MELISSA ROADMANEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MC’s staff voted to implement a trimester schedule for the 2009-2010 school year on Jan. 30. According to Principal Tom McCoy, there are several reasons a new schedule was considered, including more accessibility to complete graduation requirements.

“Students entering 9th grade next year have new graduation requirements that are University of California A-G graduation requirements, which have more academic requirements than the current [ones for] PUSD,” he said.

The trimester schedule will also allow more fl exibility for students to increase elective classes.

“[Students] will have a lot more choices to make about which classes to take than students do now,” McCoy said.

One of the b i g g e s t

changes is the

number of classes taken each day will be reduced to fi ve.

“There will only be fi ve classes at a time,” history teacher Kris Hizal said. “We believe that this schedule will also allow for immediate remediation if a student is struggling in a class.”

The majority of classes will be offered over a two trimester period. The equivalent of one semester this year will be one trimester under the new schedule.

So far, the only exceptions are AP classes, which will be offered all year.

McCoy hopes that this program opens up new doors for MC. He would like to offer new opportunities, especially in the senior year.

“We’re looking into a possible senior year experience where kids could have a possible internship experience or community service project that they would participate in to have the senior year more relevant,” he said.

There is also a possibility that MC and Del Norte will share students for specialty classes.

“We hope that Del Norte will be an ally and that we might be able to support each other with course offerings specifi c to our sites. [For example,] we have auto, they have Mandarin. Students can ride a bus at lunch and switch schools,” Hizal said.

There are a few concerns that have come up, but the administration is working on solutions.

“One trimester class compared to one traditional semester class has less in the

classroom time,” math teacher Joe McEachron said. “That means that

some of what we would normally teach will have to change. It may mean a change in how we teach certain topics, when we cover some material, or we may even have to cut some material.”

According to English teacher Bob Pacilio, one of his concerns is not keeping students linked with the same teachers at the end of the trimesters. While there are some disadvantages, it was clear to the administration and teachers that MC needed change. According to McCoy, the idea for a new program came about a few years ago, but the state’s fi nancial crisis put it on hold.

“Last year, the budget crisis really got in our way, and we put it on the shelf,” McCoy said. “This year, we started talking about it in August and rolled it out to some of the teachers and some smaller discussions.”

A committee was formed in October of teachers, a parent representative, counselors and administrators.

“We looked at instructional minutes, [and] bell schedules; they contacted teachers at schools on these schedules,” McCoy said.

The information compiled by the committee was then presented to the staff Jan. 30, a question and answer period took place, and the votes were cast. Trimesters won 83-16. The other options were no change and a seven period day. With the new change comes a lot more work.

“Departments started working on plans to deal with this change as soon as the decision was made,” McEachron said. “It is a big change and will

require a substantial amount of work.”According to McCoy, the general response

has been fairly positive, but there have been some concerns aired.

“There’s a lot of fear because it’s new, and it’s a change,” he said. “We know people are going to need time to get used to it.”

A parent meeting was held Feb. 10. Another one will be held March 3 for those who could not attend. McCoy encourages those who have questions to contact him. There will be frequently asked questions posted on the MC website.

“If [people] hear anything that doesn’t sound right, come in and ask a teacher [or] myself,” McCoy said. “This, combined with the issues from the budget, is going to make for a lot of rumor and a lot of uncertainty in the next couple of months.”“[Students] will have a lot more choices to

make about which classes to take than students do now,” McCoy said.

One of the b i g g e s t

changes is the

internship experience or community service project that they would participate in to have the senior year more relevant,” he said.

There is also a possibility that MC and Del Norte will share students for specialty classes.

“We hope that Del Norte will be an ally and that we might be able to support each other with course offerings specifi c to our sites. [For example,] we have auto, they have Mandarin. Students can ride a bus at lunch and switch schools,” Hizal said.

There are a few concerns that have come up, but the administration is working on solutions.

“One trimester class compared to one traditional semester class has less in the

classroom time,” math teacher Joe McEachron said. “That means that

A committee was formed in October of teachers, a parent representative, counselors and administrators.

“We looked at instructional minutes, [and] bell schedules; they contacted teachers at schools on these schedules,” McCoy said.

The information compiled by the committee was then presented to the staff Jan. 30, a question and answer period took place, and the votes were cast. Trimesters won 83-16. The other options were no change and a seven period day. With the new change comes a lot more work.

“Departments started working on plans to deal with this change as soon as the decision was made,” McEachron said. “It is a big change and will

of months.”

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009VOL. 36 NO. 7 | MT. CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL, SAN DIEGO, CA 92129SUN

MT. CARMELwww.mcsun.org

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Inside the SUN: Section A: News..........2 Sun Spread..........4 Opinions..........6 Section B: Sports..........1 Entertainment..........4 Features...........6

INSIDE

NEWS: THE SCIENCE OLYMPIAD TEAM PLACED SECOND AT THE REGIONAL COMPETITION LAST SATURDAY. PAGE A2

ENTERTAINMENT: THE ACADEMY AWARDS ARE COMING UP. SEE MC’S PICKS FOR THE OSCARS AS

WELL AS THE CRITIC’S PICKS. PAGE B4

FEATURES: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN TEACHERS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL? READ ABOUT WHAT TEACHERS DO WHEN THEY AREN’T HARD AT WORK IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. PAGE B6

KYLIE BARANOWSKICENTERSPREAD EDITOR

The current climate of eco-nomic recession has forced a new level of sacrifi ce throughout America. As budgets are being slashed, the American people are being asked to give up things they hold dear. On the state level, the education budget has taken a hit.

Principal Tom McCoy has rallied his staff and warned them to prepare for the worst.

“We’re making all our plans but we haven’t been able to lay them out yet because we still don’t know what the dollar amount is from the state of California,” Mc-Coy said. “The longer the state of California waits the worst case scenarios we have to plan for. We know that the budget cut is going to be large regardless but it could be larger… really, really large. In both scenarios, different things happen.”

Due to the drastic na-ture of this crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released his 2009-2010 budget proposal ten days early, in December. This budget outlined plans for both midyear cuts and major cuts for the next school year.

In order to balance the bud-get, the state of California needs to make $22.5 million more in cuts on top of the $10 million already cut for the 2008-2009 school year.

What does this mean for Cal-ifornia’s schools? These already underfunded institutions will re-ceive more cuts in funding on top of all of the cuts they have already received. Here at MC, McCoy an-ticipates that the effects of the new budget will be far-reaching.

“There won’t be any segment of the school that is not affected,” he said. “For students it’s prob-ably going to come down to how class size impacts instruction and any budget change might impact a program they may want to take.”

Summer school is one likely candidate that may be scaled down or even lost due to lack of funds. However, McCoy urges the MC community to keep in mind that nothing is set in stone yet.

“Having no summer school is a defi nite possibility,” McCoy said. “If we do have it, it’s most likely just going to be for students who need remediation. If you’ve failed a class in a core department—English, math, science, social science—there will be a class for you to take. If you are trying to get ahead in summer school, then it’s likely that there will not be a class for you to take.”

The MC staff is sure to also be severely impacted by the cuts.

“Next month, a lot of teach-ers, assistant principals, and coun-selors will receive lay off notices. Teachers who are on temp, those are teachers who are on probation or permanent contracts. Teachers who are temporary will not re-ceive layoff notices but are likely to not be rehired at the end of June.”

