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Rio Americano • Sacramento, Calif. • Volume 47, Issue 5 • January 30, 2009
the
“The student voice” Students vote on best and worst of 2008<< Pages 8, 9
Senior flips over writing utensils<< Page 15
SHERMAN’SMARCH
irada
One, two, clap. One, two, clap. Feet stomped and hands clapped to the rhythm of senior Cashel Barne4’s voice. The crowd at Club Retro roared with the repetitious chanting of
one word.Sherman.Based upon the nerdy red‑haired opposite of Mr. Peabody in “The
Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” the band is a three piece comprised of Barne4 on drums, junior Nathan Swedlow on guitar, and junior Derek Sup on the vibraphones.
“I think the names of bands are important and can’t be forced or rushed no ma4er what; it has to be organic,” Barne4 said. “When I first heard [Sherman] I based it on our friend Shae Selix whose full name is Sherman and I’m a sucker for naming bands with ‘people’ names.”
Most recently, the band played at Club Retro last Friday in an at‑tempt to secure a spot in the 2009 SN&R Jammies.
“I do think that Sherman will make it to the Jammies,” Swedlow said. “At this point, it’s not a major desire to win. Just playing at the Crest will be cool.”
“[The ultimate goal of Sherman is] to introduce something new to the realm of music,” Sup said, “and to inspire those aVer us like we have been inspired by bands before us.”
Despite the fact that Barne4 will be graduating with the class of 09, the band remains optimistic for the future.“We are all experienced enough musicians to know that we’re not going to make it big,” Barne4 said. “We just want to play shows and have fun and share the pleasure that we get from our music with other people.”
Rio students’ band scores big
at Jammies, hopes to play
Crest Theater
Story and photo by Willie Robinson-Smith
To see more of Sherman, see page 7
Major UCs to cut admissions
AVer 25 years of service as registrar, Ester Zorzi will soon wave good‑bye to the school and start her retirement.
Working on the master schedule, sending off tran‑scripts and compiling and mailing home grades from a li4le room in the counseling office is not the most glamor‑ous job. But Zorzi has played an essential role in the school and did her job extremely well, colleagues said.
“She is like the central com‑puter at Rio,” Vice Principal Richard Judge said. “She is a God‑send with creating the master schedule. She is also very insightful and knowl‑edgeable about school culture. Mrs. Zorzi is the keeper of tra‑ditions and it will be hard to find a replacement.”
Zorzi said that she will miss working around young people.
“I’m going to miss all of the students,” she said. “I mean, if I
didn’t like being with all the students, then why would I have kept this job for so long? I love seeing all the kids gradu‑ating and going off to college. I feel like I am part of that.”
Zorzi started working at Rio in the 1980s in the a4endance office. AVer 4 years, she found her calling as registrar, and that is where she has stayed since.
“I love sending transcripts off to colleges and seeing the
diversity in the kid’s choices,” she said.
“I will not miss folding re‑port cards and pu4ing them into envelopes,” she said with a laugh.
It’s not just to the students to whom Zorzi gives her kind‑ness and warmth, but also to her co‑workers in the counsel‑ing office.
Counselor Chris Brown‑field said that it is the kindness and up‑beat a4itude of Zorzi
that she is going to miss, adding that Zorzi is well liked by parents, students and staff.
“Mrs. Zorzi is very in‑tegral to the office, and she will be hard to replace,” Brownfield said. “She knows the counseling of‑fice A‑Z. She is one person who works with the stu‑dents the most.”
In retirement, Zorzi plans to focus on home and family.
“I am not a traveler, so I will be staying at home. I’m a homebody,”she said.
Zorzi plans on working in her vegetable and flow‑er garden in the backyard of her Carmichael home.
“I am also going to completely remodel my kitchen by myself,” Zorzi said. “I’m decking out my
kitchen and pu4ing in new everything. I have a good amount of how‑to books. I like to do things myself.” Zorzi is also expecting an‑
other grandchild on the way very soon. “I already have an 11 year old grandson, and now I have another grandson on the way. I also get to play baby si4er.”
With a grandson in her fu‑ture, Zorzi will keep the favor‑ite part of her job, being around young people. And she’ll get to trade stuffing envelopes for changing diapers.
Alex McFall
Mirada Staff
Regents of the University of California system have autho‑rized a series of budget cuts in freshman enrollment at their nine campuses. The change may have a heavy impact on seniors who plan to apply.
First proposed by UC Presi‑dent Mark Yudof, the cuts were designed to relieve tensions cre‑ated by the instability of Califor‑nia’s budget.
“If I had my way, the decrease in admissions would be zero,” Yudof said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. But with the budget continuing to go un‑solved, he added, “there is no free lunch.”
According to the UC Presi‑dent’s Office, in 2008‑09 the Uni‑
versity enrolled 5,000 additional undergraduate students with‑out the necessary state funding. That, combined with rapid en‑rollment growth in recent years, means the UC system currently enrolls approximately 11,000 students without the state fund‑ing needed to support them. Of‑ficials estimate that the cost of educating these unfunded stu‑dents totals $121.8 million.
Under the plan, six of the UC system’s undergraduate cam‑puses will experience sizeable reductions in the admission of California freshmen in the fall.
UC Irvine and UC San Diego, the campuses that were hit the hardest, are slated for reduc‑tions of around 12 percent, or 550 and 520 slots respectively. In recent years they had enrolled more than their targeted num‑
ber of students, officials said. Reductions of about 10 per‑
cent at UC Riverside and 6.6 percent at UC Santa Barbara are also expected.
The campuses that a4ract the most applications, UCLA and UC Berkeley, will stay close to current levels. In fact, admis‑sions at Berkeley are expected to grow by 80 freshmen, an increase of about 1.7 percent. UCLA will lose 35 spots.
UC Merced, the newest and smallest UC, will increase its admissions by 17 percent, granting admission to 155 more freshmen, a possible fallback for those rejected from other cam‑puses.
Statistics teacher Tom Kos‑sack has studied the admission rates with his classes, and the results aren’t too surprising.
“The bad part about these last two years especially is the dras‑tic rise in the number of eligible kids,” he said. “There is simply a bigger part of more [student] bodies applying and entering the system.”
However, Kossack encour‑ages hope in those who have yet to apply.
“The good news is that I be‑lieve the state universities have improved greatly, in both the product they put out and the quality of their education,” Kos‑sack said. “That’s what a lot of people are looking for, a pres‑tigious degree.” A degree, he adds, that doesn’t have to come from a place like UC Berkeley any longer.
Students, in contrast, have different opinions.
“The UC’s will probably re‑
quire be4er GPA’s and more class requirements, so most ju‑niors might not have a chance,” junior Mark Daniels said.
As UC’s decrease admissions, it is likely that they will require more from their prospective students.
“It will mean that students will have to have be4er SAT scores and more AP classes to get accepted,” fellow junior Lydia Garcia‑Po4er said. “It almost feels too demanding of the students, and that there isn’t enough time in the four years of high school to fulfill all of the demands.”
The facts are undeniable: UC’s are removing spots and losing funding. As a result, stu‑dents will have to work harder to be accepted.
News02 01.30.09
Danny Ford
Mirada Staff
Mural of Paris toadorn wall
Katherine Casey
Mirada Staff
A li4le bit of Paris will soon be seen on campus.
The cinder block wall that stands flat and gray like winter sky near Alec Hodgin’s B‑Wing classroom is ge4ing an extreme makeover. Se‑nior David Sundman and several of his friends plan to paint a giant mural on the wall.
The idea came from Hodgins, who wants to liven the school up by displaying an original French scene drawn by a former student several years ago. For about $500, including paint and materials, Sundman and his friends will put their artistic hands to work as soon as the administration gives them the green light to go.
Hodgins also plans to paint the awnings above his classroom door with inspirational words such as wisdom, compassion, indepen‑dence and integrity.
Since the mural is being de‑signed and painted by students, “it also will make the students feel like the school’s their own,” Hodgins said.
Hodgins says that other teach‑ers are planning to put up mu‑rals near their classrooms as well. Looks like everyone’s saying “Bon Voyage” to dull cement walls.
Zorzi to leave after 25 years
Alex McFall/Photo Editor
Ester Zorzi will retire on Feb. 27 after 25 years as the school registrar. “She’s like the central computer,” Richard Judge said about her.
