The Woodside World

Loud and Proud: Spirit at Woodside The Woodside High School Newspaper

IN THIS EDITION:Students express them-selves through art and music.

By Harry Patino

What would any classic high school sport-ing event be without a good fan-generat-ed cheer?

To some it seems that the rules and regulations of both CCS and Woodside High School regarding cheering seem to damage the concept of friendly rivalries between schools.

Even if the days of all-out school spirit and !amboyant, school-wide displays of team pride seem a far cry out of an eighties movie, Woodside High School is not with-out its own hefty share of sporting pride. Turnouts to M-A and Sequoia football games churned out record numbers, while basketball games see packed stands of loud, enthusiastic Wildcat fanatics. How-ever, it seems that regardless of the event,

a number of rules keep the vocal support-ers of Woodside athletics a more sedated, passive breed. Any body paint that would require the removal of clothes (regardless of extent) is strictly prohibited, negative and in!ammatory comments towards the other team are discouraged, and noise making devices such as vuvuzelas or air horns are only allowed to be handled by o"cial Woodside cheerleaders. With such a clampdown on wild behavior at sporting events, it would almost seem as though the outlandish, excessive displays of school pride that High Schools are known for (ste-reotyped, even) are discouraged. Right?

Well, not exactly. Leslie With, Woodside’s Leadership and Yearbook advisor, ex-plained that “when an opposing school comes to Woodside we want to do our best to be a good host,” and that “the point of discouraging negative cheers is to

take a preemptive position on controlling the crowd to the point that inter-school confrontation wouldn’t be an issue.” Fair enough.

No one likes senseless violence, especially when it gets in the way of a good bas-ketball or football game. However, when do the rules of cheering cross over from preventative to just a little over-sensitive?

Rohan Notaney, ‘12, known by many for his vociferous presence at Woodside Basketball games, o#ered insight into the nature of what he deems harmless jeering. “I never feel ambivalent towards the other team or team members just by virtue of their academic a"liation alone. If any-thing, I just have this really strong notion of a good school rivalry,” Notaney told the Woodside World.

Art Boom: 2013On the last day of February in 2013, the art classes of Woodside came together for the second Woodside Art Boom. The orchestra played as students perused old yearbooks, admired fantastic paintings in the sun, and watched photo slide shows, animation, and video pieces in the shade. The Bike Club showed o# their custom made bikes, nd a mysterious new club joined in and established their own table on the !y.

The Feedback By Emily Orrego

For John McLucas, Jeremy Selb, John Bu-chman, Dominic Brown, and Diego Perez an invitation to play for the school became a stairway to a new passion.

The band has been playing together for nearly two years since meeting in Audio Production class. They were later ap-proached by Zorina Matavulj, College and Career Counselor, and asked to perform at the annual Woodside Fashion show in 2012. There, they performed a few of their favorite songs. John Buchman, rhythm guitar and background vocals says, “the reception we got from the crowd and classmates was really encouraging.”

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CCS Rules draw the line between cheering and jeering

CONTENTS:ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ..................MOVIE MAGIC: ETHAN AND SCOTT .........2WOODSIDE’S OWN ROLLING STONES ......2A NIGHT OF CINEMA ................................3MUSIC’S BIGGEST NIGHT .........................3

THE ART BOOM GALLERY ........................4SPORTS ...........................................CCS CHEERING REGULATIONS ..................3WHS ATHLETES KNOW NO BOUNDS ........5CHEER GOES TO NATIONALS ...................5

STUDENT LIFE .................................PEACE ISN’T JUST FOR HIPPIES ..............6A BIT OF ASIA IN WOODSIDE HIGH ..........6NEWS ..............................................A BAN TAKING OVER BAY AREA ..............7“OUR JOURNEY IS NOT COMPLETE” .........7

By Diego Perez

The $rst week of April, a peace exposition will be held. Woodside High School stu-dents should demonstrate the 8 charac-teristics presented in the several posters around campus. But many times over, students fail in their endeavours or simply forget compassion. So the Students O#er-ing Support (S.O.S.) group, has organized an event that will reinstall these values into student’s minds.

It is called “Increase the Peace week,” and its focus is in getting students more con-cerned about personal security in school, whether it be physical or mental security. There will be four days of social awareness activities for student participation. This is the second year this student event is be-ing held.

