NOT

Band gives ‘excellent’ performanceat festival

The school band participated in the Bay Section Area III California Association for Music Education (CMEA) Band Festival at Irvington High School. Twelve other schools from Alameda County attended the festival, which allows band members to test their skills with that of other schools. According to the CMEA website, its goal is to “promote the advancement of music education” and includes band directors from the region.

Band has been steadily practicing the three pieces they performed on April 24 since February. Their hard work paid off when they received the rank “excellent,” which is the second highest score, from all three of the judges.

They also performed a sight-reading piece. Band teacher Nicole Kellersburger was given five minutes to choose from a folder of set pieces, and an additional five minutes to point out important parts of the piece to the band before performing. Afterwards, the band played the song for the first time and was scored by music teacher John Felder to be superior. The scoring scale is as follows: poor, fair, good, excellent, and superior. Mr. Felder also commented that he liked how band incorporated the spirit of Chorale and March in their sight-reading piece that they performed.

The number 765 and the slogan “Up Yours” became synonymous with STAR testing and the administration’s attempt to boost the school’s test scores last year. This year, both standardized tests and the administration are back, but the slogan is different. Now we are driven to achieve by Nike, and the phrase “801. Just Do It”.

The number 776, which the school achieved last year, is a fusion of the STAR and the California High School Exit Exam results. Known as an API score, they can range from 200 to 1000 points. The State of California has recently set the API score standard to 800.

“We want to do even better than that though, so we are setting the bar higher. So our goal for this year is 801, a difficult, but definitely possible, jump of 25 points from last year,” ASB President Brian McMahon said.

STAR test scores will now determine a student’s eligibility for Honors classes as well. Students are required to achieve a score of Advanced in the subject in which they want to take an Honors class. For example, in order to be eligible for English 11 Honors, they would need to score an Advanced on the English portion of their STAR test as a sophomore.

The 801 campaign is part of a larger competition which Principals Linda Fernandez of

Washington High School and Pete Murchison of Irvington High School organized. A “gentlemen’s agreement” between the two schools, Murchison approached Fernandez with the idea. Mission and Irvington held a similar competition two years ago. Both school’s API scores increased, with a 5 point rise for Mission and a 12 point increase for Irvington.

This mixture of school-wide and individual motivations to achieve higher STAR scores has both long and short term rewards. If WHS achieves its new goal of 801, ASB will host an extended lunch similar to the one held last September. Higher standardized test scores also increase real estate values in the school’s attendance area.

School asks students to Just Do It

April 30, 2009 Washington High School 38442 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94536 Vol. 90 Issue 10

The HatchetFeaTures, pages 6-7

students sharepost graduationplans

Members of the Environ-mental Club celebrated Earth Day with an after-school planting April 22. With permission from ASB and the administrators, they planted several annuals, or plants that germinate and flower for about one year, and then die. Ferns and hosts were planted between the 20’s and 30’s wings. Along

with these, marigolds, African daisies, ice plants, cinerarias, and canna lilies were planted around campus. The environmental club had been preparing to plant during Earth Day about seven weeks prior.

“I felt that we needed to do this to give back to the Earth, because we take so much from it,” sophomore Environmental Club Secretary Lisa Ramie said.

Ramie took on the project and compiled a list of plants. The club had a day where they went around and people chose what they wanted

to plant and where. They decided to plant mainly in front of the Eggers Building, and in Memorial Grove, for these areas are irrigated with a sprinkler system. Other areas would require either drought resistant plants or routine watering.

Funding for Environmental Club activities comes from a $4,000 grant which was received and left behind by Diane Brumbaugh, the club’s advisor last year. The grant money has to be used on eco-friendly activities. The club’s current advisor is Steve Symeonides, who

was there to help organize and run things during the event. About $250 from the grant was spent on the Earth Day planting. A majority of the grant is going into the Environmental Club’s garden, which they plan to build a mini greenhouse in. Currently, vegetables are grown in the garden.

The club also raises money through their recyclying

Jonathan Pham

Staff Reporter

Lane Prescott

Staff Reporter

sherry Lee

Staff Reporter

See BAND, News 3

See EARTH DAY, News 3

Photo by Jonathan Pham

Sophomore Dylan Mahood prepares the soil for planting. Environmental Club planted flowers all over campus on April 22, Earth Day.

Environmental Club hosts planting

Testing 23students discuss standardized testingOPINION, page 5

1a&e, page 9

to wear

Photo by Jonathan PhamJunior Kimberly Chatterjee and senior Andrew Kimberlin rehearse as Lucy van Pelt and Charlie Brown for the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, opening tonight at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Columnist adi Kolev advises against mandals, mullets and

other fashion don’ts

wha

t

Teachersmake ourWORLDgo’Round!

T E A C H E R A P P R E C I A T I O N W E E K : M A Y 3 - 9

ThaNk YouWHS FacultyaND STAfF!

Washington High School is joining thousands of communities across the country in celebrating

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week!This special week honors the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and

skills to educating children. WHS wants to call attention to the outstanding contributions teachers make to individual students and to our entire community.

Let’s CelEbraTe!

Teacher becomes student

Photo by Jonathan Pham

Freshman Ruby Miu and Environmental Club advisor Steve Symeonides plant in Memorial Grove for Earth Day. Many different students came and helped out to get service hours.

