Nov 19, 2010

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 3

Pg. 2

This is no job for Superman

New documentary criticized

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010

Pg. 3

Senior spits his rhyme

Musical talents exposed

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

Trojans beat Lancers

Pg. 8

CV wins homecoming game

Trojans rally around Homecoming Juniors win annual competition

By SangEun Choi Staff Writer

Bianca Arias and Abby Clark

Juniors show off their class pride during a lunch rally and the homecoming assembly.

How would you spend $1.6 million?

By Emily Lin-Jones Staff Writer

For those Castro Valley students, teachers and staff affected by the recent cuts to the district’s budget, some hope may be on the horizon in the form of stimulus dollars.

The Castro Valley Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association are currently negotiating with the school district regarding the use of the money received from the government this year. CVTA has filed a Demand to Bargain with the district, but is still waiting for the money to arrive in its entirety

and to learn about specific conditions attached to its use to proceed.

CVUSD has received 90 percent of the $1,660,367 allotted to it by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The money is apportioned based on the average daily attendance statistic within the district’s schools.

A primary purpose of the stimulus is to preserve teaching jobs and soften the impact that California schools have felt from rising class sizes and dwindling teacher-student ratios. The money cannot be used

to fund anything in the district office itself, but can be spent on any employee who works on a school site, teachers and custodians alike.

The stimulus is “one time only” since it won’t be available every year and cannot be relied upon to make any permanent changes in the district, such as reverting the student-teacher ratio to 20:1.

“Would you consider getting something back that should have never been taken away in the first place?” pleaded CVTA

MONEY: Page 6

One unforgettable event in CVHS history is Homecoming.

This year’s event was no different from the past years and created a special form of unity between the four classes. Our theme this year was “cereal” and although many posed questions on how to represent our favorite breakfast, students of CVHS were able to bring fun and responsibility to the plate.

Each year, the upperclassmen are able to bring forth the true meaning of Homecoming and pass on the same level of excitement and participation to the newer students.

“Homecoming was pretty good!” said freshman Cameron Beresini. “I really liked the march.”

Students of each class put their best efforts into creating a memorable Homecoming. The senior class especially proved superior to the others during their final march by executing a synchronized and well spirited march. However, the results of Homecoming returned in an upset. Juniors (Fruity Pebbles) won first place, followed by seniors (Cap’n Crunch) in second place, sophomores (Fruit Loops) in third and freshmen (Trix) in fourth.

“A lot of the seniors were upset with the results,” said activities director Nick Whitaker. “Before I was activities director, I heard people saying it was rigged and that the seniors always won. It turns out that the juniors won this year and now the seniors complain that it was rigged.”

“I wish that people would sit

back and say ‘I did my best’ and be proud than to express disappointment,” Whitaker said.

“Even with the unexpected results, Homecoming this year went very smoothly and was a fun experience for everybody.”

Though the results may have been unexpected, many seniors still managed to keep up their good sportsmanship.

“It’s unfortunate that the seniors lost. However, the juniors were most definitely united and together,” praised Joon Joung, ASB President. “Of the six Homecomings that I’ve seen, I honestly believe that this was the best based off of the floats, male and female performances, dress up participation and class unity. I love this school with all my heart and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year turns out.”

Everybody who participated in Homecoming this year did his or her absolute best, helping shape another extraordinary and successful event.

As Homecoming brought the school as a whole together, it also united the students within each class, creating individual bonds between them.

The juniors accepted their win graciously, taking in note of the other classes’ exceptional work.

“Homecoming this year was amazing. Every class did an outstanding job in the performances, floats, and school spirit,” said ASB Secretary Kyle Linayao, a junior. “Although I am happy with the results, I know it does not truly reflect how much effort every class put in.”

District to install solar energy panels

By Holden Parks Staff Writer

The CVUSD school board has recently taken steps to implement

a proposal that would authorize construction of solar energy panels at CVHS, Canyon Middle School, and the Adult Education or District office facilities. If the proposal does pass, construction would begin sometime in 2011 and would take four to six months.