Continued from page 1The $rst day, Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013, an open microphone show will be held at the

Peace Isn’t Just for Hippies

Laura Perdikomatis, the advisor of SSA and SOS, wears her spirited glasses to re!ect her support for Increase the Peace Week. Photo by Diego Perez

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Wildcat seniors Emma Adams, Gino Greco, Lexi Philips, Randi Sta#ord, Stephanie Cerini, Sammi Shae, and Nicole Clary show their spirit with their senior jerseys, face paint, orange accessories, and loud cheers at a recent home basketball game. Photo by Jacqui Cochrane

Colorful ceramic pieces shown o# at the 2013 Art Boom. Photo by Mackenzie Bray

Diego Perez 14’ during a jam session with his band, The Feedback. Photo by Emily Orrego

April 2013 “The Voice of the Wildcats”

Woodside’s Next Rolling StonesBand emerges from Audio Production, shares success

Movie Magic with Ethan and Scott Two of Woodside’s most out-standing young minds share their !lmmaking secrets.By Chris Guillen

Here at Woodside, many have gotten to know Scott Feuerhelm and Ethan Ander-son through their fours years, and some of us may have even have had the honor of chatting with them and learning about the magni$cent art of directing, produc-ing, and $lming. Their most recent movie, Slender, was based o# the Slenderman mythos, a faceless man who stalks people from childhood and ruins their lives slowly, kidnapping their loved ones, burning down their homes, and messing with their memories until they have trouble distin-guishing $ction from reality.

Slender was a highly-anticipated $lm in the senior class and around the whole school. The announcements started to advertise it, and the talk just kept growing. The clip that was shown on the announcements made people

want to see it, but unfortunately not everyone was able to attend the $fth period $lm festival. Feuerhelm and Anderson made it possible to have an after-school showing for more people enjoy the glory of this great short $lm.

Some may say that Feuerhelm and An-derson are an incredible team, and they could not agree more: “We enjoy working with each other.” They see and bring out the best in each other, as Anderson noted, “Scott has the mega vision.” Feuerhelm elaborated on their cooperation that is key to their success, “Ethan is the person who pulls me back into reality and edits the dialogue and makes it more believable.”

Their inspiration was not limited to only themselves. They have Austin Dean ‘13 to thank as well. Feuerhelm gave credit where credit is due by saying, “I was ap-proached by my friend Austin Dean last summer and he suggested that we make a movie about Slenderman, and I said okay let’s do it.” As we approach the second $lm festival in late May, speculation grows to what Feuerhelm and Anderson have in store for us. Spoiler Alert! the title of their next $lm is “Storyline.”

Feedback Continued from Page 1

sta# ’s reaction was no di#erent. “They were so mellow and so nice to work with. Everybody just enjoyed the music,” Matavulj shared.

After the fashion show they con-tinued on their musical journey. “It was a metaphorical spring-board into the band’s livelihood,” says Dominic Aaron Brown, keys.

After their success at the show they decided to stay together and continue making music. “Our beginning days as a band were very hectic but fun because we weren’t really sure where our band would be in the coming months,” Buchman commented. The band used the Audio Produc-

tion room for band meetings and brainstorming sessions. There, they would rehearse, jam out for fun, and hash out what they wanted to do next.

They gave themselves a name: The Feedback. McLucas, Buch-man, Brown, Selb, Perez, and their lead singer at the time, Bri-anna Ramies went on to perfor-

man and record songs together. Last year the band released an album titled Morning Light, which included 5 of their original songs. Since their $rst show at Wood-side they have played at block parties and four shows at The DNA Lounge in San Francisco. They won a battle of the bands contest and have kept growing from there.

During the summer of 2012, changes to the band were made. Due to transportation issues, Selb could no longer play with the band. Ramies left the band due to creative di#erences. McLucas, Buchman, and Brown have now graduated from Woodside, Perez remains as a junior, and in recent months they have added Tony Bianchini, who plays bass.

Today, the band is made up of a diverse set of musicians. With backgrounds ranging from hard rock and metal to indie and electronic music, but somehow it works. “It seems like everyone has more drive to do well and make some kickass music,” McLucas concludes. Some new material can be expected soon, as The Feedback are currently working on their next studio album.

Woodside World Sta":Editor-in-Chief: Makayla Karr-WarnerDesign Director: Abby TaussigArt Director: Maya KuipersAdvertising Director: Harry PatinoArts & Entertainment Editor: Mackenzie BrayNews Editor: Chris GuillenSports Editor: Collin MerwinStudent Life Editor: Kathleen SandovalSta" Writers: Alexis Carlson, Luci Cerrillo, Fred Corcoran, Eugenia Vasquez-Flores, Ben Gumbley, Kenzie Humpries, Joel Martinez-Cobian, Nick Montalbano, Leira Montemayor, Emily Orrego, Caleb Levine, Diego Perez, Haley Sheetz, Raul TorresAdvisor: Peter Cirincione

Feuerhelm and Anderson willl be missed by Woodside, but their $lms will live on at WHS forever. Photo by Chris Guillen

Make Every Mystery Count ~Prom 2013~

Apri l 27 th, 2013

Treasure Island Event Center

8pm-midnight

Tick

ets

April 15-19 $75 w/ PAL $80 without

April 22-24 $80 w/ PAL $85 without

April 25-26 $85 for all

Before purchasing a ticket, a student must be off the no privileges list by clearing all fines and detentions. Guest passes available online or in D7 and must be turned in to the appropriate AVP by the Wednesday before Prom.

