NEWS | PAGE 2 CAMPUS | PAGE 3 OPINION | PAGE 4-5 CALENDAR | PAGE 6 SPORTS | PAGE 8

Spotlight on a Traveling StudentDrum Line Places at Competition Budget Cuts Harm Learning Cinema Enters a New Dimension Coach Jones Keeps Track on Track

TTiiddeelliinneeVolume XLX, Issue 11 PALISADES CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL MARCH 12 - MARCH 26, 2010 PACIFIC PALISADES, CA TIDELINENEWSPAPER.COM

The school’s Drum Line wins secondplace at the West Covina Competition. A day in the life of a junior whotakes the school bus to and fromschool.LAUSD has to cut funds from vari-ous necessary programs on campus. The Track and Field team gets a newhead coach.With the success of “Avatar,” manyupcoming films will be released in3D.

In the past two years the“governor and state Legislaturehave cut the budget for public edu-cation by $18 billion,” accordingto the United Teachers LosAngeles (UTLA) flyer, which alsostated, “GovernorSchwarzenegger released hisJanuary state budget proposalwith another $2 billion in cuts,two days after promising hewould protect public educationfrom further harm! Who does hethink he is fooling?”Schwarzenegger and legislatorsclaim they “had no choice but tocut billions from primary, sec-ondary and higher education toclose enormous deficits,” accord-ing to the Los Angeles Times.Teachers here and at otherschools across the state picketedto create awareness for the issueand to encourage the voters ofCalifornia to contact their localschool board and state legisla-tors. Larger rallies were held laterthat day in downtown LosAngeles, UCLA, CSUN and LongBeach. After a large rally inOakland, where a freeway wasblocked, 150 people were arrest-ed. An issue that was raised byteachers was the state govern-ment’s prioritizing of budgets.“Our priorities are upside down,”said AP United States HistoryTeacher and Budget CommitteePresident Mr. King. “The publiceducation system in Californiaused to be something we could

brag about. This is no longer thecase.” Some districts either havealready dealt with, or now facelayoffs, adding another dimen-sion to the response to the cuts.“They’re cutting at the future,”said one recently laid off teacherof the Alhambra Unified SchoolDistrict.Some teachers feel that thesestate cuts are especially serious inlight of other financial issues thatthe school is currently facing. “Ithink the main concern right nowis the busing situation,” saidEnglish teacher and UTLA repre-

sentative Mr. Klima. “Not onlydoes it impact the classroom, butthe whole makeup of the schoolcould change.” Some consider this issue tobe one of considerable severity,as indicated by the recent meetingheld to poll students about thematter. The school’s administra-tion, as well as the PTSA andother groups, have been pushingfor greater action by students andparents including a phone cam-paign to LAUSD Superintendentof Schools Ramon Cortines andseveral legislators. The issue has

attracted national attention; CNNsent reporter Casey Wian to cometo the school for a story on theproblems facing students whorely on bus transportation.The school is attempting toeither work out an agreement withLAUSD or begin a bus transporta-tion system of its own. However,as Executive Director Amy Heldsaid in an e-mail regarding thematter, “We are also preparing forthe worst case scenario of losing40 percent of our students and notbeing able to replace them withother students.”

Teachers across Californiaprotested $2 billion in budgetcuts to education in an organizedstatewide protest on March 3.Some universities also had walkouts.

By BEN LEVINETideline Junior Editor

Teachers locked their doors andclosed the blinds during a lock-down on the morning of Feb. 26,after anonymous threats made onthe Internet suggested violence oncampus. The anonymous messageswere sent on the night of Feb. 25and the school was notified of thethreat the following morning.Officers from the Los AngelesPolice Department worked along-side administrators to secure thecampus. “Because we weren’t surewhat we were dealing with, wetried everything in our power tomake sure the campus was secure,”Dean Howard said. Teachers received e-mailsthroughout the morning that gaveinformation about what was goingon, as well as safety proceduresthat would help protect those oncampus. Ms. Davenport sent an e-mail to teachers that read,“Teachers must limit campus pass-es today until the end of the schoolday. Please send students to respec-tive classrooms quickly.”The actual lockdown tookplace during first period, but teach-ers were told to keep students fromleaving the classrooms all day. Thee-mail, which recalled the lock-down, also read, “To ensure safetyduring the investigation, we calledfor a lockdown.”Although the rumor in ques-tion did not specifically name Palias a target, the school still felt thatit was wise to act in order to ensurethe safety of Pali students. Theschool is still looking into whichstudents were involved, as well as

if the rumor was a prank. Directorof Student Services Ms. Iannessasaid, “Investigation is still pend-ing. School policy dictates that theschool take all threats seriously.” “They handled the situationquietly. They gave us enoughinformation, but not too much,”AP United States History TeacherRobert King said. “I didn’t let itdisrupt my class, though.”Some students also agreed thatthere was just enough informationgiven. “Although students do havea right to be informed about whatis happening, we are alsoteenagers. We have a mob mental-ity and often panic at the first pos-sible chance. I have friends thatwanted to go home Friday simplybecause of the presence of multiplepolice officers,” Junior SabrinaGiglio said. “If we actually knewthe full details, it might instigatepanic throughout the student body,thus creating a far greater threat toour safety.”Administrators feel that thelockdown was very smooth andeffective, and that the school is nolonger in danger. “The students andteachers were very calm, whichhelped make sure there was nochaos,” said Howard. The police remained on cam-pus throughout the day, in order tokeep the campus secure. “I thinkthat the school did what theythought was necessary while theadministration was figuring outwhat was going on,” SeniorHannah Rogers said. “It is their jobto protect our safety and that’swhat the administration did.”Although the rumor was notfound to be a real threat, adminis-trators still take all threats serious-ly. “What you post on an Internetsite can have implications for anentire school community,”Iannessa said.

By ELIZABETH PAULY ANDSHAYDA AMANATTideline Managing Editor and StaffWriter

School Goes onLockdownThe school faced a lockdown onFriday, Feb. 26 in response to an online threat.

Since announcing buses willbe canceled beginning fall of thisyear, faculty members and stu-dents have initiated campus-widecampaigns to help the negotia-tions process. Human RightsWatch’s (HRW) Yellow HandCampaign and an on-campus rallyare all trying to “ramp up publici-ty and pressure to fight to keepthe transportation,” according toan e-mail written by ExecutiveDirector Ms. Held. Traveling Students were firstnotified on Tuesday, March 2,when they were summonsed fromtheir first period classes to attendan assembly in the large gym. Itwas there that Director ofCounseling Services Ms.Davenport said, “We’ve beennotified by LAUSD that they aregoing to cancel the buses begin-ning of the fall of this schoolyear.”Davenport also mentionedthe possibility of moving themagnet program to UniversityHigh School in West LA. Since

then, students and teachers havecome together to form movementsthat will ensure the continuationof the school’s busing program.Art teacher and HRW advisor Ms.Pereyra initiated the Yellow HandCampaign, which was inspired bythe Red Hand Campaign, an inter-national effort to stop the use ofchild soldiers. “We deal with local

justice issues also, and wheneveryou’re starting a campaign whereyou’re educating the public ithelps to have something. Weneeded a flag to keep it on theforefront of our awareness,”Pereyra said. As of now, 1,738 hands havebeen submitted and signed and canbe seen hanging from the

school’s entrance. HRW has alsocontacted Mexican AmericanLegal Defense & Education Fund,(MALDEF) an organization thathelps ensure the legal rights ofMexican-Americans in the UnitedStates. Junior club member LorenaAollu had her parents contactMALDEF, and after severalattempts, they were able to get in

Students and teachers are making efforts to save the transportation program.

By NEGAR MAHMOODITideline Managing Editor

Continued on Page 2

CCAAMMPPUUSS PPRROOTTEESSTTSS BBUUDDGGEETT CCUUTTSS

Students gather in the quad to protest the recent budget cuts.

