12.09.11VOL. 55 NO. 4ON THE WEB

staggonline.netTournament gallery

ON THE BLOGstaggline.blogspot.com

TOP TUNES: Blog-gers Google Me Gabby, Clear and Present Damon, Brian, and Reanna give their favorite songs they listen to to pump themselves up for a game.CLEAR AND PRESENT DAMON: Reviews Disturbed’s new compilation al-bum “The Lost Chil-dren.”

INSIDE THE ISSUEHit the switch

Stagg LineNSPA Hall of Fame

newspaperAmos Alonzo Stagg

High School1621 Brookside Rd.

Stockton, Calif. 95207

NEWS IN BRIEF

Winter FormalWinter formal will be held on Jan. 7. Tickets will go on sale upon return from break.No schoolWinter break will start on Dec. 19. School will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Semester ends Dec. 16.Key Club gift wrapOn Dec. 10 Key Club will be wrapping gifts for free in Barnes and Noble at the Weber-stown Mall.College deadlinesMany private col-leges have application deadlines due in early January. Students should check with individual colleges to make sure they meet the deadlines.BasketballThere will be home games on Dec. 20 and 22. All three levels will play on the first day starting at 3 p.m. and varsity will be the only game at 3 p.m. on the second day.

home of the DELTA KINGS

Credit decrease to save district money Classes are cut, teachers get laid off, and schools lack the funding they need to be efficient. These are situations that high schools all over the country have to deal with on an ongoing basis. Beginning with the Class of 2013, grad-uation will require fewer credits. The recent economic downturn has caused schools to take the fall with state funding, and because of this the credit change was an option the district had to consider. This change had nothing to do with making it easier for some students to gradu-ate. The main reason for the change was the district’s budget. In the last four years, the state cut ap-proximately $148 million. The district has not recovered from that enormous cut, and because of that the district is spending more money with less money available. The County Office requests that the dis-trict prepares a balanced budget for the next three years. Because of this the district has to come up with a budget that will be bal-anced for years to come. The deadline for the district’s budget plan is Dec. 15. Their urgency to find a so-lution that is efficient has been a challenge,

but in the end they say they have resolved that problem. Without a quick solution, the possibil-ity of the state taking over the district could happen. If the state were to take over, the district could spend 15-20 years and millions of dollars, trying to get control back. Their decision would be the credit change of 230 credits to 210. Some students worry that if you change the requirements, people will slack off in school. “They won’t really have the motivation to work hard because there are fewer credits,” junior Carol Amaya said. Likewise junior Edgar Perez said, “It probably won’t look as good for colleges because other schools have more credits than we do.” University of California “a-g” require-ments, will not be affected by the credit change and those classes still will be offered at school. Therefore, students who want a higher education beyond high school will have the classes they need available to them. Deputy Superintendent Julie Penn said, “There will be no change in the amount of teachers they hire, but they will have more flexibility in hiring teachers.” The district sets up their budget through

something called general purpose funds. General funding is money used specifi-cally for students, while categorical fund-ing is money used for special programs and purposes. A class like drama could be paid for out of categorical funding instead of general funding because it is a special pro-gram, a non-core class. “Electives are taught in non-core and are paid out of categorical funds,” Penn said. When the school uses categorical fund-ing it is able to staff more general funded positions. The 30 credits that will be identified as

non-core will make it more flexible for the district to bring back classes or add new programs that the schools want, like Small Learning Communities and magnet pro-grams. “It’s a good thing everyone has the op-portunity to take classes they want,” junior Cathleen San Marcos said. “Other gradu-ates got to take classes they wanted to.” Junior Ramon Alvarez said, “I think it’s a good move, people have more options to do what they want to do. It allows students to show their true potential in those certain areas.”

“ I think it’s a good move. People have more options to do what they want to do. It allows students to show their true poten-tial in those certain areas.”RAMON ALVAREZ, junior

KENTALEYMCCURDY

Ladies and gentlemen, today school history will be made. Teachers from all over the school will gather in the library for a con-test of epic proportions. A tournament. A battle of willpower as educators en-gage in a showdown in the form of a staring contest. The main event will be a clash of two titans, as sci-ence teacher John Steiner and his infamous “Steiner

Stare,” goes up against English teacher Erica Dei Rossi and her lethal “Dei Rossi Glare.” Today after school, there will be a staring con-test tournament for char-ity. Eighteen teachers are participating in the event. “We are all really excited by it,” said Key Club Presi-dent Angelo Robles. “It’s a nice twist on the tradition-al can food drive,” Robles said. By giving a donation of either two cans of food

or $2, students can add their predictions about who they think will win. By correctly choosing the victor of each match and successfully predict-ing the overall winner, stu-dents can win movie tick-ets. All the proceeds will go to the Stockton Emergen-cy Food Bank. This is just another way clubs around campus are giving back. For the holiday season the Stagg Key Club, Red Cross Club,and National

Honor Society are teaming up and having a toy drive. Toys can be dropped off at various English and his-tory teacher’s classrooms. The drive will run from now until Dec. 15. At the end, the clubs will hand all the toys to The Stockton Police Department and they will distribute them to a charity. Some other contribu-tions to help get more stu-dents involved were made by Associated Student

Body. They’re making this year’s holiday canned food drive a competition among classes. ASB will be placing a box in each classroom for cans. Students can bring in cans to their fourth period class and at the end which-ever class has collected the most will be rewarded with a pizza party. National Honor Society will also be placing boxes in each class room.These boxes are for recycling, encouraging students to

dispose of their aluminum cans, glass, and plastic bottles in them. NHS will turn in the cans for money and all the proceeds will be going to Heifer. Heifer is an organization that works to provide families in Third World countries with livestock, as a way to help them gain a bet-ter life. The organization’s overall mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and

