09October 2008

The Blueprint
October 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
The Blueprint
Without it, you wouldn’t know what’s going on
INSIDE
World News pg. 2
The Economy
Health pg. 3
ADD
Opinion pg. 4-7
Presidential Election
Emily and Olivia pg. 8-9
SM Drinking Fountains
Features pg. 10
TGI Fridays
Sports pg. 11
Mock Presidential Debate between Bellow and Tungate
By Samantha Toth
On Monday, October 20 th, 2008 a mock debate between Barack
Obama and John McCain
was held in the school gym
from seven to nine in the
evening.
The debate was a
fundraiser for the club
called JSA, Junior Statesmen of America. The two
presidents of this club are
Kevin Jain and Megan
Kang. It cost either five
dollars or two cans of food
to get into the debate.
Before it began,
Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Smith
spoke about religion and
helping others in the world.
They tied together issues
concerning service and how
this upcoming election will
affect the rest of the globe.
JSA tried to get the
real Obama and McCain for
the debate, but both candidates said they were a little
busy. So instead students
took on the roles as Barack
Obama, Joe Biden, John
McCain, and Sarah Palin.
Kevin Jain and Megan Kang
were the moderators.
From the Democratic
Party, Jordan Bellow played
Barack Obama and Matt
Schumacher played Joe
B i d e n . R o b e r t Tu n g a t e
played John McCain and
Kelsey Jezierski played Sarah Palin from the Republican Party.
The vice presidential
candidates spoke first, answering a few questions.
The questions pertained to
topics such as their running
mate, their individual history,
differences between parties,
Girls Golf
Special Section pg. 12-13
Halloween
Entertainment pg. 14
Anberlin
Camp Min pg. 15
Juniors
Camp Life pg. 16
Ealge Spirit
Kelsey Jezierski as Sarah Palin and Robert Tungate as John McCain.
Photo courtesy of Drew Manix.
Student Sound Off
What is your favorite halloween candy?
Candy corn
Izzy Choquehuanca (Freshman)
Twix
William Tungate (Sophomore)
Laffy Taffy
Emily Schmeltzer (Junior)
Strawberry candy
Eric Martin (Senior)
Jordan Bellow as Barack Obama and Robert Tungate as John McCain.
Photo courtesy of Drew Manix.
etc. After Biden and Palin
answered two questions,
they continued with their
speeches.
Next were the presidential candidates. Obama
and McCain were asked
five questions consisting of
subjects like the U.S.
economy, Iraq, taxes, global
warming, and power. The
presidential candidates then
gave their speeches.
Jordan Bellow says, “It
was really nerveracking at
first, but I think by the end
of the debate, Tungate and I
got the hang of it. I just hope
the students vote on October 30th. Obama ‘08!”
Even though this
fundraiser was a mock debate, the students learned
about real issues that are
being discussed in the current election. With an audi-
ence of approximately fourhundred students, the SM
student body gained knowledge about politics in the
United States. After the debate, students had a feel for
what both parties consist of
and the differences between
Obama and McCain.
Kevin Jain comments,
“The candidates did a fantastic job. The night informed students about various issues going on in the
real political world. Over
$1,000 was raised and is
going toward Third World
First to the Friendship
Orphange in Uganda. Also
over six-hundred pounds of
food was collected for Second Harvest. The night was
a complete success in every
regard!”
Crucifixes Coming from Spain for New Chapel
By Julia Boyle
Recently there has been a
new addition to Santa Margarita.
The chapel was fully renovated during the summer. Over the years it
has always been the center of the
SM campus and has been a major
component of our weekly masses.
The Birtcher family donated the
chapel twenty years ago when SM
first opened. Once again, the
Birtchers generously gave to our
school to have the chapel renovated.
The chapel has many attributes from Spain. Located inside
the chapel are beautiful crucifixes,
which have come from Spain and
are called Granda. The altar is made
of gorgeous granite, which is from
Spain as well and the floor is made
up of marble.
The chapel looks incredible
and holy. The seats are now present
and a crucifix of Jesus Christ will
be hung inside the chapel.Also coming soon will be a sign on the front
of the chapel which will be named
as the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.
Mr. Dunne says, “We are adding a
statue of St. Mary Margaret in an
area next to the chapel.” The statue
should be on campus sometime in
the end of October. She is the saint
of our school and it would be a great
tribute to the campus.
On November 15th, Bishop
Brown will arrive on campus and
complete a formal blessing.
Masses, which are available for everyone, are held on Monday
monrnings at seven. So next time
you have a chance, go take a visit
to the new chapel!
New chapel as of October 24th, 2008.
Photo courtesy of Karsyn Kraft.
2
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
world news
Could it be Another Great Depression?
By Ross Kingsley
Over the course of this
past month, many of you have
probably wondered what is
going on with the current
economy. Everybody has
heard stories about Wall
Street collapsing and the government proposing bills, etc.
How is it going to affect me?
Why should I care? And how
bad is it really? Well according to various news and media groups such as CNN, Fox
News, and the statistics in
Wall Street, it is pretty bad.
This is easily one of the worst
financial crises that has hit the
United States of America.
According to CNN reporters,
it may be the worst to hit the
U.S. since the Depression in
the 1930’s.
How exactly do we find
ourselves in this mess? Well,
after speaking with our very
own economy teacher Mr.
Blanc a few very important
factors came into view. In
short, the U.S. experienced
tremendous economic growth
within the past several decades. Financial Institutions
developed a mind set that in
along with various other bills
to try and put money back into
the institutions so they could
make more loans and try to
bounce back. Many people do
feel we will be alright however. According to Mr. Blanc,
“I am an optimist. The
economy will recover, but it
will take awhile. In the long
run, the US economy has always shown great resiliency
and it will come back. It is
just kind of tough if you are
planning to retire in the next
couple of years”.
Well what makes this as
bad as everyone says it is?
According to Fox News, during the Great Depression, the
stock market collapsed and
had a huge effect on profits,
incomes, and tax revenues. It
also took a major toll on cities
that relied on heavy industry.
1 in 4 American citizens were
unemployed at the very height
of the Depression; that was
24.75% of the U.S. population. However, not quite as
bad as the depression, there
is only a 7.62% unemployment rate at this point accord-
This image will become more common if the econmony doesn’t
improve Photo courtesy of Google Images
order to inherit more profits,
they would initiate a numerous amount of loans. The borrowers of these loans believed
that they would eventually be
able to pay it back and found
out they couldn’t. Of course,
without anyone paying back
the financial institutions, these
institutions could not grow
and make more money. So,
everything slowly began to
plummet. The institutions
started borrowing money off
of each other to help develop
new loans, people started losing their jobs because businesses were failing, and
people could not spend as
much anymore. So, why did
we propose a 700 billion dollar bill? We proposed this
ing to Fox News Media
Group. But many people fear
that it will continue to grow
worse and it has. The unemployment rate is slowly rising
and more and more businesses are going under. According to Ken Griffin, the
CEO of the Financial Firm
Citadel Investment Group,
“employment could fall by 20
percent or more over the
coming months”. Some major
companies have already
fallen such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and Washington Mutual. Many others
are continuing to reach their
demise. As of now, the government has proposed over 1
trillion dollars as an effort to
try and get the economy back
on track. However, according
to Charles Geisst, the author
of the book, “Wall Street”, “if
we decide to use all of this
‘smart money’ with no value
it is only going to lead us into
a huge inflation”. Due to the
fact that our economy and
government are intertwined
with those of many other nations worldwide, if this crisis
grows, the entire world may
eventually suffer from our
misfortune.
However, we are not the
only country that has economic problems. China has
the 2nd largest economy in the
entire world and although
their unemployment rate was
4.03% as of 2006, many
people continue to struggle to
get by and survive. With a
population of 1,321,851,888
(Wikipedia.org) openings for
jobs can be scarce at times.
According to a study conducted in 2007, 300 million
people in China live in poverty
and try to survive on less than
$1 a day. Like the United
States, China relies heavily on
industry and natural resources. Some of China’s
main industries include iron,
steel, chemicals, automobiles,
and textiles.
Although China’s current economic situation is not
as bad as that of the U.S. they
too are suffering. China’s
economy continues to suffer
from air and water pollution,
soil erosion, and a growing
desertification; underemployment as well as the pricing
system also continue to create problems for their
economy. As of February
2008, China had an inflation
rate of 8.7%. This was due in
part to the decline of gasoline
availability. Why? The refineries could not produce it at
low prices because of the governments pricing system.
However, it’s okay to be a little
envious because China is currently sitting at $2.65 a gallon
as compared to the U.S. price
of $3.29 a gallon.
Russia too has had its
bad times. They currently
have an unemployment rate of
5.9% and have suffered
greatly in the past due to communism, high prices, and inflation. As everyone probably
knows, Russia is the powerhouse of technological development. They specialize in
aerospace, nuclear engineering, and basic sciences. Russia is also resource based and
has developed a market
economy ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union. One
can easily see that we as a nation are not the only ones that
are suffering or have suffered.
Nations across the globe continue to have their difficulties
and they not only affect their
country but those throughout
the world.
We know there are
many negatives to this problem, but are there any positives? Well, the values of many
tend one of these schools can
be mind boggling. Freshman
and sophomores!! In the next
few years, college will become
something of interest. If the
economy becomes worse,
things will have to be taken in
consideration and dreams and
ambitions must be thought out
carefully as well. Everyone
needs to think about what is
truly important and understand
what is going on in the United
States and the great problems
it may cause for everybody in
Does this 1930s picture portray what will happen to us again?
Photo courtesy of Google Images
homes have dropped significantly making it an extremely
bad time to sell but a very good
time to buy. In order for the
real estate businesses to grow,
these companies need people
who are willing to buy. If these
low prices continue, more and
more people will be looking to
purchase new homes. Also, on
a positive note, the exports of
American made goods have
skyrocketed and foreign investments in U.S. companies
have risen. Many people who
have invested in stocks and
companies are now pulling out
and putting their trust in reserved financial markets.
Now, how is this going to
affect us? Well, college is just
around the corner for both the
juniors and the seniors. Everyone needs to decide which college is right for them. For
those of the students who have
parents involved in the financial market, problems may
arise. We need to understand
that college is extremely expensive especially for the big
time universities. For the students out there who have an
interest in attending an Ivy
League School (Yale, Harvard,
Columbia, Brown, etc.) one
must think about is it a real
goal? By all means, if it is a
dream get after it and make it
happen. If not, the price to at-
the future. Parents and everyday people in our society who
don’t make a consistent salary cannot live off of savings
alone forever. And yes private
schools do cost money. So,
what does that mean for us?
It means we all need to be extremely grateful and show respect towards the fact that we
have the ability to attend such
a great “private” school.