Mr. Steil and Ms. Pereyra protest the district’s proposed education cuts. VAL KARUSKEVICH/ Staff Photographer

TYLER BREWINGTON/ Photographer

Ef for ts to Keep Buses Reach Across Campus

TTiiddeelliinnee NEWSPage 2 March 12 - March 26, 2010

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Newsin

BriefThe Concert Choir plans to participate in an Invitational ConcertChoir Festival at Chapman University on March 19. The festival is anall-day event in which 10 high school choirs from around SouthernCalifornia will sing. Then a panel will judge their performances. After,the choir will stay to hear college choirs perform. Since the close ofthe ‘80s Night Coffee House concert, Mr. Elson has kept ConcertChoir busy preparing for the Chapman Festival. It will be the first fes-tival that the Concert Choir has attended.

Choir Concert to Perform in Festival

Assembly Informs Students of Bus Cuts

Read the full story on www.tidelinenewspaper.com

The Leadership class organ-ized and hosted a Help HaitiDodgeball Tournament, which ranfrom Feb. 16 to Feb. 26. Thetournament took place every dayover a span of two weeks in thelarge gym at lunch. The dodgeball tournament isan annual event on campus; how-ever, in light of the devastatingJanuary earthquake in Haiti, thetournament was organized as theschool’s way of giving support tothe nation. Admission for eachday was 25 cents. Alternatively,students could buy blue wrist-bands emblazoned with the slogan“Help Haiti Now” for $3. Theprice of these wristbands droppedto $2 at the start of the secondweek. Overall, the tournamentbrought in over $600 to be donat-ed to the earthquake-struckCaribbean country. The tournament itself beganon Tuesday, Feb. 16 as BoysSoccer triumphed over theFootball team. On the girl’s side,Girls Soccer defeated Girls basket-ball. The next day saw one of themajor upsets of the tournament,as Boys Volleyball unseated thedefending champions, Baseball.“Baseball is always really good inthese tournaments- they won itlast year,” Junior and member ofthe Volleyball team Denton VanDuzer said. “Also, baseball is thesport most similar to dodgeballso for us to beat them, it waspretty cool.” The game itself wasexciting, and it ended in a one-on-one duel with Senior Josh Kanancatching Junior Chase Holmes’throw. Later that lunch, theWildcard team, comprised of stu-dents not affiliated with a sportsteam, beat the Surf team.The next day saw GirlsVolleyball beat Softball, andBoys Tennis beat Track. Then, onFriday, Feb. 19, the Swim teamwon in the battle against theTeachers team. In severalmoments of levity, loud cheerswere raised every time a teacherwas eliminated. Boys Lacrossethen handed a heavy defeat toBoys Basketball as the quarterfi-nals were set.After taking a break on

Monday, Feb. 22, the tournamentresumed as Boys Soccer won lop-sidedly against Girls Soccer, andBoys Volleyball handily wonagainst the Wildcard team. Next,Boys Tennis beat Girls Volleyballand Boys Lacrosse inflicted a six-to-nothing beating of Swim. Inthe first matchup of the semifi-nals, Boys Volleyball knocked offBoys Soccer in a tight affair,while Boys Lacrosse continuedtheir winning ways against BoysTennis, where they didn’t lose asingle player.Boys Volleyball was thus setto play Boys Lacrosse in a best-of-three series; however, due toseveral injuries on the Volleyballteam, the final was shortened to aone-off match with some tweakedrules. The final itself was excit-ing, as balls flew in flurries fromboth sides and the crowd wasinvigorated by hard throws andstunning dodges. Ultimately, itcame down to a three-on-one withBoys Volleyball holding theadvantage. The match ended inconfusion, however, as the

remaining Lacrosse playerbelieved he had been called out bythe referee. One of the BoysVolleyball players hit him in thisperiod, and the Volleyball team,composed of Isaac Margulies,Jack Scharf, JayantSubrahmanyam, Denton VanDuzer, Brian Martin, and KeneIzuchukwu, were declared the win-ners. “It was a weird way to win,but I’m happy that we beatLacrosse,” Van Duzer said. “Iknow a lot of the guys on theother team, so it was cool to beatthem.”The majority of the studentsbelieved the tournament to be asuccess, as evidenced by highattendance levels and a significantamount of money raised for Haiti.“In my opinion, the tournamentwas definitely a success. Everyday, I would come into the gymand it would be packed,” JuniorShervin Ghaffari said. “Everytime something exciting wouldhappen the entire place woulderupt. It was a cool atmosphere,plus it was all for a good cause.”

Boys Volleyball takes the charitytournament title.

By JAYANT SUBRAHMANYAMTideline Staff Writer

Dodgeball Tournament Raises Money for Haiti

In recent years, the anticipa-tion surrounding theater fundrais-er nights, or “Spaghetti Nights,”on campus has dwindled, bringingin fewer audience members than itonce did. On Friday March 5, theDrama Department was happy tosay that the audience exceededtheir expectations, and was sup-portive and enthusiastic abouttheir friends and families’ per-formances. The “Pride andPrejudice” fundraiser night dis-played the talent in the depart-ment, focusing on the wide rangeof comedic talent in the cast andcrew. “Incredible, impeccable per-formances! It was the bestSpaghetti Night we’ve ever had. Iloved every moment of it!”Senior Devon Baur said. Some students believe that

Spaghetti Night is a chance formembers of the DramaDepartment to showcase a hiddentalent, and Senior and Sound tech-nician Erik Cherighino did justthat, with the help of Devon Baurand Kali Bush-Vineberg. Somemembers of the audience werethoroughly surprised whenCherighino, clad in a bed sheettoga, stepped on stage to sing “ICan Go the Distance” fromHercules. Several audience mem-bers and department membersalike were shocked at his naturalability to sing, and serious natureof his performance. The laughterquickly filled the air and broughtnew life to the audience. “Of course the classic lipsyncing skits were entertainingand fun as well! Another favoriteof mine was the ‘Gilly’ SNL skit-it was very funny and an excellentperformance by all involved!Overall, a successful spaghettinight!” Senior Tasha Solomitasaid. At the start of the second act,

Freshmen Brandon Papo, JessicaPurner and Mary McGowanstepped up to the stage to performa lip-syncing cover of LadyGaga’s “Bad Romance.” WithPapo playing Gaga, the audienceinstantly fell in love, the crowdcheered, and the young studentsreceived a standing ovation. “Spaghetti Night was veryenjoyable,” Solomita said. “Thefreshman made the event epicallyunforgettable with their renditionof “Bad Romance.” BrandonPapo’s performance was trulyinsane.”The night showcased the tal-ent of the cast and crew of “Prideand Prejudice” and has pumped upthe excitement surrounding theupcoming show. Junior Jesse Roth said,“Spaghetti Night is my favoritepart of the show process becausewe all get to perform anything wewant! It always comes together atthe last minute, but this time itwas prepared and a night full offun performances.”

By KATIE LANTZTideline Staff WriterSpaghetti Night Fundraises for Senior Show

“Pride and Prejudice” showfundraiser offers food and fun fora full audience.

touch with a representative. “Awoman by the name of SaraHernandez called and she wantedto know what was going on andwould look into the situation.”The Leadership class alsoorganized an on-campus rallytitled Save Our Busing andEducation (S.O.B.E.) onTuesday, March 9 before schooland during nutrition. ASBSecretary Chandler Rubottomcreated a Facebook event thenight before, informing stu-dents to be at the front of schoolat 7:30 a.m. Rubottom’s mother, JulieInouye, has previous experiencein organizing demonstrationsand helped get the protest on itsfeet. “Leadership contacted meand said ‘We’d like you to cometalk to our leadership classabout starting a movement, ’which is right up my alley,”Inouye said. Inouye contactedgraphic designers she hadworked with in the past to comeup with t-shirts and flyers for thedemonstration. The future of the school’sbuses is still questionable. As ofnow, Ms. Held is in negotia-tions with the district. Picturesof the rally have been sent toseveral local news and radio sta-tions and newspapers. Theschool hopes to get nationalattention with a news story onCNN.com. However, PrincipalHaskin makes it clear that stu-dents should have hope. “I wantyou to know that we are workingday and night,” Haskin said.“Don’t get depressed. Don’tgive up.”

