Volume VII, Issue I. Fall 2011

the round table

volume XX, issue X

of stuart hall high school

month year

The round table wants you! page 10 roundtable.sacredsf.org

Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume VI1, Issue I | October 2011

the round table

roundtable.sacredsf.org

a forum for students

editors@shhsroundtable.com

Table of Contents School News

Sports

A Blessing of Gratitude........................................3 NBA Lockout...............................................9 New Students......................................................5 Cubs Volleyball...........................................12 Co-ed Classes....................................................13 Knights Soccer............................................14 New Teachers ....................................................14

Special Features

Editorial

A Summer of Plastics...................................4 Roundtable Recruitment ..................................10 Fantasy Football.........................................11 Top Five College Football Uniforms..........15

Reviews

Extra Corner

Jamestown Review.............................................6 Halloween Costumes....................................7 Summer Movie Recap.......................................8 Talk Around School.....................................10

Back cover designed by Lucas Chan ‘14 - photos by Kyle Chew ‘12 and Mrs. Saltveit

Staff and Publication Information Editor Brandan La

Layout Editor Peter Melling

Copy Editor Connor Satterfield

Website Editor Kevin Wong

Staff Connor Abbott Robeil Anderbrhan Lucas Chan Tim Connolly Taro Duncan Raymond Jiang

stuart hall high school

Corrections the round table goes to great lengths to ensure that all material is accurate, timely, and factual. However, errors sometimes occur. If you notice a factual mistake, please send an e-mail to lori.saltveit@sacredsf.org with “Reader Discovers Error!” in the subject line.

Liam Lynch Peter Melling Donovan Van Kevin Wong Austin Woo

Faculty Moderator Mrs. Saltveit

member

Online content: Please visit the online round table at: http://roundtable.sacredsf.org/

the round table | Founded 2005 by Nick Dietz, Corey Linehan, Tom Pardini, Joey Plonsker, Ms. Sarah Slonaker

editors’ corner Stuart Hall, I hope you have had a successful start to the school year. For freshmen, although you may still be acclimating to being in high school, I know you guys will do just fine in our school community. Sophomores, you are no longer freshmen and have formed into a tightly knit class. For juniors, rising to upperclassmen constitutes the addition of AP classes but most importantly, positions of leadership in our school community. And finally seniors, you are entering the height of the college admissions process, a stressful and demanding period. However, despite the pressure remember to just relax and make the most of your final and hopefully most memorable year at Stuart Hall.

In May, I sat down with the round table editing team to plan for the following school year, outlining the goals we would strive for this newspaper season. And at this moment, I can proudly say we are meeting those expectations. The return of seasoned, and much improved, writers along with the addition of new reporters has allowed the newspaper to grow stronger as a whole but also present new perspectives. I am confident that throughout the year, our writers will continue to write the in-depth and engaging articles that they have brought for you this edition. We pride ourselves with excellent reporters, ready to go out into the field to investigate and deliver you insightful features and articles. The newspaper team devotes much of its energy investigating stories geared toward topics and issues that affect you the reader.

Inside this print issue, you will find detailed stories and editorials about Stuart Hall, ranging from academics to sports to student life. Also, don’t forget to check out the round table website filled with school and professional sports updates, reviews, and school news. Make sure to keep spreading the word about the round table, inside and outside the Hall. May you continue to have a great school year and go knights!

Happy reading, Brandan La Editor-in-Chief

school news

A Blessing of Gratitude

by Taro Duncan ‘14

Annual gathering recapped.

The Four School Blessing of 2011 was a momentous occasion. We discussed the morals that our schools are going to address this year. All the student leaders accentuated the fact that everyone will make an effort to offer gratitude to each other this year. Stuart Hall High School Student Body President, Will Campbell, spoke about the importance of helping each other and having gratitude, even to strangers. Let’s lead a life filled with gratitude this year!

Photo by Kyle Chew ’12|| round table

the round table | page 3

special feature

The Summer of Plastics

by Connor Satterfield ‘12

My summer with a Plastic Surgeon.

intern in Dr. Anthony’s practice. I met him once before, and it was only after that I mentioned I was looking for somewhere to intern during the summer that he offered me the position.

