there’s a lot of work to be done, and honestly, the saying “work first, play later” is worth merit in times like those.

We’ve all had those days where our brains feel like mush from lack of sleep or just an off day, and on those days our reactions are about as slow as a turtle’s. On days when we’re living zombies, it’s acceptable to not contribute as much to the group as we normally do. However, when someone never contributes to the group, but still gets credit, that crosses the line.

People in a group depend on each person to pull their weight so the workload is bearable. It’s

“ This year,

By Daniel Chung Staff Writer

moved, it is so much harder for teens who were small children then to understand how important this event is. Most high school students were very young when the attacks took place and barely remember the images of horror that shook the nation.

But for many, many Americans bin Laden’s death is one of the most memorable events in recent

history.

The sense of unity that 9/11 brought may have been lost in the following years, but this victory can bring the country together again. Let us unite behind support of our countrymen, let us stand together, not divided by race or religion or party affiliation, but with one heart and one mind free Americans.

simply impossible for anyone to handle an increased burden well because someone else is too lazy to help out. Then they resort to anger and irritability and by the end, everyone is unhappy from yelling at someone or being yelled at.

doing. Then you won’t need to copy because you actually did the work. What an idea!

I am also pleading with those who put up with moochers to put your foot down, myself included. There’s a time where everyone has to learn that if they want something in life, they are going to have to work for it. By letting others mooch off of you, they will never learn that valuable lesson.

Moochers, will they ever learn?

By Natalie Chin

3

“ There’s a

time where everyone has to learn that if they want something in life, they are going to have to work for it.”

So why would anyone want to resort to that unhappy moment? By simply not being a cheat and actually working, no one will get yelled at and for the most part, people can remain the happy people that we are.

I am pleading with those out there who think it’s all right to take someone else’s work when they have labored over it and claim it as their own and to stop mooching. It’s disrespectful and it’s not too hard to assist others in the work, even if you have no idea what you’re supposed to be

For the longest time, I thought that I had met all of the CVHS graduation requirements. Looking at my most recent transcript, I was able to see that I had met all of the necessary academic requirements (such as English, mathematics, second language, etc.), except for one little thing: Vocational/Technical Theater.

Because of this requirement, my whole schedule had to be rearranged at the inconvenience of my counselor and teachers. Consequently, I had to have countless meetings with my Senior House Counselor, Michael Byer, whom I am extremely grateful for, in order to rearrange my schedule to meet the needed Voc/Tech requirements.

Before you begin to assume that I am merely complaining because I have to take an extra class, I would like to say that I am all for the continuation of the Voc/Tech curriculum. To take my point even further, I would go as far as even saying that I have come to enjoy the class that I was placed in to meet the Voc/Tech Requirements.

There are many great classes such as woodshop, auto, photography, and other programs that allow many students to further pursue their interests and hone their various skills. But that’s the main issue that I would like to point out. Many is the key word here.

Not all students have that similar interest in taking photography or technical theater and

many seniors have been forced to take Voc/Tech classes at the expense of other courses. ”

Furthermore, not a single university within the state of California (UCs, CSUs, and other colleges) even requires students to take a “Voc/Tech” class in order to get accepted. If both the State Board of Education and California’s major universities/ colleges don’t require a Voc/ Tech class, why bother making it mandatory?

Making Voc/Tech a mandatory requirement is extremely unfair for many students who wish to pursue other things in their high school careers. What purpose does it serve to force an unnecessary requirement upon students? To Castro Valley’s Board of Education, continue the Voc/Tech Program for those who want it, but do not make it mandatory for every single student that attends CVHS.

PHOTOpinions pinions By: Reyna Garcia

Should Castro Valley raise taxes to help schools?

“No, they shouldn’t because people without children shouldn’t have to pay for something they don’t use or benefit from.”

Dasha Ignatenko, freshman

“Yes, so they don’t have to give out as many parking tickets.”

Paul Zaballows, junior

“Does CV even have that much power? I’d go with no because then it would make people not want to buy things because it would cost more thus hurting our economy more and that would make our school funds even less.”

Derek Chan, sophomore

“It depends on what they tax on. If they tax on cigarettes and alcohol that’s fine, but if they tax on food then they shouldn’t.”

Araceli Gonzalez, senior

“We’re all in this together” with High School Musical

By Tim Pak Staff Writer

As the lights dimmed in the CFA, the excitement and tension could be felt by the actors and actresses as they prepared to perform High School Musical.

