Happy New Year`s, Broncos!

Principal Jonathan Sison
Editors: Priscilla Mendoza & Leticia Mercado
Mark
your
Calendar!
1/1: New Years!
1/6:
Happy New Year’s, Broncos!❤
By Crystal Nunez
People all around the world have been celebrating New Years for at least a
millennia. Traditions include going to parties, eating special New Year's
foods, watching fireworks, wearing lucky charms, kissing that special someone as the clock strikes midnight, and making resolutions for the new year.
G/B BKB JV/V @VCA
G/B SOC Home
1/9:
G/B SOC Home
G/B BKB Home
1/10:
G/B SOC Home
1/12:
G SOC @Lompoc
B BKB Home
1/13:
G/B BKB Home
1/16:
G/B BKB Home
1/17:
B SOC @Cabrillo
1/19:
NO SCHOOL!
1/20:
G/B BKB @Shandon
1/21:
G SOC @Midland
1/23:
B/G SOC @Dunn
B/G BKB @Cuyama
1/26:
B SOC Home
1/27:
B BKB Home
1/30:
G/B BKB JV/V Home
G SOC Home
New Year's celebrations begin on the evening of December 31 (New Year's Eve) and continue into the
early hours of January 1. In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, people eat a dozen grapes right
before midnight each symbolizing their hopes for the upcoming months. In Sweden and Norway, rice
pudding with a hidden almond is served, and whoever finds the nut can expect twelve months of good
fortune. Southerners eat black-eyed peas, which according to folklore, is the first food to be eaten on
New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead.
In the United States, the most iconic New Year's tradition is the dropping of the brightly mirrored 12,000
pound sphere in New York City. Various cities and towns across America have created their own unique
versions of the Times Square ritual. Dillsburg, Pennsylvania drops pickles, and Tallapoosa, Georgia
drops possums on New Year's Eve at midnight.
The practice of making resolution for the new year is
thought to have come from the ancient Babylonians,
who made promises in order to win the favor of the
gods and start the year on the right foot. Tommy Moreno says, "I want to drop those pesky holiday
pounds." Valeria Sanchez says, "I really want to travel
a lot before college." Hunter Graham's resolution can
fit all of us high school students, "I want to get some
more sleep! I've been running on and around 5 hours
of sleep on the daily." Jacob Fillmer would like to "be
more positive when looking at the negatives."
Mr. E, states, "I would like to get back in the gym, start swimming in the pool and continue riding my bike,
but my number one goal is to read the bible more." When I asked Mr. Kniffen, he said, "I don't do New
Year’s resolutions I just like to live my life the same and make the world a better place every day."
The obvious problem with New Year's resolutions is that everyone tends to drop them after a few weeks.
One shouldn't wait until a following year to make a change. "New Year's resolutions don't exist. It should
never take a new year to make you realize you need to change something." Good luck to everyone who
plans on having a New Year’s resolution, don't fall into the temptation of easily quitting, motivate yourself
to complete your task and reach your goal.
For a positive start to 2015, take an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that you think are
going to happen. On New Year’s Eve, (December 31, 2015) open it and read every note to see what
great and amazing that happened during the year, I bet you will be surprised. I put a twist on this and
created a jar for my senior year and it is definitely worth it! It is really cool to see as the jar fills up with
happy moments and reading them when the time is up is awesome!
This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change. And
you are the creator of these changes. Like Oprah Winfrey says,
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." I
hope everyone had a wonderful Winter Break and I wish everyone
an absolutely amazing 2015 year.
Crystal’s Crazy Riddle!
What did the fish say
when he swan into a
wall?
(Dam)
Let's meet at the
pier! JK.
By Ariel West
The dark foggy sky was illuminated with
bursts of bright light. Loud bangs shocked
the senses as they exploded into the night
sky. The small town was swollen with family and friends all gathered together with
their feet in the sand and eyes on the sky.
The darkness disguised while the lights
distracted everyone from the problem
looming in the distance; the Cayucos pier.
