march 2010 - Montclair College Prep

Dog Day Afternoon
Casa Pacifica’s
Archie visits
MCP
campus.
Montclair
GOAL!!!!!!!!!
Journal
6
Girls soccer
secures playoff
berth after
long season.
12
Volume LIV • Issue 4 • March 12, 2010
Haiti Hit
Hard By
Disaster
May the
Force
Be With
You
After being struck
by a catastrophic 7.0
earthquake, Haiti is
struggling to find a way
to rebuild infrastructure
and provide food.
Nicole Thompson
Staff Writer
Catherine Brutyan
Staff Writer
On Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating disaster. It
was a Tuesday afternoon when
the poorest nation in the western
hemisphere, Haiti, was hit by a
7.0 earthquake.
The earthquake struck about
10 miles south west of Port-auPrince, and was followed by after
shocks. Many buildings collapsed,
and were left in ruins with people
trapped beneath the rubble. The
Haitian government identified at
least 217,000 people dead, while
some people were never found.
Since the earthquake the death
toll is expected to rise. Online
and on the news people were able
to see videos and photos bodies
that filled the streets and towns
of Haiti. Many Haitians lost their
family members and their homes,
and are now left with nothing living on the street..
People joined together to try
to dig through the rubble and find
survivors. Survivors were found
and given medical attention. Unfortunately, many people did not
survive. Some of the bodies that
were found were never identified.
On the news channels most of
the taping from Haiti was tragic,
however some times there were
miraculous stories of survival.
One of the most miraculous survival stories was that of an infant who was trapped beneath
rubble. She had been trapped for
a few days and was dehydrated,
but soon enough she was found
and saved. The Haitians were
depressed about the tragedy, but
happy to be alive.
After the earthquake, rescue
teams and aid groups from all
over the world came to help Haiti.
They brought food, clothes, water,
and other essential supplies. Doctors and nurses were also flown
into Haiti to provide medical
care. People have come together
to raise funds and awareness.
New non-profit organizations
have been made to benefit Haiti
and to send any necessary supplies. Montclair has also joined
the support of Haiti by asking for
See Haiti, page 4
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Lara Grines
Lady Mounties, Fall Short
of CIF Title, Head to State
The Force cheers on junior Kim Scamman as she looks for a shot in the Mountie’s 69–41 victory over Poly.
Lara Grines
Staff Writer
The Lady Mounties were defeated by St. Anthony 57–47 CIF
Division 5A championship on
Thursday, Mar. 4.
The ladies did not come out
with the bang they usually do, but
picked it up in the second half.
Senior Chantel Dooley finished
the game with 12 points and 11
rebounds. Junior Kim Scamman
led the team with 18 points. Usu-
If you’re not a part of the
Force, you may as well be living
under a rock. The Force is Montclair’s newest and loudest cheering section. School spirit has
never been higher and the athletic
teams couldn’t be happier. Started
by juniors Max Miller and Josh
Brodsky, the Force has taken over
Montclair like nothing ever seen
before.
“Max and I started it because
there was no school spirit,” Brodsky revealed, “and coming from
Calabasas [Highschool] we knew
how much it helps the players and
how fun it is.”
They have revamped the
Montclair spirit that has been noticeably declining over the years
and earned the respect of not only
fellow students, but of the entire
school. Complete with a set outfit
of Force t-shirts and jeans, these
two juniors along with a slew of
students have packed gym after
gym all over Los Angeles supporting their Mounties in every way
possible. From our home gym to
Campbell Hall to play-by-play
updates online, the Force never
fails to disappoint any Mounties
fans unable to attend a game.
Their witty chants along with
the clever idea of handing out
See Force, page 7
ally strong from the free throw
line, the ladies missed 15 free
throws throughout the game.
“Once we over came the nervousness of the first half, we were
able to play the game we are accustomed to playing,” Coach
Webb said.
Despite the loss, the ladies are
still heading to the state playoffs.
“For state, we are going to
need to come out harder, look
at what we did in the last game,
and see what we can do better,”
Dooley commented. “We are not
going to dwell on the past, just
move forward.”
Coming off an amazing run in
the playoffs last year, making it
to the semi-finals, the Montclair
girls basketball team has continued this post season. The ladies
breezed through the first rounds
of playoffs.
They took on Wildwood in the
first round, and easily defeated
them 64–31. Next the ladies took
See State, page 11
is good enough to challenge Beyonce herself. Her performance
of “Cold Shoulder” made every
guy in the audience fall in love
with her. My only question: Why
on earth does she only have two
lead songs?
The second female powerhouse of the show was sophomore
Remi Barlowe. Her performance
of “Sunrise” was possibly the
most heartfelt piece of the show.
Her duet in “Fifteen” was considerably better than anything produced by the talent-lacking, original songwriter, Taylor Swift. Her
singing in the second act was just
as good as it was in the first, yet it
also gained an enjoyed aspect of
raunchiness. Her concluding song
gave a soulful ending to the wonderful show. Remi displays her
great talent, and was able to put
on a hell of a show.
See Pop, page 8
Sophomore Remi Barlowe sings at “The Pop Show,” a Montclair musical.
Montclair’s Pop Show Full of Glee
Brandon Gale
Assistant Editor
Montclair Music department,
thank you so very much. “The
Pop Show” was a very fun and,
dare I say, modern experience.
Though not the best performance
to hit the Little Black Theatre, it
had an air about it that made the
time fly by. For starters, it had a
good cast. All the singers have
talent. However, some originality
was lacking. I wasn’t sure if I was
watching a live performance or
just a rerun on the hit show Glee.
I also request that next time, cast
members should choose songs
based on their unique vocal ranges.
Several people stood out in
the performance. To start, we
must stand in awe of Junior Olivia Duthie’s vocal talent. Her
performance of “If I Were a Boy”
Kayla Tong
2
Editorials
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
Montclair Journal
Editors-in-Chief
Daniela Abrams
Jeremy Stone
Advisor
Mr. Gernes
Assistant Editors
Lisa Noveck
Rachel Rosen
Brandon Gale
Audra Morin
Staff Writers
Lara Grines
Olivia Duthie
Brandon Gordon
Emily Ravdin
Catherine Brutyan
Minji Hwang
Evan Kantor
Gabby Cohen
Michael Sztanski
Michal Voldiner
Lauren Davidson
Kim Gonzalez
Matt Asher
David Carnie
Jeffrey Steinberg
Alyx Cohen
Dylan Satin
Roxy Alberts
Eric Abbado
Jessica Cole
Nicole Thompson
Sarah Scott
Photographers
Hannah Lipow
Kimberly Gonzalez
Kayla Tong
Lara Grines
Greg Cohen
Michael Sztanski
Cartoonists
Sydney Sheppard
Simon LeComte
The Montclair Journal is a student publication of Montclair College
Preparatory School, one of the oldest private, coeducational,
independent secondary schools in the San Fernando Valley, offering a
rigorous education to students in grades six through twelve.
The statements and opinions expressed in the Editorial and Op-Ed pages
do not necessarily represent the views of Montclair College Preparatory
School, its administrators, staff, or students.
Please direct letters to the editor, questions, comments, and advertising
inquiries to:
Editors-in-Chief, Montclair Journal
8071 Sepulveda Blvd. Van Nuys, CA 91402
www.montclairprep.com/mcp_paper.asp
[email protected]
(818) 787-5290
We want to hear your opinion. The Montclair
Journal is looking for input from the community.
Please contact us with any suggestions,
comments, or questions.
Mdrn Tech Causes Mjr Prblms
Jeremy Stone
Editor-in-Chief
How many of your friends would you consider
“socially challenged”? Teens of the 21st century are
too often only comfortable and able to create relationships through Facebook or texting and are lacking face-to-face interaction. And when you finish
decrypting the happy faces and slang, and finally see
a friend in person, they are constantly texting.
Texting is inefficient. Issues that can be settled in
less than five minutes on the phone can take up to
fifty texts. The creation of “smart phones” including
the Blackberry, creatively nicknamed after a drug,
the “crack-berry,” has only added to the problem of
constant texting and web browsing. As a result of
these technological innovations, children of the 21st
century simply do not have the social skills that children of previous generations possess.
Meeting someone over the Internet, or getting a
number from someone you meet is one thing and
normal. When commutation with that person is only
through an electrical devise, a problem exists. The
more someone texts and emails, the more they lose
out on forming social skills. It becomes hard or awkward for two people who text a lot to interact in person because they are so used to effortlessly pressing
keys. When talking to someone over the Internet or
through texts, you can become anyone you want to
be; the sensitive one, the funny one, or the talkative
one. In reality, you might be shy, but the person on
the other end of the phone won’t know. In short, it
is easy to become someone you are not. Anyone can
become the perfect person.
Even when a group of friends get together in person, almost everyone is glued to their cell phones. It
would not be a long shot to say that half of the people have their phones on their lap or in their hands
waiting for a text or talking on the phone. Social
etiquette is completely ignored. Conversations are
constantly interrupted.
