HUB Print Issue: January 18 by BlueDevil HUb

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Read about what you can do around Yolo County Entertainment | Page 10

January 18, 2012

Davis Senior High School

Do finals assess students well?

Students describe experiences with education in other countries In-Depth | Page 8

Volume 86, Issue 6

www.bluedevilhub.com

Parcel tax would fend off cuts

By Gary Djajapranata HUB Staff Writer

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- Nicholas Pasquale, teacher

New year brings new laws

Photo 1: Protesters in Egypt’s Tahrir Square.

Photo 3: Some of the last troops to exit Iraq who facilitated the U.S. withdrawal.

Photo 4: Libyan rebel near Petroleum facilities.

JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES

I want to be assured that my curriculum makes a lasting impact

U.S. ARMY PHOTO

Photo 2: Occupy Davis protester during a meeting at Central Park.

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2011 :A Year in Review ” May 2: Osama Bin Laden’s death After 18 years on “most wanted” lists, the U.S Navy SEALs apprehended and killed Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden had been charged with murder of and conspiracy to murder U.S. Nationals and planning the 9/11 attacks. July 8: Atlantis’ Final Launch (Photo 5) The Space Shuttle Atlantis shot into space for the last time, marking the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s final manned spaceflight. The shuttle delivered more than 8000 lbs. of supplies to the International Space Station and then returned safely to earth. July 22: Norway Attacks (Photo 6) Terrorists detonated a car bomb targeting government officials and opened fire on the participants in a summer camp for supporters of the Norwegian Labor Party currently in power. These terrorist attacks were the deadliest in Norway’s history since World War II and were mourned across the world.

Photo 5: Atlantis Photo 6: Rose march after Norway terrorist attacks. space launch. By Glenn Hull HUB Staff Writer

California managed to become the state with the most new laws that will be enacted in 2012, according to ABC News. Several of the laws are highly controversial. As of Jan. 1, 2012, the Dirt on Davis Tuesday Thursday 5 p.m.

KDRT on 95.7

following bills were enacted: a law that bars people under the age of 18 from using ultraviolet tanning devices, a law prohibiting the sale and distribution of shark fin, a law mandating the teaching of gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transsexual in public schools, and the Dream Act. bluedev ilhub.com

AB 0844: California Dream Act: The California Dream Act allows undocumented immigrants to receive financial aid and scholarships if they have attended a California high school for at least three years and graduated. UC Berkeley has already instigated its first steps in the

Check out the HUB website for video and radio reports

Aug. 21: Hurricane Irene At least 27 people died because of Hurricane Irene while the storm traveled from the Caribbean all the way to Atlantic Canada. On the East Coast of the U.S., almost 6 million people lost electricity, thousands of flights were cancelled, the floods filled roads and demolished homes, and hundreds of thousands of evacuation orders were issued. Sept. 17 onward: Occupy Protests (Photo 2) Occupy Wall Street began as a protest in New York City’s Zuccotti Park. The Occupy movement, a movement protesting economic and social inequality, then quickly swept the United States and the world, spreading across 82 countries. An incident in Davis where police officer Lt. Pike pepper sprayed peaceful protesters rose to national attention. Dec. 31: Withdrawal of troops from Iraq (Photo 3) All the remaining U.S. troops which were stationed in Iraq were withdrawn during 2011. By Dec. 31, only troops at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad remained.

Photo 7: Royal Wedding

HARRY LAWFORD/COURTESY PHOTO

Jan. 8: Arizona Shooting On Jan. 8, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 other people were shot during a public meeting in Tucson, Arizona. Six of the people were killed. Giffords, the target of the attack, was in critical condition. She was released from hospital care in June and is still rehabilitating. Jan. 25-Feb. 11: Egyptian Revolution (Photo 1) More than 50,000 protesters took to Cairo’s Tahrir Square outraged by the country’s lack of free elections, lack of freedom of speech, police brutality, corruption and failing economy. By Feb. 1 the crowd had grown to an estimated one million people. After 18 days of protest across Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian ruler of 30 years, was ousted and forced to resign. He was put on trial for allegedly ordering the murder of protesters. Feb. 15-Oct. 20: Libyan Civil War (Photo 4) Protests began in Benghazi, where security forces fired into

the crowd of protesters. The protests then spread across the country, transforming into a civil war between those loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi and those who hoped to remove him from power. By August, 50,000 had been killed in the conflict. After the Aug. 28 capture of the city of Tripoli, Qaddafi fled into hiding, but was found and killed by rebels on Oct. 20. March 11: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami A massive undersea earthquake of a 9.0 magnitude hit Japan’s coast on March 11. The earthquake caused massive tsunami waves reaching heights of 133 ft. The natural disasters left 15,844 people dead and many others injured or missing. The tsunami also caused a number of nuclear accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants. April 29: Royal Wedding (Photo 7) Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and eldest son of the late Princess Diana, married Catherine Middleton. The ceremony was viewed by 22.7 million people in the U.S. alone.

CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO

By Katie Van Deynze HUB Staff Writer

KENNY MILLER/COURTESY PHOTO

taking AP Biology, AP U.S. History, AP Art History and AP Calculus AB, estimates she spent a daily average of eight hours studying over the finals weekend. “Some of my grades are A minuses,” Rinderkecht said. “So for Calculus and Bio I’m going to have to study a lot, because I don’t want to get a B.” Rinderkecht must also bear the added burden of studying for the SATs, which she is taking the week after finals. In addition to her back-to-back tests, Rinderkecht must also attend crew practices in Sacramento six days a week. For Rinderkecht, finals week is a battle against high stress and extreme pressure. Jamal Abedi, a professor at the UC Davis School of Education and an expert in testing and student assessment, believes pressure is a “major deterrent” in student performance. For those of you who tend to cram for finals and jam last-minute knowledge into your brains, consider Abedi’s advice: because pressure and anxiety often dominate cramming sessions, crammers may not be able to focus and perform to their maximum capabilities. But if final exams cultivate so much pressure, which deters student performance, an important question arises: are final exams an effective method of assessing academic mastery? Mathematics teacher Nicholas Pasquale believes that a final exam serves two purposes: to encourage stuFINALS continued on page 2

ANDERS YOUNG/HUB PHOTO

By Daniel Tutt News Editor

RAMY RAOOF/COURTESY PHOTO

The junior sits at her desk, a pile of Advanced Placement books in front of her even though it is not yet May. She glances at her list of all the finals she needs to study for, and proceeds to prepare for the “easier” finals before she moves onto the harder ones. Junior Fatuma Rinderkecht, like many other students, studied rigorously in preparation for final exams over the three-day weekend. Rinderkecht, who is

Dream Act. On the university’s home website, there are instructions about what the Dream Act is and how students can obtain scholarship aid money from it. SB 0746: Tanning Beds Act: The California legislature banned the use of tanning beds by minors without parental consent as of Jan. 1,

The Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) school board on Nov. 17 approved a list of district positions to eliminate if Measure C does not pass. The parcel tax requires a two-thirds majority of votes to pass and renews earlier Measures Q and W. The fate of Measure C will be decided in a special mail-only election that ends March 6. Measures W and Q currently generate about $6.4 million for DJUSD, or about 9.5 percent of the total district revenues, according to www.districtdollars. com. The loss of this funding would cause the district to lay off the equivalent of 86.76 full-time employees, including the equivalent of 67.58 full-time teachers. “Any cut that would reduce the teacher staff right now would be a detriment,” English teacher Anthony Vasquez said. Vasquez is a first-year teacher and may lose his job if Measure C is not passed. The first teachers to be let go are probationary teachers, or teachers in their first or second year of teaching. Vasquez said that class sizes are too large already, and any further increase in sizes would damage the learning process. “It cuts down on the quantity and quality

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It cuts down on the quantity and quality of feedback for students

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- Anthony Vasquez, teacher

of feedback for students,” Vasquez said. Teacher layoffs, if implemented, would not take effect until the 2012-2013 school year. Layoff notices will be sent out to teachers mid-March if Measure C is not passed. Effects of the loss in funding if Measure C does not pass include overall class size increases, as well as larger cuts to specific programs, including the foreign language program, the music program, the Advanced Placement program, the physical education program MEASURE C continued on page 2 2012. Governor Jerry Brown passed this law because there has been new research stating that using indoor tanning beds raises the chances of melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, by 75 percent, according to www. webmd.com. NEW LAWS continued on page 2 Water tank location for new mural

Features | Page 3

Page 2

January 18, 2012

News

Mid-East conflict reaches DHS By Meem Mohsin HUB Staff Writer

Social studies teacher Pete Haws is traveling to Israel at the end of January. He is going on a fact finding trip primarily to experience the Galilee area, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. “I look forward to visiting some of the holiest sites in the world. When I return, I will enjoy sharing my stories, impressions and new knowledge with my students and community,” Haws said. In his classes, Haws teaches students about conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been one of the world’s most critical dilemmas since the creation of Israel in 1948, according to Haws. Haws claims that for peace to be contemplated, many issues need to be addressed including Israel’s security and right to exist, control of the holy city of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements and a Palestinian state with agreed upon borders. “Two nations, many people and multiple religions have not been able to live in harmony in this holy land, slightly larger than New Jer-

sey, for decades,” Haws said. He states that current politics especially in Israel, Iran and Egypt don’t seem to favor the peace process, but politics can change. Haws is traveling with a small group of mostly Presbyterians, and he hopes to see what life is like for the people there. “Currently, my students get a big show about my Peace Corps experience in Benin, West Africa. After this trip, I hope to have another big show and extra lessons to share,” Haws said. Haws hopes to share some personal insight on Israel and the conflict there with students after his travels, but some students have already seen this area firsthand. Two Palestinian sisters, sophomore Maram and senior Mariam, lived in Israel for seven years before moving to Davis last summer. Their family decided to move for multiple reasons, but they mainly wanted to attempt life in a different country. The sisters, who consider themselves Palestinians and not Israelis, asked that their last names be anonymous as they are uncomfortable with openly sharing political opinions.

