Issue 1 of 2013-2014 The Spartan

First Challenge Day at LCHS offers a new experience to students

Dahlia Kaki selected as LCUSD Governing Board Student Representative

LCHS ANNOUNCES PRINCESSES OF THE 50TH

HOMECOMING COURT

The La Cañada Unifi ed School Board welcomed LCHS senior Dahlia Kaki as student representa-tive to the board on September 5th, 2013. Taking the seat held last year by Shant Hairapetian, she brings her dedication and a strong desire to let the voices of LCHS students be heard.

When ASB sent out an announce-ment about the student representative position at the beginning of the year, Dahlia knew she was going to apply. In order to qualify for the repre-sentative position, candidates had to write a letter of intent, turn in a copy of resume, and participate in a 15-minute interview with Mr. Lively and Mr. McFeat.

Questions ranged from “Why do

you want to represent LCHS stu-dents?” to “How would you handle a situation where someone brings you a problem to discuss at a meeting?”

Mr. McFeat said, “All the stu-dents who applied were excellent and exceptional. What made Dahlia stand out from others was that she is a good listener. Listening and communicating well with others are character traits that a student repre-sentative should have.”

Dahlia also stood out because of her great character traits and her con-nectedness with the LCHS campus. Dahlia is currently co-captain of the Girl’s Water Polo team and co-president of the Athletic Leadership Council. Her active involvement in school allows her to represent the community better in various per-spectives and talk to wide range of groups on campus such as athletics, ASB leadership groups, clubs, and volunteers. Her wide diversity of classes also allows her to have more interactions with different people. As a senior, Dahlia is enrolled in AP Bi-ology, AP Government and Econom-ics, AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, and zero period ASB. She is also a

TA for Mr. Lively. Like many other candidates,

Dahlia’s main reason for applying for the student representative posi-tion was to allow students’ voices and ideas be recognized by the adults outside of high school.

Dahlia stated, “I really want the students to know that there is a board that is interested in what they have to say and their voices and their roles on the campus.”

When asked about how she felt about being appointed to the posi-tion, Dahlia excitedly said, “It is an honor to be able to take all the experiences at school and inform the adult group about our student life.”

For her fi rst offi cial board meet-ing on September 24th, Dahlia got in touch with the principals of elementary schools and junior high school of La Cañada in order to gain a holistic view of student life.

To fellow LCHS students, Dahlia had this to say. “You have a say in what’s going on around not only in LCHS, but also the La Cañada com-munity. Your input matters, so have a bigger student voice.”

By Jihee YoonNews Editor

It all began with the pink slips.Students were pulled out of

class left and right to go speak with Mr. McFeat, Dr. Gold, or Mr. Cartnal. They soon found out they had been summoned to take part in an all-day activity called Challenge Day.

What was Challenge Day? No-body knew. The mystery lasted until the participants entered the South Gym in groups of 100 on September 10th, 11th and 12th.

The supportive atmosphere was established in the very fi rst minutes, when all the students ran through a tunnel of smiling parents and teachers. Once the upbeat music was turned off and everyone was settled, “Be the Change” leaders Chris and Angela introduced themselves and the purpose of Challenge Day. They asked all involved to take a moment to contemplate their feelings before the day began.

“At the beginning, the whole thing seemed kind of cheesy,” ex-plained sophomore Hailey Taylor.

Erin Kim, an eleventh grader, agreed, “Honestly, going into Chal-lenge Day, I expected a day full of clichés and redundancy about the need to stop bullying.” But that at-titude, shared by almost everyone in the gym, soon changed.

Team building exercises defi ned the morning, as students were given an opportunity to get to know some of their other classmates in a dif-ferent light. Everyone had to fi nd a partner and dance back-to-back, then quickly discuss who they were inspired by. Other activities included a volleyball-esque competition and a version of musical chairs that ended with everyone sitting on top of someone else.

Despite the unspoken potential for awkwardness, Chris and Angela succeeded in creating an accepting environment that allowed all in-volved to feel comfortable and cared for. Once students were relaxed, everyone was given an opportunity to share their feelings freely.

Each individual was grouped with four to fi ve other students and an adult team leader. These small collectives became students’ homes for the day, a space free of judg-ment and full of confi dentiality. It was within the tight circle of chairs that hopes, fears and dreams were explored with others, encouraging students to “drop their waterline” and reveal their genuine inner selves. The intimate atmosphere provided participants with the security to admit to hardships and insecurities brought up during an emotionally charged exercise called “Cross the Line.”

“The ‘Cross the Line’ activity was probably the most emotional part of the day,” commented junior Alex Castro.

Fellow junior Andrea Jongeling agreed, adding, “Watching your friends and peers in such a vulner-able state was incredibly powerful and eye opening.”

(Continued on pg. 2)

By Hannah Chong and Jordan Cutler-TietjenSpartan Staff

New Year, new faces, newer anxieties. I guess you could say happy New Year. Whatever you want to call it, it is a fresh start.

The greatest indicator of this fresh start is the ASB initiated, school-wide push for a greater sense of communal school spirit. Students actually show up to football games, pep rallies are not an event to be laughed at, and for the fi rst time in my high school career, students are genuinely proud to be Spartans.

Students can supplement this wave of spirit by writing in their opin-ions to our very own school publication, yes, the Spartan Newspaper.

Students rarely write in to the school newspaper to voice their own opinion on previously published articles, not realizing that it is one of the greatest ways to strengthen and contribute to the sense of community that we are trying to foster as a collective unit. Not only is your voice power-ful, but its impact is magnifi ed when our fellow students see it in print. We seem to hold this idea that simply printing an opinion automatically validates whatever point of view it endorses. On the contrary, it is the fact that you put your opinion out there that makes you a force to be reckoned with.

So go ahead and e-mail your latest diatribe to [email protected]. We’d all love to hear what you have to say.

Letter from the Editor

Editor-in-Chief,Hannah Stewart

Alyssa Stolmack, Lizzie Wolf, Alex Kearl, Michelle Musso, and Claire Bierman, the 2013-2014 Homecoming Court

NEWSNEWS

OPINIONOPINION

SPORTSSPORTS

ARTSARTS

FEATURESFEATURES

Club Day

Mrs. Lewsadder

No to SAT

Football Team Captains

Theaters Around Town

Photo by Eza BromelyPhoto by Eza Bromely

Senior Dahlia Kaki is excited to represent LCHS student body at monthly school board meetings

Photo by Jeanne BayPhoto by Jeanne Bay

INSIDE

La Cañada High School | Volume XXIV, No. I | October 4th, 2013 | Lcspartan.com

Contact us [email protected]

LCHS’s The Spartan @lcspartan

lchsspartan

Serving La Cañada with Spartan pride.

2|News October 4, 2013

On Friday, August 30th, in the North Gym, the Spartans kicked off the school year with a high-spirited assembly hosted by Robbie Fuelling, Elle Kenwood, and Skyler Joy. The new assemblies commissioners did an incredible job getting the Spartans back into the school spirit. After the new hosts introduced themselves, the cheer squad pumped up the energy with their complex stunts.

They were followed by the girls’ tennis team, who choreographed a humorous dance with their tennis rackets.

Afterwards, the girls’ volleyball team came out and spiked volley-

balls at students. It was just for en-joyment, but was totally unexpected.

Up next were the highly an-ticipated fl aggies. They amazed the crowd with their long tosses and perfectly coordinated moves.

Then, the cross country team was brought out and interviewed by Conan O’Brien a.k.a Robbie Feulling in disguise. He interviewed a few members from the team about the new season and how they were preparing for it.

The moment all the ladies were waiting for came next-yes, the water polo team. Although, the water polo players toned down their usually raunchy performance down a little bit, it was still one of the silliest parts of the assembly.

Subsequently, the songies rallied

up the crowd with their dance moves and pom poms. They did an amazing routine, despite the fact that they had a much smaller squad this year.

One of the most amazing mo-ments of the assembly was when the talented Christina Kozanian came out and performed her original song, called “Stars Collide.” Her dance moves were on point and the students loved her pop song.

Afterwards, the students watched the fi rst episode of the senior skit mascot video. The theme was Wiz-ard of Oz.

To close the assembly, the cham-ber singers performed the LCHS alma mater. Their angelic voices har-monized perfectly and they sounded angelic.

First Assembly of the Year Welcomes SpartansBy Sabrina Galoostian Arts Editor

Photo by Vanessa KimPhoto by Vanessa Kim

News around the World

2013-2014 National Merit Scholar

Semi-Finalists

Arushi GulatiSarah Kim

Yongsoo KimMitchell Ma

David Oh Teddy Park

Priyanka PullarkatIsaac Suh

Brian Min

Congratulations!

Clearly, Challenge Day gave stu-dents more than just sign language for “I love you” (it’s the “Rock-n-Roll” hand sign with the thumb, index and pinky fi ngers extended, in case you were wondering). It il-luminated the insecurities and doubts that stay hidden beneath the smiles displayed in the halls. Participants were encouraged to a help forge a re-spectful and inclusive environment.

“I believe Challenge Day worked not to establish a sense of commu-nity in La Cañada, but to reaffi rm the community that already existed,” Principal McFeat commented. He hopes that Challenge Day will be able to involve as many students as possible over the next four years.

Throughout the day, walls were broken down and relationships were built up. Strangers became confi dants, and peers became com-panions. Freshman Jake Albarian summed up the experience, saying, “Challenge Day was life-changing for every person who attended it.” Hopefully, this progress will make itself evident in classrooms and hallways, where those who had the opportunity to enjoy Challenge Day can share the sense of community established with those who were not able to participate.

Although not everyone received a pink slip, each and every student can still take action to promote a positive, friendly campus where anyone has the ability to, as cliché as it sounds, “be the change they want to see in the world.”

(Continued from pg. 1)

www.youthmaze.com

Challenge Day

There is no place that blends blazing hot summer days, the linger-ing smell of fried food, and the sweet sound of the marching band quite like the LA Fair. On Friday, September 13, a seemingly ominous day, the La Cañada High School marching band was invited to play at the LA County Fair held at Fairplex in Pomona.

The band members left for the fair at 11:45 AM, so when they ar-rived they had time to split up and look around. They also had time to hang out and sight-see, but they mostly just ate a lot of fried food. There was every fried food imagin-able at the fair, from funnel cake to fried Oreos to fried frog legs to, of course, fried chicken. The marching band got to enjoy this wonderful American staple before fi nally get-ting into uniform and warming up around 3:20 PM.

In their signature red and black uniforms, they were probably frying in the heat, but they managed to endure it for two songs, “YMCA” and “In the Stone.” After the band fi nished playing, they got to watch some of the parade before fi nally hopping on the buses. Some of them got to head back home, but others had to head over to Glendale High School to play at the football game.

When asked about their time at the fair, sophomore Charlotte Spry said, “It was a cool experience because it was so different and the LA County Fair is just such a dif-ferent environment compared to [La Cañada High School].”

Marching in the LA Fair was a unique and enjoyable experience for the band.

By Deborah Oh Spartan Staff

LCHS Marching Band enjoys food at the an-nual LA Fair

By Deborah Oh Spartan Staff

Students fl ock to this semester’s Club Day

The Annual PTA Refl ections Contest has returned for the 2013-2014 school year. This annually held contest encourages each students to focus on a given theme and create his works and creatively express his ideas and feelings.

This year’s theme “Believe, Dream, Inspire,” was announced to the LCHS students by Lynne Graves and Jim Robertson, co-chairs of 9-12 PTA Refl ections Program. Students are to submit one or more entries af-ter exploring the theme in following categories: photography, video pro-duction, musical composition, visual arts, literature, dance choreography, or special artists.

Junior Candyce Ha, who has participated in PTA Refl ections Contest since 5th grade said, “The

Refl ections Contest is a wonderful opportunity for students to express their ideas and show their artistic abilities. It allows us to be creative and think outside of the box. Great themes are chosen each year, which makes it easier for everyone to come up with an idea.”

Parent Teacher Association, in hope of fostering and promoting

the arts, encourages all students to participate and be recognized for their creative work. The winners of each category will be presented with scholarships.

Students who wish to partici-pate can pick up applications at the school offi ce and submit their entries to LCHS offi ce by 3 p.m. of Friday, November 15, 2013.

Spartans, show off your talent in Refl ections ContestBy Vanessa KimArts Editor

Hundreds of students crowded around the quad area during lunch on September 19th to check out the variety of clubs that LCHS has to offer. This event, called Club Day, showed the whole school what type of clubs are available at LCHS and allowed each club to promote itself. Many used the sweet aroma of baked goods in order to catch the students’ attention, and others used games and prizes to capture their audience.

The amount of prepara-tion for Club Day is extensive and goes back to the very fi rst day of school. Club presidents go through an extensive task of fi ling out ap-plications to either renew or create a new club. When the club is approved by the ASB, the club members must create posters, sign-up sheets, and treats for the incoming members.

Ben Blanco, the head of the ASB Club Committee said, “The process took a long time and a lot of

planning because the club commit-tee had to go through all of the club applications and organize interviews for new clubs, but it was all worth it. This year, the club committee is proud to present one of the most diverse club lists to date.”

At LCHS, there are many clubs catering to a variety of interests, from Interior Design & Architecture step to Ski-Snowboarding step.

Carly Post, the president of the Ski-Snowboard club, stated, “[Our mission is] to fundraise enough money to take a trip to Mountain High.”

As Club Day is one the most important chances to promote their clubs, the offi cers had a lot to say about Club Day.

Key Club president Dean Wyrzykowski stated, “Club Day is a great way to get our clubs out there and show their value after a long period of summer. It truly is a lot of effort to operate any club, and I don’t think LCHS’s Club Day would be the same if it weren’t for the hard work of ASB in planning the most

important publicity event of the year.”

Club Day also provided a fi rst insight of high school to the incoming freshmen.

Andrew Lim expressed his joy for Club Day, saying, “Club day let me see all the clubs LCHS has and it made me want to join clubs. It also

showed me how lively high school is compared to middle school.”

This is only the beginning for the clubs of LCHS and their feats throughout the school year.

By Eric HanSpartan Staff

Flaggies showed off their skills at the fi rst assembly, receiving applauses from the audience


Photo by Vanessa Kim

Kelly Ha and Elizabeth Hong actively advertised their club, the Interact Club, hoping to get more members

Photo provided by Alyssa Stolmack

Nine fugitive children were de-ported back to North Korea after being caught in Laos. The mission-ary who was helping them wanted the disease-ridden and starving children to reach South Korea where they would have better lives. The North Korean government is broadcasting news in which the children are forced to say that they were tricked into escaping the country. Human rights groups around the world are criticizing Laos for deporting them back.

North Korean children de-ported after escaping to Laos

Syria denies all accusationsThe Syrian government has denied reports on civil war and the use of chemical weapons against its own civilians. The UN has dispatched inspection teams to investigate whether the Syrian government did or did not use chemical weap-ons.

58 fi shermen remain missing after Typhoon Wutip hit the Chinese island of Hainan, located in the South China Sea, on September 30th. Rescuers have evacuated the civilians living in the coastal areas, but their efforts to fi nd the missing fi shermen are hindered by the storm.

Fishermen missing after recent typhoon

The government offi cially shut down for the fi rst time in 17 years on October 1st because Congress could not agree on a bill related to Obamacare’s funding. The shut-down means that most services funded by the government such as museums and government offi ces will be closed. The American people are reacting with criticism, blaming President Obama and Republicans for not being able to come to an agreement.

The United States on shut-down

(Information taken from CNN)

This year’s theme for the Refl ections Contest is “Believe, dream, inspire”

www.montgomerypta.comwww.montgomerypta.com

News|3October 4, 2013


On August 12, 2013, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, proposed a cutting-edge idea called the Hyperloop, a high speed rail system to travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Musk’s idea is to build air-tight tubes in which pods of people can travel at the speed of sound. The pods levitate on air (like an air hock-ey puck), and are propelled by an onboard motor. According to Musk’s calculations, passengers should be able to make a several hundred mile journey in approximately thirty-fi ve minutes. He also estimates the cost to be around six billion dollars, which is surprisingly cheap in the world of high speed rail systems. The primary factors reducing the cost of the project include mount-ing the tubes on pylons to use less land and utilizing cheaper sources of energy.

Musk’s inspiration for this proposal was the approval of California’s high speed rail system, which he claims is “one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world.” His ambitious proposal is not only meant to be faster and cheaper than normal high

speed rail systems, but safer, more convenient, and less damaging to the land.

As with every great and revolu-tionary idea, there are critics. Musk’s critics claim that he has overlooked the signifi cance of the project and underestimated the cost of several important factors. While physicists seem to agree that the whole idea is possible, economists and politicians see other obstacles which are simply too costly to overcome. The main critique is that politics of acquiring the land for the project has not been taken into consideration. Critics also strongly disagree with his price

estimate of $6 billion, projecting it to be closer to $100 billion.

Currently, Musk has shown no in-tention to work more on this project himself. He is encouraging others to take up the responsibility of improv-ing upon his idea and attracting the attention of state politicians to have it approved. Until a like-minded vi-sionary steps up to make an attempt at converting Musk’s idea into real-ity, Californians will have to stick with the previously approved high speed rail system.

By Pierre LaBelleSpartan Staff

Hyperloop may be the fastest rail system in California

On the brisk, early morning of August 25th, hordes of sleep-deprived seniors made their way up the long and winding paths of Viro. A loose army of red-shirted warriors, equipped with rusted, broken-down scooters of years past, rallied at the top of this trail while they prepared to launch an invasion on the school.

At precisely 7:15 AM, they were off.

Absolute pandemonium broke loose when the Spartans started to speed down the hill with little regard for their own lives.

Senior compatriot Ryan Martin exclaimed, “It was totally wild. Shake and Bake, baby.”

