CDO High School

January 2011

Killing Rampage Leaves 6 dead, 14 Wounded

It isn’t very often Tucson makes national headlines, but this weekend, any moment you turned on the televi-
sion, got online, or picked up a newspaper, there we were. It was a terrible and heart breaking tragedy that is all too
Outrage in Oro Valley

close for many of our very own students here at CDO. Students and faculty are still shaken over January 8th’s shoot-
ing.
It was a quiet and cool Saturday morning here in Tucson, and a few people made their way to the Safeway
shopping center on Ina and Oracle, not even five minutes from where we attend our classes everyday. They were
gathering to meet Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was just recently re-elected as our District 8 Representa-
tive. It was her first, “Congress on Your Corner” event of the new year, and she was very eager to step outside of her
regular office and meet people just like us. A tweet from Ms. Giffords before the event read, “My 1st Congress on
Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later.” With approximately
15-25 people standing in line, at around 10:15 when the event was beginning, shots were fired. Gabrielle Giffords
was shot point-blank in the head, while six others were killed, and 14 were wounded.
The alleged shooter has been identified as 22 year old Jared Loughner, a graduate from Mountain View High School.
Videos posted to Youtube reveal his discontent with the shape of the American Government. In his videos he writes
about terrorism saying, "If I define terrorist then a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially
as a political weapon. I define terrorism.” In every video he rants on about stuff that doesn’t make much of any sense,
including very in depth tirades on the currency we use, and the importance of grammar. He also talks about dream-
ing, saying, “All conscience dreaming at this moment is asleep. Jared Loughner is conscience dreaming at this mo-
ment. Thus, Jared Loughner is asleep.” He had alienated himself from his friends and was what we would define today
as a loner. The reasoning for his outburst is inexplicable and may be something we never find out. He faced his first
trial on Monday, January 10th, 2011 with his federal charges that include: one count of attempted assassination of
a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting
to kill a federal employee. This does not include state charges that will be filed, but with the Federal charges alone,
Loughner faces either life in prison, or the death penalty. Not much has been heard from the alleged shooter; accept
that in his first court hearing, Jared Loughner did understand the charges against him.
When his house was searched, police found a safe containing many letters, one directly from the Congress-
woman herself. The letter that truly stands out is one allegedly written by Loughner and with his signature at the bot-
tom, with words in the letter such as: “My assassination”, “Giffords”, and “I planned ahead.” Words that make it clear,
this was not a random outburst of the young man, but instead something that may have taken a little more thought.
Giffords is still in critical condition as of Tuesday, January 11th 2011, but is able to respond to simple commands. As
we await new information on the tragedy, we can only wonder what lead to such a senseless act of violence on such a
quiet Saturday morning. Emotional support, comfort, and counceling is available in the Counceling office.For more
information on the other victims, please see page two, and for more information on who Gabrielle Giffords is, see
below.
-Katelyn Treichel, EIC

“Helping People” Important to Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords was re-elected to her 3rd term as our District 8 Representa-
tive last fall. For those familiar with Gabrielle Giffords, she always speaks with
kindness, gives you a hug and sincerely thanks you for talking with her. Two of
our Palantir staffers got the opportunity to meet Ms. Giffords when she came
to visit CDO in late October, just a week or so before the elections. In a brief
interview she shared her passion about many things, but when asked what her
favorite thing about being a politician was, her answer was non-hesitant, “Help-
ing people.” She discussed how she’s been volunteering since she was 8, and how Colorado Senator, Mark Udall
much she loves it. During her interview she said, “Service, you know for me and Congresswoman Gabrielle
that’s just something I find very rewarding, realizing that I’m here because a lot Giffords showing their school
of people worked hard to pave the way for me as a woman.” pride when visitng CDO back
Not only does Gabrielle Giffords care about our education, she cares about in the Fall. -Photo Courtesy,
every student inside of our schools, and works very hard to make our time in Katelyn Treichel, EIC
school the best it can be.
At the time of printing, Giffords is still in critical condition after a gun shot Flags all across the Nation are
wound to the head, but can now breathe on her own, respond to friends and at half-mast including ours at
family, move her arms and legs, and has opened her eyes. Doctors are optimistic CDO in rememberance of those
that she will recover, and we will continue to monitor and report on the situa- lost on January 8th, -Photo
tion as it continues to develop. -Katelyn Treichel, EIC Courtesy- Katelyn Treichel
 In Rememberance News 02
Christina Green, 9
Described as smart, quiet and gentle, 9-year-old Christina was born on September 11, 2001 and was the youngest victim in
the senseless shooting on Saturday, January 08, 2011. She was featured in a 2002 book of portraits called "Faces of Hope" about
children born that day. Her mother said Christina was very patriotic and liked to wear red, white and blue often. She was also a
passionate dancer and the only girl on her baseball team our very own CDO little league team. Her talent for baseball was in her
blood; her father is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and her grandfather is Dallas Green, a former major league pitcher who
managed the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series title in 1980. Christina had just been elected to the student council at Mesa
Verde Elementary School in Tucson her father told the Arizona Daily Star. "I could have easily seen her as a politician."

