07 December 2008

 2008
The Blueprint
Santa Margarita Catholic High School Friday, November 21, 2008
Vol. 21 No. 4
INSIDE
World News pg. 2
Gas Prices
[email protected]
Eagles Return from Paris
Getting Ready
For Christmas
By Spencer Feldman
Early this December, Notre Dame, the Hall of
dents had to hold their own.
the eleven juniors in MUN Mirror, Versailles and the
The Eagles were up for the
took their holiday break a Sacré-Coeur Basilica. They
Health pg. 3
challenge, the students
little early.
also sampled some original sought to change the light in
You Are What You Eat
From December first famous French cuisine, inwhich the US is often
through ninth the Eagles cluding escargot, rabbit and
viewed by other countries,
took over Paris, France, for even frog legs.
as mainly a country looking
the Eighth Annual Paris
Features pg. 4
out for itself,
Model UN
with little reCheaters
( PA M U N )
gard for othconference.
ers.
T h e
T h e
three
day
M
U
N
proOpinion pg. 5
conference
gram is modwas hosted by
Worst Christmas Gifts
eled after the
the American
United NaSchool
of
tions proParis and held
ceedings,
Emily/Olivia pg. 6 & 7
at the official
w h i c h
center
for
Laziness
a c h i e v e
United Naprogress on
tions Educapressing istional, Sciensues through
Entertainment pg. 8
tific and Culd e b a t e .
tural OrganiJingle Ball
United Naz a t i o n
tions sec(UNESCO).
tions the stuJuniors
dents modD a v i d
Sports pg. 9
eled after
Mastrovich,
were
the
Injuries
Megan Kang,
General AsJustin Lee,
sembly, EcoE l i z a b e t h SM MUN Students standing in front of Notre Dame Tower on SM’s first trip to
nomic, SecuG r a b o w s k i , Paris.
Campus Ministry pg. 10
rity Council
P a i g e P a r - Photo courtesy of Mr. Remmell.
and Social Council. Issues
sons, Alison Quinn, Jennifer
Junior Megan Kang
Retreat Volunteers
discussed that impact the
Brush,
K a t h e r i n e said of the trip, “This was
world include global piracy,
M a t t h i e s e n , J a s m i n e E l truly a once in a lifetime ophuman rights around the
Nabli, Monique Tinio and portunity!”
globe, and the ever increasDiana Hess took the trip of
Special Section pg. 11
But really, MUN isn’t
ing trade of illegal organs.
a lifetime.
all fun and games, as only
M r. R e m m e l l , t h e
Tis’ the Season
While the trip was filled one of two schools in attenMUN advisor said the stuwith a conference, and lot of d a n c e f r o m t h e U n i t e d
dents, by their actions really,
work, the students still had States, the Eagles weren’t
“Showed people that the
time to explore the city.
intimidated.
Remembering
U.S. cares about what is
While in Paris, the
With students from over
Kaydee Campbell
going on in the world. We
Eagles toured the city, saw eighteen countries, the stupg. 12
want to be involved citizens
the Louvre, Eiffel Tower,
of the world. We want to
make a difference.”
They did just that, and
it was apparent that others
saw this attitude as well, as
Juniors David Mastrovich
and Megan Kang were
awarded MUNs highest
award of “best delegate,”
and Justin Lee, Elizabeth
Grabowski, and Alison
Quinn were also recognized
for their efforts with honorable mention awards.
Mr. Remmell said that
receiving these awards and
being, “recognized as a superior delegate brings recognition to our country and
school. It’s quite an honor.”
MUN Students in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.
Congratulations and
Photo courtesy of Mr. Remmell.
welcome home Eagles!
By Caitlin Doud
O n T h u r s d a y, D e cember 11 th at 7:00 p.m. and
Friday, December 12 th , the
Santa Margarita Catholic
High School Performing
Arts Department presented
the Christmas Program.
The Performing Arts
Department is made up of:
Dance, Drama, Choral, Instrumental and Orchestral
Programs.
The real reason for the
Christmas Program is to celebrate the sacred season of
Christ’s birth.
M r. C a l v o , t h e p e rforming arts teacher, said
that, “It took everyone four
months to get ready for this
performance.” There was a
lot of work and preparation
to get ready for the show.
He also said that, “The
hardest thing for the students to prepare for was the
finale.” The outcome of the
Christmas Program was
amazing, and everyone enjoyed it.
All of the students in
the performance showed
great talent and dedication,
and everyone in it worked
very hard to prepare for it.
Performers at the Christmas
Production. Photo Courtesy of the
SMCHS website.
Change for Autism
By Caroline Christ
The Autism Awareness
Club’s fundraiser, Change for Autism, took place on November 215th. The fundraiser surpassed
everyone’s expectations and raised
over $800 for the SM walk team
for the OC Walk for Autism.
Thanks to everyone’s help the club
was able to meet their goal of raising $1,200 as a team. Four period 4
classes stood out in particular and
are getting a pizza party for their
outstanding efforts. In first place Mr.
Aust’s class, second place Mr.
Nielson’s class, third place Mr.
Schumacher’s class, and finally
Mrs. Dilbeck’s class. Congrats to
all the classes and thank you for all
your support in making Change for
Autism a great success!
2
WORLD NEWS
Voluntourism
By Polina Romshkova
Just like it sounds,
voluntourism is volunteering to
assist those in need while traveling and experiencing the essentials of both giving service to others and traveling to a new place
in which you get to experience
the culture of that particular location. Just by visiting their
website, voluntourism.org, I have
been able to get a sense of how
much work the organization puts
into providing a global view to its
visitors.
The site is filled with tips
of how to get started, including
an evaluation of whether
volunteerism is right for you, tips
of how to get through the experience, as well as how to deal
with it once you have returned
home. Don’t be fooled by the
incorporation of volunteering because the choice of destinations
are as broad as a normal vacation. Most recreational work
happens in Africa and disaster
areas of that sort, but one could
choose a place in Europe just as
well. There really are no limits
as long as you are open to put
the people whom you are serving before yourself.
The tricky part of
volunteerism is that it’s not en-
tirely comparable to sitting on a
beach and sipping a soda, but also
nothing like just going to a soup
kitchen and spending all day serving the poor. It does indeed take
the best of both worlds and puts
them into one experience. Although this form of service has
been practiced since the 1960’s,
the incorporation of it into the million dollar industry of travel as well
as charity has made volunteerism
as popular as ever.
Despite the many people
who have noted that its sudden
popularity has often caused corporations and travelers to miss the
true goals of the movement, it is
important to understand that the
reason we are informed of the
organization is because of its newfound popularity.
The advantages of taking a
voluntour trip is actually seeing
where your money is going by
being present and giving the less
fortunate their necessities yourself. Sure, it’s a gracious act to
donate a dollar to a charity, such
as the many that we have on campus, but if you ever have an opportunity to give that dollar to an
African child yourself, take that
instead of another trip to Hawaii.
What Goes Up Must Come Down
By Denise Fernandez and Melissa Zornig
Why do our gas prices
keep severely changing in our
economy today? One week
it’s up to $3.70 and then the
next week it drops to $1.87.
Where does our money go
after we pay for the gas?
What are the prices of gas
like in other countries?
The reason why our gas
prices go up so quickly is because the United States of
America has an increasing
demand for oil. When the
market tightens, less oil is
made and prices keep increasing. The demand goes up
even higher in the summer
because people have more
free time and more vacations
to go on.
As you have probably
noticed, gas prices have
dropped below $2. Oil companies are not making enough
money because people are not
driving anywhere. As a result
of this, prices have been lowering so that the demand for
gas will go back up again. Gas
prices will begin to increase
again when the economy is
better and demand is higher.
Natural disasters, war,
and political instability can
also interfere with oil production, demand, and prices.
As you can see with the
way our economy is today,
everything is slipping from
how it was before. Since our
economy is not doing well at
all, the reason for our gas
prices going down is understandable.
During the first six
months of 2008, an average
gas tank was around
$58.88.Where does this
money go? About $7 goes to
taxes, $4 go to marketing
and distribution, $5 to refining, and $42 to oil suppliers.
Can you imagine how
much money oil companies
are making per year?
Around $155 billion! This
means that they make
$4,902 per second!
Did you know that
gas from the Netherlands is
around $9.16 per gallon?
And that Venezuelan gas is
only 12 cents per gallon!
These prices in different
countries depend on the gas
consumption, the total oil
production and how much
the country is taxed.
The price is so high
in the Netherlands because they are taxed 55%,
they get about 89,000 barrels per day and use about
89,900 of it in a day. They
use more barrels that they
are given in a day which
results in high gas prices
for them.
In Venezuela, they
don’t have any taxes, they
get 2.7 million barrels of oil
per day and only use about
780,000 of it in a day,
which is why there gas
prices are so low.
In America, we are
taxed 12%, we get 8.5 million barrels per day and
use 20.7 million barrels of
it. As Americans, all we
can hope is that the prices
stay as low as they are
now and we can keep filling up our cars for about
$30 instead of $60! But of
course we have to face
the dreading truth that gas
prices will eventually sky
rocket back up.
