Oct 29, 2010

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 2

Green thumbs in garden

Pg. 5

Club maintains little-known area

Trojans plan to leave HAAL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010

Pg. 4

CVHS Wonder Woman

Teacher runs, swims, cycles

Shake, shake, shake

Runners race to the finish

Get ready for online grading Staff Writer

A new online grading and attendance system is being implemented this year at CVHS that will allow student information to be stored in a more streamlined, easily accessible electronic database.

Using the Aeries Student Information System, students, parents, teachers, and administration will be permitted access to student records by logging on to the system with personal accounts.

Aeries will render obsolete the process of recording daily attendance through Scantrons, a practice long in use at CVHS. Instead, teachers will record attendance on their computers with the press of a button. Likewise, grades will be entered into a school-wide da-

Staff Writer

The Hayward Area Athletic League, consisting of Bishop O’Dowd, Arroyo, Moreau, San Leandro, Hayward, and Castro Valley, may soon dissolve. Budget cuts and the schools’ lack of certain sports programs is forcing Castro Valley and other high schools to make a change.

“ We are having this meeting to sort out the specifics.

”

Most of the details have not been sorted out yet, but CVHS officials expect a major change to happen.

HAAL: Page 8

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

Students participate in the earthquake drill on Oct. 21.

Donors aid one project at a time Students benefit from public’s support

By Rebecca Fong Staff Writer

Donors Choose, a website that allows anyone to choose and fund specific projects posted by teachers all around America, aided numerous teachers who lack sufficient funding because of education budget cuts. At CVHS, many faculty members have benefited from the recent grants of Chevron and the Claire Giannini Fund, the latter having donated $1.3 million at the beginning of September towards every project in California.

“Teachers on our campus have already received color laser printers, digital projectors, cameras, calculators, art supplies, books, dictionaries, netbooks, and more,” stated Assistant Principal Jesse Woodward.

“Without [their] contribution only a handful of students would have gotten to insert a jellyfish gene into a bacteria cell to make it glow,” remarked science teacher Melissa Kindelspire.

She had requested a set of petri dishes and agar for her project less than a week before the Claire Giannini Fund provided the necessary money.

Donations from the website have also made possible a new system to encourage classroom participation, involving “clicker” remotes for individual students to answer questions presented by the teacher.

DonorsChoose.org has raised exponentially more money every year since 2000, when an East Coast teacher and now company CEO, Charles Best, founded it in response to public frustration at the quality of America’s schools. The site affirms its mission to “improve public education by empowering every teacher to be a changemaker and enabling any citizen to be a philanthropist.”

In the past ten years, more than $6 million in classroom supplies have been financed in California alone. Nationwide,

Donors Choose financed $60 million worth of materials and impacted three million students.

The site displays a list of projects awaiting sponsorship, which can be sorted by cost, academic subject, location, or urgency. Donors can then select the project they wish to support, either in part or entirety.

When a particular project is fully funded, the materials are sent to the classroom and the donors receive personal thankyou cards from the students and teacher.

“My kids will have to get used to writing thank-you letters in the future!” said Kindelspire, who plans to post more requests for supplies.

As generous as the patrons of education may be, some still have a cause to worry.

“Public schools shouldn’t have to depend on others,” said history teacher John Green, though grateful for the illustrated history novels that were funded for him. According to Green, this should serve as a reminder that the education budget of California remains far from adequate.

Pg. 7

Boys, girls teams run at Canyon

By Emily Lin-Jones

By Dan Galvan

Jason Whiteman Assistant Principal

CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546

tabase, which can be accessed from any Internet browser.

Students and their parents will have access to the students’ transcripts, class schedules, attendance records, and grades from their home computers.

By logging on to Aeries, parents will be given convenient, year-long access to information about their students’ academic status. Some students may not be too thrilled with this idea, and some teachers are not either.

Administration is still negotiating with the Teachers Union regarding issues of teacher privacy and the problem of parental expectations versus reality: namely, how quickly parents will expect teachers to

AERIES: Page 8

Brown, Whitman race to be governor

By Reyna Garcia and Jennifer Price Staff Writers

With the November 2010 election for governor of California right around the corner, it’s on everybody’s mind. What will Jerry Brown, the main Democratic candidate, and Meg Whitman, the main Republican candidate, do for the people? Who will benefit the school systems of California more, reduce budget cuts, and halt the pink slips that seem to plague every teacher?

“Someone with a dramatic plan for change to the way the state runs would be my ideal candidate,” said history teacher Kevin Batchelor.

Everyone knows that state education needs major changing as budget cuts are affecting all grades, even secondary schools. California needs to increase funding or turn to a private system of education because the middle ground that we have now is not working, Batchelor expressed.

Brown is a twice-elected governor of California serving from 1975 to 1983. Being a Democrat, Brown tends to lean toward the liberal view of laws, props, acts and state issues.

Whitman has “unveiled conservative positions,” according to

GOVERNOR: Page 8

Rebecca Fong / Staff Writer

Teacher Kelly Abbott shows off the new projector donated to her classes through Donors Choose.

Editorial: The Olympian weighs in on state election Yes on Prop. 19: Legalizes marijuana under California but not federal law.

The Olympian supports Prop. 19, which would legalize marijuana under California law, but not under federal law. People who oppose this proposition worry about teenagers getting drugs, but this proposition was carefully written to have marijuana under control.

Only adults 21 and over would be allowed possess up to one ounce of marijuana. By passing this proposition, California will be able to balance the budget more easily and generate $1.4 billion in annual tax revenue. It will lead to more jobs, better health care, public safety, parks, roads, transportation and more.