News briefs

Teacher Appreciation WeekWashington’s PTA will

show faculty members how much they appreciate them for their dedication and their hard work with food, gifts and activities during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8. This year’s theme is “Teachers Make the World Go ‘Round!’”

Link Crew teaches for a day Link Crew Academic

Follow-Up was a day where Link Crew Leaders took over 22 ninth grade English classes. They held activities for the classes to help freshman deal with real-life social problems. Held on April 21, English classes were the main focus.

“We chose English because many of the same themes found in the literature are related to link crew academic activities,” teacher and Link Crew advisor Elizabeth DeWitt said.

They did activities that showed them how to handle problems. The link crew follow up was mainly organized by the two link crew coordinators, seniors Amanpreet Kaur and Linda Huang.

“I learned a lot of leadership skills and I am grateful to Ms. DeWitt for giving me this opportunity,” Kaur said.

English teacher Jeffery Speckels found it very effective.

Lots of hard work went into this event. According to DeWitt and the rest of Link Crew, the hardest aspect was trying to set a date and coordinate with teacher’s schedules.

News briefs bymartha Perez

Carlos Flores

Decidenow.

Fremont Campus6600 Dumbarton CircleFremont, CA 94555

Program availability varies by location. © 2008 DeVry University. All rights reserved.

Classes start July 6, 2009.

Opportunities, change and freedom are all just one decision away. DeVry University offers degree programs that employers value in fields including Business, Information Systems, Healthcare Technology and more.So make the decision and start school now.

The new class session begins July 6, 2009.Visit www.devrynow.com or call 510.574.1200to get started today.

Art teacher Todd Elkin is taking a leave of absence next year to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard on a full scholarship. He is participating in Harvard’s Arts in Education (AIE) program, which is, as stated by the online course description, “intended for self-directed individuals who are interested in fashioning their own arts-related courses of study.” Elkin first learned of AIE while teaching at Harvard’s Project to Summer Institute. In this program, Elkin taught other teachers from around the world about the art process.

“There is a certain kind of thinking in art that doesn’t exist in other disciplines. I’m interested in the way teachers can make their student’s thinking visible,” Elkin said.

Elkin hopes to learn how to help students see connections between art and other subjects.

“Mr. Elkin is a really chill teacher who always encourages us to be creative and to ‘engage and persist’. It will be a loss to Washington having him leave us,” junior Kaylee Miu said.

He is planning on returning to his job at WHS.

“This is an exciting opportunity. I’ll miss Washington. I’ll definitely miss my students. I love my job and intend to come back,” Elkin said.

sherry lee

Staff Reporter

FUSD talks of new taxPatriCk Flynn

Staff Reporter

The Financial Advisory Committee’s sixteen members filled the district office’s Magnolia room to discuss a possible parcel tax for Fremont. By 6:24 p.m., the men and women finished their share of the refreshments and were ready to discuss the proposed tax.

The office of California Secretary of State Debra Bowen defines a parcel tax as a tax where “the amount owed is typically the same for each parcel, or unit, of land.”

“You can have a tax that goes towards a general fund, where the school district can spend the money on whatever it needs to,” Community At-Large representative Jack Roach said. “Or you can have a parcel tax that goes towards certain programs.”

There are those who are wary of an imposed parcel tax.

“I don’t believe in taxing people. The government always says that it’ll spend money for the children, but it never does,” Fremont resident Margaret Shaw said.

Most likely, a specific parcel tax would be intended for music and art programs, libraries, and technology for schools.

“Then again, if we pass the tax, the state of California could lower funding, figuring that we already have enough money for the schools. It would be counterproductive,” Roach said.

The Financial Advisory Committee maintains that it will not propose a tax until it gets two-thirds of citizens’ support.

“He was really fair in his judging. He seemed like a nice guy, if only a little overly enthusiastic,” junior Chris Valdez said.

In previous years, band has received an average score of either

Correction: In the April 7 issue in the election guide, Paul Sun and Benjamin Rich’s quotes were swapped. The Hatchet regrets the error.

Art by todd elkin

This original artwork was featured in Raygon magazine in the late ’90s. The figure laying down is a re-creation of musician PJ Harvey.

NEWS 3The Hatchet APRIL30’09

Band| Band improves on past standards

efforts. Most of the club’s activities have been recycling sessions. This is the first time this year the club has planted outside of the science wing garden.

“If we get positive feedback from our peers and the staff, we definitely want to do more planting around campus,” Ramie said.

As next year’s Environmental Club president, Ramie hopes to have bigger turnouts at events, and is going to make a bigger effort to bring people out next year. A

EARTH DAY from front page bulletin for the Earth Day planting was only ran on the day of the planting, and there was a lack of posters around campus.

“Even though the turnout was bigger than lots of us expected, it would be even better next year to have lots of students come out,” Ramie said. “Maybe next year we could plant some trees, because those do even more good for the earth than just flowers.”

Despite the lack of advertising, about ten volunteers showed up.

“My friend Shelby told me about the earth day planting, and I’m

Earth Day| Students beautify the schoolreally big on being green and Earth friendly so I really wanted to help,” senior volunteer Tiffany Tu said. “I feel like it did help in a small way, and that we can all do small things to help out the earth.”

Ramie hopes to stir students’ interests with the approaching Ecology Fair, which the club is preparing booths for.

“I feel like this whole ‘going green’ thing is more of a trend than a cause,” senior club member Daniel Wong said. “People really need to start making an effort to learn about our planet.”