A sale display for The Feedback’s latest album, Morning Light. Photo by Emily Orrego

Members of The Feedback Diego Perez, John McLucas, and Dominic Brown during a jam session. Photo by Emily Orrego

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By Haley Sheetz

Musical performances are not just for the Grammys anymore. The 85th annual Academy Awards was a night $lled with surprise performances by some of the most talented casts in recent years, be$tting the cer-emony that awards some of the most talented actors of all time for their skill.

The night began with the stars walking the red carpet, dis-playing their fashionable for-mal wear. As a representation of their $lm, the way the actors present themselves is as impor-tant to their reputation as their performance. Among the crowd favorites were Jessica Chastain wearing Armani Prive and Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture. The men also dressed to impress, looking sharp in a variety of designer suits. Bradley Cooper hit the mark in his three-piece Tom Ford suit, looking all the more charming escort-ing his mother down the carpet. One look that was unfavorable to many was Anne Hathaway in Prada. Rebecca Pilakowski 12’

says, “It looked like she was wear-ing an apron.”

Inside the Dolby Theater, how-ever, fashion was in hindsight as host, Seth MacFarlane, took control. MacFarlane was joined in his opening address by stars such as Daniel Radcli#e, Joseph Gordan-Levitt, Charlize Theron,

and Channing Tatum, for a special musical number. Mu-sic seemed to be the order of

the evening, as there were numerous performances. Catherine Zeta Jones per-formed a number from the

2003 best picture, Chicago. The cast of Les Miserables also performed, followed by

special performances from Adele and Barbara Streisand.

Macfarlane’s entertain-ment took a turn for the controversial in his song

about female nudity in $lm. Many felt that

the song was sexist, and objecti$ed the role women play

in the movie industry. While the song was clearly intended to be comical, the message it conveyed was not taken lightly. The role of women in $lm has changed since

the early days of the Oscars, and it appears that many have no desire to go return to the days when women were valued for their looks rather than talents.

Musical performances aside, the award presentations remained at the heart of the evening. Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for his performance in Lincoln. Having won the category twice before, Day-Lewis became the indus-try’s most decorated male actor. Alongside him was $rst time win-ner, Jennifer Lawrence, who won best actress for the $lm Silver Linings Playbook.

The most anticipated part of the night came with the announce-ment of Best Picture. Lincoln was the apparent favorite of critics, though many fans hankered for Les Miserables. In the end, Ben A%eck’s Argo came out on top. Film Critique teacher, Gwen Sid-ley, says that while many aspects make an award winning $lm, one feature must stand out above the rest, “a compelling story.” With its solid acting, strong directing, and a storyline that intrigued audiences worldwide, Argo was certainly deserving of this most prestigious honor.

Some notable Oscar snubs were seen for the highly publicized $lm, Zero Dark Thirty. The $lm was nominated $ve times, but won only for Best Original Screenplay in a tie with the latest James Bond installment, Skyfall. Students also felt that the acade-my had shown a cold shoulder to some of the year’s great $lms. Ale Gilbert 12’ says, “I was surprised to see The Dark Knight Rises missing from the list- Christopher Nolan is such a phenomenal director, and [The Dark Knight Rises] was very well-done.”

Though our favorite $lms some-

times get the cold shoulder, we can still appreciate the movies the academy has deemed best.While the Oscars are a night $lled equally with joy and disappoint-ment, it is foremost a celebration of the magical world that is the cinema. The Oscars shine the spotlight on the $lms that capti-vate us, reminding the world of the great power of voice that ex-ists beyond the camera lens. Just as in the previous eighty-four years, the 2013 Oscars have given a fresh round of recognition to the performances and stories that are sure to stay.

A Night of Cinema: The 85th OscarsArgo trumps competition to win Best Picture

The famous Oscar statue weighs in at 8.5 lbs. Photo by Oscars.org

Jennifer Lawrence dazzles in Dior Haute Couture. Photo by Oscars.org

Jessica Chastain !ashes an award winning smile in her Armani Privee gown. Photo by Oscars.org

At the 55th annual Grammy awards, the stage was rocked by performers that many WHS students admireBy Alexis Carlson

On February 10th, over 28 million people worldwide tuned in to watch the 55th an-nual Grammys. The night was full of great entertainment and prestigious awards.

On that Sunday evening, the award show was an event for any music lover. The night kicked o# with a circus-themed perfor-mance by the country pop star Taylor Swift, singing her Grammy-nominated hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Following up this performance was Justin Timberlake’s return to the Grammy stage after an absence of almost six years. In ad-dition to that, Record of the Year was given out by the legendary Prince and “Some-body That I Used to Know” singer Gotye took it home. Fun., who was nominated six times, won Best New Artist. A tribute to Bob Marley included a lively performance by pop sensation Bruno Mars, with the help of Rihanna and the acclaimed artist from the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sting. There were many disappointments and shockers, of

course, but in the end, the Grammys board has kept its good reputation for its positive way of rewarding music and the people that create it. But why would Woodside students care about the Grammys, espe-cially this time around?

