Volume IV, Issue 8 1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062 May 18, 2011

Sequoia High School

By ZEENAT ALINews Editor

College applications, tests, dances, prom and the best of all, food, are all things that we have to pay for during our senior year. Senior year may be fun, but it’s also costly. On average, a student might spend up to $2000 or more a year in senior year expenses. That is almost equivalent to two years of tuition fees for community college. Senior Megan Beach has already reached this average of $2000. As an IB student, she’s paid for tests, college applications, a senior ring, a yearbook, prom, grad night and much more. The most expensive thing that she’s paid for is between her five IB tests and her senior ring. Each IB test costs $90 and the ring costs$300. “I had to cut down on my spend-ing, going out time and shopping. I had to reprioritize the things that I had to spend on,” Beach said. Senior Claudia Landaverde has also spent close to the average, $1800. By working every other Thursday she has managed to pay some of her expenses. She advises others to apply for scholarships and fee waivers. However, there are many students who had to make difficult spending decisions. Senior Andrew Olague has only spent $400 this year, but was still unable to pay for his date’s prom ticket. “There should be a discount for se-niors for all the dances that we have. Even if it is $2 less then I would be happy,” said Olague. Vanessa Pantoja, a 17-year-old senior living on her own, also could not afford the luxuries of her senior year. She was not able to pay for grad night, yearbook, and her cap and gown. “It makes me sad; I could have paid for it but others things are a bigger priority. Its either grad night or it’s a place to live,” said Pantoja. Each incoming senior will have to

Seniors won’t be the only ones leaving this year. Principal’s secretary Dottress Rollin and teachers’ secre-tary Lori Lehman will be retiring fol-lowing this school year. Rollin served under seven different principals over 25 years, and Lehman worked at Sequoia for 20 years. Rollin has been with the Sequoia community through events such as the 1989 Loma-Prieta Earthquake, the September 11 attacks as well as the mascot controversy nearly a decade ago. When Lehman was hired to work at Sequoia in 1991, Rollin was told to show her how to use one of Sequoia’s five computers they had at the time.

“Technically, Ms. Lehman was here to replace me,” Rollin said jokingly.

Sequoia obviously decided to retain Rollin, and through their jobs they become and great friends.

“She’s been an amazing friend. She’s always been there for me, ever since that first week when I tried to figure out that IBM computer. We’ve

Raven ReportSenior year tuition leaves students broke

Go to SPENDING, page 3

both loved our jobs for all the years we’ve had them. The Sequoia family is truly amazing,” said Lehman.

Along with always lending over a helping hand, Rollin has seemingly earned the title of Sequoia’s best problem solver over the years.

“This job definitely keeps you young. Everyday there’s new prob-lems for [me] to solve,” said Rollin.

In fact, mid-interview Rollin was forced to step out. A Sequoia food worker rushed in and alerted her that there was no hot water getting through to the hot lunch room. Rollin, like she has for the past 25 years, acted immedi-ately and overcame the obstacle, quickly notifying a plumber to attend to the issue.

“Unbelievable, irreplaceable,” Lehman added, describing Ms. Rol-lin.

Principal Bonnie Hansen agreed with Lehman’s point.

By CONNOR GROSSMAN and MATT BROTHERTONStaff Reporters

Rollin and Lehman retiring after a combined 45 years

“The school will most likely fall apart without [her],” Hansen said.

Rollin takes much pride in her daily duties of solving most, if not all of the problems that come her way.

“Every time you think you’ve heard it all, there’s always something new that comes up.”

Rollin reminisced on some of the weirder experiences she’s had in her 25 years.

“I had an older man who called Sequoia and had an extremely hard

time speaking English,” she recalled. “After much deliberat-ing between us, I had picked out the few words I could understand.

Turns out he thought he had called Sequoia Hospital and was trying to ask if he could pick up his dentures which he left at the hospital.”

Rollin and Lehman looked

Go to RETIRING, page 7

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“She’s been an amazing friend. She’s always been there for me. We’ve both loved our jobs for all the years we’ve had them. The Sequoia family is truly amazing.”