The locals said goodbye to the pier so
called "temporarily" on July 5th, 2013. A
chain linked fence sealed off the pier due
to the serious danger posed by the rotting
pilings. At the time of the closure, one support was actually bent because it was supposed to be held up by four pilings, which
over the years had become two, and then
after the unattachment of another, was
down to one. Most of the pilings range
from 60-130 years old. Basic maintenance
had been neglected on the pier, and the
irresponsibility has had consequences.
Currently, 14 critical pilings are missing,
and there are dozens of other damaged or
even unattached pilings.
Throughout the stormy sea of doubt and
hopelessness felt about having to raise
$100,000 for the rebuild, the sun shone
through as the locals all joined together to
protect something they cared about. The
small town did not only manage to raise
$100,000; they raised $500,000! They
rallied together and sold T-shirts, collected
donations, and even hosted a "save the
pier" benefit concert to gain support. It
seemed as though every business was
involved, and all of the townspeople were
cheering each other on so that they could
save the memories forged into the pier. It
was originally built in 1872 for about
$15,000 using Cambria pines logs as the
pilings. The logs themselves cost about
seven dollars each. The pier helped make
Cayucos the little town that it is by constantly bringing in tourists. It used to be
heavily commercially used with steamships
from San Francisco and Los Angeles
docking their several times a week. At one
point in time there was an abalone canning
plant located on the pier. Although the
commercial life of the pier ended when the
state gained ownership in 1920, the historical life lived on. Hundreds of people have
been married next to it. Thousands have
walked on it. It has supported individual
people, as well as the community's economy and moral. The community partnered
with San Luis Obispo County and exceeded its $100,000 goal showing the support of the locals for the project. The excess money will be used for maintenance
and repairs so that the beloved pier will
never have to be closed again. The pier
itself has been an inspiration for artists,
and provocative place to ponder, and a
training activity for junior lifeguards. It has
been a vital part in the formation of the
small town of Cayucos, and the outstanding $500,000 raised is nothing compared to the metaphorical value that the
pier provides for the community.
Adopt a Best Friend
By Xue DiMaggio
There are many notable animal organizations in the nation but one that really
stands out is the Best Friends Animal Society. Their philosophy is "save them all" and
save them they do. They began the no-kill
movement and their goal is to reduce the
number of animals going into shelters and
increase the amount adopted. Currently
they have reduced the number of deaths
annually from 17 million to 14 million and
their goal is to reduce that number to zero.
Puppy mills are notorious for their unsanitary and cruel treatment of dogs. 25% of all
dogs who are in shelters are pure breeds
from puppy mills. Why pay a large sum for
a purebred dog and support animal abuse
when you can adopt one and save a life?
70% of all cats who enter the nations shelters are killed. Best Friends has and is
currently implementing many spay and
neuter programs to reduce the homeless
cat population but there are still many cats
in need of a good home. Best Friends is
having an event called "Nine Lives for 9$".
You can adopt a cat for only 9$ from Best
Friends or from one of their participating
Network partners around the country. Distance is not a problem because they can
fly your cat to where you are. Best Friends
can't do it all by themselves and so we
need to step in and help. Adopt a homeless pet, save a life! If you're not ready for
a pet become a member of Best Friends or
donate. Anything helps, join the movement
and together we can "Save them all".
H.A.R.T. (Homeless Animal Rescue Team)
is our very own animal shelter. They are a
no-kill, cage free animal rescue and adoption center whose goal is to rescue domestic animals in need, strays and place them
into good permanent homes. H.A.R.T. also
has active spay/neuter programs which
keep the homeless animal population
down. They welcome volunteers and are
extremely friendly. Step in sometime and
check it out. They usually have cats in
need of homes and it's always great to
hangout in one of their cat rooms and play
with them. It's a great way to get silver
cord hours! The cats are affectionate; they
just want attention and love. Locally we
can help the Best Friend mission and save
lives.
New Receptionist
At School!
