Issue 2 September, 2011Hemet High School, Hemet, CA 92544 (951) 765-5150

Journalism Could Use You!!!by Staff

Journalism students are stu-dents like you who want to

know what is going on in school and research, photograph, interview, and write about it to share with ev-eryone. Journalism is currently still open to students who want to contribute by writing stories, ar- ti-cles, poems, etc. If you have an interest in writing and would like to see your work published, please see Mr. Hill in room 163.

Fall Sports Start Out StrongBy Natalie Sanden

ASB CardsBy Mackenzie Hawkins

During registration, every-one was excited to get

ID cards. Some kids got ASB and some didn’t. ASB cards are a benefit because they get you into the football games free and also take five dollars off pretty much everything from dances to shirts here at school. This year however, was a “per-fect storm.” Some students who weren’t sup-posed to get ASB did and some who were sup-posed to, didn’t. It was all a miscommunication. It could have been our staff giving the wrong information to students. It could have been stu-dents getting in the wrong line. It could have been the picture staff confusing who is who. Who knows? The blame can’t fall on one per-son’s shoulders. At the first home football game, students were getting in free when they weren’t supposed to. That is money coming out of ASB’s pocket. So taking action, Mr. Hill created a database program to put on administrations new ipods. With that, staff could look up a students ID number and see if they paid for an ASB card or not. But there were also com-plications with that. Some student got their ID cards confiscated by mistake but were returned Monday morning with apologies. To stop all this confusion, the photo company has agreed to re-design, re-print and re-distribute all new ID cards. This way everyone will get what he or she paid for. So be expecting a new ID card coming soon!

This month, the fall sports season began to get into full swing. Each team has started off the season with ex-

citing victories that have made the student body proud.

The cross-country teams are looking very strong this year. They had a succesful meet at the Laguna Hills Invitational

on Saturday September 10th. Many of the runners set personal re-cords and showed how strong the team is looking for the rest of the season. On September 17th, the cross-country team competed at the Mt. Carmel Movin’ Shoes Invitational where the team did very well running against the toughest competition in Southern California. Many of the athletes medaled in this division 1 race. At Hemet’s own Bulldog Invitational held on September 24th, the team really showed their talent. With a new course and more competi-tion, both David Spangler and Raven Harrison won their races and led the program to an overall team victory (the first since 2002).

The football team played Valley View on September 9th, giv-ing the fans hope as the Bulldogs were winning at half-

time, but narrowly losing 24-14 in the second half. So far, the highlight of the season came with the team’s first win against In-dio on September 16th. It was an exciting game as the score went back and forth, but the Bulldogs finally pulled out a win 38-34.

The boys’ water polo team has also seen success this season. On September 17th they did very well in the Los Altos tour-

nament beating both Elsinore and West Covina. On September 20th they played an exceptional game narrowly beating Murrieta Mesa 9-8. September 22nd the water polo boys played tough competition Temecula Valley and lost 11-5. The team is looking to come back and prove how strong they are in league in the next few weeks.

The girls’ golf team is also in full swing. On Septem-ber 22nd they played Rubidoux and won. Although

they lost against Citrus Valley on September 20th they have only lost four matches and the team is looking very competi-tive. They are hoping for at least a second place finish in league.

The girls’ tennis team is also looking strong this year as they beat Murrieta Mesa on September 20th 11-7. The

singles teams swept in this game. They also beat Heritage on September 19th with another 11 to 7 score and on September 15th the team played a very good match against Paloma Valley.

Last but not least, the girls’ volleyball team has begun an-other good season. Although the team lost to Paloma Val-

ley September 15th they came back to beat Murrieta Mesa 3-0 on September 20th. They also had a great 3-0 win against Tem-ecula Valley on September 22nd. The girls JV team hosted a tour-nament the weekend of 17th where they placed 2nd.The fresh-men also placed 2nd in their tournament held here on the 24th.

Overall, the teams are proving themselves as tough competition. As league play begins, each team

will need your support so make sure to come out and sup-port Bulldog athletics as they make our school proud.