—Lori Lehman, teachers’ secretary

2

Redwood City Sequoia School Employees Federal Credit Unionhttp://www.rcsse.org/

530 El Camino Real, P.O. Box 5413, Redwood City(650) 366-7777

Serving employees and their families in the following districts: Redwood City Sequoia San Carlos Belmont Ravenswood Las Lomitas

Menlo Park Portola Valley Woodside Canada College

NEWS

News in review: 2010-2011By REBECCA SANDStaff Reporter

As the second semester ends, Sequoia had even more accomplish-ments: A look back at additional events in 2011:

January: The cheerleaders supported breast cancer at Cheer around the Bay.

February: New schedule was finalized; school will start at 8:30 a.m. next year.

The Shoe Rafiki Club sent 100 pairs of shoes to the Philippines attached with notes between “shoe buddies.” The donors wrote letters telling the receipients what they did in their shoes, and then the children reply with what they will do with the shoes.

March: Four Sequoia alumni

gave advice about their college experiences during College Week.

April: The Schools for Schools Club screened a film to educate a packed audience about the crisis of invisible children in Uganda.

A total of 131 dancers per-formed a variety of dances from jazz to African at the sold out Sequoia Dance Show. Students choreographed 21 out of 27 dances.

The Redwood City Police SWAT team hosted a training day at Sequoia, students and staff staged a mock hostage situation on a school bus and a simulated active shooter situation inside the school. Students acted as injured victims, hostages, and even suspects.

May: IB tests were taken by 242 seniors and juniors, and 167 students took AP tests.

The “Zero” Fairytale at Car Dealerships Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a car dealership where zero actually meant some-thing... Who hasn’t seen or heard the commercial: Get your new set of wheels, and get Zero, Zero, Zero! Zero Percent Financing! Zero payments for 6 months! Zero down payment!

Get outta your fairytale.Here’s the truth as presented by Remar Sutton, Consumer Spokesperson and a nationally recognized expert on the consumer automotive business: 1. Zero Down Payment: This doesn’t mean: no money.... Every buyer still has to pay tax, registration, and license, which can run over a thousand dollars. That’s equivalent to a down payment, right?2. Zero Payments for Six Months: Are the finance companies being nice and making your first six pay-ments for you? Of course not! They are doing one of two things: 1) adding the six payments to the end of your contract, or, 2) even worse, financing those first six payments.Either way this “offer” means you pay more interest.3. Zero Percent Financing: According to CNW Marketing Research, barely 9 out of 100 people drawn to dealerships because of zero percent financing actually get it. To make matters worse, the research com-

pany found that consumers don’t negotiate on the actual price of the car when they go to dealerships for zero percent. They don’t realize the price of the car and the cost of financing are two separate issues. Those consumers can pay thousands more than they need to. There’s your “Zero Fairytale.”

But saving money when buying a vehicle doesn’t have to be a fairytale at all! Are you about to buy yourself a car?Logon to http://cuhq.foolproofonline.info and read these guides in our “Cars” section first:• First-TimeCar-Buying • ThrowAway$9000BuyingYourFirstCar• CarBuyingGuide • AutoOwnersGuide

Ambulances, fire trucks, totaled cars, and police officers made their way to the front of the school. Daisy Guerrero was pronounced dead while her best friend Van-essa Torres was given a sobriety test by an officer. Jaime Ciriaco was trapped inside Jackson Campbells’ wrecked car and fire-men used the jaws of life to pull him out. Some thought the Safe and Sober Presentation was intense, others thought it was exaggerated. The presentation was May 5, two days before prom. The purpose of Safe and Sober is to show students the impact drunk driving can have, and that it is not worth it, in any way at all. “Reality is, a lot of people will think it’s over exaggerated, but