The Blueprint
December 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
HEALTH
You Are What You Eat, So Choose Wisely!
By Allison Le and Jackie Pritzl
You might as well rub
the food you eat all over
your face because what
you eat can determine if
your skin is glowing, or not
wanting to be showing.
Here are the Top 5 foods
that will treat your face like
a day at the spa… UPGRADE!
Fish lovers; prepare
to be clean&clear because
wild salmon is one of the
healthiest foods for your
heart as well as your face.
Salmon contains the best
food sources of omega-3
fatty acids. The word
“Fatty Acid” is not the prettiest word of the bunch. It
gives you the prettiest skin
because these beneficial
fats enhance your health
and appearance by fighting
inflammation, keeping our
cells nice and supple (which
reduces redness, wrinkles,
and loss of firmness), improving circulation, and helping
our brains function optimally.
BONUS: you look gorgeous
while you are being the
smartest apple.
The second food that
makes this list is the even
more infamous low–fat yogurt. Low-fat yogurt has the
greatest source of calcium,
which gives you strong
bones, beautiful nails, good
posture, and a beautiful smile.
Did you know that: One cup
of plain, low-fat yogurt supplies about 450 milligrams of
calcium! Wait, there’s more!
The beauty benefits of yogurt
are not only limited its calcium content. Eight ounces of
yogurt has two grams of zinc,
which is very beneficial for
your skin. If you wanted
double the benefits, by eating only one serving, you
would eat low-fat yogurt
WITH your blueberries.
Blueberries are deceiving and do not seem like
a beneficial fruit because of
its small, tiny roundness – but
do not be fooled. Along with
the great supply of antioxidants, these little balls of blue
contain many plant compounds that support anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory
effects which protect you
from premature aging.
Dark Chocolate can
be described as “Sinfully delicious,” but after you eat this
dark deliciousness you will
be considered “Sinfully beau-
tiful” … or handsome. As well
as intensifying your taste buds
dark chocolate supplies an
ominous amount of antioxidants which contain anti-aging
properties. So next time you
“feel bad” for eating chocolate, just think your face is not
going to sag when you’re older
– there is always a silver lining.
If you stuffed your face
with sweet potatoes at your
Thanksgiving you are in great
shape. The unique, orange
color in sweet potatoes reveals
their hidden agenda. These
sweet potatoes have a fatsoluble pigment found in many
orange vegetables and fruits
that contain a beauty-enhancer called beta-carotene.
The body is so smart that converts the beta-carotene to vi-
tamin A, which helps keep your
skin smooth and supple. So incorporating sweet potatoes into
your diet helps you achieve
wrinkle-free skin. Beta-carotene
also may protect skin from the
damage caused by sun exposure… SAY GOODBYE TO
SUNSPOTS! So if you eat one
cup of cubed sweet potato you
just ate: a stunning 14,260 micrograms of beta-carotene.
If you feed your face with
these 5 simple foods, you might
as well buy that bat to fight off
the guys … or girls … coming
after you. So tonight have some
salmon,
with
low-fat
yogurt&blueberries and a side of
sweet potatoes for flawless looking skin. WAIT! Don’t forget to
give yourself a little sweet treat
of Dark Chocolate for dessert to
finish off your beautifying meal.
Quick Fire
Information*
Instead of candy, choose some of these healthy options! Photos Courtesy of Google Images
“Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise” Want to Get an A? Here, Have Some Gum!
By Lauren Giudice
By Ashley Kotero
On December 1 st every
year, World AIDS Day is
recognized around the
world. The day is dedicated
to raising awareness of the
AIDS. This year marks the
20th anniversary of World
AIDS day. The slogan for
this day is “Stop AIDS.
Keep the Promise”.
There were many
events held around the
world for World AIDS Day.
Events such as free AIDS
testing, honorary videos,
educational speakers,
candlelight vigils, and free
concerts supported the
cause of fighting against
AIDS. Many people hold
memorials to honor persons
who have died from this disease. So many events and
such a great amount of sup-
port for this day provided great
Do you know what is rehope for future developments ally going on in your mouth afin the fight against AIDS.
ter putting in that chewy subThe theme for World
AIDS Day this year was “leadership”. This was chosen to
encourage leaders to take action against AIDS. The theme
also encourages individuals as
well as organizations to work
to fight against AIDS.
The World AIDS
Campaign (WAC) has been
established to support,
strengthen and connect campaigns that hold leaders accountable for their promises on
HIV and AIDS. There are
over 33 million people with
AIDS and World AIDS Day
2008 did its job and honoured
those infected and those killed
by the disease.
stance? We can all thank
Walter E. Diemer for inventing gum in 1928. The active
ingredients in gum contribute
to your dental health, tooth
whitening, and fresh breath.
However, there is more to gum
then what meets the eye.
Chewing gum is said to make
people smarter, but how? According to scientists from the
University of Northumbria, research suggests that it does this
by improving memory and
brain performance. Chewing
allows more oxygen and nutrients to be pumped into the
brain by raising your heart
beat. It also triggers the production of insulin, which helps
stimulate the part of the brain
involving memory. What are
you waiting for?! Start “chewing your way to a better brain”.
Gum helps stimulate the
mind while also improving
those potential pearly white
teeth of yours. Teeth consist of
an inner layer (dentin) and an
outer that is made up of hard
enamel. The enamel layer is
opaque white or slightly off
white in color. It is made up of
mineral crystals and has a porous nature that allows discoloring substances and staining
agents to permeate the enamel
and cause discoloring of teeth.
Your average chewing gum consists of a gum base that is water
insoluble and water soluble components with flavors and flavoring agents. The type of gum that
will enable your teeth to whiten
contains softening agents,
flavorants, sweeteners and an
effective whitening amount of
water soluble sodium or potassium percarbonate, neem oil, sodium bicarbonate and parsley
extract. It’s a good idea to chew
this kind of gum after meals or
eating anything sweet to help
your teeth whiten even more.
Some excellent choices of whitening gum are Supersmile whit-
ening gum and flip-a-mint whitening gum. The top 10 bubble
gums are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Hubba Bubba Max
Stride
Bubble Yum
Trident
Orbit
Bubblicious Burst
Double Bubble
Big League Chew
Extra
Winterfresh
Hubba Bubba Max! Photo Courtesy
of Google Images
4
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
December 2008
FEATURES
Cheaters...You Know Who You Are!
By Lauren Rodriguez and Edward Fernandez
To lie, to deceive, to
swindle. To cheat. Cheaters.
These are the individuals that
act dishonestly toward others,
feeding their own egos. Some
of you “players” think that
you know how to work the
system. Think that you know
how to manipulate the boys
and girls and strut your stuff
across the lunch shelter. Canoodling is a very serious
crime. Flirting in person, just
giving someone ‘a ride home’,
and sending those text messages with smilies and little
hearts aren’t so innocent. Our
job is to point out the obvious
and show you what cheaters
are all about.
Hypothetically speaking,
you’re in a great relationship
with a person you really care
about. You’re a few months
into the relationship, and
you’ve already gone through
‘the awkward stage’. Everything is going great for you.
Everyone knows you’re taken, and somehow that makes
you more appealing to those
who wouldn’t want you in the
first place. This is where the
coquetry begins.
First, you start getting
text messages in class. Not
from your boyfriend or girlfriend, but from the person
that you tell everyone is just
your friend, or that you go to
for advice, or that you go out
of your way to text back in
the middle of class just to say
“when are we going to hang
out”. These text messages
seem innocent enough, but
really you’re setting yourself
up for romantic failure. Your
boyfriend and girlfriend probably notices or hears that
you’re always on your phone.
Explaining to them that it’s just
a friend seems easy enough.
But it’s not. Really in the back
of their head they know your
straight up being shady. Now
you’re in it deep. You tell your
boyfriend or girlfriend that
you’re going to see a movie
with a whole bunch of your
friends instead of hanging out
with him/her. Your texting mister or mistress that you’ve
been talking to for the past
few weeks just ‘coincidently’
happens to be at the same
movie theaters as you that
night. You decide to go see
one of those cute romantic
movies that in actuality you
would normally hate. Like
Twilight. You’re laughing,
sharing popcorn, getting ice
cream and having a great time
with of course, just a friend.
During the movie your significant other texts you and asks
how your night is going. You
only reply with just one word.
“Great”. You just gave yourself away. Well kinda. Monday at school you’re walking
with your boyfriend or girlfriend and somehow movie
night comes up. You try and
act like it was just a good time,
nothing more. But in the back
of your head you feel like you
had a better time with your
texting mister/mistress than
you ever could have had going on some cheesy romantic
date that your significant other was planning for weeks.
Sad I know. But at this point
it’s still just a game to you.
Now it’s you texting them saying “heyy you fri night was so
much fun =] <3”. You have no
idea that soon this whole situation is going to backfire on
you. Or maybe you have
thought about it and think that
the second your significant
other breaks up with you, you
can use your backup boy/girl
as your rebound. Everyone
knows what’s up and the drama at school is already start-
Plagiarism, It’s No Joke!
