08 November 2008 - Santa Margarita Catholic High School

2008
The Blueprint
Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Friday, November 21, 2008
Blueprint@smhs.org
Vol.21. No.3
A
New Face on the SM Campus
By Camille Del Carmen
Peter McGinn playing the piano. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Mortenson.
SM Rocked For Peace
By Alexa Kosco
Over seven-hundred
people filled the gym on Sunday, November 16, 2008 for the
second annual Rock For Peace,
a benefit concert hosted by our
very own Third World First and
SMCHR. The leaders of Rock
for Peace, Christina De Los
Reyes, Jamie Azdair, Mike
Tran, Vinay Mysoor, Michael
Adame and Eddie Park, all participate in Third World First and
SMCHR and put countless
hours into this monumental
event.
The first Rock for Peace,
which took place last February,
was one of the biggest student
fundraisers our campus has
ever seen; they did it again, and
it was even better the second
time around!
Both Third World First
and SMCHR are SM clubs that
came together for this great
event to raise the awareness of
the world around us about detrimental issues that developing
nations face day after day.
One-hundred percent of
Rock for Peace’s proceeds
went to Humanitarian relief in
Darfur and Uganda, including
all the profit from tickets, glow
bracelet, and t-shirt sales (props
to freshman Erica de los Reyes
for the t-shirt design!).
The show officially
started at five in the evening
with a brief introduction. The
Horned Zombies kicked off the
night, which included Talia
Longo, Alisa Herrera, Emily
Spaide, Matt Dolan, and Anthony Fernan. Next came
Daddy Warbucks and the Musical Revolution, a.k.a. SM students Spencer Gil-kist, Shawn
Lee, Niran Somasundaram,
Connor Hovestall, Ryan
Bernardo, and Chris Roteliuk.
Nick Terra, Emmett O’Brien,
Troy Pigneri, Joey Decarlo, and
Steve Park as the Spicy Tuna
Rolls then took the stage. Student band Dykast Aviator, including Austin Cressey, Cole
Workentien, Michael Tirado,
and Niko Heller were next.
After a brief intermission,
Special Guest William Tell,
former member of Something
Corporate, stole the stage and
the hearts of most of the girls
in the audience.
To finish off a great night,
our extremely talented students
performed a few songs including some from Coldplay, One
Republic, Maroon 5, and even
a little Kelly Clarkson. Vocals
included Paul Connor, Cory
Diaz, Jake O’Connor, and
Sparky Trenary. Mike Kim,
Eddie Park, and Will Shaffer
were on guitar, while Joey
Decarlo and Eddie Park took
bass. With Nolan Clark and
Steve Park on drums, Mike Kim
and Peter McGinn on Piano, and
Jordan Rodriguez on synths, it
made for one unique musical
collaboration that had the whole
gym on their feet.
After everyone was all
rocked out, they ended the night
by raffling off a guitar, iPod, and
gift cards. Third World First
president, Tina de los Reyes
credits Mr. Schumacher for this
event and points out, “Everyone
that has him as a teacher is
blessed. He has the amazing
ability to open one’s eyes and
make them want to make a difference.”
Over $11,000 was raised
for humanitarian aid in Africa
and “it was all the members of
Third World First and other volunteers who made this show
happen,” says Tina de los
Reyes. “They cared about the
cause and proved it to the world
by putting on this show. At the
end of the day, as long as
someone’s life is being saved,
or an SM teen becomes inspired, then Rock for Peace is
doing everything it’s supposed
to.”
The Santa Margarita family
is proud to welcome a new face
on campus! Many of you may
have noticed that we have another
new addition to the SM campus, a
beautiful statue and garden area
coinciding with the newly remodeled chapel.
The statue is honoring our
patron saint, St. Margaret Mary
Alacoque. Margaret Mary was
born on July 22, 1647 in Burgundy,
France. She developed an early devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
and in 1671 she refused marriage
and joined the Visitation Convent
at Paray.
From the age of twenty, she
had experienced visions of Christ
and a series of revelations that
would continue on for the next few
years following 1673. In the revelations, Christ informed her that
she was His chosen instrument to
spread devotion to His Sacred
Heart.
The idea of having this new
statue on our campus came up
when the remodeling of the chapel
was taking place, Mrs. Birtcher and
Mr. Dunne talked about the idea
of having the statue and then the
approval from Mr. Birtcher came
and the statue was ordered.
Our Margaret Mary was
created in Madrid, Spain over a sixweek period and then took a week
to arrive here on our campus. I
spoke with Mr. Dunne about the
statue and the significance of having it on school grounds, he said “For
over twenty years, there has been
no visible symbol of our school
name represented on campus and
it is neat to now have one.”
The completed chapel and
statue were both blessed by the
bishop on Saturday, November the
15th. The new, St. Margaret Garden is stationed outside our chapel
and surrounded by beautiful roses
and benches to admire the garden.
Everyone should stop by to appreciate the beautiful garden and our
patron saint, St. Margaret Mary
Alacoque.
Statue of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Photo courtesy of Camille Del Carmen.
Upcoming Event
Support Girls Volleyball in CIF Finals!!!
By Gaby Duva
Girls Volleyball is so far 25-7! Photo
courtesy of smhs.org
Girls’Volleyball finished
off their league season 7-1, but they
aren’t done yet! They tied in league
with Orange Lutheran which led
to a coin toss to decide how they
would be seeded in CIF. SM won
the coin toss giving them an advantage in who they played in CIF.
After a bye, they played Royal
High School in the first round and
won in three games. In their second round of CIF, the girls got a
second chance against Lakewood
High School. Last year, the team
lost to Lakewood in the same round
of CIF, this year would be differ-
ent.After a nail biting game, the lady
Eagles reigned supreme against the
current state champions and were
very emotional about this HUGE
team victory. On Tuesday, November 18, the girls played in the CIF
semifinal match against the number 4 seed Long Beach Wilson. The
gym was packed with parents, students, and other Eagle fans all
decked out in blue cheering on the
girls. Strong coaching, serving and
passing won the match in 3 games,
all ending at 25-23, the girls celebrated their hard earned victory.
This SM team is the first volleyball
team of both girls and boys, to ever
make it to the CIF finals in Division
1 AA, the highest division in California. After the finals, the girls will
advance to State and keep playing
to bring home more victories. Come
support the girls as they precede to
the CIF finals and hopefully soar to
victory against the number 1 team
in CIF, Mira Costa. The match will
be held on Saturday, November
22nd at Cypress College at 7:30 p.m.
2
WORLD
Green Cards, Get Your Green Card!!
By Lauren Vargas
Immigrants. What do
people think of?
Hopefully it is China, India, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Oh yea, and Mexico. Because
we live in Southern California,
we have grown accustomed to
hearing reports on “the border”
and “Mexican immigrants need
to be stopped from entering our
homeland.” But wasn’t this
country founded on freedom?
Founded on immigrants who
shape this country from sea to
sea? Are we not a nation
founded on fundamental human
rights that allow us to live as we
wish? Our very own Statue of
Liberty quotes, “Give me your
tired, your poor, Your huddled
masses yearning to breathe
free, The wretched refuse of
your teeming shore. Send these,
the homeless, tempest-tost to
me.”
Unfortunately, not all nations have anything nearly similar to our “American Dream.”
So what simple answer could
suffice to tell a fifteen year old
Mexican boy that he can’t go
to school in his own country, and
can’t even attend school in that
free country up north. How can
we tell a starving family to go
back to their sick country where
they can’t find jobs?
For some people, this is an
economic issue. You may have
even heard your parents get frustrated about how illegal immigrants attend the public schools
that citizens have to pay taxes
for. And how your mom’s taxes
went towards a five year old’s
healthcare who has a serious illness. Some of your relatives
might be clenching on to their
money and worried about how
the illegal immigrant population
is affecting their incomes and
budgets. But we can’t forget the
social and humanitarian aspect
of this issue. Imagine the economic depression we face today.
Now imagine it ten times worse
in a third world country and has
existed since your grandparents
were your age. Would you stay
in your town, or flee to provide a
better life for your family?
Though we may take this free
nation for granted, we should be
severely inclined to help those
that are eager to create and
maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Instead of worrying about
how much money we could be
losing and how the “illegal population is stealing our jobs (unattractive jobs) and desks in
school,” we should recognize the
$50 billion “fence” that is supposed to guard the US-Mexico
border. Citizens should see their
tax dollars going towards the
payroll of 11,986 border control
officers that protect the border
from these immigrants. According to the National Immigration
Forum, 4,000 innocent lives have
been lost due to crossing attempts. People have died because they want to improve their
life. They have died trying to
leave their country. These have
died in an attempt to enter a free
country.
It’s easy for some people
to say… Just get a green card.
But the majority of people are
probably not even familiar with
the process. Depending on immigration status, it could cost
from $340 to $2,850 just to get
started in the Green Card application. First, an immigrant must
submit his/her application to U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services – and wait months or even
years while the application lurks
through an endless cycle of cat-
and-mouse. After filing the application, it could cost an immigrant up to $450 just to have
the Department of State look
at it. At any point in the process, the petition can be rejected and the immigrant can
pay a $545 fee to reapply. If
everything goes smoothly and
he/she receives a Green Card,
the process to becoming a citi-
zen is just right around the
corner! Still sound easy?
Maybe it’s a little easier to
understand why so many
immigrants enter our beautiful nation illegally. And
maybe it’s a little easier to
understand our fellow humans who are just trying to
make a better home for their
families.
“May I please remind you, it does not say RSVP on the Statue of
Liberty!” In the classic film Clueless, Cher Horwitz gives a speech
about immigration. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
High School Dropout Crisis Soars to New Heights
By Aria Bendix
According to USA Today, out of 4 million students
at public schools, only 69.6%
graduate from high school.
That’s 30.4%, or about 1.2 million students, that drop out of
high school, around 7,000 students each day! What happened to these 1.2 million students, which caused them to
forget about school and in
turn, forget about the opportunity for better jobs, better
education, and a better life?
Studies show that these students started to fail early on
in school and ended up in a
continuous downward spiral of
flunking classes and having to
repeat courses. It is also
known that students who tend
to drop out of high school may
have been exposed to drugs,
pregnancy, violence, crime,
the loss of loved ones and
other pressures with friends
and family. Here lies the difference between your average student and the student
that has to deal with gangs and
violence, the loss of a beloved
mother, father, brother, or sis-
ter, while at the same time failing school and struggling to
stay alive. The L.A. Times reports that, “One girl lost her
boyfriend when he was shot
seven times in the chest”, a
tragedy that would make it extremely hard to focus on
school.
The reason high school
dropouts may not be as obvious to us today is that the majority of students that drop out
of high school come from public schools, usually in large cities. However, even though
this may be a crisis that we are
not faced with everyday, 1.2
million is a number that cannot and must not be ignored.
In fact, high school dropouts
may be closer to you than you
think. The city of San Diego
has only a 63% graduation rate
and the city Los Angeles has
only a 44.2% graduation rate.
