Raven ReportVolume IV, Issue 1 1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062 September 29, 2010

Sequoia High School

Footloose musical debuts in Carrington By LAUREL DEARBORN, SAMI MAST, and REBECCA SANDFeature editor and staff reporters

FEATURETeenagers and adults obsess over Silly Bandz Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTYour favorite fall TV shows are back

Page 6

SPORTSFootball team dreams of CCS

Page 8

“It’s about the importance of building bridges between peo-ple and strengthening bonds between parents and kids.”—Daniel Broome, director

Sequoia students are com-ing together to create the fall musical Footloose, premier-ing Nov. 19-21 in Car-rington Hall. Based on the 1984 movie, the story follows new-kid Ren McCormick and his determination to save a town where dancing is illegal.

It’s a “tremendously fun, high-energy musical with loads of youthful spirit, great choreography, and upbeat music,” said the musical’s di-rector, music teacher Daniel Broome. “We also get to play with some fun 80s dress and

Students and community flock to new In-N-Out in Redwood City

The new In-N-Out in Redwood City has many fans, as evidenced by the long lines. It even has a secret menu. But is it worth the hype? For more information and another viewpoint, see page 3. Photo by Liam O’Hara.

hairstyles.” Broome believes that the

play is “about the impor-tance of building bridges between people and strengthening the bonds between parents and their kids.”

Footloose was chosen this year to try a “dif-ferent genre of mu-sical”

because in recent years the musicals have been more traditional.

The cast will take three more weeks of rehearsals than normal to perfect the extra singing, dancing and other preparations.

“And, to get a better sense of costuming for the show, I now own and have see FOOTLOOSE, page 8

Lines went out the door and cars in the drive-through overflowed into the street. After months of construc-tion, opening day of the new In-N-Out, located at 949 Veterans Blvd. in Redwood City, finally arrived and proved the fast-food burger joint to be a popular success. Many Sequoia students attended its opening day on Aug. 26 and waited through the backed-up lines.

The new In-N-Out is conve-niently located for students, and has become the new hang out for several fast-food lovers.

“I am so happy that there is an In-N-Out around here, I go there all the time with my friends and order a 4x4 [burger] and animal fries. Maybe

even a 6x6 on occasion,” said senior Peter Babekian.

Some disagree with the hype, however.

“Although I’m happy that there is an In-N-Out close by, it has become less of a treat, and not as amazing,” said sophomore Julian Bertero. “So you kinda begin to get over it.”

Since In-N-Out’s opening, cus-tomers have flooded the restauraunt, casting a shadow on other businesses around In-N-Out. It is possible that places such as Carl’s Jr. and Pizza my Heart could be hurt due to In-N-Out’s reign.

With all of hype pertaining to the arrival of In-N-Out, competition of fast-food restaurants is bound to happen.

“Who knows how the popular In-N-Out will affect other businesses,” said junior Elise Levin-Guracar.

By SARINA KOCHER GROSS and SANTIAGO ORTEGAEditor-in-chief and layout editor

Juniors Conner Reiss and Alison Logia and senior Taylor LaMantia participate in yoga, offered through the SAFE program. Beginners are welcome to join from 3:30-4:30 on Tuesdays in the dance studio with teacher Eric Kobrick.

New gym on track for opening

When the new gym was reported as the main culprit of premature fire alarms, many questioned its progress. But accord-ing to Administrative Vice Principal Don Milhaupt, the new gym is scheduled for a December completion date, and is running under its $11 million budget. The fire alarms were mainly caused by complications with wir-ing, but are now safe, said Milhaupt.

The new gym will feature 16 badminton courts, eight basketball courts, dressing rooms, and a new electronic sign that will display

see GYM, page 8

By LIAM O’HARAStaff reporter

Club day brings new opportunities to students

Colorful posters held high in the quad. Students excitedly discussing the possibilities.

Club day, held Sept. 17 during lunch, drew approximately 200 students through the quad to look at each table to figure out what club they wanted to join. Joining clubs can help students explore career paths they might be interested in. Being a club member or officer is also good to put in a college application to show how well-rounded a student can be.

Sequoia offers over 20 clubs for students to get involved.

Key Club, one of Sequoia’s most popular clubs, gets students involved in doing community service.

In the Fashion Club, students design clothes and help people learn how to sew.

The new Graphic Design club helps find the artistic ability in people through the means of graphic design. It will teach members how to create websites and layout designs.

The American Cancer Society raises money to support people with cancer and raises awareness about cancer.

