laura slusser staff writer

It’s big. It’s beautiful. It covers 210,093 square feet of land. There have already been 80 applications to form clubs. APEC teacher Marc Basehore already seems almost as renowned as Lee Raskin at MC.

“It’s a lot of work, putting up a new school, but it’s definitely worth it,” Administrator Assistant Christine Biggs said. “Some of the classes we weren’t able to offer because we didn’t have enough interest... this year, we don’t have drama. We’re going to have a drama club.”

Del Norte’s ASB has already set up their website, with information on how to start up clubs.

“I like the new school,” Del Norte freshman Danny Courtney said. “It’s pretty fun, because all my friends are here.”

“I like all the new technology and things, like the smartboards,” sophomore Hailey Wethrington said.

However, some students seem more neutral.

“They’re not that different [the teachers at MC and Del Norte], you know,” sophomore David Zhang, former MC student, said. “They’re about the same. Like, some teachers are really boring, some are mean—it’s pretty much the same thing.”

Many students had only compliments for the teachers.

“All my teachers were awesome,” sophomore Morgan Polson said.

There were also mixed opinions on the library’s stained glass windows.

“They’ve wasted money on things instead of the more useful things, like more on the decoration stuff, like the tinted windows,” sophomore Chad Bundy said.

“[The classes are] really high level I would say,” freshman Ebony Sanders said.

Zhang had a different opinion.“It’s a little less than I

expected,” he said. “We were going to get laptops and stuff. We didn’t get any of that stuff.”

Courtney agreed that some things could be fixed.

“The only downside is that we don’t have lockers,” he said.

Although only sophomores and freshmen go to Del Norte at the moment, in the future, Del Norte will have upperclassmen, which was one of the students’ complaints.

“I wish there were like juniors and seniors here,” Polson said.

“I’m hoping that this year will be a good year,” Sanders said.

WHAT’SINSIDE

NEWSsay “Hello” to all the new teachers, and find out who MC said “Goodbye” to over the summer. page a3

CENTERSPREADCheck out the sUN’s guide through high school.

page a4 and a5

OPINIONSsTaFF eDITOrIal: the back-lash concerning Obama’s edu-cation address was completely ridiculous and uncalled for. read what the sUN staff has to say about it.

page a6

ONLINEwww.mcsun.org

MaKIng THe SUn SHIne OnLIne

reVIeW: 500 Days of summer

NewsCeNtersPreaDOPiNiONssPOrtseNtertaiNMeNt featUres

INDEX

UPCOMING

EVENTS BaCK tO sCHOOL NiGHt

CLUB rUsH

Late start

DeaDLiNe fOr seNiOr PiCtUres

SepT. 15

SepT. 17-18 SepT. 25

SepT. 30

9550 carmel mountain rd., san diego, ca 92129

FRIDAySEPTEMbER 11, 2009

Vol. 37 no. 1

WWW.MCSUN.ORG making the sun shine online

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bUDGET 200

2130

60

126

Del Norte kicks off first year; students give mixed reviews

State educational budget cuts hit MC; ASB funds benefit student bodyKelly Fan staff writer

It’s been the same for several years now, ever since the state’s first substantial budget cut to education in 2001.

When a new school year rolls around, students and parents alike wonder what goes on with MC’s budget.

This year, once again, MC has suffered cuts in many areas of the school.

Despite the dwindling funds for schools all over California, the administrators make do with what they have.

One of the reasons for less funding has to do with a loss of students to Del Norte.

“We receive a certain number

of dollars based on the number of students we have,” Dr. Tom McCoy, principal of MC, said.

“We lost around two hundred students to Del Norte. At the moment, we have about 2,130 students, so we receive $126,159 – around $59.23 per student.”

A substantial portion of the budget is spent in two areas: instructional supplies and copy making, adding up to roughly $35,000.

“This includes things like chemicals, frogs [for dissection], markers, etc.,” he said. “But there is not nearly enough to give each department everything they need.”

The rest of the budget is spent on the running of the school: things like maintenance, furniture, and substitutes for teachers who are away, upgrading courses and curriculum.

“We’re just not able to provide everything we need with all these cuts,” McCoy said.

Despite the difficulties with such a small budget, administrators try hard to keep from affecting class sizes.

“We try to keep cuts away from classes as much as possible, but there is no ‘sacred cow’,” McCoy said. “There is no ‘we can’t touch that.’”

Overall, the main problem with budget has more to do with the state, rather than MC’s administration.

“This problem is so much bigger than Mt. Carmel,” McCoy said. “It’s hard to be in charge of a problem that is so out of your control.”

Though the outlook for the school budget does not seem very bright, ASB at least is holding up well.

“The Student’s Store is doing really well,” Sanford Carvajal, ASB

director said. “As long as students keep eating at the Student Store, we’ll be okay.”

The funds collected by the Student Store go to provide things for students that many take for granted, such as the free t-shirts, student planners, pep rallies, and freshman retreats.

The ASB budget is generally spent on things that benefit the entire student body.

“We try to do things that support everybody, such as the newspaper, which many students read, new gym flooring, a new sound system for the stadium,” Carvajal said.

The bottom line for ASB: support the Student Store.

“If people stopped eating at the Student Store tomorrow, there would be no more newspaper,” Carvajal said. “All that stuff would go away.”

by THE NUMbERS

PrO COn: read both points of view, and take a side on whether or not america should have universal health care or not.

page a7

saVe The PanDas: Columnist Cathy McDermott

“i always knew the war was going on, but i never real-ized who was in the uniform fighting it.”

Mt. Carmel High School

theSuNWORK PILES HIGH as counselors try to sort out the new trimester schedule

maCKenzIe lanCe, Jay hueyNews eDitOr, staff writer

The transition to the new tri-mester schedule has presented many problems with students’ schedules. Students waited impatiently for re-pairs on their schedules as counselors and administration worked around the clock to fix scheduling issues and attempt to balance out classes while adapting to the trimester system. For several weeks after registration and the start of school, some students had long waits outside the Sun Center waiting to be seen by a counselor.

“It was really annoying getting my revised schedule just to see that it was still messed up and I had been given a class I never signed up for,” senior Carolyn Watling said. “I wait-ed to get into the office for four days and then it took like five minutes to fix my schedule.”

The problems were mainly a result of the program used by MC, SASI, and the new trimester system.

“When we moved to trimesters, I think it was either A, SASI wasn’t prepared to deal with or B, wasn’t prepared to deal with well,” coun-selor Dena Tracanna said.

SASI, a data storing system used to automatically create a schedule to the liking of the students. In past years with MC’s traditional semester schedules, SASI was able to easily put together the schedules. Accord-ing to Tracanna, a trimester schedule with SASI made things pretty com-plicated.

“{The trimesters} and just the nature of it being new and trying to map out one more column, just was not something we could have an-ticipated,” Tracanna said. “It was

a lot more work than we would’ve thought.”

In trimester, there’s something called “rolling sequence” where stu-dents could take sequential classes for all three trimesters. An example is having Spanish 1, 2, and 3 all in one year. The problem is that some classes were either too full or just simply unavailable for that specific trimester. That explains why some students would have missing classes in certain periods. According to as-sistant principal Ron Garrett, the ad-ministration wanted to balance aca-demic classes and elective classes in each trimester so students wouldn’t have a schedule that consists of four elective classes and one academic class. But in trimester 1, the number of academic classes is greater than the number of elective classes, re-sulting in packed classes.

Another “glitch” that occurred with the SASI program was not se-quencing the classes correctly. SASI put students in their “preferred tri-mester class” but would ignore it if it wouldn’t work out, as opposed to simply just enrolling the student into the class another trimester.

“Sometimes the program would put a student in Ceramics 3, before Ceramics 1 or 2,” Tracanna said.

MC is planning on changing their data system from SASI in Janu-ary for the 2010-2011 school year, but their main focus right now is bal-ancing classes for trimesters 1 and 2.

“I believe the school is getting a new software system, but I think overall we are still excited about tri-mesters,” Tracanna said. “For kids who are behind or kids who want to accelerate, even though it’s hard, the benefits outweigh the difficulties.”

students lost to del norte

students that are currently attending mc

dollars per student (roughly)

thousand dol-lars receiVed from state fund-ing (roughly)

photo illustration by AMANDA STINTSMAN and MARy CARMEN GONzALEz | Photo Editors lOgICally IllOgICal: Columnist Dennis sun

“i was crushed by the bru-tal honesty of their reactions; i realized that most people re-ally do judge others based on appearance. “

COlumn: Mackenzie Lance describes her experience au-ditioning for teen Jeopardy in her column “that’s what she said”.

page a6

VANADANA BHARISTAFF WRITER

Sophomore Tessa Crosby climbed onto the bus looking for an open place to sit. She scoured the already full rows until she had no other choice but to sit on a seat with two other people, barely fi tting. In recent years, the number of students on a regular school bus has seemed to increase. How-ever, this year the number of students has seemed to take an even steeper hike.

The students’ perception of overcrowded buses does not match the actual numbers, how-ever, according to the district’s transportation di-rector.Sophomore Mitchell Kogan describes how annoying it feels to sit on an overcrowded bus.

“It’s way more painful,” Kogan said. “We have to sit two to three [students] per seat and the seats aren’t very big. There’s also no air condi-tioning…it’s really gross because it’s really hot and people sweat a lot!!”

Sophomore Maurice Bullock adds to what Kogan said, saying how sitting next to strangers can make the situation even more irksome.

“When you don’t know anyone who’s riding the bus with you that day, you have to sit next to people you don’t know and it makes things kind of awkward,” Bullock said.

With fewer buses now in use, the number of riders per bus, transportation director Tim Purvis said, can result in three students per seat.

“We [PUSD] currently have seven school buses serving MCHS,” he wrote.

Purvis goes on to explain how the six out of seven buses are signifi cantly under maximum ca-pacity and most students don’t need to sit three, or even two, per seat.

According to data from Sept. 3, the only bus that has to have students sit three per seat is route

# 29 with 65 students total. However, Bullock says how the number of stops the bus has to make can impact school.

“If you have to meet with a teacher before school or something, it makes it hard because there isn’t much time to meet with teachers be-cause it takes a longer time to get to school,” Bull-ock said.

Kogan, as well as other students, feel that the district should add more buses.

“If we had more buses, we could get home faster, and in a more comfortable way,” he said.

Unfortunately, Purvis says that adding more buses at this time is not possible.

“The Transportation staff has attempted to load our buses to near capacity, in many cases, to assure the wisest use of resources and protect the level of transportation service from being fully eliminated to large communities within the Poway Unifi ed School District,” Purvis wrote.

Purvis explained that the number of students taking the bus are usually high at the beginning of the school year and will change later.

“…Our [PUSD] load counts are traditionally much higher the fi rst few weeks of school prior to after school clubs, sports and tutorial programs’ beginning,” he said. “We typically experience a decrease in our p.m. routes home with increases to our after school activity bus ridership.”

Regardless of what Purvis said, Kogan be-lieves that the closeness of people on buses could become a health hazard.

“People get sick and since you sit so close to one another if someone sneezes there’s a higher chance of getting sick,” Kogan said. Despite the ordeal, Bullock doesn’t feel that he is being dis-suaded from riding the bus.

“I’ll keep riding the bus, at least until I can drive!” he said.

TJ RIVERA-ALONSOSTAFF WRITER

The sea of red swarmed towards the gym. All around students were efferves-cent as they crammed into the loud gym. The welcome back pep rally was about to begin.

The band played as students ap-proached their seats with their fellow classmates.

The energy and anticipation in the air were tangible.

The welcome back assembly was about to begin.

This pep rally on August 28, was predicted to be the best ever at MC.

“Preparation started about two months before,” Senior Pep Rally coordi-nator Taryn Kamita said. “We knew what we wanted to order and we got things done.”

The theme of the assembly was Sun-devil Inferno, and one of the main goals of ASB was to promote the new Sundevil logo. They did this by giving a t-shirt to every student.

“The people loved it [the pep rally],” said ASB Director Sanford Carvajal, “The t-shirts were a big hit too, compared to last year.”

Senior Scott Hanson was one of many students to alter the t-shirt look to promote school spirit.

“I got a XXXL and made a snug-gie, now I can be comfortable and show school spirit!” he said.

The pep rally itself included various performances and class competitions.

This year, the fall varsity sports teams were introduced through a music video.

Also unique to this pep rally was the hula dancer. First, she performed her islander dance in front of all the stu-dents, then she proceeded to invite stu-dents down to the gym fl oor to dance with her.

A new class competition was intro-duced and it involved football players and teachers racing each other in fi re-man suits.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, how-ever, only happened in the fi rst version of the school assembly.

A fi re performer was hired by ASB to perform at both pep rallies but after burning the tarp on the brand new gym fl oor during the fi rst assembly, the per-former was dismissed by Carvajal, who thought it better for the “fi re guy” to not show his display again.

To the relief of many basketball and volleyball players, Kamita said, “All that happened was the tarp melted a little bit, but the fl oor was left undamaged.”

According to students, the most memorable moment was Carvajal doing his “fi re dance” to put out the fi re. “He had to come over and pretend dance over the fi re,” Su said.

“This pep rally was the most effec-tive one I’ve been in,” Kamita said. “We called everybody we needed to call and fi nished the job at hand.”

Students came out in large numbers wearing red, and the school spirit was vi-brant during both assemblies.

With the hula dancer, sports music video, fi re gear races, unruly fi re per-former, and funky dance by Carvajal, this pep rally left students with renewed school spirit.

September 11, 2009 NewsA2 Mt. Carmel SUN

Pep rally ignites MC’s back-to-school fi re

JARED SERVANTEZ | PHOTOGRAPHERHesam Ebrahimzadeh (11) and Thy Dao (12) sit and wait for the after-school bus to leave. This year, some students claim the buses have been more crowded, but the Poway Unifi ed transportation states the number of students riding bus-ses has decreased. Students on some routes are forced to ride three on each seat to accommodate all the riders.

AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTO EDITORA Polynesian dancer shows MC student volunteers how to move their coconuts and pineapples during the Sundevil Inferno pep rally.