Gabe Zimmerman, 30
30 year old Gabe Zimmerman was one of the victims lost in this tragic event. He was Gifford’s Director of Community Outreach,
he planned a number of events that the Congresswoman would attend, including this particular Congress on the Corner event. He
handled many events so that the community could get in touch with Gifford’s. He was a huge help and a loyal member of Gifford’s
staff who according to his Co- workers, cared about helping others. Perhaps one of the saddest parts of his death was the fact he was
engaged to be married in 2012. He will be remembered not only as a hard, loyal worker, but also as a caring man.

John Roll, 63
Arizona’s chief federal judge, 63 year old Judge John Roll was a father and grandfather who was shockingly killed during this
tragedy. Roll, who received his law degree from the University of Virginia, was a great leader who had served as a state trial
judge and as a county and state prosecutor. He was also an active parishioner of the Roman Catholic Church’s Tucson Dio-
cese, and had attended mass on that fateful Saturday before stopping by the Congress on the Corner Event to visit Congress-
women Gifford’s. He leaves behind his wife Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren. The community has lost a great
leader and judge, and he will be dearly missed.

Dorwin Stoddard, 76
Dorwan Stoddard was 76 years old when he died shielding his wife from the spray of bullets that happened in the horrible
tragedy on January 8, 2011. Friends and church members knew the Stoddards' love story, They were high school classmates in
Tucson and later moved away, married other people and made a new life. When their spouses died, they moved back to tucson
and reconnected. Both were leaders in their church ministry. Mavy Stoddard thought the bullets where just fireworks when the
shooting happend in front of the supermarket, but Dorwan knew better and dove to the ground, covering his wife and eventually
getting shot in the head. Mavy Stoddard talked to her husband for about 10 minutes while he breathed heavily. Then he passed
away.

Dorothy Morris, 76
Among the 6 killed, Dorothy Morris was 76 years old and had gone to Safeway that morning with her husband George. The two
had been high school sweethearts, and married for 54 years. They were a couple described as inseparable, and every day was spent
like the first day they met. They traveled the world together, going to London and England but eventually settled town in Tucson.
On Saturday the 8th, as shots began spraying into the mass of people, George tried to pull down his wife onto the ground where
he laid on her as a human shield, unfortunately his wife had already been hit and she couldn’t be saved. George was also hit but is
still in critical condition. If and when he recovers, life will be very different as I’m sure it would be for everyone. Dorothy Morris,
George, and their entire family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Phyllis Schneck, 79
A snowbird that found a home here in Tucson was 79 year old Phyllis Schneck. Having lived in New Jersey for most her life,
Phyllis soon spent her winters with her husband here in Tucson. It wasn’t long before in 2003, it became her permanent home.
Ms. Schneck had been living here by herself, while her children were living in other states, and her husband passed away four
years ago. She loved Gabrielle Giffords and her stance of Border Patrol, which her daughter thinks is the reason behind her visit
to Safeway that morning. She was described as an amazing cook, an avid reader, helpful to all who were around her. She loved to
volunteer at her church making crafts and selling them in church events.

