DEC 2010

Cameron Platt is well known around campus and in the per-forming arts community for her participation in theatre productions and musicals. On stage she is funny, exciting, and captivating, gluing you to your seat in fascination. Amidst all of her success, Cameron is tak-ing her theatrical career to the next level, as a director.

Cameron has assumed the role of director for Laguna Blanca’s newest theater pro-duction: “Songbook, a musi-cal revue.” The production is a collection of songs from differ-ent musicals, spanning from classics such as “The Sound of Music” and “South Pacific” to new-age hits, like “Wicked” and “Hairspray.” In her words, “it’s not exactly a play... no lines or a story, just musical numbers.”

The idea for “Songbook” was Cameron’s own, and its incep-tion into Laguna Blanca was all her doing. In order to make the production possible, Cam-eron “spent a million hours getting everything ready.”

She had to meet with mem-bers of the administration, create a timeline, make a schedule, hold auditions, re-search song possibilities, buy sheet music, cast and choreo-graph the different numbers, and hire an accompanist... all on her own.

Because of all of her hard work -- and that of the Laguna students who will perform -- Cameron’s “fascination with directing” has become a real-ity. Although this is her first time directing at school, Cam-eron has experienced life as a director before. “I’ve directed on a small scale... scenes and coached character acting, but never a full production.”

Some of this directing expe-rience comes from her work with UpStage Left Produc-tions, a spin-off/continuation of the long-standing Stage Left Productions, which is for young children.

Despite being recently creat-ed, the group is already off to a tremendous start, performing multiple times throughout the year at venues around Santa

“Songbook: A Musical

Revue”

By ANDREW MCCAFFERY

Barbara. The ensemble’s most recent production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spell-ing Bee,” in which Cameron performed, was raved about by Laguna alumn Spencer Kla-van in his article for the Santa Barbara Independent. When describing the theatre group, Klavan said that “each of the performers brings a unique passion to the stage, and the result is… hilarious and fun.”

One can see -- through the multiple steps that Cameron has taken towards direct-ing -- that it is impossible to instantly become a director. One must start out small, and gradually work his or her way up to the revered position of director: “you can’t jump into a leadership role without start-ing at the bottom of the ladder. There’s no sneaky way to the top, you just have to devote a lot of time and be willing to work like crazy,” Platt said.

“All in all, one has to be de-termined in order to perse-vere in life, and in the theatre world,” Cameron Platt said. However, as stressed by Cam-eron, the theatre is not “only a place for performers.”

There are opportunities to be a leader and succeed as mem-bers of the stage or tech crew, set and light design team, cos-tume designers, marketing and so much more. “Half of my theatre friends are techies who have never performed, but they’re truer theatre kids than most actors I know!”

“Songbook,” the culmination of Cameron Platt’s hard work, is being performed at Laguna Blanca, Wed., Dec. 15 at 8:00 p.m.

However, the night is not Cameron’s alone; recognition must also be given to the many individuals who have worked very hard in preparation for this musical revue.

So, in Cameron’s words, come support your fellow students, “it may be a school night, but come anyway! Who knows, some teachers might give you extensions.”

PHOTO: ELLIOT SERBIN

Owls in Wonderland: Carnival Brings the Community Together

By ANASTASIA ANTONOVA

Volume XVI December 17, 2010 Issue 3

Laguna Blanca School - 4125 Paloma Drive - Santa Barbara - California - 93110- [email protected]

Junior Cameron Platt creates and

directs student run production

On an early Sunday morning, kids, ag-ing from three to ten,

go down the rabbit hole into “Wonderland.”

“Owls in Wonderland,” the Laguna Blanca parent-created carnival located on the fairy tale campus of Laguna’s Lower School.

Robin Fell, one of the par-ents behind the making of the carnival, came up with the idea. “The carnival was meant to be unique with an academic twist” coordinator Tara Brouc-qsault said.

The themed activities in wonderland included painting the roses red, playing a royal croquette game, and sipping tea with Alice at a tea party.

Although some activities were playful such as the giant caterpillar jumper, most had an educational component to them. Kids learned how to make kaleidoscopes and tell time in at the Art Inspiration area, while the Keys of Citizen-ship—responsibility, respect, kindness, service and hones-ty—were hung high for kids to

see while playing citizenship bingo and bean bag toss.

In the Mad Science area, parents partnered with their son or daughter to volunteer on thirty minutes shifts.

The interactive activities included the Einstein “doo” static electricity, a nail bed, and even simple games like making paper airplanes with science teacher Mr. Neustadt.

Kids also visited the creative thinking lounge where they could play an oversized game of chess!

However, not only did the carnival theme and decora-tions reflect the timeless tale of “Alice in Wonderland,” but all the attendees: children, parents, and the student vol-unteers were encouraged to wear costumes.

Popular costumes includ-ed the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire cat, the White Rab-bit, and of course Alice! Even our own mascot, Swoop was there posing with guests as the Mad Hatter.

“Everyone went all out for the carnival. It was so festive,” sophomores Chanelle Jans-

sens and Tess Elder proudly said after they helped with the carnival, along with countless other school volunteers, “It was a hoot of a time!”

When carnival attendees be-came hungry, they could enjoy lunch by Tinker’s of Summer-land and dessert from Here’s the Scoop ice cream stand.

Andrea Brattfrick with the BUNS shelter program brought in adoptable rabbits, although they weren’t wearing pocket watches.

Kim Stoud from Ojai Rap-tor Group and Gabrielle Droz-dowski from Eyes in the Sky brought live owls for kids of our community to see.

Ms. Broucqsault says that the carnival will definitely be happening again, “The event was a success in many ways and provided the community with an interactive way to ex-plore the campus. The creative theme also provided a fun and whimsical way for children to enjoy learning.”

Overall, the carnival was a fun day, and everyone hopes to see it become another Laguna tradition!

Soaring down State Street in the annual 58th Downtown Holiday Parade were Laguna Blanca School students and beloved owl mascot, SWOOP! Proudly sponsored by Santa Barbara’s Rugs and More, the float carried the youngest of the School’s students from

its K-4 campus in Montecito. Also on board singing carols to the 55,000 friendly faces along State Street were Headmaster Paul Slocombe, Head of Lower School Susan Naretto, and Kindergarten Instructor Mieke Delwiche. Aboard a festive and sparkling candy float, Laguna parade participants sang “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and wished all of Santa Barbara the sweetest and most magical of holidays.

Laguna ParticiPates in HoLiday Parade

It was a cold night in New York City, but that didn’t stop one of the city’s biggest phi-lanthropies, the American Friends of the Phelophepa, from celebrating a successful year of fundraising at their 8th annual gala which took place at the Grand Hyatt New York.

Receiving an Award of Ap-preciation from the founda-tion for their short docu-mentary called “Phelophepa: Train of Hope” featuring the Phelophepa Health Care Train were Laguna Blanca seniors, Arabella Watters and Arabella Weston-Smith.

After spending their ju-nior year fundraising well over $10,000 to be donated to help in the production of Phelophepa II (a second medical train which would help the train to reach thou-sands more South Africans).

The girls flew in late Tuesday night on Dec. 1 in order to make it to the black tie gala which started at 6:30 p.m. the following evening.

At the gala, Waters and Weston-Smith accepted their awards and gave a brief speech giving thanks for the op-portunity to participate with the train and the American Friends of the Phelophepa.

The organization, which works directly with the train in South Africa, is sponsored by Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu.

Tutu also endorsed the film, which was featured at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the US In-ternational Film Festival.

“Being honored at the gala

was an amazing experience. I think we were finally shown the reality of our accomplish-ment. It was incredible to meet all of these people who had seen the film all the way on the other side of the coun-try. It was also great to meet all of the people behind the Phelophepa organization,” said Arabella Westin-Smith

In addition to the award which both girls received, Mi-chael Boerner the Founder and CEO of the Unity Me-dia Group and Unity Medi-cal Inc. was awarded for his work with the train.

Seniors Travel to New York City to Receive An Award of Appreciation


PHOTO: FREDDIE WESTON-SMITH


By TARA BROUCQSAULT

By ARABELLA WATERS

T he Fourth Estate is a public forum for student expression. It is written and produced solely by the journalism students.

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staffAnastasia AntonovaBrandon BickettCaitlin Connor Jess DavisJessie DuseboutDaria EtezadiJeffrey NelsonFletcher Sipple Monica Watson

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Hello Everyone!

Happy Holidays from The Fourth Estate! We hope you enjoy our December issue. Focusing on the spirit of the season, we’ve included a series of student holiday stories (“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” pgs. 8 & 9), a gift giving guide (“Holiday Gift Giving Guide,” pg. 10), and an array of delicious cookie recipe’s (The Twelve Cookies of Christmas,” pg. 16) for your inner-elf. Everyone is looking forward to the break, including me.

Sparkling holiday parties, endless cups of hot cocoa, and the sweet smell of pine are already calling my name. And while I’m looking forward to indulging in relaxation, I am also looking for ways to give back. Clubs around campus offer limitless opportunities to

reach out to the those less fortunate (See “Students Give More Than a Helping Hand This Holiday Season,” pg. 3). This collective movement of charity and kindness around campus has truly touched me. It’s amazing to be surrounded by a community so willing to give, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I encourage everyone to give a little this holiday break,

whether it’s donating to a charity or buying a homeless person a warm meal. In between a little R&R, or course!

Wishing you a Happy Holiday!Sincerely,

Carolina Beltran Editor-in-Chief

Letter from the Editor

faculty advisorPatricia McHale, MJE

A LOOK INSIDEneWsBorders Closes on State Street 3Ms. Roca Launches a Play at Lower School 4ProFiLeStudent Screenwriter Aija Mayrock 5Hands4Others’s Holiday Fundraising Idea 5tHe oPinionFair Weather Friends 6 What’s Your New Year Resolution? 7tHe douBLe PageHoliday Stories 8 & 9styLeGifts Guide 10HeaLtHPrepping Your Skin for Winter 11FeatureAirport Security 12Books We Love 13sPortsParkour 14Park Rats in Neon 15BacKPageTwelve Cookies of Christmas 16

GRAPHIC: SEAN BURKE

student cLuBs give More tHan Just a

HeLPing Hand tHis HoLiday season

By MORGAN RAITH

“TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they’ll have with twenty-six. Open your child’s imagina-tion. Open a book,” author unknown. The classical world of literature and the modern world of technology have been at battle since day one.

However, as time has passed, the world of technology has become stronger.

In turn, the industry of writ-ten literature has consistently fallen behind.

In years past, words on pa-per were the only way to read.

Today, the internet, iTunes, and digital reading devices such as the Amazon Kindle have made the process of read-ing and buying books both easier and cheaper. With the recent introduction of digital books, such as the Kindle and the iPad, the sales of paper books has plummeted, and re-tail book outlets have suffered as a result.

This sudden and drastic renovation of the world of lit-erature and books has had its effects not only on the con-sumer, but local book stores as well.

Throughout the country, book stores have been forced to draw the blinds, and close their doors because of slow business.

This coming January, Santa Barbara’s local downtown Bor-ders will be joining them.

Fifteen years ago, the down-town Borders stocked its shelves with books and opened its doors to the public.

Initially, business boomed. Books, magazines, board-games, and CDs flew off the shelves, and Borders’ numbers soared.

However, with the intro-duction and mainstreaming of media browsers such as iTunes, local book stores such as Borders have begun to lose ground.

Over the past few years, the downtown Borders’ revenue has consistently fallen short of corporate protocol.

“The store just wasn’t meet-ing our business objectives,” Borders’ corporate spokesper-son Mary Davis said.

In its place, the entry level clearing house, Marshalls is slated to take over the Borders’ soon to be empty storefront.

“Borders was always a place for me to relax with my Star-

santa BarBara Favorite

cLoses its

doors

By HELENA DAVILA


bucks after I’ve been running around downtown. It’s going to be very different without it there,” sophomore Monica Watson said when asked about the change of hands.

In keeping with the com-ments of those interviewed, technology clearly has a firm foothold in the shrinking world of written literature.

“[Borders’ closing] will change the entire feel of down-town! I even went through and talked to the staff, asking why they were closing.

I am very concerned that the local book stores are slowly disappearing. I think what we need to do is write letters to the editor.

As a school I think we can make a huge difference in the life of our local book stores,” said librarian Mrs. Burke.

As technology continues to progress, there is no doubt that eventually the world of digital books will supersede the sale of printed books and magazines.

Although technology may end up outselling local book stores, there is no doubt that the world of books and litera-ture will continue to thrive, be it on paper or in technology.

engineering club’s design advances to semi-Finals in national competition

Interact Club’s

Canned Food Drive

The Interact Club wrapped up its annual school-wide canned food drive for the Unity Shoppe on Nov. 19. The folks at the Unity Shoppe were grateful for the donation because food donations have been down 30 to 40 percent this holiday season. “It is important for the Interact Club to do what we can to help support local nonprofit organizations,” club president Helena Davila said.

Foster Care Holiday Gift DriveThe Interact Club hosted its third annual holiday gift

drive to benefit kids in foster families. Club members visited each Middle School advisory to talk about the program and to distribute gift tags on which were written the requests of foster care children. In prior years over 200 gifts of clothing, sporting equipment, toys, and gift cards were donated bringing a very Merry Christmas to kids in foster care.

