Volume 68, Issue 1

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VOL LXVIII ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 LAS LOMAS

IN THIS ISSUE: THORPE AND PATTERSON TALK ABOUT THEIR SEASON BAYS BEST FRENCH TOAST AND VEGAN EATS NEW APPLE STORE ROBBED HOW TO MAKE EARTH DAY EVERY DAY THE MANN, THE MY TH, THE LEGEND.

CONTENTS 3-8

news

9-16

entertainment

17

op/co

18-21 features 22-24 sports

E D I T O R S S T A F F

Editors-in-Chief: Kylia Blackstock & Vanessa Jamieson Creative Director: Marcus Lin Multimedia Editor: Cian Mullins Business Manager: Geneva Donohoe Online Editors: Lukas Carbone and Madison Lakin News Editor: Lukas Carbone Features Editor: Grace Gonsalves Entertainment Editor: Molly Scanlon Opinions/Columns Editor: Madison Lakin Sports Editor: Sam Hoff Photographers: Christy Knudson, Gabe Isserman, Marcus Lin and Aaron Rassiq

Kate Beeby, Andrew Ergood, Ali Heitmann, Lucas Humel, Caroline Johnston, Mariyah Keifa, Madison Laxamana, Stormy Mercado, Al McLeroy, Grace Paulson, Susan Rahimi, Maya Rassai, Charlie Rosen, David Ryder, Adrian Watkins

M. Lakin 2

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att Schuler raises the Battle of the Creek plaque after defeating Northgate 63-0. The Knights last defeat against Northgate was 2014, winning 38-8.

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M. Lin

unior Varsity Cheerleaders form their signature LL during a halftime performance.

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M. Lin

ac Transue triumphantly raises the football after recovering a fumble. Helping the Knights beat the Matadors 41-13.

M. Lin

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ason Stenberg braces for impact as a water balloon explodes on him during a lunchtime game.

M. Lin

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Bye-Bye Plastic Straws

by Grace Paulson

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There are things that matter now, and there are things that matter for the future of our planet and the next generation of people growing up in this city,” says San Francisco Mayor London Breed. San Francisco is the largest city to officially ban plastic straws, following suit from smaller California cities. This ban also prohibits restaurants from giving out napkins and plastic forks with takeout orders, unless they are requested. Starting January 1st, 2020, businesses who violate the Plastic, Toxics, and Litter Reduction Ordinance will be fined one hundred to five hundred dollars depending on how many violations occur.

However, popular cities like San Francisco are not the only places banning straws.

On July 9th, the popular coffee company, Starbucks officially announced that it would be eliminating straws in all of its 28,000 stores by 2020. A new lid has already been designed and is being used on all of their cold drinks, which account for about 50% of their drink menu. Disney, another major corporation, also announced their own plastic straw ban on July 26th, saying that they would eliminate all single-use plastic straws

and stirrers by mid-2019. Major companies like Starbucks and Disney may be able to afford these changes, but what will happen to the small local businesses who can’t keep up?

Small businesses in the city are going to need to adjust and find new ways to make money. The chain of businesses that will take the biggest hit are the bubble-tea-shops.

There are around 250 local boba tea businesses located in the San Francisco area that are going to have a tough time bouncing back from this ban; these businesses’ drinks usually require a special straw that is big enough to suck up the boba balls. The plastic version of this straw only costs about one to three cents which makes it easier for bubble-tea companies to profit; but with this ban, boba shops will now have to use the next cheapest alternative. Paper straws, which cost about seven to nineteen cents. That may not sound like much of a difference, but when all of these bubble-tea businesses are selling to hundreds of thousands of customers a day, the cost can add up and affect their profit margin.

Small businesses like boba shops are drawing the short stick when it comes to the straw ban. A ban on straws will not di-

rectly solve the plastic waste problems, but it will definitely create a domino effect. “I think SF banning straws is a good idea and good start.” says Mr. Merken, an environmental science teacher at Las Lomas. “Straws have not been a huge part of the plastics problem, but environmental groups believe that it is just the beginning of trying to get other plastics banned.”

Impacts of One-Use Plastic

by Kate Beeby and Caroline Johnston

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lastic, the material mindlessly used by almost every first world citizen repeatedly throughout day. Most of these people don’t know the true effect of this wasteful substance on our planet. Plastic is used for everything from furniture to plastic bottles/cups. Over fifty percent of plastic is used only once. This material takes hundreds of years to decompose, and while it decomposes, it floats out into the oceans and kills wildlife. A single plastic straw takes about two-hundred years to decompose, and was used one time to drink something that could have easily been drunk without a straw in the first place.

Some may argue that plastic is alright because it is inexpensive and recyclable. However, we recover only five percent of the plastic that we use on the earth, while the rest pollutes Earth’s natural habitats The average American uses more than one-hundred and eighty-five pounds of plastic per year, much of this being plastic straws, cups, lids, grocery bags, coffee stirrers, and food packag-

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ing, all one-use items. Approximately five hundred million plastic straws are used per day, and one million plastic bags are used per minute worldwide.

While 90-95% of the non-recycled plastic i floating in the ocean or on land in giant patches, it is having a tremendous effect on the native wildlife. Plastic is often misunderstood as food due to its vibrant colors and transparency. Many sea animals mistake Ziploc bags and clear produce bags for jellyfish due to the way it so gracefully floats through the water and shifts in the currents.

This common mistake leads to thousands of turtles, seals, birds, dolphins, and whales dying per year. These bags are also misleading because they oftentime smell like food.

Plastic rings from bottle lids oftentimes get caught around turtles and birds necks, choking them. More than one-hundred thousand sea animals, and one million seabirds are killed per year from plastic in our oceans.

While one-use plastic immensely impacts our oceans and sea life, it also has a nega-

tive impact on land. When not disposed of properly, plastic clogs storm drains, causing flooding and other issues. 85.7% of plastic ends up in landfills, where it may take one-thousand years to decompose, leaching pollutants into the soil and water. There are roughly sixteen-hundred students at Las Lomas. with the average American using at least one-hundred and eighty-five pounds of plastic annually, this adds up to about twohundred and ninety-six thousand pounds of trash annually, only from students at Las Lomas. Unfortunately, a small portion of this one-use plastic is recycled or disposed of correctly. Sophomores Ryan Monasch and Jordan Krook said that while they carry a reusable bottle with them, Monasch uses “about five plastic bags in her lunch daily for snack storage.” While it helps that reusable water bottles are considered trendy, the vending machine still continues to make sales on one-use plastic bottles. It is important for the student body to bring light to this issue and work to cut out plastic from their lives.

by Kate Beeby

Make Earth Day Everyday

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normal day for a student at Las Lomas could include waking up, taking a shower, and dressing in some very trendy, clothing. Next, the student may pack their lunch in plastic bags along with a Dasani water bottle. They might head to school in their guardian’s car with a binder full of notes that they plan to throw away after their test. During brunch, they might buy a bag of chips from the vending machine along with a plastic bottle of Apple Juice. Most of these things are part of the average student’s day, and make our life very convenient. What students may not care about, is that all of their actions deeply affect our environment. However, by following five simple steps, students can help make Earth Day everyday!

Cut down on single use plastic: Substitute plastic and paper bags for canvas bags.

Eliminate plastic products from your pantry. You can replace these with glass or other reusable materials.

Start by purchasing a reusable water bottle, and after about a week of use, you will start saving money that would have been spent on plastic bottles.

Did you know? Plastic could possibly outlive humans, so when you throw away one-use plastic, recycle these items.

Be smarter about paper usage: Ration paper usage Recycle more in general Learn what items go in the recycle, compost, and landfill bins.

Did you know? According to the University of Southern Indiana, “The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. This amounts to about 2 billion trees per year.” By simply recycling, you can help save several trees per year.

Eat less meat: Try going vegetarian one day a week.

Eat more plant-based foods.

Find protein substitutes such as nuts, legumes, greek yogurt, and other dairy products.

Did you know? Livestock is responsible for a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Cut down energy and gas use at home: Hang clothes to dry after washing.

Turn off lights when you leave a room.

Carpool to school and school events.

Walk places when possible; It’s great exercise!

This will conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also saving your family money.

Cut down water usage: Take shorter showers.

Only run the faucet when necessary.

Recycle extra water Collect rain water, even a small bucket can water a large amount of plants Did you know? Water is crucial to our environment’s wellness, and the more you take away, the higher negative impact on Earth.

Earth’s Favorite Companies

by Caroline Johnston

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here are many businesses around the world whose only goal is to produce and sell as much product as possible. While this may be beneficial for the short term of the company, for the long term wellbeing of the company and of the environment, this business tactic will not be successful. Companies such as Patagonia, Lush, and Philz Coffee all take positive action to benefit the environment all while running strong companies.

Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company that focuses on making their products as sustainable as possible. Their wetsuits are made out of Yulex, a 100% plant based rubber, while many of their jackets are made from recycled plastic. To reduce waste, Patagonia will repair any fixable product for customers. In addition, they also donate 1% of their proceeds to community based environmentalist groups that focus on restoring rivers and forests, protecting critical land and endangered plants and animals, and finding solutions to climate change.

Another very environmentally friendly company is Philz Coffee, a Bay Area coffee company that has added a location in Walnut Creek. Many Las Lomas students go to Philz to study with their friends in the comfortable and positive environment. Andi Trindle Mersch, Director of Coffee and Sustainability, says, “We [Philz] have a robust criteria within our coffee sourcing to ensure environmentally and socially responsible purchasing.” Philz Coffee roasts its coffee locally in Oakland, California. They use compostable cups and have been trial running compostable lids and they use renewable energy providers as well.

Lush Cosmetics is another great example. After recently adding a store location right in the heart of Broadway Plaza, many Las Lomas students began to use Lush products daily such as fresh face-masks, perfumes, lotions, or shower gels. All of Lush’s products are handmade from natural ingredients. Lush makes their packaging out of 100% non-virgin plastic, meaning it is completely recycled, reducing the amount of new plastic produced. Lush also offers a free fresh face mask to any customer who brings five of their Lush pots/containers from past products. Another way that Lush is promoting minimal plastic usage is by turning packaged items into solid items without packaging, examples are solid shampoo and conditioner, lotion bars, body washes and scrubs.

Supporting environmentally friendly businesses is not difficult, especially in a contemporary place like Walnut Creek. By simply putting in the effort of supporting these businesses Las Lomas students can make a big impact!

