El Camino Real Charter High School October 9, 2012Volume 43, Issue 3

N S E D I :I

KING’S COURIERMy first time...

Student lies on glass 103 stories high.

Emmy reactions

Students express disappointment with this year’s Emmy Awards.

Taking a stand

Find out what your classmates’ views are on the election.

know to seem smart.

Your brain on news!

What you need to

The World Bank estimates that 1.4 million infants will die over the next seven years because of the financial crisis.

Volcano erupts in Indonesia

An unmanned drone flew over Israel on Saturday near the Negev desert. As a reac-tion, the Israeli airforce shot 17 more down.

Israel shoots down drone

(CNN)

Sixty-three percent of American public schools teachers said they buy food for hungry students every month.

(Harper’s Index) (CNN)

Mount Lokon began erupting and spewing ash Sunday morning. Those within 1.5 miles were advised to stay indoors.

(Harper’s Index)

Pierce event focuses on propositions

Photo courtesy of Danny Duarte

and producer John Viscount led a discussion of the questions print-ed on the event program, which asked controversial questions about forgiveness, and the situa-tion in the Middle East.

After some discussion, Ad-missions was shown.

The film is about an Arabic man and an Israeli couple’s si-multaneous entry into the admis-sions room of the afterlife, and the tensions and connections that follow.“The whole idea that Hell is just a prop was a really cool idea be-cause I feel a lot of people use Hell as a way to intimidate people to behave correctly,” junior Marion Herzog said, who attend-ed the Admissions screening.

“We as a race have a problem judging each other, and we really need to stop sectionalizing our-

By IMANI WHITE event were propositions 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 40 and 34.

Prop 31 deals with the state budget, which gives the governor more power to cut and requires state and local governments to submit performance goals.

Prop 33 is about car insurance and the discounts insurance com-panies may offer to new custom-ers.

Prop 35 would increase the jail sentencing for human traf-ficking crimes.

Prop 37 requires more label-ing of genetically modified food.

If Prop 39 is passed, multi-state businesses would have to pay taxes in California according to state tax laws.

Prop 34 is for California to get rid of the controversial three strike rule.

The three-strike rule throws the book at criminals previously convicted of two violent crimes after their third offense, regard-less of its seriousness.

Los Angeles assistant district attorney Mario Trujillo supports the proposition.

If this proposition is passed, fewer people will be in jail, which means less overcrowding.

“We can be using the extra beds for a child trafficker,” said Trujillo.

Pierce will hold its second Day of Politics this Thursday.

Zeitgeist Club presented an advance screening of the short film Admissions last Thursday during fifth and sixth period.

Jake Kornack, a co-president of the club moderated discussion before and after the film.

Zeitgeist advocates environ-mental sustainability, internation-al disarmament and collective use of resources.

El Camino’s chapter is the first high school faction, which is very exciting for many students.

Prior to showing Admissions, founder and CEO of Project Peace on Earth and Support Vets Now, Steve Robertson, spoke to the students and showed a clip Project Peace on Earth, an an-nual concert series for peace. Subsequently, Admissions writer

selves. I think it was really cool they were able to bring attention to our school,” Herzog said.

After the film, Viscount, the director Harry Kakatsakis and the actors James Cromwell, Oren Dayan and Anna Khaja conversed with students and club members about the ideas behind the film and the students’ reactions to it.

Cromwell, a longtime activ-ist, said to students, “There is not a problem that you can conceive that does not have a solution. There is no such thing as separate interests. We are all connected; we are all one people.”

“Forgiveness and peace and the process of peace is a process,” Kakatsakis said. “If you have a solution in mind, keep at it!”

Issues like Admssions are dis-cussed at Zeitgesit Club meetings on Fridays at lunch in A209

Zeitgeist presents screening, students meet film makersBy BRIT-EL GIBSON

Pierce College held its Day of Politics event, in which speakers with different opinions on vari-ous issues and propositions spoke to the public on their views on Thursday, Sept. 27.

This event gave third parties like Libertarians and the Green Party a way to inform the public about their party platforms.

Dr. Jill Fein, the Green Party presidential nominee, gave a 30-minute speech on her plans if she becomes president.

One of the major ideas on her platform is the Green New Deal, modeled after the New Deal dur-ing the Great Depression to help get out of the recession.

Another one of her ideas, sim-ilar to Obama’s, is healthcare for everyone.

Her universal healthcare would cover everything, includ-ing dental and mental health. Also like Obama, Stein believes in helping illegal immigrants.

“Don’t demonize the undocu-mented workers, the backbone of our work force,” Fein said.

After her speech, smaller parties like the Libertarians and Peace and Freedom, debated on the issues. Smaller parties don’t get to be part of the televised de-bates.

Propositions discussed at the

Mario Trujillo, the California legislative deputy district attorney, speaks to college and high school students at the Politics at Pierce event opposing the three-strikes rule which says that after com-mitting three crimes, two of which must be violent, a person will be sentenced to life in prison. The event’s goal was to educate local students about major current political issues and to en-courage them to vote in November. The next Politics at Pierce event will be held this Thursday.

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D I D Y O U K N O W ?

Zeitgeist club members M i c h a e l A l a y n i c k and Shani Postadj ian part ic ipate in club activ-ities during their weekly Friday meet-ings at lunch in A209. M e m b e r s recently pre-sented an a d v a n c e d screening of the short film Admissions during fifth and sixth period last T h u r s d a y. There was a moderated discussion before and after the film as well.

Nora Murphy/King’s Courier

Teachers feed kids Infant death rises

October 9, 20122 NEWS SUNDAY MONDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY FRIDAY TUESDAY

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

15 16 18 19 2014 17

KEYPDD: Professional Development DayCollege Visits: sign up in the

college office a week before

OctoberCHECK WWW.ECRCHS.NET FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS

PDD

Friends of ECR Meeting, 7 p.m.Parent Center

CSUN RecruiterCollege Office9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Brown UniversityRecruiter 11 a.m.

College Office

Cal Lutheran College Recruiter

8 a.m. College OfficePSAT Testing Day Pierce College

Recruiterall day

Roberson, library, 9 a.m.

French Honor Society Induction Ceremony 6 p.m.

College is Possible Cal State LA 8:30-1 pm

More info on ECR site college office link

Solo Showcase7 p.m.AH DeAngelus/Fischer

CSUN College Recruiter

Penthouse, 10:30

UC Merced College Recruiter,

9 a.m. College OfficeROTC Event

San Diego, CA

Marching Band Competition 8 am

CSU Application Tips workshop

Roberson lecture Library, 9 a.m.

All AP US History Students welcome

Senior picturesdelivered, 12:30 p.m.

Duke UniversityInformation Session7 p.m. Double Tree

Santa Monica1707 4th Street

Santa Monica, CA90401

College Fest 9- noon Valley College

Stanford Recruiter 11:30 a.m.

Humanitas visits farmBy ISABELLA CHAVEZ

The Underwood Family Farm welcomed Humanitas on Sept. 21 as seniors took a field trip to the farm in Moorpark.

There, they talked to the own-er of the farm about economics, specifically about the cost and up-keep of the farm.

“Going on this field trip re-ally made economics easier to understand because we saw how the concepts can be applied in the real world,” senior Emily Gilbert said.

The students left for the Un-derwood Family Farm at 8 a.m., returning to school around 2 p.m.

“It was very interesting to hear

riculum more. Humanitas is an interdisci-

plinary program in which the stu-dents are in classes with the same people all four years. Therefore, every one knows each other bet-ter.

“I love being with the same people in Humanitas because it allows us to become a family,” Gilbert said.

Humanitas students go on field trips to supplement the sub-jects they’re studying, as well.

“I love being in Humanitas because we get to go on field trips and experience what we’re learn-ing in the real world. People who aren’t in Humanitas don’t get that opportunity,” Cagle said.

the owner of the farm talk about what it takes to keep the farm run-ning with everything that’s going on. It sounded like a lot of hard work and effort,” senior Brandon Cagle said. “It’s definitely an in-tense job.”

Students called the trip edu-cational, and they can go on field trips with their schools or just visit with their family.

Children can also attend camp there over the summer.

Visitors can climb on hay-stacks, visit a chicken house, and interact with the farm animals.

