Raven ReportVolume Viii, Issue 1 1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062 september 10, 2014

Sequoia High School

Feature: Sports: By the NumbersDay in the life of a waterpolo player Page 8Page 4

School survival guide

New locks clamp down on unofficial locker-switching

Rows of identical, black locks with keyholes on the back now adorn hall-way lockers. This school year, Sequoia’s administration implemented a new locker policy to maintain a more or-ganized system and also allow admin-istrators to access lockers at any time.

Each locker has a standard lock to which administration has a master key. Locker assignments were distributed

2,115

at Arena Check-in and throughout the first week of school.

This eliminates the unofficial locker changing that was common practice in the past. The administration has no in-tention of granting requests to change the location of students’ lockers.

“We will not be changing lockers. It will be a good opportunity to explore new spaces, and not necessarily be next to the person you speak with every day,” Administrative Vice Principal Sophia Ol-liver said.

IVP ‘Ready’ for administration

Prior to working at Se-quoia and Menlo-Atherton, new Instructional Vice Prin-cipal Stephen Ready worked as a teacher in a medium-se-curity prison.

He taught English as a Second Language courses through the University of Texas for 15 months to pris-oners.

“It was unique. Once I would go into the prison, I had a rolling set of students, or whoever was in carc erate d that week,” he said.

“Some of those students were there the whole time, others I [only] saw two or three times.”

Ready started at Sequoia on July 1, making sure student and teacher schedules were correct.

“I’ve always been im-pressed with Sequoia. It’s such an old [and] beauti-ful building,” Ready said. “I think previous administrators have hired very well over the years.”

Ready graduated from University of Maryland-Balti-more County with a double-

major in Sociology and In-terdisciplinary Studies.

After graduating from college, he taught high schoolers three miles from the Texas-Mexico border.

He moved to Austin later and taught for seven years in Texas before moving to Men-lo-Atherton.

He taught and also served as the site Bilingual Resource teacher at Menlo-Atherton for 14 years.

Ready then moved on to coordinate the English Learn-er and Migrant Programs at the district office last year.

Like Princi-pal Sean Priest and Admin-istrative Vice P r i n c i p a l s

Michael Kuliga and Sophia Olliver, Ready is a fluent Spanish speaker; he learned informally from being on the border and going into Mexi-co to immerse himself in the culture.

This is Ready’s first year of being an administrator and 22nd year in education.

“I want to come in and be a part of the community, get to know the school, the cul-ture of people and become a citizen of Sequoia,” Ready said.

By LILY FRIEBEL Sports Editor

By CLAIRE BUGOSManaging Editor

Increase in technology access aims to improve students’ digital literacy

Technology usage will increase this year, most notably since School Loop accounts were cre-ated for all students and staff.

On School Loop, students have access to schedules, assignments, grades and “LoopMail.”

School Loop will cost Sequoia $55,830 for the first year.

In addition, all students have a Gmail account with the domain @seq.org. These accounts will al-low students to communicate and collaborate using Google’s wide range of apps and services such

By EMILY DUCKERNews Editor

The required locks also ensure unwant-ed substances aren’t left in vacant lockers.

“It was a health hazard, believe it or not,” Olliver said. “People were using the lockers as trash cans and dumping food. Someone would go to the neighboring locker and say ‘my locker smells toxic and I don’t know why.’”

Under California law, if the admin-istration has reasonable suspicion that a student or group of students has violated a school rule, such as possessing drugs or alcohol, possessing a firearm or stealing

another student’s property, they may conduct a search of the students’ locker, car or backpack.

“We have no right, just like with your backpack and materials, to do unprecedented locker searches, and have no intention of doing so. Only if there is a safety concern or reasonable suspicion, as with backpacks, would we check the locker,” Olliver said. “We’re not of a policy where we’re going to go late at night and undo every lock. That would be ridiculous—we trust you.”

studentsRecord high enrollment

Photo by Dalia Jude

as Google Drive, Google Sites and Google Classroom. The district will save $15,000 by switching to Google apps.

New Wi-Fi networks were created for staff and students re-s p e c t i v e l y , with im-proved Wi-Fi connectivity t hr o u g h o u t campus.

This Wi-Fi will be stronger and more able to handle the many new Chrome-

book carts now used in more class-rooms.

The student login formula is the same for School L o o p , G o o g l e and the s t u d e n t Wi-Fi net-work: the username is the stu-dent’s ID n u m b e r , and the

password is the student’s initials + 6-digit birthdate.

