The Forge, Volume 102, Issue 6

Teen Dance Star p. 3 | Dance Recital p. 8 | A Day of Remembrance p. 5 | Brent Peus Commits to Stanford p. 12

THE FORGE Vol. 102 No. 6

SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL - FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016

Est. 1914

VADA

Film Festival

Solimar Fire

Art Academy flourishes at SBHS | p. 4

The stars come out for 31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival p. 7

“I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain” Twin fears spook region | p. 2

Music of the Night

Where is the Cow?

Student Directed Broadway Revue continues run tonight! p. 6

The Forge continues investigation of missing, beloved icon, apathy abounds | p. 2

Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

2 | NEWS

THE FORGE STAFF

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Fire & Rain: A Week of Disaster

2015 - 2016 700 East Anapamu Street Santa Barbara, CA 93103 (805) 966-9101 ex. 5031 Room 31

Peabody Stadium Fundraising Continues

BY WILL BLONDELL

EDITORS

The Peabody Stadium renovation drive is going very well, and the student involvement is impressive. Although the Peabody Boxes raised a lackluster $332, one very dedicated student, Francisco Fuentes, donating $100 to the campaign. In addition, the video ad that was created to raise money pulled in $145,000, and in return, the foundation received the $100,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor. Ms. Daniel’s class won the Box challenge.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Beau Lettieri and Sarina Wasserman

LAYOUT EDITOR Beau Lettieri

BUSINESS MANAGER Sable Layman

NEWS EDITOR Hugh Cook

THINGS OVERHEARD IN THE HALLWAY

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Lizzie Saunders

SPORTS EDITOR

Fire shut down the 101 near Solimar Beach as Southern Californian families celebrated the holidays last month

Tyler Greenwald

BY CHLOE BALLESTEROS-PEREZ

OPINION EDITOR

On Christmas night in Ventura County a power line (owned by California Resources Corporation, a private oil company) went down because of the strong winds near the Solimar Beach Coast. This caused a fire to break out on the hillside, which quickly spread in the face of the 50 mph winds. The fire burned through brush on a steep hillside along the 101 Freeway between Santa Barbara and Ventura. Once motorists noticed the fire, calls began pouring into Ventura County’s emergency lines. Residents near Solimar Beach and campers at Emma Wood State Park were temporarily evacuated and the 101 Freeway was temporarily shut down for a day and a half, causing traffic conditions to delay many holiday travel plans.

Sarina Wasserman

STAFF REPORTERS Chloe Ballesteros-Perez William Blondell Alyssa Cardenas Nancy Carrera Angel Corona Annina Gonzalez Nele Kross Chloe Shaar

ADVISOR Otto Layman

Firefighters immediately responded and arrived at the scene. As the fire spread, fire crews from as far as Fresno came to assist. There were around five hundred firefighters putting out the blaze in total.

Not only did the firefighters battle a harsh fire, they had to be cautious of the dangerous oil field nearby. The oil field contains oil barrels that are up to eighty years old and hold dangerous hydrogen disulfide, a potentially deadly gas. If the oil barrels weaken due to structural damage, they will leak and contaminate the environment. Firefighters also needed to be careful when working, since the landscape was very unstable and difficult to traverse.

On Tuesday, December 29th, the fire was one-hundred percent contained. The fire ended up burning a

total of 1,388 acres of land. Although the firefighters put out the fire in less than five days, they were still concerned about the hillside. Days after the containment, the now vegetation-free hillside was hit hard by multiple inches of rain leading to more delays on the US 101. Santa Barbara too was hit hard by the rain, caused by the El Nino weather pattern, with flooding on campus and throughout the city.

Unfortunately, this is an historic pattern in Southern California -- fire, which decimates the brush, and an inadequate water reclamation system which fails to capture the run off.

Hopefully despite this rough start to 2016, the rest of the year will be disaster free.

“Is there a language for Germany?”

“Wait a minute- they’re having senior auction day during black history month?”

“If global warming kicks in before winter I’d say it’s all in good timing.”

“They don’t call me ‘butter lover’ for nothing.”

“I think I’m allergic to Fiji water.”

“This is my workshop and you are all my exploited workers” “Ew...Corona’s Hair” “It’s not an operetta it’s Hippies” “How renewable ARE trees?”

Winter Formal: Homecoming Part 2

Cow’s Whereabouts Remain a Mystery

ASB Plans improved Winter Dance

Concerned students demand answers

BY NANCY CARRERA Winter formal is back, being dubbed “Homecoming Part Two” by our wonderful Associated Student Body. The annual dance will be held next month on Saturday, February 20th in Dodson’s Meadow. The dance comes to Dodson’s Meadow after being held in the small, dark little gym for the past two years. Now students will be able to ring in the new semester in the fresh air with dancing and socializing. Tickets will be sold in the main hall for two weeks. During week one from February 8th to the 12th tickets will cost $10 for students with ASB card and $12 for regular students and are free with Gold Card. The second week February 15 through the 19th, prices go up, with an ASB card ticket costing $12 and regular student ticket costing $14.

