Warrior Staff 2013-2014

Kara Hinton, Editor+writer

Claire Chaney, Editor+writer

Kayla Phan, Editor+writer

Jordan Dawkins, Editor+Photographer

Noah Gomes+photographer

Christian Carrillo+writer

Carl Luo+writer

Jordan Callender +writer

Paul Quach +photographer

Jenny Hikido+photographer

Taylor Ferguson+writer

Marijke Bolsens+photographer

Camilla Marais+writer

Alfred Batmani +photographer Savanna Watkins

+photographer

Nick Guevera +writer

Alyssa Teixeira+writer

2

3

Table of Contents Homecoming 4-5Sadies 6-7Emotions 8-9Marin Heacock 10Jacqueline Quirke 11Our Town 12-13Art & Wine Festival 14Christian College Fair 15Emma Toubia 16-17Lighthouse Club 18Rescue Conference 19Ads 20-21Aaron Chang 22Anthony Duran 23JV Football &Cheer 24Varsity Football 25Girls Varsity Volleyball 26Girls Varsity Tennis 27Girls Varsity Golf 28Cross Country 29Girls Water Polo 30Boys Water Polo 31Brynne 32-33Novak 34Fashion Spread 35

4

26 8

Homecoming Week 2013

4

1) Valley’s mascot cheers on Tyler Robbins (Senior) during the homecoming game. 2) Valley’s defense goes in for the tackle, taking down a Sacred Heart player. 3) Freshmen show off their class spirit with their Frontier Land float. 4) Sophomores Sofia Bettaglio, Nicholas Gutierrez, Britton Hausmann, Christina Karamanos, and Naomi Shak work their tomorrowland float. 5) Juniors Alex Tran, Jessica MacMil-lan, AJ Wassell, and Marin Heacock dance and perform on their Adventure Land float. 6) Seniors dressed up as princes and princesses all support their class on thier Fantasy Land float. 7) Seniors Abby McLachlan, Andrea Wiggington, Mitchel Mayes, Chrissy Martino, and Blakeney Fairey all sit together watching the exciting game. 8) The senior Homecoming court waits paitently to hear the results. 9) The Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior prince and princesss all line up on the field. 10) The football team lines up on the feild during the national anthem. 11) Homecoming queen Reni Ajaya and king Pratik Reddy proudly wear their crowns.

1

2

3

4

5

6

789

10

11

5

6

Sadies

6

Top Left: Madalyn Pape Middle Right: Tyler Malone (Left) and Claudia Macedo (Right) Bottom Left: Abigail Vals (Right), Mikaela Hipolito (Middle Left), Claire Gunter (Middle Right), and Jessie Marais (Far Right) Bottom Right: Aaron Roth (Left) and Marysia Kowalcyzk (Right)

7 7

Top Left: Nick Hoefling (Far Left), Sofia Bettaglio (Middle Left), Carolyn Fitzgerald (Middle Right), and Zach Davis (Far Right) Top Right: Tara Abdi (Left) and Allison Landis (Right) Middle Left: Brenda Muldoon (Left) and Pratik Reddy (Right) Middle: Sarah Gilbertson (Left) and Thomas Freedman (Right) Middle Right: Chrissy Martino (Left) and Mitchell Mayes (Right) Bottom Left: Alex Schnorr Bottom Right: Mckenna Borras (Left) and Wilson Ye (Right)

Dance Commotion Begins!

By Camilla Marais

September auditions kick off the start of the dance department’s annual Emotions: Commotion

As masses of dancers from every grade, level and style massed together in Valley Christian’s dance studio, a nervous yet electric feel could be felt by all. Thursday, September 12th, was the dancers’ audition for the annual fall show, a completely student-choreographed dance production. Auditions are open all, even to those outside of Valley’s dance arts program, so the turnout is always a celebration of differ-ent styles and unique talents to be showcased exclusively in the fall show. Those running the audition process are the student choreogra-phers, a seasoned group of artists thrilled to share visions of their pieces they had audi-tioned the day before. Choreographers had taken part in their own auditions the day before, showcasing tidbits of their pieces in hopes of being selected to have their dances performed in this years’ show. After making the cut, and receiving advice and guidance from dance teachers, Ms. Natalie Quilici and Mrs. Michelle McLaughlin, the choreographers were ready to pick the dancers they felt would best execute their pieces of art. After all who were audition-ing had warmed up and gotten their audition numbers, the jazz audition began. To start off the jazzy portion of the audition, across-the-floor combinations were taught by two mem-bers of the Vivid Dance Company, sophomore Sami Steeves and the team’s captain, senior Kathleen McCarthy. The hopeful auditioners lept, performed pirouettes and a fouette (an advanced type of pirouette) combination while choreographers scribbled down the numbers of their desired dancers. Words to describe the audition process are “chaotic, crazy, nervous”, according to junior Marin Heacock, who is cho-reographing a fast jazz piece for the first time this year, “but always very exciting!”. After the jazz and contemporary choreographers saw everything they needed to, they dismissed their dancers so the hip-hop portion of the audition could begin. The hip-hoppers were taught a basic routine by Ms. Quilici, showcasing their popping skills, footwork, and any tricks they could show. Wrapping up the audition,the dancers were released to anticipate the casting of the dances. Bea Mateo leading the line in “Let Me Go”.

8

Rehearsals began the next week, and will continue on for two months until the opening night of the show on Thursday, November 20th. Valley Christian is the only high school in San Jose with a student-choreographed show of such high caliber; an opportunity to audition dancers, choreograph, and put a dance in a professional show isn’t an honor accessible to many high school dancers. “I think that Emotions is an awesome display of the students’ talents as dancers and choreog-raphers!” Junior Claire Chaney shares about the annual show, “They never fail to put on an amazing show!” The support for Emotions is always extremely encouraging to the danc-ers, as many of their peers buy tickets to each show, buy flowers and quite often, express verbal appreciation by shouting in between the dance numbers.

Martin N. hikido, D.D.S_________________________________

GENERAL DENTISTRY

20480 PACIFICA DRIVESUITE E2

Office Hours CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA 95014 By Appointment TELEPHONE (408) 253-5473

After hours of rehearsal, late nights of cho-reographing and intense practices, running choreography over and over until it looked just right, the opening of the show had arrived. The dancers successfully finished their tech week, designing the lights and special effects for each dance to their liking, costumes were picked and the dances were ready to be performed. Four Emotions: Commotions shows occurred; one teacher preview show, one matinee, and two regu-lar performances. Another aspect unique to this years’ show is that during the Friday 7:30 performance, seconds before the fourth dance of the night started, the loud blares of a fire alarm went off. This humorous inconve-nience occurred due to the haze, a toxin-free harmless “smoke” released in theaters to improve the quality of the stage lights. If too much is released from the theater and into stairwells or lobbies, the haze causes fire alarms blare. All audience members and dancers hurried out into the cold November air as the fire department cleared the build-ing safe as quickly as they could. Senior choreographer Megan Braun was one of the dancers on stage when the alarm sounded, and describes the event with a laugh, “I was on stage and all of a sudden the lights started flashing, I was confused, but I thought it was funny, and ran off the stage and met up with all the other dancers. We wouldn’t believe what was happening!” Regardless of what technicalities occurred however, friends, family, and faculty alike swarmed into the theater each night to support and appreci-ate the talent of each hard-working dancer. Junior Kiana Lei Yap was all-smiles describ-ing the performances, “I especially loved the songs used in the show because of how they fit each dance perfectly. The Seniors’ solos were really amazing to watch as well. This was another great production!” As another years’ Emotions production comes to an end, dancers smile remembering their impactful performances, and look forward to their next chance to shine in the Spring Show.

“Showstopper”

9

Julianna Brennan with her leg up high danc-ing to the song, “Sweet Nothing”.

shows,spirit,service.