By Brian Sanvido
You’re up on a Sunday
night at 11:30. You just got a call
from a friend to get the password for turnitin.com for the
English essay you have due the
following day. Here comes the
panic attack. You totally forgot
about the essay, and you have
to turn it in to turnitin.com by
11:59 that night. You hang up the
phone and start scurrying for
the book and the essay prompt.
You glance at the clock and realize that you have 14 minutes
left to complete a 5 paragraph
essay, and that is when it enters your mind: Plagiarism. You
can call your friend back and
ask for their essay so you can
“use some of their quotes”, or
you can try to do it the hard
way, the right way.
These choices flash
through your conscience; you
weigh the pros and cons. If you
do plagiarize, you think you are
going to change some words
around and use that trusty thesaurus in your word program.
Sorry to break it to you, but your
not the first person to think of
this stealthy plan. This is why
turnitin.com was invented. If
you try to copy another student’s essay, you will get
caught. As many of you know,
it checks all the essays ever
turned in to the website and it
also checks other websites.
You and your friend’s essays
will both come up and I can
guarantee your teacher will call
you two over to her desk on
Monday. Epic Fail. Here comes
a Saturday school, a conference
with someone high on the SM
totem poll, and a 0% on the essay you “worked so hard on”.
Not to mention your friend will
have an evil glare coming your
way for the next 3 weeks in
English class.
Its 11:49 now and you decide to do the right thing. You
start flipping through the pages, looking for highlights about
the symbolism of light in your
novel. You decide to send an
email to your teacher, explaining how you forgot and how you
couldn’t turn it in online in time.
You are up until 1 am, and finally finish. The next day, your
teacher calls you over to her
desk. She thanks you for being
honest and decides to open
turnitin.com for you the next
night. What a break. I’m not
guaranteeing this will happen to
you, but there is a better possibility of this happening than you
getting away with the dexterous crime of plagiarism.
Photo courtesy of Kenna
and Laura, just kidding that’s
plagiarism! It’s really from
Google...
ing to buzz. Your 6 th period
class is awkward enough with
all of your boyfriend/girlfriend’s friends in it giving you
a hard time about ditching
your date night. You just smile
and think nothing of it, your too
wrapped up waiting for that
text message from “Chris N”
which really is “Cristin”. You
snicker at your stealthiness.
This covert operation works
until your significant other
sees your phone and wonders
why someone of the same gender is sending you hearts, smilies, and chain love text messages with death threats if you
don’t send it back within the
next 10 min. It all goes downhill from here. You get in a
huge fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend, break up, all
their friends know you’ve
done something wrong and
give you that awkward “hi”,
and your texting mister/mistress really was solely interested in you because you
were taken…and they liked
the challenge. Now that the
pursuit is over, you’re left
alone. Without a boyfriend or
girlfriend that really cared
about you, without being able
to say you’re faithful in rela-
tionships, without someone to
call yours.
So if you haven’t figured
this one out already, treat the
person you care about with
respect, tell them the truth, and
don’t go behind their back. If
you don’t want to be with
them or if they do something
that bothers you, tell them.
Don’t go behind their back for
revenge. And if you find
someone that you really care
about, keep them around,
cause chances are someone
better won’t come around for
a long time.
Text message cheating is
the sneakiest, but the
dumbest form of cheating.
Photo courtesy of Google
Cheating... Creativity at its Best
By Alexa Kosco and Karenna Soto
Cheating has become a
daily routine for students. Students take advantage of every
possible outlet they can, and usually get away with it too. It has
become a common trend at any
school and there are so many
techniques available. Cheating is
immoral and wrong, and it is completely unacceptable here at Santa Margarita.
Cell Phones: There are
so many ways to cheat using
your cell phone. You can take pictures of the test and send it to
your friends or a picture of your
study guide and put it as your
screensaver. Text messaging allows students to send answers to
each other.
Clothing : Writing on your
skirt, socks, shorts and even shoes
is another technique that students
use. You can write the answers
on the hem of your skirt or shorts
and just fold it over to get all the
answers you have written down.
Body Part : Some people
even write on their body to get
the answer. Arms, hands, fingers,
legs and knees all exhibit possi-
ble ways of cheating. People even
use finger nails to write down the
answers.
People Around You: This
is probably the easiest and most
common way that people cheat.
Teachers always say “Keep your
eyes on your own paper” but that
doesn’t stop anyone from peeking at paper of the person next to
them.
Calculator : On the huge
scientific calculators there is an
alphabet key. You can write down
whatever you need to and save
it on the calculator. When test
time comes around you can just
pull out your calculator and all the
answers are there.
Although there are so
many cheating outlets, it is academic dishonesty and something
that should be discouraged. One
of these days, you are going to
get caught and the punishments
here at SM are tough, and rightfully so. Cheating may result in
detention, a zero on the test or
assignment, a referral, or even
expulsion. The gain from cheating certainly isn’t worth the risk.
4
The Blueprint
December2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
OPINION
Worst Christmas Gifts
By Becca Caraveo and Kerri Hall
As winter approaches,
the excitement is apparent.
Everyone is well aware that
December is the month of
giving and receiving presents. As we all put in requests of what we want, we
keep our fingers crossed,
hoping that we will receive
it on Christmas day.
But even after making
that timely list you always
receive that unlikely
present. Here is a list of
some of the worst Christmas gifts… EVER.
1 . A homemade Certificate- Showing that a
town somewhere in South
Africa has been named after you.
2 . D r u g St o re p e rfumes- Usually in the price
range of $2-3. A gift certificate is more appreciated…
and better than smelling
similar to aisle seven at
RiteAide.
3 . Bart Simpson Chia
pet- We understand you avid
Simpsons viewers may have
this already on your list, but
the money spent on this gift
would be better spent on
flowers.
4 . St a t i o n a r y - Wi t h
email, texting, and instant
messaging, who really needs
paper anymore to communi-
cate? We can’t remember
the last time we hand wrote
a note to anyone.
5 . Festive sweatersTi s ’ t h e s e a s o n t o d r e s s
accordingly.Bbut lets be real
now, you only have about
twenty five days of use for
this sweater until its back in
the closet for another year.
6 . D V D ’s f ro m t h e
bargain bin- Just because
it may seem comparable to
the cheapest movie ever
sold, doesn’t make it entertaining to watch. What do
you think makes it nearly
free in the first place?
7. BatteriesHow
thoughtful? NO! More like
how LAZY!
8. A gift that was
clearly given to them and
after deciding they didn’t
want it they give it to you
(also known as the “regift”). We are all for recycling but with gifts? We are
not asking for the most expensive item but there
should be some effort put
into it, not a hand-me-down.
9 . Gift cards that have
already been used- When
going to buy an item from
that store you ask for the
amount and they say that
there is $10.27 cents left on
the card…talk about embarrassing.
If that’s not a dead give
away that it was something
they found in their wallet
before it was time to unwrap
presents then I don’t know
what is.
Those are just a few of
the many unwanted gifts that
are usually placed under the
tree. Unfortunately we understand that some of you
may receive these this year
and our apologies extend to
you. We just advise you not
to be the one who tags your
name to one of these gifts
for someone else, take that
advice to heart. Merry
Christmas!
I Can’t Wait to See Where This Ends
By Aria Bendix
Of course most can
admit to listening and rocking out to a song by Miley
Cyrus, the teen sensation
that took the Disney Channel and America by storm,
but what about the person
behind this pop-star icon?
We cannot easily ignore the recently-turned sixteen year old girl who posed
in risqué photos for Vanity
Fair magazine and held a
birthday bash for herself
that included 5,000 of her
“closest
friends”
at
Disneyland.
Not to mention that she
also severely lacks singing
talent. Let’s also not forget
the fact that she is currently
dating twenty-year old underwear model and “aspiring country singer” Justin
Gaston and her best friend,
Mandy Jiroux, is also
twenty!
Clearly fame has
made an impact on her
friendships, personality, and
lifestyle and hanging out
with people much older than
herself may have changed
Miley…for the worse.
The daughter of
country star Billy Ray
Cyrus, Miley entered the
circle of fame at a very
young age. She began acting at age nine and landed
the role for the Disney
Miley Cyrus singing at a concert. Photo Courtesy of Google Images.
Channel show Hannah
Montana at age twelve.
The show and adjacent
soundtrack become an instant success and threw
Miley into a sudden whirlwind of stardom.
Million-dollar concerts
packed with screaming
fans, number one albums,
and immediate attention ensued and Miley’s change in
personality and demeanor
soon became apparent.
Fame had finally taken its
toll on her squeaky-clean
Disney image and the public watched as Miley succumbed to the pressures of
the Hollywood industry.
This can also be demonstrated by the simple fact
of research for this article.
When looking for pictures of
the singer, there were more
scandalous pictures than of
her actually singing or acting.
Her recent escapdes with her
“sleepovers” and “playdates”
have made top story news,
while her singing has taken a
backseat.
She began to become
more arrogant and anxious
for attention, loving the interviews and autographs that
came along with her
newfound fame. She even
changed her appearance to
something a little more scandalous, dying her hair black,
stating that she wanted to
“rebel”, and tried to fool us
with that irritatingly fake
southern accent.