When the announcement was made that the annual musical for CVHS was going to be the everpopular movie High School Musical (HSM), hundreds of students screamed for joy.

From their hard work and

dedication, the actors were able to display an extravagant performance. I was greatly pleased to have the privilege of reviewing the musical.

At the beginning of the play, I complained to myself because I was never a fan of HSM. “Prettyboy” Zac Efron, star of Disney Channel’s HSM never appealed to me and I refused to watch the movie based on word of mouth.

However, CVHS’s HSM was a different tale.

The wonderful cast which

includes Kearny Combs, Jason Phillips, Danielle Oh and many more were spot on in their singing and acting.

The pit band was excellent and the music was very catchy as drums, bass, electric guitar and piano were used throughout the performance.

The tech theatre students who controlled the lights, worked the audio system and also built the backgrounds for the production were spot on for their tasks.

The colorful backgrounds cor-

Tim Pak / Staff Writer

Sharpay and Ryan Evans, portrayed by Kate Kim and Gino Lucas, stress about social status.

Tim Pak / Staff Writer

Troy Bolton, portrayed by Jason Phillips, is being told by his basketball teammates that they are counting on him and he can’t try out for the high school play.

related with the darkness of the CFA and the bright neon lights gave a nice mellow feeling of the darkness.

The plot of the whole musical is crystal clear and it is very easy to connect with the cast’s acting.

High school may not be a singing and joyful experience, but the trials and tribulations of high school are displayed in HSM.

There are still shows Friday May 13, Saturday May 14, and Sunday May 15. The hard work the drama class, choir and tech theater students put in can easily be seen.

This was my first musical and I definitely am pleased. I give this musical five stars for the hard work of the students, and for how much I enjoyed the musical.

the CV Library until May 11 and then moved to the halls of the District Office.

The pieces will be returned to the students by the end of the school year.

CVEF plans to make an an-

thology with the middle school and high school students which will be available in the library, middle school, or high schools.

“The Poetry and Art Contest will happen next year around the same time,” said Shimizu.

CVEF puts on captivating poetry and art show

show by reciting an ancient poem that was simple, to the Staff Writer point, and meaningful.

Pat Payne, a member of the This year the Castro Val- CVEF Board of Directors then ley Educational Foundation went on to thank the judges (CVEF) decided to put on a and people who had participatpoetry and art contest for the ed, among them was Jo Sutton, two middle schools and CVHS. Adrian Lopez, Anne Parris, and The Poetry and Art Show all of the teachers in the English was hosted by the Castro Val- Department for promoting the ley Public Library on April contest and encouraging their 10. With over 300 entries, 20 students to participate. from the middle schools and The time that everyone was 321 entries from CVHS, the waiting for finally arrived as judges had their job cut out Payne announced the winfor them. ners: Bonnie Xu, winning “We are very proud of the with first place ($100 prize) student participation we re- with her poem “Kill The Cat,” ceived, as it was a collective Queenie Quan came in second effort between student, par- place ($50) with her poem ents, and school officials,” said “Murder with a .45 Caliber,” Winda Shimizu, a member of and Balys Ragenas with his the CVEF Board of Directors. poem “Darkness” and Yesenia Before the show began stu- Gutierrez with her bilingual dents, relatives, and teachers poem “Mother” tied for third were able to view the 25 pieces place ($25). of art that were selected from The top 25 finalists’ poems CVHS. were then read, whether by the The Chabot Room at the CV poets themselves or Wilkerson Library began to fill up with a or Parris. numerous amount of people.

One particular poem that “The positive energy in the stood out was not one of the room was amazing,” com- winners, but from finalist Zemmented Shimizu. ira Zabanovic, with her poem Daren Wilkerson began the “Unizivilized Genocide.” Par-

By Yesenia Gutierrez

ris tried to maintain her composure as she read Zebanovic’s poem.

The poem was truly touching and eye opening to those that did not know about the genocide that occurred in the Balkan area in the 1990s as she had experienced herself and heard from stories from her family members.

The poets then continued reading their poems for the attentive crowd as it came to an end and Payne thanked everyone for coming.

“Our goal was to provide an educational event that would empower students in the community, and poetry provides students with the opportunity to letting people know what is in their mind and also the opportunity for teachers and students to work together,” said Shimizu.

