Dragons Tale

Grafti hits Sonoma, pg 6 Pizza dessert, pg 6

www.sonomadragonstale.com September 2012 - Volume 22 -Issue 1 - Sonoma Valley High School

Galley News
The SVHS Homecoming theme this year is superheroes and the class choices are as follows; Freshman are Spiderman, Sophomores are Captain America, Juniors are Iron Man, and Seniors are Batman. October 1 through 6 will be Homecoming Week. Homecoming King and Queen candidates will be chosen by juniors and seniors in History classes in the next two weeks, and they will be announced on Monday, Oct.1.The school rally will take place on Tues., Oct. 2 during A+. Sports teams will perform dances, and students will get the chance to know the candidates The annual Homecoming carnival, where various clubs sell food and offer activities for the student body, will take place during an extended lunch on Wed., Oct. 3. Float Festival will take place Thurs., Oct. 4. The event takes place in the evening, in the lot behind the Pavilion. Friday is a busy day, with the Parade down Broadway beginning at 12:30 p.m., followed by a Plaza Rally. Later that evening, the Homecoming varsity football game against Piner begins at 7:30. This year, Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at the football game, rather than Saturdays dance. The Boys and Girls Club will once again host the formal homecoming dance, which runs from 7 to 11 p.m.

Budget cuts wound SVHS

Fewer custodians, fewer supplies, and increased workloads
By Jamie Ballard Due to the nearly $2.6 million in budget cuts to the school district this year, SVHS is now only able to employ two custodians, as opposed to the nine custodians employed in 2011-2012. The two custodians are mainly charged with keeping the campus exterior clean, though they will also clean four classrooms per day. This means that at best, most classrooms will only be cleaned monthly by a custodian. A months worth of trash, debris, and recycled homework will accumulate in the same small wastebaskets that were previously emptied on a weekly basis. Additionally, teachers are limited in how much they can clean their classrooms personally, due to a California law dictating that no one can take over a paid position as a volunteer. Since custodial positions are paid, a teacher who does the same duties voluntarily - mopping, emptying wastebaskets, etc - is technically breaking the law. However, several teachers at SVHS have taken to cleaning their classrooms surreptitiously, coming into class early to tidy up or sweep the oors, simply because the alternative is teaching in a grimy, unkempt room. A few teachers in particular are especially concerned about the collection of dirt and dust affecting students and staff with allergies. Many of the classrooms collect more debris than usual, given the exceptionally large class sizes. Other teachers are also feeling the impact as they struggle with reduced resources and time. Several classroomsdont have enough Photo by Jessica Marioni seats for some Janitors pick up trash scattered in the main hallway. SVHS now only employs two custodians, who mainly of their classes, forcing students ers, pens, paper, notebooks, bul- means there is less time to devote to to sit at makeshift desks or tables in letin boards, basically anything the requisite curriculum. The time the back of the room. Other teachers necessary for the classroom. crunch may result in more homemust require students to purchase Ms. Dillon remarks that while work, especially for AP classes. their own English books because purchasing all these supplies on However, SVUSD is still in a there arent enough copies owned a shoestring budget is basically period of adjusting to the lack of by the school. impossible, students have been funding, so perhaps desperate Linda Dillon, freshman English very kind with donations. times can breed new ideas and teacher, admits, Its been hard with Additionally, there are eight fur- solutions. In the meantime, stusupplies. We receive $17.20 per lough days during the school year. dents and staff will simply have class for the entire year. The $68.80 Not only does this amount to a to adjust to messy rooms, sharing total goes towards, board mark- 5 percent cut in teacher salary, it books, and more homework.

Welcome back SVHS!

Summer adventures, pg 4

Homecoming

Supervisorial Forum
The First District Supervisorial Candidates forum will be held at Sonoma Charter School on Sun., Sept. 23, from 3-5pm. At this event John Sawyer and Susan Gorin will both speak about district related issues, all well enjoying appetizers and a rafe for the teens of Sonoma. Senior Projects are off to a very fast start, so if you are a senior make sure to stay on top of the many due dates. On Sept. 28 the Letter of Intent, as well as the Mentor Form or Mentor Request Form are due, along with the Parental Certicate of Understanding and the School Activity Proposal. Oct. 17 is the last day for Research papers to be signed by the Librarian, and on the 19, all Topic Approval Packet Revision are due. On Oct. 24 the rst draft of the research paper is due to your Support Teacher and on Dec. 12 when the nal draft of the research paper is due.

New tardy policy elicits mixed reactions

the efficiency of the policy. [The policy] contradicts itself. UnBy now, many studer the rule, a student dents are all too familwho would only be a iar with the new tardy couple of minutes late policy, in which stragto class is ten or fifteen glers are randomly minutes late, resulting swept up by school in even more wasted officials and corralled class time, explained outside the attendance Adam Curry, sophooffice, where their tarmore. dies are logged. After Regardless of stuthe process of sweepdent feedback, the ing, waiting, and policy seems to be efdocumenting - which fective - since its debut often takes up to ten in the second week of minutes - students are school, the number sent back to class with of straggling students a tardy slip. Photo by Jessica Marioni has slowly been dwinAdministrators in- Tardy students line up at the attendance window to collect their passes before hurrying to class. dling. Vice Principal troduced the change tive to arrive to class on time in tem is effective. Personally, it Mr. Ryan commented - which allows for tighter control of students who order to avoid being swept and gives me a reason to get to class on the issue, stating I feel it is on time, he remarked. Id working well: kids are getting arrive late - in August in an at- subsequently punished. The policy is drawing mixed rather be a couple minutes early to class on time. The feedback tempt to combat a plague of tardies that existed last school results from students. Some, to class than have to spend time from parents and staff has all been positive; everyone is on year. In theory, the policy will like senior Lucas Mysliwczyk, in the office getting a slip. Others, however, question board. provide students with incen- admit that the new tardy sysBy Grace Bon