Humanitas is a program for students to specifically focus on areas of subjects to better them-selves and understand the cur-

Pictured left: Homecoming king and queen Ean McCabe and Summer Gilson pose after being crowned by former king and queen Alex Cheng and Heather Nguyen. They beat princes Nicolas Robinson and Morgan Hawes and princesses Ariana Marsoubian and Julia Keating. Pictured below: The junior class walks in the homecoming parade with their red Incredibles banner.

Nora Murphy/King’s Courier

Phot

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Hawaii PacificCollege recruiter

11:30 am

University of Pennsylvania (U Penn)

1:30 pm

Harvey Mudd College Recruiter

9 a.m.Mt. St. Mary’s

College Recruiter11:30 a.m.

Humanitas ProjectPeriod 2, 9 a.m.Kinsella, seniorsLatino Literacy

Project 6:30-8:30AH Senate meeting

9-10:30 am AH

Latino LiteracyProject 6:30-8:30

AHLife Coach:

Nutrition8 a.m. PenthouseGoad Period 1-6

Pictured left: Seniors Isabel Murashko and Aja Randle explore the haystacks at the Underwood Family Farm in Moorpark during a Humanitas field trip.Pictured below: Humanitas students Aja Randle, Anisha Weerasinghe, and Isabel Murashko relax with popsicles and orange soda after the day at the farm.

Photos courtesy of Isabel Murashko

“There is a bromance triangle between

Johnathan, Tyler and Julian. Johnathan is cheating on Julian.

For Jake’s birthday we bought him a book of bunny suicides and a giant Justin Bieber

card.”

-Melissa NguB Teamsenior

“We relate the names of famous musicians

we have to memorize to Pokemon. One time on

break we played with this trampoline and balls set and spent 45 minutes

throwing the balls at the trampoline while the janitors watched.”

-Brennan LincolnA Team senior

“We all pick on each other. We all have

nicknames. Johnathan actually has seven right

now. I am the diva of the team. We also stole

the softball team’s T-shirt quote, ‘No

pressure, no diamonds.’”

-Jenny ChiB Team senior

“When I was little I couldn’t play Pokemon

because my name wouldn’t fit. I think I cried. The secret to

Deca is, in fact, Deca. Half my team won’t

admit to it. Like why do we need to breathe, we just do. The best part of

Deca is the girls.”

-Johnathan YihA Team senior

All photos Brittany Brody/King’s Courier

ACA DECA tell all

3NEWS October 9, 2012

Junior Golnaz Guivatchian lies on the 103-story high glass, 1,353 foot-observation deck of the Wilis Tower (former Sears Tower) in Chicago, the tallest building in the country. and the third tall-est in the world. The deck attracts more than 1.3 million tourists a year. The skydeck is so high that on a clear day, a person can see parts of Indiana and Michigan as well as Illinois.

My first time...Floating in midair

This past summer, my older sister and I spontaneously trav-eled to Chicago.

With its eclectic architecture and tasteful blend of modern and vintage ingredients, Chicago sur-prised me.

It would hold moments I never expected, those few moments that a person remembers vividly.

Next to a river, the city seemed reminiscent of Paris and its Seine River.

It possessed the paradoxical elements of old and new, modern and traditional, and cosmopolitan and natural.

The beautifully placed sky-scrapers fringing the Chicago River portrayed charm and char-acter with a modern edge.

We planned to explore the Willis Tower, formerly the Tower, which is the second tallest build-ing in the world.

All my life I had a fear of heights. I got dizzy on some of the structures I had visited, like the Eiffel Tower and Washington Monument.

Foreign tourists flocked around the grand elevator, where I would spend my last moments on land before being transported to my terror.

I kept thinking to myself that this building was the epitome of my fear.

The television screen in the elevator mercilessly compared the height we reached each sec-

ond to the height of a prominent monument.

Oh...we have just passed the Eiffel Tower.

The ride was spookily slow. When we reached the height of the Empire State Building, my ears began to pop. My mind and body were obviously against me.

Finally, the computerized fe-male elevator voice counted up to floor 106 in its eerily gleeful tone.

The elevator dinged. Its doors opened. Chaotic tourists stam-peded to the scenery. I hesitantly entered the floor, each step slow.

The floor-length windows exposed the magnificent, clear skyline and allowed the sunlight to stream in. I could see parts of Indiana and Michigan because it was a clear day.

But, at the end of the floor, the true obstacle awaited me. An all glass observation deck allowed a person to stand above Chicago on glass.

Designed to make you feel like you are floating 103 stories high, the transparent deck of doom did not seem like my cup of tea.

But after travelling to Chicago to do this very thing, something inside me knew I had to do it. I kept telling myself that “it is all in my head,” but the cliché didn’t sooth.

Butterflies wavered in the pit of my stomach when I waited in line to enter the deck.

It was the moment when I first stepped on the glass that I experi-enced the most vivid thoughts of

Extreme leapfrog, wheelbar-row races, “dizzy izzy” and boat paddling are only a few of the ath-letic events that the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, better known as ROTC, competed in at the Troy Athletic Field Meet on Saturday.

Eighteen other schools from all over Southern California gath-ered at Troy High School in Ful-lerton to compete in a series of c o m p e t i -tions that tested the a t h l e t i c a b i l i t i e s , knowledge and team-work of the cadets from the schools.

The 45 ECR cadets won five trophies at the athletic meet.

They placed first in three cat-egories – the 100-yard relay, 200-yard relay, and push-ups – and eighth in endurance relay. At the end of the event, they came out as one of the top ten schools.

Junior Vanessa Barajas has at-tended the meet for the past three years ever since her freshman year.

As Cadet Ensign, Barajas was in charge of organizing which students belong on which teams as well as assigning a team cap-tain for teach time. This is her second time being in charge of this event.

“It was definitely a lot of fun,

By GOLNAZ GUIVATCHIAN

Photo courtesy of Tannaz Guivatchian

death. At any instant the sheet of

glass could shatter and I would enter the next Mission Impossible, surging down the sleek, steep side of the tower. But unfortunately, this time my parachute would not open.

When people toy with the fine line between life and death, they experience a surge of adrenaline. This same adrenaline quickly dominated my nerves, and I be-

gan to gaze at the world around me, mesmerized.

Peering down at a child’s game of tiny figurines, the skyline started to spin, but I used mere mental power to suck all of the dark thoughts away, a sort of men-tal catharsis. The skyline stayed where it should. So, this is where postcards are photographed?

In that moment something came over me. Maybe it was my sentimental older sister clicking

away at the camera or the swarm-ing, ubiquitous tourists watching that made me take a risk. I lay completely facedown on the glass floor.

The motley throng of foreign languages buzzed. The clicking camera’s heart rate climbed.

It was incredible in that mo-ment, flirting with the fine line separating life and death.

For once, an idiom was liter-al-- I was on top of the world.

By CLARE RAMIREZ

ROTC wins five trophies in meet

CLUB CORNER: W.I.N.

Club members Melilissa Cheng,

Christine Yuen, and vice president Manali

Kulkarni play with the children living at the Alexandria

House shelter dur-ing the shelter’s

monthly thrift sale. Members will start

writing letters to the

children monthly.

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Women in Need helps bat-tered women and children piece together their lives after home-lessness.

Founded by junior Golnaz Guivatchian, W.I.N. was in-spired by an episode of Secret Millionaire, where the Alexan-dria House Shelter was featured as a home for women and chil-dren who have suffered from do-mestic violence, poor economic situations, and sex trafficking.

“The shelter is special be-cause it is a home and a com-munity center, not a cold, unwel-coming prison housing hundreds like sardines,” Guivatchian said.

W.I.N. volunteers at the Al-exandria House Shelter monthly, as they help set up their thrift

important than my own life,” co-vice president, junior Manali Kulkarni said.

This month, members will start a pen-pal system with shel-ter residents so they can bond with the children.

“We get to meet the people we are impacting. That personal element is what makes the club unique,” Guivatchian said.

Members also hold an an-nual can drive in support of the local Haven Hills shelter. Last year they collected over 300 cans for the homeless.

“I saw what a difference the shelter was making in people’s lives and wanted to be part of it,” Guivatchian said.

W.I.N. meets Fridays at lunch in Heather Desmond’s room, B113.

shop to help raise money for the shelter.

“We are so thankful for W.I.N.’s help because we get over 300 calls from families each month that we cannot help,” Al-exandria House shelter founder Judy Vaughan said.