BRIANWALKER

photos by Mikeala axton

graphic by seyMa tap

please see CLUBS page 8

Stare-down fundraiser one way clubs give back

It’s that time of year again. Clubs across campus are serving the

community as the holiday season fall upon us. We all know the conven-tional ways of raising money for charitable purposes. Food drives, toy drives, blanket drives, and all other ways of serving the less for-tunate have become staples of clubs’ yearly agenda. But this year one club on campus has broken out of the norm and created a different way of doing something charitable. And it’s something that hasn’t been heard of in any charity drive. Key Club has set up a staring contest involving a bracket of 18 teachers, in order to raise money and collect cans for the Emer-gency Food Bank of Stock-ton. Students can donate an

amount of two cans or $2 after school, today, in the library. This also counts for the admission into the

event. The club has shown that the typical holiday fundrais-er can have an unconven-

tional side to it. By blending something new with the old tradition of bringing in cans or mon-

ey, Key Club takes a fun and fresh spin on helping charity organizations. It’s also something that

both teachers and students can get involved in. While regular toy and canned food drives can be just as easily done, it can also be harder to get people involved that are not in the club. With well known teach-ers getting involved, it can attract people to the club’s cause and make their charity drive all the more successful. The stare-down has now set a new standard for clubs to raise money in unconven-tional ways. Maybe not with more stareing contests, but with other ways that will make their club stand out, and make their charity drives all the more profitable. And while the old way of getting goods to the needy may never fade out, doing something different can be a fresh alternative. And defi-natley more memorable.

EDITORIAL

the Stagg LineAmos Alonzo Stagg High School

1621 Brookside Rd.Stockton, CA 95207

(209) 933-7445 ext. 8487

The Stagg Line newspaper is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the California Newspaper Publishers Association. Awards and recognitions include the following:

X 18 consecutive NSPA All-American rankings X NSPA Hall of Fame, 2005 X NSPA First-Place Best of Show five times X JEA Impact Award, 2002

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

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

National Photo of the Year.

The Stagg Line newspaper is published monthly and distributed free of charge to students and faculty. Our newspaper is a long-standing open forum for

free student expression. Student editors and reporters make content and style decisions with the adviser

offering guidance. Editorials reflect the view of the entire editorial board and therefore are unsigned.

Opinion columns reflect the view of the writer. Readers are welcomed to write letters to the editor. We will make every effort to print any letter as long

as it is not libelous. Letters longer than 250 words may be edited. Unsigned letters will be printed only in unusual circumstances, and only when we know who the writer is. Letters may be brought to the newspaper

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

Mikeala AxtonEditor-in-Chief

Taylor HurlesEditor-in-Chief

Don BottAdviser

Gabriella MillerNews Editor

Nicole LawrenceOpinion Editor

Kristin AcevedoFeatures Editor

Annamarie CunninghamEntertainment Editor

Reanna RodriguezSports EditorSeyma Tap

Graphics EditorHarmony Evangelisti

Photo Editor Faith Harris

Web/Multimedia EditorDamon Heine

Blog/Social Media EditorEmily Cornelison

Copy Editor

Sophia Davidson

Shelby Hightower

Jessica Mangili

Kentaley McCurdy

Adrianna Owens

Viena Palacio

Annamarie Rodriguez

Mia Torres

Fe Valencia

Brian Walker

Chao Xiong

Opinion2 12.09.11

the Stagg Line

KEY CLUB SHAKES UP FUNDRAISING

Being indecisive about your future hurts in the long run

Choices. Life is full of them, and like it or not, we all must face a variety of

choices every day. But what hap-pens when it becomes harder and harder to make these choices? I am indecisive in all aspects of my life. Whether it is decid-ing what to eat for lunch, what restaurant to go to, or what movie to watch, it takes me a long time to make a decision. And let’s face it, this can be wasteful. Leaving the fridge open while looking for food or driving around in the car while searching for a restaurant wastes energy. But it didn’t strike me as particularly harmful until I found myself stumped when it came to choosing a topic to write about this issue. Not being able to decide what movie to watch or what food to eat is minor, an inconvenience. But if I could not make a decision about what story I wanted to write, it could affect my grade. That’s when I had my epiphany; I saw that I needed to get my life in order. I have never really been able to figure out what I actually want to do as a career or what college I want to go to. But I have come to the realization that sometimes the two go hand in hand. I began thinking about it as a child of about 6 years old. All I wanted to do was be a teacher, preferably a special ed teacher like my dad. The job appealed to my young mind in so many ways. My dad’s classroom was a giant playground with swings and toys that were meant to help the students develop their motor skills. I got the idea that being a special ed teacher was all play, no work. But since the fourth grade I have changed my mind a total of 11 times. Many of the ideas were unrelated such as writer and architect, or professional violinist and ambassador. Now put aside careers and throw college into the mix of choices and my brain goes through indecision overload. In recent searches for a good college match, I discovered that identi-fying what you want to do early is especially important. There are some

career options that require people to definitely know what major they want to declare as soon as their freshmen year of college starts. My older brother experienced this when he decided he wanted to pursue a career in chemical engineering. As an incoming freshman he had an undeclared major which restricted him from taking the classes he needed for chemical engineering. During the first week of his fresh-man year, he needed to petition to change his major to a chemistry major. This goes to show that knowing the major that you want ahead of time is important. But not all colleges have the same programs. Some colleges may be lacking in the major I might need for the career I may wish to pursue. Or one college may have what I am cur-rently thinking about as a career, but if I change my mind, I would need a backup plan of majors available at that college. For someone like me, who changes her ideas constantly, a thorough college search, with an idea of a few careers and backup plans, is needed. But for me, beyond the academic side of college, one of the most important factors in choosing a school, is weather. I am not someone in love with sunlight, and more importantly, heat. My college of choice will most likely be in a cold, rainy place. You might not think about it, but if you are going to be living in an area for about four years, then you should at least like the weather. This makes the choice a little easier because I can rule out schools in the valley, and in Southern California where hot summers are expected. Knowing what you want to do or where you want to go before ap-plying to college is not vital, but it can save you money. According to the CollegeBoard website most college students change their major at least once. But the more a student changes their major, the more it is possible that the student must take completely new classes. This means previous classes were a waste and the student may find themselves stuck in college for more than four years, paying more than they had originally planned. Yes, it’s true that I still do not know what exactly I want to resign myself to doing for the rest of my life. However I know I need to figure it out soon. People keep telling me not to worry, that I am only a junior. But I cannot help but worry. The decisions we make now can affect us for the rest of our lives, and while that is scary, it is something I definitely needed to realize. As the end of my junior year approaches, I see that I can’t afford to waste time. Sooner than later I will need to narrow down my college choices and begin to figure out what to do with my life. Let’s face it. Who can afford to be indecisive?

art by taylor Hurles

EMILYCORNELISON

art by sopHia DaviDson

Super Bowl Sunday has be-come an unofficial holiday in America. During this

day the country seems to be at a standstill. Or should I say sitstill, as everyone, even those who don’t watch football all year, spend the day around the television. However, around the world, the World Cup would garner more recognition. Soccer is known for being the “universal language” and has a way of bring-ing the world together. Ironically, though, while the rest of the world is involved in

watching the World Cup, most Americans are just continuing their daily life. Playing soccer as a child, the sidlines would always be filled. When I started playing in high school, I realized this was not always going to be the case. When I would look up into the stands I would see few students, if any, that weren’t involved with the sport. I understand people do not stand in line or spend hundreds of dollars on tickets to watch soccer in the United States, but I love to play anyways.

