The Forge, Volume 102, Issue 9

Irving Soto Wins an Indy p. 22 | Artist of the Month: Maddy Rotman p. 15 | Dance Department Holds Spring Recital p. 21

THE FORGE Vol. 102 No. 9

SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL - FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016 Graduation to Commence Wednesday 2016 Graduates breathe sigh of relief as ceremony returns to stadium | p. 3

A Look Back at Sports Tyler Greenwald recaps banner year | P. 23

Est. 1914

COW M.I.A. Disheartened school abandons search | p. 4

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT! THE CLASS OF 2016 SAYS GOODBYE

Prom Court Breaks New Ground Blue Nebeker & Sabrina Dabby lead SBHS into the modern world | p. 12 The Class of 2016 | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

2 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

THE FORGE STAFF

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

EDITORS EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Beau Lettieri and Sarina Wasserman

LAYOUT EDITOR Beau Lettieri

NEWS EDITOR Hugh Cook

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Lizzie Saunders

SPORTS EDITOR Tyler Greenwald

OPINION EDITOR Sophia Fischer

STAFF REPORTERS Jorge Cervantes Cole Creedon Brian Christensen Annina Gonzalez Dante Gonzalez Jill Horn Nele Kross Sable Layman Chloe Shaar Quinn Tubiolo

ADVISOR Otto Layman

Sean Babcock

Ben Zevallos

Farewell from your ASB President, Sean Babcock I too was once a freshman, who knew virtually nothing about high school and what I was about to go through. I looked around and saw girls much taller than I was and guys with hairy armpits. I had about three real friends, and was overwhelmed walking through the main hall on the first day. It seemed it was an endless sea of faces; I just kept walking, trying to find a familiar one.

But after the first week, I was totally hooked on Santa Barbara High. I went to my first Varsity football game, walked to Milpas for lunch, and made new friends.

To you underclassmen, don’t be in a rush to grow up. After high school,

you’re really not a kid anymore. I have recently gone into panic mode—that in just a week, I’ll technically be “in college.” Like what does that even mean? I don’t know, and part of me doesn’t want to find out. Some seniors are ready move on, and that’s awesome, but many are like me, are finding it a bittersweet time right now.

Our high school is more than just a school; it’s a community, it’s home— for me at least. Our school is a hotspot for not only intellectual learning, but also social life and activity. From sports, to clubs, to electives, to academies, Santa Barbara High has it all.

And anyone who has taken the time to truly explore the school has proba-

bly found at least one thing that they love to do at school—and this is what makes SBHS so beautiful.

Seniors, in these last couple days together, I want you to look around.

I want you to think about your high school experience as a whole. I want you to look at your fellow classmates, many of whom have been here all four years. I want you to say “Hi” to the person you don’t usually talk to. And if you want, talk to them for a minute, and discover something you didn’t know about them.

Whether we all “know” each other or not, we all share one thing. We all walked the same hallways, sat in the same seats, and talked to the

same Becchio. We all went to the same Homecoming, and yelled and screamed at the same sports games.

What I’m trying to say is that we’re all Dons. And that’s something that won’t change for the rest of our lives.

Whether you were on the team that won CIF, the fan in the crowd, or even the friend of someone, any one person, everyone here impacted each other in some way or another; we all helped to shape each other’s high school experience. Thank you all for helping to shape mine.

Sean Babcock Associated Student Body President, Class of 2016

From the President’s Desk: Times, They Are A’ Changin’ It seems that not long ago, as a juvenile Freshman, I was for the first time discovering new and incredible qualities of a high school that, previously, I only had impersonal experiences with, visiting the theatre to watch a play that I was not in or attending a sports event with a team that I was not yet part of. I was so keen to finally join this welcoming family, and call myself a Don. To be able to associate yourself with the incredible programs and individuals that make up this school is something that a wide-eyed, inexperienced student like myself could

only dream for. Though in terms of appearance, this school makes exceptional first impressions with anyone who would journey through our expansive and diverse campus, the true beauty of Santa Barbara high school lies within our student body. What truly impressed me was the student leadership class of ASB, and because I took a chance and told myself that I could one day hold a position of leadership in this remarkable school, even though it might have seemed like a stretch back then, I am speaking to you all today about the exciting new

happenings for the upcoming year.

I’ll leave the in-depth reminiscing of the last school year to our current ASB president, but I’m sure we can all agree that it was unmatched by any previous year. I can give my assurance to every student that the upcoming year will be filled with exceptional school events and activities, some new and some old, but all exciting!

Although all our school events logistically went well, my main improvement goal for the upcoming year is to implement new competitions and events that work to include every

type of student, and to truly unify our school community. Skateboarding competitions, and free coffee and breakfast for students are just a couple ideas I have for the 2016-17 year.

Through these events that are relatable to every student’s distinguishable characteristics, I believe that ASB can incite positive change in making our school one entity.

Ben Zevallos, ASB President Class of 2017

Seniors Bring Shenanigans to SBHS

BY THE FORGE STAFF It’s that time of year again when the senior class decides to put their minds together to prank the school which they’ve devoted themselves to for the past four years. The Monday after Prom the senior class decided to take the day off, leaving most senior classes with just a handful of students in attendance.

Last week, the group took it further by bringing dogs to school, parading them through the main hall before the start of first period, playing the song “Who Let the Dogs Out”. Dogs sat though almost half of first period before a mass email from Dr. Becchio was sent out informing teachers to send their students who had brought dogs to class to the Assistant Principal’s office as dogs are not allowed on campus. From there students were told that all dogs needed to return home. While this year’s pranksters have not been as clever as previous years, we hope that the senior class will still pull off a class prank that will put them in the SBHS history books.

Seniors paraded their canine friends through the main hall before being forced to send their dogs home | Photos Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

NEWS | 3

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Graduation: You are Cordially Invited

WASC Grants Six Year Accreditation to SBHS

BY HUGH COOK

This year’s graduation program cover featuring the art of senior Alana Crang, winner of the “Peabody Stadium: The Last 100 Years” art contest

BY HUGH COOK “It’s not about what do I want to see; for so many students this is the culmination of a lot work, its is the stepping stone to something; to the next big step in their lives. There is a lot of tradition and history that goes into the graduation ceremony, so I want to see students treating it with respect, and anticipation,” said Ms. Carson, eloquently describing why the graduation ceremony that will commence at 6pm on June 8th, for the class of 2016 is so valuable.

This ceremony will emphasize the hard working, committed pupils who are receiving their valid diplomas, and crossing on to the next path of their life. Ms. Carson commented, “We want to keep it student focused.

We usually have the band and the choir come, they sing the national anthem and our Alma Mater.”

The ceremony will also have a graduating senior, chosen by a panel composed of Ms. Ruth, Dr. Becchio, and Ms. Carson, reading a prepared speech about our school and our ceremony. Our ASB President, Sean Babcock, will speak at the ceremony as well, as the figurehead of the graduating class.

The graduation process starts off June 6th with events “Senior-Checkout” and “Senior Sunset.” The Senior-Checkout gives each soon-to-be graduate a card clarifying that they have turned in all Santa Barbara High property and that they are prepared to graduate. The Senior Sunset will offer a movie, voted on by students, for all senior Dons and organized by ASB. The seventh brings us the Senior Lunch and the distribution of graduation attire such as caps and

gowns. Finally, the eighth will bring the process to a close with bang, with first a practice run, and then the final graduation ceremony before the stadium is renovated starting the following summer.

“It is going to be very similar to what has happened in previous years, when we were looking at graduating at the bowl there was a little more question of what it would look like, but there will be our own campus safety on the field, we always have distinguished guests that come from the district school board, as well as the district office. Dr. David Cash will be there, and our Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services Fran Waggenek, as well as Gail Eidelson, who is

a mother and a member of our school board as well. There will be police presence at graduation; we also do have additional security members, but that’s nothing new, they’re always there. We will have parking spots for honored guests and for families who maybe have a grandparent coming, or someone who needs an accommodated parking space, so we try to work that out because there are a lot of people. ASB will help with setup, during graduation practice we will have a day when the PTSA provides seniors a lunch, the Alumni Association will provide a lunch on the other day [of practice]. There will be two days of graduation practice, the Monday and the Tuesday before our

Wednesday Graduation.“ Ms. Carson commented.

Earlier this year controversy erupted surrounding the tradition of outfitting boys and girls in colors delineated along gender lines, as this meant that anyone who identified non-gender normatively was forced to make a sacrifice. Ms. Carson said, while acknowledging that we would follow the SBHS tradition, “If there is a student, who, based on their gender would usually have worn green robe, if they would prefer, say, a white robe, or they identify in a different way that is always an option and available to them.” This genuine offer shows the effort of all those involved in organizing the 2016 graduation.

An event this complex requires hard work and intense effort. Ms. Carson explained her Graduation All-Star team, “Jessica Siorda, my secretary and I are doing a lot of the planning. Rachel Roesch, who is the ASB coordinator, is doing a lot of Senior Honors Night, and I’m supporting her with that, and she is supporting me with graduation. There is a lot of communication between us.

Spencer Barr, in the Career office, is an amazing person. He is a counselor, and they are always involved in both of those nights. He is on the Alumni association, he usually works with ASB to coordinate the flags that go down the hill, as well as other traditions which are specific to SBHS.” With the passion of the pupils receiving their diplomas and honors, the proud and supporting families watching their children blossom, and hard working staff and administrators, this ceremony is sure to be an event remembered by all in attendance.

Recently, Dr. Becchio received a one page letter from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This letter, which he has shared with the rest of the SBHS WASC team and relevant personnel, states simply that Santa Barbara High School will be accredited for six years, until the next cyclical WASC visit. Our school received a sixyear accreditation, with a single day visit by a WASC committee halfway through the elapsed time span.

Ms. Carson, the assistant principal responsible for coordinating and facilitating WASC, smiled “I’m just so pleased. The teachers worked really hard for this.

The visit itself was stressful, but I think it went well. The students were really great, and I feel very proud and very pleased. It had really good results; we couldn’t have asked for any better. This is what we were hoping and aiming for, so both Dr. Becchio and I are really happy about this. The process will continue. WASC is cyclical, in that it is supposed to be something where schools are continuously evaluating themselves, and if we are doing that then in three years the one day visit, it should not be a big deal.

We are continuing to do the work that we do, WASC is just a means of documenting that work.”

This score is seen a large improvement to the school’s reviews in 2010, and the check-up that followed in 2013. Thanks to the new schedule, changes in administration and in all facets of SBHS life, the school community has transformed for the better, with higher test scores all round and generally lowered dropout rates. The changes in personnel occurred smoothly with little or no planning conflict as a result.

Overall, between the administration’s longer goals, and the short term attitudes that determine what we make of each day, Santa Barbara High School and its community are moving forward.

Mr. President, Sean Babcock, is a man of many names. Don’t know what to call him? Here are a few ideas.

1) When Sean is angry: Sean Madcock 2)When Sean has kids: Sean Dadcock 3)When Sean is feeling blue: Sean Sadcock 4)When Sean is feeling happy: Sean Gladcock 5)When you see Sean on June 8th: Sean Gradcock 6)When Sean is a good friend: Sean Comradecock 7) When Sean is trending: Sean Fadcock 8)When Sean is misbehaving: Sean Badcock 9)When Sean is channeling Cam Newton: Sean Dabcock 10) When Sean is just awesome: Sean Radcock The Forge would like to thank Sean for a killer year! You did it!

4 | NEWS

COW M.I.A. We Need New Representation

BY QUINN TUBIOLO The trail has gone cold. The lost cow is doubly and triply lost.

For one thing, most Santa Barbara High School students don’t give a Hootie nor a blowfish where the cow went.

In addition to the underlying aura of Generation-X level apathy surrounding the cow’s whereabouts, the lack of actual substantial information about its disappearance make it even more difficult for people to feign interest (especially me, having to cover the story and all).

