TheWashington

Transcription

TheWashington

Brighton Beach Memoirs
Snow Report
Looking back on
‘06
Page 14
Page 6
Pages 7-10
The Washington
Hatchet
Holiday Cool
Spots
Page 2
December 13, 2006
Next generation video game
consoles
Page 13
Washington High School · 38442 Fremont Blvd. Fremont CA, 94536
Playstation 3
release gets
hostile
Rebekah Lee
James Peng
1
8
5
Reporters
With the release of the
long awaited Playstation
3, many Washington students and alumni stood
in lines for long hours to
claim their own console.
“Waiting wasn’t worth
it,” junior Praveen Velraj
said. “There was a lot of
pushing and I saw a kid
get tripped. This is all an
atrocity because people
are getting hurt over materialistic things. I should
have spent more time with
my family,” he said.
Fights broke out over
the consoles throughout
the U.S. The systems are
still in high demand on
eBay.
One story going around
is that of the man that
was thirteenth in line at
Walmart on Wednesday,
Nov. 22. According to the
story, he said he would buy
KFC for the people waiting around him. The first
six customers who had
been waiting since Monday told him that if he left,
he would lose his spot.
Soon the manager said
the store had seven PS3s
available. People began
to leave, but the man lingered around. Finally, the
man offered to get food
for the eight of them. He
bought eight coffee drinks
and laxatives. He put some
laxatives in six of the coffee drinks for the first six
customers. He gave them
the food and sat in his car
nearby.
Half an hour later, the
first six customers rushed
to the restroom. The man
joined the seventh man
and the spots filled up
after they called friends.
When the six people came
back, they were furious,
but the man said their own
rule was, “Out of spot, out
of line.”
“The entire situation
was stupid. The release
got blown up into more
than is should have,” Velraj said.
3
2
6
4
9
7
1)Jackie Sloves, Sarah Malina, Shelly Gupta, Irene Cheng,
Urshila Durani 2)Ariel Brown, Michael Kinson 3) Jessica
Crider, Derek Stevens 4) Amber Westover, Joey Geha
5)Suma Vishwanda, Kimberly Garcia. Fatemeh Adlparvar 6) Grace Chu, Jeris Aujla 7)Jason Tawiah, Tiffanie
Petett,Crystal Abello, Justin Montes, unknown, Chris Carrion 8)Phillip Tom, Aurina Lam 9) Vivian Zhang
Photos by Sharanya Kuppuswamy
Story on page 3
WHS spits out brand new hiphop group HYS
Molly Sweeney
Co-Editor-in-Chief
HYS
Hyphy Young
Savs, an up and coming
hip hop group has emerged
from Washington’s own.
Composed of seniors Eric
Fisher, Dominique Lofton,
Lamar Parker, Givens Estes,
and Daniel Espitia, HYS has
begun the rigorous process
of turning raw talent into
beats and riffs that anyone
can relate to.
Three years ago Lofton,
Parker, Estes, and Espitia
got together and set the ball
rolling on their new project.
Eight months ago Fisher
joined them and they officially coined themselves
HYS. Ever since, they’ve
Photo by Molly Sweeney
HYS- Givens Estes, Lamar Parker, Eric Fisher, Dominque Lofton, Daniel Espitia
been casually practicing
and recording their lyrics,
rarely spinning the same
thing twice. Instead coming
up with new material all the
time and adding beats to it
later.
Now they’re getting more
serious about the group, actively altering their sound
and recording more often,
writing lyrics whenever inspiration strikes.
Throw these guys any
subject and moments later
ents, schools, teachers and
the government censor our
newspapers, our clothes,
they even control the way
we drive and when we’re allowed outdoors. Although
they may have the best in
mind for us, often times the
laws they make backfire.
For example, the law that
prohibits minors from driving with peers without the
supervision of an adult over
the age of 25 present (an
age group responsible for 1
million serious crashes in
California) has in fact not
helped in the least bit. Fatalities among teenagers were
plummeting but almost
immediately jumped back
up after the law took effect.
Consequently, our age group
is not responsible for the
most deaths involving car
accidents. It’s actually our
parent’s generation. So why,
might I ask, are we the ones
not allowed to drive alone
and unsupervised?
Several other beloved
privileges factored into censorship and supervision are
rap music, R-rated movies
and video games. Adults
have grown to believe that
these violent forms of entertainment are influencing our behavior. If a little
more thought is put into it,
is spending time in front of
a computer playing World
they’ll recite you a verse
that’ll blow your mind. Everything is fair game; from
school to stunna shades the
boys can spin it all.
If nothing else sets the
group apart it’s the fact that
unlike conventional rappers
HYS doesn’t rap about the
norms of sex, drugs, hos,
guns, and alcohol.
“That’s not what we’re
into, that’s not what interests
us. We don’t live like that,”
Lofton said. The group raps
about things that are unorthodox. Spinning beats
about the trials of what they
know, not some drug and
violence filled life that they
don’t lead.
Continued on page 13
Analysis: Common rights being denied to teens
Opinion by: Tess Shulze
Freelance Reporter
All we’ve been taught
throughout our school careers is how great America
is, that the entire reason
why our forefathers began
this country was to enable
their posterity the freedom
to speak our minds and live
life any way we desire. Yet,
on a day-to-day basis we
are not allowed to say what
we want when we want. Par-
of Warcraft less likely to
put someone in a situation
in which they use their giant sword to kill someone?
These things keep us busy
and out of trouble. In fact,
teen murder rates fell by 60
percent and other violence
by 20 percent with the presence of these amusements.
Why should we not be allowed to stay out past ten if
the curfew increases crime
Continued on page 12
The Washington Hatchet
Page
December 13,
2006
News
Have nothing to do during break? Try a holiday coolspot
2
Laura Raimie
Reporter
Crippsmas Place
A neighborhood of
courts that decorate every
home with lights and handpainted cut-outs of beloved
cartoon characters.
When: Dec. 15 through
30 from 6 to 10 p.m
Where: The four courts
are Cripps Pl., Wellington
Pl., Nicolet Ct. and Asquith
Pl., connected by Nicolet
Ave.
Cost: Free, but volunteers
will be out to accept donations to these charities: Leukemia Lymphoma Society,
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, SAVE, HERS, Kidango,
and Adopt an Angel.
Fully Committed
A holiday comedy about
an out-of-work actor.
Presented by: Broadway
West Theatre Company
Dates: Nov. 17 to Dec. 16
Where: 4000-B Bay St.,
Fremont
Times: Thursday, Friday
and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $20 general, $15
for students. For reservations call (510) 683-9218.
Bethlehem A.D.
Illustration by JJ Kochly
An extensive nativity event, brought to life
with a good-size village
of Bethlehem, full of costumed actors, live animals, and demonstrations
of period activities like
pottery and bread-baking.
Dress warmly and prepare
to wait in line a while—it’s
well worth it.
When: Dec. 21, 22, 23
from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
(walk-through), Dec. 21
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (special needs drive-though)
Where: 1305 Middlefield Rd in Redwood City
Cost: Admission is
free, but donations are appreciated.
Sharks
Holiday Ice
More sessions for the
public to ice skate to holiday
music.
When: For a weekly
schedule, go to www.sharksiceatfremont.com.
Where: 44388 Old Warm
Springs Blvd
Cost: $7.50 general, $3.50
skate rental. Discounted
group rates are offered for
10 or more people.
Winter Wonderland
Carousel and Ferris
wheel carnival rides, a holiday boutique, glass-blowing
demonstrations and more.
When: Monday through
Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m.,
and Friday through Sunday
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: San Jose: Paseo de
San Antonio between Market and Third St. and a parking lot across from Original
Joe’s - San Carlos St. between
Market and First St.
Cost: $2.50 per ride.
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Twist
A comedic blend of “A
Christmas Carol,” “Oliver!”
and “Annie”
Presented by: City Lights
Theater Company
Where: 529 South Second Street, San Jose
Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
and Sundays at 2 p.m. or 7
p.m
Tickets: $25 general, $15
students. Order tickets online at www.cltc.org or call
(408) 295-4200.
A Christmas Carol
The twenty-fourth annual production.
Presented by: Northside
Theatre Company
Dates: Dec. 6 to Dec. 24
Where: The Black Box
Theatre, 848 East William
St., San Jose
T i m e s : We d n e s d a y
through Saturday, 8 p.m.;
Sunday 3 p.m.
Tickets: General $15, and
minors are $12. Reservations required. Order online
at www.northsidetheatre.
com or call (408) 288-7820.
A theatrical production
based on the favorite holiday movie.
Presented by: San Jose
Repertory Theater
Performance Location:
101 Paseo de San Antonio,
San Jose
Times: Wednesday, 11
a.m. and 8 p.m.; Thursday
and Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday
3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday 2
p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets: Range from $56
to $28, depending on seating and performance. Fulltime students get admission
half-off. Call (408) 367-7255
to order or go to www.sjrep.
com.
Christmas House
Tours
The Victorian Queen
Anne-style Patterson house
of Ardenwood Historic Farm
is decorated for the holidays.
Docents give guided tours of
all the rooms.
When: Dec. 15 to Dec.17
Where: 34600 Ardenwood Blvd
Cost: Adults cost $4 and
children cost $3.
Students are failing physical fitness tests
Irene Cheng
Reporter
Despite the growing concern for children who do not
exercise and eat well and the
attempts to fix this problem,
only one in four pass the
state’s annual physical fitness test. The test involves
different fitness areas such
as the mile-long run, pushups, curl-ups, and stretches.
Results from the spring 2006
physical fitness test show a
saddening trend.
About 75 percent of students are not in good physical condition and they fail to
reach the standard that an
average student is expected
to reach. Results show that
an average of only 27.4 percent of freshmen achieved
the fitness standards for all
areas of the test this past
year.