This year ASB is organizing Winter

From the Archives: 2003 Photo of Don Wondacow

BY LIZZIE SAUNDERS

Ben Zevallos. | Photo Courtesy of Sarina Wasserman Formal with a new approach. “Everyone loves Homecoming” said Junior Ben Zevallos who is part of the Winter Formal team. He hopes that they can morph Winter Formal into a dance similar to that of Homecoming to boost attendance. Stay tuned for the theme announcement in the coming weeks and the reveal of this year’s princes of hearts.

Attention Santa Barbara High School: the cow, a historic symbol of our spirit has been missing from our possession since late September. To many students, this news has caused confusion and a little bit of anxiety since the news broke in September, but others seem to not care at all.

During a brief interview with ASB members Sean Babcock, Will Beightol, and Porter Rees, the question of “where is the cow?” had very few answers. Pep and Rally leader Will defensively stated, “It’s not ASB’s cow!” as a compensation for President Bab-

The cow at the “Welcome Back Assembly”

cock’s silence. Apparently, the missing cow is not heavy but rather awkward and clunky to move, making the list of suspects fairly broad. Additionally these ASB members disclosed that they have not even checked under the stadium, where the cow is normally kept. Rees says, “For all we know it could still be under there,” followed

by Beightol exclaiming, “We haven’t even checked!” Luckily, our forge staff followed up and confirmed that the traditional green and gold cow is in fact MIA. This is not the first time the cow has gone missing. Soon after the cow went missing in September, it was

brought to the attention of the Forge that the cow, known as “Don Wondacow,” was stolen back in spring of 2003 by a group of San Marcos Students. The cow was taken from below the stadium, moved to San Marcos, and hoisted up onto their student store. However, the cow was quickly recovered but sustained $1000 in damage after being dropped.

It is currently unknown if San Marcos is behind this prolonged prank.

If anyone has information about the where-abouts of our beloved cow, please contact ASB. A reward of “sweet SB gear” will be supplied.

Please help us bring the cow back.

NEWS | 3

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Teen Star Branches Out: Dance Competition Added to the Mix

Take Another Piece of My Heart

BY SABLE LAYMAN

Sophia Vraciu

BY NELE KROSS Teen Star, Santa Barbara’s teenage singing competition has been a part of our community for over five years.

Now, from the creator of Teen Star, Teen Dance Star is scheduled to debut later this month. Teen Dance Star is a dance showcase in which young artists are able to compete with local teenage dancers while encouraging their passion for the artform. The contest will feature Santa Barbara County’s most talented young dancers from grades seven through twelve who will perform in variety of styles including ballet, modern, flamenco, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and more. This year the top ten finalists will compete for a one thousand dollar scholarship.

The competition starts with an open audition process, where the Teen Dance Star panel narrowed down dozens of applicants down to the top 10 finalists. Once the top ten were selected, they received personal one-on-one coaching through to the finale. The Finale where the finalists will perform at the Lobero Theatre on

Victoria Biancone January 30th. The proceeds from the event will go to the Arts Mentorship Program to provide other dancers who do not have the opportunity to dance in a dance company with a scholarships to study at participating studios.

“Teen Dance Star addresses that desire in our community to showcase and encourage dance talent, in the same way Teen Star is accomplishing that for vocal talent.” says executive Producer Joe Lambert, founder of both Teen Star and Teen Dance Star.

The finalists of the inaugural competition are Lauren Morrison, Sarah Block, Kailani Cordero, Lilly Connolly, Frankie Harman, Riley Brewer Victoria Biancone and Sophia Vraciu.

Victoria and Sophia both are current Santa Barbara High School students.

Victoria Biancone, a SBHS senior, is excited to be a finalist in the competition — hoping that it will provided exposure to the Santa Barbara dance community. Biancone started preparing for the completion over a month ago and just finished her solo last week. She began her career in

Teen Dance Star’s Finalists dance when she was only three years old and ever since then it has been her passion. “I would not know what to do if I didn’t dance” said Biancone.

She has experience in multiple styles, including contemporary, lyrical ballet, and hip hop. Although she has a diverse portfolio of dances in her repertoire, she will be dancing in the contemporary style for the competition. Over the past year and a half she has participated in other dance performances and competitions all over California as a dancer at the local Santa Barbara Dance Arts studio on their competition team. Biancone added, “Teen Dance Star really motivated me to work a lot harder in all of my weaknesses because I want to show my best on the stage” As a dancer from the Gustafson Dance Studio Sophia Vraciu is happy to represent her studio in the competition as a finalist. “Everyone around me encouraged me to go and audition and even if I didn’t make it it would just be another opportunity to perform and practice” said Vraciu.

