Mock Rock shocks the house with talent, eye

Students whose
parents work on
campus,
Page 3
Volume 97, No. 5
Spring Fling and
Mock Rock
photo essay,
Pages 4-5
Spring Sports
reports,
Pages 6-7
Taft Union High School, 701 7th St., Taft, Calif. 93268
April 13, 2010
Mock Rock shocks the house with
talent, eye-popping performances
By Monica Solis
Editor-in-Chief
Oil Academy seniors engaged in job shadowing during their March
visit to Chevron’s Midway Sunset Field. Additional job shadowing will
take place later this month. Photo courtesy of Rick Woodson
Oil-Technology Academy
students dig deep with
wide variety of projects
By Julia Laguna
Staff Writer
All three grade levels in the Oil
Technology Academy are immersed
in spring semester projects of varying types. These projects provide
students with real world skills that
they can use in college and the workplace.
The seniors are job shadowing
and are in the middle of their senior
projects. During job shadowing each
senior gets two opportunities to look
at the work field for oil technicians.
Senior projects have been and will
be the most important task until the
end of the year.
The project involves research,
presentations and going out to do
work for the community. They will
be making their presentations during April and May to Oil Tech coordinator Rick Woodson.
Woodson mentioned that a good
example for senior projects is the
one being done by Blake Emberson.
“Blake is doing his project on
drilling oil. He is working on it with
Holmes Western Oil Corporation,”
Woodson explained.
The juniors have been preparing
for debates on the oil severance tax
proposal in the California legisla-
ture. Half of the class will argue in
favor of the oil severance tax, while
the other half will argue against the
proposal. The juniors will be working on their unit projects on oil refining for the rest of the quarter.
Sophomores are working on a
bridge building project. This requires them to learn cost analysis
and structural integrity.
They are allowed to use toothpicks and white Elmer’s glue. The
bridge must hold a minimum of 50
pounds to pass and over 100 to earn
an A. The group whose bridge holds
the most weight will win.
“Last year the winning bridge
held 300 pounds,” said Woodson.
Sophomores will be working on
their exploration and drilling project for the rest of the quarter. For the
project they need to make a Power
Point presentation, in which they
must draw a drill site, including a
drilling rig, labeling all the major
working parts and explaining them.
The sophomore class will also be
taking field trips to learn about their
topic. They will visit Oxy Oak Hill,
a drilling rig and a Central Control
Facility.
Oil Academy holds a party at the
end of each year, with plans changing yearly.
“Cirque du Soleil” took
over the TUHS auditorium
on March 26, bringing with
it a wide variety of acts and
performances.
For the first time ever,
Mock Rock began in the
middle of fifth period, making it a two-hour show with
approximately 15 acts.
Ringleaders/Activities
Commissioners
Hadley
Pittman and Meghan King,
along with the entire ASB,
delivered a great show compared to previous years.
The show began with a
“battle” of pianos between
Mock Rock performers celebrate at the end of the show. Photo by Sadie Burton
senior Rafael Heredia and
sophomore Caleb Lopez. This was
followed by a teachers’ performance
The auditorium went crazy when
The crowd went wild when Rafa
to Will Smith’s “Men in Black,” led the cast of Twilight came out to Heredia, Jerry Uribe, Sebastian Raby science teacher Eric Newton and award a prize. Like always, a fight mos, Edwin Cazares, Jose Prieto,
auto shop teacher Don Thornsberry. broke out between Edward (Devin Rosario Gil and Esteban Huerta porThe crowd then fist pumped to Capela) and Jacob (Brice Royal) and trayed the “Kumbia Kings” with a
a performance of “Caramel Danc- had to be stopped by Bella (Morgan performance that featured “Baila
ing” by Caity Ball, Brianna Rowden Galatin). And, as always, it ended Esta Cumbia,” “Muevete” and
and Morgan Waller. Then Andrew up with Jacob shirtless.
“Prende.”
Arellano, Peter Galvan, Edgar PaThe show picked up where it left
Then Eric Foch, Drea Dickson
dilla and Alberto Uribe, also known off with a performance by “Buddha” and Cicely Evans danced to Missy
as the “Street Kings,” wowed the Savaii, Joe Savaii, Lio Maino, Riley Elliot’s “Lose Control.”
crowd with a mix performance that Gant and Shaquil Gant, who really
Lady Gaga (Julie Campos) and
included duranguense, jerking and “stomped the yard” with their step- her dancers, which included Julio
oriental dancing.
ping skills. They also performed as Rodriguez, Brian Parsons, Cory
The first music video of the night Chris Brown and Rihanna, but were Kidd and Jared Thompson, took a
was to Relient K’s “Sadie Hawkins later replaced by Beyonce.
break from their tour and stopped
Dance.” This year they booked the
JAM (Jordan Mead, Angela Dick- by to perform “Love Game,” “Tele“hottest” celebrities in the media. Ti- ard and Melissa Miller) then enter- phone” and “Bad Romance.”
ger Woods (Adrian Howell) and his tained the crowd with a dance to a
The final act of the show was
many escorts took a break from the mega-mix of many songs.
performed by the staff to “Baby Got
Majors and stopped by to give away
Dalton Thornsberry, Luke Shel- Snacks” and “Pants on the Ground,”
a prize. However, he was surprised by, Daniel Ortiz and Brett Howard which ended with science teacher
by his wife and left in a hurry.
found their inner Spice Girl during Nathan Usrey’s pants on the ground
Next, Whitney Graham’s group their rendition of “If You Wanna Be (allowing him to show off his reddanced to Shania Twain’s “Feel Like My Lover,” and shocked the crowd and-white striped boxer shorts).
a Woman.” The New Girlz (Kathy with their cross-dressing skills.
The judges tallied up the scores
Lopez, Jackie Rubio, Yesenia AyaCirque du Soleil’s Bearded Lady and the winner was declared. Third
la, Daisy Guitron and Stephannie (Greg Davis) came out and award- place, with a prize of $100, went to
Heerdink) then performed to a mix ed another prize. The crowd then the Kumbia Kings. Second place,
of jerking music.
enjoyed another music video to with a prize of $200, went to the
Jonathan Celiz, Ryan Gaunt, Ca- Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok,” played by Julio Street Kings, and first place went
ity Ball and Dylan Craft then enter- Ramirez, “Buddha” Savaii and Ben to Lady Gaga. She and her dancers
tained the crowd with a performance Savaii.
won the grand prize of $300.
of The Beatles’ “Get Back.”
The crowd enjoyed a quick break
from the show by watching a music
video of “Time After Time,” featuring Eric Foch and Josh Mastrovito.
Campus Life’s “Project Serve”
aids needy in Taft and Bakersfield
Depression strikes 20% of teens, but is treatable
with talk therapy, medication and other support
By Sarah Muro
Staff Writer
“Nightmares wake me in a deep,
horrifying sleep. His face will forever scare me and his whispers will
continually haunt me. His blades
will forever scar me and take control
over every action and every decision I try to make,” says Steve Darling (pseudonym).
Teen depression is more than just
bad moods and broken hearts; it is a
serious illness that more than 20% of
teens experience.
Everyone has their own way of
coping with depression. There is the
healthy way of dealing with problems such as opening up and talking
to someone about what you are going through, or writing everything
down so it is off your chest and on
paper. There is also medication,
which can be prescribed to help. But
there are many unhealthy ways of
dealing with depression, like cutting, burning, any form of self-mutilation, eating disorders or becoming
an alcoholic to drown out the pain.
