We are born to seek the truth!O c t . 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 www.cvhsolympian.comVolume 58, Issue 1

Is the dress code

unfair?

This year at CVHS, things are a little bit different. The lunch lines have changed, the trees in the courtyard are still littered with toilet paper from last year’s senior

prank, and there’s been a shift in administration. One big change to the school this year, however, is the enforcement of the dress code.

The dress code’s purpose, ac-cording to the student handbook, is to “promote a serious academic atmosphere and assure the physi-

cal and emotional safety of every individual.” Now, administrators are beginning a crack down on the dress code, including stronger consequences, and warning of dress code sweeps.

By Lauren JelksA&E Editor

The computer labs in the 300 and 700 halls have been closed down and four Chromebook carts have taken their place. The two former labs now stand as classrooms.

Although having the four carts instead of just two labs would ide-ally improve the competition for computer time, other issues have now arisen.

One such difficulty is transport-ing the carts through crowded hallways.

“Labs have to be moved if they’re mobile. They may have to get across campus by the next period,” said Assistant Principal Jesse Hansen.

A solution for this is to space out the location of the carts around campus so teachers will be able to sign up for the cart nearest them. Some possible locations for the carts are the 100 and 300 halls and two in the 700 hall.

The Chromebooks are definitely

Students show off their bellies, in violation of the dress code. Alison dhont / photo editor

Dress code: skin considered sin?

Chromebooks replace computer labs See DRESS: Page 8

more updated than the computers in the labs were, and students can even connect to the school’s wire-less network on them, but they lack printing capabilities. It’s possible for students to share and turn in documents via Google Docs, but it’s a hassle for teachers who need hard copies of their students’ work.

“One of the issues that have been stressing English teachers out is they can’t hand edit or peer review documents shared in Google Docs. They’d have to print them all out,” said Hansen. “In the long run, as we move away from paper, it’ll be easier.”

According to Hansen, copying and printing is one of the school’s highest expenses.

A benefit to the Chromebook carts is that there are now more computers available for stu-dents. Each cart carries around 36 Chromebooks, and with four of those plus the media lab, which is still in use, it has been slightly easier to sign up for them.

“The idea is to get every student

a computer. Eventually everyone can have their own,” said teacher Jeffrey Goldstein.

“The Chromebooks are really cool. I love how teachers are willing to incorporate computers into learning, something that will inevitably be done because of this technological revolution,” said se-nior Carmen Hom. “It immediately makes everyone more interested in the activity.”

By Rachel DuCity Editor

Espresso machine brews controversy

A $14,000 espresso machine made no coffee but brewed plenty of controversy in the Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). School board members unani-mously approved the purchase of the machine on Sept. 12, resulting in an overwhelming backlash from parents and residents. The district put the purchase on hold on Sept. 25.

The CVUSD released a state-ment on the decision, saying, “Our community hears us when we ask for their support and, in turn, we must hear them when they raise questions and concerns. I hope the decision to revisit the purchase reflects our commitment to be responsible partners with our community members and staff.”

According to FAQs released by the CVUSD, the espresso machine was intended as part of a catering service being developed by the Child Nutrition Department, a program aimed to create money for the district spending budget. Without the service, the depart-ment would not be able to make up for its operating costs, and the expense would need to be covered by the general fund, the reserve also used to purchase classroom materials and other educational supplies.

The catering program would be used to provide food and re-freshments to district events such as school workshops and board committee meetings. These events have previously been catered by outside vendors. By having its own program, the district intended to cut costs.

The machine in question, of-ficially called the Schaerer Coffee Art, would have been used to make coffee, tea, apple cider, to steam milk and to heat water. The Schaerer web site says “all trendy coffee beverages can be produced by just pressing one single button,” but school board member Janice Friesen, who spoke on behalf of

the board, maintained that there would be no gourmet drinks produced.

“It (the machine) just happens to be called ‘espresso,’ ” she said. “We’re not talking lattes or mo-chas.”

The catering service itself will be in the CVHS cafeteria, although the district says the program won’t disrupt the students’ meals, and coffee wouldn’t have been sold to students.

Friesen also pointed out that a major reason the espresso ma-chine specifically was purchased was because the current method of using regular coffee machines often blows the circuit breakers in the kitchens.

Many parents and students, however, were in uproar over the extraneous cost of the espresso machine, which totaled $14,099.47.

When the news broke of the decision, frustrated citizens took to the Castro Valley News Facebook page to voice their opinions. A for-mer resident said, “An enormous amount of funds was put out for the enjoyment of the board and in no way was there any benefit to the schools or their students.” Another user stated that until the machine was returned, she will “never do-nate another dime to the CVUSD.”

Many others pointed out cheap-er machines and drink options, and the overwhelming majority sup-ported the return of the espresso machine.

Dot Theodore, a candidate for the upcoming school board elec-tion, agrees that the purchase would not have the most beneficial use of district money, and voices concern over the specifics of the catering program.

“The fact that the FAQs released by the district says the intended use is to expand catering services but does not clearly outline a plan to make this purchase profitable concerns me,” said Theodore.