Buses overcrowded; PUSD claims riding rates will decrease

NICOLE BUSTAMANTESTAFF WRITER

Finally the time has come. After 33 years MC has come up with an official logo, and can happily print it on merchan-dise without worrying about a lawsuit from Arizona State University.

Along with a new official Sundevil the school has also acquired an MC, football uniforms, basketball uniforms, and an as-sortment of clothing items.

The man who previously designed the 49er’s football uniform and Mi-chael Jordan’s comeback jersey has pro-vided the same high quality designs in the merchandise he has created for MC. The company GVC, Global Village Concerns, Inc, contacted MC asking to do this redesign and clothing options for the school as a pilot and ASB accepted. Shortly after, the company presented all that they

had come up with to the ASB class during the summer. With ASB’s input into what students would buy and what they wouldn’t, GVC made the website available to seniors

during registration. Currently, the website is only available to seniors as a class of 2010 fund raiser. The site can be accessed via the school website. Although, more merchan-dise is expected to be sold to all students through the student store.

So far, students seem to be reacting positively to the uniforms; although, some are torn on their opinion of the sundevil.

“I like the new jerseys,” senior Emily Bell said. “You can see the names and the numbers on the back easier and all the red makes them look more uniformed. But the new logo is okay, the sundevil is a little creepier. However, the T-shirts were cuter then last year.”

Sophomore Christie Hennes shares a similar opinion about the new uniforms.

“At first I thought that having our football players in all red would be a lit-tle tacky,” Hennes said. “Turns out that it looks way better than I imagined, having

the player’s last name on the back of the jer-seys is also really nice.”

With the joy that the new merchandise has brought to MC so far, students eagerly await the upcoming release of all the new school items.

News A3Mt. Carmel SUN

ANGELA KIMCOPY EDITOR

As some teachers transferred to different schools or retired, new teachers and staff members have joined the MC faculty. More individuals new to the MC faculty include LAN technician Barbara Gephart, SPED Office Assistant Norma Correa, and Guidance Technician Di-ana Fisher.

Valerie Marcus: Special EducationMarcus has been teaching for about 20 years. She

has also taught general education, but prefers Special Ed. because she sees progress ever y day. She enjoys a more personal interaction with her students. She also enjoys spending time with her five children, two of whom at-tend high school.

Gabriela Montero: Spanish 3-4, 7-8Montero taught at Mesa Verde, RBHS and at ele-

mentary level. She enjoyed her fourth graders, but now finds she prefers kids who don’t “pick their noses.” She still feels she can use nostalgic techniques in teaching Spanish: colors and art projects. Montero appreciates the diversity at MC.

Jeannette Llamas: Spanish 3-4, 7-8Llamas has been switching schools between Cor-

onado High School and RBHS and has been teaching Spanish for 16 years.

She is also a long time friend of former MC Span-ish teacher Javier Martiarena as they were co-workers at RBHS before Westview was established.

Llamas also enjoys hiking outdoors, movies, and traveling.

Tammy Kotnik: Algebra 1-2, GeometryKotnik has ten years of teaching experience, but

also has an MBA and practical education experience. Last year, she was selected to work with the government of Abu Dhabi, UAE on an education reform project. She explains that it “was wonderful…it was a completely dif-ferent world.” But now, Kotnik is happy to be a teacher at MC.

Athena Reyes: Assistant Band Director, Orchestra Teacher

Reyes, before, taught in Orange County and ex-plains the differences: “The demographics were just all completely different. “It was almost all Hispanic, all of them below the poverty line, most didn’t even own their own instruments.” She loves the “can-do” attitudes of MC students and plans for an exciting year.

Mardi Johnson: P.E. Johnson taught P.E. in Texas in 1996, but until this

year spent 11 years as an elementary counselor in the PUSD district. She now teaches Freshman P.E., Raque-tball, Badminton, and Basketball. She finds she is well welcomed by the staff here. “I notice the staff here really welcomed me, …they’re very warm and friendly.”

Chachi Mueller: High School English 3-4Mueller moved to MC after teaching 5 years at

Westview. He sports a nose and eyebrow ring, and his classroom features posters of the Clash and Nirvana. Mueller explains his teaching mentality. “I’m not an in-spirer, there’s just room for change. And change is excit-ing, especially with kids… [I want] to help people see how books apply to their lives.”

New Sundevil adorns uniforms, ASB creates fundraising website

BRITTLYN FOSTERSTAFF WRITER

Over the summer two long time teachers, Elaine Stark and Javier Mar-tiarena retired. And long time science teacher Paul Samaras left MC.

“Stark and Martiarena will be a great loss to the world language de-partments,” Spanish teacher Joyce Daubert said. “Every member of our department brings a new set of skills and qualities to the teachers, and they will be hard to replace.”

Stark has been a teacher at MC for decades, and made the quick deci-sion to retire two weeks before school started.Many of the Spanish teachers looked up to Stark’s great knowledge of the Spanish language and a lot of her previous students enjoyed her methods of teaching as well, according to Spanish teacher Marie Cashion.

“She was so stable, and really

bright at Spanish, Cashion said. “And I would have to go to her to ask her questions, and the kids I’ve talked to, a lot of them really liked her once they got to know her.”

Her colleagues said that Stark’s teaching impacted many of her stu-dents’ learning development.

“She was very committed to her students’ learning and she worked very hard at it and she was very cre-ative,” Daubert said.

She is now spending time with her grandchild and family while en-joying her retirement.

As for Martiarena, his plan of re-tiring was kept private until the day after school got out.

“The way he let us know, did not give us time to really prepare mentally for it,” Cashion said. “It was kind of a shock because one day he just walked in the day after graduation to say bye and that he wasn’t coming back next

year.” According to Daubert and

Cashion, Martiarena is a professional chef. His specialty is paella, a Span-ish dish that uses rice and a variety of seafood. He was ready to take on his paella business full time, but he will be hard to replace because of his ec-centric personality.

“Javier was the king of power points, and some of the kids really loved him, and he really immersed the kids into the Spanish language. And he will be very missed on this cam-pus,” Cashion said.

A few weeks before school went back into session, Principal Tom Mc-Coy sent an email announcing the de-parture of Samaras from MC.

“I received a message from our principal that Mr. Samaras was leav-ing and by Monday we had a new teacher in his spot,” physics teacher John Earnest said.

Samaras had been a teacher here for over 30 years and he coached the track team and liked to help out with cross country. He also maintained a high discipline for students to learn.

“He was really serious and dedi-cated about kids learning and he was always professional about doing what needed to get done,” Earnest said.

Samaras also kept plans of his leaving MC quiet, but it has been con-firmed that he is now teaching at Ca-thedral Catholic High.

“He sent out an email and he thanked everybody for their friend-ship and he said he was moving on,” Earnest said.

Daubert believes that the teachers had a major importance in the lives of both the students and the faculty.

“I feel like I am a better teacher having the opportunity to have associ-ated with them,” Daubert said.

The sundevil used at MC in previous years. It is identical to the Arizona State University Sundevil, which sparked concern about lawsuits.

“The red makes them look more uniformed. But the new logo is okay, the sundevil is a little creepier.” -Emily Bell (12)

Our new sundevil, along with the new uni-forms, was designed by the same artist who designed the 49s jerseys.

Retired staff pursue teaching positions and paella business

New staff looks forward to fi rst year at MC

JARED SERVANTEZ | PHOTOGRAPHER

New staff (Left to Right): Norma Correa, Diana Fischer,Gabriela Montero, Barbara Gephart, Athena Reyes, Mardi Johnson, and Jeannette Llamas.

MC Sun thanks the following donors for their generosity

September 11, 2009

Bizhan SaidGlen JohnsonThomasin Lauria

Patty VaskoThe HueysThe Bargers

September 11, 2009

Sun SpreadMt. Carmel SUN A5 A4 Mt. Carmel SUN

Over the course of your four years at MC, you’ll make tough decisions, maneuver through obstacles, climb mountains, and get stuck in the mud. Whether it be easy, arduous, blissful, or painful, it’ll be a four

years you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Senioritis SwampSe•nior•itis: A deathly serious, completely real disease that reaches pandemic proportions among upperclassmen and underclassmen alike every spring.

BLOW OFF SENIOR SPEECH, SENIOR SCRAPBOOK, AND EVERYTHING ELSEGo back to junior year

ACE JUNIOR PAPERMove straight to Senioritis Swamp

STAY INFORMEDRead the SUN

(out every three weeks)

GET PUBLISHED

See MC Anthology

(room F6)

RELY ON SPARKNOTESMove back one

space

STREAK AT

HOMECOMING

Miss next

twenty turns

Get involved. The people you meet in clubs or on teams freshman year can easily be your friends throughout high school. See Club Corner on B6 for featured clubs every issue.

Plaza del Club

START

HERE

Wayward WoodsDon’t know what you want to do with your life? It’s okay. Neither does half the school.

GET LICENSEDouble next turn

To Kill a Mockingbird

East of Eden

Junior Paper Peak

Fear it.

LEARN TRIG DANCES FROM JOE

Move forward two spaces

MAKE AWKWARD

FACE FOR ID CARD

Miss next turn

BE A GENIUSSkip freshman year

GET OFF CAMPUS PASSMove forward three spaces

RESEARCH AT UCSD’S DR. SEUSS LIBRARYDouble next turn

WEAR RED

ON FRIDAYDraw again

REMEMBER

CURRIE’S

GANG SIGNS

Move forward

four spaces

GET HIT BY RASKIN’S NOODLEMove back one space(See B6 for feature on Raskin)

BEFRIEND A FRESHMAN

Move forward one space

September 11, 2009OpinionsA6 Mt. Carmel SUN

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID MACKENZIE LANCE SAT prep courses, AP assignments, summer school deprive

students of summer vacation, ruin summer’s purpose

JAY HUEYSTAFF WRITER

Eighteen months in federal prison can really take its toll. Spending 23 hours a day locked in a solitary cell gives one more than enough time to contemplate one’s malevolent deeds.

After serving time in prison for charges of dog fighting, Michael Vick was released on May 20. Vick said from the moment he stepped outside of prison, that being in prison opened his eyes and allowed him to see “the magnitude of the decisions I made.” He said that he spent many nights in prison crying, disgusted and feeling guilty about his involvement with dog fighting. Thus, he knew he messed up and couldn’t wait to get his life back on track, and to get his feet back on the football field.

On August 13, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to give Vick a second chance, signing him to a one-year deal. Many people, especially animal rights advocates, believe Vick hasn’t paid his dues and shouldn’t play another game in the NFL ever again. As far as a second chance goes, I think Vick rightfully deserves one. He did his time in prison, paying his dues. He claims that he feels remorse and wants to become a better man. The public cannot really ask any more from him.

Whether I support him or not is an entirely different subject. Being an owner of a dog, I understand the pain that Vick has brought to animal right activists. But

for many other reasons, when it comes to supporting Vick, I undoubtedly cannot give him my support.

Before Vick was even sent to prison, he had millions of dollars, which could’ve been used on anything he wanted. Instead, he decided to invest his money into breeding dogs and training them to become vicious fighters. My biggest issue with him is that he believes he made a “mistake.” According to the prosecutor’s statement of facts, between 2002 and 2007, Vick deliberately hung dogs from trees, electrocuted, drowned and shot dogs in his own

property. He committed these acts over and over again, all for his own amusement. Can we really consider these deeds a mistake? I have a hard time calling them a mistake, especially after what he did time after time.

His only remorse is that he got caught. If he had never gotten caught, he would still be out in his backyard getting his pleasure from fighting and killing dogs. He cried, but I bet it was because he lost all of his money from, what was at the time, the biggest contract ever in NFL history. Only time will tell

if his words are sincere, but for now he has to live with himself for what he did and the millions he has hurt, not only animal rights supporters, but his fans as well. I will continue to not show support for Vick in any way; I will not sport his new Eagle jersey, nor will I play as him in Madden 10.

LAUREN HALLSTAFF WRITER

It’s finally time. After the hours of lessons, six months of having a permit, and a very nerve wracking driving test, you finally have your license. You are now one step closer to complete freedom.

But there’s a catch; you can’t drive someone younger than 20 years old in your vehicle without a parent or guardian guiding you. This decreases the amount of time that many can spend driving and getting used to having a license. Many teens don’t have the time as it is to drive, but when you take away their many opportunities such as driving younger siblings around, they get much less practice.

Anyone who has passed the tests and receives their license should be prepared enough to handle driving people around. If they can’t handle the distractions of having passengers then they shouldn’t receive their license in the first place.

Teens should be required to have their permit for a year before testing for their license. This would give them more preparation time and a higher pass rate.

According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association 16 year old drivers get into more accidents than drivers of

any other age. If teens had to wait until they

turned 16 to get their permit, then wait a year before they get their license that number would drop significantly. Rather than waiting an entire year before being allowed to drive younger people, drivers could wait a month or two, giving them more than enough time to ad-just to the excitement of having a license.

Having to wait a year can mean many different things. For some who don’t own a car, they barely spend any time within that year span driving so how would waiting a year give them that ample amount of practice needed.

Many parents even allow their kids to break this law so their teens can drive their younger siblings to school and to their many other obligations. And why is it that you must be 20 years old before some-one with a provisional license can drive you?

If being 18 qualifies you as an adult, shouldn’t 18 year-olds be re-sponsible enough to make the deci-sion to be driven by someone with a provisional license?

Therefore, the year long pe-riod of waiting simply shows doubt in a licensed drivers’ abilities. If that doubt exists then they should not be out on the road alone in the first place.

The recent Facebook poll said it all: “Should the United States President be allowed to do a nationwide address to our children at school, without prior paren-tal consent?” The answer is a clear and resounding yes. In fact, there shouldn’t be a question.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama gave a speech to the schoolchildren of America, emphasizing the importance of education and staying in school.

And yet, before his public address, an e-mail was sent out to all the parents of Poway Unified School District students.

Superintendent Don Phillips informed the parents that if they wished to opt their child out of viewing the President’s address in class, then their student would be assigned “alternate learning activities” during that time period.

The Superintendent’s e-mail was preceded by outrage from parents across the country when they learned that President Obama’s address to the stu-dents would be broadcast during school hours.

