The Eleight February 2012 edition

Mock Trial, page 3

In-Depth, page 10 New coach in town, page 14

Singing Valentines, page 3

Food Challenge, page 15

An Independent Publication of Leigh High School

Volume 50 Issue No. 4 February 16, 2012

Pictured in Longhorn: Various lockers were torn asunder at the beginning of April.

Spreading the love Amanda Cendejas Features Editor

The Leadership class brings the spirit of Valentine’s Day to the quad with its second annual Lovefest

On Tuesday, Feb. 14th, leadership hosted their second annual “Love Fest” ly one of the most-decoat lunch in honor of Valentine’s Day. rated holidays at school.”

Whether students had been thinking of Valentine’s Day as a day to please their significant other, or a depressing one filled with too many Hallmark gift tags and sweets, L e i g h’s leadership class set out to bring some more casual fun to the day.

From the top, clockwise: 1. Red velvet cupcakes, some Leade r s h i p of many confections passed out during the Lovefest. students 2. A student partaking in the donut-on-a-string game. w o r k e d 3. Leadership students handing out free Hershey’s for three kisses. 4. Leadership’s boyband, LUST, striking a pose weeks in at the end of their performance during lunch. preparation for the event by organizing game groups At lunch, stuand leaders, making game posters, d e n t s buying supplies, setting decoration w e r e able times, and publicizing the event. to grab a bite to They arrived at seven in the morn- eat, play games, ing to decorate the quad from ev- and enjoy a special ery angle in red, pink, and white. perforThe fully decorated quad, which mance seemed to have lots of Leigh students

by Leigh’s surprised, definitely added a spirit that ver y had been lacking in previown ous rallies. The grass was boy lined with red, pink, and band! white balloons, the con crete was lines with Xs and Os, a backdrops and colorful posters were hung up on the stage, and a balloon arch spanned the length of the quad and the music booth as well.

“It was really well-decorated!” said freshman Anais Seddouki. “Definite-

The sugar booth was host to many desserts. Students swarmed the table at the beginning of lunch.

“I got a cupcake and a lollipop with a brownie inside it…what’s it called?” said freshman Pero Batinic.

The brownie-filled lollipops were cakepops. And in addi-

breast cancer pins for two dollars. Pink hearts were seen on cheeks, arms, and hands throughout the lunch period.

There were many different games available for Leigh students to participate in, also, for couples and single souls alike.

Balloon pop leaders took couples and had them pop balloons between the two of them, while senior Kelly Phillips manned the plunger game, where students raced to the middle of the quad pushing themselves on a skateboard with a plunger.

Other games included “Citrus Kiss,” where students had to transfer an orange from their legs to their neck using no hands, a three-legged race, and donut-on-a-string.

Senior Jackie Jensen said, “I played the balloon pop game! It was fun, but they should make the games a little more clear because I didn’t know about the other ones.”

Lunch was wrapped up by a special performance by “Lust,” a

tion to those cakepops, made my junior Krystal Soltani, the table was an assortment of truffles, frosted cupcakes, and sprinkled cookies.

Students were also able

t o purchase glitter tattoos for o n e doll a r, and

on chairs. They danced to songs such as “Sexyback,” by Justin Timberlake and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction to serenade Leigh’s female population, but the boys felt that the performance was a bit to risqué to please the general public.

“I’m a guy, and so I thought it was kind of funny, but I didn’t like the outfits because… well, I’m not into that kind of stuff. Maybe next time they should use the same ideas, but with the females!” said junior Sean Nakabayashi.

“Yeah… the outfits were pretty weird. And they did too much walking around,” said freshman Brandon Burchett.

While the male population at Leigh seemed a little apprehensive to the entertainment feature, Leigh’s females were very impressed with the performance, saying it was “sexy,” “funny,” and “VERY entertaining!”

Overall, Leigh students were pleased with what Lovefest had to offer, whether they had one of the treats, participated in games, or just watched Lust’s performance.

“It was fun, and it didn’t make you feel alone on Valentine’s Day,” said freshman Amber Ruzic.

“There was fun, food, different, games, and entertainment. It wasn’t a boring lunch o r anything.

And I think things a r e a lot cooler when they’re more

photos by Sadie Williams

boy band consisting of seven boys from Leighdership representing all of the grades. Lust performed for the first time at last year’s Lovefest, and made a special comeback appearance at this year’s.

The boys performing were seniors Danny Davis and Matt Duell, junior Gabe Davis, sophomores Jackson Pellegrini, Michael Hannigan, and Josh Applebaum, and freshman Matt Vargas.

The boys came out wearing 90sboy-bandesque clothing and dancing

decked out!” said freshman Quinn Malaccorto.

It seems that Leigh High School has officially embarked on a new tradition, an annual Lovefest and performance by their own pop sensations.

Lovefest succeeded in bringing a little bit of cheer and light-hearted fun to a holiday that is usually regarded with many mixed feelings.

Senior James Eakes said, “The rally was Lovefest-tastic!”

news

2.16.12

Leigh PAPA organization raises money

with the 12th an-

page 02

Bring in the dancing crabs!

Dominic Guidry Staff Writer

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Leigh High School’s annual Crab Feed began unshelling guest’s wallets to raise funds for the Band, Drama and Choir Departments.

Beginning at 6:00p.m., about 400 guests began sitting at their designated tables in the cafeteria. Although the evening started gradually because of the seating and feeding arrangements, that soon changed, and the tempo quickly picked up. The raffles began with over eighty prizes.

Each performing group had a theme and brought in prizes accordingly. Concert Band’s theme was Italian and Home Entertainment, Symphonic Band used Family Fun and Games as their theme and The Wind Ensemble’s theme was Garden and BBQ.

Musical Theater, Drama and Choir sponsored a Beach Day. The Color Guard, Winter Guard and Winter Percussion’s theme was Chocolate, Coffee and Tea. Performing art student volunteers waited tables, mostly to receive lab by arrangement hours for helping out the Performing Arts Department.

The servers received crab necklaces which were purchased by the guests seated at their tables. The server with the most necklaces won the title King or Queen Crab at the end of the event.

The servers were kept very busy rushing between the kitchen and the tables, while other student volunteers walked around the tables selling crab cookies, crab necklaces, crab shell crackers, and other fun items.

Volunteering students dressed in mascot costumes as Crabby and Leighroy and walked around taking pictures with the guests.

“People are thrilled to be here including me and we sold out which is great!” said sophomore Kali Bigliardi, a drama student who wore the Crabby suit this year.

At 7:00 p.m., the Jazz Band’s instruments began to sound.

Their first song was “The Lady is a Tramp” by Frank Sinatra. The band was accompanied in singing by Thea Kwan who normally plays trombone with the band.

Next Calvin Cotton sang with the band “Till There Was You” from “The Music Man”.

Following that, Suzie Royer, Leigh’s Musical Director who said, “We wanted to give the whole

band an opportunity to sing,

fore.” At

Baby”, often played by the Marching Band during football games. Finally the Jazz band ended the evening with KC and the Sunshine Band’s famous “Boogie Shoes” and “That’s the Way I Like It.”

The band hurried off as junior Jeremy Pack, the night’s host, came back on stage to announce more raffle winners while the choir prepared to go on next.

that

The Madrigals choir started off at 8 p.m. with all the guys singing “Oldest Established” from the musical “Guys and Dolls”. Soloists included junior Gabe Manly, junior Aren Ellithorpe and senior Michael Morris.

The Madgrigals performance concluded with the girls singing “Raise Your Voice” from “Sister Act” the musical.

The

photo by Mikayla Druhan

so you might have heard this song be-

moment some knew the song was “Hey

Rachel Melo.

night ended with prizes in the hands of many people and a look on everyone’s face that showed that the night was successful and the meal was satisfying.

“It went really, really well! We had an awesome grand prize to Hawaii, the jazz band and choir were both amazing. Hopefully the outcome will be as good as this next year too,” said junior

When you wish upon a STAR:

Standardized tests may be cut down in the future Brianna Houston News Editor

Every spring, students in grades two through eleven take part in the Standardized Test and Reporting (STAR) testing, but recently govenor Jerry Brown has asked lawmakers to reduce the load of statewide tests students are required to take each year.

A school year’s curriculum is designed to prepare students for the Californiawide test. The Common Core Standards, which are the standards that students are expected to learn, will be the next big change for the entire state.

California state governor Jerry Brown wants the lawmakers to reshape K-12 education by eliminating certain traits from the school’s programs and redefining the state’s overall agenda for the educational performance of California. The California State Testing will be changed significantly and those changes are taking place in 2014.

The STAR test is viewed like any other test here at Leigh. When asked what she thought of tests and the common core change proposals for the 2014 school year, junior Lauren Eklund said, “I hate taking tests and they give everyone anxiety. Fewer tests would relieve everyone of a lot of unwanted stress.”

The entire test itself contains various subjects such as English– language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and history–social science.

The purpose of the test is to describe the goals that students should be able to know and achieve based on their grade and the subject tested that’s being tested. “Tests should not measure factoids as much as understanding,” said Governor Jerry Brown

STAR test. Each student’s test is independent to another’s and solely depends upon grade-level and course.

Vi c e Principal Dave Walters also tells us that the only significant change for Leigh, as of now, will be the length of the test taking process. In previous years testing has taken place over the course of three days, but this year there will be a total of four days for the entire test-taking process.This year’s testing will be taking place April 23 through April 26.

A s spring roles around in the photo by Kendra Wood next few months we’ll see what the The effectiveness of standardized testing is being called into question, due to the anxiety it causes and the time it takes to adGovernor and lawminister them. makers have decided to do for the changes.

Leigh’s STAR will from his own campaigning website.

According to Vice Principal spring in the various subjects above.

California’s governor believes it’s more Dave Walters, “There are no significant Although there are a number take place this coming spring as usual important to take the time to learn the changes to the STAR test this year.” of seniors re-taking courses that the and our goals will remain high as the concepts rather than be tested upon Leigh students in grades nine through STAR provides testing for, all seniors students await to view their scores over them. eleven will be taking their STARs this are always exempt from taking the the summer.

news B sharp, B flat, B natural, B mine 2.16.12

page 03

Madrigals sells Singing Valentines to raise ofmoney for the Performing Arts Dept.

Singing Valen- fun to share my talents while putting play all of the talented people that we Kylie Brown Editor-in-Chief

Nothing exemplifies the spirit of Valentine’s Day more than serenading your loved ones with a romantic ballad. On Jan. 14, Leigh’s Madrigals students travelled around campus to vicariously spread the love through Singing Valentine’s.

On the week of Feb. 6 through Feb. 10, Leigh students were given the opportunity to purchase a Singing Valentine for their friends , crushes, and even their favorite teachers.

Singing Va l e n t i n e s are group projects that the Madrigals choir works on for around a month, juggling it between various concerts. As the name implies, Singing Valentines are a group of choir students ranging from three to five members . The

group picks a romantic ballad that is relatively short to perform and conjures up their own arrangement of it.

Most Singing Valentines are usually completely a’capella with generally up to four harmonic parts, though students sometimes add their own instrumentation.

“The songs are usually pretty modern or classics with a cheesy 80’s ballad thrown in, we try to appeal to everyone.

Everyone picks their o w n group and the song they want to perform,” said junior Rachel Melo.

A s many students saw in their first, second, and third periods on Feb. 14, the fun

tines is found in embarassing your friends by making them sit in the front of the class as their

ears are filled with romantic prose.

Madrigals students are grateful that their efforts were received

w e l l .

“The [Singing Valentines] were divine,” said junior Jon Estiva. “I was looking forward to embarassing and serenading people with my friends, and it’s

Order in the court Leigh’s Mock Trial team pits their wits against like minds Zachary Tatar Sports Editor Christopher Wyman Business Manager

gin of 4 points. as their examinations of the witnesses.

Leigh’s defense team competed in

Witnesses are scored based on the second round against Archbishop how well they can command the facts, and how well they perform under pressure.

All of this is done in at the Santa Clara County courthouse.

Although there is a judge who presides over the trial, the verdict is not factored into the score.

“[This years Mock trial team is] very strong, with a lot of experience,” says Moseley.

In the first round of Mock trial finals the team went 2-0, beating Saratoga and Gunderson High School.

In the second round of the Mock trial finals the team Senior Tiffany Mensah referring to evidence.

S.O.S and JSA are some of the more popular groups Leigh students hear being talked about.

Less known is the Leigh Mock Trial team. Mock Trial is an opportunity for students to develop their public speaking and acting skills in a court setting.

“Mock trial is also something that teaches great life skills [such as] dedication and team work, without it the team cant function,” said mock trial coach Meredith Moseley.

The Mock trial process starts in mid October and does not come to a close until early to mid February.

The team in made up of two sides, prosecution and defence on both sides they consist of three attorneys, four witnesses and also one pretrial attorney,

The performance of the students is judged by three real attorneys on a score of 1-5.

The first part of the trial is the pretrial in which one attorney from each team argues a constitutional issue regarding photos courtesy of Meredith Moseley the case.

T h e From bottom left to top left: Tiffany Mensah, Jonathon Yu, Emma Batmazian, Robin Curtis, Michelle Luu, trial then Wellington Chang, Arianna Nuri, Nanxi Tang, Lea Finato begins and attorneys are scored based on their delivery of the went against the defending mock trial opening and closing statements as well county winners and lost, by a slim mar-

Mitty’s prosecution.