Senior Projects

Opinion-Editorial

Pride in country; pride in ignorance

By Arthur Morgan Whenever I call my cousin in France Im always taken aback at her English rhetoric not only is it grammatically and linguistically uid but rather, her condence in her speech resonates through her steady pronunciation and ever so often rhetorical ourish. How did she learn to be so condent in her speech, I ask? Her answer? She has taken English since CP2 our equivalent to 8th grade. It always leaves me wondering what are we doing wrong in America? Ive taken Spanish since freshman year; and though Im happy with the effort Ive put into the class, Im no more than procient. My friends are all the same way, theyve taken classes, done homework, and studied hard yet, on an international level these SVHS students are nowhere near the level of language uency of European and Asian nations. As a matter of fact, students in Europe are three times more likely to learn a language in school than students in America and the negative. Budget cuts, larger class sizes, and stressed teachers are all resulting in a reduced level Nationalism, pride in country, national identity, and isolationism has resulted in an America alistic identity states that English is the crux of language. But what if language deciency wasnt only weakening American students on a global level but on an individual level. Studies by Stanford University in 2000 show that advanced comprehension of language results in critical thinking and ability to make bril connections between analogous things. By ignoring language as a stimulus to intellectual advancement Americans are becoming globally ignorant. Through the promotion of nationalistic identity rather than globalism America is slowly becoming linguistically ignorant falling in student education polls and overall educative standards. If American students are to succeed in an increasingly global world the promotion of language, as a catalyst to intellectual development is crucial a rst step to a more internationally competitive America.

things are getting worse. As per the American National Language Association (ANLA) student language prociency is on

of language learning nationwide. With an even tighter budget this oncoming school year, things are not apt to improve.

that segregates foreign culture in favor of its own. Americans arent worried about decreased language prociency skills because nation-

Physics, drunken fat men, and river buoys

By Liam Casey Mankind has sought solutions to questions which, once answered, would serve to dene our existence; from the Heliocentricity of Copernicus, to the orientation of motion undertaken by the prodigious mind of Newton. Inherently coupled with the milestones of cognitive and scientic achievement has been the incursion of the tenets of the Church, which precipitated ignominious violence, decrees of blasphemy, and a millennium of regression that illuminated the willing acceptance of globalized public ignorance. Then, in the dawn of the 20th century, enter the genius of Einstein- only 26 and already securing his future role as the father of modern physics. In 1905, Einstein released his theories of relativity, and special relativity, which worked to articulate the confounding dynamics of time dilation, the speed of light, and even hinted at the possibility of time travel. These papers led to the realization of the eld of quantum mechanics, which further invigorated the scientic community with necessary endeavors in order to bring mans level of cognitive comprehension closer to fruition. Quantum mechanics is mankinds illustrious attempt at explaining the often inverselylogical realm of subatomic particles; mesons, pions, bosons, and of course, the nearly mythical nature of the most profound realization within the eld of quantum mechanics to date- the mechanism. Up to this point, scientists understood that our universe was comprised of an atomic structure, and that the atomic realm was given form courtesy of the conjoined subatomic level of matter. However, the state of matter that gave form to the subatomic level was not understood. Just as the phrase Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (who guards the guards?) queried, so also did scientists pose the same esized, is to attribute mass to subatomic particles interacting with the eld. In order to conceptualize this notion, imagine a pond with a small pebble resting at the bottom, and a large, drunken fat man wafting on a oatable buoy. Now imagine that an observer is looking down at both of these objects in the pond. The pebble doesnt interact as much with the water in the pond as the obese male on the buoy, and therefore ty that collision results observed -which through the decay of the Higgs-boson into light photons, physicists were able to speculate that the Higgs-related activity had indeed been observed- could be repeated to yield the same results. With the realization of the reality of the Higgs boson, physicists are now expecting new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics to emerge (the standard model being a mathematical model that describes and explains all particle physics observed thus far by physicists). The conrmation of the Higgs boson is essentially the greatest milestone in particle physics since Einstein published his theory of relativity, and special relativity papers. This discovery has the potential to usher in a new era of particle physics, and bring physicists closer to comprehending our existence, and presently, theyre doing just that. There is a tense dynamic shared between science and religion; the existence of each institution essentially worked to refute the other. Science now has a plausible explanation for the genesis of matter within the universe. According to Nick Collins, a science correspondent for Telegraph, About 13.7 billion years ago, the Big Bang gave birth to the universe and caused an outburst of massless particles and radiation energy. Scientists think that fractions of a second later, part of the radiation energy congealed into the Higgs eld. When the universe began to cool, particles acquired mass from the Higgs eld, slowed down and began to bunch up to form composite particles and, eventually, atoms. Something to chew on, isnt it? You can thank the Higgs for that bite!

Higgs Boson. In 1960, theoretical physicist Peter Higgs theorized the existence of the Higgs-

Dragons Tale Staff ADVISER- Alison Manchester EDITOR IN CHIEF - Jamie Ballard COPY EDITOR - Grace Bon, Arthur Morgan NEWS EDITORS - Adelia Gregory, Jamie Ballard OP-ED EDITORS - Arianna Maysonave, Liam Casey FEATURE EDITOR - Lindsey Jasperse CULTURE EDITOR - Sebastian Amara PHOTO & TECH EDITORS - Jessica Marioni, Matthew Amatori SPORTS EDITORS - Alex Conner, Gabby Petersen BUSINESS MANAGER - Gianna Biaggi REPORTERS - Brooke Slack, Pio Valenzuela, Laura Amador, Eric Webber Sebastian Amara, Liam Casey, Grace Bon, Matthew Amatori, Chelsea Krause, Lindsey Jasperse, Ellen Angeloni, Adelia Gregory, Arthur Morgan, Weston Updegraff, Brennan Cole, Jacob Little, Soa Jeremias, Riley ODonnell, Giordi Serani, Jonah Son, Javia Headly, PHOTOGRAPHERS - Matt Amatori, Jessica Marioni ART & GRAPHICS - Matt Amatori, Liam Casey, Sebastian Amara