Gen Y, commonly known as the Millennial Generation or the Net Generation, consists of people
born in the 1970s to the 2000s. Gen Y is generally
marked by increased use of communications, media,
and digital technologies. The major characteristics
fit perfectly. Why don’t we just call ourselves the
technology generation? Members of this generation
cannot put their mobile technology down. No matter
where you are, you can probably hear that constant
buzz of a phone vibrating. In class, in movies, while
sleeping; kids are always needing to be in contact
with others. At what point will teens understand that
they do not need to be texting 24/7?
Senioritis: Fact or Fiction
Daniela Abrams
Editor-in-Chief
The issue of the lack of motivation for second
semester seniors has inevitably come up as a meeting was called Feb. 26 to discuss what is more commonly known as “senioritis.” The meeting was not
a brutal upbraiding meant to punish the seniors as
much as it was a failed attempt to motivate the seniors into working harder.
Although some seniors have failed to work to
their so-called potential by skipping school, doing poorly on exams, not doing their homework
and coming late to class, a majority of them aren’t.
There are still those seniors however, who feel that
this is the hardest year yet with college applications
to do and AP courses to take. It has become more
and more evident that the teachers are coming down
hard on the seniors, but their sudden change in behavior is neither motivational nor helpful in dealing
with this alleged problem.
What the teachers do not recognize is that every
student, no matter what grade they are in, will even-
tually mess up in someway. Instead of overlooking
those mistakes, which is what is done in regard to
the other grades, they are putting the blame on this
fictional idea of senioritis.
Teachers fail to recognize that perhaps it’s not the
fact that our high school careers are coming to an
end that causes certain seniors to get lazy, but rather
the proceeding season. Spring fever affects all students as they wait for the school year to end, and
school is tough for all students going into those last
three months of school—not only seniors.
Seniors should not be singled out from the rest
of the school. Our behavior has not greatly changed
from one year to the other contrary to the statements
of our teachers. The same students who have always
slacked off continue to do so while the hard working
ones continue to uphold to their high standards. If
all of a sudden teachers decide it is their job to address those issues, then they should do so with the
individual students, not the whole class.
Senioritis should not be generalized to describe
all the seniors. It only discourages the seniors who
are still fighting to do well.
Op-Ed
3
Should Abortion Be Legal or Illegal?
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
Abortion should be illegal
because it is a form of
murder, it teaches teens
that their actions don’t
have consequences, and it
may lead to other medical
problems in the future.
David Carnie
Staff Writer
You cannot say the word in public,
without causing a debate that spreads like
wildfire. Abortion is one of the most highly
debated and sensitive topics on the planet. Whether you are talking to a nurse at
your local hospital or an auto mechanic in
downtown Los Angeles, everyone has an
opinion when it comes to abortion. The big
question is whether it is right or wrong,
legal or illegal, moral or immoral. For the
sake of time, ill just go ahead and give you
the answer. Abortion is wrong, immoral,
and should be illegal.
First off and most importantly, abortion is the taking of another person’s life.
It is wrong to take the life of an innocent
and helpless child. As life and children are
some of the most sought after things in life,
to kill an unborn child seems extremely
immoral. It is murder. If it is illegal for one
person to take the life or “murder” another
human being, then why is it ok for someone to take the life of an unwanted child?
When discussing murder, the idea about
when a fetus becomes a person is often debated. Once there is any sight of a fetus, the
fetus represents a human that could eventually live in the world on its own. Although
abortion occurs when the fetus is barely
developed, it is murder. When you boil it
down to the basics, abortion is a form of
murder; there is no way to get around that.
Next, if a teenage mother or anyone else
conceives an unwanted child who should
be punished for the mistake? The mother?
The child? If the mother is given a way to
escape from this child, who is to say that
she wont do it again and take the life of
another unborn child. Teens will continue
making the same mistake if they can get
out of it with an abortion. It teaches no lesson and the behavior will continue. As a
police officer’s main purpose is to preserve
life, so should everyone else’s. Adoption is
a much more moral and humane alternative
to abortion. In this case a child is born for
someone who wants to cherish them, if not
the mother. Also the mother is given the
experience to hopefully
make a better choice in
the future. What better
way is their to learn responsibility.
One last reason that
abortion should be illegal is the unnecessary medical problems
that it can cause for the
mother. An abortion increases the chance for
a pelvic inflammatory
disease and also heavily increases the chance of a miscarriage
later in life. Why risk the chance of one of
these very severe problems. An abortion
can cause problems for women who may
want to have children later in life.
The topic will continue to be debated no
matter what people say. It doesn’t matter
if one has the most compelling argument,
the opposing side will counter it. Murder,
learning responsibility, and future medical problems should be enough to sway a
person the direction of making abortion illegal, but it is not. Although many people
have presented the problems of abortion,
there are still a staggering amount of women who wish to get an abortion.
Abortion should remain
legal because it gives women
control over their bodies,
it reduces the number of
unprepared mothers, and
helps woman deal with rape
and incest situations.
Lisa Noveck
Assistant Editor
For many years abortion has been a
very controversial topic. It incorporates issues involving religion,
politics, and ethics, but
abortion should be legal
if a woman chooses.
In some cases,
abortion can be a very
dangerous and potentially life-threatening
procedure for the
mother. Sometimes, it
is performed too late
and by some people
is considered murder.
Despite these claims,
when properly conducted, an abortion can
be the right choice for the mother.
With increasing rates of teen pregnancy,
the option of abortion is becoming more
common. When women get pregnant at
an early age, it not only interrupts their
schooling, but also drastically alters their
goals for the rest of their lives. It will be
a long time before they can responsibly
pursue a career or study again. Time normally spent in school, will now be spent
caring for a child. This is a very time consuming task, but it must be done. Also, in
many cases young women who get pregnant cannot financially support the baby,
and do not receive help from the father of
Head
to
Head
the baby. Sometimes, their parents are so
upset with them that they are kicked out
of their homes. A baby cannot be brought
up healthily in such an environment. They
will grow up with a lack of a father figure,
money for food, shelter, and school, and an
inexperienced mother.
There is a big difference between a
women being irresponsible by not practicing safe sex, and a woman who is raped or
is the victim of incest. If a woman is raped,
and they become pregnant, there is a strong
chance they will not want to keep the baby.
Yes, the woman might be able to financially support the baby, but that does not mean
that they are prepared to have one. There is
also a psychological factor that comes into
play. Will the mother be able to look at the
babe without thinking about the rape? This
woman does not know the health condition
of the person who raped her, and therefore,
if she gave birth, might pass on a harmful
disease to the baby. Also, if she is not able
to have an abortion, she will give birth to a
fatherless baby.
Since abortion is legal, risks and complications decrease. Doctors are better trained
and managed, and are able to reject a patient if they are too far along in the pregnancy. Women do not have to worry about
finding a doctor from the “black market,”
having the operation in secret, spending a
lot of money to keep the doctor quiet, or
even trying to perform it themselves. Instead, they can have the operation done
by a professional doctor in a hospital, and
maybe have help paying for it from their
insurance company.
The topic for discussion is still widely
debated. Ultimately, people are strongly
divided between making it legal or illegal.
Both sides assert convincing arguments,
yet, an abortion is a very plausible solution
for many women who did not choose to get
pregnant and do not want to deliver an unwanted baby.
Big Budget Films Don’t Provide the Real Bang
Sarah Scott
Staff Writer
There seems to be one word
circulating through teenage conversation regarding movies:
“Avatar”. Why shouldn’t it? This
excessively high-budget, heavily
advertised movie is quite literally
impossible to ignore. It’s even
earned itself an Academy Award
nomination for Best Picture of the
Year and a very handsome profit.
However, for a film that has
generated so much talk,
does it warrant this kind
of attention? I under-
stand that my opinion of Avatar is
not widely held, especially among
our demographic, but really, why
is this film considered so groundbreaking?
The wonderful quality of film
is that it is able to combine the intellectual stimulation of literature,
namely play writing, with visual
art. Films offer entertainment, escape, and emotional experience.
It seems as though there is a sharp
decline in the production of films
that carry any sort of sophistication. Production companies
instead choose to sacrifice
dialogue for explosions and
acting for sex.
“Avatar” could not provide a better example of this
decline. It seems as
though the plot is intentionally hidden
throughout the film,
and the audience
is supposed
Blake Steele
to immerse itself into the world of
Pandora, forgetting Earth or those
nasty government officials exist at all. A man lives through his
avatar, encounters a love inter-
“
A sex scene between
cartoon aliens? This
is what titillates the
teenage mind?”
est, then leads the race to which
he’d rather belong against Earth’s
militant attack. There are underlying themes commenting on
everything from corporate greed
to American treatment of Native
Americans to self-sacrifice, none
of which resonate well after the
fact. I “experienced” “Avatar” in
digital 3-D, leaving the theater
with sore eyes and dormant muscles from sitting in one seat for
2.6 hours. The colors were pretty,
the 3-D effects entertaining, the
acting decent; however, where
was any sort of lasting intellectual
effect that did not directly spawn
from the visual technology?
