Friday, October 1, 2010 San Rafael, CAVolume XX, No. 2

Photo and Design by Riley Champine

Pages 2-3Summer News

Page 12Pregame Rituals

N e w s2 October 1, 2010

Happenings around the globe that you should know

LOVE PARADEDuring German music festival “The Love Parade” on July 24th 21 people were killed and 500 wound-ed when a stampede broke out. Concertgoers pushed forward until they were jammed into an underpass, trampled, and suffocated. This event raises safety concerns at future music festivals all over the world and contributed to the decision to cancel San Francisco’s “Lovefest” in September.

SOMALI REBELSSomali rebels attacked the U.N. and foregin aid groups this summer. The threat of kid-nappings drove the U.N. to leave the country temporarily.

AFGHAN DISCOVERYThe U.S. discovered mineral resources in Af-ghanistan valued in excess of $1 trillion. Lithium, gold, copper, and iron have been found in the mountains. This new discovery could aid Af-ghanistan’s economy and raises hopes for the end result of the U.S.’ involvement there.

RIOT IN CHINA150 people died in ethnic riots in the city of Urumqi, China, caused by the racial tension between the Han Chinese and Muslim Uighurs. China is set to execute those re-sponsible for the riots.

FLOODING IN PAKISTAN14 million Pakistanis were displaced during two weeks of disastrous flooding. More than 1,600 people have been killed in these flash floods in what the U.N. has called one of the biggest humanitarian disasters in years.

RUSSIAN SPIES The U.S agreed to swap 10 Russian spies in the United States’ custody for the return of four alleged U.S spies captured in Russia. These Russian spies had been monitored by the F.B.I for approximately a decade before they were captured and swapped on July 9th.

WORLD CUPThe World Cup took place in South Africa this summer. Spain beat Holland to win the cup. The next World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2014.

From Russian spies to the World Cup, while we were enjoying our two month long sum-mer breaks, the world was busy. This past summer, countries from all around the world

had their own experiences that won’t be forgetten. Here are some of the top stories from this summer that are important for you to know.

Image Souces: World Robinson Projection Map with Country Outlines, www.picsicio.usWriting and Reporting by Lucy Sogard and Lauren Thomas

Layout by Ruby James and Riley Champine

News 3October 1, 2010

We’re going places: wildcats travel the world

Senior Becca Rich spent three weeks in Maine at a summer camp called Seeds of Peace International Camp. There were teens from the Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Palestine Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Junior Olivia Glick traveled to Paris

with the academic program Ox-bridge, where she immersed herself in Parisian culture and took classes that fostered her love of art history and architecture.

“I had a great time,” said Rich, “and I learned so

much from the people I met and the stories they

told.”

“It was an amazing experience that had an enormous impact on my life and the way I view the world,” Schrier said.

“They are an incredible, inspiring group of children,” s

Wilton said.“I learned so much from the classes I took,” said

Glick, “even though I couldn’t speak a word of

French.”

“One of my many adventures, bungy jumping 440 feet in the air,” said Fisher, “was so exhilarating and one of the best experiences of my life.”

Freshman Hannah Wilton worked at an orphanage in Cambodia called Center for Children’s Hap-piness. The children are all rescued from the garbage dumps of Phnom Phen or from the streets.

Senior Laura Schrier went to Paraguay with the program Ami-gos de Las Americas and spent two months in a rural community with one other volunteer from the U.S. Every day, Schrier taught environmental health at local the school and worked on projects with the community.

To expand his love of adventure, junior David Fisher traveled to New Zealand with Rustic Pathways. He participated in several thrilling ac-tivities.

Sophomore Will Zesiger traveled to Spain, Morocco, and Paris with his family. For Will, the most exotic and memorable place he visited was Morocco.

“The streets were very steep and so narrow that

cars couldn’t fit down them,” said Will

Olivia GlickNoah Prudhomme

Kelsey Caspersen

Becca Rich

Doug Zesiger

David Fisher

Writing and reporting by Ruby James, Ella Storey, and Avery Hale

Layout and Graphics by Ruby JamesCountry maps from schools.look4.net/geography

New Zealand Morocco Paraguay

Cambodia

Maine

France

Features4 October 1, 2010

Megan Wheeler has joined the college counseling department as an assistant, coordinating college visits, entering data, and providing general administrative sup-port. Wheeler attended San Mateo High School and majored in communications at the University of Pacific in Stockton. Because her sister is Dean of Students Lynne Hansen, she was familiar with the school before starting the job, and her desire to be involved with it is one of the reasons she joined us this year.