“From the analysis we’ve done so far, we think that the panels will save about $9 million on all three sites over the course of the 25 year warranty,” said Mike Bush, the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.

The panels would be put in areas with large amounts of uninterrupted sun and would be built to create several large

SOLAR: Page 6

Superman is wrong; “the entire system is the problem”

higher on tests, getting jobs, and obeying authority—then incompetent teachers are the problem.

Thus, we should eliminate or reform teacher unions if we want this type of education.

But if you think good education consists of developing a life-long curiosity for all types of knowledge, and helping individuals question authority and think for themselves—the entire system is the problem.

As long as the system stays the same, children will not become individuals. Eliminating

or reforming teacher unions will only enforce the current system that consists of memorizing facts, scoring higher on tests, etc.

Humans are born with infinite curiosity. Remember when you were a child and you constantly asked questions? See how babies try to put in their mouth every object they can find?

This is the innate curiosity in human behavior. But as we grow up, the outside world begins to suppress that. We start

meeting authority figures who “know more than us” and try to “teach us.”

We are not encouraged to question or expand our individuality.

The authority figures start ignoring our “childish” questions more and more with each grade level, telling us what is wrong, what is right, who we should obey, who we should trust, who we should ignore and who we should dislike.

And when we build up restrictions on our innate curiosity, education becomes a mechanical

process of repetition instead of one that expands students’ minds for free thought.

By the end of high school, we are only a few years away from being a totally ruined canvas: completely average, conventional and uncreative, when so much else could have been.

There are exceptions to the system at times, such as teachers who really try to get students to think and question.

Many students will break out of convention, as well. But for the vast majority, this is rarely the case.

The most important thing to note is that gaining knowledge in these classes can be very engaging and constructive; it’s breaking out of conventional thought that is hard—thinking about things we are not taught and asking questions about them.

Question authority and what you are taught, but do it rationally—not to provoke conflict, but to expand your mind. And don’t think I have an authority on this.

Don’t be fooled: though I talk about breaking out of convention, it doesn’t mean I’ve brilliantly and totally broken out. Nobody has except the geniuses—great philosophers, great artists, great musicians, etc.

You are just as smart as I am, as they are, as anyone. Each of us is the smartest person on the planet. We just don’t know it until we totally break free.

women and gays and lesbians of this country. Why do these people cling to their rights, yet completely deny and relentlessly abhor the pleas and cries for other citizens to have those same rights? An example of this oppression would be the opposi-

while we men go out and “bring home the bacon.”

It brings shame to me to also see the opposition directed towards gays and lesbians, who demand nothing but peace and justice in their lives. As many of you know, Prop. 8 denies the passage for gays and lesbians to receive marriage certificates, or simply, the proposition denies the power for a gay and lesbian couples to get married. Many Americans have carried protests signs saying “Fags Aren’t People” or “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Does this not seem wrong to you?

As humans, does this not seem incredibly juvenile and insensitive? How can many Americans who say that they are “proud to be an American,” be so unjust to their own fellow brothers and sisters depending on race, gender, or sexual orientation?

So my fellow reader, what are you? Are you an “American” or will you create a new image for yourself? If you consider an American a person who supports a country that terrorizes foreign states and oppresses minority groups, I am not an American. But if you consider an American one who admires the struggles citizens have gone through to achieve human rights, then I am an American.

I am a human being who has emotion and the courage to stand up for equality in the world.

For those of you who agree with what I say, join me to oppose oppression and discrimination in the world. Don’t be categorized by someone else. Instead, make

a name for yourself and more importantly, use the wisdom and the beauty of knowledge to create an image of America as it was meant to be: a land of freedom, liberty and where it is a given right to pursue happiness.

By Trevor Kwong Staff Writer

Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary, Waiting for Superman, states that teacher unions are the main reasons why the American school system fails to adequately educate children. On a bigger scale though, these unions are not the main causes.

Guggenheim says the main problem with unions (which nearly all public school teachers join) is tenure—the rule that protects permanent employment after two years of teaching in public schools.

There are teacher evaluations for tenured teachers, but they are rarely thorough and are essentially meaningless, the film alleges, and this allows incompetent teachers to stay employed after two years.

