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gryffindor recruits

Students bring wizarding sport to campus, complete with brooms and Bludgers.

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theLANCER

Volume XLIX, Issue 4 + December 15, 2010 + Thousand Oaks High School + 2323 N. Moorpark Rd. + Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 + www.tohsthelancer.org

Dance salutes The Big AppleiLLuMinAtion—From left, senior Taryn Thomp-son, junior Sari Terrazas, sophomore Nycolle Quezada, senior Rachel Handelsman and senior Emily Hops perform the “Tribute to Balanchine” dance to Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade in C Major,” taking audience members to the New York City Ballet. “I was incredibly nervous because this was my first year in [winter concert], but I’m glad I could be part of it,” Quezada said. “Many hours and bruises were put into the show, but they were all worth it.”

PAIGE cursonContributing Writer

Dancers leapt into the fast-paced rhythm of “A Day in New York City” in this year’s winter dance concert Dec. 2-4 in the PAC.

Dancers from intermediate classes, advanced classes and dance team showed off the moves that they had perfected in the past two months. The sold-out show was set in the heart of New York City.

“[It] highlights a lot of the main destination and events,” dance team member freshman Erin Callahan said. True to the theme, the show took audience mem-bers to the New York City Ballet, Central Park and Grand Central Station.

This year’s focus on New York created a variety of different reactions among the dancers.

“[The show] was a lot more focused on music and a lot of current cultures,” dance team member junior

Nikki Palmer said. The dances showed certain aspects and experiences associated with New York .

“It was a theme you could do a lot of different dances to,” advanced class member junior Taylor Jones said. Each year the dance concert centers around a different theme; last year’s was “Artistry in Motion.”

“You couldn’t compare them,” dance teacher JaLeen Murphy said.

Murphy also said that next year, dancers are going to try to learn some of the choreography sooner, since she felt that some of the dances were not as polished as they could have been.

Among the different performances was a 9/11 tribute performed by seniors.

“It made you think about the loss of people close to you,” Palmer said. Dancers sought to express passion and heartbreak by portraying the amount of loss 9/11 caused the nation.

“We wanted the kids to attach to the tragedy that happened to our country,” Murphy said. She specifi-cally chose seniors for the dance because she felt that they were more capable of putting in the emotion that was vital to the message of the performance

The production did not only include dance. Come-dic duo sophomores Michael Seltzer and Alex Karukas also accompanied the show.

“They added humor to the production and really brought out the theme,” audience member junior Jan-ine Sobers said.

The show, which featured several student-choreo-graphed numbers, proved to be a hit amongst family and students.

“This year they had more student [involvement],” audience member senior Jessyca Tabor said. “I thought it was really cool that they gave students the freedom to express themselves and show them their best work.”

Jazz celebrates the holiday spirit

brAss—Junior Daniel Luo plays the tenor saxophone at the winter jazz concert Dec. 9 in the PAC. The concert also featured the Los Cerritos Middle School Jazz Band.

RAFAEL AnchetANews Editor

Performing selections from songs such as “All or Nothing at All” by Frank Sinatra and “Christmas Time is Here” arranged by David Pugh, TOHS’s AM Jazz Ensemble performed a free winter-themed concert Dec. 9 in the PAC.

The 20-member band participated in the winter con-cert together with the Los Cerritos Middle School Jazz Band.

//cont. on page 2 » Jazz

ALEX MASuOkA » THE LANCER

RAFAEL ANCHETA » THE LANCER

news page 2 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Jazz band celebrates holiday cheer in winter concert

//cont. from page 1 » Jazz

“From an organizing and performance perspective it was one of our best concerts in years,” band director Marty Martone said.

Improvised solos and outgoing new members added to the concert’s overall energy and musical achieve-ment. Martone attributes much of the concert’s success to the band’s unique group dynamics and underly-ing friendships.

“The camaraderie of the team is so positive that it creates an atmosphere to perform and get better,” Mar-tone said. “It makes learning and growing as perform-ers easier.”

Intimacy between the members of the band keeps room for growth and encourages members to help one another improve.

“Individual musicianship is more equal on an ad-vanced level,” Martone said.

With such a strong foundation for success, Martone maintains an air of optimism for the band and hopes for continued improvement among all members.

“The junior class of this year has fantastic musicians and they will only get better next year,” junior Tory Klein said.

The performance was not without its fallbacks, how-ever, although band members characterized points of improvement as minor.

“I think we can do a lot better as a rhythm section, personally,” Klein said, “and we have room for im-provement on balance and blend.”

The band will continue to focus on improving upon past performances.

As Martone puts it, “How good can we really be?”

looking forward—Math teacher Jayna Lovo has taught at TOHS for seven years. She will be leaving for the district office at the start of the second semester.

Jen SmithStaff Writer

Staff and students will say goodbye to a veteran math teacher next semester.

Math teacher Jayna Lovo will leave to accept the position of data coach at the CVUSD office. This will mean leaving her full-time teaching post, a move she has mixed feelings about making.

“I was assisted in getting the job by a WASC recom-mendation. I oversee the 26 schools in CVUSD,” Lovo said.

The mathematics department is also sad to see her off. Next door to Lovo, math teacher Patti McNamara says she will miss talking with her fellow instructor.

“It’s great to have someone heading that [district] department, but for the students, it’s a loss,” McNa-mara said.

A California native, Lovo grew up in Ventura Coun-ty and has been teaching at TOHS for seven years, her first teaching job. She will depart for her new job after the semester ends, leaving an empty position.

“We’re going to miss her,” geometry teacher James Park said. “[Lovo] is very capable and will be benefi-cial as data coach.”

Not only staff members will regret seeing Lovo leave. Many of her students, former and current, remember the times that they had in her classes. Senior Scott Hen-drickson recalls Lovo’s unique teaching methods.

“We watched the TV show Numb3rs during class,” he said. “She was awesome.”

Despite receiving new opportunities, Lovo hates to leave her students and her longtime position.

“I’m excited, but sad,” she said. “I’ll miss my stu-dents.”

Eannual copy quota

copy consumption september - november

1.5m

1.1m

300,000

620,000

2009 2010

ALex cHen » THe LAncer

Technology counters increased copy use

Lovo leaves for district

ALex ChenNews Editor

nglish teacher Teri Sanders pays for her own copies. Every copy her students see comes out of her pocket and hers alone, not the school’s.

“Other teachers need the copies in order to meet their curriculum goals,” Sanders said. “Additionally, it is my hope that funds saved by keeping my copying cost low can directly provide more opportunities for our students.”

As a school, however, TOHS is moving in the op-posite direction. In September and October alone, the school made around 445,000 copies, more than double the number in the same time period last year.

Because nearly a third of the 1.5 million paid copies last year were unused, the annual budget was reduced to only over 1 million copies this year.

“We didn’t want to pay for more copies that we wouldn’t be using,” Principal Lou Lichtl said.

Even if future copying stays to the projected 100,000 monthly copies, overuse will already cost more than $2,000, a sum that will be drawn from department bud-gets, according to library clerk Connie Peters.

“Somehow the books will balance this year, but it’ll come out of department budgets next year,” Peters said. “The only way to take that money away is from next year.”

Supply and demand »The origins of this year’s overuse are still unclear, as

several possible factors changed from previous years. Many point to a number of new classes and levels.

Sue Ann Bryant, a biology teacher last year, now teaches economics.

“Because this is a subject that I haven’t taught at this school, I have to do all the setup materials,” Bry-ant said. New classes demand new class sets of ma-terials, including assessments, activities and handouts. “There’s a tremendous startup,” Bryant said.

Usage estimates based on copy consumption in 2009 may not fit actual usage because of less accountability.

“One of the concerns [is] the way the copier is set up,” biology teacher Ashley Cooper said. “There is no counter function. I have no idea [how many copies I’ve made].”

Department heads became accountable for copy sta-tistics after the faculty clerk position was removed. In contrast, on previous leases, individual teachers could keep track of their own copies on a physical counter.

“It is possible for us to keep track,” Peters said, “[but] there’s no way [for teachers] to look in the com-puter and see how many copies they’ve made.”

Also among adjustments was the removal of a copy limit for each teacher.

“This year, Mr. Lichtl told us that [the limit] was unreasonable and for the time being that there was no limit on the number of copies we could make,” English teacher Jon Fleming said.

The administration felt that the limit restricted both teachers and students.

“If teachers feel like they need these copies in the classrooms,” Lichtl said, “we don’t want to get in the way of their instructional programs.”

The copy budget this year was based on last year’s usage, which failed to make use of a third of paid cop-ies. The number of unused copies, however, more likely reflected the use of the limit rather than actual demand. This year, without the limit, copier usage spiked.

“[With a limit,] you know where to stop,” Peters said. “If you take that wall away, you can push as far as you want.”

Without the limit, teachers no longer have to seek copies outside of what the school provides, a personal cost that many shouldered in previous years.

“Between what I’d print at home and the printer in the classroom, [it cost] $25 a month, at least,” Fleming said.

English and US Government and Politics teacher Brinden Wohlstattar estimated her personal copying expenses last year at about $32 a month, on average.

“Last year I used [my personal printer] a tremendous amount,” she said.

For some, however, no limit is not an incentive.“We still give up our own personal time to make

copies,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t make one bit of differ-ence for me because I try to be frugal about it.”

Further, teachers are still generally aware of account-

It’d be nice if the fairy godmother of copying just appeared. Poof! You get it for free!

-library clerk Connie Peters

“

”

ability, even without the presence of restrictions.“You can relax a little when it comes to copying,”

Fleming said, “but you’re still held responsible.”

moving away from print »The administration is seeking to stem overuse pri-

marily with greater amounts of technology in the class-room. Lichtl estimates that it is possible for teachers to reduce copying to 70 to 80 percent of copies made last year with the help of technology.

“[Technology is a] small drop in the bucket,” Lichtl said, “but in the long haul, is huge savings.”

According to Lichtl, with enough technology and training, teachers will be able to reduce the use of print. With this and enhancing instruction in mind, the administration placed Promethean boards, projectors, document cameras and tablets in classrooms.

“I’m rarely [visiting] a classroom where I don’t see the technology being used,” Lichtl said.

Some have adopted technology readily. In the library, librarian Sarah Burns teaches literary criticism, lessons that used to consume impressive amounts of paper.

“As a library, we were copying 12-page handouts for all the students,” Peters said. “Now we have it on Pow-erPoint or the Promethean [board].”

For her, technology plays more than just a substi-tute role for print—students have to absorb information through their own notes, rather than printed handouts.

“[With a handout], you don’t get the depth of infor-mation you might need,” Peters said. “A handout is just not as good.”

Others contest the ability of technology to supplant print in the classroom.

“I think [technology] has the power to reduce cop-ies somewhat but not significantly,” Bryant said. “The PowerPoints and the document [cameras are] my infor-mation going out to them. I need stuff coming back to me for assessment.”

For these people, paper will continue to play an inte-gral role in education.

“Anybody who thinks that in the next 5 years we’re going to be a paperless society has not looked in the classroom,” Bryant said.

Others note that teachers may not be able to use the technology to the fullest, due to inadequate training and insufficient funding.

“If the teachers are appropriately trained, our school will be more sustainable,” Cooper said. “But for the al-lotted time and staff budget, yes, TOHS and the admin-istration are doing the best they can to implement an increased amount of technology in every classroom.”

Because formal training may not always be fiscally possible, Lichtl hopes for teachers to train each other.

“Once you get a critical mass of teachers, they start learning from their peers,” he said. “I think we’re see-ing a lot of that.”

wait and see »After leadership became aware of overuse, copier

usage in November did drop significantly from the high levels of the first two months—a drop of about 11,000, according to Peters.

Nevertheless, November’s copy count was still high-er than that of last year.

Implementation of limits remains a possibility, after evaluation in March.

“We can still implement the limits,” Peters said, “but I hope we don’t go that way.” Accepting the costs this year and accommodating more copies next year is also an option, so as to not restrict teachers.

“I think we’ll resolve it over time,” Lichtl said. “It’s really a small amount of money.”

Nevertheless, in an era of tight budgets, overspend-ing on copying still remains an issue.

“It’d be nice if the fairy godmother of copying just appeared,” Peters said. “Poof! You get it for free!”

If teachers feel like they need these copies in the classrooms, we don’t want to get in the way of their instructional programs.

-Principal Lou Lichtl

“

”

Anybody who thinks that in the next five years we’re going to be a paperless society has not looked in the classroom.

-economics teacher Sue Ann Bryant

“

”

NEWS page 3 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Robotics finishes in semifinalsJacob MarkusCopy Editor

It was the quarterfinals of the National Robotics League competition, as senior Jake Babich tinkered with the controls of the loyal robot in front of him. He, along with the other students of the Robotics Club, traveled to CSU Northridge to explore the intricacies of robotic engineering and programming on Dec. 11, competing with two robots.

In one of the closest matches at the competition, one Thousand Oaks team pulled ahead of other competitors and went on to finish as a semifinalist.

“We were determined, and though it was stressful at times, we performed really well,” Babich said.

The Robotics Club prepared for this event months in advance. Every day at lunch and often after school, they would meet in adviser physics teacher Doris Mac-Donald’s room or the metal shop.

Each year’s competition has different activities that the robots’ designs must address. In the most recent event, participants had to create robots that could pick up plastic donut-like structures and drop them neatly on a spindle.

Matches were organized into three rounds, with two

teams competing per round. Though deceptively sim-ple, participants noted the complex strategy involved. Robots could be programmed to place the donuts on spindles to score points or alternatively to remove the donuts from competitors’ spindles to take points away from them. For extra points, the robots could climb a ladder near the end of the round.

There was also a two-minute time constraint on individual rounds. On top of time not being on com-petitors’ side, the music and cheering of the audience posed added to the tension.

“The atmosphere makes it exciting. People are depending on you and that makes it more thrilling,” Babich said. The environment is as electrifying as the motors that run the robots themselves, though those tend to stagnate from time to time, causing more anxi-ety for the teams.

The Robotics Club will be cooperating with New-bury Park and La Reina in the future to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) in 2011. When faced with the challenges that lay ahead, Babich is modest.

“It’s not really that complicated,” Babich said, “just big metal Lego pieces.”

Toy drive changes handsTOHS is hosting the annual ASB second-period toy

drive on Dec. 9–16 under the Ventura County Fire De-partment instead of the Marines’ Toys for Tots service.

“There were some miscommunications we had with the Marines, [such as] their inability to both deliver the boxes and pick up the actual toys,” ASB secretary senior Lindsay Baffo said. “ASB decided that as long as the toys were going to children in need the labels themselves don’t seem to matter to much.”