The veteran registrar is giv-ing up teenag-ers for her grandchildren.
News 0301.30.09
Molly Ingram
With the graduation of the class of 2009, Lore4o
High School will be closing its doors indefinitely.
The school announced on Jan. 27, that they have tried to do everything in their power to prevent closing, but now they must face the inevitable.
Due to tough economic times, Lore4o’s student population has been dwindling dramatically. According to Sister Helen Timothy, Lore4o’s president, only 80 girls took the entrance examination, as opposed to 175 from previous years.
Luckily, fellow Catholic high schools St. Francis and Christian Brothers have agreed to accommodate former Lore4o students. However, these schools are already full as it is.
The loss of Lore4o leaves 262 girls without a school, which means that Rio could potentially receive 262 new students.
With this many new students, classes would become even more impacted, and students would have difficulty ge4ing into the classes of their choice. Classes would have to turn away far more students than they have had to in the past.
Picking out lockers at the beginning of the year would become far more competitive, since there would be more students than there are lockers.
In fact, Rio may be forced to hire more teachers in order to accommodate the number of students. Yet, the chance of this happening is highly unlikely, considering the budget cuts the state plans to make to the public school education.
“It’s unfortunate to see a valued part of our community forced to close its doors,” district Programs Director Kathy Moniz said to the district.
Of course Rio recognizes the unfortunate events that have struck Lore4o’s student body, and will welcome potential students in the future, but let’s hope that our school continues to thrive, unaffected.
Lions’ last roar
Great expectations: What do you expect to see from the new Obama administration?
Caroline Fong
Mirada Staff
The Shakespeare Club is taking two field trips to Ash‑land, Oregon for the Shake‑speare Festival this year, one in the spring and one in the fall.
English teacher Ma4hew Valencich has organized the trip and serves as the club’s sponsor. For each trip the stu‑dents will watch five plays, participate in workshops with the actors and tour the theater. The spring trip is five days and four nights, from May 21‑25. The fall trip is four days and three nights, from Oct. 9‑12.
The students will camp at Emigrant Lake, which is about five or six miles away from Ashland, instead of staying in a hotel. Camping is more cost efficient because they will be cooking their own food, purchased from a
grocery store nearby.Freshman Tegan Frakes,
treasurer of the Shakespeare Club, is excited for the trips.
“You’re going to remem‑ber this trip for the rest of your life,” Frakes said. “[You won’t remember] a biology test, but this will be memo‑rable.”
Both of the field trips cost $250 per person and provide accommodation, tickets, traveling costs and tours, with the exception of food. The payment is $50 to reg‑ister and the total amount for the spring trip is due by April 10.
The trip will be com‑posed of 23 students, five chaperones and Valencich. Other students can sign up for the spring trip, but there are only four more tickets leV. However, there is more availability for the fall trip. Those interested in a4ending should contact Valencich in room A7.
Elliot Bartle+, 11
Aimee Eshoff, 11
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proposed cu4ing five days from the school year.
School boards could decide how to eliminate this instructional time starting next school year. If all districts lower school days to 175 from 180, the state would save $1.1 billion, according to the California Department of Finance.
The teachers’ union and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell oppose the plan.
“To close the achievement gap and prepare all students for success in the competitive global economy, we should be offering more time in class, not less,” O’Connell said in a statement released aVer the governor announced his plan in his State of the State address on Jan. 15.
The governor has proposed cu4ing even more form public education, totalling $40 billion over the next 17 months.
However, the House of Representatives might pass President Obama’s $825 billion stimulus package this week. If both the House and Senate pass the plan, California could receive $21.5 billion, including billions for state education.
However, due to the package’s uncertainty, the governor and state legislatures have not changed the state’s budget stimulus plans to reflect the federal plan.
The governor also offered school districts the choice of spending money previously specified for certain programs on any need. Other possible budget reduction maneuvers include eliminating one of the two science class requirements for admission to state universities.
Hannah Shapiro
Mirada Staff
State plans cuts to school budget
To deal strictly with the economic crisis at hand. It is imperative to handle the financial system before dealing with other issues such as en‑ergy and an end to the war in Iraq.
I hope he looks into more al‑ternative energies.
Kaity Dunlap, 12
I would like to see no more un‑ethical treatment of the elephants during the Obama administration. Or, if you need a completely seri‑ous answer: I would like to see the Obama administration and the new Congress help the banks to not fail in such an epic manner.
I would like Obama to address the economic crisis we are in at the mo‑ment because it affects not only our country as a whole but many of our partnering nations.
Jackie Grossband, 10
The economy because that is what America depends on.
Nick Stanton, 9
I would like President Obama to first address the problems of the econ‑omy in the United States because of the direct effect it has on the declining world economy.
Nick Terzakis, 12
Shakespeare club heading to Ashland in spring, fall
Opinion Page 401.30.09The Mirada
The MiradaRIO AMERICANO HIGH SCHOOL
4540 American River Dr.Sacramento, CA 95864(916) 971‑8921 ext. 80
my.hsj.org/ca/sacramento/[email protected]
Editors‑in‑ChiefWillie Robinson‑Smith
Hannah ShapiroMolly GlasgowJenifer Carter
News EditorsTyler Allen
Kate FinegoldMolly Ingram
Opinion EditorsCarly McCuneAlexis Shen
Features EditorsJack Sheldon
Christian Oldham
Sports EditorsAlex ReinnoldtAlex Kleemann
Photo EditorAlexander McFall
PhotographersCaroline Fong
Willie Robinson‑Smith
Graphic ArtistEmily KimSarah Vaira
Online EditorAlex Kleemann
Staff WritersCaroline FongJessie Shapiro
Katherine CaseySarah Vaira
Savannah Sterpe‑MackeyTate RountreeDanny FordBen Egan
Business ManagerMolly Ingram
AdviserMichael Mahoney
The Mirada is the independent voice of the students and a forum for diverse ideas published by Rio Americano’s newspaper class.
The Mirada welcomes story ideas, comics, le4ers to the editor and opinion pieces. Submit ar‑ticles and le4ers to the box in A3 or the main office. Unsigned edi‑torials represent the views of the Mirada editorial board.
Opinion articles and le4ers to the editor are the views of the in‑dividual writer and not necessar‑ily the views of the Mirada or Rio Americano High School.
We welcome advertising, but reserve the right to refuse any ad.
The year is already starting off with a rocky beginning,
plagued with an economy on the brink of complete disaster. With the recession on
the tip of every tongue, and talk of a depression, bud‑gets aren’t looking good anywhere. One of the first places to be hit will be the budget for education.Funny how students are
actually forced by law, to go to class everyday, but at the first sign of budget problems, the funding is immediately pulled. California already ranks
47th in the country in per‑pupil spending. The leg‑islature’s current budget proposals include cu4ing billions from education. Both the UC and CSU systems recently dropped thousands of admission spots for next year. The future looks quite bright for the students of the fu‑ture...So what will be in store
for the schools that are suffering from the bud‑get shortcomings? It looks like five days cut from the school year could be the remedy for our monetary ailments.Schools would not be
forced to give days off to the students and staff, but they would have to find some funding to support the extra days that the state can no longer afford.Seeing how parents are
struggling to get by right now and some of them are losing their jobs, it would seem almost crass to be asking for donations to keep the school afloat. But surprisingly, they
may take such a ridicu‑lous step in that direction and ask parents inside and outside of the PTSA to help fund the schools. Wouldn’t it be extremely
funny if instead of cu4ing the education funds that
the political figures hold so dear to their hearts (as long as we aren’t in finan‑cial troubles…), we actu‑ally cut their remarkably high salaries to fund not just students’ educations, but to fund the future?Is it too much to ask of
them to start eating off the dollar menu at McDonald’s like everybody else, in‑stead of caviar laced food at some five star French restaurants with a choco‑late fountain? If it is too much to ask of them, why not start shouting, “It’s for the kids! It’s for the kids!” It’s a li4le hard these days to say no to children with‑out coming off as a callous jerk.There are so many other
strings to cut before any‑one should even be con‑sidering cu4ing the funds for education. How can the funds for schools seem so dispensable when educa‑
tion for a be4er job, higher living and a be4er tomor‑row is so indispensable?So with students strug‑
gling to pull together enough money for college tuition, is just too much to demand that they empty their pockets for suppos‑edly free education. Col‑lege is a choice for people, and therefore it comes with a price tag. K‑12 education is not a choice; a4endance is required by law.Maybe the taxpayer
money that went to failed bailouts of companies that couldn’t get their funds to‑gether should have gone to education. It could have been something all the taxpayers would agree on since their kids go to school for K‑12 anyway.There are so many mis‑
takes that were made, but they lie in the past. Plans should be made for tomor‑row on how to save educa‑tion without emptying the already empty pockets of the local community.
