March2010 issue

School News… Pages 1-3, 16Entertainment… Pages 4-9 Opinion… Pages 10-13 Sports… Pages 14-15

Index

VIII VIIMarch 2010

Student wins stockmarketcontestPage 8

Fire Hawk awes campus Page 3

She sings, dances, and battles cancer

Page 9

(Continued on page 16)

Summer school’s budget cutBy Bria Howse (’11) Summer school is yet another casualty of budget cuts. The Fairfield school board has cut the summer school’s budget by half. The result is that fewer students will be able to attend summer classes in order to make up credits. For many this means that students who have received a “D” will not be able to re-take those classes. Only students who have received F’s and need the credits to graduate will be allowed to attend summer school.

Next year, if the budget cri-sis continues, summer school may be eliminated, the trustees have said. Sophomore Shalena White-hurst has taken notice of this drastic change. “Even though this doesn’t

affect some students, I’m afraid that the stu-dents it does affect will have a tougher time trying to graduate and make grades. It’s very nerve racking.” RHS campus monitor Anita Butler has worked summer schools in the past. “It’s sad that kids get hit like this in the worst way. In the end, I feel the budget cuts are going to hurt the kids in our school sys-tem more than we ever imagined.” Assistant Principal Lisa Wilson has been

(Continued on page 16)

See related story on page 3

By Bria Howse (’11) and Sydney Tracy (’10) More than 19 million U.S. children be-tween 6-19 are overweight or obese. Obe-sity has been labeled an epidemic that has attracted the attention of California’s gover-nor, the first lady of the United States, and a former president. With Americans becom-ing increasingly sedentary and relying more on fast food, Americans are packing on the

pounds at an alarming rate. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promotes the Governor’s Challenge, in which schools encourage students and their families to get active. RHS is competing for the grand prize this year of $100,000 in gym equipment. First Lady Michelle Obama has planted a vegetable garden on the White House grounds to promote healthy eating. Former President Bill Clinton is working to rid schools of sug-

A huge struggleObesity epidemic hits home

By Carissa Demasi (’11) RHS has a new head football coach. John Bent, formerly a coach for the JV team, was recently hired by the school district to fill the position that was vacated by Coach Fred Kelly. While some on campus wonder wheth-er there will even be a football team next year since the Fairfield school board voted to eliminate athletic spending due to the budget crisis, Coach Bent remains optimistic. “I see the current funding cuts as an ob-stacle that we will overcome,” he said. “Like life, there will be roadblocks and difficulties. It’s how you address them and conquer them that matters.” Coach Bent, who is the father of football player Konner Bent, said he is very excited about his promotion and hopes to provide stability to a program that has gone through several coaches during the school’s short ex-istence. Whether there is any money to pay coaches is still an uncertainty that may rest in the hands of the athletic boosters, he said. “I’m an optimist. “I think things will work out.” According to the Daily Republic, he served as RHS head JV coach the last five seasons and JV defensive coordinator for four. Under his supervision, RHS won six Solano County Athletic Conference championships with a 38-9 record. Last month his son Konner, who is an RHS senior, received a full scholarship to play football at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Coach Bent said he is anticipating another victorious season.

New football coach hired

Photo/Sydney TracySenior Matt Welz walks upstairs to class.

Rodriguez High School March 2010

Making dreams come trueKey Club works hard to make differences in the communityBy Khyona McCrear (’11) The RHS Key Club helps dreams come true by helping its members achieving more and helping the community through service. The Key Club welcomes new participants and takes pride in their work. President Anna Chao sees community outreach as a key to the club’s success. “I like meeting new people and I enjoy helping out the community,’’ Anna said. Activities include volunteering at Mission Solano, reading to elementary students, participating inAmerican Cancer Society fundraisers, and visiting senior citizens. These contributions truly touch lives and, most importantly, establish leadership skills, Anna said. “We help out the senior citizens because some of them don’t have family members around and we try to cheer them on,’’ says

Anna. Upcoming events for the Key Club include car washes, a benefit concert for Pediatric Trauma Ton, and the after-school Jamba

Juice fund-raisers. Junior Ana Duenas also enjoys assisting the community. “I like working with kids and senior citizens because work a lot with them,” Ana

said. “We are actually helping out in the community and for the whole city.” So the next time you have spare time, just stop by the Key Club, and these experiences will be unforgettable.

Photo/David Melad

AP language tests could be too difficultBy Lisa Zacarias (’11) In nine years that RHS has been open, a grand total of two German students, zero French students, and zero non-“heritage language” learning Spanish students have passed their respective AP language exams. Though the statistics are not encouraging, they are not unexpected. In the words of French teacher Sebastien Remy-Drysdale, “The test is hard.” Although there are many possible reasons for such pass rates, the one which language teacher agrees upon is that students in the Fairfield district don’t start learning a lan-guage until their freshman year. “It’s difficult because languages aren’t

started until high school. In the Midwest, they start languages in fourth grade, so by the time they reach 12th grade, it’s been eight years,” said German teacher Jennene Aten. The AP test is designed for students who have had more experience with the language, putting Fairfield students at a disadvantage.. “The profile of the student who passes is not the profile of an RHS student,” says former French AP teacher John Psathas. “The people who pass usually have past exposure, or their language is their number one subject.” It is because of this that the teachers have had to think of how to tackle the problem. “It’s just like how we feed a goose to make foie gras,” said Mr. Remy. “You’re the goose.

I’m feeding you information even more than usual and teaching a little bit of everything. The problem is, we do a little bit of every-thing. I feed you until you can’t take any-more.” When Mr. Psathas taught AP, he even took pains to make sure that his students “knew what they were up against so that they wouldn’t have unrealistic expectations,” be-cause “it felt like a good day simply if the students were still smiling the day after the test.” But all is not without hope. Spanish teacher Sara Johnson is confident.“Sometimes, students may feel intimidated by the AP tests, but if they’ve put in the time,

they will be successful.” However, the word “time,” was defined to mean complete and total immersion by the other language teachers. “Five hours a week in the classroom is not enough,” said to Mr. Remy Drysdale. “Students need to watch DVDs in their language and have their rooms totally immersed.” Still, Mr. Remy and Mrs. Johnson are con-vinced that some of their students have a rea-sonable shot at passing the test this year. “I want to wish everyone good luck on their tests,” said Mr. Remy. Who knows? This might be the year that an RHS student becomes the first to pass the French or Spanish test.

Representing RHS: respectable, honorable, safe Two of this month’s RHS Way recipients were honored for achieving their goals. Freshmen Thomas Pablo and Justin Idowie were both honored by assistant principal Kristin Witt because of their determination to keep their grades up. Maintaining A’s and B’s while participating sports isn’t always easy, Thomas discovered. During first semester, algebra and

integrated science were real challenges for him — until motivation settled in. “I’m proud now, cause I can play baseball, hang out with friends, without having to worry about it.’’ The key was setting high goals and not being afraid to ask for help, Thomas said. Justin Idowie has always been a talented athlete, but he has decided he needed to take motivation to the next level.

‘‘Right now I’m just dreaming, but my main goal is to (play in) the NBA. If you have a dream, go ahead and chase it,” said Justin. Mrs. Witt said she is proud that these two students keep on pushing for success. ‘’It is great to see students intrinsically motivated to do well in school. However, at times it takes an outside motivator like sports to encourage students to do better,” she said.

By Khyona McCrear (’11)

The members pose in room E-115, their meeting place every Monday.


Magenta flames, custom plates make for an awesome car There are a wide variety of cars in the RHS student parking lot, but none is as distinct as Dustin Ledbetter’s. His pre-customized 1994 Firebird is a special edition from Pontiac, known as the “Fire Hawk.” “The Hawk’s” most distinct features are the magenta flames burning up the sides of the burgundy hood. When Ledbetter bought this car, the flames had already been painted on, but he further customized his car by adding his very own “Hawk 445” License plate. Why 445, you may ask? Ledbetter explains, “My firebird is the 445th made out of the 500 firebird special edition, fire hawks, sold during 1994.” Dustin has had his car for a little less than two years, and feels it was money well spent. After selling two Toyota Corollas he had inherited from his grandmother,

he spent the $9,000 it cost to purchase the car, and still had money to blow. Reaching as fast as 140 MPH, Dustin’s favorite feature is how fast his car can go; the back roads of Cordelia are his favorite place to test his car’s speed. Another thing he loves about his car is how much positive feedback he gets from his friends and how “awesome” his girlfriend thinks it is. “She always feels really cool when we drive around in my car, so that’s a plus,” Ledbetter said. There has to be a downside though, and the downside to Dustins’ car is the amount of gas it guzzles. Although Dustin has had his car for a while, he never lets it get dirty. “I keep my car really clean.” He tries to keep his car always freshly washed and the inside garbage-free. Dustin loves his car, and it’s obvious by his personal touches and how clean he leaves it.