I chose to see several other
prominent films of the year,
many of which are unknown to
the average teenager. Inglourious
Basterds, while carrying some
flaws, was certainly more enter-
taining and vastly more
satisfying than “Avatar.”
A Single Man and A
Simple Man were stunning films that were simplistic in style and heavy
in meaning. An Education relates to teenagers
on the cusp of adulthood
more than any film I’ve
yet seen, which begs the
question, why “Avatar”?
Yes, the technology is
new. Sure, the visual effects were great. But a sex
scene between cartoon
aliens? This is what titillates the teenage mind? The
Hurt Locker, coincidentally directed by James Cameron’s exwife, provides all the excitement
of a war/action film with true art
and emotion, something “Avatar”
fails to display. Real comedy is
not created by these blue extra
terrestrials, nor is any sort of catharsis. So what is the appeal of
“Avatar”? I find it superficial.
With films such as Valentine’s
Day, Legion, and “Avatar” grossing so highly in the box office,
what is next? Short clips of action,
sex, and 3-D flowers? If teenagers were to explore the true art
behind the spectacle of the highest-budget comfort films, perhaps
we would generate more respect
from our society. By fulfilling the
belief that teenagers are irresponsible due to their lack of interest
in anything beyond sex, drugs,
and action, we are only stifling
opportunities. Go see A Single
Man, and its incredible visuals.
Witness the empowering excitement of Inglourious Basterds. It’s
time to end the curse of “Avatar”
and its $400 million playground.
4
News
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
Toyota: A Crash
Course in Recalls
Alyx Cohen
Staff Writer
On Jan 21, Toyota recalled
about 2.3 million vehicles due to
sticking gas pedals which could
cause the vehicles to accelerate
uncontrollably.
Toyota’s recent recall has left
their dealerships with an excess
in cars on the lot. Sales have ultimately froze as well as the production of eight of their vehicles.
With help from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota had to stop selling
their automobiles and recall the
effected cars in order to prevent
multiple accidents and issues on
the highway, or even death. Rental companies also must had to pull
cars from their rental fleet as a precautionary measure. “Avis Budget
estimates it will pull 20,000 units,
while Enterprise Holdings, which
manages its Enterprise, National
and Alamo brands, didn’t give a
number, except to say that about
four percent of its fleet would be
affected,” according to Autoblog.
Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said that the company’s de-
cision to stop selling the recalled
vehicles was voluntary, but that
they also had a legal requirement
to do so. The sales and production
halt may not last long. According
to several sources, Toyota already
has a solution in the works and
has designed a replacement part
for the accelerator pedals in the
recalled vehicles. The new part
means production can probably
resume quickly, but current Toyota owners may not be as lucky.
“The Japanese auto maker has
said the problem with accelerator
pedals that could stick open as
they aged was limited to a pedal
mechanism supplied by CTS
Corp. built in the supplier’s Canadian factory,” reported the Detroit
Free Press. CTS said, “today the
problem identified by Toyota had
been reported fewer than a dozen
times,” and “in no instance did
the accelerator actually become
stuck in a partially depressed condition.”
Since 2.3 million vehicles need
repairs, Toyota should be able to
fix the faulty vehicles in a rather
short amount of time, but this is
not the case.
Her Story
Catherine Brutyan
Staff Writer
www.wikimedia.com
Earthquake Rattles
Haitian Confidence
Haitians walk the streets after devastating disaster to see the damage.
Haiti, from page 1
donations. By logging onto montclairprep.com there is a link to
Medicalteams.org where you can
donate money that will help volunteer doctors and nurses provide
aid to those who were injured in
Haiti.
This disaster has left Haiti in
ruins, but together we could help
rebuild Haiti a better place. There
are many different charities going
on, all you need to do is do your
part, and make a contribution.
One victim of the Haiti
earthquake, who I personally know, is Tachu Dubuisson. Some of her family
survived, while some of her
family members were never
found, and were assumed
to have perished during the
earthquake. “It is such a
heartbreaking tragedy, but
it feels good to know that
people are working together
to help,” Dubuisson said.
Dubuisson started a program with her aunt and her
mother, Marie Canegitta,
called Haitian-Americans
United which is an orphanage. The number of kids in
the orphanage has skyrocketed.
Haitian-Americans
United is working to raise
money and supplies for the
children. After talking to
Dubuisson, I’ve realized
that the best place to help
is this orphanage. You can
help by sending money or
supplies to this address:
Impasse Louis Charles #13
Carrefour (Cane a Sucre)
Haiti
State of the Union Leaves Americans Wanting Change
Nicole Thompson
Staff Writer
On Jan. 27 2010, President
Barack Obama made his highly
anticipated State of the Union
address. After being in office
for a little over a year, President
Obama spoke about many significant topics. The focal point of the
address was the economy. From
vowing to create jobs, to changing the way campaign financing
is approached, such as restricting
the amount of money lobbyists
can put into a candidate. Making the success of the economy
a main priority Obama has raised
the hopes of many jobless Americans struggling through the ongoing recession.
Along with the discussion
of the economy, Obama also
brought another issue to light.
The health care bill has been a
hot topic among multiple debates
in the public as well as Congress.
President Obama gives his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capital on Jan. 27.
Obama encouraged the American
public to take a harder look at his
administrations proposal.
With various hopeful comments and guarantees, President
Obama also confronted the cyni-
cism and criticism regarding his
administration. In his address,
Obama projected his hopes to
reconnect with the American
people and help the economy recover from its ongoing downfall.
www.wikimedia.com
The president acknowledged his
faults in the past but made a confident statement that he is sure his
promises to the American people
will be upheld. “Despite our
hardships, our union is strong,”
Obama said.
One major point that Obama
has made is his goal to repeal the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. If
the ban were to be repealed, gay
American would have a right to
serve in the military and not be
prejudiced because of who they
are. Obama’s discussion on foreign policy emphasized his goals
to increase troops in Afghanistan,
withdraw troops from Iraq, and
continue working with Russia on
nuclear disarmament.
Obama’s acknowledgement of
the issues he has had over the past
year, as well as his hopes for our
nation in the future, is aimed to
give American’s hope and a sense
of stability that the turmoil that is
evident in the US will take a turn
for the better.
“It is because of the American
people’s resilience in the face of
adversity” that the president said
he has “never been more hopeful
about the nation’s future.”
How have you tried to help the people of Haiti recover from their disaster?
“
I haven’t contributed, but I want to.
So much needs to be
done to help Haiti
recover.”
– Kahve Azarnoush
“
I have been helping
Roxy organize a
fundraiser to make
money to give to
Haiti.”
– Megan Goddard
“
They have been in my
prayers. I pray that
the families in Haiti
will soon recover
from this disaster.”
– Lindsay Anderson
“
I have only donated
money to local
organizations, but
hope
I
I can do more in
the near future.”
– Melody Taban
“
I haven’t done anything yet, but I
plan to. I have been
looking into it for a
while now.”
– Adam Pirouti
Around Campus
5
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
Computers
Defaced in an
Act of Vandelism
David Carnie
Staff Writer
www.jc.org
Prom Committee Reveals
the Site For ‘A Starry Night’
A picturesque photo of the Jonathon Club from the beach side, taken during the sunset.
Lisa Noveck
Assistant Editor
It may be hard to believe, but
Montclair’s prom is already fast
approaching, coming up on Friday May 14. This year, it will be
held at the Jonathan Club in Santa
Monica, a private beach club. To
stay closely related to the idea of
a nighttime beach, the theme will
be based on Van Gough’s Starry
Night painting.
To promote prom, “We are going to have some fundraisers,”
said Ms. McNamara, in charge
of the prom committee. “We will
send invitations to all juniors and
seniors and have posters and fliers all around the school. We’ll
be selling tickets for 2-3 weeks
Senior
Favorites
Best Hair- Sydney Sheppard and Simon LeComte
Best Smile- Ben Cohen
and Roxanne Alberts
Most Likely To SucceedJeffrey Steingberg and Lisa
Noveck
Class Clown- Adam Pirouti and Sarah Scott
Teacher’s Pet- Matt Asher
and Melody Taban
Most Athletic- Chantel
Dooley and Tony Rosales
Most Likely To Fall
Asleep In Class- Natalie
Gross and Sam Halote
Worst Case of SenioritisMark Selfa and Christina
Oganesyan
Best Eyes- Sydney Sheppard and Simon LeComte
Biggest Ego- Chelesea
Moreno and Jeff Mamedov
Most School Spirit- Jeremy Stone and Chantel
Dooley
Biggest Gossip- Jessica
Cole and Matt Asher
Biggest Flirt- Daniel
Toofer and Sarah Scott
Friendliest- Matt Asher
and Sydney Sheppard
Biggest Drama King/
Queen- Ben Toofer and
Jessica Cole
before the prom.” So, in case
prom slips your mind, there will
be plenty of reminders in the upcoming weeks.