OUR VIEW
The real price of an educationEmily Kim/Graphic Artist
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Music, E-Weeks, Restaurants and MoviesDear Editor,I feel like your mini‑music
review section is lacking in some respects. I know that in many sense, the point is to introduce new/unheard of music to the rest of us, but it might make a differ‑ence if you talked about al‑bums from artists that we have heard of once in a while. Sometimes we really like a certain artist, but we’re hesi‑tant to go and get albums be‑cause we aren’t sure if they’re worth it. That’s where your
mini‑music review section could come in handy. But on the other hand, I totally ap‑preciate that you don’t give monthly updates on Rihan‑na, or Beyonce or whoever. Thanks for that. :‑)
‑Khalia Snogg, 9
The addition of more E weeks this year is really an‑noying. I like block days so I can balance all of my home‑work on two different days.
With the larger amount of E weeks, I feel like I’m a li4le closed in on how much time I have to study for my classes and how much time I have to take everything in. I think the block weeks are important and I like being in that rou‑tine much more than suffer‑ing through more E weeks.
‑Miriah James, 12
I’m not sure exactly when The Mirada stopped print‑
ing restaurant reviews, but I would like to see them come back. I enjoy the occasional snack from Big Spoon or Jack’s, but it would be nice if your publication featured places that many students have not visited. Otherwise, great job on the paper!
‑ Sonia Khademi, 12
There are so many mov‑ies that come out throughout the year, and a handful of
seemingly good ones come out around the same time. I think it would be great if the paper would put a li4le more space in for more than one movie review instead of hav‑ing a mass amount of music reviews. There are so many movies to choose from and sometimes I’m a li4le wary of which one is a good pick and which one could potentially be a waste of $10 and two hours of my life. More movie reviews please!
‑Ellen Hosein, 12
Submit your le4ers with your name and grade
to room A3 or online at
Shining a light on college interviews
Emily Kim/Graphic Artist
College applications are done (mostly). Seems like seniors can finally
relax and wait for those accep‑tance or rejection le4ers come late March to April.
For some applicants, howev‑er, the process is still not over.
What’s leV? The college inter‑views.
For those who are not so con‑fident about the formal papers they submi4ed, the interview may or may not get you over that edge between being accept‑ed, wait listed or rejected.
What’s the point of an inter‑view? To put it simply, it’s for the colleges to know the “other side” of a student, to go beyond the bubbled circles and essays that took hours to think about and write. The colleges can get a chance to know the spontane‑ous aspect of the student‑you.
Next question: What to do at an interview.
Well, first off, you talk to an alumnus from the school you applied to. He or she will ask you questions, and you answer them.
“I knew that already!” you
might say and throw the news‑paper aside.
However, it is important to be aware of what you are pre‑senting.
What does that mean? Suppose you were an inter‑
viewer, with a lot of pride and know‑how about your par‑ticular school. Obviously you’d want the best candidate to make your school be4er.
Who would you pick? Some‑one who is mumbling answers,
not looking at you, not humor‑ous or spirited and not ap‑proachable, or someone who is interested, enjoyable to talk to, and curious about your school?
The interviewers have no bias (about grades). The college simply told them about you and asked them to get some infor‑mation.
That’s it. So for some simple advice,
some students who have already gone through the experience
were asked what they thought. Having unique activities can easily strike interest, and that is very valuable.
“Just remember, the inter‑viewers are probably interviews lots of kids in our area, so be sure to stand out,” senior Me‑gan Alcalay said. “ Tell an anec‑dote or share something quirky about yourself. My interviewer loved that I play Quidditch.”
It is important to note that presenting interests does not
mean giving the interviewer a laundry list of your activities.
Senior Julia Sakamoto points out that interest should be recip‑rocated.
“Don’t expect the interviewer to only ask you questions, they want to know what questions you have,” she said.
Some of the more frequent questions will include why you want to a4end the particular col‑lege, so research is always help‑ful in that regard. A good starter question to ask for yourself is “what do you like most about life at that college?”
Furthermore, it’s not about being perfect.
“You can’t let one bad re‑sponse ruin your interview. If you say something you instantly regret, just move on to the next question,” senior Jackie Rose said.
General “points” for inter‑views does include speaking clearly and precisely, being po‑lite and on time. But being your‑self and just sharing the best parts of your high school experi‑ence is the number one priority.
So sit back and relax, even if you are part of the show, and be confident at your next inter‑view.
Emily Kim
Mirada Staff
Opinion 0501.30.09
Beyond the grade and into the future
I am making a pact: “I will not let le4ers control my life.” That is it. A piece of paper given to me now, when I am 16, should not (and shall not) determine what I do with my beautiful ex‑istence and endless opportuni‑ties on this rock called Earth.
The grading system is flawed. Le4er grades are not what I am going to experience the rest of my life, so why should they be the most gargantuan part of my life now? (To drill in the order of the alphabet? Obviously not; somebody forgot E! . . . only kidding) What I am ge4ing at is simply this: grades are over‑rated, today more than ever. It is accepted as fact that if I do not succeed in high school, I will not enter a reputable college and thereaVer will not follow an exciting career path.
News flash: no ma4er what college you are accepted into, you are not going to get a stack of perfect jobs lined up for you when you pass with your flaw‑less 4.0 GPA. A study by colleg‑egrad.com concluded that only 6 percent of employers give a damn about your grade point average when they are looking to hire you. Sorry, but grades do not sell in the real world.
We should not slave over grades. Too many people teach that if we do not work hard to get these high marks, we will not work hard ever in the fu‑ture. That is a valid point; habits and values are taught through repetition and application. But now too many kids are raised in families in which high GPA’s and Honors classes are more than a must. The pressure to succeed can be nerve‑busting and incredible. This pressure is more than ever present today.
I hope you do not judge your future success on the amount of money you make annually, but may the force be with you if that is the case. You are not the car you drive, nor are you the de‑signer clothes you wear and you will never be your annual salary. Until you are fi4ed with a pace‑maker decades from now, your beating heart is no be4er than the man who sings to himself when he drives his semi across the country.
The man who drives to his heart’s desire is successful. He
enjoys what he does. Success should be measured by how happy you are. Maybe he failed school, but when he saw his op‑portunity he grasped every bit of his nomadic dream as pos‑sible, consequently becoming a truck driver.
Personally, I do not know many people who aspire to be truck drivers.
However, one who dreams can do much more than drive a truck. If someone were to be told flatly that they were “too stupid to learn anything” or fail over 2,000 times to try one thing, that doesn’t mean they have no chance of success. In fact, Thom‑as Edison invented much more than the light bulb aVer failing thousands of times for a func‑tional prototype. Not every‑body will be successful when measured by le4er grades.
Le4ers are constraining. Even the citizenship grade is marked down when students arrive late to a class, for example. Which seems backward, because a citi‑zenship grade is supposed to re‑flect a student’s character based on behavior in the classroom. But it seems that many citizen‑ship grades have turned into ob‑jectively based grades that are determined by a checklist.
I refuse to stress out about grades that will only lead me to stress about future grades in harder classes later in life. I do not ask to be an underachiever, or spite the system with failure; that is only cowardly and imma‑ture. Rather, I ask that students have the chance to prove their merit through their hard work and personality; the grades will be what they will be. Dream and work hard, live the adventure of life and do not be scared by threats of failure due to lack of success in school.
Dare to be different.
Apple takes a byte out of wallets
The recent economic turmoil has caused many businesses to hike up prices and has cre‑ated more of a penny pinching population. iTunes recently an‑nounced their new strategy to appeal to both of these needs by both raising and lowering prices.
iTunes is embracing a three‑tier pricing approach to in‑crease profit in the declining music industry. Beginning in April, iTunes will sell its down‑loads for 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29.
