2 Wolf Pack Press Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jency James

May 3, 2011Volume 16, Issue 3

Jesse EstesNewbie Reporter

On Friday, March 11, many stu-

dents woke to distressful reports of a massive earthquake in Japan.

“My dad was debating whether or not to tell me,” said junior Emma Doyle. Before he decided to say anything, though, Doyle turned on the morning broadcasts and felt shocked to hear the news. She immediately worried for her mother who is deployed as a civilian worker in Northern Japan at Misawa, a city near the Misawa Air Base.

Doyle said, “It was scary,” when she couldn’t establish a connection due to Japan’s power outages after the quake.

After nearly two days of worrying, Doyle finally got through to her mother. Although the effects of the quake reached Misawa, causing power out-ages two miles inland, Doyle’s mother remained uninjured. Working together with other civilian volunteers catalog-ing supplies and refugees, she currently helps organize the Japan relief effort.

“It was really upsetting because all

the phone lines were down and it was nervewracking because we couldn’t communicate,” said freshman Mimi Higgins, whose grandparents and aunt were also in Japan during the disas-trous earthquake.

Mimi’s sister, sophomore Arika Hig-gins said, “I was worried because we couldn’t see them until the end of the day.” In fact, it took until the evening after the quake for power to return to their family’s Tokyo residence and for the sisters to reach their family in Ja-pan via Skype.

Unharmed, their grandparents and aunt decided to leave the shaky situa-tion in Japan and wait with the sisters here in Roseville for things to return to normal.

Although Tokyo suffered only slight damage from the 9.0 earthquake, the threat of aftershocks and nuclear melt-downs in the two damaged Japanese reactors urged many of the capital’s inhabitants to seek shelter elsewhere.

Many students responded to the devastation in Japan and the need for aid by donating to the Change for Change program. Change for Change

brought in approximately $600 for the Red Cross Japan Relief fund, according to Activities Director, Kim Bair.

In addition, the Fiestaval raffle set up with the help of senior Kevin Ser-rano made another $50 to support the Japan Fund.

Following along with the end of the Change for Change program, the French Club de-cided to join in and help raise funds for Japan’s future recov-ery. So far, they have raised an additional $100 to turn in to the Red Cross Japan fund.

French teacher Cheri An-derson stated, “The greatest need is not always immediately after the event.” In order to help Japan’s rehabilitation down the road, the French club may de-cide to do a follow-up collection of donations for Japan in the weeks to come.

Conditions have improved since the occurrence of the great natural disaster, but the Red Cross continues to struggle with limited resources, and a surplus

of rubble. They are still accepting dona-tions to help fix the damage in Japan, which totals up to $300 billion dollars.

Japan’s full recovery threatens to take up to five years, but the money raised by Woodcreek and others for Ja-pan will help to speed up the recovery.

Japan earthquake affects those on campus

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA DOYLE

SHOCKWAVES: Junior Emma Doyle feared for her mother’s safety when she heard about the quake.

Campus reacts to Osama Bin Laden’s death“My immediate reaction was

just amazement. As I thought about it, I felt it is a little weird to be positive about the death of an individual. We all have the right/ability to make choices regarding our actions. Bin Laden has influ-enced much that has resulted in the death and suffering of many in-nocent people. I am pleased that he will not be the impetus for any more suffering. However, I am cautious that another will try to step in and ‘stay the course’ of evil and terror-ism.” -Doug Mason, teacher

“I don’t think it will affect our relationship with Pakistan and al-Qaida has been working without direct Bin Laden leadership, so it will not affect them that much either. I hope that our action in kill-ing Bin Laden does not take away from the protests for democracy in the Middle East and turn the focus onto hating us more. The problem with the protests across the Middle East is we are not sure what types of government/leadership will take over from the ones being ousted.”

- John Johnson, teacher

“Overall, this has been more of a symbolic victory rather than a de-cisive one. Over these 10 or so years new low-profile figureheads have probably taken his place and as such al-Qaida will continue to stay strong, even become more inflamed as their leader becomes a martyr. However it provides relief and closure for many worldwide. For now, the effects of his death could go anywhere, depending on what groups decide to utilize it; something we can only watch as it unfolds.” - Senior Kevin Serrano

“When I heard he was killed, I was thrilled. It was a big accomplish-ment for us. Al-Qaida could be plotting another attack on our country again; we have to keep constant vigilance.” - Senior Karn Bains

“I think al-Qaida will falter, our relations with Pakistan are already good. They led us to him. I think the protesting will continue.” - Senior Chris Harper

“I was proud. But I think they’ll retaliate.” - Junior Carli Kettenhofen

NewsMay 3, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 3Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jency James

JencyK i n a t t u k a r a

JamesThe following is one of the many

essays I wrote for the grueling college application process. The prompt was “Find X.” Please enjoy.

Finding X, finding Y, solving for the standard equation of an ellipse. These have been the plagues of my mind ever since I made a discovery in the 5th grade- I hate math. I don’t like it, I’m not good at it, I just don’t understand it. Call it sine or sin, either way I detest having to deal with it and its partners in crime.

Sitting me in front of a typical pre-calculus warm up was the equiva-lent of having a toddler perform heart surgery- it was simply an experience of confusion and one that led to disastrous consequences. Even the lingo of the subject was baffling and threw me into a state of confusion where the simplest

concepts brought tears of frustration to my eyes.

I wish I could say struggling with math was the extent of my problem with it. But this weakness of mine hit much closer to home even outside of the class-room. As a girl of Indian heritage, one of the many expectations I faced was the ability to be a mathematical genius. The feeling of panicking despair during a lesson in class was nothing compared to the disappointment and frustration my father expressed in his attempts to help me with my math homework. Math not only seemed to prove I wasn’t cut out for a career as an engineer; it fractured my sense of identity as well.

But my aversion to math led to me to find a different identity. Unlike my struggles in trying to understand math, this identity was one that fit effortlessly without feelings of comprehension and frustration. I discovered writing and the beauty of discovery and reflection it provided in a way math and its world of black and white answers never could. Through writing, I was able to voice my thoughts and express myself in a way I

never thought possible. My love of writ-ing evolved into a love of journalism and I made my way up the hierarchy of my school newspaper to become Editor-in-Chief and even gained an internship at the city’s local newspaper.

A l t h o u g h the concept of graphing hy-perbolas never stuck, I learned other skills from math that reso-nate with me. My ambitious character devel-oped through the struggles I had in math. It was through coming in to get help at all hours of the day that taught me perseverance. Making my own study guides taught me to seek creative ways in learning. Although I won’t be an en-gineer anytime soon, my struggles in math have allowed me to forge my own

path while becoming an individual.Writing has not only become part

of my identity; it helped me form the person I am today, down to my philan-thropist personality and over-achieving self. Through writing I have decided to

make a differ-ence. I may not have the math skills to invent an ozone-resto-rat ion ma-chine; but as a journalist, I can inform t h e p u b l i c a b o u t t h e dangers o f ozone deple-tion and of-fer a call to action for the

one who can invent such a device.So in a problem of solving the global

issues of tomorrow, my X is bringing awareness and providing solutions through writing.

By Megan AdamsStaff Reporter

With every new school year comes change, whether it’s new friends, dif-ferent hangout spots or new study habits, but next year, students can ex-pect a change unlike one they’ve faced before.

The upcoming school year our schedule is being changed to an Embed-ded Intervention schedule. What this means exactly is more help.

“It’s going to be a transition for ev-erybody, it’s another schedule, different number of minutes on multiple days,” science teacher Robert Forester said.

As of right now the only thing dif-ferent about the schedule is one lunch on Mondays. Next year the main change is the Wednesday and Thursday sched-ules. On Wednesdays, second and fourth period classes will be 100 minutes long, while first and third of that day will be 78 minutes long. The schedule will be the opposite on Thursdays with first and third period being 100 minutes long.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, in classes that are 100 minutes long, teachers will let certain students out for the last thirty minutes of the period. Not every student will have the luxury of being able to leave class a half hour early; this privilege will be for the stu-dents who are doing well in that class.

Students who are kept inside will then have the opportunity to receive one-on-one help from their teacher to work on the skills and areas they need to improve on.

Unlike the previous intervention schedules, released students will not simply be left to wander around for the remaining time. Instead, they will be able to seek enrichment opportunities.

“We are going to offer teachers extra money to develop what we are going to

call enrichment activities that could happen any time during that release schedule,” Principal Jess Borjon said.

Enrichment activities can be any-thing from analyzing a poetry segment in Romantic literature to studying.

“Counselors are thrilled because they are going to start offering [enrich-ment activities] as well,” Borjon said.

Counselors will instruct students in college-prep classes such as tips on filling out college applications and the FAFSA, building up resumes and SAT Prep.

But the new schedule was not with-out opposition.