The few disciplined soles
in the US are going to have to
pay for the serious unabated
partying of many. The marketplace and economy are reeling from too much excess and
high living beyond what people
can afford. Yes Wall Street
found a way to make money
in a creative way like the
smart money always does, but
people taking responsibility for
their lives is critical. Has been
in the past, certainly is in the
present, and will be well into
the future. It is the only real
solution to the mess we find
ourselves in today. Let’s simply hope that we as a nation
find our way through this mess
and get back on some kind of
track. And if all is done in an
orderly and efficient manner,
our nation will not experience
another “Black Tuesday” in
which our strength as a nation
is lost.
3
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
HEALTH
Oh, That’s Just My ADD/ADHD
By Aria Bendix and Amanda Rooth
ADD and ADHD may be It also may be the result of a
common words to us today, but chemical imbalance in the brain.
do we really know what the dif- These chemicals help to regulate
ference is between saying “Oh, behavior, thus causing the sympthat’s just my ADD!” and the toms of the disorder, the three
actual medical condition? Not major symptoms being inatteneveryone who has trouble sitting tiveness, hyperactivity, and impulstill or paying attention in class sivity.
suffers from AD/HD, but these
According to www.addare some of the common symp- adhd.org, ADD and ADHD
toms. ADD stands for Attention- have stronger symptoms in chilDeficit Disorder and ADHD dren and affects between 3-5%
stands for Attention-Deficit Hy- of students, so it is likely that you
peractivity Disorder; the differ- are sitting in class EVERYDAY
ence is that people with ADHD with students who have this disseem to be more hyperactive, order. The important thing to reconstantly moving, and impatient member is that it should not be
than those with ADD. Nobody considered a setback for these
knows the actual cause of AD/ students and has nothing to do
HD, although it may be genetic. with a person’s IQ or intelligence
level. For many, medication is
available to make this disorder
easy to deal with on an everyday
basis. For students at Santa
Margarita, the ASP center helps
to provide those with AD/HD
with a distraction-free environment to do their school work and
take tests. People like Mrs.
Bigdeli help these students with
tutoring, homework, and exams
at the ASP center so that students
can stay on track.
The ASP center helps a
large number of students on campus. According to Mrs. Bigdeli,
“There are around 140 students,
more boys than girls, who use the
program.” In fact, AD/HD is so
common that Mrs. Bigdeli states,
“There are even students with
these disorders that are not registered in the curriculum.” However, because of the fact that this
disease is so common, some
people may be misdiagnosed.
When asked if people ever come
in that do not have AD/HD, Mrs.
Bigdeli replies, “It happens all the
time. There are students who
can’t focus that don’t have
ADD.” It is important to go to a
doctor and be properly diagnosed,
but it is also important to know
that even if you don’t have ADD,
places like the ASP center are
always open.
In other cases, there are
students without AD/HD who
use it as a crutch or an excuse
for poor performance on a test,
not doing their schoolwork, or
having trouble focusing in class.
Although AD/HD is not an extremely limiting or terrible disorder, it should not be taken lightly.
However, those with real trouble
focusing should not ignore their
symptoms or be afraid to be examined by a doctor. It is essential
to realize that AD/HD is a common disorder and does not inhibit
a person from doing well inside
or outside of school. So if you
ever get that urge to suddenly run
out of the classroom, don’t start
blaming it on your so-called
“ADD”.
All photos of ADD/ADHD courtesy of Google Images.
Health Care Needs More Than Just a Band-Aid
By Carly Rivera
Seven years ago, my
grandfather found out he had
cancer. His insurance company would not approve the
special type of surgery he
needed. Finally, after six
months, he got approval for
surgery from a new insurance
company. Unfortunately, after his operation was completed, the surgeon told us
that the cancer had spread to
his liver, and there was nothing they could do. He most
likely would have survived if
he had the surgery right away,
but the cancer spread because he had to wait for insurance approval. After
fighting for eighteen months,
my grandfather died. Many
of us have a story about
someone we know that did not
get the proper health care
they needed. No one in our
country should be denied the
lifesaving treatment they
need. Health care should not
be heartless, it should be hopeful. Health care was not always this bad, though…
There was a time when
doctors were able to take
care of their patients without
insurance companies getting
in the way. In the 1970s,
when our parents were young,
85% of Americans had some
type of private health care. If
your mom or dad was sick or
needed an operation, they just
went to the doctor or hospital. There was no such thing
as being “excluded for preexisting conditions,” expensive
co-pays, or getting approval
from “your primary doctor”
before seeing the specialist.
When someone needed health
care they were hopeful that
their doctor could help.
Today, our insurance
coverage is over when we
graduate from college. We
won’t be covered under our
parents any more. We will
have to work full-time for a
company for three months
until the company’s insurance
kicks in or buy our own insurance. However, you cannot
buy your own insurance if you
happened to have had some
type of surgery in the last
year. You would be denied
because you had a “preexisting condition.” Every month,
you will have money taken out
of your paycheck to help pay
for your insurance. If you
pick a good insurance coverage, where you can go to any
doctor you want, you will be
making big monthly payments.
If you cannot afford good insurance, you may not be able
to go to the best doctors when
an injury or sickness occurs,
and your medicine will be very
expensive.
As of 2006, there are
now 47 million Americans uninsured, which means they
have no medical care, except
the E.R. Today only 60% of
employers offer health insurance to their employees. The
mess is not because we don’t
have enough money. In fact,
we spend more than any country in the world on Health
Care, but our infant mortality
rate is worse than eight other
countries and our life expectancy is lower than six other
countries.
There are a few more
main problems in our heartless
health care system. In the
area of care, not everyone
gets equal medical care.
Some people can’t afford
their high co-pays and are excluded for preexisting conditions. In the area of cost,
health care is expensive for
the government and for private companies. Also, many
citizens cannot afford the high
costs of buying their own insurance. Fortunately, the government has many ideas to fix
this broken system. Presidential candidates John McCain
and Barack Obama both support the approach where the
uninsured are put into a big
group called an insurance exchange. Obama is also supporting subsidies for the poor,
and employers that do not provide health insurance have to
pay a fee. McCain endorses
the idea of a health savings
account and short-term tax
breaks for state-run insurance
plans. Obama and McCain
support no exclusions for preexisting conditions. All the
ideas have at least 87% of the
population covered. The next
President will have his hands
full reorganizing health care.
At least they both agree it
does need to be fixed. In a
few years, we will be adults
and will need our own health
insurance. Let’s hope that
our parents vote for the person that can fix this problem,
so by the time we’re adults,
we know that everyone will
get the care they need.
Not even an industrial size bandaid can help health care. Photo
courtesy of Google Images.
Health care as told by a nurse.
Photo courtesy of Google Images.
4
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
OPINION
McCain’s Economic Strategies
By Parris Wells
My fellow
students, as the 2008 presidential election is quickly
approaching, a critical decision arises. Who shall we
vote for? In my opinion after reading numerous books
on McCain, watching all
three presidential debates,
and consistently brushing
up on important issues of
both tickets, McCain prevails.
First and
foremost, Senator Barack
Obama’s campaign is built
on a microscopic amount of
experience; this type of
campaign attracts supporters who resort to simply
bashing the opposing ticket
because they cannot identify solid factual information to support their candidate. So for those of you
who are neutral in the political realm, don’t care too
much about politics, or are
simply unaware of John
McCain’s resume, let me
elaborate. Senator McCain
attended the United States
Naval Academy to receive
his rigorous education as
well as suffer through the
difficult disciplinary program (any individual who
graduates this institution is
above and beyond most
college graduates). He
thus graduated and jumped
the ranks to naval officer.
During his years serving
for our country, he was
captured as a prisoner of
war in Vietnam. After seeing only the walls of his 5’
by 7’ cell, only leaving to
be viciously tortured for six
years, he was finally released to retreat home. He
was elected senator in
1986 for his first term and
has been re-elected three
times since, remaining in
o ff i c e t o p r e s e n t d a y.
McCain’s experience is
abundant, his passion and
reverence to this country,
endless. For those of you
who follow politics, all bias
aside, realize that experience is the key ingredient
to any successful leader.
When examining the current status of
o u r c o u n t r y, o n e i s s u e
abruptly positions itself into
vision: the economy. Over
the past months we have
witnessed tremendous decline in stocks as well as
a cessation in business
success. Some of you
whose parents are entrepreneurs or work for major industries have most
likely been the recipients
of their stressful repercussions (tighter budgets,
stricter rules, groundings?). Although this eco-
policies to slowly redeem our
country’s powerful status.
The main assets of McCain’s
campaign are: tax cuts, deregulation (a controversial
issue because of the bailout
plan passed two weeks ago),
and lower government
spending.
Essentially, the tax cuts
McCain proposes are a spin
off of “Reaganomics” or
“trickle-down” economy, a
ployee who wants to climb
the business ladder) because he will maintain
more money to buy a business and hire more employees. Solely for your information, Obama’s policy is
a tax cut for individuals
who make under $250,000
per year, and tax increases
for all people whose yearly
income exceeds this
am o u n t. U n f o r t u n a t e l y,
VOTE
John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin at a rally. Photo courtesy of Google.
McCAIN
nomic downturn has been recurring in a cyclical pattern
since the economy first developed, our generation remained naïve to the conception that the economy has
potential to plummet, until
now. This issue is of extreme importance to our immediate future, as well as
our country’s future, henceforth, it deserves special attention and careful approach.
Due to the fact that numerous problems exist
within the United States
economy each a catalyst to
the current “recession”, I
will simply discuss McCain’s
very efficient plan proposed
by Ronald Reagan (arguably
the best president this country has ever witnessed). The
tax cuts will provide money
for small businesses to expand, providing more job opportunities, as well as recycling the surplus money into
purchasing goods, which will
then boost other business’s
market values providing
them with more money to
recycle into the economy
and so on and so forth. In
the final presidential debate,
McCain consistently reminded us that his tax plan
will behoove “Joe the
Plumber” (your average em-
this would affect most of
our population in Orange
and LA County.
Deregulation… a
tricky subject that is often
overlooked as another
“McCain swing issue”
when in fact it is not. The
whole idea behind deregulation is for the government
to let businesses control
their own spending in the
market, with limits of
course. However, when it
comes to the Mortgage
Crisis we have recently experienced, a handful of
banks abused this deregulation, ignoring the limits
the government provided.
McCain is in favor of deregulation. It has been said
that now McCain is in favor of regulation with the
T. A . R . P. ( Tr o u b l e A s s e t
Relief Program), which is
true in the aspect that he
wants to reinforce the limits the government set in the
first place, which were
ABUSED. Sorry people, he
has not completely changed
his campaign.
Lastly, reducing all
government spending is a
weighty issue. Over the
past couple of years, government spending has been
OUT OF CONTROL! Left
and right, we have been
commencing projects that
w e h a v e n o b u d g e t f o r.
McCain wants to halt government spending when he
is in office. In the first
presidential debate he
stated, “I will veto any government spending bill that
they put in front of me”
( C S PA N . c o m ) .
John
McCain knows that we
have exceeded our government spending limits, and it
is essential to save up our
money to claw our way out
of debt. The Democratic
ticket however, has 3 billion
dollars worth of project proposals in mind to help each
American achieve “The
American Dream”.