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Today At Apple

by Madison Laxamana

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bout a little over a year ago in April 2017, Apple launched its new in-store educational classes program which they call Today At Apple. A month after the program was unveiled, the classes went global and could be found in all their stores with the ability to sign up for free and people can now also sign up on Apple’s website. Each Apple store was given small updates to support this initiative such as new seating, screens, and sound systems. It was made to be fit for all ages, and skill levels.

“Today at Apple” provides a large range of classes based on topics related to coding, photography, music, art, and design. Classes last about an hour long. Apple’s most popular class at the moment is its photography class, due to the broad amount of different sessions offered for the topic. It expands to sessions such as capturing action and video, editing photos and videos, how-to shoot, portrait photography, organization, and framing details. Along with these classes, a few special programs are also available for sign up; such as, Kids Hour, which focuses on getting kids to do amusing hands-on projects, Studio Hours where customers can bring in their own personal work or projects to obtain a little more guidance from staff members, and Photo or Sketch Walks that start inside the Apple store and makes their way outside which allows people to capture the world and community through art. All sessions introduce Creative Pros, who are trained employees and essentially the teachers during the class. However, in some select cities, a class can be taught by well-known artists, musicians, and photographers who occasionally attend.

Two individuals were approached to comment on Today at Apple, one of whom has not attended one of the classes yet, Ayah Salehi, and one who has, Jalen Madden.

“It seems like a very creative program which I think will benefit both Apple’s customers and the company. I would for sure think about signing up for one of these classes one day,” said Ayah Salehi when asked her thoughts on the program. Although she did mention that she feels like it could get a little crowded.

On the other hand, Jalen Madden shared his experience and said that he “took a design class; it was very helpful and the instructors were really good.” Despite his good experience, Madden stated it was not that helpful. “That’s only because I’ve been coding for years and the class I attended wasn’t very advanced, because I took the declassified one with my mom. But it would be a really good class for beginners, and I feel like if I took the class with the correct skill level I was on, I would learn way more. Smaller classes would be more helpful for people who want to learn more, but there wasn’t an issue with crowded space.” Madden concluded that it was an all around good experience that encourages people of any age to look into taking one of the classes, “they provided us with materials which was super cool, and the class was very well organized.”

iRobbing

by Mariyah Keifa

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n recent news, the improved and redesigned Apple store opened on South Main Street in Broadway Plaza has been robbed. Thieves targeted the store on Saturday, August 26th at around 5pm in the evening. Walnut Creek is known for being a safe and mainly crime free city, so this robbery has been very publicized. The month old Apple store has already fallen victim and suffered a great loss of money.

Although there were no weapons used, the two rustlers managed to take an estimated amount of $30,000 worth of iphones, ipads and macbooks. The stores outer and inner design is made out of glass so it was an odd place to plan this hit-or-miss opportunity. Currently still on the run, the four males ran into the store dressed in hoodies with fully extended strings so their faces would be unidentified. The fifth suspect was the getaway driver in a black SUV. In witness videos, other civilians inside the store were completely oblivious to what is going on, due to how fast the suspects were in and out.

Before Apple moved locations from across the street, their store suffered about twenty-seven thefts in the course of two years,-- about one robbery per month. Moving about fifty feet across the way defiantly did not help their case.

Another two significant robberies occurred in Broadway Plaza as well: at the Victoria’s Secret and at Pink. Involved in the felony were two men and a woman. After shoplifting more than $3,000 worth of lingerie, bras and underwear, the suspects fled in a getaway car. Thinking that they had successfully broken the law, they were pulled over, detained, and arrested. Not only did the thieves get charged with multiple cases of theft, they also werecharged with possession of a stolen vehicle from Oakland, CA, and avoiding arrest.

Both crimes happened in about the same week and haven’t had as much light shed on them. Their crimes are considered victimless. Everyone should be aware of the possibility that the unexpected can occur anyway.

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New Year, New Library

by Susan Rahimi

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s the world around us continues to modernize, so must our libraries. Although we assume libraries would be unnecessary with digital books, that is not the case. In order to remain relevant and attract people, libraries need more technology and a better, more functional design. The humble library will become the much-needed haven for all information needed from every source, whether the source is from documents or the internet.

Our newly-remodeled school library has a goal to act as this destination. Although David Granzotto, head of facilities, was not a part of planning the renovation, he agreed that the library needs a full remodel. He said that Las Lomas had a “... very old school library that was not suited for modern technology and wasn’t built for computers, but much more geared towards books.” Principal Tiffany Benson also explained that after the library had not been renovated in forever; it seemed Las Lomas “hadn’t had the opportunity in a long time to get new furniture and update things for student use, so now this is our chance [to remodel]”. The school’s librarian Mary Walfoort believed the library had been long overdue for a facelift and that things felt stuck in 1970. When the remodel is completed, the library will feel fresh and relevant to what students and teachers need today. According to Julie Bautista, the Chief Business Officer of the Acalanes Union High School District, the district budgeted $100K for the renovation that includes the new Las Lomas library furniture and circulation desk. Her understanding is that early in the year 2000, before her time, the Acalanes’ library was renovated. Other schools in the district have purchased new furniture in the past couple of years mainly funded through foundations and parent clubs.

When ideas and planning of the renovation took place, Ms. Walfoort said, “About two years ago,” Julie Bautista said the Las Lomas library was apart of the Phase Two facilities project agreed upon, in November 2016. Ms. Walfoort further explained that it was a conversation that started a number of years ago with the, “...library staff, site administration, and district personnel.” They all generated a list of needs from students, teachers, and the previous principal. The site librarians in the district along with some administrators visited local school libraries to get ideas. Ms. Walfoort wanted this renovation and has gotten positive responses from students, teachers, and parents.

Although the complete library renovation is still underway, its functions are growing nonetheless. The turnstiles in the library, which were previously used for security, have

been replaced with security gates, which can just as well deter students with bad intentions. Ms. Walfoort justified the removal of the turnstiles, stating that, “...many students expressed joy when the turnstiles were removed because their backpacks used to get hung up on the arm of the turnstile.” The new security system allows students to easily walk in and out of the library.

Senior, Logan Meek, has been going to the library very frequently since his move to Walnut Creek, sophomore year. He loved coming to the library because it was a nice and quiet place to study during lunch.

During his junior year, Ms. Walfoort asked Logan if he would be her staff assistant, and he eagerly accepted. He expresses appreciation for the renovation when talking about all of the space the library has now, and new collaborative rooms which Ms. Walfoort said students would be able to reserve to work in. Ms. Walfoort claimed that, “Students especially like the way the height of some of the new chairs can be raised and lowered and they like the high tables.” She acknowledged that some students miss the computer island on the upper level which has been removed.

To acquire the space needed an estimated 4,000 outdated and unused books were removed. Logan explained that the books were put out on a cart in front of the library for students to take as they wished. To fill space there will soon be more comfortable seating, and possibly bean bags. The lower level of the library opened up for more seating.

Granzotto points out that universities also have “...furniture much better designed for collaborating and for working in groups,” The Las Lomas library will be much better fitted for working and studying without the

old wooden chairs.

Soon, there will be carts filled with laptops for easy access to print things and mobile use at tables. The whole school is modernizing; providing chromebooks to the freshmen, and now the library. The library is also anticipating more outlets for charging and moving the circulation desk. As of now, Ms. Walfoort said there is a “mounted lower level Projector (XTron) with speakers used for teaching lessons, parent meetings, etc.”

Ms. Benson also expanded on the projector system which has updates to the Apple TV, and now it will be able to connect computers or iPhones to the new sound system through the projector. The whole idea of modernizing is to make things more accessible; thus, the College and Career Center, added in the former library classroom, has their own external door. Granzotto explained that the new entrance saves time and makes things easier when students are getting in and out of the long line. Jami Greer, an English teacher who commonly goes to the library said, “I wouldn’t say it makes life easier, it’s made the experience more comfortable and accessible. It now feels more like a modern library experience.” The modern library is the key to knowledge when there is a better and more comfortable environment to learn and collaborate in.

The remodeling job will be completed this year, though a good library program will continue to change as technology evolves.

Ms. Walfoort said the constant change is what makes working in a library interesting and occasionally challenging and, “The renovation is not about making the librarian’s job easier; rather, it is about improving library services for our learning community.”

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The Greatest Show on Turf May Not Be So Great

by Andrew Ergood

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o someone who hates exercise, sprinting up and down a football field may seem like the worst thing possible, but it’s not having nearly the consequences on you that the toxic, carcinogenic plastic particles in the air have. All sports: football, soccer, softball, and even volleyball, to name a few, go on the turf at Las Lomas.

The issue with this is the possible effects that turf can have on your health. Even just touching the turf can adversely affect your health. This is a new issue occurring everywhere across the U.S, even here at our own school.

Rubber production is known to be bad. With all the information coming out about the impacts of climate change, it’s no surprise people know of the dangerous effects plastic has on the environment. People do not know of the possible aftermath of rubber and plastic on humans. As humans and other animals run on turf, its rubber slowly breaks down and deteriorates under the weathering effects of pressure and heat from the Sun. Incredibly small particles of turf are thrown into the air, and as students run on the turf we breathe it in.

The technology behind turf is constantly evolving as consumers look for the newest technology for their players to play on. The first fields started off as nylon and polypropylene. Nylon can be incredibly toxic, the fibers and chunks are sprayed and produced with plastics and chemicals.

Polypropylene is often used in older turf fields, as it contains relatively low friction.

Polypropylene is similar to a polycarbonate and is a synthetic plastic; this is an often redundant theme as most plastics are toxic.

The newest turf field and the type currently at Las Lomas is known as a third generation turf field. To produce an optimal playing environment the field is made with layers of materials, with the bottom-most layer being often sand and more crumb rubber. This layer is known as the “shock absorber”. Above this is another layer of crumb rubber which is used to produce a springy effect and prevent the feeling of a “hard and dangerous” field; on top of that is fake grass. Different fields are made with different materials to offer a different feeling grasses. The most common of those is a plain plastic grass thread. Another more expensive fake grass is coconut hair, which is often used in “nicer” fields.

A carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer. Several substances in turf are known carcinogens. Companies that produce turf know these effects, 8

but claim that they are too minimal to worry about or to affect players. The evidence around turf causing cancer is often inconclusive but most players don’t seem to care.

Sophomore and lacrosse player Amy Moura commented on the issue; she says she won’t stop playing on the turf fields even after knowing they might affect her health. She’d rather play on turf than on grass, even if it might cause cancer. She further commented, saying that “they’re nicer [the fields] and not as expensive to maintain, so I understand why we play on them. Research says that anything can give me cancer” The only issue she did have with turf had nothing to do with chemicals or cancer; it seems as though the hardness hurting her knees was her greatest concern.