We at The Olympian think it’s more important to have tax revenue with potential profit for our own state government. Our generation already has the common sense to control marijuana, make it harder for kids to get, focus police resources on violent crime, and generate billions in revenue and savings.

Yes on Prop. 21: Establishes $18 annual vehicle license fee to help fund state parks.

The Olympian supports Prop.

21 to collect an annual $18 fee per vehicle to support state parks. We approve of the annual fee because it creates more jobs and it’s worth paying. Our payments would make state parks better and safer for visitors and tourists every year.

This source of funding would

provide California vehicles with free day-use admission to state parks. It would create tens of thousands of jobs and generate tax revenues for communities.

California would also enjoy improved air and water quality by reserving natural areas and wildlife habitats.

No on Prop. 23: Suspends

air pollution control law.

We oppose Prop. 23, which would suspend a previous law requiring major sources of emissions to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Prop. 23 would remain in effect until unemployment rate in California falls to 5.5 percent or less for four consecutive quarters. We are strongly against this job-killing proposition.

The Olympian believes Prop.

23 would make more air pollution and increase health risks.

We also would’t be happy with high gas and electricity costs.

Yes on Prop. 25:

Changes legislative vote requirement to pass from two-thirds to a simple majority.

We agree that we should change the required legislative vote to be a simple majority. It would reform California’s state budget process. Currently, California is having difficulty passing the budget on time because it is hard to get a two-thirds vote in the Legislature.

Proposition 25 is a simple

Andie Smith / Staff Writer

way to vote; only a majority of legislators need to approve the budget just like in the 47 other states. Taxpayers would not like to pay $8 million in interest payments alone, like they did in last year’s late budget.

California needs a better system, responsible budgeting, and fiscal accountability.

Jerry Brown for Governor

The Olympian staff members discussed their thoughts about our state’s candidates for governor, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman.

Full extent of bugdet cuts horrify

By Andie Smith Staff Writer

I can’t believe the horrible budget cuts being enacted on schools.

I know that a lot of people have heard of the crisis, but many aren’t fully aware of what the cuts actually mean for our educational facilities. I don’t think they realize that billions of dollars are being taken from schools, and that everyone will be affected.

Does our state government not realize the importance of schools?

Do they all not think about the fact that these schools provide the foundation on which our lives stand? Or the fact that our opinions about them now will affect our future votes for them when they run for a government office?

I am appalled and disgusted by them. I wish I could explain the way I feel about them taking money away from schools, where all the children in this country come together to learn, where the governing officers themselves got

their educations, where they learned enough to move on to their bigger positions that affect millions of lives.

Our current school year has been affected drastically. The state is dealing with a $20 billion deficit. Schools in Castro Valley are getting $5.1 million taken away from them.

The bright side of the situation is that there are people out there who are making a difference in the budget crisis. On the website, the superintendent thanked specific groups for their help: the Castro Valley Arts Foundation, the Castro Valley Educational Foundation, the Castro Valley Sports Foundation, the Music Parents Society, Save Our Schools Castro Valley!, School PTAs, Parent Clubs, and Boosters.

Here on our Castro Valley High School campus, we have a club called Students Taking Action Against Cuts (STAAC), with members who are making a difference in this unfortunate time. They want to make sure that students are aware of the budget cuts, since many seem to not realize the effects they have on everyone. Last year, STAAC marched to the district office to talk to the superintendent. STA-

AC is also working with Justice for Schools, an adult group that is also working for the budget cut cause. During club day, STAAC member Emma Silver told me that the “main plan is to get more people to know what’s going on” with the cuts that are affecting the whole school district, while getting other people to join the club.

Another way to make a difference besides joining STAAC if you’re a student is to write letters to people in our state government, such as our state senators and the governor. Anyone can contact Senator Barbara Boxer by going to her website and filling out an email form at boxer.senate.gov, or Senator Dianne Feinstein at feinstein. senate.gov/public. Give a helping hand to the fundraising participants and donate to the different organizations working for the cause.

Knowing that there is a cute little fourth grader out there who can play basketball for his school team and learn to play the recorder while his older brother in high school can play football and talk to his school counselor whenever he needs help should be enough of a reason to lend a hand.

After the debate held on Sept.

28, we thought that Brown had stronger reasons and more confidence as he talked about his plans.

Brown supports his policies with fair reasons without any extremes. For example, he focuses on energy efficiency, maximizing job creation using existing state funds, and having a path to citizenship for immigrants. He has also shown his leadership skills by working for the government for a long time period.

On the other side, Whitman supports new businesses and eliminating their taxes, strengthening

Letters to the Editor

border security, and investing in higher education. Whitman does not have a background in politics, but she was a successful CEO for eBay. Whitman, however, has also gotten herself in trouble by hiring an illegal immigrant for a maid and breaking a strict immigration policy before the election.

We at The Olympian found more reasons to support Brown as governor. Now it’s the voters’ turn to decide which candidate will turn California into a better place for everyone.

The Olympian encourages letters from our readers.

Please note that letters must be signed and no longer than 200 words. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at our Olympian office in Room 113.

PHOTOpinions BY: John London

Who do you support: Whitman or Brown?

“I’m undecided in the campaign. I focus more of my time on my schoolwork than I do the elections.”

Freshman Brenda Phuong

“I support Brown because I feel like he has some good ideas to get us out of the financial crisis.”

“I’m supporting Jerry Brown because all my friends like him.”

Junior Tony Li

“Most definitely Jerry Brown. I’ve heard nothing but bad things about Meg.” Senior Christian Louisana

Sophomore Paige Panighetti

Olympian

The October 29, 2010

3

Slackers, get your act together

By Tim Pak Staff Writer

Yoon Jung / Staff Writer

Castro Valley: is it really safe?

