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Permit No. 782

San Mateo, CA

Strict admittance policy: no “free rides”

Bat Boy strikes tonight

Volume 51 Issue 03 November 17, 2011

Aragon High School 900 Alameda de las Pulgas San Mateo, CA 94402

See projected 2016 UC tuition on page 2.

Scan this QR Code with your smart phone for a youtube link

to “Chillin’ with the Don.”

Senior Lauren Croshaw breaks 14-year old Aragon record at the Crystal Springs Belmont course.

Aragon extends 20-year homecoming win streak with a 59-38 victory over Hillsdale.

Aragon-47610-year cumulative score:

Hillsdale-158

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SHANNON BODEAU

After the Sheriff drops Bat Boy (Senior Wassim Khemici) off at the Parker house, Shelly (Senior Brynn Mitchell) uncovers him for the first time.

BY TAYLOR WESTMONTNEWS

Due to the nature of the San Mateo Union High School Dis-trict’s funding, Aragon maintains a strict policy on admitting stu-

dents who live outside the district. Numerous students are turned away because their actual residen-cy is not situated within the dis-

trict. Though district policy may seem overly fas-

tidious on the surface, the district has strong reason to enforce it.

Aragon is known for its academics, and parents

often register their children at Aragon in an attempt to get them into a better education system. Furthermore, with the largest population of the

SMUHSD schools, Aragon already rejects many inter-district transfers each year. However, many go to great lengths to attend Aragon, but due to the district’s checking system, these people are caught and their children are not allowed to attend.

The primary reason why Aragon does not allow students in from

outside the district is due to the nature of the Basic Aid funding that Aragon

receives. Essentially, the vast

majority of Aragon’s funding comes from property taxes.

Basic Aid districts generally consist of “better-off ” districts, like Palo Alto, Woodside, Monte-cito, and Sausalito. However, the range of the income from prop-erty tax revenue ranges from less than $100 to thousands per stu-dent, depending on the school district.

In recent years, though, prop-erty tax fluctuations from the housing market have been dif-ficult for Basic Aid districts such as SMUHSD. Students from out-side the district are not included in the property tax revenue and are getting a “free ride.” Therefore, by admitting only students within the district, schools are allowed to spend more money per child. Conversely, some schools receive funding based on the number of students attending and are less im-pacted by having more students.

The San Mateo Union High School District uses a system called InfoSnap which helps the Attendance and Welfare office verify residency. Initially, parents

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

BY VICTORIA YANNEWS

In West Virginia, a mutant half-boy, half-bat boy, who had been lurking in a small cave for many years has escaped and re-portedly been sighted in New York, Florida, and Wisconsin. He is expected to be seen at the Aragon High School Theatre on November 17.

Bat Boy was discovered by three teenagers in mountain town called Hope Falls. Since the majority of the town’s survival depended on the raising of cattle,

Hope Falls was devastated when most of the cattle mysteriously died. The town blames the “cow plague” on Bat Boy and seeks to kill him.

Senior Wassim Khemici stars as Bat Boy. “I researched the role a lot and found it to be such a perfect and beautiful role that I started crying.” To effectively portray his character, he says, “You have to sit with bad feelings from your past life. There’s a hu-man connection.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Turn to page 16 to hear about Cross Country playoffs.

Flip to page 6 to be immersed in the bromance culture.

Go to the centerspread to learn about “Economics and you.”

BY ANNIKA ULRICHNEWS

Students planning on attend-ing a University of California or California State University will likely pay significantly higher tuition costs over the next sev-eral years. Recent reports from the UC and CSU offices say that tuition for California public uni-versities is expected to increase from eight to 16 percent annually over the next four years for in-state residents.

The state of California has made severe budget cuts to ed-ucation during the recession. These cuts have left UCs and CSUs with $650 million less in funding than in 2010. Further cuts this winter are being con-sidered. This has led to several student protests because it jeop-ardizes the future of their afford-able education.

For students enrolling in col-lege, this could mean major tu-ition hikes. According to the Los Angeles Times, the UCs report that by 2015 tuition will increase to approximately $20,000 per year compared to the current $12,000 (excluding room and board) and up to $6,000 per year at a CSU compared to $4,400 currently (excluding other cam-pus fees).

Unfortunately, little of the news is concrete, and even UC/CSU students are unsure about the future tuition figures. Alice Liu, an Aragon alum and UCLA freshman says, “I haven’t really been told that much. I do know there have been some protests because as the UCs lose state funding, unfortunately tuition is getting a hike.”

Said Aragon scholarship ad-viser Rena Jan, “It’s hard on everyone, but will affect lower income students the most. Stu-dents will have to find more ways to [pay tuition fees].”

While tuition has increased over the past several years, it is beginning to have a larger effect on students and families due to the current recession. Many students depend on the UC and CSU systems to provide an edu-cation that will not leave them in as much debt as a private college or university. Parent Sarah Block says, “It is pricey for a lot of fami-lies who are middle wage earners to go look somewhere else. It may be putting more people in the [CSU] system, which is more affordable, which then pushes kids that were [CSU] eligible into the community college system.”

However, now that the cost of attending a UC is nearing that of a private college, some students

are considering pri-vate colleges with smaller class sizes and a guaranteed four-year graduation time. Senior Adri-anne Seiden says, “I am leaning toward a private school because I want to be a biology major and I worry that at a UC I will get no attention from profes-sors or that it will be difficult to get classes and graduate on time.”

Block agrees, say-ing, “If all things were equal, I would [send my daughter to a pri-vate college] because I think that [UC tu-ition] is a bit high for what we end up getting. If the class sizes were small-er and they were guaranteeing that students were able to graduate [on time], then it is not as unreason-able.”

Some Ara-gon students believe that the tuition i n c r e a s e s could pos-sibly bring changes to the Califor-nia public c o l l e g e s y s t e m s . Senior Leo Tr u j i l l o says, “As long as it benefits me in the fu-ture, I would be okay pay-ing more.”

Kelly Win-terbottom, an Aragon parent whose daughter, Caity, is a sopho-more at CSU Hum-boldt disagrees, saying, “I think that [tuition increases] are just to cover the budget cuts. They won’t make [CSUs] any better.”

The hike in tuition prices could lead more students towards a CSU or a community college. “Stu-dents who want to go to four year colleges will have more debt [than those who go to community college],” says Jan.

Debt is a concern for many students, including senior Ben

Lewis. “[Tuition] definitely af-fects my plans. CSUs are get-ting really expensive, so I might go to community college to save money.”

Senior Gaby Franco agrees, saying, “Financial aid

still leaves you in debt.”

Budget cuts will also affect the amount of s c h o l a r s h i p money given by the UCs and CSUs. Jan says, “ H o p e f u l l y more people will look into scholarships offered at Ara-gon. Many are offered in the arts de-partments. Now is a very good time [to

a p -ply for l o c a l

s c h o l a r -ships].”

Jan recom-mends that stu-

dents seeking fi-nancial aid look into the UC’s “Blue

+ Gold Oppor-tunity Plan” and

the CSU’s fed-eral aid plans. The UC Blue + Gold Op-p o r t u n i t y Plan ap-plies to s t u d e n t s

whose fami-lies earn less than $80,000 per year, are residents of C a l i f o r n i a , and meet the p e r f o r m a n c e quali f icat ions for financial aid. Students looking at CSUs can ex-plore the federal aid grant system, which provides both need-based and achievement-

based scholarships. Tuition may con-

tinue to escalate, but students should re-

member that there are different options for

everyone, whether it is the choice of school or a

scholarship or loan plan.

BY BRENDAN BLOSSER-MCGINNISNEWS

Many Aragon students have had the opportunity to serve on various committees and boards, and thereby contribute to the community within and outside the context of school. These expe-riences not only present a unique opportunity for students to col-laborate with adults in a profes-sional setting but also provide some insight into how these insti-tutions function.

One such example is senior Andrew Perotti who serves as a student representative on School Site Council and a WASC commit-tee. He says, “Being a student [on WASC], I contribute the student perspectives on different subjects and important issues that relate to [the student body] that teach-ers, administration and parents may not normally know about or think about … On Site Council, it’s usually about two student rep-resentatives, two parents, some teachers and administration. We basically sit down once a month and discuss different projects that the school is taking on.

“I feel that by being on the Site Council and the WASC commit-tees I’m basically giving back to the school community in a way by helping make decisions with the school and how things are run. I feel that I’m helping out the school in a way that I normally wouldn’t be able to.”

Junior James Garcia, who serves as a teen representative on the Peninsula Family YMCA Board of Managers, says of his role, “I don’t have as much say as the adults. I just started talking about helping the en-vironment and we got new r e c y c l i n g bins for the YMCA. I get to par-ticipate in a group of educated a d u l t s . And I l e a r n h o w

b o a r d s work and the decision-making process. I’m getting work experience.”

Junior Parvir Aujla cur-rently serves on the San Ma-teo Union High School Dis-trict Board of Trustees. Aujla is a student representative on the Board, where he contributes the student view and opinion on vari-ous issues.

“I get to see the choices being made and being put into effect,” says Aujla, “It is a great honor to be on the board because I get to see the other side of how a school

works.” Aujla was elected onto this

position on a July meeting of the United Associated Student Board, before the school semester be-gan, where he was chosen from a group of many other students from other SMUHSD schools to serve as a representative on the Board until December.

As the student representative, he leads the Pledge of Allegiance, and then, following a report by the District Superintendent, re-ports to the board the status of Aragon and activities the school is currently involved in. The board then commences discussing and voting on issues pertaining to Aragon and the rest of the district.

Aujla has yet to graduate high school, yet he is making a strong impact on the way he and his peers are educated, and the way thou-sands of future students to come will conduct their high school ex-perience. Speaking on his role in the Board, he adds, “The whole thing is centered around the sys-tem of high school, and the school board depends on students. [Stu-dents] are pretty much the core why there is a board, where there are teachers.

“I have a vote, but it doesn’t count. Like its an advisory vote … if I’m not in favor of something and I’m voting against, then [the Board] will stop and they’ll be like, ‘Why are you voting against it, like did we miss something?”

With regard to the impact be-ing on the board has had on him, Aujla said, “My involvement with the board has changed my out-look on life completely … Like understanding the education sys-tem. And a lot of it is like me try-

ing to see what I like and what I don’t like, you know … it is just

like professional experience too, like how it feels to be on

professional meetings.”And as Aujla aptly con-

cludes, “Representing my fellow students is a privi-lege I am very grateful to have.”

To post comments and sugges-tions and for more exclusive news content, photo spreads and centerspreads, please visit aragonoutlook.net.

YUZO MAKITANI

Brian Barch

02 NEWS VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

UPDATE ON

UC TUITION HIKES

Aragon students take charge on

community boards

BY MATT MCHUGHNEWS

The Aragon Band program’s highest level ensemble is the Jazz Ensemble. They are a small group of about twenty talented musi-cians. The responsibility and commitment is quite demand-ing, but many students prefer it to the set band material. Senior Patrick Garcialuna says, “The Jazz Ensemble is a place for musicians who really enjoy playing Jazz to

do what they enjoy.”The Jazz Ensemble demands

much from its members. Like other bands and ensembles, stu-dents diligently practice their mu-sic and scales, but the Jazz Ensem-ble requires musicians to work on their improvisation. During performances, students improvise solos, unlike the set agenda that the other bands play.