Book Club’s Bake SaleThe Book Club has been raising money to purchase

items to send to troops of American soldiers stationed in the mountains of Afghanistan. The club’s recent Harry Potter themed bake sale was a success and they already have a few books that the soldiers have requested. The packages will also include stuffed animals and other items to remind the soldiers of home. “We thought this would be a great way to take the Book Club to another level while giving back to those who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said club leader Clarissa Coburn.

Heal the Ocean Club’s Beach Cleanup

Over Thanksgiving break, club leader Elise Scheuermann, and members of the Laguna Blanca Heal the Ocean Club gathered at Hendry’s Beach with other HTO junior council members from Santa Barbara High and Bishop Diego High to comb the beach picking up trash helping to make Santa Barbara-beaches a little more beautiful.

Bikes for the HolidaysThis year the Bikes for the Holidays tradition continues

to bring one of the simplest joys to children in need by collecting old bikes and fixing them up. “I find people will-ing to help me fix bikes that we then donate to the Unity Shoppe so kids can have bikes for Christmas,” said event organizer and club president Austin Rusack.

Amnesty Club’s Homeless Drive

The Amnesty international Club will organize a homeless drive to help Santa Barbara’s less fortunate during the cold winter months. Bins will be put out around campus to collect warm clothing, umbrellas, socks, soap, hand sanitizer, and cup of noodles, to make care packages. Sometime before Christmas break they will go and lay out clothes that students bring and hand out the care

packages.

PHOTO: RAYTHEON EMPLOYEE

After 15 years, the downtown

Borders Books, Music and Cafe will

close its doors on Jan. 7.

Searching for Inspiration: Engineering Club members visit Raytheon in Goleta. (Left to right) Mr. Paul Chiment, Pascal Karam, Lauren McAlister, Jake Bartlein, Dane Rios, Tabitha Bergerson, Abby Reutzel, Kai Gamble, Alex Hawker, Mr. John Berry, and Mr. Donald Chan.

PHOTOS: ELLIOT SERBIN

This marks the first year La-guna Blanca has had an engi-neering club on campus. The goal of the Engineering Club this year is to design a product that could help a physically challenged person at their workplace.

They entered their design into the National Engineer-ing Design Challenge (NEDC) national competition which is an annual design competition in which students, in grades 9-12, put their creativity and problem-solving skills to use and create a workplace assis-tive technology device for a person with a disability.

The club design called Ex-tend-U-Rail, is a stair rail ex-tender to help the client, Mr. Don Chan, walk up and down stairs. Chan has Cerebral Pal-

sy and works as an engineer at Raytheon. He arranged for the club to be treated to a tour of the Raytheon facility in Goleta on Nov. 10.

This was a huge treat for the club since for most of the mem-bers it would be the first time they had ever seen engineering taking place first hand.

During E period, they all piled into a school bus and headed out to Raytheon. Once there, they signed into the top secret building and were treated to a quick presentation about careers in engineering.

Then, all types of engineers at Raytheon told the group about their roles at the com-pany. Their jobs ranged from mechanical engineering to computer engineering.

After the presentation, each

member of the club was given a knapsack filled with mer-chandise from MathMovesU, a program that has teamed up with Raytheon to help build young peoples’ interest in en-gineering.

With knapsacks in hand, the club was taken on a tour of the building and even got to en-ter the testing lab where all of the Raytheon products are put through extensive testing to make sure that they work and will be reliable in the field.

It was a once in a lifetime experience that will stay with the club members for years to come. It was very beneficial to be able to see firsthand what a career in engineering is like. Especially at such an impres-sive level that the company of Raytheon offers.

By ABBY REUTZEL

“My name is Shaujia and I’m a b-girl”... “These are kids who have experi-ences they never should have had”... “They do this because they have no option--they have no one to show them the right way--they use hip-hop and break dance as weap-ons to tell people what is deep in their hearts”... “Society’s attempted to bury them, but they say ‘no, I live’”...”We are all the same. It doesn’t matter where I come from”... “Can one man’s dream heal the wounds of a nation?”... “I’m not a soldier so I’m not go-ing to hold a gun. I’m not a politician so I’m not going to use politics. I’m a b-boy” (Break-dance Project Uganda Promotional Video).

“My name is Shau-jia and I’m a b-girl.”

These are the stories that humanity is built on--stories of struggle--stories of strength.

These are the voices that are rewriting the history of a country--a history scarred by genocide, poverty, and political instability.

What if hip-hop could unite a nation? What if that nation’s youth redefined the fu-ture of their people?

One man’s experiences influenced him to estab-lish a project called Break-dance Project Uganda—a project that is uniting

“These are the stories that humanity is

built on—stories of struggle—stories of

strength.”

Since 1939, “The Wizard of Oz” has been a beloved classic that has warmed the hearts of chil-

dren and adults alike. Laguna’s Up-per School chorus director, Ms. Kasia Roca, is taking this old time favorite and bringing it to Laguna Blanca’s tal-ented fourth graders.

“Both Kasia Roca and her young pro-tégé, sophomore Daria Etezadi are hard at work developing this musical that will rely heavily on student interpreta-tion and student voice…We can’t wait to see these characters (in both senses) come alive in the new year,” said Upper School Head Mr. John Berry.

Before she taught at Laguna, Ms. Roca lived in Poland, where she used theater and plays to instruct ESL to children ranging from ages three to fif-teen.

Ms. Roca has been directing shows put on by the children in grades K-5. since she started teaching at Laguna Blanca four years ago. Not only has Ms. Roca directed a number of perfor-mances, but she has also written sev-eral of her own plays and songs.

“I have been performing all my life, in orchestras, bands, choirs and as a soloist…One of my best experiences was creating my own musical style and writing lyrics to songs with the band I used to have in Poland.”

With so much to offer to the Laguna community, Ms. Roca is a musician who can’t wait to share her passion with Laguna’s fourth grade class once again.

For this year’s production, Ms. Roca hopes to bring out the musical aptitude of Laguna’s students. “I am looking for-ward to seeing this talented class with great potential put their tremendous energy into acting, singing and danc-ing which I expect to be original, funny, and full of expression and color,” she said.

Of course, every production needs its own signature. Although Ms. Roca aims to stay true to the soundtrack and dialogue of the original movie, she’s added a spin on some of the familiar characters by incorporating a number of narrators, casting two Cowardly Li-

off to see the Wizard

By DARIA ETEZADI

LS Music & MS/US Chorus Instructor Adapts

a Classic Film into a Children’s Musical

PHOTO: CAROLINA BELTRAN

ons, and having a student play the role of Toto.

She wants “the students find their own acting/singing style, rather than imitate the actors from the film.”

In the end, the cast aspires to portray the diverse array of characters during their performances in January.

Out of the entire cast of 22 fourth graders, Ames Bliss and Alexander Fell will play the parts of both lions, Audrey Shipper will be the Tin Man, Daniel Newton will act out the Scare-crow, Georgia Brace will be the Wicked Witch of the West, and Isabella Sabino will play the part of Dorothy.

And, we can’t forget about the un-forgettable soundtrack, which many of us know by heart. The musical will include “Somewhere,” “Over the Rain-bow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard” along with many other classics.

In addition, a few new songs have been introduced to the musical score such as “You’re Out of the Woods” and “The Jitterbug.”

With the collaborative efforts of an experienced director and dedicated ac-tors, the cast members look forward to illustrating the “thrill of performing on the ‘real’ stage, the joy of working to-gether as a group, and the freedom of expressing emotions…” to its audience in the performances of “The Wizard of Oz” on Jan. 28 and 29.

the people of Uganda. Breakdance Project

Uganda (BPU) was in-stituted in February 2006 by Abramz Tekya. Abramz believed that hip-hop could be used as a tool to empower youth across the diverse sectors of his country.

BPU strives to engage young people in hip-hop culture to build leader-ship skills and promote social responsibility.

The organization has attracted attention from across Uganda and the rest of the world, bring-ing people of different social status together.

BPU is a youth focused project that works di-rectly with young peo-ple. It is rooted in the idea that everyone is a teacher and everyone is a student—everyone has the capacity to be a posi-tive role model to others.

BPU’s mission is to cre-ate mutually beneficial re-

lationships between peo-ple of every walk of life.

More than 30 per cent of people in Uganda live below the poverty line, and over 49 per cent of the population is under the age of 14.

Development in Ugan-da has been hindered for over two decades

by conflict between the Ugandan government and the Lords Resis-tance Army or the LRA.

BPU advocates for formal and non-formal education in a country that is beginning to re-cover from the brutal-ity of the LRA forces.

Breakdance Encourages Social Change

By oLivia Berci & Jess davis

What if hip-hop could unite a nation? What if that nation’s

youth redefined the future of their

people?

The nonprofit partners with organizations to in-crease their members’ access to opportunities such as life skills work-shops and voluntary counseling. BPU also provides academic schol-arships to students who would otherwise lack the funding to pursue a sec-

ondary education. Break-dance Project organizes weekly community work-shops in which hundreds of people participate, breaking down social divides—involving peo-ple of all backgrounds.

Inspired by how dance brought the entire Ugan-

dan community togeth-er, Everybody Dance Now!, a local youth-run nonprofit, is partner-ing with Breakdance Project Uganda in es-tablishing a similar pro-gram in Santa Barbara.

Everybody Dance Now!’s current mod-el is to provide free dance classes that are based on a student to teacher relationship.

Recognizing a need in our community, EDN! is looking to expand its current model in found-ing Breakdance Project Santa Barbara (BPSB). Breakdance Project San-ta Barbara will provide a place where families, students, youth, b-boys, and hip-hoppers come to learn and to teach on a monthly basis.

BPSB will encompass music, graffiti, dance, and motivational speak-ers, promoting posi-tive creative outlets.

Everybody Dance Now!’s partnership with BPU will promote an interconnected glob-al community, using dance as a platform to generate social change.

EDN! will establish a sustainable foundation on which this program can develop, empha-sizing the importance of a supportive and in-clusive community.

On a monthly basis, EDN! will coordinate a Breakdance Project event similar BPU’s weekly workshops.

Everybody Dance Now! has hired Armon-do “Junior” Cervantes as Breakdance Project Santa Barbara manager who will help to con-nect with other members of our community who might be interested in participating in our pro-gram. EDN! will publi-cize the event through press relations, but more so through word-of-mouth and localized community awareness.

EDN!’s vision is that BPSB will encourage mentorship and healthy self-expression. The project will engage all members of Santa Bar-bara county, includ-ing the Laguna Blanca School community.

On Jan. 15, EDN! will launch the project, an-ticipating that hundreds of people will attend. Laguna students, teach-ers, and parents with any level of dance expe-rience are encouraged to take part in the event.

“My name is Alon-dra Gatica, and I am an EDN! Performance Troupe member, but, like Shaujia, I will be a b-girl.” (Alondra Gatica, 12 years old)

GRAPHIC: OLIVIA BERCI & JESS DAVIS

Sembui is a ten-year old girl living in a typical rural village in Kenya. She does not attend school be-

cause her walk to gather water every morning requires over an hour each way.

She and her mother must often make the trek two or three times in one day, and Sembui becomes sore from carry-ing the water jugs.

Her thin 10-year old body tires easily from walking in the extreme heat, and she thirsts for water to soothe her dry, cracked throat. Sadly, the water that she works so hard to obtain is the same water that makes her sick.

Sembui must also share the little bit of water she has with her father and her mother, her two brothers, and her baby sister who is malnourished and in desperate need of clean water – something that Sembui cannot provide no matter how hard she tries or how many times she walks miles to the muddy water-ing holes she shares with cows, goats and deadly diseases.

In the end, everyone receives only a cupful of murky, bacteria-laden wa-ter, but they gratefully hold it in their hands as if it was a precious jewel,” (hands4others.org).

Hands4others (H4O) is a nonprofit organization, involving young people and their families to assist countries who lack clean water.

They strive to provide access to pure and uncontaminated water to more than two million people in five hun-dred villages around the world by 2015 and to increase awareness to those who know little on the topic.

The countries they help include Uganda, Haiti, Honduras, Pakistan, Kenya, and many others.

They help by providing disaster relief

Students’ Efforts Help Provide Clean Drinking Water Globally

By MONICA WATSON

“I’ve been to Africa and I’ve seen the people

that are living without water. It has really

affected me and that’s why I’ve chosen to do

this project.”

devastating reaLity• 70 per cent of the earth is water - but less than 1 per cent is drinkable.

If the world’s water fit into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be drinkable.

• The average person can live only 7 days without water.• 1 out of 6 people in the world lack access to clean water - that equals 1.1

billion people.• 9 million people will die this year from lack of access to clean water.• Every 15 seconds a child dies from water related illness.• Coverage remains below 60 per cent of the population in both Oceania

and in Sub-Saharan Africa-whereas all other regions have coverage rates of 80 per cent or higher.

• 2 in 3 people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with 1 in 3 living on less than $1 a day.

to countries who have suffered natural catastrophes (example, the earthquake in Haiti) as well as giving clean water to the countries that are deprived of this simple necessity.

Laguna senior Spencer Dusebout, junior Jack Davies, sophomore Jessie Dusebout, and freshman Sammi Schur-mer are a few of the young participants from Santa Barbara who are included in this group. They spend much of their time fundraising, raising awareness, and presenting to various audiences.

When they can, this group travels to impoverished countries to give the people hands-on-help obtaining water.

“I’ve been to Africa and I’ve seen the people that are living without water. It has re-ally affected me and that’s why I’ve chosen to do this project,” said Jack Da-vies.