“People feel like they’re already packed and that they’re losing additional minutes,” Assistant Principal, Heather Schlaman said. “There’s concern about holding students less accountable and how they should make their own time to come in and get help.”

Other concerns with the proposed schedule are what released students will do with their time and the ad-ditional work imposed on teachers through having to decide which kids to release, where to send them and what they should do with their time.

The schedule has been tailored to address these concerns.

“As far as instructional time we think that it can be more focused,” Schlaman said. “Students can get ad-ditional opportunities to be taught in different ways rather than have teach-ers take instructional time to review and re-teach material in class.”

Former Assistant Principal Jon Smith thinks the schedule will yield benefits for both the school and stu-dents.

“Woodcreek is a school with im-mense potential and was already a good school; but to become a great school, an excellent school, we need a systematic intervention program,” he said.

Megan AdamsStaff Reporter

Over spring break, eight out of eighteen Speech and Debate students competed at State Championships in San Diego, with only one making it to Semi- Finals.

“This is a really special group of kids,” said Elko. “I see a lot of cama-raderie and team spirit,” she said in response to what she sees when at a tournament.

“Instead of playing cards or board games like a lot of the other teams do or practicing for the next round, our students goes to each other’s events to offer moral support. I think this goes a long way because the kids compete as a team as much as they compete as individuals,” she said.

Freshman, Andrew Solano, sopho-mores Kelly Nabaglo and Kennedy Murtagh, juniors Jesse Nelson, Tayryn Edwards, Morgan Dixon and Jillian Ebrahimi and senior Brittany Attwood, were the final eight to attend the Cham-pionships.

“It was perfect. It was a really good team bonding ex-perience. I was running on pure exhaustion, but it was well worth it,” said Brittany At-twood. “It was all something we are going to remember as one of our high school experiences. I am really proud of our team because our debaters stepped up at the last minute and still performed; it really showed Woodcreek spirit.”

Before the competition, teammate Taylor Searcy who was not able to attend State Championships for either of her Expository speech or Public Forum Debate, gave her team some parting words before they

left off to the Championships. “Go do your best, I know you will

all do well because you always do. I love you all, win or lose. I wish I could be there with you guys, but I am with you in spirit every step of the way.”

Junior Tayryn Edwards was the only one to continue on to Semi-Finals in her Original Prose and Poetry (OPP) speech in which she spoke about giving meaning to your life titled Letters to a Growing Girl. Edwards got knocked out of Semi-Finals by several schools from San Diego, not advancing to the Final Round.

“I thought I performed the best that I’ve performed ever performed the entire season. I felt it was a really good way to end the season,” stated Edwards. “I think the level of competitiveness went up, but also camaraderie because when you go to State instead of com-peting against other schools your now one team competing against all of the schools in the state.”

With the end of the season, the team relishes their time and memories.

New intervention schedule set to premiere next year

Speech team granted honor to compete at State Championships

PHOTO COURTESY OF JILLIAN EBRAHIMI

WORDSMITHS: The Speech and Debate team competed at the state meet in San Diego.

Opinions Editor, Brooke Benson

BROOKELYNNEBENSON

May 3, 2011Volume 16, Issue 3

4 Wolf Pack Press

It’s not that I’m angry. It’s not that I’m bitter. It’s not that I think I’m better. It’s simply that I’m tired.

High school is what you make it. If you think it sucked and you hated the people, you found the wrong people and dwelled on their existance. If you’re bored, it’s because you didn’t get out there and do something.

I can’t exaggerate the impor-tance of having a a sport, club, or hobby. There’s no possible way to overemphasize the importance of experimenting with your interests and talents, and utilizing them while the opportunity is there. High school caters to the interests of everyone and if you don’t believe me, you can trot your tart little pessimistic butt to the office right now and start an Anti-Opinion’s-Column Club.

Pardon while I take the next few hundred words to advocate the world of theatre. The business of signing your life away to something as admit-tedly aggravating as theatre can be one of the best choices one can make. Personally, after years of mediocrity and a spot in the middle-of-the-pack, I entered the world of theatre. What possessed me to is beyond me. For the first few years theatre will do nothing to those with too much or too little self-esteem, but tell you simply this: no.

No, you may not escape to the background simply to perform with half the effort of others. No, you may not have every lead role in every play you think you deserve. And no, you may not think yourself above spend-ing hours doing manual labor you’re hardly qualified to do.

After time, theatre becomes an awkward balance between teaching those with no self-esteem that they happen to be worth more than they think and taking those with too much self-esteem and knocking them down a few pegs. It requires the creativity of a visual art, the teamwork of a sport and the dedication of one com-pletely devoted to something beyond the reaches of sanity. Being on stage offers a surge of adrenaline that run-ning a marathon doesn’t touch.

Whatever your ‘thing,’ though--be it theatre, sports, academics or a club, I’ll reiterate the importance of having something. If for no other reason than to stop your whining over boredom.

Matt GeorgeSports Editor

In New York, theater and Broadway are the most magnificent attractions that the entire city has to offer. Every-one is excited when they get the oppor-tunity to go see a play or a musical live in one of New York’s many magnificent theaters. The theater is embraced as a love of the public and a top a t t ra c t i o n f o r m a n y

around

t h e w o r l d . U n - fortunately theater d o e s n ’ t earn even a quarter percent

of that attention at Woodcreek and it rightfully deserves to.

Obviously the student view at Woodcreek is that we much prefer going to a sporting event rather than a theater show just because of public interest, but even sporting events don’t sell out as much as they should. Besides that, musicals at Woodcreek are the only times one sees the theater full or nearly full. Our drama program, as in regular acting without singing, is one of the best in the state, not only because of the hard work and dedication of drama teacher and supervisor Tom Fearon, but also because we have over 20 extremely talented actors, 11 of which made it to Main Stage at the State Drama competition in Ontario, California this year. Basically what the semifinals is to basketball is what Main Stage at State is to drama competitions.

Take it from me, someone obsessed with sports who wouldn’t miss a pro-fessional sports game or championship game for the world, that in some circum-stances, drama deserves bigger crowds than any sporting event. The acting is

always superb, the sets fantastic and most importantly, the effort put out by each and every student involved in a Woodcreek drama production is worth numerous sellouts and countless stand-ing ovations.

Drama at Woodcreek is the under-dog of our campus. The general knowl-edge of students to attend productions on our campus is there, but the desire of students to go is lacking. In most cases, students either find drama and plays to be “un-cool,” because in their own world they are the coolest thing in existence and because their friends don’t go, they refuse to as well. Students search for excuses not to attend to a point where some teachers are forced to assign students to attend the plays for their classes just to try and help generate a decent crowd.

It’s ridiculous how undervalued the drama program is at Woodcreek for it is one of the greatest of any high school programs in the entire state. These students work hard to put on a show for what they love, so how about we show a little love back.

Theatre program goes unappreciated

Another very recent topic of discus-sion is “The Royal Wedding.”

According to Associated Press re-ports, on April 29 an estimated 2 billion people tuned in to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton (now Princess -- Duchess, rather -- Catherine) and many of them watched online, making this the most simultaneously watched event in online history. And even cra-zier yet, within hours of the occurrence, countless tweets and posts had been dedicated to the occasion. Within hours, people had turned “The Royal Wedding” into something trending on Twitter. Even in America, people gossiped via Facebook and Twitter about the event that occurred 6348 miles away from the Woodcreek campus.

On a different note, I appreciate all of the accepted friend requests and

Mister Social MediaInvestigative Reporter

Today’s rants...In an age of voyeurism and

constant immediate gratification, one cannot help but search for the source. When social medias are under your fingertips and the an-swer is only a click away, what is the point of books, knowledge and the ability to look someone in the eye? We too often forget what is socially acceptable and what body language even means because of these barriers we put up and by barriers, I mean profiles.

The most prevalent place to witness this obsession and over-haul of identities is in school. So, this is exactly where I conduct my obser-vations and surveys. I recently asked senior Robin DeBold about how many times a day and how much she uses Facebook.

“I spend a lot of time on Facebook. During school I check it on my phone and when I get home, I check it on my laptop and after work/before bed, I check it again...,” DeBold stated. Though she admits to using Facebook sometimes for the pure enjoyment of reading what friends are up to or conversing with school friends, she also uses it to keep in touch with, “family and old friends.” Many advocates of the site would agree with her.

While I miss REAL conversation, if used correctly, Facebook could be a phenomenal tool.

requests sent to me. I really want to be able to reach as many people as possible. Within hours of creating my profile last month, I had 100 friends and 42 requests; people seem to stay on top of what’s new.

If you would like to be in my next article, simply find me on Facebook, message me and I’ll send some ques-tions your way.

I have to add, I find it hilarious hearing who people think I am. I am pleased to say no one has any right guess yet!

