Ryan Nagy
Staff Reporter
As this is the last issue of the Forge of the year and my last perspectives piece for this school newspaper, I would like to go out by sharing some of my ideas to the school.
First of all, to those who will continue school here: enjoy the moment. It’s easy to look into the future, especially when you become seniors and have universities and opportunities just months away; but try to remember that when you graduate, it’s all over. High school is over and there is no way of going back. So get involved with what the school has to offer, like clubs, or group activities.
I would also like to say that my four years are up, but the timing is fine because I am not exactly a fan of our principal.
Dr. Capritto, there are several things I would like to suggest to you to help how you do things at this school. After having three principals in four years, I would consider myself somewhat experienced with principals and their interactions with the students.
It appears as if you do not have a lot of fun with your job because you are nowhere to be seen during the day. Do you hide in your office, trying to avoid kids? I have seen you only a handful of times on campus between classes and I cannot recall you being on a bulletin this year. Maybe you were on the first one to introduce the new year. Our former principal, however appeared almost weekly to say something to the school.
And yes, although Mr. Turnbull ditched the students for more money, he was in the hall with his shades, talking to students and like Mr. Meister, saying, “Get to class.” But at least he was enjoying surrounding himself with students and in a way, going to high school again. So I encourage you to be visible to the students.
When I do see you, however, you do not do a sufficient job of connecting with the students. For example, when you speak to the students at an assembly, half of them do not pay attention to what you are saying. At least when formal principals Dr. Robertson or Mr. Turnbull spoke to kids, they were captivating, outgoing even and could communicate to us on our level.
So when you are walking around on campus, try to say hi to students, or talk to them.
Many of the administrators have fun with students and I have never seen, or heard of you doing that. For example, during the King of Hearts saga starring Michael Bagdasarian, Mr. Hodges showed up and played a role of an administrator who told Michael that no girl wanted to go to the dance with him. It was hilarious.
But that’s what working at a high school is all about. Of course there needs to be discipline and organization, but that needs to be balanced with a nurturing of the things that makes us kids. The teachers, counselors, security guards, coaches, and everyone on the faculty, understand this (and I hope you can demonstrate this too).
For instance, you took away the two-minute bells to confuse students about the time and prohibit them from socializing. Please don’t say that the two-minute bell is “confusing.” I do not think one of the thousands of students here, at the junior high or anywhere across the nation is confused by this two-minute bell concept. I am glad that they are back, but the fact that they were omitted in the first place, I believe, shows that you cater to the parents, or someone else other than the students, which I find unfortunate because I feel like the students should be your first priority.
Finally, never come after the Forge, or any other school production like you did when Karl Sandrich made his jokes. That was awful how you singled out Danny Langhorne and Ms. Bartz. Your approach to the situation was uncalled for and unprofessional. What’s worse is that even after parents gave you heat, I heard that someone asked you how you would handle the situation differently and you said you would not have changed anything. Dude, wrong answer.
Students need a gregarious, outspoken leader and this year you did not seem to be that way. I hope that next year you can relate to students better and be with them.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Forge editor Zac Estrada's reflection on four years on The Forge
Those who have come to know me in the last four years know that I have had my heart set on being a journalist practically since day one. During those years people didn’t second guess me when I would be holding a camera while sitting in the stands at volleyball games, or how I would be on the sidelines at the football games. They would only have to look over and see me feverishly writing notes on the back of my math homework at any school event.
I remember signing up for Journalism freshman year because I wanted to see if being on the newspaper staff would be able to shake the desire to be a reporter out of me. Being the editor of the Perspecitves pages didn’t do it. However, as young and naive as I was freshman year, nothing really phased me in the process. I just thought it was cool to have my name in print and under “editor.” Plus it was nice to brag about all of the seniors I knew, especially those who thought I was a junior.
Nothing was as much of a thrill and a challenge as being Editor-in-Chief. As a sophomore, I really didn’t know anything about being the top in the staff hierarchy. I hardly knew the software. But I knew I would be up to the task and the rest of the staff stood behind me because it was clear I was most devoted to the paper.
There were hurdles in every issue that, as Editor-in-Chief, I learned to deal with. The King of Hearts center spread of 2006, for example, nearly killed me after I was here until 7:30 at night working on putting together the entire page and hoping our printer hadn’t given away our printing time.
It’s also been an interesting time to be involved in a newspaper, especially in Santa Barbara. After the News-Press meltdown during the summer of 2006, the responsibility of maintaining an accurate record of events not only at SBHS, but in Santa Barbara as well, became increasingly important. As a source of history, the media cannot play favorites and report simply on what the staff wants. Newspapers, especially this one, have a huge obligation to the community they serve.
It was also amazing to write a number of articles for The Forge. For example, I wrote about the director of Ray, Taylor Hackford, who is a graduate of SBHS. And I worked on the campaigns of four city council candidates in November to discover what it was like to knock on doors and call voters at dinner time.
Needless to say, after four years and 51 issues, including an issue I put together with incoming freshmen to teach them how to publish a Forge, I don’t think I’m free of the news bug. I’ve grown to live with deadlines. I’m used to being on the edge of a nervous breakdown every two weeks or so as we send the paper off to the printer. And there’s an incredible feeling when working under the pressure of angry section editors breathing down my neck waiting for a very overdue story.
At the end of last year someone wrote in my yearbook something along the lines of ‘you have a thankless job as the editor of The Forge but you’re really good at it.’ I’ll take that kind of complement even though I don’t really view being part of The Forge as a thankless position. Yes, it’s hard work. Each year’s staff has had personalities so full of quirks that Holden Caulfield would appear normal by comparison. And on certain days while trying to get an issue out, the tension between Danny and me would rival that of the Montagues and Capulets.
But I’m still a journalist at heart. As it turned out there were too many successes and too few follies and ego-crushing moments to destroy my passion for writing, photography, editing, and running a newsroom. I can’t say that five years from now I’ll be working off my student loans as a reporter for a daily news outlet, or that 50 years on I’ll be my generation’s Bob Woodward uncovering a Washington D.C. scandal. What I can say is that five or 50 years from now I can think about my stint at The Forge and know I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Zac Estrada Rosales
Perspectives Editor 2004-05
Editor-in-Chief 2005-07
News and Photo Editor 2007-08
I remember signing up for Journalism freshman year because I wanted to see if being on the newspaper staff would be able to shake the desire to be a reporter out of me. Being the editor of the Perspecitves pages didn’t do it. However, as young and naive as I was freshman year, nothing really phased me in the process. I just thought it was cool to have my name in print and under “editor.” Plus it was nice to brag about all of the seniors I knew, especially those who thought I was a junior.
Nothing was as much of a thrill and a challenge as being Editor-in-Chief. As a sophomore, I really didn’t know anything about being the top in the staff hierarchy. I hardly knew the software. But I knew I would be up to the task and the rest of the staff stood behind me because it was clear I was most devoted to the paper.
There were hurdles in every issue that, as Editor-in-Chief, I learned to deal with. The King of Hearts center spread of 2006, for example, nearly killed me after I was here until 7:30 at night working on putting together the entire page and hoping our printer hadn’t given away our printing time.
It’s also been an interesting time to be involved in a newspaper, especially in Santa Barbara. After the News-Press meltdown during the summer of 2006, the responsibility of maintaining an accurate record of events not only at SBHS, but in Santa Barbara as well, became increasingly important. As a source of history, the media cannot play favorites and report simply on what the staff wants. Newspapers, especially this one, have a huge obligation to the community they serve.