While the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble are both elite

music groups whose musi-cians are selected through an audition process, they diverge on a number of sig-nificant points. Compared to the Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble consists of a limited range and number of instrumentations. The Jazz Ensemble consists of a saxophone section including altos, tenors and a baritone, a brass section consisting of trumpets and trombones, and a rhythm section of a guitar, bass, percussion and keyboard.

Unlike other bands, the Jazz Ensemble also plays outside of school. Similar to

chamber choir, they entertain at various benefits, functions, con-certs and competitions.

Sophomore trumpet player Scott Bell says, “The Jazz En-semble performs more than any other group in the Aragon Music department.”

‘They perform at school per-formances, musical festivals, house parties, various local res-taurants, and any gig they can get,” adds band director Troy Da-vis.

The band’s most recent perfor-mance was on Nov. 1. Although they were not the feature that drew the crowd, they still played very well as accompanying enter-tainment.

Their next performance will be tomorrow, Nov. 18 at the College of San Mateo Jazz Festival. Davis says, “We will perform in front of a judging panel and receive feed-back; it is more of a competition against ourselves than the other schools.”

Despite being a big band, the ensemble does not limit itself to big band charts. Garcialuna says, “We play a variety of jazz styles such as swing, funk, and Latin.

Davis adds, “The ensemble plays more of a jazz, rock or dance feel than the strict patterned orchestra music. “

Although they normally play similar types of music at their per-formances, the lengths of perfor-mances vary. “Sometimes we play for an hour and a half, sometimes we only play one or two songs; it definitely varies,” says sophomore Andrew Louden.

New this year is also the Ara-gon Jazz Band, a group similar to the Jazz Ensemble. The group rehearses during zero periods, which starts at 7 a.m. every day. Freshman trumpet player Manuel Huerta-Alvarado says, “We per-form a lot, but not as much as the Jazz Ensemble.”

The Jazz Band was started this year to “create more opportuni-ties for students to play jazz at Aragon”, says. Davis. However, many freshmen were recruited to play in Jazz band due to the nu-merous openings.

Within the ensemble are also several jazz combos, groups of just a few musicians performing without the rest of the ensemble. These are smaller groups of stu-

dents that perform separately from the rest of the band. These combos are not part of the cur-riculum, and are optional for the students. Students participat-ing in combos also receive extra credit in the class. They perform at many different restaurants and parties as well. Mr. Davis said “It gives people a chance to hear the band if the whole band can’t go.”

Though the volume of per-formances often requires a diffi-cult commitment from students, many students appreciate the opportunity to play. Louden says that “the Jazz Ensemble repre-sents Aragon, and we bring that feeling of pride with us when we perform.”

Upcoming performances:CSM Jazz Festival:

Nov. 18

Delta Jazz Festival:Dec. 3

Double Exposure: Jan. 26

Folsom Jazz Festival: Jan. 28

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Having performed in Aragon’s

previous plays, Khemici says, “It’s the best show! It’s gorgeous and profound...It makes a social state-ment that is relevant to today’s society.”

“The themes in the play are relatable to those in real life. [Bat Boy]’s ostracized. All he wants is to be embraced and tolerated. Whether you’re the fat kid, the gay kid, or the Muslim kid, it’s so easy to understand what it’s like to be rejected,” says Khemici

Mitchell plays Shelly, the ro-mantic interest of Bat Boy. “I feel connected to her,” Mitchell com-ments “She’s insecure, snobby, and a very stereotypical teenage girl…Shelly’s a complex charac-ter. Inside your heart, you fall in love with your counterpart.”

Senior Kathryn Miyahira stars as Meredith Parker, who acts as a mother to Bat Boy. “My character is not as difficult as Wassim’s,” she says. “I have to channel my inner mom.”

Meanwhile, Senior Sammy Shufton plays Dr. Thomas Parker,

the villain of the musical. He says that when he acts as the evil figure in the play, “I imagine what had to happen for me to get to the point of rage and mur-der. When I’m in the proper mind set, I’m not happy. I’m not Sammy.

I’m pissed and

on a mission.”Director Shane Smuin has

been known for producing in-teresting and controversial pro-ductions. Following this trend, Bat Boy includes a rape scene. Mitchell says, “I’m really nervous about the content of the show and how racy it’ll be...Even though it’s PG13, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

Shufton agrees, stating that “I understand why [Bay Boy] could be offensive, but I don’t feel like it is out to get people. It’s a satire, an exaggeration, not the truth.”

Smuin does not see the racy material as much of an issue ei-ther. “It’s part of the story, but it’s certainly not promoting violence. In fact, the morality tale is ac-ceptance, tolerance, and nonvio-lence.” He adds, “The way that I have staged the rape scene is that it’s very much implied…There is no actual…man on top of women violently ripping clothes off. So it’s an implied theatrical contriv-ance that I used.”

For Khemici and Miyahira, there are individual moments in the musical that make it spe-cial. Miyahira stated, “The end of

both acts is amazing. I have a very strong solo that’s called ‘A Home for You’. It’s very emotional, and sometimes I want to cry.”

Khemici says that there are two prominent moments for him. “In ‘Show You A Thing or Two’, I get transformed into a proper young man and I belt my heart out.” However, his favorite moment comes near the end of the show. “My last solo is my favorite. It’s so passionate, there’s legitimately no way I can sing it properly. I scream ninety percent of it. I release every bit of anger and tension and ev-erything in that one song. It gives me goose bumps.”

Mitchell comments “We really bonded with them this year; we’re like a family. But it’s always like that every year. Theatre people get along really well. You feel wel-comed. Even though the cast is a lot smaller this year, it’s wonderful and we work really hard.”

Khemici adds, “I used to try to look good in rehearsals. But now I think—these people are my fami-ly—I don’t need to be pretty!”

Having been described as an entertaining rock opera, Bat Boy is sure to be a thrill. Miyahira says,

“It’s fun, crazy, charismatic, ex-tremely catchy, and you know you will have a good time.”

Smuin describes Bat Boy by saying, “It’s a good morality tale about acceptance, about toler-ance, about accepting yourself for who you are, about accepting each other for who they are, and it’s funny!”

He adds, “It’s a bloody musi-cal. There’s actually a lot of fake blood that we had to buy. This is probably the bloodiest musical I can think of. You can literally see blood on stage.”

The last musical in the old theater, Bat Boy is sure to make its lasting impression. On the subject of performing in the old theatre, Mitchell says, “I love it! I’m so glad because there are so many traditions there. It’s a build-ing that’s full of love in the theatre family.”

The hardworking actors have been rehearsing for months and are excited to breathe life into this unique musical. Ultimately, Khemici says “I went bald for the show. Therefore, you can spend ten dollars to see it.”The Bay Boy played by senior Wassim Khemici is discov-

ered by the Taylor boys while they went spelunking.

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03NEWSVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Aragon Jazz Ensemble

TOP LEFT: Junior Abigail Clemens drives the band with her bass. BOTTOM LEFT: The Aragon Jazz Ensemble’s brass section is spotlighted at the International Food Fair. BOTTOM RIGHT: Senior Nick Tom becomes immersed in his solo at the food fair.

ALEX FU

RUYA

LOOKS TO A YEAR OF DEDICATED MUSICIANSHIP

Bat Boy closes Aragon theater on a high note

04 NEWS VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Students participate in local elections

SMUHSD enforces admittance policy

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Senior Christian Larsen assists a voter at the St. Andrews Lutheran Church poll station.Senior Ryan Nishizaki sets up a voting booth at College Heights Church.

Senior Linh Luu sets up an electronic polling station at the Congregational Church of San Mateo.

PHOTOS BY KORE CHANBY BLAKE TANDOWSKY

NEWS

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and the fact that an early Tuesday in November will be Election Day. On this autumn day, schools, churches, and other public municipalities turn into make-shift political hotspots, known simply as poll stations.

On November 8, 2011, 30 Aragon students were given the opportunity to help work these polling stations. In return these students were paid $125. $100 was credited for the 12 plus hour work day and $25 for the training session. Students would also be excused from that day of school.

“Getting off a day off from school and the money was the main reason I participated,” says Senior Carolyn Insley.

These 30 students reported to polling stations scattered all over San Mateo County. Examples of stations were Highlands Elemen-tary School, San Mateo City Li-brary and the Peninsula YMCA.

“Our job was to set up the polls in the morning, keep track of who voted, assist voters when needed, and tally the paper ballots votes at the end of the day,” said Senior Christian Larsen who worked the St. Andrews Lutheran Church polling station.

Extra poll workers were need

by the County of San Mateo due to a lack of available adults. Out-side of student workers, a major-ity of the other poll workers were older women and men.

“Not that many voters showed up so it was pretty relaxed,” says Carolyn Insley. The result for the low voter turnout was due to the lack of big name things to vote on.

Money was not the only thing Aragon poll workers gained from the experience. Larsen says, “This experience gave me a better un-derstanding of election proceed-ings and it taught me how heavily regulated the whole process is.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1are required to provide proof

of residency documents to the At-tendance and Welfare office. Only if residency is verified will the parent receive a “SNAP CODE” which allows access to the on-line enrollment form.

Some students, however, have found ways around the checking system. One anonymous student said that she did live in San Ma-teo, but after her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to San Francisco. Since she does not live with her father, she techni-cally cannot attend Aragon. How-ever, her mother put down on the school registration form that the student lived with her father in San Mateo. Since her father’s ad-

dress is within the district, the At-tendance and Welfare Office per-mits the student to attend Aragon.

“The commute is tough; I have to wake up super early to get to school on time. Plus, since the weather is so different I often dress too warmly for school,” she says. Additionally, since the stu-dent’s mother works in the area, “I don’t make it home until al-most 10 o’clock some days, and so I keep my textbooks in the car so I can do homework in the office of my mother’s work.” However, the student does not want to trans-fer, since she already transferred schools from her freshman to sophomore year. “If I transferred schools three times, it would make applying to college crazy.”

Additionally, the student’s friends all go to Aragon.

Megan Yip, a junior, has also faced a similar situation. Her fam-ily sold their house in San Mateo and moved to the city because they had a house there. They used their uncle’s address so Megan could still go to school at Aragon.

“The district started to send people to my uncle’s house to see if I was there,” Megan says. “They did it like twice and even had someone ask to come inside and see if we were there. We put old clothes and left them in his house as proof.”

However, after a couple of months after her family had moved, “the district sent us a notice telling me that I couldn’t

go to school because they deter-mined that I didn’t live in San Mateo,” states Megan. Despite her mother’s claims that Megan lived there, Megan was denied from attend-ing Aragon. “My mom de-cided to rent an apartment in Foster City,” explained Megan, “since the district guaranteed that I would get a transfer back to Aragon if I moved to Foster City.”

Megan’s mother wanted her to stay at Aragon partly because of academics, but also because of friendships she has. “I’ve lived in San Mateo since I was four,”

Megan elaborated, “so my mom didn’t really want me to leave.”

Despite the apparent negativ-ity of cracking down on students

from outside the district, the result is benefits to current stu-dents. A slight funding per student may

seem minimal, but the regulations put in place by the Attendance and Welfare office are maintain-ing proportional levels of student funding.

“The district sent us a notice telling me that I couldn’t go to school because they determined that I didn’t live in San Mateo”

Junior Megan Yip

Please visit aragonoutlook.net for even more exciting content!

05FEATURESVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

BY SAMANTHA WONGFEATURES

At Aragon, students are com-monly seen sipping bubble tea drinks from T-Pumps, and friends are often found swarm-ing around the lucky student eating an In-N-Out burger for lunch. The growing popularity in these kinds of foods can large-ly be due to what is termed the bandwagon effect.

When people “jump on the bandwagon,” they go along with what others do or think, and eventually more and more peo-ple adopt this idea or behavior. In the case of trendy foods from T-Pumps or In-N-Out, band-wagoning may play a role in their popularity.

History teacher Ron Berg-gren uses an example to describe the bandwagon effect in general trends. “Think of the Steve Jobs effect,” he says. “He tied technol-ogy with good-looking prod-ucts.”

According to Berggren, the food industry isn’t that different. “The image of In-N-Out versus McDonalds is cooler and appeals to older people. McDonalds has happy meals and toys for kids, but In-N-Out doesn’t. No teen-ager is going to want to go to McDonalds with a little brother or little sister, and especially not with parents,” he says.

The home economics teacher at Aragon, Sue Hontalas, explains that people’s culinary tastes tend to be influenced by a variety of things. “It’s really a mixture of advertisements, culture, and the peer. A student will learn some-thing from a culture and tell his peers about it,” she says. In this way, food trends easily spread by word of mouth.

Such is the case with bubble tea drinks, which are commonly found in many places in down-town San Mateo, such as Quick-lys, Teaway, and T-Pumps. These “pearls” are small, chewy balls of tapioca starch that are placed in various fruit-flavored teas, slush-ies, or milk.

Out of these similar providers, T-Pumps has risen the quickest in popularity. Senior Amy Jiang remembers her first time trying T-Pumps after eventually being convinced by her friend. “The whole summer my friend was raving about the cheap prices for quality drinks,” she says.

Senior Christina Hsu also likes T-Pumps for specific rea-sons. “It is new, delicious, and

unlike Quicklys or Teaway, the owner is always there trying to make his store better than it al-ready is! You can tell he really cares about his customers,” she explains.

For T-Pumps, its popularity has risen by word of mouth and a dedicated customer base. Al-though T-Pumps may be popu-lar because of the bandwagon ef-fect, it is also popular because it serves quality food and displays quality service.

However, In-N-Out has mixed reviews. One factor that makes In-N-Out so desirable is its local rarity. Unlike McDon-ald’s, In-N-Out has only a few locations in the peninsula de-spite it being a chain restaurant. Freshman Eric Kamikihara, a fan of In-N-Out, says, “If I do get a chance to go there I do, but it’s not that often.”

Junior Celina Vasquez de-scribes her first experience trying out In-N-Out burgers. “I went because I was with my friends, and because I had never actu-ally gone inside, they invited me…that was also when I dis-covered they had a secret menu,” she exclaims. In Vasquez’s case, she tried In-N-Out mainly be-cause she was influenced by her friends, who enjoy In-N-Out’s unique taste and special secret menu.

Despite In-N-Out’s reputa-tion, many believe its popularity does not reflect its quality. Junior Brigitta Lynn describes the first time her family brought home burgers from In-N-Out. She says, “Even though people say it’s not as greasy as normal fast food, it’s still greasy and it drips.”

Lynn believes that the In-N-Out appearance is deceiving. “People like the idea and the look of it. Plus it doesn’t have the controversy of McDonald’s,” she clarifies.

In all cases, the powerful bandwagon effect is essential for food trends to exist. Even in trends that aren’t food related, American society can easily be influenced by the majority. Evidently, particular industries, such as those in food or electron-ics, notice the items that appeal to the masses most and encour-age the progressive trends.

Sophomore Jonathan Staryuk sums up the prevailing influence of the bandwagon effect on mod-ern day society. He says, “One person can get a whole group of friends to try something, and it just snowballs from there.”

Trendy foods the bandwagon effect

BY JACQUELINE TANGFEATURES

Romantic music, sweaty palms, and nervous glances: all signal the dreaded slow dance. While some couples look forward to this part of the night, those without dates may be left awkwardly on the sidelines.

This year’s homecoming, “Wish the Night Away,” was held at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos on Nov. 11, and as with any dance, many felt pres-sure to find a date. Sophomore Chris Ho says, “[People try to find a date] because [they] like the person or because of the so-cial attention you get for having a date. They also might just want a companion to go with.” Junior Alex Burns adds, “People go with a date so they don’t feel left out.”

Traditionally, it seems like boys have the upper hand in deciding whether they want to go with a date or not. Junior Nicole Nasser says, “Guys have more pressure to ask a girl because it’s the stereo-typical thing; girls typically don’t ask guys.” Junior Nathaniel Ramil concurs, “There’s more pressure for the guy because they have to ask, but girls want to be asked.”

However, many do not view going to homecoming without a date as unfavorable. Senior Jacqueline Young says, “I guess in general they don’t look down in a derogatory manner at those who go stag.” Ramil adds “I don’t

think there’s a problem with that [going stag] because you’re just going to have fun and you don’t need a date.”

Although the idea of going stag is increasingly common among students, it also carries a nega-tive connotation. Ho says, “When people think of stag they often as-sociate it with a person who isn’t confident enough to ask a girl or isn’t good enough to get one. They don’t real-ize that maybe the person just doesn’t have in-terest in asking or they don’t feel sympathy toward that person in the cast that they might be rejected.”

Others view it as an inability to find a date. Sophomore Brandon Dere observes, “I think [that oth-er students go stag] because they [can’t] find anyone to go with or the other person rejected them.” “I think other people might judge them. They might think they’re loners,” adds senior Colin Grele.

This social stigma may con-tribute to lower attendance rates. Dere says “I probably wouldn’t go to Homecoming if I didn’t have a date because it would be awk-ward.” Junior Jennifer Banuelos added, “I’m not going to Home-coming because I don’t have a date and none of my friends are going.”

Some students went to home-

coming whether they had a date or not. Ho says, “For me, person-ally, I would still go to Homecom-ing because it’s fun and part of the high school experience. I [also] want to be able to support my friends. [However,] some people don’t have the courage to show up alone.”

When asked what going to the dance without a date was like, sophomore Marina Chavez

said, “It was actually really fun.” Freshman Quinn Manely added, “It was fine. It was still fun hanging out with friends.”

For other dateless students, the experience was not as enjoyable. Freshman Netta Wang says, “Going stag was awkward at times.” “[I was] lonely when they got frisky on the dance floor,” says freshman Regina Wen.

Although some students still view those who go to Homecom-ing stag as people that could not find dates, this adverse view of going stag is not very common. Students are increasingly more acceptant of those willing to have fun without dates. However, this largely depends on the individual. Ramil says, “It’s up to you if you can have fun without a date.”

“It’s up to you if you can have fun without a date.”

-Junior Nathaniel Ramil

Homecoming ‘wish the night away,’ even without a date

Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles, photos, and coverage of Aragon events.

Left: Juniors Su-san Kim (left) and Megan Yip (right) pose with fellow junior Nathaniel Ramil who went to the dance without a date despite common expec-tations to ask someone.

Bottom left: Senior Wassim Khemici grins widely as he is crowned Home-coming King. Khemici went to the dance with a friend.

Bottom Right: Senior Sara Boushakra, who was nominated for Homecom-ing Queen, went to the dance with a date (not pictured).

SAM ALAVISAM ALAVI

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSAN KIM

YUZO MAKITANI

06 FEATURES VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Bromance: demystified

Dons bring their businesses to town

BY CAMILLE HALLEYFEATURES

“There’s a difference between a relationship and a friendship and ours is like a combination of both,” says junior Tadju Takahashi about his self-determined “bro-mance” with friend and fellow ju-nior Jon Zuehlke. Recently having come into popularity, “bromance” is a term used to describe a bond between two males that is char-acterized by its atypically affec-tionate behaviors. This sort of affec-tion exhibited in the “bromantic” relationship de-fies many gender stereotypes, but does this make bromantics sub-ject to ridicule or is the bromance truly embraced by all?

“I imagine we are very simi-lar [to a friendship between two females],” says senior Sammy Shufton about his own bromance with junior Jared Dilibero. The two’s bromance was formed only a year ago when they first met in the Aragon Improv Club. “We get each other,” says Dilibero. In fact, the two are so close that they have even developed a celebrity cou-ple name for themselves, “Jam-

myshuftibero”. Some bromances seem to be

only a closer version of the aver-age male friendship. “I’ll just go to his house and well just sit around and do something stupid on the computer for hours,” says junior Tyler Bray about his bromantic partner, junior Sam Sokolsky. “He could stay at my house for three days,” says Sokolsky. Sophomore Keith Samujh says about his bro-mance with fellow sophomore Max Herrera, “We’re besties.

When we know something’s fun-ny and we’re in the same class, we’ll automati-cally look at each other and start laughing.” “We have a lot of in-side jokes,” adds

Herrera. Even so, both Bray and So-

kolsky believe there is something different about this form of male friendship. “It’s just like a friend-ship” says Bray, and Sokolsky adds, “a special friendship.” Although they have known each other since kindergarten, their bromance took some time to develop. “It was more of a friendship then,” says Sokolsky. “A bromance is an intense thing that young kids can’t

q u i t e a ch i e ve .” Bray says, “Twenty or thirty years ago, it would have been dif-ferent. Now it’s more ac-cepted and not viewed as something bad.”

While the described bromance may sound similar to a stereo-typical friendship between two girls, like Shufton states, most boys involved in a bromance dis-agree. “It’s definitely more manly,” says junior Kevin Dwyer, who has shared a bromance with Rahul Joshi, also a junior, ever since they were bunkmates at their sixth grade outdoor education trip. “We’d rather bump chests than give hugs.” Samujh says, “We don’t gos-sip,” and Herrera says, “We talk a lot about our football team.” And, engaging in a bromance is not necessarily a full-time com-mitment, like many may consider female friendships to be. Accord-ing to Samujh, who has a girl-

friend, his bromance with Her-rera does not interfere with his actual relationship. “He puts his

girlfriend first, which I under-stand,” says Her-rera.

Still, affection certainly does play a large part in the bromance. Takahashi says, “We’re clos-

er than most girls…I cuddle with Jon.” Zuehlke adds, “It’s love.” Dilibero feels similarly

about his own bro-mance. “[Shufton

and I] are definitely big on PDA.” But the

affection aspect of the bro-mance isn’t necessarily accepted by all. Takahashi says, “Some peo-ple might think it’s gay.” “There are some guys out there that are like, ‘that’s stupid. Why would you do that?’” says Dilibero. However, what makes a bromance special may be its disregard for the opin-ions of others. Junior Jose Ruiz, who has been involved in a bro-mance with Christian Pedro, also a junior, for about a year, says, “We see each other from across the school…and we do our own little dance.” He adds, “We’re not embarrassed.”

Whether or not everybody feels comfortable with the idea of a bromance, most would agree with Sokolsky--a bromance is a “special friendship,” and is a word that cannot be used to describe just any male friendship. It is a special word for a special bond between two males that, accord-ing to Joshi, has existed for centu-ries. “Even Lewis and Clark had [a bromance].”

BY DIYAR EYUBOGLUFEATURES

Amicis, Pasta Pasta, Urban Flame, we all know of the restau-rants that make up our commu-nity. However, we are not aware that many of these businesses are owned by family members of Ara-gon students.