In our last issue, it was revealed that the cow is not in the clutches of Scientologists (or if it is, they’re some crafty cownappers).

Santa Barbara High School, we’ve reached the point at which we need to cut our losses. We can still walk away with our dignity.

Maybe our seniors stole the cow as their senior prank. Maybe San Marcos did it thinking we would freak out. Maybe we just lost it.

Whatever the case may be, we need to let it go. And we need to replace it.

With what? That’s the fun part.

We can literally replace the cow with any other Don. Don Knotts. Don Henley. Don Rickles. Don Everly. All 100% doable.

Don Cheadle. Don Ho. Don Draper. It’s up to you, people.

This is your school.

Don Jon. Don Corleone. Don Juan. Don Felder.

I would like to reiterate that we can make literally almost ANYTHING the new sort-of-mascottype-thing.

Don McLean. Don Cornelius.

Don Quixote. Don Johnson!

Don’t waste this opportunity. Revolutionize tradition. Let’s choose a new Don for the new dawn (as cheesy as that may be).

It’s up to you. The time is now to change things for the good of teenager-kind. Don Dokken!

Let’s make Santa Barbara High School great again (Don- oh, wait, no...)

After all, we may all be dead from nuclear war or the Zika virus a year from now anyways.

Submit your suggestions to the Forge.

Comic by Kieran Meaney

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

A Tip of the Hat to the Top of the Class

BY SABLE LAYMAN Every year, a number of Santa Barbara High School seniors are acknowledged for their hard work throughout the course of their four years. Twenty students are chosen

to be Distinguished Dons, a group that SBHS staff members deem the students who best represent Santa Barbara High. Additionally, the list of Top Department Dons was announced earlier this month, an award which is given to students for their

This year’s group of Top Department Dons | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

Olive & Gold Now on Sale

Volume 116 of the Olive & Gold

BY BEAU LETTIERI The 116th volume of the SBHS Olive and Gold is now available! The annually published yearbook includes 336 pages of full color memories from throughout the year. This year’s theme “If Walls Could Talk” highlights the students and staff of Santa Barbara High School and their memories of SBHS over the years. Aside

from a complete photo catalogue of every SBHS student and staff member, the book features pages for each department, and reveals the senior poll winners. In addition to the 336 pages of content, there is a bonus insert which highlights currents events and trends of the 2015 - 2016 year.

The book was created by the completely student staff of nearly thirty, headed by Advisor Maggie Light, now in her nineteenth year as yearbook advisor (currently the longest yearbook advisor in SBHS’s history). The book was also completed with tireless efforts of Editors-in-Chief Bailey Wolf and Lindsey Young, who managed the staff on a day-to-day basis.

The book was unveiled on Wednesday at the Quad Grub hosted by ASB to wrap up the year. There is still time to purchase your copy. Come to room 71 (across from the MAD Academy) during lunch and after school June 3 through June 8. Each book costs $90.

The book is filled to the brim with priceless memories, so make sure to pick up you copy before they’re all gone!

outstanding work in a particular department.

To be selected to be a Distinguished Don, a student needs to receive multiple nominations from staff members. From there, a committee looks at the nominations, then

picks the top twenty to twenty five students who they feel best represent SBHS. This group of students will lead the senior class down the hill during Wednesday’s graduation ceremony and receive a medallion. For Top Dons, each department chooses which student will represent their departments. On May 24, these Top Department Dons were honored at a ceremony held on the front steps of the school. Here, each department presented their top don for a group of fellow students, teacher, and parents. The students who are awarded are high-achieving and highly recognized in our school.

These students, along with the rest of the senior class, were recognized at Senior Honors Night on June 1st for their achievements, such as CSF Seal Bearer, National Honor Society, Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation, College Scholarships, Alumni Scholarships, National Merit Scholars, AP Scholars, and of course Top Dons and Distinguished Dons. The annual event which was held in the theatre and organized by ASB and the administration provided an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the class of 2016 and celebrate their achievements and future plans.

Top Department Dons Art – Dina Rubio ASB – Sean Babcock Athletics – Eduardo Reveles AVID – Kelly Godinez Business – Gerbert Funes Alfaro Cal Safe – Cintia Vera Baltazar Computer Science – Maria DeAngelis Dance – Carla Sandoval EL – Ursula Jocelyn Cornejo Reyes English – Madison Rotman Forge – Hugh Cook Instrumental Music – James Sperlin Learning Center – Mariela Landa Sandoval Life Science – Kiah Shriner MAD Academy – Dane Holroyd Math – Lourda Weger Physical Science – Will DeBruynKops Social Studies – Chimaway Lopez Sports Medicine – Kaitlin O’Connell Theatre – Beau Lettieri VADA - Karim Cortez Vocal Music – Isaac Cortes World Languages – Maria Isabel Ascensio

NEWS | 5

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Alums Fund the Future

Editorial: Seniors Have Checked Out.

BY HUGH COOK

This year’s Alumni Association Scholarships went to 54 SBHS seniors | Photo Courtesy of Tim Putz

BY BEAU LETTIERI As one of the oldest high schools in California, Santa Barbara High School has something most high schools do not have: an Alumni Association. Forty-one years ago, as Santa Barbara High School was celebrating its one hundredth anniversary, a small group of SBHS Alumni with a profound love for the school, established the Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association. Their goal was to build a network of of Alumni and keep that network actively involved with the school. The Alumni Association, in addition, maintains an extensive archive of the school’s history, houses many of SBHS’s prized artifacts, and provides a strong Alumni presence on campus, with projects such as the Wall of Fame which honors notable alumni annually. The now forty-year-old association is run by many alumni, including president Gloria Cavallero (Class of 1974), Director of Membership Sharon Henning (Class of 1972), Former President Laura Wilson (Class of 1967), as well as others such

as long time photographer Tim Putz (Class of 1963) who will succeed Cavallero next year as the Association’s president. The Association started with just a handful of members in 1975 and has since then has grown to four-thousand worldwide. The association meets weekly in the Olive and Gold Room to discuss upcoming events, reunions, and more. The group also helps fund raise within their network of alumni for projects such as the Peabody Stadium Renovation. Just last weekend the Association hosted the “Last Lap” around Peabody Stadium, a final goodbye to the 92 year old stadium.

In addition, the founding members of the SBHS Alumni association wanted to give back. From this passion for SBHS and its current students, the SBHS Alumni Scholarship was born. This year marked the fortieth annual Alumni Association Scholarship Awards Ceremony, providing scholarships of two-thousand dollars each to fifty-four dedicated (and fortunate) SBHS seniors. This year’s award ceremony and barbecue was held at Manning Park, and in-

volved the recipients and their families, along with many proud alumni of SBHS. Since the scholarship began $915,495 total scholarship funds have been awarded — funds which were raised by the association though the generosity of SBHS Alumni. Each recipient receives a different scholarship, often in the name of a notable alumnus or of an entire graduating class. In addition to the scholarship, each recipient receives a lifetime membership to the Association, and will receive the biannual Alumni Association Newsletter.

The application process takes place during the second semester annually and involves a written application and an essay responding to a given prompt. Once the applications have been received, members of the Alumni Association’s organizing body conduct interviews with the applicants to decide if they will be awarded a scholarship. The scholarship is only open to SBHS seniors — so make sure to apply for this wonderful scholarship during your senior year!

Neil Degrasse Tyson, an acclaimed astrophysicist once commented upon another kind of misbehavior within our education system, one that is prevalent throughout all grades of high school. His statement is concise, and reflects the reasons that once again that seniors don’t care, that juniors are collapsing from exhaustion under the weight of AP tests; and that sophomores and freshmen are carefully planning out their 5 year plans that will undoubtedly be trashed, because what freshmen knows what they will do with the rest of their lives? Tyson tweets “When Students cheat on exams it’s because our school system values grades more than Students value learning.”

Our education system teaches students that it is more important to get all A+ grades than it is to deeply understand and explore the concepts which are deemed so vital that every child in the nation is required to attend and pass classes on them. However, instead of emphasizing a more socratic system, we have created a system that rewards short term memorization over the forms of learning that develop our very ability to reason accurately.

Pupils learn to use short term memory to keep grades up, ignoring the longer, more involved process required for dedicated schooling. They then regurgitate what they have ‘learned’ on AP tests and state-run standard tests. After the test, halfway through May, AP students waste a month, because the classes are based on the test. Once the tests have been taken, students have no impetus to continue striving to learn, let alone paying attention in class.

Since freshmen year, students are told that second semester senior

year is a joke. This subject is not taboo, it is widely acknowledged by teachers and students alike.

Walk into a senior classroom- on any given day chances are at least a few students simply didn’t show up. Why would they? They spent 12 grueling years dealing with school bureaucracy; college commitments have been made; in their eyes it’s a well-deserved break.

Instead, we should put more value on the act of learning itself, rather than the grade that supposedly represents performance. Students should be encouraged to explore all the options and careers available, to experiment and find out what it is they enjoy doing. As experience has taught us, learning about things we enjoy is it’s own reward, and it’s own motivation. No carrot or stick, just genuine curiosity leading to discovery and knowledge, and a path for one to follow, a lifelong interest and a career Of course, we all have to do things we don’t enjoy sometimes.

You should probably know algebra even if you hate math. But maybe you wouldn’t hate algebra when you learned that it was actually applicable in many ways, not just in calculating the size of imaginary triangular farms (Thanks, Pythagoras).

Many core classes work with the subject almost entirely as an abstraction, never applying what is learned except on a packet thick enough to have been squeezed from a forest of wood pulp, sent by the state government every year to make sure schools are cramming knowledge into little Davie’s pate.

If High Schools emphasized learning through applied concepts and real-world work rather than memory and word association, then maybe library books would be checked out, and not Seniors.

Can you guess which SBHS staff members these are?

Top Row: John Becchio, Joe Velasco, Andrea Wagner, Joyce Adriansen, Otto Layman. Bottom Row: Sarina Rodenas, Brandon Teris, Jenifer Slemp, Steven Todd, Paul Forester

6 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Chilling Demonstration Shakes Up SBHS Upper Class

Sean Babcock lies unresponsive as first responders bring him to the hospital on May 18th crash scene | Photos courtesy of Beau Lettieri

BY NELE KROSS Recently, SBHS received a major wake-up call. On Wednesday the May 18, a crowd of students gathered around two cars that had collided. Porter Rees and Sean Babcock were unconscious on the ground.

The police fire department responded quickly to the incident, quickly carting multiple victims to the local hospital — a few transported via helicopter.

Luckily, this crash scene was not the real deal. The simulation, just one element of SBHS’s “Every 15 Minutes” campaign, offered a real-life experience without the real life risk of drinking or texting while driving.

The project, spearheaded by ASB, Rachel Roecsh (ASB advisor) and many students including senior Ray Holguin, brought a two-day event to SBHS for juniors and seniors. The first part consisting of the crash scene and the second part including a funeral for the two “fatalities” from the accident, Porter Rees and Sean Babcock.

Wednesday May 18th’s crash scene began with an announcement over the school’s intercom system urging all juniors and seniors to report to

the senior lawn. The sight was not pleasant as students gathered around to see two cars crashed into each other with a group of their peers injured from the crash. The event, which lasted over an hour, included local law enforcement, fire department, and Cottage Hospital staff as well as a cast of SBHS “victims.” Everything was done as if the crash were real.

Police took senior Jessyca Beksa, the actor who played the role of the teen driver who was under the influence, into custody after she failed to pass sobriety tests, and the students who

were stuck in the vehicle were pulled out after fire fighters cut the door off of the car. The simulation went as far as to land a emergency helicopter on the field of Peabody Stadium to transport the more seriously injured students to the hospital. In the aftermath, it was announced that Rees and Babcock has passed away.

