The Eleight December 2011 edition

Locker Issues, page 2

Athlete of the Month, page 14

In-Depth, pages 8- 9

Holiday Activities, page 4

Food Challenge, page 12

An Independent Publication of Leigh High School

Volume 50 Issue No. 3 December 15, 2011

Pictured in Longhorn: Senior Saida Mulder singing in Madrigals at the Dec. 13 choir concert.

Walking in a wacky wonderland Leigh rings in the holiday break with Wacky Winter Week Caitlyn Nurnberg Opinion Editor Sadie Williams Visuals Editor

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Leigh students adorned in pajamas, snow gear, and funky sweaters? Here at Leigh High School, Wacky Winter Week is gearing students up for the holiday season.

Wacky Winter Week is yet another spirited, week-long event leading up to the greatly anticipated Winter Ball and Winter Break. As is tradition, students can participate by dressing according to the theme of each day of the week.

Monday, Leigh was littered with snuggle-bugs prepared for a “long winter’s nap” in their pajamas.

Tuesday was equally cozy (but perhaps less cute) as Leigh sports their ugly holiday sweaters.

On Thursday the Longhorns will be getting revved up to stampede the boy’s basketball game against Branham High School that night.

A blizzard hit campus on Wednesday, as students participate in a winter “White-out”.

Thursday is time to hit the slopes, so Leigh will be donning their gear for skiing, snowboarding, and all other things merry and bright.

On Friday Leigh will be repping their holiday of choice and getting pumped up for the announcement

ry-making in first place?

“We wanted to do something to kind of kick off the excitement of going to winter break and we just wanted to do a whole fun little week to kind of celebrate the cold and what fun it is,” said ASB Treasurer Rachel Yankey. “We just wanted to create some excitement!”

Along with all of this seasonal excitement, on Friday there will be a rally during lunch to reveal this years Winter Ball theme. Students are filled with curiosity and enthusiasm.

photo by Kylie Brown

of this year’s Winter Ball theme.

Two rallies will be held at lunch during all of this “wacky winter” fun.

“I’m excited about the rallies this year,” said Activities Director, Gina Nicoletta. “That’s something different that we haven’t done. I think kids [really like] when they get to see other people do things and also [getting] involved themselves”.

So, why all of this mer-

“Last year was Hollywood, so maybe they will do like ‘Winterland’ or something with snow and Christmas”, said Junior Ellie Rizlenjani of her guesses at the big

Standing in the limelight:

reveal. “Something people wouldn’t expect and what we haven’t done before.”

Wacky Winter Week has been around since 2006 and is the brainchild the Leadership class of that year.

“We wanted to do something to kind of kick off this whole excitement of going to winter break and we just wanted to do a whole fun little week to kind of celebrate the cold and the fun that it is”, said Nicoletta.

With this three week stretch of “no mans land” filled with nothing but schoolwork, Wacky Winter Week is a creative way for the Leadership class to pump things up at Leigh until the much anticipated two week holiday break.

All of this Wacky Winter Week madness was brought upon Leigh with the hope that students will feel that sense of togetherness that is so abundant during the holiday season.

The week is coming to an end with a bang and photos by Sadie Williams the announcement of this years Winter Ball theme, giving the Lady Longhorns plenty of time to buy a dress, and the guys plenty of time to find an appropriate way to ask them.

Literaleigh club hosts first Open Mic Night of the year Dominic Guidry Staff Writer

whole. Open Mic Night has a different atmosphere from other experiences and it allows you to enjoy a broad assortment of performances.

The club plans to raise enough

Blue and white stage lights exposed the variety of performances on Thursday Dec. 8 at Literaleigh’s Open Mic Night, including singing, rapping, poems and short stories, improv, instruments, soliloquies and standup comedy.

L i t eraleigh is a club at Leigh that focuses Senior Darren Anthony performing stand-up. on literature and writing, hence the name. Open money as soon as possible in order Mic Night is not only for entertain- to provide a free literature magazine ment, but to also bring attention to Leigh students. The magazine to Literaleigh and to literature as a is planned to consist of different

kinds of literary pieces written by Literaleigh members, including poetry, short stories, and what have you.

Literaleigh Club Presidents Deng-Tung Wang and Maria Aguilar were pleased to say the least with the outcome of the night.

“It went better than I expected. Three weeks earlier we were all hyped up but nervous. Tonight proved me wrong completely. It was excellent,” said Wang.

The night started at 6:30 pm with a poem written and read by Wang about the passing of former Leigh student Salaur Azami.

“I liked how the poem started off the night. It was so sad but it brought our attention to DengTung’s writing, and in turn, we all listened intently as more and more performers went up. Even the singing and rapping served us pieces of literature and it came across as a well-rounded night of fun, entertainment and literature that caught the eye,” said sophomore Gracie Crook.

ukulele, piano and keyboard. All of the instruments were played live.

While the performers entertained, the audience got involved in the performance by clapping with the beat and singing along.

“It was very entertaining to watch the students perform such wonderful pieces. I enjoyed every moment of it and was astounded by all the talent,” said a parent of a Leigh student.

Open Mic Night ended at around 9:30 pm with a final autobiographical short story by Aguilar. The audience, performers and staff all agree that this night was a great success and Literaleigh welcomes anyone and everyone to the next Open Mic Nights during the next year. photos by Sadie Williams “Open Mic Night gives me motivation for the future events.

Junior Jon Estiva performing a medley.

Hopefully it will be even betperformances were vocals accompa- ter next time, and hopefully more nied by instruments such as guitar, people will come,” said Wang.

The majority of the musical

news

page 02

12.15.11

The great locker migration

Students with lockers in Row G must move to accomodate scheduled renovations Matthew Duell Staff Writer Angel Wilson Staff Writer

The lockers in Row G, the row of classrooms bordering Los Gatos-Almaden Road, were put in place as early as 10 years after Leigh was constructed.

They have yet to be refurbished or renovated, as evidenced by the chipped and faded paint.

The inside of each locker within the row is just as broken down and aged as the outside of the locker.

“Last year I remember having two or three spiders in my locker after coming back from the summer vacation, and there are four or five really ugly stickers of aliens and radio stations that are extremely ugly

and bother me every time I open my locker,” said senior Nikki Lougee about the inside of her locker.

When asked about the practicality and usability of her locker in Row G and if she thought renovation was necessary, senior Sara Margozzi said, “I loved the location of my locker, but the handle of my locker completely fell off last year, and I could never open the lock!

So actually I am very glad that they are redoing that wing of the school.

L e i g h n e e d s some tender love and care.”

S u r prisingly, there have been only a few complaints to photo by Mikayla Druhan the office from students and teachers who have either had to relocate their classrooms or move their lockers due to the construction.

“In the beginning I was slightly annoyed at having to move lockers, but

then I realized that I wouldn’t be too sad to see the lockers go. They were really old and it will be nice having new ones,” said sophomore Linda Seong.

Senior Alistair Maxwell was very compliant and flexible with the locker changes.

“ I t wasn’t that much of a problem.

I just got moved to row J. I didn’t care that I got moved, ” said Maxwell.

The row of ancient lockers will finally get its longawaited and much needed renovation beginning the summer 2012 and continuing into the following school year if construction is not completed. Unfortunately, for the administration at Leigh, preparing for this renovation has not been an easy task.

“I needed to reassign over 100 student’s lockers from Row G this year and last year because of the ensuing construction that will take place on these lockers in the summer before the

Classroom chaos: Leigh classrooms are in the process of being rearranged and demolished Anna Schwarz Staff Writer

For 49 years, students have been coming and going out of the same art, science, and English classrooms, in Row G, but that stops now. This fall, classrooms 1-10 will be renovated for the first time since they were built in 1962.

At the end of renovation, there will be two general use classrooms, one 2D Art classroom, one 3D Art classroom, and four new science classrooms. An old photography classroom that was used for storage will also be turned into a 2D/3D Art classroom.

Each room will be modernized and specialized for photos by Rajashree the specific subject.

All three art classrooms will also have doors leading to an outdoor art patio. It will be enclosed and covered to prevent theft. Students and teachers can go out when the weather is nice to do artwork, and it will house one or

two new kilns.

The previous kilns were made in 1962, and took up a lot of classroom space.

Bhattacharya and Mikayla Druhan

A few teachers moved out in the beginning of the school year while others decided to wait until now. All teachers finished moving out on Dec. 5.

Teachers were told that they did not have to move anything themselves,

and that there would be movers.

“The move was pretty easy for me. The movers helped a lot, and I had the chess club’s help to move some club materials,” said English teacher Amy Gillis.

However packing was difficult for many art teachers as artwork and materials had to be packed carefully.

Samantha Cush, a 2D and 3D Art teacher, spent two and a half months preparing for the big move.

“From October to mid-December, I worked 12 hour days for every weekday. I even had to come in for four or five weekends,” said Cush.

A l though the move was stressful for some, everyone is looking forward to the results.

“The time spent packing was really tiring, but the sacrifice is worth the big end result,” said Cush.

These improvements to the Leigh campus are estimated to end in August of 2012.

Demolition of classroom interiors and lockers is rumored to start during winter break.

next school year. The process of reassignment of lockers was very difficult for the staff at Leigh because a lot of students at Leigh don’t even use their lockers, and we want students who use

photo by

and want a locker to be able to have one,” said the attendance clerk Teresa Wagster.

In the process of the reassignment of lockers, the staff, in order to find out who was using their locker and who wasn’t, had to call upon the San Jose Police to cut the lock off of lockers that were not being utilized to make room for the students who needed a locker due to construction or were simply never given one.

“I knew some of the lockers weren’t being used because they each had an advertisement card that was still in the locker from the previous school year,” said Wagster.

“First, I had to find dead lockers.

Then I had to call in all 350 students one by one to find out if they were using them. If they did, I relocated them, and if they didn’t I just cleared out their locker.”

From the staff’s merging of cohesive evidence as to who used their locker and who did not, they began to cut locks off of unused lockers, and assigned new locks Rajashree Bhattacharya and lockers to those that needed or wanted one.

These lockers are finally getting the upgrading and revamping they deserve after nearly 30 years of housing textbooks, lunches, sports equipment, instruments, and the binders of thousands of different students who have passed through the halls of Leigh High School. The lockers will be completed, hopefully, before next the next school year begins.

news

12.15.11

page 03

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?

An upcoming law will soon put a price on plastic bags to shift usage to paper in grocery stores Heyinn Rho Staff Writer

Early notices have popped up at the cash registers at the markets and shops of San Jose: customers should not expect complimentary plastic bags beginning Jan. 1, 2012. The New Year will mark the ban with Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance 9.10.2020.