It was also amazing to write a number of articles for The Forge. For example, I wrote about the director of Ray, Taylor Hackford, who is a graduate of SBHS. And I worked on the campaigns of four city council candidates in November to discover what it was like to knock on doors and call voters at dinner time.
Needless to say, after four years and 51 issues, including an issue I put together with incoming freshmen to teach them how to publish a Forge, I don’t think I’m free of the news bug. I’ve grown to live with deadlines. I’m used to being on the edge of a nervous breakdown every two weeks or so as we send the paper off to the printer. And there’s an incredible feeling when working under the pressure of angry section editors breathing down my neck waiting for a very overdue story.
At the end of last year someone wrote in my yearbook something along the lines of ‘you have a thankless job as the editor of The Forge but you’re really good at it.’ I’ll take that kind of complement even though I don’t really view being part of The Forge as a thankless position. Yes, it’s hard work. Each year’s staff has had personalities so full of quirks that Holden Caulfield would appear normal by comparison. And on certain days while trying to get an issue out, the tension between Danny and me would rival that of the Montagues and Capulets.
But I’m still a journalist at heart. As it turned out there were too many successes and too few follies and ego-crushing moments to destroy my passion for writing, photography, editing, and running a newsroom. I can’t say that five years from now I’ll be working off my student loans as a reporter for a daily news outlet, or that 50 years on I’ll be my generation’s Bob Woodward uncovering a Washington D.C. scandal. What I can say is that five or 50 years from now I can think about my stint at The Forge and know I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Zac Estrada Rosales
Perspectives Editor 2004-05
Editor-in-Chief 2005-07
News and Photo Editor 2007-08
Danny Langhorne's reflection on the last four years on The Forge
With my last issue of the Forge completed I feel like reflecting on my time as a part of the staff. Now that the end has come I start to think about my induction into the paper. I remember during my journalism class on the first day freshman year our adviser, Ms. Bartz, took the entire class to the Green Academy just a short walk up the hill from our classroom. She pointed to the Green Academy and asked us how was school fortunate enough to have such a program. As we all remained silent she replied that this was what journalism was all about, finding out the facts about what is going around us on campus.
After grappling with whether or not I really wanted to be a committed member of the staff as a freshman I went into sophomore year as Entertainment Editor. What helped me decide that I did want to do this was my end of the year project in which each staff reporter is required to put together an entire page that is publishable for the Forge. After completing it I thought that this was something that I could actually do. Becoming Entertainment Editor came with its own problems. I started writing a column on video games because that was the type of writing I liked to read and I knew that there was a population of the school that wasn’t being catered to. But in doing this I got labeled as the “video game guy.” It was then that I became committed to never being referred to that way again. I went on to take more responsibility as Managing Editor and later Editor-in-Chief.
Since then the reactions I have received regarding the Forge have not all been pleasant. I have personally been called immature by Dr. Capritto in my refusal to print a retraction for accurately quoting our Senior Class President Karl Sandrich in the King of Hearts issue. One student told me that we presented information inaccurately, that there are numerous misspelled words (even though we spell check everything before it is printed), and other comments that are not fit for print.
If I have learned anything though from the malicious attacks on former News-Press Editor Jerry Roberts is that people will say anything to discredit and put down a journalist with whom they have a personal problem. I do not liken myself to Roberts in anyway but there does seem to be a common thread in our experiences.
All journalists must take the bad with the good criticism and I have been forced to do this with the controversial topics I have covered during the years. If the Forge has taught me anything it is the ability to take criticism. This would be one of the most important gifts the paper has given me. But it has also taught me to take a stand for myself and good journalism.
From day one our adviser has told us that when people want to know what was going on at Santa Barbara High School in the coming decades the first page of history they will look at the Forge. My only hope is that I have been able to leave a clear picture of SBHS during my time here so that this is possible.
I am extremely proud to have worked with all of the members of the various staffs since I have been here. Last year we were rated as a First Place Paper by the National Scholastic Press Association and were awarded as Gold Medalists by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The Forge had so many talented seniors that left last year that I have to say that I was concerned about the ability of this year’s staff. My assumptions were quickly put to rest after the first issue of the Forge. This year we had the best staff in my four years on the staff. While some have had trouble with their commitment to the Forge, when the time came to put together this last issue of the year everyone came together and worked hard.
Those who are staying next year have my full confidence in their ability to put out a professional newspaper and I look forward to seeing how they continue this great tradition.
Danny Langhorne
Staff Reporter 2004-05
Entertainment Editor 2005-06
Managing Editor 2006-07
Editor-in-Chief 2007-08
After grappling with whether or not I really wanted to be a committed member of the staff as a freshman I went into sophomore year as Entertainment Editor. What helped me decide that I did want to do this was my end of the year project in which each staff reporter is required to put together an entire page that is publishable for the Forge. After completing it I thought that this was something that I could actually do. Becoming Entertainment Editor came with its own problems. I started writing a column on video games because that was the type of writing I liked to read and I knew that there was a population of the school that wasn’t being catered to. But in doing this I got labeled as the “video game guy.” It was then that I became committed to never being referred to that way again. I went on to take more responsibility as Managing Editor and later Editor-in-Chief.
Since then the reactions I have received regarding the Forge have not all been pleasant. I have personally been called immature by Dr. Capritto in my refusal to print a retraction for accurately quoting our Senior Class President Karl Sandrich in the King of Hearts issue. One student told me that we presented information inaccurately, that there are numerous misspelled words (even though we spell check everything before it is printed), and other comments that are not fit for print.
If I have learned anything though from the malicious attacks on former News-Press Editor Jerry Roberts is that people will say anything to discredit and put down a journalist with whom they have a personal problem. I do not liken myself to Roberts in anyway but there does seem to be a common thread in our experiences.
All journalists must take the bad with the good criticism and I have been forced to do this with the controversial topics I have covered during the years. If the Forge has taught me anything it is the ability to take criticism. This would be one of the most important gifts the paper has given me. But it has also taught me to take a stand for myself and good journalism.
From day one our adviser has told us that when people want to know what was going on at Santa Barbara High School in the coming decades the first page of history they will look at the Forge. My only hope is that I have been able to leave a clear picture of SBHS during my time here so that this is possible.
I am extremely proud to have worked with all of the members of the various staffs since I have been here. Last year we were rated as a First Place Paper by the National Scholastic Press Association and were awarded as Gold Medalists by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The Forge had so many talented seniors that left last year that I have to say that I was concerned about the ability of this year’s staff. My assumptions were quickly put to rest after the first issue of the Forge. This year we had the best staff in my four years on the staff. While some have had trouble with their commitment to the Forge, when the time came to put together this last issue of the year everyone came together and worked hard.
Those who are staying next year have my full confidence in their ability to put out a professional newspaper and I look forward to seeing how they continue this great tradition.
Danny Langhorne
Staff Reporter 2004-05
Entertainment Editor 2005-06
Managing Editor 2006-07
Editor-in-Chief 2007-08
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
On behalf of the Forge Staff of 2008 and the many staffs that Ms. Bartz has advised I would like to thank her for her time, effort, and dedication to The Forge during her time at SBHS. Ms. Bartz has spent countless hours of time reading and editing student work, taking photographs at sporting events, and a variety of other tasks for the paper that have gone above and beyond what is required of her as a teacher and what is compensated by the school district.