Nursery RhymesBy Mackenzie Hawkins

Have you ever been sitting in a pub-lic place minding your own busi-

ness and then all of a sudden hear a song you haven’t heard in almost ten years? Songs like Miss Mary Mac and Old Mc-Donald? And somehow, after ten years of not hearing them, you still know every word. Well, that’s because we all grew up with these nursery rhymes. Over the years of singing them over and over again, they stuck with us, like the ABC’s and 123’s.

Look at it this way, when you hear a song on the radio that you really like, what do you do? You go home, download it, and

then set your ipod on repeat. Soon enough, you know every word. Then years later, when the music choice of people has changed from alter-native rock to hip-hop, the song plays on the radio and you still have it memorized, even after years of learning new lyrics from other songs.

The world today thrives on music. We listen to it when we get ready, when we work out, when we are in the car and even

when we shower! But, for some people, music is a distraction. They won’t listen to it at all and claim that they never have or never will. But the truth is, we all grew up with music. Crowding around a colorful rug singing Wheels on the Bus or Itsy Bitsy Spider. And if you were to hear those songs today, you’d find yourself quietly singing along.

Hemet High School 41701 E. Stetson Ave.

Hemet, CA 92544 951-765-5150

www.hemethigh.com

Spencer Lewis

Christina Petersen

Mackenzie Hawkins

Journalism Staff2011 - 2012

In your classroom, on the web, reporting on our school!

Views expressed in this issue are those of the students writ-ers and are not the expressed or implied views of Hemet High School, it’s Staff, Ad-ministration or the District.

Natalie SandenEditor-in-Chief

and layouts

Keri PfliegerGuest Writer

ZoologyBy Mackenzie Hawkins

Here at Hemet High School, there are many

different classes to take. All of which are unique in their own way. There is auto shop, floral culture, cabinet mak-ing and my favorite…zoology.

Zoology literally means “The study of animals.”

But, since there are so many animals on earth, we can’t study them all in one school semester. So what is the solution? A coin toss! Mr. Cook, the only zool-ogy teacher on campus, puts about ten subjects on the white board. He then explains each one and lets the class vote on what they want to study for the first triad. This year, the class picked ornithology, the study of birds. Therefore, for the first six weeks, the class will be going to Simpson Park to bird watch. The class also gets to dissect a pigeon and learn how birds re-ally work from the inside. After the class chooses the topic for first triad, Mr. Cook picks the second one. This year he picked Entomology, the study of in-sects. So second triad we will be collecting bugs and creating a mummified “bug board.” We

will also be dissecting an over-sized grasshopper. As for the third topic, Mr. Cook flips a coin to decide who will pick. With the class being heads and Mr. Cook being tails, the coin went flying in the air. The moment of truth and everyone is silent. He caught the coin and slapped it on the back of his hand. He showed it to a student and that student said,“Heads” Mr. Cook won. The class was quickly filled with sighs of fear that he would pick the hardest subject. Mr. Cook just smiled and told us we have to wait till the third triad to find out what we are studying.

Therefore, for the first semester of zoology,

the class will be dissecting and collecting. It is a very interest-ing college prep class and if you’re going into the field of science, it’s a very good class to take. So if you are interested, look into it and be welcomed into the world of zoology.

The Common Cold is All Too CommonBy Christina Petersen

Like all humans, we get sick every now and then. I know throughout the year we get sick more than once. The prob-

lem now is that most of the time we only get sick during the flu season, which is between October and March. But I look around and I can see through my own experience, that most of the school is out sick, is sick, or they are about to get sick and it is only September. The only plausible reason is the changing of weather from hot to cold and vice versa. I know the cold is a wonderful break from our hot weather but when you get sick from it, its not so nice, now is it? When in a large group, like on the way to class, we have a much greater chance of getting a cold than being on the sidewalk in fresh air. You can protect yourself by washing your hands thoroughly. It can stop the spread of germs, and it is also a courtesy to others if you have a cold. In addition, try not to touch your face at any point after coming in contact with a person or friend that has the cold. These are all things to help stop the spread of this cold that has been in and out of our school like a bad penny. I know school is tough, and getting sick doesn’t help matters, but it will pass, and you will feel better.