By SangEun Choi Staff Writer

On Sept. 17 between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., a man in a dark red sedan attempted to abduct a 12-year-old female. The student was reported to be walking to Canyon Middle School when a man stopped her on Cull Canyon Road and repeatedly asked the girl if she wanted a ride.

When she refused, he followed her

for several hundred feet before the girl hurried to her school and notified her principal.

This is personally rather surprising. Though Castro Valley has been affected by a few unexpected incidents the past year, the attempted abduction only causes us to question the safety of our neighborhoods. I have always thought of Castro Valley as the dreary and “tame” town where people wake up, eat, work, eat, and sleep—a daily routine without interventions of any special news.

I walk home every day after school. Though my home is only a ten-minute walk from the school, I find myself feeling wary and a lot more alert about all movement around me. I feel

paranoid about my daily walk home because not many students walk the same path. It’s an overreaction that I’m certain will die down, but until then, I feel like the safe bubble I’ve had in Castro Valley has been popped.

My only suggestions are to find a walking buddy and to pay attention to your surroundings. Blasting music on the highest level while walking alone in a deserted neighborhood may make one less aware of his or her surroundings.

Though incidents like these are rare in small and peaceful Castro Valley, they do happen, and it’s best to take precautions beforehand. As they always say, better safe than sorry.

LETTERS

To the Editor Student dress not teachers’ fault I enjoyed Jennifer Price’s article on the lack of a dress code at CVHS this year. I agree that the students seem to lack modesty and seem to want to show too much skin. However, I don’t believe the responsibility lies primarily with the teachers not enforcing the dress code.

Jennifer states that shorts and skirts should be at midthigh as stated in the dress code. But that was stated in the handbook of previous years; I found it in the 2006-07 handbook. Our current 2010-11 handbook only stated that clothing should not include “sexually explicit/suggestive attire” and that it should not be “distracting or disruptive to the educational environment.”

As a teacher I find it very difficult to send a student out for a dress code violation if I do not have specific parameters as to what to look for. Again, only the 2006-07 handbook prohibits strapless tops, halter-tops or bare midriff tops.

It seems our dress code has been loosened according to our handbook for 2010-11. So perhaps Jennifer would like to find out who made the changes in the handbook because it’s not up to teachers to enforce a dress code if it is not clear and concise.

Carol Dixon

Athletes asked to donate I always enjoy receiving my issue of the Castro Valley High School Olympian; however I must take issue with your article of Oct. 8, 2010, “Athletes charged up to $325.”

The California Constitution and the California Education Code prohibit school or school districts from charging any students to participate in any extracurricular activity, including the athletic program, except in very limited situations.

Neither CVHS nor the CVUSD has asked any student to pay to participate in athletics and would not charge since it is prohibited under the California Constitution, which guarantees “a free and public education.”

Due to the ongoing California budget crisis, the CVUSD was forced to cut $5.1 million from the 2010-2011 budget after cutting $4 million from the 20092010 budget. One of the cuts was the elimination of all funding for the K-12 athletic program.

As a result of these budget cuts, the athletic program at CVHS had to become self-sufficient and student athletes have been asked, not required, to make a donation, not “asked to pay,” to help keep the athletic programs alive and well.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the CVHS boosters, individual teams, and donations from the student-athletes, CVHS is able to offer a full athletic program this year. However, without the same effort next year, the athletic program will face cuts.

As a former coach, I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the importance of an athletic program. However, as a superintendent faced with significant reductions to the academic program (i.e., seven period day, counselors, electives), my first job is to protect the academic program, which unfortunately meant cuts to the athletic program. While athletics and other extracurricular activities are important, our mission is educating students.

Castro Valley is fortunate to have a community that has stepped up to the plate and raised the funds to keep the athletic program alive this year. No student will be denied participation in the athletic program for financial reasons, but to maintain the athletic program in the future, we will need to have the same outstanding fundraising efforts.

Superintendent Jim Negri

School: a place where young, innocent, defenseless children are kept prisoner and forced to learn useless stuff like algebra that won’t count for anything when they’re old enough to get employed (UrbanDictionary.com).

The definition above is false.

We obviously aren’t defenseless children kept as prisoners. We aren’t forced to learn useless stuff.

School is really a place where we learn and hopefully get ready for life because these years are nothing compared to the hardships we will all face in the future.

The other day, while I was driving to school, I saw a former classmate of mine on the street, smoking a cigarette. He was a good kid, but just hated school. He saw no point in the whole process of learning geometry theorems or reading books that were required by the CVHS curriculum.

He and many students at CVHS have the same mentality. They see school as a complete waste of their lives and would rather be doing something else. Then I ask them this, why do you keep coming back? Wouldn’t you rather just be done with school and drop out?

I’m positive it would save the school an incredible amount of time and money.

CVHS receives money for the number of students that attend class each day. However, the numbers of students who choose to cut class curtails the amount of money that comes in. Less money means less equipment and even more budget cuts.

These “students” who are on the roster for CVHS don’t hurt

themselves, but hurt the actual students who depend on school. They depend on school to help them in life and eventually get into college or join the work force.

However, “students” who just choose to not come to school jeopardize the futures of the other students at CVHS. Why do they choose to do this?

I don’t know, but it angers me to see “students” each day who are inconsiderate to others.

The solution to this problem is simple. To the “students” who choose to be slackers, why don’t you just drop out?