Sequoia students are regularly using:•Blogspot•College Board•CSU Mentor•Dropbox•EasyBib•Edmodo•EDpuzzle•Google Apps•Infinite Campus

•Lynda•Naviance•No Red Ink•Padlet•Quia•Quizlet•Remind•School Loop•Turn It In

Seniors Edgar Aguirre, Sebastian Castillo, Blake Cudworth and Jimmy Avila collaborate on a biotechnology project using a Chromebook. Many classrooms have new Chromebook carts.

“I’ve always been im-pressed with Sequoia. I think previous admin-istrators have hired very well over the years.”

—Stephen Ready, Instructional

Vice Principal

Photo by Dalia Jude

This school year, Sequoia welcomes 15 new staff members. We are featuring a few so you can get to know them as well as their impres-sions of Sequoia so far and their aspirations for their students.

News

Getting to know your staff2 September 10, 2014

For most of us, four years of school is enough to send us home in tears, but for some education heavyweights, it’s their motivation to wake up in the morn-ing. Dedicated teachers have spent their whole careers tirelessly working for the education system.

Science teacher Jamie Beacom has been roaming the halls of Sequoia for more than 25 years, and a great deal has changed during his time here.

“It’s funny,” Beacom said. “The room that I [taught] in for 10 years is now a faculty room and where my desk was is where the toilet is now.”

By XAVI BOLUÑAStaff Reporter

Lifelong educators are in it for the long haulAs funny as relocated toilets are, it’s

near the bottom of a very long list of dras-tic changes Sequoia has seen over the past few decades.

In just 30 years, Sequoia has changed from open campus to closed campus, put into effect a block schedule, exponential-ly decreased gang culture and expanded the campus with new facilities.

“[We’ve seen] a real turnaround in Se-quoia,” said technology teacher Cameron Dodge, who is now approaching 26 years of teaching. “About 10 years ago, Sequoia was the school nobody wanted to go to, and now it’s the school everyone wants to go to.”

Some teachers have been at Sequoia for so long that they’ve seen an entire

generation come and go. Beacom has re-cently encountered more students whose parents he’s had in the past.

“The last couple years are the first times I’ve had children of previous stu-dents,” Beacom said. “If you think about it, the students that were in my very first class are now [about] 42 years old.”

A few teachers at Sequoia are former students of Beacom.

“It’s kind of neat to have a former teacher I had in my high school years still working at the school I went to. That doesn’t happen very often in life,” PE teacher Adrian Dilley said, who attended Beacom’s biology and chemistry classes in 1995 to 1998.

Dilley even met his future wife in Bea-

com’s sophomore biology class.“[My friend and I] would always ask

[her and her friend] questions,” Dilley said. “At the end of the year I [found out] that my wife kind of liked me.”

While teachers made their way to 1201 Brewster on different trails, they all came through the discovery of teaching as their passion.

“I started taking history classes about the same time I was working at a neuro-psychiatric institute for disturbed chil-dren,” history teacher Nancy Berry said. “I got to meet these kids who were [not-so-disturbed, but instead] very interest-ing. I put together somehow the idea of history and teaching and teens and here I am.”

Carlos GarciaSpanish

Max FriedmannMath

Takeshi KanekoMath

Joel RebelloGuidance

Salad Ingredient:I would want to be cranberries or some kind of fruit, because I think it adds that kind of unique twist that people aren’t expecting—I like to think I’m the same way, a little different.”

Hope for students:“I want to learn something new—that’s one of the reasons I wanted to go somewhere new. I felt like I’d done as much as I could at my old school. Coming here with the new curriculum is different for me, so I already feel like I’m doing something to make me grow as a teacher.”

Hopes for this year:“I want to integrate into the campus as a whole, not just the science department. I just want to find out all the cool stuff that’s going on, and little by little get involved in things outside of the Academy and outside of the classroom.”

Salad Ingredient?“I would be a radish because they remind me of energy. The other ingredients just sit there, but the radishes come back to bite.”

Hopes for Students:“I want my students to learn how to enjoy learning.”

Salad ingredient?“I would probably be the lettuce, partly because I like to contribute a lot, but I don’t necessarily like to stand out.”

What salad ingredient would you be and why?“I’d be the bacon bits, because they add some kick to a salad and make it a little bit more exciting.”

Hopes for students:“Help my students, whether it’s getting into a college, [receiving] their high school diploma, or a personal goal not related to their academics.”

This is his fourth year at Sequoia, first year teaching.Play every instrument or know every language?“I wake up, I’m listening to music. I go to sleep, I’m lis-tening to music. If I was able to create my own music, that’d be great.”

