tTimothy ValesStudent Resource

Officer

... the victim had a 10- to

12-inch lacerations...

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Suzanne Kentris speaks to (from left) Devyn Christy, Megan Sullivan, and Rachel Wagner in the play Carousel. See story on Page 5.

Malena Bell / Editor-in-ChiEf

‘Prior beef ’ led to attack,

deputy says:

four arrested

Football team gets dominated

Carouselreceives praise

By Tim Wongnews editor

CVHS student gets stabbed and robbed

Police arrested four suspects involved in the stabbing of a CVHS student on Santa Maria Avenue near Castro Valley Boule-vard on Sept. 5. The student was stabbed in the back and robbed of his cell phone, Deputy Timothy Vales said.

“It was because of a prior beef [the suspects] had with him,” said Vales, who was at a CVHS varsity football game during the incident. The assault, which hap-pened around 8 p.m. outside of the high school, was completely unrelated to the football team’s scrimmage against San Ramon High, the officer said.

The suspects include CVHS and Redwood Alternative stu-dents and non-students. All the suspects are male. No names have been released because the boys involved are minors. The police arrested the four suspects on charges of robbery, conspir-acy, and assault with a deadly weapon.

It is unclear if the stabbing occurred before or after the cell phone robbery.

“It happened all at once,” de-scribed Vales.

Vales does not know if the robbery and stabbing were pre-meditated. He says that other people, besides the suspects,

Trojans lose to the Mustangs

CVHS student author

This year will be very active for Castro Valley voters, not only because of the presidential elec-tions, but also because of the pos-sibility for change in the school board. Three of the school board members’ terms have ended and, this time, the incumbents are being challenged for their position.

“It has been 12 or 14 years since they have been challenged, so it’s been forever,” said Barbra Siegel, president of the Castro Valley Teachers Association.

Judith Radousky and Marc Crawford are the hopeful can-didates, challenging the incum-bents Kunio Okui, John Barbieri and Jo Loss.

This is not the only change the school board has in store.

were involved in the conflict between the teens prior to the assault. However, only the victim and the four suspected assailants were present at the scene.

“The [other people] didn’t have an actual role in the assault, but they had a role in what led up to it,” Vales explained. “It involves more than just the five people.”

Vales says that the victim had a 10 to 12-inch laceration on his back. He was transported to Eden Medical Center and went home later the same night. The victim has since returned to school.

The four suspects were ar-

dousky, said she wants to increase the number of experi-enced and qualified teachers in classrooms, give teachers decent wages.

She also wants to maintain programs and services while still maintaining the budget, and focus more on education rather than how well students take standardized tests.

Loss said her priorities are to continue the high student achievement, to maintain fiscal stability, and to offer all students rich and robust curriculums.

Barbieri and Okui did not re-ply to The Olympian’s request for comments.

Siegel hopes the Oct. 21 forum will inform the community about the long-awaited race. “We want to give the community more ac-cess to the school board,” she said.

Board faces makeoverOn Oct. 21, a school board

community forum will be held at the Alameda County Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. At the forum, the five candidates will state their platforms and answer questions posed by community members.

So what exactly does this mean for the Castro Valley stu-dent body? “Change is conceiv-able,” said Siegel.

For example, Crawford said he wants to “crack the vault of se-crecy that surrounds” the school board, minimize waste, reduce board travel, and ease school overcrowding. He also hopes to increase R.O.P. and training for non-college bound students.

Crawford said in a personal statement, “ I deeply care for my community and our children’s learning experience.”

The other challenger, Ra-

rested and taken to jail. Vales believes they are still currently in jail.

This incident fell under the jurisdiction of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. The District Attorney has yet to file criminal charges against the assailants, but according to Vales, they will probably be the same as the arrest charges. The suspects are unlikely to be charged as adults in the case. The trial date has not been set.

“This kind of incident is not unusual for Castro Valley, but it doesn’t happen very often,” said Vales.

By Eva Poonfeature editor

Hot classrooms and air condi-tioning are at the center of a con-flict between the school district and the Castro Valley Teachers Association.

For the first time, the teachers union filed a grievance against the district in September because the teachers claim some rooms get hotter than the state standards allow.

At CVHS, teachers have mea-

sured room temperatures as high as 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Barbara Siegel, Castro Valley High teacher and teachers’ union leader, has proposed various ideas with the rest of the union for im-provements and recognizes the fi-nancial standpoint of the district.

A major point of the district’s argument is that to add air condi-tioning for every classroom that doesn’t yet have it would cost $8 million, which the district cannot afford.

The teachers are asking for the

district to at least provide it in the rooms that need it most.

According to complaint docu-ments, schools can formally com-plain about lack of textbooks for students, unqualified teachers, overcrowding, and unsafe un-healthy facilities. One of the rules entitles a school’s facilities to be changed if they are “inadequate, unsafe, and unhealthful.” For ex-ample, room temperatures must fall between 65 and 80 degrees.