The freedom riders dauntlessly crossed the great river of Foothill and rode into the valley of the Senior parking lot, a gathering place for those who arrived late for the battle. As they entered the fortress walls of Sparta, they mercilessly drove away any pitiful underclassman who dared to glance their way.

Junior Larkin Iversen stated, “I’ve got to admit it. The whole thing was pretty impressive,” while he watched this spectacle from the second story hallway.

In the midst of this orderly chaos, the barrage of scootering soldiers swarmed up the stairways and circled around the corridors of the different fl oors, fl aunting their seniority in a rambunctious fashion.

Once the A building of the castle had been sacked and burned, the horde rendezvoused in front of the IRC and rallied around the rose-bushes. Victory was in sight, as they prepared to traverse to the heart and soul of Sparta, the Quad.

However, the senior class was stopped short by the mighty Mr. Cartnal, an educator with unparal-leled disciplinary powers. Begrudg-ingly, the great army was forced to retreat back into the confi nes of ev-eryday school. Some casualties had occurred, as quite some people were left dispossessed of their scooters by the administration. Little did they know, the class of 2014 will be back in due time, stronger than ever.

La Cañada Flintridge Spartan Seniors fl ood LCHS with red shirts and scootersBy Derrick LeeSports Editor

www.youthmaze.comwww.youthmaze.com

Getting a parking pass at La Ca-ñada High School has always been a struggle, so I decided to see what the big fuss was over. I headed over to Mrs. Roberts offi ce and asked her if parking has been a hassle this year as well.

She said, “That’s a given; isn’t it? We don’t have enough parking for the number of students that want to park here.” Then she directed me to Dr. Gold’s offi ce and told me that he is the perfect person to talk to about the matter.

Dr. Gold explained that there were three types of parking passes: shared, sibling, and cage. The only major change this year is where each pass permits you to park. There are about 500 students who wants passes, but only 200 parking spots are available. A question that everyone is asking is whether the school or the sheriff department tickets them for parking in the cutout area in front of school. The answer is that the school has noth-ing to do with the tickets handed out at the cutout. It’s the sheriff

department that handles that.

Since there aren’t enough parking spaces for each stu-dent, why not build a parking garage? Dr. Gold said that it would cost a lot of money, at least $7 million for just a two story parking garage.

If students do not have a parking pass, they have to fi nd parking off campus. Some parking spaces are available at the Hillside School, the La Cañada Methodist Church, and at Hahamonga Park. But even with this extra parking, there simply is no solution. The school just doesn’t have enough parking spaces.

Dr. Gold fi nished his explana-

tion by saying, “I wish there were spots for everyone. Since we don’t have enough for all the students, we try to use the fairest process pos-sible to give out the passes. We use lottery tickets for the cage, which is only 40 spots.”

I asked the school security, Tanya, if she had any thoughts on

the parking situation. She said, “It’s always a trouble.

I wish there was parking for every-body. I fi ght for the kids.”

Our school administration has tried to make the best out of the situation. Even though you might not get a spot at school, you always have the off campus options.

By Sabrina GaloostianArts Editor

What is the deal with parking permits? Will the adminstration ever solve the parking issues?

Many students own cars and drive to school, but there just aren’t enough parking spaces to satisfy all students

The return of Comedy SportzBy Ben BlancoNews Editor



Seniors Elle Kenwood, Alyssa Stolmack, Hope Freeman, Anise Applebaum, Katherine Vavoulis, Madelyn Merchant, Anna Frederich, Sarah Borland, Graham Labran-Boyd, Alex Kearl, Skyler Joy, Jacob Brown, and Robbie Fuelling

participate in this annual senior tradition

Photo provided by Alyssa StolmackPhoto provided by Alyssa Stolmack

Elon Mosk’s Hyperloop could revolutionize high speed rail systems

www.montgomerypta.com

The La Cañada Comedy Sportz team rocked the house, introducing this year’s players during their fi rst match of the season against them-selves last Friday, September 27th.

Comedy Sportz is a competi-tive comedy/improv competition, where two teams compete for the most points, based on the audience’s reaction to “games” played by the players. This year, the La Cañada Comedy Sportz team captains, Sky-ler Joy and Clare Bierman, revamped the lineup, holding auditions for all members in order to attract new blood and to ensure that this year’s team meets the high standards for Spartans.

The fi rst half of Friday’s match was played by senior Gus Rouleau and juniors Jennifer Biesiadecki, Lisa McNulty, and Hayley Chung representing the Red Team, and senior Kylie Brakeman, junior Josh Cabello, and sophomores Abby Rosen and Natalie Blando for the Blue.

In the beginning of the competi-tion, the players competed in “Expert Challenge,” “Yearbook,” and “Scantron.” Each game pitted the teams against each other in differ-ent scenarios to make the audience laugh. The Blue Team won the game of “Expert Challenge,” in which players competed to be the last one talking about a topic after four min-utes, gaining fi ve points. However, the Red team came back by earning fi ve points with their hilarious inter-pretation of “Ballet Club.”

After the fi rst round of scoring, both teams attempted to pull ahead, with the Red team playing “For-ward Reverse,” and the Blue team playing “My Movie.” In the end, the Red Team triumphed again after an impressive display of athleticism during “Forward Reverse.” The hilarious sketch of Gus and Hayley tripping Lisa and Jen had audience members bellowing in laughter as the players were forced to reverse their scene and then repeat it.

With the Red Team ahead, the teams switched players after in-termission. The Red Team was repre-sented by seniors Elle Kenwood and Skyler Joy, sophomore Abby Rosen, and junior Paige Myslivic, while seniors Garret Schlundt, Clare Bier-man, Nora Sagal, and junior Jovani Garcia represented the Blue Team.

In the second half of the competi-tion, the teams competed in “Thun-derdome,” “Good Bad Worse,” “Blind Line,” and “Stunt Double.” The Blue Team was able to score the fi rst points in the second half, tying the score with “Thunderdome.”

In this game, players named as many objects as they could in a given topic, losing points if they paused or misnamed an object.

The Red Team retaliated with “Good Bad Worse,” in which the Red Team impersonated a lamp store owner, a singer, and Justin Timber-lake and answered advice questions given by the audience such as “What do I do if I have a creepy date to Homecoming?” and “What are the best places in Detroit?”.

Finishing the night with “Four Square,” the Blue Team created scenes based off the suggestions of a rabbi, Nicholas Cage and his mom, monkeys, and popcorn. Unfortu-nately for them, the Red Team won the audience’s favor, gaining an ad-ditional fi ve points and putting them in the lead.

To end the night, the teams played “Blind Line” and “Stunt Double,” ending in a victory for the Red Team, 20-10.

“Friday’s game went surprisingly well, considering it was our fi rst game of the year. A lot of our return-ing players are incredibly funny, and we’ve got some great new additions to the team as well!” said player Kylie Brakeman.

Come support the Comedy Sportz team in next month’s game, and make sure to bring a handkerchief to dry your tears of laughter.

October 4, 2013

Letters to the editor from LCUSD Governing Board CandidatesThe following is a collection of letters submitted by four of the eight school board candidates. Los Angeles School counselor Karyn Riel, Los Ange-les Prosecutor Dan Jeffries, Educator and Parent Kaitzer P. Puglia, and college student and LCHS alumnus Kevork Kurdoglian are all featured here. Ian Mirisola declined to write in, while Joel Peterson, David Sagal, and Jennifer Rubendall had not responded at the time of publication.

Dear Editor:

I am running for the La Cañada School Board because I strongly believe that it is im-portant for the Board to enhance the already excellent reputation of our schools while maintaining and improving programs that provide for a well-rounded education and a positive and safe learning environment.

With three children currently attend-ing Paradise Canyon Elementary and two children who have successfully navigated the college admissions process, I understand the needs and interests of students, parents, teachers, and administrators at all grade levels. I am the only candidate running for LCUSD School Board with children in our elementary schools, and intend to remain committed to our schools over the long term.

I believe that an effective governing board should carefully evaluate all perspectives and strive to build consensus through a transpar-ent process in order to achieve the outcomes that best serve its mandate. As a supervising prosecutor for more than 20 years, I have a long history of working diligently to under-stand differing viewpoints and building con-sensus to achieve results. I applaud former Student Body President Kevork Kurdoghlian on his candidacy, as his voice adds perspec-tive and substance to the discussion of the issues facing our schools and our students.

Safety is an important issue today. As a career prosecutor, Regional Safety Direc-tor and Divisional Coach for AYSO, and a former ambulance emergency medical technician, I have experience evaluating and implementing safety policies and practices.

My wife, Andrea, and I have lived in La Cañada for over 10 years and we have a vested interest in our schools--as do all La Cañada residents.

My father is a retired college professor. I care deeply about our schools and I promise to bring my diverse work experience, skills, life experiences and passion for education to the LCUSD Governing Board to ensure that our schools continue to excel.

Please contact me though my website if you would like to talk with me about these or any other issues: www.dan4lacanadaschools.org

Sincerely, Dan Jeffries

Dan Dan Jeffries Jeffries

Kaitzer Puglia Kaitzer Puglia Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself to the students and

faculty at LCHS. As some of you know, I am the Mother of two amaz-ing daughters, who have been a part of the LCUSD school system since Kindergarten, and have been an active volunteer in the schools at various levels. As a parent and an active member of this community, I am interest-ed in your future because the education you receive today is an investment in your forthcoming success and happiness, and must include input from all constituents, including you, in order to make it applicable and relevant. I am proud to be a candidate for the LCUSD Governing Board and look forward to serving our community and schools with a commitment to bring my experience and expertise to the position, the integrity to do the right thing and a fair voice to articulate such perspectives.

I bring over 25 years of experience in the fi eld of education and will use this knowledge to make informed decisions as a Member of the Governing Board of LCUSD. I have a BA and MA in the area of Child Development and Human Development, and am currently working on my PhD in the area of Education, with a dissertation focus on Student Learning in the classroom. For the past 16 years, I have been a Professor in the fi eld of Education at Pasadena City College. Prior to my tenure at the college, I have served as a teacher in the classroom at different levels, an administra-tor of a school, an advisory member of several committees at the local, state and federal level on issues ranging from curriculum to content standards. I have also participated as a member and President of various local non-profi t Govern-ing Boards.

La Canada is a special community and its school district is one of its jewels. I want to share my expertise and rep-resent you as a member of the LCUSD Governing Board to guide a successful, productive and top performing school district as it achieves success for its students. I would also like to ensure that learning remain the central practice of this district.

When elected, I would approach my new responsibility with a sense of deep respect to established successful practic-es. However, often we become so focused on past practices we sometimes forget about the potential new practices that can truly benefi t students, teachers, and all involved in our schools. Any changes I focus upon can only be successful if it is a collaborative effort and ultimately enhances the ability of those of you inside the school to focus your consider-able energies and talents into learning.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope to gain your support. Please visit the website created for this campaign – kaitzer4schoolboard.com.Thank You.

Kevork Kurdoglian Kevork Kurdoglian Fellow Spartans,

Some of you know me or remember me from my days as se-nior class president in 2012 and editor in chief of this newspaper. Many of you may know my sister, Sarah, or my cousins, Koko and Kristina, all of whom currently play Spartan basketball. The Kurdoghlian name isn’t new to La Canada. We’ve been a part of the academic, social, athletic, and civic life of our community and schools some time now and there is still much to give.

I am running for the La Canada School Board because our schools need a change. Nationally, we are on the cusp of an educational revolution. This means we need to be creative as a school district and adapt locally. Having sat in the same classes that you and your friends sit in today, as early as 2012, I know what it feels like to be sitting there thinking, “when will this be over?”

My hope is to get you asking, “when will this change?” And the answer: very soon! You shouldn’t have to endure school. It ought to be an experience you enjoy, because, after all, the fi rst 18 years of your life aren’t a test run for the future. You’re living

for today, just as much as you are for tomorrow, and it’s time our education system recognized that. Too many of my friends and yours have gone educationally, emotionally, and socially underserved because of our

schools. I don’t doubt that our schools have made many a success. Our schools are excellent for some, and unfortunately only moderate for many, and insuffi cient for others.

We don’t have to confi ne ourselves to this 19th century industrial model of education, with its bells, subjects, and buildings. Our generation knows best, specifi cally because of our young age, that we don’t need to be in a room to learn or have a bell tell us when to start learning one thing and move on to the next. We can’t keep on with these old world assumptions and assume that you as students and your teachers will perform at their best.

I want education to be personal so that it doesn’t disengage you. I want education to be cultural so that you get into the college that’s right for you and be confi dent in your decision. I want education to be economic so that you can be creative and adapt to the job market of the future. LCUSD needs interdisciplinary courses, fl ipped classrooms, and tech-nologically integrated lessons along with the traditional classroom to meet the needs of every student.

I’m not interested in command and control but in a sort of climate control. With a united effort of students, teachers, parents, and community members we can change the conditions under which we learn for the better. I want to work col-laboratively with the school board and all the players involved.

I may be eighteen years old but I’m not immature. I may lack life experience, but I do have the fi rst hand experience that directly relates to your educational experience. The school board isn’t a place just for mothers and fathers, grand-mothers and grandfathers; it’s also for a brother, cousin and friend of students. My heart, mind and soul continue to be in this journey.

I hope I count on your support and the support of your family on November 5.

Sincerely,Kevork Kurdoghlian

4|sCHOOL BOARD

School board|5October 4, 2013

Many of you may not know me, but my name is Karyn Riel and I am running for spot on the La Canada Unifi ed School District Governing Board. I wanted to take a moment to share with you how high school impacted me to become who I am today and how important counselors can be in your life.

To start with, I am a 2002 graduate of La Canada High School. I occupied my time in high school like many of you: socializing with friends, working a part time job, and thinking about the times to come after high school. Honestly, at the time, I had no idea where I would be 10 years. Fortunately, I began seeing a counselor that provided me with a sense of direction and helped me fi nd meaning in life.

As a teenager having a counselor I could talk to about life, love, relationships, and my future offered tremendous insights. Things always seemed to make more sense in my head and heart than when I talked about them aloud. Talking about these issues with someone who made me feel like she really cared about me helped me gain the perspective I needed for life. She let me ask the stupid questions I was too embarrassed of to ask my family and friends and in hindsight, I am grateful for that.

Her impact on my high school life led me to pursue psychology in college. I wanted to be that person anyone could reach out to for a sympathetic ear, voice of reason, and heart of compassion. My passion and conviction carried me on to obtain a master’s degree and now I am working on my doctorate at Pepperdine University. I currently work as a counselor for high school students and through my own experiences, I have seen fi rsthand the benefi ts of providing youth with additional support and individual attention.

That’s why I want to be on La Canada Unifi ed School District Governing Board, I want to use my own personal motivation to apply the knowledge I’ve acquired through my education. The culmination of my personal and professional experience working with high school students has taught me anything is possible with the right attitude and unconditional support.

If elected to Governing Board, one of my goals is to focus on the needs of the individual student and work to provide a more holistic approach to education that integrates working on social competence and emotional intelligence. Through partnering with local college graduate programs I want to provide a no cost to low cost solution that can do just that. By integrating a system of support into the educational experience, I hope to provide every student with the means and motiva-tion to achieve all personal goals because in the end the greatest resource of tomorrow is you. There is nothing I want more than to see you and every student suc-ceed and I am running for Governing Board because I want to make that happen.

Sincerely, Karyn Riel

Karyn RielKaryn Riel

Eight candidates vying for three seats on the La Cañada School Board will appear on ballots this November. The candi-dates are Joel Peterson, Kaitzer Puglia, Dan Jeffries, David Sagal, Jennifer Rubendall, Karyn Riel, Ian Mirisola, and Kevork Kurdoghlian.

A parent of an LCHS graduate, Joel Peterson is currently serving the last month of his four year term and seeking reap-pointment for another. Peterson hopes to “continue to offer [his] proven leadership and experience in successfully managing our school district. In these times of complex challenges, we need to retain the skills, knowledge, and insight that only proven experience can offer.”

Four of the eight candidates currently have children attending LCUSD schools. One of these candidates whose children attend LCUSD schools, Dan Jeffries believes that “it is important for the LCUSD Governing Board to enhance the already excellent reputation of our schools while maintaining programs that provide for a well-rounded education and a positive and safe learning environment.”

Kaitzer Puglia is a parent of two daughters who attend LCHS and a professor of education and child development at Pasa-dena City College. According to her campaign website, as a member of the LCUSD School Board, if she is elected, she will bring “over 25 years of experience in the fi eld of education and will use this knowledge to make informed decisions,”.

Having been a leader of the PTA for more than a decade and a parent of two LCUSD students, Jennifer Rubendall confi -dently claims that “[she] is your eyes, ears, and voice of reason for the school board.” She also believes that her background as a La Cañada business owner offers her the “experience, relationships, and expertise necessary to be an effective member.”

David Sagal has three children, two of whom are currently enrolled in the district. Sagal takes on many different roles in the community as an executive and attorney for Warner Brothers, a member of the board of the Verdugo Hills Hospital, and a performer in the jazz quintet called Big Band.

Riel, Mirisola, and Kurdoghlian are not parents of children enrolled in LCUSD, but they happen to be LCHS graduates.Born and raised in La Cañada, Riel graduated from LCHS in 2002 and attended San Francisco State University for a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Developmental Psychology and

studies clinical psychology at Pepperdine University. Ian Mirisola, a Harvard graduate, is also vying for one of the three open seats. Currently attending Glendale Community College, Kevork Kurdoghlian graduated from LCHS in 2012 and has served as the Editor in Chief of the Spartan Newspaper and Senior Class President.

Having been an active participant in the youth community, Kurdoghlian strives to bring a “fresh perspective to the school board.” Scotty Tracy, the current board president of twelve years, and Susan Boyd, a previous president who served eight years in the board, will step down this November. The candidates had the opportunity to present their positions and introduces themselves to the public audience at the School Board Candidate Forum on October 1st, 2013. Election day is scheduled for November 5th, 2013.