Thus—with the belief that “good teachers make good schools” –Guggenheim thinks this is the main problem ruining the public school system.

The question we should ask is, “Are the incompetent teachers failing to adequately educate children, or is it the entire system itself?”

If you think good education consists of memorizing facts, scoring

Andie Smith/ Staff Writer

“America as it was meant to be: a land of freedom”

By Tim Pak Staff Writer

To be frank with you readers, I hate being called an American. The image that many American people have molded for themselves makes me shake my head in ignominy, hiding in the shadows of my own hands. This image a few have created shouldn’t be for everyone. It should be for the Americans who want to be “American.”

When I look at the American history of some of its people, words like animal, crass, and insane pop into my head. Let me give you an example: lynching. Some Americans from the past called themselves proud Americans. However, while they were calling themselves “Americans,” they were also hanging an African American from a tree. This is what many Americans have done, which led me to hate being called an “American.”

Another example is the civil injustices with which many Americans have committed against

tion to women being able to vote in their homeland, America.

Women did not gain their right to vote until 1919. Organizations such as The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage were constructed to oppose something so small as a voting ballot!

It disgusts me that, even today, many people hate the idea of women having “so many” rights. It pains me to see kids at our school joking about how women should be in the kitchen

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2010 Editor-In-Chief...............................................Alicia Harger City Editor.......................................................................Simrit Kaur News Editor...........................................................Lawrence Ham Opinion Editor.............................................................Kate Kim Feature Editor............................................................Nic Barradas Sports Editor.............................................................Kearny Combs Arts and Entertainment Editor........................................Sarah Gilchriese Copy Editor.........................................................Dana Lin Photo Editor..............................................................Bianca Arias Business Manager........................................................Hillman Zheng Staff Writers: Anna Balassone, Daniel Chung, Matt Barney, Abigail Clark, Natalie Chin, Rebecca Fong, SangEun Choi, Dan Galvan, Reyna Garcia, Jason Hazari, Yoon Jung, Trevor Kwong, Max Kahane, Emily Lin-Jones, Erin Kim, John London, Tim Pak, Jennifer Price, Holden Parks, Andie Smith Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Senior hopes to make it big with beats

By Sarah Gilchriese A&E Editor

In ten years, senior Brandon McChesney sees himself selling his third major hip-hop album and influencing people with his astounding music. Ever since fifth grade, McChesney has taken his life experiences and made them into uplifting raps.

He started his dream of becoming a well-known artist by releasing his first mix-tape this past September, called See the World Differently. Writing all of his own material, this 18-year-old has a promising future, filled with music and soul.

Unlike the mainstream music you hear on the radio, McChesney raps about relatable and inspiring experiences. From his mix-tape, you can hear music ranging from love to striving towards your dream and goal.

His tape’s lyrics have a lasting effect on high school teenagers.

I’m not big hip-hop fan, but See the World Differently had me listening to all the tracks on repeat.

“Don’t go for what you hear on the radio. If you say something, say

something you mean,” advises McChesney.

With a laid back personality and mature sense of awareness, McChesney takes after some of his favorite artists and rap-

“Don’t go for

what you hear on the radio.

If you say something, say something you mean.

”

Brandon McChesney Aspiring Artist

pers. These include Kid Cudi, which you can gather from McChesney’s inspiring tones

and friendly lyrics. Others are well-known artists such as Drake, Kanye West, Blu and Charles Hamilton.

“I love listening to music,” McChesney explains.

McChesney grew up in the San Leandro hip-hop scene. Since he was young, McChesney has always been striving towards becoming a famous artist.

“My next tape is going to be crazier. It’s going to be good. I’m excited,” exclaimed McChesney.

He’s currently working on a second tape, following See the World Differently. Travis Mocker is helping to produce the second mix-tape titled Rise of Wyze.

McChesney hopes to have his music effect the people that listen to it in a positive way.

You can find him on Facebook for his first tape and information about his up and coming second.

McChesney also hopes to have his music available on iTunes soon. You can also hear his music on the Olympian website.

