November 2010

Valley Christian High School
t
Cerritos, California 90703
CROSS SECTION
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40
Volume VIII Issue 2
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Photo By Julia Farney
2
Opinion / Editorials
Flu Fighting Faux Pas
Laura
Bauer
staff editorial
CARTOON BY JULIA IP
­­Flu season typically starts at the end of October and carries on through February. When you have the flu, nobody really wants to be around you. Here are five easy flu-fighting tips that can greatly reduce your chances of
getting sick this season.
Wrapping yourself in bubble wrap is a great way to keep from getting sick. Not only would you be able to
protect yourself from getting sick as you walk around campus looking like Mailboxes Etc, you would have a
protective shell around you at all times.
Fanny packs, or bum bag as Mr. Becher calls them, are a great way to be stylish and practical at the same time.
Fanny packs are a great place to store Purell or whatever hand sanitizer you choose to use. Bathing in hand sanitizer is the best way to keep from getting sick. Teachers might get upset if you constantly got up during class to
get hand sanitizer every five minutes, all the more reason to fill your bum bag up with hand sanitizer. Also, the
bathrooms don’t have hand sanitizer in them at all so keep it on you at all times!
The opposite extreme of carrying Purell in your fanny pack would be to build up an immunity to sickness
altogether. There is a theory that kids who grow up on farms are less likely to get sick. If this theory is true, sticking worms in your mouth and man-handling slugs while playing in the dirt is just as effective as staying sterile
constantly with Purell or bubblewrap.
Social situations are a cesspool for bacteria and October through February is full of parties and social activities.
Participating in Halloween, Winter Formal, Thanksgiving, Christmas parties, New Year’s parties, and Valentine’s
Day are all great ways to get sick. Going into hibernation during these five months and saying goodbye to your
social life is the best way to reduce your chances of getting sick.
Being around people is a good way to get sick, but doctor offices are an even better way. There is a reason why
people go to the doctor office, and it is usually because they are sick. The doctor office is more likely to do harm
than good, so why bother going to see the doctor if you are sick? Rather than going to the doctor, it is best to just
handle your sickness yourself, no matter how serious your condition may be.
And if you wait long enough, you might even get to have a really cool ride in an ambulance.
Looking Your Best is a Lost Art
It has been a long time since the frozen food section at any local grocery store
has seen a pair of high heels and a string of pearls on a regular basis. If you want
staff writer
to see someone dressed up in some of their most professional and formal attire, the
workplace is one of the only places you could possibly find it.
After the boom of power suits and the supremacy of the workplace in the 80’s, the onslaught of internet businesses and “casual creativity” in the 90’s completely contradicted the way people used to dress. Once people like
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and millions more internet and computer software business entrepreneurs stopped showing
up to actual offices, the need for professional attire became irrelevant.
This mind set evidently began to trickle, or rather flow swiftly, to the general public.
Women began wearing jeans as default instead of dresses, and people stopped dressing up at all unless it was
absolutely necessary.
Whether we like it or not, clothing is often the first thing we are judged by. It sets the mood of whatever setting
we are in, and it portrays our attitude about the activities we participate in.
Just 30 years ago people made themselves presentable for every occasion, even something as simple as going
out shopping. Gradually laziness leaked into our culture and unbeknownst to us, swallowed up our sense of selfpride, giving us a whole new unsophisticated image. These days you’ll see people at the mall wearing sweats
and slippers, people at church wearing basketball shorts and a sweatshirt, office workers gallivanting around the
office barefoot in sundresses.
Clothing can be a very significant way of conveying parts of your personality to those you come in contact with.
Expressing yourselves is a very healthy and important part of a person’s emotional well-being, but no one wants
to see you express your desire to be lazy.
dani smith
There are few people in life that I believe are true geniuses. Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Tim Lau are just a
few examples, along with the makers of the Snuggie (they
bottled and sold shame. Pure brillance.).
However, recently I had to violently scratch off the man
who once occupied the 14th place on my list.
He has disgraced something I love. He has destroyed it
for me forever.
To some he is known by name, but to me he is referred to
only by title: the Fortune Cookie Man.
Usually, when Wednesday lunch comes around, my Pick
Up Stix’s fortune cookie is saved until I eat every last bite
of my House Chicken and rice, and then it is opened with
excitement.
These days I don’t await my future everytime I pull out
that small white scroll. Instead I open that plain untasty
cookie while pondering, I wonder how stupid today’s fortune will be.
This state of mind has been developed by my many bad
fortunes in the past. Take a look at these and see through
my eyes.
“Pleasures await you by the seashore.”
I can personally say I have spent several hours by the
seashore since I first received this fortune cookie two years
ago, and let me tell you, besides a broken beer bottle and
man with a sign to legalize pot, no pleasures have awaited
me. (Not that those aren’t great or anything, but I’d just
prefer a hot merman.)
“Your dream will come true when you least expect it.”
Wait. So that dinosaur that chased me last night to the
second star on the left and through to Neverland, and was
eventually eaten by Lady Gaga, is REAL?!?
Thanks for the heads up.
“Impulsiveness where money is concerned is not your
style.”
You don’t know my life. After all, I paid three bucks for
Pick Up Stixs, that feels pretty impulsive.
“Modify your thinking to handle new situations.”
No matter how many times I modify my thinking, none
of these fortunes will ever make sense or moderately relate
to my life.
“Visit a park. Enjoy what nature has to offer.”
Really? A park? This is getting stupid. Not to mention
bossy.
I’ll tell you what, fortune cookie man, you pay for my gas
and I will visit Canada if you want me to.
“You are only starting on your path to success.”
Not if I keep reading these things.
“Your lucky number is 7.”
Dear goodness, this is what is supposed to be on the
BACK of the fortune.
Fail, fortune man, fail.
“Lotus blossoms smell better when you stop.”
I’m sorry, I already cracked a cookie, now you expect me
to crack a code? This is not National Treasure 3. Oh and
what’s with all this dang nature?
As you can see I have not been so lucky in the fortune
department, which is kind of ironic.
I am pretty sure the fortune cookie suppliers of our dear
and tasty Pick Up Stix needs to step up their game.
So far I’ve gotten three fortunes that told me something
about the “unexpected.” One told me to watch out for the
“unexpected,”another one said something about not thinking about the “unexpected.” So wait. I need to watch out for
it, but not think about it? I think the fortune cookie creator
needs to see a shrink. He’s acting a little bipolar.
Now some might say that I shouldn’t give one cookie so
much attention anyway. Fortune cookies to some may seem
like they are relying on something besides God for our future, but it’s not like I use them to guide my life. I used to
love fortune cookies because they were little reminders of
living life to the fullest, that could be easily placed in my
binder (on top of my Taylor Swift poster), or in my wallet
(blocking my hideous driver’s license photo). They used to
be little pick-me-ups, but now they are just plain stupid.
I encourage the fortune-cookie man to take himself out
to a park, wait by the seashore, smell some lotus blossoms,
and modify HIS thinking to create new fortunes, because
these ones stink.
Stick that in a cookie.
Opinion / Editorials
No Time
Breakfast
Entertainment
Have you
ever been
staff writer
disappointed by
the boring back cover or a cereal box?
For me, having a bowl of Captain Berries every morning has become a daily
routine. Without my sugary fix, I start
the day on the wrong foot, jeopardizing
the outcome of my entire day.