The district has been trying to reduce the heat in less expensive

ways. The district has planted trees and flora, opened windows, and added more curtains. The teachers’ union says this has not helped enough.

“An elementary school has had rooms registered at 100 degrees and teachers leaving with heat rashes,” remarked Siegel when asked about the worst conditions for classrooms.

The district still argues over equality when concerning air conditioning, but Siegel says it’s kind of strange to say that when

only 40 percent of the district is air-conditioned. Siegel hopes that the district would agree to have inspections to see which schools and rooms need air conditioning units.

When asked why the teachers’ union fights so hard to create change in classrooms and build-ings, she responds, “We really felt like we should stand up for the kids.”

District officials did not reply to Olympian messages seeking comment.

By Brandon Luistaff writer

Teachers file complaint about hot rooms

Musical is great all aroundFreshman is the author of 2 books

Pg. 5 Pg. 5Pg. 6

The Olympian is a publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2008

Editor-In-Chief...............................................................Malena BellCity Editor.......................................................................Irene LiangNews Editor......................................................................Tim WongOpinion Editor...............................................................Becky ChaoFeature Editor....................................................................Eva PoonSports Editor....................................................................Frank ChaoCopy Editors...................................................................Erin Mundy Joseph WanPhoto Editor..............................................................Howard WhangSystems Manager........................................................Maria GoulartBusiness Managers............................................................Isabel Chi Lindsay Oda

Staff Writers: Lisa Carmack, Sophiana Carrell, Moises Fonseca, Sarah Gilchriese, Alexandra Gomes, Lawrence Ham, Alicia Harger, Brandon Lui, James Rose, Trevin Smith, Tracy Tope, Elizabeth Tran

Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

The battle between the two most popular online social web-sites strikes again—this time updated! Both sites have just redesigned their “home page” and added more features and applications.

When boredom is killing your mind, which do you go on first? MySpace? Or Facebook?

“MySpace is my homeboy, but Facebook is that new kid on the block,” my best friend David Ramirez mentioned and I agree completely.

Facebook is known for its massive collection of different applications including some of the following: YoVille, OWNED, Top Friends, Testimonies, ILike, etc. Not only is it too complicat-ed, but it takes forever to load. I have to sit there and wait for it to download my friend’s page when I’m in a hurry before I have to get off the Internet. Seriously, who has the time? Although I have to admit the new skin does speed it up.

The worst part about Facebook is the chat. Honestly, I only use it when I’m desperate. Whenever the other person sends something you have to stop what you’re about to type when it pops up onto your window. Frustrating much? Yeah. Not only that, but out of nowhere it would freeze my whole screen! The connec-tion is so weak; one minute the people are online and then the next they’re not, although they never did log off.

MySpace, on the other hand, is more fun to use, not to mention easier and less time-consuming. The thing I love most about

MySpace is that I can put on dif-ferent layouts for my profile—a way to express creativity. I have control of the font, color, back-ground pictures, etc. There’s more freedom than on Face-book.

Another great thing about MySpace is the music. I can keep in touch with my favorite artists, listen to their new releases, and read their online blogs. It’s so easy to look up the song that I had stuck in my head that day on MySpace. With magazines having MySpaces, I can get my gossip upfront—thank you MySpace! Reading and updating blogs is a way to keep in touch and the one thing Facebook doesn’t have is bulletins.

T h e c o n t ro v e r s y a b o u t MySpace being unsafe and dan-gerous is nonsense. Both sites have the private feature, so it’s up to you to decide. If you ask me, it’s easier to stalk someone on Facebook than on MySpace. You can’t hold that against MySpace.

MySpace was founded in 2003 and Facebook was founded one year later. Everyone knows the first one is always the better one.

Think about it, MySpace or Facebook? MySpace, of course.

By Elizabeth TranStaff Writer

Facebook vs. MySpace: social websites round two

Grocery shopping is an ardu-ous and time-consuming task for some. For others it is a breezy and enjoyable experience. The factor that differentiates the two experiences is choice. The breezy consumers know exactly what to choose and which brand names they want. On the other hand the people who have trouble with shopping have a hard time choosing between generic and brand name items.

Well, to tell the truth, there is no real difference between brand name and generic prod-ucts. Most often the same com-pany that makes the brand name products also manufactures the generic brand items. Even pre-scription drugs are the same. People may be wary that since the price is cheaper the quality might be compromised, but the FDA requires all generic drugs to be as safe and effective as brand-name drugs said Melissa Stoppler, M.D. One of the pre-scription drugs that you might recognize under a brand name is Glucophage, a prescription for diabetes. Glucophage and metformin, the real drug name, are the same.

However, sometimes there are cases where a brand name is needed instead of a cheaper, more cost-conservative generic brand. For instance if one has skin allergies, it would be better to buy a brand name detergent like Tide for clothes, rather than a generic brand that would make one itch all day. In this case, the cost saved would not be worth being itchy all day.