Students just a few hours away
are dropping out of high school
and throwing away their education.
The real question is:
What can we do to help? The
city of Los Angeles has already
started by placing more challenging requirements on students, starting in the second
grade. They are also working
to change the way subjects
such as math are taught. This
will help students be more prepared by the time they hit high
school. Schools are also starting to make sure that students
cannot get away with skipping
class, flunking courses, and not
going to school. According to
the LA Times, “Year after year,
students [are] allowed to fail
upward, promoted despite a
trail of Ds and Fs.” The key is
for schools to show that they
care about these students by
helping them to prepare for or
do better in their classes. By
providing these students with
the help they need, they may
be less likely to skip school and
cut class and despite tragedy,
they may be able to prepare for
their lives to change for the
better. No matter what actions
are taken to prevent so many
high school drop outs, one thing
remains clear…this is a crisis
that must be solved!
The graph depicts the number of high school drops outs over the
years. Photo courtesy of www.data360.org
Many students are under so much pressure that they start to skip
classes and eventually drop out!Photo courtesy of Google Images
3
news
The Schroeder Family: Genuine Optimism
Extinguishes the Remains of a Scorched Home
By Lauren Vargas
Sam standing in his family room. Photo courtesy of Lauren Vargas.
The sky was painted
a smoky orange over the
hills of Yorba Linda on Saturday, November 15. This
was hardly a normal day
for the Schroeder family. A
strong wind was blowing
the Corona fire away from
the Schroeder home, but the
family decided that they
would meet up at
Esperanza High School if
anything were to happen.
Shortly after, the wind
changed direction. One policeman drove around the
street of Heatherridge late
Saturday morning screaming the words, “Evacuate
now!” The family raced
around the house to grab
anything of importance.
The smoke was getting
thicker and thicker, and
they knew they had to get
out. Mrs. Schroeder directed her three sons and
husband to take their computers, some clothes, important papers and documents, pictures, and other
valuable items – and leave
the rest. Embers the size of
softballs hailed through the
sky as the family did their
best to put everything in
the cars. The devastating
Corona fire had finally
leaped onto the canyon of
brush
beneath
the
Schroeder home, and they
had thirty minutes to leave.
As they pulled away from
that house for the last time,
a neighbor’s house was al-
ready ablaze.
Oddly enough, there was
no firefighter in sight. The
firestorm that ravaged this
house was not fought by a
single firefighter due to the
firestorms in other areas. Sam
Schroeder, a fellow senior
and dear friend, and his family have been nothing but incredibly brave throughout
these past few days. The
most important thing, they say,
is that everyone is safe. They
first met at the High School
as arranged to decide a more
thorough plan – and left to a
relative’s house within a half
hour. As they frightfully
watched the news and kept
in touch with the next-door
neighbor, Sam discovered that
his gorgeous family home of
twenty years had been completely incinerated.
Though devastated, the
Schroeders stayed positive.
They contacted friends and
relatives to make sure they
were safe as well. While they
tore through the rubble and
ash behind caution tape, they
found some patio furniture, a
Thanksgiving decoration, and
a few other items unaffected
by the flames. An entire tree
and part of the house lay in
the pool, though the chimney
and part of a wall stayed
standing. Kitchenware, TV’s,
beds, the stairwell, the entire
attic, and the rest of the house
collapsed as dust a few feet
high onto the foundation of
their home. Though the foun-
dation of their home is completely a mess, the foundation of their family is quite the
opposite.
This is a family of true
optimism. To say that Mr.
and Mrs. Schroeder are admirable would be an understatement. They show absolutely no signs of self-pity,
and are already thinking
about building a new home by
next Christmas. They have
raised three genuine men
who understand that possessions are not everything. The
family has been extremely
busy since they heard the
news on Saturday. Besides
contacting their fire insurance company and renting a
house, they have purchased
goods for their temporary
house and promised to help
any of their fellow neighbors
whose homes burned as well.
The Schroeder family has
stuck together through all of
this and supports each other
like I have never seen before. It is not difficult to see
how unified the family remains and how much they
truly love each other. In modern day, a family unique as
this is hard to find.
What is the meaning of
this story? Well it definitely
isn’t just having a fire emergency plan and having fire insurance, though those things
are very helpful. The truth is
that dangers are real. The
truth we should extract from
Sam’s story is that this emer-
gency can happen to any of us.
The moral is simply that our
possessions do not define us.
Yes, Sam’s home was amazing and some memorable items
were lost. But it didn’t make
his whole family depressed.
When I saw Sam for the first
time after this terrible event, I
asked him if he was really upset and what I could do to
cheer him up. He first shot
back with a joke and a smile
on his face. Then he said, “I’m
not sad at all, Lauren. Yea this
really sucks but we got out
what was important to us. And
we’re going to build our house
even bigger than before. There
is no use for anger because
that won’t get me or my family anywhere. I’m alive, and
we’re moving on no matter
what.” How many of us would
actually have that positive attitude after our houses were
burnt to dust? Sam’s words ex-
Schroeder address on their collapsed
garage. Photo courtesy of Sam
Schroeder.
plained so many truths about life
and family. What he means is that
his bed, clothes, and TV didn’t
mean everything to him. The
Schroeder family sees the bigger
picture; they see that material
items are only temporary happiness. They truly seem to understand life’s obstacles will not stop
them from moving forward.
Though it may seem like total devastation – this is not nearly the
end of the road for the
Schroeders.
The only wall that survived behind an unaffected rose bush. Photo
courtesy of Sam Schroeder.
The remainder of the kitchen and living room as it appears from the
backyard. Photo courtesy of Sam Schroeder.
4
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
HEALTH
Yummy Tofurky…Say What?!
By Amanda Rooth
Have you ever wondered
what Thanksgiving would be
like without the traditional turkey? For some, they choose not
to eat turkey for Thanksgiving;
instead they look forward to
eating delicious tofurky on this
special holiday.
Now what exactly is
tofurky? Tofurky is a mixture
of tofu and wheat gluten and
then seasoned with just the right
amount of lemon juice and soy
sauce for extra flavoring. Although it may not be an actual
turkey, it is supposed to taste
just like the real thing and even
has the same texture. Not only
does tofurky actually taste like
the traditional Thanksgiving
main dish, it is also healthier!
Tofurky is much lower in
fat then regular turkey and does
not contain any saturated fats or
cholesterol, unlike the turkey,
which contains 85mg of cholesterol in just 4 oz! Plus, this dish
is not only perfect for vegetarians, but vegans as well because
it does not contain any egg or
milk products. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen during
Thanksgiving slaving over preparing a normal turkey, tofurky
cooks faster and even comes
fully prepared in its package.
More importantly, you don’t
have to stick your hands inside
that cold dead bird and worry
about cleaning out all that icky
gross stuff inside of it.
Tofurky is less expensive
and in some cases it is even offered with the choice of side
dishes, such as cranberry-applepotato dumplings, gravy, wild
rice, mushrooms, and other tofu
products. This way you don’t
have to make side meals either,
it all comes prepared for you!
If you’re truly interested in
tofurky, it can be found in most
health food grocery stores and
can even be ordered at online
vegetarian sites. Instead of ending the life of those adorable little
turkeys, perhaps try a new,
healthier alternative for your
Thanksgiving holiday!
Roasted Turkey
Turtle Island Tofurky Roast
Portion size
Calories
Fat (grams)
Sat. Fat (grams)
Cholesterol (mg)
4 oz meat and skin*
240
9
3
85
4 oz
190
5
0
0
Protein (grams)
32
26
Thanksgiving Calories
By Karsyn Kraft and Polina Romashkova
Here is a list of all of our favorite Thanksgiving dinner entrees. We all
know they taste good, but how good for us are they? Keep in mind that all
these calories lists are for one serving. Not being a health freak of any sort, I
still couldn’t help but be appalled when I saw that according to a Weight Watchers
report, the average American gains around 7-10 pounds between Thanksgiving
and New Year’s Day. Holidays in general, Thanksgiving especially, means
tons of food at the family table, and it’s ultimately inevitable to eat more than
your stomach can fit.
Drinks:
· 1 glass cider or sparkling grape juice-120 calories.
Appetizers:
· 1 cracker with cheese- 70 calories.
· 1 ounce potato or tortilla chips- 150 calories.
· 1 tablespoon dip for chips- 75 calories.
Main Course:
· 6 ounces of white and dark meat turkey- 340 calories.
· ½ cup of gravy- 150 calories.
· ½ cup of mashed potatoes- 150 calories.
· ½ cup of cranberry sauce- 190 calories.
· ½ cup of green bean casserole- 225 calories.
· ½ cup of stuffing- 180 calories.
· 1 dinner role- 110 calories.
· 1 pat of butter- 45 calories.
· ½ cup candied sweet potatoes- 150 calories.
Dessert:
· 1 piece of pecan pie (1/8 of 9-in pie)- 480 calories.
· 1 piece of pumpkin pie (1/8 of 9-in pie)- 180 calories.
· 1 piece of apple pie (1/8 of 9-in pie)- 410 calories.
· ½ cup of whipped cream-75 calories.
· ½ cup of ice cream- 145 calories.
· 1 small piece of fudge- 70 calories.
Leftovers:
Tofurky, live turkey,
· 1 turkey sandwich with mayo and cranberry sauce- 450 calories.
dead turkey, and cartoon
· 1 open-faced turkey sandwich with stuffing and gravy- 290 calories. turkey pictures all
courtesy of Google
Images.
Depression Hurts Everyone
By Lauren Rodriguez
Depression is a
very difficult disorder that
aff e c t s p e o p l e ’s e n t i r e
lives. 16% of Americans
will experience depression
during their lifetime.
Many think that it is just a
state of mind, but it is actually related to physical
changes in the brain, and
connected to an imbalance of neurotransmitters
that carry signals through
the brain and nerves. Depression can be caused by
many things such as: genetics, trauma, stress, low
self-esteem, or serious
medical conditions such as
c a n c e r .
The effects of depression may vary, depending on one’s age or
gender. Women are twice
as likely to become depressed due to hormones
or pregnancy. Men are
more likely to go undiagnosed and often become
hostile towards others.
Teens develop depression
frequently from stresses
in school or family life.
Many elderly people develop depression when
trying to cope with losing
a loved one or living alone.
Loneliness is a major factor in people’s depression.
During the holidays, some
people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder
when they realize their
loneliness and find it hard
to deal with seeing happy
f a m i l i e s .
Depression can severely
affect your relationships,
sleep, appetite, and work.
The following are some
symptoms that will help
identify depression: constant sadness, irritability,
loss of energy, change in
appetite or sleep, hopelessness, guilt, or thoughts of
suicide. It is important to
see a doctor or if you are
experiencing these symptoms and get help. Your doctor might prescribe medication or certain therapies.
You can help yourself in a
few ways: recognize your
illness, set realistic goals,
do things you enjoy, avoid
making big decisions, avoid
alcohol, and try to exercise
f r e q u e n t l y .