“The shelter is special be-cause it is a home and a commu-nity center, not a cold, unwelcom-ing prison housing hundreds like sardines,” Guivatchian said.

The club also independently holds bake-sales and after school fundraisers to raise money to send to the shelters they support.

Members also helps the Los Angeles Food Bank package food for the homeless and other vari-ous shelters.

“I love to feel like I am a part of something bigger and more

By SARAH STIGERS even though it added a lot more pressure,” Barajas said. “It al-lowed me to have better leader-ship skills.”

Barajas added that competing in these athletic field meets is a great way for new kids not only to bond with the veteran members but also for them to experience what a real competition would be like.

She said that meets like the one at Troy are more for fun and

are different from their real compe-titions.

“There are more a c t i v i t i e s and events at the real ones,” she said. “At ECR we have set teams for those com-petitions.”

As a Physical Training Team Commander, sophomore Charles Sejalbo said it was fun to have some more responsibilities, as opposed to when he went to the Troy Field Meet a freshman and was not in charge of any teams.

“It showed me that I actually have some leadership potential,” Sejalbo said. “I liked helping the other students to do their best, so it was great having that drive to push me and actually have people listening to what I said.”

Sejalbo added that at the meet, he knew what to expect. He said he liked seeing the familiar events and bonding with the new faces that came.

“It was definitely a lot of fun, even though it added

a lot more pressure.”

-Vanessa BarajasCadet Ensign

junior

4 October 9, 2012OPINION

Should the military be allowed to recruit on high school campuses?PRO CON

By AMY AYALABy MAURINE LAMBERT

For many decades, the United States has proven to have one of the best mili-taries in the world. Fighting for indepen-dence and justice, our country has been victorious many times.

When the Selective Service was still actively drafting young men for the army, there was no question that the men were going to go through with it. Thankfully, our military does not find it necessary to draft today because there are enough people enlisting in the armed forces.

However, many people tend to forget about the military as a post-high school graduation option.

Going straight to college is great for some, but not meant for everyone.

Many students feel trapped in a cer-tain plan that they and their parents set when they were young, going through the motions to ensure them the perfect life. This “foolproof plan,” however, is not al-ways the best option.

This is why everyone should be edu-cated about alternative options, including the military.

Joining any branch of the armed forc-es can truly be a blessing for people who haven’t quite found who they’re ready to

Here at El Camino we see it all: regu-lar college visits, clubs, and a mix of stu-dents. With a taste of everything, we can discover and develop new interests.

Students can even get a taste of army life by being introduced by soldiers that come to recruit high school students.

Even though presentations by the representatives are solely informational, army recruitment should not be allowed on high school campuses.

The Topanga Peace Alliance is an as-sociation which upholds these ideas. The group is “a secular, nonpartisan organi-zation dedicated to promoting peace and justice on a local and global level” and strives to end military recruiting at high schools.

Julie Levine, an alternative radio host, takes part to help spread their message.

“Schools are for education, not for re-cruiting students for a profession where they can kill or be killed,” Levine said.

That’s not to say that what our sol-diers do is not appreciated. In fact, it is admired.

However, when they come to speak to underage high school students who are in the process of trying to discover them-

be as soon as they turn 18. The military teaches the discipline

and work ethic that many people lack. After their service is over, these young adults can decide what they want from their future with a wider perspective.

Many people object to the armed forces being able to recruit in public high schools. There have been many par-ents and anti-war groups who speak up against it.

Many statements have been made that students should not feel pressured to do something so dangerous and poten-tially life threatening. However, it is not a draft, just recruitment.

If colleges are allowed to come to schools and make presentations, why shouldn’t the military be able to, as well?

Schools are full of young people who are about to graduate high school and start their lives. Many have no certainty of what their next move will be.

Perhaps someone who has never con-sidered joining the military will see a presentation, decide to join, and end up becoming an American war hero.

Recruiting does not mean drafting, and everyone deserves to know about all things regarding their future.

selves and their interests, they shouldn’t plant something like being part of the army in a young kid’s head.

It is one thing to speak to students who are over 18, but speaking to younger students is not right. Recruiters should go to colleges instead, where students are mature enough to make a decision of this magnitude.

Levine says that if recruiting won’t stop, students should at least have “equal access to both points of view.”

It is not fair to influence students with ideas of army life when they have yet to experience what real life is like in the real world.

This world is where high school grad-uates go to college and learn to fend for themselves, where they develop interests and a job they can see themselves happily doing for the rest of their lives.

Once they are over 18 and they de-cide that their right lifestyle for them is being in the army, then so be it. By then, they will have had time to make the right decision, both for themselves and their families.

Whatever life choice a student makes, it should be made at an appropriate age when they are capable of making a long-term, life-changing decision.

Jumping off the wagon By YASMIN TORABI

As I was sitting in a somewhat crowded café, reading about how to interpret scatter plots, a faint, winsome voice crept into my ears. I recognized the upbeat melody and began to bob my head to the catchy tune.

Finally, I realized that the mushy lyrics belong to teen sen-sation Justin Bieber. I overheard the barista groan as the boy idol confessed his love to his baby. It seemed a little much for a barely audible three-minute ballad.

The next day, I asked my classmates what they thought of the pop star. “I hate him, he’s so annoying.” After further ques-tioning, it became clear that no one had a “real” reason to hate him, especially when they turned to each other for answers about their own opinions. Bandwagon-ing much?

No one can deny the appeal of agreeing with the masses. Hu-mans are like sheep, and unifor-mity has always been welcomed. Having similar views as your peers is nothing bad, but band-wagoning isn’t that.

Bandwagoning is based on the idea that if idea A is popular, idea A must be correct. It’s as if people aren’t capable of producing their own opinions.

When the Clippers, Los An-geles’s other basketball team, added Chris Paul last season, the team played its best season with 40 wins and 26 losses.

Suddenly, a team that was once shadowed and shunned was gaining support from the people who never gave the Clippers a second thought. And people who never bothered to follow the Clip-pers’ season acted as if they had always been Clippers fans.

But how does supporting a team you aren’t a fan of benefit you? Yes, it puts you with every-one else and it’s nice when you and your peers have similar opin-ions, but feeling indifferent about, for example, a team becoming good, doesn’t do any harm.

It isn’t as if people will dislike you for your opinion on some-

thing so trivial, so wouldn’t it be best to express and stand by your view?

We have the ability to take in data and evidence and shape an opinion on matters, so why not use this tool as a way to add to our individuality?

Bandwagoning is demean-ing because instead of using our intelligence to create an opinion that follows our morals and be-liefs, we turn to popularity to find out what we should and should not support.

In some cases, bandwagoning may not seem harmful. There is the idea of positive peer pressure but even that has its limitations.

AP classes are beyond popu-lar and some students take them for that reason. It’s the idea that if everyone is doing AP classes, so can I. Also, some people feel stupid or lesser than their peers for not taking these classes. But if students aren’t ready for a large workload and more complicated material, they should be mature enough to know what they can and cannot handle.

If they find AP classes aren’t the right fit for them, those stu-dents are better off taking an hon-ors or regular course they will do well in rather than getting a low grade on their final report card.

In cases like this where band-wagoning has a negative result, students need to understand that it’s ok not to be like their peers. All decisions need to be made with your welfare in mind, and if that means going against the popular trend, so be it.

Going along with the popu-lar view doesn’t give anyone an edge in life. It does the opposite. It turns people into mindless animals that follow the herd of mindless animals. Humans aren’t sheep, so why do we act like we are?

We have intelligence and the ability to produce complex thought, so instead of jumping on the “I hate Bieber” wagon, take the time to listen to his boy-ish voice sing of heartbreak, and decide for yourself if you are, in fact, a belieber.

Don’t overprotect our protectors Keep the military influence at bay

By CLARE RAMIREZ

When I was about 2 years old, two of my older cousins tried to kill me. Yes, I’m serious.

When my cousins Kathrina and Nikki wanted to have a slee-pover, their parents said yes, on the one condition that they invite me as well.

Unwilling and annoyed, they had no choice but to consent to their parents’ wishes. Little did any one know what dark thought was born inside those young girls’ minds that night.

When I fell asleep, they plot-ted to cover my face with a pil-low and thus prevent me from breathing. I can only thank my lucky stars that my aunt entered the room before the two of them could carry out this evil act.

