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February 2010 - Volume 19 - Issue 5 - Sonoma Valley High School

Spring Convention
Sports coverage
page 6 pages 4-5 Fuzzy room victimizes

Mr. Dragon
heats up
stage
By Hannah Horowitz
and Kirsten Aguilar
In California, when a building
shakes you might think it to be
an earthquake, but from the epi-
center of SVHS’s Little Theatre
on Thurs. Feb. 25 the tremors
weren’t caused by any geographic
phenomenon, but by the footsteps
of 6 potential “Mr. Dragons.”
The contestants included seniors
Peter Armstrong, Zach Adams,
Sean Hammett, David DeSmet,
Gabe Stein, and Cole Aviles. The
group competed for the opportu-
nity to win two prom tickets.
The night was filled with laughs
as the contestants were escorted
into the theatre and performed a
rendition of Beyonce’s “Single
Ladies” dance before breaking
into the individual talent portion.
Peter Armstrong began the on-
slaught with an a cappella per-
formance from the musical Rent
and a monologue from Macbeth.
Zach Adams busted up the stage
with his Taekwando. Cole Aviles
impressed the crowd with a
monologue from Dr. Strangelove.
David DeSmet played keyboard
and sang “You and Who’s Army”
by Radiohead. Sean Hammett
entered the stage dressed as Na-
poleon Dynamite and danced to
“Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai.
Gabe Stein ended with a bang—a
Slate 4 sweeps election
By Kirsten Aguilar
Inside a transformed Golton
Hall, Sean Hammett, senior, qui-
eted the chattering audience and
welcomed everyone to
Convention 2010.
After introducing the security,
the Runners, the Fuzzy Room
workers and the Dragon’s Court,
the lights dimmed and Slate 1
entered from the back, sporting
black masks, black shorts and
white shirts. “We want to make
[next year] more fun for all of
you guys,” said Natalia Minatta,
financial advisor.
Next came Slate 2, wearing col-
orful sunglasses. “We’re here to
build a community,” said Maeve
Greenburg, campaign manager.
“We’ll make it big, make it better.” Students stand for the national anthem.
Slate 3 sauntered in to “Changes” Photo by Joe Gilmore
preliminary votes were revealed, Dragon’s Court questions, a lip After the next vote, which was
by Tupac, wearing tall T’s and
showing Slate 4 in the lead with sync dance competition a scaven- decided by a slim 3 votes, Slate
baggy pants. Their speech was
41 percent of the votes, Slate 3 ger hunt, extreme telephone and a 3 went home and the competition
short. “We’ll keep our minds and
with 26.4 percent, Slate 2 with game of ping pong, the first votes was narrowed down to Slate 1
ears open to all of you guys, but
17 percent and Slate 1 with 15.6 were cast. and Slate 4.
most importantly, we’re here to
percent. While they were being count- Guest speaker and County Su-
win,” said Carrie Payne.
Each student voice was given ed, a dance was performed by pervisor Efren Carillo inspired
Last came Slate 4, who, under
the opportunity to outline their SVHS’s own dance club with a the audience with a story of his
their robes, wore suits. “Rumors
plan of action for next year, and guest appearance by ballerina childhood and how, through hard
don’t give these dudes justice,”
after, the Dragon’s Court put forth Sigrid Forsythe. work and determination, over-
said Emma McGee, campaign
questions for the candidates. Jen- The first round of voting was came poverty to hold a seat of office.
manager. “We are here to take
na Wirick was asked to answer revealed and it was excitedly an- Finally, with a drum roll, the
Initiative.”
her question in an interpretative nounced that the elimination was winner of Convention 2010 was
After the national anthem, sung
dance. decided by a single vote. announced as Slate 4, winning
by sophomore Olivia Donald
After a runway walk compe- Slate 2 was bade farewell and with a landslide 71 percent of the
and junior Marissa Bragstad, the
tition, Slate Olympics, more made their way off the stage. vote.

SVHS in pursuit of principal

drum solo that elicited an eruption
of applause.
“My favorite part had to be Sean
Hammett’s Napoleon Dynamite
impersonation. He had it all, the
hair, the boots… it was hilarious!”
recounted Olivia Bolling, senior.
The contestants competed in a
round of trivia, then karaoke.
David DeSmet, winner of the
pageant and two free prom tick-
ets says that the event started out
chaotically. “It in itself was a
process because it evolved as the
event happened.”
“They should totally do this for
other years and even have a Ms.
Dragon. It was by far the best fund
raising event of the year and the
school could even charge more
because I guarantee people would
come anyway,” advises Bolling.
“It was definitely the best event
By Danny Maggioncalda
The life of a public high school
principal is far from glamorous.
Yet Micaela Philpot and those
who preceded her gave the job
their undivided effort.
With the impending retirement
of Philpot, SVHS’s current princi-
pal, a great burden is thrust upon
the administration.
“A qualified principal, espe-
cially for a high school, is be-
coming a rare commodity,” stated
Ms. Hansen of the SVHS English
Dept. “It’s grueling work, not to
mention that someone is always
mad at you.”
Finding a qualified replacement
will take time, effort, and money,
three luxuries that are not neces-
sarily abundant in the school district.
The board has turned to the
experts at Hazard, Young, At-
tea & Associates, Ltd. for help.
For nearly a quarter of a century,
HYA has been the nation’s largest
executive search firm, primarily
serving public school districts.
They have completed over 700
searches for executive leaders
since 1987.
The services of HYA were com-
missioned through private dona-
tions of up to $15,000. The com-
pany has posted ads on their own
web site for the open position, as
well as the websites for the EdCal
and EdJoin associations. They
also conduct invaluable public
surveys and, overall, reach out to
a broader pool of candidates.
“I read in the Press Democrat
that the Santa Rosa school dis-
trict is short three principals right
now,” comments Hansen. “They
still haven’t found any, so it’s
clear that we need all the help we
can get.”
As of last month, HYA has per-
formed their hired duty, but to
no avail. After months of adver-
tisement, a pile of 22 candidates
had been paper-screened down to
eight. The eight were interviewed,
each by two separate panels con-
sisting of ten local members. Of
the ten, two were teachers, two
parents, and the rest simply dis-
trict associates and valued citi-
zens of the community.
These panels filtered the eight
candidates down to four, who were
ultimately sent to the SVUSD
Board of Trustees, headed by
district Superintendent Louann
Carlomagno. The Board came to
a decision, but soon after the top
applicant was informed, this fore-
runner dropped out for personal
reasons. Thus the cycle of the
system begins again, starting with
interviews on March 24.
The district plans to hire a prin-
cipal before the end of the school
year.
 Opinion - Editorial