Depression that is left untreated
can cause problems at home and at
school. It can lead to violence, restless nights, panic attacks and possibly even attempted suicide. Depression can cause extreme sadness
and anger and completely destroy a
teenager’s personality to the point
that they’re not recognizable to
friends and family.
Teens who are seriously depressed often think of, or make, attention-getting remarks about ending their life. These thoughts and
remarks, known as suicidal ideation,
should be taken very seriously.
Like most mental illnesses, depression appears to be hereditary.
When one parent suffers from depression, there is a 30 percent chance
the child will experience clinical depression. The likelihood increases to
50 percent if both parents have been
diagnosed with depression.
continued on page 3
By Norma Magallanez
Staff Writer
Campus Life, Taft High’s Christian club, sponsored Project Serve,
in which Taft High students worked
to give back to the community from
March 26 through March 30.
Over Spring Break Campus Life
members painted over graffiti and
assisted elderly people in the community who need help and have no
relatives in the area that can help
them.
They also held Easter parties for
kids at Tabitha’s House, a shelter for
abused women in Bakersfield. In
addition to that, they worked with
the New Beginning food bank in Bakersfield helping people in need.
Approximately 35 students from
Taft participated in Project Serve,
meeting up with about 100 students
from Bakersfield, including several
college students.
Jonathan Stewart has been a
member of the Campus Life for
two years, both at Lincoln Jr. High
and now at Taft High. Stewart says
he would advise students to join
Campus Life because it’s fun and he
gets the opportunity to help out the
community. His favorite thing about
Project Serve is participating in a lot
of interesting activities.
While he is improving the community, he is also improving himself.
“I think being in Campus Life is
helping me become a better person,”
says Stewart.
The club, advised by Josh Tofte
and Josh Salazar, meets each Monday during lunch in Tofte’s room.
Campus Life is all about making
good choices in life. Make a good
choice and get involved.
News & Opinion
Page 2
April 13, 2010
Editorial
S Club members busy making a big
Cellphone etiquette a must difference in community and beyond
in today’s social settings
By Cristina Loza
Features Editor
Do people seem to glare at you
when you talk on your phone in
public? There may be a reason: most
people don’t know it, but they violate very simple cell phone etiquette
on a daily basis.
Only recently has cell phone usage surged; therefore, the etiquette
regarding cell phones often isn’t
considered.
There are a few rules which will
help everyone enjoy themselves
while you are using your cellular
device:
-Keep your conversations to
yourself. Speak in a low, even voice.
Most phones can pick up voices extremely well, so it’s not necessary to
talk loud.
-Don’t do it in areas which require
silence. Movie theaters, churches,
and schools are areas where it’s just
plain rude to talk.
-Don’t drag dirty laundry into
public; if it’s personal, keep it personal.
-Keep a 10-foot distance between
you and people you do not know.
-When speaking in person to
someone, don’t interrupt the conversation to answer your phone.
-Don’t talk on the phone in lines;
it’s very annoying, and people
around you may already be agitated.
-If you’re in an area (like an airport) where it is required to turn off
your cell phone, don’t fight it. You
could get arrested.
Although the amount of people
talking on cell phones (as opposed to
texting) has gone recently, all phone
users should still respect proper cell
phone etiquette. Otherwise, you
may be on the receiving end of a disrespectful conversation.
Teens’ daily media usage
explodes in last decade
By Will Palmer
Editor-in-Chief
For many students at Taft High,
being away from the Internet, video
games, or even TV is unimaginable.
This is not a rare occurrence; on the
contrary, it is actually getting much
worse.
According to a survey by Kaiser
Generation (January 2010), students
8-18 years of age spent over an hour
more on media in 2009 than they did
in 1999.
Seventy-six percent owned an
iPod/MP3 player in 2009, in contrast to eighteen percent in 1999; sixty-six percent owned a cell phone,
in contrast to 39 percent; and 29 percent owned laptops, in contrast to 12
percent.
All this technology would seem
overwhelming, but today’s generation has adapted amazingly well.
Social networking sites have evolved
beyond lengthy blogs and doctored
pictures and instead chosen “status
updates” and Tweets.
Google has bought out YouTube, released its own web browser
Chrome, and even its own phone.
Apple dominates the handheld market, and is about to release the iPad,
technology that would combine
“netbooks” with the popular iPod
Touch software.
And all of this happened in only
a decade.
Are you looking for a club that
offers fun community service for
both you and your friends? Do you
have a willingness to serve the community? Well, the S Club might be
just the place for you.
The S Club is affiliated with the
Soroptimist International of Taft
and has been on our campus since
the Fall of 2007. They are involved
with various community service
events and even reach out to other
countries.
“Our mission is to improve the
lives of women and girls in the community and worldwide,” says club
advisor, Rosemary Day.
In November the members participated in a pen pal program with
girls from St. Anne’s Orphanage in
Sri Lanka, an island nation off the
south coast of India, and participated in cultural activities to gain
a better understanding of the girls’
needs and circumstances, due to the
long-lasting effects of the tsunami
of 2004. Care packages containing
feminine
toiletries were sent to the girls,
in keeping to the club’s goal to improve the girls’ health.
“It’s fun community service and
makes you feel like you’re part of
something,” commented senior Melissa Miller.
The Justice Department has approved a plan for the world’s largest
concert promoter and the nation’s
dominant ticket seller to merge and
create a partnership that will change
the music industry.
If Ticketmaster and Live Nation
are willing to create competition and
make some serious changes in their
plan, the merger of the two companies will be successful.
To create competition the companies are required to share their
software with other venue operators. Other companies are more than
willing to join in the competition
and create a new way to industrialize live music.
By Julia Laguna
Staff Writer
Is this increased emphasis on
technology a good thing? For many
students at TUHS, living without
technology would be almost unimaginable.
“Living without technology
would really suck,” says senior Tyler Walcock. “I guess I’d just be really bored.”
Although it’s highly unlikely
that the emphasis on technology
will slow down anytime soon, the
fact that teens spend so much time
plugged in creates a hazardous situation: an entire generation of students raised by TV screens.
Many consumer groups, smaller
competitors and artists immediately
began to protested the approval of
the plan, claiming the possibility of
a monopoly. If the plan is successful
the merger of Ticketmaster and Live
Nation will make the companies
worth about $2.5 billion. This will
allow them to dominate the live entertainment industry.
The two companies have been
attempting for the last year to show
they are consumer friendly by creating such things as “no-servicefee-Wednesday” and attempting to
work closely with many artists.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation
claim “the deal will help revive the
music industry by creating a more
efficient process to deliver music to
fans.”
Coming in the May issue of The Gusher
Teen pregnancy
Spring sports Vegetarianism
ACE/ROP house
In December, the club also helped
Soroptimist International of Taft
with their annual Holiday Fashion
Show and Home Tour and were rewarded financially for their service.
This year the S Club has helped
the victims of the Haiti earthquake
by organizing the Shoes 4 Soles
drive in February. One hundred
pairs of shoes were collected at Taft
High, adding to the 300,000 pairs
that were collected nationally.
S Club member Vanessa Talavera recently received the Violet
Richardson Award for her service to
the Taft community. The award was
presented to her on March 2 during
a Soroptimists International of Taft
meeting at Jo’s Restaurant. Talavera
received $500, half of which she decided to give to Alpha House.
“I feel privileged,” said Talavera.
“It was a very good experience.”
Other events the S Club will be a
part of this year include the Spring
Garden Tour and Luncheon, sponsored by the Soroptimist International of Taft, while senior S Club
members are already preparing and
applying for scholarship benefits
available through the Soroptimist
International of Taft and S Clubs.
The S Club meets every other
Thursday at lunch in room 261.
