The Forge, Volume 102, Issue 4

THE FORGE Vol. 103 No. 4

SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016

The Mountain School

Patrick Rollins gives us a taste of Vermont | P. 1

Est. 1914

Athlete of the Month

Holiday Consumerism

Daniela Jimenez leads the dance team to success | P. 8

An inside look... | P.4

Full Speed Ahead!

2 | NEWS

THE FORGE STAFF

2016 - 2017 700 East Anapamu Street Santa Barbara, CA 93103 (805) 966-9101 ex. 5031 Room 31

EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarina Wasserman

LAYOUT EDITORS Chloe Shaar Lily Cisek Quincy Ruggieri Sarina Wasserman

THE FORGE

DECEMBER 16, 2016

A Semester at the Mountain School

BY PATRICK ROLLINS As a freshman, Santa Barbara High School was an exciting place. Everyday I was surrounded by new faces; the classes were different and the whole place had a new culture. As I acclimated to the school it began losing its initial interest. By sophomore year I started searching for ways to spice up my high school career, and after trying some dual-enrollment classes, I stumbled upon “semester schools.”

Semester schools are scattered from Napa to the Bahamas to Maine, and they take a group of students from around the world for one-half of their junior year and give them an “alternative education.” The school that peeked my interest was The Mountain School.

The Mountain School is owned by a private school in Boston called Milton Academy and is located on a farm in Vershire, a small town in eastern Vermont. It takes 45 high school juniors every semester and teaches them to think critically

and work hard. Every student takes five intense academic classes, has a two and a half hour work period (splitting wood, cleaning the kitchen, harvesting food, etc.), and is given a 15-minute daily chore.

Students see the fruit of their labor three times a day in the form of meat and vegetables, of which over 70% comes from the campus. But do not begin to think that this alternative education sacrifices a rigorous academics. The class size average is about 10 people, so students can say goodbye to BS essays and skipping homework assignments, and they can expect to write at least an essay a week and a speech every other.

Spring of 2016 was a time for me to learn how deep and beautiful a subject matter can be.

In Environmental Science we learned the history of New England’s tectonic plate movement, how to identify each tree species, and how to analyze the history of a piece of land given its topography.

It was a time to learn from the other 44 students who came from public and private schools across

the country (and, in my semester, a student from London), a time to learn from the forest, and a time to learn from well experienced teachers whom students get to know very personally.

If you are a Sophomore interested in trying something intense, new, and refreshing, I highly recommend you check out the website, mountainschool.org, and consider applying by February 13, 2017. I will not pretend that the tuition of $27,700 is not a serious hindrance for most, but you may be surprised with how much the need-based financial aid will offer. If your parent(s) or guardian(s) need more convincing, have them look at the frequently attended colleges of TMS alumni, with Middlebury, Brown, and Yale topping the list. If you are even slightly interested, I’m sure you have plenty of questions--all of which I would be happy to answer if the website fails to satisfy. Shoot me an email at patrickjohnrollins@gmail.com and I’d love to answer questions, share more of my experience with you, or just chat.

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Chloe Shaar

SPORTS EDITOR Quincy Ruggieri

OPINION EDITOR Lily Cisek

STAFF REPORTERS Antonia Alonso Axel Bjorklund Brian Christensen Corrick Essellier-Norton Marti Fornells Alisha Mergaliyeva Miranda Ortega Gloria Perez Emily Petatan Quinn Tubiolo Hannah Ziouani

ADVISOR Otto Layman

The Academy for Success

BY CHLOE SHAAR

This year Santa Barbara High School welcomes its newest program: “The Academy for Success”, which is a fifth period class of twenty nine carefully selected juniors who had either a D or an F on their transcript, were behind on their credits, or wanted to see a change in their study habits. During the class, the students are given forty five minutes to be in a guided studies class where they can work on homework and get tutored by four fellow students who have high grades and are ahead in their classes. Outside of the academy class, the students have

all of their remaining curricular classes together and are taught by the academy teachers: Mr. Claffey for English, Ms. Phelps for math, Mr. Rodriguez for physics, Mr. Gonzales for US History, and Ms. Robertson and Mr. Chadwick, who run the guided studies class.

The academy is a two year process that will follow this year’s juniors to ensure that they will graduate on time.This is the first year it’s been included in Santa Barbara High’s classes but they adopted the class from Dos Pueblos, which is now on its eighth year and has graduated three sets of kids, while San Marcos is on its second year of the

America Demands a Recount

BY HANNAH ZIOUANI

For all you who said “rioting about the president-elect is pointless”, and “yeah screaming in the streets is really going to do a lot.” First of all, please consider the opinions of others.

Second, think again. Recently, Stein and Clinton have agreed to a recount, starting with Wisconsin...

The idea arose after anti-Trump critics were clearly disturbed by the election results. A recount will be an efficient way to analyze the results of the election and to make sure none of the systems were scammed or broken into.