BAND from front page good or excellent at the CMEA band festival. They were able to meet, and exceed, the same standards by receiving an excellent score.

“There is always room for improvement. We did better than I expected,” junior Emily Khuc said.

Band members enjoyed the pieces chosen for the festival.

“They were exciting and good pieces to keep the band interested in playing and practicing. They were good pieces for the level of the band, including me,” junior Alex Tyler said.

OPINIONThe Hatchet APRIL30’094

The Hatchet is a forum for student expression and discussion of ideas uncensored by school officials. The Hatchet staff seeks to ethically produce an accurate record of the news, sports, issues and people of the Washington High School community.

2008/2009 Staff

Washington High School 38442 Fremont Blvd.Fremont, CA 94536

info@whshatchet.com Tel (510) 505-7300 Fax (510) 794-8437

Co-Editors-in-ChiefKristina Schenck

Vivian Zhang

News Editors Britt Higgins

Opinion Editors Josh DasJosh Yim

Features Editors Nicole Doan

Raymond Kyaw

A&E EditorsClare Cisneros

Jessann Stymans

Sports EditorsDavid HoangChristelle Xu

Photo Editor Shaun Nissen

Business Manager Johnny Li

Distribution Manager Ilham Awad

Staff ReportersShobana Anbazhagan

Ilham AwadCody Bates

Jordan BrahaneyChristine CabugaoJustin CastellanosChristian CastilloLydia CuarezmaAlberto CuellarBrynna EvansHayley Fields

Carlos Flores MartinezPatrick FlynnAmelia Griffin

Victoria GroenewoldSamir HamsafarYama Hazheer

Adi KolevSherry Lee

Sami MamouMartha Perez

Jonathan PhamChristopher Pineda

Nick PitruzzelloLane PrescottRyan Reynolds

Amber StephensBrianna StutzmanMostafa Wahed

Eric Welschmeyer

Mission

Letters to the Editor Policy

The Hatchet encourages public opinion through Letters to the Editor, which represent the opinion of the writer only. An editor must confirm submission of all letters with the writer. Writers may request that their letter be printed anonymously, but The Hatchet will not print letters submitted anonymously. Letters will not be edited. If a letter is not publishable due to legal liability, poor taste or length, the letter will be returned to the writer for revision.

Letters should be addressed to “the editor,” and given to a Hatchet staff member, hand-delivered to Room E221, sent via email to <whshatchet@fremont.k12.ca.us>, or mailed to WHS-The Hatchet / 38442 Fremont Blvd. / Fremont, CA 94536.

Many of you may have asked yourselves over the past few weeks what exactly makes us a “Distinguished School”? All you may have heard is that our STAR testing scores raising and the administration filling out a lot of paperwork got us an award that says we are a good high school, but you are probably wondering if the award actually has any value other than a hearty congratulations from the District Superintendent.

After researching the selection process according to the California Board of Education and looking at the rigorous standards for becoming a Distinguished School I have determined this award was the achievement of the student

body delivering its best work. All the administration did was fill out some forms, sign a few papers, and give a good impression to our reviewers, but hey, that’s why we have them around right? The award r e q u i r e s p r o p e r a d h e r e n c e to the No Child Left Behind Act, an increase in our API Scores, which is what STAR tests are, and a Adequate Yearly Progress meaning that we

are better academically than years previous. Only about five percent

of middle and high schools in California receive this award every two years. In all of Alameda County this year, only two other high schools besides Wa s h i n g t o n received this honor: Castro Valley High, and Oakland School for the Arts.

This award looks excellent to colleges as it is almost like being an accredited high school much

like colleges get accredited for their degree programs. Also, for those who are going to junior college and think this doesn’t matter to you, it still does. When submitting your résumé or filling out a job application you can include that the high school you graduated from was a “2009 Distinguished School” and that will look a lot better to a potential employer as far as where you received your diploma giving you an advantage over someone with the same qualifications who did not graduate from a distinguished school. This award opens opportunities to everyone who, has or, will graduate from Washington High School. This accomplishment is the result of tremendous effort put out by every student and we should all be proud of what we have achieved.

Ryan Reynolds

Staff Reporter

Before school, people usually wake up, take a shower, brush their teeth, eat breakfast, and go to school. But did you know that there are people who fail to brush their teeth? That’s right, some people wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, and skip brushing their teeth altogether! How do they not feel insecure going to school?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t go to school without brushing my teeth. The feeling in my mouth would be torture, and I could not bare it.

First of all, if you do not brush your teeth, you will develop halitosis, or bad breathe, and plaque might envelope your teeth, weakening it. And even though you may not be able to smell your own bad breathe, those who can will have to suffer from the stench. Honestly, no one likes bad breathe. It’s disgusting, unclean and just wrong. And you will lose your teeth at an earlier age not brushing your

teeth, than you would brushing them. Would you like to have no teeth by the time you’re 40? I didn’t think so.

Second of all, if you do not get in the simple habit of brushing your teeth daily, you may be susceptible of developing other bad habits; especially if you can’t handle a simple task like brushing your teeth, which you should be able to do.

Junior Jeremiah Gacusan said,” If you are incapable of basic self maintenance, chances are you won’t live a good lifestyle.”