Campus-WideCampaignsInitiated to Keep Buses

Members of the Indoor DrumLine were awarded on Saturday,Feb. 20 at a drum line competi-tion at West Covina HighSchool. The Drum Line placedsecond in the Scholastic CDivision. The success at the com-petition bumps the team up to theScholastic B Division and quali-fies them to continue on to fur-ther competitions.This was the group’s firstIndoor Drum Line competition.The members played for a panelof three judges and competedagainst eleven other groups intheir division. All of the groups

were evaluated in three categories:general, music and visual effect.The judges gave useful commentsto the team, according to Ms.Hernandez, one of the Drum Linecoordinators. “All three judgeshad very positive and helpfulcomments about the show,”Hernandez said. Hernandez, along with thePercussion Coach Jeremy Millerand Percussion Designer JasonKaruza, contributed to the DrumLine’s success. The team met dur-ing 7th period every day, as wellas Saturdays and after school onFridays to rehearse for the compe-tition. “I thought the Drum Linehad a very successful first per-formance. Our percussion coachesand designers, Jeremy Miller andJason Karuza, have written ashow that is very enjoyable. Ourdrum line members work veryhard and it was great to see their

work recognized,” Hernandez said.The members of the teamwere quite excited about the win.Senior Chauncey Hicks was satis-fied with the turnout of the com-petition. “It was a great experi-ence. Since it was our first IndoorDrum Line competition, we got alot of perspective on how otherschools approached the competi-tion.” Hicks was impressed bythe performances of other schoolsand believes there is much tolearn from them. “It was reallynice to see what we should shootfor in the future. I think watchingother schools perform gave us anidea of what our goals should befor future competitions.”

Drum Line Wins Second Place in West Covina CompetitionDrum Line receives second placeaward in the Scholastic CDivision at a local competition.

By NEDA DALLALTideline Staff Writer

Senior Andy Green plays dodgeball at lunch to raise money for Haiti.

Several of the school's administrators hosted a meeting in the large gymto inform the student body about LAUSD’s termination of the school'sbusing program. Administrators and counselors handed out forms to stu-dents as a survey to find out how many students would be adverselyaffected by the cuts, whether or not students' parents would be willingto pay for busing, and whether or not students would follow a shiftedmagnet program to University High School. However, the bus situa-tion may still be in limbo. "We are working day and night with the dis-trict to negotiate proposals with the district so that our transportationcan remain intact," Ms. Haskin said. "Don't think this is somethingwe're just accepting."Administration Takes Steps to Prepare for Next YearAt a special meeting on March 9, the Board accepted plans to hire theUCLA School of Management Program (SMP) to help maximize theefficacy of the administration. Proposed by Principal Haskin, the plan,as outlined in an e-mail from Board Chair Dr. Perkins, will “help usdetermine: a) the benefits of alternative organizational structures forupper management, b) desirable Principal/ED qualities and characteris-tics, c) how to conduct a search to find appropriate leadership.” Thefirst meeting with the SMP will take place on March 23.

Continued from Page 1

MARK GALASSO/ PhotographerThe Drum Line performs before judges at West Covina High School.

ASHLEY RICHARDSON/ Photographer

TTiiddeelliinnee CAMPUS LIFEMarch 12 - March 26, 2010 Page 3

Whether the sun is already out, or if it’s still hiding on the other side of the world, thereare eyes that shy open everywhere, ready for the new day. All students have their own morn-ing routine: a cold groan, a smashing fist against the snooze button, an aching eardrum froma mother’s screechy commands, or a calm lift from bed into the throws of yet another day atschool. For some, school is a walk away. Others deal with busing, a blister in ready need to bepopped. Students with driver’s licenses slunk themselves into cars and drive to school.Speeding, violating signs, and dashing though red lights, they hurry; behavior likely prompt-ed by the school’s new tardy policy. The cool wind cackles its own sick comedy as kids stum-ble into school like tossed rag dolls. Arms flail forward as one by one, they segregate them-selves into small bunches of “morning” friends. The defective bell eventually spurts out awounded cry, and everybody scatters to their own building.

Most classes function similarly. The rule of thumb for identifying which class a stu-dent has entered is calculated by volume. Regular classes are the loudest; the noise in thoserooms is heavy enough to be weighed. The raucous is infectious, caking everyone in a film oflamentations, gossip, and nonsense. Honors classes are generally quieter and more Caucasian,but the content of their blathering is similar. AP classes range on a day-to-day basis. They cango from corpselike silence on test days to a hemorrhage of screaming similar in volume to thatof a regular class.

The bell lets out yet another gurgle and kids flood back outside onto the campus forNutrition (which is a misnomer). Most students have a group they belong to. There is the occa-sional loner, but almost everyone is in a group. Every group is different. Some are segregatedby race, others by interest, but they all share the school campus generally peacefully. Once ina while, a flock of seagulls will flood the sky and offer hopes of falling excrement onto theyoung masses. Some scatter, others brave the falling pearly liquid, hoping it won’t land onthem. Again the bell rings and the brief break is over.

The mid morning classes tend, as well, to display a range of emotions. The class itself caneither be exhausting, or surprisingly quick, depending on the day of the week. At this pointthe morning sluggishness of most students has evanesced and been replaced either by a thirst

to blurt and spatter random thoughts into the air, or actual concentration (concentration,though, is rare). At the end of these two hours, stomachs have begun to gurgle and it is timefor lunch.

Lunch is a three-headed beast of its own, gnarling and piercing at the pith and livelinessof our students. Some venture into the cafeteria, dreading their meal and preparing for thethirty minute wait in line to receive a dubious serving of scooped filth. Some seniors race totheir cars, or sprint on foot over to a nearby restaurant, hoping to make it back from lunch ontime. The smarter kids bring lunch from home. This is by far the most efficient decision, yetsurprisingly out of the ordinary. Once everyone has food, there is a short but wonderful minuteor two as everyone shoves food down their throats trying to get to class on time.

The third class of the day can be easily described as a countdown to the end of the peri-od. The generally drowsy population of bloated students sits and waits. The instructor’s voicegets drowned out by each student’s own daydream. Some of the information unconsciouslystains the minds of the students; most is discarded. After what seems like an eternity of blurredvision and ennui, the bell lets out a final and definitive squeal. The day has finally ended forsome. They all stuff themselves like sardines into their little overcrowded bus, or get into theircars and make their way home.

Sadly, for a few this last bell is only a reminder that another chunk of their time will beswallowed by a final seventh period. Most of these are elective classes and aren’t entirelyunpleasant for the attendees. An hour passes and finally it’s time to head home.

Of course, there are moments when a student’s reason for being at school reignites: whena teacher really gets through to helping everyone understand something, and when friendshipsare created between two people who only know each other because of our school’s diversity, oreven just reading a good book that was assigned. There are times when a student’s passionreally gets its opportunity to burn through into the world, and though the school is usually bet-ter at deterring those flames, occasionally, it lets an ember catch and grow. The talent andstrength of our student base is the only thing that keeps school sensible, and the school needsto find a way to nurture that potential if our future is to be anything but the glum truth of today.

Passing through the halls of the campus is a diversestudent body of 2,710 students, who all reflect theunique mosaic of our city. The diversity of the campusallows students the opportunity to learn, study and playin an environment that reflects the world. The unique-ness of the student body encourages a large variety ofclubs and classroom discussions that encompass abroad range of perspectives and allows a wide range ofstudents to interact with one another. Diversity bringsthe school together, in order to form an extraordinarycommunity for students to learn. However, the school’sstudent community is now in danger due to the factthat in order to save about $2 million dollars, LAUSDhas proposed eliminating 25 buses for about 1,180 stu-dents, who are apart of the school’s traveling program.

One of the many students who will be affected bythis budget cut, which is specifically aimed toward theschool’s traveling program, is traveling student JuniorKeven Duran. Duran has been taking the school bussince the year 2004, when he started at Paul RevereMiddle School. He, like many other traveling students,has no other means of transportation to get to schoolbesides the school bus. “I live in East Los Angeles,approximately 30 miles away from school,” KevenDuran said. “The school bus is the best means of trans-portation for me because both my parents have to go towork in the mornings and public transportation is notalways reliable. It would definitely take me over twohours to arrive at school and then home if I took thepublic bus.”

