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Komal Ramstaff writer

Angelica Yaghoubistaff writer

Pretty Nguyenstaff writer

Time to Revisit The Hat Policy

In light of a new state law, the ban on hats needs reconsidering

TrackClose to WinningSunset League Barons one meet away from going undefeated

>>Ruby Summer:Entertainment 7

>>Car Crash Gallery:News 2

>> Track:Sports 6

>> Selena Gomez: Entertainment 7

>> Hats Off:Opinions 3

>>Japan Relief: Feature 4

April: Seniors of the Month

Tera Kim

Hassan Rassmy

Microsoft Store Opening: Selena Gomez appears at promotional

concert at South Coast Plaza

volume XXVIII, issue IV

thursday, april 28, 2011

At press time, April 27, the Barons track and field teams were on their

way to Goldenwest College to compete against Marina. Wins against Marina would solidify an undefeated league season for the Boys and Girls teams at both the Frosh/Soph and Varsity lev-els.

“This is the best way to end off my senior year with an un-defeated season and a spot in CIFs,” says Hassan Ilyas (’11)

The Boys and Girls teams swept all other high schools in the league which includes

If you’ve ever been given a detention for wearing a hat, I’m sure supervision has

lectured you on the school’s hat policy. For those of you who haven’t had this wonder-ful experience, I’ll remind you that the current dress code bans all hats with the excep-tion of Fountain Valley hats and beanies and headwear that serves cultural or religious purposes. As much as I appre-ciate the constitutionally man-dated concession of the latter, I ask for specific justification on such an extreme, all-or-noth-ing ban. After all, the clothes students wear are expressions of our own styles and senses of fashion. So long as they aren’t harmful or offensive to others, I personally find the current restrictions hard to justify.

What exactly does this ban do for the students and staff? I understand the reasoning in banning clothing that advo-cates drugs and alcohol. Such substances are detrimental to our health and obviously don’t belong in schools. The same goes for clothing that depicts weapons, gang affiliation, ob-scenity, and social prejudices. It’s understandable that the administration would ban and direct supervision to confis-cate such items. These stan-dards are reasonable and seem like a perfectly suitable basis for judging how appropriate a hat is and whether or not it deserves to be confiscated.

As some kind of cosmic co-incidence, I received a Princi-pal’s Newsletter in which Mr. Herzfeld defends the current

T he new Microsoft Store in Costa Mesa held a Selena Gomez concert

to promote its grand open-ing. The event was held on Saturday, March 26, 2011 in the South Coast Plaza park-ing lot. The store gave out wristbands two days in ad-

vance prompt ing many fans to rush to line up as early as 5 a.m. for the event. Only those with of ficial wrist-bands were al lowed to view the concert. Even though the event started at 2 p.m., some fans arrived as early

Patricia Lestaff writer

(Above) WANTED. Police composite sketch of kidnapping suspect. >> News pg 2: Abduction

An 18-year-old female stu-dent narrowly escaped be-ing kidnapped while walk-

ing alone on the sidewalk near the corner of Brookhurst Street and Bishop Place.

On April 4, at approximately 7:35 A.M., a La Quinta High School student was only a few yards from campus when, from out of nowhere, a man grabbed the student from behind and tried to shove her into his white, full-sized Sedan. The young woman would not yield to his force and put up a good fight; good enough to save her life.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic, clean-shaven male with an average build and short, dark hair. He appeared to be 5’10” and 30 to 40 years old. The suspect was reported to have taken the student from behind and tried to shove her in his car, but she resisted and screamed. As she struggled to get out of his grasp, they both fell down and he fled the scene, south

of Brookhurst Street.The Westminster police de-

partment was immediately no-tified after the female student informed a school official. The police department quickly re-sponded, giving warnings to all police agencies in Orange County. The Westminster, Garden Grove, and Huntington Beach school dis-tricts were also alerted about the incident through an email com-munication system.

When FVHS Principal Her-zfeld received the email about the abduction, he held a meeting with the Assistant Principals to find a way to “inform but not alarm” the students of the event. During fifth period, the incident was re-ported to all students and faculty over the announcements.

According to Principal Her-zfeld, the attempted kidnap did not pose a serious threat to Foun-tain Valley High School, but he tightened security efforts as a pre-caution.

Attempted Kidnappingin Fountain Valley

Neighboring high schools are on alert

(Above) BRINGING THE CROWD. Selena Gomez holds successful concert for Mircosoft. Photo credit: Pretty Nguyen.