On occasion, I encounter someone with horrid breathe, and I wonder, does this guy ever brush his teeth? It creeps me out whenever I meet someone like that, and I hate it. And people might also think differently about you if they found out that you did not brush your teeth before school! So don’t just do it for yourself, do it for your friends, and the rest of your classmates. By not brushing your teeth, you have nothing to gain, and all your teeth to lose.

Brush your teeth to repel bad breath smells

Reward for hard work: distinguished school is no joke

josh das

Staff Reporter

Illustration by nicole doan

Illustration by nicole doan

Illustration by nicole doan

OPINION 5The Hatchet APRIL30’09

STAR should be replaced

In a society driven by competition, even our high schools vie for the top spot. Whether the medium is athletics or academics, ranks matter. Academic Performance Index (API) scores is the measurement California uses to keep track of individual school academic performance and progress. Passed by the California legislature in 1999 as part of the Public Schools Accountability Act, API scores allow the government to maintain that public schools are doing their jobs in successfully

educating youth. A school’s API score is given

on a scale of 200 to 1000. In 2007, Washington’s API score was 747; 53 points short of an 800 score that the state places as the performance target. Also, to make sure that schools are gradually improving and not regressing, the state requires each school to improve their API score by five every year. Previously, Washington set our target score for 765, but we surpassed that goal by 11 points by scoring a 776. With this 29 point, we have raised the

bar again for 2009. Our new goal is to score 801, one point above the interim statewide API performance target.

Even though the state places certain requirements for schools regarding academic performance and improvements, we have shown objective and ambition on our own by creating our own goals. When the state asks for a certain score from us, we ask for an even higher score from our students. By consistently encouraging our students to achieve and score

The state of California should abandon the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. It is a waste of money and inaccurately measures schools’ academic performances.

First and foremost, the STAR is meant to measure schools’ aptitudes; schools get more funding when they do well on the exams. If a school’s Academic Performance Index (API) is high, it’s rolling in the dough. According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, in 2001, teachers in eligible schools received bonuses up to twenty-five thousand dollars for having high API scores.

But while schools’ test scores are scrutinized, individual students have nothing to lose. Sure, if Washington does poorly, the local real estate values will diminish and the school suffers. That doesn’t seem to matter to test-takers.

Each year for ten years, I’ve spent hours filling in bubbles on cheap paper. And while I always took my time and did my best on the STAR tests, others would pass the hours by

Patrick Flynn

Staff Reporterfilling in all C’s or making pictures out of the circles they darkened. They had no reason to care; colleges don’t look at individual STAR scores.

California, cut the program. Stop wasting money on a test that few take seriously. Save the money you would’ve otherwise used for the STAR test and apply it toward administering the SAT and ACT to high school students.

Give freshmen, sophomores, and juniors the opportunity to take one of those two tests at the taxpayers’ expense. That way, the people taking the exams would be held personally accountable for their performance. When people are held accountable for their actions, they tend to take things seriously.

Students could use their freshman and sophomore years to practice and see where they need to improve; they could send their results from their junior year to colleges. This would save money and time on students’ behalf.

Average scores to figure out which schools deserve additional money. Do whatever you need to do. Just stop wasting students’ time with STAR tests.

higher, we have been able to surpass both the requirement as well as the given goal.

As additional motivation this year, ASB and administration is encouraging students to reach 801 points in order to beat Irvington. The school wisely feeds off the students’ inborn sense of competition and rivalry for our fellow Fremont schools, and this added incentive will most likely improve scores.

Washington is a very proud school; we never miss a chance to

celebrate our abundance of school spirit and high-achieving athletics team. Now it’s time to boast our exceptional academics as well. No longer will Washington be among the ranks of schools that are “below average.” With a significant jump in our API score from 2007 to 2008, we are ready to tackle a similar improvement in 2009. So freshmen, sophomores, and juniors: as you finish up your STAR tests this week, keep in mind the bragging rights that come with a high score. Don’t forget: UP YOURS!

“STAR tesing is boring and I don’t really try whenever I have to take it.”

Yvon

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parz

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Bryc

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Ryan

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Jose

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“I love STAR testing because I get to sleep.”

“STAR is really boring. I don’t really like it. Seems like a waste of time.”

HUSKIESin the halls

“STAR testing is important, but people don’t take it seriously because it’s not emphasized enough.”

What does Star testingmean to you?

STAR tests are another great opportunity to shineStaff Editorial

Freshmen 86%

How many people take STAR testing seriously?

Sophomores 81%

Juniors 76%

What motivates you the most to do well on STAR testing?

Nothing 27%

Class Placement 19%

Other 17%

Encouragement 6%

Yes One Measure A Poor Measure Not at all

11% 43% 15% 10%

Sample informationTotal number of students polled-300

Freshmen-59, Sophomores-133, Juniors-108Boys-156, Girls-144

Do STAR tests actually measure student learning?

Personal Integrity 24%Property values 7%

The Hatchet

As the school year draws to an end, seniors should have an idea of what they plan to do after high school.

Student chooses AmeriCorps

While most students are going to college or joining the military, there is a WHS student who hopes to follow a di�erent path. Senior Robert Pipes hopes to join AmeriCorps a�er graduation. Since 1993, AmeriCorps o�ers national service programs to Americans in areas such as education, public safety, health and the environment.

Not knowing what he wanted to do a�er high school but wanting to do something hands on for the environment, he decided to apply.

“I never really had a passion so I �gured I might as well help other people till I �gured out what I wanted to do,” Pipes said.