Many traveling students do indeed have home

schools which are much closer to them, but theseschools do not offer the same educational experienceor opportunities that Pali does. “The two high schoolswhich I live nearby are Roosevelt High School andGarfield High School, but both are always beingthreatened to be shut down because of their low aca-demic scores,” Duran said. “I choose to attend Palibecause it offers me a chance to challenge myselfthrough the academic courses they offer. It also offerswonderful facilities for students such as the study cen-ter and college center, which my home schools do nothave.”

Duran, like many others, is extremely upset by theDistrict’s proposal. “I come to Pali because it offers mea chance to grow and the tools to become successful.The fact that they’re going to try and take that awayfrom almost half of the schools population is ridicu-lous,” Duran said. “Not only will the students suffer,but so will the school because a majority of the travel-ing students are a part of sports and academic teams.Pali will lose its pride as one of the most diverseschools in California.”

Duran, however, is one of the few who may have asolution for the next year because he has the opportu-nity to get his driver’s license. “Well they’re not cuttingthe buses until next year, so by that time I will be driv-ing to school. It’s not going to affect me in terms ofcoming to Pali or not,” Duran said. “But it will affectalmost 50 percent of the population at school whichincludes a majority of my friends. Ultimately, it’s justnot fair.”

A DAY IN THE LIFEBy Kevin Barrios Tideline

Staff Writer

STUDENT AFFECTED BY BUS CUT PROPOSALBy Nikta Jaberzadeh Tideline

Staff Writer

TTiiddeelliinnee OPINIONPage 4 March 12 - March 26, 2010

Published twenty times a year,the student newspaper ofPalisades High School (theTideline) is a public forum,with its student editorial boardmaking all decisions concerning its contents.Unsigned editorials express theviews of themajority of the editorialboard.Letters to the editor are wel-comed and will be publishedas space allows. Letters mustbe signed, although the staffmay withhold the name onrequest. The paper reserves theright to edit letters for gram-mar and clarity, and all lettersare subject to laws governingobscenity, libel, privacy anddisruption of the schoolprocess, as are all contents ofthe paper.Opinions in letters are notnecessarily those of the staff,nor should any opinionexpressed in a public forum beconstrued as the opinion orpolicy of the administration,unless so attributed.

Editors-in-Chief:Will Anderson, Mariel Redlin Managing Editors: Negar Mahmoodi, Elizabeth Pauly Publishing Manager:Eric LopezJunior Editors: Paulina Firozi, Ben LevineLayout Editor:Chelsea BaileyNews Editors:Melina Charis, Katy Pool Sports Editors:Kene Izuchukwu, Dennis PesikovOpinion Editors: Jackie Rosen, Igor ShvartserEntertainment Editors: Arianna Fisher, Rachel LevitanCampus Life Editors: Paulina Firozi, Alexandra Traylor Photography Editor:Val KaruskevichIT Manager: Eric LopezBusiness Manager:Michael Shayan, Jasmine Golbari Faculty Advisor: Ms. Cappelli

Poll taken on 3/10/2010656 students polledWould you be able toattend Pali withoutprovided bus trans-portation?

68% said Yes32% said No

Does the FirstAmendment play adefining role in yourlife?83% said Yes17% said No

TIDELINE POLICYS TATEMENT

THE TIDELINES TAFF

S TUDENTPOLL

!There is nothing more wonderful thanfreedom of speech." -Ilya Ehrenburg

LETTER TO THE EDITORSDear Tideline,

The budget deficit held by LAUSD is a situation thatharms the education, lifestyle and future of innocent childrenwho have been working assiduously to establish a betterlifestyle for themselves. The minority of Pali and otherLAUSD schools travels halfway across Los Angeles to be ableto receive an education [that] would give them equal opportuni-ty to compete against the majority in the future. LAUSDshould not hurt hardworking students, teachers and schools whoare the primary factors in creating America’s future. Sincerely,Asher S. JUNIOR

By KEVIN SIMMSTideline Staff WriterArt is an idea for which no twopeople have the same def-inition. Some would define itas a medium through which anindividual can freely expresshimself; others might defineit as swirly and colorfullines, placed with precisionto achieve a purpose. The defi-nition of art is so ambigu-ous that the concept ofregulation is very dif-ficult to employ.Censorship is some-thing that we havecome to recognize asnecessary in order toachieve success inany civilized socie-ty. There are cer-tain things that weas Americans cansay and do underthe protection ofthe first amend-ment, and there areother things that wecannot say and dounder penalty of law.The First Amendment,contrary to popular belief, doesnot grant us the power to say anddo anything we want. In the jour-nalism community, we under-stand that we cannot write andpublish words that fall under thecategories of defamation, libel,sedition and so forth, but do theserestrictions extend into the domainof art? The fact of the matter is thatthey do. Artists are sensitive about changesto their work and they have reason tobe. Art is something pure, somethingthat is formed from very specific anddeliberate methods in order to expressvery specific and deliberate feelings.Regulations mean changes to art that can alter itsmeaning and value. However, no one can say thatsomething is or is not art. This very article could beseen as an art. Does that entitle me to write anythingand everything I want in it? Anything that an indi-vidual produces must be appropriate for its audience.This fact alone justifies restrictions placed on art andall other productions of the human mind.This raises questions of who is to determine what

is and what is not appropriate as it relates to the artsand who decides what is obscene and what is not. While the First Amendment has specific terms,it only serves as a limit for governmental censor-ship. This further complicates the issue as to whodecides what is and is not appropriate. Theanswer varies depending on the purpose of anartist’s work. If I were to draw a defamatory car-toon of my neighbor and hang it in my bed-room, the matter of its propriety is undermy own jurisdiction. On the other hand,if I were to hang that cartoon on theside of my house in the view ofanyone who passes by, the ruleschange.As an artist, it is up tome to evaluate the purpose ofmy work and to evaluate theaudience of my work in orderto determine whether or not itis appropriate. I may draw themost beautiful and aesthetically pleasingportrait of a nude woman, but does thatmean it is appropriate for me to display itin a children’s library? Of course not.U.S. Supreme Court Justice JohnMarshall Harlan II described the subjec-tivity of shaping artistic decency simplyand precisely when he said, “One man’svulgarity is another’s lyric.” This sen-timent accurately portrays the confu-sion that clouds the minds of allartists, including myself, when wemust decide whether or not what wedraw, capture, paint or publish,is appropriate or not. Whilesome may enjoy a certainwork of art, there will alwaysbe those that find it offen-sive. There will never beclear and specific guidelinesas to what is and is notappropriate. It is up to theartist to decide. As ajournalist writing fora public forum, Iknow that my artis subject to theexemptions of theFirst Amendment,and I abide by those terms. I know that because ofthis, those who are offended by my work have nogrounds to attack me from. Artists must take time to evaluate every aspectof what they have created. Sometimes changes toworks can be offensive, but the works themselvesare subject to a litany of opinions. Only when anartist looks at his or her work from the perspectiveof many different eyes can it truly be great.