A recount isn’t easy though; this process requires a good amount of time, energy, and money. The count will cover almost 3 million ballots, over 3 state’s, and 72 counties. These states include Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Skeptics believe that Russian hackers could have been responsible for Trump’s win. Others say Trump’s 100,000 vote lead in every state could not be a mistake. For many, fingers are crossed for a miracle in Clinton’s favor. Also, as expected, Trumps “yuuuge” hands made their mark on twitter, letting all of his followers see his rage and disappointment.

Photos Courtesy CNN

program.

Not only does the academy give them tutoring, but it also gives them the opportunity to work with teachers who help them change their bad habits and work on healthier, more positive habits that will help them succeed. It also gives the students the chance to have a deeper connection with their teachers, unlike other students who don’t have the extra time to create a connection.

The Academy for Success has a small percent of money coming from state funds, the rest comes from grants and fundraisers that they have set up all over the community.

NEWS | 3

THE FORGE

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Ohio: Tragedy Strikes “The Heart of it All”

BY CORRICK ESELLIER-NORTON

On November 28th, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a student at Ohio State University, purposely rammed his car into a group of students. He then started to attack the students with a knife, hospitalizing eleven people. He was shot dead by police officer Alan Horujko after refusing orders to stop. Artan said in a Facebook post that he was sick and tired of seeing fellow muslim students being “tortured and killed”. Investigators are still examining Abdul’s Facebook page to determine whether or not this was an act of terror. In one of his post that went up shortly before the violent rampage urged Americans to “stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah” (a term for the entire community of Muslims tied together by religion). “By Allah, we will not let you sleep unless you give peace to Muslims. You will not celebrate or enjoy any holiday.”

Abdul Artan was a somali immigrant, Ohio has the second largest Somali community in the country. Obviously people jumped to conclusions as they always do in situations like this but Ohio State president, Dr. Michael V. Drake, urged press and citizens alike to stay calm. “We all know when things like this happen that there’s a tendency for people to put people together and to create theories. We don’t know anything that would link this to any community. We certainly don’t have any evidence that would say that that’s the case. What we want to do is really unify together and support each other; do our best to support those who were injured in their recovery and then allow the investigation to take place.”

Abdul Razak Ali Artan was profiled in the schools’ student run paper. In August they ran a series called “Humans of Ohio State”. He has recently transferred from Columbus state and was finding it hard to find a place to pray in peace on campus. “I wanted to pray in the open, but I was scared because of everything going on in the media. I’m Muslim but I am not what the media portrays me to be. If people look at me, a Muslim praying, i don’t know what they’re thinking, what will happen”. Before the issue even pops into your brain, Mr. Artan and his entire family ARE legal immigrants who all hold valid greencards. He left Somalia in 2007 with his family, they went to Pakistan and were admitted with refugee status. He and his seven family members all immigrated here in 2014, which was confirmed by as US government official.

The campus Twitter account sent out an alert of an active shooter at Watts Hall. Students started to barricade the doors of classrooms with chairs. Students involved in the incident reported that Abdul was completely silent throughout the entire attack. It was initially reported that there were two suspects with guns but that was not the case at all.

The sad truth is that our world is a violent one. It’s heartbreaking that we live in a world where someone is afraid to pray because of what people might think. I want to stress this point; it’s a tragedy that people were hurt, that should not have happened, but I want everyone to know that being Muslim and part of the Islam religion is not the same thing as radical Islam.

I can not speak for the beliefs of Abdul Artan but it saddens me that some still refuse to see the difference between the religion of Islam and radical Islam. I’m obviously not an expert on any

of this but as far as I know, not a lot of religions can claim that they have never had any violence committed in their name, so we should not be scared of, discriminating against or harassing someone because of their religion. Now, more than ever, we need to stand against bigots, racist, misogynists and others who discriminate people who look or act differently. We need to stand together in our diversity.

Our hearts goes out to the people injured in the attack and to Mr. Artan’s family. Our town has also been hit by a senseless act of violence just 3 years ago.

Elliot Rodger, a 22 year old with a long list of mental illnesses from three different psychiatrists, somehow got ahold of three guns, two machetes and almost 400 rounds of ammunition. He killed six people and seriously injured 12 others. He sent out a 137 page manifesto called My Twisted Story, in which he wrote in extreme detail about his plans to kill his family. He also posted a video online called Elliot Rodgers Retribution. In this video he talked about “looking forward to reducing them (the girls who had turned him down) to piles of skulls and rivers of blood, and how he didn’t understand how anyone could turn him down. I’m the perfect man, I’m superior to the rest of them.” This was a seriously disturbing tragedy that shocked our community.

I guess my point is that it can happen anywhere and no matter what, we all deserve to be safe. I sincerely hope we find a way to stop this violence fairly and together as a country.

I wish all the victims of this recent attack a speedy recovery.

Class of 2017 To Graduate from the Santa Barbara Bowl

BY QUINN TUBIOLO

The Peabody Stadium Renovation project has been a topic shrouded by mystery and uncertainty since it was first announced last year. But on December 6, the DSA (Department of State Architects) officially approved the project plan. Their approval was vital to beginning the project and has been the main reason for the delay thus far. This major development provides a new level of clarity about the future of the project. We interviewed Dr. Becchio for some answers about the renovation’s timeline and the location of the Class of 2017’s graduation ceremony.