Onlooker Looks Onward:

CDO Student Recalls Tragedy on January 8th
After the tragic event that occurred this past Saturday, I’m sure that we were all a bit frightened by the thought that perhaps our
loved ones could have been there and been in danger. As some of us took a sigh of relief to hear that our loved ones were not injured,
there were still those that had to witness the whole event. Taeler Rickel, a 15 year old sophomore at CDO, was one of the many
people that had to witness this tragedy. Taeler Rickel graciously gave us an insight to this unfortunate event.
“The gunshots sounded nothing like gunshots.” Remembers Rickel of that fateful Saturday morning when she and her mom
were inside the Safeway at one of the nearby checkout counters. Rickel’s younger sister and her sister’s friend were waiting out in
the car when the gunshots sounded. “It only lasted seconds, but for myself and everyone else it felt like forever.” Says Rickel when she
heard the shots being fired outside. Rickel looked over and saw many people begin to fall to the ground, and this includes Gabrielle
Giffords. “She was shot followed by covering her head, hitting the window, and collapsing to the ground.” Recalls Rickel. When she
and her mother realized what was going on, her mom grabbed Rickel by the arm and they began running towards the door. “I tried
hiding behind this vending machine, but my mom proceeded to grab my arm.” Says Rickel. She and her mother ran across the parking
lot, and they thankfully weren’t injured on their way to the car where they met up with Rickel’s little sister and her friend.
Rickel is saying her blessings that she and her mother weren’t hurt as these events unfolded. “I’m just trying to push it into
the back of my mind and not think about it.” Says Rickel of the incident. Clearly, this was an appalling event that has touched the lives
of many. However people such as Rickel, who had to witness this tragedy first hand, have to deal with this situation a little differently
than some of us. “I know my sister and I have both lost sleep from it, but God was watching over us and that’s another way I find my-
self coping, by praying for the murdered/injured and praying for the blessing of my family and myself being able to get out of there.”
-Karylin Veres, CO-EIC
 News 03
Get Out Your Wallets: Prices Will Jump in 2011
With 2010 behind us, we can look forward to a new start, fun times, and a raise in prices! According to dealnews.com, twenty
common things that showed to be more expensive in 2010, are predicted to go up in prices even more in 2011! Instead of sharing
all twenty, here are eleven things to keep an eye on this year:
1. Chocolate- Companies will compensate the lack of chocolate for a nicer presentation, so in the end consumers will be paying
for more box, and less candy.
2. Car Insurance- This necessity to any driver is now averaging $1,000 a year, and will most likely go up in the coming year.
3. Cars- During the recession in 2010, car prices were heavily discounted and sales sky rocketed because of car salesman's’ des-
peration to sell. In 2011 however, prices will go back up because of all the sales in 2010.
4. Nintendo 3DS- At $300, this hand-held gaming system has a sharper picture, three cameras, and Wifi capability.
5. Music- Just like in 2009, when major online music stores raised their prices thirty cents, another price bump is said to occur in
the new year.
6. Value Menus- While some fast food restaurants raise prices in their value menus, others are slowly breaking it down, leaving
2011 with not-so-cheap value menus.
7. Sports Tickets- With new stadiums and additions to fields or courts, teams will leave their fans their fans the burden of paying
it off with a raise in ticket prices. MLB teams like the Yankees have even raised their prices up to 47%.
8. College Tuition- It seems like it never stops increasing, and sadly, tuition is said to go up even more this year. For the 2010-
1011 school year, prices went up 8% from the previous year.
9. Movie Tickets- With online movie sites cutting into DVD sales, the movie industry has to make up for it by increasing the cost
of tickets, especially if it’s in 3D.
10. Coffee- Unfortunately for caffeine addicts, the worlds coffee supply is diminishing, causing coffee shops and manufacturers to
increase prices.
11 . VoIP Services- When majority of people have cell phones, even smart phones, what’s the point of a land line Internet bundle
anyway? Prices will go up for VoIP services due to lack of business.
In a nutshell, 2011 will have it’s discounts and great deals, but for now here are some things people shouldn’t relay on as
being inexpensive. -madeline dunlap, feature editor