After the show, Queenie Quan commented she made her poem in black and white, making red one of the prominent colors because she wanted people to understand that “life isn’t as bright as it seems, but we keep going.”

The art and written work was displayed in the Teen Room in

s

New owners of taqueria update taste

By Abbie Clark Staff Writer

Every city needs a good taqueria and I think Castro Valley finally has found one in Taqueria Los Portales.

Taqueria Los Portales is a family owned taqueria. It’s located at 3153 Castro Valley Blvd. It’s a new business that serves authentic Mexican cuisine.

At this restaurant they make you feel right at home with great customer service and amazingly tasty food. At Taquaria Los Portales you are greeted by a friendly woman behind the counter who asks you how your day is going. When I asked her in reply she was sure to tell me, “I feel very blessed today.” I love customer service that puts a smile on your face.

At Taqueria Los Portales they serve tacos, burritos, and nachos with a large selection of different meats to choose from to top them or fill them with. While you are waiting for your order they offer complimentary chips with a homemade salsa bar with salsas ranging from mild to spicy.

I myself tried the super nachos.

First off they were huge, with generous portions of meat, sour cream, and guacamole. The cost was also reasonable even from a teenager’s budget. The super nachos with steak was $6.50. My mom and I will sometimes pop in and share the nachos because it is so big. We will walk out spending less than $10.00 including drinks.

All in all, I think this restaurant will become a Castro Valley favorite with its excellent customer service, economical prices, and tasty food. If the highest rating for a restaurant was five stars, I would give it six.

Abbie Clark / Staff Writer

Los Portales Taqueria serves a variety of Mexican food with a Californian twist.

The Fall by Gorillaz falls through

Source Code mesmerizes viewers

By Rebecca Fong Staff Writer

When a lightbulb is turned off, it continues to glow for a little while afterward. The same occurs for the human brain when one kicks the bucket, and by combining this phenomenon with highly sophisticated integration of synapses in the brain using a machine called the source code, one can enter and replay the last few minutes of someone’s life.

According to the movie Source Code, anyway.

In an effort to discover the identity of a bomber of a Chicago passenger train, Air Force Captain Colter Stevens is sent into the body of history teacher Sean Fentress. Stevens has eight minutes to find the bomber until the train explodes again, but each time he fails he must try again.

And again. And again.

Each time the scenario is exactly the same, and each time Stevens wakes up to the sight of Fentress’ companion, Christina.

Inevitably Stevens develop a close relationship with her, even going to lengths to prevent her death that has already happened Her death is unpreventable, because traveling in the Source Code means revisiting a recording of past events from the point of one person, not the actual past.

Therefore, neither changing the future, nor saving any of the train passengers, is possible.

Does that stop the guy from

getting the girl in the end? Of course not.

This science fiction thriller had me questioning more than a few of its premises, including how they even managed to recover Femtress’s remains from the aftermath of the exploded train in the first place. How else would the scientists have connected Stevens with Fentress’s mind without physical parts?

The directors of the film solved most of these incongruities by employing the use of alternate realities and, apparently, the ever-placating phrase, “It’s just a movie,” which it is. It’s hard to complain unless you can wrap your head around the Inceptionworthy concept of entering different realities and times while not affecting the future, though put that way it seems to make more sense than I thought it did in the theater. The frequency of explosion scenes that could rival that of Inception may have just distracted me from thinking clearly.

Source Code has its moments of glory, particularly how and when the bad guy was finally caught, and, though I say it begrudgingly, the sappy ending. Personally, the chemistry between Christina and Stevens (who remained in and continued his façade of Fentriss’s body) didn’t work for me, but small sacrifice over all for a satisfactory closure, plot-wise.

As cheesy as the story turned out to be, Source Code provoked ethics about the greater good over one man. Revealing how that issue comes into play would take the fun out of experiencing the movie your self, so go out and see it.

By Reyna Garcia Staff Writer

People can’t criticize the UK band Gorillaz of straying from its true musical roots with itsnew album The Fall , released on April 19. The album is nowhere near mainstream music and don’t expect to hear any songs from the album on the radio. The album was made almost entirely on the iPad of Gorillaz founder Damon

Albarn while the band was on their U.S. tour in the fall.

Their previous album, Plastic Beach, was a big hit and the release of The Fall has come not even a full year after. You can’t call the band lazy, that’s for sure.