California’s budget crisis directly affects students and teachersPhoto/ David Melad

By Brittany Hernandez (’11) Layoffs are one of the uglier aspects of the Fairfield school district’s budget crisis. A number of RHS teachers and support staff have been given notices that their services will not be needed next year. In all, the school could lose up to 30 employees, according to

union representative Betsy Hall. The reduction in staff is part of the district’s $16.5 million in cuts. “California is in a budget crisis, which directly impacts FSUSD and our schools. Our school district also faces declining enrollment, which impacts the number of

teachers needed,” said RHS Principal Amy Gillespie-Oss. The Stampede interviewed a few of the teachers who are facing dismissal. History teacher Mike Cunningham received a call during his fourth-period class while he was giving out a test. He was told by a district representative that he needed to come in for a meeting. Mr. Cunningham was a little surprised, but concluded that, “quality of education is being sacrificed for political convenience.” Now teachers, like Mr. Cunningham, must decide whether they will remain in the profession. “Modern education is a joke and I will not continue teaching,” he said. Math teacher John Carabillo is another RHS instructor who got “the call.” Mr. Carabillo, who has taught for 10 years, said he was astounded that after three years at RHS, he will be leaving. “It’s been my best year because I’ve connected with my students, there have been fewer problems, and (more) unity within the classroom.” Mr. Carabillo said the district needs to keep student needs as a priority. “I want my students to have the best and grow up and be decent people who enjoy living the good life because they graduated and went to college.”

He said he is blessed with gracious students and has had a pleasure teaching them. Science teacher Michael Wang-Belt noted that the district does not have to give teachers an explanation on why they are being fired. Mr. Wang-Belt was notified during his sixth-period class and met a week later with the district to discuss supplementary employment as a teacher. “If one door closes the other one opens,” he said. He said that it is harder to stay motivated now, but his students keep him encouraged. Mr. Wang-belt is chalking up his time at RHS as another life experience. “Life goes on either way. Either you stick with it or it leaves you behind, but I am going to continue teaching.” Teachers aren’t the only ones affected by the layoffs. Junior Bianca Monterrosa said she has seen some behavior changes in some of her teachers. “It affects me because the attitude of the teachers has changed in some cases. I feel like they don’t care and that they take their anger out on the students.” Some of her teachers’ attitudes have changed for the better. “I feel like they want to prove to the school district their true integrity in teaching and that they care for us.” The district is required by law to send out “pink slips” to teachers by March 15.

By Rachel Balella (’11)

Dustin stands next to his ‘Fire Hawk.’


Rude people cause unnecessary problems for othersBy Annalisa Kongvongsay (’11) “Why are you dressed like that?” asked Stacey. “Because… I like what I’m wearing,” said Laney. “But you look like a freak and you have a huge pimple on your forehead,” said Stacey. Deeply saddened Laney shrugs and says nothing. Have you ever known anyone like Stacey — someone who is rude and inconsiderate? I think it is inappropriate to pick at someone’s clothing or point out someone’s pimple because 99 percent of the time that individual knows it’s there. People don’t run around campus telling everyone that they have a pimple on their forehead or anything

of that nature. There are very few people in this world that go around telling others about their flaws and insecurities. It’s not right to point them out to someone because they likely are already aware. The one thing that I don’t understand is why some people act like Stacey. What’s the point in being rude to someone? I believe that the people who are rude to people for no apparent reason are just wasting their breath and their precious time in their short-lived lives. Even when there is a good reason to not like someone, you still shouldn’t waste your time. We all have out grumpy days, or sometimes we’re just mad about something from the day before, but we should really try not to take

it out on others. That type of behavior could ultimately make someone else’s day just as bad as yours. Freshman Jesse got into an argument with her friend Maria about personal issues, and it was a pretty huge deal. Later, they solved their problem and went on with their lives. The next day Maria’s friend Darla started calling her and texting her saying that she was a bad friend and a horrible person. Then one day Darla came up to Jesse and tried to fight her, but friends stopped it. Darla was eventually calmed down by others and the tension stopped. Two days later, Darla came up to Jesse, hugged her and said, “I’m so glad we’re friends again.” After this “I was really relieved because I was going to do everything

to avoid confrontation,” said Jesse. In this situation Jesse did nothing to Darla. So why was Darla causing problems in a manner that didn’t concern her? My point is this: There is no reason to start things that don’t need to be started. Avoid confrontation just like Jesse did because it’s the best thing to live a happier life. I you’re the victim of the situation, it is best to just brush it off. Rude people like this are not worth troubling your mind over.

Classic children’s tale made movie not for kids Fresh from the mind of Director Tim Burton comes “Alice in Wonderland”. Based on the novel by Lewis Carroll, the film follows the story of Alice Kingsleigh (played by British newcomer Mia Wasikowska) thirteen years after her original journey down the rabbit hole. Through a string of events, Alice finds herself once again in Wonderland, which she believes to be simply a reoccurring dream. With this, Burton has truly outdone him-self. The colors used and the effects in the film make t incredibly entertaining visually. Wonderland is not only a place of beauty, but also reality as Burton uses his movie magic to give the film a dark feeling that helps add depth to the storyline. Instead of simply be-

ing a string of happenings in a child’s dream, the film transforms into a meaningful story of finding your own courage in the world. However, this film is not something I would bring younger children to see. It is perfectly

harmless for teens and older children, but do not go expecting to see a continuation of the cartoon Disney film. Heads roll, eyes are gouged out, and much more was not quite ex-pected from a story that was previous defined as a kid’s movie. Though it is a little darker than expected, “Alice in Wonderland” is truly a fantastic film. With it’s believable acting, spectacular visual effects, and subtle humor, it is easy to see why this could easy be one of Burton’s best films so far. I give this movie four and a half out of five stars. Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and a smoking caterpillar.

Disneymovienews.com

S♦U♦D♦O♦K♦U By Krysta McCullough (’10)

Directions: Fill each individual square, column and row with the numbers 1 through 9 without re-peating any of them.

If you’d like to see more puzzles and games, make a comment requesting them on our online pa-per at:

therhsstampede.com

Answers on page 6

5 8 9 3 1 9 7 3 4 7 8 1 5 2 2 3 1 5 7 6

6 5 2 4 8 3 5

3 4 7 8 8 9 6

‘There is no reason to start things that don’t need to be

started.’


Fun and games

Senior lacks motivation and ambition

Try this riddle

Dear CeCe, School is coming to an end, and I am start-ing to worry about what happens after high school. I am a senior this year, and though I cannot wait to graduate, I am kind of dread-ing the day after. I have not really done any-thing to prepare myself for after high school. I do not have a job, a car, or even a license. I have not applied to any schools, scholar-ships, grants, anything like that. I did do the FAFSA, but I do not even know what I want to study, so to me, it is useless. I have no real drive to do anything, but I know that I need to do something. I just want to graduate already

and be done with it, you know? School is old and boring, I am ready to leave and do some-thing with my life. I am just unsure of what that something is, and I have no clue what choices I could possibly have. What can I

do? What should I do?— College ConfusionDear Confusion, You should talk to your school counselor about choices you may have for something like community college. You could get the credits done while deciding what exactly it is you want to pursue. There are also several websites that can help you get information on scholarships, grants, and contests. Take to the web and look for things that you could have a good change winning or receiving. I know you have a big case of senioritis, but

it is bad to have it when it applies to life af-ter high school. You need to start preparing for that day after graduation: instead of being shocked and freaked out about your new life, you can be excited for the new experiences you have planned ahead. It may not drive you now, but you will regret not applying your-self in the future. You may be ready to leave and do something with your life, but without a plan and the means to get there you will be stuck. Parents, friends, and counselors can be good motivators in this case, so do not be afraid to ask for all the help you can get.