After Obama announced this address, the Sec-retary of Education, Arne Duncan, sent letters to the nation’s principles, inviting the teachers to show the speech to their students.

Almost immediately after, the chairman of the Republican Party in Florida, Jim Greer, implied in a statement that Obama was going to “brainwash” American children.

This idea seemed to spread across the nation at a

great speed, extracting outrage from some parents at the idea that Obama would be trying to convince their children to see things his way.

This outrage is simply uncalled for. The Presi-dent of the United States of America, the leader of the free world, wanted to address the schoolchildren of his country and encourage them to pursue their educa-tion. The politics behind this does not matter.

Democrat or Republican, liberal or conserva-tive, Obama supporter or opponent, all parents should want their children to hear the president of their coun-try persuade them to stay in school and become well-educated.

The opposition to the address has its foundation in right-wing hysteria. President Obama is neither a Communist nor a socialist.

But he is the President of the United States of America, elected by an overwhelming majority of this country’s voters.

A small but highly vocal minority, which fears change, progressive thought, education and racial minorities, have attempted to suppress an otherwise non-controversial speech to their children discussing the importance of education.

We cannot forget the essence of the president’s speech — no matter who the president is.

Educational institutions should be proponents of the expression of ideas rather than be in the business of suppressing them.

CORDELL HUNTERSTAFF WRITER

I am going to spare you the mindless fluffy language and jump right into the problem. And it is a big problem. Actually no, it’s HUGE.

First of all, I would like to say goodbye to summer fun forever, because it has been jacked.

That’s right; stolen, nicked, kidnapped how-ever the hell you want to say it.

The point is that summer is not the same anymore, and because of par-ents, AP classes, summer school, and the dreaded SAT prep stuff, it is being ripped from our hands and thrown away like used gum.

I mean, come on people. Summer is our time to have fun. We go to the beach, relax, watch crappy summer TV shows and just enjoy doing something other than learning things and reading hard-to- understand books.

And the excuse for all of this unnecessary studying is that it makes us learn more. To this I say all there is to say: incorrect.

If you want us to learn things, I suggest calm-ing down, bribery or a nice combo of both, shaken, not stirred. You know just as well as I do that every-one works harder when money or some other form of present is involved. And at least this way both parties would be satisfied. We the kids would be happy because we’d get rewarded for our struggle.

The parents and teachers would be happy be-

cause we’d actually be paying attention in class in-stead of pretending to care and texting our friends under our desks. (To anyone who denies they do this, we know you’re lying.)

The point is, taking away the time God set aside for us to chill and not care, and making us care, is not a good idea. It certainly does not make us happy, and of course, when we’re not happy, you’re not happy.

And when you’re not happy, you yell at us.

And no one really likes to get angry and yell (if you do, go away, you’re not wanted here.) And as always, the yelling makes us even more unhappy and reluctant to do work.

So if you really, truly want us to learn things, let us do it in school be-

cause summer is already stretched thin enough. If it gets any

shorter, the world is likely to blow up.

Arguments against Obama’s address to schoolchildren of America prove uncalled for

STAFF EDITORIAL

LAURA SLUSSER | STAFF WRITER

CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST

JENNIFER FARRELL | PHOTOGRAPHER

Vick leaves prison, catches second chance; creates animosity in NFL fans

Driving restrictions limit teens, reduce experience

Who is Mackenzie?The first and possibly most

important sound I ever remember hearing was a 30 second melody without any words. I heard this sequence five nights a week, nearly every week as a child, and still do.

That perfect arrangement was the “Jeopardy” theme song.

By the age of six I had choreographed a dance to the tune, and tried to write lyrics to accompany. Most of my attempts revolved around the words “smart people, smart people, wining money.”

After a few years, I became fascinated with more than the song and I started getting questions. At first, my mom taught me a few answers to use for everything. If the answer is a country, say ‘France.’ If it’s a person, say ‘Ghandi.’ If it’s an event say ‘World War II.’ Any other question isn’t worth answering.

Actually, any answer wouldn’t be worth questioning. Instead of a traditional show, where a question would be asked and the contestant would answer, “Jeopardy” gives the players a very specific answer, and they would have to come up with the question.

At about age eight I mastered the system, and began questioning everything I saw.

My mom would ask me what I wanted for dinner and I would reply, “What are chicken wings?”

My constant questioning paid off and I got the hang of the game to the point where I could beat my family on some questions.

“Jeopardy” went from being a chance to show off to a reason to learn. I started to focus in history, because I could win that category.

There’s a teen tournament every year and I took the online test. I forgot I had taken it for a few months until my mom showed me an e-mail that stated I had scored enough to be invited to the callbacks in LA.

I did happy dance and hummed that tune I adored as a child.

During the first portion of the audition everyone took a written test, which was pretty much basic knowledge type stuff. The next element was a personality interview. I realized I was the odd one out. I don’t work part time at a biotech company and I’m certainly not valedictorian. My interview couldn’t be based on my mental capability like everyone else’s.

The “Jeopardy” ‘contestant coordinator’ read off my information sheet and noticed that I wrote “dance parties” under hobbies.

I elaborated about learning Indian dances from my friend Paresh, and eventually even demonstrated some of my favorite moves like “pet the dog,” and “screw in the light bulb.”

I made the officials laugh, and that put me at ease. I’m sure it wasn’t as impressive as the eight people who work in hospitals but it was the best I could do, and earned me the title of “fun girl,” and won me a “Thirsting for knowledge” water bottle.

Eventually, months after my audition. I was informed by show representatives that no one from San Diego was likely to be picked because the previous year’s winner attended Rancho Bernardo. Even though I was upset and felt like my chance was taken away before it had even stated, the “Jeopardy” people stressed the importance of trying again and again to get on the show, and I will continue to try until I get on the show.

In normal “Jeopardy” fashion…

“This Sundevil learned that individuality and sick dance moves are important qualities to impress TV producers and win souvenir water bottles.”

Who is Mackenzie Lance?

Sam Pierzina (11) poses as a srudent who prefers relax-ing during vacation instead of spending time studying.

September 11, 2009Opinions A7Mt. Carmel SUN

EditorsMackenzie Lance NewsMelanie Dickinson CenterspreadShayon Said OpinionsKevin Lage SportsDennis Sun Entertainment/WebRachel Martin FeaturesAngela Kim CopyMary Carmen Gonzalez PhotoAmanda Stintsman PhotoSta� WritersVandana BhairiAndy BolinNicole BustamanteKelly FanBrittlyn FosterLauren HallJay HueyCordell HunterZachary JensenAbby MansourTJ Rivera-AlonsoJared ServantezSara ShantzLaura SlusserJordan UgaldeSta� PhotographersJennifer FarrellAbbas MamdaniJared ServantezArtists Christian JunKelly FanLaura SlusserBusiness ManagerAlison Ashworth

MT. CARMEL SUN Mt. Carmel High School 9550 Carmel Mtn. Rd., San Diego,

CA 92129 (858)484-1180 ext. 3211 rmercurio@powayusd.com http://www.mcsun.org

Our mission is to provide the MC community with an informative, accurate and respectful student-run publication. The SUN seeks to

stimulate the discussion of issues in order to promote a more aware student body. Whether informing, voicing opinion, or entertaining, the

SUN strives for standards of balance and good taste.

Cathy McDermott Editor-in-Chief

Rick MercurioAdvisor

Catherine JaravataAssistant Advisor

Craig RacicotPhoto Advisor

The Mt. Carmel SUN is the o� cial newspaper of Mt. Carmel High School, published by its Journalism 2 students. The views expressed in the SUN do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Mt. Carmel High School administration or PUSD Board of Education. Unsigned editorials re� ect the beliefs of the SUN editorial board. The SUN is a student open forum, and all � nal content decisions are made by its student editors. Letters to the editor are welcome and should be signed. For advertising rates and information please call, email, or write the SUN at the address above.

Should the government adopt universal health care?

ZACHARY JENSENSTAFF WRITER

According to the US Census, as of 2007, 18% of Americans were uninsured. Because of those millions of uninsured Americans, many peo-ple seek to have government-funded health care, and allow medical treat-ment to every citizen, whether or not they can pay.

I believe this is a bad idea, and will raise US debt and lower medical standards.

As of 1984, Canada has had publicly financed health care. But since establishing that act, health care facilities have shut down, and surgery wait times are at an all time high.

According to the Fraser Insti-tute, US patients have greater access to medical technology than Canadi-ans do.

The US has over twice as many open-heart surgery centers, and near-ly four times as many MRI units. If we adopt universal health care, what do we have to look forward to but long lines and poor care.

Great Britain has lived with universal health care since 1948. In April of this year, their health ser-vice denied liver cancer patients a life-prolonging drug.

Now the 7000 patients diag-nosed with liver cancer each year will have less time with their fami-lies.

Also, in 2008, there were a total of 57,000 surgeries postponed from lack of available hospital space. When surgeries are postponed you

risk patient health. Besides lowering patient

care, universal health care would throw our government into even more debt.

The Institute of Medicine es-timated that universal health care would cost $34-$69 billion per year. The United States debt is already nearly $12 trillion.

If we are already cutting funds for schools and cramming kids into classrooms, what will we have to cut next to compensate for this unneces-sary plan.

Also, think of every single American who works for health in-surance companies.

They will be out of work, and those entire companies will be shut down. Every person with stock in those companies will also lose out, and how is that fair?

Also, imposing universal health care will cost the government money that they simply don’t have. And be-sides taking away money from pro-grams such as education and armed forces, every American will have taxes raised.

You may think this is fair in ex-change for not paying health insur-ance, but what about everyone who receives insurance through their work.

These people will have to pay for a commodity they already re-ceived for free or for a small fee.

Overall, if the US imposes universal health care, not only will health care providers suffer, but ev-ery American will suffer with raised taxes and worse medical care.

Sundevil PerspectiveFreshman

Ryan Messenger

SeniorCourtney Hedgecock

JuniorDeanna Cherry

SophomoreErica Lohrenz

“Yes, because I want everyone to have a shot at being taken care

of.”

“Yes, because it would make everything much simpler.”

“No, because I don’t think people should have to pay

taxes for other people.”

“No, because we don’t need higher taxes.”

TeacherMark Green

Summary of the concept of universal health care: Universal health care refers to a government plan that ensures that every citizen in its jurisdiction is entitled to required medical services. Most fully industrialized nations except the US pro-vide universal health care, but payments and methods of administration vary depending on the country. In some nations, regular taxes fund health care costs, while in other nations citizens buy into a system, like low cost, generic insurance to keep the expenses lower. Health care isn’t a very momentous issue in other countries, but now it’s a heated political issue in the US.

Thumbs

NOYESLAURA SLUSSERSTAFF WRITER

I remember as if it were yester-day, when my fourth grade teacher told me that health insurance isn’t necessary. She acted like getting sick was a choice.

It was funny that she should say this to me, knowing that I had dia-betes. It’s even more ironic that in a year, my kidneys would fail. I was a perfectly healthy kid.

My doctors don’t know what caused either one. If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 45.7 million Ameri-cans are uninsured.

But this doesn’t begin to de-scribe how horrible our current health care system is. Even the peo-ple with enough income to buy in-surance can’t always get it.

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or even a number of minor complications, your application will be immediately turned down for pre-existing conditions.

Still, you may be worse off even if you have health insurance.

Tracy Pierce was a fully in-sured man in Kansas City, Missouri. When he was 33 years old, he got kidney cancer. Almost every treat-ment his doctors prescribed was de-nied by his insurance company. The cancer spread to his lungs and brain. His doctors wrote a 27 page report, saying that a bone marrow transplant had a good chance of saving his life, but the company still denied it.

Tragically, Tracy died at the age

of 35. The insurance company even denied him morphine to ease the pain. A denied bone marrow trans-plant can save a health insurance company hundreds of thousands of dollars. They have every motivation to deny you care.

According to Linda Peeno, a doctor who used to work for Huma-na, doctors get a bonus if they have the highest number of denials. Many people against universal healthcare say that they don’t want the govern-ment between them and their doctor.

But the question is: Would you rather have an insurance company between you and your doctor? The government can be regulated. Laws can be passed to keep them from de-nying you care. The universal health care systems in the UK and France are extremely effective.

On the World Health Organi-zation’s ranking of health care sys-tems, France comes in first, with the United Kingdom ranking 18, and the US coming in at a staggering 37.

Granted, we can’t employ a to-tally single payer system yet. Elimi-nating insurance companies all at once would hurt the economy, which is already doing bad enough. But Obama’s health care plan is a step in the right direction. At the very least, we need an affordable public option. This would allow everyone to buy Medicare if they need it.

If Tracy Pierce lived in France, Canada, or the United Kingdom, he might still be alive today. In Ameri-ca, we have universal education. But what good will it do you if you can’t get the healthcare you need?

I swore I would never pick on freshmen. So much for

that idea.

-Vandana Bhairi

Cathy’s on the road. Watch out!

-Mackenzie Lance

Labor Day was the only break during the � rst tri-mester. Does anyone know where the fast-forward

button is?

-Christian Jun

Sports were our forte until all the coaches went to Del

Norte.

-Shayon Said

“I think there should be a government option while maintaining private health

insurance for those who chooose it. .”

JENNIFER FARELL | PHOTOGRAPHER

LAURA SLUSSER | STAFF WRITER

61% of students agree*396 polled

23% of students agree*396 polled

September 11, 2009OpinionsA8 Mt. Carmel SUN

Jordan UgaldeStAff Writer

In a perfect world, our school’s budget would not be a problem.

Teachers wouldn’t be in fear of losing their jobs and students would be able to learn in an optimal environ-ment. But what if schools were given all the funding they could ever need or want?

More teachers could be hired, making more man-ageable classes with smaller class sizes. Sports would be fully funded so that athletes wouldn’t have to pay to play and so that all teams could train with state-of-the-art equipment.

Any subjects that one would ever want to learn would be able to be taught.With classes tuned specifi-cally to what kids want to learn, students would be more focused in class, making it easier on the teachers while also making students happy.

Another idea that would make school a lot easier on everyone involved would be laptops for students.

