PHOTO BY JESSICA ROBERTS

2 Wolf Pack Press Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jency James

April 1, 2011Volume 16, Issue 2

Jency JamesCo-Editor-in-Chief

While most teenagers will be busy sunbathing, swimming and relaxing this summer, Junior Tayryn Edwards will be doing something a little differ-ent. She’ll put her political savvy to good use with the best of the best at the 68th Girls State Session.

Girls State is a program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary where junior girls from all throughout California function as a mock govern-ment. The conference takes place at Claremont McKenna College from June 26 to July 2.

The nomination process included the staff to nominate junior girls that demonstrated leadership. In the end, juniors Morgan Dixon, Corey Ruder, Samantha Fastiggi, Tayryn Edwards and Jillian Ebrahimi were chosen to compete as the potential Girls State Delegate.

“At first I didn’t know anything about it so I was like, ok,” Edwards said. “But when I found out the prestige of it and about people who went in the past, I got really excited.”

Past delegates include Alex Ciara-glia, Gabby Fastiggi, Abby Bates and Jency James.

The joint interview was conducted by representatives of the American Auxiliary Legion who sought to learn more about the candidates and their leadership potential.

The girls were asked to detail their background and their extra-curricular activities on campus and in the com-munity. They were also questioned on general knowledge of the California

Students to attend prestigious conference

Megan AdamsStaff Reporter

In the political world we need people in office who we can trust with immense amounts of power so they don’t abuse it.

This year five junior boys were nominated by faculty to be the Boys State Delegates: Ian McCoog, Shaun Mize, Riley Murrey, Scott Burdick and Mark Hughes accepted the challenge of competing to attend the 74th Session of the American Legion California Boys State conference. But in the end, Mize was selected.

The nominees went through an interview with three members from the American Legion, who asked questions about their families, their extracurricu-lar activities, academic achievements and the importance of patriotism.

After the interviews, the judges discussed who was the most fit for the position based on their impressions of the candidates.

Mize won the honor of being the Boys State Del-egate this year. T h i s s u m m e r, Mize will be at-tending the confer-ence, a week long political camp. At the camp, dele-gates from schools throughout the state will live and breathe as a mock government.

Last year ’s delegate was se-

government.“I spoke from the heart and truth-

fully and I guess, this time, that was enough,” Edwards said. “I tried to show the most of myself and let them judge me accordingly; in my opinion there is nothing else that I could’ve done.

Girls State allows its participants to learn about the intricate details of government and campaigning at differ-ent levels. The delegates are grouped into “cities” and elections start the very same evening for positions at within the city including, the Whig and Tory party leader, Mayor, the city council, among others.

Delegates can also compete for posi-tions at the county and state level which take place later on in the week.

Edwards hopes the experience will be an enlightening one and looks for-ward to the trip.

“I hope that there will be a lot of opportunities for me to see some great leaders in action; people who can help me become a better leader,” Edwards said. “More than anything, I think it is the thrill of the unexpected that keeps me excited.”

But Edwards is most excited for the thrill of the unfamiliar territory Girls State will explore.

“I am most excited to be a stranger, if that makes any sense I like the idea of being in a new situation where I can really put everything that I have to of-fer on the table and surprise people,” Edwards said.

“I really want to represent Wood-creek to the best of my ability and hopefully, that will be my way of saying thank you to those who have given me this opportunity,” she said.

nior Christian Hatchett. “When you first get there, they as-

sign you a room and a political party, as well as several booklets of informa-tion detailing the steps to run for office at the local, county, and state levels,” Hatchett said. “There are elections throughout the week for each level of government, beginning with the city and ending with the state.”

“I am interested in what’s going on around me. I like to know what the country I’m living in is all about and what we do,” stated Mize.

Mize hopes to reach big when it comes to his involvement in politics.

“I would take President of the United States, but I’m not looking for anything right now, not yet,” he said.

Although not much information has been released to Mize, Hatchett has some advice for him.

“Go for it, dude. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

GRAPHIC BY JESSICA ROBERTS

NewsApril 1, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 3Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jency James

JencyK i n a t t u k a r a

JamesWell hello there. It’s been a while

hasn’t it? So I realized a lot of my col-umns have to do with academics, stress and general over-achieverness and I’m tired of writing about that. So on a completely paradoxical note; I’d like to explain all the TV I watch, because it happens to be an obscene amount. Which sounds even more odd since I don’t have a TV… But thank goodness for Hulu right?

Still with me? Ok great. Ever since that dark day in 2007

when Gilmore Girls was cancelled, I’ve been craving my Lauren Graham fix. Lo and behold, along came Parenthood. While Graham’s character, Sarah, isn’t quite as witty and wise-cracking as her Lorelai counterpart, the show has much to offer with its exploration of family relationships and dynamic characters to carry the show through. Parenthood chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Braverman clan exploring issues of teenage rebellion, Autism, broken

families, balancing career and family among many others. With its fresh take on old plotlines, Parenthood makes a wonderful family drama.

In contrast, Modern Family takes a hilarious twist on family troubles and refreshes the silver screen with original-ity, most notably with its talking heads feature. With the broadened definition of family these days, the show follows the Pritchett family and the extended branches of the family tree. From life partners Cam and Mitchell and their adopted Vietnamese baby to the seem-ingly gold-digging relationship of Jay and Gloria to the well-meaning but is-sue ridden love of Phil and Claire, these quirky characters and the laugh-attack inducing situations they get into makes the show priceless and a welcome addi-tion to the new TV season.

My TV addiction extends beyond the week though, and I catch up with the hilarious cast of SNL. Forget the nightly news; catch up on the week’s biggest headlines with a comedic twist thanks to the creative sketch comedy of SNL. The show’s 36 seasons have made it an American staplewith its remarks on social commentary. My favorites of the current all-star cast are the versatile

Kristin Wiig and Weekend Update An-chor Seth Meyers. Wigg makes the show with her spot-on impersonations (Nancy Pelosi and Christine O’Donell anyone?) and not-afraid-to-go-there attitude. But Seth Meyers is the real highlight for me. With his toothy grin and boyish charm, the head writer dishes out the news in true, side-splitting hilarity, monologue style. His jokes and awkward school-boy mannerisms have captured the hearts o f v i ewers everywhere ( i n c l u d i n g mine.) While the celebrity hosts can be a hit or miss, the show’s cast keeps the laughs coming.

D u e t o the lack of s p a c e a n d the short attention spans of teenagers, I won’t be able to talk about all the wonderful shows I follow. So here some short and sweet highlights. Without

watching House I would have never learned the bedside manners NOT to provide my patients. Drama capital of the world, Wisteria Lane of Desperate Housewives reminds me how lucky and boring my life is. Community combines two wonderful things: Joel McHale and creatively quiky and borderline inap-propriate humor while the product of SNL alum Tina Fey (30 Rock) pairs odd-

ball and lovable characters with downright inap-propriate and ethically discom-forting humor. (Seriously it was found to have the most FCC violations.)

Now, I hope you don’t think I’m a lazy slob for watching this much TV. During any of these shows ,

there’s plenty of scholarship applying, homework completing and news search-ing. Because you see, there is always a method to my madness.

Megan HohenriederBack Page Editor

Spring doesn’t just mark the be-ginning of warm temperatures and a longing for summer. For seniors, it is also the final frontier of the college search-the acceptance letters. However, a dilemma to this merriment arrives when you realize you got into 3 of your top colleges. How do you decide which college to instill your future upon? The answer is simple: consider these 4 factors.

Whether it is by the beach or in the mountains, location is key in mak-ing your college decision. You want to pick somewhere you want to live all year ‘round. For example, although UC Santa Cruz is beautiful in the summer, it is freezing and foggy all subsequent months. You should also consider travel to and from home to said college.

We all say that we want “to get as far away as possible”, but the reality is, 8 hour car rides home on Christmas break are never ideal. Not only should your college have a great location, but it needs to have a good atmosphere.

Some colleges are out right liberal, others are insanely “green” and some are concerned more about sports than grades. Whichever college you decide upon needs to have an atmosphere of ideals in which you agree with.

Senior Bobby Chatfield found this

to be a major contributor for choosing Humboldt State.

“It’s a school that is very liberal and I am very liberal,” he said. “I want

to be around people who have t h e s a m e

thoughts and i d e a s I

do.”

How do you discover

this col leges ’ aura? Visit the col-lege on a day that school is in session.