Eight candidates vie for three open positions in 2013 La Canada Unifi ed District Governing Board

By Jihee YoonNews Editor

As zealous parents, concerned community members, and interested students fi led into the LCHS Audito-rium, the eight candidates anxiously awaited their questions, anticipating the topics to be covered. Standing outside of the building, they greeted La Cañada residents. After some time spent shaking hands, exchanging busi-ness cards, and making connections, the School Board hopefuls headed indoors to the spotlight-drenched stage.

Handed blank note cards and pen-cils upon entrance, La Cañada resi-dents jotted down questions about the “Common Core”, the proposed Par-cel Tax, and student mental health.

Following a brief opening statement introducing each candidate, Dan Jef-fries, Kevork Kurdoghlian, David Sa-gal, Ian Mirisola, Karyn Riel, Kaitzer Puglia, Jennifer Rubendall, and Joel Peterson addressed the issues and presented solutions which refl ected their preparedness and qualifi cations for the three available positions.

When asked about falling Algebra II scores on the CST, candidates of-fered a range of fi xes, including the reallocation of class time to instruc-tion and application, reevaluation of conventional teaching practices, and increased motivation of students through the use of more fascinating real-world situations. Another subject of concern was student well-being. Acknowledging the at-times absurd academic standards set for every La Cañada student, each candidate

stressed the importance of extra-cur-ricular activities in order to cultivate well-rounded young adults. David Sagal discussed the immeasurable benefi ts his oldest son, LC graduate Bo Sagal, experienced through the band program when he entered the school as a seventh grader.

Candidates also expressed sincere concern for the relationship between the School Board and its teachers. All advocated for the improvement of communication. The eight candidates emphasized the necessity of happy educators and the positive impact they have on students. Jennifer Ru-bendall likened the ideal relationship to the one shared by her and the train-ers she hires at her local Pilates and fi tness studio—one of mutual respect and effi cient discussion.

A fi nal topic of interest was the ad-

justment to Common Core education, as mandated by the California Board of Education. Clarifi cation of its rules and regulations baffl ed parents and students alike, yet the aspiring board members offered detailed and com-prehensive defi nitions to quell the confusion. Every candidate acknowl-edged the potentially rough seas that lie ahead for the district as teachers implement changes, but all expressed their eagerness to orchestrate the smoothest possible transition.

Filling the 200-plus seats were LCHS teachers Ms. English and Mr. Szamoshfalvi as well as Mr. Beaty’s Government and Economics students. Though the forum lasted from 7:00-9:00 PM, the Spartans in attendance had no problem stow-ing their cell phones and suspending conversations. The content covered

by the potential board members en-gaged every member of the audience. Their discussions of Challenge Day, ASB, Spartan sports teams, and other LCHS-exclusive entities riveted the parents of high schoolers and kinder-garteners alike. As the fi nal question sounded at 8:45, the candidates pre-pared to deliver a closing statement urging La Cañada residents to cast votes in their favor. Each appeared composed, collected, and prepared for the duties of the school board. Parents left the Q&A session feeling confi dent in the future of the district at the hands of the school board, en-couraged by the clear goal set to unify the community with school spirit and steady improvement.

School Board Hopefuls attend Candidates forum on September 30th concerning La Cañada Unifi ed School District issues

By Alyssa StolmackGuest Writer

School Board Election News

lacanadafl intridge.patch.comlacanadafl intridge.patch.comLa Canada Unifi ed School District offi ce is on Foothill

6|Features October 4, 2013

Baking and math don’t seem to be a very likely pair, but they do have a few things in common. They both use fractions, and both are performed spectacularly by one of LCHS’s new math teachers, Ms. Annie DiFiore! Teaching Precalculus and Algebra II in room 225, Ms. DiFiore already loves La Cañada.

“They students are a lot of fun, and they work very hard,” she said of her classes. “There’s such a warm atmosphere. I love it!”

Although it’s hard for her to pick a favorite food, Ms. DiFiore enjoys creating delicious dishes during her free time. Her favorites to make are eggplant parmesan and, a little more on the casual side, muffi ns and biscuits.

Ms. DiFiore has traveled across the country for school, going from her undergraduate college NYU to USC for her graduate school. She was a student-teacher at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and Glendale High School before beginning her teaching career here at La Cañada.

When asked why she had pursued a teaching career, Ms. DiFiore replied, “I want to help young people be successful both academically and in growing up. High school is a tumultuous time in both of these things, and I want to be a positive infl uence.”

Remembering her own high school years, she recalled, with a laugh, drinking Chai tea lattes from Starbucks “all the time.”

Ms. DiFiore, who doesn’t have any pets, would name the fl ying squirrel as her dream exotic pet. Why?

“My friend has one. She threw it down the stairs once, and it sort of fl ew down,” Ms. DiFiore explained.

Although throwing fl ying squirrels down the stairs might be against the rules at LCHS, we’re pleased to welcome Ms. DiFiore to our school!

By Hannah ChongSpartan Staff

Ms. Difi ore brings her cheery disposition to the math department

THE SPARTAN EXTENDS A WARM WELCOME TO THE NEW TEACHERS

A true Renaissance man is rare to come by, but La Cañada High School is fortunate enough to welcome one such master this year. He can teach you how to throw a Frisbee or author a comic book as easily as he can

explain The Iliad or teach you how to write an essay. LCHS is lucky to have Mr. Redmond join its staff this year.

A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Mr. Redmond hosts the Graphic Novel STEP class to share his passion with students. He loves the X-Men and Saga. In the future, Mr. Redmond would love to write a comic book.

Mr. Redmond also likes to stay in shape. He signs up for marathons, which help him relieve stress and stay fi t.

Mr. Redmond uncovered his passion for Frisbee while attending community college in the Bay Area, where he took two semesters of Frisbee throwing for P.E. credit. Bringing his love of Frisbee to La Cañada, Mr. Redmond helps coach the Ultimate Frisbee team.

After transferring to UC Santa Cruz, Mr. Redmond found himself drawn to teaching and decided to pursue a career as an English teacher. He wanted “to have access to reading, writing, and speaking. Doing all that with students is a win-win. I teach writing, but I also become a student

myself.”Before La Cañada High School,

Mr. Redmond taught at Berkeley High and Sonya Sottamayer Academy. However, out of all the schools he has taught at, Mr. Redmond says he loves La Cañada High School most because of “the students, people, parents, and support. It’s everything! [La Cañada High School] is a dream school, and I feel so privileged to be here.”

Mr. Redmond loves teaching English at LCHS and sharing his diverse hobbies with students

By Ben BlancoNews Editor

Meet Mrs. Nicole Pilarski, the new high school psychologist who will be counseling for the next two months. She is currently fi lling in for Ana Aydinian, the 9-12 resident psychologist, who is pregnant and will be on maternity leave until the end of October.

Mrs. Pilarski is a qualifi ed teacher who graduated from Cal State LA and has worked as a psychologist for more than twelve years at several distinguished schools, including Cal State LA and the La Cañada Prepatory. She is an avid intellectual who enjoys both reading and expanding her knowledge in any way she possibly can.

When Mrs. Pilarski is not spending her time counseling or reading, she can be found on the beach or, during a break, traveling abroad. Mrs. Pilarski has traveled to almost all of the states in the U.S., and is working towards her goal of visiting every single

continent on Earth. Once you get to know her, you will see that she is a very humorous and friendly teacher.

When asked to describe herselfshe modestly replied, “I am an easy to approach teacher who will never judge and can help you solve most of the problems you face in your everyday lives.”

Remember to show Spartan Spirit to Mrs. Pilarski and say hello, as she will only be here until the end of October and is eager to become friends with the students of La Cañada before she leaves.

Mrs. Pilarski fi lls in for Mrs. AnydinianBy Ayush GulatiSpartan Staff

You’ve seen her roaming the bungalows in her long fl owing skirts and working diligently in the IRC during her free period, but behind the endearing accent and friendly exterior of Madame Catherine Donoghue is an adventurous tale we all hope to experience in our lives.

Madame Catherine heard about the French 1 & 2 job opening through

fellow French teacher Mademoiselle Sadler, who also happens to be her neighbor. She immediately applied and, luckily for us, LCHS incorporated her right into the Spartan family.

“I am very happy to teach full time. La Cañada is a good school district, and its history helped. The students are well-mannered, polite, and eager to learn,” said Madame Catherine.

Before working at LCHS, Madame Catherine taught French at Cal State Los Angeles and is currently still teaching part-time at the Alliance Française in Pasadena.

Madame Catherine was born and raised in the city of love, Paris. As a high school student, she attended le lycée Racine, and later she went on to study Russian Literature and English at la Université de la Sorbonne. Madame Catherine continued her journey when she left her studies to pursue work in the fi lm industry in London, England. She worked as a continuity girl (“script girl”) and later met her husband on the set of the

original Superman movies. Together they traveled to various parts of the world until fi nally settling down in France to raise a family. Sixteen years ago, Madame Catherine and her family decided to move to California. Here in the Golden State, Madame Catherine earned her general education requirements at Pasadena City College, her bachelor’s degree in French at UCLA, and, later, her master’s degree in education at Cal State Los Angeles.

If her life story is not impressive enough, Madame Catherine speaks several languages in addition to French and English. She grew up learning Russian, took up Spanish through her frequent travels to Spain, and studied German and Latin in school.

Madame Catherine enjoys hiking, nature, yoga, arts and crafts, and anything that has to do with culture, including literature, museums, music (she has been part of many choirs), theater, and cinema.

“I am a true Parisian – I love

the cultural side [of Paris]. It is a wonderful city for museums,” she stated.

While Pasadena certainly has no Louvre, Madame Catherine ranks the Norton Simon museum and the Huntington Library among her favorites.

Although Madame Catherine has hit nearly every continent, still on her travel checklist are Italy, Mexico, Argentina, China, and Japan. Some of her favorite places she has visited include Moscow, Sevilla, Toronto (where she lived for nine months), and the Scottish Highlands.

As for her goals for LCHS, Madame Catherine aims to create strong bonds between students and help them discover the culture and customs of the francophone world. She and Mademoiselle Sadler even hope to someday take students on a trip to Paris. Ideally, the trip would take place during spring break and extend to French 2, 3 and 4.

“I’d like to open up French minds and work on the cultural aspect [of the

language],” said Madame Catherine. Madame Catherine’s warm

personality and enthusiasm for teaching is a perfect match for LCHS, and hopefully we can show her the same cordiality in return. She is looking forward to being a part of LCHS’s strong language program. Bienvenue, Madame!

Madame Catherine brings her world of experience to the language department

By Macarena Blando DeMarcoFeatures Editor

www.clker.comwww.clker.com

In many schools across the nation, the tedium and monotony of algebra haunt the average high school student. But if you step into the classroom of Ms. Alexandra Lee, you’ll fi nd her warm and positive attitude towards student learning chases any reservations you previously held against Algebra 1, Algebra 2, & Algebra 2 Honors.

Born and bred in southern California, Ms. Lee joined the La

Cañada Unifi ed School District (LCUSD) in her 6th year teaching full-time, coming from a background in Science & Applied Mathematics (BA) and Education (Masters). She may seem like the typical high school math teacher, but looks can be deceiving.

A connoisseur of culture, Ms. Lee has studied abroad across the globe and picked up several languages along the way. On top of her fl uency in English and Cantonese, she dabbles in Spanish, French, and Mandarin, which she learned in Buenos Aires, Paris, and Hong Kong, respectively. As passionate about traveling and learning new languages as she is about teaching, Ms. Lee still wishes to someday visit Brasilia and learn Portuguese as well.

Any teacher can pique your interest, but few can truly captivate and engage students in their own education. When I fi rst stepped into Miss Alexandra Lee’s classroom, a vibrant energy overcame me and I could see it in the eyes of the students

as well. The class was tasked with converting a menial word problem into a practical lesson in high school economics: should Billy work over-time at the ice cream store or more hours in the library? Needless to say, I’ve never been more invested in a chart since I learned a pie chart wasn’t an actual pie. And when students didn’t understand completely, Ms. Lee spoke to the class with patience and warmth. I encourage each of you readers to stop by Room 318 and say hello to one of the friendliest teachers in the Math Department!

Ms. Lee excites her math classes with her positive energyBy Teddy Park Opnion Editor

Mr. Redmond supervises the Ulti-mate Frisbee Club at LCHS.





www.kiel.k12.wi.uswww.kiel.k12.wi.us

Not many high school students can say they have been on the varsity basketball team since the ninth grade and spent six years in the yearbook staff—except for ASB president Sarah Borland, an all-around super-star. This soon-to-be eighteen-year-old excels in academics, athletics, and sociability—she should have replaced Sarah Jessica Parker in the feature fi lm I Don’t Know How She Does It.

Sarah fi rst started playing basket-

ball at a young age of six, while jug-gling practice for other sports. Her focus on the sport shifted four years later as she played with rigorous travel teams, allowing her to develop new skills.

Flash forward seven years later, and she is a starter on the varsity basketball team. When she plays, the adrenaline rush excites her.

Now part of the senior staff of the Omega yearbook, Sarah has gained quite a lot of experience working in yearbook, especially because of her eighth grade position as editor. Despite the great deal of time and effort that goes in to the yearbook, the results are worth it.

Sarah commented, “I love the design features and creation of dif-ferent texts and layouts that go into every page.”

As ASB class president, the re-sponsibilities are endless. Sarah must run every daily meeting in the early morning, create an agenda, and make sure all aspects are covered, along

with many other duties.“This year we are really trying

to boost school spirit and get a lot of students involved, making LCHS a true community,” Sarah remarked. She even has to make the daily school announcements every period, which at fi rst, was a daunt-ing task—she willingly shares how she dropped the microphone while speaking her second time around! However, after getting used to it, she feel it’s just like talking to someone over the phone.

Sarah’s all-American persona transfers over to her personal inter-ests as well, enjoying hamburgers, “Dance Moms,” and “The Hunger Games.” She is also currently soak-ing in all the perks that come with being a senior: scooter day, senior toast, and even TP night. With her strong leadership skills and deter-mination, Sarah will continue to experience all that life has to offer with grace and spirit.

Features|7october 4, 2013

The Spartan is proud to introduce Mrs. Jaworoski, the new Mandarin

teacher. Most people choose to get a degree in one subject, but not Mrs. Jaworoski. With credentials in math, Mandarin, and business from Cal Poly, she certainly offers her students tons of valuable lessons and insight into the world of higher learning. Mrs. Jaworoski previously taught Mandarin as well as math in the Corona district. With the introduction of Mandarin into the curriculum, La Cañada now offers a total of fi ve languages. Currently, there are two classes, Mandarin 1 and 2, but as time passes Mrs. Jaworosky hopes to expand. The class sizes are relatively small right now, with the Mandarin 2 class having only four students. Her Mandarin 1 class, on the other hand,

is fi lled with a variety of students from grades eight through twelve. Although, it seems unconventional for eighth graders and seniors to share a class, Jaworoski stated, “I’m very impressed by the maturity of all my high school students”.

Another interesting feature of this class is the fact that it gives students a taste of Chinese culture. In honor of the mid-autumn festival, a Chinese celebration, Mrs. Jaworoski and her class hosted a small tasting of traditional Chinese treats on September 19th. La Cañada is truly lucky to have an amazing teacher like Mrs. Jaworoski, who not only enjoys teaching, but also loves to learn.

Mrs. Jaworoski pioneers the new Chinese class at LCHS

By Christian CallesSpartan Staff

Being the new kid at school is always hard, but being the new kid with the awesome German accent is even harder. Or is it? Viktor Jansen, a current junior and German foreign exchange student, makes transferring to a completely new school look simple.

For Viktor, the choice to come to America was an easy one. For one thing, Viktor studied English for four years at his school, the Leibniz Gymnasium, in Germany.

Also, during a vacation in the United States, Viktor got a taste of what life was like in California. He tanned, relaxed, and attempted to surf. Viktor liked what he saw, and upon returning to Germany, made the obvious choice of where to go as a foreign exchange student. USA all the way!

At La Cañada High School, Viktor is part of the band and football team. Both activities are a natural fi t for Viktor, as he played both the trombone and football in Germany. And before you ask, that’s American football, not soccer. Back in Germany, Viktor played for the Berlin Adlers (German for Eagles). For Viktor, the biggest difference between his team back home and the team at LCHS is the “sense of family” he feels in La Cañada.

When asked what he hopes to gain this year, Viktor said, “I want to gain new friends and a new family.”

Hopefully, now you know a little more about the tall, blond kid you see in the hallways with a European accent. Go ahead and say hi. You won’t regret meeting Viktor Jansen.


Foreign Exchange Student Victor Jansen feels right at home at LCHS

A “Gummy Bear Torture Cham-ber” may sound more like a sadistic toddler’s idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon than a rigorous Physical Science experiment, but as Mr. An-drew Arthur can assure you, dropping gummy bears into molten potassium chlorate is the perfect way to dem-onstrate the principles of exothermic reactions and activation energy. This kind of lab exemplifi es the compel-ling year School three 8th grade sci-ence students have to look forward to under the guidance of Mr. Arthur, a seven-year junior high school science veteran.

Inspired to enter the classroom by his wife, a teacher herself, Mr. Arthur brings an exploratory spirit to his stu-dents. He’s climbed the highest peak in the Americas, Mt. Aconcagua, and has trekked through Southeast Asia and South America looking for ad-venture.

Mr. Arthur attributes this fascina-tion with the natural world to his 9th Grade biology teacher, who “lived and breathed science.” He hopes to impart the same love of science to his own students, which he thinks is easier to do with the introductory Physical Science course he is teach-ing, which emphasizes broad con-cepts rather than details.

