Cut through water like sharks Battle against De La Salle HighOlympian condemns new system

Trojans place first

at NCS

Aeries comes to

CVHS

VOLUME 54, ISSUE 8 FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011 CASTRO VALLEY, CA 94546 WWW.CVHSOLYMPIAN.COM

Pg. 7Swimmers splash to victory

Students and parents will now be able to check grades and atten-dance online. On March 9, CVHS implemented the online student information system, “Aeries,” which—in addition to grades and attendance—provides tran-scripts, emergency contacts, and student phone numbers. CVHS decided to use this new system in response to suggestions from WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) which evaluates and certifies the school.

“WASC recommended that something we needed to im-prove on was communication with parents and students,” asid Assistant Principal Jesse Wood-ward. “Aeries will provide that.”

Senior student Ryan Marquez supported this change.

“It’s about time,” Marquez said. “Teachers never show me my grades. Now I’ll be able to do it freely.”

Senior Harrison Lambert pointed out that although the system could have been imple-mented at a better time, it would be an “overall beneficial up-grade” for the school.

However, not all students

agree on the school’s decision to have a new system. Tracy Trope, another senior at CVHS, stated that while the improved technol-ogy benefits schools by letting students access their grades, Aeries will cause “unnecessary stress on students,” since parents will have access as well.

Trope also pointed out that it adds pressure on teachers, since students and their families will expect them to turn in grades more frequently than usual.

“This almost assures that teachers will be slow to post and teacher-parent relations will be much tenser than they were with the old system,” claims Trope.

This will have both positive and negative effects on teachers, says English teacher Daren Wilk-erson. Wilkerson hopes that the system will be more informative and “take away from the weight of the progress report,” but fears that frequent conversations about grades with both parents and students will get in the way of teaching.

Wilkerson believes that once students and parents should treat the Aeries grades like progress reports: information that shows where students are, not where

By Trevor KwongStaff Writer

Parents can see grades, attendance

Sophomores focus on the California High School Exit Exam.

Dan Galvan / Photo Editor

Students who joined the Close Up academy this school year journeyed to the nation’s capital, Washington DC, where they re-ceived hands-on experience with government and politics, and were in the presence of President Barack Obama.

At the conferences, the attend-ees were able to express their views on hot topics with other students nation-wide. They also had the chance to visit the Pen-tagon. Teacher Carmelina Frasca led the group from CVHS.

“The trip was amazing. We had a great time exploring DC and learning about our govern-ment, close up and in action. We also got to bond with other schools from other parts of the country,” junior Christina Mon-tes said. Students waved at the president as he drove by. To their amazement, he smiled and waved back at them.

“Ms. Frasca was almost in tears as the president waved at them from his car. I liked having her around because she was so positive and enthusiastic about

A freshman boy was arrested on suspicion of possession of an unloaded gun during sixth period on Thursday, March 10.

The boy was seen grabbing his waist suspiciously while play-ing basketball in teacher Marie Gray’s P.E. class, the administra-tion reported. A fellow student reported the unusual behavior to Gray, who then alerted a campus patroller.

The administration responded to the radio call at 2:15 p.m. An administrator confiscated the pistol and a sheriff ’s deputy arrested the boy within ten min-utes. When staff members first responded, they did not know for certain the suspect was in possession of the gun, so they did not feel there was a need for a lock down, said Assistant Principal Matt Steinecke.

The student was immediately suspended and, because the inci-dent involved the possession of a firearm, which is a felony, the administration was required to recommend his expulsion to the Castro Valley school board, said Steinecke. At a later date, the school board will hold a hearing for the student and determine an appropriate punishment.

CVHS families received an auto-dialer phone message from Principal Mary Ann Valles that night regarding the incident. Up until then, many students were unaware of the occurrence because the school was not put under lock down.

“At no time were staff or stu-dents in danger,” Valles told the school through the loudspeaker. “The student said he intended no harm to anyone at CVHS.”

While debriefing the situa-tion with the sheriff’s office on Friday morning, the administra-tion identified several points of potential improvement in the event of a similar situation in the future.

“The way we handled it re-sulted well,” said Valles, who commended the student who reported the incident to Gray. Valles hopes that every student will report future incidents to adults on campus.

“It’s a really safe campus over-all, but it takes something like this to remind students how to report and why,” she said.

Freshman arrested on gun charge

By Kearny CombsSportS eDitor

CVHS Close Up students meet California Senator Barbara Boxer during their journey to Washington D.C.

President Obama greets Close Up students events” said Montes.

“Seeing Obama was incred-ible, but the Secret Service made things scary,” said senior Tracy Aguilar. “I also liked the ques-tion and answer session with (Representative) Barbara Lee.”

Besides walking around DC, students who attended enjoyed meeting people from different states and getting hands on ex-perience. All who attended were glad they were able to participate in such a informative event.

“I saw the trip as a great op-portunity to travel to Washington DC. Everything that happened was cool, I was unsure about it at first but the trip was worth it,” said Darrell Choi.

AERIES: Page 8

Can I exit this exam?

Pg. 2 Pg. 7

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The Olympian is a publication of the journalism class at Castro Val-ley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. © 2010

Editor-In-Chief...............................................................Alicia HargerCity Editors.......................................................................Simrit Kaur

Sarah GilchrieseNews Editor...........................................................Lawrence HamOpinion Editor.............................................................Kate KimFeature Editor............................................................Nic BarradasSports Editor.............................................................Kearny CombsArts and Entertainment Editor........................................Anna Balassone Copy Editor.........................................................Dana LinPhoto Editor..............................................................Bianca AriasBusiness Managers......................................................Hillman Zheng Staff Writers: Matt Barney, Natalie Chin, SangEun Choi, Dan-iel Chung, Abbie Clark, Rebecca Fong, Dan Galvan, Samantha Gamble, Reyna Garcia, Yesenia Gutierrez, Jason Hazari, Yoon Jung, Max Kahane, Trevor Kwong, Noelia Ley, Emily Lin-Jones, John London, Tim Pak, Holden Parks, Jennifer Price, Andie Smith

Advisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

Editorial:As the 21st century ages, tech-

nology will inevitably only inte-grate itself further into our lives, but The Olympian staff opposes the most recent technological addition to this school, the Aeries system.

This new grading and atten-dance-keeping arrangement will allow teachers to update their students’ grades directly online, available 24/7 for students and parents alike to see. It may be a more efficient way of com-munication between students, teachers, and parents, but after our careful consideration, the psychological effects seem to outweigh the positives.