Dr. Anthony received his M.D from Stony Brook University and later completed his General Surgery residency Dr. Anthony ||Dr. James Anthony’s Official Website at the N.Y. Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.

Summer has come and gone, He completed his education by and a new school year has begun. finishing his Plastic Surgery Many people spent the summer residency at UCSF. In 2002, traveling, visiting colleges, Doctor Anthony decided to open enjoying those beach days, and his private office saying, “ I wanted working. However, I spent my to create a beautiful office, a place summer in the Vista Surgery where people would feel listened Center. Located at 450 Sutter street, it stands as San Francisco’s to and taken care of.” Dr. Anthony told me that plastic surgery is premiere professional and medical like nothing he had ever done office high-rise building. I worked before in his life and it was never exclusively with Dr. James a monotonous grind. Rather, he Anthony, who stands as one of explained that it was always a new the best plastic surgeons in the experience each time he performed world. He was recently featured a procedure. as one of America’s Top Doctors While I was with in the magazines, American Way, Dr. Anthony I saw a myriad Hemispheres, and Marin. His of procedures from Breast office is on the 26th floor of the Augmentations to Rhinoplasty, Sutter building and features a nose reconstruction.

Dr. Anthony view of many of the historic sites of said, “Everyone deserves to look San Francisco. and feel great,” following his I was very fortunate to belief that anyone deserves to love have received the position as an

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themselves. He explained that he fulfills a need in a niche market and tries to provide the best quality service he can.

Overall, my internship with Dr. Anthony has allowed me to explore my interest in medicine. I learned that if I wished to continue my education in an attempt to pursue an M.D., I could handle the blood and guts. The opportunity that Dr. Anthony provided me has led me to believe that if I continued to pursue medicine; I would be genuinely interested in furthering my education to be a doctor.

school news

New Students

by Raymond Jiang ‘12

Daniel Costa ‘13

Daniel Costa ‘13, attended Sugar Ski Academy in Tahoe for his freshman year and in the middle of sophomore year, he transferred to San Rafael High School in Marin. Both school were relatively similar to Stuart Hall’s class size but Stuart Hall is his first all-boys school. He feels that an all-boys school is more suitable for him because from past experience, girls would distract him. Also, his older, twin brothers, Ben and Cliff ‘07 attended Stuart Hall High and told him that Stuart Hall would guarantee him a good education He said, “ I like the fact that this school really teaches you from an intellectual stand point and that each teacher truly cares about your learning process.

I also enjoy hanging out with dudes; it makes my life much simpler during the weekdays.

There truly isn’t anything I have found yet that I dislike about Stuart Hall”. He also likes how the school focuses on the individual’s growth and also the dedication that each teacher has to their students. He also said, “the school values something that I truly value and that is, if you give respect you’ll get respect.”

Photos by Robeil Andebrhan|| round table

Brandon Joa ‘14 Brandon Joa ’14 (pictured above right), attended Cappuccino High School located in San Bruno. At first it was difficult for him to understand the different surroundings because Cappuccino was a public school. The reason why he wanted to transfer to Stuart Hall High School was because he felt that he wasn’t getting the education that he wanted.

But after a while he said, “I am really enjoying myself at Stuart Hall, the guys here are fun to be around and the teachers are excellent.” His favorite thing that he enjoys about Stuart Hall is the atmosphere. The teachers are not only there to teach but also there to support their students. Teachers can have a friendship with their students, which he enjoys. Overall, he enjoys Stuart Hall and is getting a good education of out it.

Daniel Costa and Brandon Joa are two new students that are eager to be here at Stuart Hall and we are glad they joined us. Stuart Hall is growing every year bringing in new students and there is not a doubt that Stuart Hall could be eventually one of the best schools in San Francisco with new students like Brandon and Daniel.

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reviews

Jamestown Review

by Kevin Wong ‘12

The triumphant return of a beloved genre.

The PC/Mac gaming world grinds to a halt whenever Steam has one of its legendary sales, and for good reason. $25 bought me Left 4 Dead 2, Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition, Jamestown, Alien Breed 2, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and a cool hat.

The first thing I installed was Jamestown (mostly because it was the smallest at 84 megabytes).

Playing this indie shoot-em-up immediately, I came to be shocked at its outstanding quality and polish.