Sarah Gilchriese / A&E Editor

Brandon McChesney records a new song for his second mix-tape.

Appreciate life and family with The Blind Side

By Abby Clark Staff Writer

The Blind Side is a refreshingly heartwarming family movie. The

movie is based on Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) who became an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens football team.

The film documents Oher’s life as a troubled teen from the projects. A wealthy Southern woman and her family take him in. She completely changes the course of his life with her love and support. This film will make you realize that one person can change another person life by a simple act of kindness.

With his mother a drug addict and his father nowhere to be found, Oher is literally alone in the world. Most teenagers from his town and situation would resort to selling drugs, but not him. He chooses another path of survival and withdrawal from the world, becoming al-

most invisible, until one day a woman and her family see him for who he really is and all he has to offer.

The woman who found him, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) has it together, with her teased blond hair and pearls.

She doesn’t realize that in one night, driving home from a play at her son’s school, could change her entire life. She comes across Oher who is at the time homeless and she feels compelled to invite him to come and spend the night at her home. She is then faced with the dilemma of what her responsibility towards him is. She and her family show him love and kindness when they know he has nothing to offer.

To their surprise he reacts

with such appreciation they can’t help but to want to know this young man that society has discarded. They had given him a home and he in return has given their lives meaning other than wealth and stature.

The movie shows you that you never know when a situation may present itself that could completely change your and someone else’s life. It also makes you think what a powerful gift it is to love someone. Even though by society’s view, Oher was destined to become a nobody, but Tuohy Anne and her family thought he was a somebody.

That love and faith in him gave him the dream of becoming an NFL player and college graduate, showing that with love all things are possible if you just believe.

“Waiting for the End” is not the end for Linkin Park

By Andie Smith Staff Writer

Linkin Park’s single, “Waiting for the End,” is a good mix of sounds and different musical styles.

The song starts with a short instrumental and then starts to incorporate rap slowly along with the beat.

Leading the beginning, Mike Shinoda raps one of the longest verses, and then the instruments abruptly become quiet and the

song focuses on the lyrics being sung by Chester Bennington.

The long second verse brings back the beat halfway through, and leads into the chorus. The next, shorter verse is also sung and is followed by the chorus.

The chorus flows back into a second rap verse, and then into another instrumental. It is followed by a shortened form of the chorus, and is met with a final closing combination of Shinoda’s rap and Bennington’s singing.

The song ends with the combination of a repetition of the first rap verse and the final line of the chorus, “Holding on to what I haven’t got.”

The song has a well-mixed variety of music and vocals, and

has a catchy beat. It has a memorable chorus that can relate to its listeners in times when they need to “know what it takes to move on.” The end is quick, but well timed for this song.

“Waiting for the End” is an-

Entertainment Calendar

MusicNov. 22: My Chemical Ro mance – Danger Days Nov. 22: Ne-Yo- Libra Scale Nov. 30: Black Eye Peas- The

Beginning Dec. 7: Plain White T’s- Wonders of the Younger Dec. 7: Jessica Simpson- Happy Christmas

MoviesNov. 24: Faster Dec. 10: The Chronicles of

Narnia: The Voyage of

the Dawn Treader Dec. 10: The Tourist Video GamesDec. 7: World of Worldcraft:

Cataclysm (PC), $39.99 Dec. 7: Tron: Evolution (PS3,

X360, PSP), $59.99

other impressive, successful dis play of Linkin Park’s ability to mesh different music together. The

lyrics are memorable, the beat is contagious, and this is definitely

a song worth listening to several times over.

BooksNov. 30: Travis Hunter- At The Crossroads, $9.95 Nov. 30: Allyson Condie- Matched, $17.99 Dec. 1: Eric Walters- Strand ed, $11.95 Dec. 7: Sara Shepard- The Ly ing Game, $16.99 ConcertsNov. 23: Attack Attack!, Grand Ballroom, $16.50 Nov. 29&Nov. 30: Weezer, Nob Hill, $57.60- $116.50 Dec. 16: Drake& Chris Brown,

HP Pavilion San Jose, $85-$170.70 Dec. 10: The Smashing Pump kins & My Chemical Romance, HP Pavilion

San Jose, $48.25-$70.00

Photo Credit:

Bianca Arias

Mathew Barney Abby Clark Jason Hazari Andie Smith Anna Balassone SangEun Choi Tim Pak

Olympian

The November 19, 2010

Man arrested on school grounds

By Matt Barney Staff Writer

A sheriff ’s officer arrested a 22-year-old former student of CVHS on Oct. 22 after he walked onto the campus and allegedly groped a girl.