“Kids are becoming less
active and more sedentary.
Now that Playstation and
Nintendo are out, kids are
playing sports on television
instead of going out and actively playing them,” physi-
Photo by Derek Lee
Though ver y involved in school sports, junior Jared
Mitchell still spends a lot of time playing PS2.
cal fitness teacher Jim Jones
said.
The spring 2006 results
for physical fitness testing
did gain 1 percent in overall performance compared
to last year’s results, but the
fact still remains true: Physical fitness is undermined in
schools.
“PE is an afterthought for
most schools and is seen as
a low priority. Most schools
are more concerned about
STAR testing and academic
education,” Jones added.
The juniors and seniors
around campus also feel that
physical fitness is necessary.
“A lot of people don’t do after
school sports, so their P.E.
period is their only form of
exercise which isn’t a good
thing. I feel that students
should have P.E. for all four
years of high school,” junior
Nitin Prabhakar said.
So how do we attempt to
fix this problem and get more
students to pass the physical
fitness exam?
“People should find ways
to enjoy exercising. You don’t
always have to run or play
basketball. Find activities
you think are fun and exercise that way,” junior Lyla
Rayyan said.
“The more active you are
and the healthier your diet is,
the better lifestyle you’ll have
and that will help a lot in your
physical fitness.” Whether it
be taking a walk or picking
up that granola bar instead
of the Gummy Worms, make
that better choice and live
a healthier life. With these
tips, more than one out of
four students are bound to
pass the test this year.
Causing a hectic scene early on Black Friday
Sam Mahood
Reporter
The day after Thanksgiving is one of the most important days of the year for
the American economy, and
Washington students participated as both buyers and
sellers. This day, popularly
known as Black Friday, begins with special early morning sales.
Over the past decade,
the times in which stores
have opened on Black Friday have become earlier and
earlier. This year many stores
opened at 4 a.m. or earlier.
Junior Mirissa Johal went
earlier than just about everyone, going with her family
to the outlet malls in Sacramento at midnight. However, that didn’t mean there
weren’t lines.
“At 12 o’clock you would
have thought no one was
going to be there but it was
packed,” Johal said.
Senior Arin Rahman got
up early to work at Max Rave
in the NewPark Mall.
“I started at 6 a.m., but
some of my co-workers
started at 4:30. It was worth
coming in, though. I got to
work a full shift—which I
don’t normally get. ” Rahman
said. She described a hectic
scene while working during
Black Friday at NewPark: “I
saw people running around
screaming, and every once
in a while you would see a
cop run by.”
Whether it was to make
money or spend money,
Washington students felt
that waking up early on
Black Friday was worth the
trouble.
A screenshot from deviantart.com.
Deviate from MySpace
Leah Andrews
Reporter
For the past few years
Myspace has dominated
how teenagers use the internet. There is one website,
however, that seems to be
stealing some of the thunder away.
Deviant Art is an online community of artists
and art enthusiasts. Some
students say it’s even better than Myspace, though
many “deviants” have both.
“People on Deviant Art
aren’t interested in what you
look like; whether you’re
hot or not,” says junior Ahn
Nguyen.
“It is the friendliest society that I’ve encountered
online,” says senior Lacey
Imes. “I have yet to receive
any rude remarks or inappropriate suggestions from
anyone I’ve interacted with
on this network.”
Like on Myspace, each
person has their own profile
where they can give information about themselves.
A deviant artist can post any
art they wish as long as it is
within the site’s rules and
regulations. The definition
of art is incredibly broad;
work submitted can range
from a painting to a short
story. Once submitted other
deviants critique the art.
“I get the satisfaction of
people around the world
being able to read what I
wrote, and it allows me to
give my own input on things
in an artistic form,” says junior Robert Mitchum.
“If you blog your artwork
on Myspace, I don’t think
it’s really appreciated,” says
freshman Nakita Gurnani.
“Not being able to edit profiles with html makes it
convenient and easy and
it doesn’t crash your computer.”
Deviant Art has a comment feature and a journal feature resembling a
Myspace blog. There is also
a separate gallery to display
other deviant’s work you
like.
On Campus
December 13,
2006
Campus
News
Briefs
1
Speech and Debate
Junior Madhur Boloor
had one the best finishes
ever for Washington
Speech and Debate. He
finished in the top-eight
of the impromptu event at
the Dempsey Invitational
at Santa Clara University
on the weekend of Dec. 9
and 10.
4
Choir
Choir and band are
having a concert on
Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7:30
p.m. in the cafeteria. Donations will be asked for
at the door.
New Counselors
Our school has hired
two new counselors: Annabelle Chai and Kade
Peterson. Kade Peterson
is a transition counselor,
he will spend half his time
at Centerville Jr. High and
the other half here. His
objective is to help 8th
grade students transition
to high school smoothly.
Annabelle Chai is going to be handling the rest
of the students just like
the other counselors.
New school website
The
new
school
website is www.whs.
ca.campusgrid.net/home.
2
3
Reporter
6
Photos by Joel Capra, Sharanya Kuppuswamy, and Melissa Yao
1 - Junior Jordan Carroll, 2 - Seniors Alan Benzel,
Sasha Hospodarova, 3 - Sophomore Alisa Burchfield,
juniors Lauren Fremd, Stephanie Woo, 4 - Freshmen
Sarah Quintana, Tyler Ocon, 5 - Sophomore Mikalah
Redick, 6 - Seniors Justin Lawas, Jenny Salazar
Winter Ball sets a record
Becky Allen
Kyla Koger
Reporters
A record-breaking 828
tickets were sold for this
year’s Winter Ball. The number of tickets that were sold
for the night has not been
reached since 1973 when
American High School was
created. The dance was held
Saturday night in the gym
with a masquerade theme.
The sophomore class
officers Brittany Carlile,
Elizabeth Tse, Brian McMahon and Vanessa Loera,
along with all the volunteers, worked hard to make
the dance what it was. The
DJ played the latest music
mixed with some 80s.
“The music was good, but
they could have played some
more tunes to move to, some
songs I felt like I was just
standing there,” junior Alyson Buchholz said. “But all
in all, I had a great time. I’m
definitely looking forward to
see if next year’s sophomores
can compete.”
The decorations in various parts of the gym were
designed to accomplish
the masquerade theme the
sophomores chose.
Sheer dark purple and
black banners hung around
the front and inside the
dancing area. The pictures
were being taken in the auxiliary gym.
“I was so proud and happy of every one at the dance.
Our kids were so classy and
did such a great job,” Helen
Paris said.
3
Students follow in Oprah’s footsteps
Leah Andrews
5
Page
Junior Payum Mehmandoost and senior Sarah Dutra have joined together to
form Washington’s very first
Oprah Club.
They are both completely
serious about the club, but
they understand some students’ uncertain reactions to
the news.
“People just think it’s a
joke,” club vice president
Dutra said, though she admits “it did kind of start out
as a joke between us.”
Dutra and Mehmandoost
have developed a variety of
goals for their club including a book club branch and
multiple events and activities that emulate Winfrey’s
selfless acts of charity.
However, they encourage
anyone who just wants “to
follow in the footsteps of the
ever so inspirational Oprah
Winfrey,” club president
Mehmandoost said.
The club will meet Mondays in Room E 225. The
club’s first meeting was held
Dec. 11 and it was a huge
success. The room was filled
to its brim.
History class visits Oakland Museum
Becky Allen
Reporter
The California History
classes took a field trip to
the Oakland Museum of
California on Friday, Dec.
8.
“They have the largest
and best collection of California artifacts, especially
for the Gold Rush,” history
teacher David Stephenson
said.
The trip was meant not
only to expand the education of the 33 students who
went about California but
also to expose them to going to museums and show
they are useful. It also tied
into the virtual trip the
class went on Wednesday
in the school’s library
The Docent tour led
the group throughout the
museum and pointed out
the artifacts and explained
how they related to the de-
Photo by Becky Allen
Gaelen Mundorff looks at an abstract bicycle piece.
velopment of California or
how they were part of California today. Many of the
students who went on the
tour were surprised to find
they had learned the material in class already.
At the museum there were
three levels: the top floor was
Californian art, the second
had the history of California
and the ground level was
natural sciences.
“It was fun because
I actually learned more
about California’s natural
environment. [My favorite
part] was walking around
looking at all the animals
because you can actually
see it in real life,” senior
Justin Birdsell said.
Safety 1st
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“Does the road to college ever look like this?”
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Page
December 13,
2006
On Campus
4
Library funding
lowest in district
Laura Ramie
Reporter
Washington’s library is
the most meagerly funded in
the whole district.
“Our total funds this year
were just over $1,800. That
bought us 169 books, which
is not very many,” library
media teacher Kirsten Marie
said.
The California State
Library Association, the
American School Library
Association, and the American Library Association say
that a school our size should
have on average 20 to 25
books per student; we only
have seven. Also, collection
analyses from two different
companies rated 80 to 100
percent of the books outdated.
“Our geography books
are fifteen years old, on average. There are countries that
we don’t even have books on
now because they’re new.
When kids are trying to research Cuba or Spain or Serbia with the books that we
have, the population is not
correct, the religious base is
not current. There are a lot of
things that are inaccurate,”
Marie said.
The main cause is a lack of
Illustration by
Leah Andrews
Custodians seek students’ help
Irene Cheng
James Peng
Reporters
Graph by Laura Ramie
local donations, PTSA contributions, fundraisers and
gifts. Inadequate funding is
especially a problem for the
low-income students who
can’t afford to go elsewhere
for books, or don’t have time
because of after school obligations and reduced public
library hours.
“I’ve been trying to write
grants. I’ve already appealed
to the Alumni Association
and PTSA,” Marie said. Next
year during MAZE, she
hopes to include a $5 donation to the library like yearbooks and ASB cards.
