Talent Show - Fremont Unified

The Hatchet
March 2, 2010
Washington High School
38442 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94536
Vol. 91
Issue 5
ASB raises money for Haiti with shirt sales
Sarah deLanda
Staff Reporter
ASB is selling T-shirts to aid
Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake.
The fundraiser began Feb. 8 and
all profits will go to the “Hope
for Haiti” organization. More
information can be found at
hopeforhaiti.com.
“We’re trying to target funds
towards kids in Haiti,” ASB
secretary Cindy Chen said.
The idea for selling shirts came
Barbecue
honors
basketball
teams
from seniors Breana Meagher
and Jocelyn Yamaguchi as well as
sophomore Caitlyn Yamaguchi. The
concept was one of many emerging
ideas for how to raise funds; among
them a “Quarters for Quake”
fundraiser and issuing a challenge
to other school leaderships to see
who could raise the most money
within the first week. Due to the
fact that many of the other schools
already committed to fundraisers
of their own, in the end, the idea
fell through. But even without the
motivation of competition, over
100 shirts have already been sold.
With large disasters, every cent
counts. ASB is promoting T-shirts
with posters, announcements and
by word of mouth.
With all the planning necessary
to ensure an effective fundraiser
and to finish prior commitments,
it took nearly a month to begin
T-shirt sales. ASB had to focus
on first semester finals and the
Sadie Hawkins dance when the
earthquake struck. With students
Talent
Show
concentrating on them, the success
of the Haiti relief plans might have
been compromised. Complicating
matters, during finals week, ASB
wasn’t meeting every day. It also
took a bit of time to brainstorm
for the best way to earn money for
Haiti. And even after it was settled
to sell T-shirts, there was the
matter of finding a shirt design and
a vendor to create the shirts.
“The shirts look cool,” senior
Mehak Dharmani said of buying
them. “And I’m going to feel like a
good person.”
ASB hopes sales will continue
and they will be able to order a
second shipment of shirts.
“I think it’s going to be a while
until we can say it’s ‘enough,’ but
the shirts brought attention to us
trying to raise funds and a lot of
people started donating money,”
sophomore Jennifer Chang said.
ASB will continue to offer the
Haiti relief T-shirts for $15 dollars
in the student center until an
undecided date.
Students perform for audience
with a range of talents
Paige Castren
Christelle Xu
News Editors
ASB
held
a
lunchtime
barbecue Feb. 23 to celebrate the
advancement of both the boys and
girls basketball teams to NCS.
“It’s been roughly 10 to 15 years
since we’ve sent both boys and
girls basketball to NCS together,”
activities director Helen Paris said.
The funding came from ASB,
athletics and the money initially
meant for the “Up Yours” lunch.
Leadership decorated eaves with
paper replicas of team jerseys,
each personalized with players’ last
names and numbers.
“It was great for ASB to put on
the barbecue for basketball and to
show support for the team,” senior
John Songponnopachon said.
ASB made the decision Feb. 22
to put on the barbecue; they set
up posters and announcements
around school by first period Feb.
23. Despite the unexpected rain,
ASB fed over 300 students.
“The price and food was good
but there was a really long wait
to get the food. It took like 20
minutes,” junior Andrea Bonilla
said.
ASB members began turning
students away so they would have
enough time to clean up, not
because there was a lack of food.
“One lesson I learned was that
I should do every barbecue in the
rain; everybody stays on campus,”
Paris said.
Photo by Jimmy Young
(Front) Juniors Paige Castren, Sarah Kowalski, seniors Kim Chatterjee, Zach Dawson, juniors Josh Del Mundo and
Julien Malard. (Back) Juniors Maryanne Wainaina, Kimberly Valdovinos, sophomore Kelsi Ocon, junior Riva Madan and
freshman Aileen Liang. The performers thank the light and sound technicians for helping out during the show. The 18 acts
ran Feb. 25 and Feb. 26. Read more about the Talent show, page 8.
Registering for classes:
Making
the
right
choices
Opinions, page 5
PROM
Preparing for
Features, pages 6-7
Oscar predictions:
Which movie will win the
best picture award?
A&E, page 9
NEWS
MARCH 2, 2010
The
Hatchet
WHS students represent in Honor Band
Bach Phan
Staff Reporter
Washington High School
38442 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94536
http://whshatchet.com
editor@whshatchet.com
Tel (510) 505-7300
Fax (510) 794-8437
2009/2010 Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Nicole Doan
Online Editor-in-Chief
Nicole Pham
News Editors
Paige Castren
Christelle Xu
Opinion Editors
Joshua Das
Alex Tyler
Features Editor
Michaela Go
A&E Editors
Noelle Fujii
Marcy Shieh
Sophomore Daniel Brown
and juniors Allen Liu and Kevin
Luo were selected to be part of
Fremont Unified School District’s
honor band.
The honor band consists
of around 40 students total
from around the district. The
rehearsals started during January
at Mission San Jose High School,
and the concert was held at the
Ohlone concert hall on Feb. 6.
They played music from the
eighteenth century.
“If I had to describe it in a
word…calm,” Brown said.
Scott Pierson, the marching
band director for San Jose State
and the director for the Santa
Clara Vanguards, directed teh
honor band. He taught the
honor band new things, such as
breathing techniques.
The
auditions
consisted
of recorded tapes, with the
The WHS honor band
applicants playing folk song
suites and scales, which are students started playing their
instrument when they were
different ways of playing notes.
The directors from each high growing up. In fourth grade, both
school, including marching Brown and Liu acquired their
band director Duane Mitchell, instruments. Brown picked the
came together and listened to trumpet and Liu began playing
the audition tapes anonymously. the French horn. Luo picked up
Then they picked a certain his clarinet in the third grade
number of students for each after he was done with his after
instrument depending on what school music classes, where he
played the
they needed. They
r e c o r d e r.
also made sure that
Brown was
every school was This is the best
inspired by
represented.
[honor] band we’ve
his
older
“This is the best
sister, who
[honor] band we’ve had in eight or nine
plays
the
had in eight or nine years.
Duane Mitchell
p i a n o .
years,”
Mitchell
His
first
said.
instrument
Brown, Liu and
Luo give credit to Mitchell for was the piano, which he continues
organizing the classes, setting to play today.
“My director chose my
everything up and directing
everybody. Mitchell directs more instrument for me,” Liu said.
They both practice many
than just marching band. He is
the choir director, and he teaches times throughout the week.
Brown practices every day for
the guitar class.
“
“
2
The Hatchet
about an hour, while Liu practices
around five hours a week. They
attribute their success from this
constant practice.
“It’s really about practice, there
is no talent, it’s just practice,”
Brown said.
However being in band has
not affected their academic life.
They are still commited to a high
standard of education.
Liu is looking at UC Berkeley
as a prospect for his future.
He has not thought of doing
anything else with his life besides
classical music.
Brown has not looked into
many schools, but knows of
many of the prominent music
schools. He has other hopes as
well. If he had to do something
besides music, he would become
and inventor or an engineer.
Luo does not plan on pursuing
music as a major, but rather a
minor in college.
“I feel proud to be in honor
band,” said Luo.
Sports Editors
Edin Cristofi
Kaylee Miu
Photo Editor
Raphael Ghieuw Sien
Advertising Director
Jimmy Young
Distribution Manager
Htoo Htoo Lu
Staff Reporters
Alejandro Montalvo
Amanda Nava
Anterpreet Kaur
Bach Phan
Brian Jeon
Briana Terry
Chase Glenister
Christine Harms
Harris Afridi
Jenae Lee
Jordan Brahaney
Judy Wu
Keerthika Ramakrishnan
Matt Moore
Rico Jones Donelson
Sarah deLanda
Shelmi Liang
Simoneel Czar
Simrundeep Kaur
Yama Hazheer
Mission
The Hatchet is a forum for student expression and discussion
of ideas uncensored by school
officials. The Hatchet staff seeks
to ethically produce an accurate
record of the news, sports, issues
and people of the Washington
High School community.