Rise
Auto Sales on the
The Recession caused many problems in the United States
in 2007 and since then auto sales of new car and trucks have
plummeted but from last year to this year auto sale have
gone up. Even though they are far from what they were years
ago many auto executives can’t help but to be optimistic
of the future. New car and truck sales came in at 11.6 mil-
lion, up 11 percent from last year, automakers reported
Tuesday. For December alone, sales were up to 1.14 mil-
lion for the month, also up 11 percent from a year earlier.
While the figures have some in the industry talk-
ing about a return to the good days, it's a long shot.
Rising gas prices or more economic trouble could
still shake the confidence of American car buyers.
But for now, executives are optimistic about this
year. General Motors, Ford and Toyota all predict sales
will come in at 12.5 million to 13 million for 2011. It
will take years, analysts expect, to get back to the peak
sales of 17 million reached in the middle of the decade.
Toyota was the only company that sold fewer cars and trucks
than in 2009. The company was stung by sudden-acceleration
recalls in early 2010 and never fully recovered.Production prob-
lems at its San Antonio plant cut its supply of Tundra and Tacoma
pickup trucks, and troubles importing the Prius hybrid also hurt
sales. The company lost nearly two percentage points of market
share, slipping behind Ford to rank third in the U.S.
Nevertheless it is exciting and it provides much needed hope
for the future. -Colby Hobbs, Sports Editor
WikiLeaks Leaking
US Government Cables
The internet is a vast world of information on
practically everything. Going online is helpful in vari-
ous ways, searching for information for school, keeping
up with the latest news and so much more. However, it
is also a place where if certain information is leaked, it
can ruin a person, or even worse, a whole organization.
Recently, there has been a site that has been under much
speculation; this website is known as “WikiLeaks”. Their
site is basically a place where anonymous sources can leak
information to the “WikiLeaks” journalists.
“We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous
way for sources to leak information to our journalists
(our electronic drop box). One of our most important
activities is to publish original source material alongside
our news stories so readers and historians alike can see
evidence of the truth,” WikiLeaks says. They are a non-
profit organization that is determined to bring news and
important information to the public. They have, indeed
released information to the worldwide web, but is it re-
ally something that the general public should be able to
see? Through WikiLeaks, 251,287 United States Embassy
cables were leaked and published to the online world.
These are confidential documents that have been released
to people all around the globe. The nation is now able to
see the US Government’s foreign activities.
This is a scare that has clearly shown how harmful the
internet can be, it’s no longer an innocent place where
reading information didn’t really mean much, it has
suddenly become a destructive place. However, the
WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange is now wanted by the
Interpol and is basically being pursued in a manhunt. So
whether this is any compensation for what has happened,
the whole situation still can’t be avoided.

karylin veres, co eic

School Schedule is Unproductive Opinion 04
to Our Learning! Fourth Amendment Abolished
For those of you who did not attend CDO during previous years, I’ll tell you
that the schedule was much more pleasing to deal with. First lunch wasn’t
inconveniently in the middle of class, block periods weren’t dragging on for two hours
and ten minutes long, we didn’t have to arrive here at 8:00 in the morning, lunch time
was longer, and school didn’t end at 3:20. These changes had to happen because we did
not have enough hours in class, according to law.
What the people who created those laws don’t realize is that having more time
at school does not necessarily equate to better academic performance; if anything,
it does the adverse! I think that kids and teenagers need plenty of free time in order
to be able to concentrate enough to get things done. If students aren’t able to release
their energy to run around and desire to chat, they will become restless in class. While
teachers are able to fit more learning and activities into longer class periods, a student
can only retain so many facts taught in a day, meaning that there are no real benefits to
this system.
It is obvious that people remember more, stay focused more easily, and have
better quality in their work when they have gotten a full night of sleep and are not tired
at all. When we are required to arrive to school at 8:00 am, almost an hour earlier than
last year, many of us are not fully rejuvenated and struggle to make it through the day.
Another nuance is that the upperclassmen now must rush their eating, and even worse,
their driving when they go off-campus. This is due to fact that lunch is 12 minutes
shorter than last year with 40 minutes from bell to bell opposed to 45 minutes plus a
seven minute bell that we had before.
Even though these points are right, the truth of the matter is that the law gives
us no choice. My hope is that the administration can at least organize our schedule bet-
ter, and maybe in the future, the laws will become more sensible.
-Sophia Natania Elice Rubin, Opinion Editor
with New Law
It’s decided that the forth amendment does not
protect text messages on cell phones. The reasoning is
understandable, but it ignores the reality of modern life.
Your laptop or desktop can’t be searched without a warrant,
and with modern technology today, most of the things on
your computer are on your phone too, like your e-mail and
business documents.You should need a search warrant ac-
cording to recent ruling, but California police officers don’t
need a warrant to search your cell phone.
The California Supreme Court cause you phone
contains information about your personal life that you
wouldn’t normally share with people. In order to be able
to go through your personal information, you should have
a good reason. Sure, you could have hidden illegal infor-
mation on your phone, but what are the chances of that?
Even if you did have illegal things hidden in your phone, the
police would still need a reliable reason to search it. Do you
check your bank account on your phone? Do you receive e-
mails from your lawyer or doctor? Police officers cant open
a brief case with out a search warrant, and since your phone
contains the same information then you should have to have
a search warrant. I hope The California Supreme Court
decides to change this law again bases on
the these reasons.
-Erica Eller, Staff Writer