As you can probably tell, cereal is a
big part of my everyday life and if possible I like to create an entertaining experience to go with my meal. Except for
those days where I have to finish my
homework, or when I want to squeeze
in a bit more study time in the morning,
I spend most of the time staring at the
backs of the cereal boxes.
Whether the boxes provide crossword
puzzles, mazes, or funny cartoons, then
entertainment that comes with the cereal
boxes is something that I consider a big
deal.
It has become such a big expectation
for me that whenever I shop for a new
box of cereal, I tend to go for the box
that comes with an entertaining backing,
than for the better tasting or cheaper cereal.
Cereal companies spend so much time
on the fronts of their boxes, displaying
different colors and cartoon characters,
anything that will catch a consumer’s
eye. However, in my opinion, the fronts
of cereal boxes are the outside appearances, and the backings are “who” and
“what” a cereal box really is.
Sure it sounds silly, but I believe that
the backs of cereal boxes are one of the
most important things. It not only provides mindless entertainment and joy,
but something pleasing to one’s eyes.
Without entertaining cereal boxes, I feel
disappointed and I have nothing to do
while eating my Captain Crunch Berries.
Next time you buy or eat your favorite
bowl of cereal, pay attention to the backing of the box, it tells a lot about “who”
your cereal really is.
Heidi lee
Editors-in-Chief
Laura Bauer
Heidi Furlong
Copy Editor
Julia Ip
Sports Editor
Jeff Hing
Staff Writers
Nathan Romberg
Danielle Smith
Heidi Lee
Graphics Editor
Ryan Hadley
God
Forgetting, about the only
thing that matters, is a probCo-Editor-In-Chief
lem.
Even though many of us have
grown up in Christian homes, churches, and schools, sometimes
when it comes to actually living for Christ, we forget. We don’t
simply forget about living for Him. We turn into Dory asking
about Elmo. But we’re even more ADD than Ellen as a blue fish.
We forget 42 Wallaby Way Sydney. Jesus, the most important
individual that ever existed or will exist, is so important, and it
constantly slips our mind. He is our Way. We should not forget
Him.
But we get distracted with the little things that don’t matter.
When we get distracted and we’re not focused on Jesus, we
start to care more about little things, like getting a part of the last
piece of cake, rather than saving a person’s life by giving them
the gospel.
I don’t think most Christians want to or foresee
themselves abandoning Christ for less important or selfish matters, but it happens
when we let things slide and don’t
focus.
It sounds cliché, but first of
all, doing what we have been
told growing up in a Christian community really does
help: Reading the Bible and
praying. Why else do you
think we’ve been taught that
it is good to do those things?
They help keep us on track.
Lots of times we feel like
we get too busy to spend
time with God, and we push
it aside. But we have to realize that our relationship with
Christ is so much more important than anything else.
If we were completely
committed to Him, we would
be “too busy” growing in Christ to even think about watching our
favorite TV show.
Having an actual relationship with God (where you speak to
Him through prayer, and He speaks back through His word) is
an essential part of getting rid of our short term memory loss.
Setting aside even just 10 minutes in the morning or before bed
helps our hearts. The more time we get with Him, the more beneficial.
One other area which our student body is especially lacking
in is spiritual encouragement. We act like we aren’t allowed to
talk about God, like it is only acceptable behind the doors of
Heidi Furlong
Cross+Section Staff
2010-2011
for
Page Editors
Front
Heidi Lee
Op/Ed
Ryan Hadley
News
Julia Ip
In-Depth
Heidi Furlong
A&E
Nathan Romberg
Features
Laura Bauer
Involvement
Julia Ip
Adviser
Sharon Zoetewey
Chris Becher
3
Admiraal or Branderhorst or Garner’s Bible
classes. Casual everyday comments about
Jesus are so uncommon in the quad, or the
parking lot, or the gym.
If we were really living 100% for Jesus, though, don’t you
think his praise would be on our lips much more frequently?
Wouldn’t our thoughts be on Him, our hearts filled with Him,
and our mouths shouting His name? “For out of the overflow of
the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If we were really
living for Him, we’d be hearing much more about Him, and not
simply from teachers, but from each other. Our campus is quite
stagnant.
It seems that Jesus has become taboo on the campus of our
Christian school.
We have to break this.
Jesus doesn’t want
us to keep our Christianity
a personal secret. He
built us for community so we
could share
our lives
a n d
grow
together
in
Him.
Because we are so accustomed to not hearing about Him frequently, it might be awkward to jump into
Christ-centered conversations at first. But if we
start simply by sharing our praises of Him, and we encourage
each other, we can grow together in Him.
When we give God time and read his word and pray, and we
start to actually talk about Christ with our friends, we will be able
to stop forgetting Him so much, and live lives much more worthy
of the calling.
Lord, I praise you for the hearts that long for you on this campus and that are trying to live for you and reach out. We fail you
so often, and praise you for your grace and great mercy.
Help us give you time. Help us speak up and encourage others
to speak up as well. Help us live and grow in a deep and desperate love for you.
I praise you for Christ and what he did for us.
It’s only because of Him that I ask you for help in all of this.
Thank you.
Amen.
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the Valley Christian community. Cross+Section aims to provide a forum for student expression and a voice
for our community, while upholding the standards and ethics of Valley Christian High School.
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Contact Information
Mailing Address:
10818 E. Artesia Blvd., Cerritos, CA 90703
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Website: www.vcschools.org
News
4
Dancing on Water: Winter Formal on the Queen Mary
Juila Ip
Business Manager
said, “I thought it was tripping because it was in a new place!”
While the students danced the
night away on the disco lighted
dance floor, refreshments were provided on the side tables with various desserts such as chocolate cake
and assorted cookies. Sodas and
water was also provided throughout the night.
Students also had access to the
On November 5, at 7:30 p.m. the
doors of the Queen Mary opened
for eagerly anticipating students,
all dressed semi-formally for the
event.
Aboard the Long Beach’s famous ocean liner hotel, around 470
of Valley Christian students spent
the Friday evening dancing
and socializing in the school’s
annual Winter Formal.
aving it at the Queen
Coordinator of the event,
Mary almost gives you the
parent Susan Faber, deemed
the night successful and said, experience of going back in
“The venue was wonderful, time.”
the music and decorations
perfect, the weather made it
ship’s deck overlooking the Long
perfect to spend time out on the
Beach Harbor and its many colordeck, and the students were very
ful night lights.
well behaved as usual.”
Students such as sophomore
Faber chose the ocean liner, “beClayton Granch, found the deck
cause it was a unique site that had
“refreshing” after dancing in the
not been used for many years at
toasty indoors.
Valley.”
Overall, Valley Christian’s an“Having it at the Queen Mary
nual Winter Formal was a success,
almost gives you the experience of
and Faber credits the “wonderful
going back in time. The setting and
parent volunteers that helped as
of course the view are something
well as the teachers and faculty
special.” Faber commented.
from school.
Sophomore Justin Andrade also
“H
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
Lots of students at Valley enjoyed the fresh air from the deck of the Queen Mary just outside the door after dancing
on the crowded dancefloor.
The Effects of A Day to Serve Instead of Studying
Bankruptcy
Heidi Lee
Ryan Hadley
Graphics Editor
As many people
are aware, the Crystal Cathedral has
filed for chapter 11
bankruptcy.
The Crystal Cathedral has a school about half
the size of Valley Christian High School with
288 students enrolled. As of right now Crystal
Cathedral’s School has not been affected by the
chapter 11 situation. The school’s daily activities
and operations are the same as they were before.