The school newsletter alerts parents about the
funding situation. With the
library’s Amazon.com wish
list and student legacy book
program, they have opportunities to help. Students can
pitch in by initiating a library
club and fundraisers.
Marie and library technician Leslie DiFranco take it
personally when they can’t
supply their students with
the books they need.
“We’re not creating just
kids interested in reading
for their lives. We’re giving
kids books that they’re talking with their parents about
at home. This is a phenomenon, where parents and
kids are talking about what
they’re reading together.
That’s priceless. We have created the demand for books,
we need the supply.” It’s stereotypical for students and teachers to bash
on custodians, complaining that they never do their
job keeping the campus
clean. News flash: picking
up trash is not their assigned job.
Day custodians arrive
on campus at 5:30 a.m. and
stay until 2:00p.m.. Night
custodians arrive at 3:00p.
m. and do not leave until
11:00p.m. Their job is to
empty out the garbage cans
and clean-up the cafeteria
after lunch.
“It’s considered extra
work. It’s forced upon us
because students don’t
throw away their own trash.
What else are we supposed
to do?” supply clerk and
day custodian Carly Mitch-
ell said.
Not only are custodians cleaning the cafeteria
and garbage cans; they are
dragged all over campus by
different requests ranging
from changing a light bulb
to unclogging a toilet in the
bathroom. On top of that,
they are only given eight
minutes per classroom if
they have the time.
For the most part, custodians are too busy acquiescing to the requests of other
people to go into every room
and use up those eight minutes to clean it. Many teachers are ignorant with this
fact and immediately come
to the conclusion that janitors are not doing their job
and are being lazy.
“I am mortified by the
amount of students leaving their trash on the floor.
What does this translate into
for your integrity as a human being?” junior Jared
Mitchell said.
“A custodian’s job should
not be to pick up after the
students. Students shoud
pick up after themselves,”
junior Nonda Kozaz said.
A number of students
also commend the custodians for doing their job no
matter how disheartening
it may be at times.
Perhaps with this information, we will be able to
give the custodians the sufficient credit that they deserve. When you’re about
to throw your empty bag
on the ground and expect
that a janitor will pick it up
later, throw it away yourself
and maintain your integrity. The job of the janitor
is not to pick up your trash,
it’s your duty as a student to
keep our campus clean.
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December 13,
2006
Around the World
Page
5
Hand gesture misinterpretations lead to wrong impressions
Kate Pyatybratova
Reporter
Don’t ever sign OK in Brazil. Don’t try to give someone a high five in Greece.
And unless you are planning
to get into a violent brawl on
your vacation to Afghanistan, remind yourself that
to the locals, a gesture of
“thumbs-up” is equivalent to
showing the middle finger.
Throughout
generations,
American visitors to other
countries, as well as foreign
visitors to US had to accustom themselves to the new
language… of signs.
The ailments of cultural
ignorance affect even the
top representatives of our
country. Upon boarding a
plane for America on one of
his trips to Brazil, President
Nixon turned around and
gestured a victory sign to the
crowd. The V-sign, which
in American culture stands
for victory,
said to the
group
of
Brazilian
seeing him
off, “Let’s
have sex.”
And it’s
not
just
hand gestures that
you have
to
watch
out for. For
instance, in
Chinese literature, observed psychologist
Otto Kineberg, people laughed
when expressing anger, stuck out their tongues
when expressing surprise
and applauded to show worry or disappointment.
Illustration by Laura Ramie
Such phenomena can be
observed even in modern
world, observed Mr. Vargas
while teaching American
Studies at Kayo University
in Japan. The class entailed
teaching Japanese businessmen coming to America
how to talk to people and
“In America it’s OK for
people to call others by their
first name, slap them on the
back and take them home to
meet the wife,” Vargas said.
“In Japan it would be impo-
lite. Moreover, women in Japan are not brought to functions but stay home.”
Here are a few listings of
common American signs so
you’ll never get lost when
traveling beyond borders.
THUMBS-UP: in Saudi
Arabia it’s a sign for, “I’m
winning”; in Ghana it’s
an insult. Malaysians use
thumbs rather than index
finger to point.
OK SIGN: in Brazil and
Mediterranean it is considered a vulgar gesture, in
France you’d show it as if to
say, “You’re zero.” In Japan,
“Please, give me money.”
PALM UP: an insult in
Greece, showing high five
in West Africa means, “You
have five fathers”, which is
equal to calling someone a
bastard.
For more information,
go to http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Gesture
It’s time to stop the
Holocaust of today
Kyla Koger
Reporter
It is often difficult to
imagine the torture victims from the Holocaust
in Eastern Europe from
1939-1945 endured still
exist today. In Darfur,
Africa, women are raped,
men are murdered, and
children are killed or taken
to work in diamond mines
due to intolerance of race
and religion among the
Arab and African population. The mass media
has described the conflict
as “ethnic cleansing” and
“genocide.”
The genocide in Darfur
is an ongoing conflict in
the western region of Darfur. The conflict is mainly
between the Janjaweed,
which is a militia group
formed by the Abbala
tribe, and the non-Baggara
people of the region.
Last year the World
Health Organization reported that 70,000 people
had died in Darfur, referring only to deaths from
malnutrition and diseases. It does now show the
deaths due to violence. It
referred to deaths in which
Bush had access, excluding
deaths in remote rural areas. The estimated 70,000
deaths from Bush was only
a fraction of the truth.
The tragedies in Eastern
Europe from 1939-1945 are
recognized in several museums around the country.
The Holocaust Museum
in Washington D.C., the
Museum of Tolerance in
Southern California, and
The El Paso Holocaust Museum, all commemorate
the suffrage of Jews during
the Holocaust.
Typhoons don’t stop
WHS students
Dennica Fernando
News Editor
Typhoons
reaching
speeds of over 120 mph have
been affecting the Philippines since September yet
despite the conditions, students plan to go to the country for winter break.
Beginning with the Milenyo Typhoon, various provinces in the Philippines have
been experiencing an assortment mild rain and wind to
heavy floods and typhoons.
Since then, there have been
several typhoons, including
Typhoon Durian that hit the
Philippines just last week.
Each typhoon had similar
after effects, including loss
of electricity, destruction of
property, and in the more
major typhoons there was
loss of life.
Sophomore Nikki Estrella and junior Gail Lorenzana
are leaving for the Philippines Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 respectively. The girls are both
know about the strong typhoons, but they also know
that their families are safe.
Estrella and Lorenzana
haven’t been to the Philippines in five years. They plan
to go shopping and reunite
with their family for the holidays. They do not seem to
be too concerned about the
typhoons.
“I think that I should be
more worried than I am,”
Lorenzana said, “But I’m
visiting a wealthier area, so
the surroundings and atmosphere should be somewhat
better.”
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Around the World
Page
6
December 13,
2006
Ski resorts around California ready for winter season
Sierra
Daniella Morariu
Business Manager
It’s winter, and for skiers and snowboarders alike,
that means fresh powder for
shredding down the slopes
on. There is a good number
of open resorts and runs to
enjoy. Here is a an overview
and full snow report of some
of the more popular resorts
in our neck of the woods.
Close to the lights and glamour of Reno, Sierra offers a gorgeous view of the entire Lake
Tahoe area. It is another great
family resort, as well as a place
for tearing it up on the sporadically placed terrain parks. Lift
tickets: $49
Squaw Valley
Squaw Valley is close to being the largest resorts in the U.S.
It spans across 4,000 acres of
Snow Report
Resort
Alpine Meadows Boreal Heavenly
10 of 91
Kirkwood
Northstar (Tahoe)
Sierra (Tahoe)
Squaw Valley
Last 24hrs
-
2”
-
Total Lifts Open
17-24” 4 of 13
20-24” 2 of 9
30”
Runs Open
4 of 100
2 of 42
10 of 30
2-4”
-
2-5”
4”
16-20”
7-13”
16-24”
22-28”
5 of 65
10 of 73
10 of 46
3 of 150
2 of 12
6 of 16
3 of 11 6 of 33
According to SkiCentral.com
terrain. It has a total of thirtyone lifts, and can accommodate
49,000 visitors per hour. Squaw
also was the host to the 1960
Olympic Winter Games. Lift
tickets: $65
Boreal
Boreal is a great beginner’s
resort with a wide range of
runs. It is also one of the closest resorts to the bay area if you
are in a frenzy to hit the slopes.
For advanced skiers and snowboarders, there are eighteen
black diamond runs for you to
roam. Lift tickets: $36
Northstar
This well kept resort is
groomed nightly and is an expert when it comes to family
friendliness. There are a number of wide sweeping blue runs
that are ideal for a family trip
down the slopes. This resort
also has beautiful views of the
Sierras. Lift tickets: $29
Kirkwood
Kirkwood is the highest
elevated resort in Northern
California, towering a 7,800 feet
above sea level. It has twelve
lifts and plenty of runs for every
level to enjoy. One unique characteristic and main attraction of
this resort is its fifty miles of
cross country terrain. Lift
tickets: $67
can take you from the base of
the mountain to the top point
in as little as four minutes. The
newest addition to this resort is
a six-hundred foot super pipe.
Lift tickets: $41
Heavenly
Heavenly is well known
for its amazing views of the
southern shore of Lake Tahoe.
It is the only resort in California that straddles the state line.
It is also home to one of the
largest snow making systems in
America, ensuring ideal snow
conditions all season long.. Lift
tickets: $35-62
Alpine Meadows
This two thousand acre resort includes six bowls, two
high speed lifts, and a terrain
park with over twenty-five elements. The high-speed lifts
Illustration by Pirouz Mehmandoost
Choir and Band
Concert
Thursday Dec.14
7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria
Donations at the door
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In Depth
December 13,
2006
Page
7
Inside:
A look back at the top
moments of the year
Pages 8-9
WHS Toy Drive
Page 10
As the year comes to an end, students
around campus are looking back on the
year and defining what 2006 was for them.