The fire department will pick up the toys in front of the office Dec. 16 at lunchtime. Students are welcome to watch the transfer.

-Rafael Ancheta

Marine biology to visit aquarium despite break-in

Marine biology teacher Steve Nardi’s class will still visit the Aquarium of the Pacific on Dec. 15 in spite of a break-in over Thanksgiving break.

According to the administration, the crime was com-mitted for the aquarium trip funds, which Nardi stored in a safe outside the classroom. No money was stolen, although the intruder broke a window and television.

“Our investigation did lead to a perpetrator,” Princi-pal Lou Lichtl said, “and that situation has been dealt with.”

-Alex Chen

Newspaper wins awardsThe Advanced Journalism class attended the NSPA/

JEA High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City, MO on Nov.11–14.

Seven students won write-off awards at the conven-tion and the newspaper itself won 1st place of Best in Show in the 16-20 page category.

-Rafael Ancheta

Astronaut to visitThe School-to-Career Office will feature astronaut

Marsha Ivins on Dec. 16 in the PAC. She will speak about her career and answer questions. Ivins has flown in space five times and is currently a NASA employee.

-Alex Chen

Rafael anchetaNews Editor

Since 1971, Larry Gray has worked at TOHS unwav-eringly. Throughout his 39 years as a night custodian, he has seen the school develop from its once small be-ginnings to the larger facility it is today.

After this lengthy term, he recently retired to enjoy his own free time.

Born in Ventura, Gray attended school both in Ven-tura and Oxnard schools before joining the United States Army.

“I loved [the Army],” Gray said. “I liked the idea of traveling, I got to see a lot of places I wouldn’t see if I wasn’t in the military.”

Gray served as a diesel mechanic in the Army, re-pairing and maintaining cars, tanks and other equip-ment while visiting such places as Germany, Belgium and Korea.

He found his way to Thousand Oaks during a short-term occupation opportunity program at Oxnard High School. During the program he was transferred to Thousand Oaks because it was still part of the Ventura School District at the time.

“I was supposed to stay for 30 days,” Gray said. “I ended up staying 39 years.”

Gray liked the job security and steady pay, because he now had a family to support, so he decided to stay in Thousand Oaks as well as pursue a degree in Police Science at Ventura College.

Custodian Allen Brnham stayed on at the school af-ter Gray left, and also has 39 years on record. Through-out his time here, Brnham got to know Gray as a friend and coworker.

“He was a hard worker and our lead night man,” said Brnham. “He was hard, but he was fair.”

At the same time; Brnham described Gray as a man who spread an air of joy around him.

“He joked a lot,” Brnham said. “He keeps you laugh-ing.”

Gray respected the school while working here and took pleasure in getting to know the staff.

“I would like to thank the staff who served by me. I enjoyed working by them and working with the school

as a whole,” Gray said. Now retired, Gray plans to work on his personal

project of restoring old cars, notably a ‘52 Chevy De-luxe, a Dodge Charger and a Chevy pickup.

He also plans to visit his children in Atlanta, Geor-gia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington D.C. later in the spring. But as for the school, Gray will always keep it in his memory.

“I liked to say I really liked my time there, I really enjoyed myself with the teachers and all,” Gray said. “It was a great experience.”

Joyce tanContributing Writer

Every day during first period in the computer lab, stu-dents have the opportunity to move closer to graduation by attending an online school.

This program, called Cyber High, is a credit recovery program started in 2009 that enables students to make up credits through independently paced online courses. Its cur-riculum provides all state-accredited classes except some, such as science classes that involve hands-on labs.

“The program offers students who need to make up work a chance to graduate,” English teacher and Cyber High in-structor Robin Bromberg said.

Senior Alyxx Small has already completed two courses this year and has one course remaining until she is caught up with her credits. This is Small’s first year in Cyber High.

“Without this program, I would have a lot of classes to make up,” Small said. “It’s a quiet environment so it’s a lot easier to get your work done. And it goes a lot faster than normal classes. Not recommended for those who have short attention spans though.”

Like Small, this is junior Justin Harbison’s first year in the program.

“It lets me bring my credits back up so I can graduate,” Harbison said. “It goes a lot faster, and overall, it’s pretty easy.”

Like regular classes, there are quizzes, tests, videos, es-says, novels and textbooks that correspond to courses.

“The difficulty really varies by student and course. Some students can get through a course in six weeks and some longer,” Bromberg said.

As teacher and mentor of Cyber High, Bromberg is responsible for the many tasks involving students and the online curriculum.

“I enroll students in their classes, help them with their assignments and monitor their essays, quizzes and tests.” Bromberg said. “Students are taking different courses so my work with them is one-on-one.”

With her help, students have made up for lost time, suc-cessfully obtaining credits and closing in on graduation.

“I am fortunate to have wonderful students who are mo-tivated to learn,” Bromberg said. “It’s a great joy to assist in their progress and to share in their success.”

2nd annual Sustainability Summit

Pacfriday, January 7

The Sustainability Summit, planned by Geosciences CP teacher Heather Far-rell and Biology CP teacher Ashley Coo-per, will feature local speakers on environ-mental sustainability.

KaRl bRuSKotteR City of Santa Monica

“buying green & toxic chemicals”

RicK fReedCVUSD Energy Manager

“the case for con-servation and what schools are doing to help”

John bRooKSCity of Thousand Oaks Dept. of Public Works

“Sustainability prac-tices, green business certification and green jobs in our area”

JoRdan howaRdSurfrider Foundation

“Rise above plastics”

lauma JuRKevicSCA Dept. of Water Re-sources

“climate change at water Resources”

maRy maRanvilleCREEC Network

environmental educa-tion programs”

Ron manwillCity of Thousand Oaks

“creek impairments in thousand oaks”

Program helps students catch up on credits

Night custodian leaves after 39 years of service

Rebecca SylveRS » the lanceR

nuts anD BOLts—Senior Jake babich prepares his robot, helldozer, on dec. 10, a day before the national Robotics league competition at cSu northridge. helldozer advanced to semifinals in the competition.

alex maSuoKa » the lanceR

haPPY retIreMent—larry Gray celebrates his retire-ment after 39 years of employment with tohS staff.

Ed/OP page 4 issue 4december 15, 2010}{

Hits and Misses: What’s Up and What’s down with The Lancer

Hit: Beatles on iTunes. It’s been a Long and Winding Road, but they are now finally Here, There, and Everywhere.

Miss: Stanford. What more do you want from us?

Hit: Obama on Mythbusters. Obama is the most culturally adept president ever: Confirmed.

Miss: Teddy Roosevelt, his ego ideal, spent his time trust-busting. Obama spends his time...Mythbust-ing.

Hit: Thor. Then Ironman 3. Then Hulk 2. Then Captain America. Then all of them in one.

Miss: Miley Cyrus’ soon to be infa-mous bong hit. It wasn’t illegal, but for Hannah Montana, it might as well have been.

Hit: Winter break. Fun-wise, Thanks-giving was merely an appetizer.

Extra credit, controversy“It’s all right; I’ll raise my

grade with some extra credit.”That statement, no matter how

commonplace it may be now, might be disappearing from the mouths of students in the near future.

The leadership committee, made up of the department chairs of each subject and the adminis-tration, have instated a new rule that discourages teachers from giving out extra credit that is un-related to the class itself.

By doing so, they have done away with something that stu-dents have relied on throughout their school careers for some ex-tra help with their grades.

This rule will severely limit the amount of opportunities that students will have to improve

their grade with extra credit. For example, the staple method

of acquiring extra credit, bring-ing in tissue boxes, will vanish, as it goes against the new rules. However, assignments such as current events in English, history

and science classes will still al-low students to earn extra points.

Extra credit assignments al-low students another opportunity to learn the material, which will give them more benefits than just the extra points.

Where the rule runs into prob-lems is in the issue of charity drives. While it may be pleas-ant to think that students will give out of the goodness of their hearts, the truth is that because extra credit is often offered adds more motivation than simply the joy of giving.

It’s hard to guess how the ab-sence of this added motivation will affect the outcome of the charity drives, but it’s probably safe to say that it won’t have a positive effect.

By allowing students to donate goods for extra credit, the com-mittee argues, teachers are allow-ing students to simply purchase their grades. It is unfair, they say, that students who work hard but might not necessarily have the

money to spend on toys and food items can get the same grades as their peers, who might have ignored their homework, but brought in a turkey for the food drive.

While this is a valid point, it must be said that often the extra credit received is minimal, and only truly affects those on the fence between grades.

It’s admirable that this new rule attempts to level the playing field for all students. However, the methods through which it tries to accomplish its goals are admit-tedly flawed, as it ends up un-willingly hurting some of those it tries to help.

ST

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DanIEL ScHecHterGuest Writer

A new reality television show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, (also known as The Longest, Most Involved and Expensive Political Campaign Ad Ever), premiered Nov. 14 on TLC.

Previews show picturesque scenes of life inside and out of the Palin home, including a shot of 16-year-old daughter Willow sneaking a boy up to her bed-room

Everybody knew Palin, along with many on the far right, run on false morals, but this, or the idea of this, at least, casts a direct glare on a truth already so harsh and ugly.

Obviously the are aware of what is going on in their own home, as they are in constant communication with the ever-present camera people, and they have some sort of say over what goes into the show—aka an ad-mittedly very loosely scripted story arc, but one that still revolves around planned events.

So this means that Sarah, or the writing team she controls, talked to Willow, asked her to talk to her as-sumed 16-year-old boyfriend, who she then convinced to appear on nationally-broadcast television in a scene masquerading as wink-wink “harmless relatable teen-age misdoings” so that Palin would have an opportu-nity to, at some point in the episode, espouse her deeply felt moral convictions. But not in a holier-than-thou manner— no, nothing that could even possibly sniff of elitism— for she is just like you, right?

This incident is just a microcosm of the show and how it is integral to her campaign for presidency. It is

something calculated with the purpose of appearing en-tirely uncalculated, spontaneous— something cold and inhuman pretending to have the heart of a maverick.

In a way, reality TV and Sarah Palin are a match made in heaven (or hell). They attempt to connect and relate with the average person, but not in any genuine way. They are both created by rich white people inter-ested in making and keeping their money. They claim, out rightly or implicitly, to be “for the people, by the people”, but really, they’re “for the people, whether they want it or not.” So it is fitting that the most sub-stance-less candidate (saying a lot) would use the most substance-less entertainment form (also saying a lot) to promote her substance-less political campaign.

When asked why she decided to create the show, Palin responded that it was “an opportunity to show-case the natural beauty of Alaska and its hard-working people.” Her statement as self-serving as her new show (and as lacking in truth), Palin has never actually de-nied any presidential rumors. In fact, when asked di-rectly, she dodged-without really-dodging, answering that she would if it was “the right thing to do for our country and for the Palin family.”

She’s attempting to reach the younger voting block as well. Recently, there have been rumors that Sarah was the strongly suggestive force behind Bristol’s join-ing of the Dancing with the Stars cast.

This, combined with her Sarah Palin’s Alaska, are two facets of an extended, expensive image ad, pro-moting her personal aspects to the intended neglect of her political shortcomings.

Because she is a family woman. And she is a pio-neer-ess, and the snow-bound, down-to-earth maverick that will save the Real America. She’s not about to let you forget it between now and November 2012.

New nook

success for

sports bags

LuCaS GiGenaGuest Writer

Walking onto campus in the morning darkness, I was used to passing a sea of sports bags in all colors. In the morning, stu-dents gathered around to toss their bags in, a practice which became a kind of sport itself. And in the afternoon, with the school day over and our energy fading, we waded through the sea to grab our things, stepping on bags and feet alike and issu-ing half-hearted apologies the whole way.

Now we simply place our things on neat shelves, although getting to them still requires pushing through a crowd. This new organization has made things much easier for many students, myself included, who prefer not to have to get in touch with their inner treasure hunter to be able to go to practice.

As every positive must have its negative, however, it has also made it more convenient for those who are looking for a good five-finger discount on some sports equipment.

The issue of someone stealing my sports bag has never really bothered me; there’s no real profit in the used shorts and broken running shoe industry, anyway. But, I can understand the worries of those with more expensive equipment, although I’m sure it would be quite difficult to hide a stolen lacrosse stick for an en-

tire day.This loss may be insignificant, the theft of one’s

sports bag can represent a greater idea: a breach of trust. This may just be over-analyzing, but the fact that the bags are left outside, rather than inside of a locked room, shows a measure of trust that students feel to-wards one another; this trust is broken when some-one’s things are stolen.

Regardless, this new storage area is a good addition to the school, as its benefits greatly outweigh its unin-tentional faults. So far it seems to have been a success, as it has been adopted as quickly as it was implement-ed. It is unfortunate, however, that a change that was only meant to be helpful to students has been brought into question by the actions of those whose intentions are less than pure.

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Ed/Op page 5issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Airport security crosses a few boundariesCasey sigelakis Contributing Writer

Twelve firearms and two con-cealed weapons were found at TSA security checkpoints this week alone, but are we sacrific-ing too much of our privacy for a safer flight? As of this year, the TSA has implemented in-vasive full body scans and pat downs for people it suspects of endangering others.

This invasiveness of these measures doesn’t seem to make our flilghts safer in any significant way— any one crazy enough, and committed to the idea of bringing firearms on an airplane is probably determined enough to perse-vere through a few extra, annoying security checks.

If one is selected for screening, he/she can choose a body pat down, which searches nooks and crannies for contraband, or a full body scan, which takes a thermal body scan of one’s entire body in search of prohibited items. While the latter doesn’t claim to save any pic-tures, there have been reports of up to 100 pictures be-ing leaked onto the Internet.

There has been an uproar over the viral video (found on YouTube) of an 8-year-old boy being strip searched and patted down in front of many other airport patrons at a security terminal.

Blogger John Tyner was stopped at a security gate and given the choice of either the pat down, or the body scan. While he chose the pat down, he stated, “if you touch my junk, I’ll have you arrested.” The officer on duty informed him that if he did not cooperate, he would be charged with a $10,000 civil suit.

These inflammatory, seemingly pointless, and occa-sionally offensive security measures have too wide a disparity between their effectiveness, and the inconve-niences and subsequent backlashes they cause.

One poll, from cbsnews.com states that 81% of peo-ple support the use of the new x-ray machines, while 14% do not, and 4% don’t have an opinion. An nbc17.com poll, however, says that 77% of people think the TSA has gone too far with the new security regulations: 11% say it hasn’t, and 12% are indifferent.