Thomas Thomsen Guest Writer

Welcome Back Dance By Spencer Lewis

This swashbuckling dance was held on Saturday,

September 17th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. As the dance began, the senior class came in chant-ing 2012. Everyone came wear-ing shirts designed with skulls, crossbones, treasure chests and pirate ships, as this year’s wel-come back dance was Treasure Island themed. The dance was held at the stadium, where kids could dance and hang out un-der the open sky. Students ar-rived, grouped with friends and started dancing the night away. Throughout the dance, class photos were taken by yearbook and plenty of snacks and drinks

were provided to keep the ener-gy levels high. The atmosphere was energetic after a success-ful football game the Friday night before. The welcome back dance was a huge success and all who went will remember this fun first dance of the year.

History of RockBy Spencer Lewis

How many people can say they have a class

about the history of rock and roll? Well right here at Hemet High, you can be one of those people! Mr. Boulton, the band director, teaches the significance of rock and roll through lis-tening and analyzing specific sections of important rock and roll genres. Some of the greatest Rock and Roll artists are discussed, all for example Elvis, Bob Dylan and many more. Discussions range

from blues, mo-town, genera-tion X blues moving forward to the rave revolution and hip

hop nation. All dif-ferent types of rock are analyzed such as acid rock, folk rock and punk rock. This is the first year this class is being taught here at Hemet High. This class is not a walk

in the park though, it gets you grooving! For those who joined the history of rock and roll class they are learning about fa-mous rockers while having fun.

Temecula Cares About Our FutureBy Christina Petersen

On Saturday Septem-ber 24th, 2011, the

city held their 2nd annual college fair, at the Temecula Valley Mall. Colleges from California showed up and even a few out-of- state colleges, which included Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona Uni-versity (NAU), and the Uni-versity of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). The colleges from California included UC Davis, Stanford, Cal State Polytechnic University Pomona (CSPUP), UC Santa Barbra, UC Irvine, and many, many others. Even Hemet High’s ROTC unit was there to help our future college students. For those students at-tending the Hemet High who are shooting for the chance to get into that one college they have been dreaming of attend-ing since they were in school,

Saturday would have been the best day to get all the infor-mation you would ever need. Information on things such as lists of courses, and tour dates, were offered to any willing per-son. You were able to talk to the people who represented that college to get further informa-tion that was not so clear in the brochures. If you had a chance to go, then you lucked out. For those who weren’t able to go, or didn’t hear about it, then you might want to catch next years fair. College is impor-tant, and Temecula knows that.

Words of AdviceBy Christina Petersen

High school, for the most part, is a blast but can be a drag when it is most inconvenient. People have a hard time with

school: sports, grades, friends, and just plain old people can be a stress. I have a few words of advice to share with the population of Hemet High School. One of the problems with growing up, is the absence of realization, that in a couple of years you are leaving your parents, and you will be on your own. But you guys don’t realize that once high school is done, it’s done forever. My words of advice, is live your life to the fullest. Right now you are probably thinking to yourself, “I have heard this a million times, and I don’t want to hear it again.” Well, you are going to hear it one more time, because it is something that should not be taken lightly. If you waste your time not doing much with your life, then you are going to regret that later on. Again you might be denying that you do this, but we all have done it, are doing it or are thinking about doing it; it’s just what we do. While growing up, there is an absence of an ability to start thinking of your greater responsibilities rather that just thinking about, “Does my hair look good, so he will finally notice me,” or “Does she like me?” Again you might be denying that you do this, but you all have done it, are doing it or thinking about doing it, it’s just what we do.