“The young man was intoxicated; he bothered a group of students and fondled a female student,” reported Principal Mary Ann Valles.

The man came to CVHS before school and an assistant principal escorted him off campus, according to Valles. But, he returned again later that day. Deputy Tim Vales arrested him upon his second intrusion onto the school grounds.

MONEY: from Page 1

President Barbara Siegel in a school-wide memo that was circulated in October. Siegel stated that the union’s goal for the use of this money is primarily to prevent teachers from being laid off, along with decreasing pay cuts and ending furlough days.

Representatives from the district are in ongoing talks with both CVTA and CSEA about how the district is planning to spend the federal funding. While neither union has the power to actually dictate how the money is spent, they do have jurisdiction to negotiate how it affects their members.

“It is a fine line,” admitted Superintendent Jim Negri. “But the

New decision makers in California

By Dan Galvan Staff Writer

“He was grabbing my butt and I had to sit there for half an hour,” said a senior girl, who explained that the man also held her immobile by grabbing her shoulder. Because he was intoxicated, “he doesn’t even remember who I am,” she said.

The man was booked on charges of sexual battery, trespassing on school grounds, and unlawful possession of prescription drugs.

“We have campus patrollers in the courtyard at all times, but we will evaluate our campus supervision plan to assure that there is more supervision,” Valles said.

This election year was quite an important one. The rise of the Tea Party, disappointment in Democratic leadership, and the differing views on the Obama administration have all played a major role in this year’s election.

While the Republicans seemed to benefit the most this year (taking the House of Representatives and picking up six seats in the US Senate), the trend was quite the opposite in California as Senator Barbara Boxer (D) kept her seat and Jerry Brown (D) won his gubernatorial race against

education jobs funding needs to be put in the context of ongoing budget cuts from the state.”

While the district hopes to use the money to prevent any layoffs this year or the following one, complications with the district’s state funding have compelled officials to delay a final decision about the federal money’s use until further notice.

The district’s still-uncertain position won’t deter the union from doing their best to ensure that the money benefits teachers and school employees directly.

“The teachers’ union is going to fight to get this money back to the people who have lost jobs and salaries,” said Siegel.

continuous surfaces, maximizing the efficiency of the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Most of the panels would be located in parking lots and would also serve as shade structures for parked cars.

The plan would be funded

by Build America Bonds, which was created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bonds would be paid back over the course of 20 years with money that would otherwise be used to buy energy from PG&E. “I think that the installation of solar panels at our school is a great idea,” said Beryl Wang, vice president of the Smart En-

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SOLAR: from Page 1

business tycoon billionaire Meg Whitman (R).

In California, Democrats seemed to gain ground on the propositions as well. Prop. 25, which lowers the amount of votes needed to pass the budget from 2/3 vote to a simple majority, passed. This is a huge help to the Democratic leadership in the state.

Economics teacher David Roth Rossi believes that the change is “a step in the right direction to fixing the budget problem in California.”

The controversial Prop. 19, which would have legalized marijuana, as expected, did not pass.

Prop. 23, which would have suspended the Air Pollution Control Law (AB32), lost by an overwhelming amount.

Prop. 21, which would have required all registered vehicles to pay an annual $18 fee to go to state parks, was also shot down.

At CVHS, most had mixed feelings about the results.

“I was happy to see that Jerry Brown won, but I was pretty bummed to see that Prop. 19 didn’t pass,” said senior JC Valdez.