By Claire ChaneyEditor

Marin Heacock

While most students are content with finding their niche and sticking to it, junior Marin Heacock has not only found her niche, but found multiple. As junior class secretary, she planned for spirit week events and the homecoming float. As a student choreogra-pher for the dance show, Emotions, she can be found practicing even around the house, until the steps are perfect. And as a teen with a heart for missions, she is involved with both STAK club and Missions Club. And somehow, she still has time to serve at her church, Venture Christian, on the weekends in children’s ministry and to spend time with friends and family. Fall homecoming spirit week was a whirl-wind for Marin. The tasks put upon the class officers is more than some might think. They spent the weeks prior to spirit week plan-ning, preparing, coordinating and executing all of their grand ideas boiling down to a mere seven days. Says Marin, “There are so many little details you don’t think you’d have to think about, it’s like a giant arts and crafts project but way more stressful, but the best part of homecoming week was to see it all finished!” The stress of the week was worth it when she heard late Saturday night at the homecoming dance that the Junior class is the reigning champ of fall spirit week 2013. In addition to the chaos of spirit week, Marin and friend, junior Camilla Marais, are in the midst of choreographing their dance for the fall dance show. The duo is very excited to be choreographing this year, after participating in the show for 2 years as dancers. Camilla describes their dance, to the song “Sweet Nothing” by Calvin Harris, as “a combination of fast jazz and con-temporary”. Dancing and choreographing requires a lot of outside of school time spent in the studio, perfecting every last move. This student show will run November 21-23. On top of both of these things, Marin is passionate about serving God in the mission field. After embarking upon her first trip, when she was only around 4 or 5 on a church trip to Honduras with her family,

she is thrilled to be adventuring to new places with her fellow classmates. Last February, Marin and her family had the opportunity to join Valley Christian’s very own STAK (Serve the African Kids) club on their yearly trip to South Africa. Says Marin’s mom, Karen Heacock, “Travel-ing together so far from home with other students and as a family with a common mission and purpose was a sweet and amazing experience for all of us. Serving and loving the little African children was the highlight, for sure”. Adds Marin, “I wanted it to be my own experience start-ing out, but I ended up being glad that they [her family]were there. It was a hard experience so I was glad to have a piece of something normal with me. Having my mom there for the flight made it a good experience”. When asked about the upcoming trip to Thailand, she adds, “I’m really, really excited, this is a trip that will be ‘my own’ and Miss Fenwick and Mrs. Harper are planning to really immerse us in the culture, something we didn’t get to do as much in Africa because we spent most of our time at preschools and orphanages. Fun things like a scavenger hunt in a market finding food or partici-pating in a festival in addition to serv-ing women and children (mostly kids in orphanages, and some who are affected by sex trafficking) are what I’m most looking forward to”. Described by her classmates as “dynamic”, “a leader”, and “loving”, Marin exemplifies a warrior in all areas of her life. At home, she can be seen dancing to the fridge or humming around the house. She watches TV to unwind and enjoys spending time joking with her family. Though free time is a rarity with such a packed schedule, Marin is enjoy-ing the craziness that comes with school spirit, dance shows, and serving her community and places around the world.

10 Photos by Claire Chaney

shows,spirit,service.

JacquelineQuirke

triple threat.recent art pieces, she drew a candle surrounded by the word “illumination.” She wanted the piece to represent the glory/light of God, and the flame to stand for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit since the flame also has three parts. Jacqueline’s favorite course is AP Art Studio because she says that Mrs. Carlson is so awesome and being in art class makes her so happy. Art has played a huge role in Jacqueline’s life, helping her forget about all the stress in life.Along with Jacqueline’s artsy side, comes an incredible athlete. She devotes a lot of time to playing tennis and doing tae kwon do. She has been playing tennis for six years, start-ing at Almaden Valley Athletic Club as a young child. She played competitively for three years before attending Valley, where she joined the varsity team her sophomore year. Jacqueline said that her favorite moment of her high school tennis experience was the trips to Fresno for the California High School Tennis Classic. She is looking forward to what her final season at Valley will hold. Not only can she hit a ball, but she can also throw a serious punch. Jacqueline has been doing tae kwon do for almost seven years, since her parents wanted her to learn how to defend herself. Some of her greatest successes were winning gold at a regional competition, silver at a national competition, and silver at an international competition. She also had the honor of joining a demonstration team, who travel around the area, performing in front of hundreds of people. She says that tae kwon do is just so “exhilarating.” Outside of school, art, and sports, she has a wonderful family that supports and loves her. She has a sister who has Down Syndrome and has also had an open heart surgery. “My sister has taught me to have an extremely caring heart since she has been through a lot in her life.” She said that because of her sister, she has become more responsible by helping her mom take care of Danielle. Danielle has taught Jac-

Jacqueline Quirke may seem like your everyday high school stu-dent, working to get straight A’s, have a social life, and not fall down those darned Valley Christian stairs. But this senior student is definitely not average; she may just be what you call a “triple threat.” Jacqueline has been going to Valley Christian since freshman year, changing her whole perspective on school because prior to attending Valley, she was homeschooled. She said, “It was extremely difficult being homeschooled and then transitioning to VCHS. It was an extreme change going from a school with a population of 1 to a population of 1,400. I felt so overwhelmed and was extremely quiet freshmen year.” At this point in her senior year, she said that she adjusted well and made amazing friends. She was even nominated for homecoming court. She said, “I was so surprised to be nominated for homecoming. If I had told myself freshman year that would have happened, I never would have believed myself. It was such an honor to have my name on that list, and I was so humbled and grateful.” Even though it was tough for Jacqueline to transition, there was one thing that she always felt comfortable with. Art has been running through Jacqueline’s veins since she can remember. As a child, she always had a pencil and sketchbook with her and would draw horses all the time. With every art piece, comes some symbol of her personality. In one of her most

queline to love others unconditionally, no matter who they are. Jacqueline said of her parents that, through their actions and who they are, have taught her to be respectful, love everyone, and be a woman of God. She said that the, “One thing I appreciate is that my family is really close, and we work as a team to build each other up and bring each other closer to God.” Jacqueline stated that she would not be the person that she is today without her family.She is excited for what the future holds for her as she ventures off to a new place called college. She said, “There will be so much more freedom and diversity in college life.” As Jacqueline Quirke embarks on a new chapter of her life, she will be remembered as the painter, player, and powerhouse high school student at Valley Christian.

By Kara HintonEditor

Photos by Paul Quach and courtesy of Jacqueline Quirke

11Photos by Claire Chaney

Another Opening, Another Show

Behind the scenes of Valley Chritian’sBy: Alyssa Teixeira

Another Opening, Another Show

Behind the scenes of Valley Christian’s

production of Our Town

Photo by Jordan Dawkins

From behind the freshly painted walls of the Black Box Theater, the cast of Our Town can hear the hum of the crowded theater as the audience members settle in. Nervous and excited, the cast members exchange “break a leg” to one another and put the finishing touches on their makeup. With sweaty palms and butter-flies in their stomachs they take their places as the lights go up. On the evening of September 19th, Valley Chris-tian’s theater department premiered its first production of the season, Our Town. Our Town is a three-act play that tells the tale of everyday life in Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire. Although this show is set in the 1900’s, it deals with “universal themes”, explained Mr. DeMeritt. “...Teenag-ers and their parents, growing up, falling in love. It’s the same struggles, same issues everyone goes through”. In addition to directing the production, Mr. DeMeritt got the chance to perform in the production as well. He described the whole experience as “enlightening”. He explains how the production was a positive learning experience, in which he got to, “...remember what it’s like be on that side of the stage’”

While this year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Broadway opening of Our Town, the Valley Christian Theater Department strives to keep the production as riveting as the day it opened. To enhance its appeal, Our Town is one of the first main stage shows to premiere in the newly con-structed Black Box Theater. When asked about their experiences with this production, the cast of Our Town was much abuzz with talk of a new theater and a new style of performance. “Some-thing new for most of us here is performing the theater in the round, which was a challenge. But overall it really captured the idea of the show; it made it more intimate”, says Annie Trevisan (senior). She explained to me that “theater in the round” is a type of layout for a theater, in which the stage is in the center of the theater leaving the audience members to surround the theater in all 360 degrees, making the audience seem more involved with the performance. Overall, the attitude of the cast was one of hope and enlightenment.

By Alyssa Teixeira

12

While this year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Broadway opening of Our Town, the Valley Christian Theater Department strives to keep the production as riveting as the day it opened. To enhance its appeal, Our Town is one of the first main stage shows to premiere in the newly con-structed Black Box Theater. When asked about their experiences with this production, the cast of Our Town was much abuzz with talk of a new theater and a new style of performance. “Some-thing new for most of us here is performing the theater in the round, which was a challenge. But overall it really captured the idea of the show; it made it more intimate”, says Annie Trevisan (senior). She explained to me that “theater in the round” is a type of layout for a theater, in which the stage is in the center of the theater leaving the audience members to surround the theater in all 360 degrees, making the audience seem more involved with the performance. Overall, the attitude of the cast was one of hope and enlightenment.

Annie Trevisan, senior. Pictured here as Emily Webb inValley Christian’s fall production , Our Town.

Caleb Duarte, sophomore. Pictured here as George Gibbs in Valley Christian’s production, Our Town.

Above all, the cast of Our Town was grate-ful for the amaz-ing opportunities and the chance to create a bond with their fellow cast mates, as well as to honor the Valley Christian’s Theater Department with an outstanding show. When asked to describe the show and their experiences in a word or two, the young thespians were speech-less. Even director and cast member Mr. DeMeritt was stumped, “Man, that’s a hard question. You know, because this show is so many things”. He went on to tell me that his main goal with the pro-duction of Our Town is to get the audience to take a moment and enjoy all the love that surrounds them. He specifically ref erenced a particular line in the show that asks, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?”He insists that this line is one he wishes will truly resonate with the audience as well as the cast members. To recognize and appreciate all the gifts we are given, as students, as performers, as athletes, and most importantly as Warriors.