Besides the obvious reason of preventing students from lying about their grades (which no one does, anyway, right?), consider the pressure. With the constant accessibility of grades, parents will be able to check on their student’s progress at any time. For some students, this means more opportunities for scolding or punishment at home, and increasing pressure to perform

as close to perfectly all the time.Teachers will face pressure as

well, to keep up with grading and inputting scores. Eventually, when parents grow accustomed to being kept up to date, that promptness will become the expectation for all teachers. A

Aeries system adds to student stress

few teachers are notorious for passing back papers and tests late, which, given the heavy demands of the underpaid and overworked, is understandable.

More than once parents have been known to ask, “What did you get on your test today?” We

at The Olympian believe that that question will become more com-mon with the installation of the Aeries system.

When they’re not asking about the results of a test that was taken only hours before, some parents may instead take the

time to scrutinize the smaller assignments, such as five-point warm-up questions.

We’ve all gone through rough days, made careless mistakes, or simply lost slips of paper that were meant to be turned in. The little points usually don’t, in the long run, greatly affect a student’s grade, but parents may think otherwise.

This is just another hypotheti-cal stress addition.

Also questionable result of Aeries is the possible develop-ment of dependency. If parents are given the means to oversee and direct their teenagers study behaviors, the students may actually come to rely on this guidance and prodding to do their work on time. When these students graduate and leave the nest for college, they might be at a disadvantage in regards to their ability to regulate their own study hours.

The benefits of Aeries are acknowledged by The Olympian staff, but overall are not enough to convince us that the system is an improvement for CVHS.

PHOTOPiniOnsPHOTOPiniOnsPHOTOPiniOnsBY: Jennifer Price

What do you think about Aeries, the new online grading program?

For the past few months, in-surrections have been popping up across the Middle East. What began as a protest against gov-ernment corruption and poor living conditions in Tunisia has spread to Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria, and, to a lesser degree, Iran.

A few months ago, the protest spread to Libya, where Muam-mar Gaddafi has ruled as a dictator for over 41 years. Unlike Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Gaddafi apparently used force against the rebels, and repeatedly promised to stay in power despite the insurrection. As civil war threat-ened the country, the U.S. had a plethora of choices, ranging from no involvement in the conflict to a military invasion. As a nation that champions democracy, we had an innate desire to help the rebels overthrow Gaddafi. That is why I believe that we were correct in assisting the attack on pro-Gaddafi forces.

For too long, we have allowed Middle Easterners to suffer un-der dictators, many of whom we support financially and militari-ly. In our preoccupation with our own economic stability and fight against terrorism, we ignore the fact that the dictators we support repress their countrymen. With Libya, we had an opportunity to

right a wrong, and, as we should have, we took it eagerly.

The rebels were struggling badly and needed a no-fly zone over all of Libya, but we provided them with much more. Instead of wondering and debating about what action to take, the U.S. government helped attack pro-Gaddafi forces, and I applaud them for it. After all, it’s time to prove that our claim of being the defenders of democracy is not just a façade. We have done much more to perpetuate repressive regimes than we have to promote democracy. For example, we give financial aid Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, and,

until about a month ago, Egypt. All of these countries are ruled by autocracies, but we support them because they help further our own interests.

I approve of the attack on Libya because it’s high time that we make our political and ideological goals consistent with each other. It’s time that we stop preaching the benefits of de-mocracy while keeping Middle Eastern dictators in power. If we do, then we might even improve relations with other Middle Eastern nations and their people. It’s time that we stop preaching empty words and show that we mean them.

“Stop preaching empty words”

By Holden ParksStaff Writer

“I don’t like it beause I don’t want my parents to see when I am do-

ing bad in school.”

Kevin Alfaro, freshman

“I think that if anything, it’s a good thing because parents can see how their child is doing and where they are struggling so they

can help them.”

Allison Mitobe, sophomore

“I think it’s good because some people hide their grades from their parents and I think it’s better

for them to know. I like it.”

Melissa Fain, junior

“I think it’s good for certain as-pects such as being able to check your grades from home, but I also think it puts too much pressure on

students and teachers.”

Mario Rosales, senior

Dana Lin / Copy Editor

LETTERSTo the Editor

The OlympianMarch 25, 2011 3

By Noelia LeyStaff Writer

Westboro Baptist Church, I am ashamed of you. Here you are, protesting at military funer-als and calling yourselves good Christians. Have you not read the Bible? You’re supposed to “love thy neighbor,” not defile the ceremony to grieve their deaths.

The Westboro Baptist Church has been protesting against homosexuals since 1991. They actively continue to protest with malicious signs at military funer-als under the guidance of Fred Phelps, whose family forms the largest portion of the group.

You are an embarrassment to me, and to all Christians who know that what you’re doing is wrong. You asked for the public-ity, and you got it.

Many people like me would say that when you all die, we’d be glad to protest at your funer-als, even though it would be stooping to your low level. I would be willing to bet that God disapproves of your behavior, as well as the majority of people who know about you.

While I agree that you have the

Positive thinking makes us part of the solution

Church protests in military funerals disgraceful

By Andie SmithStaff Writer

right to protest for a cause you believe in, and that you should always be allowed your freedom of speech, have you no class? No decency? You are terrible people and a disgrace to all mankind.

These soldiers whose funerals you have been protesting at—tormenting their families with your hurtful slogans that God hates them and you’re glad that they’re dead—these people gave up their lives for our country. The country you live in. The country you call your home.

Freedom of speech is very

important to all Americans, but the least you could do is protest away from the ceremonies that honor the bravery of the soldiers who died for the country. These funerals aren’t only for your intended targets either! Yet, you have no sense of dignity or cour-tesy for yourself or these people and their families.

What’s more, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of your obnoxious rallies! Upon hearing that, I was stunned. The case went through, eight to one.

To the sole dissenter of this

case, Samuel Alito, I applaud you. You realize that the soldiers have been fighting for the coun-try you love, voluntarily giving up their lives for the purpose of making sure our country is better off. I congratulate you on your clear thinking; you see that these people should be treated as heroes, not as victims of vicious protests.

To the soldiers who coura-geously died for the United States, I hope you all rest in peace. Thank you for being there for us.