Think Before You Post

Facebook is a place to connect with friends, family,
bands, celebrities, and so forth. It’s a place to share pictures,
posts, and messages with the people in your life as a means of
communication. However, Facebook is not a place to publi-
cize one’s bad, even illegal habits. Common sense to some,
others have no privacy or limits when it comes to informing
the world about their personal flaws that no one outside their
close circle, let alone the world wide web, should know about.
From posting statuses or pictures related to drugs
or alcohol, it seems as though teens can’t tell a difference
between what should and shouldn’t be on the internet. Not
only do they have a bad image for their friends and family,
but future employers and colleges. High school students have
lost big amounts of scholarship money from colleges because
people at the college discovered inappropriate posts and in
most cases, pictures.
It’s a little thing teens do with big consequences that
can be completely avoided. With little thoughtfulness and
common sense, there wouldn’t be this problem. In the end,
your peers may be doing this to enhance their social image,
but when they’re out of highschool with oppurtunities passed
by them, they’ll regret the petty decision.
-Madeline Dunlap, Feature Editor
Hey Baby, You Busy?
January Events Calendar
1/14- STUGO Tip Off Dance
1/17- MLK Day
1/26- Blood Drive
1/27- Canyon Players Production
Sports Schedules on page 7
Controversy on School Rules
One among many disagreements about high school rules is the fact
that students are not permitted to bring medicine of any kind to school.
If there’s a chance that you will need to take pills or drink syrup of some
sort during school hours, you can have a parent sign a contract that the
school nurse, Mrs. Girvan can keep your medications in her office and
you can go retrieve them from her when you need them. These rules are
obviously in existence to prevent legal and illegal drug dealings and the
abuse of prescription drugs. My opinion is that none of this is prevented,
because it is still just as easy to sneak whatever substances you want.
Whoever decided on these rules is inconsiderate and is causing nothing
but an inconvenience.
Some students have medications that they take every morning
before they go to school, and it is normal to forget it on occasion. So
what are they supposed to do? Suffer the whole day of school? Their
parent might have a problem with having the school nurse in charge of
their student’s medications. Or what if a girl is experiencing her “time of
the month” and she’s in too much pain to walk to the nurse’s office? Many
girls already carry painkillers with them and nothing is stopping them,
so it might as well be allowed. Even cough drops are against the rules
because most of them have syrup inside. That’s not fair to people who can
barely speak because of a sore throat!
The administration may think that they’re keeping us more safe
with these rules, but realistically, if prescription abuse isn’t happening in
school, it’s still happening outside of school. Basically, the problems aren’t
being reduced at all.
-Sophia Natania Elice Rubin,
Opinion Editor
Photo Courtesy of:
prawi.sartorelli.
gen.nz
 Feature 05
The Birds are Falling, the Birds are Falling!
Ever heard of the expression ‘the sky is falling’? In this case, the
expression is almost true except for the fact that its not the sky we’re
worried about; its the birds. In Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennes-
see, Italy, and Sweden, there have been cases of massive amounts Red
Wing Blackbirds of (or other birds) falling from the sky. It turns out
that there have been at least 16 die offs of blackbirds or starlings over
the past 30 years, each one being at least 1,000 birds, according to
the United states Geological Survey. Five of these occurred last year.
Based on counts by the National Audobon Society, Red Wing Blackbird
populations have decreased 80% in America
in the last 40 years. The cause(s) of the
current deaths have a few theories, but the
absolute reason is unsure.
It all started in Arkansas on New Years Eve; some think that the fireworks scared the
birds, which is probably not the case since they have not caused bird deaths in previous
years. Hundreds more were found the next day in Louisiana and in Kentucky. 100,000
dead fish washed up on the shore of Arkansas and some have in New Zealand as well. It
is not only blackbirds, but also robins, starlings, grackles, and turtle doves that have
been mysteriously dying.
George Bradley of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission investigated
and found that the birds had acute physical trauma, which may not point to why they died since falling from the sky
obviously causes trauma. “Birds of all kinds can be literally scared to death and the inconsiderate use of fireworks
presents a real risk to them," said Nathan Dias from the Cape Romain Bird Observatory. Some think that the oil
spill harmed the fish, which were later eaten by the birds, thus poisoning them. They could have also hit power lines,
but a cause like that seems too ordinary too kill so many birds all over the world in a specific time. Also, pesticides
from crops that are often eaten by blackbirds combined with the cold could have possibly brought them down, ac-
cording to Grahame Madge, conservation spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds. This is very
possible because they were reported to have strange behavior, which can happen because of poisoning.
Basically, the true and absolute cause(s) remains unknown. Further research is being done, though this catas-
trophe may end up being viewed as merely a mystery of nature.