The United States
economy is an important
topic in this 2008 campaign.
If we allow the government
to play with our money in
these upcoming years, each
and every one of you will
experience the effects of an
economic depression similar
to the “Great Depression”
in the 20’s. A representative government should lift
us out of this hole and into
the light instead of bring us
down and mask it with
“change” or “American
Dream” ideologies. Our
country’s economic safety
lies with the Republican
ticket, John McCain and
Sarah Palin, because they
understand the baby steps
necessary to make each
and every one of you prosper. Vote McCain!
5
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
OPINION
The Pathetic Racial Divide
By Ryan Petersen
First of all, let me get
some things out of the way.
Barack Obama is not Islamic. Barack Obama is
not a secret terrorist.
Barack Obama does not
have some secret agenda.
Barack Obama does not
believe white people created AIDS to kill off African American’s nor is he
part of a secret guerilla
fist-bumping faction with
his wife.
Barack Obama is not
a closet drug addict nor is
he an Ewok from the forest moon Endor disguised as
a human in order to further
the mutant teddy bear’s global domination. Ok, I think
that just about covers every
false accusation and racially-charged lie about
Barack Obama I can think
of. Now I can begin.
Honestly, I believe it’s
sad that I have to preface
my article on Obama by disputing all the nasty smears
and lies that have been
thrown upon the candidate.
It is ridiculous that 45 years
after Martin Luther King
made his “I Have A Dream
Speech”, race continues to
play a major factor in our
current election.
It seems like our nation acts as though we’ve
moved
beyond
our
country’s dark past of bigotry and yet one only needs
to follow the campaign trail
of the presidential candidates to see how little we
have progressed.
R e c e n t l y,
John
McCain and Sarah Palin
have been holding town hall
meetings in battleground
states in order to energize
support for their ticket in a
time when their poll numbers continue to slip below
Barack Obama’s.
This has led the campaign to abandon their
“straight-talk express” values and go straight back to
politics-as-usual. At these
town meetings, the patriotism and loyalty of Obama
is put into question.
McCain and Palin ask
the crowd, “Who is Barack
Obama?” Audience members on more than one occasion have shouted in response, “A terrorist!” Both
Palin and McCain have
made numerous attempts at
these rallies to connect Bill
Ayers, a member of a 1960’s
that she could not trust
Obama because he was an
“Arab.”
that what these audience
members are referring to?
Or are they referring
VOTE
Barack Obama and his running mate, Joseph Biden. Photo courtesy of Google.
OBAMA
Obama and Biden share a laugh at a debate. Photo courtesy of Google.
terrorist organization called
the Weather Underground,
with Obama, even though
Ay e r s a t t a c k s o c c u r r e d
when Obama was 8 years
old.
A middle-aged man told
McCain he would be scared
of a country run by a man
like Obama. One elderly
woman told John McCain
At some of these town
hall meetings, members of
the crowd have shouted out
death threats, such as “Off
with Obama’s head!” and
“Bomb Obama!”
Really?
‘Bomb
Obama’? Like the 16th
Street Baptist Church
bombing which killed four
African-American girls? Is
to some type of assassination, like the deaths of
Martin Luther King and
Malcolm X? Or are they
simply spewing out hatefilled rhetoric in order to
evoke fear in the American
people over the concept of
a ‘black man’ being president?
Barack Obama has
been relatively calm in his reaction to these attacks,
promising to remain focused
on the issues rather than resort to cheap attacks rooted
in racism and xenophobia.
His handling of this
incident is a telltale sign of
how he would govern our
country. Here is a man who
is being targeted simply because of his ethnicity and yet
he remains calm, cool, and
collected. This sends a message to the voters as to how
Obama would react under
pressure, giving off the impression that he would be
careful in his presidential decisions rather than volatile
and brash.
In some ways, the recent dirty politics of McCain
and Palin may even improve
O b a m a ’s i m a g e i n t h e
public’s eye, rendering their
strategy obsolete and pathetic.
Yet the Republican candidate has completely denied
that his campaign has participated in racist or fearmongering attacks. John
McCain has even tried to
calm down his crowds
(McCain even putting himself in the position to have to
“calm down” his crowds is a
poor representation of how
this election process should
run) and communicate his
respect for Senator Obama
numerous times at these rallies, yet it is clearly not
enough.
It is obvious what his
campaign is trying to convey
to the voters: hatred and
fear. Quite frankly, I find it
both horrifying and disgusting. I do not care what your
political views or ideals are,
you cannot go around promoting venomous contempt
and outright lies about a candidate.
It is the hate spawned
in these rallies that truly tear
our country apart and bring
out the absolute worst in our
fellow countrymen. It seems
as though this election has
been a step back for American society, the Civil Rights
Movement was over in the
early 1960’s. In a time when
we should be united as a nation, we are now more divided then ever.
6
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
OPINION
The Right Choice: Literally
By Kenna Crouse and Alexis King
This upcoming election is
shaping up to be one of the
closest in American history.
Both John McCain, the Republican candidate, and Barack
Obama, the Democratic candidate, have strong opinions for
what our country needs. But
who is better fit to be our president? The answer: John
McCain.
First off, McCain is not a
racist. It’s not his fault some
people in this country still have
animosity toward people of a
different race. Contrary to
many people’s beliefs,
McCain’s goal is not to portray
Obama as a terrorist, communist, or a drug addict. McCain’s
only hope is to enlighten Americans about his positive and realistic campaign. This election
should not be about black or
white, but rather about specific
policies and who is overall the
better fit for our country.
The key difference
that sets the candidates
apart in their qualifications
to be President is experience. Not only is John
McCain experienced, but he
has superior knowledge and
insight to what our country
really needs. Instead of trying to establish a utopian society, he is realistic in his
ideas to reform our nation.
McCain’s plan to improve
our economy includes creating a manifold of American jobs, creating sufficient
and clean energy resources
while eliminating foreign dependence on oil, controlling
budgets and spending of the
government, and keeping
taxes to a minimum.
Unlike the other
candidate, McCain has specifically addressed his plan
of action to ensure our fu-
ture security and prosperity. He
addresses the need for more reliable energy sources and
pushes for alternative fuel
sources that will promote energy and efficiency.
John McCain is the better candidate for a plethora of
reasons. Once again, he has
experience. Sure he’s old. But
would you rather have someone who’s old and knows what
he’s doing, or someone who’s
young and in over his head?
McCain has lived through many
milestones in our nation’s history. He was a POW in the
Vietnam War, which highlights
his understanding of the hardships of war, and his awareness
of the need to get out of Iraq.
Obama has absolutely no war
experience, nor does he have
very much political experience.
Can you really trust someone
to lead our military when they
themselves have never experi-
enced it? McCain understands
the changes that need to be
made in this dire time of economic and social reform.
Contrary to Obama,
McCain’s ideals and opinions
don’t change based on the media. He stands strong in his beliefs and is consistent in his
views. He directly states his
views and intentions whereas
Obama dances around the issue at hand and tries as hard
as possible to avoid answering
the question.
Also, as a Catholic school,
we are called to be Pro-Life
and stand strong against abortion. John McCain shares our
Catholic anti-abortion views,
while Barack Obama adamantly supports this atrocity.
Catholic social teaching calls us
to support the life and dignity
of the human being from conception to natural death. Could
you live with knowing that be-
cause you voted Barack
Obama, the horrific act of
abortion continues to take
place throughout the country?
The change that
McCain proposes is realistic
rather than Obama’s radical
thinking. Our country is experiencing tumultuous hardship, but the solution to this issue is not extreme measures
and changing everything
America stands for, instead,
improving our already reputable standing among other
nations. Our country is unique
and although it’s not perfect,
it’s pretty much as good as it
gets. We’d like to keep it that
way.
We know some of
you may be thinking of supporting Obama, but think
again. Pick the right candidate. If you want “Reform,
Prosperity, Peace,” vote
McCain.
WHAT IS GOING ON IN IRAQ
According to Obama
The following is an excerpt
from Robert Tungate’s
closing remarks during the
mock debate on October
20, 2008. The speech was
co-authored by Robert
Tungate, David Mittlestein,
Sean Watson and Andrew
Rieger.
“I would now like to address the relationships between our great nation and
those around us. It is very
important to understand the
differences between the opinions of Mr. Obama and myself regarding the United
State’s military action in Iraq.
I have experienced war
first hand and it is horrific and
terrible. Unfortunately, sometimes the alternative to war
can be even worse. Mr.
Obama lays great claim in the
fact that he voted against the
war in Iraq as an example of
his “incredible insight”.
I should remind him that
over 90% of the Democrats
and Republicans in Congress
voted to perform military action in Iraq based on the best
information available.
Included in this statistic
is his running mate Mr. Biden,
who is supposedly a foreign
policy specialist, as well as the
rest of the Democratic Congress leadership. Was it an
easy choice to make? Absolutely not; but a President
must have the strength to be
able to make hard decisions.
Our government legislators used the best information
available in the bipartisan
armed forces committee to
make a measured, careful
choice.
Making decisions without
the appropriate experience and
the full complement of information appears to be a trend
of Mr. Obama’s. No one can
really know what would have
happened if we had not gone
to fight in Iraq. I can only tell
you what we do know.
Firstly, since entering
Iraq, we have not had another
terrorist attack on American
soil. The global terrorists are
at bay. Secondly, we have removed one of the world’s
worst dictators; a man who
places so little value on human
life that he used chemical
weapons on his own people.
Had this man had access
to Nuclear weapons or the ca-
pability to produce them, it is
very possible he would’ve
considered discharging them
on the United States or Israel,
our ally in the Middle East.
We do know that after
the recent troop surge Iraq
has begun slowly moving towards becoming a self-controlled democratic society.
Imagine the value of
having a successful democratic state in the Middle East,
a nation that has know nothing but fighting and oppression
for thousands of years.
Mr. Obama still does not
admit that the troop surge was
successful in charting a new
course for Iraq. Rather, he
has focused on gushing in his
campaign speeches about his
plan to have all troops home
from Iraq in 18 months.
Mr. Obama created this
18-month plan without the consultation of any of our military
leaders in Iraq, the Iraqi government, nor any of the legislators that are responsible for
our military planning. Why 18
months, Mr. Obama? Why not
12 or 24?
I suppose it makes for a
compelling sound byte on the
evening news. Everybody
wants this war or any war to
end quickly. Compromising
appropriate military planning
in order to net votes is unethical.
It would be offensive to
the memory of over 4,000 men
and women who have lost
their lives in Iraq to return before completing our goal of
establishing a democratic
state.
We need to return from
Iraq when the time is deemed
right by the people truly involved with the conflict; not
some arbitrary timetable established by Mr. Obama.
Declaring defeat when
we are so close to real victory is not what we need in a
commander in chief. In the
audience today we are privileged to have my friend, Sergeant Wu.
I would like to thank you
for your honorable service,
Sergeant Wu, and would like
to assure you that as your
President, I will do my very
best to provide you the resources needed when fighting
in a foreign nation, unlike Mr.