“To live a semi-safe life over there, a person must completely disconnect themselves from all political affairs. A person basically has to live their life as if they are dead,” Mariam said. “It’s sad knowing that you live in a place where at any given moment you could die, and what’s even sadder is that all your life, you’re expecting it,’’ Mariam said. Senior Leah Julian has traveled to Israel with a Davis reform Jewish organization. On the trip, she visited areas with mostly Palestinian populations as well as more traditional holy sites. “There is definitely a visible difference between Palestinian and Israelis settlements, with the former being very poor and run down,” Julian said. She was also struck by the fact that she didn’t see many Palestinians or Arabs in the places they were taken; she assumes it was for security reasons. “I personally believe that if there is to be peace between Israeli and Palestine, it must be based on mutual respect for the rights of all parties involved,” Julian said.

Juniors Stanley Njoku and Maito Okamoto study together at the library for their Physics Honors final.

By Annamarie Pilon HUB Staff Writer

Ideas for an AP Class Fair, information on the new gym parking lot and a discussion of accessibility of school information were all discussed at the Student Forum last Wednesday. Senior and student school board representative Deniz Tumer and senior ASB President Caitlin Glassman led the meeting of about 15 forum representatives joined by Principal Jacquelyn Moore and Vice Principals Sheila Smith, Tom McHale and Stacy Desideri. The meeting began with a discussion of the accessibility of information for students at DHS. Forum representative and junior Hannah Cole-Leathers commented on the fact that fourth period announcements are not enough because some students are not able to hear them on account of classroom location or the noise level. Students are able to read every day’s announcements on the DHS website or in the library according to Desideri. Tumer and Glassman also encouraged the forum representa-

tives to join the Facebook group “DHS Events” and invite their friends because it’s a source that often posts information about upcoming school events. The group also talked about having an AP Class Fair at the end of the year to inform students about AP classes and help them decide what they want to sign up for next year. Glassman agreed that “not only will students be more educated, but we can avoid schedule changes like last year.” The meeting then turned to the issue of the new gym parking lot and the teacher parking spaces there. Multiple forum representatives agreed that students park in teacher spots, but nothing ever happens. Moore stated that as soon as the signage goes up, these students will be ticketed. The discussion turned to the overall topic of bad or discourteous drivers and pedestrians at DHS. Junior Daisy McKim thought that the group’s conversation about the parking lot was “really good.” “I really think Deniz is getting our input to the [school] board and to leadership,” she said.

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTO

NEW LAWS: What you should know

FINALS: Professor shares thoughts on assessment dents to rethink the material from the whole semester, and to give a summative assessment. “I want to be assured that my curriculum makes a lasting impact,” Pasquale said. “Can my students use the same skills and concepts on the spot, during a final, that they previously could have looked up during other activities? Are their developing brains being molded […] by the thinking I train them to do?” Pasquale notes that because his students study for a first semester final, they demonstrate during the second semester a greater ability to recall information from the first semester. Abedi, like Pasquale, believes that final exams are a useful tool in assessing student performance— but Abedi also believes that final exams, if not supplemented by other types of assessments, cannot fully measure a student’s mastery of material. “Don’t make a judgment based on a single criterion,” Abedi said. He believes final exams must include or be supported by other criteria of measurement which lie in three alternative forms of assess-

Student Forum Update

ment: Performance assessment: a form of testing that, according to Abedi, is distinguished by “hands-on access” to knowledge. Students perform tasks rather than select from answer choices— they explain the significance of events, deliver speeches in foreign languages, etc. Formative assessment: an assessment that gives teachers qualitative feedback about how students are handling content, so teachers can identify weaknesses and strengths in the classroom. Interim assessment: the opposite of a final exam, interim assessments occur frequently during the course of the year to judge if students have grasped certain benchmarks. An example of interim assessments is a math test taken at the culmination of a unit. Abedi said if teachers do not supplement the traditional final exam with these other methods of assessment, the final exam alone is not a complete indicator of student mastery. Students at Da Vinci Charter Academy are certainly more exposed than DHS students to un-

continued from front page orthodox methods of education and assessment— most Da Vinci classes do not administer final exams. During finals week, Da Vinci students mostly “hang out” or continue working on projects, according to Da Vinci senior Mimi Wilcox. “Since Da Vinci is based more on projects and less on tests, then there’s not really a point to us having a final test, because that’s not the way we learn,” Wilcox said. Fellow Da Vinci senior Vanessa Rivas says only her calculus class is taking a traditional final; most other classes do not acknowledge the end of the semester and keep plowing forward with ongoing projects. Rivas began as a sophomore at DHS, but transferred to Da Vinci in her junior year because she prefers project-based learning. “When I was at DHS, I learned the material just as well, but it was harder for me to translate that into paper than it was to translate it into a project that I created,” Rivas said. “I really like this [Da Vinci] process because I get to be super creative while I’m learning about all these different things instead of having to take a test about it at the end.”

“The American Academy of Dermatology applauds the state of California for being the first in the nation to prohibit the use of indoor tanning devices for all children and adolescents under the age of 18,” said Dr. Ronald L. Moy, president of the American Academy of Dermatology Association in a previous interview with ABC News. AB 0376: No Shark Fin Act: California recently passed the bill eliminating the trading of shark fin. Shark fin is considered a delicacy to some ethnicities, and bowls of shark fin soup can cost as much as $80. “The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping

MEASURE C: Vital programs threatened by cuts Who would be laid off: English Math Physical Education Social Science

Art/Music Foreign Language Practical Arts

HENRY ANKER/HUB GRAPHIC

Science

Data in full-time equivalents —each figure represents the equivalent of one full-time secondary-school teacher.

Source: DJUSD Human Resources Certificated Personnel Report No. 09-12

and co-curricular programs such as speech and debate and drama. “Anything that [students] don’t need to graduate could get eliminated,” Principal Jacquelyn Moore said. The music program would be specifically hard hit, with the loss of the equivalent of 5.2 full-time employees. This loss means a reduction in the size of the junior and senior high school music programs and a large cut to elementary music programs. “It will devastate the music program,” band teacher Clyde Quick said. Quick said the more advanced high school bands would no longer be able to find as many skilled players because the elementary music program would not be producing them. “I understand there are certain programs you can’t cut,” Quick said. “But why would you cut a program that teaches the process over the product of learning?” Quick says the arts teach students how to learn through experimentation and trial-and-error, instead of just teaching information. The number of counselors and librarians would also be reduced, and the athletic director position would be eliminated.

continued from front page

The equivalent of 5.25 full-time librarians would be laid off districtwide. Stacy Desideri, vice principal and librarian, said libraries would not be able to offer the same services to students if the cuts went into place. “The difference would be that now you get books and teachers [at the library] and if Measure C fails, there would be less books, and no teacher,” Desideri said. The parcel tax measure would cost $320 for homeowners and $150 for apartment owners. Senior citizens are eligible to receive exemption from the costs. DJUSD is already running with a deficit projected at $1.27 million for this school year and expects to use its reserve fund to fill the budget hole. Measure A, the third currently functional parcel tax supporting DJUSD, will remain in effect through the 2011-2013 school year, but after that voters would need to renew it as well. The ballots for the Measure C special election will be mailed to voters Feb. 3. DJUSD-area voters must submit their ballots on Measure C by mail before voting ends on March 6.

continued from front page them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans,” Gov. Brown wrote in a statement to the Huffington Post. The bill made animal activists very happy.

SB 48: New Teaching Act: Gov. Brown’s reasons for putting this law into place was that so students could learn about the roles gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender people have played in our society and the contributions they have made in our world. The opponents of this bill argue that the schools will be teaching material that parents do not want their children being subjected to.

530-757-2902 720 Olive Dr Suite S Davis CA www.rocknasium.com

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Features

SPEAK of the DEVIL Features

Local artists turn water tank into work of art By Rana Eser HUB Correspondent

The water tank located on County Road 32A was recently painted by Sophia Lacin and Hennessey Christophelon. A Latin phrase that means “the sun shines upon us all” wraps around the structure.

planned—so she’s kind of discovering things as she’s painting,” Christophel said. “Just visually speaking, we felt the colors and the textures really resonated the landscape here,” Lacin added. Here Comes the Sun But they weren’t through yet creating the eloquent tank they wanted. To create life on the tank they sought to create some special effects, using the only guy who works year-round for free—the sun. With help from some local scientists and architects, the women created metal sculptures that hang over the water tank, creating shadows that are forever changing. The sculptures include three letters, which are missing from a phrase painted on the tank. The three missing letters are on the tanks as shadows, gliding across the tank and only lining up perfectly

with the other letters on the summer solstice. The phrase, “sol omnibus lucet,” fits quite well with the theme of the sun. It is Latin for “the sun shines upon us all.” The piece is called “Same Sun.” “To me the tank started to represent this slow passage of time that reflects the pace of nature,” Christophel said. “I’m really excited to see the shadows as they change over the course of the year.” Tackling the Beast Lacin and Christophel spent six months working out in the sun, painting the tank. They used lifts that put giraffes to shame, as well as huge rollers and airbrushes. However, most of their work was done with tiny paintbrushes. “I see this as a positive thing,” Lacin said, “because it reaffirms the fact that you can’t really fake art. There are no shortcuts, no matter what your scale is.”