December is the month to look back on
the events of the year. Politicians could
look back and say the shift of power in the
House was the biggest impact for them.
Sports fans could say the World Cup demonstrated true athletic ability. Students at
Washington would appreciate the newly renovated
campus. At the same time,
the media could see Heroes
as the biggest hit. Although
we may differ on our own top
moments of the year, we have
done our best to gather what
we can define as the year 2006.
Graphics by Pritika Kumar
Hype is overblown
at Winter Olympics
Sports
Sam Mahood
Reporter
Americans have
newfound respect
for World Cup
Bonds passes the Babe
Americans watched the 2006 World Cup in higher
numbers than ever. Heightened American interest
did not translate into success for the American team,
though. Team USA failed to advance out of the opening rounds.
Italy won the Cup, beating France five to three on
penalty kicks. Host country Germany came in third
place.
Helen Paris took great efforts
this year to renovate our campus.
Memorial Grove was recreated,
new grass was planted in the amphitheater and around campus,
new awnings were erected, the W
was created in the patio, and the
new Husky was painted in the gym.
These changes have only come
about from the $26,000 raised by
Washington students.
After years of searching for a location for a new stadium, the Oakland Athletics announced plans to build a “ballpark village” in Fremont. The ballpark
village would include retail and condos along with the stadium. The proposed
location for the ballpark is off Auto Mall Parkway past the Pacific Commons
shopping center.
It was also announced that the team’s name would include “of Fremont,”
meaning the A’s will probably be known as something like the Oakland Athletics of Fremont.
The earliest date the ballpark would open would be 2011, but there are still
environmental studies to be conducted and other political hurdles to clear.
Pluto, the farthest planet in the
solar system, was demoted from the
classification Planet on Aug. 24, 2006.
Although no concrete definition
of a planet exists, the widely held belief is that in order for an object to be
considered a planet, it needs to orbit
the sun.
Many scientists disagree with the
demotion of Pluto, however, as of
2006, there are only eight planets in
the solar system.
in the
Yashad Kulkarni
Reporter
NEWS
This year Matthew Ballen undertook a very prestigious project
when he decided that Washington
would put on Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar. However, there was a twist:
it was set in the future. Then-seniors Jordan Sutherland, Sarah
Hartman, Trevor Gower and Lizzie
McAlpine helped to make the production a success.
Jones returns after surgery
Ken Jones, one of Washington’s most experienced teachers, underwent multiple surgeries this year to help alleviate chronic back
problems which have plagued him for the past 35 years.
After his first surgery, which took place in June at the end of the
2005-2006 school year, complications arose which necessitated a
second surgery in mid July.
As a result, the U.S. History and Sociology teacher was unable
to return for the beginning of the school year, as he’d hoped. Fortunately, Jones finally came back for the beginning of November.
A’s announce move to Fremont
The Democratic Party won majority of both houses of Congress
in the general elections on Nov.
7, 2006. For the first time since
1994, Democratic control of both
the Senate and the House of Representatives shows overwhelming
disapproval for the Iraq war.
As a result of the elections, the
Democratic Party plans to propose
withdrawal from Iraq as well as a
raise in minimum wage.
Students perform Julius Caesar
The beginning of this year
was marred by the tragic demise
of a Washington Husky. He was
only sixteen years old when
he took his own life. Students
mourned his death at a memorial
of flowers located in the school
amphitheater.
not won by Lance Armstrong—who retired after the
2005 Tour. Scandal hit even before the 2006 Tour even
began. Pre race favorites Jan Ulrich and Ivan Basso
were banned from the race for testing positive for an
illegal substance.
American Floyd Landis went on to win the tour.
However, he has also faced serious doping allegations
that threaten his claim to the title.
Pluto no
longer planet
Crisp-brown turkey, sweet mashed potatoes, steamy hot
soups, sweet deserts – a real Thanksgiving feast shared with
a family of Huskies in your very own Washington High
School home. Spicing up Thanksgiving break with extra
festivities, ASB shared a student-prepared meal with teachers and Special Education students.
“It’s just a nice gesture of thanks for being a Husky,” senior James Kim said. “This is a tradition we definitely plan
to keep for the future.”
Student commits suicide
Doping scandals
hit Tour de France
2006 featured the first Tour de France since 1998
Democrats take House
Reporters
ASB holds Thanksgiving feast
Renovated campus
Through all of his health issues and the allegations of steroid use that
surround him, Barry Bonds continued his march through the record
book.
This past season, Bonds passed Babe Ruth for second on the all time
home run list. He tied Ruth when he hit home run 714 in Oakland on May
20. In Colorado on May 28 he surpassed Ruth with home run 715.
Controversy around Bonds did not slow after he came into second place
on the homerun list. With all of the questions about Bonds’ suspected steroid use many question the validity of his records.
Hank Aaron owns the all time career home run record at 755, Bonds is
fast approaching him—having ended the 2006 season with 734.
David Lyons;
Kate Pyatybratova
CAmpus
For the graduating senior the elation
of being handed a diploma combined
with something more: the elation of being
handed a diploma at their dear old, new TAK
stadium. The 2006 Washington alumni were
the first class to return to this old tradition,
since the stadium was refurbished with a
new green turf, bleachers and a snack bar.
While renovations continued, the class of
2005 had to shift their final ceremony to
the front lawn.
The United States came in with high hopes
for the twentieth Winter Olympics in Turin,
Italy. Even though team USA came in second,
the games were a disappointment. The highly
hyped US ski team failed to even win a fraction
of the medals they were projected to take.
Germany captured the most overall medals
with 29, including 11 gold. Although the games
were a let down, team USA was still able to
come in second with 25 medals, nine of which
were gold.
& Games
on
Class of 2006
graduates at new TAK
Pirates sets box record
mar
a Ku
by Pritik
Graphics
Hussein sentenced to death
Saddam Hussein was found
guilty for crimes against humanity and sentenced to death
by hanging on Nov. 5, 2006.
After the 2003 U.S. invasion
in Iraq, Hussein was captured
and brought to trial in front of
the Iraq Special Tribunal.
He was later convicted of
his violent crimes against the
Iraqi people and is scheduled
to be executed in 2007.
North Korea launches missile
North Korea detonated a small nuclear device near Kilchu on Oct.
9, 2006. Although the blast was small, radioactivity was detected. The
detonation of the nuclear device set the world on alert as the U.S. and
several other countries issued statements questioning North Korea’s
Kim Jong II.
Despite threats of war by North Korea, Kim Jong II later agreed to
disarmament talks with the U.S.
Heroes becomes big hit
“Ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities.” Premiered in late September on NBC, this People’s
Choice nominee and Favorite New TV Drama series
depicts a group of unsuspecting civilians from across
the globe who share one common destiny: to save the
world.
It is sequenced much like a comic book, jumping
from character to character. Each with his or her individual special power, each person portrays their struggles
through the variety of obstacles that they face.
Heroes has quickly become one the most popular
television series and received the highest premiere rating
for an NBC drama in five years, giving this new show an
immediate advantage in hopefully continuing through
many seasons.
Arts &
Records were set for the largest opening day, the largest single day gross, and the
largest Friday gross of all time, altogether
raking in over $1 billion worldwide.
The highly anticipated film, starring
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will
Turner (Orlando Bloom), and Elizabeth
Swann (Keira Knightly), once again revolved
around Sparrow’s web of lies, this time owing a blood debt to Davy Jones, the captain
of the Flying Dutchman.
With his eternal service on Jones’s crew
at stake, viewers await Sparrow’s continuing
adventure in the following sequel to be released next summer.
Federline’s big debut
Kevin Federline’s first debut studio
album entitled, “Playing With Fire,” was
released on October 31, 2006 in the U.S.
When Federline first appeared live on
stage at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards,
his album received mixed reviews.
However, Federline’s vocal attempt
was clearly unsuccessful when his firstweek CD sales were reported at only
6,500 copies sold nationwide; during
the second week, sales continued to
decrease, scraping a mere 1,200 copies
sold.
At the American Music Awards
he was jokingly (but also figuratively)
confined in a box and thrown into the
ocean. Hence, his fate was “sealed.”
YouTube makes superstars
In this past year, YouTube has skyrocketed, projecting many ordinary people into superstars. These “average Joes” ascended to popularity by doing everything from humiliating other YouTube “icons” to
combining Mentos with Coke.
According to Nielsen/NetRatings, 100 million video clips are viewed
daily on YouTube with almost 20 million visitors each month. In November, YouTube was purchased for $1.65 billion by Google.
Fred Del Carpio; James Peng
On Campus Editor and Reporter
Entertainment
In Depth
Page
10
December 13,
2006
Students bring lots of toys
Pritika Kumar
In Depth Editor
Students at WHS collected
nearly 357 toys in the annual
Toy Drive from Nov. 30 to Dec.
12.
Preparation for the Toy
Drive began three weeks in advance. Head of the Community
Outreach Committee, senior
Tanvir Dhillon, worked with juniors Max Broun, Sarah Nauss,
and Derek Lee in organizing
the event.
“In the toy drive, we gather
toys and then we give them to
kids in our area whose families
can’t afford to buy them toys
for the holiday season,” Dhillon
said.
After setting the dates, determining rules, and deciding on a
prize for the class that collected
the most toys, Program Director
Joanne Paletta was contacted at
LOV (League of Volunteers) in
Newark.
“When the drive is over, volunteers from LOV Newark will
bring a big van and pick up our
donations. They then distribute the toys to needy families,”
Dhillon said.