Introduction and Story The year is 1619, Sir Walter Raleigh escapes from the Tower of London with John Smith to British Colonial Mars, strapping on a flying suit of armor, he leads an attack on the colony of Jamestown, which has long since been occupied by the traitorous tentacled martians of Roanoke.

As you can see, Jamestown the round table | page 6

is a weird game. Its unbridled weirdness gives the game an irresistible charm, and as a result we are left with a gleeful smile throughout the entire presentation. From the hyperdetailed backgrounds reminiscent of both classic 16-bit titles and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, to the static and silly introductory panels, it is clear that much love has been poured into the game, and Jamestown becomes awesome because of that.

Gameplay Shoot-em-ups, currently the 7th most popular genre of game in Japan, are relegated to only a tiny niche market here in the west. As parts of a dying genre, such games are unappealing to American tastes because of their unrefined graphics, frenetic pace, simplistic gameplay and masochistic difficulty. Needless to say, Jamestown has much to

overcome to become appealing to the western market.

Fortunately, Jamestown succeeds with more than flying colors in being accessible to the Western market. For one, the game moves at a much more sane pace than Japanese shooters.

While the game is still frantic, your ship and enemies move at a pace that the human mind can comprehend, and as a result, we have a shooter with a much gentler difficulty curve.

Jamestown makes its primary innovation in its “Vaunt” system, which allows a player to collect dropped coins from enemies to fill up a “Vaunt-Gauge”, which, when deployed with the spacebar (or center mouse or X button), grants seconds of invincibility and damage and score-multipliers. It’s a system that affords the game a considerable level of strategic depth and skill. Tactically deploying vaunts and extending time becomes an integral part of the game’s appeal, making Jamestown unique in what might otherwise be a mindless style of gameplay.

Cooperative play is another one of the game’s greatest strengths.

Instead of sharing a limited pool of lives and credits, the entire party can be brought from the brink of failure as long as one person survives to the end of a level. This significantly reduces the pressure on each of the players and makes the penalty for death bearable. Furthermore, a selection of four ships feature abilities and limitations that complement each other, making for effective cooperative play requiring actual teamwork. Thus, it is unfortunate that multiplayer is offline only and requires additional mice

and controllers to experience in its fullest.

That said, Jamestown is still a very difficult and skill based game.

Patterns must be recognized and reacted to accordingly and evasion, while slower paced than Eastern shooters, is still a challenging task. You will die a lot in the game and a limited amount of credits guarantees that the player will need to take multiple tries to succeed.

Limits on progression at certain

difficulties effectively bolster a player’s skill and usher them into higher difficulties.

Graphics/Audio Perhaps Jamestown’s strongest aspect is its inspired artistic design.

Highly detailed handdrawn characters and adorable enemy ships showcase the graphical prowess that can be achieved when a 16-bit aesthetic is attempted with modern hardware. Steampunk trappings solidify the silly martiancolonial story. A multitude of resolution settings gives the player the option of either playing at pixel-perfect ratio or at a highlystretched fullscreen. Animations feature a multitude of frames and run smoothly on dated hardware.

I ran the game on an old graphics card and was still able to play at a pixel-perfect ratio.

Conclusion

Jamestown’s greatest challenge was remaining relevant in an age where 2D-top-down shooters are considered irrelevant. From the screenshots, one would fairly believe that the game offers nothing different from the legions of crappy free Flash games out there on sites like addictinggames or Kongregate. It is through creativity and innovation that Jamestown beats these insurmountable odds to become relevant in the western market and acquire the respectable score of 4/5.

Images taken from game captures, provided by Kevin Wong ’12|| round table

extra corner

Halloween Costumes

by Lucas Chan ’14

Cheap and fun DIY costumes.

Last minute shoppers and uncreative do-it-yourself failures, listen up! Halloween is just around the corner. These easy to do costume ideas are great for your wallet and your dignity. So get rid of the old bed-sheet ghost costume and try some of these!

-Alex DeLarge This leader of “droogs” caused mayhem and chaos in “A Clockwork Orange,” a science-fiction novel and motion picture that inspired a cult following. Easy enough to do, all you need is a white shirt, black pants and shoes, a derby hat, and some eyeliner under your right eye.

If done correctly, you should be ready for “a little ultra-violence and Beethoven.”