Written By Julia Irwin

Lisa Tsubouchi ‘06 is back on

campus until November, taking over Hideko Akashi’s Japanese IV class. Tsub-ouchi studied at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and then transferred to Lewis and Clark, where she earned her BA in foreign languages. She feels teaching Japanese will be a good starting point for her career, but ultimately hopes to teach English abroad in the future.

Written by Julia Irwin

Rebecca Young, after leaving MA in 2005 to get her graduate degree, has returned to teach a semester of freshman biology, and to replace Susan Adams as learning services coordinator. In this capacity, she works with students who have learning differences to make a learning profile, identify learning strengths and challenges, and arrange aca-demic accommodations. She also helps her students advocate for themselves. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, running, and biking.

Written by Julia Irwin

Jennifer Christensen, who previous-ly worked as a college advisor at Sonoma Academy, has joined the college counseling department. She loves spending time with her two dogs and has a strong obsession with Harry Potter. The incredible school spirit at MA has pleasantly surprised her. She invites all students to stop by her office and grab some candy.

Written by Matt Waxman

Evelyn Tseng will be joining the World Languages departnement by teaching all Chinese classes. Tseng was born in Tai-wan, came to the Unites States when she was 15, and went to college in California. Tseng moved up to Marin County two years ago when she taught in the Petaluma pub-lic school, she founded their first Chinese program. Her goal here is to help students achieve their goals of speaking the language well, be able to use it in their daily lives, and have an appreciation for Chinese and Asian culture.

Written by Eric Slamovich

Wait, who is that? New People to find on Campus

Alisa Haller is the new photography teacher, taking place of Jenny Rosenburg while she is on maternity leave. At home she finds herself busy with a 3-year-old daughter and her beloved dog. Haller has previously worked at University High School and also spent time as a freelance photographer. She is astonished by the quality of the teachers at MA, and is excited to begin a career here.

Written by Matt Waxman

Matt Waxman

Julia Irwin

Julia Irwin

Matt Waxman

Eric Slamovich

Julia Irwin

Features 5October 1, 2010

Kelly Harvard is the assistant to the athletic director, and coordinates the school sports programs. She’s returning full-time this year after being a temporary replacement for the prior assistant. Harvard previously worked mainly for non-profits, including the American Cancer Society and the Marin AIDS Project. As a college student she stud-ied abroad in Thailand.

Written by Annie Warner

Nicole Jensen is teaching three freshman biology classes and one advanced biology class. Because of her love of the outdoors, she has also taken on mentoring the Eco-Action club. Jensen taught AP psychol-ogy and biology at the Harker School in San José before coming to MA. Be sure to check out Thatcher’s windowsill for a view of her trusty sidekick Spud, the lively bearded dragon.

Written by Annie Warner

Vielka Hoy has assumed the role of lead director of the Crossroads program and will return as an assistant when Lauren Toker comes back from maternity leave. A California native, Hoy went to New York University where she attempted to build a career as a stand-up comedian. After getting her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Hoy joined Crossroads and will be start-ing her fifth year in the program this year.

Written by Annie Warner

Faculty and Staff Additions 2010-2011

Jon Bretan is the new Chemistry teach-er. Bretan started out as a chemical engineer-ing major at UC Berkeley, but switched to studying astrophysics. He enjoys watching “Futurama” and “Mythbusters”, is an avid runner, and won the Marin County Mara-thon in April. Bretan is also an experienced luthier (someone who repairs string instru-ments). In addition to joining the Science department, Bretan is co-coaching the Cross country team.

Written by Alex Clayman

Jared Baird will be joining the staff as an English teacher, filling in for English teacher Jim Baldwin who is on sabbatical for a se-mester. Baird has always enjoyed studying English and reading. His favorite books are “Midnight’s Children” and “Mumbo Jumbo”. He has a BA in Classical Studies and an MA in teaching English. His favor-ite TV show is “The Wire”, and his favorite movie is “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. Baird is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Written by Alex Clayman

Carinne Lemaire-George, who will be teaching French II and V honors, previously taught at Miller Creek Middle School, Terra Linda High School and Casa Grande High School. According to George, MA has a lot more spirit and op-portunities than her high school in France did and she loves the comfortable atmo-sphere. Unlike the stereotypical French person, George shocks people when she tells them she’s a vegetarian; however, she still loves cheese!

Written by Tess Winston

Nicole Klaymoon, MA’s new Hip Hop teacher, has been bopping around to Tina Turner and Paula Abdul in hot pink spandex since she was 7 years old. Klaymoon gave up the trumpet so she could “bust a move” with her father to Stevie Wonder songs. Besides dancing, she kept ducks and a praying-mantis as pets when she was a child. She has taught at The Branson School, San Francisco University High School, Oberlin Dance Collective, Destiny Arts Center, and Roco Dance Academy.