Remove your name from the school roster and just leave comfortably. It saves time and money, not to mention the effort teachers and staff have to give to you. However, you

“ Don’t drag

other people down. ”

could choose to stay in school, not slack off, pull a 2.0 GPA, and receive a high school diploma (which will be very useful when you look for jobs). It just makes the most sense to choose from these two decisions. Don’t drag other people down. This is your life and you make your own decisions.

So, to the bunch of you at school wasting not only your time, but the whole school’s, what is it going to be? Will you choose to at least have a chance in life by trying to get something out of school and finishing with a diploma, or are you going to be like the classmate I met on the street, wandering around the neighborhood wondering what he is going to do with his life? It’s simple, take it or leave it.

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

Castro Valley High School’s wonder woman

By Tim Pak Staff Writer

New teacher Rebecca Westover not only teaches AP Environmental Science, but also runs triathlons and does competitive bicycling.

As a high school student, Westover told herself that she wanted to try something new.

That is when she thought of doing a triathlon and began to train for one. However, she needed a lot of motivation to keep herself going.

“I first started to do triathlons because I wanted to try something new. In high school, I played soccer and ran cross country and track, but without a team, I found that I needed something to keep me motivated,” said Westover.

A racer must be committed and ready to endure physical pain for a long time.

However, with her new job as the AP Environmental Science teacher, Westover has had a tough time balancing her training with her career.

“I have to admit, my training schedule during the year is a little hit and miss because I get too busy with school,” stated Westover.

“During the summer, I try to get in one or two activities a day, but one of the most important things to practice is the transitions between the swim and the bike and the bike to the run; taking time to put your shoes on or taking off your wet suit means precious time that you have to make up.”

When asked if she had a memorable moment during a race, Westover recounted a story that consisted of kindness and good sportsmanship.

“During one of my first races

Rebecca Westover prepares for and sets off on her century bike ride along the California coastline. during the swim, I started to pass one of the men who had fallen behind the pack. When I was passing he looked like he was in trouble and I stopped to offer him help because he was treading water and not moving forward,” said Westover.

“I got him on his back so he could rest, and then continued on.”

Despite Westover ’s delayusing time to help a person-she still finished third place in her age category. Westover also competes in long distance bicycle races. She rode a century, which is a 100-mile bike ride, over the summer time.

“I had a lot of fun during the century. One of the best feelings in the world is to be in

the middle of a pack and feel like you are coasting at 25 mph,” said Westover as she remembered how much fun she had.

Even though running a triathlon takes a lot of training, a simple breakfast is the true key to doing well at the start of a race, according to Westover.

“Before I race, I eat a banana and toast with peanut butter. You

Joseph Parks

don’t want to eat a lot because it would end up hurting you during your race,” said Westover.

As the year continues and the new year approaches, Westover plans to train harder and compete in many more races.

She also plans to become an even greater teacher and staff member of CVHS.

No Harm, No Foul impresses audiences

By Anna Balassone Staff Writer

Students from the CVHS theater department have created a stunning snapshot of adolescent life in their newest production, No Harm, No Foul, an original play about a high school lockdown. The play was co-written by Castro Valley acting instructor Michael Lushington and award-winning New York playwright and actor Gino Dilorio.

Lushington, also the director of the play, explained that, in lockdowns, “life has a funny way of inserting itself anywhere, and our children understand much more than we know.”

In an effort to make the lockdown scenario as genuine as possible, both Lushington and Dilorio consistently asked for input and suggestions from the high school actors. The play, as a result, is a collaboration of diverse adult and student perspectives.

From the very beginning of the play, the mood is intense and poignant. The first scene involves the entire cast engaging in choreographed hand motions to Green Day’s hit song “21 Guns.”

The characters form their fingers into the shape of a gun and, in sync with the passionate beat of the song, they alternate between pointing it at themselves and then at a different character.

Following the first scene, a voice over an intercom asks all students to remain calm because a lockdown has commenced.

From then on, a series of vignettes are introduced one after another in various areas around the school, including the bathroom, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and multiple classrooms.

Each vignette illustrates a different circumstance that might be found in an actual school lockdown, including two girls having a fistfight, a couple discussing their relationship, and a girl recording videos of herself.

As the lockdown drags on and each storyline progresses, the relationships amongst the students change and heavier topics are discussed, including life, death, pregnancy, intimacy, drugs, secrets, and family issues.

In the end, the principal announces that the lockdown was a false alarm and the students

Anna Balassone / Staff Writer

Andrea Partridge (junior) acts her role as a student during No Harm, No Foul. go rushing off like everything is normal. After all, no harm, no foul, right?

Each actor does a spectacular job in delivering his or her respective monologues and dialogues with flawless emotion.

While watching the scenes, I

found myself relating different characters to my own peers and identifying with all of the teenage mannerisms that each actor so acutely perfected.

In all, No Harm, No Foul is a masterful look into the dynamics of a school lockdown. It clearly shows

that, although many students disregard the importance of such events, lockdowns can actually serve as periods of intense self-reflection in which, as Dilorio says, “the possibilities of the teenage mind are endless.”

Olympian

The October 29, 2010

CVHS garden gets renovation

By Natalie Chin Staff Writer

At CVHS, students become fairly comfortable with the layout of the campus within a couple of weeks.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors know CVHS like the backs of their hands.

Yet, there is one place on campus that most students have not been to or even heard about. It is not the principal’s office or a specific classroom, but the garden between 400 and 500 halls.

Several benches were under large, shady trees, perfect for eating lunch under, but the garden was empty of any students. A small pond was in the process of being built, and the tiny fish were moved to the greenhouse until their new home was ready for them.

The greenhouse is a large wooden building, with running water, power, and plenty of workbenches.