Jacquelline Rodriguez said the best advice she has ever been given was to, “Live life with no worries.” Furthermore, a per-

son that wishes to remain anonymous told me the best advice they had ever gotten was, “Do what you feel is right. And remember that there is no turning back.” The journalism team also input a little advice. Mackenzie Hawkins said, “Don’t change for anyone else.” Spencer Lewis said, “Don’t procrastinate,” and lastly, Nata-lie Sanden said, “Be confident in who you are because you are an amazing you.” Molly Porteous quoted the best advice she had ever been told, “Socrates once said wisest is she who knows she does not know.” And lastly, the best advice I have ever been given to me from somebody was, “Live life with no regrets because if you do, then you end up regretting life.” No one is perfect, and we need a little advice from friends, family or a trusted adult, to help us get where we need to be. Any advice written to you, yelled to you, or even told to you, take it to the grave. Eventually you will need it.

Are you always being pushed around and

made fun of by your so-called “friends”? Then you are most likely experiencing peer pres-sure. Some people describe peer pressure as your friends trying to get you to do some-thing you don’t want to do.

For example, a friend of yours asks you for a ride

home and they are currently in possession; they expect that you ignore that fact and not consider that if you get caught you would loose your license, your car and be fined as a felon. Being a felon can affect your chances on get-ting into college. Another exam-ple, say you have been enjoying a day of shopping at the mall and at the end of the day, your friend pulls out four pairs of body jew-elry, makeup and candy. The thing is, she came to the mall with no money. Now you’re an accessory to crime simply by being there with her. I myself have experienced both situa-tions and it is most annoying.

Some of the common phrases from friends

are, “ you won’t get in trou-ble”, “I’ll be your best friend”, and my personal favorite, “

I’ll be there too”. All of these phrases should be automat-ic “red flags” for all teens.

It can be hard to say no, or even walk away from a

person for fear of loosing that friendship, being humiliated, or becoming an outcast. The type of person that wants you to break a law for or with them is not a real friend. Those types of people are selfish and controlling. True friends care about your feelings and would not put your privi-leges at stake. I said “no” and just what I expected happened. My friend was angry with me, wouldn’t speak or look at me and eventually tried to humiliate me. Even though it was hard, I still have my car and I know it was the right thing to do. I hope that whoever reads this column can be reassured that saying “no” is always the right thing to do in the end. Be strong and stand up for what you believe in.

Peer Pressure ExtremeBy Tommy Thomsen

String CheeseBy Mackenzie Hawkins

String cheese is an entertaining, delicious and healthy snack. Instead of a boring bag

of chips that you just put your hand into, you get to pull strings off of this tubular piece of cheese! Most string cheese in the United States is made out of a mixture of Cheddar and Mozzarella. Making string cheese is somewhat sim-ple. After they make the cheese in the normal manner, they put the cheese curds into boiling water (or very hot water). The water melts the curd into a stretchy shape, which can be shaped into ropes that are intertwined. The ropes inside the cylinder are very stringy. That way when a person goes to eat the cheese, it’s nice and stringy!

Gridlock at Hemet HighBy Christina Petersen

Crowds, they are every-where, at amusement

parks, on busy sidewalks, and you guessed it, school. Yes, even our lovely Hemet High can get backed up with teenagers trying to get to class, get their lunch, or even just go home. The crowds, though, like to have a pattern. When headed for the outside por-tables, the students, like to stay as close to the lockers as possible, so it makes it harder to get into any lockers on the wall leading to the guidance office. On the other hand, the left side of the crowd, near the senior walk, is utilized very scarcely. As most of you know, the worst possible times for the crowds to be huge and out of control are right before 1st lunch, right after 2nd lunch, and when most kids just want to leave the school and never look back, right after school. People are rushing to their lockers, being impatient as usual, and some are just plain rude. Right now you are probably denying that you are rude, impatient, and in a rush, but you might as well admit it to yourself. I see everyone being this way. We all might get a little frustrated, and annoyed with people stopping in front of us, or peo-ple just being rude. When you are walking to your class, it doesn’t matter if it is upstairs, outside, inside, or you are rushing to get class at the two-minute bell, just be courteous. Lastly, when you feel an urge to stop in the middle of the walk way to talk with your friends, and block everyone that was behind you, just try to be courteous of other people, and move to another spot in the commons where you can talk and not block the path way for other students. Get-

ing to class on time shouldn’t mean grid locking the walking areas.