Impression of Sequoia:“I feel like I can make instruction as high quality as possible in the classroom, because I don’t have to worry about policing the hallways, because I know there are other people who are doing that.”

—Compiled by Claire Bugos and Emily Ducker

Katie TalbotPhysics

Steven MorenoHistory

Catherine Sterne Math

Davina GazullaScience

The amount of time it takes a teacher to get tenure is unconstitutional, a judge in the California Superi-or Court for Los Angeles County ruled June 10. This ruling against five provisions of the California Educa-tion Code came as the result of the Vergara v. Califor-nia court case and addresses teacher tenure, dismissals and layoffs.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan supported the ruling, but California Governor Jerry Brown and teachers unions appealed. For the rest of the appeal process, no changes will occur in California, and ten-ure of Sequoia’s teachers will not be impacted.

The case was created by nine California students, including recent Sequoia graduate Kate Elliott, who were part of the organization “Students Matter.” They

claimed they had ineffective teachers who could not be fired due to their tenure status, and that this issue is more apparent in low-income areas.

“There are some political motivations that are sort of anti-teacher that a lot of people engage in,” said his-tory teacher and SDTA member Teresa Yeager. “I think it is sad that some kids don’t have teachers that they feel meet their needs, but I don’t necessarily know that change is going to happen from one lawsuit.”

California law currently states that a teacher can re-ceive tenure after only 18 months at a school. Once they have tenure, the process for dismissing a low-perform-ing teacher is time-consuming, but possible.

“I don’t think there should be this automatic ‘Con-gratulations you’ve won the lottery—you’re tenured.’ It should really mean something and [it] doesn’t necessar-ily [right now] because of the process. But tenure itself should exist, I just think the way we receive it should be

reevaluated,” English teacher Katie Karlin said. Teacher evaluations, both before and after tenure is

granted, are minimal. English teacher Justine Rutiglia-no thinks Sequoia should implement a peer evaluation system among teachers and their departments. Regu-larly, a teacher would spend an allocated period evalu-ating another teacher’s lesson and providing feedback.

While the appeal is in process and more conversa-tions arise about tenure and its effects on education quality, Yeager urges education about teacher tenure. Though many Sequoia teachers have tenure, Karlin said it rarely affects her actions inside the classroom.

“I feel like we’re really held accountable to being good teachers, regardless of our tenure, which I know is not everywhere,” Karlin said. “I haven’t for one minute felt like, ‘Oh I can slack off because I have tenure now,’ and that is not because of who I am but because of the kind of culture that our campus has created.”

Debated teacher tenure law, Vergara, awaits appeal By DALIA JUDEEditor-in-Chief

R

RR

3FeatureSeptember 10, 2014

Summer not just about beach bumming: programs challenge, enrich participants over break

Brianna Rosales, juniorWhere? Facebook, Palo AltoTime? Six weeksHow? “My counselor, Ms. Perez, told me about it. It was for people who live in East Palo Alto area and Benhaven area.” What? “I was part of two departments; one of them was the Events and Facilities Department, and the other was the Transportation Department. For events we set up tables, chairs, and tents for people from businesses who come to have an event [at Facebook]. For the Transportation Department, it was pretty interesting because we had to find routes from Facebook to get to, for example the San Jose airport. We had to figure out what was the cheapest and fastest way to get there.”

Internship at Facebook

Elijah Punzal, juniorWhere? Youth Out and Aware United Program, San Francisco Time? Five weeksHow? “I was introduced by the GSA adviser, Ms. Nguyen, and she said, ‘Hey there’s this scholarship theater program that you could take in the city over the summer.’”What? “We learned how to do a lot of script writing and acting and taking LGBTQ issues and figures and every-thing of that culture and implementing it into realistic scenes to make a showcase at the end.” Why? “The people in this program were very insightful. The whole point of this program was to implement different perspectives from different parts of cultures and society and use them in queer community and from that bring up this form of theater and empowerment of youth.”Lesson learned? “You can always do more than you think you can. That applies to a lot of stuff. For acting I never knew I could write that many scripts, I never knew I could portray certain characters, particular roles. I didn’t know so much about myself.”

Theater camp in

San Francisco

Cara Green, seniorWhere? Dar es Salaam, the largest city in TanzaniaTime? Three weeksHow? “My parents used to live in Africa in the 80s, so we knew a friend there who had worked in the clinic, and she recommended that [we] go volunteer.”What? “One day I worked at the reception help-ing file, and another day I worked in the pharma-cy helping get medications, looking at doctors or-ders. I also worked with children there which was the main part because because they didn’t really have much to do, so we brought tons of suitcases of random art supplies and cool things for them to do, like making lanyards and bracelets.”