This week I will be out in the quad conducting surveys and getting infor-mation about what you think is impor-tant in the vast world of social media. Stop by and say hello...

For now, this is Mister Social Media saying, “Happy posting!”

IN THE QUAD THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

Icon explores social media craze

OpinionsMay 3, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 5Opinions Editor, Brooke Benson

Evan CarboneBusiness Editor

The digital age killed the 80’s. Yeah, I said it. The digital age, despite all of its enabling and convenience, has, for all intents and purposes, killed the 80’s, or rather, one of the most ma-jor forms of cultural expression to come out of the 80s: the mix tape.

A mix tape, for those who don’t know, is a compilation of songs with a common theme or a common emotion. The artistry of a mix tape lies in sever-al factors: song choice, song order and adherence to theme. Song choice and adherence to theme go hand-in-hand; only the songs that best exemplify the theme or emotion one is aiming to embody are chosen for the final mix. Song order is slightly more compli-cated, requiring (for those truly driven to create something of artistic merit) decisions based on tempo, intensity of message and overall flow. When all these things are considered together, a final mix of greater significance and impact than any of the individual songs can be created.

Once a widely practiced form of artistic expression, the mix tape was an art form that anyone could try their hand at; but now, with the proliferation of YouTube, mp3s and file sharing, mix tapes have been discarded in favor of

piecemeal listening. Music, though still created to express emotion, is no longer compiled to convey emotion. The mix tape is dead or, at the very least, on life support.

I find the whole degradation of the mix tape phenomenon to be a bit depressing, since the mix tape pro-vided benefits that I don’t think many appreciated. Mix tapes honed several skills, like practical analysis, organi-zation and decision making. Granted, there are other ways to hone these skills; but I’m hard pressed to think of another creative endeavor that reinforces so many skills of practical use simultaneously.

More than anything else, the de-cline of the mix tape signifies the loss to musical art as a whole. Of course musicians and bands making music are still (and likely always will be) the primary form of musical art, but the mix tape offered a way for those less creatively gifted to still contribute to music as a whole. Now that that outlet is gone, where does that leave the rest of us - the music lovers who can’t play an instrument or sing?

For years the mix tape withered away, but the digital age finally dealt the death blow. No longer are songs discovered and pieced together, no longer are statements made, and to me the loss of this art form is more than a little sad.

Nick NguyenOnline Editor

In a recent Kotaku article about One Chance, they talked about encour-aging game designers to make heavy consequences for decisions, to make endings and their realities much more final than that. As I read that, I thought to myself, “Yeah. One small step into the world of art, one giant leap into world respect for our medium.” That is, until I read about Train.

For anyone not familiar, Train is a simple board game. It involves putting yellow pegs into trains and shipping them around the game map. Once you reach the end, it tells you where to leave the pegs once you get your destination card, and you go back. There are 60 pegs in all and the first to get all their pegs into the spot wins. Since its invention in 2009, nobody has won the game. Sounds fun and simple right?

Wrong. Because the yellow pegs are Jews, the destinations are concentra-tion camps, the trains are not luxury liners but boxcars and you’re a Nazi. The game actually doesn’t do much to

tell you about your objective; I consider myself a World War II buff and even I’m not familiar with every concentration camp that was in Germany, apparently the “biggest hint” about the game’s true nature. The reason I bring up this board game is because it coincided almost perfectly with their point: Games that are art provoke thought, emotion and wonder. Train certainly inspired regret and horror in its players; it isn’t for nothing that nobody has ever shipped all 60 pegs to the camps.

The phenomenon known as “Video Game Cruelty Potential” (Thanks, TV Tropes!), discusses how players might abuse aspects of a game to deliber-ately get bad endings, or worse, play-ing games just brings out someone’s inner Dr. Evil. To counter Heavy Rain, someone might deliberately allow the murderer to get away, or allow people to continue to be murdered - why? Why, for the Evluls, of course!

But how many of us haven’t killed civilians? How many of us haven’t “ac-cidentally” shot the person we were supposed to escort, to vent frustration at the fact that they died just as the level was about to end? How many of

us never created a Sim, maybe in the shape of your boss who doesn’t pay you, solely for the purpose of killing it? How many of us gamers can say with an honest face that they’d ever consider being the evil douchebag that BioWare, Obsidian and Bethisda write for us to be in RPGs, if it meant that you lived through those conse-quences? Because that’s the fine line between games and movies; while any sane and rational person can watch “American Psy-cho” and come out relatively the same, could many people push a button that will set off a nuke, virtually murdering hundreds of people, and still feel okay?

The break, the disassocia-tion between reality and the game world, is what allows us the freedom of choice, the freedom to be someone we aren’t or to act like someone we can’t be.

Games are art. They have been ever since they left the “points” system, ever since they started connecting with the player

to immerse them in an experience be-yond playing a game. But interactive art is a dangerous thing to play with. Doesn’t a game become less about fun and more about art when you make an entire game about shipping Jewish

people to Auschwitz? Is it even a game at that point?

I want games t o b e

taken seri-

o u s l y as an a r -t i s t i c

medium just as much

as anyone else. But, at their core, games are

about fun. Can we still have games that are art, fun and moral?

Psychology of Games: Cruelty vs. Caring

6 Wolf Pack Press OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani Butterfield

On The Quad May 3, 2011

Captain: Jake Jabbora

Deven Hill, Chris Watkins, Matt Kronenberg, Mike Nelson, Eric Silberstein, Cody Thompson, Michael Hamilton

Captain: Stan Dotson

Heather Zoucha, Loreal Matson, Ashley Devriend, Kim Lokey, Laurel Thom-son, Courtney Force, Jackie Trent

Captain: Johnna Franks

Kaillie Degerald, Tarryn Gordon, Lauren Sederberg, Lauren Leonard, Jennie Macwilliam, Heather Say-les, Erika Adair

Captain: Joleen Chanco

Jordan Bostic, Angel Hoskinson, Bryce Lewis, Marques Whitfield, Derrick Kimball, Mariah Martinez, Kevin Gonsalves

Captain: Bob Chatfield

JJ Nourth, Devin Murphy, Dustin DeMatteo, Jamie Geyer, Dominic Shepard, Dylan Zuverink

1.Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? We are awesome because we have the special ability to join together and make beautiful things happen.2. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? We are all Most Valuable Players, because we have a secret connection that allowsustohelpeachotherindifficultsituations.3. Describe your team in one sentence. A bunch of colorful dudes.

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? We are awesome because we got athletes!2. How did you choose your team name? We just thought about it and we wanted something no one else had and then we started thinking of celebrities.3. Why did your team decide to compete? Because it’s senior year and we thought it would be fun. 4. Describe your team in one sentence. We are the groupies and we are RAW!

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? We like to keep it classy. It wasn’t about winning for us; it’s more about the memories we get to keep.2. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? Chris because he has all the technical equipment to get our lip sync amaz ing. It wouldn’t have been awesome without him.3. Describe your team in one sentence. Well, there are eight of us…and we’re all in suits.

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? Our team is super-spirited. We didn’t care much about winning; we just wanted to have a ton of fun, which we did!2. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? I couldn’t pick one, we were all super-dedicated and spirited. We’re all really creative. Also everyone had something to contribute when it came to ouroutfits,rap,lipsync,etc.3. Describe your team in one sentence. Obnoxious, but always having an amazing time!

Where are the wild things? No one knows - they are lost in the wilderness and were unable to answer any questions.

On The Quad

Wolf Pack Press 7OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani ButterfieldHappy pre-Birthday Kelly

May 3, 2011 May 3, 2011

Captain: Zach Torres

Jeff Krumdieck, Michael Cullivan, Jon Locke, Kenny Martinez, Michael Boyd, Kyle Ritchie, Trace Terrell

Team Mom: Valerie Powell

Captain: Jackie Hawkins

Chelsea Geddes, Ryan Ruiz, Kaylee Mooney, Mad-ison Jones, Hope Duxbury, Jake Fritz, Arielle Leighton

Captain: Corey Butzer

Alex Timmons, Jake Lutz, Quinn Walker, Josh Bane-gas, Kramer Sutey, Ryan Kovach, Sam Anderson

Captain: Adrian-Jay De-Guzman

Adam Beal, Zack Wilson, Chris Elliott, Daniel Me-haffey, Johnaton Prado, Psalm Fuentebella, Han-nah Hillman

Captain: Jason Stewart

Mark Smith, Brandon Whitebear, Michael Blair, Bobby Reeves, Blake Cer-vantes, Jenner Lubinsky

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? We are grown men in short shorts and shorter shirts, how are we not awesome? Also we all have Awesome nicknames, Zack (Bean Boy), Jeff (Moon Man), Michael C. (Mutan Man), Kenny (K-Factor), Michael B. (McBoyd), Kyle C (Ritchie Rich), Jon (Sid the Sloth) and Trace (T-race).2. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? Valerie Powell was our most valuable player because she helped make our cheer and also she kept us in line.