However, as good as the plan may sound, songs that sold at 69 cents will be limited to older, less popular songs. This leaves the more popular, top charting hits outrageously over priced at $1.29.
The rein of iTunes famed 99 cent fits all price is ending as it becomes yet another company to become a slave to capital‑ism. The new price system fol‑lows one of capitalism’s oldest schemes: The more someone wants something, the more they are willing to pay for it.
Teens especially will fall vic‑tim to this marketing method, as they are likely to be a4racted to the more current and higher
priced music. A youth popula‑tion with Mommy and Daddy’s credit card number is more than willing to pay for a Billboard Top 100 song for $1.29, despite its inflamed price.
Any teen can make the claim that iTunes is trying to rip off the younger generation by marking up the products we buy, but who can blame iTunes for doing what is necessary to survive difficult economic times?
Over the past 10 years, sales in the music industry have improved by increased access to cheaper, faster digi‑tal downloads. However, the profit brought in by the popu‑lar downloads is not enough to offset the decrease in compact disc sales. Therefore, the music industry is on a decline.
According to the L.A. Times, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said that “many more songs” would cost 69 cents rather than $1.29.
With the highest price break‑ing the $1 barrier, any con‑scious consumer will be a4ract‑ed to music, videos and other content packaged together in “bundles.” Although a con‑sumer may get a great deal by spending $3 for two songs and video, they are still spending more than was originally in‑tended and that is all that really
ma4ers to the company, right?The new pricing change is
not only the change occurring on iTunes. Record labels will be providing free “digital rights management,” or DRM, which limits the capability to copy and transfer music to another computer, to all their music dis‑tributors, including iTunes.
Living in the midst of eco‑nomic troubles, we as consum‑ers must learn to be aware of companies’ improved market‑ing techniques.
Like any current successful company, the change in iTunes’ prices is purely profit driven, which focuses on the entice‑ment and satisfaction of cus‑tomers. You can complain the prices are too expensive but it is our responsibility as a consum‑er to make smart purchases and maybe even cut back on luxury items like a song download.
We have entered an era of atrocious inflation, where it costs $10 for a movie ticket, $4 for a box of cereal, and soon more than $1 to download a song. Frustrating? Yes. Surpris‑ing? No.
So before you grab your pitchforks and torches, re‑member Apple is just another company in a capitalist market and in these tough times, some‑times you go4a do what you go4a do.
Emily Kim/Graphic Artist
Sarah Vaira
Mirada Staff
Alexis Shen/Graphic Artist
Ben Egan
Mirada Staff
Opinion05 01.30.09
Features Page 701.30.09The Mirada
Sherman: Jamming the night away
Fans, including many Rio students, backed Club Retro in Orangevale Jan. 23 to hear the up and coming band Sherman. Top Left: Sherman opens their set with a cover of Big Poppa by Notorious B.I.G. over the melody of Say It Ain’t So by Weezer. Top Right: Senior Cashel Barnett plays the back beat to I Know, You Know I Know, You Know which was written by junior Nathan Swedlow. Middle Left: Swedlow lays down a few licks in a self-written song entitled Not Enough. Middle Right: Junior Derek Sup throws his vibraphone mallots aside as he sweeps back to the keyboard. Bottom Left: Barnett leads the crowd in the song One, Two, Clap. Bottom Right: Seniors Kate Spare, Austin Sprague, junior Al-lison Burns, and seniors Danny Ford, Katie Kilbourne and Nick Terzakis dance to the rhythm of Shalom.
Photos by
Willie
Robinson-
Smith
The Rio Choice Awards Present...
Best Girl Trend: MoccasinsWorst Girl Trend: High waisted jeansBest Boy Trend: Vans
Fashion
On Screen
Best TV Series: Family GuyBest Young Actor: Shia LaBeoufBest Young Actress: Rachel BilsonBest Political Satire: Tina Fey on SNLBest Movie: Dark Knight
The Best & Worstof 2008
Centerspread08 01.30.09
Most Fashionable Teacher
And the award goes to....Science teacher AJ Paulus and Spanish teacher Gabriella Delasse
The Mirada surveyed 350 Rio students in all grades for the annual
Rio Choice Awards. And the winners are in. The votes were close
in some categories. Moccasins edged out homemade bracelets for
best girl fashion trend, and super short hair cuts ran a close second
to high-waisted pants for worst trend. “The Office” almost caught
“Family Guy” for best TV show while “Call of Duty 5” was right
behind “Rock Band” as best video game. Of course, no newspaper
survey could capture the feelings of every student in school, so if
you disagree with your classmates choices, let us know.
Photo of best dressed teaches by Alex Reinnoldt, photo of shoes
by Caroline Fong, all other photos from MCT.
The Rio Choice Awards Present...Music & GamesBest Music Artist: Kanye West Song that never gets old: Paperplanes - M.I.AMost overplayed song: Disturbia - RihannaBest Video Game: Rockband
....and more!
The Best & Worstof 2008
Centerspread 091.30.09
Most Fashionable Teacher
And the award goes to....Science teacher AJ Paulus and Spanish teacher Gabriella Delasse
The Mirada surveyed 350 Rio students in all grades for the annual
Rio Choice Awards. And the winners are in. The votes were close
in some categories. Moccasins edged out homemade bracelets for
best girl fashion trend, and super short hair cuts ran a close second
to high-waisted pants for worst trend. “The Office” almost caught
“Family Guy” for best TV show while “Call of Duty 5” was right
behind “Rock Band” as best video game. Of course, no newspaper
survey could capture the feelings of every student in school, so if
you disagree with your classmates choices, let us know.
Photo of best dressed teaches by Alex Reinnoldt, photo of shoes
by Caroline Fong, all other photos from MCT.
Best Restaurant Hangout: ChipotleMost Overused Phrase:” Thats what she said”Best YouTube Video: Charlie Bit My FingerMost Inspiring Athlete: Michael Phelps
Features10 01.30.09
Cults worship America, cargo
While many of our minds may be enveloped in the upcoming Valentine’s Day, the residents of Tanna, a fairly unknown island, look forward to the following day. February 15 is recognized by the village of Lamarka as the divine John Frum Day.
Considered to be a “cargo cult,” this village celebrates John Frum, an American messiah who had once promised to deliver coveted American products to the village on February 15. They anticipate items such as Coca Cola, radios, watches, ice boxes, medicine and many other items, as stated on the Smithsonian web site.
Anticipating the return of Frum and his cargo, the islanders make way for him on the island by making visible landing strips in the fields and by building piers for the boats to come in to.
Those who celebrate mani‑fest American spirit with colors
of red, white and blue. With the combination of their culture and American culture, the celebration reaches a standard of immense vivacity.
They support America through costumes and glorification of the cargo brought in the old days, though not many Americans re‑alize that on a far away island, where the people of Tanna are cheering Americans on.
The foundation of cargo cults derived from Americans land‑ing on Tanna and other remote islands as emergency landings mostly during the time of World War II. Since then, the Americans have not traveled back to the is‑lands with their magic cargo, and the cargo cults have slowly been dying out.
Although the cargo cults are seldom seen, about 20% of the 30,000 residents of Tanna cel‑ebrate the uncanny holiday.
Though almost an hundred years old, and despite the fact that John Frum may not have ever existed, the belief in John Frum still thrives.
Carly McCune &
Alexis Shen
Mirada Staff
Arden Park Florist & Gift Gallery564 La Sierra Drive Sacramento 95864 916-489-7601
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Redemption for Eastwood in ‘Torino’
Upon thinking about the words “Gran Torino,” what do you think about? Do you think about a gorgeous Ford automobile that is bound to make anybody swoon, or do you think about a movie where a 78 year‑old man runs around holding his hand in a way rep‑licating a hand gun? Well, if you answered yes to one or both of those, then there is a movie you must see.
Before going to the movie, I thought to myself, “Another Clint Eastwood movie! This guy is way past his prime.” I mean, we all know how the movie “Million Dollar Baby” turned out horribly. The mov‑ie had a very boring storyline and a very upse4ing ending.
I thought “Million Dollar Baby” was finally the last of this guy, but, as always, East‑wood came back. And, as always, I was stupid and de‑cided to give this guy another
shot. But not as always, I’m actually glad to say I did.