“The team looks awesome, we have phenomenal witnesses and attorneys with experience and are really strong this season” said Senior cocaptain Tiffany Mensah, who is completing her fourth season with the Leigh Mock Trial team.

smiles on peoples’ I also had the opportunity to give a Valentine of my own, so I can’t complain.”

Though most recipients shy away when asked to sit on the “love stools”, the majority of students enjoy watching them.

“I always enjoy Singing Valentines,” said senior Christa Sa-

faces.

dler. “ I t ’s a great way to entertain s t u dents and dis-

have at Leigh, and raise money at the same time.”

“I always get rea l l y excited for Singing Valentines,” said junior Do m i n i q u e Clements.

“There is so much talent, and I am amazed by how a small group of four people can have such a wide variety of voices, and sing different tunes/words at different times with it still sounding really good. My favorite performances come form the people who get really into it, or add some humor.”

Though it was his first year running Singing Valentines, new choir director Bill Burkhead , with the help of junior Vanessa Zimmerman, organized wit succesfully.

Leigh goes green Solar panels save energy at Leigh Katherine MacQuarrie Staff Writer

For many high school students, getting to class on time presents a challenge. The line to get into the parking lot is seemingly endless as parents drop off their kids and student drivers struggle to get a spot. To top it all off, late comers are left with two choices entering the parking lot: either ten miles down the first row, or way off in the boonies behind the big green construction area that appears to be inhabiting the center of our parking lot.

So what is it that is making our morning lateness even more inconvenient? Solar Panels. Schools

the district makes will go to a senior scholarship fund that is to be divided amongst the schools in the Campbell Union High School District.

“Over time the district expects to be getting two things, a very nice scholarship fund (hopefully), and we’re getting recognition for coming up with a new process that actually saves the district much more money,” said Hope.

As for the student body, kids only concern really seems to be the construction that is taking place on and off in the parking lot.

“I don’t really mind it, the construction is pretty annoying but hopefully it will be over quicker than the quad. And hopefully they

Photo by Nikita Zakladnyi

Pioneer High has already installed solar panels. across Campbell Union High School will save my car from unwanted District are receiving these solar pan- bird poop,” said senior Mary Gintz.

Schools in other districts els. Schools like Branham have also started the process in their parking lot, have also previously installed solar and schools like Leland and Pioneer panels in their parking lots as well.

“Well, they aren’t a huge probhave already completed the process.

The solar panels will serve as lem because they don’t interfere major energy savers and are expected with my day because they are on to greatly benefit Leigh High School. the top of the shade structures cov“The energy that we save, instead of ering our parking lot and i know having to pay PG&E for it, we save they are there for a good cause,” all that money and we put it back said Leland senior Rebecca Olson.

These new posts in our parkinto the school. So that over time, we will save millions and millions of ing lot may stand as an obstacle for dollars,” said Principal Donna Hope. all the inexperienced drivers trying to The solar panel project also get a little practice in, but overall the will be benefiting Leigh High School solar panel project will hopefully do in other ways. When any other pub- great things for the environment and lic agency or school buys our solar for Leigh High School. Let’s see if it panel project plans, the money that works!

2.16.12 features The Hallmark Card Road trip to freedom

page 04

Essentially, this entire month is about Hallmark shoving the commercialized version of love down our throats. They tell us that we should show our love by buying it. Thus, you can’t walk into nearly any store without sales on teddy bears or heart-shaped candy.

Around this “season of love”, two types of people emerge: those who gush over all the cutesy stuff with their significant other and those who mourn their singleness.

Honestly, both groups of people begin to get irritating.

Those who are dating don’t shut up about their romantic endeavors while single people complain about how they’re “forever alone”.

It doesn’t seem like either side wins. The people dating get guilttripped by the single people for being cheesy, and the single people get upset seeing all the couples.

In the end, it doesn’t even seem to be about love anymore and more about displays.

So if love isn’t about the Disney ending or the Hallmark card, then what is it?

I am certainly no expert, considering I am only 16, but I at least know it’s anything but the roses and the “happily ever after”.

Now when I speak of love, I’m not simply talking about romantic relationships. We don’t usually relate love with friendships and family ties, but that’s probably where love is the most prevalent in our lives. Yet, we continue to label love as purely a romantic emotion.

But today, we’re going to explore love in its entirety.

You may be reading this and assuming I have a clear bias because I am in a relationship.

I won’t lie; I adore all the cute, romantic things just as much as the next girl. And I am fully aware that the sweet gestures are a great—if not important—part of relationships.

But I promise you I hold no bias. I have had my “forever alone” seasons just like everyone else.

But through enduring both being single and a relationship, I have learned many different things about love.

Love, unfortunately, is not fundamental and black and white.

It’s complex and messier more than we can say. But despite its depth and mystery, love is one of the most basic things that connect humans together.

I guess at this point the only certainty we can assume about love is that it exists.

Sometimes it’s spoken and sometimes we can see it. Sometimes, you really have to look for it. But it’s there.

We have been looking for love our whole lives, trying to discover its true meaning, whether we know it consciously or not.

It starts from when we are children and seems

to infinitely continue on.

Personally, I thought love was approval. I believed that love was something you had to earn, something you had to deserve.

This thought had been engrained in my mind since I was a kid.

In school, I was a classic “teacher’s pet”. I did whatever I could for that pat on the back or the good grade.

I thought I had to be perfect in order to be loved. I could only possibly be loved if I was “good”.

I guess on some level I fought for approval constantly so I could be good, therefore, I could be loved. It wasn’t until recently I realized that this idea of love was very incorrect.

I had a conversation once with a very wise woman on this subject. I told her that I couldn’t possibly understand why someone would love me…

“…I don’t understand what I did to deserve it.”

She stopped me, “And why do you need to do something to ‘deserve it’? Why can’t someone just love you because they can? When you have children, are your children going to have to do something to receive your love or are you just going to love them because of how they are?”

After she said that, it was like I had been hit square in the head.

Love is not something you earn. Love is something you receive simply by being yourself.

And if someone doesn’t love you because they don’t like who you are, because they judge you on your actions…well, maybe that’s not love.

And why would you want a knock-off anyways?

Another thing I learned about love is that sometimes you’re not always going to be happy. This is something we’ve all bought into at one point: this concept of “we’re supposed to be perfectly happy all the time if we love someone”.

No. Not at all.

Sometimes, love is brutal and it’s about doing the right thing.

Sometimes, that means you have to say to your significant other, “Hey that wasn’t very cool, but let’s work through it”.

Sometimes, that means having to lose a friend in order to make sure they’re safe.

Love is sacrificial. And it doesn’t always make us feel good.

But when you really love someone, you would do nearly anything in your means to help them.

But of course, love has its magical moments as well.

Love is that hug at the end of the bad day.

Love is holding open the door for a stranger because you can tell they’re in a rush.

Love is that random text from an old friend asking how you’ve been doing lately.

Love is just being in a room with someone and smiling just because you know you care for one another.

Love is looking at yourself in the mirror and complimenting yourself.

Love is giving your friend your lunch because they left their lunch at home.

Love is respecting other people.

And most importantly, love is what you make of it.

So sure, teddy bears are cute and roses smell nice.

And everything looks perfect on the front of the Hallmark card, but sometimes, it’s what is written inside that means the most.

Information on getting your driver’s license

Fifteen-and-a-half is the age you may get your permit, but if you want your license, you must be sixteen.

There are many local DMVs.

Each year more and more teens Closest to most have the Leigh students privilege to are the DMVs get behind in Los Gathe wheel tos, San Jose, and start their Santa Teresa, freedom.

Santa Clara Many teens and Capitola. think they Drivers ed may know everybe the biggest thing there factor in helpis to know ing you since about drivit is preparing ing, while you for actual in reality we driving portion don’t.

Stuof the test.. dents between

“Whatthe ages of ever you do, fifteen-anddo not proa-half and c r a s t i n a t e ,” eighteen need said sophoto first obmore Courttain a proviPhoto by Rajashree Bhattacharya ney Donlon. sional permit. This teenager is one step closer to freedom after passing his theory test.

“If you study Now you may be asking yourself, “What ex- you through driving. Before go- and wait a long time to take the acactly is a provisional permit?” A ing to the DMV you must complete tual test, you will forget the answers.

Provisional permit is a document drivers education, that is where I probably studied the booklet for with your age, name, and the proof the online courses come in. Most one hour before the actual test and that you have the ability to drive. courses expect you to score a 75% or still failed, so I had to retake it.”

What many people don’t know

There is a long process of higher which is basically a C to pass.

Drivers Ed is exactly what it is it is not like retaking school tests. If studying hard for your permit test as well as your driver test. Many sounds like, driving education. They you fail your permit test, you must wait “DMVs” (Departments of Motor Ve- are your own private driving lessons. seven days until you can retake it. The hicles) have online courses to help They can pick you up from school process is long, and there is definitely a and train you through your process. or go to your house. With your driv- lot to learn, but remember that in the The courses aren’t cheap but in the ing instructor you need to complete end, you will be taking your first steps end you’ll be glad you took the time a total of 6 hours of drivers ed before toward freedom and independence. to learn about the skills of driving. you are qualified to take a driving test.

Luke Weinberg Junior Editor

Online classes aren’t the only source to help you. Many DMVs may give you a booklet or you may buy one that teaches and guides

Walking for a cure Planning for Relay for Life takes over Leigh the walk to end cancer, but staying the night, (a time known as the Luminaria Ceremony) requires a minimum of $100 to be raised by each member of a team.

“My favorite part of the Relay for Life is a tradition I have every

At Leigh, clubs and groups around the campus have already begun forming their Relay for Life groups. Clubs such as the Sisters of Society, Leadership,

Relay for Life is an extraordinary and the music department of Leigh are event that gives everyone in communitwo of the most prominent Relay for ties across the Life groups globe a chance on campus. to celebrate

“This those who year, Sisters have overcome of Society cancer; or an will have opportunity a booth at to commemoRelay for rate lost loved Life because ones afflicted it is a great by the disease. way to bond Du r i n g with our the Relay for club memLife, groups of bers, fundeight to twenraise for the ty members club, and will gather make a genin the Union erous contriMiddle School bution to a grass area to great cause,” fight back said Sisters Photo by Steve Berger against can- A group of participants holding a banner lead the Relay for Life. of Society cer by earning co-President, pledges, donating, and honoring those year where I run a mile at two in the Kelly Phillips, about her club’s inwho have been victimized by cancer. morning, which is surprisingly more volvement in Relay for life this year.

“My main motivation for partici- fun than it sounds. And, of course, Last year the Cambrian Relay for pating in the walk would be my mother, a midnight snack is essential to my Life was the #8 Relay for Life prowho survived breast cancer twice. Every Relay for Life experience,” said ju- gram out of over 400 in California time I walk in the Relay for Life, I rep- nior Kendra Schultz about her over- alone, raising over $290,000. Help resent her and all those who have had or night experience in the Relay for Life. the Cambrian community fight back still have breast cancer,” said senior Jar- This year, the Cambrian Re- against cancer and help surpass last ed Nelson about his love for the event. lay for Life theme is will be “Around year’s donations by creating your The Relay for Life for 2012 will take the World”. Each team in the com- own Relay team, or signing up with place on April 27 at 6:00 p.m., and munity will be required to pick a one at cambrianrelayforlife.com. continue into the following day until team name that incorporates a city, 6:00 p.m. Anyone can come and join country, or continent of the world.

Matt Duell Staff Writer

features

2.16.12

page 05

Spring Musical Preview An inside look at Leigh’s upcoming production Sarah Mowad Staff Writer

Ah the month February; by now, the new year is in full swing. Our resolutions h a v e been left behind and we’re on to the excitem e n t (or pure hatred) of Valentines Day. One thing has been consistent since the new year, and that is the hard work of the cast of Leigh High School’s spring musical “Fiddler on the Roof ”.

The cast, which consists of fifty-seven members, has been practicing since Jan. 2 for two and a half hours a day, four days a week. “I believe our hard work is paying off. Elizabeth Neipp [or Mrs. Neipp] is a very efficient director, and this musical is incredibly complex.

To get it done in two and half month’s time is quite a feat, but I believe that with our director, the show will be com-

plete and fantastic!” said junior Jeremy Pack who plays Tevye in the musical.

“Fiddler on the Roof ” centers around the character Tevye, who is a traditional and old-fashioned dairyman. When his five daughters begin to grow into individuals and want to follow their own

rules rather than tradition, Tevye is challenged to open his mind and accept new things. That, along with the threat of Tevye’s town being taken over

by Russians, proves to be hard for Tevya to deal with. “It is a very mature musical, with many serious elements.

It asks the question of tradition: to be

kept, or to be changed.” said Pack.

The musical takes us on Tevye’s journey of change through song, dance, and acts which are sure to satisfy viewers.

“I think what people will take away from this play is the fact that sometimes change is needed, and that change can be good”, said senior Kitt Ynchausti who plays a Russian dancer in the musical.

Leigh High School’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof ”, directed by Elizabeth Neipp, will be showing on Mar. 8, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m.

There w i l l be a special matinee at 2 p.m.

Photo by Jinny Jung o n March 9, and the musical will also be showing the following weekend on Mar. 15, 16, and 17 at 7 p.m.. Tickets will be ten dollars and everyone is encouraged to come.

Cheating in Class Is it really worth it?