Talk to some stu-dents, take a tour, look at the clothes people are wearing, pick up a copy of the school’s paper; any-thing to help you deci-pher the mood of the campus.

Campus appear-ance and size are crucial to making

this life changing decision. Some col-leges are absolutely enormous. If you are looking for a college with a sea of people to cheer with at sporting events, then a big campus is for you.

“Many classes at the UC level are taught in large forums. Some students are fine with this, others are distracted,” College and Career Center Technician Terri Griffin. “Many students benefit from the smaller class sizes.”

If you want smaller class sizes and a more maneuverable campus than a small or medium sized college fits you perfectly.

Campus appearance is also very important. As much as you may think you will get off campus, the majority of your time will be spent at the college. Do not pick an ugly college in a beautiful town; choose a lush, stunning campus in a maybe not so gorgeous town.

Many colleges have certain perks to consider. A fresh produce market on campus, a low cost of living (cheap apartments/ low food prices), an honors college, a Pac 10 Sports team, great Greek system, easy bike accessibility, close downtown, or a plethora of fun clubs.

Students should also consider the difference between public schools versus private schools. While public schools have less expensive sticker prices, private schools offer much larger financial aid packages. Private schools also have smaller class sizes than public schools.

But choose the college that offers the most. Also consider which ones are the most important to you.

Seniors consider varying factors in choosing the perfect college

Heard from

WASC“Seeing how the kids interact

on this campus – they feel like this is a great institution. They get the impression that yes you care as educators.”

- Tracy Goschke, Teacher/Foothill High School (Palo Cedro, CA)

“I’m dazzled by the level of professionalism I experienced and the commitment to students’ learning and success.”

- Rod Hass/Retired (Magalia, CA)

“From the moment I stepped on campus it was evident that students are really proud to go here.”

- Shana Gohd, Student/Las Lomas High School (Walnut Creek, CA)

“It’s evident on this campus that everyone, including support staff, cares about all students.” - Doug McCreath, Assistant Principal/Manteca High School (Manteca, CA)

4 Wolf Pack Press Ad Page

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Jency James Wolf Pack Press 5

Nick FranzeStaff Reporter

The Roseville Police Activities League. It might not have the most appealing title, but the activities it involves not only caters to the adventur-ous spirit of the participants but fosters a positive lifestyle as well.

Paintball, MMA, boxing, camping, fishing, skiing/snowboarding, air soft, karate, just a few of the seemingly end-less activities that go on and happen, for the price of a $25 membership…… for a whole year. No strings attached.

Sophomore Justin Young has been involved with the Roseville Police Ac-tivities League program and signed up for Mixed Martial Arts, boxing and paintballing.

“I like it because the surroundings are good,” Young said. “The people are great and they push you to work harder. All the trainers are volunteer workers and they actually care about your im-provement and skill development.”

Young has been involved since the beginning of the school year.

Sophomore Anthony Gonzalves has also participated in the Roseville Police Activities League and enjoys the life les-sons he learns from the instructors.

“The trainers are very hands on and

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11b-3367 © 2011 The College Board

Jon CanaNewbie Reporter

An eighth grader who volunteers

her time training puppies for the blind rises to receive her diploma. Behind her, another student who volunteers her time with a cancer organization awaits her turn. Behind her, 170 other students all wait for their recognition as the best of the best at Silverado Middle School at the first induction of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) on Feb. 8.

At the induction and reception for this elite group of students, seventh and eighth graders’ efforts and achieve-ments were acknowledged. But the little brother to Woodcreek High School’s National Honor Society (NHS) does not stop there. NJHS is divided into seven different groups, each with their own charity of choice which they work to provide aid to through fundraisers or community service.

Such a large and elite group of middle school students all creating a positive change within the community could not have come together without the efforts of founder Jillian Ebrahimi, a junior at Woodcreek.

Ebrahimi’s inspiration for NJHS sprouted from her days as a middle

school student who was mocked for her achievements in academics.

“I remember when I was in middle school, I got teased because I was smart,” Ebrahimi said.

In middle school she faced a vastly different environment from high school, where those with students with 4.0’s are envied and praised. In the middle school environment Ebrahimi describes, it is easy to lose one’s drive to excel.

NJHS enables middle school stu-dents to see that achieving in both the school and in the community is a quality to be praised. This message is com-municated through role models from Woodcreek’s NHS.

NJHS was not created overnight with ver little work by any means. Ebra-himi approached Silverado’s Principal Priscella Rasanen, who was fond of the idea but claimed that the group needed an adviser from the middle school.

Ebrahimi asked several differ-ent teachers before finding Counselor Marisa Del Carlo, who fell in love with the idea and agreed to advise the group.

The student group, composed of those with GPA’s of 3.0 or higher, had to demonstrate leadership in the classroom and obtain a teacher recommendation for their application. Once accepted,

these middle school students joined NHS members from Woodcreek.

Meeting time is spent teaching these middle-schoolers the pillars of NHS, such as character and leader-ship. The group is also prepared for the high school version through mock interviews.

NJHS projects will be entirely up to the students themselves to decide, with the high school students there only to lend help-ing hands.

“ We d o n ’ t want to dictate the pro jec ts , ” Ebrahimi said.

One eighth grader, Re iko Maninang, is ea-ger to meet both the challenges and rewards of being a member of the NJHS.

“I ’ve never been in anything like this, so I don’t really know what to expect. I’m still real ly excited for the events,

Police force offers mentoringthey teach you more than just fighting, physical and mental discipline is very stressed there,” he said.

Like Young, Anthony became in-volved in the program near the begin-ning of the school year.

Officer O’Rourke said that the mission of RPAL is “to provide educa-tional and recreational opportunities for kids.”

The program encourages kids to be active and to be involved in activites that foster growth.

When asked about the facilities he said that they have “One of the nicer fa-cilities in the area and is quite large..”

The members go on trips on most weekends and during summer. The most recent adventure has been a paint-balling trip.

“The kids just wanted to go up there and I had a day off so I took them,” O’Rourke said.

The program looks to provide 8 to 17 year-olds with fun activities that promote healthy living.

The mission statement of RPAL is “to enrich the lives and develop the physical, mental, and social capabili-ties of Roseville Youth by creating op-portunities for positive relationships between Youth, Police Officers, and the Community that provide a variety of recreational, athletic, social, and cul-tural activities and programs.”

For more information on how to join Roseville Police Activities League, talk to officer O’Rourke or visit www.RosevilleRpal.com.

The Roseville Police Activities League strives to help youth

NewsApril 1, 2011

NHS brings Silverado students into the honor foldthough,” Maninang said.

NJHS plans on helping at NHS’s People for Paws event on April 2. The event will benefit the local chapter of the SPCA.

Although NJHS has yet to em-bark on their different projects, their character promises a positive change within the community, starting at an early age.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JON CANA

ACTIVISM: Members of the National Junior Honor Society split into different groups and plan philanthropic efforts.

Opinions Editor Brooke Benson

BROOKELYNNEBENSON

April 1st, 2011Volume 16, Issue 2

Matt GeorgeSports Editor

A school drill is just a school drill. Basically nobody cares because nobody takes it seriously. In fact kids tend to enjoy it because it wastes class time. When an emergency actually occurs, will kids take it seriously? If they choose to handle it like we have been, kids might die. Students need to understand the seriousness of a school shooting or fire and be totally prepared for it. Therefore I feel a good scare is in order to whip us into shape.

Burnell Pinkerton has always joked around in his classes about taking a paintball gun and shooting any student who isn’t taking a lockdown drill seri-ously. Of course he cannot do that, but he actually has the right idea. In order for students to understand the severity of those situations, they need to mildly experience them. Like the juniors and seniors experience every other year with the “Every 15 Minutes” program, the district needs to set up or allow fake situations to somewhat scare the kids and give them a taste of how bad these situations really are. Maybe not for the next few years should these ideas be taken into full effect, but the district and its schools should begin to come up with some ideas as how to safely portray a lockdown or fire situation.

I propose having two different situ-ations enforced every four years. The

first would be a fake fire situation. The school could set off the alarms and claim there is a stove or microwave fire in the teacher’s lounge. No student would know of the real situation and follow the normal drill procedure. To really en-force the situation, a fire squad should

As we approach the end of the year, I find myself faced with a raging case of writer’s block. This is the satire column. It’s meant to be a place for me to spark a change in our collective mindset. As of late, I’ve been uninspired. The year is winding down—graduation is less than eighty days away. People (myself included) will complain about high school for the rest of their lives: how awkward it was, how nasty the people were, and how impossible it was to navigate the parking lot without the temptation of running down at least one freshman who dared cross their path. Before you groan and turn the page, do not fear. I will have at least a few more chances to stir blood with my allegedly inflammatory opinion’s pieces and social commentary. Before the year ends you’ll have a few more opportunities to call me a cynic based on my ‘negative’ take on life, the universe, and everything. For now though, a reflection. Call this something of a parting column before the parting while I remain in the tem-porarily nostalgic mindset.