Sundevils will be forced to make deeper sacrifi ces as long as the economy continues on its downward trend.

‘THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN’Staff votes for trimester schedule, work on fi nalizing details, schedule

RACHEL MARTINOPINIONS EDITOR

The votes are in and the bal-lots have been counted. On Jan. 30, the MC teachers voted for a new schedule for next year. A trimester schedule won with an overwhelm-ing majority. Many teachers feel that the trimester schedule will benefi t many MC students.

“I think it’s going to be a re-ally good thing for opening up

more choices for students,” science teacher Debbie Stenger said. “We can offer more courses that we weren’t able to offer before. It gives students more options.”

English teacher Gretchen Hughes-Taumoepeau also feels the change will be a positive thing for MC.

“I’m open to it,” Hughes-Tau-moepeau said. “I think there are pluses and minuses, but I’m actu-ally kind of excited for a change.”

However, the teachers all ac-knowledge that the new schedule will take a lot of work.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of work at fi rst, and it’s going to be a little confusing, but I think even-tually it will work out its kinks,” Hughes-Taumoepeau said.

Math teacher Dave Gibbs also thinks the schedule will take a little getting used to.

“All I know is the facts,” Gibbs said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen. But I think everyone knows that it’s going to be diffi -cult..”

The new trimester schedule will also greatly affect the science courses, especially the advanced placement classes.

“I think the biggest adjust-ment for us is that we’re losing lab days, which means that we used to have periods that were 100 or 115

minutes for lab experiments and now our longest period is going to be 70 minutes,” Stenger said. “For AP Chemistry, for example, we’ll have to fi nd new experiments be-cause some of the labs that we’re doing now are actually designed for two-hour periods. And so I’ll have to fi nd some new resources.”

Many other teachers will also have to do extra work to make new lessons plans. However, most teachers are looking optimistically at the change.

“I think it’s also positive for teachers,” Hughes-Taumoepeau said. “I think it forces them to teach other classes, not just stuff they’ve been teaching for the last ten years that they’re comfortable with.”

However, many teachers ad-mit that there will be an adjustment period.

“I think overall it’s going to be good for most everybody, but it’s hard to foresee problems,” Stenger said. “I’m sure that problems are going to come up. We’ll just have to cross those bridges when we get to them, and, hopefully, we’ll be able to fi nd creative solutions to all of those challenges that we face. But I think in the end it’s going to be a positive thing. It’ll open more doors, more options, and I think that’s something that’s good for Mt. Carmel.”

KATELYN CUTTS NEWS EDITOR

To help students who need A through G requirements and take electives like band or ASB, MC has changed next year’s schedule drastically. Students have been reacting differently to the schedule.

Freshman Meghan Berry feels the new schedule will help her in the long run.

“I think [the new schedule] is going to be good because we can take more classes and get off-role junior and senior year,” Berry said.

Along with Berry, freshman Brent Nelson believes the schedule will bring more opportunities.

“I think it will be better because we get more credits and can take more classes,” Nelson said.

Besides the chance to take more classes throughout the year, the trimesters are set-up for fall, winter, and spring.

“The trimesters line-up with the sports seasons,” Berry said. “Next year, I won’t have to worry about soccer and fi rst semester fi nals at the same time.”

Unfortunately for some juniors, the new schedule was not expected and it has interfered with their plans for next year.

“A lot of juniors planned to take six classes and it is our last year so we do not have time to adjust to the schedule,” a junior girl said.

“I was planning on taking fi ve AP classes and orchestra next year,” she said.

According to the junior, unlike

freshmen and sophomores, juniors will be unable to adapt to the schedule and have time to really get in the swing of things.

The freshmen and sophomores will have two to three years to plan out their high school schedule and get used to it.

Many students have mixed feelings about the new schedule because of the trimester system with only fi ve classes per a trimester and no lab days.

“Besides the trimesters, there are no more lab days in the new schedule as of now,” junior Andy Wang said.

Staff, community, students react positively, express few concernsTEACHERS

MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITORDr. Tom McCoy, principal, presents information about the new trimes-ter schedule to parents at the PTSA meeting on Tuesday. “The parents were receptive to the idea of trimesters and the presentation helped them achieve a better understanding of the details,” McCoy said.

COMMUNITY

Budget crisis worsens in state; all will be affected by cuts

COMING UP. SEE MC’S PICKS FOR THE OSCARS AS

STUDENTS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALLISON ROGERS | PHOTOGRAPHERHistory teacher Kris Hizal poses putting his ballot into the collection basket. Teachers voted for a trimester schedule for the 2009-2010 school year. The vote was 83-16.

DENNIS SUNSTAFF WRITER

Months of hard work brought the Science Olympiad team a second place fi nish, the best they have done in recent history.

The team studied data, preformed labs, built machines, and prepared for the various events that were to take place last Saturday.

Coach Robert Ferguson explains what Sci-ence Olympiad is all about.

“Science Olympiad is a competition of 23 events, with teams of 15 people that have to cover all 23 events,” Ferguson said. “There are lab events, there are building events, and there are tests just of knowledge. It’s an interscholas-tic competition. It involves middle schools, up to high school level.”

Senior Andy Brock has participated in Sci-ence Olympiad since seventh grade. He enjoys it for various reasons.

“I really like the atmosphere and the whole [concept of] you get something for learning, [and] getting medals is pretty awesome,” Brock said. “I also like hanging with my friends.”

Brock participated in Electric Vehicle, Dy-namic Planet, and Experimental Design.

“As far as building events go, Electric Vehicle was defi nitely my favorite,” Brock said. “You have to build a vehicle that goes a certain distance in a certain time, and you have to get that distance per-fectly and get that vehicle to go straight, too.”

Junior Frank Ni has been participating in Sci-ence Olympiad since seventh grade as well.

He enjoys the actual competition more than anything else.

“I think the competition [is fun] because you get goody bags and food and then you get to com-pete and it’s all exciting,” Ni said.

Ni thinks that the events, despite being fun, can also be quite intense.

“Some events are more diffi cult than oth-ers,” Ni said. “I personally think that some of the

events are out of high school level [curriculum], but some are perfect for high school students. I’m doing Physics Lab, which is basically the same thing as what we’re doing in AP Physics.”

Along with participating in Physics Lab, Ni also participated in Chem Lab.

Coach Robert Ferguson believes Science Olympiad is good for any student.

“Certainly, it’s a hands-on science in many levels,” Ferguson said. “But, in high school, you’re getting the experience of working in a laboratory situation, whether working with physics or apply-ing things that you learned in school. And it’s a lot of fun, it’s a team-building kind of thing, and people really get into it in that regard.”

February 13, 2009 NewsA2 Mt. Carmel SUN

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Clubs developed to make difference, plan events

New clubs endure multiple steps to become offi cial MATTHEW GELLER STAFF WRITER

“Someone wanted to make a club based on the study of vampires,” senior Brandon Yi, inter-club commissioner of ASB, said. It was at the height of the Twilight craze, and they planned to study “books by the original Dracula.”

The potential club never got past the fi rst tentative steps of registration. There has, however, been a plethora of other new clubs that have been formed during the school year. The process of becoming a club is fairly straightforward, but still diffi cult. First they must meet with the inter-club commissioner to begin the registration process. They must fi nd an advisor and potential members. Then their application must be looked over by the

student review board, and fi nally voted on in the Senate, where a majority is needed to pass. Controversial clubs may have diffi culty at this step.