The movie opens on the character Walt Kowalski (East‑wood) at his wife’s funeral. Kowalski is a lonely and dis‑gruntled old man who despis‑es his family and is constantly haunted by his active duty in the Korean War. It’s aVer his wife’s passing that Walt must face his gang‑ridden neigh‑borhood alone.
It is in this neighborhood that Kowalski finds the bonds
of companionship with his Hmong neighbors. At first having extremely racial ten‑dencies towards them and most of the ethnic groups in his neighborhood, Kowalski finds that people are people, no ma4er where they are from.
His two friends, Tao and Sue (the children of Kowals‑ki’s Hmong neighbors) really show Kowalski what friends are. Kowalski takes it upon his self to save Tao from join‑ing the Asian gangs in his neighborhood by facing them bullet‑to‑bullet.
“Gran Torino” is an emo‑tional thrill ride from the be‑ginning to the end. This film is great for anybody rang‑ing from the gung‑ho lover to the emotional sap. Clint Eastwood’s performance is outstanding in that all in one movie he makes the audience laugh, cringe and cry.
I can honestly say that Clint Eastwood has redeemed him‑self in my book, and I will be in line for his next movie.
Danny Ford
Mirada Staff
MOVIE REVIEW
Features 1101.30.09
In terms of rap music, most people believe that Dwayne Carter, commonly known as Lil Wayne or Weezy, is the “greatest rapper alive” due to his success‑ful career and reputation for an unmatched rapping ability. His sixth studio album, “Tha Carter III,” was the most anticipated rap album of the past year. It was declared as the top‑selling album of 2008, selling 2.88 mil‑lion copies and was also recent‑ly nominated for two Grammy awards. With those kind of sta‑tistics, it is almost impossible not to believe he’s the greatest rapper alive.
Lil Wayne starts off the al‑bum with “3 Peat,” a track with an electronically generated and repetitive drum loop used by most commercial hip‑hop producers today. In this song, Weezy demonstrates his ability to rap about a variety of positive topics such as shooting grand‑mothers, kidnapping children, and Hitler. While showcasing his talent, he invites us to, “Get on [his] level”. Before you reply to his RSVP request, he imme‑
diately follows with, “You can’t get on my level, you will need a space shu4le or a ladder that’s forever.” Even if I did consider the invitation at first, space shu4les that travel to that low of a level don’t exist.
The best song on the album, thanks to Jay‑Z, is “Mr. Carter”. Lil Wayne opens up this track by mumbling and stu4ering as usual. Jay‑Z enters with a strong and decent third verse that demolishes what Weezy laid out before him. He utilizes homophonic verses and rhyme schemes while pu4ing forth en‑ergy for a more desirable flow and delivery than his collabora‑tor. When Weezy comes back af‑ter drinking the cough syrup he loves so much, the side effects cause him to make a very bold statement: “And next time you mention Pac, Biggie . . . don’t forget Weezy.” It’s time realize that the only time Weezy will get mentioned next to Pac and Biggie is on a list of deceased rappers.
The worst track on this al‑bum is “Got Money” featuring T‑Pain. Both artists use Auto‑Tune. If you are unaware of what Auto‑Tune is, it is what Kanye West used on his last al‑
bum that made millions of ears bleed last year. T‑Pain and Lil Wayne work together on this song to sing/rap about topics ranging from chickens to um‑brellas.
Weezy fails to drop as many clever lines compared to other songs, most likely because the listener can’t understand what he’s saying. This song gets to be irritating aVer some time and it is highly recommended that you only listen to it while wear‑ing soundproof earplugs.
“A Milli” is a song where Lil Wayne repeatedly states that he is “ill”. He is actually very ill in a few parts of this song... liter‑ally. He says, “I’m a venereal disease like a menstrual bleed.”
That might explain why his voice sounds strained in the first couple of tracks. The style of rapping Weezy uses throughout this song is parallel to a sprin‑kler head (which he imitates: “cha cha cha cha”). He feels that we, the listeners, symbolize grass and he is the sprinkler wa‑tering and blessing us with his unbelievable giV of rapping. In the second verse he sprinkles us with wi4y rhymes about gob‑lins, coconuts, and Dennis Rod‑man. AVer announcing that he is ill for the third time, he says, “They say I’m rappin’ like Big, Jay and Tupac.” I don’t know who he means by “they,” but “they” must be drinking more cough syrup than Weezy him‑self.
“Tha Carter III “lacks harmo‑ny between each song; almost to the point where it sounds much more like a mix tape rather than a well managed studio album such as Kanye West’s “Gradu‑ation”. Weezy shows signs of some quality emcee skills through multi syllabic, internal rhymes, power wording, and a few surprisingly great lines al‑beit very simple. Past all that he has a terrible flow, poor breath control, an elementary rhyme
scheme, very few metaphors, weak punch lines, and is defi‑cient in other aspects of Rap 101. Lil Wayne’s title as the “greatest rapper alive” is definitely in‑validated with this record but he remains an average rapper in the mainstream circuit. Al‑though it’s not the worst, “Tha Carter III” is one of the most disappointing albums of 2008. The production is satisfying yet risky (“Phone Home”).
It desperately needs live in‑strumentation and producers should rid themselves of the drum pa4erns that reek of FL Studio. What the rapper talks about usually doesn’t ma4er as long as the talent is there, but the subject ma4er of Lil Wayne is soaked with his ego and ma‑terialism. To put it simply: it gets boring. And finally, Weezy should really take some time to work on the technical elements of rapping because at this point in time, he is a joke when com‑pared to elites such as Rakim, Nas, or Pharoahe Monch. Judg‑ing from this album, declaring Lil Wayne as the “greatest rap‑per alive” would be a severe overstatement as well as an insult to hip‑hop culture alto‑gether.
Fall Out Boy’s fiVh studio al‑bum, “Folie a Deux,” is bound to please a wide array of listen‑ers. Die hard Fall Out Boy fans will be happy to hear that the band has kept their signature sound of passionately belted out lyrics with a lingering em‑phasis on certain words, while adopting a different sound along the way.
“Folie a Deux,” which trans‑lates from French as “a mad‑ness shared by two”, is actually a symptom of psychosis shared by two people. However, the French title may be hinting at the band’s perception of love.
The album opens to the clas‑sic sound of Patrick Stump’s harmonic voice blended with classic guitar riffs in the begin‑ning of the interestingly titled “Disloyal Order of Water Buf‑faloes”. The melody parallels the sound of “Golden” from their previous album, “Infinity on High.” Catchy rhyming lyr‑ics such as “perfect boys with their perfect ploys” and “detox
just to retox,” although not bla‑tantly pertinent to the title, still have a unique charm which makes the song unforge4able.
Although somewhat re‑petitive, Stump’s singing is comprehendible and enunci‑ated, making it easy for a fan to sing along to. Almost every song on “Folie a Deux” has a play‑on‑words title, unsheath‑ing another meaning when spoken aloud. For example, “suitehearts” allows for differ‑ent interpretations and “Tif‑fany Blews” is referring to the signature color of the infamous
jewelry store.Fall Out Boy tries to break
out from their typical style by experimenting with a more urban‑sounding dance club beat in “Tiffany Blews”. Rap‑per Lil Wayne contributes to the song, inserting a small rap portion into the last minute of the song.
Fall Out Boy channels Panic at the Disco in “20 Dollar Nose Bleed,” which could easily be considered the best song on the album.
Reminiscent of peppy bar‑bershop quartet music, it’s a re‑freshing break from run of the mill guitar riffs. In fact, Panic’s lead singer, Brendon Urie, as‑sists Stump and provides lyr‑ics in “What a Catch, Donnie”, along with Elvis Costello and others.
The tracks on the CD blend nicely together. In fact, there isn’t one song that is worth skipping.
Although many of the songs sound similar, they are suitable with each other and should really be listened to in succes‑sion.
Going mad for Fall Out Boy’s new album
Lil’ Wayne presents: Lil’ DisappointingAaron Kim
Guest Writer
Molly Ingram
Mirada Staff
Adam Forkner returns with one of his most creative and interesting albums to date. “Sky Drips DriVs” is over an hour long and is in fact one song. Forkner improvises with only a handful on instruments. With Forkner’s improvisational knowledge gained as a child, he is able to create an album that is multifaceted.