Four years is a long time now. Four years is enough of a time gap to regard ourselves as superior to those a few years younger than us. Four years is also the perfect amount of time to say ‘you know what, I’ve had enough of this, I’m ready graduate’. (Let’s face it; some of us came into our freshman year say-ing that.) Four years is enough time to fall in love and out of it. Several times. Four years is enough time to discover that who you are and where you’re sure you’re going in life—before life really even begins. You get your first job, you get your licensee, you turn eighteen, and suddenly you’re ready. You’re an adult, yes. Ready? Hardly.

Adults preach and preach about the importance of enjoying being a kid, but what about just being a teenager? Why does that hold such a negative connota-tion? Being a teenager is better than be-ing a kid or an adult, by far. Teenagers make mistakes. We have adventures. We make mistakes in the process of having adventures. High school is the place for that. Once you’re an ‘adult’, the world doesn’t put up with that crap.

The adults have given us the tools to pick and chose what adventures and risks are worth it and not. Enjoy the experiences, if nothing else. We’re here to put up with this ‘learning’ thing any-ways. Have a little fun in the process.

Evan CarboneBusiness Editor

Music is the most powerful form of art known to man. Music has the power to evoke emotion, music has the power to defy time, music has the power to change lives. Most importantly, music is the most personal art form in exis-tence; a single piece of music can mean as many different things to people as there are people to listen. No other form of art can come anywhere close to claiming that.

I consider myself a music lover; I listen to an incredibly broad range of genres that span most musical ex-tremes and everything in between, but one thing about music still puzzles me: The fanatical devotion some people lavish on particular bands or artists. As potent as music is, it’s still created by people, bands and artists who are trying to make a living selling their art. When it comes down to it, while these artists do care about their fans in some capacity, they certainly don’t care about their fans to the extent that some fans

do the artists.We’ve all been there: The Music

Discussion. You know the one, the one where you and all your friends are sitting around tossing out bands that you enjoy, hoping to find something new and interesting to listen to. It’s almost inevitable; someone brings up a band and someone else responds with a less-than-complimentary opinion of said band. From there the discussion deteriorates into an argument about the merits and faults of the band in question. But why?

I have yet to understand why people fight with such passion for or against a band that ultimately couldn’t care less about what those two people think. A band is, at its core, a business; a group of people trying to make money, and when it comes down to it, two people mean absolutely nothing to a band. The opinions of two people are about as meaningless to a band as two ant’s opinion of a person when measured against an entire fan base (in some cases millions of people).

What I’m trying to get at is that arguing about bands, or even music in

general, is pointless. There’s no sense bickering with people because of a dif-ference in taste and opinion. In fact, this extends beyond the music debate; people are entitled to their own opin-ions, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. By disvaluing another person’s opinion you disvalue your own; one of the principle rights of people in America is the right to free speech and thought. Instead of arguing we should try accepting our differences for once; live and let live instead of trying to convince and convert each other for no better reason then we feel we should.

Opinions are part of who we are, they’re an unavoidable, inescapable part of life, and they should be celebrat-ed as such. Without differing opinions nothing would get done, stagnation would be the norm, progress would be non-existent, and life would be one exceedingly long and boring blur of acceptance. Opinions are what makes life interesting; enjoy your right to have them, but also respect others right to have different opinions. I’ll climb down off my soap box now though, especially since no one is listening…

Inevitable music debate deemed pointless

show up at the school and move all the students back and handle the situation like they would. Not until afterward would the students be informed of the false fire or maybe not even tell them but inform their parents or guardians beforehand.

The second situation, a lock down, is the biggest drill that isn’t taken seriously. I believe we should follow Pinkerton’s ideas to a certain extent and have a lockdown where the students are told that there is really a gunman near campus or that a weapon has been found on campus. All faculty members should handle the situation like they would if it were real and maybe even have a few police units walk around the school. After a while an officer should go into each classroom and explain the whole ordeal and spend a minute or two informing the kids on if this really hap-pened, what they could and should do. The issue with this whole system is the ability of kids to run off campus if they believe that this is really happening.

All these ideas are simply rough drafts and need to be discussed, but the benefits of them are crucial. The lack of seriousness kids put into the drills can ultimately lead to the loss of lives in the case of a school shooting, fire or other very real situation. School districts are in charge of us kids and they need to take power into their own hands and improve the emergency systems or the results could be disastrous.

6 Wolf Pack Press

Graphics by Brooke Benson

Fixing the ineffective drills...the fun way

OpinionsApril 1, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 7Opinions Editor Brooke Benson

Nick NugyenOnline Editor

If you’re connected to the electric wonder that is the Internet, by now you’ve heard the tale of Casey Heynes, better known as the “Zangief Kid”, the pudgy Australian boy who did what we all wished we could do; he stood up to his bully. Well, not so much stood up to as “body slammed him into oblivion”.

For those who don’t know, Casey’s path into Internet fame is simple. After being continually harassed by Ritchard Gale, who threw punches at Casey after surrounding him and getting a friend to tape his bullying, Casey had enough. With a surge of amazing strength, Casey picked up Ritchard, turned him upside down, and slammed the punk into the concrete. In the aftermath that ensued, Gale was suspended for 20 days for harassment, while Casey was suspended for 4 days.

Casey is famous, not for the un-abashed and brutal violence he inflicted , but because Casey represents that little fear we all have; the fear of being “that kid”--the kid who gets bullied and made fun of, the kid who can’t help but feel powerless and alone. He’s famous because “that kid” took Gale, who is the embodiment of every other bully in the world, and slammed him into the concrete, the symbol of reality. (Yes, AP Literature may or may not be affecting

how I view things now.) He’s famous be-cause he stood up to his bully, and was punished for it. He’s famous because his simple tale of heroism is more effective than the entire “Blue Ribbon Week” deal could ever be.

“Now hold on,” you might say. “’I am not alone!’ That was the whole point of Blue Ribbon week, right? To show the world just how many people were affect-ed by bullying?” Blue Ribbon week was good for calling attention to the prob-lems of bullying, but when it came to the issue of how to deal with bullies, the program was much less clear. Casey’s story made something perfectly clear; it doesn’t matter how many people are aware bullying happens. A dozen or so kids simply stood around and watched as Ritchard laid into Casey. If we want to seriously combat the issue of bully-ing, we need to focus not on the fact that bullying happens, but on how to deal with it.

If people take anything away from Casey’s tale, it needs to be this; when it comes down to the wire, you can’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. Nobody else will do it for you, so you can’t be afraid to stand up, to take a stand, and to show your oppressor that you won’t take it anymore. Don’t be afraid to re-port them, to look for help, or to defend yourself against people like Ritchard. In the end, “You are not alone” but even a crowd of people who do nothing is still an easy target for a bully.

Zangief Kid inspiresEvan CarboneBusiness Editor

With the rise of technology, and even just societal changes, certain ‘arts’ have fallen out of practice. As these arts begin to fade it feels as if there’s a distinct cultural absence; the void that was filled by these ‘arts’ is now uncom-fortably obvious. One of the ‘arts’ whose decline I most notice is writing letters.

With the advent of phones, text messaging, instant messaging, and e-mail, no one sits down and actually writes letters anymore. Granted, calls are faster, texting and IMing are easier, and e-mail is more convenient, but there’s something less fulfilling about each.

A letter is exceedingly elegant in its simplicity. That elegance isn’t matched by any other medium; calls are much more spontaneous and lack the direc-tion of a letter, text messages and IMs are limited in scope and are incredibly impersonal, and e-mail, while allowing the same level of detail as a letter, tends to be very cold and detached.

A letter on the other hand, allows for a calculated and guided manner of laying out thoughts and conversing while maintaining a highly personal-

ized feel. Face it: Hand writing will always be more welcoming then any font or text.