Nicollette Eilia Staff Writer

Whether you do it or not, it happens ever yday; as time passes and technology progresses, p e o p l e ’s techniques for cheating have become more complex. Not to say that the “oldfashioned” ways of cheating such as writing answers on your hand no longer occur.

One of the most common forms of cheating is one that most don’t even consider to be cheating, which is borrowing assignments.

One of the main reasons that this even happens is mostly due to peer pressure, because students feel that they have to help their friends out.

Though borrowing assignments is rather common students have come up with their own more creative ways of cheating. Some of the more interesting ways people

have come up with are writing ‘cheat sheets’ on the inside of the wrapper on their water bottles.

Another way students have snuck answers into their classroom on test day is by programming their graphing cal-

culators to store answers to questions or even step-by-step guides on how to go about doing certain equations.

“I’ve cheated in the past and I would do it again if my teachers assigned so much work that it would be hard to complete having such a hectic schedule that it would just be easier to copy,” said an anonymous student from Leigh.

This shows how some students, although they do cheat, only do

it when absolutely necessary. But it also proves the case that students no longer care about what they are learning so long as they get a good grade on it.

The lengths that students will go to do well on an exam or assignment are just ridiculous. A student’s high school career has veered from actually wanting to learn the subjects they are being taught, to just wanting a high GPA so they have something to show for when applying to colleges.

The competition for getting into a reputable college has become so fierce that students will ultimately do anything to boost their GPAs, cheatinfographic by Jinny Jung ing included.

Although the cons seem to outweigh the pros students continue to risk more than they could ever gain from cheating. Even though if caught, their chances of getting into any college could be completely diminished students still choose to gamble everything just to do well on a portion of their grade that may or may not effect their GPA majorly.

17-year old Chicken Nugget fan, Stacey Irvine, has been warned by numerous doctors that her beloved addiction to the divine 6 piece chicken nugget meal from McDonald’s (no toy) has done nothing but slowly begin to immerse her body with unnecessary fats and preservatives. Horrified doctors learned of the teenager’s chronic 15-year addiction after she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital struggling to breathe.

Stacey, who flinches at the sight of vegetables or fruits, was found to have anemia and swollen veins in her tongue after she collapsed on February 4, 2012. Although her nugget meal has become her, as Chris Brown would say, “ride or die chick,” she also enjoys sharing the 20 piece nugget meal with her boyfriend (shocker) as well as the boneless barbeque wings from KFC.

Irvine says that the only variation in her diet is her occasional slice of toast for breakfast and her other favorite fast food chain, KFC.

In this case, think of KFC and the toast as Shrek 1: neglected, forgotten, abandoned, and a heck of a lot better than Shrek 2 and 3.

Now, think of the McDonald’s Chicken Nugget meal as Shrek 2 and 3: overrated, over-used, and a lower quality than that of Shrek 1.

Stacey’s mom is the most concerned out of all.

“It breaks my heart to see her eating those damned nuggets,” said Irvine’s mom, Evonne.

Golly gee Evonne, your words truly spark the deepest sense of inspiration within my small heart. You are a true hero in the world of mother’s battling against the golden arches and their daughter’s 15-year chronic chicken nugget addiction (I can’t imagine that world being very big).

Stacey Irvine has been told, in no uncertain terms, that she’ll die if she carries on like this.

But she says she can’t eat anything else, and I don’t blame her.

To be truthful, I have had a secret love affair with McDonald’s for my whole life.

McDonald’s and I just understand each other (which is surprising because we met on eHarmony and I was really skeptical at first) and the #1 (Big Mac meal) provides me with the 10 minutes of sun-

shine and happiness I need to get me through the day (until I feel exhausted afterward and immediately have to take a nap).

Despite the documentary Supersize Me and the fact that fast food has been medically proven to potentially lead to type 2 diabetes, asthma, liver disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and strokes, my love still runs deep for McDonald’s.

There is nothing better or more American than the warm and savory taste of those hockey puck sized, mysterious pieces of sausage atop three unusually delicious hot cakes accompanied by a cup of orange juice which is undoubtedly 99% sugar and 1% orange. Or, that unexplainable feeling of joy that comes from receiving the toy you had hoped to get as you open your Happy Meal and then immediately begin savoring the thinly cut, golden-brown slithers of salvation (the French fries). (Da McFluRrY’s arE hEcKa go0d ToO).

Poor Stacey, it is not hard to see why she yearns for those irresistible Christmas stocking-shaped nuggets day after day (after day).

In fact, recent scientific studies have shown that high-calorie foods rich in fats, refined sugars, and salt could reconfigure the hormones in the body in such a way that they make you crave for such foods and always leave you asking for more.

In other words fast food is VERY addictive; you get hooked on to it and continue consuming it in an uncontrolled way even though you know of the potential health risks that it carries.

Stacey Irvine is not the only one with this problem; our whole nation struggles to find a healthy balance in their diets with about approximately one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) who are obese or overweight.

Looking into the bigger picture, what is our nation going to look like ten years from now?

Will fast food rule the scene? Or will fresh and sanitary substitutes save us from a downward spiral into health complications and physical inactivity?

If I was Raven from That’s So Raven, I would use my visions to provide you with the answers to these questions, but my name is Matt, and the coolest thing I can do, as of right now, is flare my nostrils and ears at the same time (sorry).

For now, if you need help finding inspiration for losing weight or staying healthy, you can always:

1) Search on Google images for “results of eating too much junk food” (take the safe-search off if you really want to get motivated).

2) There usually is no other way because the first way always works.

Seriously though, make sure to diversify your diet, avoid eating fast food on a regular basis, and stay active.

Live healthy, be happy. <That’s the motto, and I’m bout it every day, every day, every day.

For more stories, check us out on the web at:

www.theeleight.org

features

page 06 Editors-in-Chief Marissa Rodriguez, Kylie Brown Section Editors News: Brianna Houston Opinion: Caitlyn Nurnberg Features: Amanda Cendejas Politics: Nanxi Tang Sports: Zachary Tatar Entertainment: Blayke Leach In-Depth: Nanxi Tang Visuals Editor Kylie Brown Online Editor Michael Rea 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, 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 Design Staff Kylie Brown, Nicollette Eilia, Michelle Fitzsimmons, Dominic Guidry, 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 Visuals Staff Rajashree Bhattacharya, Mikayla Druhan, Jinny Jung, Anna Schwarz, Sadie Williams, Kendra Wood, Nikita Zakladnyi Online Staff Michael Rea, Matthew Duell, 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, Winter ball has come and gone, and 2012 is in full swing. Spring sports have already finished tryouts, and college acceptance letters are starting to roll in for all the second-semester seniors. Winter may not officially end for several more weeks, but spring is on the horizon all over campus. With underclassmen choosing their schedules for next year, this year’s prom theme being revealed, and ASB elections in the coming weeks, everything is changing almost as quickly as the weather.

You might have noticed that The Eleight has changed as well. Our paper has gotten a little bigger, and we’ve added a new section: Politics (see pages 08 and 09).

We hope you make a few changes in your life as well. Clean your room, hang out with someone new over break, or change your haircut. Whatever you do, finish reading this paper and go out and enjoy your break!

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

2.16.12

Juniors: College info you need

Apps and deadlines and tours, oh my!

the admissions departments of various schools. Of course, if the teacher is the bane of their students’ existence, then a polyjuice potion or a “generous dona College. The seven letter word tion to Mr. White’s Ducati fund” could that evokes an endless amount of fear be the way to go. in many high school juniors and se Today, everything involved in niors. No worries, the hardest part is college applications is electronic. Apstarting the application. It’s important plications generally begin a couple for students to start during their junior months into a student’s senior year, but year; after all the prep work is done, Marna Taylor of Got College? advises much of the stress dissipates. seniors to be Be sure to take done with your ACT or their applicaSAT as early tions before as possible, Thanksgivpreferably in ing of their your junior senior year. year. NothMost colleging is worse es are signed than having up to allow to cram for you to apan exam a few ply through weeks before Common your college App, with the apps are due. exception of Also, be sure community to research colleges, Calthe testing ifornia State requirements Universities, for schools Universiyou’re inties of Caliterested in. fornia, and Some schools some private require SAT colleges.

II’s or for the

Filling ACT, they out the apmay require plication can the writing be a long and section. grueling pro It is reccess, but the ommended Photo by Jinny Jung application is that you take composed of both the SAT AP test booklets and collegeboard page are junior year necessities. a variety of quesand ACT since tions focusing on students often find that one is easier than the other. about what features seem appealing or general information, academics, and Students who are better at math and appalling. Some relatively close colleges volunteer work. One essay is required science may find that their ACT scores that could be good to tour: Santa Clara for the common application but two are better than their SAT scores. Of University, San Jose State University, are required for UCs. The essay topcourse it all depends on the student, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and West Val- ics vary year to year, but once they are done the last thing to do is to hit but this is something to think about. ley.

Letters of recommendation are submit and wait for the acceptances Each test takes about three hours and 45 minutes, and you can take each one needed for students applying to pri- to roll in. Once you do, good job, you multiple times. Students should ensure vate colleges. Students should consider just completed one of the more diffithey have their test scores sent to their asking two of their junior year teach- cult tasks that you will have had to face ers. These teachers should preferably so far in life, and you will be rewarded respective colleges.

Although it is not required by all have a good opinion of the student, as handsomely for your efforts. schools, another way to help strengthen they will be writing a letter directly to Michael Rea Online Editor

your application is to take SAT subject tests. Each test takes about an hour and you can pick from a variety of subjects in the language, math, history, and science departments. Students can take up to three tests in one sitting, and they are helpful to colleges to grasp where a student’s strengths are.

Not sure what to look for in a school? The best way is to go out and tour multiple colleges and to take note

2.16.12

Ads

page 07

politics

page 08

2.16.12

Continuing the fight for internet rights High profile organizations protest SOPA and PIPA bills in nationwide internet “blackout” Rajashree Bhattacharya Staff Writer

“Imagine a world without free knowledge.” That was all that American users could see Jan. 18 on Wikipedia, a website depended on by many as an easily accessible storehouse of information.

Other participants of this web “blackout” included Google, Wired, and Mozilla, in attempts to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, bills awaiting approval in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.

SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, is an act drafted in an attempt to reduce piracy and copyright infringement. A similar act is PIPA, also known as the Protect IP Act (which stands for Prevent Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act).

Both of these acts are supported mainly by large-scale copyright holders such as movie and music companies.

Supporters of free speech worry that, if the SOPA

, PIPA, and relate d bills are put into effect , the first amendment rights of American citizens will be in peril.

ments in the bills that many people find far too radical and place far too much power in the hands of large businesses. For starters, the vaguely defined “copyright infringement” would encompass such

The homepage of Wikipedia during the internet blackout.

Among the opponents to these acts are Internet sites that depend on the cre- sites as YouTube and Wikipedia.

While it is true that there is a ative products of their members to be great deal of infringement currently on successful, such as Youtube.

The goal of SOPA and PIPA is these sites, both YouTube and Wikia worthwhile one. With the advent of pedia work daily to take down pirated widespread Internet access, copyright movies and information. These acts of holders, large and small, have seen an removing copyrighted material have increased scale of copyright infringe- been brought about by an already exment by “rogue sites”. For example, isting law called Digital Millennium movies are being streamed online with- Copyright Act, passed in 1998. This out permission from the movie own- law allows for a company to request a site to take down copyrighted mateers.

According to a study made by rial. The uploader of the material is inthe BSA (Business Software Alliance) formed of the request and may appeal in 2010, the United States has one of their side.

“If we were responsible, from the lowest levels of piracy around the world. In Georgia, 93 percent of com- the moment everything was uploaded, mercial digital media is pirated, while for everything everybody does, we in America 20-21 percent is found would have to pre-read everything. It to be sold illegally. However, this 20 would take hundreds of employees, we percent piracy has led to an approxi- couldn’t afford it. Wikipedia would not mated loss of $ 9.5 billion to copyright exist,” said Wikipedia Founder Jimmy holders, the highest loss of commercial Wales.

But the text of SOPA could force value worldwide.

To get the money and credit due sites to do just that. The most conto copyright holders is extremely hard, troversial portion of the SOPA bill is because many of these copyright in- the provision that a company could fringements occur at servers outside the “blacklist” entire sites rather than tarUS border, such as the site Pirate Bay. get copyrighted material. The sites on This makes it difficult and expensive the hit list would have only five days for American copyright holders to file to remove pirated material otherwise lawsuits against the numerous online the entire site would be shut down. sites. As a solution, SOPA and PIPA, Engraged Internet users have filed milin essence, allows for these copyright lions of petitions in the past month holders to request Internet providers or so, calling for Congress to “STOP to block sites that spread copyrighted SOPA”.

Many people do not have an ismaterial.

However the fine print reveals state- sue with the right of creators to protect

their materials; it is the ease with which they can affect Internet sites that worries people.

According to the SOPA/ PIPA text, there need only be “good faith” that

a site is promoting infringement to enforce the law on them. Included in the definition of promoting infringe-

nium and pay the price that comes with holding it, the odds are no,” said California Congressman Darrel Issa.

Besides SOPA and PIPA, other bills of interest that combat piracy include OPEN and ACTA. OPEN was originally submitted

by Issa, who had opposed SOPA. It allows for the accused site to defend itself before an independent party, the International Trade Commission.