The following day the senior class gathered in the theatre for a mock funeral for the two boys. Here, a twenty minute short film created by SBHS students Dane Holroyd, Samsun Keithley, and a group of MAD stu-

dents was shown. The film showed how the entire course of events leading up and through the crash happened. The video even showed footage from the crash scene which had taken place under twenty-four hours prior. The event continued with emotional obituaries read by the parents of both Rees and Babcock, as well as an appearance from Matthew Dies, who told the story of his daughter Mallory who was killed by a drunk driver in 2013.

Senior Ray Holguin, brought the idea to Ms. Roesch at the beginning

of the school year and she quickly jumped onto the project, seeing it as an amazing opportunity. They together applied to get the CHP Grant to run the program. Ms. Roesch signed on to the program quickly.

She said “I experienced this program at my high school as a student and found it extremely meaningful.

I knew they [the Santa Barbara Fire Department] would be a great agency to work with in addition to California Highway Patrol, American Medical Response and Santa Barbara Police Department”, added Roesch.

It took about one year to plan and prepare everything before the actual event, because of all the involved agencies such as the hospital, court, lawyers, and the police department.

Ray had been to the previous Every 15 Minutes mock crash scene at San Marcos High School; he thought that it was very impressive and brings out the point of the program even more, “My personal opinion about this program is that I hope it will help out bring awareness. I currently volunteer with the Santa Barbara Fire station and I know that they always want to help bring preparedness to our school and help us out with anything!“ added Holguin.

Editorial: High School Seniors Can Vote, But Will They?

BY HUGH COOK If your eighteenth birthday occurs before November eighth, 2016, then you are eligible to vote in the next Presidential election. That means that the vast majority of high school seniors will be able to vote. But will they choose to? In recent years we have seen repeatedly that eligible voters ages 18-29 are the least likely group to show up on Election Day. In 2014, a study undertaken at Tufts University showed that less than 20% of youth citizenry are actively involved in the election process. Why is this? I believe that it is because, in this country, the young are becoming more and more disillusioned with the interminable, unrepresentative, status quo of politicians and pundits. These figures of authority are mired in corporate greed, and out of touch with the reality of the rapidly shrinking middle class whose best intentions they claim to have in mind.

There is a student debt crisis that

totals almost 1.4 trillion dollars.

According to the National Student Loan Debt clock, student debt grows $2,726 per second. In 2015, the United States poured over 597 billion dollars into the defense budget.

The second biggest military budget comes from China, unsurprisingly.

What is surprising, and quite frankly troubling, is the fact that the Chinese Defense spending was only 145 billion dollars. China has a population of 1.355 billion people. They are currently involved in border disputes with other countries. The United States, which spends more than four times the amount China spends on its military, is by all historical accounts, a place that would be nearly impossible to invade. We are set apart from large parts of the world by thousands of miles of ocean, and our population centers are so spread out that foreign militaries would be incapable of controlling all of the U.S. landmass.

This hypothetical invasion certainly wouldn’t be carried out by any terrorist group that you so often hear

offered up as the reason for such a large Defense budget. The primary discernible reason for such a large military is so we are capable of overthrowing democratically elected governments, killing millions of civilians in the process, all to make foreign nationals friendlier to U.S. business interests. This is not a new notion, and I am not the first writer to document these occurrences.

We overthrew the Iranian prime minister in 1953. In 1954 the U.S. equipped paramilitary groups to remove President Arbenz from power in Guatemala.Patrice Lumumba, the first elected president of the Congo, was pushed out in 1960.There is a tape of a White House meeting in which top officials in the Kennedy administration planned the coup of November 1st, 1963 that would eventually depose Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South Vietnam at the time.

A costly, atavistic war would follow, in which thousands of American youth were drafted to fight in the ravaging jungles of Vietnam. In 1965 the United States supported

an insurrection in Indonesia. Some estimates of the toll on life place it as high as one million dead. Student groups, female activists, and anyone who seemed progressive was killed by military and paramilitary groups led by General Suharto. In 1973 the U.S. supported a coup that brought down the democratic government of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president. In 1984 the U.S. sent textbooks with militant Islamic teachings to Afghan children, which many would claim has directly led to the current terrorist groups active in that part of the world. This displays a clear pattern of reprehensible greed and a support of violence without a second thought about those who may be caught in the crosshairs, especially the lives of U.S. soldiers and citizens that volunteer to fight for a country they love, not the companies that ravage the soil they stand on when dispatched. These actions have been supported by both major political parties in the United states.

The Indonesian coup took place under Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat.

The Chilean coup took place under soon to be disgraced Republican president Richard Nixon. This has been the modus operandi of Washington for longer than most of you readers’ parents have been alive.

That is why if you want to see real change in the politics, you need an outsider, someone who has not yet agreed that corporations should run America, someone who supports the people. Bernie Sanders is an outsider in that his funding comes almost entirely from citizens who support his reform policies, rather than from the super PAC’s and lobbyist contributions that make up many “insider” politician’s campaign financing. That will translate into more freedom to execute the ideas and policies he espouses, preserving our voice and our freedom to create a government that best serves us. If you want to see a reduction in student debt, a better educated, and well informed public, as well as a more equal America, then you, like I am, will be voting for Bernie Sanders.

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THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Forging Ahead: Newspaper Staff Looks to the Future

Editorial: *#@! Happens A Look Back at the Year

The 101st staff of The Forge meets daily during 4th period in Room 31. | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

BY THE FORGE STAFF For 101 years Santa Barbara High School students just like you have been reading this student written, edited, and published paper. Over its century long history there have been hundreds of editors, thousands of writers, and tens of thousands of readers. But few know exactly what goes into the making of the Forge.

Currently, SBHS’s “Journalism” course is the home for the staff of the Forge. The Forge staff meets four times a week during fourth period, where the class of sixteen students brainstorm, write, and edit the articles that make up the paper. The class is almost entirely student run, with Advisor Otto Layman providing editing assistance and guidance where necessary. Daily, the editors work with Forge writers to create articles, set deadlines, and develop stories.

As of the 102nd volume, the Forge works on a three to four week cycle, starting each cycle with brainstorming sessions and the assignment articles by editors. The editors determine which articles are to be written and their lengths, then the writers receive their deadlines and get to work.

During a typical day the editors check in with writers to see how their articles are developing and provide

assistance when needed. Once articles begin to be submitted, they are edited by the editors and the advisor and sent back to the writers. After a few submissions an article is ready to go into the paper. Once the article is complete the editors begin to find photos, or take photos to go along with the article.

The final stage is the layout of the paper. The layout editor receives all the articles, then works to figure out how each piece fits into the paper.

Laying out the paper is essentially a

Volume 102, Issue 1 of The Forge

giant twelve page puzzle — each story must fit on each page and still work with the flow of the paper. Once the paper begins to get laid out, the editors work to create titles and captions to go with each story, if the writer did not give his or her piece a title.

In the week leading up to publishing, the editors work around the clock to complete the paper before submitting it to the printers on Thursdays. After the paper is submitted on a Thursday, the printers, which are located in Los Angeles print the paper overnight and ship it to us. The paper is then picked up at 7am, and distributed to the student population before the start of first period.

The Forge started out in 1914 as a weekly, four page newspaper and since has blossomed into a twelve page, full color, hub of information for the students and staff of Santa Barbara High School. In the digital age, it is sometimes unclear where a student newspaper fits in into our constant steam of information. Fortunately, students like you take interest in what the Forge has to say, which keeps this historic paper relevant in 2016. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Forge to continue its publication, see your counselor and sign up for Journalism. We hope to see you next year in The Forge.

How well do you know SBHS’s Alma Mater?

BY QUINN TUBIOLO As you’re probably well aware, the 2015-2016 school year is nearing its close. And, as we’ve been working our ever-loving rumps off (or not), the world outside has been turning and stuff has been happening. Serious stuff. Like Leo winning an Oscar serious.

But really. Things have gotten pretty crazy out there.

There was (and apparently remains) the refugee crisis in Europe.

Bernie Sanders took over college campuses faster than Top Ramen.

Pope Francis visited the United States.

Cuba and the US made up (sort of).

It has not been a good nine months for rock stars. Just since the beginning of the school year, the world of Rock’n’Roll has lost musicians Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), David Bowie, Glen Frye (The Eagles), and Prince.

There was the Planned Parenthood Shooting.

The San Bernardino shooting and the resulting Apple vs. FBI situation.

The Zika Virus hit South America.

It was a good year for at least one movie star. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying he earned it. If you haven’t seen The Revenant, you should. In addition to having been stiffed by the Academy at least a couple of times in the past, DiCaprio had to do some pretty extreme method-acting to bring the role to life. A willingness to dive into freezing cold water covered with a bear pelt is an admirable quality in a thespian (even if he did pose dramatically during a Celine Dion song in The Titanic). Spotlight won best picture, but it seemed clear that The Revenant was snubbed.

Playboy published its final

nude issue. Pamela Anderson got the cover.

There were the ISIS attacks on Paris and Brussels.

The Ku Klux Klan Donald Trump endorsement fiasco.

Carly Fiorina fell off of a stage.

Ted Cruz didn’t help her up.

Then Donald Trump, the egomaniacal business mogul/ follicly challenged reality TV star officially secured the Republican presidential nomination. I’m sure you’ve all heard enough about Trump’s zany antics and racist/sexist/otherwise offensive and misinformed rhetoric, so I’ll say no more of the matter. The good news is that that means that Jeb Bush (George’s less memorable dial-tone lamo of a brother) and Ted Cruz (the Canadian fish-monster) are not running for president.

And where the hell is Jon Stewart when you need him? Retired.

Shoot. Well, there’s still John Oliver.

The smoking age was raised to 21. Now all we can legally do when we hit eighteen is get stupid tattoos that we will inevitably regret later. Shoot. . .

And not just the world has changed over the past nine months.

Chances are, every single one of us has also changed. Dare I say it, we’ve all probably grown at least a couple of inches taller since September (especially you, freshmen).

In all seriousness, we’re growing up and the world’s problems are not getting any easier to solve (nor is it getting any easier to watch great movies not win well-deserved Oscars). The world’s problems are going to be our problems in the not-so-distant future. The sun is chirping. The birds are shining. It’s time to start paying attention to the issues.

Or at least watching John Oliver...

Editorial Policy: While we will do everything possible to grant the greatest range of free expression to our contributors, The Editorial Staff and Faculty reserve the right to edit for objectionable language and space constraints.

The opinions expressed here are not those of the Forge or its staff as a whole.

8 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

A LOOK BACK AT FALL 2015 Fall 2015 marked the beginning of Santa Barbara High School’s 141st year. We experienced many changes with the start of the year including a new modified block schedule, two new administrators, as well as very dead lawns from the drought. The year kicked off on August 26, and from there ASB hosted a “Welcome Back Assembly” in Peabody Stadium celebrating the start of the new year. The fall also brought us the annual Club Rush event, the final fall pep rally in Peabody Stadium before the San Marcos vs. Santa Barbara Football game, Senior Sunrise, as well as the homecoming game and dance. SBHS received a gift from the class of 2015, a stone sign for the Canon Perdido entrance, and ASB hosted a dodgeball tournament in December. Perhaps most interestingly, it was announced that graduation would take place at the Santa Barbara Bowl due to the renovation of Peabody Stadium.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEAU LETTIERI

JUNE 3, 2016

THE FORGE

SPRING 2016

NEWS | 9

10 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

LOOKING BACK AT 2015...