By Diana Cisneros
What is a school receptionists/clerk? A
school receptionists is a professional
who support administrators in an educational environment. Being a front
office secretary is a hard job. They
must be outgoing and posses strong
written and verbal communication
skills. Trying to keep track of paperwork, knowing where students are,
being in charge of a lot of things, and
being organized is complicated. A person who is interested in becoming a
school receptionist needs to be organized in order to obtain data, maintain
school records, etc. Also they should
know how to operate office equipment.
Staying up-to-date on school policies is
necessary. Courtney was one of the
nicest and kindest person you'll ever
met. Thanks for being helpful around
campus, you will be truly missed at
Coast union High School. Lisette Mendoza will be taking over Courtney's
spot which she started working in the
middle school being a translator.
Which indicates doing ASB book keeping, attendance and basic generals
doing as answering the phone, signing
people out, etc. "I took this job because
I want to gain more experience, and I
want to see if later in the future I become a school consular". Lisette is very
nice and kind as well. It's not easy taking over something you haven't done.
"So far it's been pretty cool and students have been nice to me, although I
still have a lot of learning to do and
sadly all the tardies are unexcused".
Not because she's nice doesn't mean
you'll get an excused tardy. Thank you
Lisette for
standing up
and taking
over a hard
job as a
receptionist,
We
appreciate
you!
The
Buddha
Boy
By Jacob Drew
In a small rural village in
Nepal, a young boy has achieved
what science, nature, and human
reason thought impossible. Ram
Bahadur Bomjon ,also known as
the Buddha Boy and was previously thought to be the Buddha
(siddhartha) reincarnated, survived ten months straight through
meditation with no food or water.
From a young age Ram had been
a quiet calm and observant child.
He was taught by llamas, meditation gurus, secret yogi meditation
techniques that allow him to lower
his heart rate and metabolism so
he can survive on minimal food
and water for a long amount of
time. The technique he used involved the yogi technique of
tummo which drastically increases
body temperature with your mind.
Initially he set out underneath a
tree to meditate for 6 years ,just
like the original Buddha did, to
reach enlightenment. His meditation was cut short though because
so many people had gathered to
watch him it disturbed his peace.
He woke up instead after ten
months, claiming "There is no
peace here." He left then meditated again in a small underground chamber where no one
knew he was for a few months
before emerging to the public
claiming he had reached enlightenment. Ram gives speeches to
his country on philosophical points
that a normal 15 year old boy
should not be able to give. The
now 20 year old Ram still gives
speeches to inspire and inform
the general public today.
Are you Stressed Out?
By Priscilla Mendoza
Stress; something that just about every
teenager has. Either it's because of
grades, classes, school, parents, friends,
relationships, crushes, or just life in general; Everyone has experienced stress in
their life, but what some people don't know
that stress can be very dangerous.
Stress can not only affect your mental
health, it can effect your physical health.
When your body becomes stressed, your
heart pounds faster, your muscles tightens, your blood pressure rises and your
breath may quicken. It can also cause you
to eat more or less, and may cause you to
use alcohol, cigarettes or drugs in order to
relax.
But what is stress? Stress is a physical,
mental, or emotional factor that causes
bodily or mental tension. Emotionally,
stress can lead you to depression, which,
in extreme cases, can lead to suicide.
Also, physically, it can lead to heart disease, digestive, sleep, and weight problems, and skin conditions.
Reading this might even make you
stressed or nervous. But don't worry, lowering your stress is quite simple. To lower
stress, you can sleep, eat a healthy diet,
exercise, relax, do something that makes
you happy, therapy, get a massage, or
even laugh. You can watch your favorite tv
show/movie, read a book, listen to music,
play with a pet, or watch funny videos on
YouTube. Just doing something that isn't
stressful can lower your stress.
Remember, you're not the only person out
there that is stressed. With finals coming
up, and semester 1 ending, a lot of students are going to become very stressful.