When asked if the school would continue to
run as normal next year, Crystal Cathedral Academy’s Principal Mike DeMaster replied by saying, “Like all private schools our enrollment/tuition funds most of our programs. It is too early
to determine what will happen next year. Our
hope is by late spring or early summer CCM is
on the way out of Chapter 11 protection.”
As of right now there is no clear negative impact on the school due to Crystal Cathedral filing
for Chapter 11. DeMaster said in six months,
if there is a negative impact, it will be clearer
then.
Activity-wise, CCS has a lot going for them
right now. The middle school has six sports
teams (girls’ volleyball, softball, girls’ basketball,
football, boys’ basketball, and boys’ volleyball.)
In addition, the school puts on two plays and has
trips to Catalina and Washington DC. The high
school also has a program called “Broadway our
Way” which is a student run production of a play
as well as a student newspaper called “Roar”.
These are just a few of the programs that CCS
has to offer their students on campus.
DeMaster stated “We are a very strong academic school with a complete visual and performing arts program. We offer our students an
8-10 period school day with extremely affordable tuition, k-8th grades $5,500, high school
$7,400.” DeMaster also added that their high
school graduates get into top universities and
graduate schools each year.
The Crystal Cathedral is currently going
through financial problems, however if there is
any negative effects on the school, they will not
be seen for about 6 months to a year from now.
Staff Writer
Aside from sickness, why have so
many students been absent lately? One
of the main reasons is that they have
been out serving togehter.
Service is one of the main components of being a NHS member.
As a National Honor Society, or
NHS, member, students are required to
go on a group service trip.
The mandatory trip for returning junior and senior NHS members this year
was to visit and serve at the Orange
PHOTO BY MS. SNOEYINK
County Food Bank.
Members sered in various manners, such as making boxes, working an assembly line, and
Accompanied by English teacher
packing boxes with food, which are eventualy delivered to people around Orange County.
Rebecca Snoeyink and Spanish teacher
Gina Cortes, the two classes separately
went to the Food Bank to help out with different tasks such as packing boxes. During this trip, members served in various
manners, such as making boxes, working an assembly line, and packing boxes with food, which are eventually delivered to
people around Orange County.
Juniors and seniors, although going to the same place, to accomplish the same tasks, went on different dates.Juniors served
first on October 25, 2010, and seniors on November 8, 2010. Members from both classes were required to go to the Food Bank
and serve.
This year, the junior and senior classes helped pack a total of over 1,300 boxes of food that will be given to those in the
Orange County area that are in need.
Being a NHS member, one is required to do several different things, which can be seen as both a commitment as
well as a privilege.
For senior NHS members, students also have the opportunity to run for President or Vice-Present of NHS.
Another privilege is, during second semester, seniors will
receive a special sticker on their diplomas and have a gold
honor cord to wear at graduation.
Last year, NHS members went on a field trip to the
beach cleanup, which had a mediocre response from the
students.
However, Snoeyink stated about changing the trip from
the beach clean-up to the OC Food Bank, “Mrs. Cortes
and I have gone in the past, so we knew it’d be a better
experience than the beach cleanup we attempted last year.
I think the students enjoyed it more as well, and felt like
they actually did more of a service for people.”
Students and teachers alike enjoyed this trip to the Orange
County Food Bank.
PHOTO BY MS. SNOEYINK
It was somewhere students were able to serve and live
This year, the junior and senior classes helped pack a total of over 1,300
out their reputation as National Honors Society memboxes of food that will be given to those in the Orange Country are.
bers.
Principal Wunderley
It’s a
5
Wunderful Life!
Nathan Romberg
Staff writer
The golf cart with chrome-plated rims,
the mustache to trump all mustaches,
and the famous “behind the bleachers”
speech. All of it departs from VCHS at
the conclusion of this school year, along
with our beloved Mr. Wunderley.
“There are certain times when it is just
the right time to do something,” stated
the principal who has been with us for a
whopping 38 years. “I loved what I was
doing, it’s been a lot of fun, just time to
be done.”
“I take a lot of pride in the fact that
I work at Valley Christian, I think it’s a
great place. It’s a scary thought to me,
not to come back here next year, but at
the same time I think it’s the right time to
do it. Just because you’ve always done
something doesn’t mean you should always do it,” he continued.
After Mr. Kaemingk announced his
big decision to leave Valley last year,
Wunderley thought it best to stick around
for another year so as to not overwhelm
the school with two big jobs to fill in
such a short amount of time.
Although most of you all have only
known him as our high school principal,
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
Wunderley started here as a JV baseball
and football coach, and part-time teacher
Wunderley says, ”Just because you’ve always done something doesn’t mean you should always do it.” After 38 wonderful and fulfilling years as the
at the middle school. He was able to work
Principle of Student Issues he is gracefully graduating to retirement.
his way up to the position of head coach
of the varsity football team after teaching
everything from social studies to 6th grade girls P.E. (which he deemed the most unusual class) at the middle school.
After that, Wunderley got a gig as a geography, history, government, and current world issues teacher, while still heading up the varsity football team. Wunderley was also appointed as the general math teacher for 2 years.
“They didn’t have anyone else to do it, that was my only qualification,” he explained. That came to a quick end as
Wunderley began teaching in the morning, and acting as assistant principal in the afternoons.
A year later, Wunderley gave up teaching to be the full-time assistant principal. In addition to all this, Wunderley and
his servant heart continued to bless the school with his custodial services of lining the football field, trimming bushes,
cleaning hallways, and doing the football laundry.
Wunderley’s current position at Valley, Principal of Student Issues, is a job that he loves.
“Last year some senior girls wrapped my entire office in bubble wrap. I laughed about that one. Thought it was original,” He said. (Other great pranks students at the school have conducted shall remain unnamed due to the fact that Wunderley doesn’t want trouble from you in his last year).
When asked what he will miss most about Valley, Wunderley said, “Obviously the students. People tell me that I don’t
look my age and I credit that to working with young people. I get older every year, but the kids don’t. It gives you a little
bit fresher of a perspective. I also very much love the people I work with on this campus, the faculty.”
One thing that Mr. Wunderley is positive about is that he has no idea what he’ll be doing with his retirement.
“I really do not have a plan for what I’ll be doing yet, I didn’t’ plan to be here for 38 years, but the Lord did. I’m sure
God has something planned, I just don’t know what that is yet,” he said.
Although Wunderley doesn’t have
any definite plans
as he transitions
into retirement, he
knows for sure that
he will continue
to come back and
visit us.
“Valley ChrisPHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MR. WUNDERLEY
tian
will still be
Wunderley drew up plays for the VCHS football program for
a
part
of my life.
over 20 years.
I can’t imagine
missing a lot of football games,” he said. However, Wunderley is excited to
see all of his students outside of the school campus.
“I run into former students all over the place! That’s been a part of the blessing of being here, the people I’ve met, the people I’ve shared a life with.”
If one had to take a guess as to what Wunderley will be doing after he’s
done at Valley, it would probably have to be spending time with his three
granddaughters, Nellie-5, Hazel-2 and Olive-4 months, all of whom are coming to his house this Thanksgiving.
“They discovered they can run in circles around my house, it’s a little bit
like a track meet.”
If there’s any word of advice from Mr. Wunderley, this is it:
“Continue the spirit of contribution, that’s what makes this a special place,
kids supporting kids, faculty supporting kids.”