If you know anyone
that is depressed or suspect
that they are, the most important things you can give
them is your support and
attention. I say attention
not to baby them, but to provide them with someone
they can trust and confide
in or possibly influence
their mood. The best thing
you can give them is your
love. At times, helping
someone who is depressed
can seem difficult because
the person is very irritable.
But it is important to be as
understanding as possible
and stick by them. Depression is a serious condition
and should not be taken
lightly, so find support if you
are depressed, or be the
support to others that need
it.
Depression may cause you to feel alone. Help is out there!Photo
courtesy of Google Images.
Suicide prevention website
www.spsfv.org
or
www.seekwellness.com
Depressive and Manic Depressive Association
800-826-3632
5
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
HEALTH
Microwave your Toothbrush!
By Lindsay Mortenson
Kitty cat uses a toothbrush to brush his teeth. This smart kitty microwaved his toothbrush before he
brushed! Photo courtesy of Google Images.
Can You Hear Me Now?
By Alyssa Wolpin
Cell phones are everywhere now-a-days. I mean,
do you know anyone that
doesn’t have a cell phone?
They even had to make a law
banning holding a cell phone
in the car, because people
can’t seem to be separated
from them. It’s widely
known that a danger that cell
phones cause is a distraction, like creating less alert
drivers. But can you imagine, that a device that we
have grown so fond of could
actually be causing you serious harm without you even
knowing it?
Long term scientific
research is starting to prove
that the radio frequency radiation from cell phones can
actually do damage to our
bodies. A big concern is that
we hold cell phones to our
heads while they emit radiation frequencies. Recently,
diseases such as cancer,
brain
tumors,
and
Alzheimer’s have been said
to be linked to the use of cell
phones. According to
steadyhealth.com, “an editorial by Lake Forest Hospital
neurosurgeon, Dr Pawl,
some of the recent studies
of the long term effects of
electromagnetic field (ELF)
have suggested that there is
a link between ELF exposure
and brain cancer. But still,
the researchers cannot provide us with the exact evidence of the case in which
ELF has led directly to brain
cancer”. This is a controversial subject being that many
scientists would argue that
the type of radiation emitted
from cell phones can’t have
a biological effect. The reasoning behind this is that the
radiation doesn’t have the
amount of energy required to
have a “thermal effect” or to
heat tissue. Some would argue
that cell phones use such a low
frequency that they aren’t able
to do any damage.
It seems obvious that
more specified research is
needed in order to pin point the
actual damage that cell phones
are causing. Although, cell
phones have been around for a
couple decades, it is going to
take some more time to see related problems arise from cell
phones. Then it will take researchers’ effort to find solid
evidence of cell phone damage.
Until then, there are some
ways for you to reduce the risk
of cell phone dangers:
1) Use a Bluetooth or the
speaker-phone mode whenever you can.
2) Try not to carry your
cell phone on your body. (for
example: In your pocket)
3) Use text messaging
over making a call, whenever
it is possible.
4) Do not keep your cell
phone near you at night.
5) Try no to use your cell
phone when the signal is weak
or when moving at high speed
(like in a car or train).
6) Try to use a cordless
phone instead of a cell phone
whenever you can.
7) Shorten your conversations on your cell phone.
Ryan Petersen texts while Lindsay Giebel chats away on her cell
phone. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Wolpin.
We all know that the bathroom isn’t the cleanest place.
Thousands of germs and dirty
air particles are floating everywhere. Think about what lands
on your toothbrush! Then, you
go and brush your pearly whites
everyday thus transferring these
filthy germs into your mouth
which can cause serious harm
to your health. For example, diseases and illnesses you can contract from your toothbrush are
the common flu, streptococcus,
herpes simple virus, and other
things that can lead to gum disease. If your toothbrush shares
its home with other family
member’s toothbrushes, you can
also contract detrimental diseases such as gingivitis or other
oral infections through toothbrush contact.
Usually, people get a new
toothbrush every six months but
you should change it up about every three months, or when the
bristles lose their rigidity. If you are
sick, throw away your toothbrush
immediately and get a new one.
When you overcome the illness,
replace that toothbrush again.
Make sure your toothbrush is clean
and dry when you are done using
it. Moist brushes with left over
toothpaste are in invitation for
germs to have a party on it and
multiply. One way to kill those intruders is to microwave your toothbrush on high for 10 seconds a
couple of times a week. The heat
kills germs that can make you sick
and keeps your mouth sparkly and
clean! Brushing your teeth daily is
a must but you want to make sure
you are not doing more damage
than good.
Quick
Fire
Ahh-choooooooo
Information*
By Kerri Hall and Becca Caraveo
Watch out! Flu season is
approaching, if not, already here.
The holidays are notoriously
known for spreading the common cold like wildfire. If you are
a germaphobe you might already
be aware of the most virus infested places that you should try
to avoid. For example, the crosswalk button is infested with
germs. Think about it, with all
the pedestrians who have pushed
it; there is no telling where their
hands have been. Sixwise.com
shows that the button has more
bacteria on it than a public lid of
a toilet seat. Then there are the
disease-ridden elevator buttons.
Instead of pressing with your finger, use your knuckle or you elbow, or use sanitizer after you
have touched them. Railings in
any public place have all kinds
of germs; I would recommend
not holding onto railings unless
you absolutely need to.
The money we carry
around is filthy, where has it
been, who gave it to you, and
how long has it been in circulation? These all affect the amount
of grime you will find on money,
so consider using your plastic
debit card instead. Also, when
meeting someone you naturally
shake their hand, this can be potentially dangerous to your immune system. As unpleasant as
it sounds, many people do not
wash their hands after they use
the restroom, so avoid all contact with eyes, ears or nose, until your hands are washed.
Speaking of the restroom, the
gross hall passes our school offers are definitely a germ magnet. Door knobs to any house,
restaurant, car, classroom, or bathroom are just as dangerous to
touch. Keep wet wipes with you
to grab the handles with, protecting yourself from harms way. Try
using a paper towel for extra protection from germs on handles. The
gas station pumps are never
cleaned, ever, and they are only
replaced once a year. So think
about it, how many times a day are
they used and by who (Another
good place to use those wet
wipes).
Other places that have been
determined most dirty places: playgrounds, vending machine buttons,
public telephones (ear infections,
not cool), borrowed pens (especially if there are chew marks on
it! Yikes), chair armrests, keyboards to computers, and a bowl
of peanuts. (Think about how many
people grab the complementary
nuts with dirty hands.)
According to the Los Angeles Times the statistics of people
who catch the flu alone in the U.S
are 25-50 million each year which
is a lot of people needing to be seen
by a doctor. On average over
200,000 are hospitalized annually.
Sadly 83 children died last year
due to the common flu, you could
be next. Even though the common
flu seems harmless, this is an underestimated subject that should
not be taken lightly.
Germs are everywhere, and
can’t always be avoided but we
can improve conditions with wet
wipes and bottle of Purell. When
wandering around the house it is
very smart to disinfect as many
surfaces as possible to kill the
germs. Please don’t forget to wash
your hands as much as you can!
6
N O V E M B E R
2008
MONTHLY
UPDATES ON
F O O T B A L L
OUR FELLOW
SM TEAMS
WATERPOLO
TENNIS
SPORTS
CROSS COUNTRY
GOLF
Eagles Bound to
Soar High
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
Many SMCHS students have
signed to colleges for their
talents in sports.
Jack Cranston
committed to the
University of
Vermont for Lacrosse.
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
We are pleased to announce our very own
Blueprint Editor-in-Chief,
Olivia Staffon, committed to
Harvard College for
Volleyball.
Photo courtesy of Olivia Staffon
Natalie Hamill committed to Point Loma
Nazarene University
for Volleyball.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Hamill
Courtney Hiatt committed to Humbolt University for Softball.
Football’s
Final Victory
By Ryan McGuire
This football season so far
has not been as productive and
successful as we had originally
hoped. However, we have had
to deal with our lack of experience, injuries, and bad luck. Since
we are in the Trinity League, we
play arguably the hardest teams
in the country. This year, we play
three Rivals Top100 teams. I am
not trying to come up with some
lame excuses, however, despite
the Eagles record, they still are
a very good team. The record
does no justice to what these
Kenna Crouse
committed to
Loyola
of pace coming home from the Marymount
J-Serra/SM game last Friday. University for
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
We finally won! Granted we Volleyball.
didn’t make the playoffs for the
first time in fifteen years and we
Trayce
almost went 0-5 in league for
Thompson
the first time ever, it was still a
committed to
nice change of pace. As stated
UCLA for
many times previously, the
Baseball.
Eagles are going to be dominant
next year. Coming into this year, Photo courtesy of smhs.org
the Eagles were the youngest
team in the Trinity League. Shainna Groom
Now, with all the experience committed to
they have, next year will be a Concordia
fun one to watch.
University for
Softball.
Photo Courtesy of ocvarsity.com
guys are doing. St. John Bosco
is arguably the best team they
have been in over twenty years,
Mater Dei, as we all know, has
the number one high school recruit in the nation, and Orange
Lutheran is really no slouch either. The Santa Margarita
Eagles are the youngest and
most inexperienced team in the
Trinity League, and even if they
get zero wins this year (which
they won’t) they will be stacked
and loaded for the next year.
It was a nice change
Boy’s
Water Polo Ends a Successful Season
By Clark Taylor
This years Water Polo
team was loaded with experience. The team was lead by Captain and Center Defender, Paul
Connor. This team had no problems in the leadership department
with all upperclassmen including
eight seniors. In the summer, the
team traveled to Australia and
New Zealand. Coach Ricks says
that he was “really excited about
this group of guys, the energy and
effort they put in preparing for
the season is great.” In the South
Coast Tournament, the guys
took 25th place followed by finishing 20th at the Villa Park Tour-
Paul Connor playing the game.
Photo Courtesy of Paul Connor
Girl’s
Tennis Finishes up a Talented Year
By Dean Navarro
Photo courtesy of Courtney Hiatt
Nicki Jacobucci committed to Cal State University, Chico for softball.
Photo courtesy of Nicki Jacobucci
Tarah Taylor committed
to Wofford College in
South Carolina for golf.
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
The girls’ tennis team has
been phenomenal in the past
years of Santa Margarita
Catholic High School. They are
comprised of thirteen junior and
senior girls who won it all this
year, soaring to first place in
league. Although the team this
year has felt a lot of pressure to
keep up with the other great
tennis schools, they managed to
show their skill.
The varsity head coach
Eric Michaut has had expectations for the team this year to
finish as strong as they started
because the girls have always
showed great amounts of talent at Santa Margarita. The
team beat league rivals, Orange
Lutheran and Mater Dei in
great victories at home. They
were all expected to be great
matches. The girls have won
every single league game, making them undefeated and one of
the best teams around. Our support helped them achieve all
their victories.