The album is what you expect from a full-length LP that was made almost completely on an iPad with definite speed during a tour. It’s all right, but nowhere near as good as it could have been had it been made with a good amount of time and a full studio.

The album sounds like a work in progress. The beats are choppy and seem like a random mixture of undistinguished sounds. The lyrics are odd and incoherent and they are mixed into the songs in a way that makes no sense, the songs have no meaning. The songs on the album never stay in one place. “Phoner to Arizona” is just a repeated odd sounding

drum while another song sings over and over again about revolving doors in an eerie moan.

One song is literally 41 seconds of yodeling. “The Joplin Spider” gives chills with its opening.

Several songs are bursts of radio or speeches and preaching full of static. Other songs feature running water or alien-like sounds, almost all are slow starting. The only songs that are tolerable on the album are “Detroit” and “Bobby in Phoenix.” These were the only two songs I listened to all the way through without once wincing or flinching.

I wouldn’t have expected the album to do well, but it has been number two in iTunes of albums in the Alternative genre. The songs are hard on the ears. If you aren’t heavily interested in listening to mostly instrumentals and synthetic noises with a random mix of odd lyrics, I would not recommend The Fall to you.

exactly did Facebook begin?

It has been months since The Social Network has been released and it is likely that half the Castro Valley population has watched it, but because of its recent awards,

Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook. Both actors played their roles brilliantly and both were nominated and won many awards for their performances.

The movie flips back and forth from the past (the creation of Facebook) and the present (set during two lawsuits against Zuckerberg) which at first was difficult to understand.

However, as the movie continued, the bits and pieces of the storyline gathered together to form a plot that’s surprisingly fascinating for a biographical film.

In addition to describing the beginning of Facebook, the movie portrayed the importance of friendship and how one mistake could lead to greater blunders.

I initially chose to watch The Social Network because I like Eisenberg and am a shallow teenager. I originally had low expectations for the movie, but I was surprised by the depth and quick pace of the movie and I highly recommend it to anybody who has not yet seen it.

The Social Network exceeds expectations

“

I was surprised by the depth and quick pace of the movie.”

By SangEun Choi Staff Writer

Every day, numerous amounts of people spend their time browsing Facebook, a social networking site that quickly allows one to connect with friends. But how

I find it necessary to reiterate its possibility of being one of the greatest movies of all time.

The Social Network depicts the founding steps and the lawsuits that ensued around the popular networking website. The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and Andrew Garfield as

Trojan boys give Bishop a sermon on the field

By Matt Barney Staff Writer

The CVHS Trojans stomped the Dragons with a score of 5-2 in a varsity baseball game on May 4.

In the very first inning, Castro Valley pulled ahead to a 3-1 lead.

“We could tell we were going to win,” commented junior Abbey Connolly who watched the game from the stands. The Trojans were supremely focused.

“This is the showdown,” said Mario Iglesias.

Every time the pitcher would throw to one of the bases a runner was on, the opposing team would shout, “Back!” If the runner got lucky he would be able to scurry back to the base before the ball.

“It’s the best you’re going to get at a high school,” said Iglesias praising his team.

“It was a great game,” said junior Erik Wood.

The pitcher for Bishop’O’Dowd was Joe Ross who happens to be the brother of Tyson Ross, the pitcher for the Oakland A’s. His pitches were hitting 89-95 mph.

Still the Trojans managed to

Hard work and determination pay off for Trojans in blowout win Bianca Arias/ Photo Editor

Matt Narahara tries to smack the ball way into the outfield. get five hits against Ross. Jake Guintoli hit a triple and a double, and Wood hit a single and stole two bases.

“Joe Ross is going to be one of the best pitchers ever,” said Coach Iglesias after the game.

“It was a nervous kind of pressure. The kind that hones your skill and makes you better. The team helped me a lot with run support,” commented senior Matt Narahara.

He pitched for CVHS the entire

game and struck out nine batters.

Narahara has been playing baseball for 12 years. He is looking towards becoming a major league pitcher and has a full scholarship to the University of San Francisco.

Junior Colby Wright was hit by the ball and after the game a good sized bruise was evident.

When asked if it hurt he responded, “[The baseball hit] didn’t hurt at the moment because of the adrenaline, but it’ll hurt tonight.”

Tournament tantalizes tennis team

By Anna Balassone A&E Editor

The Trojan boys tennis team proved victorious in the HAAL singles & doubles tournament April 29-30.