Faculty still divided over schedule

By Luther Cenci
The SVHS faculty has long
been divided over the issue of the
schedule, one side protecting the
current ABC system, and the oth-
er proposing a full block sched-
ule. The ABC schedule consists
of a six-period C-Day on Monday,
followed by three-period A- and
B-Days for the rest of the week. A
block schedule would be limited
to alternating block days for the
entire week.
Once again, the science depart-
ment has dug up the still-bloody
hatchet and unearthed the age-old
debate by conducting an informal
student survey on the topic.
Out of the students surveyed,
72.7 percent were in favor of a
block schedule, with the other
27.3 percent defending the status
visions in the last four years,
and debate raging over the Tier
system, the school has become
accustomed to fundamental struc-
ture change. However, the current
ABC schedule has been shown to
Cartoon by Chelsea Rose Shiery
crease in teacher-student contact
that it affords. This assumption
hinges on the critical ability for a
teacher to hold a class’s attention
for an entire hour and a half.
While some subjects such as
classes. English teachers can easi-
ly jump between reading, writing,
grammar, and literary criticism,
whereas mathematics follow a
continuity of ideas which cannot
easily be diversified without con-
fusing the student.
In many classes, students’ at-
tention spans drop off before the
end of the block schedule period.
When students are not paying at-
tention, any learning gained as a
result of longer classes does not
come into effect.
In addition, the Foreign Lan-
guage Department relies on ev-
eryday use of language to ensure
full retention.
“We would want an everyday
schedule,” said Kathleen Hawing,
Spanish teacher. “Constant contact
is the way you learn a language.”
With a block schedule, students
would be exposed to foreign lan-
guages as little as twice a week,
too infrequently for classes which
require reinforcement.
“Even in college, foreign lan-
guage is taught at the very least
four times a week,” continued
Hawing. For classes which stress
practice, such as language, Band,
or Drama, the loss of weekly class
time would be potentially quite
detrimental.
The ABC schedule allows both
systems to coexist, without dis-
criminating against any specific
subject matter. Coupled with the
guaranteed headaches which will
accompany a schedule change,
this means that the current system
is the best for students and teach-
ers alike.

quo. The results are unsurprising,
given the sheer volume of teacher
and student advocacy for a full
block schedule.
With three major schedule re-
both prevent attention loss and in-
crease student-teacher contact.
The block schedule’s reputed
benefits are centered around the
At this velocity
English inherently have a wide
range of topics to hold the atten-
tion of a student during a long
block period, others, such as By Troy Cameron has darkened our skies, choked
math, are inherently single-track

Not measuring up
extended class length and the in- our breathing and stolen our land.
What does convenience mean While I cannot in good faith ad-
to you? Push a button, and boom, vocate the complete reversal of
there you have it. This sort of in- such advances, like most things,
By Sigrid Forsythe stant gratification is establishing it should be enjoyed in modera-
backwards to find clothes that fit cost twice as much at times. Ship-
itself as the societal norm in every tion. It is true that our lives have
my above average height. I am ping and handling add even more
The clothing industry thrives aspect of our culture, most often become more comfortable, but at
constantly having to pay extra to money to the total amount.
upon selling new trends to aver- with our utmost encouragement. what cost?
buy pants online that actually fit Extra length on dresses or pants,
age people. However, the aver- Yet there are things that simply I, for one, have some difficulty
my legs, because they don’t sell as well as hemming requires addi-
age size of clothes isn’t the only aren’t meant to be accelerated. accepting such selfishness. There
them in stores. tional costs. It can be quite upset-
size. Many people above or While this is not another hack- once was a time when a man
ting to have to pay more
below average weight and neyed “Slow Food” article, there could build his own house and
for being taller, shorter,
height have difficulty find- are certain correlating ideas. grow his own food, all with mini-
larger, or smaller than
ing clothes that fit, which Speed is not the only issue we mal impact upon his surround-
the average person.
makes shopping an inconve- face as an evolving society. The ings. Yet somehow that lifestyle
The exclusion of these
nient and tedious activity. fact of the matter is that we have was corrupted somewhere along
smaller and larger sizes
While there are many that experienced a massive cultural the technology superhighway.
may contribute to inse-
fit into the “average- sized” shift through the advent of tech- Our entire perception of life has
curity. Low self esteem
category, the rest struggle to nology. We must now learn to shifted to accommodate the ve-
could be a result. No one
find properly fitting clothes. reconcile such capabilities with locity at which things now move.
should have to pay extra
How would someone feel an honest life. I would even argue that some of
for being different, or
if the smallest shoe size they This is the era of dependence. the intimacy went out of human
unusual.
had was still too big, or the No longer do we have the indi- interaction. That is to say that our
At H&M, a popular
largest shoe size too small? vidual resourcefulness to build communication today is briefer,
retail store that came
It is time that more stores a house, plow a field or survive disjointed and rather brusque.
to America from Swe-
carry a larger variety of pe- a week alone in the wilderness. People don’t take the time to sit
den, the mannequins are
tite, tall, plus size and more. Instead, we call up a contrac- and have an honest conversation
above average height and
Victoria Phelan, senior has tor, drive to the grocery store, or because they are too caught up
extremely below average
experienced this frustration watch Bear Grylls to accomplish in Tweeting the latest news to all
weight. The pants that
in shopping for clothes. This such tasks. their friends or ‘followers.’
they flaunt are much too
five foot eleven basket ball While some may argue that the While the ideas presented with-
short, so they just put leg
player has trouble “finding lack of necessity for such skills is in this article may seem jumbled
Cartoon by Danny Maggioncalda
warmers over the ankles
pants that aren’t like capris a sign of progress, it may also be and perhaps even non sequiturs,
so no one knows.
on accident.” viewed as the decline of human the focus is on uniting current
People who have experienced The fashion industry is display-
Online shopping for customized this extra hassle feel forgotten or ing this image of being irregular, ruggedness. For lack of a bet- technologies and societal prac-
clothing is often the only solution insignificant. ter word, we are becoming soft. tices with the independent and
yet the clothes produced are for
for uniquely sized shoppers, but There is no connection with the intentional lives of our forebears.
This issue is heightened when all the people who are standard
this costs more, and online sizing people have to pay extra for be- size. earth. Today’s world is defined There is more to life than sitting
can often be very misleading. by superfluity and waste. in front of a screen.
ing the way they are. Ordering Stores could be improved by
I, myself, have to bend over online for clothes that will fit can carrying a wider range of sizes While it would be foolish to As such, I bid you, students
advocate a regression to a purely of SVHS, to assume some man-
~Dragon’s Tale Staff~ to fit more people, having more
agricultural state, small-scale ner of independence from our
ADVISER - Alison Manchester in stock so that guessing a size
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Clarke Campion operations are extremely benefi- increasingly homogenized and
online won’t be an issue. There
COPY EDITOR - Troy Cameron cial. There is a certain honor in synthetic world.
should also be more sizes in be-
MANAGING EDITOR- Peter Armstrong working a piece of land and reap- Grow a beard, a field of beans
tween sizes because there are
LAYOUT EDITOR - Rachel Glago ing the benefits of a hard-earned and wander in a south-westerly
NEWS EDITORS - Kirsten Aguilar, Hannah Horrowitz, many people who are.
harvest; though few achieve this direction. Then you’ll be halfway
Danny Maggioncalda The fashion industry should be
sense of fulfillment anymore. to achieving Thoreau-nouveau.
OP/ED EDITOR - Alejandro Tinajero much more open and friendly to-
FEATURE EDITORS - Chelsea Rose Shiery, Caity Tremblay wards all different body types. As it stands, industrialization
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR - Gabe Bassett
~Editorial Policy~
PHOTO EDITOR - Joe Gilmore
SPORTS EDITORS - Matt Fraser, Ben Graff, Charles Watson The Dragon’s Tale is a public forum newspaper produced by the Sonoma Valley High School Newspaper
BUSINESS MANAGERS - Zachary Adams, Mackenzie Kelley, class. The newspaper attempts to inform its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects, and
Eva Lindstrom to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers.
REPORTERS - Zachary Adams, Kirsten Aguilar, Anthony Arjona, Troy The newspaper staff encourages letters for opinions and responses on the content of the publication. Only
Cameron, Luther Cenci, Sigrid Forsythe, Matt Fraser, Ben Graff, Anna Haley, signed letters will be considered for publication. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all letters for
Hannah Horowitz, Mackenzie Kelley, Eva Lindstrom, Danny Maggioncalda, content.
Shannon Murphy, Jesse U’Ren, Victor Vasquez Connor Vickers, Charles No material, opinionated or otherwise, will be printed which is libelous, irresponsible, advocates an illegal
Watson activity or which the editorial staff deems in poor taste.
PHOTOGRAPHERS - James Fanucchi, Joe Gilmore, Chelsea Rose Shiery, Editorials reflect the collective views of the staff and will not contain bylines. Other opinionated pieces will
Alejandro Tinajero, Caity Tremblay
include editor’s columns, feature columns, letters-to-the-editor, and entertainment reviews.
ART AND GRAPHICS - Daniel Maggioncalda, Chelsea Rose Shiery
If the staff discovers that a mistake has eluded the editors, a correction will be printed in the next issue.