Volunteer work at HIV/AIDS Clinic

in Tanzania

Summer has come to a close, and the hallways are now full of students with exciting summer stories to tell. Some return as world travelers, others with experience at local jobs and internships—the list goes on. We searched the school for unique stories, and here’s what we found:

Why? “It was really worth it because I got a lot out of it, like raising my self-confidence; it can help me in the future, and I got a lot of friends out of it.”Perks?“There’s this place [on the Facebook campus]called the Sweet Shop and it’s really cool because it has desserts like ice cream and cupcakes, and it’s all for free, so whenever you’re on on your break you can just go and be like, ‘Can I have a scoop of rainbow sherbet?’”Celebrity run-ins? “Hillary Clinton came, and we didn’t get to meet her, but we got to see her in person, which was cool.”

Favorite memory? “Probably just being exposed to the youth of Africa and playing with the children. That was really cool because that was something I couldn’t do in the US, just being able to interact with these kids.”

Meanwhile, your teachers were just traveling the world:

—Compiled by Carmen Vescia and Abigail Wang

Photo courtesy of Cara Green

Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosales

“John Kerry was just here and there’s the theory that when statesmen are visiting, the [government] shuts the factories down so the skies are blue.”

—Lydia Cuffman, China

“[In Chang Mai] we went to an elephant sanctuary... we got to bathe them and feed them and wander around the premises with them.”

—Ben Canning, Southeast Asia

“English has somehow become the official language of the world; if you know English, you can almost always find someone you can communicate with.” —Takeshi Kaneko

—Compiled by Claire Bugos, Emily Ducker and Sabrina Villanueva Avalos

“[Sarajevo, which was under siege in 1994], is this beautiful town but there are also some visual reminders of the horrible things that happened there.”

—Karin Zarcone, the Balkans

4 Special Feature

SurvivingSequoia: What you

need to know

We have two sets of vending

machines serving food and

drinks. Knowing where these

are is the difference between

happiness and death by

malnutrition, especially if

you have a seventh period.

Do yourself a favor and

go meet Ms. Ignaitis.

She may not seem

imperative to your

daily life right now, but

when you’re a junior,

she will be your best

friend.

Concerned about a medical issue? The Teen Wellness Center is where you want to be. You can go on your own or with a parent. Don’t be embar-rassed if you need to go there. Better safe than sorry.

Don’t go to the other side’s bleachers. We don’t care if you have Woodside and Carlmont friends. Just, don’t do it.

You can look, but you can’t sit. An unwritten Sequoia law states that underclassmen can’t sit at the senior tables. Wait your turn.

The best computer accessibility: the library. It is the No. 1 place to print out your paper.

Dearest freshmen. Welcome to high school, or as every adult likes to call it, the best four years of your life. That’s debat-able, but it all depends on what you make of it.

We’ve all been through it; your first day in a giant school with giant people and gi-ant textbooks. It makes you feel so small, doesn’t it? But have no fear, because one day, you’ll be the giants.

Until that time, however, you must learn how to survive in the wild. Except,

Advice to new students: your future is what you make it

Best bathrooms:

Unless the new gym is

open, B-Quad bath-

rooms are the best.

You’ll thank us later.

The Teen Resource Center is a great hangout spot, but it’s also a great resource for those who are struggling, whether it be in school or home issues. If you need help, or just want to talk to someone, this is the place to be. Completely confi-dential.

Each lunch line serves

different food. Read the

signs! Don’t stand in the

wrong line, and when

you get up there, know

what you want. Every-

one would like to eat

before the bell.

it’s not the wild: we’re all just kids trying to grow up in this hectic, stressful place to-gether, so there’s no need to be afraid of the upperclassmen and new students around you.

We are all just as scared, and each year of high school we enter, we have a new fear.

There’s no need to think of high school as a scary experience, think of it as an en-lightening four year journey with a million tests and a few all-nighters when you want to pull your hair out. Don’t worry, we can

18th19th25th-26th:

Sept.Club DayFootball @ WoodsideFreshman elections

Oct.7-10th10th28th

Homecoming weekRally, game and danceMusic concert

Fall musical (“All Shook Up”)

21st-23rd

Nov. Dec.2nd5th16-19th

Winter concertWinter rallyFinals week

Find a teacher that has a microwave. It will make your rubbery leftover pizza edible again.