Yearbooks are still on sale.by Staff

Your yearbook is still on sale in the ASB

office for those who did not purchase them at registra-tion and don’t want to pay more at the end of the year.

The yearbook is THE ONE thing that will be

with you that you can look back on in 5, 10, 20, or more years from now and pull you right back to the time that was 2012.

This year’s yearbook will feature an amazing stu-

dent life section with photo’s and stories of all the major events of the year. The senior section will also have a class photograph. Sport covers all teams and every organization and club on campus will be represented. Yearbook tries to get as many photographs and stores to mark this year, but if you do not participate, it makes it difficult for us to get you in

the yearbook. “We would like to have as many students in the yearbook, multiple times if possible!”, said Mr. Hill, Yearbook Advisor. Last year we had over 7,700 pictures in 344 pages. It is the biggest yearbook in the district and the valley, and the least expensive.

Senior dedication pages are also still available

on a first come first serve ba-sis, but they are starting to go fast. If you are interested, see Mr. Hill or go to hemethigh.com, under the department link on the right, click yearbook and find out all the information.

We have already pre-sold about 850 year-

books. This number deter-mines how many we will order for the end of the year, so don’t be left out, save yourself some money and buy yours now.

Could Television Secretly be Hurting Your Brain?By Christina Petersen

Television: most watch it daily. It is our past-time, it is our link to the outside world, but could it really be impairing your

thought process, and your ability to focus? If you haven’t already heard, some believe there are problems with watching TV at a young age. Studies have shown that watching TV can lead to ADHD, “sleep problems, behavior problems, and risky behavior,” according to the Michigan Health System. Television can also lead to children not be-ing physically, socially, and mentally active. For example, children are less likely to play outside, hang with friends, and be imaginative.

According to the Michigan Health System, “TV viewing among kids is at an eight-year high. On average, children

ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a TV—watching tele-vision, DVDs, DVR and videos, and using a game console. Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV.” When you’re reading this, think to yourself, “Do I really watch that much TV?” Well, the answer to that question is that you may not even realize that you watch that much TV. We become oblivious to the world outside of our house, go outside, or go hang with friends. Do something to get you out of your house and out in the world.

According to the Michigan System of Health, “Media tech-nology now offers more ways to access TV content, such as

on the Internet, cell phones and iPods. This has led to an increase in time spent viewing TV, even as TV-set viewing has declined. 41% of TV-viewing is now online, time-shifted, DVD or mobile. In about two-thirds of households, the TV is “usually” on during meals.

In 53% of households of 7th- to 12th-grad-ers, there are no rules about TV watching.

In 51% of households, the TV is on “most” of the time. Kids with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of almost 1.5

hours more per day watching TV than kids without a TV in the bedroom. Many parents encourage their toddlers to watch tele-vision, according to the Michigan System of Health. With all the new technology, like the iPad, and all the tablets, it’s much easier for a kid to watch TV with ease. Some people get ob-sessed with the thought of television, and the feeling of being able to watch whatever you feel like. Over all, the power of tele-vision is much greater than the actual possession of a television.

Another study has come proposing that watching only 9 min-utes of the popular kid cartoon, “Sponge Bob Square Pants”

can impair a child’s thinking ability. An article in the Christian Sci-ence Monitor said, “Child psychologists at the University of Vir-ginia exposed 4-year-olds to nine minutes of a very popular fantasti-cal cartoon about an animated sponge that lives under the sea’ and found that the children performed worse on tests of self-control and focus.” They had said that it doesn’t matter how long they watch TV. It is what they watch. Kids that watch a fast paced cartoon are at a higher risk of brain defects than kids watching a slower paced one. In our wonderful new modern age, children have started to watch TV at the age of 4 months, where in the 1970’s children started to watch TV at age 4. This study done by Angeline Lillard of The University of Virginia, and Dimitri Christakis of the University of Washington, and the study provided by the University of Michigan Health Sys-tem, proves that children watching television at a young age, and watching such shows as, “Sponge Bob Square Pants” could impair a child’s development. This could be prevented with a little help from the parents. Television is great, but it should be limited to only an hour a day, so that kids can just be kids; active, imaginative, and social.