While listening to this album, it’s intriguing to know that the listener can hear every action Forkner makes. Forkner’s mastery of the art allows him to change the sound of the songs quite easily from an upbeat rhythm based song to an ambient soundscape. Overall this album is nothing but intriguing and is an experience all in its own.
‑Christian Oldham
No, this Mark McGuire isn’t a baseball player. Mark McGuire is 20 year old who creates unimaginable and masterful sounds and songs.
Using only a guitar, McGuire is able to loop together concise notes and slowly build over them.
“A Rainbow’s Journey – Something That’s Troubling You” is the first song off of “The Garden of Eternal Life.”
The song is McGuire’s seamless loops over a meditational track that talks about sleeping on a rainbow.
McGuire’s songs usually start with one group of notes that repeat for most of the song.
All the other tracks are nothing short of amazing and show just how good this young musician has learned to master the guitar.
‑Christian Oldham
MUSIC REVIEW
MUSIC REVIEW
Features12 01.30.09
Ow
Here I go Yeah!
Okay! So far so-
What the?!
Wah! STUPID GRAVITY!
What the hey?Second semester of senior year.
M-hm.
18 more weeks of school then graduation.
M-hm.
The cartoon-ist must be tired.
M-hm.
by Emily Kim
Comics
Features 1301.30.09
Victoria Werking, 10What’s the best pickup line that has ever been used on you?Excuse me miss, are you a Hostess? Because you’ve got some sweet cakes.
How are you different from all of the other girls at Rio?I’m not afraid of what people think of me.
Describe the perfect date.He would make me dinner and light candles. Then we would sit outside talking and just enjoy the night.
‑Jessie Shapiro
Nate Fine, 10Describe your dream girl.Someone that likes me.
What’s your best quality?My eyes. They’re blue like the ocean.
How do you pick up a girl?I tell them that they’re beauti‑ful.
What’s the biggest turnoff?Angry girls that fight.
What’s your most embar‑rassing moment with a girl?I’ve taken two different girls to a movie and I’ve had abso‑lutely nothing to say to them
‑Jessie Shapiro
Junior Micah Mador stands inside his 2008 Smart Car, a small two-seater car that relieves Mador of giving everybody rides. Half the size of a nor-mal car, the Smart Car is an eco-friendly ride.
Name: Micah MadorGrade: 11Sweet Ride: Smart CarWhat kind of car do you have? A 2008 Smart Car Passion Cabriolet Convertible
Where did you get your car? My uncle is le4ing me drive it around.
Who bought it? My uncle; it’s actually for sale so check it out!
What’s your favorite thing about it? It only fits two people so I don’t have to drive everyone around. The convertible is nice too, and those heated seats are pre4y clutch on those cold mornings.
How is your car different from other students’ cars?
My car is about half the size of a normal car. It’s also very eco‑friendly because it’s all about going green.
What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you while you were driving your car? The other day in overflow I popped the top down and then 10 sophomores sur‑rounded my car from all sides and I struggled to break free.
Bachelor and BacheloretteSweet ride of the issue
MOLLY INGRAM/Mirada Staff
Student Playlist
1.Juicy ‑ The Notorious B.I.G. 2. Ordinary People – John Legend 3. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan 4. The World is Yours – Nas 5. Forgot About Dre – Dr. Dre 6. Killing Me SoVly – The Fugees 7. Represent – Nas 8. I Wanna Rock With You – Michael Jackson 9. 2 of America’s Most Wanted – 2 Pac 10. Ms. Jackson – Outkast 11. Everything I Am – Kanye West 12. Cal Bear – Mac Dre 13. Country Grammar – Nelly 14. Breathe Easy – Jay Z 15. Rock The Boat – Aaliyah 16. Number 1 Stunna – Big Tymers 17.My Cherie Amour – Stevie
Wonder 18. All My Life – KC and JOJO 19. Respiration – Mos Def and Talib Kwan 20. Boyz In The Hood – Easy E 21. Seven ‑ The Army of the Pharaohs22. Andre n Andre ‑ Andre Nickatina23. What They Do ‑ The Roots24. Award Tour ‑ A Tribe Called Quest25. Reasons ‑ Earth Wind and Fire26. Above the Clouds ‑ Gangstarr27. Science of Life ‑ MF Doom28. Do for Love ‑ 2 Pac29. Certified Gangsters (Remix) ‑ Jim Jones30. I’m Not a Player I just Crush A Lot ‑ Big Pun
Marcus Buckner, 12
Video of the month
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd4C8_FMdjA
Watch Alfonso Ribeiro (aka Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air) show off his dance moves and his new instructional video “Breakin’ and Poppin’”
Senior Amobi Okugo, a three time National Soccer Coaches As‑sociation of American (NSCAA) All‑American is all about soccer.
As one of the top two college soccer recruits of 2009, Okugo is looking forward to playing this fall on a full ride scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles.
With his athletic talent as a soc‑cer player, he had plenty of offers from other prestigious schools, like Stanford and Santa Clara, but Okugo decided that UCLA would be the best fit for him.
“When I stepped on UCLA’s campus, I had a good vibe. It just felt right,” he said.
Okugo a4racted a4ention at a young age playing for his com‑petitive team and an Olympic De‑velopment Program (ODP) at the city, state, and national levels.
He has been playing since he was three years old and says that he loves every aspect of soccer, a game which has taken him to many different countries.
“I’ve been all around the world for soccer with the national team, but probably my favorite places were France and Northern Ire‑land,” he said.
As a sophomore, Okugo was
invited into the Under 17 Na‑tional Residency Program, which is a soccer development program specialized for young elite ath‑letes all over the nation. He spent his entire sophomore and half of his junior year in Florida involved in this program which focused on soccer and academics.
“Living in Florida was chill. We played soccer everyday and it was fun meeting new friends and playing the sport I love,” Okugo said.
For his senior year, he is back in Sacramento, and playing for the San Juan team and San Juan men’s league team with older ex‑college and pro players.
Through hard work and dedi‑cation to his sport, Okugo is liv‑ing his dream.
As green girls join wrestling teams across the country, the male‑dominated sport is be‑coming more and more popular for female participants.
Three females are participating in the school’s wrestling program this year. One of which is Coach Kelly Lanthier, who gladly returns each year and plans on continuing for several more years. The other two girls in the program include sophomores Callie Senna and Courtney O’Ferrall. This year is the first in two years that girls have been on the wres‑tling team.
Since girls first started participating in wrestling in 1979, popularity has gradually in‑creased, until in 2006 about 5,000 female par‑ticipants were wrestling, according to a par‑ticipation survey by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS).
Coach Kelly Lanthier is singular in her field, as she has not met any other female coaches throughout her career. A mother of seven, she did not wrestle in high school, but decided to coach because of her sons.
“I never planned on coaching, but when your sons need a coach, you learn real fast,” Lanthier said.
Highlights of her career include “watching all three sons wrestle for medals on our home mat and hanging champion medals on three of my wrestlers at the American River Classic.”
With another son who is eight years old, Lanthier will have time for more highlights to come.
Confirming that girls are interested in wres‑
tling, Lanthier said that Senna, who made the varsity team in her first year participating in the sport, is doing great this season.
Senna is among many girls who have, in the past ten years, joined the sport of wrestling, despite it’s male dominance.
In another participation survey, NFHS re‑vealed that the number of high school female wrestlers has more than tripled in the past de‑cade. This increase has led to the divi
Shock when MVP leaves mid-season
With the conclusion of a short winter break, the majority of the student body returned for school; all except for senior bas‑ketball star and Jack Sco4 MVP Kyle Odister.
On Dec. 30, at the boys varsi‑ty basketball game against Bella Vista, Odister donned his #35 Raider jersey for the last time before moving to New Hamp‑shire.
Odister transferred to New Hampton prep, a prestigious school known for their elite bas‑ketball team.
According to the school web‑site, the New Hampton Huskies are an extremely competitive team that not only plays against other New England prep schools, but also top universi‑
ties such as Harvard.Odister now plays basketball
with a pool of other talented players.
“The starting five on the team all commi4ed [Division 1] already,” Odister said.
Considering the quick change in many aspects of Odister’s life, he is adjusting accordingly.