School gives dropouts a leg up By Sofía Cárdenas HUB Correspondent

It is estimated that between the years of 2007 and 2008, 8,961 students dropped out of high school in the Sacramento region. Yolo County accounted for about 373 of these dropouts. Davis is home to the Davis Adult School, a district-run program that offers these dropouts a second chance at success. Kymberlee is a 19-year-old student at the Davis Adult School. Only first names are used due to confidentiality issues. Growing up, she says she moved all around the country from family to family, but always managed to keep good grades. But then she was kicked out of her home at the age of 17 and was expected to fend for herself. Kymberlee started out hoping to balance school and a full-time job. However, she was unable to maintain her grades and pay her bills. She felt the only way she would be able to survive was by dropping out. “[I] did not want to drop out, I had to” Kymblerlee said. At 19, Kymberlee is still eligible to be a high school student and potentially attend DHS, but she has other interests in her life, including her 2-year-old niece whom she cares for often and loves very much. “She’s my joy,” Kymberlee said. Kymberlee hopes to graduate high school this time around with a 4.0 GPA and move on to UC Davis. She intends on getting her degree in early childhood devel-

opment. “I want to help [young children] have a better life. I had a rough childhood,” Kymberlee said. Micah has a different story. He was a student at DaVinci and left after his senior year. He was not eligible for graduation and his counselors recommended the Davis Adult School. Micah wasn’t the victim of a hard life; high school just wasn’t for him. “I didn’t like the structure of school ... [school] felt drawn out,” Micah said. Micah dreams of entering the music industry. Micah is grateful for the Davis Adult School for giving him another option toward graduation without having to follow the crowd. “Adult school has allowed me to get my diploma,” he said. While Micah left high school out of choice, Chan left school in a haze of peer pressure. “I was a straight-A student,” Chan said, “but that wasn’t cool.” Chan started skipping classes to fit in and found himself facing a difficult decision due to his truancy. “They gave me two options: go to jail or drop out,” Chan said. “I didn’t want to drop out; I had to.” After leaving school, Chan started looking for jobs, but learned quickly that all applications ask for the level of schooling you have completed. “It never occurred to me that school was so major, not until I started looking for a job,” Chan said. Chan left at 17 and is now working toward his diploma at 25, and intends to go to college to get a good job. “I’m a scholar now,” Chan said.

Nichole also had trouble fitting in. “Acceptance, being different, trying to fit in were always a big thing for me,” Nichole said. Nichole left Da Vinci at 18 and joined the work force hoping to start a life for herself. “I wanted to get out of the house. I couldn’t really live there, I needed to leave,” Nichole said. Nichole has put school on hold, until now. At the age of 22, she has already been accepted to the Sacramento Art Institute, where she will be studying video art and animation, but was told she needed to first obtain her high school diploma. All four of these students are hoping to go onto college and better themselves through higher education. They look back on their decision to drop out as a lesson they are glad they have learned but warn, “Don’t do it.” To any student struggling with the decision to stay in school, Chan has these words of advice: “Keep your eye on the prize, push toward your mark. Don’t go with the crowd, don’t do it. Always tell yourself ‘I can do it, I can do it, I can do it...’” “Get school over with now, [so that] you can have a nice life,” Nichole said. Micah wants other dropouts to know their options. “If you need it [Davis Adult School], go. There shouldn’t even be a doubt [in your] mind.” The Davis Adult School meets every Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. The opportunity to achieve a high school diploma is free for all students.

Whatever their methods, the two of them spent six months out on the County Road, working painstakingly at the water tank by themselves. Eighty percent of their $75,000 budget was spent solely on supplies, much of which were bought locally. “I kind of roughly calculated our rate, and it’s just barely creeping up to minimum wage,” Christophel said with a chuckle. “But it was completely worth it. We didn’t want to do this project because of the money, we wanted to do it for the opportunity and the possibility that we could make something completely different than what we ever made before, and we can affect people through art.” Lacin said. Purpose of the Paint “In painting it, we related this extremely man-made object to the landscape. But as it happened, we spent six months out here in the

field, and when you do that with a creative piece, you end up getting a lot of input,” Lacin said. “I think putting art on a water tank, such a utilitarian structure, saying that this has to be here but we want it to be something beautiful as well, I think that’s kind of a nice message,” Christophel said. “I guess it’s nice for the tank to be painted, because if someone just drives by Davis, they don’t see much. Now they will see the mural, which is pretty cool,” sophomore Udhe Nijjar said. There is a lot public art can do for the environment of a town. “Having public art, I think it means a lot for any specific location. I think it gives people a lot of pride in their community and it creates a lot of culture in a place,” Christophel said. “It’s valuable to be able to reflect to the community what you see in it.”

FAFSA Checklist Federal Student Aid PIN given to each student on the FAFSA website This PIN allows you to sign your FAFSA electronically and will be used to view your records

Social Security Card Driver’s License Income tax forms, W-2 forms and 1040 forms for the previous years Records of other untaxed income Examples: welfare benefits, Social Security income, veteran’s benefits, AFDC, or military or clergy allowances

Current bank statements, and records of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investments Current mortgage information Business or farm records (if applicable) Records relating to any unusual family financial circumstances Examples: unusually high child care costs, death, divorce and loss of unemployment (These aren’t required, but they could influence the amount of aid received)

Tips: Apllication due Feb. 1 for the majority of colleges Sooner you turn it in the better, first come first serve

Compiled by Chloe Kim and Kelly Goss; source: www.fafsa.ed.gov

CHARLOTTE CHEN/HUB GRAPHIC

Cows, bikes and discovery When Lacin and Christophel began their extensive task, they had to come up with an idea for what they wanted on the tank, something that would reflect Davis. “We wanted to really emphasize all those upstanding qualities Davis has. Things like, really progressive forward thinking, university influence. We wanted to capture them somehow in this one piece,” Lacin said. Christophel said the City of Davis wanted the water tank to greet people as they enter Davis. “We knew it had to really represent Davis. But [city officials] also didn’t want something that was a sort of stereotypical,” Christophel said. Leaving bikes and cows out of their minds, they focused on Davis’ other strengths. “We kept kind of boiling our ideas down to one single word which is ‘discovery’ and that moment of discovery when abstraction becomes clarity,” Lacin said. The two, looking for a way to illustrate an idea or discovery coming to life, were inspired by a piece Lacin had painted. For Christophel the piece is a prime example of discovery. “What she’s painting is not

ANDERS YOUNG/HUB PHOTO

Two young women stand at the base of a colossal monster, streaked with paint from head to toe, battle scars of their undertaking. These artists, Sophia Lacin and Hennessey Christophel, took on the task of painting the large water tank located on County Road 32A, next to Ikeda’s Market and visible from Mace Boulevard and Highway 80. Lacin and Christophel are partners in art who have been making murals in the area for the past five years. The City of Davis commissioned them to paint a mural on the water tank. It’s painted now with an abstract design of colors and shadows.

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January 18, 2012

Features

Never thought I’d see you here...

Students share school campus with relatives When junior Hana McHale walks into her Japanese 5 class, she isn’t just walking into any old class with any teacher. In this class, her teacher is her mom. Many students, like McHale, walk the halls of DHS alongside older relatives who work as administrators or teachers. In addition to having her mother at school with her, McHale’s father is also the vice principal. Her father used to teach history, and her mother has always taught Japanese, so her parents have worked at DHS her entire life. “Mr. Bailey would tell me how he remembers when I went to the copy room with my mom when I was little,” McHale said. Peter Reilly and Kevin Williams are friends with Tom McHale, Hana’s father. Hana has had both Reilly and Williams as teachers and, to tease her, Hana says they both told the class that her dad was the vice principal. Senior Megan Williams, Williams’ niece, is used to her uncle teasing her at school. “Every birthday he does something to make me blush; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

ANDERS YOUNG/HUB PHOTO

By Kashmir Kravitz & Genny Bennett HUB Staff Writers

Vice Principal Tom McHale (right) leads a Climate Committee meeting after school on Jan. 11. McHale’s daughter, Hana (center) is also on the committee.

He also likes to embarrass me about things I say or stuff I do, like crashing into a trash can with my car,” Megan said. Apparently, classroom embarrassment is common among teachers and other staff who have younger relatives at school.

Dan Gonzalez, who teaches math, has had both his daughter and son in his classes and embarrassed both of them on purpose. “There were a few times that I did embarrass each of them in class. I would share things that they did growing up at home with the class-

es,” Gonzalez said. Despite embarrassment, there are some benefits to having a parent on campus. Junior Abbi Furlow, whose mother is the vice principal’s secretary, “always has a ride home and [my mom] can pick up my homework for me when I’m

sick,” Furlow said. One aspect that Furlow does not enjoy about having her mom on campus is that “teachers already have the impression that I’m Teri’s daughter on the first day of school; I would rather have them get to know me as just me,” she said. Megan and Hana both noticed that their relatives were somewhat harder on them in class, but in different ways. Hana found that if she was talking with another student, her mom would only tell her to stop talking. Megan, who had her uncle for Race and Social Justice last year, says that her uncle treated her like a normal student but that he pushed her harder to do well. Some of Hana’s friends are in her mom’s Japanese class, but that doesn’t make it any different when her friends come over. “Well, I’ve known most of my friends since junior high, so [it’s] not really [awkward]. Like, some of them didn’t know until high school,” Hana said. Gonzalez enjoys seeing his son’s and daughter’s friends in his classes. “I really enjoyed that experience as well, especially after having them over at our house for things like birthday parties when they were younger,” Gonzalez said.

The HUB

Page 5

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE Opinions & Editorials

The

Stop standardizing students’ education

By Shauna Simon HUB Staff Writer

LANI CHANG/HUB PHOTO

by Monica Lopez-Lara and Madie Delmendo

elen Spangler’s The Novel class gathered on Dec. 15 to share their opinions on standardized testing, like the SAT or STAR test, in a Socratic seminar. Prior to the seminar, the seniors read an article on standardized testing. School board members attended. Spangler’s students conclude:

“Schools with low scores

” “How can you compare kids from entirely different schools?

should get more money.

“Tell me one profession where you’re going to sit there and fill in bubbles. ” “I hate the fact that this one test can dictate the next four to five years.

so much attention on “Focusing [standardized tests] stresses kids out… they lose sight of what they love. ”

” ”

Meem Mohsin

ANNAMARIE PILON/HUB GRAPHIC

HUB Staff Writer

study for them because they’re in that state of mind of having to deal with school already. Finals should also be before break because all the topics that are covered in the final would be much more fresh in everyone’s mind rather than having it delayed. High school students don’t have the opportunity to work with teachers for any questions about the finals or have any guidance if they start studying early during break. Science teacher Ann Moriarty always had her finals after the break due to the school system, but next year she hopes to give finals before winter break. She thinks that it is tough for students to come back from a two-week break and then have to study for finals. “If I give a final before winter break, I could do a small unit afterwards and include it in the finals

The Dashing Kardashian Kraze When your 72-day marriage can pay for 632 Honda Civics, 20,000 iPads, or 175 students’ Stanford educations, it is undeniable that you need to straighten your priorities. What’s worse is that E! Entertainment Television tells us that it is okay that a single family has four shows about pointless staged drama. Feather Accessories Girls, are you a bird? If the answer is no, please remove your two-pound feather earrings that hang down to your waist, and the faux feathers clipped into your hair. You aren’t fooling anyone, and just so you are aware, no bird has hot pink and black polkadotted feathers. Weaving feathers into your hair does not make you a hipster. Leave feathers where they belong, on the birds.