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Policy
The Hatchet encourages public
opinion through Letters to the Editor, which represent the opinion of
the writer only. An editor must confirm submission of all letters with
the writer. Writers may request that
their letter be printed anonymously,
but The Hatchet will not print letters
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Letters should be addressed to
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WHS-The Hatchet / 38442 Fremont
Blvd. / Fremont, CA 94536.
MOWRY & PASEO PADRE PKWY
The Hatchet
NEWS
MARCH 2, 2010
Students place in speech tournament
Christine Harms
Staff Reporter
The Speech and Debate team
was invited to the Richard D. King
Annual Youth Speech Contest put
on by the Niles Rotary on Thursday,
Feb. 4 at Washington Hospital.
Seniors Seth Neumann, Emily
Khuc, and John Rasure took
second, third and fourth places,
respectively. Senior Kokei Otosi
of Fremont Christian School took
first place. She was the only other
competitor present. Although
Washington could have sent more
speakers, they did not want to
overload Fremont Christian, who
was planning on bringing two
students, one of which was unable
to attend the event.
Both Neumann and Khuc have
participated in the speech contest
in the past.
Photo from Maryin Gold
Seniors John Rasure, Kokei Otosi, Emily Khuc and Seth
Neumann pose for a group picture. They placed fourth, first,
third and second respectively.
“I really wanted to win this year.
I haven’t been able to place first
in this contest in previous years
and it was my last chance before I
graduated,” Neumann said.
Traditionally, only WHS and
Fremont Christian School are
invited to this event. Both schools
are in the Niles Rotary Club. The
competitors were to present a
speech corresponding to the idea
of, “the future of Rotary in your
hands.” The event was judged by
three Rotary members. Otosi, the
event winner, will move on to the
area level of the competition.
The speech contest is named
after Fremont resident Richard
D. King. He was the president of
Rotary International from 2001 to
2002. He has been involved in the
Niles Rotary Club since 1968.
The Rotary is an international
community service organization.
Every year, the group takes on an
international project to aid a thirdworld country. They also work with
students to help gain leadership
experience in their communities
through the organization’s offshoot, Interact, and events such as
the speech contest.
NUMMI closure affects student and family
Bach Phan
Staff Reporter
The closure of the Fremont
NUMMI Plant affects WHS
students.
Sophomore
Billy
Bergendahl’s father has been
working in this plant for 24 years.
Bergendahl blames the recession
for the decline of NUMMI and the
demand of automobiles.
“I’m stressed out. It’s the first
time that I’ve had to look for a job
in over 24 years. A lot of changes
are going to happen,” Bergendahl
said.
His next move is uncertain. The
family expects to adjust spending
habits. He is worried about
finding a job because of the recent
downturn of the economy, which
has caused demand for his job
trade to decrease.
The closing of the plant will
greatly affect the 4,700 employees
that are currently employed by
NUMMI. There are also around
five to seven employees part of
various other companies that are
connected to the NUMMI plant,
working for supplier firms for
parts and other goods. According
to Bergendahl, this could result in
the overall loss of 21,000 jobs after
March 31.
“My dad pays some of the bills,
so my mom has to take more clients
at her job,” Billy Bergendahl said.
The massive amount of
employment lost will be hurtful to
the state’s budget as well. California
provides unemployment insurance
Coach, library staff honored
Judy Wu
Staff Reporter
During the PTSA meeting held on Feb.
4, library media technician Leslie DiFranco,
library information specialist Kristen Marie,
PTSA treasurer Francine Loudon and
parents Katy and Paul Yamaguchi received
honorary service awards.
“Receiving the award made my day. I was
surprised and proud,” DiFranco said.
Cheerleading coach Jovana Mozzetti was
also honored on Feb. 16 during the boys
varsity basketball game.
The award ceremonies was held to
celebrate Founders Day. Founders Day is
the celebration of 3 women who found the
organization that evolved into PTA/PTSA.
WHS PTSA uses events like faculty meetings,
Crab Feed, or PTSA and Grad Nite meetings
to give out the honorary service awards.
“PTSA likes to honor the recipients when
they are surrounded by their peers,” Kufeld
said.
The
WHS
community
submits
nominations with a statement of why
nominees should be honored. A community
then reviews the nominations and decides
who will be honored.
DiFranco has received the award multiple
times. This is the third Founder’s Day Award
DiFranco received. She has received the
other awards from Brookvale Elementary
School and Thornton Junior High.
“It was a huge honor and really nice of the
PTSA to give me the award,” DiFranco said.
AC Transit asks, ‘paper or plastic?’
Paige Castren
News Editor
AC Transit is in the process of transitioning
all its paper passes to the TransLink Card.
Senior Marketing Representative Cristina
Ebojo said she is preparing outreach events
for schools and other public places to get
students registered for the TransLink cards.
There is one planned at the Fremont Main
Library March 23. Ebojo said these outreach
events are important because many AC
Transit riders do not know about the cards
or know how to get one.
"There is a little advertisement on the bus,
but it doesn't give directions on how to get
one," junior Amber Yao said.
The TransLink Card is a plastic card
personalized with students' pictures and
name. It can be loaded with e-cash or a 31-
day youth pass. To aquire a Youth TransLink
Card the rider must be 5 to 17 years old and
show proof of name and age.
TransLink
Cards
cannot
get
demagnetized, there are multiple ways of
loading them, and can be easily replaced.
"If you bend[the paper passes] or place it
near a magnet then when you go to swipe it,
the machine can't register it. The cards will
help a lot," sophomore Katie Majumdar said.
Ebojo says that the cards should be more
efficient and reliable.
"In our test runs we have found that
tagging a TransLink Card can result in faster
boarding times compared to paying with
cash or paper magnetic strip passes," Ebojo
said.
TransLink cards are normally $5, but AC
Transit will be waiving the fee until June of
this year.
for every person that has been
laid off. According to the National
Center for Children in Poverty
(NCCP) will have to pay up to $450
per unemployed person per week.
For the predicted lost 21,000
jobs, that is upwards of $9.45
million
for
unemployment
insurance every week. Many have
seen the NUMMI sign while
driving on the freeway, but people
missed see the importance it had
cemented in this community as a
key provider of employment.
3
Scrivener
receives
superior
rating
Htoo Htoo Lu
Staff Reporter
The Scrivener, WHS’s
literary magazine, won the
Superior award in National
Council of Teachers of
English’s
Program
to
Recognize Excellence in
Student Literary Magazines.
Of the 425 schools
across the United States
who submitted entries, 26
received the highest award,
81 Superior, 207 Excellent,
and 48 Above Average.
This program is open to
all high school and junior
high schools throughout
the United States, Canada,
Virgin Islands, and to
American schools aboard.
Once submitted for
judging by experienced
reviewers in Washington
DC, the magazine is judged
on four criteria: content,
content variation, graphics,
and organization.
“We
hope
younger
students will maintain [such
accomplishments] in the
future,” Scrivener editor
Cindy Wang said.
4
The Hatchet
OPINIONS
MARCH 2, 2010
Be aware of what you are saying: ‘retard’ is not ‘stupid’
Joshua Das
Opinions Editor
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mental retardation as
a “sub average intellectual ability
equivalent to or less than an IQ
of 70 that is accompanied by
significant deficits in abilities (as
in communication or self-care)
necessary for independent daily
functioning, is present from birth
or infancy, and is manifested
especially by delayed or abnormal
development,
by
learning
difficulties, and by problems in
social adjustment.”
You hear it at school, and on the
streets. It’s seen on TV, it’s seen in
the movies. It’s heard on the radio,
and it’s read in books.
The word “retarded” was
meant to describe people with
the conditions Webster lists;
however, it seems to have lost its
meaning. Now for anything that
can be described as ridiculous or
unpleasant, we label it as “retarded.”