Squishing a bug is like squishing a human

By SangEun ChoiStaff Writer

“Nonviolent resistance” in Egypt

In an article on Egypt in the last publication, I feel the protests and the Muslim Brotherhood were both portrayed unfairly and would like to clear up some mis-conceptions. First, the protests described as violent in the article were mostly nonviolent protests.

Protest organizers, like Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, pro-moted nonviolent resistance; the majority of attacks in Egypt were against protesters by Mubarak supporters. It’s truly incredible how little fighting came about

when you consider how violent revolutions tend to be. The French Revolution and English Civil War (1640s) demonstrated that getting rid of a bad leader never guarantees that a better government will come, but as of Feb. 12, the military has prom-ised to help establish a civilian government.

If successful, this revolution will change the Middle East by setting an example of successful reform through nonviolent resis-tance by the people. In contrast, the American military has been fighting in Iraq since 2003 and

still has no permanent govern-ment set up.

Second, the article includes a quote predicting the Muslim Brotherhood will “destroy the country” and I’m afraid the Brotherhood is mistakenly as-sociated with Al Qaeda. To be clear: Al Qaeda hates the Mus-lim Brotherhood because the Brotherhood renounces violence and supports participating in elections. The Brotherhood is the worlds’ largest and oldest Islamic movement, a grass-roots organization founded by a school teacher. Although it’s unfor-tunate that the Brotherhood is against Zionism, the sad truth is

that the majority of the Middle East hates Israel.

We don’t, however, need to worry about war because the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has been promised to be upheld and we have supplied Is-rael with enough nukes to assure the destruction of any country attacking it.

I don’t know why the United States gave a tyrant $1.5 billion a year in aid to begin with, but this movement should remind us all that people can work together to take control of their own fate against oppressive power much like we did July 4, 1776.

Ben Eversole, senior

The Olympian encourages letters from our readers. Please note that letters must be signed and no longer than 200 words. They can be e-mailed to cvhsolym-pian@gmail.com, delivered to Mr. Johanson’s box in the office, or dropped off at our Olympian office

in room 113.

Letters to the Editor

andie Smith/Staff Writerandie Smith/ Staff Writer

“Appalled” by pregnancy story

I am appalled at what I re-cently read in The Olympian.

I was shocked to see an article glorifying teen pregnancy. I understand that as a journal-ist, and as an American for that matter, that you have the right to free speech, but I was disgusted to see that you chose to use that right to make teen pregnancy seem “cool.” It’s bad enough that they see this on MTV, but now their peers are glorifying it as well.

I believe that a better way to have used your free speech would have been to educate these young kids about con-doms, birth control, and other forms of contraception.

Shame on you for glorifying this!

Maggie Burns, alumnus

Are humans superior to ani-mals? We raise chickens, milk cows, and feed our pets with store bought food. We have the advanced technology and greatly developed intelligence

to properly lead a strong social structure. But, what good have we done to the earth that didn’t benefit ourselves? Are humans not animals, too?

It shames me when people be-little the lives of animals because they’re “less significant” than humans. What good do you feel from killing a bug?

I have personally experienced a time when a classmate had encouraged burning an insect with a piece of glass. He had justified this awful act by stating that “it’s fine. Bugs are small and irrelevant to our daily lives. One less isn’t going to affect us.”

Who is “us?” Ignorant people who consider themselves greater

than all other unimportant, good-for-nothing creatures? All organisms take part in main-taining the cycle of life. Without a group of certain creatures, a domino effect of lost resources could initiate, causing a collapse in the circle of life.

He also pointed out that “there are a million of these little bugs. I’m only killing one.” Hello, genius, there are over 6 billion people in this world! Why not so easily squash a neighbor with your shoe? Why not burn him with a magnifying glass? Your neighbor is only one out of more than 6 billion people.

There are many animals that have abilities that humans lack

and are better than us in their own environments. For example, whilst a human can only stay underwater for a period of time with man-made utilities, a fish survives underwater and carries its existence and a life. On the other hand, a fish would have a difficult time walking on the sidewalks and doing calculus.

All species have some sort of importance in our daily lives. No class is better or more advanced in all aspects. It is wrong to de-grade the value of any life form because of their differences to our developments as humans. Anybody who does so should try living in the shoes (or hooves) of a said creature.

“The world is full of corrup-tion and you cannot do anything about it,” a friend of mine said to me when I asked him what we could do to stop child trafficking in the world.

That idea of his really got me thinking, and I believed it. I thought I was never going to be able to help these kids. However, there were people who helped me change that belief.

My parents were the first peo-ple who helped me understand that everyone can do something better for the world. It might sound a little bit childish, but they were the ones that taught me how to think positively and to know that corruption, wars, etc. are going to end.

Anne Parris, my English teach-er, was one of them too. She is always talking about how we can help people by just writing a letter, giving up some clothes that we might not use anymore, or just by performing a simple act of kindness to the people who surround us.

The simple things in life are the ones that count the most. At this point, you might feel incapable of helping kids who have been mistreated, but by just thinking positively you are already helping them and other people in need.

If we are willing to change our mentality for the better, we stop being part of the problem. So, let’s not be part of the problem, but be part of the solution.

Senior house counselor Karena Doan has a great opportunity to go to Managua, Nicaragua next year.

Her purpose is not only to learn from a different culture but to grow as a human being.

Doan, for the first time, is go-ing to be in an immigrant’s shoes. This is going to give her a better understanding of what immigra-tion is all about.

“I always wanted to go abroad, and to be fluent in Spanish,” Doan said.

“I know that my seniors are graduating and I thought it was the best time to go. I wanted to challenge myself and this op-portunity felt like a great option to start from and see how far I can go.”

She will be volunteering at a high school in Nicaragua.

She feels like she is going to make a huge impact on the whole school because they have never had counselor before and they can all benefit from her help.

However, Doan with all her CVHS experiences is going to help students have a better fu-ture and show how important

By Noelia LeyStaff Writer

education is.Also, she wants to help Nicara-

guan students to immigrate here so they can be more successful.

Moreover, Doan will benefit CVHS when she comes back.

This high school is constantly

working with immigrant stu-dents. A teacher or a counselor are not always going to under-stand the way an immigrant student might feel simply for the reason of never having been in their shoes, but when Doan

Flesh-eating zombies, hungry for human brains, haunted the Center for the Arts during the American Sign Language classes’ production of “Zombie High, A Night to Remember,” as shrieks and screams flooded the audito-rium. American Sign Language students of all levels put their time and effort into the creation since December of last year. ASL teacher Ovida de Julia directed the play, along with senior and ASL Honors student, Shira Laux as student director.