Our priorities should be to find and put a stop to terrorism before we have to sacrifice our decency. We should go back to the drawing board, before hysteria so greatly influenced our public service policies.

JaCOB markus Copy Editor

Tension, tension, tension and then... It snaps. It explodes. It erupts. Then it bil-lows up toward the sky, released as smoke from an explosion.

On Nov. 23, North Korea shelled the island of Yeonpyeong and catalyzed a firestorm of controversy. The alliances and hostilities of reacting nations have received immense news coverage, but are these reports exaggerated to fill headlines, or the truth?

North and South Korea have had their fair share of tension in the past. The perpetual, silent war between the two nations has consistently approached the breaking point. The temporary peace drawn at the 38th parallel over half a century ago threatens the safety and security of both nations.

In this most recent incident, a North Korean artillery strike was ordered on Yeonpyeong due to its contentious location near the 38th parallel. And only a few months ago, North Korea antago-nized its southern neighbor by sinking the Cheonan, one of their navy ships. Though Russia was the first country to advocate North Korea’s innocence in the incident, its participation alongside them in a future war is questionable.

The threat of a third world war makes good news, as does any that is encapsulated in deep-seated fear, but the facts themselves tell a different story. Russia has had intermittent support of North Korea in recent years; it has gone as far as condoning behavior and suggesting sanctions.

Regardless of where Russia’s loyalty lies, many consider the lav-ish support of China to be enough to scream World War III, but let’s take a closer look at this. The main impetus for China’s original participation in the Korean War all those years ago was to defend their soil against the wild Douglas MacArthur who rejected Chi-na’s orders and crossed the Yalu River (And to their credit he was later removed from his position for campaigning atom bombs to be dropped in the region.)

This isn’t about the past, but who’s to say the Chinese would par-ticipate again unless their interests were threatened. I would even go as far as to say that China would support a unified Korea, either one founded in communism or democracy. A unified Korea would be an autonomous nation without temporary war, and therefore, without American troop presence.

I don’t mean to be speculative, especially since history has a habit of being unpredictable (Please excuse the irony). I am only trying to present the circumstances as they currently stand and the potential repercussions that are up for debate.

The information at hand changes constantly as well, which only further complicates the intricate situation.

Let’s not forget the shock four years ago when North Korea test-ed their first nuclear weapon. Even this last week it was announced though the recent Wikileaks dump that Kim-Jong il previously re-quested an Eric Clapton concert in Pyongyang, since the dictator’s son is such a fan. Some of these developments have had more of an impact on the world stage than others…

Regardless, the situation on the Korean peninsula is no light mat-ter, and must be addressed in a permanent manner. Basically what I’m getting at is either the relationship between the two countries needs to change. Now. Or else their issues will soon become yours, mine, and everyone else’s.

Brian Whalen Guest Writer

Is Wikileaks a threat to national security? Is it truly holding the government responsible? Should anyone care?

Such questions grip the pseudo intellectuals of America who actually think that international relations are relevant to their lives. After scouring articles on Wikipedia, however, I arrived at a conclusion on which everyone that reads high school newspapers can agree— too much information can be a bad thing.

For those unaware of the hubbub surrounding Wikileaks, I am including a short summary of said hubbub: Wikileaks was founded in 2006 by Julian Assange and various other internet superheroes to battle the tyranny of the United States govern-ment by illegally acquiring and “leaking” sensitive classified super-important government testimonies and documents. At first, no one cared, but in November 2010 Bradley Manning lifted some 3,000 documents off of a government archive and submitted it. They were published. Quickly thereafter, these documents revealed shocking new details about the prison-ers in Guantanamo Bay (some were even beaten for infor-mation!), and about countries like Saudi Arabia being totally down with helping the US pulverize Iran.

Since then, most of the people involved in the leak have ei-ther been imprisoned Abraham Lincoln style (Julian Assange is being held without bail) or exiled Napoleon Bonaparte style (many have fled to Sweden, England, or wherever estranged journalists go) for almost inciting a nuclear Holocaust.

That’s the summary. Now for the answers: The only in-formation that really changes the playing field for the Gov-ernment are those secret diplomacy documents, and it seems borderline stupid to release those onto the internet, seeing as almost no one is opposed to the combined overthrowing of the Persian Theocracy, so the government is not exactly being held accountable as much as its being sabotaged by having a

nuclear power suddenly very ready to launch a preemptive nuclear strike.

It is hard to accept the concept that Wikileaks is a chaotic good figure of accountability when they reveal so little about their own internal politics and hide their servers in a Bond Villain’s Swedish mountain cave (seriously, look it up). If we don’t have half a clue as to what they are really up to and what really motivates them, then we cannot know that they are revealing all there is to know about the government.

But the real question is why anyone should really care. Re-gardless of the results of Assange’s trial, international politics are going to be massively affected by Iran’s paranoia. The face of Wikileaks is changing as well, due to split opinion regarding the possibly hypocritical secrecy of Wikileaks. A large portion of their staff is leaving to form Openleaks, a competing publishing firm, which features anonymous sub-mission and theoretically transparent policy. If they aren’t shut down, Openleaks and Wikileaks may very well reveal all of the background dealings of the Government like they aim to.

And, you should care because it’s still very, very unclear if this is at all a good thing. It could root out corruption and injustice to some extent, but it could also prevent realpolitiks that safeguard the lives of citizens or stop outside atrocities. It’s been about a month and WWIII hasn’t been let loose, but such an even could be dependent on one or two particularly volatile pieces of information.

You should care because if a classified document is pub-lished and it mentions that Taiwan is actually an independent country, there’s a good chance you’ll spend the next summer breathing out your last in a radioactive wasteland unloved and unmourned rather than getting a part time job at the siz-zler to make some extra green.

Daniel schechter Opinion Editor

Arrogant. Brash. Cocky.Cocky, from cock. As in rooster—

the inherently male fowl that needs to be heard. The animal that is fa-mous for waking everybody up in the morning.

There is one man left in music, the one who’s woken everybody up time and again. His name is Kanye West. He is unafraid and self-assured. He refuses to follow in others’ footsteps, while still respecting hallowed traditions. He wears his lion’s heart on his sleeve, and the lack of posing is a grand relief. In a Caucasian sphere dominated by boys and girls who whine about how they feel, there is a man who really feels strongly, passionately. In an urban world where knowledge isn’t always necessarily power, he promotes his talent and his intellect rather than his bling and/or weaponry. He’s conscious of all this, and he’s never been hesitant to say anything about it.

He’s been waking people up long since his new album, My Dark Twisted Fantasy (Reviewed in Entertainment, pg. 15) was released. He started out producing big-name greats like Jay-Z, and he changed the game from behind the scenes, with his signature use of sped-up soul samples over grittily programmed drums.

From there he tried to make the oft-attempted (and oft-

failed) transition from producer to emcee. The record com-panies didn’t like him- too much style… and too much sub-stance as well. They didn’t feel like his lack of “street-cred” would appeal to the masses. But they didn’t know a revolu-tion was afoot.

He persevered, and he convinced Rock-A-Fella of his worth. Kanye’s witty lyricism and unique production style on his debut, The College Dropout, won him rap album of the year- over other nominee, and former mentor, Jay-Z’s Black Album (some of which Kanye also produced).

What makes Kanye the man in music, however, is that his incredible talent is accented with not-so-ridiculous self-belief, and his disregard for social etiquette.

In the same year College Dropout won best rap album, he lost best new artist to Gretchen Wilson. He maintained that he, in fact, was the best new artist…and he was right. About 10 years later, many are asking themselves- “Gretchen who?”

A year later, after Late Registration was released (a follow-up in a similar, if perhaps more sophisticated vein of College Dropout) Hurricane Katrina hit. Little to nothing about it was done by the government about it. West recognized this- while other celebrities were reading off a teleprompter, urging peo-ple to donate their small change, Kanye decided to utter the now famous phrase- “George Bush does not care about black people”. It didn’t take the nation 10 years to realize this one was true.

//cont. on page 6 » kanye West

Latency in Koreas implodes after recent attack from North

The only man in music

Wiki wreaks havoc

Mike lanDMan » the lanCer

Rebecca SylverSEditor-in-Chief

In comparison to the onslaught of Christmas music and paraphernalia we face everywhere we go at this time of year, school seems barren. Aside from the oc-casional sad-looking paper candy cane and the Santa hat that fell off the Lancer statue, school in Decem-ber barely looks different from school in any other month. Though it serves as a welcome reprieve from the holiday chaos, it’s almost lonely to have to endure the dropping temperatures (below 70 is such a drag) and the excruciating last few days before break without some soul-warming holiday cheer.

I’m Jewish, so my version of holiday cheer isn’t all Santa Clauses and reindeer. But after 17 winters of only a token menorah, if that, in shopping mall décor, I’m now so accustomed to the omnipresence of Christmas imagery that I just associate it with winter.

I do understand the push to keep religion out of schools, especially for non-educational purposes. I also, however, think that as high school students, we of the minority faiths have strong enough senses of self not to let a few ornaments get us down. It doesn’t seem worth it for everyone to be deprived of decorations on our account. I have, in fact, seen at least enough Hanukkah decorations to be proportionate to the school’s num-ber of Jewish students, not that I would mind more, as well as more representa-tion of even less pervasive holidays.

Many would argue that these decorations are an unnecessary proliferation of religion into the public school environment. I dis-agree. I’m a huge propo-nent of the First Amend-ment. I have to be—I’m a member of the free press. And I do hold that freedom of religion encompasses freedom from religion.

But the question then becomes not “does the First Amendment bar us from having holiday deco-rations?” but rather “are these decorations religious enough to come under question?” I think not. The

commercialization of Christmas and other winter holi-days has made it so most of the symbols we see have nothing to do with the religious roots of the holiday. They are American, not Christian per say. These now-secular symbols of the holidays should not be the tar-gets in the crusade for political correctness.

The Supreme Court has never ruled on a case involv-ing holiday decorations in public schools, but has ruled on similar displays on other types of public property. The Anti-Defamation League recommends that sym-bols affiliated with particular religions, such as Santa Claus or dreidels, are most appropriate when displayed alongside fully secular symbols of winter, such as snowflakes.

The overall message should be of celebration, not promotion of religious points of view.

Without a doubt, our school’s decorations all into the celebratory category. In fact, we should be adding more decorations to embrace the spirit of the season, as long as we keep the balance between symbols of different religions and offset them with more secular snowmen and candy canes.

As long as no one sets up a nativity scene or a cru-cifix in the middle of the quad, holiday decorations at school won’t make me feel oppressed. Christmas trees are just glitzy pine trees, after all.

Projects pile up before winter break

“Don’t procrastinate” We always hear teach-ers say. Indeed, we at The Lancer have found another example of when teachers should fol-low their own advice.

It’s the week before the week before winter

break— you’ve just finished your nonsensical government project, and you’re prepared for the stats test on Tuesday.

You expect some new lessons, maybe a little busy work here and there, but as you go from class to class on Monday, you find something much worse.

A book report. A massive history chart. Your math teacher’s attempt at making the class fun and interactive.

Teachers realize that they need to assign a project, and they see that they only have two weeks left— it would be an ample fit if all the other teachers didn’t have the same problem, and the same solution. So as students we strug-gle with this pre-break (at a time when attention spans are already dwindling) homework load.

Sooner or later though, we’re going to have to procrastinate on a project or two. Because we’ll be spending all of our time working on the other ones.

-Daniel Schechter

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: But seriously, don’t ask

There is a group of Americans that would love to serve in our nation’s armed forces. They don’t aim to do it for money, or for necessar-ily any personal gain. They want to serve in the army out of a deep-seated patriotism, an altru-istic need to serve and protect the country they love. And the government, technically, won’t let

them…yet. With Prop 8 and gay rights more tangibly

entering the public lexicon, the long-standing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy has become a topic of more and more heated debates.

Congress, however, will most likely adjourn before the policy is decided officially. It was tacked on to a Defense bill earlier in the year, and was shot down, and was recently introduced as a stand-alone.

The army wants the outcome to be decided as soon as possible, and Obama has openly called for DADT’s immediate repeal. For the sake of gays and America as a whole, Congress should jump on board as well.

-Daniel Schechter

In defense of decorations

Ed/OP page 6 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

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//cont. from page 5 » Kanye

Kanye followed his heart, and said what he felt need-ed to be said. A true disregard for the social norms.

And when sheen, glam, and bravado became his forte, and the one adopted by all other artists following in his footsteps, (and when his mother died and fiancée broke up with him) he decided to change the game up again.

In releasing 808s and Heartbreak in 2008, he made emotionality cool—he asserted himself as the alpha rapper by acknowledging and exploring his own fail-ings and regrets. And whatever path he chooses, he fol-lows to the end, explores to the fullest extent. The pin-nacle of this emotional, unstable period for Kanye was the Taylor Swift incident. He was angry, he was drunk, and he felt justice wasn’t being served.

I’m not saying that cockiness is what makes a man, of course, or something that can be even remotely construed as disregard for another’s feelings. This par-ticular miss-step, in ways, speaks poorly for Kanye. However, his poorer qualities are not mutually exclu-sive with his great, distinguishing ones. That is to say, a righteous conviction of self-worth is what creates great works, regardless of others’ beliefs or opinions.

This attitude has informed his music. In the year fol-lowing this T. Swift debacle, everybody thought Kanye, who was already obviously down, was finally out.

Instead, he created the deepest, musically and lyri-cally, hip-hop album of our generation.

He spent two years on the album in the studio, dis-regarding all of his own precedents. The sampling on which he once relied heavily was used sparingly (once, to be exact), and instead brought in a slew of collabo-rating artists for instrumentation and auxillary vocals. Reviewed on pg. 15 of Entertainment.

From his genre-defining production style of the late 90s, to his seemingly effortless hit-making capabilities of all year following, nobody has told Kanye what to do. And everybody listens to Kanye. And that is why Kanye is the man.

Op ionsinbrief

Kanye, the man

» REACTTeaches, what are your thoughts on holiday decora-tions in school?

“If you celebrate one you have to celebrate them all. ”-Tim Hoag, Science

“It can be done but not too any extent that it will offend people.”-Dave Singh, Math

“Santa to me is not religious. I don’t want to push religion and don’t want to ruin the fun either by not doing anything.” -Doris McDonald, Science

Something getting on your nerves about school, life, or even The

Lancer?Write an angry letter. It’s the best way to reduce stress—but don’t rip

this one up!Send it to us, and we’ll print what

you have to say.