Safe and Sober presents truthI think it’s perfect. [It’s more effective] than just saying, ‘Don’t drink and drive,’” Torres said. The participants in the presentation hoped it would get the mes-sage across, because this really happens. Vincent Diaz, a participant in the pre-sentation, hoped that it would “make people think twice [before drunk driving].” During Guerrero’s fake funeral, her friends, brother, and her physics teacher Jack West gave heart filled eulogies. “It was really hard to talk about my best friend like she was dead. The coffin made it so realistic, that I almost believed she was gone,” said Gloria Saldaña, one of the speakers. Torres reminded students to “think about what [they’re] doing, and think about the consequences.” “It happens every-where. No specific com-munity is immune,” said

Officer Roman Gomez, one of the program’s organizers. A DUI is a serious offence. California is under the “Zero Toler-ance Law” and anyone under 21 with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.01 percent is subject to arrest for DUI. Considering the severity, this should be enough to convince teens to not drink. But often times it is not. Some students took the message of the pre-sentation to heart, but others chose not to. “Shame on [you], this took a lot of time and effort to put together. At least respect it,” said Irena Haghighi, senior class president, to those who were disrespectful during the presentation. Even if you couldn’t relate, you should keep in mind the dangers of drunk driving and that anyone can be affected, whether they be the driver, passenger, or the car being hit.

By ALEX DEAS and LAYNE DIENER News Editor and Staff Reporter

3Feature

The word “college” has been

pounded into every student’s brain

since what seems like the first day of

kindergarten. But for one senior, trek-

king through the Andes Mountains

and exploring the Amazon sounds

better than a crowded dorm room.

Rather than moving to Middle-

bury College in August, senior Kayla

Bauhaus will instead be spending

three months in South America be-

fore coming back to Vermont to start

her college education.

The school gives around 100

students the fall semester off every

year. Host families in Peru will take

her and her fellow student travelers

in, and through this the students will

Gap year gives senior an oppor-

tunity to broaden horizons

high schoolto college:

have a total cultural immersion.

“I definitely wanted to improve

my Spanish, use what I’ve been

learning, and have adventures

before another four years of hard

work,” Bauhaus said. “It also has

an outdoor component which

includes trekking and hiking in

rural areas. Before leaving, Bauhaus will

be working hard to pay for her

travels. Taking a gap year after high

school ends is a rising trend

that many are starting to pur-

sue. Although its no lie that

a gap year abroad is a costly

alternative to saving money

in preparation for college,

this valuable year is un-

arguably a memorable

experience.

SPENDING from page 1face difficult spending decisions at some moment of their senior year. It might not be difficult for some, but others might have to decide on what is their main priority. So is it really all worth it? Olague answered, “somewhat, I want to go all out for this year, but it’s hard because I am broke.” Landaverde also agrees with Olague. She said the expenses are worth it. It’s important to some because it is a memorable part of high school. “It’s a finishing touch to your last year of high school and a beginning to your future.” On the other hand, Beach disagrees with Olague and Landaverde, she said, “No, I know you have to pay for stuff but it is still too expensive.” There are three ways to tackle the senior spending issue. Start saving up mon-ey now: saving a dollar day can really add up. See if you qualify for fee waivers and scholarships, And get a job, that will also help pay for expenses instead of draining your parents’ wallets.

By LAUREL DEARBORN

Staff Reporter

what to expect

doing the unexpected

alumni say...

“I’m excited and scared because it’s a big change, but I guess that’s the same feeling that everyone leaving high school has.”

— Senior Arturo Gallardo

By SARINA KOCHER GROSSEditor-in-Chief

Seniors march into military

Some seniors have dedicated themselves to enlist in the U.S. mili-tary following their graduation this year. Although a few plan on going to college before joining the mili-tary, others have already enlisted and will join after they have graduated. Senior Arturo Gallardo plans to take general education courses while in the Marines next year and pursue a college degree after his service. The G.I. bill pays for col-lege for those who have served or are currently serving in the military. Gallardo said that it took him some time before making a definitive decision: he has been thinking about joining the military since his junior year.