So are brand names really bet-ter? Most of the time, the answer is no. The difference between brand name and generic is rarely noticeable. The true deciding fac-tor is preference. With products that you do not care about like tin foil or dish soap, the brand does not matter. However if you prefer a brand of drinking water like Evian or Smartwater, the consumer should buy by preference. Preference wins in the battle of generic vs. name brand.

By Isabel ChiBuSineSS Manager

Generic vs. name brands:

is there a difference?

Editorial:We at The Olympian strongly

believe that air conditioning units need to be installed in the classrooms that need it the most. The facts that classrooms can hit 93 degrees Fahrenheit on a 102-degree day and that students have to bear the heat, often without any fans, make it obvious that students are being subjected to cruel punishments.

In light of the recent California budget cuts, $4.8 billion has been cut from education, forcing many districts to close down schools, fire their staff, and be more conservative with their spend-ing. Obviously, the district must keep spending tight.

Although the district’s esti-mate of $8 million may be exces-sive for the installation of all air conditioning in the 60 percent of classrooms in the district that are missing it, some air conditioning is a necessary investment. Plant-ing trees, adding more curtains, and telling the teachers to open their windows are suggestions that are not going to help the heat at all. It still feels like an inferno

sitting in a classroom in the 100 hall on a 102-degree afternoon.

Even elementary schools are suffering, with rooms as hot as 100 degrees, according to the teachers’ union. The thought of a student in an elementary school having a hard time breathing be-cause of the heat is just horrible. Obviously, a solution is needed to resolve this problem.

Even if a compromise gets air conditioning units installed in just some of the classrooms, then it is worth it. The classrooms that are the hottest should receive air conditioning first, since the health of the students should be the district’s first priority.

An interesting and fascinating fact is that the district office has air conditioning. The officials de-clining the teachers’ request for air conditioning have units that are running during office hours. They sit in their perfect, air-con-ditioned offices, while we’re sit-ting in overcrowded classrooms in 93-degree heat.

The district needs to install air conditioning or we’ll all turn into Kentucky Fried People. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

PHOTOPiniOnsPHOTOPiniOns

“It depends on how it effects our budget, because we need more mon-

ey for sports other than football.” – Frankie Soares, senior

“I don’t really care. If I get hot, I’ll just take some clothes

off.”- Chelsea Schneider, junior

“Yes, in 100 hall because the sun hits there the worst.”- Jas-mine Fong, sophomore

“I guess…people need it.” - Haroon Khan, fresh-

man

Should the school district spend big bucks to install air conditioning?

By Erin Mundy

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The difference between brand name and gener-ic is rarely notice-able. The true deciding factor is preference.

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If you ask me, it’s easier to stalk someone on Facebook than on MySpace. You can’t hold that against MySpace.

BeckyChao

‘08

“What? You couldn’t finish yesterday’s classwork because your

fingers melted off?”

By Alicia HargerStaff Writer

Traffic jams plague halls

With elbows flying, I forced my way through a human traffic jam in the overcrowded hallway. I had to wade through a throng of teenagers just to get to my locker. Bumping into many kids along the way, I finally made it to my books. Then I struggled back through the hallway and emerged into a still-crowded courtyard.

This is simply an average day at Castro Valley High School. There are too many students in too little space. With a popula-tion bordering 3000, the campus is running out of room to contain them.

There could be a solution at hand. To make room for the students that actually want to be here, the school board could expel the 300 dumbest kids.

Taking away a tenth of the students would not only relieve the overcrowding issues, but solve several other problems as well. There would be a higher teacher-to-student ratio, allow-ing teachers to give students the individual attention they de-serve. In addition, standardized test scores would go up because the lowest scoring kids would not be taking them.

Okay, so maybe getting rid of the lowest test scores wouldn’t be the best solution, but something should be done. If the school environment is uncomfortable,

then how are students supposed to succeed?

An alternate schedule could help. We should try a schedule more like those used in college, with classes being offered all through the day. Students would be there at different times, which would mean fewer traffic jams in the hallway.

Classes that start at 6 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. would fully employ the campus, and would allow for more flexibility in students’ lives. Students could choose a schedule that would best fit their lifestyles and they would be happier.

For the time being, we will still have to throw elbows and push to get anywhere. Backpack to backpack traffic will still cramp students’ style.

Should I do homework or eat dinner? I believe students in their sophomore year have too much homework. If you are taking an advanced or honors class, the teacher’s syllabus or course out-line clearly states that students will have at least one hour of homework each day. If you do the math and add up the total number of hours it takes you to complete your homework, it adds up to about four hours.

Here at CVHS, students who take seven classes are dismissed from school at 3:42 p.m. It usually takes them about a half hour to

get home and have a light snack; by this time it is about 4:15 p.m. Let’s say students immediately begin their homework, so, four hours later it is 8:15 p.m. In be-tween this time period, families often have dinner at around six o’clock or seven o’clock. Dinner is usually about 45 minutes to one hour long. Before you know it, the time is 9 p.m.