Move out of the way Gordon Ramsey, the Barons are handling

the kitchen. Between thee 17th and 18th of February, Fountain Valley High School’s budding culinary artists participated in a heated chili cook off. These lucky participants are students from the Foods 2 class, taught by Ms. Brooks and Mrs. Gor-don. Started by Mrs. Gordon in the ’94-’95 school year, the chili cook-off has been a long standing annual tradition at FVHS. Students gather in teams of three or four to develop the

most delicious chili recipes, accompanied by the tradition-ally paired cornbread. They have complete liberty on how they create their chili and corn-bread, but everything must be made from scratch. Participant Johnny Tran (’12) emphasizes, “There can’t be chili packets.”

Although the Barons chefs are only given class time to prepare and cook the food, that doesn’t stop the chili and corn-bread from tasting homemade. There are two days of in-class prep, which includes assem-bling cooking utensils and or-ganizing the main ingredients. On the third and final day, they

must prepare their dishes with-in 25 minutes, and present it with an appropriate theme.

Various judges sample the chili and cornbread in each of the five periods, and include school-renowned chili expert and retired Spanish teacher Mrs. Adriana Mooney, Fountain Val-ley Mayor Steve Nagel, culinary college students, and our every own FVHS faculty such as Mr. Ziebarth, an English teacher and self-proclaimed foodie. The judges determine the best dishes based on texture, flavor, and variety, but the most im-portant component of the meal is the chili’s spice. “Chili is sup-posed to be hot,” Mrs. Adriana Mooney explains.

Students always bring some-thing different to the chili cook off every year. Ms. Brooks proudly says, “This year we didn’t taste the same thing over and over again,” adding, “There is lots of diversity.” Her comment can be seen in the chili’s presentation, as some participants place\ zesty pine-apple in their chili, or put their chili in large bell peppers. The chili cook off is undoubtedly the most anticipated event of Foods 2, as shown by the ex-cited and jumpy faces of the student chefs as they threw their masterpiece together. The judges are also left satisfied, which Mrs. Mooney can con-firm as she gushed, “The chili is so delicious, I spilled some on myself.” The top five win-ning teams of the chili compe-tition look forward to a Chili Supreme cook off to determine the best of the best. It is hard to imagine how the winners will improve their already superb chili and cornbread dishes, but in the meanwhile, we wait in anticipation.

Patricia Lestaff writer

With the recent catastro-phe that occurred on the shores of Japan,

Fountain Valley High School’s natural disaster preparedness has become a more widely discussed topic amongst stu-dents. The disaster drill that took place on March 22, 2011 lasted for 45 minutes outside on the field, but the response from students to the question, “what did you think about the disaster drill on Tuesday?” was unfortunately, not sur-prising.

“Good waste of an hour.”- Anh-Viet Nguyen (‘12)

“It was like recess for me.” -Nathan Mai (‘12)

“I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have, to be honest. Partially because of my class-mates, who made fun of the drill and goofed around. With all the recent events, I feel like I’ve become desensitized. I’ve accepted that if death comes, death comes, and to live our lives the best we can while we can.” - Quinton Dang (‘12)

“The disaster drill is good for the entire community as a whole because it’s prepar-ing all the different people (i.e police, firefighter, ambulance) who are involved. In search and rescue however, students in general need to be more se-rious about this topic and in-dividual students would be a

hazard because panic can ruin years of training.” -Tu Nguyen (‘12)

“I don’t think it was effec-tive because in a real disaster we wouldn’t all get lined up and quietly walk out…”-Kyle Le (‘12)

“ It was kinda pointless standing outside for 40 min-utes.” -William Ngo (‘12)

“After so many earth-quakes, tsunamis, etc., people are getting to a point where it’s just another drill for another day and they don’t take it seri-ously and it’s not because they are sick, heartless teenagers—it’s just what situations around the world do to humans. At some point people can’t dis-tinguish between whether it’s real or just a drill.” -Jeffrey Wang (‘12)

“I didn’t take it seriously, but I think we are prepared for the most part.” -Raamis Hus-sain (‘12)

These responses are just some of the many, many simi-lar comments which show the perceived inadequacy of the drill. Most respond to the drill as free time. Few believed that it showed the preparedness of the community. All in all, how everyone reacts to a natural disaster at any given moment is up to the severity of the situ-ation. The drill allowed every-one to have a mock test of how they would respond and it’s important to have background knowledge on a serious issue.