question towards the makeup of the universe- what comes after, after? This question led to the genesis of the theory of the Higgs-boson, and along with it, the sub-subatomic state of matter underneath that of simply the subatomic state. The Higgs eld, or Higgs mechanism is a eld of energy that spans the entirety of universe- in theory, that is. One might ponder, chin atop st: well, what level of matter gives the Higgs structure? A curious aspect of the Higgs mechanism, is that, as opposed to the atoms, and other particles, the Higgs has been theorized to exist as a sea of energy. The function of the Higgs mechanism, as Higgs himself hypoth-

doesnt receive as much attention from the observer. Subatomic particles, as theorized by Higgs, gain their mass through interactions with the Higgs eld- the more massive particles agitate the energy of the eld to a greater extend than less massive particles, and therefore, weigh more. Why is all of this important? How does it affect you, as the reader of this article? To start, the Higgs mechanism, (as of this past summer) is no longer considered to be an object of theory. Tests conducted at the Tevatron in Batavia Illinois, and at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland concluded with 5 sigma, or 99.99995% probabili-

SVHS Dragons Tale Editorial policy can be accessed at sonomadragonstale.org

Dragons Tale

Page 2

September 2012

Romneys VP
By Adelia Gregory and Grace Bon The Republican National Convention: Clint Eastwood argued with a chair, Ann Romney attempted to win our hearts with a speech about love, and both Romney and Ryan accepted their nominations for President and Vice President, respectively. Romney has selected Ryan as his vice president in the hopes that the conservative House Budget Committee chairman would encourage support on the political right and provide hard line solutions for the nations chronic decit and debt crisis. Ryans speech was part of a campaign effort to portray Romney, a multimillionaire businessman and former Massachusetts governor, as a champion of working-class Americans who struggle under the policies of President Obama. Convincing the public of this is key to Ryans success and the collectively popularity of the Romney campaign. I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old -and I know that we are ready, Ryan stated in a bolstering tone of optimism. Ryans controversial move to circulate a factually challenged assertion that Obama cut Medicare by more than $700 billion to subsidize the costs of the 2010 health care reform law has come under re by Democrats. The validity of Ryans proposed Medicare reform - essentially a voucher system for people over 55 - has been further discredited by a recent Congressional Budget Ofce report that proved Obamacare would not cause a $716 billion decrease in Medicare spending, as Ryan claimed. Additionally, with the recent controversy surrounding Rep. Todd Akins factually incorrect theory that rape victims rarely, if ever, getting pregnant, Paul Ryan was unable to establish a coherent stance on Akins extremism or abortion itself, considering that abortion often puts the political right into an uncomfortable spot with moderates, independents, democrats, and even a minority of registered Republicans. However, as recently as last year, Ryan co-sponsored a bill with Akin that would have narrowed the rape exception in federally funded abortions to forcible rape, and granted personhood to human embryos from the moment of fertilization. The personhood bill he and Akin co-sponsored could have outlawed not just abortion, but IVF and even some kinds of contraception. In order for Romneys campaign to achieve a more diverse likability and acceptance, Romney wants voters to forget all of the recent controversies concerning the political right, especially with Paul Ryans notoriously extreme views on abortion and fiscal budgeting. Ryans record on abortion is extremely conservative, even by Republican standards, says Jonathan Cohn at The New Republic. Therefore, Ryan is putting the GOP ticket out of the mainstream perception of acceptable politics and policies, which will cost Romney votes and, ultimately, the election. Dragons Tale

Opinion-Editorial

Women in Journalism
By Jamie Ballard Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Lynn Povich, Lara Logan - all female journalists, all successful, all considered revolutionary in changing the American media landscape. Because of these women and their colleagues, as well as laws that protect womens workplace rights, we can all assume female journalists are being treated as equals to their male co-workers, right? We can also assume, then, that when it comes time for a promotion, gender is irrelevant, right? And when it comes to covering especially controversial, interesting or possibly dangerous events, women are assigned these stories just as often as men, right? Sadly, this is not the case. Female journalists, on average, make only 90 percent of what their male colleagues make. And despite the fact that since 1977 women have consistently earned the majority of journalism degrees, they comprise only 34 percent of newsroom supervisors and 24 percent of news directors on U.S. television stations. Additionally, a study done by womens rights organization VIDA recently revealed that both The New Yorker and The Atlantic have a disproportionate ratio of male-to-female bylines, with females writing only 26.63 percent and 25.8 percent of the published content, respectively. Perhaps the most unbelievable part is that these numbers have dropped since 2010 - equality is regressing, not progressing as we have been led to believe. As a whole, journalists have remained rather silent about these discrepancies. Lynn Povich, a journalist who worked at Newsweek in the 1960s, recently wrote a book about how the females of Newsweek sued their employer for greater workplace equality in 1969. Despite the advances that she and other women have made, Povich feels that the idea of gentwo, they were suddenly feeling marginalized ...and they couldnt understand why, because this was post-feminism...we were all equal now. So it couldnt be that thing called discrimination... They just must not be talented enough to move ahead.

der equality in the workplace is still little more than a glossy illusion. She remarked in an interview with NPR, It surprised me when I met these young women at Newsweek today, because, you know, they were all super competent...and yet, when they got into the work world, after a year or

The notion that the gender gap is somehow solely the fault of the women, that its only a failing on their part is not only incorrect, but sickening. Not only are the reputations of female journalists being damaged when they are deemed to be lesser than their male counterparts, but

their self-esteem plummets. Lara Logan is another female journalist who came forward to speak a truth about female correspondents that no one else would. Logan, who was the victim of a brutal sexual assault in Cairo while covering a story on the resignation of Egypts president, explained, ...women never complain about incidents of sexual violence because you dont want someone to say, Well women shouldnt be out there. But I think there are a lot of women who experience these kinds of things as journalists and they dont want it to stop their job because they do it for the same reasons as me - they are committed to what they do...they do it because they believe in being journalists. Following the attack, critics observed that Logan - a pretty, fairly young woman, should not have put herself in such a dangerous situation. Because she is a woman. However, Logans ofcial job title is Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent at CBS. Its literally her job to report on events in other countries, often dangerous ones. She has been properly trained and educated, in addition to spending nearly 20 years in the eld. Her attack, though unspeakably tragic, was not simply brought on because she was a woman, and does not mean that women should be prohibited from covering dangerous but important stories. Despite the idea that there is no preference given to male journalists, Logan, Povich and many others are setting an example by speaking out against workplace discrimination.

