the Stagg LineHome of tHe Delta Kings

08.27.10VOL. 54 NO. 1ON THE WEB

staggline.comStadium photo gallery

ON THE BLOGstaggline.blogspot.com

CLEARLY CLAIRE: “Flipped” is a great love story that will make anyone remember their first crush.THAT RELIGIOUS GUY finds that learning Spanish has given him a new appreciation for Fillipino traditions.

INSIDE THE ISSUEBreast Cancer Awareness Bracelets

the Stagg Line

NSPA Hall of Fame newspaper

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

1621 Brookside Rd.Stockton, Calif. 95207

NEWS IN BRIEF

SAT’sSIgn-ups for the SAT will be due Sept. 10. You can sign-up and get a fee waiver in the Career Center or register on-line. The test will take place Saturday, Oct. 9.

Senior picturesSeniors who have yet to take their senior photos must do so ASAP. Call Flashbacks at 209-948-2748 to set up your appointment. Specify that you want a free senior photo or you will have to pay the $50 sitting fee.

College PresentationsCSU Fresno, CSU East-bay, CSU Stanislaus, and UC Merced are having college presentations in September. Go to the Career Center for more information and to sign up. All presentations are only for seniors, except for CSU East Bay.

Club DayClub Day will take place on Sept. 1 during lunch in the glade. Food will be sold and students will be able to sign up for the different clubs that day.

Sweatyfootballplayerssurroundtheareathathasbeenunder construction for about a year. Practice has nev-er seemed as intense as the new turf skins their legs onimpact. This multi-million dollar stadium has been wellworth the pain and wait. Coaches believe now that theplayer’sperformancewilldemonstratepassion,dedication,andcommitment. Loadingabusandluggingequipmenttoplayahomegameisnolongeranissue.Formorethan50yearsevery

gamehasbeenanawaygame.Playing inanewstadiumfor thefirst timewillbecomethehighlightof thisyear’sfootballandboyssoccerseason. “Wehavesomethingtoplayfor,”juniorJosephFarmersaid.Students,teachers,andcoachesarebeginningtoseethetremendouschangeintheirspirit. StudentswillbeabletoshowtheirspiritattheopeningfootballgameagainstFranklinonSept.10. “The football players will be more motivated,” saidChristineBolthouse,athletictrainer.“Theydon’twanttoloseontheirhomefield.” The Measure Q bond passed in 2008 certified that

StocktonUnifiedSchoolswouldreceiveatotalof$464.5milliontofundrenovationstoclassroomsandotherfacili-ties.Sincetheschoolhasbeenbuilt,amulti-purposefieldhasbeen thepractice area fornearly all sports.Butnowthatfieldhasbeenremodeledtoaccommodateastadium,parkinglot,andnewbaseballandsoftballfield. Thenewfieldisimpactingfreshmenaswell.“I’mluckythis ismyfirst yearhere and Iget toplayon thefield,”freshmanRomeloPerezsaid. Studentsfinallyhaveaplacetotakeprideinandaspe-cialplacetocall“home.”“Peoplewillbeproudtosaytheygo toStagg,” juniorSabrinaSerrano, varsity cheerleader,

said. Don Norton, varsity football headcoach,hopes thatwith thenewstadiumthestudentswillhaveanewperspective.“Theattitudeaboutsportsandtheathlet-icdepartmentwillhelpbuildsomeschoolpride,”hesaid.Studentshaveanexpectedexcitement as they look forward to theopeninggame.Notonlyarethefanseagertowatchtheirfavoriteteamsplaybuttheplayersof those teamsareawaiting theirchancetoplayonthenewfield. As football, soccer, and cheerlead-ing prepare for their upcoming seasonsthey are also preparing to make history.“Ittakeshardworkandsacrifice,”MarioReyes,juniorvarsityfootballcoach,said. Senior Francisco Ortigoza hopes theirhard work will pay off and help themwin thefirsthomegame. “Wewillhavemorefans,moreofarush,wewillwantitmore.” But beyond football, the boys’ soccerteam is proud to say that they too willmake history. “For the first time peopleare going to watch us,” senior OscarVazquezsaid.“Notmanystudentscomeandwatch,butwe’rehonored tobeoutthere.” Sophomore and JV football captainDe’andreIsaacsaid,“It’sabigmilestone,youlookatthehistoryoftheschoolandyou see winning seasons and losing sea-sonsbutwhenyoulook,thefieldremainsthesame.Untilnow,andwe’refinallyget-tingtochangeitin2010.”

A member of the junior varsity team waits to get on the field to play at Brown and Gold Day. The players have been anticipating the opening of the new stadium.

A large number of people came to Brown and Gold Day to see the new stadium. Many were seeing the stadium for the first time that day.

Diana Cuevas, senior, practices her fly-ing routine to prepare for the new season. Cuevas is new to the squad and has been designated as a flyer.

Members of the junior varsity football team are getting in a stance formation. The team members played against each other to get ready for the new season.

Chelsea Collura and Annamarie Rodriguez

Members of the varsity football team watch the Bears. The Bears are a Pop Warner football team that played on Stagg’s new football field to celebrate Brown and Gold Day on Aug. 14.

photos by Erica Trevino

No matter where we play we work hard. It’s having a field to call our own.”

Don NortonHEAD FOOTBALL COACH

“

What do you think about the new stadium?

“It’s some kind of symbol. It represents hard work.”

Christian Sanchez, Sophomore

“It’s fair since the football team never had a stadium, and they are getting better every year; they deserve it.”

Marcus Barnett Armstrong, Junior

“It’s the best thing on campus because it’s so clean and new.”

Soda Vong, Senior

Tickets are sold on game day only!Prices Adults & Students without ID: $6 Students with ID: $4Game times Junior Varsity @ 5p.m. Varsity @ 7:15p.m.

Ribbon cutting will be between the two games.Stadium features Full snack bar equipped with food ranging from

hot dogs, sodas, candy, etc. Home has full facility bathroom. Visitors have

Porto-Potties

First home game scheduled for Sept. 10

getting ready for

art by Harmony Evangelisti and Seyma Tap

Opinion2 08.27.10

the Stagg Line

EDITORIAL

the Stagg LineAmos Alonzo Stagg High School

1621 Brookside Rd.Stockton, CA 95207

(209) 933-7445 ext. 8487

The Stagg Line newspaper is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Awards and recognitions include the following: X 16 consecutive NSPA All-American rankings X NSPA Hall of Fame, 2005 X NSPA First-Place Best of Show five times X JEA Impact Award, 2002

Stagg Line student journalists have won many awards and scholarships over the years,

including California Journalist of the Year, National Story of the Year, and

National Photo of the Year.

The Stagg Line newspaper is published monthly and distributed free of charge to students and faculty.

Our newspaper is a long-standing open forum for free student expression. Student editors and reporters make content and style decisions with

the adviser offering guidance. Editorials reflect the view of the entire editorial board and therefore are unsigned. Opinion columns reflect the view of the writer. Readers are welcomed to write letters to the editor. We will make every effort to print any

letter as long as it is not libelous. Letters longer than 250 words may be edited. Unsigned letters will be

printed only in unusual circumstances, and only when we know who the writer is. Letters may be