According to Dr. Becchio, the School Board must first hire

a Project Management company. This should happen sometime in January. Then they’ll select a contractor to begin demolition. Currently, the school is shooting to have shovel hit ground sometime in March or April of 2017. The entire renovation (after demolition) is predicted to take 15-18 months (though timeframes often change throughout construction).

That means that, if all goes as planned, the Senior Class will in fact be graduating from the Santa Barbara Bowl. It is also possible that, should the remodel take longer than is currently predicted, the Class of 2018 will graduate from somewhere other than Peabody Stadium. We can keep our fingers crossed, but Dr. Becchio informed us that they are shooting for a schedule that allows the Class of 2018 to be

back at the brand new stadium.

Another effect of the renovation project will be that we won’t have a stadium to host football games. Several solutions have been presented to address this dilemma. First of all, some of our scheduled Home Games may need to be rescheduled as Away Games.

Another potential solution is renting stadiums from other highschools.

It is still too early to get an accurate idea of the project’s final cost, but that information will likely be made available in the next couple of months. We’ll keep you up to date as the renovation project progresses and new information becomes available.

Holidays in SB Bringing Joy to Tots in Need

BY CORRICK E S S E L L I ER-NORTON Christmas is the time of gingerbread houses, overplayed Christmas songs and sparkling lights. Christmas traditions differ wherever you go and here in Santa Barbara, a lot of people attend one of the only night time parades, The Annual Downtown Santa Barbara Christmas Parade. 50,000 people watch attend the event every year!

T h i s year’s theme was “Holiday Under the Sea”. The streets were filled with festive mermaids and jolly jellyfish.

Some people did it

“the old fashioned way” and wore a wide assortment of Santa hats, reindeer antlers and elf ears.

People watched with peppermint hot chocolate in hand, amazing floats, marching bands, carolers, dancers and local personalities all lit up by the community christmas tree.

T h i s years co-grand marshals were Cody and Caleb Walker, the brothers of the late Paul Walker who was featured in the Fast and Furious movies and sadly passed away in a tragic car accident. “This is a huge honor to be in the parade,” Cody Walker said. “For our oldest brother, Paul, this was home

for him. It holds a special place in all of our hearts. Santa Barbara is my second home and it feels nostalgic to be back.”

The festivities were started by the holiday prince and fairy, Kai Paterson (8) and Alexandra Chadwick (9), lighting the 45 foot tall Christmas tree.

The parade ended with Santa Claus himself. In total, there were 95 entries in the parade.

All in all, I think that the parade was a success and that it was great way to get into the Christmas spirit despite the fact that the weather didn’t get the memo that it was winter.

BY EMILY PETATAN

This holiday season at Santa Barbara High School the ASB members will be organizing a fundraiser called “Toys for Tots.” This fundraiser has been around since ASB was established as a class. “Toys For Tots” is a fundraiser that helps families in need by providing their children with toys so they can enjoy the holiday season without having to worry financially. ASB members

will be the liaison with the local Unity Shoppe and will gather 100 pounds of donated toys, and donations they have received and buy any extra toys they can, and the kids will be able to pick out which toys they want. Other toys will be taken to a warehouse and the extra toys the children will be able to choose which toys they would like to keep.

Everybody around the community tries to help out this Christmas; not only Santa Barbara High

BY LILY CISEK

in. We are “adopting” four low income families supported by the CALM Foundation.

The CALM Foundation asked and gathered the Christmas lists of families all over and sent four of them for us to support. Items on these Christmas wish lists range from shoes and school supplies to games and toys.

There is a large variation of family situations, for example, one family could include very old as well as very young generations, so the items on the wish lists would also vary greatly. It’s as easy as going down to State Street and

School does “Toys for Tots.” There is also “The Transition House” which is a wish list program, the Unity Shoppe (which our school is helping) “Adopt a Family”, and a lot of thrift stores who participate in Toy Matching. SBHS has given the opportunity to those kids this year to those who wouldn’t have presents under the tree, and let them have that experience of the joy of Christmas.

SBHS and “Adopt a Family”

The holiday season is a time for spending valuable moments with family, giving thanks for what you have and giving to others. While you may wake up to an enormous amount of gifts under your tree on Christmas mwworning, some families right in Santa Barbara don’t have that privilege.

For many years, families in poverty have to go through the “joyous” holiday season with almost nothing except hope in their hearts for a merry holiday.

That’s where the students of SBHS come

picking up a few items; most of the lists are quite specific and easy to find!

As Christmas continues to creep up on us, try and remember that there are families who need as much help as they can get, especially during the gift giving season. If you have some extra money that you’re not spending on gifts for immediate family, please head down to the ASB room for more information or a wish list assignment. Help us make Santa Barbara a little more merry this holiday season!

4 | NEWS

THE FORGE

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Supporting the Sophomores at Blenders

BY LILY CISEK

In order to keep the fun alive at SBHS, dances, clubs and other events need financial support. One of the ways we earn the money for events such as Winter Formal and Prom is by local fundraisers. One of the most classic forms is a bake sale, which we host quite frequently, but we’ve also held fundraisers at Coffee Bean and California

Pizza Kitchen so the general public can help our high school.