When you find yourself really stressed,
take a deep breath, and realize that you're
not the only one stressful. Good luck on
your finals, and remember to lower that
stress.
Ferguson
By Leticia Mercado
The Ferguson shooting has focused
attention concerning the questions of
police brutality in America. Michael
Brown was shot and killed by policemen named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was an African
American recent high school graduate.
It is unclear as to who, Wilson or
Brown, was the initial aggressor. All
accounts state that Brown turned back
but it is unclear why. Law officials and
a Wilson family friend state that Officer
Darren Wilson responded to a call of a
sick person, then a store placed a 911
call, where then a dispatcher gave a
description of a suspect over the radio.
A different officer arrived at the scene
and gave information that the suspect
is walking toward the QuikTrip at 9420
W. Florissant Ave. Wilson leaves the
scene of the first call and then encounters Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson on Canfield Drive. Law officials
and family also claim that Wilson approached Brown and his friend for
walking down the middle of the street,
blocking traffic. They claim Wilson told
them to get out of the street but they
refused. Wilson tried to get out of the
car but Brown and Johnson rushed
him and kept physically assaulting the
police officer for his gun. The two ran
off with Wilson following behind. About
35 feet away Brown turned and kept
going at Wilson even though Wilson
was firing. Brown died because of a
fatal bullet shot to the head. The accounts of witnesses say the story went
different than the officials
claimed. Dorian Johnson and Michael
Brown go to Ferguson Market and Liquor. Surveillance video captures a man
pushing a clerk before walking out of
the store with a box of cigarillos. Johnson's attorney, Freeman Bosley, confirms Johnson and Brown were there.
Johnson says him and Brown were
walking in the middle of the street
heading to Johnson's house, when a
Ferguson police officer confronted
them. As to the part of the officer coming back toward Brown and Johnson,
Johnson claimed "We were so close,
almost inches away, that when he tried
to open his door aggressively, the door
ricocheted both off me and Big Mike's
body and closed back on the officer".
He also stated that the officer grabbed
Brown by his neck and that Brown
struggled to get away. Dorian Johnson
argues that they did not fight for the
gun because it was drawn on them. He
says they ran down the street and that
he hid behind a car while Brown turned
around to surrender but the officer kept
shooting until Brown hit the ground.
The shooting has caused questions in
America about why Michael Brown
was killed and if it is a racist issue. The
actions taken at Ferguson have
caused much controversy for the different accounts and then the gray area of
if it was right or wrong. More than 400
people have been arrested in the St.
Louis suburb and around the United
States for rioting about the cause. The
protests have also spread to Boston,
New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and other cities including San
Luis Obispo. There was a march in
SLO where protestors held signs and
marched down Higuera Street, making
a loop downtown. The march was to
raise awareness against police violence. Police brutality is any police exceeding any reasonable necessary
force to accomplish a lawful police purpose. There are different ways then
rioting streets and setting stores on
fire, like in the Ferguson riot, to fight
against police brutality. What would
you do if case of extreme police brutality happened locally?
Sergio’s Supercar
By Samiri Boutros
Association have linked
ownership of a pet
companion can reduce
the risk for heart disease and greater longevity. Studies similar
to this show that pet
owners 60 years or
older make 30 percent fewer visits to the
doctor than non-pet owners. One of the
reasons animals can provide these therapeutic effects is that most furry creatures
can fulfill the basic human need for touch.
Human beings need to love and be loved
as a basic necessity in life and pets are
the perfect source for this.