-Sophia Natania Elice Rubin, Op/Ed Editor

1. Hold it Against Me 3:49 Britney Spears Hold it Against Me

2. Grenade 3:42 Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans
-Escape the Fate 3. What The Hell 3:39 Avril Lavigne What The Hell
January 20, 2011 4. Firework 3:47 Katy Perry Teenage Dream
The Rialto Theatre 5. The Time (Dirty Bit) 5:23 The Black Eyed Peas The Time
6. Tonight (I’m Lovin You) 3:51 Enrique Ingelsias Tonight (I’m Lovin You)
-Snoop Dogg 7.We R Who We R 3:24 Ke$ha We R Who We R
February 11 8. What’s My Name? 4:23 Rihanna ft. Drake Loud
The Rialto Theatre 9. Coming Home 3:48 Diddy Last Train To Paris
10. Rocketee 3:31 Far East Movement Free Wired
-Linkin Park 11. Drop it 3:43 Pitbull Hey Baby
February 28 12. Stero Love 4:13 Edward Maya Stero Love
US Airways Center 13. Jar of Hearts 4:08 Christina Perri Jar of Hearts
14. Dynimite 3:20 Taio Cruz Rokstarr
-Badfish 15. Bottoms Up (ft. Nicki Minaj) 4:02 Trey Songz Passion, Pain, and Pleasure
February 12
Marquee Theatre “Thank You Happy Birthday”
Cage the Elephant
Just released, Cage the Elephant’s new album, “Thank You Happy Birthday” is not nearly as good as their first album, “Cage
the Elephant”. Their prior record seemed to flow better, and had better individual songs such as: “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”,
“In One ear” and “Back Against the Wall”. “Cage the Elephant” was released in 2009, and was the band’s first album. “Thank You
Happy Birthday” did have some soild songs like: “Shake Me Down”, “Flow”, and “Right Before My Eyes”. However, a major flaw of
the record was the mix of choppy techno tunes, punk rock songs, and sweet love ballads. It seemed as though the band couldn’t de-
cide what genre they were. Despite the kick- butt songs they had, a few were quite the opposite. Take “Indy Kidz” and “Sabertooth
Tiger”for example. Cage the Elephant has done better in the past, but the five or six good songs on “Thank You Happy Birthday”
were pretty extraordinary.
 Feature 06
This Year, I Resolve to...
Almost everyone has a new year resolution, and if you don’t, then you should. As you may have heard, the usu-
al resolutions are loosing weight, exercising more, or doing all your homework. Its exciting to have a new start
but sadly people don’t follow through with there resolutions. If you know but the end of January that your going
to blow off your diet then start off smaller. Try eating smaller portions each day and at the end of the month, if
you followed through, then reward yourself. Then the next month make your resolution more challenging. Or
by the second week of school, not all your homework is turned in, then make a goal to turn in all your missing
work before its too late. Once all your missing work is turned in then reset your resolution to turn in all your
work. I interviewed some students here at CDO to ask them what their new years resolutions are. Here is what
they said:
I’m hoping to go achieve all my goals and live life to the fullest. -Victor Martinez 10

Before the end of 2011 I would like to make 1000 dollars. - Jeffrey Cavanaugh 9

My resolution is for this semester, I want to turn in all my homework. -Austin Henderson 9

For the rest of the school year I want to do my best on all my homework. -Jose Guzman 9

-Erica Eller, Staff Writer

Improve Grades Fast!

When it comes to school grades, it can be a strain to keep them high, especially with all the chaos outside of homework and school
that every student goes through. Thinking lowly about yourself and telling yourself you “aren’t smart enough” is a poor excuse be-
cause, deep down inside, everyone has the capability to succeed. Here are the 5 best ways to improve on your grades.

