Know Your Roots. - Whittier Union High School District

The Cardinal & White
Informing the WHS community for over 100 years
Know Your Roots.
Taking
the
“school”
out of
summer?
pg. 3
Volume CVIII, Issue 5
Stop
and
smell
the
history!
pgs. 6-7
Photo by Zach Marquez
Spring
Break
on a
budget
Watched
pgs. 8-9
pg. 11
Whittier High School
Whittier, CA Watchmen
Yet?
March 30, 2009
2
News
Whittier Museum reveals
new exhibit of Whittier. The collections are
zach marquez
features editor
The city
of Whittier has
so much unique
history and all
Whittier residents
have the privilege
and opportunity
to experience this
history that has
been maintained
for generations. historical evidence that educate
the community about it’s past.
Every couple of months, the mu-
The Cardinal & White
undergarments within the
1930’s. It shows the beginning of the tight fashions that
women now embrace and
how much these
undergarments
have influenced
the fashions and
trends of today’s
stock of women’s
lingerie. This exhibit of the unique
transformation
within underwear
fashion ends in
June of 2009.
The Whittier Historical
The Whittier MuSociety and Museseum is open to
um is a non-profit
the public every
organization that
Saturday and Sunshares the history
day from 1p.m.of discovered,
4p.m.
collected, and
Photo courtesy www.whittiermuseum.org
preserved items
The address is 6755
and objects ranging
Newlin Ave. Whittier, CA 90601
from: antiques, articles, art,
seum displays a different exhibit,
documents, photographs, and
and on March 8, 2009, a new
much more. All the displayed
exhibit opened, entitled Underpreservations at the museum
neath It All. This exhibit focuses
are there to reveal the history
on the drastic change of women’s
What’s Happening at WHS?
•
Senator Applications due: Monday March 30 until Thursday 2nd
•
Quarter III ends: Friday April 3rd
•
Student Holiday for High Schools only: Friday April 3rd
•
Great Books flies to Europe for Spring Break:
Wednesday April 1st-Saturday April 11th
•
Attention all Seniors!!! Essay Grading for Senior Project:
Thursday, April 16th
•
Seniors!!! Fieldwork Deadline: Friday April 17th
•
Vote for ASB/Class officers: Friday April 17th
•
Mr. GQ : 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17th
•
Earth Day: Wednesday, April 22nd
•
Community College Kick-Off: Thursday, April 23rd
•
Blood Drive Recruitment: Monday April 20th -Friday April 24th
•
Club Carnival Extended Lunch: Friday, April 24th
•
Fitness Walk Against Domestic Violence: 8:00 a.m. Saturday, April 25th
•
Senators Blood Drive: Tuesday, April 28th – Wednesday, April 29th
•
Comedy Sports Rehearsal: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30th
•
Rio Hondo Symphony Concert for FREE: 3:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3rd
Compiled by Maria Farias
Keith Fierro
Petry Rivera
Editors-in-Chief
Jaime Perez
Photo Editor
Zach Marquez
Features Editor
Jazmin Ortiz
News Editor
Business Manager
Leslie Gutierrez
Sports Editor
Corrin Jimenez
Reviews Editor
Brandon Cuen
Josh Dominguez
Lauren Eckhart
Andre Esparza
Artists
Staff Writers: Joey Bailey,
Maria Farias, Jennifer Rivera
Mrs. Nisbet
Advisor
12417 E. Philadelphia St.
Whittier, CA 90601
Room: C-221
(562) 698-8121 x 2326
The Cardinal Declaration: Any letters to The
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submitted to Room C-221 or to any member of
the newspaper staff.
Other than conformance to relevant laws and
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& White reserves the rights to free speech and
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edit.
The Cardinal & White neither promotes
nor tolerates plagarism or libelous statements.
Personal opinion may be reflected in editorial
sections. These articles reflect the personal
opinions and beliefs of their authors and in no
way represent the staff or school as an entity.
News
Summer school
cancelled?
