Nov 21, 2008

Pg. 8

Administration cracks down on tardies

Harsher punishments for truants

Pg. 6

Girls tennis Vampires sucessful at do it in the HAAL dead of night

Girls make it past 1st round

A Piece of My Heart throbs with emotion

Teen read week vampire-themed

Administration tries to stop Homecoming wars Students ‘egg’ each other on in dangerous shenanigans

By Lindsay Oda business manager

Malena Bell / Editor-in-Chief

Sophiana Carrell (from left), Ashley Ison, Amanda Sylvia and Caitlin Lushington star in A Piece of my Heart. See page 8 for feature story.

Student voters win two of three Students favor Obama, choose no on Props. 4, 8

By Tim Wong news editor

After an historic election, President-Elect Barack Obama won in a landslide victory, doctors kept their right to perform abortions for minors without notifying an adult with the rejection of Prop.

4, and Prop. 8 took away homosexual couples’ right to marry.

The popular vote for president was divided almost evenly throughout the country, and California was just as divided on Prop. 8.

The students at CVHS, however, were much more unified when it came to their political views.

In a recent school poll that asked students about the presidential race, Prop. 4 and Prop.

8, the results greatly favored the more liberal side of each issue.

According to the poll, 76.5%

(1859 students out of 2432) of the student body would have voted for Obama compared to 23.5% (573) for McCain. The results were closely mirrored for both propositions.

For Prop. 4, 29% (698) of students said they would vote yes while 71% (1733) said no. The numbers on Prop. 8 were slightly closer though as 29.5 % (732) said they would have voted yes and 70.5 % (1743) for no.

Student reaction from both sides agreed that Obama’s election did not come as a surprise.

“Although I wasn’t shocked, it’s not to say that I wasn’t upset.

I personally believe that McCain would have done a better job of leading the country,” said senior Colin Corkery, who supported McCain. But Corkery quickly added. “For the most part, I like Obama as a politician, but I strongly disagree with his political views…With his charisma, upbeat personality and his ability to emotionally move people, he may do a great job in uniting the country.”

Prop. 4 generated the same reaction.

“The outcome didn’t come as a surprise to me. As passionate

as some were about this proposition, this is still California,” said senior Armando Freitas.

Senior Jaspreet Kur had this to add: “I think it was a good thing it wasn’t passed… Sometimes parents and kids don’t have the best understanding, and in families that are very strict, if the girl gets pregnant and the parents find out, she will be harshly punished, even if it was [because of] rape.”

On the issue of Prop. 8, which is being challenged by people throughout the state, the seeming agreement between students came to a sudden halt.

“I think kids in Castro Valley High School don’t know much about marriage. I think that homosexuals shouldn’t be married, but they can be together. It’s just that the Bible defines marriage as between a man and a woman,” pointed out sophomore Jack Mooney.

On the other side of the issue, senior Jill Beytin had this to say, “I am ashamed of California for taking a step back for civil rights.

This is the only California amendment that took away rights from people. I wish the school results were the real results.”

Pg. 5

During Homecoming week, the cars and homes of Castro Valley residents were vandalized with eggs, pumpkins and dairy products. These neighbors often complained to the school, surprised that students would treat their own community in such a way. Most of the owners of damaged property didn’t even have kids who go to CVHS. Some students involved were caught by police and ticketed for traffic violations. However, most students didn’t get caught at all.

The administration investigated and found nine students who participated in the Homecoming vandalism. Principal Pete Alvarez had an impassioned talk with them and decided that it would

be unfair to punish only the nine for the actions of the 70 plus students involved. In the end, the nine students came up with their own punishment: to relay Principal Alvarez’s message to the student body.

“I was extremely disappointed about the vandalism,” said Alvarez. “Homecoming is not meant to be vandalism. Here we try to curtail this, but it’s difficult because it happens off campus.

We want to eliminate vandalism as part of the Homecoming culture.”

Junior Ishac Odeh was grateful for the graciousness of Alvarez.

“I think we got off easy. I want to say thank you to the administration,” said Odeh.

So who won what is now being called, “The Homecoming Wars?” No one knows, and frankly, the administration doesn’t care.

Those who were caught hopefully learned their lesson, because next year will be a different story. “If we hear any dangerous night time activities [next year], we will be forced to stop Homecoming,” bluntly stated Assistant Principal Sue Goldman.

Boy suspended after assault

By Lisa Carmack staff writer

A CVHS junior boy has been suspended after reportedly assaulting a staff member near the 900 hall on Oct. 16 during a fight with another student.

The fight is said to have stemmed from a misunderstanding regarding the boy’s younger brother. The fight escalated until campus patroller Kelly Reyes stepped in to attempt to break it up.

“I tried to stand in front of [the other boy] to protect him,” Reyes recounted in a police incident report. “My main concern was the safety of the other kid,” she confirmed later in person.

Sheriff ’s Deputy Timothy Vales stated that when Reyes tried to intervene, the aggressor elbowed her in her side and then continued to beat up on the other student.

Finally language teacher Jared Cavaness was able to apprehend the student by “bear-hugging” him until the administration arrived.

Following the incident, Reyes went to the hospital to check on her injury, and she is pressing charges.

The consequences for assaulting a staff member are very serious. Vales stressed that a likely punishment is juvenile hall.

“There is zero tolerance for assault against students and staff,” stressed Reyes when asked about the incident.

The student has been suspended from school, Vales said, and he faces expulsion as well as a court trial that will determine whether or not he will go to jail.

When asked for an overall comment, Vales responded, “If you assault a staff member at this school, you are going to jail: no ifs, ands, or buts.”

Spending more time may mean more cash to spend later

MALENA’SMINUTE

Obama’s win ends Bush era, brings hopeful future

By James Rose Staff Writer

In this troubled economy, it can be very difficult to get the best use of your dollar. You have to be open-minded in the way that you spend your money. In my opinion, if you know which stores to shop at, the savings will be huge.