Teacher John Green explained that he was happy about Prop. 25, but elaborated on the Republican success throughout the country, claiming that Democrats in this term “just weren’t delivering the goods, that is why so many voted Republican this time.”

ergy Club. “They’re a necessary and highly beneficial investment that will have to be made eventually, regardless of how much we need them right now.”

The panels would cost a projected $6.5 million, but a PG&E incentive and a subsidy granted by the US Treasury would alleviate the cost of the project. The PG&E incentive would pay the school district 15 cents for every kilowatthour produced by the panels, which would cut a projected $1.4 million from the plan’s total cost.

The subsidy would pay 35 percent of the interest on the bonds.

In all, the subsidy and incentive would save the district about $173,000 per year on the original cost of the project.

Although the proposal has not yet been passed, Bush claims that all indications point to the project being implemented.

“The school board is committed to the district’s increased usage of renewable energy sources in order to conserve natural resources and save money to support other district needs,” said Bush. “Needless to say, I think this will be a good thing for the Castro Valley school district.”

The next step in the process is final board approval. If all paperwork is submitted by the Dec. 31, 2010 deadline, then construction will begin sometime in 2011.

Olympian

The November 19, 2010

ACL injuries plague athletes

Trojan stars seeking college offers

Trojans face their greatest opponent

By Jennifer Price Staff Writer

With the future looming just before their eyes, seniors have a lot of opportunities and possibilities at their fingertips, especially those who play sports. So where do these athletic scholars see themselves for college or the continuation of their sport? It tends to differ for each one.

Juan Anderson, a senior basketball player already has already signed up for his top choice college, Marquette University, in Wisconsin, to continue playing.

Anderson was chosen as the first recruit for the Marquette Golden Eagles and verbally committed to going there earlier this month. He chose the Eagles over other prospects such as the Arizona State Sun Devils, California Golden Bears, and the Oregon Ducks.

Anderson may already have everything in place. However, his fellow peers are not quite sure exactly what they want to do when it comes to college and their sport.

“I don’t know [where I want to go to college], whichever offers me the best scholarship probably,” said football and track star Damion Rosby.

Rosby has been scouted by a variety of colleges, including the spectacular choices of UCLA, UC Berkeley, and even Harvard.

He plans to continue both his sports and wants to be able to enter a college by playing one of his sports and also have the chance to gain more experience in both.

As it appears, most student athletes have been scouted by schools for their sporting abilities but are basing their decisions on their

By Anna Balassone Staff Writer

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Damion Rosby (left) is fielding offers from several colleges for his athletic skills. scholastic future rather than the future of their sport choice.

Many others, instead, just want to use their sports to attend the best college that they can and don’t see it as a possible career choice.

Volleyball champion Kaylea Ott sees a sports scholarship as a possible way into college. “It’s one of the things I’m looking into right now,” she said.

Her choices are colleges such as UC Merced and Simpson, and she is aiming to enter there as their newest student. However, due to the fact that there is no professional volleyball in the United States, Ott sees her chances of a lifetime of volleyball very slim.

Like many of her peers, Ott knows that high school sports are not the main focus in her life.

There are a variety of opportunities out there and she seems to rather want to focus on those than a life of volleyball.

On the subject of a possible volleyball career, Ott commented, “I could if I really wanted to, but there are other things I’m aspiring to.”

Even some juniors already have their minds made up on the college of their choice and have planned scholarships.

Celeste Martore, a junior who play soccer and runs track, has already made firm plans on where she’s going although she still has plenty of time to decide.

When asked if she saw soccer as a future career, Martore replied, “I’m basically just using soccer to get into a good school,” agreeing with many of her peers.

Victory knocks on varsity volleyball team’s door

By Rebecca Fong Staff Writer

Cheeks streaked with more than just tears of pride when the CVHS main gym hosted the girls volleyball Senior Night, a yearly event to honor the seniors of the varsity team at their last home game, on Oct. 28. While both the varsity and JV teams defeated the Mt. Eden Monarchs handily, with scores of 3-0 and 2-0 respectively, it was a bittersweet evening of farewells.