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MR. WUNDERLEY
Of course if you know Mr. Wunderley, you’ve seen his humility; this situation is no exception.
Wunderley coached many players who have in turn sent their kids to VCHS. Many of the athletes pictured here
“I guess it’s a big deal when you’ve been in one place for 38 years, but I in the 70’s have since had children graduate from the Valley Christian School system.
work with people who have been here longer.”
Features
6
Engineering His Future
student feature
Kyle Judy
might be a
Graphics EditorS
hard name
to put a face
to. He is a freshman now at Valley Christian High School and is new to the Valley
school system.
Before Judy attended Valley Christian,
he was home-schooled from kindergarten to eighth grade. While being home
schooled he was in a club that consisted
of about ten other students. When asked
Judy if he liked home-school or private
school better, he said he liked being home
schooled better.
He explained that home school required
the same amount of homework; he just
liked being at home and doing his school
work better. Although Judy likes home
schooling better, he says that he enjoys
having seven separate classes for an hour
each because it is less boring that way.
Outside of school, Judy enjoys playing the occasional video game as well as
watching TV from time to time. His favorite video game is Splinter Cell, and he
likes to watch Psyche.
Some of Judy’s other hobbies include
building model airplanes and rockets.
Judy has made a lot of model airplanes
and has a shelf where he displays them.
Judy also likes to make model rockets,
and he goes out to the desert to launch
PHOTO BY JULIA IP
them.
Previously
homeschooled
and
new
to
Valley,
frehman
Kyle
Judy
is
involved
in
The
Civil
Air Patrol, a group that
As far as clubs and sports go, Judy used
is similar to boy scouts and also like a junior version of the ROTC program. At Valley, he currently helps put up
to play baseball and has been involved in
the flag in the quad.
the Civil Air Patrol for almost two years.
Ryan Hadley
Veggin’ Out with Jackie Parker
Judy explained that the Civil Air Patrol is “a good way to learn how to be
professional in the military and learn
about aviation”. The Civil Air Patrol
is similar to boy scouts, however it is
more professional and it is kind of like
a junior version of ROTC. Civil Air Patrol members wear uniforms similar to
real Air Force uniforms.
One activity that Judy does in the
Civil Air Patrol is work as staff at air
shows and other “dirty” military type
work as Judy put it.
Being involved in the Civil Air Patrol
has allowed Judy to sit in the co-pilot
seat of a C-17 cargo plane as well as a
C-130.
After high school, Judy plans on joining the air force for a few years. Judy
is not sure if he wants to be an airline
pilot, however he is leaning more in the
direction of attending UCLA for engineering.
While at Valley, Judy has been finding a few ways to become involved.
He currently helps out by raising the
flag in the quad in the mornings before
school.
Next time you hear the name Kyle
Judy, you can put a face to that name
and realize what an involved student
Judy is. Although Kyle Judy is not
involved with many Valley Christian
High School activities, he does devote
lots of time and energy to lots of off
campus activities.
student feature
As a junior at Valley Christian High
Staff Writer
School, Jackie Parker has already left a
powerful impact. Around 2007, (her eighth grade
year), Parker made a commitment to become
vegetarian. For Parker, this decision was not a
hard one to make. After seeing the mistreatment
of animals, becoming vegetarian was a no brainer
for her. Choosing to commit to this new lifestyle
was something that came easily to Parker, who
had a strong love and interest in animals. In fact,
Parker’s advice on becoming a vegetarian was,
being a vegetarian is knowing why you want to
be a vegetarian. It it’s purely for health benefits,
god for you, but I’ll be harder to adjust. If one
has an underlined structure in their decision to be
vegetarian or vegan, the transition won’t be tough
at all.”
Being a vegetarian for Parker, is a way of dedicating herself to something she has a passion for.
In fact, the vegetarian options provided by the
canteen to this day traces back to her. Last year,
Parker had the motivation and determination to
introduce vegetarian options to our school. In order to carry out her ideas, she wrote an article
for the Cross+Section. Through her news article,
Parker’s voice was heard. To this day Valley
Christian High School offers students a variety of
vegetarian food choices.
Parker had always been supported by her family, which made the transition of becoming vegetarian a much easier process. She states that a
number of people on her dad’s side of the family
have taken the same commitment, and her cousin Claire was a big supporter in her decision as
well.
A key characteristic of Parker is her ambition
and her drive to carry out her ideas. Parker has
the ability to transform her passions into actions.
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG Being a vegetarian has not only affected Parker,
Jackie Parker decided to become a vegetarian about three years ago, and has kept the lifestyle up. It wasn’t too hard of a transition for her because her Valley Christian High School, but also as well as
the world, one animal at a time.
family supported her, and she felt good about doing it. It wasn’t because she had a dietary need, but because she has a heart for animals.
7
Adjusting to a New Song
For those of you who have only seen him around on
campus and don’t really know him, you probably don’t
STaff WRtier
know that Tony Song unofficially holds the title as the
nicest guy in the world. It may not be completely official, but it’s kind of understood on a student-wide level.
Tony came to California from Korea three years ago and was immediately enrolled as
a sophomore at Anaheim Discovery High School because they accepted any international
students without testing or interviewing them.
“It was kind of bad because half of the students didn’t know what the teacher said,” he
said.
Song was in the same boat as the other international students at Anaheim Discovery
High School when he first arrived.
“It was a shock when I came to America, I couldn’t understand.” Although Song didn’t
understand a lot of what people were saying to him when he first got to America, he picked
up on English extremely fast and now carrying a conversation is a breeze.
It was his second year in America in which Song decided to transfer to Valley Christian
High School as a junior. He is currently in his second year at Valley and will be graduating
this year, as a senior.
Tony Song is involved in a multitude of ensembles at school. He is a part of the Praise
Team (where he plays bass), crusader band, and concert choir.
“I just like to be in one spot, one area.” That area for Song is music. He has been playing
drums for over three years and guitar and bass for nearly that long. Although he first picked
up the instruments because he had time to kill after finishing school in Korea, Song found
his niche in the area of music.
“I went to a music shop in Korea and picked up the cheapest guitar and brought it to
America.” Song uses that same Yamaha to give music lessons every Saturday at a music
academy he became acquainted with through his church. He also leads worship every Friday night at a service in his church because they had no praise team.
“I wanted to make a praise team in my church, so I started to practice hard,” said Song.
Needless to say, with his unbelievable level of talent, Song got the gig.
“I love to worship and my favorite part is seeing the facial expressions in the congregation,” Song said. When he was in Korea, Song saw a video clip of people in America
worshipping, and when he got here, was very confused and frustrated at the difference he
saw.
No matter how frustrating, Song decided that “worship is about your lifestyle,” and he
would continue to try his best to make people feel God’s presence, while still enjoying his
high school life.
student feature
Nathan Romberg
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
International transfer student, Tony Song, plays bass for the Praise Team this year.
Crossing the Street with VanWinkle
Heidi Lee
Part of everyone’s morning routine at Valley Christian, is
being escorted across the street from the parking lot by a crossStaff Writer
ing guard. We see the same man every morning, the sweethearted elderly man that makes everyone’s day a little brighter
by simply greeting our students in a kind way that truly resembles the love of Christ.