First, one must take the time to do comparison-shopping. Travel around and write down the prices at different stores. Unfortunately, most people don’t take the time to do this. Now is the perfect time to make your dollars work for you, and to not be afraid to shop someplace different. In most cases, the money that you will save will outweigh the gas you spend to get there.

Second, create an organized shopping plan. Plan out where each store is, and which one to hit first. Also, calculate the savings that you will get in comparison with other businesses.

There are three main types of stores: big box, mainstream, and local businesses. Big box chains include Costco, Walmart and Target to name a few. Mainstream is the largest category. It includes: Safeway, Lucky, Trader Joe’s, Big Lots, Borders, Best Buy and more. Small, local stores make up the rest.

In a comparison that I conducted a few months ago, I calculated the savings at different grocery stores. I compared two major mainstream chains, Safeway and Trader Joe’s. I wrote down the prices of the same 25 common grocery items at each store.

The grand total for Safeway was $140.03. The total for Trader Joe’s was $104.22. That is a savings of more than $35 just by shopping at Trader Joe’s.

There aren’t only savings for grocery items; you can shop at different stores for books, movies, video games, electronics and clothes. An excellent place to purchase books, which gives you an almost 50% savings, is Half Price Books in Berkeley, Fremont and Concord. Rasputin’s Music is a good store to buy movies and video games with impressive savings. Big Lots is an outstanding discount store, selling the exact same merchandise from other mainstream stores for less.

For clothes, try Nordstrom Rack, Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx and outlet malls.

Just stop to think. Say to yourself, “Which store is going to give me the most savings?” Not one store has everything, but if you travel around the savings will add up.

By Malena Bell Editor-in-Chief

James Rose / Staff Writer

Unsafe skating needs to be curbed at CVHS Editorial:

Many skaters might say that skating is not a crime, but skating without a helmet on school property. We at The Olympian believe that fining skaters for skating on campus is an effective way to keep the campus safe.

There are many skaters here at CVHS who skate in the senior parking lot at all times of the day.

Skating in a parking lot is a very dangerous activity to do.

First of all, we all agree that skaters are annoying and dangerous from both the driver’s point of view and the pedestrian’s point of view. Who wants a skater zooming right by them while they are driving or walking?

Skating in the senior parking lot also disrupts club events on weekends and after school. Many

parents believe that a school is a very safe place, and we are sure that no parent wants their kid to get hurt at school.

There are signs all over school campuses in Castro Valley that clearly state that skateboards and bikes are not to be used on campus during and after school hours.

Some might argue that because parents of the skaters would be forced to pay the fine, because the skaters are just teenagers, the fine is unfair. However, it is very important to the school to keep a spotless reputation, records clear of injuries.

Clearly, fining skaters for repeatedly skating on school properties is a must in order to keep the school as safe as possible.

Schools are places to learn and are not skate parks.

Old Alameda County library should be kept for students

By Sarah Gilchriese Staff Writer

The Castro Valley library is a block away from the high school, making it a perfect place to study, hangout, or work until the new one is opened. The new library requires a long walk from school and is closer to the BART station than it is to the high school. The community is currently undecided on what the old library will be used for. Once the new library opens, the library close to the school should be used for some form of student activities, since it isn’t far from campus grounds.

I think that once the new library is opened, the old library should be used mainly for students. Students don’t have a place to go after school to hang out, do homework, get tutored, or just have some alone time. If the current library was a place where students could do all of these, more students would have

a safe and fun place to go to after school instead of going home and going on the computer, not getting any work done.

My idea is to have one part of the library mainly for homework and tutoring. Students and volunteer teachers could help out students who come for help by choice or by their teacher’s orders. The second part of the library would be for students to hang out with other students. If it had video games, a TV, and plenty of chairs and bean bags, it would be a great place to go to after school. The third part of the library would be for all the student activities of the school: clubs, homecoming, or any meetings. Clubs could even have group events at the library.

Having a place to go to after school would help kids stay out of trouble, get homework help, and also have the opportunity to meet new and exciting people all at one place very close to school grounds.

I was one of the millions that cried when Barack Obama was elected president. I was overwhelmed with emotion; it was so much more than just my pride in the election of the first AfricanAmerican president or my joy in the election of a president that I politically support. I was proud of the ability of my country, my democracy, to change. That is the greatness of America.

George W. Bush has been president since I was in fourth grade: nearly half my lifetime.

I have never looked up to Bush as a president, as the great leader that an American president should be. I have felt disappointment and a loss of faith in my country due to actions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay, the Patriot Act, the misconceived wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and innumerable other actions.

Election night and the entire election process renewed my faith in our country. Throughout this election, America has come to terms with its convictions about race, gender, age, and association. The people of this country, through unprecedented

participation in the electoral process, have discovered their voices and demanded that those voices be heard. On election night, they spoke loudly and clearly in favor of change. So not only did America demand change in this election, but this election also changed America.

I feel that great possibility exists in America. When things go wrong, when we disagree with our leaders, when we demand change, we can affect our gov-

“ So not only did America demand change in this election, but this election also changed America.

”

ernment and create change. So though some decisions, such as the passage of Proposition 8, disheartened me, I know that we will have chances later to reverse such a decision. We will have the opportunity to do what is right.

And we will.

Today I am proud of my country. Today I love my democracy. Today I feel united with the people I share this pride and love with. I know that tomorrow we will face difficulties, but today I know that we are ready, because we are America.