Many of the players are
happy about their progress this
year and Mckinzie Lee
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
nament. The team had a very
important victory over J Serra
Thomas
in overtime. The final score
Emanuele
comwas 14-12 and Coach Ricks
mitted to UCI
even called it “Historic”. Thofor Baseball.
mas Husen had 16 saves. In
the last nine games, the team
Photo courtesy of Thomas Emanuele
pulled out 6 victories to round
out a great second place seaBrenna
son. They finished tied for Cygan commitsecond in league play and had ted to Cal State
a great season.
Fullertonfor
Volleyball.
Photo Courtesy of Kenna
Krouse
Gallagher says, “This season
E l l i e
was very exciting and we all
Wiekamp comfeel like we accomplished
mitted to UCSD
what we wanted to.” With so
for Volleyball.
many strong players, the team
should continue to do as good Photo courtesy of Ellie Wiekamp
as they have previously been
Tanner Jansen
playing into next year.
committed to USC
for Volleyball.
Photo courtesy of Tanner
Jansen
The Varsity Tennis team strikes a pose. Photo courtesy of smhs.org.
Photo courtesy of smhs.org
7
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
Special Section
Black Friday:
The Busiest
Shopping Day
of the YYear??
ear??
Kristen Pons and
Lauren Meech
It’s the day after Thanksgiving and your parents wake
you up at four thirty in the
morning to go shopping with
them. You may ask yourself,
“What could possibly be so
amazing that I’m losing valuable hours of sleep to go shopping?”. The answer my
friends, is, Black Friday, the
single busiest shopping day of
the entire year.
Black Friday is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and an unofficial
holiday to millions across the
United States. Retailers begin
promoting their sales with consumer ads circulating between
August and November. Stores
open their doors as early as 5
in the morning with enticing
sales including door buster
deals and loss leaders for the
many early birds looking to
catch the worm.
Fashion Trends
Morgan Brutaco
Fall is coming to a close,
which means it is finally time
to prepare for winter! Yes, it is
rapidly approaching, so perhaps it is that time when your
closet needs a bit of . . . renewal. I am about to familiarize you with the latest fall/winter 2008 fashion trends that are
fresh off the runway and currently worn by the hottest style
icons in the fashion world today.
We all know that winter
is the coldest season of the
Ok, so now that you
know what Black Friday is,
you may be wondering
where it got the name. The
term “Black Friday” has been
traced back to the early
1960s and has multiple stories behind it. The first originated in Philadelphia referring to the massive traffic
jams, overcrowded sidewalks, and claustrophobic
stores as they are mobbed
from opening to closing. Retailers strongly despised this
reasoning for it implied a
negative connotation which
leads to the second theory
behind Black Friday. This
was circulated around the
1980s and stated that for a
majority of the year stores
operated under a financial
loss and were “in the red”,
meaning they had net losses
and were in debt. Beginning
on Black Friday retailers
would prosper with sales and
no longer be in debt. Henceforth taking in a majority of
the year’s profits leading
them “into the black”, meaning they collected a larger income compared to their expenses.
For you guys to under-
year, therefore, it is time to
start covering up and forget
about your summertime attire. But how can you dress
so you keep that edginess?
For starters, AND most importantly, remember that
classy is the look to keep an
eye on when purchasing
clothes for these seasons!
Here are the latest trends
that are making themselves
known:
Dresses- Girls, the dress
is back in action! This season, curvy dresses and pencil skirts are both emphasizing the waist. Focusing on the
“Hot Fashion” collage
collage, compiled by Morgan Brutaco
stand a little bit better how the
poor economy is affecting
people around us, we interviewed Mr. Smith to give you
the inside scoop....
Kristen and Lauren
Lauren:
When is your favorite day to
shop?
Mr
Mr.. Smith
Smith: During the
holidays, of course. My favorite time is at night because the
stores have extended hours and
I like to see the Christmas decorations.
K&L
K&L: Do you know what
Black Friday is. If so, do you
participate in it?
S: Yes, for the last seven
years I have been working retail. I won’t be shopping this
year.
K&L
K&L: What is your favorite sale on this day?
S: None of them. I regret
shopping on this day because the
parking is horrible.
K&L
K&L: Do you believe the
poor economy will affect this
year’s sales?
S : Everything will go
down: the sales, the money, and
the prices. People are pinching
the pennies!
K&L
K&L: Will the economy
stop you from shopping?
waist creates a fitted style
dress and definitely slims the
figure, leaving those comfortable, flowy shaped dresses in
the dust. But wait, the comfy,
quickly thrown on summery
dresses are getting booted
out?! Well, not exactly . . . just
for the winter season. Pull
them out again in the summer
when it’s warmer outside. This
fall you may have noticed that
dresses have been a bit edgier,
although not skin tight. A lot of
dresses are designed to be
knee-length or just above the
knee. This look works for most
girls because it is flattering as
well as a comfortable length
for any occasion. As a result,
dresses have recently been redesigned, yet they still remain
comfortable, appropriate, and
wearable.
Colors – The new colors
of this fall and winter are wonderfully rich. Seen over and
over on the runway, are heaps
of black and grey. Purple also
appears to be a popular shade
lately. Other colors that have
been spotted are: dazzling sapphire blue (and basically all
shades of blue), dark red, maroon, deep gold and copper,
florals, rusts, chocolate brown,
and eggplant purple. Not surprisingly, black will continue to
S: Absolutely. My family
has a set amount of money that
we will be spending on each
other. Maybe, we will even have
a gift exchange.
K&L
K&L: In your opinion, will
Black Friday be a success in
2008?
S: It won’t be the financial
success it has been in the past
years. My prayer is that it will
bring together the cheers of the
holiday season.
This year, Black Friday
might turn out to be a total disappointment for retailers and
consumers due to our economic
tiffs. With the economic malfunctioning, consumers might
not have the extra money to
spend on many of the items that
go on sale during this holiday
season. As a result, stores might
stay “in the red”, file bankruptcy,
and close their doors forever.
Black Friday will no longer
be considered the busiest shopping day of the year and its reputation may be tarnished for years
to come.
Due to the economy, many
retailers are full of uncertainties
wondering if this year, the day
after Thanksgiving, will be a
Black Friday or a Bleak Friday.
be the number one choice of
color for the remainder of the
fall and the entirety of this winter season.
Coats– You cannot survive
winter without a coat, so why
not go all out and purchase a
coat that makes a statement?!
Look for a classic, tailored or pea
coat. There are many different
patterns to choose from to fit
your personal preference. Patterns are ranging from a patchwork of different materials to a
simple shimmer on the exterior.
Let’s not go basic and boring in
this cold season. Don’t be afraid
to jump out of your comfort
zone and try something new and
fun. Recent coats have been
designed with some different features than we are used to.
Those trends include hoods, especially wide arms, belts around
the waist, large collars that stand
out, and many more. As you can
see, there are countless options
to choose from, offering versatility to all coat shoppers.
Jewelry- For quite some
time now, all you girls know that
bangles have constantly been a
hot item. In fact, they now seem
to be a ‘must have’ to complete
any outfit! It is simple understanding their popularity since
they are easy to put on, come in
essentially any color, are differ-
A stressed shopper, photo courtesy of
Google.
“Black Friday Sale” photo courtesy of
Google.
Last Black Friday Chaos, Photo
Courtsey of Google.
ent shapes and styles (bulky and
bright or simple silver for example),
and they’re cheap! Bangles can be
worn for fancy events or in an everyday wardrobe. Here’s a new
style idea: try buying bangles that
are gold, silver, or better yet jeweled or sparkled. Without a doubt,
you will stand out by adding some
thrill to your outfit, and STILL
keeping it classy.
Top ten fashions that just
never die: I would like to inform,
(or for some of those remind), you
of the top ten trends that have continually rebelled against the rules
of fashion. Despite what anyone
might tell you or what style advice
they throw at you, let it be known
to all that these fashions simply
never get old! The reigning, everlasting top ten fashions are:
1. ‘The little black dress’
2. Diamond studs
3. Trench coats
4. Pumps
5. Tote bags
6. Animal prints
7. Scarves
8. Classic brands such as
Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry,
etc.
9. Headbands
10. A positive self image
(Nothing is more appealing than a
girl who has confidence and pride)
8
The Blueprint
November 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Emily & Olivia
The Tale of Tom the Teeny Tiny Turkey
By Emily McCartney and Olivia Staffon
Hi. My name is Tom the
Turkey and this is my story.
Thanksgiving 2007, my life
changed dramatically. I had
an encounter with man that
I have never had before.
It started as a normal
sunny day on the turkey
farm. I was hanging out with
Jerky, Pepper T and Giblet.
We w e r e t a l k i n g a b o u t
things like politics and religion when I heard a BOOM
come from the barnyard
door. I felt my spurs and
shanks tremble on the
ground. I knew I had nothing left to do but run. We had
been warned about this by
others who had witnessed
the tragedy that came with
the BOOM. I turned to
Jerky, Pepper T and Giblet
and screamed “gobble
gobble BYYEEEEEE”!
Out the back barn door
I went as fast as my spurs
would take me. I flew (and
by this I mean ran fast because I’m a turkey, I can’t
fly) by the pigs in the mud
and the horses in the hay.
There was a fence rising
quickly in the distance.
“How am I going to clear
this?!” I thought to myself.
Before I even knew what I
was doing, I had jumped six
feet in the air and was frantically flapping my wings.
Surprisingly I landed quite
gracefully on the opposite
side of the fence and continued running.
Edward (the man who
was trying to catch me) was
running after me, but had to
use a ladder to get over the
fence which stalled me a
good 10 seconds or so. I
turned and saw him lagging
a little but still successfully
on my tail (literally). My
throat wattle was making
noises I had never heard
myself or any other turkey
make. I was running so fast
my gobbler lashed around
my beak and hit me in the
left eye. I now could only
see out of my right eye,
The main picture on the
right of the SM webpage has
not been changed since 2005.
Elephants are capable of
swimming 20 miles per day.
Mosquitoes have 47 teeth.
Tom the teeny tiny turkey is festive in a pilgrims hat on the day dedicated to
giving thanks: Thanksgiving. Photo courtesy of google images.
which was a problem seeing
(pun totally intended) that I
was in a thick mess of forest trees.
I ran for another
couple feet and took a quick
left into some bushes. I shut
my beak and nostrils as
much as I could as I
watched Edward run away
from me into the distance.
As soon as I opened my
little nostrils back up, I
smelled the delicious scent
of Tofurkey and followed it
all the way to sweet Aunt
Betty and Jamima’s. They
were the most welcoming
women I have ever known
and gave me a warm bed and
read me a story about the
Pilgrims and Indians. I spent
the rest of my life with Aunt
Betty and Aunt Jamima in
pure bliss and happiness. The
end.
ticularly guys) have been
using the word “cereal”, in
place of serious. “Are you
cereal?” NO! I am serious,
and SERIOUSLY the only
thing that word brings to
mind is a bowl of Coco
puffs! So unless you have
some, don’t use that word!