Sophomore Jack Swinson likewise seemed apathetic regarding the effects of turf fields, even after knowing of their effects prior to the interview. Jack later said that “I’ve been playing on turf my whole life, and haven’t seen any bad effects on my body, so I’m going to continue to play… I would stop playing if it was life-threatening,” he quickly added, “for that time.”

It seems that most athletes would have to see turf ’s adverse effects to believe it, while the biggest issue for them is what’s better: turf or grass? Coach Longero believes grass to be the better playing material, stating that, “I grew up on grass and all that, so I

prefer grass.” When it comes to players, however, Coach Longero said that it “depends on who the player is… Everyone’s used to playing on turf now because everyone has it.” Maintenance for administration is also a concern for coaches and staff. “We had a grass field for years but the main [problem] was the maintenance, [the turf] is obviously a lot easier for us to manage.” Even if grass doesn’t contain toxic plastics, different herbicides, insecticides, and assorted pesticides are a must for keeping the grass in shape.

Most evidence to prove that the fields are actually cancer causing is inconclusive, the different types of fields and the different sources of rubber makes it incredibly difficult to obtain a solid and general answer. Nurse and medical technologies teacher Mrs. Mooney offered some tips to minimize exposure to the possibly adverse impacts of turf. As a large issue with turf fields is their breakdown and turf particles floating in the air - students can wear masks and scarves over their mouths and nose to not breathe in the particles. After going on the turf fields, one can take showers in order to clean the particles off their skin and prevent prolonged exposure. However, Mooney advised that students who play on turf fields and love their sports should not quit. Losing something you love could lead to more drastic mental health effects.

Happy Time Murders: Wasted Potential

by Al McLeroy

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he Happytime Murders is a big ol’ pile of wasted potential. I really wanted to like this movie, I really did. The idea seemed original, and the trailers made it seem like it could be a fun movie that you switch your brain off for. All it needed was a few stupid jokes and a decent plot to tie it all together. Everything else was already there. Of course the movie royally screws up on almost every level. Did I not like this movie? Nope, I thought it was pretty awful. Did I regret seeing it though? Did I feel like it wasted an hour and a half of my life? I mean, not really. I’m not saying that it was good, or even decent, it’s a throwaway movie that had the potential to be something great. Before I give my opinions on the movie, let’s talk about what this movie is about, and why I was excited to see it.

The Happytime Murders is a 2018 comedy film starring Melissa McCarthy as a detective and her partner Phil Phillips,

voiced by Bill Barretta, trying to stop a series of puppet murders and the (usually sex-related) hijinks that follow. When the two find out that someone is murdering the cast of the fictional TV show, The Happytime Gang, they must find and protect the surviving members, as well as try and stop the murders before they repeat. This universe is intriguing, the idea for the story is decent, and seeing puppets do things they’ve never done before in a film was an original idea. I was really excited for this movie, especially seeing as there’s been a serious lack of good comedies recently, but the movie completely falls flat on its face. Now that that’s all out of the way, what isn’t good about this movie?

This is a comedy, so let’s start with that.

Comedy is subjective, meaning people disagree on what’s comedic. If I find something funny, you are entitled to your own opinion, but I think everyone over age nine can agree that the comedy in this movie is

pretty lousy. If you’ve seen a trailer for this movie, you’ve seen everything. The whole movie can be summed up in one phrase: “Puppets doing things puppets don’t do,” and that doesn’t even sound too bad! Seriously, I would have loved watching a movie with decent actors and dirty jokes that involved puppets. It wouldn’t be that hard to work that in to the movie and have plenty of funny jokes that landed, but that’s the problem. It isn’t worked into the movie, that is the movie. The worst part about this is the fact that the jokes aren’t funny. They aren’t clever, they aren’t anything new, they’re just boring. “Oh look, those puppets are having sex! Oh look, those puppets are doing drugs! Puppets don’t do that!” That’s the type of comedy seen in the movie.

I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy, so I like to look for the good in things. What’s good about this movie? Not much, but there is something. Let’s start with the main reason I watched this movie: the puppets and the idea. It seems weird that the reason I watched a comedy was for the universe it made, but that’s what drew me and many others in. Did they do a good job with it? I guess. There are definitely puppets and there are definitely humans talking to the puppets, but that’s as far as it really goes. There are a few clever jokes here and there that got a small chuckle out of me, so it’s not all bad. They deal with the fact that the puppets are puppets in the human world, but most of the time the jokes either aren’t funny or just not there. Something else that tied the movie together was the puppeteering and the designs of the puppets. They look good, and the puppeteers didn’t do a bad job! Congrats, you didn’t screw up the one thing I really wanted, but did that save the movie? If you’ve read this review, you already know the answer: no, it didn’t.

Is The Happytime Murders worth seeing? Well, depends on what you like. If you want to switch your brain off and just laugh at the dirty jokes, go for it, but don’t get your hopes up. If on the other hand, you want a comedy that does something new and fresh and is actually funny, then just don’t go. I really wanted to walk out of this movie with a positive impression. Maybe it wouldn’t be the best comedy, but it would’ve done something new, but that wasn’t what I got. Instead, The Happytime Murders left me annoyed, bored, and worst of all, disappointed. If I had to rate it, I’d give it a 3.5/10.

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Vegan Eats in the Creek

by Kylia Blackstock,Vanessa Jamieson, Marcus Lin and Grace Paulson

Tender Greens

Roasted Tomato Soup: $5.00

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omato Basil is at its best when the essence of the main ingredient is retained. The soup was very flavorful and inherits the natural qualities of which it is made. The thick base, seldom found in store-bought soups reminded me of a home cooked meal prepared with care. The pairing with the Watermelon Agua Fresca, a light and refreshing beverage, does exactly what you need it to do. The drink helps you cleanse your palate allowing you to continue enjoying the heavier tomato soup.

Lettuce

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Vegan Sandwich: $10.95

oaded with flavorful vegetable combinations, the sandwich was very fresh and each flavor combined well. The thick bread was tough enough so that the sandwich didn’t get soggy. Though only filled with multiple healthy choices, the sandwich felt absolutely complete without a slice of meat.

Veggie Grill

Avocado and Bruschetta Toast- $5.50

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he avocado and bruschetta toast offered at veggie grill tastes best during lunchtime. The famous avocado and tomato combination never fails to impress. But on this toast, the basil overpowered the avocado-tomato combination. That being said, the crust’s char combined with the dash of pepper gives the palette a good punch. All in all, this was a nice, healthy side, but it is not worth the five dollars and fifty cents it costs.

Yeet That Meat

by Adrian Watkins

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ave you ever gone a day without eating meat? I’ll have you know, the body and mind feels great when you don’t eat meat. I myself have tried going meatless before. In fact, I went about a whole week without eating meat. I didn’t think I could ever go this long without meat, but after the first day, I was hooked. My body felt amazing, and I had a great amount of energy that I’ve never had before. I would recommend to all meat eaters out there: try not to eat meat at least once a week. I mean, really, it’s just once a week, and once a week isn’t going to kill you. In addition to the benefits of your body, it will help save the environment.

Eating meat can kill your health, for example, your weight, your heart, things of that nature. A vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is highly recommended. According to a journal called Public Health Nutrition, vegetarians and vegans have less hypertension than meat-eaters. Consuming saturated fats, which mainly come from meat and dairy products, 10

raises the level of cholesterol in your blood.

And cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics gave some very valuable information. People who don’t eat meat have a lower average BMI, Body Mass Index, than meat eaters. Another important component is the obesity rate of vegans versus meat-eaters; 9.4% versus 33%.

Eating meat is not good for the Earth in any way. It threatens us with even more unwanted greenhouse gases, and it requires a substantial amount of water. Amy Skylark Elizabeth, writer for PETA, says “nearly half of all the water in the US goes to raising animals for food.” More than 4,000 gallons of water is required per day for a meat eater, where a vegan only requires 300 gallons of water per day. The more we eat meat, the more water we are taking away. Studies have shown that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water are used just to raise one cow.

Going vegan could save California’s drought problem; is going meatless good for the en-

vironment? Over 2,400 gallons of water are required for a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons are required to grow a pound of wheat.

If we all live a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, we can save a lot of water. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry causes one fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

Those are boosting climate change worldwide. Greenhouse gas emissions are part of what causes air pollution, and all these pollutants that fill the air are not healthy for us to breathe. So just think, if greenhouse gases are what boost climate change and air pollution, and the meat industry has a part to contribute to that, then should we stop eating meat?

If we want to improve our environment, a meatless lifestyle, or even a meatless week can help. Eating no meat once a week is a way to save the planet, and to help our economy.

Bay Area’s Best French Toast

by Madison Lakin

RAW Sugar Factory 525 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

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AW Sugar Factory, a cal-Asian eatery, puts a twist on the classic french toast adding a matcha and a green tea zing to their light and fluffy bread. When you walk through the teal door of the restaurant, you are greeted and seated quickly. Once you order, the food comes out within a moments notice. Once you take your first bite of the green tea french toast, you notice the bittersweetness of the matcha and green tea combo. In some bites of the french toast, there is a hidden citrus zing that surprises your taste buds. RAW Sugar Factory is a must visit restaurant for anyone wanting to try something new or a little bit different even though it is a little off the beaten path.

1428 HAIGHT Patio Cafe & Crepery

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1428 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117

his American Style dinner, 1428 HAIGHT Patio Cafe & Crepery, really takes the cake with the biggest french toast I have ever seen.

Their french toast, stuffed with a strawberry whipped cream, and a light fluffy bread will be sure to fill you up. If the strawberries don’t make it sweet enough for you, it also comes with bourbon maple glazed plantains, hot maple syrup and even more whipped cream to top it off. The inside of this french toast was a little dry so be sure to add some maple syrup! Make sure to stop at 1428 HAIGHT Patio Cafe & Crepery if you are in the area and have an empty stomach.

Gather 2200 Oxford St, Berkeley, CA 94704

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ather, a hip farm to table American restaurant located in downtown Berkeley. They make their french toast with Acme bread, walnuts and raisins inside for taste, topped with fresh peaches and whipped sour cream. The bread itself reminded me of gooey monkey bread and every bite was enjoyed. Out of all the places I reviewed, Gather was my favorite as it has a gooey bread, nice presentation, and good portion sizing. I’d definitely recommend Gather to anyone who likes sustainable American food but make sure to go early to get a table!