Other clubs to be featured later include Outdoor Ed, Vegetarians for Change, Squash Club, Shoe Rafiki, Human Trafficking, Schools for Schools and Invisible Children, Business Giving Back, Robotics Club, Latinos Make a Difference, Students Creating Connections, Our Hands, Shoe Rafiki, National Hispanic Insti-tutee, Dream Club, and Quidditch Club.

—ZEENAT ALI

Senior college applications can create stress without proper planning aheadSenior year may have just begun, but the college application process has al-ready started for many students. According to college and career counselor Teresa Ignaitis, “If you want to go to college, you need to be on track.”

Where to start: Update/create your Naviance accounts (on the school homepage), and check it regularly. Narrow down your list of choices and create appli-cation accounts on individual college websites. Begin on college essays: “It is a process, not a one-draft thing,” said Ignaitis. “You share with people and rewrite. People that do the best are open to suggestions.” Sign up for SAT/ACT tests, and SAT subject tests: SAT: registration deadline is Oct. 22, test date is Nov. 6 (most colleges will not accept test dates later than November) ACT: late registration deadline is Oct. 1, test date is Oct. 23.

College application deadlines: CSUs: opens on Oct. 1 and CLOSES on Nov. 30. UCs: opens on Nov. 1 and CLOSES on Nov. 30. Private Colleges: deadlines vary, check for Common Application. Community Colleges: applications not due until the Spring 2011.

—ZEENAT ALI and ALEX DEAS

2

Campus news briefs

Redwood City Sequoia School Employees

Federal Credit Unionhttp://www.rcsse.org/

530 El Camino Real, P.O. Box 5413, Redwood City

(650) 366-7777

Serving employees and their families in the following districts:

Redwood City Sequoia San Carlos Belmont

Ravenswood Las Lomitas Menlo Park Portola Valley

Woodside Canada College district

This month’s Financial Literacy article is sponsored by the RCSSE:

Learn About Money From People Who FailedWe all know millionaires know how to make money. I’ve always wanted to know why most people don’t become millionaires or don’t succeed at having enough money to lead a stress-free and inde-pendent life. Here are five key lessons I’ve learned so far from those who fail becoming millionaires:

1. Don’t assume higher income always means more savings. If you increase your spending every time your income goes up, you’re standing still, not moving forward. A perfect example: your in-come goes up, and you immediately get a more expensive car or apartment. 2. Don’t assume higher incomes are guaranteed for life. Ask somebody you know who worked on commission for the last few years if their income stayed up during the meltdown. Always assume your income may drop. Repeat that thought every day. The more prosperous you get, the more careful you should become. I’ve got a friend whose income skyrocketed during the meltdown, but she’s living exactly like she did before the money rushed in. “I know this can go away,” she says.

3. Pay attention to cash flow. Even if you’re working at a McDonald’s, cash flow impacts your life, whether you like it or not.

4. Never let failure slow you down. Ever heard of Mark Twain? He spent years paying off debts after a business meltdown, but never dodged his debt or lowered his head. Most millionaires will tell you they failed many times before making it big.

5. Confront money issues head on, don’t ignore them. Be up-front with people about money. Reach out to them don’t wait for them to contact you. If you have debt problems and belong to a credit union, call them for credit counseling.

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll fail a few times when it comes to money management before you succeed. So what? Learn from those mistakes and you’ve got a better chance down the line to be the millionaire in someone else’s story about success.

For more information, go to www.rcsse.org or call Larry Wagner, RCSSE Vice President.

Above: Freshman Briana Leviste waves a Debate Club sign to attract new members. Photos by Liam O’Hara.

News

Features 3

By JOSH PITKOFSKY and NICKIE PUCELStaff reporters

Silly Bandz popularity shoots sky high

Baseballs. Monkeys. Palm Trees. Guitars. I <3 Justin Bieber?

These are just some of the shapes created by Silly Bandz, little color-ful rubber bracelets that retain their shape when you take them off. These bands, invented by Robert Croak, the owner of BCP Imports, have become insanely popular since they hit the market in November 2008.

In a poll of 84 Sequoia students, 34 of them said they normally wear Silly Bandz, which origi-nally targeted children under fifteen.

Sophomore Jerod Woo believes they are “legit” and that they can “bring out someone’s personality.”

The shapes formed by the bands are different and unique. Woo told us his favorite shape was the pink prin-cess one, while sophomore Megan Bartoshuk said, “My favorite is my alligator.”