Dragon’s Tale Page 2 March 2010


Films reel back into Sonoma ‘Locker’ hurts ‘Avatar’
By Peter Armstrong
Lights, camera, action! The
Sonoma International Film Fes-
tival will return to local venues
for its 13th season this year from
April 15 to the 18.
Students in the SVHS Film Club
and Video Productions classes
will have their films shown to the
public both on Fri. Apr. 16 and
over the weekend.
“We’ve been working on our
film since January,” said Kevin
McCarthy, senior. “But some of
the others in the class have been
thinking about and planning their
films all year long.”
“To make a 12 minute short,
it takes about 150 hours,” said
Peter Hansen, Film Club Advisor
and teacher of Video Productions
at the high school.
Some of this year’s student
films include a romantic com-
edy called “Sikosis,” produced
and directed by David De Smet
and Kevin McCarthy, as well as
a music video of SVHS’s own
band, The Jaywalkers, filmed by
Going down the rabbit-hole
By Shannon Murphy
“Beware the Jabberwock, my
son!/ The jaws that bite, the claws
that catch!/ Beware the Jubjub
bird, and shun/ the frumious
Bandersnatch!”
The same director that brought
us mind boggling and unusual
films such as “The Nightmare
Before Christmas” and “James
and the Giant Peach,” Tim Bur-
ton, now twists two well known
pieces of literature and meshes
them into a single major motion
picture.
19th century author Lewis Car-
roll’s most well known pieces
of abstract fiction, “Alice’s Ad-
Oscar’s gone
Zoey Rank and Cory Sheets dramatically acting in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest”
By Gabe Bassett
It was a Wilde night at the Se-
bastiani Theatre as the crowd gath-
ered to watch the classic play “The
Importance of Being Earnest” put
on by Kate Kennedy’s acting group,
the Avalon Players.
As the social event of the eve-
ning, the theater was bustling with
old friends meeting, all prepared
to watch Irish Victorian era author,
Oscar Wilde’s final play, a spoof of
British high class society, full of wit
and humour.
The story revolves around two
wealthy young men Jack, (Peter
Armstrong) and Algernon, (Cory
Sheets) who both lead double lives;
one in London, and one in the coun-
Dragon’s Tale
Bruce Willis will return again for this year’s Sonoma International Film Festival
Tom Conaway.
“I was trying to come up with
an idea for a story-driven movie,
and was talking with Kyle and
Adam,” said Conaway. “I sud-
denly realized I could make a mu-
sic video with one of their songs,
ventures in Wonderland” and its
sequel, “Through the Looking-
Glass,” have now been adapted
into a visually satisfying and
mentally stimulating 3-D film.
Viewers look to witness the
unconventional story as it was
originally envisioned by Lewis
Carroll, but what, if anything, is
disappointing about the film is its
relative rationality, uncommon of
Burton’s previous work.
Many people attend cinematic
venues in order to escape from
the problems of the real world,
so it would be hard to not get lost
following the story of Alice who
escapes her own troubles by per-
ceiving this newfound world as a
‘Wilde’
Photo by James Fanucchi
try, to avoid some of the pressures
of Victorian life in London.
Leading these double lives, or
“bunburying” as Algernon calls it,
leads to a slough of troubles when
Algernon develops a romantic in-
terest in Jack’s ward, Cecily (Zoey
Rank) and Jack falls in love with
Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolyn
(Emily Hawkins).
Kennedy plays the stuck up moth-
er of Gwendolyn, Lady Bracknell,
completely obsessed with the trivi-
alities of any man who will marry
her daughter.
Wilde uses Bracknell to demon-
strate the exclusivity that the rich
feel when she states,” Never speak
disrespectfully of society, it is only
those who cannot get in that do so.”
Entertainment
By Connor Vickers becoming the first actress to be pro-
claimed the best and worst actress
Forget every other award ceremo- in the same year. Bullock received
ny because this is the only red carpet the Razzie’s 2010’s Worst Actress
show that matters. of the year for her performance in
The 82nd Annual Academy “All About Steve.” She made a di-
Awards were hosted by the energet- rect reference to the duplicity, stat-
ic and satirically witty duo of Alec ing, “Did I really earn this or did I
Baldwin and Steve Martin. just wear y’all down?”
Ten films were nominated in hopes However, not everyone was happy
of winning Best Picture, raising the with Bullock’s Best Actress award.
anxiety over who would take the “Granted she has been nominated
cake. In the end, it all came down to 16 times, Meryl Streep definitely
the battle of the exes. should have won,” commented Tom
Best Director/Best Picture Conaway, senior. “She portrayed the
The rival- image
ry between “[Avatar] was basically ‘Fern of Julia
J a m e s
Cameron’s
Gully’ with way better graphics, Cperfect- hild
‘ Av a t a r ’ except ‘Fern Gully’ is better.” ly.”
and his ex- The
wife, Kath- B e s t
ryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’, Actor award goes to the coolest
Photo from Google Images culminated in ‘The Hurt Locker’ dude around, Jeff Bridges. He has
bringing home six Oscars, includ- been nominated five times and his
and decided to go with the song ing the most notable awards of Best performance in ‘Crazy Heart’ was
‘Ruler of a Fallen Kingdom.’” Director and Best Picture. top-notch acting (and singing) gold.
The films, shorts, and celebri- “I think that the story was really He showed his excitement with his
ties at this year’s Film Fest have weak compared to how amazing the unique laugh on stage.
not yet been announced, but will graphics were,” stated Karina Davis, Best Supporting Actress/Actor
be sure to please this year’s festi- senior. She added, “It was basically Mo’Nique’s powerful portrayal as
val-goers. Fern Gully with way better graph- the abusive mother of her pregnant
dream, but all feelings, both phys-
ics, except Fern Gully is better.”
revolutionary movie with everything
teenage daughter in ‘Precious’ paid
“‘Avatar’ was awesome and it is a off with an Academy Award.
Christoph Waltz’s charisma wooed
ical and emotional, seem much they’ve done, but the story, editing the audience into love with his char-
too real. and the way ‘The Hurt Locker’ was acter as Hans Landa, an utterly
When her company, consisting shot definitely deserved best pic- menacing Nazi officer whose main
of the oddest of characters (name- ture,” noted Brad Nyberg, junior. duties include killing Jews, and kill-
ly Johnny Depp as the Hatter), When it comes down to it, the rip- ing Jews only. He was heavily fa-
seem to have been awaiting her roaring 3-D adventure is no match vored to win and he most certainly
arrival, she finds herself amidst a for the powerful ‘Hurt Locker’ deserved the award.
self-fulfilling prophecy where the which is as cutting edge as can be “Waltz’s G-Code performance
survival of her companions in this and provides an anecdote for many was more than Oscar worthy,”
fantasy relies heavily on her. of today’s soldiers. stated Jake Welty, senior. “His per-
Despite sacrificing much of the Best Actress/Actor formance of Hans Landa is timeless
original text, the film is undeni- Sandra Bullock made history by and speaks for itself.”
ably enjoyable, and whether its
watched with the bothersome 3-D
glasses or on the traditional 2-D
screen it reminds us of the most
important reason to go to the the-
aters; to enjoy ourselves.
in local play
Confusion and hilarity ensue
when both young men claim to be
Earnest, a fictional brother of Jack,
in pursuit of their respective lovers.
Other standouts included Lane,
the butler, played by Rich Thomp-
son, whose melodramatic style
complimented Sheets and the oth-
ers quite well.
Emily Hawkins’ practice showed
through, her lines flowed and her
mannerism was just right for the ar-
rogant Gwendolyn.
Throughout the entire play, Wil-
de’s brilliance shines, revealing the
social absurdities of the society.
Although there were slip ups
throughout the play, it didn’t detract
from the entertainment.
Many a time, when lines were for-
gotten, Sheets would step up to save
the scene, including many allusions
to major sponsor Murphy’s Irish
Pub. Audience member Lauren
Pena, senior, commented “He was
absolutely entertaining, his improv
skills are amazing.”
The play concluded with a raffle
with prizes including wine, and vari-
ous gift certificates. There was also
an auction of a Lisa Kristine pho-
tograph, and two VIP passes to the
Sonoma International Film Festival.
Page 3 March 2010