According to Friesen, there will be more information about the catering program coming out soon from the CVUSD.

“There will be more information that will be coming out and a fuller development of the program,” she said. “I would ask for a little pa-tience and a little more information than what can be done in a brief tweet or link.

Although the machine is on hold, the catering program is here to stay, and all eyes will be on its future development.

By Anna TalajkowskiEditor-in-ChiEf

$14,000 purchase

put on hold after outcry

Page 2: Olympian opposes new enforcement Page 4: Olympian staffers’ international adventures Page 7: Tennis team trounces Tennyson

Alison dhont / photo editor

Trojans smash the Lancers

Summer break, world

travel

By Callie Ross-SmithWhat do you think about the dress code enforcement?

“God forbid that girls wear bras and acc ident ly have them showing.”

Michelle Moreno, freshman

“Some girls have spent tons of money that is considered inap-propriate, so now what are they supposed to wear?”

Holly Bear,sophomore

“This dress code is a bit extreme for our school because we didn’t have an enforced dress code before, but I don’t think it’s that bad.”

Elicia Tiano, junior

“I’m glad that I don’t see as many booty shorts as before, at times that was dan-gerously gross. ”

Adrian Chu, senior

More sports would benefit school

Dress code: let’s focus on education, not what we’re wearing

The Bridge to Happiness

PHOTOPiniOns

By Desiree BroomeStaff Writer

By Laura MacchiavelloStaff Writer

Editorial: At the start of this school year,

CVHS administrators made the decision to more strictly enforce the school dress code. No longer would students be able to get away with wearing extremely short shorts, tube tops, or crop tops.

Here at the Olympian we object to school policies that seem to restrict girls far more than boys. Disciplining girls for wearing shorts that are two inches too short, for fear of distracting boys, would take away girls' instructional time. It would also reinforce outdated gender roles, creating the im-pression that educating boys is more important than educating girls.

The school has also announced upcoming “dress code sweeps” which would only create more disruption in the classroom. These sweeps will single out individuals, causing unneces-sary shame and instilling guilt into the affected students.

The school may argue that the dress code helps maintain a professional, distraction-free

learning environment, but we would be better off if the effort that goes into enforcing it was instead used for programs that

actually help students prepare for the professional world. What good is not wearing shorts for students if they aren’t able to

develop the proper communica-tion or leadership skills needed to succeed in a workplace?

Instead of focusing on physi-

cal appearance, the administra-tion should work on improving the conduct of the students. Ra-cial slurs are punishable if worn on clothing, but some students still yell them in the hallways.

To create a respectable learn-ing environment, and to get stu-dents to focus in class without distractions, perhaps less energy should go into something as futile as enforcing the dress code, and instead be spent on helping teachers improve their classes and develop new cur-riculum.

While the distractions of dress code violations may offer a minor disruption in class, the quality of students' learning ultimately comes down to the effectiveness of the way the material is presented.

And if a student performs poorly in a class, the blame should not be placed on the girl next to him wearing short shirts. The administration needs ways to help struggling students achieve, without punishing students who commit such a minor offense.

What grade did I get on my math test? I slept only three hours last night. How many AP classes are you taking? What college are you applying to? I can’t study anymore. What score did you get on your SATs? On your ACTs? Did you study? I don’t want to go to a commu-nity college. What if I don’t get into my first choice? How high is your GPA? Their acceptance rate is 22%. I spent all week-end doing homework. Can’t I have a break? Do you recognize yourself?

Society, school, parents, and our fellow peers have made us believe life is one big race. We

are pressured to impress and compete. It has been imprinted in our brains that right after high school is college, that you are supposed to know your major right away. Why does everyone have to reach these milestones at the same time? I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to college; I will go to college. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get good grades; I’ve gotten straight As and had my share of AP classes. What I’m saying is that it doesn’t hurt to slow down. We should live each moment, take time to hug your parents, play with your dog, or go on a hike. Don’t dwell on the future and how you are going to be suc-cessful; you may unknowingly be blocking out other things that are just as valuable.

Failed your math test? You can study more next time. Didn’t get the 1,900 you wanted on your SAT? You can take it again. Didn’t get into your top school? There will always be another choice. Didn’t get into a four year university? Go to com-munity college then transfer. When one door closes, another one opens.

I have decided to take a gap year after high school. That doesn’t mean I’ll be sitting on the couch eating potato chips. It means, instead of switch-ing from high school books to heavier college ones, I’ll be working. I’ll be traveling to Peru to improve my Spanish. I’ll be attending a semester at National Outdoor Leadership School in the Rockies, self-reflecting and setting goals, while building my wilderness ethic and skills. Many shy away from gap years because they feel they won’t re-turn to school, but I’m certain I will. I know I need college, but I also know that I deserve a break after 12 years of the overwhelm-ing stress of school.

Think to yourself, are you con-tent with the realization that you have to be the best to succeed? John Lennon once said, “When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

At CVHS, sports teams are very elite when it comes to choosing who is a part of them. When fall, winter, or spring sports seasons come around, many people do all that they can to join them.