Laptops might sound like a bad idea, since games and other forms of entertainment could distract students from work.

But in this case, the pros outweigh the cons if class work and textbooks were to be digitalized.

For one thing, we wouldn’t have to wait what seems like forever to load our school’s current computers.

Backpacks and lockers crammed with books would be a thing of the past, since all the information needed for school would be stored on students’ laptops.

Of course the occasional test would have to be on paper so as to prevent cheating, but for everyday learn-ing, laptops would accelerate the process.

However, upgrades shouldn’t just be limited to stu-dents.

With a limitless budget, teachers could make their dream classes with any desired resource accessible.

Marine science would be able to have a diverse aquarium on campus, physics classes would be able to have their own Hadron Particle Collider.

Teachers would be able to provide the best possible learning environment for students, without having to pay out of their own pockets for classroom supplies.

A school system where money was not an issue would truly be a great place to be, but with California in debt, we must deal with what we are given, whether it is enough or not.

‘Dream school’ budget provides laptops, more teachers, digitalized education

dennis sUneNtertAiNMeNt editor

While the nation faces its worst economic downfall since the Great Depression, the state of California faces its own cumbersome, huge problem: the budget.

It seems that there wasn’t a minute in time last school year that the budget wasn’t being pieced togeth-er. This year, as with many years past, has witnessed its share of budget cuts and deficit.

Ultimately, the state of California tried to keep the budget the same, and, after a long journey down the bu-reaucratic ladder, a meager sum of funds has trickled down to MC that is only slightly less than that of last year.

According to Principal Tom McCoy, MC, this year, has received $59.23 per student for the projected student population of 2130 students. Multiplied out, the amount the school gets is $126,149.90 for the entire school year.

Although this may seem like a massive amount of money, in reality, it is barely enough to keep the school running smoothly.

The largest chunk of MC’s $126,000 budget is spent on instructional supplies. According to estimates from Dr. McCoy, about $35,000 goes to providing supplies for the school, sending the funds directly into the class-rooms.

This money is divided by classes per section per de-partment and distributed accordingly. The more classes and students a department has, the more money it gets for supplies.

The next biggest chunk of the school budget is spent on substitutes, improving programs, and on the up-grade to the trimester system, leaving about $50,000 to $60,000 to run the school for the entire rest of the year. These funds are spent on maintenance and replacements for the school’s facilities and equipment.

Of course, numbers may seem mundane to most. However, these numbers are very important. The school is using what little money it has in the most efficient

way possible. Every department, according to Dr. Mc-Coy, has had to receive blows this year, as they have in the past. With the money it has received from the school district, MC has done its best to maintain the quality of education it has to offer.

Personally, I think that the school is doing a fantas-tic job. Despite all of these setbacks and cuts, there has been little griping about lowered funds, if any at all.

ASB, as well, has been doing a great job allocat-ing its funds efficiently. Although, we were not able to obtain any specific figures, the estimated ASB budget, according to ASB Director Sanford Carvajal, is around

$70,000.This ASB budget is decided and approved by the

ASB students, and funds from the budget are allocated to different programs and clubs.

ASB spends money primarily on programs and activities that affect all the students of the school: free planners and t-shirts are products of this agenda.

Thanks to ASB’s efforts, MC has a mélange of pro-grams and activities unavailable at other schools. No other school in the district gives out free t-shirts at the first school assembly.

No other school has a live, student-run broadcast,

and no other school gives out class prizes for winning class points.

Few schools have dances as fantastic and fun as ours – ASB has made these events exciting for the sake of the student body.

Any leftover funds at the end of the school year ASB spends on further school improvement. At the end of the last school year, ASB paid for half of the renovation of the gym floor with their leftover funds, helping with MC’s first renovation of the sort in its entire history.

All of the money that helps supply these great feats comes from profits made at the Student Store. Accord-ing to Carvajal, as long as students continue to eat at the Student Store, ASB will have funds to provide the student body with the great activities and programs it al-ways has.

ASB has no budget problems, thanks to its profits, and has even helped the school itself with various proj-ects and funds for the classrooms.

The school budget problem, ultimately, has not af-fected ASB nearly as much as it has the school.

If the source of the budget’s problems could be traced, it would almost definitely lead to the bungling bureaucracy of the state of California.

With constant problems of revenue and inconsistent spikes and drops, the state has borne problems of enor-mous consequence. Lack of income from taxes and the destructive effects of the current economic crisis have only further exacerbated the state’s problems.

Ultimately, the state is to blame for our district’s and thus our school’s issues of money and funding.

The school administration and ASB have been work-ing very hard to do the best they can to provide the same services and events that they have always had, even with the lack of funds coming from the state.

I think we should be thankful for what the adminis-tration and ASB have done to keep our school running efficiently and smoothly.

It’s thanks to their efforts that we can continue to believe the constantly repeated maxim: “It’s great to be a Sundevil.”

School budget proves worrisome; MC not to blame

The MC Economist

MC BUdgetdata courtesy of Jeanette Chang

Assistant director of finance of PUSd

2003-2004

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

Year

$356,386

$187,408

$171,468

$305,035$300,640

$344,765

$246,344

aMoU

nt o

f Mon

eY

decrease of $110,042

increa

se of

$98,4

21

decrease of $44,125

increase of $4,395

decrease $133,567

increase of $15,940

Christian Jun | Artist

SPORTS & ARTS FridaySeptember 11, 2009

Mt. CarMel SuN

B

Nighthawks join Valley League; MC affected

ABBAS MAMDANI | PHOTOGRAPHERPartially attributed to the opening of Del Norte, many MC sports are experiencing a lack of freshman players. The boys water polo team had only two freshmen join the team. As a result, they have been having difficulty filling the JV and Novice rosters and are being forced to combine players to play for each level.

JARED SERVANTEZStaFF Writer

This year, MC athletes will have a new competitor as the Nighthawks of Del Norte pre-pare to begin their inaugural season.

Del Norte will be competing against MC in the North County Conference’s Valley League, although the school will not be fielding any varsity teams this year.

Because Del Norte will consist solely of freshmen and sophomores in its first year, the Nighthawks will only compete on the freshman and JV levels until the 2010-2011 school year. According to Del Norte Athletic Director Mike Giaime, former MC baseball coach, they will still offer every sport that MC has except for gymnastics.

As Del Norte prepared to open its doors for the first time this year, freshmen and sopho-mores who otherwise would have attended MC were given the option to enroll at Del Norte instead. Many prospective athletes took ad-vantage of this opportunity, leaving some MC

sports feeling the impact of a smaller pool of underclassmen as they face difficulties recruit-ing enough athletes for their JV or freshman teams.

In one instance, boys water polo is having trouble fielding a novice team as they have in the past because of a lack of athletes. The cross country team has also been accept-ing new underclassmen run-ners later than it usually did in the past, in an attempt to boost its numbers.

However, according to Athletic Director Randy Wright, it cannot be deter-mined at this time how much the opening of Del Norte factors in to this shortage of athletes.

“I don’t know if you’re going to be able to tell for another year or two, to see how much of an effect there is,” Wright said.

Wright acknowledged the fact that we would have a greater number of underclassman

athletes in our programs without the opening of Del Norte.

However, according to Wright, the number of freshmen participating in each sport fluctu-ates from year to year, so issues of low fresh-man participation such as that faced by the

boys water polo team cannot be attributed solely to the opening of Del Norte.

Despite a shortage of un-derclassmen in a few instances, it looks as if MC athletics will suf-fer very little as a result of Del

Norte’s opening. Wright stressed the fact that the only way

MC sports will be negatively affected by the opening of Del Norte is by a lower number of freshmen and sophomores coming into MC sports.

The coaching staff hasn’t been affected much either, as the only MC coaches who left for Del Norte are Giaime and boys water polo coach Anthony Cabrera.

“The number of kids in our programs has dropped off, but I don’t think the quality has dropped off at all,” Wright said.

The administration at Del Norte believes that everything will work out fine as well, al-though Giaime acknowledged the difficulties inherent in running an athletic program at a brand-new school.

“When you start from scratch you are cre-ating a new culture, new systems, and it takes a lot of time,” Giaime said. “DNHS is on the right path, just fine tuning the procedures.”

Despite his daunting task, Giaime remains optimistic for the future of Del Norte’s sports programs.

“I am excited to see the Nighthawks com-pete; we are setting up the programs with be-ing competitive in mind,” Giaime said. “We are excited about the opportunity to be part of the North County Conference and show off our beautiful facilities.”

SARA SHANTZStaFF Writer

Sweat dripped off her face as she trudged on to the next house. Her motivation to keep going wore thin after the 10th door of the day was slammed in her face with a harsh “we’re not interested.”

It was 95 degrees on the last Saturday of summer, and while most MC students were at the beach soaking up the sun, the MC vol-leyball girls were selling cookie dough door to door to raise money for their season.

Budget cuts have made it necessary for many sports to do fundraising.

Usually the snack bar, along with money from the school brings in enough money to keep the girls volleyball program going, but af-ter budget cuts, they were forced to do a fund-raiser for the first time in years.

“We had to sell cookie dough because of the budget cuts in order to pay for new nets, poles, uniforms, shirts, officials, and part of our trip to Palm Springs,” senior Sydney Benson said.

The girls volleyball team isn’t the only

team that was affected by the budget cuts. The football team did several fundraisers

to finance their season. “We did a walkathon, sold gold cards

(coupons), sold cookie dough, and worked at the Del Mar Fair to pay for our season,” senior Mike Nelson said.

All of that was done to pay for new uni-forms with each player’s name on the back, fix-ing helmets, and the end of the season banquet. Other teams on campus rely on fundraising to finance their season.

The MC cross country team, both boys and

girls, get their money from the MC Invite (a race they hold at MC every year).

Around 80 teams enter the meet annually. The team charges an entrance fee and also

makes money from the snack bar. The money from the MC Invite goes towards buying uni-forms, paying for trips, and paying entrance fees to meets. This is the only fundraiser the team does because it brings in enough revenue to finance their season.

Although budget cuts have affected MC sports, teams are working hard to raise money for their seasons.

Budget cuts affect Sundevil teams, forced to fundraise

WHAT’SINSIDESPORTS

Check out the spotlights on your fellow Sundevils Bella Genkina, troy McClelland, and Coach Nathan Boyer.

page B2

read about the girls golf team’s plan to continue the winning streak they started last year and how they are adapting to the new coach. page B3

ENTERTAINMENTdid you grow up on Blink 182? Were you distraught when they broke up? read about their refor-mation and upcoming concert in San diego. page B4

read our writers’ reviews on the local neighborhood lunch stops frequented by MC students.

page B5

FEATURESread the inside scoop on aPeC teacher lee raskin. Find out what goes on behind the scenes with the noodle man.

page B6

Check out the anatomy of a math class. are you the senior taking it for college credit, or the freshman three grades ahead of everyone else? page B7

JV SPORTSon www.mcsun.org

MaKINg THe SUN SHINe ONLINe

do you participate in a JV or freshman sport? Have friends or family on JV? log on to MCSuN.org to check out their progress so far and their expectations for the season.

read about how boys water polo is dealing with the lack of players.

learn about the early struggles of the girls volleyball team and how they are working to improve throughout the rest of the season.

read about the football team’s intense training in an attempt to maintain last year’s team’s impressive record.

read about the cross country team’s preseason training and team bonding through mutual punishments.

Check out how the girls tennis team’s expectations for the sesason and their team bonding experiences.

UPCOMING

GAMES FootBallG. VolleyBallB. Water PoloField HoCkeyG. teNNiSCroSS CouNtry

SepT. 25 @ MC

SepT. 22 @ MC

SepT. 15 aWaY

SepT. 15 @ MC

SepT. 17 @ MC

SepT .12 aWaY

VANDANA BHAiRiStaFF Writer

CHACHi MuEllERCoach Chachi Mueller describes his coaching style

as “caustically sarcastic” and one of his players cautious-ly nodded his head in agreement.

Senior Andrew McComb talks about Mueller’s coaching methods.

“…He has a laid back personality,” he said. “…But when it’s time to get serious he gets serious.”

As a former coach for Westview High School, Muel-ler explains why he left WV for MC.

“Because I went to school here [at MC], I felt like I had a connection to this school,” he said. “This is the only job I would have left WV for…I have an allegiance to MC.”

Part of Mueller’s plan of action is to rebuild the MC Baseball program.

“We need to, as a program, define success as im-provement each day, doing better then the last,” Mueller said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to do well. I want to put us in a position to win every time we step on the

DAVE RuDgERS Coach Dave Rudgers has over 20 years of experience

playing golf. He has played on many golf teams with the Golf Course and caddied in the 2004 United States Ama-teur at Winged Foot Golf Club.

Rudgers describes his coaching style as “the sharing type.”

Senior Shelby Jones feels that Rudgers is a great as-

set to the team.“[Rudgers] has a broad knowledge of the sport,” she

said. “He has unique drills and exercises that really help us…He’s more lenient [than the previous coach]; he makes you WANT to be there rather than to be FORCED to be there.”

Rudgers also has many goals for the team and one of them is teaching the Lady Sundevils some lessons in life.

“Golf teaches so many life lessons because its one of the only games in which you keep your own score and call penalties on yourself,” he said. “Golf is a character building sport and I hope through personal example to foster young women with impeccable character. I want our team to play their best and win or lose, come out bet-ter for it.”

SANfoRD CARVAJAlFormer JV football coach Sanford Carvajal stepped

up this year to the varsity level to replace Darren Spen-ce.

Senior Eric Hurd explains how Carvajal has had a optimistic impact on the team.

“He’s positive and he brought a swagger [to our team],” Hurd said. “There’s just been a feeling that this is our year [to win CIF]. He has this attitude that’s like ‘We’re going to do whatever the heck we’re going to do [in games] and it’s going to work!’ Carvajal wants the best of each person to do the best of their abilities,” he said.

BoyS WATER poloAs of right now, boys water polo has no coach. The

varsity girls polo coach, Jon Au, has temporarily been coaching the boys team.

AMANDA STINTSMAN | PHOTO EDITORDuring a huddle at the game against Heritage, the new varsity coach Sanford Carvajal discusses the team’s performance in the game. Along with Carvajal, coaches Chachi Mueller and Dave Rudgers are joining the Sundevil staff.