brought to the newspaper room, A-8, or emailed to dbott@stockton.k12.ca.us

Chelsea ColluraEditor-in-Chief

Lissette RodriguezEditor-in-Chief

Don BottAdviser

Claire SchefferNews Editor

Mikeala AxtonOpinion Editor

Missy Rae MagdaleraFeatures Editor

Alisya MoraEntertainment Editor

Taylor HurlesSports Editor

Michelle PheavGraphics Editor

Erica TrevinoPhoto Editor

Xe XiongWeb/Multimedia Editor

Kristin AcevedoCopy Editor

Jeremy Dela CruzBlog Editor

Annamarie Cunningham

Harmony Evangelisti

Faith Harris

Damon Heine

Nicole Lawrence

Jera Machuca

Gabriella Miller

Tiffany Pech

Annamarie Rodriguez

Reanna Rodriguez

Seyma Tap

Chesiree Terry

Mia Torres

Violence is never the answer

One. Apowerfulnumber.Apowerfulnumberthatdenoteshowmanythingsneedtogowrongtomakethingsworse.Apowerfulnumberthatrevealstheonlyemptyseatinclass.Apowerfulnumberthatdescribeshowmanypeopleareneededtobringchange. Itonlytakesone. Thetroubleis,nobodywantstobetheone.Theindividualwhoacts,whorisestothechallenge.Itismucheasiertobeapartofthemultitudegazingatsituationsfromafar. Butwedonothavethisluxuryanymore.Forjustasittakesonlyonepersontobethesolution,itonlytakesonepersontobetheproblem. Thoughweliveinacommunity,wearefarfrombeingunited.Wearedividedbyrace,religion,andopinion. Wewouldratherremaininourrespectiveneighborhoods,withpeoplewhotalklikeus,sharethesamebeliefs,andloveonlyourown. Wedislikeoutsiders,thosewhotrespassonourproperty.Likepettybeasts,wemarkourterritory,divideourland.Weperpetuatestereotypes.Weformgangs.There’sreallynoonetobeblamed. Wearetheproblem. Asthewholeisgreaterthanthesumofitsparts,thewholecommunityisasterribleas

itsworstmember. Ourblindnesstothemanysocialprob-lemsplaguingourneighborhoodsplacesusonthesamelevelasthebeggars,thedealers,andthegangs. Ratherthanfacethistruth,wehideandexpectthingstoonedaybedifferent.Change,however,isnotarandomactofnature. Threestudentsdiedoverthesummer.Withthepeopleresponsiblebeingheldontrial,familyandfriendsarestrugglingtocopewiththeloss. Soasacommunityweremainatacross-roads. Willwecontinuetheviolenceorstrivetoendthebloodshed?Willwelabelthestu-dentswhohavedisappearedfromcampusasmartyrstoprolongthefightortreatthemasreasonstobringaboutchange? Theysaythatpublicschoolscannotpro-videavaluededucation,thatprivateinstitu-tionsarebetterequippedtoteachstudentsmorals.They,however,arewrong. TheyfailtoseethediscussionsonethicsthattakeplaceinEnglishclasses.Theyfailtoseetheenforcementofschoolrulesthatteachrespectandpunctuality. Theyfailtoseethenumerousclubsoncampuswhofunctionascentersofcoopera-tionandcamaraderie.Theyfailtoseetheneweffortstoconnectstudentstogetherlike

LinkCrew. Ultimately,we,thestudents,failtoseethetoolsbeinggiventous,thesupportsys-temsmeanttouniteus.Thefearofbecom-ingactiveinschool,ofbeingtheonewhocauseschange,isstrong. Followingtheflockiseasierthanbeingtheshepherd.Thereforetherewardsofbeingtheoneareallthegreatersincetheprizeisaunitedcommunity. Alltheseactivitiesaredesignedtocre-atebonds,toformfriendships,tohelptheisolatedbecomepartofalargerfamilyofstudents. Oneofthemajorcausesofwhysome

studentsdropoutofschoolisbecausetheyfeeltheydonothaveanyreasontocomeback.Theyareoftentheoneswhositaloneatlunchorwhostayquietduringclass. Theironlyotheroptionbesidesdroppingoutistojoinanegativenetworkofsupportlikegangs. Insteadofincreasingunity,however,gangsfurtherdivideus. Therecentdeathshavetaughtusthatitonlytakesonepersontodisappeartoaffectthemany. Therecentdeathshavealsotaughtusthatonepersonisneededtosparkchange. Itonlytakesone.

You’rewalkingdown

thestreetandseeatallwom-anandafairlyshortman,andyouthinktoyourself: That’s nor-mal.You’reinthegrocerystoreandyouseeablackmanandawhitewomangettingitemsfortheirdinner,andyouthinktoyourself: That’s normal. You’reatthemall,andyouseetwomenholdinghands,and,tosome,youthink: That’s unacceptable. ThisishowsomeAmericanmindswork.Manyhavecometotheconclusionthatmarriageisbe-tweenamanandawoman,relativelythesamesize,ageandappearance.Now,asthingshaveprogressed,weseemanydifferentkindsofpairs,andsomeofushavelearnedtoacceptthesecouplesinoursociety. Ifthisprogressionisachangeforthebetter,thenwhydosomanyCalifornianssupportProposition8?Prop8waspassedin2008,leavingonlyap-proximately18,000gaycouplespermittedtostay

married. Nowtheissuehassteppedbackintobattlefortheyear2010.Proposition8,whichwasoverturnedasofAugust18,2010,hasbeenremovedfromfurtherdiscussionuntilDecemberofthisyear.Thiswasastepbackwardsforgaycoupleswhowereanxioustowed.Itseemsasthoughthisconstantclashwillneverend. “Wetooshouldbetreatedequally,”saidKristinM.Perry,asquotedfromaNewYorkTimesarticle.“Ourfamilyisjustasloving,justasreal,andjustasvalidasanyoneelse’s.” Thisbringsustoaskourselves,whatdoes trulydistinguishgaycouplesfromthe“traditional”couples?Asidefromgender,thereistheinabilitytoproducechildren,butsomeothercoupleshavethesameproblemsduetomedicalissues.Childrenofhomosexualcouplesmaynothavebothtraditionalmotherandfatherfiguresintheirlives,butnotall

heterosexualfamiliesarewell-roundedinthatareaeither. Somefathersmaynotgooutandplaysportswiththeirsons,andsomemothersmaynotpainttheirnailswiththeirdaughters,andsome,mayonlyhaveoneparentperiod. Ifyouputasidethegendersimilarity,gaycouplescanbejustasloving,andasvalid,asanyoth-ercouple.ItiswrongtoprohibitthispercentageofhomosexualCalifornian’sfrommarriage. GaymarriageislegalinMassachusetts,Connecticut,Iowa,Vermont,MaineandNewHampshire,butthisisn’tthecaseintheother44states. Thinkofthis:howwouldyoufeel,ifyoucouldn’tmarrysomeonewhohadadifferentskincolorthanyou?Howwouldyoufeelifyouwerelookeddownuponbecauseyouwerewithsomeoneadifferentsizethanyou?Thinkofthis,andyouwillbeputintheshoesofeveryhomosexualCalifornianthatisunabletomarrythepersontheyloveduetoProposition8. A woman protesting anti-gay marriage at a rally in New York in 2008, a

battle that has carried on into 2010.

Proposition 8 still stirs debate

Nicole Lawrence

Art by Tiffany Pech

This brings us to ask ourselves, what does tru-ly distinguish gay couples from the “traditional” couples?”

“

photo courtesy of creative commons

Opinion08.27.10 3the Stagg Line

Public libraries have always been a refuge for those seeking knowledge. People of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, religions, and political

views have used libraries. By definition, a public library is a nonprofit, established for the use of, and maintained by, the general public. In my 15 short years of life, the public library being sold to a private company is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. The county and city would sell the Stockton/San Joaquin public libraries to a company called the Library Systems & Services, Maryland. The reason-ing behind the county looking to sell the library is understandable; it’s to cut costs. The company’s website is full of people with blinding white smiles, perfect skin and expensive looking clothes, as if having enough perfect people would justify buy-ing our libraries. The company has proposed things like expanding hours by 50 percent and even reopening another branch. However, costs have to be cut somewhere. Maybe the workers in the company could take a pay cut, but if they did that, perhaps their teeth wouldn’t be nearly as white. What a tragedy.