What
was your Fantastic four for the win
By Chelsea Rose Shiery
favorite
From the earliest votes of
Convention, Slate 4 was slated to
part of
win. Luther Cenci, Alex Moore,
Emma McGee, and Jeremiah
Zelaya all plan to strengthen the
being
school by refining the schedule and
reorganizing finances.
As Convention progressed, Slate
fuzzied?
4 proved their dedication through
discussions with Philpot, argu-
ments, and participation in the
various games and dances at
Convention. As the crowd cheered
for their new Slate, it marked the
start of Slate 4’s journey to better
the school.
McGee, campaign manager, had
high hopes for her team but knew
that they might not achieve their
goal.
“I think we all wanted to believe
“Having lipstick we were going to win,” admitted
everywhere, and McGee. “We came into it knowing
that whatever happened would be
watching other
best for the student body.”
people get fuzzied!” As Slate 1 and 4 waited for the
results, energy was high; butterflies
-Amber Rose, 8th grader fluttered in the stomachs of all the
at Altimira candidates.
“Ecstatic!” Zelaya, Student
Activities Director said with smile.
“I was so happy when we won,
and that the anticipation was over
with.”
The members of Slate 4 are all
excited to apply their ideas, begin- high school, Slate 4 wants to bring to keep Tier, but move it to Friday.
ning the 2010-2011 school year a “realistic approach” as they feel Slate 4 also supports students be-
with a bang.
“The unibrow.” Along with bringing back talent body. They also intend to broach receive academic assistance.
shows and music, Slate 4 prepares issues which reoccur every year.
- Courtney Struthers, for the hard work of planning for
freshman college early.
“We want to get freshmen inter- money being unused that can be di- is a better system for Senior
ested in college. Maybe pass out rected towards the school.”
flyers and talk to them through
Link Crew,” McGee disclosed.
Bridging the great school divide
By Anna Haley
Red, white, and blue decked
Golton Hall as the patriotic stage
“Having Mike was set for over one hundred of
Benson write ‘He’s SVHS’s most spirited students.
Mixed in with the crowd of excit-
my daddy’ on my ed high school delegates were ten
younger faces, nervous and enthu-
face!” siastic, ready to have a voice.
-Chandelor Kelly,
These students were different
sophomore from the rest of the assembly in one
simple way: they were eighth grad-
ers, currently enrolled in Altimira
or Adele Middle Schools.
Every year leadership asks
Altimira and Adele as well as pri-
vate and charter schools around
Dragon’s Tale
Slate 1 celebrates with Slate 4 on a victory well-deserved.
Although it is just another year of by the administration. They want
they represent the entire student ing allowed to move during Tier to
“I am financial advisor,” stated Mondays back, where each class is
Cenci, “And I believe that there is fifty minutes with homeroom. This
Slate 4 hopes that their plan for
a different schedule is recognized saving electives and making sure
the Valley to participate. However,
only Altimira and Adele have ever
sent delegates.
“I think it’s important for eighth
graders to attend Convention be-
cause they should have a say as
future students at the high school,”
stated Scott Young, senior.
“It gives them a feel for the elec-
toral process and it gives them
ideas for activities they can do at
their own schools.”
As an avid member of leadership
and having attended Convention
himself as an eighth grader, Young
assisted in situating the middle
school students onto the high
school’s campus.
“ We a l s o w a n t l a s t y e a r ’s
Project,” commented Cenci.
Slate 4 are also advocates for
“I remember it was a little weird
to walk down the halls and not
know anyone” laughed Young.
As long as Convention has ex-
isted there has been the invitation
for middle school delegates.
Former Adele President Raquel
Rios-Gomez, freshman, recalled,
“Convention was great. I went last
year. It was new, overwhelming.”
“Middle school is all about being
quiet,” she added, “but at Conven-
tion you got to be loud and voice
your opinion. It was the student
voices, what the students wanted,
not the faculty.”
“There were a lot of people, lots
of spirit, no one was afraid of be-
Feature
sports are not cut.
“We want to protect electives
above anything else because they
are the draw to the school,” re-
marked Cenci.
The 2010-2011 Slate is attentive
to involving the student body. They
want students to have a say in what
is happening to their school.
By using methods such as
Facebook, e-mail, homeroom, and
asking incoming 8th graders their
ing themselves” recollected former
Adele student body secretary
Riley O’Donnell, freshman. “It
gives people a chance to show who
they are and make a difference.”
“I just liked to be a part of it,”
explained Vinny Albano, Adele, “it
gave me a chance to see what I’m
going to be a part of. It gave every-
one a chance to be a representative
and choose a form of president.”
This year, the eighth grade dele-
gates represented the states of Ala-
bama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, and Colorado.
Despite the festive atmosphere,
feelings about Convention were
somewhat mixed.
Page 4 & 5
Photo by James Fanucchi
opinions, Slate 4 hopes to reach out
to the majority of students.
Moore, Student Voice, feels the
determined foursome will prove
that the student body has made the
best choice.
“We are in store for a good year,
folks!” he declared.
Slate 4 will also have the chal-
lenge of getting acquainted with the
new principal and integrating ideas
to provide the best for SVHS.
As Paige Giomi, Altimira, con-
fessed, “I think Convention is im-
portant, but it seems a little strange
to have all these students out of
class for nothing all that serious.”
Haley Glasner, Altimira, agreed.
“Convention is fun, but I wouldn’t