The Olympian is a publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2008 Editor-in-Chief...............................................................Malena Bell City Editor.......................................................................Irene Liang News Editor......................................................................Tim Wong Opinion Editor...............................................................Becky Chao Feature Editor....................................................................Eva Poon Sports Editor....................................................................Frank Chao Copy Editors...................................................................Erin Mundy Joseph Wan Photo Editor..............................................................Howard Whang Systems Manager........................................................Malia Goulart Business Managers............................................................Isabel Chi Lindsay Oda Staff Writers: Lisa Carmack, Sophiana Carrell, Moises Fonseca, Sarah Gilchriese, Alexandra Gomes, Lawrence Ham, Alicia Harger, Brandon Lui, James Rose, Trevin Smith, Tracy Tope, Elizabeth Tran Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Homecoming needs real meaning, not excuses

By Erin Mundy Copy Editor

Becky Chao / Opinion Editor

Miley Cyrus, OMG, is a real person; Hannah Montana is Disney’s witch

By Becky Chao Opinion editor

I was in a nice group conversation at the Seattle airport when it was interrupted by the most annoying topic of all. “Oh my God, I hate Miley Cyrus!” someone said in a condescending and unsurprisingly happy voice. Others added their opinions: “Yeah, I agree,” followed by, “She wants everyone’s attention!” and, “Hey, I bet she’ll grow up to be the next Britney Spears.” There was a round of nods at this comment.

I was irritated, but tried not to show it. “But you guys barely know her—nobody really knows Miley Cyrus,” I said in a voice similar to the perpetrator of this subject. That bugged me. A few startled friends glanced up.

Someone else replied in the same tone, “But she’s still a bad influence on little kids.”

That much may be true for some parents, but the problem is that someone is still buying

Miley Cyrus products. It’s a multimillion industry fueled by hypocrites. A few people in this conversation admitted they had little sisters who loved Miley. No doubt they would defend this with a shy smile and say they didn’t want to disappoint their sisters or something of the sort.

This “I hate Miley Cyrus” talk goes on everywhere. But why does a fourteen-year-old inspire so much disgust? I believe in every case of disgust lies a little envy—for example, when you hated that know-it-all in your science class because deep down, you wished you could show off some talent.

You hated your boss for not only handing out too much work, but also for his annoying habit of picking his nose with a pen; you wish you could have such a weird tendency without worrying about what others thought of you. And you probably hate Miley Cyrus partly because she is more famous and wealthier than you will ever be.

And on top of that, she’s likely younger than you are now.

Sure, you might reply, “But she presents such a despicable image of corporate America’s willingness to make millions off the image of a terrible singer and actress from the parents of screaming girly tween fanatics!”

I agree. I am indifferent about judging the merits of this pop star’s singing and acting skills, but so many people dismiss them as a reflection on her “corrupted” personality. Does her public image reflect her real personality?

Disney and its poor marketing department, not necessarily Miley Cyrus herself, create the face she shows to the world.

Mass media spoon-feeds this bad opinion of celebrities, including Miley Cyrus. In her case, it is to anyone over 12 years old.

Don’t just suck it up. You should read between the lines and try not to judge, not just because everyone makes mistakes, but because it is difficult to really know someone else.

21st Century version of passing notes gets no LOLs from classmates

By Alexandra Gomes Staff Writer

Talking to friends during class, sharing thoughts, having fun conversations, what can be so wrong about that? If you’re the one doing the texting, nothing.

But for those around you in class, it can be a real pain in the butt.

For many years now, I have had to put up with the constant sound of vibrating cell phones hidden away in purses or pockets, and I’m not the only one fed up with it. I am sure many teachers feel the same way as well.

In almost all of my classes, I see at least three people hiding the fact that they are texting from their teacher. Sometimes, it’s texting to people on the other side of the room. Just watching these people texting and hearing the obvious vibrations of new messages sent to their phone irks me.

The truth of the matter is that there will be no end to it. There

will always be those that feel that they have nothing better to do in class than talk to their friends, no matter how many measures are taken to prevent it.

But what I don’t understand is why. There is plenty of time to talk face-to-face with them before classes, during break and lunch, and after school. Even if you can’t meet with them, you can always text while you’re not in class.

Does it really have to be during class? The answer is no. It does not matter if there is no time to talk to friends during school hours. Make time. Class is for learning, studying and working, not for catching up on the latest gossip.

I admit that I am guilty of talking during class, but I never text during that time. Not only is watching the person try to hide the fact that they are texting and hearing the chronic vibrating of the phone every other minute annoying, but it must also be

very hard to concentrate on your teacher’s lecture while you are talking to three other people at the same time.

The only possible end I see to this annoyance is if either teachers collect all phones at the beginning of the period and redistribute them at the end, or if phones are banned on campus all together, and we are forced to go through metal detectors every morning. I find both scenarios highly unlikely.

Many people, I am fully aware, have no problem with texting during class. But I am also sure that there are those who have a problem with it and do not like the constant distraction.

Learning and texting are not a good combination, so please, be considerate to others and put the phone away. Whoever you must talk to can wait till after class.

Texting truly has become the new and “improved” version of the old classic, passing notes in class.

I’ve come to think that Homecoming, as defined by dictionary. com as an annual event held by a college, university or high school for visiting alumni, is a foreign word. Apparently, Castro Valley High has never heard of Homecoming, because for the past few years attending this school, I would never have guessed it was Homecoming that we have celebrated for an entire week every October.

Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say much of the events that go on during Homecoming week really meet the description of the word. Sure, there’s the assembly, the football game, and I won’t deny it’s quite exhilarating dressing up like clowns and oompa loompas, but it’s quite obvious what Homecoming’s really about to this school: egging each other in the face, permanently destroying each other’s property, getting in fist fights, and of course, being better than everyone else. I mean, what could be more fun?

I could name at least 97 billion things that would be more fun than ruining car paint jobs, chasing each other like reckless idiots and getting pulled over by the cops, and getting nailed in the face repeatedly with eggs.

But maybe I’m the only one.

Maybe I’m the only one who didn’t enjoy getting ambushed at a Chevron, getting my clothes and hair saturated with egg yolk,

Letters to the Editor

and then spending over an hour at midnight trying to clean my friend’s parents’ permanently scratched car and interior in the dark.