For sports like football, team size isn’t as big of a problem, because so many people are needed to play. Other teams such as cross country accept anyone who wants to join. But with teams like baseball, soft-ball, or even soccer, making a team can be more difficult.

With a school as big as ours, 60 people could try out for a team that only has 20 spots. To the 40 that don’t make it, it’s very devas-tating. People work for days and

even weeks before tryouts begin to impress the coaches, and to be unsuccessful may hurt someone and maybe even end their career.

It also seems that sometimes there are biased opinions when picking teams, not just in school, but outside as well. For exam-ple, someone who has previ-ously played for a team that is well known attract more attention than someone who hasn’t, and that is obviously unfair.

With larger sports teams, this problem could be easily solved. More teams indicates that there would be more games and higher admission charges, and fundrais-ers are always a great help. If we attempt to make an effort, a change could happen.

I think that adding more sports teams wouldn’t benefit the athletic programs, but also could result in more scholarships being given out to students who may not have been given opportunities, but later showed that they were worthy of making a team of higher standards.

With a few changes, and some time, our school could become a place where more people are able to get involved.

aliSon Dhont / Photo Editor

The Olympian October 10, 2014 3

Freshmen need AP classes too

The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2014

Editors-in-Chief...........................................................Stephanie Huerta Anna TalajkowskiCity Editor.........................................................................Rachel Du News Editor..............................................................Anna NguyenOpinion Editor.......................................................Sally LiangFeature Editor.....................................................Callie Ross-Smith Sports Editor................................................................Audrey VandiverArts and Entertainment Editor......................................Lauren JelksPhoto Editors........................................................Alison Dhont

Jes SmithBusiness Manager......................................................Robbie Brandt

Staff Writers: Martin Baez, Desiree Broome, Brittany Bracy, Neo Diesta, Caitlin Forbes, Laniah Lewis, Halley Lin-Jones, Laura Mac-chiavello, Alexander McIntosh, Jessica Mi, America Morales, Danika Newlin, Izaac Olvera, Maia Samboy, Isaiah Siordia, Meiling Zhang Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Look to dogs for friendship and loveBy America Morales

Staff Writer

Who do you go to after a bad day when you don’t want to talk or hear someone else’s thoughts? When all you yearn for is a silent connection, assur-ing you of support and under-standing?

Imagine coming home after a long stressful day, being ap-proached by a trotting, tail wagging, smiling dog with ears perked high and eyes focused on you as it paws the air, anxious to be in your arms to pass on endless love and joy. Mentally and physically tired, you sluggishly wither down onto the couch with an aching headache. Your dog is alert and senses your depressed mood and promptly circles you in worry. It lies next to you, never leaving your side, and protect-ing you from harm.

Dogs are friendly and love human companionship. They remain loyal and will silently sit by your side through rough times. Their playful excitement is contagious, and they offer the best of themselves to us. Not only do they give us their love and affection, they also accept us for who we are. They are “man’s best friend!”

I have never felt more ac-cepted or jubilant than with the company of my dog, Georgie, regardless if he isn’t the brav-est built dog, rather a cowardly goofy one. I know I can be my-

self and express any feeling or secret with my dog, sure that it will not be shared or told to the rest of the world. Most importantly, it’s the feeling of knowing that if no one will be home, in reality there is, my dog will always be there greet-ing me at the door as if curious about what my day. Through experience, I have realized that the company of a dog changes any state of grief I may be in and

By Caitlin ForbesStaff Writer

Is school academically hold-ing back students? With the lack of advanced classes (AP, Honors, Advanced, etc.) avail-able to underclassmen, how can students expect to make their college resume stand out?

Coming into CVHS as a freshman, I was really looking forward to taking advanced classes. To my dismay, I discov-ered that only upperclassmen can take AP courses. It doesn’t seem fair that freshmen and sophomores have such a lim-ited choice in academics.

I know that it is mandatory to take certain courses to gradu-ate, but it would be appeal-ing to underclassmen if those courses also have an advanced version available. Sadly, the only advanced classes available to freshmen and sophomores are math and chemistry, but if you weren’t placed into the advanced math track in sixth

grade, it makes it near to im-possible to transfer into those classes.

The only advanced English course available to sopho-mores is Advanced Sophomore English (ASE), and there are very few periods with limited space. Why can’t there be more periods available of ASE like Honors American Literature (HAmLit), or AP U.S. History (APUSH)?

CVHS needs to start offer-ing advanced classes to the underclassmen, to better help us succeed.

Today colleges are looking for students that thrive, have abundant extracurriculars, and take rigorous courses. If students can’t start taking advanced courses until sopho-more year how can they show colleges that they are serious students? I understand that students might not necessarily want to take advanced English, but CVHS doesn’t offer many choices in the history/literature genre. It’s great that CVHS of-fers classes like Honors Chem-istry, and Algebra 2 Advanced, but what CVHS is missing are classes that demonstrate ad-vanced history and literature skills in underclassmen.