In order to save money, they would replace the licensed librarians with people who are not as quali-fied, according to William Maxwell, board member at Friends of the Stockton Public Library bookstore. They would take the very people who have devoted their lives to libraries, and kick them to the curb. They may also cut costs by buying books in smaller quantities, and waiting for books to be printed in paperback before buying them. Thus, by the time they come out in paperback, they’re already off the bestsellers list and out of people’s minds. More than just books, one of the nicest things about the library is all the free programs they offer: Preschool Story Time, Teen Movies, Free Computer Training, and, of course, Yoga Class. Our libraries are home to many different programs that people have taken advantage of. If the libraries

are privatized, many of these programs may be cut or come at a cost. Libraries are a vital part of our society, an especially important place for people with no extra money to buy new books. The library is home to encyclopedias, history books, and books in every other subject you could think of, but if owned by a private com-pany, things could change very drastically. We can only hope that if LSSI does buy our library that our future will remain as bright as their teeth.

The world is a troubling place. Resources seem to be

lacking and poverty seems to be increasing. The public at large seeks to find comfort in the hollow words of politicians who themselves are blind to the problems facing the nation. The young lose faith in established traditions and are beginning to rebel. Global conflicts threaten to drench nations in permanent bloodshed. It is 1965 and the world is a troubling place. Amid the strife and struggle, three teenagers take up a noble cause, attempting to salvage the remnants of hope for a better future. These students take a stand against an unpopular war by wearing black armbands, which symbolize the potential darkness ahead if the violence continues. For them, their fight is a silent one, a protest against death. Un-fortunately, the three students are told to take off their armbands or face suspension. Rather than compromising their ideals, the young adults refuse to abandon their opinions and are sent home. Such is the fate of freedom in the face of suppression. Such was the world during the 1960s when the Vietnam War divided the country. Today, students around the nation are dealing with similar repressions of their beliefs. Sure, they may not be protesting a war like Christopher Eckhardt and John and Mary Beth Tinker, but their cause is just as noble. Breast cancer is the most com mon form of non-skin cancer affecting women globally. Teenag-ers have taken it upon themselves to combat a disease by joining a movement, one with a controver-sial name: Keep-A-Breast. At first glance, the organiza-tion’s name may be interpreted as obscene or too blunt. What some fail to realize, however, is that in addition to being a declara-tion against breast cancer, Keep-A-Breast is a pun on the word “abreast,” which means to keep informed. Keep-A-Breast was founded by Shaney jo Darden and Mona Mukherjea-Gehrig to spread awareness of breast cancer preven-tion and early detection through merchandise and artistic events. Currently on their website, Darden and Mukherjea-Gehrig are giving five grants of $10,000 to “admirable organizations or individuals dedicated to putting an end to breast cancer through positive impact.” Keep-A-Breast empowers ev-

eryone in general and teenagers in particular to have the “freedom to support causes that are important to you.” One way that certain students have chosen to support the fight against breast cancer is by wearing multicolored bracelets as part of the “I Love Boobies” Campaign. The bracelets feature the eye-catching campaign’s name and have drawn considerable atten-tion from the disapproving gaze of administrators everywhere. At this school, administrators believe the words “I Love Boo-bies” are too offensive and wear-ing a bracelet with this phrase could be grounds for sexual ha-rassment. They contend that most individuals don this wrist-wear simply for immature purposes and not for social activism. After all, adolescent boys rarely wear bracelets but suddenly choose to do so when such acces-sories depict a naughty phrase like “I Love Boobies.” Under the same logic, the administration should expand its inquisition of offensive objects not to be worn by students to in-clude such items as rosaries, Che Guevara insignia, and “Twilight” clothing. I, along with many devoted Catholics, am extremely offended when I see someone wearing a ro-sary as a necklace, especially when the person is not Catholic and is clueless about how to actually pray the rosary. Guevara was a communist leader who executed people without due process and opposed many freedoms, making him not so politically correct. Let’s not forget that shirts sup-porting Team Edward are most definitely going to offend Team Jacob advocates. Sure, it is entirely possible that a majority of the “I Love Boobies” bracelet population is only riding the waves of a passing fashion trend, but that shouldn’t be cause for a direct ban on them. There are plenty of students who have felt the effects of breast cancer and so wear the bracelets with pride and awareness in mind. They should not be prevented

from advocating their beliefs be-cause of the immaturity of others. Teenagers may have a repu-tation for being immature, but sometimes we can rise above our own lives and think about other people. Keep-A-Breast understands this and so tried to cater to a new generation of advocates with an even newer phrase. Unfortunately, the administra-tors get flustered with the word-ing. Would it be more accept-able if the bracelets said “I Love Bosoms” or better yet “I Love Mammary Glands”? Most students are not parading their bracelets around in a taunt-ing manner to give rise to sexual harassment. They wear them quietly and cannot help if others are insulted. The most illogical critique of the breast cancer bracelets involves their colors and their affiliation. The administrators erroneously believe that since this wrist-wear is available in a variety of colors it can be used by gangs to identify themselves. My answer? Don’t allow people to sport red or blue bracelets. The color argument also extends to the idea that only pink objects represent breast cancer. Just like how blue t-shirts can be used for

the Think Green movement, a bracelet coming in white or black doesn’t mean it cannot stand for breast cancer awareness. In both cases, the words of the message speak for themselves. The fact that Keep-A-Breast is the producer of these accessories makes administrators suspicious. After all, they reason that any-thing in support of breast cancer awareness must be connected to the Susan G. Komen Breast Can-cer Foundation. How else would they know if it’s legitimate? The obvious truth is that the Susan G. Komen Breast Can-cer Foundation does not hold a monopoly on everything breast cancer, in the same way that call-ing my business Jeremy’s Lemon-ade Stand does not make me the supreme authority on lemonade. Many organizations advo-cate for the same issue; there’s no single group in charge of rallying support for a particular cause. The Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines states that schools cannot forbid an expres-sion of opinion, that “fear or ap-prehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome freedom of expression.” Ultimately, anything can offend, but none like the sup-pression of free speech.

Michael Contreras, senior, listens to music and sports one of the recently popular “Keep-A-Breast” bracelets after the Brown and Gold Day scrim-mage game on Saturday, Aug. 14. “I wear it to support breast cancer awareness,” he said. “And because it’s cool.”

photo by Erica Trevino

Jeremy Dela Cruz

Annamarie Cunningham

Art by Mikeala Axton

Breast bracelets brew conflictControversy sparks over new cause-driven trend

Stockton libraries may be purchased by private investor

The guys dis-respect it, but for those who actu-ally support it, it’s not sexual harass-ment.”

Alexus RaquelSOPHOMORE

“

It’s not like I’m saying ‘I love your boobies.’”

Esteban Aguilera

SENIOR

“

My aunt has cancer, it’s not breast cancer, but I know what it’s like for someone to have in the family. That’s why I support it.”

David Stewart SOPHOMORE

“

How do you feel about the ‘Keep-A-Breast’ bracelets?

Features4 08.27.10

the Stagg Line

Aftermath of loss: School community grievesover deaths of students

photo by Lissette RodriguezEnglish teacher Martin Bagnasco has tried getting students to move on from the death of their fifth period class-mate. He says that the seat will most likely reamin empty for the rest of the year.

Sixty-four freshmen, 12 sopho-mores, 17 juniors, and 15 seniors. Who are these people? They are the students of a once strong AVID.

“Our numbers are declining be-cause we’re competing with other programs that are just as benefi-cial,” said Thongthip Duangsawat, sophomore and junior AVID teacher. “We’re cannibalizing.”

AVID is a program that helps students prepare themselves for college. “AVID is one of the first things college recruits look for,” se-nior AVID teacher Kyle Dei Rossi said.

“It’s helped me with social skills, talking to people, writing better, and better study habits,” junior Juan Vega said.

Activities like tutorials also help students in different subjects. “Stu-dents tutor themselves in groups in classes they need help in,” said Harold Brown, freshman AVID teacher.