Señora Gimeno’s 3rd period
class collected over 150 toys
for the Toy Drive, winning hot
chocolate and cookies for the
entire class. Gimeno was passionate about the toy drive and
motivated her class to donate
toys. Apart from her students,
she donated a lot of toys herself.
“I just have oodles of energy.
The kids set a goal, they arranged [getting the toys], did all
the shopping, and set the money. They were very motivated, it
was not just for the prize,” Gimeno said.
Second place went to Mr.
Ken Jones’ class and third place
went to Mr. Stewart Perlman’s
class.
“If everyone just donated one
toy, even if it is from the dollar
store, they would make a big
difference in some child’s life,
because it would put a smile on
their face,” Dhillon said.
For those who wish to donate more toys for needy children, they can still do so by
taking their donations to LOV
Newark’s office at 36120 Ruschin Dr. in Newark.
Photo by Shelly Gupta
Students from Señora Gimeno’s 3rd period class win
Graphics by Pritika Kumar
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Opinions
December 13,
2006
Page
11
Women ascend to power and serve as role models
Staff Editorial
Nearly 160 years have passed since the time
when American women first stood up at Seneca
Falls Convention, proclaiming their intent to exercise their inherent rights. Since then, the number of prominent females in our government have
moved upwards. We, of course, are referring to the
establishment of Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House, following Nov. 7 elections. This
has been the most recent advancement in female
progression to power since Condoleezza Rice’s appointment as the Secretary of State in 2005.
The act of carving independent states out of the
English empire was a truly admirable act. However, our founding fathers’ assertions of justice were
exclusive, and evaded an entire gender; the perspectives which our country was created through
were those of males. The 300 female attendants of
the Seneca Falls Convention spoke of their repression and determination to become equal members
of society, and today young women must realize
that long-lived injustice. Worldwide, there are 98.6
women for every 100 men (UN statistics; UN.org).
It would only be logical to have a larger occupation of females to occupy the seats of the Supreme
Court, the Congress and the White House.
With a new wave of female representatives in
high positions, our generation has been given
the opportunity to commence in large-scale gender-blending. The activists of the nineteenth century have accomplished their long-deserved goal:
women now can not only vote, but are elected
democratically.
During the Fall State Convention for Junior
Statesmen of America, one visited by the Washington High Chapter, Christina Pelosi, daughter of
the new Speaker of the House, informed her teenage audience of how her mother first began her
political career. Nancy Pelosi walked door to door
with her six-year-old daughter Christina beside
her, informing New York City district’s constituents about the issues she supported. In 1987 she
ran a campaign to become the representative for
California’s 8th district, which includes the City of
San Francisco. Speaking of her mother’s humble
beginnings, Pelosi emphasized the importance of
having an active youth. Nancy Pelosi’s ascent to
power serves as a powerful message of now should
be the role models of their following age group.
Insofar, the process of assimilation of female
politicians into US government has been is happening at a subtly slow speed. Feminist and public
When graffiti as art is abused
Political cartoon by Kate Pyatybratova
Jonathan Kim
Reporter
Graffiti is an art that has
been abused and misused.
Lately, artists have portrayed
it in a more negative way,
the view of this art form
has been distorted because
people have failed to use it
correctly.
An anonymous graffiti
artist said “The walls are a
shared canvas amongst all
artists. Once you write something on the wall, you should
be done, there’s no reason to
write the same stuff over and
over again, it only makes you
look bad and it wastes space
that other artists could have
used to make great art.”
Lately, the walls have
been overcrowded with the
same names and phrases
written all over, much of this
looks like normal handwriting. Expression and passion
for the art is perfectly fine,
however, throwing up names
all over the place freely does
not earn respect. Many great
graffiti artists don’t reveal
their work because they do
not want their work to be
copied. Originality is the key
in this form of art, and writing the exact same phrases
in the exact same style does
The
Washington
Hatchet
38442 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94536
whshatchet@fremont.k12.
ca.us
Tel (510) 505-7300
Fax (510) 794-8437
Co-Editors in Chief
Molly Sweeney
Melissa Yao
Headlines Editor
Molly Sweeney
News Editor
Dennica Fernando
Business Manager
Daniella Morariu
On Campus Editor
Frederick Del Carpio
Distribution Manager
Jonathan Kim
Around the World Editor
Melissa Yao
Art Director
Pirouz Mehmandoost
Opinions Editor
Sharanya Kuppuswamy
Staff Reporters
Becky Allen
Leah Andrews
Mina Baber
Cody Bolce
Rachael Bridges
Irene Cheng
Bianca Garcia
Jonathan Kim
Kyla Koger
J.J. Kochly
In-Depth Editor
Pritika Kumar
A&E Editor
Aaron Williams
Sports Editor
Ryan Guerra
figure Naomi Wolf predicts that it will take nearly
400 years for the amount of men and women employed to reach equilibrium. The development of a
diverse workplace starts early; in high school, we
see a glimpse of a future with a chance at breaking two hundred years of homogenous representation.
These new appointments reflect the politics of
Washington, where the female leadership dominates the males 17 to 3, where 85 percent of the
elected class and ASB officers are girls. Senior
Class President Jackie Sloves exemplifies a new
generation of outgoing females, holding her presidency throughout all four years of high school.
“I will always be an active voice in our community,” she said. Sloves is considering joining Peace
Corps, a group that promotes better-quality living
abroad in the near future, where she will contribute to the society in a proactive role.
Females have occupied roles such as Secretary
of State, Speaker of the House, and National Security Advisor in the executive branch. The act of
putting a female head in a crowd of men has been
accomplished; the next for an advancing society is
to bring balance to the gender population in our
government.
Yashad Kulkarni
Rebekah Lee
David Lyons
Sam Mahood
Pirouz Mehmandoost
Nathan Miu
Daniella Morariu
James Peng
Kate Pyatybratova
Bharadwaj Ramachandran
Laura Ramie
Chen Yang
Letters to the
Editor Policy
The Washington Hatchet encourages opinion through Letters to the
Editor, which represent the opinion
not show much talent.
The same anonymous
artist also mentioned an experience where some of their
work was stolen from their
binder, and a few days later,
the same work was put onto
a wall. Competition plays
a huge role in the graffiti
world, but when good artists
put up their work to flaunt
their talent, they do not expect to get copied like that.
When a true artist sees
great pieces on the walls,
they are influenced to go
home and practice their own
style so they can improve.
They are not influenced to
emulate the work they saw
on the wall, that is both lame
and disrespectful. Create
your own style, be motivated by the better artists, but
don’t bite.
Art is about expression
and being good at it is not
flaunted when people write
the same tag all over the
place. Sure, gang tagging
does happen, but that does
not mean artists should
write their names over and
over and waste space. Not all
graffiti has to do with gangs,
it is a form of art.
Many artists do graffiti to
put their names out there,
of the writer. All letters must be
signed or come as a verifiable e-mail
address, and an editor must confirm
the submission with the writer.
Letter writers may request that
the letter be printed anonymously,
but letters submitted anonymously
will not be printed. Letters to the
editor will not be edited. If a letter is
not publishable due to legal liability
or poor taste, the letter will be returned to the write for revision.
Letters should be addressed
to “the editor,” and given to a The
Washington Hatchet member; or
hand-delievered to Room E221; or
e-mailed to <whshatchet@fremont.
k12.ca.us>; or mailed to The Washington Hatchet / 38442 Fremont
Blvd. / Fremont, CA 94536.
even though nobody really
knows who wrote what. It is
a form of expression for the
writer, a way to mix their
ideas together and put it out
for the world to see. When
an artist hears a compliment
on their work from a random
person, the feeling is exhilarating for them. Knowing
that they are the only person who really knows who
put that work of art on the
wall is also a satisfying feeling. Some artist express their
political views through their
art, others send messages
out to other artists. Pride
also plays a huge role, this is
where graffiti can go wrong
other than the fact that vandalism is against the law.
Writing over another’s
work, also known as “bombing”, is one of the most disrespectful things that can be
done. This is where things
get personal and violence
gets involved. However,
bombing is not the worst
thing that can happen in the
anonymous artist’s opinion.
He says “The most disrespectful thing that can be
done is to put sh**ty work
up everywhere.” So practice
your passion, but don’t misuse it, respect.
Mission
Statement
The staff ’s objective is to provide a forum for the opinions,
interests and activities that affect
the students of Washington High
School in an unbiased, informative, and entertaining manner.
We wish to produce a factual
and honest representation of our
school as a historical record while
following journalistic standards
and precisely reporting on the
sports, news, issues, people and
places that affect our readers. It
is created by the students for the
students reflecting the students’
voices.
December 13,
2006
Opinions
Page
12
What was your reaction when
you discovered that Santa didn’t
exist?
Illustration by JJ Kochly
Elizabeth Tyler, 12
I was sad because I wouldn’t get more presents since my parents wouldn’t have to buy
both Santa’s and their own gifts.
Lawsuits are a new holiday tradition
Marcelo Quiroz, 11
I felt kind of sad that he didn’t exist. I found
out because a kid at school told me.
Elizabeth Tse, 10
It was a gradual thing for me. The media
and people started saying Santa wasn’t real
but I didn’t care much.
Roberta Ryan, 9
I manipulated my parents into thinking that
I believed in him so that they’d buy me more
gifts.
Stephanie Campbell, 11
Six years ago, my great-grandma asked “Who
was Santa this year, mom or grandma?” Thus,
my Santa Claus believing days were over.
William Bagaman, 9
I found out because I saw my parents buying
me stuff [when I was seven].