of the Arts

Q: Do high school students hav e First Amendment rights?A: Yes. As the United States Supreme Court said in 1969, "Itcan hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitu-tional right to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhousegate." But the First Amendment only prohibits government officialsfrom suppressing speech; it does not prevent school censorship at pri-vate schools. A state constitution, statute or school policy could pro-vide private school students with free speech protections. Q: What about the Hazelwood decision? A: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, the 1988 U.S.Supreme Court decision, gave public high school officials greaterauthority to censor some school-sponsored student publications if theychose to do so. But the ruling doesn't apply to publications that havebeen opened as "public forums for student expression." It also requiresschool officials to demonstrate some reasonable educational justifica-tion before they can censor anything. In addition, some states (current-ly Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts)have passed laws that give students much stronger free expression pro-tection than Hazelwood. Other states are considering such laws. Q: What i s a "publ ic forum for student expression?" A: A student publication is a public forum for student expres-sion when school officials have given student editors the authority tomake their own content decisions. A school can do that either throughan official policy or by allowing a publication to operate with editori-al independence. Q: S o i f pol icy or pract ice indicates the content of mypubl icat ion is determined by students, the Hazelwood deci -sion doesn't apply to me? A: That's right. If a student publication is a public forum forstudent expression, then students are entitled to stronger FirstAmendment protection. School officials are only allowed to censorforum publications when they can show the publication will cause a"material and substantial disruption" of school activities. Q: What about underground or independent student publ i -cat ions? Are they protected from censorship? A: Absolutely. Although public schools can establish reason-able restrictions as to the time, place and manner of distribution ofunderground publications, they cannot absolutely forbid their distribu-tion on school grounds. Like school-sponsored publications that areforums, a school must show substantial disruption before they can cen-sor an independent publication. Q: Can a student publ icat ion be sued for l ibel , inv asionof priv acy or copy right infringement? A: Yes, and occasionally they are. In such cases the individualreporter and the editor could be held legally responsible. Court deci-sions indicate that a school which does not control the content of a stu-dent publication may be protected from liability. Students need to beaware that with press freedom does come legal responsibility. Q: Can student reporters protect confident ial news sourcesor informat ion?A: Some states have "shield laws" and others have court-cre-ated privileges that protect journalists from having to reveal this kindof information. However, most states have never explicitly appliedthese laws to student journalists. You should check your state lawbefore making a promise of confidentiality because once you makesuch a promise, the law requires you to keep it. Q: Can I use freedom of informat ion laws? A: Yes. Freedom of information, or "sunshine" laws, requiregovernment agencies such as public schools to open many of their offi-cial records and meetings to the public. These laws vary from state tostate. Every newsroom should have a copy of their state's open recordsand open meetings laws. Q: Can I use cartoon characters, song ly rics or anotherpubl icat ion's photographs in my publ icat ion? A: In most cases, only when you have obtained the permis-sion of the copyright holder. Each of these works is protected by copy-right law, which means others can use them only if they have obtainedpermission. Publishing a credit line does not take the place of permis-sion. There is an exception to copyright law called "fair use" that canapply if you are only taking a small amount of a copyrighted work orif you are using the material along with a news story about it. Q: Where can I go for more informat ion about my rightsand responsibi l i t ies as a student journal ist? A: The Student Press Law Center.

The Student Press LawCenter's High SchoolTop Ten ListThe ten questions high school student journalists mostfrequently ask about their rights.

© 2000 Student Press Law Center

E D I T O R I A LAn assembly was held on March 2 to notify students that the school would no longer provide buses asof fall semester of this year. Due to California’s weak and failing economic status, LAUSD has beenforced to hike up the cost of transportation services, causing issues in our transportation system. Efforts bythe students, faculty and administration are directly supported by members of the community. The travelingstudents at our school are the ultimate provider of our social diversity, as well as the multifaceted academ-ic background, all of which define our school. It is imperative that we take affirmative action towards pro-tecting our buses through active campaigning and appropriate funding.School-wide voices were raised with Leadership’s rally on March 9. Supporters lined the front of theschool expressing the dire need to “Save Our Busing and Education,” or simply S.O.B.E. The rally was suc-cessful in drawing much attention as several news organizations were present to follow our school’s efforts.We are cognizant of the issue at hand and are able to speak up effectively. The initial steps have been takentoward protecting our education. The next few enduring strides face much more resistance. With California denied by U.S. EducationSecretary Arne Duncan, funding for California schools has become an ever-growing challenge.Unfortunately, our school, along with many others, is increasing layoffs and furlough days, which directlyimpacts both faculty and students. A school without its faculty does little for those students left withoutthe guidance of a teacher. Both are meant to mesh together to create the framework of a well-functioningschool. As education succumbs to the depletion of funds, we are left uneducated and helpless. Although someconditions on campus may be worsened due to this lack of money, education in the classroom must notwane. Funding, if possible for administrative functions, must also be reallocated to maintain the school’sdynamic atmosphere. Student diversity, coupled with the skill of our faculty, serves to carry out our school’smission: “to educate students to make a positive contribution in our global society.”Our global society, in addition to our immediate one, apparently needs the most of our available aid.Although this issue will take some time to solve, it should not be tackled by the next generation ofCalifornia students. Funds in our state must be left fully accessible to students. If this means reapportion-ing funds at a federal-level, so be it. This is a population responsible for molding society’s future for thebetter. We must realize that our schools need greater funding than that of the present. It is in our best inter-est as a school to be productive as well as economical. Although some sacrifices will have to be made, ahigh-caliber and diverse education must be protected in our classrooms. We deserve the right to our uniqueeducation; let’s work together to secure this right.

Relocate Funds, Not Students

C E N S O R S H I P

TTiiddeelliinnee OPINIONMarch 12 - March 26, 2010 Page 5How do you think studentscould improve our restrooms?

They should be moreconsiderate and realizethat other people usethe restrooms too.And not smoking potin them would be nice.“ ”

Alexandra ColuzziSENIORThey should prob-ably try using thetrashcans instead of thefloor, and actually tryflushing the toilets.They should just bemature. ”Alexis JeffersonSENIOR

I think they shouldactually use thetrashcans and havemore respect for theschool.“ ”Nicky KeechSENIOR

They just need totake away all papertowels becausepeople aren’t usingthem properly. ”Trevor MontgomerySENIORThey could actually putthe paper in the trash-cans. There should-n’t be drying paper in therestrooms anyway. Andkids shouldn’t write on thewalls because they can get citedand go to jail.

“ ”Officer JenningsCAMPUS POLICE

Do you believe your FirstAmendment rights are protected at school?No, because youcan get in troubleif you say some-thing that someonedoesn’t agree with. ”

No, becausethey search me a lot.“ ”Yeah, because theylet us say what wewant to say. They can’tsay no to us when wespeak out. ”Carmen MaganaJUNIOR

No, because publicschools don’t have toabide by every-thing the first amend-ment says. It’s not agood thing, but they basical-ly act like parents.“ ”

Kelly WongSENIORNo, because you’renot allowed to saywhat you want. You haveto say what your teach-ers want to hear. ”Luca ChitayatSENIOR

“

“

“““

Natalie StreltsovaJUNIOR

Adam SanfratelloJUNIOR

Speak the SpeechI Pray You

BY SAM ANDERSONTideline Staff WriterThe First Amendment is a pretty big deal, which must be why itgets to be “first.” For those who don’t know, it prohibits congressfrom making laws limiting the freedom of speech, the freedom of thepeople to assemble and the freedom of the press. The Founding Fathersmust have been serious about this one. The right to not have your pri-vate belongings searched for no reason is only the fourth; if this werethe Olympics it would not even get a medal. Moreover, the right to notbe punished cruelly and unfairly by the courts is placed all the waydown in seventh place. It could not even shine Free Speech’s shoes.But even though free speech gets to be Numero Uno, the Big Kahuna,the Magnum Opus of the Bill of Rights, it still has exceptions. Oneof the exceptions is obscenity. The fact that there are still words in theEnglish language that, alone, can insight shock, fear, and disdain isperhaps reinforced in this exception to the First Amendment, and theworld might be a friendlier place if “obscene” words were not givensuch dangerous and threatening connotations. For the purposes of this article, I would like to reference GeorgeCarlin and his trademark comedy bit condemning the FCC from pro-hibiting the use of seven particular words for their inappropriatenessand vulgarity. Unfortunately, if I were to quote Carlin, it would appearas something like this: “S*** **** **** **** *** **** ***s.” Thepoint is, Carlin deconstructed these words in his comedy until they hadno power and until they meant nothing. If we all did the same, theywould not be able to hurt anyone or do any harm. I must distinguish between obscenity and vulgarity. I do notbelieve that the Tideline should print a giant phallus on the cover ofthe next issue, nor should the New York Times include a Kama Sutrainsert on Sundays. Becoming desensitized to vulgarity would be an ail-ment for society. But words cannot be inherently vulgar. I am the firstperson to say that words have power, but not when they are isolated,unsupported and floating alone on a blank white page. A word is noth-ing without other words to put them into proper context and give thempurpose. “Obscenity” could be an obsolete concept, and if it were, theworld would be a whole lot cleaner.