“I knew that I didn’t want to do the same thing over and over again,” said Gallardo. He wanted to do something different than high school and get away from the same old routine. Gallardo will graduate this year with IB certificates and will leave this summer for boot camp.

“I’m excited and scared because it’s a big change, but I guess that’s the same feeling that everyone leav-ing high school has,” said Gallardo. Another reason that motivated Gal-lardo was seeing his friends benefit from the military. While Gallardo is joining the military in lieu of following the typical college routine, senior Jordan Chavis was inspired by his family to serve in the Marines after complet-

ing college.“My dad served

for 27 years in the Air Force. He likes the idea of me joining the mili-tary,” said Chavis. “He likes the idea of discipline.” Chavis’s grandfather served in the Navy for 30 years and his uncle’s in the Marine Corps for 15 years. Chavis plans on enlisting after getting his college degree at Arizona State University, although he will go to boot camp every summer while in college. His goal is to become a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps rank Second Lieutenant at the end of his college career, and then to go on to graduate school after his service.

“There are just so many people you meet. You

meet people in the dorms on your floor and

through your classes. Then you make friends and then you meet your

friends’ friends and it keeps on going.”

—Ilya Alexeeff, freshman at San Francisco State University

“The best thing high schoolers have to look forward to is feel-

ing like you own your life.”—Sebastian Grove, freshman at

New York University

“The best thing about college is never having to ask for permission to go out.

And pulling pranks on your roommates and choosing your own class schedule.”

—Brendalyn Wilson, junior at Pepperdine University

4 Special Feature 5

*We received surveys from 196 of the 345 seniors for this college map.Compiled by SANTIAGO ORTEGA, DANIEL JUDE, and NICKIE PUCEL

Class of 2011 College DecisionsAcad-

emy of Arts Uni-versity: Ana Lara Andrew

Makasini Arizona State University: Sabino

Rodriguez Jordan Chavis Art Institute Sunnyvale: Camilo Delay

Boise State University: Katy Soares Brown University: Jacob Buckley Cal Poly:

Connor Clot, Katerina Petrova, Omar Garcia Cañada College: Olivya Marriuci Nicole Serrano

Richard Guzman Sabrina Melgoza Carlos Ramirez Benjamin Sanchez Saul Andrade Estrella Yepez Gar-rett Ahern Michael Ghazanfari Juan Mendoza Andres Araiza Erik Coria Laura Lopez Soana Teputepu Nick Brown Miguel Ochoa Brian Horspool Williams Serrudo Sonia Delgado Gary Chan Edward Cauich Peter Babekian Jessica Angel Patrick Rob-itsch Maria Alegandre Germin

Abdelshahid Fatima Aguilar Taylor Beach Max Davenport Linette De La Rosa An-drew Pring Richard Puzon Jeannette Robinson An-drea Santa Brianna Viviani Carolina Velazquez Alejan-dro Rojas Taylor LaMantia Chaminade University: Javier Calderon Jr. Chapman University: Matt Draper City College of San Francisco: Dominic Fabian College of San Mateo: Bianca Gomez Vanessa Pantoja Diana Perez Kali Tate Kaleo Cardenas Itzia Martinez Hisela Torres Tevita Taungahihifo Thomas Johnston Siosiua Vaka Christopher Cardenas Diana Estrada Justin Dean Maria Castro Tary Pohahau Kyle Martin Emmanuel Sumo Bhumit Tandel Hung Truong Marielena Cerrillo Osvaldo Lopez Karen Lara Ariana Valle Lupe Tarelo David Car-rison CSU East Bay: Abby Vargas CSU Monterey: Bianca Maldonado De Anza College: Carolina Cristano-Mongue Corey Russ Dmitry Gaputin Emory University: Megan Beach Sarah Beach Foothill College: Arturo Gallardo Clara Nava Leonardo Rosas Lester Ruiz Nia Lutu Ruby Nava Lizeth Cuevas Anna Cotter Ruben Nolasco Alex Deas Zeenat Ali Tina Kapadia Les-lie Luna Fangaotaha Tangitau James Oliveira Goucher Col-lege: Maria Barrerra Lewis and Clarke College: Siani Donellan Loyola Maramount University: James