“The cast is mostly made up of the older students but a lot of ASL 1 and 2 students have helped out a lot,” said ASL Honors student and senior Laura Munder. The performance consisted of stu-dents signing along with a voice over so everyone, whether deaf or hearing could enjoy.

“The main point of the per-formance was to show everyone that deaf people have their own culture and language and it’s something they can never forget. Deaf people are perfectly happy with the life they live,” said de Julia.

One of the main characters played by senior Jason Phillips expressed, in one scene, the fact that although the zombies and him suddenly regained the ability to hear, he still continued to utilize sign language and re-instill the unique culture back into the lives of the zombies.

By Lawrence HamNeWS editor

The show was written by de Julia’s husband and was then tweaked by the students. The show premiered on Feb. 25 and was performed four times throughout the weekend.

“Opening night was a blast, very nerve racking but when we all got on stage, it was a blast,” said junior Janeiro Golson. This year, the show’s theme was “Zombie Prom,” so of course, zombies wearing shredded prom dresses and tuxedos were seen

dragging humans off the stage and being turned into zombies.

Although this was a show about zombies and their craving for human souls, the students also managed to include a com-edy component and incorporate common prom-related high school dilemmas. However, “at the same time we all agree that we want our audience members to leave with a new perspective on deafness and sign language,” said Laux.

The production entertained its audience by signing and danc-ing to popular songs such as “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and even older songs such as “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

The show ended with the humans and zombies coming to a compromise and dancing to “One Tribe” by Black Eyed Peas.

“I loved the outcome of our show, I think it was better than our shows in the past,” said Golson.

Mini-zombie Lilyana-Rhayne Vastine gets help with her makeup from Jessica Jones. LaWreNce Ham / News editor

Braaiiinnsss! Zombies invade the CFA

Counselor Karena Doan embarks on trip to Nicaragua

Karena Doan poses in front of a Latin-American mural before she launches her trip to Nicaragua.

NoeLia Ley / staff writer

returns, all that will change. Doan will be better able to help immigrant students

She is not only doing this trip for herself but for all of the stu-dents that came to the U.S.A. for the “American Dream.”

Every year the San Francisco Chapter of the California Council of the Blind issues a $2,500 grant to legally blind individuals.

This year they have issued it to Aisha Ramirez, a senior at CVHS. She is legally blind and will use the money to buy a computer and printer.

She will also buy a special computer software that will magnetize and verbalize what’s on the computer screen.

This will enable her computer to be easily accessible to her needs.

As a senior she is very inter-ested in Anime and Japanese culture.

When asked the biggest prob-lem of being half blind, she said, “There’s really no problem at all. The teachers do whatever they can to make things easier for me.”

Ramirez was contacted by

Aisha Ramirez

wins $2,500 grant

By Abbie ClarkStaff Writer

Charlie Dorris who is the co-chair of the San Francisco Chap-ter of the California Council of the Blind.

He contacted her saying that her records really stood out and that’s why she was picked.

“He said they picked me be-cause I was really easy to talk to, friendly, and had good records,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez is hoping to attend Chabot College to study to be a stenographer.

This computer will help her achieve her goals and become the stenographer she has always wanted to be. “I’m very excited!” she said.

All this goes to show that with a little help and recognition any-one can do anything.

Aisha Ramirez

CVHS Senior

They picked me because I was really

easy to talk to, friendly, and

had good records.

“

”

The OlympianMarch 25, 2011 5

America’s Got Talent may have several talented people, but CVHS is jam-packed with talent-ed students. The annual DECA Variety Show was held on March 11, and this year, special talents ranging from dancing to martial arts filled the cafeteria, leaving the audience in awe.

The lights in the decorated cafeteria dimmed down as the MCs, Kyle Linayao and Holly Talmadge, started off the show. They introduced the first per-formance, put on by Jasmine Mangabay, who kicked off the show by playing the piano and singing a song by Secondhand Serenade.

The emotional mood then transformed into an upbeat dance as the dance group Mo-zayicks took on the dance floor.

Upon seeing the talents of a current CVHS student and old faces of CVHS alumni, the audi-ence reacted enthusiastically for the first two performances.

Next was a sweet song sung and played on the ukulele by Mae Muldez, while her friend Brandon Chu sat next to her holding the microphone in front of the ukulele. The audience con-tinued to be in a state of admira-tion as Chiko Shimizu performed Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.” Taking the stage after Shimizu, was a comical, yet helpful lesson of martial arts taught by Trinity Bustria who also rapped a pirate-themed song called “Hook ‘Em Down.” Following his act was a performance by Kate Kim, who played the piano while singing Alicia Key’s “If I Ain’t Got You.” Kyle Linayao and “the boys,” Alex Largusa and Nat Gilkerson, started the second act with their animated dancing.

They left the audience, as well as the judges, in laughter as Johnny Maxwell took the stage with his original rapping.

Following Maxwell’s rhymes, Isabel Chi, Nate Han, Tim Pak, Trevor Macabe, and Daniel Chung, also known as “Bass God and Her Posse,” performed an entertaining version of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” that included rapping, Macabe’s playing, and screamo.

Finally, Diana Salnik and Monica Barios captivated the audience with their beautiful dance that portrayed a tragic love story. At last, all the con-testants were called on stage for the results. The MCs announced

Kate Kim as the winner of the show and gave her a $50 check. The show ended with some performers dancing and having fun on stage while others greeted audience members and took pic-tures.

“I thought it was great to see some new talent during the show such as Trinity and his karate/rapping and the dancing. I really enjoyed the Bass God, especially Nate Han’s singing or screaming because it was hilarious,” said Ryan Matsumura.

“The boy is a natural come-dian,” said Joon Joung, referring to Trinity Bustria.

“My job throughout the plan-ning process was to advertise,

decorate, sell tickets, and to make sure that during the show groups knew when there turn was in the lineup. We had to juggle prepar-ing for our state competition as well as for the variety show but we really came together as a group and got it accomplished,” said junior Jessica Woo, who is a member of DECA. “The acts this year were very unique and filled with high energy.

I enjoyed seeing such a large diversity of talents from the intense performances from Bass God and Her Posse and Trin-ity, the Martial Arts Master, to the beautiful numbers from the various singers and danc-ers!”