School budget cuts push students to
pass their classes the first time
Joel ortega
contributing writer
A common misconception amongst students is the idea that
summer school is to be entirely revoked this year until further notice as a result of the plummeting economy. It was during both of
the February English days that Assistant Principal of Guidance and
Attendance, Richard Rodriguez, announced that Summer School
was not to be held this year. That is, not in the form of which we
are all familiar with; only academic classes during our seasonal
three-month vacation will be offered.
The state of California loans each district a budget every
year for them to allow students to take certain courses during
summer school. Those students who have yet to pass the California High School Exit exam as well as those who are in dire need
of making up classes essential to graduation are amongst the top
priority. Although the money for courses that meet these requirements are funded by the state, our district has been privileged
enough to finance itself in offering much more to its students in
the past. Unfortunately, as a result of the market’s poor conditions, the district has decided to cut back drastically in order to
save itself more money.
What exactly does this mean for students? Basically, not as
many options are going to be available and classes are to be filled
to their maximum capacity, resulting in an unusually high student
to teacher ratio. Furthermore, if a class here at Whittier High does
not have a certain number of students enrolled, it is quite possible
that these particular students will have to commute to a neighboring school in the district that shares more students with the same
interests. For instance, a few cardinals seeking to make up a poor
grade in chemistry might have to take a class with a greater number of condors over at California High in order to save money for
the district.
And for juniors who had previous intentions of completing
their government/economics requirement over the summer, the reality of it is that this possible option is simply out of the question.
The number of classes to be offered here on our campus is still up
in the air; however, our principal, Mrs. Eshilian, made it clear that
too many students rely on summer school in order to make up for
past mistakes and this must change. “We don’t want people to assume summer school is [always] an option,” states Eshilian.
As far as athletics and band go, it has been contemplated to
allow these institutions to persist only under the circumstances of
their participants paying a fee. The district is still considering the
idea and trying to establish a minimum amount of what to charge
in order to make things the most economically feasible. An example of what this might entitle would be for athletes to perhaps pay
$90 for the six weeks of practice and equipment they’d be provided.
3
Little Shop of Horrors
Spring musical was a crowd
eater...er...pleaser
keith fierro
co editor in chief
As of the 20th of March, winter officially left the
building and was replaced by the much more serotonin-inducing season of spring. This meant one and only thing for
the WHS Theatre Company—Time for the Spring Musical!
This year, playgoers were in for a treat because this
spring’s edition to the WHS collection of musicals was Little
Shop of Horrors. This outrageous musical comedy is centered on a few interesting characters, including a man-eating plant and a demented dentist. The stage crew as well as
the actual cast of the play can hardly stop talking about how
extensively polished the set was and the charm of the play
and its content.
“The dentist chair was so
cool,” says stage
crew member
Sarah Heck, “I
think the audience was really
impressed by it.”
Another member boasts, “This
play is amazing.
I told my friends
that even if they
didn’t like musicals, to come
anyways, just to
see the set.”
When
asked aboutwhat
this year’s musi- Little Shop’s innovative staging of Audrey II incal is all about, corporated human dancers as the plant’s limbs.
senior Espi Gonzales declared, “[Little Shop] is full of fun songs and interesting dancing. I was really excited about being part of a
man-eating plant since I’m a vegetarian myself.”
Little Shop of Horrors opened last Thursday and continued
through Saturday. Keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth
review of Little Shop of Horrors in the next month’s issue of
The Cardinal & White.
Opinions
4
Steroid abuse: unfair and unhealthy
A-Rod has told numerous sources that he feels completely
awful, but that it was time for this never-ending lie to finally
come to an end with his admittance of using this drug. Though A
Rod claims to not know what type of
On February 9,
drug he took, he has tested positive
2008, A-Rod admitted that
for Primobolan and Testrosterone.
he used steroids. He used
He stopped taking these drugs in his
this performance enhancing
spring training in 2003, and blames
drug while playing for the
pressure that he had felt in the
Texas Rangers from 2001Texas Rangers for using steroids.
2003. Sadly, during that
You might not really care about
time, he had made 156 disthis, but think of how this is affectcounted home runs. Wow,
ing many teens who participate in
it makes you think whether
sports. At Whittier High, we have a
it was really him, or the
great deal of teens in sports, from
drug.
basketball, cheer, to waterpolo.