“The school is good,” he said. “Just the weather is a li4le cold, but I’ll be on the beach next year, so it’s all good.”
Before Odister transferred to New Hampton Prep, he received an athletic scholarship from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and signed on as point guard. Despite his middle of the year move, Odister will still return to a4end Cal Poly this fall.
“The transition doesn’t affect Cal Poly at all so I will be there next year,” Odister said.
However, Odister’s former teammates have had a li4le more difficulty adjusting to his absence. In fact, some members were not aware that he was leaving.
“I was surprised,” senior var‑sity player Joe Voight said.
Immediately aVer Odister transferred, the team lost three successive games.
In the game against the New‑ark Memorial Cougars at the Fa‑ther Kelly Tribute Tournament, the Raiders seemed rather dis‑couraged and didn’t possess the higher energy they typically ex‑ude. The fan turnout was disap‑pointingly small, which did not help to encourage the players.
Loyal Rowdy Raiders have definitely noticed a significant difference in the team’s perfor‑mance.
Molly Ingram
Mirada Staff
Sports Page 141.30.09The Mirada
Alex McFall/Mirada Staff
Senior guard Kyle Odister contributed an average of 18 points per game before transferring to New Hampton Prep over winter break.
Sophomore Callie Senna wrestles a male ath-lete in the Jan. 22 match against Mira Loma.
Caroline Fong/Mirada Staff
Alex Reinnoldt
Mirada Staff
Soccer star kicks his way into UCLA scholarship
Sarah Vaira
Mirada Staff
Please see > COACH pg 16
Girls wrestling on the rise as fe-males pin key roles on team
Alex McFall/Mirada Staff
Please see > GIRLS page 16
PREPS PlusROB
VALERIO, 12 wrestling
The cliché, ‘When expectations (or perceptions) meet reality’ is an
appropriate summary for the status of the Rio sports programs over the last several years, but even more significantly over the last several weeks.
Kyle Odister’s transfer made local news, which revealed how the frustration with the program had become too much for him. His loss combined with another standout player dropping out has caused the highly ranked team to drop five of their last six games and lose places in their ranking.
Such seems to be what happens when a new coach appears at the school and desires to implement his own system. In the old, successful years, when the varsity coach would retire or move on, the promotion typically was internal and vertical, so continuity and understanding was assumed, and each season would continue the learning process for players.
These days, frustration surfaces each time a new coach appears. It was just several years ago that the Athletic Director was dealing with a football coaching crisis aVer Coach Smith retired and several new concept coaches were tried. Fan and supporter frustration was obvious and the team was in disarray. It took Coach Smith to come back and get the positive momentum going again over the last two years, to the point where the team finished ranked 15th in the area behind Del Campo (ironically a team they had beaten).
Winning takes time, but once a successful program is in place, then each succeeding team can work from it. This has occurred with water polo, both boys and girls; football, under Coach Smith; and track and cross‑country, under Coach Gordon Hubble. In several other sports, though, we have a revolving door of coaches, confused on what they are trying to create.
Unfortunately, the girls’ basketball program is one of these programs that has suffered from a lack of continuity, and the lack of success shows. Over the last four years, there have been three different varsity head coaches, each with a different agenda. The lack of continuity is evident this year as, out of 5 would‑be returning varsity senior girls, not one stayed or came out.
Coach’s communication with players and parents seems to be the main culprit, as well as teaching basic skills from the freshman level up, which impacts the varsity success. If a coach is good, he will focus on the basics on a daily basis and build from it.
The coach is the program and the program is the coach, from which success or failure comes. The athletes that play the sports are simply passing through. I hope the AD remembers this when choosing the football coach and future coaches in other sports for Rio.
Pen-flipping phenomenon spreads
Some athletes may break a sweat, but some just flip pens instead.
Seniors Kai Ambrose and Nick Ter‑zakis are participants in a newfangled sport of Pen‑Flipping.
Flippers can flip pens anywhere, and adjust their techniques to accommodate small spaces or tense work environ‑ments. Tricks are added for show and some even need multiple participants to achieve the intended effect.
While some may not remember this sport as a prominent one, it’s been around for quite a while.
“I started pen‑flipping in my moth‑er’s womb,” Ambrose said.
From there, he developed his skills, along with his snow boarding talent, and put the two together to form his master pen‑flipping ability.
“Well, Kai and I are twins. We were tired of just chilling in our amniotic flu‑id so we started to flip,” Terzakis said.
From that first flip in the womb, to a no‑look over the back combo, these professionals have become legendary.
Terzakis harnessed his Greek back‑ground to put a unique spin on his technique.
“I use Greek skills in pen‑flipping,” Terzakis said.
Flipping is very much an under‑
ground sport making its way into the mainstream.
“Everyone thinks there’s only one type of flip,” Terzakis said, “In fact there are many different disciplines in Pen‑Flipping. It’s scheduled to be included in the 2016 Summer Olympics. The facts speak for themselves.”
This li4le sport that could make a big difference in an athlete’s life.
“I hope to get recruited for col‑lege,” Ambrose said.
If he succeeds in that feat, he will be the first to do so. Pen‑Flipping is unique in the way it is ap‑proached by participants.
“It’s more of an individual sport,” Ambrose said, “but you can team up for some sick combos.”
In a world of competition and sore losers, two pen‑flip‑pers can come together to combine their skills in a whirlwind of pens.
But, these a s s o c i a t e s are dedi‑cated to their sport with the loyalty of one thousand dogs.
“All day, every day, that’s all I do. I
flip everywhere,” Terzakis said, “even in my sleep.”
When and why did you start to wrestle?I started wrestling sophomore year, because I needed something to do
after school and all the other sports weren’t physical enough. I have no coordination with sport, with balls, and get called for fouls and technical stuff.
Do you wrestle outside of school, with friends, family, etc.?No, not really. I might throw my friends around a little though.
What has been your best moment of this season?When I was wrestling up a weight class, I picked this guy up and slammed him on the mat. He was so surprised.
What has been your worst moment?I was killed by Bruce from BV in our duel against them. I was a bit off my game; next time he won’t be so lucky.
What do you eat before the meets?Nothing. After I weigh in, I usually eat anything I can. It doesn’t matter what, except McDonald’s. I ate there and was sick for a week.
Who or what is your inspiration and why?Jabin Toman, my beastly friend. He wrestled for a while, but in a match against a state champ, where he was winning, the guy pulled a cheap shot and dislocated his hip. So now the doctor won’t let him wrestle.
The coaching merry-go-round
- Molly Ingram
How long have you been on crew? I have been on crew for one year so far.
Do you plan to continue after high school? Yeah, I’m hoping to row at the collegiate level in 2010.
Why did you decide on this particular sport? I decided to join Capital Crew because water polo season was over and Crew started in the spring so I thought it would be fun. Also, I knew many people who joined crew and abso-lutely loved it so I thought it would be fun.
What is your favorite aspect of crew? My favorite aspect of crew is that it is the ultimate team sport. Whether in a boat of eight or four, each rower has to depend on their own teammates to succeed. This team aspect also makes rowing very rewarding.
What is your personal motto in regards to crew? Just do it!
What is your greatest achievement in the sport? Although I am slightly new to the sport, last year at Nor Cal Championships, my boat got second place in grand finals...we got medals!
Is there someone in crew that you look up to? Rowing is a different sport than that such as basketball. There is no superstar, so a rowing celebrity is very rare. But I think that everyone can agree we look up to our coaches who are experts on the sport.
Molly Glasgow
Mirada Staff Alex Reinnoldt
Mirada Staff
GREER UU, 11 crew
- Ben Egan
courtesy of GREER UUCaroline Fong/Mirada Staff
For Senior Kai Ambrose, the sport of pen-flipping is all about having fun.
