Oct 27, 2006

Sneak peek: Romeo & Juliet Pg. 4

By Malena Bell and Alexandra Shiluk Staff Writers

CVHS issued a lockdown at approximately 11:40 a.m., on Oct.10, due to the rumor of a gun on campus. After three hours in lockdown, the investigation was not over, but students were slowly released.

The administration first heard the rumor through the sheriff’s department. When following up on a tip they received about the rumor, the sheriff’s department determined that the rumor and potential danger was most likely on campus. The administration immediately issued the lockdown.

“I think the administration’s response was responsible, timely, well-discussed, thought-out and executed without a flaw,” said Assistant Principal Marcie Plummer.

Once the school issued the lockdown, the police took control of the situation. Approximately two dozen policemen arrived on campus to look into the rumor. Three dogs were brought to campus to search for a gun. Two dogs came from the San Francisco Airport and were trained in detecting weapons and the third was a regular police canine. Neither the officers nor the dogs found a weapon of any kind.

“Not knowing the extent and severity of the situation, we always have to assume the worst,” said Assistant Principal Lisa Garcia. Garcia was the head honcho during the entire affair; Principal Debbie Coco was on her way to a conference.

The lockdown lasted for several hours because the police had to question about ten students to find the source of the rumor. They eventually found the boy responsible for starting the rumor around four hours after the investigation began.

“He thought…it wasn’t going to be taken seriously,” said Plummer. “It snowballed into something that was never anticipated by this individual.”

Rumors stemming from an off-campus fight on the Friday before the lockdown originated on MySpace over the weekend

Student art Varsity at Oakland Volleyball museum scores big Pg. 4

and continued to spread. The sheriff department heard the rumor through a parent who called in after hearing the rumor herself.

The boy who started a rumor about bringing a gun to school apparently had no actual intention of doing so; however, the boy may face repercussions for starting the rumor.

“Though the extent of the student’s punishment will not be released,” Deputy Sheriff T. Vales speculated that “[He] might be facing criminal charges.”

LOCKDOWN: Page 8

Staff Writers

Three thousand students and 122 locked classrooms were the story at CVHS on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Exploding bladders, empty stomachs, and hot tempers filled each classroom on this infamous and unforgettable day.

“We went pee in a bucket in Mrs. (Linda) Little’s office, and were told to stay as low to the

By Laura Mitchell Staff Writer

An after-school fight involving both CVHS and Redwood students erupted on Friday Oct. 6, leading to 12 eventual arrests and the hospitalization of one student.

The fight occurred after school at around 4:30 p.m., off campus, starting on the corner of Mabel Avenue and Santa Maria, and ending across the street from the school on Santa Maria.

Saritha Kosarussavadi & Flora Tsang

Parents, sheriffs, police dogs, and students were all concerned, filled with unanswered questions in their minds during the lockdown.

By Kevin Hanley

By Amber Kury and Hillary Johnson

Pg. 6

ground as possible.

After the lunch bell rang, and the announcement said to remain in class, we ate popcorn and drank water,” said sophomore Leonard Bobbitt.

During the three and a half hour lockdown, one of the difficult issues affecting the students and teachers was the bathroom situation.

Many classrooms dealt with this

BLADDERS: Page 8

Staff Writer

During the recent lockdown, classrooms were cut off from one another for over three hours and the only way to communicate with somebody outside of students’ classroom was through cell phones.

While, presumably, the schools no-cell phone policy was still in place during the lockdown, that didn’t stop many students from using their phones to call friends or family and some teachers from

turning a blind eye to their use.

Most of the students simply used their phones to call their parents to tell them what was happening, or their friends to see if they knew more about what was going on.

“I texted my friends to see if they knew things about the lockdown that I didn’t, and called my parents to tell them I was all right,” said junior Andrew Brown. “I also texted my brother, who is a diabetic, to see if he was okay.”

Because the school released no information about what was happening during the lockdown

It appears to have been triggered by a fight that happened on Oct. 2, but no other issues were involved.

“It wasn’t gangs, it wasn’t racially motivated, it was just a fight between kids,” said Assistant Principal Lisa Garcia.

All of the students involved were boys, and most were sophomores from CVHS. However, a few students from Redwood Alternative School were involved in the altercation as well.

Several of the boys involved had minor injuries, and one was taken to the hospital via ambulance for treatment of a possibly broken nose.

There had been rumors circulating of a potential fight all day, but staff was first alerted to the actual fight when Assistant Principal Jesse Woodward was called and notified by someone who drove by and saw the fight happening.

An off-duty deputy reported the fight as well.

Several sheriffs’ officers then responded to the report and dealt with the individuals involved, eventually citing and/or arresting 12. Some of the boys involved in the fight were later suspended for a few days.

The Friday fight was one of many this year, more than ten in all.

“There have been more fights in the first six weeks of school this year than there were in all of the last school year,” noted Deputy Sara Eggleston.

to parents until after it was over, calls from their children were all they had to go on about why the school had locked down.

That meant in addition to searching for a gun on campus, CVHS staff had to take constant calls from frantic parents.

“We had parents calling and saying ‘my son said’ or ‘my daughter said’ and making the situation grander than it actually was,” said Assistant Principal Marcie Plummer. “Most of the clerical staff

CELL PHONES: Page 8

Responsible response, CVHS

Defining Femininity

By Mari Robinson City Editor

Editorial: We at The Olympian applaud both the students and the staff of CVHS for handling the lockdown professionally and responsibly.

When the administration notified the students that the school was going into lock down mode people responded quickly and efficiently.

The teachers were very creative with handling the sudden situation and most students behaved like mature young adults.

Shame on the students who disrespected their teachers

and created chaos.