Although it might not seem like
much, since it is used constantly,
this is merely a gateway for the
evolution of hateful speech, not to
mention the insensitivity towards
those who are mentally impaired.
The word “retard” has even
spawned many spinoffs such
as “celebutard” (famous stupid
person), “debutard” (famous rich
person who can’t handle money)
and “e-tard” (someone not familiar
with computers or technology).
Most people know individuals
who are challenged, one way or
another. They may have a mental
or physical illness. They may be
injured, or they suffer from the
many different problems of today.
We should do our best to help
them and not mock them.
“I think the word ‘retard’ should
be used to emphasize a point, but
people use it too leisurely,” senior
Alfonso Bonilla said.
The word “retard” completely
undermines the efforts made to
prevent discrimination against
those who suffer from mental
illnesses. This word has such a
strong negative connotation, that
it gives a poor impression to those
mentally disabled, who have little
to no control over the situation.
Very few would actually use the
word “retard” to label someone
with a handicap. It’s unfitting as a
noun, and seems to be more of a
term used betwixt friends. Try to
remove this expression from your
daily use, and be conscious of who
you might offend.
This Is
What’s Choppin’
By Nicole Doan
High school relationships lack longevity
Keerthika Ramakrishnan
Staff Reporter
High school relationships may
be fun and exciting, but are they
going to end in marriage? Not
many people end up marrying
their high school sweethearts.
Not everyone sticks with the same
people all through the four years.
Coming in as freshmen, students
feel excited and nervous about
having a girlfriend or boyfriend. By
senior year, some students are just
ready to leave the immature world
of high school dating.
High school relationships start
off as crushes. You talk to the girl
or guy that looks cute to you, and at
one point, if you like them,
you ask them out.
After you start
going out,
you
find
more things
in common
between
you.
The
school dance
is around the
corner, and you
go dance like you
have never before.
Everything is nice
and
smooth
until
you
f i n d
something out about the other
person, or you start to have
arguments. You don’t talk to each
other for a day or two. After that
you apologize and start talking
again. Soon enough this roller
coaster of ups and downs will lead
to longer fights and shorter makeup times. At one point, you call it
quits and become ex-girlfriend and
boyfriend. Then you move on to
another person.
On entering ninth grade you
think you are all grown up, but
looking back as a senior you will
wonder what you saw in your exboyfriends and girlfriends. High
school love can be immature. The
girl will try to rectify her guy’s
habits, and boys get filled
with anger. Boys tend to
be egotistical and want
the girl to call and
Illustration
by
Nicole Doa
n
say sorry first. Both of them start
becoming jealous and possessive.
The couples start disliking their
partner’s possessiveness while they
themselves are being possessive.
Hypocrisy and big egos are the
main reasons for breakups.
There is also the physical versus
the mental liking. At one point,
some relationships begin with the
person’s outer appearance and not
with their heart. Many girls and
boys get into relationships with the
wrong person without knowing the
other person’s true incentives. Love
has to be between two hearts, not
bodies, to be everlasting.
Only a few high school couples
have gotten married. Most high
school love and especially one’s
first love is never forgotten but
rather kept as a experience for the
future life.
Mainstream music fails
to deliver significant
meaning
Jimmy Young
Columnist
The quality of music has
diminished
in
American
society. Teenagers’ standards
for music have decreased,
and the music industry has
responded to that. They give us
generic beats and synthesized
voices layered with meaningless
lyrics. The problem is that we
are actually accepting this trash.
The quantity of money
listeners paying isn’t proportional to the quality of the
music. Adolescents just blindly
accept this trash as good music
simply because it is played on
the radio.
So why have we not noticed
this earlier? A lot of teenagers
entered started listening to
music during Phase 2. So what
are these phases?
I’ll divide the time periods
into 3 phases.
Phase 1: Around late 90’s and
before. This was the time when
a lot hip-hop albums was sugar.
You could lick the album all the
way around and there wouldn’t
be track that was left uncoated;
ranging from the jazzy cool A
Tribe Called Quest to politically
controversial Public Enemy.
Phase 2: This time period is
best put as middle school. We
were too young to think about
what was really going on. The
well-marketed iPod increased
listeners for it’s portability and
simplicity—it became easier
to listen to massively streamed
music. Technology had slowly
seeped in and before you know
it everyone was poisoned by
the pollution of mass produced
“music.” Artists rely too much
on technological advantages like
auto tune; a voice correction tool
now abused by music producers
to produce an artificial voice.
Individual artists seeking for
their musical philosophy but
producers shut them out-they
believed that this generation did
not need them anymore.
Phase 3: Now and beyond.
Are we going to keep accepting
this poor music? Is the “sex”
ever going to get old? Who’s
going to stand up to it?
Mainstream music overflows with repetitive, catchy and
manufactured sounds and underground is the dense, qualitative and powerful music.
In the ’90s, the majority
of hip-hop music was held to
a higher standard. From the
beats to the lyrics, everything
was original and meaningful.
But today’s rap music is just
compiled
plastic.
Music
industries treat money as a
higher priority than the songs.
There’s no real talent under all
that futuristic make-up.
What we listen to is not
music anymore, its just sounds.
It’s just vibrations that strike the
eardrums. Producers simply
need to let the creativity of the
artists flow. So who’s going to
listen to music?
The Hatchet
OPINIONS
Staff Editorial
As FUSD schools continue to
issue budget cuts, a heavy cloud
of irritation thickens among
students, teachers and other
school workers alike. The district
plans to cut teacher salaries
and a councilor, in addition to
increasing class sizes, causing the
school climate to turn sour.
Beginning this school year, the
hike in number of students per
class robbed us of the luxury of
smaller classes, sometimes with
less than 20 students, particularly
English classes. Previously,
teachers had a larger focus on
each student, and in the case of
English classes, students generally
had more meaningful discussions
about the books they read. Now
everybody can’t contribute to
discussions or ask their questions
because there isn’t enough time in
a class period to fit that all in. In
addition, some classes are so large
that there aren’t enough desks for
students. As a result, students may
not be as content or comfortable
as when class sizes were smaller.
In addition, with the possibility
that the district may cut salaries
or have layoffs, teachers and other
school staff members may feel less
determined to carry out their jobs.
They may not completely stop
putting in the effort, but there may
be times in which they feel like
giving up. This may not be true for
all staff members.
We must not point fingers at
anyone or any entity, for the state
is making an effort to preserve our
education. According to Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s website,
MARCH 2, 2010
5
Budget cuts affect school climate
Illustration by Brian Jeon
http://gov.ca.gov, our governor’s
2010-11 budget includes keeping
educational funding at the same
level year over year. Therefore, it
seems as though lower levels of
government, such as our school
district, are at fault for causing
distress among students and
school staff members.
However, budget cuts are
necessary to saving money during
these tough economic times.
We can do little to improve our
conditions, with the exception of
convincing our parents to opt for
paying additional taxes. However,
adults do not feel eager to pay
more taxes, even if that means
better education for their children.
Aside from that, all we can do
is ride it out together and have
understanding about the situation.
Without understanding that cuts
must be made to reduce monetary
spending, people may feel inclined
to complain without taking things
into consideration. Have patience;
we can get through it.
Choose wisely during upcoming class registration period
Simrundeep Kaur
Staff Reporter
As class registration time
approaches, students start to think
about what classes they should sign
up for. Oftentimes, what a student
puts down on his or her paper
is influenced by those who have
previously taken the class. There are
aspects that students should take
into consideration when they sign
up for a class, especially electivesthe subject, the teacher, the
difficulty level, the requirements
and, most importantly, your
interest in the class.
To get a balanced and wellrounded schedule, make your
requirements a priority. The
difficulty of your required classes,
whether it is a college prep, honors
or AP course, should be chosen
while taking into consideration
how much you can handle.
Picking several hard classes and
doing poorly in them will not be
beneficial to you.