By Megan Bonilla (’10) Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20): You’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately. You find yourself uncertain of what direction to take. Don’t allow yourself to over think things be-cause you will end up playing the “what if” game. Life’s too short for that so just follow your instincts. Aries (March 21-April 19): Whether it’s your parents or school, there’s been a lot go-ing on to bring you down. Bad things have been happening to you, one after the other. Just know that life happens in cycles, so the time for good things to happen is soon ap-proaching. Taurus (April 20–May 20): When it comes to unpleasant situations, your first in-stinct is to protect those around you from the truth. While it may seem like you are helping them, you are actually hindering them. It is better for people to know the truth no matter

Happy birthday lovely Aries and Pisceshow difficult. Gemini (May 21–June 21): Good luck is coming your way this month. It’s your time to take charge of your life and to have every-thing fall into place. Enjoy the streak of good luck while it lasts, because ones like these are few and far in between. Cancer (June 22–July 22): Your patience will be tried in the near future. Your emotion-al nature will tempt you to just give up. This will seem especially appealing because you will be forced to deal with several disagree-able people. In spite of all of this however, try to maintain control of your emotions. Doing so will keep you in charge of the hectic situ-ations to come. Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): Your imaginative side will stand out this month. Whether it’s simple homework or projects, your artistic side will definitely shine through. Your cre-ativity will make every task you approach

this month a breeze. Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): Your reserved nature makes you the ideal person to keep a secret. Many people will soon begin to con-fide in you and will turn to you for advice. Rise to the opportunity and know that talk-ing with others is also helpful in dealing with your own secrets. Libra Sept. 23–Oct. 23: You’ve been toil-ing endlessly, the work just seems to keep go-ing and going. You’ve set a goal for yourself that still seems so far away. But know that every day you dedicate to your dreams, is an-other day closer to achieving them. Scorpio Oct. 24–Nov. 21: This month will bring you a large amount of energy. This energy will fill you with a great desire to go out and achieve something. Don’t be afraid to pursue what you want, because the energy you’ve been granted is more than sufficient to see your endeavors through.

Sagittarius Nov. 22–Dec. 21: You are both inquisitive and energetic, which makes it difficult to get you down. These qualities are at their best when you’re out and about. Take a trip to relieve yourself of some stress and allow your broad-minded nature to remain strong. Capricorn Dec. 22–Jan. 19: If someone you know is in a bad mood, you should at-tempt to intervene and help them. Though you should not force the issue too heavily, your concern will definitely make an impact. Aquarius Jan. 20–Feb. 18: Lately you’ve been trying to fight against uncertainties in your mind. You’ve had issues in the past that you thought you were over, but deep down it’s still bothering you. The only way to overcome this is to con-front it head-on. Only then will you find peace of mind.

Snack attack: a story based on diluted truth By Nicole Levin (’11) It was the first sunny day in over a month, and consequently the beach was swarming with overweight tourists all striving for the perfect Florida tan. One of these said tourists, a rather dense woman, was floating on an in-ner tube a good 20 yards from the shore. As she lay in her state of blithe, she contemplat-ed what she would have for lunch, and more importantly, what cheap souvenirs she would purchase for her coworkers. As her mind was entirely focused on an alligator keychain, she was completely oblivious to the fact that to-

day she was going to die. Meanwhile, some unimportant distance away, a lone shark searched for prey. As it undulated through the ocean, the sun glinted off a single fin protrud-ing from the water. A serene image perhaps, but this shark was hungry, and intent on scor-ing a meal. It approached the crowded beach, and the distracted woman. Swimming closer and closer until it could even smell her un-evenly distributed tanning oil. It opened its gigantic jaws to strike; its hundreds of jag-ged teeth were set to bite, when suddenly… a helicopter passed overhead, scaring the shark and sending it back to the depths of the

ocean. The woman, finally realizing that her life was at stake decided now was a good time to get a snack. Close encounters with sharks tend to engender hunger in the involved intervals. At the desired vending machine, the women put in a dollar, but the horror; no artery-clogging snack came out. She began to pound on the machine in frustration. When that did not work, she shook it with all of her might. Sud-denly it gave way, and fell on top of her. The sad and unappreciated fact is that people are twice as likely to die in freak vending ma-chine accidents as from shark attacks.

By Lisa Zacarias (’11) Can you decipher the musical instruments represented below?1. P O2. BA BA3. ECLART4. @ # $ %

ANSWER1. Piano (P and O)2. Tuba (Two BA)3. Clarinet (CLAR in ET)4. Cymbals (Symbols)


‘Imma Be’ listening to this song over and over again “Imma Be,” by Black Eyed Peas, is another hit from their album “The E.N.D.” (Energy Never Dies). “Imma Be” has a beat that will eas-ily get you hooked right away. It’s at the top of my list for songs to party with. The beat is wild, catchy, and has a way of getting you up and active. The lyrics don’t really have a specific meaning, but they are catchy. It’ll get stuck in your head after only one listen. It’s also playing on radios worldwide. Turn on the radio and you’re bound to hear this song at least once or even twice.

The Black Eyed Peas, which formed in L.A. back in 1995, consists of four members: Will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie. This group has sold 25 million albums worldwide and 31 million singles. Their first album was “Elephunk” in 2003, followed by “Monkey Business,” and now “The E.N.D. “ Check them out. I give this song 4 out of 5 stars. For every girl (or even guy) who has gone through a hard breakup, or lost a friend or family member and then spends every hour

of every day thinking about the times with that person, this song is for you. “Do You Remember” is a song by the UK heartthrob Jay Sean. It’s about a per-sonal breakup. He’s asking his ex if she re-members the times they had and if they could get back together and enjoy those times. He incorporates heart-wrenching lyrics such as, “Do you remem-ber? Do you remember all the times we had? Let’s bring it back, let’s bring it back!” I give this song 5 out of 5 stars. Sean is an amazing singer and his songs are very creative. The best thing about his songs is that he

Head to California Pizza Kitchen for best meals Round Table, Cenario’s, Pizza Hut, or Papa Johns — which would you prefer? My choice would be none of the above. In-stead, I would suggest trying California Pizza Kitchen in Emeryville. While this restaurant is known for its huge variety of types of pizza, it doesn’t just have pizza. You can also enjoy salads, soups, pas-tas, and focaccia sandwiches. Deciding on what type of pizza I wanted took the longest

time. There were all kinds of choices that I didn’t even know existed. I finally decided to get the carne asada pizzas that consists of grilled steak, onions, cilantro pesto, and Monterey jack and mozzarella cheeses. Al-though it was extremely different from the type of pizza I’m used to eating, it was quite tasty. The steak was the best part. The menu varies on what you eat. Most prices vary be-

tween $10.79-13.99. California pizza Kitchen also has an intrigu-ing dessert menu too. They all cost between $5.29-6.29. This restaurant is located right in the mid-dle of the shopping center at 5614 Bay St. in Emeryville on the second floor level across from Old Navy. It is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

History meets fantasy in ‘Beautiful Creatures’ “Beautiful Creatures,” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is a tale of magic, suspense, and forbidden love. Ethan Wate, the main character, lives an all-around boring life and cannot wait to leave the town of Gatlin, Alabama. Everything changes when Lena, Ethan’s love interest and niece of the aloof resident Macon, comes to town. At first glance, Ethan recognizes her from dreams he had in the past. As their friendship

flourishes, Ethan discovers the reasons be-hind the family’s aloofness; Lena’s family is a family of witches. Ethan’s mother finds the truth behind Lena’s family’s magic but short-ly after dies, leaving Ethan clues to both his and Lena’s past. Together, Ethan and Lena discover the ties between them and attempt to stop the unstoppable. I give this book four and a half stars out of five. If you like history, fantasy, or romance, this is a book for you.

BEP and Jay Sean with another hit actually dedicates his song to people. The songs have meaning, and they express his true feelings. “Do you Remember” is meant to be a sad song and Jay Sean gives it a tune that isn’t too sad, but isn’t all that upbeat either. It’s a tune you can dance to, but at the same time you can feel his sadness in it.

‘Turn on the radio and your’re bound to hear this song...’

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It’s the year 2010, and publishers are com-ing out with games that are better than ever. But what kind of games were we in love with more than 10 years ago? I interviewed seven random people to find out what their favorite games were when they were growing up. Senior Darrel Cooper and junior Rodney Fisher both loved the original “Sonic” game on the Sega Genesis. Darrel enjoyed the game play “because it was fun and easy to beat besides that one level, the level with the bubbles.” But Rodney found a more personal connection with the game. “It was the first game I ever played.”

Students remember ‘Sonic’ and ‘Super Smash Bros.’

Also loving the Sega Genesis console is junior Jessica Creggett. Her favorite games were “Aladdin” and “Mortal Kombat,” but there was a special place in her heart for the “Lion King” game. “It was my first game and my favorite mov-

ie,” she said with a smile. Senior Joe Lamastro’s favorite game grow-ing up was “Super Smash Bros.” on Nintendo 64. “It’s awesome and it kicks butt.” The Playstation console had some admirers, too. Senior Casey Davison’s favorite game on Playstation was “Final Fantasy: Tactics.” “It has an awesome storyline, but it was extremely complicated. I also liked the turn-base action unit and the classes.” Senior Brian Mattis also had a favorite game on Playstation. “I really liked Resident Evil. The game

was so scary that nowadays it would still be considered scary.” Students aren’t the only ones who have a love for video games. Resident teacher Mike Sagan also played video games as a child. His favorite games were arcade: “Galaga” and “Samurai Show-down.” “I loved the top scroller action and all the shooting in ‘Galaga’. And ‘Samurai Show-down,’ unlike ‘Street Fighter‘ had a bunch of different characters. I probably dumped 50 or 60 bucks easily into those machines and wasted an entire summer.”