The most surprising
fact of all is that Miley claims
to be a deeply religious person with a strong faith in God,
when her actions have been
anything but religious. Notice
that a lot of very un-religious
stars have tattoos of crosses
and such on their bodies...
i.e.- Britney Spears, Lindsay
Lohan, Nicole Richie...
Hopefully this faith will become apparent sometime in
the future, but as of right
now, it appears to be hidden
underneath a girl trying to
act and look much older than
she actually is. Sound familiar?
Plenty of stars have
fallen subject to Hollywood’s
demands as young women
and have destroyed not only
their positive public image,
but their lives as well.
The names Britney
Spears and Lindsay Lohan,
just to mention a few, are
now known worldwide not
for the music or movies that
they created, but rather for
their constant cycles of partying and making wrong decisions in the public eye.
By being forced to grow
up so fast, these talented
Hollywood stars have made
life-changing mistakes and
let fame ruin their reputation.
Apart from not displaying half the talent as these
other stars, let us hope that
Miley Cyrus is able to pull
herself out of this cycle before it becomes too late.
After all, with her overconfident interviews, new
appearance, older boyfriend,
and shocking photos, she is
not exactly headed on the
right track. Setting aside the
fact that she should not be
performing on stage at all,
Miley needs to turn her life
in a different direction if she
wants to avoid the fates of
Britney or Lindsay.
It all goes to show that
throwing teenagers into the
spotlight can be a dangerous
thing and that fame is not all
that it’s been made out to be!
6
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
December 2008
Emily & Olivia
How Many People Hit a Deer on Their First Date?
By Kyle Richter and Julia Boyle
Have you ever seen
those signs with the caption of
the deer crossing the road, and
passed it by without a second
thought? Well, I sure did. I
passed that sign and laughed
as I was heading down the
241 Toll Road, cruising around
70 on a Saturday night. I was
about 2 miles into the Toll
Road when suddenly, in a
matter of seconds, a three
hundred pound buck jumped
directly in front of my car and
froze. I did not even realize
what had happened until the
air bags went off and my car
was filled with a disgusting
smoke. I couldn’t believe
what had just happened, I
mean, what are the odds of
hitting a deer? I wanted to get
out of the car and look at the
damage, but my door would
not open. The entire left side
of my Xterra was completely
sunk in. The officer showed
up about 10 minutes later in
quite a nonchalant mood, and
started joking around about
“cutting off the antlers,” or
“taking a picture with the
deer,” and quite frankly I was
a bit offended. Then the tow
truck showed up and picked
up the car. That is the last time
I saw that car. I was surprised
at the officer’s attitude towards the whole incident, that
is, until he told me that he gets
a call every single night about
someone hitting a deer! As if
my passenger and I were not
shocked enough, this news
was quite startling. It seemed
like one of those “once in a
lifetime experiences,” but apparently it is much more common than you think.
Here are the facts; The
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration reports
that there are 1.5 million deer
related car accidents a year!
The effects of this amount add
up to 150 human fatalities,
10,000 human injuries, and
one billion dollars in vehicle
damage. These numbers are
staggering, and here are a few
tips on how to avoid hitting this
furry nightmare. The first tip,
There are 124 surfing
pictures in Mr. Trotter’s room,
B220.
One acre of peanuts
will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
Lizards communicate by doing push-ups.
When Reindeers Almost Ruined Christmas
By Sky Cracraft and Michelle Loftus
Naaaaahhheeoooowww
(reindeer noise extremely
loud). The reindeers always
get too excited on Christmas
and way too loud and hoovy.
I do realize my Ho Ho Ho’s
do not help in keeping them
calm, but still, can’t they just
munch on some fresh, juicy,
orange, mouth watering carrots quietly? The noise of
the reindeers is always my
main problem on the Eve of
Christmas; it almost ruined
Christmas last year!
Soo, Twas the night
before the Christmas- and
all that jazz…I was landing
on the icy roof of the
74,987,982,734,128 house
This is the reindeer that almost
ruined Christmas. Photo courtesy of
Google images.
that night. Since I am a
pretty hefty guy (but hey at
least I’m willing to admit it
unlike other people, or a certain Bunny I should say) I
was breathing rather loudly
as I got my bag of presents
from the back of the sleigh.
While the bag did its magical work, I was still breathing loudly even as I entered
down the chimney. I had a
quick thought of how from
the previous house the carrots looked a bit green and
moldy; yet I thought the
reindeer’s were tough cookies (ha) and stomachs’ were
strong enough to handle this.
Boy was I wrong, and I am
never wrong!
As I notice a little boy,
Walter Harold, on the couch
by the Christmas tree, I
heard this horrendous stomach growl that lasted what
seemed to be an infinite
amount of time. Following
quickly were hooves prancing in pain on the roof from
the stomach indigestion. I
knew the boy would awake
to this explosion of noise, so
I, being the old, wise, plump,
strong man that I am, stuck
two ornaments in Walter
Harold’s ears. Yes, I know
Literally, a deer in the headlights. Watch out for deers on the Toll Road! Photo
courtesy of Google Images.
obviously, is to be alert and
attentive in rural areas. Now
I know this sounds stupid, but
it really does happen quite frequently! The second tip, which
I may have benefitted from,
is to turn on your high beam
headlights on the toll road, and
on other extremely dark roads.
Never swerve when you see
a deer in the road. The best
thing you can do is brake, hold
the wheel straight, and brace
yourself. Use your horn if you
have time. This could awaken
the deer stuck in the headlights. Lastly always wear
your seatbelts, they will save
your life!
As you can see, you
may not think this kind of thing
could happen to you, but you
never know what can happen.
Follow these easy tips and
you will be less likely to be one
day called the “deer hunter,”
like I will be for a long… long
time.
Christmas Riddles
By Derek Smith and Kevin Witt
Q: What reindeer has
the cleanest antlers?
A: Comet
Q: Why does Santa
have three gardens?
A: So he can ho-ho-ho.
Q: Why do you go to
bed on Christmas Eve?
A: Because the bed won’t
come to you!
Q: What do you call
Santa Claus when he has
fallen into the fireplace?
A: Krisp Kringle!
Santa Claus was able to save
Christmas yet again. Photo courtesy of
Google images.
this may appear weird and
hazardous, but Ho Ho Ho I
saved Christmas and kept
the mystery of me alive.
Although, many people
somehow do seem to know
what I look like, rather hairy,
white, big in the stomach and
red.
Anyways, this year the
reindeer will be eating the
milk and cookies instead
with me :] Merry Christmas
to all and to all a good
night!!-(I believe that is how
it goes) Merry Christmas!
cian, a kind lawyer and,
S
a
n
t
a
Claus travelling in an elevator of a very fancy hotel. Just
before the doors opened
they all noticed a $5 bill lying on the floor. Which one
picked
it
up?
Santa of course, the
other two don’t exist!
Why is Christmas just
like a day at the office?
You do all the work and
the fat guy with the suit gets all
the credit.
Jokes/Riddles courtesy of
Google.
Judge: “What are you
charged
with?”
Prisoner: “Doing my Christmas
shopping
early.”
Judge: “That’s not an offense. How early were you
doing this shopping?”
Prisoner: “Before the store
opened.”
The 3 stages of man:
1) He believes in Santa Claus.
2) He doesn’t believe in Santa
C
l
a
u
s
.
3) He is Santa Claus.
Just before Christmas,
there was an honest politi-
It’s Christmas time and the
ornaments are on the tree! Photo
courtesy of Google images.
7
The Blueprint
December 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Emily & Olivia
Would You Like Some Couch Potatoes With That?
By Clark Taylor and Ross Kingsley
In our modern world, technology is constantly increasing. Scientists are becoming smarter and
new ideas are developing every day.
Most of the technology these days
is meant for big time science: experiments, automobiles and other
things of the like. However, a huge
amount of everything new that is
produced is meant for advertising
and the American people: making
them feel as if they need the item.
So why do we sit on the couch all
day long while our hand sleeps in a
bag of chocolate chips? Why do we
refuse to go to the gym given there
is a machine or a pill that can do it
for us? Well, we are here to give
you the extremely complex and
confusing answer: we are lazy. Yes
folks, we are most all lazy. Many
times in our life we are told, “You
are such a couch potato” or “you
are such a lazy bum”. Well, all truth
be told we are. And although we
may say we aren’t lazy, in the end
most all of us are. I mean, who does
not love falling asleep on the couch
watching a movie with Cheeto dust
all over your shirt. Or staying in your
pajamas till five o’ clock watching
you-tube videos or watching the
clouds move from left to right. However, there is an extent to which laziness can be taken and we are here
to bring to you the cases where
it is taken way too far.
Because Thanksgiving
was just this past month, it is
only appropriate to inform you
of the new electronic turkey
carver. That’s right, an electronic turkey carver. Is it that
difficult to cut a couple of inches
down into a turkey anyway. Of
course, we are all familiar with
how everybody hires housemaids and/or gardeners and
then use blue-tooth devices to
find out when they are arriving.