Although students were hungry and badly needed to urinate, it was understood that the lock down was necessary for the safety of the school.

We are pleased that the administration took the initiative to protect students’ lives.

The approximately 25 sheriff’s officers who were on campus discovered the source of the rumor in less than four hours. The administration believes that this incident was a beneficial experience for everyone.

However, we feel the stu-

dents were not properly informed of the events taking place. The reason there were so many rumors circulating around was because of the lack of knowledge about the incident.

Administrators did what they thought was needed to keep the people of our school and town safe.

However, it would have been great to know that we were not in any immediate danger.

At the time, they did not notify the community as to why students were not allowed to leave their classrooms.

As I watched the music video for Panic! At The Disco’s song “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies,” I was struck by the fact that it took me a minute to notice how much makeup lead singer Brendon Urie was wearing.

For one thing, I don’t see guys wearing even a hint of makeup around town, and yet it wasn’t at all shocking to see Urie with a whole face full.

This got me wondering what exactly masculinity and femininity mean to our society today.The image of masculinity that first springs to my mind is the popular “greaser” style from the fifties.

Someone like John Travolta in “Grease,” wearing a leather jacket, cuffed jeans and greased back hair, fixing up old cars and making slick moves on the ladies fits the bill.

To me this image clearly contrasts with the images apparent in pop culture today.

So called “emo” singers, “scene” boys wearing girl pants, rock stars sporting eyeliner and even rappers like Kanye West who wear pink; all have been called “gay” at some point by teenage boys but are worshipped by legions of obsessed teenage girls.

How is it that things so closely associated with femininity can be masculine too?

For women, the pressure to be feminine is defined by what men like. As MTV and magazines show it, being feminine means wearing hot pants and low cut tops to show

PHOTOpinions COMPILED BY STEPHANIE LOMBARDO & CHRISTINA CROSS

The Olympian is a student publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2006 cvhsolympian@yahoo.com Editor-In-Chief................................................................Flora Tsang City Editor......................................................................Mari Robinson News Editor.........................................................................Gray Bae Opinion Editor....................................................................Ellen Yau Feature Editor...............................................................Kamry Zhang Sports Editor................................................................Jasmine Nand Copy Editors.................................................................Dawn Berden Kyle Friedrich Photo Editor....................................................Saritha Kosarussavadi Systems Manager................................................................Gray Bae Business Managers...................................................Michelle Matsui Candace Wong Staff Writers: Malena Bell, Tim Buhlig, Julianne Burnette, Sophiana Carrell, Becky Chao, Christina Cross, Hayden Folks, Kevin Hanley, Hillary Johnson, Amber Kury, Esther Lee, Stephanie Lombardo, Laura Mitchell, Ariel Navarro, Chris Qian, Sholeh Salimi, Alexandra Shiluk, Terry Xiao Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

What do you think of the administration's response to the gun scare?

“They overreacted to a rumor. I do think cell phones made it worse, though.” – Corey Izzo, junior

“The administration didn't know what was going on.

I think they overreacted a lot.” – A.J. London, sophomore

off the tiny waist and large breasts we are all assumed to have.

What I’m worried about are the girls who don’t dig the short skirts, don’t love the color pink or hate to wear sparkly eye shadow.

Are girls who prefer sneakers to high heels and don’t wear lip-gloss considered less attractive because they aren’t hyper feminine?

I know that for my friends and I, the typical stereotypes and images of masculinity and femininity aren’t completely relatable.

It appears to me that in the art and pop culture community things are on a different level than they are in normal life. Clearly what is “normal,” popular and accepted greatly contrast with each other.

We’re living in a time when perceptions of what is masculine and what is feminine could either change completely or fall back into old society’s rules.

I don’t know which way things will go but I’m sure that we would live in a more accepting and generally less stressful society if we judged each other as individuals whether or not they fit into a certain ideal forced upon us by the media.

LETTERS To the Editor

Dear Editor, I’m responding to the article “Vegging is for ‘Dummies.” I am a partial vegetarian who is concerned with the mistreatment of live animals, but not worried about the fact that they must die in order to be eaten.

I support companies that treat their animals well. These companies use the following labels: organic, free-range, and grassfed. When a package of meat does not have one of these labels, it is almost certain that the animals were mistreated. I know that when I support a company that treats animals well over a company that mistreats animals, more animals will be treated well.

Environmental issues are linked to animal mistreatment. On of those issues is groundwater pollution. When too many animals are kept in one place, nature can’t deal with the excess of animal waste. Thus, the waste seeps into the groundwater instead of decomposing and people living nearby (who can’t afford bottled water) become miserable. Sorry, every person on this planet is important enough to have clean water.

(Happy) Mara Hodges

“They did well, but I think it should have ended earlier.”

– Chelsea Moore, senior

“It's better that they were being safe than sorry but they still kind of overreacted a bit.” – Yana Downey, freshman

The Olympian welcomes letters to the editor and reserves the right to edit letters for libel, spelling, grammar, length and style. Please limit letters to 200 words. All letters to the editor must be signed. Submit letters to cvhsolympian@yahoo.com or the Olympian office in room 103.

Effects of lockdown felt by all

By Julianne Burnette Staff Writer

I cautiously opened the bag, removed the sandwich and hastily dropped it into the nearest garbage can. Generally, I don’t make a practice of throwing my lunch away. However, there are exceptions for egg-salad sandwiches that have been sitting in my somewhatheated locker overnight, and accumulating a suspiciously sulfuric aroma.

Tuesday, Oct.10 began as a normal school day, but ended in frustration and great inconvenience for everyone involved.

When the lockdown first started, there were a myriad of emotions throughout CVHS. Many people were scared and worried; some were more curious or befuddled.