2011-2012

ASB Executive

Natural Disaster Preparedness

Earthquake drill hosted by the school not taken seriously among fellow students

Anna Nagabayashistaff writer

President: Noelle Nguyen

Vice President: Bryan Nguyen

Secretary: Kyle Le

Treasurer: Jessica Le

Parliamentarian: Melissa Casiano

Activities: Quinton Dang

Chelsea Harvey

Chili Cook OffThe competition heats up...

(Above) HOT CHILI PEPPERS.Photo credit: Kennington Cung (‘12)

On March 11th in the afternoon a driver lost control of his car after turning into the Fountain Valley High School parking lot and crashed into the brick wall outside of the history building. The two occupants of the vehicle (one a student at FVHS) were treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital. No one else was injured in the collision. Witnesses reported seeing at least one student move out of the vehicle's path to avoid being hit. The student has recovered and is back at school.

These efforts include warning supervision staff to keep a close eye out for the described vehicle of the suspect and to work closely with the Westminster police department to stay updated on important information as it is discovered.

Principal Herzfeld hopes Barons will learn a valuable lesson from the attempted kidnap. “What we want students to do,” Herzfeld stresses, “is to be mindful as they are walking home.” He adds, “You could be fol-lowed and you wouldn’t know it.”

Even in a seemingly safe neighborhood like ours, mishaps are still possible. The assault is a grave re-minder for us to think twice before we walk alone in a less crowded area. “Be vigi-lant,” Herzfeld advises.

>> Abduction:Front 1Photo Gallery: Car Crash

Outside FVHS Parking Lot Kennington Cungphotography manager

On a recent episode of the BBN, an attendee of the Tet festival commented insen-

sitively about the “lack of white people.” Many students shook it off, but a few were offended by the apparent joke. Simple rac-ist jokes or sly comments like these can lead to waves of hate in schools and even the commu-nity. We’ve worked so hard since the dark days of slavery to spread the idea that “all men are created equal,” that it’s frustrating to see that racism still exists.

It’s like we’re still children that must be taught and reminded of this simple fact. Every human in this world has 99.9% exactly the same DNA. So technically, judi-cially, and genetically we are all the same. The .01% that makes all of us different can be looked upon as negative; unusual and strange or positive; unique and interest-ing.

So it is shocking to find racist and hateful treatment especially in such a diverse community as Orange County. On February 13th 2011, a fundraiser held by an Islamic Organization (ICNA) in Yorba Linda raised $350,000 in hopes of benefitting women’s shelters, homelessness, and hun-ger in the US. Simultaneously, opposing the group of attendees (Muslims), a protest was held out-side of the building.

At first the protesters waved American flags, held signs saying “God bless America”, and sang patriotic songs. But ironically, their actions soon began to be the antithesis of what it means to be an American. As speakers Con-gressmen Ed Royce and council-woman Deborah Poly spoke, the crowd became fired up and began shouting foul words at those who

entered the building. As moder-ate Muslim families walked into the fundraiser, what started off as a peaceful protest outside, de-volved into barks of verbal abuse .

The protestors accused ICNA of being affiliated with terrorist groups, without any proof to back this up. They claimed that their intent was to protest against the organization and its speakers, not the fundraising event itself. “This is not about hate. We are not hate mongers,” said Karen Lugo, one of the speakers outside the com-munity center.

On the other side, Muslim’s who attended the event were shocked and found no reason for protest. An anonymous Muslim woman attendee said, “It is sur-prising, but everyone has a right to express their opinion.” Nev-ertheless, the organization, its speakers, and the Muslim com-munity as a whole deny all of the accusations. A spokesman at the fundraiser, Syed Waqas said the protesters “should know the facts. We have no links to any overseas organization. We absolutely de-nounce violence and terrorism.”

People on both sides of the ten-sion feel very emotional and this could have all started off as a sim-ple racist joke. Let me conclude with a comment I found on ocreg-ister.com from an equal rights, an-ti-racism reader, Andya6, whose words I found meaningful and appropriate: “I will never judge people based on where they were born, what belief system they fol-low, what language they speak or what skin color they have…… be-cause all of these things happened to all of us by accident based on where were born. But if I had to judge people, it will be based on their actions as individuals and not as a group.” I wish more peo-ple would live by this motto.

Racist Joke? Not Funny.. .Racism still exists in subtle and overt ways

Marwa Aboubakerstaff writer

The school year is coming to an end. Seniors everywhere are faced with a dilemma: Should

they go to community college and transfer, or should they go directly to a four-year university? There are many positives and negatives associ-ated with either decision.