Obama who voted against
funding for our troops in Iraq
several times.
Mr. Obama has also critiqued my reluctance to meet
with hostile foreign leaders,
such as Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, without establishing any preconditions. Allow me to establish
the definition of a precondition.
A precondition is an
agreement between two leaders that determines the site of
meeting, the topic of discussion at the meeting, and the
safety and security precautions surrounding the meeting.
My friends, Mr. Obama
is naïve to think that diplomacy can be accomplished by
unconditional dialogues; he is
naïve to think that nations like
Syria and Iran will follow
through on international accords or even provide accurate information without some
type of precondition.
I speak from experience
when I tell you that this is a
fundamentally wrong approach.”
7
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
OPINION
McCain is Just More of the Same
By Nella Samra
Sure some of you can’t
vote yet. But it doesn’t mean
that you cannot be politically active and knowledgeable about
the upcoming election in November.
I think this election has
been truly unique.
John McCain and Barack
Obama. These two candidates
are quite interesting, if you ask
me. Barack Obama is the first
African-American nominee,
and a beacon of light that aspires to change America, for the
better. And John McCain, a 72year-old war-veteran that
sounds like someone I have already heard.
So, who is the better
choice? Well that’s simple. And
I’ll tell you why, briefly.
In case you haven’t been
watching the presidential and
vice presidential debates, I
would like to inform you of the
undiplomatic and immature approach both John McCain and
Sarah Palin have. Our future to
be Vice President (GOD FORBID), Sarah Palin was recently
interviewed by Katie Couric.
Here is some concrete detail for
you to laugh at:
Palin: He’s also known as
the maverick though, taking
shots from his own party, and
certainly taking shots from the
other party. Trying to get people
to understand what he’s been
talking about - the need to reform
government.
Couric: But can you give me
any other concrete examples?
Because I know you’ve said
Barack Obama is a lot of talk
and no action. Can you give me
any other examples in his 26
years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?
Palin: I can give you examples
of things that John McCain has
done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his
leadership abilities. And that is
what America needs today.
Couric: I’m just going to ask
you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.
Palin: I’ll try to find you
some and I’ll bring them to
you.
Okay Sarah Palin, no offense or anything, but this isn’t
MUN, where you can “get back
to us” just because you don’t
know the answer. You are running for Vice President, not trying to Gavel at a small confer-
ence in a room of 20 students.
And please, find a better words
than Maverick, Gosh Darn it,
and You BETCHA.
I think my vocabulary in
my 8th grade debate class was
a tad bit more advanced than
hers. Let’s look at the bright
side, Joe Biden. He has worked
for more than thirty years in the
political field.. Biden has been
a long-time member and a current chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee; while
Palin still has trouble with ba-
about her.
I will now focus on the
bigger fool. John McCain. And
the beacon of light, future President Barack Obama. When I
watch the presidential debate,
I really do try to understand John
McCain’s views. However, I
realize that he doesn’t really
have any! Whenever a question
is being asked, he gives us that
same answer…. “My Friends,
I have great hope in this country, and its people. I know that
we can fight terrorism”.
Barrack plans on helping the
middle class. He realizes that
going into Iraq DID NOT capture Osama Bin Laden! Do you
know what McCain’s plans are?
I’ll tell you. In the famous REMIX of the Beach Boy’s song,
McCain
sang
“BOMB
BOMB BOMB BOMB
BOMB IRAN”. Take a look
at this:
During a Straight Talk Express stop in Nevada, McCain
claimed that his joke was meant
to amuse his “old veterans
Sarah Palin
Photo courtesy of Google
OR...
What Sarah Palin might do with the United States Government. Photo courtesy of Google
Parah Salin’?
sic geography (Russia in relation to Alaska). But enough
about Palin, I’ll leave MAD
TV, SNL, and YouTube to worry
Thanks McCain, but talk is
cheap.
We need a plan. An ideology. Something Barrack has.
friends”.
“Please, I was talking to
some of my old veterans
friends,” McCain said. “My
response is, Lighten up and
get a life.”
The AP article continues,
“Asked if his joke was insensitive, McCain said: ‘Insensitive to what? The Iranians?’”
WOW. Sorry McCain,
but cracking jokes about destroying a nation isn’t something I think is funny. No, we
shouldn’t lighten up about
bombing countries. It’s the reason why we are in this mess
anyway.
With his passive aggressive remarks to Obama, like,
“This one here doesn’t understand” or “He is naïve and inexperienced”, I continue to
lose respect for this look a like
George Bush nominee day by
day.
Obama and Biden have
let the media target the two
other nominees. Biden doesn’t
need to call Palin out on her
mistakes, because he is too
good for that. Obama is just
acting civilized, which is driving McCain nuts!
You have McCain trying
to ruin Obama’s image by calling him names. (It’s okay
McCain, I did that too…back
in the third grade). And you
have Palin indirectly recalling
Biden’s tragic family loss during the vice presidential debate, making Biden choke on
the sad memory.
And with all these harsh
efforts to destroy the democratic nominees, Obama and
Biden are still in the lead.
If I could vote, I would
vote the right choice. The only
choice. Because that little
freshman at his first MUN conference knows more about geography, foreign affairs, and
political issues than Sarah
Palin. And John McCain is just
George Bush’s older brother.
We have had enough of
monkeys running the country
for eight years. Why make it
twelve?
I cannot wait until I see
Barrack Obama and Joe
Biden walk into the white
house to run this beautiful
country for the next four
years.
As for the Republican
Party nominees, well they can
just go back to the local circus
that lies on the border of Russia and Alaska.
***Parasailing joke
was borrowed from a
Facebook Bumper Sticker.
8
The Blueprint
October 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Emily and Olivia
It Purely is a Pain in My App...........
By Emily McCartney and Olivia Staffon
Yes ladies and gentlemen, we’re talking about college applications. They are
truly a pain in the derriere. I
think most seniors can say
that as juniors, we underestimated the process of college
applications by a long shot. I
had no earthly idea that apps
would take as long as they
have. But consider this: some
schools with multiple essays,
a minimum of a five page application filled with extensive
questions about your family
and life background, teacher
and counselor recommendations, SAT and ACT scores,
requesting transcripts, and so
much more. Not to mention
the cost of the college application process. Think about
it, there are so many things
that go towards college to
pay for. A few of these payments are SAT or ACT registration, $10 per transcript,
minimum of $45 per school
just to apply (often much
more), postage stamps for
letters of recommendation
envelopes, college visitations,
SAT tutoring, college counselors, and any extra help that
goes towards applying. Take
the cost of each of these
things and add them up. Then
There is a clanging
noise every time the door
of the girls bathroom by
the gym is opened. It must
be a ghost.
Raindrops can fall as
fast as 20 miles per hour.
multiply this number by the
number of schools you are
applying to. You may get
some number close to 4 million dollars (or so it seems).
How to avoid the cost of
college applications getting
to the point where you need
to sell your house? Easy.
Don’t apply to so many.
Narrow your list down to 6
to 8 colleges. Do 2 colleges
that you KNOW you’ll get
into, 2 colleges you may or
may not get into, and 2 colleges that you don’t think
you have a chance to get
into, but you never know. So
anyways, back to the point
of how annoying college ap-
You cannot fold a piece
of 8 ½ x 11 paper in equal
halves more than 7 times.
Photo courtesy of google images.
plications are. Don’t you
wish that you could just fill
out one application that
was two pages long and
write a personal essay
about yourself and pretty
much be guaranteed in?
That was a rhetorical question. Of course you do.
That’s just not the case. So
seniors, I guess you’re going to have to suck it up for
now and do everything you
can to get your ish done
now while there’s still time.
Freshman, sophomores,
and juniors: dread the day
when your parents tell you
that you have your first college meeting to discuss
schools and applications and
essays and your GPA and
everything else that comes
w i t h . I t ’s a r i d i c u l o u s
amount of work and others
agree. Senior Maddie
Holloway claims, “I would
rather do my homework
than college applications,
and I haven’t done my homework since middle school.”
If you think that your parents are on your case about
studying for tests, just wait
until you start applying to
college. Nick Matranga
agrees, “College applications are annoying because
your parents nag you more
than usual.” The college application process is a daunting task that unfortunately
you can’t work around. And
all of this work for one little
letter in the mail which may
start with the words, “thank
you for your application.
However…”. Might as well
say EPIC FAIL.
Diary of a Sophomore
By Sally Sophomore
Dear Diary,
Wow, sophomore year is
so different from freshman
year! I feel so much wiser
and way cooler. And oh-emgee! Homecoming was WAY
fun! I was so happy that my
date asked me like 4 weeks
before the dance, so that I
knew I had a date. Some of
my friends had to wait all the
way until 2 weeks before the
dance to be asked! I couldn’t
even imagine that! I was just
going with one of my guy
friends, so I wasn’t sure how
the “date” situation would
work out. I was a bit nervous
about how the night was going to be. I loved getting
ready and taking pictures
with all my girlfriends! No
one really danced in the limo
because there wasn’t enough
room and it would have been
awkward to try and dance sitting down. My date and I
“parted” when we got to the
dance, or so I said. But in
reality, I totally ditched him.
I hope he doesn’t hate me!
The dance was super fun but
my parents would not let me
go to an after party! Hopefully I can persuade them to
let me go to an after party for
Winter Formal. Other than
homecoming, this year is going pretty good so far. I love
going to the football games
and actually sitting in the
bleachers rather than chilling
by the fence!Football games
are so much more enjoyable
now!
Ok so, I have had my
permit now for about four
months and I am so ready to
get my license. It is so embarrassing to have my parents
in the car when I am driving
and I see my friends in the
car next to me on the way to
school. I think I am an awesome driver and could get my
license tomorrow! Too bad
the DMV doesn’t agree with
me. Hopefully I’ll have my license by the time basketball
season starts so I can drive
to the games. I want to be
able to drive my friends to Kscope so I can look really
cool; too bad my rents would
flip! I’m looking forward to
making more friends this year
and starting my last year as
a n u n d e r c l a s s m a n . Ya y
2011!
Yours truly,
Sassy Sophomore
**Disclaimer: This is
purely a fictional diary entry.
ACROSS
3 The face that lights up with terror.
7 day of the haunt
9 orange and white candy
10 they cast spells as they brew their potions
13 Halloween give you this emotion
14 scary dead people
15 the neck is its favorite target
16 You can eat the insides
19 When the flesh is gone, this is shown
20 they’re black and ready to attack
**Answers on entertainment page.
DOWN
1. A grotesque elfin creature of folklore
2. Enter cautiously or you might cry.
4. Give me something good to eat.
5 Vampire’s disguise at night.
6 Scary people with disturbing faces
8 The birds are afraid.
11 Disguise yourself.
12 Scary place where dead people lie.
17 Vampires vital supplement
18 Invisible beings
9
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
Emily and Olivia
The Quest for the Best: Water Fountains
By Kevin Witt and Derek Smith
It’s a scorcher at Santa
Margarita. It’s about 100 degrees outside, and there is no
sign of it cooling down. Your
throat is drier than the Sahara, and you need a drink
of water. Where would you
go?