“It’s easy to have fun,” he ex-plained. “I want [my students] to de-velop a love of science now so they can tough out all the notes in high school.” A big supporter of the under-dog (his favorite move is Karate Kid), Mr. Arthur wants more than anything for his students “to trust themselves” by the time they leave his classroom. His cool and collected demeanor sets a perfect example for this life lesson, especially considering the fact that he breeds Ball Pythons in his home, a feat for which one requires a substan-tial amount of self-confi dence.

Mr. Arthur is looking forward to teaching in La Cañada, a “great dis-trict” that, unlike East Whittier High School, his old stomping ground, “has a real, fully structured lab.” He’s es-pecially excited about the wide va-riety of school activities, remarking, “The campus is like an organism that never dies.” Mr. Arthur is already on the path to enter into a symbiotic re-lationship with the organism we call LCHS, much to the benefi t of his cur-rent and future students. Here’s hop-ing it will be one that lasts for years.

Mr. Arthur steps in for 8th grade science

Ms. Grace Lee, the new Korean teacher at LCHS, begins class a little differently than most teach-ers do. Walking into her classroom, students are immediately greeted by the catchy tunes of KPOP playing in the background. Once everyone is seated, Ms. Lee starts the class with a formal Korean “Hello”. Then, the class begins.

Replacing Mrs. Choe, our previous Korean teacher, Ms. Lee is a new addition to the language department this year. Before coming to LCHS, she already had lots of experience teaching. Born in South Korea, Ms. lee taught there for six years before coming to America in 2006. For the past six years, she worked for the Glendale Unifi ed School District, teaching Korean and preparing students for the SAT II Subject Korean Listening Test.

Ms. Lee plans to balance out her teaching style. While she will be strict academically, she also plans to have fun group activities to make class more interactive.

When asked why she decided to teach at LCHS, Ms. Lee said that she also hopes to bridge the linguistic gap between the Korean parents and students through the usage of Korean.

“I really want my students to con-nect with their ethnicity, and I think that is my job as a Korean teacher,” she said

By Christine LeeBackpage Editor

Ms. Lee spreads Korean culture to students and parents

Please welcome senior Chloe Hwong, a new student here at LCHS – though you can hardly tell, as her charisma and remarkable ability to attract new friends makes it seem as if she’s been here forever. Chloe moved to La Cañada during the sum-mer from Highland Park, a suburb in Chicago, Illinois, due to her father’s work. Such a drastic move from one

major city to another would be over-whelming for most, but Chloe has adjusted to life in Los Angeles with smooth enthusiasm.

“I take big news a lot better than I take small things,” she commented. “I tend to look on the bright side.”

Over the summer, Chloe par-ticipated in band camp, where she befriended many LC students dur-ing workshops. She was also in her last school’s band and primarily plays tuba and ukulele, although she is learning trombone and hopes to tackle the snare drum next. Learn-ing instruments is just one of Chloe’s many talents, she also enjoys golfi ng, fencing, thrift shopping, and watch-ing “way too many TV shows.”

During her free time, Chloe fi nds enjoyment in listening to music and attending concerts. She describes her music taste as “eclectic and open,” and among her favorite bands are The Cure, New Order, The Shins, and The

Smiths, to name a few. The day be-fore moving to California, Chloe at-tended Lollapalooza (a famous music festival in Chicago) where she rocked out to bands such as Icona Pop, The Killers, and Crystal Castles.

“The music festival environment is just awesome,” said Chloe. “I hope to attend Coachella next year.”

As for her senior year here at LC, Chloe plans to apply to several UC’s and Northwestern University and ma-jor in biomed engineering. She hopes to complete college apps before win-ter break and most importantly par-ticipate in fun-fi lled, long-awaited senior activities, such as dress up days, bonfi res, band competitions, and dances. If you spot a fashionable girl roaming the halls and conduct-ing classical music to herself, do not be afraid to introduce yourself and remind her that she couldn’t have joined the Spartans at a better time.

A Tale of Two Cities: Chloe Hwong from Chicago to LABy Macarena Blando DemarcoFeatures Editor

Mr. Josh Kim, the new AP Statistics and Algebra 1B teacher, strives to change his students’ attitudes towards math. He structures his lessons around learning through different methods, so he can cater towards each student’s learning style. Mr. Kim hopes to extend his love for math to his students so that they can gain a greater appreciation for the subject.

Before he became a teacher, Mr. Kim had a career in fi nance. When asked why he made the switch, he said that his girlfriend at the time, now his fi ancé, was an English teacher. This and his passion for math were his main driving forces for pursuing a career as a teacher.

“I’m most excited [to teach] AP Stats this year,” he enthusiastically commented. “I’ve never taught it before and feel that it is really applicable to all careers.” Although he’s enthusiastic for AP Stats, one of his favorite types of math is geometry, because of the proofs and constructions.

When asked about his passion for math, Mr. Kim replied, “I like the fact that [math] makes you think critically and problem solve.”

However, not everything is about mathematics and problem solving for Mr. Kim. When he isn’t spending his free time hiking up Eaton Canyon with his dog, Max, he also enjoys cooking, which helps fuel his large appetite (generally with his favorite food, Korean BBQ). Before joining us at LCHS, he was a part time teacher at Helen Bernstein High

School and El Sereno Middle School. One of his fi rst observations about LCHS was that all the students are fi lled with copious amounts of school and communal pride. This is his fi rst full year of teaching, and he is very excited to be a part of our staff, and we are thrilled to have him.

Mr. Kim begins the fi rst year of his teaching career By Aria BeizaiSpartan Staff

Senior Spotlights SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT

By Micah Bernhard Spartan Staff

ASB President Sarah Borland excels in all areas

By Jordan Cutler-TietjenSpartan Staff




Photo by Christine LeePhoto by Christine Lee


Photo courtesy of Christian CallesPhoto courtesy of Christian Calles


8|Features October 4, 2013

10 QuestionsAssemblies Commissioners Robbie Fuelling, Skyler Joy, and Elle Kenwood on choosing the mascot, planning for assemblies, and writing jokes

What are some of the biggest changes that you’ve made as assemblies commissioners?Robbie: We’re trying to make the assemblies more fun for the school. For instance, the sports announcements are more interactive, and we also did some skits to entertain the audience. Skyler: We also brought back the original tradition of having the assemblies commissioners make their own video at the very beginning because for the past two years they haven’t done that.

What was the process like for the writing and fi lming the video?Elle: We met a bunch of times during the summer, and we watched a lot of movies and agreed on Wizard of Oz. Then we picked people from our grade who we thought would fi t the role.

What is the most diffi cult part of your job?Robbie: Organization. Elle: Defi nitely organizing and dealing with the stress. Skyler: Also editing the videos.

Do you get nervous?Robbie: We get nervous just planning and making sure everything is going to go okay, but during the assembly, not so much. Elle: Before the assembly, you get all shaky and jittery but once we go out there, everything is fi ne and awesome.

How do you guys plan for assemblies?Skyler: We would go over to Elle’s house and eat food. Then we would talk about what we wanted to do with the assembly. Elle: Throughout the whole summer, we had an idea of what we were going

to do, but we didn’t truly fi nalize it until like a week or two before.Skyler: And any jokes or puns we came up with were thought of three days before.

What was your favorite moment during the assembly?Elle: My favorite moment was walking out—that was the best feeling. Robbie: When we went class by class and fi nally got to the seniors, they went crazy. That was defi nitely really fun.

Who are your comedic inspirations?Skyler: Bill MurrayRobbie: Conan O’Brien

What is one thing that surprises you as assembly commissioners? Skyler: How much work we do the night before. We never realized that we had paint the posters and put up fl yers. We just assumed that ASB did that. Elle: I didn’t realize that we actually run everything. We tell e v e r y o n e what to do. We’re in charge. We’re the teachers. We rule Lively.

Why did you decide to try out for the position?Elle: I wanted to because of my brother. I thought it would be cool for both Kenwoods to be assemblies commissioners. Robbie: Since 9th grade when I saw the fi rst assembly. I remember watching the fi rst assembly and thinking, “I want to be like those guys up there.”Skyler: Starting junior year, I started becoming interested in assemblies and thought that I would love to do that, to be up there shouting with the crowd and leading the school.

Elle: We feed off people’s

energy, so when people cheer for you it’s the best feeling ever.

What are your goals as assembly commissioners? Robbie: One of them is to change the culture of school spirit. Right now, our school has some school spirit but we could defi nitely have more of it. Assemblies are where when we can start growing that school spirit and bring the whole school together.Elle: We want our senior year to be memorable.Skyler: We want people to look back on their senior year and think,

“Remember how awesome the assemblies were?”

Robbie: We want to set the bar for future assemblies

commissioners to follow.

By Monica Song and Jihee YoonFeatures Editor and News Editor

Hungry for a new smart phone app that knows you better than you know yourself? Then check out Songza, the free music suggestion app that, unlike other radio apps, caters to your moods and activities. With more than eighty options, Songza has created playlists for “Lying on a Beach,” “Shopping at a Vintage Store,” and even “Hanging Out in the Man Cave” featuring artists ranging from Kanye West to the Rolling Stones. Or, if you are simply feeling celebratory, Songza will entertain you with playlists titled “Swag Triumphant” and “Anthemic Indie Dance Pop.”

After having scrolled through the infi nite number of music options, First-time user sophomore Caroline Kilaghbian reacted, “It’s like it knows exactly what I want to listen to at the right moment!” She was astounded at the meticulous and considerate organization of the wide range of music.

Tenth-grader Jesse Landesman’s initial response was, “These playlists are so specifi c and playful, ” after having seen the playlist “Waking up on the Right Side of the Bed.” Songza’s specifi city and amusement will certainly appease your craving for whatever music tickles your fancy.

Other Apps to Consider:Spotify Premium—$10 a month Spotify Regular—FreeTuneIn Radio—Free

By Mica Bernhard Spartan Staff

App of the Month

You might have seen her running around campus aiding teachers with their technology problems or cruising around campus on her bike, but you’ll always see her with a bright smile that the entire school has come to love. Formerly an English teacher, with a distinct fascination to offer more than the traditional teaching style, Mrs. Lewsadder is now the resident Tech. She was initially the Technology Inte-grationist of LCHS. Only three weeks ago, she was switched to what she calls the “Program Infrastructurer” of LCUSD schools.

Now in charge of managing the district’s technology, Mrs. Lewsad-der is rarely seen on campus, but she hopes to center her focus on the high school. In previous years, she was known for being tech savvy and juggled the responsibilities of teach-ing a group of students and a group of teachers. Although she says that her new job is great, she misses directly teaching students. Mrs. Lewsadder hopes to change the traditional style of classrooms, but her primary goal is to help teachers. She hopes that teachers can tell her their technologi-cal problems and ask her for assis-tance.

“My thoughts revolved around the classroom and what I could give to the students,” said Mrs. Lewsad-der. “Whenever I saw neat clips of videos, I would always think about how I could incorporate that into my lessons.”

Now her job is to not only aid the teachers in using new resources, but to help them incorporate technology into curriculums and provide students with a more interactive learning ex-perience.

For 45 minutes, I followed Mrs. Lewsadder around, asking her about the plans and the changes she has in mind for the school. She has already set up a Creative Commons class that instructs 7th and 9th grade students on how to use technology to success-fully cite necessary sources.

Next, Mrs. Lewsadder is work-ing on creating two new labs: a col-laboration lab and learning lab. A pro-collaborative desk would be in the middle for the teacher to create an interactive learning environment, open for discussion. She upgraded all the computers with hardware, more stable Wi-Fi, and more secure cords, and she hopes to upgrade the laptops next.

As for the rooms in the mezza-nine of the IRC, which are sometimes used for group work, Mrs. Lewsad-der hopes to turn them into college-style rooms where students can bring

in their own laptops to collaborate. She is also thinking of designing the interior with tables that can separate and form a hexagon table when pushed together for a group-friendly environ-ment.

Moreover, the Student Store, which became her permanent offi ce, is un-dergoing a major upgrade

to create a room with the same feel as a Genius Bar in the Apple Store, a place where students can come and ask questions about technology.

Although it may seem like there is a lot on her plate, Mrs. Lewsad-der enjoys knowing that she will be able to affect the way students learn in the classroom. When asked how long her projects will take, she says that the major changes will take the entire year.

However, money is the primary issue. Thankfully, parents have fund-ed curricular programs, and although no money has been saved for technol-ogy, the District has agreed that any money raised exceeding the 2 million limit will go directly to support her projects.

From the passionate teacher to the electronic wiz, Mrs. Lewsadder con-tinues to help students to the best of her ability. Although it is unfortunate that some students will not be able to grow under her innovative guidance, her teachings will always be present through the technology she integrates into our system.

By Alyce ChoLayout Editor

Mrs. Lewsadder: Metamorphosis from English teacher to technology master supreme

There’s a new hangout in La Ca-ñada, Spartans! Instead of the usual Starbucks or Extra Mile, head on over to Rita’s Italian Ice at 468 Foothill Blvd. Making its way over from the East Coast, this chain of Italian ice and custard is now just a few minutes from campus, per-fect for a quick stop during lunch or after school.

Junior Megan Decker, an employee at Rita’s, enjoys working there because of all the friendly cus-tomers and the bustling atmosphere. During my visit at Rita’s, everyone was helpful and nice.

A big fan of Rita’s, senior Lexi Lorenz, said, “I didn’t know what to expect at fi rst, but my sister told me it was really good. I got a chocolate

gelato with cherry ice.” So if you’re ever stuck deciding from all the dif-ferent fl avors, give her combination a try.

Junior Shelby Gish said that she thinks Rita’s Italian Ice is a

great addition to La Ca-ñada. because there is

nothing else like that in the community.

Personally, I like plain ice with sprinkles, but that’s because of

my obsession with sprinkles. The Swed-

ish Fish fl avoring for ice is another favorite of

mine. Even though the custard was too creamy for my liking, it was perfectly sweet and tasted exactly like the candy.

The whole experience of going to Rita’s is great. Friendly staff and delicious food, what more could one want? Check it out!

Rita’s is a big hit with studentsBy Sabrina GaloostianEntertainment Editor

RECIPE CORNERThis super simple pumpkin cake only requires two ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time. So put your apron on and get baking!

1) Combine one box of yellow cake mix with one can of pumpkin pie fi lling in a mixing bowl.2) Pour batter into a 7x11 baking dish.3) Bake for 28 minutes at 350.

ritasicevabeach.com

Photo by Monica Song Photo by Monica Song

itunes.apple.comitunes.apple.com

Photo by Jeanne BayPhoto by Jeanne Bay

October 4, 2013 Features|9

Nearly all students engage in some sort of school activity, such as band, orchestra,

sports, and choir, to demonstrate their talents. Yet, until now, there was no program supporting students’ interest in dance, one of the most important social skills. This year, LCHS welcomes the Social Dancing STEP, which will be led by Mrs. Pelletier, an English teacher, and Mr. Szamosfalvi, a math teacher.

S o c i a l Dancing STEP, which will meet every W e d n e s d a y , aims to foster the skills of students in various types of dance from different parts of the world. First, students will begin with Cuban Salsa Rueda, where pairs of dancers

form a circle and follow the dance moves instructed by one person, the “caller.” In the fi rst few months, Mr. Szamosfalvi will assemble the music, starting with a slow beat then progressing to a faster tempo. As students become accustomed to the style of dance, they will be able to bring songs of their choice. Then, students will move onto Lindy Hop, a type of swing, which will be led by

Mrs. Pelletier.LCHS excels in so many

areas and should likewise have a program to support dance.

Mr. Szamosfalvi stated, “There is a lack of dancing

on campus compared to other activities.

This will be a great

opportunity for students, as dancing is an important social skill needed at college to socialize with others.”

Like many other a groups on campus, the Social Dancing STEP also plans to showcase

their talents. With enough practice, students might be able to perform at an assembly this year.

Mrs. Pelletier, an avid dancer, offered various reasons as to why students should participate in this unique and truly worthwhile on-campus experience.

“Dancing is a great way to meet new people. I met my husband and my lifetime friends at my college ballroom club. I am also able to express myself through the rhythmical

beats and relieve stress by dancing,” said Mrs.

Pelletier.Although the

STEP has not yet offi cially started, Mr. Szamosfalvi is dedicated to bringing more students to take part in this great opportunity and expressed high expectations for the future of the STEP.

“I really hope that the Social

Dancing STEP grows out to be an active club

on campus overtime,” stated Mr. Szamosfalvi.

Mr. Szamosfalvi and Mrs.Pelletier join forces to create the popular Social Dancing STEPBy Jihee Yoon News Editor

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Students, Faculty and Staff take

BRAINWave

What is the longest word in the dictionary?

What has 4 eyes but cannot see?

I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?

Answers: Mississippi, smiles, candle

The underappreciated lovechild of television and radio, podcasts deserve way more attention than they receive. They’re free, easy to access, and easy to listen to. Here are my picks of the fi rst four you should try out!

An NPR staple, This American Life stands head and shoulders above the rest. Narrator Ira Glass, one of the best storytellers of our time, weaves together a few cohesive vignettes for every 50-minute episode that speak to a certain theme concerning the state of our nation. Each installment comes as a surprise, and the producers’ ability to churn out more than 500 original episodes is a testament to the show’s creative spirit. Above all, nothing beats listening to Glass’s surprisingly soothing voice talk about genuinely interesting topics after coming home from a day fi lled with the drone of polynomial equations.

If I Were You is a mock-advice podcast run by Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld, a duo that rose to fame with their sketch comedy show “Jake and Amir” on Collegehumor. A newcomer to the podcast scene, the pair’s crude but surprisingly articulate banter is a delight to listen to. With the pretext of providing helpful advice, they read email questions sent in by fans, but they always just end up ridiculing them. Despite the potential for repetitiveness, Jake and Amir feature their other funny friends often enough to spice things up. Ultimately, their consistent, laugh-out-loud humor make them one of the best comedy podcast out there.