13

ART & WINE FESTIVALby Kayla Phan

Booths filled with an array of arts and crafts lined both sides of the park like an endless road. The atmosphere was filled with laughter as people of all ages gathered together to celebrate artistic individuality at the Almaden Valley Art and Wine Festival on September fifteenth. From a car window, one can catch a glimpse of a huge mass of people walking toward the entrance of Almaden Lake Park. The parking lot was closed off for the festival, so people either walked or biked to the festival. The first color that literally pops out at festival goers when they enter the festival is the bright yellow hue of the abnormally large sun-flowers. These large sunflowers were decoratively placed on heaps of hay at the Bloomsters booth, a family owned com-pany in San Jose that makes custom flower arrangements for any occasion. Workers Vonnie and Scott generously handed out sunflowers to passerbyes with a warm smile and a friendly, “Hello.” About three thousand sunflowers are given away by Bloomsters a year at the festival! Towards the far left of the park was the Kid’s Zone. This area is heaven for kids of all ages as they ran around having the time of their life. Kids were able to do a number of activities from jumping in the inflatable bounce houses, taming the mechanical bull, or conquering the rock wall. Of the three, riding the mechanical bull seemed to be the most popular. A little boy anxiously sat on the bull as the volunteer pressed a button that caused the bull to start flinging the boy in different directions.The pace quickened and the boy tried to hold on as the bull began jerking him. After about forty one seconds, the little boy unwillingly fell off. Another popular activity was a set of trampolines that kids did flips on as they were harnessed to a set of poles. Smiles and laughter were evident as kids leaped into the air and did flips. Science, or rather robotics was incorporated into one of the activities when the Leland High School Robotics team brought one of their robots to the festival. This robot’s exterior was a short, medium boxed shape. Using a control mecha-nism, kids used it to shoot a soccer ball into the goal. Several kids lined up to make a shot and one of them was a little boy named Collin Elliot. Collin swiftly shot the ball into the goal, excitedly jumped up and down, and screamed, “I made it into the goal!” His excitement brought smiles to the members of the Leland robotics and kids around him. Walking around the festival, there were many different types of art showcased in each booth. One of these booths showcased an amazing artist whose nickname is, “The Heart Artist.” Debbie Marie Arambula paints pictures using the symbol of the heart to portray certain messages because, “The heart is a universal symbol that can be understood by any age and all cultures of the world.” One of her paintings, titled Open Hearted is a drawing of multiple hearts inside of each other in various colors. In the center is the Earth bound by chains, but it looks as if a group of butterflies is trying to break the chains. Debbie says this piece is dedicated to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Arambula explains, “Through the efforts of real communication, positive energy, and action, we can make it happen.” A booth that stood out was called Sisters of the Holy Name. The artist, Sister Nicki hand sculpted beauti-ful angels wearing flowy white tops and halos over its heads. Several of the Angels held mini versions of books such as “The Cat in the Hat” or “The Hunger Games”. Sister Nicki explained how she made mini versions of the books ,she said, “ I downloaded the covers of the books and pasted them onto a small piece of cardboard.” After walking around in the hot sun for a while, the aromas coming from the food booths reeled festival goers. Different types of food were sold ranging from Italian to Mexican food. A booth that featured unique Indian cuisine called Kama Food Lab intrigued Valley Christian sophomore, Savanna Watkins. Savanna ended up ordering a pita sandwich called “The Works.” Inside the works was purple cabbage, potatoes, and pesto sauce. The mixture of unusual ingredients put inside

14

ART & WINE FESTIVAL

see what their school has to offer. Booths were spread across the floor, voices mingled as seminars began and ended. Each booth was decorated, clearly displaying achievements and information about their school. The air was lively with excitement and curiosity from students. This variety of colleges met together to demonstrate how they excel in academics or athletics whilst glorifying God in everything they do. And Valley’s students made sure to enthusiastically welcome them.There was quite the mixture of colleges in the gym. The representatives stationed at the booths gave plenty of information and direction, explaining what their school is about and what courses they are strong in. The spokesman for Patrick Henry College shared that the school was founded very recently, in 2001. They feature courses in journalism, such as Radio Journal-ism, Media Law and Narrative Nonfiction. While Patrick Henry, stationed in Virginia, has just over 300 students, Indiana’s Taylor University has over a thousand. Some of the more popular colleges were constantly crowded by students, such as Calvary Christian and Biola. “I really liked Calvary Christian,” Junior Sabrina Hamada said as she walked away from the booth, carrying a bag full of college information in her arm. “They have a lot of courses you can take, which I like.” Edwina Phan, a Senior, agreed with her, stating, “Calvary Christian was my favorite because there’s lots of options.” Mr. Torode agreed to speak with me about the significance of Christian colleges. “[Christian colleges] might not be for everyone,” He told me after thinking a moment. “They’re for students who want a Christian learning environment…a more protec-tive atmosphere.” When asked if going to a Christian college is important to your relationship with God, he responded, “Yes, if a person wants to maintain a relationship with God. A Christian school would be better because they’d be exposed to a Christian environment, Bible classes and a faculty of believers.” He added that a few colleges he would recommend are Azusa Pacific, Biola and California Baptist. Probably the best part about the fair is that it’s obvious God heavily influences each and every college. It was plain to see that each was enthusiastic to talk about their deep connection with Christ. Though I was there on business, even I could not help but marvel at each university and look into colleges myself. Be sure to check out the college fair next year, because you might be surprised by what you find.

God’s presence was surely eminent as Christian colleges across America show-cased at Valley Christian’s college fair last Tuesday, September 17. Universities big and small gathered in the high school’s gymnasium, inviting students to come and

Christian College Fairby Taylor Ferguson

of the pita bread might have a majority of people saying, “Eww gross”, but Savanna thought otherwise. “ Wow, it’s really good and exotic,” Watkins mumbled as she chewed, “I wouldn’t expect it to taste like this!” The pita sandwich had a tangy taste from the cabbage mixed with the spici-ness from the potatoes. The pesto sauce left her mouth feeling cool after the mixture of spiciness. To cool off and relax, people sat under a huge tent and lis-tened to the musical entertainment. Free Fahlen, a classic rock and roll band covered various classic rock songs such as “Summer of 69.” The crowd swayed to beat and sang along to the band. Tracy Clements, a festival goer was really into music as she she sang along saying, “I love it. This is my kind of music.” Other entertainment featured Nayah Demansen, Leland’s cheer/dance team, and Shaun Anton, an independent country artist in San Jose .As the day progressed, it became more crowded and hotter. Even though people wore shorts, beads of sweat could be seen on their faces. The day progressed and sev-eral people left. Sierra Emmerson, a woman in her early twenties wearing a fashionable ensemble said, “My favor-ite part of the festival was definitely all the handcrafted jewelry.” A jewelry booth called Naturals from the Earth stood out to Savanna. The co-owners, Fred Fischer and Joe Lattuada were very friendly to all the customers as they admired the unique jewelry. The jewelry was made of gemstones and other natural rocks. Savanna admired the different earrings that ranged in shapes, sizes, and colors. After a careful decision, she picked a pair of hang-ing turquoise earrings. One of the owners rang her up and his final words to her as she left were, “take your sunflower and fly away.”All in all, everyone had a wonderful time at the festival as they marveled at the art, ate exotic food, and listened to moving music. I definitely recommend going next year!

“The Heart Artist”, Debbie Marie Arambula, holds one of her heart paintings at the Almaden Art & Wine Festival on September 15, 2013.

15

Emma’s Journey From California To Lebanon

Photo by Jenny Hikido16

By Taylor Ferguson

Emma and I had always been close. We met in first grade, the first year she attended Valley, and since then we had always been chattering and goofing off. We were essentially normal kids. I remember one day in particular that I slept over at her welcoming home. We kept ourselves busy by laughing through movies like Father of the Bride in her mother’s bedroom. Or another instance, where we would play Mario Kart on the couch with her younger brother, Jeremy, and older sister, Eva. And we would wake up in the morning to the comforting warmth of her home, her mother with breakfast already made, and her father saying a cheery “Hello!” as we came downstairs. But this would not last. “And I left Valley in 6th grade.” Emma Toubia, now a sophomore, leans against a locker and looks at me as she says the words. The girl of French and Lebanese descent had just returned this school year from her four years of living in Beirut, Leba-non. “It was filthy, polluted… lots of cussing,” Emma added as she reflected on the living conditions there. A dangerous place, Lebanon is settled right beside Syria; whatever affects Syria affects Lebanon. Riots aren’t uncommon, and stakes are high. But how did a girl originally going to private school in sunny San Jose, California, go to a predomi-nately Muslim city in the Middle East? It all lay in the ori-gins of her father’s sickness. “He was… he was a great person, to me.” Emma choked on her words a bit as she tried to hold back tears. He was a Lebanese man full of life and Christian virtue. Whenever he entered the room, he wasn’t an “energy-sucker”, as his daughter put it with a laugh, but brightened up a space by simply entering it. Rational, fair, and overall bright, Pierre Toubia was everything Emma and her siblings could hope for in a father. “He was sick for two weeks… originally, we thought it was a cold. But it wasn’t,” Emma described to me solemnly. This seemingly harmless cold trans-formed into something his body eventually couldn’t handle. It led from a cold, to a flu; that flu turned into pneumonia. And that pneumonia altered into a disease I hadn’t heard of before: ARDS. “Acute Respiratory Dis-tress Syndrome,” Emma explained. “Which is basically just a bacterium that infects your entire lung. And you can’t breathe.” ARDS prevents oxygen from entering the lung and the bloodstream. It normally occurs in those who are already plagued with illness, and in Emma’s father’s case, this was true of his pneumonia. I can even faintly recall attending his funeral with my family. Many were gathered inside the cathedral walls, all celebrating a great man’s life rather than dwell-ing on the heartbreak. Those who spoke shared pleas-ant memories that they’d grown fond of; they all made it clear that Pierre was a beloved father and friend. After her father passed away, Emma’s family