-Ferris Bueller What’s just as good as skipping school; Dressing as if you could. To become Mathew Broderick’s easygoing and beguiling character, you need a white/gray jacket, a spotted vest, gray pants, and a pair of white shoes. With a little effort, you could have teachers and faculty fooled, but don’t expect your classmates to start a “Save Ferris” fund.

- Indiana Jones The timeless American movie hero who battles natives and gets the girl with ease, also makes a great costume choice around friends.

The fedora might be harder to find, but on off white button down shirt, some brown pants, and a pair of hiking boots should have you looking like a heroic Harrison Ford. Brown. Lleather jacket Photo provided by Pedro Simões || cosplay.com optional. the round table | page 7

reviews

Summer Movie Recap

by Peter Melling ’12

A look at the best and worst movies of summer 2011.

Illustration Peter Melling ’12|| round table

Major critics considered this summer’s movie season to be one of the least memorable in recent years. However, a few rose above the fray and a few dropped below.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Even though I am not a big Harry Potter fan, I loved this movie from start to finish. The last book was made into two movies assuaging purists of the books. It keeps all the important points and adds excellent effects. The actors have matured but remain true to their characters. A series that has been with me since childhood has finally concluded, and I’m glad that they pulled out all the stops and didn’t go with some contrived insult to the fans (Star Wars, I’m looking at you). 5/5 2. Horrible Bosses: This film surprised me.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought it would be some forgettable comedy about a few guys’ fantasies to murder their employers. What I didn’t expect was great acting from the stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis; as well as Jenifer Aniston, who plays a lecherous dentist, a nice break from her typical rom-com typecast. The direction and the script are also tight, leading to a final product that is easily the best comedy of 2011. 4/5 3. Thor: Now THIS is how you make a Superhero movie. With stunning 3D, great performances from Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth, and well-executed effects, this sets the standard for comic book movies this year. 4/5

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4. Captain America: The First Avenger: Apparently, Marvel seems to be having a good movie season. I’m not familiar with the mythos of Captain America, but from what I gather, this was a believable update to the classic comic origin story of “meek young man becomes Nazi fighting super-soldier”.

The acting from Chris Evans, Hayley Altwell, and Hugo Weaving is superb, the effects are on par with Thor, and the story is well-executed for a movie based on a nearly 70 year-old comic book. 4/5 5. Super 8: A must-see for anyone who loves the old Spielberg movies, or anyone who loves a good sci-fi film with plenty of character and depth.

However, the ending does bring the movie down a little bit, especially compared to the movies it is based on like “E.T.” and “Close Encounters”. It may not be the best movie of the summer, but it is well worth 112 minutes of your time. 4/5 6. Cowboys & Aliens: A good matinee movie.

A take on the classic western with a sci-fi twist that is neither complex nor overly-simple. Good performances by Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford elevate this movie slightly above average, but it is still let down by inconsistent effects and some poor acting from the supporting cast (Why is that kid from “The Last Airbender” still getting work?). It’s not great, but not awful. 3/5 7. Mr. Popper’s Penguins: One of my favorite books as a kid, this film only registered a few chuckles in between long gaps of dead silence. When Hollywood gets their hands on a timeless classic like “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”, they see fit to change most of the original story, make the main character nighon insufferable, and to overexpose the penguins to cash- in on a cinematic fad that ceased to be relevant in 2008. Jim Carrey, I know you’re capable of so much more, so I’m pleading with you, fire your agent. 2/5 8. Cars 2: Of all the films Pixar could make sequels to, why Cars, a movie considered mediocre at

best? Pixar and the decent cast, despite all their magic, can’t save an awful script and an even more boggeddown plot. Just because Toy Story 3 was great, doesn’t mean that sequels should become the norm for this inventive animation studio. 2/5 9. Green Lantern: Based on the comic book hero this film is slow to take off and late to land. Ryan Reynolds is likable as always but not convincing as the “chosen one”, lackluster direction, special effects ripped from the early 90’s, and eyestrain-producing 3D let it down. 2/5 10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The best of the Michael Bay Transformers movies, but that’s not saying much. Shia LaBeouf’s acting is a little better than in the earlier films, the effects are a tiny bit less mangled, and the plot bears the slightest similarity to the source material of the 1980’s cartoon. Unfortunately, it’s still terrible. With the kind of creative black hole that surrounds a movie like this, there can only be so much