“If you don’t get this stuff in, it’s a sure-fi re way to get disbanded,” Yi said. “In terms of adult supervision, there usually isn’t,” Yi said.

Despite trying to make the process as smooth as possible, making a club still isn’t easy. Junior David Suh, president of the In-visible Children Club, said fi nding an advisor was especially hard.

“We were lucky enough to fi nd Ms. Mul-len,” Suh said. Despite this, many clubs were able to successfully organize this year.

“Clubs are an integral part of school…Beyond just classes, clubs help defi ne stu-dents, and who they are,” Yi said.

Science Olympiad takes second place at regional competition

MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITOR George Lundie (9) and Avinash Nan-jundiah (9) work on an electric vehicle during the regional competition at Rancho Bernardo High School. The team compet-ed on Feb. 7 in multiple areas. They took second place, which is the best they have done in recent years.

DANIEL THAN | PHOTOGRAPHER Cecily Weir (12), the president of the Oceanography Club, facili-tates a meeting during lunch on Wednesday in science teacher Harold Dorr’s room. Like many clubs, the Oceanography Club is planning upcoming events including a trip to Catalina.

VINCENT PHAM STAFF WRITER

As 2009 is proclaimed as the year of “change” by our nation’s president, change is also taking place around cam-pus, with the addition of many new clubs. One noteworthy new club would be the Gay Straight Alliance. Senior Sarah Tran took it upon herself to re-activate the club, which was previously disbanded.

“I took the initiative myself be-cause I saw the cruel attitudes around campus towards students of a different sexual orientation,” Tran said. “I cre-ated GSA to make a more comfortable environment for those people.”

Their objective is to make a more accepting place at school where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual students can go for support without judgment. The club is open to all students regard-less of orientation and meetings are held at lunch on Mondays in room K1.

Another club is the Invisible Chil-dren Club, led by junior David Suh.

“Basically our club objective is to get the stories of the kids involved in

the war in Uganda out,” Suh said. “We want to raise awareness so people can help them and raise money for them. All the kids there have a different back-ground and a different story to share.”

During their meetings at lunch on Fridays in room E5, students get to watch an Invisible Children movie and discuss ideas in order to fundraise for the cause.

The new club Students without Borders aims to establish a scholarship in a third world country and meets on Thursdays at lunch in room H14.

They plan to target a school in Mexico and give a scholarship to a well-deserving student graduating there.

“I think the idea behind our club is an amazing idea,” senior Chiara Marug-gi said. “To be able to use your knowl-edge to teach others at your school and to give the money you earn to others is a pay-it-forward kind of thing. Because once you help that person, they will probably go on to help others.”

With these clubs being only a few of the handful of new clubs around campus, there is bound to be a club for everyone to get involved.

PARESH DAVE WEB EDITOR

About a dozen clubs are building holes for a mini-golf course so that the Inter-Club Commission can host a golf tournament in the quad March 18-19. Boomers, Full Swing Golf and Home Depot donated items for the course. Prizes will be awarded to clubs that make the best holes and players who shoot well. Individually, here’s a run down of what some clubs are up to.

AGAPEThe club will host a Bike-a-Thon

in April to raise funds for ACIRFA, an organization that provides Africans with bicycles.

BANDThe Jazz Ensemble performs on

the evening of Feb. 24 in the PAC.BADMINTON

A membership fee had to be in-stituted recently to pay for the replace-ment of damaged racquets, but the club still hosts a weekly tournament Thurs-days at lunch in the gym.

FUTURE DOCTORSLast week, an immunologist vis-

ited the club to provide an overview of what it took to become a doctor. A nurse will visit in the near future.

FUTURE LAWYERSCurrently, they are discussing mov-

ies that relate to law. Later plans include guest speakers and a court house visit.

JUNIOR CLASSTo raise money for Prom, juniors

are selling Dudley’s bread this month.PHILOSOPHY

Thursdays at lunch in U-8, students civilly argues over topics ranging from “Is it better to be feared or loved?” and “Do the pants defi ne the person or does the person defi ne the pants?”

PLUSIt will hold an All-Girls Forum on

Feb. 26 to discuss the negative infl u-ences of the media in girls’ lives.

ROCK CLIMBINGThey recently climbed and camped

just outside of Barstow. Future plans include a few gym trips in the coming weeks, a Mission Gorge climb in March and an eventual Big Bear trip.

UTOPIAN LEAGUE`The club hosts a beach clean-up

on Monday.

February 13, 2009News A3Mt. Carmel SUN

‘Seventeen’ Magazine features Scroop’s custom made tote bags in current issue

Winter Formal brings racing heartbeats to the Hall of Champions

MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITORKimberly Scroop (10) holds both her custom made tote bags and the March issue of “Seventeen” magazine, in which, she and her bags are featured. She sells her hand-made bags for $40.

MACKENZIE LANCESPORTS EDITOR

After weeks of catchy rap paro-dies on the Sundevil Broadcast, long ticket lines at the fi nance offi ce, and a dancing montage including a killer robot from Dr. Tom McCoy, Winter Formal will soon be upon us.

Tomorrow, over 400 Sundevils will head to the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park for a Winter Formal promising “Racing Heartbeats.”

The theme of the dance arose from a desire to condense romance and athletics into one phrase.

“We threw around a lot of ideas, and we really wanted to capitalize on the Valentine’s Day theme with hearts and love,” sophomore vice president Nicole Balagtas said. “We wanted to combine the sports aspect of the Hall of Champions and the hearts. We eventually put them together and came up with racing hearts.”

The “racing hearts” theme has led to an automotive racing motif, complete with fi nishing fl ags and bright racing stripes.

“The racing theme allows us to do really cool décor, like the checker-board pattern we’ve done on the en-trance to the school,” Balagtas said.

Although the theme is new, the location has been recycled from last year.

“We used the Hall of Champions last year, and it was re-ally a great experience for us,” Balagtas said. “The Hall of Cham-pions really helped us out last year because they already knew our DJ, and it made decorations really easy to put up.”

The location is simple to work with, and it gives MC some bragging rights.

“We had that advantage over the other schools, who have their winter formals in their gyms,” sophomore Alicia Bartick said. “We are the only school in our area that goes off-cam-pus, and it makes our dance really spe-cial.”

Besides decorations and an easy DJ, the location helps the ASB by attracting more students.

“More people come if the dance is off campus,” Bartick said. “It’s more exciting for the students if they can get away from the school.”

The downtown location adds a metropolitan feel for the dance.

An issue with this has been booking restaurants downtown.

Many adult couples made reservations moths in advance for Valentines Day, so MC students are blocked out of many desirable locales.

Even though some Sundevils have issues with pre-dance plans, the dance guarantees to get your heartbeats racing.

Support group expresses tough love to help students stop smoking marijuanaLAURA SLUSSERSTAFF WRITER

It was getting dark. Far off cheers from a wrestling match resounded through the buildings.

One door had a blue, make-shift sign taped to it, which read Z5.

There was a cop standing outside. Though the door was locked, a little light escaped from

the tightly shut blinds. Inside sat a ring of grim-looking parents, faces hard-

ened. A few teenagers sat on the fl oor, looking at the ground.