couldn’t pay for the hospital bills, or the debt on their house. Her mother found a job in Lebanon, so she took her family and moved. Emma described her first year there as “hectic”. Her first impression was that it was scary. It was a major culture shock, form San Jose to Beirut. Here in America, the army isn’t walking the streets, gun in arms. In Lebanon, the army acts as police. It is also a very conservative place, in which women have to cover up completely and wear head wraps. In Emma’s case, because she was Christian, she wasn’t required to dress like this. This faith in God, however, persuaded the other children to be bullies. Because she was a Christian, the others would “look at her”, and treat her rudely. She reflected that the culture was obsessed with politics, to the point where riots would break out. Some-times, she wasn’t able to attend school, as roads were blocked off due to protests. Shootings, at times, did occur. “For the last 6 months I was there, I couldn’t leave the house without taking safety precautions,” Emma said, irritation on her tongue. During those months, there were constant shootings of innocent citi-zens during that time. She mentioned the car explosions in public places, such as shopping centers or downtown areas. She was stuck at home during her last summer spent in Lebanon, unable to leave the house. So how did she manage to come back amidst all of this chaos? “We weren’t [going to], actually,” Emma explained. The money was steady, and they were slowly paying off the bills. However, when President Obama sent out a warning message that all American citizens should return from the Middle East or stay at their own risk, Emma’s mother decided that was the final straw. They packed up their things and left, all in two weeks, with no aid from a moving team. She was thankful to come back, mostly due to the fact that she can actually leave her home and feel safe on our city streets. The transition from Lebanon back to San Jose was difficult and sudden; they had just come back from a vacation to America the day that their mother told them they were moving back. They had to get Visas quickly in order to leave, which was complicated and stressful. But the stress was worth it in the end. Emma and her family returned safely to San Jose, and back to the school she once called a second home, Valley Christian. And her friends welcomed her back with open arms. I tackled her in a hug as soon as I saw her, all smiles. Friend Gussie Gatto, who had also known her before she left, told me that Emma hadn’t changed a bit. There was no question that Emma is happy to be home, surrounded by familiar, friendly faces and the presence of God.

Photo by Jenny Hikido17

A LIGHT ON A HILL

Lighthouse Club kicks off their second meeting of the year with a guest speaker, Chris Avila.

While the quad was bustling with the usual lunch sounds, the second floor was

filled with the erie silence of an empty school hallway. That is of course with the exception of Ms Pipkin’s room, full of 27 students

eager to hear what speaker, Chis Avila, had to say for the second Lighthouse (or Chris-tian) Club this year. Students gradually filled the room and began chatting with peers or

noshing on their lunches before the meeting was to begin. Club president Brittany Diatte hopes that this year, “there will be so many people wanting to come

hear about God and fellow-ship with one another and that our club with grow and actu-ally make an impact on our campus!” Chris, a pastor at

Cathedral of Faith, was able to share his personal testimony with the students at this very

brief lunch meeting. He began by divulging to the students

about his childhood

in New York which was filled with trials of many kinds. His father left his mother, and in order to support his family, he turned to selling (not doing) drugs, starting in elementary school. Later in life, he moved to California and got started in the radio business. This busi-ness drew him into a lifestyle much like that of the rich and famous. Even in the midst of such a glamorous lifestyle, he was hit with immense struggles. One night, honoring his mother (who had passed away a few years earlier) by going to church, he came to the realiza-tion that he no longer wanted to play a part in this personally un-satisfying lifestyle, and com-mitted to walking the Christian walk instead. Although this caused many of his peers to question his life choices, Chris was dedicated to the decision he had made because he knew how much he was influenced by this world.

After sharing this intense testimony, he urged students to continue in their faith bodly and pursue their personal relationships with God. When asked what she thought of Chris’ message, Brittany Diatte added, “I thought Chris’ message was so relative to high school students because so many of us go through things on a daily basis that we don’t tell anyone, it was a great reminder to always cling to him during the times you feel you can’t talk about your struggles!!” As the bell rang and the meeting wrapped up, students had much to think about, but are likely eagerly awaiting the next meeting of Lighthouse Club.

Lighthouse Club meets on Thursdays at lunch in Ms. Pipkin’s room.

By Claire ChaneyEditor

18

RESCUE CONFERENCE 2013 “LOVE IS”

With hands lifted high and music filling the church on a late Friday night in October, the 2013 Rescue Conference was underway. Started in 2003, this leadership conference stated its main purpose was to try to unite Bay Area leaders to shine Jesus’s light to the lost and broken (therescueconference.com). This year’s con-ference was hosted by Keivan Tehrani and Dave Tieche, both previous speakers at Valley Christian chapels. The theme for this 2013 year was “Love Is...”. Valley Chris-tian’s very own Leadership and ASB classes had the privilege of attending this event. The conference kicked off with a concert at Jubilee Christian Church in San Jose. There was a large turnout with a line extending into the parking lot an hour before the doors even opened. The concert included local art-ists and well-known Christian artists such as Dominic Balli and The David Crowder Band. Dominic Balli hails from the LA area, who incorporates a reggae style of music with his singiing. The David Crowder Band is a very famous Christian music band, with hit songs such as “How He Loves” and “O Praise Him.” Junior and leader-ship student, Kiana Lei Yap, said, “I had a really good time at the concert. I liked how it was so fun, and we were all just worshipping together in a little commu-nity.” The next morning, beginning bright and early, a long day began that was filled with numerous speakers at Calvary Church in Los Gatos. There were three break-out sessions in between each main session, where

Rescue Conference Reaches Out to Local Leaders by Kara Hinton

people were given different choices to listen to differ-ent speakers. The three main speakers were Jay Kim, Josh Shipp (who is on a tv show called “Teen Trouble”), and Efrem Smith. Jay Kim spoke about how we need to reach out to God because He wants to heal us of our insecurities and doubts; we just have to believe.Josh Shipp spoke about what God looks for in a leader and how we should turn our focus away from ourselves and onto God. Lastly, Efrem Smith wanted all people to real-ize that God wants to liberate our life story, our soul, and our voice in order to lead broken people to him. Junior Steve Kerr described that it was evident how passion-ate the speakers were about really spreading God’s love.Each of the three breakout sessions were split up into six different categories: Pursuit, Justice, Lead, Culture, Identity, and Engage. People were given the option to choose whatever category they wanted and would go listen to the speaker. Some of the specific sessions were Compelled: Cultivating a Passion to Love and Reach the Lost, Coping: Choosing Positive Ways to Deal with Our Hurts, and Creativity in the Church: The Four Tensions of Every Artist’s Heart. When the con-ference was coming to a close, there was a definite change in the atmosphere at the church. Some people were on their knees; others were weeping. Even at the concert, almost every person was lifting their hands, praising God. It was evident that there had been a change in people’s lives because of this year’s Rescue Conference.

19

Editor

20

21

Afternoon with Aaron ChangBy: Carl Louphoto by : Marijke Bolsons

22

Aaron Chang is a junior at Valley Christian School, and the president of the Strategic Gaming Club. Every-day afterschool the club meets on the second floor of the Conservatory, to play video game and relax from a long day of school.

On Monday October 2, students at Valley Chris-tian dressed up for spirit week the theme of “breaking sights”. For his costume Junior Aaron Chang was a wearing a hula dancer skirt and coconut bra’s. He had a chubby face and a great smile to add to with his outfit. Sadly, Aaron is not a hula dancer. However, he does do more interesting stuff other than hula dancing. Besides many things, he is also in ISS, the program that allows stu-dents to do experiments aboard the International Space Station. And in even greater news, he is the president of the Strategic Gaming Club.

At 2:45, every day The Strategic Gaming Club plays some of the most popular games for the Wii and Xbox. In total they play about 5 games, the most popular being Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Mario Double Dash. The game most played was Project M, a mod(slightly altered version) of Brawl. Project M is a fighting game, players can choose a wide arsenal of characters from Nintendo(Kirby, Pikachu, Mario…). Aaron inherited the title of President from a Senior who graduated last year, Anthony Fields. As president, Aaron has expanded their tiny gaming system to a new flat screen T.V, making students wonder where they actu-ally keep it! During Wednesday’s meeting I dropped by to watch them play. The gaming club allows many outsiders to join in their games, with a low-rate of 25 cents per month. When one person gets last place in a match, the next person in line gets to join in. From the observing the game, everyone can tell that Aaron is the best of them all. All the times I watched him he never lost, even to his little brother Nathan.