If you’re looking to expand your musical horizons, or just want to fi nd that one indie band that you can say you were following since before it became popular, All Songs Considered is the podcast to do it. Frontmen Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton switch off playing and discussing recently released songs that they feel have earned more recognition than they have received. In the span of a single episode, they seem to manage to cover every genre out there, from hip-hop to dream-pop to metal. There is only one requirement: “music that you could fall in love with.” I’ve discovered two of my favorite bands, Lucius and San Fermin, through All Songs Considered, and after one listen, I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

Neil deGrasse Tyson has become somewhat of a celebrity lately, and with good reason. His straightforward delivery and contagious passion make him a joy to listen to, and his Startalk Radio podcast allows you to sit back and do just that. Every episode features him tackling another universe-related question, often with guests like Buzz Aldrin or Bill Maher. Tyson succeeds in creating a light, humorous atmosphere that allows the actual factual information to enter your brain seamlessly. With just a few 40-minute episodes under your belt, you’ll be able to impress science teacher and peer alike with poignant and often mind-blowing facts about the state of our universe.

This American Life

If I were You

All Songs Considered

StarTalk Radio

Podcasts for the People: Four great programs that will enlighten you

By Jordan Cutler-TietjenSpartan Staff

SudokuEnter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that:- Each horizontal row (shown in pink) contains each digit exactly once- Each vertical column (shown in yellow) contains each digit exactly once- Each subgrid or region (shown in green) contains each digit exactly once

Diffi culty level: Medium

Photo by Jihee YoonPhoto by Jihee Yoon

about.com

10|Photos October 4, 2013

Football PRE HC E

Spartan FA

The pepsquad cheers on LCHS Varsity Football team. September 20th

A Pep Rally was held prior to the football

game.

The LC Spartans play the CV Falcons.

September 20th

LCHS pep squad, football players, and band at pep rally. September 20th

Paola Narvaez, Charlotte Leddie, and

Jenni Evans match on Pajama Day.

September 30th

Homecoming tEmpire State opp SSttaattee oo

NEXT FOOTGAME:October 4t

Homecomi

Spirit Week

PEP RALLY

Zac Main and Kev A

Photos|11October 4, 2013

EVENTS

ALL Bulletin

Ms. Hill and Mr. McFeat watch the foot-

ball game. September 20th

theme:of Homecomingooff HHoommeeccoommiinngg

TBALL

th

ing! <3

Homecoming Princesses get a makeover.

September 30th

vin Sung show someAmerican Spirit!

October 1st

The clash of helmets.

September 20th

LCHS students show their school spirit.

September 30th

Robbie Fuelling and Lizzy Woolf dance together

after the Homecoming Court announcement.

September 27th

SeSeptptememememememememmememememmmmmmmmmmmmmemeememememmemmmemmeememmemmemmeeeemmeeemmemmeemmeeememmemmeememmmmmmmmmmmbb

By Vanessa KimPhotography Editor

Photo by Matt LimPhoto by Matt Lim

Put those pencils down, close those textbooks, and fi nally get a healthy amount of sleep tonight. All of the unnecessary stress, disarray, and anxiety in your academic life could be gone. The root of these unwanted effects can be traced back to the dreadful task known to students as homework. Due to today’s rising standards in education, stellar grades are of great importance to students and their parents. For this reason, the majority of students are expected by teachers, colleges, and parents alike to maintain high GPA’s by staying on top of their homework and studying vigorously. The stress of keeping up to date with daily assignments can really add up.

Due to the fact that there is minimal communication or cooperation between subject departments on work schedules, excessive amounts of work frequently pile onto single nights. As a result, teenagers often fi nd themselves deciding between two choices. One, being sleep deprived from earnestly completing all the tasks at hand which directly can affect their ability to focus, or two, choosing not to fully fi nish their assignments to receive a healthy amount of sleep but simultaneously directly losing points on their uncompleted work. In some rare cases, students even cross the line of academic honesty to achieve both a good grade and healthy amount of rest. Also, students who have extracurricular activities discover their free time quickly disappearing. All of these complications of daily

life are ultimately just means of mass producing routine driven zombies burdened with anxiety.

Academically, the positive effects of homework are nothing but fi ction. An anonymous teacher described homework as “another way for students to study for their exams in their courses.” If the purpose of homework is to study, and studying is optional but recommended, then homework should be the same. Students who decide to choose a healthy amount of sleep over homework are marked

down immensely but can still score e x c e p t i o n a l l y well on their tests despite not directly receiving points for completing assignments.

When an a n o n y m o u s student who scores high on tests but rarely does homework

was asked how he studies, he replied, “I usually go over study guides and do previous homework problems the teacher assigned.” When teachers make homework mandatory assignments for points, homework only punishes students, but when it is assigned as optional studying, it proves to aid boosting exam scores.

The country of Finland, which has no homework, is ranked 6th in the World Top 20 Education Poll of 2013 compared to the United States of America, which comes in at 18th. Without time-consuming daily assignments, teenagers would have more free time to take breaks from the psychological and physical exhaustion school entails, receive healthy amounts of sleep, and not be oppressed by immense amounts of apprehension. Homework should not be thoroughly neglected but rather converted into a recommended optional way of studying to keep both exam scores and overall grades high.

12|Opinion October 4, 2013

Living in California means living in a desert. And just like the desert nomads of the Sahara, who rely on their oases for life, I can always rely on my oasis, Penguins, to save me. Now you might be asking what separates this ice cream shop from the dozens of other places in La Cañada to cool off.

Well for one thing, Penguins has been in La Cañada for over a decade. That’s over ten years of memories embedded in one store, and it shows. As soon as you step in, a sense of nostalgia washes over you. Memories of the good ol’ days are sparked, and you remember back when you sampled every fl avor twice just to annoy the clerk, accidently spilled fudge down your shirt, and fi lled out your fi rst Pen-guins punch card for a free ice cream. At least that’s what I remember. Everyone has a special and unique memory about Penguins, and that’s what makes visiting the shop an experience, whether your fi ve or seventy-fi ve years old.

Memories aren’t the only thing that keep me and many others coming back to Penguins. The myriad of ice cream and yogurt fl avors are what made Penguins a landmark in the fi rst place. Doing the math, if you were to take a

scoop of every single fl avor Penguins has to offer, you could build a bridge of ice cream to the moon and back. That’s a lot of fl avors! And if that’s not enough, Penguins is constantly adding and creating new fl avors. Once you ac-cept the fact that each and every fl avor is abso-lutely delicious, then you’ll see why Penguins has stuck around La Cañada for so long.

As if a massive amount of fl avors wasn’t enough, Penguins allows even more diversity with its delicious array of toppings and menu options. When I was younger, my goal in life was to fi ll my ice cream with as many top-pings as possible. I piled on sprinkles, fruit, fudge, caramel, whipped cream, peanuts, fruity pebbles, gummy bears, gummy worms, more sprinkles, and even more whipped cream. My request didn’t even phase the Penguins worker, bless her soul. In a world fi lled with uncertain-ty, it’s nice to know that whatever topping fe-tishes you have, Penguins can fulfi ll them.

Penguins truly is my oasis. The combina-tion of memories, great fl avors, and seductive toppings truly makes for a blessed place. And where else can you get you whole Lunch in a Cup? Nowhere else but Penguins.

Debate CornerDebate Corner

The following is a summary of the reasons why the frozen yogurt chain, no, the frozen yogurt Valhalla, Pinkberry, is better than the local Penguins situated across the street.

Pinkberry has a large variety of tasty and healthy toppings, and their seasonal fl avors give the illusion of shopping for fruit at an upscale farmers market in Ojai (it’s just as pricey so why not?). And, the cherry on top, they are conveniently located on the same block as Georgee’s Pizza (so I don’t have to waste time crossing the street to get my curly fries).

Who likes Penguins anyway? Who thought it would be a good idea to put a bunch of fl ightless birds in charge of a fro-zen yogurt chain? And the yogurt they make. I understand that operating machinery can get diffi cult when you don’t have thumbs, or even hands, but come on, I think they can do better than my subpar peanut butter frozen yogurt.

You know you need to up your game when the top review on Yelp is “the sugar free choc chips are splendid.” Thank you, Sarah C., of Glendale, CA, those “choc” chips may be the

only “splendid” thing that Penguins has to of-fer.

I feel like this conversation is particularly relevant considering the surprise heat wave that is taking place as I sit here writing this article. Like the Penguins I have depreciat-ed, I hate the heat. Me, I like to maintain the subzero body temperature of those organic gummy bears as they freeze slowly atop my peach and cherry yogurt. Which is probably why I dream of Pinkberry each and every day as I struggle to unravel the mysteries of the practice of statistics, or as I nibble on my sandwich, wistfully reliving the great days of summer when I was not constrained by bell schedules and normal probability plots.

In conclusion, the servers are helpful and courteous, the fl avors and toppings give the illusion of delicious healthiness. Although their yogurt is the stuff that dreams are made of, I will concede that their gummy bears do leave a lot to be desired when compared with the ones from the bulk bin at Sprouts. But I digress, that’s another discussion for another day. Stay cool, my friends.

Pinkberry VS Penguins

By Noah KearlSpartan Staff

By Hannah StewartEditor-in-Chief

www.pinkberry.com www.penguinsyogurt.comwww.penguinsyogurt.com

Why we shouldn’t have to do homework


Someone is always watching you. While your data is already catalogued by companies on the

internet for ad revenue, the govern-ment has revealed that it monitors the private communications information of its citizens. And while everyone has occasionally stalked someone on Facebook, Glendale Unifi ed’s actions have begged the question, how would you feel if your school was doing the exact same thing to you?

This school year, Glendale Unifi ed School District (GUSD) employed a company named Geo Listening to monitor the districts 13,000 middle school and high school students’ vari-ous social media accounts. Interest-ingly enough, the student population was not initially notifi ed of the pro-gram. In fact, many students claimed to have discovered GUSD’s actions through Buzzfeed and CNN, rather

than from the school itself. This pro-gram has been running since last year, and GUSD has spent $40,500 on this “safety” system this year alone. And the only thing that is certain about this new procedure is that it is abso-lutely shrouded in controversy.

While there are plenty of argu-ments supporting each side of this issue, I truly believe that there is no valid justifi cation in supporting GUSD’s new program. On legal and ethical grounds, this new program violates principles and precedents of privacy established by the 4th and 9th amendments. Economically, this pro-gram is simultaneously too expensive and too ineffi cient. No matter what perspective one is coming from, this program opposes almost universally held values.

GUSD’s argument for monitor-ing its students can be boiled down to one word: safety. All of the offi cial statements made by GUSD have been centered on the safety of its student population. Glendale Unifi ed Supt.

Dick Sheehan stated in the Los Ange-les Times, “People are always look-ing to see what we’re doing to ensure that their kids are safe. This just gives us another opportunity to ensure the kids are safe at all times.” But the effectiveness of this program is still dubious at best.

Indeed the safety of students should always be a top priority for schools; nevertheless, monitoring students’ social media seems to have a negligible impact. The program’s pilot period held last year seems to have had little to no impact in im-proving negative school culture like bullying, drug use, etc. Furthermore, effectively monitoring students’ so-cial media is absolutely impracti-cal, if not impossible. For roughly $40,000, GUSD expects to scrutinize 13,000 students who will each make about 350 posts on social media a year. That’s around 4,550,000 posts that the district has to screen, tag, catalog, and cross reference with no guarantees of any semblance of ac-curacy. Such a feat would require the cooperation of social media giants like Facebook and Twitter, and while accomplishing this would be quite impressive, no public school district has the means to achieve this.

GUSD has also argued that moni-toring social media shouldn’t be an issue because the majority of students have nothing to hide, and that if one really wanted to, one could change his social media settings to have privacy. The fi rst issue with this ar-gument is that privacy is an inherent right as defi ned by several interpreta-tions of the 4th and 9th amendments, and thus should not be violated un-less reasonable suspicion of a crime exists. The other issue is that even though this system can be opted out of, the default setting is still one of surveillance and invasion of privacy, rather than an opt in system. But most importantly, it is a bit unsettling that any school, let alone our neighbors, would engage in such a program, and I do hope that GUSD will not set a precedent for others to follow.

By Yongsoo KimOpinion Editor

GUSD Geo-Listening

http://www.gusd.net/Page/292

The stress weigh down the childs hope and dreams.

It’s a new year Spartans! And, in addition to stress, anxiety, and a weird smell coming from the

indoor stairwells, change is in the air! Just walking around campus, you’ve probably noticed some of the differences. There are new teachers to suck up to, new students to impress, and, of course, new rules to break. Most important, however, is the new bell schedule!

Thinking back to last year, you may ask yourself, “How could the bell schedule possibly get any better?” Well Spartans, the impossible has happened.

“We tried to balance the needs of everybody,” explained Athletic Director Mr. Franzen. “The bell

schedule is diffi cult to build, and, after a lot of debate, we went with what we felt was best for everybody – parents, teachers, and students.”

Going into the fi rst week of school, you may have known that fi rst period now starts a little earlier than we’ve grown accustomed to. I didn’t know because no one told me.

“By starting 5 minutes earlier, kids in sports can go to most of their 5th period,” continued Mr. Franzen. “Parents are concerned about their kids missing class, and as you know, every minute of instructional time makes a difference.”

While I concede that these are valid points, I question whether this new early-start policy actually puts more pressure on students than it alleviates, especially with abominable traffi c and atrocious parking tormenting students every morning.

On another note, passing periods are once again 7 minutes, which is great because now my teacher can ask me to get out my materials and begin working 4 minutes before the bell rings. Instructional time in all periods remains the same, aside from block days when class is an entire minute longer than last year. All sarcasm

aside, it is extremely disappointing that our 30-minute lunch has not been extended to match those of the schools around us (Crescenta Valley: 35 min, San Marino: 40 min). Even a blind man could see that hard-working LCHS students deserve more time to study for a crucial test, to relax after a painful essay, or to blow off some steam by socializing with friends. How can we possibly be expected to outperform all other districts in standardized testing when the administration’s broken philosophy continues to dictate, “the less time we have to rest and reset our brains, the more productive we will be”?

(*Sarcasm back on*) Finally, school fi nishes at exactly the perfect time – 2:42. If I have to explain why 2:42 is the perfect time for school to end, you need to take a long look in the mirror and think harder. Really though, it’s not all bad.

In continuation of last year’s policy, Wednesday and Thursday block will continue to alternate at seemingly random points throughout the year, keeping us on edge! Love it or hate it, the new bell schedule is here to stay. I, for one, am ecstatic.

Opinion|13October 4, 2013

The

Spartan

StaffHannah Stewart

Editor-in-Chief

Martin YiManaging Editor

Ben Blanco and Jihee YoonWebsite Managers

Ben Blanco and Jihee YoonNews Editors

Emory Chesley, Yongsoo Kim,Teddy Park

Opinion Editors

Hasaan Ahmed, Robbie Fuelling, Derrick Lee, Megan Lee

Sports Editors

Sabrina Galoostian, Vanessa Kim, Robin Perlstein

Entertainment Editors

Macarena Blando, Sean Lee, Monica Song

Features Editors

Monica SongLayout Director

Ben BlancoAlyce ChoEric Han

Vanessa KimChristine Lee

Robin PerlsteinMonica SongJihee Yoon

Layout Editors

Ben PowersAdvisor

Vanessa KimPhotography Editor

ReportersJeanne BayAria Beizai

Mica BernhardChristian CallesHannah Chong

Jordan Cutler-TietjenMegan DeckerAyush Gulati

Christina HacobainNoah Kearl

Pierre LaBelleBrandon Lee

Lina LimIschaak Mylvaganam

Deborah OhMarvin OsmanScott Slattery

Genevieve WillisSelena Zhang

What’s the deal with Syria?

As complicated as the Syr-ian confl ict might seem, it boils down to security for the

U.S. and our allies. If the U.S. mili-tary continues to meekly observe the confl ict in Syria, it may threaten the safety of American citizens and the citizens of our allies, whom we are bound to protect.

The use of chemical weapons in Syria represents a signifi cant shift in the nature of the confl ict. No longer can we look at the confl ict in Syria as a simple civil war. This is now a con-fl ict with major international impli-cations. Regardless of who used the chemical weapons, to allow the use of such weapons to go unpunished is ab-solutely unacceptable. If regimes, or worse, the poorly organized, danger-ous groups trying to overthrow them, come to the conclusion that there are no consequences to the use of chemi-cal weapons then the use of said arms may reenter the vogue, and while I won’t pretend to care about the “in-nocent” bystanders in these types of confl icts, it would be extremely ex-pensive to refi t our armed forces to deal with chemical threats. In addi-

tion, the US and her allies must con-sider the very real possibility of an increase in the proliferation of these weapons, especially if the current ad-ministration of Syria collapses into a pseudo-democratic theocracy, which it almost inevitably will if the rebels gain control of the government. The proliferation of these types of weap-ons to terrorist groups and rogue gov-ernments represents a serious threat to both you, a citizen of the US, and the denizens of our many ally coun-tries, notably Israel and India. Both of these countries struggle regularly with belligerence from governments and terrorist groups, and these strug-gles would only be exacerbated by the surfacing of cheap, easy-to-use chemical weapons.

I earnestly feel that the US Gov-ernment and military have a duty to both its own citizens and the citizens of its allies to take military action in Syria. While I do not advocate the US supporting either side militarily, I think it would be prudent to deploy the host of advanced military tech-nology at our disposal to completely destroy any caches of chemical weap-

By Emory ChesleyOpinion Editor

missoulian.commissoulian.com

By Ischaak Mylvaganam Spartan Staff

Find a cute, attention-grabbing way to ask your date to homecom-ing. I have yet to see a girl say no to a box of cinnamon buns and

a note attached saying, “I’d like to take your buns to homecoming.” It doesn’t hurt if there’s food involved, trust me. To really go that extra step if you want to become more than just friends, you could fi nd out where she lives. Sneak past her parents (paren-tal consent is for the weak!), leave a trail of rose petals to her boudoir to reveal you hiding in her room with dozens of roses. It shows that you’ve really done your research. Your ef-forts will not go unnoticed!