Treasurer Linda Gordon is another fan. “My favorite is the unicorn,” she said.

Students purchase these bands at stores such as Walgreen’s, Learning Express, and Toys ‘R Us, but some students have other ways of obtaining these amusing bracelets.

“I got them mostly from friends,

but also on Amazon,” Bartoshuk said.

Woo said, “I got all of mine from friends. They’re like baseball cards.”

Kids around the country are collecting and trading these bands nonstop, and they are selling like crazy all over the place. Bartoshuk estimated that she’s paid “maybe $10 on Silly Bandz,” while Gordon said, “I’ve probably spent 80 bucks on Silly

Bandz.” However, these

bands also have a dark side. As the popular-ity of Silly Bandz has shot upwards, schools throughout North Carolina, New York, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts have

prohibited them in class because stu-dents are missing out on productive instructional time as they are distract-ed by their bands’ intriguing shapes.

In addition, there have even been several reports of injuries related to Silly Bandz. According to MPNnow.com, one child from New York had worn so many Silly Bandz that the bottom few had embedded them-selves in his wrist, creating deep cuts.

Patty Davis, with the U.S. Con-sumer Product Safety Commission said, “Parents should limit the num-ber of elastic wrist bands that kids wear and they should check their children to make sure they are not too tight.” Other precautions include removing the bands before sleeping,

bathing, and when participating in activities like sports or exercise.

Also, it is not uncommon for these bands to break, as they are extremely fragile. Gordon was upset when she showed a broken band: “my monkey broke!”

Still, it’s truly incredible how one small idea could spark one of the largest crazes in the past couple de-cades. Ironically, the inventor, Robert Croak, didn’t come up with this idea on his own. A Japanese team initially designed these silicone rubber bands in 2002 as an attempt to create a more environmentally sustainable of-fice product. Croak bumped into the

In-N-Out: greatest thing to hit Redwood City or overrated?

Silly Bandz have become popular even among Sequoia High School students and staff members.

I Hate In-N-Out.

Ever since In-N-Out opened the lines have been outrageous, and neighbor-ing communities have been complaining about an excess of wrappers—and all for food that’s rather mediocre.

The burgers are greasy, the patties offer little sustenance, the fries have the texture of Styrofoam and don’t have any salt. The menu is limited, it’s more expensive than other fast food restaurants, and the food is comparable to Burger King.

In terms of price, an In-N-Out cheeseburger costs $2.15, whereas a Burger King cheeseburger is $1.00, and Burger King’s line doesn’t

By LIAM O’HARAStaff reporter

“I’ve probably spent 80 bucks on

Silly Bandz.”—Linda Gordon,

Treasurer

Photos from http://animal-rubberband-bracelets.com and www.wheretofindsillybandz.com

bands on a business trip and decided to re-market them as a children’s toy. This shows that if you see an oppor-tunity, take it because it might just lead to something greater than you expected.

stretch over a block. Their fries come with salt on them.

And the menu only offers four food items. These in-clude a cheeseburger, ham-burger, double cheeseburger, and fries, and all of these are only okay, not great. The burger has too many condi-

ments and next to no patty, and the fries taste like “space man food,” said my little brother.

The In-N-Out building is also ugly: it looks like a strip mall, and it’s over done, tacky, too big, and come on, fake palm trees in the front, really?

The Secret Menu

• “Animal Style” -- adds pickles, extra grilled onions, extra spread, and lastly it fries mustard into all patties.• Flying Dutchman -- hamburger patties with no bun• Root Beer Float -- root beer with a scoop of va-nilla ice cream.• Fries “well done” -- crispier-than-normal fries• Fries “lite” -- cooked less than normal fries.• Neapolitan shake -- strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate shakes. Extra large shakes are available!

—SARINA KOCHER GROSS and

SANTIAGO ORTEGA

In-N-Out’s popularity has caused traffic and trash problems. Photo by Liam O’Hara.

So all the fuss is about a half bad cheeseburger that can easily bought at another fast food restaurant, and some not-so-good fries.

I think people would rather chase the brand name that is In-N-Out rather than accept that it’s just average.

4 Opinion/Editorial

Sequoia High School

Raven Report2010-2011

Passing periods should be extended

By SARINA KOCHER GROSSEditor-in-Chief

Juniors need to step it up By DANIEL JUDE

Sports ditor

Hurry out of class, dip and dodge through the packs of people filling the hallways, pray not to get hit by an opening door, and slip into class in a rush.