StOP AnD SMell tHe CHriStMAS treeS—editor-in-chief senior Rebecca Sylvers appreciates the celebration of christmas, while remaining true to her Jewish beliefs.

////////////////////////////////////////////////

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Bring this ad in and buy one, get one free!

OLIVIA SUNDSTROMStaff Writer

For some, life without music is unimaginable. For sophomore Valerie Wiley, life without mu-sic does not exist.

Wiley never goes a day without arranging music for choirs and musicals, playing a va-riety of instruments, singing or acting. Wi-

ley’s mother taught her music and Wiley always sang in choirs growing up.

“My world has revolved around music for as long as I can remember,” Wiley said.

She also plays the piano, violin, viola and the mandolin, which she just started playing last year. Wiley is also first stand violinist for the CVUYO preparatory orchestra. She plans to pursue her love for music after high school by going to a college of music or becoming part of an orchestra.

“I think it would be really cool to travel the world and get to perform or sing, and do some-thing I’m passionate about for a living,” she said.

She has already begun to prepare herself for the future by getting experience today. Wiley has gained experience with performing and ex-pressing herself through music by being in choir and theater. Wiley has participated in school plays and musicals since elementary school.

“Being in theater and choir... it lets you put part of yourself out there in a different way that you can’t really do with friends or in any other situation,” she said. “I found it has always been the best way for me to express myself.”

The strings program and choir have both been major components to Wiley’s life in music, but theater has given her many opportunities as well. This year, Valerie was musical director for the fall musical “The Wind in Willows.”

“Being musical director for the musical was harder than I thought at first, but I got a lot of help from the other musicians and it was super fun, I got to meet and interact with a lot of new people from theater,” Wiley said. “It was a great experience to work with people who were all passionate about the same things.”

Through expressing herself and performing, Wiley has come to a conclusion as to why she loves music so much.

“I always get nervous, but in the end I always feel accomplished cause every time I go out and perform, I feel like I have improved in a small way each time,” she said. “And who doesn’t like the feeling of improvement and success?”

“Every Lancer Has a Story” is a recurring feature on a randomly selected student.

Every Lancer has a story: Sophomore Valerie Wiley

Former Lancer describes college experienceseAn McMiNNAlumnus Writer

Though it seemed like forever ago, just last June I was a senior in high school. And at the time, I thought I had it all figured out.

I was Editor-in-Chief of The Lancer. I was receiving a commenda-

tion from the mayor. I was going steady with my high school girlfriend. I got into two of my top three schools and I was getting A’s in nearly all my classes.

Flash forward five months. I’m struggling to get a spot on the school paper. I don’t even know the name of my town’s mayor. I’m cur-rently without a girlfriend, and I work my butt off every day just to pull low B’s in class.

But, man, am I loving it.Going off to college means something differ-

ent to everyone. For most, it’s the promise of a good education and potential attractiveness in a tough job market. And, of course, that is part of it for me. But, what really resonated with me is the true independence college brings.

The first day I came to Cal Poly, after several teary goodbyes from my parents, I went off to help my friend move in. As I was walking to his dorm, it struck me. I could stay there all night and there would be nothing to stop me. Heck, I could walk aimlessly around the campus all night, and I would have absolutely no one to report to.

And that self-reliance truly is a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s great to be able to do what you want, with no curfew, no authority there to stop you. But on the other hand, it means that if you have a problem, you better fix it, because no one else will.

You’re hungry? Make the quarter-mile walk to the nearest dining hall. Feeling sick? Get over to the health center on the other side of campus and see a nurse. Have two midterms tomorrow morning? Sure, you can play those extra two games of FIFA with your roommate, but you better be prepared to stay awake until sunrise studying.

And speaking of FIFA, my dorm’s video game of choice, life in the residence hall is probably my favorite part of college. Within the first week of school (which felt more like sum-mer camp than it did college), my 24-person floor became a sort of family away from home.

When I fell sick during week 6, my friend down the hall gave me enough tea packets to last a month. When my neighbor picked up food poi-soning from one of campus dining’s nutritiously questionable restaurants, two of the guys on our floor stayed with him at the hospital overnight.

But that’s not to say that my neighbors and community members aren’t great friends as well as family. I’ve been bored maybe five times since I moved to college because there is literally always something to do with them.

Whether it’s playing video games with the guys upstairs, making an impulsive Taco Bell run with the floor after a two-hand-touch foot-ball tournament, or going to Salsa dancing with the girls down the hall, you could fill your entire day with social activities.

However, that’s not always a good idea. Life at Cal Poly is busy enough without all these ex-citing things to do with friends. Right away I noticed a huge difference in the amount of work required at Cal Poly versus what work I had to do at TOHS.

The first week alone, I had three chapters of reading in my newswriting class, four chapters in my mass media studies, and nine chapters to read for public speaking. And, with the ex-ception of the public speaking handbook, these

aren’t little dinky Folger Shakespeare size pag-es. These are chapters that take an hour or more to read each.

Though it feels like ages ago now, I realize it was actually less than three months ago when my roommate walked in from his first midterm, hardly three weeks after class started.

He said with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, “Dude, we’re not in high school any-more.”

And that, perhaps, sums up my college expe-rience. So much is new to me: the intense study sessions, the late night food runs, the crazy par-ties, the new friends, the sardine-packed dorms, the Russian Roulette my stomach plays every time I sit down at VG’s Café, the rushing of the field after a rivalry soccer game, the hours of video game-based procrastinating before a final, the crazy professors and the three hour lectures. Those can all only come together in one place.

College.

FOR MORe On COLLeGe

» see FEATURES, page 13

VALeRIe WiLEY

Features page 8 issue 4december 15, 2010}{

RACHEL RIEDELFeatures Editor

Every Tuesday when announcements come over the speakers, students stay silent and listen to the list of the day’s club meetings, but at the mention of one club, conversations spark up between classmates.

In just its first year, Quidditch Club is becoming a popular topic around campus.

The club plays Quidditch every other Tuesday on the back field and holds discussions during its other meetings in D-1. Quidditch, for those unfamiliar with the world of Harry Potter, is a sport played on fly-ing brooms across a large round field with three goal posts on each end. It is almost like basketball, only on brooms. Although the teams are significantly smaller than those from the Harry Potter series, the rules and positions are basically the same.

The club, founded by seniors Blake Husserl and Phillip Chou, was brought up as an idea last year by a group of seniors. However, since those seniors would not be around to start the club, Husserl and Chou took it upon themselves to bring Quidditch to TOHS.

At the start of the year, they had a lot of students come to their meetings, but as the year has progressed, the club’s members have thinned down to around twenty dedicated participants.

“We want a lot more participation,” Husserl said. “We really would like all the younger kids to come back to the club and try it out.”

The members that remain faithful to the club’s ac-tivities are fans of the sport as much as they are the world of Harry Potter.

“I like the intensity and skill involved, combined with the fact that everyone has brooms between their legs. [It’s] hilarious,” senior Chetan Hebbar said.

The game requires a substantial amount of devo-tion and energy, and members get very involved in the matches.

“It’s a friendly environment—it’s kind of a low key competitive feeling,” Husserl said. “No one holds grudges, it’s all fun.”

New members are not only drawn in by their love for the Harry Potter series but also by their curiosity about how to play the game.

Some people have played or heard of Quidditch outside of the school, but the majority of the school’s Quidditch players are just now learning to play.

“I first saw it on YouTube a while back, and I thought it was awesome. The rules are really well thought out,” Hebbar said. “I joined because I really wanted to play! It’s really fun, especially when you have a bunch of your friends with you.”

Not only does the club give friends a new kind of lunchtime activity to participate in together, but it is an excellent way to meet new people and make friends.

“I feel like it’s a great way to get underclassmen in-volved,” Husserl said. “You’re getting rid of boundar-ies and bringing all kinds of students together.”

How to play Quidditch:

RULES

POSITIONS

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL RIEDEL » THE LANCER

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features page 9issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

making magic

“I’m totally gonna go next time. It totally makes me feel like the cam-pus understands me as a Harry Pot-ter fan.”

“It makes me smile whenever

I hear the an-nouncements.”

“I think it’d be cooler if they were really flying. It’s odd that they aren’t flying.”

“I think it’s awe-some and hi-

larious, and they need a broom

closet. I’m tired of them storing their

brooms in their brooms in my

room.”

» reaCtWhat do you think about

Quidditch Club?Students bring Quidditch, the sport made famous by Harry Potter, to the fields of TOHS with new club

SWEEPING THE FIELD— (Top) Sophomore Cory Hard flies past Keeper senior Lance Goetsch to make a goal, alongside teammate senior Uriel Gamboa. (Bottom) Hard, Goetsch, Gamboa, and junior Matt Chung relish in victory after having scored a goal.

Beaters aim to knock the Chasers back to their goal posts. To do this, they must throw the Bludger (a handball) at the Chaser and hit them, but only if they have crossed the halfway line.

Chasers run across the field and try to score goals. They can score a goal by throwing or dunking the Quaffle (a volleyball) through one of the goal post hoops.

Keepers act as goalies, and each team has just one. They stay by the goal posts throughout the game.

Seekers chase another player called the Snitch. Seekers do not throw balls or block them; they solely chase the Snitch.

The Snitch is a human representation of a ball that flies around the field, chased by the Seek-ers. It is neutral and does not belong to either team. If a Seeker catches the Snitch, that Seeker’s team will receive 30 points and the game will end.

The object of the game is to score as many goals until the game comes to and •end, or to catch the snitch.Regular goals are worth 10 points and the Snitch is worth 30. •When the Snitch is caught, the game ends and captor’s team gains 30 points. If •their score is still less than their opponent’s, the game ends in their loss.Beaters can not throw a Bludger at a Chaser unless that Chaser has crossed the •halfway line onto their opponent’s side.When a Chaser has been hit, they must return to their team’s goal posts and •start over.

PHOTOS » ALEX CHEN » THE LANCER

SARAH SPEERJunior

ROBIN BROmBERGTeacher

BOB TOKUmaRUSophomore

MARTY CRaWFORDTeacher

“My New’s Year’s resolution is to become more focused in everything I do because time is the one thing I can’t gain back.”

-Junior Riley Price

spotlIght page 11issue 4december 15, 2010 }{page 10 issue 4

december 15, 2010 }{

MARINA SANchez

Senior Marina Sanchez has never lived in Mexico, but that doesn’t stop her from participating in the New Year’s Mexican (Latin) tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight.

“It’s actually a wish for every month of the year. Right at 12 a.m., when the new year changes, we eat grapes.”

Each grape serves a specific purpose. The 12 grapes signify the 12 month’s in the up-coming year.

“The grapes are like our New Year’s res-olutions. They are not random wishes. They are wishes you really want to come true.”

Sanchez’s parents came over to the U.S. before she was born and brought with them this special tradition.

“My mom and dad have celebrated this ever since I have remembered. I would like to pass this on to my children because I want expose them to this tradition.”

“My New Year’s resolution is to work as hard as I can to be in the best shape I can be , in order to make the National Water polo Junior olympics one last time before college.”

-Senior Samantha Hain

“I guess a few of my New Year’s resolutions are to manage stress better, take a trip somewhere fun, stop complaining, start actually taking vitamins, and start reading the Bible.”

-Senior Kim Stimson

“I want to be even cooler than I’ve ever been before because I want to find if there’s an ultimate level of cool”

-Bill Gemberling Math teacher

“My New Year’s resolution is to try not to control things I have no control over, so I don’t carry around extra stress.”

-Sophomore Louise Zerr

“My resolution is not to judge people when I first see them because I feel like I am judged when I do that.”

-Sophomore Stefania Cardenas

mexico

united states

germany

iran

scotland denmark

ASBJØRN STØVRING Senior Asbjørn Støvring is from the

city of Randers, Denmark, where the New Year’s Eve festivities are dedicated to cel-ebration.

“We have New Year’s Eve with friends, usually at my house,” he says.

“At about 6 p.m., everyone in Denmark watches the Queen’s speech on TV. It is one of the programs with the most viewers.”

At midnight, everyone eats a kind of swirled cake called kransekage, and drinks champagne (the legal drinking age in Den-mark is 16).

“It’s illegal [in the United States] to light fireworks” he says, laughing. “Everyone, up and down the streets [in Denmark], is out-side at midnight, lighting their fireworks.”

Finally, Støvring and his friends engage in some classic pranks.

“My friends and I take shaving cream and put them on other people’s windows” he says. “Pranks are a part of New Year’s Eve, and it’s legal as long as we don’t break anything. After, we go and party until like 6 in the morning.”

TIMO SchULze

Senior Timo Schulze came to the United States when he was nine years old, and he brought the time-honored German New Year’s traditions with him.

“Every year we watch a German short film called Dinner for One, which was made in 1940” he said. “It’s about an old woman who invites four of her dead friends over for dinner, and her butler pretends to be those friends. It’s silly.”

Dinner for One is a comedy that is shared by millions. Originally used as a time slot in between aired broadcasts, it’s popularity earned it a record for most re-peated show on television.

After the movie, Schulze and his fam-ily eat apple strudel and drink champagne with other German families.

“The people in Koeln (Schulze’s home-town) like to socialize with others who speak their language, so they all party to-gether.”

cAMeRON GARdNeR

While millions of people watch the ball drop on TV at midnight, Sophomore Cam-eron Gardner will see it first hand this year from Times Square. This will be the second time Gardner has gone to New York. She first went dur-ing an eighth grade trip where she traveled to Washington D.C. “We went to museums, and didn’t really do anything,” she remembers. But this time, Gardner is anticipat-ing a more exciting experience. “Times Square will be absolutely crazy for a few days with lots of weird people waiting for New Years.” “Ice skating in Rockefeller center, a carriage ride through Central Park, tea at the plaza where Bride Wars was filmed,” lists Gardner as she names off a few ac-tivities on her agenda. She has also heard rumors that Katy Perry and Ke$ha will be performing. “I’m excited,” says Gardner. “I liked watching it on TV, but now I get to actu-ally see it.”

Jed McGUIGAN

Freshman Jed McGuigan celebrates New Year’s with lots of dancing, snack-ing...and plaid.

“Plaid is basically a requirement [at par-ties],” says McGuigan. “If you’re an adult, and you have a kilt, you wear that.”

McGuigan is from Edinburgh, Scotland, where the New Year’s parties are spent with friends and family. New Years’s is known as Hogmanay, which means ‘Night of the Candle’.