Since first period begins at 7:15 a.m., students usually wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for school. In order to devote eight to nine hours of sleep, they must go to sleep at 9 p.m. so that they are relaxed, refreshed and ready to learn by first period. This leaves no time for students to relax,

use the Internet, watch televi-sion, or do whatever activities they enjoy.

Many students also have extra-curricular activities or sports outside of school. Soccer is a very popular sport in Castro Valley. Soccer practice is at least two hours long and usually takes place from four o’clock to six o’clock or from six o’clock to eight o’clock. If students have soccer practice, then their bedtime is pushed back to 11:00 p.m., which leaves only seven hours of sleep.

Because of extra homework and other extracurricular activi-ties, many students get even less than this already low amount of

By Lawrence HamStaff Writer

sleep.The most common answer to

this frequent complaint that stu-dents choose to have seven class-es, but they don’t need to take an extra class, and therefore it is the students’ own choice. Everybody knows that getting into college is getting more competitive each year due to the high birth rate from the baby boom genera-tion. Therefore it is necessary for students to take an extra class or do volunteer work to stand out to colleges.

This problem needs a solution. Unfortunately, the state of Cali-fornia requires a certain amount of minutes per school day. Due to this requirement, there is only

Getting up in the morning is hard enough for most students and even teachers, but having to be ready to start classes at 7:15 in the morning is just cruel. And on top of that, many also have a full 1-8 class schedule, making students and teachers exhausted by the end of the day.

Sometimes, during late fall and early spring, we have to come to school while it’s still dark out. I always think that I should be in bed sleeping and not at school.

This is what most students have to go through here at CVHS as a desperate attempt to fulfill the minute quota for each class per year.

For the past few years, I have noticed that the starting time of first period has become earlier and earlier. And by doing so, almost every student with a first period is either fighting the urge to fall asleep in class or actually falling asleep while their teachers are lecturing.

I am one of the unlucky few that has the dreaded first period, and I admit it takes a huge toll on me as well. Even with a good eight hours of sleep, I still have a hard time keeping my eyes open during class and, probably most importantly, paying attention to my teacher.

This year is especially hard because my first two classes of the day are AP Chemistry and AP Calculus, which are prob-ably two of the hardest courses offered here at CVHS. They also require the most brain-power out of all of my classes, all seven of them. Though I am glad that I get my hardest classes out of the way first, it is still difficult to keep up.

Also, there are tests to con-sider. If you are too tired to be able to take your test, well chances are you are not going to get a high score on it. Especially those who stay up all hours of the night studying chapter after chapter, section after section. In

the end, they are too tired to even concentrate on the material to do well on the test and, inevitably, do poorly.

As for a solution to the prob-lem, I don’t see one coming any time soon. For as long as I can remember, there has always been controversy over the bell schedule.

In my years, I have seen many changes including the end of the tutorial break. Freshmen and sophomores would not remem-ber, but tutorial was a time for students to catch up on school-work, meet with their teachers, and maybe make up a test. But that was cut from the schedule when the classes got longer.

The topic of how long classes should be has been an on-going battle for years and will remain one until a compromise is made. Maybe if we had fewer days off, our classes could be shortened and, consequently, we could have a shorter school day. I also believe that Thanksgiving break can be shortened. Last year, we had a full week off for the holiday that, usually, we would only have three days off for. We could have used those two days for something more productive.

This is what most of us have to put up with here, and, in a way, it is torture. Before we know it, we will run out of enough min-utes in the day for each class and will have school start at six in the morning each day of the wee,and have an extra three weeks cut out of our summers.

By Alexandra GomesStaff Writer

one solution for this problem.Teachers should either as-

sign a weekly or monthly due date for all the homework, so that students can manage their time daily to accomplish their homework without having to rush. In addition, teachers could just assign less homework to students. If students choose to procrastinate because of the later due date, then that is the choice they make.

Clearly, high school students have a busy schedule and teach-ers should assign less homework or assign weekly homework packets. It is essential for high school students to receive eight to nine hours of sleep.

Homework overload means no time for sleepyland

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The topic of how long classes should be has been an on-going battle for years and will remain one until a com-promise is made.

Long classes result in huge headaches

Student journalists have their say on CVHS

problems...Have something else to add? The Olympian welcomes and highly encourages

letters from readers. Letters should be under 300 words and are subject to editing and verification. They can be delivered to Mr. Johanson in room 113

or e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com.

Does it make you the better person if you beat someone into bloody submis-sion? Does that person really learn a lesson? No.

Though we all know that no one is immortal, it’s common for high school students to have a sense of immortality. Get-ting caught up in the moment, feel-ing as though we are untouchable.

By Sophiana CarrellStaff Writer

Fallen friend left a strong impression

By Lisa CarmackStaff Writer

My uncle always used to say to me, “Life’s short, kid.” At the time, being the young and naïve age of 7, his words of wisdom flew right over my head. I would later learn in life the harsh truth in that statement.