By Kate KimOpiniOn EditOr

DECA variety show showcases CVHS talent

Trevor Macabe and guitarist Tim Pak sway audiences at the DECA Variety Show. KatE Kim / OpiniOn EditOr

Amnesty International:Amnesty International is a

global organization dedicated to raising awareness of the vio-lation of human rights around the world.

The Amnesty club at CVHS contributes to the cause by writ-ing letters of conscience to US politicians and other government figures.

These letters often campaign for the release of political pris-oners in various countries, and press politicians to focus more at-tention on human rights abuses, both in other countries and our own.

The club also works locally, organizing walkathons, bake sales and other events in order to raise awareness and money for various causes.

“We do a lot of community service,” says President Sierra Gibson. The club meets Tuesdays at lunch in room 506.

Model U.N.Model United Nations allows

students to step into the shoes of a diplomat, representing the interests of a specific nation in a simulation of the UN.

By deliberating on resolutions that affect the nations they rep-resent, members are given the opportunity to improve their debating and speaking skills and

their understanding of current political issues.

The club travels to conventions that attract high school students from around the world.

“The whole purpose of the program is to learn about inter-national politics while having a blast,” summarizes President Aily Zhang.

Model UN meets on Fridays at lunch in room 105.

One World, Una Familia:One World, Una Familia (for-

merly known as ALHAJA) is dedicated to celebrating Latino cultural pride and the diversity within our community.

The club organizes events promoting the Latino population at CVHS, such as an upcoming dance for Days of Diversity fea-turing Latin music.

“We just want to remind peo-ple that we are here and we have a voice,” says club President Yes-enia Guiterrez. The club meets on Tuesdays at lunch in room 913.

Eat Right Club:The Eat Right Club is dedi-

cated to educating members of the CVHS community about healthy habits.

“The purpose of the club is to promote healthy lifestyles and to fight obesity,” explains club Vice President Caitlin Yee.

During meetings members sample nutritious foods, learn tips for leading a healthier life-style, and participate in fun events like club workouts. The club meets Fridays at lunch in room 901.

CVHS clubs: making a difference in the worldBy Emily Lin-Jones

Staff WritEr

Model U.N. club shows their spirit at CVHS club day as they try to attract new members.Emiliy lin-JOnES / Staff WritEr

By Dan GalvanStaff WritEr

Alex Colbert beats out CVHS

mathletes

Alex Colbert solidified his place among the best mathema-ticians at CVHS by winning the American Math Competition (AMC) on Feb. 23.

This is a great honor as the AMC is recognized nationally as a very reputable math com-petition.

While Colbert did win here at CVHS, the test was taken throughout the US and he un-fortunately did not proceed to the next level.

This achievement isn’t to be overlooked however, as it takes mathematical prowess to beat the smartest mathematicians here at a great academic school.

“The test starts out pretty sim-ply, but as you move on the ques-tions get progressively harder,” explained Colbert.

The test was mainly focused on calculus and was taken by only a handful of mathematically gifted students at our school.

Colbert isn’t 100 percent sure about where he would like to go to college yet, but he is an aspir-ing doctor.

If his performance at this high school, or math specifically, is any indicator of future success then Colbert is well on his way to achieving whatever goals he has set for himself.

Welcome to Vegas. New Ve-gas, that is. It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave, prior to being shot in the head and left for dead, and that’s be-fore things really get unpleasant. It’s a town of dreamers and out-

laws being torn apart by warring parties competing for complete command of this desert sanctu-ary. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the correct kind of artillery can surely create a name for themself, as well as make an antagonist or two along the way.

As you battle your way across the neon-lighted strip of Vegas, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the heat-blasted wastelands, you’ll be presented with a color-ful cast of characters, exceptional weapons, mutated beings, and far more. The general indepen-dence that the game conveys in permitting players to roam the wasteland looking for side quests, or allowing them to march straight through the cam-paign, is definitely something to

Canon expanded its sub-$1,000 dSLR lineup with the new EOS Rebel T3i. Rather than introduce new dSLR models at rock-bottom prices such as for Pentax and Sony, Canon brings out new cam-eras that contain more features for a good price. The Canon T3i (body only), sells for $799.99 and offers great new features.

The EOS Rebel XS, which the T3 will replace, has been around since the summer of 2008 and even Canon must think it’s a bit dowdy compared with competi-tors that, while old, aren’t quite as old as Canon’s. Especially since the more expensive Nikon D3100 has overtaken it in sales. The T2i, however, is still quite competitive and selling well; Canon plans to keep that model in its line at a cheaper price.

The T3i has an 18 megapixel CMOS, (complementary metal oxide semiconductor), sensor (the same used in the EOS 60D), and will offer a full complement of HD video recording options including 1080p at 24, 30, or 25 FPS (frames per second). The T3i will also have an ISO range up to 6400. It’s noise performance is mediocre, but don’t let that hinder you. Burst shooting tops out at 3.7 FPS, with the ability to record 6 RAW images or 34 large JPEGs.

In a lot of ways, the T3i is too little too late compared with its main competitor, Nikon. Burst speed performance is key for a lot of upgraders, generally for shooting sports and pets, and the camera still uses a years-old Autofocus system which does not appeal to many consumers.

The 18 megapixel resolution simply doesn’t matter in com-parison to those. On the flip side, the T3i’s video capabilities look like it will be the entry-level model of choice for shoot-ing video; AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) remains a major pain in the...well you know, to deal with for creative shooting because it only supports interlaced video at 1080 and the standard bit rate is capped at 21 megabits per second.

Overall, the new Canon T3i is easy to use and a reliable new dSLR. Although it is a bit pricey, buying a dSLR is a good invest-ment, as long as you don’t drop it or throw it in a fire and in many cases, submerge it in water.

Gnomeo and Juliet, an animated film based on the tragic story Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, is not tragic at all, but is filled with smart quips that induce chuckles throughout the movie.

The basic story of the film is similar to Shakespeare’s play, ex-

cept the setting is completely dif-ferent. Two neighboring elderly people who despise each other, Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet, have color themed gardens (blue and red, respectively) inhabited by gnomes who also loathe each other. The gnomes are inanimate around human presences, but come to life when they are not watched in their gardens. Think Toy Story, except with gnomes.

Gnomeo, the son of the leader of the Blues, encounters Juliet, the daughter of the leader of the Reds, as he attempts to seek revenge for a destroyed lawn-mower caused by Tybalt, the antagonistic gnome of the Reds. As expected, it is love at first sight between Gnomeo and Juliet and they find ways to continue seeing each other after realizing they have a forbidden love.