“I’ve really cut back, though,” one junior said, defend-ing herself.

Everyone was silent. Someone’s phone vibrated.The counselor reminded her that they advocate

just quitting, not “cutting back.” His voice was hardened with tough love.

After fi nishing with her, the counselor moved on, fo-cusing his caring, yet hawk-like eyes on another student, who was sitting on the couch.

“You look high right now,” the counselor said.Some soft chuckles echoed through the room. The

student denied it.“Are you ill?” Edna Mailey, head of MC’s Student Ser-

vices and the facilitator of Stop Smoking Class, said.The boy denied that too. The tension was almost tan-

gible.

This is Parent Support Group, for the parents of stu-dents trying to stop smoking marijuana.

“In this group we can be brutally honest...” one of the mothers of an MC alumnus said. “It can get a bit offensive and intense, but on the other side of that is understanding... Some of us come to the meetings initially with so much shame, guilt and embarrassment... [but] they understand.”

Mailey stressed that the support groups were abso-lutely necessary.

“It’s sad when it’s too late and they have to go away to rehab,” Mailey said. “...You have to change habits and you really have to change your mindset.”

Despite the assumed dark tone of the whole subject, there was still a strange aspect of humor and comfort.

At the in-school cessation class which start-ed this semester and met for the fi rst time last Fri-day, students went around the circle, introducing themselves and telling what they had smoked and for how long.

One student said he wasn’t going to lie—that he had smoked “bud” that morning.

“You don’t look high,” Mailey said. “I can tell.”The student just grinned, and chuckles echoed through-

out the classroom.One mother was specifi c about how much the support

group had changed her life.“The support classes have been a life saver, a marriage

saver, and a sanity saver,” she said. “My son would have been dead without the support of this group.”

NICOLE BUSTAMANTESTAFF WRITER

It was sophomore Kimberley Scroop’s 16th birthday, and as her present, she got 17 rolls of various colored duct tape, vinyl, and plain tote bags.

Every kid’s dream, right? Not exactly, although for this par-

ticular 16-year-old, it was just what she needed.

Scroop is what one might call a young entrepreneur. She hand makes and sells tote bags to people across the country.

“I’ve gotten orders from New York, Maine, North Carolina, and a humane society in Maryland that is just starting up,” Scroop said.

Scroop had a habit of cut-ting out pictures from magazines that caught her eye and one day it just clicked.

“I was really bored and I had al-ways cut out pieces of magazines,” Scroop said. “One day I laid them out on my table and looked over and saw my destroyed backpack, then I used clear tape to put all the pieces together, but now I use vinyl so its bet-ter.”

Luckily for Scroop her aunt had connections.

“My aunt, who works for Allure magazine and was the former deputy editor of ‘Seventeen’ magazine, no-ticed my bags so she asked me to make her one to take to work and everyone loved it,” she said.

After that, her aunt sent out the unique bag to “Seventeen” maga-zine, and within a few months she got an email asking her to be in the maga-zine.

“It was a really great feeling to real-

ize that a major company had noticed my work,” Scroop said.

Currently, Scroop’s business is fl ourishing.

With about fi ve orders a day, Scroop is a busy girl.

“Each bag takes about three hours to make, so balancing school, boxing, homework, is hard,” Scroop said.

Scroop manages to crank out sev-en bags a week with a routine of one day creating three fronts with vinyl and the next day doing three backs with vinyl.

She recently received her business license and has trademarked and copy-righted her bags.

Scroop makes bags for raffl es or charities, such as the humane society, for free.

She currently sells her bags for $40 although charges $6 extra for cross country shipping.

“I used to sell them for $20 but once I put together a spread sheet of everything including supplies I real-ized I was only making $2 per bag, so I raised the price,” Scroop said.

Though don’t be too intimi-dated by that price. Every bag is cus-tom made exactly the way you want it down to colors, pictures, and even your name.

The only thing Scroop does not put on the bags are celebrities’ faces because each celebrity has actually trademarked their face.

If you’d like to own one of these unique bags, you can contact her in a number of ways: via email at 858bags@gmail.com, through MySpace at mys-pace.com/858bags, and soon a website: 858bags.com.

However, if you don’t have a spare $40 hanging around, you can always go to mcsun.org for your chance to win a free bag.

UPCOMING SUNDEVIL EVENTS

FEBRUARY 13 AND 26GRAD NIGHT TICKETS SOLD ON CAMPUS

COST IS $70CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE FOR $70 THROUGH

FEB. 28

FEBRUARY 13 CHOIR OF MT. CARMEL VALENTINE’S CONCERT

7 P.M. AT THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTERTICKETS ARE $7

JOSTEN’S CAP AND GOWN ORDERS ON CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 14WINTER FORMAL:

RACING HEARTBEATS8-11 P.M. AT HALL OF CHAMPIONS

FEBRUARY 24JAZZ ENSEMBLE IN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

COACH JOHNSON GETS AWARD

MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITORCoach Gail Miller and Coach Jose Campo surround Coach Glen Johnson as he raises the award he received from the wrestling team to honor all he’s done at MC.

February 13, 2009

Sun SpreadMt. Carmel SUN A5 A4 Mt. Carmel SUN

San Diego Music SceneMC bANDS rock san diego

tHE cOLORSName: The Colors

Genre: Alternative/ Electro-popNext Show: Feb. 14 @ Metaphor Café

Although they have only been playing together for a few months, “The Colors” already have a pretty decent fanbase. “Myspace is a big part of it,” sophomore Alex Perez said. “People here are really supportive.” All members of the band go here, and they played at Senior Breakfast last October. Musically, they have changed a great deal since then. “That’s not even what we sound like anymore,” Perez said.

“We have a show coming up on valentines day at the Metaphor Café in Escondido, it would be great to see a large turnout from the MC students that night” senior Kyle Covey said.

Name: Unknown MotiveGenre: Ska/ Punk

Next Show: Feb. 28 @ Soma

Probably the most famous band at MC, Unknown Motive has been together since middle school. “They started a year before me, but I’ve been playing with them for fi ve years,” senior Lars Rasmussen said. Rasmussen plays bass for the band, senior Wade Morris is the lead singer and guitarist, and senior Isaiah Nery plays drums. Although they don’t have a record deal at the moment, it’s not because the music industry isn’t interested in them. “We’ve been offered a contract before but we declined,” Rasmussen said.

uNKNOWN MOTIVE

MARTYRS OF CAINName: Martyrs of Cain

Genre: Experimental RockNext Show: Late March @ the Epicentre

“We started playing together over Christmas break in 2008,” junior Scott Hanson said. “Tucker [Morrisson] and I had been in a band previously and started our own project when he left the band for musical differences.” Hanson does vocals and plays guitar, junior Matt Terrones is on bass, and senior Tucker Morrisson (from San Pasqual) plays drums. They already released their fi rst single, “Catch 22” on Myspace, but are just focused on having fun. “[Getting a record deal] isn’t the main focus for us. It never should be, because you should play music for the love of playing music, and not to become famous.”

Local bands achieve national fame

Name: Deadbeat BabiesGenre: Ska/ Punk

Next Show: Feb. 20 @ King’s Music

Junior Matt Terrones and the Deadbeat Babies already have a couple of albums out. All of its members go to MC, and they enjoy just playing for fun. “My other band [Blaupunkt] gives away all its music for free,” Terrones said. “We don’t really like mixing fun with business. Music should be about fun, not making money.” Junior Blake Caminos shares the same view.