ASB Executive Cabinet 2015 - 2016

COLLEGE COUNSELING

PRIVATE TUTORING

COLLEGE APPLICATION WORKSHOP

ACT/SAT/PSAT

Academic Advising

by Wendi Ostroff

All ages, all subjects

Year Round Prep

College Kickstart and Essay Day

CONTACT US 805.563.1579 info@clcsb.com clcsb.com

3324 State St, Suite L Santa Barbara

Comic by Kieran Meaney

CO

UNS

ELI

NG

JUNE 3, 2016

NEWS | 11

THE FORGE

A NIGHT ON THE TOWN: HOMECOMING GETS THE PARTY STARTED SBHS rang in the new school year with the annual Homecoming Football game and dance. The seniors of SBHS nominated six of their lucky peers to the Homecoming court: Amber Melgoza, Kylie Transki, Talia Sanchez, Nina Enholm, Priscilla Nolasco, and Alana Ochoa. Following the nomination, controversy erupted when students brought up the question as to why only boys were al-

lowed to nominate the Homecoming Court. The controversy was quickly tempered after both sides of the discussion voiced their opinions.

After the Homecoming assembly, where each princess demonstrated their talents and answered trivia questions, the senior class voted once again for their Homecoming Queen. At the Football game it was announced that Priscilla Nolasco was

the 2016 Homecoming Queen.

The dance, which was organized by ASB, was held in the meadow complete with dance floor and DJ. The theme of the dance: “New York, a Night on the Town” added elegance to the night under the stars. The students in attendance danced the evening away with yet another successful dance to kick off the year.

WINTER FORMAL: UNDER THE SEA Winter Formal was the highlight of the year for many. Dubbed as “Homecoming Part 2” the dance drew hundreds of students ready to ring in the new semester. Historically, with Winter Formal being the lightest attended dance of the year, ASB made an enormous effort to include all the aspects that make Homecoming so popular and include them in Winter Formal. The dance was held in Dodson’s meadow in the same format as Homecoming. ASB even went as far as hiring the same DJ from Homecoming. The result was record turnout. Furthermore, Nolan McCarthty (pictured to the left, “dabbing”) was crowed the 2016 King of Hearts after entertaining audiences in a guitar duet with his best friend Cameron Meza at the Winter Formal assembly earlier that week.

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THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

A Year of Enlightenment: Prom 2016

Hundereds of Seniors and their guests hit the dance floor to weeks ago for Prom at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Field | Photo Courtesy of Isaac Hernandez

BY HUGH COOK AND BEAU LETTIERI

Prom King Sabrina Dabby and Prom Queen Blue Nebeker | Photo Courtesy of Isaac Hernandez

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISAAC HERNANDEZ

History has been made: Santa Barbara High School has elected its first ever Transgender Queen earlier this month. The lucky students, Queen Blue Nebeker, and King Sabrina Dabby (who identifies as gender fluid) generated an enormous following after the nomination leading to their coronation at Prom on May 21.

The two were recently featured in a local KEYT story, as well as gaining admirers and attention on a national scale. The LGBTQ community rose up in support for Sabrina and Blue, which Blue and Sabrina have returned back, by becoming role models of openness and acceptance for thousands of youths throughout the nation. However, not all attention has been positive; while both were supported by friends and family, both received hateful comments or notes at one time or another.

Both Sabrina and Blue said that the response of the Santa Barbara High Community had been surprising, and that they felt more accepted now than they had before. Sabrina Dabby and Blue Nebeker are both members of the VADA academy within SBHS, and are friendly faces to all now.

Sabrina said that “wearing the sash felt like it meant something if it could be a symbol that we can change as a community if we all try.” Sabrina’s prom was not stereotypical:” You know all those movies say you have the perfect prom, the prettiest dress, the right date. But I cut my hair and, the real Sabrina kind of broke loose. I got to wear a suit to prom, I actually looked forward to it!”

Blue is recognizable by her azure hair and elegant gait, “Ya, going to prom was exciting! I had never actually been to a school dance, so I wasn’t expecting much, but it was really fun!”

As she described her experience of being crowned: “I was kind of expecting it, but not at all. It kind of felt like a big deal, but mostly it was just a good time.” Blue stresses that the best way to have healthy interactions is for no assumptions to be made, by anyone, about gender or about gender prejudice. As far as her opinion on Santa Barbara High, she said, “I have generally felt more accepted than I thought I was going to. So that was

pretty cool. Thanks guys!”

Though they may have national recognition, they shine because they are part of Santa Barbara High, and we shine all the brighter together because of it.

This incredible support for the LGBTQ community by SBHS comes amid intense debate nationwide over gender identification and new anti-transgender legislation.

The theme of this year’s Prom, Once Upon a Prom, brought the annual event to the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Field. The open air dance floor paired with tents provided the senior class and their guests with a night to remember. Two gaming stations were set up, giving students the opportunity to take a break from the dance floor, and bowls of assorted candies and desserts were also offered to help quench the hunger of the energetic prom goer. The DJ kept the night moving with a variety of music and fitting lighting as prom moved into the nighttime hours.

Prior to the Prom on Saturday night, ASB hosted the annual Prom assembly featuring the 2016 Prom Court. Twelve seniors were nominated last month to the Prom Court: Bolden Brace, Sean Babcock, Sabrina Dabby, Porter Rees, Irving Soto, Carter Soto, Reyna Paredes, Victoria Biancone, Blue Nebeker, Carla Sandoval, Shane Shields, and Alice Upton. The assembly included a dance routine choreographed by Homecoming Princess (and longtime ASB member) Kylie Transki, performed by the court to the cheers of the adoring senior class. Following the dance routine, the court showed off its talent with a pageant section of different performances. Notably Victoria Biancone performed, alongside two of her friends, an impressive dance routine to the song Be Right There By Diplo, Irving Soto performed Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” After the talent portion of the assembly, the candidates were asked pageant questions and participated in a game.

In the end the Senior Class voted, and the two winners were announced at Prom the next night. Overall, ASB has out done itself again with another great string of events leading up to prom!

JUNE 3, 2016

THE FORGE

NEWS | 13

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISAAC HERNANDEZ AND BEAU LETTIERI

14 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Senior Artists Make Plans for Future

BY SABLE LAYMAN AND SARINA WASSERMAN

TESSA KREIGMAN

Tessa Kriegman is driven.

As a member of SBHS’s VADA Academy, Tessa has spent her high school career creating art. Through her expressive yet figurative painting style, Tessa uses her brush to express how she sees the world. She finds most of inspiration in the body and in her own life experiences, often starting with a figure which develops into a painting with a story behind it. She has been painting since age eleven when she took a figure drawing class, and since then she has received training at The Art Barge and San Francisco Art Institute’s summer

pre-college program. Over the years Tessa has had her art featured at a wide variety of location on both coasts, having art in galleries at the Parish Art Museum in Southampton New York, Guild Hall in East Hampton New York, the Deago Revera Gallery in San Fransisco as well as in town at Art for Scrap and the Ridley Tree.

In the fall she will be studying at the Pratt Institute. After studying at Pratt, she hopes to move on to a master’s program to eventually become a Professor of Art so she can spend the rest of life as a painter.

LIZZIE SAUNDERS

Lizzie Saunders in Hair | Photo Courtesy of Isaac Hernandez Lizzie Saunders will be attending San Diego State University next year to receive her BA in theatre with an emphasis in acting and musical theatre. Lizzie began her musical theatre career in the seventh grade when she participated in her first show: Bye Bye Birdie.

This, though, was not her first experience in the arts, for she has been singing and dancing since a very young age. Lizzie is very excited to be studying with such a strong focus in the arts because currently, her time is split between academics, extracurriculars,

working, and then on top of all of that, rehearsal. Beginning next year, she can maintain a strong focus on solely what she loves with minimal distractions. In ten years she hopes to be working professionally as an actress (preferably on Broadway) with the means to support herself.

Lizzie’s inspiration is Sutton Foster and although she is not Vietnamese, she would love to play “Kim” in Miss Saigon!

Most of all Lizzie enjoys the long time relationships she has built over the years with her fellow cast members.

HAILEY TURNER

Many Santa Barbara High School students have seen Hailey Turner up on stage in countless productions ranging from “Big Fish” to “Music of the Night.” We have heard her luminous voice not only in the musicals but also in the Madrigals Choir. Hailey has been a part of musical theatre productions and short videos since she was about nine. When she was younger, she was extremely shy and timid and although she knew that acting is what she wanted to

DANE HOLROYD

pursue, it wasn’t until she became part of the Santa Barbara High School Theatre family that she realized that she wanted to continue with her passions. Through work in high school theater, she felt she “gained a lot more confidence that will hopefully propel” her when she ventures off to college. Although she has been primarily in on-stage productions, next year she will be majoring in acting, with an emphasis on film. In the Fall, she will be attending the American

Some people are naturally talented. Dane Holroyd is one of those people. Dane, a SBHS film student, first picked up a camera his Junior year in high school. He has been making films for a little over a year.

In just over a year Dane went from amateur to pro almost instantaneously, picking up the art of film making remarkably quickly. Dane has filmed and produced numerous videos, some of which include the “Every 15 Minutes” video and Santa Barbara High School’s Prom Video. He notes his inspiration as being his mom.

Dane, with the assistance of

the MAD Academy and other students, has traveled to many different countries and has broadened his horizons. On his own, he recently got to go to London and work on the set of a new feature film starring Brad Pitt. In addition, Dane recently competed in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 10-10-10 contest where he an a number of fellow MAD academy students produced a short film called “Table For One.” Currently, he is undecided on where he will be attending college, but he intends to major in film production.

WILLOW MOSLEY

Musicals and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Hollywood, California. She is ecstatic that she will be able to improve as an actress and perfect her craft. She is also intrigued about learning about the film business because that’s what she wants to pursue as a career.

She is inspired by well-made movies and the actors that are a part of them and she hopes that someday she will be able to reach “that level of ability.”

For Willow Mosley, painting isn’t just a hobby, it’s a life style. Every since she was able to hold something and scribble she has been creating art.

Throughout elementary school and junior high school Willow took art classes wherever they were available, and when she got to High School she became part of the Visual Arts and Design Academy. Her drive for art comes from her constant self critique as she paints. Her art, which she describes as “realistic” with a “weird and

creepy” aspect has been featured at the Santa Barbara Mayor’s office, Channel Keeper, and the VADA Spring Art Show. In the fall she will be attending UC Santa Cruz majoring in Fine Arts. While she admits that “It would be great to just paint what I want and have people pay me lots of money, but that’s not exactly realistic until I’m dead” she might want to mix science with art by taking up doing medical illustration or forensic art.

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THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Artist of the Month: It’s a Maddy, Maddy World....

A shot from one of Maddy’s recent film projects.

BY SABLE LAYMAN Maddy Rotman is what every artist should aspire to be. Not only is she kind-hearted, but she also immerses herself so much in creativity and art, that I am in awe. Maddy’s creative spirit is so abundant that she is a powerful artist on three fronts: dance, photography, and film. She has been dancing for eight years and feels as though it is her addictive substance. Eight years ago, she convinced her mom to let her quit gymnastics as long as she joined dance; little did she know that that is where she would meet her closest friends and it would become one of her main passions. Maddy is also actively involved in her sister Jackie’s nonprofit organization, Everybody Dance Now, which provides free weekly dance classes to financially disadvantaged youth. Their vision is to “ensure that everybody has access to creative, healthy and productive outlets such as dance.” She became the Director of the Santa Barbara Chapter when she was only thirteen, and has now climbed her way up to Associate Director along with fellow Santa Barbara High School student, Kylie Transki. Not only has dance transformed her as a person and given her an outlet, but she feels the opportunity

to run a full-fledged organization is mind-blowing.

In addition to participating in dance, but she also has been completely involved in film and photography. One notably amazing award she won was the Photography Competing to Raise Support award. Not that long ago, she submitted a photo essay of her mother while her mother was undergoing chemotherapy.