A common misconception
with some of the perceived to be
easy classes is that students feel
as though they do not need to try
as hard as they should. They may
not be as willing to do the work,
and they may assume they will
do well anyway. It can’t be said
that people only choose the easy
classes because they don’t want to
do anything; easy classes can be
relaxing after your more stressful
ones. So taking an easy class or two
isn’t bad.
By choosing a class that you
actually find interesting, whether
it’s the subject matter or something
you’ve always wanted to try, you
will be more inclined to try to do
well. This doesn’t mean that you
won’t do as well in a class that you
don’t like as much, but with your
interest sparked, you will find
the class more enjoyable. When
it comes to selecting a foreign
language class, choose one that
appeals to you most. For your fine
art, choose whatever sparks your
interest most, but choose one that
you find fits your best. Try to not
be influenced by your friends,
because what they might like and
want to take could be different
from your choice.
A teacher can also make a lot
of difference in how much you
enjoy a class. No one wants to be
in the same room with someone
who doesn’t want to be there. I’m
not saying that the teachers here
are like that, but from personal
experience, classes are always
more enjoyable when the teacher
is enthusiastic about what they
are teaching. In addition your
enjoyment in a class also increases
when you make an obvious effort.
If you don’t even want to try, then
complaining about the class is not
going to get you anywhere.
You are going to have the same
schedule for the entire school year,
so choosing wisely is key. It’s not
easy for students to all the classes
they want, so thinking thoroughly
about what you want to take now
will limit your difficulty later.
“Budget cuts are affecting
our sports, and I think we’re
wasting money on things we
don’t need like the marquee.”
“Budget cuts are important
because if teachers are getting laid off, we have less class
choices.”
“I am very disappointed
with the budget cuts because
they are detracting my learning
abilities.”
Scott Wolbert, 12
Erik Shenck, 11
Brett Breitzman, 10
Balaj Bukhari, 9
How do budget cuts affect you and the people around you?
“Budget cuts are really
affecting the motivation of my
teachers.”
Nicole Marsella Jensen,
Teacher
Huskies in the Halls
“I’m very stressed. In all
probability, I won’t have a job
here next year.”
6
The Hatchet
The Hatchet
FEATURES
MARCH 2, 2010
MARCH 2, 2010
Pre-prom Prep
7
Planning for a perfect prom
Timeline by Anterpreet Kaur
Illustrations by Michaela Go
January
Save money! If you are unsure of whether
you will go, save anyway! You never know if
you might change your mind as the prom date
approaches or if your friends will persuade you
to go. Remember, you don’t have to buy a $300
dress. If you’re having financial difficulties,
you can ask an older friend who is a senior or
even one in college to borrow his or her outfit.
Dress prices can range from $15 to well into
the hundreds. The more expensive dress or
tuxedo isn’t necessarily the better looking or
more attractive one. As far as the limousine
costs, you and your friends can always split
the costs.
Save Money
Early March
Ask out a date or decide which friends you
will go with. Once you have this decided, you and
your friends can start thinking about splitting the
limousine costs. If you’re going with a date, then
you two can decide the color scheme of the tie
and dress.
“Go with all the people you want to share that
night with. Be safe, stay hydrated, have fun, enjoy
the food and dance your face off!” senior Nikita
Gurnani said.
If you are planning to ride a limousine to and
from prom, have the limousine arranged by early
March. Limousines get booked really quickly,
and you want to make sure you get a limo that
is in good condition. Also you may be get better
rates if you reserve early.
Ask a Date
Mid-March
What to Wear
At least two weeks before event you should
buy your dress or tuxedo. Earlier is better. You
definitely do not want to go through the hassle
of trying to figure out what to wear one or
two days before prom. The later you wait, the
harder it will be to find a style you like in your
size. Also look for matching accessories such
as shoes, a purse and jewelry.
Arrange who will do hair and make-up.
Look online for pictures of what you want,
or get an idea of what your beautician has in
mind. You don’t want to be stuck with bad
make-up and bad hair one hour before prom.
If you decide that you want to do your hair by
yourself or have a friend do it, start practicing
now. Look on YouTube or ask friends for
hairstyles that will suit you.
“There are some salons that cost only $25
to get your hair done really nicely. Or, you can
just straighten or curl your hair at home and
still look nice,” senior Margina Anwari said.
About two weeks before, call or visit a
florist to order boutonnieres and corsages.
Especially during prom season, florists need
time to make all the orders.
March 27
Enjoy and make the best out of this memorable
day! Don’t forget to bring a personal camera to
take pictures.
Enjoy
How to ask
someone to prom
Raphael Ghieuw Sien
Photo Editor
Asking a date to prom can be intimidating, but it is not as scary as it seems. All it takes is
careful planning and guts. This may sounds a little confusing, but most girls like to be asked
in a surprising, but not embarrassing way.
Senior Jason Liu asked senior Htoo Htoo Lu to junior prom last year. Liu placed flowers
in Lu’s locker, and asked her to prom at lunch.
“It’s the tradition [which guys ask girls to prom],” Liu said.
Liu also said being nice is the key to ask a girl to prom.
Senior Angela Chu didn’t initially plan to go to junior prom last year, but her best friend
senior Alex Gilham planned a surprise for her in math teacher Mark Clevenger’s room.
Gilham initially asked Chu on the phone and after receiving a “green light” from Chu,
Gilham proceeded to surprise Chu with red roses in Clevenger’s room. Chu was surprised
when she went into the classroom and saw Gilham in the front of the classroom asking her
to prom.
“I thought it was cute at the time. I pulled him out and hugged him,” Chu said.
A “green light” from your prospective date will be different from person to person.
It may range from a “yes” to a small hint like “maybe,” or even a smile from her or his
face. Once you get a “green light” you should plan something big to ask her or him. It is
important to make your date feel special and surprised.
According to Chu, too many suspicious actions; such as walking in a really slow phase
or having your friends leading your prospective date to a different route around school can
blow the surprise.
If you haven’t received a “green light” from your prospective date, you might want to ask
her or him privately. Asking a girl privately gives the girl a chance to reject you privately.
It might be embarrassing to be rejected in private, but it’s not as bad as getting rejected in
public or going to prom with a girl who doesn’t want to go with you.
“If I don’t really know the guy, I’d probably want him to ask me privately,” Chu said.
It might be a tradition for a guy to ask a girl to prom, but it is certainly fine for a girl to
ask a guy. Guys like to be asked by a girl to prom because it is special; not many girls have
the guts to do that.
“Not many girls would [ask a guy to prom],” senior Alexander Kerelsky said.
Even though it is customary for a guy to ask the girl, it would definitely makes his job
easier if a girl asked.
on by
Illustrati
Nicole D
oan
n
a
h
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o
m
s
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ue
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Illustration by Nicole Doan
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ir
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and
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o
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nm
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xcludin tal amount of m
n
e
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t
n
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t
a
c
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s
o
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e
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ay $320
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p
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s
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you have the choice to go formal or
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not. If you really wanted to go to prom,
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is
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in
said. “Th
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m
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a
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s
M
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b
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Other w
w
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kn
places
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. If you
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r
n
e
e
going
is because you really like a
a
k
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e
a
p
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s
m
at
keu
an
tice ma prom so you c rom is to look e at one shop,
c
a
r
particular
girl or boy, then just ask
p
n
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re
ag
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t
c
a
your
potential
date out. By going
r
p
y
y
en
the
o sa
. Even if sage at a differ you don’t feel
l trick t
g
a
e
in
r
on
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private
date,
you won’t feel
h
t
e
e
r
Th
so
co
som
early on the essentials
ifferent
hasing
s
d
c
r
a
m
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awkward
around
the person’s
e
e
p
it
v
e
e
rom
ou lo
hav
befor
d that y ou to look for p ee in order to
n
giggling
friends,
and
you won’t
fi
y
a
s
y
you m
to wear
t
requires thing that you
h
is
ig
have
to
feel
self-conscious
about
r
Th
.
ls
r
st
fee
cheape
uplicate
ne that
y the fir
o
d
u
b
e
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h
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your
dancing.