be sad if I couldn’t go.”
“But,” Giomi added, “I think
we’ve all learned a lot. I know my
group has a lot of ideas for some
rallies at our school.”
The middle school students who
attend Convention were chosen by
their respective leadership teachers.
However, guaranteed attendance
was extended to middle school stu-
dent officers.
A plethora of pleasantries
By Jesse U’Ren The guest speaker
this year, Efren
An unnatural Carillo, leads an im-
hush blanketed the portant role in poli-
corridors of SVHS tics around Sonoma
on Friday, March County.
19. Golton Hall, Carrillo holds the
on the other hand, fifth seat on the “I got a theme this
was a cacophony Board of Supervisors year.”
of sound. for Sonoma County,
For many years, which manages the -Steven McGunagle,
junior
Convention has county’s 1.3 billion
provided an up- dollar budget.
beat, fun atmo- Ambition and sacri-
sphere for student fice were main points
activities. in Carillo’s inspira-
Photo by Joe Gilmore Photo by Joe Gilmore
This year was no tional and motivat-
JFK raps to the crowd. Yahya Muslim breakdances.
exception, featur- ductions even prepared “good bye” ing speech. “If you’re
ing dancing and singing, along with and “victory” videos for the Slates. not at the table making decisions,
a speech from the County Supervi- Several of SVHS’ students dem- you’re on the menu.”
sor. Slates used popular music for onstrated their musical, lyrical tal- At the end of Carrillo’s speech
their introductions, instilling them ents. However, music was not the an air of admiration and respect lin-
with hip, stylized themes only form of entertainment exhib- gered as the final Slate’s votes were
Along with the speeches and cam- ited at Convention; genres varied counted. More music, dancing, “The decorations
paigning that the Slates did, they from raps to dance offs, even in- games, and fun wrapped up another brought out my
also showed the Convention videos cluding a ballet versus break-dance successful and extremely enjoyable
to convey their beliefs. Video pro- competition. SVHS Convention. eyes.”
Behind the scenes
-Keith Mendez, junior
The
By Chelsea Rose Shiery and
Caity Tremblay
commitee jived to Britney Spears
and Eminem as they assembled the
Hall.
Diligent leadership students
Fuzzy
various decorations for the Fuzzy worked to transform Golton Hall
Wild cheers, loud music, stu- Room, a plethora of streamers and into a Convention arena. Banners,
dents who look like they have had chiffon strung stylishly across the flags, and seating for the delegates
Room
a makeover in Oz: though Conven- walls and ceiling. were all elaborately arranged in
tion may seem like a spontaneous As well as working for the whole preparation for the function.
event, an enormous amount of school day prior to Convention, Delegates vote on what slate they
work goes into the production of students arrived at five in the morn- want. The slate with the lowest By Caity Tremblay
this occasion. ing on the day of Convention to number of votes is eliminated; this
“It takes two months [of prepara- continue setting up. process continues until only one Kids go in, exotic works of art
tion] for this one event that happens “I’m in leadership so I spend all slate, the winner, remains. come out. The Fuzzy Room is
for only half a day,” stated Eden day today [Thursday] setting up “I think the electing is impor- famous at SVHS for its feathery,
and I go to Convention all day to- sparkly creations.
morrow,” said Jessic Hyde, junior. Students being fuzzied are picked
Following the tradition of T-shirts at random, but the “Fuzzies,” the
being distributed at Convention, students who bedeck their peers, go
artist Jason Davis, senior, made through an application process.
and sold the 2010 T-shirts. These students are asked numer-
“I got [recruited] to ti-dye the ous questions to identify their po-
T-shirts,” explained Jason Davis. tential as artists with the human
“Karinna Davis made the design medium, the most important of
and then we made the shirts.” which was “what can you contrib-
Video productions students also ute to the Fuzzy Family?” Chosen
added their technical expertise to applicants have to attend all meet-
the event. ings, then work for all of Conven-
Photo by Caity Tremblay
Photo by Caity Tremblay
Leadership boys move a massive speaker
“I volunteered. I always wanted Mrs. Rivara, leadership teacher, super- tion.
to see Convention without having vises decoration of the Fuzzy Room. Favorite materials of the Fuzzy
off the stage to help set up for Conven-
tion. to sneak in,” admitted David Room include: balloons, lipstick,
tant because students get to vote,”
Anuskewicz, senior and supervisor Cole, junior.
Anuskewicz rermarked.
glitter, and other vibrant props.
of the decorations and the Cameras situated strategically The following photos are a gal-
Notes passed between delegates
Fuzzy Room. throughout the hall captured the
assists in the voting process.
lery of students who have been
“I was elected because I did it last event from various angles. These festooned in rainbow feathers and
“Runners are the note passers
year as a junior,” observed Anuske- shots were then broadcast through- dipped into a vat of sparkles.
at Convention,” explained Amber
wicz. This year she ordered all the out the school. Enjoy!
Daily, senior, in charge of the run-
materials for decorating on a bud- “I was here from 7am to 10pm
ners. The notes allow for inner-
get of 600 dollars. Favorite mate- setting up,” commented camera-
delegate communication.
rials of the Fuzzy Room: balloons, man monitor Daniel Martinez, se-
Leadership students also had to
lipstick, and other vibrant props. nior. “It’s a lot of work,” he added,
clean up Golton Hall after Conven-
Girls on Anuskewicz’s decorating gesturing at the expanse of Golton
tion, leaving around five o’clock.
March 2010