A good number of the event’s viewers were Woodside students, for our school has proven its appreciation of music. If you talk to many teenagers here at school, you will $nd that one of their favorite activities will include or be associated with music. Without a doubt, high schoolers love music. They buy it. They dance to it. They

go to concerts and shows for their favor-ite artists. With the spring musical right around the corner, there is yet another chance for Woodside students to enjoy music.

Here at Woodside, we have a wonderful music program including our impressive band, jazz band, and orchestra conducted by Bill Tolles. In addition, we have many music opportunities available such as Au-dio Production taught by Jonathan Ford, who had his own opinion on the award show. “The Grammy’s are accurate to a cer-tain extent,” he said, “but doesn’t really tell what is going on in other places.” On the other hand, when asked about how the Grammys in!uence her musically, Adriana Mora ‘16 said, “After I watched the Gram-mys, I went to my computer and listened to some of the songs that were nominated that night. It was awesome because now I have new music to enjoy that I never would have known about!” Although there are di#erent perspectives on the Grammys’ accuracy, they were captivating for those who play music and just for those who listen to it.

In the midst of all the acceptance speech-es and loud performances left and right, viewers were particularly struck by a new teacher award that Ryan Seacrest, Justin

Timberlake, and the academy director introduced this year. For the $rst time in Grammy history, there will be a special award for a music educator. Any teacher across the country can be nominated. The award makes the point that being suc-cessful with music starts by having a great teacher by your side to help you grow. This is an opportunity for us Woodside students to nominate our very own music faculty! The deadline is April 15th and all details can be found here. All in all, the Grammys were a successful night in music and hopefully our very own musicians are inspired to dream big!

Epic Performances at Music’s Biggest Night

Justin Timberlake took over the Grammys with his presentation of the teacher award and performance of “Suit & Tie.”Photo by Tennman Records

Mumford & Sons album “Babel” won the most prestigious award of the night, Album of the Year. Photo by Island Records

SpiritContinued from page 1Notaney was ejected from a game his sophomore year for cheers that a referee deemed over-aggressive.

Still, Notaney thinks “a lot of restrictions are misplaced” and that the rules should depend on target of the cheer. “The ones barring fans from insulting indi-vidual players are good, especial-ly since we’re talking about high schoolers. But when it comes to

poking fun at a rival school, espe-cially in a benign manner, I think that’s as much part of the game as the event itself. “

Notaney goes further, speaking for those who feel these rules actually detract from the games: “It’s an athletic experience, rivalry games most notably, and jeering an opposing fan base is harmless, to an extent. I think it’s okay for there to be some interference. But at the end of it, it’s not just a game, it’s that experience that the fans are there for, and over-

regulation of the fans gets in the way of that.”

So just what is the state of cheer-ing and displays of Woodside pride on campus? Harmful and in!ammatory comments have no place on Woodside’s courts. How-ever, in an attempt to proactively cut down on negative confronta-tions, the rules for acceptable spirit walk a thin line between over-regulation and good sports-manship. Perhaps this is the reason classic scenes from eight-ies !icks seem out of place today.

The fully painted fans, the harsh environment for visiting schools, the nature of cheers themselves.

While the problem of spirit regulation at games is a small one on its own, the impact it has on the pride we display is clear on and o# the $eld. Maybe, just maybe, the rules governing Wildcat fan cheering could use a careful $x here and there, all the while maintaining the gracious, welcoming nature that we have come to accept. WHS students passionately cheer on

the basketball team. Photo by Jacqui Cochrane

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ART

BOOM

2013

Student paintings are displayed at the bottom of the Quad for students and sta# to enjoy. Photo by Mackenzie Bray

At the ceramics table, colorful pieces are arranged for students and sta# to see and ap-preciate the Ceramics students’ hard work.

Under the Animation and Video tent, Gwen Sidley and other students show o# the pieces they have been working on for the past semester. For the $rst time the Bike Club joined in the Art Boom, sharing their mechanical artistry.

At the top of the Quad, audio production teacher, Johnathan Ford, and students pro-moted the audio production class by showing o# some of their creations this semester.

Vivid and rich masks are presented from the 3D design class at the 2013 Art Boom.

For the second time this school year, the artistic talents of Woodside students were showcased in the Quad during lunch, giving students and sta# the opportunity to take in and appreciate beautiful and compelling works ranging from abstract painting to orchestral music. All photos by Mackenzie Bray and Maya Kuipers

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By Eugenia Vasquez-Lopez

After a long weekend in Disneyland, the Cheer team has brought back plenty of memories and a well deserved trophy. Woodside’s Cheer team was one out of the select teams in California that quali$ed for Nationals at USA Cheer competition. Going up against 36 teams in the Small Novice Varsity Show Cheer division where only 11 get picked to stay in the competi-tion. After a solid performance Woodside’s cheer team earned 11th place. Out of those 11 teams, only a small percentage advanced to Finals. Sadly, our girls were not given the chance to show o# their skills at Finals.

For the $rst time in $ve years, Woodside was represented by our very own Cheer team in a competition at the national level. The Woodside Cheer team went to the 2013 Spirit Nationals on March 15 and it took a lot more than loud voices and big smiles to get them there.