Fifteen years have passed since what I call the “would-be tragedy,” and it pleases me very much to say that both of them no longer wish to get rid of me. I consider Kathrina to be one of my closest friends, and even though Nikki lives back home in the Phil-ippines, we still keep in touch.

My dad grew up with four brothers and four sisters, and my mom lived with a sister and nine brothers. Seeing as both of my

parents came from large families, my extended family -- that is, my uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. -- is an extremely huge part of my life.

Growing up, I forged unique relationships with my uncles, aunts, and especially my cousins. I see them very often, usually ev-ery weekend when we all go to church on the same day and at the same time.

There are also those relatives and cousins of mine that I don’t see very often, the ones I see only during holidays and certain birth-days. But distance doesn’t matter in our family, and no matter how often or not we see each other, we still remain close.

I’ve learned so much about them over the years -- what they like, what they’re passionate about, where they see themselves in the future. I can’t help but sim-ply love who they are and admire their ambition and dedication.

However, nothing compares to the ties I share with my parents and my brother, the three most important people in my life.

Absolutely no words could describe the gratitude and respect I have for them. They are my best friends, and I love them more than anyone else in the world.

Personally, I consider my-self very blessed to come from a family where the bonds between members are incredibly strong and genuine.

But I know that there are fam-ilies out there that are different from mine, families who undergo situations that cause their bonds to be fragile and vulnerable.

Take, for instance, such fami-lies that face situations like do-mestic violence, divorce or drug addiction. These families undergo experiences that I would not be able to relate to or connect with.

But that doesn’t mean that my family is perfect, either. Every family has its own share of prob-lems and difficulties, and whether

or not they concern large and sig-nificant matters does not make them any less complicated.

I am an optimist at heart. In my mind, a family’s problems exist not to break or separate its members but to test and strength-en their relationships.

Trials such as sicknesses or financial difficulties can bring members of a family to work as one to solve such problems. They are forced to think on their feet and communicate with each other in order to come up with a work-ing solution.

It is in the face of such prob-lems that families can grow stron-ger and be more grateful for and supportive of each other.

No two families are exactly alike. Though some situations are common to more than one family, the way each tackles its situations can be completely different from the way another family does.

But I’d like to shed some light on the fact that even with all the problems we may experience within our families, we each get only one -- the one we’re given.

I know I cannot speak for all teenagers, and I am not. But in tough times, though some of us may rely on our friends, in the end, most of us end our days by coming home to none other than our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters.

Everyone knows families are not perfect. All problems aside, we know that our parents can be embarrassing, our siblings can be annoying, and both are just sim-ply weird at times. But we learn to love them, even with their idio-syncrasies and peccadilloes.

We cannot change the family we are born into, no matter how hard we try. So take advantage of what your family has to offer you.

Whether it is support, love, or even just entertainment, a family is unique to each person.

THE TIES THAT BIND

Families aren’t perfect, but they’re the only ones we get

Nora Murphy/King’s Courier

Editorial Policy: All editorials on this page are the collective opinion of the King’s Courier editorial board. As with all major daily newspapers, these consensus editorials run without byline.

Contributing Editors: Amy Ayala, Brittany Brody, Rachael Cohen, Brit-El Gibson, Golnaz Guivatchian, Maurine Lambert, Ethan Millman, Clare Ramirez, Madison Spiegel, Sarah Stigers, Yasmin Torabi, Imani White

King’s Courier

October 9, 2012 5EDITORIAL

Write to the Courier!The King’s Courier is your newspaper, and we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you think of our coverage, for better or worse. You may submit articles for us to publish to S-6. Letters become the property of the Courier and may be altered by the staff of the paper for the sake of available space.Please include your name (even if you wish to remain anon-ymous), period 4 room number, and a contact number.

Contact the editors at: ecrjournalism@aol.com

2012 - 2013 STAFF

The King’s Courier is published by the Journalism 2 class of El Camino Real High School. Our address is 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367. The King’s Courier is hand-

distributed, free of charge, to a student body and faculty of over 3,700. Advertising information is available by emailing us at ECRJournalism@aol.com. Suggestions, comments, or letters to the editor may be dropped off during schools hours in room S-6, or placed in Ms. Messadieh’s

mailbox in the Main Office.

Editor-in-Chief.......................................................................Sarah StigersOnline Editor-in-Chief.........................................................Clare RamirezProduction Manager...........................................................Christine YuenNews Editors.................................Golnaz Guivatchian, Maurine LambertOpinion Editors.........................................Rachael Cohen, Yasmin TorabiFeatures Editors............................................Brittany Brody, Imani WhiteA&E Editors...........................................Brit-El Gibson, Madison SpiegelSports Editors.................................................Amy Ayala, Ethan MillmanAdvertising Manager.........................................................Katherine AlasPhotographer........................................................................Nora MurphyPollster/Public Relations..................................................Mariapia Aquije Distribution and Exchange..............................................Isabella ChavezTechnology Director..............................................................Justin Hoang Adviser.......................................................................Kimberly Messadieh

Defined and identified on an 8.5x11”

Romney’s presidential suicide

erhaps the most intimi-dating thing about any application process

–whether it is for a job or for college – is the beginning, when the white, empty page is laying before you.

For both the student staring at a blinking cursor on his computer and the student holding a pencil poised over the first line of their paper, the feeling of intimidation

is the same.The most intimidating part is

the amount of space, and not that it is too much; it is that it is not enough. On this 8.5x11” sheet of paper, you must define who you are.

You must demonstrate on this page, to any reader who may pick it up, your essence.

After reading this application, college admissions staff are

supposed to feel as if they know you. At least, that’s the goal.

A sheet cannot contain the essence of a person, however. It can contain a sliver, but not the whole thing or even a fair representation. After all, how can one possibly transfer years of experience and memories onto one page?

Duplicate the space and it’s still not enough, just as five pages,

ten pages, or even a novel will not suffice.

The empty space is confining, like a rigid and unyielding box in which nothing will fit despite how hard you push, rearrange or struggle. Though you have a thousand, the box will only take a couple, say, hundred words.

To fit yourself there, compensate. Butcher the memories you have had and the lessons you have learned in order to transfer them onto paper.

Slice and edit them, over and over again, until you can squeeze a little more of your content into the space.

Then you’ll have made the most of the space, but will you have stayed true to your essence?

The question is crucial, because who truly receives the news of acceptance or rejection: the sized and edited person on the page, or the person who wrote that page?

The fear about the blank space isn’t that things that will be lost in the move, but that the accuracy will.

The primary concern when filling out an application should be the quality, but that concern has been extended because of the quantity.

P

ith one presidential debate completed and two more remaining,

the 2012 campaign has heated up.

According to a CNN survey conducted directly after the debate, 67 percent of debate watchers said that Romney won the debate, while 25 percent said Obama triumphed.

Even though most Americans considered the debate to be a win for Mitt Romney, he is still slightly behind Barrack Obama in the polls at 45 to 49 percent.

Romney lost a lot of strength when covertly taped footage of the speech he gave to campaign donors was leaked on September 17 on a left-leaning Web site called motherjones.com. The speech was unscripted and mostly unedited.

“Had [my father] been born of, uh, Mexican parents, I’d have a better shot at winning this. But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico.

He lived there for a number of years,” Romney said in leaked comments from a closed-door Florida fundraiser on May 17.

His entire speech at a $50,000 per person fundraiser in Florida was leaked in September, supplementing his opponent’s speeches.

“We use Ann sparingly right now so that people don’t get tired of her,” Romney also said in the footage secretly taped from the closed door fundraiser.

The quotes from the clandestinely taped footage of Romney, viewed by the public, caused him to slip in polls dramatically that week.

He also revealed what he really thinks about 47 percent of Obama supporters.

“There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims,” Romney said, “who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that

they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it, that that’s an entitlement and the government should give it to them.”

He explains that he sees almost half of the American voters, his fellow citizens, as freeloaders and “victims” who do not pay income taxes.

By grouping together almost half of the American people and stereotyping them, as well, Romney lost some respect from Democrats, as well.

When recently asked about the government’s responsibility to the 50 million Americans without health insurance, he said that Americans already have access to health care in emergency rooms.

These rash statements are considered unpresidential, and have attracted a lot of negative attention towards Romney, even after what most viewers considered to be a victorious debate.