Pipes applied for the Paci�c Coast Region program, which included a six-week training period in Sacramento, followed by four project assignments within any location in the Paci�c region. Project assignments are also based on need, and members could be stationed in locations outside their region. Food, transportation and lodging are paid for and members receive a salary through out and at the end of the program.

“No matter which program you sign up for in AmeriCorps, you might not get to do all the gung-ho volunteer stu� you see in the pictures,” Pipes said. “You may be rebuilding houses or tutoring kids, or you could be working behind the counter at a gi� store.”

Recently, President Obama has signed a $5.7 billion bill, tripling the size of the program. With an increase in funds, the program will give more students a chance to volunteer and earn money for college.

“Whatever it is you might be doing in the AmeriCorps, it’s all for the

better of the program and the country,” Pipes said.

UC Davis grants scholarship

With the current state of the economy, seniors not only face the challenge of choosing the college that is best �t for them, but also �guring out how they will a�ord their education. Senior Ven Meyerzon is familiar with this dilemma, as he was accepted into several prestigious California universities, such as UC Los Angeles and UC Berkeley. However, Meyerzon was also awarded the Regents Scholarship at UC Davis, which would amount to about $7,500 a year. �ough the decision was di�cult for him, Meyerzon chose to attend UC Davis next fall.

“Some people might think that I should have chosen Cal or L.A., but I’ll still receive a good education and save a lot of money, especially without all the loans,” Meyerzon said.

Despite the increased need for �nancial aid and scholarships, the number of students applying for aid has stayed consistent. According to Career Specialist Michelene Wittmer, 220 seniors applied for the Cal Grant this year, about the same number as last year. Wittmer aids students by going through di�erent scholarships with students. However, she recalls many students inquired about scholarships, but many people never followed through with applications.

“Applying for scholarships is a lot of hard work. A lot of kids think that they cannot win any scholarships because they are not straight A students,” Wittmer said. “Kids don’t want to write essays.”

Wittmer has also added an announcement in the daily bulletin, encouraging students to visit the Career Center and look through the list of scholarships. Scholarship information will also be uploaded onto the school website by next year. Wittmer hopes to see more students apply for scholarships in the future.

Senior headed to Harvard UniversityHarvard University, the pinnacle

of U.S. education, conjures images of prestige, lawyers and politicians. Soon, senior Ranvir Dhillon will join its ranks. Dhillon will attend the university as a freshman in the fall, in hope of majoring in molecular and cell biology. Later, he hopes to attend medical school and be a cardiologist.

“Human physiology is my favorite science. It’s really interesting how the human body works. I also like the potential to help others with it,” Dhillon said.

Dhillon has been preparing himself to be appealing toward colleges, but it was only in his junior year when he decided he wanted to attend Harvard. Despite his honors and AP classes, 4.0 GPA, high 2080 SAT score, 800 SAT II scores and array of extracurricular activities, Dhillon was not con�dent in his chances for admission.

“When I checked my admission status online, I had to read the message like three times to make sure I was reading it right,” Dhillon said.

Dhillon felt his SAT scores were the weakest part of his application.

However, he was able to make up for this with his varsity status in both cross country and track and �eld and his work with the Physician’s Organizing Committee, a volunteer organization whose goal is to defend proper healthcare.

While Dhillon’s four years in high school have been long and arduous, he found that sports were an excellent escape from his studies. Running is his most common form of relieving stress. Running also helps him train for the track and cross country seasons.

A large part of his involvement in many of his extracurricular

activities is owed to his older brother, Tanvir Dhillon.

Dhillon’s hard work both inside and outside of school has earned him the respect of many teachers and coaches.

“On the track, he gets feisty. He’s still quiet, but you can still see the determination in him,” chemistry teacher Sheri Raymond said.

Dhillon advises prospective students to work hard but make sure to balance their lives and don’t overwhelm themselves. Academics are necessary, but not su�cient; students need to develop a passion for things outside of school as well.

Colleges admitting the well-rounded

�roughout high school, students are constantly reminded of the requirements they need to ful�ll in order to graduate and to get accepted into a good college. �is includes community service hours, sports and tests such as the SAT or ACT. Establishing good habits and preparing for college early as an underclassman will help to take away some of the stress of junior and senior year.

Good grades are important, but with so many similar applications every year, colleges look for well-rounded students who exceed college expectations. Community service is a

great way to impress them. �ere are several clubs, such as Key Club and Interact Club, that students can join to reach these goals.

“Although community service has become such a chore, it has not lost its meaning. �e main goal of community service is for students to grow and learn from their service experiences,” Key Club member junior Jimmy Young said.

Extracurricular activities, such as sports, are also a way to get noticed by college admissions counselors. Students who have talents and use them in their community are distinguished from the thousands of other people who apply to colleges every year.

If freshmen and sophomores ever need help or advice, they can always ask the upperclassmen because seniors and juniors have o�en gone through similar experiences that underclassmen endure.

“�roughout high school, you basically encounter lots of tests that you won’t always do well on, and that will get you down. But instead turn that into your motivation to strive harder,” senior Diana Liu said when asked what advice she would give to underclassmen.

Underclassmen have all the things they need to do well at WHS. �e choices they make now will determine whether they will succeed in the future.

JOHNNY LI

Staff Reporter

RAYMOND KYAW

Staff Reporter

Photo from RANVIR DHILLON Senior Ranvir Dhillon poses in front of a Harvard University building. He visited the campus with his family to get a feel for what his future college would be like.