I, for one, was more perplexed than anything else.

Countless rumors circulated around campus, and subsequently off campus, spreading confusion and a kind of fearful panic. Between the lack of solid, factual information and the fear that goes hand-in-hand with such circumstances, I am surprised that the

problems with false information weren’t any worse.

Bewildered students were thrust into the nearest classrooms and remained there for a number of hours without access to the necessities that we usually take completely for granted. Each student you encounter will have a hilarious, embarrassing, distressing or otherwise unusual experience that he or she can share.

For me, this was definitely one of those rare experiences that remind me how much I love indoor plumbing. Those who truly needed to go to the bathroom were required to improvise, using only the materials in their classrooms. This left many students, and teachers, with a rather out of the ordinary decision to make. To go, or not to go; that is the question.

When we were finally released from lockdown, no one was allowed to stop at his or her locker.

This was an understandable precaution, but nonetheless irritating and inopportune.

Everyone missed an entire block day’s worth of seventh period.

That places every single seventh period class behind the others by

an hour and a half.

In spite of the serious nature of the situation, by the second hour of lockdown (at the least), many of us stuck in classrooms were less concerned about safety, and more about our bladders and stomachs.

Such things as going to lunch, the restroom and other daily activities of which we take little notice, were put on a painfully long hold.

I believe that the measures taken were necessary under the circumstances. However, the circumstances themselves were not, by any means, necessary.

Whoever thought “joking” about a gun at school was funny, it wasn’t.

You caused countless people anxiety and nuisance, for no better reason than your own immaturity.

In the end, everyone who was at CVHS during the lockdown faced problems, varying in size, because of one prankster with very bad taste in jokes.

As a student at this school, I urge you to make it known that nothing about school violence, or the outcome of it, is to be taken lightly.

Pluto is a psuedo planet

By Hayden Folks Staff Writer

Scientists decided that Pluto is not to be a planet, after a week of debate.

It is amazing the controversy over this topic.

I personally think it is not a planet and I don’t think there should be any controversy.

The astronomers steeled the fact that Pluto did not meet the criteria to be a planet.

The first requirement is it has to orbit the sun.

The second it has to be big enough for gravity to smash it in to a ball.

The final requirement is it must clear objects out of its orbital path.

Pluto didn’t meet the third criteria because it orbits with the Kuiper Belt, and orbits too near to Ceres.

There were 2,400 astronomers that signed up for this meeting when the vote was taken.

Four hundred said yes, Pluto is a planet and 500 said no, Pluto is

“

It may be a big shift in how we think about our solar system but it really doesn’t affect us too much.

”

not a planet.

I was personally a little disappointed because besides Earth, Pluto was my favorite planet.

Pluto has always been different than the other planets.

All the planets orbit in one plane but Pluto’s orbit was 30 degrees off of that plane.

It also is about 1,600 miles smaller in diameter than our moon.

Also, every 240 years Pluto gradually becomes closer to the sun then Neptune, meaning its orbit is highly elliptical.

What I don’t get is all the controversy over it.

I saw a couple kids wearing shirts that said, “Pluto, you will always be my planet.”

It may be a big shift in how we think about our solar system but it really doesn’t affect us too much.

Even though I understand a whole bunch of schools are going to have to tell kids that their books are wrong or they will have to buy new books, we should just accept it.

Everyone who argues Pluto should be a planet just needs to move on.

R e s t r i c t i o n s d o n ’t allow thizz dancing

By Dawn Berden Copy Editor

At school dances, in the center of the crowd, students trying to groove can be severely injured by hurtling limbs if they’re not careful.

But don’t assume the owner of those limbs to be an overzealous rocker getting his or her mosh on; it was probably someone in the midst of “thizz dancing.”

More ridiculous – or should I say, “dumb”? – than even the most hardcore of mosh pits, socalled “thizz dancing” is becoming increasingly popular among teens.

How this trend slipped past the administration is beyond me, considering even a t-shirt with “Miller Lite” emblazoned on the front earns you a stern warning.

It seems to me that in a universe where Ring Pops and glow sticks are considered drug paraphernalia, this sort of thing would be disallowed as well.

In case I’m losing you, what I’m talking about here is Ecstasy, and how it’s suddenly OK for us to pretend we’re on it at school functions.

“Thizzing” is, quite literally, the act of taking Ecstasy, and “thizz dancing” is apparently how one dances while on it.

If you went to the first dance of the school year, you heard Mac Dre violently commanding you to “put a look on your face like you smell some piss.”

Now, whether or not you understood his strange demands all depends, but in short, it’s a reference to the face one makes when one places a tablet of Ecstasy on his or her tongue.

This is all part of something bigger, called the Hyphy Movement, taking place in the Bay Area.

Thizz dancing has a bunch of names, like “going dumb,” “getting retarded,” and other such insults, but my point isn’t the stupidity of the names that have been chosen for it.

Whatever it’s called, it shouldn’t be allowed on campus.

I’m not completely uptight, and I understand that one can “go dumb” without actually being on Ecstasy.

You can also wear a Corona tshirt without being wasted; it’s still against the rules. It’s important for the school rules to maintain some level of consistency, otherwise, after a while they’ll become null. So far, the lax policy on “thizz danc-

“

It seems to me that in a universe where Ring Pops and glow sticks are considered drug paraphernalia, this sort of thing would be disallowed as well.

”

ing” gives students the impression that the school condones it.

Still, I’m not blaming administrators for this discrepancy.

I kind of have a feeling that if they knew what “thizz” meant, they wouldn’t have allowed a brief segment on Hyphy to be included in this year’s Welcome Back assembly.