W

AN EDITOR’S INSIGHT:the ignorance of Mitt Romney, or the lack of change Obama had promised in 2008, and I wonder if everyone has so many opinions, why are there so few answers?

One man I admire is the founder of the organization Remote Area Medical: Stan Brock. Brock starred on the television show Wild Kingdom, and while on his journeys to tribal villages, he realized that the nearest access to health care was miles and miles away. Brock then created RAM, an organization dedicated to bringing health care to places it isn’t available or unaffordable. Brock found a problem, and instead of complaining, decided to fix it.

After he sold all of his possessions and invested his life’s profits into RAM, Brock noticed the same need for health care was present in our own country, and even more so in the state of California. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California has the third highest unemployment rate in the country at 10.2 percent, and due to these circumstances, RAM California was born.

As the president of the RAM California club at ECR, I am biased in saying that RAM is making a difference in our country. Bias aside, the health care conventions hosted by the organization help hundreds of people who otherwise couldn’t have afforded it.

Whoever said students can’t make a difference has never seen the level of interest that ECR students take in politics, government and reform for our country.

The incredible amount of community service clubs at ECR shows that we are actively trying to change the future of our

country, and that makes me proud to be a part of this school community.

Clare Ramirez/King’s Courier

Joseph Pulitzer once said that journalists should have no friends. This may pertain to me because my job requires that I critique the work of the staff, many of whom are my friends. I do whatever I have to do to better the paper, and the tension among staff members often results in loss of friendship.

Part of this business-like persona I must maintain incorporates allowing students to be featured in our paper, without the hindrance of personal vendettas I may have against them.

For example, one of the students featured in our center spread is directly responsible for my dislike of pizza, the discontent I feel when sitting on my front porch, and the lack of use my front door has gotten since last winter break.

Although my house has suffered undeserved abuse, I do applaud his creativity. However, I am happy that he has learned to re-route his spare time and energy into something more productive, as featured in the centerspread.

This issue recognizes students who take a stand against injustice instead of complain about it.

The fact that students in our own ECR family are taking the initiative to change our society is what excited our newspaper staff enough to dedicate an entire spread to their efforts.

This concept of action is something all people can learn from during this election. I often hear people complaining about

Illustration by Yvonne Nguyen

-Sarah Stigers

Ta

king Stan

d

a Left(Liberal)

The Gay Straight Alliance is open to all students, regardless sexual orientation. The group tries to keep a presence at the school by participating in a variety of activities, including gay rights activism. The club will soon begin to raise money for the Los Angeles AIDS walk, Oct.14.

The Thespins prove that they are more than just actors. Last year they organized an Occupy El Camino Movement and this year put on a play called “8,” dramatizing the trial of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage.

Senior Jacob Burman grew up in a home with parents who were interested in politics and is now getting involved in politics himself. He is a member of the Senior Cabinet, and is the event coordinator for the Zeitgeist Club and a part of the Worldwide Zeitgeist Movement.

“I am a part of it because I recognize that we live on a planet with finite resources and an exponentially growing population with so many different problems, and if we want to have a future on this planet as a species, we need to be more sustainable in how we live and how we act with one another,” Burman said. Over the summer, Burman interned in Washing-ton, D.C., for a Senate campaign office, and is now interning for our city councilman, Dennis Zine.

Meet in the middlePh

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Students and PoliticsBy Brittany Brody

Every change in our world begins with one person—one person with an idea who is willing to do whatever he can to make it a reality, a person who shares beliefs with others, who

work in tandem to pursue their dreams and turn them into real things. One way for people to change the world in which they live is to get involved in politics and

government. Ever since the colonists rebelled against King George III in the 1700s, Americans have governed themselves, guided by the Constitution and their own form of government, which they based on the best governments that had existed throughout history. Over time, the American govern-ment has transfigured itself, adjusting to the needs and desires of its people. With the advances in technology, a vast new place has been opened, allowing more and more people to access the world around them.

Consequently, the Internet has given students easier, paperless, hassle-free access to politics and government and programs that help students to become active in their world.

Many colleges all over the United States offer summer programs for high school students to give them an opportunity to get involved in politics. Some of these schools include

Georgetown University, Arizona State University, UCLA, UC Davis and Princeton University.

Politicians have also begun to reach out and start fellowship programs of their own all over the nation, helping students to find their passion,

become active in government, and learn to be a leader.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Gandhi

with the same thinking we used

when we created them.” -Einstein“We cannot solve our problems

Which political party would you side with?70% Democrats

Brittany Brody/King’s Courier

Brittany Brody/King’s Courier

Ta

king Stan

d

aRight

(Conservative)

Junior Jung Kim is the president of the TeenAge RePublican (TAP) Club at El Camino. The club is “about providing conservative students with an opportunity to express their political views and, of course, encouraging the activities of the Republican Party and promoting its ideals,” Kim said.

He became interested in politics when he realized how much it affects the lives of its citizens and the daily choices they make.

“I wish to be a lawyer or a politi-cian later on in life because I believe that through these careers, I can freely express my ideas and make a positive impact on our nation,” Kim said.

Senior Jake Kornack is the co-head coordinator of the Zeit-geist Club at El Camino, which is “the first globally recognized high school chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement,” Kornack said. He became involved in politics because he was disgusted by the global issues that the world has been experiencing over the past decade and he realized that focusing on government and its role would help him to better understand these issues and perhaps solve them one day. He is currently “the campaign manager for the reelection campaign of a city council member in Santa Monica named Terry O’Day.” Kornack hopes to one day become president. “It is time that human beings have a sustainable relationship to the earth and each other. I will use the office to mold an environmentally responsible, sustainable, and technologically advanced future,” Kornack said.

Meet in the middle

Britt

any

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“I have always been political, and don’t regret any of my experiments with affiliations. Growing up, I often went along with my parents to political rallies, and in middle school volunteered constantly for McCain and the Tea Party, I was really jazzed about cutting taxes. But when Proposi-tion 8 hit, I got queasy because it made me feel uncomfort-able about the Republican Party, as they were against gay marriage.

It took time to be shaken out of certain notions and be-come literate on certain topics, but learning about non-Re-publican ideas felt verboten and exciting.

I remember in seventh grade watching Billie Joe Arm-strong of Green Day yell, “This song is not anti-American. It’s anti-WAR!” before starting “Holiday,” which to me was so radical. My parents voted for and stuck by Bush. But even-tually, I stepped up to punk’s sole ethic: question everything.

I fell out with major parties, embraced Libertarianism, and started learning about everything I hadn’t given enough attention to.

From experience, getting into politics can horribly dis-gust and disenchant you. But I feel that not only is it civic duty to keep an eye on the government, but that if you act on your dissent, educate yourself, and never give in, you realize your own incendiary power to change whatever you see fit.”

-Brit El-Gibson, Libertarian

Students and PoliticsBy Brittany Brody

Every change in our world begins with one person—one person with an idea who is willing to do whatever he can to make it a reality, a person who shares beliefs with others, who

work in tandem to pursue their dreams and turn them into real things. One way for people to change the world in which they live is to get involved in politics and

government. Ever since the colonists rebelled against King George III in the 1700s, Americans have governed themselves, guided by the Constitution and their own form of government, which they based on the best governments that had existed throughout history. Over time, the American govern-ment has transfigured itself, adjusting to the needs and desires of its people. With the advances in technology, a vast new place has been opened, allowing more and more people to access the world around them.

Consequently, the Internet has given students easier, paperless, hassle-free access to politics and government and programs that help students to become active in their world.

Many colleges all over the United States offer summer programs for high school students to give them an opportunity to get involved in politics. Some of these schools include

Georgetown University, Arizona State University, UCLA, UC Davis and Princeton University.

Politicians have also begun to reach out and start fellowship programs of their own all over the nation, helping students to find their passion,

become active in government, and learn to be a leader.“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be

stronger men.” -John F. Kennedy

Which political party would you side with?

Brittany Brody/King’s Courier

Courtesy of Jung Kim

70% Democrats

12% Republicans

18%Undecided

103 students polled

October 9, 20128 Arts & Entertainment

“‘Dreams and Disasters’ by Owl City

can get old really fast if listened to enough.”

- Adrian Lamanosenior

“Good Time” had a good beat with little sounds

creating a good rhythm. Carly Rae Jepson

makes the song better.”

-David Phillips sophomore

“I thought both songs are typical radio hits

because they are very catchy.”