ZUT! Tavern

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1820 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA 94710

ocated on Berkley’s fourth street, ZUT! Tavern has Mediterranean style fare and a great location. ZUT! has indoor and outdoor seating and shortly after you sit down and order, you receive your food.

ZUT!’s french toast is served with tart huckleberries on the side and a basic french toast with just whipped cream on the top. The portion was perfect for just one person or you could split the meal if you want to get anything else on their menu. I’d definitely recommend ZUT! Tavern to anyone who has not been to fourth street as the outdoor seating looks onto the nearby shops and you can enjoy people watching.

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Les Mis Review

by Molly Scanlon

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ver the course of August, the Shorenstein Hays Nederlander (SHN) did a rendition of the famous musical, Les Misérables. Les Misérables is a tragic musical and book based off of the French Revolution of the 1800’s.

The musical shown in the Orpheum Theatre contains only music and songs, no dialogue is spoken throughout the whole show.

Watching the show, the visuals and acting is crucial to help get the plot across to the audience.

The set on stage was fantastic and consisted of three main pieces built so that the audience was able to distinguish the three biggest locations of the show. Besides the scenes, the actors were amazing singers, but could’ve enunciated more. I personally had a hard time understanding the words of the songs which left me confused at some scenes during the show. Without the visuals, I wouldn’t have known what was going on.

During some of the darker scenes, the lighting changed to help set the mood, and the orchestra was quiet and yet daunting.

This personally sent chills up my spine. I found myself tearing up at these sad plot points.

The barricade, a famous scene of the musical in which revolutionists are fighting against the French army for their lives, was full of loud music and gunshot sounds, which left an ominous atmosphere. The audience couldn’t tell who was dead and who was alive

until the gunshots ceased and the smoke cleared. It pulled me in as if I were in the battle among the revolutionists. It made the audience and I feel like the battle was real, not some show on a stage. When you find yourself believing you were in France during the 1800’s, you know that the actors had done their part.

Although the acting and visuals had me reaching for my tissues, I found that some of the character’s costumes looked cheap and thrown together last-second, while others were well-dressed and looked like they might be apart of the French Revolution.

The character Fantine was dressed in a well-made dress, although she portrayed a poor woman working in a sweatshop to pay for her child who she couldn’t afford to live with. To me, someone who has seen the show before knows that Fantine should not be wearing a dress similar to Cosette, who wears an elaborate Victorian-era gown.

Overall the show was incredible, but of course, every show has its faults. In my opinion, that flaw would be the rendition of Madame Thénardier. Madame Thénardier was too vulgar for me, and I had to look away a few times at the ridiculous things she did.

Even though Thénardier’s are distasteful, abusive, and overall filthy people, I felt as if the actress was playing too much. In short, the musical was a beautiful rendition, which had convincing visuals and costumes, and amazing acting despite the one character of Madame Thénardier. The costumes were not the best I’ve seen, with some weird placement of styles that didn’t seem to fit. Les Misérables was fantastic, and it’s flaws were miniscule in size and didn’t take away the magic of the show.

The Party Never Ends

by Mariyah Keifa

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his year, the music festival Rolling Loud makes their grand bay area appearance at the Oakland Coliseum. About 45,000 tickets were sold and 40 artists performed per day, and everything was complete madness. The two stages, DryP and PinClout, separated the artists and were packed with mosh pits. Some highlighted artists for saturday were, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Wiz Khalifa, and Gucci Mane. For Cartis performance, he spent most of his allotted time forcing the crowds to open up the pit for moshes, wasting set time. In my opinion, it wasn’t the best experience due to how many bodies were pushed and shoved.

Uzi hands down had the best performance for Saturday, For his set, I was close but not close enough for people to go crazy in the mosh pits. Uzi played his most hit songs….

“XO TOUR LIF3”, “The Way Life Goes”, “Money Longer”, and many more. Throughout the day, I did not eat anything at all, most 12

of the food was super expensive and the lines were extremely long. On a good note, Wiz Khalifa ended the night with his most popular song “Young, Wild, and Free” and had the crowd was mesmerized by the classic hit.

For Sunday, most people say that it was the better line up. The whole set up of the festival was designed to promote Travis’s new album, Astroworld. For me, the best performances were YG, Lil Skies, Trippie Redd, Rae Sremmurd and E-40. Struggling to get up front for Rae Sremmurd, my friends and I were stuck in many mosh pits and I even had someone pass out directly on me. This set was amazing and something I’d never forget. For YG’s performance, he played all his popular songs, starting with, “SUU WHOOP” and of course ending with, “BIG BANK”. Since YG was the ending set on The PinClout stage, the last and final performance for the weekend was on

DryP which was Travis Scott. Everyone that was at YG’s set had tried going over to travis’s. About 40,000 people were crammed in the audience and people were fainting all around. Many fights broke out due to unintentional pushing and shoving. My group and I decided to just go all the way to the back and enjoy it because it just wasn’t worth the trouble bustling to ride the rail.

In the end, I definitely had one of the best experiences of my life. When asked how her experience was, Gina Trent, said , “...Breathtaking. It was an incredible experience. It was a little scary at first because I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first real music Festival.. It sucked getting pushed around but it was definitely worth it because I was with my best friends...being able to see my favorite artists was the best.

Although I lost them for about 30 minutes and was alone, I didn’t die so I guess I’d say it was a great weekend.”

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

by Ali Heitmann

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he first time I heard about the movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, I was jogging around the track at school, warming up for cross country practice with my friends, all of whom were all talking about it and describing how great of a movie it is. When I found out that it is a Netflix original, I was skeptical about their advice to watch it. The movies I had seen that were Netflix originals had so far been disappointing to me.

People would not stop talking about this movie. I kept hearing about it from everyone at school, so I figured it had to be worth a try. I curled up in bed one afternoon, pulled my computer into my lap, and pressed play. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before presents a witty and completely honest portrayal of love in adolescence. The main character of the movie, an eleventh grade girl named Lara Jean Covey, has written five letters addressed to five boys who she has fallen in love with at different points throughout her life. These letters were supposed to be private, just to help Lara Jean work through her feelings for these boys. But, when these letters are released and make their way into the hands of those they are addressed to, Lara Jean’s secret affections come out and she is thrown into a world completely different than anything she is used to. No longer invisible like she has believed herself to be, Lara Jean has to fight her way through a life complicated by love.

Unfortunately for Lara Jean, one of the boys to receive a letter is her sister’s ex boyfriend Josh. In order to make Josh believe that her feelings for him have long since faded, Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, another boy who received a letter, decide to create a fake relationship. Both parties benefit from the arrangement because Pe-

ter wants to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and Lara Jean wants to convince both Josh and her sister that she has no feelings for Josh.

However, when the “couple” goes together on the annual school ski trip with all of their classmates, including Peter’s ex-girlfriend, things start to get complicated.

I found myself identifying with the characters throughout the movie, especially Lara Jean. She is perfectly portrayed as a young girl in high school struggling with an inner tension between love and the fear of commitment. The casting of Lana Condor to play her character really helped the story to come to life, as well as her counterpart, Noah Centineo, as Peter Kavinsky. Despite a few awkward scenes and dialogues, their performances were well done and their chemistry is clear in this movie. I enjoyed seeing them play these roles and believed their acting, especially Lana Condor’s, to be a contributing factor to how entertaining this movie is.

Director Susan Johnson creates a satisfying mixture of comedy and reality in her movie.

She cleverly gives for Lara Jean a fear of learning how and beginning to drive as a metaphor for her fear of relationships and commitment, and has her avoid driving for the majority of the movie, just like she has avoided love for all of her life. Lara Jean is forced to deal with these fears when her letters are released, and this metaphor is easily relatable for other teenagers who are also learning how to drive themselves.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a cute, clever, and comic movie portraying a young girl dealing with all the side effects that come with affection. The honesty and relatability that are present in this movie keeps the viewer enraptured until the very end.

The Unrivaled Sound of Green Day

by David Ryder

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reen Day can probably strike remembrance to anyone’s mind, whether it’s a memory of a meme they saw online or the memory of nodding their head to the beat of a classic song like “When I Come Around”. The beloved band, Green Day, hit extreme fame back in 1994 when they released their Debut album “Dookie,” which caught the attention of punk music and rock music listeners nationwide. Since 1994, the band is still strolling down its road of success, releasing songs year after year with “Revolution Radio” as their latest released album in 2016. In fact, the band hasn’t stopped releasing hit songs just for radio enjoyment, it’s also caught flames with the internet with their hit song “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” being a laugh factor in online memes. The song matches a variety of different emotions and feelings, and because of music’s emotional factors, this is a very good attribute to have.

I personally believe that the fame Green Day has achieved is completely deserved. Green Day has obtained a median of musical standards that bend to both sides of their audience.

Green Day’s songs have an

epic vibe, while at the same time having a sense of calmness with how the music elevates from high pitch to low pitch, softly strummed to passionately picked and softly sung to loudly roared. A lot of listeners can tune in to their music and feel their head start to shift along with the rhythm of the notes, bobbing with each pluck of the strings on the guitar. The sounds the band creates for the listener are very subtle, each note pleasantly surprising the auditor. The bands diction also goes harmoniously with the music, with the words matching the feel of the melody and the pitch of their voices matching the voices of their instruments. This amazing concoction of teamwork between the band and their instruments has made the band an image of american music. The band has paved a golden standard in the road to success for rock players everywhere. The band will not be forgotten, and even with their spike of fame being in 1994, they’re still playing loud and clear for everyone to hear. Even here at Las Lomas High School, there are kids still listening to the classics the band has gifted us over the years. As a band they sound amazing and don’t deserve anything less than 10/10.

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That’s a Club?

by Maya Rassai

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ne of the most enjoyable parts of Las Lomas is being a part of school clubs. These clubs allow you to explore, develop new hobbies, and create friendships with new people. Once a year, there is an event held in the theatre lawn called “Club Rush” towards the end of September. There you can get a sneak peek at all of the clubs here at Las Lomas. There are so many clubs to choose from, there are even ones that you probably have never even heard of. For example one of our wacky clubs is all about socks.

A club for all the gamers and strategists out there, is the Game Theory Club. Sarah Long, a sophmore and an active member of the group, spoke about the club. “It’s an interesting club. You learn theories about simple games.

For example: Rock, Paper, Scissors has techniques to it, and Game Theory is where you can learn about it.”