It is difficult for students (like myself) who are stronger at English and history to prove in their first years of high school their strong academics if the opportunity of honors his-

By Brittany Bracy Staff Writer

“You’re only nine years old. We pray for you, and we wish you peace,” said the children of a deceased man to a young girl. Recently, Charles Vacca was accidentally shot and killed by a nine-year-old girl. When I first heard this fact I wondered how such a thing could be an accident, although considering her age and learning the details I was no longer surprised.

Vacca, a 39-year-old Uzi in-structor in Arizona, was assist-ing a nine-year-old girl from New Jersey on how to use a submachine gun when the small girl lost control of the gun. The recoil of the gun eventually led to Vacca’s death a few days later.

Initially, I faulted the child’s parents because I could not think of anyone that I know who would allow their child to do such a dangerous thing considering that it is the 21st century. Then, I began to won-der what kind of establishment would even allow such a young child to use a very powerful gun even with parental supervision.

Personally, I believe that the establishment is the most at fault, because of the way that they are running things. It’s understandable that many chil-dren do a lot more things nowa-days with parental consent and

supervision, considering that these adults are supposed to be responsible. Clearly, there are guardians who are irre-sponsible and don’t make the smartest decisions, but I would expect business owners and supervisors to be intelligent.

For a business to even allow children at such a young age to participate in these activities is an outrage. I am not against gun usage for legal purposes. Some in my family are hunt-ers, and I can admit that with hunting being a legal sport as well as a tradition that runs in the family, I would not mind shooting when I am of age. Surely, my family members realize that with me being a young teenage girl, it would be a good idea to wait on learning how to shoot because of the amount of danger and power that a gun contains.

Nowadays, many people are lacking common sense and de-cision making skills. This leads to what people call accidents. I’m no psychic, but I believe that most people would not put their child behind a ma-chine gun. I also believe that there are people who clearly would. Yes, these so-called adults who would voluntarily put their child behind a gun of any sort should be to blame for the outcome, but a “business” that would even consider this being okay should be out of business before the parents go to jail for child endangerment.

Although Vacca made the decision to be a gun instructor, he did not make make the deci-sion to be killed. An accident of this kind should never hap-pen, and although people will still put their children behind a gun, the children should at least be teenagers. A business that allows young children to shoot machine guns should be out of business.

Can’t we all agree on gun safety?tory or advanced English isn’t

available to them, and when it is, it’s highly competitive with few spots.

Looking back as a junior, I would’ve really appreciated more advanced classes or op-portunities, but I can also see the cons to adding advanced classes for underclassmen. Coming into a new school is very scary, and sometimes just being with people your age is really comforting, compared to being put in an advanced class full of sophomores and people you don’t know. Freshmen do have a difficult job to do. They have to adapt to a new school with new people, and much older people than them. Sepa-rating the freshmen into differ-ent classes can be intimidating and discouraging for them to make new friends. My fresh-man year I met a lot of really cool people, and I can imagine how that would be different if I only knew people in advanced classes, instead of getting an equal opportunity to meet all kinds of people.

So that brings us back the the original question: Should there be more AP type classes avail-able to underclassmen? I say yes, the only way for students to be prepared for college, and find out their true interests, is to challenge them, and let them play a part their own academic fate.

makes me completely forget my worries, opening my eyes to the beauty in front of me that fills me with a serenity and happiness.

Rather than stressing on the little things in life, I look forward to the beauty it has created, a group of creatures so loving to humans, truly impact-ing our hearts, leaving us with unforgettable memories and unconditional love.

The Olympian encourages letters from our read-ers. Please note that letters must be signed and no longer than 200 words. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolympian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at our

Olympian office in room 113.

Letters to the Editor

Olympian greats seek truth across globe

This summer I traveled to Bo-cas Del Toro, Panama with my mother and brother. It was our fifth time in Panama, visiting my crazy uncle Daniel. Bocas is undoubtedly one of my fa-vorite places to visit. We went whitewater rafting through the jungle, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, island hopping and sailing in the warm Caribbean sea, but the most memorable part of the trip was cave ex-ploring.

The cave was located deep in the jungle. A cold, freshwa-ter river flowed through it, so while walking in the cave the water at times reached to my chest. The cave was pitch black and the only light we had were our headlamps, which only

By Laura MacchiavelloStaff Writer

This summer was amazing for many reasons, but the biggest reason was traveling across the world with my four best friends. These girls have been my best friends since kindergarten, and this summer we had the remarkable opportunity to pay for our own trip to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. We had been planning this trip for years. We are all in the same Girl Scout troop, so we decided four years ago that we were going to sell enough cookies to send us to Europe, and we did just that.

The food, sights, people, and atmosphere were even more exciting than we had expected. Two wonderful weeks in a foreign country is amazing enough, but sharing it with friends is even better. Along with our amazing (and totally hot) tour guide, we had the best time of our lives exploring the European lifestyle.