Written by Tess Winston

Avery Hale

Tess Winston

Tess Winston

Annie Warner

Annie Warner

Annier Warner

Alex Clayman

Features6 October 1, 2010

In the news...

Allah, Adonai, Atman, Amen: Religion’s role on and off campus

Ever since Sept. 11, being a Muslim in America has meant having to deal with nega-tive stereotypes and connotations associated with the Islamic faith. A recent proposition, dubbed Park51, has only heightened this religious tension.

Park51 or The Cordoba Initiative refers to a project proposed to the lower Manhat-tan Board regarding the construction of a nine-story community center. This propo-sition includes a mosque that will be built on 45-51 Park Place, approximately two blocks from Ground Zero. According to its website, Park51 will be dedicated to “plural-ism, service, arts and culture, education and empowerment, appreciation for our city and a deep respect for our planet.”

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf is the man who proposed this project, and he will also serve as the religious center’s leader. Rauf’s mis-sion, as written on their website, is to create an institution dedicated to “diversity” and “Muslim traditions,” which will affect the nearly 600,000 Muslim residents of New York City and its surrounding suburbs.

Although many are in favor of this proj-ect, President Obama, City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn, and current New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, there is also enough resistance to cause a public dispute.

“Muslims have the same right to prac-tice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances,” said President Obama in a statement regard-ing the controversy. “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”

These comments alone created quite a stir, especially amongst conservative politi-cians such as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rudolph Giuliani, and the Anti-Defamation League. The aforementioned parties are

opposed to the construction of an Islamic cultural center.

“Placing the center close to the site of the late World Trade Center will not pro-mote healing, and as for promoting a ‘bet-ter understanding of their religion’ it would certainly be a constant reminder of the evil it’s capable of,” said Ethel C. Fenig, writer for the conservative Internet publication “American Thinker”.

Many Sept. 11 victims and their families, as well as New York City residents agree that building an Islamic center so close to the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is “insensitive” and “not a politically smart move,” said Muslim-American and New York City resident Malik Nadeem Abid in a “New York Times” interview.

Regardless of this opposition, Park51 has seen advancement in its plans.

“I am very confident that we can find a way for both the landmark concept and the development of the mosque to move forward,” said Quinn in mid-May at a press conference. True to her words, May 25 marked the day that the Community Board No. 1, which deals with Park Street and lower Manhattan, voted in favor of the Islamic Cultural Center, with an overwhelm-ing support ratio of 29-to-1.

Despite the support that the proposition received in court, the public has not had quite the same response. Park51 has spurred hate-related events such as “Burn a Quran Day.”

The controversy has also hit the youth. According to “The New York Times”, a group of New York teenagers were recently charged for soliciting a mosque and harass-ing its members. Whether this community is supportive or opposed to the construction of the mosque, the controversy certainly challenges Islam’s stance with the American people, Marin Academy included.

Features 7October 1, 2010

In our community...

Writing and reporting by Lena Felton, Olivia Lloyd, Andrew Miller and Ilana Salant

Layout and design by Riley Champine, Katie Eiseman and Lauren Thomas

Background photo by Talia Krahling

Allah, Adonai, Atman, Amen: Religion’s role on and off campus

Our community is diverse in cul-tures and religions, yet at times, talk-ing about these differences can be dif-ficult. Recognized or not, this diversity is an omnipresent and critical factor in the student body.

“I feel like religion isn’t discussed much at all here. However, I would still say everyone is very accepting,” said Catholic sophomore Anne Williams.

Non-religious freshman Ruby Baum-baugh says that she has not heard any talk of

religion since the start of her year. “I don’t think people discuss

religion a lot, but I also don’t think [it’s because] people

worry about offend-ing people. I

think this i s a

place where everyone can be who they are, including what their religious standpoint may be,” Baumbaugh said.

“Religion is really only brought up in class,” said senior Andrew Hove. “I think we’re really politically correct here. And I also think a lot of people just aren’t reli-gious.”

The only religious club on campus is Jew Crew. Led by senior Zia Grossman-Vendrillo and juniors Joseph Kind, Maranda Barry, and Jennifer Katz, Jew Crew celebrates Jewish tradition by discussing the religion in today’s world and leading cultural activities.

Sanjai Moses, Dean of Multi-Cultural Life, was asked about the club.