Going to a four-year university tends to seem more impressive to your peers, since most people often look down on community college. It saves the hassle of having to transfer later on, making for a much less tedious ex-perience. Universities also have many internships, clubs, and job opportuni-

ties that can enhance your credibility for graduate school applications, but aren’t always open to transfer stu-dents. Finally, nothing is comparable to the college experience you receive at a four-year.

But there are downsides to going to four-year colleges. Most obviously, there’s the cost; universities and col-leges can be very expensive. Further-more, many university professors have teacher assistants to direct their classes, which means that the quality of teaching may not be up to par with students’ expectations. The level of competition at some universities may result in a rude awakening compared to the past four years of high school.

The most common reason why

people choose to go to community college is to save money and prevent debts from accumulating. For ex-ample, going to a UC would cost ap-proximately $26,000, including living expenses. Community colleges charge about $30 a unit, which accumulates to a fraction of the cost of a university per annum.

Community colleges are ideal en-vironments to experiment and find out your interests and capabilities be-fore transferring to a four-year school. And if you weren’t admitted into your first choice university, going to a com-munity college for two years can in-crease your likeliness of being accept-ed to that same school as a transferee.

Unfortunately, transferring after community college may take you lon-ger to earn a bachelor’s degree because community colleges are so impacted. It can also be very difficult to get the true “college experience” at a commu-nity college, since most students don’t live on campus or get involved in stu-dent activities.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. If you’re looking to save money, you should go to a community college. If you want the college life you should go to a four year school.

Community C o l l e g e o r Four -Year?How to face this common dilemna

Lauren Nguyenstaff writer

policy, “hats and beanies are of-ten a way of expressing to what sub-culture you belong…[and] the only sub-culture we want stu-dents to display is Fountain Val-ley High School…we don’t want to figure out the symbolism…of the other thousands of possibili-ties.”

My main concern with the Principal’s current policy is what it assumes about students and the sub-cultures we’re involved in. The beloved academic resource dictionary.com defines a sub-culture as “a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.” To me, this can mean a variety of different groups, from such common high school groups as cliques to clubs and sports teams and even sup-port groups for students dealing with similar problems. Whether or not students are wearing hats that say so, sub-cultures exist at this and every high school. Sure, a small minority of FVHS students may be involved with gangs, but

I find that our school’s transfer rates and overall self-image are proof that the vast majority of our sub-cultures are beneficial.

And let’s be realistic, the ban on hats actually doesn’t keep sub-cultures from expressing their ca-maraderie. If we’re not allowed to wear hats that declare our sub-culture, we’ll wear something else. We’ll show it in our pants or shirts or shoes. If a dress code is imposed, we’ll find loopholes or some way of expressing our-selves. Arbitrarily picking one article of clothing to restrict can only go so far in limiting the bad intentions of a few students.

I am not so stubborn that I re-fuse to see the reasoning in the administration’s exception for Baron wear, but doesn’t this ex-ception present a conflict of inter-est? Only FVHS hats are permit-ted on campus, which we could only buy from the financial office, which would mean the school makes money. This becomes es-pecially problematic considering a recent law passed in California. Assembly Bill 165 outlines school conduct involving students’ fi-nancial situations. Of particular interest are two sections: “(3)

School districts and schools shall not establish a two-tier educa-tional system” and “(4) A school district or school shall not …discriminate against a pupil, be-cause the pupil or the pupil’s par-ents or guardians did not or will not provide money or donations of goods or services to the school district or school.

It could be argued that wear-ing a hat is not an education ac-tivity. However, forcing those students interested in wearing hats to purchase official Baron wear does create a two-tier sys-tem that is now prohibited by California Law. In order to com-ply with this new law the hat pol-icy needs serious reconsideration. The most obvious way to remedy it is to allow students to wear any hat that complies with the rest of the dress code.

As students, we are encour-aged to be inquisitive, to look out at the world and question. How things are, why they are, and most practically, how we can make them better. And so, I ask fellow Barons to consider my pro-posal and form their own opin-ions on what they think should be changed.

>>Hats:Front 1

“Time Management” by William Mai, Cartoonist

Kristine Nicholscartoonist

Japan Earthquakeand Tsunami Relief

FVHS Unites To Help Japanese Victims

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake

which spawned a tsunami with 10-meter-high waves. Nearly 200 people were instantly killed by the tsunami. The death toll is estimated to be over 14,133 and approximately 13,346 peo-ple are missing. People near the epicenter on Japan’s north-ern coast are isolated from aid and rescue, enduring freezing temperatures. Currently, many are without food or water and the recent rationing of fuel has made the distribution of aid a nightmare. Many victims near

Noushin Ahdootstaff writer

Japan’s nuclear power plants are under threat of being ex-posed to harmful radiation. The populace is in a state of shock, terror, hopelessness, and devas-tation.