JJ Kochly
Reporter
No matter what religion you are – Christian,
Muslim, Jewish, or Atheist – the holiday season
is all about tradition. For
Christians Christmas, for
Jews Hanukkah, and for
everyone a more recent
addition – holiday lawsuits. A relatively recent
addition to the traditional
holiday season, caused by
an influx of lawyers in the
U.S. and the general knowledge that you can settle
pretty much anything with
a lawsuit because of it. This
gives way to numerous lawsuits around the holidays.
Christians including Jerry
Falwell are up in arms over a
“holiday” tree being erected
in Boston. Numerous atheist parents sue schools for
including Christmas songs
during choir concerts. The
Denying teen rights
Continued from page 1
rates? Why can’t we drive
with other people our age if
the law is not at all effective?
Why should we be censored?
The answer: we should be
allowed the same rights as
someone who is 25 years old.
Just because we’re teenagers
doesn’t mean we can’t make
decisions for ourselves. In
fact, giving us the freedom
to make decisions helps us
become a better person.
Mistakes provide learning
opportunities and if we’re always protected from making
them, then how will we ever
learn anything? Our rights as
people, as equals, are withheld from us. Denying teens
equal rights contradicts everything our constitution
stands for our own decisions
help us become better people.
Mistakes provide important
learning opportunities and if
we’re protected from making
equals are withheld from us.
Denying teens equal rights
contradicts everything our
constitution stands for.
Just because we’re teenagers doesn’t mean we can’t
make decisions. Giving us
the freedom to make decisions helps us become better people. Mistakes provide
learning opportunities and if
we’re protected from making
equals are withheld from us.
Denying teens equal rights
contradicts everything our
constitution stands for.
Goals of war are not
worth the lives lost
B. Ramachandran
Reporter
U.S. has many soldiers
based in Iraq who are fighting many battles and placing their lives in danger so
we can live peacefully in our
homes. Do we want to put
other people’s lives in danger
just so we can live peacefully? I believe that we are just
wasting our soldier’s lives
by staying there and trying
to reform Iraq. We have lost
2921 men and women in total from March 2003 to December 2006.
Even if we did make the
mistake of going into Iraq
we should have made the
decision to leave after no nuclear weapons were discovered, yet we stay in there and
loose 2,784 more soldiers.
Not only have the deaths affected us but the amount of
money spent as well.
Is it necessary to stay in
Iraq if we lose so many lives
and so much money? Why
has Bush led us to war with
Iraq? After three years, the
people of America are still
not sure.
Supreme Court ruled that a
crèche display on one piece
of public property was unconstitutional and a menorah display on another was
not. People continually try
to get Christmas removed
as a paid holiday. There is
seemingly no end to people
getting offended around the
holiday season for not respecting or acknowledging
their religion, incorporating
religion where it shouldn’t
On My
Mind
Sam Mahood
Columnist
Part of the soul of the
Oakland Athletics died
when they announced
their move to Fremont.
A part of me died as well.
The A’s plan for a high tech
“ballpark village” will shift
the team to a more corporate and commercial personality and focus.
I’ve been an avid fan
of the A’s since age eight,
when I saw my first game
at the Oakland Coliseum.
Some of my most cherished memories are going
to the ballpark with my
dad, or spitting sunflower
seeds in the second deck
with my best friend.
I have always admired
the A’s for the character
of their franchise. The A’s
have largely been removed
from a sports world that
has become saturated with
arrogance and obscene
amounts of money. Consistently among the bottom of the league in terms
of payroll, the A’s have
been able to compete with
the wealthiest teams every
year. The A’s maintained
a strong team chemistry.
Likeable personalities, like
be, and the absurd lengths
people go to be politically
correct.
But the truth is, as
strange as some of them
may seem, they actually
are appropriate. When
you start mixing religion
with school, work, or government, you are breaking
rules that were written at
the dawn of this country
to prevent a corrupt theocracy from forming.
the amiable Nick Swisher
have stood out.
It has not only been the
identity of the A’s franchise, but the fan base that
has kept me such a dedicated fan for so long. In
Oakland I can sit among
real fans, those who come
for the game—not the
amenities of the ballpark.
There is a special camaraderie among fans that have
long been dedicated to this
team.
Why will the move
change this? A new high
tech stadium will likely
bring in casual fans that
care more about their
wireless Internet than the
game itself. Many Silicon
Valley executive types will
attend games off corporate
perks.
Currently the A’s have
a quirky, diverse urban
fan base representing the
common man. High ticket
prices, lack of BART, and
an influx of corporate fans
will dilute and alienate the
current fans.
One thing ownership
can do to keep my loyalty is
to keep the Oakland name.
Keeping the name Oakland will serve as a nod to
the franchise’s storied past
and the loyal fans that have
followed it . Whatever may
happen with the move, I
will spend the A’s last years
at the Coliseum screaming
“Let’s go Oakland!” louder
than ever in support of
the most likable team in
sports.
onmymindwhs@yahoo.com
December 13,
2006
Arts & Entertainment
Page
13
Fashion to
keep you
warm
Daniella Morariu
Business Manager
Now that every video game console has been
released, which will you choose?
Chen Yang
Aaron Williams
Reporter
S
ony released the PlayStation 3 on Nov. 17. Billed
as the most powerful of the
three new gaming consoles,
the PS3 is an entertainment
giant that combines games,
music, movies, and more.
The PS3 is offered in two
configurations – a core version that includes a 20-GB
hard drive ($499.99) and a
premium bundle that ships
with a 60-GB hard drive
($599.99). Both variants
were sold out in hours after
the release.
The PS3 utilizes an upgraded version of the PSP’s
Cross Media Bar as its primary interface. It features a
number of USB ports and
Wi-Fi capability for maximum connectivity. The PS3
is also fully backward compatible with earlier PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles.
The PS3 controller is
wireless and appears to be an
evolution of the Dual Shock
2 controller.
“PS2 fans would be familiar with the new controller.
The old ‘silver banana controller’ wasn’t exactly popu-
A&E Editor
lar with the fans. Maybe
that’s why Sony decided to
drop it,” GameStop employee Paul Jansen said.
The PS3 has ample power for supporting dynamic
games. For example, one of
the release titles, “Resistance:
Fall of Man,” plays smoothly
on the PS3, despite high
hardware requirements. The
graphics are superb. Everything from muzzle flashes to
explosions is perfectly rendered. The flow of the game
is smooth and natural, with
very few glitches.
“Resistance is possibly
one of the best shooters that
I’ve ever played,” owner Andrew Liu said with a grin.
“Sure, the PS3 may be just
an expensive novelty now,
but it’s going to rock when
games like MGS and GTA
come out,” he added, referring to the upcoming Metal
Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Grand Theft Auto
IV.
Sony is currently finetuning its own online network. Users will be able to
receive updates, talk with
gamers, and download
games.
M
icrosoft released the
Xbox 360 last November
and with all the commotion
surrounding the Nintendo
Wii and the Sony Playstation 3, it’s easy to forget the
system that came out a year
ago. However if its current status is anything, the
system doesn’t seem to be
stopping. Besides having a
multimedia
functionality
like the PS3, the Xbox Live
Marketplace is unique to the
Xbox 360. Here gamers can
chat to others and download
movies, games, and content
for specific games. Although
Sony plans on releasing a
similar concept, Microsoft
has created an online game
plan that attracts hardcore
and casual gamers alike.
With a price tag of
$299.99 for the core system
and $399.99 for the premium, the Xbox 360 is just
$150 above the Nintendo
Wii but $200 under the PS3.
The Xbox 360 title everyone is excited for is “Gears of
War,” created by the makers
of “Unreal Tournament.”
Rebekah Lee
Reporter
N
intendo recently released the Wii on Nov. 19th.
The console costs $249.99
and comes with Wii Sports.
This game includes tennis,
baseball, bowling, golf, and
boxing. There is also a training mode and physical testing. The best training activity was dodging for boxing.
The game seems easy when
first watched by friend play,
but when it turned out to be
a lot harder to avoid the balls
thrown at you.
“It’s a really good system.
It feels like you’re in it. Unlike
“Epic [the creators of the
game], did a great job at creating a strategic atmosphere.
It’s not like Halo where
you can just ‘run-and-gun.’
‘Gears of War’ is a must-buy
for any [Xbox] 360 owner,”
senior Larry Sexton said.
It comes down to who has
the exclusive titles. As noted,
games such as Gears of War
or “Resistance” can sway a
gamer’s choice. Microsoft
luckily, snagged titles that
were formerly exclusive to
the Sony. “Grand Theft Auto
IV” will come to the Xbox
360 with exclusive content,
and “Guitar Hero II” will be
ported to the Xbox 360 next
year. Surprisingly, there are
talks that Konami’s “Metal
Gear Solid 4: Guns of the
Patriots” might be ported to
the Xbox 360. It goes to show
that Microsoft isn’t playing
around with its investment.
The Xbox 360 boasts a
selection of more than 160
plus games which should
satisfy those have a more
varied taste. With the highly
anticipated release of “Halo
3” in 2007, it looks like the
Xbox 360 is here to stay.
the Xbox 360 and PS3 you’re
active all the time. It’s fun because you’re not just sitting
playing with the controller,
but you’re moving around
and enjoying it. It’s different
because you’re holding two
controllers, one in each hand,
and it’s cool how the screen
reacts to your motions. It’s
good for family games and
parties,” sophomore Kelvin
Ho said.
A game worth buying for
the Wii is “The Legend of
Zelda: Twilight Princess.” The
graphics are clear and the
beginning story is enjoyable.
You have to use the remote as
your sword. .
The Nintendo Wii was recently released and stood out
from the Playstation 3 because it introduced the motion sensor controllers with
two parts that give gamers
the ultimate experience. If
your parents complain about
you becoming a couch potato from playing video games
too much, all you have to do
is stand up, play Wii Sports,
and tell your parents that
you are exercising. Some
advice is to make sure your
wrist strap is on, or else you
might throw the controller
across the room.