Fortunately, my solution to this peculiar problem is quite simple: disallow it.

It’s highly unlikely that students will stop dancing how they want to (refer to freaking), but at least by removing “Thizzle Dance” from the playlist, we can attempt to send a less careless message,

The Thumb-o-Meter

Battle of the Bands Battle of the bands: a yearly show-off of CVHS student bands.

Whether you like rock or not, it does not matter because Battle of the Bands was a monkey of a good time. Is it possible to go wrong with guys in

capes, shoulder riding guitar players, hard-core local band cults and a ska singing vice- president? *~*~* Secrets Assembly

The “Secrets” assembly consisted of five people in their late twenties acting as teens trying to

convince CVHS’s sophomores of the dangers of having unprotected sex. Yes, the acting was dismal but it was highly entertaining and whether students want to admit it or not, they probably learned something from it, other than the fact that you can’t get AIDS through your ear.

*~*~*

Homecoming Dance Crappy music, hormonal teenagers and a mosh pit all add up to a chaotic good time. Who can resist the temptations of booty shaking to music you really hate but have fun dancing to anyway?

The “royalty” dance was quite

hilarious, considering it was just girls in funny dresses dancing with boys in over-sized suits.

You would think there would be some kind of choreography but no, it was just slow dancing, and was not very entertaining for the people watching.

Homecoming is like ice cream - you don’t really need it but it still is incredibly delicious.

Wilkerson directs Shakespeare movie

By Becky Chao Staff Writer

If you’re a freshman, you’ll likely make a brief appearance in a new video.

Daren Wilkerson, Freshman English teacher, is putting together a 30-45 minute movie on Shakespeare -- focusing on the play every single freshman encounters: “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It’s awesome when teachers can use our curriculum in different ways. For his first showing, I’ll be there with bells on,” commented Jeanette Nikolakopoulos, a fellow Freshman English teacher.

The video will include segments from instructors teaching the play in the classrooms, along with drama students acting out parts.

About 30 students are in the cast, along with an infinite number of freshmen playing themselves. A few video production kids are also helping out.

According to Nikolakopoulos, the freshmen classes usually have students acting out some lines and watching the two most popular movie versions of “Romeo and Juliet,” trying to see issues in the play similar to ones they see today.

However, a few teachers don’t go nearly as deep in Shakespeare.

“The play begs interpretation, not merely understanding. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you the

plot in three minutes,” explained Wilkerson.

So far, Wilkerson anticipates the video work will be done by

“ Ask any

teacher and they’ll tell you the plot in three minutes.

Daren Wilkerson English teacher

”

the end of the school year. And then, copies will be sold with the price just high enough to get the money spent back.

So, why exactly is he doing this?

Enjoyment was his first answer.

In addition, it seemed as good as a topic as any.

“I want to show [the students] that Shakespeare is not meant to be read, it’s meant to be interpreted ... something with an infinite number of interpretations,” said Wilkerson.

The actual “Romeo and Juliet” shows are at the Center for the Arts and start in November.

Stephanie Lombardo / Staff Writer

Senior Alex Feldman and sophomore Caitlin Lushington play one of the most famous couples of all time in the first CVHS production of this school year.

A preview of Romeo and Juliet

By Stephanie Lombardo Staff Writer

Students and teachers have been working very hard on the upcoming CVHS production, Romeo and Juliet.

After auditions took place in September, the drama department had little time in preparing for the first show on Nov. 4.

“It’s a great cast. Everyone is working really well together,” said senior Lindsay Forte, who plays Lady Capulet.

The actors have been practicing two and a half hours a day, five days a week, and so far it has been a success. The play seems to be coming along well.

They will be putting the final touches on it during the next week

or so, and they plan to be fully prepared by opening night.

“I’m trying to illustrate the themes of opposing worlds in Romeo and Juliet,” said director Tiffany Daily.

The dramatic story of two lovers, Romeo, played by senior Alex Feldman, and Juliet, played by sophomore Caitlin Lushington, is a mix between old renaissance and the modern world.

The younger characters are portrayed on the more modernized side, while the older characters stick to more conservative roles.

The story is about Romeo and Juliet, the two adolescents, who break away from tradition and follow their hearts. This leads to the end of an ancient grudge between their families, the Montagues and

the Capulets.

“The play itself is really well written once you really understand the Shakespearean language,” said senior Brendan Friedrich, who plays Lord Capulet.

The dates for the show are as follows: Nov. 4, 10, and 11 at 7: 30 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets for students will cost eight to ten dollars, and for adults ten to twelve dollars, depending on purchase time.

Romeo and Juliet should be a wonderful production, considering the amount of talented actors involved in it and the amount of time being put in the preparation.

The well-known Shakespearean play is a very popular romance story and it should turn out to be an amazing show.

seum [before]. It was an honor.”

Fitzpatrick’s art was one of the few selected for the museum’s gallery.

Papel picado, perforated paper in Spanish, is a traditional Mexican folk art used to decorate windows, tables, ceilings etc.

Artists used three basic steps to create their projects. A design is first drawn on a blank paper; it is then cut out on black paper as the framework. Colored tissue paper is then glued to the back of the black frame.

Though it is a time-consuming process to make papel picado, the result is a beautiful work of art that has an effect reminiscent of stained-glass windows.

During the Day of the Dead festival, the theme depicts skeletal figures involved in everyday activities of the living such as people doing farm work, cooking meals, and making tools.

In addition to the students, professional artists will be displaying their work in the museum. Among

them is Fernando Hernandez, who chose the papel picado from CVHS students for the museum.

Alahaja Club members volunteered at the museum for its annual special celebration of the Day of the Dead on Sunday, Oct. 22 by setting up booths and helping the museum staffs.