“Music is life and it will always be that way for Matt, Tyler, and I,” Caminos said. “This band is about the music, not just about money and getting our name out there.”

dEADBEAT BABIESsd venues offer locals musical mecca

Where do you spend your nights when music is your life? There’s only one place: in the crowd at any of the local venues San Diego has to offer.

Hot Monkey Love CaféCafé by day and musical Mecca by night, this is by

far one of the most unique musical experiences in San Diego. The name truly says it all.

Prices for shows at this El Cajon cafe are reasonable, especially considering that the money supports local music.

They may not attract quite the same level of crowds as Soma, but that is a small concession for the personal feel Hot Monkey Love Café offers.

The rawness and informality adds a lot to the personal nature of this musical experience.

SomaEver wonder where local bands that hit the big time

like Buck-O-Nine, Unwritten Law, and Blink-182 got their start? All these careers were launched at Soma, a venue that attracts not only locals, but also bigger bands than some of the more eccentric places.

One of its biggest virtues is the quality of sound. Being a part of the huge crowd that gathers around the main stage at Soma is the best way to get a smaller concert experience with bigger bands and local bands alike.

House of BluesHouse of Blues attracts, by far, the most mainstream

and popular bands. This venue is located downtown in an unexpected location, under the House of Blues restaurant.

House of Blues, while providing great sound, can sometimes be too commercial for the taste of many locals.

One of the weirder features of HOB is that the stage seems to be higher up than at other venues. Another negative is that shows are all too often 21 and up.

However, if mainstream music is what you crave, HOB may be the perfect place to satisfy your craving.

EpicentreEpicentre, located in Mira Mesa, is a haven for up

and coming local bands to get some publicity. Shows here are often cheap and represent a unique

sampling across the spectrum of musical styles found in San Diego.

Bands often interact with the crowd more often at this small venue. Epicentre just seems to have a spontaneous vibe that can only be found at the most obscure local musical hangouts.

Epicentre guarantees a crazy, unpredictable concert experience.

>> Kylie Baranowski

San Diego has become a stop on big-name tours year round, and a destination for major festivals like Street Scene and Coachella, mainly due to its proximity to the music hub of the west coast.

But it has also emerged as the birthplace of a sizable array of musicians with the talent and willpower to make it big.

Before the debut of alternative rock in the late 80s, there were few famous musicians with ties to the city. George Harrison spent his last here,

Chris Hillman (The Byrds) went to San Dieguito Academy, and Jim Morrison (The Doors) grew up in Clairemont from age eight.

Still, there is little doubt that the San Diego music scene had its heyday in the 1990s, when bands like Nirvana and Pear Jam (the singer of which went to San Dieguito as well) dominated the industry.

But there has been a steady output of internationally recognized groups since then.

Blink 182Tom Delonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis

Barker of Poway, CA, are known for their juvenile, punk personalities that come through in their music.

Although the group of Poway High alumni went on hiatus in 2005, Blink announced their reunion last Sunday, Feb. 8, onstage at the 51st annual Grammy awards. Said Hoppus, “Blink 182 is back!”

Buck-o-NineTaking inspiration from Operation Ivy, the

Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and the Specials, the third-wave ska band Buck-o-Nine emerged from San Diego County in 1991.

They played a series of major dates in the mid-1990s, after gaining heavy support and airtime on San Diego’s 91X, and being pulled from a largely underground local ska scene.

Their walking bass lines, offbeat rhythms, and busy horn sections are still revisited by young local bands in Buck-o-Nine’s old haunts of SOMA and the Epicentre.

Said in one of their most famous singles about America’s Finest City, “My soul is sound when I’m in my hometown” (“My Town”).

Louis XIVLouis XIV, the cheeky quartet of the

southwest indie scene, was founded amidst Marxist meetings, have been banned from [an] Alabama [high school], and have become known for “music to fl unk rehab to” (NME).

Anyone who has seen Louis XIV live will say they have a strong and undeniably dark presence about them. It’s hard to imagine the group being so fi rmly rooted to sunny southern California. And yet, they grew up here, they rose to fame here, and they still call San Diego home.

PinbackIn 1998, Armistead Burwell Smith IV and

Rob Crow came together from previous projects Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable to realize the summery indie rock band Pinback.

They struck fame with a radio gem “Penelope,” a smooth score about their pet goldfi sh. The old-time hit has since become what “Float On” is to Modest Mouse. Nevertheless, Smith, Crow, and their compadres on drums and keyboard have

been able to produce countless lasting treasures, especially in their 2004 album Summer in Abaddon, from right here in San Diego.

Stone Temple PilotsSTP was one of the most popular yet

brutally criticized rock bands of the ‘90s. And much of their lives—even after

becoming one of the most famous hard rock groups of the decade—have been spent in and around the San Diego region.

Founding members Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo met and bonded through their experience dating the same woman, whose SD apartment they moved into after she left town.

They played the clubs of SD County, where they were originally known as Mighty Joe Young, to bypass LA’s corporate scene.

Weiland spent 1996 in a Pasedena rehab center to get over his various drug additions.

>> Melanie Dickinson

>> Erica Byerley

PHOTOS BY: MATT COFFELT, ANA ALVAREZ, AND DANIEL THAN | PHOTO EDITOR AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

If under pressure, how prepared are we?

Smoke starts creeping from underneath a nearby door frame. Only one person notices, but he quickly alerts the people around him. Everyone scrambles from place to place, a cat goes fl ying, door knobs are checked for warmth and someone has a heart attack.

This scene played out in the episode of “The Offi ce” that aired immediately following the Super Bowl. The power-hungry rules-stickler Dwight Schrute had purposefully set a controlled fi re in the offi ce to test the emergency response of his co-workers.

Recently, I left my car parked unattended in a neighborhood while out with a friend. During this time, some of my other friends, who had knowledge of how to enter my locked car, thought it would be appropriate to switch one of the car’s rear tires with the spare tire.

Knowing that I would have no idea how to change the tire back, they stuck around to instruct me. To be exact, one of them said “this was a training exercise.” You see, had this been a real emergency, and I had to change my tires on the fl y—would I have known what to do? Absolutely not. Sure, there’s AAA. But, there could always be unforeseen circumstances.

The stress of that situation would not have helped out, but in this controlled situation, I had a crutch to fall back on. A master at changing tires hovered over me, analyzing and guiding my every move.

Now, were one of my tires to suddenly rupture, I feel confi dent that I could replace it with the spare. I know to always loosen the lug nuts in a diagonal pattern and exactly where to place the jack.

In “The Offi ce” episode, Schrute had the same intentions as my friends: to teach and to test. Their methods in executing their goals are something all of us might be able to learn from. I’m not advocating setting part of the school ablaze in future fi re drills, but a little smoke and mirrors might do some good.

Maybe even bring out some fi re engines and see what happens when they can’t squeeze through the fi re lanes in the back of the school because teachers have parked along the road. There’s a reason teachers have been issued tickets for that violation.

Even more specifi c to each of us, isn’t it imperative for us to know how to use a fi re extinguisher in a hurry? I’m sure they work pretty simply, but I have defi nitely never held one.