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? Myteamisn’tawesome.It’samazing,becauseit’sfilledwithextremely gifted people and it’s been a pleasure to have done this with them.2. Why did your team decide to compete? We decided to compete because we wanted to enjoy our last year here whileitlastsbyseizingeverysinglemomentandfindingenjoymentinit.3. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? There isn’t a Most Valuable Player in our team, because each and every person is equal to the next.

1. How did you choose your team name? We are dancers, so we had tutus and we’re awesome.2. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? Madison Jones, because she rapped like a champ during our lip sync.3. Why did your team decide to compete? We thought it would be really fun and we wanted to show Woodcreek what dancers are made of.4. Describe your team in one sentence. Tu-tu legit tu quit.

1. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? We are all valuable to the team...Quinn’s organizational skills got us all in line while Corey’s leadership, Sam and Jake’s ideas, Josh’s dance moves and enthusiasm, and Alex and Kramer coming out of their personal boxes to embarrass themselves with us added to our win.2. Describe your team in one sentence. Adynamiccollectionofmisfitsthatloveeachotherlikebrothers.For full interview with The Stereotypes go onto www.wolfpackpressonline.com .

1. Why is your team awesome? Or are you awesome? We were born that way2. How did you choose your team name? Family Guy3. Who is your Most Valuable Player and why? Everyone, Jenner4. Why did your team decide to compete? To have fun.

8 Wolf Pack Press OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani Butterfield

Memorial May 3, 2011

These last few months without you have been really hard. Is it weird that I crave to see your glowing smile one last time? Is it weird that I would give anything just to have one more hour with you? Half the time, I don’t even know what to do with myself… I no longer receive a text back from you… And I no longer get to hear your voice. I feel so selfish because I’m dwelling over the fact that I’ve lost one person. But you’ve lost ev-eryone in your life. Please stop me from crying almost every day. Please stop me from driving by the spots that we used to go to just to eat and do everyday things. I drive around so aimlessly to these places just pray-ing that I’ll see you come out of any door. Can we go back? Just one last time…

Back to Bodega Bay where we had our last camping trip with girls vs. boys. That was one of the best camping trips I’ve ever had. I think I have more documented pictures of that trip than I do of my entire

senior year. Back to the time we had Allie Bo-

gnacki drive us around all night with feeder fish that we bought for no pos-sible reason at all. Remember we turned the music up really loud and we were distracting Allie so she backed up all the way into someone’s lawn? Honestly, how did she even accomplish that?

Back to Halloween when we were running back and forth between my neighborhood and yours (barefoot) just so we could get mountains of candy. Candy which we never even ate, by the way; your brother and his friends feasted on it. Ewwww, I can’t imagine eating that much candy.

Back to sitting in your living room watching “The Grinch,” eating chocolate ice cream with milk all over it. I have yet to ask anyone else if they do the same thing with their ice cream.

Back to my sixteenth birthday when you came to the swim meet and brought me a new belly button ring just so we could go tan in the sun with your new one. Sadly, yours was a zipper as a joke for your huge scar going up your stomach from the ulcer surgeries. How

were you that optimistic? To look past everything and be happier than healthy people? That’s why you are my best friend. That’s why I love you. You’re so ridiculously happy.

I remember in water polo. We had all these secret codes for every play we made up between the two of us. Did it ever even occur to you or I that no one else on our team knew what we were saying or doing? Hahaha. How was that going to help us??? Or when we played Del Oro and this girl got a cramp and started screaming she wanted mustard? I still can’t get over how bizarre that was.

I could sit here and write this letter and list off every single thing that we’ve done together. But I don’t even think that would be fun to read, considering it would take so long. But not QUITE as long as it took for you to explain why people hide ornament pickles in their Christmas trees. I mean, come on, a pickle? I still don’t get it.

I keep hearing that after you lose someone, the pain gets better with time…but it’s hard to get better when I go to Starbucks and someone notices

your memorial bracelet and confronts me (which made me cry, hysterically in front of everyone in a public place, in case you were wondering), or when I go to a teacher’s room and they have your picture or name on the wall for whatever reason. It’s nice to see those things, but I hate it. I really do, and I can’t even explain why. Or when I hear songs on the radio, those are the hardest. I feel like they’re speaking directly to me, when the lyrics could be totally opposite.

After all of my nonsense writing, I just want to tell you this:

I will stand by you. I will help you through, when you’ve done all you can do, and You can’t cope; I will dry your eyes. I will fight your fight. I will hold you tight, And I won’t let go.

I love you B. And I always will,

MemorialMay 3, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 9OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani Butterfield

May 3, 2011

Brittany touched the hearts of everyone she came in contact with, mine included. I cannot think of her without tearing up, even though I have had a long time to get used to it.

But there are some lit-t l e - k n o w n t h i n g s s h e did that may never ever be e q u a l l e d . Brittany was an exceptional athlete.She could do all the gymnastics it took to be on the Cheer Squad while wearing normal golfing attire.

Brittany lettered in two varsity sports during the same season - wa-ter polo and girls golf. Lettering in

Such is the rare angel that is Brittany Fink.

two sports is pretty uncommon; but usually they are related, such as a very fast softball player run-ning on the track 4x100 relay team. In my 37 years of coaching in the SFL, I have never heard

of another athlete let-t e r i n g i n water polo a n d g i r l s golf during t h e s a m e season. Such

is the rare angel that is Brittany Fink. Her uniqueness will always give her a permanent niche in our hearts and here at Woodcreek.

Sincerely, Golf CoachGary Stringfellow

The following is a letter sent to the Woodcreek staff on Jan. 26, 2011 from a fellow teacher, who was also Brittany’s water polo/swim coach.

Most of you have probably heard about the passing of Brittany Fink. She was a student here at Woodcreek who played water polo and was a swimmer. From what I have heard Brittany was in the hospital to get a bone marrow biopsy yesterday and her heart gave out. Her heart gave out last week and they were able to revive her, but not yesterday. Brittany has been sick for a very long time. You may remember her having seizures and passing out while she was a student here. I saw Brittany several times since she left Woodcreek and her health deteriorated more and more as time went on. As far as I know they were never sure exactly why her health was so bad. Her mom Andrea and her dad Brent supported her and were there every step of the way.

But what I can say is that Brittany never gave up. She fought through the pain and uncertainty of her situation and showed the character of a fighter. Even though she had a lot of pain, she did not ever quit on her teammates. She was the type of kid who didn’t let her health determine who she was. She is an inspiration to me and all that knew her. I was lucky to have made a connection with her and her family and I am a better person for knowing her. Brittany was a true fighter and a quality person and we should celebrate what she gave to the world. She showed that no matter how bad things got, she was going to live life to the fullest. Every time I saw her, she smiled and gave me a hug. She did not dump her situation on others; she instead tried to make her time with you pleasant. I have always had a place in my heart for Brittany and I will miss her deeply.

Sincerely,

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Kaitlyn May10 Wolf Pack Press

KAITLYNJ A Y N E

MAY

Volume 16, Issue 3 May 3, 2011

As you can imagine, not much has changed in my life since my last column two or so weeks ago. If anything, I’ve had some more time to refl ect; to look around and make some more realiza-tions. So I will informally title this col-umn “Revelations of Being 18 Part II.”

Perhaps the most startling evidence of being legal was a particular envelope that arrived in the mail. My parents were weeding out the junk when they happened upon it, frowning like there had been some misprint: my fi rst ballot. It’s a very unreal document to hold; sure enough, that is my name in the window; but I certainly don’t feel old enough to be voting and altering any fragment of the future. While it defi nitely is an ex-citing prospect, it’s also quite horrifying

Kaitlyn MayCo-Editor-In-Chief

2011 proved to be a successful year for the seventeen Thes-pians who went to the C a l i f o r n i a State Thespian Festival in Ontario, California to represent Woodcreek Troupe 6055. The festival lasted for three days wherein our Thespians met, competed and participated with 900 other theatre students from across the state.

“Being cast in the all-state show is like making an all-state basketball team and achieving mainstage (per-forming in front of the entire festival) is to be the best of the best,” said the-atre teacher Tom Fearon.

Our students wowed audiences and collected the following awards:

Junior Dominguez and Brian Cabana got a callback and Vlada Bazilevskaya won a slot for the All State Show.

Scenefest winners and cast of Poor Little Lambs Sara Gibbons, Renee Harrison, Amy Shingara, Brooke Ben-son, Nick Helmer and Hannah Lee achieved a mainstage performance.

Dominguez, Harrison, Gibbons, Helmer, Kelsey Stewart, Hannah Davies and Evan Carbone also won a mainstage performance during the California Playwrights event.