Research solves mystery: Night owls
suffer from morning light deprivation
Do you wake up bright and early, bursting with energy to greet the
sunrise, and go to bed early in the
evening, or are you a night owl? Do
you stay up until the wee hours of
the morning and find it almost impossible to wake up in time to get to
your day started?
According to a recent article in
the Los Angeles Times, new research
shows that students affected by
teenage “night owl syndrome” are
morning-light-deprived. They go to
bed later, get less sleep and possibly under-perform on standardized
tests. Night owls go to sleep an average of six minutes later each night,
until their bodies are completely out
of synch through the day.
Teachers and parents have complained for a long time about teens
Ticketmaster, Live Nation merge, Taft sends one
creating massive concert business entry to Sci Fair
By Sadie Burton
Editor-in-Chief
Seniors Jordan Mead and Angela Dickard address a recent meeting of
the S Club. Photo courtesy of Rosemary Day/S Club
Retiring teacher profiles
Student athletic trainers
Caleb Lopez profile
Tyler Johnson profile
By Grecia Almaguer
Staff Writer
Approximately 600 students,
from over 100 schools tested their
hypothesis at the 23rd Kern County
Science Fair at the Rabobank Convention Center on March 23.
Advisor Ryan Hickman chose
three freshmen and one sophomore
to attend the Science Fair but only
one, Nick Hagstrom, made it to the
Fair. Andrew Jackson, freshman Mikaela Davis and freshman Jennifer
Chamale were unable to make it.
Hagstrom’s project was put into
the Environmental Science category.
Hickman praised Hagstrom for
his effort and said he was an excellent competitor in his category.
“I knew it was going to be a
tough competition because several
of the kids’ parents work in the Edwards Air Force Base or Desert High
where their parents work as scientists,” said Hagstrom.
Although Hagstrom did not
place, he brought an interesting and
well-thought-out idea to the Science
Fair.
Hickman hopes to bring more
projects to represent Taft in next
year’s Science Fair.
falling asleep in class; this happens
because teens are staying up too
late and not getting the amount of
bright light they need in the morning. The lack of sunlight throws the
body’s clock off. Specialists say better school lighting may help with
the syndrome.
At the root of the research being
conducted by Mariana G. Figueiro, a
sleep researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research
Center, is the circadian rhythm, the
body’s natural sleep and waking
cycle.
The circadian cycle is about
24 hours and six minutes, but the
Earth’s rotation is only 24 hours. The
body starts to produce melatonin,
the chemical that controls the circadian cycle, about two hours before
you fall asleep.
One indication that students are
going to sleep later is their mela-
tonin release times. The findings
of the experiment by Figueiro and
Mark Rea, director of the lighting
research center, show that by the
end of the week students are producing melatonin about 30 minutes
later than when they started. If you
do the math, that’s an average of six
minutes later every day.
So what can be done about it,
since students are stuck with an early morning school start?
There are a variety of solutions.
More windows can be added to
new schools being built and existing
schools can add more. School districts can do more to allow students
outside in the mornings. Some fluorescent light bulbs might not help,
either. Schools will need to use newer bulbs that have more blue light;
the older models produce a more
orange or reddish light.
The Gusher
Taft Union High School
701 7th Street
Taft, CA 93268
(661) 763-2300
Adviser: Bill Wolfe
[email protected]
The Gusher is a monthly publication of the journalism class at
Taft Union High School. The Gusher is an open forum for students, faculty and alumni of TUHS. The opinions and views
expressed in The Gusher are the sole responsibility of the staff
and do not reflect the views of either TUHS, the TUHS District, or the Board of Trustees.
Editor-in-Chief/Copy Editor
Monica Solis
Editor-in-Chief/Layout
Will Palmer
Editor-in-Chief/Photo Editor
Sadie Burton
Features Editors
Krystle Holder
Cristina Loza
Sports Editor
Nicole Frost
Entertainment Editor
Will Palmer
Staff Writers
Grecia Almaguer, Raveena
Bhakta, Karissa Dixon,
Stephanie Garcia-Tweedy,
Mersadies Gunter, Lindsey
Klein, Julia Laguna, Norma
Magallanez, Winter Martin,
Katarina Moore, Sarah Muro,
Rod Sanchez
Features
April 13, 2010
Page 3
Students with parents on campus have unique experience
By Raveena Bhakta
Staff Writer
There are many pros and cons to
having a family member who works
at the school you attend. On our
campus many students have relatives who make school both easier
and more
difficult.
We asked
s o m e
of these
staffers
and their
children
about the
benefits
and disadvantages of
working
or going
to school Alex and Tom LeClair
with
a
family
member.
Most of the students, like freshmen Mitchell Emberson and Vaughn
Richardson, and sophomore Kai
Schoneweis, mentioned the same
advantages such as access to money
when they need it, free rides whenever they want and a place to hide
when they don’t want to go to class.
But some people, like seniors
Corey Kidd and Ty Heiter, had different reasons.
Heiter, whose father is chemistry
and biology teacher Harold Heiter,
said, “He helps me with my homework and keeps me on top of my
grades.”
“I’m friends with a lot more
teachers,” says Kidd about his mom,
Charlotte, who works in the copy
and supply room.
Senior Blake Emberson, whose
father Russell teaches Health and
Driver’s Ed, said, “He knows a lot
about the scholarships and when
they’re due and that’s really helpful,
especially now.”
Having a parent on campus can
have not only an academic but also
an athletic benefit.
“He’s a good coach and he knows
the right workouts,” said senior
C o d y
Shirreffs
about
Coach
Emberson.
Even
though
there are
a lot of
benefits,
t h e r e
are also
m a n y
disadvantages
in having your
relatives at school.
“He always catches me when I do
something bad,” said senior Michael
Lango of his father, Pete Lango.
“Teachers
are
able to contact me
when they’re not
performing well,”
said Doug Taylor,
who teaches algebra and math analysis, about his sons
Caleb and Philip.
Other common
comments
were,
“I know all the
bad things he/she
does” and “I get to
spend more time
with him.”
“He’s
always
asking
me
for
money,” says Charlotte Kidd of Corey. Cody Shirreffs, Mitchell Emberson, Blake Emberson and Russ Emberson
Health
teacher
Russell Emberson
echoed Kidd’s comment with regard
to his sons Blake,
Mitchell and Cody.
Some other teachers said that they always have to drive
their kids around. On
the other hand, some
staff members didn’t
see any drawbacks.
“I don’t see any
cons,” said Dr. Richardson of his son
Vaughn. “It’s all good
and motivating.”
Photos by
Raveena Bhakta
Michael Lango and his father,
Pete Lango
The most common inconveniences shared among the students were
embarrassment in front of their
friends, the misconception that they
are always favored and
having absolutely no
privacy.
“She’s never embarrassing or annoying,” said senior Paige
Schoneweis sarcastically
about her mom, Caroline, who teaches English, Web Publishing,
and Basic HTML.
We interviewed these
students’ parents about
their views on the benefits and disadvantages
of having their child at
school with them.
Cory Kidd and his mom, Charlotte Kidd
The staff members offered different answers
than the students.
Caroline, Kai and Paige Schoneweis
Ty Heiter and his father, Harold
Wood Shop night class attracts diverse enrollment
By Rod Sanchez
Staff Writer
Have you ever wanted to play
with wood without people thinking
you’re weird? Then the wood shop
night class is perfect for you.
The night class has been around
a long time.
“It’s been around since I was in
high school,” says instructor Gene
Conners.
The class is offered on Tuesday
and Thursday nights from 5:30 to
7:30 for two separate semesters.