Letters used to be the only form of communication, so writing them was necessary. Now though it’s a rarity to see a true letter, and I believe we’ve lost something because of it. Through-out school we learn to argue points in essays, but letters are where we truly learn to make ourselves understood by others. Without letters I feel as if our base level of communication and even our connection to other human beings is lessened. People seem less able to coher-ently connect points or ideas, and when they do it tends to lack a certain finesse, which is truly a shame because there’s an unorthodox beauty in an elegant statement. Letters are (or were) where that skill was honed and perfected.

It wouldn’t kill anyone to write a letter to their grandparents or distant relatives once every now and again. Postage isn’t that expensive, and I’m willing to bet that the surprise and joy expressed by whoever receives the letter will more then cover the cost. Writing letters is also a great practice in gen-eral, and can even be enjoyable, but as it stands this is fast becoming a lost art. Just some food for thought.

Kaitlyn MayFeatainment Editor

Some of us thought we felt it in our junior year; all of our older friends complained of it and we thought we un-derstood, that we had lived vicariously through them. But it seems as though Senioritis is something that can only be fully comprehended through experience. Could you be infected by this crippling disease? We at the Wolf Pack Press look to provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to diagnose, isolate, and treat your symptoms.

Symptom: Perpetual state of drows-iness

The common practice of waking up tired; the constant risk of succumbing to sleep once seated in class. Sufferers commonly experience a lack of energy over the course of the week as sleepiness increases. There is seemingly no cause for this symptom, but it is undoubtedly one of the most detrimental side effects of Senioritis. Seeing as schools continue to start school early (despite numerous sleep studies that prove the current hours keep students continuously sleep

deprived), it seems that the only other alternative is to become a caffeine ad-dict. There are plenty of poisons out there – Starbucks, Rockstar, Monster – and picking your vice can be the high-light of this side effect. (Just be sure to detox over the summer so your heart doesn’t give out, okay?)

Symptom: Lack of concentrationThe state of blissful mindlessness;

zoning out in class, sometimes accompa-nied by trying to find patterns in clouds, tables, or walls. Sufferers tend to find that their concerted efforts to focus are often thwarted before they realize that they’ve been scribbling doodles in their notebooks for the last twenty minutes rather than notes. Common side effects include forgetting what one was just reading, lack of fortitude to do one’s homework, and skipping every other paragraph of assigned reading. The best treatment would be to take frequent breaks: study for a set amount of time, zone out to music for a shorter period, and then resume working. Alternatively, finding a buddy in your class to ‘borrow notes from’ tends to be an effective cure...

“I know I should care but...”

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www.http://wolfpackpress.comTo read this story in it’s entirey and more, visit:

8 Wolf Pack Press OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani Butterfield

On The Quad April 1, 2011

Megan Barnett, Dani ButterfieldOTQ Editors

If you enjoyed the festivities dur-ing lunch yesterday make sure to come out tonight at six for Fiestaval in the cafeteria!

This year student government member Kevin Serano decided to go all out for Woodcreek’s annual Multicul-tural celebration. The week started off with Monday’s spirit day, Patriotic Day, followed by Tacky Tourist Tuesday and

Time Warp Wednesday, leading up to yesterday’s Cultural Day and lunchtime celebration.

Yesterday’s one hour lunch allowed for time to watch the magnificent Taiku Drummer performance and enjoy the picnic atmosphere on the quad with kites games and camaraderie.

Beleive it or not this whole week of spirit days and yesterday’s lunch time events including food, fun and performances were just a preview for the events transpiring tonight!

Tonight student government out

does themselves with one final event of the week: the nighttime Fiestaval celebration! And admission is free!

Come see an array of performances, including claddagh dancers , Polynesian songs with the ukulele and guitar, the Hula, a Russian Song by junior, Vlada Bazilevskaya, a dance from the East Indian Club, a Frak Sinatra song by ju-nior, Derek Thomas, Stomperz, and also a performance by the Spanish Club.

On top of all the exciting cultural displays there will be a fashion show representing attire from different eth-

nicities.Even though the admission is free

there will be vendors present from plac-es like Original Petes and other various restaraunts. So bring some cash!

Upon entrance attendants can purchase tickets for a raffle with prizes ranging from various gift cards. The top prize being four $25 dollar gift cards to Jalisco Grill! The first three tickets you buy cost one dollar and any proceeding tickets will cost one dollar each.

So come on out and enjoy a night of food, fun and cultural celebration!

Join the school for a night of culture at Fiestaval!

Students and staff dress up for Culture Week Spirit Days

On The QuadApril 1, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 9OTQ Editors, Megan Barnett and Dani Butterfield

Jon CanaNewbie Reporter

Most students spent their childhood playing Cops and Robbers, eating Jelly Bellys and taking perpetual minivan rides to school.

Other than growing up in Cebu, Philippines instead of an American town, my childhood consisted of the same elements. I still played games, but rather than Cops and Robbers, we played Patintero & Chinese Garter, common childhood games of many Fili-pino children.

I still snacked on junk food, but rather than Jelly Bellys, I devoured yam-flavored ice cream and Taho, a syrup and sago mix tea, from the less-than-reliable street vendors.

I still went to school, but rather

than minivans, I commuted through jeepney, a festive staple medium of public transportation found throughout the Philippines.

Although life seemed all fun and games, circumstances for my family were not the most suitable. My life of street food, Patintero and jeepney rides came to an abrupt end in 2006 when my family immigrated to the US in search of greener pastures.

Leaving the only lifestyle I had known was a daunting task, assimilat-ing into a new culture was even more intimidating. My years of education in an English-speaking school did not uphold to the thesaurus of slang words used by the other 7th graders in my New Jersey middle school. However, my mom’s packed lunches of rice and chicken adobo did not hasten my adjust-ment either.

Everything was simply different. Amongst a sea of American-raised middle school students, I was one of the few students there who had more than just the struggle of puberty to overcome.

I strived to progress my assimila-tion with each and every day. Images of myself perfecting my usage of the word mad, East Coast terminology for “very”, echo through my mind. (Ironi-cally, I found myself doing the same with “hella” as I moved to California in 2009.)

Beyond the rhetoric and style I had to adapt to, one concept took years for me to grasp- the insurmountable number of opportunities moving to this nation had bestowed me.

For kids raised in Roseville , Califor-nia , or simply even the United States, a lack of opportunities does not pose a problem. American society relentlessly pounds the ideology into us that we live in the “land of opportunity.”

Growing up in the Philippines molded my mind differently. Life was a constant struggle for many of those around me. For my family and me, making it to America had been the light at the end of the tunnel. I grew to be complacent with my circumstances at that point. After all, it was the best I’d ever had. Little did I know that the race

had just begun.Beyond the cultural values of reli-

gion, family and hospitality ingrained in me, there is one irreplaceable thing, I’ve taken from my growing up in the Philipnes, I believe has been the driving force in everything I do. From my mom’s struggle to migrate us here, to leaving many relatives in destitute behind, appreciation shines within me with every blessing I get. Furthermore, zeal burns inside me with every opportunity I stumble upon- opportunities that I’d never find had I never moved half-way across the world.

There is a term for immigrants like myself who immigrated during their teenage years- the 1.5 genera-tion. For those who share this label, our identities have been molded by two cultures. I’ve melded my experiences in the Philippines and the opportunities I come across in America to make who I am today.

This mesh of culture and experience has produced me- Jon Cana, a student with an appreciative commitment to succeed.

Jon Cana shares his experience of blending cultures

Adding to the Melting Pot: the challenges of assimilating into American Culture

Special Section April 1, 2011

10 Wolf Pack Special Section Editor, Justien Matsueda

On June 20, 1997 Robyn Raphael received devastating news. Her five year old son Keaton had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (cancer of the nervous system). Keaton’s diagnosis was completely unexpected; from this day forward, the Raphael family’s lives would never be the same.

After nine long months of extensive che-motherapy cycles, Keaton passed away on February 20, 1998. “Enlightening, empowering, loving and painful” were words Robyn used to describe her jour-ney with Keaton. Having your child diagnosed with cancer is something you never expect to happen to your child, but it left a unique mark on Robyn Raphael.

Robyn founded the K e a t o n R a -phael Memo-rial foundation in 1998 as “A Beacon of Hope for Kids with Cancer”. The char i ty has since grown im-mensely across Northern Cali-fornia and she looks at it as the only way she knows how to battle can-cer. “I wanted to give back to all who supported me”. It was a way for Robyn to channel her pain during her tough times mourn-ing her son’s passing and in doing so; she started to recognize a need wasn’t being fulfilled. There were families everywhere who were entirely lost in their children’s battles with cancer, in dire need of support and information. Robyn’s goal with Keaton Raphael Memorial is to cure those needs and provide assistance and guidance for kids with cancer.