Playing any sport at a high school level or higher, successfully, it requires dedication. Not only do you spend a lot of time at practice, but also count-less hours working on your own. And then you spend even more time studying so your grades are high enough to play. And let’s not forget the won-derful Saturday morning practic-es, when you really want nothing more than to turn your alarm off and fall back asleep. I have felt this way many times. However, because of my love for soccer I continue to work diligently. Why do I do this, you ask? Especially for a sport where the stands aren’t full? Well, simply because I love it. There’s just something about the sound of the ball as it hits the crossbar of the goal. Or the smell of a freshly painted and cut grass field. The feeling of accomplishment that washes over you when you save a shot from the opposing team. And the sound of the net as the ball rockets to the back of the goal. The satisfaction I receive knowing that I am a part of a team. And no matter what hap-pens on or off the field, we have each other’s backs. Because of our small fan base, we have become closer as a program. We play for each other rather than our screaming fans. And we have developed strong relationships with each other. Everyone is a family, including the boys’ team. Because we work with each other and provide support to one another during the boy’s season we go out and cheer for them at their games. They also show similar excite-ment during out season by com-

ing out and supporting us. My passion for soccer contin-ues to grow because my desire for it stems from my youth. Since a very young age soccer has given me so much. It has given me a second family of people that share the same aspirations as I do. Along with a support system it also provides me with an escape. Out on the field I have the op-portunity to ignore my problems for a few hours. Having the time to exercise and think during games and

practices I have learned valuable life lessons. Things such as leader-ship, respect, and determination. Because of soccer I am the person I am today. I started playing soccer because I idolized my older sister and she played. Back then I would have never thought it would have meant as much to me as it does now. I would have never thought that I could play a sport with all my heart and not care who was there to watch it.

3Opinionthe Stagg Line12.09.11

Players looking foward to making the varsity soccer team are doing ab workouts, which is one of the usual drills for every practice.

JESSICAMANGILI

Love for the game drives soccer players to play for themselves rather than their fans

The day begins as a

family sits around the television in the early morn-ing and watch-es the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It proceeds to the mother and father cooking dinner in the kitchen so that later in the day the entire fam-ily can sit down together and eat. Thanksgiving is a classic American tradition. It is a time for togetherness and being thankful for the things we have. Until now. Now families gather at the doors of the nearest Wal-Mart, Macy’s, or JC Penny’s eagerly awaiting the doors to open. This family holiday has been turned into an in-troduction to the Christmas shopping season. With every store having deals on nearly every item, and Christmas on the way, families abandon their homes as early as the day before Thanksgiving to save a few bucks. What I’m wondering is when did our holiday spirit go from happy to greedy? How is it justified to leave your home on a family holiday to go spend money on things you don’t re-ally need right then? Last year, the nation’s Black Friday sales reached $45 billion. This year, they soared to $52 billion. On average, shoppers spent $400 a piece as opposed to last year they each spent an average of $365. As the amount of money people spend increases, so does the intensity of this shopping event. From the moment the doors open, it’s World War III. People pushing and shoving each other out of the way to be the first to get that half-price Xbox or those new 75% off shoes. Shoppers are taking part

in a battle to be one of the first in line. It’s one thing to want to save on your holiday shopping, and it can get expensive, but these deals aren’t always even the best deals these stores have in the year. And is it really worth becoming a savage over it? This year,one woman was attempting to pur-chase a video game on thursday night when she was shoved, trampled, and trapped under a crowd of eager shoppers. Another woman in a Los Angeles Wal-Mart pepper sprayed someone in line to get closer to the register. And the cashier still tended to her. When did this become okay? Where do we draw the line? In this day and age, we have made it seem per-fectly acceptable to abuse other people just because of a good sale. The part of the Black Friday crowd that tackles and pepper sprays their way to the front of the line goes to any lengths they see fit for this new tradi-tion. This has to change. Only a few years ago, Black Friday sales began at 4:00 a.m. We should go back to this time. When the warmth and happiness of a family Thanksgiving feast was not overshadowed by the greed of the holiday shopping rush. When we can all sit around the television and watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” And when the shopping didn’t need to start until after we’ve all slept off the turkey.

Black Friday darkens the Thanksgiving spirit

“ We should go back to this time. When the warmth and happiness of a fam-ily Thanksgiving feast was not overshadowed by the greed of the holiday shopping rush.”

Unconventional lifestyle broadens mindset

“It’s okay! We can just glue it back in.” Lisa, my mom, pauses to stare in bewilderment, rolls her eyes, and heaves a sigh of utter.

exasperation. This is what we call a “Lisa-ism” in my house. After having broken his tooth, my dad Mark, is going to have to go to the dentist. Sorry Dad, I think you would have been fine if you just glued it back together. But this time we’re going to have go the conventional route. Welcome to a (not so) perfect example of how my family chooses (or wants to choose) to take the unconventional, though maybe-not-all-that-smart-at-times, route in life. Most of the time. Let me paint you a picture. A mental picture. My older, older brother Charlie likes to do strange things with his facial hair (e.g. handlebar moustache, muttonchops) to the amusement (hor-ror) of his girlfriend. My older brother Cedric likes to live on moun-tains. For months at a time. With no contact to the outside world besides a letter-carrying donkey that visits every Tuesday. My mom, whom you previously met, not-so-secretly reigns over the Hierarchy of Strange that is my family. And my dad, well, as you can tell, is a weirdo. And then there is me. The one with the hair. There was Sabbath black, fire truck red (don’t forget the candy-apple red), huckleberry blue, a “skunky” Mohawk, and the ever-so-awesome liberty (confused unicorn) spikes. Sometimes the buildup of bizarre is just so much that we can’t help but laugh about it. In a sense, I guess I’m a culmination of my fam-ily’s weirdness, with an extra dash of my personal brand of oddity. This oddity manifests itself most clearly through my hair, but has been a running theme through my life thus far. When I was in seventh grade, I broke my ankle, which led to a decision. This decision is a place where my familial lack of conventionality prevailed. Instead of going through with surgery to fix the tissue around the broken bone, I decided to try acupuncture.