Although the program helps students get into college, they must also take initiative in paving their own pathways to success. “They have to want to do the work,” Dei Rossi said. “It’s too normal to ex-

pect too little of yourself.” With all of these ideas promot-

ed, it would seem that the num-bers should be strong, but that is not the case. Some students have been dropped from the program without requesting to leave. This is due in part to a few miscommuni-cations between students and their counselors.

“The class was just gone from my schedule… I don’t know why,” Jeana Correa, junior, said. Correa was in AVID her freshman and sophomore year and when it wasn’t on her schedule this year she was disappointed. “AVID is really good for me so I’m going to try to get in second semester.”

But schedule conflicts are the pitfalls.

“AVID is only a certain period,” counselor Samantha Wirzberger said. “If a student needed a class for graduation or had to repeat a class, then we had to pull them out.”

Junior Rachel Martinez is also no longer in AVID, but it’s possible that her problems are less from a miscommunication error and more about grades. “I didn’t have good grades and I had to retake a class this year,” she said. “I don’t think I’m going to join again because I

need other classes to graduate.” The students who remain say

that AVID is crucial for their suc-cess. Vega has been in the program for the past two years and plans to stay for his remaining years. “It lets me know what I need to do to get and stay in college,” he said. “Peo-ple who leave AVID are people who don’t know what they want to do in life, and I do.”

Sophomore Edgar Perez-Chiche shares Vega’s beliefs. “I joined AVID for the better benefit of my future,” he said. “After freshman year I knew how much it would help.”

Many freshmen have also been added to increase the numbers and to ensure fuller classes in later years. They were chosen based on their last year CST scores. “We increased an AVID class for fresh-men; not all of them requested it,” Wirzberger said. “Our goal with AVID is to build it.”

One freshman new to the pro-gram is Dallas Steadman. “I just got placed, but even if I didn’t I would still join to help myself,” he said. “Many people told me good reasons of why I should stay and it’s already keeping me on track with homework and classes.”

Scheduling problems upset AVID students Gabriella Miller

photo by Michelle PheavSenior AVID students work in groups during tutorials where they receive assistance for certain subjects. As of now, there are only 15 students in the senior class, as opposed to the 64 students in the freshman class.

Lissette Rodriguez

My AVID teach-er got me (to join) honors and AP be-cause they’re al-most as competi-tive as college.”

Adnan HashtamSENIOR

“ AVID is a big part of why I want to go to college. It let’s you know what you need to be in college.”Amanda Geahry

JUNIOR

“ I’m proud to be in AVID because it makes my parents proud that I’m a great student.”

Edgar Perez- Chiche

SOPHOMORE

“

It is that one seat--the one seat that now remains empty. It is the one seat that Daniel Ausborne did not return to in May for the last few days before his high school graduation. It is the one seat that could have been occupied by Aaron DeVora at the beginning of his senior year. It is the one seat that Rin Ros occupied for only two weeks of his sophomore year. These seats remain cold and empty because death stole their in-habitants. With these students gone, their friends are now dealing with the grief that these deaths have brought. Tim Gomez, senior, is just one of those students who had trouble coping with the shock upon hear-ing Ros was dead. The Monday after his death, Gomez was faced with correcting tests for English teacher Martin Bagnasco’s class, a test on a short story that was called “The Con-tents of the Dead Man’s Pocket.” Gomez saw the name on the top of the paper, it belonged to Ros. “I didn’t want to correct it,” he said. “It belonged to someone who wasn’t with us anymore.” Students have had to endure multiple stages of grief because of three students’ deaths in a matter of four months. The stages of grief range from shock and denial to ac-ceptance. “But not everyone goes through all the stages,” said Lor-raine Ramsey, marriage and family therapist trainee for Healthy Start. “Sometimes people get stuck in one stage and never get out.” Clinging to memorabilia helps students cope with their grief. Diana Cuevas, senior, carries on her lanyard a Hawaiian keychain, a gift from DeVora. “This kind of stuff shouldn’t be happening,” Cuevas said, as tears and mascara ran down her cheeks. “I know it happened, but we still are at school and he’s not.” Other students re-member their deceased friends through recalling mo-ments in the hallways. It is through the school’s hallways that senior Nancy Ortigoza continually remembers walking down the F-wing with DeVora. “He’ll always come

to mind,” she said. “I’m not getting used to it at all; it just gets even more shocking.” On the other hand, some students say they are bothered that hearing about fellow student’s deaths is almost becoming normal. Sophomore Ana Touch

believes it’s going to take a long time to get over the death of her close friend Ros, and she said that overall students’ attitudes about death has changed. “I think peo-ple are used to it now,” she said. The absence of these students is felt by more than just their friends. Bagnasco had trouble understanding how students could be forced to have to deal with these situations. “No high school should have to go through what the kids here are going through,” he said. More than just feeling sadness for the death of some of his stu-dents, Bagnasco recognizes that these students could be his own children. Principal Bill Parks faces simi-lar frustrations. “I resent opening a paper every morning and seeing 14, 15, and 16 year olds in shoot-ings and drive-bys,” he said. “But those problems are in the streets, not at Stagg High School.” Parks, along with other school programs, are doing a number of things to help students cope with their grief. A couple of days after Ros’s death, Parks called 45 students who lived in the same apartment complex as Ros into the library to inform them of the resources available at school. At the moment, Healthy Start has four marriage and family thera-pist trainees open to talk to stu-dents who can refer themselves or be referred by a teacher. When it comes to hearing or talking about student deaths, Bagnasco says that students, teachers, and administrators can’t always be ready with the right in-

formation or resources. “Nothing would prepare his family or anybody else for this,” Bagnasco said. He was less prepared when it came to telling his fifth period English class that Ros had died over the weekend. He said his name, the students asked who, and another student in the class pointed to the empty seat. “The dude who sat there.”

21 Shock & denial

Unwilling to face reality in order to avoid pain –

may last for weeks

7 Stages of grief

SOURCE: RECOVER-FROM-GRIEF.COMINFOBOX BY MICHELLE PHEAV

Pain & guiltAlthough unbearable, pain must be experi-enced fully, not hidden

34

5

Anger & BargainingHave self control over

frustration, good time to release bottled up anger

Depression, Reflection, LonelinessIsolation of one self to reflect and focus on the past, having feelings of emptiness or despair

67

The Upward Turn Adjusting to life starts to

become a bit calmer; depression lifts slightly

Acceptance & HopeAble to accept the

reality of situations and find a way forward

Reconstruction & Working ThroughThe mind works again, start to rebuild life with-out lost loved one

Features08.27.10 5the Stagg Line

Students pull out their note-books and begin taking notes on the concept of passé composé avec être, a subject that students in French 7-8 learned more than two years ago while French 3-4 students are seeing this for the first time. These students from differ-ent levels don’t have the benefit of sitting in separate classrooms, or even in separate periods. Instead, students who signed up for French 3-4 honors, French 5-6, French 5-6 honors, French 7-8 and French 7-8 honors all sit together learning the same curriculum.

Classes such as this one, with multiple sections in the same room, have become necessary due to a combination of lack of sign-ups and numerous budget cuts that don’t allow small classes for foreign languages to exist.

French teacher Deborah Berg says combining all three levels of the language as well as honors is insanity. “It’s kind of like throw-ing a wrench into a machine,” she said. Berg has been challenged with teaching multiple course levels in the past, but that usu-ally only involved teaching two courses one year apart such as French 5-6 and French 7-8. Even though teaching multiple courses has proven to be challenging to Berg, she has figured out a system to ensure students receive all the help they need, even if they have to receive the aid from students in a higher course.

A system that teachers such as Berg and Spanish teacher Maria Cordova have adopted is splitting

the class into groups and having students of every level in those groups. “I think it benefits me more,” said Oscar Gomez, senior, a Spanish 3-4 student in Cordova’s class. “I can learn more from peo-ple in a high level.”

Although students in higher levels such as French and Span-ish 7-8 are spending some of their time helping students in less ad-vanced levels, they still find them-selves bored at times. “It’s kind of like seeing 1+1 in an Algebra 3-4 class,” said Itzel Bernal, senior.