improvement. I wasn’t expecting “Citizen Kane”, but a shade of care in the final product would be nice. 1/5 11. The Smurfs: Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria try to make this film at least somewhat watchable, but a poor voice cast combined with unneeded 3D and a lame plot make for an absolute waste of $15 and 2 hours. I know that this kind of CGI/ live action adaptation of an animated work is in style right now (“Alvin and the Chipmunks”), but this genre needs to die out. 1/5 12. Zookeeper: Easily the worst movie of the year, if not a career killer for both cast and crew. I can’t think of one good thing to say about this movie, as the usually entertaining Kevin James is about as underwhelmed as the audience, the plot is predictable, and I’ve found videos on YouTube with better lip-synced animals that cost a tiny fraction of the money it took to produce this movie. Stay away at all costs. 0/5

sports

NBA Lockout

by Tim Connolly ’12

Will there be an NBA season?

With less than a month remaining before the regular start of the NBA season, many basketball fans are thinking, will there be a season this year?

With no sign of progress star athletes from The Boss: NBA Commisoner teams around the David Stern league are bailing Photo provided by ESPN.COM and searching for teams outside of the United States. The problem stems from the issue of the “salary cap”, the amount of money teams are allowed to spend in a given year. The NBA’s current salary cap is a soft cap. This means that although teams were capped off at $58 million for the 2010-2011 season, there were various exceptions that would allow teams to go over this cap. The current solution being proposed is a $45 million hard cap. A hard cap establishes a salary that teams cannot go over. Basically $45 million is the most a team can spend on its players. The hard cap would be beneficial to smaller city’s teams, such as Charlotte and Milwaukee, who can’t afford to go over the soft salary cap. At the same time a hard cap limits the spending

power of big name teams from big cities, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks. The argument for the hard cap is that it will make all teams in the league equal, while the argument against is that it will prevent teams from surrounding their marquee players with sufficient talent. Another reason for a push for a hard salary cap is that during the 2010-2011 season the league lost around $370 million. A hard cap would be a step in the right direction to make up this deficit.

If there is an NBA season this year will there be any players around to play? As of now around 53 players have signed with teams in South America, Asia, or Europe, the most distinguished player being Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets. Although only a few have signed as of now, other players are looking to follow in their footsteps, most notably Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, and Tony Parker. With the unclear futures as the lockout continues, players are being forced to make decisions. Some are even exploring venues outside of the basketball court, such as Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward and Laker’s forward Ron Artest. Hayward has decided to become a professional Starcraft player, while Artest has decided to join Dancing with the Stars, with the USA women’s goalkeeper, Hope Solo. Anything is possible in the next month leading up to the normal start of the NBA season, but with no resolution in sight, many are worried about the future of the league. the round table | page 9

editorial

Round Table Recruitment

by Austin Woo ‘15

The Newspaper wants you!

topic to write about, you’re given the responsibly to write the article to the best of your ability. You’re also given the responsibility to do research which may help on research methods in the future. As someone who writes articles, I know that my fellow reporters give me good advice to help improve my article and my writing skills.

“One of the reasons I like working for the round table so much is because I wanted to better myself in essay writing and writing in general,” says Lucas Chan, an enthusiastic reporter.

Overall, working for the newspaper elective is really fun. You gain many benefits that help you with academics and personal skills, and not to mention it won’t hurt to put that you worked for your high-school newspaper on your college applications, which I hear is pretty impressive nowadays. “It’s part of the high school experience and if you love writing or have a passion for discovery, newspaper is the medium to express these interests,” says Brandan La the Editor-inChief. So, if you are looking to try-out working for the round table newspaper, stop on by at the computer lab.

The Round Table Wants You! Photo by Ms. Blair|| round table

extra corner

Talk Around School

It has come my attention that we need more members to join the round table newspaper. Yes, “round table” is written in lower case. I myself have only been working on our school newspaper for a few weeks now, however I can tell it is a great elective to join. When I was introduced to the elective, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and most of all guiding; they taught me how work with the online format and also how to approach certain articles. “When I started working for the round table during my freshmen year, it was awesome and I learned a lot,” says Kevin Wong, the lead web editor. I, myself, have learned quite a lot working for the round table. The newspaper elective can also help develop good studying habits for school.

