TechPepBENSON POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL “THE WINDOW TO YOUR WORLD” VOLUME 90, NO.1

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG FEBRUARY 2010

546 N.E. 12TH AVENUEPORTLAND, OREGON 97232503-916-5100 EXT. 77211

The rise and demiseof Señora Figueroa

Diversity definedDANIEL DRAKOSTech Pep Reporter

The diversity assembly is on its way, and the Feb 16 signupdeadline is fast approaching. Unsure if your act is right for theassembly? No problem. Acts can be anything from your family’sculture to urban culture. If you can do something interesting orcool signup! Don’t know if you have the courage to go on stage byyourself? Bring a friend acts can be anything from a couple peopleto a ton But remember that there is a mandatory meeting on the19 and rauditions are on Feb 25 and 26 so get organized quicklyand be ready for your chance to show who you are.

RACHEL BENJAMINTech Pep Reporter

By now everyone has heardabout Spanish teacher Ms.Figueroa. Ms.Figueroa, com-monly known to students as Ms.Fig, was charged with deliveryand possession of methamphet-amine.

This issue began on Nov. 19when Ms. Fig was on her way toschool. She was stopped by po-lice after being watched formonths. That same day herhome was raided by Portlandnarcotics investigators, theyseized just short of an ounce ofmethamphetamine and about$10,000 cash, as well as scalesand packaging materials. Shewas placed on unpaid leave forthe allegations following theraid.

When the news broke, stu-dents and faculty were all overit. They are shocked to see oneof Benson's own, on the internet,and being charged for sellingmeth. The question in everyone’smind was, how did she getcaught?

Portland narcotics investiga-tors used confidential infor-mants to buy meth from her andco-defendant ConcepcionMendez-Hernandez multipletimes over a six month period.Ms. Fig and Concepcion con-ducted the drug sells out of ahome they shared.

The deals were often arrangedby phone or text message mostlywith Concepcion. Following theallegation, Ms. Fig had her firstcourt appearance on Dec. 18 inthe Multnomah County CircuitCourt on a two-count indict-ment arraignment where shepleaded not guilty for charges ofdelivery and possession of meth-

amphetamine.Before the controversial drug

bust occurred, Ms. Fig was a well-known, well-liked teacher atBenson. She was the funny ladyin the hallways yelling at you togo to class while she was hold-ing a conversation with anotherstudent.

Ms. Fig has become a lot ofstudents favorite teacher becauseof her laid-back attitude andclassroom environment.

She has been employed byPPS since 2001. Over the courseof her employment with PPS shegained respect and popularityfrom her students. Students re-ally admired Ms. Fig, and whenthe news came out that she wasdealing meth, they wereshocked.

"Ms. Fig was a really goodteacher, her class was easy. I wassurprised because she didn'tseem like the type to sell drugs,meth of all things," said seniorAlicia Benjamin.

Another senior, MercedesMorgan also found the newsperplexing.

"I don't believe that it is true,”she said. “She was a goodteacher, I really liked her a lot."

Other students have showntheir feelings toward the situa-tion by becoming fans of the"Free Ms. Fig" Facebook page,even though she is not incarcer-ated.

Staff have also expressed theirfeelings toward the controversy.

"We just need to wait and seethe verdict on the upcomingtrial," says Journalsim and En-glish teacher Rob Melton.

Career Center coordinatorMary Ganoe expressed her sad-ness, saying "I was very shockedand saddened because I thoughtshe really had the kids at heart. Iliked Ms. Fig a lot, she did a greatjob filling in as administrator.But like a lot of young adults, shemade a mistake which unfortu-nately has cost her plenty.”

A DAY IN COURTMs Fig and her Lawyer on Dec 18

SANDRA VANTech Pep Editor

Many of us have wonderedabout the new vending ma-chines that now occupy the cor-ner right outside of C-Wing.Speculations have been flyingabout why we’re investingmoney in new drink companiesand why the drinks are so expen-sive.

Most of us do not know thatthese new vending machines donot have to do with our particu-lar school’s rulings, but it is ac-tually the district's decisions.Portland Public Schools havebeen sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company. But in 2006 thedistrict stated that students can-not be sold sugary drinks, whichbanned all soda machines. Thereal problem was that we stillhad a contract with coca-cola.Luckily, Coca-cola manufactures

Special thanksfor a special nightMAY WUTech Pep Reporter

Jan 23, Crown Plaze, Benson Masqurade winter formal was oneamazing night. Thanks to everyone who helped out at winter for-mal, it was a great success! Thanks to our chaperones everythingwas organized and safe. Special thanks to Mr. Foster, Mr. Adler, Mr.Alton and Mrs. Alton, Roisanne, Mrs. Valder, Mr. Olczak, Mr. Philips,Mrs. Callies and the staff from S.E.I. Also a special thanks to CrownPlaza, Mr. Jackson, The book keeper, D.J OG1, Portland police, anda big applause to student government for all theirhard work. Is everyone ready for nextyear?

water and juice, which explainsthe last several years.

After 2009, our contract withCoca-cola expired. The districtsent out a bid for a new drinkcompany to provide vendingmachines. Courtesy Vending, alocal vending company won out

‘Why are thesedrinks so expensive?’

the district bid and now providesnew drinks (the have also beenproviding our snack machines).The prices on their merchandiseare for their own discretion, thePPS has no say in the prices oftheir products.

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG opinionfocus PAGE 6 ■ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2009

ESPERANZA RENDONTech Pep Reporter

Love is in the air...Do you want to show that special one inyour life that you care about them? But are unsure on how todo so? Here a just a few ideas that might make your ValentinesDay a little easier and put a smile on your special someone'sface...Remember, this the season to Love! XOXO

Gifts for yourGentleman

☛Tickets to a sportingevent☛Cologne☛An Itunes gift card☛Homemade cookies☛Regal movies gift card for two☛A box of chocolates

Presents for yourPretty Lady

☛Juicy Couture Heart Necklace☛Homemade chocolate cup-cakes☛Chocolate and a teddy bear☛A giant card with a single rose☛ A mani/pedi gift certifi-cate☛Coach silver heart ring☛Perfume

Valentine gift ideas

VANNY CHAOTech Pep Reporter

An estimated one billion Val-entine cards will be sent this year,according to the Greeting CardAssociation, making Valentine’sDay the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, nextto Christmas.