“I think that, for so many people, Ju-daism is not just a faith or a religion

but more of a culture,” she said. “When you go to the meetings,

they’re not necessarily talk-ing about the Torah.”

Sophomore Cam-eron Stanton, a

moderate Chris-tian, would

l i k e t o see the

number of religious clubs increased.“I don’t see Christianity being represented at

all,” Stanton said. “I think that’s because Chris-tians here don’t express their beliefs.”

Moses addressed the lack of representation of other religions at MA as well.

“We’ve had students on this campus who have been Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Johovah’s Witnesses, and just Christians who have literally hid in the closet about their reli-gious beliefs,” Moses said.

Hinduism is one of the smaller religious groups on campus, but when asked if she would like to see it represented in a club on campus, Hindu junior Maya Sampath was hesitant.

“Some people might come to learn more about Hinduism, but it would not be as many people as a club like Jew Crew,” Sampath said. “Hinduism is not known as much and people may not feel comfortable with it.”

While many of the interviewed students felt that MA was accepting of all religions, sopho-more Max Norman disagreed.

“I feel there is some anti-Semitism here at MA,” Norman said. “I am a Jew in a cultural sense, not practicing, but I have heard some anti-Semitic things.”

In the world today, religion is everywhere we look except, according to many students,

on campus.“I think that religion is an impor-

tant part of society,” said junior Andrew Schleeter.

“But I would like to see i t ad-

dressed more at MA.”

A&E8 October 1, 2010

Summer entertainment to last through autumnSwedish writer and journalist Steig

Larsson’s bestselling series has taken the world by storm, selling more than 20 mil-lion copies of his trilogy in 41 countries. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is a crime-mystery novel that tells the story of journalist Mikael Blomvist. Blomvist arrives at a small Swedish town and teams up with Lisbeth Salander, a genius 24-year-old computer hacker. Together, they investigate the disappearance of a young royal from one of Sweden’s wealthiest families. Mikael and Lisbeth delve deeper, exposing the horrifying se-crets within the royal family. ‘“The Girl

with the Dragon Tattoo” quickly becomes one of those books that is im-possible to stop thinking about, even after it’s finished,” said sophomore Keli Sherwood. “Between the shocking evidence that is unearthed and the tangled web of intrigue, this is a book that makes for a riveting read.”

Depressed and lost, Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a passing train without any idea of the consequences. He soon discov-ers that the train he has boarded is actually a circus that makes rounds in different cit-ies each night. Jacob is accepted into the circus community as a caretaker for the circus animals. It is here that Jacob takes a special liking to the nearly untrainable Rosie the elephant, and falls for the mar-ried equestrian star, Marlena. An amazing period piece set during America’s Great Depression, “Water for Elephants” is an unforgettable read.

“Water for Elephants is an illustrious look at life on the road as a circus per-former,” said freshman Taylor Galla. Sara Gruen’s compelling and gritty novel has quickly become a best-seller, and is definitely worth a read.

BOO

KS“‘The Kids Are Alright’ is probably

the most recent movie I’ve seen in which I could really identify with,” said senior Chloé Ouyang. “In the movie, the teenage daughter leaves for college, and it was the first time that I could see myself going off as well because of how realistic it was. “The Kids are Alright” didn’t glamorize or distort reality- and it really hit home for me.”

Written and directed by Lisa Choloden-ko, the film is about the son and daughter of a lesbian couple who contact their bio-logical father. The unconventional family tries to develop a relationship with the

father and eventually lets his presence influence the family dynamic for the better.

MOVIES

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” “Water for Elephants”

“The Kids Are All Right” “Inception”

MUSIC

“Rokstarr”The Black Keys, a two-man,

alternative rock band, released their new album “Brothers” in May.

“I like the driving force through half of their tracks. It’s steady and repetitive, but not enough to get boring,” said sopho-more August Larmer DiFillipo. “I also appreciate how there are only two members in the band, yet they are able to create the sound of a five-person band.”

“Brothers”It is more than likely that students and

faculty heard tracks from Taio Cruz’s party anthem album “Rokstarr,” either blasting through car radios or being played at soirées this summer. Released in June, Cruz’s album is100% party ready. The songs’ heavy bass lines and catchy choruses make it apparent that dancing is essential to truly enjoying the album Though the easy-listening music was embraced by America as a whole this summer, senior Johnny Winston doesn’t

agree with the popular vote. “[Taio’s] music typifies the mindless fodder that populates the iTunes

Top 10 these days,” he said, “and his hollow lyrics simply pollute the air-waves. ‘Saying hey-oh’: I’m saying heck no.”