Sound familiar?When the third period bell rings

on a Monday, students and teachers have just 300 quick seconds to get to their class and set up before fourth period begins. If you can beat the bell, you are lucky.

It is simply not enough time to get between classes.

Some students have nearby classes, or they just don’t mind being late, and will stand around or walk excruciatingly slowly.

This makes other students, like junior Robert Massingill, who has to scamper through the halls from room 209 to B-3, never get to class on time on Mondays.

“Mondays are the worst days,” Massingill said. “Teachers don’t have time to finish, so we’ll stay a little bit; but then you have 3 minutes to cross the entire campus.” Massingill, and many other students (including myself ), have no time to ask a 3rd period teacher a question or get clarification on an assignment.

Massingill is regularly 30 to 90 seconds late to his Spanish class. Because the teacher starts class at the bell, he and many other students who have the same problem are already flustered while heading to class and can’t focus completely on what the teacher is saying. The learning environment is compromised and everybody is behind for the day.

Some teachers share the same sentiment as students, but it is almost worse. Teachers have to switch classrooms, and this is an even tougher task than the students’.

History teacher Cameron Uhalde says his transition from Room 132 to Room 31 is always difficult

because “people are in the way; it is an obstacle… I notice on Mondays more students frantically running.”

Uhalde has to pack up his 3rd period stuff, head to his 4th period, and re-open up all of his documents

to begin class.Not only does this make him

look muddled heading into his 4th period, but he says not having time to answer questions is his “biggest problem. Often these conversations are conversations you need to have,” Uhalde said.

There is no chance for students

to get a little bit of extra advice and this could set off a chain reaction preventing hurting their grades.

Many teachers face these problems and more when trying to move classrooms during the passing periods, and this needs to be fixed.

There is a simple way to fix this problem: extend the passing period on Mondays.

Uhalde said his former school had six minute passing periods and “it

was never an issue. The jump from five to six minutes was huge.”

I think Sequoia should adopt this six minute passing period, maybe even just five

and a half minutes, as an experimental operation at the least.

The only question is where to take the extra time out from. Uhalde suggested that lunch could easily spare a minute or two every day, Massingill said simply to add four minutes to every Monday, an extra minute for each short passing period.

I promote brunch as an option to donate minutes to the passing period cause, because it’s a pointless period where people stand around relatively near to their classrooms, and I doubt anyone would notice if the five minute bell rang after nine or eight minutes, not 10.

If we were able to adopt a longer passing period, maybe Uhalde could be answering questions and maybe Massingill could be sitting in Spanish ready for class to start without pulling a hamstring on the way over.

AP/ IB Exams. SATs. College visits. IB Diploma. Com-munity service. Clubs. Sports. Tutoring. First job. Drivers license. After school activities. Homework. Prom. Friends. Family. Grades. With all of this, how do juniors even have time to sleep? The truth is, most juniors don’t.

Junior year is notorious for being the hardest year of high school, and it doesn’t take long for the new upperclassmen to feel the heavy pressure once the school year has started.

“It’s just so much work and I feel like everything suddenly matters,” said junior Lauren Kirkpatrick.

Guidance Counselor Dolores Sleeper described junior year as if “you walking along a spring board and then, all of a sudden, you are getting to the very end and are about to jump off.”

11th grade begins the transition into adulthood, and many feel the burden of facing for the first time the question of: “What am I going to do with my life?” With graduation in the near future, life beyond high school seems to be quickly

see JUNIOR YEAR, page 5

The “biggest problem [is] these conversations [you don’t have

because of room switching] are conversations you need to have.”

—Cameron Uhalde, history teacher

Editor-in-Chief Sarina Kocher Gross

Layout EditorSantiago Ortega

News EditorsZeenat Ali and Alex Deas

Feature EditorSami Mast

Sports EditorDaniel Jude

Staff ReportersWilliam Baker Matt Brotherton Anna Dagum Laurel Dearborn

Layne Diener Connor Grossman Will James Caroline Lempert Josh Pitkofsky Nickie Pucel Rebecca Sand Jacob Warren

Faculty adviserKim Vinh

Mission StatementThe Raven Report strives to provide Sequoia High School with informative, engaging

and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and adaptability while promoting justice and transparency through professional reporting about the school, the community, and the world.

Letters to the EditorThe Raven Report welcomes letters to the editor from students, parents, or community members,

sent to Room 308 or by email to ravenreport09@gmail.com. Letters must include the writer’s full name and ID number, and the staff reserves the right to edit for space and style.