Like most sports, cheer is very time con-suming and requires a lot of dedication. Cheering also requires bravery. According to Varsity team captain Alejandra Prado ‘13, “Cheerleading has actually been named one of the most dangerous sports, right next to football.” Wildcat cheerlead-

ers often conclude their practices with both sweat and bruises. A cheer routine consists of tumbling, dancing, jumping, catching and throwing !yers, unique tech-nique, sharpness, cardio, and of course a lot of spirit. On a regular basis, our girls stayed after school two to three times a week from 3:30 to 6:30pm to practice their routines. To get ready for Nationals the girls were focusing even more on their routines and stayed after school everyday,

including weekends, in the weeks leading up to Nationals. That three-minute routine they practice daily must be !awless in or-der to meet the judges’ expectations. Tal-ented and dedicated, the cheer team has clearly lived up to and pleased the judges already, for they have continued their season this far. Janelle Colliau, Woodside’s varsity co-captain says, ”I’m extremely proud of the team for making it to Nation-als. It feels really good to represent our school in the competition this year.” Hard work pays o# and Woodside’s cheer team proves that.

The Cheer team’s journey to Nationals took a big step on January 12, 2013 at the Regionals competition in Deer Valley. They were required to score 75 points, yet the squad exceeded all expectations with their incredible score of 90, qualifying them for Nationals.

Prado remains humble, ”I don’t know for a fact that we will win. There are a lot of good, competitive teams in California that we are going up against.” However, the team was not discouraged. They were de-termined to give it their all no matter what obstacles they faced.

The team headed out to the Anaheim Convention Center for their $rst perfor-

mance in Nationals. The $rst part of the competition was Friday morning. After they $nished their routines, the squad spent the evening touring one of their fa-vorite amusement parks. It is a USA cheer tradition to have a welcome party and close down Disneyland for all the squads attending the competition.

Woodside Sends Cheer to NationalsCheer Team shines in !rst ever Nationals appearance, falls short of Finals

Bailey Seagraaves dazzles a crowd with her !awlessly performed scorpion, one of the moves that propelled the team to Nationals. Photos by Yearbook Sta!

Senior Athletes push their talents to the next level By Nick Montalbano and Freddie Corcoran

According to the NCAA’s National High School Assessment, there are 150,000 high school senior athletes that become eligible to play in the NCAA every year. A select few of those athletes are students from Woodside. Therefore, the Woodside World is happy to give those lucky students recognition for their hard work and outstanding achievement.

This handful of students will be representing the Woodside Wildcat and our values of sportsmanship, academics, and integrity as they play for their colleges and hopefully in the years to come as professionals. These players will be attending colleges all across the nation, and they will be playing amongst the best of their kind. They will be recognized on the national stage as the best that our country has to o#er for student athletes.

One of these players is Randall Sta#ord ‘13, who will be playing at Caldwell College in New Jersey next fall. Sta#ord is currently the captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team and was one of three seniors playing on the varsity level. She will also be named First Team all League when the team is announced.

Another athlete, Makayla Karr-Warner ‘13, will be at-tending Boston University for her rowing skills. Karr-Warner admits “I’ve been rowing for $ve years, and I’m really excited to row at the next level.”

However, there are some students still deciding or waiting on colleges for ac-ceptance. Hickman, captain

of the Varsity Basketball team, is planning on going to college and playing basketball, but has not yet con$rmed where he will be attending college next year.

Although some are still decid-ing, Allie Sulberg, one of the top senior players on the Varsity Volleyball team, is going to UC Santa Barbara next year to play volleyball. She is,”Incredibly honored and can’t believe her dreams of playing in college came true.”

Aaron Garcia comments, “I have been playing football since I was ten and I would be so excited to be playing in college because the competition level increases, and it will be time consuming, but at the same time, I love football and I think it will be a good experience!”

Morgan Mather, a senior who runs varsity cross country and track, has chosen to go to University of Mississippi. Mather has been running throughout her time here at Woodside High School and will be happy to go on to the next level for athletics.

Megan Bordy, one of the best players on the girls Varsity Waterpolo Team says “I am being recruited by a couple of schools, but I have not yet made my decision.” Bordy is an aggressive shooter for the team and will be a valuable as-set to any college. Deciding on colleges is very tough and hopefully Bordy can make the best choice.

The Woodside’s athletics programs takes pride in all the students that participate in sports here. The students that are able to move on to the more competitive circuit are commended for their astonishing achievement and dedicated work ethic towards their sport. Not only on the $eld, in the pool, and on the court, but also in the class-room. We are all proud of the senior athletic class of 2013.

Woodside Athletes Know No Bounds

Top: Aaron Garcia being interviewed by the Mercury NewsRight: Morgan Mather running cross country.

Left: Allie Sulberg and her team.Photos by Jon Feuerhelm

Randi Sta#ord dodging a defender.

The cheer team successfully execute their routine at a rally in the quad.