Mr. Don Van Winkle is the name of the beloved crossing guard who works every morning as a volunteer for Valley. Van Winkle is the father-in-law of Larry Milner, the Bus and
Property Manager for Valley. Five years ago Milner was looking for a new crossing guard
and, looking for ways to save the school money, thought of his father-in-law. Van Winkle
was currently retired from the Carnation Company after 25 years as sales manager and was
Danielle Smith
support staff feature
looking for something to keep him busy, “You can really get tired of doing the same thing
every day,” he said.
Van Winkle has been involved at Valley since the early 60’s. His children and grandchildren all attended our school, he was the Booster Club President for a number of years, and
he served as the announcer of the Valley football games for 12 years.
His wife also was a bus driver, and his sister is currently one. Van Winkle gladly accepted
the job of crossing guard, as a volunteer, to help the school out financially.
Van Winkle loves the job he gets do and finds it really fun, especially because he loves
interacting with the students. He doesn’t get the opportunity to talk to us students for any
extended period of time, but he truly enjoys just brightening even one student’s day as they
rush to class.
“To tell you the truth,” he said, “this year
the kids are the best.”
Van Winkle said that he feels the kids this
year are the most respectful of the crossing
rules in that no one tries to cross illegally.
As a crossing guard, Van Winkle, has many
funny stories and experiences that have happened through the years. He said that there
have been a few close calls when cars haven’t
stopped when he is trying to cross students
across the street.
He also recalled a time when a car didn’t
stop in time while students were about to
cross the street and the car hit his sign! The
ignorant driver proceeded to yell at our brave
crossing guard to no avail. Van Winkle never
recalled seeing that car again.
Another thing that is funny for by-standers
to watch is when a student drops their lunch in
the middle of the cross walk and then become
flustered as the line of cars grows longer as
they hurriedly gather their belongings.
Van Winkle’s current job is a new addition
to his life. But outside of school, he attends
Long Beach Christian Reformed Church and
enjoys fishing. Van Winkle also loves to travel, especially to Alaska for fishing.
This humble man is such a caring and kind
individual who absolutely loves the way is
currently helping out our school. Thank you
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG so much Mr. Van Winkle! Have a great day!
Arts & Entertainment
8
Restaurant Review:
Jeepney Asian Grill
A prominently Filipino restaurant, Jeepeneys, also the name of a popular
public form of transportation in the Philippines, is a grill located in Cerritos
Business Manager
The restaurant infuses other Asian foods, such as Thai and Chinese, into
their menu. Their slogan, “The Delicious Joyride!” corresponds well with the
restaurant’s name, drawing in most of their customers during the lunch hour.
The grill is located conveniently in the plaza in Cerritos, at 11900 South St., Suite 101 Cerritos,CA
90703.
According to the website, “traditional grilled dishes like the Grilled Pork Skewers, the Grilled Chicken
with peanut sauce, and the Beef Satay, and other favorites like the Stir-Fried Pancit Canton, the Jeepney Seafood Java Rice and the Beef Panang,”
assure guests a new dining experience.
Not only does the restaurant provide a dining menu, there is a Caramia
Gelato Tropical bar in front of the restaurant, where customers can also enjoy a shake while waiting to be seated
or eating their dishes.
I ordered the classic Pork Barbeque
Skewers, “marinated tender pork with
a garlic vinegar sauce and served with
Java rice.”
Java rice is an Indonesian fried rice
specialty that is also wildly popular in
PHOTO BY JULIA IP
the Philippines.
The dish itself was a blend of different flavors: sweet from the barbeque, salty from the rice, and sour from the vinegar sauce. I also tried the
PHOTO BY JULIA IP boneless chicken barbeque, a boneless chicken served with a special peanut sauce and java rice.
Jeepeney’s is the perfect restaurant for the food lover’s exotic taste buds as it combines Filipino food with
Jeepney incorperates many different types of Asian cuisine in its promianother
Asian foods, and is perfect for a meal during lunch.
nently Filipino dishes.
Julia ip
Recipe of the Month:
Pumpkin Delight
Thanksgiving has always been one of the most
nostalgic holidays for me. It is the one holiday that
Staff writer
I get to see all of my extended family members in
one day.
We visit my mother’s family in the morning for a Thanksgiving lunch, and then we
head over to see my dad’s side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner.
My favorite cousins come in from Colorado and my fun cousins come up from San
Diego and I get to be with the rest of my family, whom I love dearly.
Thanksgiving is the holiday that seems to me to bring out the strongest family unity.
Even more important than the delicious food, simply being thankful for life and for each
other is what brings us together on that day. There are no presents or fireworks or religious reasons, like Christmas, Fourth of July or Easter. We can purely come together to
enjoy one another’s company while filling ourselves with food that only comes around
once a year.
I not only love Thanksgiving because of the family, but I am also in love with food.
My nana is an outstanding cook, so along with her classic dishes of turkey, stuffing,
and sweet potatoes, she always throws in a couple of new dishes every year.
The traditional and the new dishes equally excite me and my taste buds tingle the
moment I step out of the car when we get to her house.
While I love the main dinner courses, dessert is equally important to me.
One dish I will never forget is her classic Pumpkin Delight. She serves this with ice
cream or whipped cream, but it really needs nothing to complement this deliciously
complex, yet simply delectable dessert. To me it tastes like Thanksgiving. The simplicity of the preparation and depth of the taste are two things that make Thanksgiving the
holiday, and that is what it is!
I hope you can use this recipe sometime this holiday season to warm the hearts of
your family, or your own sweet tooth.
DAnielle smith
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 tsp pumpkin spice
½ tsp salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 ½ cups melted butter
Preparation: Beat together in bowl. Pour
into 9x13 ungreased pan.
Sprinkle yellow cake
mix over top and pour
1 ½ cups melted butter.
Sprinkle 1 cup chopped
walnuts on top. Bake at
PHOTO BY DANIELLE SMITH
350 degrees for 55 to 60
Pumpkin Delight is a delicious homemade seasonal dessert that
minutes or until firm.
encompasses all the flavors of the holidays.
Music Spotlight: Brighten
Laura Bauer
Co-Editor-In-Chief
What does it mean to be
a good song these days?
Depends on who you
ask. I am one of those people who likes just about
any type of music.
Country. Pop. Rap. You
name it, there is a section
on my iPod devoted to it.
Usually I get addicted
to different genres via
little “obsessions” I have.
Every once in a while I get
really addicted to a certain
artist, genre, CD, or playlist.
Now because of these
BRIGHTEN’S ALBUM: EARLY LOVE - EP
obessions, I tend to dive
Song: Easy to Fall In Love
deep into the music and
www.myspace.com/wearebrighten
find things that others
don’t.
The song “Easy to Fall In Love” by Brighten is a result of an indie phase I had
sophomore year. And by indie phase I don’t mean the typical skinny-jean-wearingbangs-over-face indie, I simply mean that they are bands that have not yet been signed
by a label.
I found the band Brighten through Myspace (which alone dates the time period of this
song), and fell in love with their song “Easy to Fall in Love.”
It has a pop sound to it, and the lyrics are kind of adorable, so if you are currently in
a relationship then I say it’s a must have. Lines like “You look like the afternooon when you wake at six in the morning,” and
“you look like a sunny day when I look outside and it’s storming,” contain cheesy contradictions that normally would make one cringe, however in the context of the song
they work perfectly.
The EP name, Early Love, is kinda perfect, because you definietly fall in love with
it early.
Although the song actually came out quite a while ago, and I downloaded it about
two years ago. Much to my surprise I can never get sick of this song, no matter how
many times I listen to it.