There is a fundraiser for the sophomore class being held at Blenders on December 16th. Head on down to Blenders and display the flyer posted on the SBHS Instagram or Class of 2019 Facebook account.

You could also pick up a copy from the ASB room and fifty percent of your purchase will go to supporting the

sophomore class.

The money raised in will follow this year’s sophomores, supporting their events until the money runs out. Even if you aren’t a sophomore, the proceeds will benefit you as well, doing things such as ampping up our annual Winter Formal dance! So head on down to Blenders with a copy of the flyer to support your classmates!

Do you know of a family business or small local business that you would like to support? Your business could be advertised in SBHS’s January showing of Music of the Night!

If you’re interested, please send your questions to bellaghsb@gmail.com!

The Forge wishes you a happy holiday!

Smells Like Teen Greed

BY BRIAN CHRISTENSEN

As we all know, it is that time of year again and we are (as usual) being berated by advertisements for syrupy holiday drinks, phony products that will bring the family together for the “perfect family holiday”, and expensive pieces of plastic garbage that will make your significant other love you forever.

But it isn’t about sitting down with your loved ones and talking to one another or saying “I love you”. It’s about leaving your family at two in the morning after Thanksgiving to buy more plastic garbage, lining the pockets of massive corporations, and finding the perfect piece of mass produced trash for your girlfriend that says “I sort of care about you, but I don’t really want to talk to you or express how I feel about you”.

Now, I am not anti-capitalism and I am not saying that you shouldn’t buy a gift for someone you love this holiday season. I am simply here to jump start the idle mind. The mind brainwashed by holiday themed Ford advertisements and peppermint flavored coffee. While on my mission of getting this generation of creative regurgitators to use their heads, I ask you a question. What is the true purpose for these fall/ winter holidays? I would argue to say that despite the heavy blanket of corporate nonsense that masks true ideals, in our very secular modern world these holidays exist to unite us with our family and friends. Now I know some of you are yelling; “CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH WERE CREATED TO CELEBRATE RELIGION”, or “SOCIETY ADAPTS OVER TIME AND THE CORPORATE SHIFT IN HOLIDAYS IS

PART OF A HEALTHY CHANGING SOCIETY”! I’m not going to bother to address this because this is not my point and you can think whatever you like. I simply want to say that maybe it’s about time we put away our phones and iPads while celebrating a holiday. Maybe it’s time we stop and appreciate our loved ones before furiously ripping through a thick net of wrapping paper into a box full of temporary excitement and counterfeit happiness. I just ask that for your own good you take a few hours at least just to enjoy the company of your family and friends this holiday season. Because any of us could cease to exist at any moment, and no one wants to feel like the last moments they spent with someone they love were spent staring at a phone screen or obsessing over something shiny and plastic.

NEWS || 5 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 5

THE THE FORGE FORGE

DECEMBER DECEMBER 16, 16, 2016 2016

A Review of Girl on the Train

BY ALISHA MERGALIYEVA

Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller novel by British author Paula Hawkins. The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list and remained in the top position for thirteen consecutive weeks.

The book is about 32-year-old woman, Rachel. She takes the same train to London every morning and night.

Each day Rachel rides down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to watch the same couple eating breakfast. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Their life, as she sees it, is perfect. Unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something unusual. It’s only a moment until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. The woman from that house disappears soon after and police is looking for her. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel begins her own ‘investigation’. Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the police case, but in the lives of everyone involved.

This novel is emotional from start to finish. Almost every single character was what some may call a “hot mess”.

I personally didn’t feel like there was “mystery” in the book, especially in places where there could have been some extra drama. In my opinion the characters are just messy and slightly disturbing, which could be a good or bad thing. I think that what seems to be the new trend in books, where every one of

Spotlight on SBHS’ Dance Program

the characters is a total jerk, is not the way to go. The truth is, the story gets bloody boring. It definitely wasn’t the best book I have read, far from it. The writing is clumsy, there are unneeded details, and the characters seemed slightly flat. I didn’t see any ‘depth’. For me, The Girl on the Train is another version of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

However, I need to admit that I’m a huge fan of first-person narrative told from the point of view of few characters (in this case three women). I think that’s the main reason I decided to finish the book and read until the end yet, unfortunately, it didn’t impress me at all.

The film version of The Girl on the Train, starring Emily Blunt and directed by Tate Taylor, was released on 7 October 2016 and was an enormous success.

BY LILY CISEK AND QUINCY RUGGIERI

Obamarama: The Legacy

BY QUINN TUBIOLO

It’s been eight years since the United States first elected Barack Obama. As we’re plunged into the political Orange Age, it seems fitting that we should take a moment to appreciate our soon-to-be formerpresident for the good (and bad) he has done for the nation and its people.

Let’s look at ObamaCare (AKA the Affordable Care Act).

ObamaCare was developed in the midst of a national economic crisis in an attempt to secure health care for millions of Americans who couldn’t afford it under the Bush administration.