Maddy says that “ it was really difficult to do [submit the photo] but made me feel like I was empowering

Maddy Rotman people facing similar challenges as my mom.” The competition does not just raise awareness for underrepresented women, but also fund raises for women’s healthcare clinics. Her photo was nominated by the photography judges, was put in the “top ten photos,” and from then on people could donate money towards her photo in order for it to win. The photo of her mother raised almost $1000 and the proceeds went towards women’s healer clinics.

Maddy also won two other awards

in her third area of interest. She was a finalist for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 10-10-10 Student Competition, and also won the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation Art Award. The art that really caught my eye was her short films. She has made one music video, one documentary short about dance, and one experimental montage using photographs her mom took throughout her life.

She began her love for film making through watching many movies, but her interest began to blossom in

The many worlds of Maddy Rotman

her Junior year when she took Film Production in the MAD Academy.

Maddy singles out the MAD Academy for helping her cultivate her skills and help her will her passion for film. She feels as though she has gained a tremendous amount of “real world” experience, from using real equipment to finding job opportunities. Along with the MAD Academy, Maddy is also inspired by her friends and different landscapes. She finds the beauty in individuality and interactions between people and their environments. Her biggest inspiration has been her mother, Kate Rotman, who has inspired her to live her life to the fullest and has molded her into the beautiful human she is today.

Kate was also featured in Maddy’s award-winning photo: Mother of the Free. Maddy will be continuing her studies at UC Berkeley in the Fall and hopes to double major in Film Studies and Sustainable Environmental Design. She hopes to continue with film as not just a study, but also as a profession in the future. Santa Barbara High School will be losing one of the most creative artists at the school but I can assure you, we will all see her art sometime in the future, whether it be dance, film, or photography.

‘Florencia: An Accidental Story’ Premiers in Santa Barbara

Samsun Keithley, Dane Holroyd, DR Mehta, and Dan Williams | Photo Courtesy of HOW International

BY WILSON SHERMAN, HOW INTERNATIONAL Student organized HOW International fundraiser featured the premiere of the documentary Florencia: An Accidental Story, and celebrated

Indian Humanitarian DR Mehta.

The event took place at 6:30pm, Sunday, May 22 at The New Victoria Theater. Approximately 300 people attended the reception and in-depth program about HOW International’s story, culminating in the premiere of

the student-made documentary.

Florencia told the story of members of the HOW team and their journey to Mozambique. Santa Barbara High School students from the MAD Academy (Multi-Media Arts and Design) traveled with HOW

International to India and Mozambique, filming the journey using the skills they had learned at school.

Their mission, with the help of Jaipur Foot, was to supply a 16-year-old landmine victim and amputee with a prosthetic leg.

HOW International founders, John Mullen and Douglas Bowman, told the story of their discovery of Florencia and the journey to change her life. One partner is this journey was the Cal Poly Engineering team. “I watched John and Douglas stop for the one, the one was Florencia. I’m here tonight, because I want to see HOW International stop for every single one. ” - Kendal Ruggels, Cal

Poly Senior Engineering student.

DR Mehta, the founder of Jaipur Foot, was presented with a Lifetime Humanitarian Award. Jaipur Foot has provided prosthetic limbs of over 1.5 million people, free of charge.

Representatives from HOW International, MAD Academy Director Dan Williams, National Geographic Reporter Katya Cengel, and Cal Poly Senior Engineer Kendal Ruggels also spoke. Recording artist Daniel Morris played electric violin throughout the evening.

In re-capping the meeting, Douglas Bowman said, “It was a great night for HOW, MAD Academy and Santa Barbara. It was so striking to me that the audience were moved by the story of Florencia, the documentary from Dane Holroyd and Samsun Keithley, and the recognition of a lifetime of compassion and service by DR Mehta at JaipurFoot. The poignancy and vitality of the playing of Daniel Morris was superb and caught the mood of the night. To quote someone I overheard on the way out of the New Vic, ‘Great Story well told, it was an evening you felt not merely observed’.”

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THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Be the Change You Want to See APES Your Worlds Project Returns to SBHS

BY COLE CREEDON AND BEAU LETTIERI For over a decade Jose Caballero has been teaching AP Environmental Science at Santa Barbara High School. After having faced the predicament of what to do with the period between early May and the end of the school year after the AP test, Caballero developed an incredible project to fill this gap. The project, dubbed the “Your World” project, is an elaborate class exercise that challenges students to apply what they learned throughout the year to create and operate a non-profit organization that in some way helps the environment. Each of Cabellero’s five periods

Dons Compost Waste disposal has fast become a serious issue, because landfills are filling up quickly, and finding alternative areas to place trash is becoming difficult. Dons Compost, first period APES Your World Project, is dedicated to creating solutions to the problem within Santa Barbara High School. As the name implies, Dons Compost is helping SBHS become a compost-friendly school. Instead of disposing of organic waste and having it sit in landfills, Dons Compost aims to compost the material.

Composting allows for the quality of soil to improve, and healthy soil is essential especially during drought seasons. The student team is headed

by President Allie Cole and includes Maggie Wilde as head of Marketing, Kamryn Bauersfeld as head of Production, Geneva Valeska as Head of Research, and Cella DePrima as head of Outreach.

Dons Compost wishes to reach out to Santa Barbara High School, and inform the student population of the benefits of composting, hoping to create a composting system that will continue into the future. Currently the organization is creating a system that will collect food waste from the cafeteria, sawdust from wood shop, and greens from the campus custodial staff. All of this organic waste will end up in Caballero’s Garden to help promote healthy soil. In addition, the organization is building a chicken chute to feed the chickens, as well as a worm bin and a compost tea system.

has founds its own organization that targets an issue. Once the class has targeted their cause, the class elects five students to run the organization, including a President and leaders for the four departments: Marketing, Research, Outreach, and Production.

From there Cabellero takes on the role of advisor, as take over running the class. This year’s projects include: Dons Compost, Enviro-Minutes, Be Green for the Blue, Supply Schoolwide, and Glean SB. On June 6, each organization will present their project and its impact on SBHS and the community for an audience of supports, teachers, parents, and former students.

Be Green for the Blue Jose’s second period class project lives by the slogan “Be Green For The Blue” with the core principle of providing the greater Santa Barbara area with proper education as well as resources to restore, maintain, and protect the nearby water quality. The class has begun tackling the problem in several ways, some of which are bake sales and beach walks to raise funding for a local non-profit called Heal The Ocean (HTO). HTO is a small, local non-profit but they have completed a resume of heavy-hitting work when it comes to water quality protection and management in the Santa Barbara area. One of HTO’s employees, Corey Radis, who coincidentally was a previous student of Jose’s in the very same course, has worked closely with our class sharing plenty of helpful insight and tips, as well as a level of professionalism to achieve an environmental protection win. One of the major pushes to aid in protecting water quality is to eliminate doggie bag waste, particularly in beach/coastal areas where dog owners leave their dog bags along beaches, sometimes forgetting to grab them -- while others assume the ocean will take care of the rest. “Be Green For The Blue” has their fundraising goals centered around building more doggie bag posts around populated areas, stocking them and restocking them at extended intervals, as well as the implementation of more appealing/noticeable signage.

Enviro-Minutes Today there are a plethora of environmental problems occurring all throughout our planet. However, much of the population is unaware of these environmental threats. Third period APES’s “Enviro-Minutes” is creating short, informative videos about the problems our environment faces and possible ways to resolve them or to prevent them from getting any worse. These videos will reach a wide audience both on campus though the SBHS video bulletin during the next school year, and on a global level through YouTube. Over the course of the last four weeks the organization, which is run by a group of MAD Academy students, has been producing original videos using the MAD academy’s equipment and resources. From script to final product every video was shot and edited by students. In addition to creating the short videos, students from the organization visited classrooms at local elementary schools to teach lessons about environmental issues.

Enviro-Minutes is headed by President Grace Burford and her board of directors. Head of outreach is Alyssa Talaugon, head of marketing is Mckenzie Heras, head of production is Evan Esposito, and head of research is Cameron Sneddon. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Enviro-Minutes short videos next year on the Bulletin! Also check out their videos after they air on YouTube.

Supply Schoolwide Santa Barbara High School is reaching out to the community and giving back to the students of Santa Barbara by providing the essential supplies needed to get them through the school year. The organization takes the title of Supply Schoolwide, and is fourth period’s APES Your World project. Everyday, millions of kids go to school without the proper school supplies they need to get through the day, whether it be a child without a proper backpack, or without the most easily accessed tool, the pencil. On top of that, many resources are used to make these pens, pencils, and notebooks, which help contribute to global warming and the destruction of our beloved forests.

A group of students from Santa Barbara High have formed a well rounded team, devoted to providing students with school supplies, recycling supplies responsibly and cutting back on the resources used to make these supplies.

“Our essential goal for this project is to recycle and redistribute school supplies, decreasing the amount of waste, while helping students,” said Perla Sandoval, Director of the Outreach Committee. Supply Schoolwide has been holding donation drives where SBHS students and staff were encouraged to donate their extra school supplies . These school supplies will be donated back to SBHS to be distributed to students in need next year.

Glean SB Throughout Santa Barbara fruit goes unharvested in the backyards of hundreds of families. The produce goes unpicked and ends up falling on the ground and rotting which attracts pests like rats and bugs. Fifth period AP Environmental Science’s project, “Glean SB” is committed to reducing the amount of unharvested produce wasted in Santa Barbara, and providing the Santa Barbara Food Bank with this unharvested fruit.

In addition, Glean SB is reaching out the community to educate the public on what gleaning is and the benefits of eating fresh produce.

The project is headed by President Ben Zevallos and his board of directors: Tatum Vestal as head of marketing, Emmett Rees as head of Production, Briel Grivetti as head of outreach, and Ruth Hunter as head of research. Students within the organization have been offering their services to the community for the past month, visiting homes and properties that have unharvested fruit, collecting over 3000 pounds of fruit. The food is then donated to the Santa Barbara Food Bank which then processes the fruit through their facilities and passes it on to other aid programs and institutions such as Unity Shoppe, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army where it is distributed to people in need. With one in four Santa Barbara County residents replying on the food Bank for food, the fruit is provide many with desperately needed fresh food.

NEWS | 17

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

WHERE ARE THEY HEADED? Seniors Commit to College

American Musical & Dramatic Academy Hailey Turner

Laguna College of Art & Design Alana Crang

The New School for Drama Ariel Eakin

American University Alice Upton

Bard College Lily Stelzer

Lewis and Clark College Violet Betters Ryan Encell Jackson Powell Loyola Marymount University Kip Lawrence Thomas Ochsner Brandon Sanchez

Barnard College Ryan Hughes

Marymount Manhattan College Beau Lettieri

Boston College Lauren Seigel

New York University Lucia Dallett

Boston University Izzy Garza

Northeastern University Bolden Brace Niklas Pousette Harger

UC Berkeley Anna Brewer Brandon Crane Kristina Garcia Johanna Laraway Sable Layman Natalie Mohr Maddy Rotman Kylie Schmidt Lauren Suh Jake Trambert Noah Zisser UC Davis Corrina Adame Hurtado Gabby Echt Jodie Jacobs

Amherst College Chimaway Lopez

Brigham Young University Cassidy Kimball Brown University Lara Kostruba Bowdoin College William deBruynkops Lexi Gross

Oregon State University Lauren Duggan Otis College of Art and Design Bridget Mitchell Pace University Victoria Biancone

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mackenzie Fell Spencer Hann Luke O’Neill Rowan Peake Nico Poirier Baylor Randolph Madeleine Schmidt

Point Loma Nazarene University Jacob Panossian

Cal Poly Pomona Gavin Swerdloff

Rollins College Atticus Shorr

Cal State, Channel Islands Pierre Smith

Saint Anselm College Mason Bigelow Malia Jungert Saint Mary’s College

California Lutheran University Natalie Hernandez Alex Wilson Cal State, Chico Odalis Mora Rojas Cal State, Sacramento Marcella Valdez California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Maria DeAngelis