Then we move on to
the
overused
term
“anywho”. Just answer me
this, who is “who”? Are we
starting to refer to everyone
as Grinch characters or are
we becoming too lazy to say
anyways? How can we forget “true dat”, we recommend the “out with the old,
in with the new” technique
when it comes to this phrase,
meaning let the word go and
bring in a new one. Then
there is “Fo sho”, derived
from the phrase “for sure.”
It has slowly become a two
syllable agreement clause
that makes a persons serious level fall significantly.
Other words that fall into the
unacceptable category are:
“whack” (when something is
not cool), “sketchy” (strange
situation) and “chill” (everything being fine or cool).
And furthermore any word
that ends in “izzle” should be
condemned.
We hope that everyone
has taken our advice seriously, or else it’s your own
humiliation you will suffer.
Today’s lingo will not help
you in the long run. Such constant use of slang can make
an onlooker think lowly of
you for your lack of an accepted vocabulary. Pick up a
thesaurus and learn words
that will help you at a job interview because knowledge
is power. Peace chillers!
Diary of a Junior Slang Ain’t Chill Brothas!!
By Becca Caraveo and Kerri Hall
By Mr. Junior Jr.
I’m an upper classman
now! I’m so excited to leave the
ranks of the underclassmen and
be one of the older folk on campus. This was the first Halloween that I got to go to my first
real costume party, instead of
trick or treating with Captain
Underpants and Cinderella (aka
my parents). My brother had
his first year trick or treating by
himself without me holding his
hand around the block. It was a
biblical benchmark in becoming
a mature Catholic junior. It was
also fun because my responsible
teen peers drove me to the costume party. Now the majority
of my grade can drive and the
days of our parents dropping us
off at Kaleido every weekend
are over. We have so much
more freedom but still have to
come home by 11. It’s a bust
sometimes, but it’s still nice to
get out of the house and socialize. We need all the socialization we can get because preparing for the SAT’s and starting the college process is very
stressful. I’ve been told junior
year is the most important and
most difficult year of high
school academic wise. It’s hard
to stay focused on grades and
Photo courtesy of google images.
also have a social life at the
same time. I am so excited
for the holidays and a break
from school. I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving is a
preview of the good things
to come a month later with
the 2 week break. Who
doesn’t love turkey, football,
stuffing, and time with family? And I guarantee you that
no matter where you are,
everyone is going around the
table saying what there
thankful for. Well I’m thankful for three cookies for a
dollar, and thankful for being a part of the amazing
class of 2010!
Signing Out
Mr. Junior Jr.
We know high school
can present many pressures
to be “cool” or accepted, but
think about it, is using slang
really the best option for
your seat at the cool kids
table? Jargon users: you
know who you are! Read
this article intently and take
notes as though this is vital
information for your journey
through life.
First the word we deal
with is “Tight.” Now this
can be used to refer to anything that could be remotely
cool. When we hear people
using this word, we feel we
have to do something to save
them from humiliation. “This
shirt is tight; my new car is
tight…” Clearly it is ridiculous; this is a no-no to the
slang vocabulary. We plainly
remember this word being
“in” during the nineties.
Now we move on to the
word “Shady”, which is used
to refer to people who are
not trust-worthy or a situation that can seem bad. Not
everything or everyone is
“shady”, so be careful how
much this word is used in
one sentence. People (par-
Brotha’s up to nothin’ much just
chillin and using whack slang. Photo
courtesy of google images.
9
The Blueprint
November 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Emily & Olivia
You Go Here?...
THE BLUEPRINT
By Michelle Loftus and Sky Cracraft
1.) Name and Grade?
David Newman,
Sophomore
2.) Favorite smell?
Old people
3.) What do you want
your wedding song to be?
Milkshake
4.) Why doesn’t
McDonald’s sell hot dogs?
Because their burgers
taste like hot dogs any
way.
5.) Can bald men get lice?
What?
9.) Do you believe that
everything happens for a
reason?
No
10.) Do you like the rain?
The rain? sure
11.) What’s your favor
ite quality in a person and
why?
Their smile because it’s
hot.
12.) Are you jealous of
the seniors because they
graduate before you?
No
Campus Ministry Editors
Lauren Giudice
Kyle Richter
Editors in Chief
Emily McCartney
Olivia Staffon
World News/Health Editor
Gaby Duva
Co-Editor
Lauren Vargas
Managing Editor
Samantha Toth
News Editor
Samantha Toth
Features Editors
Alexis King
Laura Schmeltzer
Entertainment Editor
Ross Kirkbaumer
Sports Editor
Allison Acevedo
Co-Editors
Ryan McGuire
Brian Sanvido
6.) What’s your biggest
pet peeve?
Myspace and all those
bulletins
Opinion/Editorial Editor
Alex Worthen
Co-Editor
Niki Genthe
7.) How many times do
you shower a week?
I dunno, 14- once in the
afternoon, once in the
morning, do the math
8.) Which shoe do you
put on first?
I don’t care
Faculty Advisor
Ms. Rhodes
Rhodese@smhs.org
Campus Life/Photo Editor
Lindsay Mortenson
Sophomore David Newman goes here!
Photo courtesy of Kenna Crouse.
Special Section Editors
Parris Wells
Alyssa Wolpin
Beginning Staff Writers
Kevin Avjian
Aria Bendix
Karlie Borzansky
Kevin Clark
Camille del Carmen
Caitlin Doud
Adam Enochs
Denise Fernandez
Amanda Figueroa
Katelyn Finneran
Paige Glasser
Kelsey Hummer
Lauren Hundley
Ross Kingsley
Alexa Kosco
Allison Le
Lauren Meech
Dean Navarro
Elizabeth Pinner
Kristen Pons
Jackie Pritzl
Caroline Rivera
Polina Romashkova
Amanda Rooth
Derek Smith
Karenna Soto
Noelle Sumner
Cheyane Swarbrick
Clark Taylor
Cody Webster
Jake Whelan
Kevin Witt
Melissa Zornig
Advanced Staff Writers
Julia Boyle
Morgan Brutocao
Becca Caraveo
Caroline Christ
Sky Cracraft
Kenna Crouse
Spencer Feldmann
Edward Fernandez
Nicolette Fernandez
Kerri Hall
Amanda Kiepe
Ashley Kotero
Karsyn Kraft
Michelle Loftus
Melissa Merrill
Lauren Rodriguez
*Comments and editorial opinions expressed in The Blueprint are
the staff’s and do not represent the position of the school, its
administration, faculty or students.
The Blueprint welcomes your comments and questions at
Blueprint@smhs.org.
10
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
OPINION
TOP TEN MOST ANNOYING
STUDENTS IN CLASS
By Alex Worthen
Every classroom has the
stereotypical annoying person.
This person is like an amoeba,
you can never escape them as
they seem to morph from class
to class. I regret to inform you
that this person will never go
away. I have compiled a list of
the top ten most annoying
people in the classroom and unfortunately, have decided what
these people will do when they
carry their annoyingness on to
their adult lives.
The best part about this article is that when you read these
descriptions, you will immediately come up with the name
and face of someone who fits
EXACTLY what is described.
The Narcissist:
This is the person who just
LOVESSSS the sound of their
own voice. When you see this
person raise their hand, you let
out an internal groan and wish
you were deaf. You even see
the teacher anxiously glancing
around the room for another
hand so they won’t have to call
on Arrogant Alice.
But no one rescues the
rest of the class; your posture
worsens, you put on your best
annoyed face and then settle in
for the monologue. “I think….”
“I feel….” “This relates to my
life because…” It’s like the peanuts teacher only worse. And
then the teacher finally interjects
with something like “That’s
great! Thank you for your participation!”… And the tension
in your body releases. That is
until their next irrelevant comment.
Future Job: Radio Host
(2am-5am shift)
The Repeater:
Also referred to by other
classmates as “the parrot”. This
person sits quietly and listens but
when they raise their hand to
ask a question you glare at them.
“So the Great Depression began on Black Tuesday?”
HELLLLLLOOOO?! Is that
NOT what the teacher just said
VERBATIM!?!? You clutch
your pencil really tight to make
indents in your palm as the
teacher says “Yes, Repeat…I
mean Rupert”.
Future Job: Teacher
The Borrower:
You’re probably reading
the paper over someone’s
shoulder right now. This person
is typically attracted to the organized and prepared students.
If you carry a pencil pouch,
have binder of paper or a
plethora of highlighters, you
should be on high alert for “the
borrower”. The borrower is the
student who scans the room
like an infrared laser when the
teacher announces “take out a
piece of paper and a pen for
notes”. As you awkwardly try
to stuff your big stack of paper
and your extra pens back into
your backpack, they corner
you. “Uhhh hey, can I borrow
a piece of paper?”
The first thing I want to
do is retort with, “No, you may
not BORROW a piece of paper because I don’t want your
illegible notes back after you’re
done taking them”. But I restrain. Then you avoid eye contact and mumble something and
regretfully relinquish your paper… like you don’t have
enough. But that isn’t the point.
It wouldn’t matter if you had a
whole room full of paper
stacked floor to ceiling, you
would still hate sharing with the
borrower. Note to the borrower
reading this right now: We hate
you.
Future Job: Used car
salesman
The Rebel:
This student believes that
the rules simply don’t apply to
them. Naturally, some teachers
are more lax than others, but
you learn that information from
experience. The all-time best
encounter I have had with “the
rebel” was junior year.
.This person trapezes into
class, grabs a white board
marker, writes on the board,
high fives a couple friends,
takes someone’s book and
tosses it across the room, and
then blurts out some profanity
loud enough for the entire room
to hear. I perk up and quickly
glance between the obnoxious
student and the teacher,
takedown initiated. Before I
could even get the painful image of being in this students
presence for the rest of the year
out of my head, I heard the
magic phrase… “Excuse me,
what do you think you’re doing?” HA HA HA HA!
As they get pulled in to the
hall way everyone starts to
snicker and whisper among
themselves. Victory (for me)
and EPIC FAIL for the rebel.
He trudges back in to class with
a look on his face similar to that
of a puppy after its nose has
been rubbed in its own urine. As
they quietly take their seat, you
smirk and feel some cynical
sense of accomplishment, or
maybe that’s just me.
Future Job: Inmate
#156
The
Coma
Kid:
CLEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
You seriously question whether
this kid has a constant heartbeat.
You usually find this person in
the back of the classroom; face
down in their desk and totally
out of it. You wish you could just
bring an air mattress to class to
put them out of their misery.
The “coma kid” is ALWAYS
tired. It doesn’t matter if it is
first block of the day at 7:30 in
the morning (understandable to
be tired) or if its fifth block at
1:30 in the afternoon.
I always wonder what this
person does after school… do
they go home and sleep? Or are
they doing something that contributes to their chronic state of
exhaustion? Challenge of the
day: try to strike up a conversation with this person. If anyone can find out why this person is sooo tired, report back immediately.
Future Job: Night shift
security guard
The Sniffler:
It is the first day of school
and you are sitting through torture. Then you hear it…
“ M m p h h s s h h m ”
“HHHMMMUHMMMMHHH”
“AcchhhooooOOOOHHH!”