While many opponents of ObamaCare claim that premiums are too high and the program costs taxpayers too much money, the fact remains that ObamaCare allows more than 15 million Americans access to healthcare who would otherwise likely remain uninsured and subject to lower quality medical treatment and unfair additional costs. Sure, it might cost us a little extra in taxes. If it takes funneling a little less cash into the war on terror overseas or militarizing our domestic police forces in order to provide insurance to lowerincome Americans, so be it.

The most obvious component of Obama’s legacy on the United States is of course that he is our first black president. It only took us 230 years! Let’s give ourselves a pat on the back! We solved racism! Way to go!

But the reality is actually that under President Obama, the frequency of racial violence has actually gone up. The Black Lives Matter Movement began during Obama’s presidency with

the hope of improving race relations and putting a stop to violence against unarmed black people (especially by police officers). Many white Americans see the movement as anti-white and believe that because people are taking a stand against racism, race relations are at an all-time low. In fact, according to a Washington Times poll, 66% of Americans believe that race relations have worsened during Obama’s presidency. Interestingly, whites and Republicans were more likely to say that race relations have worsened than minorities and Democrats. 66% of whites (compared to 38% of blacks) and 88% of Republicans (compared to 32% of Democrats) believe that race relations have gotten worse under the Obama Administration. This suggests that Obama’s presidency has upset those who were previously able to ignore racism and social issues simply because having a black president has led to an increased awareness of issues of racism in the US. Unfortunately, the fact still stands that many Americans believe that Obama’s presidency has resulted in the decline of race relations when in reality, issues as old as the Constitution itself have finally begun to get more media coverage over the last eight years. And thus, a perceived worsening of race relations will be a part of Obama’s legacy.

Obama also successfully dug the United States out of its most devastating financial crisis since the Great Depression. Under Obama, the US has seen an increase of 9 million jobs and has tripled its solar and wind power capacity.

This is not, of course, to say that Obama has been perfect. He’s surely

had his flaws as a Commander in Chief.

First of all, the NSA, the FBI, and the CIA have been able to gain too much power over the last eight years. Under the Bush administration, the US government took advantage of the fear and rage directed at terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11 to pass law after law permitting the government unconstitutional power to monitor and detain anyone suspected of “terrorist activity”. The problem with this is that the government’s definition of terrorism is ambiguous enough that it can be directed at nearly anyone (including peaceful protestors and journalists who have the potential to expose corruption within the government). These anti-terror laws may have allowed us to find and kill Osama Bin Laden, but at what cost?

Was it really worth giving up our privacy and rights to the First and Fourteenth Amendments?

All in all, things are much better than they were eight years ago.

Though his time in the Oval Office has been anything but perfect, Barack Obama has, for the most part, done a great job, especially considering the unusual and complicated set of challenges he has been forced to take on. And who knows? It’s possible that Obama’s legacy will inspire Presidentelect Trump to continue towards racial and gender equality. Probably not, but we can hope. And though Obama is probably relieved to be on his way out of the White House, some of us will probably spend the next four years wondering why we couldn’t just give BUY him another term.

Join the Dance Department in the SBHS Theatre on Thursday, January 5th for its annual Winter Showcase! Dance Team, Dance Production, and Dance 1 have been preparing since August, learning new technique and choreography to fit styles such as ballet, contemporary, jazz, samba, and hip-hop. Since Mrs. Goldman has been on leave, Ms. Bhavika has taken over the dance program as well as choreographers like Pablo Gatica, Miguel Hernandez, Rene Garcia, and Britten Davis. Additionally, students had the opportunity to create their own dances to perform for the upcoming showcase allowing them to take their dance experience and education one step further. Dance students have been preparing by practicing choreography, timing, formations and performing for one another in trade for critiques.

Co-President of Dance Production, Dalia Santana, is a senior here at SBHS. “It is my last year so it is kind of sad that after this one [showcase] I only have one more showcase and I’m done. So I’m excited to spend my last year [at SBHS] with my friends, dancing,” said Dalia when asked what she’s most excited for for the Winter Showcase. All of the students are excited to perform and are determined to be great for the audience. Not only does it count as a grade, but it’s a fun way to spend time with friends doing what you love. Dance is a wonderful way to stay healthy and express yourself, and the dancers are eager to get on stage and display what they have been working on all year.

The show will include dances of all styles and all skill levels, set to your favorite songs and new ones that you have yet to experience. Seeing your friends and family members on stage is like seeing them in a completely different light and it’s special for everyone involved. Come out and support the dance program and see the show!

Santa Barbara High School 14th Annual Dance Recital 2017 Santa Barbara

High School Theater Thursday, January 5th, 2017 at 7 pm

Beth Goldman Artistic Director

PRE-SALE TICKETS IN THE BUSINESS OFFICE

Come out and support Music of the Night 2017 with a meal at Persona Pizza on December 28th and January 4th! 20% of all proceeds will be donated to SBHS Theatre.

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE FORGE

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Caroling Through this Holiday Season One of the Forge staff members is also a participant in the SBHS Madrigals. This is her take on the program and the concert!

This is a perspective from a Forge staff member who attended the concert on the opening night. This is her perspective!