The event featured craft activities, demonstrations, food, music, and dance.

Former Art 1-2 student Caitlin Iwafuchi recalls the making of papel picado as “a fun experience.”

However, the artworks were only displayed at a local gallery.

“I wish my art could have been in the museum.”

About 300 hundred Art 1-2 students participated in creating papel picado. Only the art of 28 students was chosen.

The exhibition will run from Oct. 11 to Dec. 3. Museum hours and admissions can be found on the museum’s website at: www.museumca.org, or at (510) 238-2200.

Oakland Museum displays Day of the dead art from CVHS students

By Chris Qian Staff Writer

Chris Qian / Staff Writer

Art lovers study the intricate designs of papel picado created

by CVHS Art 1-2 students in the Oakland Museum.

The Oakland Museum of California selected artwork from 28 CVHS Art 1-2 students to be on display for the annual Day of the Dead festival, Dias de los Muertos.

Six East Bay schools, including CVHS, were honored to participate in creating artwork for the festival. Students’ papel picado, Mexican paper cutting which is used as decoration for the Day of the Dead festival, is displayed at the museum.

This is the first time that students in Art 1-2 have been chosen to display their art at a prestigious museum.

Years before, the projects were displayed in local galleries, such as the Sun Gallery in Hayward, according to Art 1-2 teacher Jennifer Leighton.

“It seems overwhelming,” said senior Jessica Fitzpatrick.

“I’ve never had my art in a mu-

hop and heartfelt, Shootings in Saint’s Row Hip Deanda’s debut rocks Re

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By Kyle Friedrich Copy Editor

If the streets of Castro Valley just aren’t gangsta enough for you, check out Saint’s Row, a new free roaming action game in which shootouts, robbery, pimping and murder are all in day’s work. Gang warfare is prevalent in Stillwater, with four gangs fighting it out for control of turf. The player joins the 3rd Street Saints, who wear purple and are intent on pushing all the other gangs out of their home district.

The city is entirely free roaming,

which means the player is free to explore, steal cars, or just cause mass destruction with a variety of weapons. The police will attack if the player commits too many crimes, but they can be evaded by going to church confessionals or plastic surgeons. To complete the game, the player must do missions that gain turf for the Saints.

Missions usually involve driving to a certain area and engaging in a shootout with gangsters or police, and then making it back to the Row while being pursued.

There are also a large number of smaller side activities that give money and respect to the player.

Respect is necessary to unlock missions. These activities range from violent ones like causing mayhem or assassinating targets, to the more hilarious ones like insurance fraud where the player must throw themselves off ledges and into traffic to earn money.

The gameplay formula is actually very similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, especially GTA San Andreas, which is a 2004 game that is also about jacking cars and street gangs. Anyone who has played San Andreas can obviously see where Saint’s Row got

Vendetta is a worthy watch

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By Sholeh Salimi Staff Writer

V For Vendetta is an excellent movie showing a futuristic turn in justice and the English government. It was released on DVD with special bonus features recently.

Directed by James McTiegue, the same director that brought you The Matrix trilogy, the movie tells a violent tale of a simple man destined to serve justice to those in the government who’ve done wrong.

He hides behind a mask terrorizing the Chancellor Adam (John Hurt) and his band of followers every Nov. 5. He soon gets an ally, named Evey, (Natalie Portman) and she helps lead the rebellion.

The visual effects are very good and give the viewers a sense of the chaos that’s erupting in England.

My favorite part would definitely have to be when the character V (Hugo Weaving) sends the citizens the same mask he wears, and at the end of the movie all the citizens walk down the streets wearing the mask, representing V, and there is nothing the government or police can do about it because there are too many citizens for them to fight against.

There are so many moving scenes in the movie that show the pain of V, Evey and the rest of the citizens.

One scene, by far the most moving, shows Evey’s life when she was a young girl. She’s explaining to V the struggles her parents went through after her brother died. They began to fight the system with their posters and words, which ended up getting them killed.

Ever since then Evey spent her life obeying the laws and keeping to herself, until V came into her life and showed her a new meaning.

Upon seeing this movie, I was very intrigued by the plot of the story. I thought it was very bold and daring. It gave me an idea of what people in that time would do and how they would fight the government and what would happen to them.

I recommend watching V For Vendetta if you think it would intrigue you the way it intrigued me.

its inspiration, if it’s not an attempt to copy.

Still, the graphics and physics of Saint’s Row are vastly superior to those of GTA San Andreas, probably due to the powerful Xbox 360 hardware. There are also a number of innovations which make the game a lot more fun and manageable. One of these is the ability to restart a failed mission without having to drive all the way back to the starting point.

Another really helpful feature is arrows on the map that plot your course to a destination. A small disappointment is that there are no motorcycles, but it is not a very big deal. Saint’s Row also features online multiplayer, so you can gangbang with all your homies.

Overall, how much you will like Saint’s Row depends on how much you value originality.

It is a very fun game with few flaws, but it is so similar to Grand Theft Auto it just doesn’t seem unique.

But if you are a fan of free roaming action games and you are just looking for a good time, Saint’s Row should definitely be in your collection.

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By Christina Cross Staff Writer

“Heartbreak” is what Paula Deanda’s debut self-titled album screams. She starts the album off strong with the hit everyone knows, “Doing Too Much.” You immediately fall in love with her heartfelt, truthful lyrics.

Deanda hits every note perfectly.

Her voice captures your attention and the words she sings compel you to hear more.

She shows not only her soulful R&B but also her hip-hop

side. After an album packed with slow ballads and pretty melodies, “Make ‘em Clap To This” and “Easy” featuring Lil’ Wayne are a nice surprise thrown into the mix.