It almost sounds as if a 90’s boy band collided with a little of the classic 80’s pop,
maybe with a little dash of Hellogoodbye.
The band doesn’t have a website right now, but you can currently find them on myspace at myspace.com/wearebrighten, or iTunes.
Fans of Never Say Never and Owl City, this one is for you. For everyone else, I
understand it may not your cup of tea, but give it a chance, if you don’t like it, then as
Relient K would say, “I just wasted ten seconds of your life.”
Arts & Entertainment
Artist of the Month:
Sophomore Brianna Palecek is your go-to-girl for
Business Manager
the creative arts.
Since her childhood she
has been drawing and is still exercising her creative
hand.
“At a really young age I drew. I’ve drawn ever since I
could draw,” said the self proclaimed “drawing nerd”.
Palecek is currently taking Valley’s drawing three
class, and she finds that she most enjoys “learning the
techniques and projects in class”.
Her talents in the arts are cultivated at home, where
she creates most of her art pieces for fun. “Drawing helps
my creativity and it is a way for me to express myself.”
Palechek’s inspiration is mostly her grandmother, who
even has pieces of her own art in several museums. “I
basically inherited my abilities from her,” Brianna said,
“She’s also always supported me in my artwork!” Brianna has a close relationship with her loving grandmother,
and gives gifts made from her own creative imagination
for her grandmother to have.
She also channels her creative vibe from music, and
listens to a different song every time she begins to draw.
“When I listen to it, I can imagine something for that
song because I’m inspired. It helps with my imagination”. Her favorite song to draw to is Sweet Disposition.
Whenever Palecek listens to that song, she thinks of
something new and different to draw.
“Drawing really comes from your imagination,” she
says, “No one can tell you what to draw.”
Palecek also uses her artistic skills to make heartfelt
gifts for her friends and family. “I like to make presents
for fun. I made a Nightmare Before Christmas one for
my boyfriend, and it was really cool!”
9
Brianna Palecek
Julia ip
PHOTO BY JULIA IP
Brianna Palacek is really passionate about incorporating the arts into her life. She loves to create artwork for her loved ones.
Her creative abilities also extend to crafting, sewing,
and painting, but she does love drawing the best. “I love
drawing” she told me, smiling a shy, sweet smile, “It’s
like I need to. The arts are my life!”
Movies We Are Supposed to Love, But Just Can’t
Movies are usually a “hit or miss” kind of deal. Either a
movie is really good, or it isn’t. And then there are the ones
that everyone else says are good and you get all hyped up
to see them, and they then crash-and-burn right in your tub of popcorn. These movies
waste our precious time and money, and we are not keeping our mouths shut.
When Prom Night debuted in 2008, it was widely known and expected to be the
scariest, thriller of the year. Hyped by the different rumors and previews as well, members of our newspaper staff were beyond excited to spend an afternoon scared out of
their minds. They went to the movie, sat down, but, instead became bored out of their
minds.
Staff Article
Photo of the Month
By Caitlin Garfin
The whole movie dragged out, with pointless small events that were, in my guess,
supposed to lead to the major death of Brittany Snow. But no, the small deaths of her
friends were simply a build up to a major disappointment. We have to admit, some were
on the edge of their seats towards the middle of the movie, but as the movie dragged on,
they kept wondering when this movie would finally end.
If somehow the movie surprised them with an unforgettable ending, they might have
been able to forget about the 2 hours they wasted watching it. But once again, only disappointment came. The movie ended with Brittany Snow killing her stalker, and as if it
had been no big deal, she stands next to her window, staring out to the moon.
Yes, the hyped up thriller ends with a girl looking out a window. Prom Night was a
movie that we had high expectations for, but in the end, we
realized that it was a waste of 2 hours.
Continuing on with disappointing movies, here is one that
has aged quite a bit: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
‘Moon River, wider than a mile. I’ll travel you in style
some day.’ The words from the song, sang by Audrey Hepburn, were so raw and beautifully innocent that we were beyond anxious to see this classic movie. The iconic picture
of her (Hepburn) in that classy black dress, sophisticated
up-do, and dripping with diamonds gave us an image of a
perfectly fantastic and lovely story of a beautiful girl singing
a song in New York City.
We began watching the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with
all of these dreamy images dancing through our naïve heads.
However, these assumptions were wrong.
The first scene of the movie reveals that the point of view
we had acquired was completely different from the movie
that we were actually watching. It is the sad picture of a girl,
dropped off by a taxi, walking aimlessly down the street in
the very early morning, while eating a donut outside Tiffany’s jewelry store.
The rest of the movie continues to unfold the story of a lost
and lonely girl blind to love and real friendship, but starving for love at the same time. It is a very sad and depressing
movie with random twists and turns that are as bazaar as they
are disheartening. Audrey Hepburn shuts herself off from the
one man that truly loves her in her brokenness, for a rich
foreigner just for security.
The movie ends in a tragic way, and while the uniting of
two broken people is beautiful, nothing is resolved or really
ever fully brought together. We expected to watch this movie
and go to be happy. Instead it causes viewers to leave the
couch crying with dim thoughts of the disillusionment of the
world filling their minds.
Both of these movies were disappointing, and definitely
didn’t live up to the hype they were given.
Our staff has one question left: does Blockbuster give refunds?
Involvement
10
Let it Snow
Football Isn’t Just For Boys
The girls in the stands at high
school football games someStaff Writer
times get jealous of the girls on
the field, who are closer to the
action: the water girls and stat girls.
Handing water to the dreamy football players? How glamorous!
And the stat girls? Well, they’ll make a man very happy
someday with their ample knowledge of the beloved sport.
Little do we know, though, the jobs of stat and water girls
are much more involved than we sometimes notice at a passing glance from the bleachers.
Being in the right place at the right time is key in the acquiring of the position of a football stat or water girl. When
they are looking for new girls to fill these important positions,
only the luckiest girls at the first games get these spots.
Kelly Lennon, a water girl, along with Joni McGrath and
Katelyn Thomas, two stat girls are three senior girls that just
happened to go to the very first JV football game freshman
year when moms searched for some freshman to be water and
stat girls for the game that day, and the rest of high school!
The girls loved the idea, learned what it took quickly, and
have been doing it ever since. Joining Lennon as water girls
since then are Laura Bauer, Taylor Nicholson, and Hannah
Lew. McGrath and Thomas have held their own as stat girls
on varsity for the past two years, as well as previously on
JV. The JV water girls this year are Cierra Trudeau, Kara
Furlong, Mackenzie Vos, and Justine Wigboldy. And the up
and coming stat girls are Brianna Paleckek, Courtney Santa
Cruz, and Alex Koolmes.
One of the things that was a challenge for McGrath, at
first, was that as a new stat girl she had to take down different plays, but she knew almost nothing whatsoever about the
sport!
“I had to learn to ask a lot of questions from my dad in my
free time and pay extremely close attention,” she said.
While being a water girl seems easy, there are many issues
the girls have to deal with while quenching the thirst of our
football players.
The boys can get very angry, throw water bottles, and
speak with vile language at or next to the girls.
The scariest part of this job is the very possible occurrence of a play running off the field and into the sidelines.
McGrath, Lennon, and Thomas all said that they tend to
scurry quickly out of the way when a play comes dangerously close to them. Lennon recalled, “The last game I ran
right into the water table because the ball was flying right at
me!” While they have close calls, none of our stat or water
girls have been terribly hurt by stray plays.