In
addition,
a
o
t
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d
o
e
d
pic
pressur prom.
ise, they
em and hat, but if you
it
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r
e
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date
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the
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o
t
r
t
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O
fo
a
h
on time rchase more th ing wrong wit o return them. p your receipts
privacy focus on each other
u
h
t
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ee
l
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o
e
n
k
m
c
’s
a
o
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ere
worn. K y make you fee
ey b
n
Th
n
u
.
o
d
and to talk about whatever you
m
m
n
o
r
r
a
a
e
of p
tten
t you
It m
seem lik
the day
’t
ay to ge ur closet forgo ou didn’t use.
n
w
want.
o
w
le
p
s
yo
sim
eipt
at y
items, a likely reside in n the things th llars saving rec
These are all alternatives to
do
ur
st
le to ret k hundreds of
will mo
b
a
going
to prom. Keep in mind
e
r
a
c
you
u get ba
o
so that
y
n
that
these
are just the basics.
e
h
ut w
frugal, b time anymore.
They
will
get
you
started
on
crafting
the ultimate
of
a waste
alternative to prom.
8
The Hatchet
A&E
MARCH 2, 2010
‘Catcher’
belongs on
the page
Chutney
spices it up
Simoneel Czar
Staff Reporter
Chutney, a delicious new
Pakistani and Indian restaurant, is
located on 3352 Mowry Avenue.
It has a sleek atmosphere
with Indian artwork around the
restaurant. After ordering, I was
able to freely choose my own table.
The waiters and waitresses are
friendly. The service is fast, and
there is a take-out option if you’re
in a hurry. The restaurant is also
very clean.
Their samosas and mint
chutney are delicious, and the
masala tea is even better. The
mouth-watering food with their
garlic naan, garlic flavored roasted
flat bread and barbecued chicken
is one of the best in Fremont. The
tandoori fish, barbecued fish with
spices was freshly cooked. Their
butter chicken has cream that
tastes excellent with freshly made
tandoori naan.
I ordered the jalebi and gulab
jamun for desert and they both
tasted nicely homemade. Their
mango lassi was also very refreshing
and came in a large serving.
Chutney costs approximately
$20 to $25 for two hungry people.
The portions are well-sized and
the naan is much larger, compared
to the other Indian restaurants in
Fremont. Chutney presents a great
cultural experience. Verdict: B+
Marcy Shieh
A&E Editor
Photo by Jimmy Young
Junior Riva Maden peforms a ballet to Polovtsian Dances at the talent show. She is one
of the numerous students that showed off their talent.
Talent show ‘one of the best’
Noelle Fujii
A&E Editor
The 18 different talent show
acts brought an array of different
performances in the cafeteria,
Feb. 25 and 26. Both nights sold
approximately 100 tickets.
Drama teacher Matthew
Ballin was pleased with this
year’s show.
“It was great,” Ballin said.
“One of our best.”
Talents ranged from music
to poetry to dancing. Each
performance ended with loud
applause from the audience.
Junior Kimberly Valdovinos
dropped her fan as she danced
to Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,”
but she didn’t let it affect her
performance. The audience
stood and applauded for her as
she ended her dance.
Junior Mario Rappa was
the emcee. He introduced each
person and his or her talent and
added some comedy in between.
He rehearsed some of his jokes,
but he improvised most of them.
Friday’s show had a few technical
difficulties, so Rappa had to take
the stage until they were fixed.
“It was scary [during the
technical difficulties] at first,”
Rappa said. “But in the end it was
fun.”
The performers enjoyed being
on stage.
“I think [the talent show] was
good. Everyone performed well,”
senior Lorenzo Dominquez said.
Freshman Aileen Liang played
the piano and sang “Gravity” by
Sarah Bareilles.
“I was nervous at first, but it was
good later,” Liang said.
Sophomore Kelsi Ocon
performed solo on Friday when
the night before she performed
a duet with sophomore Kenzi
Rushton because Rushton was
out of town. Her performance
was still followed by applause.
Sophomore Taylor Loosli
favored the second act over the
first act.
“I really liked the singers,”
Loosli said. “They really blew
me away!”
Freshman Alice Pham
thought
the
show
was
fun to watch. Her favorite
performances by the Magical
Unicorn Rainbow Cruise-Ship
and the performers who played
guitar solos.
The entire show can be
found on whshatchet.com
Bandapalooza’s back!
Marcy Shieh
A&E Editor
Photo by Matthew Ballin
Sophomore Max Lerch and senior Kimberly Chatterjee
in Charlie Brown. Lerch played Linus.
Artist Spotlight
Lerch shines on the stage
Shelmi Liang
Staff Reporter
Sophomore Max Lerch has
been acting for four years. In the
sixth grade, a friend suggested
that he should audition for
a show and so he pursued it.
His first show was Peter Pan,
in which he played a Lost Boy.
Since then, Max has starred in
plays and musicals.
“I enjoy the camaraderie, and
being able to get the chance to
get to know people from other
schools around Fremont who
have the same appreciation for
theatre like I do,” Lerch said.
He has always been inspired
by the work of Ted Kaczynski.
He does about three shows
a year and each show is over a
three month time period. Last
year, Lerch played the role of
Linus in You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown and Knave for
Alice in Wonderland for WHS.
“I had to learn how to talk
with a convincing lisp [in Alice],
so I would practice talking with
a lisp so much, that I would
sometimes accidentally slip into
a lisp mid-sentence.”
Lerch’s favorite plays include
the The Laramie Project and
Next to Normal.
He will be in Les Miserables
from July 23 to Aug. 14 at the
Smith Center Amphitheatre
at Ohlone College and plans
to audition for WHS’s spring
musical, Cabaret. Lerch was also
the sound technician for the
talent show.
Sometimes Lerch has to stay
up late at night doing school
work. The rehearsals are long but
he feels that they are important
in preparing for the show.
Lerch is unsure if he will
pursue acting further after high
school.
“For now, it’s just a high
school hobby,” Lerch said.
Get ready to rock ‘n roll.
Bandapalooza will return with
student performers ready to
strum those guitars and hit the
high notes.
This will be the first
Bandapalooza to hit the WHS
stage since 2007. The line-up
will include #@&$ (Stagflation),
Quick Question, She Waves the
Flag, Sincerely, Your Superior
and Spaceman Spiff.
“In previous years, interest
from students to audition has
been low, and the cost of renting
sound equipment and facilities
has made [Bandapalooza] not
worth holding,” senior Emily
Khuc said.
This year, the interest was
high and ASB agreed to donate
sound equipment.
Each band audition was
scored out of 50 points. Music
and sound of the band was worth
25 points, performance was
worth 15 points, song was worth
5 points and professionalism
and appearance was worth 5
points. Judges, which included
five band class students, English
teacher
Daniel
McCarthy
and economics teacher James
MacLeod, used the final point
values to pick their top five
bands. Students and teachers
were asked to be impartial and
keep their decisions confidential.
In
previous
years,
only students judged the
performances. This is the
first year the school has
allowed teachers to judge the
performances.
Bands needed to include at
least one WHS student. There
will not be much publicity
outside school.
“The
purpose
of
Bandapalooza has always been
to have a rock concert for the
students of WHS in particular,”
Khuc said.
Since
auditions
took
place Feb. 25 and 26, it
was inconvenient for band
members who were also
performing in the talent show.
Junior Erin Riegelsberger
participated in two bands and
one solo singing performance
in the talent show and her
band, Quick Question, also
auditioned for Bandapalooza.
“[It was] a little stressful,”
Riegelsberger said.
The talent show rehearsals
were Feb. 23 and 24, so in
order to avoid a sound battle
between the band room and
the cafeteria, Bandapalooza
auditions took place on the
actual dates of the talent show
because the cafeteria would be
empty until evening.