This mandatory ordinance applies to retail shops such as bookstores, drug stores, liquor stores, and clothing stores. Places affected also include the department stores at local malls and convenience stores. The only exception will be applied to those plastic bags used for meat wrap or nonprofit organizations, such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill.

San Jose will charge establishments $1000 as a result of failing to follow the policy.

The ordinance also includes plans for the future. On Dec. 31, 2013, the San Jose consumer will have to pay 10 cents minimum for an exchange of recycled paper bags specifically composed of 40 percent post-consumer recycled content and marked as fully recyclable.

Then, on Jan. 1, 2014, the paper bag price will rise to 25 cents each.

The plastic bag ban has been successful in helping the environment in other locations. About three years ago, on June 1, 2008, China achieved

reducing the nation’s plastic bag usage to about half, although 60 percent of China disregarded the similar rule of applying a fee to plastic bags. Overall, China saved approximately 37 million barrels of oil.

Some people reject the idea of the ban, however.

“Bans erode consumer choice, threaten well-paying manufacturing jobs and harm growing recycling programs for plastic bags and wraps,” said Shari Jackson to the Huffington Post.

Jackson is director of Progressive Bag Affiliates, who have petitioned against the California cities plastic bag banning.

“Bans have not been shown to reduce litter, which is always the stated intent […]Instead, experience has shown that when grocers and retailers are no longer permitted to use plastic bags, consumers turn to paper bags, which create more greenhouse gas emissions and use more energy to manufacture,” said Jackson.

Environmental groups and activists rebut this argument by citing destroyed marine life. San Jose recycles four percent of the dispensed plastic bags from retail shops and the rest of it ends up in a landfill. They have to be picked out by a sorting machine.

Commonly known as a non-biodegradable substance that breaks down into smaller pieces, littered plastic bags become a threat to wild life because of their .025 millimeter thick polystyrene monomers. The half-life of plastic ma-

terial continues on even after its victim has ingested it and died.

“A high-quality reusable bag has the potential to replace over 600 single-use plastic bags over its lifetime, significantly reducing plastic bag litter. Plastic bags are one of the most common litter items found in creek cleanups. Paper bags are just as problematic, taking 14 million trees each year in the United States to produce a year’s supply for retail use,” states Sjrecycles.org.

Some consumers support the ordinance.

“I think it’s beneficial by far to limit plastic, for the sake of the environment,” said local grocery store shopper Julianne.

Junior Emma Batmazian isn’t sure she likes the idea of having to pay for a bag, but “thinks it’s a good choice environmentally”.

Local stores do worry about the impact.

“It’s a big question. We [Trader Joe’s] don’t know if charging for the paper bag will affect a drop in our num-

ber of customers because it depends on their devotion,” said Ca Thy, one of the crew

cern for their bags.

Long Beach, Santa Monica, and

photo by Kylie Brown

members of Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s patrons can buy their trademarked reusable bag which come in varying sizes. They have seen an increase in the buyers’ interest and con-

Santa Cruz are considering and may follow San José.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Downtown Los Gatos celebrates its 55th annual Christmas Parade

Katherine MacQuarrie Staff Writer

Gatos held their 55th Christmas parade. The brisk morning cleared into a beautiful day as people began their march down the main strip of Los Gatos. With over 240 entries and 10,000 participants, this December 3rd held what might have been the largest yet

It’s that time of year again. Lights are going up, decorated trees shine through windows, and orange and yellow leaves line the gutters.

Red and green are beginning to make a common appearance and it’s safe to say the holiday shopping frenzy has set in.

Indeed it’s “beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” And in preparation for the festive winter months ahead, Los Gatos clears North Santa Cruz Avenue for from left to right: One of the many floats; a festive horse-drawn carriage. their annual Christmas parade.

On Saturday, December 3rd, Los in the town and one of the biggest on

the west coast. And if you were unfortunate enough to be stuck in the Los Gatos traffic, that was apparent.

Happy faces were everywhere as the parade took place. There were dancers, colorful floats, BMX riders, boy scouts, girl scouts, and many animals making their way from Almendra to Los Gatos High School.

Children and parents alike greeted each with a waving hand and a smiling face.

Not only was there much to see but the holiday music and other snacks created a fun and friendly ambiance.

Undoubtedly a warm, family environment.

Santa Claus ended the parade making his way down the crowded street in his sleigh. Santa is always a

much anticipated participant and as always, the children’s laughter and excited squeals proved how loved he really is.

holding squash.” said senior Gabby Eik.

As per usual, the parade did not disappoint. The morning’s events ended around noon and delivered joy to all who witnessed the fun filled charade.

Different groups around the community are invited by Los Gatos -Saratoga Recreation to pitch a performance to be a part of the show.

Young children are encouraged to dress up in holiday attire and costumes and march alongside each other as a part of the parade. For those who are not part of a group, Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation has spots open in various parts of the parade for individual people who want to take part but are not a part of a group who could contribute a part to the parade on their own.

The floats, participants, crowd, music, and goodies set the perfect December mood. Year by year the holiday parade attracts families and smiles. It’s something to look forward to, either with friends or family, all are photos by Mikayla Druhan guaranteed to have a good time and get in the holiday

“I have been going for the past spirit. With the success it brought three or four years now. I go because we this year the parade is sure to be going do a cheer bake sale every year but it’s strong for many years to come. Next really fun to watch too. My favorite was December, be there or be…Scrooge. the weird old guys dancing around and

“Break” your boredom Whistlin’ The Eleight’s guide to a great winter vacation

I scrolled down: some song lyrics here and a rant about school there. I scrolled some more: a poorly spelled exclamation about someone’s “aw3$om3” girls’ night out, more rants, and the occasional insightful advice about life. Just some typical late day statuses on Facebook.

Scrolled some more to find nothing unique. Turns out people are not as witty as they believe. Then I stopped scrolling.

One status popped against the screen, luring my attention. It read: “I was driving home with my mom and I got whistled at…then my mom laughed because it was a boy on the short bus.”

There were a good handful of “likes” on the status, a few comments expressing empathy and even mockery.

And while most would agree the situation was…well—for lack of a better word—“awkward”, I didn’t consider their feelings very much.

My thoughts were drawn to consider the boy on the short bus. I was actually mentally applauding that boy for having the courage to whistle at a girl.

With whatever condition he had qualifying him to ride a short bus, I’m sure that was not an easy task to accomplish, or even contemplate. In fact, I know that wasn’t easy for him.

The other day when I was driving my brother home, he turned to me and said, “Makena, do you want to know a secret?”

Interested, I nodded. Gunnar never told me anything.

“Makena, I think your friends are so hot!”

I started to laugh so hard that I almost drove off the road. Never before had I heard my brother call a girl “hot” or even “pretty” for that matter.

And my brother is 17.

He too rides the short bus to school.

My brother was diagnosed with autism at age three. Life was never easy for us as a family. Our time, energy and money constantly revolved around not only our own activities as kids, but to ensure my brother is capable to live an independent life in the future.

By the time my brother was diagnosed, he started to have speech development problems.

He was anti-social at school and bullied for his disability.

Reading was (and still is) his greatest weakness.

My parents battled schools and doctors to ensure my brother got all the opportunities he deserves.

Between speech therapy, glutenfree diets, shots, doctor’s appointments, IEPs, teacher meetings, and reading help, it would get very hectic to keep up.

Our family has butt heads many times out of personal frustration. Especially with me and my brother.

He and I have always had a strained relationship since childhood.

I was always fiercely independent and craved “perfection”.

I wanted to control everything so badly to protect my “perfection”--my grades, my relationship with my parents, my friendships with people, everything.

And that was not limited to my brother’s behavior.

I always knew growing up that my brother was different due to “oddtism” (as I used to spell it), but in my mind, I thought he could just switch it on and off when he acted strange.

When he made weird noises in front of friends, I begged him to stop. In public, I didn’t want to be associated with him.

When he made “annoying” movements at dinner, I couldn’t stand it. I just didn’t understand.

Why couldn’t he listen to me? Why didn’t he just stop after a while? I didn’t accept him for him.

Years have passed now and much has changed with my brother and me.

We both are more mature and can manage conversations on a more personal level.

For so long, I had settled on this idea of my brother being unable to ever conform to “normality”.

But now, instead of convincing myself our lives would forever be disconnected and impersonal due to his autism, I’ve realized that a personal conversation, and even a relationship, is much more possible than I ever could’ve imagined.

The only thing that was preventing our relationship from growing was my inability to recognize that my brother and I are really not so different after all.

He’s a human being just like everyone else. His autism is not what separates him from society.

It’s peoples’ unacceptance.

17 years he’s lived with autism and watching him grow has been a privilege.

His reading comprehension has increased. He even wrote and illustrated his own children’s book that he sells online!

He constantly is outside playing with his friends.

His language has become much more advanced, and his communication skills get much better with practice.

And yes, starting to notice girls has been an incredible social development as well.

So while everyone else on the status wrote empathetic comments, I wrote: “That must have made that boy’s whole day to see such a pretty girl ;)”. Because while that may have been just a simple whistle, behind it was many years of development and work.

And that is the biggest accomplishment of all.

Katrina Jabbari Staff Writer

Whether you love the holidays or dread them, what’s not to love about winter break? Two weeks off of school with the freedom to do whatever your heart desires.

You can sleep day in and day out, you can stay snuggled up in a blanket and read a book, maybe go meet up with your friends and wander aimlessly for a couple of hours trying to figure out what to do.

Or… You can follow the Eleight’s guide to having the best winter break of your life. The choice is yours.

We’ll ease our way into this slow and steady, and start with the familiar and traditional.

Here’s a hint: it takes place every year in a park in San Jose, and it has to do with Christm a s .

Drumr o l l please…

None other t h a n Christmas in the Park!

If you live in San Jose and haven’t been to Christmas in the Park at least once in your life, it’s time you take your first trip.

Caesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose transforms into a majestic holiday wonderland when winter comes around.

Here’s how it goes: get there, walk around, look at ridiculously cute holiday displays in abundance, stand under “snowflake” machines and prepare to be immersed in a sea of pretend snowflakes that are actually bubbles.

The best part of the whole thing is that it’s free!

So, if you’re on a budget and looking for a good time, round up a group of friends, grab your coats and hop in your sleighs to hit up this holiday hot-spot.

Christmas in the Park is best for laid-back, casual observers.

However, if you’re someone who

likes action, right across the street from Christmas in the Park is the destination that will surely fulfill your holiday activity desires.

For $15, fairly pricey but oh so worth it, you can spend an entire day attempting to ice skate at Downtown Ice.