Everyone knows how to fl ick the switch of a fl ashlight, but why don’t we get tested on the Heimlich maneuver or CPR every year? Through us for a loop, see how we respond. All I remember is that in “The Offi ce,” they got the “Annie! Annie!” part down, but no one was ordered to “Call 911!” following the heart attack. Sure, Michael got in trouble for Schrute’s actions, but they all learned a lesson in the end.

We have resources and procedures in place in the case of an emergency, but if only some of us understand how to operate and follow them, are we really prepared?

I know I am set for at least one situation. Put a nail under my tire. I dare you. When my tire rips, it will annoy me, but not perplex me. I know how to put my tire iron, spare tire and car jack to work.

February 13, 2008OpinionsA6 Mt. Carmel SUN

Glued to a screen

Paresh Dave

STAFF EDITORIAL

Tier 2 regulations ignored, poorly enforced; stricter rules vital to enhancing gradesMELISSA ROADMANEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Drive down Sundevil Way on any given morning, and you are sure to fi nd almost all of the parking spots on “Sophomore Hill” empty.

Last year after the fi rst six weeks of the semester, this was not the case.

Students who were on tier 2 fi lled these spots, but not anymore.

The tier 2 system has been relaxed dra-matically from last year.

According to the MC handbook, a stu-dent will be placed on tier 2 if they receive a D or F, have four or more hours of truancy, have earned less than a 2.0 or a “U” in citizenship marks, and those who have been suspended from school.

The MC handbook also says that students on tier 2 will lose their privileges to park in the parking lot, obtain off campus lunch passes, attend dances and school events, and a variety of other incentives.

In the previous years, the tier 2 system was enforced strictly, and grades were the de-termining factor for daily tasks like parking in the parking lot or attending fun school events, such as dances.

This worked well as students who were on tier 2 as a result of poor achievement felt the pain with a two minute walk from their car to school or not being able to go with their friends to a school function.

According to the bulletin on Monday, Feb. 2, in order to get your lunch pass re-newed, you must have over a 2.0. The imple-mentation does not match the rules set in the MC Handbook.

A 2.0 is not the same thing as having one D or F, having poor citizenship or work hab-its, or chronic tardiness.

Earlier in the year, the seniors on tier 2 were asked to stay after senior breakfast to clean up, but few did.

Those students who are not behaving correctly in the school environment or who are not taking their education seriously should be punished by losing privileges such as park-ing in the parking lot.

Not only are the rules being relaxed, but there are easy ways to get off of tier 2. It used to be that your grades needed to improve over six weeks, but now you can be taken off by blue cards, an allotted amount of tutorial time, and/or Saturday School.

Many students work hard to maintain their grades, get to school on time and have high citizenship marks in order to stay off tier 2.

If there is loose enforcement or an easy way to get off tier 2, what is the incentive to not come to school late?

A stricter enforcement and harder ways of getting off of tier 2 will make the “behav-ioral punishment system” more fair, not to mention, free up a few spots in the packed parking lot.

Relationships 101: Dating‘When girls ask guys out’VANDANA BHAIRISTAFF WRITER

She just sat in front of the com-puter, staring at her blank screen until she decided what she was going to do. She had written the sentence out a mil-lion times but deleted it a million and one.

Her hands shaking, she slowly typed, “Hey, will you go out with me?” and pressed the Enter button before she could change her mind again.

Now, all she could do was wait for a response.

With Winter Formal tomorrow, the need to fi nd a date has never been so urgent.

While many girls leave the ask-ing up to the guys, some took it upon themselves.

Although some people may not like it when the girl asks out the guy, I fi nd no problem with it.

Just think about it. A girl asks a guy out. He says yes and they go to the dance, in one scenario.

How will it be any different than if he asked her?

The guy is still the guy and the girl is still the girl.

The way they dance would still be the same, what they wear would be the same – there’s no difference whatso-ever. End of story.

As long as the two have feelings for each other, it shouldn’t matter. Their re-

lationship wouldn’t be any different or unequal to a relationship in which the guy asked the girl out.

In addition, when a girl asks the guy, it shows a kind of outgoing and confi dent side of the girl.

Although it is great to be confi -dent and outgoing, you should fi rst be completely comfortable with what you are doing. Asking out a guy shouldn’t be forced.

Some might say that it is “always the guy’s job to ask the girl,” or that “it has always been done that way.”

Personally, I think that girls asking guys out is the new tradition.

It shows just how far we have come as a society.

Decades ago, it was only the men who would “make a move,” but now look at us!

Girls can ask guys without getting weird stares walking down the hallway.

However, ladies, if you try this and it doesn’t work out the way you would like, just remember that it is always bet-ter to know that you tried than to have never tried at all. There are plenty of fi sh in the sea.

I have asked out a guy, and even though it may not have worked out be-tween him and me, it has worked out for a lot of girls that I know.

So girls just take in a deep breath and go for it.

You never know what could hap-pen.

Organization key for success through school; tabbed binders, planners, Cornell notes prove benefi cialALISON ASHWORTHBUSINESS MANAGER

She quickly twirls the dial of her lock, yanks on it, and pulls open her locker door. An avalanche of textbooks and binders fl ow out. They fall onto the ground and sweep up into the commotion of the passing period.

For some MC students, a locker is a place to keep books, lunches, and assignments to avoid the agonizing back cramps and shoulder stiffness that the 600 page textbooks infl ict upon us.

However, other students use it as a place to shove and push trash, old papers, and unwanted items.

Messy and chaotic lockers tend to turn into a giant black hole. You keep stuffi ng and pushing until things disappear. Papers are lost, and assignments become wrinkled and torn.

Being well organized helps improve your grades. It also lowers your stress level by not losing or ruining important assignments.

To help stay organized, separate your classes’ assignments using binders. You can have one binder per class, or combine two sub-jects together.

Tabs help separate papers and make things

easier to fi nd. They are made to help you, so use them.

Planners are available at the student store at the beginning of the year for $5. They are used to help remember homework and other important events. Each day has a separate box to help you stay on task.

MC students who use planners, binders fi lled with tabs, and who clean their lockers properly have no problem staying organized.

Those who just throw things into their backpack become careless and sloppy with

their schoolwork.To make sure that

they take helpful notes, some MC students use the Cornell format.

Fold a third of the paper back on the left side. This is where you will write questions or key words and ideas that are important.

This format of note taking will help you study. Read the side with the questions, and answer them.

Checking Learningpoint daily will also help you stay on task with all of your classes.

Teachers update their class site as often as they feel necessary, so constantly check for new updates.

It is the beginning of the semester, and the new year, so make your resolution to stay organized and neat until the end of the year.

The lines were very long. And yet, questions were an-

swered and problems were taken care of quickly.

The Sun Center works very hard to please the students, espe-cially at the beginning of the new semester.

Counselors work to get stu-dents out of classes they don’t want, fi ll open periods and make sure every student is at least somewhat happy with their new schedule. This is not an easy job.

The people who work in the Sun Center are constantly opening their doors to students who seek opportunities for extracurricular ac-tivities and college.

The counselors are delighted to help students plan out their next years at MC and also give any help

they can to seniors applying for col-lege.

The work the Sun Center does for our school is underappreciated and needs to be awknowledged.

Every day, many students go into the Sun Center to ask ques-tions.

Some students take for granted how easy it is to get answers to their questions.