But it is not just time and effort that she has given to the students who have walked into the newsroom. Her experience as a newspaper advisor, a member of the journalism community, and a scholar has proved invaluable to all that we do at the Forge. She has also inspired a love for this strange thing we do in dozens of students including myself. It is one thing for an educator to say that they will stand up for a student but it is a different thing entirely for them to actually do so. It is a reality of our field that not everyone agrees with what we always publish and over the years Ms. Bartz has taken heat from administrators, teachers, students, and parents on our behalf; something that is not in the contract of any educator.
Members of the staff will attest to the fact that we do not always agree with her methods or suggestions but after the dust settles when the paper is printed we are thankful for what Ms. Bartz does for the paper. Any confrontation that occurs between members of the staff and her is because we all want each issue to be the best possible.
I think it is easy for some teachers to become detached from the reality that they are working with teenagers that still have some maturing to do. Whenever the staff has had to remind her of this she has taken it with a sense of humor and understanding that I don’t think many people our age would expect an adult to have.
Next year not just this publication but Santa Barbara High School as a whole will be losing a truly valuable resource. The loss will be tremendous to the Forge but the determination that Ms. Bartz helped the senior editors foster among the staff after the devastating robbery in February will continue after she is gone. But with the mantra that has been beaten into us as students at SBHS (once a Don always a Don) the staff and I realize that with such a tight knit community of Santa Barbara which is made even tighter by our love of journalism our adviser will never leave entirely.
Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
But it is not just time and effort that she has given to the students who have walked into the newsroom. Her experience as a newspaper advisor, a member of the journalism community, and a scholar has proved invaluable to all that we do at the Forge. She has also inspired a love for this strange thing we do in dozens of students including myself. It is one thing for an educator to say that they will stand up for a student but it is a different thing entirely for them to actually do so. It is a reality of our field that not everyone agrees with what we always publish and over the years Ms. Bartz has taken heat from administrators, teachers, students, and parents on our behalf; something that is not in the contract of any educator.
Members of the staff will attest to the fact that we do not always agree with her methods or suggestions but after the dust settles when the paper is printed we are thankful for what Ms. Bartz does for the paper. Any confrontation that occurs between members of the staff and her is because we all want each issue to be the best possible.
I think it is easy for some teachers to become detached from the reality that they are working with teenagers that still have some maturing to do. Whenever the staff has had to remind her of this she has taken it with a sense of humor and understanding that I don’t think many people our age would expect an adult to have.
Next year not just this publication but Santa Barbara High School as a whole will be losing a truly valuable resource. The loss will be tremendous to the Forge but the determination that Ms. Bartz helped the senior editors foster among the staff after the devastating robbery in February will continue after she is gone. But with the mantra that has been beaten into us as students at SBHS (once a Don always a Don) the staff and I realize that with such a tight knit community of Santa Barbara which is made even tighter by our love of journalism our adviser will never leave entirely.
Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
Letter: Red Hand Week
Dear Editor,
There are over 250,000 soldiers under the age of 18 actively and illegally fighting in war zones around the world. The Red Hand Campaign is the perfect and easiest way for everyone at SBHS to help put a stop to this. A treaty came into effect in February 2002 banning the use of soldiers under the age of 18 in war. However, as many as 20 of the countries who signed this treaty are not abiding by it. The Red Hand Campaign is an effort to present one million red handprints with signatures to the UN in order to show them that we care deeply about the enforcement of this treaty.
The week of May 27-30 is our “Red Hand Awareness Week” at school and we will be providing multiple opportunities for each and every student to give their handprint and/or signature, and it is very important that everyone participates. We’ll be on the senior lawn as well as wandering around every day at lunch.
There is absolutely no reason not to be a part of this important movement: no money is required, and barely any time. Just show up and be counted. Most importantly, it is a big issue that drastically affects the lives of kids just like us every single day. If these government groups are corrupt enough to use 13-year-olds in combat, they obviously do not stop there. Many children are given a quota for the number of people they must kill everyday in order not to be killed themselves. The psychological damage that is done to hundreds of thousands of children is everlasting. A sixteen year old girl from Central Africa opened up to a Human Rights Watch worker and shared, “I feel so bad about the things that I did. It disturbs me so much that I inflicted death on other people. I still dream about the boy from my village that I killed. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me, saying I killed him for nothing, and I am crying.”
In sunny Santa Barbara it is hard to imagine that these things are happening to hundreds of thousands of members of our generation around the world, but they are, and these kids are helpless, but we have a chance to do something about it. The Red Hand Campaign is the perfect way for us to get involved because it gives us the opportunity to make a huge difference in a world problem affecting our peers. All we need to do is dedicate a few minutes of our time to sign our names or leave a handprint. Our collection of red hands and signatures will join the handprints being gathered worldwide and then be delivered to the UN by Human Rights Watch workers and possibly some SBHS ambassadors next February.
Anna Minsky
Junior
There are over 250,000 soldiers under the age of 18 actively and illegally fighting in war zones around the world. The Red Hand Campaign is the perfect and easiest way for everyone at SBHS to help put a stop to this. A treaty came into effect in February 2002 banning the use of soldiers under the age of 18 in war. However, as many as 20 of the countries who signed this treaty are not abiding by it. The Red Hand Campaign is an effort to present one million red handprints with signatures to the UN in order to show them that we care deeply about the enforcement of this treaty.
The week of May 27-30 is our “Red Hand Awareness Week” at school and we will be providing multiple opportunities for each and every student to give their handprint and/or signature, and it is very important that everyone participates. We’ll be on the senior lawn as well as wandering around every day at lunch.
There is absolutely no reason not to be a part of this important movement: no money is required, and barely any time. Just show up and be counted. Most importantly, it is a big issue that drastically affects the lives of kids just like us every single day. If these government groups are corrupt enough to use 13-year-olds in combat, they obviously do not stop there. Many children are given a quota for the number of people they must kill everyday in order not to be killed themselves. The psychological damage that is done to hundreds of thousands of children is everlasting. A sixteen year old girl from Central Africa opened up to a Human Rights Watch worker and shared, “I feel so bad about the things that I did. It disturbs me so much that I inflicted death on other people. I still dream about the boy from my village that I killed. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me, saying I killed him for nothing, and I am crying.”
In sunny Santa Barbara it is hard to imagine that these things are happening to hundreds of thousands of members of our generation around the world, but they are, and these kids are helpless, but we have a chance to do something about it. The Red Hand Campaign is the perfect way for us to get involved because it gives us the opportunity to make a huge difference in a world problem affecting our peers. All we need to do is dedicate a few minutes of our time to sign our names or leave a handprint. Our collection of red hands and signatures will join the handprints being gathered worldwide and then be delivered to the UN by Human Rights Watch workers and possibly some SBHS ambassadors next February.
Anna Minsky
Junior
Staff Editorial: No news might be bad news for students
The impending restrictions on students in the Santa Barbara High School District are starting to get out of hand. Next year there’s a good chance if you use a cell phone or iPod on campus, you’ll lose it. And let’s not forget the dress code changes that could finally be voted on soon.
For better or worse, clothing has come to define who we are as adolescents. Therefore it’s important to decipher what our friends at the District decide to tell us what to wear.