This isn’t the first,
Many teen athletes look to sports
and neither the last that
stars as idols, and this makes Awe’ve heard of or will hear
Rod’s behavior upsetting.
of steroid use in the sports
The positive side is that A-Rod
world. Some other MLB
did speak up and has overcome his
stars that have admitted to
drug use. If teen athletes are exthe use of steroids include:
periencing the same pressures, they
Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palshould talk to someone they know
meiro, Jose Canseco, Barry
who can help them overcome it.
Bonds, Miguel Tejada, Andy A-Rod responds to hard-hitting questions at a news conference about his Pettitte, Eric Gagne, and Ja- steroid abuse
son Giambi.
leslie Gutierrez
sports editor
Creative Spotlight...
Maria Farias: Poetry
The Third Summer
We met four summers ago,
But we didn’t talk at first.
It was until the third summer,
That we started to talk.
Since that summer,
We became like peas and carrots.
We are so different,
But we know each other’s true feelings.
Betrayal is the last thing
That could cross our hearts,
I make a fool out of me,
So you can laugh.
I make no sense at all,
But you understand me.
You confess me all your secrets,
And I trust you with mine.
We don’t need to talk about our inner thoughts,
We know what they are all about.
With you I have done,
What I never dared before.
You plan everything,
And I go as I come.
Dedicated To Luisa Perales
Brandon Cuen: Art
Senior Brandon Cuen participated in his first gallery
show at the 8.5 year anniversary celebration of the
local Bluebird Arthouse. The reception was on March
14th, and the show runs until April 5th. Brandon’s work
is already receiving much attention, and 4 of his pieces
have sold to collectors. Follow the map to check it out
for yourself!
High hopes for the
stimulus package
Opinions
petry rivera
co-editor-in-chief
that Obama had promised during his presidential campaigns, and
I’m glad to see that he is keeping his word so far. Hopes are very
high to the many Americans that support him. But I think the
greatest thing to have right now isn’t hope, but patience. This
recession didn’t just happen over night; it took about 9 years to
get to where it’s at right now.
Getting our country back into
shape isn’t going to be easy and
it’s definitely not going to happen quickly. I believe in Obama’s
motivation to help our country,
but I also believe that the motivation of the American people
will help our country. This package will not only help individuals, such as middle-class workers, by cutting their taxes, but
will also help states with their
revenues.
Obviously this stimulus package
is aimed at helping those who need the most help during these
tough times, and I couldn’t agree more with this aim. I only
hope that this package fulfills that so called “invisible hand” and
finally pulls this country out of this cuurent train wreck.
“Getting our country
back into shape isn’t
going to be easy and
it’s definitely not
going to happen
quickly.”
American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is the official name of
the American stimulus package that
is planned to revive our weakened
economy. This plan is intended to
not only create jobs, but to also spur
economic growth. The package focuses on giving aid to low and middle-income Americans, which in my opinion
are the people that are struggling the
most in this recession. Another aspiration of this bill is to strengthen our
nation’s framework, and invest in states that are struggling with
debt. The expectation is that the package will create at least 3
million jobs over the next 2 years.
The stimulus package is the first of the many great things
WHS
Students and
Staff!:
Cut
out
this coupon
and bring it to
Krikorian for
a free popcorn!
5
6
Features
Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is a train depot
built in 1892 that has been preserved by the City of Whittier as a
railroad museum and community center. In the 1890s, Whittier
was growing rapidly, and this growth caused the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a branch line from its main line in Santa
Fe Springs, California. It was originally built at 11825 Bailey Street.
It served local citrus packing houses and a gas works. In the
early 1900s, the Pacific Electric Railway built a branch line that
extended in the same direction as the Southern Pacific track.
With the use of automobiles increasing, passengers on the Pacific
Electric decreased, and in 1938 the Pacific Electric dissolved service to Whittier. The Southern Pacific then abandoned its tracks
and took over the Pacific Electric tracks and extended them to
the station. Because they were not extended to the station from
the beginning, passengers would have to walk to Bailey St. to purchase their train tickets, and thus they started calling that area
“Uptown” because they would have to walk uphill. The Southern
Pacific continued its train service to Whittier until 1967. From
1967 until the mid-1980s, the Southern Pacific Depot was used by
many industrial dwellers. The depot was finally listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 1978. Plans to restore
and preserve of the depot began in the 1980’s. The City held ownership of the depot and after too many years of ignoring it, the
City finally received a $1.2 million grant to restore and reuse the
depot. They then chose to move the depot to 7333 Greenleaf Ave.,
near the Uptown Business District.