A water fountain, of
course. But which one
should you visit? Perhaps
the water is so hot that you
burn your tongue? Or the
water might be so dirty that
you will have to rinse out
your mouth? Maybe the
fountain is clogged up and
the stream is weak, and you
will be forced to put your
lips on the nozzle? But will
you even get there if you are
faced with a massive
crowd?
S a n t a M a rg a r i t a ’s
resident aqueous experts
Kevin and Derek have decided to end the question for
all. We received this idea
from our good friend JP
Galvin. When asked about
his inspiration, JP said he got
it “sophomore year, after
many Basketball practices,
because I had no money.” We
have now judged these fountains based on their taste,
stream (how high the water
goes), temperature (how cold
it is), and accessibility (how
easy it is to get to). Through
our vigorous studies and long
night rendezvous, we have
come to a conclusion. We are
here to steer you away from
category 5 disasters, such as
the outside of the boys locker
room, and to steer you towards
a Neptune-worthy G2 fountain.
We h a v e c o n c l u d e d
that the water fountain on G2
is Santa Margarita’s finest. Its
taste reminds you of a clean
mountain stream in the Sierra
Nevada’s, its stream is strong
enough to blast a blue whale
out of the ocean, its temperature is colder than the bottom
of the sea, and it is as accessible as the school parking lot
on a Sunday. The G2 fountain
is a perfect watering hole, the
temperature of the water is the
best available, and after a drink
you will surely be refreshed
enough to tackle 57 minutes of
math.
You Go Here?...
By Caroline Christ
1.) Name and grade?
- Evan Kear, Freshman
2.) Britney or Christina?
- Christina, she is not
crazy, sorry Brit.
3.) Favorite movie?
-Tropic Thunder
4.) Cupcakes or cookies?
- School cookies
5.) If you could be one animal
what would you be?
- Gingepatomous
6.) Prettiest Disney princess?
- Sleeping Beauty
7.) Techno or Hip-Hop?
- Techno
8.) Blondes or brunettes?
- Brunettes
9.) If you could eat one thing
for the rest of your life what
would it be?
- Taco Chronic
10.) Golden Spoon or
Yogurtland?
- Golden Spoon
11.) Interpretive dance or
rhythmic gymnastics?
- Interpretive dance
12.) Ninja Turtles or
Pokemon?
-TMNT
13.) Myspace or
Facebook?
- Myspizzle
14.) What is the first thing
that comes to mind when
I say “Sassafrass”?
- …Jesus
On the other hand,
the fountains located outside
boys locker room tastes as
dirty as a mound of dirt, it’s
hot as dog’s mouth on a blistering summer day, and is
about as accessible as a
sold out Jonas Bros. concert. Beware of these
fountains, for on a hot day,
not only will the water be
hot, but the button will burn
your fingers. Therefore, we
have deemed this fountain
to be a safety hazard, and
must be avoided at all cost.
We also found that
the C building fountain is a
refreshing dive, and very
easy to get to (think about
those G building to B building migrations). We have
seen the rare A building
fountain and lived to tell the
tale. The fountain is quite
rejuvenating; however, you
are probably not in a good
mood if you have to drink
from it (because the next
class you will be in is math).
We h a v e h a d t h e
chance to taste test the new
pool water fountain. To our
state of water fountains in
Santa Margarita to be
pretty good with few exceptions. Our maintenance
staff has done a very good
job, not only with the water fountains, but with the
entire school, and for that,
we are very grateful.
The water fountain that truly spews water sent from the Heavens above. Go
to G2 and see for yourself how crisp the water is. Photo courtesy of Kevin Witt
and Derek Smith.
THE BLUEPRINT
Faculty Advisor
Ms. Rhodes
[email protected]
Campus Ministry Editors
Lauren Giudice
Kyle Richter
Editors in Chief
Emily McCartney
Olivia Staffon
World News/Health Editor
Gaby Duva
Co-Editor
Lauren Vargas
Managing Editor
Samantha Toth
News Editor
Samantha Toth
Features Editors
Alexis King
Laura Schmeltzer
Entertainment Editor
Ross Kirkbaumer
Sports Editor
Allison Acevedo
Co-Editors
Ryan McGuire
Brian Sanvido
Opinion/Editorial Editor
Alex Worthen
Co-Editor
Niki Genthe
Camera shy freshman Evan Kear
would not bare his beautiful smile for
the Blueprint camera. Make sure to
look for him on campus now to catch a
glimpse of his pearly whites! Photo
courtesy of Caroline Christ.
disliking, it wasn’t the best
on campus. Ironically, we
believed it was one of the
worst. The water had a
faint taste of chlorine (go
figure), and the stream was
worse than an undercooked
cheeseburger.
In conclusion, we
have found the overall
Campus Life/Photo Editor
Lindsay Mortenson
Special Section Editors
Parris Wells
Alyssa Wolpin
Beginning Staff Writers
Kevin Avjian
Aria Bendix
Karlie Borzansky
Kevin Clark
Camille del Carmen
Caitlin Doud
Adam Enochs
Denise Fernandez
Amanda Figueroa
Katelyn Finneran
Paige Glasser
Kelsey Hummer
Lauren Hundley
Ross Kingsley
Alexa Kosco
Allison Le
Lauren Meech
Dean Navarro
Elizabeth Pinner
Kristen Pons
Jackie Pritzl
Caroline Rivera
Polina Romashkova
Amanda Rooth
Derek Smith
Karenna Soto
Noelle Sumner
Cheyane Swarbrick
Clark Taylor
Cody Webster
Jake Whelan
Kevin Witt
Melissa Zornig
Advanced Staff Writers
Julia Boyle
Morgan Brutocao
Becca Caraveo
Caroline Christ
Sky Cracraft
Kenna Crouse
Spencer Feldmann
Edward Fernandez
Nicolette Fernandez
Kerri Hall
Amanda Kiepe
Ashley Kotero
Karsyn Kraft
Michelle Loftus
Melissa Merrill
Lauren Rodriguez
*Comments and editorial opinions expressed in The Blueprint are
the staff’s and do not represent the position of the school, its
administration, faculty or students.
The Blueprint welcomes your comments and questions at
[email protected].
10
The Blueprint
October 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
FEATURES
SM Has Gone to the Dogs...Literally
By Kevin Avjian
If you are a student at
SMCHS you may have seen a
girl with a dog walking around
campus. You may have wondered what exactly she was
doing. The girl’s name is Estelle
and the dog’s name is Friday.
Estelle is training him so he can
become a seeing-eye dog. Seeing-eye dogs are dogs that help
anyone who is blind and needs
help. She is a junior with a big
heart and a big love for animals.
I decided I needed to know exactly what she was doing; I
went to Estelle and asked her
to help the school understand
what exactly Friday is doing
here and why she chose to train
him.
Kevin: What is the dog’s
name?
Estelle: Friday
E: Is the dog a boy or a
girl?
E: He is a boy
K: How did he get his
name?
E: It had to start with the
letter F, because every dog in
Friday’s litter had to, but other
than that, I picked it.
K: How old is he?
E: He is 6 months old.
K: Is he your dog?
E: He is like a foster
dog.
K: Why are you doing
this?
E: For service, to help
the community, and I love
dogs
K: What kind of dog is
he?
E: He is a mix between
a black lab and a golden retriever.
K: What is he doing at
school?
E: I am training him; I
take him everywhere with
me.
K: How long have you
been training him?
E: Since June of 2008.
K: Are you training him at a
specific institution on the side?
E: Yes, once a week at a
dog training park with GDA (Guide
Dogs
of
America.)
K: When is he going to get
sent away?
E: It depends when they
need him. It will probably go down
around November 2009 or January 2010.
K: What does he eat?
E: Ha-ha dog food.
K: Are we allowed to pet
him?
E: Yes, but you have to ask
me first.
K: What does the school
think of you bringing him?
E: At first they were very
cautious, but now everybody
loves him.
K: Do you get any community service for bringing
him?
E: Yes, I get a lot.
K: Where does he go to
the restroom at school?
E: Usually in the back
where people don’t sit, usually
in private.
K: What if he does not
pass the Seeing Eye Dog
exam?
E: I will take him back,
and put him in another service,
like dogs for mentally challenged children.
K: Do you feel like anyone can do this?
E: It’s not physically hard,
but it is wear and tear on your
heart and your emotions. He is
my life and a lot of people can’t
handle that.
K: Do you consider him
one of your best friends?
E: Yes, very much so.
K: Do you think he can
pass?
E: No doubt about it
K: Is the dog attached to
Estelle and her soon to be seeing eye dog, Friday.
We Will Rock You... for Peace
By Jamie Azdair and Vinay Mysoor
Girl’s Night In
By Polina Romashkova
A dream began it all. A
dream that began in 2007 became reality in February 2008.
The first Rock for Peace Concert was one of the biggest student run fundraisers in Santa
Margarita history. We raised
over 5,800 dollars for the Save
Darfur program as well as an
orphanage in Uganda. Our first
concert was a huge success
beyond our wildest dreams but
now we are aiming higher. On
November 16th 2008, Rock for
Peace comes back to make
more history. With live music
featuring student bands as well
as former Something Corporate
member William Tell, this will
be a show you won’t want to
miss. Our mission is still the
same: to raise awareness of the
world around us and once again
all proceeds from tickets, food,
t-shirts and all donations will go
to building an orphanage in Africa and to saving people from
the path of genocide in Sudan.
For those of you who attended
last year, you remember the
emotion of that last song and
the thrill you felt in seeing
your own friends rocking out
on stage. We would like to invite you, your friends, and the
entire Santa Margarita community to the Second Annual
Rock for Peace Concert on
November 16th. We hope to
see you all there. Apart from
the great music, t-shirts, and
food, this year we will have a
guitar hero competition, glow
in the dark wristbands, and
even more prizes! We are
all excited to see you on November 16th. Tickets will go
on sale the week of October
27th and will be sold at all
lunches! To pick up a permission slip, find us around
school or simply visit Mr.
Kretzmer in Activities. We,
the leaders of Rock for
Peace, are Jamie Azdair,
Michael Adame, Tina De Los
Reyes, Vinay Mysoor, Eddie
Park and Michael Tran, and
we love you Santa Margarita. Caritas Christi!
We have all heard about
breast cancer and have seen the
pink ribbons around, but it’s time
to learn more about this disease
and give our time to help find the
cure! Our very own Pink Ribbon
Club does just that, by holding fundraisers to donate money to research. On October 9th, they held
yet another fundraiser, but this time
it wasn’t a walk or a sale, but a
night in the gym where all SM girls
were welcome to come, bond, and
have tons of fun, all while benefiting the cause.
The night started out with
yummy food: pizza, cookies, and
candy. The girls then chose their
stations, wii rockband, upbeat kickboxing or relaxing yoga with an
instructor and pumping music, or
decorating cupcakes with yummy
frosting and sprinkles. After the
activities, everyone was relaxed,
and the raffles began. Items that
girls won include a Tiffany necklace, Sephora make-up, movie tickets and tons of other goodies.