New-som Loyola Uni-

versity: Nina Darner Menlo College: Ashley Kumar Middle-

bury College: Kayla Bauhaus NCP College of Nursing: Samantha Flores

Northern Arizona University: Danny Raggio Notre Dame de Namur Univer-

sity: Susan Perez Sacramento State Univer-sity: Isaias Flores Cora Sanchez Nick Zmay Luis

Farias Arina Garcia Vanessa Perez Fernando Acosta Christian Chavez San Francisco State University: Mikey Peralta Crystal Amaya Elizabeth Farrell Samantha Binley San Jose State University: Jessenia Cortes Marina Diaz Shonal Kumar Jacob Macias Laura Sanchez Pas-cual Gonzalez Sefora Rios Marco Mischke Jesse Emory Elizabeth Schaffernoth Crystal Torres-Cardoza Santa Clara Univer- sity: Sami Cohen Ruben Luva Jes- sica Esquivel Alberto Ortega

Santa Rosa Junior College: Alex Kinder Skyline College: Omar Medrano Daniel Valen-cia Andrew Olague Sonoma State University: Cody St. Germain Jessica Sabin Sam Campos Lindsay Hartnett Daisy Guerrero Jennifer Mo-rales Gloria Saldaña Alfredo Robles Giovanni Hernandez Jesus Alvarez Danny Carmi-chael Jaime Ciriaco St. John’s University: Cyril Cayco Stan-ford University: Palani Akana UC Berkeley: Melissa Mast Matteo Porcedda UC Davis: Christian Morales-Aponte Viliami Langi Clint Kastrop Irena Haghighi UC Irvine: Christopher Gavriliuc Alec Brown Allison Hilton Kelvin Yang UC Santa Barbara: Julian Hiltebrand-Consoli UCLA: Audrey Spickerman Roger Knauf Kyle Gordon Tommy Hunter Hannah Hamley Jay Friedman Univer-sal Technical Institute (Sacra-mento): Jose Zepeda University of Alabama: Julia Knorpp Uni-versity of Alaska at Anchorage: Mariana Saettone University of Arizona: Francesca Lampert Erica Samuelson University of Buckingham: Julia Onken UC Santa Cruz: Carmen Gutier-rez Bryce Egan Tamer Saideh University of Oregon: Kate Ortiz Oscar Andaluz Claire Tweedy University of the Pacific: Jackson Campbell West Valley College: Brandon Gibson Westmont Col-lege: Caila Parodi Whitman Col-lege: Sophie Schouboe Whitier College: Amy Parada

88% 12%

The Senior Class of 2011 will be graduating June 3 and will be attending colleges and universi-ties across the country. Some will go as far as Alaska, Hawaii, and England.

Congratulations seniors! May you enjoy a happy life after high school.

of seniors staying in California

of seniors going out of state

By WILL JAMES and WILLIAM BAKER Staff Reporters

6 Opinion

By DANIEL JUDESports Editor

Sequoia High School

Raven Report2010-2011Editor-in-Chief

“Commander”Kocher Gross

FPSSantiago “Mr. InDesign” Ortega

Laynie Diener

News Editors“Free” Ali and Not Alex Diaz

Feature EditorSami “The Sleuth” Mast

Sports EditorDaniel “Ditor” Jude

Staff Reporters “SirLaughalot” Baker Matty “Spice” Brotherton Anna “Smith” Dagum

“Rising Elk” Dearborn Connor “Sandman” Grossman “Chill” James “Da Bearo” Lempert Liam “O’Hidden” Hara Puppy Pitkofsky

Nickie “Prophet” Pucel “Quick” Sand Jacob “Hookey Puck” Warren

Mission StatementThe Raven “WINNING” Report strives to dominate Sequoia High School with informative, en-

gaging and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and adaptability while promoting justice (sometimes) and transparency through “professional” reporting about the school, the community,

and the world. Deadlines are sometimes missed, but reporters are bribed with cookies by The Commissioner.