US party trends eclipse European class

By Arianna Maysonave The plague of the red solo cup, the reign of the beer pong champs, the shots upon shots that have invariably become a sick adolescent form of initiationthe American party scene is simply out of control. Today, drinking has advanced from a popular pastime to a modern epidemic, with 25 percent of alcohol in the U.S. being consumed by underage drinkers. But why? Why has the draw of alcohol run so viciously rampant upon our country specically? It has become a beverage that falsely signies adulthood, manipulatively suggesting maturity by mere association. Alcohol has been stigmatized and prohibited to inversely evoke desire, thus promoting American teens ock to parties, raves, and kickbacks to indulge in their own share of high school glory. In a desperate attempt to combat underage consumption society has unknowingly created a culture of rebellion whatever teens are forbidden, they yearn for tenfold. The recent movie Bill W. traces the journey of William G. Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, as he bids his addictive tendencies farewell and becomes an inspiration for hundreds of thousands suffering from a similar struggle. This illumination of an often underground ailment, alcoholism, can serve as a wakeup call for teens, as nearly 46% of alcoholics began drinking before age sixteen, according to PsychCentrals recent study. Conversely, in places less uptight and shaming as America, alcohol is not a substance so issues, whereas in America nearly one-third of high school drinkers report binge drinking at least once a month, according to SF Gate. Alcohol has become an escape, an abused substance utilized to shed oneself of teenage angst and adopt an entirely different identity, one only embodied in shadowy garages or overcrowddrink at eighteen; whereas, in America the obscene consumption that occurs until age twenty one is considered unlawful. In the United States, drinking is associated with negativity from a young age. Conversely, drinking is ingrained in the European culture, and thus youths feel less compelled to participate. Perhaps its the media, which glamorizes alcohol and takes pride in displaying celebrities under the inuence, irrevocably fabulous role models for the thousands of young adults who admire and idolize these falsely portrayed characters. Perhaps its the propensity to establish social ease--alcohol often serves as a source of comfort for those insecure in their itchy sober skin. Perhaps its the tantalizing yearning to live life on the edgealcohol is the fatal attraction for many teens, a major factor in the three leading causes of teen death: accidents, homicide, and suicide. Perhaps its simply the status quo--if everyone else is doing it, why not me? Regardless of the reasoning, underage drinking has and will undoubtedly continue to be a signicant player in the development of the adolescent psyche-with experimentation at its peak and the desire for independence throbbing in all, there is little hope that this ferocious epidemic will ever nd a cure. September 2012

wildly desired. Sure, adolescents will drink on occasion; perhaps theyll even enjoy a glass of wine at a family dinner. In Europe teens begin drinking at a younger age, often at home, and thus the degree of overindulgence we observe here occurs on a much less regular basis. In Spain, only 5 percent of the population suffer from alcohol related Page 3

ed homes on late Friday nights. Its almost as if society has normalized drinking as a rite of passage, yet at the same time intently discouraged itthere is some psychological paradox that has plagued American youths for decades as they seek to rebel against the connes of societal constraints. Perhaps its the drinking age in Europe, teens can legally

Feature

California top teens convene at Girls State 2012

By Arianna Maysonave Come to Girls State, they said. Get lots of sleep, they said. Bring an open mind, they said. But the tidbit they failed to divulge was the golden truth that Girls State, which was founded by the American Legion Auxiliary in 1937 and exists today in all fifty states, is a place where the playing field is leveled, intellect is appreciated, and girls of all backgrounds and ethnicities are able to unite as one. When elected as the 2012 Girls State delegate, I was honored but unsure of the situation at handapparently, as informed by American Legion Auxiliary members and previous delegates, I would travel to Claremont McKenna College for a week of intensely political, relatively patriotic learning with 500 of the most qualied girls from around the state. However, what appeared to be a strictly organized, rather daunting task turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences I have had in my life thus far. The morning of June 20 I was lled with apprehensionwhat kind of girls would be at government camp? Why was I even attending, as Ive always shied away from politics? Would I have to give speeches? Where would I stay? Upon arrival on campus I came to the rapid realization that everyone else was in the same boatno one had friends, everyone was unsure, not a single delegate had any idea what to expect. We were initially sorted into All cities made elections ranging from planning committee to city clerk, each occurring via an electronic voting system that ensured efciency and legitimacy. A similar system was applied to Assemblywoman or relate to the gratifying stress of a state election, but that was the point! For one week, we were plucked from our bustling lives and placed in an environment buzzthe affairs of the broken nation we will soon inherit. Humbling, enriching, and unique, Girls State was the perfect combination of work and play. The elected governor, Alauna Sessoms-Hall, proceeded on to attend Girls Nation, a similar program to which only two delegates from each state are invited. She represented California well, becoming the only president ever elected from the Golden State. I have never been graced with the presence of so many passionate, talented ladies, and it was incredibly refreshing to not only appreciate the sharpness of their intellect, but also value the genuinity of their person. Once everyone shed their small town claims to fame--valedictorian, sports team captain, student body president-a level playing eld was created. We were all equals rejoicing in mutual respect. An intellectual summer camp paired with an air of contemporary political debate and leadership ideology, Girls State was an experience one must witness to truly understand. It opened avenues of opportunities, offered an arena for relationship building, stressed the necessity for female empowerment, and ignited the ame of inspiration that will serve as a guiding force as myself and the 503 other CA Girls State 2012 delegates embark on the path to the rest of our lives.