District officials are finally aware that gang members are dressing in clothing that the people important to them can distinguish as one group of hoodlums compared to another.
The intentions are possibly good. It’s reasonable to prevent gangs from affiliating in any way. But once again, we’re being told what to wear. Before long, we could be dressing in olive polo shirts and khaki pants, while girls will be told to wear some sort of plaid skirt that anyone wouldn’t want to be caught dead in.
Moreover, even the District doesn’t know how to say what it wants to do. The first proposal was rejected by the board because the wording in the official code of conduct was too vague, and subsequent votes have been unsuccessful with the board members.
The electronics ban is also a little up in the air. Students may think it’s the end of the days when they can use their phones to text their friends during class, but in fact there isn’t a formal plan to enforce the new district discipline code yet.
Board members don’t want to be painted as the villains in this situation, and they shouldn’t be. It should be simple to ask that students refrain from putting their texting above learning on their priority list of things to do during class. But it hasn’t been that simple.
What strikes everyone as controversial is the idea that students (or teachers for that matter) won’t be given the freedom to use their phones or iPods on their free time at lunch or between classes. But there’s the rub. It’s the little parts of our lives that feel as though they’re being stripped away. But it’s too early to start pointing fingers.
For better or worse, clothing has come to define who we are as adolescents. Therefore it’s important to decipher what our friends at the District decide to tell us what to wear.
District officials are finally aware that gang members are dressing in clothing that the people important to them can distinguish as one group of hoodlums compared to another.
The intentions are possibly good. It’s reasonable to prevent gangs from affiliating in any way. But once again, we’re being told what to wear. Before long, we could be dressing in olive polo shirts and khaki pants, while girls will be told to wear some sort of plaid skirt that anyone wouldn’t want to be caught dead in.
Moreover, even the District doesn’t know how to say what it wants to do. The first proposal was rejected by the board because the wording in the official code of conduct was too vague, and subsequent votes have been unsuccessful with the board members.
The electronics ban is also a little up in the air. Students may think it’s the end of the days when they can use their phones to text their friends during class, but in fact there isn’t a formal plan to enforce the new district discipline code yet.
Board members don’t want to be painted as the villains in this situation, and they shouldn’t be. It should be simple to ask that students refrain from putting their texting above learning on their priority list of things to do during class. But it hasn’t been that simple.
What strikes everyone as controversial is the idea that students (or teachers for that matter) won’t be given the freedom to use their phones or iPods on their free time at lunch or between classes. But there’s the rub. It’s the little parts of our lives that feel as though they’re being stripped away. But it’s too early to start pointing fingers.
Student clubs raise awareness of children used in combat
Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
Two groups of students on campus have resolved to make a difference in the global fight against the use of child soldiers. The two groups have worked independently to meet this issue head on but as the school year comes to a close both are staging events to spark student activism as students head into the notoriously lazy months of summer.
The first event is called Red Hand Week which is being organized by a group of APPLe students. It has been organized to focus attention on the United Nations’ lack of enforcement of a treaty signed by nations in conflict promising that they would end their use of children in military or logistical activities. One of the event’s organizers junior Anna Minsky said, “Our goal is to let the UN know it is not okay with them not enforcing the treaty in these countries. We want to see something done about it!”
APPLe is conducting this as a part of the international movement called the Red Hand Campaign led by Human Rights Watch, World Vision, and Amnesty International USA. Its goal is to send the signatures and hand prints of a million children and teenagers to the United Nations on the anniversary of the treaty’s signing on February 12, 2009.
The students were introduced to the Red Hand Campaign by a group from UCSB. “Two of the UCSB students have been working as mentors and helping us plan this week. They first came to us right before spring break and we have been planning since early April,” said Minsky.
Vicki Riskin of Human Rights Watch came and spoke to APPLe about the use of child soldiers as one of their monthly speakers and asked them if they wanted to get involved in this movement.
The students involved in the event include Lito Hernandez, Rachel Love, Margo Slaff, Elly Iverson, Brian Joseph, Larissa Lavender, Julie Friedman, Giovanna Acton, Lauren Savet, Madison Taylor, Jackie Jiminez, Ty Vestal, and Kimi Van Wickle.
The other group on campus engaged in the fight against the use of child soldiers is the Invisible Children Club. On Wednesday the club screened the documentary “Invisible Children,” the inspiration for the club, in the theater. The documentary tells the story of a boy named Sunday, a displaced kid living in Uganda who is moved out of his war torn home by the government into a camp where conditions are almost as inhumane as his home.
The Club is the brain child of juniors Billy Grokenberger and Parker Peterson after both of them saw the documentary. “Billy and I went to this screening of this film at Dos Pueblos High and when you see it you want to do something. We thought showing this was the best thing we could do at SB to make a difference,” said Peterson.
Money raised by the Invisible Children club will be sent to Uganda through the Schools for Schools program. Schools for Schools is run by the non-profit organization also called Invisible Children. “All of the money we will raise (at the) screening will go directly into Schools for Schools and through that to Sacred Heart School in Uganda,” said Peterson.
Schools for Schools is a program that helps build schools for displaced and abused children in Uganda through fund raising done by students in the United States. Each participating high school and college in the US is matched up with a school being built in Uganda. According to Parker Peterson the Invisible Children movement was started by, “three guys out of college who decided to take a trip to Africa to see if [the violence] was as bad as they were saying on the news.”
Anna Minksy from Red Hand Week said, “Invisible Children is doing great things on campus... hopefully [they] will just magnify the importance of this issue.”
Editor-in-Chief
Two groups of students on campus have resolved to make a difference in the global fight against the use of child soldiers. The two groups have worked independently to meet this issue head on but as the school year comes to a close both are staging events to spark student activism as students head into the notoriously lazy months of summer.
The first event is called Red Hand Week which is being organized by a group of APPLe students. It has been organized to focus attention on the United Nations’ lack of enforcement of a treaty signed by nations in conflict promising that they would end their use of children in military or logistical activities. One of the event’s organizers junior Anna Minsky said, “Our goal is to let the UN know it is not okay with them not enforcing the treaty in these countries. We want to see something done about it!”
APPLe is conducting this as a part of the international movement called the Red Hand Campaign led by Human Rights Watch, World Vision, and Amnesty International USA. Its goal is to send the signatures and hand prints of a million children and teenagers to the United Nations on the anniversary of the treaty’s signing on February 12, 2009.
The students were introduced to the Red Hand Campaign by a group from UCSB. “Two of the UCSB students have been working as mentors and helping us plan this week. They first came to us right before spring break and we have been planning since early April,” said Minsky.
Vicki Riskin of Human Rights Watch came and spoke to APPLe about the use of child soldiers as one of their monthly speakers and asked them if they wanted to get involved in this movement.
The students involved in the event include Lito Hernandez, Rachel Love, Margo Slaff, Elly Iverson, Brian Joseph, Larissa Lavender, Julie Friedman, Giovanna Acton, Lauren Savet, Madison Taylor, Jackie Jiminez, Ty Vestal, and Kimi Van Wickle.
The other group on campus engaged in the fight against the use of child soldiers is the Invisible Children Club. On Wednesday the club screened the documentary “Invisible Children,” the inspiration for the club, in the theater. The documentary tells the story of a boy named Sunday, a displaced kid living in Uganda who is moved out of his war torn home by the government into a camp where conditions are almost as inhumane as his home.