There are notable comical characters such as Paris, a geeky Red gnome whom Juliet’s fa-

By Samantha GambleStaff Writer

By Hillman ZhengBuSineSS Manager

By Tim PakStaff Writer

be anticipated. There’s almost no shortage of things to do and ways to go about your time in New Vegas. That just-one-more-mission feeling that leads to entire evenings and weekends lost exploring the last wasteland is more apparent than ever. The simple thrill of finding an aban-doned shack in the middle of nowhere, packed with exciting new gear, is hard to match.

New Vegas itself is actually pretty interesting, colorful, and distinguishes itself in a blunt di-vergence to the rest of the game. But, everything else looks pretty much the same as it did in Fallout 3. I’m used to there being a few glitches in several games, but, in New Vegas, I had to restart several times due to the game locking up in certain situations. Trying to

Canon T3i captures

approval of photographers

climb mountains where maybe I shouldn’t have, I have gotten glitches making me immobile to get out of the place I climbed. It doesn’t happen frequently, but it will most likely happen to others who play.

Fallout: New Vegas is a good game, but it seems to play second fiddle to Fallout 3. It takes nearly everything about its previous title, while only making minor adjustments to the game play; the graphics and structure of the game, which ultimately make New Vegas, feel like an old shoe. Perhaps it was the reduced amount of interest when it came to the story, or the graphics that feel a tad dated. Either way, Fall-out: New Vegas can definitely get a gamer pumped, whether good or bad. I definitely recommend it.

ther introduces her to as an attempt to set them up. Juliet is unimpressed with Paris as he serenades her with Elton John’s “Your Song.” Another hilarious character is Juliet’s enthusiastic best friend, a garden frog named Nanette. Her antics, from chok-ing on water spouting from her mouth (she is part of a fountain when inanimate) to mooning over Paris, draws laughs from all ages. Mentionable corny one-liners that nonetheless earned chortles from the audience were: “Let’s go kick some grass!” and “Who’s your gnomey?”

Gnomeo and Juliet is truly a family movie that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is able to captivate the audiences of both children and adults. As for the question of whether the ending of the animated adaptation is the same as the classic play, the only way to find out is to watch the film!

Gnomeo shakes up Shakespeare

Unknown is an action-packed movie that has some aspects of the mind games that encompass Shutter Island and Inception. It lets your mind make many as-sumptions that will not be suit-able to the storyline, as the plot

takes numerous twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. This movie, rated PG-13, arrived in theaters Feb. 18, just in time for viewers to ponder its magnificent plot over the three day weekend.

The drama and mystery/sus-pense film was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

Unknown begins as Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) gets in-volved in a fatal car accident in Berlin, Germany. As he searches

“Dreamers and outlaws” roam in Fallout: New Vegas

By Simrit KaurCity editor

Unknown keeps audiences guessingfor his wife (January Jones), he finds that she fails to recognize him and that she is claiming another man to be her husband.

Harris has to overcome many hardships and obstacles with the aid of Gina (Diane Kruger) to prove his identity. He has to stay firm in proving his identity because everyone else around him is treating him as if he was mentally impacted by the ac-cident.

Overall, the movie kept me guessing at what was going to happen next and kept develop-ing into a deeper and deeper storyline. I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie and was constantly hit by intense car chases and fight scenes.

Unknown is a well-rounded movie that stimulates the brain and leads to a night of problem-solving and pondering. Every-one who admires action movies with just the right hint of drama should take a trip to the theaters to see this movie.

the plot takes numerous twists

and turns to keep you on the

edge of your seat.

“

”

Entertainment Calendar

Music:March 29: Britney Spears – Femme FataleMarch 29: Snoop Dogg – DoggumentaryMarch 29: Florence and the Machine – Between Two LungsMarch 29: The Sounds – Something To Die For

Movies:April 1: InsidiousApril 1: Source CodeApril 1: SuperApril 8: Soul Surfer

Video Games:March 29: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Mas-ters (PS3, X360, WII), $59.95April 5: Karaoke Revo-lution Glee: Volume 2 (WII), $39.99April 5: Shadow Har-vest: Phantom Ops (PC), $49.99

Books:March 31: Karma – Kathy Ostlere, $18.99April 1: She Said/She Saw – Norah Mc-Clintock, $12.95April 4: Rage – Jackie Morse Kessler, $8.99April 5: Robbers – Dan-iel Kraus, $16.99

Concerts:March 31: My Chemi-cal Romance, The Fox Theater, $35.00April 5: Rose’s Pawn Shop, Moe’s Alley, $5.00April 9: Cold War Kids, The Fox Theater, $25.00April 10: Winstrong, Moe’s Alley, $10.00

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By Matt Barney Staff Writer

Having fun while playing tennis is the most important thing about tennis to fresh-man Kimberly Tang, who is on the girls tennis team.

“Our coaches always say that we never lose if we had a good time during out match” said Tang. “We may not win all the time, but we never lose. It’s also important to know how to smile because when you frown, you’re stiff and the balls will just keep going into the net.”

Tang has been playing since the spring of seventh grade, but became serious about tennis when she joined the CVHS team. Al-though she takes her sport seriously, that doesn’t stop her from enjoying the experi-ence of being part of the tennis team.

“I love all the times when everyone on the team just chill after the matches, eat-ing a lot of food and laughing and talking together,” said Tang.

Sophomore Nick Lima is all about sports. This year he enjoyed being a for-ward on the boys varsity soccer team and next year he aspires to be on the varsity football team, feeling that his soccer skills will help make the transition to football easier.

According to Lima, the most important trait an athlete needs to have is dedication- that means each athlete has to be commit-ted their sport.

In addition to football and soccer, Lima has played hockey, baseball, basketball, and swimming outside of school.

“Sports are my life,” Lima said. “The best part about sports is getting to be with my friends.”

In two years, when Lima is senior, he hopes to earn a scholarship for college and continue on playing the sports he loves.

For the past ten years, junior Erin Cathey has been an avid softball player.

This year she is on the varsity girls soft-ball team in school and an 18 Gold Travel ball team in Fairfield outside of school as catcher and third baseman.

“My favorite thing about softball is the competition, and how nothing else matters when you step on the field,” Cathey said.