Anybody over 16 years of age
can take the class. Students at Taft
High can join the class for free, but
community members have to pay
$75 per semester. Currently 14 students, ranging from young to old,
are enrolled.
The night class is a good way to
learn a new skill or hobby or as a
way to relax.
“I like creating things, it’s very
therapeutic,” says Genny Brown,
63, who has been taking the class for
seven years. “It’s a lot better than
sitting at home doing nothing.”
Students are taught how to construct such items as cabinets, entertainment centers and shelves. The
project is up to the student.
“Mr. Conners gives us the freedom to make anything we want,”
said Katherine Pollock, 51.
The class is very hands-on, and
Wood Shop instructor Gene Conners works closely with one of the
students in his night class. Photo by Rod Sanchez
even the most untalented student
will be taught to craft wood like a
pro.
“Mr. Conners is a very patient
teacher and he teaches us to do it
ourselves instead of just doing it for
us,” said Pollock.
The students in the class enjoy
the welcoming environment.
“We all help each other. It feels
like an ‘after work family’,” said
Pollock.
Taft High students who take the
regular class and are serious about
wood shop will find the night class
to be even more enjoyable.
“It’s a more mature environment
since everyone is here to learn,” said
Conners. “In a regular class you
have a few students who just mess
around, but in the night class you
don’t have to worry about that.”
Teen depression common, curable
continued from page 1
When prescribed for teens, antidepressants may actually increase
the risk of having suicidal thoughts.
They were designed and tested on
adults and are not appropriate for
the teen’s developing brain. If used
by children and teens, anti-depressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft
might interfere with their brain development.
“The human brain is developing exponentially when we are very
young, and exposure to antidepressants may affect or influence the
wiring of the brain, especially when
it comes to certain elements that
have to do with stress, emotion and
the regulation of these,” wrote neuroscientist Amir Raz in a 2007 Scientific American Mind article.
Although some anti-depressants
can cause teens to have extreme suicidal thoughts and interfere with
brain development, there have been
many incidents in which anti-depressants have been a great success.
With success comes responsibility.
Teens can overdose on these pills if
not taken properly.
“When giving anti-depressants
there has to be some moderation,”
noted TUHS psychologist Mark
Shoffner. “They need to be given to
someone who is responsible enough
to know when to take them, how
much to take and how to contact
someone if they overdose. Ninetyfive percent of people have come
out very successful when taking
medication,” says Shoffner.
A vicious cycle can overtake one’s
being, and support and therapy may
not always be for everyone. Some
teens may begin to cause physical
pain to themselves such as cutting
or burning their skin. It is usually
done to relieve stress, but not as an
attempt to commit suicide. Cutting
has become one of the biggest addictions among teens, Shoffner said. It
makes emotional pain turn to physical pain, which is much easier to understand and cope with.
“I began cutting my seventh
grade year,” explains Jane Doe
(pseudonym). “It got to the point
where cutting was all I thought
about. Then I began taking pills and
burning the insides of my thighs.
Burning had always been my favorite. It felt amazing and always gave
me a smile. Yes, it may make me sick
and demented, but it’s how I felt.”
“It’s not that they want to die,
it’s just that most don’t know how
to deal with stress and don’t know
what will make them feel better,”
says Shoffner.
Shoffner is available to any student who wants to seek help for
their depression or any other reason.
The Taft Mental Health Clinic is also
available to help those in emotional
distress. It is located at 401 Finley
Drive and the telephone number is
(661) 868-6705.
Page 4
Features
April 13, 2010
SPRING FLING WEEK FESTIVITIES
Tuesday
Animal Day
Monday
Crazy Hat Day
Wednesday
Polka Dot and Stripe Day
Brenda Gallo displays her goofy side on Crazy
Hat day. Photo by Katarina Moore
Peter Galvan shows his wild side on Animal
Day. Photo by Norma Magallanez
Thursday
Twin Day
Timothy Casteel, Kelsey Casteel and Whitney Graham show
school spirit on Polka Dot and Stripe Day. Photo by Krystle Holder
All-For-Fun
Students have fun with human bowling at All-forFun. Photo by Grecia Almaguer
Juniors Minely Rodriguez and Cynthia
Valencia are the perfect twins on Twin
Day. Photo by Winter Martin
Chad Pilkington races in the obstacle course during All-forFun. Photo by Grecia Almaguer
FFA’s Donkey Basketball gives burros a chance to take people for a ride
By Cristina Loza
Features Editor
Every year the Taft FFA members
host a game of preposterous entertainment: Donkey Basketball.
There’s nothing better than
watching the epic battle of students
vs. teachers, when both are falling
head over heels and scrambling to
score a point or two for their team.
The Fifth Annual Donkey Basketball game on April 6 kicked off
when Burrel Maier introduced himself and his burros to the audience.
The 10 burros and their human
teammates were then presented to
the audience, and the rules were announced before the ball was thrown
into the air.
In this spin-off version of basketball, the participants are not allowed
to make a move if they are not on
top of the donkey. For example, if
the ball were on the floor, the player
would have to get off the donkey to
get the ball and mount the donkey
again in order to pass the ball to a
teammate or try to ride towards the
basket to score. Needless to say, the
donkeys are not very cooperative
with their riders.
The activity provided enjoyment
not only to the audience but also the
players.
“You don’t really ride the donkey,” said Mark Richardson. “The
donkey takes you for a ride.”
“It’s an exciting experience,” said
junior Peter Galvan.
During half-time Caitlyn Caylor,
Thomas Grauer, Felipe Xancale and
Tyler Smith stood in the center of the
gym and awarded the winners of the
Donkey Coloring Contest with colorful gift baskets. The artists were
children from pre-school through
third grade.
Eventually, after some more clopping around, the students walked
away victoriously with a score of
26-24.
“Everybody had a great time,”
said Taft FFA advisor Teresa Taylor.
“We appreciate all the support from
the students, staff and community
members who made this fun activity possible.”
One thing is for sure; next year’s
event will be something to look forward to on your calendar.
AVID tutor Megan Jaske (TUHS ’08) and Thomas Grauer try to take
charge during the Donkey Basketball game. Photo by Cristina Loza
Features
April 13, 2010
Page 5
MOCK ROCK: Best one yet?
1st Place: Juliana Campos
shows off her best poker face.
Caleb Lopez and Rafael Heredia square off in a piano duel.
Benjamin Pitts gets intense
during a Shania Twain number.
Hadley Pittman and Meghan King
head up Taft’s own three-ring circus.
Buddha Savaii and Leo Maino
stir up trouble as Chris Brown and Rihanna.
2nd Place: The Street Kings spice things up with an exotic
performance featuring duranguense and jerking.
3rd Place: The Kumbia Kings hit the stage with real
attitude and mad skills.
Kathy Lopez gets down and dirty
with the New Girls.
Teachers perform an out-of-this-world rendition
of the Men in Black theme song.
All photos by
Sadie Burton
Page 6
Sports
April 13, 2010
Freshman Nick Hagstrom plows through the pool in the butterfly.
Photo by Raveena Bhakta
Wildcat swimmers looking good
By Raveena Bhakta
Staff Writer
Junior Blake McPherson shows his usual fine form as he watches a
ball sail toward the hole. Photo courtesy of Mike Goodwin
Golfers confident
they’ll finish on top
By Krystle Holder
Features Editor
The boys’ golf team has been a
consistent threat against their competition. They’re looking at being
major contenders in league play.
“I think we have a really good
chance of taking League if we don’t
run into any trouble,” said junior
Blake McPherson.
The boys have a good idea of
how they’re going to do this season,
and they’re confident in their level
of skill and performance.