“Inception” caused audiences to revel at the notion that reality may be ambiguous. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a skilled thief in an interest-ing dimension of work; he doesn’t steal from banks or homes, but rather thoughts from the minds of his victims. His lat-est and most high profile job, though, seems nearly impossible: inception, in which a thought is planted into a mind. As DiCaprio travels further and further, moviegoers will become more and more enthralled by the complexity and clever-ness of the film.

“It kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time,” said sophomore Peter Krebs, “and I hope to see it again.” try to understand it better.”

Writing and reporting by Charlotte Lobdell, Maddy Scheer, Lena Felton, and Adam Perlestein

A&E 9October 1, 2010

TUESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYMONDAY WEDNESDAY

Fall TV line up: what to watch

Greig Stein

Staff Writer

If ever in need of a fresh dose of drama, “Gossip Girl” has plenty of it and always keeps viewers on their toes. It follows the lives of privileged college kids in New York City. “It’s basically a bunch of hot guys in indie clothing hang-ing out with a bunch of pretty girls in equally indie clothing. What’s not to like?” said junior Evy Roy.

“Modern Family,” in its second season, follows the sometimes chaotic and always quirky lives of everyday families.The show brings out the humor in today’s family unit, and is a reminder of the joys that can be found in every day family time. “It’s easy to re-late to each family and the things they’re going through,” said junior Yuriko Vaughan. “It makes me value my family life a lot more.”

One of the only T.V. musical shows, “Glee” strikes the perfect balance between music, comedy and drama. It is a show follow-ing a high-school glee club that competes against other schools. Don’t be ashamed to sing along; it is almost hard not to. “This fall I’m definitely going to be watching it,” said junior Tyler Sylla. “It’s got great writing, and most of the time I like their songs, too.”

“The Office” is putting out what may be its final season with its star Steve Carell. Never before has something as simple as the lives of office workers been so funny. A definite show not to miss, as it may never be the same with-out Carell’s Mr. Scott. “I always love watching ‘The Office’,” said senior Alex Muresanu. “It has a different kind of humor than most shows, which I really like.”

This fall “Smallville” returns for its tenth and final season. ‘Smallville’ follows the lives of superheroes, and focuses on Su-perman’s life before his fame. Whether sick, grounded or just feel like staying home on a Friday, make sure to tune in to watch the final episodes of this comic book inspired show.

Graphics by Riley Champime

Theater company will rock the cradle this fallSam PritzkerA&E Editor

On November 4 - 6, the Marin Academy theater company will thrill the community with their rendition of “The Cradle will Rock.”

As New York Times writer Anthony Tommasini describes, “[This] is a landmark music-theater work that audiences have heard about but seldom get to see.” The production centers on capital-ist avarice and the persecution of the workingman in 1937. “The Cradle will Rock” was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Proj-ect, a New Deal undertaking to finance theater productions during the Great Depression.

“Jim Baldwin and Nancy Hoff-man approached David and I, and suggested we might find a show that would relate to some facet of the MA curriculum,” said co-direc-tor Annie Elias. “I am very excited for this production, particularly as many students will be able to relate

to it on an academic level.” Another rousing aspect of this

season’s theater production is that it is a musical rather than a

straight play. “It is awesome that this is a mu-

sical because we can more readily integrate MA musicians into the

production,” said Elias, “but the fact that this is a musical makes the auditioning process more complex and angst-ridden. It’s unfortunate

when we get a student who would excellently play a role as an actor, but can’t do the vocals (and vice versa).”

However, a number of students felt relatively calm about needing to be talented in both singing and acting.

“I fel t the atmo-sphere was pretty low-p r e s s u r e for most of us,” said junior Ty-ler Sylla. “I think the fact that so many of us felt ama-teur about s i n g i n g helped ev-eryone feel a lot more relaxed about the musical aspect of the audition. We also felt good know-ing that the play was an ensemble, with no part being that much more stressful than the others.”

Many members from the class of 2013 will make up the more prominent roles in the produc-

tion, including (but certainly not limited to): Maia Sinaiko, Henry Begler, and Haley Schwartz. The remaining parts will go to various

other stu-dents who are adept a t b o t h s i n g i n g and act-ing.

“Over-a l l , t h e music and acting in the pro-duction is really in-teresting and com-

plex,” said junior Maya Rhine. “It also reveals quite a few of MA’s hidden talents.” The fusion of these talents will manifest in “The Cradle will Rock,” a rare opportunity for MA actors and actresses, as well as for the com-munity at large.

“It is awesome that this is a musical because we can more readily integrate MA musicians into the production.”