The Club is the brain child of juniors Billy Grokenberger and Parker Peterson after both of them saw the documentary. “Billy and I went to this screening of this film at Dos Pueblos High and when you see it you want to do something. We thought showing this was the best thing we could do at SB to make a difference,” said Peterson.
Money raised by the Invisible Children club will be sent to Uganda through the Schools for Schools program. Schools for Schools is run by the non-profit organization also called Invisible Children. “All of the money we will raise (at the) screening will go directly into Schools for Schools and through that to Sacred Heart School in Uganda,” said Peterson.
Schools for Schools is a program that helps build schools for displaced and abused children in Uganda through fund raising done by students in the United States. Each participating high school and college in the US is matched up with a school being built in Uganda. According to Parker Peterson the Invisible Children movement was started by, “three guys out of college who decided to take a trip to Africa to see if [the violence] was as bad as they were saying on the news.”
Anna Minksy from Red Hand Week said, “Invisible Children is doing great things on campus... hopefully [they] will just magnify the importance of this issue.”
Wall of Fame adds five new honorees
Zac Estrada Rosales
News Editor
The Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association and members of the leadership class inducted five new members into the school’s Wall of Fame on May 16 in a ceremony at the SBHS theater.
Charles Ott Jr. ‘37, Peter Jordano ‘52, Sam Cunningham ‘69, Gary Goddard ‘70, and Tom Curren ‘82 were added to the wall.
Other members inducted in previous years include Charles Schwab and Martha Graham.
Ott is a graduate of Stanford. Shortly after his graduation in 1941 he started his army service during World War II. In 1950 he joined the 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard. In 1974 he was appointed by the President of the United States as Director of the Army National Guard.
Peter Jordano is the CEO of the Jordano’s food supply company in Santa Barbara. He also serves on many community boards.
Sam Cunningham is a former Dons football player and track and field athlete. He later attended USC and was named an All-American in 1972 and Player of the Game in the 1973 Rose Bowl. He had a career in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
Tom Curren is a three-time World Surfing Champion. He rode for Channel Island surfboards and co-designed some of the boards he rode on.
Gary Gooddard wrote, directed, and starred in his own musicals during his time in the SBHS drama department. After graduating, he worked on several Walt Disney projects including The Hoop Dee Doo Wild West Dinner and redesigned and restaged the Polynesian Luau for Walt Disney World. He is the owner of Gary Goddard Productions.
News Editor
The Santa Barbara High School Alumni Association and members of the leadership class inducted five new members into the school’s Wall of Fame on May 16 in a ceremony at the SBHS theater.
Charles Ott Jr. ‘37, Peter Jordano ‘52, Sam Cunningham ‘69, Gary Goddard ‘70, and Tom Curren ‘82 were added to the wall.
Other members inducted in previous years include Charles Schwab and Martha Graham.
Ott is a graduate of Stanford. Shortly after his graduation in 1941 he started his army service during World War II. In 1950 he joined the 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard. In 1974 he was appointed by the President of the United States as Director of the Army National Guard.
Peter Jordano is the CEO of the Jordano’s food supply company in Santa Barbara. He also serves on many community boards.
Sam Cunningham is a former Dons football player and track and field athlete. He later attended USC and was named an All-American in 1972 and Player of the Game in the 1973 Rose Bowl. He had a career in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
Tom Curren is a three-time World Surfing Champion. He rode for Channel Island surfboards and co-designed some of the boards he rode on.
Gary Gooddard wrote, directed, and starred in his own musicals during his time in the SBHS drama department. After graduating, he worked on several Walt Disney projects including The Hoop Dee Doo Wild West Dinner and redesigned and restaged the Polynesian Luau for Walt Disney World. He is the owner of Gary Goddard Productions.
Jewelry instructor leaves SBHS for personal endeavour
Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
Jewelry and sculpture instructor, Ms. Jennifer Rabe, is leaving SBHS after 11 years of teaching. She had been making jewelry professionally before and during her time at SBHS and is leaving to pursue a career in high end jewelry making.
Ms. Rabe’s husband, who is also a jeweler, started his own business three years ago and she is planning to work with him after leaving the education field. and to pursue her own jewelry making.
“I have always wanted to work for myself and I wanted to do it now before I got too old. I also was more comfortable leaving while someone I knew who would be qualified and interested is applying for the job,” said Ms. Rabe.
Because the person she is suggesting for the job is not guaranteed the position of the jewelry teacher she could not release the person’s name.
She was brought into the jewelry program on campus by her predecessor Ms. Lorber in 1997. “[She was] the teacher who introduced me to jewelry here as a student. I am a Don, and she really inspired in me the love for jewelry so I wanted to bring that back to the students,” says Ms. Rabe. After Ms. Lorber left Rabe took over.
The American Gem Trade Association competition awarded Ms. Rabe a first place for the jasper butterfly she submitted to the evening wear category. “I won last year and I am planning to enter this year,” said Ms. Rabe as to whether or not she will continue to enter jewelry competitions.
Even though she will be leaving the education system Ms. Rabe and her husband both still have love for teaching jewelry making. They plan to start making educational videos that will help educate rookie jewelers on a broader scale. “We’re going to make videos that would teach jewelers how to make jewelry that could be sold in a high end store but is simple to make. And even though these pieces would be simple they are still powerful,” said Ms. Rabe.
As to why the school should continue the jewelry program after she is gone Ms. Rabe says, “This school needs art teachers because students need the fine art requirement for the UC’s and elective credits.” To graduate students require elective credits and those applying to campuses of the University of California are also required to take two semesters of the same fine art.
This semester, Rabe also acquired new metal soldering stations which she had been looking to get for the program for the past five years. According to Rabe they have been difficult to get because they are a hot ticket item in the industry.
“I think I will miss the enthusiasm and fun side of teenagers,” said Ms. Rabe. “Students are also so creative and open.”
Those interested in purchasing or viewing Ms. Rabe’s work can go to her website at www.jenniferjoailliers.com.
Editor-in-Chief
Jewelry and sculpture instructor, Ms. Jennifer Rabe, is leaving SBHS after 11 years of teaching. She had been making jewelry professionally before and during her time at SBHS and is leaving to pursue a career in high end jewelry making.
Ms. Rabe’s husband, who is also a jeweler, started his own business three years ago and she is planning to work with him after leaving the education field. and to pursue her own jewelry making.
“I have always wanted to work for myself and I wanted to do it now before I got too old. I also was more comfortable leaving while someone I knew who would be qualified and interested is applying for the job,” said Ms. Rabe.
Because the person she is suggesting for the job is not guaranteed the position of the jewelry teacher she could not release the person’s name.
She was brought into the jewelry program on campus by her predecessor Ms. Lorber in 1997. “[She was] the teacher who introduced me to jewelry here as a student. I am a Don, and she really inspired in me the love for jewelry so I wanted to bring that back to the students,” says Ms. Rabe. After Ms. Lorber left Rabe took over.
The American Gem Trade Association competition awarded Ms. Rabe a first place for the jasper butterfly she submitted to the evening wear category. “I won last year and I am planning to enter this year,” said Ms. Rabe as to whether or not she will continue to enter jewelry competitions.