She has been preparing for the com-

petition since November. Both of her solos are going to be contemporary ballet solos, because ballet is her favorite style. She added that she is inspired by all the dancers around her.

“They are helping me to work a lot harder” explained Vraciu. She is also inspired by her dance teachers and the professional dancers she works with. “They show me what its really like to work hard for something your are passionate about” said Vraciu.

She has participated in competitions all over Los Angeles and Santa Barbara over the last three to four years.

“My experience with Teen Dance Star has been really great so far. I think the personal one-on-one coaching I received helped me a lot to get better” added Vraciu .

Make sure to wish them good luck and watch the performance of Teen Dance Star on the January 30th at the Lobero Theatre.

Next on the Horizon is Teen Star which will take place on February 27 at the Arlington Theatre

For years the MAD Academy has been traveling to various sites (among them Mexico and Arizona) to build homes for the less fortunate | Courtesy Photo

To Mexico with Amour: MAD Academy Gives Back

BY SARINA WASSERMAN Each year, as the first semester comes to an end, our very own Multimedia Arts and Design (MAD) Academy takes a trip to Tijuana, Mexico to participate in an amazing project. The MAD Academy has teamed up with a non-profit organization called Amour, and together they change the lives of families who are in need of one of the most basic necessities: a home. Over the course of five days, the students participate in helping change the lives of a local

community through physical labor and connecting with the community.

Amour serves as the local intermediary between the MAD Academy and the locals. Through an application process, Amour selects the families who are in the most desperate situation, and prepares them for this process. Amour makes the overall experience communal; this ensures that the families being helped will not face any jealousy or harm from other people who are also struggling financially or otherwise.

“It was an incredible experi-

ence! I had so much fun being with my friends and knowing that I was changing the lives of people for the better. This trip gave me a new perspective of how much I have here in Santa Barbara and how lucky I really am. 10/10 I would do it again. Oh, and the food was great!” said Junior Jason Feinberg. Overall, the trip has received great reviews. Another student noted that it was incredible to build the house alongside the family who was to receive it. They were able to form a personal bond with that family which made it a much more

meaningful experience.

Dan Williams, the director of the MAD Academy, joins his students on this trip every year as it is one of his favorite parts of the school year. To watch his students grow in such an important way makes him proud of the academy and the community he has built in Santa Barbara and more recently, in Tijuana. This trip has become a keystone experience in many MAD students’ education, and hopefully will also change the lives of the students of the future.

It amazes me how every single semester is almost entirely based on a single test. We work and work for months, continuously doing homework and studying, only to see our good grades ruined by one final exam. For most classes, the final counts for about twenty-percent of the overall grade. This single test could change a grade from an A to a B (or even a C) in the blink of an eye. On top of the usual “difficult final,” some of us are now in AP classes which means that our finals are also practice AP tests— we are only half ready for because our preparation is only half fulfilled.

Yes, I’m aware that the final is supposed to show how much you’ve learned throughout the course, but it is almost impossible to completely review every aspect of the course in as little as a week.

It’s a week before finals and we are still learning new information and are expected to take a test on that and then immediately take a cumulative test. I don’t think teachers understand that aside from their one class, we’ve also got upwards of five other classes, extracurriculars, jobs, and we need to find a time to shower, sleep, and eat.

Like I said previously, I’m writing this a week before finals (which also falls on my birthday).

Because I’m a senior, this is my final push before a relaxed last few months at the high school. I have enjoyed almost every aspect of the school, but the stress of finals always tears at my heart strings a bit. In this final week, I’ll be living at coffee shops wasting my precious and rare cash on espresso shots, while using their free wifi, losing countless hours of sleep to studying, and becoming a frequent buyer of Kleenex tissues.

However, even though I know that finals is the most traumatizing week of the school year, I realize that it is, in a sense, a right of passage that each high schooler (and soon to be college student) has to go through. I’m aware that next year will be more difficult and it’s something that comes with the educational package.

I’m also going to try this year to learn how to cope with the stress more—I mean it’s only a week and coping is better than letting the stress engulf you. Many colleges have seen the influx of student stress and have come up with ways to help stay stress free during finals week. Some of Georgetown’s tips are to “exercise and stay active, eat well, limit caffeine and sugar intake, and schedule a time for yourself every day.” I guess it’s time to go get a massage.