Final-izing semester before break

It’s that time of the year again; finals creep up on students at DHS while they have their regular work to maintain as well. Finals, one of the most stressful times for a high school student, usually is not something that can be put off after two weeks of being away from the pressure of academics. Therefore, why not have them before winter break? Finals should be taken before break so that students can be relieved from all their stress before the holidays and have nothing left to study or review during their vacation for two weeks. They should still study just as hard, but in this way it gives motivation to get it done soon and then have a relaxing long break right after the chaotic week. Students are forced to start studying for finals during break. This is not fair because winter break is time for family and friends celebrating Christmas and New Year’s. Winter break is two weeks so people have time to visit other places where they have family and friends and share the special occasion together. Also, some students go out of town for a majority of the break, so this leaves them to stress about how they have to study even more once they are back. With finals before break, students would most likely

2012 is finally here. Rejoice senior class! Facebook has now pronounced us graduates, and we are 150 days away from our graduation. While many of us have prepared to begin with a clean slate in the New Year, some may have trouble leaving atrocious trends behind. Here is a recap of the worst of 2011; this is the way we see it.

grade,” Moriarty said. According to Moriarty, having fall semester end before winter break also means students who take AP classes could have more time to cover the material before May tests start. Sophomore Summer Yeo thinks there are advantages to having it both before break or after but she claims it’s better to have it after. “Having it after break gives you a chance to study here and there for over those two weeks,” Yeo said. Senior Darcy Soga would rather have the break to completely relax and not have to worry about weeks of review and then a week of finals before the semester ends. “If we have it before break, we could have a few weeks to turn in homework in case we bomb finals after break,” Soga said.

Toning shoes Not only are you telling the rest of the world that you are too lazy to actually go on a jog, but you look stupid doing it. Rocking back and forth while walking is unnatural, not to mention a hazard for everyone else around you. Invest in some actual running shoes, which will often cost less than the horrors called “Shape-Ups” and will motivate you to become healthier in the New Year, instead of just tricking your body into thinking that you will. Occupy People have lost interest in the Occupy movement. When you are documenting your Occupy experience by recording videos on your iPhone and iPad, and uploading them to YouTube via your iMac, no one will ever take

you seriously claiming that you are the 99 percent. We would actually feel more sympathetic toward you if you told us that you have been personally victimized by Regina George. We are all for the cause, but the act has become more about getting noticed as a “revolutionary” than anything else. Young college students crowd quad areas between classes just to be able to tell their children, “yeah, that’s right, I was there.” It’s winter, go home. “Pop” music We get it, “Moves Like Jagger” is a car song. You all know car songs. The mindless upbeat tunes that blare out of your car when you drive your friends to lunch, those songs. But don’t limit yourself to these pathetic excuses of music. Branch out of the Top 40, and browse the “Alternative” section of iTunes. And by alternative we don’t mean listening to “Pumped Up Kicks” on the radio. Amazing, quality music is out there, just waiting to be discovered. Don’t let lyrics such as “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah!” turn your brain to mush. Save it with some of Bon Iver or The Kooks. Find us in the hallway, ask to be saved, and we will be glad to personally burn you a CD of our favorite quality tunes. 10-year-old teenagers When we were 10 years old we watched Rugrats and played with cootie catchers. Today 10-yearolds walk around texting on their new iPhones and shooting people up on Halo. What has happened to the world? Today kids are vampires who only resurface out of their rooms to be fed at night. Tweens are constantly plugged in to electronics, while when we were kids high scores meant people taken out in dodgeball, not the number of cars stolen in Grand Theft Auto. For all Blue Devils with younger siblings, make it your New Year’s resolution to hide their power cords and lip liners. Be a good role model: trust us, it makes a scarring impression if you see your older sibling “got totally wasted” on Facebook.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Write a letter! The HUB appreciates its readers and enjoys hearing feedback. If you want to write us a letter, submit it to L-20 or dhshub@gaggle.net. Your opinion matters! The HUB Policy The HUB is written, edited and typed by members of the DHS HUB class. It is a non-profit publication paid for by advertisements and donations. The HUB was established as an open forum of student ideas and expression. Our content reflects the interests and ideas of students but not necessarily those of the Davis Senior High School administration and faculty. Staff opinions are the majority opinion of the HUB staff. This publication is not subject to prior review. The administration of Davis Senior High School should not be held responsible for The HUB’s content. The HUB 315 W. 14th St. Davis, CA 95616 Editors-in-Chief: Kelly Goss, Chloe Kim Copy Editor: Gary Djajapranata News Editor: Daniel Tutt Features Editor: Anna Sturla Op-Ed Editor: Madie Delmendo Entertainment Editor: Rubia Siddiqi Sports Editor: Kelsey Ewing In-Depth Editor: Monica LopezLara Infographic Editor: Emily Gao Website Editor: Lauren Blackwell Webmaster: Marc Santana

Radio Producer: Grace Calhoun Art Director: Charlotte Chen Graphic Artists: Annamarie Pilon, Henry Anker Photo Editor: Anders Young Photographers: Peter Lin, Lani Chang, Jenny Davisson Business Manager: Jiajing Zhang HUB Staff Writers: Glenn Hull, Mara Seaton, Nick Juanitas, Genny Bennett, Linda Ge, Katie Van Deynze, Meem Mohsin, Shauna Simon, Kashmir Kravitz Adviser: Kelly Wilkerson

Page 6

January 18, 2012

Puzzles

A puzzle a day keep Ken-Ken

Where in DHS?

Ken-Ken is a puzzle much like Sudoku that was created by Tetsuya Miyamoto. Fill every row and column with numbers 1-4. No number can be repeated in any row or column. The 4x4 grid is divided into smaller shapes with bolded outlines. In the top left corner of every bolded shape there is a number and operation; this number is the number you need to get by using the indicated operation. For example: If it said “6x” you could put 3 and 2 because 3x2=6.

24x

GENNYBENNETT/HUB GRAPHIC

2÷

Find your way around DHS

Hsdpfnlvsdsfhl asdlfkjf ewroncls sadflkcne sdf asdflj asdflkjf weroiuv sdflohg sdfopifmvl qpeiogtmc djkw fjwocjd afwjcdklsadjsasdcjd asdjdfnfg rtop hvycsddsf wxysfjg asflwpggnxcjs sadgpemxsjkf sadj asdfndlnfpwurt sadlefja sarljsdaf sadlfdsrepri wqegsdflj vdwjopfasf fasdflksdfj safjhgpdaw safpoufg pouejfjadjk asdflkjf asdjkl asdd aswp dfslkjfsd asddsfpoi fjpoidas aflkjdfop werivns bfdjklfgnkl wpvnxssksl Hsdpfnlvsdsfhl asdlfkjf ewroncls sadflkcne sdf asdflj asdflkjf weroiuv sdflohg sdfopifmvl qpeiogtmc djkw fjwocjd afwjcdklsadjsasdcjd asdjdfnfg rtop hvycsddsf wxysfjg asflwpggnxcjs sadgpemxsjkf sadj asdfndlnfpwurt sadlefja sarljsdaf sadlfdsrepri wqegsdflj vdwjopfasf fasdflksdfj safjhgpdaw safpoufg pouejfjadjk asdflkjf asdjkl asdd aswp

WO R

R UNSC

A] The west parking lot B] Baseball ﬁeld C] Track D] East bike rack E] MPR F] Near the library bathrooms

2÷

MEEMMOHSIN/HUB GRAPHIC

12x

B L ER

definitions: impulsive and unpredictable deep, extensive learning disparaging, belittling, insulting to make something better; improve brilliant to have a harmful effect to grow or increase rapidly diverse; various

s O N YOUR SAT

ANSWERS

GLENNHULL/HUB GRAPHIC

G OOD

GARYDJAJAPRANATA/HUB GRAPHIC

1. CPUIICAROS 2. INRIDUTEO 3. EITPVEJORA 4. ETALMROAIE 5. LANTCNTILGIIS 6. TELRUSEEODI 7. OAPIRRTLFEE 8. RUMIITFOLSAU

1. Capricious 2. Erudition

3. Pejorative

4. Ameliorate 5. Scintillating 6. Deletrious 7. Proliferate 8. Multifarious

Name that Movie

Bank Robber Mad Lib Your _____ is dying and you don’t have money for the _____. You Noun

Family Member

decide to rob your local bank to get the money. After planning for

This is a cryptogram of quotes from famous movies. Each letter in the alphabet stands for a different letter in the alphabet, for a example in this one the letter L is the A, and the letter Z is the letter M. In order to solve you must find the corresponding letter for each. The name of the actor speaking and the film in which it is said is given to help you solve and decipher the quote.