BY MIRANDA ORTEGA

BY SARINA WASSERMAN

A chilly Friday night in the Mount Carmel Church, 20 voices opened this year’s Winter Choir Concert as they walked down the aisle caroling, giving us a small taste of what was yet to come. The Santa Barbara High School Choir Department has done it again! With their beautiful costumes and eclectic mix of songs, I was thoroughly entertained.

Madrigals, Esperanzas, Unaccompanied Minors, A Cappella, and Voice Lab all blew me away as each group performed a few songs individually showcasing their lovely sounds and impressive technique. From Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You” to more more classical pieces like “Here We Come a-caroling” a range of songs and sounds were heard and enjoyed by all. Towards the end of the show when all department member sang in unison, their voices echoed through the sanctuary leaving the audience in awe. While the different choirs were lovely individually, together they created something beautiful, a truly impressive and grand sound. What I found most amazing about this show was how together and in sync the students were. To me, this is a sign of great skill and tons of preparation-- two things proven quite true throughout the duration of the show. Congratulations Ms. La Face for leading a top-notch Choir Department toward great success and to all the students who performed, you should be proud!

It’s a busy month for Madrigals, the top choir group here at SBHS. December is a joyful month full of festive carols. Madrigals is a group with twenty hard working students, made up of mainly upperclassmen, who are all very passionate about music. They started learning Christmas carols at the beginning of October after school and the mornings which got them in quite a festive mood.

Ms. LaFace, the head of the choir department, has worked extremely hard and has dedicated most of her time to teaching all the choirs their carols, and even made the Madrigals’ their extravagant costumes.

The carolers take their jobs quite seriously, especially when they’re in their costumes, which are inspired in the time of Charles Dickens. The girls of the groups where a hoop skirt with white button up shirts, a cape, and a bonnet, while the boys where a suit, bow ties, and top hats and all of the costume are Christmas colored themed.

Ms.LaFace explained to us the main purpose of the group and said, “Madrigals are right in the middle of their holiday caroling season. Inspired by the groups of carolers in the time of Charles Dicken’s, they sing around town and at private parties. They sing both Christmas and Hanukkah songs and songs vary from the traditional “Deck the Hall” all the way to the light-hearted “Winter Wonderland.”

If you’d like to hear them, drop by the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings from 8:30-10 am. If you want to get into the festive mood and see when we perform go the choir room at lunch. Happy Holidays from Madrigals!

Band Celebrates 100 Years

BY GLORIA PEREZ The Santa Barbara marching band is celebrating 100 years of music! The Santa Barbara High School bands are directed by SBHS alumnus and a former drum major, Ms. Kearney Vander Sal, the band classes includes marching band, jazz band, concert band, drumline, and orchestra. The marching band performs at the two Christmas parades, football games, some basketball games, graduation, and the Fiesta parade. After marching band season, drumline season and color guard begin. Students compete with schools all over Southern California by performing an indoor show.

Although there is no captain or co captain, there is a drum major, assistant drum major, and of course, the horn sergeant. To qualify for these positions, band members

need to show great responsibility and great leadership and the other musicians vote for them. Marching band is 7th period and is open to any and everyone who would like to enter the class. Experience needed? Fear not, they also help you if you want to be in the band but don’t have any music experience.

Diana Portugal, who was the drum major last year her junior year, has been in the band for all four years of high school. She says, “It’s a good distraction from school. It’s like a break . I do recommend this class because you get to meet a lot of people and have a lot of opportunities to travel and you get to go to a lot of schools events.” The horn sergeant of the band, Noeline Asencio, told us that a horn sergeant’s job in the band is, “Horn sergeant is the leader who is in charge not only of the horns, such as trumpets

and trombones, but also the whole band. I also help the musicians with their marching and technique and help them memorize their music and write notes in.”

Choosing an instrument could be somewhat easy if you have some music experience, but choosing an instrument and having no experience, whatsoever, that’s a bit of a challenge. Band’s biggest aspiration is they help you learn how to play it and become a great musician, so let them help you find the best instrument for you, another great thing about band is that it’s considered a PE course, so if working out isn’t your thing, band could be your thing. This class is a mixture of boys and girls, of all different grade levels. Make sure to talk to your counselor if this class interests you, switch for the spring semester, and lookout for band at school events!

Coming Soon: Bullets Over Broadway

BY MIRANDA ORTEGA AND LILY CISEK

Santa Barbara High’s theater company has been performing spectacular musicals for our community for 110 continuous years and 92 of those years on the same stage. Otto Layman has been head of the theatre department since 1996 and directed over 50 shows.

Layman has announced that the upcoming Spring show will be Bullets Over Broadway.

Bullets Over Broadway, a Woody Allen film, had its original debut in 1994. This crime-comedy’s first cast included stars like John Cusack, Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest.

This fantastic cast helped the film wrangle seven Academy Award nominations, including co-writer Douglas McGrath’s nomination for

Best Original Screenplay. The story follows David Shayne, a playwright new to Broadway in the 1920’s, as he gets tangled up in a community of gangsters that surprisingly help Shayne in more ways than one.