The water and stat girls have been religiously attending
every single football game. This huge commitment hinders
them from doing anything else every Friday all during football season. While the girls realize this takes up a lot of their
time, they love the job they get to do.
Danielle Smith
Thomas said “I’ve loved football ever since I could understand it because I grew up around it.”
The girls agree that the fun parts of this job out weigh the
stressful parts.
Between Coach Streelman’s tradition of squirting the girls
with water before each game, the common water fights between the girls, and the occasional water bottle toss during
dull games, there is quite a bit of excitement to being on the
field.
These girls have also found great camaraderie in each other throughout the years, while going out to eat and traveling
together before the games. They have also all loved watching
all the football boys grow up and become better players.
McGrath, Lennon, and Thomas were part of Coach Streelman’s first group of water and stat girls, which is something
they all feel as been really fun and special. The varsity water
and stat girls all recalled the recent game against Maranatha
and the intense joy they felt as they watched some of their
lifelong and new friends on the football team succeed in such
an exciting way. Games like that make the job of being a
water and stat girl very appealing.
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
The girls have found great camraderie in each other throughout
the years, while going out to eat and traveling together before the
games.
There are many
ways
students
Co-Editor-In-Chief
can get involved
at VCHS; one of
those ways is through clubs. There is a wide variety of clubs, but if students would like to be a
part of a club that does not exist, they can start
a different club of their own. All it takes is a
good idea and a teacher sponsor. Ally Streelman
knows this well.
She created, or recreated, a club this year:
Snow Club.
“The plan is a trip to Mammoth sometime later
this school year for snowboarding and skiing on
the mountain and bonding over something we love
to do in an out of school setting,” Streelman said.
This large trip probably won’t be for a while and
so, in the mean time they are trying to plan another smaller trip.
“We are tentatively working on a small scale
sledding ordeal to possibly happen before the
big Mammoth trip in the spring,” explained
Streelman.
The idea of the club was actually not entirely
Streelman’s. The club had existed in the past,
but for some reason died down. She thought it
would be a good one to start up again.
“I remembered my sister being a part of a
snowboarding club and wondered where it had
gone because that is something I would want to
be involved in,” she said.
Steelman had the idea and just needed a sponsor, “so [she] talked to Mr. Rinks about it because he headed it up the first time around, and
to [her] delight he thought [they] could definitely
start it up again.”
Once the club was approved, Streelman was
allowed to set up a table at the club fair that took
place at the start of the semester. It was a success.
“We got about 125 sign ups at the club
fair which was really exciting! It was
cool to see how many people from all different classes were interested and enjoy
snowboarding or skiing,” Streelman said.
Streelman, a senior this year, is currently the
president of the club, and with her graduation
coming around, a new president of Snow Club
will need to take her place.
Streelman said, “I’m definitely hoping and
planning on someone to take over the club next
year and keep it going for many more years
so that people can continue to participate with
school in things they enjoy and love.”
Heidi Furlong
Learning About The World, One Class At A Time
Laura Bauer
Co-Editor-In-Chief
Social Studies teacher,
Bill Garner, is currently
embarking on a new teaching adventure, Current
World Issues.
Current World Issues was taught a few years ago and
then it disappeared, but with a little perseverance last
year, Garner was able to, as he says, “resurrect it.”
However, due to scheduling conflicts last year, Garner
wasn’t able to teach the elective he resurrected and instead Mr. Streelman took it over. But as Streelman started
teaching Government this year, Garner was finally able
to take over Current World Issues.
“Anyone who has ever taken a class with me knows
how I love the class discussion,” Garner said. He explained that since Current World Issues is about what is
going on in our world, class discussion is a majority of
the class.
However, as the teacher of CWI, Garner had a few
goals of his own. His main goal was not to push his own
views on students.
“I see my job in this class to present different perspectives on topics, and to help students figure out what they
think, and make sure that they have some depth as to why
they hold that view,” he said.
Garner said they cover a lot of topics, but one of the
main issues they have spent a lot of time on recently was
9/11 and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Garner explained
that they took a while to go over this topic, “probably a
tions they have.”
little longer than we would’ve liked, but none the less,
In general he is very excited about getting to take over
it’s a huge thing affecting our country, our world, and
this class this year, and encourages the students around
personal lives,” he added.
him to sign up. Current World Issues is during 4th peHowever they most recent thing the class covered
riod this semester and will be 5th period next semester.
was technology—“mainly cell phones and texting: the
However, to the students that are thinking of signing up
history of them, why we’re drawn to them, cell phone
Garner says this: “thinkers are required.”
etiquette, driving and texting, as well as having some
fun with dreaming up what the perfect cell phone will
look like.”
Garner said they finished up this topic with a “blocklong speed texting tournament,” where Brett Craig was
given the title of “Golden Thumbs” Champion.
Up next for the CWI? Prop 19, immigration, religion,
and biological warfare.
Garner states that his class is a place “where students
should feel free to ask, wonder, think, inquire, figure
things out for themselves.”
As always, Garner’s class has an open floor policy,
where student’s can express their beliefs and discuss
with the rest of the class.
“No topic is ever off limits in any of my classes, and
especially in Current World Issues. As long as there is
some honest engagement, curiosity, questions, and diaPHOTO BY BILL GARNER
logue to be had about a topic, we’ll talk about anything,”
Garner says that his class is a place “where students should feel
he said.
Garner added that he is honored that his students trust free to ask, wonder think, inquire, figure things out for themhim enough to “bring up some of the issues and ques- selves.”
Sports
11
Athletes of the Month:
Trevor Rodriguez and James Griffin
This year’s football team includes what Coach Erick Streelman calls “a two-headed monster.” That is, the backfield tanSports Editor
dem of Trevor Rodriguez and James Griffin.
The duo has been key to this year’s success, as Rodriguez,
the “speed” side of the monster leads the team in rushing yards with 68 yards per
game, while Griffin, the “power” side, averages over 7 yards per carry. Coach Streelman also added, “Trevor and James have been instrumental to the resurgence of our
offense. They’re tough for other defenses to handle.”
However, offense is not the only area in which that Rodriguez and James have been
contributing. Griffin currently leads the team and the league in sacks. He’s recorded
six sacks, with the average loss of yardage over
10 yards. While “T-Rod” is
mainly known as the running back, he’s also helped
stop opposing team’s running backs, occasionally
filling in at safety.
It’s exhausting playing
both ways, and if Rodriguez
and Griffin had to only focus on one side, they’d both
choose offense. Griffin said,
“I’d rather play offense because you get to help make
key plays.”
Rodriguez added, “Offense is easier, you know
what to do and you can
score.”
It seems offense has come
pretty easily to Rodriguez,
who has 8 total touchdowns
on the year.
This year saw one of the
greatest football games in
recent memory when the
Crusaders beat Maranatha
70-64 in five overtimes.
Trevor Rodriguez
The
game was without a
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
Jeff hing
Jeff
Hing
The Lakers. The first word that should come to
mind when that team’s name is mentioned is dominance. If the goal of the government is to make sure
everybody has a fair chance, if equality is something that should be encouraged, if monopolies are
actually a bad thing, the Lakers should be banned
and condemned.
I’ll be the first to call myself biased, and I’m probably a little too excited about a team whose season
started two weeks ago, but honestly, I don’t care.