And to put the icing on the cake, all I heard all week was how “boring” our class was.

What? Boring because I don’t want to get involved in immature childish games that are of course fun at first, but inevitably get taken way too far? I apologize for not enjoying having my car egged three times in three days.

It disgusts me how bad we make our school look, and not only that, but how badly we represent ourselves and our classes.

Homecoming, to me, is not about proving that your class rules the school, because we all know very well that the seniors will win the school competition.

I imagine it’s really supposed to be about unifying our school, bringing everyone together for the whole student body’s participation in a week of “school unifying” events and activities.

Although I’m well aware I myself participated in the shenanigans, it’s somewhat funny how everyone tries to relate these silly games to Homecoming, like it’s somehow expected that the juniors and seniors wage war on each other every year “because it’s Homecomingggg!” We all know this has absolutely nothing to do with Homecoming.

Homecoming is simply an excuse everyone uses to attempt to get away with acts of vandalism.

The Olympian encourages letters from our readers. Please note that pieces should be under 300 words and are subjected to editing and verification. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at the Olympian office in room 113.

PHOTOpinions Compiled by Sarah Gilchriese

What do you think about CVHS’ skateboard crackdown?

“The kids should be allowed to decide themselves whether or not they want to wear a helmet.”

Zoe Delli-Bovi, freshman

“It’s stupid because nobody has a helmet and no one wants to buy one.” Jeremy Bridgeman, sophomore

“I think it’s stupid because skatboards have been used for many years without rules.”

Jemiah Flowers, junior

“It restricts our freedom. We shouldn’t have to [...] it doesn’t affect anyone but ourselves.”

Jimmy Jensen, senior

A Piece of My Heart taut with emotions Tracers shines with startling performances

By Eva Poon

Feature Editor

Staff Writer

In a startling and effective performance, the drama department’s production, Tracers, portrayed the advanced emotional and psychological damage that the Vietnam War brought to the soldiers involved.

The scenes recount several haunting examples of the soldiers’ displacement and loss of identity. The audience follows the soldiers on a journey from home to the harsh preparation boot camp, to the volatile patrols through the tall grass, to the massage parlors in Saigon, to bloody combat, and back to home.

The most surprising component of this production was looking up at the stage and seeing my peers in unimaginable situations. Soldiers who served in the Vietnam War were so close to the ages of these boys. Looking up at the familiar faces of my friends and peers and going through the stages and events along with them was a touching and moving experience.

We are reaching an age in

infused bitterness and despair into their characters, reflecting the worsening conditions of war. The songs sung by Mary Jo, played by senior Amanda Sylvia, served as an ironic backdrop to the hospital scenes.

One scene that stood out to me was the Viet Cong attack on the hospital. The confusion and horror became so real when the stage went dark except for the nursesí flashlights as they watched helplessly while injured soldiers died in their beds.

All the actresses were fantastic in their roles, especially senior Erin Lassig, who played Leeann.

The audience could feel her pain

and anger after an attack by antiwar demonstrators as she broke down with frustrated tears. I thought the best scene in the play was where the women speak in a self-help group for veterans about the nightmares and frustrations that have plagued them since returning from Vietnam.

A Piece of My Heart shows the parallels between that time and ours. Young people today still give their lives for our country with selfless courage. It was a good decision by the drama department to put on this play to honor the Americans that served and to reveal some of the more personal costs of war.

Aroma Cuisine of India offers yummy nan and curry

By Lawrence Ham Staff Writer

By Alicia Harger Staff Writer

On any given day in rooms 503 and 757, you can find English teacher Doug Rogers, teaching literature to freshmen and sophomores. One of the longest serving teachers at CVHS, he is an amazingly devoted person who has been sharing his knowledge for more than 40 years.

Rogers was inspired to go into teaching by his family. His two older sisters and mother were also teachers, so it was easy for him to follow in their footsteps.

Rogers developed an interest in reading and writing, and that interest led to him teaching English.

Throughout his time as a teacher, Rogers has witnessed many changes to CVHS. When he started teaching in the 1960s, there were only about 1,300 to 1,400 students. Today we have almost 3,000 students. The changes in technology are also overwhelming.

In the attitude of the kids,

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asked us nicely if we needed anything else in the middle of our meal.

I ordered the Curry fish and it was really good. The fish was nicely seasoned with an appetizing look. My dad ordered the curry chicken and thought it was tasty as well. We really enjoyed the customer service, the food, and the eating environment they provided us with.

I would recommend the curry fish dish to anyone that wants to give this restaurant a try.

Aroma might change the minds of people who are not fans of Indian food. I had a very nice dining experience at the Aroma Cuisine of India. Aroma can be found at 3418 Village Dr. in Castro Valley.

...A journey from home to the harsh preparation boot camp, to the volatile patrols through the tall grass...to bloody combat War so we can pay proper respect to those who served and died. This play was an excellent tribute.

Veterans’ Day comes around every year, most of the time without much meaning except for the day off of school. This year, however, I was left with much to think about, and much to appreciate.

He’s magic: Rogers inspires students

L

Do you consider yourself an Indian food lover? If so, Aroma Cuisine of India is the place for you.

My family and I had dinner at the new Indian restaurant in Castro Village recently. This restaurant is considered a formal dining restaurant with great authentic Indian food. My family and I were treated in a kind and formal matter while dining there.

The first step I took into the restaurant, I could smell the aromatic incense of India. The restaurant provides a relaxing and calm dining environment, along with relaxing Indian music. There is also a small dining area on its patio, a place to enjoy tasty Indian food while gazing at the sunset at dinnertime.

The staff provided us with icecold water when we arrived at the table. We were immediately given menus and were allowed a great amount of time to look them over. Shortly after ordering, we were served a basket of Nan bread. Nan bread is panfried dough, similar to Mexican tortillas. The food came in a timely manner and had a very elegant look about it. The waiter

which the people who experienced the Vietnam War and were directly affected by its existence are rapidly declining in number.