So what do you think ofwhen St. Valentine's Day pops inyour head? Gifts, box of choco-lates, hearts, candy hearts, thecolor red or "big fat kisses?" Howlonely you are? Or how luckyyou are? What to get for you Val-entine? Or how to celebrate andexplore love in all it's ideals?Well, do you ever wonder wherethis romantic day originatedfrom? How our traditions andcustoms came to be? What aresome other unique Valentine'straditions?

Stories of Valentine's daydates back to earlier centuries.The most well known story be-gan in the era of the RomanEmpire, which held a festivalevery February. This LupercianFestival honored the god of Fer-tility and Feb. 14 was a holidayto honor Juno, Queen of the Ro-man gods and goddesses.

The young people, whoselives were strictly separate, hadthe tradition that began on theeve of the festival. The girls wrotenames on pieces of paper andinserted them into jars. Thaneach boy would draw a nameand they would be partnersthroughout the festival. Theycould then continue to see eachother, and perhaps marry.

Then Claudius became Em-peror and had a difficult time re-cruiting men and soldiers so hechanged the law on marriagesthroughout Rome. He outlawedmarriages, for fear that menwould refuse their duty to fightbecause they would not want toleave their wives behind.

But who if anyone can put re-strictions on love? Couples con-tinued to fall in love and wishedto marry regardless of restric-tions. St. Valentine, a priest ofRome at the time, secretly mar-ried couples. He was eventuallycaught and arrested. While wait-ing in jail, he began to exchangeletters with the jailer's daughterand soon had fallen in love withher. The day he was beaten todeath and beheaded on Feb. 14,270 A.D., (a day that had justbeen devoted to love lotteries) hewrote her one last note andsigned it: 'From Your Valentine.'

Another story is that chil-dren used to pass notes to St. Val-entine while he was in jail. Evenafter he died, they continued to

DIEDIRA PEDRO-XUNCAXTech Pep Opinion Editor

For some people, Valentine’s Day can be theloneliest day in February. Especially with balloonssaying "I love you" teddy bears holding hearts say-ing "I love you" roses, and chocolate, given to lovedones.

And there you are, looking at those people,wanting a Valentine as well. So, what's the big dealwith Valentines day?

Why do we make such a big deal out of thisday? Why must we feel like we NEED to buy roses,chocolates, balloons, to show affection?

Honestly, I cannot answer one of these ques-tions. Therefore, I do not understand Valentinesday. We don't need gifts to show our love on a

specific day. Showing your love and affectionshould be shown everyday of the month. Not justone day that marketing makes millions of dollarsfrom.

Plus, some of us are tight on cash and can't re-ally buy anything fancy.

Saying "I love you" shouldn't be in roses, thatwill die eventually. Balloons, that will deflate even-tually, cards, that will get torn here and there, thatwill be eaten and soon end up in the toilet.

Saying I love you should come from the heart!We don't need money to show our affection.

Valentines is pointless, a way to get money outof you. But then again, it does show that you careenough to spend money on your loved one (whichshouldn't be a huge amount, or less.)

FANA HABTERMARIAMTech Pep Reporter

Blossoming LotusIt is an inexpensive vegetarian restaurant great for him/her

who is trying to watch there weight.Entrees range around $10-15 and all foods are international organics produced here inthe Northwest.

Pearl District925 NW Davis StPortland,OR 97209RSVP (503)228-0048

The Screen DoorPresents a celebration of southern cuisine as experienced by

the southern natives from the quintessential hearty fare to theeveryday food gathered from the garden.

Preferable a dinner restaurants that is not open on Mondays.However they serve breakfast and lunch Saturdays and Sundays.You dont really need your wallet for this one, just bring yourfriend Andrew Jackson($20).

Northeast2337 E. Burnside St.Portland, OR 97214RSVP (503)542-0880

Thai NoonThis place is one of the busiest Thai places in town. One of

the reasons is their CURRIES. The flavor is intense and rich. Tryit with tofu. This place has a little cool bar to hang out too. Alsotheir BBQ lemongrass chicken and drunken noodle is not bad.

Alberta2635 NE. Alberta St.Portland, OR 97211RSVP (503)282-2021

PambicheWaiting time can be a pain, however the food is worth the

wait. Offering a diverse Cuban/Caribbean restaurant also offer-ing tasty desserts/ice cream treats. To match the color of the icecream the building is very rainbow like and its sets the moodfor that Valentines arrangement.

Northeast2811 NE. Glisan St.Portland, OR 97232RSVP (503)233-0511

Saint Valentine’s devotion

Somewhere sweet for your sweets?

place notes through the bars inhis empty cell. Other stories sug-gest that Valentine may havebeen killed for attempting tohelp Christians escape harsh Ro-man prisons where they were of-ten beaten and tortured. A dif-ferent story as to the origin ofpassing out cards stems from aFrench Count who was impris-oned in London. From his cellhe wrote his wife love letters in-cluding passionate love poemswhich he sent to her in Febru-ary.

Did you know...?85 percent of all valentines

are purchased by women?The rose was sacred to Venus

who is the goddess of love?Cupid is the son of Venus?Doves and "lovebirds" mate

for life and it was once thoughtthat they choose their mate inFebruary? And that February 14was the beginning of their mat-ing season?

It was once believed that theheart was the center of all emo-tion?

People believed that whenthey gave a heart, they were giv-ing all the love and emotion theycould possibly give?