Opening at 11 a.m. and closing at 12 a.m., all of you first timers will have the time that you will most definitely need to lace up your ice skates and get your skating fix.

Here are a few tips for the inexperienced ice-skater:

1.) Don’t be ashamed to be one of those people who nonchalantly grasps

Photos

by

Kendra

Wood

the railing the entire time. People will be understanding and accept that you are an amateur.

2.) Look at all those skaters speeding by you, thinking they’re so cool. Are you going to take that? Heck no you aren’t!

That’s why you’re going to let go of that rail, and show them what you’ve got.

Chances are you are going to fall a few times but when you’re speeding through the ice in those few seconds of glory before you fall, it’s going to feel darn great. That is a promise.

3.) You are more than likely going to get damp, there’s no way around it. Wear clothes you can move comfort-

ably in, and clothes that you won’t be ridiculously uncomfortable in if they do get soaked.

Don’t feel like dressing up but still want to do something?

Simple solution; when the moon comes out and the night comes alive, take a brief trip to your closest Starbucks with friends or family, pick up your favorite holiday drinks, and head on over to The Festival of Lights.

This experience is recommended for the laid-back, visual person. For $15, you can drive a car-load of people into beautiful Vasona Park where the operators of the annual festivity set up extravagant light displays throughout the park for viewers to enjoy. $15 may seem like a bit much to look at lights, but if you split the cost between a car-full of people, it really is worth it. Add s o m e holiday music and an uncontrollable desire to sing along, and you h a v e just created an ideal holiday night.

I f you’re feeling lazy, stay at home. Invite some friends over, blast some holiday music and get your bake on!

Put everything that you’ve learned in Foods 1 to work and bake.

Bake and dance and enjoy life.

My personal recommendation, in the spirit of the holidays, is gingerbread men. You can decorate them however you like and go wild with frosting.

Warning: cookie decorating can get messy; be organized and pre-plan.

End the night with a movie and sleepover! This is a simple yet very effective plan for a great time.

So remember, if you find yourself bored at some point over winter vacation, turn to the Eleight’s guide to a successful winter break. Happy holidays!

‘Tis the season to serve! Holiday Kayla Pavlicevich Staff Writer

The holiday season is known to be the time of giving and helping others. Leigh High School students show their holiday spirit by setting an example for all students in the community from their hard work and dedication through volunteer w o r k .

Senior Zoe Demertzis, the co-founder and former President of the Silicon Valley Interschool Council (SVIC), volunteers at Good Samaritan once a week.

“I started at Good Sam my freshman year because my sister was already part of it and seemed to enjoy it. I sit at the information desk, run errands for nurses, and talk to patients. SVIC is the nonprofit that me and four of my friends started. We all go to different schools and decided that there needed to be a group of representatives from

schools all over the valley.”

“We run campaigns on our campuses and work with other nonprofits in the area. I like to volunteer my time to these things because I know that my free time is more valuable if it’s spent making other peoples’ lives better,” said Demertzis.

“I’m the committee chair for youth outreach with Relay for Life because I think cancer sucks and it hurts me to see people I love affected by it, and I volunteer at Good Sam because I just plain like helping people,” explained Schultz.

A great majority of the Leigh High School community is made up of students who volunteer through programs such as Toys for Tots, donations, food drives, Relay for Life, and volunteering at local businesses.

“I think it’s important to serve the community because it allows you to have insight on something that you’ve never experienced before. Personally, I like volunteering for smaller Visual By Nikita Zakladnyi events like the Sili “I don’t think I’m too young to con Valley Duck Race or a Christmas make a difference. I feel like people my Party for the Blind but I also volunteer age are pegged as immature and self- for bigger organizations like Relay for ish, so it’s nice to hear from adults that Life,” said senior Karolina Luckiewicz.

I give them hope in a way. I’m a be- “You make a lot of friends liever in the idea that life is easier when through all the different volunteeryou’re good to those around you.” ing opportunities and people look up

Another overachieving vol- to you when you give back to unteer worker, junior Kendra the community, I think that’s Schultz, has shown a great involve- probably the best feeling.” ment in volunteer work as well.

College expenses skyrocket

Students struggle with tuition

Michael Rea Staff Writer

It is no secret that the economy is in a recession and, therefore, everything is affected, including the schools that high school seniors are applying to.

In July 2011, the California state government made a change to the state budget that resulted in a $650 million dollar cut to higher education, dropping their funding to $2.37 billion.

This means that Un i v e r s i t y of California students will pay $12,192 per year for classes alone, a $1,068 increase from last year.

Furthermore, California Community Colleges will see a rise from $26 per unit to $36 per unit, and a California State University education will now cost $6,422 annually, making it a $588 spike.

However, it is not all gloom and doom for prospective students. “One of the most important things to do is to avoid assuming that college is too expensive,” said Lynn Rice, chairwoman of the College and Career Center.

Almost all students qualify for some form of financial aid. In order for students to receive aid, they must

fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

FAFSA opens Jan. 1 and applicants need information from their 2011 taxes, which should arrive sometime in January. In California, the deadline to submit FAFSA is March 2.

FAFSA is available in paper or electronic form and is the gateway to financial aid. The government uses the information you provide to figure out

the Expected Family Contribution.

This is the amount the government expects the family to pay for the education. From this value, they figure out how much money to award in the form of grants and loans.

The schools themselves also provide financial aid based upon need and merit. Therefore, grant and scholarship amounts vary widely; some schools may award $250 while others can award over $40,000.

The Leigh High Home and School Club also has scholarships that can be applied for in the spring. They can be several hundred dollars and last year the club awarded scholarships to 44 applicants. “These scholarships may not be worth a lot, but it’s still a way to recognize students around campus, even if they don’t necessarily have a 4.0 GPA,” said Stephanie Brown of the Leigh College and Career Center.

Finally, there are countless third party scholarships on sites such as fastweb. com and collegeconfidential.com for a variety of people. There are scholarships awarded based upon gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, geographical location, height, and random talents such as skateboarding.

There are also competitive scholVisual By Nikita Zacladnyi arships based upon merit, community service, and practically anything included in one’s college application. Any of these scholarships can award thousands of dollars.

It can be discouraging to see those large price tags on an education, especially as they continue to rise.

However, for every problem there is a solution. In this case the grants, loans, and scholarships are there to save the day and ease the cost; you just need to apply for them!

Swagger

Matthew Duell Staff Writer

Two women were arrested on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 in Sweetwater, Florida for allegedly stealing Christmas decorations from their neighbor’s yard and putting them in their own yard less than a block away.

Police in the Miami suburb of Sweetwater say about $500 worth of items were taken, including Mickey Mouse on a horse, hugging penguins, Snoopy on a doghouse, and Santa on a sled.

The two women were arrested for grand theft, and their names are yet to be released.

Truly, the chambers of my heart are filled with the deepest sense of Christmas sorrow as I think of all the remaining unanswered questions deep within this holiday story.

One question in particular popped into my head like a bag of Orville Redenbacher popcorn:

Why did they swagger jack the angelic and festive Christmas decorations of their neighbors, and bring it to their own lawn?

My immediate thought was, possibly, financial instability or impoverishment preventing them from buying any holiday decorations and displaying their holiday spirit, which led them directly to the robbery of their neighbor’s holiday decorations.

As I sit here squealing and screeching in a poor attempt to sing “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey (a seasonal favorite of mine) I realize how many underprivileged families, like the two potential women in Sweetwater, will be celebrating this holiday season with no tree, gifts, warmth, or even family.

According to the PBS News Hour, there are an estimated 46 million people living below the poverty line and an estimated 5 million people who will struggle this holiday season to find a meal and a place to stay; with 40 percent of them being families with children and 24 percent of them being married.

With these statistics and our increasing economic downturn, it’s no wonder the two Floridian women wanted to take their neighbors holiday decorations; they just wanted a taste of the holiday cheer, without the burden of holiday debt.

With that being said, this year I have made an attempt to stray away from my traditional holiday antics including, but not limited to, reindeering (the act of arranging someone else’s reindeer decorations into an unfavorable position), going hard like DJ Khaled with holiday gifts, blowing money on inflatable snow-

men and Santa Clauses for our front yard, white elephants, and ordering an eggnog milkshake from McDonalds every candy-coated weekend in December.

Instead, this year, my family and I have made a four person wolf pack and decided to avoid spending so much money on stuff we don’t even need such as electric snuggies, shake weights, sham-wows, electric toothbrushes, fondue makers, silk underwear, silk pajamas, and a tshirt saying “I’d hit that” with a piñata on it ( I essentially just named all of the ridiculous gifts I have received over the past four years that I still do not use or wear to this day).

This year, we are using the money that would have been spent on our Christmas gifts and putting it toward an organization called “Operation Christmas Child,” which provides toys in shoeboxes to children all over the world that would, normally, not receive any gifts at all.

This year, I strongly encourage you to try and step out of your comfort zone in spreading holiday cheer and reach out to the community and those in need! Help out at a local homeless shelter by distributing clothes, serving meals, putting on a puppet show for the kids or answering phones.

Or, if you are feeling rather bold, round up 12 (or 13 depending if you want one of your friends to be an elf ) of your friends, dress them all up like reindeer, and have them drag you around various neighborhood while you sit in a little red wagon dressed as Santa Clause and hand out bushels of mistletoe to the boys, and a gift of your choice to the girls (I always do Polly Pockets).

Whichever holiday you celebrate during this time, I encourage you to stray away from the “buy, buy, buy” stigma attached to the holiday season, and try to focus on what is most important during the holiday season: drinking as many Peppermint mochas as you can from Starbucks before they run out, Justin Bieber’s new Christmas album, and, most importantly, buying enough candy canes to last you for the entire year… Just kidding.

I was actually going to say that the overload of holiday advertising can make you forget what the holiday season is really about.

When your holiday expense list is running longer than your budget for an entire year, step back and remind yourself that what makes a great celebration is family and acts of charitableness, not store-bought presents, elaborate decorations (like my inflatable Santa Clause), and gourmet food.

If you’re wondering how you can get involved and give back to your community, come find me at school and I can hook you up with a list of local organizations in need of volunteers for the hectic holiday season!

I gtg now, lol srry.

Until next time, I wish all of you beautiful people at Leigh a merry and cheerful holiday season!