This Christ-mas, H4O has created a spe-cial fundraiser which will make it possible for anyone to do-

nate by simply texting “H4O” to 85944 and donating $10. Donations will translate into providing water to save lives in Africa.

Although $10 may not seem like a significant amount compared to the money spent on small items, now it can provide clean water to a child for the rest of their life.

Some opt to give to H4O in lieu of re-ceiving gifts over the holidays. Instead, the money that would go to gifts goes towards those in need of clean water.

“This Christmas at H4O we’re ask-ing something really simple of you as to give up some gifts this year during the holiday season and use the money that would be going into those gifts to provide clean water for people in Africa who have never had a Christmas with

clean water in their lives,” Spencer Dusebout said.

H4O participant Sarah Armstrong started a chapter in San Francisco and raised enough money to provide clean water for a entire village by herself. “For young people, usually Christmas is about getting gifts.

But this year, what if we made it about giving gifts, giving the gift of life and water to people in Africa? For them, water is life,” she said.

H4O is helping the community make a difference and letting everyone expe-rience the joy of giving throughout the holiday season

Sembui makes her daily trek into the village to get water for her family. The ef-forts of Hands4Others will provide uncontaminated water for Sembui’s village and others like hers.

PHOTO: Courtesy of H4O

Aija Mayrock, a Laguna Blanca freshman, was recently selected as a finalist in the local 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competition.

The competition is an educational program developed by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2004. The program aims at bringing together filmmakers and screenwriters with industry professionals, encouraging and offering guidance to the next generation of filmmakers.

The 10-10-10 finalists from the Filmmaking Competition and Screenwriting Competition produced 10 films over a period of 10 days and are judged on a set of filmmaking and screenwriting criteria.

I met with Aija, who found time in her busy schedule to fill us in on what she has been up to.

On top of being a dedicated writer, actress, and dancer, Aija interns at an online magazine—a project established through the Granada Theater—and serves on the Editorial Board of Kids Mag.

Q: Did you collaborate with anyone on the script?

a: I wrote the script by myself.

Q: What is the storyline of the script?

Q: I absolutely love writing dramas so my script is definitely a drama, but I will not reveal the story line! You’ll have to stay tuned with the competition to find out!

Q:What is your next step in the competition?

a:I am currently working on my second draft. My final draft is due in mid January. It will be shot during a 10 day period towards the end of January. Then, on Feb. 6, it will be premiered and the winner will be chosen!

Q:How did you hear about the competition? Were you surprised to hear that you had moved on as a finalist?

a: My decision to enter the contest was very last minute. I found out about the competition two weeks before the due date and I was in the middle of

a rewrite of another screenplay, so I dropped what I was doing and decided to take a risk and hammer out a brand new screenplay in about three hours! So, yes, I was definitely surprised and of course extremely happy!’

Q:In addition to your interest in screenwriting, you also intern at a local nonprofit. What is your position at the organization?

a: I intern at an online magazine called Santa Barbara Youth Arts where we share any form of information that has to do with the arts! Santa Barbara Youth Arts is a non-profit and our goal is to become a website where anyone that is interested in the arts in Santa Barbara can come to find out more about events that may be to their liking.

Q: How did you get involved with the organization?

Aija Mayrock Wins

Screenwriting Competition

By OLIVIA BERCI

a: I heard that they did a lot of interesting things at the Granada Theater, and then I heard about this project.

Q:Where do you see yourself being in ten years. Are you interested in writing professionally?

a: I am very interested in writing professionally. I also love acting and directing. In 10 years, I would love to be acting, writing, and directing professionally.

Q: What other extracurricular activities are you involved in?

a: I take acting class outside of school and write daily. I also take dance class. I used to be a competitive figure skater, but I had to give it up after several serious injuries. I also just joined up with another magazine called Kids Mag as a part of their Editorial Board.


Follow Aija Online!aija’s event coverage

santa Barbara youtharts is the complete resource

for all youth-oriented (middle school and high

school) performing and visual arts in santa

Barbara, california.

A project of Granada Arts Education, the Santa Barbara YouthARTS portal is maintained by Santa Barbara students with a passion for the arts who represent area programs. Founding members include: Clayton Barry, Coby Kaufer, Jordan Lemond, Allison Lewis, and Emilio Madrid. For more information about Santa Barbara YouthARTS, or to post performances and arts educational opportunities of interest to youth in Santa Barbara, contact Laura Inks, Director of Education. ([email protected]) or 805.899.3000 x. 108

clyde aspevig exhibition

november 29, 2010 at 12pm to February 6, 2011 at 5pm – santa Barbara Historical

Museum

“it Had to Be you”december 2, 2010 at 8pm to december 12,

2010 at 10pm – center stage theatre

Brian regandecember 9, 2010 from 7:30pm to 10pm – the

arlington theatre

Montecito school of Ballet presents “the

night Before christmas” and “Les Patineurs”

december 10, 2010 at 7:30pm to december 12, 2010 at 9pm – the

Lobero theatre

To donate simply text “H4O” to 85944 and donate $10.

as in Sura 4:15, which states, “Women who are guilty of lewdness ... con-fine them to the houses until death.”

Another violent meth-od of oppression is fe-male genital mutilation to eliminate sexual de-sire. This is supposed to promote chastity among girls.

Muhammad came from a time when women were considered property.

The inequality of wom-en can still be seen.

For instance, it is legal for girls to marry at the age of nine in Iran.

Not surprisingly, as Muhammad married his favorite wife, A’isha-one of eleven wives-when she was only six years old, and consum-mated their marriage when she was the prime age of nine.

Forced to cover their bodies to avoid the lust of men, Saudi women are not allowed to drive, they cannot practice engi-neering or law, and they are denied governmental jobs.

The status of women differs in various coun-tries, but women in fun-damentalist religious groups often have no power and are subject to the rules of their hus-bands or male family members.

These are just two ex-amples of how funda-mentalist religion can promote hate and intol-erance.

In addition, such groups will often attempt to fight social progress, specifically in the sci-ences.

At the beginning of the millennium, a group from UNICEF traveled to Nigeria to give free vac-cines to prevent polio. A group of Islamic leaders declared the vaccine to be a conspiracy by the United States against the Muslim faith; they said that the vaccine would sterilize users.

Within months, polio was back and had spread outside of Nigeria. The disease could easily have been prevented if the community simply took the vaccine, but religious leaders had to make a point that west-ern progress and society is wrong.

Look where it has got-ten them.

Science is a tool used to explain the world around us and to help organize knowledge into a com-prehensible fashion.

Believing in scripture is fine, but people have to be able to accept re-search outside of the Bi-ble, Qur’an, or any other holy book.

Scientists create ground-breaking discov-eries all the time―mira-cles, if you will.

For example, we have completely eradicated two deadly diseases, we are utilizing embryonic stem cells (a religious debate in itself) to poten-tially cure Parkinson’s and re-grow living cells, and we are constantly learning more and more about ourselves, our en-vironment, and the uni-verse around us.

Science can occasion-ally attempt to refute re-ligion, or at least a select few religious beliefs, but science as a whole does not have to oppose reli-gion, or vice versa.

Religious fundamen-talism has shown to of-ten promote hate and inequality, while trying to oppose progress in so-ciety and science.

For over fifty years, the Westboro Baptist Church has been preaching words of an angry, Jona-than Edwards-esque god who wants to send the whole world to hell.

Extreme Islamic cul-tures are not only pro-moting hatred of western culture, but they are also oppressing their women in an early-aged, old-style Qur’an fashion.

Religious texts often represent a different time of female oppres-sion, slavery, and racism, but the majority of mod-ern religions have thank-fully moved past these notions.

Today women are be-coming more equal to men, at least in most western cultures.

People need to get past ignorant beliefs and learn to “love thy neigh-bor as thyself,” as the bible states.

People need to be more accepting. If they are not, they should not impose their hateful beliefs on to me or anyone else.

Putting aside the terrors and vio-lence of modern

religious extremism, such as the September 11th at-tacks, abortion center bombings, and sectarian violence, religious funda-mentalism seems to have fueled hate, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, and disparity throughout America and the world.

Two examples that tru-ly illustrate this are the protests and messages of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) and the treatment of women in fundamentalist Islamic culture.

Many religious groups are also trying to fight progressive movements in society and science, limiting growth and re-stricting forward move-ment.

In a neighborhood in pleasant Topeka, Kansas lies the Westboro Baptist Church which has be-come highly notorious in the past few years.

Church members ap-pear to be a peaceful group coming together to pray. Unfortunately, the truth is much more disturbing.

Cult-like leader, Fred Phelps, whose congre-gation of 70 members, comprised primarily of his relatives, claims that Jews, Gays, Swedes, and any non-supporters or non-believers of the church are going to hell.

The WBC is spreading the word of an angry and hateful god.

Ignoring what would seem to be more impor-tant sins (such as, say... murder?), the church fights against those who they call “fags” or “fag-enablers.”

They consistently picket dead soldiers’ fu-nerals with signs such as “Thank god for 9/11,” “Thank god for IED’s,” and “Thank god for dead soldiers.”

The church backs their anti-gay messages with bible passages such as Leviticus 20:13, which states, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

But for some reason,

Religious Fundamentalism and the Spread of Bigotry, Inequality, and Extreme Conservatism

the sermon of a Hateful god

By JEFF NELSON

they do not say that we should kill those who work on the Sabbath or who curse their parents, stated in Exodus 35:2 and Leviticus 20:9, re-spectfully.

What the WBC leaves out that seems more im-portant, is that Leviticus 19:18 states, “Thou shalt not avenge... thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy-self.”

It is ridiculous to think that Jesus would stand alongside of these people, holding a sign that says, “Thank god for AIDS.”

According to Fred Phelps, all disasters, such as September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, are due to god’s wrath because god has a plan for everyone.

He publishes videos online stating that ce-lebrities such as Heath Ledger, Bill O’Reilly, Stephen Colbert, and George Carlin, are going to hell and that their fu-nerals will be picketed.

Basically under Phelps’ ideology, everyone ex-cept the 70 plus mem-bers of the church are condemned.

While the WBC preach-es radical fundamental-ism, they are not actually physically harming any-one.

However, this is not the case for all funda-mentalist groups. In Is-lamic cultures, women are constantly subjected to physical and mental abuse.

Put in historical con-text, Muhammad came from a time when wom-en were property of their husbands and unwanted female babies were bur-ied alive, so it is not a surprise that the Qur’an is a bit sexist.

The most obvious act of oppression against women are the “honor killings,” or murdering of female family members because of “disgrace.”

It is estimated that ap-proximately 5,000 wom-en and girls are killed annually. A girl could be killed because she was a victim of rape.

In Jordan, men are ex-empt from punishment if they catch their wife committing adultery and they kill her. This may oddly be interpreted from the Qur’an, such

ARTIST: JULIA KENT

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Na t u r a l l y , friends give and take from

one another, like a bal-ancing act or seesaw.

Friends share clothes, help each other study for exams, buy each other lunch; all relationships require a little leniency.

However, there are times when friends take each other for granted, when someone simply uses a “friend” for his or her resources and offers nothing in return.

Whether it’s for math skills, money, a great closet, or even a cute older brother or sister, the deceiving motives people may have behind hanging out with some-one vary.

“It’s really frustrating to be or feel used,” says junior McKenzie Scar-borough. “You just feel really betrayed. It’s pret-ty terrible.”

Today, friendships are fleeting. There are so many things that could go wrong with a relation-ship.

Looking back on my four years in high school, I can only begin to re-trace the weaving, wind-ing path that defines the lineage of my close rela-tionships. Not because I was a bad friend, or be-cause the people around me were, but because people change. It is only natural for people to out-grow each other.

A best friend might get an amazing new boy-friend who demands ab-solutely all her time, and “poof” she disappears off the face of the earth, your old “bff” is now an awkward acquaintance, and you’ve moved on.

It seems as though our Facebook generation, capable of connecting and creating friendships at lightning speeds, can emerge from a fallout without a scratch.

People move on from relationships pretty eas-ily, forgetting their old clique or crowd and, for the most part, reentering

By CAROLINA BELTRAN

“Fair Weather Friends” High school friendships are sometimes fleeting.

a new group as if they had always been there.

In addition to this nat-ural evolution of fading friendships, it can be dif-ficult to distinguish your true friends from those who may have ulterior motives.

“I didn’t realize she was a bad friend until af-ter we’d been attached at the hip for three years,” says a student who wish-es to remain anonymous. “Throughout our entire friendship she used me to become close with my group of friends, to bor-row my clothes, and to stay at my house. We’re not friends anymore.”

While popularity has always been important to the average teen, it has become more com-mon for teens to latch on to one accepted friend in hopes of infiltrating his or her group.

In simpler terms, ‘may-be if I hangout with my cool friend, I can hang

out with her cool f r i e n d s . Thus, I am cool!’

If you’re kind, peo-ple will usually re-spond to said kind-ness with a p p r o v a l

and acceptance. But oftentimes, people

are seemingly kind while concealing false motives.

Once they have ob-tained what they initially desired from your friend-ship, they’re gone. And just like that, you are forced to forget them.

While it’s hard to identify the bad seeds, remember to protect yourself from those who might only seem to like you.

Some words of wis-dom: be generous, but not too generous. Be lenient, but don’t be a push over. And always remember why you are friends with someone.