However, supporters of SOPA claim that OPEN is not strict enough and that the ITC does not have sufficient resources to deal with the mass of copyright infringement.

O n the other hand, opponents of SOPA may have found their compromise in OPEN. “Follow the money (that fuels

ment is a link to another site that sells copyrighted material. In addition, the accused sites do not necessarily get a chance to defend themselves in court.

A solution to the gaping holes in these bills could be to tighten the provision’s definitions, or simply to throw out the bills. In America there has been a massive movement to stop the passing of the SOPA and PIPA bills. As of Jan. 20, the SOPA and PIPA bills have been stalled in Washington indefinitely.

“SOPA’s radioactive. Whether or not somebody wants to handle ura-

piracy sites), and get at actually what’s sustaining them, either through ad networks or payment systems. And that’s what the OPEN act goes after. And it doesn’t have all of these other lawsuit capabilities and most importantly, all of these censorship capabilities,” said Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond.

Another act is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA. This act is better known as the European SOPA, which could be a dangerous misconception. What is unknown by many Americans is that it is an inter-

Photo

by

Jinny

Jung

national trade agreement signed

by President Obama on Oct. 11, 2011, alongside seven other countries. The provisions of ACTA could possibly become effective in the USA, although what influence it will have is not definite yet.

ACTA does not only govern Internet and media material but also trademarked symbols and brands such as General Motors. Its goal is to create a universal copyright system.

ACTA initial drafts were introduced four years ago, and the large world powers negotiated together the consequent versions. Now that the final draft of the agreement has been written it is evidently slightly better than the originals. ACTA now includes protection for the accused. However, it is “a more dangerous threat to Internet freedoms (than SOPA)”, said Lance Ulanoff, a writer at mashable.com.

In the past, not much had been released about ACTA’s secretive negotiations, which had enraged many Europeans into active protest. They demanded to know what was going on and to be informed of the changes made to the law. On Jan. 27, Kader Arif, a European Union Member of Parliament resigned in protest of the non-inclusive nature of the ACTA proceedings.

“This agreement may have a major impact on the lives of our citizens.

Yet everything is being done to ensure the European Parliament has no say...

So today, in submitting this report in my charge, I would send a strong signal and alert the public about this unacceptable situation.” said Arif.

Recently, Polish citizens attempted to stop Poland from signing into ACTA through live and organized protests by both the public and Polish parliamentarians, who wore Guy Fawkes masks (the symbol of Anonymous).

Of the already established provisions of the treaty is its statement allowing copyright holders to gain a warrant, pursue, and seize back goods from copyright infringers at and within the border of their respective countries. But what has also sparked protest of this treaty is that it does not provide a definite section for fair use.

Fair use, a system used in America but not the EU, is a person’s ability to take a copyrighted material, comment or draw inspiration from it, and share that comment with others, as long as he gives due credit to the original owners. An action that would fall under fair use is covering a song by an artist.

Under ACTA, such actions are not defined as fair use and the vague provisions of the act could possible be abused by copyright holders or misinterpreted by participating countries to form a style of censorship similar to the one feared from SOPA.

politics

2.16.12

Let’s Get Political

page 09

The GOP presidential race heats up in the final months before the election Jinny Jung Staff Writer

The 57th presidential election will be held Nov. 6, 2012. So far, it is expected to pit Democratic incumbent Barack Obama against an undecided Republican candidate. The GOP candidates as of now include: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul.

G O P Candidate Mitt Romney has been engaged in a neck-to-neck race with GOP candidate Newt Gingrich; Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has spent millions attacking Gingrich, his chief rival, and he is also backed by super PACs.

PACs, or political action committees, are committees organized for the sole purpose of raising unlimited sums of money from private individuals and large entities (corporations, unions, associations, etc,). The money can be spent to campaign for or against political opponents.

Romney spent nearly $7 million on television ads prior to the Florida primary, as opposed to Gingrich, who spent about $1 million.

However, the super PACs supporting either candidates have spent a significant amount as well – Restore Our Future, the group supporting Romney, has spent $8.5 million, while Winning our Future, the group supporting Gingrich, has spent $2.2 million.

Romney’s Florida victory has turned the race into a wildly unpredictable one, as Romney defeated Gingrich 46 percent to 32 percent. Former Senator Rick Santorum won 13 percent, and Representative Ron Paul fell far behind with only 7 percent.

“It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader, Newt Gingrich, and the Massachusetts moderate,” quoted Gingrich in an interview with the Sun Times.

Despite his defeat in Florida, Gingrich has shown no signs of dropping out.

Romney’s decisive victory in Florida has swung the race around as it reestablishes him as the favorite for the Republican nomination, thus redeeming Romney from his poor debate skills. It also places additional pressure on the other three GOP candidates to reestablish their platforms in order to convince the American people that they can beat Romney.

What exactly does Romney support, though? A candidate that has made himself well-known for his emphasis on strong family values, Romney has cast himself as pro-life in the exception of incest, rape, or when having the baby would come at a serious risk at the mother’s health.

As for education, Romney supports increasing standards for education as well as reforming schools that are performing below standards

into charter schools. On the other hand, he opposes teaching creationism in schools and instead believes that family values should be more emphasized in the educational system.

Romney has opposed both samesex marriage and civil unions, although he does support anti-discrimination laws to protect LBGTs in the workplace. In regard to healthcare and immigration, Romney opposes providing non-emergency health coverage for illegal immigrants, and supports increased health insurance portability and an emphasis on preventative care. He favors increased legal immi-

gration but wants to crack down on illegal immigration; he plans to deport illegals, secure our borders, and refuse granting amnesty to illegals.

On the other hand, Newt Gingrich is more unorthodox, as he has established himself as a Republican that takes stances that differ from the traditional Republican positions. A sharp critic of the health care reform bill signed by Obama in 2009, Gingrich denounces it as “socialism” and favors a private reform approach which would reduce costs through less regulation, reduced malpractice costs, and tax credits for the unemployed.

In regards to taxes and deficit spending, Gingrich favors a reduction in government spending as well as reduced taxes on businesses. He also supports ending unemployment benefits in favor of replacing such benefits with worker training. On immigration, Gingrich supports increased border security and has hinted at introducing some sort of guest worker program which would grant citizenship to some immigrants.

As for education, Gingrich has pushed for reform, calling for more accountability on teachers as well as more funding for science and mathematics in order to keep American competitiveness growing.

Regarding LGBT rights and abortion, Gingrich opposes gay marriage, gay adoption, and is pro-life, although he shares Romney’s belief that abortion should only be allowed in case of incest, rape, or when having the baby would bring significant risk to the mother.

Now that the Florida primary has been completed, the Republican presidential race is about to become national. In February, seven states are going to vote, and Romney is well on track to win most of them. His opponents have less money and resources, and will be forced to look for victories in other states before March, when twenty four states will cast their ballots.

daily once a week never

*Data compiled from only the AP Government and AP U.S. History classes on campus/all visuals credit to Nanxi Tang and Jinny Jung

page 10

in-depth

-by Sunna Thorkelsdottir

2.16.12

in-depth

2.16.12

-by Katrina Jabbari

page 11

opinion

page 12

Diaper Daze

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

As a child, what was your answer? Maybe it was something along the lines of a princess, an astronaut, an artist, a singer, an actor, and so on. I remember that for the longest time, whenever somebody asked me that renowned question that we all answered so assuredly, I had always said I wanted to be an “explorer.” No specifications, no details. It is what it is.

I wanted to make a career out of literally roaming various jungles, forests, and other wild ecosystems.

I watched a ridiculous amount of episodes of “The Jeff Corwin Experience” as a child- what can I say?

Now, that same question is brought upon us in the form of, “what do you plan on making a career of?” or “what do you want to do for a living?”

Instead of answering with that sense of self-assuredness and a twinkle in our eye that we once possessed, we actually have to put thought into it and take many factors into consideration. It’s not all about what would make us happiest. That’s what it was about when we were kids; solely our happiness.

Now that we are already beginning to form the foundations of what we will spend the rest of our lives doing, things are getting realsince when are we almost “adults?”

Now we usually base our decisions off of income. It’s all about the money. Maybe you’re going to major in business and take it from there, maybe you want to be some sort of accountant or engineer.

These careers are vital to the world, but what ever happened to adventure? Life is supposed to be this crazy story that you tell to your grandchildren when you’re older; what’s so crazy about being an accountant? What ever happened to being an astronaut or exploring jungles and finding new species of animals? What happened is, we entered the real world. The real world where taking risks can often be a little too risky for our own good. The real world where having a good life is for the most part, sadly based on how wealthy you are. Nobody wants it to be this way (unless you’re filthy rich, then you probably don’t mind), but it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

We are forced to conform. Having our dreams come true would be freaking awesome, but it involves us taking that chance- the chance that we end up with nothing.

As kids, we placed no limit on our dreams. We had so much confidence in ourselves, and we just knew we could make them come

true. As we get older, we don’t want to lose sight of what our heart desires, but we do simply because there’s always an obstacle or excuse.

We limit ourselves. Something we are too afraid, or even too lazy, to try to overcome. Not to mention the chance that failure is a possibility. Failure and rejection: the two things that really know how to make you feel like complete poop.

Here’s another scenario you might have found yourself in as a kid. You’re chillin’ at the playground just doing what a kid does.

Drinking juice, maybe sliding on some slides and what not. Suddenly, from the corner of your eye, you see a kid who looks about your age approach the playground. You eye the kid from afar for a couple minutes, and you confidently walk on over. No introductions are neccessary; you are blunt and straightto-the-point. “Do you want to play with me?” Just like that, you have made a wonderful new friend in less than 5 minutes. You dog, you.

The concept of “friends” was so easy back in the day. We met someone, we were nice to them, we enjoyed their company, and we shared mutual trust in one another.

That is what a friend was when we were kids, and that was that. No difficulties, no strings-attached; nada.

As for today, I can’t quite say the same applies. If we went up to random people and asked to be friends with them, we’d probably just get some really strange stares. These days, the concept of friendship and trust is a very sensitive thing. You’re considered lucky to have a couple of true friends, and they are the only people you run to. Why would you trust a stranger? Friends are selected wisely these days, and for good reason. Oh, time. How you have a way of complicating everything.

Adults and children have their own distinct qualities. So what does that make us? Well.

Most of us are just confused. We’re trapped in-between. We don’t consider ourselves children any longer, but sub-consciously, we’re still transitioning. I am not a girl, not yet a woman (if you get this reference, I love you). Personally, I feel like the teenage years are a constant struggle between wanting to be a light-hearted, worry-free kid again, and wanting to be an adult already, living on my own with as much freedom as my heart desires.

What is most important to me, however, is channeling my inner kid. I am well aware that a teenager who acts like a kid is not considered mature or appropriate, and in many ways I agree. Picture yourself throwing a tantrum in a grocery store because your mom didn’t let you buy ice cream. You get on the floor and start bawling, your world has come to an end. Yeah, not really what you want to be seen as is it?

What I mean is, channel the good part of being a child, which is sometimes overlooked. Who says you can’t be mature but stay a kid at heart? I’ve come to the conclusion that both involuntarily and willingly, I will always remain somewhat of a kid, and I will have no regrets with this decision. So go on, bathe in the fountain of youth, dream limitless dreams, do not fear rejection; live like a kid.

2.16.12

Life ain’t just a box of chocolates Consumerism going too far on Valentines Day Katrina Jabbari Staff Writer

Every Feb. 14, people across the globe gather cards, candy, and gifts for their loved ones in celebration of the one and only, Valentine’s Day. But what exactly is too much as far as the lengths that people go to in order to show that special someone exactly how much they care?

“I think Americans use Valentine’s Day as another way for us to overspend. If you are a couple and you’re in love, why would you need a significant day to prove to a person you love them with a ridiculously expensive gift?” said senior Sierra Fleck.

Each February alone, the U.S. sells approximately $2,000,000-3,000,000 worth of jewelry and $359,000,000 worth of flowers. Gifts on this holiday range from simple to intricate, cliché to creative, and cheap to expensive.

A creative and heartfelt gift does a much better job at displaying your affection than generic objects that anyone could simply go out and by. Material things are nice, but Valentine’s Day is about communicating your love.

“Creative gifts and dates mean

Everyday I’m

more to a girl than just a gift because you put more than just 15 minutes into it. It took you multiple days to set up the date, or have a creative gift, and make the experience for her a memory she will never forget,” said junior Gabe Davis,

d

An

w h o plans on a su taking his girlVi out to dinner and y lb

friend

oo aW

d

an

r nd

Ke

taking her to watch “The Vow.”

The biggest Valentine’s Day crowd-pleaser is clearly not an object. It is an experience. Most girls would take a date, or just being with that certain person, instead of a gift. Be passionate and get imaginative. Take that person’s interests and transform them into an

Tumblin’

rz

wa

ch

S na

exper i e n c e .

“Valentine’s day should be a day to enhance your love the most important way- the ways money can’t buy,” said Fleck.

If you don’t have a special someone in your life, that doesn’t mean you have to spend the holiday alone with your cats. You can still work with what you have to make it a successful day. Hang out with your friends Ben & Jerry and vent about how much you loathe all the cute couples doing cute things on this particular day. Just kiddingbut really, love isn’t specified to being only in a romantic sense; people love their friends and family.

“I plan on hanging out with friends and still making the day fun, although I think it’s a hallmark holiday- you should show certain people you love them everyday,” said senior Christina Valdez.