Editors-in-Chief Marissa Rodriguez, Kylie Brown Section Editors News: Brianna Houston Opinion: Caitlyn Nurnberg Features: Amanda Cendejas Sports: Zachary Tatar Entertainment: Blayke Leach In-Depth: Nanxi Tang Junior Editor: Luke Weinberg Visuals Editor Sadie Williams Online Editors Nanxi Tang, Christopher Wyman Business Managers Christopher Wyman, Nathan Keenan, Jeannie Ceglar Copy Editor Nicole Hamilton Staff Writers Rajashree Bahttacharya, Kylie Brown, Jeannie Ceglar, Amanda Cendejas, Mikayla Druhan, Matthew Duell, Nicollette Eilia, Michelle Fitzsimmons, Dominic Guidry, Tiffany Ha, Nicole Hamilton, Sean Hiller, Brianna Houston, Katrina Jabbari, Jinny Jung, Nathan Keenan Blayke Leach, Katherine MacQuarrie, Alassandra Marquez, Caitlyn Nurnberg, Kayla Pavlicevich Emily Ransom, Michael Rea, Heyinn Rho, Marissa Rodriguez, Anna Schwarz, Adam Soret, Chloe Tamaro, Nanxi Tang, Zachary Tatar, Julie Thompson, Sunna Thorkelsdottir, Andrew van Brunt, Joseph Vasquez, Thomas Viola, Makena Volzing, Luke Weinberg, Sadie Williams, Angel Wilson, Kendra Wood, Christopher Wyman, Nikita Zakladnyi, Sarah Mowad Design Staff Kylie Brown, Nicollette Eilia, Michelle Fitzsimmons, Dominic Guidry, Tiffany Ha, Sean Hiller, Katrina Jabbari, Katherine MacQuarrie, Alassandra Marquez, Kayla Pavlicevich, Emily Ransom, Heyinn Rho, Marissa Rodriguez, Adam Soret, Chloe Tamaro, Julie Thompson, Sunna Thorkelsdottir, Andrew van Brunt, Joseph Vasquez, Makena Volzing, Luke Weinberg, Angel Wilson, Sarah Mowad Visuals Staff Rajashree Bhattacharya, Mikayla Druhan, Jinny Jung, Anna Schwarz, Sadie Williams, Kendra Wood, Nikita Zakladnyi Online Staff Matthew Duell, Michael Rea, Thomas Viola Adviser Elizabeth Nakamura The Eleight is an independent publication of the Journalism class at Leigh High School. Its content reflects the opinion of the Writing Staff and does not necessarily reflect the views of Leigh High School, its Board of Trustees, faculty, administration or student body.

If you feel that The Eleight improperly or insufficiently represents any part of the Leigh High community, or have any other questions, suggestions or comments, please email Leigh’s Journalism class via the_eleight@yahoo.com.

The Eleight is an independent publication dedicated to honest, ethical, accurate and complete coverage of the Leigh High student body and its surrounding community.

Dear Readers, The transition from fall to winter has finally come into full swing. Football has put away the cleats, and basketball has brought out the jerseys; talk of turkeys has given way to gossiping about gifts; and proclamations of procrastination have suddenly turned into “Finals are in how many weeks?”

No matter how stressful things get, we encourage you to take a few minutes (or hours) to enjoy being in high school. Go to a basketball game (like the one at Branham tonight at 7 o’clock) or read a newspaper (like this one) or even surf the web for a little bit (check out our recently re-vamped website, www. theeleight.org). Don’t forget to enjoy your time here at Leigh. As important as test scores and extracurriculars are, making fond memories of your time on this campus is not something to procrastinate on.

But procrastination on studying for finals? Now there’s something we can endorse.

Happy Holidays!

Your Editors-in-Chief, Kylie Brown and Marissa Rodriguez

Unique, yet unknown

Leigh clubs show range in interests and talents Mikayla Druhan Staff Writer

Consumptions Club is the club for you. For more details you should stop by the Cafeteria on Monday B-Days.

Another new and unknown club at Leigh is the Robotics club. This club is perfect for anyone who is looking to apply their knowledge in math and science. Robotics club plans to build a robot that will be able to perform the necessary tasks to qualify for an upcoming competition on Dec. 18 in Fremont.

Each year holds a different com-

itself, and it must also be able to do this with a remote control. This club is all driven by very dedicated students, and is advised by Nela Barrow in Room 30. The meeting days vary depending on whether it is an A or B day.

Teens Offering Peer Support, better known as TOPS Club, is one more club that started up in late November. It was restarted at Leigh as a club by about seven seniors who agreed that they wanted to make a difference at campus, even if TOPS is no longer a class.

This year it’s not only just TOPS but also a club dedicated to antibullying awaren e s s .

“[ TOPS is back] to try and make an impact, and to help students that feel that Photo by Anna Schwarz they have nowhere to go. It’s for everyone, it doesn’t matter if you’re considered ‘popular’ or anything. It’s just a safe place where you can come hang out to talk about your problems or to bring up any concerns,” said senior Christina Valdez.

It is common knowledge that colleges want to admit the kids that have made a difference in their community or who are just really passionate about something. Even for students who don’t have a specific sport or activity on campus, there’s always a way to stay entertained and involved in school, whether it’s food, religion, music, dance, drama, or community service.

Joining a club is a great way to have fun while at the same time being able to stand out when it’s time to start filling out college applications. It can also just be a way to cure boredom by trying something new or meeting new people.

T h e Cultural Consumptions Club (CCC) was started this year and Robotics Club members at one of their weekly meetings. founded by seniors Sassan Caspiani, Sam Bauman, petition, and this year’s is “Bowled and Eric Rudawski. They started the Over.” Students must build a robot club because they believe that most that is able to pick up as many balls people just stick to the food they are used to eating, instead of trying something new.

“Even with something as simple as sandwiches, there are people who would otherwise never depart from turkey, cheese, and mayo - the CCC aims to change this. It also serves as a haven for people, like myself and others, that vehemently enjoy eating,” said Rudawski.

Cultural Consumptions Club is all about “promoting cultural tolerance and bringing people together through the consumption of food.” Although they haven’t tried any new food yet this year, the CCC plans to go out and try authentic Japanese in the near Photo by Marissa future. If you don’t want to commit a lot Seniors Sam Bauman and Eric Rudawski use signs and of time and effort, you piggy back rides to attract attention to CCC’s booth. like to eat, you want to make new friends, and if you are looking to become more as it can and drop them into baskets. ways culturally tolerant, then the Cultural The robot must be able to do this by

The

seniors who started TOPS hope to see the club carry on meetings in coming school years, and to continue to help any students in need.

To raise awareness about bullying, these students are putting their ideas together to make a video that they hope to have finished by March, which is anti bullying awareness month. There is someone from TOPS available to talk every day at lunch in Room 54 and meetings Rodriguez are every Tuesday.

Even for students who don’t find the right club for them at Leigh’s annual club fair every September, there are aways to get involved on campus.

Clubs meeting days & locations: SOS: Wednesdays, Cafeteria

Game Club: Fridays, Rm. 65

JSA: Tuesdays, Rm. 58

Comedy Club: Tuesdays, Rm. 56

Art Club: Tuesdays, Rm. 16

Key Club: Tuesdays, Rm. 92

Christian Club: Tuesdays, Rm. 14

TOPS: Tuesdays, Rm. 54

Anime Club: Tuesdays, Rm. 93

Video Game Club: Thursdays, Rm. 71

12.15.11

Ads

page 07

opinion

page 10

When police go too far:

12.15.11

Police brutality has hit an all time high in the U.S. selves, they jumped the gun; pun intended. Cau Bich Tran died from her wounds.

Of course, we can’t just walk around getting angry because the police The emotion in the chanted words defend themselves. could be clearly heard even through the

Not only is it hunoise of the crowd. man instinct to [pro As police mindlessly attacked tect] one’s own life, it is peaceful protesters, throwing them on part of their training to the ground assume the worst—and and pepperthis is probably because spraying out in the gritty world down their of the police force, the throats, the worst-case scenario is surrounding often the real scenario. witnesses

W h o on UC Daknows? Maybe the peelvis’ campus er really did look like a on Nov. 18 gun. shouted in

Maybe, in that outrage: split second of decision, “Shame on those officers legitimateyou! Shame Photo courtesy of Lucas Krech ly feared that Cau Bich on you!

Police in UC Davis randomly pepper sprayed protestors.

Tran would kill them, Shame on and then proceed to go on a rampant you! Shame killing spree. In that split second, this on you!” year than last year.

Perhaps This policy allows only does this kind of policy infringe may have been a completely feasible you heard them to stop any on our national rights, the success rate scenario.

However, this tragedy could easabout this ‘suspicious’ per- is alarmingly low. Clearly, this plan is recent exson they see on flawed. Maybe the authorities simply ily have been avoided if these officers ample of the street (read: enjoy the pure sport of deciding who had been taught to reach not for their deadly guns, but rather for a less fatal excessive Any non-white to frisk and how. violence. person. The NCY- It’s getting worse. Authorities- the weapon, like a taser.

Perhaps the solution to police

ProLU claims that “responsible” ones, the ones protecting brutality in general is just a few extra testers were our communityhave shot and killed this year, 51% of Photo Courtesy of Nic Le sensitivity courses. sitting on Statistics published by the Stolen Lives Project estimate that those frisked were people with virtually no provocation. the ground the number of cases in the U.S relating to police brutality have black and 33% were Latino), and In 2003, a Vietnamese woman If you wish to sign a petition regardon the cam- reached the thousands. named Cau Bich Tran was shot by po- ing the UC Davis incident, visit frisk them for any weapons, drugs, pus of UC lice because they mistook her vegetable change.org/petitions or anything else incriminating.

Davis, arms Now, this may seem like a peeler for a gun. linked, not doing a thing or saying a lic safe, many appear to care infinitely good idea. All in the name of catch- These officers were so preoccuword. Police were called in, and they more about filling their quota and pro- ing criminals, right? “All it would cost pied with avoiding getting shot themSunna Thorkelsdottir Staff Writer

came in riot mode. One officer, in a show of crude power, sprayed pepper spray in the faces of the students.

This is not the first case of excessive violence by police in America. We’re supposed to be living in a free country, not a police state.

But, more and more of the authorities are forgetting their duty.

Rather than aiming to keep the pub-

tecting their own backs.

According to the Huffington Post, police have been utilizing the “stopand-frisk” policy 1 3 % more this

us is a few constitutional rights,” said Miami Herald’s Leonard Pitts Jr. Not

Christmas, where art thou?

As times change, so does the youth perception of Christmas

Kendra Wood Staff Writer

Think back to Christmas as a child. Those days spent adding endless amounts of presents to your list to Santa Claus. Singing as loud as humanly possible to Christmas tunes in hopes that Santa would hear your Christmas spirit. And when Christmas Eve rolled along, watching for Rudolph’s red nose amongst a sky full of stars.

The days spent actually believing in a fat man in a red suit who would grease his way and slide down your chimney, to fill your stockings and eat the cookies and eggnog left out for him. The impression that this jolly man loaded up a sleigh on Christmas Eve, and was led by reindeer around the world in one night, just to leave you whatever your hearts desired.