1.) There’s no such thing as “too late”. This goes along with the whole “never say never” concept. Being stuck in a rut with grades is
never the best thing to have on your plate but, recovery is always possible with some dedication and effort.
2.) Don’t be afraid to talk to the teacher about it. When in doubt, that’s what teachers are there for -- to help us! Simply asking
what you can do for some potential extra credit or to make up work could illustrate wonders on your report card.
3.) Set aside at least a half an hour to 45 minutes for homework. Whether you’re swamped with working at that part-time job or
you’re just hanging out at home, it’s 100% possible to take that extra time to complete some homework.
4.) Have confidence. Being a debby-downer about your grades will never solve anything. Getting out there, asking for help, and hav-
ing that “I can do this” confidence will not only get your far when it comes to your grades, but will also boost your life in all areas.
5.) Once you’ve finally accomplished your goal for grades, maintain them. Turning all homework assignments in on time, studying
for those tests, and paying attention in class will all assist you in keeping the grades that you worked so hard to get. You can do it!
-Sarah Hale, Staff Writer

The Economic Downturn is Looking Up

Since the end of 2007, there has been a horrible economic
situation here in America. While many economists think that
this recession is over, the common people look at the unem-
ployment rates and don’t think it has ended.
Some factors that contributed to the recession were the since 1980
Northside Midway
shortfall in banks of liquid assets (assets that can be easily Oracle & Magee w w w. m a m a s f a m o u s . c o m
Speedway & Swan
bought or sold), government bailouts, the collapse of the 297-3993 319-8856
“housing bubble”, and of course, the war. The housing bubble
was when homes were worth more than what people paid for Eastside Far Eastside
222nd & Kolb Broadway & Houghton
them; this hit its peak in 2006 and then collapsed. Now some
people have been forced to sell their homes at prices that are 750-1919 751-4600
much cheaper than they are worth. Even worse, homes were
foreclosed.
On Black Friday of 2007, malls were flooded with people,
but in 2008 and 2009, they were much less crowded. If you
FREE
go to malls nowadays, you can clearly see that the economy
has picked up since there are many more shoppers and people
20 oz. Soft Drink
with a disposable income. In fact, taxes were lowered for 93% with the purchase
of filers, according to Kimberly Amadeo from www.about.
com. The DOW stocks have even climbed 57% since March of of a Slice of Pizza!
2009. Even though the unemployment rate has been at 9.5% Coupon CDO2
for over a year, it is common at the end of a recession. This
Not valid with other offers. Valid Monday-Thursday.
may be an indicator that this situation will gradually pick up. Must present coupon to cashier.
-Sophia Natania Elice Rubin, Op/ed editor DINE-IN & CARRY-OUT ONLY
Now repeat after me, Mama’s Pizzaaah...
 The Padres are Coming
to Town to Stay
Things came together quickly to bring the AAA baseball to
Tucson. The San Diego Padres will partner and lend their
name to the Tucson Padres for Tucson baseball. The word
Padre has a history with Tucson. The San Xavier mission is
one of the oldest missions in the United States.
The team will have their opening day on April 15th at Kino
Stadium (formerly known as Tucson Electric Park). The
team is still working on their logo, and soon it is to be ap-
proved by minor league baseball. The team will play for one
year with an option for another year depending on how well
they do in sales and support. We are really excited to just
Play Ball!
-Abraham Velasco, Staff Writer
Sports 07
NFL Playoffs
The NFL playoffs are kicked into full gear and will lead up to
one of the biggest events in America; the Super bowl! The first
round had some intriguing matchups with Seattle Seahawks tak-
ing down the defending world champion New Orleans Saints.
Another game that surprised many was the New York Jets beat-
ing the high powered Indianapolis colts, which made both of lasts
year super bowl teams knocked completely out of the playoffs.
One thing that has been true for all playoffs is you cannot count
on your record or what you did last year to win a playoff game.
It is all about who has the most heart and can dig the deepest in
themselves to win. 2nd round playoff action leading up to the
super bowl have some very interesting matchups.
On Saturday, the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers
(12-4) will host the division rival Baltimore Ravens (13-4) at
Heinz Field this very interesting because these teams have been
big rivals for many years and have big defenses. According to
ESPN.com since 1970, the Steelers are 8-0 in the playoffs against
division opponents and 2-0 against Baltimore.