“We mostly eat finger food [on New Year’s Eve], and there’s a lot of traditional Scottiah dancing. At parties, everyone dances until it’s after midnight,” he said.

dR. MALhOTRA

For Science teacher, Dr. Nikki Malhotra, New Year’s is a time to get together with friends and family and celebrate.

“On New Year’s Eve, my family and I spend time together and go out to parties, “ she said.

Malhotra grew up as a Canadian citizen, where her father worked in the military. To her, New Year’s is like any other holiday.

“It’s a pretty common holiday,” she says. “Some people [in Udhampur] go to early morning temple, but over the years, the holiday has become more Americanized...it’s changed a lot.”

ALeX MORRIS

Junior Alex Morris may not be from an-other country, but she annually celebrates the Persian New Year.

“My stepfather is from Tehran, Iran, where they celebrate Norooz,” she says. “Norooz is celebrated on the first day of spring [in March], as opposed to January first. Next year, the year in Iran will be 1390, while it is 2011 in the United States”

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Persian new year is the Haft Sîn, which is a symbolic display of food and items tradi-tional to the Iranian culture. There are seven different ingredients to the Haft Sîn (called the Seven S’s, for their true Persian names) that represent rebirth, affluence, love, medi-cine, beauty, sunrise, and patience. Besides edible qualities, some personalize their dis-plays.

“Some people put mirrors [in their Haft Sîn], to represent cleanliness and honesty, or eggs, which represent fertility,” she says. “On the day of Norooz, some families visit one another and admire each other’s Haft Sîns.”

After the visiting, Morris and her family enjoy a meal of traditional Persian foods with her stepfather and family, which con-sist mostly of lamb, vegetables, and other unique delicacies.

“The Persian new year is mostly about praising others and celebrating the begin-ning of spring,” Morris said.

JAhNA LINdGReN

Freshman Jahna Lindgren rings in the New Year with a bang -- literally.“We watch [the ball drop] on TV, and after it’s over, we rush and grab big cooking pans and wooden spoons and make lots of noise.”

Lindgren realizes that few of her neigh-bors announce the New Year as enthusias-tically as her family, but she doesn’t mind waking up her neighborhood.

“Last year, we were the only ones,” she recalls.

She has been celebrating New Year’s in this fashion for as long as she can remem-ber banging pots and pans at midnight is a Lindgren tradition.

“My dad’s family did it for years, so that’s what I did growing up.”

AliSe Grave Staff Writer

Happy New Year.Feliz Año Nuevo.Bonne Annee.New Year’s is one of the few non-religious, internationally-

celebrated holidays but different continents, countries and indi-viduals have their own unique traditions.

This event was believed to be first celebrated, 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia where the people had a belief that the beginning of the year started in the spring, around the time when ground was fertile.

This holiday is now typically celebrated on the last day of De-cember. And as the date has evolved, the customs have changed too.

In Europe, the British believe that the first visitors seen after midnight can represent good or bad luck, depending on whether they are friends or enemies. The first male visitor should enter through the front door and leave through the back door, repre-senting a cycle that will bring good luck for the upcom-ing year.

Brazilians usually rush into the ocean at midnight, bringing with them offerings such as candles, flowers and mirrors to the sea goddess Leman.

The dropping of the Times Square Ball in New York is tele-vised and watched all around the world and has been happening for more than 100 years. A few hours later, millions of people switch on their TVs to watch another well-known American tra-dition, Pasadena’s Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses Parade.

Sophomore Kingsley Hickman and freshman Henry Piper, members of the TOHS band, auditioned for and will march with the band in the parade.

New Year’s is also a time for food superstitions. Good and bad luck are thought to depend on the type of food one eats. Ring-shaped foods, such as Scandinavian vetebrod and round challah in Jewish tradition, are a symbol of good luck that means “com-ing full circle’’

Throughout southern parts of the United States, black-eyed peas are eaten on New Year’s because they are thought to bring good fortune. Eating a chicken, however, is said to cause bad luck for the upcoming year because it winged creatures tend to fly away.

12

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS:

canada

india

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PHOTOS » THe lANCeR

gRAPHiC » giSelle QUeZADA

FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE

HappyNew

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RADU PUCHIUWebsite Editor

As accessories become more popular, one is cur-rently standing above the rest. The “I ♥ Boobies” bracelets, first sold online at keep-a-breast.org, are be-coming fashionable for a cause.

All profits gained from the bracelets go to support-ing breast cancer research.

The Keep a Breast Foundation holds the “I ♥ Boo-bies” campaign to increase awareness of breast cancer in teens by using the works of artists and musicians that teens look up to.

The bracelets first became popular at events like Warped Tour 2010 and other concerts.

As the campaign’s popularity spreads, so does the awareness of breast cancer. Zumiez, the first store to sell the bracelets, has been a big part of bringing atten-tion to the cause.

“It definitely increases awareness,” Thousand Oaks Zumiez regional manager Jesse Holliday said. “I just had a mom buy her boy one. [When] she asked him why he wanted it, he said ‘It helps with breast can-cer.’”

The campaign, however, does not stop with brace-lets. It includes anything from watches to shirts — even baby clothes.

Although they are made specifically to improve awareness of breast cancer, many schools around the country are banning them because of the word “boo-bies.”

Los Cerritos Middle School’s administration banned students from wearing any of the articles that contain the word “boobies” on them.

“If I would say ‘boobies’ in the classroom, they would say that it’s inappropriate. What makes this any different?” Los Cerritos teacher Kacy Butcher said.

Because people are beginning to wear the bracelets, students believe they are starting to lose their signifi-cance. More are starting to wear them for style rather than for the cause itself.

“It’s turned into just a bracelet,” sophomore Matt Buzzeli said. “It used to be for a cause, but now it turned into a trend.” Even though they might be los-ing meaning, nonetheless, the bracelets still help with breast cancer, and they still offer an easy and stylish way to help patients.

“I think it’s good that people are helping people,” sophomore Tommy Militello said. “You get a cool bracelet and you get to do something good.”

I ♥ BOOBIES Bracelets

Q: What does fashion mean to you?A: It just kind of shows what kind of person you are because you’re not afraid to wear what you want to wear.

Q: What are you trying to show with your style?A: I just want to look different than everyone else; I don’t want to be the same.

Q: Is there any unique way that you style your clothing?A: I mean sometimes I’ll cut my clothes to make it look even more different.

Q: Why do you make alterations?A: I started at the end of last year. I just have plain boring clothes and I thought if I cut them they would be more interesting.

Q: What inspires you?A: Different characters from movies, like The Joker. They’re interesting. I’ll find clothes that re-mind me of them or resemble them.

UNIQUE STYLE—Junior Melissa Carey poses in

one of her favorite outfits that shows her distinc-

tive style. The collar was cut from a old plain shirt

that she wears to create a gothic look, which is

paired with converse boots , cat ears, and a

simple dress that has a hint of a rocker edge.

FASHIoN

QA&

withjUNIor

MELISSA CArEY

rACHEL DAVIS’

RACHEL DAVIS » THE LANCER

ADAM PrEMoSophomore

JARED HILLArDSophomore

NICk PrANzoSenior

“Just to support breast cancer, my grandmother had it.”

“I have a friend whose mom has breast cancer, so I bought it for her.”

“It’s a trend. They’re pretty awesome.”

Why do you wear it?

» REACT

DUSTIN QUEENJunior

“I was in Zumiez and the young lady talked me into it.”

FEATuREs page 12 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

What do you think about Questbridge?

Senior Spencer Boone applied early decision to the University of Pennsylvania, his first choice school, on Nov. 1.

“It is my first school, and it just feels right to me. It’s a good community of people,” Boone said.

A month later, in his fifth period class, he anxiously checked the UPenn website on his phone. This year, the early-decision pool was the largest ever, but unfortu-nately, he was deferred by the admissions board, which means that Boone’s application will be sent to the regu-lar admissions pool for review. He plans to continue to maintain his grades, and he is still applying to other universities such as UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins.

-Samir Malhotra

SPENCER BOONE

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS » WITH PERMISSION

JT Lawson

Applied for ROTC

Scholarship

Maddie Elia

Accepted into University of Rochester

Lidia Villeda

Still considering college choices.

en route to C O L L E G E Mapping their progress

SAMIR MALHOTRAFeatures Editor

With college prices already at an exorbitant level and rising, many high school seniors are faced with the problem of paying for their college educations. Quest-Bridge, a program founded in 1994, provides students from low-income families with an opportunity to pur-sue college education at leading institutions by linking them with colleges, scholarship providers, employers and organizations which provide financial aid. Through these scholarships, the program aims to increase the percentage of talented low-income students at notable universities throughout the nation.

Students at TOHS are taking advantage of the pro-gram. Senior Giselle Quezada was accepted into The University of Chicago; Northwestern University ac-cepted Senior Lucero Segundo through QuestBridge after math teacher Manny Valdez nominated her for the program.

In preparation for the inevitable college application process, Segundo volunteered at the Westminster Free Clinic and participated in the CLU Break Freee (sic.) program, in which she directed financially struggling families to professionals who could help them.

The application process for QuestBridge requires detailed family background and an application similar to the Common Application.

If accepted, applicants apply up to eight of the 30 QuestBridge partner schools. If the applicant is ac-cepted by the schools, he or she receives a full-ride scholarship. Some colleges accept the QuestBridge ap-plication, while others require the Common Applica-tion plus supplements. Segundo applied to five schools and was matched with Northwestern University.

“Not only do they [QuestBridge] get you a full scholarship, they try to get personal with you. You’re not just another applicant. They really go out of their way to get you what you deserve.”

College Updates Quest Bridge

The Lancer is following students through the application process. We will provide periodic updates on students’ progress as well as discuss broader college topics.

Although UCLA has already accepted Senior Philip Hanley, he still needs to prepare for college like the rest of his class.

He signed with UCLA for track this year. While jumping La Branka, however, Hanley shattered his ankle, making him incapable of practicing ahead of time for the track program at UCLA. Fortunately, his contract covers his injury. He now only needs to make sure that he is ready for UCLA’s track program. He is preparing for college taking an AP class and is trying to get in some practice; however, he is not able to do much with his injury. He feels his injury will affect his physical fitness, but he will resume practice soon.

-Rachel Riedel

PHIlIP HANLEy

Junior Daniel Luo thought he had everything planned for college. Just months ago he thought he would at-tend USC through the Resident Honors Program. When he received his SAT scores, however, he wasn’t thoroughly satisified because they were not as high as he expected. He will re-take the SAT in the spring and will reapply to USC his senior year. Now, he has the opportunity to explore other college choices, as well as apply to be the band’s drum major. Luo is willing to forgo an early entry to college to spend another year with his friends in high school.

-Katie StatenDANIEl LuO

“Even though I wasn’t matched initially, I don’t have to do my essays, and I have a 40 per-cent chance of getting into my school [through regular admis-son].”

-Ali McCranieSenior

“They [Quest-Bridge] go out of their way to get you what you deserve.”

-Lucero SegundoSenior

Questbridge Facts

» Over 75% of QuestBridge finalists are in the top 5% of their class

» Finalists score an average of

1940 on the

SAT, or a 30 on the ACT

» 77% of the students will be the first in their family to attend a four year college

» 268 students offered full ride scholarships

Source:QuestBridge 2009 Statistics

» REACT

fEATuREs page 13issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

I rea

d th

e n

ew

s tod

ay, oh boy...A

bout a lucky man who made the grade...

EntErtainmEnt

Los Angeles welcomes The RockettesOn Dec. 10, the Radio City Rockettes performed at the Nokia Theater in Los An-geles. The holiday-themed showcase dazzled audience members and brought pieces of wintertime in New York to Southern California.AlI WireStaff Writer

I must confess, I love dance. I will watch West Side Story and Singin’ in the Rain until my family is absolutely sick of hearing Natalie Wood and Debbie Reynolds. It gives a visual aid to musical expression. It could be classified as one of the greatest interpretations of art in the world.

When my mother told me we were seeing the Ra-dio City Rockettes at the Nokia Theater on Dec. 10, I nearly fainted. I have never been a huge Rockettes fan,

but I knew they were a big deal. And, of course, they’re dancers.The Rockettes have been famous for their appear-

ances in the Macy’s Christmas Parade and their Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Now, the Rockettes, all standing between 5’6” and 5’10,” are touring all over the country to bring their audiences the special holi-day feeling.

Of course, these aren’t all of the Rockettes. There are only about 16 girls performing in the shows; the others are still at Radio City.

The show was opened by the always amusing Bob Newhart, famous comedian and actor—and my uncle. You might have seen him as Papa Elf in the classic Christmas movie, Elf, or as Sid, the doorman in Le-gally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Sadly, I missed his performance (blame the traffic in Los Angeles), but others around me found him quite hilarious.

The show opened to the Rockettes, dressed as rein-deer, performing a jazz routine. Every movement was perfectly synchronized and effortless, as if kicking their legs above their heads was a daily ritual. The master of ceremonies was a very jolly Santa Claus, who led into the storyline of two little boys, Ben, the hopeful youth, and Patrick, the pessimist of the group, who couldn’t feel the magic of Christmas.

In between dances, Santa helps the boys find a gift

for their little sister, while revealing the wonder and magic of Christmas.

One might have expected extravagant dance moves that no one could possibly attempt, but surprisingly, that wasn’t what the dances were filled with. The sim-plicity of the dances made them look incredibly profes-sional, and adding a chorus line into every dance did not make me bored at all. I was still amazed by the fact they could get their legs that high.

The most outstanding features of the show were the special effects, including a moving scenery during a New York City bus scene (not to mention the moving bus itself). “Snow” and streamers blown into the crowd brought the audience into the show. The whole crowd was buzzing, trying to grab onto the colored streamers for souvenirs.

The audience seemed to enjoy the effects the most out of anything. Although everyone gasped and ap-plauded after every chorus line, the New York City scene got the most attention. The background was incredibly realistic, and looked like a lot of time and money had been spent on it.

After the show, I walked out of the theater, my cous-ins “tap-dancing” on the sidewalks. It was an incred-ibly inspiring performance, and it felt like a great way to start off the holidays.

Think you know The Beatles?

Here are some surprising facts about

the Fab Four you probably never knew!

» Ringo Starr wanted to be a hairdresser when he

was younger.

» The final note in “A Day in the life” is the longest recorded single note in

music history.

» Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” to cheer up

John lennon’s son Julian after his parents’ divorce.

» Decca Recording Co. rejected the Beatles in

1962: “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music

is on the way out.”