While this tragedy is not yet over, Fountain Valley students and faculty have kept Japan in their hearts and minds by send-ing messages of hope and pledg-ing any support they can to aid with the relief effort. With cre-ative and innovative ideas, the FVHS community has raised a significant amount of funds for the ongoing recovery. Student groups like CSF and Japanese club, classes, as well as individu-als like Rina Wada have reached out a helping hand to Japan.

People always under-estimate themselves when it concerns

aiding those who are suf-fering in countries across the world. On Wednes-day, March 23, 2011, dur-ing the Silent Sustained Reading period, ASB held an money collection in hopes of raising money to

ASB: Miracle MinuteMarwa Aboubaker

staff writerhelp the victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. If everyone gave what they could, even some if it was just some spare change, it could make a big difference. This is a positive example of how, even though we are just “high school students”, we can still be a part of helping those who suf-fer. Although 60 seconds wasn’t enough to pass

the envelope around the entire classroom, with ev-eryone’s help, ASB man-aged to raise $1,932.76. The top 3 classes were Mr. Go’s class which do-nated over $100.00; Mrs. Ziegler’s class, which gave over $65.00; and Mr. Ngo’s class, which gave $55.00. The money will be donated directly to the victims of the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami.

Here at FVHS, there exists a small com-munity of Japanese

students, many of which are actively doing their part to help Japan in as many ways possible. Among these stu-dents, Rina Wada (’12), ac-companied by many other Japanese Americans, did her part by setting up a very helpful relief event at a small warehouse in Irvine.

Running between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., the event in-cluded a bake sale, cloth-ing sales, make up vendors,

FVHS Student Takes Initiativeto Support Relief Effort

Pauline Nguyenstaff writer

massages, facials, raffles, and even palm reading. The fundraiser also sold T-Shirts which read “PRAY JAPAN”, which were among the most popular items during the event. The atmosphere was filled with energy, mainly due to the dedication and support by the event orga-nizers, vendors, and attend-ees.

Remarkably, everyone showed great optimism and hope in the midst of such a great tragedy. Rina Wada explained how important this charity was to her. “I participated in this event because I have family mem-

bers in Japan who were af-fected by the tsunami and earthquake. Since all the proceeds I raised from this convention goes towards Japan, I decided to help out. I was surprised by the num-ber of people who came to the event and their generous donations. In one day, we raised $13,580, which will go straight to Japan.” The actions of students like Rina greatly assist those devas-tated by the tsunami and earthquake. Through char-ity events and small sacrific-es we all hope to continue to help Japan as much as pos-sible.

With Japan’s recent disaster in mind, read up on student reactions to the school’s emergency drill.

>>Natural Disaster Preparedness: News 2

(Above) Graphic credit: Michelle Doan (‘11)(Behind) Artwork credit: Kristine Nichols (‘11)

California Scholarship Federation: Paper Cranes

On March 31, 2011, FVHS CSF met in the library to conduct their regularly

scheduled meeting. However, this was no ordinary meeting. Club members and volunteers gathered to make paper cranes for Japan Relief. The club’s board members were inspired by a project called Students Rebuild (bezosfamilyfounda-tion.org) that has pledged to donate $2 for paper crane to disaster relief efforts in Japan. Many students came to help and enjoyed the experience as they socialized with friends and helped a country in need. When the lunch bell rang, vol-unteers filled a large paper bag with colorful and beautifully made paper cranes.

Joy Chenstaff writer UPDATE:

A MESSAGE FROM THEJAPANESE 4 & AP JAPANESE 4 TEACHER

TO ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY

I would like to let everyone know how grateful I am to everyone who helped fold paper cranes as a part of a humanitarian project to help rebuild Japan, which is or-ganized bystudentsrebuild.org (http://studentsrebuild.org/japan/). The project to make 100,000 paper cranes to produce a $200,000 donation ($2 for each crane to Archi-tecture for Humanity’s reconstruction efforts in Japan) will be a symbolic gift from students around the world. My original goal was to send 500 paper cranes in a week, but with the help of the students in all of the Japanese classes at FVHS (with a special thank you to Tanaka-sensei), their friends and family members, in five days we made 2761 paper cranes! That is a total of $5,522.00. Again, thank you very much.