The tournament showcased all of the best singles players and doubles players throughout the entire league.

CVHS singles players Miguel Diaz and Jensen Pawid won 1st and 2nd places respectively.

This was quite an accomplishment because each school could send a maximum of only two players. The victory earned Diaz

No softies on softball team

the opportunity to represent CVHS as a singles player in NCS. Doubles players David Carter and James Lau lost in the second round to San Lorenzo, while Derrick Wong and Jason Wong lost a 3-set thriller in the finals

to Bishop O’Dowd.

The match was a hard fought tie-breaker but eventually ended

in defeat for the Trojan boys.

“They lost to a team that could play,” explained RothRossi. “It happens. You can’t win ‘em all.”

RothRossi was pleased with the results of the tournament, proudly stating, “The last time I saw a group of men more ready for battle was when I led my squadron onto the beaches of Normandy.”

Overall, the tournament proved CVHS’s ability to dominate the tennis courts.

Such impressive statistics are no surprise considering that the boys tennis team went undefeated with a 14-0 record this season.

By Abbie Clark Staff Writer

The CVHS softball team beat Hayward high with an incredible score of 14-0 on April 27.

It was an outstanding game not only because of the fantastic pitching by sophomore Olivia Aragon, but because CVHS also has great out fielding backing her up.

“I think we won because we put a lot of effort into practice and we focus during the game until its over, while still having tons of fun at the same time,” sophomore Sarah Gong.

From the score, you can see the commitment these girls have.

“ We won this

game because of our

”

team’s ability.

Erin Cathey Softball Player

Their hard work pays off in organization and confidence on the field. They definitely showed

us fans that they are a unified front by singing and supporting each and every player as they came up to bat.

Many of the CVHS players claimed the Hayward High pitcher was abnormally slow and they had to adjust. This truly shows how this team is so great , whatever difficulty arises they adjust and overcome it. By being able to adjust they successfully beat the other team.

“We won this game because of

our team’s ability to adjust. We faced a slower pitcher than normal, so everyone had to adjust to her speed and wait longer for the ball to get to us,” said junior Erin Cathey.

“It took us a few innings but We finally got the hang of it.

Also our pitching was on, and the defense did a good job of backing her up.”

All in all these girls played a great game. With courage, determination, and pride. They new they had to win this game and obviously they new what it took to do it.

“We won the game because of good pitching and defense. It was kind of hard to hit because we’re so used to faster pitching, but we adjusted pretty well,” said Aragon.

Supernaturally Splendid Sport Stars

By: Jason Hazari

Jesse Pawid, Freshman

Doubles tennis player Jesse Pawid is one of the few freshman phenoms to have already made it on the varsity team. As a freshman, Pawid had to step his game up to get onto the varsity team.

“One of my main obstacles this year was competing to get onto varsity doubles,” said Pawid.

Although Pawid may only be a freshman, he competes to his fullest, partly due to his seven year long experience with tennis. Along with his experience, Pawid brings great sportsmanship to the team.

“I really enjoy playing doubles with my partner and the team looks pretty good,” exclaimed Pawid.

“The only thing I don’t like is my nickname: Jesse Bear.”

Connie Lau, Sophomore

Varsity badminton player Connie Lau is the epitome of an all around team player as she cheers on her team, treats them as family, and still plays to win no matter what gets thrown at her.

“It’s really hard to face massive loads of homework and hard schedules because of practices that are from 6:30-8:30 p.m. every day,” said Lau. “You need to stay focused and energized to balance everything out.”

Lau’s passion for badminton started in middle school and prospered into high school, as she has won most of her games through the season so far.

“The only team which is difficult for us to beat is Mt. Eden,” said Lau. “But we cheer each other on to our fullest, even if we lose our voices.”

Janela Nartates, Junior

Playing for over six years now, it’s no surprise that varsity badminton player Janela Nartates was undefeated during the whole first half of the season. The excellent record Nartates has is mostly due to the extraordinary chemistry she has with the team.

“I feel like this season is my favorite because we all communicate with each other,” said Nartates. “I’m super close with everyone and not losing many games makes for a great season.”

Nartates’s work ethic is very disciplined as she has been on varsity ever since she was a freshman.

“At one point, it was tough for me to get a ride to practices,” said Nartates. “But I still found a way; practice is the key to a successful team.”