Adam Lambert: Dec. 16 at Club Nokia

As Tall As Lions: Dec. 17 at the Troubador

NOFX:Dec. 31 at the Wiltern Theatre

Social Distortion: Jan. 12 at the House of Blues in Anaheim

Dashboard Confessional: Jan. 16 at the Troubador

30 Seconds to Mars:Jan. 14 at Fox Theater in Pomona

Iron & Wine:Jan. 25 at the Wiltern Theatre

Upcoming Concerts

issue 4december 15, 2010 }{page 14

The BeaTles: Now oN iTuNeslINDSAy BaffoEntertainment Editor

“Tomorrow is just another day. That will change your life forever.”

An all too vague headline appeared in black and white on the iTunes home page.

I searched my brain for the schedule I had mentally prepared for the following day.

November 16th: party Tuesday, hair cut, Coffee Bean run, The Beatles on iTunes? Oh yes, that “life-chang-ing” moment.

The Beatles’ discography has been absent from iTunes since its inception ten years ago, but Apple re-cently made the iconic band’s catalogue of music open to the public.

The ongoing dispute between Apple and The Beatles’ copyright holders came to a close after a possible Beat-

les release on iTunes was supposedly put to rest by Apple itself. Only until an official joint state-

ment announced by Apple, The Beat-les’ EMI and Apple Corps. did we

finally welcome The Beatles to the 21st century.

On Nov. 16, early birds

w e r e

greeted by the entire Beatles catalog available for pur-chase on iTunes. In fact, the entire iTunes Store home page was a flooding tribute to The Beatles, including a separate micro-site showcasing further Beatles content, as well as music videos, live concert footage and the Apple ad campaigns.

The records are priced at $12.99 for single discs and $19.99 for double discs, like the White Album. The Beatles Box Set features all of the band’s studio albums and the Past Masters collection for $149.99.

But what is a cultural triumph without some sort of speculation?

Bloggers are referring to this as the “disappointment of 2010,” right behind Tiger Woods and the midterm elections. Let’s not forget the iPod junkies, who feel The Beatles were only relevant to music 40 years ago.

Instead of offering a web-based version of iTunes, CEO Steve Jobs felt it necessary to relive a boyhood dream of his and spend his corporation’s money on the over-advertising of The Beatles on iTunes campaign. The fact that The Beatles’ music was never available for purchase on iTunes never stopped the die-hard fans from going out and buying the CDs. An exhausting overexpo-sure like this would have George Harrison turning in his grave.

Still, it doesn’t bother me, and it shouldn’t bother you. The Beatles are immortal, the monarchy of pop music culture. They bridged the gap of time and music, and

still continue to outsell themselves with each com-ing year. There will be another iPod, folks.

But never again, will there be another Beatles.

lINDSAy BaffoEntertainment Editor

Our modern-day Woodstock, know as Coachella, is the Mecca for indie rock bands. The pilgrimage to In-digo Valley is exhausting, but so worth it, and the heat didn’t seem too much for Paul McCartney, who head-lined the three-day festival two years ago.

At this time, the Beatles tribute bands were practically begging stray audience members to take their demos. A free CD that nobody wants? I’d advise you to go into a different line of business.

Mister Mustard was not one of them. Referred to only by his alias, Mister Mustard has transformed The Beat-les’ classics into inventive remixes and mash-ups.

I’m sensitive when it comes to tampering with The Beatles’ sound. If people would stop covering their mu-sic, all would be right with the world. But Mister Mus-tard is different. And if you had told me a month ago, that I would enjoy an auto-tune Paul McCartney, I might have hit you with a bass guitar.

He remixes “Octopus’s Garden” in his first song on the demo. Opening with the familiar guitar riff from the aforementioned song, the sensual bass line from “Come Together” crosses with strong drumming.

My personal favorite is the remixed “Happiness Is A Warm Gun.” A voice whispers “we’re going down.” John Lennon sings slowly, but steadily and blends in with excerpts from the Across the Universe rendition. The song is met with effervescent wisps and swells, and a consistent rhythm.

The Beatles are untouchable, but music is on a constant cycle of recreating and reconstructing itself. Just as long as man continues to appreciate the music, the Beatles will continue to be the driving force they were 40 years

ago. And

though M i s t e r M u s t a r d can’t im-prove the original style, I happen to like the interpretation.

MEAN MISTER MuSTARd

WIkIMeDIA CoMMoNS » WITH PeRMISSIoN.

Beatles

For Sale

“a Day in the life”—The Brit-ish Invasion of 1964 sparked a musical revolution that took the world by storm. The fresh-faced quartet released 13 studio albums over the course of seven years to-gether. Though it’s been over 40 years since their last public performance, their music continues to transcend generations. From top: personal messages to the Beatles are grafittied on a sign that pays tribute to the album Abbey Road; the Beatles arrive in America Feb. 1964, greeted by thousands of fans; Paul Mc-Cartney, George Harrison and John lennon during a Beatles performance for Dutch television.

entertainment }{ page 15issue 4december 15, 2010

What are you listening to?

Want to be featured in the next issue? Let us know what you’re listening to! Email us at thelancer.tohs@gmail.com.

A quiet afternoon at Caffé ArómaAli WireStaff Writer

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much. I jump out of my mother’s car, running across the parking lot to avoid the rain pouring down. In a few seconds, I’m pulling open the glass and stepping inside Caffé Aróma in Newbury Park, hiding behind Lamppost Pizza and CVS Pharmacy.

It’s warm, quiet and very well-decorated. Coffee bags from Columbia and Brazil hang on the ceiling.

A large portrait of a vase of flowers hangs above a couch begging to be sat upon. Not to mention the free WiFi, which a sign on the door informs me of in black and white. The place is just cozy, giving it a homey feeling with mismatched furniture.

Along the walls, there are rows and rows of teacups and ornaments. At first, it seems to just be decoration, but as I get closer to examine the floral design on a plate, I notice a tiny sticker with a price on it. Almost everything there is for sale, from signs and dishes to salt and pepper shakers.

Above the counter is a chalk board that lists the menu. The café serves everything from bagels with egg, cheese and ham, to turkey melts and Greek salads. The

coffee is warm, and possibly the best I’ve tasted. But if you’re not a coffee lover, there are a variety of other drinks to chose from; hot tea, hot cocoa, milkshakes, even your favorite brands of soda. There’s only one person working behind the counter, a smiling blonde alumna from Thousand Oaks High School. She’s quiet, but funny and polite. The employees fit in well with the calming atmosphere.

There aren’t many people hanging around Caffé Aróma. It’s mainly adults and a few old folks, but it’s a great place to be for the afternoon. Employees also say that they wouldn’t mind a few teenagers coming in now and then.

Aside from food, Caffé Aróma also sells jewelry and gift certificates. Prices of both the food and furniture are fairly moderate and are definitely worth the prod-ucts you receive.

The café is rarely crowded, and is a great place to go for peace and a good cup of coffee. Go with your friends, your grandmother or by yourself with your fa-vorite book. You’ll enjoy yourself either way.

Kanye West regains status with new chart-topping albumTArAn MoriatesStaff Writer

Cameras snap rapidly. Flashes bounce off his tinted shades. His jewelry glints brightly. Gallons of ink are put to use. All of it formed to say the same thing. Con-troversy. A massive force, trying to overcome him. His hands continue to reach, reach, reach for the top. He is gone, defeated by the monster. He rises, better than ever. He flies to the highest pedestal—at last!

Kanye West is a phoenix.My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye’s newest

album. You pop it into your computer, stereo, which-ever. Doubts cross your mind. Did I really just spend $9.99 on that jerk Kanye? People. Too influenced by what is told to them. He is a musician, is he not? Okay, okay, I’ll judge by the music.

The first track plays. The doubts, the voices, the fear—gone. Nicki Minaj is talking. There! She got my attention, she’s got the media’s, she’s got the world’s, with the best advice in a while—“Zip it, listen!” A “Glee-esque” chorus begins, then Kanye’s rapping. The emotion is obvious. This is Kanye, not the glitz and glare from the flash. Okay, maybe this was money well spent, but that was just one track.

The CD shifts to the next song. You notice your hand turning the volume up, just a little. A melancholy, unique beat begins, along with Kid Cudi expressing West’s predicament—“No more chances if you blow this.” Kanye knows this, he accepts it. This is his re-demption. No, it is more than that—it is his revolution. Another track fades to a close.

Next track. Wait…are these gospel singers in the background? Clapping? Did I accidentally hit the skip button to the next CD in the player? Wait, there’s Kanye claiming that he’s the best and has so much of what

the song title says—power. Man, I’m really starting to believe it. I’m digging the beat and uniqueness. An in-novation for sure. Competitors: take notes.

A smooth piano and violin melody follow. “All of the Lights” demands attention. It reveals the album’s confidence—“extra bright, I want y’all to see this”—which is otherwise simply implied.

Surely, with so many big time names accompanying the song titles, this won’t work. Kanye is definitely try-ing too hard. Wrong. For others this may be true, but West is not like others—I think this fact pleases him the most—and he controls the attention among the tran-scendent appearances.

By this time, you feel lucky. Only 10 dollars? Your stereo is not willing to accept many other discs after getting a taste of this. The album continues. The vol-ume on your stereo rises.

Next, you feel like you are in an old bar. There is an antique jukebox in the corner. It’s smoky. Quiet, solemn. “Devil in a New Dress” plays. The occupants ask for forgiveness along with Kanye, staring into their drinks. You’ve got to love that soft woman’s voice in the background, with West’s straightforward verses.

Shooting forward, the disc reaches “Lost In the World.” Up and down rhythms, from the slow auto-tuned voices to the lively beat, creates a paradox as the song expresses confusion. I realize I’m right along with them. I’m lost. I realize that 60 minutes have gone by. I’m confused. Where’d the time go?

The album is coming to a close. Pleas of “who will survive in America?” ring out aggressively. The CD stops spinning, leaving that one simple question. You sit there, amazed at the amazing work you just listened to. The answer is clear.

Kanye West will survive, that’s who.

1. HP laptop—nola Adedigba

2. refrigerator magnet—rafael Ancheta

3. Judy Garland Lost Tracks Box set—lindsay Baffo

4. Pittsburg steelers snuggie—Megan Bowser

5. Inception—Alex Bradbury

6. New stickers for rubik’s cube—Alex Chen

7. a good winter break—Steven Golditch

8. Facial hair—Brian Kim

9. Mittens—Jacob Markus

10. Nokia N8—Samir Malhotra

11. New iPhone from at&t—Emily Pinsky

12. MacBook Pro—Giselle Quezada

13. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World—rachel riedel

14. steven Golditch—Daniel Schechter

15. Skins seasons 3 & 4—rebecca Sylvers

16. The Umbrella Academy coffee mug—Caitlin Wire

17. Kitchen renovation—Mrs. Zimmerman

freshman»Tim Mosher

the LANCER

Holiday Wishlist

teacher»Melissa Glusac

sophomore»Jingyi Li

“i’ve been listening to ‘Jilted lovers and Bro-ken Hearts’ by Brandon Flowers. it’s one of the more upbeat songs on the album [Flamingo]. it reminds me of las Vegas, and i like it because it’s about a guy who’s down on his luck. it’s relatable; a novel in a song. it’s about the search for yourself.”

“i’ve been obsessed with ‘Around Us’ by Jonsi. When i waited nine hours to see Jonsi live, it was the best day of my life. The song was the last of his set which made it really special. it starts really calm and beautiful, and his voice transcends above the music, until it all builds up. it’s just so pure.”

“[‘lose Yourself’ by Eminem] expresses the monumental culmina-tion of years and years of living a hard life and going through a multi-tude of uphill struggles, which is an intense concept to handle and relate to...each and every line captures the emotions within me.”

Ali WirE » THE lAnCEr.

Ali

Wir

E »

TH

E l

An

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r

1. MacBook Pro—Giselle Quezada

2. Judy Garland Lost Tracks Box set—lindsay Baffo

3. Inception DVD—Alex Bradbury

4. New stickers for rubik’s Cube—Alex Chen

5. New iPhone from at&t—Emily Pinsky

6. The Umbrella Academy coffee mug—Caitlin Wire

7. Skins seasons 3 and 4—rebecca Sylvers

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World—rachel riedel

9. Nokia N8—Samir Malhotra

10. HP Laptop—nola Adedigba

11.a good winter break—Steven Golditch

12. Pittsburg steelers snuggie—Megan Bowser

13. steven Golditch—Daniel Shechter

14. —Brian Kim

15. —raffa

» Keyshia Cole Calling All HeartsDec. 21

» Jamie Foxx Best Night Of My LifeDec. 21

» Keri Hilson No Boys AllowedDec. 21

» Jesse McCartney Have It AllDec. 28

» Cage the elephant Thank You, Happy BirthdayJan. 11

» Cake Showroom of Compassion Jan. 11

» the Decemberists The King Is DeadJan. 18

» the script Science And FaithJan. 18

» social Distortion Hard Times And Nursery RhymesJan. 18

Upcoming Albums

HoLD tHe FoaM—Caffé Aróma provides a cozy, antique setting in which customers can enjoy generous cups of coffee and deli-style sandwiches and salads. 2130 Newbury Road

EntErtainmEnt page 16 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

All-star cast lights up screen in BurlesqueJen smithStaff Writer

With the whole High School Musical craze thank-fully far behind us, the movie industry was long over-due for a brand new movie musical. The answer to this call: Burleque.

Christina Aguilera plays Ali Rose, a bold Iowa na-tive in the musical Burlesque, a tale of searching for big dreams in an even bigger city. After finding herself in the chaos of Los Angeles, she stumbles upon Bur-lesque, a secluded club with dancers that can contort their scantily clad bodies into every position imagin-able. Tess, played by the immortal Cher, is the man-ager of Burlesque, who gives Ali a job as a dancer at the club. With the support of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender at the club and assistant manager Sean, por-trayed by Stanely Tucci, Ali makes her debut as a tal-ented young star, and the rest is history.

Singers are often mediocre actors, not quite measur-ing up to the experience of celebrities more familiar to the business. Aguilera and Cher proved to be good matches to their male counterparts, who were fantas-tic. Gigandet, already extremely handsome in real life, proved to be nearly irresistible in Burlesque. He plays his role with finesse, as well as with some hidden tal-ents he boasts throughout the film. Tucci delivers funny lines and a nonchalant attitude, hilarious as always.