_____ months, you ﬁnally get up the nerve to rob a bank. You _____

Number

Adverb

stroll into the bank. “Everybody put your _____ in the air!” you yell Body Part

_____. You steal _____ dollars. Oﬀ in the distance you hear sirens. The

Adverb

Number

_____ _____ are chasing you! You _____ to your getaway _____ and Adj.

Noun

Verb

Vehicle

ﬁnd out it is out of _____. “_____!” You exclaim out loud. Thinking Noun

Exclamation

_____, you get out of your car and _____ toward the _____. While Adverb

1.“UGWH, B LZ XCGE OLFA HE.” Darth Vader, “Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back” 2.“XCG SC SUHII KC KC!” Damian, “Mean Girls” 3.“XCG’EH WBUUBIS ZH DZLUUD!” Ham Porter, “The Sandlot”

Place

Verb

_____, you hurriedly look around for a hiding spot. “_____!” You Exclimation

Same verb as before

think as you spot a/an _____ dumpster. You jump in there, assuming it Adj.

was a safe place. Unbeknownst to you there was a _____ and it starts Animal

_____ you. Thinking quickly, you jump out right into the hands of Adj.

Same noun as before

Verb

the _____. There you are kept and only given a orange _____ to wear. Place

Article of Clothing

The next day you wake up next to a _____ _____. You get scared and Adj. Type of person

_____ yourself. Maybe you shouldn’t have robbed that bank, huh? Verb

PETERLIN/HUB GRAPHIC

KATIEVANDEYNZE/HUB GRAPHIC

Verb - ing

the _____ _____. They _____ you, _____ you and then take you to

Answers: 1. “Luke, I am your father.” 2. “You go Glenn Coco!” 3. “You’re killing me Smalls.”

The HUB

Page 7

Puzzles

ps the stress away Choose Your Own Adventure: Weekend Edition What are you doing this long weekend? Start by choosing an option below! get some fresh air

stay at home

study

hang out with family work out for beach season

go shopping

build the biggest tree house

Spot the 8 Diﬀerences

play soccer get discovered as an Abercrombie model Lionel Messi shows up for the game

What

1 8

Important People and Places around DHS

• • • • • • •

COURTNEYJIMENEZ (ASB president) IPAB YEARBOOK LIUZZI (long-time math teacher) ARIOLA (physical education teacher) MOORE (principal) PBUILDINGS

MARA SEATON/HUB GRAPHIC

I SPY… 4 snowglobes, the word “HOUSE,” Harry Potter glasses, 3 lacrosse sticks, a key, a $2 bill, 3 peace signs, a Mickey Mouse head, 6 frog heads, and the letters that spell out “FINALS.”

LANI CHANG/HUB GRAPHIC

DESIDERI (vice-principal and librarian) WILKERSON (HUB adviser) OLD GYM LIBRARY ADAMKING (junior class president) HUB NEWGYM

I SPY

NICKJUANITAS/HUB GRAPHIC

• • • • • • •

Source:Wikipedia

Answer:

SHAUNASIMON/HUB GRAPHIC

GRACECALHOUN/HUB GRAPHIC

Mostly E’s: Secret Menu Item. Nobody will say you aren’t cool, but you’re pretty exclusive. Being secretive is fun sometimes but every once in awhile it’s good to open up.

Instructions: Sudoku is a 9×9 grid, made up of 3×3 subgrids called “regions”. Some cells already contain numbers, known as “givens”. The goal is to ﬁll in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numerals 1–9 exactly once.

3 1 8 4

Mostly D’s: Burger. You’re wholesome, the go to guy/girl for anything. You’re a favorite and are compatible with any other item on the menu.

2 8 7 6 9 3 4 1 5 3 7 1

Mostly C’s: French Fries. Life’s been hard to you. Once a nice potato, you’ve been sliced and fried and now your salty tears cover your easily breakable exterior.

There’s a new student. This means... a. We’re going to be best friends! b. It’s only a matter of time before they fall for me. c. Yet another person to avoid eye contact with. d. The school just got a little bit better. e. They better live up to my standards.

Mostly B’s: Milkshake. Let’s just say you’re a smooth, creamy delight that keeps all the ladies and gents coming for more.

Mostly A’s: Soda. You’re sweet, bubblyand fun. People love you and you love everyone.

6 5 2 4 7 9 9 6 3 2 1

If you had the opportunity to run the school your way, you would... a. Paint the library rainbow! b. Regulate the amount of compliments thrown your way. There are just too many! c. Faint d. Find a way to join all cliques together. e. Make a hidden lounge underneath the gym that nobody knows about, except you.

Results:

Your favorite school subject is... a. Whatever subject I have the most fun learning! b. I like English. It gives classmates the opportunity to write me love poems. c. None. I hate school. d. All of them, school is da’ bomb diggety! e. I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.

8 4

Study break! You... a. Play some T-Swift and dance around. b. Respond to the texts of everyone throwing themselves at you. c. Have stress attacks. School sucks,. d. Go on Facebook. OMG, 300 notiﬁcations! e. Listen to hipster music.You’re cool like that.

9 7 2 8 6

food item are you?

You’re at a party with lots of people you don’t know.You... a. Take a little bit of time to get adjusted to this new social scene but end up having a fun time. b. Walk over to a hot group of guys/girls and schmooze it up. c. Crawl over to a corner and weep. d. What? Not possible.You know everyone. e. Only talk to a select group of people who you’ve deemed cool enough.

9 2

5 9 3 2 4 6 2 1 3 6 2 5 9 3 1 6 8 4 5 7 7 2 4 8 5 1 4 1 8 6

IN-N-OUT

Sudoku

4 5 6 2 1

feel accomplished; soon you’ll be Mensa material!

1 8 3 5 7

become BFFs with Messi

3 9 7 2 8 6

play Skyrim

9 3 4 5 6 2 8 6 7 5 1 2 8 4 4 8 3 9 5 6 1 2 9 1 7 3 4 5

run across the country like Forrest Gump

study

LINDAGE/HUB GRAPHIC

run a marathon with a friend

study become disappointed with the state of society

appear on all of their bags

Differences: 1.)“Get Cozy” sign missing 2.)Books on top of fireplace switched 3.) Cat facing different direction 4.)Book on front left moved farther lef 5.)Books in front stacked on top of each other 6.)Small book placed in the front 7.)“A Beautiful Mind” and “Ice and Rock Climbing” switched on right 8.)Shelf in bottom right corner

Facebook stalk

In-Depth

Education Around the World

Sze Sze Chan - Norway Does the thought of never having to take the SATs appeal to you? Go to high school in Norway. According to junior Sze Sze Chan, a student in Norway who attended DHS last year as a junior, students in Norway do not take the SATs and only have finals in a few classes. In addition to not taking the SATs, there are no options for AP classes in Norway which is why Chan feels like “the classes [in Norway] are way harder, especially since we don’t get extra credit.” Grades are given on a number scale of 1-6 where 1 equals a fail in the class and a 6 is equivalent to an A.

By KELSEY EWING & GENNY BENNETt HUB Staff Writers

Lucy Hass - Australia Contrary to the American student’s focus on impressing college admissions departments, junior Lucy Hass noticed that education in Australia is based on different values than those in America. “One of the major differences was that they don’t have an emphasis on getting into college. I swear this is true: ...half of my friends [in Australia] want to join the circus,” Hass said. Hass went to a school in Melbourne, Australia for one semester while her parents were on sabbatical in Australia, which focused on arts and offered students programs outside of academics. Thanks to statewide standard curriculum, students in Australia take the same classes at the same time, according to Hass. “In tenth grade, I took advanced math classes because I was way ahead of everyone, but the advanced class was equivalent to [Introduction to Analysis],” Hass said. In Hass’ Melbourne school, students start the term with a C instead of an A or 100 percent.

highest grade possible in Norway

Josh Jang - Korea The length of a school day in Korea is anything but short. On top of the normal school day lasting from around 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Korean students are required to take additional night classes that normally go until 10 p.m. so “students [...] are forced to live and sleep their books” senior Josh Jang said. After night classes, most students will stay for an additional two hours of college preparatory classes known as “hakwon.” Because of this intense focus on book work, Jang feels that there was not much space for critical thinking in Korea and “in the American school system we are able to have more time exploring new ideas and learning from outside school such as volunteering, sports and leadership roles.” Similar to Taiwan and England, during the college admission process in Korea, entrance exam scores are heavily considered when admitting students. The Korean education system only looks at grades and test scores during college admissions rather than looking at a student’s profile holistically by looking at extracurricular activities.

ost DHS students will navigate through their 13 years of school without giving a second thought to how the education systems vary in other countries. While SATs, finals and multiple-subject classes are a reality for many secondary students in America, students who transfer from other parts of the globe are often surprised at how schools function in the U.S. Five students share their experience.

Cameron Cannings - England While American teachers customize courses to fit schedules and student needs, the curriculum in England is consistent nationwide, so students across the country might be assigned the same homework each night. According to junior Cameron Cannings, American schools’ “lack of uniformity” made his transitioning from English to American schools difficult, and Cannings had to retake several classes. Students in England are assessed primarily by exam. However, Cannings prefers the American education system “because there is more opportunity to succeed. It doesn’t come down to just one test to prove your knowledge,” Cannings said. However, in England, students are able to take more classes that fit their interests, according to Cannings, allowing them to focus the paths of their education at an earlier age.

hours spent in school, including night class sessions, in Korea

estimated expected years spent in school in America

January 18, 2012

Jui Ching-Chin - Taiwan Instead of automatic placement in the next grade level, Taiwanese students as young as elementary school are required to take admissions exams. Students in Taiwan hoping to attend elementary, middle, or high school are required to take entrance exams to determine which school the student will attend. While Taiwanese school can prove stressful because of entrance exams, “America is way harder, more competitive and harder to graduate,” junior Jui Ching-Chen said. Once they pass entrance exams, Taiwanese students are guaranteed to graduate college within four years. In addition to emphasis on testing, the Taiwanese education system values memorization. “In first grade we had to write down Chinese characters over and over again many times a day so we could get it right,” Chen said.

estimated expected years spent in school in Australia

66.6

ANDERS YOUNG/ HUB PHOTO RAFAEL BOUCHER, CHARLLOTTE CHEN/ HUB GRAPHICS

Page 8

percent of students in Taiwan who are accepted to higher education.

Stats taken from The CIA World Factbook, the National Center for Education Statistics and student interviews.

Check out bluedevilhub. com for new content weekly including photos, articles and videos. Also, check out the archives of The HUB’s past issues.

The HUB

Page 9

DEVIL’S FUNHOUSE

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTOS

Entertainment

Acme actors perform the first scenes of their production of “Cyrano de Bergerac.” The performance, which took many hours to produce, impressed many viewers.