And it helped. But four years after the fact, I am still dealing with the repercussions of my broken ankle, which led to my study in the art of yoga. More precisely, yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees. It’s called Bikram yoga. While the safety, and helpfulness, of yoga under extreme heat have been debated, the sheer amounts of personal testimonies of recovery from some injury or another are staggering. Sorry science, you lost this time in my book. The moral of my strange story: The lessons that I’ve learned in living through all of the weird is one of open-mindedness. I have learned to appreciate the fact that I have choices and options open to me. I know now that sometimes the less traveled road is the better road. These unusual traits that I have grown up with al-low me to be open-minded. Made me recognize that there are all kinds of experiences beyond the norm. There are always more ways than the conventional way. I have come to recognize that sometimes being conventional means being limited. And sometimes, you just have to take the uncon-ventional route.

SHELBYHIGHTOWER

photos by Nicole lawreNce Sophomore Jessica Mangili warms up for practive by stretching her hamstrings.

art by Mikeala axtoN

ANNAMARIECUNNINGHAM

Features4 12.09.11

the Stagg Line

512.09.11

When a couple of hopeful Stagg high school graduates go to college to study areas in com-puter, animation, and business, most would think they’re bound for success and a stable career. Few would expect they would end up with completely different jobs. Lisa Fairchild, florist, Kristen Lowe, costume designer, and Rick Duangsawat, costume designer/box office manager, all decided to pursue happiness by seeking a more unconventional path in their career. “It doesn’t feel like a job be-cause I love it,” Fairchild said. Instead of slaving away at a boring office, they have jobs that they fully enjoy and intended to have from the start. “It went from more like a hob-

by into an epiphany that’s like ‘that’s what I’m going to do with my life’ situation,” Lowe said. They took their dreams and hobbies and just hoped for the best, and they were all quite lucky. “I feel pretty much blessed to be able to have a fun job that also stabilizes me financially,” Duang-sawat said. As children, they all had a sense of what they wanted to do in the future. Lowe had always loved making new things out of basically nothing and was enchanted with the idea of working in a floral shop. Duangsawat had a passion for the arts. He fondly remembers the times when he was part of the the-ater program at Stagg. “It was more like a dream I hoped that someday I’d get to do,”

Fairchild said. When it was time for college, Lowe and Duangsawat both made a bee-line for an art school. Lowe went in for costume design and Duangsawat went in for computer animation. “Pixar films were really big back then,” he said with a laugh. Fairchild, on the other hand, wondered what kind of career she would enjoy. Unsure of her future, she ended up going into college to study business. “I thought that business was general enough to be able to use it in a lot of different fields.” After college, she worked as an accountant until she decided that she needed a job that involved more creativity and flexibility. “That’s the good thing about job

experience,” Fairchild said. “You may not like it but you also know then what you do like and what you don’t like so you know which other areas to pursue and you get to meet people along the way.” She decided to take a leap of faith by pursuing her dream of be-ing a florist. Duangsawat was at college, studying to become a computer animator. “I was inspired by Pixar films and I really wanted to do what they were doing.” As time progressed, he got more interested in other classes, especially costume designing. After various odd jobs after graduation, he recieved the op-portunity of working in theater companies, such as Magic Theater and the Peter Pan musical.

Lowe was successful with her career. “I feel like I have been quite lucky,” Lowe said. “After just a year of graduating I went from being an assistant to being the head costume designer.” She has worked for a variety of play genres, ranging from political to fairy tales such as Cinderella. “I’m just so glad that I have a se-cure job at the moment, especially with unemployment rates. I have friends working at bookstores and Starbucks while I’m working in the theater,” Duangsawat said. Despite their hardships they had to overcome, they’re all grate-ful to have a job that they enjoy. “Just pursue your dreams,” Lowe said. “Don’t worry about failing or not. You’ll never know what’ll happen till you try.”

A freshman sits in the back of the class and drops his backpack on the ground next to his desk. Almost immediately, he pulls his hood up and puts his head down.The teacher glares at him with threatening eyes. She walks over and begins her lecture on being disobedient. But this freshman doesn’t listen. This freshman doesn’t care. Vincente Arburua doesn’t want to be that fresh-man. He is one of the few ninth graders who sets his goals high and plans to achieve them. He takes pride in the excellent grades he earns and intends to keep them that way. He wants to attend a four-year col-lege. Arburua has been highly motivated by his family, especially his older brother Frankie, who is currently going to a four-year university. Though Arburua doesn’t know where he wants to go after high school or what career he wants to pur-sue, he is sure of one thing. “I want to follow in (Frankie’s) footsteps,” he said. Freshman Shianne Verdun also has a motivational relationship with her brother. He pushes her to bring home report cards that she can be proud of, and wants her to be all that she can. Because of this, she gives him a lot of credit. Simi-larly, Alexis Thomas, freshman, has a family member who she is inspired by. “My cousin went to college and wants me to go to college to get out of Stockton,” she said. “He says that the world is a beautiful place and he wants me to see it.”

Having high hopes and college applications in mind, Thomas is willing to push herself to achieve greatness. These freshmen not only have someone in their lives who pushes them to succeed, but they try to get involved as much as they can to get them where they want to go. Whether it is clubs, sports or honors classes that they choose to be in, they make sure to shine. For ex-ample, Arburua is in French Club, and Thomas and Verdun are both running track. They also all hold in common their thought process. They aren’t thinking of only now. They are thinking long-term. Things like what’s going to get them into the best college, the best career and the best future. Unlike some of their fellow classmates, they think of their life now and how it will affect their future. They know that who they hang out with, the grades they earn, their school spirit and what kind of classes they take all can shape their future. These freshmen also have one more incentive to fill out college applications: getting out of Stockton. “I’m going to move far out there,” said Thomas, revealing an optimistic grin. Taking it a step further, freshman Rudy Silva adds, “I want to get out of the state.” While some of their classmates are droning out the teacher and falling asleep in class, these freshmen make sure to stay focused and awake. They are not stereotypical freshmen. They keep their dreams in mind and with them; they are pushed to go above and beyond.