The Sniffler is the person who
is always clearing their throat,
coughing, sneezing, or sniffing
no matter what time of year it
is. I always wonder if this person has mono, are you sick?
Because if you’re sick it is still
annoying but more understandable. But no, this person isn’t
sick because they continue this
obnoxious antic ALL YEAR
LONG.
I get especially frustrated
with the throat clearers. Is it really necessary to clear your
throat every 90 seconds when
you are listening to a lecture?
The most unfortunate situations
to be in with the Snifflers are the
following: 1- When they sit behind you. 2- During a final exam,
or even worse, an ACT to SAT
and 3- During Mass (no explanation necessary).
Future Job: Public
Speaker
The Over-Excited Student: Also known as the teachers pet. The over-excited student
is a dying breed but I had to include it because there are still a
few remaining. A typical encounter with the over-excited student
would go something like this:
“Sooo class, how are the essays
coming along?” (Of course the
teacher knows that no one has
actually started their essay as
they are not even due for 3
days)… But you can count on
Excited Emily to throw off that
curve. “Ohh! Ohhh!! Mine is
great!! I have it right here!!” (As
she overzealously pulls out a perfectly typed essay from her “SM
EAGLES” backpack).
At this very moment you
wish you would have taken the
barf bag off the airplane and
make a mental note to do so next
time you travel. No one likes the
over-excited student simply because they make everyone else
look bad… or maybe they just
want to hit them with a two by
four.
Future Job: Dog Trainer
The Drama Magnet:
This person seriously has
the most interesting life ever!
Likkeeeeeee you have NOOO
idea right? No… you don’t have
the most interesting life ever. You
live in some parallel universe
where you believe people actually care about every insignificant
detail of your social life. This person will typically walk in the room
and corral a group of people and
say something like “You’re not
going to believe what happened!”
There is always something tragic
happening in their lives and they
always feel the need to share every minute detail of it. Tip for lifeget over yourself.
Future Job: Soccer
mom
The Over-Organized Student:
I am the stereotypical overorganized student. We are anal
about little things that really
have no effect on our schoolwork. We appreciate Post-It
notes, our planners are color
coded, and we always know
what is due and when. We annoy other students to no end.
The best part about the overorganized student is that nothing would really happen if we
wrote our homework down
with one pen color as opposed
to five. It would still get done
but it is that very characteristic that allows us to make the
list.
People love to watch the
over-organized student. They
stare at you with such a look
of disdain as if they are trying
to un-color code your planner
via mind tricks. On April Fools
Day I recommend that you confiscate the over-organized
student’s Post-It notes and
highlighters. It will be hilarious
for you and Armageddon for
us.
Future Job: DMV
Employee
The Challenger:
This student might be
best friends with the narcissist.
However, the difference between the two is that this student not only loves to hear
themselves talk, they like to disagree with anything and everything that they can. Their characteristic phrases include “I am
going to have to disagree”,
“Actually, I read…” “Are you
sure that is correct because…”
The challenger is so irritating because they enjoy disagreeing so much that they will
even go as far as disagreeing
with things that don’t seem
very arguable. “Gosh is hot outside today”… “Actually, it really isn’t. It is just not cold”.
When you are in class with a
challenger you are always reluctant to raise your hand because you know that he or she
is going to have some nasally
and over analyzed response to
your thought. Be on high alert
for this student if you are in IB
English, Philosophy or Theory
of Knowledge.
Future Job: Restaurant Inspector .
Graduation is in how
many days…?
11
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
OPINION
We Have Lost the Meaning of Thanksgiving
By Carly Rivera and Amanda Figueroa
What’s the first thing
that comes to mind when you
think of Thanksgiving?
Food, right? Turkey, mashed
potatoes, stuffing, gravy,
pumpkin pie. You get the
point.
Most people just think
of Thanksgiving as a day to
stuff yourself with food because it is, after all, just a
holiday, right? ...NO! We
look forward to all the
scrumptious food that will be
served and relaxing with
family afterward, but we often forget the reason for actually celebrating Thanksgiving.
While food is the first
thing we connote with
Thanksgiving, what is the
second thing? Most would
answer the first feast of
Thanksgiving with Pilgrims
and Indians. We know how
Thanksgiving began, but we
do not know how or why our
country kept the tradition
going.
I t ’s t r u e t h e f i r s t
Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 to celebrate
Plymouth Colony’s harvest
after enduring a harsh winter. They also invited the local Indian tribe Wampanoag
Thanksgiving has been in disguise for so long! Photo courtesy of Google.
to feast with them. However, the 13 colonies each
celebrated the harvest on
different days until October
1777. George Washington
finally declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in
1789. By the mid 1800s,
many American states observed the Thanksgiving
holiday. During the Civil
Wa r, P r e s i d e n t L i n c o l n
wanted to find a way to unite
the America. In 1863, he
gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last
Thursday in November a day
of thanksgiving.
Even though things like
food, Pilgrims and Indians
come to mind when we think
of Thanksgiving, there is so
much more to the holiday
than that. The Pilgrims and
Indians had a great thanksgiving to celebrate overcoming a rough winter.
The Pilgrims and Indians remind us today that we
can use the holiday to thank
God for helping us overcome
all the hard times in our lives.
Thanksgiving is a day we can
get together with our loved
ones and thank God for all
the gifts He has blessed us
with.
The true meaning of
Thanksgiving is sometimes
lost because we are so
caught up in all the problems
in our lives that we blinded
to all the great blessings that
we are surround by.
It is easy to even see
Thanksgiving as a stressful
event. Often times you witness your mom or dad getting worried and anxious
about who to spend Thanksgiving with.
If we concentrate on
the actual intentions of the
holiday it becomes apparent
that stressing about the logistics of the event takes away
from the acutal event itself.
Invite everyone! Thanksgiv-
ing is a holiday about sharing and caring and the more
people you can share it
with, the better you are living out the actual intention
of the day.
Another aspect of
Thanksgiving that is often
forgotten is the notion that
we should be sharing with
those who are less fortunate
than we. While it is second
nature for us to put out a
huge feast, some families
cannot afford to have a lavish event. There are the
people that are meant to be
served on Thanksgiving.
Take the time to give from
all the excess that we have
to those who aren’t able to
expirience the holiday the
way that we are.
Good thing Thanksgiving was made a holiday because it can really help us
to gather ourselves and remember all the good things
God has blessed us with. It
is a unique holiday because
its meaning can be applied
all year round, not just on
one day. We should all stop
and take time in our daily
lives to thank God for the
gifts of joy, love, family,
friends…and even food!
The Students of Santa Margarita
ARE BEING BAMBOOZLED!
By Kevin Avjian
We t h e s t u d e n t s a t
Santa Margarita are being
bamboozled. Why do
teachers get all the freedom of dressing how they
want to and students can’t
even wear college jackets
if they aren’t seniors?
We a r i n g c o l l e g e
sweatshirts can motivate
us students to want to do
well in school so we can
one day go to school of our
choice. It can also show
the students different colleges around the country
and help us realize there
are more than just a few
colleges out there. If the
school would let us wear
these sweatshirts, I am almost sure more kids would
want to go to college.
Since we are a college prep school we should
be able to show how much
we want to go to college.
If we were allowed to wear
these jackets and coats we
wouldn’t be out of dress
code and that would lead to
happier students. It is
known, a happy student
means better grades and
better classroom participation.
What also made me
angry was that on Halloween the teachers were able
to wear costumes and we
were not. I talked to my
teacher about it and he told
me not only do they get to
wear costumes on Halloween, but every Friday the
teachers get relax dress
days. Sure the teachers
have to wear collared shirt,
dresses, and ties most days
but every Friday they get
“relax dress”.
Why can’t the students
get relax dress on Fridays? I
realize that they are trying to
reward the teachers for all
the hard work, but the students work hard also and we
need to be rewarded as well.
I would understand if
we were doing something
wrong, but the way I look at
it we are doing more good
than bad. Our lunch tables
are cleaner and the dentitions
have gone down. I’m sure
there are a few exceptions to
this, but you can’t punish all
o f u s f o r a f e w p e o p l e ’s
wrong doings.
I don’t like the feeling
that I am being punished for
something that has not happened. There are students on
campus who do not deserve
free dress days and and the
privelege of wearing college
sweatshirts, but the majority
of the students on campus do
deserve these priveleges.
The students need to
have more rights and fast. I
know we get to wear black
shoes now and grey
sweatshirts, but teachers
have been able to do that for
as long as I remember.
Also, teachers are able
to have facial hair. They are
forcing the kids who grow
facial hair shave everyday
resulting in us looking like
little kids.. Some of our
greatest men in history had
facial hair, including the Man
we praise and His son.
Not only will we look
good but we would have
more sleep because we
wouldn’t have to shave every morning and we would do
better in the classroom. If
the rules changed so the
students could have more
rights and dress a little more
f r e e l y, S a n t a M a rg a r i t a
would be an all together better place.
Detentions would be
passed out less frequently,
which means trees will be
saved; it would also make
us look like we are going
green. I am not asking for
much, I just want our
school allow its students
have facial hair and to be
able to wear college
sweatshirts in every grade
level. This may not be a
new issue, but no one is
doing anything about it. The
time for change is now and
we need to come together
make it happen.
12
XLOST IN THE SOUND OF THE
GREATEST SHOW EVER
X WHO IS THE GREATEST
MOVIES
MUSIC
& MORE
November 2008
BOND EVER?
Entertainment X LOGO FOR THE ULTIMATE
FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
WATCH PAPERVIEW FOR LIVE
FEED
What’s Hot this Month This is a Real Sport By: The Clark Taylor and The Cody Webster a legend and is the current UFC
Why is Mixed Martial Arts
heavyweight champion at 45 years
a mainstream, real sport? Because
old. He also hired great strikers like
it is a professional sport played by
Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackprofessional athletes in huge areson. Then he brought in very well
nas around the country. To truly unrounded fighters such as B.J. Penn
derstand the sport of Mixed Marand Georges St. Pierre, and
tial Arts, or MMA, you must uncleaned the UFC of street brawlderstand the roots. It was started
ers like Tank Abbot. Before the
by the Gracie family as a way to
UFC was stereotyped as having
see which style of martial arts is
street thugs, but that is not the case.
best. Royce Gracie won the first
Some of the best athletes in UFC
tournament with his family’s marare very well educated including
tial arts style of Jiu Jitsu which subRandy Couture who graduated
mission grappling which all occurs
from Oklahoma State University
on the ground. It does not involve
with honors, Chuck Liddell who
striking and it uses leverage to subgraduated from Cal Poly San Luis
mit your opponent. Some other
Obispo, and Rashad Evans who
styles included are, Muy Thai, Boxgraduated from Michigan State
ing, Kickboxing, and wrestling. Muy
University.