New coaches join Sundevil staff, bring unique styles to teams

“The number of kids in our programs has dropped off, but I don’t think the quality has dropped off at all.”

-Athletic Director Randy Wright

September 11, 2009

SportsB2 Mt. Carmel SUN

Sundevil Spotlight

Andy bolinStaff writer

It’s 6 a.m. during summer. Most kids are sound asleep, but for foot-ball players at MC, it’s the beginning of three-a-day workouts. In previous seasons, football players have only been involved in two-a-day work-outs, so this was a new experience for all of them.

“The days were much longer, but our team really bonded during this time,” senior Wesley Wallace said.

Even by having practices three times a day, the players still found a way to have a little bit of fun.

“Having three practices a day was rough, but we did have some free time which included swimming and having some team dinners,” Wallace said.

Before these three-a-day work-outs, the team competed in a passing league tournament. The MC football team is based on a running offense [the option], so this tournament would be a good test for the Sundevils.

Many teams entered this tour-

nament, including the reigning state champions, the Cathedral Dons.

“We proved that we can throw the ball by winning seven games in a row; including arguably the best team in the county, Cathedral,” Wal-lace said.

By finishing the tournament in second place, the team boosted its confidence and really came togeth-er.

“Everybody on our team is real-ly coming together and that is going to make our team much stronger,” Wallace said.

According to James, having team chemistry is a big deal, and especially in football. When every-body on a team understands one another, the team is willing to work that much harder because of the person next to him. One way how a team can get great chemistry is from the coaching staff.

“We have a very good coaching staff and that is a big part of our fam-ily,” James said.

Also, the team has many true leaders and that helps out the whole team. Many of these leaders are re-

turning varsity players and that have a lot of skill to back up their leader-ship.

“We have a lot of talent on our team and a lot of experience coming back,” James said.

The returning varsity players are willing to continue the varsity traditions.

“We sing the fight song after every game,” senior Mike Nelson said.

If the team has a great practice, it’s a team tradition to not wash their clothes, no matter how grimy they get. A couple weeks ago, the team had a full week where they did not wash a single piece of clothing.

The team is looking forward to a great year, and they have many goals on their minds, one is to make CIFs.

“Our main goal as a team is to make it far in CIFs.”

The team had a close game against Heritage last week, but they lost, 24-20. The team faces Madison away tonight, then plays at Fallbrook before a home game against RB on Sept. 25.

The varsity football team played Heritage High School on September 4. The game went back and forth, but MC ultimately lost, 24-20. The team hopes to make up for their loss in their upcoming games against Madison, Fallbrook, and Rancho Bernardo.

Football exceeds in passing league, increases team chemistry

Boys polo endures morning practice, strives for success in early season gamesMAckenzie lAnceNewS editor

Boys water polo has endured morning practices and afternoon practices every day, issues finding and keeping an official coach, and a lack of new talent trying out for the team.

All of these issues arose before the regular season even started.

The team had their first play-ing experience of the season in a scrimmage tournament held at MC on Sept 3.

“We lost to University City and Rancho Buena Vista, but we beat Grossmont,” senior Drew Carlson said. “It wasn’t fun to lose, but we definitely showed signs that we can be very succesful this season, and we were able to learn what our weaknesses are before the actual season starts.”

The team’s coaching situation is not as sure as the team’s opti-mism for the season.

“We’ve been told we’re getting a new coach this year, but he can’t

come to practice due to some issues getting him approved as coach,” junior Danny Ettelson said. “Right now, John Au, the girls coach, is helping us out, but we are all re-ally excited for when the new [coach] shows up, to see what he brings to the table.”

With the current coaching staff, the team has been put into an intense

training regiment in order to perfect their skills and heighten their level of fitness.

“Every morning I have to wake up before six so I can get to morn-ing practice,” Ettelson said. “In morning practice, we don’t even touch the ball. We work exclusively on conditioning.”

After morning practice and a long school day, the boys return to the pool at six every night to work on their actual technique.

“Night practice is really all about polo,” Carlson said. “We spend two hours in the pool; each working on our position and learn how to be the most effective team possible.”

Ettelson, is one of the team’s top scorers, due to his work in hole set.

“Hole set is a difficult position to play because you’re constantly fighting a defender who is just beat-ing you and making sure you don’t score. Regardless of this, hole set is responsible for most of the goals,” Ettelson said.

The polo team sometimes re-lies on a few key players, but every player pitches in on the overall suc-cess during games.

As the polo team looks towards the oncoming season, they remain optimistic for a secure coaching situation and a trip to League finals and CIF.

Girls volleyball welcomes rookies through ‘kidnapping,’ trains hard for upcoming seasoncAthy McderMotteditor-iN-Chief

Tuesday morning, as students sleep walked out of their cars and into their classes, they were waken up by a surprising spectacle in the school parking lot.

Standing in the center of the lot stood a couple girls, who looked as if they had gotten dressed for Hal-loween in the dark.

From cheese hats to dippers, these girls were dressed in the most obnoxious clothing ever.

But it wasn’t that these girls needed a serious fashion sense les-son. They were the rookies from the girls varsity volleyball team.

“The rookies get kidnapped by the returners of the team,” senior Anna Oh said. “The returners have a big sleepover and the sleepover consists of having a pasta dinner, making shirts, and picking out cos-tumes and outfits for the rookies to wear, when we kidnap them.

“We wake up at 3:30 a.m., and we go to each of the rookies houses

and wake them up and give them outrageous outfits or costumes. They can’t put on any makeup or brush their teeth, and then after kidnapping all the rookies we eat breakfast at IHOP. The rookies have to walk around school the whole day wearing their outfits.”

According to the head coach, Bri Beal-Raphael, the team has a lot of chemistry and is really close. They are constantly throwing bond-ing events to build their team rela-tionship.

“We have a team of 16 which is really big for a volleyball team,” senior Sydney Benson said. “For such a large team we have really good chemistry and all get along great which helps a lot on the court. Our biggest weakness on the court is probably our mentality. We’re working on improving it, shaking off a mistake and moving on to the next ball.”

The team had their first scrim-mage last week, and they took it as a learning experience that they could grow from.

“We lost to Tri City in three but we played well,” Beal-Raphael said. “It was a great way to start our season. We saw what we need to work on and what worked before we go into league which is what we expect from pre season games re-gardless of wins or losses.

“The team is growing daily. Thus far we need to work on con-sistency, communication on the court, and passing. We are strong in our offense and serving, however we need to be more consistent in our passing and defense to be suc-cessful.”

With a strong upperclassman team and a deep chemistry, the team is definitely looking optimistic for the upcoming season.

“I am definitely looking for-ward to seeing how this year plays out,” senior Victoria Low said. “I mean it’s mine and some of my teammates’ senior year, so we’re definitely going to try and make the most of it.

“But our big rivalry games against schools like Westview, and

“In morning practice, we don’t even touch the ball. We work exclusively on condition.”

-Danny Ettelson (11)

If you had S100 to spend on anything, what would you spend it on?Go to a concert, and purchase a million wristbands of my favorite bands. What’s your greatest fear and why? the brutal sidedoors at subways that attack you.

If you could un-invent one thing, what would it be and why?atomic bomb. world peace!

When did you start playing your sport?as soon as i was able to hold my racket. Lessons at six.

What’s the worst injury you have received in your sport?wrist sprain (knock on wood).

Why did you decide to start playing your sport?By the force of my parental units.

Do you hope to continue playing your sport in college?Yeaa son!

What do you plan to do after high school?Shayon wants me to be a tennis-pro.

Name one person or group of people that you admire.Billie Jean King

What is your favorite TV show?So You think You Can dance.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?time travel. it’d be legit to see what life was like back in the day.

discipline, commitment, motivation, teamwork, and

hard work are just a few things that football can teach you

about the game of life. football is in my blood.”

tennis to me is an escape. it’s a place where i belong and release my emotions. tennis is where i control everything and the results that are achieved are my results, good or bad.”

QUick hitS

MC cross country is an endeavor to get the most out of yourself. it’s a team effort in which everybody is committed to being the best they are capable of becoming, both physically and mentally.”

amanda stintsman | PHOTO ediTOr

bellA genkinA

teNNiS

nAthAn boyer

CroSS CoUNtrY

troy McclellAnd

footBaLL

If you had S100 to spend on anything, what would you spend it on?i’d take my wife out. If you could un-invent one thing, what would it be and why?westview.

When did you start playing your sport?My freshman year of high school.

What’s the worst injury you have received in your sport?it [iliotibial] Band (in college) i had to miss three weeks.

If you could own any brand of clothing what would it be?the invisibility cloak from harry Potter.

Why did you decide to start playing your sport?My friend called me and invited me to come out for the team.

Did you compete in your sport in college?

Yes i did--i now coach it.

What’s your biggest pet peeve and why?Students who refuse to wash my truck.

Name one person or group of people that you admire.John wooden.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

fly and be in two places at once.

QUick hitSIf you had S100 to spend on anything, what would you spend it on?i would definitely spend some of it on some good food. i would probably use it to do something fun with my girlfriend or friends. i would buy some clothes or some more Vans.

What’s your greatest fear and why?Getting seriously injured because i wouldn’t be able to play football or work out for a while.

If you could un-invent one thing, what would it be and why?i would un-invent war because there would be many less deaths and more peace in our precious world.

If you could own any brand of clothes, what would it be?Volcom

Why did you decide to start playing your sport?My dad was a big time football player and he wanted me to try it out. i was also tired of being in the penalty box for contact in roller hockey.

Do you hope to continue playing your sport in college?i sure do! we will see if i’m blessed with that opportunity.

Name one person or group of people that you admire.Pat tillman. this man sacrificed his contract and his love for the game of football to serve his country. he is a true hero.

When did you start playing your sport?when i was nine years old.

QUick hitS

Compiled by: Andy bolin, Sara Shantz, and nicole bustamante | Staff writers

all photos by amanda stintsman | PHOTO ediTOr

The MC girls tennis team has high expectations for this season after their tremendous success over the last two seasons.

“Our chances of winning Leagues are very good,” senior Emily McKeon said. “We went undefeated in Leagues last year, largely thanks to our amaz-ing singles players. We defi-nitely have set high standards for this season because after win-ning leagues last year and win-ning CIFs the past two years, we know we can achieve a lot.”

In the past, the team has had great team chemistry.

“Our team's chemistry has evolved over the years and has become very close,” senior Joanna Stewart said. “We all are striving for one goal, to win, and we want it badly as a team.”

After losing six seniors, three of whom were start-ers, the team brought up seven new players. With so many new players, the team is really focusing on team bonding.

“We have pasta dinners every Wednesday to bond and

get to know each other off the courts,” Stewert said. “We also do secret sister gifts and

have a banquet at the end of the season.” Coach Jim Wrage is preparing the girls

for intense matches by conditioning the team. “We do lots of conditioning,” Stewart said. “We run

about a half a mile around the courts every day and stretch all of our muscles. We often run stadiums, usually four of them on the home side and do laps and laps of Indian runs.”

The team expects their big-gest competition for Leagues to be San Marcos and West-view. For CIFs they expect their biggest competition to be Valhalla and Scripps Ranch.

The girls expect to do very well this season but all agree that their doubles needs work.

“Our doubles teams are new match ups, so they aren’t too strong, but as time goes on we'll get used to playing together and develop chemistry as partners,” junior Melissa Anewalt said.

September 11 , 2009

Sports B3Mt. Carmel SUN

Folded back behind the infamous football field lays hellish dirt trails and hills that offer a challenging test to even the most veteran runners.

“The physical training of cross country is quite intense,” head coach Nathan Boyer said. “The kids believe that they can get the most out of themselves because they’ve worked so hard to accomplish it.”

Affirmation means refusing to believe any negative characteristics about the athletes’ running abilities, and according to the team, it is one of the key ingredients for the success of the team this season.

“Visualize yourself running the race and achieving the goals that you want to accomplish while you’re running

and stay positive throughout the whole experience,” senior Branden Foster said.

In other words positive thinking is the rock this team is built upon.

Senior David Vasko believes it wills them to accomplish their goals.

“Keep yourself positive during the race, because once you start thinking bad about yourself you start slowing down,” Vasko said.

Senior Jacob Wood has high aspirations for this season and also the greatly-coveted CIF that has all of the athletes fueling

Themselves to their optimum level. “Everyone just needs to keep running,

six days a week, and that way we will be able to peak in time for CIF and State,” Wood said.

“Peaking” or reaching the highest physical level of fitness as a team. It is a result of tireless and gruesome

work outs on a day-to-day basis. “We’ve been training all summer

and putting in a lot of effort by just increasing our mileage and speed,” junior Lindsay Valdez said.

Besides just training solidly this season, senior Erin Menifee says the team must continue to bond together to support and rely on one another.

“We have really been working together, and using team goals, so we’re really just trying to stay positive and be confident in ourselves and know that we can do it,” Menifee said.

She also believes that the disappointment of not winning CIFs will fuel them to push harder this year.

“We got fourth last year {in CIFs} and we’re really hoping to bounce back from that this year.”

Cross Country’s first upcoming meet is the “Bronco Round-Up” tomorrow, at RB. Varsity boys are scheduled to run at 8: 20 a.m. Varisty girls are set to run at 8 a.m. .

The team is hopeful to display what they have been accomplishing all summer at the meet on Saturday.

They are looking foward to competeting against rival schools.

As for the rest of the season the team realizes that dreams are the key factor in success.

And dreams can only be accomplished by putting in the tireless work of running everyday.

“You have to put in the hard work to get somewhere; we want to dream so we have to put in that extra hard effort to get there,” Vasko said.

Girls tennis strives for impressive season, hopes for CIF title

Positive affirmations inspire cross country

Bella Genkina (11) backhands the ball over the net with ferocious intensity on the game. The girls tennis team plays every match with the same level of optimum focus, with their eyes on the CIF championship. Girls tennis works hard each and every day in order to acheive their goals.