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Gwen Sidley and Eric Ettlin show their support for the cause.Photo by Diego Perez

By Leira Montemayor

High school can be a lot more fun when a student is involved in organizations and clubs that he/she $nds exciting and interesting, but time and e#ort is also needed to keep it running.

On January 24, the Asian Club held their $rst meeting in C-5 after it was restored. The orga-nization became inactive for a semester but a group of students took actions to keep it going. The members had a potluck of di#er-ent Asian foods and an introduc-tion led by Renna Esmabe ‘14. The members said that they will continue to reunite every thurs-day at lunch in the same room.

Esmabe started the gathering with an opening speech about the intentions of the club. “The

purpose of this club is to educate, promote, encourage, and enrich the diversity of Woodside High School community with an ex-posure of Asian culture,” Esmabe stated. Esmabe said that they’re still planning activities and ev-eryone has a voice for their ideas of what they want to do. Accord-ing to her, weekly activities will depend on the group’s decision. ”Asian Club is for everyone, however, certain activities should have something about Asia, but there’s few exceptions,” she lastly added.

On the other hand, Jacie Kramp-ert, an English teacher at WHS, serves as the group’s advisor. She said that if a student is interested in Asian cultures then it will be great to come by, check it out, and learn. ”It is a club where you can get to know other people in school, learn about Asian culture, and taste Asian food, which is the best part!” She also shared that the club is still planning for their upcoming ventures since they’re new. Nevertheless, Krampert de-$ned the group as another way for people to connect.

It is important for an organization to gather a variety of people that share common interests, experi-ences, and perspectives in life. This will help to create a bond between each member or a bond in the group as well. It is also one way of developing leadership and social skills among students. Asian Club has currently recruited 18 members and they’re looking forward in having a greater num-

ber of students who will belong in their group in the near future.

Sebastian Song ‘14 admitted that he enjoys attending the club because it allows him to meet new people and discover new cultures. “We have done many activities including potlucks and club bonding games to help us to get to know one another.” Ac-cording to him, the main factor that makes Asian club so interest-ing is its real world applications. “Learning more about the diverse cultures in our school is extreme-ly bene$cial because we can take this knowledge and understand people in the real world better.”

Song also encourages the stu-dents who are not yet part of the club to join them. “Every member of the Asian Club is extremely friendly and you will $t right into our family.” He also emphasizes that everyone should not be afraid to join even if they are not Asians.

Likewise, Kevin Abarca ‘13 shared that Asian Club had a couple of food invites and that they have played truth or dare to create a more social bond between the members. “I learned a lot from the club but what would I love to use outside is the di#erent lan-guages I picked up from them.

Every day you’ll learn something new.”

He also added that students should escape their worriesand come to the club. “Come to a place of a strong uni$ed family. Not only do we want to build a foundation, but a family as well.”

Moreover, Antonette Hansen ’16 also agreed that the said club is fun. She said that interacting and learning from people with di#er-ent cultures and traditions makes the club interesting for her. “I feel like I’m traveling whenever I’m in Asian club,” she said.

A Bit of Asia in Woodside HighAsian Club is once again connecting cultures within Woodside High

The revived Asian Club hung posters like the one shown around campus to let students know where to go on Thursdays to learn about Asian cul-tures. Photo by Leira Montemayor

The members of Asian club bolted in and managed smiles for a picture. Back row: Dean Park ‘13,--, Prudencio Capu-long ‘13, Xixi Wu ‘14, Alexander Yuen ‘14, Connor Swan ‘14, James Power ‘14. Front row: Leira Montemayor ‘15, An-tonette Hansen ‘16, Amy Yu ‘14, Renna Esmabe ‘14, Sebastian Song ‘14, Alex Triveno ‘14. Photo by Leslie With

quad during lunch. This “mini concert” will be open to anyone and everyone

who would like to express them-selves through: music, dance, rap, poetry, etc. The theme of the show is peace, acceptance of other’s di#erences, and aware-ness of bullying. This day is known as “Social Justice Day”. A large poster will be available at the event, for any student who would like to sign their name and leave a message. The show is open for sta#, students, and any outside preformers that take interest in attending.

Day number two, is an event called the “Parade of Nations”. In this event, students will partici-pate in a parade where they carry !ags representing their nations or heritage. It is a march of pride and identity that will end in a rendezvous at the quad. Several school clubs that deal with recog-nition of certain nationalities will be invited to the quad to bring and sell food at lunch. This day serves as a voice for the under represented nationalities and as an opportunity for those who feel their sense of identi$cation has been dragged to the cover of shadows, and would like it to reemerge for the respect and ac-ceptance it deserves.

The third day, will be oriented

around LGBTQ youth and will simply be called “LGBTQ Day”. The purpose of this day, is to not only recognize people who may be di#erent than ourselves, but also to learn acceptance and integration. There will be music accompanied with a poster that students can sign to show their support. The reward for a sign, is a rainbow bracelet. Informa-tional booths from community resources will be set up for stu-dents to access as well. What the organizers hope for the outcome is for anyone that is in doubt or con$dent about their di#erences, to feel accepted 100% of the way, by the rest of the Woodside com-munity.