One quality the round table encourages is timemanagement. Sometimes, articles are due on the same days as academic assignments. “Working for the round table has helped me with my time-management skills which makes me feel more organized,” says Connor Abbott, a writer and reporter. In addition, working for the round table will make you more responsible. When the editors or Mrs. Saltveit, our moderator, gives you a the round table | page 10

by Lucas Chan ’14

Swag(g) Noun: A person’s demeanor and overall personality that determines one’s stature. The extra “g” adds more “swag” to the actual word. aDude, that Robeil has so much swag.

(Get) Buckets Adjective/Verb: Exemplary skill and talent in basketball. aOur basketball team gets buckets.

Cool Story Bro (Tell it again) Phrase: Used sarcastically to put someone down after an uninteresting story.

Connor: …And then after the penguin slipped, the badgers started dancing to this really cool song. aTaro: Cool story bro, tell it again.

special feature

Fantasy Football

by Colin Ryan ’12

2011 fantasy football kicks off. a running back/wide receiver, a tight end, a defense, a kicker, and seven benched players.

A player can participate in two main types of leagues in fantasy football. They are head-to-head and total points leagues. In head-to-head leagues, players’ teams faces off against different teams each week. The team who has the most points by the end of the game wins. This is the most common type of league. In total point league, teams accumulate points on a continuous basis and the team’s cumulative points determine the league standings.

Point System

Photo by Collin Ryan ’12|| round table

As the 2011 Football season kicks off, the world of fantasy football launches on the web.

Fantasy Football is an interactive, virtual competition in which people manage professional football players against one another. It allows people to act as general managers of usergenerated teams. The players that an individual is able to manage are professional American Football players in the National Football League. Players are able to make a variety of tactical trades

and acquisitions.

Due to the growth of the Internet, fantasy football has become far more popular in America today than ever before.

Fantasy Football starts with a draft in which teams draft real NFL players. This is the most highly anticipated part of fantasy football. During the draft, players take turns selecting or drafting players to their own teams. The order in which you choose your players is selected at random.

Each player must have a roster of sixteen players, which must include a quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers,

• 1 point for 30 passing yards • 1 point for 20 rushing yards • 1 point for 20 receiving yards • 6 points for a touchdown • 10 points for a passing touchdown • 2 points for every interception thrown or fumble lost • 1 point for each extra point made • 3 points for each 0-39 yard field goal, 4 points for each 40-49 yard field goal, and 5 points for each 50+ yard field goal • 2 points per turnover gained by defense • 1 points per sack by the defense • 2 points for a safety by defense • 6 points for each touchdown scored by defense • 2 points for each blocked kick

the round table | page 11

sports

Cub’s Volleyball

by Sebastian Sandoval ‘12

Volleyball team looks forward to starting off their season strong.

The cub’s varsity volleyball team began their season on Friday against school rival, University.

It was their first league game and will hopefully, not set the tone for how well the team does throughout the rest of their season. The team faced an intense defeat as they went down in a quick three games. Led by captains, Emily O’Reilly ‘12, Erika Jesse ‘12, and Bianka Quintanilla-Whye ‘11, they hope the team’s morale isn’t broken down as it was only their first league game, and against a solid team. “We started off really slow, and they were able to take advantage of that, but by the third game, it got to be a really close game. Also the underclassmen on the team got to play, and they stepped up. Their confidence went up, and it showed in how they played.” said senior team captain Emily O’Reilly.

Aspiring to improve from their previous record of 9-8 last season, the team showed determination and promise in their 10-1 preseason. Caroline Welsh affirmed that, “the seniors are showing serious leadership, and the overall chemistry of the team has progressed a lot since last year. We’re really trying to win our league this year.” Last year the team made it to the semifinals where they faced University and encountered a grueling defeat that went all the way to the fifth game.

They proceeded to make it into the North Coast Section and advanced to the second round. There they played Athenian and suffered an agonizing loss as Athenian was able to come back after two losses and take the win after three consecutive victories. While the team was vexed by the lost, they

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understood that they would still have one more year to attempt to advance further, since only a small portion of the team was graduating. The team has been preparing to play the majority of the teams in their league, already playing and beating Lick in a preseason tournament. While University is one of the strongest teams they will play, they took the defeat as temporary and hope to do better next time.