Do you both play the same sport or love cook-ing?

Can you laugh together for hours on end?

Keep these question and mind, and your mo-tives in check.

BFFN: Best Friends—

For Now

“it seems as though our Face-book generation,

capable of con-necting and creat-ing friendships at lightning speeds, can emerge from

a fallout without a scratch.”

Bear-hugs, bro-hugs, group-hugs, side-

hugs, tackle-hugs – the varieties are endless, and are becoming more and more popular among our society’s youth as an acceptable form of celebrating and/or congratulating.

This begs the illusive question of whether or not hugs are replacing high-fives in social circles around the world.

There are certain social settings in which high-fives will certainly always be regularly seen and used, such as during sporting events, family game nights, and moments where two seemingly different people discover that they both love the same television show.

However, hugs are branching out as an acceptable form to convey contentment.

In the past, a hug was commonly used as a form of conveying friendship – therefore, it was often done friend to friend, child to parent, spouse to spouse, or partner to partner.

These relationships have stayed the same, but hugs are becoming more popular and frequent, to the point that they are seen almost all of the time in public places.

So why is this?Has high-fiving become

such a violent method of congratulations that

Hugs Are Replacing High Fives in Social Circles

By ZOE SERBIN

aWKWard Hug Bro Hug

Bear Hug

people are slowly drifting away from the seemingly barbaric tactic and trying out new, more subtle, and more cuddly ways?

“I have bad hand-eye coordination. One time I was going in for a high-five and I missed his hand and slapped

his face. I have a better chance of nailing my target with a hug than trying to give a high-five,” said sophomore Chanelle Janssens.

Opinions in agreement with hers seem to be widely supported by the student body, and there may be one larger reason for it: high-fives leave a nasty sting on the hand that often lingers on the palm for up to 15 seconds before dissipating.

They often leave the high-five feeling discouraged, wondering ‘Why did I do that?’ and going on to question and analyze many choices made throughout his or her life.

Hugs last longer, provide a certain ‘food-for-the-soul’ type feeling,

“i have bad hand-eye coordination. one time i was going in for a high-five and I

missed his hand and slapped his face. i have a better chance of

nailing my target with a hug than trying to give a high-five.”

grouP Hug

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and can even be used to keep two people warm for long periods of time.

They are also incredibly accurate. It would be embarrassingly difficult to ‘miss’ a hug.

There are, however, certain downsides to hugging.

When two huggers approach each other at a bad angle, or one doesn’t appear to be reciprocating the hug, an awkward situation can arise.

This often leaves one person to feel insecure and unloved.

Hugs also have the potential to send the wrong message to a friend, who may interpret the hug as a signal that the hugger is committing more than just a friendly gesture.

“I suppose I’ve implied more interest in the opposite sex more than I’ve intended, with a hug,” said senior Marshall Alex.

“I would never, ever, ever try to hurt someone through a hug,” said

sophomore Courtney O’Donnell.

“I feel like a high-five is more of a joke. You high-five someone you’re not as good of friends with,” said freshman Lauren Mounts.

Chemistry teacher Katherine Pointer has taken note of students hugging each other around the campus. “As long as it’s not for an overly awkward period of time, I think it’s fine.”

“One could take advantage of another individual through a hug,” Visual Arts Department Chair Chris Johnson said. “A hug should be consensual.”

So, despite some minor inconveniences, hugs are rapidly becoming the norm, and what may have started as a fad among friends is spreading into a world-wide phenomenon.

Hugs can be used in a multitude of social situations, such as: an informal greeting or farewell, a method of reconciliation among bickering friends, way of congratulating an acquaintance who has discovered they are pregnant, a celebration of victory, physical representation of love, technique to keep warm, way to comfort, or a method of congratulating an acquaintance who has acquired a strike in a game of bowling.

While New Year’s resolu-tions are fun

to make with family and friends, they often don’t work out as planned. In fact, the majority of people who make New Year’s resolutions fail to fulfill their goals.

My personal experi-ences seem to mirror this circumstance – specifi-cally my parents’ five year long resolution to clean the garage. Our garage was a burying ground for everything that didn’t have a place. There were misshapen piles of old books, clothes, boxes of photographs that didn’t make it into photo al-bums, and even a fur coat that quickly became the favorite place for our two cats. The only thing missing from the garage was a car.

My familial frustration surrounding the subject clouded my judgment. I sought information that would back me up and tell me what I ironically wanted to hear, that no one ever fulfills his or her New Year’s resolutions.

However, in research-ing the subject, I discov-ered the problems with my reasoning and dis-covered a new outlook on the situation.

The most popular New Year’s resolutions, according to a poll re-ported by the USA.gov website, are: drink less alcohol; get a better edu-cation; get a better job; get fit; lose weight; man-age debt; manage stress; quit smoking now; save money; take a trip; and volunteer more.

The poll also found that while 52 percent of participants in the New Year’s resolutions study were confident of success in achieving their goals, only 12 percent actually achieved them. I felt sat-isfied, my own experi-ences with New Year’s resolutions seemed to be supported by statistics. My frustration was valid.

But, there was a twist. In fact, people who con-tinually make resolu-tions, regardless if they fulfill them, are more likely to succeed in their general life goals.

Success in achiev-ing any resolution in-creases greatly based on two critical ingredients: choosing one thing that is really important to you and that you are will-ing to make sacrifices to achieve; and setting small, measurable goals and getting help from your friends to help mo-tivate you to achieve them.

“Men achieve their goal 22 percent more of-

New Year’s Resolutions

By LILLIE HODGES

ten when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measur-able goals are being set, such as, a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”), while women succeeded 10 percent more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends,” says one survey done by the investigative social website Quirkol-ogy.

My parents seemed to stumble on these secrets last year. Over the sum-mer, they finally started the garage clean up. They always worked together, and decided to clean up one small area at a time. They would tell our gar-dener they had things to give away, and he would be there, eagerly en-couraging them to fill up more boxes that he could haul away.

So, New Year’s reso-lutions can actually be achieved –they just have to be measurable, very important, and realistic.

When planning for next year, sit down and take time to come up with one resolution for 2011, and don’t be dis-couraged if you don’t complete it because you will unknowingly have benefited along the way.

tips for success:

Make Only One Reso-lution: People often make the mistake of try-ing to achieve too much. The chances of success are greater when people channel their energy into changing just one thing.

Plan Ahead: Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolu-tion. Last minute deci-sions tend to be based on what is on your mind at that time. Instead, take time and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

Avoid previous resolu-tions: Deciding to re-visit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment. Choose something new, or ap-proach an old problem in a new way.

Be specific: Think through exactly what you are going to do, where you are going to do it, and at what time. For ex-ample, instead of trying to lose pounds, excise more.

Don’t be vague: In-stead of saying that you will go running two days a week, tell yourself that you will run on Tues. and Thurs. at 6 p.m.

Make it personal: Don’t run with the crowd. Think about you and what you really want to do for yourself.

It’s the time of year when many peo-ple reflect upon their past year and look forward to a new year and re-solve to improve their lives. Sounds nice, but does it ever really work?

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Double the Presents? I Think Not

To an outsider, cel-ebrating the holidays with divorced parents seems to have its bene-fits: double the presents.

Unfortunately, that is a myth which proves untrue in more ways than not.

One, my parents share my Christmas list so the whole “double the present” situation never happens, and two, the negatives far outweigh the positives.

After my parents split up, the holidays stopped existing solely for the purpose of celebrating togetherness and cheer and instead started being about choices.

Mom. Dad. California. Connecticut. Belize. The Amazon. Skiing. New York City. Christmas Eve versus Christmas morn-ing. And by the way, the whole Christmas Eve at one house, Christ-mas Day at another, is completely overrated.

Choices which used to be made without thought now require intense deliberation.

The drama and stress which now goes along with choosing which house to spend the holi-days at is not something which they tell you about in the custody agreement.

The day my parents told my brother and me they were getting divorced nobody men-tioned that Christmas time would boil down to an intense competition.

I, for one, love Christ-mas. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I love pre-tending that Santa Barbara actually has a winter and lighting up the fire place in my liv-ing room.

I love to lie on my couch, listening to Christmas hymns and falling asleep after we’ve decorated the tree.

And, even now, as I near the threshold of adulthood, I still wait like a little kid to rip open presents on Christmas morning.

The overstuffed stock-ing is my favorite part. I still get to indulge in these typical holiday pleasures, but now my Christmas is undeni-ably always tinged with just a little bit of guilt.

No matter where I am celebrating, I always feel the loss of my other parent. It is some-thing that will never change. My parents are not getting back together.

I don’t want to make it sound like my holi-days are all doom and g l o o m because they as-s u r e d l y are not.

F o r the first few years after my p a r e n t s split up, my dad came and had Christ-mas at my mom’s house.

Creating the i l l u s i o n t h a t

the divorce hadn’t hap-pened, and it was still just the four of us, mom, dad, my brother, and me. It was surprisingly easy.

I liked to play along and sit watching my mom peacefully drink her cof-fee and my dad smile at us from his seat on the couch, his hair sticking up at odd ends.

T h e s e -j o i n t

Christmas celebrations lasted approximately two years before my parents decided it was too weird; personally, I liked it.

There were no choices to make and no feelings to hurt.

Now three out of the four last years, my dad has jetted off to either

exotic locales or

chosen to spend Christ-mas with my stepmother; I am invited, of course, but there is something about the non-seasonal sun of a Santa Barbara Christmas that always makes me want to stay.

However, there are traditions I have managed to preserve throughout the ups and downs of the divorce.

Every single Christ-mas after we’ve opened our presents, my brother and I watch the “Scooby-Doo Christmas Special”

on Cartoon Network. We grew up watch-

ing Shaggy and Scooby trot around

trying to avoid monsters and I love to sit with my brother and laugh as the foiled villain yells at Fred and Co, “I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you med-dling kids

and that d u m b dog too!”

L a s t y e a r ’ s special in-volved a d e m o n i c s n o w -

man; it was incred-ibly entertaining.

Another tradition I wouldn’t give up for the world is delicious holiday food. There’s a reason why people gain weight around the holidays.

Last year my mom and I cooked up a storm: prime rib, lamb chops; we even con-quered the meticulous art of making fondue.

Last night, we were even tempted by the Candy Cane Ice-cream they had at Trader Joe’s.

Eating delicious com-fort food at the holidays is synonymous with that slow-paced, relaxing week before Christmas where the only obliga-tions lie in wrapping presents, making ginger-bread houses, and do-ing absolutely nothing.

With my dad, every Christmas Eve we’d drive to Butterfly Beach at dusk and watch the sun set below the horizon.

The sun usually turns a fiery orange and I get that poignant feeling of being in the right place at exactly the right time.

It’s those moments which I make sure I hold on to even during the most trying of days.

This year, as Christ-mas rolls around, I have another choice to make. Mom or dad?

It is an incredibly frustrating battle ev-ery single year, and I don’t look forward to making the choice.

I know that whichever house I choose I’m go-ing to be watching a lot of Scooby-Doo and eat-

ing a lot of Christ-mas cookies.

It’s stressful, but unfortu-nately, it’s a part of the holidays I’ve been forced to accept.

The ups and downs of the holidays in a divorced household and how Christmas time has turned into more than a simple choice between eggnog and apple cider.

Celene Silva is a typ-ical Laguna Blanca girl, with one small

twist. She not only has a strong connection to the school and her friends, but she also has distinct ties to her cultural heri-tage.

Moving to Santa Bar-bara in 2000 from Rom-ita, Mexico, Celene has a large portion of her fam-ily still living there.

Considering she spent eight years of her child-hood in Mexico, her sense of cultural appre-ciation is strong.

This year, like almost every other year, she will go home to Mexico for the holiday break to cel-ebrate Christmas. Her family, including her mother, brother, three sisters, and their fami-lies, gathers in Celene’s hometown of Romita.

“Going down to Mexico during Christmas means a lot to me. It is the only time of the year my whole family is together and every year it’s different. I have a new baby niece, who will get to be a part of all of this for the first time.”

The holidays are al-ways an emotional time, spending time with fam-ily is both a blessing and a burden.

Every family has its quirks and they often create problems during the holidays because ev-eryone is cooped up to-gether. Celene, however, is looking forward to the emotional roller coaster and the reunion with her family.

For Celene, the holi-days are filled with the familiar family dramas but also with the cultur-al holiday traditions of Mexico.

Christmas festivities in Romita begin on Dec. 2 and last until Dec. 12 with the fiestas dicem-

brinas (Dec. holidays)which are celebrated for the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The town of Romita is split into eight cuarteles (sections) and each one covers the cost of the celebrations for a day which includes decora-tions, bands, dancers, and food.

“You can often see people dressed in indig-enous outfits in honor of the Virgin of Guadal-oupe,” says Celene.

The festival not only has cultural importance, but it also has social im-portance.

“The town where I live is small, but during this festival people come back from all over Mexico and the United States to ex-perience the festivities with their families who they may not see very of-ten,” says senior Celene.

Every night of the fes-tival there is a fair that is frequented by the whole town, no matter the age. “I haven’t been back to celebrate fiestas dicem-brinas with my family and friends since I moved to the US. It’s hard be-cause the dates always conflict with school.”

Right after fiestas dicembrinas, people start making the nacimiento de navidad (nativity scenes). Everyone, re-gardless of age, helps to build the scenes in front of the houses.