Students in the French 5-6 course find themselves doing more than just teaching. They also have to be able to learn and grasp new concepts that haven’t been intro-duced to them. “The 5-6 students are kind of like the middle child of a family,” said Alfredo Aguirre, junior. These students not only are looking up to 7-8 students, he said, but they have others who are looking up to them as well.

Spanish teacher Raquel Chavez points out that there are some key differences when it comes to teaching different language cours-es. One of those is that the first two years of a language class are more focused on teaching the ver-bal part of the language, while the following two years consist more of teaching about the grammar of the language.

Even though Berg is starting to get a handle on running her tri-level class she still views it as much more of a challenge than in past years. “Even with two levels it’s in-sanity,” she said.

Combined classes create conflict for

students and teachers

Working wondersNew work experience coordinator

brings life to declining program

Photo by Kristin Acevedo

Clayton’s abusive past influences bright future The message of encouragement

toward education is everywhere. It’s on massive billboards and hundreds of posters. It’s within an ever so fa-mous quote of President Obama, “Dropping out of school… it’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quit-ting on your country,” which is plastered in many classrooms in-cluding that of Sharron Clayton’s, English teacher.

Clayton looks around her class and sees destroyed textbooks: cov-ers ripped off, bindings torn apart, pages scribbled on. Books are lent to students, who are strongly en-couraged to use them to expand their education. Seeing the careless damage to wide open learning op-portunities makes Clayton uneasy.

As she sees some brush the mes-sage off their shoulder, Clayton re-calls living in a world where educa-tion was strictly off limits to her, a world where the population denied her to know anything beyond their own cruel state of mind, and this is what made her become an educa-tor.

From Illinois to Michigan to Indiana to California, her child-hood was poor and nomadic. She had always been the “poor kid” in her classes. Clayton recalls her third

grade teacher Mrs. Hazards calling her up in front of the class to sim-ply tease her about the saddle ox-fords she wore on her feet because they were severely tattered and out-grown so much that they forced her to walk on her heels.

They lived off of the neighbor-hood trailer park; their ideal field day was when their neighbor, a gar-bage man, brought his truck home and allowed her and her siblings to scope through the trash and keep whatever treasures they’d find. But at the age of 13, poverty had finally besieged Clayton’s family.

Her mother sent her to live with her aunt in Emerald, TX, but after only two years, her aunt grew cer-tain that she too was unable to pro-vide Clayton with a suitable home. The same day Clayton had received an Honor Roll Award at school, her aunt handed her over to the courts of Texas. She was forced into a ju-venile hall where she witnessed cru-elty and abuse, verbal and physical, and the worst part of all, to Clay-ton, no school.

Since she knew she wouldn’t be able to leave the hall until she turned 18, she sought an earlier es-cape through marriage. “I honestly didn’t care who it was, I’d do any-thing to get out,” she said.

A friend of hers wanted to help.

His uncle was a judge and married them and, for a split second, Clay-ton thought this was a selfless ges-ture for her escape away from the hall. She couldn’t have been more wrong, she said.

Clayton was petite, a mere 4’10 and her new husband was a six foot body builder on steroids who had no trouble “smacking her around.” He and his mother believed Clay-ton had no right or use for an edu-cation and abuse was the only way to make a wife listen.

“He’d catch me with them (books) and would burn them and beat me,” Clayton said.

Throughout the beatings, her thirst for literature and knowledge never went away. “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” were Clayton’s ways of temporary escape from it all. “Through books I could be anybody I wanted to be.”

Finally at the age of 21, Clayton fled from her husband to Califor-nia with her three children; she had been living in her husband’s world for so long that she had no idea of what was going on in the real world or how to begin a new life. She had grown up to fear society for not being accepted. But one thing she grasped quickly was the concept of the balance and ratio between re-spect and education.

“The only time you count is when you have respect,” Clayton said. “The only time you have re-spect is when you have an educa-tion.”

With this life lesson, Clay-ton was quick to get her General Equivalency Diploma, but it still wasn’t enough. She graduated from Delta College in 1981 and moved on to the University of the Pacific where she took a passion in jour-nalism. Education wasn’t an idea strongly imposed on Clayton, but somehow she found clarity through the putdowns and made her own way. According to Clayton, it is indeed a blessing to be surrounded by people who support and suggest the right choices in life.

People are encouraged to take ad-vantage of an education and build a better future. But there are those who don’t appreciate that little sug-gestion. There are those who mock the message. Unlike Clayton, they have no idea what it’s like to live in world where they are violently de-prived of their education, where the only thing they could know is what their abuser wanted them to know, where everyone truly thinks they are simply nothing.

“It (education) gave me respect, it gave me individuality, and it made me count in life.”

The average 16 year old will look forward to earning a driv-er’s license along with buying their first car, so it’s not surpris-ing to see older teens hunting for a job outside of the school day.

However, with the current economic crisis, fulfilling these expectations has become more of a struggle than ever. A teen-ager’s competition for a job no longer only consists of his or her peers but adults as well. Dr. Deb Barbieri, newly ap-pointed coordinator of Work Experience Education, is here to coach students to be able to handle that competition.

The program has not had much notice on campus in re-cent years. But now, despite a small enrollment in the class, Barbieri remains enthusiastic about what she has to offer to students.

She has taken the initiative to speak to an average of 200 stu-dents a week about “Dr. Deb” and the WEE program.

“I work for the students,” she said.

Work permits, resume build-ing, and interview etiquette, however, are merely the surface of what she intends to teach. As she guides teens through the job process, she admits that she’s introducing them to skills that will be usable in the future not only for job hunting, but for life as well.

According to Barbieri, there are usually 300 students on campus with jobs and work permits in the beginning of the year; but as of right now, there are only 10.

James McCollum, senior, the only student currently enrolled in WEE, strongly recommends students to the program. Mc-Collum was unhappy with his

job and hours before he con-sulted with Barbieri. She asked “What are you interested in?” and soon enough McCollum was on his way to an interview for a job he actually wanted with a better resume Barbieri helped him assemble.

“Job searching is looking at yourself and seeing what you have to offer,” she said.

Disappointing students, for Barbieri, is simply not an op-tion. Her anxiety about the program stems from it not be-ing able to benefit the amount of students to its full capability. She admits that her motivation is “giving students a good start after high school,” and that’s what students can come to ap-preciate by attending her class every Wednesday. Barbieri says it herself – one has to be pas-sionate about where they want to work, and many see that her passion lies with this program. “I’ve wanted this position for two years,” she said.

However, many students were unaware of the program’s existence, let alone its benefits. Kayla Nelson, junior, was one of those students until Barbieri gave a presentation to her class. “I didn’t know about the pro-gram until she came,” Nelson said. She plans on meeting with Barbieri for assistance with her resume building and job searching.

“I’m in the right job,” said Barbieri, and students agree.

“She’s in contact with every-one,” McCollum said. “She’s definitely the person to go to.”

But Barbieri simply believes that if one reaches for “what (they’re) good at, (they’ll) be fine.” With her enthusiasm and energy, however, the program will be more than fine; it will be successful.

Kristin Acevedo and Missy Rae Magdalera

Quick Questions: Job Searching5 questions to ask yourself before looking for a job

� What are you looking for in a job and why? � What are your interests? � What are your skills? � How will the job affect your future? � What are the real possibilities?

SOURCE: ASHS-SUSD-CA.SCHOOLLOOP.COM/WEE

Work Experience Coordinator, Dr. Deb Barbieri, has presented to approximately 700 students since the beginning of the school year in order to keep the program as a reliable resource for students on campus.

photo by Kristin Acevedo

Sharron Clayton, English teacher, presents her journalism portfolio which is filled with all her college work on the newspaper staff.