“I’m really hopeful of an amazing night ahead of us this year,”
said senior Alex Sarraf. “It’ll be
sick because it’s by the beach.”
Ms. McNamara has an optimistic outlook as well, she said.
“I’m very excited, hoping that
it’s going to be a fun evening for
everybody. Last year was a great
success and I’m hoping to make it
even better this year.”
With all that this year’s prom
seems to entail, it is nearly certain
that we will have a unique and exciting experience.
“Well I’m really excited for
this years prom as it will be by
the beach with all my friends and
I’m looking forward to having an
awesome time!” exclaimed junior
Paul Adalpe. Prom is something that many
people look forward to throughout their time in high school, and
for some, even earlier. It is a rare
opportunity for many teenagers
to dress very nicely, and spend
the night out with the majority of
their classmates. For seniors especially, it can prove to be one of
the last chances to bond with their
grade. In some ways, prom is a
coming-of-age, and will hopefully produce fond memories for
everyone who attends. Montclair
students cannot wait for the day
to finally come, so they can party
at the end-of-the-year bash!
If you were to ask students
around campus, there would be a
consensus as to where they like to
go during 7 period. As many students would agree, the computer
lab is one of the most blissful areas on campus. However one student thought differently.
On Feb. 18, a certain delinquent vandalized two computers
in the computer lab.
According to Mr. Blake two
monitors were written on with
pen.
“Luckily for the boy, the damage was in fact reversible,” Mr.
Blake stated. Though this problem was easily fixed, he said that
any defiling of school property
would not be tolerated.
Coach Rocco reported the
crime to Mr. Blake on Feb. 18,
and an announcement was immediately made closing down the
computer lab during lunch and
study hall until the perpetrator
were to come forward.
“I spend a lot of time in the
computer lab, especially during
lunch,” junior Kim Scamman
commented. “I had nothing to do
doing lunch for the short time it
was closed for.”
On Monday, Feb. 22 the perpetrator claimed to have tried to find
Mr. Blake during lunch in order
to admit to what he had done, but
he couldn’t find Mr. Blake. First
thing in the morning the following day, he talked to Mr. Blake
and the computer lab was liberated to everyone once again.
“I was very angry about what
happened to the computer lab,”
said senior Josh Kouchi. “I lost
a lot of time I could have been
spending working on homework,
playing minesweeper, and talk-
“
I lost a lot of time
I could have been
spending working
on homework, playing minesweeper,
and talking on
troullette.”
Cha-
– Josh Kouchi
ing on Chatroullette. Thank God
the person came forward, and the
computer back open.”
The computer lab however, is
now following a no Internet rule
during lunch not only as a result
of the crime, but also as the result
of the overall abuse of internet
privileges such as using Facebook.
Although the crime didn’t lead
to any permanent damage, the
way it was dealt with shows the
severity that Montclair will deal
with any crimes of vandalism
against the school.
Floor Dedicated To School Founder
Brandon Gordan
Staff Writer
On Feb. 5, the newly remodeled gym floor was dedicated to
Montclair founder “Doc” Vernon Simpson. Before the start
of the Montclair vs. Brentwood
basketball game, Coach Howard
Abrams started off the night with
a comical speech explaining the
success of the Montclair basketball program.
“I would like to recognize
the years 1976, 1990, 2005, and
2006—the years in which we
won CIF. I would like to call
up the people who represent
those special years. Representing
1976—would be me.”
He continued, and called up
senior Daniela Abrams to stand
on the 1976 inscribed on the floor,
and Mr. Patterson to stand on the
1990.
More excitingly, many alumni were also incorporated into
the festivities. Back to back CIF
championship winners and alumni Bobby Webb, Ethan Edwards,
Ryan and Adam Goldstein, Jacob
Franco, Daniel Rodgers proudly
stood on top on the 2005 and
2006 inscriptions.
A special thanks was given
to Director Mark Simpson and
Sophomore Evan Kantor announces the 2009—2010 varsity basketball team after Coach Abrams’ speech.
Coach Jonathon Fried.
After the speech, Mr. Waisman
played a short video-montage to
the crowd that included photos
of the floor restoration and of the
current varsity basketball team.
The video was followed by the
presentation of sophomores Tali
Khoshbin and Greg Cohen. They
jointly sang the National Anthem.
“I didn’t know that they even
sang,” sophomore Amir LugoRodriguez said. “It was a good
surprise, they were really good.
The crowd’s focus was then
directed towards the stage where
the curtains were drawn, and the
2009-2010 varsity basketball was
revealed behind the smoke created
from the fog machine brought in
to make the night extra special.
“The lead up to the game really
pumped everyone up,” exclaimed
Mr. Waisman
junior Max Miller. “It was a great
introduction to a really close, exciting game.”
Despite a disappointing loss
because of Brentwood’s last second shot, the night was one to
remember. It was a great way to
bring together the teachers, students, and alumni, and dedicate
the floor and the game to the
person who made all of this possible— Doc.
6
Around Campus
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
New Teacher
Hired For
Second Semester
Michelle Voldiner & Audra
Morin
Staff Writer and Assitant Editor
Daniela Abrams
‘Bye Bye’ Pop Show, Hello New Musical
Underclassmen audition for major roles in the upcoming musical production set to open in May. Auditions
have already begun for the next Little Black Theatre musical production, “Bye Bye Birdie,” scheduled to open
in May. The new, giant cast includes not only the usual crew, but also newcomers such as sixth graders Abigail
and Michael Charime, seventh graders Evan Brodsky, Rachel Charime and Siena Tinoco, eighth grader Rachel
Brodsky, freshmen Rachel Yardum, Kade Percy, and Ben McKendall as well as many others.
Archie Comforts Children
Audra Morin
Assistant Editor
The Casa Pacifica assembly
held on Feb. 26 was a refreshing
and wonderful experience for all
Montclair students and teachers.
Senior Melody Taban had been
planning to schedule the event for
her honors project, but at the last
minute, she decided not to continue on with her project.
However, she still does not
regret organizing the assembly,
which enlightened students at
Montclair.
Archie, a huge New Foundland
dog, was an entertaining addition
that definitely captured the attention of the audience. His owner
tried to demonstrate the therapeutic value of the unconditional love
that animals appear to emit.
Vicki Murphy, the Director
of Fund Development and Operations at Casa Pacifica gave a
pleasant speech about the specific
functions of Casa Pacifica and
how the lives of the unfortunate
Daniela Abrams
Students gather around to pet Archie the dog, the face of the Casa Pacifica.
children from dysfunctional families are slowly woven back to a
level of normalcy and stability.
The most important aspect of
Casa Pacifica is that it restores
hope and according to one child,
“Casa Pacifica believed in me
when I didn’t believe in myself.”
“I still want to help the com-
munity,” said Meldoy Taban after
revealing she was not going to go
through with her honors project.
“I enjoy putting a smile on a person’s face even if it means giving
them the smallest things that we
take for granted.”
A big thanks to Melody Taban
for organizing this assembly.
dads movie and television sets it
became a part of me and I knew
from then on I wanted to be in
the entertainment business,” she
said “I’ve been singing since I
was able to talk; singing was always a way for me to express my
emotions and let them out.” Hasselhoff signed with Ford Models when she was only in eighth
grade, and also was able to land
the job of being the spokes model
for the clothing store, Torrid.
She continued representing them
for four years, and through that
experience has claimed to have
learned much about the entertainment business.
“I’m so found of fashion that
modeling helped me understand
how much work goes into making an ad attract the buyer.”
Hasselhoff entered Montclair
in 2003 as a sixth grader. She continued at Montclair until this year
earning the title of super survivor.
However her career took off at
the start of her senior year, forcing her to juggle both her career
and education. She decided that
the best decision for her would
be home schooling, so she was
forced to drop out of school.
“There is no question about it,
I miss Montclair,” she exclaimed.
“I grew up at there, and have
learned so much from the people
around me and the experiences I
had. It’s hard to think that I left
and didn’t get to have the senior
year I wanted with my class of
2010.”
Since Hayley’s leave from
Montclair, she has already begun
filming an A&E realty show together with her sister and father.
The show, based around the hectic life of her and her sister during their struggle to release their
first album, is also being used to
Coming mid-year to teach students wasn’t an ideal situation
for Mrs. Reagan. After the sudden leave of the previous science
teacher, Mr. Grell, there was a
vacancy for a science teacher, and
she was chosen to fill the spot.