Being part of a family owned business seems to come with a handful of attention. Sophomore Josefina Beto’s mom and aunt own and operate Morning Glory, a clothing boutique on Burlin-game Avenue. “A lot of people

think I’m lucky because of it.” She says, “It’s definitely positive atten-tion because a lot of people like it. Some people I don’t know ask me about it and we later become friends because of it.”

Senior Eleni Prontzos’s dad owns a supermarket, Mayflower, in Pacific Heights, San Francisco. “It has the best sandwiches in the city!” she says, adding, “attention’s always positive because we have a good reputation.”

While her sister, freshman An-gelika Prontzos, agrees, she also brings up another perspective. “The attention’s great because it’s fun, but people always come up

to us and ask for free sandwiches and we obviously can’t because that would be bad for the busi-ness. ”

Sophomore Ayah Hamdan’s dad owns Urban Flame, a Medi-terranean restaurant in San Ma-teo. “A lot of my friends like it,” she says, “They ask to help out on the weekends.”

Furthermore, parent busi-nesses not only socially improve students’ lives but provide perks for the family. Sophomore Alison Clark’s dad owns Adaptive Tech-nology Services, a business that makes computers, phones, and other technological devices acces-

sible to the blind. “It’s really good for him,” she says, “It gives him the freedom to do something he loves and the flexibility to plan his schedule and make it to my sport-ing events and school activities. Plus he doesn’t have to work for disgusting bosses who make him work overtime.”

An easily shaped schedule is all the more accessible with a per-sonally written agenda and peo-ple who conform to it, “The busi-ness revolves around my dad and uncles,” says Eleni Prontzos, “It’s very family oriented and keeps us all close.”

Along with the added perks of a schedule that can be moni-tored to personal liking, socially appealing benefits are uncov-ered through c u s t o m e r s ’ r e l a t i o n -ships with the business owners. “A lot of custom-ers become friends with us and give us resources to things. Like this one time, a woman gave us a key to her beach house in Carmel for a weekend,” says Beto.

“One time he needed to test out iPhones for accessibility”, Clark adds about one of her dad’s businesses experiments. “He bought one as a part of the test and I got to keep it afterwards.”

Hamdan agrees, explaining her own personal encounter with the impact of a private owned busi-ness. “I’m new to this school this year and the principal somehow got introduced to my dad’s res-taurant,” she says, “She convinced the varsity coach to allow me to try out for volleyball. And since

my dad had the connection with the staff of Aragon, I was able to have a successful volleyball year at Aragon, and I don’t know if I would have been able to be en-couraged to try out if it wasn’t for that.”

Financially, private owned par-ent businesses seem to be better for the community, Aragon, and the family.

“We’re connected with Ara-gon,” says Hamdan, “My dad had a fundraiser at Urban Flame last week! He had the jazz ensemble come perform and he donated 20% of his earnings for the night to Aragon Jazz Ensemble.”

“It’s recession proof” includes Eleni Prontzos, “people don’t al-ways go out to restaurants but

they get gro-ceries! It sup-ports all of our families and its where we get all our food from, it makes it so none of the moms in the family have

to work!” Beto agrees, rejoicing in the

all the money she’s saved. “Free clothes! Free clothes, that’s num-ber one,” she says.

“Sometimes we have technol-ogy issues and we don’t have to pay for them, we can just get them fixed,” says Clark.

Both socially and financially, parent owned businesses seem to positively benefit families and the societies in which they are immersed, including the school community. They create a busi-ness that fits the family’s needs spot on, which is highly appealing in the stress of the modern work-ing life.

“We’re closer than girls...I cuddle with Jon.”

-Junior Tadju Takahashi

“The business revolves around my dad and un-cles. It’s very family ori-ented and keeps us all close.”

-Senior Eleni Prontzos

“It’s definitely more manly. We’d rather bump chests than give hugs.”

-Junior Kevin Dwyer

SHANNON BODEAU

BRITTNEY CH

EW

Aragon parent Paulette Beto, right, co-owner of Morning Glory, shows a customer to a selection of clothing.

Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles and photos.

07FEATURESVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Reality of Law Enforcement ScholarshipsgaloreBY JAN GALABAYFEATURES

Preparing for college during senior year can be a hassle for anyone. Aside from grades and involvement in the community, personality also counts. With the huge amount of money needed to pursue college and the cur-rent state of the economy, many students try to find scholarships. There are loads of awards and scholarships available to students based on their grades and needs. But in addition, there are some really strange, unique, and spe-cific scholarships that a student can apply for.

Some of these awards help stu-dents who have particular beliefs and personalities. Alekhya Veera-malla, senior, says, “I applied for this vegetarian scholarship, which asks you to write an essay on why you are a vegetarian. I have been a vegetarian all my life. It is because of the way I was raised when I was little and now because of my be-liefs I still continue to be vegetar-ian. Most Hindus are vegetarian and so I am.”

Furthermore, these scholar-ships aim to focus on the indi-viduality of the student and rec-ognize it. Mele Taufahema, senior, says, “I found this scholarship or contest and they reward a person with the longest hair. I have to create a blog about my hair.”

Other scholarships and stu-

dent aids require more than just es-says. Some of them encourage creativ-ity. Senior Sarah Fe-lix says, “I am plan-ning to apply for an a r t scholarship sponsored by Lu-cerne Dairy. I have to decorate and design a cow based on my interpretation of American in-genuity. Art in general including music reminds me of the world outside my own and helps me be aware of it. I think I am pretty versed in art.”

Besides personality and looks, organizations want to recognize student’s accomplishments and achievements. Senior Meredith Charlson says, “I won the schol-arship Guardian Insurance Girls Going Places Award. It is for teen-age girls that run their own busi-nesses. I started mine when I was 14 years old. My company is called City Servers and we provide set ups, food service, and clean up. When the economy affected my sister’s catering business, most of her clients requested just food service instead of full scale cater-ing. She did not want to do that so I volunteered.”

Wherever anyone goes, adver-tisements flock everywhere and aim to persuade consumers. Some scholarships require the students to support the company. Taufahe-ma says, “There is this Duct tape scholarship. It requires students to wear attire on prom made out of duct tape.” Felix adds, “I have to include Lucerne dairy products in my design.”

T h e s e w e l l - k n o w n b r a n d s

and cor-p o r a t i o n s

are concerned with more than just help-

ing students. Rena Jan, financial advisor, says,

“Some of them use these schol-arships for students as more of a free advertising. For example, the duct tape scholarship. To join the contest, the students need to buy their product. This boosts their sales. They know that high school students are a big market group. Besides, it is a cheaper form of advertising than the commercial one.”

Most students know this inten-tion of some scholarships. Charl-son says, “They [Guardian Life Insurance] have just been having me speak a lot. I was featured on PBS for kids who run their own businesses. I was also invited to speak at a women’s conference. They just have me go all over the place and I always say the ‘Guard-ian Life Insurance.’ That is the way they are benefiting from it.”

However, students still ap-

preciate the help that these orga-nizations and private companies give to them. Veeramalla says, “It’s very nice that I could find schol-arships of my interest. They vary from my life long goals to small aspects like vegetarianism which is really surprising.” Taufahema adds, “These kinds of scholar-ships kind of inspire me to do more. It shows me that I can be a little bit more creative and that I need to try harder.”

Winning first place in these scholarships might not be as hard as everybody thinks. Jan says, “Because these scholarships are unique, it is easier to get them. They are for specific popula-tion so there is less competition. Sometimes, students don’t even have to write another essay. They could just use their personal state-ments and just modify them.”

There are many places where students seeking aid can find these opportunities. Veeramalla says, “I found them on Naviance under scholarships.” Taufahema says, “I look up tons of scholarships on Fast Web, Google, and Cappex.” Jan adds, “There is the schoolloop website where there is a page for financial aid and scholarships. They could also use Google and just type a specific aid they need. To help me find these aids, I cre-ated an account in Twitter where I follow the organizations that give me information or can give aid.”

Scholarships are a good source of financial help. Most of them require good grades and commu-nity involvement. Besides these, there are unusual scholarships for which students can apply. The or-ganizations that fund them aim to give students a chance to get high-er education and distinguish their achievements and personality.

BY BRANDON YANFEATURES

How do people view the job of law enforcement?

Dean of Students Michael Valmonte says, “To protect and serve.”

“Prevent people from com-mitting crimes,” says sopho-more Matt Lanthier.

Officer Brendan Boyle of the San Mateo Police Department provides an inside perspective into the life of a police officer.

“We’re here to do the best we can to help protect life and property, investigate criminal activity, and respond to emer-gencies,” says Boyle.

Some students believe an of-ficer’s average day is character-ized by boredom.

“I think they kind of just look for something to do to pass the time,” says sophomore Quinn Bredl, “because I can’t imagine that it would be too fun just hanging out in a car doing nothing for eight hours.”

Lanthier says, “I’d imagine it’d be pretty boring on un-eventful days, but when some-thing bad happens, I assume it’s pretty exciting.”

However, police officers offer their own perspective on the va-lidity of these perceptions.

Officer Craig Collom of the San Mateo Police Department says, “It’s enjoyable, busy. It’s different every day. We get bad people off the streets [and] catch violators.”

“If a call for service comes out, and we get dispatched over the radio, we’re expected to be out doing traffic enforcement and proactive crime preven-tion,” says Boyle. “For every bor-ing afternoon, there’s plenty of times when the hot call comes out and there’s plenty of excite-ment.”

Despite the different views of an officer’s work day, most agree on one aspect of the job.

“It’s a difficult job. Their lives are in danger,” says sophomore Alison Clark.

Affirming this belief, Boyle says, “There are certain parts about this job that are danger-ous. The physicality of this job - that’s just part of it, and there are inherent dangers.”

Students reveal some of the public’s negative perceptions of police.

“The general public, I think, views police [as] not really good or bad but more as robots just doing their jobs,” says Bredl.

Junior Kurtis Young says, “[They] cause unnecessary trouble and like to make other people suffer.”

Responding to such views, Boyle says, “There’s always go-ing to be people that feel that

the police aren’t there to help them – they’re there to hold them down, harass them or whatever. It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to do everything we can to help them out. It just means that we’re going to agree to disagree.”

Conversely, many others view the law enforcement in a positive light.

Clark says, “It keeps people doing the right thing because they know [police] are out there.”

Bringing light to police in-teractions at Aragon, Valmonte says, “I think the San Mateo police have been very good. They’ve been very supportive of the school. I think the police have treated our kids very fairly up here.”

Different reasons contribute to these perceptions, but one is the media portrayal of police.

Sophomore William Rivera says, “Popular artists endorsing this ‘f*** the police’ movement influence their large [base] of fans… That impacts people’s perception of cops.”

This movement is influenced in part by the song “F*** tha Po-lice” by N.W.A, which expresses in its lyrics such angers as, “F***in with me cuz I’m a teen-ager” and “Thinkin every n**** is sellin narcotics.”

Citing historical events, some find merit to these anti-police movements.

In response to the death of Oscar Grant by Bart police, pro-test organizer Rachel Jackson says, “The anger in the com-munity is understandable...the system does not work and to the extent that it does, there are two systems of justice - one for low-income people and people of color, and another for police and people of means.”

On the flip side, “The me-dia,” says Bredl, “tries to have the public perceive police as very diligent and hardworking.”