Walking Histo
The Bailey House is no longer occupied with residents, but
it is used as a museum that holds much history to educate all who are
interested in how Whittier became a city.
The home was built in the 1860’s for one use only--to shelter sheep
herders heading up north. This home was laid in a lonesome town, in
which Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey were invited to live in 1987. They
brought in people through their Quaker religion, before any congregation was established within the town; the Baileys would hold their
religious meetings on their front porch every Sunday.
For a long period of time, the home was passed down to the following
generations of families until someone came to own the property and
they chose to rent the historical home out to a large hippie family.
King Richard’s Antique Mall was built in 1903, which was
originally one of six citrus packing companies in Whittier, named the
Citrus Association Packing House.
Although Whittier was known for citrus packing, citrus was not the
first crop farmed or packed in Whittier. Whittier was firstly known for
growing tomatoes, avocados, and walnuts. Farmers had to wait
years after planting all sorts of citrus trees to receive their first cropful. The citrus packing company was popular in its day as a booming
business.
Today, the packing company property is King Richard’s Antique
Mall with 75,000 square feet and three levels. The mall has a wide
selection of collectibles, souvenirs, furniture, and antiques.
Turnbull Canyon is a well known area full of wilderness that lies between
Whittier and Hacienda Heights.
Tales seem to be generated by every generation, but no one will ever truly know
whether truth lies within all of the “legends”. These legends and myths are said to
have been the meeting grounds for the KKK, satanic cults, murders, suicides, location
of extraterrestrial sightings, haunted areas, burial sites, and many more.
The legends stretch way back to when the surrounding land was owned by Native
Americans. It was known as sacred land to the natives and was used as a battleground
area ending with many brutal deaths to tribes. It is also said that many of the Native
Americans in the area were slaughtered to death by incoming Spanish that took over
the territory.
At the turn of the 20th century, cults began to appear during the Great Depression
and sacrifices of innocent individuals took place. There has also been said to be an
insane asylum that was in the canyon in which patients were cruelly treated in the
1930’s. Supposedly the hospital burned down in the early 1940’s and only a few staff
members claim to be the only survivors. It has been rumored that in 1952, a plane
crash occurred in Turnbull Canyon and 29 people aboard the flight immediately
passed away from the impact. Clearly, the majority of stories from the canyon center
on gruesome events--it’s only a place for brave souls to visit.
Whittier has been the home of Fred
Correctional Facility
C. Nelles Youth
for over a century and now
continues to contribute to its 73-acres of space. The “reform
school” was built in 1891 and actually saved the city of Whittier from becoming a ghost town, because there was absolutely
no work for anyone. The original creation of this school was
to bring in young orphaned boys from all across the nation
and to teach them how to become successful young men in the
future. However, through time, the school transformed into a
correctional facility and more troubled boys began populating
the location.
Whittier has been an amazing host throughout the century for
ory of Whittier
7
Features
This group of people unfortunately damaged some of the house, but never
had the money to remodel or do anything to change the aged characteristics of the home. After the City of Whittier came to the decision to make
the radical hippies move out, the home was finally deeded over to Whittier and its Historical Society.
The Bailey’s home is now restored and fully decorated with antiques and
furniture in a way that the Baileys would have had it when they were
living there. Every antique and piece of furniture has a past that everyone
should take a look at and learn a bit about history on the founders’ home of
Whittier. Items in the home consist of Quaker outfits, a hair keeper, quilts,
different wallpapers, a jigsaw fireplace, tools, a horse carriage, and much
more.
Take a visit at 13421 E. Camilla ST. Whittier, CA. 90601
Photos by Zach Marquez and
Petry Rivera
the troubled youth center by providing so many jobs for the citizens and businesses in the area, but it was time that the community and the state take a rest in maintaining the facility. In
2004, the Governor of California announced that Fred C. Nelles
Youth Facility close and let the citizens know that the state
would be saving millions by not renovating the facility.