“Mr. Grell was hired as a last
minute replacement as a consequence of the sudden quitting
of Mrs. Niv,” commented high
school principal Mr. Steele. “The
administration was closely monitoring his teaching methods and
working with him to improve. The
incident that occurred without the
approval of the administration
was unfortunate. Therefore, faced
with the students’ best interest, it
was decided that Mr. Grell be replaced by another professor.”
Mrs. Reagan picked up a general science class, a life science
class, and three biology classes
just as the second semester commenced.
At first she found it a bit overwhelming to pick up where the
students had left off with their
previous teacher, but as the weeks
progressed she started to enjoy
her classes. Having only kind
words for the teachers and students “who’ve been more then
welcoming, very kind, courteous
and helpful.”
“All the teachers have been really helpful,” she stated.
Working previously in schools
such as Birmingham and Alameda High School, she is very happy
with the transition to Montclair.
From being a substitute teacher
to a full time teacher, she’s found
absolutely no hardships, and enjoys teaching her new students.
She was born and raised in
Burbank, California. She always
Daniela Abrams
Mrs. Reagon poses during lunch.
found an interest in science and
wanted to continue on to medical school, but family came first
and she ended up not going. She
has done numerous researches in
labs, and has worked as a cardiac
monitor tech at the hospital before going on a break for six year
to focus on her family, but surely
she wanted to do more.
She knew teaching was her
passion, since a little girl she
found that passing on education
through the new generation was
more then rewarding. To continue
on with her dream to teach, she
attended CSUN to get her credentials, and found herself at Montclair.
Coincidently, this wasn’t her
first interaction with Montclair.
She graduated from Faith Baptist in 1988, and during her high
school career was a member of
the volleyball, track, and basketball teams. While on the basketball team she played against the
female Mounties when Mr. Steele
was their coach. What a small
world!
She can’t wait to continue on
expanding her horizons as a new
teacher and seeing what the rest
of this year will bring. Former Student Lights Up The Stage
Roxanne Alberts
Staff Writer
Since the time of her birth,
senior Hayley Hasselhoff has always been drawn to the spotlight.
“I’ve been very blessed to grow
up in the spotlight but it also has
its downfalls,” Hasselhoff explained. “Many people assume
that I get everything that I want
in the entertainment business easily, but my father has made sure
that I have worked for everything
I have earned. It’s hard because
people tend to judge me on what
they think about my father when
they haven’t even gotten a chance
to get to know me yet.”
Hasselhoff always knew she
wanted to follow in her father,
David Hasselhoff’s footsteps
in pursuing acting, singing, and
modeling.
“Ever since I grew up on my
Hayley Hasselhoff
Hasselhoff performs along with her father David and sister Taylor-Ann.
discredit the tabloids that criticize her family. Her sister and her
joined together to form the band
Bella Vida, and since them have
been promoting their music and
in the works of producing their
first album.
“So I hope and dream big
for myself and leave it in gods
hands.”
There have no doubt that we
will be seeing Hayley more in the
spotlight very soon. Good luck to
her, and all of her ambitions.
Around Campus
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
7
Possibilities Are Endless For
Former Montclair Student
PhD in Molecular Toxicology,
a Pharm D degree, or a masters
in Environmental Chemistry/
Health.”
He would be leading in his
older brother’s, Thiago Halmer’s, footsteps who also graduated from Montclair in 2000, and
currently a student at UC Irvine
Medical School, if he were to get
a doctorate degree.
“Make mistakes. Learn from
them.,” advised Halmer to the
2010 senior. “Experience your
field by interning, job shadowing,
and attending information sessions. Grow from these experiences, and thrive.
Daniela Abrams
Editor-in-Chief
Kayla Tong
Junior Luis Montiel, and freshman Nick Sungia show their Force pride at the
victorious St. Genevieve varsity girls girls game.
The Loud, The
Proud, The Force
Force, from page 1
newspapers during the opposing
team introductions have resulted
in a Mountie spirit that can’t be
defeated. The Force started with
only seven founding members,
now with many students joining,
the appropriately named Force,
seems unstoppable.
More than 100 students are
part of their group page online
that informs students of game
days and times, what to wear, and
most importantly, if there is free
dress on that day or not.
“We started out by trying to
spread it by word of mouth to all
of our friends but that didn’t really work, so we started a Face-
book event and publicized it on
Facebook, and it just took off.”
The Force combines the wit
and spirit of a student body into a
loud, rambunctious cheering section that undoubtedly is greatly
appreciated and noticed by all the
athletes.
“The games are exciting now,”
exclaimed starting varsity basketball player junior Charles Lockett. “The cheering from the crowd
gets everybody super hyped and
ready to play their best.”
The Force has become a phenomenon and hopefully, the next
generation of Montclair students
will continue on The Force with
pride.
Alumnus Patrick Halmer graduated Montclair in 2006. The
memories as well as all the educational things that he learned from
Montclair that he was able to take
with him to college are endless.
“In a classroom setting, Mrs.
Fulmer was by far the most inspiring teacher,” Halmer described as
his best experience at Montclair.
“Her call it as she sees it attitude,
logical reasoning, and eccentric
jokes made AP Government one
of the most interesting courses I
have ever taken.”
Since his graduation, he has
been attending CSUN, and is prepared to graduate this May with a
major in Environmental and Occupational Health with a minor in
Chemistry.
He is currently doing an internship at the City of Hope in
Duarte, CA where he has began
to implement an emergency preparedness program for doctors,
nurses, and pharmacists in wake
of the recent earthquakes in Haiti
and Chile.
Halmer also began his tutoring
business in 2007, in which he tutors people in math and science at
the primary, secondary, and university level. He also leads organic chemistry study groups at Cal
Suzanne Halmer
Patrick Halmer poses in 2008.
State Northridge and does career
counseling as a Peer Educator for
students and alumni at the Career
Center. He implements tools to
help students identify and explore
interests, and make career-related
choices based on personality,
strength, and interest. As for what
he is planning to do after graduation, that is still in question.
“I have a lot of things running
through my mind at the moment,”
Halmer stated, “partly because I
have a lot of interests! The things
I’ve been considering include a
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8
&Delilah
Around Campus
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
Dante
Don’t Cramp Their Style
Dear Dante and Delilah, One of my friends has this boyfriend
who is really nice and cool, but he’s sort of geeky and acts like
a loser sometimes. Everytime her and I go to a party together
she always wants to bring him, and he always stays with us and
cramps our style. He’s really nice so I don’t want her to get rid of
him, but he’s always cramping our style. What should I do?
Dear Extremely Annoyed,
You obviously can’t just
come out and tell your friend
that you have a problem with
her boyfriend. Instead, just hint
to her that you miss spending
girl time with her.
That way she’ll hopefully
understand that you want to
spend one-on-one time together.
If you want to handle the
problem in a more direct way,
you should definitely, casually
bring up the topic of all three
of you hanging out. Maybe she
feels the same way that you
do— that it is annoying having
to split her attention between
her best friend and boyfriend.
You’ll end up coming to the
solution that you can hang out,
but on different nights. That
way both you and him can
spend time with her.
Love Always,
Delilah
Dear Extremely Annoyed,
Have you ever thought that
maybe you are cramping their
style. I’m sure you wish things
were as they were before your
friend got the boyfriend, but it
doesn’t mean everything has
to change.
There are ways to make
sure that the three of you have
fun. You should tell him that he
is acting in a way that bothers
you. Telling your friend not to
have this boyfriend might turn
your friend against you. That
might be the worst of things
to do.
The fact that he is a “loser”
and “geeky” might be frustrating, but that is just his personality. He obviously enjoys
being with you and his girlfriend, so try to make it so he
is comfortable and so you are
comfortable.
Don’t Despair,
Dante
Triple Threat Alert
Daniela Abrams
The first ever triplets have enrolled at Montclair. Sixth graders Michael and Abigail Charime, and seventh
grader Rachel were born on January 13, 1997. Since starting Montclair in the fall, everyone who has found out
that they are triplets are so amazed. “They open their eyes really big and saw wow,” explained Rachel Charime.
The triplets explained how they are no different to other siblings. However, last-born Michael Charime jokingly
added, “It’s sad I have no brothers, and we have to share everything. It really sucks.”
Forget About Your Friends
Dear Dante and Delilah, I really like this boy, and I have a
feeling he likes me too, but all of my friends are warning me
against going for it because I just had a “thing” with one of his
friends. Even though that didn’t mean anything for me, they’re
still friends, and I think the other boy still like me. HELP!
Dear Girl in Love,
You need to think about
what you really want. If you
really like this boy, you should
do what your heart tells you to.
Forget the consequences because after all is done, at least
you will have gotten what you
wanted.
When the situation comes
up, which it definitely will,
you have to confront the other
boy. Just explain to him the
situation you’re in.
He won’t be so heartbroken
if he feels that you are confiding in him by telling him your
private feelings. Continue
talking to him on a daily basis
because you don’t want the
boy you like to feel as if he has
to choose between you and his
friend.