So these may not seem so bad.
However, there are three inventions that simply define the
world “lazy”.
Airport Ground
level escalators: These are
the escalators that don’t take
you up or down but take you
across. We all use them no matter how much we may say we
don’t. Honestly, how important
are they. “Why don’t we hop
on this human conveyor belt
and go 20 yards and then keep
walking. This is American laziness at its best. Considering the
workout rate of Americans already being low, the least we
can do is walk an extra twenty
yards. It is understandable that
people would use these (even us) but they
are simply a waste of money and space.
Despite the fact that the airport terminals
are extremely long and most people don’t
wear their Nikes to the airport, everyone
should take the 5 extra seconds to walk
and avoid being identified as LAZY.
Pizza Orders from T.V. remote: That is right kids. In the near future, we will actually be able to order pizza
from a click of a button. Like ordering it
online was not lazy enough? So, while you
are watching your favorite episode of
Gossip Girl or watching the Biggest Loser,
you can order pizza without even getting
up. Soon enough, we are going to have
systems that can actually put the pizza in
our hands without having to go to the door
and get it. Very revolutionary but extremely
lazy.
Strap-On Abdominal Machines: Okay people, this is easily the most
pathetic invention ever created. Since
when in life do you not have to endure a
little pain to get any positive results?
NEVER is the answer. With these new
hip and highly fashionable ab belts, you
can water your garden, wash your dishes,
and pretty much do anything you want
that does not require you to work out. What
you do is you strap them around your abdominal section and they contract your
ab muscles for you. In this way, it works
you out. This is American laziness at its
finest.
You Teach Here?
Roller Backpacks:
Despite looking absolutely ridiculous, roller backpacks simply are
unproductive. It is understandable
that people would use them due
to back problems or some other
reason, but if you don’t have back
problems, why on earth would
you purchase a roller backpack?
Unless you want attention, which
is fine, go ahead and purchase a
roller backpack. However, if you
want to save some money and
keep the style modern, stick with
the conventional backpack.
Velcro Shoes: “Hey
Ross, I cannot tie my shoes fast
enough already so why don’t I
get Velcro so I can avoid the 6.5
seconds of absolute back-bending work”? PEOPLE, what is
wrong with the public. It takes
exactly less than 10 seconds to
tie our shoes. Why would we
ever feel the need to purchase
Velcro shoes. If they were actually cool shoes then okay. Feel
free to wear them proudly. But
they aren’t. Tie your shoes, and
stay away from something that
has not been in since the Great
Depression.
Books on Tape: This
amazing yet pitiable invention is
another fine example. Many can
argue that they comprehend things
better by listening, or perhaps that
they cannot or just don’t want to
read. On the other hand, if you can
read and have access to a book do
so. Although it may seem quicker
to listen to the book instead of read
it, it is not going to help. Even though
you may hate reading with a passion, reading actually helps with
things besides just understanding the
story. So, in the mean time, pick up
a book and read it, don’t listen to a
actor read it aloud and sound as if
they do it every day.
Students of SM, this is just a
short list of the many American inventions that require us to use as
little energy as possible. One can
guess that this could be traced to
how busy the American working
force is. Day in and day out we run
around at full speed. We hardly have
time anymore to sit back and do
something we enjoy. This is where
laziness kicks in. Not having time
to do these simple things results in
us taking the most pointless shortcuts. Even though you all are extremely busy and focusing on things
far more important than pizza and
perfect abs, take the time to do
something you enjoy and be the best
person you can be: lazy free.
THE BLUEPRINT
By Lauren Meech and Kristen Pons
Mr. Gentry, Freshman
Reli gion Teacher
1. How many years have
you been teaching at SMCHS?
Zero.
2. Do you like it here?
Yes, very much.
3. What college did you
go to?
Catholic University of
America in Washington D.C.
4. Are you married?
No. “He’s on the market” says Mr. Mercer.
5. Do you have any pets?
Yes, a half Jack Russell
and half Chihuahua.
6. What do you miss most
about high school?
Singing and acting in
plays.
7. PF
Chang’s
or
Cheesecake Factory?
Cheesecake Factory.
Huge portions and then you’re
too full for the cheesecake, but
you still order it!
8. What’s your favorite
dessert?
A really good, moist
carrot cake with a lot of cream
cheese frosting.
9. How many licks does
it take you to get to the center
of a Tootsie Pop?
I’m like the owl…3
licks and a crunch.
10. Were you popular
in high school?
Yes. I went to El Toro,
I was a cool public school
kid.
11. What do you want
for Christmas?
A new guitar
12. What’s the best
gift you have ever received?
Working here. I was
unemployed when I found
this job on the internet. I got
hired the same day.
13. Santa Claus or
Mrs. Claus?
Mrs. Claus because
she gets no attention like
Santa does.
14. Rudolph or Frosty?
Rudolph. I can relate
to him. He is misunderstood.
15. Who would be
your dream kiss under
mistletoe?
Did you not get the
part when I said I’m single?!
If I said a celebrity, everyone would say ewww! I’m
damned if I say something,
I’m damned if I don’t.
Faculty Advisor
Ms. Rhodes
[email protected]
Campus Ministry Editors
Lauren Giudice
Kyle Richter
Editors in Chief
Emily McCartney
Olivia Staffon
World News/Health Editor
Gaby Duva
Co-Editor
Lauren Vargas
Managing Editor
Samantha Toth
News Editor
Samantha Toth
Features Editors
Alexis King
Laura Schmeltzer
Entertainment Editor
Ross Kirkbaumer
Sports Editor
Allison Acevedo
Co-Editors
Ryan McGuire
Brian Sanvido
Opinion/Editorial Editor
Alex Worthen
Co-Editor
Niki Genthe
Campus Life/Photo Editor
Lindsay Mortenson
Special Section Editors
Parris Wells
Alyssa Wolpin
Beginning Staff Writers
Kevin Avjian
Aria Bendix
Karlie Borzansky
Kevin Clark
Camille del Carmen
Caitlin Doud
Adam Enochs
Denise Fernandez
Amanda Figueroa
Katelyn Finneran
Paige Glasser
Kelsey Hummer
Lauren Hundley
Ross Kingsley
Alexa Kosco
Allison Le
Lauren Meech
Dean Navarro
Elizabeth Pinner
Kristen Pons
Jackie Pritzl
Caroline Rivera
Polina Romashkova
Amanda Rooth
Derek Smith
Karenna Soto
Noelle Sumner
Cheyane Swarbrick
Clark Taylor
Cody Webster
Jake Whelan
Kevin Witt
Melissa Zornig
Advanced Staff Writers
Julia Boyle
Morgan Brutocao
Becca Caraveo
Caroline Christ
Sky Cracraft
Kenna Crouse
Spencer Feldmann
Edward Fernandez
Nicolette Fernandez
Kerri Hall
Amanda Kiepe
Ashley Kotero
Karsyn Kraft
Michelle Loftus
Melissa Merrill
Lauren Rodriguez
*Comments and editorial opinions expressed in The Blueprint are
the staff’s and do not represent the position of the school, its
administration, faculty or students.
The Blueprint welcomes your comments and questions at
[email protected].
8
MOVIES
MUSIC
& MORE
Heidi and Spencer: The Perfect Couple?
Audrina and Lauren: Friends or Foes?
Katy Perry and Others Peform at Jingle Ball
The Truth
Hurts,
Doesn’t It?
By Amanda Kiepe
Over the last few years,
MTV’s The Hills has captivated millions of viewers across
the country and internationally.
As a result of the show’s success, a new breed of celebrity
has been born: the reality TV
star. But how did Lauren
Conrad, Heidi Montag, and
Audrina Patridge become famous? By doing absolutely
nothing but creating drama,
that’s how.
Recently, the show has
come under harsh criticism after it was revealed that The
Hills is actually a “faux reality
show.” The cast has repeatedly defended the show by saying that the drama is completely
Jingle Ball
Rocked!
By Morgan Brutocao
Without beating around
the bush, KIIS FM’s promotional Jingle Ball was by far the
greatest concert I have ever
been to. Past Jingle Ball concerts have been held at the
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater,
an outside venue in Irvine. The
popular radio station certainly
changed things up by having
this year ’s concert at the
Honda Center in Anaheim. This
indoor concert arena had a remarkable sound system that
simply doesn’t even compare to
that of any concert outside.
Most of the acts performed in
a short time of fifteen minutes
where artists like Chris Brown,
Akon, and the Pussycat Dolls
evidently stole the stage for
longer intervals.
Predictably, Chris Brown
had the crowd screaming from
“Wall to Wall.” I suppose the
cliché of ‘saving the best for
last’ truly came into play as he
took the stage. He never ceased
to amaze fans with his distinctive dance moves as he obviously executed his routine with
Entertainment What’s Hot this Month real, but due to technical difficulties, the drama sometimes has to be reenacted in
order to have the perfect camera angle and lighting for each
scene. But as the truth comes
out, I kind of have to ask:
What else about the show is
not so real?