Kristin Acevedo

Graphic by Tiffany Pech

Deborah Crane, associate director of career resources at University of the Pacific, speaks to students in the after school program about building resumes, an aspect involved with attending Work Experience Education.

photo by Chelsea Collura

Lissette Rodriguez

Entertainment6 08.27.10

the Stagg Line

Another graphic novel by the great Alan Moore is “‘V for Vendetta.” This graphic novel tells the story of a dark totalitarian England, which takes place in the near future, as well as the tale of V, who is a terrorist to some and a freedom fighter to others. Directed by the Wachowski brothers, who also directed “The Matrix,” the movie becomes a great fictional politi-cal thriller and emphasizes the immorality that dictator-ship causes without trying to preach to viewers. V is played incredibly by Hugo Weaving and could be one of the best comic book character transitions from page to screen in a while. In a year that brought such dry comic book films like “Superman Returns” and “X-Men: the Last Stand”, “V” is relief from overly stylized action movies. There are many differences between the graphic novel and the movie, but surprisingly it does

not hinder the viewing experience. People may notice at the movie’s end there is a peaceful overthrow of the government, while in the novel there is

a violent struggle for freedom. And that the mantle of V is taken up briefly by main character Evey after the original V’s death. Despite the noticeable changes to the plot, the movie remains equally superb, which is unusual for a comic book film. The dark setting of the movie is definitely true to the original comic book. The emotional scenes are not overplayed and so the viewer feels genuine emotion. This film does not have an excess of violence, also unusual since most graphic novel adaptations have had incredible amounts of violence. Overall, “V for Vendetta” is the best

out of all the film adaptations of Alan Moore’s works and deserves to be recognized as such.

WATCHMEN

Comics!cRASH! Bam!

Epic comics coming to FILM:

Why do you prefer the graphic novel over the movie?

"I prefer the novel because it can be informative and go into depth about the story a lot more than a movie."

- David Knodt, senior

"'Watchmen is very interesting because every time you read it you don't get the whole story."

- Sean Ferguson, junior

"I prefer to read than to watch a flashing screen"

- Allison Keagy, sophomore

The Green Hornet (January 14 2011)

Thor (May 6 2011)

Green Lantern (June 17 2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22 2011)

Damon Heine and Mikeala Axton

It has been called the greatest comic book ever published, as well as one of the most difficult movie adaptations. But director Zack Snyder managed to faithfully transform Alan Moore’s 12-issue comic into an exceptional three-hour film. However, this film got mixed reviews from critics and never received the blessings of its creator; Moore wanted his name taken off all of his comic film adaptations. The film’s cast has relatively unknown actors. The two actors who truly embody their

characters are Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as the sadistic Comedian, and Jackie Earle Haley, as the sociopath Rorschach. Other actors

are a bit dull and do not contain the depth the graphic novel presents. Other characters that

had important roles in the comic, such as the first Nite-Owl (Hollis Mason), are given smaller

roles or cut out of the film altogether. There are many distracting scenes including a sex scene between Nite-Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre (Malin Ackerman) in the Owl-Ship halfway through the movie. Strangely enough, almost every scene with Dr. Manhattan is portrayed in two ways: very blue and very naked. The entire final chapter is rewritten except for a few scenes. Ozymandias’ plot now involves Dr. Manhattan destroying New York, whereas in the graphic novel Ozymandias is diminishing a false alien invasion that he has devised. “Watchmen” is not a perfect film, but it’s not as lackluster as some critics described. For such a highly respected graphic novel, it is especially well done.

V FOR VENDETTA

ArmedwithhiswrinkledbandT-shirts,hisultra-hipslackerfriends,andhistrustybassguitar,ScottPilgrimisready(ifnotwilling)totakeontheworld. Andthisepicbattleisfarbettersuitedtoplayoutonthebigscreenthaninthepanelsofagraphicnovel. Transitionsinthenovelarevirtuallynon-existent,leavingyourepeatedlythumbingtomakesurethepagesaren’tstucktogether,foryou’recertainyou’vemissedsomething.Thenon-transitionsinthemovie,however,servetohelpkeepitfast-pacedandedgy. Thedialogueisalsoproblematicinthebookwheremostconversationsarejumpyanddifficulttofollowonpaper.Thepowerofcinema,again,transformsthisinto

sharp,quickbanterevenmorenerdy-awkwardandhilari-ousthaninthebook. Presentation-wise,themovieagaindeliversaK.O.punchtothebook.Asstylizedastheyare,theillustra-tionsfromthegraphicnovelaremediocreatbest:thecharactersbeingstocky,flat,andultimatelystrangelook-ing.Themovieswiftlymorphstheseodd,mangainflu-enceddoodlesintoslick,ubercoolrealisticcharacters. Ontheotherhand,inpumping-upthesepersonas,thefilmremovessomeofthemaincharacters’mostenjoy-abletraits.ScottPilgrimhimselfismadeintoaMichaelCerapatent:sensitiveandunsure,withnobutt-kickingabilitiesrightoffthebat,theexactoppositeoftheScottofthenovel. Ultimately,themovieappearsasasortofcomic-bookmoviehybrid,integratingtextandvisualonomatopoeiaspackedalongsideeye-searinggraphicstogiveepileptickidsnightmares. Overall,themovieandthegraphicnovelachievethesameeffect:ageek-friendlyhandbooktolife,love,andkickingvillainbutt,writteninoneofthemostparadoxi-callyaptmetaphorsforreallife:fantasy.

Comic book (1986) Movie (2009)

Comic Book (Between 1983-1989), Movie (2006)

Somearen'ttrulyaheroyetpossesstheessencetofightforjustice.They'reabletoprotecttheweakfromacorruptsocietyandatthesametimestandtallwiththechafingoftheirspandex.Wetakealookatsomegraphicnovelsandtheirmovieadaptations.

Graphics by Michelle Pheav

Movie images courtesy of Creative Commons

Entertainment08.27.10 7the Stagg Line

Letmestartoffbysaying,thismoviecouldhavebeengreat.Itcouldhavebeenawesome.Itcouldhavebeenepic. Butitisn’t. Itisboring,idiotic,anddownrightinsulting.Inthenewactionthriller,“TheExpendables,”SylvesterStalloneplaysanex-specialopsagentnamedBarneyRosswho’sinchargeofnegotiatingthesafereturnofhostagesandperformingthetaskstheCIAwon’tdo. Rossandhisgang(madeupofactionstarssuchasJasonStatham,JetLi,andDolphLundgren)aresufferingfrompersonallife-alteringissueswhenthey’repulledintoanassassinationjob. TheymustgotoSouthAmericatokillanevildictator.Yetwhenthejobisanythingbutwhattheyweretold,theygorogueandmustsavethedictator’sdaughteraswellaskilltherealtarget,anevilex-CIAagentconsumedwithgreedandoutforblood. Thedialogueissostupidandthewriterstriedsohardtobedramaticthatitslightlyinsultsmyintel-ligence.Imean,yes,IunderstandthatwhenIwatchanactionfilmIamnotexpectinganOscar-winningscreenplay,butthisisjustpainful. Thelongstretchesofdialoguewouldhavebeenfineifthecharactershadbeenworthourinterest,buttheyarenot.Ididn’tcarewhathappenedtothesepeopleandwhyshouldI? Stallonesetupunlikablecharactersthattrytobedeepbutendupjustsoundingtriteandsad.BytheendofthefilmIwasrootingforthebadguy,justsoStallonewouldstoptalking. Notonlyisthedialoguestupid,whenStalloneistalking,thewordsareincomprehensible.Itishardtomakeoutwhatisgoingonbetweenthegrumbleandrumbleofhissyllablescrashingtogetherinanangrymanner. Imean,don’tgetmewrong.Therearesomefunnylines.WhenArnoldSchwarzeneggerwalksintoasceneandStallonecommentsthatheistoobusytotakeanyjobsbecausehewantstobepresi-