You’ll need a Sequoia sweatshirt to get you

through a block period in the overly air-conditioned

language wing or an assembly in

Carrington Hall.

You wouldn’t want to be caught dead on a Friday not showing

your Sequoia purple pride.

With six to seven classes, there’s no way you’ll remember all of your assignments without your planner.

5Special Feature

Advice to new students: your future is what you make itStaff Editorial

it’s not the wild: we’re all just kids trying to grow up in this hectic, stressful place to-gether, so there’s no need to be afraid of the upperclassmen and new students around you.

We are all just as scared, and each year of high school we enter, we have a new fear.

There’s no need to think of high school as a scary experience, think of it as an en-lightening four year journey with a million tests and a few all-nighters when you want to pull your hair out. Don’t worry, we can

help you avoid those nights, too.We have so many helpful programs at

Sequoia. If you’re struggling, go to an after school SAFE Program. Teachers have of-fice hours for you, take advantage of your resources. No question is stupid and strug-gling on something does not reflect poorly on you. Remember, it is OK to ask for help.

For now, don’t be afraid to make friends—most of us don’t bite. Join a club. If you don’t like any, start your own! Or you can try out for a sport.

This is the time to find yourselves. And yes, this is cornier than corn, but this is the four years that sets you up for the rest of your lives. Would you rather live as an iso-lated hermit, or an involved social butterfly?

So as you embark upon your journey through these uncomfortably fluorescent hallways, remember two things. One: high school will only be as wonderful as you’re willing to make it. Two: please don’t stand in the middle of the hallway. Trust me, one day you’ll have somewhere to be, too.

Jan. 17thFeb. 20th-27th

Winter formalWinter play

Jan./Feb. Mar.

20th26th

Talent ShowOpen House

April10-11th17th30-May 1st

Dance ShowSpring rallyElections

May/June

May 2ndMay 8th- 9thJune 5th

Spring playProm Graduation

Stay hydrated—buy this high fashion Raven Report water bottle for $10 from a journalism student or in room 241.

Once you’ve dipped into your life savings for a parking permit (that won’t guarantee you a spot), your keys might come in handy.

When you’re stuck in the back of the world’s biggest classroom, you’ll need your glasses if you want a chance of knowing what’s going on in class.

Be sure to pack some healthy, energizing snacks to keep you alive and awake through seventh period.

The ever-useful Binder System will make it so you

need seven of these for one semester.

If you are one of the poor unfortunate souls with a zero period, you’re going to need an insulated mug for a hot caffeinated beverage. Trust us.

—Compiled by Xavi Boluña, Emily Ducker, Dalia Jude and

Sabrina Villanueva Avalos

Opinion

Sequoia High School

Raven Report2014-2015

Editor-in-Chief Dalia Jude

Managing Editors Claire Bugos Carmen Vescia

News Editor Emily Ducker

Feature Editor Abigail Wang

Opinion Editor Sabrina Villanueva Avalos

Sports Editor Lily Friebel

Online Editor Glenn Billman

Staff Reporters Rebekah Alesna, Emma Blumen-Green, Xavi Boluña,

Sunaina Butler, Samantha Caswell, Lauren Cresta, Trevor Crowell, Isabel DeCastro,

Nora Fossenier, Dominick Graham, Camryn Habecker, Erik Huisman, Madeline Pei,

Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker, Cam Rebosio, Chaz Rosado, Zack Rosenblatt, Madalene Schorr,

Mars Svec-Burdick, Philip Tyson, Iridian Villanueva, Erik West, Rebekah Westerlind

Adviser Kim Vinh

6 September 10, 2014

Teachers, please use caution as you go digital

With multiple Chromebook carts, the introduc-tion of School Loop and Google accounts, and new WiFi routers on classroom ceilings, many teachers are choosing to go the paperless route in having stu-dents complete and submit assignments.

We are very fortunate to have all this technology available to us, but it shouldn’t be the only way we have to turn in work. Teachers should use caution as it is not always feasible for students to complete as-signments entirely online.

For example, teachers always tell students that if they don’t have Internet access at home, they can use computers at the school or public library. But many students have jobs, after-school activities, or obliga-tions at home, and by the time they are free to work on homework, libraries are closed.

Some teachers are requiring online submission by a certain time to encourage students to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

While this is appreciated, sometimes it’s not pos-sible to complete homework by that time, especially if a student gets home at 9:30 p.m. from a job or a sports practice. Or sometimes, a student just needs to go to sleep and wake up early to finish homework with a clear brain. Without online submission, as-signments aren’t due until the time the class period

starts, but new online submissions require the assign-ment to be done sometimes as much as 12 or more hours before class.