Alternative path leads to success VIENAPALACIO

Enlightened from the startFreshmen enter high school with strong focus

IT’S LIKE A TUNNEL. You step inside, wary, and take tentative steps forward, waiting for the path before you to brighten. It’s high school — a venture into the unknown, through clubs, classes, and cliques. Somewhere along the journey, people can forget where the road is headed: perhaps college for some, and, beyond that, the rest of your life. But what people also forget, as the

tunnel stretches until the light at the end is out of sight, is that it’s up to you to turn on the light, to ...

ADRIANNAOWENS

Alumni pursue careers that combine hobbies and studies

hitthe

Switch

UCs CSUs

COLLEGE OPTIONSTYPES DEGREES AVERAGE TUITION

per year

public two-year(junior/community)

Associates of Arts (AA)Associates of Science (AS)Associates of Applied Science (AAS)

$2,963

public four-year Bachelor of Arts (BA)Bachelor of Science (BS)Master of Arts (MA)Master of Science (MS)

$8,244 (in-state students)$12,526 (full-time out-of-state students)

private four-year Bachelor of Arts (BA)Bachelor of Science (BS)Master of Arts (MA)Master of Science (MS)

$28,500

trade school Certificates or licenses Depends on several factors such as course load and location

• average of $10,000 in student fees• research colleges• 10 campuses• most classes taught by graduate TAs• offer degrees such as BA, BS, Ph.D,

and Ed.D

• average of $4,800 in student fees• teaching institutes• 23 campuses• most classes taught by professors• offer degrees such as BA, BS, MA, and

MS

information compiled by viena palacio source: collegeboard.comgraphic by seyma tap

art by sophia davidson and

mikeala axton

Lauren HARRISONsenior

AlfredoAGUIRRE

senior

Vanessa GARCIA

junior ArielREARDEN

senior

Steven GRAVELLEjunior

“For the juniors! Take advantage of the SAT and ACT; you can take it as many times as you want, so get some practice in, I sure wish I had...”

“As a freshman you have to decide that you know you want to graduate so you can get it together. Just know that it all piles up in the end, and it all has to get done.”

“Learn the a-g’s. You have all these resources offered to you, and for free; there’s no reason-able way you can’t meet those requirements and more.”

“It’s a nuisance to repeat classes. If you thought it was boring the first time, what would lead you to think it’d be fantastic the second time?”

“Sadly, I hit reality this year. Don’t think you’ll never see those failed classes again if you want to graduate and be somebody in life.”

ADVICEfrom

UPPERCLASSMEN

YEARLY CHECKLIST

freshmen

sophomores

F establish a concrete four-year academic plan F update your plan in case of any failed classes F consider taking Honors/AP classes

juniors F if haven’t already, take PSAT F consider/continue taking Honors/AP classes F register for SAT F retake SAT as many times as you wish F draft a list of colleges you’re interested in

F retake classes you’ve recieved a D or F in F register for Oct. PSAT early F explore summer school options to get ahead F look for a summer job/volunteer work F research colleges of interest F explore financial aid options F review PSAT results with counselor F visit local college campuses

seniors F register for ACT and SAT early F begin applying for scholarships F request letters of recommendation early F start working on personal statements F know college app. and scholarship deadlines F sign up for FAFSA F attend financial aid workshops F prepare for college entrance exams

THROUGHOUT ALL FOUR YEARS• work on fulfilling a-g requirements• meet with your counselor after every semester• continue revising your four-year academic plan• participate in clubs/sports

Alumnus Lisa Fairchild graduated college with a business major and the uncertainty of her goals in life, but after a job as an accountant, she decided to follow her dreams of becoming a florist. photo courtesy of lisa fairchild

photo courtesy of fran ewins

With a degree in computer animation under his

belt, Stagg almunus Rick Duangsawat

pursued his love for the arts as

a career in costume

design and box office

management

graphic by seyma tap

source counseling department information compiled by kristin acevedo

Entertainment6 12.09.11

the Stagg Line

Take care. A common farewell told to friends and family. “Take Care.” An album by Aubrey “Drake” Graham that will brighten one’s day more than a friendly goodbye. The Toronto-born rapper’s sophomore album has already burned up the charts debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The CD is his follow up album to 2010’s “Thank Me Later,” which received positive reviews and great success. Despite this, Drake felt he had to step up for his second album, wanting a stronger recording as opposed to his first, which he felt he rushed. Drake definitely elevates his singing and rapping this time around, producing much stronger verses and hooks. The theme of the album seems to be what has come from the fame Drake has received since he dropped his first mixtape in February of 2006. One of the first songs fans heard off of the album was the rap breakup anthem of the year, “Marvin’s Room.” The song has been covered by artists like JoJo and Chris Brown, who bring different perspec-tives to the lyrics. The lyrics include clips of a phone conversation between Drake and his ex in which she asks, “Are you drunk right now?” and he replies,