Want to weigh in on the In-N-Out debate?

Have a suggestion to fix the short passing periods?

Respond to what you read about in our issue by writing a

letter to the editor at ravenreport09@gmail.com

Or search for “Sequoia High School Raven Report”

on Facebook and leave a comment or suggestion on

our page.

Opinion

New bike racks needed for healthy students and cleaner environment By ANNA DAGUMStaff reporter

5

ASBA monthly column from the student

body leaders

ASB officers plan for spirited year of activitiesOfficers for the 2010-2011 School Year:

ASB President – Vinny DiazASB Vice President – Omar GarciaASB Secretary – Lisa WeishaarASB Treasurer – Tiffany Ah Tye

Publicity:Commissioner- Tarah HaslettCommittee Members- Lily Frates, Matt Lefkowitz

ESL:Commissioners- Susan Perez-Hernandez, Alexis Garcia-Zapiain

Activities:Commissioners - Nathalie Irias, Eidee PalaciosCommittee Members- Charissa Teller, Cynthia Nava-Zavala, Taylor Williams

Spirit:Commissioners - Gloria Saldana, Maria-Jose ArroyoCommittee Members- Daisy Guerrero, Jessica Angel, Marina Poole

Athletics:Commissioners -- Nicole Serrano, Elizabeth SchaffernothCommittee Members -- Julia Knorpp, Tamer Saideh, Julian Hiltbrand Consoli

Recognition:Commissioner- Nick PauleyCommittee Members- Eduardo Ochoa

Community Service:Commissioners: Maia Hippard, Monste Zamora OlivaresCommittee Member- Andrew Olague

Shadow:Commissioners- Nehemaiah Teputepu, Jeremy SmithCommittee Member- Briana Gomez

Leadership meets in the Student Activities Center during 4th pe-riod and is supervised by Lauren Reibstein.

I round the corner into the swim parking lot off of Elwood and skid to a halt.

“Do you need help finding anything?” asks a girl wearing a purple leadership shirt. It’s freshman orientation and there’s about twelve of these students posted at every entrance, walkie-talkies ready to call in for backup when they pick up on a lost freshman.

“Yeah… um, where’s the bike rack?” I answer.

They glance around at each other with looks of confusion on their faces,

“Do we even have a bike rack?” one of them questions.

This is when I realize that biking to school for the next four years is going to be brutal.

Finally a faculty member pipes in and directs me to a chain link box towards the back of the school. Posted next to the gate is a sign that reads “PARK YOUR BIKE AT YOUR OWN RISK” in a menacing

bold black font. This is not only a warning sign, but also a plea for improvement.

Sequoia, with just short of two thousand students and a immensely small bike cage, is in dire need of a new bike rack.

“Let me tell you something,” said Don Milhaupt, administrative vice principal, in charge of facilities, said “I’ve been at Sequoia since 1992, and the bike rack was here before I came.”

This puts the age of Sequoia’s bike cage in perspective. Besides its age, the bike cage has a number of other issues making it unreliable and in

need of a makeover. The bike rack is poorly monitored, so students have been caught stealing bikes from the cage after 6th period when the gate is unlocked, Milhaupt has observed.

With new spaces for student’s bikes, the number of students who bike to school will skyrocket. According to Milhaupt, new bike racks are scheduled to be installed inside the existing bike cage and in the plaza outside of the new gym.

Because students take advantage of their facilities, if more bike racks were to be put in, more students would ride their bikes to school as opposed to driving. this would not only improve the health standards of the school, but also of the world. With each gallon of gas burned, 14 lbs of carbon are emitted into our atmosphere. By riding a bike to school instead of driving, Sequoia High School students are capable of reducing carbon emissions by the pound. With our depleting ozone, we need to act fast to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions.

[The bike rack sign] is not only a warning,

but also a plea for improvement.

JUNIOR YEAR (continued from page 4)

approaching, and juniors feel the pressure of having to prepare for being on their own.

Colleges want to see improvement in grades, meaning that junior grades need to be a student’s best. With teachers, parents, and advisors constantly emphasizing the importance of good performance junior year, it is no wonder why some juniors feel like this year predestines their entire future.

English teacher Justine Rutigliano said, “I’ve had so many students come to me and say, ‘I can’t take it! What am I going to do?’”

These melt-downs are not uncommon. A lot of juniors feel the need achieve that 4.0 GPA (or even higher, with honors classes) and to be competitive in hopes of getting into their dream schools.