Photo by Hanae Nakajima|| round table

school news

CO-ED Classes

by Liam Lynch ‘13

The Hall and the Heart.

Photo by Mrs. Saltveit|| round table

At the start of the 2010-2011 school year, Convent and Stuart Hall High School collaborated to pioneer a new style of teaching that has never been used before on our four school campus. They networked together to create a coeducation program, which used mixed-sex classes. The idea was to hold classes at both high schools that would be incorporated into the regular school day schedule.

A surprisingly large number of classes were able to be converted to a co-ed format.

Students who attended the first year of co-ed classes that were implemented seem to have enjoyed them immensely. Senior, Raymond Jiang who attends AP Computer Science this year, said that the class was “completely different.” The whole learning atmosphere is unlike any teaching styles that are used at Stuart Hall.

It seems that performance rates have also improved due to the mixed-sex combination. Raymond states, “Having girls in the class keeps me on my toes, because I

have to impress them. I can’t joke around as much as I would in an all guys class, and everything I say has to be more intelligent”.

From a girl’s perspective as well, Junior, Jane Stephens who has AP Computer Science with Raymond also agrees that co-ed classes have changed the high schools for the better. “I feel like there’s more opportunities for me to stand out and demonstrate my knowledge in class than there were in previous years with the single sex classes that I had”.

The overwhelming enthusiasm of the students attending the co-ed classes has prompted the schools to continue the highly successful and innovative program. As these classes continue to impress, both schools look forward to the years of progress that the continued use of the co-ed program can bring.

Photo by Mrs. Saltveit|| round table

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sports

Rocky Start to the Soccer Season.

Pain and pleasure on Treasure Island

Tim Connolly evades University’s Kirk Horton.

Photo by Devin Chen||SanFranPreps.com

The Stuart Hall High School varsity soccer team ended last year’s season with a big let down. They made it all the way to the championship but lost to a very skilled, Marin Academy team.

This year Coach Villegas wanted to revamp the SHHS soccer program.

He has made the decision to have three teams this year: two JV teams, red and blue, and Varsity. Seniority was not a factor when Coach Villegas put together the team roster. First, he chose the athletes who are the best fit to be on the varsity team. Coach Villegas plans to move a couple of people from JV to Varsity and Varsity to JV as the season progresses. He believes that whoever works hard enough to be on Varsity deserves a spot. The Varsity team started the preseason by playing College Prep. The Varsity and JV team won. The JV team’s record is 1-3-4 while the Varsity team is 0-2-4 in the league. So far they have played University, Drew, Urban, and Athenian. For Varsity, the first game was a way to enter the soccer season by winning 3-0. In the second game Varsity lost to Branson, one of the top teams in the division. the round table | page 14

by Robeil Anderbrhan ‘13

It was a lesson for the varsity team to see what they are lacking.

There is only one direction in which the team can move, forward. It has the talent and skill to make it back to where the team left off last season, but hopefully with a different

ending.

As the season progresses, the Knights have had great chances to win with opportunities against Drew and University. The Knights played against Drew on September 14 and had a rough game. There were many chances to score, but the Knights could not get the ball in the back of the net. The game ended with a 0-0 draw. The Knights played the rivals, University, on Friday, September 23. It was a night game at the amazing field in Kezar Stadium. The Knights were down by down a goal, but were persistent and scored one right back. There was an amazing header by Tim Connolly.

The second goal came five minutes after the first. It was a left-footed shot by Andrew Corral. The Knights held their lead until the last seconds.

University’s shot hit the post, but another player from University cleaned it up with a goal. It was a hard fought game by the Knights, and they remained undefeated.

The Knights played Lick Wilmerding on Friday, September 30, 2011, and Marin Academy on Tuesday, October 4, 2011. The game, versus Lick Wilmerding, started well for the Knights until the Tigers scored the first goal. The Knights attacked

the goal with a barrage of shots, but did not manage to make one.