Stephen Shen, Senior

Known as “Shooter” to his teammates, varsity golf player Stephen Shen is enjoying his last year playing for CVHS, as he’s golfing his fourth season of varsity golf to par.

“I plan to play golf still in college,” said Shen.

“Even though I’ve been playing for over six years, I still love playing as I keep learning new things every day, and also try to beat our rival, Moreau, every time we meet up.”

Shen has recently learned how to perfect a punch shot this season, which is a shot with only a partial swinging of the club to control distance.

Along with skills, Shen has also bonded more with his teammates this season, as they all have their nicknames.

Silence speaks louder than words

By Noelia Ley Staff Writer

A Day of Silence took place at CVHS on April 15, to send a message that many teenagers wanted to share with the rest of the students, and especially adults.

Day of Silence is an event to support those teens that have been harassed or bullied. “We want to show solidarity as a community to make a statement about the issues we face from day to day,” said senior Colleen Wisel.

The purpose of these students by not talking for an entire day was to represent the LGBT victims who were never able to talk and defend themselves from those who abused them because for their sexual orientation. At the end of the day, the students participating

in Day of Silence gathered in the middle of the courtyard to break the silence.

“The best part of Day of Silence is breaking the silence at the end of the day; it brings a feeling of relief and freedom,” said Bayls Ragenas, president of the Spectrum Club.

Day of Silence participants want to show that it does not matter who a person is, where a person comes from, or how a person looks, but that the key to a fair life is to have the rights as human beings to be recognized and respected.

In the US, many teenagers from the age of 15 through 19 are suffering from harassment and bullying from other people. Furthermore, a study found that 31 percent of LGBT youth had been threatened or injured at school in the last year alone.

These teenagers are putting a stop to this problem; by taking a single day, they showed that they were powerful in their silence.

This event does not only represent the time that many teenagers around the world have kept their thoughts for themselves so that they will not be discriminated from society.

It also signifies the suffering that they have been going through for some time or their entire life.

Teenagers are being abused every day by cruel people who think it is right to make someone feel less than they are.

However these teenagers who decided to be silent for one day, and wear red chose to stop this kind of torture by raising their voices with silence and showed the world how much they care about others.

However the CVUSD school board has not discussed the the format of a possible tax yet, and there are other options.

A parcel tax is a very specific type of tax used to raise funds for schools. The tax proposal would have to spell out what the money would go to, an exact amount per parcel, how long the tax would be in effect, and other small details such as senior exemptions or adjustments for inflation.

School board members are far from these steps, as this tax is in the very early phases of planning. They still must decide if the funds raised would be worth the cost of campaigning or if the tax would even have a chance of passing.

Parcel taxes usually pass in

small increments and increase over time. A starting tax could add around $50 to $100 to each property tax. The exact amount would be determined through surveys to discover what people are willing to pay.

Other school districts in the area already have parcel taxes, some quite high. The parcel tax in the Piedmont school district accounts for 21 percent of the district’s budget. This tax has built up over the years allowing the schools security in economic hard times.

Fortunately, these additional funds are not in desperate need. The district has managed funds well, but reserves are dwindling and soon the money might become necessary to avoid layoffs or program cuts.

Property tax may help raise funds

By Alicia Harger Editor-in-Chief

Plans to add a new parcel tax on homes in the Castro Valley School District are in the very beginning stages with the school board. This tax would be an attempt to offset deficits created by state budget cuts.

If passed, taxes would be added to each parcel of land in the district and the funds would go directly to CVUSD. The earliest this tax would appear on a ballot would probably be spring of 2012, and would need to pass with a twothirds majority of all district voters to take effect.

A flat tax, or fixed amount per parcel, is the most common format of parcel taxes.

CVHS hopes to avoid cuts next year

By Matt Barney Staff Writer

CVHS does not plan to make any more cuts for the 2011-2012 school year but after next year there is no guarantee, believes CVUSD Superintendent Jim Negri.

“We believe we can go into next year without further cuts as long as the state cuts the budget by only $349 per student,” remarked Negri.

In total, CVUSD receives about $91 million a year: 69.4 percent from the state, 15 percent from property taxes, 13.2 percent from federal revenue, 1.4 percent from the state lottery, and one percent from other sources. What this means is that when the state is not doing well, schools are not doing well.

“After 2011-2012 we could be

facing up to $5-6 million in cuts each following year,” warned Negri.