“HAIR” AUDITIONS FEBRUARY 8 SIGN UP ON THE THEATRE CALLBOARD

4 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Self Portrait by Tess Francavilla

VADA Comes of Age School-within-a-school thrives

BY HUGH COOK Entering Mr. Barnett’s room I experienced a shift in the energy level.

Suddenly, boisterous activity surrounded me. The scholars, as colorful in personality as their art, chatted loudly and worked on various projects using a myriad of mediums. The camaraderie and friendship was visible, and the laughter and good mood was infectious. VADA stands for “Visual Arts and Design Academy”, based on “The Partnership Academy Model,” a three-year program, grades ten through twelve, structured as a school-within-a-school. Currently there are approximately five hundred programs throughout California.

The model, originating with the Philadelphia Academies in the late 1960’s, spread to California in the early 1980’s. Academies incorporate many features of the high school reform movement that includes creating a close family-like atmosphere, integrating academic and career technical education, and establishing viable business partnerships.

Emphasis is also placed on student achievement and positive post-secondary outcomes. Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance. Some key components of this “Academy-Model” are a curriculum “focused on a career theme and coordinated with related academic classes,” according to the

VADA website, as well as a “student selection process that identifies interested ninth graders,” a collaborative group of instructors that implement the program, and specialized activities that “encourage academic and occupational preparation, such as: integrated and project-based curriculum, mentor program, classroom speakers, field trips, and exploration of postsecondary and career options.”

Daniel Barnett VADA was founded in 1999, and since then has grown to serve approximately 175 students. VADA’s current Director, Daniel Barnett, described his responsibilities to me: “I’m the director of the program, so I have two admin periods during the school day, where I basically do the program business, and there’s a lot of that, frankly more than you can do in two periods. My other three periods are teaching periods so I teach Advanced Painting, Studio Art AP and Studio Art Honors to seniors, I teach eleventh and twelfth graders.

So I kind of have this hybrid role as teacher and then program manager, or director.” Originally, VADA was “founded by an art teacher named Kasha Stefanik and a team of other teachers who were natural collaborators, we want to work together,” he went on “She foresaw that art funding was not going to be going well, so proactively she wanted to deal with that. She didn’t want to teach in that kind of environment, an underfunded, underappreciated kind of program.” She proceeded to write a grant for the California Partnership Academy, which was accepted.

However, “It turned into MAD (Media Arts and Design Academy) somehow. It kind of went more digital. They wanted a design element but they didn’t want it to be all digi-

tal. I don’t know all the details because there is lots of mythology around it.

They literally went back and did it again, got a second grant and that became VADA.” VADA was founded because “they wanted to work together; they wanted students to do projects that were multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Let’s bring art into history, connect it to science and English and do projects that deal with all three. Also just have a place where artists and creative kids can kind of thrive in high school. That was kind of the vision.” Barnett added to this, saying, “ For the kind of students who are attracted to VADA -- and it’s not for everybody, you know -- the kind of student who wants to take repeated art classes and grow and get better and bring art into their other subject areas, for that kind of a person, you can’t get that any other way in most high schools, so it’s a really unique opportunity for a creative person.

-- not necessarily the most topnotch most talented person. But if you have a creative orientation, you want to get better at drawing and painting, you need that to be happy and healthy in your life, I think most of our students know that about themselves, and we want our kids to be happy and healthy and so we need to provide a place for them to thrive.” Not only that, but students benefit in a multiplicity of ways: “What do they get?

They get job preparation, they get to do internships and mentorships, and the program prepares them for college too, so they are getting ready for college. Almost all of our kids go to college. It’s giving them kind of foundation-level creative skills if they decide to go into a creative profession. Because part of the program is preparing students for arts media and entertainment industry skills. If they want to go into that. Not all of our kids do, obviously, but that’s the industry area that we focus on, because that’s what partnership academies do, they focus on a business area. MAD does the same thing, they are arts media and entertainment.

We have visiting artists that come in to work with the students. There’s just all kinds of benefits at the student level.” The only requirement for entry is passion, so if this sounds like a program that interests you, apply.

“Crawford” by Lorenzo Angel

Maria Martinez works diligently during her fourth period VADA class

A wide variety of student art lines the walls of the VADA room.

NEWS | 5

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Dancing with Stars: Winter Showcase Dance Department puts on Annual Winter Recital

Photo Courtesy of Beth Goldman

BY CHLOE SHAAR Dance classes at SBHS date back nearly ninety years, and if you’ve ever walked by the girls gym during the school day you know that the dance department is still dancing it’s heart out. The Santa Barbara High School Dance Department is run by Beth Goldman and over the course of her thirteen years at SBHS, she has developed and enhanced an excellent program. Her main goal for the program is to give students a different way of expressing themselves and a chance to learn to dance for free. Ms. Goldman does not only teach dance but she is the quite the dancer herself.