Sports 1501.30.09
GIRLS WATER POLO
Co‑MVPs: Rachele Gyorffy; BlairMoody
All‑league: Cailin Jope; Claudia Ruiz; Pauline Stewart
BOYS WATER POLO
Co‑MVPs: Kyle Troiano; CashelBarne4
All‑league: John Bu4erfield; JeffPollock; Nick Storelli
BOYS SOCCER
Defensive MVP: Austin SpragueCoach of the Year: Al PosnerAll‑league: Adric Jope; Alex Cauvy;
Jordan Beaudry; Austin Kinn; Tyler Kinn; Clint Delhotal
GIRLS GOLF
All‑league: Kavita Gupta; Lalita Gupta; Meghan Cohan
FOOTBALL
Offensive Player of the Year: Mardell Johnson
Co‑Lineman of the Year: Chad Tannenbaum
All‑league: Kevin Poage; Joe Portale; Travis Haugen; Marcus Buckner; Domanic Amey; Manasa Kikau
All‑Metro First Team Offense/All‑league: Adric Jope
“Kyle was the leading scorer,” freshman Rowdy Raider Harrison Ashen said. “With him being gone, it’s affected [the team’s] of‑fense a lot. Before Kyle was gone, Coach Jones was a lot more into the game than he is now. Everyone still gives 100 percent, but the men‑tal aspect is different.”
However, Coach Chris Jones has a positive outlook on the future, and feels that the team will be able to overcome the loss.
“I think it’s fine,” Jones said. “You go4a learn to adjust and move on.”
Even though the team faced defeat, they are managing to play successfully together without him.
On Jan. 15, the team regained their confi‑dence, defeating Mira Loma 49 to 36. Mira Loma could not keep up with their high en‑ergy play, and were unable to hold on to the ball for very long. A be4er crowd turnout could have something to do with the team’s increased success, even though there was a lack of Rowdy Raiders in the first two rows.
However, the team suffered a loss to Bella Vista recently, 55‑78, a team which they have previously won against.
Although the team suffered a serious loss aVer Odister leV, they continue to improve their teamwork and play be4er together each game, proving they still have the talent that got them a spot on the team in the first place.
Sports16 1.30.09
The girls varsity basketball team begins the second cycle of league to‑day with a home game against Mira Loma.
They are going into the game with 2‑4 record in league play look‑ing to make their final push towards the playoffs.
Junior Captain Hilary Stewart leads the Capital Valley Athletic League in scoring with an average of 15.3 points per game and Junior Captain Ashley Taylor leads the league in assists, averaging 4.2 as‑sists per game.
‑ Sarah Vaira
SPORTS
BRIEFS
Girls Basketball
WINTER
RESULTS
Varsity Boys BasketballDec. 2 at Sacramento L 55-69Dec. 4 Cordova (Jack Scott) W 65-60Dec. 5 Center (Jack Scott) W 57-55Dec. 6 Oak Ridge (Jack Scott) W 77-67Dec. 9 Fairfield L 65-73Dec. 16 Rocklin L 52-87Dec. 19 Jesuit L 83-97Dec. 20 Mission Prep (tourney) W 60-53Dec. 22 Laces (MP tourney) W 66-49Dec. 23 Fremont (MP tourney) W 62-46Dec. 27 Pleasant Valley (Trojan) W 73-67Dec. 29 Elk Grove (Trojan) W 56-53Dec. 30 Bella Vista (Trojan) W 59-57Jan. 6 Dixon L 56-57Jan. 8 at Foothill L 37-63Jan. 10 Newark Memorial L 21-63Jan. 15 Mira Loma W 49-36Jan. 20 at Bella Vista L 55-78Jan. 22 at Del Campo L 60-64Jan. 27 El Camino 7:30Jan. 29 at Casa Roble 7:30Feb. 4 at Mira Loma 7:30Feb. 6 Bella Vista 7:30Feb. 11 Del Campo 7:30Feb. 13 at El Camino 7:30Feb. 18 Casa Roble 7:30
Date Opponent Time
Varsity Girls BasketballNov. 24 at Encina L 51-62Nov. 25 at Victory Christian W 53-23Nov. 29 at Amador W 39-29Dec. 3 River City W 53-51Dec. 6 at Waldorf L 41-51Dec. 8 Vista del Lago L 41-47Dec. 11 Oakmont Tournament 7th placeDec. 17 Monterey Trail W 73-64Dec. 18 Granite Bay L 51-68Jan. 5 at Rosemont L 44-48Jan. 7 at Mira Loma W 42-41Jan. 9 at Casa Roble L 43-54Jan. 14 at Bella Vista L 29-67Jan. 16 Loretto W 67-52Jan. 21 El Camino L 40-78Jan. 23 Del Campo L 34-38Jan. 30 Mira Loma 7:00Feb. 3 Casa Roble 7:15Feb. 5 Bella Vista 7:00Feb. 10 at Loretto 7:00Feb. 12 at El Camino 7:00Feb. 17 at Del Campo 7:15
Varsity WrestlingDec. 6 Mc Nair 5:00 am at Stockton Dec. 13 Nighthawk Duals 6:00 am at NatomasDec. 26 Marty Manges Invite 6:00 am at Casa RobleDec. 27 American River Classic 6:00 amJan. 2 No Guts No Glory 6:00 am at Hiram JohnsonJan. 7 Bella Vista 4:00 pmJan. 10 El Camino Invite 5:00 am at SacramentoJan. 17 Mark Fuller Invite 6:00 am at Lincoln High SchoolJan. 20 at Casa Roble 4:00 pmJan. 22 Mira Loma 4:00 pmJan. 23-24 Tim Brown Memorial 6:00 am at Memorial AuditoriumJan. 27 at El Camino 4:00 pmJan. 29 Del Campo 4:00 pmFeb. 7 Section Dual TBA at RosemontFeb. 14 CAL Championships TBA at El CaminoFeb. 20-21 DIII Sections TBA at BeneciaFeb. 27-28 Masters TBA at UOPMar. 6-7 State Championships TBA at Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield
Boys Basketball
Junior Hilary Stewart drives in to the basket at the varsity girls basketball home game against Bella Vista on Jan. 23.
From left to right: (back row) seniors Cashel Barnett, Blair Moody, Rachele Gyorffy, and Kyle Troiano(middle row) sophomores Lalita Gupta and Kavita Gupta; (front row) senior Adric Jope, junior Meghan Cohan, and senior Austin Sprague
Willie Robinson-Smith/Mirada Staff
GIRLS: You expect them to be beasts
Continued from pg 14
Follow your teams online at:
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/
ca/sacramento/rio
Last weekend the wrestling team traveled to Gilroy for the Mid Cals tournament. About 80 schools throughout the state participated in the tournament, which lasted two days, from Jan. 23 to 24.
None of the athletes placed in the tournament, but it was good practice for the state matches coming up in the first week of March.
Most of the competition from Mid Cals will be competing against the team for state. States are a series of matches against other wrestlers to determine who is the best. Coach Kelly Lanthier believes that some of the team’s wrestlers will do very well.
‑ Caroline Fong
COACH: You gotta adjust and move on
Continued from pg 14
Fall All-League Athletes
sion of female and male wrestlers in some areas. Texas and Hawaii, as well as some California schools, feature separate teams for male and female wrestlers.
While Senna does not wrestle on an all‑girls team, she is participating in some all‑girls tournaments throughout this season. She experiences first‑hand the differences in wrestling with athletes of both genders.
“The guys definitely have more mus‑cles. And the girls, you’d expect them to be beasts, but they are actually really friend‑ly,” Senna said.
Even though female competitors are nic‑er, Senna prefers to wrestle with the boys.
“I like wrestling with guys be4er be‑cause it is more of a challenge,” she said.
The other female wrestler on the team, O’Ferrall, unfortunately got injured early on in the season. Dislocating her elbow in the first match on Dec. 6, she will be out for the rest of the season, but plans to return next year.
Both the possibility of ge4ing injured and the mismatch between a male and a female in wrestling has been debated, and oVen defers some girls from participating in the sport.
However, as female participation steadi‑ly grows, separate teams and competitions become available for female wrestlers.
With the season winding down in mid‑Feb., the boys basketball teams are trying their hardest to finish off the season on a good note.
With a record of 1 win and 2 loss‑es from their league games, the varsi‑ty team is ranked third in the Capital Athletic League.
Some players have shown out‑standing performances in the games, including senior Pierce Burton, who is currently ranked second in the CAL for scoring with an average of 16 points per game. Following close‑ly behind in this category is senior Mardell Johnson with an average of 13 points per game.
The next home game will be on Feb. 4, against Mira Loma.
‑ Jessie Shapiro
Wrestling
Alex McFall/Mirada Staff