BRIANNA STUTZMAN

Staff Reporter

ILHAM AWAD

Staff Reporter

Photo illustrations by NICOLE DOAN and SHAUN NISSEN

Junior Jasra Batool plants flowers for an Environmental Club event that Interact Club hosted. Both Interact and Key Clubs provide opportunities for students to complete their volunteer hours. Photo byJONATHAN PHAM

What’snext?

A&EThe Hatchet APRIL30’098

Sophomore Lara Mrgic has been singing since she was three years old. She performed in front of a live audience for the first time, other than her family, in the fifth grade during Parkmont Elementary's school talent show. For Mrgic, singing in school talent shows is just the beginning. Three weeks ago, she started to take vocal lessons, and this summer she will audition for American Idol.

“I think I have a chance. It is exactly what I want to do, and can get me exactly where I want to go,” Mrgic said.

Mrgic is currently working on a plan to get a record deal. She also has a Youtube account, and has started gaining attention.

Singing comes naturally to Mrgic, and it has always been her passion.

“It makes me feel better. It is just what I love to do,” Mrgic said.

She comes from a musical family. Her late grandfather played the harmonica and the guitar. Mrgic also knows how to play the guitar and piano.

“I am blessed to have a family that supports me and what I want to do,” Mrgic said.

Mrgic performs mostly country music. Her favorite artists include Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift. Her inspirations are Taylor Swift and Sugarland.

Mrgic also writes her own songs using lyrics that she has written down in the book she carries around with her. Her songs come from personal experiences, such

artist spotlight

AmeliA Griffin

Staff Reporter

Lara Mrgic

as love and problems that her friends have.

Mrgic tends to sing solo, but sometimes she sings with her friend, who also plays the guitar. She is interested in seeing what it is like to play with a band.

“I hope that [people] hear it and it is relatable. It describes me,” Mrgic said.

Photo from lArA mrGic

Sophomore Lara Mrgic practices a song on her guitar. Mrgic performed “White Horse” by Taylor Swift in this year’s school talent show.

Keri Hilson’s debut album In a Perfect World… is an interesting mix of beats and featured artists. She has everyone from Lil’ Wayne to Keyshia Cole featured on her debut album.

It is no coincidence that Keri Hilson would have so many well-known artists on her debut album. She has been working in the music business since she was 18, about ten years, writing even Britney Spears’ comeback hit “Gimme More.”

Hilson was featured on Timbaland’s famous song, “The Way I Are.” It is no mystery that Timbaland would be featured on her debut album. Surely enough, he is on one of the album’s highlight songs called “Return the Favor.”

The more well-known songs on her album are “Knock You Down” featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo, “Change Me” featuring

Akon, “How Does it Feel,” “Energy” and of course her first song off the album “Turnin’ Me On” featuring Lil’ Wayne.

“Knock You Down” is a sweet love song with a catchy chorus and an interesting video with slow motion falling, a love triangle and some painting. “How Does it Feel” is a good song if you are mad at an ex-boyfriend and you want him to see how it feels to see you with another guy.

“Change Me” starts off interesting then turns into a sweet love song that just shows their raw emotions and feelings. “Energy” is a song that shows how she didn’t think that this love would take all of her being and all of her soul. The first single off of her album “Turnin’ Me On” featuring Lil’ Wayne is a catchy song that is energetic and easy to dance to.

I give Keri Hilson’s debut album In a Perfect World… three stars out of five. A lot of songs had memorable lyrics, but other songs didn’t match the better ones on the album. There were definitely some good songs on this album.

Overall, if you like this type of music and have heard her songs on her MySpace or on the radio and liked them, her album is worth buying. Otherwise you can buy select songs you like from Itunes.

Music Review

Amber StephenS

Staff Reporter

Keri Hilson’s album provides upbeat songs

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Girls and boys generally dress to impress. But who are they impressing? Magazines like Cosmopolitan suggest that there is a huge different between ‘girl hot’ and ‘boy hot’. Although Cosmopolitan relates this phenomenon more so to celebrities and their scandalous clothing, there is a relatable truth behind it. With so many trends appearing everyday, there is bound to be a miscommunication between the sexes, or a complete division between what one thinks is amazing while the other thinks it is outrageous. Simply put, girls and boys don’t know what the other gender secretly thinks about their clothing or what “fashionable” items to avoid, until now.

To boys, from girls:1. Mandals It’s a little biased, but mandals,

or man sandals, are highly frowned upon by girls. Girls are allowed to wear gladiator sandals and flip-flops all year round, but boys aren’t allowed to show their bare feet in

even the hottest of seasons. Still, mandals have made the top 3 NO’s for boys, specifically flip-flops.

“Feet are gross in general, but sandals on guys just makes them look girly,” senior Christina Mitchler said.

2. Tall T’s“Flip Flops! No wait, huge XXXL

T-shirts on guys who don’t need to wear an XXXL,” senior Tiffany Tu said.

This trend has been associated with a ‘gangster’ look and can be spotted on about a quarter of the teenage male population.

“Its even worse when they’re cheesy ‘bay’ shirts. Like the ones that say ‘yay area’ or ‘510,’” Tu said.

3. Pants that don’t fit Okay, maybe it’s cheating,

but there’s an equal amount of complaints about huge, sagging, baggy pants and jeans so tight that they give the wearer a muffin top.