You will have to work on
building a relationship with
them three, so that the boy you
like never doubts his decision
in choosing to go for you.
Good luck to you!
Love Always,
Delilah
Dear Girl in Love,
It sounds like you are in a
complicated situation. If you
care at all for the last guy
you had a “thing” with, then
you won’t go for the boy you
like. If you really feel strongly
about this boy, then you cant
stop yourself from liking him.
There are ways that everyone can be happy. You can talk
to the first guy and see how he
feels about you going after his
friend. If you both have feelings for each other then it will
most likely work out.
Don’t listen to his friends
though, that’s the worst thing
to do. Make your own decisions. It sounds like you need
to talk to both parties and see
how they feel.
Whatever you do just make
sure you are happy. If you are
not happy, then nothing will go
over well. Don’t just ignore the
first guy, but at the same time,
don’t let him stay in your way.
Stay strong girl.
Don’t Despair,
Dante
Dante & Delilah is a monthly advice column for the Montclair
Journal. Please feel free to anonymously e-mail Dante & Delilah
at [email protected] with any of your questions or
problems and they will be happy to answer them in the next issue.
Kayla Tong
The Pop Show is a Smash
Five members of the cast of “The Pop Show” sing to the audiene on at their final performance.
Pop, from page 1
As for the opposing sex, Greg
Cohen led the cast. He stars in
the majority of the male lead
song roles, and for good reason.
His emotional performances in
“I’m Yours” and “Two Princes”
For The
Record
In the staff box Simon
LeCompte is misspelled as
Simon Lecomte.
In “Animal Collective
Rounds Up Fan Base”
staff editor Michael Sztanski is incorrectly identified
as a staff editor.
In the byline for
“Charles in Charge” Nicole
Thompson was misspelled
as Niicole Thomson.
In “Charles in Charge”
Treyvon Love was misspelled as Trevon Love.
In “Ni Hao: Prep
Greets Chinese Students”
it was incorrectly stated
that “close to 50 chinese
students live in the dorm.”
There are roughly 25.
combine traditional singing with
some bop and soul. In “Lucky,”
he and sophomore Tali Khoshbin
delivered a great performance,
demonstrating great chemistry
and skill alike. Greg Cohen, kudos to a great performance.
This is the first Pop Show at
Montclair. Hopefully it won’t be
the last. For all those that missed
it, you will never know what you
missed. Members of the Montclair
singing crew, congratulations and
great job!
Lauren Davidson
Staff Writer
cancelled, as was the case last
year.
Once you buy a ticket, you
are automatically entered into
the raffle, which consists of coupons, gift cards, and even a minifridge! Montclair is holding the
Talent show so students can show
off their most interesting talents,
whether it’s juggling, opera singing, or even making balloon animals! Any student can be in the talent show, so come and show off
any unique talents you have. Just
talk to Mr. Krupp who will be
hosting the show if you have any
questions or concerns, or if you
wish to sign up.
Get Your 15
Minutes of Fame
Did you ever think that one of
your classmates could be a great
dancer? Or maybe even a singer?
You might discover something
you never expected about your
friends or when they show off
their talents at Montclair’s annual
Talent Show, which is just around
the corner!
Students will be able to buy
tickets for the talent show that is
scheduled to take the Thursday,
Mar. 25.
There have been no sign-ups
so far, and without any participants the show will have to be
Entertainment
Montclair Journal • March 12, 2010
The Wolfman
Not even 1 
Brandon Gale
Assistant Editor
Just bite me and get it over
with. This movie does more than
waste your time. It actually kills
a piece of your soul when you
watch it.
Set in England near the turn of
the 18 century, Lawrence Tolbert
(Benicio del Toro) returns home
after hearing of the death of his
brother. After reconciling with
his father (Anthony Hopkins) and
searching for his brother’s killer,
a wolf-like beast bites him.
As he begins his horrific transformation to a werewolf, he must
http://monsterscifishow.files.wordpress.com
The movie poster for The Wolfman.
reason with his parental issues,
his love for his dead brother’s
wife (Emily Blunt), and his brother’s killer.
First and foremost, these are
not characters. These are drawings, cartoon drawings. There
9
is no method to the madness
of these people. Why does the
brother’s widow fall in love with
Lawrence? Why does the father
have a desire to kill the son? It’s
the same reason for both. It pulls
the heartstrings of the tasteless individual.
Second, the film lacks a crucial element—individuality. The
characters are the same as the
original. The plot is the same as
the original. The only additions
are the egregious amounts of
blood and gore, which could be
done without any day.
Seriously people, it’s not worth
it. Don’t waste away your life in
a theater watching something this
bad. The film is rated R for bloody
horror violence and gore.
http://www.worstpreviews.com
Percy Jackson and his two friends get ready to battle a Minotaur.
Percy Jackson &
The Olympians: The
Lightning Thief

Brandon Gale
Assitant Editor
dora is being harvested by Earthlings for it’s rare and expensive
metal, Unobtanium. Jake Sully,
a paraplegic ex-marine, takes
an assignment meant for his deceased brother: to make a mental
connection with an avatar of the
native Na’vi people and negotiate
with them. But when he falls in
love with one of them, he must
choose between his species and
his heart.
Now that we’ve covered the
corny aspects, let’s get to the pros.
The film’s production is superb,
yet keep in mind that the amount
spent on it is enough to relieve
all of Haiti. A college professor
spent 10 years making a language
for the Na’vi people. Now geeks
will be fluent in three languages:
Klingon, Binary, and Na’vi.
Despite minor issues, the
movie is definitely worth watching. The film is rated PG-13 for
intense epic battle sequences and
warfare, sensuality, language and
some smoking.
This movie has the same issues with all others that have been
converted from books. If you
have read the books, you probably won’t like how much they
left out. If you haven’t read the
books, be prepared for the ride of
your life.
Percy Jackson is a typical
New Yorker. However, your math
teacher becoming a flying demon,
an attack from a Minotaur, and
finding out your father is the god
of the sea can change someone’s
perception of normal.
Now, with an impending war
of the gods and a devastating
apocalypse, Percy must journey
across the country with his abnormally loyal satyr and an unnatu-
decided to get fancy and embellish the final jump. She ended up
falling and taking the silver.
Explanations for why Jacobellis decided to show off in Torino
have mainly focused around the
fact that she was only 20 years
old and got caught up in the moment. Regardless, Jacobellis ended up finishing short, and ranked
16 after being disqualified in the
semifinals, and unfortunately
was unable to silence her critics
and the people who were rooting
against her.
Snowboard cross is a high
speed sport that leaves little room
for error, Jacobellis made the errors that she had spent the past
four years trying to eliminate.
This year proved to be another
disappointment when she lost her
balance and hit one of the flag
barriers on the side of the course,
which is an immediate elimination. She ended up finishing fifth
overall after winning the consolation round but the look of frustration and disappointment on her
face was inescapable.
Jacobellis’s
incident
has
brought upon many questions;
one of these questions is if athletes, like Jacobellis, are good
role models for younger athletes. Jacobellis learned a hard
lesson the hardest way, getting
too cocky and ahead of yourself
may not only result in a fall, but
the loss of the one goal you were
so close too. Jacobellis’s story is
heartbreaking and inspiring and
although she has many critics
against her, she has loyal fans.
Jacobellis after winning the Snowboard World Cup at Stoneham Mountain.
Neytiri teaches Jake Sully how to shoot an arrow in preparation for the human attack on Pandora.
Avatar

Brandon Gale
Assistant Editor
The Smurfs need to watch out.
There’s a new blue crew in town.
James Cameron, I’m convinced
you have lost your mind. Avatar
is the most creative and the biggest “what just happened?” film
of the decade.
Set in the future, specifically
2154, a lush planet named Pan-
rally hot daughter of Athena to
prevent global destruction.
For starters, the film and the
book are far from parallel. There
is no plot involving Kronos in the
movie. The plot has been majorly
altered. The locations have been
changed. There is no mention in
the book of Hades looking like
Mick Jagger.
The names of the main characters are the only consistent pieces
of the plot although the numerous
unexpectedly hot gods and goddesses do nothing negative for
the movie.
Full of battles with monsters
as well as demonstrations of the
power of the Greek gods, this
movie provides numerous thrills
and is defiantly with the price of
admission. It is the perfect kickback-and-relax, weekend movie.
The film is rated PG for action
violence and peril, some scary
images and suggestive material,
and mild language (apparently
“hook up” counts).
http://jadoremag.com
Lindsey Jacobellis: Fail After Fail After Fail
Nicole Thompson
Staff Writer
If you have been following
the Olympics in Vancouver, you
probably have heard of women’s
snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis,
who unfortunately suffered another defeat at this years Winter
Olympics.