Even though she will be leaving the education system Ms. Rabe and her husband both still have love for teaching jewelry making. They plan to start making educational videos that will help educate rookie jewelers on a broader scale. “We’re going to make videos that would teach jewelers how to make jewelry that could be sold in a high end store but is simple to make. And even though these pieces would be simple they are still powerful,” said Ms. Rabe.
As to why the school should continue the jewelry program after she is gone Ms. Rabe says, “This school needs art teachers because students need the fine art requirement for the UC’s and elective credits.” To graduate students require elective credits and those applying to campuses of the University of California are also required to take two semesters of the same fine art.
This semester, Rabe also acquired new metal soldering stations which she had been looking to get for the program for the past five years. According to Rabe they have been difficult to get because they are a hot ticket item in the industry.
“I think I will miss the enthusiasm and fun side of teenagers,” said Ms. Rabe. “Students are also so creative and open.”
Those interested in purchasing or viewing Ms. Rabe’s work can go to her website at www.jenniferjoailliers.com.
Alumni Association awards selected seniors with scholarships
Ryan Nagy
Staff Reporter
Thirty-two seniors have been awarded Santa Barbara High Alumni Scholarships this year. At a Santa Barbara High School alumni barbecue held at Manning Park in Montecito on May 17, about 100 parents and alumni met in a ceremony to honor the recipients.
Laura Wilson, the Alumni Board Vice President and Scholarship Chair, says that they look for “students who work hard and who have learned to take advantage of their time at SBHS... We also encourage students who might not have started high school intending to go to college, but who came late to the realization that they could and would study to make it happen.”
The first Santa Barbara High Alumni Scholarship was “given in 1974 for only $50.00,” said Wilson. Since then, however, the association has donated more than $510,000.
The Alumni Association does not just award those who have good grades, or who are involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities; they aim to give students a second chance and help those with, “enthusiasm and perseverance in the face of difficulties.”
All of these scholarships are “donated by alumni or groups of alumni, some with specific goals,“ according to Wilson. “The Class of 1962 Scholarship, for example, is intended for a student who is not (planning) to start a four-year college, but who wants a technical or vocational education.”
Since the program was started 34 years ago, Wilson says the amount of scholarships given out has reached $510,000. She estimates about 600 students have been awarded.
Staff Reporter
Thirty-two seniors have been awarded Santa Barbara High Alumni Scholarships this year. At a Santa Barbara High School alumni barbecue held at Manning Park in Montecito on May 17, about 100 parents and alumni met in a ceremony to honor the recipients.
Laura Wilson, the Alumni Board Vice President and Scholarship Chair, says that they look for “students who work hard and who have learned to take advantage of their time at SBHS... We also encourage students who might not have started high school intending to go to college, but who came late to the realization that they could and would study to make it happen.”
The first Santa Barbara High Alumni Scholarship was “given in 1974 for only $50.00,” said Wilson. Since then, however, the association has donated more than $510,000.
The Alumni Association does not just award those who have good grades, or who are involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities; they aim to give students a second chance and help those with, “enthusiasm and perseverance in the face of difficulties.”
All of these scholarships are “donated by alumni or groups of alumni, some with specific goals,“ according to Wilson. “The Class of 1962 Scholarship, for example, is intended for a student who is not (planning) to start a four-year college, but who wants a technical or vocational education.”
Since the program was started 34 years ago, Wilson says the amount of scholarships given out has reached $510,000. She estimates about 600 students have been awarded.
Disconnected: SBHS yet to determine how to enforce district's electronics
Zac Estrada Rosales
News Editor
By the start of classes in the fall, students walking with headphones in the halls or texting while talking to their friends could possibly be a thing of the past.
Last Tuesday the Santa Barbara School District board voted 3-2 to ban the use of electronic devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players on all campuses during school hours. For students, this will mean they are forbidden to use such electronics until after their last class ends.
But administrators at Santa Barbara High School are not yet sure how the new policy will be enforced in the fall.
At the May 13 meeting, board members Nancy Harter and Annette Cordero were against the policy, calling it unreasonable and unenforceable.
But the other members, Kate Parker Laura Malakoff, and Bob Noel, disagreed, and said students should be spending their class time listening to their teachers, and their free time interacting with other students.
The District does not have a standing rule on the use of electronic devices in class at the moment, but each school has added its own rules over the years. At Santa Barbara High School, all electronic devices are not allowed during class. However it is the teacher’s responsibility to confiscate the device and turn it into the Assistant Principal’s office for the student’s parent to pick up.
Kate Parker, who voted for the amendment to the discipline code, said the new rules ban the usage, not possession of electronics on campus. “Many districts across the nation, including New York City schools, have forbidden the actual possession of cell phones at school,” she said, “but we have not gone that far.”
Assistant Principal Dave Meister said, “the changes to the discipline code will make changes for the better in terms of thefts relating to cell phones and MP3 devices.” He said there have been more than 100 students reporting phones and iPods stolen.
But Meister said that nothing has been made official as far as enforcing the new district policy is concerned. So far there is no plan to monitor the use of cell phones between classes and during lunch.
“Students should be able to carry cell phones with them for a variety of safety reasons,” said Nancy Harter, who cast one of the two dissenting votes. “But phone and iPod use during the school day can present problems from minor interruptions to the more serious prospect of cheating or sharing inappropriate information.”
A policy similar to the one instated by the District is already enforced at San Marcos High School and at the District’s junior high schools.
SBHS economics teacher John Bolitho has his doubts about the new policy. He does not allow phones to be visible during his classes, but not all students follow the rules. “Who is going to enforce it,” he said.
Bolitho said he has personally taken student phones to the AP office to be picked up, but does not make it a regular practice. He also said he did not think the new policy would not cut down on cheating through texting.
Students also have yet to be sold on the idea of not being able to pull out their phones at any point in the day. “It’s problematic because people need to use their cell phones for emergencies and to communicate with parents,” said freshman Michael Starnes. “It will cut down on cheating though. All in all, it’s more important as a device for making contacts.”
News Editor
By the start of classes in the fall, students walking with headphones in the halls or texting while talking to their friends could possibly be a thing of the past.
Last Tuesday the Santa Barbara School District board voted 3-2 to ban the use of electronic devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players on all campuses during school hours. For students, this will mean they are forbidden to use such electronics until after their last class ends.
But administrators at Santa Barbara High School are not yet sure how the new policy will be enforced in the fall.
At the May 13 meeting, board members Nancy Harter and Annette Cordero were against the policy, calling it unreasonable and unenforceable.
But the other members, Kate Parker Laura Malakoff, and Bob Noel, disagreed, and said students should be spending their class time listening to their teachers, and their free time interacting with other students.
The District does not have a standing rule on the use of electronic devices in class at the moment, but each school has added its own rules over the years. At Santa Barbara High School, all electronic devices are not allowed during class. However it is the teacher’s responsibility to confiscate the device and turn it into the Assistant Principal’s office for the student’s parent to pick up.
Kate Parker, who voted for the amendment to the discipline code, said the new rules ban the usage, not possession of electronics on campus. “Many districts across the nation, including New York City schools, have forbidden the actual possession of cell phones at school,” she said, “but we have not gone that far.”
Assistant Principal Dave Meister said, “the changes to the discipline code will make changes for the better in terms of thefts relating to cell phones and MP3 devices.” He said there have been more than 100 students reporting phones and iPods stolen.