Charlie
and
the
Tiger
By Charles Watson
The affair that has obsessed the
sports community will finally
come to an end, as Tiger Woods
has publicly announced his re-
turn to golf.
The Masters, scheduled to be-
gin Apr. 5, will be the return of
golf’s greatest star. For the past
five months the sports world has
been consumed by Tiger Woods
and the fallout of his extramari-
tal affair, primarily focusing on
whether he should return to golf
or not.
Some argue that he should retire
from the game forever, claiming
that he is a fraud, a cheat, and a
liar, but .
Tiger’s return after surgery in
2009 was possibly the greatest
anticipated comeback in golf
history, and his debut at the
Masters will be more watched
than Yahya Mulsim doing back
flips.
Golf history will be made at the
Masters this year, weather Tiger
is well liked or not. The sports
world has been overreacting and
broadcasting his affair too often,
which is one reason why his re-
turn is so anticipated.
Tiger made a mistake, but
it was a minor one at that, and
should not be emphasized as
much as it has been. Critics have
blown the event out of propor-
tions.
They act as if he betrayed the
golf community by cheating,
or throwing a tournament. The
truth is that Tiger only receives
so much criticism because he
has been the highest paid athlete
in the world for many years. In
2009 he earned over $100 mil-
lion, nearly twice as much as any
other player. What this has done
is cast a spotlight on Tiger’s life,
causing critics and writers to
overanalyze his actions.
Tiger should not have cheated
on his wife, but the repercus-
sions of his affairs should not
include quitting golf forever, or
losing all his endorsements. Al-
though Tiger is looked up to by
thousands of kids, and placed on
a pedestal in the golf world, his
mistakes should not destroy his
career.
Although Tiger’s image has
been tainted since the affair, he
is still vital to the world of golf.
Without a doubt, Tiger Woods
is the greatest attraction to the
game, and without him its popu-
larity has and will diminish sig-
nificantly. Hate him or love him,
golf needs Tiger Woods.
Dragon’s Tale
Swing and a miss
By Matt Fraser
The Dragons started off
their season with high spirits,
winning their first game of the
season against Washington 6-0
and then coming out of there
second game against Maria Car-
rillo with a 5-3 triumph.
The victory was not carried on
to their third game however and
Vintage left Arnold Field with
the win. The Dragons struggled
at the plate and on the mound,
letting Vintage obtain a 9-2 vic-
tory.
After a rained out game, the
Dragons rescheduled and faced
off against Montgomery on
Mar. 8. Even with Tyler Rose’s
3-run home run and Stephen
Brooks’ multiple hits, the wild
pitches gave up the game and
Monty left with a 7-5 win.
The next game against Santa
Rosa was more successful. The
game, taking place on Mar. 9,
was headlined by Brooks’ 3-run
home run in the bottom of the
third combined with Charles
Te a m C a l i f o r n i a f o r M u r d e n
By Rachel Glago
After returning from the CIF
state championships at Robobank
Arena in Bakersfield, seniors Jor-
dan Winslow and Steven Mur-
den thought both of their seasons
were over.
For Winslow this was true as
he ended an outstanding season
with an NCS second place finish,
a berth in the state tournament.
However, for Murden, this
sparked yet another opportunity.
Murden and head coach Deets
Winslow believed both their high
school wrestling days were over,
since Deets Winslow talked about
retiring after 20 years of coach-
ing. But, they received a call from
Spring Into Sports
By Victor Vasquez
Spring sports are in full swing
and with all the excitement over
baseball and track it’s easy to for-
get secondary sports like swim-
ming, tennis and golf, but they
need the school’s support too.
BOYS’ SWIMMING
The boys’ swim team is look-
ing to rebuild this year. “We’re
not a very big team with some
pretty weak facilities,” says se-
nior team captain Dominic Am-
ara, “We’ll be decent this year.”
The team is lead by senior Peter
Armstrong, who Amara says “is
by far the best swimmer on the
team.” The Sea Dragons will
face tough competiton against
SCL rival Analy who is a leading
contender for the league title.
GIRLS’ SWIMMING
The Lady Sea Dragons hope
to have a similar season. Small
but strong, like the boys’ team,
and also without good facilities,
the ladies are led by senior and
Sports
Dylan Pritel, junior, turns a double play against Eureka.
Watson’s, senior, solid 5 in-
nings on the mound.
Following Santa Rosa, the
Dragons played both Dublin and
Northgate, which both resulted
in losses. The following Friday,
the Dragons went up against
USA wrestling, inviting them to
be a part of Team California for
their annual dual meet against Or-
egon.
Since a few of this years state
medalists in his weight class de-
clined the opportunity due to prior
commitments, Murden was asked
to join the team. Of course, with
enthusiasm he instantly accepted.
“At first I was pessimistic, be-
cause they wanted me to wrestle
125 pounds and I weighed 145,
but they said it was a 9 pound
weight allowance, so it was
134’s. Besides that, I was really
excited,” stated Murden.
Traveling to Southern Oregon
University in Ashland, on Satur-
day, March 13, Murden conclud-
team captain Liz Lawlor and
fellow senior, Emily Hawing.
BOYS’ GOLF
On the greens the boys hope
to have a good season. With
few returning senior the Drag-
on golfers will have a tough
time competing for a SCL
title but hopes are high for in-
dividual success. This years
boys’ golfers are led by se-
niors Trevor Dwelly and Joe
Gilmore, A.J. Vitorelo, junior,
and Alex Connor, sophomore.
BOYS’ TENNIS
On the court the boys’ tennis
Dragons are young and hungry
to compete this year in the SCL.
Sweeping El Molino and nearly
upsetting longtime SCL rival
Petaluma, the Dragon netters
have high hopes for the season.
The team will face tough com-
petition against SCL teams such
as Casa Grande and Analy. The
Dragon netters are led by se-
niors Conner Jeffress and Zach
Adams, and freshman Sean Hall.
Page 6
Photo by James Fanucchi
Eureka which once again ended
in a loss. The game was not
completely negative, however,
Watson pitched 6 innings with
a total of 12 strikeouts. Kris
Partick, senior, had 2 hits and 2
RBIs with Kevin Deely scoring
ed his high school senior year
with 8 tournament wins, includ-
ing 2 MVPs.
Reflecting on his wrestling
career, Murden notes, “I got to
wrestle with a lot of really good
kids in high school. It was awe-
some. Not to mention, I had a
good coach who was able to help
me achieve my goals.”
Murden’s exceptional season fi-
nally finished with a top-16 finish
at state after winning both the SCL
and NCS titles at 127 pounds, and
an opportunity to wrestle on Team
California. In the future, Murden
hopes to wrestle at Cuesta Col-
lege in San Luis Obispo.
Murden’s honor also led to an
unexpected extension to Deets
Alex Connor, sophomore, tees off at a recent match.
Hey Shona,
I hope this isn’t too awkward, but
WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?
Yours truly,
Sean
2 runs to bring the score to 3-2
Eureka. Thus far the Dragons’
record is 3-5.
According to Brooks, the
team is not doing its best with-
out standout pitchers seniors
Ben Graff, and Nate Swanson,
who are both still out due to
injuries. Graff, a University of
San Francisco recruit, was in-
jured in Basketball earlier this
year while Swanson sustained
a shoulder injury from football
and is still not strong enough to
pitch deep into games.
The 2010 varsity teamis
rounded out by seniors Mar-
cus Amantite, Jimmy DeMar-
tini, and Nick Woodle; juniors
Anthony Albano, Sam Alton,
Alec Berthoud, and Dylan Pri-
tel; along with Sam Morgan, the
lone sophomore.
The Dragons start off their
league games with two home
games, against the visiting Casa
Grande Gauchos on Tuesday,
Mar. 23, followed by a Friday
night game Mar. 26 against the
Windsor Jaguars.
Winslow’s coaching career,
which he had assumed had ended
after returning home from state.
His successful career consisted
of nine league titles, one sectional
dual crown, producing 13 state
qualifiers, and sending one to
wrestle with Team California.
With Deets leaving SVHS, Mur-
dens says, “The wrestling team
just lost a key asset to their pro-
gram, but I have no doubt SVHS
will still remain one of the best.”
As the Dragon’s wrestling
season came to an end, the fu-
ture looks bright for prospective
high school wrestlers as assistant
coaches Kyle Baird and Glen
Geesman plan to begin their lega-
cies, just as Winslow did.
Photo by Joe Gilmore
March 2010
 Sports