On August 12, Sarah Streicher and Clark Wright were killed in a horrible tragic accident that seemed to shock and devastate an entire town. It was as though the day following the crash, ev-eryone froze, all lives were put on hold. It’s amazing to think how two teenagers were able to touch so many people’s lives in such a short amount of time on this Earth.

I remember the first time I met Sarah. I walked into my Fresh-man English class on the first day of school, head held high, praying that I would impress the teacher with my love of lit-erature. In previous years I had always been the most participa-tive student in my English classes and was used to being the only person to raise my hand and share my thoughts.

But as a class discussion began, I was shocked when I saw a hand shoot up out of the corner of my eye, beating me to it. I became even more astonished as Sarah’s voice began to add one intelligent point after another to the discus-sion. I realized in that moment that I would have some intense competition with this unknown girl that year.

I regret that I spent most of my freshman year in English compet-ing with Sarah for the teacher’s attention. I was so intimidated by this strikingly beautiful girl, who appeared to seamlessly walk into the room and instantly win over the hearts of all her classmates and her teacher. Now listening

to stories of Sarah, I realize that this didn’t only happen in that one classroom, but everywhere she went.

This past year, I ended up in Sarah’s English class once again. Having grown up significantly since freshman year, I was glad to have another person in my class

who appreciated English. With an increased maturity, I could appreciate her intelligent input. She always had a way of present-ing her point, no matter what it was, in an eloquent manner.

Over the course of the year, I got to know Sarah pretty well. I remember one time when I had so much work to do and was having an awful day. Sarah came over to my desk, took one look at me, and said, “Uh oh, what’s wrong? I can see your stress in your eyes.”

I began to tell her about the multiple essays, projects, and write-ups I had to finish within the next week. After all my com-plaining, she just looked at me and said, “If you step back and look at the big picture, you’ll see it doesn’t really matter so much. There are many more important things in life. Just don’t let it get to you, because I know you and you’ll get through it.”

There were often times, before I got my car, that I’d be stranded at school, and Sarah would always offer to give me a ride home.

In the car we talked about guys, stress, just life in general. I was always amazed that even though I wasn’t in her usual group of friends, she would help me out no matter what other plans she had. Sarah was just so selfless like that.

Though we all know that no one is immortal, it’s common for high school students to have a sense of immortality. Getting caught up in the moment, feel-ing as though we are untouch-able. But the brutal truth is that life is brief. We are only allotted a certain and unknown number of years, days, moments of life. Nothing is guaranteed.

The only certainty is that every breath is a blessing and we can only do our best to live every day to the fullest, just as Sarah did.

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I didn’t hear about the fight until the next morning, but it was obvious by the tone in my friend’s voice that it had been a big one.

“I was hiding behind a pole,” said senior Jill Beytin, describ-ing the fight. “I saw one kid fall and then another kid fly on top of him, and then they yelled at each other for like two minutes, and then the yard duty broke it

up.”I’ve seen a fair few fights my-

self; a few in the morning, many more at lunch, and probably the most after school. It’s always ob-vious what’s happening because a large group of people can be seen running to the location of the fight. Why the crowd?

“Because it’s just an adrenaline rush and it’s mindless entertain-ment,” responded senior Leon-ard Bobbitt. “It’s a train wreck [that] you just can’t turn away from.”

We’ve all seen it, even if some of us have never actually wit-nessed the exchange of words and punches. Why do fights happen at school? The reasons vary.

“[It’ s caused by] people piss-

Bang!...Bang!...Bang! The sounds of gunfire echoed throughout the hills. For Bill Brown and his son Jake, it was all just a tradition, spending every weekend at the Chabot Gun Club. Bill tried to explain to his son that they were using guns in a safe location that was perfectly harmless.

But the government doesn’t agree with Bill that guns are perfectly harmless. The is-sue of gun control today is a very controversial one. Many politicians, mostly from the Democratic Party, are in favor of gun control. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama supports local gun bans.

The Second Amendment states that, “A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” According to the Supreme Court case, D.C. vs. Heller, this right applies to US individual

citizens. But the government still wants to have too much control over guns.

Most people don’t even know how a firearm works. For many younger people, guns stimulate curiosity in which it makes them want to “pull the trigger and see what happens.” I think that kids who grow up around guns are less likely to be violent with them, because they already know exactly what it does.

On the other hand, kids who have never even held one in their lives might be over-whelmed with curiosity and could even pull the trigger. Unfortunately, it happens all the time.

Any solutions?I propose a way to teach

people what a gun can really do by teaching them the sci-ence, the types of firearms, and the anatomy of guns in a way so that no harm can be done.

People need to help each other out so that we can make the world a better place, and to restore respect towards guns.

By James RoseStaff Writer

ing each other off without really thinking things through and then

gated by an unresolved issue and then heightened by insults. If you’re pushed, you push back, right? Wrong.