Photo courtesy of Arianna Maysonave Arianna Mysonave and her city members gather for a photo on Claremont McKenna campus.

our respective counties and cities, delineations that at the time appeared trivial but ultimately dened ones experience at Girls State. The ultimate function of the program is to create a mock government; throughout the week various elections were conducted that funneled from city to state level, nally culminating in the election of Governor.

county and state elections, but more campaigning and serious speeches accompanied the voting process. It all sounds painfully boring and essentially worthless--after all, the mock government so perilously toiled over would cease to exist once the week was completed, right? No one beyond the connes of Girls State would ever understand the value of being an

ing with youthful zeal and astounding creativity--we created a Congress, published three newspapers, established party platforms, formed an orchestra, hosted a talent show, and discovered that there were hundreds of other girls sharing a mentality similar to our own. Everyone was motivated, dedicated, educated, and genuinely interested in bettering

New teachers take over SVHS campus

Photos by Jessica Marioni and Matt Amatori From top left to bottom right: Barbie Duncan, Devin Daly, Jon Southam, Karling Skoglund, Gayle Smith, Carolina Ochoa-Roloff, Emily Moore, Savannah Heupel, David Kramer, and Michelle Purvis.

By Lindsey Jasperse and Ellen Angeloni Out with the old and in with the newwith ten new teachers beginning the 2012-2013 school year, SVHS gears up for a progressive year, creating a new environment on campus in adding these vibrant and diverse members to the faculty. Differing in age, background, subject field, and experience, each of the new faculty members has something to offer. The math department features three new teachers Devin Daly, Savannah Heupel,

and Jon Southam. Daly, teaching both French and geometry, graduated from San Francisco State University, majoring in French, and minoring in math. Heupel, who graduated from U.C. San Diego with a B.S. in mathematics and a masters in education, will be focusing on Algebra I and Geometry. Southam, who previously worked at Redwood Middle School, graduated from the University of Nevada at Reno, where he studied psychology and history before earning his education credentials at Sonoma State University. This school

year, he will be teaching both algebra and geometry. The sciences, including chemistry, biology, earth science, agriculture earth science, agriculture biology, and agriculture chemistry, face many changes as these new teachers ll and expand the positions of the prior teachers. David Kramer, joining SVHS staff as a C.P. and A.P. chemistry teacher, graduated from Stony Brook University, and received his teaching credentials from Dominican University. Joining Kramer, Gayle Smith, Chico State University gradu-

ate, will also be teaching chemistry, as SVHSs new agricultural chemistry teacher. Another Chico State University graduate, Michelle Purvis, enters the 2012 school year teaching Biology and Earth Science, classes she has previously taught at other schools nearby. With a B.S. in agriculture science and education from Chico State University, Karling Skoglund will also be teaching agricultural sciences, specializing in earth science and biology. Barbie Duncan, joining SVHS this fall as an 11th grade U.S. History and 10th grade World

History teacher, graduated from U.C. San Diego. Emily Moore, the newest music teacher, studied music education and teaching from Sonoma State University, where she worked at Analy High School, and now at SVHS. Spanish teacher for grades 9-12 is Carolina Ochoa-Roloff, a San Jose State University graduate. As the school year quickly dives into its first weeks, SVHS waves goodbye to the important members of staff who have said their farewells, and welcomes a new crew of faculty into the depths of yet another year.

Dragons Tale

Page 4

September 2012

Summer 2012 activities

Feature

Soroker spends summer studying in Boston

1 2

Photo courtesy of Tali Soroker 1.) Soroker stays awake late in the night studying sociological articles. 2.) With a new group of friends, Soroker gathers after a dance.

By Lindsey Jasperse and Ellen Angeloni Taking advantage of the nearly two months granted for summer vacation, Tali Soroker, senior, spent six weeks at Boston University, preparing for college. Along with 100 other students, Soroker was selected for a stu-

dent internship with Boston University Summer High School Honors Program. The program started in July, enabling its participants to the select their courses they show interest in. Students worked alongside Boston University undergraduates, while they were able to experience and become

familiar with the school campus and classrooms. Out of the many classes offered, Soroker chose sociology and painting, both interests she plans to pursue in college. I loved my classes and both of my professors. The best part of the entire program was meeting people from all over and viewing

the world from a bigger perspective. Not only does this Boston University internship grant participants eight college credits, but it also allows them to experience the life of an undergraduate. I truly enjoyed every minute that I spent on the BU campus, especially since I ended up get-

ting a letter of recommendation from my sociology professor. Before the program, the longest I had been away from both of my parents was a couple of weeks, so being gone for two months was new. However, it truly showed me what college is going to be like and how the freedom is priceless.

Cline embarks on S.O.L. trip

By Lindsey Jasperse and Ellen Angeloni school building in a matter of ten days. With ve hours of physical labor every Unlike a typical summer break morning, Cline and consisting of swimming and sunher peers spent their bathing, Madeline Cline, junior, afternoons visitspent ten days ing other S.O.L. with the less forschools and entunate in Matagaging in Nicaragalpa, Nicaragua. guan culture. After a vigorous I would denumber of ights nitely recommend from San Francisthis trip through co, to San SalvaS.O.L. because dor, then from you get to explore San Salvador, a country in a way to Matagalpa, not possible on Cline and 13 othyour own. You er students from make connecall over the U.S., tions with nareached their destives that will tination. Through last a lifetime the nonprot orgawhile you connization, Seeds of Photo courtesy of Madeline Cline Learning (S.O.L.),Madeline Cline poses with a young childwhile on her S.O.L. trip. tinue to learn about yourself the mixed group while thinking of 29 volunteers, Despite weather that ranged about your goals, (14 students and 15 adults), not from scorching heat to pouring and of course, only volunteered in the community, but also experienced Nicaraguan rain, the participants were de- have a lot of fun, termined to reconstruct an entire enthused Cline. culture. My favorite part was meeting and working with the kids in the community. I can wholeheartedly say that I learned more from them than they learned from me, revealed Cline.