“I’m just saying you can do better.” Drake showcases his ability to effortlessly weave singing in with his spoken-sounding raps. The conversation doesn’t in-terrupt the song too much and provides a back story to his verses and chorus. It wouldn’t be a Drake album without appearanc-es of artists from his label: Young Money Entertain-ment. Rappers that are featured include Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. Other artists such as Rick Ross, Rihanna and The Weekend, also made their way on contributing more depth to the album. Drake’s latest single, “Make Me Proud,” features Minaj, and is one song on the album that praises women. Despite repeating “I’m so proud of you” during the chorus, the message makes the song sound out of place because it’s an unconventional idea. Despite its different themes, “Proud” is still a very strong song. Rap is notorious for being known as the genre of music that degrades women and many artists, including Drake, are remembered for their vulgarity. Although “Make Me Proud” seems out of place, it still combines a strong beat with Minaj and Drake’s effortless verses. Wayne lends his talents on “HYFR” and “The Real Her.” While he doesn’t bring the strongest performance of all guest artists on the album, it

couldn’t be Drake without some Wayne. As Drake’s mentor, Wayne’s influence is seen throughout the tracks and “HFYR” is one of the many single-ready songs on the album. One downfall however, is that after listening to the songs many times, they seem to blend together with only small distinguishing traits between them. Many start off with an interlude and booming bass, that makes the songs seem upbeat, but then ends up being another slow tempo track. A bit more diversity could have been added between each song to break the album up. One standout song of the album is “Shot For Me.” It’s one of the opening songs and has the stron-gest slow tempo. Drake describes a relationship that fell apart as “he made it.” The song is soothing, and one that he sings more than raps. The best lyrics of the song, and possibly the entire album, is in the final seconds of the song where he speaks, “may your neighbors respect you/ angels protect you/ trouble neglect you/ and heaven accept you.”These words are inspirational and speak to the title of the album. The album is some of Drake’s best work; it’s ef-fortless. All one needs to do is sit back and “Take Care.”

If you like suspense, fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, then you’ll like “Grimm,” the show that has all of these incorporated into it. The show “Grimm” is sure to be popular because it has two themes everyone likes. “Police procedurals have been popular in the recent past and com-bining supernatural elements seems to strike a chord with viewers,” said John Rourke in an e-mail. Rourke worked on rigging elements on two of the sound stages in Portland. That’s not the only interest-ing thing about it; its plot also draws in its viewers. “Grimm” is about Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), a Portland officer who finds out that he is one of the last Grimms, a lineage of people profiling mythological crea-tures, who also stops them from harming humans. Nick and his partner Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby) encounter mysterious cases and with each case comes another one of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. In the first four episodes we’ve seen stories like “Little Red Rid-ing Hood,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “The Queen Bee,” and “Bluebeard.” These old and moralistic stories we used to read as kids are told without the restrictions of a child’s educational purpose. True to its original version told by the Grimm Brothers, it doesn’t hide any facts. As this show unravels the dark and disturbing sides of these fairy tales they become more violent and gruesome. In each episode we’re introduced to a Grimm creatures’ human form and their monster form. The Grimm creatures have their own stories and background to them and that makes them more three dimen-sional. “It has very strong supernatural elements, which most major network series tend to stay away from,” Rourke said. Its strong supernatural elements are a main reason why I think it’s so popular. It pulls you in with the suspense and then jumps right at you when you least expect it. Although it has a great plot and cool effects, there’s one thing that bugs me. The villains die way too easily. It usually takes quite a while for them to die, but it only took a couple of shots to kill the Reaper, the Blut-baden, and the queen bee Mellischwuler. Each has their own unique characteristics, yet they all died in the same way. If “Grimm” had something similar to the CW’s “Supernatural,” then the plots would thicken even more. In “Supernatural” certain types of weapons or circumstances were needed to be able to kill a creature and that’s what made it seem more abstract. That would really make it more interesting but then its characters would die off too quickly. I kind of understand why regular guns can kill the villains but it’s disappointing how easily they die without really putting up a fight. But even so, I still think this is worth watching and that you’ll get hooked on it so much you’ll want to watch the second season.

Supernatural fairy tales make for

suspenseful show

‘Take Care’ exceeds expectationsGABRIELLAMILLER

CHAOXIONG

Good: Nice blend of spoken-word and rapping, guests only add to album.

Bad: Songs begin to sound the same, mak-ing the album a bit monotonous upon close listening.

“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964) - Hailed as one of the worst movies of all time, this cheesy B-picture is the epitome of classic terrible holiday movies. The movie centers around the Martian people, who have a serious problem on their hands. The children of Mars have become addicted to watching television transmissions from Earth, especially the annual interview with Santa Claus. The adults consult Mar-tian wise-man Chochem, who says the only way to help the children is to let them have fun amidst the rigid Martian so-cial structure. A crew of Martians, including Kimar (the king Martian), Voldar (the Martian who’s secretly evil), Dropo (the comic relief ), and others who no one remembers, set out to capture Santa and bring him to Mars in order to bring the happiness the children need. The film is as convoluted as it sounds, and fully deserves its worst movie status. But if you look past the awful special effects and stale acting, one can actually relish in the silliness.

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” (2008) - Political satirist Stephen Colbert stars in this holiday special that aired on his show’s home station of Comedy Central. Colbert is on his way to shoot a Christmas special with Elvis Costello, but becomes trapped in a cabin in “bear country” and hears a prowling bear outside. Many of his friends stop by the cabin, including Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart, and others, to sing Christmas songs with him. Meanwhile, Colbert tries to find ways to escape the cabin, and get to the Christmas special as soon as possible. The songs are clever and humorous, and they are ones you remember. The album that was released won the Best Comedy album at the 2010 Grammys. However, I think that the special would not have worked if it had been released on CD format only. While the production values are low, the kitsch outweighs that, so you don’t re-ally care about it while you’re watching. Colbert’s attempt at a holiday special succeeds at bringing holiday spirit and humor to the masses.

Good: The plot stays fresh and surprising throughout each episode.

Bad: The villains die off too quickly, leaving the audience wanting more of a climax in the episode.

Rating: Four out of five stars

Christmas. The holidays. Enjoying time with family. But killer Santa? That, the world can probably go with-out. This holiday season, sit back, relax, and enjoy these twisted holiday specials.

Rating: Four out of five stars

“ These old and moralistic stories we used to read as kids are told without the restric-tions of a child’s educational pur-pose.”

DAMONHEINE

“Silent Night, Deadly Night” (1984) - What’s now looked at as a cheesy slasher movie from the 1980’s was once one of the most controversial movies of the decade. It centers around a young boy named Billy Chapman, who witnesses his parents’ murder at the hands of a deranged man in a Santa suit. Years later Billy is now 18, and one of the nuns helps him get a job at a toy store. As Christmas approaches, Billy recounts the story his Grandfather told him while in a mental institution. Santa brings presents for the good, but also punishes those who are bad. After he finds his co-worker attempting to rape another female employee, he hangs him with Christmas lights. Billy then develops his own deadly form of justice, by dressing up as Santa and punishing those who sin. While it seems more of a deranged vigilante tale than a straight up slasher flick, it was still much more controversial than other horror films of the 80’s for one reason only. Because the kill-er is dressed up like Santa. It was condemned by critics, picketed upon release, and eventually taken out of the cinemas a little more than a week after it was released. Due to the controversy, the film did moderately well at the box office,but in an age where slasher flicks have gotten edger and gorier, it’s no surprise this movie is outdated. It may appeal to slasher fans as classic, but in terms of shelf life, the concept isn’t fresh anymore.