I’ve loved the Lakers since before I could speak correctly. My favorite Christmas gift ever was a Nick
Van Wexel jersey. I loved the Lakers when Robert
Horry hit clutch threes and Derek Fisher make a shot
in .4 seconds. I loved the Lakers when Kobe scored
30 points a game but the Lakers still lost. So yeah,
I’m biased, and yeah, I’m too excited, but that’s the
definition of being a fan.
Ok, enough about me, let’s talk about the Lakers.
I’ll break it down player by player, starting with the
bench. The rookies, Derrick Caracter and Devin
Ebanks: They’re big, athletic, and… that’s all I really know about them.
Luke Walton: He’s smart.
Sasha Vujacic: He’s so annoying it’s funny. Occasionally he’ll make a shot, but it’s hilarious watching him get under other people’s skin.
Theo Ratliff: He’s better than DJ Mbenga.
Matt Barnes: If he was on any other team, I’d hate
him. But it’s always nice to have one of those guys
on your team.
Steve Blake: I think he has better skills than Fisher,
doubt both player’s favorite.
Both Rodriguez and Griffin contributed heavily in
the epic win. Griffin had his
first touchdown during the
game, breaking a 55 yard
run. He finished with eight
carries for 89 yards, adding
two sacks.
Rodriguez had his best
game of the year, running
for 141 yards on sixteen
carries, including an incredible 68 yard touchdown run. He also caught
a touchdown pass from
quarterback Ryan Fronke.
But his biggest play was in
the fifth overtime. After the
Crusaders stopped Maranatha, Rodriguez took a broken play intended for Griffin all the way for a game
winning, cheer inducing
touchdown. The game was
the second highest scoring
game in state history, and
will be remembered for a James Griffin
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
long time.
Rodriguez and Griffin
have both been playing a long time to get to this point, as each have been playing
tackle football for six years. And while they’ve both had tremendous success this year
on the football field, neither of them plans on playing in college.
As for now, both Rodriguez and James are content leading their current team into
playoffs. Rodriguez added that he tries to “be a role model for the team and the campus.”
Griffin added, “Streelman pushed us against D1 and D2 schools which gave us a big
advantage and helped give us character and bring camaraderie to the team. Thanks,
Coach.”
and he’s a million times better than Smush Parker.
Shannon Brown: The most improved Laker, he
can also jump over Jason Richardson.
Andrew Bynum: Hurt right now, all-star in the future.
Now for the starters. Derek Fisher: Great leader,
even better when it’s clutch time.
Kobe Bryant: It’s tough to find anybody on earth
with his skills, but his tenacity is out of this world.
Ron Artest: He’s crazy and funny, but his defense
makes people look like they forgot how to play basketball.
Lamar Odom: His versatility makes a Swiss army
knife jealous.
Last but not least Pau Gasol: The best big man in
the league. He’s the only seven footer who could get
a triple-double with points, rebounds, and assists.
Put all those guys on one team, mix in some team
chemistry, and what do you get? A nearly invincible
team that is the favorite to win the championship for
the third year in a row.
All the attention in the off-season was on how the
Heat created a super-team led by the three amigos.
And while they’re still trying to learn to ride a horse
with three people on it, the Laker’s added depth to
their bench, a bench that could probably beat a couple of teams by themselves. I’m looking at you Los
Angeles Clippers.
I know I’m jumping the gun and heaping loads
of one-sided praise on my favorite team, and who
knows, by the time this comes out, a team may have
gotten extremely lucky and beat the Lakers.
But I also know that there’s a team who won it all
last year, and the year before. They kept every single core player, while vastly improving their bench.
They have the best guard in the league, and the best
big man. They have the coach with the most championships ever, and an owner willing to do whatever
it takes to make sure they keep winning. It’s hard
to argue that there’s a better team. What’s the best
team in the NBA? What team is so good that it’s
unfair? What are the first two words of my column?
The Lakers.
Golf
Team Record: 5-6
League Record: 4-4
Key Contributors:
Mckenzie Goff
Alicia Hefley
Kimmie Ramm
Coach’s Comment
“Mrs. Kors and I believe it was a sucessful season becasue of the improved performance of the
girls from the beginning of the season to the end.
But more importantly was the comments from
other teams on how much they enjoyed playing
our tream and some of the lasting friendships that
developed with members of other league teams.
We have the core of our team back next year and
we’re already looking forward to another great
season.”
Coach De Bie
Player’s Comment:
“I’m happy with the way the season turned out
and proud of the girls for staying positive.”
Mckenzie Goff
Mckenzie Goff- 1st team all league and CIF
qualifier
Alicia Hefley- 2nd team all league
Sports
12
Football
Tyler Boer
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
Team Record: 5-4
League Record: 2-1
Key Contributors:
Trevor Rodriguez
Chris Binford
James Griffin
Coach’s Comment:
“After starting 0-2, we have won 5
of our last 7 and have given ourselves a good oppurtunity to make
the playoffs. Hopefull we can keep
improving everyday and continue to
make progress as we approach CIF.”
Coach Streelman
Player’s Comment:
“It’s been an emotional ride and I
don’t want it to end. I hope we go
far in the playoffs.”
Gavin Massery
Tennis
Volleyball
Delayne Rock
PHOTO BY JULIA IP
Team Record: 14-9
League Record: 5-3
Key Contributors:
Samantha Hundertmark
Lexie Romberg
Coach’s Comment:
“ All three levels finished in the top
of league either in first or second
place and the varsity team earned
a #2 seed in CIF, which they won
in their first round match Tuesday
night against Warren High School.”
Coach Streelman
Player’s Comment:
“Our team has tons of individual
talent, and if we can learn to put all
of it together I believe we hav the
potential to be a pretty unstoppable
team.”
Cassie Palmer
Team Record: 8-6
League Record: 5-3
Key Contributors:
Sabree Snuggs
Sasha Marson
Jamie Minamide
Sasha Marson
Coach’s Comment:
“The girls improved greatly throughout the course of the season and it
definately contributed to the outcome of our league standing. We
continue on in CIF playoffs and hope
to represent Valley well in those
matches as well.”
Coach Admiraal
Player’s Comment:
“The camraderie we had during the
season led us to victory, and through
that we had lots of fun and memorable moments.”
Kelyn Struiksma
PHOTO BY LAURA BAUER
Cross Country
Daniel Cha
PHOTO BY HEIDI FURLONG
Girls’ Team Record: 8-1
Girls’ League Record: 7-1
Boys’ Team Record: 2-7
Boys’ League Record: 2-6
Key Contributors:
Stephanie Demmon
Alyssa Ivins
Sumer Arnold
David Minishian
Daniel Cha
Tyler Zak
Adam Lynch
Coach’s Comment:
“Girls Varsity is Co-League champions with Maranatha, which is the
first league championship for cross
country in 23 years. They are running in CIF Prelims Saturday 11/13
at Mt. Sac. Hopefully running in CIF
Finals on 11/20 and State meet in
Fresno on 11/27.”
Coach Caluza
Player’s Comment:
“Were’ doing really good this year,
and we have really high hopes. We
really want to go to state.”
Amanda Severson
Season Summary
The girls team ended the season
being Co-league champions with
Maranatha. The boy’s team ended a
little short of being able to go to CIF
playoffs.
Upcoming Events
CIF Playoff Games at Mt. Sac
CIF Semi Finals- Sat. Nov. 13th
CIF Finals- Sat. Nov. 20th