Hill dives into Marine Biology

By Lindsey Jasperse and Ellen Angeloni is to work in the field of marine biology and environmental science. My favorite part Exploring the depths was definitely seeing of biology and envibuilding become a living, ronmental science: breathing center that was actwo areas of interest tively helping the for Grifn Hill, sesanctuary through nior, who interned for public education, the Monterey Bay Naremarked Hill. tional Marine SanctuHill told my ary Exploration Center friend William this past summer. The Douros, the suSanctuary is essentially perintendent of a visitors center for the the MDNMS that entire MBNMS, resemI wanted to volunbling a national park teer in the marine but underwater. biology area and The center plays an he pointed me to important role in eduthe center-to-be. cating the public about its This was a rare purpose, history, inhabitopportunity to ants, and what they can do pursue an interto help, commented Hill. est, help a worthy Working for more cause, and spend than 40 hours a week, the summer in studying his core inSanta Cruz, so I terests, being the only Photo courtesy of Dan Coyrotook hold of it as student there, livingMSEC opens after construction--with a full scale with friends and nowhale tail emerging from the front of the build-soon as I could, delighted Hill. ing. chaperones. Sparking his interest, two summers ago, he went out for a week and a half on a sailing research vessel, which was his first major marine biology adventure. This latest internship was to see how it

Dragons Tale

Page 5

September 2012

Culture

Sonoma gets a visit from Graffitisaurus Rex

By Sebastian Amara You can use art to make social political statements, and that is its true purpose explained Michael Rex Dingler, distinguished Louisianian street artist. Due to the efforts of Sheana Davis, owner of The Epicurean Connection, Dingler came to Sonoma to impart some of his artistic wisdom. He painted nine murals with the Sonoma community on 8 by 4 pieces of plywood. The first was created publicly at the Farmers Market on Tues. afternoon, Sep. 4, where locals watched him work. The next day, two were created within Mr. Tuttles, fourth period Art Design class. While there, Dingler taught the class about both the ethics and techniques to Graffiti art. Later that day, the painting continued at the No Name Cafes Art Wednesday, where he and other students created yet another mural. Dingler and Davis hosted open hours in the back parking lot to paint the rest of the murals. There, other SVHS students as well as many younger children took the opportunity and array of supplies provided by the The Epicurean Connection to explore the styles of street art. Accompanying Dingers visit was a showing of the lm Vigilante, that screened at the Sonoma Museum of Art on Sep. 5. The lm followed three infamous buffers, or individuals who personally remove street art, in Berkeley, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. Dingler, a major character within the lm,

Photo By Matt Amatori Rex Dingler, distinguished Louisianan street artist, poses with one of the nine murals he created while in Sonoma.

described his battles with the Grey Ghost, a radical buffer known for his particular shade of gray. The show concluded with a question and answer session where audience members interacted with Dingler. Dingler plans to give most of the murals to charities; however, three were given to SVHS, one was gifted to the Epicurean Connection, and one made for the

Sonoma Valley International Film Festival. Dinglers gallery went on show at the Epicurean Connection on Sept. 7. Over the weekend, Dingler sold a total of seven pieces. His artwork was free to view and will continue to be, as it hangs in the Epicurean Connection for the next month. Dinglers gallery attracted a visit from world renowned grafti artist and friend

By Sebastian Amara

that it satises the f requirement of the University of California/ SVHS is broadening its hoa-g requirements. rizons with three new elective opAnother course that will satisfy tions this year. The elective opthe Visual/Performing Art requireportunities expand with Intro to ment is Percussion. Engineering, Floral Design and This course explores the elPercussion. ementary levels Intro. to Engiof reading music neering is part of and performance. SVHSs developThough there are ing Linked Learnonly ten students ing Pathways, in the course, Mrs. series of courses Moore professes designed to prepare they are forming students for futures a little rock band in specic elds. of their own. Intro to EngineerGrifn Hill, ing, taught by Mr. senior Drum Mark Lea, Metal Major, believes Shop teacher, is the the class is an rst SVHS pathimportant expanway and is only sion of the music available to current department. It sophomores. is a class that is The course deliva good starting ers a STEM curricpoint for the muulum, meaning the Photos From Google Images sically interestfocus is on science, The three new electives at SVHS are Intro. to Engineering, Floral Design and Percussion. ed, continued technology, engineering, and math. torical contributions and cultural Hill. While in this course, students will dimensions, aesthetic valuing and Mrs. Moore, Band, Choir and explore engineering careers not making judgements of individual Percussion teacher, plans to make only with textbooks and lectures, works of art, elements of design, her class SVHS new drum line. but also through guest speakers, principles of design, creative ex- Moore intends to have her Pereld trips, and job shadowing in pression through original works of cussion students perform with the the community. art and applications learned in vi- concert band at school events. This year, almost 60 students en- sual art. Students create their own As SVHSs elective choices rolled in the Intro. to Engineering oral arrangements as assignments broaden, students immerse thempathway, amassing a total of two just as one would create a video in selves into new subjects. These units. This pathway is a three year Video Arts. Floral Design current- electives bring diversity to the program that is designed to keep ly has two units and is considered school with different opportunities the same 60 students for the rest of a Visual/Performing Art, meaning in uprising elds.