F*** The FirstAmendment

By NEGAR MAHMOODITideline Managing EditorForty minutes into my fifth period, I began to feel unpleasantside effects of the iced tea I drank at lunch. My eyes darted tothe corner of the room; the sight of a fluorescent pink sheet toldme that the hall pass was available for my use. I got up, scribbledmy name, time and destination and made my way to the E-build-ing girls bathroom.I swung the familiar door open and was relieved to see that onlyone of the five stalls was in use. I grabbed a toilet seat cover, andmade my way to the first stall. However, it would not be long beforemy false sense of relief would turn into disbelief and disgust. Upon opening the first bathroom stall, I was not shocked to seethat it was completely out of toilet paper. At this school, finding abathroom with toilet paper and paper towels is like finding a goldmine. “No worries,” I thought as I made my way to Plan B.The next stall was like the previous: its condition was not a sur-prise in the least bit. It was the classic case of the un-flushed toilet.I could have just flushed the previous user’s remnants and done mybusiness forthwith, but I was certain the last two were well-stockedand clean. Of course, I was mistaken yet again.The third stall was unlike anything I had ever seen before in mylife and could only be described as a menstrual explosion around andin the toilet seat. The quick glimpse alone made me gag and furiousto think that any girl would leave a stall in that nauseating condition. At this point, I was just ticked off. Not only was I missing a lec-ture, but I still had not done my business. I faced Door 4, took a deepbreath and gently pushed the stall door, hoping that nirvana was thereall along. “Crap,” I said as my eyes met the sight of a sad, cloggedtoilet. I revisited the second stall and decided to settle. After whatseemed like an eternity, I finally returned to my class and was unableto focus on the rest of the lecture. I kept on replaying the moment

when I opened the stall only to find that Aunt Flow got to it beforeI did (a scarring experience, to say the least). It was then that I began to think of all the TV shows I watchedas a kid that glorified the girls bathroom. It was a place known forbeing squeaky clean; a hygienic haven for girls to reapply make-upand exchange a few words with their peers. Now, it is nothing morethan a hardly stocked breeding ground for bacteria. With the sinksfilled to the rim with paper towels and toilets left in an abysmal state,one would think these are actually unisex gas station bathrooms.Ladies, this is nothing new. Our parents potty-trained us hopingwe would be clean and cooperative members of society. So please, forthe sake of our collective well-being, please clean up after your-selves. Flush that toilet and throw away that paper towel. It’s reallynot that hard; trust me.

A Potty Plea

GABBY BONDER/ Staff Cartoonist

By KATIE LANTZ AND MARIEL REDLINTideline Staff Writer and Editor-in-Chief When people think of the school’s Drama Department, they mightremember shows like “Honk!,” “Twelfth Night” and “TheDiviners,” all shows that enabled students to express their creativityand dedicate themselves to their passion for theater. But the motivatingforce behind each student is one teacher, Ms. Kraus. Without her, thedepartment would never have been able to put up productions like theones in the past two years, when students never had to worry abouttheir dreams not coming true. Ms. Kraus is the director responsible forthe recent success of both the department as a whole and each and everystudent in it. Ever since Ms. Kraus moved from Washington in the fall of 2008to be a part of our supportive and reputable Drama Department andschool, her position has been increasingly scrutinized. Her work anddedication have been treated as if they were character flaws, her com-passion and care for students criticized, and somehow her natural talentfor theater and extraordinary production skills overlooked.Ms. Kraus spends each school day on campus teaching POD class-es, acting classes, play production and seventh period theater work-shop. After most of the faculty members on campus have hightailed itto the faculty lot, Kraus begins rehearsal for the musical. Duringrehearsal time she also oversees the senior show rehearsals, and staysafter to run a production meeting. Finally, she heads to her lonely carsitting in the lot to go home. This day-to-day routine seems exhausting, and it would be if itweren’t for her extraordinary passion and drive to make somethingmagnificent. Her passion is not something to take lightly; the DramaDepartment could not possibly appreciate her work ethic, compassionor success any more. When we students look at Ms. Kraus, we see the dedication pour-ing out of her veins as she stands and oversees students in the greenroom saw wood, or pushes her actors the night before a DTASC festi-val to go further and express more than they ever have before. How isit logical then, to lose someone so dedicated, so passionate, and soqualified? The school neglects to appreciate theater’s ability to get studentsinto college, pushing them to focus on the SAT and AP tests, ratherthan on what they feel passionately about. After interviewing for oneof the best technical theater schools in the country, Emerson College,Seniors Daniel Greenberg and Katie Lantz were told to congratulatetheir theater director, as their portfolios were more impressive thanthose of any other high schools they had seen this year. The Universityof Michigan had similar comments after accepting seniors LexiRubaum, Greenberg and Lantz from the department. After Ms. Kraus put on one of the most touching and laudableshows in the fall, “The Diviners,” she used her connections to get JimLeonard Jr., the playwright of “The Diviners,” to come speak to thestudents. He wrote her a letter after the experience in which he com-mented on how easy it was to see the intensity of mutual respectbetween Kraus and her students. Our school seems very quick to boast about the fantastic DramaDepartment to attract students, but then, why are they just as quick toeliminate the reason for the strength of the program? Since the artsseem so important to the school, why have we failed to recognize theimportance of our theater teacher and director, and now, with the budg-et crisis, decide to jeopardize the future of the department? Ms. Kraus is one of the best directors and teachers this school hasseen. Her capabilities are immeasurable, and are evident in the studentswho are learning from her, the parents who support her whole-hearted-ly, and the theater community who has consistently awarded her work.Without such an incredible teacher, the strength of the arts programwill fall. Ms. Kraus encourages us to accomplish our dreams, and doso in a reasonable and professional manner- a rare experience in a highschool atmosphere. If our school is so quick to let go of one of the best teachers imag-inable, then who will be next? Another truly dedicated teacher? Maybereconsideration is in order, because surely there are other problems fac-ing our school than a teacher who has and will dedicate her life to thisdepartment.

TTiiddeelliinnee CALENDARPage 6 March 12 - March 26, 2010Tideline Playlist

By PHOEBE DRISCOLLTideline Staff Writer

“From A Sinking Boat”The Magnetic Fields

“Walking”Nneka

“I Saw The Light” Spoon

Stephen Merritt’s haunting bari-tone pays testament to the band’snewfound folk preference in thispassionate ballad from “Realism.”Known for his ironic, often bitterlyrics revolving around the conceptof love, The Magnetic Fieldsdeliver with this gentle-yet-prob-ing track. Merritt croons, “If Icould walk I’d walk away/But Ihaven’t slept since yesterday.”

German-Nigerian reggae artistNneka, already a star in Africa andEurope, has finally reached theUnited States. The album“Concrete Jungle” has severalnoteworthy tracks, and “Walking,”a gorgeous blend of R&B andfunky gospel, is one of them.Guarantee? The exotic, rousingchorus will bring every listener totheir feet.

By KYLE CRAIRTideline Staff WriterBack in the day, the inventionof Computer GeneratedGraphics (CGI) was the new tech-nological advancement in theentertainment world. Today, 3Dmovies are the new trend, and itdoesn’t look like they’re going tobe going away any time soon. With the huge success of“Avatar,” a movie shown in both3D and 2D, it seems that moststudios are shelling out the mas-sive amounts of money it takes tocreate a 3D film in order to mimicthe success of “Avatar,” now thehighest grossing film ever.However, many critics contribute“Avatar’s” success to its stunninguse of CGI and 3D affects togeth-er, not the plot, dialogue, and act-ing that makes other films suc-cessful. There are still moviesbeing made without 3D, which isprobably due partly to theimmense expense of the 3D cam-eras that only big studios canafford to purchase. The newchange in film preference isalready being seen with otherblockbusters like “Alice inWonderland,” and upcomingmovies, like “Clash of theTitans” and “How to Train YourDragon.” Before “Avatar,” 3D moviesseemed to be reserved to familyfilms that contained promotionaltie-ins with fast food chains, ortelevision shows. Now, 3D filmsare becoming to be the newmovie standard. No matter howcool 3D is in a movie, it stillseems like a gimmick used toovershadow the lack of a strongscript and believable characters. Ifpeople are craving to see a moviecome alive, perhaps instead ofwearing glasses in a theatre they

could just go see a play. Playsare as realistic and 3D as it gets,plus most of them have greatactors and scripts, not big bluealiens with a plot theme ofCaucasian guilt that has beendone plenty of times before. Theuse of 3D in movies is no longera trend, but a phenomenon, tak-ing over the film industry as awhole. Has 3D overpowered 2Dlike DVD massacred VHS? Is 3Dreally the way of the future?Only time will tell.