Tickets will be on sale in
the band room from March 15
to 19 for $5 with ASB and $7
without. Tickets can be bought
the door March 19 for $6 with
ASB and $8 without.
The money will go to WHS
music department, which
funds the choir, guitar and
band classes. It will also be
used to pay for equipment,
repairs and band performance
transportation.
“Money from fundraising
is especially needed now after
budget cuts,” Khuc said.
Great American Novels don’t
necessarily make Great American
Movies. These are words to ponder
for long-time advocates of a
Catcher in the Rye movie.
Since J.D. Salinger’s death on
Jan. 27, questions of a Catcher
movie adaptation resurfaced. In a
1957 letter now being sold on the
Moments in Time website, Salinger
contemplates to a Mr. Herbert the
possibility that he would leave the
unsold movie rights of Catcher
to his then-wife and daughter
as insurance. In the letter, he
called his work “can’t legitimately
be separated from [Catcher’s
protagonist, Holden Caulfield’s]
own first-person technique.”
ABC (Australian Broadcasting
Corporation) News reports that,
according to Salinger’s agent
Phyllis Westberg at Harold Ober
Associates in New York, he did
not change anything in terms of
licensing rights, but the future
remains unclear.
According to The New York
Times, Salinger was disappointed
with the Hollywood version of
his short story, “Uncle Wiggly in
Connecticut” and refused to ever
again sell movie rights for any of
his other works. Yet Salinger was
fond of movies. According to his
ex-lover Joyce Maynard’s memoir
Looking Back, Salinger collected
16 mm prints of classic movies.
Salinger may have been stubborn,
but he probably knew what made
great movies tick: Catcher doesn’t
possess that quality.
A Catcher film adaptation
is destined to join the ranks of
forgettable films, such as The
Great Gatsby and Lord of the Flies.
Literature allows symbolism and
stream-of-consciousness to thrive
on paper, but on film, most details
get lost in translation.
Holden’s narration in Catcher
is sometimes relevant, sometimes
random. For a movie to grasp
attention, what is said must
directly relate to the actions onscreen. Catcher’s episodic plot is
too sporadic for a film narrative.
Imagine Holden’s fractured
relationship with Mr. Antolini
with a filmmaker’s bias; that
would simply destroy Salinger’s
intentional ambivalence. The
touching scene where Holden
watches his sister, Phoebe, ride the
carousel, may feel silly.
As Salinger rejected offers from
directors Billy Wilder to Steven
Spielberg, he continued to inspire
filmmakers through his literary
works. The Royal Tenenbaums
and Igby Goes Down have Salinger
touches without being a blatant
adaptation of a Salinger work.
Loneliness, angst, heartbreak,
comedy, vulnerability. And of
course, New York. The movies
paint classic Salinger strokes in the
glow of cinematic acuity.
Perhaps someone can make
a brilliant Catcher film, with the
right script, director and actors, but
Catcher, like many other novels,
truly belongs on the page.
The Hatchet
A&E
MARCH 2, 2010
From the
rack to the
boutique
Students
lack reading
Noelle Fujii
Marcy Shieh
A&E Editors
Jenae Lee
Columnist
Have you searched all over the
department stores for that perfect
prom dress and still have not found
anything that you like? In order
to save you a frustratingly lengthy
experience, here are some new
suggestions that might help sweep
you off your feet.
Nordstrom Rack at the San
Leandro Outlet Mall has luxury
pieces at lower prices. They have
great brand and designer pieces
for lower prices than the original
Nordstrom. They have a great
selection of shoes as well. The
famous Jessica McClintock Outlet
in San Francisco has everything
you need. You can also look at
high-end thrift stores such as
Buffalo Exchange out in Berkeley
or San Francisco.
Is the sky the limit on how
much you want to pay? Hit the
local boutiques such as Armadillo
Bay in the Irvington Area. Owner
Alberta Dodge hand picks some of
the dresses specifically for prom.
Some of the labels she picks include
Betsey Johnson and Nicole Miller,
which have been marked down for
the occasion.
Another boutique in the area
is the Envy.Me Boutique in Niles.
They understand how costly prom
can be, so they have a wonderful
selection of beautiful, long,
donated prom dresses that range
from $20 to $50.
There is this amazing website,
http://www.unique-vintage.com,
that has plenty of dresses for you
to choose from. Short, long, solid,
print, ruffles, this site has it all, and
it’s all well-priced. They also have a
great deal of shoes and accessories
to go along with your dress.
With that, happy shopping!
Photo by Paramount Pictures
Teddy (DiCaprio) looks back in Scorsese’s new psychological thriller. The Master of
Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, would have been proud.
‘Shutter’ thrills as events unfold
Alejandro Montalvo
Staff Reporter
Martin Scorsese makes two
types of films: great films and
classic films. Shutter Island is a
great film, meaning that it isn’t
a Scorsese classic, but is still far
superior to the trash that fills
the screens in the theater.
Scorsese is at a point in
his career where his successes
outweigh his failures. Since
2000, he has not made an
unsuccessful film, further
proving
his
astonishing
mastership of the cinematic
craft. At the 2007 Academy
Awards ceremony, Scorsese
finally received a long overdue
Best Director Oscar for The
Departed. That being said, the
anticipation for his latest film,
Shutter Island, has been intense.
Shutter Island is not a scary
film. The trailers and TV spots
market it like a typical horror
film, but it is far superior
than the average horror flick.
The film is about two Federal
Marshalls who are investigating
the disappearance of a violent
patient at a psychiatric hospital on
an island. However, like the trailers
suggest, there is something else
at work, morphing the story as it
progresses.
Shutter Island plays more like
a 1950s Hitchcock thriller, with
storytelling conventions from that
style. The symbolism is not hard
to understand, nor is it shy and
masked. Flashbacks and walking
hallucinations compliment the
inner turmoil brewing inside the
main character, Teddy.
Leonardo DiCaprio, further
proving he is more than just a
pretty face, plays Teddy with the
kind of madness that garners Oscar
nominations. Had this film been
released on its original release date,
back in October, DiCaprio would
have gotten an Oscar nomination.
Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo,
Michelle
Williams,
Patricia
Clarkson and Max Von Sydow all
give outstanding performances
that mold the atmosphere of
Shutter Island.
Those who pay attention will
know the twist before it comes,
but this does not necessarily
ruin the film. The thrill comes
in watching how the events
unfold. The twist isn’t that farfetched, but is still satisfying
and provides closure. Hitchcock
would have been proud.
Critics of the film have
already lambasted it for being
too simple and sub-par by
Scorsese standards. But even a
foul-up of a film by Scorsese can
still entertain most audiences.
It will be interesting to see if
anti-smoking advocates will
attack this film, for there is
a ton of smoking. Gore and
violence are also prominent, as
this is a Scorsese film after all.
The war scene flashbacks and
hallucinations are fairly graphic,
leaving little to the imagination.
But the blatant presence of
violence only compliments the
themes of the film.
Shutter Island is a synergetic
meet
between
old-school
filmmaking and modern-day
storytelling as seen through the
eyes of an auteur with cinema in
his blood. Verdict: B+
Academy Award nominees reach for the gold
Alejandro Montalvo
Staff Reporter
The
Academy
Awards
ceremony is March 7. Many of
the nominations between the
Golden Globes and the Oscars are
similar, so there might not be many
surprises. But upsets do happen.
After last year’s musical fiasco,
hosted by Hugh Jackman, the
Academy has cleverly decided
to return to traditional ways
and appointed comedians Alec
Baldwin and Steve Martin as hosts.
Both actors worked together on the
film It’s Complicated, showing their
comedic abilities.
The Academy has taken both
flack and praise for upping the total
number of Best Picture nominees
to 10. The Academy reacted to the
audience’s complaints about the
exclusion of The Dark Knight from
last year’s Best Picture category.