Express your love to them on this day by telling them why you love them, because you can never say that enough. The point is that whatever you choose to do, make it meaningful.

It really is the thought that counts and whether you decide to just buy something, or spend a romantic evening with your love- if it’s from the heart, it will do the job wonderfully.

How much do Facebook and Tumblr consume our lives?

by fans featuring their favorite idols.

“Tumblr is where someone can connect outside of their small circle in real life and instead find someone with

As the long hours of the a blog that has similar interests or is just night pass the flickering computreally funny, ” said sophmore Lucy Tang. er screen becomes more attractive

Tumblr blogs can become a lot than the company of a close friend. more widespread among the public

It is due to the attractiveness of than a Facebook page. Not everybody this machine that websites like Tumblr uses it for this purpose, and Facebook but many Tumblr webwere made as sites are not solely for the an attempt to purpose of sharing with replicate the friends. They can also be feeling of befor sharing with the gening connected eral public and finding and important different opinions or peoamong your ple with similar interests. peers. Never H o w e v e r , theless there is some people decide to no way to deny not use Facebook and the usefulness Tumblr altogether. of a network

“Social Networkthat connects ing sites are not worth the e v e r y b o d y. time to sign up. There is

When Fanot much to do on them, cebook was first and a phone can contact created it was friends just as easily as Fameant to be cebook.” said sophmore an online comTommy Seymour-Cozzini. munity for the

There are a few Visual by Kendra Wood Students around the world are consumed small Harvard disadvantages to social netpopulation; howwith thoughts of Social Media websites. y o u’r e working sites. One disadvantage that ever, it has now f e e l - has affected almost every student at grown and become ing,” said senior Aoi Shoda. least once in their life is procrastination so much larger than founder, Mark

And this is true. Facebook can be that comes with being on Facbook.

Zuckerberg, would have ever imagJust talking with friends or posting stavery restricting sometimes. ined. Throughout this explosive growth “Facebook is a social networking site tuses can be really addicting sometimes of Facebook the website has stayed that I use to talk to others while I feel and keep a student from doing his/ her true to its purpose to connect people. that I can talk about myself more on homework for hours.

“I mostly use Facebook to conTumblr. Tumblr is a blog that I can Overall, social networking sites are nect with my friends online. I spend a use to express myself,” said sophmore really great for finding people with lot of time chatting with them over the similar interests or sharing more about Chelsea Widjaja. web,” said freshman Alejandra Planes.

Some examples of Tumblr sites include yourself, but they can often be addic However, some stua blog called “Tastefully Offensive” tive and divert from the real things that dents feel that Tumblr has just that shares funny pictures, and blogs matter.

Anna Schwarz Staff Writer

as much to offer as Facebook.

Tumblr is a social networking site where users can create blogs.

Blogs do not necessarily have to be about yourself, and many prefer to base their blog on an interest.

“I find tumblr to be better because you can express your feelings more or reblog pictures that picture how

opinion

2.16.12

A California conundrum

about 23 billion dollars to public education since it was started in 1985. Of that money, the UC and CSU systems have received

Every year, around 400 seniors only 7 percent. graduate from Leigh High School and The lottery curmove on to various 2-year and 4-year rently contribuniversities. Many students choose utes to about to stay in-state to cut down on col1.5 percent of lege tuition costs and the price of the California traveling back-and-forth from school. public educaBut with rising tuition prices for the tion budget.

University of California and CaliWhy is it that fornia State University systems, goa state like ing to a public college in California Georgia can afis is not as cost affective as it seems. ford to send a

The price of tuition to attend a large majority UC this school year was of its students $12, 686, which is among to college at althe highest in the country. most no cost, (The most expensive pubVisuals courtesy of Brittany Locke yet the Unilic university tuition in versity of Calithe country is $15,250 for fornia is strugin-state students at Penngling to stay afloat even with sylvania State University). the raised price of tuition that

The state of Caliseems to skyrocket each semester? fornia spends around 52 The problem seems to lay in to 55 percent of their anmismanagement of state money, nual budget on education which is much more far-reaching (from pre-Kindergarten to that just college tuition prices.

Graduate school), which is None of the California state a little hard to believe congovernment websites were exsidering how high tuition tremely clear about where tax is for public universities. and lottery revenue exactly goes,

While researching which is certainly questionable. possible schools to attend Photos of University of Georgia Instead of creating programs and next year, it is evident that using state funding to help college stuschool in the other states have more efficient ways of spending their state state of Georgia with a 3.0 un-weight- dents and their families with the hefty budget, given that California public ed overall GPA will have 90 percent tuition prices that come with higher university tuition is among the highest of their tuition, room and board, and education, most California students in the country. Many states have cre- books paid for at any public university rely on FAFSA (the Federal Applicaated programs to help combat the ris- in the state. The program is funded by tion for Student Aid) for tuition-reing price of tuition, but the National Georgia’s state lottery, which calls into lated assistance from the government.

For students who are choosing Association of State Student Grant and question: why isn’t California using our Aid Programs has awarded the state of lottery money for something like this? to attend a public university outside Georgia the number one ranking in ac- The California Lottery website states of the state of California, it is clear the ademic-based student aid since 1997. that 63 percent of the revenue is used to state’s budget plan for education needs

In 1993, the Governor of Georgia, “attract and retain teachers,” but doesn’t to be revamped—and quickly—before Zell Miller created the HOPE Schol- specify what that actually constitutes. UC and CSU financial woes start to The California Lottery has given negatively affect the education that arship (Helping Outstanding Pupils students pay so much to gain.

Marisa Rodriguez Editor-in-Chief

Educationally) program to aid Georgia students in paying for their college tuition. The program has evolved heavily over the years, but as it currently stands, any student that gradua t e s from a HOPEeligible h i g h

Letter to the Editor

Dear Eleight Adviser, Editors, and Staff, Although routinely an ardent patron of student activism and achievement, I regret to write that I found December's edition of the Eleight to be overbearing, inaccurate, and not representative of the expectations of the Leigh High Community.

The column "Boom, Roasted" has become a space for rants and attacks against Republicans and GOP Presidential Candidates. It is truly sad to see the newspaper adopt such a biased tone which has sounded through this column as it, since conception, has only ridiculed Republicans with satirical bits and remarks and has made no attempt at valid criticism of politicians.

This column should either be relocated to the opinion page under a new title, one that asserts its purpose of mocking conservative politicians, or be revamped to perhaps alternate criticism from liberal to conservative politicians in order to achieve a balanced view. I believe that the newspaper fails in its mission to provide "honest, ethical, and accurate" coverage of the world with this column in its current form. I am not against mocking politicians, however, I believe that it should be done in a non-biased way that reflects a professional pose for a newspaper that could truly be exemplary if not for columns like this that provide no honest coverage and only propagate yellow journalism and contribute to misinformation in Leigh's student body.

I thank you for hearing my concerns about the direction that the Eleight has taken and I hope that you can usher it back to a road of prosperity that does not go against its mission of "honest, ethical, and accurate" coverage and can gain acclaim as an honest source of news with diverse prospective and factual reporting.

Thank you.

A concerned reader, Travis Lanham

Dear Travis,

Thank you for your concern regarding our December issue of The Eleight. We would like to address a few of the concerns you pointed out in your letter. The opinions expressed in Boom Roasted each month are meant to be satirical. It is not meant to be taken as “honest coverage” of Rick Perry’s campaign, or that of any of the GOP candidates. Because of the concern raised over the writer’s opinions expressed in Boom Roasted, we have decided to dedicate a section of The Eleight to reporting and analyzing equal views of the political landscape (see Politics, pages 08 and 09). Both liberal and conservative biases will be present in the Political section in order to “achieve a balanced view” that was believed to be lacking in the December Boom Roasted column.

Sincerely, The Editors-In-Chief of The Eleight

Alright, I feel like this is necessary.

I’m not going to rant about how high school bullying is big right now and it’s terrible, we all know that, but the ones who do it aren’t going to change any time soon, point blank.

But Jesus, people, can’t you be supportive of the people at your own school?

Yes, I’m a leadership kid, and for those of you who hate on this, we DO call ourselves LEIGHdership, pun intended. And I’m proud.

When this whole “anonymous” tumblr thing happened, we knew we needed to do something, anything, to at least address the situation so that people knew the leaders of their campus weren’t ignoring or, worse, avoiding the inevitable issue that is cyberbullying. We wanted people to know we cared.

We spent the first fifteen minutes of class discussing which road to take on all of this.

We could be cliché. Make posters saying, “Keep your head up,” and “You’re beautiful!” But the sad truth was that people were angry and upset and confused as to who would do all of this, and we decided to embrace that and use it.

Our posters actually had a lot of thought put into them. We used puns such as “Get off anon,” and other things that we thought related to the mood. They were simple, yet to the point. Nothing was too cheesy, and we were so proud of that.

The nametag idea was thrown in maybe twenty minutes before lunch. We found the stickers, made the poster, and taped everything and set up tables and made a new music playlist all within an hour and a half.

All of this so that a few people could appreciate what effort was being made by our school to address a problem. All of this so that just a few girls could feel like they weren’t the only ones being bullied.

All of this so that people realized they have more self respect and worth than ANYONE who is anonymous.

We put thought and effort in to at least TRY to make an impact on some Leigh students.

That night, I got home and went onto Facebook. At first, statuses were generally positive about the day, but then there were the rude ones.

“Sorry, but stickers won’t change anything.” “If Leighdership wants to pretend they can make a difference, let them.” “A rally isn’t going to change cyberbullying.” “That just made the issue even bigger, not better.” (And yes, I purposely misquoted these to a point so that I didn’t have to include names.)

Well, you know what?

I’d rather people say that what we did was ineffective rather than say we did nothing at all.

Honestly, can’t we all just support each other when we try to do something?

I know somehow students from “other” schools will get this newspaper and read this column and will try to be sarcastic about it or rub it in our faces, but I’m honestly sick of this, and it needs to be said:

We have a great school. We succeed academically, athletically, and socially we have so many amazing and diverse people. I’ve met some of the most talented and unique people ever at Leigh.

So why don’t we have the school pride that we should?

I know there are people who are just not interested in high school, and I accept that. But what about the people who have had so many opportunities given to them at Leigh and

page 13

still say they hate high school?

Be appreciative of everything Leigh has to offer.

And speaking as a leadership student, we try so hard to get other people involved. When you get a notice from us in class to play a game at a rally or participate in an off-campus event, it’s because we respect you. We think you’re a great role model of our school and want you to inspire others to become involved as well.

We don’t plan spirit days and weeks for attention or for recognition. We do it for you. For tradition at our school. To give kids a chance to come to school and look forward to something, not just float from class to class aimlessly.

Do you know how much it hurts when people diss on us for that?

Just think about that. We’re doing all of this for YOU, stressing for months and months for YOU, and all for you to turn around and slap every effort we’ve made in the face.

I know some of you aren’t interested in what Leadership is trying to offer, but does that really mean you need to insult us? What part of you feels the need to lash out toward other people when they’ve been nothing but nice to you? Seriously.

I’m sorry. I know my columns are usually happy-go-lucky and inspire people to do something they’ve never done before, etc, but this is what Leigh needs right now: a wake up call.

It’s not just leadership. It’s everyone. Start supporting people when they need it. Stop the stupid anonymous cyberbullying. It’s not appreciated by anyone, and what are you getting out of it? Does it really make you feel that cool? By yourself, at your keyboard, with nothing better to do in your life than harass someone and not even own up to what you’re saying.

Yeah, you’re super cool, dude. I’m literally so jealous of you.

And as my last words, I would like to say this:

To anyone who was mentioned on that horrible Tumblr, whether what was said of you was true or not, you’re only human. We’re teenagers.

We’re going to make mistakes. People will hook up with other people, go to parties and look stupid, get a bad grade in a class (or several), and you know what? That’s okay.

No one’s perfect. We all mess up.

So stop living in the past and caring about what other people say.

Just do you.

And now my challenge to all of you: Go home tonight and post a status about one thing, just one thing that you love about Leigh.

Because pride has to start somewhere.

opinion

page 14

2.16.12

Gotta get that good feeling

How music can influence your thoughts and attitude Nicole Hamilton Copy Editor

It’s no secret that listening to music can have a strong pull on the emotions on the listener. Listening to music with happy, uplifting lyrics will often improve one’s mood, while music portraying bleak or angry ideals can bring someone down. For some, cranking on their tunes is a way for them to calm down, and for others, it’s a method of motivation.

It enhances critical thinking,” said English teacher Mike White. Classical music has also shown to have a calming effect on students, as well.

“I think it keeps the students a little more focused,” said English teacher Carol Leah-Martin. “I was supervising detention, and I have to give some credit to Mr. White. We could hear his [classical] music through the walls, and it kept the detention kids quite calm.”

their mood, and as a learning tool, granted that it’s the right kind of music.

For some students, listening to

“Sometimes it helps me concentrate, but other times it will distract me if it’s a song I really like. I’ll just want to dance around to it,” said sophomore Dominique Kelso.

What is often debated, though, is whether music can also hold beneficial effects for education.

At Leigh, s o m e teachers believe that playing music during tests Music helps you stay focused and get work done. and other periods of

class helps the students to perform well. Many students also enjoy listening “I strongly agree with that to music while doing their schoolidea -- especially classical music. work, as well, as both a way to boost

language classes, teachers will often play songs in the language the students are learning in order to help them with their listening comprehension.