“We should get first,” said junior Rigo Nuno. “We play as a good
team; we get along and score well.”
“Our biggest competition is
BCHS. All they do over there is play
golf,” said senior Nick Ellington.
“We should beat them. If we play
our game on a consistent basis it will
be a good match,” said McPherson.
In their March 11 match against
Independence at Buena Vista Golf
Course the boys scored a 210.
McPherson and Ellington tied for
the lowest score with a 39, while
Stewart Bandy followed close behind with a 40. James Gunter and
Michael Newkirk both held up the
score with solid 44’s. Nuno shot the
highest score for the team with a 48.
They were able to carry their preseason success into SSL play, with
consistently low scores.
They took second in their first
SSL tournament on March 17. They
had an overall score of 427, bested
only by Bakersfield Christian, which
scored a 423. McPherson had the
best score, leading the team with a
75. Bandy and Ellington followed
close behind with an 83 and an 84.
Nuno scored a 91, with Hunter Liljeroos one stroke back and Brendon
Frye rounding out the team with a
96.
At their SSL mini-tournament at
Stallion Springs on March 25 they
finished with a score of 437. McPherson once again scored the lowest
with a 77, while Bandy shot an 84.
Ellington scored an 86, while Nuno
and Gunter scored the highest with
a 94 and 96.
At their most recent contest, on
April 8 at Valley Rose Golf Course
in Wasco, the boys again dominated,
beating rival Tehachapi by 10 points,
412 to 422. Showing great consistency, McPherson led the way with
a 71, followed by Ellington at 78,
Bandy at 79, Nuno at 91 and Liljeroos at 93.
In the SSL standings, Taft leads
with 28, followed by BCHS and
Tehachapi tied at 22, Wasco with 8,
Arvin with 6 and Shafter with 0.
“Golf’s amazing and everyone
should play it,” stated Ellington.
JV softball on fast track to
winning championship
By Katarina Moore
Staff Writer
The Taft JV softball team has not
had any trouble winning, taking
first place in the Garces Tournament
in Bakersfield on March 29.
They defeated Highland 23-0,
North 16-4, Golden Valley 13-3,
Shafter 14-0, Cesar Chavez 15-0,
East High 9-1 and Ridgeview 15-1 in
the championship game.
“The season is going very well.
We’ve won most of all games, and
we’ve only lost four,” said coach
Ashley Rawlins. “The most encouraging sign is that we are playing
very good defense. We’ve improved
a ton.”
Coach Rawlins said that a couple
of her players who have surprised
her are Trisha Adams, who is really
strong in the outfield, and sophomore Alexis Kirby, who is hitting really well.
“We’ll have a good season, because we have a good team, good
coaches and we work well together,” Alexis Kirby said about how she
thinks the season will turn out this
year.
The best thing about the girls on
the team is that they don’t get down
on themselves; they’re optimistic
and fun to be around.
“I think the season will turn out
pretty good this year; we have a
good team,” replied freshman Kayla
Spoonemore.
“I feel the team is more together
compared to last year’s,” said sophomore Christie Rogers.
The boys’ swim team has started
off a great season by being undefeated in all of their meets.
Their first meet was a scrimmage
against Highland, which wasn’t
scored. They took first place in the
Dick Graves Relays at Bakersfield
College on March 13, at a duo meet
in Wasco on March 18 against.
Their next meet was the Wildcat
Invitational on March 20. Mike Hagstrom earned first place in the 50
freestyle and 100 freestyle. He also
earned a first in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay with Nick
Hagstrom, Dalton Thornsberry and
Caleb Taylor. Taylor also placed first
in the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.
“It’s a true team sport; even second-to-last scores count,” says coach
John Usrey.
They next defeated Shafter on
March 25.
Their meet on April 8 against
BCHS added to their winning streak.
They had a score of 108 and won all
but one of the races. Caleb Taylor,
Dalton Thornsberry, Nick Hagstrom
and Mike Hagstrom won the 200
medley relay with a time of 1:52:60
and the 200 freestyle relay with a
time of 1:12:34.
Taylor also won the 200 freestyle
in 2:08:57. Nick Hagstrom won the
200 individual medley in 2:26:15
and the 100 breast stroke with a time
of 1:12.34.
Mike Hagstrom won the 50 freestyle in 23:72 and the 100 freestyle in
55.22. Taylor won the 100 backstroke
with a time of 1:02.75.
“I want to go to Valley,” said junior Joe McMillan.
It looks like they have a strong
chance of getting there this year.
Unlike the boys, the girls didn’t
come out with a strong start. They
placed last in a meet on March 4
against Independence. Their second
meet was the Dick Graves Relays,
where they placed third.
They placed third out of eight at
the Wildcat Invitational on March
20, with a total score of 256. Kasey
Stuntebeck won the 50 freestyle with
a time of 26.23 and fiished second in
the 100 freestyle. She was part of the
200 relay team that placed second
Kayla Schuyler placed third in the
200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke,
which she finished in 1:19:20.
“We’ve been practicing harder,”
said Laura Martin, and it showed at
the meets against Wasco on March
18 and Shafter on March 25, both of
which they won.
“They have strong potential to
maintain a winning streak,” said
coach Nathan Usrey.
On April 8 the girls competed
against BCHS, where as a team they
placed second with an overall score
of 72.
Kayla Schuyler, Chelsea Dickard,
Lauren Melton and Kasey Stuntebeck took first in the 200 medley
relay and 200 freestyle relay. Kasey
also placed first in the 50 freestyle
with a time of 27.00 and the 100 freestyle in 1:02.85. Schuyler also won
the 100 backstroke in 1:18:85.
Taft High distance runners competed against Tehachapi in a recent meet. Photo by Lindsey Klein
Track team has opponents on the run
By Grecia Almaguer
Staff Writer
With a new head coach, Peter
Lango, leading the co-ed track and
field team, the young team is off to
a rocky start.
“This year’s team is strong and
very successful individually. It’s
been a rough start but we will manage and work through the tough
competition,” said Lango.
With most of the 60 members being underclassmen the team is still
trying to find their individual niches.
On Mar. 6, the Wildcats had a
pre-season meet at Fowler High.
Though they didn’t place highly
the team had 52 personal records.
More recently, more than 16
schools competed at the 24th annual
Wildcat Invitational here on Mar.
13.
Overall, the girls placed fourth
out of 14 teams with a total of 76.83
points. Some senior standouts were
Megan Thompson, who captured
first place in the women’s 2K steeplechase with a time of 8:23:39.
Chesney Doak won the pole
vault competition, edging out Jordan Mead, Independence’s Kuylan
Tarelon and Kingsburg’s Morgan
Miller by six inches with a mark of
seven feet.
The Wildcat boys finished in
sixth place with a total of 60.75.
Shaquil Gant finished second in
the men’s 110 meter hurdles with a
time of 16.52.
Ty Heiter finished third in the
1600 meters with a time of 5:01:60.
Finishing first in the pole vault competition was Gregory Davis with a
mark of 11-06.
Most would think the sprints
would be the most popular but according Lango the long distance
events are getting ever more popular.
“Coach Greer and Coach Dennis
have done a great job of getting kids
excited about running distances,”
Lango pointed out.
Heiter and Devin Capela both
agree that because they haven’t lost
many people, everybody is getting
better individually.
Every year the season has tough
competition, and this season their
biggest competition will be Shafter
and Tehachapi.
The young team is strong but
many say there is always room for
improvement.
“This year’s team has no problems, but we can really improve
individually and beat our own personal records,” said Junior Jazmin
Camarillo.