It is essential that we remember and acknowledge the Vietnam

they want answers fed to them instead of figuring things out for themselves, Rogers said when asked what the biggest change in the school was.

Rogers has been teaching for a long time. He started out teaching junior high in Oregon for two years before coming to CVHS. Rogers retired once in 1999, but came back part time in 2005. In 2007, he started teaching full time again.

Most of his students really enjoy his class. His favorite books to teach are To Kill a Mockingbird, Hamlet, Lord of the Flies, The Grapes of Wrath and Beowulf.

Roger’s devotion to his students and teaching is obvious.

He is a great teacher who must have touched many lives over his years of teaching.

“This is my last year,” Rogers insists.

We will keep an eye on him though. He did retire once, but then came back. Even if he is not here in the future, he will be remembered. He has influenced all of his students’ lives in a very positive way.

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Senior Monica Ammerman expresses her pain as a nurse returning from the Vietnam War.

P ea

Malena Bell / Editor-in-Chief

ov

The light opens on the sparse stage, illuminating six women who are enthralled and terrified by the prospect of leaving home to serve their country in a war zone they know little about.

The scene is the 1960s and war is raging in Southeast Asia. The play is Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart, put on by the CVHS drama department, about the experiences of women who enlisted as nurses, soldiers, and singers during the Vietnam War. It also shows the animosity military members faced from anti-war demonstrators along with the psychological and physical consequences of war.

The women have a variety of reasons for serving: the desire to save lives, the chance to make use of their intelligence in a society that does not appreciate them, the longing for something more in life. Disillusioned as the causalities continue to rise, their only emotional outlet is the comradeship they form.

I had no idea what to expect before I watched the play since the Vietnam War was simply something I had learned about in history class. The six actresses amazed me with their ability to bring the turbulent era alive for the audience. Every actress infused her character with emotion so it was easy to see the personal pain and questioning caused by war.

It took a little while for me to get used to the actresses alternating between their main role and various brief supporting roles as part of each scene, but the scene switched from one focus to the next very smoothly. Senior Conner Supriano played every male character in the play, which allowed the scenes to focus on the women. The staging and props were appropriately minimal with chairs serving as stand-ins for injured soldiers.

Watching this play was intense because the actresses slowly

By Lisa Carmack

oy

Gardening Club gardens popularity

By Irene Liang City Editor

Picture a club where you can get some fresh air, be outdoors, and get your hands dirty, all while helping out the environment. It may seem like there isn’t a club on the Castro Valley High campus that fits all of these features, but in fact there is. The Gardening Club has all these things in common and allows everyone to get in touch with their inner gardener and naturalist.

No matter how different many clubs may be from one another, all clubs usually get started by students and teachers who feel strongly about or have an interest in a particular topic. This was no different for the Gardening Club.

Motivation for the club started three years ago when the old garden was bulldozed to make room for temporary storage buildings, which occurred at the same time the 700 hall was constructed. The old garden had several features such as a California native plant garden, a butterfly garden, and a bird garden.

English teacher Michelle Trueblood and senior Chet Wehe started the Gardening

Club two years ago to re-grow the garden.

“It was really beautiful,” said club advisor Trueblood of the old garden. “I love gardening.

It takes a lot of commitment and there needs to be a group of people who are willing to work on it.”

Commitment is what many of the club members have. Most of them meet more than once a

“ I have always

loved gardening and... watching plants flourish.

Julie Pham Club president

”

week at the garden to take care of the plants. But for some of the members, gardening is a hobby of theirs.

“I have always loved gardening and I enjoy planting and watching plants flourish,” said club president Julie Pham.

Not only has the club started to attract more people, but more

plants have been added to the garden as well. Currently, the club is growing winter vegetables, such as peas and spinach, and plans on planting more flowers, herbs, and even a persimmon tree in the upcoming spring.

The Gardening Club also hopes to apply for some grants and to keep on receiving donations to fund for future projects and plants. The grants will also help with building beds, a butterfly garden, and even a bird garden.

In addition to expanding the garden, the administration has promised to take the bike racks, some of the temporary storage buildings, and the concrete out of the garden area to allow the club to restore the former garden.

However, the garden will remain smaller than the original because room is still needed for storage.

“I hope that we will have an established peaceful garden where everyone can sit and relax, and that our club is bigger,” said Trueblood when asked what her hopes for the club are.

The Gardening Club meets every Wednesday during lunch at the garden, which is located between the 400 and 500 hall.

Palomares Café offers best table in town

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By James Rose Staff Writer

The Palomares Café is no doubt the most upscale restaurant that Castro Valley has to offer. As soon as you arrive, the smells of fresh herbs and spices fill the air. The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean cuisine.

The food was exceptionally exquisite. Every table received a warm loaf of bread. Instead of predictable butter, olive oil with balsamic vinegar complimented it just fine. For the appetizer, I ordered the calamari fritti, a squid dish, and the tomato basil soup.

The broth had tender pieces of crab in it.

Next were the entrees. Palomares Café had two specials: herb encrusted swordfish with a lemon caper sauce and rack of lamb, all on a beautiful mosaic plate. My swordfish was panfried and very flakey. It melted in my mouth. The sauce had a tasteful zing to it. On the side, I had mashed potatoes and garden vegetables including broccoli, carrots and squash. My guest had the delicious rack of lamb

with Mediterranean rice.

Last but not least was dessert.

Among the many pastries that were on the menu, the sweet cheese crepe sounded the most exotic. And indeed it was. The blend consisted of mascarpone, cottage and cream cheeses, as well as vanilla and honey.

The crepe itself, almost like a pancake, was drizzled with raspberry sauce and powdered sugar. Scrumptious!

My experience at the Café was first-class. The service was superb. The cuisine opened up a whole world full of tastes for me.

I look forward to my next visit to this outstanding restaurant.