A Take on Freshman YearBy Keri Pflieger

Miss Hemet PageantBy Natalie Sanden

The 61st running of this pageant took place on Septem-ber 4th. Not only did this contest crown Miss Hemet

but also Miss Teen Hemet, Miss Teen San Jacinto and Miss San Jacinto. Hemet High School’s own Jory Goldbach, Birk-ley Baker, Marissa Chamberlain, Jen Bundrant, and Au-tumn Davis all competed for the coveted title of Miss Hemet.

Birkley Baker impressed the judges with her excellence in her “per-

sonal interview, evening apparel, ques-tion and answer, onstage poise and per-sonality and themed attire.” She was thus crowned Miss Hemet 2012. The runner-up was Jen Bundrant and a very close third went to Marissa Chamberlain.

After winning this outstanding com-petition, Birkley said “It’s really

exciting and surreal to be Miss Hemet!” She further commented, “The tough-est part about the competition was the

on-stage question; getting up in front of everyone and answer-ing a question on the spot is nerve-wracking.” With this title comes “big responsibility,” says Birkley. “I have to represent Hemet and make appearances at community events and gather-ings. It’s really great to interact with everyone in our valley.”

We are so proud of Birkley and all of the contestants that represented Hemet High School in this pageant. These

girls are people that we should all look up to as they put effort into community service and understanding, as well as embodying the true spirit of the Hemet Valley. Each one of you did an outstand-ing job and we commend you in your efforts for bet-tering this community.

Photography Club!By Natalie Sanden

Here at Hemet High, a new photography club

was founded this year. The club focuses on looking at and enjoy-ing the club members’ photog-raphy. Each month the members will bring in pictures they have taken to share with each other and a vote for the best picture from first and second lunch is also taken. The winner’s pic-ture will be debuted in the

commons and announced to the students on the morning an-nouncements. If you are inter-ested in photography, please feel free to join in the next meeting on October 25th in the ASB room, both first and second lunch.

Photo from facebook

Photo from facebook

New people, very crowded hallways, and confusion.

These are the aspects that ultimately make up ev-ery new school year, but for the newest editions to

the school, the freshman have a heavier weight to carry, see-ing as they have yet to get used to the daily high school life.

Fresh from junior high, these teenagers are able to adapt rela-tively quickly to the new teachers, hectic schedules, and

means of direction. So far, many freshmen have enjoyed the new school year with little to no problems of sizable amount. Besides having to memorize two or more locker combinations or when to figure out the right time to go back to their lockers, they have con-siderably adjusted, and for the most part, are enjoying high school.

Many are looking forward to fall sports, something that was truely missing in middle school. They are also

looking forward to after school activities such as theatre pro-ductions or designated practices. They keep sports such as cross country, dance, volleyball, football, cheer, soccer, water polo, baseball, softball, swim, ect. in mind to either join or ignore. Others might be interested in acting, by getting involved with af-ter school theater productions, but band and musical interests can be accommodated as well within the high school premises.

Many freshmen are confused with the school’s layout, but many of us still are, and that just takes a matter of time.

The crowded halls are still apparent with association to the school, but hopefully with the completion of the school’s construction, ev-erything will be a little easier in our class to class schedule. Weirdly enough, some freshmen say that the school food has gotten better, and that is a little scary, to put nicely. Not to say that it is utter-ably disgusting, but it isn’t the best food. It is packed with carbs and artificial nastiness, but let’s save that for another day, shall we?

For the most part, freshman have been having an easy time adjusting to high school life, and they are look-

ing forward to a pleasant three more years, filled with great friends, extracurricular activities, and roomy hallways. These freshmen are balancing the burden they carry, and are reduc-ing it steadily, seeing as they are readily adapting with ease.