“Gossip Girl”The CW 9pm

“Glee”FOX 8pm

“Modern Family”ABC 8pm

“The Office”NBC 9pm

“Smallville”The CW 8pm

Image Sources: http://blog.nola.com/, http://4.bp.blogspot.com/,http://www.metronews.ca/, http://www.tvsquad.com/, http://blastmagazine.com/

Anna Kelly

Opinion10 October 1, 2010

The Marin Academy Voice is a student-run newspaper published free from faculty or administrative censorship or prior review. Un-signed editorials represent the views of the entire staff. Columns represent the views of the writer, not necessarily those of this paper.

If you have any questions or would like to receive The Voice, please send a request to voice@ma.org.

m a r i n a c a d e m y v o i c e

Editors-in-ChiefKatie EisemanLauren ThomasNews EditorRuby James

Features EditorNeha BudhrajaOp-Ed Editor

Max WeissSports Editor

Marshall LevensohnA&E EditorSam Pritzker

Copy EditorsOlivia Lloyd

Andrew MillerFaculty Advisor Mary Collie

StaffEverett BargerAlex ClamanLena FeltonAvery HaleJulia Irwin

Charlotte LobdellAdam Perlstein

Ilana SalantClaire SchurzMaddy ScheerEric Slamovich

Allie SmithLucy SogardGreig SteinElla Storey

Anie WarnerMatt WaxmanTess Winston

to Easter, there are members of our community who abstain from some indulgence in observance of

Lent. During the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, there are in-dividuals walking around campus who fast from dawn until sunset in honor of Ramadan. There are sure-

It’s time to start the conversation about religionPerhaps we do not talk about

religion very often in this commu-nity because we cannot see anoth-er person’s religion simply by looking at him. And because we often don’t know the religious identities of those we are address-ing, we run the risk of being offensive.

In a community where we strive to embrace and cele-brate diversity, our deep fear of offend-ing others has created a history of religious silence. Now is the time to break the si-lence and start up conversations about faith.

The Bay Area as a whole is an extremely liberal and secular com-munity. While Sunday mornings in many other parts of the country are

spent at church services, area lo-cals are more likely to be found at the farmer’s market or on the hik-

ing trails. If an individual replaces environmental consciousness with religious faithfulness, he or she is at risk of being labeled in unfavor-able ways. To identify one’s self

with the church is to be stereotyped as an anti-gay, anti-abortion con-servative, a label that sets any in-

dividual apart from the Bay Area’s major-ity.

And still, although it is not as popular as Eco-coun-cil or lacrosse, r e l i g i o n i s practiced by members of our commu-nity. Every S e p t e m b e r when the stu-dent body cel-ebrates two days off for

the High Holy Days of the Jew-ish religion, there is a group of students and teachers who spends their days in synagogue. Each year for the 40 days leading up

Continuously changing our religious stripesMax Weiss

Opinion Editor

Several mornings ago, I walked into my kitchen for breakfast and helped myself to a heaping pile of bacon, washing down the deli-cious food with a large glass of chocolate milk.

Nothing seems out of place about this—apart from the fact that I’m discussing my eating hab-its in a newspaper. Here’s a hint: I’m Jewish. Given the very large population of Jews at our school, I think that many readers will be able to guess what is wrong with my meal: It isn’t Kosher.

In fact, it is about as far from Kosher as you can get. If I were to eat my breakfast in front of an Or-thodox Jew, combining meat and dairy, I might as well denounce my faith right then and there.

I identify as Jewish. Yet, I do not feel even the slightest shame that I do not follow the religious laws that dictate what people of

my religion are allowed to eat. I am also not the only one who feels this way. This is the 21st Century, and religion isn’t what it used to be.

The best way to describe my re-ligious affinity is “Jewish chame-leon.” I change my level of ob-servance depend-ing on what the situation merits.

Although I al-most never ob-serve Shabbat on Friday nights when I am at home, to skip it when I am in the company of my relatives--two of whom are rabbis--is shameful. To the surprise of many of my friends who have never seen me show any inclination to be religious, I can recite the prayers for Shabbat.

