Senior Chad Ummel, period 1

Ummel will be packing his bags for college soon and plans to go to UC Berkley to major in Physics.

Ummel has had a long love for music. Playing guitar for six years, his rock band Glass Giant recently won first place in Battle of the Bands. Most would be surprised to learn Glass Giant has only recently started to play for audiences.

“We just started playing in January,” Ummel said. “We pulled it together in only a month.”

Senior Laura Kelly, period 2

As the year winds down, Kelly has been busy with everything from studying for AP exams to volunteer services.

Attending UC Davis in the fall, Kelly will be majoring in Linguistics and Anthropology. Although Kelly has already found her major for college, she has a true passion for helping others. Kelly is currently in the Children’s Relief Colition which helps raise funds for young boys in Honduras.

“It’s really great because it’s not a huge sacrifice,” Kelly said. “I have everything I need so why not help somebody else?”

Freshman Garrison Zoutendyk, period 5

Zoutendyk also plays guitar but plays in the band Occupancy 64. The band has played together for a while now and has discovered they have a various array of music styles.

“I like any kind of music from soft classic rock to bands that make you want to jump off a cliff like heavy metal,” Zoutendyk said.

If Zoutendyk isn’t playing guitar, he is most likely down at Ponto Beach working on his surfing skills. Zoutendyk considers making Surf PE as a freshman his greatest accomplishment this year. This opportunity has given him a chance to embrace his passion while hanging out with friends.

“It’s fun because sometimes you get to ride with dolphins or fight sharks,” Zoutendyk said.

Freshman Jeff Trujillo, period 6

Trujillo would rather play soccer after school with his friends in AVID. AVID, or Advancement Via Independent Determination, has helped Trujillo excel in his classes. Trujillo has found a family there because they all support each other.

“I always have a lot of questions. So, once I know the answers, I can help other people with their questions,” Trujillo said. “AVID prepares you for college and gives you a head start in whatever you want to do.”

Behind every desk there is a student, and behind every student there is a story of dedication or passion for doing what they love.

According to Teens in the Work Force by Alison Morantz, 16.5 percent of teenagers work over thirty hours a week while juggling school. Every now and then, I have a week where I work over thirty hours and I feel like I am going to die. I have no idea how teenagers manage  working so many hours a week for endless months.  When do they have time to sleep? Probably never. Maybe a few hours if they get lucky.

Last time I checked, a good night’s sleep is extremely essential for one’s health. Sleep deprivation causes fatigue, clumsiness, weight gain and negatively affects the brain. Not enough sleep will most likely negatively affect a student’s performance in school. How can students stay awake in class, pay attention and learn while getting no sleep the night before.

With long hours of work and coming home late every night when will students find time to do homework and study. Do industries realize overworking students can possibly ruins their grades let alone the future. If companies only had minors work twenty hours a week then they would have more time to study and sleep. I think everyone deserves at least six hours of sleep a night and businesses do not make this possible for minors.

Actually, there is a law to prevent overworking minors but obviously many companies do not follow this. According to the law minors can only work twenty hours a week during school and cannot work more than four hours on a week day. Every single company needs to obey this law because the law exists for a reason. I am pretty sure if the government did a better job enforcing this law then the amount of overworking minors would not turn into such an issue.

With all of this work and school when will minors have time to enjoy themselves and have fun? When students look back on their high school experience they should have more memories than school and work. All industries need to do everyone a favor and make sure minors do not work more that twenty hours a week.

This years royal prom court was announced by CHSTV on May 8 four days after voting ended. ASB used this extension to count the endless ballots that were collected April 27 in senior English classes. These 12 candidates justly represent CHS’s Senior class, with a wide variety of involvement in the school.

The 2012 prom court is:

Piyush Prakash, Salutatorian
Jeremy Juybari, School Board Representative
Dylan Donn, Sound Express member
Alex Ramirez, Active Surfer
Kevin Menacer, Varsity Football player
Kyle Larson, School Mascot

Zoe White, Former Miss Teen Carlsbad
Juliana Sanchez, Athletic Trainer
Emily Law, Valedictorian
Loren Galdiano, Varsity Lacrosse player
Sam Torreto ,Varsity Water Polo player
Olivia Oas, ASB Executive Council

In order to vote, upperclassmen must buy their prom tickets. ASB will be selling prom tickets outside of the library during lunch and after school the rest of the week. Tickets purchased during this week will be $45.00 with ASB sticker, $50.00 without ASB sticker, and $55.00 for guests. However, starting May 14, all tickets will be available only during lunch with an increase in price. It is advised to take advantage of the reduced price the first week of sales.

If you intend on bringing a guest to prom, a flyer must be picked up in the office and signed by your guest’s principal and our principal, Dr. Steitz. Guest passes must be turned in two days prior to the dance so Dr. Steitz can approve them.