“When It Was Me” is a personal favorite. It’s the story of a guy moving on from a girl to someone else who’s the complete opposite.

It has a catchy beat and features lyrics like: “Nothing about me has changed/That’s why I’m here wondering/What makes her so much better than me?”

The song everyone can relate to is “Walk Away.” It’s the current single off the album and hits a spot in the heart everyone has for their ex.

The album is all about love.

Whether it’s missing your ex, trying too hard, jealousy, playing hard to get, the need to just have fun or a new start, every song is a hit.

At only 16 years old, Deanda has a huge career ahead of her.

She co-wrote over half of the songs and had producers like NeYo and Frankie J. working up close and personal with her.

Needless to say this album was bred to be a hit and has far exceeded the expectations. Song to download: “Good Girl.”

Repeat Rihanna’s catchy songs vie e R

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ing

By Jasmine Nand Sports Editor

The famous pop singer Rihanna has a hit CD called A Girl Like Me. She is part African American and Indian.

A Girl Like Me has 12 songs, 13 including the bonus track.

The first song in Rihanna’s CD is called “SOS.” The song talks about help in a relationship.

Rihanna has a very sweet and soft voice in her songs. Her songs Key: The Olympian’s rating system

1 2 3 4 1. I’m snoozing over hurr 2. It’s Aiite 3. Luv’n it 4. Got me getting Crunk

are about love and full of heartbreaks and happiness. Her voice is so soft at times that it is sad and makes you want to cry.

One of my favorite songs by Rihanna is called “Unfaithful.”

The song is talking about being

“ If you

haven’t listened to Rihanna’s CD...I really suggest you do. ”

unfaithful in a relationship.

If you just put yourself in that position and listen to the lyrics, it really makes you cry. Some of the lyrics go like this: “I don’t wanna do this anymore/ I don’t wanna be

the reason why/ I don’t hurt him anymore/ I don’t take way his life/ I don’t wanna be a murderer.” Another one is: “I might as well take a gun and put it to his head.” Basically, she can’t tell him and hurt him because she’s thinking it will hurt him the same way.

Another song is called If It’s Lovin’ That You Want. This is the bonus track. It talks about a girl calling a guy to make her his girlfriend. The lyrics are: “If there’s something that you need/ you should make me your girl/ Tell me all your dreams/ you can trust in me/ Just call me when ever you lonely.”

I thought that song was pretty sweet. It had sweet lyrics by a girl to the guy.

Overall if you haven’t listened to Rihanna’s CD A Girl Like Me, I really suggest you do.

The music is hip hop and the beat just makes you want to dance and sing along to the lyrics. You can just put one song on repeat and keep listening to it.

Klews: Both a Trojan and Mariner

By Stephanie Lombardo Staff Writer

German teacher Barbara Klews claims there are many advantages to her off-campus coaching job.

“One time, my Moreau team had a game at CVHS and I saw one of my students in the stands,” Klews said. “This confused me because she had not been in my class that day and I realized she had cut!”

Klews has been coaching the girls’ volleyball team at Moreau for five years.

“I got the coaching job there first. Then, one year later, I got a teaching job here but CVHS already had a volleyball coach,” said Klews, known to her German

students as Frau Klews.

An alumna of CVHS, Klews was once a member of the Trojans’ volleyball team.

“I actually hated Moreau in high school,” she said. “They were the team to beat. When I started coaching there years later, my friends all called me a traitor.”

Though the Moreau team has benefited from the coaching of Klews, the girls on the CVHS team are upset that they will not have the chance to work with the skillful trainer.

“I think it’s kind of weird that she coaches there but teaches here,” said Stacie Redmond, a member of the Varsity volleyball team. “It’s okay for her to do that, the team just thinks it’s strange.”

Klews says that she enjoys coaching at a different school for a change of scenery.

“I like to get away from campus,” she said. “It’s an excuse to

Girls triumph over Tennyson

By Malena Bell Staff Writer

The Varsity girls’ volleyball team won another game on Oct. 17, this time against Tennyson. The team crushed the Lancers, winning three out of three matches to win the game.

Tennyson never even came near to winning, their best match being the second, where they lost 25-10.

In each match, the Trojans took the lead quickly and ran with it, leaving Tennyson empty-handed.

The team is about halfway through the season and has lost two games to Moreau and Bishop

O’Dowd. These are the only two teams that the Trojans feel are strong competition. However, the team is confident that they are improving and can overcome Moreau and O’Dowd when they play again.

“I think we’re getting better and better each practice and game,” said junior Holly Stewart.

The team includes many younger players this year who are advancing vastly. Everyone agrees that the team has been greatly improving.

Not only are individuals getting stronger, but the team as a whole has been growing stronger. The entire team communicates and works well together.

“I don’t think anyone is a star without the rest of their team,” said Coach Shari Rodriguez.

leave, when some teachers have to stay here until five grading papers.”

Klews, along with teaching German and coaching volleyball at Moreau, is the assistant coach of the CVHS track team.

Although she was the head coach last year, she says that she enjoys assisting far more because her personal strength lies in field events.

“My advice for runners would just be something like, ‘Look, you’re not winning. Run faster,’” said Klews.

When asked which sport she preferred, Klews was unable to decide.

“I like coaching volleyball because it is a team effort,” said Klews. “I also enjoy coaching track because it is amazing to watch individual success. What the students put into it is what they get out of it.”

Chris Qian / Staff Writer

Caitlin Dugan prepares herself for a smash during the Varsity girls volleyball match against Moreau Mariners.

Boys cross country goes big

By Kamry Zhang Featire Editor

The Castro Valley boys Varsity cross country team ran for third place in the Castro Valley Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14.