Every year the team has standouts in every event, and this year,
according to Lango, they are Megan
Thompson, Dee Dee Iotomo, Breana
Bacot, Aaron Kolb, Gregory Davis
and Daniel Watts.
Sports
April 13, 2010
Page 7
Varsity baseball off to a strong
start, but still a “work in progress”
By Nicole Frost
Sports Editor
The varsity baseball team is off to
a good start. Although it just began,
they are looking at a potentially outstanding season.
The Cats have had a moderately
successful preseason with a record
of 5-2. As more players come out
when the winter sports ended, the
team improved steadily.
Some of the team’s key players
are Blake Emberson, Brian Parsons,
Clint Jorgenson, Tyler Johnson and
Steven Gee.
Their fiercest competition, as always, is expected to be Bakersfield
Christian High School and Tehachapi High School. But it wouldn’t be a
surprise if any other school decided
to put up a fight.
“Well, so far we’re doing good,
but really any school could beat you
at any given time,” said coach Dave
Robertson.
Taft recently hosted the Spring
Bash tournament and did fairly
well. The tournament went from
Feb. 25 to Mar. 6 and Taft played
against Frazier Mountain, Granite
Hills, Highland, Morro Bay and Independence High Schools.
They beat Frazier Mountain 9-1,
Granite Hills 10-0, Morro Bay 13-3
and Independence 12-0. Unfortunately, they lost to Highland 9-6.
On Mar. 10 the Wildcats played
East Bakersfield High School and
lost 9-2.
“We played tough but we
could’ve played better,” said junior
Jesse Rodriguez.
The Cats demolished the Wasco
Tigers 11-2 on Mar. 16.
“I was pleased with our performance,” Robertson told The Driller.
“We’re still a work in progress.”
Jessica Neher pitched well in a recent game against Golden Valley.
Varsity softball team opens
season with string of wins
By Winter Martin
Staff Writer
Clint Jorgenson is one of the standout players on the varsity baseball
team. Photo by Grecia Almaguer
The Cats beat yet another team of
Tigers against Oroville 6-5 on Mar.
30. But they turned around and lost
against the Mendota Aztecs.
The boys got back on track
against the Shafter Generals on April
6, stomping them 14-6 at Shafter. Caleb Lopez was the winning pitcher.
Rodriguez, Jorgensen, Lopez and
Emberson contributed doubles to
the offensive onslaught.
As of press time, the Wildcats’ record is 9-5 overall.
There are many events coming
up in the baseball season such as a
100-inning game fundraiser and Selma Greater Kiwanis Tournament.
“I am pleased with our players,”
said Robertson. “We’ve had good
practices and are looking forward
to the rest of the season. We’re just
trying to get better to prepare for
league.”
Varsity tennis gets into the swing early
By Rod Sanchez
Staff Writer
The varsity boys tennis team had
a good preseason and is looking to
improve in league matches. At press
time they have an overall record of
8-5 and an SSL record of 0-1.
On Feb. 23 the Wildcats defeated
Golden Valley, 8-4. Kyle Rodden
beat Kevin Ramirez, 6-3, 7-6 and Rodolfo Noriega lost the first set but
then defeated Adrian Jara 6-1, 6-0.
Kyle Fleming beat Max Alvarez,
6-0, 6-3. Hector Hinojosa defeated
Erriko Guimte, 6-3, 6-4 and Joel
Quintero beat Alan Perez in a pro
set, 8-5.
In doubles play, Noriega and
Fleming beat Jara and Alvarez. Rodden and Hinojosa defeated Ramirez
and Erriko Guimte.
“Doubles play is our team’s
strong point,” said coach Jim Carnal.
Taft beat Independence, 7-2 on
March 9. The only singles loss was
Jose Barrera’s loss to Brandon Crisp,
6-1, 6-2.
Noriega beat Brian Vargas 6-2,
6-1 and Rodden beat Ben Persinger
6-2, 6-3. The streak continued with
Cory Kidd beating Sean Tieu 7-6,
6-3 and Hinojosa’s defeating Karan
Kumra, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.
Taft’s second loss came during doubles matches. Noriega and
Fleming lost to Crisp and Persinger
5-7, 6-3.
The boys stepped it up and won
the next two doubles matches. Barrera and Ramirez won against Vargas and Tieu 6-1, 6-2. Joe Estrada
and Tylan Hoffman beat Joey Sanchez and Jaidieff Bhallan 6-2, 6-0.
The Wildcats finished 11th out
of 23 teams at the Lynch Cup in Bakersfield on March 12-13. Taft went
3-1 in the Division III bracket.
They got off to a rough start with
a 5-1 loss to Ridgeview. Taft’s single
victory came from Jose Barrera, who
beat Brian Yanez 6-4, 6-2.
Taft came back in their next match
to beat Independence 5-1. The only
loss of the match came when Norie-
Extra Inning practice facility
helps athletes improve skills
By Winter Martin
Staff Writer
Two students from TUHS are improving their softball skills by working at Extra Inning, an indoor training center for softball and baseball
players, located at 4820 Rosedale
Highway in Bakersfield.
Staff members can help players
with pitching, hitting, fielding and
catching. Sophomore Taylor Kurtz
and freshman Abby Dodson attend
this training center.
Kurtz has been taking pitching,
batting and fielding lessons at Extra
Inning since last year.
“I started coming here for my hitting and pitching skills, but I thought
I could improve on my fielding, so
I took fielding lessons, too,” said
Kurtz.
“My old travel ball coach’s
daughter was going here and he told
me about it,” says Kurtz. “I checked
it out and I liked it. I’m glad I’m going here now because it has really
helped me.”
Extra Inning is not a free facility. In order to take lessons at Extra
Inning customers must purchase a
package.
Kurtz has the player’s package,
which includes 12 lessons, 10% off
purchases in the store, a free t-shirt
and hat, one free lesson and a month
of batting practice in the cage. Extra
Inning is the only place she takes
lessons for softball.
Dodson has been going to Extra
Inning for two months. She started
taking lessons for her batting only.
“I needed help on my batting
and I heard of this place from Taylor
Kurtz,” said Dodson.
“This place has helped me a lot
with my hitting,” said Dodson.
ga lost to Brandon Crisp 6-0, 6-1.
The boys won their next two
matches against Stockdale JV, 4-2
and Cesar Chavez, 6-0.
On March 23 Taft lost to Tehachapi, 6-3. Barrera beat Ryan Bilotta,
4-6, 6-3, 11-9 and Ramirez defeated
Cameron Ingerall 6-4, 7-6. Unfortunately, those were the only victories
Taft could manage during singles
matches.
Taft got one more point during
doubles play, when Vaughn Richardson and Joe Estrada won 6-4,
7-6.
Although they lost their first
league match, the boys are confident
about the upcoming matches.
“We have a lot of strong seniors
and the newcomers are improving
fast,” commented Coach Carnal.
Winter sports
All-League
selections
announced
Several Taft High students were
named to the South Sequoia AllLeague teams in basketball and soccer on April 2.
In boys’ basketball, Blake Emberson and Eric LeClair were named
First Team, and Clint Jorgensen and
Hunter Liljeroos were named Second Team.
In girls’ basketball, Jessica Barlow
and Karla Lopez made First Team,
while Jazmin Camarillo-Flores, Hailey Smith and Karlie Twisselman received Honorable Mention.
Boys’ soccer standouts Saul Valencia and Roberto Gonzales were
chosen for the First Team, while Jose
Barrera and Kevin Rivera made Second Team.
In girls’ soccer, Kathy Lopez and
Daisy Guitron were selected for
First Team. Stephannie Heerdink
and Cynthia Salomon were named
to the Second Team.