The fourth day will be a show hosted by Leadership and it will be given an originally spicy twist. To represent the diversity and try to give people a more broad out-look on ethnicity, a last perfor-mance will be held. But this time, several di#erent cultural dancers will take the stage or, Quad, and express themselves through their own unique form of dance. This $nal spectacle will serve as, like Laura Perdikomatis says, “a culmi-nation of the previous events.”

The inspiration for this event comes actually from Gunn High School. Perdikomatis was contacted last year by one of the

parents of a Gunn High School student regarding an event simi-lar to Increase the Peace Week. Contemplating and admiring the impact this event could have on Woodside students, she said she would “tailor it very speci$cally to Woodside” and let the students shape the outcome.

But then again is this not sadly a timeless issue? It has been more than a century that public schools began to popularize, and so it has been more than a cen-tury that this issue has prevailed. In fact, this issue transcends educational facilities and into real world situations. This is why events like this must be orga-nized, to make sure bullying and injustice does not continue to decompose the student’s future, and even the student’s morality.

The organizers of the event, are the S.O.S., this is a coalition of sta# and students whose sole purpose, is to create an improved High School experience. This is called a “Peer Education Pro-gram,” and has been at Woodside High School for twenty years. If you came to this school during your Freshman year, or are in your Freshman year now, you may remember something called “Freshman Transition”. This is one of the many programs that the S.O.S. organizes in order for

students to adapt to this new environment that can sometimes prove hostile.

Another denomination under the S.O.S., is the Safe School Ambassadors or (S.S.A.). Accord-ing to Perdikomatis, “they teach students 40 ways to solve a prob-lem.” For example, if a student is being targeted by a bully, the S.O.S. member is taught not to confront the bully, but instead console the victim. Gwen Sidley also informed the Woodside World Magazine of the K.L.E.A.R. (Kids Learn Empathy And Re-spect), which is a program run by the S.O.S. and herself for Anti-

Bullying. She stated that, “they (student helpers) report to me who is doing the bullying, but an adult has to deal with the person who is doing the bullying.”

So it is obvious to see that the S.O.S. is on an endeavour to se-date the injustice that can more and more often make its pres-ence very strong. Perdikomatis is hopeful that “it will make every-one at school feel accepted.” This event, will serve as the ultimate example of di#erences in every human and teach students how to see behind the di#erences and how to accept them.

6

Law banning plastic bags from commercial use in Portola Valley beginsBy Kenzie Humphries

As of April 22, 2013, it will o"cially be illegal to use plastic bags commonly in some areas around Portola Valley. They will be banned from mainstream use in stores across the Bay Area and, but for certain exceptions, customers will either have to purchase paper bags at the store or bring their own. The ban is identical to that being enacted in the San Mateo County and the ban already in action in San Francisco.

In the Portola Valley area, the Town Council unanimously decided on Wednesday, January 23, to ban the use of plastic bags at local checkout counters. And while retailers will still be allowed to use the plastic bags for items such as food ordered to go, fresh pro-duce, and prescription drugs, for every-thing else the customer will need to pay a fee of ten cents to carry their groceries home in a bag. The idea of such a ban is, understandably, controversial.

Some people do not like the idea of such restrictions. The common opinion is that the problem is with the people themselves and not the bags -- it is hardly the plastic bag’s fault that it is being thrown away irresponsibly. While this may be the case, it is undoubtedly easier to enforce a law that bans plastic bags in comparison to one that bans lit-terers themselves. “I don’t really see the point,” said Ella Patch ‘15. “Just because the bags are paper doesn’t change the fact that they’re going to be littered, too.”

Others, however, are in favor of the ban and reacted positively upon being informed of it. “I support this fully and have used cloth bags for over 20 years,” wrote Margo McAuli#e, a retired high school math teacher and a resident of Menlo Park, on an article for the Alma-nac posted on their website, “Paper bags are not environmentally friendly, even if they are made from wood waste. It takes a great deal of water to make paper. I’m always amazed at people who shop several times a week, each time expect-ing a new, free bag. They use it for what, an hour or so, then throw it away.”

Paper bags, too, are proving to be a topic of debate and varying opinions. While some people believe them to be better than plastic bags and easily recyclable, others have cited the fact that there are such things as biodegrad-able plastic bags -- upon being left, they degrade easily into the soil with little to no ill e#ects. The problem is that many stores are not actually using these bags. Another problem with paper bags is that the process of creating them uses a lot of water. Over time this could prove problematic, if the use of paper becomes common enough to warrant widespread production.We have to be careful with what we in!ict upon the world around us; already people are worrying about things like global warming and natural disasters because of our in!uence on the world. Plastic bags, while seemingly a small im-pact on the environment, are potentially lethal to lots of wildlife and by restrict-ing the amount that we litter we could prevent dozens of animal deaths.