When asked about the social aspect, and if she had met numerous amounts of people, she said, “Definitely. I met a lot of people who I didn’t know and it’s a good chance to make friends with people who are not in your grade level. There’s a variety of people there,” Sarah also said for all of those who may be interested in joining the club. “If you find learning techniques and different theories of games is interesting to you. We talk about how you can win games.”

Another organization that is definitely worth joining is the International Cuisine Club. If you enjoy eating and learning about different cultures, then it is something suitable for you to participate in. Nathan Seaway, a sophomore at Las Lomas and the Vice President of the club says, “This club is about showing a diverse array of cuisines from many different cultures...Our club leadership provides the food and we also teach little lessons about different cultures. For example, for Japan, we made origami and sushi.”

All of the clubs at Las Lomas are very diverse and it is also fun to be a part of. Our school typically provides around sixty awesome clubs to join. In addition to all of the fun that Las Lomas clubs serve, participating in school clubs look fantastic on a college application.

Finally, joining and participating in school clubs is an experience that is never forgotten here at Las Lomas!

Some Fresh Advice

by Maya Rassai

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ntering a new school year as a Freshman can be exciting, but also sincredibly stressful. High school is very different than elementary and middle school. You get more freedom and also a sense of independence. While these gifts are enjoyable and make school life seem heavenly, high school is filled with upperclassmen who tend to tease and mock the newest bunch at the school. High School also prepares you for college and your future career, both academically and socially. These tips are quite beneficial and can help you throughout your high school careers.

Here Are Some Tips:

Freshman year does count towards college, but not as much as later years.

This may sound strange, but although your freshman year is not as important academically for college, you should not slack off.

Use your planner. Sometimes your teacher may not post an assignment on School Loop, even though they had announced it during class. It is still your responsibility to stay on top of your class assignments. Staying organized by using a planner will definitely help you throughout your life.

If you are struggling with your grades, go to the cafeteria during academy to seek help from upperclassmen.

Take advanced classes that you also feel comfortable taking. As a high school student, there are so many options for academic classes. Choose advanced courses for the subjects that you excel in. By taking these types of classes, it will be quite beneficial in college.

Something that is different from middle school, is there are finals held at the end of each semester. There are two final times a year. Some great ways to study are to attend the group study sessions in the library. There are two sessions held per semester. The staff provides snacks and most of your teachers will be there to assist you if you need help. I suggest spending more time studying for the finals you have the lowest grades in.

Use your academy time wisely. You most likely have work to do from all of your classes, so you should not spend this study time chatting with your friends.

How to Deal With the Big Kids:

Do not sit on the senior lawn.

Do not be afraid of the upperclassmen, no matter how tall and mature they look. They are just like you.

Do not sit in the rally court.

There are so many interesting and fun clubs to join here at Las Lomas.

There is an event held in the beginning of the year called “Club Rush” during lunch. There, you get to choose from a variety of clubs to join.

They also look great on college applications.

By attending these clubs, you can make new friends based on the interests you share.

Make more friends. You should make more friends groups, instead of staying in one group.

How to Juggle All Your Things at Once:

Use your locker. As a freshman, I barely used my locker because I thought it was time consuming to go back and forth to your locker. My backpack was constantly pressing on my back and now, I use my locker everyday to relieve pain.

Do not rush to get to your classes. Every school day, with the exception of Monday, you have ten minute passing periods. During this time you can put some materials away in your locker and use the restroom if needed. Just be aware that the lines can be quite long, but they move pretty quickly.

Even though you have four more years until college, you still have plenty of time to decide which career you would like to pursue in the future.

There are still many juniors and seniors who have not decided what they want to do, you still have plenty of time to decide.

I am sure you have heard these tips numerous times, but have you actually applied them yet? By following these tips, you will make it out alive.

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Best Botanical Gardens in the Bay

by Madison Lakin

Berkeley Rose Garden 1200 Euclid Ave, Berkeley, CA 94708

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he Berkeley Rose Garden, open sunrise to sunset, is a free admission to observe a variety of different roses. Although parking is tricky, the garden is located in a quiet neighborhood across from a park filled with young families and playing children.

During the walk through the garden, you can see people having picnics, playing tennis, painting, and others observing the beauty of the roses. This garden is ideal for someone who is already in the Berkeley area and wants something new to do because it is a quick trip if you are going to just look at the roses, overall it is a must stop if you are in the area.

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

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200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720

he UC Berkeley Botanical Garden is a filled 34 acre sea of various landscapes throughout the world. Step into the geographical collections of Asia, the Mediterranean, deserts of the Americans, Central America and many more exotic locations for a mere $7 admission and a $1 an hour parking. While you are in the gardens, they have places to sit, picnics, and a garden store so you can purchase your favorite garden merchandise. The different collections have easy access so everyone can enjoy the luscious landscapes, the sheer zen of the environment and wildlife can relax anyone.

Japanese Tea Garden 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118

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he Koi fish await you at this Japanese oasis near Golden Gate Park. With easy parking along the streets and a $6 admission fee, you can enjoy the lush 5-acre landscape of the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States. This garden is a definite tourist attraction, busy with people from across the globe all enjoying the gardens as well as the Tea House. The tea house offers different Japanese teas, edamame, and other snacks for a quick bite to eat.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

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1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

t the San Francisco Botanical Garden travel, the world is within 55 acres of luxuriant and exotic plants located within the Golden Gate Park. Admission to this garden is $6 and there is parking in nearby garages for a small fee. While you are exploring this large garden, you can go down the main paved paths or explore unique hidden areas when you find a dirt trail. As you walk down paths, the staff who work here are friendly and help you to make sure you get exactly where you want to go.

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Spotted: Thirteen Reasons Why Actors in Walnut Creek

by Molly Scanlon

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fter enjoying the senior picnic, a group of LL knights went out on the town to end up finding something surprising, the cast of 13 Reasons Why, a popular Netflix-original show based off the novel by Jay Asher. Gracie Bridges, Allison Phillips, and Maggie McGlynn were walking around downtown Walnut Creek when they ran into Brandon Flynn and Justin Prentice, who are both key stars in the show. The group of girls were sitting at Mel’s around 9 o’clock at night, eager to meet the cast, as said by Gracie Bridges, “... hurried and paid the check quickly… power-walked to catch up to them.” Originally the girls had seen more than just those two actors, but only caught up to Brandon and Justin. Even though it was late at night, the actors were more than willing to take a photo with the group.

Maggie McGlynn explained the actors manners to these daunting fans: “...they were nice… it was kind of rushed but they were really nice.” The two members took photos with the group, using one of the girl’s phone. Brandon Flynn had asked them about school, according to Gracie Bridges, and was really excited to hear that the girls were in their last year here at Las Lomas. However, these seniors weren’t the only LL students to see the cast strolling around Walnut Creek. Elen Barseghyan, a junior at Las Lomas, told The Page that she had seen Brandon Flynn and Justin Prentice, along with other members of the cast, downtown as well. “I didn’t approach,” she says. Elen had been too shy to ask the group for a picture. “They had been to the movie theater the day before,” she says. A friend of Elen’s who happens to work at the Walnut Creek Century had seen them the day before.

The cast and crew of the show have been in the North Bay Area these past few months to film the third season of the critically acclaimed show. Filming began in August 12, indicating the cast had just arrived when they had run into the LL witnesses. The city of San Rafael has confirmed to have started filming there as well. Despite these recent sightings, this isn’t the first time that 13RW has been filmed here in the Bay Area. Actually, most of the scenes in seasons one and two are filmed locally.

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t run into the cast yet, the production crew is looking for extras in the East Bay Area! So don’t be shy, and if you’re into acting, look into it! You might be the next star on 13 Reasons Why.

Walnut Creek Is Bonkers for Boba

by Madison Laxamana

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alnut Creek is packed with places where people can buy boba; from famous boba drink chains, to little cafes, to restaurants that offer boba on their menu. The most popular boba places people go to in Walnut Creek are mainly located downtown. The well-known chains are iTea, T4, and Mr. Green Bubble. These three places have a large menu with a variety of milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, and little bites of food. Although people like you have usually heard good things about these places, are they as good as the opinions you heard say they are? After going around the school during lunch, surveying 100 students what their favorite boba place were in Walnut Creek out of the three, there was a clear winner. The majority of students easily stated that their favorite place to grab boba and hang out was Mr. Green Bubble.

With T4 coming in second, and iTea last. I questioned student Sydney Jacinto on why she believed iTea was the least favorite out of the three. “iTea isn’t terrible, or bad, or anything like that. It’s just not as good and has a few more flaws than Mr. Green Bubble and T4,” says Jacinto. “The 16

service isn’t as fast for both the food and drinks at iTea, and it’s a pretty small place that gets crowded very easily.” Then, I asked what makes Mr. Green Bubble better. “Mr. Green Bubble is an all around great place for boba. The service is pretty fast for drinks and they don’t really disappoint you with the taste of whatever drink you order. The way the place looks inside and out also gives people a good vibe,” she explained.

As somebody who enjoys boba and gets it very often, I can agree with her statements. In addition to Mr. Green Bubble and T4 having topnotch service and quality boba, the amount of space they have can fit the crowds they often attract. They both have a shelf full of board and card games to keep people entertained while they’re waiting for or drinking their boba that is also very beneficial to keep drawing customers into their shop. “Even though some of these boba places have a little flaws, I still think that all of them are really good,” Jacinto adds. “Either way, I’m always happy with the drinks I receive.”

Open Campus?

by Isabel Shic

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ith pizza right around the corner, Starbucks ten minutes away, and Whole Foods just across campus, it’s natural that Las Lomas students would give a definite yes to an open campus. Most students, however, aren’t fully aware of the responsibilities of such a privilege, nor would they appreciate the burden this would place upon the administrators and staff.

First, let’s talk about what an open campus would mean to Las Lomas. Essentially, students would be allowed to leave campus during lunch, then speed back before the short, 35-minute lunch period ends --if they come back. Most likely, our school would have an increased number of tardies or absences during sixth and seventh period. Let’s face it: downtown is a distracting place, especially for students who have less than 35 minutes to get back to class. This is a lot to ask.

“I think students would be distracted and potentially inclined to visit local businesses instead of com[ing] to class. It wouldn’t only happen during breaks--students would be tempted to shop even after the bell has rung,” said Ms. Hull, sophomore English teacher.

We should also consider our local businesses. They would be overwhelmed if dozens of potentially messy and noisy Las Lomas students poured into their stores. This would create tension between us and our surrounding businesses, and might even subtract the contributions we get from WCEF. We should ask ourselves this: if students can’t even be responsible for keeping our campus and bathrooms clean, why should they be trusted to respect the property of local businesses?