However, the Governor the governer then turned and proposed
that the abandoned Fred C. Nelles Youth Facility be transformed into a prison which would require renovations and possible negative impacts on the community.
The people of Whittier fought for the peace in the community
and the governor’s proposal never followed through. The vacant
area remains unknown to what is in store, but is currently being
used for filming of all sorts of movies and television series.
Rose Hills
The
, although not the happiest place to mention,
is in fact full of history. This memorial park has been serving families for over three-quarters of a century. And it is known to be the
largest single-operated cemetery in the world. With many funeral
services such as mortuaries, flower shops, mausoleums, chapels, and
a crematory, Rose Hills began in 1914 as a small cemetery. It began
with eighteen acres of what was then the famous Rancho Paso
de Bartolo Spanish land grant. Rose Hills was first called Whittier
Heights Memorial Park and had become the local burial grounds
for Whittier.
In 1928, the management introduced an expansion program
that planned to increase the size of the cemetery by adding more
land. The program didn’t end until the 1950s, when Rose Hills had
increased to 2,500 acres, which is still the present size now. They
decided to change their name at this time to represent the grand
change, so they chose Rose Hills. Much of the land purchased
for the program was considered worthless property, stuff such as
rugged hillsides, steep cliffs, and deep canyons. But the management of Rose Hills began one the of the largest private land redevelopment projects ever attempted. To please Southern California
families many things were added:
• 1917, a small indoor mausoleum, the second public structure of its kind in California.
• 1929, construction began on the first phase of the beautiful mau
soleum known as El Portal de la Paz (Doorway to Peace). It did not open to the public until 1930.
The cemetery consists of Four garden mausoleums: Terrace of
Memories, Court of Eternal Light, Mausoleum of the Valley, and
Lakeview Mausoleum and Four beautiful chapels: Rainbow Chapel,
Hillside Chapel, Memorial Chapel, and SkyRose Chapel.
All these additions made Rose Hills one of the first cemeteries in the whole country to offer all the necessary services and facilities for memorialization at one location. And as our community
grows, Rose Hills continues to develop its land to fulfill our needs.
And because Rose Hills is a very old cemetery, you can find many
interesting headstones, some that were originally buried there and
others that were later moved there. Famous headstones include
Jonathan Bailey, first Quaker settler in Whittier, Bryan Gregory, guitarist of the punk band The Cramps, Goodwin Knight, Governor of
California, and Eric ‘Eazy E” Wright, Godfather of Gangster Rap.
Most of us remember it as “IBIZA” or “The Rome”--that huge building on Greenleaf and Philadelphia that was once a club and even
held shows . The National Bank of Whittier
Building is a historic building in uptown. This building was built
in 1923 by John and David Parkinson with a Beaux Arts Classicism
style, the building was included to the National Register of Historic
Places in 1982. The building is the beautiful sight of Beaux Arts
style in the City. Because this building was Richard M. Nixon’s first
law office, it is considered to have national significance. Nixon lived
in Whittier after moving from Yorba Linda. He attended Whittier
High School and Whittier College. He also served as the Deputy City
Attorney to the City of Whittier. A replica of President Nixon’s office has been re-created and can be seen at the Whittier Historical
Museum.
Historical summaries written by Zach
Marquez and Petry Rivera
8
Features
Cheap thrills for Spring Break
Jaime Perez
Photo Editor
Spring break is quickly approaching and
if you are like me, you are jobless, and pretty much ride
less, I know, ladies--stand back; I’m a keeper. Well, hopefully this article can help you find some fun things to do
if you are stuck at home over spring break. If you
are going on the euro trip, just stop reading this; it
doesn’t apply to you in any way.
1.
You can take a bus to Huntington Beach. Bus
rates differ, but they are usually anywhere from 75
cents to $1.25. All day passes range from $3.75 to $5.
You can spend the day there and hit on people completely out of your league.
2.
You can bus it to Brea Mall. It
takes two buses and $2 each way to get
there. If you do go to Brea Mall, I have to
warn you: it is scary--everyone stares at
you in disgust. I usually just get smiles from
the elderly and that is it, but some people
really do enjoy that horrid place.