Taking a ride on the London Eye, exploring the ancient city of Pompeii, and climbing all the steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower were all experiences we were so happy to share with each other. I will never forget my 2014 summer adventure.

illuminated two feet in front of your nose at the most. One thing you were able to see was the shadows from the hundreds of bats flying inches away from your face. The end of the cave lead to a large underground pool fed by a five-foot wa-terfall. It was a breathtaking experience.

By Alison DhontPhoto editor

Panama: spelunkingin Bocas Del Toro

Girls scout out Europe

By Lauren Jelksa&e editor

This summer, I had the in-tensely amazing experience of travelling to Peru for a two-week volunteer program. It took months of convincing my parents, weeks of shop-ping for the proper attire, and a full day of travel, each way. The program I went with, Global Leadership Adven-tures, specializes in programs throughout the world to in-volve 13- to 17-year-olds in new communities in countries that aren’t entirely developed.

For my Peru trip, we spent

Bahamas: swimming with the sharks

This year, after I was freed from the prison that we call high school, I embarked on a journey to a beautiful place that’s known as Freeport, located on the island of the Bahamas. On my trip I had many adventures; from scuba diving, to snorkeling, to swimming with sharks, I even watched some feed. The food there is some of the best I’ve ever had.

If you are a scuba diver I rec-ommend diving with a company called Adventure Divers. They show you so much hospitality. They set up your gear for you and prepare to take you diving with sharks.

Speaking of sharks and good food there is a restaurant called “Pier 1” located on the island

By Robbie BrandtBuSineSS Manager

that has both of these things. It’s a sushi bar that feeds all of its leftovers to the sharks that swim in the ocean below the restaurant.

I would definitely recommend this trip for travelers who are seeking some adventure, good food, crystal clear water, and white sand beaches. You’ll bring back some great memories.

I was welcomed to the coast of Santorini, Greece, with the sea as blue as it could be and the island up high as the sky. Looking up, I saw the steep mountain we had to climb to reach its cobblestone streets. Our method up the mountain was far from normal! I’d have to say, paying for riding a donkey up the mountain was the best five euros I ever spent! It was a hot day, and all you heard was the laughter from our group as a senior pretend-ed that his donkey was racing all the others to the top of the mountain.

At the very top of Santorini there was an array of blue and white everywhere I looked. Hundreds of restaurants that looked below the mountain-ous island and into the vast sea were filled with people. The sun was up high, high-lighting the white and blue off the shops, restaurants, and

By Stephanie Huertaeditor-in-Chief

homes of Santorini. As my friend and I walked across the top of the island, we ran into beautiful churches, typical blue domes over houses, big windmills, and endless steps leading further into the streets of Santorini.

My friend and I sat at a res-taurant, enjoyed a gyro, and took in the beautiful view. While we didn’t do much on the island but walk around and look at the souvenirs, Santorini held my heart captive with its peaceful breeze and soothing hum of life.

Greece: summmer, sun, Santorini

Peru: Machu-memories

six hours every weekday at a preschool, helping to con-struct a greenhouse. Due to the staple foods of the country, and the low socio-economic

level of the community we were in, a greenhouse would drastically increase the chil-dren’s accessibility to healthy, fresh food.

The icing on the cake, how-ever, was the final weekend of the trip. We began by hiking to 15,000 feet on a crest of the Andes. We camped overnight, hiked down several hundred feet the next day, and then began a three hour walk along the Inca Trail. The fruit of our labor came the next day, when we were able to bus up to Machu Pichu for the morning and explore one of the seven wonders of the world.

iSaiah Siordia / Staff Writer

The OlympianOctober 10, 2014 5

CVHS welcomes new staff members

“Henry Ford said, ‘If you think you can do a thing or you can't do a thing, you're right.’ One of my goals as a teacher is to convince my students that is a true statement.”

“Andrew Carnegie said, ‘Team-work is the ability to work together toward a common vision... It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.’ I am happy to lead my team of excellent students at CVHS.”

“I’m very excited to be joining CVHS year. The teachers and students have all been very wel-coming and have really made me feel like a part of the CVHS com-munity.”

“I enjoy the challenge of leading students to engage-ment with useful scientific content. My goal is to em-power every student with knowledge.”

“CVHS is a great school with a very strong community, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

“I chose to work in education so that I could positively impact the lives of ALL children.”

“Marc Jacobs said, ‘I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect. They are much more interesting.’”

“I chose teaching because I love working with students and hearing all their wonderful ideas and questions.”

“Castro Valley has been a great experience so far. Having diverged from counseling, and now coming back to it, I am al-ways reminded how rewarding it is to work in this capacity.”

“There is a fresh movement to refocus our vocational pro-grams and I wanted to be part of that new energy.”

“I enjoy working at CVHS, students and staff are very friendly. I became an English teacher to share my love of literature, and to instill a love of learning in the next genera-tion.”

“I have wanted to be a teacher since my first day of kindergarten, and I love seeing the light bulb turn on when stu-dents ‘get’ a concept for the first time. The students and staff at CVHS have already made me feel like part of the family!”