Upperclassmen do not let the stress of the closing year restrict you from having the time of your life, make your way to the prom ticket table to buy a ticket and vote for this year’s prom king and queen.

Lawrence Liu, a junior at Carlsbad High School, was offered the chance to apply to USC last fall. Recently, he found out he was one of the 20 juniors accepted into the internationally recognized program.

“Well, they offered it and I decided to take it,” Liu said. “I’ll also be granted a scholarship since I received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program”.

Ranking within the top of the top 5% of the 2013 graduating class and dedicating himself to many extracurricular activities, Liu’s application easily addressed the specific qualifications for early admission.

“The focuses of the application were leadership, merit and achievement, participation in the community and dedication to extracurricular activities”, Liu said.

Liu’s current academic abilities can be attributed to his bright childhood; he could solve complex multiplication and subtraction problems in preschool, and he took Algebra 1 in third grade. This early knowledge in math and many other subjects have allowed him to take Calculus 3 and several AP classes this year as a junior. He also received a 2300 on the SAT and scored highly on the Math II, Physics, and Chinese SAT II tests.

Although very academically inclined, Liu isn’t a strict scholar and doesn’t consider himself as such. He practices his skills as a magician, writes piano composition, plays percussion and holds a black belt in martial arts.

Liu’s past and current accomplishments foreshadow his inevitable success at USC. As with most students, however, his future is still uncertain.

“I’m planning on majoring in mechanical engineering, but I’m not sure. I’ll probably triple major though,” Liu said.

The dance, for many young men, brings many challenges. From finding a date, to picking an outfit, to worrying about dance moves, prom can cause anxiety and stress for the timid and shy high school boys across the country. The obstacles they face are but trifles in comparison to conjuring up ideas to ask a fair maiden to go to the dance with him.

“The most important part of the prom dance is how you ask a girl to go with you, not even going to the dance itself,” junior Jacob Evans said.

Because of the high expectations from the female population, the ways of asking a girl to prom turn emotions of excitement into anxiety.

“At first I was lost, I had no ideas and I was scared that my girlfriend would be dissatisfied with how I asked her,” junior Justin Evans said .

The pressure of prom dwells upon the shoulders of the men in high school. As the event grows closer, young men must scour the internet for creative ideas and ways to ask their sweetheart to prom. The process can sometimes be overwhelming and the anxiety, too much to handle.

“I knew I wanted to do it in a creative way, but I just don’t know how,” junior Marshall Daines said. “I didn’t know what would be enough”.

Many students wonder what is the correct way to ask a girl to prom. There is no correct way! How you ask a girl has a major factor in the success rate of obtaining a date, but if sufficient effort is put in with a little heart, you should be fine.

“I asked my girlfriend to prom by having my teammates and me hold up signs saying ‘Summer will you go to prom with me’ after a lacrosse game” Justin Evans said. “She loved it and I think the best advice I can give to other guys is to just put some brainstorming and time into it.”

The tragic death of a local legend has left the community to pay their respects and pray for Seau’s family. He is remembered fondly as one who touched lives on and off the field through his passion for football and his work in the local community.

Throughout his career, Seau electrified fans with his explosive play, earning multiple Pro-bowl selections and an induction into the Chargers Hall of Fame following his 2010 retirement. He was also part of the franchise’s lone Super Bowl team.

Making tackles with a ferocious intensity rarely ever matched, Seau was often seen celebrating after a big play.

“Junior Seau’s effort was never in question,” junior Stefan Cooper said. “The hits never stopped, not when he was with the Chargers, Dolphins or Patriots.”

In the community, Seau worked through his own foundation to help kids overcome challenging circumstances and aspire to excellence. The Junior Seau Foundation’s work has been a catalyst for change in the community and will help to commemorate Seau’s memory.

Seau also lives on in the hearts and minds of those who knew him. Teammates, friends, coaches and community members have fond memories of him including former staff at Oceanside High School his alma mater.

“He was always cheerful, had a smile on his face and was upbeat,” former OHS receptionist Romaine Patterson said. “He put out his maximum effort and was a team player.”

The loss of this prolific man has made a considerable impact on San Diego and the entire NFL community. However, with such a life as Seau lived, he will never truly be gone.

“He’s a legacy,” Chargers President Dean Spanos said in a press conference. “He’s going to be remembered by everybody.”
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This phrase was uttered by many players of Hard in da Paint, a basketball team made up of Carlsbad High seniors that plays in the Calavera Hills Adult League every Thursday night.  The team, which sports a 1-5 record, leads the league in heart, perseverance and missed lay-ups.

“Let’s just say we didn’t win until I showed up,” injury-prone senior Peter Schrupp said.

The majority of the players of HidP are 17 years old, but Black signed up the team for an 18+ only league.