The All-League selections were
made by SSL coaches.
The varsity softball team started
the season off with 12 wins, six losses and one tie.
The girls won their first game
against East Bakersfield 8-3. On Mar.
3 they played in the North Leadoff
Classic, facing Garces and Frontier.
They lost to Garces 7-0 and to Frontier 7-1.
But they came back the next day
to defeat Delano 7-0. On Mar. 5 they
tied Bakersfield High 2-2. The tournament ended on Mar. 6 with three
big wins; the girls won a close game
over Arvin, 2-1, demolished Highland 12-2 and again defeated Delano, this time 5-0.
“The team has increased in size
this year and yes, we are getting SSL
this year,” said sophomore Clarissa
Rivas.
“It’s really cool being a freshman on the varsity team. Being on
this team will help me a lot,” said
Mikaela Davis. “I will learn more
being with the older and more experienced players.”
The weekend after the Garces
tournament the girls played in the
Bakersfield tournament. On the first
day they beat Centennial 6-1 and
then turned up the heat on West
High, crushing the Vikings 15-0. The
next day they lost two close games,
to Mission Oaks and Highland. The
last day of the tournament they lost
again, this time to Garces, 7-3.
“For this season my goals are that
the team will succeed in their personal goals and our goals as a team,”
said senior Jordie Yarbrough.
After two weekends in a row of
three games a day and double-headers, the girls played a single game
on March 18 against Highland and
won 8-4.
They played another game on
March 22, losing to Golden Valley
4-0.
“My goals for this year are to do
a good job and to make it to the playoffs,” said freshman Kelsey Welmer.
On March 26 the girls played in
the Wasco Tournament. In their first
game they beat Porterville 9-4, then
they humiliated Frazier Mountain
11-1. In their first meeting with Independence the girls dominated
10-1. They ended the tournament on
March 27 with a disappointing 7-0
loss to Techachapi.
On Apr. 9 they played their first
league game against Arvin and demolished the Lady Bears 18-0.
Taylor Kurtz stands out
By Stephanie Tweedy
Staff Writer
Sophomore Taylor Kurtz is an intelligent, friendly, hardworking student. She concentrates on earning
good grades and performing up to
her potential in golf and softball.
“I like geometry, because I like
solving problems,” she says of her
favorite class.
When Taylor turns 16, she wants
to get a job to save up enough
money for college. She wants to be
a physical therapist so she is planning to attend a four-year university
like Fresno State. She decided this
when she was seven and helping
her grandma.
“At Fresno State, they have a facility for physical therapy, and here
in Taft I hope I’m able to get a job
doing that. And one day I hope to
have a place of my own for physical
therapy.”
Even though Taylor is a very caring person she is also competitive
and very athletic, and she enjoys
playing for the JV softball team.
One of her most embarrassing moments in softball is that she
pitched a ball backwards at one of
last year’s games, and the batter actually swung.
“I’ve played sports all my life.
Even over break I played softball
just for the heck of it,” Taylor says.
In addition to softball, this multitasker enjoys playing golf.
“I like how there is a lot of competition with schools,” she said.
One of her favorite classes is geometry because of Pi Day, which
is celebrated each March 14. Sadly,
they were unable to celebrate it this
Taylor Kurtz prepares to strike
out another batter during the recent game against Golden Valley.
Photo by Bill Wolfe
year because it was on a Sunday, but
there’s always next time. Taylor says
it’s her first period class and she’s
glad she can just get it over with.
Another one of her favorite classes
is AVID with Mr. Cowan.
“He’s helpful and he’ll listen to
you no matter what you have to talk
about.”
Her main goals in life are quite
simple: to become a physical therapist and make millions.
Page 8
Entertainment
April 13, 2010
Aventura’s last and RoK’s
debut worth downloading
Drumline members Cristian Magana, Krystle Holder, Ashley Ramos and
David Norton perform in “The House.” Photo courtesy of Amanda Posey
Band, Drumline, Choir perform
with skill, passion, esprit d’ corps
By Karissa Dixon
Staff Writer
The many talented students in
Band, Drumline, and Choir have
been hard at work this semester.
Band did great at their festival
at Stockdale. Many students have
enrolled in band for next year. They
also are looking at shows that they
could perform for next year.
“The thing I like most about
Band, Choir and Drumline is that it’s
not just about one person, it’s about
everyone. It’s just like a sport; you
have to use teamwork,” said senior
and drum major Anthony Carino.
Drumline has performed in some
competitions and many shows, one
of which is called “The House.” It
could be described as scary and fun,
according to Drumline and Band
teacher Amanda Posey.
To compensate for the loss of
seniors this year, all of the teachers
had to come up with some recruiting methods to get more people to
enroll for next year.
One of the recruiting methods
involve talking to the junior high
students and making sure they
know exactly what Band, Choir and
Drumline are and to motivate them
to join.
“I have been in Band since I was
in fourth grade. I have been in Choir
and Drumline since eighth grade,
and I just love it; it’s really fun,” says
Carino.
It may seem to some people that
Choir is just singing and that it’s not
that hard to just raise your voice. According to the members of Choir, it’s
more than just singing, it is a way
to express themselves and it is very
hard work.
They are always motivated to
keep trying to reach their goals and
get to how they want to sound.
“I practice my singing every
day,” said sophomore Beau Riddle.
“My love for singing just keeps me
motivated. I’m never ‘unmotivated,’
and I never want to stop singing.
I think singing could be a career
choice for me.”
Amanda Locke, the friendly
Choir teacher, wants to inspire her
students to keep moving ahead in
music. Her choir teacher inspired
her and she hopes someone will be
inspired as she was.
“My sophomore year, my Advanced Choir class nailed a very
difficult piece and the look on my
teacher’s face just made me think
about how wonderful it would be
to be a music teacher,” said Locke.
“Now that I am a teacher I love
spending time with all the students
and helping them try to reach their
musical goals.”
Choir has performed in many
concerts, including in front of the
California Music Educators Association at Bakersfield College on March
3.
It is a competition held in the auditorium at BC in which members
of the Choir class sing in front of a
judge. Then the judge tells them how
they can improve and gives them
a score. The students with a high
enough score get to sing in front of
an audience of many people.
Locke admits that there are occasionally some complications between students but when you sit
them down and talk to them about
what is going on, it usually resolves
everything.
She was very surprised at the beginning of the year by all of the new
Choir members.
This year’s Choir classes are
mainly females but next year they
hope to attract some more males to
the class.
“From the first day I heard the
newest students in Choir sing, I noticed that there are many amazingly
talented students,” Locke pointed
out.
Aventura
The Last
Aventura’s fifth studio album,
The Last, will not disappoint Bachata
fans who have stuck with the group
since the beginning.
The members of Aventura are Romeo (lead singer and featured composer), Lenny Santos (musical producer and guitarist), Max “Mikey”
Santos (bassist and rap artist) and
Henry Santos Jeter (singer and composer).
The album debuted at #5 on the
Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the
Latin chart, selling more than 47,000
copies, according to Soundscan.
The Last brings back that soft
Bachata rhythm that made the guys
famous in the first place.
Although this album was released in the summer of 2009, many
of the singles are just getting radio
buzz now.
Hit singles that are getting a lot
of radio time include “Por un Segundo,” “Dile al Amor,” and “Su
Veneno.”
Besides that traditional Bachata sound, this CD also includes a
hip-hop feel in songs like “All Up
to You,” which features Akon and
Wisin y Yandel, and “Spanish Fly,”
which features Ludacris and Wyclef
Jean.