“My students inspire me every day with their questions, energy, and intelligence. I'm very lucky to be here and I believe teachers need to work hard to live up to the chal-lenge inherent in teaching.”

Griffin Bunn“CVHS is very different from the

previous schools I’ve attended and worked, but I love it! The staff has been very welcoming and helpful, and the students are great too!”

“I am a teacher because I en-joy helping young people reach their fullest potential.”

“I entered administration first because I take great pride and pleasure in helping young people, and second, because kids always shoved me into lockers when I was in school, and now it’s payback time.”

Pauline FaccianoChristine DeFrance Jesse Hansen“One of my high school teachers

set me on the path toward teach-ing, and he had a tremendous impact on my worldview and self-awareness. I hope to make such a difference in my students’ lives.”

Elizabeth Frysinger

Ashley SmithYvonna Shaw

Jeremy Mew Nikki Pitcher Sandra Pula Rebecca ShutzengelDarren Rees

Lisa Heffelfinger Lalitha Kameswaran Michael Marinakis Ruben Mata Nathan McCreary

Banner heads should go to key, important stories

You all remember what hap-pened in New York with The Avengers back in 2012; now from the outskirts of the gal-axy comes the biggest band of misfits you’ve ever seen. They are the Guardians of the Galaxy, and they are here to save the galaxy from the evil Ronan the Accuser.

Guardians of the Galaxy has a wide variety of actors and actresses which includes Chris

Panic! for Panic! at the Disco

By Robbie BrandtBusiness Manager

rachel Du/ Copy Editor

Let’s Be Cops isn’t just your average cop comedy movie. The adventures of officers Ryan O’Malley and Justin Miller begin at a costume party in Los Angeles, where they are rejected by partygoers. I’m sure it’s safe to say that after being men in uniform on the streets, the attention went to their heads.

Roommates Ryan O’Malley and Justin Miller have your average bromance that makes them bring out the good, the bad, and the crazy in each other. The basis of the film surrounds a video game and a dream of becoming successful.

Before their journey begins, the boys make a pact about “making it” in Los Angeles, and, after realizing how much attention police officers get, O’Malley goes overboard and decides to become a cop, drag-ging Miller in on the action. O’Malley bought all of the fake equipment off of the well-known website eBay.

The only problem is that what they are doing is illegal, and actually incredibly danger-ous. By the time Miller is ready to retire the fake uniforms and the fun is over, the two are al-ready in grave danger, with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in on the action.

In the midst of all of the madness, Miller is intent upon making a great video game pitch unknowing of the danger himself and best friend are in. Realizing that it is too late to back out, the officers got what

By Brittany Bracy staff Writer

Let’s go see Let’s be Copsthey believe is their final hur-rah in the epic action scenes towards the end of the movie.

I was surprised to see that by the end of the movie the writer had managed to tie in a couple of life lessons. With an R rating, I’m nearly positive that the rating only came from the vulgar language used during many parts of the film. How-ever, I went in the theatre ex-pecting just another dumb cop comedy, yet l left the theatre in surprise that it wasn’t how I assumed it would be.

With Jake Johnson being courageous and confident and the shyness of Damon Way-ans Jr., the pair ’s on-screen chemistry was impressive. The constant action and surprising twists ensure laughter through-out the entire movie. Not only that, but by the end of the movie everyone was thanking God for eBay.

Panic! At The Disco caused quite a panic indeed at San Jose State University Event Center on Thursday, Aug. 28. The band took the stage with Youngblood Hawke and Walk The Moon, but the majority of the fans came out to see Panic! at the Disco.

The performance was part of the band’s summer Gospel Tour around North America. The crowd was quite large, as the line wrapped around the university campus hours before the doors opened.

Youngblood Hawke kicked off the night with a short set including their most popular song, “We Come Running.” Their energy got the crowd pumped and excited. Next up was Ohio band Walk The Moon. The group absolutely radiated positivity and were all smiles up on the stage. They had the crowd dancing and singing along with them. They played another short set that included a new single, “Shut Up and Dance,” as well as everybody’s favorite, “Anna Sun.”

After the opening, everybody

By Jessica Mistaff Writer

Lead singer Brendon Urie captivated audiences with his intense performance

alison Dhont/ photo Editor

Super misfits guard Marvel streakPratt as the not-so-famous outlaw Starlord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, a warrior, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon, and who could for-get, Vin Diesel as Groot. Also starring are Michael Rooker as Yondu, and Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Seth Green as Howard the Duck.

The movie starts out with Ronan the Accuser trying to destroy the Galaxy using an infinity stone. However our heroes (who were former out-laws) will stop at nothing to stop him and his evil hench-men. But of course, as in all

movies, another person has to try to stand in their way, and that person actually is the alien Yondu (who coinci-dentally raised Starlord from childhood). After dealing with Yondu, the team successfully defeats Ronan in a way that you will just have to see in theaters.