Another new technology issue coming up is that a Google Document can be edited even after it is sub-mitted. To get around this, some teachers are requir-ing assignments to be submitted as a Microsoft Word file, but if students work on Chromebooks, they can’t save it in the required format.

We hope teachers continue to embrace technol-ogy, but also acknowledge that this should not be the only way to submit assignments.

Classwork done on Chromebooks is great when everyone has one, but perhaps this should be lim-ited to just that—classwork. Sometimes, outside of school, a hard copy is the only practical option for a student.

In the future, we also suggest a system to rent out Chromebooks, just as the math department rents out graphing calculators on a contract system.

We have such a diverse school socioeconomically, but that shouldn’t turn into a problem because of technology. We are lucky to have access to such ad-vanced resources, but we need to keep in mind that a lot of students don’t have unlimited access outside of school.

Staff Editorial

“In my opinion, [wearing short shorts] is not good for female students. The research shows that the more skin that is shown in attire, the more likely someone is to be objectified.

“I’d like to be evaluated by my brain and critical thinking. My bra straps are irrelevant. I should feel com-fortable with the shoulders, legs and thighs that were given to me—not ashamed.”

—Madison McKee, senior

570 Signatures

on an online

petition to “end body shaming

in the Sequoia

dress code” as of Sept. 5

—Compiled by Glenn Billman

59%IB Diplomas received by

female students

“The stereotypes [about female participa-tion in science] exist—it’s certainly not equalized at all. It’s getting better, but it’s totally not there yet.”

—Debolina Dutta, science teacher

Gender equality at Sequoia?Last year, the Raven Report examined the gender gap in terms of enrollment inhigher-level math and science classes. Although class enrollment is more equal this year, students have recently called into question the friendliness of the environment Sequoia for half its student body—females. This issue, the Raven Report has compiled information from several areas of the school to continue examining gender at Sequoia.

—Michael Kuliga, Administrative Vice Principal

“We shouldn’t just focus on having zero fights, but zero cases of sexual harassment. If a boy is staring at me during a test, it won’t slow me down, only him.”

—Nicole Hwang, junior

About participation:

About Enrollment:

About Climate:

About Achievement:

41%IB Diplomas received by

male students

Sequoia says:If a vending machine on campus were to dispense anything, what would you

want it to be?

For philanthropic adventures abroad,

programs like Sum-mer Search, Amigos or

International Student Vol-unteers (ISV) are good op-

tions to consider. To study and see the culture of a new society, American Field Service (AFS) or

Council on International Edu-cational Exchange (CIEE)

are great programs to start researching.

OPINION 7September 10, 2014

Dumb, an-noying, point-less, a waste of time: this is what people were saying as ice bucket vid-eos were circu-lating on social

media.But actually, it’s more important than

you think.The social network created to keep in

touch with peers has turned into a world-wide philanthropic platform and a pilot in awareness for social causes.

The ALS ice bucket challenge has tak-en over Facebook and other social media sites in the past few months. From celebri-ties’ contributions to videos of challenge fails, it has brought a great amount of positive attention to the ALS foundation.

As of Sept. 5, 2.1 million people have donated and raised $109.1 million since July 29. They received $2.7 million in the same period last year.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” is a fatal disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Over 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed every year, with about 30,000 Americans currently suffer-ing from this disease.

Watching the Youtube video about a U.S.-based photographer, Anthony Car-bajal made me teary-eyed and changed my whole opinion on the challenge. Carbajal was diagnosed with ALS five months ago at only 26 years old. He has already seen firsthand what the disease will do to his body after watching both his mother and grandmother have ALS. He says that in the next five years, he won’t be able to walk, he won’t be able to speak and he will eventually lose all control over his body.

“People are getting frustrated about the Ice Bucket Challenge, that means our awareness is working. It wouldn’t be suc-cessful if we weren’t irritating a few peo-ple, right?” Carbajal said in the video.

California is in a severe drought, but that shouldn’t stop people from raising awareness and money for this worthy cause. It’s quite simple: reduce, reuse and recycle.

If you are challenged, collect water in a bucket from your shower. Stand over a lawn or plants that need to be watered while doing the challenge. If you are challenged and are hesitant to complete it because of the drought, donating any amount is better than doing nothing.

Before I watched Carbajal’s video, I would scroll past challenge videos because I thought they were pointless and had no power. Now that I know how much of a need there is for ALS research, I have do-nated and completed the challenge my-self.