Senior Zoe Moran wowed at the Playworks event, earning herself a mainstage performance. She also took home a Senior Thespian Schol-arship.

Stewart and Bazilevskaya were elected to the State Student Board.

Congratulations to all Troupe 6055 participants from us at the Wolf Pack Press. You’ve made your school proud and proved that we’re one of the best schools in the state!

Curtain Call

o ar

i f offffffffff r n i a

Thespians bring home awards

when I consider that the same privilege is extended to all of my peers. I fi nd the thought much like that of being of legal age to drive: while I trust myself, it is downright terrifying to think of some kids being able to do the same and potentially be a risk to those around them. Granted, voting can’t end with death or a hefty hospital bill, but it still can have decidedly negative side effects if not taken seriously. I only hope that others see this as well.

Other ‘legal’ statuses have changed as well. Now that I’m eighteen, my bank says that I can no longer have the same kind of account that I’ve grown accustomed to using. While I have two months to switch my account to another form, there doesn’t seem to be much more that says ‘you’re getting kicked out of the house soon,’ than having to have a college account. I suppose it could be scarier; however, switching from a college account to a ‘big kids account’ seems particularly daunting

in my opinion.Food is another

issue as well; I’ll be spending a week alone in May while my par-ents enjoy a business trip to Nevis. I’ll be responsible for pick-ing my own meals and choosing when to eat them. It’s simplistic, sure, but the choices when dining for one. Quite frankly, I get the impression that I’ll be living off of soy milk, toast and fruit – not because I can’t fi x more than cereal, but because that’s what I’ll want the most of. I fi gure that it is rather convenient that my appetite has been decreasing lately, given the impending college situation. The less I have to worry about food money, the

better (plus it decreases the risk of the freshmen 15). I’ll have to fi gure out some sort of cheap diet for myself regardless; even with a meal plan of sorts, I’ll be entirely responsible for what food I purchase and consume. It will be vexingly diffi cult to not buy a surplus of Pop Tarts and Pringles (two foods we’ve never had in my household).

Really, the more I think on it, the less I think in the vein of age so much as the time of change. Time seems to be blurring now: school

can’t get out soon enough, but it’s fl eet-ing away far too fast all the same. Col-lege is just around the corner: at this rate, I just hope to enjoy things and not wake up tomorrow aged 21.

A new fad has taken over the food industry as we know it. This fad consists of a variety of toppings, Styrofoam cups and a plethora of self-serve yogurt. However, there is a downside to this craze: it has created an equal

ratio of yogurt shops to Starbucks. In other words, there are more yogurt cafes available to the public than we can consume. This imbalance creates a trying decision for us yogurt enthusiasts: which yogurt shop should we choose to delight in this sweet frozen treat? The next time you are having a craving for a frozen dessert,

choose wisely where to take your business. Weigh the pros and cons to aptly pick the best yogurt shop to meet your specifi c yogurt standards and enjoy!

First, there is Big Spoon Yogurt, a classic. Although it is equipped with a plethora of delicious candy toppings, their yogurt is a tad un-der par. It is often too soft so if you eat it on a hot day, it is melted by the time you get to your car. However, it does have a fun place to enjoy your dessert outside. One of the best perks of Big Spoon is that their shop is always glistening clean! You will never fi nd spilled Ore-os on the fl oor or maraschino cherry juice spilling into the strawberries. Another great advantage is that big spoon is relatively cheap. You can get a ton of ice cream for a decent price.

Next, we arrive at Top It Off. With a cozy outside seating area and deli-cious “Reese’s” Peanut Butter sauce, we can safely say that this is a decent place to fulfi ll your yogurt cravings. However, they often have a lim-ited supply of yummy fl avors. Va-nilla and chocolate are their only fl avors worth investing in. And even those flavors are often too soft. However, the decor of the shop is very cute. Lime green and pink walls with a suggestion of a new yogurt creation make an appe-tizing sight for your eyes. But on the downside, you do have to pay for your own water there.

Finally, we end with Yogurt Time Café. Located in Antelope, this little shop will satisfy even your most violent yogurt cravings. Every week they offer a new choice of delicious yogurt. From Dulce De Leche to Cake Batter, every fl avor is a little party in your mouth. They also have a huge variety of fresh fruit. Ripe kiwi, bright strawberries, and fresh blueberries add an extra pizzazz to your dessert. All of their toppings are of the high-est quality; they even supply Blue Diamond almonds! They also have a unique assortment of sauces for your yogurt creation such as pine-apple, kiwi and of course, chocolate.

Frozen Yogurt: the new food fadMegan HoehenriederBack Page Editor

Wolf Pack Press 11Co-Editor-in-Chief, Kaitlyn May

FeatainmentMay 3, 2011

Go online for Full Stories, Reviews, Interviews, Artist Profi les and more!SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! www.wolfpackpressonline.com

Jesse EstesNewbie Reporter

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s adap-tion of Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Brontë, opens with the frantic escape of the yet unidentifi ed Jane Eyre from an equally mys-terious manor house. This venture through wet plains serves well to grab the audience and as the film pro-gresses to answer the questions that were initially sparked. That grip will only tighten as more and more exciting confl icts and events are shown.

Jane Eyre combines undertones of mystery and exciting explosions of action with a grand overtone of romance, centered on the fi lm’s strong female lead. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, along with Jamie Bell and Judi Dench, do exemplary jobs in the Victorian Age roles. Wasikowska steps up to the chal-lenge presented in playing the troubled Jane Eyre. The emotion she adds to her performance sets the tone for the fi lm and makes her character entirely believable.

Rough areas in the fi lm include a slow pace, although that can be easily

Nick NguyenOnline Editor

The most common complaint of the First-Person genre comes from the lack of innovation; the advent of the “First-Person Shooter” has kept truly innovative titles from emerging. Thankfully, Valve has the money, talent, and time to stay innovative in a game genre littered with “Killer-McShooter Person 5: Simple War-fare 8”. Portal, is the 2007 indie smash hit, bundled in with Valve’s other triple A titles Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 in “the Or-ange Box”. Portal devi-ated from the shooter pack by being a First-Person puzzle based game; one that relied on concepts like per-spective, momentum, and creative reasoning to make truly great and innovative puzzles. Besides simply innovating in gameplay, Portal benefi ted from the top-of-the-line Source Engine, making Portal one of the prettiest and newest looking games for its time, and from some of the most hilarious game writing to date. That’s to say nothing of the infamous “Still Alive” song, well known amongst the game market for being extremely catchy

and endlessly mentioned. There is a reason Portal has such a cult following; the main question is can Valve make lightning strike twice?

All early indications give a resound-ing “YES.” Featuring voice acting tal-ents like J.K. Simmons and Stephen Merchant, the same great game humor

of the original, and even more innovative puzzles, Portal 2 looks to be keeping true to what made the original so successful. Unlike the original, whose art style and environment focused on austere and sterile rooms, Portal 2 relies heavily on a facility that is in dis-repair and even has plants growing inside; Graphically, Portal 2 will continue to be one of the best looking games on the market. Another exciting, and heavily advertised fea-ture of the game is the co-op play, featuring a brand-new storyline, new puzzles, and new

characters. In addition, the ability for cross-platform support and full length campaigns for both single and coopera-tive play, Portal 2 looks to not only meet the expectations of its predecessor, but hopefully surpass them as well. Now if Valve can manage to create a second earworm of a song, that would truly be success. Valve? Challenge: Accepted.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VALVE

Dark take on tale successful

Brooklynne BensonOpinions Editor

Musical theatre’s latest production proved to be another crowd-pleasing success. West Side Story’s energetic dance numbers and incredible vocal talent wowed audiences of all ages in its two-week run main stage.

West Side Story is a more modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, focusing more on the cruelty and prejudice of the outside world and the effects this concept has on impression-able teenagers and love. The premature death of young adults proves to be a sobering reminder of reality, as the con-fl icting gangs struggle to cope with the idea that gangs aren’t a game. The se-riousness of the situation doesn’t dawn upon them until after tragedy strikes, leaving innocent lives ended and their loved ones to pick up the pieces.

The emotional drama and its com-plexities would challenge any high school cast and despite falling into

something of a pacing nut, the cast picked it up for the second act. Energy levels increased ten-fold and the tension and hostility was palpable at its boil-ing point. Their new-found energy mani-fested itself in an entirely more pas-sionate ensemble, especially at points in which the Jets and the Sharks found themselves sharing the stage.

The frontline talent was undoubt-edly some of the best—Amanda Du-isenburg’s chilling vocals were nothing short of spectacular, reaching far be-yond the expectations one could have for any high schooler. The supporting roles refused, however, to fade in comparison. Alexa Belluci’s performance as Anita

was just as moving as those of Duisen-burg and Gentry Pearson (Tony).