She has been dancing since she was three, but really found her passion in high school when she joined a dance program similar to ours. She realized she loved Hip-Hop and continued with it through college, where she even joined a team and traveled and competed with them. Now that she is a teacher she loves making connections with all her students, because later, after they graduate, they come back and help her organize and choreograph all the different shows.

She has two different dance courses offered throughout the day: “Dance 1/2: Beginning Dance” and “Dance Production: Intermediate/ Advanced.” The beginning classes are for students with little or no dance background and training. The course is open to students in grades 9-12 without an audition. They perform in two dance recitals during the year.

Comic by Kieran Meaney

The Intermediate/Advanced class is a course spanning beginning dance and the performing ensembles, and it gives students the chance to improve their overall dance skills. The class is open to students in grades 10-12, but either by teacher’s approval or by audition. Both courses teach dance styles which include: Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Tap, Hip-Hop, and Ethnic.

All of the different styles they learn

riety of styles are included, as well as an array of costume designs, two performances (versus the winter’s one performance) and unique light design. Students must audition for the numbers they want to be in and there are up to twenty pieces in the show.

Speaking of the Spring Show: save the dates of Thursday and Friday of May 19 and May 20 to see this amazing production!

Dance Production features the best and the brightest of the SBHS Dance Program are featured in their winter and spring recitals that are held in December and May of each year. The winter concert is to showcase to friends and family what the students have been learning during the first semester. It only shows a few styles of dance, and every dance student participates. All the proceeds from the show go to the students for their costumes for the Spring Recital. However, the spring show is much bigger and a wider va-

Just a few weeks ago, on January 7, the SBHS Dance Department held its 13th Annual Dance Recital, hosted

by Ms. Beth Goldman herself. The night consisted of Dance periods one, three, five, as well as Dance Production and the award winning Santa Barbara High School Dance Team.

The show featured different styles and before each style, the event’s emcee, Monica Martinez, gave a brief summary of the history of each style

of dance. Period one started off the night with their ballet routine which was comprised of plies, chassis, and tundus. Periods three and five followed with similar dance moves and routines. Dance Production went in the ballet section, last, performing a beautiful routine to a song called ‘Largo Allegro.’ Next category was Jazz/ Lyrical, and this really got the crowd excited. These fast and fun routines were danced to hit song including : “What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber and “Stitches”by Shawn Mendes.

The next category was Contemporary Modern. Periods one, three, and five performed short, heartfelt routines, but the real excitement was when Dance Production brought back former student Pablo Gatica to choreograph their routine, which was performed to the song “Let it Go” by James Bay. After this routine Dance Production performed another originally choreographed number to the song ‘Bang Bang’ in the style of Musical Theatre. Finally, the dances that everyone was most excited about, the Hip Hop routines. Periods one, three, and five performed first, adding flannels to their outfits of black pants and black shirts. Next up, was Dance Production with a fun, fast, longer routine. Finally, to top off the night Santa Barbara Dance Team performed their amazing routine that we’ve seen performed at pep rallies and football games.

Keep an eye out for these up and coming performers in May at their Spring recital!

Rememberance of things Past

BY ANNINA GONZALEZ Martin Luther King Jr was an African-American civil rights leader who fought to gain equality no matter what color a person’s skin is. He was tragically assassinated, but rather than remember him on the day of his death The United States remembers him on the Monday closest to his birth date. Famous for his speech, “I have a dream”, and many freedom marches that he led, Martin Luther King made a large social impact and for that he is celebrated and remembered.

Many people see Martin Luther King jr. day as a day where you don’t go to school and you don’t go to work but most Americans don’t take very much time to stop and think of the actual meaning behind the holiday. I can be honest, I have never been one to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. As a kid in elementary school it was a big day where everyone wrote poems and stories, but even since then I never truly understood the meaning of all of it. Depending on who you are the national holiday is spent differently. In large cities, barbecues are thrown in memory of him. A day that is meant to celebrate the accomplishments and milestones of an activist male has overtime lost it’s importance to our society. In large cities people barbecues are held to celebrate the day in honor of MLK. Here in, Santa Barbara, a march on State Street is held in the town to encourage remembrance.

I have a dream that we can all take at least take one minute out of our Martin Luther King day in the future to acknowledge and remember the great Martin Luther King Jr. and everything that he has done for our society. Look around and see how our environment has changed because of a man who would not step down against social inequality. It seems that at this time in our country we are beginning to back pedal in our movement for equality and if we remember MLK it may be able to empower people and remind them that greatness still exists and that together we can make an even bigger change.