“If they’re tighter than mine, I don’t like that,” junior Rachel Raffanti said.

Girls also mentioned “construction” or “farmer” pants. This refers to pants that have a unflattering baggy butt, go up too high, and are too short.

Honorable mentions include : camo shorts, striped polos, mullets, the color pink.

To girls, from boys:1. Cakey faces “I hate when girls wear hella

make-up. Girls shouldn’t be wearing the same amount of make-up they wear to prom, to school,” junior Andrey Neumann said. Cake-face refers to when a girl ‘cakes on’ too much make-up and you can hardly see what she looks like underneath.

“Girls are so much prettier when they’re natural,” Neumann said.

2. Bug-eye sunglasses These sunglasses have been

around since Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie started the trend in 2006. Although they’re often seen on celebrities, shades that cover more than half of your face aren’t ‘star-worthy’ to guys.

Instead, they make the girl’s eyes look too big, resembling a fly. Try a smaller version, like aviators, unless you really prefer a Willy Wonka inspired look.

3. Boots “Too much clothing...and

boots or Uggs,” senior Mario Ramirez said.

Ramirez was not alone in his dislike for these items. Shockingly, this winter accessory isn’t accepted by both genders. Boots were a huge trend in fall and winter and are still being worn on cool days, but from a guys opinion, boots are a bad idea.

Honorable mentions include : pocketless jeans, sports hats, long skirts, capris.

Boys and girls voice fashion don’ts

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Salon Du Monde

Boys track breaks two records, defeats rivalDaviD Hoang

Sports Editor

In the span of two and a half weeks, the boys track team broke two school records and defeated Newark Memorial, an accomplishment that has not happened in several years. The team set records in the distance medley relay (DMR) at the Arcadia Invitational and in the 4-by-800 meter (4x800m) relay at the Woody Wilson High School Classic. They are currently undefeated after beating Newark.

The Arcadia Invitational was held on April 10 and 11 at Arcadia High in Arcadia, CA. It was host to teams from 24 states and three different countries.

The DMR was run by seniors Ranvir Dhillon, Krish Patel, Chad Cose and junior Benjamin Rich. They set the new school record at 10 minutes, 35 seconds.

“Going into the race, I was just excited for them because it was a big meet, one of the biggest in the nation,” coach Ben Vose said. “They had an opportunity to go out there and just give it everything they had. We had a long road trip down to LA, which was fun. I wasn’t stressing out or anything at all.”

Dhillon, Patel, Cose, and Rich have been breaking the school DMR record all season long. Two weeks before Arcadia, they broke the record at the Dublin Distance Fiesta with a time of 10 minutes, 50

seconds. A week later at the Chabot Relays, the record would be broken again with a time of 10 minutes, 43 seconds.

At Arcadia, the team came in qualified in the twelfth position. They finished fourth out of 27 total teams.

Dhillon ran three laps to start the race for the team. Cose took the baton after D h i l l o n finished in ninth, and he moved up to sixth with his one lap sprint. Patel ran the next two laps and, in his final lap, was able to get the team up to second place. Rich finished the race off with one mile; he held the lead for a portion of the race, but fell back during the final seconds and finished fourth.

“It was good. It was a really physical meet because everyone wanted to win,” Dhillon said. “All the teams wanted to win; they were all in it. I tried my best just to get up to the front and Chad, Krish, and Ben moved us up throughout the race. Everyone ran a good race.”

Dhillon, Cose, and Rich all achieved personal best times at the meet. Dhillon ran his 1200 meter leg in 3 minutes, 17 seconds, Cose ran his 400 meter leg in 51 seconds, and Rich ran his 1600 meter leg in 4 minutes, 26 seconds. Patel ran a

season best time of 2 minutes flat. A week later on April 17 at UC

Davis, the DMR team traveled north to compete at the Woody Wilson High School Classic in the 4x800m relay.

Two years prior to this race, the school’s 4x800m relay record was set at 8 minutes, 31 seconds. Cose, Rich, Dhillon, and Patel now hold

the school record at 8 minutes, 5 seconds.

Coming into the race, the goal of the team was for each runner to individually finish under 2 minutes, 5 seconds. Cose started the race off with an

unexpected 2 minutes, 1 second. “We had Chad, a new 800

runner, run. He came out amazing,” Patel said.

Rich and Dhillon both finished with similar times to each other at 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Patel finished the last leg of the race and came in under 2 minutes with a time of 1 minute, 59 seconds.

The team finished second out of 20 teams.

“I knew that we were going to run fast, but I didn’t think that we were going to run that fast,” Vose said. “A few of the guys, Ranvir, Ben, and Chad, really surprised me with their times, how fast they ran. They were up in front and they did a good job.”

On April 22, the boys track team

faced off with Newark Memorial. The team came out on top with a final score of 71-66.

The meet came down to the final event of the day: the 4-by-400 meter relay. Patel, Cose, senior Sean Randall, and junior Matthew Padilla ran this event.

“Going into it, I thought I was going to be really nervous, but I

wasn’t nervous at all,” Vose said. “We put in a lot of hard work. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen. If not, they still ran well anyways.”

The boys will be looking to stay undefeated as they face Logan and Irvington in the next two weeks.

After that will be the MVAL playoffs and then the NCS playoffs.