Field hockey expects intense season, commits to work hard

Girls golf swings into season with new coach

It’s finally coming together. For the girls field hockey team,

the important skill that they lacked last year, with a rookie-heavy team, is proving to give them a competitive edge.

“Last year we were all beginners but now we have a good background and we’re all at the same level now,” senior Jennifer Martin said.

“Pretty much everyone is starting where we ended last year, so we all have more experience and are more willing to work.”

With that experience, the team is pretty even with the other teams in their league.

They expect to win against Orange Glen and Canyon Crest Academy.

“Our main competition will be the newer teams,” Martin said. “Most of the teams are at our level.”

This competitiveness between the many teams allows for every game to be a learning experience

for the team, and makes for more interesting and intense games and competition.

The girls played Otay Ranch and lost by a close margin, 3-1.

In their game against Mission Hills the team proved to themselves that they are at a level comparable to the other teams with a close 2-1 loss.

Practice for this team is very focused on the technicality of the game.

The girls do dribbling and shooting drills, and use senior Ashley Romano to practice faking out the goalie.

“One of the big things that we’re all trying to improve on is positioning and communication,” Martin said.

“We are working on focusing and following though with our hits and paying attention.”

They also owe their improvement to their coaches dedication.

“Our coach (Katie Fixsen) is really encouraging and, pushes us in

a positive way,” Martin said.With the amount of effort and

efficiency put forth in games as well as every day in practice a great season is expected.

“I’m expecting a lot of hard work and dedication from the team this year,” Martin said. “I expect to see a lot of effort and players putting 110 percent into our games.”

“I am really looking forward to our games against challenging teams,” freshman Rachel Peters said.

“I know that in tough games we have the ability to pull together and pull through to do our best in any situation.”

With such commitment and positive enthusiasm from every member of the team, the girls’ experience isn’t the only defining characteristic of this team.

If anything, according to the girls, it will be their will to work, devotion to the team and their individual improvements which will ultimately lead to their success in league play.

Every time a team receives a new coach, there seems to be a necessary transition period.

When team is meeting the new coach and feels somewhat uncomfortable.

This moment was short lived for the MC girls golf team, if it existed at all.

New coach Dave Rudgers brings a light and fun yet instructive atmosphere to make the team feel comfortable.

“The chemistry between our team is actually really amazing,” senior Caraline Goodman said. “We are totally different girls from so many different grades but we still connect with each other.”

The team will have to go to great lengths to improve from last year’s league-winning performance.

The team also placed in CIF last season.

One of the team captains, senior Shelby Jones has high expectations for the team this season.

“This year we are an even stronger team and expect to improve from last year’s accomplishments,” Jones said.

Along with Jones, senior Christina Lewis leads the team as the other captain.

She always keeps the mood light and promotes spirit among the team.

“Shelby takes the lead with all the organization and Christina makes sure we all have spirit,” Goodman said.

The girls had their first two non-league matches and did well in both.

With six returning players and three new ones, the team won its yearly warm-up match against Crawford.

In the match against Rancho Bernardo the girls lost, but scored close to their team record, which they expect to shatter multiple

times this season. The team has set the bar high

with its success in recent years. however, the team believes there is always something to improve upon.

“There is always room for improvement in golf,” Goodman said. “You are always telling yourself ‘I could have shot better’.”

The team is adjusting well to Rudgers as the new coach.

“Coach Rudgers is a wonderful asset to our team,” Jones said. “His broad knowledge of the sport and his unique drills are benefiting the team greatly. Practice is not only helpful, but fun for all of us.”

The players are excited for the new season and the captains seemed poised to bring a title to MC for girls golf.

“This year we have high hopes for being a competitive team in CIFs,” Jones said. “As well as creating a positive image for the girls’ golf team at our school.

“Our team’s chemistry has evolved over the years and has become very close. We all are striving for one goal, to win, and we want it badly as a team.”

- Joanna Stewart (12)

Upcoming meets9/12: Bronco Invite Kit Carson Park 8 a.m.

9/19: Mt. Carmel Invite Morley Field @ Balboa Park 8:30 a.m.

9/26: Dana Hills @ Dana Hills High 8 a.m.

10/2: Valley Center, Del Norte Tri Meet Mt. Carmel Campus Course 3:30 p.m.

10/9: San Marcos Dual Mt. Carmel Campus Course 3:30 p.m.

laUren hallSTAFF WRITER

Mary CarMen Gonzalez | photo editor

brittlyn fosterSTAFF WRITER

tj rivera-alonsoSTAFF WRITER

sara shantzSTAFF WRITER

JennIFer Farrell | photoGrApher

The boys cross country team sets off running during a practice. Both the boys and girls cross country teams have been training hard in hopes of capturing the CIF title.

September 11, 2009EntertainmentB4 Mt. Carmel SUN

Fall TV brings old back along with new

Blink 182 to make comeback with Sept. 16 concert

GLEE FOX - SEPT. 9

Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy produces this comedy musical. Expect to see lots of drama and even more singing. This show should be appreci-ated by Mamma Mia! lovers.

COUGAR TOWNABC - SEPT. 23

Courtney Cox plays Jules Cobb, the divorced mother of a teenager who decides to start dating younger men in this drama/comedy. Overall, this show seems to promise laughs and many funny, awkward moments.

THE MIDDLE ABC - SEPT. 30

Patricia Heaton plays Frankie Heck, a wife and mother of three. Heck is a middle class wom-an living in the middle of the country and middle aged. This uplifting comedy seems to be the right choice if a light optimistic show is preferred.

DAY ONE NBC (NO PREMIERE DATE GIVEN YET)

This upcoming 13-episode sci-fi television series is about neighbors in an apartment building that survive a cataclysm that has destroyed the infrastructure of the world. From the makers of “Fringe” and “Journeyman”, this show will be a unique one.

THE FORGOTTENABC - SEPT. 22

Reiko Aylesworth stars in this new drama detective series about a group of amateur detec-tives who try to solve cases the average people involved in horrible crimes. In other words, the detectives work with the scanty evidence they re-ceive to help those who are usually forgotten in the crime investigating world.

THE JAY LENO SHOW NBC - SEPT. 14

Jay Leno returns to television except this time at the earlier time of ten p.m. Now more people will get to watch this stand up/skit comedy show that has had viewers laughing for years.

HOUSE FOX - SEPT. 21

Hugh Laurie returns as Dr. House in this popular TV series. Expect more conflicts with the Dean of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, his diagnostic team, and many others. That is, when House is released from the psychiatric hospital he was sent to at the end of last season.

HEROES NBC - SEPT. 21

Tim Kring’s show “Heroes” comes back for an action-packed fourth season called “Redemp-tion”. The Villains gain new recruits in the epic battle of superheroes to save the world.

GOSSIP GIRL CW - SEPT. 14

This teen drama television series adapted from Cecily von Ziegesar’s series of book returns with an unexpected season. Guest appearances by Hilary Duff and Tyra Banks are sure to excite fans. The question still arises, how the show will continue when most of the characters have left for college?

All through the ‘90s, rock radio stations were dominated by the punk rock lyrics of Blink 182. Their hit songs such as “All the Small Things” and “Rock Show” could be easily quoted by most teenagers.

Blink 182 was formed in 1992 by Rancho Bernardo students Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Scott Raynor. The garage band soon went on to release the small demo tape “Flyswatter,” which was circulated

mainly to friends and family. In 1993 their first signed album, “Buddha,” was released on cassette tape.

The band really took in 1999 with the addition of a new drummer, Travis Barker, and with the release of their hit album “Enema of the State” which contained some of their most famous songs, “All the Small Things” and “Adam’s Song.”

Their career continued to skyrocket with the albums “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” and “Blink 182.”

Unfortunately for their fans the band went on

a hiatus and eventually broke up in 2005. The members went on to form separate bands. They split off to form Angels & Airwaves and +44.

At the 2009 Grammy Award show, the band shocked the music community by announcing that they would be coming back together.

The band announced that they are currently working on a new album, have finished a new song “Up All Night,” and are currently touring with Weezer and Fall Out Boy.

The band’s tour brings them back here to their

hometown on Sept. 16 at the Cricket Amphitheater in Chula Vista.

Junior Rami Ariss, who was turned on to the band just three years ago plans on going to the show and believes they are going to live up to their previous talent.

“I’ve watched some of their recent performances on youtube and they seem to be even better than they used to be,” Ariss said. “They seem to still have the same chemistry that made them so great before, so I hope they’re still as good as they used to sound.”

KEVIN LAGESPORTS EDITOR

TJ RIVERA-ALONSOSTAFF WRITER

REVI

EWS

With frozen yogurt shops popping up on every corner, it’s always difficult to decide where to eat. But L’ Amour De Yogurt, locat-ed near Stater Bros., offers not only great yo-gurt, but a cool place to hang out and relax.

Boasting 16 flavors of yogurt, and 46 toppings, L’ Amour de Yogurt has some-thing for everyone.

The yogurt is rich and smooth, and offers a healthy alternative to regular, cream-based ice cream.

Flavors vary from Pomegranate Rasp-berry Sorbet, to Irish Mint and Cookies ‘N’ Cream.

This yogurt shop allows you to cus-tomize your yogurt anyway you want. You pay based on the weight of your treat, so you can put as few or as many toppings or yogurt as you wish.

L’ Amour de Yogurt is the Starbucks of Yogurt shops. It has a mix of modern and retro decor with a stage that offers open mic night every Friday. Also, the shop offers two MAC computers for customers to use and browse the Internet, along with free WIFI.

Whether you want delicious yogurt, or simply somewhere to relax or hangout, L’ Amour de yogurt is a great stop for any night.

Name: L’ Amour de YogurtLocation: Penasquitos PlazaCategory: Dessert

Name: Museum of Contemporary ArtLocation: DowntownStyle: Modern Art

Title: The Time Traveler’s WifeRating: PG-13Genre: Romance

Title: Ponyo on a Cli� by the SeaRating: PGGenre: Animated Film, Fantasy

ZACHARY JENSENSTAFF WRITER

A red and white Igloo cooler in the shape of a coffin and labeled “BIGSNOOZ” greets you in the front lobby.

A connecting annex is home to a giant, inflatable, sleeping Buddha with a mustache.

A “breathing wall” resides in the museum’s companion gallery across the street.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (free for those under 25 with ID) caters to the open mind.

While modern art museums may not necessarily showcase conventional masterpieces, the questions they provide can be just as inspiring and thought-provoking as any of the Mona Lisa. Downtown’s MCASD is no different.

While rather small, it is in a relatively accessible location and worth the drive.

It is also well worth taking the free guided tour, or at least reading the explanations mounted on the wall to help answer those questions that may arise.

Otherwise, all you’ll see is a giant inflatable Buddha, instead of an insight on death and impermanence.

But for Humanities and AP Art History staples like Monet, Degas, Warhol, and Picasso, take the 163 to Balboa for SDMA.

MELANIE DICKINSONCENTERSPREAD EDITOR

The look of heartbreak on Clare’s (Rachel McAdams) face when her true love Henry (Eric Bana) disappears into one of his frequent time travels certainly did not mirror my look of confusion from this bizarre situation.

In fact, the peculiar time traveling was never thoroughly explained and often had me preoccupied and unable to completely focus on the plot.

Once you do, however, get past the original confusion, you will be in for a genuinely entertaining film.

The story follows the life of a woman who is constantly trying to adjust to her husband’s uncontrollable traveling through time.

This movie managed to pack in much catharsis, having the audience laughing hysterically one minute and crying and sniffling the next.

Although there was nearly no logic in this movie, the touching and complex situations that were displayed and the talented actors and actresses made this movie worthwhile.

It may be not one to spend $10 on in theaters, but definitely one with potential for rental.

ABBY MANSOURSTAFF WRITER

Most would think twice about seeing a movie about a curious fish wanting to become a human girl.

It sounds childish, a bit “Little Mermaid.” But “Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea” is another must-watch, Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece.

The story revolves around Ponyo, a cute pink fish who steals her magician father’s magic to become human and to run from her underwater palace.

She befriends a young boy, Sosuke, once as a fish and then as human.

But there is a catch. If she is to remain human, Sosuke must pass a test given by Ponyo’s goddess mother.

The movie is adorable and entertaining in both English and Japanese, full of quirks and breathtaking images.

Director Miyazaki hand-drew all the animations, to produce a fantastical, squishy look.

And his signature anime style remains timeless.

In the movie, one can also view the prehistoric in action: ancient fishes frolic about the sea.

Miyazaki’s love of nature permeates throughout the film, and should win hearts of all ages.

ANGELA KIMCOPY EDITOR

4.5//5.03.0//5.05.0//5.05.0//5.0

LOOK HERE NEXT ISSUE FOR:An interview with one of the stars of

the upcoming movie FAME

CHRISTIAN JUN | ARTIST

With the start of the school year comes the start of fall television

September 11, 2009Entertainment B5Mt. Carmel SUN

FOODSTOPSLocal restaurants around MC o� er fresh, quick, delicious food options

Mount Carmel High School

Orient Valley

Rodrigo’s

The Deli Stop

Bucky’s

The unrelenting heat is making the ground blurry. You’ve accumulated nasty pools of sweat on your back and in your pits. All you want is a cool, refreshing, double scoop of Bucky’s Sour Apple Italian Ice. Or Maui Waui sherbet. Or classic Vanilla ice cream.

Bucky’s of Boston has been loyally satisfying those cravings for PQ residents and regulars for over 20 years. Late summer’s high temperatures make Bucky’s an especially appealing treat.

The family-owned ice cream shop has persisted through the corporate overhaul of the ice cream industry, and is currently persisting through the frozen yogurt craze.

They have developed a well-deserved following among MC students over these past two decades. Most kids who have lived in PQ all their life, like sophomores Dan Inglese and Charlie Andrews, remember going to Bucky’s with their baseball teams and after school. They both have been going since they were about five years old. Senior Sophie Chambers has also been a fan from a young age.

“I don’t even remember the first time I went there because I was so young,” Chambers said. “My mom says

I ordered ‘mustachio’ ice cream.”Junior Wayne Lehr has frequented

Bucky’s since he was three years old. Its local and family-owned atmosphere is what draws him (and much of the MC population) back again and again.