Finally, everyone cuddled
in their blankets and rested on their
pillows as “Pretty in Pink”
played and ice cream was
passed out. Worn out, everyone trudged out of the gym with
their goodie bags, knowing that
night, they were a part of something bigger than themselves. I
don’t know about you, but when
I found out that I could help
raise money for an organization
like Susan G. Komen by spending my Thursday night in the
gym, eating cupcakes and being with my friends, I didn’t
think twice about it.
you?
E: Yes, he is like my shadow, and gets very agitated
whenever I go.
K: Are the first in person
in school history to do this?
E: Yes, I am the first person to actually train a dog at our
school.
K: How do you think you
will feel if he gets accepted for
the job?
E: I will feel super happy.
K: Do you think that you
will be missing a piece of your
life once he is gone?
E: In a way yes, but I am
going to be gaining a lot more.
This has been an amazing opportunity. I have gained so
much from him. He has been
like a teacher to me.
K: Any random facts
about Friday?
E: Yes actually. He was
an “oops” puppy. This means
he wasn’t planned. The father
jumped three six foot fences to
get to the mother because it was
true puppy love. Both of his
parents were champion dogs.
He is special because they usually don’t take “oops” dogs, but
his parents were both champs
which means he has to be pretty special as well.
Senior Cruise!
By Jackie Pritzl
Attention all SM Seniors!
The Senior Cruise is on its way.
It will be held Saturday November 8th, 2008 on the Catalina Flyer. Be sure to be there on time
as the boat leaves the dock from
Balboa at 8:00pm and returns at
11:00pm. Please arrive early
around 7:30pm. Remember this
is a senior only non-date
dance. The theme is masquerade. Let’s keep in mind; we
want this to be a tradition for
many years to come so please
keep the dress code SM APPROPRIATE! That means ladies, no bare midriffs, no too
short or too tight skirts or tops!
There will be fun and games,
karaoke, dancing, and pictures. Dinner and dessert will
be catered by El Ranchito, and
let’s not forget the costume contest (Best costume, best couple, funniest etc.) Everyone
will be there don’t be a land lover, and miss out on this wonderThe Susan G. Komen Foundation
ful high school experience on the
symbol. Photo courtesy of
Pacific. See you there!
Google.
11
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
SPORTS
Upcoming
Events
Boys Football
vs. Mater Dei
October 31
7:30 pm
@ Orange Lutheran
November 6
7:00 pm
vs. JSerra
November 14
7:30 pm
Boys Water Polo
SMCHS Tournament
November 1
vs. Jserra
November 5
4:00 pm
Girls Golf Wins Trinity League
By Lauren Guidice
Our girl’s golf team has
had an incredible season and
won Trinity League! They
have gone undefeated in
match and league play.
Their scores have been low
and consistent in every
match. They maintained their
number one ranking throughout the season and have
definitely lived up to expectations.
They began this season
by beating Trabuco Hills 206
to 227 at Dove Canyon. Tara
Taylor medaled shooting a 2
over par 38 and led the
Varsity team to victory. At
another match at Dove
Canyon, led by Kelsey
Hummer, the eagles soared
past Trabuco High 206 to
228. The girls then played a
tri-match against St.
Margaret’s and Villa Park.
They dominated with a team
low score of 201. Alex Bush
led the team with a score of
37. On September 18th, the
girls faced El Dorado High
School at the Black Gold
Golf Course. Led by Kelsey
Hummer scoring a 39 with 2
birdies, the girls beat El
Dorado 206 to 257. On
September 23, Alex Bush led
the team to their win over
Saint Margaret’s, 202 to 244.
The girls began league
play by defeating Rosary 211
to 233. The 211 score is the
lowest score ever posted by
a Santa Margarita Girl’s Golf
Team at Western Hills Golf
Course. Low scorers were:
Amy Alston with a 41, Alex
Bush a 42, and Kelsey
Hummer and Sarah Doherty
@ Laguna Hills
November 7
4:00 pm
Girls Tennis
@ JSerra
November 3
3:15 pm
League Tournament
November 7
1:00 pm
The Golf Team in Hawaii.
Photo Courtesy of Nisha Dutta
both scoring 45’s. On
October first, our lady eagles
faced league rival, Mater Dei.
Once again, Amy Alston led
the girls with a great score of
37. Alex Bush, Sara Doherty,
and Kelsey Hummer also
contributed with great scores.
The girls pulled off another
victory by winning 202 to 204.
The lady eagles provided a
team effort in beating Orange
Lutheran 201-243. The team
played J. Serra on October 14.
The girls pulled off a great
team score with their 205 to
278 victory. The team went
two for two against Rosary
this season. They defeated
the Royals 204 to 238. The
girls clinched a deserved
Trinity League title after their
win over Mater Dei. The final
score of the match was 193 to
204.
Our girl’s golf team has
so many strong players this
year. Junior golfer Sara
Doherty says, “Our team is
like a family. We push each
other to do our best and that is
the main reason we have done
so well this season.” This has
been an incredibly successful
season for the girls. They
have worked incredibly hard
and deserve the league win.
Let’s hope the girls continue
their winning season in CIF.
Sacrifice for the Volleyball Team Equestrian Team
Girls Volleyball
@ Redondo Tourn.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1
vs Mater Dei
November 6
5:30 pm
JV
@ Newport Harbor
November 8
Girls Golf
Possible CIF
November 3
Cross Country
League Finals
November 7
By Cody Webster
revenge in the Las Vegas
Sacrifice is an understateTournament in mid Septemment for what the Girls Varsity
ber. The Eagles have three
Volleyball team had to go
returning starters: senior floor
through. Homecoming day was
captain Natalie Hamill,
a rainy day but that was the
Kenna Crouse, and Kylie
least of the team’s worries. On
Hargreaves. I asked Natalie
homecoming day they played
three games and could have had what her expectations for the
a fourth if they would have won year are and she answered,
“Seniors, I hope we can
their semi-final match against
make the most of our last
Laguna Beach. Unfortunately
they lost in three games, the last year, and come together as a
team”, the words of a born
game losing 15-13.
leader. If you see any
What did they sacrifice?
members of the team, give
Well ladies, you most likely had
them a pat on the back and
all day to get ready, nails, hair,
say good job. Come out and
makeup, and the luxury of even
support our eagles against
going to your own pictures. The
Mater Dei on November
Volleyball girls sped home, got
sixth.
ready in twenty minutes, and
went on their way. My date and
I were fortunate enough to have
a meal at Taco Bell.
Christy Chapman has been
the coach for six years, and has
the team make it to CIF in every
season. The Eagles are coming
off a great 2007 season, making
it to the third round of CIF. They The team posingin Las Vegas.
lost to Lakewood, but got
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Hamill
Dominates
By Morgan Brutacao
For summer only being
two months behind us, the
equestrian team certainly has
been keeping busy with 4
competitions. The equestrian
team competes in English,
Dressage, and Western style
riding. A lot hard work are put
into each horse show as the
riders train and prepare for
their upcoming competitions.
The results: 1st show
placed as reserve, 2nd show
placed as reserve champions,
3rd show placed as reserve,
and the 4th show placed as
reserve.
In shows 2 and 3, Kailey
McElwee went home being
announced as varsity reserve
champion. Kelly Newton
placed as reserve and champion of the Dressage freshman
division, and Connor Perrin
was varsity champion. The
team’s upcoming shows are on
November 8th, 9th, 15th and
16th. Come and support the
team as they compete again!
Final
Scores
Boys Football
vs. Servite
October 24
Win/loss
@ Bosco
October 17
47-21- Loss
vs. Chaparral
October 3
42-31- Loss
Boys Water Polo
@ Mater Dei
October 22
11-4-Loss
@ Coronado
October 18
12-6-Loss
vs. Servite
October 16
12-6-Loss
Girls Tennis
vs. Jserra
14-4-Win
vs. Rosary
15-3-Win
Girls Volleyball
Orange Lutheran
October 14
3-0-Win
@ Rosary
October 8
3-0-Win
JSerra
October 16
3-0-Win
Girls Golf
Mater Dei
193-204-Win
Cross Country
at Kit Carson
Jaguar Invitational
1st place
12
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
Special Section
Very
Superstitious?
By Camille Del
Carmen
Many of us have heard
the old saying “step on a crack,
and break your mom’s back”
and other beliefs of walking
under ladders and seeing black
cats. Almost everyone is
aware of them and sometimes
even follow them. But does
anyone know where they originate from? Halloween is traditionally the time when common superstitions, folklore,
myths and omens are brought
to everyone’s attention. The
origins of these many superstitions date back to thousands
of years ago. The following beliefs represent good luck, bad
luck, fortunes, omens, and predictions.
- Black Cats: It is considered to be bad luck if a
black cat crosses your path.
Black cats are believe to be the
companions of witches, and
some people even believed the
cats are disguised as witches
Too Old for
Halloween?
By Paige Glasser
The spirit of Halloween
is all around this time of year.
How can one not get into the
excitement of this once a year
holiday? Halloween is a time
for laughter and fun! So don’t
be the party pooper who
doesn’t dress up at the costume
party. I know, Halloween can
be scary at times, but don’t let
that get to you. Think of it as
a moment of entertainment, not
a time to be terrified out of
your mind.
If you’re never too old to
dress up for Halloween, then
you are also never too old to
trick-or-treat. The anticipation
of how much candy you’re
going to get is always one of
the many highlights of Halloween. It can sometimes become
the only thought of innocent
children before they get
dressed up for the night to
knock door-to-door..Of course,
the Three Muskateer’s bar is
always the best. There are always the same little Hershey’s
bars that are the classic favorite. The dark chocolate is my
favorite though. Everyone
loves candy, so don’t worry
about those extra calories for
the night.
The other day I inter-
or demons! If a black cat
crosses your path it was said
to be cutting you off from
God and blocking your entrance to heaven.
- The Number 13 or
Friday the 13th: The infamous movie, Friday the 13th
lead us all to believe that the
date is filled with horror and
disaster….well it partly is!
The Scandinavian’s belief
was that the 12 mythological
demigods were joined by a
13 th unknown God, who
brought evil and despair to
humans.
Another origin concerning this date comes from
Christian roots. At the Last
Supper, Jesus had 13 guests.
Judas, the traitor was the 13th
guest. The following day, Friday, Jesus was crucified.
Concluding the unluckiest
day of the year.
- Stepping on cracks:
The old saying of “stepping
on cracks” has been butchered into something we know
today as, “step on a crack and
you break your mom’s back.”
Dating back to the 19th century a racial and prejudice
period, the saying went “Step
on a crack and your mom will
viewed my dear friend,
Malaina Hood, asking her
what she thought about Halloween.
Paige: Hey Mal, do
you think there’s an age
when you should stop trickor-treating?
Malaina: No way girl!
P: What about adults
and parents dressing up on
Halloween?