By LILY FRIEBELSports Editor

Last year, I stepped out of my comfort-able Sequoia bubble, flew halfway across the world with strangers and found my-self stranded in a new culture, surrounded

Broaden your horizonsA how-to guide for studying abroad

Make sure you’re ready to leave your life.

Have fun.1. 5.Depending on

the program, countries all the

way from Thailand to France to Senegal are your

feasible new homes. When choosing a country, make sure

you consider if you already speak the language, if the program will

accept you if you don’t speak the language and if the way

their society functions seems like a match for

your tastes.

Pick your destination.

4.Mentally prepare.

3.

2.Find the right

program. Once you’ve been accepted, be sure

that you’re emotion-ally ready to leave the

familiarity of your cur-rent life. To prepare for Italy,

I gorged on Thai and Mexican food, which are hard to find there.

The little things that you take for granted may or may not be avail-

able to you abroad. Living without cheddar cheese for

six months isn’t as hard if you stuff yourself before

leaving—trust me.

“Microwavable ravioli and money—you put in a dollar and get double the

amount, or triple—it’s random.”—Gerard Chi, senior

“Snuggies, so I can sleep in class.”

—Lily Leib, senior

“Homework passes because I don’t like doing homework and I’ve got senioritis.”

—Mele Lauese, senior

“I would want it to dispense puppies because then we could play with the puppies and return them when we’re done.”—Sarah Gilbert, senior

Ice bucket challenge spreads awareness through social media

The hard work has just begun, but you

are on your way to becoming a new person

with a new family, differ-ent friends and a changed

world view. Embrace the experi-ence, make the most out of the ups

and downs and a good time is guar-anteed. It may be hard to get used to your new life, the new family

you’ve been thrust into and the new societal norms, but being flexible and willing to adapt

will make everything go more smoothly. Good luck.

Before you sign up for any programs,

know that you’re 100 percent ready to leave

your family, friends and bed. Consider if you will

have to make up courses when you return home, if you will be IB

diploma or A-G eligible after go-ing abroad, if you’re independent

enough to thrive away from your family and if you’re de-

termined enough to stick it out through the uncom-

fortable phases.

by a language and lifestyle I didn’t under-stand. I was given six months to re-create my life more than 6,000 miles away, learn as much as I could and be sent away again. In short, I made the best decision of my life by choosing to study abroad in Italy.

Over those six months— the best six

months of my life— I became fluent in Italian, made amazing friends and was forced to change my perspective on the world.

An incredibly small percentage of American high schoolers study abroad, despite all of the programs designed to

bring teens around the world. With a little bit of research and some help from this guide, you can find out how to spend a semester in a Greek village, a year on the outskirts of Tokyo, or a summer volun-teering in Nicaragua, with program costs ranging from free to $15,000.

— Compiled by Claire Bugos and Emily Ducker

By GLENN BILLMANOnline Editor

Sports8 September 10, 2014

Day in the life: Sinking, not swimmingBy CARMEN VESCIAManaging Editor

As I stepped on the pool deck with goggles in hand, wearing a suffocating one-piece and a swim cap so tight I already had a head-ache, two thoughts popped into my head.

1. Wow, I’m pale.2. Wow, I’m weak.I surveyed the gaggle of tan,

muscular, smiling girls that sur-rounded me and suddenly felt very underprepared. Despite the fact that I was only there for the Raven Report’s ‘A Day in the Life’ series as a journalist and not as a prospective player, my stom-ach churned with nerves. I can stay afloat, but I’m not a strong swimmer, and I hadn’t exercised for more than about 10 minutes straight all summer.

Soon enough, however, my worries were interrupted as the girls around me all began jump-ing into the pool like lemmings, and I plunged in after them.

I quickly found my place in lane one, or in other words, the slow lane.

It didn’t take much time for me to deduce that I was both the slowest swimmer in the en-tire pool and the only one who couldn’t manage to swim in a straight line.

After what seemed like an hour, but was actually 15 min-utes, we grabbed our kickboards. I breathed a sigh of relief as I imagined lazily kicking across pool, as I was already winded

and had swallowed a gallon of pool water, but I was in for a rude awakening. We alternated laps of swimming and furiously kicking with our kickboards, turning the normally clear pool into froth, which I unfortunately kept drinking.

Although I suspected that I was experiencing what death by exhaustion felt like during vari-ous moments in the workout, the encouragements and tips

from the team kept me afloat, both emotionally and physically. I was expecting to meet a team of tough, no nonsense girls who wouldn’t hesitate to push me under the water if I got in their way—I’ve always been told that water polo is a notoriously bru-tal sport—but they couldn’t have been nicer.