While the vocals are undoubtedly impressive, the storyline is a bit underadvertised. Director Steve Antin places too much emphasis on the musical numbers and on making sure the glamour of Burlesque is not easily matched. There are some vague spots in the plot, how-ever, and sometimes the backgrounds of the characters are not quite clear. We don’t even learn the last names of most of the main characters; they are referred to on a first-name basis during the entire movie. It almost pre-vented me from connecting to the characters on a more personal level, because I knew so little about them.

Cher, a big name in Hollywood, plays the part of man-ager and mentor very well; however, she is robbed of opportunities in her minimal screen time. Eric Dane, is in the movie too much; his acting, already dull to begin with, made me want to take a nap until the next musi-cal number. The offhand remarks that hint towards the past lives of the film’s leading roles is too subtle to be completely understandable, but supplies just enough insight to be sufficient to understanding what is going on throughout the story.

The main attractions to this risqué production are, undoubtedly, the musical numbers. Ten full-length songs are performed throughout the film, eight of them by Aguilera. The tempos range from peppy, catchy “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” to the noticeably more sultry “Express.” Guys will love watching Agu-ilera in action, singing and dancing in outfits that leave little to the imagination.

For the ladies, Cam Gigandet is a sight for sore eyes, and while he doesn’t stretch his vocal cords, he cer-tainly leaves the female viewers satisfied.

The talent in the vocal leads with this cast of char-acters knows no boundaries. Aguilera, as the lead, has several showstopping solos that showcase her clear, strong voice. With dozens of backup dancers and a wide range of song genres, the constant shift in musical selections keeps the interest of the moviegoers. Cher, always a classic, belts out melodies of her own, includ-ing the sultry number “Welcome to Burlesque.” Her voice, very different from the effortless tones of today’s pop artists, is solid and free of flaws (yes, I am making a reference to numerous plastic surgeries that leave her face unable to create more than four emotions).

The innoncent days of Disney movies are gone with no demand for a grand return. No need for Troy and Gabriella; a duo like Cher and Christina were meant to shine on the big screen in this fantastic film. Burlesque glitters, glistens and gleams. It’s cinematic gold.

Previously on The Sylvers Screen, our heroine said “Take that!” to Stan-ford after struggling to answer a question discriminating against TV. Now, she copes with the consequences. Spoiler alert: Harry Potter is involved.

Sorry, third person and italics is a bit pretentious. I’ll stop. When decisions came out on Friday, I got the email no one wants to get. I

guess Stanford just doesn’t appreciate TV as much as I do. To dull the initial shock, I coped in the only two ways I know how: by eating

leftover Chinese food and, of course, watching TV. The Office’s “Classy Christ-mas,” to be exact. It was my first TV viewing in ages, seeing as my life is domi-nated on a near-constant basis by either college apps or newspaper deadlines.

I watched with my neighbor, a fellow disappointed senior whose mother force-fed me brownies and Christmas cookies the whole night (err..morning?)

After the grieving was over, the speculation began. It was more unhealthy than scarfing down a whole bag of tortilla chips while watching recorded episodes of One Tree Hill.

What could we have done differently? Why doesn’t Stanford love us back? If only I’d edited my essays more, If only I’d sold my soul and joined umpteen

clubs just to write them on my apps. If only I’d started playing softball at five so I could have made varsity.

If only I’d written about movies. I’m okay with it, really. I am, however, starting to see the dark side, movies, as

more than subpar one-night stands of video entertainment.There’s not much I dislike more than admitting defeat. But this month, I’m

doing just that. Movies, you win.I blame Harry Potter.I saw it twice in a week, including the midnight premiere (talk about a collec-

tive experience). The only TV show I ever watch reruns of is Gilmore Girls, and those are free. So Harry Potter must have done something right.

It was emotional and action-packed, yes, but more importantly it was big in a way TV can never be. Where better than a screen 83492374 times my size to watch Bellatrix torture Hermione or Dobby utter his last words?

As much as I hate to admit it, TV would destroy Harry Potter in the worst possible way.

And you know what? If Stanford doesn’t want me in all my TV-loving glory, I don’t want it either. I can still go to Brown with Emma Watson.

THE SYLVERS

SCREEN

My Chemical Romance breaks the sound barrier with Danger Days

Caitlin WireEntertainment Editor

Strobe lights. Synthesizers. Spandex. My Chemical Romance.Wait, what?

Those four, on principle, shouldn’t be in the same sentence. But since when have My Chem gone by the book on, well...anything?

In 2002, they dabbled in messy punk with their debut album: I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. They switched to conceptual alternative rock in 2004 (Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge), and followed it up with a rock opera in 2006 (The Black Parade). Four years and another drummer later, they’re going in a completely different direction with the release of their fourth studio album: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

The members of My Chemical Romance have stripped away the black jackets and eyeliner that so notoriously defined them in years past. Instead, they’re filming music videos in the California desert, racing across the barren landscape in a graffitied Trans Am, wearing neon-colored masks and shooting laser guns.

Three years ago, I would have slapped anyone who told me MCR would sound better with synthesizers. Now, it’s 2010, and somehow...they just made it work.

There’s a certain “never-say-no” mentality about this band. Take the concept behind Danger Days, for example: it’s 2019, and some widespread disaster has wreaked havoc across the world. An organization called Better Living Industries (BL/ind) controls the remain-ing human population in a place called Battery City (very 1984-esque) and My Chemical Romance leads a group of vagabonds called Killjoys. Their mission? To keep art alive.

Danger Days opens with a message from Dr. Death Defying, Battery City’s rebel radio host. He introduces the world MCR has created, and signs off with the proc-lamation “Killjoys, make some noise!” as the musical onslaught begins.

“Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” is the record’s first single, and lead vocalist Gerard Way’s lyricism at its best. The song’s obscenely long title and repeated choruses of na’s seem to mock the pop genre; the melody is catchy, the message cynical.

“Planetary (GO!)” is the biggest step away from old sound MCR has made in a while. The blaring sirens, the techno beat...It begs to be danced to.

“S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W” and “Summertime” are two of the album’s slower ballads, places to rest in between the catharsis of the other tracks. The former takes a step into psychedelia; the latter is too poppy for my taste.

“Vampire Money” is one of my favorite songs on Danger Days. An anti-Twilight anthem written after the band’s refusal to sell out by accepting offers to write songs for the franchise, it’s raw and funny as hell; Way makes sarcastic jabs at Stephenie Meyer’s new wave vampires (“Sparkle like Bowie in the morning sun,” “Hair back, collar up, jet black, so cool!”) and later mock-begs for someone to “Gimme gimme some of that vampire money.”

I had the overwhelming pleasure of attending My Chemical Romance’s album release show at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on Nov. 22. Unofficially titled the “MCRmy,” concertgoers that night were decked out in army boots, masks and neon bandanas. Some had even fashioned fake ray guns out of cardboard.

Passing pieces of the set from the “Na Na Na” and “SING” music videos, and a Killjoy Carnival (“overdo-ing it” are two words deemed taboo by artist-extraordi-naire Way), we went through the doors. More of Way’s imagination decorated the venue. Most noticeable was a plaque with a huge cartoon animal mask above the stage that proclaimed “Unity in Diversity: All Are One.”

My Chem took the stage as strobe lights lit up the crowd and Dr. Death Defying’s voice reverberated through the room. They ripped into “Na Na Na,” danc-ing and jumping around the stage in ways middle-aged men should not be dancing and jumping. The energy was palpable, especially during “Planetary (GO!),” when my feet left the ground for a solid minute.

Mosh pits erupted across the floor during “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid,” and “Teenagers” induced synchronized fist-pumping that would leave Jersey Shore in the dust.

There’s really nothing more to do than congratulate My Chem on blowing up the world once again. Dan-ger Days is arguably the best record this band has pro-duced since Three Cheers. My Chemical Romance has returned with a vengeance, and isn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.

“”

There’s really nothing more to do than congratulate My Chem on blow-ing up the world

once again.

Gerard Way( “Party Poison”)

lEad vocalS

Frank iero( “Fun Ghoul”)

Rhythm GuitaR

mikey Way( “Kobra Kid”)

BaSS

ray toro( “JEt-star”)

lEad GuitaR

sports }{ page 17issue 4december 15, 2010

fall»Cross Country »»Boys’»»»JV

7-0»»»Frosh/Soph

7-0»»Girls»»»JV

3-4»»»Frosh/Soph

7-0»Football »»JV

5-5»»Freshmen

3-5»Girls’ Tennis»»JV

11-5»Girls Volleyball »»JV

10-8»»Frosh/Soph

14-4»Boys’ Water Polo »»JV

17-9»»Frosh/Soph

12-15

Underclassman

scoreboard

finales ReBeCCa SylverS Editor-in-Chief

Girls’ lacrosse recently gained CIF status in the CVUSD and comes to campus this spring. The official approval came at a school board meeting Tuesday, Dec. 7, and applies to all area high schools seeking to start a team.

A month prior, Oak Park and Agoura became the first local schools to become CIF-sanctioned for girls’ lacrosse, but now Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park will join them. Westlake is in the process of building a team and, if it does, will automatically be approved. As well as the above-listed teams, Thousand Oaks will likely play Glendale, La Canada, Pacific Palisades and Granada Hills, though no schedules have been estab-lished yet.

The inaugural Lancer boys’ lacrosse season last year gave the girls a serious boost in their hunt for approv-al.

“It really helped our cause. It made the school aware of our sport,” senior Maddie Elia said.

The girls had a relatively easy time getting approved because the boys’ team had so recently jumped through the hoops of the process.

“They paved the way for us by dealing with concerns from other sports about field space and budget,” Elia said.

She cites support from the administrations of all the area high schools as another key reason for the approv-al. Though Elia and other students did the legwork, athletic director Mary Ziegler helped get the request through to Jeff Davis at the district office.

Elia, originally from Pennsylvania where lacrosse is much more prominent, went into high school deter-mined to start a team. The biggest obstacle she faced was finding girls interested in lacrosse.

“It was really hard to make a sport that’s largely un-popular in this area popular and to get girls to play a sport they had never heard of,” she said.

While Elia searched for players, her mom, Celia Woods, worked to find coaches and fields for the unof-ficial Thousand Oaks team, whose players will now be able to play at a competitive high school level.

Ziegler hopes to have coaches selected and a seventh period class established by the start of second semes-ter.

Official practices will start in February in prepara-tion for the spring season.

Girls interested in joining the team should listen for announcements in the coming month.

Girls’ lacrosse gets approval

» cross countryThe girls’ cross country team made it to Marmon-

te League Finals by placing third during the Ventura Country Championships. Even though it did not move on to state, the team placed a strong sixth place in the Marmonte League Finals.

“It was really fun. Everyone did really well this sea-son,” sophomore Summer Shafer said.

The boys’ varsity team also did well, placing third in the Ventura County Championships, second in the Marmonte League Finals, becoming the league cham-pions. In addition to group success, the girls’ team sent junior Melanie Joerger to Woodward Park in Fresno for the CIF State Cross Country Championships, where she placed 35th.

-Sophia Chen

» footballAfter a run to the second round of CIF, Thousand

Oaks fell to Oaks Christian 34-57 on Nov. 26 to end its season.

“CIF playoffs gave me a good experience offensive-ly because it gave me a challenge with other teams,” senior quarterback Avondre Bollar said.

Despite injuries to key players, the Lancers still had eight wins on the season. They progressed into playoffs as the 4th-seeded Marmonte team and won their first game against Quartz Hill, 28-21.

The Marmonte League was a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. All five of its teams won their first round games, and Oaks Christian went on to beat West-lake in the finals to win the CIF-SS Northern Division.

-Rola Adedigba

» girls’ golfThe girls’ golf team went undefeated this season

with 16 wins. “Our season was pure domination, our best ever,”

senior Viktoria Cummings said. It entered the CIF Northern Qualifiers and earned

fifth place with a score of 405, just one place shy of

moving on to the Southern Section Team Finals. The girls look to have success next season, as four of their starters will return.

Sophomore Sophia Chen shot a 78 in Northern Indi-vidual Regionals Nov. 1, qualifying her for CIF Indi-vidual Finals, which took place Nov. 8. She finished in the top third at the event.

-Rola Adedigba

» girls’ tennisGirls’ tennis finished with a 17-3 overall record. In

the CIF playoffs the team had two solid wins against Fullerton and Louisville, both with scores of 16-2. The Lancers lost to Campbell Hall to end their season.

-Michael Morgan

» girls’ volleyballAfter finishing in third place last season, the girls’

volleyball team sought redemption this year. For the first time since the 2008-2009 season, the team finished the regular season undefeated and won the Marmonte League title. The Lancers made it to the second round of CIF playoffs, where they lost to Edison 3-1, (18-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-12.)

“Going two rounds [in Division 1AA] is not an easy thing,” coach James Park said.

The league is packed with challenging opponents.Park is concerned that next year’s competition will be even tougher due to the overall youth in TO’s Marmon-te opponents. Nonetheless, he doesn’t plan to change the team’s playing style much come next season. Be-cause there were no seniors on this year’s squad, its skill level can only improve.

-Ian Doherty

» boys’ water polo For the first time in 30 years, the boys’ varsity water

polo team made the semifinals of the CIF playoffs. The team finished with an overall record of 20-6.

Their season ended however, to the team that handed them two of their three regular season losses: Agoura.

-Alex Bradbury

It was an epic fall for Thousand Oaks sports. every varsity team made the CIF playoffs. Here is a roundup of how they did.

I owe it all to my teammates. All the record goes to them. - Richard Mullaney

“”

SPORTS page 18 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Hyping up tHe crowd—Senior Amelie Wagner gets the crowd involved during the Lancers’ crowdleading routine in the first ever Marmonte League Cheer Competition, hosted in the TOHS gym on Dec. 11. The cheerleaders involved in this routine are mem-bers of both the varsity and JV squads.

Lancers host first cheer compRebeCCA SylverSEditor-in-Chief

TOHS hosted the Marmonte League Cheer Competi-tion, its first ever, Dec. 11 in the gym.

Coach Kelly Mills had been planning to host since the spring.

Cheer alumni worked as spotters, while many others who just came to watch ended up helping as well.

“[They] were more than glad to help,” Mills said. She invited all Marmonte’s cheer teams, but many

were not yet ready to compete or otherwise opted out. The intention for the teams that did compete—

Moorpark, Royal, Simi Valley and Oaks Christian, an honorary member of Marmonte since its football team made the switch—was to create a sense of league ca-maraderie.

“It was cool seeing them outside of football games,” crowd leading captain senior Anna Stevens said. “We got to see their skills rather than just cheers.”