Letters to the EditorThe Raven Report welcomes letters, gifts, cash and cookies sent to adviser Kim Vinh’s room, 308,

or by email to ravenreport09@gmail.com. We do not accept quotation integration mistakes.

I hate com-plainers. I don’t care about you hav-ing to stay up

until 4 a.m. doing homework. I don’t want to read your dumb, grammatical error-rid-den status-tweet-thing about your backstabbing friend. I especially don’t care that the guy you like didn’t ask you to prom and now you feel lonely and ugly (and maybe you are; I still don’t care). I hate complaints so much that I complain about them. I complain about complainers, and I realize that makes me a hypocritical complainer, but I’m not really a complainer because I wouldn’t complain if nobody else complained. Don’t complain to me about that sentence. Complaining seems useless and silly to me. I don’t complain because

I have the confidence that whatever challenge is pre-sented, I can solve.

Now, this all sounds quite arrogant, but this kind of thinking has always worked for me.

My arrogance allows me to look at things with a certain objectivity. Everything is less important than what other people make it to be, so I don’t complain as much. It doesn’t matter if it’s already 11 and I haven’t started my homework, I can probably cram it in under an hour, or just work on it at lunch. It doesn’t matter if I’m under-prepared for my presenta-tion tomorrow, I’ll just wing it, and I’ll still get an A. If any problems arise, I don’t complain because I know that I can figure it out. I don’t feel any pressure to succeed.

I know I will.This makes my life eas-

ier, and it should work for other people too. If everyone walked around with my over-confidence, they wouldn’t feel as much pressure because they are more like me. My

way is obviously the best way. Duh.

But this is also an arro-gant thought. You see, the arrogance is so bountiful, that even when I am aware of it, and aware that it is sup-posed to be bad, I still don’t see it as a problem. I know my own faults: I’m obviously arrogant; whiny; lazy; I rarely think of real things to write about in the school newspa-per; the list goes on.

However, I have enough good qualities, that my ego excuses all of the bad ones. While other people focus on fixing their flaws, I don’t think that my flaws need to fixed.

This may be because their flaws are worse than mine, but that is probably just my arrogance talking, isn’t it?

For all I know, the right way to live is to complain and strive to be perfect and with-out flaws. I don’t know the right way to live. I do know, however, that living with arrogance, or just allowing myself to live with my faults, works quite well for me.

Dances BHomecoming and Winter Formal drew relatively low at-tendance this year, as these dances have steadily become somewhat unpopular among the Sequoia student body. Prom, however, was universally enjoyed this year, and the sophomore dance increased it’s attendance tenfold from last year.

Rallies C+Relay races and other parts of the rallies were often repetitive and unoriginal, but the dance performances were entertaining as always, and the new gym was un-veiled in time for the winter rally.

Sporting events AThe football team captivated many Sequoia students with its thrilling run to the CCS Championship Game. Girls Basketball also found success on the court, and the allure of the new gym drew sizable crowds to many home basketball games. Overall, a very successful year for the Cherokees.

School Food B-Not the most interesting menu, but choices like the spicy chicken sandwich still satisfy many students daily. The vending machines are somewhat prone to losing the ability to accept paper money, but they are usually reasonably stocked with all the expected items.

Overall school spirit C-Most spirit days this year had low levels of participa-tion, and the implementation of three spirit weeks in a year only gives most students an extra few days to not care. Most people on campus would be hard-pressed to find large amounts of purple clothing, especially from Monday-Thursday.

Bathrooms FVery little improvement has been made in the condition of any of Sequoia’s restrooms. Broken faucets, locks on stall doors, and hand dryers are still very present. Dis-tasteful wall scribbling are only exceeded in vulgarity by the penetrating stench of the place.My advice? Wait until you get home.