Paper vs. Plastic

By Luci Cerrillo

Mere minutes after being sworn into a second term in o"ce, President Barack Obama made United States history by being the $rst President to dis-cuss gay rights in an inaugural address.

“The need for hard work and coming together as a country reminded me a bit of John F. Kennedy’s classic inaugural address. That said, I think people might be disappointed that Obama seems to have abandoned the message of change that was so central to his $rst cam-paign and inspired a lot of support,” says Forrest Donnellan, Economics and AP US History teach-er on President Obama’s second Inaugural Ad-dress which has caused quite a bit of controversy in the weeks since the ceremony. In his address, President Obama stated that during his next four years in O"ce, he plans to create a country where everyone is treated equally, a statement that many leaders in the past have expressed including civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

On February 12, Obama reiterated his determina-tion to create a somewhat equal society during his State of the Union address, which is an an-nual report of the current condition of the US and also serves as a layout for legislative and national concerns. For those who didn’t watch the national-ly televised event, Obama discussed the issues re-garding immigration, gun control, minimum wage, troop withdrawal, debt and de$cit, medicare, the list can go on and on. World Studies and US History teacher Diana House provides her input on Obama’s plans for the future: “As he is fond of other words, Presidents have to focus on all the needs of our country, not just one issue or two issues. Personally, I think he was right to talk about other issues.” Pertaining to Obama’s issue on immigration and gay rights to which he addressed in both his Inaugural Address and the State of the Union, Ms. House goes on to continue: “He [Obama] is a symbol of what we can be as a saying himself, and I agree, Presidents are capable of walking/chew-ing gum at the same time. In people, but there are forces aligned against him that will continue to undermine his authority and his legitimacy.

Racism is alive and well in the US- prejudice is not easy to vanquish.”

Along with immigration and equality issues, President Obama is also working to improve the economic issues that has greatly a#ected the US. BOSA secretary Alex Her-rera ‘13 provides his insight on the national issue: “I believe that if Obama really wants to create an equal society, he needs to dedicate a signi$cant amount of his time and atten-tion to the immigration issue.

However, in order to bene$t the country as a whole, he should focus more on the eco-nomic issues. The immigration issue is important because if America really is a free coun-try, it [the government] should allow foreigners to come into this country, work to earning their citizenship while trying to live the American dream.” Although nobody knows for sure what the future may hold, it is de$nitely certain that our journey to the aspired Ameri-can dream is not complete.

Mere minutes after being sworn into a second term in o"ce, President Barack Obama made United States history by being the $rst President to dis-cuss gay rights in an inaugural address.

“The need for hard work and coming together as a country reminded me a bit of John F. Kennedy’s classic inaugural ad-dress. That said, I think people might be disappointed that Obama seems to have aban-doned the message of change that was so central to his $rst

campaign and inspired a lot of support.” says Forrest Don-nellan, Economics and AP US History teacher on President Obama’s second Inaugural Ad-dress which has caused quite a bit of controversy in the weeks since the ceremony. In his ad-dress, President Obama stated that during his next four years in O"ce, he plans to create a country where everyone is treated equally, a statement that many leaders in the past have expressed including civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

On February 12, Obama reiter-ated his determination to cre-ate a somewhat equal society during his State of the Union address, which is an annual report of the current condi-tion of the US and also serves as a layout for legislative and national concerns. For those who didn’t watch the nation-ally televised event, Obama discussed issues regarding im-migration, gun control, mini-mum wage, troop withdrawal, debt and de$cit, medicare, the list can go on and on. World Studies and US History teacher Diana House provides her input on Obama’s plans for the future: “As he is fond of other words, Presidents have to focus on all the needs of our country, not just one issue or two issues. Personally,

I think he was right to talk about other issues.” Pertaining to Obama’s issue on immigration and gay rights to which he addressed in both his Inaugural Address and the State of the Union, Ms. House goes on to continue: “He [Obama] is a symbol of what we can be as a saying himself, and I agree, Presidents are capable of walking/chewing gum at the same time. In people, but there are forces aligned against him that will continue to undermine his author-ity and his legitimacy. Racism is alive and well in the US- prejudice is not easy to vanquish.”

Along with immigra-tion and equality is-sues, President Obama is also working to improve the economic issues that has greatly a#ected the US. BOSA secretary Alex Herrera ‘13 provides his insight on the national issue: “I believe that if Obama really wants to create an equal society, he needs to dedicate a sig-ni$cant amount of his time and attention to the immigration issue. However, in order to bene$t the country as a whole, he should focus more on the economic issues. The immigration issue is important be-cause if America really is a free country, it [the government] should

allow foreigners to come into this country, work to earning their citizenship while trying to live the American dream.” Although nobody knows for sure what the future may hold, it is de$nitely certain that our journey to the aspired Ameri-can dream is not complete.

“Our Journey Is Not Complete”Obama takes on gay rights, gun control, and immigration in his inaugural and State of the Union addresses

Photo: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend St. John’s Church for an inaugural church service in Wash-ington, D.C. on January 21, 2013. Photo by White House photogra-pher Pete Souza

7

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