People usually get into fights because they feel the need to prove something. Does it make you the better person if you beat someone into bloody submis-sion? Does that person really learn a lesson? No. That person will walk away thinking you’re more of a jerk, and most likely think up more ways to get you back.

An eye for an eye, right? If everyone really lived by that principle, there would be a heck of a lot of people with no eyes walking around our school. Some really famous guy once made a statement like that and

if you didn’t recognize it, I urge you to go back to your world his-tory teacher and ask about it.

It doesn’t make you the weaker person to walk away from a fight. Even as one of the crowd, it is better to not acknowledge or promote fighting by stopping to watch. No matter how angry you are it is always worth it to take ten seconds to breathe and think about whether or not it’s really worth it in the end.

Your actions define what kind of person you are or what kind of person you want to be. You always have the option to be the better person and choose not to respond to meaningless violence. So, Castro Valley High School, will you have the courage to walk away?

”

“

once it gets to a certain point it’s just impossible to de-escalate,” said Bobbitt in reply.

Indeed, fights are often insti-

Some thoughts on the futility of starting and watching fights

Bam! Pow! Wham! Kapow! Bang! ...what’s the point?

Respect the gun, respect the law

Balloons, bright lights, jovial children, a fire-swallower, pop-corn, dancers, and, of course, a carousel open the first scene of Carousel. It is a gorgeous opening scene, and provides a unique backdrop for the topic of the play.

For those who missed out on this performance, Carousel is about a carousel barker ’s marriage and the affairs he left unresolved in death.

The scenery was well done, and along with the beautiful carousel, I highly enjoyed the play of lights on the futuristic-looking trees. My favorite scene was a very simple one, though. The lights come on to illuminate CVHS teacher Martin Waldron atop a ladder, hanging stars on a clothesline. The simplicity of it only added to its charm, and I thought Waldron was perfectly cast. He did a terrific job and his character was by far my favorite.

All the actors performed well, and I know I’m a pretty big wimp, but I found myself on

the verge of tears several times during this play. The actors were convincing in their roles. The dancing was engaging and powerful, and was my favorite component of the musical.

Overall, I have only two griev-ances about the musical. The first

All participants in song girls, male skit, or float making must have a signed homecoming con-tract. These contracts can now be found online at the student activities web page.

The due date of signed con-tracts is Oct. 15 in room 607.

Homecoming court signed petitions are due on Oct. 14 in room 607.

The first day of work parties is Saturday, October 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Work parties will be on Mon-day Oct. 20 through Thursday Oct. 23, from 3:45 to 8:45 p.m.

The parade will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.

Homecoming pep rally, male skit and song girl performances are at 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24

The homecoming dance, where winners will be announced, is on Saturday, Oct. 25, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

An illustration of unbreakable, familial bonds and the search that they inspire are bound within two novels written by Kayla Turney. A freshman at CVHS, she has already written two books and is working hard on her third, a science fiction story titled, Project N.

“It’s really neat to have my work out,” said Turney, though it isn’t like people can tell who she is when she walks on the street. “It’s fun, though, because every once in a while someone will rec-ognize me—which is sometimes a little awkward, but usually it’s pretty cool.”

The two books that Turney has already published are, Lost and Forgotten and Search. Lost and Forgotten tells the story of two children who live homeless and alone while searching for their family. Search continues the story through the tale of the children and a girl who was left in an orphanage, but finds out that her mother is still alive.

Ever since she learned how to read at three, Turney has been an avid reader, and her love of read-ing pushed her to start creating her own stories when she entered the first grade. With a smile, she said that it seemed like she’s been writing practically all her life.

Turney is not the only writer in the family; her mother and grandmother are writers as well. However, she is the first one to get published. Her mother, a graphic designer of the family company, DKS Productions, contributed to

the process by creating the cover and then having it printed by a publishing company.

Turney is encouraged by the knowledge that her mother wouldn’t have helped publish her if her mother didn’t like the actual stories, she said.

After high school, Turney plans to major in science while continuing to pursue her writing career. She explained that college teaches the elements of piecing together stories and writing with a writing voice—things she has

is one that I have with most of the professional shows that the CFA hosts, and that’s that I would like to see more students in major roles. As good as the profession-als are, I like seeing my friends and classmates; it’s really why I go to the shows. My friend (and fellow Olympian) Sophiana Carrell had probably the largest

By Malena BellEditor-in-ChiEf

By Joseph WanCopy Editor

already learned on her own. “But to be a scientist, you really need to study science in college,” she said. Her interest in science pushed her to memorize the en-tire periodic table just for fun.

Something Turney can’t write without is reading. Her belief is that without reading novels, a writer cannot write novels. Her favorite book, Maximum Ride, by James Patterson, showed her the joy in piecing together the many different parts of a story, one of her favorite parts of novel

Carousel dazzles with fine acting and songs

student role, and she didn’t even appear until the second act.