3D Movies Breakthe Bank

By YULIANA BASKINATideline Staff WriterWith just the right combina-tion of slapstick comedy,movement and percussion,“STOMP” enchants audiences.The show begins with a varia-tion on the traditional broom-stick number. At first, the per-formers simply sweep the stage,but soon, one by one, they breakout into beats and rhythms,every performer building onwhat the last started. The showcontinues with many differentnumbers, using a variety ofprops ranging from brooms andbuckets, to giant lifesavers andrubber hoses, to sinks and plas-tic bags. Each number flowsseamlessly into the next. Nearly all routines havesolos that are either extremelyimpressive or hilariously funny.In one solo, a dancer beginsclapping and stomping his feetin a quick and difficult rhythm,making himself resemble theEnergizer Bunny. Additionally,one performer plays the outsiderof the group, leading to manyentertainingly awkwardmoments. One such moment startswhen the stage is empty exceptfor one performer, who is in themiddle of an amazing percussionsolo, using nothing but his bodyas an instrument. He then sitsdown and commences drumming

on a small, household trash can.As he does so, the odd member ofthe group comes in and tries tojoin. The first entertainer isreluctant, however, and throwsaway any trash can the outcastattempts to use as a drum.Frustrated, the exile leaves thestage– only to return with a larg-er garbage bin. The jokes particularly beginin one piece that includes rubberpipes. The performers hit rubberpipes of varying lengths on thefloor to create a melody, whilethe odd man out always has tohave the last beat. Annoyed withthis, the other performers threat-en to hit him in the head with apipe, but he beats them to it bywhacking the nearest dancerupside the head. At the end of thenumber, the outcast smuglyplays the last note of the piece. One of my favorite parts iswhen the performers get the audi-ence involved— clapping andstomping out rhythms for us torepeat. They then compete forwho could get the audience to bemore interactive, which can leadto some humorous confronta-tions. Overall, “STOMP” has trulywon the hearts of many percus-sion lovers. The performersimpressively utilize everydayitems in the most ingeniousways to create beats, rhythms,and even melodies. The cleverinfusion of sarcastic and slap-stick comedy is a graceful touch.

★★★★★

‘STOMP’ GetsAudience in Uproar

By RACHEL LEVITANTideline Entertainment EditorPhotographer Alex Prager(whose pieces are shownabove) is showing her new col-lection, “Week-end,” at M+BGallery in West Hollywood.The exhibit opened on January30, and will continue onthrough the month of March.Prager’s photography isoftentimes compared to CindySherman and Diane Arbus,because her photos require theuse of wigs, props, makeup, andalmost all have a 1960s wardrobeand/or setting. Her photos alsohave the same type of AlfredHitchcock icy cold creepiness, as

if the photograph was tensed insuspense. “Week-end” is a littledarker than her past exhibitions,and reveals Prager’s sophistica-tion in her field. Prager uses aContax 640, according to herinterview with JuxtapozeMagazine, in Nov. of 2009.Throughout the last fewyears, her models have been idlerin the shot, disconnected fromthe camera as they are disengagedfrom reality. Their beautiful andglamorous clothing acts as anunsuccessful disguise for loneli-ness. The starring models now,in Week-end, are closer, moredirectly vulnerable to the camera,making the eeriness of theirinhuman perfection and immacu-late appearances, even more

poignant. Having grown up inLA as a child, it’s not surprisingthat Prager’s work is centered onthe idea of superficiality.Although the theme of LA’ssocial pressures is repulsivelyclichéd, Prager’s 1960s stylesomehow immortalizes thewhole thing, and makes the mes-sage timeless.Prager talked about “Week-end” in a Nov. interview withJuxtapoze Magazine, saying “I’mdocumenting a world that existsand doesn’t exist at the sametime; the world in which thesegirls live in is made up, but theillusion they’ve created is so con-stant that it became more real tothem than the world they actual-ly live in.”

Alex Prager

★★★★★

These dynamic indie rockers havestruck gold once again with theirlatest album, “Transference.” “ISaw The Light” is a fresh-faced,brilliant anthem in which leadsinger Britt Daniel croons, “Idon’t need a thing to remindme/That I’m part of the world.”Cheerful percussion and subtlehints of baroque-pop only add tothe glittering melody.

Dazzles with ‘Week-end’

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March 12 - March 26, 2010 Page 7

Spring is here and sports suchas Track and Field, MensVolleyball, and Baseball (who“sadly” lost to Mens Volleyballin the annual dodgeball tourna-ment for the first time ever) arenow in the spotlight. After a coldending for all of the WinterSports, in which each team apartfrom Boys Soccer failed toadvance past the second round, wecan all hope for a new beginning.Boys and Girls Lacrosse wonthe city championship tourna-ment last year and look to win itagain this year. For the Boys,leaders such as Goalie TurnerHanley, Defender Juan Climaco,and Defender Alex Gelber look toguide the team back to the CityChampionship. The Boys beganthe season 2-0 with lopsided winsover Culver City and BeverlyHills. For the Girls, Seniors suchas Emma Carter and Molly Meekgive their team a much neededboost and have also led their teamto 2-0 start.Mens Volleyball has startedoff well as they look to earn backa Western League title, and winthe City Championship as theydid two years ago. Strong setting

and serving from Junior JackScharf, great blocking fromSenior Brian Martin, and perfect"dime" passes from SophomoreChance Earnest have directly con-tributed to the Dolphins' 2-0start with wins over Carson andSylmar. The team takes on theirrival Venice on April 5.Baseball finished 18-0 lastyear in league and hopes to do thesame this year with a roster filledwith mostly Juniors. However,after losing star pitcher JonMoscot and six starters, theDolphins will have a tough timedefending their league title.Hopefully, senior captains RyanKim and Julian Achez can leadthis young team not only inleague, but also to the CitySection Division IChampionships. Baseball has sofar started 2-0 with wins overPoly, and Granada Hills.Track and Field looks to con-tinue their dominance with seniorstars Erika Martin and CarlosBustamante who return for theirfinal season. Martin has signedwith Virginia Tech andBustamante is headed to theUniversity of Madison-Wisconsin, and both players lookto lead their respective squads tothe City Finals and possiblybeyond to State.

The Track and Field team islooking forward to a strongseason with a new head coach atthe helm and new seniors step-ping into larger roles. PerryJones was named the new trackhead coach, as longtime headcoach Ronald Brumel steppeddown to focus on his role as theHead Distance Coach. Thischange did not seem to faze theseniors who are walking into amuch smaller team and a muchdifferent regimen. “I feel that wecan be a lot better with CoachJones. He knows a lot abouttrack and field he has been help-ing us greatly with jumpingespecially different and bettertechniques,” Senior CaptainBayu Suryawan said. The earlytraining began before the secondsemester, in late February, whichhas helped foster this sense ofconfidence that has overcome thecaptains. “He’s working theteam differently, and so far every-one loves it, everyone is reallyenthusiastic. He is just so enthu-siastic about Track and reallyknows what he’s talking about,”Senior captain Lauren Gustafsonsaid.On March 6, the Dolphinstraveled to Narbonne HighSchool to participate in the inau-gural Gaucho Relays. Teamsfrom far and wide came to theevent as the new head coach atNarbonne used his connections toattract such strong schools asGreat Oak, Fountain Valley, andLos Osos of the SouthernSection. Los Angeles CitySection powers were there,including San Pedro, led by CrossCountry City champion PabloRosales, and Dorsey. TheDolphins took a sizable distancesquad to the meet, bringing upnew talent as well as old talentfor this early season meet.