New electives blossom at SVHS

their high school careers. While some students get technical within the Engineering Pathway, others pursue something little more artistic. As described in the SVHS Course Catalog, Floral Design includes an introduction to art, his-

of Dingler, Banksty. However; Dingler did not reveal that the satirical street artist had been there until after he had left to preserve his hidden identity. Dinglers goal while visiting Sonoma was to inspire members of the community to show enthusiasm with art, and give them a medium to work with full creative freedom. Dingler is renowned for both his street art throughout New Orleans and his NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana) Rising project, a nonprot art initiative that promotes

accessibility to art regardless of economic status. NOLA Rising was originally a program that hung signs throughout New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. The signs were intended for applied uses, such as street name signs to replace the ones that were torn down by the storm, as well as spiritual, to resurrect the dismal city (at the time) with hope and beauty. Even though Dingler has now left, he plans to visit and work with Sonoma every year. Dingler concluded, I think Ill be back next March.

Peaches, pizza produce perfection

Photo by Chelsea Krause Now, you can eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!

By Anneliese Koch and Chelsea Krause Pizza lovers everywhere will be sure to expand their pizza eating repertoire with this classic dish accompanied by a fruity twist. Indulging in pizza for dessert may be a new concept for some, but venturing out will surely be gratifying. To assemble this sensational pizza pie you will need: cup of plain whipped cream cheese, 3 Tbs. of sweet, condensed milk, 2 tsp. of freshly squeezed orange juice, 12 tsp. of ground cinnamon, Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, Pinch of ne sea salt, One 10 oz. ball of whole wheat pizza dough, Freshly sliced peaches, 1 cup of fresh raspberries, 1 Tbs. of powdered sugar. Preheat the oven to 500 F. and

place the pizza stone in the center, and then in a medium bowl mix the cream cheese, condensed milk, orange juice, cinnamon, along with the nutmeg, and sea salt. These should be combined thoroughly. Next, extend the dough until it is one half inch thick and eleven inches round. Place the dough on on a pizza pan slightly layered with our. Spread the cream cheese combination and position the peach slices in a decorative arrangement. Also scatter the raspberries around the peach slices to create an eye catching pizza pie. Finally place the dessert in the oven for twelve minutes or until the crust is golden brown. All that is left to do is to serve and enjoy. If you enjoy pizza and are looking for a twist in your dessert menu, you should be sure to give this recipe a taste.

Dragons Tale

Page 6

September 2012

Sports

Dragons y into season with strong, exciting start

By Connor Griggs-Demmin The Dragon gridders pounded their way to an impressive start, dominating Redwood with a 36-0 shutout, then falling literally one yard short against a strong Terra Linda team, and finally outscoring San Marin 41-39. To begin longtime head coach OMearas last season as the varsity head coach, his team got off to a fast start, exploding to a fast start with two first quarter touchdowns. Senior linebacker Sean Forney intercepted a Redwood pass to give the Dragons the ball. After an outstanding year as an all-league running back, junior Dan Deely made his first start at quarterback as his running abilities quickly became evident when he ran in the Dragons first score. He then turned the teams scoring responsibilities over to his crew of standout senior wide receivers. First it was Brennan Cole who made a spectacular leaping catch for a 13-yard score. Then Justin McDonald received a short pass and weaved his way through the defense for a 40-yard touchdown. Dustin Sloane ended Deelys night with a 17-yard score. With the game well under their control in the fourth quarter, the Dragons struck again when junior backup quarterback Mitch Hood found senior John Buckley for a 52-yard touchdown. At Terra Linda the Dragons again jumped to first quarter lead, going ahead 10-0. However, this time their opponents fought back to take a 17-10 lead just before halftime. Senior Dustin Sloane received two touchdown passes from Deely to put the Dragons ahead 24-23. Again, Terra Linda was able to respond with a touchdown and the Dragons could not counter. Sonomas offense marched down the field on their final drive and made it to Terra Lindas one yard line but were stopped one agonizing yard short. The disappointment against Terra Linda certainly did not slow the Dragons in their next game against San Marin at Arnold Field. Dan Deely stole the Friday night show, accounting for six Dragon touchdowns en route to a 41-39 victory. The Dragons built a 22-15 halftime lead behind Brennan Coles field goal, Dustin Sloanes 12-yard touchdown reception, and Deelys 19-yard rush into the end zone. The second half saw Sonomas offense display its prowess, built on Deelys

Photo By Jessica Marioni Senior Michael Stovall receives the ball in Sonomas recent non-league showdown with San Marin on Friday Sept. 7.

pinpoint passing and his core of wide receivers. Sloane caught two more touchdown passes from Deely, beautiful long strikes of 55 and 71 yards. Senior Chris Lopez also caught one of five of Deelys touchdown passes. Despite the highpowered offense on display, the Dragons defense, led by senior

defensive end Johnny Amandoli, came through, denying San Marin on four crucial two point conversion tries. In the end, the Dragons prevailed 41-39 in another thrilling contest raising their record to 2-1 while providins g great entertainment with three exciting and well-played games.

They faced a very strong American Canyon team on the road Friday Sept. 13 and were on the wrong end of a 45-0 shutout, but nevertheless, the Dragons are 2-2 with high hopes for the upcoming SCL season, with their opener on Friday Sept. 21 against a a powerful Analy team.

Boys water polo swamped with sign-ups

By Arthur Morgan SVHS water polo coaches Dominic Quin-Harken and Flynn OBrienn started off fresh this season drowning in new sign-ups as kids flooded into Hanna Boys Center for what would be a solid start to an incessant tidal wave of a season. After the crowd of hopefuls had abetted, the result was crystal clear water polo was in for a drastic change. With a 400 percent increase in sign-ups as opposed to last year, water polo looks to establish a river of change new sign ups means more players, and with more players a greater chance at domination of rival teams. With an increase in hopeful polo players, more and more people must be cut from the team. Chase Campion, senior, and cocaptain of the boys varsity team, grappled with the dilemma, Im torn over the subject to tell you the truth. He continues With all these kids come more cuts, its really too bad. Others, however, were looking towards calmer waters; Weston Updegraff, senior, and first-year water polo player warmly dubbed the sparkly minnow by the team for his unicorn-themed Speedo commented, Im taking to the sport like a fish in water, Im going to be a tropical storm this season when we play Newman. Players are divided over the issue of cuts, some want more, some less; however, the team need only persevere to keep their head above water and have a successful season. The competitive water polo season will get off to a good start with games beginning in late September. Boys water polos first league game is scheduled for September 14 against Cardinal Newman. Player s are revved up and ready to take to the water and get swept up in the current that is the fast moving waters of water polo season.