Keaton Raphael Memorial started out by just going door to door in neighborhoods. Robyn never believed it would grow to be as big as it has become today. Two of the biggest events KRM holds are St. Baldrick’s and Walk ‘N Rock. St. Baldrick’s is a foundation that donates hair and money to children with cancer. The event this year will be held at the Galleria Mall in Roseville on Sat-urday March 12 from 12:00pm-4:00pm. At the event you can volunteer, make a

pledge and shave your head to raise aware-ness to conquer kids’ cancer. The second event, Walk ‘N Rock is a 5K charity event that raises money for a variety of child awareness causes and KRM is one of the walk teams. When asked of her favorite event that KRM does, Robyn replied, “Hands down St. Baldrick’s,

it’s the most f u n ; w e shave heads a n d r a i s e money.”

I f e v -eryone could do one thing t o b e n -ef i t chi ld-hood cancer awareness, Robyn sug-gested, “Do-nate your t i m e . ” I t doesn’t nec-essarily need to be money,

just raise awareness and participate in events when you can. It may not seem like a whole lot, but it makes a huge difference in the long run.

If everyone could do one thing to benefit childhood cancer awareness, Robyn suggested, “Donate your time.” It doesn’t necessarily need to be money. It may not seem like a whole lot, but it makes a huge difference in the long run. You can help the Keaton Raphael Memorial on their website which is childhoodcancer.org.

Breana ZamudioStaff Reporter

Mother chooses to fight back Powers celebrates her road to remissionTaylor KrauseStaff Reporter

Think back to when you were 5 years old…think back to kindergar-ten…think back to the days when nothing mattered, and your biggest problem was having the coolest lunch, or winning the jump rope contest going on at recess. When you were five years old, there wasn’t very much on your plate. You had play-dates, still believed in Santa, and your biggest challenge was staying inside the lines when you colored. Now, imagine going to the doc-tors every single morning, taking 6 different types of medicine after lunch, and checking for any new bruises with your mommy and daddy before bed. Imagine being five, and having cancer.

Cathy Powers doesn’t have to “imagine” being five and having cancer because she actually did. Lets start at the begin-ning of it all…. Cathy woke up one morning, just like any other five year old, and went to the kitchen for a sandwich. After her mom said no, Cathy turned away and the piercing sound of her back cracking was the start of a what was sure to be the most eventful day of her young life. Cathy de-scribed the moment as “the ab-solute worst pain I had felt and ever will feel.” After try-ing every thing possible to stop the excruciating pain, Cathy was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed with acute lympho-cytic leukemia. Those three words have since changed her life forever.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia is a blood cancer that attacks children. Although its one of the least intense forms of leukemia, Cathy said she “was in constant pain, was really weak, and had terrible, continuous back pains.” Cathy also explained that she lost all her hair and couldn’t participate in her PE class or even play at recess. When asked how this effected her mentally, Cathy replied, “No five year old should

have the thoughts of “I want my hair back and I’m too young to die” running through their head.” With the treat-ment form this cancer, no one knew how cathy would continue to develop, if she would be able to play sports, be healthy enough to even go to school and do things kids should be able to do with out a second thought.

Between the support of her parents and 3 older siblings, along with all her friends from school, Cathy always held on to hope. When the news first broke about Cathy’s cancer, she explained, “There was a lot of tears. We really didn’t talk because I think we were all

just at a loss for words. This isn’t something you can just plan for, and this is a worst case sanario for most parents. Some of my friends avoided me because all they knew was that something was wrong, but they didn’t know

what. My family wasn’t that close, but they were always by my side.”

“I think cancer really brought everyone in my life together. I became a lot closer to the friends who were there for me, and the cancer really brought my

family together. Everyone put themselves aside and

focus on staying strong as a family for me. We learned to

take nothing for granted.”As the treatment for Cathy’s

cancer began, all her family and friends could do was pray. Cathy got healthier and healthier, and as time passed, school became part of her typical day. Her strength returned and catching up with her friends

was no longer a problem. So as you can see, there’s a happy

ending to this story. September 11th of this year marks the 10th anniversary of Cathy’s remission. The daily doctor visits are over, and although she goes in for check ups every once in a while, the cancer is long gone, and there are no signs of it ever coming back. Cathy is all smiles as she talks about how she can get out of bed every morning without a single worry. All she has to say now is, “I always wonder if it’s going to come back, but at the moment, I feel great! And I’m so thankful to be healthy!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA ROBERTS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROBYN RAPHAEL

WOODCREEK TEAM MEETS THURSDAYS AFTER SCHOOL IN

ROOM 424

Special SectionApril 1, 2011

Justien Matsueda, Special Section Editor

Many generations have been ef-fected with cancer. We hear of loved ones dying due this horrible disease. We walk. We run. We donate. We just want a cure. On top of this epidemic, we have the worst news possible; there are 200 different types of cancer and we only have a small chance of stopping it. The average life expectancy of someone with leukemia is five years after diagno-sis. Pennies for Patients is a fundraiser dedicated to raising money for leukemia and lymphoma. Done across the nation, widely in schools, this organization has been collecting donations since 1994. To add to desire to donate, Pennies for Patients offers a pizza party to the class

with highest amount of donations. From a tally sent out last Friday, Grant Guen-sler was in a strong lead with 465 dol-lars leaving Lisa Edmisten tailing close behind. When asked about his method to success, Guensler stated, “This is first time I have really pushed it everyday in my class. I asked every single student everyday and would not take no for an answer. I was impressed with the kids giving the large amounts; I had one student give well over $100.”

I spoke with Kim Bair as well to inquire about the history of Pennies for Patients on the Woodcreek campus. She said, “We have sponsored a Pennies for Patients drive every year since I have been Activities Director. Some years, we raise a LOT of money (like this

year) and some years we only raise a couple of thousand. This year, we had some AMAZING students leading the charge, and we collected nearly $5500!” Though to many, it’s not about the piz-za party. It’s not about the self gratitude. It’s about the knowledge that your dona-tion will be someone’s chance of living... A ta l l b la ck co f f ee : $1 .63 A grande chai tea latte with soy: $3.40 If one day, instead of indulging in the ridiculous, yet extremely necessary, vice that is Starbucks, use your money to donate. Think about it, 364 days of the year you’re welcome to buy as many drinks with names as long as the list of sugars they contain, but that one day ev-ery year you can instead donate and the money would be going to something far

more important than your caffeine fix. On the path to 6000 dollars, our goal but a minimum, Woodcreek students sift around in backpacks, dig through purses, and push hands into pockets in search of something to donate.

Bair mentioned to me, “It is al-ways inspiring and humbling to see the amount of compassion in our students. This year was no exception. My stu-dents from both Leadership and Student Government were so passionate about raising money this year! It was amaz-ing to see kids make sacrifices JOY-FULLY to help such a worthy cause.” Many generations have been effected with cancer. We hear of loved ones dying due this horrible disease. We walk. We run. We donate. We just want a cure.

Orrey SeveretStaff Reporter

Coach Paul,I remember the day I met you like it was yesterday. We were at the jumps clinic, and I was bent

over the trash can barfing. This was not one of my most shining moments, but you walked over happy as ever. My first thought was, “How can this man be laughing at my misery”. I couldn’t believe you were smiling while I was coughing my lungs up, but then you said, “We’re glad to have you on the team Jackie,” and that’s when I realized how great of a person you were.

From day one of pole vault training, you spent extra time with me after practice. You always saw something in me that I didn’t always see in myself. You wanted me to be good. Always inspiring, encouraging, and laughing at me, you made me good. There was never a time that I came from practice upset. I was always excited, because you made jump higher, run faster, and go harder. You made me better.

During one of our first track meets, I spiked myself pretty bad on triple jump, and I knew you would be ready to help. When I asked if you had something to cover the bleeding, you pulled out a Rugrat band-aid and I started laughing. Paul Sinatra, the BA pole vault coach, carried Rugrat band-aids. You laughed too and said it was better than nothing. After about ten minutes, it fell off, and I came back for something else. You told me to close my eyes. The next thing I knew, you had put athletic tape directly on my cut, said, “You’ll be fine,” and of course smiled.