“It keeps me busy, mentally and physi-cally and there’s no better feeling in the world than accomplishing something you tried so hard for.”

To Cathey, meeting people such as team-mates, parents, coaches, and umpires and being able to share the same goals and dreams is very rewarding.

She plans on getting a scholarship for college and to keep on playing softball after high school.

Breath-taking Beastly BallplayersBy Natalie Chin / Staff Writer

Kimberly Tang, Freshman Nick Lima, Sophomore Erin Cathey, Junior Derrick Wong, Senior“I love tennis because I love to compete

against hard opponents. I also love cheer-ing on my teammates, and then when we accomplish things as a team, it gives a great feeling of satisfaction,” said senior Derrick Wong.

Since sixth grade, Wong has been play-ing tennis and is on the boys varsity tennis team this year. He is constantly improving his skill by giving 100 percent in whatever he is doing and working hard, like going to practice every day.

“Also, you have to play the sport dur-ing the off seasons and build your endur-ance. Tennis is a very physical sport, so you need to stay in shape” he added.

As Wong is planning on going to college next year, he plans to continue to play for fun.

“If I could join a team, I think it would be a lot of fun,” said Wong.

Nick Jones had to buy a new shirt after the North Coast Sec-tion championship basketball game against the De La Salle Spartans. After the Trojans won, players Dawson Johnson and Juan Anderson rushed to pour Gatorade over their coach, who helped them to win the first NCS championship ever for CVHS.

“That was a $40 shirt,” Jones said later, laughing.

By Reyna GarciaStaff Writer

Since Jones has been the coach, the boys varsity basketball pro-gram has taken off. This year, the Trojans won just their fourth HAAL championship with an undefeated league record in addi-tion to their first-ever NCS crown.

The Trojan Den stood faithfully under the basket for the entire game. The final buzzer sent them off; they rushed the court scream-ing and laughing.

“It’s an awesome feeling. I can’t describe it. Seeing all the fans and the community here is special and when the crowd rushed the floor… it was awe-some,” Jones said about the remarkable celebration.

Going into the game, Jones said, “It’s going to be a tough game, competitive. I’m looking forward to it and I hope we come out on top.”

The Trojans definitely came out

The CVHS varsity and JV boys and girls swim teams de-feated Piedmont High at the second home meet of the season on March 4. CVHS swimmers performed well at another meet against Granada on March 11; all teams won except for varsity girls.

Although the varsity girls lost against Granada High, freshman Amanda Houston pulled off what junior Jason Yu described as “incredible.”

“She swam an incredible 500-freestyle, trailed a Granada swimmer for nearly three-fifths of the swim, then pulled it off in the last 200 [yards] for the win,” said Yu.

Swimmers dive off the starting blocks at the meet against Piedmont High.Dana Lin / Copy Editor

By Dana LinCopy eDitor

CVHS kicked off the swim season with tryouts on Feb. 3.

“We have a really strong team with a ton of freshman girls,” said coach Brian Berry. “The boys team is especially strong this year as well.”

“My schedule is swim, eat, then swim again,” said freshman Erin Ballar, who swims 100-fly and 100-back. “I feel ‘beast mode’ when I swim.”

“I enjoy swimming for myself, not just to beat others,” added freshman Cassidy Rubino, who swims 50-free and 100-breast.

When asked of the goals for this season, Berry responded, “To win our league again. This will be the fourth year in a row for the girls, and the sixth year for the boys.”

Superb swimmers steal the win

Our top Trojans wrestled their way to victory at the state level.

Senior Shashana Markus ranked eighth in the state and senior Adam Busch ranked twelfth in the state. Freshman Alyah Thomas also went to the state tournament but she did not place. Still, the Trojans made a major impact.

Busch won one of his three matches at the state tournament.

“Just stick with it,” said Markus when asked for her ad-vice to other wrestlers who want to be the best.

Busch has been wrestling since the fifth grade and is being recruited by colleges. He has not accepted any offers yet based on

Wrestlers rejoice over state tournament results

his wrestling performance. He is currently more focused academi-cally. He is not enthusiastic when thinking about college wrestling. After performing for seven years he has had enough of wrestling.

“When he first came out he was a chubby little kid,” reflect-ed Coach Josh Wheeler. Wheeler went on to say how Busch’s older brother was the one who brought Busch into wrestling.

Markus started wrestling be-cause of her friends. Eventually she was the only one who contin-ued being a wrestler. She has also decided not to pursue wrestling past high school.

“It’s a tough sport. I’m not sure about continuing it in col-lege because it requires a lot of devotion if you want to be a top wrestler,” said Markus.

Trojans create history in NCS destructionon top, beating De La Salle 60-42.

“I feel great!” said player War-Varsity boys basketball team

sizzles the scoreboard

Nick JonesCoach

It’s an awesome

feeling. I can’t describe it

“

”ren Wright, who scored two points, as he watched Anderson pour Gatorade over their coach for a third time.

Roderick Bobbitt, the starting point guard, scored a total of 20 points and Anderson put up 14. The boys are very happy.

By Reyna GarciaStaff Writer

Chad AndrewsCVHS Student

I was just walk-ing when a guy came up and tried taking my phone.

“

”

The Olympian March 25, 2011 8

By Jason HazariStaff Writer

CVHS students become counselors With rises in budget cuts and

the recent recession, paying for college has become increasingly difficult. However, the Castro Valley Education Foundation (CVEF) is here to help.

Offering 22 scholarships rang-ing from $250 to $20,000, CVEF is offering seniors a lot of help. The scholarships are also surpris-ingly easy to apply to. Students only need to fill out one form to apply to all the scholarships that they are eligible for. The scholarships are exclusively for CVHS seniors and cover nearly every demographic. Whether the student is a scout, interested in nursing, has good eating habits, or an interest or sports, CVEF is

here to help pay for college; all that is needed is to finish the ap-plication by April 1.

“Anyone who’s planning on going to college or trade school should apply for the CVEF schol-arships,” explained CVEF Vice President Dr. Neal Fong. “We might even add some scholar-ships before the deadline. There’s something for almost anybody. It’s definitely worth the 10-15 minutes to fill out the forms.”

The application can be found about halfway down the CVEF homepage: cvef.org. Click on the scholarships link and fill in the information for the various scholarships.

The most prestigious scholar-ship available is the Dr. Mary Jane Stamm Scholarship, worth

Scholarships given through CVEF$20,000. This scholarship is for the best all around student.