dent,Ichuckled.Butthesefunnylinesarefewandfarbetween. Overall,theonlyreasonIlaughedatthelineswerebecauseitwassoinconceivablethattheseac-torsweresayingthisdialogue. Theplotislaughabletoo.Itmakesnosenseandtherearepartsofthemoviethatareunnecessaryyetaregiventonsofscreentime. Statham’srelationshipwithhisgirlfriend(Cha-rismaCarpenter)doesn’tgoanywhereandisonlytheretosetupafightscenebetweenhisgirl’sabuserandhimself. Imean,granted,thesceneiscompletelyawe-some,withStathamtakingonanentirebasketballteamandthrowingtheabuseronthegroundandpoppinghisbasketballwithagiantknife. Itisentertaining,butyoucouldhaveseenthatwithoutthescenewherehefindshisgirlfriendcheatingonhim. Thereisn’tenoughaction,though.IfIamgoingtogiveupplotanddialogue,thefilmmakerbetterblowmeawaywiththeirspecialeffects. Thereiswaytoomuchtalkinginthismoviewhentheyshouldbeblowingthingsup.Thefilm-makerneedstostoptryingtomakemecare.Idon’tcare,justkillsomeone. StathamandStalloneareagreatpairwhenitcomestokillingthebadguyandwrestlingthehenchmen,butIwantedtoseemore.Oncetheac-tiongetsgoing,though,itissogory,itishilarious. Themoviestartsoffwithamanbeingshotinhalfwithhistophalfhittingthebackwallandbloodspurtingalloverthefactorytheyarein. Sometimesthewaytoshowdeathanddestruc-tioninapowerfulwayistocutawayandlettheaudiencethinkwiththeirimagination.Thescenesshowtheaudiencealltheircardsandtheyhadnoth-ing. Thismovieissonotworthyourtime.Itisidioticatitsbest.Ihaveneverwalkedoutofafilm,nomatterhowbad,yetIseriouslyconsidereditinthemiddleofthisfilm.Don’tseeit.Youhavebeenwarned.

Boldsettingsandanempow-eringthemecouldeasilymake“EatPrayLove”oneofthemostinspirationalfilmsoftheyear. Itsmaturecontentmaymakeitseemlikeitwouldn’tappealtoteens. However,inreality,themoviehasauniversalmessagethatappliestoanybodywhohasthesamepassionforlifethat’spresentthroughoutthefilm. RyanMurphy,directorandproducerofthesuccessfultelevi-sionseries“Glee,”takesthisNewYorkTimesBestsellerbyElizabethGilbertandtransfersthecontentintoafilmwithauniquepassionandplentyofsubstance. Thefilmbeginsslowlywiththemaincharacter,LizGilbert(JuliaRoberts),attendingapartywithherhusbandStephen(BillyCrudup). Thetensionbetweenthecou-pleisquicklyapparent.Witness-ingawkwardsideglancesandfakesmiles,theaudiencecanpredictthattheirmarriageisgoingtoendsoon. Rightafterthebreakup,Lizfindsherselfinyetanothercon-fusingrelationshipwithDavidPiccolo(JamesFranco),whoisthecompleteoppositeofherex. Whentheirrelationshipgoessouth,Lizdecidesthatit’stimethatshefocusesonherselfratherthanonherrelationships. ThemovietakesaturnforthebestwhenLizpacksherbagsand

saysgoodbyetoallthatisfamiliartoher,includingthebroodingmeninherlife. ShestartsoffinItaly,thenheadstoIndia,andendsheryearinBali. Themessagebehindthisfilmisamazing,butRobertsandhersupportingcastarewhatmakethestoryflow. Thereissomedialoguethatiscompletelyforeigntoayoungaudience,butthemomentswherethelaughterleavesthescreenandabsorbstheaudiencemakeupforthem. “EatPrayLove”hasanewtakeonacommonoccurrenceinsociety.

Peopleallovertheworlddiscoverthattheydon’tlikewhotheyhavebecome. Andthentheygetstuckfloat-ingthroughtheirhopelesslivesinabubble. Thisfilmshowsthatit’snormaltowantachangeinyourlife,butyoucan'tjustsitaroundandexpectchangetohappenonitsown. ThemessageseemstobetochannelyourinnerLizandbeabletogooutandgetwhatyouwantoutoflife. Andalsothatit’soktobeself-ishsometimes. Ifyou’reunhappy,thenit’simportantthatyoutakeatimeouttofindthathappiness. Becausewithouthappiness,whatdoyouhave? Thismoviegivesyouapositiveperspectiveonlife. Oncethemoviehasended,youwalkoutofthetheaterandyoucan’thelpbutsmileasyoulookattheworldaround. You'reabletoseeallthepos-sibilitiesforbroadeningyourhorizons. “EatPrayLove”isanempow-eringstorythatishighlyrecom-mendedtoanyonethattakesgreatpleasureoutoflife--orwantsto. Thefilmmayrevolvearoundthelifeofamiddle-agedwoman,butthemessagebehindthefilmisthatyoudon’thavetowaitandbeunhappybeforeyoustartlivingthelifeyou’vealwaysdreamedof. Startlivingnow.

Reanna RodriguezClaire Scheffer

This film shows that it's normal to want a change in your life, but you can't just sit around and expect it to happen on its own.”

“

Summer movies bring less ACTION, more inspiration

Lack of gory explosions kill audience's attention

Life-altering message hits audience hard

Art by Tiffany Pech, Mia Torres, and Taylor Hurles Art by Tiffany Pech

News8 08.27.10

the Stagg Line

Bus pass cuts leave students stranded

Wakingupat5inthemorningandwalkingtwohourstoschoolisnowaneverydayroutineforsophomoreEmilianoHernandez.Onthefirstdayofschoolhesaidheeagerlywaitedinlinetoreceivehisfreebuspassonlytobetoldhedidn’tlivefarenough. Budgetcutsatthedistrictlevelhavehadanimpactonstudents.FreebuspasseshavebeentakenawayfrommagnetstudentsliketheHealthCareerandJournalismAcademystudentsandthosewhodon’tliveatleast3.1milesaway.

Manystudentsfoundoutthattheywerenolongerelligableforafreebuspass.Inpreviousyears,magnet students living outsideof their designated school dis-trictweregivenabuspasstogetthem to school. Students living3.0milesorfartheralsoreceivedabuspass. Glenna Aguayo, who worksinthemainofficeandpassesoutbus passes after school, said, “Itishardtotellastudenttheycan’tgetafreebuspasswhentheyarebarelyfaraway(fromthelimit).”Shesaidshe“feelsforthem.” Now that the distance hasbeen extended, students whodon’t receive a free pass fromschool have the opportunity ofpurchasing a bus pass from SanJoaquinRegionalTransitDistrict

(RTD)for$40orbuyonefromtheschoolatadiscountpriceof$35.Thispurchasecanbemadeinthemainoffice. SophomoreAnnaThongseeisanotherstudentwhousedtoqualifyforabuspass.“Istillridethebusinthemorning,butIgetpickedupafterschool,”shesaid.AlthoughThongseenolongerhasafreebuspass,shealwayshastransportationtoandfromschool. UnfortunatelyHernandezisinadifferentsituation.Inordertogettoschoolandbackhome,hisonlytransportationishisfeet.Wakingupat5inthemorningandcominghomeat5intheafternooniswhathehastodoinordertogettoandfromschool.HernandezlivesoneblockawayfromhisfriendnearWeberInstitute,whichisunderthelimitofmiles,yethisfriendstillqualifiedtoreceiveafreebuspass. Oncewhilehewaswalkingtoschool,Hernandezsaidhe“almostgothitbyacar”whilewalkingacrossa street. “AndIwaswearingbrightcolors…Thecarstoppedlessthanafootawayfromme.” Senior Erica Heyne also walks home from school. Her house isabouttwomilesaway.But,shesaid,“ItisnotRTD’sresponsibilitytotakeustoschoolandtheschoolshouldnotberesponsibleforhowyougethere.”Butnotallstudentsfeelthiswayaboutthebustrans-portationcuts. Hernandezsaidthatthisyearitishardertogettoschoolsincehisparentsseemtoalwaysbeatworkandhewassousedtoridingthebuseverydaylastyear.