Making it into Sections was one of the coolest experiences for me, since it was my first year pole vaulting. After clearing a few heights, you decided to put me on a heavier pole. I was terri-fied. Once again though you told me I’d be fine and to push through it. I got ready for my vault, started to run, planted my pole, and ended up landing on my back in the metal planting box. The first thing I heard was you laughing at me. Even though I was upset at first, your laughter made me realize how funny it was and that I just needed to relax and try again. I got up and looked at you. All you did was smile and tell me that I could do it. I ended up clearing the height and getting my personal record for the year.

The minute I heard you were sick, I was heartbroken. I prayed that you would be alright, and sent occasional emails to check up on you. You never really told me what was wrong, just that everything would be ok, like you always did. Then a few weeks later, I got pulled out of class by a counselor saying you passed. I couldn’t believe it, it felt so unreal. The greatest man I had ever known, left my life just as fast as he had entered it. I talked to my good friend Joe Friedrich about everything and he said, “Paul was a good of man. God needed a smiling angel to help him”. That’s what I try to think about anytime I get upset; that you’re up there smiling down on me. My Granny always told me that the people who live their lives to the fullest, positively influencing those around them, are the ones who pass first. There is no arguing that you positively influenced every single person that you blessed with that Paul Sinatra smile. You will be remembered by many, and you will forever be in my heart. I love you, Coach Paul.

Forever and Always, Jackie Hawkins

Dear Paul,

There is so much I wish I could have told you before you passed. I feel so honored to be able to say that I had you as my coach, and was even be able to know you. You were the biggest inspira-tion for me and many other people. You taught me that nothing is impossible, and if I just worked toward my goals then I will succeed.

I know how big pole vaulting was a part of your life, and how amazing you were at it, and that none of us would have been vaulting if it wasn’t for you. Even though you are not here anymore I will always have the memories from these past two years. I remember the day that you asked me to try vaulting my freshman year at the jump clinic, at first I was skeptical considering your driving a pole into a box to get your body in the air. But as soon as practice began I felt so welcome, and knew that I was in good hands. You truly were the greatest coach. You always had the biggest smile on your face, you never had something bad to say to us, and you always gave us the confidence we needed.

During last year’s season when Coach Nick at William Jessup told us you were having surgery for a tumor we were so scared, but we knew you were strong enough to get through it. When you were recovering you were still strong as ever smiling and laughing like always, as if you were never sick. Towards the end of the season I remember that I was having a lot of trouble with making it over 9 feet, but even though I was messing up you just gave me a pat on the back, flashed a smile, and said “It’s okay, cheer up you did your best.” You were always there to push us beyond our limits. That’s what was so amazing about you Coach Paul, even if you were going through hard times you would still be there for others.

When the season ended and I was told you were really sick I was crushed. I was always hop-ing you were getting better, and that we were all going to be able to see you that next season.

What I regret till this day though is the fact that as much as I was praying for you, not once did I go and see how you were doing.

I hope that you knew how much I loved you, and that I’m sorry for not vis-iting. Track will never be the same with-out you, and no coach will ever be able to do what you did. You will always be remembered by me and the many others you inspired, and we all know you will be watching over us for the rest of our lives. I love you so much, Coach Paul. Love,

McCall Habermehl

Wolf Pack Press 11

Beloved Track Coach loses battle with skin cancer April 23, 1962- December 1, 2010

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWN HABERMEHL

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Kaitlyn May12 Wolf Pack Press

KAITLYNJ A Y N E

MAY

Volume 16, Issue 2 April 1, 2011

Evan CarboneBusiness Editor

Dance Gavin Dance recently re-leased their latest effort, Downtown Battle Mountain II, on March 8, which featured original vocalists Jon Mess and, wait for it… Johnny Craig. Before I start the actual review I’ll get this out of the way; regardless of what you think of Johnny Craig, you have to respect the man’s vocal talents and the quality of his body of work, and in the spirit of that non-judgmental attitude I’ll refrain from say-ing anything about Craig as a person.

With all but one of the original mem-bers of Dance Gavin Dance (DGD) return-ing to the band for Downtown Battle Mountain II (DTBM2), one would ex-pect DTBM2 to sound similar in many respects to the original DTBM, which is unsurprisingly the case… mostly. In many ways the members of the band have matured.

Instrumentation wise this is defi-nitely a DGD album. Zany, off the wall guitar lines are still liberally distributed throughout the album (Pounce Bounce comes to mind), but there’s a greater sense of control and less feeling that the band is just showing off. The bass is as inaudible as ever, but unfortunately that’s to be expected at this point with post-hardcore. Drummer Matt Mingus does an excellent job keeping the mu-sic interesting by both maintaining a rhythm for the guitars to weave around and providing excellent fills and transi-

tions throughout the album.Vocally both Craig and Mess are

slightly different then the last time you heard them on the original DTBM; Craig’s cleans are less nasally and whiney and are generally smoother, while Mess’ screams are less full

bodied and aggres-sive, coming off in-stead as slightly forced. Both vocal-ists’ changes are probably a result of natural matura-tion, wear by way of constant use, and alcohol. I feel bass-ist/vocalist Eric Lodge deserves a quick mention for the two or three rap sections he con-tributed to songs l ike Prv i l ous ly Poncheezied and Spooks; they were enter ta in ing i f

nothing else. The vocal patterns used on the album are fairly formulaic, with Craig and Mess trading clean and harsh sections in almost every song. Lyrically DGD just confuses me with lyrics as juvenile as ‘I’m lethally overdosed on pumpkin pie’ in the same song as lyrics as interesting as ‘What’s it like to be an atheist? Are you ok with suicide?’. I personally wish they’d go one way or the other, but I see the appeal of maintaining both the nonsensical and insightful.

Downtown Battle Mountain II, while entertaining, strikes me as safe. Not much has changed since the origi-nal Downtown Battle Mountain, but then, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. At the end of the day if you enjoyed DTMB, then you’ll almost surely enjoy DTBM2.

Kaitlyn MayEditor-In-Chief

Science fiction, the macabre, and fantasy collide in a new blockbuster: Sucker Punch. Written and directed by Zach Snyder (300; Watchmen), this complex epic has been met with mixed reviews. To be sure, the film has its short comings, but depending on the audience – and what you’re in the mood to see – these points can be easily overlooked.

The story opens in 1960’s Vermont with the main char-acter, Babydoll (Em-ily Browning), being left to her abusive step- father who quickly frames her for murder and has her taken to a men-tal institution. Faced with the threat of being lobotomized in five days’ time, Babydoll makes a daring plan to save herself and escape the institution. Along the way, she teams up with four other girls who hope to escape together.

The film is seen through different lenses of one reality: the fantastic inner mind theatre of Babydoll and the glam-orous dance club of Sweet Pea, wherein the asylum is transformed into a bur-lesque joint, the doctor now a dance instructor, the girls the dancers, and the employees the greedy customers. While at first confusing, this symbolic layer of perception is depicted as the

narrator’s way of coping with the dark reality around her.

“Dancing” for the doctor who might save them, the girls look to steal four items to help them find their freedom: a map, fire, a knife, and a key, along with the foreboding of an added fifth

element. While Babydoll distracts the employees – seen through Sweet Pea’s recollections as literally dancing – the other’s attempt to lift the items off of their repres-sors. Each time Babydoll “dances”, the audience is plunged into a highly symbolic fantasyland parallel where the girls fight through hordes of enemies to obtain their items.

Here the special ef-fects shine: a train in space, orcs, dragons, snow covered dojos, twelve foot samurai, and German WWI soldiers reanimated by steam power and clock mecha-nisms. While the director is guilty of using the cli-chéd slow-mo during ev-ery battle, each scene is original and captivating

with phenomenal battle choreography by Damon Caro (choreographer of the Bourne trilogy). It’s clear why Snyder has described his film as “Alice in Won-derland with machine guns”.

Browning and Cornish successfully lead the audience through this tale of repression, trust, and inner strength. Symbolic and aesthetically overwhelm-ing, Sucker Punch manages to be a thought provoking film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and can be enjoyed by any thrill-seeking audience.

With March come and gone, I’ve taken another step towards life on my own. As I had predicted, eighteen didn’t feel any different than seventeen; it wasn’t like becoming a new age group in the Sims accompanied with cheerful melodies and a cloud of sparkles. I don’t feel suddenly enlightened or superior. In fact, I don’t feel like I thought a “legal adult” might feel whatsoever.

Yet, each day I can recognize the change. Two weekends back, I went on my first “road trip” – a weekend with my best friend in Carmel. No parents, no family, just us. Being painfully “straightedge”, no one worried abut our behavior, and that alone reinforced the thought: I am an adult now. I can make my own decisions and they will be (to

some extent) respected. And with that comes a new sense of responsibility.