Another reason for the dif-ference in opinion lies in the character of each individual.

“Students that are involved in risky behavior are going to be paranoid over police,” says Val-monte. “Kids who are not, are going to welcome the police.”

While public perception of law enforcement differs from individual to individual, at the end of the day, police officers have only positive things to say of their career.

Boyle says, “It’s a great feeling when you can call that lady back saying, ‘That guy that hit you and took off and destroyed your car and injured you and decided it wasn’t worth sticking around and being responsible, I just booked him into county jail.’ It’s a very rewarding job.” MONICA CUNICH

MONICA CUNICH

BRAN

DO

N YA

N

Officer Brendan Boyle writes up a ticket for a speeding driver.

Please visit aragonoutlook.net to browse through this year’s archive of articles and photos.

Started by the Vancouver based Adbusters group, the Occupy Move-ment’s roots reach back to the 2008 bailout, which angered the soon-to-be protesters after most of its money went to large capitalistic institutions rather than average Americans. Ral-lying behind the “we are the 99%” slogan, protests have sparked in over 900 cities across the globe to protest the increasing financial gap between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of its population. The protest has no real leaders or even a list of demands. However, a recent NBC/Wall Street survey showed that 37% of respon-dents supported the

Inrecentyears,tensofthousandsofUSteachershavereceivedpinkslips,andschoolshaveenduredbillionsinbud-getcutsnationwide.Despitetherecenteconomictroubles,AragonandSMUHSD’sfaculty,classrooms,andprogramshavecontinuedtothrive.AccordingtoDeputySuperinten-dentofBusinessServicesElizabethMcManus,thedistricthasseenatleast20%infundingreductionfromthestate.Thepotentialcutsfromthisreductionhavebeenmitigatedbyfederalgrantsandthemandatoryreservefundingsetasidebythedistricteachyear.UponSuperintendentScottLaurence’sentranceintothedistrictseveralyearsago,hesawfittoincreasetheminimumpercentageofreservefundseachyearfrom3percentto12percent.BasicAiddistrictssuchasSMUHSDrelyheavilyonpropertytaxes,butthevolatilehousingmarketfluctuationshavecreatedmuchuncertainty.Thefederalmoneywillsoondryup,resultinginsomepoten-tialmid-yearcuts.

Duringrecessions,thepeoplewhoarehithardestareoftenthosewiththeleastworkexperience.Thus,generally,unemploymentratestendtobehigherforyoungerpeopleinsearchforwork.More-over,unemploymentisalsolinkedtolevelofeducation.Themoreeducationapersonhas,thelesslikelythatpersonwillbeunemployed. OnenoticeablefeatureoftheOccupymovementisthefactthatmanyoftheOccupyprotestersarerelativelyyoung.Inmanycases,manyoftheseprotestersarepeoplewhohavebeenthroughthehighereducationsystem,buthavebeenunabletofindwork.Thisphenom-enonhasraisedmanyquestionsaboutthehighcostsofhighereduca-tiontoday.

Unemployment Rate by Age

0%5%10%15%20%25%30%

16-17 18-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+

Unemployment Rate by Degree

0%3%6%9%12%15%

Less Than High School Diploma

High School Graduate

Associate Degree

Bachelors Degree

Do you currently have a paying job?

Yes25%

No75%

Ifyes,towhatextentdoAragonstudentsagreewiththeprotes-tors’concerns?

Ifyes,doyouagreewiththeirmethodsofconveyingtheirmes-sage?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

No

Somewh

at

Yes

No

Somewh

at

Yes

Do you think the recession is over?

Percentage of students who know about the Wall Street protests

No86%

Yes14%

Yes30%

No70%

movement, while 18% opposed it, and the frustration and anger demonstrated by these protesters may influence the de-cisions of politicians in the near future. As of mid-October, the Occupy Wall Street movement has grown to 5,000 people, including the Internet group Anonymous, who have threatened to hack the New York Stock Exchange to protest the arrests of protesters. The protest is marked by a rela-tive lack of violence (although the worst incidents have been in Oakland), and its primary negative effects are poor sanita-tion and disruption of local businesses.

Inrecentyears,tensofthousandsofUSteachershavereceivedpinkslips,andschoolshaveenduredbillionsinbud-getcutsnationwide.Despitetherecenteconomictroubles,AragonandSMUHSD’sfaculty,classrooms,andprogramshavecontinuedtothrive.AccordingtoDeputySuperinten-dentofBusinessServicesElizabethMcManus,thedistricthasseenatleast20%infundingreductionfromthestate.Thepotentialcutsfromthisreductionhavebeenmitigatedbyfederalgrantsandthemandatoryreservefundingsetasidebythedistricteachyear.UponSuperintendentScottLaurence’sentranceintothedistrictseveralyearsago,hesawfittoincreasetheminimumpercentageofreservefundseachyearfrom3percentto12percent.BasicAiddistrictssuchasSMUHSDrelyheavilyonpropertytaxes,butthevolatilehousingmarketfluctuationshavecreatedmuchuncertainty.Thefederalmoneywillsoondryup,resultinginsomepoten-tialmid-yearcuts.

Inlightofthetoday’srecession,theOutlookinvestigatedthecorrelationbetweeneconomicdifficultiesandthehighschoolstudent’sacademiccareer.AccordingtoareportpublishedbytheAllianceforExcellentEducation,highschoolstudentsfromlow-incomefamilieswerenotedtobesixtimesmorelikelythanstudentsfromhigh-incomefamiliestodropoutofschool. Atthesametime,highschooldropoutswerenotedtomake,onaverage,approxi-mately$260,000lessoverthecourseofhislifetimethananindividualwithahighschooldiploma;thisfigurewastranslatedinto$319billiondollarslostinwageswiththedrop-outsfromtheclassof2008. Withregardtotherecession,though,highschooldropouts,inadditiontomak-ingconsiderablyless,wereprojectedtohavethemostdifficultyfindingajobofvariousdegreesofschooling.AccordingtodatareleasedbytheBureauofLaborStatistics,highschooldropoutsinearlyJulyof2008hadanunemploymentrateof15.4%,whereashighschoolgraduateshadanunemploymentrateof9.4%. AccordingtoaseparatereportpublishedbyAllianceforExcellentEducationdetailingsocietalramifications,“[highschooldropouts]willbefarmorelikelythangradu-atestospendtheirlivesperiodicallyunemployed,ongovernmentassistance,orcyclinginandoutoftheprisonsystem.”Thistranslatesinto$17billionlostinMedicaidandrelatedspendingforuninsuredhealthcareoverthelifetimeofthedropoutsfromtheClassof2006alone.

The Wall Street protesters claim to rep-resent the “99 percent” of the U.S. population that has been burdened with the repercussions of a failed economy and class inequality. Within the Aragon community, many students have felt the effects of the recession on their families, personal lives, and plans for the future.

“We’ve had to make certain changes. We’re not overspending on unnecessary items, but we’re not as severely affected as others in the community..” - Kathryn Miyahira, 12

“My father’s business isn’t doing well because of the recession. After high school, I will probably work or go to a community college and then transfer because I can’t afford to attend a 4-year college right now.”

- Jesus Vega, 11

Dating is considered an important part of high school for many students. For some, materialism isn’t the deciding factor in a relation-ship, however, some have found that prevalent class inequality has caused unforeseen conflicts in their social lives.

“When [my girfriend and I] went out, if I didn’t have any money, we couldn’t really do anything. It was fine until the downturn [in the economy], when her family was severely affected. We decided to take a break.” - Anonymous, 9

“I have dated someone from a lower class. It didn’t really af-fect my relationship because money is not that important to me in a relationship.” - Kimi Petsche, 12

10 FEATURES VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

THE ARAGON OUTLOOK

Mission StatementThe Aragon Outlook staff

publishes a monthly newspa-per created for the students to express themselves on issues of interest and importance to them and to provoke thought and discussion within the Ara-

gon community.

AdvisorScott Silton

Editor in ChiefSabrina Imbler

News EditorsAndrew Lyu

Sangwon YunBrandon Liu

News WritersBrendan Blosser-McGin-nis, Justin Ching, Landon

Hart, Matt McHugh, Angela Solis, Blake Tan-dowsky, Annika Ulrich,

Isaac Wang, Taylor West-mont, Victoria Yan

Features EditorsRebecca Hu

Paniz AmirnasiriOlivia Marcus

Features WritersKira Brenner, Katarina

Drake, Diyar Eyuboglu, Jan Galabay, Camille

Halley, Mariella Hernan-dez, Jack Herrera, Sophie Rubin, Jacqueline Tang,

Samantha Wong, Brandon Yan

Photo EditorKore Chan

Photo StaffSam Alavi, Brittney Chew,

Alex Furuya, Jason Mai, Valerie Perez, Kayla Solo-

mon, Samantha Soon

Arts and Graphics EditorBrian Barch

Arts and Graphics StaffShannon Bodeau, Monica Cunich, David Diba, Luna

Lynch, Yuzo Makitani, Mariel Wong

Center Spread EditorEmily Yip

Technology EditorDylan Wang

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SLR: the new student lounge?

LUNA LYNCH

As a location devoted to study, libraries should ideally offer an environment of absolute quiet. Yet, as brought to the attention of the WASC committee at a re-cent meeting, the Aragon library is often polluted by distracting noise from students who use it as a place for to socialize. Librar-ians suggested turning the Stu-dent Lunch Room into a student lounge in order to resolve the noise issue. The Aragon Outlook agrees with their proposal.

The appeals of this proposal are numerous. The alteration would provide the obvious bene-fit of maintaining silence in the li-brary while enabling casual study in another location. In the new lounge, students could have the freedom to interact without dis-turbing those who are attempting to study.

In fact, a student lounge could potentially attract more students to study by making them feel as though they actually have access to a library without obnoxious noises and frequent distractions.

The Aragon Outlook also ac-knowledges that the transforma-tion may include obstacles. Be-fore, after, and throughout the school day, the Student Lunch Room is occasionally used by clubs and classes for various pur-poses. However, this issue may ex-ist only temporarily since many of the meetings and presentations could take place inside of the the-atre after construction is complet-ed in the spring.

Although used by clubs and individual classes, the doors to the Student Lunch Room are usu-ally locked, defeating the room’s purpose as an indoor space for students to spend their lunch-time. Converting the space into a lounge would make better use of the often empty room by increas-ing its appeal and accessibility to students. The conversion into a comfortable lounge would also turn the current Student Lunch Room into an area where students could relax and unwind during a stressful day.

Furthermore, the lounge could

serve as a location to eat lunch on rainy days, an alternative to eating in the hallways. Although many students already eat lunch in pre-ferred areas around campus, they would have the option.

Since the potential lounge and the library would reside on oppo-site sides of the school, students would be obliged to make a deci-sion between lounging and study-ing. Because of the conscious decision students would have to make, the librarians would be jus-tified in enforcing a non-disrup-tive study environment.

At the same time, since the current Student Lunch Room is relatively small, the capacity of the potential lounge may cause some students to return to the library when faced with a lack of space, defeating the main purpose of the renovation. However, with a few slight alterations, the new lounge could be modified to fit a large number of people.