How can one not love the enchanting Harry Potter?By Rebecca Thompson (’11) Magical wands, invisibility cloaks, three headed dogs and dark magic spells; how could you not love “Harry Potter?” J. K. Rowling’s enchanting books about an invincible hero capture the imagination of just about everybody. There are seven books, and a movie to go with each – the seventh movie has yet to come out but will be in the-aters soon – plus a number of video games, costumes and props to go along. “Harry Potter” fans are some of the most dedicated fans of all. Junior Kevin Cortez hasn’t missed one book release. “I absolutely love ‘Harry Pot-ter,’ says Kevin. “J.K. Rowling really has a way with words and conveys the characters as super cool wizards on a mission.” Kevin wants a wand for Christmas and Cartoon/Lisa Zacarias

says he can really relate to Ron Weasley – the red-headed side-kick – as Kevin is also a red-head. Kevin isn’t the only fan; many others go to midnight showings of the movies and sport lightning bolts on their forehead such as Ju-nior Natasha Teymorian. “In eighth grade I liked to draw lightning bolts on my fore-head and tell people to call me Mrs. Potter,” Natasha remembers, “Harry Potter is hecka cool.” Harry Potter books and movies can’t be beat, mystical adventures and creepy charac-ters – as well as handsome and heroic char-acters – are what book lovers love to love. If you don’t believe me go down to Barnes and Noble, Borders or your local library (or get the movies) and see what all the commotion is about.

Cartoon/Krysta McCullough

5 8 9 3 1 9 7 3 4 7 8 1 5 2 2 3 1 5 7 6

6 5 2 4 8 3 5

3 4 7 8 8 9 6

Sudoku answers from page 4

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By Nicole Levin (’11) It is the question that could have saved the Cookie Monster thousands of dollars: Are brand-name cookies worth the extra money? After a blind taste test, The Stampede panel found that brand name chocolate chip cookies are only slightly superior to generic brands. Trader Joe’s One Hundred Calorie Pack cookies vary from the traditional chocolate chip cookies. For starters, they are the size of a quarter (resulting in the cookies low appearance score) and have very few chocolate chips. They taste, however, better than they appear, and with only 2.5 grams of fat per serving, these cookies make the best choice for a dieter. No one makes cookies like the

Keebler elves. Not only were the Keebler Deluxe Cookies the best looking, they also had the most chocolate chips. They slightly outscored the generic store brand of cookies, but many panelists did not prefer these cookies. Regardless of the taste, these cookies are by far the least healthy; a serving size of two cookies packs in 170 calories and 9 grams of fat. The cheapest option, the generic chocolate chip cookies, scored relatively high with the panelists. For less than $2 at Wal-Mart, a consumer can get this option, which not only looks like the average cookie, but tastes just as good as the ones made in a tree house. Two of these cookies contain 130 calories, and only 6 grams of fat. Although a few panelists commented that they tasted a-little burnt, Stampede section editor Lisa Zacarias may have said it best when she stated that, “All chocolate chip cookies are the same.”

Chocolate chip cookies galore That’s the way the

COOKIEcrumbles

Photo/ David Melad

Seniors take top honors in the stock market contestBy Re’anna Morris (’10) Two RHS seniors have been recognized for placing in the top 10 of a national writing competition. Jeston Mitchell took first place in the contest sponsored by the securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s “Investwrite Essay Contest” while Cori Sherman placed seventh. More than 10,000 students entered the competition. Last month the school held a special assembly honoring the two in which California superintendent of public instruction Jack O’Connell was the surprise

guest. O’Connell presented the awards at the Feb. 23 assembly. Last semester, seniors wrote essays on the stock market in economics class, in which they discussed investing strategies to obtain short-term wants and long-term retirement plans. Twenty of those essays were submitted to the contest. The contest is a part of a simulation in which teams of seniors actually participate in the stock market, finding different ways to make a profit buying and selling stocks and mutual funds. Out of these 20 came the national seventh place essay winner, Cori Sherman, and the first place winner Jeston Mitchell: beating out over 10,000 other submitted essays. “I didn’t (expect to win) at first, I was just hoping. I thought it was a good paper, but not

even enough to beat out the top 20 here.” said Cori. In an interview with the Daily Republic, Jeston mentioned that he was also surprised when the winners were announced. “At first I

had to do a second take to figure out whether he had called my name” he said. Jeston has won a trip with his economics teacher Mrs. Aimee Resnick to New York, where they will explore Wall Street.

Photo/ David MeladJeston Mitchell and special guest Jack O’Connell (back).

Photo/ Re’anna MorrisCori Sherman


Going beyond expectationsRHS student shines across the stage Dancing, singing, playing instruments, and surviving a brain tumor are facts of life for RHS junior Marisa Bautista. Marisa has been touring around the world this past year using her special talents to her benefits. Singing and dancing have led Marisa on a new journey, giving her the opportunity to meet several celebrities. Unfortunately, Marisa has been fighting a serious battle that stopped her from performing for awhile. In 2003 Marisa Bautista was diagnosed with a benign stage 4 prolactinoma brain tumor. Doctors didn’t know exactly what was wrong with Marisa; it took long painful days for doctors to evaluate the signs and finally pin-point the problem. It all started when Marisa visited the doc-tor because of appendicitis. The doctors took care of that, but soon she suffered even stron-ger pains and body aches. It came to the point where she couldn’t walk or eat. She then returned to the hospital where the doctors explained to Marisa that she had gone into renal salt wasting, which is when your kidneys kicks out too much sodium. Marisa then became a little better and the doctors discharged her from the hospi-tal. That same night, Marisa went back into the emergency room feeling worse than she had before. At that time, she was experienc-ing mild seizures, and the doctors were still confused on exactly what was wrong with her. The doctors told Marisa they were going administer a M.R.I of her brain. They also suggested it would be best if Marisa saw a psychiatrist. “At that time, it felt like the doctors couldn’t figure it out, when they recommended us to see a psychiatrist it sounded like they thought we were making it up.” At this point Marisa didn’t know what was going to happen or if she was ever going to feel better. “A doctor came in and my mom asked if they were the psychiatrist. The doctor responded, ‘No, I’m a neurologist and we found some-

By Brittany Hernandez (’11)

thing on the M.R.I.’” After the doctors talked to Marisa, she ob-tained further information about being diag-nosed with a brain tumor. “The feeling was overwhelming I wasn’t angry, but I was sad and I didn’t know how to react.” To help Marisa get better, they had to put her on a chemo medication pill. The side ef-fects were stomach illness, a loss of appetite, dizziness, loss of hair, and an inability to gain weight. Gradually, Marisa switched to a second form of a chemo medication pill for adults. The first night that Marisa took the new form of medication, it was too powerful, and it paralyzed her overnight. Marisa is battling with her brain tumor and continues to take her chemo medication pill every Friday. Being diagnosed with a brain tumor was very hard and stressful for Marisa. She was home schooled during 5th and 6th grade. Slowly but surely, Marisa wanted to go back to school, so she started taking elective class-es in the 7th grade at Green Valley Middle school. Then in the 8th grade, she started school again taking English, math, and elec-tives. Despite these battles, Marisa has balanced accomplishing the things she enjoys the most. Marisa has been dancing and singing since she was eight years old. She has also played instruments, including the guitar for four years, the Jarana for three years, and the piano for one year. When Marisa was diagnosed in 2003 she

had to take a break from dancing and sing-ing and focus more on her health. In 2004, Marisa gradually started her normal routine practicing in San Pablo at “Los Cenzontles Mexican arts center,” dancing different styles of traditional Mexican dance, merengue, bal-let, ballroom, and Latin. Marisa also contin-ued singing where she learned how to read and speak Spanish through the songs she was taught at the art center. Marisa has a passion for dancing and singing and she has recently joined a tour-ing group. Throughout the years Marisa has toured and preformed at the Hollywood bowl, Glasgow Scotland, Dublin Ireland, Yoshi’s Mondavi center at UC Davis, Taj Mahal, and the Marin center built by frank Lloyd-Wright. Marisa also got the opportu-nity and honor to perform at the Giants game singing two songs, one as a duet and another song by herself. She has also performed with many musicians and celebrities including Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, and Andy Garcia. Marisa has recently performed at her best friends 15th birthday party and family wed-dings as well. Overall, Marisa’s GPA has been a 3.5 and above and she is always trying her best in school. “It’s hard balancing music, school, and especially my health, but I’m strong enough to handle it.” In her spare time, she enjoys drawing for relaxation and water coloring. She has also been involved in volunteer work, teaching kids how to dance at the center she attends.