After one of the shots, the Tigers set up for counter-attack creating a breakaway. It was just the goalie, Nick Berardi, against the Tigers’ striker. The striker won this battle, but consequently would be shut down by the defense for the rest of the game. The Knights knew that they needed a goal before the second half. They scored on a rebound before the halftime whistle was blown. The second half started and the Knights gave it all they had.

They unleashed a bombardment of attacks, but no dice. They could not get one ball in the back of the net. Before they could do anymore damage, the game ended 1-2.

The Knights, coming from a tough loss to Lick, next played a championship rematch against Marin Academy on October 4. The game started slow and the Knights did not look like themselves. The well-known Marin Academy team did not live up to their name. They were not as superior as the Knights thought they were. They had a couple of playmakers who put the team on their back. The first goal came from Marin Academy. Later one of the playmakers took a rip at the goal and it bounced off the woodworks, and the ball was put in the back of the net for a beautiful finish. The Knights tried score but again, no dice. The game ended 2-0 with another tough loss to Stuart Hall.

Overall, the Knights have begun the season on a bumpy road.

They have played many tough games and faced some heartbreaking losses. However, with the infusion of new blood into the Varsity team this year, their perspectives look better than ever. Hopefully, they can salvage the rest of the season and finish on a strong note. Go Knights!

special feature

Top Five College Football Uniforms

by Connor Abbott ‘14

Creative? You decide.

green shamrock on their traditional golden helmets, an element that has been out of the Irish’s look since the 1960’s. A nice last addition, the Irish have the years they won the national championship stitched on to the bottom hem of the jersey.

Norte Dame vs. Michigan photo || counterkicks.com

1) Oregon Ducks Oregon returns to bask in college football glory with their lightningfast offense while sporting some of the best jerseys in all of NCAA football. Keith Knight, owner of Nike and Oregon alumnus, is the reason behind these one-game jerseys, and they don’t disappoint. The jersey, mostly black, has the same basic design of most of the Ducks’ uniforms, with the “duck wings” on the shoulders blending into to the base color of the jersey. But what makes these jerseys pop out at you are the neon green outline of the numbers and the neon green Oregon “O” on the helmet. The Ducks’ were able to give us a nice jersey while still sticking to the basic design of the majority of their uniforms.

2) Michigan Wolverines Michigan has never been known for their extravagant jerseys, but these “retro” jerseys put an extra spark to the rivalry between the Wolverines and the Irish. During the first Wolverines football game under the lights at Michigan stadium on

September 10, Michigan took the field in a mixture of retro looks. A large Michigan “M” on the majority of the front of the jersey dates back to the early 1900’s before numbers were used on jerseys. The excessive striping on the shoulders dates back the 1890’s when those stripes would accompany most Michigan football apparel. Numbers added onto the sides of the traditional Michigan helmets date back to the 1950’s and 60’s. Lastly, cross-stitching across the numbers and the “M” add an overall retro look to the uniform.

3) Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame also donned some exciting retro uniforms for the game, and they looked almost as good as Michigan’s. Notre Dame’s jerseys, which were never actually worn, differed from the regular dark navy of Notre Dame jerseys and are instead white with green.

With simple golden pants and white striped socks, the Irish looked sharp without having a uniform that they’ve worn in their past. On the other hand, they bring back the

4) Maryland Terrapins Wow! That’s all most college football fans could say as the Terp’s took the field against Miami during week 1. Everyone had something to say, from “those are disgusting”, to “best jerseys of 2011”, to “what was the designer thinking”. The jerseys are mostly white and have two different designs on each shoulder. One shoulder is black and yellow while the other is red and white, a take on Maryland’s state flag. The same design is on the helmets, creating a half-and-half look that is something to see on a football field. Although released to mixed reactions, these creative jerseys will go down in football jersey history.

5) Arizona State Sun Devils Arizona State took a big leap from there traditional “Sparky the Sun Devil” logo that has been on team uniforms for most of Sun Devil history. Moving to the more modern pitchfork for their central logo, ASU will make three new uniforms to go along with it. Like the Oregon jerseys, the Arizona State uniforms have a flywire collar, with “ASU” on the sleeve of the jerseys. The Devils’ home jersey, which is dirtred, and away jersey, which is white, have yellow helmets, while their all black uniform has a black helmet to match. Although their season looks doubtful, the Sun Devils will look sharp taking the field this season.

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