This can become too overwhelming and sometimes students drop classes in order to stay sane.

Although classes are more challenging during 11 grade, Sleeper said that “[stress] is caused more by perception-- sometimes it can be psychological.”

Junior year does have its benefits. Junior Tarah Haslett said, “Being a junior because allows you to choose the classes that you are interested in. I love my IB Environmental Systems class. Another perk is finally being an upperclassman -- I have so much more power.”

Sequoia has resources to help stressed out 11th

graders. There are study groups in the library for classes where students can get extra help from teachers. The SAFE program offers a variety of after school clubs and activities, such as yoga and cooking, that can serve as a stress reliever and a fun creative outlet, and some can even help get community service hours. Remember juniors: this may be the hardest academic school year that you have yet to encounter but take comfort in the fact that many have survived junior year before you.

How to Survive Junior Year:1. Sign up for free weekly SAT-prep

questions and do the practice materials. 2. Don’t join every club or do

extracurricular activity. Find a few activities that interest you and be involved in them. Colleges look for passion for a few pastimes, not how many you can possibly fit into your schedule.

3. Try to find balance. Remember to have a life outside of school and do things that are stress relieving.

4. Start to look up colleges online. Make a visit to that school and decide whether or not it’s a good fit for you.

5. Keep your grades up. Junior year grades are crucial for college admissions. Ask for help when you need it.

6. Save Facebook for the very last thing that you do. Homework is more important!

7. Sleep when you can: studies show that this increases your academic performance and also make you happier.

8. Make goals to work toward this year. Know what your priorities are and figure out ways to accomplish your goals.

Find a few activities that interest you

and be involved in them. Colleges look for passion for a few pastimes, not how

many you can possibly fit into your schedule.

Photo by Caroline Lempert

6 Entertainment

Fall television brings excitement to weekday nights

After a long and relaxing summer, what better way to procrastinate from doing schoolwork than to watch some of television’s brand new and returning shows. Of course, school work should be your priority after school, but if you feel like taking a little break, here are a few shows to ease your studying and give you a great mental break.

Popular shows returning with a new season:

“The Office”- In Steve Carell’s last season on the hit NBC show, he will continue to portray goofball boss Michael Scott and his paper-selling super team at Dunder Mifflin Inc. Their regular shenanigans were popu-lar enough to get an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 2006 and be nominated every year since. “Its funny, unique, and witty,” said junior Ryan Perkins. Imitating Michael Scott’s schmuck-like humor, Perkins said, “It’s always phresh... with a ph so I seem hip.” Watch The Office on NBC, Thurs-days at 9 p.m.

“House”- Star Hugh Laurie gets back to the hospital with his hit Fox

series, “House,” which has dominated the Monday primetime slot since its debut in 2004. The series has been nominated for 79 awards, winning

By DANIEL JUDE andSANTIAGO ORTEGASports editor and layout editor

32, with Dr. House maintaining his antisocial attitude and uncanny bril-liance. Now in the sixth season there is an added twist: his new girlfriend is his boss Lisa Cuddy. Senior Jimmy Newsome calls it his favorite show because it is “deep and complicated.” You can find House, his team, and his new patients on Fox, Mondays at 8 p.m.

Lesser-known shows you are going to love:

“Chuck”- Zachary Levi returns to the spy game trying to find his mom, with the help of the Operation Bar-towski team this fall. “Chuck” was nearly discontinued after Season 1, but the strong fan movement kept it on-air for at least another three seasons. Chuck still isn’t talked about by many, mostly because it is on at the same time as “House,” but Newsome recommends it to his friends, saying, “It’s awesome, Sarah is hot, and it’s a really good show.” Chuck’s mix of action, comedy, and

romantic drama have earned it two Emmy awards, and two more nominations. You can watch Chuck Mondays on NBC at 8 p.m.

“Modern Family”- This hilari-ous extended family returns to the screen this fall, after win-ning the 2010 Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series. While Phil Dunphy and Co. are silly, the show goes

into deeper meaning about the values of family and views on life. The variety of humor in the show ranges from shooting a daughter’s boyfriend (albeit with an airsoft gun) to covering up the murder of a pet turtle. Simply put, the show is just plain funny. Watch it on ABC,

Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

New series to watch: “No Ordinary Family”- Jim and Stephanie’s relationship had slowed after 16 years, but they are about to get a super family boost – literal-ly. In the midst of the Powell family’s bonding vacation, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. When the

Powells got home, everything had changed. They all find out they have superpowers. See how the newfound strength, speed, intel-ligence, and telepathy affect their lives Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

“Outsourced”- Todd Dempsey, a recent management school gradu-ate, working for Mid America Novelties (where you can find top of the line whoopee cushions and bacon wallets), has been abruptly outsourced to India to manage the company call center. Todd soon finds out that his coworkers are not as well versed in the American supply line as he had hoped and is forced to put them through a crash course on America, but unexpectedly learns that he needs a crash course on India too. Watch Dempsey and his new Indian co-workers on NBC, Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m.