Some people used to believethat if a woman saw a robin fly-ing overhead on Valentine's day,it meant that she would marry a

sailor. If she saw a sparrow, shewould marry a poor man and bevery happy. If she saw a gold-finch, she would marry a mil-lionaire.

What were some traditionsback in the day?

In the middle ages, menwould pull a woman's name outof a bowl. This would be theman's Valentine. The man wouldwear that paper that containedthe woman's name for a week onhis sleeve to show his devotion.This became known as 'wearingyour heart on your sleeve.'

Hundreds of years ago in En-gland, children would dress upas adults on Valentines day andwent singing from one house toanother.

In Wales, wooden lovespoons were carved and given asgifts on February 14. Hearts,keys, and keyholes were favoritedecorations on the spoons. Theymeant, "You unlock my heart!"

How do some Benson stu-dents celebrate St. Valentine’sDay?

Whether you thinkValentine's day is silly or a funday to celebrate it has an originand it is an official holiday (thatmay be unfortunate for some).You can appreciate it, or it canbe just another day. So, who willbe your Valentine?

What is V-Day really about?

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG ValentinesDay FEBRUARY 2010 ■ PAGE 3

Dear Princess Abigail,I know we are far apart a lot because I’m at western but,

every day I think of you wondering if you miss me as much as Imiss you. I hope we get to spend time together on Valentine’sDay so you can see my devotion to our relationship.

Love, Semear

MAY WUTech Pep Reporter

Luehna Abuan"I'm going to spend the

whole day with my boo."

Lily Zhao"Spending Valentines day

afternoon playing matcheswith tennis buddies. After-wards it’s time to celebrateChinese New Year! Here comesmy 2010!"

Vanny Chao"I'm going to see the movie

'Valentines Day,' with my boy-friend, he wants to see JessicaAlba. I want to take him to goeat at The Melting Pot :)"

Esperanza Rendon"I'm going to see 'Dear

John,' and go out and eat withmy boyfriend."

Ethan Dedrickson"I'm spending the whole

day with my long distance girl-friend. I have to make sureshe's enjoying herself that daybecause it’s the day after oureight month anniversary."

Sandra Van"I gots a tennis match that

day... My boyfriend, Robin'scoming the same morning towatch my match, i think we’regoing to paint and I'm goingto get money for new years.YEAH!"

Scotty Changdravongsri"Going out to eat with my

babe and probably, and youknow."

Nina Nguyen"Celebrating chinese new

years, DUH!"

Laura Ramirez"Hanging out with my friend

making valentine cookies fromscraaaatch."

PAGE 4 ■ FEBRUARY 2010 featurefocus WWW.TECHPEP.ORG

BENSON’S MOST ELIGIBLE

EJ AKINSTech Pep Reporter

SENIORS

JENNY STECKLERIs simply funny, laughs at her self, and loves to go

bowling, enjoys dancing, and her favorite food is mac& cheese. Her ideal guy is someone who can be inde-pendent, take care of themselves, and looks fresh andnice. If you are interested in Jenny like so many of usguys are, she says to just come up to her and get herattention.NINA NGUYEN

Sees herself as quite the perfectionist. She is also fun,loving, and puts others before herself. A good meal toher would involve an Italian dish of any kind. Duringher time of leisure she likes to read, play video games,or spend time with her family and friends. An ideal guyto her would be someone who is sincere, trustworthy,can carry on a conversation, and knows how to be fun/serious at the right times.SHAVONNE BRAZZLE

Looks at herself as fun, chill, and laid back. Her fa-vorite food is Chinese food. She believes the ideal guy

should be tall, handsome, athletic, dark, with a nice smile. She enjoyslong walks on the beach.

JUNIORS

DIONNA JOHNSON Portrays herself as shy at times, out spoken, bubbly, weird, and

likes to have a good time. She has a birth mark which is shaped like aheart but she wont tell you where she is. She is very flexible. She wantsa guy who is ideally taller than her, outgoing, out spoken, knowswhen to be serious, and to remember personality is key while lookscome second. If you happen to be interested in Dionna, she says don'tbe shy to approach me, and don't be corny. No pick up lines.FNAN BERHE

Sees herself as loving, caring, talkative, and "a b-tch when i wannabe." Mash potato, fries, and mac & cheese hands down, is her favoritefood. She loves to eat, shop, and simply chill. She believes her idealguy will have similar characteristics, can handle her at her worst, andhas to know how to make her laugh.IMANI BURRIS

Thinks of herself as funny, interesting outspoken and loving.Her ideal guy is tall, dark, handsome with a nice smile. She plays

on the varsity basketball team and enjoys hoopin’ it up.

SOPHOMORES

Nicole DodieriBelieves herself to be chill but outgoing, and likes to have a god

time. Her favorite food is BBQ Ribs. In her spare time she loves to goto parties. Her ideal mate is Trey Songs but she says she can settle forsomeone who is tall, athletic, chocolate, and has their stuff together.If you want to get her attention don't be shy and come say what’s up.MARCHE BLACK

Reflects her self as talented, BAD, funny as f--k, gangster, and adancer. Favorite food is pizza. She really enjoys dancing and she saysshe can even rap. She wants a guy who looks like Trey Songs but alittle taller, as well as smart, funny, and extremely romantic. She saysall you gotta do to get her attention is to approach her and say "ay lilMama"

FRESHMEN NASHANTRE REID

Describes herself as goofy, smiley, funny and nice. She likes to chilland kick it with friends. Her favorite food is Taco Bell. Her ideal guy istall with pretty eyes, who is nice. They also can't be a punk , and mustknow how to fight. An interesting fact about her is when she eatstacos, she tears them apart.FOENASHA BRANCH

Thinks of herself as funny, out spoken, and out going. She say sheloves fried chicken and mac & cheese. Her favorite activity is basket-ball. and her ideal guy is tall, dark, and handsome with a body. Herinteresting fact is that she can rap.

FANA HABTEMARIAMTech Pep Reporter

SENIORS

PERRY FREUNDEven though the 18-year-old is graduating this year

doesn’t mean he is in search of a love life; well maybenot love, but at least an independent woman who canhold her own if he left to college, also can make himlaugh when he is around, and he wouldn’t mindaggression -- that’s his secret attraction. (Note: The TechPep is not responsible for any injuries to Perry.)GERALD CALDWELL

The 17-year-old up and coming barber has a lot oftime to think when cutting his customers hair. He likesshopping and has a major shoe fetish, which means hewill get along with females just fine, not to mention heis big for walks on the beach and candles, which sayvalentines better than roses.ANDRE PENNINGTON

A late senior born in August this 17-year-old likes tokeep to himself and would like his woman to do thesame. He believes all that matters is you and him andnobody should be more concerned about the two ofyou. As for you, he would like you to be a rider, down for him at alltimes, with a curvy body and a sense of humor bring you’re A game forDreday and he is ready to play.

JUNIORS

DERRIEL INGRAMRoses are red, violets are blue, this guy is 16 and a poet, too -- not to

mention a wrestler and football player, and for his big poetic heart hewouldn’t mind reading his poems to smart girls who are honest withhim. He would love them to smell good and be independent.ANDREW ANDREWS

Not only did he start playing varsity basketball as a freshman, butthe 16-year-old is now one of the top scorers in the PIL; however, hewouldn’t mind sharing his off-the-court time at the movies or dinnerwith a female with a laid back personality and comedic attitude. Helike curly heads and outgoing girls who are not shy in his presence, sodon’t be afraid to engage in a conversation after his games.

SOPHOMORES

BRYCE WHITEThe 15-year-old basketball star is tall with good hair and a fine young

gentleman overall, and when he isn’t looking for ways to get aroundthe defenders, he is looking for a girl who is into sightseeing, especiallyif they have green eyes. That’s a sight he would love to see, but justbecause the eyes aren’t green doesn’t mean you don’t get to shoot freethrows with a chance to win him over if you have long hair and anathletic body.KENDALL THOMPSON

Pretty eyes and a humorous mind, this 16-year-old also starts onthe freshman basketball team. He simply has the hots for the girls wholike him back, he would love a lady that can make him laugh morethen he can make them, also into fit girls, whose shape reminds himof the old school Coke bottles.

FRESHMAN

KENDRICK BOURNEThis14-year-old pretty boy plays wide receiver for Benson’s football

team; however, even though he is a jock with a bright future, no onegirl has caught his attention so far. He likes pretty girls, shorter than heis, with long hair and a cute smile, not too much to ask for.STANLEY CAPLES

Is 15 years old, and for his dream girl he searches for the brains, thehumor and the style, but if you lack some of the above don’t let his agefool you, he isn’t all in the look hype. He wouldn’t mind someonewho is just a good spirit with a warm personality, and if you can con-nect with him,S you have just as good a shot as anyone.

Guys&Gals

Our relentlessreporters pick

the hottestdates of theseason. Who

would be yourdream date?

THE BACHELORS... THE BACHELORETTES...

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG newsfocus FEBRUARY 2010 ■ PAGE 5

LILY ZHAOTech Pep ReporterMark your calendars for March 2, thats the date Red Cross isholding a blood drive at Benson. It will go on in the new gymfrom 8:15a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Many people are willing to donate blood but we need morepeople. Everyone needs to know the importance of giving blood.Your blood will be given to patients who are in need of it. Butwhy would I want to give my blood? Why not? because you havenothing to lose, but you have the chance to save 3 lives. Did youknow that every week the American Red Cross needs to have upto 5,000 units of blood for Portland? Just Portland! So what dopeople think of giving blood?

"I thought I would pass out but I knew that I needed to getover that," says Senior Shane Wilson, who became a first timeblood donor this year.

When people hear of donating, they often think of needlesand blood squirting out of limbs. You may be one of those whowant to give blood but are too scared to, and that is perfectlynormal. But now is your chance to overcome your phobia. Waitno longer.

"After I got the needle in the arm all fear went away," saysWilson. "The needle in the arm hurt less than expected. It feltlike a pinch to the arm."

People tend to over-think about giving blood. It's a simpleprocess. If you meet height, weight, and iron level requirements.You can donate if you're 16 years and older. If you're 16 youmust need to have your parents sign a consent form turned in toMs. Callies's room and then you're ready to go. It will only takeup 30 minutes of your life. If holding someone's hand helps, gofor it! Unlimited refreshments and COOKIES afterward, time torelax and be out of class. SIGN UP with a Red Cross Club mem-ber now!

NHS shows successLUEHNA ABUANTech Pep Reporter

The National Honors Society is a growing pro-gram at Benson. This weekend I interviewedMaikhanh Tran, the National Honors Society's sec-retary. She gave me a quick summary of what NHSis all about.

"The National Honor Society is an opportunityfor students to be recognized for their academicachievements as well as their volunteer work. Stu-dents who join for the most part make the com-mitment and keep their responsibility to main-tain their G.P.A and obligation to NHS. It is also agreat way to keep students stimulated, motivatedand determined to accomplish their goals."

This semester NHS has new and exciting eventscoming up. On Tuesday, February 9th, NHS had achapter celebration after school for all their mem-bers. There was food, socializing, and it's just anevent to say thank you to all of it's members. Ifyou're a member don't forget to go or you'll missout on all the fun! Another event that's comingup is a senior project run by Julie Phan, called theTeddy Bear Drive. Donate a cute cuddly teddy bearor one dollar to help, while proceeds go to.Maikhanh gave a warming overview of how theyear has been.

"NHS is going the same as every year. The mem-bers are very hardworking and conscientious. Thisyear there weren't as many sophomore membersthat had joined this year that we had hoped, but

we'd like to encourage them to join next year."If you're interested come and join the National

Honors Society next year and become a contrib-uting part of your community.

Remodeling plansin Benson’s future?SANDRA VANTech Pep Editor

The district has (finally) realized that manyPortland Public High Schools need to be remod-eled (Benson very much included), but they havenot concluded on which schools need what sortof attention and in what order they have around abillion dollars to repair/update all Portland pub-lic high schools

Benson is in desperate need for this sort of at-tention. Do you know what heats Benson? A boilerfrom a very large ship installed in 1918. It was builtfor a ship, not a cement building. There have also

been additions made onto this building that theheating system cannot reach. Also, Benson’s elec-trical wiring is extremely out of date.

“Nobody wants to open up the walls to take alook. As long has the lights work when you turnthem on.” Chuckles Steve Olczak.

The alumni of Benson High School have beenadvocating for this opportunity. Alumni architectsare drawing proposals on bonds for this proposal.The alumni from here help define who we are.Action on this proposal will not take place foranother six years to a decade.

SOPHOMORES BEGINNING THEIR JOURNEY TOSAVING LIVESJuniors Viet Phan (left) and Miguel Rodriguez (Right)donatingblood for their first time in 2009

SECOND YEAR GOING SMOOTHLYHealth Occupations Biology and Anatomy/Physiology teacher’ssecond year at Benson and happily the second year as theAmerican Red Cross adviser, which sponsors the blood dirve.

VANNY CHAOTech Pep ReporterYou do not have to be Chineseor Vietnamese to celebrate Chi-nese New Years, or Tet, derivedfrom the Chinese New Years,based on the Lunar calender.Both celebrations take place onthe same days. The first day ofthe first month of the lunar cal-ender until the third day.

This year on Feb. 6, there wasa Tet celebration in Portland on17th Ave on Sandy at LuxeAutohaus with dancing, singing,food and performances.

The Chinese New Year Cul-tural Fair is going to be held onFebruary 14 at the Oregon Con-vention Center in the PortlandBallroom. Festivities start fromten to six pm and admissions aresix dollars, children under six arefree.

Come celebrate, eat, and beentertained! Be a part of all thatmake the New Years festive. Asthe Vietnamese say it, "ChucMung Nam Moi!" Or "HappyNew Years!"

Be a hero, giveblood, save lives

Celebrateyear ofthe tiger!

Tech PepFounded September 21, 1921

The Tech Pep is published bimonthly by the journalism students ofBenson Polytechnic High School. Tech Pep is a member of ASNE/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service and uses all wirecontent with permission. The American Society of Newspaper

Editors is a nonprofit professional organization whose members arethe top editors of daily newspapers. MCT Campus is a website

operated by McClatchy/tribuine information services.

The district's lawyer wants you to know that "According to newOregon law, student journalists are responsible for determining thecontent of this publication, except under limited circumstances. Thesubject matter, content and views of the news, feature and opinion

sections in this paper do not reflect the views of Portland PublicSchools of Benson Polytechnic High School. This disclaimer is

applicable to each and every page of this newspaper.

Snail mail: Tech Pep, Benson Polytechnic H.S., 546 N.E. 12th Ave.,Portland, OR 97232

Phone: 503-916-5100 ext 77211Web: www. techpep.org

Email: Sndr.h.l.vn@gmail.com, robmelt@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD & STAFF

Sandra Van -- Editor-In-ChiefLaura Ramirez -- News Editor

Diadira Pedro Xuncax -- Opinion EditorBryce Howell -- Sports EditorKyle Bocian -- Layout Editor

Luehna Abuan, EJ Akins, Nicholle Asencio, Rachel Benjamin, VannyChao, Demetrius Cox-Lincoln, Ethan Dedrickson, Daniel Drakos,

Fana Habtermariam, Philip Melson, Esperanza Rendon, Phuong Tran,Samuel Tsehaineh, May Wu, Lily Zhao, Ephrem --

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG opinionfocus FEBRUARY 2010 ■ PAGE 6

RACHEL BENJAMINTech Pep ReporterIf you are into chill music withan alternative sound, you wouldbe interested in these undercoverartists:

Ingrid Michaelson: IngridMichaelson is a New York-basedindie-pop singer-songwriter bestknown for her single “The Way IAm.” Her music has been fea-tured in episodes of many popu-lar tv shows, like Scrubs, Grey’sAnatomy and One Tree Hill.Ingrid’s sound is one that youcan dance and sing along with,

or go tosleep to.She has astory-tell-ing folkm u s i csound withr e l a t a b l elyrics. She isone of myfavorite art-

ists, I like her sound because it issoft and calming yet somethingthat makes me want to dance.

Blue October: Blue Octoberis a UK based alternative-rockband. Blue October’s sound isemotionally fueled, with a hintof grunge rock, fusing electronic

sounds and wild guitar withcool, underlying dance grooves.They have a diverse spectrum ofsongs charged with melody,harmony and rhythm, as wellas deep, meaningful lyrics witha touch of sadness, but always

full ofhope. Ilike BlueO c t o b e rb e c a u s et h e i rsound islike noth-

ing I regularly listen to, andtheir music is enjoyable.

A Fine Frenzy: A Fine Frenzyis the musical vehicle of Los An-geles native Alison Sudol. Shehas an adult alternative soundthat tells stories with everyword. She is an extremely tal-ented singer-songwriter andpianist with a successful musi-cal career ahead of her. I like AFine Fenzy’s music because itmellow and something that Ican listen to in any mood.

Josiah Bell: Josiah Bell is a21 year-old rising artist withenourmous talent. He has beenwriting and producing musicfor popular artists since the ageof sixteen. He has a soft,

a l ternai tvesound that isirresistable.Josiah Bellhas great mu-sic that can beenjoyable forall types ofpeople. I likehis music be-cause it is dif-ferent, and inmy opinion,it is what themusic indus-try has beenneeding for awhile.

D a v i dRyan Harris:David Ryan

Even iflove isin air,PDAyucky

LAURA RAMIREZTech Pep Reporter

While love is in the airwith Valentine’s Day aroundthe corner, the lovey doveycouples begin to embraceone another.

Although most peoplefeel comfortable displayingtheir affections in public,others may find it repulsive.Senior, Joyce Dang, has thisto say about PDA: “Not at-tractive. Don't wanna seebodily fluids being ex-changed.”

Unlike Joyce, Junior An-thony Vu says, “Yes, I love itbut my girlfriend doesn't.Hahahaha.”

Like Anthony’s girlfriendMaikhanh, Victor Kuss’s girl-friend Alysha Phan feels thesame. But he says he respectsher very much.

Clearly girls tend to bemore private, showing therespect they have for them-selves. Senior, AbigailDelgado gives her thoughtson PDA

“Uhm it’s okay to holdhands, hug and kiss. But to acertain extent, not all of thattongue stuff."”

It may be fine for a peckevery once in a while andeven holding hands, but Iknow I wouldn't want mysignificant other groping atme in public.

A little message to theyouth from your Tech Pepreporter: Don't act in publicthe way you wouldn't act infront of your parents.

Undercover artists

Best artists you’venever heard before

Harris is an Atlanta, Georgiabased singer-songwriter. Harrishas been performing on stagesince the 1980s when he servedas frontman for the Atlanta rockgroup Follow for Now. Harris’music is apparent in the band’smusic, which shows influencesranging from Motown to thrash

metal. Har-ris, nowsolo has asoulful al-t e r n a t i vesound thatc o m p l i -ments hissoul-filledm e l o d i cvoice. I have

been a fan or David Ryan Harrisfor years, he has a great sound;it’s different but in a good way.

Gabriella Cilmi: Austrailiannative Gabriella Cilmi is an ex-tremely impressive artist who got

her start in the music businesslast year at the young age of sev-enteen. The U.K.-based singer/songwriter, possesses a smoky,sultry voice that contrdicts herage, and a feisty rock attitude thathas placed her on the inside fast

track to pops t a r d o m .Gabriel laC i l m ihasn’t beenin this busi-ness long,but she’smade some

pretty significant headway. I likeGabriella Cilmi because hersound is so soulful and rugged.

All of these are great artistswhose talent goes unnoticed bymainstraem media. If you are in-terested in these artists, thenames of their most recent worksare: Ingrid

ENTERTAINMENT FACTOIDSENTERTAINMENT FACTOIDS

WWW.TECHPEP.ORG sportsfocus FEBRUARY 2010 ■ PAGE 7

© 2009 MCTSource: City of Vancouver, ESRIGraphic: Scott Bell

British Columbia

CANADA

300 miles

300 km

Vancouver

Site of the 2010 Winter Games

Canada counts downHost city Vancouver makes final preparations to welcome the GamesBY JACK BROOM

The Seattle Times

More than six years havepassed since Jacques Rogge, headof the International OlympicCommittee, stepped to a micro-phone in Prague to announce theresult of a second-ballot, 56-53vote:

The 2010 Winter Olympics,the committee decided, would gonot to South Korea or Austria, butto the Vancouver/Whistler area,which a BBC report explained is“situated in British Columbiaprovince in Western Canada.”

Today, no one in the world ofsport needs to be told whereVancouver is. More than 5,500athletes and coaches from 80-pluscountries are expected, along with10,000 members of the newsmedia and an estimated 250,000other visitors.

A worldwide television audi-ence of 3 billion is expected, withan additional 1.5 billion trackingthe Games online. More than60,000 will be on hand when theOlympic Cauldron is lit in B.C.Place at the Opening CeremonyFeb. 12.

In preparing for these Games,backers have weathered chal-lenges ranging from the global,the worldwide economic melt-down, to the highly personal, theOctober cancer death of JackPoole, founding chairman ofVancouver’s Olympics organizingcommittee (VANOC).

A mountain of work and worryremains: Can every detail of con-struction be completed on time?Will the Games’ transportationsystem smoothly move more than100,000 people each day? Howwill anticipated protests color theworld’s impressions of the event?Will nature deliver the optimalweather not just for alpine eventsat Whistler but also at the lower-elevation snowboarding venue ofCypress Mountain?

As the 20-foot-tall clock indowntown Vancouver ticks awaythe final days and minutes beforethe Games, John Furlong,VANOC CEO, likens the moodon his management team to thatof an athlete who, although well-prepared, still feels “a nervouswobble in your stomach” beforecompetition.

“Everybody is a little bit edgyand a bit nervous, and that’sgood,” Furlong said in a year-endvideo statement. “We feel likewe’ve earned the right for a greatresult.”

AT THE VENUESThe competition sites at

Vancouver and Whistler are bat-tle-tested. Many have hosted top-level events over the past coupleof years, partly to work out bugs.

But crews are busy putting upthe additional temporary struc-tures needed for the Olympics,such as grandstands at the base ofski-race courses, broadcastbooths, “wax cabins” in whichskiers prepare their equipmentand more.

Other workers are creating “ahome away from home” for ath-letes at Olympic Villages inVancouver and Whistler.

VANOC is “preparing for whatwe know will go wrong” andworking out contingency plans forthe unexpected, said Dave Cobb,VANOC’s deputy CEO.

Cobb said all Olympics facestruggles in the first few days, astransportation, security and logis-tical systems are put into opera-tion. Screening of vehicles atsecurity checkpoints, for example,will be slowest during the firstdays, when screeners and travel-ers learn the procedures.

VOLUNTEERS STEP UP

Games volunteers, who willnumber more than 25,000, beganarriving at Vancouver’s PacificColiseum to pick up their creden-tials in mid-January, along withtheir light “Wave Blue” tops anddarker, navy pants.

During the Olympics, volun-teers will perform a vast array oftasks, from taking tickets and ush-ering spectators, to more skilledand specialized services, such asproviding medical care to athletesand visitors or maintaining com-petition venues.

An additional 4,500 volunteerswill perform at, or help stage, theelaborate opening and closingceremonies at B.C. Place.

“Volunteers are really thebackbone of the Games,” saidAllen Vansen, VANOC’s vicepresident of workforce operations.

Vansen’s army of volunteerswas selected from more than75,000 applicants from 130 coun-tries. Because these are Canada’sGames and because nearly all vol-unteers had to arrange their ownlodging, fewer than 1,000 arecoming from outside Canada.

TRAVELING FLAMEThe Olympic flame, which

was flown in from Greece, willtravel 28,000-miles back andforth across Canada. The journeystarted Oct. 30 in Victoria.

More than just an appetizer forthe Games, the 106-day torchrelay itself is “probably thebiggest event ever to have beenstaged in Canada,” Furlong said.By the time it concludes, theflame — carried on 3-poundtorches — will have come within100 kilometers (62 miles) of 90percent of Canada’s population,passing though more than 1,000communities and points of inter-est.

PROTESTS EXPECTEDAthletic competition and

awards celebrations won’t be theonly events drawing attention inB.C.

Protests, and the law-enforce-ment response to them, will bepart of the picture.

“I wouldn’t be honest if I saidI wasn’t concerned at all about it,”Cobb said. “I know there will bepeople who will take advantage ofthe spotlight, and we don’t have aproblem with it as long as they doit in a lawful, nondisruptive way.”

Demonstrators protestingCanada’s treatment of native peo-ples have disrupted the torch relayseveral times. In an Ontario town,a woman carrying the torch top-pled to the ground and a demon-strator was charged with assault,though one reporter said thetorchbearer may have fallen afterbumping into a police officerresponding to the demonstration.

At each site, protesters havebeen greatly outnumbered by peo-ple celebrating the torch and theOlympic spirit, a trend VANOChopes will continue once theGames are under way.

Civil libertarians in Vancouverhave urged law enforcement touse restraint and let demonstratorshave their say.

SECURITY COSTSMOUNTING

No aspect of the Games’ costshas risen more sharply than theprice of trying to keep them safe.From a 2003 projection of $175million, security costs haveclimbed to $900 million amidconcerns the Olympics could be atarget of terrorism. Canada’s mili-tary, along with the RoyalCanadian Mounted Police andvirtually every local, provincialand national law-enforcementagency, will be involved.

All told, it will cost billions tostage these Games, but determin-ing the overall price depends onwho’s counting — and whetherthe cost of permanent public proj-ects should be considered an

Olympic expense.VANOC has an operating

budget of $1.8 billion Canadian(about $1.75 billion U.S.) andwill spend $580 million on ven-ues.

But that doesn’t includeexpenses by other agencies, or thecomplete cost of facilities createdor improved for the Games.

For example, the VANOCvenue budget accounts for just$63 million toward the $170 mil-lion Richmond Olympic Oval,built and owned by the city ofRichmond. It will house long-track speedskating during theGames and then be a permanentsports-and-fitness complex oper-ated by the city.

Other projects costing hun-dreds of millions of dollarsapiece, such as the expansion ofVancouver’s convention centerand the extension of SkyTrainlines in the Vancouver area, aretimed to accommodate theOlympic Games, but backers saythey shouldn’t be considered costsof the Olympics because theyaddress the area’s long-termneeds.

SMITTEN BY MITTENSOlympic-related merchandise

has been flying off the shelves atthousand of locations acrossCanada, especially at the 20,000-square-foot flagship OlympicSuperstore in downtownVancouver’s The Bay departmentstore. It’s also available throughVANOC online.

By mid-December,more than amillionpairs ofred mittenscarrying theCanadianmaple leafand Olympicrings hadbeen sold.They’re notjust the mostvisible sou-venir, but at $10, among the mostaffordable.

Ultimately, Furlong said, itwon’t be VANOC, or even theworld’s athletes, that shape theimage sent out from theseOlympics. “You can build thevenues and you can set up thesystems and you can have greataccommodations and great pro-grams,” he said, “but the atmos-phere is really in the hands of thepublic.”

Seattle Times news researcher MiyokoWolf contributed to this report.

B.C. Place, below far right, will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Games.

© VANOC/COVAN

© VANOC/COVAN

Whistler Olympic Park will host several events including skijumping, biathlon, cross-country skiing and Nordic combined.

© VANOC/COVAN

Red mittensbearing the

Canadianmaple leaf andOlympic ringshave been hot

sellers.

Vancouver■ Population: 578,000 (2006 census); metro areapopulation is 2.1 million;eighth largest city and thirdlargest metropolitan area in Canada

■ Size: 44.3 sq. miles (114.7 sq. km)

■ Climate: Mild, averaging 37˚F (3˚C) in January and 64˚F (18˚C) in July

PAGE 8 ■ FEBRUARY 2010 sportsfocus WWW.TECHPEP.ORG

BRYCE HOWELLTech Pep Sports Editor

So back in April 2007 when Iskipped on chores and hangingout with friends to spend awhole saturday watching whatPortland would do with the toppick in the NBA draft I neverthought we would see such apick. While we could have got-ten a sure-fire pick, Kevin Durant(who at press time was tied atfirst with Carmelo Anthony forthe leader of the points per gamecategory with 29.7) but what didwe do? We drafted Greg. Gregwho before he was drafted washaving problems with injurysand should have brought hisdraft stock down. Greg, who hasbeen hassled with injury prob-lems since he arrived in Portlandand lifted the hopes of a townwho hunger for a championship.Not to mention he has notplayed up to the level that we allthought he would. Nowadaysisn't it pretty sad that Greg ismore known for his nude pho-tos rather than his talent on thecourt. You know this is not thefirst time that the Trailblazershave passed on great talent forsub-par players. The most fa-mous being in 1983 when port-land drafted Sam Bowie....overMichael Jordan. Ultimate Fail for

the city. Who knows KevinDurant may be streaking. But ifhe is not then this will be a newmillenium version of '83. In ourcurrent state as a basketball teamwhere we are plagued by injuries

and lose close games because ofit think how good we could havebeen if we had Kevin. Thoselosses could have been wins. Butwe have y'know....Greg. It badenough that he looks fifty but

Wrestlingteam kills

RACHEL BENJAMINTech Pep Reporter

Who knew our wrestlingteam was so good? If youdidn't know, the wrestlingteam has had an exception-ally successful season so far.Wrestling coach JD Taylorexpressed to me in an inter-view how pleased and ex-cited he is for the team. "Wehave had a great season sofar. Our team is really young,we only have one senior ofvarsity." he explained excit-edly. "The kids are really re-sponding well, we have al-most forty kids on the teamand about ten are predictedto go to state." said JD aboutthe team. Ten students go-ing to state is a big deal, JDexplains, "Ten students go-ing to state hasn't happenedin about ten years." More ex-citing news that JD revealedto me in the interview is thatour wrestling team is tiedwith Grant High School'swrestling team for theleague championship. It isapparent that the team is init to win it.

I asked JD who the starplayers were, surprisinglythere were many. JD gave methe names of the athletesthat he sees as being starplayers. "Varsity Captain JeffWalberg, freshman MarquisJefferson, sophomore AlexJones, Ryan Baugn, juniorWill Pickney, and juniorKaliph Surdam." Hebragged to me how well histeam has been doing, saying"Marquis Jefferson is first in6A, Alex Jones is a defend-ing champion, and RyanBaugn is second in PIL"Overall, JD says the team isdoing very well and willcontinue to do their best.

Greg...c'mon man...

New turf field in works

does he have to play like it too?Honestly the Trailblazers shouldlook to focus the offense aroundthe stars they already have, B. Royand Alderidge. Instead of (sigh)Greg.

SAM TSEHAINEHTech Pep Reporter

You have probably heard of some talk abouta turf field coming to Benson real soon. Wellthis is only partly true.

The plan is to renovate the back field behindthe school into a turf field to be used for thefootball players and soccer players. At this pointnow it is said to be that the field is going to bepaid for through a combination of the Port-land United Soccer Club and St. Marys Highschool.

Super Sunday:

An American traditionBRYCE HOWELLTech Pep Sports Editor

It is that every year, around this time there is aspecial event that happens. And as sweet as Valen-tines Day is, it pales in comparison to this singleevent. Two words: Super Bowl. Every year twoteams who have fought their way to the final gameof the NFL postseason take place in week long fes-tivities in what ever city is holding the Super Bowlat the time as they get to somewhat relax a littlebit but at the same time remain focused on thetask ahead: bringing home a championship. Oneof the teams in this year's contest are the NewOrleans Saints, who are making their first ever ap-pearance in the big game in their whole franchise.They have a lot of weapons on their side includ-ing an emerging Reggie Bush, the all-pro quarter-back Drew Brees, and Darren Sharper their leaderon defense. The other teams pretty good as well.They are the Indianapolis Colts. The colts are alsoabundently talented as well. Peyton Manning isthe big name that sticks out of the entire team. Heis the most cerebreal quarterback in the entire gameof football and has the uncanny ability to breakdown any defense at the line of scrimmage (orright before the ball is snapped), but no quarter-back can do it alone. With playmakers like widerecievers Reggie wayne and Pierre Garcon and tight

end Dallas Clark they are a force to be reckonedwith. These are two of the biggest and most recog-nizable teams in the NFL. But there can only beone winner. I think that anyone who knows thegame and follows the game during the regular sea-son and postseason will know that the clear deci-sion would be to choose the Colts. they havePeyton Manning. he is enough to motivate a teamright? Well that would be where you are wrong.They are without a key component to their de-fense, one Dwight Freeney. Given the fact that heis the most disruptive defense force since he wasdrafted in 2002 it is no surprise that he is the keyto their defense. But since he has a tear in his rightankle then I believe the New Orleans Saints willcapitalize on the opprotunity and win their firstchampionship in their franchise history. Call itwhat you want man. But at the end of the daythere is only one question to answer. Who Dat?As you all saw on sunday The colts had no answerto that question. The fact that they brought Peyton"Big head boy" Manning to tears should make thewin even more sweeter. This is a excellent win fora city that has a long history of failure and trag-edy. So it's long overdue that the residents of NewOrleans can say "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"(Let The Good Times Roll)!

Once the field is completed the idea is toshare the field with St. Marys since they arehelping sponsor money. The plan for P.U.S.C.was to finish the field this summer, but it doesn'tlook like its coming along so well.

According to Mr. Alton the athletics direc-tor, the field is not owned by Benson highschool. It's actually owned by the city of Port-land. So before The field can even be touched,legal action has to be taken. Construction tothe field will have to wait until the city approvesof the renovation.

GREG ODENDuring a basketball game

The best yet to comefor girls basketballFANA HABTEMARIAMTech Pep Reporter

One sport that hasn't beenhighly publicized is ourwomen's basketball team.Mainly because of stories thathave been circulating stating thatwe've only won one game so far.But on the contrary to prior re-ports.

"We're actually in the runningfor a playoff spot if we beat Lin-coln and Grant". says senior bas-ketball captain Cyniece Johnson.

They may have started off theyear on a bad foot, but as theseason goes on they've improvedtheir game. There have beenmany close games such as theBenson versus Lincoln. Theybeat them by one point. Thisshows the determination and the

will power that they have and thepotential to win. But they stillhave some things to work on.

"We need to work more as ateam and have faith in eachother in order for us to wingames".

Even though they're not per-fect they still hold their own inthe league. With star players suchas Jazmin Ratcliff, Sierra Peters,Mason Hawk, and Imani Burris,it's no wonder that we've beenable to compete the way we havelately. Plus, we have a youngteam that is maturing with ev-ery game. So looking forward tonext year, it looks like they'll becompeting for the league title.But for now playoffs are in plainsight for the Techsters.

JUSTSOME OFTHE BEST(left to right)Senior SierraPeters, JuniorImani Burris,and JuniorMason Hawk.