The purpose of The
Hills was to document
Lauren’s new life of independence as she left her home
of Laguna Beach to attend
the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in
L.A. She was like an average O.C. girl when she left,
with dreams of success in
college and doing well at her
internship with Teen Vogue.
Lauren has worked hard and
now has a fashion label and
an awesome job at a fashion
firm. She deserves everything she has earned, but what
about the other cast members?
Heidi Montag and her
ease and utter perfection. His
charisma and blissful energy
captured the attention of every
single person in the building.
Chris Brown’s company was
satisfying enough for me and
then Rihanna casually walked
on stage as the song “Umbrella” came on. I pretty much,
FREAKED OUT . . . actually
no that would be an understatement. The couple’s chemistry
during their performance made
every girl envious that Rihanna
got to share that moment with
him. When the familiar tune of
his hot single “With You”
started playing, the lyrics were
heard from every person. Of
course when his act reached
it’s end, it was especially hard
for all to “Say Goodbye” to an
impacting performance that left
everyone in awe.
The Pussycat Dolls put
on yet another stunning performance, and undeniably were at
the same level as Chris Brown.
Their outfits were absolutely
adorable and their dedication
and passion for dancing and
singing was rather obvious. I
believe that the girls certainly
lived up to the title of their most
recent album, Doll Domination.
When it came time for
Jesse McCartney to take the
boyfriend, Spencer Pratt, are
two cast members who have
unrealistic careers. Heidi, a
fashion school drop-out, decided to pursue a party career
with an event planning firm
called Bolthouse Productions.
With no college education, she
became an event planner and
worked closely with Brent
Bolthouse, who is one of the
most influential people in the development of L.A.’s nightlife
scene. Whenever I watch the
show, I always wonder if Heidi
has any clue how to do her job.
Obviously, she got the job because she always has a camera crew following her around
work. Just think, what would be
a better way for Brent to promote Bolthouse Productions
than by using a popular MTV
reality show? Heidi is so bad
at her job, that on the November 4th episode, Brent finally
fired her because she decided
to party instead of work at the
stage, my anticipation doubled,
and then tripled as we all waited
for his “Beautiful Soul.” He
looked exceptionally attractive
as always, and his voice had the
ability to leave any girl in a stupor. One guest that wasn’t even
mentioned in the line-up was
Akon. Actually he revealed to
the audience that he wasn’t
even supposed to be there but
he felt that he merely couldn’t
turn it down. Akon was also one
of my favorite performances
since all the songs he sang were
popular hits among us fans.
Several artists also wowed the
crowd such as Estelle, Kardinal
Offishall, Tokio Hotel, Menudo,
Colby O Donis, Katy Perry, and
David Banner.
In addition, Khloe
Kardashian was the host of her
own platform in which she entitled “Khloe’s Celebrity
Lounge.” Throughout the night,
surprise celebrity guests made
appearances in her “lounge.”
Khloe introduced the surprise
celebrities to the ranting audience, followed by brief, casual
conversations with the stars.
Alongside their sister Khloe,
Kourtney Kardashian and
Brody Jenner were in high spirits as they gave shout-outs to
thousands of starstruck fans.
Kourtney kept it short and
opening of his new Hollywood nightclub. Brent eventually rehired her, but Heidi
was demoted and lost her
lovely personal office. Then,
there’s Spencer Pratt. What
does he do? No, seriously, I
want to know, what does he
do? How can he afford that
awesome BMW that he
cruises around Hollywood in?
Whenever I see him, he is
always in the apartment, sitting on the couch, doing
NOTHING. I think I saw him
reading a book once, but that
had to have been some kind
of optical illusion. And, believe it or not, he always refers to the living room as “the
office.” Without the status of
being reality stars, Heidi and
Spencer wouldn’t be able to
afford anything.
Then, there’s Audrina.
What’s the story behind her?
Well, according to an interview she did with Rolling
Stone, while lounging by the
pool of her apartment complex,
Audrina was asked to be on
The Hills by one of the show’s
producers. She had never met
Lauren before, but she was
hired by MTV to assume the
role of Lauren’s new “best
friend.” When Heidi and
Audrina met for the first time,
the conversation was real, but
the producers told them both to
be at a certain place at a certain time of day so that the cameras could catch has new a
show called The City, and
Brody
Jenner’s
show
Bromance premieres along with
Whitney’s show at the end of
the month. But what will happen to the cast of The Hills
when the cameras are shut off
and stop following them around?
Maybe when the cameras go
away and we stop caring, the
cast will finally receive the reality check that they desperately need.
sweet, while Brody anxiously
promoted the upcoming premier
of his MTV show Bromance.
A plethora of girls (including
myself) revealed their love for
the striking Brody Jenner when
we simply couldn’t stop letting
out screams of excitement as
his face flashed across the
jumbo tron. As if those screams
weren’t deafening enough,
Khloe announces, “And now
joining us, ladies, he’s a star
from Twili. . .”, her voice slowly
faded as my eardrums became
bombarded with one large, continuous ear- “AHHH!”
Emmett Cullen or real life actor Kellan Lutz, although com-
pletely overwhelmed and surprised by the obsession of the
omnipresent Twilight fans, gave
his friendliest, most heartfelt
greeting. Although I was definitely misled by thinking I was
going to be graced by the presence of Edward Cullen,
Emmett is roughly almost as
handsome as Edward, so I had
no complaints. I guess me and
the other Twilight fanatics could
say we were “dazzled” by his
charm. Other appearances
scattered throughout the concert included Christina Milian,
the cast of the new Beverly
Hills 90210, David Archueleta,
along with a few others.
Chris Brown pleasing the crowd. Photo Courtesy from Morgan Brutocao
9
2008
N O V E M B E R
MONTHLY
Boys Basketball UPDATES ON
Girls Soccer OUR FELLOW
SM TEAMS
Girls Basketball SPORTS
Girls Water Polo Boys Soccer Wrestling The Varsity Advanced
Cheerleaders received first
place at the USA Holiday Classic on December 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center. (To
the left)
The Varsity Songleaders
received first place in the Varsity Song Team Performance
Division at the National Dance
Association Classic Championship in San Diego on December 13. (To the right)
Photo Courtesy of smhs.org
Photo Courtesy of smhs.org
Common Sports Injuries
By Jake Whelan
The most common
sports injuries vary from male to
female, but some of them are not
what you expect. Some of these
most common injuries, according to Google Search, are very
surprising. Many sports are very
similar to both male and female;
here are these sports and the injury that haunts them the most.
BOTH MALE AND
FEMALE
Volleyball- ankle sprain
Basketball- ankle sprain
Soccer- hamstring sprain
Cross-Country- runner’s
knee (wearing away of the cartilage under the knee cap.)
Golf- back pain
Water Polo- eye irritation
Extreme
Sports
(Motocross, BMX, etc…) fractures
Skiing- knees (include
ACL/MCL tear)
Snowboarding- wrist (include sprains and breaks)
Baseball/Softball- ligament sprain
Tennis- ankle sprain
Next there are some
sports that apply mainly to males
or females. There are also some
sports that are different when the
game is played. For example, lacrosse is a totally different sport
when girls play from when guys
play the game. Again, many of
these will be very surprising.
MALE
Football- ACL/ concussion
Wrestling- dental trauma
Lacrosse- knee strain
(from non-contact)
Hockey- knee strain
FEMALE
Dance- ankle sprain
Lacrosse- head/eyes
Gymnastics- tendon
overuse
Cheerleading- ankle
sprain
Some of these injuries,
such as dental trauma in wrestling, are really surprising. It
probably comes from falling on
the mat time after time. But the
thing that was really surprising
was the amount of ankle sprains
being the most common in so
many different sports. Most of
the ankle sprains come from
landing on your ankle awkward,
which many of these sports require you to do. In sports like lacrosse and hockey, one would
expect that the most common
injury would be from contact, like
a concussion, but it isn’t. It is the
knees from moving suddenly.
This is because the lower body,
including knees and ankles, are
the part of the body that is most
prone to injury. Football was almost expected, with the hard hits
and falls, a concussion is likely
to happen.
There are so many injuries that can happen to an athlete. These are just the most
common injury to a particular
sport. Athletes watch out!
A front view and a back view of a torn ACL. Photo Courtesy of google.com
Girls’ Cross Country Ends a Great Season
By Lauren Hundley
Girls’ Cross Country
has had another fantastic season. The team was lead by
Coach Gil Garcia and Assistant Coaches Hayes Ferry
and Callie Goldberg. The
2008 Varsity team: Jessica
Mumaugh, Monica Baker,
Christen Summers, Annie
Anderson, Lindsey Mann,
Sarah Porter, Lauren Gallogly,
Rebecca Fernandez, and
Brooke Talbot had a difficult
season ahead of them.
Due to last year’s
graduation, the team lost five
varsity players and only had
two returning. Only five of
the seven varsity runners had
been on the team before.
Therefore they were not expected to do well this season.
The girls knew at the beginning of that they would have
to work extra hard to advance to the CIF and state finals. Because the girl’s had
successful season, in preparation for League finals entered the Jaguar invitational
and won by three points.