The film was later adapted into a musical by Allen himself, fittingly titled Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical. It was directed by Susan Stroman and produced

by Julian Schlossberg along with none other than Letty Aronson, Allens’ younger sister. The score consisted of classic songs from the 1920’s and 30’s from The American Songbook. Despite the simple choice of music, the show was a hit.

The show began a national tour early this month, earning rave reviews and is now available for select licensing, making SBHS the first high school to ever

perform this show in the world. This show will be the bee’s knees with an amazing set that Layman and technical director Jonathan Mitchell are currently mapping out.

Bullets over Broadway will immerse you into the world of 1920’s gangsters New York City, unlike one of the previous plays, Hair which took place in the 1970’s. This show will be casted with hard working, talented actors, and we are expecting quite different characters from the quirky Transylvanians of SBHS theaters last play, Young Frankenstein.

If you are interested in being transported back in time with the young talent of SBHS, Bullets Over Broadway will be performed in the SBHS theater on April 29- May 8. You have plenty of time to prepare for the mixed up world of Bullets Over Broadway.

DECEMBER 16, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7

THE FORGE

EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!

BY CORRICK ESSELIER-NORTON

Everybody Dance Now is a local non-profit that provides weekly hip hop classes to kids who would otherwise not have those opportunities.

“ The inspiration for EDN! came in 2003, when their founder, Jackie Rotman, age 12, performed a hiphop dance for eighty teens with disabilities. In response to a technical difficulty with her music, she adapted her performance by inviting audience members onstage to have their own opportunity to express themselves through dance. Two years later, inspired by seeing so many teens empowered, exhilarated, and full of self-confidence from dancing, Jackie, now age 14, recruited three of her dance friends to volunteer to teach hip-hop at three local elementary schools in Santa Barbara. With guidance from Julie McLeod, who was then the Executive Director of Santa Barbara Dance Alliance, they formed an advisory board of community leaders, wrote an executive summary, and contacted various schools and Everybody Dance Now! (EDN!) was officially born. In the spring of 2010, Everybody Dance Now! was featured on the hit MTV show, America’s Best Dance Crew in their “Champions for Charity” episode. Afterward, we received emails from people all over the world in countries as far as Peru, Switzerland, Ireland, China, and Russia, and also within the US and Canada, who were inspired by learning about Everybody Dance Now!. Many people were eager to start Everybody Dance Now! chapters of their own but didn’t

know where to begin. Out of this need, we expanded EDN! to provide resources, mentorship, training and support to young people to create and sustain their own EDN! chapters. To date, EDN! has served over 10,000 youth. From our humble beginnings in 2005 as three teenage volunteers, EDN! has blossomed into a national organization that offers 60 classes weekly to kids across the country who would otherwise not have the opportunity to dance. Today, EDN! is run by our national team: Executive Director, Kunle Oladehin and National Program Director, Kelli Forman. EDN! has four growing chapters in Pomona, Santa Barbara, Chicago, and New York City.”

Every year EDN!SB has a showcase for all of the students that they’ve reached and to present the kids with an opportunity to see guest performers dance. The guest performers this year included, Urban Dance Company, Stupid Fresh Adult crew, Generation Stupid Fresh kIds Crew and Destined Dance and Performing Arts. As a performer myself I can say that it was great experience.

We walked into the performance and were immediately greeted by a flock of super helpful and cheerful volunteers.

The Westside Boys and Girls club was completely decked out with colorful tinsel, baubles, wreaths and plenty of other Christmas decorations. There was a huge bake sale to raise money for the non profit and there was even a face painting station which was run meticulously by a small boy who refused to talk to me but painted the most realistic mistletoe and holly leaves I have ever seen. All the performers and parents sat in a semi circle. Parents and kids both had opportunities to show off their knowledge

of hip hop history and to maybe show off some moves.

My dance team performed a medley of Salute by Little Mix, Jumpman by Drake & Future. Gas Pedal by Sage the Gemini, Me Too by Meghan Trainor, Problem by Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea and Shut up and Drive by Rihanna.

Although we worked hard I thought we were out shone by the amazing dancers from EDN! They hit every move as hard as they could and had an amazing inspiring energy and reminded me why I love dance and what an amazing life changing outlet it can be. Thank you to everyone at EDN for the amazing opportunities and the work you do our community.

The Christmas Corner, Part Two

BY THE FORGE STAFF

As you know, Christmas is around the corner. Holiday music has been blasting in every store for the past month and Chritsmas movies have been on every channel available.

If you’re the type of person that dreads everything about the holidays and hates Christmas, here’s a list of the Top Ten Worst Christmas Songs:

When you’re stuck at home wrapping gifts or dealing with difficult family, the best way to entertain yourself is to put on a classic winter film. Here are a few of the Forge’s favorites...