The magical feeling encountered by staying up secretly trying to catch this Santa Claus guy, and jumping on your parents before the sun even rose.

Rushing them, running out to empty your stockings on the long awaited day, Christmas Morning. This feeling that dissipated as the years went on, and the loss of Christmas spirit as the realization that Santa Claus wasn’t real hit home. That gifts left under the tree and in stockings were really just your parents, and actually cost money.

There was no such thing as getting coal in your stocking instead of gifts if you were to misbehave. It was all take, and

no give. material items and their importance holiday spirit, or go out and get a tree

It seems as if Christmas doesn’t around this time of year. Teens want in the old fashioned, true Christmas have the same value as it did as a child. cars, money, perfumes and the latest way; to go out and cut one down.

We were led to believe all kinds of True Religion jeans. Not bothering Why do that when Home Depot magical lies, that is right down the street? filled our hearts More importantly, who needs Christmas spirit? with excitement and anticipaGifts are what it’s all about tion, making the anyways, and actually takwhole month ing the time to enjoy this of December holiday is just silly waste of time. It only comes once a something to celebrate. year, and it’s only the big All that the gest holiday of the year but media portrays that’s not worth the money now is Christor time anymore. “We still have the same traditions, mas sales, and material things but the spirit isn’t the same. to help make this People don’t want to decoyear “one to rerate or spend time watching member.” What Christmas specials together is being forgotthat we’ve seen a hundred ten are the chertimes,” said Junior, Jessica ished memories Wakeman. that the Christ Granted, there are mas Spirit used still some similarities. Per to bring us, and se, the fact that unwrapping the holidays bered and green colored gift ing more about wrapping is always exciting the experience, and enjoyed. And the act of and less about getting ugly holiday sweatthe presents. ers from our grandmother’s

The main who still don’t understand objective of our style. And last but not Photo by Jinny Jung Christmas in Shiny ornaments and bright lights on a crisp Christmas least, having to smile and present day is give tree bring out the Holiday merriness. pretend you love those dreadful gifts and take; wanting more than anything. this and wishing It seems that what is truly missed that, all revolving around the basis of to decorate their house to prolong the on Christmas nowadays isn’t the gifts,

but the feeling of exhilaration brought by the buildup of this holiday we’ve been used to since we were children.

“Friends and family are still happy and the same as before, but everything is more nonchalant now, and not so ‘magic’ anymore, for lack of a better word,” said Wakeman. It’s been recognized that the sentimental value of those feelings felt and loved as children, have now turned to a different kind of value, the value of our Christmas gifts and their costs.

As we get older, we lose our sense of wonder. Just as growing up comes with a loss of innocence, part of that innocence including the disbelief in Santa Claus, the understanding that financial issues are a large part of life, and that not everyone can have a perfectly jolly Christmas filled with all kinds of gifts and wishes. It’s a damper on the holiday, and it seems that more than anything, ignorance IS bliss.

We didn’t know it as a child, but those were the glory days. We didn’t know what went on behind the scenes, and that’s what made it so magical.

Now that we’ve got a grip on reality, the fun of it all has been taken away and stomped on, to be rid of forever unless we decide to recapture this Christmas Spirit as best we can; In celebrating and enjoying the memories this holiday brings us, and the experiences we discover in trying to embrace the full potential of this holidays advantages and points of interests.

Pining for a tree Christmas trees: Practicality or authenticity?

Emily Ransom Staff Writer

Christmas is in the air. You close your eyes and take a whiff of all the holiday scent around you: The mint from the candy canes sitting on the kitchen counter, cinnamon coming from the candle that is serving as your dining table centerpiece, the gingerbread cookies that just came out of the oven, warm and crisp.

What’s that you smell among all these other delicious smells of the holiday season? Plastic?! My friends, this should not be.

People all across America, even those among Leigh High School, have resorted to buying fake Christmas trees.

“They’re a lot cleaner; not a lot of needles all over the place. I don’t have to worry about disposing it and I only had to buy it once,” said English teacher, Rob Warren.

Some families cannot have a Christmas tree due to allergies and so they have no choice but to buy a fake tree. Other families, though, choose not to have a real Christmas tree for reasons such as keeping a cleaner house, just like Warren.

Other families, who celebrate

Christmas, choose to not even have a Christmas tree at all.

According to Bill Chameides in his article “Statistically Speaking: Real vs. Fake Christmas Trees”, a sad 48 percent of households in America had a fake tree in 2002, as well as 32 percent with no tree and 21 percent of households with a real tree.

Nevertheless, the fake Christmas tree will never live up to the grandness and majesty of the real Christmas tree.

The scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree alone has the potential to inject the holiday spirit into anyone, even a Scrooge.

“Going to pick out a tree with your family is a lot of fun, but fake trees are a lot easier to clean up after Christmas,” said junior, Trevor Kaefer.

Many families have made it their tradition to be lumberjacks for a single day every year; to cut down a Christmas tree and bring it home to decorate, with ornaments collected throughout the years; ornaments bought, ornaments given, and ornaments made by children’s hands, a memory in every one.

This tradition seems to have grown into the hearts and souls of many Americans and the whole ordeal is exciting for many younger children

as well as adults. For some, it is the highlight of the season and all year round, people look forward to the thrill and excitement of choosing that perfect tree.

“I love the smell of real Christmas trees, and also cutting them down with family and friends each year is so much more enjoyable than using the same fake tree over and over again.

Real trees just get you into the overall Christmas spirit as well,” said junior, Whitney Chrisman.

But even more importantly than the excitement of cutting down a tree, families every day are making memories with one another and there is nothing more valuable than that. Memories will last much longer than the gifts sitting under the tree and that should always be remembered.

Charlie Brown didn’t go and attempt to buy a plastic tree. Instead, he chose the real tree, though pathetic, lame, and small in appearance, it was all they needed to find their Christmas spirit.

So this holiday season, don’t be a Grinch, let nothing hold you back.

Go outside, grab some hot cocoa, and search for that perfect tree with the people that you love, to make this Christmas season a memorable one.

The Kindle craze fires up

Replacing textbooks with a modern alternative Nicole Hamilton Copy Editor

As both society and technology advance, methods of teaching and sharing information with students are bound to change, as well. The validity of textbooks in this modern day and age is a question frequently brought up in such discussions.

A t Leigh, the idea of replacing textbooks with E-readers has been considered for a while, and was even tried with Carol LeahMartin’s English 2 Honors class two years ago.

“I didn’t like them because I enjoy the feeling of having a book in your hand,” said senior Jiwon Kim. “And it added stress because if we Students these days lost it, it was expensive to replace.”

Despite reactions, E-readers are almost a certain advancement that’s to be made by the administration in the future. They will have certainly advanced much farther than those tested

by Leigh students, but the concept would be the same.

“If and when E-readers become financially feasible, if it actually works, instead of checking out 5-6 textbooks,

textbook.”

While an ultimate learning tool is nice to imagine, the reality is that there are still some unavoidable drawbacks to converting information solely into the digital sphere.

“[If textbooks were replaced with E-Readers,] that would suck! If anyone has seen the movie ‘Idiocracy’, well, this would most likely be the reason why – all this electronic stuff is dumbing down s o c i e t y, ” said freshman Feline Clever.

“Idiocracy” depicts a society that has come to rely so solely on electronic devices that their base intelligence has become incredibly deteriorated, and Photo by Jinny Jung ridding would rather read off of their electronic devices than textbooks. schools of the textbook may media and the expanding scope of mo- appear to be a step in that direction.

Despite this, there are definite bile devices and harness it into a pow- pros to switching over to digital media. erful teaching tool.

“I think a textbook today is more The convenience, accessibility, and fithan words on a page,” said vice prin- nancial benefit in the long run all make cipal Dave Walters. “I want to be able this option appealing, but the technolto take notes, search these notes, re- ogy available at the moment is still too configure the screen, copy-paste notes new, and too flawed, to foresee a defion another device, and I want to take nite future where the textbook will be advantage of other digital media in my rendered entirely obsolete. you would check out one E-reader with all your textbooks loaded on it,” said principal Donna Hope.

Many also envision the future to hold technology that extends beyond simple E-readers, too. An article in T.H.E. Tech Journal includes opinions given by various visionaries across the nation, all who wish to utilize social

Pushin’ the limits

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, I looked at the calendar and realized there were six months until June. Six months until summer. Six months until June 7.

Six months until graduation.

I still remember Ms. Hope speaking to us in the bowl during that first segment of freshman orientation: “The next time you are all here, together in this bowl, will be when you graduate four years from now.”

And that day is now less than six months away.

Senior year has gone by so fast. With all of us working, filling out college applications and receiving decisions, driving place to place, starting to be more independent, and balancing out our social lives, we’ve almost defeated the first semester of our last year of high school.

Crazy isn’t it?

College marks the beginning of the rest of our lives in a career. It will be the catalyst for some to make their income, buy a home, start a brand new chapter of their lives, and to find their soulmates.

Last year, my plan was to go to a community college for two years, then transfer to San Jose State or another four-year college.

Why?

Because of the economy. Financial reasons.

When this year came, a lot of schools e-mailed me and gave me an application fee waiver. I figured, why not apply and see if I get accepted?

Never in a million years did I think I’d be accepted for scholarships or even think of enough financial aid to go to my dream school.

Heck, I didn’t even have a dream school.

But after getting acceptances and scholarship offers, I’ve realized that there are opportunities out there that can help you achieve your goals and reach your dreams.

But opportunities are taken, not given.

Now that I’ve decided I want to, and will go to, a four-year college, it’s just a matter of which school is most interested. It’s only fair.

Apply for scholarships, apply for financial aid. Apply to schools that are way too expensive or prestigious for you, because you don’t know what they could offer you. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?

Aside from college, I recently bought a gym membership. Finances are already tight, but I really needed it.

At 24 Hour (best gym ever, no matter what anyone else says), there are signs hung all around the gym walls that say “Group X,” “Swim,” “Training,” and etc. But one sign in particular recently began to catch my attention.

“Push your limits.”

As simple as it sounds, this sign grew onto me.

Every time I see it, I push myself more and more with whatever I’m doing at the time. Then I began to apply to think about how that simple quote applied to the rest of my life. In every way possible.

I’ve constantly set limits for myself. And I’ve done it subconsciously in several different ways.

I’ve limited what I could do based on financial situations. I’ve been too nice to mean people to avoid confrontation. I’ve set my goals lower than what I could achieve to avoid disappointing myself or others.

I’ve set my standards lower so that I

wouldn’t feel like there was something missing.