Amanda and I had the luxury to come and go at our fancy. We ate what we wanted when we wanted. Went to bed and woke up when we wanted. And all the while we were dorking out, “How cool is this?! No parents, no adults… wait… We are adults.”

The entire thing was just surreal. At ages eighteen and nineteen, we still felt like the kids we’ve always been, still needing to check in with parents on a frequent basis or constantly ask for permission to go out on excursions. There was no rendezvous point: none of meeting mom for lunch or returning home to plan out dinner. Just the two of us, the Camry, and limitless options. And I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had because it came with a feeling of utmost freedom.

Eighteen is a great yet awkward age to be. On one hand, I feel ready to

face the world. I’m eager for college, that limited world of like-minded and aged peers. I’m ready to go out and meet new people, to contem-plate where I want to live and do with my life. But I’m not kid-ding myself, either. I never thought I’d say it, but being an adult really is a scary thing. I’d rather not think of the flip side of it: every freedom comes with a price, and usually in the literal sense. How will I balance the college load of school-work with finding a job and making money? Or with pay-ing rent or affording gas, clothes, and groceries?

While I won’t be economically independent for a while

yet, it’s suddenly one of those things on the hori-zon. It’s both terrifying and exciting.

We’re all caught on the precipice now, torn between wanting to hold on to our childhood and the protection and guid-ance of our parents, and wanting to be our own individuals, free to do anything we desire and be responsible only for ourselves.

So while I have my major bouts of seniori-tis, I’ve got to say: turn-ing eighteen has given me some perspective.

These last few months I can use to enjoy the normalcy of high school before mov-ing on to the next adventure.

New Gavin plays it safe

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

PHOTO COURTESY OF RISE RECORDS

Wolf Pack Press 13Co-Editor-in-Chief, Kaitlyn May

FeatainmentApril 1, 2011

Go online for Full Stories, Reviews, Interviews, Artist Profiles and more!SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! www.wolfpackpressonline.com

Nick NguyenOnline Editor

Spider-Man versus Ryu; Dr. Doom versus Chris Redfield; Wesker versus Wolverine; such fights could only take place in the minds of rabid fanboys, or the digital coliseum that is Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Boasting 36 characters from both the Marvel and Capcom universes, MvC3 has stormed the fighting game ring, and taken it by force. MvC3 com-bines the 1v1 conflict of Street Fighter, while bringing its own hyperactive, hilarious, and epileptic nature.

The core mechanics of MvC3 are es-sentially the same as Street Fighter 4; you’ve got your basic combos, punches, kicks, dash attacks, and super moves. However, what’s truly inspiring about MvC3 is the faithfulness to the char-acters and source material for both universes. Like most fighting games, not much is happening in the way of the backstory; two dudes fight, *thump thump thump* “The End”. While MvC3 isn’t necessarily rocking the boat in terms of fighting game elements, that’s not to say MvC3 is an unoriginal game.

What MvC3 brings to the table is

a focus on chains, a new air combo sys-tem, and the snap-back system. MvC3’s pace is what makes the chain system so effective; in no other game would chaining constant com-bo after special after hyper move be appro-priate, and in no other game would it even be remotely fair, but since each player has three characters, the hi-lariously overpowered chain system works. MvC3 also adds the element of air fighting; most characters have ridiculous jumping or flight abilities, allowing for some truly wondrous air-combos, including team air fighting via assists and supports. The snap back ability, combined with a greater focus on chain attacks and the new air combo system, all lend to MvC3’s insane style and awe-some gameplay.

However, with all the praise given, that’s not to say MvC3 is without its flaws; most glaringly amidst the hectic fighting game is the odd camera system.

During the fights the game may sud-denly decide you’re not worthy of atten-tion, casting focus on the background or assist characters; with such a focus

on air fighting and precision of attacks, its very frustrating to have the camera not focus on you at all times. Some char-acters like Hulk take ridiculous amounts of damage, and thus lean towards the top-tier range, but given the support Super Street Fighter 4 had, the balance problems will likely be taken care of down the line.

Overall, MvC3 is definitely a wor-thy pick-up; its fast,

frantic, frenzied, and pure fun at its heart. The heavy focus on fun gameplay, exciting visuals, and the faithfulness to the backstory of every character out-weighs the issues with the camera and balance. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is worth every penny spent, and easily one of the best fighting games on the market.

Brandon RadGuest Reporter

Pokemon has been a game that many of us have grown up and now, just a little after the series’ 13th anniversary in the states, Gamefreak released its fifth installment of the game, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White.

The new elements of gameplay that B&W bring to the table are limited, however loyal fans will enjoy this new generation and newcomers will be wel-comed nicely. The most unique new fea-ture to B&W is that Pokemon from the previous four generations are nowhere to be found: you only encounter the 156 newly introduced Pokemon while follow-ing the main course of the game. Other newer features are rotation battles and triple battles. While triple battles are

straightforward, rotation battles consist of a similar concept, put-

t i n g o u t t h r e e Pokemon at once, but only u s i n g

o n e - o n -one fights,

with the Pokemon leading being able to attack. The Dream World feature

is also new, which is dependent on the Global Link function. Unfortunately, only those who can access wi-fi are able to use it. The Dream World is a place where you can befriend Pokemon you’re not normally able to befriend during the course of the game, similar to the Poke-walker from HeartGold and SoulSilver. Additionally, the seasons change, which provide for new Pokemon, new places, and even different changes between certain Pokemon.

The setting and plot are perhaps the biggest difference, and possibly the best improvement to the Pokemon series. Like all other games, the game takes place in a new region called Unova. But, unlike the other games, Unova is largely based off of New York City, as the oth-ers were based off of regions in Japan. Using the DS’s more powerful engine, the settings and graphics of B&W are stunning, having three dimensional cities and models. Even the graphics in battles have been changed, becoming livelier with all of your Pokemon active-ly moving. Also unlike the other games, you are a teenager, whereas previously you started as a ten year old. You have two rivals, who are also your childhood friends, Cheren and Bianca, who both are intended to act as foils to each other. The biggest development in character is the mysterious character N who you encounter many times throughout the game. Acting as a third rival, he explains

to you his interesting purpose and reason for his doing. Acting as your character foil, he is truly the most developed of any rival in the se-ries. The usually infamous terrorist group is no different than others, except for showing a perhaps more realistic purpose and much more dedicated cause.

The game is awfully linear, but en-tertaining nonetheless. The usual gym leaders now show significant character development as you meet them before and after your fight with them. Once you beat the game, with credits rolling, a whole second part of the map opens up, giving you many other things to do, along with the Battle Subway feature. As soon as you beat the game, you are essentially set off to tie up loose ends within the game’s plot and also finish the National Pokedex, which now consists of all 649 Pokemon. As a little added bonus, the game even pays homage with a cameo appearance from someone from the immediate previous generation.

All in all, people who love Pokemon will not be disappointed by the new installment, while newcomers will be just as pleased.

Evan CarboneBusiness Editor

One of the most frightening parts about following a band is the interim between the announcement of a new album and an album’s actual release. It’s during this period of time that hype begins its rapid elevation of an album to unattainable expectations, but also when the possibilities of what a new album could be fully sink in. We always hope a favorite band’s new album will be fantastic, but it could also be a complete dud, or, worst of all, it could be an extraordinarily average album. Enter Panic! At the Disco (Panic!).

After the brilliance that was A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (Fever) and the misstep of Pretty. Odd. (P.O.), the newest Panic!, Vices & Virtues (V&V), could have gone either way. Unfortunately V&V can’t seem to make up its mind.

With hand clap/stomp sections and unique interludes peppered throughout the album, V&V retains the quirkiness of P.O. while avoiding the underwhelming and uninspired instrumentation and song writing that plagued it. What V&V lacks is the over the top energy, biting sar-casm, and pointed satire that made Fever fantastic. In essence, V&V lacks passion.

Everything about V&V screams average. Instrumentation is fairly basic, but with enough memorable guitar lines and catchy hand claps to keep attention. Lyrically and structurally Panic! have fallen; gone are the mocking titles and unique song structures of Fever, which have instead been traded for standard verse-chorus-verse songs and slightly-better-than-average lyrics that try to criticize but end up coming off as con-trived. Even flow wise V&V struggles, with the strongest tracks making up the beginning and end of the album while the middle of the album tends to blend together.