Mascot F/A(failed to attend)I haven’t seen much of the mascot recently. Do we still have one? And upon reflection, who cares?

Dance /talent shows A-The dance shows were highly attended, well choreo-graphed, and skillfully performed. All facets of the talent show impressed the audience, and the talented students were all prepared and focused on their acts.

Overall GPA: 2.57

I am better than you, and I know itSequoia Report Card

Feature 7State parks deserve s’more fundingBy ANNA DAGUMStaff Reporter

Birds chirp, a creek burbles, and the wind rustles through a grove of giant Sequoia trees. A dusty sunshine seeps through the white canvas makeshift walls surround-ing you. Sleeping bags crinkle and unzip in the cool early morning air. Despite the premature hour, the smell of bacon and firewood draws you outside in your pajamas and tennis shoes. Nothing compares to camping. Because of the current California budget, millions of dollars are being cut annually from our state parks. In November 2010, California voters turned down Proposition 21 — by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin — which was expected to raise approximately $500 mil-lion per year for the state parks by increasing vehicle license fees by $18 annually. In addition, Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to save $11 to $22 million of the California state budget over the next two years would initiate the partial closure of over 250 parks across California. “State parks are a great resource for California that I think everyone should appreciate,” said Biology teacher Rebecca Rush. With the general admission for most state parks averaging anywhere from $5 to $50, the fee is relatively cheap, and your donation will benefit state

parks tremendously. Camping in California is more than just romping through the woods, wres-tling bears, and living off the land for a week; it’s a marvelous stress reliever and great fun as well. “After all the hard work is done, it’s a great way to unwind,” said Biology teacher Geoffrey Gailey. “There are two things that I love about camp-ing: the ability to do everything by myself, and the ability to see animals and plants and spaces in their own term.” Camping and backpacking have contrasting features, yet both share the common atmosphere of being encom-passed in nature. “I like backpacking because you get to see new things,” said freshman Savanna Won. “It’s constantly a change of surrounding, and a challenge.” Besides the educational aspect of camping, there is definitely a physical element as well. “I love the physical exercise and just being out in nature,” said Rush. “There’s always something new to see.

You could go to a park 10 times during an entire year and experience something new each time.” There are wonderful places to camp and backpack all over the state, but with some of California’s greatest state parks right in our backyard, it’s no wonder why these sites draw visitors from all over the state each year. “What most people don’t know is if you go 15 minutes in the right direc-tion, you can see a mountain lion paw print, or deer tracks, and once you realize that these things are real and out there, its an exciting feeling,” said Gailey. Big Sur, Big Basin, Mount Diablo and the Marin Headlands, are just some of the breathtakingly beautiful campsites in Northern California. The Bay Area’s abundance of camp sites and hiking trails prove incomparable to the rest. Instead of switching on the tube or going to overpriced three day concerts, pack up the car and drive a couple miles to benefit and take advan-tage of our state parks.

Camping in Limekilm, a CA State Park, offers serenity for all who venture into the majestic wilderness. Photo by Thomas Pindelski

RETIRING from pg 1at each other and burst into laughter.Despite crazy events over the years, Se-quoia hasn’t changed drastically. “The only major transformation in my time here has been Sequoia’s advances in technology and becoming more inde-pendent. When I started there were five computers for all of the secretaries, and one for the rest of the faculty.” They both value the more personal, familial ties they’ve had with the commu-nity. “The faculty and community has always been great. Staff come and go over the years but the family value here is unprec-edented,” said Rollin. “It’s been great and wonderful and the entire community has been very support-ive and appreciative. The Sequoia com-munity really is ‘unaliyi,’ a place of friends,” said Lehman. They will both miss watching the se-niors on graduation day: “It always makes me happy watching seniors walk down the aisle on graduation day.” Rollin is proud of Sequoia’s close ties to alumni. “We’ve grown as a school but we’ve managed to keep the tradition alive to embrace our past,” They have their own tradition of doing tea every week, which they will continue together into retirement: “We’re defi-nitely going to keep in touch, meeting for tea as we usually do.”Their unrelenting dedication and work at Sequoia has been amazing, and its sure that all of Sequoia will greatly miss them and they will always have a place at Sequoia.