However, once I am back at home and in a community where it

is not the norm to be religious, I re-vert to my casual practices. It is not that I am even remotely ashamed of being Jewish. I am extremely proud of my faith. I just do not feel the need to follow its absolute

doctrine. I know I am

not the only one who feels this way. Observe the school caf-eteria on any given day and you wi l l see members of Jew Crew munching on a pork chop. Yet these mem-bers also attend s e r v i c e s f o r Rosh Hashanah

and Yom Kippur every year, just as I do. This just goes to show that for many of today’s youth, religion is simply about being a good chameleon.

ly other religious practices that take place within our community and yet, as a whole, they proceed

unrecognized. This unappreci-

ated diversity at our school ought to be brought out for dis-cussion. There are beliefs, life lessons, traditions, food and song that can be en-joyed by all. Whether this takes place or-ganically or through an all-inclusive re-ligious forum is not important. What is important is that we take the risk to begin religious dialogue. Only then can we

truly understand, let alone accept and respect, an important aspect of many community members’ lives: religion.

Results based on lunch-line poll of 50 students.Katie Eiseman

Information taken from the 2010 U.S. Census.Katie Eiseman

Avery Hale

Opinion 11October 1, 2010

Don’t like your schedule? Welcome to the War Room

The most underrated team in school is ... The VoiceNeha Budhraja

Features Editor

Are you a freshmen reading this newspaper for the first time? Have you read “The Voice” before but always skipped to the teach-ers’ favorite TV shows article then stopped reading? Are you a totally lost senior who’s never heard of this before in your life? Well, who-ever you are…

Welcome to “The Voice!” The Marin Academy Voice is

back and all set for another year-long season of writing, editing, and designing the newspaper for the student body. This is the pa-per’s 20th year of publication and things have changed quite a bit over the years.

Every A Block, the team of 28 meets in their new home stadium, the Annex, where head coach Mary Collie discusses tactics ranging from content to page pi-cas. With 10 editors and 18 staff members, this year’s squad of student writers, investigators, and artists is sure to be one to pay close attention to.

The team captains this year are Co-Editors-in-Chief, Katie Eise-

man and Lauren Thomas. Both seniors and in their second year on the staff, this power packed duo is filled with insightful topics and bursting opinions to share with

the entire community. Continuing the senior editor listings are News Editor Ruby James and Managing Editor Riley Champine. James plans to get the scoop on the ex-

citing happenings both on campus and off, while Champine brings his design genius to every edition.

This year’s bunch also sees a fair number of junior editors. Max

Weiss, the most experienced with a full three semesters on the staff (two of which were spent serving as the trustysports editor), will now be taking on the Opinion/Editorial section. Following him are five second-year juniors: Neha Budhra-ja will be covering features, Sam Pritzker on arts and entertainment, and Marshall Levensohn on sports.

Never before seen on The Voice will be the addition of two copy editors: Olivia Lloyd and Andrew Miller. They will be responsible for everything from missed com-mas to misspelled headlines, mak-ing the paper the cleanest, most error free it has ever been.

On the remaining staff are returning players senior Eric Slamovich, junior Avery Hale and sophomores Lena Felton, Char-lotte Lobdell, and Ilana Salant. Joining them are all new members, seniors Maddy Scheer and Allie Smith, juniors Greig Stein and Everett Barger, and sophomores Matt Waxman, Tess Winston, Julia Irwin, Claire Shurz, Annie Warner, Alex Clayman, Ella Storey, Lucy Sogard and Adam Perlstein.

Karen JacobsenGuest Writer

Ever wonder why you have four of your hardest classes on the DEFG days and your free, your art class, and your easiest academic class on ABC days? Well, you can blame me! One of my jobs as registrar is to help create a unique schedule for every student in the school. It’s a long process that begins when your teachers make their recommendations for the classes they think will suit you best for the following year.

Next, you and your parents meet with your advisor in the spring to discuss your choices and preferences for next year. All your choices are then entered into a soft-ware program. That’s when the fun begins! Joe Harvey, the academic

dean, and I get locked into room for two or three days to build the master schedule. I like to call it the War Room.

There’s a lot of arm wav-ing and shouting. There are so many issues that need to be considered when making a schedule for over 400 stu-dents. We consider teacher schedules, classroom avail-ability, conflicting classes, etc. Let’s face it: it’s hard to make 400 kids and 53 teach-ers completely happy.

We try not to schedule teachers more than two classes per day. We try to make sure the students’ schedules are balanced, with a free on even days. It’s impossible to make that happen!

Let’s take, for example, freshman Human Develop-ment. With five sections of human development, two teachers and one classroom, one section is going to have to be on an odd day.

Once we have the master schedule built (with teachers and classes and blocks and classrooms), Joe and I then carefully look at each stu-dent’s schedule. We look at your first choices and what your priorities are, and we work really hard in getting you in those classes. We spend all of June and part of July doing this.

And still, you might won-der why you didn’t get your first choice of an English elective, for example. Well,

you were probably not alone in wanting that class. With 78 rising juniors putting Personal & Expos as their very first choice, and 36 spots available, you can see not everyone is getting in.