And that’s not okay with me anymore.

What’s funny is I never noticed it before I looked at that sign.

Never once did I think, “I’m going to set my goals lower so that I can easily achieve them.”

The way I thought about it was that I was setting my goals realistically. That way I could always achieve them and set them higher for next time. I wouldn’t disappoint myself or anyone else along the way.

But aren’t your dreams and goals supposed to be idealistic?

When you don’t accomplish something, don’t you want it more?

The only way to do that is to set your goals higher than you think possible.

Here I was, thinking that I would go to a JC for two years. Here I was, running ten minutes before slowing down. Here I was, settling for less than I could achieve.

Not anymore.

I just got a second job at Formal Headquarters. I have a new gym membership. I’m going to plan an amazing prom for this year’s juniors and seniors. I’m going to go to a fouryear college and take opportunities to study abroad and apply for internships.

And I’m going to make all these things happen because I want them to, and I’ll push myself to achieve them.

As the new year comes around, it’s time to start setting those resolutions.

Most of them will be shortlived. You’ll have a gym membership for a month, a job for three, and good grades for the first six weeks.

Set those resolutions higher and figure out how you’re going to achieve those goals you set for yourself.

As everyone begins to think of their New Year’s resolutions, mine is set in stone. I want to push my limits.

It’s as simple as that.

I’m not settling for less. I’ll push myself academically, financially, physically, mentally, and socially. I’ll push myself in any way that I possibly can.

And you should to.

You may not realize it, but you might too be limiting yourself. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Set your goals and your New Year’s resolutions high. Be detail-oriented so that you know the steps you need to take to get there.

Do all that you can do to push your limits.

2012, here I come.

entertainment

page 12

12.15.11

It’s a Belly Bustin’ Pizza Party A tale of new competitors, pizza, and glory

Blayke Leach Entertainment Editor Nic Le Guest Writer Jordan Nunes Guest Writer

This month, I decided to take a break from telling the tales of Iron Belly and Little Piglet and tell of a time not so long ago in restaurant not so far away: A time of partnership, pizza, and a busted belly. A time known to those involved as “The Dark Ages.”

Pizza Party in Santa Clara offers a size of pizza that no one has ever seen by the naked eye: The Belly Buster. At 20 inches and sliced into 36 pieces, with 5 pounds of dough, cheese, pepperoni, and grease, this challenge is not for the faint of stomach. To put it in perspective, a birthday party featuring twenty-something kids could not come to tame the Italian Stallion. In place of children, I brought along a party of my own. Seniors Nic Le, C.J. Meisenbach, and Jordan Nunes joined me in the conquest.

To make it more interesting, teams were established leaving Meisenbach and I to face off against Nunes and Le, a battle of wits, stratagem, and stomachs. A semi-pro eater, senior Mike Kim, came to give words of wisdom to both teams, while Jimmy Williams was our water boy…

Both teams made the choice to split the pizza, half cheese and half

quickly and get my half down fast. Le and Nunes, on the other hand, agreed to start with the crust first, saving the

mess of cheesy greasiness for later.

After a few minutes of letting the pizza settle and cool, we grabbed our ranch cups, we started the timer, and the challenge commenced. I tore

pepperoni, and as far as I was concerned, my strategy was just to eat

through the majority of his half, within the first few minutes, thrusting his team quickly into the lead. C.J. was off to a slow start, but steadily kept the pace. Across the table, a rhythm was beginning to form, with no real leader shining through.

About 10 minutes into the bat-

truly believed that “slow and steady wins the race.” This seemed to be true until a quick glance at the opponent’s pizza informed us that we were not ahead anymore, and in fact the NunesLe rhythm began to prevail. With Le’s “machine-like” process and Nunes’ Saucy Shuffle technique of burning calories while eating, they battled their way to the lead, leaving my team in their doughy dust.

53 pieces later, four men stood side by side, clutching their stomachs and reeling in pain. Nobody had conquered the Belly Buster, and after about 26 minutes, both teams had given up. With a final score of 28 pieces to 25 pieces, my dastardly opponents won, Nic Le and Jordan Nunes. We walked to our cars disoriented and displeased with our experience, fighting the urge to let loose of our innards and our minds.

To see more about our newest food challenge, the Belly Buster pizza at Pizza Party in Santa Clara, or to read up on the Tales of Iron Belly and Little Piglet as they helped me take on past food foes, log onto our website, theeleight. org, and check out the Entertainment section. And join us next month as Iron Belly and Little Piglet battle a monsterous burger Photos by Marissa Rodriguez that has never been defeated by 14 pieces in a mere 6 minutes. C.J. any mere mortal. Happy Holidays and seemed to also stop, but really was just good eats. eating at a snail’s pace. Obviously, he tle, the food athletes barreled through, with Kim yelling what I could only guess were inspiring speeches, but no one really knows.

Williams, on the other hand was basically running laps around the restaurant, replenishing beverages every which way.

With a considerable lead, I had to stop, after eating

Top Holiday Classics: Jeannie Ceglar Staff Writer

Can’t decide what movies to watch this holiday? Well here all the top holiday movies that you should watch this Christmas. Whether you’re looking for a dark comedy or a family classic, these will surely make you want to relax next to a cozy fire with hot chocolate and enjoy.

family watches it all day long. If you haven’t discovered this gem yet, I urge you to take the time to do so as soon as possible. Then again, you probably already have.(see also Home alone 1, 2, 3)

Bad Santa:

Elf:

Will Ferrell sings and dances his way through this rambunctious comedy as a sugar-loving elf buddy, who flees his North Pole Sanctuary. This movie is funny and intelligently made, a film for kids and adults that’s both sweet and sardonic! You’ll surely walk away from “Elf ” pleased. I just love watching Ferrell do his clueless acts, and even here, there’s just something inherently funny about just seeing him in a big green

A Christmas movie that less joyous but with very dark comedy. Thornton’s Santa is grumpy, slovenly, depressed, twiceA Christmas Story: d i Say it with vorced, me: “I want an suicidal, official Red Ryder boozing, carbine-action 200thievshot range model ing, safeair rifle with a comPhoto Courtesy of impawards.com crackpass in the stock, ing, immoral, elf suit. and this thing that womanizing ex con. He This tells time.” Christis is the Anti-Claus. Wil- definitely mas Story is a true, lie T Stokes is a con man a great Holiday clasgreat and a thief who teams up f a m i l y sic, with much afwith his friend Marcus, h o l i d a y fectionate humor. a dwarf, for a very spe- m o v i e “A Christmas stocial scam each year dur- that you, ry” recalls vividly ing the holiday season. if what it was like to you Photo Courtesy of questexperiences.com Even though the tone h a v e n ’ t be a kid at Christmas in a more innocent time. And is uniformly mean and vulgar and a l r e a d y, Who doesn’t love little Ralphie Parker not so much a family movie, it’s defi- m u s t and his attempts to nab the ultimate nitely the funniest send-up of bad see. AnChristmas gift- in this case a Red Ryder Christmas karma I have ever seen. other simair rife? A Christmas story just cannot It will definitely make you laugh out ilar movie, be missed! TNT runs “A Christmas loud, in its comical rough-cut humor! see also, “How the story” 24/7 on Christmas day, and my

photo courtesy of

Must-see movies to boost your Christmas spirit

Grinch Stole Christmas.”

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:

the Griswolds. For more Family classics see also, “Christmas with the Kranks”

Christmas Shoes:

What’s Christmas A young boy without the Griswolds? tries to get a pair of Chevy Chase staring Christmas shoes for as the hilarious Clark his dying mother, Griswold in which he while a lawyer tries is forced to spend his to deal with the holidays with his inbreakup of his marlaws. This is a fairly perriage. It’s not new, fect blend of cartoon photo courtesy of impawards.com but it’s a wonderful violence and mayhem Christmas movie in and pleasant lightness of a Christmas movie. Christmas Vacation may not be which I suggest of having a full box of a fancy package, but the comedy bits tissues nearby when you’re watching it.

It’s very heartwarming and endearing here are very funny, and the message of the and most impormovie is excellent and tantly memoravery touching. It’s also ble. The bickervery well acted, with ing, frustrations, an especially good general loudness, performance by Kimand in the endberly William. And less laughter are all though this movie also all illustratmight be depressing ed in this film. and tragic, it’s reChristmas Vacaally an outstanding tion will help movie for the whole you remember family to enjoy, and your own Christit really brings home mas past or, at the true meaning of the very least, photo courtesy of moviegoods.com dvdtown.com Christmas and the imit will make you portance of family. happy that your family isn’t like

12.15.11

entertainment

“The Sitter” Directed by David Gordon Green Sean Hiller Staff Writer

College dropout Noah Griffith (Jonah Hill) in order to let his mom and her friends have a nice evening out takes the job of babysitting his

spends the rest of his evening trying to come up with the money. Things keep getting weirder and crazier and yet at the same time Noah is able to help the three children he is babysitting and himself in ways he would never have been able to if there wasn’t a crack dealer and his gang of body builders

cool and to some degree I was right.

“The Sitter” is by no means original, plot wise, but it is definitely jam packed with hilarious scenes and clever situations ranging from car chases to Jonah Hill getting beaten up. That’s all you really need if you ask me.

This film has more of a sensitive side which people who like Jonah Hill might not enjoy but it does give the movie an element that most of his films don’t have: the audience actually caring for the characters. The actors and actresses all do a great job especially the young ones. Landrey Bender (Blithe) and Max Records (Slater) do a great job of portraying their weird and more complex characters. Don’t let this emotional touch discourage you because the film is still full of over the top slapstick and college minded humor.

The movie never has a dull moment and is interesting the entire time. For this reason I would rate this movie a “B”. Jonah Hill is great at making movies more interesting than they would be without him, except for “Cyrus” (I have no idea what the hell that was) and he continues this tradition with “The Sitter”. If you find

mother’s friend’s children. Seems sim- ETchasing them.

E !

M ple enough. Noah arrives Ufor hisSW job I I came into this movie expecting S ME Cof T.V having envisioned a night with the kids doing their own thing. Unfortunately for Noah things just don’t go as planned.

First off the three kidsiuhe sisl the needs to watch are allTin m i tis midst of their own problems. i iriusc The daughter Blithe is obsessed quat i l with being like celebrities on par rat. with Kim Kardashian, thep son usSlater is on a variety of pillsSandti gets anxiety attacks very easily, and the adopted son Rodrigo can’t stop destroying things.