But Meister said that nothing has been made official as far as enforcing the new district policy is concerned. So far there is no plan to monitor the use of cell phones between classes and during lunch.
“Students should be able to carry cell phones with them for a variety of safety reasons,” said Nancy Harter, who cast one of the two dissenting votes. “But phone and iPod use during the school day can present problems from minor interruptions to the more serious prospect of cheating or sharing inappropriate information.”
A policy similar to the one instated by the District is already enforced at San Marcos High School and at the District’s junior high schools.
SBHS economics teacher John Bolitho has his doubts about the new policy. He does not allow phones to be visible during his classes, but not all students follow the rules. “Who is going to enforce it,” he said.
Bolitho said he has personally taken student phones to the AP office to be picked up, but does not make it a regular practice. He also said he did not think the new policy would not cut down on cheating through texting.
Students also have yet to be sold on the idea of not being able to pull out their phones at any point in the day. “It’s problematic because people need to use their cell phones for emergencies and to communicate with parents,” said freshman Michael Starnes. “It will cut down on cheating though. All in all, it’s more important as a device for making contacts.”
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Theft puts damper on theater’s plans
Ian Black
Staff Reporter
For the second time in two years, the theater department has been the victim of a robbery. It was obvious to the head of the theater department Otto Layman, that the robbery was premeditated. “It was obviously planned, and specific things targeted ... except from those things stolen from my office.” The thefts occurred just weeks before SBHS production of Beauty and the Beast which begins performances on May 9.
The list of stolen items is long and includes a projector, a power amp, microphone equipment, computer monitors, a laptop, and a DVD player.
The thefts have greatly affected the theatre department. “We’re trying to pay for a big production, and represent SBHS in Scotland in August and the loss of $17-18,000 worth of equipment is hard to overcome,” lamented Mr. Layman.
According to Mr. Layman, the robbers went through great lengths to steal the items in the theatre and his personal office. The thieves scaled the wall behind the MAD Academy and climbed onto the roof. From there, the thieves pried open the metal grate that covered the window into the dressing room. Then they entered the little gym, and forced open an old door that connected the little gym to Mr. Layman’s office. While in his office, they stole two monitors and a laptop.
Leaving Mr. Layman’s office, they entered the theatre through the big double doors at the back of the little gym, climbed up to the balcony, and stole the projector, power amp, and DVD player. The thieves even used a pair of bolt cutters they found in Mr. Layman’s office to cut the bolt on the sound cabinet and take the microphones.
To prevent this from happening again, Mr. Layman assured his students that “we are installing cameras and will have 24/7 surveillance of the theatre, and all doors into and out of the theatre.”
But more than anything, Mr. Layman feels “violated” and “betrayed,” since he believes that people within the school stole from not just the theatre but also The Forge and the Yearbook.
He finds that although many of the students at SBHS would never do such a thing, the fact there are some that do, “hurts [his] soul knowing we share the same school.”
Mr. Layman is unsure of how exactly the theatre department will purchase new equipment because “we just bought most of the items two months ago to upgrade the system.”
Staff Reporter
For the second time in two years, the theater department has been the victim of a robbery. It was obvious to the head of the theater department Otto Layman, that the robbery was premeditated. “It was obviously planned, and specific things targeted ... except from those things stolen from my office.” The thefts occurred just weeks before SBHS production of Beauty and the Beast which begins performances on May 9.
The list of stolen items is long and includes a projector, a power amp, microphone equipment, computer monitors, a laptop, and a DVD player.
The thefts have greatly affected the theatre department. “We’re trying to pay for a big production, and represent SBHS in Scotland in August and the loss of $17-18,000 worth of equipment is hard to overcome,” lamented Mr. Layman.
According to Mr. Layman, the robbers went through great lengths to steal the items in the theatre and his personal office. The thieves scaled the wall behind the MAD Academy and climbed onto the roof. From there, the thieves pried open the metal grate that covered the window into the dressing room. Then they entered the little gym, and forced open an old door that connected the little gym to Mr. Layman’s office. While in his office, they stole two monitors and a laptop.
Leaving Mr. Layman’s office, they entered the theatre through the big double doors at the back of the little gym, climbed up to the balcony, and stole the projector, power amp, and DVD player. The thieves even used a pair of bolt cutters they found in Mr. Layman’s office to cut the bolt on the sound cabinet and take the microphones.
To prevent this from happening again, Mr. Layman assured his students that “we are installing cameras and will have 24/7 surveillance of the theatre, and all doors into and out of the theatre.”
But more than anything, Mr. Layman feels “violated” and “betrayed,” since he believes that people within the school stole from not just the theatre but also The Forge and the Yearbook.
He finds that although many of the students at SBHS would never do such a thing, the fact there are some that do, “hurts [his] soul knowing we share the same school.”
Mr. Layman is unsure of how exactly the theatre department will purchase new equipment because “we just bought most of the items two months ago to upgrade the system.”
Staff Editorial: Bathroom behavior not to high school standards
A lot of insane things happen at this school. Morp, for instance, is a night most students will probably look back on in 20 years and wonder what they were thinking by wearing three-foot long tube socks, pink spandex, and not much else. And that’s not even talking about what the girls were wearing.
But the latest bit of nonsense comes down from the administrative pipeline in the form of a memo sent to teachers from the assistant principal’s office. It stated that due to the smearing of excrement on the walls of boy’s bathrooms in the 60s wing and the English building, these restrooms were going to be threatened with closure.
The mental breakdown is certainly not on the part of our school’s administration. Instead it lies on the part of the clinically insane students who feel it’s amusing to play with their poop. Wrapping your mind around that image is hard enough. These are the kinds of things teachers told us not to do in second grade, and even then most of us had the sense not to do so. Then imagine ninth or tenth, maybe even 11th or 12th graders, finger painting in the bathroom.
Guys on this campus already have a hard enough time without having more bathroom closures. Girls bathrooms outnumber ones for boys approximately 2-1. And it continues to be a mystery as to why there’s toilet paper on the ground on all of them by 8:30 on most mornings.
To those boys who do not appreciate restroom facilities on campus, do us all a favor and if you must play with your waste, do it in your own bathroom. Then it won’t be the responsibility of our janitorial staff and other students’ problem to deal with.
But the latest bit of nonsense comes down from the administrative pipeline in the form of a memo sent to teachers from the assistant principal’s office. It stated that due to the smearing of excrement on the walls of boy’s bathrooms in the 60s wing and the English building, these restrooms were going to be threatened with closure.
The mental breakdown is certainly not on the part of our school’s administration. Instead it lies on the part of the clinically insane students who feel it’s amusing to play with their poop. Wrapping your mind around that image is hard enough. These are the kinds of things teachers told us not to do in second grade, and even then most of us had the sense not to do so. Then imagine ninth or tenth, maybe even 11th or 12th graders, finger painting in the bathroom.
Guys on this campus already have a hard enough time without having more bathroom closures. Girls bathrooms outnumber ones for boys approximately 2-1. And it continues to be a mystery as to why there’s toilet paper on the ground on all of them by 8:30 on most mornings.
To those boys who do not appreciate restroom facilities on campus, do us all a favor and if you must play with your waste, do it in your own bathroom. Then it won’t be the responsibility of our janitorial staff and other students’ problem to deal with.