‘It’s hard balancing music, school, and especially my health, but I’m strong enough to handle it.’

Courtesy photoMarisa Bautista performs a traditional Mexican dance with “Los Lobos.”

Marisa dancing at “Los Cenzontles.”Courtesy photo


EDITORIAL

High school is a common time to pick up bad habits. From laziness to being late, among other things, what we do now tends to stay with us later on in life. One of these popular bad habits is smoking cigarettes. Almost all smokers start when they’re young, especially while in high school. Why is it that smoking is so popular among teen-agers? Perhaps it is because cigarettes contain the highly addicting chemical nico-tine along with over 4,000 other chemicals, including 43 known carcinogenic compounds and 400 other toxins. These include tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formal-dehyde, ammonia, and arsenic. Nicotine reaches your brain in just six seconds; ev-ery six seconds you begin to crave more. A 2007 survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 50 percent of high school students have tried cigarettes, and in 2008, more than one out of four kids age 12 or older were tobacco users. That’s 71 million American teens. By starting or smoking tobacco regularly now, young stu-dents are preparing themselves to smoke for the rest of their lives. The same study showed that: About 90 percent of adults who are regular smokers started at or before the age 19; 60 per-cent will still be smoking 10 years from now. What most people don’t know is that many brands of cigarettes add other flavors to their

Think of the negatives before you take that first puff of a cigarette

products not only to make them taste better, but to open breathing passages to make you inhale more nicotine. Cocoa and licorice flavors are added for your pleasure, and sometimes the tobacco is marinated in sugary substances. Inhaling sugar is a known addic-tive, (this technique is commonly used with cocaine), also leaving smokers craving more. This is not just a craving. The US Department of Health Services found that 12.2 percent of teens who try quitting are actually successful. 60.9 percent try and fail, and the rest don’t see a problem with what they’re doing. They can, apparently, “stop at any time.” Sure they can. What is the point in smoking cigarettes? Some teens say it helps with stress. So do stress balls. And those are a lot cheaper than cigarettes. A pack can cost more than $5 — just for one, and to most smokers a pack is almost nothing. This is not a D.A.R.E. promotion. It’s not a “what’s your anti-drug?” campaign. Whether you want to smoke or not is your decision. But you might want to keep these things in mind before you take your first drag.

Cartoon/ Lisa Zacarias

It is a daily occurrence — headlines about budget cuts in California, in Solano County, in Fairfield and in our schools. In these tough economic times, budget cuts have become a way of life. We felt it this year at RHS with the loss of the College and Career Center and the loss of the use of the pool during the fall. We will feel it even more next year now that the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District voted to cut another $16.5 million from the budget. No more trimming the “fat.” We are down to the bone. The dire circumstances of this econ-omy are forcing the school to lay off qualified teachers and support staff. We could lose up to a third of our staff. This loss will be devas-tating to our school. Class sizes will increase, some electives may be eliminated, summer school is being cut in half, and sports are his-tory. The list goes on. Our ability to get the best possible education is diminishing as well. With increasing class sizes, and fewer teachers and resources, students will be less likely to receive the best possible educa-tion, Which means that the most exalted of

Budget cuts get personal; get involvedall concerns — higher test scores — is also in jeopardy. This could result in fewer of our students being accepted into four-year universities and more students dropping out because there is no place to go to make up missed credits, and could mean more draco-nian measures to control our school with less freedom for the (remaining) staff and students. The plan to eliminate sports slaps us like a fullback’s powerful punch. Dreams of college athletic scholarships will be dashed. Some of the best and brightest may decide to look for other school options. Good luck with that (unless it’s a private school). All districts are more or less in the same boat. We all feel so helpless. But we can do some-thing. We can get involved. If you don’t agree with the cuts, then protest. Look at the budget yourself and make suggestions to the school board. This is our school; let’s get involved in its future — our future. The district’s web site can be accessed through RHS’s web site. Check it out Don’t just sit there. Get involved!

‘This is not a D.A.R.E. promo-tion. It’s not a “what’s your

anti-drug?” campaign.’

By Re’anna Morris (’10)


By Gabriela Lopez(‘11)

Kelsey Stone, freshman“ I want to sky-dive, because I’m scared to, but I think it would be fun.”

Teresa Marin, sophomore“ I want to go cliff diving, be-cause of the rush and danger.”

Chauntel Cesna, junior“ I want to go to Italy and explore ancient architec-ture.”

Tori Buckley, senior“ I want to pet a tiger, own a pen-guin and a dol-phin, and make a difference in peoples’ lives.”

Man on the street:What do you want to do before you die?

Early start makes senseTrustees lose opportunity to impose change for the betterBy Re’anna Morris (’10) This month, a new calendar was proposed for the 2010-2011 school year, giving stu-dents shorter summers and other vacations longer. Unfortunately, this calendar was re-jected at a recent school board meeting, leav-ing next year’s schedule in the air. The school year would have started on Aug. 9 this year, almost a full week earlier than last year. On top of that, school would get out on June 10, while this year ends on June 3. Even though it’s really only a few weeks shorter than usual, summer needs to be as long as possible. It’s the only time students really have to take a break from school. (With other vacations there are usually assignments due once school starts up again) even with summer there are reading lists. On top of that, this is the time most parents plan to travel

on their favorite, long family-bonding trips. A cut summer didn’t going to go over well at the board meeting. But, longer vacations throughout the year would have made up for it. Thanksgiving break would have been about the same, but it’s the only one. Winter vacation is usually about two weeks long, a nice little break from the stresses of the high school work load. But wouldn’t three weeks have been even sweeter? That’s what this new proposal included: almost a month off from school. This break would have given students more time to shop for the holidays, decorate, cuddle up while watching movies, and simply enjoy the season. On top of that, there’s more room to travel up to Tahoe for skiing and snowboarding, among other win-ter favorites. These three weeks off would in-

clude partying in the New Year as well. Spring break would be a full two weeks off, rather than a flimsy one like we have now. Spring break is a huge time to go travelling, especially in large groups. You know that road trip you and your friends have been dy-ing to go on? Yeah, it could’ve actually hap-pened. True, summer would’ve been shorter, but longer vacations throughout the year were a great alternative. When in school, we all need those breaks every once and a while, and the longer the break the better. Summer would still be two months long, and we’d all appreciate extra vacation when stress kicks in. This proposal was definitely a missed op-portunity. As of now, changes have yet to have been made.

Rallies nonexistent due to cutsBy Rachel Balella (’11) Students rejoice at the idea of collaborative Wednesdays because they get out of school an hour early. That’s more time to carry on with the rest of the day’s activities. Minimum days and even national holidays also provide students and educators with an easier school day, or no school day at all. Another great ex-cuse to cut down time spent at school are rally days. Rally days would usually cut down each class by about 15 minutes with the last class ending at 2:09. However, we haven’t had a rally all year. Why? Two words: budget cuts. The dying assembly that once lifted school spirit and brought students together in a cel-ebration of seasonal sports teams has faded. I can understand that rallies needed to be cut because of all the other activities at school. Rallies cost money to put on and made none. Rallies did, though, bring the school together

and encourage students to join sports. Get-ting out of school is always a major bonus for students, but not at the expense of losing more relevant organizations such as sports or band. Ending rallies is denying the school a unit-ing force. Rallies keep students informed and interested in what’s going on at our school. It’s important to keep the school united and students updated on the upcoming sports. It also allows the color guard and band a chance to perform. The rally schedule also offered an extra 40 minutes to students who choose to leave school early rather than attend the perfor-mance. That’s more time to do errands or homework. Budget cuts make it necessary to eliminate certain activities in order for the school to afford more important things, but the importance of rallies cannot be forgotten.

‘The dying assembly that once lifted school spirit and brought students together in a celebration of sea-sonal sports teams has faded.’

Letters to the editor discuss obesity in the United States Obesity is a big problem in kids and can be very harmful to us. It can cause deadly dis-eases like diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Mostly it occurs in kids by having poor diet, overeating, lack of diet. Nearly 1 in every 4 kid in US is an obese. This is our age where we decide our future.