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” “Home Alone” “A Christmas Story” “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer” “Elf ” “It’s a Wonderful Life” “Krampus” “A Christmas Carol” “The Polar Express” “Love Actually” "The Muppet Christmas Carol” “Scrooged” “Gremlins” “Holiday Inn” “This Christmas” “Bad Santa”

1.Santa Claus Has Got AIDS This Year - Tiny Tim 2.The Christmas Shoes - Newsong 3.Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo and Patsy 4.Boys and Girls Xmas Time Love - Cheeky Girls 5.Merry Christmas with Love - Clay Aiken 6.All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth - Donald Yetter Gardner 7.Christmas Conga - Cyndi Lauper 8.Funky, Funky Christmas - New Kids on the Block 9.Please Daddy, Don’t Get Drunk for Christmas - John Denver 10.Everybody Knows the Claus - Hanson Photo Courtesy: broadstar.com

Cartoon by Kieran Meaney

8 | SPORTS

THE FORGE

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Athlete of the Month: Daniela Jimenez

BY QUINCY RUGGIERI

Daniela Jimenez is December’s athlete of the month! The seventeen year old is a senior here at SBHS, and is captain of the SBHS Dance Team. Daniela has been dancing on the team since her sophomore year, was appointed to co-captain her junior year, and was awarded captain for her final year here at SBHS. Although she is sad to leave, Daniela is determined to make this the best year for the team yet!

Daniela began dancing hip-hop when she was six years old but began taking it seriously her sophomore year of high school. She tried out for the SBHS dance team her sophomore year and has loved it ever since. “This [SBHS] is where I got my passion for hip-hop, and now, it’s in my bones,” said Daniela.

Being dance team captain takes a lot of hard work and dedication. “It takes a genuine love of your craft and love for your team and everyone that’s on your team. It’s kind of like a car; if every part doesn’t work than the car doesn’t work.

It’s my job to make sure all the parts work well alone and together,” said Daniela

when asked what it took to become dance team captain.

“Also, being co-captain is a lot different than being captain. Last year when I was co, it was more about learning how to be captain and the ways of the team.

This year, I actually lead the girls and have even more of a leadership role,” said Daniela. Of course, dancing alongside all of her closest friends makes creating a strong team much easier. “I love having something we [her friends] can all do together and create a stronger bond,” said Daniela.

Aside from dance team, Daniela is also one of the “staple seniors” in Dance Production (a fifth period dance elective). “I for one am truly impressed with the most powerful, energetic signature Daniela exudes through her movements when she dances. It genuinely shows her passion for dance.

She’s [Daniela] an amazing leader and an extraordinary choreographer. I appreciate the intensity and positivity she brings to class everyday,” said dance teacher Mrs. Goldman.

Additionally, Daniela has been choreographing for the winter and spring showcases ever since she began the

dance program here at SBHS. Last year, Daniela choreographed a hip-hop dance to “Water Dance” as well as a remix to “Work”, which was incorporated into the SBHS Dance Team routine that they took to their “Six Flags: Magic Mountain” competition.

Outside of dance, Daniela enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as volunteering at retirement homes. Daniela has also been in AVID for all four years of her high school career at SBHS. Daniela would like to continue to dance after high school and come back to choreograph for Mrs. Goldman’s dance production period.

Dance Team has many upcoming events that include: Basketball halftime shows, BASH (a yearly professional dance show here in Santa Barbara), Street Dance USA Competition, and their annual Six Flags competition, in which they placed fourth last year. The team also performs in The Winter Dance concert and Spring Recital. Be sure to come out and support the SBHS Dance Team and Daniela Jimenez!

Wrestling Update

BY ANTONIA ALONSO

The Westminster Individual was a great success for the Dons Wrestling team.

The team as a whole did a fantastic job, especially for it being their first tournament.

They were greatly surprised by those who were not sure of what kind of results they would end up with.

Junior, John Huther, went the furthest out of the whole team. He got fifth place out of a 32 man bracket and went

5-2.

Hopefully this tournament helped build confidence for the players and that they continue to get good results throughout the season.

They were surprised by a new rule, being that girls and boys could no longer wrestle each other, which set them back 6 points they could have gotten but other than that, they were satisfied with their results even with a few bumps in the road.

The boys played against Nordhoff high school last Thursday.

Unfortunately, they lost this match due to some injured players and the way they approached the other team. They hope to learn from this experience to always wrestle at their best and to come back better against their opponents.

The winners of the 2016 dodgeball tournament at Santa Barbara High School were the Roque Rats! The team consisted of students: Tick Jellison, Will Fisher, Frank Gamberdella, Dan O’Neil and Andrew Gavillan. SBHS students will anticipate the next dodgeball tournament all year, we look forward to next season!

Writers Wanted!

Do you love sports and have an interest in writing for the Forge? If so, email us at sbhsforge.2016@gmail.com

Things Overheard In the Hallway “Okay but what if all the cat food in the world was free?”

“I think that Tik Tok by Ke$ha should be our school anthem.”

“When you get surgery, doctors could take out your kidney and you wouldn’t even know.”

“She’s making me mouth Iggy on stage as I’m dancing.”

“Can you just eat my chicken so I can eat the rest?”

*points to mini Coca-Cola* “Who is she? Why is she so small?”

“I can’t wrap my brain around how many times I’ve had to wrap my tongue around a vegan fruit wrap.”

“Ben Zevallos’s quotes in the announcements are what keep me going.”

“Pitbull is making a comeback.”

“This class doesn’t teach me anything, I can’t paper mache my future.