Strawberries, spinach, persimmons, grapes, tomatoes, and peas are just of some of the plants that are prospering in the garden. In

Erin Kim / Staff Writer

Bonnie Xu helps to renovate the CVHS garden by planting flowers on Fall Clean Up Day. the corner nearest to 500 hall is the bee and butterfly area. It is filled with colorful flowers that attract all kinds of life.

“It’s beautiful,” said senior

Irene Tang. This “secret” garden is an island of tranquility amongst a sea of hurried, anxious people.

The Gardening Club, a small

club of about six to eight members, advised by Michelle Trueblood, maintains the garden.

This club started about four years ago when a group of stu-

5

dents wished to start a gardening club, but there was no place in CVHS to have one.

During that time, the old staff area was being demolished and the garden area was basically a junkyard.

“All the hard work pays off in the end,” stated senior Marisa Matines. “It makes everything more beautiful. It’s an escape from school.”

Classes such as landscaping, botany, and biology used to be held in the garden, but these classes are no longer offered to CVHS students, except biology.

Fundraisers and donations support the Gardening Club. It tries to encourage community participation through garden clean-ups, like the Fall Clean Up on Oct. 16, when community members come to help re-landscape the garden.

The Gardening Club hopes that by involving the community, more students and other people will gain awareness of the CVHS garden and become more interested in it.

Ecuadorian scores in class, on field

By SangEun Choi Staff Writer

Meet Raul “Nano” Galarza, a senior at CVHS. He’s different from other seniors though: Galarza is one of those fortunate enough to take part of a foreign exchange student program.

Galarza’s home in Ecuador was only 15 minutes away from the ocean. He says that California has many more people than his home country.

His decision to journey over to California was inspired by his counselor who currently lives in the state.

Though it wasn’t very easy to leave his family in Ecuador, he seems to be pleased with his stay here in Castro Valley. Two separate families are now housing him for a few months each.

In his free time, Galarza enjoys playing soccer outside of school.

He has soccer practice three days

a week and has built friendships with others who also attend CVHS. Besides soccer, he has been picking up on other American sports such as baseball and football.

Galarza has also been able to learn to surf, one of the many highlights of California.

Besides these differences between his home country and our state, Galarza spotted a few other dissimilarities between his school in Ecuador and our high school.

We as students have to move around to different classrooms with different peers each day.

At Galarza’s old school, however, the teachers switched rooms while the students were able to stay with the same classmates and seats.

“It’s another culture here,” said Galarza. “Now I’m learning English and I’m getting better.”

It is always exciting to meet others from different cultures.

Raul “Nano” Galarza volleys a ball to his teammate during soccer practice.

using natural gas for fuel.

CVHS has its own carbon footprint, and it’s not exactly the the smallest footprint around.

“We waste a lot of energy at this school,” said science teacher Deborah Yager. “The waste is school-wide.”

Take, for example, 700 hall.

“The lights will be on 24/7, and the air conditioning can be left on all weekend,” explained Yager. “That is really unacceptable.”

Students also waste energy in more subtle ways.

“One of the biggest wastes is the amount of gasoline used to come here and back. A lot of it is just spent sitting idly one block away from the school,” observed science teacher Richard Schneck.

Waste comes from many

sources, including using hairdryers.

“Hairdryers suck out a ridiculous amount of energy,” said Schneck. “All you’re really doing is making hot air, and that’s really wasteful.”

CVHS also produces a fair amount of garbage and waste.

“Anything thrown into the garbage cans is considered garbage,” said Cindy Ma, president of the Smart Energy Club.

“The janitors are too busy to sort out what’s not supposed to be in blue (recycling) bins.”

That means that everything we throw into garbage cans is garbage, even if it’s recyclable plastic, cans, or paper.

Reducing carbon emissions is no small task; it requires lifestyle changes and other

Bianca Arias / Photo Editor

CVHS struggles to reduce emissions

By Holden Parks Staff Writer

As humans become more and more industrialized, they emit more and more harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Every single human, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has participated in this emission of damaging gases, which is more generally called a carbon footprint.

Formally, a carbon footprint was defined as the amount of green house gas emissions that is given off by an entity in a given time frame.

Greenhouse gases are known to cause global warming by trapping heat from the sun into the atmosphere, which warms the planet.

The gases are released as a byproduct of generating power and

sacrifices.

“Take shorter showers. And turn off all electrical appliances when not in use,” suggests Yager.

“Carpool. Recycle. Please do not put trash in recycle bins. And most importantly, educate yourself.”

Yager warns of dire consequences if humans do not start changing

their ways. “’We’ve only just started to see the climate change that’s going to happen,” Yager asserted.

“Emissions have reached catastrophic levels, and the alarm is not sounding loudly enough.”

Weezer’s new album won’t hit top forties

Atmosphere sends out a new message

By Daniel Chung Staff Writer

People have always criticized artists for “selling-out” their music to what the majority wants and not sticking to their true roots or beginnings. It’s always a risky maneuver to change one’s style of music, but fortunately for Atmosphere, the duo has created another successful album; it is distinctively different and will have fans begging for more.

After a yearlong hiatus, Atmosphere (comprised of rapper Ant and DJ Slug) has done it again with its latest album, To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy, but in a different way.

Released on Sept. 6, this album demonstrates how Atmosphere has shown why it is such an influential hip-hop duo and is more than capable of evolving for the better over the years.

The album immediately begins with a different sound, which may be unfamiliar to the typical listener of Atmosphere. The upbeat piano melodies, mixed in with Slug’s hip-hop beats, are now gone and have been replaced with the distortion of the electric guitar and a much more laid back tempo.