Spri n ti ng wi t h c a use
By Charles Watson Nick Spector, Ellen Everidge, and led the pack in the 300 low-hurdles and hope to be a threat for the
Time-out
By Rachel Glago

Nothing signals the beginning
of spring like the start to the track
and field season. After weeks of
practice, the Dragons have finally
begun their meets, with the most
recent being the South County In-
vite in Rohnert Park.
The four-team meet was held at
Rancho Cotate High School, where
the team played competed strongly,
finishing first and second in mul-
tiple races and events.
Pacing the Dragons were seniors
Sean Hammett, Nathanael Hargitt,
sophomore Sarah Summers, all
coming away with first place fin-
ishes.
Leading the boys were Hammett,
who won first in both the 400-meter
and pole-vault, with a time of 53.5
seconds and height of 11 feet, Har-
gitt who placed first in high jump,
second in 110 high-hurdles, and
fourth in 300 intermediate-hurdles,
and Spector’s first in the two mile
with a time of 10:03.
As for the Lady Dragons, Ellen
Everidge won first in the 400 with
a time of 63.8, and Sarah Summers
and 100 high-hurdles.
Although inexperienced, the Drag-
ons played tough, placing high in
many events, with one of the more
exciting races of the day coming in
the boy’s 400-meter, where Sono-
ma took second. Comprising the
relay team was Joey Casias, Troy
Cameron, Danny Maggioncalda,
and Yahya Muslim.
With more than half of the team
having no prior experience, many
would expect the season be merely
a rebuilding period, however the
Dragons have high expectations
league title. Off the court, student athletes
Although league meets do not jump into action and discuss
begin until April, the Dragons have their current season.
meets a Cardinal Newman, Cot-
tonwood, and Berkeley. SCL finals
will be held May 13, with NCS be-
ing a week later at Redwood. The
first home meet will be held Apr.
28, when Analy comes to visit.
Leading the Dragons is long
time coach Sherman Harris, who is
aided by Butch Alexander, Stephan
Fitzpatrick, Andy Gibosn, John
Litzenberg, Linda Patterson, and
Bernadette Weissmann.

Ray to Mid America Nazarene
By Ben Graff
Hit, get on base, steal, score.
All of these are objectives in
the game of softball, and all are
things Keeley Ray, senior, does
on a regular basis for the Lady
Dragons.
“I like to play aggressively
and competitively. I just try
to put my bat on the ball and
hope good things happen from
Students crazed with
March madness
Joe Alexander-
Short, Senior
Team to beat:
West Virginia
Nick Woodle,
Senior
Team to beat:
Duke
By Ben Graff
The madness that is the NCAA
Men’s Basketball Tournament
has been as chaotic as any sea-
son before.
“This is my favorite time of
year,” quipped Matt Breen, ju-
nior, “The tournament is just
something I can’t get enough
of.”
With a field that features a
weaker at large pool than in re-
cent years, the tourney looks to
be extremely top heavy.
The top overall seed is Kansas
in the Midwest region, but was
upset by ninth seed Northern
Iowa in the second round.
The other three number one
seeds are Kentucky in the East
Region, Duke in the South, and
Syracuse in the West.
Kentucky has an explosive
team led by freshmen John Wall
and DeMarcus Cousins, but may
be susceptible to an early upset
due to their lack of experience.
It was a surprise to many that
Duke was not sent out west as
the final number one seed, and
although they have the big three
Dragon’s Tale
there,” commented Ray.
Ray, a three-year varsity start-
er, holds the SVHS records for
batting average, hits, on base
percentage, and stolen bases.
“It feels great to any records
at all, let alone multiple ones.
It is really exciting for me, I
wasn’t even aware our school
kept track of anything like
this,” said a jubilant Ray.
Not only is Ray a standout
softball player, but she was
also the Lady Dragon basket-
ball teams’ leading scorer and
a first team all-league selection
during the winter season.
“I don’t think I have a favor-
ite sport; it usually depends on
the season. I look forward to
Matt Breen,
Junior
Team to beat:
Kansas
Adam Kohut,
Junior
Team to beat:
Arkansas- Pine
Bluff
composed of Jon Scheyer, Kyle
Singler, and Nolan Smith, if an
opponent stops two of the three,
the Blue Devils are probably the
weakest of the one seeds.
Syracuse has been a surprise
this year, after starting the sea-
son unranked. Coach Jim Boe-
heim has used his stifling 2-3
zone to lead the Orangemen to
a number one seed and has them
poised for a deep tournament
run.
The two seeds are Ohio State
in the Midwest, West Virginia in
the East, Villanova in the South,
and Kansas State in the West.
All four of these teams have
a great shot at a big run in the
bracket with Ohio State be-
ing led by Evan Turner, WVU
by Da’Sean Butler, and Kansas
State by Jacob Pullen.
Villanova was knocked off in
the second round by local St.
Mary’s of Moraga, a 10 seed.
It looks to be an exciting tour-
nament, with many upsets, over-
times, and incredible comebacks
along the way, but one thing is
for sure, SVHS students will al-
ways be watching.
softball during basketball sea-
son, but I miss basketball once
softball starts. I will also defi-
nitely miss playing basketball,”
reflected Ray.
Although she may have had
basketball options after high
school, Ray plans to attend
Mid America Nazarene Uni-
versity in Kansas on an athletic
scholarship this fall, and will
be playing softball for the Pio-
neers next spring.
“While I am nervous to go to
school so far away from home,
I look forward to playing at
Nazarene. It is going to be a re-
ally great experience,” stated
Ray.
Ray will be heading to MNU
Bright start for softball
By Matt Fraser
Now that the rain has finally
subsided, the Lady Dragons
have been able to begin their
2010 season.
The Lady Dragons opened their
season against Ursuline Tues.
March 9th. Facing the North
Bay powerhouse, the Lady Drag-
ons had an remarkable 4-1 win,
led by senior standout Emma
McNeilly’s 2 hit, 11 strikeout
game.
Following the impressive vic-
tory over Ursuline, the Lady
Dragons played Maria Carrillo
on Sat. 13, only to be down 4-1
in the fifth. Despite their rally
to close the gap, they were only
able to rack up 3 runs leaving
Page 7
along with friend and club soft-
ball teammate Lynsey Keith, a
senior at Maria Carrillo High
School in Santa Rosa.
“I have been playing with
Lynsey since 7th grade,” ex-
plained Ray, “We always told
each other we would go to the
same college to play, and when
MNU saw us both last summer,
that enabled that dream to be-
come reality.”
While one might think that
being such good friends with an
opponent might make it tough
to stay competitive, Ray has no
trouble with playing Carrillo.
“I hate playing against them,”
said Ray, ”They know all of my
tendencies.”
Carrillo with a 7-4 loss.
Sonoma’s was lead by Megan
McNeilly’s , sophomore, dou-
ble and 2 RBIs, seniors Emma
McNeilly’s and Nonnie Cobb’s
single and run apiece, Mia Stor-
netta’s, junior, 2 runs, and se-
niors Julianna Broadbent’s and
Lizette Ramirez’s RBI each.
The team, which consists of
consists of Brittany Boisson, Ju-
lianna Broadbent, Nonie Cobb,
Riley Ellis-Reis, Juliana Guti-
errez, Heather Kracke, Amanda
Lanning, Emma McNeilly, Me-
gan McNeilly, Nicole Melbreg,
Keeley Ray, Lizette Ramirez,
and Mia Stornetta, looks to have
a successful season, and expects
to do well in league starting with
Petaluma on Mar. 25.
Luke Salmas
Boys Varsity Golf
1. Uniform: “We wear slacks
and a polo.”
2. Favorite Athlete: “Ben Sheets
because he’s going to take the
A’s to the World Series.”
3. Pregame Meal: “Definitely
a burrito from Gourmet Taco
Shop. I actually eat that right
after.”
4. Pregame Song: “Cudder is
back by Kid Cudi.”
Ghitta Ferrara
Girls Varsity Swimming
1. Uniform: “We have one piece
swim suits that say Dragons on
the front.”
2. Favorite Athlete: “The USA
National water polo team be-
cause they are all really cool.”
3. Pregame Meal: “Anything
with carbs, like pasta, so I have
energy.”
4. Pregame Song: “Your Gonna
Go Far Kid by the Offsrping.”
Kyle Milner
Boys Varsity Tennis
1. Uniform: “Green uniforms
that are pretty cute.”
2. Favorite Athlete: “Roger
Frederer is pretty cool.”
3. Pregame Meal: “Broadway
Market Sandwiches are really
good.”
4. Pregame Song: “I don’t
know. I like a lot of songs.”
March 2010