Parents can also donate and help create a scholarship.

“We make it easy for anyone to give a scholarship,” added Fong. “If you want to do something for the kids, just donate an amount and we can help you find can-didates. You can support kids going into any career choice or of any background. You could also honor a loved one with the scholarship. We can create schol-arships from even a few bucks.”

The CVEF foundation is dedi-cated to promoting excellence in Castro Valley and is always living out its mission statement. Through these scholarships the CVEF hopes to help CVHS stu-dents succeed in the near future.

By Nic BarradasSportS editor

The winter sports season is over, but the sports budget re-mains short; this will cross over into the spring sports, where decisions will need to be made regarding cuts and other adjust-ments to the budget, Assistant Principal Jason Whiteman com-mented.

Winter sports include girls wrestling, girls basketball, girls soccer, boys wrestling, boys bas-ketball, and boys soccer.

Continuing along with the fall sports, the winter sports players were also encouraged to pay for their sport, as the school no lon-ger is receiving monetary help from the district to fund sports.

According to Sandy Stiving, CVHS financial coordinator, all the players on the sports teams contributed to help close the deficit. Eight out of the 35 girls on the basketball team paid the school’s requested contribution,

as well as six of the 37 boys on the basketball team. As for girls soccer, 27 of 45 team members paid along with 24 of the 44 boys. Of the seven girls on the wrestling team, four paid; On the boys wrestling team 17 of 36 boys paid.

Girls and boys soccer, along with girls wrestling were the only sports to have received over 50 percent of the money that the players contributed. In boys, wrestling about 43 per-cent of players paid what they needed to.

“The numbers that we have so far do not reflect the families that are making payments,” said Stiving.

There could be a chance that the shortfall will decrease when the families making payments is added into the equation.

“This is new to this commu-nity, we are better off than last

year, but we’re still not there,” said Whiteman as he banged the table. Whiteman is correct to be concerned about the sports budget situation, as he men-tioned that “we are over $100,000 short.”

The Castro Valley community has given donations from fami-lies, money from fundraisers, and some CVHS students, but it has not met the amount that is needed to cover the sports deficit.

“It is very easy to become distracted in day-to-day events, but if we don’t look forward, to the future then it will affect us,” said Whiteman.

As for spring sports, there have already been meetings among coaches, spring sport parents, and athletes. For now, these sports are still taking donations and will continue to be open to any help they can receive.

Sports budget still needs adjustmentsBy Yesenia Gutierrez

Staff Writer

Many CVHS sophomores, juniors, and seniors have got-ten the opportunity to serve as counselors at outdoor school at Camp Loma Mar in Pescadero for a week for Canyon’s and Creekside’s sixth graders. The first week of camp started Feb. 28 and will continue until April 8.

The CVHS students who went had to transform their mindsets from students to responsible counselors. The counselors each were in charge of eight to ten middle school kids from Monday to Friday of their specified week.

On the first day, the counselors are assigned to their sixth grad-ers and have a night activity, either a mock town hall meeting, where the students get to work together, or a night hike, where the students get to explore the grounds.

The second, third, and fourth days consist of hiking with trail groups. The cabin kids learn about redwoods, oaks, or tide pool beaches for the day, with different groups rotating on dif-ferent days.

The second night activity con-sists of either a night hike or mock town hall meeting. The night activity on the third night is a “boogie night” where the students, counselors, and natu-ralists have a night of fun with great music and friends.

The fourth night is skit night where groups of students work together and show off how well they do it by performing a skit based on outdoor school.

The last day consists of a clos-

ing hike and the sixth graders’ graduation from outdoor school.

Many of the counselors who have gone so far were over-whelmed at first, coming to outdoor school pumped and con-fident that they can handle eight to ten sixth grade boys or girls and look after them for five days.

Yet over the week, they ad-justed and learned that taking care of such young kids, making sure they go to sleep, eat, stay hydrated, behave, and have fun at the same time is indeed harder than they thought, but they take it as a positive learning experience.

Senior Rachel Jacobsen who served in the first week as a counselor had her own positive experience as a counselor.

“I had to be in charge of boys, very loud boys.” said Jacobsen. “But, even though they drove me crazy, I still did get something out of being a counselor as I got through the week and learned with the kids. They’re really amazing and I’m never going to forget the experience.”

The sixth graders did learn, explore, and create many new memories with friends and na-ture, but the CVHS students did as well, serving as counselors. Sixteen, 17, and 18-year-olds in charge of 11- and 12-year-olds sounds easy and possibly bor-ing, but the experiences of being a counselor are truly amazing. Counselors get to learn alongside the growing middle schoolers. Almost every counselor takes the experience as a positive one, learning so much about them-selves.

they will end up. He also states that parents should make use of the easy access, but not contact teachers every time a student receives a low grade.

Instead of “micromanaging the grades,” Wilkerson says, “par-ents should wait until they see trends (in the student’s grade) that aren’t satisfying, before contacting the teacher.”

In response to these arguments against the sudden change, Woodward explained that the administration is not doing any-thing out of the ordinary.

“Most schools around the dis-trict already have this system,” said Woodward. “All we’re do-ing is following them.”

As a final statement, Wood-ward said, “The pros definitely outweigh cons. It’s going to pro-vide much better communication at CVHS.”

AERIES: from Page 1Armed robber threatens

CVHS studentsBy Max Kahane

Staff Writer

Two CVHS students narrowly avoided an armed robbery just a block from campus on Feb. 3.

Christian Supriano was walk-ing home after school. He was passing by Bonfaire when a suspicious boy approached him, pulled out a folding knife, and demanded Supriano to turn over everything that he had, he said. Supriano stepped aside and told the robber no.

The robber then left Supriano and walked to another student, Chad Andrews, the boys said. When it was obvious that An-drews wasn’t willing to give up his phone, the robber tried to stab Andrews with his folding knife but missed and ran across the street, the boys said.

“I was just walking when a guy came up and tried taking my phone,” said Andrews.

“I was really scared but I’m glad I made it out okay,” Su-priano confessed.

As the robber confronted the other student, Supriano ran into the Bonfaire parking lot and called the police.

The robber was a boy about five feet eight inches tall and about seventeen or eighteen years old, the students said.

Nobody was injured and offi-cers arrested a suspect on Heyer Street.

According to Supriano, the best thing to do in this kind of situation is to “stay calm and know that losing your stuff isn’t as bad as getting killed.”