The Palomares Café is located on East Castro Valley Boulevard in the 580 Marketplace next to Petco.

Get up and dance to Whisper War

By Sarah Gilchriese Staff Writer

The new teen sensation that has only one CD out, has headlined its own tour, and has three out of five band members named Alex, can only be the artist of the album Whisper War, The Cab. With music that makes you want to get up and dance while singing along at the top of your lungs, this $10 album is a must-buy.

When Whisper War came out in April, The Cab was not well known. Then, the tour with The Morning Light, Steel Train, and The Hush Sound headlining started a name for The Cab. Now the band is touring on the Rock Band Live tour with The Plain White T’s, Panic! At the Disco, and Dashboard Confessional Co-headlining.

Each song is different than all the others on the album, but still are extremely catchy. With guitar solos interrupting a trio of vocals and intense drum riffs, these songs swirl around your head in a dizziness of music.

This alternative band has produced twelve beat-stomping, drum-pounding, and guitar-exploding songs.

Not only do these songs get stuck in your head, but they also leave an imprint upon your day. “Calm your nerves now, don’t worry, just breathe,” is only one line of one of their top songs, “Take My Hand”. This is inspiring and catchy, making you want more of The Cab’s amazing music.

This aspiring band will make it to many tours, captivating the hearts of music lovers with their must-buy CD Whisper War.

Library takes bite out of reading Teen Read Week all about vampires

By Elizabeth Tran Staff Writer

Our school library held a Teen Read Week on the week of Oct. 12. Teen Read Week is sponsored nationally by the American Library Association.

This year ’s theme was vampires, inspired by the popular Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer.

“The reason we’re doing this is to get more students to use the library. We have 22,000 books on the shelf,” said librarian Terri Bucklin.

What Bucklin did was gather up all the vampire books and set up a display titled “Books With A Bite!” in the library by the front desk. The display is still up and includes multiple copies of Meyer’s best sellers.

Bucklin also started a contest where students signed in

every day of the week and then those names got raffled off for a Twilight prize. The library gave away eight Edward Cullen t-shirts, five Twilight movie posters, about six Barnes & Noble and Borders gift cards, one calendar and one bookmark.

Bucklin said that she hopes to do more contests and book exchanges. “We’ll eventually do a book club and Twilight stuff when the movie comes out,” she said enthusiastically.

Bucklin is working on a technological advancement as well, where students can write their own book reviews online.

“Even though I didn’t win, I enjoyed Teen Read week,” said sophomore Queenie Ma. “I’m so looking forward to more of the Twilight-related stuff,” added sophomore Angela Wei.

Magic mayhem in Fable 2 Weapons, gyspies and polygamy

By Brandon Lui Staff Writer

You can swing a sword, fire a gun, hurl a bolt of lightning, and marry a man. These are only a few of the many game play features in Lionhead Studio’s new game, Fable 2. This game takes place in the same world, called Albion, 500 years after the original game, Fable. Although this is a sequel, you don’t have to play the first game to pick up on this game’s storyline and game play.

You follow the tale of a hero or heroine, depending on whom you prefer to play, nicknamed Sparrow. You’re an orphan living in the slums of a city called Bowerstone when, due to some strange, arcane events, you suffer a huge fall that nearly kills you. Before you get depressed and think the game is over in the first few minutes, you get saved by a mysterious gypsy named Theresa. She takes you away from the city to heal and tells you that your destiny is to stop a horrible tyrant. The story isn’t as linear as you might think, but for the sake of spoilers it’s not worth giving away some of the climactic moments.

What’s really interesting is that your character’s appearance changes due to moral habits and even diets. The more corrupt and evil things you do, the darker and viler you look, while in contrast being good and moral gives you a welcoming, friendly look, like a saint. Good or evil? But both are very fun.

The first thing you’d notice while playing this game is the gorgeous design of the buildings and scenery. Exploring a dank city or leafy green forest combines with the music to create a good mood for whatever’s going on in the game. All this nice scenery is more of an appetizer compared to the combat.

Combat in the game revolves around three kinds of weapons: melee, ranged, and magic.

What’s interesting is that all the forums of fighting for each weapon type only takes up one button on your controller. Transitions between each type of fighting style are so quick that your character looks lethal and cool at the same time.

What really brings a shocker is how much you can do in the game. You can get married, to a man or woman, or even both, although polygamy is frowned upon in Albion. You can own almost every income-generating building in settlements and towns either to live in or to generate cash. You can take on all kinds of jobs from cutting wood to slavery. You even own a dog that helps you fight, feeds treasure, and its appearance changes to match yours. Lionhead boasts that the game’s world is ten times bigger than the original Fable.

The only real fault is that Fable 2 is riddled with some bugs. The bugs can cause the game’s story to stop, lose all your worldly possessions, or even lose your saved file. Thankfully, Lionhead announced that it would fix these problems via a free downloadable update. This game is definitely worth your time.

Fable 2 is currently only out for the Xbox 360.

Girls tennis makes history

Golfers Take Fourth Under Heavy Rain

Girls first in HAALs past round one of NCS

Trojans competitive on rainy day

By Moises Fonseca Staff Writer

Another championship, another victory, and a brand new trophy for the CVHS girls tennis team. The tennis team has won the HAAL three years in a row and is now looking forward to next year and hoping to win again.

Sophomore Jamie Pawid came in first place by defeating teammate, fellow sophomore Sarah Lemp, 6-0 in three straight sets. In doubles Allie Greaney and Ashley Sutedja rallied their way to first place by wining 6:3, 6:3.

“Seeing the girls improve and go from J.V to Varsity is my favorite part of the team,” said Coach David Roth-Rossi. “It seems like the tennis team doesn’t have any competition in the HAAL. This year, the girls faced tougher teams than last year and they still were able to keep the trophy in CVHS hands.”