Tomomi SasaJapanese Teacher

(Above Left & Right) A THOUSAND PAPER CRANES AND MORE. CSF club members gather in the library to fold paper crane origami for Japan Relief. Photo credit: Joy Chen (‘12)

(Above) PRAY. LOVE. REMEMBER. A “2011 JAPAN TSUNAMI” Support Poster. Artwork Credit: Vivian To (‘11)

ASB & JapaneseClub:Wrist Bands

During International Week, students like Rina sold wristbands to aid

Japan. All proceeds were given tot eh Japan relief effort. An event on Facebook with over 450 attendees demonstrated the outpouring of support on cam-pus for victims of the disaster. The creators of the event hope that the money raised will “go directly to Japan to help those affected by the recent earth-quake/tsunami”. The wrist-bands, which come in both white and red, read “FVHS Helping Japan” and “Ganbare Nihon!”, which means “Best of

Noushin Ahdootstaff writer

luck, Japan” in Japanese. Ms. Tanaka, who created the

effort to raise funds, said “my students and I have sold 1600 wristbands so far and 900 more to come to be distributed for people who have pre-ordered. We have sent $6600 check to Japanese Red Cross before spring break. This amount in-cludes the $1900 donated by ASB”.

Students proudly flaunted their wristbands in solidarity with the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. “It’ll take a while for Japan to re-cover, but I know they can do it with all the help they are get-ting from overseas” says Ms. Tanaka.

With each pitch bringing the Barons to a victo-ry, our Boys’ baseball

team is looking for a triumphant end to the season.

“Right now, our team is look-ing good and we all are in sync with each other,” says Charlie Stephens (’11), “we are third in league and it is a Baron upris-ing.”

Before spring break, the boys

April: Atheletesof the Month

John Goldsby& Allison Lang

Photo Gallery:

Boys’VolleyBallCome out and support

the Barons as they take on Huntington

Beach today in the gym at 4:30pm

baro

nba

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new

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AdvisorSean Ziebarth

Editors-in-ChiefBrie Roche-LilliotSami YerunkarMichelle Doan

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News EditorPerry Meas

Student Life EditorAnh Le

Opinions EditorAndrea Liu

Entertainment EditorChris Allen

Sports EditorCamille Linares-Reed

Photography ManagerKennington Cung

Design ManagerMichelle Doan

DesignersNoushin Ahdoot

Emily ChuHannah Holbrook

Perry Meas

CartoonistsWilliam Mai

Kristine Nichols

WritersNoushin AhdootSasha Belaluddin

Patricia LeTony McConnell

Anna NagabayashiLauren NguyenPauline NguyenPretty Nguyen

Komal RamChristine Vu

Angelica Yaghoubi

The Baron Banner is a public forum for student expression operated by students of Fountain Valley High School. Its purpose is to inform fellow students and the surround-ing community about school is-sues, events and student culture. We publish a printed paper and the website baronbanner.com.

Striking Out The CompetitionKeeping up winning streaks in third place and aiming for a CIF title

Angelica Yaghoubistaff writer

had a stable streak as they won against Los Alamitos High School in a 9 to 5 result, a shut-out with 7 homeruns against Ma-rina, and a successful win over Foothill High School in a 8 to 6 score. Yet, the Barons struck out to Edison in a 9 to 17 aggregate and the second game against Marina with a 5 to 6 outcome.

Many students relaxed dur-ing spring break, but these boys went to win third place in a tournament in San Luis Obispo. With only one loss against Moor

Park High School, the Barons fought hard and won their next three games against Foothill, San Luis Obispo, and Modena Valley High Schools.

“We hope the next games we have against Huntington Beach and Newport Beach High Schools will help out with our standing,” explains Stephens, “CIF’s are coming up, and with the turnaround we have done from past seasons, we all are looking forward to the competi-tion.”

(Above) FAST BALL. Turner Clouse (‘11) strikes out the batter. Photo credit: FVHS Baseball

Edison, Los Alamitos, Marina, Huntington Beach, and New-port Harbor, putting the Bar-ons on top as they continue to League and CIF finals.

“We all practiced hard and the energy and effort we put into the meets helped us gain more strength to do better which is our advantage over the other high schools,” states Ilyas.

The Sunset League prelims take place Monday and the finals on Wednesday at Huntington Beach High School. Stay tuned to announcements and the bar-onbanner.com for updates on Track’s fantastic season.

>>Track:Front 1

Words of Wisdom:“Eat your fruits

& veggies and readbaronbanner.com”

-Mr. Ziebarth

as noon to take pictures at the red car pet. Others came before time to stand in the front row for the concert. Microsoft Store workers handed out water bottles and health bars to those waiting in line. Se curity at the location was tight, and the long walk to get to the stage was tedious.