Thai involves knees, elbows and the
Sportsmanship is encourclinch. Boxing is striking with the
aged in the UFC and it is not unhands while kickboxing involves
common to see a fighter cross himkicks, and wrestling includes
self before a fight. One of the most
takedowns and the defense for
notable religious fighters is Andertakedowns. Chase McGuire who
son Silva, the number one fighter
trains for MMA says, that “It is a
in the world. During his title deblur to most people but really it is a
fense against Patrick Cote, Cote
chess match. If I get you in a hold,
fell down because of a knee injury,
there is three things you can do to
although Silva could have jumped
get out of it, then there is three things
on him and quickly ended the fight
I can do to put you back in it and it
he instead backed off and asked
just tree branches from there.”
Cote if he was okay. In the end
Over time MMA turned into street
Patrick could not continue because
brawlers fighting for tiny paychecks
of the injury and Silva retained the
in tiny arenas. Then the company
title but his display of sportsmanZuffa bought the Ultimate Fighting
ship was very nice to see. It was
Championships, or UFC, and made
something that is not seen in other
Dana White the UFC president.
sports, like football where Ray
Dana White is a former fighter
Lewis actually celebrated because
manager and MMA fan from Boshe injured another player. Chase
ton, Massachusetts. White and the
McGuire has said that, “Michael
UFC resurrected the sport of Mixed
Bisping, Quinton Jackson and BJ
Martial Arts. Dana White, instead
Penn are all friends they train toof advertising the UFC as brawlgether and help each other out.”
ing and street fights like it was beThese are not thugs or punks by
fore, brought back the Martial Arts
any means, they are professional
aspect.
athletes.
White hired Olympic caliber
They train as much as any
wrestlers like Mark Coleman and
other professional athlete if not
Randy Couture who has become
more. Some have been noted as
training for 10 hours per day, 7 days
a week. Dana White brought important safe rules to the UFC that
eliminated things like biting and eye
gouging. They also installed fair
weight classes to protect fighters
from fighting someone who is much
bigger than them. The weight
classes include light weight, welter
weight, middle weight, light heavy
weight, and heavyweight.Also, doctors are ringside for every fight
ready to jump into the octagon at
any second if there is an injury. Then
the UFC worked on getting reinstated by all of the state athletic commissions starting with Nevada.
They now have our own home state
of California and come here regularly to perform in front of a sold
out crowd at the Honda Center.
They also brought the show “The
Ultimate Fighter” to network television to teach the world about what
MMA is really all about. In the competition they take fighters from the
same weight class and put them into
two teams to train together. Then,
there is a fight at the end of each
episode to decide who goes home.
At the end the final two compete
for a UFC contract. Many athletes
from the show have gone on to be
very successful including the current UFC light heavyweight (205lbs)
champion Forrest Griffin. It has
been proven that MMA is safer than
the sport of Boxing, because boxing involves constant punches to the
head and temple while in MMA the
majority of fights go to the ground
and can end with jiu jitsu; submission maneuvers not just knock outs.
They also added 3 five minute
rounds and 5 five minute rounds to
championship fights instead of the
old 25 minute non stop fight.Also, it
has been proven that MMA is much
safer than football when it comes
to brain injuries and doctors in
MMA are closer at hand when
something happens wrong. This
makes it so a fighter can be looked
at between rounds to see if he is
okay. With added structure to the
sport it has grown in popularity
throughout the world. Great Britain, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Ireland,
and the United States have all
hosted UFC events. Also fighters
come from throughout the world,
some of the best fighters from oversees are Anderson Silva, Michael
Bisping and Georges St. Pierre.
Michael Bisping is the only one of
those three that is not a current UFC
champion but he did win the Ultimate Fighter 3, which is a large accomplishment.
Not only has MMA grown
world wide but it has become more
popular in our own backyard. Every
month people at our school look forward to the Saturday night that the
Ultimate Fighters compete on pay
per view. There are even students
at our school that train in MMA at
local gyms in Orange County. One
student that trains is Junior, Chase
McGuire, Chase says of the sport,
“It’s about becoming a better person, stronger and wiser. Through this
sport you push yourself to that limit
and keep going. You are bettering
yourself to become the man you
want to be. That is what my sport is
about. That is what MMA is really
about.” Now not only do kids dream
to play in the NFL or NBA but they
dream of competing in the UFC.
UFC 91’s main event Brock Lesnar
vs. Randy Couture was billed as the
most important fight in UFC history,
and the event lived up to the title.
Millions around the world tuned in to
see the Brock Lesnar win by knockout of Randy Couture for the Heavyweight title. Before the UFC 91 the
match between Quinton Jackson and
Chuck Liddell was known as being
the most important fight in UFC history because the face of the sport
was beat by another giant of the sport.
At one point Chuck Liddell was the
Tiger Woods of the sport but, he has
lost 3 of his last 4 fights and now
does not look so invincible. This is
not because he has gotten worse but
it is because the competition has gotten better.
On December 27th the
records for buys of a UFC event
will be broken. UFC fan and Sopho-
more Garrett Fleetwood, says of
UFC 92 that, “This should be the
best event yet, the fight card is awesome and the matchups are great.”
I know that Brock Lesnar vs.
Randy Couture was labeled as the
biggest fight in UFC history but
UFC 92 or The Ultimate 2008
might just be the biggest event in
UFC history, and they will only get
bigger. The Ultimate 2008 brings
a nice Christmas present to all
MMA fans with one of the greatest fight cards of all time. The main
event features Ultimate Fighter
winners Forrest Griffin and
Rashad Evans competing for the
light heavyweight championship of
the world.Also former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson
will take on bitter rival and legend
Wanderlei Silva in what should be
a great match up. Wanderlei feels
that Jackson is disrespectful and
has publicly said that he is going to
win the fight while Jackson has
said that he thinks it could be fight
of the night. Sophomore Garrett
Fleetwood, says, “Rampage
against Wanderlei should be a
great fight, probably fight of the
nigh.” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
and Frank Mir will battle in a match
to determine the heavyweight
number one contender which I
think should be fight of the night
because both athletes are well
versed in all of the submissions so
it could end at any second. With
two great submission fighters the
match can end at any time so it
should be very exciting. So if on
the night of December 27th you
don’t have any plans, invite some
friends over and split the money to
order the pay per view so you can
watch some of the greatest athletes in the world competing in the
purest form of competition. Get
your popcorn ready because it’s
going to be a good one.
13
Who Is
The Best
Bond?
By Derek Smith
and Kevin Witt
James Bond is perhaps the
most famous spy in cinema history, after 22 exciting, heart
pounding, suspenseful films.
Actors Sean Connery, George
Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan have
all taken a shot at portraying the
English MI-6 agent. But what
defines a good Bond? Perchance it is his stunning physique, his suave English accent,
or the babe always wrapped
around his arm? In honor of the
new Bond movie Quantum of
Solace (out November 14)
starring the latest Bond, Daniel
Craig, the tagteam of Kevin and
Derek have once again joined
together to get to the bottom of
the mystery to find the top three
Bonds.
Pierce Brosnan is the
Bond we all commonly envision.
He played 007 from GoldenEye
(1995) until Die Another Day
(2002). GoldenEye is possibly
the best Bond movie yet, but
Brosnan still falls short of
Connery. Probably the most romantic Bond, and still has pretty
good action scenes. Brosnan is
a close challenger, but doesn’t
blend the humor and action as
well.
The current Bond,
Daniel Craig, starred in Casino
Royale (2006) and Quantum of
Solace (2008). He was very
good in the role, perhaps one of
November 2008
Entertainment What’s Hot this Month the best, and is signed on for
another four Bond movies.
Craig wins over the crowd with
good action scenes and slick
pickup lines for the ladies. Craig
is possibly even the best Bond
yet, but he doesn’t have enough
screen time.
Sean Connery, the first
Bond, was 007 in the debut
Bond film Dr. No (1962) and
starred in every consecutive
movie until You Only Live
Twice (1963). He also returned
after a one-film hiatus to be in
Diamonds are Forever (1971).
Connery is definitely the most
believable Bond, he is both hilarious and his movies are action-packed. He looks the part
and has forged a very successful career since being launched
into stardom by the Bond franchise. We believe that the original is the best.
The James Bond franchise is one of the most successful in film history for a reason. The films have great action and loads of subtle humor.
Just because Connery is the
best doesn’t mean the other
Bonds aren’t worth watching
(excluding the terrible George
Lazenby). Just about any
James Bond movie is a good
rental, save few exceptions. If
you are looking for an action
packed film with a few laughs,
definitely check out the James
Lost in the Sound of
the Best Show Ever
By Paige Glasser
On Saturday, November 15, 2008 I prepared myself
for the excitement awaiting. My
friends and I drove to the venue
and at six o’clock, an hour before the doors opened, we arrived at the Bren Center at the
University of California, Irvine.
Finally, at seven o’clock the
doors were opened, our tickets
scanned, and everyone rushed
in to get a spot to stand nearest
to the stage. At about 7:30 the
first band by the name of The
Phantom came on stage. Their
sound is the typical grindcore/
metal/rock band, which would
catch the ears of one who loves
that type of music.
After The Phantom
played, we got off our seats to
stand on the floor to watch The
Devil Wears Prada. This band
sounded pretty good, though my
friends and I did not know many
of the songs. We actually had
more fun watching the teenage
boys with their giant double zero
plugs in their ears push each
other around to start a mosh pit
where they flew their arms and
legs around. Us girls, with the
ratio of about 3 to 5 of girls to
boys, had to be cautious not to
get stuck in the middle of a mosh
pit with the fear of being hit.
The muscular bodyguard
pushed around the tightly-packed
crowd, holding back any boys
who would possibly hurt others
while moshing.
Many more people started
showing up to the venue right
before Saosin went on to play
their set. For all of the old Saosin
fans that only liked them when
Anthony Green, who is now the
lead vocals of his band Circa Survive, was the lead singer, you’re
missing out. Now with lead
singer, Cove Reber, Saosin puts
on a lively show that gets everyone hyped. They love getting the
crowd involved and having fans
scream out the words of the
songs. For example, during their
last song Seven Years, almost
everyone was shouting the lyrics as Reber put the microphone
toward the audience. They did
not sound the same as the first
two bands because they had
their own style and flare with the
lyrics, vocals, and guitar riffs.
Saosin only prepared us for what
was to come.
At last, the set change after Saosin was over and we all
were ready for Underoath. Just
like last year on their 2007 tour,
the band started off their set by
showing a strange, yet intriguing
video on the screen behind the
stage. While the video was coming to an end, the band members
walked on stage and started
playing a new song from their
most recent album that came out
on September 2, 2008, called
Lost In The Sound Of Separa-
tion. This song was one of
their harder sounding songs,
which showed the intensity of
them, but didn’t really set the
mood of the fun. After the first
song they played more familiar songs that everyone knew
of and loved, which helped set
the mood. Though Underoath
may not sound like a Christian
band at first, they are. At every show, including this one,
they talk about their love of
God and how without Him they
would not be able to keep
spreading the Word in such a
creative way. All of their songs
express God in some sort of
way and they are never degrading
or
negative.