Administrators, concerned about the safety and behavior of students, would have to patrol school borders and, in some cases, follow students downtown. This would require a large amount of willing staff members to spend their lunch babysitting teenagers.

“Whether it’s happening on or off campus, we (admin) are responsible if it has anything to do with our students,” said Mr. Giron, associate principal. When students are impacted--emotionally or physically--and when local businesses are affected by misbehaving students, fingers are ultimately pointed towards the administrators. To avoid this, administrators would be forced to devise a flawless plan--one that would take time, research, and money Las Lomas already lacks.

Others would disagree, saying that students can pick up valuable skills including time management, responsibility, and learning how to act in the real world. However, we should consider that students have other opportunities to do this on campus, whether it’s through class work, talking to teachers, or reaching out to other students. Having an open campus wouldn’t benefit Las Lomas students or administrators and staff. It wouldn’t benefit our local businesses, nor would it better our relationship with them. Opening our campus would be a waste of the time and the money we should be investing in other, more useful things.

As one Las Lomas parent said, “school is a special time. You’re only there for a short couple of years. It’s a good opportunity to build relationships and further friendships. If you’re leaving campus, then you don’t have as much time to experience school.”

A for Effort: a Look into How Much Grades Actually Matter

by Susan Rahimi

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rades prevent people from enjoying what they are learning instead of encouraging students to take interest in the material. Like myself, kids stress about school along with the workload instead of truly taking it in. School has become this stressful chore, which brings me to asking a certain question; ‘Do grades really matter?’ The whole reason students stress about school is because of grades. Getting straight A’s will impress the UC college you’re striving to be in and will open up a whole world of opportunities when you receive that acception letter. But can’t you get the same opportunities at a non-university college?

The whole point of having this amazing education is to learn. Although students are learning, most are not enjoying school. Not only can grades control our awful sleep cycle, but it controls our social lives. We put off going to a football game or hanging out with a friend, to do school work to get an A plus. High school doesn’t have to be the best years of your life, hopefully it won’t be, just make the most of it. Make fun memories with your friends and strengthen those connections. We are only going to be here for a few more years and soon we will take on our next steps, whether that be college or a job. Don’t let your intruding thoughts about grades restrain you from doing things that you might enjoy.

Stress less, have fun, and have fun learning. Everything will work out in the long run while you love and are engaged in what you are doing. Don’t not take that “hard” class because you will not get an A, though don’t take that class because you want your GPA to be higher. Take classes that you will love, because in the long run, your B average in high school won’t matter. You should take more risks and do the things that might make you slightly uncomfortable, you don’t have to just learn in the classroom. You learn from your many experiences and connections you make with others. Not only will you be happier, but your colleagues, family, and friends will be thankful in the long run when you are not complaining to everyone about how much you have to do when you get home from school. I’m not telling you to slack off and fail all of your classes, just have fun. I know plenty of people, including and uncle who works at Microsoft who is very successful and did not get the best grades in high school.

Grades matter to a certain extent, but not to the point where you are stressing and doing homework until twelve o’clock at night. It is way more important to be happy and have a couple B or C grades. Life will work out in the long run, so you should just enjoy your time in high school, be engaged, and love what you are doing.

17

Day In The Life Of A Dancer

by Molly Scanlon

“

...It’s an instrument with your feet,” Brooklyn Knowlton says about how they view the world of dance. Knowlton, a junior at Las Lomas gives us an exclusive about what it’s like to juggle dance and school at the same time. Knowlton dances at Ace Dance Academy, and spends approximately eight hours a week in the studio. Brooklyn usually focuses on tap dance, but has done hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and ballet in the past. Tap is Knowlton’s favorite, and they have been pursuing it for 13 years: “Depending on how you approach it, it can be similar to smooth jazz or strong and powerful like a drummer in a rock band,” Brooklyn says.

They say, “It’s really important… being able to know the rhythm…” Brooklyn thinks it’s crucial to see how dance moves align with the music, or else the whole groove is gone and you’re stuck moving your body in an eccentric way, while some techno-pop is blasting in the background. Brooklyn gives The Page an exclusive secret about the art of dance. “When you start dancing enough, you start hearing the undertones of music.” Typically, the true undertones of music get overlooked by average listeners. Alongside dance, Brooklyn is an active student here at LL and takes part in the Las Lomas art community.

They frequently take commissions for digital art. Knowlton also spends their free time learning how to play the guitar. Although they love dance, Brooklyn says that schoolwork is

always the most important thing. Recently, they have toned dance back to three or four hours a week in order to focus on school work, and they are no longer a competitive dancer. In their mind, “Dance is just an elective… I do it because I like doing it.” Not only does dance help them de-stress, but the activity requires an abundance of physical activity, which gives them a workout every day. Academy is really useful to Brooklyn, for she uses the time to ask for help from teachers, and get homework done in time for dance, while being able to also workout via the yoga or weight training classes. “You’ll get more bang for your buck,” as Knowlton says.

Due to their busy school schedule, they don’t have much time to practice a routine until the day of class. “A lot of my teachers are really strict about knowing the choreography,” Brooklyn explains. They study choreography videos, videos of the dance and the moves with counts, when they’re not in class, which helps them understand the moves without having to go through them. This is helpful when you’re a student going to and from home every day, filling in the unproductive gaps of the day.

Dance doesn’t have to be something competitive and strict, the art form can really just be a hobby and a truly comforting thing.

Brooklyn Knowlton really emphasizes how for them, dance is just a relaxing sport, not something as harsh as others can make it out to be: “I really just do it for myself now.”

L ocal Youtubers L

by Adrian Watkins

I

’ve always wondered: how do YouTubers make money? It would probably be a good idea to do some research on this topic. So for the best insight on how YouTubers achieve their financial and social backing, I reached out to a local YouTuber. It was very fascinating to learn the behind the scenes of what YouTubers go through to make their videos and it’s a very interesting process.

The name of the YouTuber that I interviewed is Junior Andre Grenville. He has been making YouTube videos for about three years, and he is absolutely in love with this hobby of his. All throughout his childhood and up to today, photography and videography has been a passion of his. He has always loved to experiment with cameras, so making Youtube videos isn’t a problem for him. But Andre says that he hasn’t gotten quite enough views to make money off of YouTube.

So one of his steps in the process of working on his photography, he sells stock photos. In other words, he takes photos, edits them, and sells them to websites and other people who want to buy for $5 each. But even though he doesn’t make money off of his YouTube channel yet, he does know a way on how to make money from the videos. It’s called Adsense; you put advertisements on your YouTube channel and YouTube pays you. Now I should probably explain what kind of content Andre posts. He makes mostly vlogs whenever he travels. He doesn’t post his videos right away though. It takes him at least two weeks to complete the proper edits to post. He likes to use YouTube as a platform for his life and entertainment.

YouTuber Evan Edinger gave the BBC some very valuable information on how Youtubers make money. He talked about 5 main 18

ideas; AdSense, Patreon, affiliate links, merchandise, and brand ads.

AdSense refers to to the advertisements that pop up before you watch a video on YouTube. For every 1,000 impressions of the ad that is played per video, YouTubers can get paid anywhere between one and five dollars. If someone gets a million views on a video, those views equate to somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good amount of money to me for getting views on a video. Patreon is basically what you could call an online tip jar. Viewers who really like the content of what they’re watching can pay a dollar or so per video, or per month.

These small payments eventually add up and becomes noticeable.

The next way YouTubers make money is by affiliating links. In this process, a YouTuber might refer specific products in their post, and when they do that they will likely get some money as a thank you from the brand of the product they promote on the video. YouTubers also sell merchandise, such as shirts, posters, wristbands, any extra products like this that can make YouTubers money. Brand advertisements are also a great way for YouTubers to make money. In fact, this makes YouTubers the most money. Companies pay YouTubers to make videos specifically for their products in exchange for large sums of straight cash. I myself have a some experience with making YouTube videos. I am not a YouTuber though, so I haven’t done the real edits and advertisements like those other YouTubers that I mentioned. However, it is fun to make a video, post it, and have other people watch it. I believe being apart of the YouTube community would be a great experience.

Is It Okay To Meme Tragedies?

by Al McLeroy

E

veryone likes memes, me included. They’re (generally) funny and pretty harmless. Even when intended to offend a certain group, they tend to stay in the bubble of satire (of course there are always exceptions to this, but in in general terms), and don’t spread too far. Recently in an ongoing quest to offend the largest group of people as possible, many people have begun using recent tragedies, such as recent attacks on schools, as bases for memes or as punchlines. This practice has caused a lot of people to question where the line should be drawn, which, since more and more of these memes are popping up daily, is being asked more and more. In the midst of this, two groups have presented their opinions on the issue, and neither of them are right.

One side believes that using these events as bases is unacceptable, and should never be used. These people believe that the meming of tragedies is offensive, and thus meaning it should not be practiced.

While these people come from a good place, the fact that they offend people should not be used as grounds for removing the memes.

Many of the people in this group also should realize that, while these are offensive, most of these aim to be humorous and satirical. Although, there is another group online whose views are quite a bit more extreme, so let’s talk about them.

The other group of people believes that there is no line, that everything is fair game no matter how offensive or tragic the event that

they are using is. This of course, is another extreme that isn’t a very reasonable view. While using certain events that one may find tragic as a base for jokes and memes can be OK to an extent, many of these people, aided by the internet, have been jumping to use very recent tragedies as bases almost the minute they happen. A somewhat recent example of this would be the memes of the Las Vegas shooting, in this instance, people trying to stir up drama and reactions began posting memes about the shooting within days of the event.

While these images are still ones attempt at comedy, uploading these almost hours after the event happens is just distasteful.

What should people do about this issue? The idea that if something offends someone it should not be used doesn’t seem practical, and, while it may offend, it still is an attempt at comedy. The idea that the minute a tragic event occurs, it should be used as a base for memes and jokes is not OK either. This may sound contradictory but, even though it’s supposed to be funny, when it’s so recent, many people who are in shock of the event could easily be hurt by someone’s attempt at humor. So, where should the line be drawn? Well, if you’d read the title of this article you’d know. People can meme tragedies, but try waiting a little before they do. If people do this, they’ll be able to still have a shocking punchline, but still stay satire and not be as offensive as it would have been earlier. Do what you want to do with your memes, but if you’re going to meme tragedies, wait a bit OK?