The first game was played on November 7 at Hidden Hills, and from there the tennis team qualified for the semifinals, which was on the following Nov. 8, but all matches were cancelled due to

By Isabel Chi

Business Manager CVHS girls golfers missed a chance to go to the NorCal finals by the skin of their teeth.

The Trojans came in fourth at the NCS Tournament after Monte Vista, Amador, and Alameda; the Alameda Hornets barely booted the team out of the top three qualifying teams.

Castro Valley had a combined score of 435, just three points short of Alameda’s combined score of 432.

The top six girl golfers were the lucky ones to represent Castro Valley at this presti-

gious tournament. Senior Katie Divine, juniors Lauren Chin, Tiffany Nichols and Lin Philpott, sophomore Kelsey Kong and freshman Betty Chen were the top six girls to make it to the NCS Tournament.

The girls battled through a heavy downpour around the 18 holes. Golf balls often landed in puddles and frogs wee everywhere at the Santa Rosa course.

However the girls still managed to score well; the lowest scores were 83, scored by Chen and Nichols.

Unfortunately, the girls came in fourth, preventing them from moving forward to NorCal. However, the team is this year’s HAAL champs, the first Castro Valley team since 1998 to win the league.

“Our overall season was good. We were undefeated,” says sophomore Kelsey Kong optimistically. “I think next year will be even better, even though we’re losing Katie.”

Moises Fonseca / Staff Writer

Sophomore Sarah Lemp returns the ball in a rally. rain.

Finally on Nov. 10, the team won the HAAL and it was only fitting that it was a home match.

In fact the tennis team has a lot of strengths and very few weaknesses.

“They work hard, they play outside

of practice, and the doubles are our strengths,” said captain senior Kari Hill.

“I would say we’re one of the top teams in NCS, “ said an enthusiastic Roth-Rossi who is hoping for another trophy.

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

By Isabel Chi / Business Manager

Cassandra Wong, freshman Cassandra Wong’s volleyball team has won all but one of its games, making Castro Valley proud. She has been playing volleyball since she was in seventh grade. She wants to put all her focus on volleyball so she isn’t planning on playing any other sports. In her free time she loves to play piano.

“I’m a total piano freak,” she said. Her favorite color is blue and her current favorite food is broccoli.

Sergio Oseguara, sophomore Sergio Oseguara is a key blocker for the Castro Valley High School JV football team.

He made a key block during the Arroyo game, contributing to the Trojans’ victory. Oseguara has been playing football for five years and loves it. When he’s not playing football, Oseguara likes to go to the movies and hang out with friends. His favorite color is green and he loves to eat tacos.

Ashley Sutedja, junior Ashley Sutedja loves playing tennis. Sutedja has been playing tennis since she was five and fell in love with it. When asked about a favorite highlight, Sutedja said, “Every moment during the season so far is a highlight for me.” Her goal this season is to have fun no matter if she wins or loses. Sutedja also runs distance track during the spring and does well there too. Even when she’s not playing tennis, Sutedja loves to be outdoors.

Adam Nikssarian, senior Adam Nikssarian is a yearround athlete. He runs cross country in the fall, plays basketball in the winter, participates in track, and plays baseball in the spring. Nikssarian came in fifth in the JV division at the Castro Valley Invitational, a race featuring over 100 athletes from around California, on Saturday, Oct. 11. When Nikssarian is not running he likes to read and spend time with his family.

Trojans upset the Rebels in 20-18 victory Paying the price for Friday night lights

By Sarah Gilchriese Staff Writer

Within the first four minutes of the game on Nov. 14 against the San Lorenzo High School Rebels, the Castro Valley Trojans scored a touchdown, setting the mood for the rest of the game. During halftime, the parents of the senior football players, cheerleaders and dance team members performed a half-time show in honor of the seniors’ last game. In the end, the Trojans won the game, 20-18.

Senior Dominic Shortridge ran 79 yards back on a punt return to score the first touchdown, putting the score at 7-0 Trojans. Castro Valley’s team and stands started to get pumped up, cheering and screaming for the Trojans’ last game of the season.

San Lorenzo scored its first touchdown from the 2-yard line with Tevita Mafi receiving the pass from Nick Stewart, the quarterback for the Rebels. Later in the half, junior Darnell Reed scored the second touchdown for Castro Valley, widening the Trojans’ lead to 14-6.

In the third quarter, Castro Valley was on the 7-yard line as quarterback junior Michael Rojas handed off to senior Ronnie Irvin who then threw to Darnell Reed for a touchdown. However, the

By Trevin Smith Staff Writer

Howard Whang / Photo Editor

Senior Dominic Shortridge rushing the ball against the San Lorenzo Rebels. play was called back due to an illegal lineman downfield penalty. At halftime, the score was 14-6, Trojans.

The halftime show was stellar as the senior parents entertained the crowd. Starting Monday, the parents practiced to perfect their halftime show honoring their sons and daughters graduating this year.

During the third quarter, San Lorenzo’s Joshua Wright scored

the Rebels’ second touchdown, putting the score at 14-12. Soon after, the Trojans opened the gap back up. Darnell Reed ran 98 yards on a kickoff return to ensure the Trojans a 20- 12 lead.

On fourth down with 35 seconds left in the game, San Lorenzo appeared to have gained enough yards for a first down. However, the chain crew measured and ruled that San Lorenzo had turned the ball

over on downs. Castro Valley ran down the clock to its second victory of the season.

After the game, the whole team celebrated on the field with family and friends. Coach Jordan Seiden was very proud of the team. He said, “I thought this was the best game of the year by the defense.”

After a long, tiring season, the team is hoping to improve over the offseason and contend for next year’s HAAL title.

offered her a job reffing for the NCAA—needless to say, she took it. Cassidy says that she could have been an NCAA ref a while back but she doubted her skills as a ref.

Today, after sitting in on countless games watching experienced refs, Cassidy feels like she has some more confidence in her skills.