Underoath filled the venue with
people, and I am sure that most
people enjoyed their set in the
show.
These four bands were
all great together, for each built
up the suspense for the final
band, Underoath. If you
slightly like any one of these
four bands, this show was for
you.
14
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008
FEATURES
Don’t be Trashy... Recycle!
By Laura Schmeltzer and Kenna Crouse
Here at Santa Margarita we have a copious
amount of organizations and
clubs to choose from, but
which cause is most important to you? Joining an organization with a cause you
support and aspire to help is
always a great place to start.
To collaborate with a club
you previously supported is
the easiest way to begin your
club scouting. How about
consider joining the club The
Green Machine! Within this
club they address the issue
of recycling and ways to
prevent and facilitate this
daily crisis.
We interviewed the
president of the club, Courtney Pearl, and got her to explain what the Green machine is all about.
Kenna and Laura:
“What exactly is the green
machine club?”
Courtney: “The Green
Machine is the recycling
club that was started on
campus in may 2008. The
club promotes recycling on
campus and maintains the
green bins in the lunch shelter for bottles and cans.”
KL: “What inspired
you to start this club?”
CP: “I was inspired
to start this club because
I thought it was a shame
that so much recyclable
material was going to
w a s t e ! P a p e r, b o t t l e s ,
and cans were just being
thrown out. most people
recycle in their homes,
and more and more public places are beginning
to place recycling bins
with trash containers too,
so I thought why not
school? It’s just as easy
to recycle something as
it is to throw it away.”
KL: “What does
your club do?”
CP: “The club promotes recycling on campus and currently maintains the green bins in the
lunch shelter for bottles
and cans.”
KL: “What events
are planning to do to support your cause?”
CP: “Some events
that we are planning to
do to support our cause
are placing paper recycling bins in the classrooms that do not have
them, and hopefully getting a dumpster on campus specifically for recy-
clable materials where they
can be deposited and picked up
by a local recycling agency.”
KL: “How can people get
involved?”
CP: “People can get involved in so many ways, it’s
easy! Just recycle things instead of throwing them awaythat’s not hard! Especially if
there is a recycling bin available. Just try and make a conscious effort to change your behavior, soon it will become a
habit.”
KL: “Is this a time consuming club?”
CP: “It can be a little time
consuming, especially when its
just my sister and I collecting
the bottles, cans, and paper
Fridays after school. But we
both care about it, so it’s worth
it.”
KL: “Do you incorporate
your beliefs of recycling into
your daily life?”
CP: “Yes I do. I recycle
whenever I can. I don’t really
have to think about it any more,
like oh, I should recycle
this...after a matter of time, it
just becomes the norm.”
KL: “What are some
things you can do around the
house to support your cause?”
CP: “Some things you
can do around the house are
get a separate container for
items
that
can
be
recycled...plastic, aluminum,
cardboard,
paper...pretty much everything except Styrofoam can
be recycled. Most cities
provide each homeowner
with a giant recycling can
along with a trash can, so
take advantage of it.”
KL: “Do you believe
that if enough people get involved, it could make a difference?”
CP: “Of course if people get involved, a difference can be made! The
more people recycle, less is
wasted.”
KL: “What is your
main goal for this club?”
CP: “My main goal is
to promote awareness about
the benefits of recycling,
and help people see how
easy it is to help the environment by recycling— in
that, you are ultimately helping yourself! It is just as
easy to toss something into
a recycling bin as it is a
trashcan. It’s just changing
your behavior a little bit.”
It’s important to be
aware of our effect on the
environment. Did you
know…each of us uses approximately one 100-foottall Douglas fir tree in paper
and wood products per year.
Americans throw away
enough glass bottles and jars
every two weeks to fill the
1.350-foot towers of the
former World Trade Center.
Every year we make enough
plastic film to shrink-wrap
Texas. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb
for 20 hours, a computer for
3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours.
When you toss out one aluminum you can waste as
much energy as if you’d
filled the same can half-full
of gasoline and poured it
into the ground.
The recycling symbol.
Photo courtesy of Google.
The American Cancer Society Eagles for CHOC!!
By Katelyn Finneran
Many people are affected
by cancer; whether it is you, a
family member, friend, or whoever. It is scary and hard to see and/
or go through something as horrible as cancer. Do you want to
help those dealing with cancer
in their life? Did you know SM
has an American Cancer Society
club? This club satisfies your
longing to help us fight back cancer! As a club, we help those going through cancer and those
who are helping them get
through it.
Our main fundraiser is the
Relay for Life, happening later in
the school year. The Relay for
Life is a 24-hour walk/fundraiser
that helps fight back, celebrate
the survivors, and remembers
those with or who have passed
away from cancer. The club will
be making a team for the Relay, if
you are interested please stop by
one of the meetings. We make
goodie bags for cancer patients,
have daffodil days and much
more! We would love for you to
come and help us brighten someone’s day! Right now, we have a
book drive going on; so, if you
By Spencer Feldmann
have any new/used children’s
books, please bring them to Mrs.
Stewart’s room!
The American Cancer Society is also getting ready to
make Stockings for patients. We
are looking for anything kids or
adults would like; however,
nothing can be edible, opened,
smaller than a quarter, or living
(this includes plants). Also, we
are asking for travel size gifts,
such as shampoo, conditioner,
tooth paste, tooth brush, Chapstick, anti-bacterial sanitizer and
wipes, and reading lights for the caregivers of the patients. Come by Mrs.
Stewart’s room at our next meeting
and help us put them together!
Listen closely to announcements, for we have not decided a day
to meet yet. However, it will be coming up within the next week. Our meetings are usually once a month in Mrs.
Stewarts room, so please stop by! If
you have any other questions please
see: Mrs. Stewart, Nisha Dutta, or
me, Katelyn Finneran. Hope to see
you there!
The American Cancer Society Logo. Photo courtesy of
Google.
CHOC is back again this
year, and better than ever. If
you didn’t get a chance to sign
up for this unique club at the
service fair, you should find a
CHOC member and sign up
now. Recently on October 19th,
the 18th annual CHOC walk
took place at the Disneyland
Resort Walk in the Park.
This event is usually attended by over 15000 people,
who have repeatedly risen over
$1.5million! The crowds gathered at the Disneyland resort
and did a 5k walk through the
Disneyland Grounds. They
walked through California Adventure and Disneyland. After
the walk they were awarded
prizes from sponsors and shopping sprees for the highest donators! Great job Eagles. Even
though you missed this event,
consider all of the children at
CHOC hospital during the holidays. Every donation helps a
child. You can visit the hospital,
help with daily needs of the
center, and donate books for
children as well as toys and
money. These children should
not be burdened with knowing
that their parents cannot pay for
their treatment. Through donating time and effort to CHOC
you can ease parents’ worries
and let them focus on the most
important thing in life, their children. So this holiday season,
grab someone wearing a
CHOC sweatshirt and let them
know you want to make a difference, you’ll be glad you did!
CHOC Foundation
Symbol. Picture courtesy of
Google.
15
The Blueprint
November 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Campus Ministry
Thanksgiving: A Time of Giving Thanks
By Julia Boyle and Caitlin Doud
Taylor
Razzano
(Sophomore)- “I am
thankful for my family and ANNE
MCGRAW!”
Chad Naughton (Sophomore)- “I am thankful
for the great life God has given me, for
my awesome friends, loving family, and
Alisha Maline.”
Morgan Hicks
(Sophomore)- “I’m
thankful for Joe
Lieske.”
Alisha Maline (Sophomore)- “I’m thankful for my friends…and Hello Kitty!”
Ana Rios (Freshman)- “I’m thankful
for such loving and understanding
friends.”
Tallen Gorman (Sophomore)- “I am
What are you Thankful For?
thankful for my friends and family,
Sam Goff (Junior) - “I am
that I go to a great private school, my
thankful that we have a pool
athletic abilities, and for my
on campus.”
thinking abilities.”
Steven Gould (Sophomore)- “I am thankful for Jesus.”
A Time of
Thanks
Caitlyn Leonard (Junior)
- “I’m thankful for Mr. Dunne.”
Chanel Collins (Junior)
-”I’m thankful for honest people.”
E Erin Smith (Freshman)- “I’m thankful
for my family’s good
health.”
Matt Klados (Junior) –
“I am thankful for being
an eagle.”
Maddy Sykes (Sophomore)- “I am thankful
for God and the life he has given me. I am also Thanksgiving!
thankful for my family, friends, and that I
live in a free country!”
Dani Lombardi (Junior) –
Elizabeth Noble (Junior) –
“I am thankful for being
“I am thankful for our country.” able to go to a Catholic school.”
Trish Hood (Senior) -”I am thankful for Savannah Higgins and Tony Chanes.”
Katy Hickey, Lauren Cullen and Blair Kirkbaumer
(Seniors) -”We’re thankful for Ms. Moody and Edward Cullen.”
Tracy De Leon (Junior) -”I am thankful for late starts.”
Dr. Vanderwilt (Religion teacher) - “I
Clare Leonard (Junior)
am thankful for the gift of time—God
-”I am thankful for my
is giving me days and years to grow
friends , family and
into a more loving, strong, and wise
Twilight.”
person.”
Gratitude
Kelsey Jezierski (Senior) -”I am thankful
Alexa Skonieczny (Senior) –
for my best friend Ray Gardner.”
“I am thankful for my horse,
Ryan Christiansen (Junior) –
“I am thankful for three cookies
for a dollar again!”
Maddy Sumner
(Senior) -”I am
thankful for
Dave Matthews.”
Conor McCullagh
(Junior) -”I am thankful
for being an uncle.”
Nickelodeon.”
Share the
LOVE!
Danielle Ruck (Junior)
-”I am thankful for our
troops fighting in Iraq.”
Appreciation
Johnny Whichard (Junior) -”I am thankful for the best possible family
anybody could ask for, a posse of friends who would do absolutely
anything for me, my amazing school, three cookies for a dollar, my home,
my entire blessed childhood, and a country that provides me with
everything I need to lead a happy life.”
Mr. Young (History teacher) - “I am thankful for my wonderful wife, my
two healthy sons, and my grandson. I am also thankful for our amazing
school.”
Kaitlyn Belt (Sophomore)
-”I am thankful for the
Rachel Gardner (Senior)
Twilight Series, without
-”I am thankful for Kelsey Mrs. Mancini (U.S. History teacher) -”I am thankful for
it my life would not be
Jezierski and dance team.” the love and support of my husband and family. I am
complete.”
thankful to work at SMCHS where I am reminded on a
Mrs. Gatfield (Math teacher) – “I
daily basis that I am surrounded by many people who
are willing to share their time and talent to make me a
am thankful for my family and
better teacher and person. I am thankful for my students
that God has given me the opportunity
who usually make me laugh and always keep me on my
to work at such a great school with such
wonderful students.”
toes which makes my job interesting.”
T hanks
16
The Blueprint
The Official Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
November 2008