Our performing arts students never fail to deliver effective, engaging performances. Seniors especially, leads or not, can attest to this. Several students such as Zack Meyers (Bernardo) have spent their time in several performing arts programs at Woodcreek, his most recent having been his performance in the November play Almost Maine. Several of the other cast mem-bers participate in choir, piano or guitar.

Performing arts veterans can’t help but

deliver such moving performances, but it was those roles such as Terry Tagne’s Doc that pulled the show together. As a campus monitor Tagne is a friendly, familiar face around campus. His part

as Doc was one of the best, rivaling that of some of our leads. His performance of-fered a comical edge to the fi rst act and later perhaps the sole voice of reason. His passion for his job here translated directly, bringing an endearing note to the role.

Upon entering the play, we as an audience had to accept the idea that a few of the Shark girls were going to be closer to Jet girls—in a school that is predominantly white, this is only to be expected. However the roles were played with such a fl are of Shark-girl attitude, the tiny fl aw was nearly un-noticeable and failed to detract.

The overall performance was well choreographed, the vocals astounding and each technical element effective. The connections between the charac-ters were at times vague, the emotions almost vacant, lacking the otherwise consistent intensity. However the pieces all came together for a well-rehearsed performance that Adrienne Mars and the company can be proud of.

overlooked with all the additional action scenes that scatter throughout. There are some areas of the plot and charac-ters that seem underdeveloped; but as the movie is already two hours long, that much is also understandable. Plot holes and some of the odd vernacular of the time that appeared towards the

end of the movie left some viewers confused, wondering whether or not the ending was real or a dream. Besides those few plot holes, though, the rest of the movie is very well put together.

Jane Eyre’s life, mirroring some of the events in the life of the writer Charlotte Brontë, made for a wonderful fi lm under the direction of Fukun-aga. It delivered a wide range of romance, ex-citement and mystery to the audience, and the strong emotional scenes left many with-in the theater stunned and silent. Jane Eyre

is recommended for both diehard fans of the book and everyone else, many of whom may be left wanting to take a peek at the original book the fi lm was based off of.

Jane Eyre is now in theatres play-ing locally at Blue Oaks 16 and Cen-tury Roseville 14 and XD in regular and Digitial Production showtimes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES PICTURES

PHOTO BY JESSICA ROBERTS

Special Section May 3, 2011

12 Wolf Pack Press Casandra Canthal, Special Section Editor

Personal Statement

101

* Talk about what makes

you unique.

*Your essay should be a

minimum of 500 words

but no more than two

pages long.

Personal Statement 101

A Q&A with Jon SmithWhat are the most important aspects of a personal statement essay?Smith: “Personal statements give colleges or universities something special about you that cannot be seen in the application.” How long should a personal statement essay be?Smith: “The essay needs to follow guidelines of the prompt. If the school’s prompt has an open-ended length, I’d keep it to two pages. You should focus on the most important aspects of your personality. Don’t ramble.”

What is the purpose of the personal statement essay?Smith: “Personal statements help colleges understand who you are and what you have to offer. They are more eye-opening than transcripts and applications. It shows why you are unique.”

What can a personal statement be about?Smith: “They can be about anything that shows your ability to benefi t the school. They should involve an evolution of growth. A lot of the ones I’ve seen involve overcoming adversity. Or anything that shows how you make your school a better place.”

What do most students write about?Smith: “A lot of the ones I’ve read involve students coming up against a big challenge and overcoming it. They can be about learning a lesson and growing from it.”

Do you have any tips for students when writing a personal statement essay?Smith: “Look at yourself and address your passions and goals. Let the school know how you’re going to grow as a person. Share your passions with the school.” Tips on How to

Write the Personal Statement Essay

There are many web-sites that can help you write your personal state-ment essay:

* http://www.california-colleges.edu/admissions/university-of-california-uc/personal-statement.asp

* http://www.universi-tyofcalifornia.edu/admis-sions/how-to-apply/person-al-statement/index.html

* http://students.berke-ley.edu/apa/personalstate-ment/index.htm

Anonymous WriterSenior, Class of 2011

My life is like looking in a mirror. I stand on one side, the girl everyone around me knows and loves. Ignorantly. The girl in the refl ection can only watch quietly, voiceless. She is forced to turn her cheek to the things she hears. The words that bite to the core. All the while I hide her with a practiced smile and an aching heart. That’s what it’s like to be a lesbian.

I clearly remember one day of sophomore year having a debate with another girl on Proposition 8. This girl admired me as a student, as a female. She openly called my then two-year-long relationship ‘romantic’. This girl didn’t know me. She certainly didn’t know my ‘perfect boyfriend’ was in fact a girl. All this was in my mind as she ranted and raved about how disgust-ing and wrong homosexuals are - how wrong I am - without even knowing who she was truly talking to.

I argued calmly while the girl inside me cried. I offi cially joined that elite group of people who know what it’s like to be hated by complete strangers. People who face being simultaneously loved and hated by unwitting passersby. People who would gladly break their own mirrors to keep from the sinking hearts and the hollow stomachs at each and every last comment that inwardly burns. But they can’t. I can’t. And it’s Hell.

I came to love that girl in the mirror. Gradually, over time, I came to trust her - to let her out and trust others not to hurt her. And that’s how she - how I - came to understand and to appreci-ate love. To taste the sweetness of ac-ceptance in a world fi lled with mindless hate. To realize that underneath all of the anger and the bitterness I harbored, that there’s sadness. Not just for myself, but for both those who are bound to their mirrors and those who will never understand the burden of having one.

To know, for the fi rst time, that the

unexpected love that I’ve been blessed to receive from parents and friends is the same love that I want to refl ect onto others: to embrace both ally and enemy and forgive any ignorance. Hate begets hate, and I refuse to be a part of that chain.

I know too well the sting of it, the gnawing pain, and it’s a feeling that no one should ever have to endure, no matter their backgrounds, practices, or beliefs. No one should be hated for being themselves. No one should have to live in fear of who they are.

This gift, to channel that precious, freeing gift of love - of acceptance - has allowed me to be tolerant and patient towards others. To accept others for their faults and weaknesses, even those who will never stop hating the girl in the mirror. Because I refuse to fuel hatred. This love has allowed me to fi nally love and accept myself. To be proud to be that girl in the mirror. No longer divided by fear, love has fi nally broken the glass.

Personal refl ection heals old wounds

Special SectionMay 3, 2011

Casandra Canthal, Special Section Editor

Angelo CiaragliaSenior, Class of 2011

5:26 AM…The shower drains down my lifeless skeleton as I struggle to merely stay awake. My emaciated body rests upon the tile wall as a crutch no longer capable of holding itself up. My stomach throbs with pains of hunger, and the rotten halitosis breath perme-ates inside my parched mouth. Food hasn’t dared to pass my lips since break-fast yesterday morning. My strength drifts from my lifeless body with every step I take.

6:48 AM… The car ride drags on as if in slow motion. At last, our odys-sey is complete and we arrive at the tournament.

7:21 AM… We stalk the gym l ike an entourage of concentration camp prison-ers. Still, not a crumb or a sip has even grazed my tongue. My arms dangle by my side only re-maining intact by the joints that connect them.

7:22 AM… My muscles feel like they have de ter i o ra ted into gelatin and no amount of strength can raise them more than a few inches.

7:24 AM… Mind over matter drives me to hold on. It seems like hours have passed, yet the clock seems to think just seconds have ticked by.

7:26 AM… my strength holds me back from stampeding to the water fountain to let the crisp, clean water reinvigorate my body.

7:29 AM… I strip to my boxers. The gym is crammed with my half-naked opponents chomping at the bits, as the anxiety of weigh-ins builds. Chills rush through my body and hunger, as if it were Satan, tempts me to rummage through the nearest bag in search of any

scrap of food. I do not succumb to my weakness and I hoard all temptation.

7:30 AM…At last my bare feet graze the ice cold metal of the scale. I hear my heartbeat in my throat like a jackham-mer drilling into the cement. I close my eyes as the scale calculates…111.6 lbs. I made it.

I taste food for the fi rst time since yesterday morning. I have persevered through this rigorous journey, only hav-ing the will to complete it by knowing the sacrifice is worthwhile. Nothing can describe the instant satisfaction of completing a task so consuming and no one can relate to its turmoil except for my fellow comrades fi ghting a similar journey of their own. They stand behind me as coaches, they stand behind me as teammates, and they toe the line

with me as opponents. We are all there for the same reason: to wrestle.

Nothing c o m p a r e s to this in-describable j o y t h a t culminates from fight-ing through such a task as this. Of-ten I fi nd my-self compar-ing difficult s i t u a t i o n s to times like these that I

have experienced and they seem to spontaneously become easier.

The hard truth is, outside of the sport, nobody cares who you are or how good you are unless you’re the next phenomenon or golden boy.