Ask yourself if you’re good enough friends with your date to avoid potential humiliation. Do you really want to go with someone you

don’t know and be judged for your dancing ability (or lack thereof)? I think not.

Make sure your suit and tie are on point. As tempting as that baby blue tuxedo is, a solid black suit is the way to go. Black is universally

fl attering and can probably mask the food baby that appeared at dinner.

Get your makeup pro-fessionally done if you don’t know the differ-ence between founda-tion and self tanner. Although it’s sure to get

attention, a Cheeto-colored shade of foundation is not the best way to make a good impression. Avoid the strenuous hassle of having to exert your arm muscles in holding up a curling iron and fi guring out your perfect shade of lipstick. Apparently there are 285 different shades of red to choose from.

Wear appropriate length dresses. There’s noth-ing worse than your dressing riding up while you’re in the midst of twerking and whatnot.

Wear a knee length dress and twerk to your heart’s content.

Google how to pin on a boutonniere. Speaking from personal experi-ence, fi nding out how to properly pin on a boutonniere will serve

you well. Accidentally stabbing your date and your fi nger at the same time, however, will not. Blood is not a good color on anyone.

Ah, homecoming. The quintessential introduction into high school culture, in which many dance-goers partake in awkward side to side shuffl es and even more awkward pre-dance pictures. Us seasoned

experts have mastered the art of the homecoming experience. For the less fortunate—freshmen, I’m talking to you—here’s how to make your home-coming experience more enjoyable. Or less embarrassing. Same thing.

So, with these pearls of wisdom, go on, lowly freshmen. Go on and experience one of the best nights of your high school social life. And for those not attend-ing homecoming, don’t worry. There’s always Winter Formal, Backwards, and Prom to dance at awkwardly.

Boys Girls

Jeanne’s Declassifi ed School Survival Guide: A Freshman’s Guide to HomecomingBy Jeanne BaySpartan Staff

1

2

1

2

33

Saved by the Bell

Hope Freeman and Jack Bley Alyssa Stolmack and Ryan Gosling

Rachel Lee and Eric Han

Charis Gee and Abe Cho

Are you a parking ticket? Cause you got fi ne writt en all over you. ♥

facebook.comfacebook.com




It took seven years for Apple to fi nally fulfi ll its trademark saying, “The biggest thing to happen since the iPhone.” Apple has ush-

ered in the era of transparency and effi ciency, when it comes to the renowned iPhone operat-ing system. With the original iPhone software nearly six years old, Apple has taken a bold step that hints at larger screens through the use of bright colors, swipe gestures and animation.

The iOS interface, as introduced in January 2007, was getting repetitive in Apple’s update. Conceived in an era when capacitive screens were an expensive novelty and high defi nition displays were not available on phones, it suc-ceeded in making the iPhone the most dominant device in the polluted smartphone market. How-ever, it was time for a change.

While iOS has basically stayed the same for several years, Apple’s emerging competitors, Blackberry and Android, have been innovative. Therefore, Apple had to make a much-needed change in order to remain competitive in the polluted smartphone market. Apple’s decision to radicalize its trademarked iOS software was a major success, as it brings a vibrant new look and features that have been unprecedented in the company’s product history.

The new iOS brings in a new bold design that captivates the user’s attention. Apple has com-pletely overhauled the look of iOS with version 7, starting from the lock screen and extending to the icons of default apps, system fonts, status bar indicators, system elements like Notifi ca-tion Center, and more. There are new sounds

too, including ringtones and notifi cation cues. Apple has chosen bright, bold colors with more clean lines and far fewer textures, shadows and gradients.

Apple was also implemented the air drop feature that was fi rst announced on its Macin-tosh line. This simple sharing service made its mobile debut, allowing them to share fi les with anyone on the same network with a single tap. The recipient then approves the request, and the fi le is added to their own iPhone.

Apple has also modifi ed Safari for a better, user-friendly experience. Users are now able to effi ciently navigate between various tabs and can easily access private browsing without hav-ing to enter the settings menu.

The camera application has been positively modifi ed for a better user experience. Users can now easily change between various camera functions by just sliding their fi nger across the screen, avoiding the lag process of before.

Lastly, Apple has implemented “iTunes Ra-dio Service” in order to compete with applica-tions such as Pandora and Spotify. This service, exclusively available on iOS 7, is meant to cap-tivate users to purchase/listen to music on a bet-ter music streaming experience.

There is absolutely no question that iOS 7 will be a dramatic change from the iOS many users already know and love, but on balance it’s an update packed with plenty of new features that make using Apple’s mobile devices easier and more enjoyable.

Coursera.org has over four hundred courses that offer traditional class materials like videos, readings, homework, and quizzes. A cou-ple weeks ago, I signed up for Computer Science 101, one of the most popular courses. I only watched the fi rst lecture, which was 19 minutes long, and already I could tell that it would be a lot of work (around 3-5 hours a week). The lecture simulates a one-on-one environment with the instructor himself talking into a webcam on one section of the screen and the lecture notes on the other section of the screen. Overall, the class is very organized—4 videos per week and 4 accompanying exercises that must be completed within eight days of the video. Also, the active discussion forum is useful if you have any questions.

Coursera

I downloaded the iTunes U app on my phone last month. Offering a ton of videos series about nearly any subject from African Art to Calculus to Philosophy, iTunes University defi -nitely has the most diverse selection of topics out of my four picks. In my opinion, the best part about iTunes U is that you can download the videos so you can watch them anywhere you want without needing an Internet connection. So if you ever fi nd yourself standing in line at the DMV or even Disneyland, then what better way to spend that time than to watch and listen to Harvard professor Michael Sandel? Kidding.

iTun

esU

niv

ersi

ty

If you ever need a quick refresher on adding fractions or period-ic table trends, Khan Academy offers quick 10-minute videos that focus mainly on high school level math and science. I watched a 14-minute video on electron confi gurations, and it did a good job of summarizing an entire 55-minute period’s worth of material that I learned last year. Watching videos is similar to having a tutor, since the instructor, who is just a voice in the background, handwrites on a black screen and explains things very clearly in a personable tone. Khan Academy awards you with Black Hole Badges, Moon Badges, Sun Badges, etc. for watching videos and completing skill sets, which I personally fi nd a little gimmicky and do little to actu-ally motivate you.

Khan

A

cademy

I attempted to learn French on Duolingo, a website that offers les-sons in fi ve languages, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Portu-guese. I completed Lesson One (now I know a total of seven words), and that’s about as far as I will ever advance in my knowledge of the French language. During Lesson One, I had to copy the vocabulary, translate basic sentences, transcribe spoken phrases, and pronounce the words aloud. Despite having given up after only fi fteen minutes (pardon my laziness), I found the interface of the website very fun and youthful; the lessons are formatted almost like a game with levels you have to unlock. Even though I have never had experience with the Ro-setta Stone program, I feel that Duolingo might be a better alternative because it’s more modern and of course, because it’s free, duh.

Duo

lingo

Interested in going to Stanford, Berke-ley, UPenn, or Harvard for college? Now, through the power of the World Wide Web, you can receive a fi rst-rate education from

these universities without the stress of applying or the hefty price tag. Well not exactly, but pretty close. With access to a wealth of classes (that

are all free and available to everyone) on online platforms such as Cours-era and iTunes U, you now have the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects from the experts. After some Internet research, here are the top four online course websites I found, plus my reviews of them.

Exploring the world of online educationBy Monica SongFeature Editor

www.techinasia.comwww.techinasia.com

www.forbes.comwww.forbes.com

www.techinasia.comwww.techinasia.com

timmmmyboy.comtimmmmyboy.com

October 4, 201314|Opinion

Many students fi nd them-selves stressing out as the school year begins. Add

in the imminent October SAT to the equation and the result is sleep-de-prived students spending countless dollars on SAT prep and books. Since 1926, the Scholastic Assessment Test has been used to determine if stu-dents are ready for college, and most colleges in the United States require SAT scores for admission. However, in recent years, several colleges have made it optional due to the fact that the SAT is no longer considered an accurate assessment of students’ abilities because it fails to see past bubbled answers.

The fl aws in this system are few in number, but great in impact. The correlation between money and cred-ibility is questioned as the problems in this system become more pro-nounced. If you believe education shouldn’t be a commodity, tell that to programs like Elite and Princeton Review. These academies help stu-dents prepare for the SAT for a base fee running up to several thousand dollars per student. Families with suf-fi cient funds can afford to send their

kids to those classes, while lower-in-come families may not even be able to pay for the SAT itself. A study by The New York Times found that fam-ily income made differences of up to 400 points on the SAT: a clear disad-vantage to those with lower income.

The SAT also has the power to place a numeric value on your (sup-posed) intellectual worth and “readi-ness” for college. For many LCHS students, the black cloud of stan-dardized testing looms over the high school experience. Grades, clubs, sports—they all become irrelevant as SAT scores defi ne who we are as students and lump all of our individu-ality and creativity into a composite score sent off to be judged in a matter of minutes by college admissions of-fi cers. SAT scores do not refl ect in-telligence, but refl ect education and purchased opportunity.

The credibility of the SAT must be considered as well. If the SAT is designed to test students’ aptitudes in a set amount of time, wouldn’t tak-ing the SAT more than once defeat that purpose? Students are allowed to take it up to three times and can sub-mit a “superscore”, which combines the best math, reading, and writing scores taken from multiple tests. Less privileged students are at an unfair disadvantage because of this trial and

error method, since many cannot af-ford to take the test repeatedly. Also, students have found patterns to solve the general types of questions on the SAT. This helps to achieve high scores, but defeats the purpose of the test. The SAT isn’t a test that should be studied for; it is a test that is sup-posed to measure what is already know.

Although it is heavily fl awed, the SAT is not without its perks. The Col-lege Board website offers online help for those seeking it. There are afford-able practice books for students who are unable to sign up for expensive prep courses. But overall, test scores are inaccurate because of the dispar-ity of opportunity.

For these reasons, I ask that this unfair educational system by thor-oughly reevaluated. Some universi-ties have begun to change their views on the necessity of the SAT, but most remain fi rmly rooted in the belief that the SAT is crucial to predicting the success of students. Even the Univer-sity of California president Richard Atkinson has called for the abolish-ment of the SAT. Colleges must take into serious consideration the pros and the cons of the SAT and hope-fully realize that it no longer has the effect that it once did.

The SAT: Is It Accurate, Credible, or None of the Above?

By Jeanne BaySpartan Staff

www.american.comwww.american.com

iOS 7: A Revolution in the makingBy Hasaan AhmedSports Editor

Sports | 15OCTOBER 4, 2013

Operation Smile club will hold a three on three basketball tournament

to raise money for their organiza-tion on October 19th at 10am in the North and South Gyms. Operation Smile club donates money to help children with Cleft Palate and Lip disorder, a birth defect due to mal-nutrition. Children with Cleft Palate and Lip often can’t eat or speak, which makes life extremely hard for them. Fortunately, the surgery to fi x the disorder is relatively inexpen-sive.

Club president, Alec Baktamain, was inspired for the idea of the club and fundraiser by his Uncle. He stated, “My Uncle, Dr. Andre Panos-sian, is a plastic surgeon and he has

gone on several missions to perform surgeries on children for free in countries such as China.”

Operation Smile club hopes to raise as much money as possible to help send Dr. Panossian to other countries to perform surgeries. To sign up for the event you can contact Alec Baktamian at (818) 468-2136 or email [email protected]. By just sign-ing up, you receive a free t-shirt sponsored by Sport Chalet. Mark your calendars and be sure to come support this great cause!

Ballin’ for charity and small children

Robin PerlsteinEntertainment Editor

Serena Zheng and Emily Swanson, serve up a new season for theVarsity Girls Tennis Team

Lina LimSpartan Staff

Family, friends, school, and homework already consume a lot of people’s time. There-

fore, not many people have enough time to participate in another activ-ity, let alone lead one. They either do not have enough time, or have enough stress on their hands. Emily Swanson and Serena Zheng are the exceptions to this rule. The two girls are both seniors this year and cap-tains for their tennis team, ready to graduate and go into the big world.

Before they leave, they would like to accomplish one goal; to make the most out of their last varsity ten-nis season.

Both these girls had a great experience Freshmen year which inspired them to earn a spot on the varsity team.

Emily Swanson stated, “I started playing tennis during my 8th grade summer. I liked it a lot and started playing more and more.”

On the other hand, Serena Zheng explained, “I also started because

I liked it, but my main reason was because of my family. Both my brother and cousin play tennis, so I started as a way to bond with them.”

As captains of the varsity girl’s tennis team, they are responsible for making sure all the girls feel wel-comed and loved. They make sure that all the girls are friendly to one another. I-Hop is the place where all the bonding and girl talk begins.

The girls are also responsible for setting an example to the other girls on their team. That means never missing a practice or game, and al-ways coming fi rst to practice in order to greet the other team members. This task can be hard when balanc-ing APs and honor classes, but they both say that it is not a problem for them because time management and organization are their “best friends.”

Now that they are fi nally on their dream team, they have set a bigger goal. They want to make it all the way to CIF and leave a huge mark on LCHS. They have the passion to become number one and have gotten off on the right foot, emerging victo-rious from their fi rst match out of the

8 matches they have played. This year the girls believe the can carry their team all the way.

The Varsity Girls Tennis Captains Serena Zheng, and Emily Swanson

Photo by Lina LimPhoto by Lina Lim


Hissan AhmedSports Editor

After what happened to the Lak-ers last season, with Dwight Howard ruthlessly leaving the Lakers, their star player going down in a season-ending injury, a fi rst-round playoff exit, and the death of their praise-worthy long-time owner Dr. Jerry Buss, you might think the Laker hit rock bottom, that things could not get worse. But they have.

However, people always say that something bad has to happen before something good happens.

This year, the Lakers are not championship contenders. ESPN and Los Angeles Times analysts predict that they will barely make the play-offs and will likely meet a fi rst-round exit. But the important aspect of all of this is that at least the Lakers fo-cus on the game, not on the drama. With Dwight Howard no longer with the Lakers, along with a new group of

focused players, the Lakers are set to play a fun-fi lled season.

Laker fans bite their teeth every time they hear about Kobe Bryant, full of anxiety and anticipation of his return. It is expected that Bryant will not return to playing until November.

The Lakers have accumulated a cast of young players, each of whom are dying to prove their worth on the team. The Lakers have acquired re-serve guard Jordan Farmar, a fan fa-vorite, in hopes of adding athleticism to this aging team. The Lakers have also signed speedy point guard Nick Young and center Chris Kaman, so-lidifying this Lakers team. With the Lakers waiving Metta World Peace, the team has become more focused, and will not be bound by drama and off-court stupidity. No longer will the Lakers have to bear the burden of free agency issues and player-tensions.

The Lakers, for the fi rst time under head coach Mike D’Antoni, will have a training camp and healthy players,

including 40 year-old point guard Steve Nash who battled a plethora of injuries last season. This will allow the Lakers to develop solid relation-ships with each other, as well as with their coach, who faced tough scrutiny last year.

The Lakers will have a tough season ahead of them. Their across-the-hall rivals, the Los Angeles Clip-pers, have dramatically improved this season, as they have resigned all-star Chris Paul and acquired renowned coach Doc Rivers. However, it seems that no Laker is phased by the Clip-pers’ untraditional moves. They know that having the biggest name is not a guarantee for anything.

There seems to be a new vibe in the Lakers’ locker room this season. The players have a closer bond than last season and are excited for the po-tential of the upcoming season. All of us will have to wait and see how far the Lakers dominate, or fail, this season.

The Lakers prepare for the upcoming season

After Kobe’s injury and Dwight’s resignation, the Lakers look to focus on the game and leave behind the bickering.Photo by espn.comPhoto by espn.com

2013 LC Varsity Football Captains

You may have noticed a new swagger in the varsity football boys this year, and that may be in large part due to their capable new captains. This year’s team is being captained by Robbie Fuelling (Quar-terback), Marshall Clark (Middle linebacker), Jadon Henry (Running back and Corner back), and Michael Greenberg (Outside linebacker). These four boys unanimously agree that they have great chemistry, which isn’t surprising considering they have been playing together since freshman year. It’s no wonder that the rest of the players voted for them to lead the team.

When asked how the rest of the team is playing, the boys said that the team’s chemistry is much better this year than last. The captains ex-plained that they all want to win and that they are ready for this season.

Not only do they want to win, the boys want to go all the way. They hope to make the playoffs, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since 2006, and win the Rio Hondo league.

The four stated that the new team motto is “less coaching, more player orientated.”

The new motto is remarkably fi tting considering the captains ap-proaches toward leading a team. Jadon said, “We take care of each other. The players have a lot of respect for us captains.” Robbie con-tinued, saying that they try to lead by example with their actions on and off the fi eld. Marshall added on and said that telling the players the truth about their performance on the fi eld is the best thing to do. Michael fi nished off by simply stating, “We get it done!”

With great captains like these, there is no doubt our football team will lead us to victory this season. Keep it up Spartans!

Sabrina GaloostianEntertainment Editor

Photo By Vanessa KimPhoto By Vanessa Kim

The Varsity Football captains Jadon Henry, Marshall Clark, Michael Greenberg, and Robbie Fuelling.

It’s that time of year again, where the helmets come on and the crowd goes wild. It’s football season! With all the preparation( sum-mer training, hell week, midnight madness, and just regular practices in the scorch-ing sun) it’s safe to say this year’s La Cañada High School Varsity Football team is ready to take us all the way to the top.