The album feels like it is treading along the same path. It does
provide that good Aventura sound
that you’ve grown to love, but there
is nothing exceptional about this album that would make it any better
than the last album.
Ironically enough, The Last has
been rumored to be the last studio
album they will do as a group, since
some members have chosen to pursue their individual careers.
Since they will be going their
separate ways, it would have been
better for Aventura to have left a
lasting impression on their fans by
going out with a bang.
-- Monica Solis
The Reign of Kindo
Rhythm, Chord & Melody
Rhythm and melody are definitely present in Reign of Kindo’s
Rhythm, Chord and Melody. This
jazz-pop band from Buffalo, New
York takes influences from Radiohead and Coldplay, as well as piano
based pop-rock like Keane and even
Steely Dan.
The album was originally released in 2008 but didn’t get the attention it deserved until a year later,
when it was re-released. The band
started getting recognition through
YouTube last December.
The album starts off with “The
Moments In Between,” a soft song
that hits hard during the chorus. It’s
a good start that gives the listener a
clear idea of what to expect.
Though every song has a similar
style, each sounds distinct in the beginning. Songs begin to sound similar towards the middle of the album,
most notably “Till We Make Our Descent” and “Something in the Way
That You Are,” but this is most likely
because they are back-to-back.
“Something In The Way That You
Are” deals with shutting out the
world except for one girl.
“I live in a castle where no one
can come near/ and every wall was
laid with bricks of mortar and tears/
I swore I’d never lower down this
old bridge again/ But with every
word you speak my walls crumble
in/ When we both sing.”
The song manages to be emotional without being melodramatic.
The title track is a piano instrumental that has a nice melody to it
which serves as a good intermission
to lead into the rest of the album.
The second half of the album follows the same style until the last
two tracks, “Morning Cloud” and
“Hold Out,” which have a noticeably faster pace than the rest of the
album. “Hold Out” finishes the album strongly, while keeping faith
with the band’s jazz-pop style.
Rhythm, Chord and Melody is a
good album with a few flaws. It
gives a good sense of the band’s
style and sound. Fans of Coldplay
will appreciate the jazz influences.
Though the album took two
years to get attention, it’s attention
well-deserved. -- Rod Sanchez
Bad Company 2 dethrones Modern Warfare 2
By Will Palmer
Editor-in-Chief
For fans of the Battlefield series,
the success of the Call of Duty series
seems to constantly overshadow
most Battlefield releases. However,
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 tries and
succeeds in dethroning the king of
current shooters (Modern Warfare 2).
The game is a huge improvement
from Bad Company 1. Teamplay is
greatly recommended and, in some
situations, absolutely essential. The
original four-man “Squad” gameplay introduced in Bad Company 1
has been expanded, allowing you to
spawn on your squadmates, issue
squad commands, and earn extra
points when you specifically help
your squadmates.
Gameplay changes are prevalent. The demolitions and specialist
classes have been combined to make
the “engineer class.” The “Destruction 2.0” Frostbite engine allows
entire buildings to be destroyed to
the foundations. They have also included “micro-demolition;” instead
of entire walls being blown up with
a grenade, only a small hole will be
created. Not only does this make the
full-world destruction in the game
more realistic, it makes it increasingly difficult to utilize.
Bad Company 2 brings back the
class customization so prevalent
in Battlefield 2. “Specializations,”
as well as Gadgets tailored to each
class, make sure that no class or battle is exactly the same. Mix this with
a multi-classed squad and the De-
struction 2.0 engine, and you have
layers of tactics that can unfold on
the battlefield.
Returning from BC 1 are the ungodly-sized maps. Nothing quite
captures the action of a large battlefield like Bad Company, and making
sure the enemy doesn’t get a hold
of a location that would allow them
to assault your team is absolutely
necessary. Vehicular combat also returns, introducing the Black Hawk
Transportation helicopter, M1A1
Abrams Tank and more. However,
for fans of smaller, more frantic
maps, “Squad Team Deathmatch”
and “Squad Rush” (two gametypes
which force you and your four-man
squad to compete against other
squads) keep the action compact
and intense.
Last Song and Deadline good choices for A.R. or pleasure reading
Nicholas Sparks
The Last Song
Nicholas Sparks’ novel The Last
Song is a compelling story about
young love, the strength of family bonds and second
chances.
Ronnie, a 17-yearold rebel, is forced to
spend the summer
with her estranged
father, Steve, and her
younger brother, Jonah, in a cottage by
the beach in North
Carolina.
Ronnie has refused
any contact with her
father in the three
years since her parents
divorced and has held
a grudge against her
father for that same reason.
At first she cannot adjust to the
quiet life that her dad lives on the
beach since she is used to the New
York City nightlife. She often leaves
the house and is gone for most of the
day in order to avoid contact with
her dad.
One day she runs into a cute,
preppy boy named Will, who accidentally spills soda on her during
a beach volleyball game. That same
day she meets a girl named Blaze
and the group of guys she hangs out
with, who perform
with balls of fire on
the pier.
She is drawn to
Blaze and her friends
because they seem
dangerous and mysterious. However, Ronnie soon finds out that
some of the guys, are
not to be trusted.
Meanwhile, Ronnie
runs into Will again,
but she is not interested in him because
he is nothing like the
guys she would normally be attracted to. However,
they start to get to know each other
thanks to her insistence on protecting a turtle’s nest.
Ronnie’s relationship with her
dad improves as well. Some of her
anger begins to fade, and she realizes that her dad is not so bad.
As she spends more time with
Will, Ronnie finds herself falling
head over heels.
So much happens in this novel
over the course of one summer that
it changes Ronnie’s life forever.
There are unexpected twists and
turns that make this an enjoyable
read. It is only at the end that the
reader understands the meaning of
the book’s title. By the end, it will
have you crying in the way only a
Nicholas Sparks novel can.
-- Monica Solis
Chris Crutcher
Deadline
“What would you do if you had a
year left to live... and you knew it?”
In the novel Deadline, written by
Chris Crutcher, the pint-sized, 123pound protagonist Ben Wolfe is a
legendary cross-country star at his
school in Trout, Idaho and is hoping
to win State for the last time in his
senior year.
But on his regular physical
checkup Ben finds out he has cancer and only has a year left to live.
As an 18-year-old he decides not to
tell anyone, but his doctor wants to
tell Ben’s parents even though it violates the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement.
They make a deal that Ben should
go to therapy. Ben then realizes that
he has been living on
the safe side his whole
life. So he does the unthinkable and tries out
for the football team
in order to play at
least one season with
his slightly younger
brother, Cody, the star
quarterback.
After making the
team, he feels unstoppable. With his courage built up, Ben decides to go after his
long-time dream girl,
who is way out of his
league, “the amazingly perfect”
Dallas Suzuki. Dallas is a beautiful,
mysterious, smart girl who seems
like she would deny him any chance
with her.
Ben’s home life isn’t as perfect as
it seems from the outside. His mother is suffering from a mental illness,
so it is hard to keep his secret from
his family and to keep living a normal life.
With his year dwindling he starts
to realize that he is not the only one
with secrets in Trout. He starts revealing his secrets to
his loved ones and is
exhausted by disease.
Ben realizes that
one person with only
a year to live can
make a difference in
the town. Some would
desire to be consoled
but Ben longs just to
be himself without
anyone having pity
on him.
Crutcher
has
worked as a counselor and has beautifully
captured the essence
of adolescent life, while throwing in
twists and turns that keep you reading like an addict.
I would recommend this book to
anyone who values living life to the
fullest. Deadline is a great read and is
suitable for almost any reader.
-- Grecia Almaguer