The Aragon Outlook also recognizes that the issue of the noise level in the library could be

solved by simply reprimanding or kicking out students who are the source of the unwanted noise. But while the librarians currently hold this power, they do not uti-lize it to a full extent to make the sound level of the library condu-cive to studying. Perhaps it is dif-ficult to prove that students are socializing rather than studying or even to reprimand all noisy students. Nevertheless, unless the discipline in the library increases, focused work cannot be accom-plished with the current level of noise pollution in the library.

Despite these few potential complications, the Student Lunch Room should be transformed into a student lounge. Luckily, the time for this transformation is at its most opportune. With win-ter break just around the corner, funds can be raised and furniture acquired during the students’ break from school to galvanize the implementation of our student lounge. And this way, students can be greeted upon their return to school with a new lounge.

BY SOPHIE RUBINFEATURES

iPhones and An-droids can be both toys and tools, par-ticularly because there are thousands of unusual, handy and entertaining ap-plications or “apps” available for download. The variety of apps spans from sports, gossip and whoopee cush-ion effects to travel, news and camera-enabled apps.

Some of the more useless apps students have on their phones in-clude Lie Detector, Zombieville, and Talking Tom Cat, which freshman Jocelyn Chin describes as an app in which, “you talk and it makes your voice super squeaky; [I don’t really use it] but it’s funny.” Junior Albert Galvao explains that with Lie Detector “[you] submit information about yourself, hair color, age etc. and the app tries to figure out if you are lying or not. The apps are pretty useless considering they don’t always work.” However these apps are purely for amuse-ment and can entertain teens on short notice.

These students mainly use apps for fun and social network-ing. However there are many more practical apps that provide more than entertainment. Fresh-man Karryn Joelson uses many effective apps such as Diction-ary, Translate, the Weather app and Shazam. She classified these apps as “functional” because they fit into her everyday lifestyle. For example, she says the weather app “helps me decide which types of clothes I need to stay warm when getting ready for school. It’s pretty

useful.” Other apps, which assist

her with school-work, are Diction-

ary and Translate. “I use them pretty often; during class

my teacher lets us look up words and it’s

free.” She uses Trans-late to “help with Spanish home-work, which [she] usually ha[s] every night. [She] type[s] in the phrase and press[es] the button to pick which language. It can speak back to tell you how to pronounce it.” While these apps fit into her everyday life, different students need different apps.

One app she also finds conve-nient, that isn’t used for school purposes, is Shazam, “You’re lis-tening to a song on the radio, on a commercial, at a dance or on a friend’s iPod and the app takes 15 seconds to tell you the title, artist and album.” Joelson added that you don’t have to purchase it. “I use the free trial which lets you trace five songs a month, which is plenty.” Apps can be considered useful or useless, depending on the person who uses them and their needs. For teenagers, being social and viewing entertainment are top priorities. However, as more and more practical apps are created, teens will see the full po-tential of having the “App” store at their fingertips. It doesn’t matter what your interests or needs are, there’s an app for that.

To see more content, past content, and web exclusive

content, visit aragonout-look.net. The online version

of the Outlook containsmany bonus photo spreads, extended articles, and much

more.

I wanted to write a reply to this editorial since it is an issue I’m glad you covered in this edi-tion of the paper. I agree with you that affirmative action is a policy that doesn’t work, whether it be targeted towards socioeco-nomic status or racial status. As a white middle-class individual, I do acknowledge my own privi-lege in approaching this, but my thoughts are of a broader ap-proach rather than something as small as targeting this towards a specific school.

Affirmative action, although good intentioned and sounding quite decent on paper, in practice would limit the individuals who are accepted to schools and the workforce based on those poli-cies. Say we have a fresh-out-of-college Asian female applying to a company with these policies, and she is accepted. Was she accepted because of her talent, her willing-ness to work with the team, and her intelligence? Or was she ac-cepted because she is both Asian and female? Such would be con-stantly in question, and I thank you for addressing this side of the matter.

Keep up the brilliant work you guys do on the Outlook!

-Miranda Ashlock, 12th grade

I was bummed when some-one started agitating for a name change to the paper. I thought it was misguided, and had no prob-lems at all with Aristocrat as a name. I had been following the pre-Web Aristocrat for decades from Southern California (I have an insider who slips me my cop-ies), and I enjoyed my old familiar source for insight into the Ara-gon community. Well, I gave you a chance, and am now a convert. The Outlook moniker is fine, and brightly declares your purpose. Topical coverage is just as good, expanded in the on-line edition, and I believe the new Outlook has stepped up in the areas of com-position and creative comment, giving the Aragon Diaspora a monthly edition that can be truly anticipated. I encourage you all to keep covering the beats, refine writing and thinking creativity, and when needed, open up diffi-cult topics for discussion. Thank you for your long efforts and per-severance. And oh yes, I have to say: Go Don Harriers!

Sincerely,An Appreciative Reader,

Steve SkaleSan Pedro, CaliforniaClass of 1966

What’s app?

In the “Aragon Technology Revisited” article in the October is-sue of the Aragon Outlook, quotes from Spanish teacher Luisa Hardy were misattributed to Spanish teacher Nicole Elenz-Martin. The Outlook regrets this error.

Correction

Please visit aragonoutlook.net to see web-exclu-sive content, comment on any of our articles, or send us letters. You can also reach us at our email account: aragonoutlook@gmail.com.

11FEATURESVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

BY KIRA BRENNERFEATURES

“I always thought that if you could con-trol your dreams, you could build a cas-tle or be a superhero,” says junior Jessica Greenbaum.

Because of this curiosity, Greenbaum taught herself how to lucid dream. Lucid dreaming is a state of sleep in which a person becomes aware that he or she is dreaming. Some-times dreamers can control certain as-pects of the dream, such as weather, loca-tion, and atmosphere. However, the two aspects do not always go hand-in-hand. It is more likely for some-one to be aware that he or she is dreaming but not have control over what occurs in the dream.

Greenbaum says, “Sometimes you wake up before you can control your dream once you have realized that you’re in one.”

Sophomore Lauren Muniz dreams lu-cidly on a semi-frequent basis and she says, “Sometimes I can’t control everything. I wanted to move a car and I could not get it to move. I’ve been mastering it lately. It’s connected to what I do in real life. I’m learning to drive, so now I can maneuver vehicles.”

Greenbaum adds, “The first time I had a lucid dream I tried some sort of weird hand gesture and attempted some magic, but my mind didn’t let me. I blasted a wall

over, though.”Although most Americans have had at

least one lucid dream that they can recall from their lives, some have never experi-enced the phenomenon.

Junior Olivia Simon is among those who have never had a lucid dream. She says, “I knew that lucid dreaming exist-

ed. Sometimes what people want to dream about they think about before they go to sleep and then they make it happen in their dreams.”

S o p h o m o r e Andisheh Kabiri says, “I’ve seen Inception… but I never knew that the idea of controlling

a dream from within a dream was real.”Some of the lucid dreamers at Aragon

taught themselves how to lucid dream af-ter hearing about the concept from friends. Greenbaum says, “I googled it and found all these sites.” Oth-ers are natural lucid dreamers. “I never had to teach myself to lucid dream,” says Muniz.

Junior Tyler Bray adds, “Jessica [Green-baum] told me about it and it sounded cool so I looked it up. All the instructions you need are on the Inter-net… I have had one lucid dream thus far.”

Junior Parvir Aujla says, “My friend told

me about it. I have been trying to lucid dream because creating your own world is interesting.”

Three general steps recur in online resourc-es. Greenbaum explains, “Put a significant mark on your hand and check it throughout the day. You are sup-posed to check it when you start dreaming. If you check it in your dream and it isn’t there, then you know you are dreaming.”

Bray adds, “You have to think about it during the day and right before you fall

asleep.”The final step is

making sure that one has enough time to sleep.

Senior Ashley Petroff has been a natu-ral lucid dreamer since she was a kid. She never taught herself how to lucid dream, but she says, “It’s random for me, although I have to be in a deep sleep.”

In addition to general guidelines, many tips and tricks exist that can make the un-dertaking easier.

Greenbaum says, “Don’t try it on a school night. Practice on the weekends.”

“I heard about gog-gles [you can wear] that flash red while you are sleeping so you can real-ize you are in a dream,” says Aujla.

Online sources rec-ommend keeping a dream journal. If one keeps a journal for long enough, he begins to see recurring themes and has the ability to recog-nize that he is in a dream by those signs. Aujla says, “I keep a journal next to my bed and I re-

cord my dreams as soon as I wake up.”However, lucid dreaming can prove to

be elusive. Not only is it difficult to be-come conscious while remaining asleep, but it is rare to be able to control anything.

Simon says, “I have attempted to have a lucid dream before. Mostly, I think about it before I fall asleep, but I never lucid dream.”

Even though many are intrigued by the concept of limitless creation, Simon adds, “I don’t really want to [lucid dream] on a regular basis. It’s so interesting to see what your [uncontrolled] subconscious is like behind all the noise in your head.”

Kabiri concurs, “I actually would rather not participate in [lucid dreaming]. I feel as though dreaming is our only escape. To control it kind of rids ourselves of our one time to do exactly what we please and be exactly who we dream of being with our subconscious.”

Senior Quin Rogers says, “I have heard about [lucid dreaming] but I don’t know very much about it. I’ve never tried to, but it seems like it could be cool and useful.”

Like most, Aujla has not yet had a lucid dream, but he says, “The reason why I [am trying] is because I want to explore the concept myself… In reality you can’t do everything, but in a dream nothing holds you back.”

Make sure to visit aragonoutlook.net for more engaging articles, graphics and photos from the Outlook. Feel free to leave comments

on the website or send in letters to the editor with opinions and feedback for articles as well as graphics and photos.

MONICA CUNICH

MARIEL WONG

“The first time I had a lucid dream I tried some sort of weird hand gesture and attempted some magic, but my mind didn’t let me. I blasted a wall over, though.”

-Junior Jessica Green-baum

“I feel as though dreaming is our only escape. To control it kind of rids ourselves of our one time to do exactly what we please and be exactly who we dream of being with our sub-conscious.”

-Sophomore Andisheh Kabiri

Dreams in technicolor

BY MARIELLA HERNANDEZFEATURES

GATORADEThe game has been changed.

People are running faster, gaining back proteins, and becoming as cool and athletic as the endorsed athletes. Its source is one simple liquid: Gatorade.

Although Gatorade has gained much popularity among Ara-gon students for its taste and vi-sual appeal, many are wary of its health implications.

F r e s h m a n Aria Farahani says, “I drink [Gatorade] be-cause it tastes good but it’s not that healthy for you since it contains a lot of sugar and food coloring. It does give you the stuff you need, like energy during sports. When I’m playing soccer, it gives me a little more energy to run.”

Freshman Jennifer Saldana, however, argues for the health benefits of this drink. She says, “Gatorade has a lot of things that

are actually good for you. If you only drink water you lose these electrolytes that you need to sur-vive and Gatorade helps regain them.”

Senior Hillary Koh stays away from Gatorade for multiple rea-sons. “My parents don’t buy them and I don’t really think they’re that healthy. They seem kind of unnatural and it’s always better to drink water,” she says.

Ninth grader Peter Boukhalil agrees, “I’m pretty sure that all parents disapprove of their chil-

dren drinking energy drinks b e c a u s e they’re not that good for you since they might get you too energetic and jittery.”