Small learningcommunities,newtocampuslastyear,hasanewcoordinatorthisyear. The previous SLC coordinator, Annie McDonald, retired last

schoolyearbutshewillstillbeapartoftheSLCprogram.McDonaldisstill“(donating)hoursandhoursofhertimetothisschool,”saidprincipalBillParks.“Andwillcontinuetodonatehoursandhours(ofhertime)tothisschool.” ElizabethLewis,aSLCleadteacherfortheEnvironmentalScienceandEngineeringSLC,willfillMcDonald’sshoesandtakeoverthere-sponsibilitiesastheSLC’scoordinator.“Ifeelveryconfidentthatshewilldoagoodjob,”Parkssaid.LewisspentlastyearandhersummerwithMcDonaldinmeetingsandgettingfamiliarwithdutiesshewillsoonbefulfilling. A project that was presented at the beginning of the year wassupplying every student with a three-ring-binder that contained anotebook,pencilpouch,dividers,pen,pencil,andacoversheetthatwouldrepresenttheSLCtheyareapartof.“Thiswouldhelpkeepstudentsmoreorganized,”Lewissaid,“andbemorereadyforschool.” Currently, Lewis is a science teacher, but when a new scienceteacherishired,accordingtoParks,Lewis“willbeamentortothelongtermteacher”andthatwillallowhertotakechargeofhernewresponsibilityandtitleasSLCcoordinator.Itisnotknownwhenthatnewscienceteacherwillstepin. SLC’sfromlastyearwillnotbealtered.Itwillbeverysimilartowhatstudentshavebeenusedto.“Itiswellorganized,thenumberofprogramshaveclearpathwaysandgoodelectives,”Lewissaid.“TheteachersarealsoverywellmatchedtotheirSLC’s.” MostofthewaySLC’sareorganizedwillbethesamebut,asthenewSLCcoordinator,Lewishopes tomakechanges thatwillhelpstudents be more knowledgeable and excited about their SLC. “IwouldliketoseestudentshavingaclearideaofwhattheirSLCis,”shesaid. AccordingtoLewis,tostartoffthisyearstudentsshouldatleastknowtheirSLC’sthemeandacareerpathwithintheirSLC.TheonlySLCthatdoesnothaveathemewouldbeFreshmanAcademy,be-causeitismoreaboutreadinessandbeingpreparedforobstaclesthathighschoolstudentsface. TotrytoencouragestudentstostarttheschoolyearoffrightLewisis establishing anSLCOlympics. “Wehavedifferent eventswhereeachSLCwillcompetetoearnthemostpoints,”Lewissaid.“WewillalsobeawardingprizestotheSLCthatperformsthebest.”Lastweekallfreshmenwhopresentedtheir lanyardtotheCampusCaféwererewardedwithafreepopsicle,thankstotheirSLC’sperformanceonattendingbacktoschoolnightAug.12. “Ithinkthatgivingoutfreepopsiclesisagoodwaytogetpeople

involvedwiththeschoolactivities,”saidDaelenSurrell,freshman. ThechangesthatarehappeningaremovingtowardhavingamoreefficientSLCprogram.Lewiswillultimatelymoveoutoftheclass-roomtobettertheSLCprogram,andstudentswillmissher. “Itmakesmeupset,” said seniorGwenAlldrege.“She isa reallygoodteacher.”

Going for the gold

Amber Crum, senior, takes a social studies course online in order to make up credits. After school classes are available everyday.

photo by Erica Trevino

Afterthelastbellringsearlyon Thursday, the cafeteria islesschaoticthananyotherdayoftheweek. One senior, Reuben Suchil,quickly eats his food andleaveshisfamiliarlunchtable.SeeingSuchilleave,onefriendstopshimandaskswhereheisgoing. “Apex,”Suchilsays. “Okay,” his friend, RichardEstepp, a senior, said. “I’llmeetyouthere.” Suchil and Estepp are bothenrolledintheApexLearningProgram. The online-basedprogramisofferedafterschoolfrom2:35-5:30ascreditrecov-ery classes since therewill notbe summer school. Specificcoreclassessuchasmath,Eng-lish,science,andsocialstudiesare offered either on Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,orFriday;Thursday is an open day; stu-dentscangoinforanycourse.Onlinecoursescanalsobedoneathomebutstudentsmusttake

alltestsinthepresenceofacre-dentialedteacher,who’savailableforeverycoreclassinthelibrary. Ren Foshee, a math teacherwho also monitors the mathcoursesandtestingonMondays,said theprogram is “still tryingtowork”andthey’restill inthe“workingprogress.”“Rightnowit’ssmall…Hopefullystudentslearn about this (opportunity)andjoin.” TosignupforApex,studentsneedtogetanapplicationfromthe counseling office, completeit, return it to their counselorandwaittobenotifiedthattheyareaddedontheteachers’roster. ArthurWilson,aseniorwho’sdoing geometry online, said heistakingthecourseafterschoolbecausehedoesn’twanttotakegeometry forfifthperiod.Afterfailing geometry last year be-cause of the benchmarks anddoingreviewtestsonlineundertheApexLearningProgram,hesaid,“(Thecourseis)aloteasier,inmyopinion…(Thetest)wasprettyeasy.” “It’s a lot like independent

study,” said senior Kyle Khort-Blevins.“It’sjustlikeschool,butinacomputer.” Senior Ross Scott, who istaking Apex for geometry, alsoprefersdoingtheclassonlineascompared with in a classroombut he has a fear that studentswillstarttakingadvantageoftheonlinecourses.“Myfear is thatif people fail, they won’t care.They figure they can make ituponthecomputerratherthanpassingthecourse.” Marcus Sherman, scienceteacher, agrees. “Students needtoknowthatitisanalternative,notanotherwayout.” Yet, the online course willbenefit seniors who still needcredits. This form of credit re-covery greatly benefits seniorVeronicaValencia,whoalso at-tends adult school. On a daywhere she must do her coursesin the library and attend adultschool,sheusuallyreturnshomearound6.Sheadmitstoslackingoff during her sophomore andjunior years and suggests thatunderclassmento“keepfocus,itmightbehard,but it’sworthitintheend.” Valencia doesn’t mind tak-ingonextracoursesafterschooland outside of school becauseshesaid,“It’sworthitbecauseithelpsmegraduate.” Khort-Blevinsagreesthatthefirstpriorityasaseniorisgradu-ation.Hesaid,“AslongasIgetmydiploma,Idon’tevencare.”

Xe XiongChesiree Terry

Erica Trevino

Stephanie Maya, senior, lines up to get her SLC’s lanyard and binder. Lanyards were asked to be worn everyday as a part of the SLC Olympics.

photo by Chelsea Collura

Paulina Ambriz, freshman, eats a popsicle as a prize for being in the SLC with the best attendance.

photo by Erica Trevino

New coordinator introduces SLC Olympics

Online classes help students secure credits

It is hard to tell a student they can’t get a free bus pass when they are barely far away (from the limit). I feel for them.” Glenna Aguayo

AP SECRETARY

“

Right now, it’s small ... Hopefully stu-dents learn about this (op-portunity) and join.”

Ren FosheeMATH TEACHER

“

Available classes for credit recovery�� Algebra/Geometry (Library): M�� Choir (T-2): M-T-W �� English (Library): T�� Biology (Library): W�� Social Studies (Library): F�� Career Readiness (R-11): ALL�� Benchmark Cafe (R-1): M-T-W-F�� Ballet Folklorico/Salsa (Cafeteria): M-F�� Ethnic Studies (S-13): M-W-F�� Art (S-13): T-Th �� El Joven Noble (S-9): ALL�� Lab (Library): Th�� Auto (ROP): M-W�� Recreational Activities (L-3): ALL

SOURCE: LIBRARY