“Every year my whole family makes the trip to the church to buy the intricate pieces that ev-eryone needs to decorate and build the scenes.”

The decorations gen-erally need to be made before the start of Las Posadas.

Las Posadas, nine consecutive days of candlelight processions and lively parties, begin shortly after on Dec. 16.

From Dec. 16 to Dec.

Feliz Navidad: A Christmas Story24, processions reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. These processions lead to a different house every night for the culmination of the posada - a fiesta.

After Las Posadas are finished on Christmas Eve, people prepare themselves for the culi-nary adventure ahead. In fact, the dinner, like any-where else in the world, is a very important as-pect of Christmas Eve.

However, because the traditional foods (tama-les and ponches) take a very long time to prepare, people start cooking early in the m o r n i n g . The process is complicated, but ultimate-ly produces f a n t a s -tic food. “ L a s t y e a r ,

my mom was sick so my sister and I were stuck making two huge pots of tamales, over a hundred in total.”

However, the celebra-tions are not done yet. On Christmas Eve, af-ter consuming massive amounts of d e l i -ciously

home-cooked food, each family arrollan el niño dios (cradles the baby Jesus) and then places the baby Jesus in the Na-tivity scene.

“The first year I went back, we got into the car,

all of us, and d r o v e

around the town, taking part in other peoples’ rituals.

The best part is when the families give out can-dy to all the participants. It’s like Halloween, but better because my town is mostly Catholic, mean-ing everyone will do these things, so it’s a sure bet that you get candy,” says Celene, laughing.

It is an important time for Celene and everyone else who

gets to come home during the holi-

days to be with their families.

Peter Sorensen has eight siblings. Yes, eight. The real surprise about this extensive family is not their size, but the fact that they’re also incred-ibly tight knit.

When the Sorensen’s celebrate Christmas, it is quite the festivity.

“I have a lot of family in Utah, so for the first week of break we’re go-ing to Park City, and that’s where we have Christmas.

We get a nice big tree and go snowboarding and hang out with the family,” says senior Peter Sorensen.

When the married sib-lings spend the holidays with their in-laws, the family is sometimes sep-arated at Christmas.

“This year, we’ll have twelve kids, two in-laws, my parents, plus the new baby. So that’s seven-teen. We all stay together in a house in Park City. It’s really fun.”

The family enjoys their time spent together do-ing a variety of holiday themed activities.

“I love having a big family, there’s always something going on, es-pecially at Christmas. Different people will do different stuff. Some peo-ple will go snowboarding and some people will go shopping.”

Apart from the usual Christmas traditions the Sorensen’s throw a fam-

ily talent show and ev-eryone participates.

“My mom makes us do a big show, everyone has to have a talent. I’m playing a Christmas song on the piano this year. I do that pretty much every year, but you can do group acts,” he adds. “There’s been some pret-ty good musical numbers, but you can do whatever you want. My brothers recite poetry I think. Ev-eryone does something, not just the siblings. My mom likes to video tape it.”

When asked if he ever won the talent show, Sorensen replied, “No, maybe this year. The best act ever was my sis-ters’ interpretive dance, even though they did it as a joke.”

“My grandparents had six kids, and they each had at least four. It adds up to like 50 people.”

On Christmas day, the Sorensen’s go to church, read the Christmas story, and sing in the Christ-mas program at church as a family.

“Sometimes, my grandparents put to-gether a little scavenger hunt. They live in Hope Ranch, so sometimes it’s all over town, which is pretty cool.”

It’s clear that Peter en-joys his family dynamic. In a world where teens can often be embar-rassed to spend too much

“I love having a big family, there’s always

something going on, especially at

Christmas. Different people doing different stuff. Some people will go snowboarding and

some people will go shopping.”

Celebrating Christmas in a Large and Closely-Knit Family

By ARABELLA WATTERS

By CAROLINA BELTRAN

By LILLIE HODGES

time with their parents, Peter’s genuine enthu-siasm for family time is refreshing.

By the way he de-scribed it, who wouldn’t enjoy a Sorensen Christ-mas?

Seniors reflect on their unique holiday experiences, from growing up celebrating in a split household, to the festive and culturally vital streets of Mexico, to a 50-person Christmas on the slopes of Park City, each

offers a rich vignette on what it means to celebrate the holidays in our modern world.

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Nestled inside Loreto Plaza on State Street, Renaud’s Patisserie and Bistro offers the people of Santa Barba-

ra a perfect place to grab a cup of cof-fee or tea and a pastry on a cold winter morning, an inviting atmosphere for the family for breakfast or lunch, or it can be a handy place to pick up those last minute desserts for a party.

According to the restaurant’s web-site, their priority is to “offer an exten-sive menu inspired from the Provence region of France.”

This can be seen in their extensive menus that offer large varieties of au-

thentic French breakfast and lunch items.

After walking into the aroma of freshly baked desserts and freshly brewed coffee, we ordered at the front counter.

While ordering, we examined rows of attractive and neatly organized French pastries in the display case. We chose our pastries and found our way to the back and sat down.

Studious students, romantic couples, and cheerful families squished togeth-er inside Renaud’s rose-colored walls to enjoy delicious food and accommo-dating service.

We admired the gilded mirrors, au-thentic French illustrations, and large porcelain carafes of specialty coffees and teas while waiting for our break-fasts to arrive. Renaud’s detailed décor embodies characteristics of an authen-tic French bistro.

The courteous waitress didn’t leave us waiting long. She brought over tea and fresh squeezed orange juice which was quickly followed by the cinnamon twist and almond croissant.

The cinnamon twist was braided into a long strip and was topped with cinna-mon sugar. It was flaky and crunchy, but not too hard.

The almond croissant was airy and soft with vanilla glaze and sliced al-monds on top.

Our steaming hot main dishes ar-rived promptly after we finished our pastries.

The fried egg sandwich which con-sisted of a crispy English muffin served with Gruyere cheese, sautéed mush-rooms, and bacon was served with a side of freshly cut strawberries, banan-as, and cantaloupe.

We shared the original omelet with mushrooms, peppers, ham, tomatoes, and fresh spinach, also served with fresh fruit.

Both were perfect breakfast meals, not so heavy or filling that we’d need a nap after, but filling enough to keep us full until lunch.

The eggs were cooked perfectly and the combinations of ingredients brought out the best in each other.

Visiting Renaud’s Bistro tasting their authentic food, enjoying the warm at-mosphere, and exceptional service has made me a new regular.

BY JESSIE DUSEBOUT

A taste of Provence in Santa Barbara

Bonne Appetite: French pastries in-cluding various flavors of eclairs, fruit tartlets, and Mille feuilles made fresh daily with the finest ingredients fill the display cases at Renaud’s.

PHOTO: JESSIE DUSEBOUT

un grand Patisserie

What she’s wearing:“A Free People dress with tights from Urban Outfitters paired with Marc Jacob ballet flats.”

Where she shops:“Free People and Wendy Foster.”

Her inspiration:“Just by what I like and things that are different.”

Her closet favorites:“One pair of leather shoes that were my mom’s and oversized sweaters.”

Labels she loves:“I love to wear Free People and Prada bags are beautiful, but too expensive.”

Favorite season to dress for:“Winter.”

Best Jewels:“My Harry Potter watch and ear-rings are my favorite pieces out of any of my jewelry.”

Most recent Purchase: “A pair of tights from American Apparel.”

the Future: “I really love fashion and every-thing that goes with it, but I don’t think a career in fashion is for me.”

Style Profile:Julian Messina & Olivia LeibmanThese Laguna

“Lovebirds” dress to impress with their edgy, urban style. Despite the stresses of school, they

always seem to look picture perfect.

Sitting Pretty: Julian and Olivia happily perched on an outdoor school bench, looking effortlessly chic while staying true to their unique and eclec-tic style.

Olivia L.

Julian M.

BY MORGAN RAITH

Pink Martini christmas album

Joy To The World$15

pinkmartini.com

The Selby is in Your Place

by todd selby$35

yoox.com

Holiday GiftGiving Guide

Warby Parker glassesFor every pair of Warby Parker

glasses sold, a pair is donated to a person in need.

$95 warbyparker.com

Bobbi Brown Bahamas Bronze set

$55bobbibrown.com

William sonoma Peppermint Bark

$26.50 williamsonoma.com

Great finds for the fashionable...

ecreamery create-your-own ice creamLet your friends create

their own flavors!$50 for 4 pintsecreamery.com

By caroLina BeLtran

chanel nail colour Mica Rose, Illusion d’Or, and Pulsion,

$23 each. chanel.com

tory Burch Makeup cases $65-$125

toryburch.com


Marc Jacobs

cracked Heart

compact$7

marcjacobs.com

What he’s wearing:“Urban Outfitters flannel, Levi’s jeans, and Urban Outfitters Vans.” Where he shops:“Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, thrift stores, and antique shops.” His inspiration:“I like the styles of 80s musicians and the 80s era in general.” His closet favorites:“A 30-year-old black leather jacket that was my dad’s.” season he likes to dress for:“Winter.”

did olivia help you pick out your ensemble today: “Yes, but not always.”

Keeping Skin Healthy This

Winter

As the short shorts go back into drawers and boots start appear-ing around campus, another major change is taking place. The switch from fall to winter, which not only dictates our clothing choices, but also our skin regimens.

Even in Santa Barbara, where the change is not so drastic compared to that of New York, the air tends to be-come drier with this drop in tempera-ture. Thus the season of winter tends to leave the skin dry and lips chapped. It is this dryness that forces one to change how we tend to our skin in these upcoming months.

Many people experience that an-noying “winter itch”. While it is com-mon to try and cover up scaly skin by lathering on moisturizer, another way to avoid “the itch” is to increase cell turnover by exfoliating throughout the winter season.

While many people believe that ex-foliating dry skin will only dry it out further, it actually increases cell turn-over, allowing cells of the upper epi-dermis to retain water more easily, thus no itchy nerves. However, it is still essential to slather up with mois-turizer to keep the skin hydrated.

Skin cell turnover also plays a factor in flaky skin. The combination of dead cells and cold weather results in the thickening of the intracellular glue, thus preventing the dead skin cells from flaking off easily.

Winter skin can actually be a healthy experience if treated and protected carefully.

The cold season also causes skin to be stressed. If skin is stressed and dry it can lead to unwanted wrinkles, causing even young skin to prema-turely age. It is vital for one to keep their regimen appropriate with each passing season.

So even if the weather outside isn’t all that frightful, everyone’s skin is still getting that face-hurty feel. Even in the cold frightful weather though that people head off to for the winter break, it is essential to take warm, and not hot, showers. Even though after a day in the snow or cold it is tempting to take a long hot shower to rid oneself of that chill, you should avoid them.

Hot showers actually draw the moisture from skin, causing it to be-come dry, itchy, and irritated. As a tip, try switching to a moisturizing body wash, such as Dove’s, and only taking

quick warm showers.And again while out on the slopes,

as many Laguna Blanca students will be, it’s crucial to put on sunscreen. UV radiation, which can be extremely damaging to skin, increases a drastic 5 percent for every 1,000 feet of eleva-tion according to NOAA.com, a na-tional weather service. So even though summer is over, sunscreen is a neces-sity even if you can’t see the sun.

Another tip to avoid getting those non-kissable lips is to constantly apply a lip balm with sunscreen. After using a gentle exfoliator before you jump in bed, try to remember to not lick your lips or breath through your mouth as both can severely dry out your lips.

steP By steP guide to More BeautiFuL sKin

1. aLWays exFoLiaterid yourself of dead skin and increase cell turnover.

2.aPPLy MoisturizerKeep your skin healthy and do away with dryness.

3. use sunscreenWinter sun is still extremely damaging to skin so never forget

to protect your skin.

4.drinK uP! Keep drinking water. Hydration comes from the inside of

your body just as much as from the outside.

5. catcH soMe zzz’sThis simple secret proves to be beneficial for your skin

health.

By CAITLIN CONNOR

Many people tend to ignore their hands and feet, but they too can be affected by cold dry air. In order to keep them up to par, cover up and protect them from the elements. No one wants dry, cracking feet that are prone to having fungal infections.

Infections and influenza are un-wanted, yet usually a prerequisite when talking about winter. Because of this, many people tend to wash their hands more than usual.

Just make sure to put on some hand sanitizing lotion to keep those hands clean and hydrated, because once you have that down in your regimen for winter, your skin will stay healthy and beautiful.

restaurant MonoPoLies in santa BarBara

Panino

Where: Serving Goleta, Montecito, Solvang, Los Olivos, and Santa Barbara, (805) 963-3700, paninorestaurants.com

What: A seemingly ever-growing mini-empire of made-to-order gourmet sandwich shops

How Much: Sandwiches $8.50-$8.95, salads $8.50-$9.95

Jeannine’s

the scoop: Jeannine’s American Bakery and Cafe has three Santa Barbara locations: Mon-tecito’s Coast Village Road and upper State Street on East Figueroa Street.

Voted best by The In-dependent year after year for best cakes, it’s no surprise that this charm-ing bakery decided to broaden its reach to two other locations in Santa Barbara.

If in the mood for en-joyable people watching on Coast Village road or just popping uptown for a quick lunch break bite, Panino’s menu is full of treats to satisfy hunger pangs as well as your sweet tooth and caffeine cravings.