Senior Krish Patel runs the final leg of the 4-by-800 meter relay at the Woody Wilson High School Classic at UC Davis on April 17. His 800m time was the fastest for the team at 1 minute, 59 seconds. The relay team consisted of Patel, seniors Chad Cose, Ranvir Dhillon, and junior Benjamin Rich. They broke the school record for that event and placed second at the meet.

Photo by Joe Hartman

“

“

I knew that we were going to run fast, but I didn’t think that we were going to run that fast.

Coach Ben Vose

SPORTS The Hatchet APRIL30’09 11

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WINTER BREAK-DRIVERS ED

Although most spring season sports haven’t ended yet, the golf season is already over. The season ended last week after the team competed at the MVAL playoffs.

The first round of the playoffs, hosted at the Mission Hills golf course, was held the week before spring break. The team was in second place after that round.

During their last round, the

Nick Pitruzzello Staff Reporter

Golf team finishes third in playoffs

The junior varsity baseball team took first place in the Easter tournament. The tournament was held at College Park in Alameda where they played Alameda, Antioch, and finally Berkeley in the championship game. The tournament took place April 10 to April 17.

In their second game to advance to the championship, the team defeated Antioch with a final score of 23-1. Sophomore Chad Messier started the game and pitched until the fourth inning, and freshman Brandon Ridge pitched the rest of the game. The teams played all seven innings since there was no ten-run rule in effect. This rule stops a game when one team is ahead by ten runs by the fifth inning.

JV baseball firstlydia cuarezma

Staff Reporter

Photo by chris ridge Freshman Brandon Ridge pitches the ball to an Antioch batter during their Easter tournament held over spring break. The junior varsity team defeated Antioch by a 22-run margin, 23-1.

Heck Week

Over spring break in April, the swim team went through a week of tough conditioning and practice that they have dubbed “heck week” to prepare for MVALs, which will be held May 9.

“The practices were hard and I’m really proud of the team for getting through it,” swim coach Bryan Accurso said.

The first practice was the toughest one. The swimmers attempted to swim 100 yards, which is four laps of the pool, 100 times in one minute and thirty seconds each with little rest between. Swimmers who completed the “100x100’s” became members of the “100x100’s club”. Eight boys and three girl’s swimmers became members this season. Though tough, there were no regrets found on the team.

“Conditioning improved our abilities. Within the first few weeks of practicing you really feel it in the chest, the legs, the arms, but after about week three or four you feel a little less and less until finally your arms hurt a little in practice but you are able to keep up with the cardio,” senior Kevin Hokanson said.

“The game was good because everyone got a chance to play and they all hit continuously. It was a team effort,” head coach Steve Temores said.

The game included over 25 hits and by the end, everyone on the team had at least one at bat.

The boys beat Berkeley 4-2 in the championship game.

“We have a special team and winning the tournament proved our concept of what we have been saying to them,” assistant coach Jason Temores said.

The boys are led by four coaches who include Steve and Jason Temores, Jason Thompson and David Vigil.

The JV team recently defeated Mission by a score of 10-1 and now have a league record of 7-1. Their only loss was against Irvington, whom they will play April 29.

christiaN castillo JordaN BrahaNey

Staff Reporters

team dropped a spot and ended up in third place out of five teams.

Between Irvington and Mission, nine out of ten players shot below an 80 and one person shot a 68, four under par.

Even though the team took third place, first-year head coach Wayne Young is proud of them. As a team, they shot their lowest score of the season on an eighteen-hole course. On a personal note, junior Gerin Albelda shot a 78, senior Jarrod Nelson shot a 78 and freshman

Royce Chambers shot a 79.“We played really well. Irvington

and Mission just happened to have a better match than us,” Young said.

Only Albelda and Nelson advanced to the NCS playoffs, which will be held May 4 at Boundary Oaks in Walnut Creek.

“There is going to be a lot of tough competition,” Young said. “If they want to make it to the next round, they are going to have to bring their ‘A’ game.”

Photo by Nick Pitruzzello

Junior Gerin Albelda putts during practice. Albeda is one of two players to advance to NCS.

PHOTOSThe HatchetAPRIL30’0912

Photo by Shaun niSSen Junior Kaley Marden tosses the ball to freshman Emily Gibson while she makes contact with it during a warm up before their game against Irvington. The team won their game 2-1 in an extra inning.

Photo by Shaun niSSen Freshman Kerry Liou serves the shuttlecock in a game against Newark. The team lost to Newark.

Photo by Shaun niSSen Senior Kevin Hokanson warms up during pratice. The team recently had a rigorous week-long practice called “heck week.”

Photo by Shaun niSSen Freshman Austin Miller practices his form for the pole vault. They practice both on and off the pads to help with their technique.

Photo by nick Pitruzzello Freshman Royce Chambers prepares to hit the ball down the range. The golf team practices at the Fremont driving range near Lake Elizabeth.

Photo by Sami mamou Junior Billy Nevin finishes his swing after hitting the ball. The team lost to Mission San Jose with a score of 2-7.

Photo by Sami mamou The baseball team runs around the field to warm up before the game. They lost to Berkeley in the Willie Stargell Classic tournament, but won one of three total games.

Congratulations to Freshman Alex Young for winning last issue’s photo contest. The correct answer was room F-243, Mrs. Garbarini’s room.

Photo by Shaun niSSen Senior Sai Devana serves the ball to senior Stephen Yu from Mission. The entire team lost to Mission during their meet.

Photo contest winner: