by the senior class. While many leadership students, for whatever reason, did not make it a priority to deal with this proverbial ele-phant of a debt, a nuclear group of seniors, both Leadership as well as non-Leadership students, have worked to reduce its impact. Throughout the year, carwashes, raffles, fundraisers and tamale

sales have been a reccurring back-drop at any school function. Many of these have been to benefit the

senior class. Slowly and methodi-cally, the efforts of the fundraisers, spearheaded by Eva Diaz, have chipped away at the debt, bring-ing in $6,227 in revenue. Howev-er the Senior Class still spent over $1,000 in various expenses. A large contribution to the fund was made by the Booster’s Club, despite the shrinkage of its own revenue base. Even as it weathered the storm of the financial collapse,

Booster’s found the werewithal to provide $750 towards the allevia-tion of senior suffering. Apart from this charity, the single largest source of income this year came from the raffle of a

Senior class leaves a red debt

After 60 years Doyle takes a break

By Luther Cenci

Despite the heroic efforts of a small task force of dedicated stu-dents, the Senior Class remains $2,052.72 in debt at the time of press. With two days left of class for the seniors, the financial situa-tion looks impossibly dire. The roots of this crisis reach their loathsome tendrils back to last year’s prom, held on the USS Hornet. By convention, SVHS’ Prom is organized, marketed, and funded by the junior section of the Leadership Class, and more specifically, the Prom Committe.

A combination of lower-than-ex-pected turnout and higher -than-predicted costs, the 2009 prom in-currred a deficit of around $5,500.

This amount was deducted directly from the ASB account held in the name of the Class of 2010. Coupled with other miscel-laneous expenses, the prom de-bacle ensured that the graduating class rolled into their senior year $6,936 into the red. Needless to say, this staggering sum cast a pall over the activities planned

tuxedo for prom, which brought in $601.35. The raffle was marketed

under the express understanding that the opportunity for ticket pur-chase would be during Conven-tion, and the winners would be an-nounced at the Inaugaural Ball. “When I walked by the table at Convention, they had not sold any tickets, so I bought ten tick-ets” said Peter Armstrong, senior. However, “they never announced

By Danny Maggioncalda

This year’s SVHS senior awards ceremony commenced as well as anyone could have planned, fill-ing Pfeiffer Gymnasium with wide smiles, proud parents, and an intoxicating aura of accom-plishment.

Often the ceremony drags on for many hours, yet unfortu-nately time was not an issue this year, due in part to the absence of a par-ticular scholarship that is bestowed an-nually upon a large percentage of the graduating senior class. Started in 1950 as part of the last will and testament of Frank P. Doyle, the Doyle scholarship has given much needed financial aid

to over 100,000 students planning to attend Santa Rosa Junior Col-lege. Last year alone, the Doyle trust, established through Ex-change Bank, awarded over $1.3 million to prospective SRJC stu-dents. The year 2010 will not see such money endowed at all. Those in-

SmokeSignalsChoir & band rock Sonoma

The award-winning SVHS choir is performing in the Little Theater on Wed. 26 at 7:30pm. Band performed Tuesday to a delighted crowd. During April the two groups competed in New York for the Heritage Music Fes-tival. There were four categories: choir, show choir, chamber choir, and band; silvers were won in all four categories. Jazzberries, the school show choir, opened for the local Jazz Festival with lively music and vibrant pink costumes.

Enough is enough The Plaza was abuzz with the chanting and signs of a group of SVHS organized protesters on the May 4 at the Farmer’s Mar-ket from 5 to 6 pm. The protest, organized to oppose the new anti-immigration laws in Arizona, was proposed and put into action by Namiko Morales, junior, and Shane Enzensperger junior. “Roughly 30 people showed up, all under the age of 20,” recounted Enzensperger. “We organized the demonstration together because we felt that Sonoma needed to hear our voices.”

Newspaper contest SVHS’s Dragon’s Tale staff took a trip to the Santa Rosa Veteran’s building Thurs. May 20, to participate in the Redwood Empire Journalism awards ceremony sponsored by the contest honors outstanding articles and images in high school newspapers as well as overall excellence in jouranlism class-rooms. Seven high schools from Sonoma County participated with SVHS receiving seven awards in various categories. The winners included: James Fanucchi, Sigrid Forsythe, Matt Fraser, Ben Graff, Anna Haley, Caity Tremblay and Danny Maggioncalda.

Photo by James FanucchiJason Davis, Eva Diaz, Miriam Magaña, and Aracelli Moya are among a handful of seniors working to elimate the over $2,000 debt.

the winners at the Ball, and I later found out that they had extended the raffle and changed the param-eters of the competition.” “Other classes have left with a debt,” said Maggie Cunningham, Student Activities bookkeeper, “but never one so large.” Only time can tell the full im-pact of this debt. (See Slate Four response on pg 2)

dividuals who would have quali-fied for grants (having maintained

an academic GPA of at least 2.5 throughout their high school ca-reers) will be forced to look else-where for financial aid.

In related news, deserving se-niors have also lost the opportu-nity for recognition and scholar-ships via the prestigious Press Democrat Youth Service Awards, which were held this spring in spite of SVHS’s absence. The awards are presented an-nually to senior students who have proven excellence in vari-ous fields of education and dem-onstrated commitment to their communities through service and humanitarianism. According to Laura Losk of the SVHS counseling office, no

seniors attended this year due to a lapse in communication. Each year, Losk plans on receiving information for nomination pro-tocol from the Press Democrat in late Jan. By Mar. of 2010, she had come across no such email.

“It was all very frustrating,” comments Losk. “Michelle Straub from the PD has been coordinat-ing this with Patty McFerrin for a number of years now.” Straub, Exec. Asst. to the Pub-lisher at the PD, continued to send information on the awards to Mc-Ferrin’s email, even after McFerrin’s retirement at the con-clusion of the 2009 school year. Details of the event were recov-ered by Losk and turned over to Principal Philpot and Superin-tendent Carlomagno. Although it is past the deadline for SVHS to submit nominees for the award, the Sonoma Index Tribune and Sonoma Sun have volunteered to do a similar program of recogni-tion for Sonoma seniors, only without the prospect of a $1,000 scholarship. “We’re not going to let some-thing like this go just because we only have three counselors instead of four,” added Losk. “We’re still doing everything we can and have to do.”

Senior section pgs. 3-10

Photo by Anthony ArjonaThe 2010 batch of seniors moving on to SRJC were overlooked in this year’s awards.

May 2010 - Volume 19 - Issue 8 - Sonoma Valley High School

www.sonomadragonstale.com

Sensational senior

projects pg. 4

Sliding to the win pg. 11

~Editorial Policy~ The Dragon’s Tale is a public forum newspaper produced by the Sonoma Valley High School Newspaper class. The newspaper attempts to inform its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects, and to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers. The newspaper staff encourages letters for opinions and responses on the content of the publication. Only signed letters will be considered for publication. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all letters for content. No material, opinionated or otherwise, will be printed which is libelous, irresponsible, advocates an illegal activity or which the editorial staff deems in poor taste. Editorials reflect the collective views of the staff and will not contain bylines. Other opinionated pieces will include editor’s columns, feature columns, letters-to-the-editor, and entertainment reviews. If the staff discovers that a mistake has eluded the editors, a correction will be printed in the next issue.

~Dragon’s Tale Staff~ADVISER - Alison ManchesterEDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Clarke CampionMANAGING EDITOR- Peter ArmstrongLAYOUT EDITOR - Rachel GlagoCOPY EDITOR - Troy CameronNEWS EDITOR - Kirsten Aguilar, Hannah Horrowitz, Danny MaggioncaldaOP/ED EDITOR - Alejandro TinajeroFEATURE EDITORS - Chelsea Rose Shiery, Caity TremblayARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR - Gabe BassettPHOTO EDITOR - Joe GilmoreSPORTS EDITORS - Matt Fraser, Ben GraffBUSINESS MANAGERS - Zachary Adams, Mackenzie Kelley, Eva LindstromREPORTERS - Zachary Adams, Kirsten Aguilar, Anthony Arjona, Troy Cameron, Luther Cenci, Sigrid Forsythe, Matt Fraser, Ben Graff, Anna Haley, Hannah Horowitz, Mackenzie Kelley, Eva Lindstrom, Daniel Maggioncalda, Shannon Murphy, Jesse U’Ren, Victor Vasquez Connor Vickers, Charles WatsonPHOTOGRAPHERS - James Fanucchi, Joe Gilmore, Chelsea Rose Shiery, Alejandro Tinajero, Caity TremblayART AND GRAPHICS - Sigrid Forsythe, Daniel Maggioncalda

Opinion - Editorial

Dragon’s Tale Page 2 April 2010

. . . U n d e r c l a s s m e n l e f t i n t h e l u r c h

By Troy Cameron

College is a privilege, not a right. However, that privilege is slowly dwindling away. Fewer and fewer students are able to afford the education that their intellect warrants. Institu-tions of higher learning ought to be accessible to those with the mental capacity. Unfortunately, reality operates on the dollar. By definition, private universities retain the right to enroll whichev-er demographic they prefer, yet to do so would run contrary to their academic philosophies. Due to current economic con-straints, scholarship opportuni-ties are severely lacking. As a result, college has the appearance of being out of reach for many. State-funded education is suffer-ing tremendously. Tuition costs are rising, class sizes are swell-ing and admission is contentious. A side effect of this is the junior college phenomena. An incredible number of stu-dents resign themselves to this fate because they feel a four-year university is an unrealistic goal. With the disappearance of the Doyle Scholarship, even this is becoming less of an option. In attempts to save some pre-cious cash, even university-eligi-ble students are opting for the ju-nior college with plans to transfer later. Clearly economics are hav-ing a great effect on educational decision making. The spirit of education is be-ing diluted. Instead of groom-ing students to be well-rounded members of society, these insti-tutions are treating them as static amounts of money or singularly racial entities. The politics of college are de-tracting from the intended bene-fits. While education has histori-cally belonged to the affluent, it is time to spread the intellectual wealth. Merit-based education is the goal. If that were the reality, then per-haps students would be more mo-tivated to learn in the first place. While there aren’t many imme-diate changes that can be made to the private education system, there are some pressing revisions that need to be made to public education. Instead of investing in the mili-tary or faltering financial institu-tions, perhaps the United States should invest in the education of its future leaders. Then they might get the education they deserve.

C o l l e g e l a c k s

in te l l ec tua l in tegr i ty

J u n i o r c o l l e g e s l i m i t i n g p o t e n t i a l

By Luther Cenci

It seems all but inevitable that the Senior Class will graduate with a substantial debt on the books. Every cent of their scar-let thousands must be taken from somewhere else, in an already overstretched economic climate. As Financial Director for the incoming Slate, your correspon-dent is faced with a bleak vista of painful financial choices as far as the eye can see. During the recent campaign, Slate Four committed to fis-cal responsibility, pledging not to spend money the school did not have. The necessity of such methods was only further em-phasized by the revelation that the Senior Class had spent more $2000 more than they brought in, despite frantic efforts to balance the budget. The current crisis highlights deep organizational and doctrinal flaws in the way the student body manages its finances. The system of regulatory checks on spend-ing must be changed so that such a fault in budget reconciliation cannot occur in the future. The account for the Senior Class is a part of a larger bookeeping network of balances compos-ing the entirety of the ASB’s finances. This general fund is partitioned into 130 discrete ele-ments, which hold all the paper money for every club, sport, and grade-level leadership group. According to Maggie Cun-ningham, keeper of the books, “The negative balance will have to come from a little here, a little

there,” from anywhere where funds can be found. While un-fortunate, this process cannot be wholly covered by increased fundraising. The only feasible way to bal-ance the books in the short term is to temporarily or permanently divert funds from the other ASB accounts. This action is an hor-rifying act of necessary theft, forced upon the majority of the school by the financial folly of the Prom Planning Committee of the Class of 2010. The greatest injustice of this sorry debacle is that the perpe-trators are escaping without ever having been held responsible for their actions. Since the seniors graduate in two weeks, most have no motivation to address the fi-

nancial issue. The overwhelming opinion of the Senior Class is one of apathy towards the crisis. This attitude is one of decided immorality. There are no imme-diate or material consequences to their actions, but this crisis affects all the underclassmen. By “not caring” about their debt, the Senior Class is show-ing a blatant disregard for any community spirit or cross-grade empathy. However, the classes left in the lurch cannot concern themselves with the ethical dissolution of the graduating class, but rather must respond to the crisis. This response must address both the immediate funding crisis and the underlying fiscal irresponsibility. SVHS must work cooperatively

to identify potential sources of funding. It must find creative new sources of revenue. The entire student body must agree that sac-rifices must be made to address the issue. Second, there must be checks on spending to avert a similar crisis. If any ASB account looks to be overdrawn, there must be a cutoff to withdrawals by its holders. If a class appears to be leaving a debt, it must be placed on a collective Loss of Privi-lege, and must have its preroga-tives curtailed for the duration, so as to impress upon them the severity of their misconduct. To make the budget shortfall an is-sue of the body politic, rather than a private concern, Senior Week and other senior activities should have been shortened or eliminated. If this drastic measure had even been threatened, the accompanying re-sponse from the non-Leadership elements of the Class of 2010 would have tipped the budget balance to-wards the black. As the representatives of next year’s ASB, Slate Four is dedi-cated to reducing the impact of the budget shortfall. This fiscal conservatism does not imply an accompanying reactionary attitude. Slate Four will stand firmly in defense of student’s rights at all administrative lev-els. However, in order to confi-dently argue for increased stu-dent independence, Slate and, by extension, the entire school must prove that it can be mor-ally and financially responsible.

By Shannon Murphy

Every SVHS student is familiar with the Santa Rosa Junior Col-lege and its reputation as one of the best community colleges in the country, but its availability to the students is both a blessing and a curse. The SRJC is conveniently lo-cated within the county and is much less expensive than most colleges, especially those with four-year attendance. These cir-cumstances produce ideal condi-tions as a person makes the tran-sition from the nurtured lifestyle of a high school student to the independent and self-sufficient

lifestyle of a college student. Of course, these perks all seem promising in theory – and are un-doubtedly beneficial to those who utilize this opportunity in its en-tirety – but the truth of the matter is that many people use the SRJC as an excuse to not try in high school. With acceptance at the commu-nity college being all but a cer-tainty, and transferring to a four-year college remaining a rather attractive option, it is perceived by many students as a clean slate and continuance of high school. But this idea concerning trans-fers is nothing more than a fal-lacy; many students find them-

selves unable to break the habit they formed in high school and as a result suffer in their college ex-perience. Fewer than 20 percent of enrolled students successfully transfer to four-year colleges after their attendance at the SRJC. Even with the repeal of the Doyle Scholarship, the number of students who choose to go to the SRJC remains unchanged. As evident in this publication, it

would not be a stretch to say that over a third of students who are attending college out of SVHS are going straight to the SRJC. In in the interest of a better fu-ture, it is best for college hopefuls to dismiss the SRJC as a fallback plan and to reach for the college that not only is the most academi-cally prestigious but also the one which is most suitable for the stu-dent and his or her interest.

Cartoon by Sigrid Forsythe

Cartoon by Danny Maggioncalda

We salute you, class of 2010By Jesse U’Ren

Finally the school year has come to a close, and with it the annual crowning of the senior valedicto-rian and salutatorian. The honors are placed upon the students with the highest overall GPA, singled out based on aca-demic achievements. Something unexpected has happened this year, however. In-stead of two students winning the awards, there are three. Sean Hammett won valedictori-an with a GPA of 4.36, and there has been a tie for salutatorian be-tween Dominic Amara and Ellen Everidge with a GPA of 4.31. Separated by a mere .003 points in GPA, Everidge has a slight lead over Amara, however they hold no grudge towards each other, treating the event as a playful competition. Although technically Everidge had the higher of the two grades, both students are being honored. The students worked fiercely to

receive their great grades, though they still had time for fun. “Some days you simply don’t sleep” admitted Amara. “Other nights you can sit around and watch movies; it really depends.” “Challenge yourself but don’t stress out too much,” advised Everidge. All three recipients stated they weren’t striving to obtain the awards; they were simply trying to do well in school. “I didn’t actually want it,” con-

Inside the Senior Section:

Colleges - Who is going where•

Senior Stories - Best memories•

Unofficial Senior Awards•

High School 101 - What to know•

fessed Everidge. “I was surprised that I received it!” Everidge may have been sur-prised, but Hammett and Amara were informed before hand.

“I knew awhile in advance,” explained Hammett. “I even used the award on my college applica-tions!” Hammett applied to numerous prestigious schools; he will be attending Dartmouth in the fall. Coincidentally, both salutatorians will be attending UC Berkeley. One would think there would be a fair level of competition

amongst students with such high standards; however, the three hard workers maintained genial attitudes towards each other. “Competition was joked about, but not really taken seriously,” re-marked Hammett. The three award-winners viewed winning as a benefit, not a goal;

instead, they worked hard and took AP classes in order to chal-

lenge themselves. “Knowing your teachers real-ly helps you do well in a class,” Hammett reflected. Amara at-tributed his success to keeping up with his homework. Hammett, Everidge andAmara truly have an admirable work ethic, dedication, and serve as an inspiration to aspiring schol-ars.

Dragon’s Tale Page 3 May 2010

Photo by James FanucchiAward-winners Sean Hammet, Ellen Everidge, and Dominic Amara display the plaques to which their names were added to SVHS history.

Photo by James FanucchiSeniors attend Road to Reality.

Dragon’s Tale Page 4 May 2010

Caught in

ThoughtWhat is the most important thing you have learned in high school?

High Schoo l 101 ;

what you shou ld have done

Students s tudy ing abroad

F a s c i n a t i n g S e n i o r P r o j e c t s

By Chelsea Rose Shiery

Many students are expected to take the path of college and to start their career. However, for some, the journey after high school takes them to the beyond. For seniors Jason Welty, Sigrid Forsythe, and Peter Armstrong, they have de-cided to learn through travel. Even though Forsythe, half Swedish, has been to Sweden for months at a time, she can’t wait to go back to her roots. “It was my first language, but I am a little rusty,” admitted Forsythe. “I have a lot of family there, and I want to pick up the language again.” Forsythe plans to live in Sweden for one semester, but also antici-pates a longer stay if she discov-ers new opportunities. “I might stay the whole year if I like it,” confessed Forsythe. Upon returning to the States, Forsythe wants to continue her acting career. “I want to go to New York to do Broadway,” Forsythe stated with

ed place [Sonoma and California]. I want to see what the world has to offer,” Welty divulged. Welty plans to prepare for his journey over the summer and be-gin his expedition when he gets restless in this small town. Although his destination is not definite, his desire is to end up in Tibet at some point. “I am going to travel across the United States, go to Europe, down through Russia, China, Tibet, and then maybe India,” de-scribed Welty. Welty receives inspiration from both Woody Guthrie and Buddhist monks. “I want to see where I end up as a human being,” revealed Wel-ty. “I believe the best education comes from the world, and I want to see what it has to offer.” Although they are not taking the traditional course after high school, Forsythe, Armstrong, and Welty will learn from each expe-rience as they take on the world and discover new opportunities through their travels.

excitement. Armstrong, originally destined for Germany, plans to travel to Russia on a scholarship he re-ceived for studying abroad. The scholarship was from the Nation-al Security Language Initiative for Youth program, from the US State Department. “I had a list of countries to choose from. My top choices were India, Russia, and Turkey, and I was chosen to go to Russia,” commented Armstrong. With required Russian classes 15 hours a week, Armstrong is looking forward to taking classes at Kazan State University, as well as having free time in a new coun-try and volunteering. “I have to go to class from 9:00-2:00 every day, but I really want to get in water polo over there, as well,” stated Armstrong. Jason Welty has decided to take a different approach to ‘studying abroad.’ With only his two legs propelling him forward, Welty will travel as a vagabond. “I am bored of living in a seclud-

By Victor Vasquez

Every year, seniors take their time throughout the year to work on Senior Project. Some select a project based on a subject they have loved for years, while oth-ers pick a project that teach them something new. Either way the purpose of Senior Project is to learn and grow.

“I would have taken an art class.”-Sean Hammett

“Not overstressed my schedule.”-Ashlyn Deffenbaugh

“I would have taken metal shop.”-Ellen Everidge

“I wouldn’t have taken AP statis-tics and not procrastinated.”

-Hailey Barker

“Everything different sophomore year.”

-Christian Weiss

“Done my A-G requirements.”-Stacey Barker

“I would be more outgoing, more extracurricular, volunteer work, etc.”

-Tylre Christensen

“I would have taken all honors and AP courses and been more into school.”

-Bergen Verdu

“I would have wrestled as a fresh-men.”

-Mike Juristich

“Gotten into AVID freshmen year.”

-Eden Anuskewicz

“Pay more attention to school.”-Shane Burns

“Not cut. Ever.”-Alberto Bandt

“I would do all my homework.”-Paul Sokoloski

“Get better grades.”-Silvia Soto

“Get involved with the leadership class and join community clubs.”

-Apol Lansang

“Tried harder.”-Mike Coats

“Take shop and ag classes fresh-men year.”

-Josh Indy Gehert

“If I could do freshmen year over again, I would because it affected my GPA.”

-Pablo Perez

“Be more outgoing.”-Vanessa Cheves

“No real regrets.”-Jordan Villaseñor

“Filled out more scholarships.”-Jessica Forchinoe

“I would have liked to have en-joyed myself more.”

-Liz Lawlor

“I would do the exact same thing.”

-Rachel Glago

“I would take a foreign language my freshmen year and studied more.”

-Scott Young

“I would get more involved.”-Ricki McCarthy

“I would work better on my time management skills.”

-Yuliana Camareme

“I would watch where I step so I don’t fall in the halls or trip down the stairs.”

-Destiny Reyes

“Do more volunteer work.”-Dominic Amara

“I would be more like James Bond.”

-Emily Hawing

“Get involved in more clubs.”-Nomie Cobb

Senior Section

Karina Davis combined her love for soccer and the city of New Or-leans to create her Senior Project. “I just want to give kids in New Orleans the same opportunity to play soccer that we have,” com-mented Davis. Davis held an exhibition soc-cer game at Arnold Field. Fans and community members paid $6 to watch a team consisting of Sonoma Valley coaches, players, Alumni, and league members play against Sonoma Valley Youth Se-lect Soccer players. “The hardest part was trying to get all the necessary permits to use Arnold Field,” Davis admit-ted. Donation boxes where placed around town, in an effort to raise money for the soccer playing youth of New Orleans.

Braden Lyons chose to combine his love for the sport of football with his leadership skills to create his Senior Project. Lyons chose to train sophomore standout running back Yayah Muslim, in preparation for a Nike Combine, in Oakland, where Yayah can show off his skills in front of coaches from around the nation and compare his skills to other top athletes from around the bay area. “It was hard trying to find time in both of our busy schedules for training, but in the end we made it work,” Lyons admitted. Muslin was tested in events such as the 40-yard dash, the high jump as well as strength drills. Lyons also hopes to guide Muslim as he might be recruited as a student athlete next year.

Mike Benson has loved fitness and cycling since he was a child. When it was time for him to de-cide his Senior Project, Benson easily decided to focus on his passion. “I trained for five months, three bike rides a week, 25 miles each,” explained Benson. Benson’s main activity was to enter in a 100K bike race. The race was May 1 and consisted of riders of all ages. “It really tested my body,” ad-mitted Benson.” All that training and the race, but in the end it was worth it.”

Alex Gray spent his Senior Proj-ect contributing to his dream of becoming a firefighter. “I spent my activity hours inside a fire house learning about every-thing, working on engines, and making sure all the equipment was ready,” commented Gray. Although Gray had an amazing experience, he now knows that he does not want to become a fire-fighter.

Alex Gray volunteered as a firefighter.

Davis gave New Orleans children a

chance at soccer.

Mike Benson cycled in a 100k race.

Braden Lyons trained Yayah Muslim

for football.

“Not calculus.”

-Shona Warwick-Smith

“How to weld.”

-Dillion Adams

“You only go through high school once, you might as well have as much fun as you can.”

-Cairo Marcopoulos

“I learned many dif-ferent ways to cook

chicken.”-Jake Welty

Caught

in

Thought

What are you

going to study

after High

School?

Kristen PalmerEl Verano

At the age of three, Kristen Palmer moved from her place of birth, Marin, to the Sonoma Val-ley, a town she quickly came to call her home. At El Verano Elementary School, she developed a passion for reading and writing poetry. In third grade, she read the entirety of the Lord of The Rings series. One of her favorite memories of elementary school is the time she got stuck in a tree and Monika Bauermeister had to fetch a jani-tor to help extract Kristen from the branches. “It was a tree that everyone used to hang out around during break and lunch. Some-how, I got stuck in it,” she says. She also remembers the trip to Disneyland that her class earned Kristen plans to attend the Santa Rosa Junior College for two years and then transfer to U.C. Merced to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Tissue Engineering. Tissue engineering is the science of growing organs. “I like the idea of being able to fix people,” Kris-ten says.

Kevin PhillipsDunbar

Growing up in Glen Ellen, Kev-in Phillips had a strong group of friends as well as a lot of fun. He enjoys snowboarding, scuba-diving, cycling, backpacking and fishing. This summer, he plans on traveling to Europe. He will visit Germany, Austria, and the Neth-erlands.

Next year, he will attend Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispbo. “It’s a very cool town,” he says. He wants to learn a little bit, discover new hobbies, en-gage in activites, meet new peo-ple and lead a healthy, happy and successful life. He hopes to give back more to the environment than he takes away.

Arlanne BurquezFlowery

Born and raised in Sonoma, Ar-lanne Burquez loves music. She plays both guitar and piano and sings as well. “I would like to be a musician,” she says. Aside from music, Arlanne has played soccer for seven years. She likes photography and kayaking. “I’ve only been once,” she says of kayaking, “but it was amazing.” Some of her favorite memories from elementary school are the Flowery Talent Shows. She also remembers the Washington D. C. and New York trip that Mr. Van took eighth graders at Altimira on. She plans to go to college and continue playing music. She would like to travel the world.

Manuel HerediaSassarini, Prestwood, Flowery, El Verano

At each of the elementary schools he attended, Manuel Heredia was on the Honor Roll. He also was named Youth of the Year in 2009.

He plans on studying architecture at Colgate University in Hamil-ton, New York because he wants to be an architect. Manuel, however, is not only about his studies. He also likes music and art. “I like oldies,” he says, about his favorite kind of music. He enjoys drawing, mostly black and white sketches. He hopes to live his life to the fullest and wants to make an impact in the world.

From sandbox to graduation

“Economics.”

-Ron Perkins

“My favorite moment of my senior year was the moment right after I did my senior project pre-sentation. It felt absolutely liber-ating to know that I had tried my hardest to succeed in my efforts at graduating high school and that the odds were now in my favor to graduate successfully. After 12 years of constant effort and studying, I will finally be able to reap what I have sown. Be-ing confident in the fact that my graduation is now imminent takes a heavy burden off my shoulders and makes me look forward to a brighter future.”

“Architecture...maybe...yes.”

-Ena Sokney

“Journalism.”

-Bobby Schimm

“Environmental Re-source Engineering at Humboldt State.”

-Mason Rothfeld

Jonathon Reynolds “Graduation is upon us, and the time has come to leave behind the academics of SVHS and enter a world of opportunities, freedom, and happiness. The Class of 2010 has shared multiple special mo-ments this year that have either inspired us to make better choices in the future, or simply to brighten our day. I have been incredibly grate-ful to have shared so many mem-ories with many of my friends, who have guided me through life and who have supported me. It is extremely difficult to choose certain memories, because once you begin to think of one, another revolves around your brain, then another and so on. The moments I cherish the most are the with people I have worked with this entire year. Ei-ther it was working with Jordan Villasenor, Mackenzie Mackling, and Stephanie Campos for Road to Reality or working with Cole Aviles to perform our scene, Reb-el without a Cause, I was inspired by the amount of achievement we have all reached together. Work-ing with these dedicated, spirited, and encouraging people is the rea-son why so many memories have been established this year.”

“My favorite part of senior year was my involvement in the Future Farmers of America program and serving as the 2009-2010 Sonoma President. Going on field trips to conferences, public speaking con-tests, and planning FFA activities was a lot of fun, and it created a lot of memories for me in my se-nior year.”

“There are way too many mem-ories to choose from, but I guess the most memorable would have to be going to New York for the Choir and Band trip. I am so fortunate to be able to even set foot over there. I thought I wasn’t going at all because of money and other personal issues, but I ended up going and it was a lot of fun! I loved hanging out with different friends; I adored the tours, the Broadway shows, other amazing places, and the people over there, and I had so much fun singing at the Riverside Church. I always told myself that I was never going to like the city because of too many people, too noisy, and all those stereotypical city-like qualities. But New York changed that, and I would like to someday go back and visit again. It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to visit other awesome places.”

“One of my memorable moments during senior year was when the whole music department went on a trip to New York. We had one more week of spring break! The week we stayed in New York was made more fun because I was with my friends and classmates. It was my first time seeing the Statue of Liberty, and the city was really crowded with busy and bustling New Yorkers. We competed against schools from many different states. Con-sidering that we have so many newcomers in choir this year, we were really good. Even though we were aiming for the gold, win-ning silver is still something to be grateful for. I will miss all the fun times I’ve experienced going to SVHS. It’s sad that I’m graduating now and leaving the SVHS music depart-ment. It has given me many op-portunities to share my talent.”

Mackenzie Marie Mackling

Apol Lansang

Scott Young

Teresa Moreno Chavez

Senior Section

Photo courtesy of elveranoschool.org. Photo courtesy of dunbarschool.org. Photo courtesy of sassarinischool.org. Photo courtesy of floweryschool.org.

Seniors share memories of high school

Dragon’s Tale Page 5 May 2010

Private

BYU HawaiiZachary Adams

Colgate UniversityManuel Heredia Santoyo

Dartmouth CollegeSean Hammett

Dominican UniversitySamantha BonbrightYuliana CamarenaElizabeth GarciaLindsey MercerAraceli MoyaCarlos Ortiz

Josefina Santoyo CastroJordan VillaseñorNayeli Zamudio

George Fox UniversityLauren Peña

Hampshire CollegeShona Warwick-Smith

Holy Names CollegeJohn F. Kennedy

Johnson & Wales UniversityLizbet Vega

Macalester CollegeMiriam Magana

Mid. America Nazarene UniversityKeeley Ray

Middlebury CollegeKirsten Aguilar

Santa Clara UniversityJoe Alexander-Short

Soka UniversityNicholas Spector

St. Mary’s CollegePrisila Alvarez

Emma McNeillyNate Swanson

Syracuse UniversityEmily Hawing

University of Puget SoundAllison Cobb

University of RedlandsSofia Zieminski

University of San FranciscoJessica Forchione

Ben GraffSloane Rice

Univ. of Southern CaliforniaClarke Campion

Whitman CollegeTroy Cameron

Public

Cal Poly San Luis ObispoElizabeth Lawlor-Johnson

Chico State UniversityKris PatrickLogan Peil

Andrea NiblerJeff Slack

Sophia Somers

CSU East BayTyler Rose

CSU Monterey BayHailey Barker

Sheala DeMartiniAlexander Fuller

Ferris State UniversitySam Lee

Fresno State UniversityStephen Brooks

Humboldt State UniversityBraden LyonsPaul Sokoloski

Lewis-Clark State UniversityBrooke Dagner

Oregon State UniversityMegan Gordon

Shirley Morovich

Portland State UniversityKendal Krupa

Sacramento State UniversityBrianda HurtadoVictor Vasquez

San Diego State UniversityLuke Salmas

San Francisco State UniversityGabriel Bassett

Arlanne BurquezJames FanucchiEva Lindstrom

Yesenia MartinezConnor Vickers

Sonoma State UniversityJessica Banales

Brian ClementinoUlises CoronaAmber Daly

Leslie GalindoMichelle MartinRicki McCarthyJuan-Pablo PerezRonald PerkinsVictoria Phelan

Jimmy Pureco-PatinoMason RothfeldChelsea Shiery

Scott YoungAlexandra Zavaleta

UC BerkeleyDominic AmaraDavid De SmetEllen Everidge

Kevin McCarthy

UC DavisLaura Harvey Ellen Labitzke

Mason ThomsenHonora Tisell

Charlie Watson

UC Santa BarbaraMegan Cline Matt Fraser

Rachel GlagoMackenzie Kelley

Christian Weiss

UC Santa CruzChris AndersonHallie CohenJason Davis

Ruben Lopez

University of New HampshireNonnie Cobb

University of OregonKarina Davis

Dylan HowarthSamantha Lind

Utah Valley UniversityLauren Fisher

Community Colleges

Cabrillo Community CollegeChelsea Borbeck

Ivor HorsfallKelly HydeJoseph Lee

Elisa Merino

College of MarinCole Aviles

Cuesta Community CollegeStephen MurdenKevin PhillipsMatt Versaggi

Folsom Junior CollegeAnthony Castelli

Fresno City CollegeGarrett Kracke

Manhattan City CollegeCairo Marcopoulis

Modesto Community CollegeYezenia Sanchez

Class of 2010

Napa Valley CollegeMelissa BalichMichael Coats

Erin GalutFelipe Saldana

Palomar City CollegeRachel Arietta

Pasadena City CollegeConner JeffressWilliam Papadin

Gabriel Stein

San Diego City CollegeAshlyn Deffenbaugh

Natalie Pratt

Santa Barbara City CollegeTimothy BreenPeter Coburn

Dominic DeMartiniNicholas Woodle

Santa Monica City CollegeGianna Johns

Santa Rosa Junior CollegeJason AcebedoJanet AcevesDllion AdamsJoshua Allen

Marcus AmantiteEden AnuskewiczMaricruz ArellanoAlbert ArmaniniChristina Atencio

Katherine BachelderStacey Barker

Esmeralda BaronAlejandro BarreraYuliana Barriga

Monika BauermeisterGary BeerbowerEvelyn BelmonteMichael BensonJose Bermudez

Diana BernardinoJeremy Branconi

Julianna BroadbentAndrew BrysonJesus CalderonJose Calvillo

Roxana Stephanie Campos

Alyssa Caesario-KearnsBrianna CarranzaAdriana Casillas

Manuel CastellanosMaira* ChavezVanessa Chavez

Tylre ChristensenAlfredo Colin

Devon CompagnoThomas Conaway*Jessica ContrerasMonica CoronaAngel Cortes

Darwin CortesOlivia Dailey

Manuel De la CruzAmanda de la Torre

James DeMartiniEva Diaz

McKayla DoyleTrevor DwellyVictoria Dwyer

Mayra EcheverriaJanneth EscobarRicardo Gamino

Kevin GaonaErik GarciaJose Garcia

Oscar GarciaJosh Garcia

Joseph GilmoreMonica GomezOscar Gomez

Alex GrayHaley GruberAnna Haley

Nathanael HargittMichelle Henry

Javier HernandezLaura Hernandez-Coyac

Steven HobaughElise Howlett

Vanessa HubbenetteBrenda Huizar-Barrios

Alexandra HydeMichael Juricich

Rachel KempSarah Khalil

Carter KimbleKasey Koch

Apol LansangJoshua LarsonAlex LinaresDave Linares

Samuel Livingston

Mariela LopezGriffin Lucia

Jonathan LunaMackenzie Mackling

Ramon ManzoCarlos MarquezDrake Martin

Francisco MartinezVioleta MartinezJakob Matthews

Jacquilnn McRiceGriselda MendezGerman MendozaValentin Mendoza

Richard MerloMorgan MilesAreli MolinaMario MolinaMaria MorenoEvan Murden

Mireya OlivaresMaria Padilla

Kristen PalmerAlejandro Parra

Mari Carmen PenaNicola PetersenJason PhillipsCollette PicardRaul Pizano, Jr.Liliana Ponce

Carlos RamirezLizette RamirezDestiny Reyes

Jonathan ReynoldsJohanna RivasTanya RojasJustin Salvo

Karina SantiagoRachelle ScaifeRobert Schimm

Jeffrey ShoemakerEna SokneyMayra SotoSilvia SotoAdam SpryDillon Stall

Daniel StoneMeghan Sullivan

Vichida SuwansapAlfred Texeira

Alejandro TinajeroRicardo Tinoco

Elver TrejoJesse U’Ren

Emanuel Vega

Bergen VerduHernan ZamudioMiriam Zenon

Trade Schools

Cinta Aveda InstituteBrooke Kardum

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

Mayra De la CruzStephanie Macedonio

Daniel MartinezJennifer Rivas

Le MelangeAmanda Lanning

Milan Cosmetology InstituteSheila Ake

Paul Mitchell CosmetologyKendall Smith

WorkingDylan OrtonEric Perez

Oscar PerezEddie Sarabia

Jordan Winslow

International Schools/Travel

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Bruno Costa

Казанский государственный университет

Peter Armstrong

SwedenSigrid Forsythe

Citizens of the WorldKyle ClouseKevin DavisJason Welty

UndecidedAlberto BandtOlivia BollingGrant Noble

Oscar Sanchez

Class of 2010

Senior Section

Dragon’s Tale Page 8 May 2010

Unofficial Senior Awards!

By Sigrid Forsythe andAnthony Arjona

Rapunzel’s got nothing on Yuliana Camerena. This senior girl rightfully deserves the title of longest hair, measuring at 32.25 inches in length. “Ever since I was little I was used to having it long,” stated Camerena. “With long hair it is easier to do different hairdos and hair styles.” But of course having hair that

is around two and a half feet long has its downsides. “It gets tangled,” commented Camerena, “and it gets warm.” She has considered trimming it, even though her father is against the idea. “I probably will just trim it later.” There may be a chance of lay-ers in the future, but while short hair styles go in and out, Yuliana’s hair remains long and deserving the “Longest Hair” award.

Most unique sneeze:

Jackie McRice

Longest hair: Yuliana Camarena

Most hydrated: Christian Weiss

Life is really just a matter of perspective. Everyone sees the world in a different way. Some may see the glass half empty, oth-ers may see it half full and there are people that will pronounce tomato or potato differently than others. Then, there are those that see the world closer to the ground, or closer to the clouds.

Lizbet Vega and Grant Noble stand at four feet, eleven inches and 6 feet and seven inches re-spectively. Obviously, their view of the world is drastically differ-ent compared to one another’s. Unfortunately, Lizbet has some difficulty reaching objects, which usually results in her asking for assistance from someone taller. Nonetheless, she still enjoys her

small height. Grant towers over the rest of his class. He is barely able to fit through the doorways in the K building, which is one of the few drawbacks to his height. The same drawback, however, also serves as an advantage, such as the abil-ity to hide things in the ceiling. SVHS is proud to exemplify both extremes of stature.

Tallest and Shortest: Grant Noble and Lizbet Vega

By Alejandro Tinajero

Occasionally, when exposed to the sun, Jackie McRice’s nose will get that feeling in her sinuses that we are all familiar with. The urge in her sinus will continue to build until it can no longer be contained and Jackie’s unique sneeze is re-leased. “People say it sounds like somebody stepping on a little dog’s foot or tail, but I don’t like that. It’s just a squeak.” Whatever the sneeze sounds like, it is still a quite unique phenomenon.

Caught in thought

What is one thing you will never

forget from high school?

“Senior prom.”

-Brianna Carranza

“Getting away with too much.”

-Michael Coats

“Band trips.”

-Haley Gruber

Photo by Alejandro Tinajero

Photo by Alejandro Tinajero

Photo by Alejandro Tinajero

“Passing out at the district concert.”

- Lauren Pena

By Alejandro Tinajero

Water, without a doubt, is one of the most crucial compounds in our life. Without it, life would cease to exist. It is the elixir of life. It is ad-vised that one drinks about eight glasses of this life-s u s t a i n i n g elixir a day to live a healthy, hydrated life. For Christian Weiss, this is not a difficult task, but a daily activity. You may have seen Christian walking around school campus with his large, two liter Big Gulp cup. Water is normally found inside this container, which he has car-

ried since sophomore year, but occasionally he’ll fill it with an-other beverage. He originally began carry-

ing the mas-sive cup for a simple reason. “I had a giant cup. Why wouldn’t I?” However, it hasn’t al-ways been good. Trips to the b a t h r o o m were fre-quent, but he soon got used to it. “I have a man’s b l a d d e r , ” Weiss proud-ly states.

Christian Weiss was not at-tempting to become a healthier, more hydrated person. Drink-ing water to Christian is simply, “something you just do when

Photo by Alejandro Tinajero

Senior Section

Dragon’s Tale Page 9 May 2010

Editor’s farewell

The H1N1 scare, the falling redwood tree, the new superin-tendent, the retiring principal, the budget cuts – all of these occur-rences have amounted to an in-teresting and exciting year for the Dragon’s Tale Staff. My experience as Editor-in-Chief has been extremely enjoy-able – from quelling the inevita-ble quarrels within the newspaper staff to championing the freedom of press, I have tried my best to honor the duties and responsibili-ties that accompany my title. The productivity of the newspaper, however, is defined by the actions of the staff as a whole. Thus, I extend my gratitude to the entire newspaper staff who worked dili-gently and relentlessly to provide accurate, unbiased news. Without the undeniable wit, prowess, hu-

mor, and talent of these journal-ists, this year’s newspaper would not have been nearly as dynamic and accomplished. The inherent nature of jour-nalism is chaotic, yet exhilarat-ing. In the event of receiving a tip-off or hearing a rumor, a staff member is immediately called and sent on assignment to check for validity of these unconfirmed reports. If this new information is found newsworthy, the deadline schedules, article assignments, and page layouts are immediately changed to make room for the more pertinent, timely news. I wish the Class of 2010 all the best in your endeavors, and urge you to be culturally and politi-cally aware as you face your new surroundings in college, or wher-ever life may take you. Never forget the importance of newspa-pers and media in your life; these sources of news ensure the free-dom and sovereignty of the pub-lic, while checking the actions of powerful institutions in the name of the public’s right to know. Stay classy and strive for great-ness, and read the paper.

-Clarke Campion, Editor-in-Chief

Slate peacing outDear SVHS Students, You guys really are a great bunch; it has been an honor to serve as your Slate this past year. We appreciate all the great ideas you had (free condom Friday?) and the enthusiasm with which you approach your schooling. We’ve always been struck, in traveling to and visiting other schools, by the depth and extent of talents here at the Sonoma Valley High compared to every-one else. Other schools (especially Analy) can’t hope to compare with our good-natured humor, ar-tistic talent, helpful atmosphere, and down-to-earth enthusiasm. I suppose we might be biased, but who cares. It’s true. When we think of Sonoma

Valley students, we think of a well-rounded, grounded student with a bright future. You only have to go visit a few clubs or at-tend a few sports games to feel that legendary Dragon Pride. We’ll miss you next year, every single one of you, and although we will be meeting many new people, they’ll never be quite as awesome as a Dragon. So, have a great summer, Sono-ma Valley High School. Enjoy yourselves, live it up, maybe stay safe or get a job, and certainly come to school next year ready to succeed.

Sincerely, Joe Alexander-Short, Sean Hammett, and Dylan Howarth

Caught in thought

“When I fell down the H-wing stairs.”

-Jeff Slack, senior

“When I spilled spaghetti over my white button up shirt.”

-Oscar Gomez, senior

“When I slipped on a banana peel in the hallway, and then Mrs. Hawing announced it to my Spanish class.”

-Liz Lawlor, senior

“When I got pantsed in PE freshman year.”

-Elise Howlett, senior

What was your most embarrassing moment

in high school?

J a z z P l u s N o t S o J a z z yBy Peter Armstrong and Gabe Bassett

Continuing the five-year tradi-tion of the Sonoma Jazz + Festi-val, many iconic artists graced the main stage on Sonoma’s Field of Dreams, none of which could be considered a true “jazz” group. The main headliners for the 2010 festival were Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Elvis Costello and the Sugar-canes. Opening each night’s perfor-mances on the main stage was SVHS’s own Jazzberries, Show Choir, and Jazz Band. “It was really great to be able to perform there, though I do wish more people knew about our show,” said Anna Haley, senior. “Most people were just arriving during our performance, but they did seem to be enjoying it once they saw us.” Following the Jazzberries’ Fri-day night performance was Liz Wright, who opened for Crosby,

Photos from Google Images

This year’s headliners at the Jazz + concerts were Crosby, Stills, and Nash (above) on Fri-day, Earth, Wind, and Fire (top) on Saturday, and Elvis Costello (right) on Sunday night.

Stills, and Nash. Though to-gether for over forty years, time has left its mark upon their stage performance. With slightly off-tune harmonics, the band did not live up to the expectations of many. The headliners for Saturday, Earth, Wind and Fire, put on a show to remember. Phil-lip Bailey, the lead singer, and one of the three original members demonstrated his dynamic singing abilitites and incredible range. Earth, Wind and Fire stuck to the classics, and kept the audience enter-tained for the entire duration of the show. One downside to the festi-val was the restrictions set on the audiences’ movement and seating seemed to stifle the the crowd’s energy to a certain extent. This lack of energy seems to translate directly to the performance of the artists, but not enough to really de-tract from the good times.

SENIOR SPORTS

Dragon’s Tale Page 10 May 2010

Cager’s Corner

By Rachel Glago Effort; a word most people hear their parents use. Just try your best; we all hear the phrase at some point in our lives. However, sometimes it is more important than others. Athletes are bound to make mistakes as they continue to play their hearts out and give their best effort. Yet mistakes can be forgiv-en when an athlete puts out their best effort, but what if they decide to give only 50 percent during a game? Well, they’re benched. For example, Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez benched shortstop Hanley Ramirez for not hustling after a ball during a game against the Arizona Diamond-backs on May 17. During the second inning, Ramirez committed an error; which contributed greatly to the Marlins’ defeat. The shortstop ac-cidentally kicked the ball deeper into the left-field corner and then jogged after the ball, allowing two Diamondbacks to score as the hit-ter, Tony Abreu, stopped at third. After his saunter to the ball, Brian Barden replaced Ramirez in the following inning. Once the game ended, Gonzalez confirmed that Ramirez was pulled for not hustling. Previously in the game, Ramir-ez had been startled after Ed-win Jackson’s pitch hit off his left shin. A trainer looked at his knee before he went back into the game. When he returned, his costly mistake occurred. Ramirez’s lack of hustle contrib-uted to Florida’s 5-1 loss, which concluded a four-game winning streak. The lack of effort Ramirez showed was evident during the game. It seemed as though he tru-ly didn’t care and, in fact, didn’t want to be in the game at all. He may have injured his shin in the previous inning, but as Gonza-lez said in an interview with ESPN “There are 24 guys out there that are busting their butts. Cody Ross got hit with a ball at 95 mph and it wasn’t hit or thrown any slower and he stayed in the game making diving plays and battling, got two hits and an RBI.” Of course, this makes Ramirez look like a wimp and exception-ally lazy. He kicked the ball at least 100 feet in the wrong direc-tion, and then neglected to fix his mistake and hustle to recover. Gonzalez made the right deci-sion in benching Ramirez. If he hadn’t, it would have reflected poorly on him as a coach. True talent is shown through the effort put in.

Dragons on to college

Photoes by Joe Gilmore and James Fanucchi Seniors Brian Clementino and Sophia Somers exercise their talent in games during the 2009-2010 school year.By Charles Watson

The chance to play collegiate sports is something that hundreds of high school athletes strive for, yet never obtain. However, the class of 2010 is lucky to have mul-tiple students assuming positions on college teams. Keeley Ray, who was an out-standing basketball and softball player, was awarded a scholarship to attend Mid America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. She has been an indispensable leader of many Lady Dragons squads for three years, including softball and basketball teams Ray finished the 2010 softball season with 39 hits in 70 at bats, which is an astounding .557 aver-age. She also finished with an on base percentage of .608, which along with her batting average, led the league.

Tyler Rose will be attending CSU East Bay located in Hayward, California. He plans to play base-ball and continue his success from Cardinal Newman and SVHS. Rose, who transferred to Sonoma his junior year has been a strong football, basketball, and baseball player for the Dragons. As a ju-nior, he batted .329 while playing catcher, and this year is leading the team with a .368 average. Brian Clementino will be playing soccer at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park. Clementino, who has been on the varsity team for three years received All-Empire honors this year, en route to a 9-2-1 league record. Sophia Somers has been on the varsity volleyball team for two years, where she has been a team captain and leader. The 6 years of work and countless games played has paid off for Somers, who plans

to attend Chico State University next year and play volleyball. Somers has been a very hard-working and determined athlete for all four years at SVHS, and will likely maintain her attitude in college. Ben Graff will be attending the University of San Francisco, where he will be pitching on the Dons’ baseball team. Graff, who has been a dominant baseball play-er for the Dragons, missed most of this season with a knee injury, but should be ready for next year. In 2008, Graff and the Dragons defeated Cardinal Newman to be-come NCS champions. Graff got the win with a powerful perfor-mance. He also led the league in strikeouts with 93, as well as the following year with 82. Braden Lyons will be playing offensive line at Humboldt State next year. Lyons, who was injured

for part of his junior year, and a starter this past year, received sec-ond team all-league honors. Standout golfer Brooke Dagner intends to play at Lewis—Clark State University in Lewiston, Idaho. Dagner has been one of the most successful Lady Dragons, being named female athlete of the year for SVHS. Other athletes being recruited to continue competing in college are: Nick Spector at Soka University, Ruben Lopez at UC Santa Cruz, Logan Peil at Chico State, Sofia Ziemienski at University of Red-lands, Erin Galut at Napa Commu-nity College, and Sam Lee at Fer-ris Sate University in Big Rapids, Michigan. It is also likely that others will at-tempt to walk on to college teams as well. There is also always the opportunity to play club and intra-mural sports as well.

C a m p e r s h a p p y w i t h c o a c h e sBy Ben Graff Every year, hundreds of seniors wander around early in the fall semester trying to make a deci-sion on what to accomplish during their Senior Project activity. A trendy choice among seniors has been to oversee and coach at sports camps, in activities varying from basketball to golf. Several members of the var-sity baseball team for example, organized and coached a youth baseball camp for Sonoma Valley Little League. “I enjoy working with kids,” said Nate Swanson, senior, “Plus the camp gave me a chance to spread the game of baseball.” This camp has become an annual

fundraiser, and the varsity players are assisted in running the camp by varsity head coach, Don Lyons. “Coach Lyons helped us orga-nize the camp, and also assisted in supervising the participants,” stated Swanson. Evidently this statement mir-rors the thoughts of many seniors. Brooke Dagner and Sheala De-Martini chose to do a joint senior project, running a golf camp for aspiring Phil Mickelsons and Pau-la Cramers. “I enjoy working with children, and I love the sport of golf, so I assumed a golf camp would be fun, and I was correct,” explained DeMartini. DeMartini was mentored by Mike Piver, who assisted the girls

in getting clubs, as well as the cor-rect size of wiffle balls. Other projects include a basket-ball camp coached by Christian Paliminos, Carlos Ramirez, and Nick Woodle. Jeremy Branconi and Kris Patrick also participat-ed in the baseball camp with the aforementioned Swanson. Marcus Amantite assisted in coaching a Babe Ruth League baseball team, and seniors Amanda Lanning and Keeley Ray coached a softball camp. Ray, who was mentored by var-sity softball coach Dean Marrel, probably did not find the next Jen-ny Finch, but still had a great time

with the kids. “I wanted to show younger girls that softball can be fun, and easy to learn if you have someone to help you,” reported an enthusias-tic Ray. “I liked that I got to be the one to teach them and help them learn.” While many may view sports camps as an easy alternative to a “real” Senior Project, every senior who participates seems to have a great experience. Senior Projects go through many fads, and the sports camp is just the latest. What the next one will be is up to the future graduating classes at SVHS.

Senior Section

Sports

Dragon’s Tale Page 11 May 2010

Time-Out

B y D a n n y M a g g i o n c a l d a

O f f t h e f i e l d , S o n o m a ’ s

s t u d e n t a t h l e t e s d i s c u s s

t h i n g s t h e i r c o a c h e s m a y

n o t h a v e k n o w n a b o u t . . .

R a y M e l l i n g e rj u n i o r

V a r s i t y T r a c k C a p t a i n

1 . D r e a m s p o n s o r :

“ C h i q u i t a B a n a n a s . ”

2 . F a v o r i t e 9 0 ’ s c a r t o o n :

“ R o c k e t P o w e r. ”3 . F a m o u s h i s t o r i c a l r e l a t i v e :

“ B e n F r a n k l i n . . . and s o m e m e m b e r s o f t h e D o n n e r P a r t y . ”4 . E v e n t s :

“ Shot-put and discus .”

A l e x C o n n e rs o p h o m o r e

V a r s i t y G o l f

1 . D r e a m s p o n s o r :

“ Ta y l o r M a d e . ”2 . F a v o r i t e W i l l F e r r e l M o v i e :

“ T a l l e d e g a N i g h t s . ”3 . P r e f e r e d N e r f W e a p o n :

“ Pistolé... probably two.”4 . F a v o r i t e c o u r s e :

“ Pebble Beach.”

J a m i e B a l l a r df r e s h m a n

V a r s i t y S w i m m i n g

1 . D r e a m s p o n s o r :

“ Nike, even though everyone else says that.”2 . F a v o r i t e a r t m e d i u m :

“ Wa t e r c o l o r. ”3 . M a c o r P C ? :

“ W i n d o w s , f o r s u r e . ”4 . E v e n t s :

“ 2 0 0 a n d 5 0 0 m e t e r s . ”

Major League BaseballCurrent Standings

(as of May 24, 2010)

American LeagueEastT a m p a B a y 3 2 1 2 . 7 2 7 – W 2

N e w Yo r k 2 6 1 8 . 5 91 6 . 0 L 2

T o r o n t o 2 6 2 0 . 5 6 5 7. 0 W 1

B o s t o n 2 4 2 1 . 5 3 3 8 . 5 W 2

B a l t i m o r e 17 3 1 . 3 11 1 8 . 5 L 2

CentralM i n n e s o t a 2 6 1 8 . 5 91 – L 1

D e t r o i t 2 5 1 9 . 5 6 8 1 . 0 W 1

C h i c a g o 1 8 2 5 . 4 1 9 7. 5 L 1

K a n s a s C i t y 1 8 2 7 . 4 0 0 8 . 5 L 2

C l e v e l a n d 16 2 6 . 3 81 9 . 0 W 1

WestT e x a s 2 5 2 0 . 5 5 6 – L 2

O a k l a n d 2 3 2 2 . 51 1 2 . 0 W 3

L o s A n g e l e s 2 1 2 5 . 4 5 7 4 . 5 L 1

S e a t t l e 16 2 8 . 3 6 4 8 . 5 L 2

National LeagueEastP h i l a d e p h i a 2 6 17 . 6 0 5 – L 2

A t l a n t a 2 3 2 1 . 5 2 3 3 . 5 L 1

F l o r i d a 2 3 2 2 . 511 4 . 0 W 1

W a s h i n g t o n 2 3 2 2 . 511 4 . 0 W 2

N e w Yo r k 2 2 2 3 . 4 8 9 5 . 0 W 2

CentralS t . L o u i s 2 6 1 9 . 5 7 8 – W 1

C i n c i n n a t i 2 5 1 9 . 5 6 8 0 . 5 L 1

C h i c a g o 2 1 2 4 . 4 6 7 5 . 0 W 2

P i t t s b u r g h 1 9 2 5 . 4 3 2 6 . 5 W 1

M i l w a u k e e 17 2 7 . 3 8 6 8 . 5 W 1

H o u s t o n 1 5 2 9 . 3 4 1 10 . 5 L 2

WestS a n D i e g o 2 6 1 8 . 5 91 – W 2

L o s A n g e l e s 2 5 1 9 . 5 6 8 1 . 0 L 1

S a n F r a n c i s c o 2 2 2 1 . 51 2 3 . 5 L 5

C o l o r a d o 2 2 2 2 . 5 0 0 4 . 0 W 2

A r i z o n a 2 0 2 5 . 4 4 4 6 . 5 L 1

Dragon’s t rack nears the f inish

Hall wins i t a l l

Dragons can’t contain Petelumaphoto by

cutline

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By Charles Watson With the completion of the Sono-ma County League track and field

finals, 24 of the 35 SVHS athletes

that competed advanced to the Red-wood Area Championships. Of the 24 athletes, 4 qualified for the NCS

Meet of Champions to be held on May 28/29 at UC Berkeley.

At the Redwood Area Champi-onships Ellen Everidge once again stole the show, qualifying for the

NCS Meet of Champions in three

different events. The senior not only qualified in all events, but set

personal records as well. Everidge jumped 35’ 1¼” in the

triple jump, which was a personal

record, as well as the 3rd longest

mark in Lady Dragon’s history. She also placed second in long jump, as

well as 5th in the 400m, which is

the 5th fastest time in history.

Sean Hammett, Nathaneal Har-gitt, and Nick Spector were also

successful in qualifying for the

Meet of Champions. Hargitt placed sixth in the 110 hurdles, ty-ing his personal record of 16.16.

Hammett tied his personal record in pole vault with a height of 12’

0” to take 6th place. Spector took

seventh in the 3200m with a time

of 9:41.29.

At the SCL finals, the Dragon

boys placed 5th overall, with Casa

Grande winning, and the girls team

placing 6th, with Petaluma taking

first place.

By Matt Fraser

The Dragons baseball team came in strong during their last few games but unfortunately did not take first place in league.

The Dragons faced off against Healdsburg on Tuesday May 11,

ending the game with their 8th

straight league win. Contributing to their success was Sam Alton,

junior, who pitched all 7 innings

with 12 strikeouts; Kris Patrick, se-nior, with 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 RBI;

Tyler Rose, senior, with 2 hits and

2 RBIs; Nick Woodle, senior, with

1 run; Sam Morgan, sophomore,

with 1 run; Anthony Albano, ju-nior, with 1 run; and Kevin Deely,

junior, with 1 run.

Following that, the Dragons

played Petaluma on Friday May 14, with the league champion-

by Ben Graff

Sean Hall, freshman, downed

his opponent from Casa Grande,

and the SCL co-MVP came out

victorious in the league’s postsea-son tournament, clinching berth

to the North Coast Section Cham-pionships. Hall, who has been dominant

all season, was able to dispatch of

fellow freshman Matt Halligan in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Also performing well in the league tournament were doubles partners Zach Adams, senior, and

Stephen Montano, freshman. The

partners were able to advance all the way to the finals, before

falling to Casa Grande’s Kenny

Campbell and Ken Woods, 6-4,

6-3. “ We fought hard,” comments

Adams. “Its heartbreaking.”

* * * * *

In golf, A.J. Vitorelo, junior,

and Alex Connor, sophomore,

both advanced to the North Coast

Section qualifier tournament, but

were unable to qualify for the

NCS Championships.

Vitorelo shot an 81, and was a

mere two strokes behind the final

qualifier for the NCS finals. Con-nor shot an 86, five strokes off

of the pace. Both turned in great seasons, but unfortunately came

up just a little short.

ship on the line. Unfortunately the

Dragons couldn’t keep up with Pet-aluma and lost 7-1, placing them at

2nd in SCL.

The Dragons competed in the SCL tournament this past week, where

they blanked Casa Grande 6-0 in

the first round, but then fell to Peta-luma once again in the champion-ship 6-5. After taking a 5-3 lead, the

Dragons could not seal the victory,

and lost in the last innings. This coming week the Dragons will be battling the Alameda Hor-nets in the first game of the NCS

tournament. With the NCS seed-ings being announced this past week, the Dragons discovered their

possible rout to a championship. If

they advance past Alameda, they

would play either Montgomery or Dublin, two teams they have al-ready played.

By Hannah Horowitz

Passionate, dedicated, and in-

spiring are all words that define

many of SVHS’s teachers.

This is certainly true of principal

Micaela Philpot, math teachers

Ken Bystrom and Jerry Thomas,

as well as Ag. Teacher Mike

Soukup, the four educators who

will be retiring at the end of the

current school year.

“I’m really grateful that these

teachers have put so much time

Feature

Dragon’s Tale May 2010Page 12

Retiring from teaching, not life

F o r e i g n friends bid

farewellBy Anthony Arjona

Summer brings joy, relaxation,

and sleep to most students at

SVHS, but for a few unique stu-

dents it means the end of a great

adventure. Returning home after

a long year, the foreign exchange

students are filled with bittersweet

emotions.

“It went by really fast,” ex-

plained Bruno Freijanes, senior

from Brazil. Having arrived Au-

gust 13, Freijanes has spent nine

months exploring, living, and en-

joying the American lifestyle.

“I was expecting that school

would be easier so I would make

friends quickly,” he admitted.

“But when I arrived, it was differ-

ent; I was a bit scared.”

However, after two weeks

Freijanes adjusted to his new en-

vironment. “I’m really interested

to see how much I’ve changed

once I’m back home,” he noted.

At the end of his visit he fondly

reflects, “I’ve tried to get the most

out of it, and I will remember all

of the happy moments. . . I would

like to thank all of the people

who have been so friendly. My

friends, and host family really

made me feel more at home.”

“Tina” Wing Chi Wong, junior

from Hong Kong, arrived one

day earlier than Freijas after a 13

hours of flying. “I feel more in-

dependent now; it is a big step for

me,” commented Wong.

When she arrived, Wong took

a week to polish her English and

adjust to the culture.

“My expectations were that

school would be easy, and I knew

that the food would be different,”

described Wong, “but everything

is different.”

“We don’t have dances in Hong

Kong like the ones here,” Wong

noted. She has enjoyed making

new friends, and eating the differ-

ent foods.

“I like burritos with the flour

tortillas,” confessed Wong. “I like

the brownies and the cookies!”

“I would like to thank my host

family. I’m going to miss being

here,” Wong fondly lamented,

adding “I would like to stay for

the 4th of July celebration!”

Hailing from the country of

Denmark, Vitus Mortensen, ju-

nior, has dived into activities this

year. “I was the campaign man-

ager for Slate, that was fun, and I

have played varsity basketball.”

Mortensen arrived by airplane

after a 12 hour flight. Some of

his favorite moments in America

include the run for Slate, playing

basketball, and experiencing pea-

nut butter and jelly.

“I would definitely want to stay

more,” he added, “a full year may-

be. I’ve enjoyed everything!”

an effort into helping the students

and school achieve,” comments

Caitlyn Silkey. “They truly shape

the school.”

Ms. Philpot, who has been

at SVHS for 4 years and in the

education business for 35, looks

forward to living life at a slower,

more relaxed pace, something that

all four of these retiring teachers

have in common.

Mr. Bystrom, who has spent 31

years at SVHS, states “the first

year [of retirement] will be about

myself; I like to fish and camp.

Maybe down the road I might

give some help with the teacher’s

support network.”

Mr. Thomas also looks forward

to getting back to nature and is

excited to take his boat up near

Vancouver for a couple of months,

while Mr. Soukup looks forward

to relaxing with his family.

All the teachers agree that the

thing they will most about SVHS

is the students. “It’s so gratifying

to watch when the lightbulb goes

off when a student comprehends

something,” relates Bystrom.

And then, with a note of finality,

Bystrom announces that “the in-

ability to change the bureaucracy”

will be what he will miss least.

“I don’t know whether to say I’ll

miss staff meetings or disciplin-

ary meetings least,” comments

Mr. Thomas with a wry smile,

before adding “definitely the staff

meetings.”

SVHS will be hard put to re-

place these experienced teachers,

yet the most difficult may be Mr.

Soukup, who has taught Animal

Science, Applied Life Science,

and Ag Mechanics at SVHS’s

unique agriculture program for

over 20 years.

“Mr. Soukup is very enthusiastic

about the program” says Macken-

zie Mackling, senior, and Sonoma

FFA President. “He is optimistic

and enjoys seeing students work

hard and also has a very close

bond with all of his students here

at SVHS.”

“These teachers also contribute

in many ways students don’t even

see” adds Shawn Martin, his-

tory teacher. “We’re going to lose

some wise voices.”

We wish all four of these edu-

cators much luck, relaxation, and

peace as they join the ranks of the

retired. Perhaps, if we’re lucky,

they’ll even return for visits!

I scream, you scream, we all scream...

By Caity Tremblay and

Anna Haley

For ice cream! SVHS art de-

partment made its own stand

against hunger during the fourth

Empty Bowls Project: Art

Alleviating Hunger on May 7.

The fundraiser allowed artists

and students to use their resources

to combat hun-

ger locally and

globally. Art I

students made

bowls for the

event, voting

for proceeds to

go to F.I.S.H.

and Haiti Hun-

ger Relief.

“It’s done ev-

erybody good.

Even school

families have

been helped

by F.I.S.H....

it’s real,” re-

marked art

teacher Peggy Feuer, organizer of

the ice cream event.

Art I students handmade the

ceramic bowls; each bowl was

uniquely designed and decorated,

then painted, glazed, and fired in

a kiln.

“People have put so much care

into making the bowls” gushed

Mrs. Feuer. “The idea is to cre-

ate something to be a memento,

a reminder that hunger exists and

continues to exist.”

Any student could participate.

“You have to care about other

people,” passionately stated

Maria Sanabria, junior who

scooped ice cream. “You need

to help other people: it’s a really

sweet thing to do.”

“The idea is

to create

something to

be a memento,

a reminder that

hunger exists

and continues

to exist.”

Students donated a minimum of

$8, chose one of the unique bowls

to eat ice cream in, and then were

free to keep their new treasure.

“[People] take the bowl and

hopefully it is reminder of the

hunger in the world,” commented

Mrs. Feuer.

Culinary students received ex-

tra credit for helping, but students

also participated

for moral rea-

sons.

“I do this because

it’s a cool way to

raise awareness

of non-profit or-

ganizations,” re-

marked Monika

Bauermeister, se-

nior who scooped

ice cream.

The Empty

Bowls movement

began 10 years

ago in Michi-

gan; events are

now conducted

in schools and other community

groups internationally.

The May 7 Empty Bowls Proj-

ect was the fourth one SVHS has

hosted this year. Culinary and Art

contributed to three soup lunches

conducted for the staff between

December and February; pro-

ceeds totaled around $900.

“Enthusiasm was really high,”

Mrs. Feuer recalled proudly. She

plans to repeat the project in the

coming year.

“As long as there’s enthusiasm

for it I feel it’s beneficial.”

The project promotes awareness

of the terrible prevalence of hun-

ger, allowing students to make a

difference in their school, their

community, and the world.

Photo by Alejandro TinajeroAraceli Moya and Carlos Marquez make their contirbution to eliminate hunger on a local to a global scale.

“ I would definetly

want to stay more...

a full year maybe.

I’ve enjoyed

everything!”