Photo credits: officetally.com, media.daemonstv.com, impawards.com, goerieblogs.com, fusedfilm.com

Need advice?Send questions to

askaraven@gmail.comAlso, find us on our Facebook page: “Sequoia

Raven Report Advice Column”

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7Sports

More experienced volleyball team hopes for great seasonHead Coach: Jane SlaterCaptains: Nicole Kielty, Nicole Serrano, Katerina PetrovaCurrent League: Ocean

Coach’s Goal: Coach Jane Slater said, “I want our team to be very competitive in our league and be the best we can be.” She thinks they can be a solid contender because “we are a more experienced team this year, but we still are young. I am looking foward to watching the team improve.”

Outlook: This year’s volleyball team

has nine returning players and four new players. Three of those new play-ers come from last year’s J.V. team, but one of them is freshman Joy Robin-

son. The team

is very upbeat about the season and is hopeful about making CCS at the end of the season.

Returning sophomore

player Hannah Singh said, “If we re-ally work hard and focus on what we need to improve on and don’t make stupid mistakes, then we have a good shot at making CCS.”

Captain Nicole Kielty said, “I

Biggest cross-county team in years looking for big returnHead Coach: Andrew HutchinsonCaptain: Danny RaggioCurrent League: Pacific Athletic League

Coach’s Goal: Coach Hutchinson said his goal is for “everyone to have the most possible fun and to try their best and give 100 percent.” Sophomore runner Alex Bliss said that Coach Hutchinson is “support-ive, cheerful, and fun to be around.” Along with Bliss, other team mem-bers praised Hutchinson as one of the nicest and most easygoing coaches they’ve had.

Outlook: This year’s cross-country team is starting their season better than ever. Leading the charge in the sophomore girls 5K was Gaia Bouchard-Hall who placed 22 out of 194; meanwhile, Manny Avila led all of the Sequoia boys when he ran an 18:17 5K. Sophomore Alyssa Bliss

ran a 27:03 5K, and described her teammates as “energetic, mo-tivated, and most of all, fun.”

The stats for every meet tell the story for the team when it comes to the end of the year, when only the best runners in the peninsula will be summoned to represent their school at the C.C.S. play-offs. Junior Nick Blanck said he expects “a good amount of the team to make C.C.S.”

Upcoming meets:• Saturday, Sept. 25 at Westmoor• Saturday, Oct. 2 at Crystal Springs • Tuesday, Oct. 5 at Crystal Springs• Thursday, Oct. 14 at Crystal Springs

—WILLIAM BAKER and CONNOR GROSSMAN

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Girls tennis team growing in size and skill

think our team definitely has poten-tial to be a solid contender for CCS because we’re more experienced this year.” Even with only two seniors on the team, Sequoia has high hopes for the upcoming year.

Upcoming games:• Thursday, Sept. 30 vs South San Francisco• Tuesday, Oct. 12 vs Capuchino• Thursday, Oct. 14 vs Half Moon Bay

—MATT BROTHERTON and WILL JAMES

Fall Sports Preview

Head Coach: Ed MurphyCaptains: Claire Tweedy, Carina GleasonCurrent League: Ocean

Outlook: Well into its season, the girls tennis team has already had eight matches. They’ve enjoyed their most successful season yet; they’ve won the most individual wins of recent memory. With the biggest girls team Coach Ed Murphy has taught, over twenty girls on the team, each one has learned a new tennis skill every day. Murphy is excited to teach all of the girls, some of whom who had never

picked up a racket before this year. With only six matches left, they hope to make the best of the remaining season and build towards next year.

Upcoming matches: Tuesday Sept. 28, vs. El CaminoWednesday Sept. 29, at OceanaThursday Sept. 30, vs. HillsdaleTuesday Oct. 5, vs. South San Fran-ciscoTuesday Oct. 12, vs. WestmoorThursday Oct. 14, at Terra Nova

—DANIEL JUDE and ZEENAT ALI

8 Sports

By JACOB WARRENStaff reporter

Football team strives for CCS “I feel we’re going to have a great

year,” said senior guard/center Paco Gonzalez.