PE teacher Linda Brown

emphasizes the unhealthy nu-tritional effects of Gatorade. “A bottle is not just one serving, it’s two or three servings,” she states. “If you drink one bottle, that could be three or four hundred calories. Normally, in a day, you’re supposed to have three thousand

calories so that’s a fifth of your daily nutrition.” ENERGY DRINKS

Energy drinks such as Mon-ster and Redbull are also popular among the Aragon student popu-lation, although most consumers realize the health dangers of the product.

Senior Stephanie Willoughby says, “[Energy drinks] can affect your sleep pattern and be bad for your health sleep wise. They could make it harder to think the next day or you could be run down the next day because of them.” Soph-omore Valentina Portela says, “At first [energy drinks] make you re-ally hyper but then after they just crush you. You just get really tired afterwards.”

Freshman John Danhel Fajar-do comments on the seeming du-plicity of the energy drink labels. “[Energy drinks] have ingredients that are bad for the system hid-den, [or not visually acceptable], on the back of the label,” he says.

Despite the numerous health problems and risks associated with energy drinks, they still are popular among our students.

Junior Lauren Pon theorizes a psychological cause. She says, “It’s just the fact that some people

think that [the drinks] give you energy.”

Others look to advertising as the main endorsers of energy drinks. Brown says, “Advertis-ing is a big part of it. People see all these famous athletes that are drinking [energy drinks]. They think that if it helps the athlete’s performance it might help their performance.” junior Frank Ro-mano says, “Advertisements make

teens think it’s cool to drink their product, plus all the logos they have on them.”

At the end of the day, the choice of drinking energy drinks is always there. They can be our friends in many ways, but they can also be our enemies. Drink wisely, Aragon.

12 FEATURES VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Drinks that “replenish”:worth their fame?

Visit our website at aragonoutlook.net for access

to more content.

MARIEL WONG

“People see all these famous athletes that are drinking [en-ergy drinks]. They think that if its helps the athlete’s perfor-mance it might help their per-formance.”

-Junior Frank Romano

13FEATURESVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

14 FEATURES VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

BY JACK HERRERAFEATURES

When athletes get on the court, put their toes on the starting line, or dive into the pool, they become different people. They leave nor-mal life and assume new iden-tities. When they’re on a team, people become bigger than them-selves—they become teammates. Some even leave their names be-hind.

Nicknames aren’t just a fun way of joking around; they’re proof that as a team, everyone is a different person. Sophomore David Leong says, “My nickname on the water polo team last year was Big D. Kyle Kim [an Aragon graduate] gave me the name. He told me ‘Hey David, you’re so big on Campus! You’re Big Dave—Big D!’”

Many of the stories people tell about how they obtained their nicknames are just as interesting as the nicknames themselves.

“My nickname is Tofu; I got it because Tofu sounds a lot like my last name, Tolfa,” says sophomore Nick Tolfa.

“I got my nickname, Jer-Bear, in middle school,” says sopho-more Jerry Hong. “A lot of people just started calling me it, and [it really just stuck.] [Everyone] calls me it now.”

Sophomore Connor Kenny also shares the origins of his nick-name. “My nickname is Corndog. My name is Connor, which I guess sounds like corn, and that became Corndog,” he says.

While nicknames may begin as jokes, many athletes end up cherishing them as a connec-tion to their team.

“The people who use my nickname the most are the people I play sports with. Mostly it’s other Ultimate Frisbee players and my football team,” says Tolfa. “Getting a nickname on a sports team brings you closer together as friends and as teammates, and it gives you a connec-tion that you have only with those people. It leads to better team-work.”

Nicknames aren’t just a great way to build up exist-ing friendships: they’re a great way to start new ones.

“When I play frisbee with people I don’t know, I’ll say ‘Hi, I’m Tofu.’” Says Tolfa. “Us-ing nicknames makes us feel

like we know each other better.” Many unorthodox sports cher-

ish nicknames as a part of their wacky gameplay. “Frisbee is a cra-zy sport, and nobody uses their real names. [You’re really a char-acter] when you’re on the field,” says Tolfa.

Nicknames are so effective in team-building that many teams have started actively using nick-names to bring their teams closer together. For example, the water polo team sweatshirts are cus-tomized with each of the team members’ nicknames.

“One thing we definitely didn’t want to have on the sweatshirts was our normal names—we wanted to deviate from the norm,” says Leong. “We wanted to show that we’re a team.”

For some, nicknames become so prevalent that they begin using them in everyday life.

“My nickname started out as a joke, but now it’s more of [an actual title],” says Tolfa. “I’ve even used it to introduce myself a cou-ple of times.”

“A lot of people use my nick-name, [not just my teammates],” says Hong. “The people that really know me all call me Jer-Bear.”

Nicknames may start on the field, but many find their way into the halls of Aragon.

“I was re-ally excited to hear my new nickname, D-Grande,

used in class a couple of times. I was like, ‘Yes! People know me!”’ says Leong.

Leong brings up an interesting point— that nicknames are a tes-tament to how well people know each other.

“The people who use my nickname are the people I know personally,” says Kenny. “I feel [closer] to the people who call me Corndog,” says Kenny.

“[Even if someone’s just using your nickname because they’ve heard other people using it], it still makes you feel more familiar with them,” says sophomore Matt Lanthier.

In the same way nicknames can be viewed as strengthening friendships, nicknames can be seen as enhancing a team’s abil-ity. When the camaraderie among teammates is high, so is the level of play.

“It really shows everyone that we’re a team. We gave each other these names, and we use them for each other. We’re like a family,” says Leong.

In the same way that a family names its children, a team names them something new. It rechris-tens them as teammates.

“Kyle gave me my nickname. He’s kinda like my dad now,” says Leong.

‘We’re like a family’BY KATARINA DRAKEFEATURES

As students return to their desks from summer, hockey stars Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton skate onto the ice. But as the beloved Sharks inevitably fall, so do many students’ grades.

Though this may seem in-sane, the effect that sports has reaches far beyond the rink and television, affecting the lives of many sports fans.

“It was especially frustrat-ing when [the Sharks] got really close two years ago and failed,” says sophomore Max Herrera. “You just can’t believe it, and are so shocked that you find yourself feeling sad for a week after. I’m sure it even af-fected my grades a little bit, I mean, it’s not like I bombed tests or anything, but maybe I didn’t try as hard on home-work for a couple of weeks. And then you think; are [sports] real-ly worth it on some level?”

The question of whether or not sports are worth the emo-tional strain is perplexing to many parents and teachers. However, the roller coaster can also be a positive force. Junior Aldo Severson says, “[a vic-tory can lead to] a better mood throughout the whole day.”

It may seem strange to have one’s state of mind affected by a game. However, those passion-ate about sports realize that the value lies in the life lessons they gain.

Sophomore Keith Samujh, an avid Raiders fan, says, “[I like] the ground and pound, punch you in the mouth style.” The Raiders are one of the most penalized teams in the NFL, but many appreciate the importance of being strong and recovering from self-inflicted wounds.

“You got to work hard no matter what you do,” says Samu-jh. “You can’t cheat on the field just like you can’t cheat at home or in school because you are go-ing to get penalties on that, just like you do in the game. And it might not just be five yards back.”

On the other side of the Bay, the San Francisco 49ers tell a story of perseverance and karma. Math teacher Adam Ja-cobs has seen their low during

the past ten years, during which the 49ers have not even made the playoffs. Much of the blame was placed on quarterback Alex Smith, a draft pick who was expected to match the high ex-pectations of fans accustomed to the legendary Joe Montana and Steve Young. For five years, Smith seemed to never match these expectations.

However, this year he has blossomed into the sixth highest rated quarterback in the league. Jacobs sees the transformation as indicative that hard work and a level head will pay off.

“[Alex] failed a whole lot of times and never really

blamed anyone but him-self for his m i s t a k e s

or made up an ex-

cuse ,” s a y s J a -

c o b s . “Now all his hard

work is paying off and

the 49ers are suc-ceeding.”

The team’s coach is just as important.

Led by Jim Harbaugh,

a for-mer NFL q u a r -ter back

h i m s e l f , Smith fi- nally has a

coach who understands his posi-tion and how to run a successful offense. Smith and Harbaugh exemplify the importance of collaboration, as Harbaugh also struggled during his first seasons as an NFL quarterback. Smith’s redemption serves as a reminder of the vital role of mentorship, especially from those who have gone through the same thing. Sports show how to overcome life’s struggles, both on and off the field.

Although many do not play or follow sports in their lives, the value of sports can still be ap-preciated. When asked about her feelings towards sports, sopho-more Claire Luong replies, “Ter-rified.” However, she also says, “I think just working as a team in anything whether it’s academic work, musicals, or sports is im-portant because people have to learn to work together even if they don’t necessarily like each other. The whole team aspect of sports is a good thing.”

And for many, team victo-ries mean so much more. Jacobs adds, “That’s why I think I like sports so much—because they relate to life.”

So if you’re not a fan, hop into the sports car and enjoy the ride.

Sports run deep

The name of the game

Please visit aragonoutlook.net for more articles, photos, and

coverage of Aragon sports.

DAVID DIBA

LUNA LYNCH

BY ANGELA SOLISNEWS

With their skills, spirit and op-timistic attitude, the varsity vol-leyball team has what it takes to go all the way. “I kinda knew all along we could make it to CCS...but nothing’s guaranteed,” says

head coach Annette Gennaro. “We have ... losses ... [though] we are still ahead of where we were last year.”

After a successful season, the team finished in third place with a 26-8 record. Sophomore passer Vienna Auerweck says, “We really want to win. We say it when we

get down: ‘we really want to win.’”Despite the successful season

they’ve been having, the team has major competition to beat. “Men-lo-Atherton is always the team to beat,” adds Auerweck.

“Carlmont [has] a good team … I think we’re [level with] them skill-wise, but we made mistakes [during the games] which is un-fortunate. I think we’re there skill-wise [with MA] too, but they just came out on top,” adds senior Ja-mie Moore.

The team’s camaraderie is an integral asset to their successes on court. “There’s very good chem-istry,” explains Gennaro. “The ... senior[s] work really well on

chemistry with [everyone having] secret sisters before every game. They are all instrumental ... [The seniors’] leadership on the floor and off the floor is crucial to how we play.”

“[Secret Sisters] is kind of a tradition. We write a note and bring food every time we have a game,” explains Moore.

Speaking about the leadership within the team, Auerweck com-ments, “Our team captains Jamie Moore, Steffi Miller, and Ariel Mangum are really welcoming no matter who you are. [They] have indescribable energy on how much they want to win and [how much they] believe in us.”

Moore adds, “What I like about being a team captain is motivat-ing the girls. [We] can control whether or not we’re being posi-tive [and] whether or not the girls are having fun. [We] get to settle a lot of the activities for team bond-ing, which is really fun. [Being a captain] is democratic, but there’s also a leadership aspect.

“We [all] spend a lot of time together. We goof around at prac-tice sometimes, which helps with the bonding. We make t-shirts and we hang out ... outside of school.”

“No significant injuries this

year,” says Gennaro while knock-ing on wood. With a safe season without any obstacles, the team focuses on their strengths and works to improve their weakness-es. “Our strengths are our seniors: really good setter, outside hitters and libero. Our weakness is our [lack of] energy. We need to have more energy throughout entire matches. They do really well at the start, but then we lose our en-ergy,” she adds.