Spanish teacher April Maiten, for example, would play Spanish songs for the class, not only for fun, but because of the educational benefits, as well.

Walking through the overcrowded hallways of school, it’s nearly impossible to not take notice of the seemingly star-crossed lovers at every turn. These couples seem oblivious to the world around them, gazing into each others eyes while leaning lazily against a locker as if their significant other is the only other person in the entire school.

From “Twilight” to “Grease,”

these high school relationships have been the cornerstone of fascination for countless movies, television dramas,

quences of being “ h i g h school sweeth e a r t s ,” with everything f r o m puppy love to promise rings each student defines the authenticity of their relationship and commitment level differently.

However, with the pressure of

“There’s just too much opportunity for skullduggery,” said math teacher John Mote.

Senior Isabel Barrerra jams to her favorite tunes while writing down her homework in art class.

“I think it does, if you pick music that won’t distract you, that you won’t just bop around to, and if it will help you do your work,” said Spanish teacher Martha Landeros.

Love and Lust in High School and novels, which almost singularly portray fairy tale relationships and happy endings.

What these movies don’t generally depict, are the negative conse-

use music to help them concentrate.

F o r some teachers, though, the clear benefits of music for their students often will not outweigh the risks involved due to the increased technological abilities of music players in this day and age.

In

Chloe Tamaro Staff Writer

music is vital for them, in order to help them concentrate on their schoolwork.

A student with attention deficit disorder (ADHD), for example, can often

How high school relationships define your high school career. from that can result in the most serious consequences of being in a committed relationship while still in high school.

“Having a serious relationship in high school is like building a house without a foundation,” said junior Jeremy Pack, who would classify himself as a “casual dater.”

An unstable foundation can lead to a troubled relationship, and while parents usually consider domestic violence a very adult concept, they ought to look more often for signs

college applications, license tests, and all important final exams weighing on the mind of nearly every student, is jumping into a serious relationship while still in high school really worth it?

Not only is high school stressful, but it is also a time of exploration and rebirth.

Freshmen come from middle school still in the grips of hormonal mood swings and with a minimum level of maturity, and it is this very lack of maturity which the majority of high school students suffer

Overall, it’s visuals by Mikayla Druhan clear that listening to music can have a positive effect on the scholastic experience of the students at Leigh. Be it a study tool, a mood helper, or simply for enjoyment, music has an intense pull on the attitudes and emotions of its listeners, and often for the better.

adolescents prevent dating violence and develop healthy relationships, one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

Most teen aged girls search for their “Prince Charming” when seeking a suitable high school sweetheart, a dream partner with whom they can cuddle and share hopes and dreams, while the majority of teenage boys hunt for a mate.

The popular MTV show “16 and Pregnant” as well as the follow up counterpart “Teen Mom” acutely depicts a negative consequence that can result from an overzealous high school relationship when the individuals involved are not fully mature and yet unable to be responsible in their actions.

As for those couples who do survive the tumultuous uncertainty a high school relationship?

James C. Jobson author of “Seven Keys to Lifelong Love” states in his book that “those who wed between 14 and 17 years of age are twice visual by Anna Schwarz and Rajashree Bhattacharya as likely to divorce as of abuse in their adolescent children. couples who wait until their 20’s.”

According to “Choose Respect,” a nation wide program aimed at helping

2.16.12

entertainment

page 15

Pastrami palooza Blayke Leach Entertainment Editor

The 24 inch sandwich faces it’s best challengers yet

Andrew Van Brunt Staff Writer

shop lay three tantalizing, meaty twenty-four inch pastrami subs, filled with over a pound of meat, with shredded lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and rough, bumpy pickled cucumbers. Not being able to ignore our hunger any longer we all lunged at the sandwiches. Sud-

Thunder roared through the air and lightening streaked across the dark Romanian sky. Rain came down in sheets, beating hard upon our bare rain drenched backs. Our breathing was heavy and our pants were snug against our muscular thighs.

“We’ve been riding for one night more than sixty-eight nights! How much longer must we endure this torrential downpour?!” cried out Little Piglet Andrew.

Iron Belly Adam looked out on the stormy horizon and rubbed his belly in agony. His belly yearned for savory Romanian delicatessen beef.

“We’re approaching the surrounding forest as we speak” said Iron Belly Adam.

“The Evil Meatball Mistress can’t be far off!” I pronounced . We had been following her scat for almost three months. We finally had her trapped in a remote village and had been hiding in the outskirts of a forest since midnight.

Our plan was simple. We were to strike at dawn, for we had found her location: Togo’s Eateries. Our stomachs were growling, but there was no time for that now. Our hunger would have to wait.

Finally, the darkness came to an end, and we set out on our hunt. We crept slowly toward the entrance to the restaurant, trying with all our might to be silent.

At the entrance of the sandwich

denly the evil meatball mistress enchanted the sandwiches.

Standing before us stood three large, horrible hairy-fanged pastrami minotaurs; pastramitaurs. They charged at us angrily while violently grasping their horns, grunting heavily.

We drew our harpoons with haste and launched them straight into their sternums, rendering them completely decimated. Their enchantment wore off quickly which caused the pastramitaurs to revert back to their original form.

The witchtress was hunched in the corner, angry as a sloth with no knee caps or ears.

“It seems you finally have me.

Adam Soret Staff Writer

How about a little game almighty food warriors? If any of you can finish one of these monstrous pastrami subs in the allotted time (thirty minutes) I will give you a free t-shirt and a certificate saying ‘I survived the Pastrami Pounder’ ...BUT, if you fail then you

Photos

by

Kendra

most consistent eater of our trio, Little Piglet and I are a little more radical.

Van Brunt is all over the map, with his velocity coming and going in waves. I, on the other hand, eat at incredible speeds for a little while, but die quickly, with my speed plummeting to zero.

I r o n belly was str uggling with the sandwich , constantly chomping away at the beast.

Cheeks

Wood

each must pay me $22 and let me go.”

This seemed like a reasonable deal to us champions; we were still suffering from hunger pains. So we accepted the mean lady’s challenge and dug right in.

To start off, we each cut our two foot sandwich into four six inch pieces and began eating. Each of us had a similar strategy to battle this monstrosity; just straight up eat it like any regular sandwich.

While Iron Belly Soret is easily the

bulging and jaw grinding, he reached out for water in despair...the sub had him parched. Little Piglet’s strategy was an interesting one. He first soak all the bread in lemonade and stuffed as much pastrami as possible in his mouth, simultaneously.

This lasted about fifteen minutes until he fell asleep. My strategy was all

mental as I moved the entire sandwich out of my view, and eat the pieces one by one. That way, I told my mind that I was only eating a six inch, and not to worry.

But, after quite a while, we were all devastated.

“Maaaaan, screw that evil sandwich lady. I can’t have another bite!” said Iron Belly Adam. “Let her go...it’s not worth our lives. We will track her another day.”

With only half the sandwich eaten, he packed it up in its original paper wrapping and threw in the towel.

Little Piglet and I were pretty even with how much we ate, both slightly more than half of the sandwich, with Van Brunt narrowly squeaking out a win.

We then went to release the lady, because we, as gentlemen, hold up our end of bargains. But before we could even let the witch go, we found that she had escaped our clutches and snuck out the back while we were eating.

We were thwarted!

For the first time, we as incredible food challengers, had failed. And to make matters worse, we had been duped worse then the tale of Bottomless Pit Pete Dupin III.

We had to catch her and find out why she loved to torment us and turn innocent beings into gnarly sandwiches.

The trilogy of the SandWitch ends...next month in the Eleight.

Rewind... Back to the 90’s

Cartoons from when we were kids: what we miss and what we learned Caitlyn Nurnberg Opinion Editor

Oh, the good ‘ol days, the days of “Boy Meets World”, “Courage the Cowardly Dog” and “Rugrats”.

As we start a new chapter in the year 2012, it’s nice to stop and reflect on the past; childhood memories like nap time and boys being from Mars while girls are from Venus. Some of our generation’s fondest memories are from the hilarious, if not slightly cheesy television shows that we all grew up watching. All of these shows were a huge part of our childhood, we spent our time laughing along with them and learning things without even realizing it.

Who can forget “Boy Meets World”? This hilarious show portrayed a group of childhood friends growing up together from a young age all the way to adulthood.

It was the kind of show you don’t see too often nowadays. It had best friends, a grumpy teacher/neighbor, and of course the ever present love interest. Back them it was the norm for shows to be like this, but for a lot of us it was a glimpse at something we all wanted.

No one had a greater friendship than Cory and Shawn, a better relation-

ship than Cory and Topanga, or greater teacher than Mr. George Feeny.

The Amanda Show taught kids that it was okay to be a little bit weird and to make fun of yourself every now and again ( not to mention it has one of the most said quotes “Meh-heh!”).

All That was another good example of

kids just being fun and goofy. These actors and actresses did not take themselves too seriously, and that was possibly the best thing about them.

“The shows these days show teenagers and kids using technology to have fun. The shows that we watched

as kids used imagination,” said junior Jessie Erickson

Who can forget the hilarity that was Rugrats? This completely ridiculous show depicted toddlers, with bigger imaginations that some teenagers nowadays, going about their lives as only

toddlers can but always having an adventure.

Back in the day the show young kids didn’t dare to watch by themselves was none other than Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Other than the irony that is his

name, that most children probably did not get until they were older, this dog did the craziest things to save the

people he loved. Courage was always facing his fears to save his beloved master Muriel and her grump of a husband Eustice from all the supernaturals and monsters that tend to show up in at their house in Nowhere, Kansas.

“...now Disney Channel and Nickelodeon don’t have any sentimental meaning. We grew up watching these old shows but now the channels are so different we don’t bother watching them [anymore],” said senior Hayley Wilson

People who grew up in the nine-

ties are brought together by one common factor, and no it’s not there age.

This generational love for all that is 90’s bring us together.

It sounds so ridiculous but when you think about it these shows are such a vital part of our childhood, we all would have a complete different outlook on everything we do.

“Even when I come home from school [now] I still watch [Spongebob]... From the first episode I saw I was hooked,” said Wilson

We are the kids of the nineties. Most likely the last generation who will remember all of these fantastic shows that were such a huge part of all of our childhoods. Reminiscing about early morning cartoons, and feeling nostalgic is something that this generation will never lose.

Next time you need a childhood pick me up, TeenNick plays reruns of all the classics in the wee hours of the morning.

Record it and share it with your younger siblings or cousins, that way these timeless shows have a chance of living through another generation.

s theflick

VIE! YAY MO T!

page 16

ME CUS

E

IM SWE

irsch Maddy K ter ri W ff Sta

entertainment

“The Vow”

t. uat pra iusci liq ir t, ia g u im a is s Tisl iust t loboreet ver ali m su n , u it d a g Sustisim nos au gueraessit nostio do cortio vulla au t li e nulla facidui r sequis qui bla d dit volo ommodiam ru st o n eliquis is at, c elitthe couple’s non hen semi-truck atumhits feu feum A elarge sto duis ro e tu um e is h u q from the obehind stinib sending Paige flyeliquam car m nit n ie verit am, te c se t, ing through the wind shield. The next era ait dolort nim am, os augcuts to veleyears earlier and bedunt nscene nfour o c re lo t gait, and Leo’s r sito Andrew Van Brunt verit ofauPaige gins tell the story volobore m u n it d a velis et laore Staff Writer relationship. quipit beautiful veliquisi e ss li e it d I found t h e verostio quatum vorloerel amt i o n tship in m

A love story to remember, zzri re tem cute, loquite o d te c e or a marriage to forget? “The Vow” is nim odionum a romantic melodrama that tries atod ero particularly relo o m is tn y make the audience fall in love with daolupta m m dolor su lcouple in which the husband has torosto o u n s li t ut ve dimake his wife fall in love with him nulpu o m m lu o nis lutetue d all over again. min elis qi is adip e ss e issectem il te t a

The movie stars Rachel Mcvulpu exer s im o n e N v m re re yObo m Adams as Paige, a young aspiring dolo m tu e ib re n e hIm o el in eC is ex ea autatin h sculptor, who is married to Leo, il bor ersc lo si o is ad d sim inis il c fa a recording studio owner played la Ut nit praes exerit at. borer sum

by Channing Tatum. It begins lo o v im quis with the couple emerging from a Chi-aesse when they marry cago movie theatre and continuing spontaneously in the art institute their night, driving along the icy and snow piled roads. The audience tends of Chicago where Paige is currently a to anticipate the accident because pre- student. The use of flash-backs by, Miview for the movie revealed this scene. chael Sucsy were a good set-up for the

Directed by Michael Sucsy

film since it began so abruptly. As Paige and Leo struggle throughout the film to recover her memory of their past relationship, the two fail to realize that they are developing a relationship that’s even stronger than before.

As Tatum attempts to remake their once beautiful love story, he begins to question if she is capable of ever remembering the love she once had for him. Paige’s family relationships and high school ambitions deter her from Leo and back to her old life, which consists of her ex fiance Jeremy, a corporate tool. As she begins to push Leo away and return to her straight and narrow ways, Paige uncovers a family secret that turns everything around.

The story continues as the troubled and mixed up

by The Fray Alassandra Marquez Staff Writer

On February 7, 2012, three years after their Grammy-nominated, self-titled album came out, the band The Fray released their long-awaited fourth CD titled “Scars and Stories.”