With the varsity girls,
placing third in league finals
and advanced to the CIF Prelims. This was a huge accom-
plishment for the team, as well
as the coaches. The girls beat
rivals J. Serra, Mater Dei, and
Rosary. Senior Jessica
Mumaugh, junior Christen
Summers, sophomores Lindsey
Mann, Monica Baker, and
freshman Sarah Porter had
many of their personal best,
which help the girls advance
to CIF prelims.
Coach Garcia says,
“Overall, I would say the girls’
hard work in many hot fall
days, close team bond they
share and their determination
to go after their goals has been
an unforgettable journey and
great experience for the girls.”
Varsity posing after their race. Photo Courtesy of Lindsey Mann
Girls’
Soccer Kicks off
By Dean Navarro
The girls soccer program at Santa Margarita
Catholic High School has had
success in previous years and
will continue improve through
out the years to come. This
year a lot is expected with the
help of top players. Three
girls have already committed
to colleges including junior
Ashley Kotero to Auburn University, senior Lauren
Edwards to Texas Christian
University and senior Parris
Wells to St. Louis University.
There will be many more players committing to colleges
In the CIF prelims the
varsity girls placed forth out
of 16 teams. All of the Santa
Margarita girls placed in the
top 50. This qualified the girls
to the CIF Finals at Mt. SAC.
With the girl’s season coming
to and end after an upset at
the finals, this girls still walked
out with an incredible season
to look back on. Even though
the races were tough, these
girls have shown that they are
ready for the challenge and
they are looking to do their
best in future races.
Congrats on a great
season and best of luck to the
future seasons ahead.
soon and will go on to have a
bright future. But now the focus is on the high school season.
The girls’ first home
game was on December 9 th
against Woodbridge with an
unfortunate result. Their next
home game will hopefully end
with a win. Our support has
helped them achieve victories
and motivation to dominate in
tournaments in the past. The
Trabuco Tournament December 12th-15 th went (tournament
result). With nine seniors on the
team this year, we will have an
advantage to tackle big schools
like Mater Dei. Varsity coach
Chuck Morales has led the
girls soccer program to many
victories at Santa Margarita.
He has a successful past in
soccer coaching and this year
will hopefully be one of them.
Upcoming Girls Soccer Home Games
Alumni GameSaturday, Dec. 20th @ 6:00
Mater Dei GameThursday, Jan. 15th @ 3:15
JSerra GameThursday, Jan. 22 @ 3:15
Rosary GameThursday, Jan. 29 @ 3:15
10
The Blueprint
December 2008
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Campus Ministry
Parents, Teachers, and Alumni Retreat Leaders
By Karsyn Kraft
1. Who is your child and
what grade are they in at SM?
2. What retreat did you attend?
3. What positive experience
did you get out of it? 4. What, in
your opinion, do you think the
students got out of the retreat?
5. What advice do you have for
students who may go on retreats this year? 6. What was
your favorite thing you saw at
the retreat? 7. Why did you decide to go on the retreat? 8. Do
you recommend other parents
lead retreats? Why?
Parents:
Mr. Perri:1. Jennifer PerriSenior. 2. Kairos 90 3. To listen to
the students and hear them talk is
very moving. These students inspired me. But most important my
daughter let me experience this special time with her. It is something
we will always have to share for
the rest of our lives. I hope my other
2 daughters will let me go on there
retreats? 4. That is not fair to ask! I
do not want to spoil it for others.
Every student is different and every bodies experience is different!
I will tell you one thing that is beautiful to see. It is when all the kids
are in the groove together!5. You
are the luckiest kids in the world
that have the opportunity to take
these retreats. Do not worry about
who is going, just go and have a
great time. Take advantage of the
time and enjoy the experience. 6.
The day my daughter got the mess
a
g
e
.
7. They needed a male chaperone
and my daughter asked me if I
would go. I also heard about Kairos
and thought it would be a great experience. 8. Yes, I would advise
other parents to go only if there kids
do not have a problem with them
attending! It is awesome to see their
transformation and experience it
with them! Remember it’s “All in
God’s time”!
Mrs. Borzansky:1. Karlie
Borzansky - Junior 2. Fall Sophomore & Junior 3. Seeing my daughter in a leadership role, meeting other
parents, and my own soul searching. 4. Learn to open up, there are
other kids in their same situation,
learn about someone before you
judge them, closer to their search
for God, take what they have learned
and live it every day. 5. Go with an
open mind and open heart and take
back with you what you learned. 6.
Friendships that developed or became closer with their friends. 7.
The first one was out of
necessity(they really needed someone) and the second one I really
looked forward to knowing what
was to come. 8. I think the key is
we didn’t “lead” We just helped out.
We got to experience our kids in a
completely different situation than
at least I had ever seen. I think most
parents wouldn’t want to “lead”,
just “experience”. The parents I
have talked to about going on a retreat all had the same response
which was , “ I don’t think my kid
would want me there.” And I say,
“ask them!!” or help on a different
one so the school can continue to
offer them.
Teachers: 1. What Retreats have you gone on? 2.
What was your best memory
from any of these Retreats? 3.
What advice do you have for students that are debating on going on Kairos, or any other re-
experience of so much love that
students had for each other and
for God. Prayer times seemed so
real and authentic and students
wanted to be there. There was a
great sense of hope that students
experienced after sharing their
heavy burdens and trails with each
other. Students became alive in a
whole new way. They desired
closer relationships with their
newly formed friends and were
searching deeply to find everlasting love of God.
3.It is an unbelievable gift
that you give to yourself by attending any retreat. The love and support that you receive are so real.
to attend retreats. It’s a way to grow
closer to God and your classmates.
For most seniors, it is a life-changing
experience and it prepares them to
take on the challenges of college. 4.
I enjoy getting to know students outside of the classroom and supporting
them in their spiritual journeys. 5. It
seems that students walk away from
retreats with a deeper appreciation
for their faith and for the opportunity
to attend a God-centered school.
Leaving their daily routines and focusing on what’s important gives
them a chance to grow closer to God.
When the classmates do this together
on retreat, not only are they individually renewed, but they share a spe-
treat? 4. Why do you enjoy going
on these Retreats? 5. What, in
your opinion, do you believe that
students get out of Retreats?
Mr. Ron Blanc: 1. I have led
16 Kairos retreats, but Kairos is the
only retreat I’ve gone on here. 2.
Seeing the students discover their
personal relationship with Jesus and
bonding together as a senior class. 3.
Take the leap of faith and go! Be
open and realize that God is calling
you to be there. Kairos doesn’t make
you think a certain way, but it does
make you think. 4. I keep going back
to help our students see how special
they are in God’s eyes and how special our school really is. 5. Students
get what they put into the retreats.
The more they are open to listen to
what God is telling them, the more
they find how much they are loved
by God and others.
Mrs. Hormuth: 1. I have
experience all grade-level retreats
here at SM over the past five years.
They were an incredible experience
of God’s love experienced through
new friendships, the healing and transformation of closed hearts to open
hearts of students. 2. The love….The
It also is a way to make new and
lasting friendships. They will experience God in a whole new way.
They will have memories that will
last them a life time. They need
to put all their fears aside and trust
God. They are in store for an unbelievable four day ride in paradise. 4. I enjoy going because I
am part of God’s miracles happening right before my eyes. To
be part of the emotional and spiritual healing gives me such great
joy. 5. Students only get out of a
retreat what they put into the retreat. To that degree, they will have
either an incredible experience of
God, new friendships and love or
a time that is boring, dismal. Students are invited to open their
hearts and let God reveal to them
great healings and insights into their
lives. God has only good things in
store for them.
Mrs. Kretzmer: 1. I’ve
attended numerous sophomore
retreats and a few Kairos retreats.
2. My best memory was Kairos
78 because it was my first Kairos
experience and the students were
open to God’s work in their lives.
3. I highly encourage all students
cial bond with others who experience
the same growth. Many lifelong
friendships are formed on these retreats.
Alumni:1. What
retreat did you lead? 2. Why did
you decide to go on these retreats? 3. What’s your best
memory?
Bobby Henry (2007 graduate): 1. I have led 8 retreats but I’ve
been on eleven. I went on freshman
retreats, sophomore retreats, and
Kairos 79. I was one of sixteen
people that attended and it was awesome. But I’ve led Kairos 80, 81,
84, 85,
86,
88,
89,
and 91.
2. There have been so many
good memories. I’ll say one from
each Kairos. On Kairos 79, we had
so few people that we could play a
real game of volleyball (6 on 6) and
only leave out one team to play the
winner. On K80, I sang a song about
chocolate (long story). On K81, I
pelted Caroline Bramlage in the face
with a water balloon. On K84, Gaby
Bruno lost her voice and then tried to
gobble like a turkey. Probably the
funniest sound I’ve ever heard. On
K85, Mr. Lindabury danced to the
Fanta song in front of everyone and
I, of course, joined in. On K86, it
snowed. It was awesome! On K88,
we saw a giant lizard. Or snake? Or
dragon? I’m not sure what it was,
but if you ask my group, everyone
will tell you something different. On
K89, we had an epic baseball game
where the Blancs umpired. They
were terrible!!! On K91, I threw a
pen about forty feet into a trash can.