The Boys Varsity squadlooked to compete hard in themeet, but they encountered somehardships mid-meet. “We tried tofight hard, but we did get somenerves. We have a whole seasonahead so I know we can do a lotbetter,” Senior Captain CarlosBustamante said. Despite over atwo hour delay prior to the racesfor various reasons, the relayteam made up of Bustamante andJuniors Eric Lopez, DannyEscalante, and Alex Hernandez rana strong race, coming in fourth inthe 4 x 800. The year-roundDistance Medley team was a sym-bol of resilience, as all four ranCross Country and Track the pre-vious year. The meet was rainedout by a torrential downpour latebut the team still ran well, gar-nering a second place finish andsome incredible memories aswell. The Girls Varsity took offwith a strong relay wtihFreshman phenom JacklynBamberger leading the team in the4 x 1600m relay. The other mem-bers of the team are SeniorMichelle Colato, Junior WendyGomez, and Sophomore 3200star Sophia Stone . The team rana tough race against top-level tal-ent, coming in fourth overall.

The Boys Frosh/Soph divi-sion was headed by GrantStromberg, a City finalist lastyear for the 3200 meters, andDrake Johnston, a bloomingfreshman talent from CrossCountry season. The Frosh/Sophteam ran in two events on theday, in the 4 x 800 relay and theDistance Medley Relay. In the 4 x800, the relay squad made up ofStromberg, Johnston, andSophomore Nicholas Wong ranthe table versus the rest of theteams, powering to a first placefinish. In the Distance MedleyRelay, the Boys appeared tostruggle a bit after their first race,coming in third overall.The rest of the team appearprepared for the season, with allaspects of the squad being pushedto their limits with Coach Jones.On the Boys side, the stableappears to be filled to the brimwith young talent so there couldbe plenty of surprises. “We havequite a few good sprinters, and ifwe all stay together and if every-one stays dedicated throughoutthe entire season, then we have agood chance at a State(Championships) title this year,”Suryuwan said. SophomoreKevin Strangeway looks to push

forward with City title hopes, ashe won the Western League titlelast year with a tremendous 54.4as a Freshman. On the Girls side,Seniors Erika Martin and LaurenGustafson look to capitalize onthe plethora of talent, both youngand seasoned. “I think everyone isgoing to get some serious earlyseason PR [personal records]because of Coach Jones and ournew program,” Gustafson said.Senior Erika Martin, who signeda letter of commitment toVirginia Tech early in March, hasher sights set on the StateChampionships and a sweep ofthe 100 and 300 hurdles.Sophomore Deborah Abber looksto capitalize on her success lastseason as a City Finalist in 2009,with a run for the City and Statetitles.The team begins its series ofhome meets on March 12 with anon-league meet versus Carsonand annual City power Taft.Carson brings in a strong groupof sprinters, while Taft contrastswith a fully equipped team ofhigh quality sprinters, such asState and World ChampionSenior D.J. Morgan, as well asan always strong distance stable.

When most students at theschool feel the greatweather of spring, they think,spring break. But for the lacrosseplayers, when the great breeze,fresh air, and sun come out inFebruary, they think, lacrosseseason. As the Boys VarsityLacrosse team comes togetheronce again, this time with newplayers, and a fresh new seasonahead of them, the defending citychampions, have their mindsfocused on “winning it onceagain,” captain Alex Gelber said.Gelber started his fourth consecu-tive season as a varsity lacrosseplayer this year. The defendingchampions are extremely hopefulfor the upcoming season, andtheir tough work ethic has onlycontributed to their quick suc-cess.According to Gelber, "theteam is packed with great youngtalent making our team an offen-sive threat.” And if talent isn’tthe only thing to grant the teamanother championship, “the bestpart about our team is that we aredetermined,” Gelber said. Theplayers have shown their deter-mination and will to get anotherchampionship as early as

September. Since September, theDolphins have had optionaltraining; it wasn’t mandatory,but the players still showed up toget a head start on the season.Optional training consisted ofbasic conditioning such as stadi-um running, lightweight train-ing, sit ups, push-ups, tire hit-ting and more. Optional trainingwent until the beginning ofFebruary to the point wheremandatory training started.“When mandatory trainingcomes around, I get really exit-ed,” two year varsity playerJulian Teixeira said, “becauseyou know the season is rightaround the corner.” Mandatorypractices usually go for two and ahalf hours every day of theschool week. Unlike optionaltraining, during the mandatorypractices, the team takes out thesticks and works on basic han-dling ball and stick work, plays,and in game situation type drills.“Practice has really helped pre-pare our team for the upcomingseason,” Senior Reza Hajisaniesaid.On Monday, March 1, theschool defeated Culver City HighSchool with a score of 11-2 tostart off the season. “It was agreat win; good start for theteam’s morale,” Gelber said. Thedefending city champions go intothe rest of the season 1-0, readyto regain the title and have anoth-er successful year.

TTiiddeelliinnee SPORTSPage 8 March 12 - March 26, 2010

Star Senior Carlos Bustamante crosses the finish line in the relay. ERIC LOPEZ/ Staff Photographer

Boys LacrosseStarts StrongBY BENNETT HIRSCHTideline Staff Writer

The Dolphins start off thenew season with a winagainst Culver City.

Sports ColumnKene’s

BY KENE IZUCHUKWUTideline Sports Editor

BY ERIC LOPEZTideline Publishing Manager

Track & Field gets a newhead coach and starts offstrong at the Gaucho Relays.

Track Passes the Baton

Through finesse and pre-paredness, the BoysVolleyball team has racked uptwo wins in its first twomatches of the season. Led byexperienced Senior captainKene Izuchukwu, who hasplayed on the Varsity squadsince he was a freshman, theteam has fallen into a winningrhythm. Other returning sen-iors like opposite hitter JoshKanan, middle blocker BrianMartin and outside hitter DylanFahy have also contributed tothe development of the team.Also, the surprise return of for-mer Varsity player DanielDeloje has been a primary fac-tor in establishing a strongstarting lineup lead by playerswho have been tested in realgames. The team’s first challengecame Feb. 27 where they wereinvolved in a series of scrim-mages hosted by Oaks ChristianHigh School. Their first plays asa team came against ValenciaHigh School and Oaks ChristianHigh School, where no scorewas taken and games were playedin 20-minute blocks. Juniormiddle blocker JayantSubrahmanyam thought thescrimmage was important for the

team. “It was a great opportuni-ty to test our ability againststrong teams, who most likelyhave played together longer thanour team has,” Subrahmanyamsaid. Subrahmanyam then wenton to reveal that there is not amajority of seniors this year; asa result, many juniors have hadto step up.The team began competitiveplay the next week, playingtwice. They won their first offi-cial match in four games againstCarson High School on March3, then swept Sylmar HighSchool on March 5. During the

first match, Palisades playedwell against Carson in the firstgame but was suddenly struckwith lethargy and gave up thesecond. Although they reboundedstrong and won the final twogames, Izuchukwu expressed hisconcern. “We have a weak men-tality right now,” Izuchukwusaid. “We have to fix the smallmistakes and focus more in orderfor us to make to win it all thisyear, which I know that we cando.” Sylmar, as opposed to lastyear, was no match for theDolphins and their newly gained

confidence. The Dolphins beatthem handily and walked outwith a feeling of unity and a newstride. Young developing talentmixed in with the sheer fluidityof confident plays has appearedto make anything possible asJunior setter Jack Scharf showeda synchronization with his hit-ters, and Junior outside hitterDenton Van Duzer showed hisability to perform as an uppertier player. Most recently, the Dolphinsbeat University High School onMarch 10 in their first WesternLeague matchup.

BY JULIAN BOIREAUTideline Staff Writer

The Varsity Boys Volleyballteam starts the season ostrong.

Boys Volleyball Develops ConfidenceDanny Escalante hands off to AlexHernandez in the 4 x 800 relay.ERIC LOPEZ/ Staff Photographer

CHUCK COHEN/ PhotographerSenior Captain Kene Izuchukwu prepares to spike the ball.