-Sara Sutherland seniorListening Party

Students weigh in on

new OWL CITY album

VOX POP:

Did the fall TV premieres live up to expectation?

“I think the fall premieres lived up to expectation. I liked

the premiere of Ghost Adventures because

there’s a lot of new evidence and gadgets they use to find new

spirits.” -Mariah Zenali junior

“I loved the premiere of The Voice. It is very different this

season, and it definitely impressed

me.”

- Alonso Aquije freshman

“The second season of Breaking

Bad definitely lived up to my expectations -- they passed them.”

-Kara Brandt senior

PTA Reflections ProgramAre you interested in any areas of art?

Students may submit an entry in six areas of art including Literature, Musical composi-tion, photography, visual arts, dance cho-reography, and film and video production. The theme for 2012-20013 is “The Magic of a Moment.” Deadline for entry is Friday, November 16, 2012. Leave marked entries

in main office.

Emmys disappoint young viewers

It is that time of year again when televisions biggest stars gather in Los Angeles to honor TV’s best actors and programs. This year’s awards, however, left much of the younger demo-graphic of television fans dis-appointed at the quality of the show and the outcome of many of the categories.

Last Sunday, the 64th An-nual Emmy were drastically different from past years. With the advertisement of Jimmy Kimmel as host, the hype was at an all time high on social net-working sites as well as major television stations such as ABC and NBC.

Starting the show off with a long standing tradition, A- list actors join the celebrity host in a short skit that usually details the preparation process for the Emmy’s. This year’s skit was the funniest part of the entire night, due to the bland announc-ers and Kimmel’s dry humor.

“I really was disappointed with Kimmel’s hosting,” said senior Katie Wolf. “I felt like he had so much to work with the amount of celebrity and hype that comes with the show.”

Following basic structure, the main awards were presented towards the beginning and mid-dle of the show, making sure

the viewers did not lose inter-est before the large awards were given out. The first category of the night was Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a comedy. Because Modern Family actors dominated four sixths of the cat-egory, winner Eric Stonestreet was not a surprise.

“The shows first error was putting every Modern Family ac-tor up for an Emmy once again,” said sophomore Madison Belin-fante. “Personally, I was rooting for New Girl and was really dis-appointed when they lost.”

After the remaining winners from the Comedy category were recognized, the show went on with more presenters and short clips. Another tradition was ex-ercised this year, showing popu-lar show, The Big Bang Theory cast members in their fictional house discussing how the vote counters are under appreciated. The directors of the Emmy’s were extremely smart to sprinkle the clips in throughout the show because of this years extraordi-narily mature line up.

“The shows that were up for awards were for the most part targeted for older viewers,” said sophomore Nicole Levy . “I just wanted more variety.”

Although most of the shows nominated for Best Drama de-served the award, in a teenagers perspective, many of them were

irrelevant to what they watch. Since the popular young

adult network, The CW has been on air, it has been a rule that the CW shows may not be nominat-ed for any Emmy awards. For many teens, the CW has most or all of their favorite shows, and dramas such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men are just not ap-pealing to them.

“I am not speaking for teen-agers as a whole, but I consider television as an escape from the stress from school and other is-sues,” said senior Shelby Orland. “I am not interested in watching a television show about drugs and murder when I am trying to relax.”

Aside from the poor host-ing and lack of entertainment this year, the Emmy’s really did not do their research. Teenagers are the ones who watch awards shows. Why nominate all shows that are either inappropriate for teenagers or are not intended for anyone under the age of 30?

Overall, the Emmy’s fell short for the teenaged televi-sion viewers, but soared for the adults who enjoy more mature television shows. The dry hu-mored host and lack of relatable television may lead teens to look to the Teen Choice Awards as their only option to watch their favorite show be awarded the recognition it deserves.

By MADISON SPIEGEL

Photo courtesy of Emmys.com

The 64th Annual Emmy Awards took place at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. With night time personality Jimmy Kimmel as host, Hollywood’s biggest stars were awarded for their out-standing achievements in television. Some of the shows biggest winners included Louis C.K. for his outstanding writing and performing in a comedy, Breaking Bad for Best Drama, and Julie Bowen for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy series.

Are you interested in music?

Would you like to review for the

King’s Courier?

Come to S-6 for more information.

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Mariapia Aquije/King’s Courier

Mariapia Aquije/King’s Courier

October 9, 2012 9Arts & EntertainmentGreen Day reminds pop culture that punk pushes back

By BRIT-EL GIBSON

Featured Photographer:Madison Handelman

By NORA MURPHY

Senior Madison Handel-man has a passion for pho-tography. She always has her camera at her side, because taking pictures is her love and what she does best.

Handelman started pho-tography just three years ago with her mom’s old film cam-era. Pursuing her love for cap-turing moments, she begged for her own camera. Once she turned 13, she finally got the Canon Rebel XS she wanted for its attractive price and capabilities.

“Photography is my great escape,” Handelman said. “I can’t explain the amount of happiness I get from just hold-ing my camera.”

Handelman’s inspiration is close to home. Her dad was the one to push her to always do what she loves. Her father’s unfortunate passing last year

has been a trying time for her, but has also given her more of a reason to use photography as an outlet for her grief.

“My motivation is the re-actions I get from my pictures. It reminds me that I am do-ing something to make other people smile and enjoy the pictures as much as I do.”

Handelman has continued her hobby by consistently tak-ing her camera everywhere she goes, whether it be the beach, school events, football games, family events and even photo shoots she sets up with friends.

“I prefer to pose my mod-els in a way to express my current feelings,” Handelman says.

Handelman’s plan to be-come a professional photog-rapher inspires her to continue to capture striking moments and memories whenever she can.

New Judges Spice Up The X FactorBy MARIAPIA AQUIJE

A year ago, Clear Channel subsidiary iHeartRadio started the iHeartRadio Music Festival as a showcase for the nation’s hot-test pop stars.

This year’s festival, from Sep-tember 21 to 22, didn’t fail to pa-rade chart-toppers like No Doubt, Usher, Lil Wayne and Rihanna, among others. There was some variation, like Rising Star contest winners Megan & Liz, and rock bands like Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, but despite past shock fac-tors, these days those bands are as safe as they come.

Then, in their own controver-sial category, amidst dubiously sterile performers, was Califor-nia’s own Green Day.

By now a 25-year-old group, they have been the focus of much attention from both the rock and mainstream community. With longtime fans concerned about their new, seemingly softer sound,

The five-million-dollar search is on. The X Factor premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 12, featured two new panel judges with their own individual presence and ap-peal. Pop star Britney Spears and ex-Disney star Demi Lovato joined returning judges L.A Reid and program creator, Simon Cow-ell, for season two.

Lovato faced the most contro-versy, being the youngest judge on the panel. Nevertheless, both judges shook off nerves and did their thing.

Spears showed she would not be an easy judge. Like “Mr. Nas-ty” Simon Cowell, Spears spoke bluntly to contestants, saying they were “off-key” or “not cut out for the X Factor.” She judges on vocals, not looks. Alternately, Lovato seemed to judge on looks and stage presence before vocal abilities.

One 13-year-old won over judges -- Lovato because he was “too cute,” the others for his de-termination, even after he was in-terrupted and asked to sing some-thing else.

Paige Thomas, a nursing student and single mother to a 3-year-old daughter, began her audition by sharing her struggle to achieve her dream, sharing how her daughter and need for steady income made it a challenge to pursue her dream. Spears, hav-ing been a single mother herself,

seemed to connect with Thomas’s story. Thomas then sang Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Going Down” and received yesses from all four judg-es, and a standing ovation from the audience. A sentimental mo-ment from the episode was when her daughter ran up the stage to hug her after the audition.

Another memorable audition was Jillian Jensen, a 20-year-old piano teacher.

Coincidentally, she and Lo-vato share “Stay Strong” tattoos and a past of being bullied in school. Tears streaming down her face, Jensen delivered a strikingly heartfelt performance of “Who You Are,” by Jessie J., giving the judges wet eyes, as well. Lovato, also a victim of bullying, appeared directly affected. When Jensen finished, Lovato got up from the panel and went up to hug her. She told Jensen, “When you sang, you broke my heart.” Jensen’s tear-ful performance earned her four yesses. It allows her to move on to boot camp.