Half way through the evening Noah gets a call from his “girlfriend” who promises him she yourself bored one of these days just lla loiat,allvu of will finally have sex with him if hesim getsdunat repeat augof get some friends and go see this s i , l t a i a r g e u amovher friend some cocaine (which it isboobHills s reet v Jonah o n movie. It is worth it. i elit raessitwhere vious it is for her). Not thinking twice ciaduweird a f augue ies a s l i qu ui b about it Noah grabs the kids, throws io eli gets sum q do cortkid quis e s o i r them in the minivan and heads to the t nos t volo henis i d d meeting with the drug dealer. nostru feum non am

Getting the drugs goes fine fornulla feu diam eliqu um elit o at m dunt Noah but unfortunately he does notat, com osto duis h eum borer b i r n e i t u s t o realize Rodrigo stole $10,000 worth quis e it no it am, vol tem n r velis of cocaine until it explodes all over erat, sec dolortie ve m, quipit sse t a i li a e the minivan. The drug dealer realizing nos aug on velenim erostio dit v c tum , a t e i u r the drugs are gone gives Noah a call. sit lo t auga volorem q um i r e v m ion re minofadcrazy dit nu into Noah tries to explain but drug dealers athrust oseries ero od dolor i et la t s i i o r u z z q o i t l s just aren’t reasonable people and Noah events o because ve temhe is otrying lo rer to become olore utetue ecte d luptat nism velis null elis o t in nim d nulput u adip e m i s y i tem q s c m s e e s m s i u e l s t i a i t e d u x mo ulp s e r dolum re venim v OboremNo hIm lo y ib nis do oreetumm autatin hen eC a e n i x e l e is lar record sales issiscoril number of Grammy Swift’s detractors may question sim in Marissa Rodriguez awards. Her songs are written to best her vocals and seemingly genuine perEditor-in-Chief suit her voice, but the live performance sona, but combined with her songwritmakes it evi In October 2010, country/pop dent that she superstar Taylor Swift released her isn’t overly third studio album, Speak Now. As of talented in August 2011, the album has sold over her vocals.

5.5 million copies worldwide, and is Swift’s lyrnominated for Country Album of the ics and girlnext-door deYear at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

After touring Europe, Asia, meanor make Australia, and North America, Swift up most of released the live in-concert version of her appeal, her the album, titled Speak Now Live, that while came packaged with a DVD of her per- weak voice overformances at her concerts in Los Ange- and emphasized les and San Jose.

The live album contains all the good-girl imsame songs as on the studio version, age are the with the exceptions of “Innocent” main arguand “Never Grow Up” being dropped ments of her from the set list, and “Ours,” a song critics. She only available on the Deluxe version of is known for being overly Speak Now, being added.

Swift’s strength is in her song surprised at award shows, despite being ing skills, they seem to be the factors writing and relatability to her audi- nominated for 146 awards during her that make her as successful as she is, ence; her voice isn’t nearly as strong as 5-year career, and taking home 92 of especially at only 22 years old. those of most other artists with simi- them.

Most of the songs on Speak Now

page 13

“The Foreigner” Directed by Bryan Ringsted

lie. Ellie teaches him English, and Betty waits on him hand and foot. Things are going great for Charlie, and for the first time in his life people are actually Throughout our lives we’ve all drawn to him. But just as Charlie gets dealt with feelings of shyness. When comfortable playing the part of a foryou put yourself out there, you’re eigner, he lands himself in trouble. He bound to get hurt. So what if there soon finds himself becoming the center was a way that we could interact with of a wicked plot devised by a member people without risking vulnerability? of the cast who may surprise you. And What if we could surround ourselves somewhere in the mix of all this, the with friends who adore us without ever Klu Klux Klan makes an appearance.

The play consisted of two separate even saying a word to them?

“The Foreigner”, a play by Larry casts which performed on alternating Shue, centers around a character named nights. “The reason for this was simple, over the past Charlie five years of Baker Photo By Anna Schwarz my tenure who does at Leigh, exactly the Theater t h a t .

Department Charlie has grown is a painstronger fully shy each year, Englishand I simman who ply had too has no many skilled friends actors and and desactresses to perately limit myself wants to to a seven gain a character personproducality. His tion.” said wife is director dying in Brian Ringthe hos- Andrea Geoke, Ashley Saindon, and Jacob Gemette sted. pital, provThis funny and well acted out ing to be difficult for Charlie to deal with. Charlie’s friend Froggy brings play was brought to life by the talented Charlie from his hometown in Eng- actors and actresses of Leigh High. land to a lodge in America in an effort They all brought something special to to cheer up Charlie (no pun intended). their role which made you feel a conAmong a group of other guests also nection with each individual character. staying at the lodge is a pastor named Somewhere beyond all the humor in David, his wife Catherine, and her little the play lies a deeper meaning. “[The sister Ellie. Before leaving, Froggy tells message of the play is to] be yourself, and sometimes you have to dig inside Betty, the owner of the lodge, that

Charlie is a foreigner and that he your heart to find your personality.” said Vaughn Mayer who plays David. speaks not a word of English.

I was not the only one who enCharlie quickly gets settled at the lodge and becomes the focal point of the joyed the play. Many other audience guests’ adoration. Catherine, thinking members who I spoke with raved about that Charlie cannot understand a word the results of all the actors’ and actressshe says, confides in Char- es’ hard work. “I thought the play was very well done. They turned the quite serious plot into a very entertaining comedy, while also making a very dramatic play,” said James Eakes. I think I can speak for everyone who attended “The Foreigner” when I say that I left the theater with a warm heart and a more open mind.

Sarah Mowad Staff Writer

“Speak Now: Live CD/DVD”Produced by Nathan Chapman follow Swift’s tried-and-true formula of honest lyrics, heavy emphasis on acoustic guitars, and light background vocals to help strengthen her voice without the use of auto-tune. Speak Now Live is just a reiteration of this, but with glossier guitars and an even smaller country influence.

Much of the appeal of a Taylor Swift concert comes with her stage presence: her concerts are usually fully of sparkly dresses, Photo by Sadie Williams elaborate props, videos from Swift’s famous friends, and even a song or two sung from an area of the arena away from the stage.

There is an instance during the

Speak Now Live DVD where Swift is singing at the back of the arena, among screaming and crying fans, so overtaken with emotion that their idol is playing guitar mere inches away from them.

Speak Now Live also includes three cover songs: “I Want You Back,” “Bette Davis Eyes,” and “Drops of Jupiter.” On the Speak Now tour, Swift covered a song each night by a local artist from the city she was playing in.

“Drops of Jupiter” was played in San Jose as a tribute to Bay Area-based band Train, who originally sang the song.

Overall, Speak Now Live doesn’t show much difference from its studio counterpart. For fans wanting to relive their concert experience, the album might be worth a few listens. But the live recording aspect is a major drawback (think: screaming fans in the background, and Swift talking before each song) that might make purchasing 2010’s Speak Now a more satisfying alternative.

Grade: B-

A rude awakenA grill and a game: A review of the best local sports grills ing and a hopeful prospect Andrew Van Brunt Staff Writer

Thomas Viola Staff Writer

This season, the Bay Area has been blessed with not one, but two teams who appear bound for the playoffs.

As of the writing of this article, the San Francisco 49ers have already clinched the NFC West title, and the Raiders sit at (7-5), in a tie with the Denver Broncos for the AFC West.

However, only one of these teams seems capable of going deep into the playoffs, and it is almost certain that neither team is capable of winning the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this year.

Now the 49ers have received an abundance of attention for their play this year, so I think the Raiders should get some attention first for a change.

Earlier in the season, the Raiders lost their starting quarterback, Jason Campbell, to a season-ending collarbone injury.

To compensate for this loss, which normally spells doom to a team’s season, no matter how much promise they may have shown, the Raiders acquired Carson Palmer from the Cincinnati Bengals for the steep price of 2 high round draft picks (a first round pick in 2012, and a second round pick in 2013).

Palmer stepped into the pocket in Oakland with an atrocious performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, but took off afterwards.

He has kept the Raiders on course for their first 9+ win season since losing the Super Bowl in 2002.

The Raiders other key loss has been star running back Darren McFadden. McFadden has been out of the Raiders’ starting lineup since Oct. 23 when he sprained against the Kansas City Chiefs, the same game of Palmer’s debut.

Even without his dynamic playmaking, the Raiders have been able to win games, and look like a strong team while doing so.

Their third key loss is really more of a group of players, as opposed to one specific person.

For the past few weeks the Raiders have been playing “receiver roulette.” Darrius Heyward-Bey (neck), Denarious Moore (foot), Jacoby Ford (foot), and Chaz Schilens (also foot) have been cycling in and out of the Raiders starting lineup, giving Palmer a very inconsistent receiving corps to work with.

Okay, now that all of these injuries have been pointed out, its time for some good news.

Despite all of these injuries and setbacks, the Raiders have still managed to put together a good looking, 7-win-and-counting season.

Darren McFadden should be returning to the lineup very shortly, and

Heyward-Bey and Company should be back in a similar timeframe.

Just in time for a late season surge into the playoffs. Once they arrive in the post-season, the Raiders would have to face some tough opponents, as the AFC is dominated by solid defenses this year, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and New York Jets, who all have serious chances of making it to the post season.

This actually plays to the Raiders favor though.

The Raiders do not have a very strong defensive unit (they rank 26th in the league in yards allowed) and would not be able to stand up to some of the high-powered offenses the NFC has this year.

I would not be surprised if the Raiders find themselves making it to the divisional round, or possibly even deeper into the playoffs before this season is through.

The 49ers, on the other hand, are a very different beast this year.

Their rank 4th overall in yards allowed, but their offense is only 26th overall in yards per game (by comparison, the Raiders are 12th overall in yards per game, and 26th overall in yards allowed).

This lack of offensive production is guaranteed to kill them in a potential playoff run.

The NFC is home to 2 of the top offensive units in the NFL this year in the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.

Both the Saints and the Packers are most likely going to be in the post season (the Packers have already clinched the NFC North, the Saints have not clinched the NFC South as of the writing of this article), and sport two of the best quarterbacks in football right now, as well as receiving corps bristling with stellar wide receivers.

The best offense the 49ers have gone up against this season is the Philadelphia Eagles, who are as dysfunctional as a Kim Kardashian marriage.

The 49ers may have the best rushing defense in the league, but they have yet to face a true passing offense, which is what has proven to win football games this year.

Couple this with the fact that they have just lost their best linebacker, Patrick Willis, to a hamstring injury, which will probably keep him sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, or possibly even longer, and you have a recipe for a first round elimination in the playoffs.

The 49ers have deluded themselves into thinking that they are an actual proven, top unit.

With a schedule as easy as the 49ers have had, it is no wonder they have found success.

The Indianapolis Colts, without Peyton Manning, could have held their own with the schedule the 49ers have been blessed with this year.