This different sound to Atmosphere is especially exemplified in “Shotgun” with a heavy bass in the background and distorted electric guitar riffs during the chorus, reeling in listeners and keeping them entertained for the whole song.

The message that Ant and Slug leave their listeners with distinguishes this work from Atmosphere’s previous albums.

Prior to this album, a significant amount of Atmosphere’s songs dealt with the relationships that the artists encountered throughout their lives, ranging from parents, friends, girlfriends and even their “relationship” with music.

Atmosphere’s latest work, on the other hand, deals with social problems that many of America’s lower-class citizens encounter each and every day.

For instance, “Americareful” deals with the issues that arise within government programs such as abortion clinics and healthcare: “Tommy went to county medical service, that’s where you go when you don’t have insurance. Budget cuts and they overwork the nurses.

You can find more lying (lion) than at a circus…”

Atmosphere doesn’t necessarily offer a solution to these issues, but this album does make the listener raise some important questions, and forces him or her to be more aware of the problems within America.

Overall, To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy offers a refreshing, new aspect to Atmosphere’s already successful career. Although one may not agree with the politics behind the music, the new sounds and powerful messages of this album leads one to wonder what else is in store for this duo.

By Reyna Garcia Staff Writer

Weezer has done it again: their album, Hurley, is an okay album. It’s not classic Weezerthe pop is left out and it’s the most rock and roll that the band can achieve. The lyrics have less of a message than usual for the band, but what can you expect

deserve the credit for making the album what it is. If you find yourself listening to lyrics you’ve heard before, the background music will keep you listening.

On track one, “Memories,” Cuomo attempts to scream the lyrics. Let’s just say that an almost forty-year-old man should not try to replicate the vocals of his much younger counterparts; he just ends up sounding like a whiny try-hard.

While not all the songs are good, almost half of them are.

This is what saves the album from being like the bands previous albums and being torn apart by fans and critics. Hurley is worth buying, but not the whole album. If you do want it, use iTunes and buy only the hits and not the tracks such as “Time Flies,” which just brings the album down.

from a band that hasn’t had a hit in years? The songs are good, but unlike the band members, the tracks won’t be hitting the top forties.

The album was released on Sept. 13 and is the follow-up of the last three debuts of Weezer, which have been more than disappointing to fans and critics alike.

Rivers Cuomos’ vocals and the more-than-good music may be just what the aging band needs to save their credit.

The band has abandoned their attempts at staying “hip” and has returned to it’s geeky glory. The sound effects and overdone editing that are found on the recent albums of other artists are not found on Hurley. The album is strictly Cuomo’s vocalizing and the rock rhythms of the instrumentals.

Overall, the beats and rhythms are better than the actual lyrics.

Patrick Wilson (drums),Brian Bell (guitar), and Scott Shriner (bass),

You won’t let go Never Let Me Go

By Emily Lin-Jones Staff Writer

Never Let Me Go is a novel about people living their lives and asks questions about what “people” and “lives” even are.

It contains a mystery, a love triangle, and elements of dystopian fiction, but it all adds up to something greater–a story that’s genuinely interesting and complex, despite its unassuming exterior.

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This gradual revealing is one of many techniques Ishiguro employs to alter the reader’s perspective throughout the course of the book. Some readers may find these devices manipulative and irritating, but for the most part, they are subtle enough to almost go unnoticed.

Everything about this book is deceptively simple, right down to the prose style. In the end, though, it shows itself to be a delicate, layered, and almost maddeningly precise work of art.

I suppose reading this book takes some kind of patience.

It’s not hard to read per se, given its simple language and fluid style, but it is not, by most definitions, action-packed. If you require that a book have “stuff happen” in it, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one to you.

It’s also not a happy book; in fact, it’s almost brutally sad.

If, however, you’re tolerant of a slower and more subdued style of storytelling and like to read things that make you think, this is a novel worth your time.

Published in 2005, Never Let Me Go is the sixth novel of acclaimed author Kazuo Ishiguro. It has enjoyed near-universal critical acclaim since its publication, and a film adaptation of it was released in theaters earlier this month.

The story is narrated by a 30-year-old woman who identifies herself as “Kathy H.” She details her memories of growing up in a boarding school in England in the late 1990s. She remembers, among other things, her friendship with schoolmates Ruth and Tommy, and their peculiar experiences within and without the walls of their alma mater.

It’s difficult to describe the plot in any detail because of the very nature of the story, which relies heavily on an element of mystery to convey its full effect to the reader.

Through Kathy’s meandering narration we learn about her life piecemeal, and begin to come to an understanding of her situation at the same time she does. Suffice to say, her England is not exactly England as we know it, nor is her time the 90s as we knew it, and she herself has not lived what we would call a normal life.

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Cross country teams run hearts out at invitational Eversole wins race to pace Trojans at Canyon

By Max Kahane Staff Writer

Fans and cross country runners from all over the state ravaged Canyon Middle School. The Castro Valley High invitational was held at Canyon Middle School on Saturday, Oct. 9.

The highlight of the meet was the varsity race. The varsity boys did an outstanding job, running a very difficult three-mile race up hills in the dry heat.

The team consisted of Ben Eversole, Arad Margalit, Eshed Margalit, Erich Coulter, and Andrew Coulter. Eversole, a senior and one of the best runners in the state, finished the race first with a time of 16 minutes and 8 seconds.

“It was definitely hard because I had to pace myself. I was alone for most of the race,” said Eversole.

Last year, he finished the race in 16 minutes and 11 seconds, so he broke his record by three seconds.

The coach was very impressed with his varsity team.

“I am proud of what they are doing, taking control of the team, setting standards for younger kids and continuing the tradition of competitive running,” said coach Dooney Jones.