“Just that it’s small, local, and family owned gives it a nice, friendly feel,” Lehr said.

“And their ice cream doesn’t cost a fortune,” Chambers said.

Their prices range from $1.20-$5. Bucky’s unusual variety also plays a key role.

Some Sundevil favorites include: Mango Italian Ice (Chambers), Kiwi Icee (Inglese), Cake Batter (Andrews), and Mud Pie (Lehr).

Despite their popularity throughout the community, Bucky’s of Boston is set to close in 2011. Rent in the Vons shopping center has become too high for an independent store like Bucky’s to afford. Although the management has known that they would have to close for

several years now, the current economic climate is not helping their situation.

But their neighborhood following hasn’t dwindled. Sundevils will keep going to Bucky’s because it has been, and will continue to be (for at least another two years) the best cure for global warming.

MELANIE DICKINSONCENTERSPREAD EDITOR

BUCKY’S ICE CREAM & ICE

MARY-CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTO EDITOR

Taste, location, price: Three characteristics that make Rodrigo’s hard to beat when MC students are in search of Mexican food.

First and foremost, it’s cheap. You can get a carne asada burrito special, which comes with rice, beans, and a drink for about $5. Compared to Subway, where you can only get a sandwich without a side or a drink, this is a tremendous deal.

Not to mention, the burritos are big. Really big. Perfect for splitting with a friend, getting even more value for your dollar. Also, Rodrigo’s carne

asada fries are cheap compared to the more expensive Cotija’s fries.

Although one might question if the taste is as satisfying as the price, they surely won’t be disappointed.

Junior Danny Franco, a Rodrigo’s fanatic, raves about his favorite restaurant.

“Rodrigo’s cooks with heart; they’re [the workers] really friendly, and they always talk to me when I go there,” he said. “Their enchiladas, rolled tacos, and carne asada fries, oh man those fries, are muy bueno!”

Senior Emily Bell also has her reasons for liking Rodrigo’s.

“It’s really delicious, authentic food and it’s easy to get during lunch,” Bell said.

Bell brings up another point that several MC student’s value: location. According to MapQuest, the distance between MC and Rodrigo’s is approximately 1.27 miles and takes six minutes to get there and back.

“My friend once picked me up a taco in 10 minutes! It was amazing!” sophomore Liddy Pospichal said.

The speed at which the food is made is also impressive. A definite positive is you won’t ever have to wait more than 10 minutes, no matter how crowded the restaurant may appear.

An important factor one must consider, however, is the lack of seating. After a football game, especially, there are oftentimes no place to sit. I would suggest ordering take-out, as the ambience is not exactly worth staying for anyways.

This hole-in-the-wall taco shop, while lacking somewhat in environment, will satisfy a craving for authentic Mexican food at a fairly cheap price.

RODRIGO’S TACO SHOPABBY MANSOURSTAFF WRITER

MARY-CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTO EDITOR

The smiles on the little leaguer faces are stretched wide. Its evident from their joyful expressions where they are going: the Deli Stop.

“When I was in little league, all of us wanted to go to the Deli Stop,” sophomore Drew Galaway said. “The food is great and everybody loves to hang out there.”

A big reason why many people love the Deli Stop is because of the restaurant’s friendly owner, Marty Steele.

“Marty is a great guy, and he is known by many people in the community,” senior Bryan Waters said.

Steele is widely known among the PQ community. He is an umpire for the Rancho Penasquitos little league, and has coached there for

many years. Not only is the Deli Stop a great

place to hang out and chill with your friends, but it is also a great place to get great food.

“The California Chicken Philly is amazing,” freshmen Matthew MacRae said. “The burgers and the fries are as great as it gets. And the onion rings are also a great appetizer to snack on.”

Among the other food that the restaurant serves is the Club sandwich, which is one of the restaurant’s many tasty specials.

The Tony Gwynn burger is also a fan favorite. Some of the ingredients on the Tony Gwynn burger include a garlic toasted bun with the patty, and all the regular vegetables placed in a burger. Also included with the burger are the restaurant’s fresh onion rings.

The Deli Stop is known most

to athletes who grew up in the Penasquitos area. Since so many people have grown up eating at the Deli Stop, many of those people have told their friends about the restaurant, making the Deli Stop even more popular.

“I grew up going to the Deli Stop so often, Marty Steele knew what I was going to order before I even had a chance to speak,” Waters said. “I told many of my friends about this place and they started to love this place as much as I do. I’m glad they are doing well because it’s a great place for all ages.”

Like Waters said, the Deli Stop is a very relaxed place to go and everybody always knows that it will be a pleasurable place to spend lunch.

THE DELI STOPANDY BOLINSTAFF WRITER MARY-CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTO EDITOR

Upon entering Orient Valley, one immediately notices the enticing aromas wafting through the air.

On display is a variety of Filipino food, which may be unfamiliar to the average person, but is still appetizing nonetheless.

Orient Valley, owned and operated by Teddy Pua and his family, has always provided Filipinos with a tasty reminder of their culture.

This reminiscent feeling is one of the many reasons why Orient Valley appeals to

junior Nicole Balagtas.“It’s familiar, it’s genuine, it’s traditional,

and it feels like home,” Balagtas said.But Filipino food can still be appreciated

without strong cultural ties.Junior Ryan Enshaie was drawn to Orient

Valley after tasting the restaurant’s food during an eating contest with his friends.

“I found out about Orient Valley through a lumpia eating contest,” Enshaie said. “The deliciousness of the lumpia made me want to go back for more.”

Lumpia, similar to an egg roll, is just one of the many options, including langanesa, Filipino sausage, and pancit, a noodle dish with vegetables and occasionally meat.

True, it might not be the healthiest food around, since many of the meat selections are cooked with oil, have the fat left on it, or both.

However, the food is fresh and noodle dishes and fish are available for those who consider fat to be an issue.

The cost is reasonable too, with a combo including rice or noodles and three other selections for only $6.10.

The taste, affordability and atmosphere combined are probably why Orient Valley has been open for over 20 years.

For those who have grown up in a Filipino household, Orient Valley provides what one would expect from home made meals.

If you have never tried Filipino food before, Orient Valley will not disappoint you.MARY-CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTO EDITOR

ORIENT VALLEYJORDAN UGALDESTAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

September 11, 2009FeaturesB6 Mt. Carmel SUN

HOW TO START A CLUB:

KELLY FANSTAFF WRITER

“Together, we can save a life.”MC students interested in making a positive impact

in the community and receiving service hours may be in-terested in the Red Cross Club, which had its first meeting Sept. 3.

The club works closely with the American Red Cross organization, whose goal is to relieve human suffering by preventing, preparing for, and responding to emergen-cies.

Senior Jodie Ha serves as the club’s president.While MC already has several clubs geared toward

community service, such as Key Club and the Interact Club, the Red Cross Club focuses mostly on the health service aspect of volunteering.

“Red Cross Club is a school-based service group that helps the American Red Cross fulfill its humanitarian mis-sion,” Ha said.

“We volunteer at community service events but tend to focus more on health-related and medical-associated events.”

Red Cross, says Ha, is less demanding then other com-munity service clubs in terms of an hours requirement.

“This is a low-key and simple community service club,” Ha said. “We do not have a minimum hours re-quirement at the end of each trimester, but are extremely spirited and dedicated to helping out San Diego.”

Many of the events that the club participates in dem-onstrate the Red Cross Club’s commitment to the medical well-being of the community.

“In the past we have volunteered with the Leukemia

and Lymphoma Society, at Relay for Life, CPR Saturday, and walks,” Ha said. “This year we plan to help organize blood drives, volunteer with the elderly and at nursing homes, help out at the food bank, repeat our previous events, and participate in many more. You’ll just have to join and see what other fun things we do!”

Red Cross Club will be an especially advantageous club for those interested in careers in health and medi-cine.

“[The club works closely with the American Red Cross, which is an international organization renowned for its humanitarian services that I have loved working with, Ha said. “I joined RCC because I look forward to working in a health career and for me, the fact that it was beneficial for this goal set RCC apart from other clubs.”

The club is a way for students to support the commu-nity without an overwhelming time commitment.

“Red Cross Club is the way to go if you want to do community service but don’t have the time and commit-ment for other intense service clubs,” Ha said.

Debbie Stenger, new club advisor for Red Cross, en-courages all willing students to participate.

“I think it’s a really great cause,” Stenger said. “They’re doing it for all the right reasons. You can make a positive influence through the club, and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”

Those interested in joining the club can attend meet-ings during lunch, on Thursdays in room J-2, where up-coming events are discussed and club ideas are brain-stormed.

“If you would like to enter the health profession, this is definitely the club for you,” Ha said. “[We] would love to have you as a member.”

Featuring... Red Cross

SHAYON SAIDOPINIONS EDITOR

First came the index finger, then the middle, then the ring. Time’s up! the (new) sophomore just overslept the three second rule. Next comes the rude awaken-ing from the noodle and now the embarrassed student stands up for the rest of class.

This sort of conduct can only be found in one room at MC, and performed only by one teacher: Lee Raskin. Raskin’s AP European Civilization course is the farthest from ordinary class offered in MC, and his reputation for teaching stands just as strong for the 18 years that he’s taught it.

Usually a teacher will offer half-credit for late work, or simply wake a student up when they fall asleep; how-ever, it’s safe to say Raskin is far from your everyday teacher, and the only thing he offers are deadlines on homework and “pleasant” awakenings during class; everything else is up to the student.

“I believe it is unkind to be artificially permis-sive,” he said.

“I mean the world doesn’t care if your printer ran out of ink, or that you waited until the night be-fore. There’s no benefit to the student if I simply baby them.”

Even his students attest to the fact that they are treated more like adults, rather than high school stu-dents.

“He sets up the class as if we’re facing the real world,” sophomore Liddy Pospichal said. “He doesn’t baby us as much as an ordinary teacher would.”

In fact, his students even seem to respect that they are better prepared for what the real world will be.

“He never really says we have to do our homework, he gives us the choice to,” Sophomore Ed Wang said. “Obviously we should do our homework, but him not

forcing it in truth helps us better prepare for how life might be in college.”

Of course, Raskin is well known for being the “jerk” of the school, especially with his favorite form of punishment: the infamous noodle. But, the greatest thing about Raskin’s class isn’t that he admits he’s a hard ass on things, but the fact that his students still en-joy attending his class knowing they’re in for a rough time.

Overall, some students believe his class is the fun-niest simply because Raskin’s “caring” interaction with the students.

“He makes a subject APEC that could be boring fun, just by picking on and making jokes at the expense of others,” Pospichal said.

After admitting the fact that he isn’t the nicest of people, Raskin strongly believes that the reason kids love doing their job in his class is because he loves teaching the class.

“The thing is, I love my job, I love teaching, and I love dealing with teens,” Raskin said. “I think the students can tell when any teacher truly en-joys doing their job.”

With his extensive reputation, not many really know that all in all, Raskin simply strives to make sure his students leave his class with just an “inch” more knowledge than when they en-tered.

“I just want my students to understand that learning is so important you should do it until the day you die,” he said. “Just to love learning for learning’s sake, not because you’re going to get any direct material benefit. Everybody knows a lot of stuff, we just know different stuff.”

From being hit with the noodle to receiving your first test grade, Raskin offers much more than just APEC in his course, he offers the ability to learn some-thing new, no matter what it is.

CATHY MCDERMOTTEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

While most seniors spent their summers enduring SAT prep classes, working part time jobs, or relaxing at the beach, seniors Evan Peters, Greg Hendricks, Shaun Boley, and Steven Webber adven-tured on a 300 plus mile bike ride.

“We took a bike trip, which took us about nine days to com-plete,” Peters said. “There were a total of eight of us. We took a van that was made for seven people, but somehow we managed to fit nine of us, up to Northern Califor-nia. We started the trip in a little town called Leggett.

“Over the course of the next eight days, we biked all the way down to San Francisco.”

They started their rides at nine in the morning and arrived at their camp grounds around four in the afternoon every day.

They made their way down the coast of Northern California, averaging around 45 miles per day, with each person packing 30 to 40 pounds of camping equipment, including stoves and clothing, on their back.

Not exactly the easiest task. “We never really biked more

than 15 miles straight [before the trip], so the first day was definitely a lot harder than the other days,” Peters said. “We went through a lot of really cool places on the way though.

“We went through the Sono-ma Mountains, which are really fa-mous, and went down cliffs where there were no bike rails, so it was like looking at a straight 500 foot drop into the ocean.”

The hard work paid off as they reached their aspired destination.

“One of the most memorable memories was when we first got into San Francisco,” Peters said.

“The entire time we had been bik-ing through rural areas and only passing through little towns with only 400 in their population.

“There were times when we were put a little on edge by the surplus of red necks with pick-ups in small towns. It didn’t help that half of us were wearing those tight biking shorts.

“But then all of a sudden we’re at the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Although they were anticipat-ing a sense of relief and victory when they hit the big city, their excitement began to fade as they encountered city drivers.

“The closer we got to San Francisco the meaner drivers got,” Peters said. “It kind of killed it for us. We were so excited to get into the city, but the drivers were so in-trusive.

“I wished I had a t-shirt on that said ‘I just biked 300 miles.

Get out of my way!’”But as the trip came to an end,

the boys were proud as ever of their accomplishment.

“The trip was remarkable not just because we were biking in a beautiful area, during summer with all of our friends,” Peters said. But because at the end of the day we knew we would be talking about the trip for the rest of our lives.

“There’s something special about being on the road at 9 a.m. and rolling in to camp at 4 p.m., after 45 miles of biking.

“You don’t worry about what’s on Facebook or what TV show you’re missing, because you’re not worrying about anything. It was just a fun time, and I know that I’ll do it again some day.

“I suggest if you ever get the chance to take a casual biking and camping trip, you should take it, because it’s worth it.”

Evan Peters (12), Greg Hendricks (12), Shaun Boley (12) and Steven Webber (12) pose with their biking group in San Francisco. The group spent nine days last summer biking over 300 miles along the coast of Northern California. They biked an average of 45 miles per day while packing 30 to 40 pounds of camping equipment.