The Atlanta Falcons (13-3), the NFC’s No. 1 seed, will welcome
BCS Chapionship Game the Green Bay Packers (11-6) to the Georgia Dome. Both of
Between two teams, the Ducks, and the Tigers hit it off as the two theses teams have a great quarterback to lead them in the
teams compete to win the BCS Championship title. Auburn wins the toss game, Green bay has Aaron Rodgers and Atlanta has the Fal-
and is the first to kick off. Wes Byrum, a kicker for the Auburn Tiger’s, cons have Matt Ryan. The Atlanta Falcons are 7-1 at home
kick’s Auburn’s winning score by kicking it through the field goal with only this season and look really comfortable there. Considering
but a few seconds, making the final score, 22-19. Auburn wins the BCS they haven’t traveled anywhere since December 19 when
title. The coach of the Auburn tiger’s, Gene Chizk, was asked to describe they beat the Packers. They are highly regarded as the favor-
the feeling of his team winning the BCS, he replied, “Winning a champion- ite however the packers and Aaron Rodgers I’m sure would
ship for the Auburn family, I can’t really describe it right now, to try would disagree.
probably cheapen it.” He also complied that they’re not just a team, they’re
family. Newton, Auburn’s quarterback reported, ““I guarantee, five or six On Sunday, January 16, the NFC North champion Chicago
months ago, that no one would bet their last dollar that Auburn would win Bears (11-5) will play the Seattle Seahawks (8-9) at Soldier
the national championship. And now we’re standing here.” Auburn’s tiger’s Field and the AFC’s top seed, the New England Patriots
didn’t think they could get this far in this championship event, little did (14-2), will face the AFC East
they know they’d win the whole championship for their school. Newton rival New York Jets (12-5) at Gil-
was a huge game-changer for the tiger’s; he made nine comebacks in the lette Stadium
season. The team all agreed without their devoted coach, Gene Chizk, they
wouldn’t of even come close to winning the BCS championship.
-Colby Hobbs, Sports Editor
-Josh Hale, Staff Writer

Sports Schedules
Wrestling Girls Basketball
Jan 14 @ Flowing Wells Invitational Jan 14 @ Flowing Wells
Jan 15 @ Flowing Wells Invitational Jan 17 @ MLK Classic vs. Sabino
Jan 21 @ Salpointe Invitational Jan 18 vs. Pueblo
Jan 22 @ Salpointe Invitational Jan 20 vs. Cienega
Jan 26 vs. Sunnyside, w/Vista Grande Jan 21 vs. Sabino
Jan 25 @ Catalina Foothills
Jan 28 @ Vista Grande

Boys Soccer Boys Basketball Girls Soccer

Jan 14 @ Pueblo
Jan 18 @ Vista Grande
Jan 21 vs. Sabino
Jan 25 @ Catalina Foothills
Jan 27 vs. Flowing Wells
Jan 31 @ State Tournament
Jan 13 @ Vista Grande
Jan 14 vs. Flowing Wells
Jan 18 @ Pueblo
Jan 21 @ Sabino
Jan 25 vs. Catalina Foothills
Jan 28 vs. Vista Grande
Jan 14 vs. Pueblo
Jan 18 vs. Vista Grande
Jan 21 @ Sabino
Jan 25 vs. Catalina Foothills
Jan 27 @ Flowing Wells
Jan 31 State Tournament
Lil’ Dorados
Do you like cold weather?

Isabelle: Brrr... I freeze so bad

Jip: No, I don’t like being cold.

Aaron: I like it!

Aa
ron

e ll e
Isa b
Were you able to spend
time in the snow?
Aaron: I was not in the snow
very much.

Isabelle: I didn’t this time, but

I did with my cousins.

Jip Jip: I got to sled in the snow.

FREE PIZZA TRIVIA QUESTION!!!

This month’s question: What is the first thing on our list that will go up in price for 2011?

The CDO Palantir is changing this year and we want you guys to help us out! Every month, one
lucky CDO student will receive a free pizza from Mama’s Pizza just for reading our online pa-
per.

Each month in our paper, there will be a trivia question regarding an article. If you read the
article, and think you know the answer, you can then go to the library and put your answer into
a drawing with your name and grade. The first name drawn with the correct answer is our win-
ner and will be notified with instructions to get their free pizza. So get involved with the CDO
Palantir and check back next month for the next question!