Overall I would give this film five out of five stars. While I think that The Avengers were cooler than the Guard-ians, they don’t fail to please. This all-star cast and a great story made the film what it is, which is a masterpiece. How-ever don’t take my word for it. Go see it, it’s not a film to be missed.

waited anxiously for Panic!, what they’d come for. The band finally made a grand entrance with flashing lights and scream-ing girls.

They opened with a song from their newest album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! Panic! at the Disco’s mu-sical style has changed vastly over the years. The musicians have lost and added mem-bers, with lead singer Brendon Urie being the constant. They continued to play track after track from all four of their albums, and showed us the extent of their musical variety. Every one of their songs has something unique. Urie ended up taking his shirt off and per-forming shirtless, to the delight of the female audience. The band also performed a beauti-ful cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” when Urie did a backflip on stage.

Alas, all things must come to an end, and the band closed with “I Write Sins Not Trage-dies” from their earliest album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Overall, it was an amazing ex-perience and I would definitely see the act again.

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Pa s s i o n a t e l y Pr o u d P l aye rs

Cara Fabras, freshman Ahmed Granberry-Smith, seniorLouie Tran, juniorJenna Lowe, sophomore

Robbie bRandt/ Business Manager

The game is tennis, and you’re down by one, then you score a point, and then another, and you win the match. That is the best memory of tennis for Cara Fab-ras, a freshman who just recently joined the girls tennis team. “I loved winning that match against Monroe for my team,” said Fabras. From the way she plays, it is obvi-ous she practices all the time. She has been playing tennis for two years and loves every minute of it.

Have you ever won a sport all by yourself? Sophomore Jenna Loe can speak from experience. She once scored eight points in a row against a rival tennis team and won the match. The final score was 8-0. It’s not just winning, however, that she enjoys. Loe also loves all the strong bonds and close friends she has made in her many years of tennis. “Once a month girls tennis gets together and we go on team outings which helps us get to know one another better,” she said.

This athlete loves everything about cross country. “I love the simplicity of it. All you have to do is run as fast as you can and you get a workout,” said Tran. He has been participating in cross coun-try for two years, and his best time is in the mile race with a whop-ping 5:11. His favorite memory was when he had a three mile race against varsity runners. “I may have lost this race, but it made me want to run harder and made me love running even more,” he said.

Imagine you’re on a football team. The game is all tied up in the fourth quarter and it’s up to you to win the game. That is what Ahmed Granberry-Smith goes through every game. Granberry-Smith has played for CVHS for three years, and as of his senior year, he made varsity. “My favor-ite memory is when we were all tied in the fourth quarter against O’Dowd and I tackled the quar-terback and they were forced to punt it and then we won,” said Granberry-Smith.

Colts Stampede Over Trojans, 47-0

Coach Jere Lester directs the Trojan team in pre-game warm ups at James Logan High School.Alison Dhont/ Photo Editor

By Adri Vandiversports EDitor

"Touchdown!!!" was all you could hear on the home side of the stadium at James Logan High on Sept. 26 during the varsity football game. It was a heart-wrenching evening for the Trojan crowd, with the Colts winning 47-0.

“We’re making a lot of simple mistakes in the most critical of times and those mistakes turn into big plays for the other team,” Trojans running back Raekwon Criss said. “This is on offense and defense, not one specific group.”

The Trojans ran into the game with much hope that was quickly crushed by the unrelenting stam-pede that was the Colts. The first quarter wasn't even halfway done when the home team scored a 61-

yard touchdown. The Trojans did the best they could possibly do un-der the circumstances, continually giving the ball to Namane Modise, who ran for 113 yards on 13 carries in a single game.

"We needed more intensity from the beginning of the game until the end, and we have to score and not turn the ball over when in the red zone," said Castro Valley running back Kevin Galvan.

James Logan had a 26-0 lead by halftime and continued to take advantage of the five disastrous turnovers from the Trojans. This game has left Castro Valley with a standing of one win and four losses in this season so far.

The Trojans hope to rebound against Encinal in this week’s Homecoming game.

Hailey Agulay serves in a match against Tennyson for the win.lAurEn JElks/ A&E Editor

Lady Trojans “bagel” Their Way To The Top

When many people hear the word “bageled,” they think, “What does that mean? Is it the verb form of eating a lot of ba-gels?” Tennis players, however, know what’s up.

Bagelling is the act of beating an opponent in a game, every-thing to zero. And, if there is

one thing the CVHS Girls Ten-nis team is good at, it’s just that.

On Sept. 23 during a match against Tennyson High, the Trojans not only won the match, they “bageled” the opponent. Out of all varsity tennis games with singles and doubles matches, not a single game was lost, with a final score of 7-0.

Not only that, but singles player Aditi Gupte, doubles partners Dipti Gupte and An-gela Ho, and other doubles Bethany Lum and Shuyin Xu were able to bagel their op-ponent in their first set. If the scoring is getting confusing, here is a quick rundown: many

varsity matches are three set matches, which means you play an individual game (first to six) until one person wins at least two sets.

Playing number two singles, junior Alexa Bucciarelli double bageled her competition.