If we have a bad diet right now it may harm us in our 30s, 40s. Try to cut down on fast food and sodas. To stay away from obesity just do two simple things:Have a good diet and do some kind of exercise every day.-Lathsay Seth I think it is a good idea that the first lady

and our governor are trying to reduce obesity. I think that obesity is a big problem in the U.S. Obesity is a problem because not only does it make you fat, but obesity can double the risk of developing kidney stones. It also can cause heart disease and diabetes which makes

obesity a very big problem. A solution to obesity is to stop eating so much fatty food and to exercise. If we do that then we can reduce obesity in the U.S. -Robert Gilbert


Who was St. Patrick?The story of the man behind the holiday

By Joshua Ortez (’10) What is St. Patrick’s Day past the lepre-chauns and four leaf clovers? St. Patrick Day is that holiday which is celebrated, but its meaning is unknown my many. This shrouded holiday has always been a curiosity and one could uncover the truth behind it by simply asking a question. Who was Saint Patrick, and what did he do to for us to celebrate him? Saint Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scot-land around 400 A.D. Born of a relatively famous Roman family, he was taught in the typical fashion: he learned about the Bible and his Catholic faith. He wasn’t interested in religion just as many teenage boys are today. At 16 he was kidnapped by Irish marauders and taken to Ireland to be sold into slavery. Ireland, during this time, was ruled by three druid kings. Druids were the descendants of the Celts and were known for their belief in spirits of nature and their ruthless and barbaric fighting style. After arriving in Ireland, he was taken to an isolated countryside where farmers would disassociate themselves with the many battles fought between the kings. Here he spent six years tending to his master’s sheep and cul-tivating his faith. In his autobiography, he claims that it was all he had to keep the fear out of his thoughts. He eventually escaped and helped a local fisher man in return for a ride to an English island. This island is inhabited with monks who reportedly sent him to study Catholicism in London. There he becomes a

priest. Patrick continued his studies and traveled Europe until he was assigned an assistant to a famous bishop and apostle (representative) of Rome, Saint Germain. With Germain, he acquires regard and connections in the priest-hood. He later left Germain in search of his own path. As a freshman priest, the pope gives him his first mission which was to join the fight against paganism, the belief of many gods. The Catholic’s ideology during this time was bent on converting anyone of a different religion to Catholicism, sometimes violently. Patrick was sent to Ireland to convert the druids to Catholicism. He arrived and was im-mediately attacked. He was forced to retreat to his former master’s land where he stayed for a trade of Roman goods. He gathered followers to stand up to the more frightening druid lords. Feeling threatened the three kings arranged a meeting with Patrick. He converted two in a moving speech about a rusty sword with a clover growing on it: The old brittle sword represented the power the druids had over its people against the Catholic God. The clover symbolized new life and the three leaves represented the three kings, as frail as clover leaves. The third king was said to be thrown off the cliff after attempting to kill Patrick, who had become a hero. With his success in Ireland he was to be given saint hood. Now known as Saint Patrick, he continued his life in Ireland, traveling and spending his personal time in the county of

Limerick. His travels created many churches. He later died in the famed city of Downpat-rick, known for stories of knights and kings who lived there. And thus is the story of Saint Patrick. Leprechauns are a generalization of the Irish mythology, which was truly druidism, and was only popularized by an early Walt Disney animation called “Darby O’Gill and

the Little People.” The four leaf clover was a lucky symbol of the Celts and druids but has no relevance to the holiday itself. Dur-ing the week of lent, a Catholic time period where meat cannot be consumed, St. Patrick’s Day is the only day where it is acceptable to consume meat.

Cartoon/Lisa Zacarias

Idiots in student parking lot create dangerBy Nicole Levin (’11) Generally speaking, driving is a hazardous endeavor. A driver must put up with traffic, tailgaters, and the occasional deer that seems to be unaware of the universal laws that soci-ety abides by. Another driving inconvenience is the park-ing lot idiot. Parking lot idiots are not uncom-mon; they usually spring up after school and characteristically act as if getting hit by a car is no big deal. They seem to be keeping count of how many cars can they run in front of be-fore they get hit. Literally students have been seen purposely running into cars — perhaps impersonating a charging rhino.

Quite honestly, everyone takes part to some degree of parking-lot stupidity. We may be late for an appointment and choose to jog in the parking lot. Or we walk at a brisk pace without looking both ways. While getting home at a decent time is a realistic expecta-tion; one must consider the dangers of acting recklessly. Furthermore, one must consider the annoyance it produces for the drivers. You don’t have to be a pedestrian to behave irresponsibly in the parking lot. Those oper-ating vehicles often are as inane as those run-ning in front of them. Speeding is never safe, and yet many individuals do — in the parking lot. A person could lose control of their ve-

hicle, or even hit another student. One must always drive carefully in the parking lot, es-pecially regarding those students who love to frolic next to cars. Furthermore, when exiting the parking lot, some drivers refuse to allow other cars to go ahead. People with common decency know to take turns while exiting the parking lot; in fact even second-graders understand the ba-sic principle of sharing. This concept how-ever, is too obscure for the average parking lot idiot. Parking itself is a difficult endeavor for the abovementioned individuals. Every once-in-awhile a student miraculously is able to fit in

one of the parking spaces. However, whatev-er bliss this might cause for the other parkers, is short lived because at any moment a driver might blast his or her stereo and bombard the parking lot with an assortment of mismatched tempos and beats. If this is not enough, some people chose to sit in their cars with the doors wide open. Now not only do we have to watch out for foolish students when backing up, but their car doors too. If you want to behave like an idiot, go ahead, but please do not do it at Rodriquez. Students have enough on their plate without adding vehicular manslaughter.


When does charity become too much giving?Solving world’s issues seems unrealisticBy Lisa Zacarias (’11) Charity. It’s a word that’s been touted by the many “advocates” of morality who either truly believe in what they’re doing, or truly want some good publicity. Don’t get me wrong, charity is amazing when it actually helps someone in need, but it has its limits. For one thing, almost no one is charitable. Sure, we give whatever we can whenever we feel like it, but for the most part, we prefer to buy that beautiful new shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch for $60-plus instead of donating $5 to the Salva-tion Army Santa in front of the store. I don’t say this to make the world popu-lation seem heartless and shallow, but rather to prove that the idea of the rich giving all excess wealth to the poor is unrealistic. If not for the aforementioned reason, most rich people feel as though they have earned their wealth, and though that is debatable for some, others have worked undeniably hard to get to where they are today. On the other extreme, there are some impoverished people who truly seem to deserve their fate, for can you truly call someone who drank their way out of house and home worthy of charity? If that were the case, could it really be considered fair that a hard-working doctor, for instance, see a good chunk of his/her earnings funnel down to a drunkard? Of course, there are limits to wealth as well, for I, personally, don’t see the function of a 20-room mansion with 10 sports cars for

a family of four. In that case, the money flow should be curtailed to a reasonable amount, and the excess used for something more beneficial to a community. Still, that would be less of a philanthropic achievement than a public service act.

All in all, I believe in good old-fashioned charity over a sudden leveling of the distribution of wealth. Sure, we should all be giving, but sometimes we just want a new shirt, or a new iPod, or even a new dog. Is it wrong for us to want some luxuries in our lives? Is it truly fair for a doctor to have only the basic necessities of life when he/she worked so hard to become one? I think not. Whether or not I seem cold-blooded is beside the point, for perfect charity is not a realistic possibility.

We need a way to spread the wealthBy Rachel Balella (’11) “Sharing is caring.” Sounds familiar, right? Philanthropy, the idea of exchanging the surplus of the upper class to provide for the people living in the lower class, is an idea that has launched itself into the minds of millions of people. How much is too much to sacrifice? Sup-pose, the capital value of the countless video games people own, the numerous different types of MAC eyeliner girls buy, etc. were donated to a charitable organization that provided daily necessities of life — such as

toothbrushes and underwear — to people with no money. Wouldn’t this action result in every American citizen to be able to live “the American dream?” Asking a person from America, a nation with a culture that thrives on consumer luxu-ries, is probably unlikely, but if people could see past their selfish needs, they could open up a world of possibilities for people who have nothing. This form of compassion supports the idea of equality, and eliminates one person or cor-poration from owning all the money. If each person were to only live off of the necessities for a successful life, then poverty would cease to exist, or at least not in as great amounts as it does now. Big businesses like Costco or McDon-alds will not hold the wealth, but instead the wealth would be among the people, where it should be. The wealthy often feel they deserve their capital and that the people with less yearly income are lazy or not motivated enough to make more money. That is hardly the case. Most people who live in poverty were either born into poverty or have had disadvantages that the wealthier people did not have to over-come. The mansions of some people seem so extravagant when we consider that there are whole families living in shacks of card-board. Wealth should be distributed; not only would it eliminate greed, but also create s stronger sense of unity and compassion.