M: I love when they
dress up because they always have silly costumes.
When I’m older I’m def. going to have the best costume
and hand out candy to the kids
when they come to my door.
Halloween is not only
a time to dress up and trickor-treat, but it’s a great time
for exciting social gatherings.
You can have parties with
friends and family, and everyone will have a good time.
Seeing the punch bowl with
dry ice inside, making a
witch’s brew can be described as the definition of
Halloween. Whatever happened to bobbing for apples
and caramel-dipped apples?
Let’s bring those old traditions back and let everyone
join in on the fun. Remember, don’t be scared, it’s only
one night. Enjoy the festivities and have fun, no matter
your age!
turn black.” For children in the
mid-20th century, stepping on a
crack meant being eaten by a
bear lurking in the corner waiting for its lunch. Another origin
is the number of lines stepped
on would correspond to the
number of china dishes to be
broken by you that day. But the
“modern” version we know today states that the number of
lines stepped on will be the
amount of broken bones your
mother will have.
- Walking under a ladder:
Triangles represent the Holy
Trinity, a ladder leaning against
a wall forms a triangle with the
wall and ground. Walking under
it, would be considered breaking the Holy Trinity. However,
another tale says that people
were hung from ladders and
their spirits remained lingering
underneath. To pass through the
triangle of evil ghosts and spirits was considered bad luck.
- Breaking a mirror: A reflection was once believed to
represent the person’s actual
soul, breaking your image would
be breaking your own soul. To
counteract the bad luck of
breaking your own soul, one
must wait seven hours before
picking up all the broken pieces
Consider This
a Warning
Warning!!
By Amanda
Figueroa
Every few years at SM it
seems that there have been eerie rumors and legends about
SM that somehow begin to go
around school from time to time.
From a mysterious pool
on top of the G building to a
teacher’s morgue behind the C
building, there are many odd stories about our school that arise
randomly, but mostly around
Halloween time. Most of us automatically assume that these
stories are silly and untrue, but
there are always some superstitious students that think it is
fun to believe in these creepy
rumors. And once again, it is
that time of year, Halloween,
when new scary legends and
rumors start to go around…
Ever notice how cold your
classrooms seem to get? You
may be used to it by now, but
every once in a while you may
be reminded by those goose
bumps you get from the chilly
classroom air.
Why do teachers like to
and bury them outside in the
moonlight.
- Spilling salt: Salt was
once considered a delicacy, and
thought to have magical powers.
Spilling it was thought to cause
the family to split and possibly
lead to deaths.
Wherever you may be on
Halloween or any other day, look
out for these superstitious things
and see what your outcome may
be!
A “demon” black cat perched on a fence. Photo courtesy
of Google.
set their air conditioners to freezing temperatures? Who
knows…? But there is one room
in particular that seems to be
much colder than all the others,
room B220.
Does the mysterious
teacher just enjoy freezing temperatures for some reason? Are
there studies that say cold room
temperatures help students to
learn more efficiently? I don’t
know about that… And according to an anonymous source, the
lights are always on in room
B220… even when no one is to
be found in the classroom.
Is there something else,
from another dimension, which
lurks in the cold air? Well, it
seems to be that no one knows,
so I guess the mystery of cold
classrooms on campus is to remain unsolved.
Room B220 is not the only
haunted place on campus. I have
heard time and time again from
various resources that the new
construction projects our school
is undergoing are in attempts to
create places for the SM monsters to dwell.
The new swimming pool is
a great addition to our campus.
However, recent unexplained
incidents involving the pool have
begun to surface as the year
progresses closer and closer to
Halloween.
It is a recent truth, which
accounts for something swimming
around in the newly developed
pool, an unidentified creature of
some sort. Some observers reference the movie The Lady in the
Water when describing it, but the
creature seems to come and go as
it pleases. Right now the story is
uncertain, so we’ll leave it up to
those water polo players and
swimmers to determine if something else is really joining them in
the SM pool.
So all of you water polo
players and swimmers who are
constantly in the pool for practice
and games, don’t linger around the
pool for too much longer after everyone retreats home, something
may get you!
Whenever myths and strange
circumstances are talked about on
our campus, they always seem to
evoke amusement and uncertainty
within the students. And it is this
time of Halloween when school
legends and scary stories are the
most entertaining. So the next time
you hear a creepy rumor about the
Santa Margarita supernatural beings, you can choose to laugh it off
if you feel that superior.. But do
not always assume the story to be
untrue because you never know
what could happen if you let your
guard down as we quickly approach the haunted holiday of
Halloween.
* The above story is a fiction... All
events were forumlated through
imagination.
13
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
Special Section
Halloween
Costumes- The
True Meaning of
Halloween
By Parris Wells
In my opinion, the most
intriguing aspect of Halloween
lies in the diversity of costumes
year to year. There isn’t even
a general category for the most
outrageous costumes you can
witness while either passing out
candy or trick-or-treating with
your pals.
After reminiscing over the myriad of costumes I’ve witnessed over the
seventeen years of my existence, I come to ponder the ridiculous characters I have
dressed up as… Embarrassing? I think not! Each costume
has a story of how I chose it
or why I chose it.
I guess the motivation behind choosing a costume has kept this holiday alive
and popular for the 2,000 years
it has existed!
This poses the
question: “Are you ever too old
dress up”? Apparently not.
Spirited adults put on a onenight façade every year. To tell
you the truth… I admire them!
Dr. Veilleux and Ms. Miller
are just two examples of confident women on campus
who enjoy this holiday as
much as everyone whether
young or old, should.
Remember
when you were younger and
begged your parents to take
you to the costume shop to
retrieve a costume? Or you
had them run around trying
to muster up a homemade
costume? Then you would be
antsy the entire day of Halloween because you were
beyond excited to race your
friends door to door to see
who could get the most pillowcases of candy… Those
were the days.
I truly believe
that Halloween can have the
same impact on us now, just
in a more mature way of
course. Maybe we sacrifice
going door to door begging for
candy with the well-known
proverb: “Trick-or-treat,
trick-or-treat, give me something good to eat, if you don’t
I don’t care, I’ll pull down
your underwear…” But take
this holiday to dress up and
eat as much candy as possible with your friends at a
party or such. Be safe.
Happy Halloween!
Haunted Places
By Edward Fernandez and
Spencer Feldmann
In honor of approaching
Halloween Haunts we have
compiled a list of the most
haunted destinations around
the world. They range from a
Chapel; every square inch is
covered by human bones, to the
haunted halls of Transylvania,
the land of Dracula.
Close to home lies the city
of New Orleans. Many know
this city to be home to Cajun
food, exotic music, and entertainment. It is also crowned as
the most Haunted City in the
United States. Deep in its roots
laid the ancient myths and lore
about Voodoo. People claim to
be haunted by spirits, and fear
the infamous Voodoo doll. Legends of the dead being raised
here and spirits roaming the
streets at night have granted it
its rightful name.
Before Paris, France became the center of art around
the world, the Eifel tower
soared high above the city sheltering a very large graveyard.
As the city began to expand,
the engineers faced a problem:
there was nowhere left to
build. A cemetery lay in their
way, and they couldn’t move the
dead. But real estate demands
spurred the creation of catacombs. Under the city there
were unused catacombs and
tunnels, and that became the
new resting place for millions of
long deceased Parisians. To this
day the Underground City of the
Dead continues to haunt residents and natives alike. Often
spirits are reported during the
hours before sunrise when the
city is beginning to wake.
The Czech Republic is
home to many haunting areas.
One of the most famous is the
Sedlec Ossuary. This small
chapel is home to over 70000
human skeletons that cover the
entire building. They make chandeliers and doors out of the remains. Often visitors emerge terrified not from the sight of the
bones, but from the insane visions from the people who were
once living, that now rest there.
These remains are often regarded as the largest collection
and use of bone in architecture
in the world. The remains cover
almost every square inch of the
chapel for visitors to see.
This list of daunting, haunting and terrifying places to see
has been compiled to show you
how haunted this world really is.
From our own country, to far
places of the world, ghosts
ghouls and spirits will be waiting
until Halloween to roam the
streets.
The Eiffel Tower during
Halloween. Photo courtesy of
Google.
14
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008
ENTERTAINMENT
“Hands Down” Best
Show Ever
By Elizabeth Pinner
th
On October 10 , the Staples
Center opened their doors to punkrock fans lining up to see the featuring bands Panic at the Disco!,
Dashboard Confessional, Plain
White T’s, and The Cab.
Although I don’t consider
myself a Panic at the Disco! fan, I
really enjoyed going to the concert
and seeing the other bands that were
in store for the mixed audience,
which ranged from teens to adults.
To be honest, I didn’t really like
Panic at the Disco!’s performance
just because I find them a tad girly.
I know, my main push for goingDashboard Confessional is not at
all masculine but Panic at the
Disco’s music seems like something
I’ve heard before. Fall Out Boy
perhaps?
Okay so I already confessed that my main motive of going to the Rock Band Live Tour was
hoping that I might possibly touch
the hand of the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional, Chris
Carrabba, when he sings my favorite song Hands Down. I know
it’s pathetic, but I’m sure any girl
who listens to the heartfelt lyrics of
any song he performs will understand. Dashboard Confessional
combines genuine lyrics and poetic
rhymes with a chill acoustic guitar
background as a way to attract
countless fans. Carrabbas’ tendency to be a poster child for the
emotionally-distressed and romantically-troubled teenager allows him
to easily connect to listeners. Coincidentally, Dashboard Confessional
completed my list of bands I’ve
been hoping to see for a long time.
Dashboard Confessional was my
last check off my list after seeing
Jack Johnson, Chris Brown, and
Timbaland earlier this summer.
Therefore, you can imagine my
excitement I felt when the first
chords of the opening song, Vindicated, were strung.
Along with Dashboard Confessional and Panic at the Disco!,
the Plain White T’s were another
contribution to the arrangement of
bands. The Plain White T’s, who
originated from Illinois, might have
caught one’s attention when they
were playing at the Irvine Spectrum
about a year ago when they were
barely getting above the radar for
undiscovered bands. However at
the Staples Center, the Plain White
T’s carried out a so-so performance. Personally, I enjoy their
earlier faster punk-pop albums they
put out, not their recent slow-ballad
whiney songs that were recently
debuted and were the majority of
songs played on the Tour.
The event also featured the
American rock band called The
Cab, who was crowned “The Band
You Need to Know 2008” by the
American Press. The Cab originally
started filling small venues in Las
Vegas ever since the band was assembled in late 2005. When The
Cab hit the stage first in the lineup
of entertainers, I was really impressed. Their high-spirited performance and ability to connect to the
audience wowed me and immediately resulted in me downloading
their newly debuted album, Whisper War as soon as I got home.