Lindsey Jacobellis was a
top competitor for the women’s
snowboard cross competition
which took place on Feb. 16. Jacobellis was attempting to finally
redeem herself after a horrific
and embarrassing fall in the last
winter Olympics that took place
in Torino. That accident occurred
while Jacobellis had a strong lead
and was only seconds away from
winning the gold medal when she
http://www.fakiesports.com
10 Entertainment
M
J
• March 12, 2010
ontclair ournal
Chicago’s Newest HipHop Duo Rivals The Best
Michael Sztanksi
Staff Writer
http://www.students.stedwards.edu
Jack’s Mannequin performs in front of a live audience in 2009.
Expectations Are
High For Next
Keyboard Prodigy
Michael Sztanski
Staff Writer
Jack’s Mannequin, otherwise
known as Andrew McMahon,
is a songwriter and keyboardist
that had one of the top albums of
2005. His big hits from 2005 can
still be heard on the radio, just to
illustrate the success he had. This
album, The Glass Passenger, has a
combination of intelligent lyrics,
up-tempo melodies, and catchy
keyboard tones.
The album’s lyrics were inspired by McMahon’s childhood
and vivid memories of growing
up. “Dark Blue” was his single
off the album and I assure you it
is one of the best.
After listening to it about 5
times, you will mostly likely remember every lyric in the song
because it’s a perfect array of
musical talents featured by one
artist.
A couple of other songs that I
suggest you to listen too are “La
La Lie”, “I’m Ready”, and “ Holiday From Real.”
Although Jack’s Mannequin
isn’t one of the most popular artists, I’m sure if more people knew
about him, his songs would be
fond on the most played section
of your iPod in a matter of days.
This extremly talented rap
duo, The Cool Kids, consists of
Antoine “Mikey Rocks” Reed
and Evan “ Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll who are currently signed to
their own record label, C.A.K.E.
Recordings. The two lyrical geniuses met over the Internet. Immediately after they met, Antoine
wanted to do a collaboration with
Evans after he heard Evan’s exquisite beats.
They got together in Chicago and started producing mass
amounts of mix tapes and started
to put them on their Myspace
page. Their music was slowly
spread around the industry. After
noticing all of the publicity they
were receiving, they realized that
they had made it. They released
their debut EP “The Bake Sale”
in 2008.
Shortly after releasing their
debut album, they signed with
Chocolate Industries, an independent label that rapper Lady Sovereign was a member of.
“Black Mags” was their first
big-hit single that topped all the
charts. It was impossible to listen
to the radio for more than 10 minutes without hearing The Cool
Kids’ song.
They have done many collaborations with some of the
most achieved rappers and have
http://hipsteroverkill.com
The Cool Kids show off their very alternative looking while posing.
received record deals from some
of the biggest DJ’s in the game.
In the only five years that they’ve
been together, they have managed to work with Asher Roth,
Ludacris, Maroon 5, Kenna, The
Bloody Beetroots, Drake, and Lil’
Wayne.
Their music has also been
featured on many hit television
shows, such as Entourage because their rapping style and exotic beats are so unusual.
Today these two modest men
are showing just how dedicated
they are to their music by producing many new tracks and touring
all around the country playing being featured at some of the largest
music festivals.
Tears Shed For the Loss
of A Fashion Godsend
After being found dead
in his London Home on
Feb. 11, fashion lovers
all over the world were
in despair. Arguably the
world’s most talented
fashion designer yet,
the loss of this icon has
been a shock to all.
Jessica Cole
Staff Writer
As many of you have heard,
the fashion world recently lost a
genius designer, Alexander McQueen. Last month Mcqueen
committed suicide in his London
home on Feb. 11, 2010.
McQueen, (who is well know
for dressing celebrities including Kate Moss, Lady Gaga and
Rihanna,) was 40 at the time of his
death and was just getting ready
to present a fashion show in New
York City for his line “McQ.”
McQueen was known for his
creative and over the top runway shows that were frequented
by many famous models such as
Kate Moss and Niamoi Campbell.
http://media.photobucket.com
One of McQueen’s legendary, out-of-the-box fashion shows.
From 1996-2003 McQueen won
the coveted title, “Brittish Designer of The Year,” four times.
McQueen’s stores can be
found all over the world in cities
such as in Los Angeles, London
and Milan. One of Mcqueen’s
most celebrated pieces was his
skull printed scarf that comes in
many colors such as black and
white and white and red. The
scarf became one of his trademark pieces that was copied all
over the world.
Alexander Mcqueen was truly
an inspiration to many new and
upcoming designers and his talents will truly be missed. As for
what he has brought to the world
of fashion, McQueen’s label will
continue to expand and grow even
after his death.
Montclair Journal
Sports 11
• March 12, 2010
Baseball Sets Sights
on League Title
Jeffrey Steinberg
Staff Wtier
Hannah Lipow
Senior Tae Jin Jeong goes in for a tackle against a Whittier Christian player in their 1–5 loss on Feb. 2, 2010.
Boys Soccer Season Ends,
Seniors Say Goodbye
Lara Grines
Staff Writer
2010 was a great year for the
Montclair soccer team. With a
tightly packed league schedule,
the boys made the playoffs.
Montclair was drawn to play
Buckley in the first round of
playoffs. In a game that started
off with scoring opportunities on
both ends of the field, the advantage swung to Buckely when they
scored the first goal of the game.
Montclair kept playing, but was
devastated when a second and
then a third goal was scored. Senior Tae Jin Jeong netted a consolation goal only minutes before
the end of the game to bring the
game to a 3–1 end.
“It was a sad way to end my
high school career, but it was
fun,” senior Alex Scranton said.
“What more can I ask for”?
Led by senior Jeffrey Steinberg and Scranton, the boys had a
record of 11–7–1. Kicking off the
season with 7 consecutive wins,
the boys had lots of confidence.
Although their winning streak
was ended by a loss to Whittier
Christian, the boys continued to
play their best.
“We knew our league was
tough,” senior David Carnie said.
“Every game was scrappy and
hard fought.”
Coming off an exciting 1–0
win over LAB, the boys took on
Crossroads in a season defining
game on Thursday Feb. 11. If the
boy won, they would automatically get a spot in the playoffs.
In the end the boys lost 1-0. Despite their loss, and to many of
the boy’s disbelief, the boys still
made playoffs.
“The LAB win was the game
that probably got us [the boys
team] into the playoffs” Coach
Erenberg said.
“We as a team are prepared
to take on any challenge thrown
our way and will hopefully do the
best we can in playoffs,” senior
Alex Saraff said.
“We have earned all of our
wins because of the hard work put
in and the mind set we bring to
the field,” Steinberg said. “Judging from last year, we have improved, and it has become apparent throughout our games.”
Montclair will be losing 10
players this year, eight of whom
are starters.
“Playoffs were our goal for this
year.” Steinberg said. “In the end
it was more than just playoffs. It
was fun, and a good learning experience.”
Lady Mounties Head To State
State, from page 1
on Brethren Christian. Led once
again by Scamman and Dooley,
the ladies defeated Brethren
Christian 70–42.
After two big victories, the
ladies went on to play a home
game in the quarterfinals against
Villlanova Prep. The first half
was close, but the ladies stepped
it up in the second half. A 20
point performance by Scamman
brought the ladies to a convincing 59–41 win.
Despite accumulating a record
of 19–6 before playoffs and being
the second ranked team in their
division, the road to the playoffs
was far from easy.
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the girls
beat Windward 44–37. Windward
was ranked first in the league.
Then they went on to beat Valley
Christian 55-51, which advanced
them to a second- place tie with
Whittier Christian.
“The girls were really excited
after the win over Windward,”
Coach Webb said. “We hadn’t
Lara Grines
Junior Kim Scamman dribbles the
ball up the court looking to score.
played well recently and we knew
we needed to defend our home
court. It was a big week for us because we were playing two teams
in front of us and we had to take
advantage of that opportunity.”
The lady Mounties were supposed to play Valley Christian in
late January, but due to the rain
leaking in the Montclair gym, it
got postponed until Wednesday,
Feb 3.
The girls, along with Coach
Webb, were all nervous about
playing Windward and Valley
Christian back-to-back, but the
girls beat both teams with the aggressive play of Dooley, Scamman, Taylor, and Anderson.
On Friday, Feb. 5 the girls beat
Brentwood 60-50. “The good
thing about our team is that when
one girl isn’t playing to the best
of her abilities, we are all able to
help out since we know each other so well and know one another’s
strengths and weaknesses,” Taylor said.
“This is a good way to end our
season as we head towards the
playoffs,” Scamman said. “All
the girls are excited and a little
nervous for the games to come.
Montclair baseball is heading to the diamond once again as
the team prepares for the season.
After a 15-13 season last year the
boys are looking to further improve their record and win league.
The team finished last year’s season losing in the second round of
playoffs. This season they hope to
go even deeper into CIF playoffs.
“I have two goals for this season, improve as a player, and win
CIF,” sophomore Max Fried said.
The question lingers whether
the team will be able to repeat
their success after losing last
year’s star Matt Hartunian, who
was not only a defensive asset,
but also a home run hitting machine.