Teens will learn to sew their own clothes with others their own age in a state of the art classroom with sewing machines provid-ed. For more information contact Ronda Chaney at (650) 306-3370 or canadacollege.edu/admissions/concurrent.html

8 Sports

Spring Sports Wrap-up

TennisAnybody who messes

with this team gets served. Senior stud Palani Akana led the way, and the varsity boys tennis team completed a success-ful year with a record of 10-2. The team stayed on the ball, and they finished the season atop the Ocean Divi-sion stand-ings, sharing a 3-way tie with West-moor and Hills-dale.

SwimmingThe Sequoia swimmers made quite a splash

in the Bay Division this year. The varsity boys finished the season at 1-6 in league, and the frosh-soph boys ended at 5-2. The varsity girls finished 4-2, and the frosh-soph girls ended with a record of 4-3. Sophomore Lilly Nelson, freshman Hel-ena Larsen, and seniors Megan Beach, Sara Beach, Kayla Bauhaus, and Oscar Andaluz will lead the charge at CCS.

Photo Credits: Gordon Bliss and Yearbook

SoftballIt may be called softball, but these girls are the furthest

thing from soft. The varsity girls finished 8-2, including vic-tories against first place San Mateo and division rival Wood-side. The frosh-soph girls ended with a record of 2-12. “Our team unity has gotten a lot stronger as the season has pro-gressed. We have faced tough opponents,” said sophomore Mikayla Wilkes, who plays infield for the varsity girls.

TrackSequoia track students ran all over their oppo-

nents after moving up to the Bay Division this year. The varsity boys finished 5-2 in league, and the varsity girls finished 4-3. Both the frosh-soph boys and the frosh-soph girls ended with a record of 1-6. At the PAL finals, junior Gabe Ortiz won the 200 meter dash, edging his opponent by 0.007 seconds. He will compete at CCS along with many other Cherokees, includ-ing senior Will Langi, juniors James Beekley, Jesse Boyle, Oscar Alejandre, Bulou Mataitoga, and Abhineet Ram, and sophomores Alex Bliss, Alyssa Bliss, Megan Bartoshuk, Mariah Driver, and Gaia Bouchard-Hall.

By Josh Pitkofsky and Nickie PucelStaff Reporters Badminton

We would have made a badminton pun, but it would have raised a racket. The bad-minton team advanced to the bay division this year, and the varsity team finished with a 4-10 record in league. “Since we moved up to the Bay Division, we came into the season unsure of how we would do, but we improved a lot by the end of the season,” said junior Kevin Hill, who is the number one singles player on the team. “We are going into PALs confident in our abilities to suc-ceed as a team.” The Division tournament

for badminton took place on May 16-17, and the PAL tournament takes

place May 21.

BaseballI was wondering why the baseball was getting

bigger. Then it hit me. Cherokees’ baseball slammed other teams this season in a grand fashion. The teams moved up to the Bay Division after succeeding in the Ocean Division last year. Against El Camino on April 8, the frosh-soph boys overcame a five run deficit in the last inning; capped of by sophomore Drew Tweedy’s walk-off double. The varsity squad walloped their rival, Woodside, on April 19 by a margin of 15-0. Junior Roman Rosado led the way with nine runs batted in. As of May 12, both the varsity boys and the frosh-soph boys had a record of 4-9 in league.

GolfThis season, the Sequoia golfers clubbed other

teams. After driving themselves to multiple victo-ries, the team finished the year with a record of 7-4, which was good for third place in the Ocean Divi-sion. “A lot of guys improved, and since we have no seniors, the future looks promising,” said Golf

coach Jamie Beacom. Two Sequoia golfers finished in the top 50 players in the whole league of 17 schools. Junior Tim Boudreau is ranked 17th, and freshman Garret Yamane is 50th.