Parsons School of Design Sara Disraeli

Pratt Institute Tessa Kriegman

San Diego State University Julia Aidnik Katherine Hawkes Lizzie Saunders Annais Bhalla San Jose State University Ethan Harb Seattle University Alex Roderick

Central Washington University Austin Hancey

Smith College Frances Kretschmer

Chapman University Abby Austin CedricBobro Julia McCarter

Sonoma State University Lucy Branch Sabrina Dabby Rianna Shaffer

Colorado State University Georgia Caeser

Southern Methodist University Bradley DeVine Marissa Stave

Emerson College Chiara Bernardi Mae Pendergast Grand Canyon University Samantha Valencia Houghton College Phoebe Mullen

Stanford University Lilla Petruska Brent Peus Texas State University Kaitlin O’Connell The Los Angeles Film School Cinthia Lopez

UC Irvine Julianna Bordas Fabiane Friden UC Los Angeles Kelly Adams Sean Babcock Angela Coffin Jenna Comstock Nina Enholm Alexa Garcia Kevin Gowdy Blake Ladd Reyna Paredes Cord Pereira Gabe Speer UC Riverside Eduardo Reveles Jackie Tran UC San Diego Jessyca Beksa Sara Peyton Julie Pitney Jessee Ransone Lindsey Young UC Santa Barbara Justyn Barrios JM Cage Daniel Erlach Lucas Grandcolas Quique Hernandez-Black Cooper Johnson Ellia Limon Olivia Ochoa Celeste Parra Irving Soto Blake Spiller Calvin Thrift Mantas Tuskenis Lily McIntyre Kelly Godinez UC Santa Cruz Nick Stull Nina McCue Willow Mosley Miranda Vasquez University of Alabama Sophia Fischer University of Arizona Alana Ochoa University of Colorado, Boulder Adam Eidelson Kevin Hough Emily Robertson

University of Denver Rikki Barash Kevin James Flynn University of Oregon Kaitlyn Connolly Hope Dalton Kaitlyn Jimenez Tanner Mees University of Pennsylvania Logan Lender University of Puget Sound Colton Ingraham University of San Diego Blake Kelley Kylie Transki University of San Francisco Emily Flachman James Mehl Shane Shields Jessie Brummet University of Southern California Sophie DiFillippo Eva Enriquez Wyatt Maphis University of Texas at Austin Tyler Greenwald University of the Pacific Piper Davis University of Vermont Olivia Harris Isabella Milano University of Washington Ava Dore Amber Melgoza Domenic Ceaser University of Wisconsin - Madison Porter Rees Westmont College Daniel Chung Wheaton College Bailey Wolf Willamette University Sunny Probst Koby Wood Williams College Rio Salazar Yale University Natasha Feshbach

18 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Pippin dazzled the SBHS stage during the month of November for six performances. SBHS’s reimagined rendition of the classic 1972 musical was directed by Otto Layman, with choreography by Christina McCarthy, musical direction

by Jon Nathan, Vocal Direction

by Rachel Short, and Costume Design by Bonnie Thor. The show follows the story of Pippin (Bradley DeVine), son of Charles the Great (Quique Hernandez) who is on a quest for fulfillment. Along the way he is guided by the Lead-

ing Player (Camille Umoff) though War, Politics, and Ordinary Life where he encounters his Grandmother Berthe (Sarina Wasserman), his obnoxious step-brother Lewis (Cooper Umoff), and his conniving step-mother, Fastrada (Meredith LeMert). Pippin finds true love when he meets Catherine (Sable Layman), a widow, and her son Theo (Lex Siegel). In the end Pippin must choose between glory for the grand finale, and his ordinary life with Catherine.

DIRECTED BY

DANTE GONZALEZ RIO SALAZAR SABLE LAYMAN

AND LIZZIE SAUNDERS

Music of the Night, SBHS’s student directed Musical Review ran during the last week of January. Directed by Dante Gonzalez, Rio Salazar, Sable Layman, and Lizzie Saunders, Music of the Night Season 16 featured over twenty actors, and sixteen different musical numbers from shows like Hamilton, Wicked, The Producers, Matilda and more. The show was completely student produced, directed, and choreographed with the exception of assistance from Dr. Jon Nathan, Sio Tepper, and Robert Johnson and their group of professional musicians. Senior Beau Lettieri designed the lighting for the show and was the production’s stage manager.

The show rehearsed for seven weeks daily after school and during the weekend in preparation for three performances in the Santa Barbara High Schol Theatre.

JUNE 3, 2016

THE FORGE

NEWS | 19

HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical Hair, the American Tribal Love Rock Musical closed just last month after seven performances for nearly sold out houses. The show, directed by Otto Layman, marked the second time the show has been produced at SBHS, the first time being a scaled down festival version of the show in 2008. The rock score was rearranged by Musical Director Jon Nathan to best suit the all star Hair Band comprised of SBHS alumni, UCSB students and alumni, as well as professionals from the community. The show was choreographed by Jenna Tico, with costumes by Bonnie Thor, and Vocal Direction by Sio Tepper. Hair takes place in New York City in 1968 in the midst of the Vietnam War and social revolution. The plot follows a group of teenagers living in the “Age of Aquarius� as they cope with the pressure of war and their conservative parents. The cast featured Irving Soto as Claude, Ben Zevallos as Berger, Quique Hernandez as Woof, Lizzie Saunders as Sheila, Rio Salazar as Jeanie, and Dante Gonzlez as Hud.

20 | NEWS

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

CHOIR IS ON FIRE

This 2015-2016 school year has been a tremendous time for the choir department. Beginning a fresh start with a new director, Mary LaFace, the choir leaped into song eager to make beautiful music. Music in the Meadow kicked off the new school year. Students of the department began selling hot chocolate to fundraise for the choir department. It was a special year for the department,

turning 100! The department held their annual winter concert at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Montecito.

Madrigals as usually sold their winter caroling grams. During the season of love, the choir performed their Valentine’s Day Concert in the theatre.

The spring concert held at First United Methodist closed the choir year on a beautiful note.

BAND CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

This year the Instrumental music department celebrated their one hundredth anniversary. In a collaboration between the SBHS Alumni Association and the instrumental music department dozens of SBHS band alumni returned to SBHS to celebrate the occasion. Festivities commenced in October at one of the fall Football games and a centennial barbecue were held. The department continues to be headed by Karney Van Der Sal (an SBHS alum), now in her second year as band director. After a variety of performances including participation at the Holiday Parade the year wrapped up with the annual SBHS Jazz festival where dozens of schools from California travel to Santa Barbara High to participate. In addition, the department held its spring concert in the theatre and performed at the I’Madonnari festival.

NEWS | 21

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

Dance Department Holds 13th Annual Spring Dance Recital

Over a hundred students performed in the 13th annual SBHS Dance Recital earlier this month | Photo Courtesy of SBHS Dance Department

BY BEAU LETTIERI May is a busy month for the performing arts department here at SBHS. In the whirlwind of events during the past few weeks, the SBHS dance department, headed by Beth Goldman, held their 13th annual Dance Recital. The two performances featured the talents and accumulated work of over one hundred Santa Barbara High School Students. Throughout the year students learn various techniques and choreographed dances in Goldman’s four periods of dance classes. Three levels of dance are offered: Beginning, Intermediate, and

Violet Betters (center) was the recipient of the 2016 Dance Hall of Fame award for her continual passion for Dance | Photo Courtesy of SBHS Dance

Dance Production, which consists of the advanced dance students. During the first semester, dancers are taught the basics which help them build a repertoire of techniques which then are applied during the spring semester where some students are given the opportunity to choreograph dances for the Spring Recital. Joining Goldman are a variety of guest choreographers, including long time collaborator Gilda Sahgun, who has been working with Goldman for over a decade.

The dance recital took place two weeks ago on May 19 and 20th in the SBHS Theatre. The recital featured

Spring Choir Concert Ends Year on a High Note (Literally)

BY DANTE GONZALEZ On May 13th and 14th, our choir department held their annual spring concert at First United Methodist Church on Anapamu Street under the direction of Mary LaFace. The choir, made up of about 100 students, performed an hour and a half long concert consisting of a very diverse repertoire. Cantabile, the women’s lunch ensemble choir, opened the concert with a beautiful piece entitled “Armide”, proceeded with an invigorating rendition of “Wade in de Water”. The A Cappella Choir then took the stage and sang four songs of their own. Madrigal students Erika Foreman, Quique Hernandez and Alex Morgan accompanied A Cappella as instrumentalists for a song titled La Lluvia or “The Rain.” Esperanza, the advanced all women’s fifth period choir, then performed their versatile songs, demonstrating their talent with their impressive addition of claps and different rhythms to their voices. A fifteen minute intermission followed Esperanza and Invictus, the all men’s lunch choir, opened the second act of the show. After Invictus’ two songs, Invictus and Cantabile joined together to sing an arrangement of Queen’s “Somebody to Love”, with solos by sophomore Teresa Lusto and seniors Irving Soto, Natalie Jimenez, and yours truly, Dante Gonzalez. Madrigals then performed Seniors Irving Soto and Porter Rees Perform in SBHS’s Annual Spring Choir Concert | Photo Courtesy of Lia Garcia

their set, and after singing Twa Tannou by Sydney Guillame, A Cappella and Esperanza joined the “Madz” to sing a collection of songs. As per tradition, director Mary LaFace invited SBHS choir alumni to join onstage to sing the finale song, My Shepard Shall Supply My Need.

During the weekend of May 27th, the Santa Barbara High School Madrigals traveled to San Francisco to perform a final concert in the beautiful National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi. The Madrigals explored the streets of San Francisco, probably annoying the pedestrians as they sang on by. The “Madz” shopped on Pier 39, walked the streets of China Town, hiked through Muir Woods, traveled over a terrifying bridge to reach the Point Bonita Lighthouse, and took a boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island.

The seven hour bus ride back to Santa Barbara from San Francisco gave the Madrigals time to bond while singing along to Disney movies.

The graduating 17 out of 23 Madrigals will leave a drastic transition into the next 2016/2017 school year.

Only a remaining 6 students would be a part of the Madrigals. Auditions for next years Madrigals were held on May 31st and callbacks were held on June 2nd. For anyone still interested in choir, Ms LaFace is open to any and all auditions for the other choirs.

twenty-three original pieces danced to a wide variety of music. While the recital included traditional styles such as ballet, jazz, and hip hop, unique ones like Arabic Flamenco and Tap provided a special touch to the show. The production included a multitude of costumes, and colorful lighting. The performances were hosted by TeMarie Lionello who introduced many of the numbers and gave background of the pieces to help the audience understand the story each piece told. While many of the dances were choreographed by Goldman and her collaborators, a great deal were choreographed by Goldman’s students, who were given the opportunity to showcase their choreographing skills with their peers.

Student choreographers included: Violet Betters, Anthony Capelletti, Lesli De La Mora, Jill Horn, Jocalyn Iventura, Natalia Jaramillio, Sole Machart, Quincy Ruggieri, Carla Sandoval, Dalia Santana, and Kathy Santiago.

The SBHS Dance Team, coached by Tamarr Paul and Ashley Ayers, also performed their award winning choreography, which prompted huge response from nearly packed houses for both performances.

After the closing show, Ms. Goldman awarded the Dancer Hall of Fame award to senior Violet Betters who has been dancing with the department since freshman year. Over the past four years she displayed a true passion for dance as a member of dance production and a student choreographer. There is still space in next year’s dance classes, so if you have an interest in leaning a new skill, or refining your dance moves make sure to sign up! Keep an eye out next January for the department’s winter dance recital.