My second grievance is that it was so expensive. It cost me $25 to see the musical, and that was

at the discounted student price. I like that I can get into most student performances for less than $10, and I don’t appreciate paying more to see less of my

Madelyn Keyser accepts a kiss from Igor Breyman in Carousel.

MalEna BEll / Editor-in-ChiEf

friends.Aside from these minor com-

plaints, I enjoyed watching Car-ousel and admire the hard work that so many people put into it.

Balloons, bright lights, jovial

children, a fire-swallower, pop-corn, dancers,

and, of course, a a carousel...

Kayla Turney holds up copies of her published novels, Lost and Forgetten and Search.

JosEph Wan / Copy Editor

Freshman publishes two novels

writing.She also stated emphatically

that reading is an important part of writing.

“If you don’t read, it will damage your writing voice,” she shared.

Turney hopes to find a major publisher to take her books, but until then, search out her two books at Jordan’s Village Books at 3324 Village Drive, or order them online from her website, www.dksproductions.com/kaylahome.html.

Leadership Annouce-

mentsThe All-You

Need-to-Know Guide for Home-

coming

Trojans Get Stampeded by Mustangs 55-0

It wasn’t pretty. The Castro Valley Trojans put up

a valiant effort, but the Monte Vista Mustangs defeated them, 55–0, on Sept. 26 at a home game.

“They got the first punch-off. It’s hard to win games when you don’t get the first punch-off,” said coach Jordan Seiden.

That was pretty much the story of the game. The Mustangs got off to a quick start and didn’t relent. The Trojan defense had some difficulty stopping the Mustang offense, but the real trouble was on offense.

Despite running back Ronnie Irvin rushing for 107 yards on 21 carries, the Trojans could not hang on to the ball. These turnovers spelled doom for the Trojans, leading to many Mustang points.

After falling behind by 42 points at halftime, the Trojans tried look-ing for a way to come back but they

By Amber KuryStaff Writer

couldn’t find the key to the Mustang defense.

The Trojan defense did look a bit better in the second half, allowing only 13 points with a blocked extra point by the special teams unit.

Tensions flared with a little over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, but nothing came out of the pushing and shoving other than off-setting penalties.

“Frustrating, but helpful. It’s still a long season,” said senior defensive lineman Andy Alcarez, when asked about the game.

Although the score may look ugly, it doesn’t show the rank of the oppos-ing team. The Mustangs are among the best in Northern California and gave the Trojans more reason to improve.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 0-3.

“We just have to play hard and get better. The outcome of the game will be dictated by how well we play,” said Seiden.

By Frank ChaoSportS editor

Junior Michael Rojas fakes the hand off to runningback senior Ronnie Irvin (5).

Above, Junior Rachel Wagner hits the ball off the fairway on the second hole; Below, freshman Kendra

By Howard Whangphoto editor

Victory for Girls Golfwere doing very well, scoring in the 40s range when they usually average in the 50s.

“They’re the ones who deserve the credit,” said Blom, pepper-ing his praise for the team with adjectives like “incredible” and “extraordinary.”

“I think that we’re doing good, that I’m doing better than I thought I would,” freshman Lauren Quan humbly commented.

One can observe how very much the golfers love playing golf from quotes like, “Golf rocks!” said by senior Katie Devine.

Perhaps the most confidence could be detected when Blom said that “We can win NCS. With a good day, we can win NCS!”

Whoever thinks that golf is a boring sport for old people has never seen how the CVHS girls golf team plays. Confidence flared in coach Ed Blom’s voice as he complimented his team for how well it played. Its talent is clearly reflected in the scores of its Octo-ber 1st game, in which it scored exactly 100 strokes less than its opponents from Arroyo, finishing 204 – 304.

“We are doing just incredibly well; we are doing better than I anticipated,” said Blom. “I knew we would be good, but not this good. I’m serious,” he added. He pointed out how many of the girls

Morris swings from the front tee of the fourth hole.

hoWard Whang / Photo Editor

hoWard Whang / Photo Editor

hoWard Whang / Photo Editor

Though Castro Valley has spent thousands of dollars on sports equipment and utilities for school purposes, it is a surprise to find that not all are grateful for this expenditure. Since the close of the last track season, vandalism of the equipment, mainly high jump and pole vault landing pads, has become an increasing issue.

According to coach Peter Brewer, the damage was caused by a combination of the team’s disregard for the rules, as well as students sneaking under the bleachers where the equipment is stored.

“The students deliberately ig-nore the ‘no food, drink or gum rule,’” Brewer stated. “I call that vandalism.”

Brewer says that student ath-letes bring these substances into the arena, which are ground into the track, shortening the track’s lifespan. “Sometimes the athletes are just careless,” Brewer com-

By Sophiana CarrellStaff Writer

Track equipment worse after wear

Brandon Meadows competes in Battle of the Bands, which occurred on Oct.3.

tracy tope / Staff Writer

mented.Besides athletes contributing to

the damage, the main issue is that others are squeezing through the chain-link fence, beating up the equipment, and poking holes into the landing pads. Because the area between the fences is rather small, the vandals are suspected to be of a younger age.