“My boys have the will to win. They just lack the skill needed to take on these surprisingly fit 40-year-old men,” team manager Hayley Powers said.

There has been a lack of consistency in the lineup of HidP, which occasionally features senior Kevin Menker, who has missed a few games because of other commitments.  Menker’s parents want him to focus on his baseball career.  Intrasquad problems have developed since senior Addison Domingo took on more playtime than he paid for.

“You aren’t playing well, stay home,” Domingo said to fellow senior Matt Rodriguez.  This caused Rodriguez to focus on his baseball career and the other players to poke fun at the streaky shooter.

In the opening game of the season, the team came out a bit overconfident and messed around during the warmup.  Though much older–one man was in his late 50s–the other team scored relentlessly on our Carlsbad boys and did not let up.

“We weren’t expecting that kind of performance from those men.  It was a wake up call,” senior Alex Tyson said.

HidP lost this game 81-47.  One would think this would cause the team to work harder to keep from embarrassing themselves further, but, unfortunately, this was not the case.  HidP continued on a three game losing streak before surprising the tens of fans at the fourth game.

“I’ve gone to every performance this year, but I’ve been relegated to water boy because of my lack of commitment to the team.  I agreed and handed them their orange slices,” senior Thomas Eshelman said.

Come watch HidP play next Thursday at the Calavera Hills Rec Center at 7pm.

The novel follows four boys; Dylan, the pretty boy who is a complete “babe” magnet; Noah, the only boy with a girlfriend which causes most of his emotional turmoil throughout the book; Pike, the pot smoker of the group; and, finally, Walker, the nerdy virgin, who is the center of most jokes.

Steinberg writes about four friends who eagerly await the day they have all been anticipating: graduation. And, for their last hoorah, they take a trip to New York City for a huge warehouse party.  Through the novel, the boys take one wild ride.

Although their experiences are very unlikely to happen in real life, they make the novel hilarious and interesting, while capturing the deep bond of four best friends who are soon to live separate and distant lives.

The novels tends towards the raunchy side, contains adult situations and is definitely intended for mature audiences due to explicit language and events. Directed more towards upperclassman, the novel highlights scenes that are similar to those in “American Pie,” including a variety of sex, drugs and alcohol scenes.

However, these adult situations shouldn’t affect the choice of reading this book. Student who are mature enough shouldn’t hesitate to read this action-packed novel.

The boys crave adventure. Between racing their car in residential areas at record speed, getting caught in the middle of a gun fight and stealing their car from a towing lot (leading to a full on high speed chase), the book really catches the eye of every teenagers’ rebellious side.

However, their last adventure leans more towards a high school version of the “Hangover.” In some parts, the plot feels unrealistic, but the true emotions surrounding graduation and the comedic twists manage to keep the reader interested.

Not-so-surprisingly, the novel reveals the truth behind the racing hormones of teenage boys and their sexually focused, one-track mind. Between the parties and the girls, Steinberg still manages to include some substantial lessons in his novel.

Despite seniors’ constant fears of growing up and moving on, Steinberg stresses that life changes whether you’re ready or not and it’s best to embrace the change and make the most out of final memories.

Even though the general message may seem cliche, Steinberg relates to current students while keeping the book simplistic and funny. Despite the over done live-life-to-the-fullest, senior-memories message, it really addresses the current problem in most seniors’ lives. Change is coming and fast.

The first possible reward applies to the English section of the standardized test. The students who bring their score up a level or score advanced or proficient in English will be given a Star Award. Those recipients will have different options for the use of this award in their English class next year.

“Any student who receives a 4 or a 5 or who improves their score by 1 will receive the Star Achievement Award and essentially it will be used either as a homework pass, dropping a low quiz score or many other things,” English teacher Mrs. Fanning said.

The second part of the incentive applies to the entire student body.  If CHS gets an 840 Academic Performance Index (API), everyone gets an extra early release day next year. Currently, CHS has an 829 API but the administration wants to improve on this score. In order to calculate the API, the state combines standardized test results and measures progress. Therefore, if the students, as a whole score, well on the STAR this year and the goal API is reached, administration will arrange for an extra short day within the year.

“If, as a school, we improve our API by eleven points, they will add in an extra early release,” Fanning said.

The third and final part of the rewards offered for next year is the possibility of a beach day. CHS is currently ranked seventeenth in San Diego County due to the current API but once again, administration wants to make progress.  Therefore, if CHS moves up to one of the top 5 schools in San Diego County after this year of STAR testing, all of the students will be treated with an organized beach day.

With the promise of these rewards, administration hopes students will put in their best effort this testing season. Additionally, students now have a goal to work toward and some added drive to try on the state tests.

“[Students] should want to do well to prove what [they] know but we recognize that isn’t always enough so we are encouraging [them] to do better,” Fanning said.