All in all, the entire Rock
Band sponsored event was definitely worth going to. People were
chosen at random to showcase their
Rock-Band skills in front of a crowd
as a way to advertise the recent
release of Rock Band 2. However,
the dreary Rock Band face-offs in
between performances put a
downer on the exhilaration of being
front-row. Pushing through the
crowd at a height of barely 5’4 was
difficult enough but seeing unprepared Rock Band members on
stage going in the “red zone” in front
of everyone who filled the Staples
Center even made me feel embarrassed. Besides that, the Rock
Band Live Tour was a great contribution to my three-day weekend.
Seeing such high-energetic musicians that close-up was unreal. Bottom line: Best performances of the
night were definitely Dashboard
Confessional and The Cab. Go look
up their songs and see for yourself
how talented the bands truly are.
Not So Secret Reviews
By Amanda Kiepe
After a summer full of performing across the country in the blistering hot heat,Anberlin is back with
a new full-length album called New
Surrender. Commonly known and
characterized as a Christian rock
band, Anberlin has always tried to
“step out of the Christian rock
bubble” and into mainstream rock.
But now thanks to a headlining slot
on this past summer’s Warped Tour,
a switch from an indie Christian
record label to a major record label,
and the release of New Surrender
(Anberlin’s major-label debut), the
band has successfully cemented itself into the alternative rock genre.
New Surrender, the band’s
best album yet, was produced by
Neal Avron, a producer who has
worked with major bands like Fall
Out Boy and Yellowcard. Even with
a big-time famous producer and the
fresh transition to a major label,
Anberlin has still been able to hold
on to its signature sound. The new
album is the “heaviest” album yet,
with songs like “Disappear” and
“The Resistance” which showcase
Anberlin’s distinctive hard-driving
guitar sound. But for those who prefer softer music, don’t worry, the last
half of the album features mellower
songs similar to the sound of the
band’s last album, Cities. In the
softer songs like “Breathe” and
“Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum),”
you can really hear the range of
Stephen Christian’s angelic
voice. Anberlin also decided to
re-record “The Feel Good Drag”
and include it in the new album.
Even though it is a song off a
previous album, the band felt like
it would be a good introduction
to new fans. Currently, “Feel
Good Drag” is the band’s latest
single and is being requested on
radio stations across the country.
In the latest issue of Alternative Press, Stephen Christian revealed that the new album
was the most challenging album
to make because he felt that his
lyrics were too “personal” and
“introspective” for the average
listener to understand. In a recent post on Myspace, Stephen
explains that the album is about
surrendering our lifestyle,
present, past and future for something bigger than us, even though
life sometimes presents us with
distractions that make us not
want to change for the better.
If you’re not already in
love with Anberlin, go buy New
Surrender or at least go check
them out on Myspace. I guarantee you will love them. And, if
you have never heard of them,
you are totally missing out!
Jack’s Mannequin at Full Speed
By Allison Le
Freshman, I bet you
were glad to hear that your summer reading novel, The Secret Life
of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd was
made into a movie AFTER you
read it. Before you pull your hair
out, I have to tell you that the movie
did not follow the book as closely
as it should.
The Secret Life of Bees as
a novel received outstanding reviews, but as a movie fell … hard.
Many who both, read the book,
and saw the movie believed that
the casting was off. The cast in
the movie were five well-known
actresses: Queen Latifah, Dakota
Fanning, Alicia Keys, Jennifer
Hudson, and Sophie Okonedo.
Although many people love Dakota Fanning, some believe that
new talent should be found. The
movie critic from the NY Times
says, “Even Ms. Fanning, weeping on cue and looking uncomfortable otherwise, seems a little
abashed that the movie, in the end,
has to be all about her.”
If you read the book, you
read about older more experienced African American women,
but when these characters are
played and portrayed by a young,
and youthful cast, the meaning of
the story is just turned into a random chick flick.
Anberlin Breaks Barriers within Rock Genre
By N. Fernandez and M. Merrill
Lead singer Chris Carrabba belts out some high notes for his loyal fans.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Pinner.
Jacks Mannequin’s new best selling album The Glass Passenger. Photo
courtesy of Google Images.
Many of you have probably heard of the band Something Corporate. But have you
heard of Jack’s Mannequin?
Originating from Orange County,
Jack’s Mannequin formed in
2004 when Andrew McMahon,
of Something Corporate, decided
to dedicate himself to his side
project. The band released their
first album, Everything in Transit, in 2005. During that year Andrew McMahon was diagnosed
with leukemia and made a full
recovery. Andrew’s leukemia inspired the band to become involved in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night
Walk. Now back with their second full-length album, Jack’s
Mannequin hopes to exceed the
success of their first album.
In the midst of the fans
anticipation for the new record,
The Glass Passenger was finally released on September 30.
Filled with guitar riffs and piano
chords, the new album appeals
to those who prefer softer rock
to fast paced rock music. The
first single off the album, “The
Resolution”, is an upbeat track
filled with lyrics of hope. “The
Resolution” has quickly become
a fan favorite with its softer gui-
tars and its use of the soothing
sounds of the piano. Next up,
“Spinning” captures the same
cheerful energy found in “The
Resolution”, but in a shorter
span of time. The rhythmic
beat of the song creates an
urge to jump up and dance.
Jack’s Mannequin shakes up
the album by including a somber lullaby entitled “Hammers
& Strings (A Lullaby)”. If you
ever find yourself feeling frustrated, listen to the first track
on the album, “Crashin”. The
faster paced song fully captures feelings of frustration and
anger that everyone experiences. One of the most inspirational songs off the entire album, “Swim”, presents fans
with optimistic lyrics regarding
the struggles we face in life. If
you have ever watched One
Tree Hill, you have probably
heard “Orphans”, which was
featured in episode 5 of season 6. Another track featuring
inspirational lyrics, “Orphans”
utilizes a variety of instruments,
including bells and the tambourine, to express a sense of happiness. Be sure to check out
Jack’s Mannequin’s new album if you enjoy piano and
rock music.
Across: 3 Jackolantern 7 thirtyfirst 9 candycorn 10 wickedwitch 13 terrified 14 mummies 15 vampire 16 pumpkin 19 skeleton 20 spiders Down: 1 goblin 2 hauntedhouse 4 trickortreat 5 bats 6 monster 8
scarecrow 11 costumes 12 graveyard 17 blood 18 ghost
15
The Blueprint
October 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Campus Ministry
Honoring the Class of 2010 in Bling
By Katelyn Finneran
As we start our junior
year, we get to celebrate our
class of 2010 together. The
mass, a beautiful ceremony,
took place on Tuesday October 21, 2008 at San Francisco
Solano Parish. All members of
the class of 2010 were invited
to come and receive a ring in
remembrance of our high
school years, and to celebrate
our accomplishments thus far.
Those that did not receive a ring
received a rosary.
The choir sang beautifully,
with a solo performance by
Mollie Boggess. We would also
like to thank the musicians Dr.
VanderWilt, Brenda von
Gremp, and the SMCHS
Chamber Singers for doing a
wonderful job. Father Craig
Butters delivered the homily at
the Mass and performed the
blessing of the rings.
Each junior student lined
up in alphabetical order and Mr.
Kretzmer read the name of
each student, while our principal Mr. Dunne presented the
rings.
As quoted by Mr. Dunne,
“Rings by their very design, circular in shape, signify a continuance, a never ending existence.”
These rings will be worn
as a reminder of our faith and
time at Santa Margarita. Not
only will we have the ring for
the rest of our lives, but we will
also be able to look back and
remember our days here at
Santa Margarita. The rings also
show our growth from one step
to the next in our lives.
On each ring there are
engravings of our patroness St.
Margret Mary Alacoque; the
eagle, our mascot; the school
seal, in remembrance of our
founder Bishop William
Johnson; and the Cross of Jesus
Christ, in remembrance of our
Lord. I hope that each student
will take pride in their rings and
always be able to look back and
remember Santa Margarita
Catholic High School.
A special thanks to all
those who were there and
helped in this magnificent celebration, especially Jostens for
Our Spiritual Quest: The J.R.
By Niki Genthe
I was sitting inside this
chilled bus surrounded by unknown
people who were supposedly affiliated, like me, with the Junior
Class. My acrobatic stomach spun
in circles when we left Santa
Margarita. We drove higher and
higher in elevation. To say that I
was a bit nervous and doubtful of
the Junior Retreat would be an extreme understatement; but I was
in for quite a shock. It was nothing
like I expected.
The people, caring leaders
included, were kind and welcoming. I ended up bonding beautifully
with the three other girls in our cabin
as well as successfully making new
friends. Tony provided excellent
music and as the first day slipped
away I found myself smiling more
and comfortably feeling accepted.
I felt like we were all warmly connecting during the yummy meals
and I enjoyed seeing profound companionship throughout the group.
We lifted each other up in
many ways during an intense volleyball showdown or when a friend
slipped and scraped her knee. When
night breathed cold down our necks
I saw newly formed friends link arms
to stay warm as the shimmering
starlight filtered through the buildinglike tree leaves. You could find God
relaxing around each corner and hiding in every crevice.
A few very strong individuals
relayed their life stories and as tears
braided down our faces we hugged
each exquisite and inspiring person.
What impacted me the most, however, was the compassion I received
from the loving people in my small
group. They listened to me intently
as I talked about what was troubling
me and I’ll always be thankful for
their benevolence.
Even if you personally aren’t
religious, fellow juniors, I highly recommended you go on the retreat in
the spring. Hope to see you then!
Samantha Goff, Adrielle Castro, Monica Makar, and Kelly Avalos on the
Junior Retreat. Photo courtesy of Kristen Pons.
the beautiful rings.
Alyson Soong, Caitlyn Leonard,
Kathy Matthisen, and Ryan Capretz.
Amanda Brewer and Alyson Soong
Photos Courtesy of Katelyn Finneran
Be
a Leader, Not a Follower
By Karlie Borzansky
Attention upperclassmen!
Retreats are coming up, and
leaders are needed! Leading a
retreat provides a break from
all of the anxieties school brings,
a great way of making new
friends, and allows you to spend
some one on-one time with
God! Recently, I led the Fall
Sophomore Retreat and I came
back a changed person. Many
of you Eagles are still trying to
find a place to connect with
Santa Margarita; this may be
the perfect opportunity!
Retreats are a fun and
exciting way to meet new
people and hear their stories.
Why not branch out and apply
your leadership skills? The
sophomore and junior retreats
are three day events held in the
Yucaipa or Oak Glen retreat
centers. They are the perfect
places for faith building, relationship strengthening, and small
group discussions.
Kacee Lloyd, a fellow
Sophomore Retreat leader
mentioned her thoughts about
her time with the sophomores,
“It was a fun and unforgettable
experience that touched my
heart, knowing I might have
helped someone on their faith
journey”.
A comment that I will always remember will be what
Courtney Stoddard, a sophomore
mentioned, “The leaders really
helped me open up, and were an
inspiration to me. Seeing them
lead made me 100% sure that I
will lead the sophomores next
year”.
Being a leader not only allows you to grow stronger with
God, but it helps guide students
to self-discovery. So all you
leaders that are holding
back…LEAD A RETREAT!
Sophomores on Retreat
Photo Courtesy of Karlie Borzansky
16
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
October 2008