The issue of vandalism did not only just arise this year, but has been a problem last season as well.

“They burned it [landing pad] and ripped off all the cloth,” said junior Angie Shin, a member of the cross country team. “We had to clean it up and it’s not fair because they’re just going to con-tinue messing it up.”

Some of the equipment has been

so damaged, it’s reached beyond the point of repair.

“It’s a safety issue,” said Brewer. “You can’t put sub-standard equip-ment out there for the team.”

For now, the administration is doing its best to block the gap in the fence, but even still, kids are managing to crawl through and cause major damage.

This ongoing issue of vandal-ism will definitely affect this track season and the athletes’ ability to succeed. When students are forced to perform with less than adequate equipment, the entire team suffers.

“It’s sad because it’s not like these are some criminals or meth freaks,” stated Brewer. “These are the young people of our town do-ing this.”

Negligence is vandalism

CVHS welcomes new staff members!

“I love my subject, and I love to share it with others who love it as much as I do. Being even a small part of the creative devel-opment of a student is intoxicat-ing. Teaching is the next step in my own education.”

“I am excited to join the CVHS community and to get to know the staff and students. I am especially glad to be working with freshman as we are shar-ing the experience of being new to the school and I am looking forward to growing and learn-ing with them.”

“I have chosen teaching as a way to give back to all the teach-ers who made the difference in my life.”

Perry Auch

Jasmine Ben-Zvi

Craig Brooks

Linda Chung“I like teaching. I believe I will

gain INFINITE happiness from my students.”

Lorrie Barrera“I have really enjoyed my

short time so far at CVHS. I started out in education as a counselor because I really want to help students be successful. I really love working with high school students.”

Ashley Jakobsen

Adrian Lopez

Renee Clayson

Becky Maciel

Laurel Orduna

Rana Masri

Romy Shivers-Adeyemi

Wayne Shipman

Erica Ehmann

Jared Cavaness

Karin Buckley

Michael Rackley Melissa Wong

Karen Looker

“I love teaching art at CVHS! The students are fun and creative, and the staff is friendly and sup-portive. It is important to me that my students have a place that they can express themselves and their imaginations, and I look forward to seeing them develop as artists throughout the year.”

“I love being a counselor because I get to meet different students with different back-grounds. I learn so much from each interaction that I have with students and their families. CVHS has a great staff filled with people that are funny, nice and striving to help the students.”

“I like to have fun while teach-ing and enjoy watching my stu-dents have fun while learning (even if they laugh at me rather than with me). My favorite teach-ers always made me laugh which in turn made the class more inter-esting and engaging.”

“I came to the teaching pro-fession after having an amazing teacher in high school who in-spired me to become passionate about teaching others. I like the respectful and conscientious students and supportive staff here at CVHS. I love the Span-ish language and culture and am looking forward to share that with my students.”

“I went into teaching because it is a profession that allows me to interact and connect to students from all different backgrounds. I am so excited to be here at CVHS because the great student body, collab-orative staff and supportive administration.”

“I worked as a teacher dur-ing the Peace Corps. When I returned to the United States , I went into business, but I always missed the dynamic, fun and sometimes crazy atmosphere of working with students. Castro Valley students are very dynam-ic and fun, and I’m enjoying the occasional craziness too!”

“I became a teacher because I want to help students succeed in high school and beyond. I believe a college education is necessary for a successful and rewarding life, and I hope that my contribution to my students’ education helps them achieve that goal.”

Ian Rodriguez“The joy of working with stu-

dents and sharing my enthusi-asm for learning is what brought me into teaching. I am really looking forward to helping my students learn more about them-selves and their own ideas and opinions. Go Sharks!”

“I have spent my entire life working with wood. Wood-working is a passion that I want to share with anyone who is interested.”

“I chose to get into teaching be-cause I have always had a passion for it. As a child I loved to play school, and of course I had to be a teacher. It has always been in me. Find happiness in what you do and be happy doing it!”

“Teaching at CVHS has been a great experience. I hope to build strong relationships with my students this year and encourage those who struggle in math to see that they can succeed.”

Susan Ermitano

“Teaching at CVHS has been an amazing experience. I enjoy being part of this campus. The best part about being at CVHS so far has been the students.”

“I love working with students and seeing them interact in the Student Union, playing ping pong, lounging on the couches, and studying.”

“Every day is an elaborate learning experience as the pearls of wisdom flow from my mouth and the students eagerly run to collect them.”

“I love CVHS and have found a new home here. While challeng-ing, I love every day that I am working in schools. Honestly, I could not imagine being dedi-cated to any profession other than education.”

“My classes are very diverse [with] a lot of energy, and they want to learn. I love language acquisition and working with younger people. Period 8 calls me nerdy, musical, and energetic.”