Cyrano impresses Davis audiences with realistic performance A review by Linda Ge HUB Staff Writer

Two months of rehearsal, including every day of winter break; a week of technical rehearsals until 9 p.m; countless buckets of sweat, (fake) blood and tears. All of this has culminated into one magnificent opening night for the Acme Theatre production of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” as adapted by Barry Kornhauser. Acme is a theater group that presents plays performed by young actors in high school. During a recent performance, audience members rifle through programs and lean towards each other, pointing out actors they came for and roles to watch. Before long, everyone gets settled in, and just as people pull out their phones to check the time, the lights dim. Onstage is a romance, set in 1640s France, that opens with a lively ensemble scene with plenty of sword fighting and verbal sparring. Christian de Neuvillette,

played by Da Vinci senior Nick Mead, is the new cadet in town. He is smitten with Roxane, played by sophomore Frances Devanbu. Christian learns about his competition and inquires about the Cyrano de Bergerac whom his new neighbors discuss. “Who is Cyrano?” he asks. “Why, only the most remarkable being under the sun!”they reply. Cyrano, played by junior Antonio de Loera-Brust, is indeed remarkable—he makes his grand entrance by swinging off of a rope and onto the stage. De LoeraBrust’s presence immediately fills the room, and it is impossible to miss him as the main character. Of course, there is also the matter of Cyrano’s oversized nose that is both a source of his outward pride and secret chagrin. Some actors merely play their roles; de LoeraBrust becomes Cyrano. De Loera-Brust said the amount of time and energy that goes into putting on such a play was a big challenge. However, the commit-

ment did not faze him. “It really is absolutely worth it. The feeling of accomplishment after a show is unmatched.” Though the actors are often commended for their long hours of hard work, the efforts of the crew members, who work behind the scenes, often go unnoticed. Senior Alina Lusebrink estimates that she put in “anywhere from 20 hours to 110 hours a week.” And the work was not just tiring—sometimes, unexpected obstacles popped up too. Lusebrink had to undergo countless nervewracking experiences as the company stage manager, whose job is to pull everything together, cast and crew-wise. Three weeks before the first show, two production crew members left. Another time, a quarter of the people in charge dropped out. As a result, she and the director, Emily Henderson, had to put in 16-hour workdays in order to stay on top of schedule. However, this story has a happy ending: Lusebrink and Henderson

were saved by unexpected aid from other Acme members. “We decided to ask company members if they could take on some responsibility, and the entire company really stepped up: one took charge of lights, one designed hair, another designed makeup and seven worked on the costumes. All of them took on huge design and leadership roles, and most of them are only in ninth or 10th grade,” Lusebrink said. Only with such a strong dynamic can a theatre company bring to life the essence of Cyrano’s best selfascribed personality trait: panache. Panache—flamboyance and reckless courage—is manifest in this play. Visually stunning costumes and meticulous makeup effects heighten the viewer’s sensory experience, as rhyme schemes lend a romantic air to words. An ensemble of secondary characters with impeccable timing provides laugh-out-loud moments. For junior Millisant George, who juggled several roles in this

production, the ensemble parts were essential to pacing the plot. “[They] help define the greatness of the main character, Cyrano, and move the play forward in between the main storylines. They provide comic relief to more serious parts.” There is no shortage of “serious parts.” At one point, a war with Spain takes place, and dramatic music swells in the background. Cyrano delivers a few heartfelt soliloquies, one of which grapples with the discrepancy between his public and private personas. ”Cyrano de Bergerac” is not only a tale of an unfortunate-looking hero who makes up for his flaw with lovable dignity, but a relatable study of the pain of feeling inadequate. To be able to pull a range of emotions off and to successfully make the audience understand the characters, while risking being called cheesy or histrionic, is commendable in itself. Panache, indeed.

Local fame awaits one golden voice ‘Tinker Tailor’ tanks

on the big screen

By Emily Gao HUB Staff Writer

A review by Anna Sturla HUB Staff Writer

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTO

“That’s life. That’s life and I can’t deny it. Many times I thought of cutting out but my heart won’t buy it.” Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” plays on repeat as junior John Testerman belts out the classic during the final weeks leading up to Davis Idol. The annual Davis High Davis Idol will take place on Jan 20 at 7 p.m. Hundreds of Davis students and community members will get together at the IPAB to enjoy the 20 performers sing their favorite tunes karaoke style. While performing is its own reward, the contestants are also competing for judges’ votes, people’s choice and the ultimate $200 grand prize. According to junior and Advanced Treble Choir member Julia Hills, the judges are “basically people in the music business around town who have some sort of knowledge as to whether [the contestants] are good.” This year, one of the judges will be auto shop teacher Robbie Thayer, who won Davis Community Idol in October of last year. Davis Community Idol is a bigger version of Davis Idol where anyone in the community can showcase their talent. Preparations for ATC’s biggest fundraiser of the year start on the very first day of school. Last year, the choir raised approximately $10,000. This year, the choir will allot the money for its trip to Los Angeles where the members will attend master classes with composers and directors of colleges to learn more about singing as a career. The members’ roles during Davis Idol range from selling tickets and baked goods to collecting votes and assisting judges or contestants backstage to help them feel more comfortable before their performance. Although each Davis Idol is for-

The Advanced Treble Choir class prepares for Davis Idol by rehearsing a song they will perform at the event.

matted in similar ways, Hills said that something extra this year is the guest performers. “They will be people who won from last year or at least competed from last year or people that a lot of people know, so that will be fun,” Hills said. Senior Bryce Vaesworn has competed in the past two Davis Idols, but is not competing this year. He says that the competition aspect starts right at the application deadline. “In the past years when I did it, we had to run at the beginning of lunch and [the people chosen were] the first 20 people in line; it was a very frenzied process.” Although preparing for Davis Idol takes a lot of time and commitment, Vaesworn believes it is a beneficial experience because it provides an “opportunity to have your own solo moment,” especially for those who normally perform in groups.

He adds that “it is a great challenge to put yourself out there and sing a song that you have worked on in front of 500 people and three judges. It is just a scary but invigorating ordeal and you meet a bunch of new people and bond over being scared to death,” Vaesworn said. As a two-time participant, Vaesworn advises contestants not to hold back in the performance. “You want to grab the judges’ attention. You want to be the one they remember who does something that really impresses them. Remember to challenge yourself because that is what they are looking for you just have to do your best and get out of your comfort zone because that is what performing is about,” Vaesworn said. Testerman agrees and said that “there is all this preparation that goes into it and then you have three minutes to go and you have to go and show people what you got.”

The 1970s London of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” directed by Thomas Alfredson and adapted from the John le Carre novel, is a dismal, dark place. Its inhabitants live in a perpetually bleak urban landscape, under which drift the spies and secretaries of the “Circus,” nickname for the British intelligence service. It’s a fitting epithet, both for the corrupt and paranoid organization itself, where office assistants listen in on British agents’ private, expletive-laced phone conversations as part of their humdrum routine, as well as for the entire muddled film. The film has a strong, reliable premise—a system already bent with distrust must contend with a parasite in its own woodwork. However, the beginning is arduously slow, conceding no sense of heightened emotion to the viewer. (Though it may seem déclassé, the people editing the trailer should have edited the film.) During the first ten minutes, a relatively sedate secret mission to uncover the mole, a Russian sleeper agent, ends with the capture of a British agent. The leader of the Circus, Control, played by John Hurt, is forced into retirement, along with his right hand man, George Smiley. This force-out begets a veritable storm of insults from Control, provoking a rather unhealthy shock to the system after such a prolonged state of relaxation. However, soon after his early retirement and Control’s untimely death, a representative from the British treasury asks Smiley to continue investigating the likelihood of the mole being one of the top five most powerful men at the Circus. The filmmakers are handed the

reins of an incredibly able cast, with Mark Strong (Lord Henry Blackwood in the 2009 “Sherlock Holmes” film) playing the captured British agent and Gary Oldman as quiet, elderly Smiley. Oldman plays his role with a frightening blank calm, almost entirely emotionless behind his wirerimmed glasses. It’s a shame Oldman, more recognizable to American audiences as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film series, wasn’t given a more active part. You can’t help but want a bit more energy from an actor known for such roles as Sid Vicious in “Sid and Nancy.” Instead, Oldman acts more as a silent witness to the violence and moral downspiraling of those he’s investigating than any sort of actively engaged detective. The greatest disappointment of the film also starts from the very beginning. Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds and David Dencik portray the four men suspected as being the mole. However, after the initial proposal of “Who is it?” and with the entire core investigation revolving around them, the plot itself does its best to ignore the men, only bringing one of the suspects into the action, for lack of a better word, when it really can’t be helped. Without that core presence, the film loses its focus very early on, becoming a series of confusing plot machinations that you just can’t really believe the filmmakers thought they could get away with. The film becomes less and less about the ongoing investigation and more tired nostalgia for Smiley, as he visits forTINKER TAILOR REVIEW continued on 10

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January 18, 2012

Entertainment

Ditching Davis

You think Davis is boring? Try getting out of town for some new adventures The majority of DHS students have lived in Davis their entire childhood; they have memorized the streets of downtown, rated their favorite yogurt shop and Thai restaurant, biked on every bike path and frequented the movie theater many weekends. By the time they reach high school, students are searching for new places to hang out near their hometown. DHS students who don’t live in Davis have suggestions. Senior Katie Shao commutes to school from Woodland every day and lives in the new housing center by Costco. Shao notes that she enjoys being able to take nightly walks around her community park which “is fairly quiet and safe.” One of the disadvantages of hanging out in Woodland for Shao is that the area is still developing, but for a quick bite to eat she recommends going to the Woodland Gateway Shoppping Center which has a Starbucks, In-n-Out, Subway and Panda Express. Senior Lin Yang also enjoys jogging and walking around her Woodland neighborhood. She recommends that students try to eat at the taco truck that stops on county road 102. “I’ve never been able to check it out, but there’s always a really long line, so it must be good,” she said. Yang also suggests that students compare the Woodland Guadelajara to the Davis chain. “It serves a lot of the same stuff as Davis, but it was all spicer, which I loved,” Yang said. And for the student on a budget, Yang adds that students can always take a trip to Costco to walk around and try the food samples. Downtown Winters also provides students with a place to hang out if they are looking for interesting places to eat and shop. The historic downtown has many vintage

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTOS

By Kelly Goss Editor-in-Chief

The front entrance to Putah Creek Cafe leads to a family-friendly restaurant. The cafe is located on Main Street, Winters.