Just because Aaron always won, that did not mean no one had fun. From the start all the way to 6:00 pm people were still waiting to play. The teacher supervisors had to shoo everyone out. The club was definitely not just a place for hard-core gamers. Aaron has invited even inexperienced 6th graders to come play along. To make things fun he constantly experiments with new game mechanics, trying to find the limits of each character. To even the playing ground he constantly chooses the worst characters in the game, and does thing to purposely lose. One time he had three people go up against as a team, and some- how I still lost. But Aaron never makes anyone feel bad. During matches Aaron does interesting maneuvers, and makes everyone feel good at their own mistakes. His jokes are funny, and he is always ready to give encouraging comments about everyone else’s game.

Through all this fun Aaron never forgot his duty as a leader. The long line of people moves quickly as all people get a chance. From the smiles of everyone’s faces Aaron has certainly brought a lot of joy to everyone. Even Nathan admits that even though his brother can be quite a character, he does run this club well. Long live the Strategic Gaming Club, and let us hope it stays running for the years to come. (Since the new rule from the Office, the Club has been forced out of the Conservatory. If anyone still wants to go there, you can find them in Miss Earp’s classroom.

Bouncing BackBy: Christian carrilloPhoto by: alfred batmani

Sophomore Anthony Duran battles a tumor

The most memorable incident of sophomore Anthony Duran’s life so far occurred in the winter of 2012, leaving him with an amazing story to tell. He developed a tumor in his back, a scary event in his life because before the doctors had figured out of the uncertainty it was a tumor, they were not so sure what it exactly was. He said, “At first they thought it was leukemia, then they thought it was autoim-mune disease. It was frightening because even my symptoms were not matching up with any type of disease or sickness.” Once they figured out it was a tumor, surgery was scheduled for early April, and Anthony was expected to miss a few weeks of school. “Going through that was tough because I thought I would never catch up on my school work, but I stayed positive and persevered.”, said Anthony. Once the doctors had completed the surgery, Anthony recovered quickly, and he was back at school after only missing a week. “I was surprised it was that fast of a recovery,” he said.

Soon, Anthony’s perspective on life really changed. Having this incident in his life really made him appreciate it more. The little things in life truly mean the most. He said, “I learned to take more risks because life can be gone in an instant.” Anthony went on to say that having that tumor in his back really limited him from not only playing sports (he was forced to stop playing basketball for 2 years) and partici-pating in activities, but also just walking in general. “ I could only stand up and walk for probably about 30 minutes at a time before having to sit down again.” Not only was he grateful to walk without pain and play sports again, he became more appreciative of his family and friends and the things they do for him. “I have always loved my family and friends, but going through a situation like I did really taught be to be more thankful for everything they’ve done for me.”

Not only did he become more appreciative of his family, friends, and activities, but his mindset also changed regarding VCHS. “I learned that I truly do go to an amazing school. There were so many people who supported me and prayed for me through this trial, and I am really thankful for that.” Before Anthony had a tumor, he was very lazy when it came to schoolwork. He desired to do well in school, but just lagged when it came down to doing the work. Post-surgery, Anthony’s work ethic completely changed. “I now understand that not everybody gets an opportunity to go to a school like I do. I have always aimed to be good in school, I just never put the work in. Now I finally changed my work ethic and am doing really well.”

When asked about how he felt when he heard the news about Anthony’s back, sophomore Devin Sekhon said of the situa-tion, “At first I didn’t know the seriousness, and was worried because I didn’t know how it would affect him and if he would be any differ-ent. The good thing is he didn’t change, he was strong throughout the whole process. When I found out it was a tumor, I started think-ing it could have been a long term affect, especially if the doctors couldn’t find a way to take it out.” Since the doctors initially couldn’t figure out what was causing the pain in Anthony’s back, it instilled some fear in not only himself, but also his family and friends. Devin’s thoughts on that were, “He had to get so many MRI scans and had so many doctors appointments that eventually I thought to myself, what if they can’t figure it out? So it was a scary moment for me, being one of his closest friends.” After they found out it was a tumor and did surgery on Anthony’s back, Devin talked about how his relationship with Anthony changed. “This event strengthened our relationship because I truly learned to appreciate my best friend who I have known since elementary school. We always used to joke around about everything, but now we can have those deep talks that best friends have.” Devin went on to say how thankful he was that Anthony survived this incident, and how happy he is to see his best friend healthy.

Hardships in life will come, but it’s all about the attitude of the person that’s going to help get them through that. Anthony elaborated on his thoughts about that, by saying, “One moment in life you think everything is fine, then things could just start happen-ing. You can choose whether you want to go through that obstacle with a positive attitude and be optimistic about it, or you can go through it with just a terrible mentality. But going through it with a bad mentality is not going to get you anywhere. Feeling sorry for yourself and asking stuff like ‘why did this happen to me?’ or ‘why didn’t this happen to somebody else?’ doesn’t really matter because that’s not the question, the question should be ‘how are you going to go about getting through it’ and letting people around you help you out is what matters. You have to let people be there for you because if you just try to get through it by yourself sometimes it’s just too hard.” Anthony’s story is truly an inspirational one, not only for people who may be going through a similar situation as he did, but even those who aren’t. It shows people to be more appreciative because life can change in an instant. Anthony truly persevered through it all, and that is what makes it an amazing journey. 23

Valley Christian JV Football Fell Short During The Battle In The Biggest Rivalry game By Nick Guevara Sadly, in the biggest game of the year for Valley Christian football, the JV team fell short against the Bellarmine Bells. As the clock hit 0 seconds in the 4th quarter, the final score was 21-7. JV was coming off a 6-0 record and was trying to keep the 0 in the lost column. Bellarmine was hoping for the same. The only touchdown that was scored for Valley Christian was a 99 yard touchdown by sophomore Akil Jones. That touchdown tied the game in the second quarter to make the score 7-7, also allowing the Warriors to gain confidence. According to sophomore Ariston Dell, “After seeing Akil’s touchdown, I thought for sure we would win this, it really gave us more confidence and integ-rity.” After the first half, the played one of their worst halves of their 2013 season and fell short with 14 points scored on them. It all started with an interception thrown by Sophomore Jonny Erickson, intended to the sophomore wide receiver, PJ LaBarbera. After the interception, Bellarmine drove down the field and scored another touchdown, caus-ing the Warriors to be down 7 points. Following Bellarmine’s drive, the Warriors failed to score, resulting in a turnover. Once again, Bellarmine took advantage of the turnover and drove down the field and scored another touchdown, causing Valley Christian to suffer a 14-point lead. Then as the clock clicked down to 0 seconds, Coach Snodgrass sayed “well, you can’t win ‘em all.” This resulted the team suffering a hard loss to make their record 6-1. Sophomore Henry Huerta said, “I think that losing this game was good for us because we are now able to watch our mistakes on film then learn from them.” During the week of preparing for the rivalry game, a terrible stomach flu spread around, some players caught it, causing them to miss practice. According to Sophomore Levi Johnson, “I really do think that people missing practices due to the stomach flu was a major problem. We did not have the same bodies in practice as we did in the game, so it caused a mix up.” Most of the team believes they lost due to mistakes, but some believe that Bellarmine was the better team. Now the big question everyone keeps asking is if Valley still has a chance at taking 1st place in the JV league. Bellarmine still has to play Mitty and Sacred Hart. Mitty is a really good team and Sacred Hart has been on a roll ever since they lost to Valley Christian’s JV team. The team still has faith that they can take 1st place, but some players think otherwise. According to Ariston, “I think that Bellarmine and Valley will tie for 1st place in our JV division, as long as the team stays focused and wins the next three games. Bellarmine has to lose one out of those 3 games.” After the battle was over, in the end, both teams had their heads up and each player shook one another’s hands, with the losing team walking off the Bellarmine field with great sportsmanlike conduct.

Sweat, blood and Cheers! By Alyssa Teixeira and Camilla Marais “The 2013-2014 Varsity Cheer squad is the most talented cheer team Valley has ever had”, Mrs. Sonia Avilucea says with confi-dence, pride shining in her eyes. As the cheer coordinator of Valley Christian Schools, Ms. Avilucea has every right to be proud of the girls, who are not only dedicated athletes, but representatives on and off campus. These leaders can be identified every Friday game day for the football team, wearing their blue, white and silver with pride. But there is so much more to the cheer squad than the punctual uniformity of their identical blue and white bows and spirited smiles; the cheer team is rigorously trained to highlight their athleticism, be pre-cise in their routines, and cheer on our Warriors throughout the entire game. For each practice, the girls do conditioning to strengthen their bodies and increase their endur-ance for the demands of rallies and long football games. However, the majority of their practices are spent learning, cleaning and perfect-ing their halftime routines, which are performed annually during school spirit rallies and of course, at halftimes for football games. Getting the routines together, clean and strong takes intense focus and dedication, but is always appreci-ated by the audience. This years’ JV and Varsity teams’ stunts are noticeably higher, routines undoubt-edly sharper, and undeniably more entertaining. To give us some insight on experiences of and the expectations placed upon VCHS’s cheerleaders, fellow journalist Camilla Marais and I sat down with cheer advisor Ms. Avilucea, as well as other prominent members of the 2013-2014 Cheer Squads. How do you feel about the “cheerleader stereotype”? “Well, I feel like that’s