Forge writers win awards at national convention
The Forge, an award winning student newspaper. So says the staff box on the Perspectives page.
On April 18, six members of The Forge proved once again that statement to be true. I congratulate this year’s newspaper staff as a whole and especially six outstanding journalists who have proven they can be successful in one of the most competitive atmospheres of journalism.
At the national spring convention hosted by Journalism Education Association / National Scholastic Press Association, the six students pitted their skills against more than 1500 students (just a portion of the 4500 students who attended) who participated in the competition phase. Seniors Wendy Echeverria (Voice editor), Zac Estrada Rosales (News and Photo Editor), Danny Langhorne (Editor in Chief), James Yee (Entertainment editor), and juniors Minerva Peralta (Sports Reporter), and Maria Vallejo (Sports editor), attended the convention and competed.
Individual recognition was given to three of them: Danny Langhorne and James Yee earned honorable mentions in commentary and editorial writing, respectively. And Zac Estrada Rosales won an excellent award in news writing.
It takes a great deal of courage to walk into a room full of up to 300 people and pit personal writing skills against other. These Forge staff members did just that.
To sit there, to try to write a perfect story by hand, completing the story and not giving up makes each Forge member who attended and competed an awesome journalist.
Within the three day conference were competitions in every aspect of journalism / media / communication. The structure of the writing contest is a timed, two hour long writing experience. Each competitor needs to listen to a speaker for about 30-40 minutes. Questions are allowed for about 15 minutes to supplement the fact sheet that each student is given. All writing is by hand and must be finished in the time allotted. No breaks are given and if instructions are not followed, the entry is disqualified. The judges are a mix of journalism advisers, professional journalists and college graduate students and professors. There are moderators who, as in any writing test, monitor the situation
This competitive tradition dates to the earliest beginnings of The Forge, as evidenced in our archives. The Southern California Journalism Education Association has a writing and scholarship competition every year. On that organization’s permanent Sweepstakes Trophy, The Forge is listed many times as the winner.
Individual recognition is not the only criteria for being “award winning” Forge. Every year, The Forge sends six representative issues are selected and submitted to the be critiqued and judged by The National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia (University) Scholastic Press Association. Once again, The Forge was awarded a Gold Medal from the CSPA and First Place from NSPA.
I am so proud of them.
-Ruth Bartz
Adviser to The Forge since 1985.
On April 18, six members of The Forge proved once again that statement to be true. I congratulate this year’s newspaper staff as a whole and especially six outstanding journalists who have proven they can be successful in one of the most competitive atmospheres of journalism.
At the national spring convention hosted by Journalism Education Association / National Scholastic Press Association, the six students pitted their skills against more than 1500 students (just a portion of the 4500 students who attended) who participated in the competition phase. Seniors Wendy Echeverria (Voice editor), Zac Estrada Rosales (News and Photo Editor), Danny Langhorne (Editor in Chief), James Yee (Entertainment editor), and juniors Minerva Peralta (Sports Reporter), and Maria Vallejo (Sports editor), attended the convention and competed.
Individual recognition was given to three of them: Danny Langhorne and James Yee earned honorable mentions in commentary and editorial writing, respectively. And Zac Estrada Rosales won an excellent award in news writing.
It takes a great deal of courage to walk into a room full of up to 300 people and pit personal writing skills against other. These Forge staff members did just that.
To sit there, to try to write a perfect story by hand, completing the story and not giving up makes each Forge member who attended and competed an awesome journalist.
Within the three day conference were competitions in every aspect of journalism / media / communication. The structure of the writing contest is a timed, two hour long writing experience. Each competitor needs to listen to a speaker for about 30-40 minutes. Questions are allowed for about 15 minutes to supplement the fact sheet that each student is given. All writing is by hand and must be finished in the time allotted. No breaks are given and if instructions are not followed, the entry is disqualified. The judges are a mix of journalism advisers, professional journalists and college graduate students and professors. There are moderators who, as in any writing test, monitor the situation
This competitive tradition dates to the earliest beginnings of The Forge, as evidenced in our archives. The Southern California Journalism Education Association has a writing and scholarship competition every year. On that organization’s permanent Sweepstakes Trophy, The Forge is listed many times as the winner.
Individual recognition is not the only criteria for being “award winning” Forge. Every year, The Forge sends six representative issues are selected and submitted to the be critiqued and judged by The National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia (University) Scholastic Press Association. Once again, The Forge was awarded a Gold Medal from the CSPA and First Place from NSPA.
I am so proud of them.
-Ruth Bartz
Adviser to The Forge since 1985.
Opinion: Are seniors still awake this late in the year?
Ian Black
Staff Reporter
The same thing is on every senior’s mind: Why am I still here? Right after the end of spring break, school seemed like a formality and senoritis was more infectious than it had ever been.
It is almost impossible to pay close attention in class because most seniors already know their plans for next year, and are looking toward a future of bigger and brighter things. It’s hard to see the point in homework and assigned reading while imagining about how great it will be to graduate.
I know for many students, the one thing holding their attention is the quickly approaching AP tests taking place throughout May. But after that, who knows what’s going to happen.
For many students the year’s workload is over after that time, and class time is nothing more than card games and movies.
The administration threatens consequences for not going to class such as being prevented from going to prom and walking down the hill during graduation if a student has too many unexcused tardies and absences.
But realistically, this isn’t going to make much of a difference. Seniors are still going to come to class late or often not at all because as graduation closes in, they just continue to care less and less.
But for all the seniors out there, just remember there are only twenty-four academic school days left on the year. If we have toughed it out for fifteen and a half quarters, one more half quarter is nothing.
If anything, try and enjoy the last days of high school because you will never get them back. And who knows, maybe ten years from now you will the miss the lack of responsibility and stress that comes with being an adult. I know it’s hard to have this kind of mind set because of all the obvious advantages that come with life after high school, but life comes at you fast, and it won’t ever be the same.
I say keep looking forward to finally getting out of high school, but in the meantime, enjoy your last moments of adolescence.
Staff Reporter
The same thing is on every senior’s mind: Why am I still here? Right after the end of spring break, school seemed like a formality and senoritis was more infectious than it had ever been.
It is almost impossible to pay close attention in class because most seniors already know their plans for next year, and are looking toward a future of bigger and brighter things. It’s hard to see the point in homework and assigned reading while imagining about how great it will be to graduate.
I know for many students, the one thing holding their attention is the quickly approaching AP tests taking place throughout May. But after that, who knows what’s going to happen.
For many students the year’s workload is over after that time, and class time is nothing more than card games and movies.
The administration threatens consequences for not going to class such as being prevented from going to prom and walking down the hill during graduation if a student has too many unexcused tardies and absences.
But realistically, this isn’t going to make much of a difference. Seniors are still going to come to class late or often not at all because as graduation closes in, they just continue to care less and less.
But for all the seniors out there, just remember there are only twenty-four academic school days left on the year. If we have toughed it out for fifteen and a half quarters, one more half quarter is nothing.
If anything, try and enjoy the last days of high school because you will never get them back. And who knows, maybe ten years from now you will the miss the lack of responsibility and stress that comes with being an adult. I know it’s hard to have this kind of mind set because of all the obvious advantages that come with life after high school, but life comes at you fast, and it won’t ever be the same.
I say keep looking forward to finally getting out of high school, but in the meantime, enjoy your last moments of adolescence.
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