Two weeks ago the Italian car company
Ferrari announced the release of its two
newest super cars. The LaFerrari fxx k
and the Sergio named after Sergio Pininifarina who designed cars for Ferrari for
decades. The Sergio is such a special
production line that Ferrari only plans on
making six of them. The car is similar to a
458 Spider, but has a new body and a
special set of Sergio alloy wheels. The
Sergio can go zero to 62 mph in three
seconds compared to the original spider
that was 3.4 seconds. The engine is a 4.5
litre V8 which pushes out about 605 horse- The life you live and the way you live it can
power which is 35horsepower more than be hugely affected by who and what you
surround yourself with. Caring for a pet
the original unmodified Spider.
can help create a healthier lifestyle in
This car could be one of the rarest cars we many ways. A pet can help increase the
will see in our time and with the gold amount of exercise you get simply by carwheels you can't get any better than that! ing for it. Taking a dog for a walk, riding
The car has a racing body that is curved in your horse, or just running around with
the front for maximum aerodynamics. Pin- your kitty are great ways of exercising.
inifarina started working with Ferrari in the Having a furry companion can also help in
1960’s and has stuck with them ever since reducing anxiety and stress relief and add
in producing some of the worlds most structure and routine to your day.
unique and special supercars. Sergio not Domesticated animals are very versatile in
only helped make cars but he was also an the companionship and benefits with
Italian Senator and he eventually passed which they can provide to humans. Not
his work on to his sons. Sergio Pininifarina only can they make us smile or laugh in
passed away in July of 2012 but his legacy immediate joy, they can also help with our
will forever live on in the pieces of art he long term health and longevity.
helped to produce. So next time their is
car show in town keep your eyes peeled
for Sergio's Supercar.
Time
Management
By Alexis Mireles
Trusty Companions
By James Welch
The immediate effects that domesticated
animals can have on humans are fairly
obvious. The feeling of hugging your
puppy, petting your cat, or taming your
baby lion can only be described as
euphoric. While these are direct joys that
animals can give us, many animal lovers
remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that animals can provide. Studies made by the American Heart
What makes a student
stress out? Students always stress about
how much homework they get assigned.
You always hear "yeah I stayed up all last
night finishing my project". What they
don't tell you is that they had a month to
do that project, but they just put it off until
the end. If you manage your time correctly
their is much less to stress over. For example, if you are assigned a big project
don't make yourself do it all in one day, do
it in phases. One day get you information,
the next write a rough draft, and after the
final draft. This way you won't get overwhelmed. Another good idea it so get an
agenda and homework folder so you can
keep track of what homework you have
and what homework you have finished.
This way you can know that if you have
three assignments you should do two before the party and one in pass the next
day. Main thing is to prioritize, always remember school comes first! So next time
you plan on going out either make sure
you have no work that needs to be done or
be sure you will have enough time to do it
later. These are just some tips to make
your life easier. So stop pulling all nighters and start managing your time. The
calendar on the iPad is a great way to stay
on top of things. Add what days your assignments are due and it will send you
reminders so that you never forget to do
an assignment again.
Letterman Jackets
aren’t just for jocks!
By Maria Figueroa
What's something you can have to remember your high school years? A letterman jacket, which shows how involved
you were in high school whether it was
varsity sports, band, or other extra curricular activities. Letterman jackets originated
in 1865 when the Harvard baseball team
decided to use an H as their varsity letter
and ten years later their football team
picked up on the new trend. It became a
tradition that the MVPs and players who
played in important games would keep
their jerseys with an H. Letterman jackets
are more traditionally worn by both high
school and college students to show their
school spirit and pride. Here at Coast Union, you can receive a red and gold letter
C as soon as your varsity sport season is
over, students also receive patches of
whatever sport they played. Other patches
that students can receive are varsity letter
for being in the school band or patches of
the different plays you've participated in.
Letterman jackets have a lot of sentimental value and can be worn while you’re in
high school or when you come back to
watch a football game after you've graduated and became an alumni. Also later in
life when your kids are old enough they'll
wear their parents very special jacket. If
Coast Union students are interested in
purchasing a letterman jacket go to
'Miracle Embroidery', address is 179 Granada Drive, San Luis Obispo California
93401 and phone number is (805)-5437243. When you go in make sure to take
all your patches and varsity letter, you
then will be fitted and you'll customize your
jacket and pick the fonts for your first and
last name and the year you graduate. All
in all, letterman jackets
might
be
expensive
but they are
totally worth
it in the long
run.