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Music of the Night features a incredibly diverse set list: pictured here is “What I Was Born To Do” from Bring it on the Musical | Photo Courtesy of Isaac Hernandez

Broadway Meets SBHS: Music of the Night, Season 16

BY LILY CISEK As you walk through the theatre this week you are likely to hear a variety of musical genres booming from the stage. Rock, Hip Hop, Rap, Show tunes and more fill the expanse of the theatre as actors cavort on stage.

You might wonder what musical is Santa Barbara High School’s Theatre Department putting on? The answer is, sixteen different musicals all at once! This annual event, Music of the Night, is SBHS’s student directed Broadway revue — a compilation of sixteen different musical numbers from a wide swath of musicals. The show is completely student-produced (with the exception of a few adult members who are only there in a supervisory and support role).

This year, the show is being directed by four SBHS seniors: Sable Layman, Dante Gonzales, Rio Salazar and Lizzie Saunders.

All four are no stranger to the SBHS stage, all with multiple productions with artistic director Otto Layman. “We were looking to include as many different musicals as possible, both new musicals like Hamilton, and classics like Singin’ in the Rain,” said director Dante Gonzalez. The show includes songs from boundary-pushing contemporary musicals like “Damn it, Janet” from the Rocky Horror Show, and shows that are still on Broadway, like “One Short Day” from Wicked – or “All Ameri-

can Prophet” from the wildly popular Book of Mormon. Director Sable Layman added that, “Last year we only had fourteen songs, and while it’s more work, we happily raised the sound count up to sixteen” Music of the Night’s first show was in January of 2000. Started by Blake Berris (the brother of San Marcos High School’s theater department director, Riley Berris), Ashley Rodgers and Evan Hughes, Music of the Night was created a fund raiser for the theatre program. The student directors (who are nominated by their peers) host auditions, cast students, choose the songs and create original choreography. They also hire musicians and design sets, lights, and costumes.

The show is completely self-funded with a budget of five thousand dollars. All ticket proceeds go directly to the theatre department. While the directors run the show, Otto Layman, longtime director of the SBHS theatre program, is the watchful advisor of the show. When asked about his role in the show, Layman said “As an educator, you want students to own their education, and this ownership is on display in Music of the Night. From a small, unassuming production, it has grown in leaps and bounds to become professional, polished, and extremely popular. It makes me proud.”

This show has changed greatly over the years, getting better and better as time went on. When it began in 2000 it was quite small, with

This year’s student directors: Dante Gonzalez, Rio Salazar, Lizzie Saunders, and Sable Layman

CD tracks backing the actor’s voices.

Since 2008, however, Music of the Night has featured a live orchestra.

This year’s vocalists and orchestra are directed by a team of three professionals: Jon Nathan, Robert Johnson and Sio Tepper hired by the directors. Typically, the live orchestra consists of local students, however this year, since the songs chosen by the directors proved to be particularly difficult, the musical directing team made the call to bring in a variety of professional musicians mostly consisting of local alumni, including former UCSB, SBCC, Westmont, and SBHS students.

Music of the Night in recent years has come to attract audiences similar in size to the Fall and Spring productions. To many, the show is attractive because of the fast-paced format and quick numbers, as well as the lack of a complicated plot to follow. The show also is of a shorter length, coming in at only about an hour and a half.

In addition to the student directors, the technical crew of SBHS students help pull off Music of the Night’s technical feats. The crew, consisting of about ten students, work daily in the theatre with adult technical director Jonathan Mitchell to build the set and set up audio for the show. Over one hundred costumes were created by student costume designer Bridget Mitchell. It is her second year costuming Music of the Night and she will be attending Otis College for fashion in the Fall. The production stage manager, senior Beau Lettieri, works closely with the directors to coordinate the logistics of the production, and also designed the lighting for the production. The show also includes one video short, a music video of the song “Taylor the Latte Boy” created by Lettieri and the directors.

Music of the Night continues its run tonight January 29th, and 30th at 7 pm and January 31st at 2pm.

Tickets for General Admission are $15 and Students are $10. Come and see what our very own peers and students can create in their own right, order and help keep the theater program alive and kicking!

“Mama Who Bore Me” from Spring Awakening The Musical features the edgy female talent of the cast.

“The All American Prophet” from The Book of Mormon comically tells the prophetic story of the founding of the Mormon church with song and dance.

“A Million Miles Away” from Aladdin, a touching love story between lovers Aladdin (Ben Zevallos) and Princess Jasmin (Rio Salazar).