A change is needed promptly in American manufacturingBy Joshua Ortez (’10) The world is changing constantly. Jobs are harder to find. Money is scarcer. Education is more expensive and debt is growing. Our generation plummets into the crevice created by the actions of our parents and their parents and the only thing one can do is strike a pick into this melting glacier of an economy. With the election of President Obama, previous barriers have been broken and change is coming. “Hope” must be retained or grown and determination must be learned. Through

the clouds, a window of opportunity opens a new America. American manufacturing (products being made in the United States) has slowly deterio-rated into a nonexistent portion of U.S. busi-ness. More products are being sent to other countries to be made. American produced products have been cut in half between 2001 to 2009. If this steep slope continues, nothing will be having a “made in the USA” sticker anymore. These issues aren’t the only problem concerning American manufacturing.

The United States has focused on the design-ing of products, which are then sent to other countries where they can be made for far less money. For example, the iPod is designed in America, but manufactured in Asia. This benefits both countries in a way. Asia gets jobs for its people and America gets cheaper manufacturing rates because of the cheaper wages. (Although this is also a morality problem, I will be focusing on the business aspects). With more off shoring occurring, fewer manufacturing jobs exist in the United

States. If manufacturing was brought back to the United States, then more people would have jobs and our economy would become more stable. The difficulty and true problem is a matter of convincing successful companies to give up cheap labor and risk losing profits to better the American economy. This is the task of this generation: We must save our future by sacrificing the increasing profits and to make life better for all citizens. Otherwise we are risking another great depression.

Cartoon/ Nicole Levin

CONPRO


RHS finally making use of its brand new poolRebecca Thompson (’11) The swim team is using its beautiful pool after all. Swimmers have been practicing at RHS since the end of February and they aren’t stopping now. The team has already participated in a num-ber of fund-raisers in order to contribute to the pool’s heating bill, which the district esti-mates to be about $15,000 for the swimming season. The swim team has been asked to pay about $4,000 per month during swim season to keep the water temperature between 78-82 degrees. Even with the athletic cuts, the coach and the team are staying strong. “I love swimming and will not give up on it as long as there’s a fighting chance,” junior Tim Melad said. So far funds have come from donating par-ents, a Chevy’s night and a swim-a-thon. Currently the team is selling tickets to a bas-ketball game between “The Future Ballers” (composed of RHS boys and girls basketball players) and the Harlem Wizards to be held in

the Rodriguez gym at 7 p.m. on March 27. The tickets cost $10 each and each swim-mer (and athletes from other sports) must sell at least five tickets to raise money. If all goes well with this fund-raising event, the swim team will be able to pay its portion of the PG&E bill and keep swimming at Ro-driguez. Coach Sarah McLaughlin said that this year will serve as an accurate test for how much the pool really does costs to heat. That way the district will be able to release a fair number for what the team needs to raise for next year. Originally the district estimated that it cost more than a quarter of a million dollars to heat the district’s three high school pools. They closed the pools last fall as a a money- saving measure. Water polo had to use the Solano college pool for practices and meets. Armijo high school will be practicing after RHS each day and will contribute to the heating bill. They will swim at 5:30 and will contribute $5,000 total for using the pool.

Varsity baseball hopes to improve further this seasonBy Rachel Balella (’11) The varsity baseball team is off to a so-so start with a 1-2 record as of March 9. The boys beat Vintage, but lost to Vintage and Armijo. Still, the players are optimistic because there is hardly any team “drama” to contend with. “There are rarely problems,” said pitcher and sophomore Jessie Schoiltens. “ We all get along and if there are issues, they’re personal issues between two people, not the whole team.” The varsity team hopes to repeat its perfor-mance from last year when it won league and

moved onto sections. “Leagues are a definite this year,” Jessie said. The boys hope to improve their skills and destroy the next team. Losing doesn’t crush these players’ spirits, but instead brings them together in a united goal and motivates them to work harder for the next game. Varsity coaches Jason Chatham and James Maldonado have high hopes for the team’s strength and skill. “We have a young, deep, talented team that should be a contender,” said Coach Chatham. “ At this point, we need to learn how to get

out of our own way and let our abilities take over. We think we have the pitching to take over games and the offense to pile up runs, but right now we are in a little bit of a funk. There is a learning curve at the varsity level because the game is so much faster, and we are in the process of making that adjustment. We should be solid when we figure it out. Junior Varsity is confident as varsity in the goals they hope to pursue. “The beginning of the season was a little rough,” said catcher Nick Villazon. “The team hadn’t come together yet – hadn’t learned to work as a team.”

Villazon is confident that the team will move past the differences gained during pre-season for a strong season of baseball. After losing two games to Vintage, the JV team’s motiva-tion to win is forcing the boys to work harder and develop better technique, he said. Practice consists of more technique-based drills that have really modified the players’ skills. Winning league and defeating Vintage are two goals of the Mustangs JV baseball team, but the players’ biggest concern is pre-paring themselves for varsity. Staying strong and playing the positions are key to achieve these goals, Nick said.

By Nicole Levin (’11) The RHS badminton team has started off its season with a series of victo-ries. The team won both of its scrimmages against Vintage and later Vacaville 12-3 and 10-5 respectively. Despite these early wins many players are worried about victories in the league season. “Davis is going to be tough,” senior co-captain Anna Chao explained.

Why is Rodriquez playing a school that far away? Davis High School was ad-mitted into the SCAC league for badminton last year due to a lack of badminton teams in its overall area. To compromise for the inconvenient location, last year Davis team traveled to two out of its three matches with RHS. This year however, the RHS badmin-ton schedule shows the team going to Davis twice. But there is more to the issue of Davis

than its far-off location. “They have an open gym at their school,” said singles player Aileen Jiras. This means that the Davis team is allowed to prac-tice year round at their school. If RHS bad-minton players wants to practice off-season, they have to drive to Vacaville, or pay for lessons. No badminton player can deny that Davis has an advantage, but no one is giving up yet.

Davis may prove difficult for RHS badminton team to defeat in match

Mustangs’ big gameThe bleachers were packed for the playoffs. It was Feb. 26, the night that the Mus-tangs walloped Davis 62-31. Above, Daniel Badger, No. 25 dribbles the ball while warding off his Davis oppo-nent. At right, Julian William-son shoots a free throw.

Photo/ David Melad

Photo/ David Melad


Mark Ocampo is setting records at RHSBy Gabriela Lopez (‘11) Senior Mark Ocampo has the distinction of being the first wrestler from RHS to qualify twice for state. He ended his season with a 36-10 record and he is littered all over the team’s record books, according to Coach Mi-chael Clarkston. “What Mark accomplished in three years of wrestling is almost unheard of,” Mr. Clark-

ston said. Mark started wrestling his sophomore year and has been on varsity for two years, wrestling in the 119 weight division.

Although he is in the top 40 wrestlers in his weight class in California, Mark has decided that he will not pursue the sport in college. He plans to attend Napa Valley College and later transfer to UC Berkeley. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend of 10 months.How does he manage to get everything

done?Here is some more information about Mark.Favorite Color: BlueFavorite T.V. Show: “Sponge Bob”Favorite Athlete: Michael ClarkstonFavorite Drink: ColaFavorite Book: “Of Mice and Men”Favorite music: R&BFavorite Movie: “Avatar”Photo/ David Melad

Bit by the running bug and nothing is stopping her nowBy Bria Howse (’11) Since freshman year, senior Taraisa Kee-ton has honed herself into a fast-paced and high endurance runner on the track and cross country teams. Even though sometimes the practices are difficult, Tarai-sa manages to keep a smile on her face. She first got the running bug in the fifth grade.Taraisa likes the variety that the fall and spring sports offer. In track Taraisa runs the 400 and 800 events. The 400 consists of only one lap while the 800 requires two laps. The season has just begun, but she sees the girls as dominating this year. “The boys are always good, but this year I think the girls are going to pull through. Alto-

gether I think that we’re going to do great.” Participating in school sports offer students a chance to get in shape and meet new friends. For Taraisa, “It’s the people,” she said,. “The people are fun. The whole team expe-rience is great for me.” But being a student isn’t always the easiest task. Taraisa feels that being determined and working hard are two of the many necessities to move forward. Being able to manage time wisely and staying focused are the icing-on-top success.Taraisa hasn’t decided whether she will run track in college or even what college she will attend. However, San Diego is one of her top choices. Here is some more information about TaraisaFavorite Movie: “Love and Basketball”Favorite Color: PurpleFavorite Music: R&BFavorite Athlete: Reggie BushFavorite Drink: Chocolate milkFavorite TV Show: “Bad Girls Club”Biggest Inspiration: Her Dad

Boys tennis team seeksredemption and victoryBy Megan Bonilla (’10) The Boys tennis team is off to a good start with a 2-1 record thus far. They defeated Vallejo twice, with the score be-ing 9-0 both times. Their only loss so far has been to Vanden who defeated the boys with a score of 9-0. Vanden continues to be the boys’ most formi-dable foe, as they have been in the past. Regardless of this loss, it’s a good beginning to the season considering the results of last year’s season. The team suffered much difficulty from losing 11 seniors the year prior. It was a rebuilding year and the team did not do as well as players had hoped. This year, however, they’ve set their sights much higher.