Time to whip out those
scarves! Tis’ the season to
dress warmly, fa-la-la-lala-lala-la-la. This season’s
newest arrival is the knitted slipper socks. These
cute knee-high slippers
can be found at American
Eagle and Victoria’s Secret.
Complete with pom-poms
and stripes of color, these
slippers will brighten up
your holidays.
Another more popular
accessory is the mittenglove. This can be worn
as a mitten with no fingers or a part glove with
the tips of your fingers
exposed. The best deal on
these mitten-gloves can
be found at Target.
If you happen to be going out, throw on a threequarter length pea coat
with a pair of red pumps
for an added touch. The
pea coat is a timeless piece
that is worth splurging
on.
For school, try an over
sized crochet hat and
scarf. The combination
of the two will give you
a warm and comfy look.
Jeans, a layered top, and
fitted sweater are ideal for
these accessories to accent.
Remember to stay
warm and bundle up. It is
easy to find a cute winter
look that in turn will keep
you toasty; all you have
to do is keep your eyes
open.
HYS spits out
new rap group
Continued from page 1
“We make music people want to hear,” said Estes.
Anyone can appreciate the talent that these
guys exhibit. Their lyrics
are imaginative, innovative and thought provoking. The longer the group
stays together the more
polished they’ll become
and the music will evolve
into a more mature art.
“[After
graduation]
we’re all going to move
to southern California
and going to LARS, the
Los Angeles School,” said
Parker.
Future plans also include a mixtape due out
in the early part of next
year and potentially an
eventual contract.
To find out more about
HYS and any upcoming
releases from them go
to their website at www.
myspace.com/stunnavision.
Page
14
December 13
Arts & Entertainment
2006
Laughs and drama collide
in Brighton Beach Memoirs
WHS Drama
presents story of
teenage dreams
and struggle
Photo by Irene Cheng
Here’s a photo of the outside wall at P.F. Chang’s in Pacific Commons.
P.F. Chang’s tries to re-invent
traditional Asian cuisine
Irene Cheng
Reporter
P.F. Chang’s is one of Fremont’s newer restaurants attempting to bring food from
ancient Asia back to life.
Amidst the traditional decorations of Chinese lanterns
and murals along the walls,
the restaurant is far from
giving the diners a pleasant
experience of ancient times.
I squinted to read the
print of the menu where I
encountered my first problem-I couldn’t find the prices
of the dishes. I scanned the
menu several times before I
spotted miniscule numbers
under the list of dishes. A
tiny number 6.5 underneath
the Lettuce Wraps supposedly meant that it cost $6.50.
If small digits under menu
items are meant to appeal to
lower costs, I did not find it
sufficient.
After waiting 20 minutes,
my table still received no
service from the waiters. I
had to call a server and ask
if anyone was going to take
our order.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Someone
will be with you shortly,” she
said. A male waiter rushed
over to our table with his
“greatest apologies.”
I ordered the Lettuce
Wraps and Garlic Noodles.
When my food arrived, I
grabbed a lettuce leaf and
piled chicken onto it. The
chicken mixed with garlic
and minced chicken sauce
blended perfectly.
Very much impressed, I
grabbed my chopsticks and
tasted the garlic noodles.
The spicy level of the dish
Brand New music
for your ears
Leah Andrews
Reporter
Brand New has returned
with their long-awaited third
album which was released
Nov. 21. After a two year hiatus during which their lead
singer Jesse Lacey was sick,
The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me follows their
critically acclaimed second
album Deja Entendu.
Emulating their earlier works, their new album
contains beautiful screams
and whispers and remarkable lyrics. Fans of Armor
for Sleep, Taking Back Sunday, and The Early November will also possibly enjoy
Brand New. If you have
never heard of Brand New
however, I recommend Deja
Entendu over their new one.
Do not
misunderstand the
previous
st ate me nt
though.
The Devil
and God
are Raging
Inside Me
is anything
but poor;
it just has
a lot to live
up to following the exceptional Deja
Entendu. It is, on the other
hand, superior to their first
album Your Favorite Weapon.
The lyrics in this new album are considerably darker
than either of its predecessors. The songs are slower
and mellower, and they inspire a much more relaxed
mood. It’s nearly impossible
to listen to it without closing
your eyes. Be careful, however, because at select yet infrequent moments you will
be jolted from your trance by
a sudden rush of energy.
Lacey’s exceptional voice
brings so much substance to
this band, making it easy to
distinguish Brand New from
other emo bands out there
today. Overall, The Devil
and God are Raging Inside
Me is well worth a listen.
was completely overpowering. It was as if someone
had stuffed a handful of chili
peppers into my mouth. I
quickly gulped down my entire glass of ice water, but my
mouth was still burning.
Whether it be my personal opinion and tastes, I was
unsatisfied with the service
at P.F. Chang’s and felt that
the dishes were mediocre.
“Rating from a 1 to a
10, I’d rate the service a 5,” a
diner said, “As for the food;
it was too spicy and the salad
dressing could be much better.”
I recommend you spend
your money on more highquality restaurants. However, if you want to experience
it for yourself, P.F. Chang’s is
located in Pacific Commons,
near Tapioca Express.
Final performances are
Dec. 15 and 16, 7 p.m.
Tickets are sold at the
door: $8 with ASB and
$10 without.
Laura Ramie
Reporter
Neil Simon’s Brighton
Beach Memoirs is Washington’s current production,
directed by English teacher
Susan Butterfield. Opening
night was Dec. 1.
The entire play takes
place within the walls of the
Jerome household in Brooklyn, New York in the fall of
1937. Fifteen-year-old Eugene (freshman Trevor Meyer) serves as the comedic
narrator who likes girls and
baseball. Among the other
characters are his widowed
Aunt Blanche (senior Lauren
Capaccio) and cousins Nora
(junior Sarah Topham) and
Laurie (sophomore Joyce
Bishop/freshman
Pamela
Hughes).
Eugene idolizes his older brother Stanley (senior
Cory Peeters/junior Mat-
thew Horry), who struggles
with his job and establishing his principles of right
and wrong. Their parents,
Jack (senior Ben Fowler)
and Kate (home-schooled
junior Elaine Nicholson)
bear external pressures from
depression-era
economic
troubles and the particular
anxiety appropriate to a Jewish family with relatives in
Europe.
Performed in portable
201, the audience was situated within feet of the actors,
creating a feeling of intimacy.
And with only seven characters, each personality was
touched upon with sensitivity. When a fight erupted between family members, the
room grew quiet with pathos
that involved the audience,
as if we were members of the
Jerome family. Such is an effect no movie could incite.
“I thought it was a good
show. I was very proud that
we pulled it together last
minute, kind of. We had the
preview night before and we
had so many mistakes and
so many scenes got entirely
skipped because we messed
up, but our opening night
show was perfect, and I was
so excited,” Bishop said.
Butterfield admitted that
she was disappointed with
the low turn-out.
“I think students don’t
have a connection to theater
anymore today. I don’t think
they know what it’s like to go
to the theater and how exciting it can be. I think they
get turned-off sometimes,
and maybe the price might
be too high for them. But its
pretty much the same price
if you were to go to a movie.
And these are people you
know. These are your fellow
students,” Butterfield said.
“[The play] was definitely
one of my top priorities because we were here everyday
after school for at least two
hours working on the show
for about three months and
we also took time at home
learning our lines,” Peeters
said.
“There’s so few people,
we’ve had to get close, even
though some of us at the beginning seemed to not want
to. We’ve all had to get close
one way or another, and it
turned out making us into
a big group of friends, and I
really like that,” Horry said,
who counts Bright Beach as
his sixth show and plans to
attend an acting conservatory after high school.
“Everybody better come
to this show because it’s the
greatest,” Fowler said.
WHS
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Sports
December 13,
2006
Page
15
2006 Washington fall sports wrap-up
Davis and Kwon set great examples
Captains earn well-deserved title
Becky Allen
Jonathan Kim
example for plays.
Davis also stood out in
academics.
“When they announced
it [the coach] talked about
college entrance essay and
I wrote about my brother,
The coach’s award this
who is a marine in Iraq.
year was awarded to seniors
I wrote about how I was
Jay Kwon and Christopher
fighting my wars over here
Davis from the varlike he was in
sity football team.
Iraq,” Davis said.
The coaches give
Jay Kwon was
the award to the playalso given the
ers who they feel have
award based on
set the best example
his skills on and
on and off the field.
off the field. He
Even though it
gave
speeches
was Davis’ first year
to the team and
of football, he had
helped to inspire
worked
extremely
them to play bethard.
ter. He was also a
“Getting
angreat team memnounced and recogber.
nized means everyBoth of them
thing to me. I worked
greatly deserved
hard in everything
their awards and
Seniors Christopher Davis (left) and
and it paid off,” Davis
have worked hard
Jay Kwon.
said.
for them. ConDuring practices
gratulations
to
they would point
both players and
him out as an examwe hope they sucple to the other members of an essay I had written for ceed and still play the sport
the team and used him as an Mr. Wallach’s class. It was a they have passion for.
Reporter
the Huskies volleyball team
plan to win league and make
it through at least the first
round of NCS. Surprisingly,
she didn’t say to win NCS all
in once.
one step at a time,” Macleod
said.
Junior Morgan WoodJunior Megan Macleod,
row
also excelled. She was
the varsity setter has been
the
starting
outside hitter
playing volleyball since her
this
past
season.
She began
8th grade days at Centerplaying
volleyball
in
ville Jr. High.
6th
grade
at
Prince
Macleod
of Peace, right across
pursued her
from WHS. She
passion for
played a few seasons
volleyball by
of club volleyball
playing club
since then, however,
during
the
she has taken up a
off-season.
larger interest in the
Macleod’s
sport of basketball.
outstanding
Woodrow has rec ap abi l it i e s
ceived
a letter from
lead her to
Washington
State
receive a letUniversity,
but
not
for
ter from a
volleyball.