The inviting Montecito location is difficult to ignore with its picket fence and white sidewalk tables. Meet the end of the line at the front doors and order cafeteria style after walking by the Stumptown Coffee sta-

Santa Barbara has always been known for its exquisite and unique variety of restaurants that cannot be found anywhere else. What makes our town so special is its small cluster of restaurants that provide our small beach town with a diverse local flavor. Recently, many small local chains have expanded their restaurants to various locations around the Santa

Barbara area due to increasing demand and popularity. Local chains such as Jeannine’s American Bakery, South Coast Deli, and Panino have all expanded their influence. These once one-spot lunch favorites have now grown exponentially and

have undoubtedly become local monopolies.

south coast deli

the scoop: Whether you decide to eat down-town or in Goleta, South Coast Deli is the best place to get the best of both worlds.

If you desire a sand-wich, salad, or both, South Coast is sure to meet your desires. Fea-turing nearly 30 dif-ferent “sammies”-hot, cold, and grilled-as well as soups and salads, it’s a great place for a quick and tasty bite.

A local favorite is the toasted South Coast Tur-key sammie with ched-dar & provolone cheese melted with red onions, red bell peppers, basil-mayonnaise and topped with lettuce & smoked turkey.

If you prefer a salad, the Flank Steak Salad combines Southwest-seasoned flank steak, corn, black beans, red bell peppers, and cilan-tro atop romaine lettuce and cabbage.

Best of all, the sal-ad, topped with South

By JORDAN SHANNON


Where: 3607 State Street, 805-687-8701; 15 East Figueroa Street 1253, Coast Village Road, 805-969- 7878; www.jeannines.com

What: Full service bakery and cozy cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and sinfully decadent slices of cake

How Much: French toast with bacon $9.95; chopped salads $5.25-$10.95; egg salad sandwich $8.25; 6” carrot cake $27.95

Where: 1436 Chapala Street, 10 East Carrillo Street, and 185 S. Patterson Avenue.

What: A unique local deli that serves a wide variety of options such as sandwiches, gourmet salads, and breakfast

How Much: Sandwiches $7.25-$9.95, Salads $7.50-$8.95, Breakfast $1.75-$7.99

the scoop: Panino will fix any hunger and quench any thirst, offer-ing 30 sandwiches and 10 salads.

It’s not just variety for variety’s sake, either; Panino serves up clever combos like roast chick-en with pesto, and a cur-ried chicken with pine nuts, dried cranberries, and apple, and a roast beef served with a zingy horseradish cheddar.

Panino’s sandwiches are all custom creations of high standard of preparation with fresh, quality ingredients. The ingredients used in each sandwich and salad are of unmatched quality, character and taste.

But, it’s really the at-tention to details that raises Panino above the bar - anybody can put raisins in a curried chicken sandwich, but cranberries? That takes some creativity.

Panino also offers a variety of daily soups to enjoy with your sand-

tion, pastry filled glass case, and daily chalk-board specials.

Enjoy a similar order-ing style, chopped salads, and decadent confec-tions uptown where both in and outdoor seating is also available.

Order their classic fluffy pancakes (check daily specials for flavors such as pumpkin or pe-can), authentic Challah French toast, or the clas-sic Eggs Benedict.

Eight deli sandwiches and nine chopped salads decorate the lunch menu with classically simple recipes such as the Cali-fornia Chicken Salad, the Mediterranean, and Jeannine’s Original Club.

Special order a car-rot or decadent German Chocolate cake for any occasion.

Whether you’re crav-ing a hearty breakfast, delectable sandwich, or satisfying salad, this lo-cal monopoly is sure to please any taste.

Coast’s own chipotle ranch dressing, is eas-ily large enough to share with a friend. If you can’t quite wait until lunch-time, you can always go before school for a quick coffee and Breakfast Sammie.

South Coast offers a plethora of coffee house favorites as well as oth-ers provided by Peet’s Coffee.

Breakfast items in-clude classic breakfast scrambles, a toasted pa-nini, and if you’re really ravenous, the “morn-ing three-way” a triple-decker sandwich with eggs, ham, cheese, and tomatoes.

Due to increasing demand from locals to open in new locations, South Coast Deli has expanded to two new locations. The next time you have a craving for a salad or sandwich, be sure to drop by either of South Coast’s friendly, locally owned locations.

wich or salad. Soups in-clude garden vegetable, chicken noodle, or roast-ed eggplant. With all of these mouth watering options to choose from, it’s no wonder Panino has expanded it influ-ence to several locations throughout the Santa Barbara County.

Before the decade is over, it’s likely there will be a Panino in every fancy mall of America. Owner Carter Benson has swept down the mountain from what is his Santa Ynez family business and set up three outposts in the Santa Barbara area, stretching from Goleta’s Calle Real shopping cen-ter to the Von’s lot on Coast Village Road. He’s now busily scouting the great megalopolis to the south.

So, if you want think-ing outside the (lunch) box, this is the spot for you, and you will be sure to find a wide variety of options to feed your mood.

Santa Barbara weather may not be the harshest, but keeping healthy skin during the winter is

important anywhere.

I've been waiting in line for the past hour or so; after

getting cut in front of by an obnoxious woman, getting smoke blown in my face for 20 minutes while winding in circles outside, and pushing my 50-pound bag a mile around endless ropes and dividers, I have fi-nally made it to the se-curity checkpoint at the Chicago O'Hare Interna-tional Airport.

I step up to the coun-ter, where an over-worked, ticked-off TSA agent asks me to take off my jacket, shoes, belt, hat, backpack and to re-move my wallet, phone, laptop, and liquids―of course, I only have three one-ounce containers in a clear one quart-size zip locked bag!

I start to walk to go into the metal detector, but one of the agents tells me to step into this new "21st century technology" X-ray machine. I step in, wait a bit while my body gets slowly radiated, and watch as a basically nude picture pops up in front of Mr. TSA on the com-puter next to me.

As I await my results, I have to stand eye-to-eye with a 6'5, 230 pound tough-guy to make sure I don't try anything dras-tic. After about a minute, he smiles and tells me to move on. Phew!

As I gather my things, I look to my side as an 80-year-old woman gets a very thorough breast-examination because she was randomly selected for further scanning.

Ever since the horrors of September 11, security in airports has been get-ting tighter and tighter. It seems normal now af-ter we hear of a new ter-rorist with a bomb in his underwear or shoes while

trying to mix chemicals to blow up a plane.

The problem is not that security is too high; the problem is that we are scrutinizing the wrong people, letting the underwear bombers po-tentially go free to try to blow up our planes. It’s a good thing that someone tackled him before he could blow himself up on the plane!

Lately, the TSA has been under harsh criti-cism, as they have passed new screening procedures, adding more of these X-ray scanners that portray relatively-naked pictures and al-lowing intensive, and debatably inappropriate, pat-downs that often in-volve the feeling of pri-vate parts.

Not only are many people uncomfortable with the new system, but more importantly the system is unnecessary.

Other than the idea that my body is getting radiated, I think the idea of X-ray machines to detect bombs is a good idea, but it's inefficient and not really necessary, especially when so many people will get offended by it.

Several experts have suggested the idea that America should use Is-rael's anti-terrorism sys-tem. El Al Israel Airlines, named Global Traveler Magazine's number one in its "Best Airline for Security" for three years straight, has been free of terrorist attacks for 30 years, and has had only

With New TSA Procedures Comes an Increase in Criticism

By JEFF NELSON

one hijacking in its his-tory.

The former security chief for El Al, Isaac Yef-fet, says that America should adopt their sys-tem of interviewing each individual, with a focus on those who appear more threatening, aka profiling. He makes sure to say that this is not necessarily racial profil-ing or discrimination, as they do interview every-one.

“Technology in general can never replace a quali-fied and well-trained hu-man being,” Yeffet said.

The idea is that the large majority of fliers are completely innocent, so it is unnecessary to scan all of them.

With interviewing, you can find those who seem

suspicious for whatever reason and then fully search them. The pro-cess will take longer for those who fit the profile of one who may be sus-picious, but overall the system is highly effective and not invasive―at least for those who aren't get-ting a full body search. On the flip side, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs claims that the American and Israeli systems cannot be com-pared, as Israel has two international airports and America has 450.

Many airports in America are now con-sidering getting rid of their TSA programs and hiring independent com-panies. At the moment, 16 airports, such as San Francisco International

Airport and Kansas City International Airport, have done so.

They are a part of the TSA Screening Partner-ship Program. These independent contrac-tors have to follow TSA guidelines for screening passengers and baggage. The Sanford Airport in Orlando, Florida is con-sidering doing the same.

Though a large portion of people have been of-fended by the new TSA procedures, others be-lieve they are good for the overall safety of the country and not as inva-sive as have been stated.

“I think the airport se-curity is effective. The new measures they are taking, which have been so hotly contested, are a good thing. I disagree with the sentiment that it invades people’s privacy; if you look at the images the TSA will be seeing, it’s clear that these scan-ners are far from overly invasive. I just don’t see the problem in it,” senior Fletcher Sipple said.

Nevertheless, security risks are certainly high. Thus, the country needs a system to prevent any future disasters, whether using the TSA, El Al, or any other system. There is no perfect method-the TSA gets criticized for inappropriate proce-dures and El AL’s inter-viewing system could be interpreted as “profiling” in America’s overly po-litically correct society.

Though I joke about naked pictures from the body scanners and breast-examinations of 80-year-old women, the important thing is to find a way to prevent terror-ism so that America, and the world, can be safe and not afraid.

commentary

GRAPHIC: SEAN BURKE

With the holiday sea-son comes the return of the long-standing

tradition of “The Nutcracker.” It seems there is no limit to the number of times one can watch this production — the magic of the sugar plum fairy and the charm of Clara capture audiences perennially.

On Saturday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 2 p.m., State Street Ballet will perform their annual presen-tation of this crowd pleasing favorite. The performances will be held in the recently renovated Granada Theater.

The ballet will be performed by members of State Street Ballet’s professional dance company alongside students from the Gustafson School of Dance.

Laguna Blanca’s own Julia DePaoli, a sophomore, will be starring in the show as Clara — the young girl who receives a toy nutcracker as a Christmas gift from her grandfather.

The ballet, which is based on the book “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffman, takes audiences on an imaginative journey with Clara and the nutcracker. Clara encounters characters such as a terrifying rat king, a group of snowflakes, and an Arabian princess.

Tchaikovsky’s score for the two-part ballet has become

Julia DePaoli Stars as Clara in “The Nutcracker”

By JESS DAVIS

PHOTO: DAVID BAZEMORE

Set to the music by Tchaikovsky and performed at the Granada, “The

Nutcracker” promises to be enchanting.

one of his most famous com-positions of all time.

Although it is Julia’s third year participating in State Street Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” she is looking for-ward to the show and is happy to be per-forming as Clara.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to dance with a professional com-pany. Also, it is really excit-ing because The Granada is such a beautiful big theater, which makes performing in general that much more spe-cial and fun,” said Julia.

Julia, who fell in love with dance at the young age of five, has rehearsed tirelessly in preparation for the perfor-mance.

“We began rehearsals in ear-ly September,” said Julia, “and a lot of effort has gone into publicizing the production through radio and newspaper interviews.”

Her dedication to dance and commitment to preparing for the show will be apparent in her performance this week-end.

Julia encourages the Laguna Blanca community to attend the performance. “The per-formance is something that is really great for all ages. It is a holiday tradition that everyone can enjoy and it will get you in the holiday spirit!”

There is some-thing magical about the holi-

days. Christmas carols are heard ringing in the halls and on the lips of Laguna Blanca students and the spirit of giving is in the air.

One of the most wel-come and exciting as-pects of the holidays is the plethora of different comfort foods which pop up during the months of Nov. and Dec. Start-ing mid-Nov., the scents of pumpkin and mulled spices start to waft out of coffee shops and restau-rants everywhere.

The usually generically decorated chain coffee houses Starbucks and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are touched by the Fairy Godmother of cheer and spirit. Overnight, the dull blackboards and harsh chrome espresso ma-chines are covered in red velvet, artificial tinsel, and enough sparkles to knock out an elephant.

Walking into a mecca of holiday cheer concen-trated into 300 square feet is the highlight of the day for many. I, for one, look forward to hav-ing my dose of holiday cheer along with a de-licious Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, or a deliciously brewed Gin-

The Cheer in the Coffee Cup: Holiday Flavors Around TownBy ARABELLA WATTERS

gerbread Cookie Latte at the Coffee Bean.

As one employee at the Coffee Bean stirred a hot chocolate happily it was clear that holiday cheer is in the air.

“All I Want for Christ-mas” played softly in the background as the baris-ta told me, “The most popular drink during the holiday is definitely the Winter Dream Tea Latte. Another one that’s really popular is the Pep-permint Mocha with whipped cream. People love that one.”

Not only are festive holiday drinks sold, but gingerbread cookies, fla-

This magnetic novel draws from the author’s own violent childhood and irrepressible attraction to the unfath-omable South, portrayed as a place of magic and of malice. The story follows Tom Wingo as he talks to the lovely psychiatrist Dr. Lowenstein in hopes of helping his talented, but suicidal sister who uses razors to try to break herself free of the oppressive weight of the past. Conroy’s lyrical prose serves as the perfect balance to the harsh re-ality of Tom’s abusive father, his ma-nipulative and beautiful mother, his caliginous brother Luke, and his poetic sister Savannah. Conroy slowly unrav-els a family shadowed in secret and scarred by unimaginable tragedy. Put your own problems in perspective with this novel, filled with domestic turmoil, as you take a break from your holiday shopping and present wrapping.