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7

Santa Barbara International Film Festival to Return

Year after year, the Arlington Theatre packs in the masses of film lovers to watch the nominated films and the awards ceremony | Photo Courtesy of Mark Davis

BY LIZZIE SAUNDERS The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has been a tradition of Santa Barbara since 1986 and continues on this year with over two hundred films from diverse countries and regions of the world. The Santa Barbara Film Festival, commonly referred to as SBIFF, is a non- profit organization based around the goals of educating people in realm of art around the world. Over the years, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has had their share notable celebrities including James Cameron, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis, James Franco, Colin Firth, Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet and so many more. An assortment of celebrity actors and directors come to Santa Barbara each year to view an abundance of films that feature a wide variety of genres.

The eleven day festival is made possible with the help of Cinema Society, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to “give the community the opportunity to celebrate the art of cinema throughout the year.”

The Film Festival starts off with an opening night gala, where celebrities, people from our community, and cinema- lovers over the age of twenty one celebrate the kick off to the rest of the festival. This event is held through out our local mall,

Paseo Nuevo which is transformed into a “film-themed gala filled with food and drinks, dancing, and live entertainment” and follows up with a movie at the Arlington Theatre afterwards.

The SBIFF also includes a program

called “10-10-10” in which ten directors (mostly high school and college students) produce ten films over the course of ten days. This aspect of the festival is especially popular among local teens including some from our high school. Last year, SBHS students

Year after year, the Arlington Theatre packs in the masses of film lovers to watch the nominated films and the awards ceremony | Photo Courtesy of Mark Davis

New Student Theatre Company Debuts in SB

BY SARINA WASSERMAN AND SABLE LAYMAN Santa Barbara Theatre Initiative for Young Adults (SB TIYA), a new student run theatre company, recently staged a production of Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind at Saint Michaels University Episcopal Church. Spring Awakening is a

Hana Atrium and Patrick Hall won the competition for best screenplay and best film.

Throughout the festival, awards given to the celebrity guests. Between nine categories which are outstanding achievement, style, craft, performance, and commitment and nature of film making. These awards are presented in the Arlington Theatre, where crowds of people stake out with the hopes of seeing a famous celebrity walking up the red carpet.

These awards include Maltin Modern Master Award, American Riviera Award, Montecito Award, Outstanding Performance of the Year Award, Cinema Vanguard Award, Virtuosos Award, Outstanding Director of the Year, Variety Artisans Award, David Attenborough Award for Excellence in Nature Film making.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival is an important and unique event to our community or the world of cinema.

We are lucky to be able to host such incredible festival. Stay tuned for coverage on this year’s festival!

provocative and controversial coming of age story based in 1880 Germany.

It features themes of the miscommunication between teens and adults regarding sexuality, mental health, and freedom of expression. Although the play was transformed into a musical, which opened its revival earlier this year, the students chose to produce the original, non-musical play. This

Spring Awakening played to sold out audiences eariler this month Photo Courtesy of Kim Yasuda

production brought light to ideas still relevant in our modern world, amplified by a company made up entirely of adolescents.

Natalie Kellogg, the artistic director of SB TIYA, and director of the play, Spring Awakening and a current Dos Pueblos High School Student was joined by an entire SB TIYA team, including Will Geare (Assistant Director), Vida Loose (Producer), Riva Brody (marketing consultant), and Juan Dean Garcia (Artistic Consultant and Costumes).

This production featured three Santa Barbara High School students: Quique Hernandez, Camille Umoff, and Cooper Umoff, who are all familiar faces on the Santa Barbara High School stage. Two of the three students played leads in the production. Camille Umoff vividly played Wendla, a character who struggles with the idea of sexuality and what it truly means. Her character is sexually assaulted, leading to her death from a failed abortion. Quique Hernandez’s character, along with many characters, struggles with his sexual iden-

tity and succeeds in staying true to his feelings and urges. “It was a nice change, and it was a very testing subject matter”, said Hernandez, when asked about this unique production.

The show played earlier this month to sold out audiences every night. Hernandez added, “It goes to show what a group of young people can accomplish.”

SB TIYA has another production slated for this summer, so keep an eye out for this up and coming group of talented artists!

VALENTINE’S DAY CHORAL CONCERT FEBRUARY 6 AT 7PM IN THE THEATRE

10 Random Reasons to See “Star Wars”

BY ANDREW TEBBE Star Wars the Force Awakens has awakened Star Wars fans out of hibernation after 10 years of waiting, but is the movie worth it for non Star Wars fans? If you are wondering whether or not to see the new Star Wars, I have put together a checklist of cinematic tools that this film uses.