Because the Lancers hosted the competition, they couldn’t place in the team category. In the spirit of

friendly competition, however, cheerleaders from each squad nominated other schools for nontraditional awards like Most Visual Pyramid, which Thousand Oaks won.

Moorpark took this mentality to another level, by rounding out Thousand Oaks’ seven mats with seven of their own, enabling the competition to use the regula-tion number of mats, nine, and use the leftovers to pad the practice room.

Mills hopes the addition of a local competition will enable teams to be more supportive of one another at larger competitions in the future.

“At competitions, when we run into Moorpark [cheerleaders], now we can say their cheers back to them,” she said.

Though the competition was the only one some of the teams will participate in this year, the Lancers have more to come, including State Championships at the Home Depot Center in Carson on Dec. 18.

Thousand Oaks plans to host the competition again next year.

ALex BradBury Sports Editor

Senior wide receiver Richard Mullaney set the single season state-record for receptions with 122 catches, including 19 in the season-ending loss against Oaks Christian on Nov 25.

The record came with some controversy however. After the season, Mullaney was originally credited with only 120 receptions, which would have fallen one short of the record.

“The week after the Oaks Christian game, coach came up to me and said that I was one short but that he was going to look over the footage. Coach recounted them, and he told me that I set the receiving record,” Mullaney said.

Mullaney was credited with two extra catches when thorough video replay showed that Mullaney was the receiver on two hook and ladder plays on which he was not given the reception, but should have been.

Mullaney has stayed humble through all his success, and realizes how instrumental his teammates were in achieving the record.

“It’s a big accomplishment, I’m honored to get the award, but I owe it all to my teammates. All the record goes to them. Everyone on the line… without them none of this could have happened. And of course Avon-dre, without his accuracy the record wasn’t possible,” Mullaney said.

Despite Mullaney’s skill, the Lancers lost 34-57 in the playoffs to Oaks Christian on Nov. 26. They did, however, win a CIF game against Quartz Hills, 28-21, and the fact that they made the playoffs in the grueling Marmonte League, is a great achievement in itself.

“[The season is a] success because we went 7-3 in league and won a playoff game,” Mullaney said. “We could have been better though.”

The tough competition in the Marmonte League will be good practice for Mullaney, as the school he will be attending after he graduates, Oregon State, is in the Pac-10, widely considered one of the toughest confer-ences in the NCAAF.

Mullaney hopes to play for the Beavers at the start of his freshman year.

“I’ve talked to the coaches and I can probably play right away,” Mullaney said, “but if not I can red shirt my first year and hopefully play [the] next season.”

Mullaney has mixed emotions about graduating the school at which he has become a star and experienced so much.

“It’s definitely sad leaving TO,” Mullaney said, “but on the other hand I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”

Mullaney isn’t done with Lancer athletics though: he will play forward on the basket-ball team this winter.

bRIAn KimEditor-in-Chief

It was hard to coax anything out of him. The sports realm, so publicized with false optimism, the cookie-cutter expressions, and the shallow responses inherent in every post-game conference and live interview, is no different on TO’s athletic platform. So it came to no surprise when I asked senior Michael Feistel, a soft-spoken 5’3” 140 pound linebacker, how he thought the fall football season went.

“It was a good season.”Then a shift in his demeanor, not unlike one from

his off-the-gridiron passivity to a tough-as-nails feroc-ity that left dents in his opponents’ shoulder pads and Marmonte League teams’ records.

It was a good season, as every student at our school can attest. It was a good season—but both for football and Feistel. He explains how, in their second league game against Newbury Park , Head Coach Mike Leibin wanted to add an extra linebacker and Feistel began recording more minutes and how, before, he had only played every other series (the four downs allotted to the offense) in his junior year and the beginning of this season.

“It’s my senior year. When time escapes like that, you want to play as much as you can,” he says.

This newfound niche, however, did not bolster his interest in his team’s triumph over the season.

“I’ve always cared about winning,” he says a bit defensively. “Before and after I got more minutes.”

Even in the private school-injected league that is granted five CIF playoff berths, Feistel shone. His

upper body strength coupled with a low center of gravity and quick feet solidified his position,

and a probable spot on the Marmonte All-League teams which will be voted on by

coaches come late January.His most memorable moment?“Ten tackles and a touchdown

against Oaks Christian,” he says with a quick nod. Then he adds, “Which is

a lot.”The end of the season came prematurely with

a 34-57 beating from Oaks Christian. For Feis-tel especially, the second-round loss meant the end.

“I was this disappointed,” he said with his arms spread wide. He is serious.

And, it really is the end for the senior’s athletic pursuits. In an aerial stunt for com-petition cheer’s upcoming season, Feistel broke the scaphoid bone in his right hand.

The scaphoid bone: “It’s the bone in your wrist that’s the most important,” he laughs. “The bone’s like a peanut and blood goes into it from the middle and then it goes up and down again,” he says, motioning with his

left index finger down his right thumb.But he is content. Feistel will attend Azusa

Pacific University and major in either ministry theology or business (“I like going to church and being nice to people.”)

“It was a good season.”Perhaps he was only flippantly countering

my hackneyed question with an answer of his own.answer of his own.

Lancer football’s unsung hero

RebeCCA SyLVeRS » THe LAnCeR

The late, great record break

Richard Mullaney broke the state single season record with 122 catches.Michael Feistel broke a bone in his hand while practicing with the competition cheer team. They may not look alike, but they both broke barriers this football season.

MichaeL FeiSTeL RichaRd MuLLaney

RebeCCA SyLVeRS » THe LAnCeR

BreakitorMakeit

Feistel in white t-shirt, Mullaney in dark t-shirt.

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sports page 19issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Ian Doherty Staff Writer

Lancer wrestlers have a new strength and condition-ing coach, Richard Lemos from Royal High School. For the preseason and in-season practices, Lemos works with a group of 25 wrestlers chosen based on talent and work ethic.

Lemos has worked on wrestlers’ conditioning and technique throughout the preseason, focusing on teach-ing ground technique, throws, take downs and pinning combos. He has also taught them different conditioning routines to get them in better shape during the season.

“[The conditioning] is a hard road to travel,” senior JT Lawson (189 lbs.) said.

Lawson said the first few days that Lemos came to practice, nearly half the team vomited from exhaustion after the intense session.

In addition to the workouts and technical lessons, Lemos taught the team to become friends, as well as teammates.

“Everyone likes him a lot and [he has] taught us [about] team bonding,” junior Matt Guido (112 lbs.) said.

At the Newbury Park Invitational Tournament, the first of the year, nearly half the team placed in the top seven of their respective weight divisions.

“[It was] especially hard for the first tournament of the year,” Lawson said.

Last year the team had a lineup that relied heavily on upperclassmen success. This year, the team will have to focus on mending the holes that come with graduat-ing seniors.

The first dual meet was a close match against Moor-park on Dec. 9. Junior Austin Welty (171 lbs.) and Guido both won with pins. Welty pinned his opponent in the opening seconds of the second bout of the night, while Guido won in the middle of his first round. Junior Daniel Orona (130 lbs.) pinned his foe in the second period of his bout. Despite these successes, TOHS lost by six points.

“We just have to keep our heads up and try our hard-est,” Lawson said after the loss. “There’s still a chance we’ll wrestle them again; and if we do, it shall be a battle.”

Wrestlers begin season with new coach

Feel the pain— Junior Matt Chun (145 lbs.) attempts a single leg take down against his Moorpark High School opponent. Chun won his bout in TOHS’ six-point loss to Moorpark. Though Wrestling comes off a third place finish last season, it hopes to win the remainder of its matches and face Moorpark again during CIF Dual Meets.

alex MaSuOka » THe lanCer

Boys’ basketball replaces graduates

nICk laumann Contributing Writer

The boys’ varsity soccer team and coach Mark Ti-etjen are preparing for the start of a promising season.

Last season Tietjen led the team to a fourth place fin-ish and a winning record.

Loss of keeper Juan Vitela and forward Alexis Ces-pedes after last season presents a potential problem, but players believe the team will be much stronger this season nonetheless.

“Our players have improved, and we have a stronger team this year,” senior Brenton Frame, the starting cen-ter midfielder, said.

Key players include Frame, senior Brian Kim, junior Michael Coles and junior Daniel Trautman.

“[Coach Tietjen] thinks the team has potential this year and has high expectations for the team,” Frame said.

Royal and Simi Valley should be the toughest oppo-nents, but players say the team is good enough to com-

pete with any other team in the Marmonte League. The team’s main rivals are Newbury Park and Westlake.

A new addition to the team is senior Eddie Vazquez, who used to play for Westlake. Along with trying to earn a starting spot and help the team out, Vazquez is especially excited to face his former team on the pitch.

“I’ll be playing against friends and hopefully we can beat Westlake,” Vazquez said.

The team hopes to compete for first place and win Marmonte League.

“As long as everyone works hard I think we can win league and go far in CIF,” Frame said.

The team lost its first nonleague game to Channel Islands, 0-4, while resting starters and getting younger players onto the field.

TO won its first league game 3-0 against Royal, and will play Agoura tonight.

“If we play like we did against Royal there is no doubt we should beat Agoura,” team captain senior Preston McElroy said.

WinterWarriors

aTHleTeS lOOk FOr SuCCeSS In THe upCOMIng SeaSOn

DuSTIn Kowell Staff Writer

The Lancers finished with a 22-6 overall record and a 12-2 record in league last season, finishing in first place atop the Marmonte League. Saying goodbye to graduating seniors Alex Tiffin and James Whalen was tough, but the team has several returners who have learned from playing with the two.

“There are five returning starters who have plenty of leadership and experience,” head coach Richard En-dres said. Senior Richard Mullaney, coming off a re-cord season in football, will be key on offense. Senior Evann Hall, one of the league’s top players, is looking to show that he knows what it takes to be the best.

“Hard work, practice everyday is what it takes to be

a top player,” Hall said. “I play within the team, it’s all about team play. I definitely have what it takes”

A major question going into season was who would fill the shoes of Whalen. The answer is Austin Cagley. By playing behind Whalen, Cagley was able to im-prove his game and learn from one of the best players on the court.

“It was a very good experience,” he said. “I had to guard him in practice which made me tougher as a player.”

Historically, the Lancers rarely build the team around a superstar; they spread the basketball around. This year should prove to be a return to that form.

The Lancers won their first league game against Royal, and play today against Agoura.

seniors lead boys’ soccer team

» girls’ soccerHelped by the influx of enthusiastic

underclassmen, along with the play of juniors and seniors, the girls’ varsity soccer team is ready to go.

“Our freshmen are bound to make an impact,” said assistant coach Laura Brain.

Along with many talented freshmen, the team has a very experienced player in senior Heather Davis. She was accepted into USC on a full-ride soccer scholar-ship, and her team spirit encourages the other members to work harder.

“She is inspirational because she makes sure that everyone works their hardest at practice and in the games,” senior Melissa Geiger said.

Last year the team struggled due to injured players, including standouts Al-yson Birgel and Michelle Cruz.

“Last season was a rebuilding [year],” coach Geoff Raives said. “We had many injuries last year. There were 24 people on the team, but only 14 were able to play.”

With improved health, the team hopes to have improved success.

The team hosts Agoura High School in Lancer Stadium at 6 p.m. tonight.

-Sophia Chen

» girls’ water polo“It’s been a while since we got into

championships,” sophomore Dana Slo-miak said.

The girls’ varsity water polo team has had some troubles of late, but the team is hopeful that this year will be different due to the new Olympic Development Program (ODP), designed to help play-ers learn new offensive and defensive tactics.

“Most of the teams won’t know what we’re doing,” Slomiak said.

Players, however, have had trouble getting comfortable with these advanced tactics.

“I think it is hard to transition to,” senior Eleni Misthos said, “but it will make us better and get everyone on the same page.”

-Sophia Chen

» girls’ basketballGirls’ basketball is off to a fast start

this season. The girls are 5-3 so far, and their team chemistry has helped them thus far.

“We are like a huge family,” sopho-more Lindsey Neuner said. “We have had team sleepovers and dinners. In fact, we went to BJ’s last [Sunday] night.”

The girls have played two nonleague games against league opponents, Ago-ura and Newbury Park. The team beat Newbury, but lost to Agoura, which is expected to be its toughest opponent.

“[Agoura] is a very aggressive and fast team. We will have to work hard, but I think we can take them,” Neuner said.

Head coach Rick Cromwell has been making sure the team works hard. The team has been playing in summer and fall for two hours a day, six days a week.

“We have a lot more sophomores this year. Last season it was mainly seniors and juniors with a few sophomores,” Neuner said. “Also we have been having so many injuries. Hopefully we won’t have any more.”

The girls play Agoura in their second league game tonight.

-Alex Bradbury

SCOrebOarD

league overall

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girls’ Water polo...................................

Wrestling...................................................

boys’ Soccer............................................

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Womenof the

Winter

* scores through Monday, December 13

photo essaypage 20 issue 4december 15, 2010 }{

Homecoming came early this year, but nevertheless, the Lancer spirit engulfed the campus throughout the week. From its ener-getic kick-off—the rally, to its final hours—the dance, Homecom-ing was a fun-filled experience for all.

home for the

holidays

not a victory march—Legs reaching up, senior Emily Hops embraces the solemn mood of the advanced dance class’s piece about the Sept. 11 attacks, set to Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah,” as a pair of male dancers lift her into the air. “The first time I did it I was really scared because I’m afraid of heights, but after I did it a couple times I was more comfortable,” she said. The dance took place during “A Day in New York City,” this year’s Winter Dance Concert, and featured an introduction sung by senior Brooke Bowers.

solitary symbols—(Left) A Santa hat, placed atop the Lancer statue by members of ASB, lies on the concrete beneath. (Above) A candy cane dangles from a cluster of pine needles on a tree near the quad. “This Christmas, [school] is totally decked out,” junior Daniel Gober, who aided in the campus’s decora-tion, said. “It’s the reason I love this season.”

wintergreen—(Left) In Doris Macdonald’s classroom, physics-related ornaments, including senior Zachary Morgan’s (pictured here) adorn brightly colored, non-denomination trees. (Below) A festive sign hangs from a pine tree outside the main office.

The spirit of winter sweeps the campus and surrounding community in the form of vibrant decorations and festive performances.

ALEx MASuokA » THE LANCEr

light me up—(Above) A Hanukkah menorah brightens the ToHS library. (Below) Strings of lights illuminate the

ice skating rink at The Lakes.

pHoToS » rEBECCA SYLVErS » THE LANCEr

kAILEY SMITH » THE LANCEr