Coach Simms, the head Varsity coach at LCHS, said “ They are stronger, faster, and better than the team last year, so it’s going to be a great season.”

Coach Simms clearly has faith in his team and it looks like this season LCHS, is going to go farther than ever. He himself played football from age 8 to 30. But his passion for football didn’t stop at merely play-ing. He has been coaching for 15 years and has had a big infl uence on his former players’ lives. He is even coaching his youngest son, senior D’Andre Simms.

“It’s an honor for me to coach him this season,” he said.

Coach Simms doesn’t like giving his team advice on how to play, he prefers to give life lessons. His

coaching goal is to “build young men and characters to

make better players at life.”

In fact, Coach Simms stated, “Some players from the NFL I used to train have come back to me and thanked me for the lessons

I gave about life rather than

about football.” He doesn’t mind if they

win or lose. All he cares about is whether or not they had

fun.Anthony Connell, junior at

LCHS, said, “Coach Simms has taught me many life lessons in relationships, parent problems, and straight up how to be a man in this rough world.”

Our Spartan Varsity Football Team has a strong chance of going far and competing in CIF. With all the practices, pep rallies, and moti-vation from our school the football team is ready to conquer the opposi-tion. So, everyone go and support your friends at the football games.

Christina Hacobian Spartan Staff

The big man on campus: Coach Sims

Spartans, it’s that time of year again! Yes, fall is fi nally here. It’s time

for kickoffs, touchdowns, and bone-crushing tackles. It’s time for spikes, kills, and rallies. It’s time for serves, aces, and hits. It’s time for swims, shots, and blocks. It’s time for birdies, ea-gles, and holes-in-one, for fi nish

lines, sprints, and meets. Yes, it’s time for everyone to show their Spartan pride and attend foot-ball games, volley games, tennis matches, water polo games, and cross country matches. So get pumped Spartan Nation! Fall is fi nally here. It’s going to be a very special year!

Robbie’s Words of Wisdom

16|Sports october 4, 2013

Getting fi rst place for any sport is not the easiest thing, especially if it’s your fi rst game. Shaky legs, deep breaths, and nail biting all come from nervousness, which can block a person’s concentration. Full concentration is needed for many sports, and any lapse of focus may result in failure.

However, this was not the case for the LCHS Varsity girl’s tennis team.

The LCHS girls tennis team had a great fi rst game. Although it was a competitive match, they managed to defeat the Flintridge Sacred Heart girl’s tennis team by a margin of six points. Working together, our girls received a total of 12 points.

The girls practiced every day to reach the victory they fought so hard for. No matter how hot the weather was, they persevered. Each prac-tice made them more confi dent and excited for their fi rst game.

When game day fi nally arrived,

their nervousness kicked in, and their composure momentarily slipped. However, their successful fi rst game reignited their confi dence.

Sophomore Sarah Choe satisfy-ingly announced, “No more nervous jitter bugs for me! I am so proud of each and every one of my team members. My confi dent level sky-rocketed because of this game. All I have to fi gure out know is how to make room for all the trophies I am going to win. Go Team!”

Sophomore Cathey Seo said, “Practicing for a whole week after school was not fun what-so-ever, and the weather did not help at all. But winning made all the difference, and it was worth all the sweat!”

When asked about how they felt about their victory, Senior Emily Swanson, the captain, enthusiastical-ly stated, “We’re really excited that we started off the year with a win. A lot of the starters were not varsity starters last year, and it’s awesome that everyone played so well in our fi rst game. We are really looking forward to the rest of the season, and we think it’s going to be a great year.

By Lina Lim Spartan Staff

LC Varsity girls tennis crucifi es Sacred Heart

The girls end their scorching match with a friendly handshake.The girls end their scorching match with a friendly handshake. Photo by Lina Lim Photo by Lina Lim

Welcome to Russia: Home of the 2014 Winter Olympics

The 2014 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics will be hosted in Sochi, Russia from February 7th to the 24th. This marks the second time that Russia has hosted the Olympics, since the 1960 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Although many people are eager-ly waiting for next year’s Olympics, lots of controversy has surrounded the event. The primary concern is the ban of the Pride House, which pro-vides temporary housing for LGBT

athletes.The proposal for the Pride House

was rejected by the Ministry of Justice in Russia. Ministry judge Svetlana Mordovina stated, “It can undermine the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation due to the decrease of Russia’s population.”

While it is illegal to be openly gay in Russia, it does not prohibit the athletes from participating in the Olympics. However, it prohibits the athletes from showing their sexual preference in the country.

While the absence of the Pride

house is the biggest controversy, an-other issue regarding the vent is the site of the Olympic stadiums. The facilities are being built upon the graves of the Circassian people, who were killed during ethnic cleansing in Russia lasting from 1860 to 1864. Certain Circassian or Adyghe people are forming organizations to stop construction on the site.

While this issue is only concern-ing the Olympics, it really opens up the discussion of LGBT citizens and their rights around the world.

Eric HanLayout Editor

Photo by theinspirationrooom.com

The cross country team is gear-The cross country team is gear-ing up for another season and this ing up for another season and this year’s captains are excited to show year’s captains are excited to show us all the hard work they’ve done. us all the hard work they’ve done. Senior Anna Frederich, senior Elo-Senior Anna Frederich, senior Elo-ise Dimase-Nordling, junior Ethan ise Dimase-Nordling, junior Ethan Angold, and senior Eric Shreck-Angold, and senior Eric Shreck-engast are the new captains, in engast are the new captains, in addition to the new captains there addition to the new captains there is a new boys’ varsity coach, Nick is a new boys’ varsity coach, Nick LaCapria, who previously coached LaCapria, who previously coached at Glendale High School. Coach at Glendale High School. Coach Jenn Strople Mora, will return for Jenn Strople Mora, will return for the girls’ varsity team after helping the girls’ varsity team after helping

the girls win their second consecu-the girls win their second consecu-tive Rio Honda League title last tive Rio Honda League title last season.season.

Last year, the girls’ team was Last year, the girls’ team was able to break into the top ten at able to break into the top ten at state. The team is currently sitting state. The team is currently sitting at 8th in CIF.at 8th in CIF.

Anna, who ranked 17th in state Anna, who ranked 17th in state last year, has stated that she and last year, has stated that she and Eloise “have been working really Eloise “have been working really hard to match the great standards of hard to match the great standards of last year’s team, and were ready to last year’s team, and were ready to kick some butt.”kick some butt.”

The boys’ team has also been The boys’ team has also been practicing a lot and has won their practicing a lot and has won their fi rst meet against Ganesha and fi rst meet against Ganesha and Chaffe, two division 1 schools, on Chaffe, two division 1 schools, on

September 4th. Ethan Angold con-September 4th. Ethan Angold con-fi dently declared “we will be going fi dently declared “we will be going to CIF this year”. With enthusiasm to CIF this year”. With enthusiasm and dedication, the boys could eas-and dedication, the boys could eas-ily exceed expectations.ily exceed expectations.

Both the boys and girls teams Both the boys and girls teams have been working hard as they’ve have been working hard as they’ve been running all through summer been running all through summer and every day after school. The and every day after school. The team is truly dedicated and contin-team is truly dedicated and contin-ues to run despite the extremely hot ues to run despite the extremely hot weather conditions that most of us weather conditions that most of us can barely walk in. The team has can barely walk in. The team has also warned their competitors that also warned their competitors that “the Red Sea is coming”. “the Red Sea is coming”.

Christian CallesChristian CallesSpartan StaffSpartan Staff

LCXC: Can Moses part this Red Sea?LCXC: Can Moses part this Red Sea?

The La Cañada Flintridge High School 2013 Cross-Country team is ready to drown the competition as the Red Sea. The La Cañada Flintridge High School 2013 Cross-Country team is ready to drown the competition as the Red Sea.

Photo by Christian CallesPhoto by Christian Calles

Spartans annihilate AlhambraSpartans annihilate Alhambra

Kicking off what promises to be a Kicking off what promises to be a winning season, the La Cañada Spar-winning season, the La Cañada Spar-tans defeated the Alhambra Moors tans defeated the Alhambra Moors 24-13, on Friday, September 6th, in 24-13, on Friday, September 6th, in their season opener. their season opener.

The Spartans dominated the The Spartans dominated the Alhambra Moors with an impressive Alhambra Moors with an impressive shutdown defensive performance, shutdown defensive performance, scoring two of the three touchdowns. scoring two of the three touchdowns. Defensive Back, Brad Woolf, and Defensive Back, Brad Woolf, and outside linebacker, Anthony Connel, outside linebacker, Anthony Connel, each had an interception returned for each had an interception returned for a TD, which shifted the momentum a TD, which shifted the momentum to the LC sideline. After Sam Brown to the LC sideline. After Sam Brown intercepted Alhambra’s pass in the intercepted Alhambra’s pass in the second quarter, QB Robbie Fuelling second quarter, QB Robbie Fuelling connected with slot receiver Jadon connected with slot receiver Jadon Henry for a 76-yard touchdown pass. Henry for a 76-yard touchdown pass. Thanks to a pick by Brad Woolf the Thanks to a pick by Brad Woolf the Spartans scored again with a 36-yard Spartans scored again with a 36-yard defensive touchdown, making the defensive touchdown, making the

score 14-0 in the fi rst quarter.score 14-0 in the fi rst quarter.The Moors fi nally put some The Moors fi nally put some

points on the board, but it was not points on the board, but it was not enough to compete with LC. A enough to compete with LC. A 34-yard touchdown by the Moors 34-yard touchdown by the Moors resulted in an injury for Spartan resulted in an injury for Spartan Brad Woolf, who was taken off the Brad Woolf, who was taken off the fi eld. A 96-yard kickoff touchdown fi eld. A 96-yard kickoff touchdown by Jayden Henry was negated by a by Jayden Henry was negated by a personal foul behind the ball, and personal foul behind the ball, and fumbles by the Spartans resulted in fumbles by the Spartans resulted in turnovers to Alhambra. However, the turnovers to Alhambra. However, the Spartans managed to score in the end Spartans managed to score in the end of the third with a 77-yard fumble of the third with a 77-yard fumble recovery by Cal McFadden and 33-recovery by Cal McFadden and 33-yard fi eld goal by Mikey Selsor. yard fi eld goal by Mikey Selsor.

The Moors scored another The Moors scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter with touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass, but it was a 2-yard touchdown pass, but it was not enough to defeat the Spartans. not enough to defeat the Spartans.

The Spartans will look for The Spartans will look for another victory next Friday against another victory next Friday against Glendale. Come out and support the Glendale. Come out and support the Spartans!Spartans!

By Ben Blanco News Editor

Photo by Sarah BorlandPhoto by Sarah BorlandSpartan, Cole Reeb, pushes past the Alhambra defense to the Spartans win Spartan, Cole Reeb, pushes past the Alhambra defense to the Spartans win

By Sean LeeFeatures Editor

The LC boys water polo team kicked its season off with a 10-6 victory over the Royal High School Highlanders on Wednesday, Sep-tember 11th.

Sunlight glared off the home pool as the starting lineup – con-sisting of seniors Jeff Lee (goalie), Peter Loakes, Justin Moh, and Ben Whitefi eld, and juniors Reed Buck, Leo Neat, and Matt Olson – pre-pared to start off the game. With Loakes picking up two quick goals before the buzzer, the fi rst quarter ended with LC up 3-1. The Spar-tans demonstrated team synergy as they rotated through fresh offensive plays organized by their new head coach Christian Flores.

The Spartans continued their hot streak in the second quarter, ending the fi rst half with a score of 7-2. The referees ejected Justin Moh a second time for aggressive defense (an ejec-tion means the player must sit out for one defensive possession), threaten-ing an early exclusion from the game (if a player gets three ejections, he is out for the rest of the game). Not wanting to risk the third ejection, Coach Flores decided to play it safe by substituting Moh, giving the bench

some playing time. Moh’s absence in the pool was

felt by the end of the uneventful third quarter. Loakes was the only player from LC to score as the Highlanders began to catch up, bringing the score to 8-5.

Coach Flores returned the start-ers to the pool for a strong fi nish to the fourth quarter. Lead scorer Peter Loakes ended the game with four of

the team’s ten goals, bringing the fi nal score to 10-6. The Spartans showed that despite losing many key players at last year’s graduation and experi-encing yet another change in coach-ing staff, they are still a force to be reckoned with.

The Spartans’ next home game will be on Tuesday, October 8th, against their league rivals, the South Pasadena Tigers.

Peter Loake scores a goal against the Royal Highlanders.

La Cañada boys Varsity drowns the Royal High School HighlandersLa Cañada boys Varsity drowns the Royal High School Highlanders

Photo by Vanessa Kim Photo by Vanessa Kim

Sports|17october 4, 2013

Opponent VenueOpponent VenueArroyo HomeArroyo HomeBlair HomeBlair HomeSan Marino AwaySan Marino AwayMonrovia Home Monrovia Home

Opponent VenueOpponent VenueTemple City AwayTemple City AwayS. Pasadena HomeS. Pasadena HomeMonrovia AwayMonrovia AwaySacred Heart Home Sacred Heart Home San Marino AwaySan Marino AwayBlair HomeBlair HomeTemple City HomeTemple City HomeS. Pasadena AwayS. Pasadena AwayMonrovia HomeMonrovia HomeSan Marino HomeSan Marino Home

Opponent VenueOpponent VenueSan Marino HomeSan Marino HomeTemple City AwayTemple City AwaySt. Lucys Pr. HomeSt. Lucys Pr. HomeS. Pasadena HomeS. Pasadena HomeMonrovia AwayMonrovia AwaySan Marino AwaySan Marino AwayValencia HomeValencia HomeBlair HomeBlair HomeTemple City HomeTemple City HomeS. Pasadena AwayS. Pasadena AwayMonrovia HomeMonrovia Home

Opponent VenueOpponent VenueJ Serra Cath. AwayJ Serra Cath. AwayS. Pasadena HomeS. Pasadena HomeSan Marino AwaySan Marino AwayMira Costa AwayMira Costa AwayTemple City HomeTemple City HomeMonrovia AwayMonrovia AwayMLK Jr. AwayMLK Jr. AwayS. Pasadena AwayS. Pasadena AwaySan Marino HomeSan Marino HomeTemple City AwayTemple City Away

Varsity Football Games Varsity Football Games

Date TimeDate Time10/4/2013 7:00 P.M.10/4/2013 7:00 P.M.10/11/2013 7:00 P.M.10/11/2013 7:00 P.M.10/18/2013 7:00 P.M.10/18/2013 7:00 P.M.10/24/2013 7:00 P.M. 10/24/2013 7:00 P.M. Varsity Girls Volleyball Varsity Girls Volleyball Games Games Date Time Date Time 10/3/2013 3:30 P.M.10/3/2013 3:30 P.M.10/8/2013 3:30 P.M.10/8/2013 3:30 P.M.10/10/2013 3:30 P.M.10/10/2013 3:30 P.M.10/12/2013 7:00 P.M.10/12/2013 7:00 P.M.10/15/2013 3:30 P.M.10/15/2013 3:30 P.M.10/17/2013 3:30 P.M.10/17/2013 3:30 P.M.10/22/2013 3:30 P.M 10/22/2013 3:30 P.M 10/24/2013 3:30 P.M.10/24/2013 3:30 P.M.10/29/2013 3:30 P.M.10/29/2013 3:30 P.M.10/31/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/31/2013 3:30 P.M. Varsity Girls Tennis Games Varsity Girls Tennis Games

Date Time Date Time 10/1/2013 3:30 P.M.10/1/2013 3:30 P.M.10/3/2013 3:30 P.M.10/3/2013 3:30 P.M.10/7/2013 3:30 P.M.10/7/2013 3:30 P.M.10/8/2013 3:30 P.M.10/8/2013 3:30 P.M.10/10/2013 3:30 P.M.10/10/2013 3:30 P.M.10/15/2013 3:30 P.M.10/15/2013 3:30 P.M.10/16/2013 3:30 P.M.10/16/2013 3:30 P.M.10/17/2013 3:30 P.M.10/17/2013 3:30 P.M.10/22/2013 3:30 P.M.10/22/2013 3:30 P.M.10/24/2013 3:30 P.M.10/24/2013 3:30 P.M.10/28/2013 3:30 P.M.10/28/2013 3:30 P.M. Varsity Boys Water Polo Varsity Boys Water Polo Games Games Date TimeDate Time10/3/2013 4:30 P.M.10/3/2013 4:30 P.M.10/8/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/8/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/10/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/10/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/12/2013 4:00 P.M.10/12/2013 4:00 P.M.10/15/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/15/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/17/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/17/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/19/2013 5:00 P.M10/19/2013 5:00 P.M10/24/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/24/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/29/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/29/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/31/2013 3:30 P.M. 10/31/2013 3:30 P.M.

Fa l l Vars i ty Spor ts ScheduleFal l Vars i ty Spor t s Schedule

Spartans lose a tough game against the CV FalconsSpartans lose a tough game against the CV Falcons

On Friday, September 20th, the La On Friday, September 20th, the La Cañada football team took on Cres-Cañada football team took on Cres-centa Valley on the LC home fi eld. centa Valley on the LC home fi eld. Although the Spartans fought hard, Although the Spartans fought hard, they fell to the Falcons with a fi nal they fell to the Falcons with a fi nal score of 42-14. This was La Caña-score of 42-14. This was La Caña-da’s fi rst loss of the season. da’s fi rst loss of the season.

When asked what he had to say When asked what he had to say about the game, junior Todd Mur-about the game, junior Todd Mur-ray stated, “As a team, our heads ray stated, “As a team, our heads

were not in it. We made too many were not in it. We made too many mistakes, and that cost us. CV didn’t mistakes, and that cost us. CV didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.”beat us, we beat ourselves.”