But what does this say about
the nature of the award? Do the
financially successful movies carry
more weight than the critically
praised films just because they
were popular? Since when do
general audiences get a vote in
9
the Academy? The Best Picture
Oscar has often been awarded to
critically praised art films which
weren’t widely seen, such as The
Last Emperor and Chariots of
Fire, which does not garner high
ratings for the telecast. By upping
the number of nominees to 10, the
Academy has sadly surrendered to
the will of the idiot masses.
That being said, the odds for
the critically praised, but limited
released, film The Hurt Locker,
are strong. Avatar may have made
billions but The Hurt Locker has
been honored at many esteemed
award shows. The other eight
nominees are great films, but the
real contest is between David (The
Hurt Locker) and Goliath (Avatar).
The acting awards are fairly
secured, especially for the
Supporting
Actor
category.
Christoph Waltz has won every
best supporting actor award at
previous shows this season for
Inglourious Basterds.
Like Waltz, Best Supporting
Actress nominee, Mo’Nique in
Precious: Based on the Novel Push
by Sapphire is a lock.
Jeff Bridges is the strongest
contender for the Best Actor award
for his performance in Crazy
Heart. Bridges has been ignored
by the Academy, even when he
has repeatedly given Oscar-worthy
performances. This is his year.
For Best Actress, Meryl Streep
for Julie & Julia and Sandra
Bullock for The Blind Side are in
a deadlock. If the Academy has
brains, they’ll go for Bullock
because like Bridges, she has
been ignored for too long;
Streep already has two
Oscars.
For Best Director, the
showdown is between
Bigelow and her exhusband
James
Cameron, who has
previously won for
Titanic. If Bigelow
wins, she would be
the first female Best
Director winner.
The list of nomination
snubs could go on, but it’s
better not to dwell on that.
Whether it be for the hosts or
the awards, make sure not to
miss the most glorious night in
Hollywood.
Illustrated by
Brian Jeon
Symbolism, tone, style. Some
students can’t even comprehend the
meaning of the work, which makes
enjoying, much less analyzing, the
work impossible.
“Every day, it’s a teacher’s job
to get students interested,” English
teacher Sharon Jones said.
Yet sophomore Melanie Miller
is often bored by the assigned
reading. She had difficulty
understanding
Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar. She read Maus
because it was a captivating, easy to
understand, graphic novel.
“I was motivated by Maus
because it was in the form of a
comic book, which set it aside from
all of the other books,” Miller said.
Freshman Maureen Madrid
believes students can be motivated
to read by a good story and
climax. Madrid is unimpressed
with a majority of the current
academic literary selections, but
she continues to read in order to
do well on the tests.
“I don’t know what English
teachers would really let us read
but I guess [I would] like [to read]
stories that can relate to a typical
teenager’s life,” Madrid said.
Freshman Natalie McCluskey
would like to read books containing
adventure and life lessons.
“[The books I’m reading in
English class] are about the older
times, which is harder to relate to
and [they also] use older language,
which I don’t see the point of
learning,” McCluskey said.
On the other hand, senior
Michael Jones enjoys the assigned
dramatic works. Although he did
not enjoy every classic, he liked
Lord of the Flies and The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn.
“Often in everyday life you see
references or quotes from classic
books. Like the ones assigned in
class,” Jones said.
If pop culture is not enough to
encourage students to read classics,
they will be pleased to learn that
more contemporary books are
approved annually.
In addition to Maus, The Kite
Runner, submitted by English
teacher Stewart Perlman, was also
approved by the district. However,
purchasing the novels and
developing new curriculum will be
an issue.
English teacher Teri Hu
submitted eight contemporary
books to the district for her AP
class and six were passed.
“We teach enough literature by
dead people, it’s time to read books
by people who still have a pulse,”
Hu said in an e-mail.
She submitted more dramas,
such as Six Degrees of Separation
and Wit, because she can make
more copies to distribute to her
students.
“I don’t know if every student
who doesn’t read would be more
inclined to read if the books were
more relevant, but for SOME, that
would make a difference,” Hu said.
Meanwhile, teachers continue to
motivate student readers through
interactive projects, group work
and class discussions.
10
The Hatchet
MARCH 2, 2010
SPORTS
Swayzers got ‘swagger’ ‘Jack Star’ goes three for four
Senior Jack Veronin has been playing varsity basketball since freshman
year. Towering at 6’6”, this is his third MVP basketball award. Veronin started
playing basketball at a young age; playing in the Fremont recreational league
at Irvington. He has led the Huskies to a 19-9 overall record. The highlight
of Jack’s season was hitting the game winning shot against San Lorenzo with
3.4 seconds left. The toughest obstacle Veronin has overcome this season
were the back to back losses to Newark and Kennedy.
“It was a very tough stretch to go through and to get out of,” Veronin said.
The Huskies came out of losing streak with a 61-56 victory over the
American Eagles.
All athletes have some type of good luck charm or superstition. For
Veronin, every time he’s called for the starting lineup, he hits the floor
3times before getting up. While his quirks seem odd, it has worked for him
this season, with a staggering 17.2 points and 16.7 rebounds per game.
The motivation and adrenaline behind Veronin’s success comes from his
pre-game dances in the locker room. Jack intends plans on continuing his
basketball career in college, possibly with San Francisco State.
- Edin Cristofi
Senior Sabrina Swayzer, unlike most high school players, excels in
all aspects of basketball, from shooting and dribbling to passing and
steals. Starting point guard, Swayzer has played varsity basketball for
three years and has maintained a 3.0+ GPA throughout high school.
Swayzer has played basketball since she was five years old, and her
hard work has paid off as she led the Huskies to take the 2009-2010
MVAL league title with 9.2 points and 1.2 steals per game. Swayzer
has also been named First team all-league this season.
Jersey numbers are typically based on a first come first serve
basis, but to Swayzer, her number means more.
“I wear the number five because it was the number my dad wore
in high school for both basketball and football,” Swayzer said.
Swayzer looks up to Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks
because of her agressive attitude on the court and passion for the
game. She plans on playing basketball in college.
- Rico Donelson Jones
Martinez and Johnson pin down their wrestling seasons
Coach Kyle Wright chose seniors Joseph Johnson and Doran Martinez as the most valuable players (MVP) of the wrestling season.
“They both led the team well and encouraged the other players,” said Wright.
Johnson, Martinez and junior Cole Brower were co-captains of the team.
Johnson feels that he has gained valuable experience with five months of conditioning and six tournaments even though
a knee injury prevented him from participating last year. He faced opponents in the 171-pound weight division.
“I learned that I could lose a lot of weight,” said Johnson.
Coaches encouraged team members to monitor their diet to stay within weight class restrictions. Weight classes range from
pounds to 285 pounds.
“We learned how to better take care of ourselves,” said Martinez.
Martinez has pumped up to the 215-pound weight division since wrestling in his freshman year. He and Johnson
helped motivate the team during afterschool practices.
“I was glad to see a lot of the younger kids on the team this year,” Martinez said.
-Nicole Pham
Brower Finishes with MVP
Senior Chase Brower has been playing soccer for almost his whole life.
“I got into soccer at two years old when my dad was playing. I always kick the ball in the
backyard with my brother,” Brower said. “I’ve always loved it because my dad played in high
school and then went on to play in the police Olympics.”
This past season, Brower played defense for the boys varsity team. Despite an
injury sustained to his kicking foot earlier in the season, he still played the
majority of the games.
Playing with the injury Brower still motivated his teammates to give their
best effort on the field.
“When Chase came to practice with the injury, it encouraged us to play
harder,” senior Antonio Garcia said. “It was nice to see him play even
though he was injured. It showed that he was dedicated.”
The team did not did not win as often as Brower would have liked,
but he still enjoyed going out on the field and playing hard.
He gave it his all on the field on defense and the opposing team
would usually get frustrated because of the tactics he used on the
field to prevent them from passing him.
Brower intends to play soccer for Ohlone College next year.