“I really enjoy basketball and reffing is a way I can follow basketball and still teach,” explained Cassidy.

Cassidy played basketball in high school as well as in college.

After college, she still wanted to be involved in basketball.

“It was coaching or reffing; I wanted a social life so I picked reffing,” she said.

Cassidy is excited and nervous about the NCAA job,

but she is still waiting for her big break—Division One reffing. Until her big break, she will treat this opportunity as a training session on her way to greatness as a referee.

CVHS teacher refs in NCAA games

By Tracy Tope Staff Writer

History teacher Kathleen Cassidy has been given the exciting opportunity to be a referee in several NCAA basketball games. Her career as an NCAA referee started on Nov. 12 in a game between Monterey Peninsula College and Merritt College, and she has six more games lined up.

“I’m real excited about it. It’s been a lot of hard work and it’s nice to see the pay-off,” said Cassidy.

Cassidy was approached by hiring staff during a college camp at Cal State Chico, which she attended over the summer. They

With the varsity football team hurting with a painful 1-5 league record, the players face continual criticism from fans across the valley. Many people don’t believe that they are playing hard enough.

But many players are currently hurt. They practice five days a week and train yearround for the season. And as the season progresses, many end up playing hurt, myself included.

At all three levels of football, freshman, junior varsity and varsity, players suffer chest, head and all other sorts of injuries. In fact, paramedics had to take sophomore Damion Rosby to Eden Hospital after he suffered a rattling concussion while playing against San Leandro.

I have been in this situation myself, and I can tell you, it’s hard to decide whether or not to play hurt. You are suddenly at a crossroad of either playing for the team, or healing your personal wounds.

“Don’t come back until you are ready,” said Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman about football players playing while hurt. He feels strongly that the most important thing is the player’s health. Whiteman says that players injured in any sport should put their health first. “A lot of times kids mask it,” he said.

These athletes train for so long that, if they are hurt close to or during a season, they may become tempted to play through the injury.

In the past, I have had head, arm and chest injuries, but have played through most of them.

During the little time I took off from playing, I felt extremely eager to get back on the field with my team.

Junior varsity defensive end, Frank Sepulveda, recently had some head injuries, but believes that he can play anyway.

“Playing football hurt is worth it, even if you get hurt,” said Sepulveda.

Although some dread taking time off for injuries to heal, others use the time off to recover.

“When you play hurt, it’s getting you more hurt,” said varsity cornerback Daniel Alvarez. Playing hurt isn’t worth it because it doesn’t help the team, he said.

Look out, tardy students!

By Joseph Wan copy editor

In a room at the district attorney’s office, a student sits surrounded by the people who will tell him that he has to face legal ramifications. They will tell the student that he is now on probation and that there is a high chance that a probation officer will be sent at the end of each school week to take him to juvenile hall where he will spend the weekend. This student is a truant.

One of the issues that will always affect CVHS is attendance.

Since the school loses money for every cutter, this issue affects the school financially as well as ethically.

Assistant Principal Jesse Woodward has focused his attention on freshman attendance. To combat the problem, Woodward has implemented a plan that he hopes will reduce the number of students constantly arriving late or even cutting class.

Every Monday, Woodward prints out a cumulative attendance sheet of all the freshmen.

Then, he goes around school pulling students out of class to talk to them about their attendance records.

Those eligible for this one-onone talk have been consistently late to class, or may not show up at all.

WEILUN POON

SINCE BAY AREA 1988

If a student still does not show signs of improvement after several of these talks, Woodward will then take disciplinary measures such as detentions, Saturday schools and even rejection of dance clearance forms.

If these measures still do not change the cutter’s mind, Woodward will arrange a meeting with the School Attendance Review Team (SART).

At the SART meeting, the assistant principal, the school counselor, the parent and the student sit together in a meeting to make an attendance contract that will hopefully help the student.

If this does not work either, then the case goes to the district attorney’s office.

Another meeting is set, this time with the School Attendance Review Board (SARB), where there will be a crowd hoping to help with this problem of truancy.

Along with those who attended the first meeting, the district attorney’s representative, the high school psychologist, a therapist, a drug/alcohol prevention officer and a sheriff officer will be there as well.

Both school officials and court officers believe that truancy is a big problem.

The amount of energy and money being put into resolving truancy is a new push by the court system, in hopes that

TEL:(510) 278-6792 (415) 601-8669 FAX: (510) 481-2918

fewer cutters will the lower the crime rate.

“If they can keep kids in school, they can dramatically reduce crime,” said Woodward.

Along with spending weekends at juvenile hall, a cutter may also be fined money. Furthermore, his driver’s license can be revoked, and if he does not have one he will have to wait for a longer period of time before he can apply for one.

For Woodward personally, there are three main reasons for this attendance crackdown.

First, he believes that the best chance at success in life is through education. Second, when students don’t come to school, the school loses money, and that hurts the programs that are offered to benefit the students who do come to school.

Finally, from a safety standpoint, he wants to keep the children out of crime. A student that is stuck in school is a student that is not committing a crime that could potentially ruin his or her life, he said.

“That’s my biggest motivator to keep kids in school,” said Woodward.

Leadership announcements The leadership class shares important dates and announcements with you.

WINTER BALL “Me, you and the dance floor.”

Masks should only be worn if they are hand-held (not the ones with elastic bands).

Ticket Prices for Nov. 17 to 21 $15 for single $30 per couple

WINTER ASSEMBLY Dec. 16, Period 4

Ticket Prices for Dec. 1 and 2 $15 for single $30 for couple On the day of the dance, Dec. 6, pictures will be in the cafeteria from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

ADOPT-A-FAMILY Adopt-a-family money will be collected from Nov. 17 to Dec. 12 during Period 3.

Prizes will be awarded to the three classes who raise the most money. All the money collected will go to eight families this year to brighten their holidays.

This space is dedicated to Howard Whang for his undying commitment to The Olympian.