on of the things I work really hard to do when we are looking at our cheer team. I try to give them spiri-tual guidance because I do want to fight that stereotype. I always tell the girls, ‘you are a representa-tion of Valley Christian, you are on the front lines so I expect more from you then another student on this campus’. To that effect my girls must maintain a certain GPA, I check even check their social media posts to make sure they are maintaining what it means to be a cheerleader.” -Sonia Avilucea, Cheer Advisor “As much as I hate being stereo-typed, I have to admit that the stereotype can be true for many of us.” -Karyn Reyes, Varsity Cheer “Many people don’t consider cheerleading a sport, and that’s fine. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. However, if you were to do a study on the risk and injuries that are caused by cheerleading, you would see that it is rated number one. One of the most difficult aspects, in stunting, is knowing that you use all your leg muscles as a base to perform the tricks. If you use only your arm strength, that’s not enough power. Our coach also is very strict with the rules and guidelines, so injuries do not occur. Getting bruises, bloody noses, fat lips, pulled muscles, sprained fingers are all normal, and sometimes expected, because of the intensity of our stunts. We also have a rule that if we drop a stunt in any performance, we run a mile as a team, so the determination and hard work important as a team. Stunting looks easy, but it’s not. It is a skill that takes time to build on. Stunting requires a lot of team effort, and we have to rely on one another for the stunts to stick. I believe that this is the biggest part of cheer that makes us connect.. For instance, as a flyer, you must have full trust and confidence in your bases, because without them you could get seriously injured. 24

Christian Feist with an incredible game just gains the first down by leaping a few yards!

Ally B

ascom (12), S

ara C

itti (1

2), L

ind-

sey B

rown (11), a

nd K

arli Endow (11)

conclude t

he h

alf-t

ime s

how w

ith t

heir

fin

ishin

g p

ose a

t t

he v

arsit

y g

ame v

ersus

Rio

rdan.

When I personally first started cheer as a flyer, I did not know how to fly at all. Through cheer at Valley, I have learned every skill and trick I know. I love to fly, and without the knowledge and help of my team, I would not have been able to accomplish this.” -Sara Citti, Varsity Cheer What do you think our cheer team adds to the school’s dynamic? “I think they ultimately add to the spirit of our school, espe-cially football games. They most definitely add to our rallies, they aren’t just song girls on the side screaming. Also, I think they do provide some leadership on the campus.” -Sonia Avilucea “Our team really unifies the school; we have girls from so many different cliques, pro-grams like the Conservatory and AMSE, that we kind of bring all of our friend groups to the team too. Because of cheer, we’re all friendly with each other out of cheer, and that just brings us all together.” -Brittany ZamoraWhat about this years cheer team is different/special from past years? “I just think they are a stronger team. Every year we grow as far as athleticism and talent. This years varsity team is the strongest most talented team we. Have ever had. The team is very cohesive and I am very, very pleased with this years varsity team.” -Sonia Avilucea “As the varsity team, our juniors and seniors have been cheering together for 3-4 years by now, and we’ve all bonded as a team because our flow and curriculum is routine now. We’re all respon-sible and dedicated, and work well together because of all the bonding and practice together, which makes the cohesiveness we have as a team unique.” -Brittany Zamora, Varsity Cheer Captain “It’s a great team to be a part of, and I’ve really strengthened my relationship with God, as well as created great friendships. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, but I absolutely love it.” -Kailee Benevento, Varsity Cheer Cheer advisorMs. Avilucea exhibits nothing but pride when talking about her cheerleaders. She also expressed a positive outlook on the Valley Christian Cheer Squad’s future and all they can accomplish. Conversely, you might be wondering what do cheerleaders think of the stereo-types and expectations placed upon them? My partner and I found that the ladies behind those vicious stereotypes had an interesting perspective on them. Most girls who have done cheer since they were young have

been trained to take such com-ments with a grain of salt. In my interview with Karyn Reyes, 11th grade varsity member, she told me that some stereotypes hold true, “As much as I hate being stereotyped, I have to admit that the stereotype can be true for many of us”. She was referring to the stereo-type that cheerleaders can be “catty” or “fake”. She goes on to tell me that whenever you put a group of girls together there is bound to be friction, however they understand the impor-tance of working cohesively as a team. Cheerleading relies in trusting your teammates so the girls must learn to put their dif-ferences aside in order to work together. This is an admirable skill to have, placing the the needs of others over your own personal desires. However, it is easy to see how this attribute can be misconstrued as “fake”. As to the expectations placed on VCHS cheerleaders, Karyn understands that she must always embody Valley Chris-tian and it’s high standards. Although she says it can be a bit difficult to seem constantly, “morally upright”, it is worth it to be able to participate in her passion. But what we found that makes Valley Christian’s cheerleaders so spectacular isn’t the amount of talent or tricks they can perform, but the character of the girls’ them-selves. Members of AMSE, the Conservatory, Leadership, ASB, any involved all over campus, these girls do more for our school than shake pom-poms and chant cheers. They can lead and represent with student body, because they are the student body.

25

The Varsity teams line up to congratulate each other for a good game as Valley Christian walks out with the win.

beat bellBy Christian Carrillo The Valley Christian Varsity Football squad is in the midst of a successful season. Despite losses to Vacaville, Mitty, and Serra, VCHS beat their rival team Bellarmine 31-13, with Kirk Johnson racking up 4 touchdowns. The Warriors are 8-3 so far this season. The team started their season with a loss, but bounced back and won their next 3 games. That 3 game win streak was followed by 2 losses, but the team is now in the middle of a 5 game win streak, including a 26-7 playoff win over the number 1 seed Terra Nova High School. Quarter-back Michael Machado said, “We fought, played hard, and came out with a win. All that hard work that was put in at the begininng of the season is now paying off.” When asked about what they can bring into the postseason from their play during the regular season he said, “Our passion is definitely something we need to continue to have. We have played in a few close games and have been lucky to come out with a win in those because of our passion. We need to carry that through the playoffs. We are just getting started.” The Valley Christian Warriors lost a heartbreaker to Archbishop Mitty back in early October, but look to rebound as they take on their next opponent, who happens to be the Mitty Monarchs. This game, though, has more significance than the last one, with this clash being in the playoffs. Michael Machado gave his thoughts on what this game means to the squad when he said,”It’s always special when we get a chance to play a team that we lost to. This one means more though.” With a reminiscing look in his eye, he continued by saying,”We were bitter about this last defeat, and now we are going to try and bounce back and get this win.” The Warriors continue to push through the playoffs, hoping to rack up wins to play in the championship game. That is the ultimate goal for this team, and getting there won’t be easy, but with the hard work they put in and with the passion they have, it is a realistic opportunity. Lets go Warriors!

Valley Christian’s #8, Tre McCloud, makes an audacious charge against Bellarmine players to make the first touchdown of the game.

THE BALL IS IN OUR COURtVarsity girls volleyball pulls out a win on Senior Night, making them undefeated in season games.

1The varsisty girls volleyball team earn the amazing victory of recieving 1st place in the CCS championship of 2013 in division 3. Now they will be going into state champion-ships to recieve once again the 1st place title.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Senior night for the Varsity Girls Volleyball was successful in more ways than one. Wednesday, October 30, the gym was full of spectators, families, and intensity. While warming up, the St. Igna-tius Wildcats were practicing to popular radio hits and the Warriors seemed exceptionally focused as they anticipated their time to warm up. The gym gradually filled with family members and students

eagerly anticipated the beginning of the game. Before the game was to begin, however, the senior night ceremonies commenced. After handing out flowers to the senior Wildcats, each family of the four varsity players was called one by one as favorite moments of the season were shared and families were all smiles posing for photos with their stellar athlete. Nearly unanimously among Maddie Dilfer,

Photo by Noah Gomes Written by Claire Chaney, Editor

26

Erica Ramirez, Ali Wilson and Kirsten Mead, their favorite moment of the season was defeating Archbishop Mitty in one of the biggest matches of the year. Junior Natalie Picone described the match to me with excitement, “We took them to five games, our cheer-ing section was bigger than theirs and it was insane. The amount of support was unreal”. After recounting all of these moments and team memories, the match against St. Ignatius was about to begin. Athletic director, Jolene Fugate opened the match in a word of prayer and the girls took the court. St. Ignatius served first and the game was on. No sooner had the game begun than the game had come to an end with the Warriors in the lead, winning 25-15. While the girls prepared for their second game, Blue Crew was still filling up and stu-dent support was awesome for the players. Blue Crew leader,

Jack Benazzo, said, “It has been awesome to see the stands full up more and more each game as the girls volleyball team has gained more of a presence on campus. It has been an incredible experi-ence to be a part of the growth of school spirit on our campus, and hope to see it continue as the years progress”. As the teams got further into their match, students got louder and louder in support of their friends. Spectators cheer-ing increased in volume as rallies got more and more intense. These girls were determined to finish vic-toriously. Total, the Valley Christian Warriors had approximately 15 kills per set! The intensity carried throughout the next two games, and the girls won each game in this powerful match. When it finally ended, the Warriors were victori-ous, making them undefeated in season league games. The game was followed with photos and smiles as the girls reminisced on their season, excited about their major accomplishment.