Why do we put ourselves through the misunderstood pain of cutting weight? The answer is simple, we do it for ourselves. Not for anyone else, not to prove anything, not to just hang a medal around our necks, we do it to wrestle.

The ability to push past uncomfort-able limits to a point where I am truly tested shows the strength within me and the person I am, a wrestler.

7:31AM…

Jency JamesSenior, Class of 2011

My appearance opens up a plethora of theories to the untrained eye. My dark brown eyes, long black hair and dark skin have people mapping out my life, including what they think my passions are, before even getting to know me. But there’s a reason we are told to never judge a book by its cover and I fi nd myself to be a prime example of that.

Coming from an Indian background, I listened to the whispered expectations swirl around my childhood. These in-cluded the idea of maintaining a 4.0 or higher GPA starting from the 4th grade, attending college where I would pursue a career in the medical fi eld and meeting a fel-low Indian male who had high aspirations and came from a family with an even higher social status.

Once I met this fellow, our families would decide it was time for us to get en-gaged. At this point, I would be required to pay my fi ancé’s family a large sum of money or some other valuable material possession that cost an arm and a leg; all for the show of respect. We would then engage in mat-rimony and produce Indian offspring where the cycle would then repeat.

But try as I might, I could never feel satisfi ed in this future. It was like attempting to squeeze into a toddler’s jacket; it just didn’t fi t. My aspirations were neither in the medical fi eld nor in seeking an Indian partner. Unlike other kids of my culture, I loathed having to attend Indian parties and functions. I had little interest in the culture, from the clothes to the movies to the history.

Instead, I found that I had a love for writing. It started with me jotting down some short stories in a notebook, and then evolved into actually decid-ing and declaring my next project: authoring a book. Instead of feeling pride after solving a challenging math problem, I basked in the glow of being a bookworm.

After paging through many Nation-al Geographic magazines and seeing

the beauty of New Zealand, the exotic jungles of Peru and the heartbreak of Africa, I decided that I truly wanted to become a journalist. I wanted to travel for a purpose, to expose the corporate cover up, to inform the general public of the plight of those in developing coun-tries. In writing, I found my true niche and I loved that.

But fi rst, I decided on a less lofty goal: working on the high school paper. I quickly advanced from a newbie to a dependable staffer to the News Edi-tor and fi nally, the coveted position of Editor-in-Chief. The frustrations of layout, deadline and writer’s block were unlike a toddler’s jacket and instead, a

pen that fi t perfectly in the crook of my hand, unleashing my thoughts in the form of opinion articles and graphic headlines.

Without the pressures of my culture’s expectations, I’ve come

to appreciate more and it has even nurtured my humanitar-ian side. The trips I’ve taken to India have opened my eyes to shocking poverty and have made me realize to never take

anything for granted. My Indian background has allowed me to be less vulnerable to the materialistic society we live in and has even shaped my de-sire to bring exposure to the struggles others face.

Perhaps my dark brown eyes may never stare into those of the arranged Indian beau. My ears may not hear compliments about talent in math or science. My hands may not serve as a surgeon’s tools and may never hold a beating heart.

But since I am my own person, determined to pave the path that is right for me as an individual, I will look upon many personal bylines that required immense work and effort. I will listen to the stories of people all over the world, from the family losing everything because of the disastrous fi re to the 10-year-old attempting to cure world hunger. I will communicate with various editors and other staffers to make an article the best it can pos-sibly be.

Put simply, I will reach out and touch the lives of many through my passion, journalism.

Forget about thosecultural expectations

A wrestler’s sacrifi ce: Perseverance brings joy

Wolf Pack Press 13

PHOTO BY JUSTIEN MATSUEDA

May 3, 2011Volume 16, Issue 3

14 Wolf Pack Press Sports Editor, Matt George

It is a huge tradition in my family to be a fan of the San Francisco Giants. Being born and raised in Northern California, it is hard to get away from the excitement surrounding the major league baseball team. The excitement was brought to whole new levels last November when the Giants won the 2010 World Series. Honestly, I never religiously watched any of the games until last season; before that it was just a game every now and then when my dad was watching them. If you know me, then you already know who my favorite player is; but in case you don’t, I have a deep admiration for Buster Posey. Posey is the catcher for the San Francisco Giants and made his first big league debut in the 2010 season. However, a great

amount of insults and downtalking has occurred lately because the Giants have got off to a little bit of a rough start.

If viewers don’t remember, last sea-son the Giants got off to a bit of a bumpy start as well. They were swept by the Dodgers. This season they were beat by the Dodg- ers with a 1 - 3 record in a f o u r

game open-

i n g s e -ries.

There are a total o f 163

games in the season…I’m pretty sure these first half loses aren’t too detri-mental to the overall season (example: last season, World Series champs thank you very much). I mean, I understand if you want to hate on the Giants because they beat your team or something, but don’t hate on them because they won the World Series. They won the World Series because they were the best in the league, period. It’s not because they got lucky, it’s because they were the best - fair and square.

It would definitely be nice if the Giants could come back this season and have a repeat, but that’s quite a bit to ask for. They won their first World Series in over 50 years; us fans are ecstatic that that even happened, so we don’t need the constant comments about their losing games to start the

season. We’ve seen this act before with them, it’s normal. No wor-ries, they got this. Even if they don’t, the 2010 World Series Champions are still the San Francisco Giants.

BreanaN i c o l e

Zamudio

Taylor Krause & Lauren AndersonStaff Reporters

Team chemistry leads to great record

Sitting in the stands on a crisp April night, the lights of the Woodcreek track glare down on varsity senior soccer captains Johanna Franks and Emily Becker. As the big game against Rocklin begins, the crowd is tense, watching the first play; the ball is dribbled down the field with the two girls passing it back and forth to avoid the blue shirts of the Rocklin players. With a final kick, the ball rockets forward.

The game against Rocklin was a very competative match. Both teams were well matched against the other and the score reflected that. The first half was a complete standstill, lacking in points scored but not excitement. It wasn’t untill the second half that either team would finally get on the board. The game would later end in a one to one tie, fin-sihing what was a completely defense dominated game. The Timberwolves were a little dissapointed they couldent finish one of their biggest rivals off but they are still very proud of how they

have performed all season. As of May 2nd, the Woodcreek Lady Timberwolves soccer team is 11-4-3.

Soccer is more than just a high school sport to the girls on the varsity

team. The love for the sport is just as important to these girls as their special love and bond with each other.

Franks is all smiles when she says, “This year has been awesome. I’ve learned a lot and have had a ton of fun. I’ve really enjoyed working and getting closer with the other girls and Emily.”

Haley EvashenkNewbie Reporter

The shiny hardwood floor, the net separating the two teams, fans cheering in the stand. These are just a few of the things you would see if you went to a JV boys volleyball game.

Although they have lost all four league games, the boys prove to us that there are more important things than winning.

Coach John Johnson, also a teacher on campus, talked to us about how this season is turning out.

“The season is going really well. They are improving a lot, especially since there are four people who have never played,” stated Johnson.

When asked how this season com-pared to previous ones, he said they aren’t winning as much; but the team will be better in future years.

A sport like the volleyball team is a great way to get involved. Sam Kemp, freshman, described how being on the team has helped him.

“I feel like I’m part of the spirit,” he said.

Kemp says the best part of being on the team is going to all the differ-ent schools for games.

Adam Corbett, another freshman on the team, understands the hard-ship of not always winning.

“Winning is not for everyone, sometimes losing is more fun,” Cor-bett stated.

One big strength for the team is how athletic the players are. Johnson thinks it will pay off in the long run.

Improvement is another strength that the team has. With two months behind them in the season, they are continuing to stay strong and practice hard.

There is a lot of friendship be-tween these teammates.

“They get along well. They joke around,” Johnson said.

Kemp says some players to watch for at the next game are Corbett, Gar-rett Davis and Lukas Wehner.

Both JV and Varsity are strug-gling this season but what both have in common is great team chemistry and the ability to have fun. Today the Timberwolves begin their last home series, and last two games of the season against Nevada Union, a team that in the past has dominated both JV and Varsity teams, and Del Oro, a rival to Woodcreek’s volleyball teams that can hold their own. Last year Del Oro knocked WHS out of a tournament in the semi-finals.

With games every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM, it’s easy to help cheer on your school. With a lot of support, it will be easy for the boys to finish out their season.

JV volleyball finds

that winning isn’t

everything When asking about her favorite part of soccer, Franks said she enjoyed, “just being able to hang out with the girls and getting close with girls I never would have met otherwise.”

Franks started playing soccer at just four years-old. When asked what got her started, she said, “My parents put me in as a child and I’ve loved it dearly ever since.”

No one would expect girl’s soccer to be such a hard hitting, extremely high contact sport. But these girls definitely take advan-tage of the chance to take their aggression out down on the field.