UPCOMING AT THE SANTA BARBARA BOWL

Paul Simon June 5 at 7pm

Bob Dylan June 11 at 7pm

Slightly Stoopid June 26 at 5:30pm

Flight of the Conchords July 1 at 7pm

I Love The ‘90s July 3 at 6:30pm

Lyle Lovett July 8 at 6:00pm

Goo Goo Dolls July 16 at 6:30pm

22 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

The Lumineers Light Up the County Bowl

Going MAD for MAD

BY SARINA WASSERMAN

BY SABLE LAYMAN Over Memorial Day Weekend, members of the Forge not only saw the Lumineers, but also saw Walk the Moon. Not only were we able to enjoy the concert with phenomenal seats, but we were also able to enjoy the concert with some of the best weather we’ve had in weeks. As we looked up into the warm sky, we saw thousands of stars as we listened to the many songs that the Lumineers

sang. SOAK opened up for the Lumineers that evening. Originally, I thought SOAK was a band but with a little investigation, I actually learned that SOAK (Brindie Monds-Watson) is an Irish singer. She sang songs from her album “Before We Forgot How to Dream.” Personally, she was not my favorite artist I’ve seen at the Bowl, and her repertoire was somewhat boring. However, when the Lumineers came on, the concert got increasingly better. For one of

Irving Soto Wins “Indy” Award

the first times in a while, I actually knew almost every song they played.

I, along with the thousands of other members of the crowd, sang along to songs such as “Flowers in Her Hair,” “Dead Sea,” and “Charlie Boy.” Surprisingly, their set list started with their biggest hit: “Hey Ho.” What set the Lumineers aside from their opening act was their stage presence.

Not only did they react to the audience and play along with everyone, but they urged people to sing along

with them. What I found interesting was that they asked for everyone to put their phones away while they performed. I enjoyed this because I believe that people should go to a concert to enjoy the music and not be completely engulfed in social media. All in all, the Lumineers put on a fantastic show and once again, the Bowl helped add to our phenomenal Memorial Day weekend.

The annual MAD Showcase was, once again, a success! Filled with students’ work from wall to wall, the Multimedia Arts and Design Academy opened their doors to the public hoping to share the beautifully creative work that has been made throughout the year. Photography, graphic design, and music videos were just some of the many mediums displayed that night. To add to all the fun, a taco truck was on site for the guests to enjoy as well as live music from a local band! Great art, great students, great families, and great education makes great fun-- and this year’s showcase was just that!

And of course, we can’t forget the teachers and administrators who make it all happen. A special thanks to Dan, AJ, and Pablo who keep the gears running and continue to impress us with their hard work and dedication to the Academy. Cheers to a great year in the MAD Academy and many more to come!

Young Frankenstein Coming to SBHS This Fall

BY BEAU LETTIERI

SBHS Senior Irving Soto | Photo Courtesy of Paul Wellman

BY LIZZIE SAUNDERS Last Wednesday, outstanding performing artists took the state at SOhO restaurant to honor previous winners, and compete for the Santa Barbara Independent’s “Indy” awards. Serving on the panel of judges that selected this year’s winners were Terry Ortega, Maggie Yates, and Barney Brantingham. The entertainment of the night consisted of performances by local high school students Hunter Hawkins, Rebekah Mann, and our very own Irving Soto who ended up taking home an Indy Award for his performance in HAIR at Santa Barbara High School. “It was completely unexpected,” said Soto, when explaining that he did not know he was nominated for an Indy.

Soto sang “Where Do I Go” the act 1 finale from Hair, to an audience of over one hundred local artists, designers, and directors. “To gain recognition and praise for something I love to do only adds to the thrill of it all. I’m so grateful to have been awarded this, and it’s all thanks to my wonderful fellow cast members” remarked Soto. Irving is headed to UC Santa Barbara in the Fall where he will major in Biology, but will still keep music in his life with a Music Minor.

Just weeks after SBHS Theatre closed their Spring Production of “Hair” they are ready to announce yet another ambitious production for the fall. This fall SBHS Theatre will produce Young Frankenstein, the hit 2007 musical based off of the 1974 film of the same name. The show will be directed by Otto Layman, with musical direction by Dr. Jon Nathan of UCSB. Christina McCarthy, Acting Chair of UCSB Dance will make a return to SBHS after choreographing Pippin earlier this year. Bonnie Thor also returns as the costume designer tasked with bringing Transylvania to the SBHS stage. After this year’s season of Pippin and Hair, the department is excited to produce a knee-slapping comedy after working on shows with darker undertones.

The show follows the plot of the film closely, telling the story Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”), of the Grandson of the infamous monster creating scientist Victor Von Frankenstein.

When Frederick gets word of the grandfather’s passing he travels to Transylvania to work out the details of his grandfather’s estate. There is he is greeted by his soon to be side-kick, the hunchbacked Igor (pronounced “Eye-gore”), and a leggy lab assistant, Inga (pronounced normally). After traveling to his grandfather’s estate, and finding his secret laboratory, he

finds himself in the same shoes as his grandfather before him. The show includes a gut-busting script, and a upbeat score by the show’s creator Mel Brooks (know for his films such as The Producers). Memorable songs include “Roll in the Hay,” “Together Again” and Irving Berlin’s classic “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

The production team is already knee deep in preparations for the show and are ready to jump in in late August. Auditions will be held during the first week of school, on Wednesday, August 24 at 3:30pm in the theatre. To sign up, select a time slot on the theatre callboard starting

August 22. Over the summer prospective actors should prepare thirty-two bars of a song from a musical to sing at the audition. Callbacks will be held on August 25, with the cast list being posted on Friday August 26. For more information please see the callboard outside the theatre office.

Save the date, Young Frankenstein opens November 4, 2016 in the Santa Barbara High School Theatre, and continues November 5 at 2pm and 7pm, November 11 at 7pm, November 12 at 2pm and 7pm, and closes on November 13 at 2pm.

THE FORGE

JUNE 3, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 23

The Year in Sports: Dons Leave Opponents in the Dust

BY TYLER GREENWALD Boys Soccer The Santa Barbara High boys’ soccer team exceeded everyone’s expectations this year as a dominant playoff splurge paced them into the Division 1 CIF Championship. Despite a 3-1 defeat against Loyola in the final match, Santa Barbara climbed its way to 14th in the nation in the span of a single season. The 23-7-3 (5-1-2 in league) Dons thrived under the command of head coach Todd Heil, who has been running the show at SBHS for 17 years. The starting lineup this year was jam-packed with talented all stars, and among them – Senior Midfielder Brandon Sanchez. The LMU commit had a big year, tallying 22 goals and 13 assists. Additional forces on the offensive end include senior Jorge Garcia Torres as well as forward Abraham Sierra, who both provided solid production for the Dons. In the playoffs, the Dons ousted Redondo Union in the opening round and then went on to defeat Santa Margarita in a double overtime thriller. Perhaps the most significant victory all year came in the quarterfinals, where the Dons upset No.1 seeded Paramount.

The subsequent game was no less exciting than the previous two, as Santa Barbara prevailed in another double overtime decision, this one against fourth-seeded Los Alamitos. Todd Heil and the Dons will strive for another successful season next year despite the loss of some major role players.

Girls Soccer With a strong starting lineup on both ends of the field, the Santa Barbara girls soccer team had an impressive showing this 2016 season playing for head coach Jill Wolf. The Dons fought hard through rigorous Channel League competition, finishing in second behind crosstown rival San Marcos with a 4-2-2 result. Santa Barbara secured a spot in the CIF playoffs and faced Arroyo Grande on the road in the opening round. The game was scoreless un-

til midfielder Alea Hyatt knocked in the game-winning goal on an assist from Alexa Garcia. Alea Hyatt led the Dons with dominant offensive play all season. She is committed to play for the University of North Carolina after next year. Hyatt’s excellent play earned her the accolade of All-Channel League MVP. Alongside her, Kylie Schmit, Bailey Wolf, and Julie Pitney, were all selected to the first team all league while Katherine Hawkes and Gardenia Maya were nominated for second team. With numerous assets on both sides of the ball, the Santa Barbara girls’ soccer team should have no problem continuing its momentum next season.

Boys Football The Santa Barbara High football team was a force to be reckoned with offensively this season as the Dons’ effective passing game paced them to a 6-4 overall record and a 2-2 finish in Channel League. Despite being stopped short of any postseason action, Santa Barbara went out with a bang, dominating rival San Marcos 37-0 in the 56th edition of the “Big Game.” Senior Brent Peus led the Dons from the quarterback position, tallying an impressive 3,047 yards and 33 touchdown passes on the year. The Stanford commit relied primarily on wide outs Blake Kelley and Mason Bigelow in the passing game, while the versatile Tick Jellison also proved to be a valuable asset in multiple facets of the game. In the running game, the majority of the load was divided between Sean Babcock, Isaiah Figueroa, and Ruben Velez. Santa Barbara’s star defenders include linebacker Junior Garcia, safety Jeremiah Nicholson, and outside backers Carter Soto and Colton Takis. They will continue their fight for a playoff chance in the 2017 season.

Boys Basketball The Santa Barbara boys’ basketball team had a historic season, clinching its first CIF Championship Title since 1991. The Dons beat Lynwood 75-65 in a riveting down-to-the-wire

matchup at the Honda Center. It was a long and dominant road to the finals for head coach Dave Bregante and the Dons as they finished with a stunning 32-2 overall record and an undefeated 8-0 record in Channel League. The Dons played excellent fast paced basketball all year with 6’6 senior Bolden Brace running the show. Brace had a record-breaking season and his performance did not go unnoticed by universities around the country. He has committed to play for Northeastern in the fall. However Brace was not the only force; alongside him in the starting lineup was Nick Busch, Ben Clay, Ben Brown, and Jm Cage, all of whom out up huge numbers on a consistent basis. Paul Debruynkops also was a huge factor, primarily on the defensive end of the floor. Santa Barbara went on to the state tournament and faced Selma in the first round, romping the visiting Bears 102-68 before being knocked out Bonita in the subsequent game. The 2016 season for the Santa Barbara basketball team has been the best one in over two decades – undeniably a season that will never be forgotten.

Girls Basketball The Santa Barbara High girls’ basketball team has accomplished great things in the last couple of years -- winning a CIF-Southern Section division championship and a CIF Regional title, finishing as runner-up in the state finals, as well as capturing a Tournament of Champions crown.

However not since 1988 have the Dons secured a Channel League title, until this year. Led by star player Amber Melgoza, Santa Barbara stormed through the regular season with authority, posting a 27-5 overall record and a sterling 7-1 record in league.

The Washington commit averaged 26 points a game but received a lot of help from her teammates. Alongside Melgoza was the versatile Jada Howard, who played a big role in the paint all season. Alondra Jimenez, Cassandra Gordon, and Kimberly Gerbhardt also contributed to the Dons’ tremendous success. The Dons

girls’ continued success won them a spot in the CIF Open Division.

However they were defeated in their “Open” debut by top-ranked Chaminade. The Dons did record another record-breaking season despite the loss; their 25-2 regular season performance was, in fact, the best regular season record in history.

Baseball Last year, Fred Warrecker passed the baton to his son Donny Warrecker as the head coach of the Santa Barbara High baseball team, and he picked up right where his dad left off. The talented squad had another successful season filled with riveting Channel League competition. The Dons finished 13-9 overall, and were the runner-up of the Channel League title behind Dos Pueblos. Their league record was 7-5. The locally renowned Kevin Gowdy had yet another phenomenal season on the mound and is currently committed to UCLA and is also a top MLB draft prospect.

Santa Barbara’s collective batting average was .265 and had a .361 on base percentage. Contributing greatly to those numbers were third baseman John Jensen, centerfielder Joe Firestone, and first baseman Carter Soto who posted a .492, .369, and .339 respectively. As a group the Dons had a total of five home runs and 27 stolen bases on the season. Santa Barbara’s firepower earned itself a spot in the playoffs, where they ousted Bellflower High School 1-0 in the first round.