by Kara Hinton, Editor There were a whole of lot firsts this season for the Girls Varsity Tennis team. First California High School Tennis Classic champion-ship. First WCAL individual’s championship for Valley Christian. First time making it into the CCS team tournament. It is easy to say that this season has been one of the best seasons in school history for the Lady Warriors and the girls head coach, Cuong Duong. Kicking off the successful season, the team went down to Fresno and brought home the trophy, winning Division 4 at the California High School Tennis Classic. With the season underway, the girls were able to finish with yet another win-ning season with 16 wins and just 7 losses. They won every non-league match with ease, winning three matches 7-0, and one match, 6-1. But the Warriors were not quite done. WCAL individuals were next up on their agenda. Most of the girls won their first round matches, but juniors Kara Hinton and Tina Phan would become eventual champions in doubles. It was a huge win for Valley Christian, making them the first ever WCAL champions for the school and securing an auto-matic entry into CCS individuals. After completing team competition in WCALs, the girls waited in anticipation for the call of whether or not they had made it in to CCS team championship. Their coach got the call, and the girls had made it in. The girls had just made school history again. Their first round was against Evergreen Valley High School, which they won 5-2. Another big achievement. Up next was Monta Vista, who had won CCS 7 out of the 11 times they had reached the finals. It was a tough match, and the Warriors fell to the Matadors, 6-1. Hinton was able to pull out a big win at her spot. Just when you thought it was over, Hinton and Phan still had CCS individuals. Going into the tournament, they were the sixth seed. They practiced hard during the week leading up, even going all the way through the rain and darkness. The duo won their first round easily, beating a team from Independence High School. Unfortunately, the pair was knocked out of the tournament, losing to a team from Menlo School. Hinton and Phan put up a good fight, losing 6-3, 6-4 and officially clos-ing the tennis season. Senior Regina Nguyen said, "It was great being part of a history-making team when we made CCS. The tournament was a great experi-ence, and it's surely a sign of the team's bright future." The girls are ready for next season and plan to make more school history, maybe even bringing home a CCS championship.

Varsity Girls Tennis Team Makes School History

Fore…Friendship!Girls Varsity Golf:

Family on the Fairway

a comparison of the strangest accents they can pull off. Though friendship has aided these girls, to be victorious, you must have skill. “It’s a physical sport as well as a mental sport,” Katie says. “There’s a lot of patience: patience while waiting for someone else to hit and being patient with yourself on that shot.” Last year, the team won CCS. One of their greatest feats this year was beating the school’s rival team, Saint Ignatius. In this intense game, Katie and Jenny topped the charts, with Katie shooting a 40 and Jenny a 43. Valley narrowly beat their rivals in this game, finishing with 225-232 in Valley’s favor. A combination of friendship and skill has let these girls dominate. It cannot be denied that the Varsity Girls Golf team is headed for great places, one funny van ride at a time.

Jenny Hikido was quick to interject when asked how she felt about her fellow players: “They’re like my sisters!” Being a determined golf team doesn’t mean that there won’t be a fair share of laughs. And when you’re traveling in a van with a rambunctious group of girls, there will definitely be some interesting conversations. The Varsity Girls Golf team is fueled by more than ambition; they are made of more than just pure skill. Their strength comes from the ties that bind them together. If not for their friendship, the team would fall apart. The seven girls on the golf team spend a lot of time together. That, of course, is to be expected when you’re a part of a high-demanding team. An endless schedule of practices, games, and bus rides to and from games can surely bring a group closer. Stephanie Han knows this all too well. As the only Freshman on the team, Stephanie joined knowing only her cousin, Clara Han. She revealed that she was very hesitant when she first met the girls. “At first, I was really nervous; I didn’t really talk to anybody,” Stephanie states. “I was kind of shy…but the others started chatting with me, and I felt more comfortable.” From then on, it was history; a season full of chuckles, backswings and fond memories. But what exactly are these memories the girls share? The van rides stuck out to Stephanie and some of the other players in particular. “The van rides are definitely interesting,” Katie Bronk said with a smile. “We have really funny conversations.” Jenny agreed right away, explaining, “We just have these random conversations…they’re so weird!” These amusing exchanges might include things like what the girls’ odd talents are, or even

Golfer Jenny Hikido talks with one of her teammates before a match.

From left to right: Krista Lane,Katie Bronk, Rachel Goranson, Jenny Hikido, Clara Han, Stephanie Han, and Cristina Glebova

by Taylor Ferguson

28

Sore Today orThe JV and Varsity cross country teams come together one last time before WCALS by:Kayla Phan, editor

Eat. Sleep. Run. This continuous pattern can easily describe the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams as they diligently practice for the upcoming WCALS on Wednesday, November 6th. Five days before the race, both teams took a bus to Gua-dalupe Oak Grove Park to participate in their last hard workout. Typically, the two teams have sepa-rate practices, but Coach Small really wanted them to come together before the big meet.

Right after school, players hung out at the track and talked amongst themselves until three. Crazi-ness filled the atmosphere as different voices boomed with laughter over memories from this season. Junior Varsity sophomore Justin Sallin’s favorite memory was when the team competed at Pebble Beach because of the scenery and the delicious food. “You know, we didn’t throw anyone into the water or anything,” Sallin jokingly recalls. Another fond memory was when Varsity sophomore Jeremy Dong showed up to a race with a Mcdonalds bag. “He ate like forty chicken mcnuggets right before the race ,” laughs Varsity sophomore Kailey Eddy. On a more serious note, Dong’s favorite part of the season was getting to know the freshmen, such as JV athlete Nedu Ndili.The hyper atmosphere of the team continued as they boarded a bus headed for Guadalupe Oak Grove Park.

The scenery suddenly changed when the athletes entered the park, which consists of flat trails covered in autumn leaves and huge oak trees . Quickly, the team started off on their ten to twenty minute warm up run. Couch Small brought up the fact that when his wife was in high school at Valley, there were only two people on the Cross Country team. This small amount has increased, making it the largest sports team at Valley. The question some may be asking is,

“Why would over seventy students want to run in the first place?” Freshmen Maggie Theaker and Shannon Kovach love cross country because it’s not only an individual sport, but also a team sport.Varsity senior Jessica Xu quoted the popular book, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks by saying with a bright smile, “Running is free therapy.” This quote reigns true because we all deal with stress and need to let it out. JV junior, Willison Chung added, “When I’m running I think about the origins of the world.”

After warm ups, everyone came together to do exercises such as butt kickers and Franken-steins. Then they proceed in groups to take turns sprinting a distance of 1K which is equivalent to two and a half laps. Assistant Coach Gutierrez runs with a group of girls to help them maintain a decent pace as they train for the 5K at WCALS. “It’s such a blessing to be able to coach,” Coach Guitterez exclaims out of breath, “I thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity.” Coach Guitterez was an olympic athlete and still frequently partici-pates in races. As the groups of athletes sprinted toward Assistant Coach Wassel, she immediately told them their time, ranging from three to five minutes. “All the athletes have a wide variety of speed times,” adds Coach Small. The team supported each other as several of them quickly grow fatigued after running about three to four 1K’s. Breathlessly, Varsity senior Shannon Luu volunteered to run an additional lap to help underclassmen sophomore, JV Hannah Lee. The close relationship between upper and lower classmen solidifies the teams relationship. “ I really loved being able to get to know the fresh-men such as Nedu Cheidum,” says Varsity Sopho-more Jeremy Dong.

By the end of practice, everyone is breathless and

sore as they make their way to the picnic tables where bags of grapes await them. Sophomore Dean Demoss loudly whined, “I made a mistake by eating chocolate.” Laughter quickly erupts. Couch Small then encouraged the team by talking about how he is so proud of all the work they put in. Although one may not be the fastest compared to the whole group, Coach Small likes to think about the sport as a challenge that has to be conquered. The feeling of individually conquering a challenge, getting fit, and being part of a family makes cross country unique.

Having a final practice together really helped bring the two teams in sync as they drew closer to WCALS at Crystal Springs on November 6th.