3.You can take the subway from Norwalk to Sunset
Hollywood, or to City Walk. It only costs a dollar fifty
to ride the subway. It is a blast to just walk around and
see all the crazy tourists, and just flat out crazy people
dressed up asking for money.
4.
If you do not want to travel so far, head down to
Pronto’s Pizza or Little Ceaser’s get some grub and go
picnic in the park. Do not do this alone; with people or
animals it is much more fun.
Features
9
5.
Going to the public pool is also
fun; just don’t pee in it.
6. If you want to be truly adventurous you can hop
on the Metro and ride it down to San Diego and stop
by Super Sergio’s (best restaurant in town). Get the
world’s best Carne Asada Fries--woot woot!
7.
Another fun thing to do is catch the matinee
show in uptown for $4 and then walk around uptown.
I know it sounds lame, but hey, odds are a bunch of
your friends will be there also.
8.You can head down to the Pet-Smart in
the Whitwood Mall and pretend you are at the
zoo. After, you can wander aimlessly to the
other fine establishments the shopping center
has to offer.
9.
A walk through Rose Hills is also time
consuming and beautiful, heck you can take
flowers for strangers’ graves.
10.
But the best thing you can do this
vacation is contact me and we’ll hang out,
that simple.
All artwork by Lauren Eckhart.
Photos by Jaime Perez.
10
Reviews
In Case You Missed ‘Em…
A look back at a few noteworthy albums the C&W didn’t review in ‘08
keith fierro
co editor in chief
Album of the Year
Vampire Weekend
– Vampire Weekend
If ever there were anything
to hint that Diane Theriot and
her constituents may not be
the most qualified group of
cultured highbrows to be the
decisive factor in the Grammy
Awards, it might be the utter
absence of this New York-based
band on the February ballot.
Vampire Weekend’s self-titled
album hit shelves in January
of ’07 and has been moving up
in the “Most Played” rankings
on my iPod ever since. A
comprehensive and picturesque
collection of indie music,
Vampire Weekend sets a much
needed example as to what an
album should contain. Every
song strikes a different tone
while collectively staying on
track so as to bring the entire
album together at its final
moment. Rousing guitar and
offbeat electronic organ, along
with remarkable vocals make
Vampire Weekend a collection
of music no one should have to
go without.
A Much Needed Revival
Volume I
– She & Him
Just as the many Great
Awakenings seemed to revive
our country into spiritual
renaissance, so is the effect
of She & Him’s first album,
Volume 1. Upon listening to
Volume 1, you’ll find yourself
transported back to a simpler
time when the sound of
music needed no translation.
Covering artists such as The
Miracles and The Beatles,
She & Him reach deep to
recover what seemed to be,
until now, an extinct sound.
Zooey Deschanel, the first
singular pronoun in She & Him,
along with M. Ward, lure your
ears onto this soft, acoustic,
indie-based ride and do not
disappoint. Along with the
sweet voice of Deschanel and
the manipulative guitar work of
Ward, She & Him are sure to be
the group to keep an eye out
for these next few years.
Diamond in the Rough
Pretty. Odd.
– Panic at the Disco
Let’s face it, if you say that
you’re a fan of Panic at the
Disco, you’re bound to get a
few…looks. Not the coolest
band out there, but they have
become evermore so admirable
now that they’ve dropped their
Fall Out Boy act and released
Pretty. Odd., their sophomore
project. Pretty. Odd. visits
the faraway land of Baroque
Pop, while incorporating some
of the most descriptive and
beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard
on an album. I have mixed
feelings about Panic’s second
album; yes, the new brass
and woodwind sections are
nice, but when listening to it
I felt as though I was trapped
in a Disney movie. With the
constant bird chirping and
church bells in the background,
I’m surpised that at the very
sound of it forest animals
weren’t summoned to hem
my pants or clean up after my
lunch. Also, for any of you
tough guys out there, this
album is not for you; the lyrics
might be too delicate and soft
(be prepared to whip out the
remote and watch SportsCenter
in order to reclaim your
manliness.) Aside from a few
minor annoyances, Pretty. Odd.
strikes the right tone with me
and deserves to be on this list.