“South Park: Woodland Critter Christmas” (2004) -The second “South Park” Christmas special is a farce of many other Christmas specials, as it is conducted in a rhyming narration and a storybook like telling. The story begins as Stan discovers a group of talking animals in the forest called the Woodland Christmas Critters. They show up in his room later and say that one of the animals is pregnant with their “Savior.” Stan agrees to build a manger for the baby to be born. Later, to his horror, the Critters tell him that they are Satanists and their savior is actually the An-tichrist. The Critters now must find a human host for the Antichrist. The host must be a non-baptized, non-Chris-tian, and they kidnap Kyle, who is Jewish, to suit their purposes. The two holiday themed episodes represent the best of out of the box Christmas specials. This one is even more edgy and at times more disturbing than Red Sleigh Down, and the irony of having the evil Critters being cute and cuddly is clever. It also has one of the most surprising turn of events in any “South Park” episode to date.

“South Park: Red Sleigh Down” (2002) - The two “South Park” themed Christmas episodes are as crazy as the show has been all these years. The first is a parody of war movie “Black Hawk Down,” where Eric Cartman, the main antagonist of the series, convinces Santa to bring Christmas cheer to Iraq, so he can atone for all the bad things he’s done this year to get a Christmas present. The plan goes awry, as Santa is subsequently shot out of the sky by the Iraqis and made a prisoner. Protagonists Stan and Kyle then recruit the help of Jesus to free Santa from his captors. The political satire in this is evident, considering it was made at the height of the United States making plans to invade Iraq. And the con-troversial humor of Santa and Jesus being partners tackles the religious versus secular debate a lot more efficiently than most religious historians.

art by Mikeala axton

Sports 712.09.11

the Stagg Line

Quick on your feet. Aware of other players. Prepared to receive the ball. Knowledge of terminology of the game. These are the essential steps players need as game time approaches. These feelings occur the instant the referee blows his whistle. Basket-ball has all this excitement and more, but as other athletes may know the game actually starts in school. Head basketball coach, Tony Espinoza, stresses that in order to pre-pare for the season it is necessary to be “successful academically.” Another goal he has is to be “competitive basketball wise throughout the season.” Along with Espinoza, players set goals for themselves that they wish to achieve by the end of the season. The most common goal among players is to completely commit to the team in any way possible, and ultimately make it to the playoffs. “I’m going to do whatever I have to do to help my team win,” senior Marcus Barnett-Armstrong said. Along with goals, the team also strives to work together efficiently. A big factor that senior Tre Reed says contributes to becoming a success-ful team member, is to “practice harder and (know) how to listen to the coach.” As a newer member of the team, Reed sees what basketball can do to a player and how being a part of a team actually changes one’s mental-ity. “It’s about growing up, being mature and actually being there for my team,” Reed said. As a way to help players work together, and acquire techniques nec-essary for the season, team members attended the basketball summer league program directed by Espinoza. Those who were a part of this program gained more experience playing in basketball games. They practiced hard during the week and entered tournaments along with other high school teams. “(Summer league) prepares you for the pressure and environment basketball brings,” Barnett-Armstrong said. The experience players received from summer league may have helped them grow. However, due to some injuries, the team has struggled at the start of their season. Espinoza explains that so far, there hasn’t been much progress be-cause they are “missing four of (their) guys,” so he hasn’t been able to see the whole team work together. Leading scorer Jorge Hernandez, junior, said the team experienced a downfall in scoring, fouls, turnovers, and rebounds. But as an individual he said “all those hours in the gym are paying off.” One issue the team is trying to improve upon in order to become more successful is believing in their own abilities. “Last year we lacked in confidence,” junior Ramiro Ramirez said. With confidence in themselves, it will reflect upon the team and what the team will become. Despite some of the difficulties players have been experiencing, league hasn’t started yet and the boys aren’t giving up. The team is using their preseason as a learning experience, which will help develop their skills, communication, and time management.

(Top): Ramiro Ramirez, junior, quickly shoots the ball to avoid a Franklin player’s block. (Bottom): Marcus Barnett-Armstrong, senior, lines up his shot while Lincoln adds pressure.

ANNAMARIERODRIGUEZ

photo by AnnAmArie rodriguez

photo by JessicA mAngili

Confidence is key in boysbasketball upcoming season

THE MEGANSREANNARODRIGUEZ

A name. It’s something that a person has from the day they’re born to the day they die. It defines who a person is and how they’re addressed. For seniors Megan Gaitan and Megan Garza, their similar names have brought them notice by their peers. “We may not have a lot in common, but the important things we do have in common,” Garza said. Like their name, they also share a love for sports, friends, family and style. But they said that their personalities are opposite. While Gaitan is quiet and serious, Garza is more loud and goofy. When the two are together they click well and have a balanced friendship.It started three years ago when the two met, yet they were only acquaintances up until this year. As they were playing tennis they came together and the union also helped the team come together as well. They were able to act as leaders of the team and establish a bond that impacted everyone and showed them that it was okay be silly and have fun. Now that basketball season has begun, the pair knows that their friendship will only become stron-ger and that it will positively affect those around them.

On the basketball court, the two of them are able to pump each other up when everyone else is down. They are supporters of one another and they are able to transfer their attitudes to those around them. Angelique Wilson, senior, said that the pair has a certain chemistry. For example, she brings up that before a game Gaitan and Garza come together and yell, “The Megans!” The two also share what they call “Me-gan telepathy” where they find that they often have the same thoughts at the same time. They are aware of each other’s position on the court and because of their close bond they can sometimes predict what the other is going to do.

“This is the easiest connection I’ll probably have with a person,” Gaitan said. But they insist that

their connection has nothing to do with their name or their appearance.