College Park came in first place with a score of 33, Liberty came in second with 81 and Castro Valley totaled with 109 points.

The top three runners from CVHS were juniors James Fazzio with a time of 16:53, and Jack Leng with a time of 17:22 and senior Matt Riley with a time of 17:25.

Out of 192 finishers, Fazzio placed sixth place, Leng placed 11th and Riley was 14th.

“I think our top three is doing really well,” said Fazzio.

“Everything

indicates that they are getting better.

MIKE SPENCER Assistant Coach

”

“James is an excellent front runner,

Jack is a natural talent and Matt is an extremely hard worker,” said coach Peter Brewer.

However, the boys need to work on spacing.

“We need to shorten the gap between the third guy and the fourth guy,” said Fazzio.

In the HAAL so far, boys Varsity have a perfect record with 4-0.

At Garin Park, Castro Valley beat Bishop O’Dowd and San Lorenzo.

At Oyster Bay; they also won their meets against both Hayward and Tennyson High Schools “Everything indicates that they are getting better,” commented assistant coach and former Varsity runner Mike Spencer.

Lady runners place second

By Kamry Zhang Featire Editor

With 58 schools and more than a thousand runners participating in the Castro Valley Invitational on Oct. 14, the Castro Valley girls Varsity cross country team placed second, just one point behind College Park, which made it a very close match.

The top three runners of CVHS were freshman Chelsea Schneider with a time of 20:05, juniors Kaitlin

Santisteban with a time of 20:54 and Karlina Beringer with a time of 21: 19.

Schneider ran the third fastest Castro Valley time ever on the Trojans’ home course. She placed fifth.

Santisteban placed 18th and Beringer placed 21st.

Many of the the runners still feel like they can improve some more on their times, even though they’ve been doing very well.

“I think we did great. We put in a lot of effort,” said Schneider.

“We still have a lot of room to improve, but so far we have been running in a tight pack,” said junior Kwai Philpott, who is one of the top Varsity players. ramked number four for the girls team In HAAL, Arroyo is the biggest competition. However, the team was really close to their NCS rival College Park who was the NCS champion last

year.

All seven Varsity girls came sprinting in before College Park’s fifth runner.

College Park totaled 64 points, Castro Valley had 65 and Arroyo was left in the dust with 88 points.

“What was impressive was that it was the first time running against Arroyo and we won,” said coach Peter Brewer.

The girls have a perfect record of 4-0 so far in HAAL, beating Bishop O’Dowd and San Lorenzo in Garin Park and winning against Hayward and Tennyson at Oyster Bay. In the history of CVHS, the Varsity girls have been placed on the records as the team with the second high fastest run times.

Kamry Zhang / Feature Editor

Top: Junior Jack Leng outruns his opponents from the other schools there. Bottom: Freshman Chelsea Schneider sprints to the finish line at the CV invitational.

Kamry Zhang / Feature Editor

S up e r S a v v y Sp o r ts St a rs Saritha Kosarussavadi / Photo Editor

Cameron Schaefer, freshman

Lisa Kim, sophomore

Cameron Schaefer never ran for a cross country team before in his life.

But prior to his freshman year, he received a letter from the cross country team and chose to attend the team’s summer practice because he “thought it sounded interesting.”

When school began, his dedication to running placed Schaefer as one of the few freshmen on the Varsity team. He practices every weekday in the morning and after school.

At this year’s Ram Invitational, he finished sixth out of approximately 90 people in the race.

At the age of 13, Lisa Kim decided to take a visit to the range at the Willow Park Golf Course with her parents, and there she discovered her powerful golf swing.

When Kim entered as a freshman, she immediately joined the girls golf team as a Varsity player.

Since then, she has competed in major events including the annual San Leandro Tournament, Lone Tree Tournament, HAAL and NCS. She has an incredible average 18thhole score of 86 and plans to continue playing golf.

Hilary Ajel, junior The fuzzy green ball instantly fascinated Hillary Ajel when her father first took her to the tennis court.

Ever since, Ajel has been hooked to the sport and started playing seriously in sixth grade.

She joined girls Varsity tennis team as a freshman and worked her way up the ladder to where she is currently on the number one doubles team.

She practices three days and competes two days each week.

Nick Koury, senior

With his laid-back and humorous personality, Nick Koury is considered to some one of the Trojans’ strongest players-both on defense and on offense.

In 2004 as a freshman, Koury began playing football for CVHS and his enduring ability to block and tackle placed him on the Varsity team by his second year of high school.

Other than his commitment to football, Koury also plays basketball for the Varsity team. He plans to continue playing football in college and has already received some letters from recruiters.

By Candace Wong Business Manager

Students, combined with cell phones and jitters from the fright, spread around lots of rumors about the lockdown. Here are the top ten favorites: 10. “I heard the kid with the gun went into every classroom in 700 hall with a gun,” said junior Jessica Endo.

9. “Someone said that a gun was found in a trash can near 900 hall, that’s why the 900 classes were let out so late,” explained junior Karissa Tse. 8. “The cops found the gun the kid had, with bullets in the chamber!” cried junior Peter Ko. 7. “People said that some kids were held hostage!” said junior Chris Ko. 6. “The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN said that three kids were killed,” said junior Liane Chun.

5. “I think there was this guy that ran across the courtyard and was chased by the cops and he had a

BLADDERS: Page 1 problem in different ways.

“After about three hours of being in class, quite a few kids were in pain; and you know, when you gotta go, you gotta go. So I snuck out into the hall on my hands and knees, and crawled to the janitor’s closet a few doors down,” said Don Sargent, history teacher.