“We always have a talk before games. Coach reads us a quote or we do a dance to warm up: some-thing to get our blood going. It’s about the mindset, we need to go in thinking positive,” adds Moore.

Unfortunately, the girls volley-ball team’s CCS run was cut short after a devastating game versus Lynbrook. The team lost their three sets 25-22, 25-20 and 25-22 respectively.

“We went into it thinking it was easier than it was and didn’t play it our full potential,” said Moore with respect to the Lyn-brook game.

Junior Elizabeth McSheery agreed saying, “When we finally got warmed up, it was too late.”

Regardless, the Aragon girls had a fruitful season and look for-ward to next year.

BY ISAAC WANGNEWS

The girl’s tennis team is stron-ger than ever before according to Aragon tennis coach Ed Schuler. Not only did the team place sec-ond in the Palo Alto tournament, it also finished with a record of 15-5, coming in second right be-hind Burlingame.

On Oct. 28, the girl’s tennis team defeated Carlmont 4-3 in the finals of PAL. It was a comeback victory as the Dons managed to pull ahead at the last minute. This is the first time the Aragon girl’s tennis team has won the PALs Ocean division title. Schuler says, “[There was one year Aragon] got third place in PALs. However, we have never won it before.”

The CCS tournament sys-tem this year was different from before. Instead of a traditional bracket styled competition, the team played a round robin. In a round robin system, every team will play every other team. Also, instead of four singles and three doubles, only three singles and three doubles teams attended CCS.

The team is especially strong this year due to the addition of one of the best players in the league, Kaede Ishikawa, and more experienced players. When asked why the team was so successful, Coach Dave Owdom answered, “We have some strong young players. We have three sopho-mores playing singles, and have experienced veterans holding down the doubles. The addition

of Ishikawa has also helped out our team. We now have a stronger singles ladder, and have a greater chance of winning matches.”

Schuler agreed that, “the dou-bles are more experienced, and the singles are stronger than ever.” Notably, the doubles one pair, comprised of seniors Christina Hsu and Amy Jiang, were unde-feated in league.

However, the team still has weaknesses. Schuler says, “We need to work on putting away matches. We’ve been ahead a couple of times, and then lost the match afterwards. We need to learn how to hold onto a lead. We have to finish out the matches strong.”

Another important aspect of tennis is strategy. Senior Ivana Wang says, “It’s important to analyze your opponent before the match. When you are warm-

ing up with them, you need to find their weaknesses, and attack them. For example, if they have a weak backhand, hit it there, or if they are slow, drops shot them and make them run. If you can’t outplay them, you can outsmart them.”

The girl’s tennis team is also highly respected around the league. After the match against Hillsdale, Hillsdale Coach Jack-ie Nachtigall said, “Aragon has very good sportsmanship. Even though we are rivals, we have a lot of respect for them.”

On Nov. 8, the girls played Le-land at home for the first game of CCS. They lost a heartbreaker with final the score 8-10. They competed hard in the first round, tying Leland 3-3. However in the second round, Leland pulled to a 7-5 lead. The girls tried to mount a comeback in the last round, but

ran out of gas and lost 8-10.In regard to the loss, Coach

Schuler said, “The doubles didn’t bring their A game today. They didn’t produce.”

Senior Jamie Ahn said, “I made too many unforced errors. I also couldn’t control my mental game.”

The loss to Leland ended the girls’ amazing run. They won the Palo Alto tournament, placed sec-ond in their division, won PALs,

and almost won their CCS match. Reflecting on the season, Sopho-more Victoria Sun said, “This sea-son was amazing. It was my best year so far. I’m looking forward to the next season.”

Senior Stacy Ozorio said that, “It was a fun experience. It was nice meeting lots of different peo-ple.” Ahn also stated that, “This was a very impressive year. It was a great way to close out my senior year.”

15SPORTSVOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Girl’s Volleyball team’s CCS run cut short

Bottom: Sophomore Kaede Ishikawa returns a backhand. Ishikawa is ranked as the 67th best girls tennis player in California.Right: Senior Amy Jiang is serving. She and her partner Senior Christina Hsu were undefeated in league.

Tennis Falls Short at CCS after Successful Season

Far Left: Junior Alexia Hong dives down for a dig.Closer Left: Sophomore Mi-randa Taylor prepares to spike the ball at the other team.

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EY CHEW

PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA SOON

BY LANDON HARTNEWS

The Aragon girls cross country team finished in second place for and the boys team finished third in the Peninsula Athletic League. Though the season is over, two in-dividuals have qualified for state.

Junior Katherine Chinn says, “Our team has performed pretty well this year. For the most part we’ve had minimal injuries so we are staying strong as a team.”

Senior Francisco Vargas says, “My favorite part of cross country is the long runs. The atmosphere of it all is the best. Everyone is open, and it’s like nothing else. Place, time, PR’s…none of that matters. All that matters is that you push yourself farther then before – to have no regret. To look back and say, ‘I went there, and now I am here.’”

During CCS playoffs, the two varsity teams competed. Chinn

says, “The weather at CCS on Saturday was pretty good. It had been raining the day before so the course was mushy at some points, but for the most part it was good. Our team did not do very well; we kind of just had an off day. We gave it our all though, and that’s all we could do.”

Vargas says, “The course was the same as always. Crys-tal Springs is always hard. We all went 110 percent and left it all out there. I am very proud of my team’s performance.”

This year, the teams both had legitimate chances to move even further in the playoffs, but only Lauren Croshaw and Rory Beyer made it to the state champion-ships as individuals.

As the season closes out, Var-gas says, “We expected to go to state but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we tried, and we had no regrets. We left it all out there.”

BY LANDON HARTNEWS

The boys water polo team is competing in the PAL Ocean divi-sion and has a record of 9-3. The girls team is in the upper PAL Bay division and has a record of 0-5.

Every player has a reason why they play their sport. Junior Ol-ivia Chan says, “My favorite part of water polo is being aggressive

during games. Also just bonding with the other girls on the team.”

Junior Brian Lin says, “My fa-vorite part of water polo is scor-ing because when you score, you just feel magnificent because your team cheers for you.”

The boys had hopes to make playoffs but these were cut short by losses to Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova. HMB and Terra Nova both have shallower pools, forc-

ing the Aragon players to adapt to a different style of play.

The boys needed two more wins to qualify for playoffs, but their two losses to Half Moon Bay were heavy setbacks.

Meanwhile the girls faced chal-lenges after they lost nearly all of their varsity players from last year.

Though neither team made it to playoffs, both are looking ahead to next year.

BY JUSTIN CHINGNEWS

Victorious by a large 59-38 margin against Hillsdale last Fri-day, the Aragon varsity football team nears the end of one of its most successful recent seasons.

After a close 20-21 loss to Half Moon Bay High School the pre-vious week, the Dons were de-termined to emerge triumphant against Hillsdale. Predicting the rainy weather for the game, the team practiced using a wet foot-ball. However, the team’s underly-ing principle stayed constant. Ju-nior Dominic Proia said, “[We’re] using the same strategy, just hit-ting hard.”

After receiving the kickoff from Hillsdale, the Dons imme-diately went to work showcasing their reliable strategy of “hitting hard.” Steadily carrying the ball down the field, senior wide re-ceiver James Egan scored a touch-down within the first three min-utes of the first quarter, which was followed by a successful field goal by junior kicker James Garcia.

Aragon’s defense also dis-played its strength as Hillsdale gained possession of the ball. Junior linebacker Jordan Mapa quickly turned the ball over back to Aragon after a jumping inter-ception from Hillsdale. Following up on Mapa’s interception, senior running back Davarian Redd brought another touchdown to Aragon with seven minutes still in the first quarter.

Pushed back by Aragon’s de-fensive squad, Hillsdale soon chose to punt. Though this

pushed the Dons back consider-ably, a burst of athleticism from 5’8” 150-pound quarterback Dominic Proia carried the ball 60 yards to complete another touch-down for Aragon. The first quar-ter ended with a comfortable 21-0 lead for the Dons.

Both teams scored fourteen points in the second quarter. Ara-gon advanced to the end zones through an explosive run by Egan and a pass to senior tight end Gregory Lyons. On the other hand, Hillsdale advanced steadily with persistent carries by senior running back Damien Carter. The quarter ended at 33-14 with Hills-dale in possession of the ball.

However, Aragon soon gained possession after a fumble by Cart-er. The offensive squad played very physically, wasting no time to wait during any of its plays. Redd, trailed by Hillsdale’s defense, swiftly drove into the end zone once again, bringing the score up to 40-14 with another successful field goal by Garcia.

Back on the offensive, Hills-dale faced difficulty in advancing

under the pressure from Aragon’s defensive squad. The Knights suffered many incomplete pass-es until they progressed slowly but surely to Aragon’s end zone, where senior Angel Salazar scored a touchdown.

With limited time left in the game, Hillsdale chose to forego a point after kick and attempted a two-point conversion after Sala-zar’s touchdown. The play was successful bringing the score to 46-22 with the Dons in the lead.

The Dons still displayed an unrelenting offense as Redd per-sistently carried down the field. After another touchdown for Aragon, the quarter ended with Aragon leading 53-22.

During the fourth quarter, the heavy rain coaches had predicted began to pour; however, both teams were prepared as players did not slip in their performance. On the contrary, Hillsdale’s began a last minute offense, deciding to forego point after kick attempts in favor of two-point conversions.

The Knights broke free of the initial stagnancy in the playing

field during the middle of the fourth. Carter carried the ball into the end zone twice, bringing the score to Aragon 59, Hillsdale 30, after Aragon senior Victor Ji-menez scored a touchdown.

With little time left in the quarter and diminished prospects of winning, the Knights never-theless persisted in their offense. Hillsdale junior Michael Camel scored the last touchdown for Hillsdale and the game, running 54 yards with three minutes left on the clock. After another suc-cessful two-point conversion, the “Battle of the Fleas” game ended at a score of Aragon 59, Hillsdale 38.

Through a more physical ap-proach characteristic of this sea-son, the Dons have enjoyed the fruits of their labor with a current record of 8-2. Based on their per-formance, head coach Steve Sell

was awarded with a San Francisco 49ers Charles Wedemeyer Coach of the Week Award, in which the school would be awarded $1000 for the football program. Sell says, “It’s nice to receive [this award]; rarely you get public awards [be-cause] the satisfaction is intrin-sic.”

The team is now undergoing training for a CCS playoff against Sobrato High School on Nov. 19 at Aragon at 1 p.m. Though a re-cent loss against Half Moon Bay slightly downgraded the Don’s CCS ranking, the team is still op-timistic for the future. Mapa says, “This year, the team is hungry; we are giving it all out on the field on every single play.”

16 SPORTS VOLUME 51, ISSUE 03NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Cross country stops short

Middle Left: Senior Julia Pera lunges in an attempt to make a saveBottom: Senior Eduardo Saldana, Junior Ian Barrie and Junior Thomas Beb-bington are in the midst of the pack.

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Water polo: fond memories for the future

Domination continues: Dons beat Knights 59-38

Left: Senior Thomas Sortwell at-tempts to take down a Hillsdale running back.Top Right: Seniors Blake Tan-dowsky and Ben Lewis cheer on in the stands.Bottom Right: Junior Aldo Sever-son snatches the ball before get-ting tackled by a Hillsdale player.

KAYLA SOLOMON

VALERIE PEREZ

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