While both new judges at-tract younger contestants, Spears brings more of variety to the show.

Being in the business for so long, Spears has experience and a solid fan base. Having been on Disney Channel just two years ago, Lovato appeals more to teens. With these two new judges, The X Factor will have diverse generations of contestants and will make the show appealing to people of different ages.

Photos Courtesy of Madison Handelman

and at the same time increasingly being referred to as “reigning punk gods” in the media, Green Day is in a somewhat odd place, garnering mainstream acceptance while reaching what seems to be the most trying time for a punk band in its career -- getting old.

However, Green Day clearly has plenty to say. The dudes are loaded guns, firing off not just one but three new albums, one af-ter the other.

Punk is beyond just a prefer-ence for the fast-hard-loud sound; it’s a love of unleashing raw ex-pression.

“Billie Joe Armstrong is burst-ing with energy.... When he plays, you can see how much he loves his job and is having fun,” said ju-nior Coleman Albright, who saw them on the “21st Century Break-down” tour.

On their own tours, they’re known to regularly play three hours straight and demand audi-ence members to get on stage and play songs with them. Un-

like many performers these days, Green Day’s idea is that a concert is not a spectator sport.

But during their set at iHeart-Radio, the festival decided to cut Green Day’s set time to cater to Usher and Rihanna, and the band played seven songs total. Front-man Billie Joe Armstrong lashed out sharply, and after their set time ran from one minute left to none, he said

“Let me show you what one f**king minute f**king means,” and began smashing his guitar, with bassist Mike Dirnt follow-ing suit.

Much of popular media re-acted to their actions mainly with dismissal and contempt, but Green Day’s simple frustration refreshed people’s memory of a type of music that is not there to be pretty, trendy, or easy.

Like their own song “Last Gang in Town” puts it, they’re one of the few left who will not clean themselves up for anyone but themselves.

Brit-E

l Gibson/ K

ing’s Courier

Millions of YouTube viewers watched Billie Joe Armstrong “freak out” at the iHeart-Radio music festival in Las Vegas. However, smashing instruments to express rage is noth-ing new for a punk band.

10 SPORTS October 9, 2012

By MARIAPIA AQUIJE

(From left to right) Josh Lienhard, Brent Shaw, Nick Snyder, Josiah Reeve, Andrew Casarez, Dash Tranner, Chris Scalisi, Brian Kewin, Michael Pope, Yannick Vilanueva, Deion Fernando, Owen Perry, Hayden Rappaport, Tommy Derry, JJ Crane, Luke Laurita. The boys baseball team receives their champion-ship rings after winning the L.A. city title over this passed summer. They defeated rival high school Chatsworth at Dodger Stadium with a final score of 5-4. This is the team’s second City Championship title in three years.

Girls Volleyball defeated by Montclair Preparatory The girls varsity volleyball team took on Montclair Preparatory High School with a home game yesterday, prepared to give all of their efforts. With a final score of 3-0, ECR wound up on the bot-tom. Although the team lost, the girls showed what they have been practicing for. “We wanted to play smart and hard, “says junior Kimberly Puruncajas. With an improved defense, of-fense, harder practices and a more disciplined mind, the team was prepared to give it their all during the game. With Coach Webster focusing on every aspect of their game during practices to try and better their skills, the team felt confi-dent going into the game. Vohn said she was looking forward to “bringing their A-game” and showing off what they have been working hard to achieve. Forgetting any previous errors, the team was starting fresh. “Win or lose, we want to play to the best of our abilities,” says Puruncajas.

The team put all of its effort into the game, yet the players seemed to lack something. Encouraging each other on the court during practices, players say they gave 110% during pre-game practice. “It is that extra 10% that we need to see to be more success-ful,” says junior Katelyn Vohn. Communication turned out to be a key factor for the game. “We prepared by communicating on the court,” says Vohn. Yet dur-ing yesterday’s game, the team’s communication skills appeared to be their weakness. Not having seen Birmingham play before during the summer, the team was ready to fight until the last point. They worked together cohe-sively and, Puruncajas said, “We want to show how good we are.” As for improvement for the next game, Vohn says, “I plan on improving my communication skills with my teammates,” as well as forming a “greater cama-raderie” to set them beyond their opponent. The team will be playing against rival Chatsworth Thursday.

(Above) Senior varsity volleyball player Sara Sutherland goes for the spike after her teammate sets the ball for her. (Right) The team gathers for their ritual of a team huddle and cheer to pump up the energy before the game. Currently 5-9 / 6-8 and will be playing #3 ranked Chatsworth High School on Thursday, for another tough match.

Girls tennis defeats BirminghamBy KATHERINE ALAS & SARAH STIGERS

Though the girls tennis team started their season off rocky with a loss against Eagle High School, they are back on the rise as they defeated Birmingham 5-2 yester-day, adding to their 5-2 victory over Chatsworth High School on Sept. 24. In a prior match, they beat Taft Oct. 3 with a close 4-3 victory. “The match was great,” senior Christina Le said. “Everyone did their best against Birmingham. It’s a satisfying victory.” Le and partner Julia Freeman dominated the doubles match against Birmingham with an 8-0 victory. “Personally Julia and I did re-ally well. We worked together in

a great way. I was happy with the match,” Le said.After the team’s loss to state champions Granada Hills, the

girls refused to let their loss weigh them down. “We could improve our game by consistently practicing and keep-ing a positive attitude throughout

the ups and downs of the season,” senior Alexandria Chavez said. The team’s hard work is evi-denced by their recent string of victories. The girls are dedicating all of their time to practicing their skills and their techniques. As the year goes by only their hard work and dedication will matter to be able to beat against the other schools. “We’re just practicing on our strokes more and we could only go up,” senior Emily Nem-erovsky said. “We have also been prac-ticing to work harder on winning our games, working on new strat-egies and on ways of winning the games.” The team next faces Cleve-land on Cavalier turf, Tuesday, Oct. 16.

Sarah Stigers/King’s Courier

Sarah Stigers/King’s Courier

Senior varsity tennis player, Jessica Nguyen (above) returns a serve by Birmingham opponent. Sophmore, Jacky Parizher serves to her opponent in her singles match. The tennis team performed well in the match as a whole, as they emerged with a “W”.

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Football1. Birmingham 2. Granada Hills3. Cleveland 4. Taft 5. Chatsworth6. El Camino

(4-2)(4-2)(3-3)(2-4)(0-1)(0-1)

(1-0)(1-0)(1-0)(0-1)(2-4)(1-5)

Girls Volleyball1. Granada Hills 2. Taft3. Chatsworth4. Cleveland5. El Camino6. Birmingham

(5-0)(4-1)(2-3)(1-3)(1-3)(0-3)

(8-3)(12-8)(9-11-3)(5-6)(5-8)(2-5)

Boys Waterpolo1. Birmingham 2. El Camino3. Granada Hills4. Cleveland 5. Taft

(4-0)(8-5)(4-4)(4-4)(0-3)

(9-3)(2-2)(1-2)(1-2)(0-7)

League Standings

League Record Overall

“We could improve our game by consistently

practicing and keeping a positive attitude throughout

the ups and downs of the season.”

-Alexandria Chavezsenior

11SPORTSOctober 8, 2012

The Debate

By AMY AYALA andETHAN MILLMAN

Amy’s Side

This year’s seniors of the football team need to take into consideration to turn their season around,.If they are at all inter-ested in playing NCAA football this needs to be done.

Not that the team’s record reflects what kind of player they are, but it does have a lot of indi-cation of how good their team is and the talent that it has.

There are so many talented players to choose from all around the US, with high-ranking high school football teams and top recruits, so what they need to be looking for is not how the team should win, even though it would be nice to win a game every then and now, but rather what makes them stand out or more talented than other players.

With a team with a record of 1-5, how many NCAA teams will be looking to recruit play-ers.

This team is full of talent, that maybe hasn’t been used to its full ad-vantage or capability, it’s not too late to turn this season around and actu-ally look for a reason to root for our team.

If the senior players really want to be recruit-ed to play at a higher lev-el, the team should begin by elevating their game on the field.

Ethan’s side

NCAA recruitors look for more than just stats. Although statistics play a great role in recruitment, it is not everything.

After speaking to many college coaches in different sports, they have all told me the same type of aspects they look for in a student-athlete, emphasis on the student.