Gabby Douglas embraces the underdog image

By Adelia Gregory & Jamie Ballard The indisputable star of the 2012 London Olympics was 16-year-old gymnast Gabrielle Douglas. The young AfricanAmerican athlete made history and became a media darling with her record-breaking performance and inspirational backstory. Gabrielle Douglas began her formal gymnastics training at six years old. Her career in professional athletics began when she won a state championship by the time she was eight, and decided to move away from her family in her hometown in 2010 to pursue her aspirations with a world-renowned Olympic trainer. Her incredible and captivating story of becoming the rst African American to win gold in the individual all-around event stems from her unique perseverance, dedication, and motivation to compete at such high stakes where potential is simply not enough. Douglas was selected to compete with the U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics due to her outstanding abilities. Being only sixteen years of age, Gabby shines as a gold-medalist with truly admirable and unrivaled athletic talent. Her growth from humble beginnings to success phenomenon was the result of diligence and dedication to a goal most would have considered impossible. An article on American-Gymnast.com commented that, Her unique blend of power, exibility, body alignment and form has led her to be compared with three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes. As a result of her awe-inspiring feat at the Olympics, Douglas became the subject of pivotal media attention in the summer of this year. As a teenager, she has already proven herself as a champion, shredding her image as an underdog and embracing the life of an Olympian star and gaining the respect of millions of fans around the world.

Photo By Brinkley Capriola Seniors Arthur Morgan and Wyn Davis, and junior Gabe Rapozo (middle) listen to coach Flynn OBriens instructions during halftime of their latest scrimmage against Justin Siena.

Dragons Tale

Page 7

September 2012

News

Caught in Thought
What is one thing on your bucket list?

Photos by Jamie Ballard Maintenance crews on September 13, repairing a broken water main. Construction will be complete by next week.

Go to the Coliseum. Angela Zurcher, senior

Tolerance Campaign creates safer SVHS

By Jamie Ballard Swastikas scrawled in textbooks. White Power symbols carved into tables. Homophobic and racial slurs decorating secondary and high school campuses across the nation. Blatant acts of prejudice being committed nationwide. Hate crimes have become a national issue, affecting SVHS as well as schools across the country. To combat such activities, SVHS is launching a Tolerance Campaign to create a school culture of safety and open-mindedness, rather than one of hate and bullying. One of the first steps the administration has taken is scheduling a multi-media presentation from an organization called Teen Truth. Teen Truth uses a combination of films and live guest speakers to communicate to students both the devastating effects of bullying as well as how to fight harassment and violence on campus. Vice Principal Andrew Ryan explains, Teen Truth is giving their presentation on September 20 for the entire school. Were also having Teen Truth Plus on October 17 and 18, which will allow for selected students to help identify the major problems on campus and form an attack plan. There will likely be 25 to 40 students Challenge Day. The GayStraight Alliance as well as the current Slate have long since had an interest in bringing Challenge Day to the school, and with the new culture of tolerance, it may finally become a reality. well as the staff. Everyone is being asked to do more for a safe, welcoming, educational environment, he adds. In addition to the aforementioned events, Tammy Rivara, leadership advisor, is in the process of establishing a Google Voice hotline, which would allow students to anonymously phone in any incidents of bullying, violence, vandalism, and other concerns. Not only will the message be kept as an audio file, but it will be automatically transcribed and sent to Truancy Officer Linda Pattersons computer. I really appreciate all Ms. Rivara has done, remarks Mr. Ryan. We would not be where we are [in the Tolerance Campaign] without her help. The Tolerance Campaign will continue to evolve throughout the year, inciting change and growth within the SVHS population. For more information about the Tolerance Campaign, read the Our Schools page in the Index-Tribune this Tuesday, September 18.

There wont be a change if we just have a jazzy speaker or a couple of activities. There needs to be constant reinforcement.
selected from all across the SVHS culture. As for funding the $5000 program, Ryan explains, This was funded by ASB and the District Office. The tolerance theme is a district-wide initiative. SVHS is also investigating the possibility of implementing However, plans for the Tolerance Campaign extend past the short-term. There wont be a change if we just have a jazzy speaker or a couple of activities. There needs to be constant reinforcement, Mr. Ryan firmly states. In order for this to be successful, we need the participation of students as

Go skydiving! Andy Chavez, junior

College and Career Center Visitations

Friday September 14 - Azuza Pacic University & Portland State University Monday, September 17 - University of Connecticut Thursday September 20 - CA Maritime Academy Thursday, October 4 - University of Portland Friday, October 5 - Middlebury College & Lineld College

News Flash!
Our fearless leader, Dino Battaglini, will be gone for 1-4 weeks beginning September 26 for a predetermined medical procedure. During his absence, his responsibilities will fall to the vice principals, as well as the district ofce. We wish him good luck and a speedy recovery.

Get a pass from the College and Career Center to attend!

SVHS artists are invited to design a unique advertisement for the 2012 Homecoming Dance. The winner will receive a free ticket to the Homecoming dance, as well as recognition throughout the school. Entry forms and more information is available in Ms. Rivaras room, J9. The deadline for contest entry is this Friday, September 21.

Vegas, baby! Paul Santillan, freshman

Walk on the moon.

Thank you for your support!

Dragons Tale Page 8

Maria Hawing, junior.

September 2012