This
letter
university in
was specifically for
Virginia., yet
Photos by Joel Capra and
basketball.
Macleod still
Melissa Yao
Much of her influstrives to play
Juniors
Morgan
Woodrow
(left)
and
ence
for playing volvolleyball for
Megan Macleod.
leyball
came from her
Santa Clara
older
brothers
who
University.
“We
want
to
win
it
[NCS],
played
volleyball
for
WashAs for her plans for
this season, Macleod and but we just want to take it ington High School as well.
Reporter
Football team works hard
Volleyball enjoys season
Becky Allen
Nate Miu
Reporter
The varsity football team
closed the season with a record of 4-6. They made it all
the way to the NCS playoffs
and brought in a formidable defense and offense.
Even though they were
taken out of the playoffs in
the quarter eliminations it
was still an exciting experience for the team.
“I can’t describe how
good it felt,” senior Daniel
Ayers remarks when thinking about the team making
it to the playoffs.
Led by Coach Ken
Whittmer the team tried
out a new defensive plan
and stuck with it through
the year. Rather than pass
the ball as much they
used more blitz plays and
worked on moving the ball
down the field.
This gave the team a
fresh new way to work together and practice their
teamwork. They had to
work together to make the
play effective and did so.
The offense also did well
even though many of the
players were considered
small. They worked on getting faster and stronger on
the field.
Even though the team
lost the homecoming game
their spirits were never
dampened.
The motto for the team
was “leave no doubt.”
This meant that when
they took the field they
never let the other team
forget who they were playing against at any given
time.
The team worked diligently through the season,
going to practice every day,
rain or shine. They would
practice everyday after
school, either working out
or running plays on the
field.
Even though the season
wasn’t one with a win at every turn, it was definitely a
good one in that the team
was close and knew what
they were trying to accomplish. Hopefully the team
would be more successful next year and all of the
same great and enthusiastic
players play again.
Reporter
Photo by Becky Allen
Senior Jackie Sloves and junior Beth Raymond lead
the way.
Girls and boys gain 100 wins
Rebekah Lee
Reporter
The varsity girls and boys
cross country team defeated
nearly 100 schools at NCS
on Nov 18. The varsity boys
placed fifth overall and the
girls placed third at Hayward
High School. Junior Elizabeth Raymond was eighth
in her division. Sophomore
Ranvir Dhillon was twentyfourth in his 3-mile race
with the time of 16:42.
“I was sick and wasn’t feeling good. It was fun though.
This year was definitely the
best year in cross country for
guys and girls and next year
will be even better,” Dhillon
said, “Now I’m training for
track.”
After their wins in NCS,
the team went to State for
the first time on Nov. 25. All
of the players didn’t know
what to expect, but were eager to prove their potential.
The major meet for the team
was the North Coast Section
Meet, the fastest state meet
in the past twenty years.
“The team beat some
teams that they wanted to.
They were very fast. State
was for just for fun,” said
Coach Raymond.
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This year’s girls varsity
volleyball definitely lived
up to Washington’s athletic
dynasty.
The girls’ hard work
and training definitely paid
off. In fact it paid off so
well that they placed sixth
in NCS. Everybody had
heart which is the key in a
team sport like this. You
don’t get this far with just
pure luck.
With captains Megan Macleod and Morgan
Woodrow leading the way,
and setting the bar, it kind
of forces the rest of the
pack of huskies to follow.
A common theme that was
always emphasized during practice was execution.
The girls needed to execute every play to perform
well. The girls continually
worked on putting all their
effort every time they went
out and represented WHS.
One of the factors that
led to a great season was
how everybody constantly
improved even until the
end.
In the end the co-captain Woodrow felt that the
team had a minor dilemma
was that they need more
experience. Experience is
the key to great success.
With that the only solution
would be more game time.
The team had a great start,
and with that the season
could only end great right?
Even though there were
no major problems the
team lost two very close
games to mission because
we underestimated them,
that and Stephanie Angel
was on the team.
She was supposedly the
league’s hardest hitter. This
added to the fact that senior
Lindsay Dooley injured her
hand didn’t make a favorable combination. Besides
Mission, Foothill was also
reason to worry.
Foothill has always had
a history of being skilled at
volleyball.
No matter the result, the
important thing was that
our girls have bonded and
grew together as a team,
and no one could ask anymore than that.
Page
Sports
16
December 13,
2006
Softball in need of coach
Jonathan Kim
Reporter
Girls Softball no longer
has a coach and lacks the
funding to make the field
better. Last year’s coach was
fired because he was generally not well liked by others.
Washington is, or at least
should be, currently interviewing applicants for the
position of a softball coach..
There is also the issue that
the team is not be very well
funded. According to junior
Mallory Lambert, the field is
not level, making practice as
well as games hard and dangerous for the team.
The field is rocky and
the overall quality is not up
to standards. “The team deserves better for our sport.”
said junior Antonia Gentry.
The team has gone
through similar ordeals in
the past, but this time has remained competitive year in
Girls soccer ties Logan 2-2
Kyla Koger
Reporter
“Woo, go huskies!” junior
Jennifer Smith yelled as she
cheered on her teammates.
Thursday night’s game was
a tie 2-2 against the Logan
Colts.
During the first half,
sophomore Jessica Castano
scored 2 goals which ended
up being the score they tied
the game with.
The girls don’t think
about themselves, they work
together to imporove the
team as a whole.
“So far we are playing well
together as a team, and we
might have a good chance at
taking the MVAL title again
for the fifth time and going
to NCS,” said Smith.
Thursday’s game started
out as a tie, but later Logan
had to forfeit because two
girls from their team did
not follow NCS rules, which
states you must attend at
least 4 periods on game day.
Thursday’s game ended up
giving us the win.
Soccer team seeks suceess
Nate Miu
Reporter
December marks the beginning of winter sports, one
of those sports being soccer. One of this year’s big
rivalries is against Logan.
During an interview with
the head coach Elmer (last
name) said that with good
team chemistry the soccer
team should do fine.
The team plans to keep
the game plan consistent
from game to game until
its necessary to adapt a new
strategy for the team.
“Always focus on technique and tactics,” said Elmer referring to his philosophy towards coaching.
With nine years of division one coaching experience, Elmer is prepped
to tackle this season with
no problems what so ever.
Luckily with [class] Abel
Leon as this years team captain, Washington should
have no worries this season
about their abilities and skill
to suceed.
Wrestling sets the bar high
JJ Kochly
Reporter
Among the invasion of
autumn sports, the wrestling
team is eager to start.
Like every other sports
team, they expect to do well
this year. Already, they have
between 15 and 17 people
on the team, which is more
than they had last year, including seniors, who were
inexplicably absent from the
team last season.
The team predicts that
three or four team members
will make NCS, as opposed
to last year, where only one
person made it to the North
Coast Section.
This season, about 75% of
last year’s varsity squad will
be returning to the team, as
well as two captains. They
are still in the process of
practicing every day after
school and, like all the other
sports teams, hoping for the
best.
They are also still in the
process of recruiting new
members, including girls.
But all they can do at this
point is wait patiently until
their first match on Dec. 20,
and the second one on Jan.
10.
Don’t forget to show your
husky pride and go to the
matches to cheer your fellow
schoolmates on!
Want more Husky
Sports Coverage?
Become a freelance sportswriter!
For more information,
come by Room E221
Illustration by Pirouz Mehmandoost
Varsity basketball girls step up after loss against Grenada
Pritika Kumar
In-Depth Editor
The girls varsity basketball team started their season with the ABC Varsity
Tournament and pre-season games. The varsity girls
faced off against Granada
on Thurs., Dec. 7. The Huskies played a tough match
but came up short, losing
57-49.
The team got off to a late
start due to volleyball playoffs and with the departure
of seven seniors, last year’s
JV team needs to fill the
void. Junior Sarah Nauss
believes the team is playing
pretty well as they learn to
play together on the court.
“The JV team is going to
have to step up to the varsity pace, but they’re doing a
good job adjusting,” Nauss
said.
The Huskies took two
victories at the ABC Tournament, defeating Dublin
49-35 and Yuba City 6142. Junior Camille Nelson
scored 18 points against
Dublin. The only loss was
against Moreau, losing 6849.
“For being so young as
a team we did well working
together,” Nauss said.
The pre-season match against
Granada
was
not
victorious
though. The girls
started off strong,
taking the lead.
However Granada came back and
ended the quarter
with a 3-pointer
in the last 20 seconds, setting the
score 40-39.
Down
by
one, the Huskies
fought back in the
Photo by Pritika Kumar
fourth
quarter,
Coach
Mike
Tripp
tends
to
Woodrow’s
ankle.
with junior Cassie
Bates and Camille
The girls face off Alameda Vares Jr. Memorial Classic
Nelson scoring key points
tonight
at 7:00 p.m. at Alam- from Dec.14 to Dec.16. hopon foul shots. But after looseda
and
they are looking for- ing to improve after loss with
ing junior Morgan Woodrow
ward
to
the upcoming Rob Granada.
due to an ankle injury in the
last two minutes, the Huskies had a tough game.
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“Morgan’s kind of our
go to. We rely on her for
rebounding and scoring.
She’s been a leader,” Coach
Michelle Keller said after
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culus as well as Chemistry, Biology, Physics,
sidelines.
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With less than a minute
left in the game, senior MorTestimonial: Jaamal is doing well; his Math
gan Ortiz scored two points.
grade came up from an “F” to a “B.”
“Granada played really
Praise the Lord for all your help and support.
Mention
well. Our shots just weren’t
this ad &
falling for us,” Keller said.
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