Putah Creek Cafe features a brick oven that pizzas are made in. This cafe is a well-known attraction in the Yolo County area.

apparel and clothing shops as well as unique restaurants such as Putah Creek Café and the original Buckhorn Steakhouse. For the outdoorsy student, taking a bike ride out to Winters is the perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon. Contrary to what many students believe, they don’t need a lot of money to find something to do in Sacramento, according to junior

check out two of Sacramento’s historic movie theaters, the Crest and the Tower, or that they simply walk around town to look at the shops, malls, galleries and parks. She notes that if students are looking for a cheap way to hang out in Sacramento, $5 is enough to grab something to eat while touring around the city. Students can also visit Sacramento for Second Saturday when local art galleries and

Sofia Cardenas who commutes from East Sacramento. Cardenas lives near mid-town and McKinley Park where she enjoys visiting local art galleries, coffee shops, book stores and eating at her favorite restaurants, Corner Stone’s Breakfast Diner and Ernesto’s. “If you can’t find anything to do in Sac, you probably aren’t even trying,” Cardenas said. She recommends that students

artists display their work around town, which is a free event. For a unique movie night, students can visit the Sacramento Drive-In movie theater on Oates Drive. Earliest movies start at 6 p.m. and the latest movies start around 10 p.m. Tickets for the theater are about $7.

‘Tinker Tailor’ review: dark mood fails to impress

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTO

continued from 9

Senior Jack Davis plays Skyrim at home as his High Elf character. Skyrim has become a popular video game among students at DHS.

Skyrim: video game or wild obsession? By Kashmir Kravitz HUB Staff Writer

A man struts through the mountains in thick, powerful armor, a battle axe at his side, ready to fight if needs be. He encounters a villain, a lower level than he is so it’s an easy kill. And then, once he smashes the villain, senior Jack Davis saves his “Skyrim” game, boots down his computer and begins his homework. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” hit the nation on Nov. 11, 2011, and with it came a brigade of gamers. “Skyrim” is an action roleplaying game available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The object of the game is to defeat a dragon god destined to annihilate the planet of Nirn, which houses the province of Skyrim. However, there are bountiful side quests that distract from the main storyline and provide plenty of character interplay. “You literally can spend hundreds of hours, as I and others have, doing things and traveling to places, and you would barely have even broken the surface of how many things there are to do,” Davis said. “And to top it all off, none of it feels all that familiar, it’s not

repetitive; every place and situation is more or less unique.” The world is vast with characters, weapons, armor and quests that make the game addictive as gamers try to level up. “Well, I think it’s addictive because I literally wanted to see all the things, and I wanted better armor, or better game-playing abilities,” senior Paige Vavrosky said. “But there kept being new missions to do, and I wanted to do the missions to see the things and I couldn’t stop.” The game, which costs $55-$65, was highly anticipated prior to the release date as it is a companion to several other “Elder Scrolls” games, but has spread in popularity due to word of mouth. Davis, Vavrosky and junior Conor Ostling learned about the game through friends. “It has spread so much since its release because one guy will get it, play it while other bros are over, then the bros like it so much they end up buying it, and their bros buy it too,” Ostling said. In addition to the vast world and the free play ability that makes “Skyrim” unique, the graphics and attention to detail allow for complete immersion into the world. “Skyrim has an intensely beauti-

ful, disgustingly massive world in which there are very few repeats or copies of scenery. Even the dialogue is exceptional: 70+ voice actors speak over 60,000 unique lines of dialogue throughout the game,” Davis said. And, with a vast world to explore, the game does not aim you toward a specific direction at all. The player is in complete control of what he or she wants to do. Davis, Vavrosky and Ostling appreciated the ability to do whatever they wanted during game play. This ability causes them to get easily sucked into the side quests. “It’s super addictive because there are so many different types of missions available, so if you don’t feel like doing one, you can do another. I’ve sat down at 9 p.m. planning to play for like an hour, then look at the clock and it’s 3 a.m.,” Ostling said. Skyrim has conquered Facebook too, with countless people posting statuses, videos, pictures and wall posts about the game. “Since its release, it has spread like wildfire across our school, and indeed the entire world. Even now, months later, it is still very common to overhear multiple conversations of Skyrim just walking down the halls in passing period,” Davis said.

mer colleagues. Ostensibly the visits are designed to reveal clues for the investigation, but in reality they just weigh the film down. Perhaps the filmmakers thought the impressive cast and moralistic, serious nature of the film would give them a free pass from creating a film that engaged the audience. Despite the realistic feel of the overall film, “Tinker Tailor” is a spy thriller—just without any hooks. The one real highlight from the film may be the dark comedic sensibility present, with middle aged, middle class characters controlling the puppet strings of one of the world’s most powerful spy organizations (Strong’s character epitomizes it best, looking like a Dad going to a job where every day is casual day), and where the dull bureaucracy of office life disguises an

authority based on suspicion and violence. However, without a clear-cut focus, the film drowns itself in meaningless excess of plot, that is not even barely enough to get the film to its hastily carried-out conclusion. The resolution itself is surprisingly clearer than the rest of the movie, making one think it came in a clear epiphany of thought before the filmmaker actually sat down to plan the film. “Tinker Tailor” dismays because the most because it very easily could have been a very good film, if only its actors had been allowed greater latitude and its scriptwriters and editors much less. However, wishing could not make up for the fact that the overall film suffers in its immense plot holes and frustratingly drawn-out pacing.

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January 18, 2012

SPORTING DEVIL Sports

Let it snow Below average snowfall creates a problem for ski and snowboard teams By Chloe Kim Editor-in-Chief

there’s normally a lot more snow than this,” he said. Junior Katya Christian says the ski team has been focusing more on developing basic skills because of the lack of snow. “There’s only a few runs open, so we haven’t really been able to ski anything interesting this year,” Christian said. Brewer said the team is working around the limitations to do the best they can. “We’re certainly being creative with our practices,” he said. “We’re doing more on snow drills than we normally would. We can’t set full gates but we can set short gates. It doesn’t help as much as regular gates would, but it’s better than nothing. We’re just kind of

waiting for snow.” Senior Jackson Vanover, a member of the snowboarding team, says the team has only been able to go to Boreal because it was the only resort cold enough to sustain artificially produced snow. “As great as it is, we’re all getting pretty tired of Boreal,” Vanover said. Another problem with lack of snow is the dangers it presents. “It’s getting really icy and people are slipping and falling all the time. It’s all really hard-packed stuff. We’ve already got someone who broke their wrist this year,” Vanover said. “It’s just a NO SNOW continued on 11

LANI CHANG/HUB PHOTOS

Though the ski team enjoyed a win at its first race on Jan. 9, a problem out of its control is plaguing this season: there’s not enough snow. “It’s limited our practices, both in number and in quality. Usually we’ve done several night training sessions by now,” ski team coach Bob Brewer said. This year’s winter season is unusually dry, with less

snowfall and warmer temperatures than usual, leading to many ski runs closing and canceled practices and races. The lack of snow is impacting DHS ski and snowboard teams’ flexibility in practice and during races. “It sucks. For ski camp, there wasn’t very many runs open, so there wasn’t a lot we could do,” junior Jacob Wright said. “A whole bunch of people messed up their skis hitting rocks that were poking through the snow.” According to Wright, this year is especially disappointing in comparison to last year’s snowfall. “Last year was a really good year with how much snow we got so early, but yeah,

Many runs at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort remain closed and barren due to lack of snowfall. The snow shortage has caused both the ski and snowboard teams to reschedule many races and practices. However, the teams look forward to the predicted snowfall this weekend.

Cheerleaders headed to nationals Ski season cut

short for McGrew

By Kashmir Kravitz HUB Staff Writer

By Mara Seaton HUB Staff Writer

AMY DAVIS/COURTESY PHOTO

Blue Devil spirit flourished as the JV and varsity cheer squads flipped and flew without a flop to the top of the United Spirit Association regional competition. On Jan. 7, the DHS cheer squads received a bid to the national cheer competition after winning a regional competition against three other California schools. The national competition will take place in Anaheim in late March. In order for the DHS cheer squad to advance to the final round, the team must place in the top five at nationals. “The most impressive fact is that we weren’t going [to regionals] to win. Our goal was to score high enough to get a bid, or an invite, to nationals,” senior and varsity cheer captain Carlie Gantar said. Last year, the team placed third at regionals, received a bid to nationals and placed eighth at the national competition. Leading up to regionals, the team practiced two to three hours for four to five days a week. According to junior and varsity cheerleader Erin Warnock, every team member worked hard in both her stunt groups and on her own to improve tumbling, technique and skill. “The set-up of practices changed from being focused on practicing new routines every week for football to only working on one routine. By focusing on one

The cheer team celebrates its first place win in the United Spirit Association regional competition, sending the team to the national competition in March.

thing for the past month or so, both squads were able to drastically improve their skill set with stunting and tumbling,” head cheer coach Danielle Eckert said. According to Warnock, the team will not showcase any stunts or routines that are not perfected in practice. “We had a very clean routine with no falls. Whereas the other teams [at regionals] did attempt some harder skills, they were not able to hit them cleanly and had some falls,” Warnock said. In order for a cheer team to function and reduce injury, it is important that the cheer squad is bonded so that they are in sync. “I think the cheer team needs to function as a group in order to win because it’s a group sport. We all help each other verbally through the whole process and I think that’s a huge factor in why we won,” sophomore and varsity cheerleader Shae

Langley said. According to Gantar, who has been a member of the team throughout high school, the team dynamic has changed due to new members, but always improves. “Team dynamics have definitely changed for the better. We are more respectful, positive and straightforward[…]They are stronger and more self sufficient,” Eckert said. At the competition, different teams warm up and wait to be called. According to Gantar, the atmosphere changes throughout the meet. “When you’re waiting to perform is pretty relaxed but then they send you to the warm-up mats, and everyone is rushing to make sure you’re ready to go, and before you know it you’re walking onto the competition floor,” Gantar said. Gantar also says that the nervous factor was decreased

because she and her teammates didn’t see the other teams perform because they were so focused on their routine. Langley, however, is nervous both before and during the competition. “Last year, before the competition, I was really nervous; this year I was also nervous before but not as much as when I was performing; in front of all those people, it’s scary,” Langley said. The cheer team will continue to practice their routine and skills until they are perfect so that they can make it into the top five at nationals. “Davis High School has transformed over the past two years into a squad that people should look out for at nationals[…]we look clean and confident. This newfound confidence they have sets them apart from many other northern California teams,” Eckert said.