“I cleaned the sink and set up a paper towel roll on the end of a broom,” continued Sargent. “I escorted one student at a time and told them to pretend they lived during the French revolution in the palace of Versailles, which had no bathrooms. I stayed outside the closet and made sure everything was safe.”

Sargent dealt with the bathroom

By Dawn Berden and Sholeh Salimi

Copy Editor, Staff Writer Since Aug. 1, there have been 13 deaths related to school violence in the United States, and there have been three fatal school shootings since Oct. 2.

Increased coverage of said incidents in the media has left school administrators from all over the country on the edge of their seats.

Immediately after the lockdown was announced rumors about the cause of the lockdown began circulating among students.

In fact, CVHS administrators weren’t hurriedly taking action in the face of clear and present danger – the lockdown itself was merely a safety precaution.

gun and was about to shoot the cop,” explained junior Sean Welch.

4. “I heard someone snuck out during the lock down and got shot,” said junior Hillary Ajel.

3. “A kid got bit by a dog,” said

senior Carina Tsang.

2. “I heard the S.W.A.T team was on the 900 hall roof!” exclaimed junior Ivan Tiet.

And the best rumor of

situation in a creative way where his students were able to apply the things they have learned in class.

However, in other classrooms the resolution to the bathroom problem was not as comfortable or educational.

“The teacher put on a movie to keep us quiet and allowed us to play chess. Several boys went in the backroom and pissed in a cup and I guess the girls held it,” said junior Brett Thompson.

Since the lockdown went through and beyond lunchtime, the stomachs were all growling. Some teachers provided the students with small snacks.

“We sat on the floor for an hour. We couldn’t talk and we couldn’t move.

After we heard the announcement that the lockdown was real, it was

Administrators thought it was better to be safe than sorry.“In years and eras past, I don’t think we would have even thought of kids having weapons on campus,” said the Assistant Principal Marcie Plummer.

In an odd coincidence, the lockdown at CVHS occurred the very same day the Bush administration had called for a conference to discuss about the problem of school violence.

And although nothing deadly occurred on CVHS grounds, CNN even used this incident to segue from their report on the conference.

“It was one of those opportune moments in journalism,” said Garcia. “They took advantage of the situation… eventually they realized there really wasn’t a story.”

Even if there was no immediate threat looming on and around the

all…

1. “It was a terrorist attack, but the police caught them!” said a student during lunchtime.

Saritha Kosarussavadi & Gray Bae

past lunchtime, so the teacher gave us bread and we watched the ‘Lion King,’” said freshman Justin Cambra.

The lack of knowledge about what was going on during the lockdown made students angry or in some cases, panic.

“We talked the entire time.

The teacher was telling us to stop talking, but we didn’t listen because we were trying to understand what was happening,” said sophomore Amber Bowman.

Despite all the harsh experiences that students and staff went through, everyone is now more aware of how fortunate they are to have food, a bathroom, and order in the classroom.

campus, administrators say that the situation was crucial in providing insight as to how the school’s lockdown procedure works, and where it needs adjustments.

LOCKDOWN: Page 1 Although the sheriff department could bill the boy for the cost of the lockdown as well, it probably won’t.

“When you think about the resources poured into this operation, it’s quite expensive… the man hours, educational value lost, distracted parents coming home early from work. We could go thousands and thousands of dollars,” said Coco.

Even so, he will face serious consequences. Or, as Garcia puts it, “It’s probably not just going to be detention.”

During the lockdown, three or four staff members were in the main office answering phones, though they were only allowed to release a small amount of information.

The sheriff ’s officers then blocked off the side roads that run along campus due to the excessive amounts of parents and media. The campus was already blocked off, but the officers were not going to take any chances.

Cell phones were not to be used, Garcia clearly stated over the intercom, as such tools had the potential to provide the student responsible with outside information that might hinder the investigation. Even so, students text messaged and called their friends and family.

The continuous use of cell phones resulted in the involvement of the media and thus several misleading broadcasts were aired nationwide and responsible for various relative panics.

“It heightens panic, with misin-

formation,” said Garcia, in reference to the use of cell phones.

Plummer agreed: “Communication was the biggest issue.”

People outside the school were not the only ones having communication problems. The P.E. classes did not know the lockdown was occurring until past noon, more than 20 minutes after the lockdown was issued.

“We are working to make sure that does not ever happen again,” said Garcia. To solve the issue, the P.E. teachers will receive new walkie-talkies for future communication.

The administration is increasing the number of campus patrollers to six, in order to better manage the increasing population.

The Center for the Arts has already installed outside video cameras. They have been used to help solve school issues, such as unacceptable people being on campus at all hours of the night.

The entire campus will soon be host to more cameras positioned all across campus that will run 24 hours a day as an attempt by the administration to curb any existing criminal behavior. The cameras will probably be installed sometime after winter break and before the end of the school year.

In addition to the heightened security, the staff hopes to add curtains to the 900 hall and other classrooms, as the lack of window covering jeopardizes the safety of the students inside during any breach of security.

Despite several problems that occurred, the administration is proud of how smoothly the lockdown went and how well the students and staff handled the incident.

“Everyone took it seriously… overall, I don’t think it could have been handled much better,” said Garcia.

Cell phones result in dire consequences

were on the phones all day. We had three or four people talking to hysterical guardians at all times.”

Several calls made to family and friends spread false information around the school. Calls made on cell phones were responsible for many of the rumors regarding the lockdown floating around CVHS. It’s also likely the media got wind of the lockdown from a call made by a parent who had heard about the event from a call or text Saritha Kosarussavadi / Photo Editor message from their child, acPolice officers arrive at the scene during the lockdown. cording to school officials.

CELL PHONES: Page 1