Despite the team’s struggle, La Despite the team’s struggle, La Cañada’s ASB invested a lot into Cañada’s ASB invested a lot into the game, hyping it up with videos, the game, hyping it up with videos, posters, and various posts on social posters, and various posts on social media, as well as hosting pep rallies media, as well as hosting pep rallies at lunch and a pre-game tailgate. Its at lunch and a pre-game tailgate. Its efforts were rewarded by the huge, efforts were rewarded by the huge, energetic crowd that turned up to sup-energetic crowd that turned up to sup-port the Spartans. port the Spartans.

Murray commented on the en-Murray commented on the en-

thusiastic spectators, “[They were] thusiastic spectators, “[They were] awesome. It was really fun being awesome. It was really fun being able to play for such a big and rowdy able to play for such a big and rowdy crowd.” crowd.”

Hopefully the attendance of high Hopefully the attendance of high spirited crowds becomes a trend spirited crowds becomes a trend throughout the season not only for throughout the season not only for football, but for La Cañada’s other football, but for La Cañada’s other sports teams as well. sports teams as well.

Be sure to support the Spartans to-Be sure to support the Spartans to-day, October 4th, at the homecoming day, October 4th, at the homecoming game against the Arroyo High School game against the Arroyo High School Knights! Knights!

Sean LeeSean LeeFeatures EditorFeatures Editor


The La Cañada Spartans line up against the CV Falcons and prepare for their comeback during the second half of the game.The La Cañada Spartans line up against the CV Falcons and prepare for their comeback during the second half of the game.

Glendale Nitros sputter out against the La Cañada SpartansGlendale Nitros sputter out against the La Cañada Spartans

The La Cañada Spartans played their 2nd game of the season against the Glendale High School Nitros on September 13th.

During the whole second half, the Spartans dominated the Nitros, leaving them scoreless in the third and fourth quarter. One fi nal stop clinched the 27-20 victory over the Nitros, sending the La Cañada Var-sity Football team home undefeated. The bone-crushing stop came from starting outside linebacker Michael Greenberg, who also had a third quarter interception in the game. Greenberg blew through Glendale’s offensive line and delivered the strik-ing blow to the Nitros’ backfi eld.

“Our defense really stepped up,” Greenberg said. “Having a game with few mistakes is great. But step-ping up as a team and shutting down Glendale’s fi nal drive was just the icing on the cake.”

However, La Cañada’s defense wasn’t the only thing clicking in the contest. Down 20-13 at halftime, the Spartan offense came out in the sec-ond half and marched 70 yards down fi eld on 13 plays for a one-yard rush-ing touchdown by quarterback Rob-bie Fuelling, tying the game at 20.

Thanks to the boys up front, Steve Naldzhyan, Adam Fazzi, D’Andre Sims, Guillermo Padilla, and Turner Fields, the Spartan rush-ing game battered the Glendale defense all game. Halfback Jadon Henry racked up 102 total rushing

yards on four attempts after breaking loose for an 80-yard run late in the second quarter. Another offensive weapon, Mario Martinez, rushed for a career high 114 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Offensively, the Spartans kept the drive alive by converting on two crucial fourth downs. One of them came from a 12-yard strike from Fuelling to his “go to” tight end Todd Murray, ultimately resulting in a touchdown to take the lead.

“We really put in a lot of work in the offseason and it’s paying off,” said Murray. “We just have to keep a positive attitude throughout the course of the season. Football is such a mental game that our mindset of positivity and hard work will help us continue to win.”

Robbie FuellingRobbie FuellingSports EditorSports Editor

Cole Reeb, Cal McFadden, and Sam Brown chase down Glendale Nitro’s runner to help the Spartans win 27-20.Cole Reeb, Cal McFadden, and Sam Brown chase down Glendale Nitro’s runner to help the Spartans win 27-20.Photo by Valley SunPhoto by Valley Sun

Spartan Cheer of the Month: I...I believe...I belive that...I believe that we....I belive that we will...I belive that we will win!!!

18|Entertainment october 4, 2013

Ashton Kutcher is the new Jobs

Steve Jobs was not always the multi-million dollar founder of Apple Computers. He

started off as a college dropout with an innovative imagination. In his late twenties he teamed up with his friend, Steve Wozniak, to create the fi rst per-sonal computer. From the humble be-ginnings of building each individual hard drive in his parents’ garage, to bargaining with local computer stores to sell their product, to becoming the CEO of a major corporation, “Jobs” displayed all of the ups and downs of his journey.

The director (Joshua Michael Stern) did not hesitate to show Steve Jobs’s true persona, as he was actu-ally a hotheaded, stubborn man who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was a perfectionist, which turned out to be a curse and a blessing as at fi rst

the board gave him very little power over the company. It was not until he was actually fi red from CEO of his company, and then rehired a few years later, that Apple really started to take control of the technological aspects of the world.

Ashton Kutcher fl awlessly cap-tured Jobs’s personality. It is evident that he spent the time researching ev-erything about Steve Jobs. Not only did he perfectly imitate the way Jobs walked and talked, but coincidentally Kutcher’s physical features also re-semble the younger Jobs. Though the movie ended after the fi rst revelation of the iPod, I wish it had continued into Jobs’s more recent years at the company and discussed more about how he created the idea for iPhones and iPads. I think if Steve Jobs were alive to see this documentary, he would be beyond impressed with the production and acting.

By Robin PerlsteinEntertainment Editor

tech.cotech.co

Movies

Established in 1923, The Vista Theatre offers the quintessential vintage movie experience for a mere $9.50 a ticket ($6.50 for a matinee ticket). Lo-cated on Sunset Drive, Los Angeles, the long-standing cinema may seem a bit dingy on the outside, but as soon as you walk past those doors it’s as if you’ve stepped into the Weasleys’ World Cup tent. The one room theater con-tains several modern features: comfy seats with plenty of leg room, and an upgraded sound system that’ll make your teeth fi llings vibrate – while still maintaining its 1920’s charm, complete with a giant, red velvet curtain and singing cartoon previews. The Vista Theatre plays the most anticipated box of-fi ce hits every week, so check it out! 4473 Sunset Dr Los Angeles, CA 90027

By Macarena Blando DemarcoFeatures Editor

Lights! Camera! Action! Top 5 theatres around town

If you’re willing to wait a few months before watching a movie in theaters and looking to save a ton of cash, then Regency Academy 6 is for you. With tickets as low as $2 for a matinee and $3 regular admission, you can catch six fl icks for the price of one. Located on Colorado Boulevard, Regency Academy 6 contains several small but spacious rooms that play a variety of movies out of the big cinemas but not quite on DVD yet, and every so often it plays a be-loved classic for all cinephiles (Back To The Future, anyone?). Sure the fl oors are a little sticky and the screwens a little fuzzy, but with $1 hot dogs and Wednesday Date Night Specials, how can you go wrong? The reason the prices are so low has to do with the fact that this theater does not accept credit cards, so don’t forget to bring cash (though I’m sure you can cover the cost with your pocket change). 1003 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91106

If you have no problem shelling out a few extra bucks for high quality movie-viewing, then it is in your best interest to catch your next fi lm at Ar-clight Cinemas in the Paseo Colorado. With pristine projections and a wide selection of the week’s most anticipated movies, the Arclight puts many other chain cinemas to shame. Save this theater for those long-awaited midnight premieres or when you’re looking to impress that special someone (Hi Grand-ma!). Although it’s a bit pricey, Arclight offers ways to save when you buy tickets online and through rewards cards. In the end, the high quality sound and screens are totally worth it. 336 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101

Not impressed by the latest super hero fl ick or 20,938,094th remake of the same fi lm? Head on over to Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 on Colorado Bou-levard for the latest foreign fi lms, documentaries, and indie sleeper hits that have escaped your radar. Laemmle’s offers a wide variety of fi lms, from a French silent fi lm to a honey bee documentary, for those look-ing for a bit of culture in their lives. On top of the affordable prices ($11 tickets), Laemmle’s offers several discounts, including Student Sun-days ($7 tickets and $1 popcorn after 6 pm). Check it out, especially if you’re not afraid of subtitles. -673 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101

Summer may be a distant memory, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a classic movie underneath a Hollywood sunset. Every Saturday, screenings of be-loved fi lms (such as Some Like It Hot, The Breakfast Club, and Clueless, to name a few) are displayed by a grand projector on Fairbanks Lawn, a grassy fi eld inside the beautiful and historic Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Crowds of movie-lovers cozy up with blankets, pillows, low chairs, and picnic dinners under open skies and near marble tombs. If that doesn’t sound appealing enough, the screenings come complete with themed photo booths and DJ’s spinning music before and after the movie, all for only $12 a ticket. This defi nitely won’t fall under your usual cinema experiences. 6000 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038

laconservancy.orglaconservancy.org

underdogs.comunderdogs.com

jasoninhollywood.blogspot.com

activerain.comactiverain.com


By Monica SongFeatures Editor

Oprah shines as

The Butler’s wife

The “Oprah Effect” is a phenom-enon in which everything Oprah touches magically becomes great. For instance, her Book Club has con-sistently catapulted novels to the top of The New York Times Best Seller List. Her talk show has received the highest ratings ever in American tele-vision history. And now, although she is no longer a daily TV presence, Oprah still manages to have a ubiq-uitous media appeal, especially with her exclusive interviews with hot-button celebrities.

I fi gured The Butler, directed by Lee Daniels, would be no exception to her golden t o u c h . I was r i gh t , b u t

Oprah’s M i d a s touch is only reason for the ex-ceptional qual-ity of the movie.

Starring Forest Whittaker, the fi lm follows the life of Cecil Gaines, a butler who serves in the White House for a period of thirty-four years, be-ginning with the presidency of Tru-man and ending with Reagan’s. Dur-ing his tenure, he witnesses the civil rights movement unfold in front of own eyes from two perspectives—fi rst as an inconspicuous fi xture in the White House and second as an African American whose life is di-rectly impacted by its events. Initial-ly, he is ambivalent about the whole civil rights movement, believing that

the only way to succeed is to submit to the white man. Later, however, problems with his family and his work cause him to change his views.

I was enthralled throughout the entire movie. The multiple layers of the plot create a lot of tension since the diffi culties Gaines faces at home and at work are refl ected by the tu-multuous nature of the civil rights movement. The parallelism between the main character’s struggles with the changing identity of the black man and his struggles with the chang-ing dynamic of his dysfunctional family. The Butler is certainly heavy on sentimentality with its emphasis

on personal struggle and family values. It

plays on a variety of emotions such

as horror, an-ger, and love.

I would say that the best

parts of the mov-ie are not when

Gaines fi -nally comes

to champion racial equal-

ity, but rather when he repairs

the relationships with his wife and son.

I really liked Forest Whittaker as the lead character due to his unconventional appearance and quiet charm. However, other castings like Robin Williams (whose bald cap was very weird-looking) and Alan Rickman (supposed to play the charismatic Reagan) made me wonder. Admittedly, as much as I like Oprah, she overplayed her role as the wife of Cecil Gaines and defi nitely got more screen time than necessary. Nevertheless, The But-ler is a great movie, and I expect to see it win big at the Oscars this year.

o.canada.como.canada.com

1) Best Vintage: Vista Theatre

2) Best Price: Regency Academy 6

3) Best Quality: Arclight Cinemas

4) Most Unique Selections:Laemmle’s Playhouse 7

5)Best Outdoor Theater: Cinespia

Entertainment|19october 4, 2013

Music

tech.co

Throwback to the best summer music of 2013

Album Review: Ariana Grande’s “Yours Truly”There’s a new diva in town.

Her name is Ariana Grande. “The Way” singer just re-

leased her debut album, “Yours Truly,” on September 3rd after three years of hard work. It became number one on iTunes and Billboard in less than 24 hours, which is quite a feat. Her music is as catchy as can be. There are 13 tracks on the album, but here are my top 5.

Track #1: “Hon-eymoon Avenue” - I guarantee you will not be able to get this song out of your head for a good 24 hours after you hear it. We can make a bet on it if you want. Her vocals in this song are unbe-lievable, considering she is only 20 years old. The lyrics are clever as well, if you pay close attention.

Track #3: “Right There” (feat. Big Sean) -This song is her second single off the album and it’s a major hit. It was smart for her to collaborate with rap artist, Big Sean, because that expanded her audience and gainsed

her more fans.There is defi nitely a Mariah Carey vibe going on in this song.

Track #4: “Tattooed Heart” - This is the defi nition of R&B. If you’re a R&B lover, this song will make you

feel like you’re listening to Mariah Carey and you’re in the 1990’s. Adorable

lyrics, might I add, about her ex-boyfriend, Jai Brooks from the

Janoskians. Track #5: “Lovin’ It”

- Once again, this girl is bringing back the 90’s. Can you say Britney Spears? I’m defi nitely lovin’ this track. She hits her high notes perfectly in this song, showing off her tal-ent.

Track #7: “Day-dreamin” With a

dream-like sound, and the sound of the piano,

you feel like you’re on a cloud while listening to this

song. The mellow beat and her soothing voice will make you feel

like you’re daydreaming.I used to be annoyed by this young en-

tertainer when she was on the Nickelodeon show “Victorious,” but her phenomenal voice has grown on me, just as it will on you. Give her a listen; you’ll soon be a fan. Check this album out on iTunes, I guarantee you’ll love it.

top40.about.comtop40.about.com

By Sabrina GaloostianEntertainment Editor

Vampire Weekend “Modern Vampire’s of the City”

While many bands’ sound dwindles after the fi rst couple albums, Vampire Weekend simply gets better with age, as proven by their third album, “Modern Vampires of the City.” Known for their incredibly catchy beach-style tunes, the indie band members from New York have matured to sliding voice scales and euphoric piano solos. Featured tracks include the hip “Diane Young,” the upbeat “Unbelievers,” and the dreamy “Hannah Hunt,” to name a few (I would list them all if I could). “Modern Vampires of the City” is just as appropriate for the lemonade-sipping summer as it is for the sweater-wearing fall.npr.orgnpr.org

By Martin Yi and Macarena Blando DemarcoManaging Editor and Features Editor

Zak Waters Arctic Monkey

Josepvinaixa.comJosepvinaixa.com eeveelife.eevee.co.ukeeveelife.eevee.co.uk

“Magic City Hippies”Based in Miami, Florida, Robby Hunter Band captures

the smooth vibes and fun feel of summer at its best in their debut album, “Magic City Hippies.” The songs range from the playful “Fire” to the cool, mellow “BUST.” There aren’t many albums in which more than half the tracks in-duce head nods and foot taps, but “Magic City Hippies” is no ordinary album. Particularly awesome are – in no par-ticular order – “Fire,” “BUST,” “Corazon” and “Hard on Me,” but the majority of the tracks are solid if not great. And if you plan to listen to “BUST,” make sure you lis-ten to it in the car with the bass up. Those synths are killer.

Robby Hunter Band

thekollection.comthekollection.com

2) “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus: Surprised? Thought so. This song redeemed herself from the hate she got from her last single “We Can’t Stop” by producing a hearfelt and emotional piece showing her incredible vocal talent.

1) “Roar” by Katy Perry: Three years after the release of her last album, “Teen-age Dream,” Katy has sprung back into the game and has domi-nated the charts. She’s “roared” all the way to the num-ber 1 spot because ofthe high antici-pation and constant promotion of the song. Or maybe it’s just because it’s a

great song.

5) “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake: This track is so perfect,

it’s unexplainable. The mix of soul and R&B, but still

keeping that rap beat is amazing. It deserves to be on the number 1 spot.

3) “Walking On Air” by Katy Perry: From her new

album, Katy surprises us with an Ellie Goulding vibe. I person-

ally don’t like it and think she could’ve produced a better song.

4) “Wake Me Up” by Avicii: This song has been on the charts since summertime. I guess people are really into electronic soul music nowa-

days.… but summer is over. Let’s move on.


i Tunes hottest five of the week

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Zak Waters’ “Lip Service,” his fi rst full length album, features tracks with his trademark mix of pop, funk, and electronic infl uences. The Los Angeles based artist’s al-bum includes songs like “Skinny Dipping in the Deep End” that make you want to get up and dance, songs like “Running Around” that make you want to sing along, and songs like “$500” that just get your head nodding and your feet tapping to the beat. The only downside to this album is that it’s currently available only on Spo-tify, but it’s good enough to make attaching another ser-vice to your email worth it. More than worth it actually.

“Lip Service”The fi fth album of this British rock band’s career is ar-

guably their sexiest, serving as the perfect transition from summer sunbeams to autumn freshness. Made from ground up leather jackets and slick hair gel, “AM” contains heavy beats and gritty guitar solos that make you want to knock something over, along with butter smooth piano melodies and poetic lyrics that cause you to pick it back up again. Fea-tured tracks include their fi rst single, “Do I Wanna Know?” the daring “Arabella,” and the shadowy “Knee Socks.” Be sure to play “AM” in the background while wearing a tux-edo and shades at night – it’s the ultimate September album.

“AM”

20| Backpage October 4th, 2013

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By Christine Lee and Vanessa Kim Backpage Editor and Entertainment Editor

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Most popular vehicles in La Canada high SchoolMost popular vehicles in La Canada high School

1st: Toyota - 36 vehicles 4th: BMW and Ford- 11 vehicles 7th: Mercedes, Hyundai, and Audi-5 vehicles

2nd: Honda- 16 vehicles 5th: Lexus and Jeep- 7 vehicles 8th: Volvo and Aura (Saturn) - 4 vehicles

3rd: Volkswagen-13 vehicles 6th: Mustang and Chevy- 6 vehicles 9th: Nissan and Mini (BMW)- 3 vehicles

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Reece Damron

We Asked:

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Issue 1 of 2013-2014 The Spartan