But it has everything to do with sports and how two people can come together

through something so small. The rest is just a similarity that makes them stand

out in a crowd. Their relationship shows that sports can have a big impact on a person’s life, and the friendships that come with it can last forever. Overall, Gaitan and Garza appreci-ate the energy that they each bring to the court. “Sports brought us together,” Gaitan said. And sports will keep them together.

photos courtesy of megAn gAitAn And megAn gArzAgrAphic by fe VAlenciA And miA torres

(Left): Se-niors, Me-gan Gaitan and Megan Garza pose with their rackets during tennis season. (Right): “The Megans” show off their school spirit in matching shirts.

Friendship defined by sports

‘The Show Goes On’ Lupe Fiasco

‘Just Friends’Jason Reeves

‘Lose Yourself’ Eminem

‘Sexy and I Know It’ LMFAO

‘Remember the Name’

Fort Miner

‘All I Do is Win’DJ Khaled and others

‘I Got a Feeling’ Black Eyed Peas

‘I’m Good’ YG

‘Did it on ’Em’ Nicki Minaj

Jazmin Carrillojunior

Lynzie Vang sophomore

Zach Artozqui junior

Angelique Wilson senior

Nikolas Berkebilejunior

Rebecca Romerojunior

Joseph Farmer senior

Tiera Davis sophomore

Jada Johnsonfreshman

10WINNINGWarm-up

SONGS

‘Shot for Me’Drake

Alex Reyessophomore

A thick crowd of parents and children look on, almost in awe, as Milton Peoples, a member of the teen board for the anti violence workshop, held at the IMPACT Teen Center, speaks of the hardships he has overcome in his short time in this world. “You can’t always look for help in other people,” Milton said. “You just got to get up and fend for yourself.” With those words, applause rang out through the audience and Milton stepped back and took his seat among the other members of the teen board. Administrators from the IMPACT Teen Center put together a workshop Nov. 12 to help prevent violence and drug abuse among children and teens. They brought together eight teens, aged 18 to 19, who had overcome challenges in their lives and turned out okay. One of the administrators that helped put together this workshop is Zuelma Gomez. She said the point of this workshop was to bring teens and adults together to prevent the problems they had from hap-pening to today’s youth. “I think adults tend to talk at teens about these things,” Gomez said. “This is really to get them to shut up and listen.” The workshop was not to get through to teens but to get through

to the parents and to inform them of the ways they can prevent their child from making the same mis-takes the teen panel members did. As each panel member took the microphone and told their story, the audience seemed to feel what they were feeling. Tears welled up in each teen’s eyes as they spoke of everything from childhood abandonment, to abuse, to addiction. Soon after, the teens stepped down and joined in a group discussion with each table of adults. They talked about what could have helped prevent some of the issues they went through in school, and what they had later that helped them cope and change. The answers the groups came up with were common among every group. External programs, such as sports, helped them. The panel members also ad-dressed how they wished they had peer mentors, tutoring, and pro-grams like the Big Brother/Sister program. The issue of teens and young adult turning to drugs and gangs is a growing problem. Many of the

people that attended and spoke at this workshop have opinions as to why and what we can do about it. Judge Richard Vlavianos is one of those people. He spoke of how the causes of violent behavior are often mistaken as lack of housing or food. The real cause is the way they think. Vla-

vianos said that many of the teens and adults they were talking about were antisocial. That they need some sort of help to become a more pro-social thinker. Vlavianos wants to work towards making a safe place for teens to go. A place where they can be free of the temptation of the outside world. Where there is no stress from their home life haunting them. There are a few students who attend the after school program at Stagg, who say having somewhere to be helps them significantly. One of those students is sophomore Austin Slaughter. “I come here all the time,” Slaughter said. “Of course it helps. Instead of having fun here, I could be busting someone up on the streets.”

Junior Gerardo Varela also benefits from coming to the after school program. “It keeps me connected with my friends and away from things like drugs,” Varela said. Vlavianos also discussed drugs in teens’ and adolescents’ lives. “The problem with marijuana and other drugs is not that they don’t work,” Vlavianos said. “It’s that they work too good.” The way many parents deal with their child when they try or bring up drugs and alcohol is to overreact. “The thing to do when it does come up is not to freak the hell out,” he said. As the many parents file out of the IMPACT Teen Center, they carry with them not only the belongings they brought with them. But a new perspective.

News8 12.09.11

the Stagg Line

FAMILIES SEARCH FOR ANSWERSWorkshop brainstorms ways

to keep students involved in school and off streets

photos by AnnAmArie rodriguez

SHELBYHIGHTOWER

During the anti-violence workshop on Nov. 12, families listened to speakers discuss the harsh circumstances that their children face daily. They looked to find solutions to keep create a safer place for adolescents.

CLUBSContinued from page 1

grAphic by FAith hArris

Tips on staying healthy during flu season )Avoid close con-

tact with others

that are sick.

)If possible, stay

home when sick.

)Avoid touching

your face.

)Drink plenty of

juice and water.

)Get a flu shot as

soon as possible.

Stop the FLU before it stops YOU

)Don’t share food and/or drink with friends.

)Dress warmly when going out in the cold.

)Get plenty of sleep.

)Take vitamins daily.

)Exercise and stay ac-tive.

)Carry tissues and/or hand sanitizer.

“You can’t always look for help in other people. You just got to get up and fend for yourself.”MILTON PEOPLES teen board member

care for the earth.Along with these events, clubs

have also been volunteering and raising money off campus. In clubs like Interact Club, and NHS, members are mandated to turn in a certain number of community service hours which are completed on their own time outside of club functions.

Some of these beyond the cam-pus community service events various clubs have done include gift wrapping at the Barnes and Noble Book Store, and volun-teering at the Thanksgiving Run/Walk against Hunger. Dedica-tion of the club members is im-portant to be in the club. Some of the volunteers woke up early on Thanksgiving morning to ar-rive at Banner Island Ballpark by 6 a.m. and took jobs all around downtown handing out water, setting up signs, and working at the concession stand.

Some students who partici-pated in the event expressed their pride in their efforts. “I did it to help out the hun-gry,” said sophomore Hildeliza Espinoza. Further proceeds were raised to help out the less fortu-nate because runners had to pay a fee of $40 in order to partici-pate. All of the money donated went to the Stockton Emergency Food Bank. “I gained satisfaction in knowing people in need would have a hot plate of food,” Espi-noza said.