He shoots, he scores!!!
3. Ok, I’ll be honest. I
wasn’t huge on retreats. In fact, I
didn’t like my first two so I don’t go
on the junior retreat. But Kairos has
changed my life. I mean, I’ve been
on nine Kairos and I have 3 or 4 left
in me. Ok, not only do you have fun,
but you get a really cool shirt and
mug. Plus, you get to meet me. That
is a HUGE bonus. But, in all seriousness Kairos is no ordinary retreat.
You make new friends, become
closer to your old friends, and maybe
learn a thing or two about life. I know
that I lead the retreats, but I still get
something out of each and everyone one. Most importantly, I make
new friends. I could fill this entire
newspaper with the amazing people
I’ve met from retreats. So, I highly
recommend that you go on Kairos,
it will change your life.
Annie Baine (2006 graduate):1. I have lead 12 retreats.
Sophomore Retreat ’07, Junior Retreat ’08, and Kairos 73, 75, 76, 79,
82, 84, 85, 87, 88 and 89.
2. Oh man, there are so
many! Each retreat there are so
many things that happen whether
they are hilarious or serious. But the
funniest thing that has happened to
me was on K89 when we were playing on the Slip-n-Slide and I took the
mat with me the whole was down.
3. Retreats, especially at
Santa Margarita, give you the opportunity to get to know others, yourself, and most importantly your relationship with God. Any retreat provides the chance for you to get to
know your classmates and make
new friends. Retreats also provide
you the chance to release all stress
and burdens. The best part is coming back and having that feeling of
pure happiness, nothing in the world
can beat that!
Lauren Sanvido (2008
graduate): 1. I have led a freshman retreat, a sophomore retreat, 2
Kairos, and a few retreats for my
church 2. Kairos....those are
secrets 3. Even if you are not a religious person, God will find a way to
touch your life. It can be through the
amazing people that you meet or
through getting to know yourself
better. I always come back from
retreats feeling like I am on top of
the world and I would not trade that
feeling for anything!
11
The Blueprint
The Student Newspaper of Santa Margarita Catholic High School
December 2008
Special Section
The Meaning of
“The Twelve
Days of
Christmas”
By Carly Rivera
and Amanda
Figueroa
We have all heard the
Christmas carol, The 12 Days
of Christmas, but we do not
take into consideration the reason why each of the twelve
gifts were given. Despite the
unusual lyrics, this song has a
serious meaning regarding the
Catholic religion. This song was
a “catechism song” sung from
1558 to 1829 that helped young
Catholics in England learn
about their Catholic faith.
Each gift in
the song has a secret meaning
that refers to their religious
roots. First off, the “true love”
in the song does not refer to a
significant other, but rather to
God, and the “me” who receives the gifts refers to every
baptized person in the Catholic Church.
1st day
day:: The “partridge
Christmas
Traditions
By Katelyn Finneran
Tradition is the passing
down of elements in a culture
from generation to generation
especially by oral communication. Many families have traditions around the Christmas
season. Traditions vary from
the Christmas trees to Christmas dinners. Each can be
based off of a religion or culture. But the biggest tradition
of all is Christmas itself and the
celebration of the birth of
Jesus.
The tradition of Santa
Clause came from a very generous Saint, Saint Nicholas, he
was particularly devoted to
children. The feast of Saint
Nicholas was on the 6 th of
December, where gifts and
charity were exchanged, and
still is celebrated today. Another tradition with Saint
Nicholas is that Dutch children
would leave their shoes out on
the fireplace and goodies would
be left in them in the morning
by Saint Nicholas.
In Germany during the
16 th -century fir trees were
in a pear tree” is Jesus Christ
on the cross because he symbolically represented a
mother partridge keeping
dangers away from her babies. The tree is a symbol of
the fall of the human race
through Adam and Eve as
well as a symbol of Christ’s
redemption on the tree of the
cross.
2 nd day
day: The “two
turtle doves” represent the
Old and New Testaments.
3 rd day
day: The “three
French hens” stand for faith,
hope, and love – the three
theological virtues.
4 th day
day:: The “four
calling birds” refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
the four evangelists Gospel
writers who sing the song of
salvation through Jesus
Christ.
5 th day
day:: The “five
golden rings” represent the
first five books of the Bible
– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
6 th day
day:: The “six
geese a-laying” are the six
days of creation.
7 th day
day: The “seven
swans a-swimming” refers to
the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
– wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety
and fear of the Lord.
8 th day
day: The “eight
maids a-milking” reminded children of the eight Beatitudes
from the Sermon on the Mount.
9th day
day:: The “nine ladies
dancing” were the nine fruits of
the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.
10th day
day: The “ten lords
a-leaping” refer to the Ten
Commandments.
11 th day
day: The “eleven
pipers piping” refer to the
eleven disciples.
12 th day
day:: The “twelve
drummers drumming” were the
twelve points of belief expressed
in the Apostle’s Creed.
So next time you hear this
song, you should remind yourself that Christmas is not just
about receiving gifts; it is a time
to grow closer to God and your
faith. By singing “The Twelve
Days,” we can spread the
Christmas spirit to all.
decorated with apples, roses,
gilded candies, and colored
papers, symbolizing the Garden of Eden (the Paradise
Tree), thus bringing about the
tradition of the Christmas
tree. Interesting fact: if the
candy is held upright, it is the
shape of a shepherd’s staff,
and Jesus used this to gather
his sheep. If you turn the
candy upside down, it becomes the letter J for Jesus.
The tradition of kissing
under the Mistletoe begins in
Scandinavia where they
would kiss under the mistletoe to make up with someone if there were any problems between the two. Others believed that if people in
love kissed under the mistletoe they would have lifetime
happiness together. According to the website,
TheHolidaySpot.com, “Later,
the eighteenth-century English credited with a certain
magical appeal called a kissing ball. At Christmas time a
young lady standing under a
ball of mistletoe, brightly
trimmed with evergreens,
ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such
a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship
and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot
expect not to marry the following year. In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe is
burned on the twelfth night lest
all the boys and girls who have
kissed under it never marry.”
For many people, they look
forward to the wonderful traditions they share with their family and friends during the Christmas season. I interviewed a few
people around school to see their
favorite traditions: Gina Aquino
says her favorite tradition is
“putting up the Christmas tree
and spending time with her family”. Blaire Paiso: “driving
around with the family and looking at the Christmas lights”.
Amy Ayala says “her family has
sat by the tree every Christmas
eve and read The Polar Express for as long as she can
remember”. “Watching the
Muppets Christmas carol” is
Colleen O’Sulivan’s favorite tradition. Preston Mahler says his
favorite tradition is “eating food
and hanging out with his family!”
I hope you all enjoy your
holiday season and the many
traditions you share with your
families and friends. Remember what the traditions truly
mean! Make new ones, and the
keeps the ones you’ve had for
always!
Top Five Christmas Gifts for 2008!
By Noelle Sumner
1. Macbook Air laptop
laptop: you can buy this at the Apple Store
starting at $1,799.
2. Nintendo Wii
Wii:: You can buy this at Best Buy or any other
game system stores for $249.99.
3. Apple iPod Touch 8 GB
GB:: You can buy this gift at the
Apple Store starting at $229.
4. Apple iPhone 3g
3g:: You can get the iPhone at the Apple
Store and it costs $300.
5. Canon PowerShot Digital Camera
Camera:: You can buy this
online at www.canon.com or at any store that sells cameras such as
Circuit City and it costs $149.99.
Christmas presents under a tree. Photo courtesy of
Google.
Christmas
Snooping!
By Kenna Crouse
Christmas is almost here!
This is the time when your parents are running around frantically trying to find the gifts that
you will love. We are all a little
anxious to know what these
mysterious presents are and
how can you wait a month when
we all know where they are hidden: the closets, garage, and
even under beds. The dilemma
is whether or not snooping ruins
your fun. Either finding the hidden stash of presents or waiting
till they are wrapped and sitting
under the tree… that’s when it’s
even more tempting. Unwrapping the present, just taking a
peak to see what it is and then
carefully rewrapping it, by the
time you finish high school you
will have it down to a science.
Snooping could either make or
break your Christmas all depending on how you look at it. If you
find out you didn’t get what you
want, you’re likely to be heartbroken and if you end up getting exactly what you want it’s even
harder to wait till Christmas morning to get it. We asked some Santa
Margarita students what they think:
“I wanted a game boy but I
got a doll instead. Snooping ruined
my Christmas.” Jen Perri
“I found car keys, but I already knew I was getting a car so
it didn’t really matter.” Lauren
Edwards
“When I was eight, my
brother Kevin said that we were
getting Atari for Christmas, and I
didn’t believe him because Santa
hadn’t come yet so he couldn’t
possibly know. So he took me into
our sister’s room and under the bed
were all of our presents. That was
the year I found out Santa wasn’t
real.” Mr.Trotter.
Happy holidays!