Full of Cheer: (Above) Four cups from local coffee shops featuring holiday themes. (Below) The holiday themed in-terior of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Montecito.

Yum Yum Yum: A local ice cream parlor’s festive flavors draw crowds to sample its ice creams and frozen yogurts.

vored coffees, and spe-cialized mugs are sold during the season. As soon as December comes, peppermint starts to per-meate the air.

Coffee shops are not the only places which embrace the holidays, McConnell’s Ice Cream and Yogurt pumps up their holiday flavors to full voltage. Pumpkin, peppermint, cinnamon, and eggnog ice cream are popular, but WowCow frozen yogurt also offers fat free, soft serve ver-sions of the flavors. Noth-ing says Thanksgiving like two large scoops of pumpkin ice cream melt-

ing slowly in a pool of hot fudge underneath a swirl of whipped cream.

Christmas can be epit-omized by a scoop of pep-permint on a chocolate dipped cone. An employ-ee at McConnell’s talks about the rush at the holidays, “My arm gets tired from scooping so much ice cream because people are constantly asking for Pumpkin or Eggnog. When we’re re-placing the flavors so much, they get really frozen and it’s hard to scoop.” The unique fla-vors of the holidays cre-ate memories for friends and family alike.

Ed Kennedy’s existence is wretch-ed. He is desperately in love with his best friend, plays pokers with his sharp-tongued loser friends, and he drives a taxi (after he is forced to lie about his age to get the job). It isn’t until he inadvertently thwarts a bank robbery that his life becomes extraor-dinary. Soon after being proclaimed a “hero,” Kennedy receives a myste-rious Ace card with times and loca-tions on the back. The novel follows Kennedy as he unravels the mystery of the cards. Watch Kenney come of age as you sit down with a cup of hot cocoa.

Némirovsky was taken to Auschwitz and killed in the gas chambers in 1942 before finishing the last three novels. Her work, which was written as the very history that shaped the book took place, was kept unread un-til 2004, when her daughter started to read a small notebook filled with cramped handwriting. Her two nov-els, tempête en juin (storm in June), and dolce (sweet), were published together under the name Suite Fran-çaise, becoming an immediate best seller in France. The first part shows the citizens of Paris fleeing as the Germans advance on the city. The second part shows the eerily peace-ful German occupation of a suburb of Paris, Bussy, and how the occupation seamlessly unravels the small town. The links between the two story lines are subtle. Némirovsky’s writing style is delicate, fresh, and artful as she weaves a timeless story of human existence in the context of wartime.

This novel, dismissed by Russian critics of Tolstoy’s time, has been hailed as “the best ever written” by William Faulkner and has become a key install-ment into the literary cannon. Tolstoy reveals the story of two women, one ensnared by her own vanity, the other torn between society and passion. Kitty Oblonksaya scorns the advances of the man who loves her in favor of the dash-ing Alexei Vronksy, only to lose him to the bewitching Anna Karenina. Anna is a young woman trapped in a marriage who fights, but ultimately succumbs, to her passions. Tolstoy draws upon Russian history and politics in a time of turmoil to bring depth to a novel lost in the chaos and hypocrisy of high Rus-sian society.

Coming off her first novel “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” Audrey Niffeneger crafted a complicated and darkly beau-tiful novel about two twins stuck in the limbo before adulthood. In “Her Fear-ful Symmetry,” twins, Valentina and Julia couldn’t be more different, but are bonded with each other just as their mother and her twin Elspeth were be-fore. When Elspeth dies, Valentina and Julia inherit her flat in London, which is haunted by Elspeth’s ghost. The ex-perience the twins have sheds light on dark familial secrets and the betrayals which caused them. Niffeneger never fails to please with unexpected plot twists and heartwarming descriptions of the love between siblings and be-tween husband and wives. Smile, cry, and furrow your brow in confusion at this supernatural take on coming of age and the tragedies of love.

The final installment in the Gossip Girl series is like a peppermint hot chocolate, addictive, rich, and deli-ciously indulgent. Following iconic Upper East Siders Blair, Nate, Ser-ena, and Chuck in the years after graduating high school, the novel is written in vignettes. Stuffed to the brim with outrageously expensive clothes, catty drama, and incestu-ous love triangles, the novel is full of Ziegesar’s clever wit. Grab this fun holiday treat, snuggle up next to the fire with a cashmere blanket (Blair and Serena deserve nothing less) and enjoy a story about New York City’s ridiculously wealthy and undeniably beautiful teenagers.

If Christmas time makes you wist-fully romantic, ask for a copy of Ann Brashares newest novel “My Name is Memory” and retreat into your room to become enthralled with the epic love story of Lucy and Daniel. Not your typical star-crossed lovers, Lucy and Daniel’s romance transcends life and death. Brashares creates a world where only a few people have some-thing called “the Memory” which al-lows them to remember all of their past lives. In the story, Daniel has the Memory and Lucy does not. The nov-el follows their love through multiple lives, starting in ancient Africa and weaving artfully to the contemporary campus of the University of Virginia. It is a challenge to finish the novel without crying, both a compliment to Brashares deeply moving descrip-tions and the ultimate escape from the stress of the holidays. Get ready to feel your heartbreak, a Christmas cookie is recommended for solace.

Topping The New York Times Best-Sellers list this year, Freedom by Jona-than Franzen is a multi-faceted, multi-layered, raw, and honest take on the typical “All American” family. Franzen exposes the dysfunction and love pres-ent in a family. The family fights over politics, infidelity, and intimacy like any other family, and it is the realis-tic nature of the novel which makes it such a joy to read. It is an addictive intellectual novel which explores the ups and downs of family through both teenagers and parents. Heartbreaking at times and uplifting at others, the novel is nothing short of brilliant. Pick it up at Chaucers and feel yourself grow a few more neurons after you’ve lost them listening to Christmas tunes.

The Book Review

“The Prince of Tides”By Pat Conroy

“Freedom”

“Her Fearful Symmetry”

By Jonathan Franzen

By Audrey Niffeneger

“Anna Karenina”By Leo Tolstoy

“I Am the Messenger”By Markus Zusak

“Suite Française”By Irène Némirovsky “My Name is Memory”

By Ann Brashares

“I Will Always Love You”By Cecily Von Ziegesar


PHOTO: ARABELLA WATTERS


By ARABELLA WATTERS & JULIA KENT

ciF WraP uP

voLLeyBaLL

Hardcore Parkour: One Student’s Efforts to

Bring Parkour to Campus


By JULIA KENT

cross country “Everyone really worked hard to improve no matter if they were looking to win races or to just get into bet-ter shape,” commented Senior Cross Country Captain Parker Lilly. It’s always exciting when the cross-country squad gets to cruise down to Mt. SAC, the sight of CIF Southern Section prelims. This time the Owls fielded a group of talented boys and a group of talented girls as well. Lilly got an 8th place finish and sophomore Marla Bonser got fifth. Quali-fying for the Finals. “We both went into the finals with con-fidence,” says Lilly “I had run the course 12 times before that race, but it was pouring rain.” Instead of the usual hilly ter-rain CIF made the running course level changing the race significantly. Both Lilly and Bonser nearly made state.

PHOTO: GAYLE ADAMS

This season was one for the record books as Laguna fin-ished this record breaking at 6-4 after loosing in a lopsided contest against Santa Clarita Christian.

After finishing the regular season at 5-3 the Owls re-ceived an at-large bid to the CIF Southern Section playoffs. For only the second time in Laguna history the Owls foot-ball squad jumped into post season play with all cylinders pumping.

This year’s Owls team field-ed some of the strongest foot-ball talent Laguna has ever produced most notably big of-fensive linemen Chase McAd-ams and running back Austin Rusack.

The Owls crushed many of their opponents by huge num-bers this season, however, they lost a heartbreaker to Thatcher at home in the rain.

Laguna struggled in contests against Cate who smothered the Laguna offense and to San-ta Clarita Valley Christian who put a stop to Laguna’s early season undefeated run.

The Owls opened up CIF play against Capistrano Val-ley Christian at a Friday night game down south. The Eagles who came into the contest with a winning record were not easy task for the Owls.

“We had one of our best

The lady Owls Volleyball team is no stranger to CIF play. In the past few years they have won a championship, haven’t missed a CIF bid, and have made it to the finals on a few occasions.

This season was no different as the Owls as they started CIF play following a regular season in which the Owls dominated League play.

Defeating our three biggest in League opponents, Dunn, Cate and Thatcher in some-times nail biting but generally dominate finishes.

The Owls opened up CIF play at home against Twenty-nine Palms School. The gym was packed and the fans wild as the Owls started the game off. Nerves ran high as players were forced to shift around as a result of some injuries. La-guna opened up strong but the ladies of Twentynine Palms fought back. Laguna took the first game 25-20.

The second game was more of a lopsided affair as the Owls

FootBaLL

By FLETCHER SIPPLE

The new girls basketball coach has, without a doubt, turned the team into a fun-damental machine. With the absence of 6-footer Megan McAlister, who provided a mammoth inside presence and acquired most of the team’s rebounds, the girls team relies on quick senior guards Julia Kent, Natalie Nomura, and Amanda Schulenberg to propel the team to new heights. Chris Foster, the new basketball coach, while introducing new drills, strategies, and concepts to the LBS squad, was the for-mer coach at San Marcos High

Girls Basketball Welcomes Coach

By BRANDON BICKETT

PHOTO: WARD RITTER

Parkour is defined as getting from point A to point B in the most efficient manner possi-ble, no matter what obstacles – buildings, walls, trees, small children etc… – are in the way.

The word is derived from a unique French military tactic used in World War I.

Georges Hébert, a French Navy Officer, drew on the gymnastic-like combat skills he saw in Africa to create a new style of attack. He dubbed his new tactic parcours du combatant.

Today, parkour has moved beyond its military roots and has become a phenom-enon that has spread across the globe.

P a r k o u r is often c o n -

fused with free running, which involves flips and tricks as op-posed to the “purist” form of

parkour. The public uses the two inter-

changeably. La-

g u -na alum

and park-our enthusi-

ast, Sam Kent, joined an un-

derground park-our club at Boston

College his first year. Parkour is an “in-

dividual sport, but, since it is not based on competition, it fosters a sense of fraternity

with mutual apprecia-tion and a similar goal,” says Kent.

Not only has parkour hit the greater Boston area, Laguna senior Austin Rusack is trying to bring parkour to campus.

Rusack has tried in the past to start a parkour club on cam-pus, however he has lacked the numbers. The club would meet, try out, and film their tricks to post on YouTube and to the school’s website.

Since he could walk, Austin has been doing flips, tricks,

and stunts, although, only recently has he

discovered that he has been doing parkour

all along. He officially

started doing parkour in fresh-man year and

would like to start a club for Laguna stu-

dents to join. He explains how his love of

parkour plays a huge role in his future plans.

“My ultimate goal is to be-come a stuntman.” Although parkour is a notoriously dan-

gerous sport, Austin has never been seriously injured, other than “various bruises, scratch-es, and sprained ankles.”

The risk of injuries, Austin claims, makes it that much more exciting which adds a “mental aspect to the sport.”

“The hardest thing about parkour is convincing yourself to try the moves. If you don’t feel completely confident and don’t mentally commit your-self to the move your about to attempt, you won’t land it.”

“My ultimate goal is to become

a stunt man.”School. “I really like him,” said senior Amanda Schulenberg, “He makes us run a lot, but that will only make our team better.” With the loss of their season opener to a tough Val-ley Christian Academy team, partly due to committing too many fouls and with the loss of starter Zoe Serbin-out due to injury, the teams looks to winning more games in the fu-ture. Senior point guard Julia Kent said, “He listens to us, so it makes more interactive and open. It’s been great being coached by him. We’re so ex-ited for the season.”

PHO

TO: E

LLIO

T SE

RB

IN

dominated 25-16. The third game, which ended 25-22, was a battle, as Twentynine Palms didn’t go down without a fight.

Freshman Clara Madsen made her impact carry the Owls to victory scoring some points off serves to shift mo-mentum to the Owls. Junior Amanda Harvey had 22 kills, while seniors Lillie Hodges and Amanda Schulenberg made an impact as Hodges posted 26 digs and Schulenberg added 18 kills.

The Owls then went down to Bretheren Christian for the quarterfinal match. Bretheren Christian, who had the home court advantage, came out fired up knocking the Owls off balance. The Owls, who were down two players due to in-juries, were overcome rapidly by the Warriors who played off their large crowd and ex-cited atmosphere to put the Owls away in a sweep. Aman-da Schulenberg made the All-Team CIF.

PHOTO: RICHARD WESTIN-SMITH

Bump, set, destroy: Senior Amanda Schulenberg takes a flying leap to spike the ball during one of the preliminary CIF games.

games that night, the whole team was really up for it and excited, that is why we played so well and dominated on both sides of the ball against Cap-istrano,” said captain Jeff Nel-son.

It was a lopsided affair as the Owls dominated on both sides of the ball. Senior Austin Ru-sack had one running and two receiving touchdowns for the Owls. Senior Kevin Drew ran a kick back 67 yards for a touch-down.

Defensively, the Owls forced four fumbles and intercepted the Eagles once winning 28-12.

The quarterfinal round was hardly a similar story for the Owls who took on Santa Clari-ta Valley Christian at home.