The 2009 football season for Sequoia High School was a good year finishing 7-3.

“This year, we know what we have to do and we are more focused on our assignments”, Gonzalez said.

The 2010 football team is looking for a CCS Playoff berth this year.

“I am very proud of the program that coach Rob Poulos and his staff have helped built, and I’m happy that this program has been built on strong fundamentals, teamwork, and pride,” said Assistant Vice Principal Rick Cooke.

With a 2-0 record so far in the year Brandon Gibson is happy and im-pressed with his team.

“We are off to a great start so far,” Gibson said.

The senior running back has 4 carries for 26 yards, and 4 catches for

Head Coaches: Frank Mecchi, Francisco Andaluz, Dave KnochenhauerCaptains: Oscar Andaluz and Matt Draper (Boys varsity)Matt Brotherton (Boys JV)

Sarah Beach and Kaila Manca (Girls varsity)Andrea Vidal and Sammi Gembala (Girls JV)

Current League: Bay division

Outlook: The fall’s girls and boys water polo is off to a great start.

The teams are ready for the league competiton to start, “since we’ve all been playing the sport together for a couple years now and we’ve gotten a lot stronger as a team”, Junior Olivia Wade said.

Senior Kaila Manca said, “we collaborate well, so the begin-ning of this season has sort of given us a head start in compari-son to last year.”

To make sure everyone on the team thrives, “the seasoned players have been working more

69 yards and no touchdowns. He’s waiting for his first touchdown but he hopes it will come to him soon.

When asked about the all impor-tant Carlmont game, Cooke said, “The trophy is in our display case and I hope it stays there for a while to come.”

The season is just underway but all eyes are on this years team, as specta-tors, students, and faculty wait to see if this will be the year for the CCS Playoff berth people have been await-ing.

Head Coaches: Varsity Rob Poulos, Junior varsity Cameron FarrisCaptains: James Beakley, Clint KastropLeague: Lake

Upcoming games:• October 1 Junior varsity @ Pacheco, 7:00 p.m.• October 8 Varsity @ San Marcos, 7:00 p.m.• October 15 JV and Varsity @ Capuchino, 4:00 p.m, 7:00 p.m.

Water polo off to a good start

on training and working with the JV, so it’s looking like we will continue to have a strong team after our gradua-tion”, Manca said.

Water polo has become increas-ingly popular over the last few years. “Water polo requires a lot of physical strength and stamina,” boys junior varsity player freshman George Arch-bold said. “But can be really fun once you get the hang of it.”

Upcoming Games:• Thursday, Sep. 30 vs Aragon• Wednesday, Oct. 6 @ Burlin-

game • Friday, Oct. 8-9 @ Monte

Vista• Wednesday, Oct. 13 vs Menlo

—LAYNE DIENER and CAROLINE LEMPERT

FOOTLOOSE (continued from page 1)

watched more 1980’s teen movies than I’d like to admit,” said Broome.

Sophomore John Murphy who will play Ren, said his charac-ter “came from a big city to a small town and I came from a small school …to a big high school. So, I related to being an outsider.”

Freshman Courtney Carbonneau, a chorus member, said that it’s been “a lot of work” and since this play is dance heavy, “you actually have to go home and take time out of your day to practice and get (the dance steps) done.”

So why should you go to see Footloose? Broome has three reasons: “It’s a light-hearted musical with real

substance, with heart and soul. We have a tremendously talented cast and crew performing,” he added.

“And at $10, it’s cheaper than going the movies.”

NEW GYM (contin-ued from page 1)

dates and basic information of up-coming school functions. The new gym will have 16,000 square feet and 1,300 seats as well as an area for food concessions and a teen room.

With the new gym’s construc-tion, the big gym and small gym have been outfitted with new bas-ketball hoops, and the small gym has recieved completely new floors.

The construction of the new gym has also allowed for sports such as wrestling that never had a place to practice before a new home in the small gym.

There is also a new landscaped plaza that is “sure to be the new student hang out” according to Milhaupt.

The new plaza will feature new benches, trees, and will be located behind the new gym, to the right of Terremere field, and in front of the big gym.

The new gym is expected to be completed in December. Photo by Liam O’Hara.

Senior Matt Draper serves as one of the boys varsity captains. Photo by Jen Briesach.