1. Come up with a good idea.

2. Go to the ASB room and pick up a packet from Jasmin Yoon, the inter club

commissioner.

3. Complete a club roster of all the members of the club being created at this time. Be sure you have a minimum of 20 students.

HOW TO START A CLUB:

4. Complete a club constitution, and club goals and objectives.

5. Once you have turned in the packet,

select one or two rep-resentatives to present what your club is about to the Student Senate.

6. The packet you turn in will be reviewed by the Student Review Board and Stu-dent Senate.

AP European Civilization teacher Lee Raskin hits a front row student with his infamous orange noodle. When students fall asleep during class, Raskin enforces his other infamous punishment--making them stand for the rest of the period. For many sophomores Raskin is their fi rst teacher to institute “tough love” into the class. He leaves it up to the students to complete their homework on time, treating them more like adults than kids. Regardless of his crude humor, students continue to enjoy attending his class every day, all through his 18 years of teaching APEC.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVAN PETERS

Raskin prepares APEC students for real world using tough love

Students spend summer days cycling

ABBAS MAMDANI | PHOTOGRAPHER

“I just want my students to under-stand that learning is so important you should do it until the day you die.” - APEC teacher Lee Raskin

Four boys bike more than 300 hundred miles along coast of Northern California; proud of accomplishment

Club Corner

FeaturesB7 Mt. Carmel SUNSeptember 11, 2009

H. CHEATERGrades are the only things

that matter in this student’s mind. School can sometimes be hard to succeed in, but not for this conniv-ing student. Whether it’s a passing grade or an A plus, this student will do anything to get ahead. Except study.

E. SLEEPERWe all know that students are

often deprived of sleep during the school year. This student simply makes up for that lack of sleep during class. Definitely not the best idea for students looking to succeed in class. Warning: grades may be subject to dropping. Only recommended for those who know everything there is to know about the lessons.

G. GEEK/GENIUSSome people say stuff that some-

times goes over your head. This kid says stuff that always goes over your head. A’s are a standard for this student and they probably could test out of this class if they wanted to.

Chances are, this student will eventually get bored in class and will end up spending the period either taking a nap or having fun drawing or playing games.

MC SUN writers break down the different types of students in a typical math class

COMPILED BY CATHY MCDERMOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND JORDAN UGALDE STAFF WRITER

KELLY FAN | ARTIST

F. NEVER HERENothing can be said about this

student because this student has nev-er been seen in class. Once upon a time, this kid came to school and his name was known. But because of ei-ther a dislike of this class, or a dis-like of school in general, led to their disappearance.

B. TEXTER We know you’re bored, or your friend has juicy gossip, or you

can’t seem to pay attention, but if you can’t put down your phone for 70 minutes, it’s highly suggested you submit yourself to a text rehab, because you have a problem.

Some texters are crafty and never get caught. Good for them. But the ones who constantly get caught and are told to put it away, or when they get it bagged and tagged on a weekly basis, need a newsflash.

Texting annoys teachers. Plain and simple. They spent their time creating the perfect lesson plan for you, and you’re sitting there, ig-noring them, texting your friends. Give them the time of a day, they deserve it. And put your phone away. LYK OMG!

A. TEACHERYou know that person who stands at the front

of the class and blabs for 70 minutes while you daydream and draw pretty pictures on your note-book? That person going on and on, using words your mind can’t even begin to comprehend, is the teacher.

Although it may be a hard concept for some, he or she is actually there for you to listen and learn from. The teacher is using his or her time to en-hance your mind with new and wonderful knowl-edge, not giving you time for you to think of new and wonderful ways to make paper airplanes.

C. LOUD MOUTHIn every class, there’s that kid who you and your friends

spend hours creating the perfect evil plan for. You dream of tying that person up, duct taping their mouth, and hiding them in a closet, just so you don’t have to hear them comment on every single little thing, which frankly, no one really cares much about.

Dear loud mouths: we know you have a lot to say, and that your brain is filled with miraculous ideas and facts, but we do not need to hear your constant comments on pointless things. So next time you want to bluntly notify the entire class that you tried but couldn’t do number 21, remember that you can just ask the teacher to do the problem on the board. A 20 min-ute story about how you struggled with one problem is really not necessary. Thank you.

a.c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

b.

D. OVER ENTHUSIAST If you’ve ever watched “Shrek” on DVD, you’ve seen

the main menu where Donkey is shouting “PICK ME! PICK ME! OOOH ME!”

Now imagine someone saying that over and over and over, every class period. We all know you did great on your test, and you finished the homework quickly, but the rest of us still have studying to do. The constant rambling about how much “fun” math is and the nonstop arm raising is dis-tracting. And doesn’t your hand ever get sore or tired?

September 11, 2009FeaturesB8 Mt. Carmel SUN

Summers no longer for fun?

Jobs, college trips, internships consume students’ vacation time

Summer SAT prep classes more popular with sophomores, juniors; students seek help from Elite, Princeton Review over self-studyingRACHEL MARTIN AND SHAYON SAIDFEATURES EDITOR AND OPINIONS EDITOR

For three days a week, eight weeks of summer, ju-nior Nina Zhu spent her precious time working on prac-tice SAT questions at the Elite Educational Institute, just one of many SAT preparation programs in San Diego.

“I know SATs are a big deal for colleges, and so I wanted to get my score up because I know I wouldn’t study myself,” Zhu said.

Many students feel the same way — every year more and more students are applying to college, and it’s becoming harder to get into prestigious schools.

Although stan-dardized tests are only a portion of the college applica-tion process, some students believe it is the most important qualification.

With this in mind, they decided to take rigorous preparation cours-es for the SAT or ACT.

At a June meet-ing, Elite chief op-erating officer Kevin Sung said that about 2 million stu-dents spend $2.5 billion every year on test preparation.

Most of the courses focus on the specific sections of the SAT: critical reading, math and writing.

Junior Amy Cheu said the classes give different ideas on how to approach the various types of questions.

“They dissect each part, each type of question, and they tell you how to solve it,” she said.

Some of these places that offer prep classes guarantee their students will earn a cer-tain score on the test. The program Zhu attended as-sured a score of 2100 or over on the SAT. This program lasts for 15 weeks, starting at the beginning of summer and end-ing right before the October SAT. Zhu said the class cost around $2000, “pushing $3000.”

However, not all the classes are that long or cost that much money. Princeton Review also offers classes in the San Diego area at much cheaper prices. Cheu said that was precisely the reason she picked Princeton Review over Elite.

“It’s cheaper, a lot cheaper, and you probably get the same results as Elite, though you think it’s more presti-gious,” she said.

The question many people ask is why? Why spend money when you could self-study?

“Parents,” junior Andy Mah said. “They’ve heard from other people that it will boost your score

up by a cou-ple hundred points.”

H o w -ever, Mah advises not to take the classes.

“I think you can self-study,” he said. “Save money. Don’t do it.

“-The only reason why I did it was I know that if I study myself, I don’t have the mo-t i -

vation to do it. If you have a class, you’re forced to do it. If it cost less, then it would be worth it.”

There are other reasons why the students took

the classes. Cheu said it is her goal to attend the Univer-sity of California at Los Angeles and go into a medical field.

“I like art,” she said. “I’m an artist, but I don’t want to go to art school

because I don’t want to be an artist. So I’m going to be a doctor, go to a UC school.”

And to attend a presti-gious UC school, Cheu

needs to have stand-out SAT scores.

MC coun-selor Kim B r o n s o n

also en-

courages students to take the SAT classes. “The prep courses really help with skill building,

but what I think is even more vital is that they help with teaching a student how to strategically approach the test, so that they can score as high as possible,” she said.

However, Bronson suggests cheaper alternatives to the expensive Elite and Princeton Review classes.

She said community colleges and Poway Adult Edu-cation offer prep courses at much lower rates.

“Sometimes people feel if they spend the money they’re going to get a better experience, and if they have the money to spend and they want to spend it, go for it,” Bronson said. “But I always suggest that they check with community college and adult ed. first because you can get a better deal on a very similar product.”

32%OF JUNIORS AND SENIORS SAID THEY HAVE TAKEN OR ARE CUR-

RENTLY TAKING SAT OR ACT PREP CLASSES.

13%OF THOSE JUNIORS AND SENIORS SAID THAT THEIR SAT OR ACT

PREP CLASS DID NOT PROVE BENEFICIAL ON THEIR TEST.

*217 JUNIORS AND SENIORS POLLED

JOBS

COLLEGE TRIPS INTERNSHIPS

DENNIS SUNENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Junior Robert Bitman is one student among many who worked over the summer. He acquired a job at the ESS at Adobe Bluffs Elemen-tary School.

To Bitman, the experience was interesting and educational.

“They had me as a high school aide with the kindergarteners,” he said. “I played around with them, helped them with their arts and crafts and stuff like that. It was pretty fun, a lot better than most other jobs, I guess. I got to play outside a lot of the day. I learned to be a lot more responsible. I saw the difference that kids can be.”

Bitman sought a job for the sake of making money.

“My parents were making me pay for gas, but then they didn’t make me, and I kept the job be-cause it was a good job,” he said. “I had fun, my coworkers were pretty chill. So, that’s why I kept it.”

Like Bitman, senior Ted Kas-sen obtained a job over the sum-mer, working at Pat & Oscar’s in Carmel Mountain Ranch. Kassen also worked for money and diver-sion.

“I didn’t have that much to do over the summer,” Kassen said. “The beach got boring and I was out of money because I had spent it all doing stuff and I needed to make some back. My parents don’t pay for my whole life, so I have to work. I was out of cash and I had gotten into a car accident that I had to pay off, and I had nothing to do with my days.”

From his experience, Kassen learned about dealing with strang-ers in a work environment.

“I learned about people skills, dealing with strangers when you don’t really connect with them.”

Junior Connor Gallinetti also obtained a job over the summer. He worked as a lifeguard to make money and also to kill time.

“I needed money this summer so I could buy a car, and I didn’t want to be bored all summer,” Gal-linetti said. “I needed something to do. I enjoyed my summer, I just worked part time, so I made money at the same time. I really wanted to make the money, so it was a small price to pay to take time out of my summer.”

Planning for college is of-ten a huge part of a person’s high school career. Some MC students have taken the initiative to look at colleges especially early, as early as their sophomore year. Sopho-more Briana Pompa-Hogan is one of these students. Her experience was different from most, though, because she went on the trip with her sports team.

“It wasn’t a regular college tour because I did it with my soc-cer club, so we, instead of just be-ing toured by students, actually were toured by assistant coaches and head coaches,” she said. “We got to meet with them, and that re-ally helped us.”

After her visit, Pompa-Hogan returned with a new understanding of her college expectations and needs.

“People always talk about how you always get this gut feeling for certain schools, and it’s totally true, she said. “I’d never felt it be-fore, but it was really cool. I found out that I really liked Northridge, and UCLA was beautiful, and stuff like that. It was really important because soccer can be a huge part of your life if you’re going to play it in college, so it’s good to find out if you like the college or not.

“It really helped because I know that before I wasn’t picky at

all, but now I know that I do want to go to a slightly larger school. Af-ter high school, going to college, I want it to be a different experience because some colleges like Oc-cidental have fewer students than they have here [at MC]. I just want a different feel.”

Pompa-Hogan believes col-lege visits can be helpful to every-one, regardless of what their future career path may be.

“I think it’s really important that everyone does this, maybe not for soccer, but whatever it is, just so they know what they want, because I had no idea and it really helped doing it,” Pompa-Hogan said. “It’s really important when you’re looking at what kind of major you’re going in to, so that helped me work it out.”

Pompa-Hogan chose to take a college trip because she realized what her priorities were.

“I didn’t have any time this summer, so I was always off, so I chose to do it,” Pompa-Hogan said. “Actually, it was more of my mom pushing me to do it since she was paying for it, I guessed I should go, but I realized that these two years, sophomore going through junior, then senior, you’re going to sacri-fice a lot of time for fun because getting ready for college sets you up for the rest of your life.”

Students in the current econ-omy have found that finding jobs after college is very difficult.

Some MC students have planned ahead, thinking about their future profession, and have taken part in internship programs that have introduced them to the work environment.

Junior Clark Scally partici-pated in an internship with Aviva Biosciences, a small biotech firm in Sorrento Valley. After being of-fered the internship by his neigh-bor, Scally took it in order to ob-tain job experience.

“I’m really interested in sci-ence and it was really good to get exposed to it because I don’t really know what I want to do for col-lege,” Scally said. “It’s just good to get the experience.”

Scally found the internship very interesting and profitable.

“It was a paid internship, which was very, very nice,” Scally said.

“I worked with about 17 peo-ple, and I learned basic techniques that every science person needs to know.”

Scally found the job enlight-ening because it provided him with a perspective of what he wanted to do with his life.

“I got to see what getting a job in science is like,” Scally said.

“I learned that if you don’t get your PhD, you’re just going to be a technician, which is another word for someone’s bitch.

“You’ve got to work really hard because I was basically doing manual labor, which I don’t mind at all, but everyone else was work-ing with computers, doing a lot of graphing, doing a lot of data. You have to know how to sort out the samples and how to run the robots and the computers.”

Scally preferred working to doing nothing over the summer.

“I enjoyed working. It felt good to work and not have to take it home with me [like homework],” Scally said.

“And I got paid for it. I could do that forever, probably. I did enjoy the weekends a lot, though. They made me appreciate the free time I had since I was working five days a week.

“I felt it was more important to get ahead and to get paid also, so you can enjoy your spare time more,” Scally said. “I just don’t like slacking off, because I do it too much, already. I enjoyed working there, and everyone has to work eventually, so I don’t re-gret not having any spare time this summer.

“I’d rather have a job than not do anything.”

With the current recession still going strong, many teens are thinking about their future. Money is tight, so many are getting jobs, while others are training to ob-tain jobs in the future by taking college trips, attending college classes, and participating in various internship programs.

Many MC students took the initiative over the sum-mer to work towards their future rather than spend their time relaxing.

Amy Cheu (11) poses as a student studying for the SAT. A growing number of high school students across the nations have turned to Elite and Princeton Review for study help.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARY CARMEN GONZALEZ | PHOTO EDITOR