As Selena Gomez came out on stage, fans started scream ing and waving at her. The concert started off with “Falling Down.” When finished, Selena asked the crowd which song she should sing next. Even though most fans screamed “Naturally,” Sel-ena couldn’t hear at all and decided to perform “Off the Chain” instead.

After performing “Off the Chain,” Selena asked the audience how they were all doing. Fans re sponded with screams and yells. Sel-

The American Red Cross’s Rock N’ Runway show on March 26 2011, at 4 to

7 p.m. at Villa Park Perform-ing Arts Center was a blend of band music and a fash-ion show. The performances featured FVHS alumni, DJ Twigz.

Each band performed three songs of their choice. Within intervals, DJ Twigz remixed contemporary popular songs such as “Nothin’ On You” By Bruno Mars and “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame.

The first act up was Under-1Sky from Sunny Hills High

School, displaying an acoustic guitar and soft female singer – her voice was great, but lacked volume. It was difficult to hear it over the music.

The Pedestrians came in next from El Dorado High School – rocking in with a bass, two electric guitars, and a gutsy male singer. The lead singer was inept in sound and low in annunciation – any strong male vibrato was sorely lacking.

Although the solo elec-tric guitarist was skillful, the notes that were played were very repetitive, as I saw no “flare,” or amazement in the performance. Overall, I felt impressed, but it definitely wasn’t the best it could be.

The third band was, Steeze the Day, consisting of three guitarists and a male singer, all from our very own Foun-tain Valley High. The guitar soloist was very skilled, and the performance contained a with a unique bass solo and a stylish guitar solo. It was a bummer that one of the gui-tarist’s amplifier broke in the middle of the act.

(Fun fact: Steeze the Day has also performed in Battle of the Bands, FNL’s Talent Show, and many other events.)

And last but not least, FVHS’ own Karma Worm-hole duet blended a plethora of instruments: electric guitar,

drums, violin, bass, keyboard, and acoustic guitar. Unfor-tunately, the acoustic guitar, which sounded more like a ukulele, stuck out like a sore thumb amid the other striking instrument.

Once all was said and sung, it was The Pedestrians who came in first, bringing home a $100 gift card from Guitar Center.

The show ended with a bang with two rockin’ bands: The Aloha Radio and The Colourist. The Aloha Radio took after its namesake with a funky and fresh style, though their live performances did not come up to par with their recorded album. Nonetheless, I could’ve seen myself danc-ing along to the beat had I not already been so tired.

The Colourist displayed their own vintage indie-rock colors with a male and female duet, as well as a good ol’ cow bell. The Colourist is new on the scene, but I have a sneak-ing feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

Stupendous music, an en-ergized crowd, and a strong panel of judges put down any gaffes in the minds of the au-dience. From hip hop to indie rock, the Rock ‘N’ Runway show had everyone of all mu-sic preferences swaying their hands and jumping to the beat. Rockin’: Check.

Rock N’ Runway Critical Music Review

Christine Vustaff writer

(Above) Kalani Nakashima (‘11) plays lead guitar for his band, Steeze the Day. Photo Credit: Tue Duong (‘14)

A Musical Take on This Rockin’ Fundraiser

>>Selena Gomez:Front 1

ena laughed at someone’s poster that said, “I won’t kiss and tell Justin.” Then she per formed “Natural-ly,” the song that everyone was eager to hear. Selena encour aged everyone to danc e to the song and her fans obeyed.

After finishing per-forming “Naturally,” Sel ena Gomez thanked her fans. She said she was grateful for all her fans who mean the whole world to her. Even though “Magic” was the last song she performed, Selena gave it her best. Every one sang along to the catchy lyrics. She reached out to the audience with her microphone for a chance a to sing out loud with her. Selena only performed six songs and even though the concert lasted about 45 min-utes, Selena didn’t seem. Her fans were obviously ap-preciative of any time they had to share with this tal-ented performer.

Probably best known for their song “Ocean Av-enue”, Yellowcard is an

alternative rock band that re-cently released their fifth full-length album, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes, on March 22. The album repre-sented the band’s return from a two-year hiatus, which was announced in April 2008. They began working on their cur-rent album in the beginning of 2010, describing their break as “a pause that’s revived the band’s passion for their mu-sic.”