Editors Note: -The competition pushed the Varsity boys even harder earning the second fastest team time in school history as the runners earned marks in the 18 minute range or under. Junior Jason Li and sophomore Jeremy Dong advanced to CCS cham-pionships. Freshmen Nedu Ndili got a taste of varsity action and earned a solid 18:00. Following Ndili was Peter Enfantino (18:23), Dean Demoss (18:35), and Tejas Reddy (18:57).-Three of the girls earned All-League recognition. Jessica Xu, Kailey Eddy, and Sara VanWagoner placed in the top ten. Ashley Lara and Nicole Favre worked together as a team finishing the 2,95 mile course under 21 minutes. Adding their score with Karen Mac’s (21:01) and Leia Wang’s(22:40), this qualified the girls into CCS championships.-CCS Championships were were held on Novem-ber 16th at crystal Springs-Lady Warriors finished 2nd at the CCS champion-shipsvcrunning.com 29

Sorry Tomorrow

Valley Christian’s water polo season is about to draw to an end. This year has definitely been a good year for the Varsity Boy’s water Polo team. Out of the 24 games played, 13 has been wins. During the last day of practice, before a game room 138 was very lively. Players were lounging all over Mr. Carlson’s room. Mr. Carlson, the team coach, assured me that most of the time the room is like a study hall. Mr. Carlson keeps strict requirements that everyone on the team needs at least a 3.7 or higher GPA in order to compete. Most people have more. Everyone was talking and music was being projected from the speakers. A few people were busy doing homework, but most of them were playing FIFA. Apparently soccer is the official game for the water polo team. Even Mr. Carlson was playing. Everyone was excited about the game the next day. No one in the room really expected to lose against Mitty, according to Senior and water polo captain Michael Hoefling. Co captain Jasper Evan agreed with Michael, but was more modest about his answer. Even the mood was festive, it was still a prac-tice. At around 4:40 Coach Carlson reigned in everyone for pre-practice plans. Everyone listened as the coach drew on the whiteboard the things needed to be practiced. Some of the many things he went over were swim sets, technical skills, and passing skills. The normal practice set usually consist of 15 minutes of swim sets, 40 minutes of technical skills, 20 minutes of passing, 20 of shooting, and anywhere from 20 min to an hour for tacticals.At around 5:00, everyone left the baseball room and traveled toward the swimming pool. To decide who jumped into the pool first, the whole group had a six way match of rock-paper-scissors. This may seem complicated, but one by one everyone dove gracefully in. Soon after, the Assistant Coach, Mr. Nees, comes out. During the warm up sets everyone joked around. Yet when Mr. Carlson comes out, the whole atmosphere changed. All thirteen team members split off into two groups and start practicing skills and tactics. Each group has about three people playing defense, while the other three are trying to score. Together everyone works as a team, preparing for the game. The day before Halloween everybody assembled outside the swimming pool. But before the game, all the Senoir’s in the team lined up for a procession of honor. As they walked to get their picture taken with their parents, the announcers outside read their favorite moment of water polo, favorite Bible verse, and a word of wisdom to impart to the next generation. By far, the best quote was, “If you light a man a fire, he will be warm for a night. If you light a man on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life.” When the game started, it was really tense. For the first 7 min-utes, both teams struggled to score, neither of them succeeding. Both coaches were yelling tactical moves from across the pool. Yet, by second quarter, things began to change for the Valley Christian Team. Almost every minute, a goal was scored. By the time the game ended, Valley Christian had won, 17 to 7.

Valley Boys Make A SplashWritten By: Carl LuoPhoto By: Jordan

Dawkins

30

This year, the Girls Varsity Water Polo Team has had a decent season. With 10 wins on the season so far, they have surpassed their 9 wins from last season. With one of the hardest schedules they have ever played, the accomplishments they have achieved could be their best ever. Even though they had 13 wins in the 2011-2012 season, their schedule was not as hard as it is now. Though the record might not show it, the Valley Christian High School Girls Water Polo Team had a successful season. While dealing with a lot of inconsistency, the girls have pushed through a lot. After losing 7 games in a row, it would make sense that the girls would be unmotivated. However, this was not the case since the girls came back. After the losing streak, Head Coach, Ross Morrill said, “it’s difficult to maintain the desire and drive to put in the time, effort and energy”. Though a losing streak may hurt the team, a winning streak can really boost their confidence. After the long winning streak, Coach Morrill said, “it feels good because it gives you a sense of accomplishment for all the hard work you have put in and all the time and energy you spent preparing for the games”. When teams go through hard times, they usually have one leader to get them through it and push them through the humps. That is not the case with this team, because each player has played a role as a leader at one point in time this season. Since there is not a specific leader, they “are a whole unit instead of being a whole bunch of individuals, so that the one unit is what helps drive and push you through those hard times”, said Coach Morrill. Even though there aren’t specified leaders, there are players that perform excellently. Some of those players are senior Claudia Macedo and sophomore Christa Santos. Through the 22 games so far this season, Claudia has scored 36 goals, and through her 15 games as a varsity player, Christa has scored 30 goals. These are just some of the players that make this team spe-cial. When I asked Coach Morrill what made this team special from the other girls water polo teams he has coached, he said that they have “talent, ability, and are a great team at working together, the chemistry is what really holds them together”. When I asked junior Sammy Baker about the team, she said, “I love my teammates they are all amazing”. With this team having a mixture of talent, ability and capability, that’s what makes them one of the best girls varsity water polo team they have ever had at Valley Christian High School.

Under the Waterthe Varsity Girls Water Polo Season

Written By: Jordan CallenderPhoto By: Jenny Hikido

31

More Than a Pretty Face on Second Base

By Camilla Marais

32

Page and Photo By Jordan Dawkins, Editor

W ith a snap of her fingers and a “Okay, werk!”,

junior Brynne Fitzpatrick struts her way to her math class. The 5’10 blonde with a witty charm and smile that lights up the room is one of the most serious athletes at Valley Christian High School. The varsity softball team’s pitcher since freshman year, Brynne has recently verbalized her college commitment to the University of California at Berkeley, a hard-earned opportunity for the years of dedication. This reward might taste a little sweeter to Fitzpatrick than most athletes, consider-ing she almost lost all her years of training to a shoulder injury in her sophomore year. Brynne describes it as having been the

biggest obstacle in her entire softball career; an ingrown tendon in her shoulder caused by over exhaustion, resulting in searing pain every time she moved her arm, which was a lot, consider-ing her position in the sport. After 4 hours of therapy per week, and having to sit out of multiple games for months, Brynne came back with a stronger love for her sport, a deeper trust in God, and an intensified desire to win. Junior Claire Chaney, who has been close friends with Brynne since 2nd grade, comments, “Brynne is an awesome softball player, but even more than that, she’s an awesome friend--who can make me laugh harder than most people I know”. So what’s next for the girl with the promising potential and real heart? “It’s my goal to bring

ERA (Earned Run Average)

1.41Wins 14Appearances 23Innings Pitched 114

Freshman Stats:

Sophomore Stats:ERA (Earned Run Average)

2.25Wins

8Appearances

16Innings Pitched

93.1

a positive and influential light on Christianity through playing at a collegiate level. I like the motto: “Play for the audience of one”. It is because of God that we are able to play sports and to enjoy everything that comes with it, so why should we play to impress anyone but Him?” Brynne describes her goals to me with a smile. Perhaps the most enriching part of Brynne’s story is the humble, silly and down-to-earth vibes her peers, family, and friends get from being around her. It’s incredible where an earnest passion for a sport matched with an athlete’s dedication can take them.

33

34

CrossFit Silicon Valley

1345 The AlamedaSan Jose, CA 95126

Contact us at (408) 275-0440or

info@crossfitsv.com

spiritually and artistically. She stresses what a big role Valley Christian has played in her life, “I met my husband doing shows here at Valley”, she tells me with pride. After graduation Mrs. Novak spent the next few years of her life in Los Angles and New York, attending colleges for the arts and working professionally as an actress. She obtained a scholarship to the prestigious to The Old Globe/ University of San Diego Graduate Acting Program, an accomplishment she humbly calls, “the fanciest place I’ve ever worked at”. Mrs. Novak found herself unsatisfied with her busy life style and decided that she would try something new. “”Coming to teach here, really that was God”, Mrs. Novak really found her place upon returning to Valley Christian and remains to grow here. When asked about what teaching is like

she simply replies, “Teaching is really weird. I had to craft a char-acter that was a teacher, and I’m not really sure if that’s how most teachers do it “. She, as well as her students, believe her to have

an very unconventional teaching style. She goes on to tell me about how in order to get her class’s attention one day she stood, “...on top of a table and sang ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ until every-

one paid attention”. To say she not like your average teacher would be a bit of an understatement. However, Mrs. Novak adds

an essential component to the VCS campus, light. Her bubbly laugh and valuable wisdom lights up her students and inspires them to integrate faith into their passions, “Faith and theater is

really what brought me here. It’s what brought me here in the first place and that’s what brought me back”.

Faith and Theater: A Rare CombinationThe story behind Valley Christian’s zany theater teacher

By Alyssa Teixeira

“Each of you should use whatever giftyou have received to serve others, as faithfulstewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10

This is the philosophy that Theater and Arts Outreach teacher Brooke Novak integrate in the arts program, in her career, and in the Valley Christian commu-

nity. Although Mrs. Novak is newer to Valley Christian’s campus, she has already made quite an impression on the school’s population. “Crazy, but in a good

way”, is how Kiera Richardson(Junior) describes her Bible Teacher and Director. “Upbeat”, “Bubbly”, “Nontraditional”, “Respected”, and “Friend” are just some of the many response from her students when asked to describe her in one word. Unfortunately, the series of events that brought this beloved teacher to Valley

Christian are not as bright and sunny as her personality. After a rough two years at Saratoga High School, Mrs. Novak transferred to Valley Christian as a junior. She explains that upon entering Valley Christian she discovered how her faith in

God could integrate with her love for theater. This was a life altering revelation for the young thespian in her years at Valley Christian she began to change and grow

35

Sweater Weather Fall Fashion photos by Nathan Ngo