-Yama Hazheer
Floro scores big on the field
“Technical, tactical, mental and physical excellence are the
four cornerstones of a house that all great soccer players must
have,” varsity coach Ron Chell said. “And like a house, without one
[cornerstone], it is incomplete.”
After great consideration, one player rose to meet the challenge.
Co-captain senior Lauren Floro has played soccer over 13 years
and three years for Washington. Leading the Huskies to a 7-3-2
league record, MVAL league title and round one of sectional (NCS).
“Without my teammates, I wouldn’t even be close to where I am
today,” Floro said.
Although Floro started the season as a forward, she tore her
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Later in the season, she suffered a
shin contusion and was moved to play defense.
“Even though Lauren was injured at our Mission game, her ability
to step up to the plate and play in was inspirational,” Chell said.
Floro has committed to the UC Riverside. She dedicates her
success to her grandmother, who was her number one fan.
“If Lauren pursues a coaching career, who knows where she may
go,” Chell said. -Kaylee Miu
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The Hatchet
SPORTS
MARCH 2, 2010
Huskies upset San Leandro in NCS
Edin Cristofi
Sports Editor
The boys basketball
team, ranked seventh in
North Coast Sectionals
(NCS), played against San
Leandro High School, Feb.
23. San Leandro, ranked
tenth in NCS, competes
in a league against schools
like Bishop O’ Dowd and
Castro Valley, two of the
most talented teams in
the NCS boy’s basketball.
San Leandro looked to
pull an upset against
Washington but came up
short. San Leandro was
behind the Huskies by one
or two baskets throughout
the game. In the fourth
quarter, San Leandro and
Washington alternated the
lead position. When San
Leandro tied the game
with a two-pointer, senior
Mark Wik raced down the
court with 6.7 seconds and
dished a no-look pass to
senior Jack Veronin. He
went for the game-winning
layup, giving the Huskies
the ultimate lead.
“I had to keep track of
the clock, so I would know
how much time was left,”
Wik said. “I saw the big
man open, and I fed him
the ball.”
After the shot, San
Leandro called a time-out
to prepare for a chance to
tie the game. They went for
the win but they failed. The
Husky fans rushed onto the
court at the sound of the
buzzard, cheering on their
team after a hard-fought
victory.
Feb. 26, the Huskies lost
47-66 in round two of NCS
against De La Salle, the
number two seeded team of
the North Coast Sectional
playoffs.
‘Who’s Who’ Trivia
1. This teacher has a black belt in taekwondo, was
athlete of the year in high school (playing hockey,
basketball and softball), and has coached DI full
scholarship athletes in soccer.
2. This teacher was an all-league basketball player at
Whitworth University.
1.
Kaylee Miu
Sports Editor
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2.
Photo by Jimmy Young
Junior Zuri Chu-Hall attempts to sink
his second free throw. The Huskies
won the game 62-60.
All-star athletes commit to colleges
Seniors Lauren Floro and Cedric Lousi were
both honored for their athletic achievements in
being actively recruited by Division 1 colleges.
Floro has been recruited by University of
California, Riverside and is guaranteed a spot
on the soccer team, while Lousi has been given
a full ride scholarship to attend San Jose State
University for football. Activities director Helen
Paris arranged a “signing party” for both athletes
to finalize their scholarships with family and
friends. The leadership class spent the beginning
of fourth period, Feb. 2, decorating the MPR,
plastering the walls with posters and balloons.
“Today, we are honoring Huskies who have
taken sports to the highest level Washington has
ever seen,” Paris said.
The last time a WHS student had been recruited
by a university was 2008 alum Morgan Woodrow,
who now plays basketball for Michigan State.
Floro has been named all-league selection
forward, top offensive player and co-captain of
the 2009-2010 season. Outside of school, Floro
plays for the Pleasanton Rage and Premiere, a
nationally recognized traveling soccer team.
Floro will play a forward for the University of
California, Riverside and major in global studies,
aspiring to be an elementary school teacher.
“I’m speechless,” Floro said, “It’s official now!
But it still feels kind of surreal.”
Lousi, a 6-1 defensive and tight end player for
the Huskies has led Washington further than it
has ever gone in 30 years.
Last issue’s answers:
1. English teacher, Mrs. Jones, was a California State Cheerleading
champion in her junior year of high school at Arroyo.
2. Psychology teacher, Mrs. Nelson, had a professional trainer in
boxing for over a year.
Girls soccer loses NCS
Bach Phan
Staff Reporter
Photo by Vanessa Lousi
Seniors Lauren Floro and Cedric Lousi pose
after finalizing their college scholarships.
Floro will attend UC Riverside, while Lousi will
attend San Jose State University.
“[Cedric] never hesitated to let the team go first,”
football head coach Ken Whittmer said. “He’s not only a
great player, but also a great leader.”
Lousi had been recruited by several schools, such
as Brigham Young University, Sacramento State and
University of Northern Colorado, but San Jose presented
him with the best offer, fully covering all his expenses.
According to Whittmer, the last Husky to have received
a full scholarship to a Division 1 school was in 1982.
Lousi has played varsity football for three years and
was co-captain of the 2009 season. He was one of two
players from Washington chosen to play in the all-star
game in Sacramento and honored as third team All-East
Bay Selection.
The signing party, filled with flashing picture,
emotion and hugs concluded with a loud chant: “Once
a Husky, always a Husky.”
The girls’ soccer team lost in
their first round of NCS losing 2-0
to California High, Feb. 17, after
claiming the MVAL league title.
The team this season has been
plagued by various injuries during
the season including torn ACLs,
knee injuries, and various other
small injuries the week prior. Junior
Natalie Sanchez was injured in the
first 10 minutes of the game. The
Cal High team consisted of only
10 players, but the girls seemed
almost physically larger than the
Washington’s. Washington was
also at a disadvantage before the
game started, getting only a two
day break between playoffs and
NCS, while Cal High had a four
day break.
“Cal High was good even with
only10 players on the team. We just
didn’t bring our A game,” senior
Megan Leibowitz said.
The first goal scored was a
cross and finish by the Grizzlies
midfielder Kayla Santacruz, giving
Cal High a 1-0 lead. The second
goal was a deflection off of the
sweeper, the last player on defense.
It was scored by Cal Highs’s Rachel
Feldman, giving the Grizzlies a
2-0 lead. The Grizzlies were easily
able to pass around Washington’s
defense and they found their
rhythm after constantly attacking
the Huskies goal. Washington
played a more defensive game due
to the injuries to their offensive
players during the week of playoffs.
The Washington team played
better late in the game, but they
were unable to dig themselves out
of the hole.
“I felt sad that our season was
over, but happy that we at least won
MVAL [playoffs] and we recovered
from numerous injuries,” Junior
Andrea Bonilla said.
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12
The Hatchet
MARCH 2, 2010
PHOTOS
Junior
Lara Mrgic
performs
a cover of
“Where
I Stood”
by Missy
Higgins.
She was the
second to
last act of the
Talent Show.
Photo by
Jordan
Brahaney
Junior
Kimberly
Valdovinos
performs a
fan dance to
“Papparazzi”
by Lady
Gaga in
Act One.
Kimberely
was one of
the three
dancing acts
of the night.
Photo by
Jimmy Young
Senior Zach
Dawson
performs an
unplugged
cover of
“Shine On
You Crazy
Diamond” by
Pink Floyd.
He was the
second act
of the talent
show.
Photo by
Jimmy Young
Junior Dylan
Pegueros
puts
condiments
on his
burger. ASB
launched the
barbecue,
Feb. 23, to
celebrate
the boys
and girls
basketball
teams’
success in
qualifying for
NCS.
Photo by
Jimmy Young
Photo by Jordan Brahaney
Goal Keeper senior Michelle Gent blocks an attempted shot in a game
versus Mission San Jose High School, Feb 12th. Playing in Tak Stadium,
Washington won the game 5-1.