After our laps while we tread water, I asked a girl if and when we got a break. To my dismay,

she informed me that tread-ing water was our break. Thank goodness the water in the pool helped camouflage my tears.

Finally, it was time to bring out the water polo balls and get down to business. We practiced catching (or dropping in my case), throwing, shooting at the goalie and dribbling, or pushing the ball along as we swam. This was definitely my favorite part.

As practice drew to a

close, it was time for one final exercise:eggbeater kicking while trying to simultaneously push your partner backwards and stand your ground as she pushes back.

At first I misunderstood and thought that we were trying to drown each other. Needless to say, I was somewhat terrified. Thankfully I was wrong, and I came out of the practice alive, although limp and exhaust-ed.

When I declared that practice was ‘really hard and very tiring,’ I was kindly informed that I had just experienced an ‘easy’ prac-tice.

This just goes to show how much dedication and physical ability water polo takes. These players practically spend more time in the pool than out of it, sometimes waking up early to make a morning practice in ad-dition to the two hours after school.

Water polo is definitely one of the most physically demand-ing sports I have ever attempted, and my respect for those who dare play it is enormous.

I can’t even begin to imagine repeating my grueling experi-ence at practice five days a week for an entire season.

Thank you, Sequoia water polo for inviting me to join your elite ranks for a day, but if you need me, I’ll be on my couch watching “The Bachelorette,” where I belong. I think it’s best that I leave the pool to you.

New quarterback coach pushes team to next levelBy GLENN BILLMAN and CARMEN VESCIAOnline and Managing Editors

Greg Barber first coached football at Sequoia in 1958, and now, decades later, he’s back. Barber works with the varsity quarterbacks, senior Aidan Pierce and junior Faavae Brown, and hopes to take them to the next level.

“I wanted to coach at a school that was doing something unusual, and Sequoia is doing some very innovative things,” Bar-ber said. “It’s more fun to be innovative.”

He’s been working with Pierce and Brown on passing accuracy in hopes of making the team more well-rounded, scoring more touchdowns and perform ing well in Bay, the highest division for CCS football.

“He’s a lot stricter on our mechan-ics than the previous coaches were, and I think it’s really going to help us in the long run,” Pierce said. “We’re going to be a lot more pass-oriented this year, so we should be more aggressive on offense.”

Pierce and Brown are com-peting for the starting position. Despite the competi-

tion, they remain close.“Faavae and I have a great relationship;

we do a handshake every single time we walk out onto the field,” Pierce said. “We’re always push-ing each other and we both decided that whoever wins, we’re

going to cheer for and support him.”

Although it’s Barber’s first season, he has already created a strong bond with both boys.

“I feel like [Coach Barber] is a good friend because I’ve been working with him for so long. I’ve been to his house some times to work with him,”Brown said.

Barber is an experienced coach, having played on Stanford’s freshman team him-self as an undergraduate and later coach-

ing there, at the University of Oregon and at a number of local high schools.

“He’s a great coach,” Brown said. “Just by looking at him and the way he talks about football you can tell that he has a lot of experience.”

Barber has hopes that Pierce and Brown will be able to lead the team to a successful season.

“They’re getting better, and they get along well with each other, which is really good to see. That means that they have a good chance to be successful,” Barber said. “You have to want to be a quarterback be-cause there’s so much work, and they both want to.”

Barber enjoys the challenge coaching presents and the opportunity to influence and guide young players.

“I like teaching, and coaching if you really do it well, is teaching,” Barber said. “[The boys] are very interested in learn-ing, and if you’re a teacher, you can’t have anything better than a student [like that].”

In the short time he’s been working with them, Barber has changed the way they think about the game as well as their goals.

“He’s helped me a lot mentally, and I think that’s a huge part of coming to be a quarterback for the team,” Brown said. “ I want to play in college, and I think coach helped me to want it, and when you want it you can achieve anything.”

It’s not possible to fully comprehend a sport by just sitting on the sidelines. After nearly drowning at water polo practice, I think I have a pretty good idea of the strength and deter-mination it takes to stay afloat.

Quarterback coach Greg Barber, a quadruple amputee, coaches senior Aidan Pierce and junior Faavae Brown on the field from his wheelchair. He aims to improve their passing accuracy.

Photo by Carmen Vescia

Photos by Claire Bugos

“They’re getting better, and they get along well with each other, which is really good to see. That means that they have a good chance to be successful.”

—Quarterback coach Greg Barber