They want well rounded athletes that get grades as well as touch-downs. If players aren’t eligible most of their sea-son, they will not go far in their college career, no matter who the player, no matter the quantity of skill.

Along with grades, coaches want determina-tion. If a player isn’t a natural athlete but works harder than every one else on the field, that player will go further in his football career than everyone else as well as in any other sport.

Football team defeated on homecoming

Nora Murphy/Kings Courier

The El Camino football team was defeated in their homecom-ing game Friday, losing to the now 3-3 Cleveland Caveliers. Even though the team lost, it was close, with the final score being 8-7.

Scoring for El Camino on the very first drive of the game was varsity captain Tyson Jones.

The defense managed to keep Cleveland scoreless for three quarters, but let Cleveland score a touchdown as well as the two point conversion, which ended up ultimately deciding the game’s fi-nal outcome.

Even though the team didn’t win there were still many aspects to their game that was done well. “We played well defensively,” varsity captain Jaylon James said.

“Limiting [Cleveland] to one touchdown isn’t bad,” limiting the caveleirs to one score was the lowest El Camino has allowed this entire season.

Just as there are things the team did well during the game, there are things that El Camino

The football team lines up near the goal line on their scoring drive. After scoring, the team kept Cleveland scoreless until the fourth quarter of the game, when the Cleveland Caveliers scored and got the two-point conversion, winning them the game. The team’s next game will be against rival Chatsworth High School and will finish their season against long time rival, Taft High School, whom they beat last year with a final score of 48-0.

By ETHAN MILLMAN

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Cross Country places at Santa Clarita invite

By YASMIN TORABIOn Saturday, the boys and

girls cross country teams had their fourth meet Oct. 6 at the Santa Clarita Invitationals in Castaic Lake. This is the teams’ fourth meet and third invitational.

All the boys teams -- varsity, JV, and frosh/soph -- were ranked the number one city teams in their divisions. The girls teams also received high ranks with varsity ranked as the third best city team and the JV team was ranked as the best city team.

Ezra Soriano came in first for the boys varsity team, and Pha-raoh Tornes and Jake Eisler came in first for JV and frosh/soph, re-spectively.

For the girls, Ashley Cutting came in first for varsity. Katie Wolf was first for the JV team, beating teammate Andie Dono-van by one second.

“We were expected to beat Granada and Taft, not Birming-ham,” said varsity runner Soria-no, a junior. The team lived up to expectations and exceeded them when they beat all three schools.

“Our teams all ran great rac-es,” said varsity senior Austin Walker. “Out of 41 schools, frosh/soph took third, while our varsity girls and boys took sixth.”

Not only did the team play well together, but also the runners

did great individually. “Many athletes beat their personal re-cord; over 20 placed in the top 30 of their race,” said Walker. “Our team is so strong, we’re looking at a shot for state.”

“This year we’re really focus-ing on speed,” said senior varsity runner Ashley Cutting. “We’ve been working so much harder.”

With a new coach and more time spent in the weight room, the teams are hoping to make it to city again and beat Birmingham, their rival.

Coach Steve Kingery has seen a change in the teams that could possibly contribute to future suc-cess. “I’ve seen a change in work ethic from the team, especially the boys side.”

But a change in work ethic isn’t enough to lead the teams to victory. “Focusing on each other individually, on our individual times, that’s the greatest obsta-cle,” said Cutting.

However, focus isn’t exactly helpful when tolerating high tem-peratures. “The hardest thing to overcome is maintaining training though the heat,” said Kingery.

“For our next meet, we can learn to run the Pierce [College] course at a good even tempo pace,” said Kingery. The teams’ next meet is Wednesday at Pierce College against Cleveland High School.

Athlete of the Month: Ezra Soriano

could have done better. “We needed to execute better on of-fense,” James said. “We needed to make more adjustments in our plays,” he said.

Obviously, the team will try to do better and go over as well as eliminate the mistakes they made during the homecoming game.

“It seems like all the teams are doing the same things and the same plays,” James said. “We need to do different things then the other teams to do better than them.”.

This loss to Cleveland marks only the second loss to the Cleveland football pro-

gram in nearly eight years, both losses were at home. The team has four games left until the playoffs begin and they will be playing Chatsworth High School next week and will close the regular season with their fi-nal game against rival, Taft High School.

Freshman Christian Fernando (bot-tom) and senior Ashley Cutting (left) run in the double duel against Granada Hills and Taft. After this compe-tition, the team went to the Santa Clarita Invitationals ranked first over-all and won the took first at the invitational. Their next event will be against Cleveland High School tomorrow.

Q.) How long have you been on cross country?

A.) I have been on cross country for three years.

Q.) Why do you enjoy cross country?

A.) I love the team, everyone is nice and I really enjoy training and racing together with them.”

Q.) What has it taught you about life?

A.) Cross country has taught me to really push myself and others around me, and to also work with others.

Q.) What do you plan on doing after high school?

A.) I am definately going to college but I probably won’t run in college because I don’t love it enough, but I’ll for sure run in my free time.

with Amy and Ethan

12 SPORTS October 9 , 2012

Boys Water Polo defeated by BirminghamBy RACHAEL COHEN

Varsity player Chris Harutoonian and the rest of the varsity water polo warm up for their game. They played Birmingham yester-day, losing with a final score of 8-6. The team’s next game will be played on Oct. 15, against rival Cleveland High School. The team currently has a league record of 2-2 and an overall record of 8-6, giving them a possible second winning season in the past four years.

Photo Courtesy of Nick Garzon

A few good minutes with...

Jaylon James

Tyson Jones

Q.) What did the team do well during the loss against Cleve land?

A.) “We played well de fensively limiting Cleveland to only one touchdown.

Q.) What could have been done better during the game?

A.) “We needed to ex- ecute offensively.”

Q. What does the team need to do to play to its full potential?

A. “[The team needs] inner tenacity to go out there and to go out with a win [as well as] working hard even if it isn’t re- quired of us and playing smart, physi- cal, hungry football to get us through the rest of the season.”

On Monday, Oct. 8, the boys water polo team played Birming-ham High School. Birmingham won with a final score of 8-6. Captain David Salazar scored five goals and Jacob Rudoy scored one. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, the team was defeated by Granada Hills Charter High School, who won 14-13. The two teams were tied in the third quarter, with Granada pull-ing slightly ahead in the final quarter. Salazar scored eight goals with one assist and five steals. On Monday, Sept. 24, the team defeated Cleveland High School for the first time in El Camino’s history. The final score was 11-10. Starting goalie Luke Chayo, had 20 saves, and of 30 shots on goal, 10 went in. “The game was intense,” Chayo said. “It was neck and neck for most of the game but the team pulled through and scored the win.” Second string junior, Omar Serrano, agrees with the level of intensity of the game. “Each pass was crucial, each shot was critical, and our defense was im-perative,” Serrano said. “We all

clicked and started working to-gether as a whole and shut their offense down.” The win surprised many of the team members, including starting setguard, junior Riki Velazquez, who didn’t know what to expect from the game. By the end, he could not have been happier with his team. “Throughout the dura-tion of the game, everyone did their job well and we ended up coming out on top,” Velazquez said. “When we came back from a three-goal deficit, I knew Cleve-land was down. We had exploited their weakness and capitalized on our strengths.” The team plans to focus on these weaknesses in order to im-prove their game. “During the game, we discov-ered their weaknesses and plan on utilizing them to our advantage next time for a second win,” Ser-rano said. Overall, the team was ec-static to beat Cleveland, a long-time contender and until this game, a school never beaten by ECR in water polo. Salazar said, “Through true faith, belief and a passionate determination, we were able to defeat a well-known rival.”

What fall sport best fits you?Are you...

Better Solo? Team Oriented?

Do you have superior stamina?

What’s your body

stature?Are you good with

playbooks?

Do you have upper or lower body strength?

Which element do you prefer? Water

or earth?

Cross Country is perfect for you. Your

lower body strength, and superior stamina will help

you on the long runs.

Tennis will be your perfect sport. Your lean

body structure and upper body strength are

important attributes in a good tennis player

In football, your mind for plays and your

strong body will work well in this sport

and team environment.

Water Polo is a great fit! Your love of water

along with your muscles and strategic

mind will help you succeed.

ORSolo Team

YesYes

No Lean

could be better

UpperLower EarthWater

Muscu

lar

Brittany Brody/King’s Courier