Senior Lucas McGrew joined the DHS ski team earlier this year in hopes of competing in events and having fun with his friends. He woke up early to attend 6:30 a.m. dry land practice three days a week since the beginning of November and didn’t miss a single one to show his coach and teammates he was truly devoted. All his hard work and enthusiasm for skiing ultimately led to McGrew being sentenced to six months in a wheelchair after he broke his femur during a three-day ski team retreat during winter break. The first day of the retreat, McGrew went down two runs easily enough, but trouble arose as he embarked upon his third. “There was a small little ridge that connected to the main run, and my friend told me to follow him. When we reached the ridge, we were both racing at high velocities and since he got a head start, I was going even faster to catch up. When we got to the bottom of the ridge my friend hit this invisible ice peak, and he was flung helplessly in the air,” McGrew said. Shocked by the sight of his friend, Da Vinci senior Evan Davis, flying defenselessly through the cold mountain air, McGrew didn’t fully brace himself for what happened next: he hit the peak

right after his friend and soared through the air upside down. He landed on the ground, hitting his neck first. His knee smashed violently into his face, and as he lay there, his crimson blood marring the pure white snow, pain enveloped him. “As my friend recovered from his crash, he realized that I was still motionless on the ground. When he called out to me, I told him that I needed help right away,” McGrew said. Initially, McGrew was concerned about a potential back or neck injury, but after his friend warned him not to look at his leg, he realized what was going on. “I asked my friend how bad it looked, and he was in pure shock,” he said. He remained completely conscious throughout the whole ordeal, and attempted to take his mind off the pain by cracking jokes, which shocked the EMTs assisting him. “When the emergency patrol finally arrived, they gasped in amazement that I was still talking and making jokes when my leg was snapped in half, and twisted 300 degrees,” McGrew said. “I asked them to take a picture, but they never did.” McGrew was quickly rushed to the hospital, where he immediately underwent surgery. He had to have a 16.5-inch titanium MCGREW continued on 11

The HUB

Page 11

Sports

Flash-mob craze takes spectators by surprise By Monica Lopez-Lara HUB Staff Writer

Davis community events such as ArtAbout, which takes place every Friday of each month. Flash-mobs have had increasing recognition in popular culture over the last decade. One of the most notable flash-mobs has been the “Worldwide Pillow Fight Day,” which took place on March 22, 2008, with more than 20 international cities participating. With social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, the word about the international pillow fight spread across the world. Seritan says that her favorite flash-mob that she has participated in was a “Moving Wall” done by about 10 of Trokanski’s dancers during December. “We were lined up on the side-

walk with electric candles, taking turns moving from the back of the line to the front and posing. We were out there for like 40 minutes. People were very confused. Someone asked if we were movie stars. It was fun,” Seritan said. Junior Margaret Starbuck has also participated in Trokanski’s flash-mobs. She performed in a few dances as a sophomore in her Intro to Dance class for PE. She says that the flash-mobs required the performers to “coordinate when and when they were going to perform the mob.” It isn’t just dance classes that have performed flash-mobs at DHS, however. Beginning at the 2011 homecoming dance, student government

has also begun a tradition of performing a flash-mob during school dances. Senior Akilah Young has been the choreographer for all of student government’s flash-mobs so far, and says that she has enjoyed starting a new tradition. Although she says that the homecoming flash-mob was a success, student government felt that more people would be able to experience it at Junior Prom. “I liked [performing to] “Yeah x3,” I liked it because it was short, it was only about a minute and a half, and I thought it was more unique,” Young said. Although she says that student government will not perform during Senior Ball, she hopes that the tradition continues in the future.

MARC SANTANA/HUB PHOTO

As the bell rang to dismiss DHS students to their lunch break on Dec. 14, classroom doors swung open and the usual crowd of students flooded the quad and surrounding hallways. From the top of the library building stairs, students began to hear popular lyrics blaze through the school. Some students stopped and looked around to attempt to find the source of the music. A few seconds after the music had started, a group of students on the quad began to move in unison. They danced in sync with one another, and soon others began to join

in. Many of those just seemingly strolling by the area joined into the choreographed dance number, jumping in at rehearsed times. This scene is known as a “flashmob,” an assembly of people who gather at a public place or event to surprise others by performing staged activities. At DHS, flash-mobs have been occurring as dances for the past two years. Junior Ioana Seritan is a member of dance instructor Pamela Trokanski’s studio classes, and has participated in a variety of flashmobs. Her first one took place in downtown Davis on Halloween 2010. Since then, Seritan has performed in three flash-mobs at DHS, and numerous others during

Students from Pamela Trokanski’s Intro to Dance class participate in a flash-mob on the quad during break Dec. 14. While performers of flash-mobs have spent time perfecting their performances, they appear spontaneous to spectators.

Students ready to duck, dive, and dodge

Senior Lucas McGrew awaits surgery after breaking his femur on the first day of three-day ski camp during winter break. McGrew had to have a 16.5-inch titanium rod inserted into his femur.

MCGREW: Recovery is slow rod inserted into his femur, which was held in place by two screws. “I woke up to find myself living a completely new life,” he said. His doctors told him he was lucky his femur made a clean break, because if it had been a compound fracture, it could have punctured his femoral artery. “I could have bled out in minutes,” McGrew said, disbelievingly. McGrew was forced to move into his parents’ bedroom, because his was on the second floor of his house, and depend on his parents for everything. His mother even resorted to sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor next to her former bed in order to help him with anything he might need throughout the night. “I couldn’t do anything anymore; at least that’s what it felt like,” McGrew said.

continued from back page While his accident has affected his life in many ways, mostly McGrew just missed his old routines: hanging out with friends and going to parties. His friends would go out and have fun while he sat at home, bored out of his mind. “My Netflix remote has become an extension of arm,” McGrew joked. McGrew has a recovery ahead of him before he can get back on his feet, but he is already looking forward to his day of freedom. “I want to run before I can walk,” McGrew said. McGrew is more than willing to trade in his wheelchair for a set of skis as soon as his leg heals, but in the future he will be more cautious. “After this whole incident, I now know what I have to lose.”

During lunchtime, students hear the unmistakable sounds of rubber balls hitting wood floors, shouts of anger and joy from happy and competitive students. All of this mashed in with the shriek of a whistle every time someone gets hit. These sounds all come together to form the unmistakable noise that is the DHS dodgeball tournament. The dodgeball tournament is one of the most popular activities put on by student government. Last year, 21 teams signed up to play in the lunchtime dodgeball tournament, with the team made up of the men’s varsity soccer players winning the championship. Each team is allowed six players on the court at once and up to eight players on the team. The teams are formed into a tournament with every team playing each other at least once.

In the end, the two best teams that manage to navigate through the playoffs meet in the championship game to decide the winner. Junior Kevin Sorensen, who is in charge of the lunchtime dodgeball tournament, is hoping for 16 teams to come out but wouldn’t be surprised if even more teams signed up. “It is a pretty popular sport in the United States, probably second to football, so everyone gets way pumped up to play, and the games are extremely personal and fun,” Sorensen said. Junior Will McPherson enjoys playing in the dodgeball tournament because of the competitiveness, and it allows him to hang out with his friends. “I play with my friends from Chavez because it’s fun to do something competitive together because we don’t all play the same sports,” McPherson said. McPherson does believe that the best part is truly winning, some-

thing that he hopes his teammates and himself will accomplish this year. Free play for dodgeball begins in the old gym Jan. 24 which is also the same day that dodgeball applications become available. On Feb. 1, free play ends and applications for teams to be in the dodgeball tournament are due. League games for dodgeball begin Feb. 8 and continue until the tournament begins. “I’m predicting the tournament to begin on Feb. 21 but if more teams sign up we might have to push the start of the tournament back so we can have more league games,” Sorensen said. Dodgeball games are held in the new and old gyms during lunchtime. Sorensen is predicting McPherson and the “other junior class Emerson guys to win the tournament,” but he believes that the newly created Kevin and the Carrot-sticks shouldn’t be counted out.

Total Tahoe Snowfall by January (Measured at 8,200 ft)

2,89

2 in

3,612 in

312 in Average (last 10 Januaries)

January 2011

January 2012

Information found at www.squaw.com

ANNAMARIE PILON/HUB GRAPHIC

LUCAS MCGREW/COURTESY PHOTO

By Nick Juanitas HUB Staff Writer

NO SNOW: Conditions challenge racers little more dangerous and harder to deal with.” The ski team’s first race on Jan. 9 encountered such difficulties. “Conditions were really difficult,” Brewer said. “It was extremely icy and there were lot of people on our team and on other teams that didn’t finish or were disqualified. But we managed to do okay. The boys’ team took third

and the girls’ team took first. The important thing is we won overall.” Vanover is hoping for a big snowstorm so he can get his “money’s worth” for the season. “If I paid $1,200 for a couple of rides to Boreal, I’m going to be pretty disappointed,” he said. The snowboard team has yet to have a race this season.

continued from back Brewer is hopeful for the rest of the season. “We’ll get decent snow at some point. We’ll go back to our usual training regime,” he said.