Santa Clarita who hadn’t lost a game in seasons and who was defending last year’s CIF Title fielded a running back that the Owls couldn’t handle.

Things started off even as the Owls came out fired up but the game soon got out of hand. The offense faltered and the defense crumbled as the Owls lost by mercy rule 50-0 early in the third quarter.

“Even though we struggled in our final game against San-ta Clarita, I was happy with how well our team played this year,” says senior Kevin Drew “we aren’t a huge school like Santa Clarita or a powerhouse in the football department but we had one of Laguna’s most successful seasons in history…it’s something to be proud of.”

Park Rats and Neon the New Age Ski Style

Remember when skiing was about gracefully carving down steep snow-covered mountainsides? It was about smoothly gliding through powder at blistering speeds. Well, that was then, and ski-ing has now become a flashy testosterone-driven vanity contest.

Skiers are now judged on how many times they can awkwardly flail in circles after shooting off heaps of snow.

New age skiers, common-ly referred to as park rats, spend all of their time going through the half pipes and off large jumps.

Park rats have not only defaced skiing as a sport but also have personally tainted my ski vacations.

I spend my ski trips stuck with brainwashed park rats taking a two minute ski lift to the top of the terrain park over and over until one them snaps their ankle, or until I pass out from boredom.

But if I had to choose one thing about the new age of skiing that both-ers me most, it has to be the ridiculous amount of effort that goes into having the brightest and most obnoxious ski-wear possible.

P e o p l e spend huge amounts of money to get the brightest shade of neon jacket that they can find or to buy the most psychedel-ic and colorful skis possible.

It all revolves around getting noticed by others from up on the chair lifts; they look like little Christmas lights shooting through the terrain park.

But as you get closer, their jackets look like sown together leftovers from some Care Bears that fell into a blend-er, and are at least two sizes to big for them.

Their jackets are nothing compared to their skis. It appears that the quality of today’s skis is virtually irrevelevant. All that seems to matter are the graph-ics that are on them, which are basical-ly graffiti tag names or ugly demented forest creatures.

Commentary By SEAN BURKE


Despite the skis lack of craftsman-ship and sturdiness they are insanely expensive.

A year ago my friend wanted a pair of very expensive Armada brand skis.

The skis were covered with what ap-peared to be a random rainbow pat-tern with the brand name A R M A D A

written on the back. After hours and hours of begging and pleading with his parents he finally convinced them that the graphics on the skis were worth it, and yet a week later I was sent on a mission to get as many stickers as I could so he could cover the skis with them to give off the false impression that he’d had them for a long time.

I am guilty of falling into this dis-gusting culture, as I ski with a pair of large bright green felt ski goggles, and red skis with bright yellow stickers on the front, and I do envy my friends when people line up to watch them soar through the air upside-down, but is this what skiing should be all about?

Every person to have ever played sports knows that feeling as you are walk-

ing out onto the field during your first game or during that big game against the rival team. The butter-flies in your stomach and the ner-vous feelings are distractions every athlete has experienced.

Emotions involved in games can make the average athlete great or the standout athlete flop. Turns out that sports psychology is serious stuff and has become big business. There are thousands of sports per-formance establishments through-out the nation that cater to the mind of the athlete.

From high school to the pros it’s important for athletes to never let their primal emotions interfere with their performance. While these primal triggers, such as the flight-or-flight, were meant to help early humans deal with physically and mentally demanding situa-tions, today can be detrimental to our body’s natural emotions, nerves, and responses.

So much of what the athlete ex-periences in instinctual especially when emotions come into play. As sports psychologist Craig Man-ning told the Deseret News “the mentally tough is going to win ev-ery time.” Such a true-ism can be shown in today’s biggest rivalries. Take BYU-Utah or South Carolina-Alabama in college football.

Both BYU and Utah are at the top of the Mountain West Conference and every year they face one anoth-er in what college football calls “the Holy War.”

Both teams training regiments and talent pool are very much the same. Three years ago, the stand-out BYU quarterback Max Hall was the center of attention for the Utah defense.

Hall, who now plays in the NFL, had established himself as one of the premier col-lege football quar-terbacks. He threw five interceptions that game.

To everyone in the crowd it was obvious that the first couple interceptions were a prod-uct not of his bad arm but of his distracted mind.

With a packed house and a bowl game on the line, not to mention the rivalry, the environment, not the Utah defense, was what got to Hall. Emotions seemed to get in the way as the first interception rattled his mind and nerves.

His “internal monologue” the term sports psychologists use to describe one’s flow of thoughts dur-ing competition probably became negative, his “attention focus” or ability to block out emotion, crowd,

and other factors probably also de-clined. These effects compounded to hurt his decision-making.

“Once you start thinking the wrong way, you’re going to crash no matter how much potential or how hard you train” says Manning. It should come as no surprise, that such emotions could work con-versely, to motivate athletes above their normal potential.

During that same game, Austin Collie, another BYU player who now plays for the Colts, ran a kickoff back 70 yards after be-ing heckled by the entire Utah

cheering section which he stood in front of. Collie even went so far as to wave to the crowd to be louder before he ran the kick back.

Perhaps that is why when people talk “momentum” they are really describing the inflation in motiva-tion of one team and deflation in motivation of the other. Mental performance helps athletes off the field as well.

In Vail, Colorado a group of ski instructors have pioneered what they call the Focused Learning Sys-tem which is a ski school that not only caters to the physical aspects

Kelsey Douglas has been a force on the soccer field for the lady Owls for a few years now after helping the squad, who has gone deep into CIF play in the past few years, reach a level of perfec-tion rare amongst other Laguna sports.

Last season Kelsey scored six goals as a defender which is pretty unheard of, and is returning as captain of the team this year along with fellow standouts, senior Lauren McAlister and junior McKenzie Scarborough.

Scarborough comments, “I’m glad to be captaining this team with Kelsey this year, she’s been a star for us on the field all these years. I think she will do a great job leading the team.”

Defensive player and fellow senior Carolina Beltran says, “Having played alongside Kelsey for the past four years has taught me a lot and I really admire her skill and appreciate her advice.”

Kelsey has sustained several soccer related injuries over the years but con-tinues to push through and return to the field. She has played club soccer for years and brings this competitive and dedicated edge to the Laguna squad.

The Owls have seen CIF playoffs ev-ery year in the recent past even mak-ing it to the finals and semi finals on a couple of occasions.

With a new coaching staff and pos-sible a new system which accompanies coaching changes, the Owls will rely on Kelsey and her fellow captains to pro-vide that much needed sense of togeth-erness after loosing former Coach Greg Luna who led the team to some of its most successful seasons.

“I always can rely on Kelsey for de-fense, she’s a wall back there. She plays hard even when she’s hurt and she cares a lot about everyone on the team,” says senior Arabella Watters, goalie.

The Science Behind the Choke: How Nerves and Emotions Affect the Athlete

PascaL KaraM: soccer

Pascal Karam earns his spot as fea-tured athlete of this issue for two rea-sons: one, he has been a force on the soccer field as a four year starter in goals leading his squad to a few CIF berths. Two, he played his first year of “American” football this season for the Owls making some noise on the grid-iron as well.

Pascal has been a force on the field says fellow soccer player Sean Burke, “I’m glad Pascal is our goalie, I would argue that he is the best keeper in the Condor League.”

A starter since freshman year Pas-cal has played great on the soccer pitch bringing his intense focus into action. Pascal also filled big shoes as the goalie preceding him continued on to play on the collegiate field at Union.

“Pascal brings the intensity when he plays,” notes Burke “sometimes it’s a little scary but it works, he saves a lot of goals from going in the net.”

Pascal tried his hand in football this season. While he started late and ergo had difficulty seeing the field he notched some big time plays in some big time games. Most notably he had 112 yards receiving against Cate. “He was a sol-id addition to the squad” notes Kevin Drew, a fellow wide-receiver. “I never thought Pascal would strap on football pads but I’m glad he did…it was a blast playing with him.”

Pascal also plays volleyball. He helped lead the team to one a solid fin-ish last season as an opposite hitter.

Pascal enters his senior year as a four-year starting goalie and now a se-nior captain for the Owls soccer team. The team, which is currently en route to a winning season, will surely contin-ue to look to Pascal for leadership and the much-needed intensity he brings to the field.

KeLsey dougLas: soccer

Featured atHLetes


“Park rats have not only defaced skiing as a sport but also have personally tainted

my ski vacations.”

“Once you start thinking the wrong way, you’re

going to crash no matter how much potential or how hard you train.”

of the sport but also to the mental aspect.

They use positive visualization, fear mitigation, and nerve control techniques to increase the overall performance of the ski athlete.

As project director Larry Simp-son explains to the Denver Post “Anxiety can be a limiting factor when skiers get into a certain type of snow or terrain they’ve struggled with in the past.

We coach people in fear mitiga-tion or anxiety mitigation so they can continue to learn…we have a good sense of the movements peo-ple need to make…but if you don’t understand learning and the prin-ciples of human behavior, you tend to compound the problem rather than help it.”

In simple terms, the brain’s emo-tional output can often times work as a filter for actions and commands from the brain to the nervous sys-tem which “under stress, blocks out the ability to be creative, to think about a movement change” says Simpson.

This new field in sports perfor-mance is allowing athletes of all types, whether on the field or the slope, to reach new heights.

In fact universities, athletes, and professional clubs are all investing in training in this new realm. Men-tal preparedness often times makes the difference between success and failure.

By FLETCHER SIPPLE

By FLETCHER SIPPLE

Mountain Fun: Kevin Drew pauses on the slopes for a photo.

The Twelve Cookies of ChristmasIn spirit of the holidays, the staff of The Fourth Estate challenged the Laguna Blanca La Honda yearbook staff to a friendly Christmas cookie competition. We baked, we tasted, and we chose. Visiting eighth grade parents were the judges. Here are the top twelve winners of “The Ultimate Christmas Cookie Competition”: from the

perfect chocolate chip cookie to the festive Linzer Star, you’re bound to find a treat to appeal to your taste buds.

snickerdoodles 3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon For the cookie dough:

3 1/2 cups flour 1 tbsp baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar

2 eggs 1 tbsp light corn syrup

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Stir together the sugar & cinnamon and set aside. To

make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients. Cream the butter in a bowl. Add the sugar and continue

to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it’s sticky or difficult to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll balls of dough (wal-nut sized) then coat them in cinnamon sugar. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 in. apart. Bake for 10 to 12 min-utes, until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked.

Linzer star cookie 1 cup sliced almonds2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup sugar,

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 large egg yolksZest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup Raspberry Jam

In a bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, and salt. In an elec-tric mixer, beat the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg yolks, and lemon zest. Beat in the ground nuts. Add the flour mixture, just until incorporated. Half the dough and shape into 1/2 inch thick rectangles. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Re-move one rectangle of dough and cut it out with a cookie cutter. Place the cookies about 1 in. apart on the sheet. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet.

Repeat with second half. Bake for 12-14 minutes or un-til lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Heat jam, coat one cookie, sandwich the jam with sugar on a side.

Julia’s chocolate chip cookies1 stick of butter (at room temp)

1/2 cup sugar1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup flour1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt1 egg

1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract1 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Beat the butter and both sugars on high. Whisk the flour,

baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add egg and va-nilla to the butter mixture and cream together.

Add flour and butter mixtures together and mix, careful not to over mix. Add the chocolate chips. Scoop the cook-ies using a medium sized ice cream scooper. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown.

By CAROLINA BELTRAN, LILLIE HODGES, ARABELLA WATTERS, JORDAN SHANNON

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and va-nilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats, white chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by ta-blespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Re-move from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

oatmeal White chocolate chip 1 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar1 cup white sugar

2 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats2 cups white chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Pumpkin chocolate chip1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Banana chocolate chip oatmeal2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 bananas 2 packets of oatmeal

chocolate chipsPreheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small

bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before re-moving to cool on wire racks.

Peanut Butter BlossomHERSHEY’S KISSES Milk Chocolates

1/2 cup shortening 3/4 cup Peanut Butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until

well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immedi-ately press a chocolate into center of each cookie.

oatmeal with “oomph”1 ¼ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda1 cup softened butter

¾ cup sugar¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs1 tsp vanilla3 cups oats

1 cup chocolate chips1 cup butterscotch chips

Beat the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the flour and the baking soda. Stir in the oats and then the chocolate/butterscotch chips. Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Cook them for 7-8 minutes at 375 degrees (or until the bottoms are turning light golden brown) for chewy cookies.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for several minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will set as they cool.

tollhouse chocolate chip cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat

butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tbsp onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter. Add brown sugar; beat un-til combined. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.

Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.

Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 min-utes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking un-til cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter surprise1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt1/3 cup granulated sugar

36 mini peanut butter cups

Festive Fruit cake cookiecup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar3 eggs, separated

3 cups flour, divided1/2 lb golden raisins1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 lb chopped candied cherries

1/2 lb chopped candied pineapples

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar; beat in egg yolks.

Sprinkle the rum over the fruits. Chopping the fruits and nuts is made easier with a food processor, or simply mound them together

Stir the remaining flour together with the spices and salt to mix evenly.

Then add remaining ingredientsBeat the egg whites Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

Pinwheel cookies1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Resift again into another bowl.

Beat the butter with the brown and white sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Bake in preheated oven until set, 5 to 6 minutes. Set on cooling racks for a few minutes before serving.

DEC 2010

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