Eversole took first place overall, but both the Margalit and Coulter brothers finished with good times.

The freshman and sophomore runners ran hard, as well as the junior varsity runners. They ran a 2.1-mile race across the fields of Canyon. Their red faces could be seen dripping with sweat.

Max Kahane/ Staff Writer

Ben Eversole narrowly leads the competition, edging out runners from Las Lomas around the curve.

Max Kahane / Staff Writer

Gabrielle White gets ready to take a breather as the race comes to an end.

Santisteban overcomes the cruel Canyon Mile

By Matt Barney Staff Writer

The CVHS varsity girls cross country team participated in a race last Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Castro Valley Invitational with teams from all over California including Del Campo, Bishop O’Dowd, James Logan, and Westmoor.

Kelsey Santisteban won first place in her varsity race with a time of 18:44 for three miles.

Castro Valley did not compete as a team as there were only four girls running varsity; in order to make a team, it’s necessary to have at least five runners. Trojan runners were Santisteban, Gabrielle White, Amanda Zen and Aurora Bailey.

The Castro Valley Invitational was held at Canyon Middle School because the school had the infamous Canyon Mile.

All of the runners ran a threemile course around the grass

field, through the Canyon Mile backwards, around the perimeter, and back into the Canyon Mile forwards.

Many runners think this second Canyon Mile to be the most difficult part of the course, including White.

“It’s hard because we have to run the Canyon twice,” commented White.

A lot of runners can be seen walking up the steepest part of the Canyon Mile, but others like

Santisteban ignore the pain.

“I was tired when I entered the Canyon but I pushed on,” said Santisteban after her race.

Still, runners are not invincible.

“It felt like crap when I was running,” Bailey complained.

Overall the girls varsity ran well though they could not compete as a team. Many runners were absent for this race because SATs were scheduled on the same day.

A m a z i n g l y A d e p t At h l e t e s

By Jason Hazari / Staff Writer

Ben Nash, freshman

Starter Ben Nash plays for the freshmen football team as a tight end and makes appearances on the defensive line as well.

“I like the fact that the team can depend on me as a leader because I’m one of the team captains,” said Nash. “My years of football in middle school have helped me a lot in that aspect.”

Nash has had to overcome many obstacles to become a starter, and he still tries to go above and beyond his expectations. His goal is to do everything, except fail.

“It’s nice to say I’ve made a catch at the tight end position and how I’ve taken down offensive linemen, but I’m still striving to make a touchdown catch,” explained Nash.

Brandon Arias, sophomore

Running cross country since middle school, speedy Brandon Arias is one of many threats to this season’s cross country teams. His commitment to doing rigorous workouts has benefited him this season.

“In the three races this season so far, I’ve medaled in all of them,” said Arias. “Practicing with the varsity team really helps.”

Although Arias had to miss two weeks of the season due to a painful hip injury, he still prospered and continues to do what he can for the team.

“The cross country team has been working extremely hard this season,” said Arias. “I believe I can make up for the weeks I’ve been out on injury.”

Karina Ng, junior

Junior varsity volleyball player Karina Ng is the epitome of what her teammates call a “beast” with her hard serves and fast hits.

“I’ve been playing volleyball for four years, ever since eighth grade,” commented Ng. “Experience has really helped me defeat obstacles.”

In fact, one of Ng’s concerning problems this season has been the amount of injuries she’s had.

Yet through her strength and desire, she has overcome them and the team has been in overdrive.

“I’m excited how our team has defeated Bishop O’Dowd,” exclaimed Ng. “We’ve only lost one game this season!”

Jamie Pawid, senior

With 11 years of tennis experience, it’s not surprising that Jamie Pawid is ranked number one in Northern California as a varsity player. Pawid always has an energetic and positive attitude.

“My favorite shot in tennis is hands down, the over-head smash,” said Pawid. “I’ve also had fun with the team bonding, especially the fun that the freshmen have brought!”

Balancing out schoolwork and tennis has been an obstacle this season, yet her accomplishments have been worth it in the end.

“It can only get better from here,” said Pawid. “We’re already halfway through the season and the only thing now is winning HAAL.”

Olympian

The October 29, 2010

GOVERNOR: from Page 1 the Los Angeles Times.

On education, Brown wants to bring more funding into public schools and secondary schooling, focusing mainly on community colleges. He wants to eliminate the 62 differen­t categories for funding and make a simple system where schools get funding based on their students’ specific needs, along with a flexible base amount given to all schools.

Brown then wants to simplify the educational code and allow schools districts to make the decision on how to best meet state standards, along with a more creative and balanced school curriculum. This would work to lower high school dropout rates and improve school conditions.

For secondary education, Brown wants to turn to the use of online learning and other new technologies to get the most out of universities. Brown has a major focus on community colleges, which have over 2.9 million people attending.

He wants to turn to more funding at a community college level and help keep requirements to transfer at a minimum for a UC or CSU. This funding would reverse “the decades long trend of transferring state support from higher education to prisons.”

Whitman is also a strong supporter of an education reform. She has said that the school funding system is too “prescriptive.” She desires to shift decision-making power to local schools and give bonuses to high achieving teachers, administration and schools.

“We are going to raise the bar on education and put a focus on re-

AERIES: from Page 1

update grades and how this will affect teachers’ workloads.

Other logistical concerns need to be addressed before the system can effectively be put into use, such as the availability of a working computer in every classroom and how much stress the school server will be able to handle.

Regardless, the administration hopes to have the system fully implemented by as early as next semester. Some teachers have already adopted the new grading system and are making use of it to keep students updated on their standing in the class.

cruiting and rewarding qualified professionals to teach our kids,” Whitman states on her website.