Panic! are capable of creating an epic album, but as it stands V&V falls squarely between Fever and P.O.; an average album that won’t offend anyone but does absolutely nothing unique or brilliant, either. If you’ve enjoyed Panic! At the Disco in the past V&V will appeal to you, but don’t expect anything near equivalent to A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Fin-gers crossed that the next album will measure up.

Marvelous fast-paced fun in Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Mediocre New Panic!

PHOTO COURTESY OF NINTENDO

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTIC RECORDS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPCOM

16 Wolf Pack Press Sports Editor, Matt George

April 1, 2011Volume 16, Issue 2

MattC l a r k

It’s time to discuss more NBA, but not just a single team or the quality of fans. The playoffs are almost upon us, and as the season comes to a close its time to really decide which teams have the best shot of going all the way. Let’s begin with the east. First off it’s completely obvious that the east is a far easier division to play in and make the playoffs in then the west. You want proof? The Pacers are in the eighth spot, it doesn’t get much weirder then that. Nothing against the Pacers, they are my favorite team in the east, but no team with a 32-42 record deserves to be anywhere near the playoff bracket let alone holding the eighth spot. The Charlotte Bobcats are only two games behind them but even still there are three different teams with more wins then the both of them in the west that aren’t in the Playoffs. Anyway, the Pac-ers I believe will hold on to the eighth spot and finally make the playoffs. Un-fortunately for them they will have to deal with Derrick Rose and the number one seed Bulls who will blow them out of the water. My prediction; no upset here, Bulls win 4-0. In the next spot the Boston Celtics, searching for their third consecutive Finals appearance will face the struggling number seven seed New York Knicks that have dropped unex-pectedly since the Carmelo Anthony trade. My prediction; Celtics win in six games, take series 4-2. Next, number three seed Heat vs. sixth seed 76’ers. Heat will win in five games, 4-1. For the number four and five seeds Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks, not to much of a surprise, Magic win in six games, 4-2.

For the first round in the west, the eight and seven spots, currently held by the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets, are currently in jeopardy of losing there spot to the close behind Houston Rockets. If in fact the brackets were to stay the same, The Spurs would sweep the Grizzlies and the Lakers would beat the Hornets in five games, 4-1. Number three Dallas and number six Portland will probably be the best series in the first round but Dallas will win in 6. Number four Thunder and number five Denver will be another excellent series but still no upsets, Thunder will win in 6. These predictions are completely unsafe from being changes so they are not my locked in predictions. The east on the other hand is complete.

I am also one hundred percent sure that Blake Griffin will win rookie of the year, Derrick Rose will win MVP, Jason Terry will win sixth man of the year, Dwight Howard will win defen-sive player of the year, Kevin Durant will win offensive player of the year or scoring champion, and as for the coach of the year, Bulls coach Tim Thibodeau has the best chance to win it.

What time is it? Playoff time!

George

Megan AdamsStaff Reporter

Spring is finally here and this means one thing: baseball season is starting. Baseball is America’s favorite pasttime and it’s time to come out and support the Timberwolves in their 2011 season.

The Timberwolves have not looked so well these past few years. Last year under Head Coach Kelly Mayo’s lead, the team had a record of 9-17. With last season not being one of their fin-est, senior Jonathan Nutter and junior Steven Nogosek held the team on their shoulders. Nutter had the highest BA of .435 while Nogosek trailed not too far behind with a .411.

“We stay after and work hard every day,” said Mayo, who commented on what he is doing for the boys to help them improve out on the field,

“We need to improve defensively,” he said. “That’s been a big downfall for us for a while and we work hard at it; but when they get in the games, kids got to play. So in order for us to be success-ful, we have to improve defensively”.

Well nobody is going to hold the team on their shoulders this season. The team this year is shaping up well

compared to last season. “I think this season we have a really

young, but talented group. A lot of talent is coming up from the sophomores last

year who are juniors now and I think we've got actually a lot of talent,” said senior Sam Anderson.

Despite the last few season’s re-cords of fewer than 11 wins, returning junior Shaun Mize has high hopes for this season.

“Overall as a team, we have been having great practices and we’re con-tinuing to get better,” said Mize. “Our goals are definitely to win SFL and go to playoffs this year. Once we’re in the playoffs you never know, a section title might be in the hopes.”

As a rookie on the team this year, junior Bobby Pajer is looking forward to his first season on varsity and hopes to be able to offer his full potential to the team.

Pajer plans to “take a lot of BP [batting practice] and work on the fun-damentals” this season.

While Pajer prepares for his first season with the Timberwolves, this is Anderson’s third season with the team and he is looking for a big win before he leaves.

“I want to get a W [win],” says An-derson. I haven’t gotten a W pitching yet. So hopefully I get a W - but not for me, for my team,” Pajer said.

Bobby Pajer (#2) is ready to start play.PHOTO BY MEGAN ADAMS

916.780.2010

April 1, 2011

Wolf Pack Press 17Sports Editor, Matt George

Sports

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Cassandra Canthal, Breanna ZamudioSpecial Section Co-Editor, Staff Reporter

When senior Sam Anderson--a center for the basketball team-- in-jured himself in a game against Wood High School, junior Luke Summers received his first chance to step in and show his true skills on the court.

In the first game at Power Balance Pavilion, Summers completely took over Anderson’s po-sition for the first time. The game at Power Bal-ance Pavilion was a big one: it was the Semi-finals for sections.

When asked how he felt stepping in for Anderson, Summers re-sponded by saying, “I was extremely nervous but excited at the same time.”

Due to the fact that Summers had big shoes to fill, he trained differently for the Power Balance game. “I thought about what I had to do to makeup for Sam not playing. I had more focus and a bigger job, especially since the game was at Power Balance Pavilion.”

He did extremely well that game scoring a season high of 10 points. After the game, there was an abundance of

wall posts on Facebook, complementing Summers and telling him how proud the school was of his performance in the game.

“I really appreciated it; it hurt really bad to lose, but the fact that ev-eryone was so supportive really helped me recover from being depressed,” said Summers.

Summers played the rest of the season at the center position in place of Anderson. He looks up to Anderson and said, “He really coached me and was a role model for me. I looked up to him to see how I could be better.”

Summers ended the season with 29 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He especially loved scoring the last 5 points at the semi-final game to put the Timber-wolves up by one point against the Titans.

Even though the season is now over after a loss to Archbishop Mitty, on March 19th, Summers is still keeping active, transitioning to volleyball. Not only is Summers an excellent athlete-- playing sports all year long-- he also finds time to take rigorous courses and focus on his future.

This athlete is sure to impress us next year, and we will have many op-portunities to watch him excel.

Summers finishes strong on the court

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Who said football was an all boy’s sport? Woodcreek High school, along with other high schools in the area have reinvented that stereotype.

A couple o f years back, some girls from Woodcreek asked administration if they could play football. The administration along with student government agreed.

Woodcreek’s pow-der puff team consists of seven girls playing on each team coached by football players “who know and love the game well enough to teach others,” stated Mark O’Hair.

In year’s past, the games’ athletic coaches referred the games, but dis-crepancies among players resulted in disputes and conflicts between opposing classmates, so this year things took a change in that area and professional referees were hired for this year’s sea-son.

Freshman Monique Meijhorado said she chose to play in powder puff for this first time because, “my friends

are doing it and I want to show that not just boys can play football.”

Sophomore Tate Renville stated she chose to participate in powder puff this year because, “I played football for 6 years and I’m good at it.”

J u n i o r, A l e x i s Lokey chose to par-ticipate in powder puff this year because, “I like football,”

Many of these girls have little to no experi-ence in football. Over the course of a week, the girls get a crash course in plays, field positions, and how to score the all important touchdown.

Coaches split girls into offense, defense, coordinate positions, and work on passing and blocking.

One thing that has caused quiet a commotion among players is the rule changes put in place for “protection of the players”. Monique said, “They need to loosen up! They’re taking all the fun out of it!”

Another concern is the weather, which has already caused a cancellation and date change. One things for sure, this years powder puff is sure to be an exciting one, rain or shine!

Lauren Anderson, Taylor KrauseStaff Reporter

Powderpuffs a comin’

Graphics By Brooke Benson

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Summers cuts down net at final home game.

PHOTO COURTASY OF LUKE SUMMERSPHOTO BY KYLE RAYL/TIMBERWOLF PHOTO

Seniors team is ready to de-stroy their junior competition.

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Cowboys

49’ersYankeesPackers

16 Wolf Pack Press Back Page Editors, Megan Hoehenrieder and Jake Haakenson