One of the reasons schools are not doing well is because the state legislators cannot decide on a budget when they are supposed to. Last year, the state budget was adopted in October, a record 100 days late.

When the state budget is late, the school districts do not know what money they will have and have to guess. If they guess too high, the district will have to cut programs they did not think they would have to eliminate.

Governor Jerry Brown gave our district an unexpected $2.7 million in order to help schools recover. President Obama also provided $1,667,000 in federal stimulus funding this year under the Education Jobs Funding Act. These are funds the

school district did not expect and therefore held them in reserve for next year. Hopefully, the extra money will offset any further cuts approved by the upcoming state budget in the fall.

Even with $91 million in revenue, CVUSD has deficit spending due to the fact that it spends $94 million per year.

The biggest chunk of the yearly expenditures is 36.2 percent going to certified salaries, mainly for teachers.

All school districts have a revenue limit. A revenue limit is the amount of money a school is given for each student, multiplied by the actual attendance of these students.

“If all the parents sent their kids to school one day more during the school year our district would gain a million dollars,” noted Negri.

CVHS CISCO students StRUT their stuff

By Trevor Kwong Staff Writer

Students at CVHS competed in the eleventh annual Silicon Valley StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology) Competition. Three teams of CVHS students battled 20 other schools for the top prize.

On team “Brute Force” were Ben Hurd, Nolan Reker, and Audrey Zherebenko. On “Grue Crew” were Philip Kelly, Tyler Rogers, and Brandon Siu. On team “e-LEMON-aters” were Tegan Burns, Alice Liu, and Cynthia Liu. The teams ranked third, fifth, and eleventh place respectively. All three teams were led by CISCO teacher Chris Burns.

StRUT, a non-profit program that recycles and upgrades used computers for schools, divided the competition into four main parts: computer build, presentation, troubleshooting, and written exam. The teams had to give a PowerPoint presentation on a computer they disassembled and reassembled.

In addition, they took an exam consisting of 50 challenging multiple choice questions. Over 40 volunteer judges graded the teams’ performance and presentation.

Reker of Brute Force claimed

that students were willing to go because “we are awesome and there were prizes.”

Reker, however, was not satisfied with the outcome. “We won webcams which weren’t brand name and kind of sucked because they were donated by Fry’s.”

Liu of Team e-LEMON-aters was satisfied with the overall experience.

“Although my team and I didn’t do as well as we would’ve liked this year, we still had a great time working together,” Liu said. “Everyone got prizes at the end and it was a great way for me to apply what I learned to the real world.”

When asked what her favorite part of the competition was, Liu responded, “The food!

They had so many doughnuts for us in the morning!”

When asked what she hoped would happen for the next wave of CISCO students participating in the competition next year, Liu said, “Hopefully we’ll take home the first place victory banner.”

Students participating in the twelfth annual competition next year are expected to compete for top prize and eat many doughnuts.

8

Olympian

The May 13, 2011

Walk a barefoot mile for the less fortunate

By Lawrence Ham News Editor

Living in a well developed country, such as the United States, people often take little things, such as shoes, for granted.

Today, style and brand of shoe matter the most to consumers.

Unfortunately, this is the complete opposite for many people in developing countries around the world; walking barefoot is a daily dilemma for many.

Fortunately, The Barefoot Mile allows everyone to aid people in need of shoes. Junior Kayla Turney has taken the difficult challenge of organizing The Barefoot Mile to take place here at CVHS on Sunday, May 22 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Trojan Stadium.

The Barefoot Mile is an event supported by Mexico Shoeboxes, where participants donate new or gently used shoes and walk a mile barefoot. The shoes are then sent to needy towns or cities and orphanages in developing countries.

“Walking the mile barefoot is more symbolic than anything,”

said Turney.

Many times, teenagers are characterized as rebellious kids who constantly yell and argue with their parents. However, Turney, is determined to show that teenagers are able to accomplish anything they set their mind to.

“The biggest thing that always bugs me is how people do not put faith into teenagers,” explained Turney.

She was greatly influenced after reading a book called Do Hard Things, which was written by teenagers.

“It talked about a girl who did the Barefoot Mile at her school and how she was able to collect over a thousand pairs of shoes for the cause,” said Turney. “The entire planning process has been very nerve racking and I have definitely learned a lot along the way.”

Currently, her goal is to collect a thousand pairs of shoes, but hopes that all the publicity will help raise awareness of her cause and significantly increase the number of shoes the event will collect.