After JV players blew away their competition, the ceremonies for the seniors commenced. The two Trojan teams lined up on one side of the court, and the Monarchs positioned themselves on the other. Mt Eden’s seniors were first given shout-outs over the loudspeaker. Then, armed with flowers, balloons, and pre-made speeches, the CVHS underclassmen volleyball players stepped up to deliver good wishes and gifts to their six senior teammates: Brook

7

DeMiguel, Theresa Ferrari, Amy Litvinchuk, Kaylea Ott, Kaelyn Stiving, and Lisa Umeh.

A few of the speeches paused for the speaker to choke back her tears, but all

“It’s always cool

to see the girls have that emotional start.”

Steven Menegus Varsity Head Coach

of them ended with big hugs and an insight to the audience of just how much the seniors would be missed when they graduate from high school this summer.“I can’t imagine four years without [volleyball],” Umeh later said.

The girls’ parents were invited down from the stands to pose with their daughters for pictures.

Before the varsity game began, the seniors followed tradition by placing the leis, which they had received earlier, on their parents to wear for the remainder of the night.

The season’s final varsity home game started. CVHS quickly took the first set, 2512. However, the teams went tit-for-tat in the second, finally ending in the Trojans’ favor at 25-20. They only needed one more set to win the match, but for a while the Monarchs led 6-13. In a last push, CVHS scored 19 almost successive points, winning their third set, 25-15, and claiming the match.

“It’s always cool to see the girls have that emotional start, but then be able to play some volleyball,” varsity head coach Steven Menegus said.

Many student athletes have been suffering from ACL injuries, one of the most widespread injuries amongst soccer, basketball, and tennis.

The ACL is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, one of the main stabilizing ligaments in the knee. It prevents the lower leg from extending too far forward or rotating inward too much. While playing a sport, a player can tear or rupture the ACL as a result of landing straightlegged from a jump, pivoting incorrectly, or making direct contact with another player. As a result, the sports that involve extensive jumping, pivoting, or contact (soccer, basketball, and tennis) host the most ACL injuries.

After several medical studies, many doctors have come to the conclusion that ACL injuries are especially prevalent amongst female teenage athletes.

“Females tend to land from jumps with straight legs, which puts more pressure on the ligaments rather than the muscles,” explained Dr. Jason Ho, a physician in Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

“I’m doing leg

exercises that get my leg strength back.

Lauren Cruz Junior

”

But why are these ACL injuries the cause of so much concern?

After a sports-related ACL injury, a player is forced to experience pain, loss of playing time, surgery, rehabilitation, and an overall disability

of the knee for six to 12 months.

Thus, high school athletes who tear an ACL are at a significant disadvantage to their healthy and able-bodied teammates.

Two female CVHS soccer players, junior Lauren Cruz and sophomore Danielle Torres, are local living proof that ACL injuries can serve as a traumatic hindrance on the life of a high school athlete.

Both players injured their ACLs while playing with their respective league teams near the beginning of the school year and have subsequently undergone surgery.

“I’m just trying to get my knee’s flexion and extension back,” explains Cruz. “Plus, I’m doing leg exercises that get my leg strength back since, right now, it’s as strong as a noodle.”

Because of the injury, Cruz will not be able to return to CVHS soccer this year and possibly next year.

Torres, who made her varsity soccer debut last year in NCS, will also be missing the whole soccer season this year.

Forced to sit on the sidelines in the upcoming season, Torres explains that she will have to, “do whatever it takes to make a 100 percent full recovery” if she wants to fulfill her dream of playing soccer for a Division 1 or 2 college.

With the undeniable presence of ACL injuries amongst our CVHS athletes, it is no secret that some preventative measures must be taken.

Thankfully, there are certain doctor-approved exercises and stretches that can be done to prevent future ACL injuries.

These workouts, such as the PEP program (Prevent injury and Enhance Performance), include specific stretching, strengthening, agility, and jumping exercises.

It is imperative that CVHS coaches research these prevention programs and invest some practice time in teaching them to players before it is too late.

It could make the key difference in the life of a high school athlete.

Trojans remind Lancers who runs this campus

By Daniel Chung Staff Writer

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Morgan Bungus (above)a g g r e s s i v e l y brings opponent to the ground, preventing a large gain in yardage.