If you like any of the following, then you will enjoy the new Star Wars: 1. Futuristic technology 2. A jesus like figure 3. Various alien like creatures 4. Poor architectural designs of super bases 5. Computers that save the day 6. Writing so good that it sounds like it came from a warm massaged muffin 7. Music that tickles the heart 8. Daddy problems 9. Anger issues 10. An evil ginger

8 | SPORTS

THE FORGE

JANUARY 29, 2016

Dons Trump Royals in Channel League Rivalry matchup San Marcos turned away empty handed at SBHS Gym

BY TYLER GREENWALD It was the Santa Barbara big men that made the difference last Friday, as they paced the Dons to a riveting 65-49 victory over San Marcos in a Channel League rivalry matchup in what was a jam-packed J.R. Richards Gymnasium.

The rowdy crowded included a full-staffed student section coming from both sides, as competitive chants were thrown from side to side in what turned out to be a riveting matchup.

The Dons got off to a slow start in the first half, as senior guard Bolden Brace was held to only 4 points, while Nick Busch stepped up dropping nine points in the first to keep the Dons just one step ahead of the Royals. Santa Barbara led 26-20 at the half.

“We started off a little shaky early on but really picked it up in the second half,” said Busch. “Bolden really picked up in the third quarter and we were also able to shut down Scott (Everman) defensively, who scored ten points in the first half.”

San Marcos’ Tyson Miller contained Brace defensively in the first half, but was unable to do so in the second as Brace exploded for 12 unanswered points, coming off of four consecutive three-pointers.

“I think I could’ve been more aggressive in the first half and I figured that out at halftime,” said Brace.

“When I made my first shot of the second half the adrenaline really started to kick in and I went on a streak-which was really good timing. Also when I started to get hot the other players on the floor really looked for me, which helped a lot.”

Scream team drives SBHS to victory | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri San Marcos was able to close the deficit with a 7-0 run late in the third quarter, but the dominant play inside from Ben Clay, Busch, and Brace was too much for the Royals’ defense.

Brace had a team-high of 22 points, while Busch tacked on 12 points, accompanied by nine rebounds. Clay

Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

had an impressive game, posting a double-double consisting of 18 points and 16 boards.

“We had Bolden Brace hitting some crazy shots and that always helps,” said head coach David Bregante. “We shot the ball well and Bo got on a streak. Once he gets on a streak, he can score a lot of baskets real quick,” The last time Santa Barbara faced off against San Marcos, it was early in the winter at a tournament in Carpentaria, the verdict of which was a one point victory in favor of Santa Barbara.

“We just took what we did against them last time in Carp and we saw that we had our strengths inside,” said Clay. “We went to work on that today just to get easier points and play with everybody.”

The victory improves Santa Barbara to 19-1 overall and 2-0 in league.

Bolden Brace shoots over defenseman Thomas Hanktin. Brace finished with 22 points on the day. | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

Brent Peus commits to walk on at Stanford

BY TYLER GREENWALD If you had asked quarterback Brent Peus three months ago where he would end up in the fall of next year, Stanford wouldn’t even have been be part of the discussion.

Peus was fielding interest exclusively from Ivy League schools, as his powerful arm, unrivaled work ethic, and academic prestige made him a prime candidate for interested schools such as Princeton, Yale, Brown, Penn, and Dartmouth.

However, having just completed one of the greatest seasons in the storied history of Santa Barbara High, accompanied by an impressive senior highlight tape, it didn’t take long to pique the interest of the Stanford coaching staff.

“Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown were recruiting me the hardest, along with a handful

of Pioneer League teams,” said Peus.

“I don’t know that it was Anthony that specifically switched the interest away from the ivy’s, but it was just that Stanford saw my film at the right time and liked it a lot.”

Peus completed over 71% of his passes on the year -- 207 out of 290 -- and converted 34 touchdowns in the process. He threw only 6 interceptions on the season and averaged 305 yards passing per game.

But when it comes to moving to the next level, Peus put his academia in higher regard than football. He made the choice he would not sell out for a top notch football school at the expense of a good education.

“Academics were the most important thing,” said Peus. “There were other offers that i probably could have picked up from some lesser academic schools had I reciprocated their interest, but I didn’t wan to set-

tle for a weaker academic school just for football.”

Despite significant interest, Peus had yet to receive a concrete offer, and that is when Stanford took advantage. Peus was contacted by coach Picazo on October 29th, who asked Brent if he could complete an early application by November 1st. Peeus did so in two afternoons.

Peus said, “Coach Picazo first contacted me on Twitter. He basically came right out and told me that they wanted to offer me a spot on the team as a preferred walk on. He thought I would be a great person for the spot because of my academic standing and the way I showed up on film.”

Peus received word only a week or two prior to the New Year, that he was accepted as a preferred walk-on.

He then committed the following night.

This season, Stanford finished with

Brent Peus an overall record of 12-2 and won the Pac-12 Championship title in the Rose Bowl game against USC, finishing with an 8-1 record in league.

Next fall, Peus will join the Cardinal

where they will try and defend their Pac-12 title.