In the second, the Dons faced defending champion Mission Viejo and suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 defeat at home. They will look to extend their pursuit in 2017.

Boys Water Polo The Santa Barbara boys’ water polo team added to the list of this years’ championships with a well-earned Channel League Title. The Dons and the San Marcos Royals battled closely all season and actually shared the title after splitting their two meetings.

The No. 1 spot was then determined by a coin flip in which Santa Barbara

prevailed for the top spot in the CIF playoffs. Head coach Mark Walsh and the Dons finished 25-6 on the year overall and 7-1 in league. In its advancement to the Division 2 CIF playoffs, Santa Barbara vanquished visiting Martin Luther King High School in a resilient 12-6 comeback decision. Sawyer Rhodes contributed a double hat-rick on the day with six goals, two steals, and one assist.

The Junior USA Development Player has been dominant on the offensive end all season long. Coach Walsh also commends senior UCSB commits Justyn Barrios and Blake Spiller for their tremendous efforts all year as well as the overall stifling play of the Dons’ defense. Shortly after the opening playoff victory, Santa Barbara was ousted 9-8 in the quarterfinal

by Damien High School. It has been quite a ride for the boys water polo team thus far, and with numerous weapons all over the pool, its future seems just as bright.

Girls Water Polo The Santa Barbara girls water team was filled with a lot of talented players, but were unable to do any severe damage as they were fighting in the top division of CIF. Despite finishing an even 4-4 in Channel League, the lady Dons qualified for the playoffs and weren’t knocked out until the quarterfinal round where they fell to Orange Lutheran. The last time the two teams went head to head was in the Tournament of Champions in which Orange Lutheran also prevailed. The conclusion of the season however does not mark the conclusion of future collegiate play for some of the players. Kristina Garcia and Lara Kostruba will both be playing at Cal Berkeley next year while Jessee Ransone will be playing at UCSD. Boys Tennis Another year, another championship for the Santa Barbara boys tennis team as it cruised through the Channel League season, claiming the title for another consecutive year.

The Dons finished 14-6 overall and

24 | SPORTS

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JUNE 3, 2016

The Year in Sports (Continued) 8-0 in league. The Dons plowed their way through the first round of the CIF Division 1 playoffs but fell short of Corona Del Mar in the second on the road. The 2016 starting lineup consisted of Jackson Powell as the go-to-guy at No.1 singles, followed by Spencer Ekola and Mike Chung who played at No. 2 and 3 singles berth for the majority of the season. In doubles Taggart Mills paired up with Tyler Greenwald, Logan Lender played with Harry DeBoer, and the final pair was the duo of Taylor Kleine and Noah Ostovany. Santa Barbara was ranked 12th in CIF Division 1 this year and will look to improve that ranking in the 2017 season.

Girls Golf The Santa Barbara high girls golf team had somewhat of a rebuilding year after the loss of multiple seniors last year. The young team consisting of six freshmen played under the experienced coaching of Ryan Throop.

The Dons finished 2-7 on the season but had some good accomplishments throughout. Santa Barbara has a very competitive year with Channel League opponent Buena High School. Led by star freshman Marie Kuschmann, the Dons trumped Buena in both of their meetings. The first victory was a 308312 squeaker at the Montecito Country Club in which Kuschmann tallied a 49. In the second battle on the road it was Kuschmann again with a game low, besting her previous score with a 44 to pace the Dons to another close 301-308 victory. Marie Kuschmann’s consistent talent earned her five medalist honors over the course of the year, include the season finale against Ventura where she shot a 41. Other contributors include Emily West-

maott, Bridget Gerlach, and Malta Olhiser. With such a young team, look for Santa Barbara girls golf to be on the rise in these upcoming seasons.

Boys Golf The story of the year and the story of the past few for the Santa Barbara High boys’ golf team has been MVP Brandon Crane. Crane has put up phenomenal numbers all year, shooting a game low score in almost all of the matches this year. In the season opener, Brandon Crane fired a 1-over par 71 to lead his team to a 389-464 victory over Buena in a Channel League opener at Birnam Wood Golf Club on Tuesday. The Dons’ lineup was a balanced with Preston Gomersall shooting a 76, Isaac Stone a 77, Torin Bjorklund an 82 and Lachlan Mitchell an 83. Freshman Isaac Stone provided an unexpected spark for the Dons this year, and he even matched Brandon Crane’s triumphs in CIF Individuals.

Similar to the girls’ team, Santa Barbara is filled with a lot of young talent, giving the team endless potential in the coming years.

Girls Tennis The unrelenting dominance of singles star Cade Sorenson prompted a second place clinch in Channel League as well as a spot in the CIF playoffs. In addition to exceptional team play, Sorensen also plowed through the Channel league Individual Tournament and into the finals where she faced rival San Marcos’ Yuka Perera. Sorenson faltered in the first set 6-2, but fought back with vengeance, beating her by a definitive score of 6-1. Perera took the third set to win the title. In postseason play, the Dons fell 14-4 to Marlborough in the

opening round. The dependable Sorenson swept 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. The doubles team of Eva Kershner and Alexia Berton claimed the Dons’ other point.

Dons head coach Sally Becker said the team battled and turned in a wellplayed match. Despite the loss, the young team improved greatly over the course of the season.“We are looking forward to next season now that we have gained a lot of experiences and grit, determination and lasting friendships,” Becker reported.

Girls Volleyball The Santa Barbara high girls volleyball team finished 14-12 overall and 4-4 in league for the third place, marking another consecutive successful season for the Dons. Santa Barbara’s offensive firepower was too much for both Buena and Dos Pueblos as the Dons defeated the two teams on both of their respective matches.

In addition to a solid performance in league, Santa Barbara also commanded respect in the Tournament of Champions. Despite a pair of losses, Santa Barbara High had a strong showing on the first day of the Tournament of Champions girls volleyball tournament. The Dons fell to Great Oak 3-0 in the first round followed by a 3-1 loss to Cathedral Catholic.

Game scores against Great Oak were 25-23, 25-14, 25-18 and 17-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-20 in the second match versus Cathedral Catholic. Jessyca Beksa had a team-high 12 kills in the first match while Erika Foreman’s 15 kills led the Dons in the second match.

Shortly after qualifying for the CIF playoffs, Norco high school eliminated them with a four-game victory in a road matchup for Santa Barbara.

Head coach John Gannon always does

Seniors Cop Powderpuff Title

a phenomenal job getting the best production out of the girls volleyball team year after year, and we will expect nothing less in the 2017 season.

Boys & Girls Swim and Dive It was a historic season for the Santa Barbara boys swim team, who despite finishing third in league, completed an incredible feat and beat crosstown rival Dos Pueblos for the first time in over 20 years. Seniors Alex Roderick (University of Seattle) and Ben Brewer (Cal Lutheran) will both be swimming in college. In the girls department, they finished one rank above the boys and clinched the runner-up spot for the Channel league title. Seniors Kelly Adams (UCLA), Nina Enholm (University of California Los Angeles), and Lexi Gross (Bowdian University) were all amazing in their final year. Enholm was league champion in diving.

Boys Volleyball The first month of the season for the boys varsity volleyball team was a challenging one, but it allowed the players to grow as a team and prepare ourselves for the upcoming channel league schedule. The first 4 games of league play, the boys dominated all 4 teams in Channel League league.

Buena, San Marcos, Ventura and Dos Pueblos. “Going into spring break the boys were 4-0 and looking forward to an unforgettable trip to Hawaii to play in the Kamahema tournament.

This experience with the boys was a special trip that I know for a fact that they will never forget. We bonded and grew as a team,” said head coach Chad Arneson. The Dons came back and defeated Buena, San Marcos and Ventura once again. However in

Swim & Dive Triumph

BY JILL HORN

The Seniors take home a win after last Friday’s Powderpuff Tournament | Photo Courtesy of Beau Lettieri

BY NELE KROSS AND CHLOE SHAAR Football for women or flag football? That’s the definition of powderpuff. Powderpuff is like football but they use flags instead of tackling. It was first played in a college in Colorado in 1931. “This is our second year having powderpuff at our school and we’re proud to say that all grades are involved!” said Kayla. JT the football coach and her organized this event together like last years. Every girl that wanted to play has to go to the mandatory meeting and pay $20 for the jerseys. The seniors jerseys were all black, juniors green, sophomores white and freshman gold. JT specif-

ically chose the best players out of each grade to coach the girls. He also organized the carnival on the baseball field with the football players moms.

A lot of people came and watched the game. The seniors played the sophomores and the juniors played the freshman first. Sophomores and freshman lost so they played each other. The seniors got first place, the sophomores second, juniors third and freshman fourth place. As a reward for their good work the seniors get “T-shirts and bragging rights” added Kayla. JT will also bring together an all star team to play DP this Friday at SBHS. So come out and show some dons spirit!!

the last channel league game against Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara was dethroned in 3 games. It was Santa Barbara’s first defeat against Dos Pueblos in 12 years for Coach Arneson at JR Richards Gymnasium. The boys’ volleyball team ended up sharing the Channel League title and went 7-1 in league with Dos Pueblos. The boys played Redondo Beach in the first round of division 1 CIF playoffs and lost in 4 games at home. It was a tough loss, but overall the team performed well throughout the season.

Wrestling The “Donning” of a new era has been the hallmark of the Santa Barbara wrestling team’s historic record-setting season. For the first time in the history of Dons Wrestling, nearly 50 years, two Dons wrestlers have earned the coveted Channel League Championship title. Sophomore Josue Vallecillo, 120 pounds, and Miguel Cruz, 162 pounds, won first place at this year’s League Finals. No previous SBHS team has ever had two first place winners in League Championships. Santa Barbara also earned 7 out of 14 spots in the CIF Individual Wrestling tournament. The Dons dominated crosstown rival San Marcos High School in their annual Dual Meet in back to back contests. This has been Santa Barbara’s best year yet due to stellar performances from our two League Champions as well as Varsity standouts Jesus Corona, Jonathan Cruz, Jon Huther, and Jose Herrera. The Dons will look to carry the newly acquired momentum in the 2017 season.

Continuing the trend established in 2015, Swim and Dive had a lot of success this past Spring semester. With Nina Enholm becoming girls Channel League Champion and Derek Stein winning the boys Channel League Championship, we can look back at a great season. Santa Barbara High School Swim and Dive was undefeated this year in the Channel League!

Three of our students qualified for CIF; Derek Stein, Carter Feld and Nina Enholm. Derek and Carter both competed at CIF and achieved 13th and 14th place. Congratulations! They didn’t qualify for the next CIF meet, but as Coach Pearson says “They performed very well for being freshmen and sophomores, but the competition was super good. We competed against kids on the national team.” Even though they say they could have practiced more and should have worked on their technique to be better, Carter and Derek are happy with what they achieved this season.

It was the first time qualifying for CIF for both of them, and they achieved their most important goal: Having fun and a good time. “We had a blast” said Derek. Coach Pearson is planning to

do even better next year; he has five students in mind that he’s preparing to qualify for CIF. His highlights this season were winning boys and girls Channel League Championship and being undefeated in dual meets. He said that he wished that senior Nina Enholm would have gone to CIF, though. Even though Nina qualified for CIF twice (the first time in her freshman year), she never ended up going. “CIF is a big commitment and like 3 hours away, in Riverside, and I had a lot going on that day. Also, the girls that compete there are unbelievable; some of them even committed to Yale & Princeton for diving. We do diving more as a fun sport. We like to do well in it, but first and foremost have a really good time”, Nina explained. She wished she could have gone for the experience though.

But the season was great anyways and they had a lot of fun together. “All went pretty smoothly. There’s not much I would have changed”, she said. All in all, it was a great season for Santa Barbara High’s Swim & Dive Team and the students had had a great time in the water and outside of it. It’s the good times and the friendship that are the most important. And of course, being undefeated is not too bad either…