Inclement weather could not dampen the Trojans’ Homecoming spirit as the CVHS football team defeated the Tennyson Lancers decisively, 31–7. The night of Oct. 29 brought about a timely victory as the senior football players witnessed their first ever Homecoming victory.

“It feels really good to win Homecoming for the first time since I’ve been at CVHS… and it feels even better to win it senior year,” said running back Damion Rosby, expressing his ecstasy over his team’s victory over the Lancers.

Rosby was by no means a bystander as he broke the school record for most rushes with 27

“It feels really

good to win homecoming... even better to win it senior year. ” Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Jesse Sellers (left) gets it done with a successful completion, helping lead the team to victory.

Damion Rosby Running Back

rushes for a total of 271 yards. In addition, Rosby contributed two of the four touchdowns to the CVHS victory.

Contrary to the final results, the game remained relatively close as the Lancers only trailed the Trojans

10 – 7 by the end of the first quarter. The Trojans drew first blood as Nick Goulart scored a 43-yard field goal, quickly followed by a 44-yard rush by Rosby.

The Lancers managed to retaliate as Tomas Jimenez of Tennyson scored a nine-yard run to make the score 10 – 7. Unfortunately for the Lancers, the Trojans marched on and never looked back from that point.

Nothing seemed capable of stopping the Trojans as Jesse Sellers contributed his 55-yard run touchdown and Moner Afschar scored on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Christian Chavez. During the last three minutes of the game, Rosby broke out for an 85-yard run touchdown, leaving the end score to be 31-7.

Although the Trojans dominated the Lancers, Head Coach Nic McMaster still believed that his team needed to continue to practice diligently. “Our games need to clean up,” he said. “We need to improve every aspect of our game, especially tackling, blocking and passing.”

When asked about how his team did overall, McMaster acknowledged that he appreciated the “much-needed energy” that the Trojans came out with during the Homecoming game.

As if to signify the end of the game, rain began to pour heavily as the Trojans walked off the field victoriously.

With their first Homecoming victory in a while, the Trojan football team ended this exciting week on a positive note.

P e r s i s t e n t l y P r o d u c t i v e P l ByaYoonyJunge r s

/ Staff Writer

Julian Trevizo, Freshman

Jessica Kruschke, Sophomore

.Julian Trevizo grew up around football and decided to join the freshman football team at CVHS. He enjoys the chance to meet new friends and has a fun time playing football.

“I used to go watch the Cal games and wanted to play, so I figured this year could be my year,” said Trevizo.

He plays defense, which is one of his strong points as he plays in the team. His favorite part of football is playing defense, preferably cornerback, and tackling people.

As he enjoys his freshman year, he is “deciding whether to play baseball and track” for his rest of the athletic year. Besides sports, Trevizo loves skateboarding and playing guitar.

Jessica Kruschke, a girl who’s infatuated with American sign language, continues to dazzle America with cheerleading.

“I just love to cheer,” exclaimed Kruschke as she started her second year in the varsity cheer team at CVHS. “I wanted to have fun just like my freshman year and I am already having so much fun,” she said.

Her favorite part is stunting and cheering so that CVHS athletes can feel the joy of victory in every game.

Kruschke is planning to continue cheering in her high school career.

Isabella Tang, Junior Isabella Tang joined JV tennis team at CVHS because she loves tennis and wanted to meet new people in high school. She played doubles with her partner Sabrina Li. “My favorite part of the team is that everyone in it is really close and we always win!” said Tang.

Besides tennis, she likes to swim and play badminton.

Her individual goals in the team are to “improve on my volleys and serves.”

She enjoys practicing tennis during the weekends and is ready to win her next match.

Anthony Matore, Senior Anthony Martore has been running since fourth grade and is now on the Trojans’ cross country team.

He enjoys the competition, and last year he set a personal record of 15:35 for a 3-mile course.

“Cross country runners get along and we work together cooperatively,” said Martore. He runs track and field during the spring season as well.

“I see that my hard work shows in the results as I practice more,” he said. Martore plans to continue running for college after he graduates high school.