But I know that the English class you did get is going to be just as great.

Want to share your perspective?

Approach a member of the Voice staff or

email the OpEd editor at mweiss@ma.org

in order to contribute your very own My MA

piece. Karen Jacobsen expresses her frustration over the scheuduling process.

Max Weiss

The Voice staff poses for a team picture outside of their home stadium The Annex).Neha Budhraja

Sports12 October 1, 2010

Girls Water Polo

“Our cheer before the game is usually “Deep in

the Heart” and we all go to the center of the pool and do [the cheer] in a circle.”

Laura Schrier ‘11

Pump-up Song: “Baby Got Back,” Sir-Mix-a-Lot

Claire Schurz: When did you start to play soccer and what inspired you?

Eloi Vasquez: I started playing soccer when I was two years old – as soon as I could walk. I was inspired by my dad who has played his whole life as well.

CS: How do you feel about making var-sity as a freshman?

EV: I played a lot with my FC [Marin Football Club] team this summer and I trained a lot so it feels good because I get to learn from older kids. I also get to train harder because most of the kids are better than me. But I like that because I am inspired by my teammates, especially Mason [McDowell].

CS: What is your nickname on the field?EV: My nickname is Tito because it’s my family nickname and my mom acciden-

tally put it in the directory and my coach [Josh Kalkstein] found out.CS: What is your personal and team goal?EV: My personal goal is to get as much playing time as I can and my team goal is

to win BCL.CS: How would you describe the team’s style of play?EV: We are very possessive and we play kind of like Barcelona because Josh is

obsessed with Barcelona.

Everett Barger: How important is winning to you?Hannah Wilton: Winning is not as much impor-

tant this year to me as it is the seniors, I want to help them win.

EB: Did you play any volleyball during the sum-mer?

HW: I play club volleyball, which goes into the summer, and after that finished I stayed in shape with MA’s captains’ practices.

EB: What are your goals for the season?HW: I want to get as much playing time as possible

and try to work my way up the team.EB: Was making the varsity team intimidating at

first?HW: A little bit. I’m intimidated by the other teams,

not by our own. The seniors are really nice people. I just want to do my best for them because they have worked so hard and it is their last year on the team.

EB: Do you look up to any specific players on the team?HW: I look up to Savannah Leaf specifically because we play the same position on

the court and she plays it so well. I also look up to all the seniors because of their com-mitment and hard work for the team throughout their time at MA.

Little freshmen, big game: new athletic prospectsEloi VasquezEverett Barger and Claire Schurz

Staff WritersHannah Wilton

Wildcat’s pregame rituals are recipe for success

Photos Courtesy of MA website. Design By: Riley Champine

Avery Hale

Claire Schurz

Marshall LevensohnSports Editor

Wildcat athletic teams have long been feared by BCL-West and NCS foes for not only their sheer skill, but also the passion and intensity that the athletes bring to every game. Is there a science to their unprecedented spirit, possibly something in the water? We explore the pre-game lives of the fall sports teams to track down the chants, tunes, and other rituals that define how the Wildcats compete.

Boys Soccer“Before our games

Josh talks to us about playing for the team

not the individual, with intensity, and our work

rate.”Mason McDowell ‘11Pump-up song:

“Gettin’ That Paper,” Big Boi

Girls XC“During the [pregame] medi-

tation we hold hands and close our eyes in silence and pass

a squeeze through our hands. Then we huddle up [and our] captains and coach talk a little

bit and then we chant ‘K’ some ‘A’, go MA!”Maddy Scheer ‘11

Pump-up song: “We Are Your Friends,” Justice

Girls Volleyball“We all get a piece of athletic tape that our coach writes a word on that he wants us to focus on

throughout the match and each person puts it on her left pinky.”

Ellie Saake ‘10

Pump-up Song: “Like A G6,” The Far East Movement

Girls Tennis

“Before every match, on the

count of three, we shout ‘MA’ in our manliest voices

possible.”

Josephine Ubben ‘11

Pump-up Song: “Right Above

It,” Lil’ Wayne

Boys XCThe team shouts:

Captains: “When I say wild, you say cats.” Captains: “M”

Team: “A”Captains: “M”

Team: “A”Ben Bogin ‘11

Pump-up song: “You,” Atmosphere

Boys Water Polo

“We all jump in at the same time, and start doing

our normal swimming warm up [of 400 yards]. Our team motto is: play as a team and

for the team.”Hunter Swanson ‘11Pump-up song:

“Marshawn Lynch,” The Cataracs