With Billboard Top 10 hits like “Over My Head (Cable Car),” “How to Save a Life,” and “Never Say Never,” the Christian rock band, made up of Isaac Slade (vocals and piano), Joe King (backup vocals, rhythm guitar, and bass guitar), Dave Welsh (lead guitar), and Ben Wysocki (drums), has once again succeeded in creating beautiful music with hard-hitting lyrics. The album consists of twelve different tracks with universal messages about love, loss, and adventure.

It includes the addicting single “Heartbeat” which came out back in October. The chorus is catchy and the

lyrics are deep. Inspired by the Slade’s, travels to the Rwandan genocide museum, the songs meaning of facing heartache and finding new love will touch you.

Besides the bands most famous hits, I hadn’t listened to any of The Fray’s other music (hearing their song “You Found Me” repeatedly being played on the radio kind of turned me off) and I’m impressed with their work on this album. My initial feelings when hearing the album the first time around were kind of unsure, but I learned to enjoy the music more and more with each minute. Slade’s vocals travel through your ears and into your entire body and you get this wonderful surge of hope.

A great thing about this CD is that it’s so easy to get caught up in the music; you can sit back, relax and shut the rest of the world out. You find yourself nodding your head to the relatable lyrics and catchy tunes. The lyrics are simple yet genius and packed with deeper meanings about things that people ac-

“Safehouse” Directed by Daniel Espinosa

Joseph Vasquez Staff Writer

much like many others love stories, but it still has an original and heart wrenching style.

The amazing chemistry between Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum made the movie fun to watch and created a relationship between actor and audience, causing the viewer to yearn for them to fall back in love.

The only downfall to the movie is that at times it felt very forced and cheesy, which is to be expected from a heavily romantic movie. This caused a lack of in-

terest on my part for a portion of the story. Overall its a solid chick flick, and guys, if you don’t want to see it, chances are that special someone will, so make it a date night.

pair find their way back to each other once again. The movie has a much anticipated ending

“Scars and Stories”

tually go through in life, not like the pop songs about partying all the time that are brainwashing our generation.

My personal favorites on the CD are “1961” and “Munich”. The song 1961 is one of the faster songs and tells a story of a loss. Munich has such a seductive melody, the lyrics “hold my hand and now you’re not alone,” and “there you go, you’re paralyzing me and I don’t know why…the walls are shaking when you’re touching me, changes everything, when you’re close to me” are so alluring and you can’t help but want to sing along. Other great songs are “Run for Your Life,” “Rainy Zurich,” “The Fighter,” and “48 to Go.” My least favorite song is “Be Still,” simply because it is so sad, but even then it’s still a pretty good song.

The piano-rock genre music is melancholic but also upbeat. The use of sound and

The action thriller, “Safehouse” staring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynold debuted on Friday Feb. 10 and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The movie is about a rookie CIA agent, Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) finally getting his chance to prove him-

2.16.12

instrument variation in each song will keep you mesmerized. You get a sort of tingling sensation down your spine when hearing the allusive words and perfect rhythms.

I think all teens could relate to most of the songs on this album.

Growing up is a hard time and The Fray shows that they understand that

through their music with positive messages.

The band says they titled the album so because physical and emotional scars are a map of what a person has gone or wants to go through. “People need experiences to write great stories” said the bands guitarist and back up vocalist, Joe King. Stories are conceived through adventure, love, and loss, basically really living life and not letting it pass by, and that is shown throughout the album.

If you enjoy bands like Lifehouse, Augustana, Dashboard Confessional, etc., then “Scars and Stories” is for you; stop by any Target store and grab it for only $10, or even better, see the band live when they come to the Fox Theater in Oakland on February 20.

self when a rogue agent, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), turns himself in after years on the run. During the interrogation, the safehouse is attacked and Weston is given new instructions: to keep Frost alive at all cost.

In the film, Weston, after bonding with Frost, has to look at his own life and decide whether or not he wants to end up like Frost. Since Weston has the same job that Frost had when he went rogue it is made clear that the rookie is supposed to be a younger version of Frost. This part of the screen play gives the movie substance and makes it more than just your classic in your face action flick.

Since its release the movie has been compared to the “Bourne” trilogy, but in my opinion it lacks the creativity and new style. “Safehouse” is more of an old-school thriller that uses car chases and gun fights to keep the audience captivated.

As far as acting goes in this movie it is as close to perfect as it gets. Washington and Reynolds work extremely well together in both the action scenes and in their witty dialogue. Both men are veterans in the action department and the experience shows.

By using an older actor and a relatively young actor, two different generations

are connected. The movie almost symbolized a passing of the torch from Washington to Reynolds. This theory is backed up by the older brother figure that Washington becomes, in the movie.

A part of the film that is lacking is the psychological aspect that was hyped up in the trailer. Washington’s character is supposed to be a master of psychology and interrogation, but there are only a few scenes where he displays his skills.

The movie moves fast and does not feel like the one hour and fifty-five minutes that it is. There are no dull moments and once the action starts, it doesn’t stop until the movie is over.

While “Safehouse” isn’t the most original movie, it is still exciting and is well worth a trip to the movies to see it.

The combination of great actors, an exciting plot, and an old school style of action make this film a true cinematic adventure. Overall, the movie was an above average action movie, but even though it is made for an enjoyable time, it lacked originality in the plot and the intensity that we have seen Washington bring before. So if entertainment is all your looking for in a movie then this is the perfect movie for you.

entertainment “A Different Kind of Truth” 2.16.12

page 17

“Chronicle” Directed By Josh Trank

by Van Halen Thomas Viola Staff Writer

On Feb. 7, 1980’s rock ‘n’ roll icons Van Halen released their newest original album since Van Halen III in 1998, titled A Different Kind of Truth. The album features original frontman David Lee Roth, recording with the band for the first time since the release of 1984.

The album’s release coincides with the start of Van Halen’s 2012 World Tour, which will be coming to the Oracle Arena on June 3, and the

HP Pavilion on June 5. Like the upcoming tour, the album does not feature original bassist Michael Anthony, opting instead for guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen.

The album comes in two editions: the standard edition, which features a 13 track set of entirely new original Van Halen jams, and the deluxe edition, which also includes 4 “Downtown Sessions,” of the band’s hit songs “Panama,” “You and Your Blues,” “Beautiful Girls,” and “You Really Got Me.” A Different Kind of Truth is a brilliant example of classic Van Halen.

When producing the album, the band returned to their roots, with blazing riffs from Eddie’s guitar, and Diamond Dave’s classic vocal sounds, some are even going as far as saying that it is the best sound the band has had since the release of their self-titled debut album.

The setlist displays the wide variety of musical talent Van Halen possesses. From the raging solos of “Beats Workin’” to the classic harmonies of “Tattoo,” the band sounds like they are still in the shape they were in back in their heyday.

The song “She’s The Woman” might as well have been recorded in 1979, as it perfectly captures the sound that made the band into a rock legend. The backup vocals of Eddie Van Halen sound identical to those he provided on famous tracks such

as “You Really Got Me” and “Dance The Night Away.” Of course, no vintage Van Halen track is complete without hearing Eddie rip into one of his signature guitar solos, and he happily abides, showing off an expertise with the instrument that can only be matched by the likes of Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton.

“Blood and Fire” has less of the Van Halen trademark, instead pulling heavily from David Lee Roth’s solo work, very reminiscent of his 1985 solo album Crazy From the Heat.

Roth’s vocals stand front and center during this piece, sounding much akin to the way they did in the 80’s (raising the question of exactly how

much touching up the album went through before being released). The song is clearly meant to feature Dave, as he even says during one lull, “I told you I was coming back, say you missed me,” alluding to his almost 30 year absence from the band’s recordings.

The band turns to a more acoustic note in the song “Stay Frosty” which can best be described as “Ice Cream Man” Part 2. It starts off with Roth

telling a story of a journey across the country in search of the answer to dealing with the world while plucking away on his acoustic guitar before Eddie rips in with his own electric riffs, just as the duo did on “Ice Cream Man” 34 years ago.

Van Halen faced a steep challenge living up to their own legacy, and in their first album release in 12 years does not disappoint. Roth’s vocals, despite his age, sound superb, and Eddie’s guitar sounds as good as it ever has. A Different Kind of Truth is the perfect way to get psyched up for the band’s tour, and is a must-have for any Van Halen fan.

A-

Blayke Leach Entertainment Editor

objects around them with their minds.

At first, they try to hone the powers, pushing themselves as far as they can go before overuse causes severe nose bleeds. The more they use their gift, the stronger they get, soon allowing for much more freedom and much more responsibilities to themselves,

From the mind of young director Josh Trank comes a supernatural movie much unlike any before it, especially in recent years. No it does not include vampires, werewolves, or wizards, and it does not directly involve superheroes. But what it does have are superpowers, suspense, and a teenage sense of fun.

“Chronicle” primarily follows Andrew Detmer, a senior in high school who has Visual courtesy a troubled home Andrew struggles with containing his power. life with an ailing mother and an abusive father. He and to everyone around them. Emostruggles with being the strange “loner tions flare, and the struggle to hold kid” at school, and is continuously back the strong powers they have been picked on. Andrew begins to hide given begins to sever their relationbehind his new found hobby, film- ships with others and even themselves.

With a cast of mostly unknown ing, and his cousin, Matt, attempts to break his defenses and open him actors, save maybe Michael B. Jorup to the world. One night, at a huge dan from “Friday Night Lights” and party, Matt and Steve Montgomery, other TV series, the acting is pretty the “big guy on campus”, rope Andrew spectacular. When a movie can instill into coming with them into a myste- several completely different emotions rious underground hole. Inside, what throughout its eighty- three minute plot they find surprises them all and the (which by the way, sounds much shortaudience does not get to see anything er than it feels), either you’re a wreck, further, as Andrew breaks his camera. or the actors are doing their jobs well.

This can also be attributed to

The film picks back up weeks later as the three boys find out that Trank, whom, at 26-years-old, has somehow, they have received some sort had his first ever film debut at numof telekinesis, allowing them to move ber one around the world. Whether

it is a fluke or not is yet to be seen, but all eyes will be on him when his next project comes around.

One major aspect of the movie that must be touched on is its rare, but not quite unique, style of filming. Shot from the perspective of Andrew’s video camera, the whole movie is filmed through the lens. It was very interesting and believable throughout most of the movie, especially as Andrew begins using his powers to float his camera to get a wider, “bird’s eye view” shot. Near the end, Trank starts to show the movie from other video lenses around the action, but this makes of 20th Century Fox it, at times, hard to follow. But, in my personal opinion, he found a way to better the “found footage” style, made famous by movies such as “Cloverfield” and “Paranormal Activity”, and not only made it his own, but actually made it interesting to watch.

Overall, I would recommend seeing “Chronicle”, no matter who’s reading this. It cannot be strapped down to one genre and because of this, it appeals to many audiences, especially those of our age. The story, the action, and the actors bring about a fresh movie experience that is worth watching whether you are into drama, suspense, supernatural, or just action packed films.

B+

Red Hot Chili Peppers Burn Out Chili Peppers postpone entire tour due to a surgical procedure Adam Soret Staff Writer

When this year’s Red Hot Chili Peppers tour was announced, fans were overjoyed and ecstatic.

Then things hit rock bottom for the concert and ticket holders got queasy stomachs.

S u p p o s e d l y, lead singer Anthony Kiedis had injured his foot and it might affect the concert.

More and more tears were being shed across the Bay Area as news spread.

On Jan. 11, the official Red Hot Chili Peppers website posted a short notice: “Red Hot Chili Peppers regret to announce that they must postpone the start of their upcoming U.S. tour due to multiple foot injuries sustained by Anthony Kiedis. Anthony recently underwent surgery to remove a crushed sesamoid bone and correct a detached flexor tendon in his foot and is expected to make a full recovery.”

For us Bay folk, that means that the concert scheduled for Feb. 17-18 would now take place late August. This

was awful news and for many was the source for much depression and violent behavior.

“I was like ‘what the f#$%’ and pretty bummed at first, but then I viewed it as something to look forward

other way than hibernation, traumatized fans might find comfort in finding the silver lining to this dark storm cloud.

“I was upset at first, but after thinking about it for a bit, I didn’t mind because it gives me something to look forward to. And the summertime vibe will be nice, too,” said junior Sydney Clark.

The short post was vague about the condition of the beloved Kiedis’s injury.

Why was he in need of surgery? What is a sesamoid bone? Why is this happening to us now of all times?

The sesamoid bone that he shatPhoto courtesy of Dena Flows tered is the bone to in August, a good way to end my connected to his big toe. If you’re a summer,” said junior Ellie Rizlenjani. true fan, it shouldn’t be much of a sur Not everyone handled the news prise that this happened. His foot has as well and in fact others were over- been bothering him since the Stadium whelmed.

Arcadium tour in 2007. Basically AK

“Oh, I was pretty upset. I entered goes “ham” on stage, jumps off of the hibernation for three days and nights, drums, and it was only a matter of time only leaving my bed to use the rest- before his poor sesamoid bone blew room and drink protein shakes,” said up. So mark your calendars because senior Cooper Wilce. this August the Oracle is only going to

Although it is hard to react any be that much sweeter.

sports

page 18

2.16.12

Call me “danger”

Redefining risk when it comes to sports

On Feb. 5, 2012, the New York Giants became NFL Champions, defeating the New England Patriots to win the famous Vince Lombardi Trophy…again.