The Sun Center helps to make every MC student’s life a little bit easier. In the Sun Center, counsel-ors are there to answer questions, college and scholarship guidebooks are available to browse, and career ambassadors are scheduled to visit.

However, the Sun Center is not the only place students can go for help.

Student Services now has its

base in room U-1 under the watch-ful eye of Edna Mailey.

These ladies who work for Stu-dent Services create opportunities many students aren’t even aware of.

They organized a collection of books and movies for sick children at Rady Children’s Hospital.

They collect gently used prom dresses so girls who don’t have a fortune to spend on a gown can still look beautiful on prom night.

They also have snacks for hun-gry students to have during break.

Overall, the Sun Center and Student Services rooms are good places for students to go if they have any questions or need guid-ance.

These places are the essence of MC, and our school would not run as smoothly without them.

Sun Center, Student Services underappreciated; both provide counseling, guidance for students

AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTOGRAPHER

CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST

“MC students who use planners, binders fi lled with tabs, and who clean their lockers properly have no problem staying organized.”

Sophomore counselor Kim Bronson assists Akari Uehara (10) in organizing her schedule. The Sun Center helps all students with fi xing schedules, writing letters of recommendation, and improving grades. Student Services also provides students with snacks and guidamce.

February 13, 2009Opinions A7Mt. Carmel SUN

Should the prisoners from Guantanamo Bay be brought to the U.S.?

Sundevil PerspectiveFreshman

Shuchi Chaturvedi

TeacherProfe Cashion

SeniorMichael Hicks

JuniorBrad Catcott

SophomoreAlyssa Garcia

ThumbsToday is Friday the 13th. All tests postponed due to high

probability of failure.

-Kelly Fan

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. I can’t wait to spend the night with my two favorite guys, Ben

and Jerry.

- Sara Shantz

40 below across the country. 80 here. You can’t hate winters in

California.

-Erica Byerley

February has � nally arrived. Wake me up for graduation.

-Kylie Baranowski

“No, because we don’t want them to endanger the U.S. or inhabit our already full

jails.”

“Yes, because even though they haven’t been proven guilty, they should still serve time for what

they probably did.”

“No, because we shouldn’t put those kinds of people

on American soil.”

“No, because they might kill our children or lead them

down the wrong path.”

“I don’t care where you put them. The real question

should be, ‘have they got their due process rights?’

Mt. Carmel High School 9550 Carmel Mtn. Rd. San Diego CA 92129 (858)484-1180 ext. 3211 rmercurio@powayusd.com

http://www.mcsun.org

Our mission is to provide the MC community with an informative, accurate and respectful student-run publication. The SUN seeks to stimulate the

discussion of issues in order to promote a more aware student body. Whether informing, voicing opinion, or entertaining, the SUN strives for standards of

balance and good taste.

Melissa Roadman Editor-in-Chief

Rick MercurioAdvisor

Catherine JaravataAssistant Advisor

Craig RacicotPhoto Advisor

The Mt. Carmel SUN is the offi cial newspaper of Mt. Carmel High School, published by its Journalism 2 students. The views expressed in the SUN do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Mt. Carmel High School administration or PUSD Board of Education. Unsigned editorials refl ect the beliefs of the SUN editorial board. The SUN is a student open forum, and all fi nal content decisions are made by its student editors. Letters to the Editor are welcome and should be signed. For advertising rates and information please call, email, or write the SUN at the address above.

EditorsKatelyn Cutts NewsKylie Baranowski CenterRachel Martin OpinionsMackenzie Lance SportsKevin Lage EntertainmentKaveri Gyanendra FeaturesParesh Dave WebCathy McDermott CopyMatt Coffelt PhotoStaff WritersVandana BhairiNicole BustamanteErica ByerleySarah CarriganMelanie DickinsonKelly FanMatthew GellerLauren HallCordell HunterAbby MansourKaren MichelAditi PaiVincent PhamShayon SaidSara ShantzLaura SlusserDennis SunJordan UgaldeSean WilliamsStaff PhotographersAna AlvarezMary Carmen GonzalezAllison RogersAmanda Stintman Daniel ThanKyle CoveyArtists Christian JunAlyssa SurmillonBusiness ManagerAlison AshworthMegan Ashworth

MT. CARMEL SUN

YES NO CORDELL HUNTERSTAFF WRITER

When Barack Obama became president, one of his fi rst acts was to close the shady government prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Since 2000, prisoners classifi ed as “enemy combatants” have been shipped to the prison and held with-out trial.

Now that the prison is closing, most of the untried prisoners will be released.

Those deemed too dangerous to be released will be taken back to the U.S. to stand trial for their crimes.

Many of the prisoners that are going to be set free have either done nothing wrong or committed very small crimes.

There is no question, then, that those detainees should be released into the U.S.

If their own countries won’t take them back, our government has a responsibility to the people they kid-napped and imprisoned without just cause.

The lives of the prisoners have been destroyed and according to truthout.org, many are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other conditions acquired

during their time at the detention fa-cility.

Since the U.S. has some of the top doctors and medical profession-als in the world, it seems only fair to the detainees to let them come to the U.S. and get the best treatment they can.

It is also important that the Guantanamo Bay inmates be released into the U.S. because of the terrorist problems in their own home coun-tries.

The detainees have been humili-ated; some have been tortured and most probably feel some degree of resentment towards the U.S.

This makes them prime recruit-ment targets for groups like the Tali-ban and Al Quaeda, who prey on people’s emotions to persuade them to join.

Suddenly, those who were once regarded as supposed terrorists will become actual terrorists with a ha-tred against the U.S. for causing their troubles.

While suspected terrorists are bad, true terrorists are several times worse.

The only way to avoid this is to face up to the fact that this country has ruined the detainees lives and let them seek asylum here.

MATTHEW GELLERSTAFF WRITER

For many years, the name Guan-tanamo Bay has been synonymous with the injustices of the presidency. Now, as Guantanamo Bay is in the process of closing down its prison section, America is faced with the question of where to put these high-ly dangerous criminals and terrorists. The answer, according to some, is more obvious than anyone would have thought. These highly danger-ous prisoners should be brought onto U.S. soil.

Ethics demand that these pris-oners be moved from Guantanamo Bay. However, common sense dic-tates that they should not be brought to the U.S. Many of these prisoners were captured halfway around the world. Why should we give them a free plane ride to the U.S.?

These people are dangerous. That’s why they were brought to Guantanamo. Many of those freed from Guantanamo have since joined terrorist organizations.

Arguably, these prisoners will be brought to high security prisons. That’s fi ne; just have these prisons on another continent, preferably with at least an ocean and two major

mountain ranges in between. If they are just as safe in any prison in the U.S., then they’ll be just as safe out of it. It’s just common sense.

Guantanamo Bay was notorious because of its reputation for torture and suspension of the writ of ha-beas corpus. If this is stopped, there is absolutely no reason to bring the prisoners to the U.S.

What people should be asking is not why we shouldn’t bring the prisoners to the U.S., but why we should. There is no benefi t in bring-ing highly dangerous individuals to the U.S., high security prisons or not. Moving them can only result in com-plications.

This whole mess began over the violation of the rights of prisoners in Guantanamo. Even if they were brought to the U.S., the only result would be further quibbling over le-galities, and the potential release of dangerous terrorists.