CVTA elects Green as new president

By Lawrence Ham News Editor

Social Studies teacher John Green will be serving as the Castro Valley Teachers Association’s (CVTA) next president. After teaching at CVHS and being member of the CVTA for five years, he is happy and ready to fulfill the responsibilities of the president.

The CVTA is a union for all 425 Castro Valley teachers, nurses and counselors. The main purpose of the teachers association is to support the teachers, negotiate contracts and more.

“Unions are a great thing for all working Americans. I want to contribute as much as I can to Castro Valley and better the lives of our teachers,” said Green.

Green’s main responsibilities as president will be to represent the teachers, organize and empower teachers and also to act as a spokesperson for them.

In addition, all complaints or concerns from teachers and all negotiations of school contracts between the district and teachers from teachers will all be dealt with by him.

His personal goals for the

Reyna Garcia / Staff Writer

John Green will serve as the next CVTA president. up-coming year will be to work with other unions to solve the budget crisis and to improve the living and working standards of teachers.

“A teacher’s working conditions directly affect a student’s learning environment, so I want to prevent any roadblocks that can keep teachers from helping our students,” said Green.

“It is very humbling to have been chosen by my co-workers and the current CVTA president and Visual and Performing Arts teacher, Barbara Siegel has left big shoes to fill,” said Green.

Due to the high amount of work required by the union, he will only be able to teach one class next year.

ELECTIONS: from Page 1 Hailey Jorgensen, VP, Kelsey

I promise not to bore them at the meetings and actually have an agenda planned. There isn’t much communication between leadership and the rest of the school, so I will be pondering on how to make sure everyone is well informed about events,” said Hernandez-Vega.

The junior class winners are Jessica Woo, President,

Donovan, Secretary, and Sheba Sharifi, Treasurer.

Sophomore winners are Grace Cho, President, Eunice Jung, VP, Caroline Clemente, Secretary, and Khush Jawandha, Treasurer.

Freshman class winners are Sarah Lee, President, Rix Linayo, VP, Andre Lew, Secretary, and Erin Cheung, Treasurer.

Counseling assignments to change

By Andie Smith Staff Writer

Next year, counselors will be changing the way they divide up students they help through high school.

“It would be my hope that before the end of school we finalize the plan and can notify the students and parents,” said Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman. The counselors have talked about it, and are looking for feedback from the administrators.

The maximum number of students to counselors is supposed to be 425 to 1, but because of special cases, some CVHS counselors have more than that and some have less. In order to fix this, to adhere to the

teachers’ union contracts and have the students more evenly spread among the counselors, “we’re probably going to have it broken down by alphabet,” said counselor Duane Magno, instead of by class.

Under the new system, each counselor will be responsible for a seventh of each grade and care for students from each grade. The number of counselors is higher in CVHS than other high schools in the area.

“It’s our job to make sure we provide the best for kids,” said Whiteman. “All of our counselors are knowledgeable and caring, and can handle it all with compassion.”

The counselors are going to lose some of the students

they have already had for recent years, so it will be a significant change for many students whose counselor will be switched.

It seems as though “we aren’t going to be able to interact with them as much,” Magno added, because the change will involve losing students and getting to know new students, instead of keeping those from the past few years.

It will mean new relationships, and there won’t be the added comfort of having known the counselors for a couple of years already for the students. It takes time to get to know others, so the counselors will have to make up for lost time with their new students.

For the remainder of the school year, the coalition will meet to plan programs for next year. The coalition will take its full effect next year. Anyone can join as long as they come and talk to Bucklin in the library. The first meeting of the coalition will take place next week.

For the last two years, Bucklin has been researching different types of bullying so that the coalition can use that research in its fight against bullying.

“I hope this program will help students understand how hurtful bullying can be and that this become a school of no tolerance for bullying,” said Bucklin.

The library will also contain books and DVDs for people who just want to know more about bullying and how to deal with bullies without joining the coalition. There will also be a Stop Bullying Pledge for people to come in and sign.

Bully-free campaign to launch

By Max Kahane Staff Writer

The CVHS Teacher-Librarian Terri Bucklin has recently introduced an Anti Bullying Coalition (ABC) to CVHS. The ABC is a student led group designed to develop anti-bullying programs in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Members of the coalition will have discussions against bullying and try to raise awareness.