4 years ago, the Giants journeyed to the desert of Glendale Arizona to take on an undefeated Patriots team that many believed were destined to complete the second perfect season in NFL history.

The Giants were 16 point underdogs, and had fallen to the Patriots in Week 17, 38-35.

In the final minutes of the game, Eli Manning drove the Giants down the field, connecting with wide receiver Plaxico Burress to gain a 1714 lead over New England, earning them the NFL Championship.

Watching Super Bowl XLVI, I couldn’t help but succumb to a feeling of deja vu. Manning got the ball back with around 3 minutes to play, and had to drive the Giants downfield for the winning score again?

Couple it with a spectacular catch by Mario Manningham that kept the drive alive (although not quite as amazing as David Tyree’s helmet grab in the first meeting) and I almost thought NBC had simply decided to replay the old game.

This time however, there is more to the game than there was 4 years ago.

The story of this game was actually a combination of many smaller threads, woven together to create the fabric of one of the greatest Super Bowl tales in recent memory.

While in 2008, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was playing for a chance at history: the first 19 win season in NFL history.

This time, it was Manning playing for history. With the win, and his second Super Bowl MVP award, Eli now has double the amount of rings as his brother, Peyton, who is arguably the greatest quarterback ever to play professional football. At the start of the season, Eli was asked if he thought of himself as an elite quarterback. On Sunday he finished proving it. His critics have gone from asking if he was elite, to asking when he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

But a championship caliber team is not built around a quarterback alone (one of the reasons Peyton only has one ring). The story of the Giants team as a whole this season is one lit-

tered with strife and hardship, which would cripple most teams. By the time they made it to the Super Bowl, the Giants had 12 players from their starting line up on the injured reserve list.

Their season very much reminded me of the run the Green Bay Packers made to get to the Super Bowl last year. The Packers had 15 players on the injured reserve list, and limped into the playoffs as a bottom seeded wild card team. In the last few weeks of the season, they suddenly managed to get hot, and they rode that success all the way to victory.

The Giants found themselves staring down the barrel of a 7 game losing streak, going into a game against their co-tenants in MetLife Stadium, the New York Jets. One play, a 99-yard touchdown by wide receiver Victor Cruz, changed their season.

They defeated the Jets, and launched their way to a 3 game win streak, culminating with a showdown against the Dallas Cowboys for a playoff spot.

The Giant’s success continued through the playoffs, and they proved themselves to be the best team in the league, defeating the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers on the road, ending their journey in stunning fashion against the Patriots in Indianapolis.

But with every game, there is a winner, and a loser. For New England, this is the second time they have fallen to the Giants in the championship game.

Last time, it marked the beginning of three seasons without a playoff victory. This time, I believe the consequences will be much worse.

This season, Tom Brady and the offense, particularly tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, carried the Patriots throughout the year. They sported the worst ranked defense in the league, and were stretched so thin they actually had to start wide receiver Julian Edelman as their #3 cornerback.

If they want to have any hope of remaining dominant in a pass-heavy NFL, New England’s front office has to make some major changes on the defensive side of the ball immediately.

It is entirely possible that this loss has marked the beginning of the end for the dynasty the Patriots have built over the last decade.

If the New York Jets can solve their in-house problems this offseason, or the Miami Dolphins can figure out how to play more than just half of a season, the Patriots could find themselves fighting for a wild card spot next season, or even watching the playoffs from home.

Nonetheless, another astounding NFL season has come to a close, and free agency is about to begin, prompting questions such as: where will Peyton Manning play next year?

Who will come out as winners of the NFL Draft? Which team will become a dominant force in the NFL next season? Nothing left to do now except wait and see where things go in the first post-lockout offseason.

ing isn’t the most dangerous sport, but does have its own downfalls.

“It’s a head trip,” said Bartel.

“The biggest danger in diving is fear,” said Gabriela Taccir, a Junior who often talks with Bartel about diving.

Diving sometimes results in a bash of the head on the diving board, or wrist injuries from water impact. But according to Bartel the real danger is the fear of falling off that board, which could cause some-

impact sometimes overpowers this and causes terrible injury. Some comJulie Thompson mon injuries are broken collar bones, Staff Writer broken wrists, and broken ankles.

Soccer is also seen as a danger Every sport is dangerous to a cerous sport by most people. According tain degree, but what classifies a sport to Michele Kennedy, Leigh’s girl soccer as being at the top of this list? Many coach, the key ingredients for a sport to factors, such as the potential for injury be dangerous are for it to be a contact and power of an engine or participant, sport and depending on the conditions contribute to the fatality of a sport. of the field. Kennedy started playing When it comes to how dangersoccer at age five and continues to play ous a sport is, a today. She also great potential played softball for injury is imand volleyball. portant but so is

“I have the amount of broken three power behind the different bones, vehicle or particiand I have torn pant. The speed my meniscus and equipment and medial colused for proteclateral ligament. tion are also key.

I have had Football three surgeries,” players are often said Kennedy. faced with in B e jury because of cause, like many impact between others, Kennedy players and the loves playing socpower behind this cer, she overlooks impact. This agthe dangers and gression can result injuries of it in in spine, neck, order to continue Photo by Nikita Zakladnyi head and many what she loves. other injuries. Motorcross is a sport that is often seen as being incredibly dangerous.

Some sports may not be con- one to second guess themselves and A large part of danger for an athsidered dangerous, or even con- be injured in some dramatic mishap. lete is the constant want to play sidered a sport, but they also A sport largely seen as dangerous or ride or race even after injury. can have a harmful aftermath. is motocross. Motorcycle racing has But the amount of injuries for a Cheerleading for example is branched off into many different forms, sport is not the only thing to be conviewed by few people as being a dan- such as supermoto, motocross, super- sidered because that amount relates gerous sport. However some experts cross, and freestyle, all dangerous sports with the popularity of the sport as well. would argue that cheerleading is the due to their high speeds and some due The more dangerous the sport, the least sport that causes most danger for wom- to the potential heights to fall from. amount of average citizens should be en. The height to fall from being tossed For motocross racer James participating. The sport should rely on in the air could cause head and spine in- “Bubba” Stewart injuries are common a large amount of sacrifice to do what juries, and ankle injuries are common. throughout the season. In fact, research you love no matter the circumstances.

Diving would not be viewed has shown that 95% of Motocross rid What do the more dangerous as a particularly dangerous sport, but ers have sustained an injury. These in- sports have in common? A dangerit has its own dangers. According juries are also related to the fact there is ous sport has up-front competito Kim Bartel, Leigh High School little protection for the rider. Although tion with other players, causing the art teacher and diving coach, div- they wear helmets and protective gear, aggression which leads to injury.

Just keep swimming:

Leigh’s 2012 Swim-a-thon plans to make a splash Christopher Wyman Business Manager

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 3:30p.m. to 5:30p.m., the Leigh Swim team will be holding a “swima-thon” to raise funds for the team.

Swimmers are being asked to collect “pledges”, or promises via signatures from friends, family members, or community members to donate a certain amount to the team; this amount being based on the number of laps that the team member swam that day.

“I’m really excited, because this is a great opportunity to raise some much needed funds for the team.

The equipment we have now definitely could be replaced and raising this money will help us get some new equipment, and it will help to pay for our parkas,” said junior Evan Foote.

Last year, the swim-a-thon raised more than three hundred dollars for the swim team.

This money goes towards buying new equipment to replace the aging swim team equipment. It will

also go towards buying warm parkas, perfect for cold swim meet mornings.

This type of event has been fairly popular amongst the team members.

“I really enjoyed doing the swim-athon when I was on the team. It was a great bonding experience for the swimmers on the team, and the community support to help us raise the money was amazing, I think that if I hadn’t enjoyed swimming in high school because of things like this I wouldn’t swim in college now,” said former Varisty swimmer Jamie Ricklin.

sports

2.16.12

page 19

Bandwagon Fans: Sean Hiller Staff Writer

Pride in the bay, or fans for the day...

than’s point is still clear. When the idea of bandwagon fans is even mentioned faithful fans begin to see red.

They despise the vermin that crawl

ample, there were so many 49er fans this year. Where were they last season when they sucked?!”

Precisely, the 49er’s sported a

new found team to friends. Then when the terrible happened and the 49er’s lost to the New York Giants the bandwagon fans disappeared

Look up “faithful fan” in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of me.

Being a fan of a sports team is more than telling people you like the 49ers or the Raiders.

It’s living and breathing that team every day of your life.

Win or lose, you are faithful to that team. Faithful fans truly care about their team and it pains them when their team loses.

Then there are bandwagon fans. The scum of the sports world. Living off the highs of any sports team they can find.

All faithful fans resent them.

Faithful Raiders fan Jonathan Son said,

“They piss me off,honestly. Its like now all of a sudden they like a team just because they’re winning and just because kids around them like the team. I mean I’m a loyal raiders fan and I didn’t cheer for the 49ers or jump on their bandwagon. Its sad that kids just jump from team to Visual by Anna Schwarz team like that, and then they “Bandwagon fans” jump in on the hype around teams that are doing well simply to bask in the glory of a popular, successhave thousands of excuses. ful team, and are often scorned by long-time fans.

And then in from one team to the next. Faithful 6-10 record last year and turned their leaving only the true fans to mourn 2013 when the Raiders win the Su- San Francisco Giants fan Alexandria play around to reach a surprising the loss of their beloved team. I have perbowl they’re all gonna like the Canales said, 13-3 record this year. Naturally the been a faithful 49ers fan way before Raiders.”

“They annoy me, because most plague of bandwagon fans swarmed the bandwagon fans infested them,

Raiders in the Superbowl? of them or a good majority root for the flourishing team, posting Face- back when they had a .500 and beThat’s a little far fetched but Jona- the teams that constantly win. For ex- book status’s and talking about their low record eight years in a row. Now

Spring in full swing Kylie Brown Editor-in-Chief

that the season has come to a heart wrenching end I still remain faithful.

At times it sucks being a faithful fan, but in the end it is always worth it.

No matter how long it takes for your team to reach greatness, the wait makes the victories so much sweeter.

This makes one wonder what drives bandwagon fans to do the unspeakable. To have no confidence and no morals. Senior Sassan Caspiani, a Saints fan, said: “ Because they like to have the good feeling of winning but they can’t handle the feeling of losing. They want to conform to whats popular because they think it will make them cooler.”

Bandwagon fans are a rampant problem in all sports ranging from Baseball to Soccer. They are exiled by faithful fans and yet they hide in the ranks of all fan bases. Slithering around from team to team hoping they will not be seen as the fake fans they are. If there is a solution to stop bandwagon fans from infesting every successful team it can not be found soon enough.

Philadelphia Eagles fan and Branham senior Nicholas Silva said: “They make me feel like punching them square in the nose because they weren’t cheering for them when they weren’t winning.”

Well said. Bandwagon fans may never be understood, but there is one thing that is for sure. All faithful fans despise them in ways unimaginable.

The spring sports season takes off

boys frosh/soph and varsity volleyball. explained sophomore Whitney Sasao. They are required to practice every day team. Track and field started practices

Swim and dive meets will be start- “Soccer is a lot of hard of the week from 2:30p.m. to 5:30p.m.. on Monday, Jan. 30, and will continue ing on Feb. 18 after the conclusion

“ Pr a c - to meet until the end of April. Practices tice is a good are every week day, and sometimes Sat Spring has sprung, and with warm of the girls soccer season on Feb. workout; it’s urdays, from 2:30p.m. To 5:30p.m. weather comes a plethora of new sports 17. Students making the switch from winpretty in- “We have lots of different events for the spring season ter to spring tense,” said during meets for people with different at Leigh. Dust off sports have talents. For exyour cleats and slip enjoyed playample, we have on your swimgear, ing on winter separate events because eight new sport teams, for sprinters warm-weather sports but are in and long-disare just around the general eager tance runners,” corner this semester. to start anew. said sophomore

Our spring

Claudia Haidet. sports this year are “The school “We have lots the same as they have doesn’t alof meets, and been in past years.

Photo by Rajashree Bhattacharya low us to Badmitton players work to perfect their playing during pracsomeone can get The roster consists participate in tice in the gym. kicked off the of coed varsity badpractice for one work, but it’s fun. I’ll miss soc- s o p h o m o r e team for missminton, boys JV and sport if we are alPaul Hall. ing just one.” cer, but I’m excited to start dive,” varsity baseball, coed ready in another, said sophomore Makenzie Mankin. “We definitely

A l Photo by Anna Schwarz varsity golf, girls Photo by Rajashree Bhattacharya so if you made most Boys baseball started playing have a strong A diver performs a backwards flip off of though JV and varsity soft- Aoi Shoda practices her badmitthe dive team but games on Feb. 14. When they are not team this year.” the diving board. sports have ball, coed JV and ton serve. are already on the soc- on the field competing against other With as large of a team as ever already started at this point, stuvarsity swim and dive, boys varsity tennis, coed varsity cer team, like me, you can’t take part schools’ teams, the team is quite preoc- with between forty and fifty athletes dents are encouraged to try out track and field, and last but not least, in dive practice until soccer ends,” cupied with a rigorous practice schedule. begins practice for the track and field for those that have not started yet.

Caption for these other pictchaaaas

Visual by: Anna

backpage

2.16.12

page 20