“The loss of Matt is big,” senior Tony Rosales said. “He was
not only a great player, but he was
a good coach on the field. He has
the ability to inspire anyone who
plays with him.”
“This year’s team looks even
better than last year’s,” senior
Dylan Satin said. “With a fast
outfield, strong bullpen, and good
hitting, I have a feeling that this
could be our year. We do not see
an undefeated run in league very
farfetched.”
The boys began training for
their season in September and
have not let up since. They have
been playing games since fall,
getting ready for the preseason
and league.
“Our preseason went really
well,” senior Mark Selfa said. “I
hope our winning continues as we
begin league.”
However towards the end of
their winter games their performance slowed up. The team hopes
to pick up that early momentum
from fall and bring it into the preseason and season play.
“I think once the first regular
season game comes around, we
will all be ready to take care of
business,” Rosales said. “All our
hard work and preseason play will
show when we take the field.”
The boys are expected to very
well this year. Many of the players are very optimistic about this
season.
“I’ve been waiting for this season to start since the first day of
school in September,” Satin said.
“Its my last season playing high
school baseball, and I want to go
out with a bang. Winning leauge,
then CIF would do that for me.”
Spring Sports
Date
Opponent
Location
Result
Mar. 16
Campbell Hall
Campbell Hall
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 23
Valley Christian
Valley Christian
4:00 p.m.
Baseball
Mar. 18
Mar. 25
Apr. 5
Apr. 6
Apr.13
Apr. 16
Apr. 20
Apr. 23
Softball
Birmingham
L.A.B
Santa Ynez
Hawthorne
Whittier Chrtistian
Beverly Hills
Valley Christian
Valley Christian
Montlciar Prep
Montclair Prep
Santa Ynez
Dunn School
Montclair Prep
Montclair Prep
Valley Christian
Montclair Prep
3:15 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
Noon
9:00 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
Mar. 16
Holy Family
Montclair Prep
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 18
Yeshiva
Montlclair Prep
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 17
Mar. 23
Mar. 24
Mar. 25
Campbell Hall
Windward
Marlboro
Crossroads
Boys Volleyball
Campbell Hall
Montclair Prep
Marlboro
Crossroads
3:30 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 16
G.H. Hillcrest
G.H. Hillcrest
5:00 p.m.
Mar. 19
Campbell Hall
Montclair Prep
4:00 p.m.
Mar. 18
Mar. 22
Apr. 13
Apr. 16
Tennis
Ivy
Ivy
L.A.B
Whittier Christian
Montclair Prep
Ivy
Montclair Prep
Whittier Christian
3:15 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m.
Mar. 16
Crossroads
Crossroads
3:00 p.m.
Apr. 13
Brentwood
Brentwood
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 17
Apr. 14
Golf
Oakwood
Campbell Hall
Montclair Prep
Montclair Prep
3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Mar. 15
Paraclete
Paraclete
3:00 p.m.
Mar. 19
Village Christian
Montlclair Prep
3:00 p.m.
Mar. 17
Mar. 24
Apr. 12
L.A.B
Campbell Hall
L.A.B
L.A.B
Montclair Prep
Montclair Prep
3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
12 Sports
M
J
ontclair ournal
• March 12, 2010
Mounties Come Up Short
After a long and hard
league season, the
boys basketball team
defeated their first
opponent in playoffs,
but lost in the second
round to to Calvary
Chapel 48–53.
Evan Kantor & Gabby Cohen
Staff Writers
Matt Asher
Coach G. removes a map full of college coach’s numbers off his wall as he
prepares to clear his office and head towards retirement.
Coach G, Face
of Montclair
Football, Retires
Matt Asher
Staff Writer
After coaching the Montclair
football team for 36 years, coach
George Giannini, the face of
Montclair football program, retired from his head-coaching job.
Coach Giannini, who began
working in the football program
back in 1969, has decided to put
an end to his amazing career as a
head-coach.
Known by his players as Coach
G., he is one of the most successful high school football coaches
in the Southern Section. He led
the team to four CIF titles in eight
appearances. Coach G. is one
of the few CIF-SS coaches who
have surpassed 300 wins. Coach
G. was successful in molding and
training a vast number of players
who have made it into the NFL.
“Coach G. was like a grandfather to me,” junior Nick Reitzin
said. “He was a fun person to be
around and he was always there
for me. He encouraged me to
keep at it when I was done and he
helped me exceed. I will miss him
greatly.”
Coach G. spent most of his time
coaching in 11-man football, but
towards the end of his career he
was forced to switch to eight-man.
After the three years in eight-Man
football, the football team finally
had a big enough team to begin
11-Man play again this year. Although, the team finished with a
2-8 record, their youth and great
coaching from Coach G. was the
biggest asset towards the future
of the program.
“He was one of the best coaches I have ever had,” senior Tony
Rosales commented. “He wasn’t
just the coach but one of us. I also
was able to talk to him and have
fun with him. He was a great person to be around.”
An assistant coach last year,
John Greaves, will now take over
the head-coaching job.
“We are excited to play for
Coach Greaves,” freshmen Jared
Martinez and Eddie Narvaez both
said. “Coach G. was a great coach.
We hope that Greaves can help us
excel in football so we can play at
the next level.”
Coach G. was a great man and
a great coach and will be missed
around the Montclair Sports
Community. The football knowledge he gave his players will be
in their hearts and souls for as
long as they live.
The Montlciar boys basketball
team made it to the playoffs, but
unfortunately, lost in the second
round.
The boys opened the playoffs
on Feb. 17 against Academy of
Academic Excellence from Apple
Valley. This school finished third
in their league. In a game that
was closer then the score showed,
Montclair came out on top winning 59–47. Montlciar advanced
to the next round to play Calvary
Chapel.
The game against Calvary
Chapel on Friday, Feb. 19 was
one everyone was looking forward to. The team was forced to
play without sophomore Amonte
Dees due to an eye injury. With
plenty of attendance, the Mounties got off to a hot start, but then
fell behind going into the half.
After the half, inspired play by
sophomore Trey Dickerson pulled
the Mounties within four points.
Montclair could not hold on, and
were defeated 48–53 to close out
their season.
“It was a rough loss,” junior
Trevon Love said. “Now we look
forward to next season.”
After their tough league play
they were enthused to head into
playoffs and show their opponents that they are a force to be
reckon with.
Kayla tong
Sophomore Shawnie Moore jumps for a header on a corner kick in the girls
teams first playoff game against St. Monica.
Kim Gonzalez
Junior Charles Lockett posts up a Brentwood defender during a home game.
“I think the season went well,”
sophomore Max Fried said. “We
were given the opportunity to
play in the playoffs, and we did as
well as we could.”
The team’s progression picked
up towards the end of the season,
and it continued into the playoffs.
The Montclair boy’s basketball
team went 4–6 in league with an
overall record of 13–4.
To the likings of Coach Edwards and the rest of the coaching
staff, the team will only be losing
one player, senior Gary Cheung.
The team will mature and come
back ready to play next year.
Although the boys basketball
season has come to a close, the
team is still young. They formed
bonds and team chemistry that
will show in the seasons to come.
“We are definitely young,” junior Charles Lockett said. “We
are going to come back strong,
hungry, and wanting to win.”
Dylan Satin
Staff Writer
sophomore Shawnie Moore, and
junior Gabby Cohen all scored
two or more goals. Their best
win though, was a 14-0 win over
Yeshiva, where both Mata and
Moore scored four goals each. Despite slowing down a bit
toward the end of the season, the
girls refused to stop winning. After losing a battle 1­–0 against Los
Angeles Baptist, they came right
back to defeat Buckley 2–1. “After the L.A.B loss we realized we were beatable, and had
to get serious if we wanted to do
well,” Cohen said. “I think we
worked hard to come back to beat
Buckley.” They next took on Vasquez of
Acton, a nationally ranked powerhouse. Despite losing 4–0,
“I was so proud of the way we
played,” Coach Erenberg said.
“We weren’t afraid of them or
their big-time national ranking.” The girls continued their season
with a tie against Sierra Canyon,
winding up with a final record of
8 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. Girls Show Heart
in Playoff Loss
The Montclair girls soccer
team did not have high expectations going into this season, but
to the surprise of the ladies and
Coach Erenberg, the ladies received a playoff birth. They had
a home game against St. Monica.
Fighting hard, the ladies fell short,
losing 1–4.
“After a four win season
last year, a winning season really didn’t seem possible to me,”
coach Erenberg said.
One might say the lady Mounties soccer team exceeded expectations, and then some.
The team began the season
on fire. “We truly were hitting
on all cylinders,” senior Nicole
Thomson said. The ladies were
dominant in their first six games,
winning by a total margin of
39–4. This included a commanding 11-0 victory against Holy
family in which freshman Brittany Mata and Melanie Gonzalez,