Is BYOD Beneficial?

by Lucas Hummel

T

he digital age has made waves in the world of education for some time now. For example, Las Lomas has taken a step in order to ride that wave, for this year marks the first semester teachers will be allowed to request students to bring their own personal devices, called a BYOD according to the district. Such devices include laptops, chromebooks, and tablets. Along with this addition, ninth-graders have been supplied with chromebooks that can serve as their device. Administrator Ms. Geotina explains, “Really, we are looking for a cultural shift...We want them to be more comfortable with bringing a device sophomore through senior year.”

As with any new policy, this raises questions that some argue, have yet to be answered. The main issue seems to be how this new system fits into the debate over how technology should play a role in the classroom, and to what extent will schools go to apply it.

The benefit for the teachers offering the BYOD is that their students can access internet resources in a fast and easy way they are familiar with. “If you’re using it in a way that is [to] enhance the student learning experience, then absolutely technology should be used,” said Ms. Geotina.

For the school, the benefit is money: “It frees the district from having to continually re-invest in new technology,” says English teacher, Ms. Gieleghem. Although laptops and other technology can be pretty expensive, at least $150 while obsolete after five years. From a financial standpoint, the BYOD policy makes sense. The only issue is a few teachers believe computers in their classrooms would only assist in distraction: “We have lost control of our

technology to the point that it now controls us,” says Ms. Gieleghem.

Some students will only be asked to have a device in one or two classes, so buying a device could potentially be pointless, depending on the teacher. Although, not all teachers feel this way about the BYOD, and some may implement it in the future.

For the most part, classrooms have been unaffected and many teachers have chosen to forego the use of personal devices in their lessons, opting to incorporate school-owned devices or no devices at all. The teachers who are implementing the district wide policy, are noticing that last years’ freshman are bringing their devices to school, this is most likely due to their experience last year. Ms. Geotina said, “The juniors and seniors are the ones that are more resistant because they never experienced that as freshman.”

Some students dislike the new technology policies. For example, freshman Jack Abells already has issues with the Chromebook, noting, “It’s not exactly easy to bring to school every day… it’d be even more irritating to have to bring my own.” But not all of the student body feels this way, sophomore Vanessa Bartling said, “I like bringing my Chromebook to class because I am able to write my essays and do homework online, instead of waiting until I get home.”

Until personal devices are available at prices accessible by all students, many teachers will be unable to enforce the BYOD, especially if they are not motivated to include technology at all. For now, teachers are content with the status quo, and open to the possibility of a BYOD in their classrooms.

19

Don’t Worry!

by Grace Gonsalves

“

It’s Only Your Future

I ask them, ‘What does it take to get in the front door of your school?’” says Anne Fuller, from the College and Career Center here at Las Lomas. The center is established to assist students battling the dragon of college acceptances. The most valuable resources are the college hand-holders working at the center, including Anne Fuller, who says, “We look at how to make the best fit with the student going to a four year college.”

Generally, one should start thinking about careers sophomore year, take tests and APs junior year, and write applications senior year. However, high school is more than that. Fuller stated, “Freshman year you start your story of high school, sophomore year is when you develop it, junior year is when you refine it, and your senior year is when you tell it to colleges.”

Several things that the College and Career Center can help with are ACT/SAT preparation and CSF sign-ups. “You really should almost treat it like another class,” Fuller said, while describing the study techniques for the ACT/SATs. There are three ways to study for the tests: classroom instruction, online resources, and self study. For instruction, the center hired a program to hold five sessions of class prior to the upcoming ACTs. Books and online recommendations are also offered at the center to help students prepare.

California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is the only academic honor society offered at our high school, and they also offer scholarships to their members during senior year. Students with high GPAs, or excelling in challenging classes, usually meet the expectations for CSF. After that, they may pay $5 for 4-6 semesters, and then they are a part of the federation. Also, bonus: seniors get to show off with gold cords at graduation! This is the only symbol showing academic honor at graduation.

Events coming up through the College and Career Center are Friday career meetings and the College Fair. The Friday career meetings are welcome to all students. At these meetings, students can listen to speakers talk about their profession. The College Fair, taking place on October 25 at lunch, is where students can talk to representatives of different colleges. “Put the admission folks on the spot and ask them the hard questions,” Fuller suggests.

The key aspects colleges look for on applications are high GPAs, good test scores, and class rigor (to a certain degree of course). Colleges not only look for these stats, but also a personality: that someone is taking classes they are interested in and will be challenged by. Lower scale qualifications are community service and out-of-school activities. Although, it truly depends on the student and the college they are applying to. For example, “If you’re a theatre student or an art student, they may not care about your grades at all. It’s all talent based,” says Fuller.

Naviance, another great resource found online, is a famous high school software that aids students searching for colleges and career paths. There are scholarship opportunities on the site, thanks to the volunteers who post them on the website for us: “The best place to search for scholarships is Naviance. I have a team of 5 moms I call my power scholarship moms… they come in every single day, updating that list for our students.” The SuperMatch software and scattergrams are also useful tools.

On scattergrams you can view the statistics of past Las Lomas students who have applied to colleges, and the SuperMatch can help students identify college choices.

By using these scattergrams, students can decide whether or not they meet the qualifications for specific universities. For example, UC universities are more selective with a competitive application process, and also large schools. An important aspect of choosing universities to apply for, according to Mrs. Fuller, is choosing the size of school that students are comfortable in. By attending universities nearby, students can decide whether they are comfortable in schools with large, medium, or small campuses, then tour campuses based on that information. “I always think about it as shopping...how much money do you have, what size are you interested in, and what grade point averages do you have.”

20

Teachers Give an F to the Grade System

by Grace Gonsalves

“If I could throw my grade book out the window, I would...”

W

e know what students think about grades, many don’t know what teachers think. In each class, expectations are similar because teachers are required to consistently follow the school district standards. These standards are formed with the intent to help students learn. Students take a class, do the coursework, take finals, and receive a grade. Simple.

Yet, not all teachers agree that learning and grading are connected: “I hate assigning grades because kids tie up their worth with their grade,” said Ms. Gieleghem. Teachers want students to reach high levels of understanding and depth, and in order to achieve those goals, students must put effort into their work: “I look for a blend of effort and performance, but as they get higher up in math, we need to see that performance piece more,” said Mr. Lewis, an advanced geometry teacher here at Las Lomas. Of course other teachers expect effort from students, although, they cannot actually grade on effort. Math tests are not graded on effort, they are graded on accuracy. Literary essays are not graded on time-spent, they are graded on grammar, vocabulary, and literary analysis. So really, grades only show students their ability to achieve perfection.

Even if students are meeting their educator’s expectations, they aren’t meeting the expectations of the system. Ms. Rigisich, from the English department, has expectations including, “Personal growth, refining and further developing the skills that students need in the real world.” A student that tries their utmost to learn better grammar skills and writing tools could still earn a C on a test, it does happen. Now the question is, does this C pose as failure to the student? Often times it does. Although grades can mean failure, teachers hope for students to realize that grades are not a representation of intellect: “Classes are supposed to be about learning, however, western education has... taught our students that the grade indicates their level of intelligence, and we need to undo that now,” said Ms. Rigisich. Student worth should not be a topic of discussion at school. Yet, students are cognizant of the college admissions officers breathing down their necks and scrutinizing every grade on their transcript. Teenagers on campus are more focused with getting into a college where they can learn, rather than learning before college.

Of course, this is not the intention of giving grades, it is simply the outcome. The intention is to motivate students to do their work so that they can learn. Mr. Lewis said, “I think different people are motivated by different things, grades motivate some students, yet not others.”

This typically describes the environment at Las Lomas, and it is definitely true that “extrinsic motivations,” the term Ms. Rigisich uses, are necessary for some students.

Yet, a debatable question, are grades essential? Teachers definitely have manifold perspectives on this, and most agreed that while grading is not essential, the assessment process is. An opinion held by Ms. Gieleghem, “Grading is the trap that we all have to be in, and in many ways, I think we are punished by rewards in our culture,” is very relatable to students, as we often defend and argue with teachers over grades, biting the hands that feed us. Another view, this time from Ms. Rigisich, “In an ideal world, absolutely not. I don’t think that grading and learning are related philosophically, but in our system, they’re almost inextricably linked together.” In other words, by way of exposure the grading system has become essential to our learning process, yet it is not ideal. Each one of the teachers interviewed expressed at least a slight animosity towards grading, many saying it was a burden, a trap, or unfair. However, each and every one of them also conveyed an opinion that assessments and tests were vital. “Part of our hope with these new standards is for all of us to see that assessments and grades are to give you a sense of where you are and how to move forward,” said Ms. Laws. We as students know that tests can and cannot accurately show our progress because there are always going to be factors that make tests unreliable, yet there is always something to be said about the feedback that they give. “I think you can be really smart in a lot of different areas and not necessarily on photosynthesis, and that doesn’t really tell me about that person’s intellect,” said Ms. Stansbury, an AP Environmental Science teacher here at Las Lomas. This is a clear example of how grades specifically show students their progress on one piece of content, not their overall IQ. Another topic of discussion was that students should get more out of their classes than just grades. Ms. Gieleghem said, “To me, classes are about stimulating the imagination, creating curiosity, and forming students who want to learn more.” This statement truthfully illustrates how learning can mean more than grades, even if that isn’t the way most folks think about it. Many adults have memories of classes they took where they were so interested in their subjects, that they didn’t care about the grades. Not all high schoolers can admit to that, for perfection is definitely the prize sought for. But really, all grades are, is motivation and feedback. “I do feel like grades can tell you something, but I think they’re the start of the conversation and not the end.” (Laws) 21

Get to know Blake Thorpe

by Sam Hoff

What was your favorite memory at Las Lomas?

My favorite memory at Las Lomas was the locker room celebration after beating Palo Alto in basketball NorCal finals.

What are you looking forward to about playing at UC Davis?

I’m most looking forward to playing in front of bigger crowds and seeing how I compare against the college guys.

What is your favorite video game right now?

It’s a tie between Madden 19 and Fortnite.

What do you like to do on your free time?

I like to watch YouTube and hang with friends in my free time.

Who is your snapchat best friend?

M. Lin

My snapchat best friend is J Maug (Jenna Mauger).

What is your favorite number?

My favorite number is 7.

V-Ball Spikes Into The New Year

by Sam Hoff

A

lready 10 games into their season, the Las Lomas girls volleyball team are off to one of the hottest starts they’ve had since the 2008 season. The Knights are currently 9-2.

They have only lost 6 sets this entire season and have won 29 sets.

This year the team will only carry 12 girls on the roster. Last year they carried 15 girls on the roster, which caused drama on the team.