The pushing, shoving, and side tackling at the Rocklin game made it evident that our Lady Timber-wolves were there to win.

Although these girls take soc-cer very seriously, they always have room for a little fun and games. Franks recalls one of her favorite

memories. “Emily and I tried to table top our coach and I knelt down behind her and Emily pushed me, but not hard enough. She fell right on top of me, crushing me for a good couple minutes,” said Franks. “And to top it off, it was pouring rain, so I was soaked.”

PHOTO COURTSEY OF MARK BOWMAN

May 3, 2011 Sports

Sports Editor, Matt George Wolf Pack Press 15Sports Editor, Matt George

Boys Volleyball Boys Lacrosse

NicholasC a r l o s

FranzeThe San Jose Sharks are turning

into the new Giants with new fans pop-ping up every day, a sudden interest in ice hockey, and Devin Settoguchi and Joe Thornton and company becoming household names. Some Diehard Sharks fans are angry at the sudden ‘Fair-weather fans’ appearing, but it is really a good source of exposure for the sport.

Ice hockey is not a common sport in Northern California, or Southern, for that matter. Except for a handful of Northern California clubs, ice hockey is basically considered an off-brand sport to the masses. But with the recent suc-cess of the San Jose Sharks the past few seasons, the sport is starting to gain stature in the California sports com-munity. With the playoffs coming up in

about a month, a fresh wave of Shark fever is upon us with more force t h a n e v e r. With a record of 47-24-9, they are off to be in great stand- ing in the postseason. Last w e e k they clinched t h e playoffs , and right n o w

stand to go in sec-ond place behind t h e V a n - couver Ca-nucks.

The Sharks are a l s o t h e perfect team for peo- ple to begin to follow who are new to the sport. They have a perfect blend of the best aspects of ice hockey. The goal scorers (Patty Marleau, Joe Thornton, Danny

Heatley), then the danglers (Joe Pavel-ski, Ryan Clowe), the Rookie-of-the year (Logan Couture), and then of course the bruisers and fighters (Marc Vlasic and my personal favorite, Douglas Murray).

Although many people are hos-t i l e towards the “fair-

weather fan” dis-ease, I embrace it

in ice hockey. The more people watch,

the more people play, and make the sport grow

more and more every day, month and year.

So whether you are a football meathead, soccer ac-

tor, dance freak or an ice fan like me, ice hockey has lots of action for everyone, be it precise passing and shooting, great technique or just plain brute strength, fighting or blood, I guarantee that any-one could find common ground in this sport. “Fair-weather fans” are much appreciated.

Taylor Krause, Lauren AndersonStaff Reporters

Bump…Set…Spike! Another point for Woodcreek, won by a spike straight down the middle from senior Dustin De-Matteo. The boys set up and a serve by junior Ian McCoog flies overhead. With three minutes left in the match against Rocklin, our team is down by 6 points, and time is ticking. The boys don’t let their heads fall, though, as they bump, set and watch senior Bobby Chatfield spike another one hard over the net.

The buzzer sounds and Woodcreek adds a loss to their record. The Timber-wolves trail off the court with bruises and sweat, but they don’t let the loss get to them. The boys are still laughing and smiling, enjoying the brotherhood they have on the team.

It is best put by McCoog when he says, “We’re all really close and we have a lot of fun together. We support each other through our failures and our wins.”

Although this was a hard loss, the game against Rocklin definitely wasn’t top on their list of trials this season. Mc-Coog said, “The UC Davis tournament, with only six players, was insane. That was definitely the hardest thing we’ve been through this season and amaz-ingly, we won!”

McCoog, who’s been playing vol-leyball since 7th grade, looks calm on the court as his serve flies overhead for Rocklin’s return during a “just for fun” match after the loss earlier that evening.

McCoog commented on the teams strengths saying, “Jake [Haakenson], definitely Jake.”

It is clear that the team enjoys themselves and that a strong chemis-try is there, they just gotta’ get some wins.

GRAPHIC BY BROOKE BENSON

Nick FranzeStaff Reporter

For the first season with a var-sity team, and a JV team with only a quarter of the team returning starters, Woodcreek Lacrosse is going strong. The varsity just had a strong showing against Orangevale on Sunday, but came out with a loss, maintaining their record at 4-6. JV started the weekend slow with a loss to powerhouse Granite Bay but returned strong Sunday morn-ing with a win against Orangevale with almost everyone on the team getting a goal in that hard fought win, putting their record at 4-6.

With the difficult and trying cir-cumstances this year, such as the rain, few players and very tough competition at the JV and varsity level, the players have shown a tremendous amount of heart and dedication to the develop-ment of the team and club. All of the doubts were washed away with the rain when the varsity secured their first win against Sierra Foothills in the begin-ning of the season with a score of 6-4.

The JV team also broke out of the mold with their first victory up in the chilly atmosphere of Redding in the season opening tournament against the Pleasant Grove Blue team. They won convincingly with a score of 7-4. The final game for JV this weekend could also make or break their chances to get into the playoffs.

The season ended May 1st against El Dorado Hills at Silva Elementary. Lacrosse had more then just a sucess-ful year both on the field and off. The team/club is making a name for itself on Woodcreek campus, atrracting more and more possible players and the sup-port of the school in general. The team is excited to begin the next season. Lacrosse Guaranteed.

Kayli Farnworth, Nicole WaterhouseNewbie Reporters

KYLE WEASTKyle Weast, a sophomore, be-

lieves that track offers a really good workout and likes how it keeps him in shape.

He said, “Track pushes me to do my best.”

His favorite race to run is the 400-meter because he does well in it and it’s a long distance sprint that requires lots of stamina.

Weast always keeps up with the fastest people on the team during warm ups, which helps his form so he is able to improve his running skills. He also plays competitive soc-cer all year round, which keeps him in shape.

“My friends on the team are my biggest support because we all push each other to do better,” said Weast.

Derek Meyer, a sophomore who is friends with Weast said, “Kyle and I support each other and cheer each other on.”

Weast’s time in the 400-meter race soon got him recognized and his coaches offered him a spot on the varsity team. His personal record in the 400-meter is 52.5 seconds.

Senior Blake Cervantes, a track team captain, said, “Kyle is a very humble and hardworking individual. He can outwork anybody.”

Sprinting Coach Eugene Hardy, said, “If you work hard, Kyle is an example of what you get. He has a God-given ability, works hard every day and gives a 100% every time.”

Weast welcomes the challenge of varsity. “Track is a confidence booster. If you work hard, you will love it,” he said.ERIKA NAVARRO

Erika Navarro, a sophomore, competes in the long jump and triple jump in track and field.

“I love the thrill of jumping in the sand. It’s like going to the beach every day,” she said.

Navarro enjoys track and field be-cause it’s a team sport and everyone supports each other to do their best. She prepares herself by exercising regularly outside of practice.

Fia Hoskinson, junior, said, “Erika and I motivate each other to do our best. We help improve each other and cheer each other on.”

Navarro’s best long jump distance is 14 feet and 3 1/2 inches. Navarro’s best triple jump distance is 29 feet and 6 inches.

“Erika’s style and length has improved since the beginning of the season,” said Jumping Coach Jasjar. “Erika is a very positive athlete and I like having her on the team.”

Track team welcomes star sophomores

Delaney Dunwoody, Jazmine MilneNewbie Reporters

The varsity girls softball team took on the Nevada Union Miners at Mahany Park on April 7, and won 14-3.

Hayley Gately, #5, scored 2 runs and 3 hits during the game. Jenna Curtan, #6, the only freshman on the varsity team, scored the same number of hits and runs.

Another athlete who stood out was, Paige Davis, #16, who boasted 3 runs and 2 hits. Alexis Wilkerson, #25, also stood out as a fourth major player, when she scored with 2 runs.

During the first inning, the varsity team scored 2 points, but was losing to Nevada Union by a narrow margin of 1. The opposing team had scored 3 runs by the end of the first inning leaving the score at 3-2.

The Lady Timberwolves brought it back in the second inning when they took the lead by 3 after scoring 4 more runs, concluding the inning with a total of 6 runs.

Neither teams scored any points during the 3rd or 4th innings. Wood-creek, however, maintained their strength by continuing to hold their lead throughout the fifth inning. They scored three more points, before finishing the game in the sixth inning.

The Lady Timberwolves were out to win, scoring three more runs by the end of the sixth inning. Though they all gave it a great effort, neither team scored any points by the end of the seventh and final inning.

Though Nevada Union started with the lead, the Lady Wolves showed that their pack remained strong and took what was rightfully theirs, win-ning the game 14-3. The varsity team’s season record stands at 13-5-1, domi-nating to say the least.

Girls Softball

16 Wolf Pack Press Last Page Layout Editors, Megan Hoehenrieder, Jake Haakenson

Last Page May 3, 2011