Reviews
Watchmen: worth the watch!
corrin jimenez
reviews editor
Taking place in an alternate 1985, where the threat
of nuclear war is at a fever
pitch, Watchmen asks what
would happen if superheroes
were living in our society, and
what effects being a superhero
would have on those individuals.
When one of them, the
Comedian, is brutally murdered, the enigmatic vigilante
Rorschach sets out to discover
the killer’s identity. As he
reaches out to his retired colleagues, he discovers a larger
conspiracy that may threaten
everyone on the planet.
Touching on Cold War
hysteria, politics in general,
and how superheroes would
be perceived by the public as
well as themselves, Watchmen
certainly is ambitious. The
11
struggles and conflicts of the characters
are engaging and thought-provoking,
with each of the remaining Watchmen
having their own views on what can
be done about the world, if anything.
Ultimately, everyone has to ask themselves what they’re willing to compromise for the greater good.
Director Zack Snyder does an
impressive job capturing the look and
tone of the Comic, while infusing the
film with his own sensibilities. There’s
also a great deal of violence that manages to work in the context of the film,
even when it appears needlessly excessive. Visually stimulating and thoughtprovoking, Watchmen sets out to tell
an incredibly large, multi-layered
story, and hits the mark more often
than not. It stands an achievement in
challenging pre-conceived notions of
superheroes, and takes things further
by challenging pre-conceived notions
of superheroes when translated to film.
This movie is one of 2009’s best so far
and will be sure to keep you entertained.
Photo Courtesy imdb.com
Twilight Corner
jazmin ortiz
news editor
On March 21, 2009 at 12:01 a.m., Twilight the movie finally came out on DVD! I, along with many girls, waited in line to
buy it. There were so many Twilight parties going on--Hot Topic,
Borders Books, and Suncoast Movies were among the numerous
stores who used the premier as a reason to throw a party. There
are 3 different versions of the film to choose from: the single
version (just the movie), a double version (which includes a
lot of
special
features)
and a
3-disc
version
that includes
the
special
features
and an
itunes download.
As you may know, the cast and crew have already begun
filming New Moon in Vancouver, Canada. I’m sure I wasn’t the
only upset girl to realize that Jacob, not handsome Edward, is
the main character in this upcoming film. If you’ve read New
Moon, you know you will be crying in this movie! Be sure to look
out for New Moon in theaters this fall--it is supposed to premier
on November 20, 2009.
If you haven’t yet heard about the Twilight series, you must
be living in the forest!
The four book titles are: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and
Breaking Dawn.
Sports
12
Co-Ed Swim: Jumping in headfirst
jenny rivera
staff writer
The week of March 2, 2009 marked the
beginning of the swim season, and for some,
practices have been challenging.
It is anticipated that this year’s season
will showcase some talented male and female
swimmers. At a meet on March 19 against
Rosemead, many swimmers took first, second,
or third place.
Cardinals are encouraged to go out and
show support for the Whittier Swim team.
Weekly meets are on Thursdays, and the next
one is held at La Serna on Thursday, April 2.
Junior Kevin Islas takes the plunge at a home swim meet. Photo by Jaime Perez
Co-Ed Track starts off on
the right foot
jenny rivera
staff writer
Sergio Sanchez leads the pack in a race against Wilson.
Track season has started and the athletes are
ready to run their socks off.
On Thursday March 19, 2009 track and field
had a meet vs. Wilson; it was an exciting day for
them.
Several distance runners gave it their all and won
first place. One of them was Ivan Dorantes. He ran
the mile and the 800 and placed first in both competitions.
One of the fastest and most known distance
runners is Christine Cooperstein, having PR and
stepping it up a little more she placed first in the
3200, which is the two-mile. Runner Veronica Felix
also placed 2nd in the mile .
Sprinters, throwers, distance runners, and
more are practicing and getting ready for their upcoming first league meet, which will be at home and
vs. Santa Fe.
Photo by Jaime Perez
Like attending sports
games? Want to write about
them for the C&W?
Come see Mrs. Nisbet
in C-221.