Whitman has stated her endorsement of the documentary Waiting For Superman. The documentary strongly criticizes teacher unions and emphasizes the position that the unions have the wrong impact and are actually hurting schools. The education school system is spiraling downward, but the call for reform by Whitman strikes fear in some.

On the topic of higher education, Whitman plans to invest around $1 billion into the UC and CSU systems to be used as universities see fit. Whitman, however, does not express an interest in the community college system.

When honors chemistry teacher, Dr. Deborah Yager, was asked who she was in favor of voting for, it took her a second, but then she replied matter-of-factly, “Jerry Brown because I’m worried about what would happen to state education with Whitman.”

Brown, however, is not in favor with some teachers. When history teacher John Green was asked whom he was voting for, he was quick to answer neither.

“Jerry Brown is a tool. Meg Whitman has terrible ideas. I think if we suck it up and vote for Brown, then we encourage politicians of low caliber to keep trying,” claims Green.

Batchelor is undecided, but he thinks that he will turn to the libertarian candidate because “the state needs a more drastic plan of reform than either of the candidates call for.”

Closer communication between the parents and the high school is not a new concept, and has long been a desire of many CVHS parents.

“It was a big concern at the recent PTA meeting,” said Assistant Principal Jesse Woodward, who is primarily in charge of implementing Aeries. “Parentportal” systems similar to Aeries have already been implemented in nearby high schools, including some in Oakland and San Lorenzo.

“I think it’s really exciting,” says Woodward. “It’s going to let us better communicate with the community.”

Dana Lin / Copy Editor

Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman battle to win the 2010 election for governor in California.

Trojan girls achieve victory

By Daniel Chung Staff Writer

Although Arroyo’s team tried its very best to gain the upper hand, the CVHS girls tennis achieved the inevitable victory over the Dons. In the blazing heat of Oct. 13, the Trojans proved to be the better team by winning decisively 5-2 against Arroyo High School.

Senior Jamie Pawid, who plays at the number one singles spot, managed to defeat her opponent in under 40 minutes.

One must consider the fact that most matches last to about two to three hours, which goes to show just how dominant the girls were during this math.

By dropping only two of their matches, the team continues to

Students grading their teachers?

By Erin Kim Staff Writer

What if students weren’t the only ones being graded? Castro Valley High School’s Leadership class is hoping to start an online confidential teacher evaluation program.

The purpose of this program would be to try to help teachers know how well they are doing their job. Essentially, it would be a semester report card, but for teachers. This online system is only in its planning stages, but Leadership is hopeful that the administration will soon approve.

Aily Zhang, a senior at CVHS, brought up the idea of this new system, and Leadership quickly created a committee. The committee is struggling to set up a meeting with the busy administrators, although they do like the overall concept and idea. The process is much slower than expected. Ac-

companying Zhang, the other members of the committee are Jane Hong, Brenda Liu, Sam Ison, and Joe Kang.

The committee plans on presenting the idea to the principal and staff to get it approved and rev up the internet system.

The online evaluation program would happen every semester.

Students will need to provide information about themselves, for example, what their GPA is, to get a better understanding of what the student is like. This is to ensure that a teacher will not get a bad review from a student who does poorly in school, and so therefore the opinion is not very valid. But, problems and concerns have been pointed out.

“You can’t stop students from giving bad evaluations even if they don’t mean it,” says Student Activities and Leadership

8

director Nick Whitaker. “It depends on the teachers and whether they actually use it or not. Some teachers might take it seriously, some teachers might not. The other con might be, what if students aren’t giving constructive feedback? What if they’re just saying ‘I don’t like them, they suck,’ or ‘I like them, they’re really good.’ We need constructive criticism so as long as students are doing that we’re okay. Otherwise it doesn’t really do much good.

“If you really want a teacher to do something about it, you need to be a little bit more thoughtful and you need to be a little bit more constructive,” Whitaker said.

Leadership hopes for the teacher evaluation program to be up and running by the end of this semester.

demonstrate how it is the tennis powerhouse of HAAL. Head coach Dave Roth-Rossi was none too surprised about his team’s results: “The girls haven’t lost a single match in league for HAAL for the past four and a half years.” This impressive record brings Trojan tennis to 72 consecutive wins within HAAL. Although the girls have proved themselves to be a formidable force out on the hard courts, RothRossi acknowledged that things will only get tougher for them as CVHS sports moves to the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL), a much more competitive league when compared to HAAL. “It’s definitely going to be a lot tougher over the hills in EBAL. Kids are born holding rackets…Good rackets at that,” he commented.

HAAL: from Page 1

On Oct. 19, a private meeting was held which many schools in the East Bay attended.

“We are having this meeting to sort out the specifics and to find out exactly what the future for HAAL and Castro Valley sports are,” said Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman.

There are many sports programs that Castro Valley participates in

But as the season continues, the girls are all practicing daily and looking forward to have the chance of entering NCS and making their mark within the tournament. “I believe in my team and I know we’ll get far in NCS, but we need to strengthen up our doubles teams and see who works well together,” stated senior team captain Judy Tian, confident in her girls’ abilities.

The girls, who are favorites once more to win league this year, have shown that they are more than capable of going far into NCS. Roth-Rossi, always confident of his girls, said, “It’s going to be a lot tougher in NCS but we’re certain we’ll get past the first few rounds, no doubt about that.” that other schools in HAAL don’t. This is exactly why a push for change is being made; Castro Valley and other schools would like to play in a league with similar programs.

An actual change in the leagues may take years. HAAL has fostered great competitive sports for decades, but it seems that the teams Trojans fans root so hard against may be very different in the future.

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