I am sorry to break it to you 49er fans, but you are in for a rude awakening come playoff time this season.

Adam Soret Staff Writer

Thomas Viola Staff Writer

Here in the Bay Area we are very privileged to have access to a multitude of local sports grills. It’s practically an American tradition to sit down at a nice sports grill, eat some wings and watch sports with good company. So this winter break if you wish to partake in this tradition for one of the many exciting bowl games, head to your own local sports bar. “The Eleight’s” secret agents went out and reviewed the top three local venues to help make your decision.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings is much more of a “party restaurant” than a true sports grill. It is extremely family friendly, which is both an advantage and drawback to the restaurant’s appeal. This wide demographic that the restaurant serves means that on game day, not everyone in the restaurant is focused on football, and the volume can be very loud. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem, however, as like most sports grills, only the sound for one game is being played at any given time.

One of the key attractions of Buffalo Wild Wings is their game coverage. With almost 30 televisions in the restaurant, as well as an outdoor patio with several more screens, every game is shown on at least two different televisions, so finding a spot with a good view of your team’s game is never difficult, and it is easy for fantasy owners to keep tabs on all of the games that may concern their fantasy roster.

The thing that sets Buffalo Wild Wings apart from the average sports grill has got to be the service. The waiters and waitresses there are easy to identify, and are always keeping tabs on their tables to make sure anything you need is taken care of. They are also some of the kindest restaurant staff in the business, and ensure that you leave the restaurant with a pleasant dining experience.

No restaurant is complete without a solid menu, and this is where

photo by Mikayla Druhan

Buffalo Wild Wings fails to differentiate itself from the pack. Their food is good, but nothing special. They carry a good range of wing flavors, from the traditional mild and spicy flavors to mesquite and honey barbecue, but they are not really anything special.

They also cook an above average burger and fries, but overall the food is nothing to get excited over.

If you are looking for an amazing dining experience, take a rain check on Buffalo Wild Wings; but if you simply want a place to talk with friends, eat some wings, and enjoy the game, it is certainly a good place to go.

Smoke Eaters

Smoke Eaters has some great food; they arguably have the best wings around. The crispiness and large size of their wings brings a tear to even the manliest eye.

If you’re going to get one flavor, go with Nuclear. The sweet and tangy spice is a magical delight. Even if you are not a wing fan, Smoke Eaters has you covered. They have wonderful burgers and fries guarantied to keep you satisfied on game day.

Smoke Eaters truly is a sports bar and has even been featured on TV. They have around sixteen TVs that are all very large. Unfortunately, they will not always be playing every event on TV; rather, they play about five of the most popular games.

The fan base is usually fairly biased but the manager makes sure it has little effect on what games you watch.

They evenly divide the TVs up between the games so everyone gets to watch the game they want, even if a local game is on. Depending on what fan you are,

this can be a good or bad policy. However, it can’t be denied that it is a fair one. Part of what makes Smoke Eaters so great is the environment; it is not uncommon to see people dressed up in costumes on game day.

“I come when I can. The wings are my favorite in downtown and it’s always fun to see people dress up to support their teams. Not many other sports bars have that environment,” said avid Forty-Niners fan Dave Dyjack.

Overall the price, food, and great environment make Smoke Eaters one of the best sports bars in town. The Eleight approves Smoke Eaters with every fiber of their being.

Britannia Arms

Britannia Arms is a traditional British pub, consisting of multiple televisions and great food such as their famous fresh pacific cod fish and chips.

If you’re not into fish then go with the chicken tenders or their chicken wings; they’re both prepared to perfection and served promptly.

The environment there is very welcoming and is a great spot to watch any sports team play. The service is quick and spot on. For example, it is a favorite spot among Bay Area soccer fans to watch soccer games.

“It’s my favorite spot to eat because of the authentic British food. Plus the atmosphere for football games here is unbeatable,” said long time customer Wayne Morris.

If you’re looking for a great spot to chow down on some authentic British food and watch a good game, then you’ll love this place.

The Sandusky Syndrome Christopher Wyman Business Manager/Online Editor

After a three year investigation, Jerry Sandusky, the former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach, was indicted on Nov. 4, 2011 on 40 counts of sex crimes against young boys. Sandusky was arrested the following day.

High level officials have been found to be not credible and have been implicated in covering up the allegations of these crimes.

As a result of this, head football coach Joe Paterno was dismissed and school president Graham Spanier was forced to resign.

Penn State’s board of trustee’s swift and unwavering action by forcing Spanier and Paterno to resign, should serve as a model for other organizations that deal with allegations of sex crimes against their employees.

Unfortunately, early last year similar accusations resulted in the prosecution of former San Jose Aquatics Swim Coach Andrew King for sex

crimes against female athletes up and down the west coast.

“As an athlete, I think that this type of thing is unacceptable. I think that [athletes] have the right to feel secure knowing that the coach is not this type of person,” said Varsity swimmer Jessie Erickson.

There recently has been a lawsuit

up in USA Swimming knew about the incidents to an extent, but took no action against King.

Organizations such as USA Swimming need to learn from this case and take greater measures to ensure that this type of thing doesn’t happen again.

There needs to be a greater background check system in the sport department at these schools and athletic organizations. Something like this would be less likely to occur at these schools and organizations if they were more thorough with the checks that these coaches went through.

“I feel like coaches here at Leigh have better background checks than the coaches at these colleges do, because all of them here are very professional,” said junior and softball/ volleyball player Jessica Wakeman.

Both of these incidents could have been stopped before growing to photo courtesy of csmonitor.com the extent that they did, but there were filed against the Aquatics swim club members of their respective organizawith its former coach, Andrew King by tions who took measures to prevent a 15-year-old girl and her father. There news of the abuse from getting out to were 12 victims who claimed that An- the public. To prevent this from hapdrew King had molested them. He re- pening again, there must be greater acmains in jail and has a $3 million bail cess to background checks on coaches or sentencing up to 42 years old jail. and other athletic staff at the collegiate

Reports show that officials high level.

Athlete of the Month Coral Zohar and Kayla Walker excel as Leigh’s sole female wrestlers Kylie Brown Editor-in-Chief

Wrestling has been heralded as one of the most masculine sports of our time. When most people picture a wrestler, they picture him being a man. But wrestling is not just for men; sophomore Coral Zohar and freshman Kayla Walker prove that you don’t need a y-chromosome to be on the wrestling team.

Both Zohar and Walker have been involved in wrestling since sixth grade. Walker joins wrestling clubs in the off season. Both ladies were inspired by older brothers and cousins, all of whom are or were wrestlers, to join the team.

“My older brothe r Kris, who’s a senior now, wrestled, and I thought it looked really cool and I wanted to t r y it,” recalled Walker.

“My brother and two cousins who I really look up to were all wrestlers at some point, so I thought I’d try it,” said Zohar. “They all eventually quit because they didn’t really like high school wrestling, but I just love it so I continued it.”

Despite their love of the sport, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Because of their gender, Zohar and Walker have come close to having to compromise

joining the Leigh wrestling team.

“Being a girl on the wrestling team] used to effect me a lot, but not so much anymore. First my family told me they didn’t like the idea of me doing wrestling in high school, and then my coaches.

They said it would be harder for me in high school being a female wrestler. Girls have to work a lot harder in high school because guys can gain muscle so much easier in their teen years,” said Zohar. “I talked to the high school coach and told him that I didn’t want to do wrestling in high school.”

“When he asked me why, I said j o k i n g l y,

‘Because you told me it would be harder’. And he said, ‘I changed

my mind. I better see you on the mats.’ After realizing that most of my choices to quit wrestling had been other peoples’ decisions and not mine, I realized that I wanted to continue wrestling.”

Zohar and Walker must work even harder than the boys on the wrestling team in order to keep up with them because it is difficult for girls to build muscle, especially in the arms, in their teen years.

Although her peers have passed judgment on her for being one of the only girls on the team, Zohar is generally embraced for her quirky hobby.

“When I first joined, I was walking through the hallways last year and two girls were talking, and I overheard one of them say, ‘Did you hear there’s finally a girl on the wrestling team?’ and the other girl responded, ‘Yeah, she’s gonna get her ass kicked.’ I wasn’t sure whether to say something or not, so I just went to class,” said Zohar, recalling the story.

“People don’t usually assume I’m bad just because I’m a girl though, other than that particular incident. My coach tells me that I just haven’t fully picked up on being aggressive enough yet.”

On the other hand, Walker dealt with a lot of strife in her early

years in order to earn respect as a female wres- t l e r .

W h e n Walker first stepped into the ring, she was criticized and even ostracized at some points for being a girl.

“When I first started out wrestling, I was given a lot of grief and bad comments about it. Certain guys won’t wrestle me and a lot of people thought I was just in it for the guys and had bad intentions for the sport, so a lot of coaches [wouldn’t] let me wrestle with their better wrestlers.

They would make me only go with the not as good guys,” said Walker. “But once 7th grade came around and I proved myself, I got a lot more respect from everyone.”

“At an off-season tournament in Folsom, the guy I had to wrestle was really cocky and joking around with his teammates about how he had to wrestle a girl, and how he

was going to crush me. So I stepped into that match, really pumped to beat him. I crushed him by a large amount of points and made him walk off the mat crying and ashamed he got beat by a girl. It was definitely something I was proud about, because I hate guys like that,” said Walker.

Despite harsh judgment photos by Nikita Zakladnyi from other coaches and male wrestlers, Walker has an abundance of support from her friends and family.

“My friends are very supportive of me being on the team. My parents are very proud also, because this year I’m the starting varsity 106 pound wrestler as a freshman,” said Walker.

It was not until 1972 that Title IX was passed, or the law that demanded gender equality, with an emphasis on athletics. And it was not until the 2000’s even still that female high school students collectively showed much interest in joining the wrestling team.

By both joining the team at an early age and pursuing it, Zohar and Walker are inadvertently contributing to diversifying and enriching high school athletics as a whole.

Where’s Hayashi?

Nanxi Tang In-Depth/Online Editor “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.

As President, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion. And I’ll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.

I’m Rick Perry and I approve this message.”

Let’s try an alternative version. Pretty sure this is what he means: I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know that there’s something wrong with this country when everybody is allowed to serve openly in the military despite who they love. Gays are obviously not human. I believe they’re plants, terrorists, or uh, whatever the third one was...As President, I’ll end Obama’s support of the separation of church and state. And I’ll fight against liberal support of the Constitution, which is a stupid document anyway.

I’m the man who came out with an anti-gay campaign ad, only to discover that I was wearing the jacket from Brokeback Mountain, and I approve this message.

Hm, better. Much better.

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