It may not sound impressive- but trust me, there is no shade, there’s a lot of wind, and you can’t walk off the court until the game is done. These girls play-ing like that? Inspiring.

Once again, the CVHS girls tennis team is working hard to gain a good holding in the league. Can they do it? Of course they can. Lady Trojans, you know?

By Lauren JelksA&E EDitor

Tennis titans triumph over

Tennyson team

The OlympianOctober 10, 2014 8

The CVHS cafeteria has de-cided to get healthy by serving better food options at breakfast and lunch. Things like sugary treats and drinks are a thing of the past, as the cafeteria staff works hard to provide healthier options for all students.

“I’m expecting new and better quality,” said cafeteria staff mem-ber Ana Aguilar. “I expect more students to come in and enjoy what the cafeteria has to offer.”

Not only has the cafeteria food changed, but options across campus are different as well. The vending machines that stood outside of 700, 200, and 600 halls are gone.

“The vending machines had unhealthy snacks, so we are try-ing to provide healthier snacks at the snack bars for the students,” Aguilar said.

Along with the new menu, CVHS has hired a new cafeteria staff for the 2014-2015 school year.

“I want to make a happy and fun environment for my cowork-ers,” Aguilar explained. “And I encourage them to be friendly to the kids, because these kids are my kids.”

Senior Christopher Baker has other opinions about the healthy

By Alison DhontPhoto Editor

lunches. “Well, the lunches are boring,”

Baker said. “I want healthier lunches, but why can’t they taste good too?”

In fact, many students are dis-appointed about the new menu.

“I really want them to bring back bigger breakfast portions,” said senior Amelia Ortiz. “These small sandwiches don’t really fill me up at all.”

The recent changes in portion size are due to the Healthy Hun-

ger-Free Act, a federal program which focuses on reforming child nutrition. The shift in the cafete-ria menu started last school year, upsetting many CVHS students.

Junior Chris Phongsa started a petition in the spring in response

to the changes. “Since this act was enforced by

our new director of Nutrients and Foods, our food portions have become smaller,” said Phongsa. “The purpose of the petition is to ensure a larger food portion...a larger range of foods and snacks

Cafeteria staff serves the newly revised menu to students.Alison dhont/ Photo Editor

Christopher BakerSenior

I want health-ier lunches,

but why can’t they taste good

too?

“

”

to be picked from....more nutri-tious foods, and better quality of the foods served.”

The petition received over 600 signatures.

Despite the critiques, Aguilar believes that these new changes to CVHS cafeteria is the key to a better school year. “If you eat healthy food, and eat a healthy breakfast on time, you will be ready to learn and be successful,” she said.

But with this change in en-forcement have also come com-plaints. The assistant principals plan to perform dress code checks, which Assistant Prin-cipal Jesse Hansen describes as “taking a specific period of time when all the administrators would be available, and mark-ing a few places on campus to catch anyone out of dress code in that area, and then sending them to change and get warn-ings.”

This change in enforcement is partly due to the belief among staff that the dress code has become lax in recent years, and is also due to a change in the administration of CVHS.

While many teachers and staff seem to support the change, students and parents alike have complained about how the school is spending its time. Some parents believe the school should be focusing on education, instead of what students are wearing.

Senior Sabrina Murugesu agrees. “I really don’t see why we need adults telling us what and what not to wear. It doesn’t affect how I do in school, and sometimes it’s really hot out,” she said.

Consequences for dress code violations range from calls home to family to detentions.

DRESS: Page 8

Dress codeenforcement

enrages students

New menu leaves students hungry for change

CVHS student Tessa Pic-cillo swung to success while competing in the World YoYo Contest in Prague over the summer. The senior won the women’s division, making her the female yo-yo world champion.

Piccillo first picked up the yo-yo as a hobby five years

Tessa Piccillo shows off the yo-yo moves that won her a world championship.

JEs smith / Photo Editor

Piccillo wins yo-yo world championshipago. Since then, she’s con-nected with other yo-yoers through social media and dis-covered the competitive side of the specialty.

“Around when I started, I looked on YouTube to find tricks and stuff to learn, and I found out it was a whole com-munity,” she said.

For Piccillo, the yo-yo isn’t just fun and play. She practiced a couple hours daily over the summer, although now that classes have resumed, she’s had to cut down on her routine.

“During the school year, it’s a lot less than on the weekends and during the summer,” she explained.

The championships mark a huge milestone in the young yo-yoer’s career. The win is not only Piccillo’s first world triumph, but one of her first

notable titles. “That’s the first major one

(competition) I’ve won,” said Piccillo. “I’ve won little ones, but nothing big or anything”

Among her good fortunes,

Years of practice

pay off for CVHS senior

By Anna TalajkowskiEditor-in-ChiEf

Piccillo was able to enjoy a visit to the Czech Republic, and is sponsored by the yo-yo company YoYo Jam. Along with her title, she received a prize of $150.

Welcome back Trojans!

Seniors cheer as they look on at their final Welcome Back assembly.

Alison dhont/ Photo Editor