The current members of Yellowcard include guitarist and vocalist Ryan Key, violin-ist and vocalist Sean Mackin, drummer Longineu Parsons, guitarist Ryan Mendez, and bassist Sean O’Donnell (Key, Mackin, and Parsons are the only members who were part of the band when it was formed in 1997). Concerning their teamwork on their new album, Mackin says on Yel-lowcard’s website that it is “a great reflection on Yellow-card’s body of work. It high-lights the best of what we’re all good at. The songwriting was really focused and we all complimented each other’s talents.”

Overall, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes is upbeat and energetic. Most of

the songs seem like typical al-ternative rock songs, but “For You and Your Denial,” “Hang You Up,” and “Sing For Me” are distinct exceptions. “For You and Your Denial” fea-tures a violin, the use of which enhances the otherwise tradi-tional electric-guitar sound. It turns the melody into some-thing intriguing and different. “Hang You Up” has a bit of a softer feel than some of the other songs on the album. The guitar is used less in this song, making it less of a hard-edged track. The violin is again incor-porated into the song beauti-fully. “Sing For Me” is another slower, more ballad-like track. The lines of this song are con-sidered short, yet meaningful and heartfelt.

Yellowcard’s new album is a must to listen to if you are a fan of the band, but it’s also an excellent choice for all fans of alternative music. If you don’t want to listen to the whole al-bum, “For You and Your De-nial,” “Hang You Up,” and “Sing For Me” are highlights worth checking out.

Sasha Belaluddinstaff writer

YellowcardAlbum ReviewWhen You’re Through Saying Yes

Ruby Summer. The two words sound like a new shade of lip-gloss

for pre-teen girls, or perhaps a flavor of sugary-sweet pop-sicles designed for the warm summer months. Well, in real-ity, the sound and appearance of the real Ruby Summer, an all-girl pop duet, is not much different from the happy-go-lucky images their name pro-duces.

The two pretty young wom-en with long flowing hair, dressed like little girls who raided a dress-up box, sang out lyrics of boys, beaches, and Brigitte Bardot in the FVHS bowl earlier this March. Along with their performance, cop-ies of their album Mermaids and Poets, t-shirts and stickers were sold to the eager FVHS students.

Without question, the girls have perfected their appear-ance and stage presence. The girly tutus, wrists covered in bangles and beads, and 5-inch pumps match the sweet, airy image they’re attempting. And that look drew in the attention they were aiming for, evident by the swarms of boys that packed the seats of the bowl on Friday.

But beneath the blue eye makeup and the frilly dresses, what about the music of Ruby Summer? In an interview, blonde-haired sister Summer firmly believes that “it doesn’t matter what genre it [music] is…if it makes you feel some-thing then it’s good music.” But strangely, I found it dif-ficult to feel anything when I heard the repetitive, rhyming “French Kisses”, indistinguish-able from any other pop song.

That’s not to say that the sisters aren’t talented, but their

performance seemed to show off themselves more than their music. With their short skirts, choreographed twists and turns, and overwhelming syn-thesizer drowning out their voices, it was difficult to focus on anything but their looks.

Clearly, this fantasy-like, techno sound appeals to a large population of young teenage girls, but it seems difficult to deem Ruby Summer as musi-cal or creative, when the lyr-ics and melodies of each song are interchangeable. While one song talks about the magic of French boys and their love, the next song discusses summers on the beach with tan surfers. Where is the originality?

Now if the intent of Ruby and Summer is to produce a light, fantasyland album to at-tract every dreamy-eyed young girl, and to flaunt their beauty and style to swoon every teen-age boy, then congratulations, because they succeeded in their objective. Thanks to Ruby Summer, every Fountain Val-ley girl hopes for that “French Kiss” and every boy wants to be their “amour”.

Ruby Summer and Their Sugar-Sweet SoundsStudents swoon to sister pop duo’s summer songs

Brie Roche-Lillioteditor-in-chief

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visual arts 8Photos of the Day: April & March 2011 Gathering artistic photos taken by our fellow student bodyCarmille Garcia

photographer

(Above) FEMALES SHINING. Photo credit: Kelsey Boncato.(Below) FISH-EYE. Photo credit: Christine Vu

(Above) MIDAIR. Photo credit: Mai Vi Do

(Above) CUTE AS A BUTTON. Photo credit: Tyler Ratzlaff

(Above Left) SANDS OF SUMMER. Photo credit: Leeanne Terry. (Above Right) SUMMERTIME. Photo credit: Kennington Cung.

(Above) INNER PLACES. Photo credit: Carmille Garcia(Below) PRECIOUS MOMENTS. Photo credit: Tue Duong.

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