“We have a much stronger team than last year,” coach Sebastian Remy-Drysdale said.. Number four singles player Timothy Alexander agrees. “I think on a skills basis, the team has improved greatly… we’re trying to overcome our negative reputation and do much better than years prior. We are striving for first place.” Timothy has been playing for the school tennis team for three years. Being a veteran player, he has seen the evolution of the team. He says that everyone on the team gets along, tries hard during practice, and they are all support-ive of each other. “We’re like a family,” Timothy said. The team’s next home game is Tuesday, March 16 at Benicia.

By Sydney Tracy (’10) RHS’s varsity softball team in on its way — once again — to becoming SCAC cham-pions. According to Calhisports, the ladies are 9th in state, and 32nd in the country. “We have so much potential and I know we’re going to make it all the way,” said ju-nior and outfielder Charlotte Galzote. In watching these ladies play, it is obvi-ous that they love what they are doing. Even when their practices look difficult, they per-form with smiles and energy. “This team works so well together. There’s

never any drama and we all mesh together re-ally well,” Charlotte continues. “I love those girls, they’re like my sisters.” From their practice schedule, it’s apparent that these girls are devoted to their sport. “We’re all so dedicated, we practice every single day, and even on Saturdays,” Senior Andrianna Collins, the pitcher of the team praises the girls coach. “Mrs. (Tracy) Cordes, she’s a good coach, but she always pushes us to give the best that we can and never to take any team lightly.” The team plays its first official league game at home on March 12 against Hogan.

The varisty boys golf team hopes to make it to divisional tournamentBy Megan Bonilla (’10) The Boys golf season looks to be a promis-ing one. While there are 16 players in all, 10 are varsity. Of these 10, seven are seniors and three are sophomores. There is no JV coach, so the 16 players are grouped into one team. So far this season, the golf team has a re-cord of 3-1 overall and 2-0 in league. “Everyone is around the same level,” on the team, said senior Calvin Lee who has played on the team for three years. . For the past two years, the boys golf team has won league. Coach Rick Bryan is confident that they

will win league this year as well. “Yes, we should [win league], it should be easy…we’ve got a lot of experienced play-ers; a lot of the guys have been playing for all four years,” he said. Besides winning league, Coach Bryan says the team’s goal is to go on to the Divisional Tournament and do well. The team has gone to the Divisional Tour-nament in years past, however, and have not done as well as they would have hoped. “I have confidence we’re going to do bet-ter,” the coach said regarding the tourna-ment. The boys next home game will be Wednes-day, March 17 at Rancho Solano.

Softball ready to dominate again

Photo/ Bria HowseTaraisa Keeton

Mark Ocampo


School budget cuts...dealing with the decision to cut summer school for quite some time, and it hasn’t been easy. “Summer school has been available for students ever since Rodriguez was opened,” Mrs. Wilson said. “If any student wants to apply to a university, they have to have a C or better to pass. This has always been the rule, but now it’s critical for students to put the work in that is needed the first time.” Mrs. Wilson said that almost one-third of freshmen receive an “F” in at least one class. For many the transition from middle school

(From page 1)to high school often takes a toll. For others the reality of earning credits doesn’t set in until junior or sometimes senior year. “Honestly I really want to emphasize that it’s up to us … to make sure that our students receive passing grades in order to achieve a proper education,” Mrs. Wilson said. Many other changes have been approved as part of the effort to cut $16.5 million from the budget. According to the Daily Republic, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District has agreed to send more than 200 layoff notices.

Obesity story...(From page 1)

Courtesy Photo

By Chelsea Ramos (’10) The varsity girls’ basketball team won third place in the SCAC (Solano County Athletic Conference) with an overall record of 14-13. Despite the team’s losses against Vanden and Vallejo, they still qualified for the San Joaquin Division I playoffs. Junior Brandi Tacdol says, “We could’ve done better.” The team hoped to have gone farther in

the playoffs but fell short after losing in the first round against Franklin High School in Sacramento. “We played our hardest; I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. But I’m hoping to go far-ther next year,” says Junior Bria Howse. During pre-season the team played well against harder teams outside of division I but weren’t able to reach victory.

Varsity girls basketball make playoffs

By Jasmine Lucas (’10) According to ’09 RHS graduate Demon-dre Boler, once you leave high school there is nothing to miss. Boler attended RHS his junior and senior year after transferring from Bethel High School in Vallejo. Demondre now attends Santa Rosa junior college and is majoring in dental hygiene. Undecided on what college he will attend af-ter Santa Rosa, he is looking for anyone that

Demondre Boler dedicates his time in footballwill offer a foot-ball scholarship. After playing football in high school for two years, Boler continues his dedication while spending a lot of time on the football field with the team or working at JC Penny’s. “College football is a lot different from high school football because my teammates

and opponents are way bigger and way fast-er,” says Boler. “While working, going to school, and play-ing football can be a bit hard to handle, I try to manage my work schedule around school and sports,” Moving away from home was hard for Demondre at first, but it’s cool now because there are fewer distractions, which helps keep him focused.

“My favorite high school memory would have to be my freshman year at Bethel when I was on the basketball team and I dunked during the game against Vallejo high school on Valentine’s Day,” said Boler. His advice for RHS students is to stay fo-cused in the books because it really pays off. Demondre’s goals for the future are to be-come a dentist and have a very big family.

RHS staff protests off Red Top Road for budget cuts.

ary sodas and sports drinks that can cause weight gain.The tidal wave of obesity has washed over this country so swiftly that even young chil-dren are being affected. Starting as young as 3 years old, kids are carrying more pound-age. The upshot is that obesity doesn’t carry the stigma that it once did — a blessing and a curse. “It’s obvious that obesity is becoming more widespread in this country, so it’s not looked down upon so severely,” said an RHS student who has struggled with his weight for years. He asked to remain anonymous while admit-ting that his sedentary lifestyle and poor eat-ing habits were to blame for his dilemma.Senior Matt Welz today accepts his weight as just part of who he is. Still, he recalls how he was teased when he was younger. “People used to call me names like Tubby and Fat Matt.” Though weight problems often discourage many people and tend to make them think poorly of themselves, Matt doesn’t perceive his weight as a serious concern.“The only time my weight really affected me was once when I was on a 16-hour flight to Thailand, and the restroom was so small that I felt claustrophobic.” Generally, though, he is fine with his body image. “I’m comfortable with myself. My weight doesn’t bother me. It makes me who I am.” P.E. teacher Lynn Gregerson is one of the main contributors in the attempt to end this non-stop progression of weight issues. This is the second year she has spearheaded the school’s participation in Governor’s Chal-lenge, which is sponsored by the General Mills Company. “I saw that with this program, kids don’t have to go at it alone,” Mrs. Gregerson said.

“Parents contribute just as much as students do.” Gregerson likes to stress the health as-pect of the weight issue as opposed to the model-thin image that society pushes. “I always tell my students that they have the power to change what people predict, and although we know that obesity is a big prob-lem in today’s society, it shouldn’t be a ‘How I Look Contest.’ It’s really more about being healthy.” Nutritionist Teresa Hernandez has seen the statistics grow for over six years. “Obesity is starting to become an over rising epidemic, especially in children.” Research has shown that childhood habits can affect future conditions. This means that if junk food was a huge part of someone’s diet when he was younger, health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol could occur later. According to former president Clinton, an estimated $150 billion has been spent ad-dressing obesity related health issues through Medicaid. “Since I currently have weight issues, and obesity runs in my family, I have to poke my finger two times a week, just to make sure that I haven’t developed Type 2 Diabetes like my father,” said another student who asked to remain anonymous. Mrs. Hernandez said the obesity issue can be stopped by, “the educa-tion that parents give to their families. Teach-ing your family about eating healthy and including a good balance of all nutrients is essential for leading a healthy life.” Often at the forefront of social change, Cal-ifornia was the first state to ban soda drinks in public schools a few years ago. As part of Health Awareness month, Mrs. Gregerson invited Kaiser employees to RHS to make health and wellness presen-tation. The hope is that through education the obesity epidemic can be defeated.

March2010 issue

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