Sophomores learn pain of racism-
Melba Beals tells tales from her past
By Rachel Glago
Discrimination, abuse, anddeep-
ly rooted prejudice have haunted
Dr.. Melba Beals’ during her life
as she took a stand against racism
in the deep south, Arkansas.
Beals told SVHS students of her
struggles with racism, a corrupt
law, and other barriers in the fight
for freedom in the little Theatere
on March 10th. She spoke of her
experiences as part of the Little
Rock Nine and of its peaceful
mission.
As Beals walked in with her
walker, spectacles, and a big
smile, she began to tell a story,
about the feeling excluded. She
recalled, at the age of 5, being
arrested for entering the white
women’s bathroom, only because
she wanted to see what was be-
hind the decorated door instead
Dragon’s Tale
of the dirty unkempt bathroom in
the far back, reserved for African
Americans.
Talking about the incident re-
minds her of what her father said
when he found out, “You could be
hanged for less than this, be care-
ful.”
At age 13, she was angry with
the discrimination and the ha-
tred; she had already seen a black
man hung from the rafters of her
church and still remembered the
screaming.
“I just thought why can’t we do
something about this?” continued
Beals.
She remembered the day of
Brown vs. the Board of Educa-
tion, recalling that the nine stu-
dents were let out early because
the KKK was going to arrive later.
Walking home that day, she was
almost raped, but the daughter
News
of the minister began to beat the
white man with a book bag until
they were free to run home.
Although Beals never really
talked to the girl before that and
thought she was “kind of weird,”
she realized, “we are all born
equal.”
From then on, Beals decided
to “read the newspaper everyday
‘cause I wanna know what’s go-
ing on in the world.”
Next Beals shared her first day at
Central High School.
“I remember about 500 white
people lined up on the sidewalks.
Then my mom and I saw our a
friend, Elizabeth, being taunted
on the street”
As soon as the whites noticed
Beals and her mother, they began
to chase them until they made it
to the car.
“As I ran, I thought of my grand-
Page 8
ma ‘cause she always said, ‘God
is as close as your skin, you can
always pray.’ As I ran, I prayed
aloud and sang the 23 Psalms.”
After the incident of the first at-
tempt at Central High, they decid-
ed to go back on what was known
as “Mob Monday.” Police sur-
rounded the school; therefore, the
nine black students went through
the side doors to meet with the
principal and teachers. The de-
cision was that all nine of them
would be separated.
Beals was assigned to room 313
on the third floor recalling that she
had to climb the stairs everyday.
“With white students screaming
at you, and you not being allowed
to shout or hit back; it’s a little bit
scary. A white mother even spit
on me.”
Despite that their first day
was filled with violence and rac-
ism, The nine didn’t want to give
up and tried to return to the high
school of terror. President Eisen-
hower sent the National Guard to
escort them through school.
As they heard chants of “2, 4,
6, 8, we ain’t gonna integrate,”
Ernest Green, the oldest of the
nine, quietly replied with his own
rhyme, “4, 6, 8, 10, I guess we’re
in.”
Even though the National Guard
was there to protect the students,
they were not allowed in the ladies
rest room or in the classrooms.
“That’s where the real taunting
was,” recalled Beals.
“One time, I was gonna drink
some water from a cup, the sol-
dier grabbed my head and forced
me to drink from the faucet. The
cup I was gonna drink from had
acid in it as a prank. That soldier
saved my life.”
She remembered Martin Luther
King Jr. speaking to her school.
“He said to me, ‘don’t be selfish
Melba, this is for generations to
come.’ From then on, I always
said ‘thank you.’”
That next year, Arkansas closed
all schools to prevent blacks from
integration. “You know, not all
whites behaved that way, but any-
one who got caught helping us
would be beat up,” Beals added
before answering questions.
When asked if she had any white
friends, she replied with a smile,
“I did. A guy was trying to cut me
with a knife, and his friends where
throwing snow and bricks at me.
Some other white guy threw me
his keys to his car and told me to
drive. He picked his car up later.
He became an ally.”
After she left Central High, she
had to leave town due to threats
from the KKK. She moved to the
near and familiar town of Santa
Rosa. “I was sent to a white fami-
ly, George McKay’s family, at the
age of 15 and then grew up with
him as a father. He founded Sono-
ma State. She then went to the
Santa Rosa J.C.. and eventually
San Francisco State, becoming a
doctor at Dominican University.
“I deal with racism all the time,
but look in me, if you don’t know
me, you are missing out. You
lose,” states Beals when asked
how she deals with racism in the
21st century. “If you don’t wanna
be my friend, I don’t wanna be
yours. But I wont let someone de-
prive me of something, like edu-
cation.”
Regarding those she encounters
that are racist today, she says, “I
mostly laugh. Usually what you
say out of your mouth is what
you think of yourself; therefore, I
laugh at them.”
As she concluded her extraor-
dinary stories, she stated, “Do not
have animosity. Animosity is like
a bitter pill or chewing on lem-
ons.”
Beals has written a book called
Warriors Don’t Cry about her
experiences with discrimination.
The book is inspiring to all, releas-
ing the reality in which so many
American’s once lived. Thanking
her audience for listening, she
adds, “You can only oppress me if
I allow you to.”
March 2010