Having the prisoners moved to the U.S. has nothing at all to do with the original issue. People who sup-port the move of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the U.S. cannot take the moral high ground this time. They need to state clearly what benefi t there is in bringing highly dangerous prisoners onto U.S. soil.

TeacherKristine Adams

MATT COFFELT | PHOTO EDITOR

CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST

February 13, 2009OpinionsA8 Mt. Carmel SUN

Teenage Communication

DENNIS SUNSTAFF WRITER

Being able to communicate with friends at a distance is often a good thing. You can fi nd out what assign-ments are for homework, or what website you should look at to watch funny videos when procrastinating.

Telecommunication al-lows friends to meet from great distances.

However, it also takes away the real-life necessity and humanity of a conversa-tion.

When dealing with real people, acronyms and short-ening of words as people do when texting normally aren’t used. Most of those phrases can’t even be pronounced with English phonics (like WTH). Also, communicating only through the Internet or SMS takes away a person’s experience in interacting with real people.

Speaking online, not see-ing a person’s face and not

hearing their words, takes away the emotion and personality the speaker could have expressed in a real-life conversation.

Also, sometimes the way words are read through messaging can con-vey a different meaning than what the author intends. For example, when speaking in ALL CAPS, the author may seem to be shouting or angry, which may not necessarily be their intention.

These kinds of prob-lems don’t show up in every-day conversations between friends, which could be one reason why it’s better to speak in person rather than over the Internet or text messaging.

It’s understandable that some people are too busy or unable to fi nd time to talk in person. However, it’s still very important to speak with real people relatively often.

Unless, of course, you’re fi ne with being socially awk-ward when talking to real people because you lack the experience to do so in a non-awkward fashion.

CORDELL HUNTERSTAFF WRITER

There is one word that has the ability to strike fear into the hearts of teenagers everywhere: parents.

Most teenagers view them as a major source of pain, frustra-tion, and, perhaps most of all, punishments.

But parents also have the abilities to give things and grant privileges. It’s a known fact that many parents can be like dyna-mite.

Treat them badly, and they will probably blow up in your face, but if you are nice, (some-what) obedient, and have their trust, they will be more likely to listen to you.

That is why teenagers should talk to their parents.

They don’t know how trust-worthy or nice you are (they might not even know you exist), unless you come out of your cave and have a conversation with them.

Instead of coming home and barging up to your room to sulk and do your homework, consider doing it at the dining table where they can see you.

If you have a question about something, ask your parents for

help; they might just know something you don’t. Unspoken communication is another way to gain the trust of

your parents. If you think your parents suck and don’t do anything for you,

it might be because you either don’t listen or you just don’t care. If your parents are trying to tell you something, avoid the im-

pulse to turn up your iPod and nod absentmindedly. Instead, actually listen to what they have to say. You might just fi nd that your parents are a lot less mean once you start paying attention to them.

Obedience is another big thing for parents. Once you have started listening to your parents, the next step toward nicer par-ents is doing (most) of what they tell you to do.

This is even harder to do than listening, but it will pay off in the end. If you do what they ask, they’ll be more inclined to do what you ask, as well as grant you more privileges and free-dom. Communication is a neces-

sary skill in life. It is no less important when trying to get along with your parents. You’ll never gain their trust if you don’t listen to what they have to say or do what they tell you to.

Talk with your parents. You might just fi nd that your life be-comes easier.

SARA SHANTZSTAFF WRITER

Buzzz…she looked down at her vibrating phone to see that her crush had texted her. She had no idea what to do, what to say, how to act…so, naturally, she called her three best friends for backup.

The four girls all sat around in a circle racking their brains for the perfect response.

These days, it seems like most teenagers have a Myspace, Face-book, AIM, and a cell phone with texting.

All of these methods of com-munication allow you to have an entire relationship with someone without even talking face-to-face.

While that may be convenient and allow you to multi task, it can make talking to people in person, especially with someone you like, awkward. When you communicate with someone using Myspace, Face- book, AIM, or through text, you have time to plan out the perfect thing to say to that special someone. You can also avoid having awkward silences.

If you are really stuck, you even have time to call your friends and ask for their advice. In person, y o u

don’t have these same luxuries. Even if you talk to someone constantly through technology, it’s just

not the same as talking to them in person. With time to think of a response and get help from your friends, you’re

not getting to know the real them.

Only by talking to them face-to-face and spending time with them can you really expect to get to know someone. The more you rely on technology to commu-nicate, the more forced your conversations be-come in person.

Commun i c a t i ng mostly through technol-ogy also makes it im-possible to have a deep conversation with the object of your affec-tion.

Technology should be a part of teenage rela-tionships. A good morn-

ing text message is always cute, but when your

entire relationship comes through text, you have a problem.

WAYS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR PARENTAL UNITS

--ACTUALLY TALK TO THEM WHEN YOU GET HOME FROM SCHOOL.

--DON’T AVOID THE DINNER TABLE. USE THE TIME TO HAVE DISCUS-SIONS WITH YOUR PARENTS.

--PUT YOUR CELL PHONE AWAY.

--THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.

--IF THEY PUNISH YOU, LISTEN TO THEIR REASONING. CHANCES ARE, THEY WILL BE MORE OPEN TO LISTENING TO YOUR SIDE.

--DON’T PURPOSELY AVOID ‘FAMILY TIME.’

Stimulating conversation improves relationships with parents; will result in more freedom, privileges

Talking only through technology takes away real-life aspect of conversations

Students rely on technology to improve relationships; causes dry conversations

36%OF STUDENTS SAID THEY USUALLY

COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS IN PERSON

9%OF STUDENTS SAID THEY USUALLY

COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS ON THE PHONE

43%OF STUDENTS SAID THEY USUALLY

COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS TROUGH TEXT MESSAGES

12%OF STUDENTS SAID THEY USUALLY

COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS THROUGH THE INTERNET

*268 STUDENTS POLLED

MELISSA ROADMANEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

We’re a continent away from each other, yet with the click of the mouse, it is like she is sitting right next to me.

My sister is currently studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, but with the technology of Skype, we can see each other and talk as if we are in a room together.

Skype allows you to use video messaging, so you can see and hear the person talking.

For people who have siblings who have moved away from home, this and other technology is essential in keeping close ties.

With two sisters who live across the country, one in Texas and the other in Rhode Island (who is currently in Spain), technology--cell phones, emailing, and texting-- is what has kept us together.

Text messaging provides a quick way to send a message or have a brief check-in.

Lives are busy and in different time zones, text messaging provides an easy

way to communicate and drop a quick message.

Texting is also convenient for those who have siblings who are older that you may need a ride from.

A simple “I’m ready to be picked up” message can save minutes on the phone and be done as fast as your fi ngers can hit 19 keys.

Other social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace help siblings stay connected by being able to view pictures of their siblings.

Most everyone has a cell phone, which is the best way to stay connected with siblings who live far away.

It’s comforting to hear you sibling’s voice and chat about the latest happenings.

Phone conversations can last for hours and are more personal than any other form of communication other than a face-to-face conversation.

While it can be diffi cult to have a sibling, someone who you have grown up

with your whole life, be so far away, the technology of today helps

siblings stay connected and a prominent part of each

other’s lives.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARY CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophomore brothers Max Latifi (10) and Brandon Latifi (10) communicate using the Internet. Many students use advanced technology to improve their relationships rather than face-to-face discussions.

Phones, Internet help sibling communication