Carrying a smaller roster this year may be better for the team in the long run. The team last year was cliquish resulting in a season they didn’t want to have. “This year everyone on the team wants to be there and play their part no matter how big or small it may be. We all play for each other and just try to do our best while still having fun. Last year the team was separated and therefore less successful,” said Senior captain Alexa Evans.

The Knights are in a similar league this year with Miramonte, Northgate, Acalanes, Alhambra, and Campolindo, minus College Park who got moved to a different league. Last season the Knights finished 4th out of 5th place in league with a league record of 2-8 and a total record of 10-13. However, with a new season and a changed team mindset the girls seem to be ready to take the league title.

“I believe our team will do great this season. I believe we will have an equal battle between the teams in our league and have a fair shot at winning the league title,” said M. Lin Senior Brooke Ellingson. Even though the team only ended up going 10-13 last season, it was still a big improvement compared to the past seasons. In 2016 the team only went 10-20 and in 2015 they went 4-21. Last season was also the first time the girls have made the North Coast Section playoffs since the 2014 season where they made 22

it to the second round of the playoffs. League play for the 2018 Las Lomas girls Volleyball team is underway. The Knights started league play against Northgate and played a remarkable game. They showed how much heart they have and how hard they will fight in order to win a game. Despite showing all the effort, the Knights came up just short and lost 3 sets to 1. Northgate and Campolindo will be the toughest matchup for the Knights during league play. Campolindo won league last season with a perfect 10-0 record and ended up playing against Bishop O’dowd in the NCS finals, but lost 3-1.

This season’s team will be fun to watch and they will be playing upcoming competitive matches against tough teams.

Senior captain Alexa Evans is a key player on the team not only a great setter, but a great leader. Opposing teams will also have the challenge of swinging against 6’1 Senior Brooke Ellingson’s block. “Our team this year has great flow and chemistry. When we are on we are a tough team to beat. Brooke has such firepower when she plays and Alexa is like the quarterback of the team,” says Junior captain Grace Paulson. Sydney Jacinto is also a key contributor to the team. During games she makes the other team look foolish with her high volleyball IQ . You can’t have a good front row without a good defense, and Ashley Haskett and Maddie Laxamana are solid liberos for this years team. They put their best efforts forth to get the ball up for the setter Alexa Evans.

All of the Las Lomas volleyball teams’ struggles from last year’s league season, have led to a more powerful program. This year’s team will refurbish their tainted reputation and clear Las Lomas’ name for volleyball.

L Football Off To A Hot Start

L

by Charlie Rosen

L

as Lomas Football is off to a scorching 5-0 start to their season. This years’ football team could be one of the best we have ever had at Las Lomas.

It had been a rough previous two years for Knights football program as they had a record of 1-19. In Lonegero’s first year back last season, he led the Knights to a 4-6 season is remarkable compared to the two seasons previously.

This will be the second season for coach Doug Longero since returning from DVC. In their first game this season at Acalanes, Las Lomas was down 7-6 with only 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Then, the offense drove down the field and scored a touchdown taking the lead 12-7 and eventually went on to win the game. This team showed they did not quit even when they were trailing majority of the game.

In the much anticipated Battle of the Creek game this year, Las Lomas anihilated Northgate 63-0. Zach Patterson who scored the first touchdown of the game said “it just felt awesome. Scoring a touchdown in front of that many people felt amazing”. “Emotions were flaring, we knew kids on the other team it was an emotional game for us,” said running back Nick Kane. The defense got their first shutout of the year while the offense exploded for 37 points in the first quarter. The offense has been outstanding so far with Dylan Graham at quarterback and Isaiah Newell in the backfield along with multiple solid receivers (Blake Thorpe, Jacob Brown, and Zach Patterson). This offense should continue its sizzling start throughout the whole season.

Not only has the offense gotten off to a hot start the defense has also excelled. Last years defense is where the team really struggled, but improvements in both the secondary and the defensive line helped them turn it around. The defense has allowed 13 or fewer points in each of their games this season. Some key players on the defensive side this year have been underclassman, Mason Reese and Brian Thorpe. They have played well and earned significant roles as sophomores.

Everyone has been taking their game up a notch which is why this team has been so great. Las Lomas’ schedule does not get any easier from here on out as they head into their tough league schedule.

The season is still young and will have many more games to go. Las Lomas football is in a new era and it is something to get excited about. Make sure to come out and watch your Knights during the year as they look to continue their hot start to the season.

How Zach Patterson became “ZPatt”

M. Lin

by Stormy Mercado

“

I just want to kill them,” said wide receiver Zach Patterson about heading into the Battle of the Creek game. Patterson achieved his goal: making the first touchdown in a game that would go down in Las Lomas history. “Honestly, it felt awesome.

Knowing that you’re scoring a touchdown in front of that many people feels insane.” Las Lomas took back the creek after three years of despair, winning with a final score of 63-0.

Winning doesn’t just happen, many factors go into preparing for a game. Patterson gets his head start preparing for the game by getting a good night sleep the evening before, and getting into his gameday mindset after school. “Once that bell rings, I do definitely start feeling like this is it. I have to start getting in the zone.” A pre-game nap is a must for Patterson, as with getting to Las Lomas early.

“I hate to be late. That freaks me out,” he said, adding that the first teammate he usually encounters is Isaiah Newell. “He always has his headphones on. M. Lin He never just stands still. He always has to keep moving.”

“The atmosphere when the game is about to start is just dope, it just gets you so hyped like we’re about to kill someone,” said Patterson. The team chemistry is better than ever before this

year, which can attribute to how well they’ve been performing. “We have great chemistry. We probably have the best chemistry of any year… We’re all brothers.” Patterson accredits this new success partially to higher confidence levels compared to past years. The team has overall improved as a whole and the players feel positive heading into games. Patterson said, “[Running out of that football helmet] gets us going,” referring to the gigantic inflatable football helmet located on the field behind the endzone.

Some know Patterson better as “ZPatt.” He stated that he actually came up with that nickname himself back in middle school when he was trying to create a cool Instagram username. “I thought of a really good one: ZPatt.

It’s kind of just been with me since sixth grade.” He has two cats, named Phineas and Ferb.

He also cares very much about his grades, putting in the effort to balance sports with his academics. Homework is a priority and tutors come in handy when needed. Catch ZPatt on the field wearing number 16 in maroon and gold and scoring the touchdowns helping the Knights win games. Make sure you continue to watch Patterson and the Knights football team thrive this season, it will be a special year for them.

23

Mann, Myth, Legend

by Sam Hoff

S

teve “Skip” Mann is one of the most successful coaches in Las Lomas history at one of the sports you may not hear about often on campus. You may see him around school, towering over students at a height of 6’6, but what you may not about him is that he has been coaching boys’ water polo here at Las Lomas for 22 seasons, this year being his 23rd.

Coach Mann grew up in the Bay Area, going to Miramonte High School and later on attending UC Berkeley for college and Water Polo. He began coaching at Las Lomas in 1996 thanks to the former long time athletic director and principal at Las Lomas who convinced him to take the job.

In 22 seasons at Las Lomas, Mr. Mann has a coaching record of 375 wins and 201 losses: a winning percentage of .652%. However, the Boys Water Polo program hasn’t always had the success shown in his coaching record. “I inherited a pretty dysfunctional program in my first year of coaching polo. Coming from Miramonte and Cal, I wanted nothing to do with it.” After Mann was hired, the Knights ended the season with 7 wins and lost 14 matches in his first season as head coach. Quickly determined to turn that around, since that 1996 season the Knights have had a winning record (more wins than losses). And ever since 1999, they have made it to at least the second round of the playoffs. In 2000, 2001, 2013, and 2015, Las Lomas has won the league title, and in 2010 and 2011, the Knights won back-to-back championships.

In 2010, the year the Knights won the North Coast Section title, Skip captured his best coaching record as the head coach of Las Lomas: a record of 24 wins and 4 losses a winning percentage of .857%.

It’s not just coach Skip Mann who’s behind the success for the Las Lomas boys water polo program credit also has to be given to Larry Banfield, long time assistant to Skip who has been in the boys water polo program since 1999. “I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the help from Larry Banfield,” says Skip. “Larry is one of the most sympathetic and respectable people I have ever met, and he knows exactly what it takes to win. He will do everything he can to do it,” says team captain Dylan Mann.

This season will be his 23rd season as the head coach of Las Lomas. “I’m really excited about this current season. We have a great group of kids that work hard and want to succeed; this team should do very well this year.” So far this season, through the first 3 games the Knights are 3-0 including a blowout victory versus league rival Northgate 15-5. In a tough league this year per usual, they will have to face Campolindo, Acalanes, and Miramonte twice.

For the first time in Skip’s career being at Las Lomas, both his kids attend Las Lomas, Dylan Mann (12 Grade) and Easton Mann (9th Grade), which makes things for him even more of a memorable experience. Dylan has been on Varsity since his freshman year. He immediately came into a key role on the team, being one of the first people coming off the bench. Ever since Freshman year, Dylan has found himself as a starter on the the team. In his first season and second season starting on the team, Dylan played all 26 games making himself a reliable player day in and day out. In the last two years, he has also led the team in steals and assists.

Coach Skip also runs a club program called 680 Water Polo, which is one of the most popular water polo club teams in the Bay Area. Kids all over the East Bay, and even other countries, come and play for his club. “This past summer I had a great kid from Barcelona living with us so he could play for our club team” said Skip.

Skip has helped many of his players move on and play college water polo. Since 1998, the Las Lomas program has sent at least one player to go on and play water polo in college. Many of them have came back and helped with the program. “So many of my old players coming back to watch games, or say hello, or help out,” says Skip, as a result it has created a scholarship fund called the Short Assist Scholarship.

“This has led to the Shorty Assist scholarship, which numerous Las Lomas water polo grads have donated to. This is an amazing scholarship in honor of one of my former athletes that passed away in 2013. For four straight years and counting, we’ve had senior athletes earn this award and put it towards college.” This scholarship is in honor of former Las Lomas student and water polo player David Shortenhaus, who died tragically from suicide. He was one of the best players to ever play water polo at Las Lomas, going onto UCLA to play not just water polo, but also track and field as well.

It’s no wonder Steve “Skip” Mann is an one of a kind coach. One of his biggest traits as a coach is knowing how to manage “player personnel.” In his other job, he is a special education teacher who specializes in working with kids who think and see differently. Having this kind of job helps him coach all players and keep the team atmosphere positive, which is a huge reason why he has had so much success with this program.

G. Isserman

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