Earlier this year, during the first few weeks of school, an attempt was made to create the first European club by Jamin I. Chalberg and a group of other students, but this request was denied by the school. The club was a response to the creation of multiple clubs that are based at CMHS which bore the name of ethnicities such as Asian Club or Black Student Union. It was, however, shot down, probably due to the possibility of offending people who would not take kindly to its creation. 

“We just thought that since there was Asian Club, Latino Culture Club, Pacific Islander and there were only two clubs that weren’t made: Black Student Union (which was created a few months ago), and the European Club which is what we wanted to start. We just wanted to create a club where we were the same. We didn’t get the approval we wanted to so we kind of just went our ways,” Jamin said.

Was it right for them to have their request denied? Was it right for a club which would be the exact same as those on the school to be denied to exist? In my opinion they should have been allowed to exist, if not then why was permission granted to all the other clubs which are named after a certain demographic. Why should they be denied the chance that others were given?  I thought to myself what the leaders of the other clubs would think, so I asked them. 

Tashibah A. Hyppolite, leader of BSU, had this to say: “ I think that everyone has the right to have a club and of course a few are going to get shot down but it shouldn’t be just because it has the name white in it because ours had the name black and it didn’t get shot down just like Asian and Latino Culture Club. Just because it has the word “white” doesn’t mean it’s racial because racism is obviously far worse. In the end it’s just a club. I totally agree with it.” 

Latino culture club’s president, Nancy said, “I think that if they want to start a club, they should be allowed.” 

Asian club’s leaders said that they don’t really care.* 

The last time I checked, didn’t we live in a country which allows for expression such as a European Club? Wasn’t the United States of America founded upon the belief that all human beings have the right to be equal in all aspects of life? 

According to Jamin, there was nothing insensitive about the club or what is was going to do, it wasn’t even named “White Club”; it was “European Club”. The club was nothing more than what it would have been: a club. Whether or not it was denied due to the chance of offending people, the fact still stands that it has given reason to be offensive to those whom the group would have represented. 


* Asian club has just informed us they where misquoted, they believe the students should be allowed a European club.

It was a clear Tuesday morning. Many students sat idly in their desks waiting for the bell to ring. Some dread the classrooms that they will soon be forced to go and sit in, while others count the seconds to their extended break. Beeeep! Tutorial has begun.

Many of us have different reactions to the new tutorial program. Some of us enjoy the time that we get to spend in the quad talking to our friends or rushing to finish that assignment that you “forgot” to do the night before.

Yurika Joi, who is not in mandatory tutorial and has been given the chance to have extended nutrition, said “I like tutorial. I have time to study for other classes. I get to compare answers for homework with other students. It’s time to work on anything.”

There is no doubt that tutorial has greatly affected our campus since it was first introduced last year, in both positive and negative ways. For those of us that have extended nutrition I’m sure we consider there are a lot more positive effects than negative ones. But those who are in mandatory tutorial might disagree.

Senior Yedid Leyva is in mandatory tutorial because of the grades he received last quarter. When asked about how he feels being in a class in which he is currently getting a passing grade in, he said “I think it’s not fair because if we showed we can pass the class we shouldn’t have to be in there. They should give us some free time.”

Adilene Guerrero is not in mandatory tutorial and said “I have tutorial because of my AP Econ grade and I haven’t had that class since December, so now I have to go and be with my teacher for a class that I’m not even in anymore and do nothing. I also don’t like the fact that people get to get their nutrition early and when I go out there’s no good food left.”

I personally enjoy tutorial because I am not forced to be in a classroom working. I do feel like it is wrong, though, that we put people in mandatory tutorial for grades that they received in the past. If grades restart at the semester, giving students a new chance to begin fresh, they should be allowed to enjoy extended break up until they are at risk of failing the class.

Rachel Russell said “I like it because it gives students time to get homework done before their next class and I know we’re supposed to do it at home but some of us have other stuff going on, like the play.”

And for all those who are forced to be in mandatory tutorial, do they actually get their work done? Does having that extra time help them?

Jessica Allyn, who was in mandatory tutorial last quarter, said “Honestly, we sat down and gossiped and didn’t feel pressured to do our work. We knew what needed to do to raise our grade but we pushed it off.”

Even some teachers feel like the tutorial program is flawed in many ways and that it does not truly help those who need it.

Mrs. Sheldon said “I think tutorial provides an opportunity for unassigned students to have study hall but I haven’t seen a change in work habit for those who are assigned.”

Mr. Poveda said “I feel like the tutorial program is an absolute disaster and more students could benefit from it but it doesn’t work. My estimate is that it is only beneficial to 25% of students.”

Mr. Howell said “My problem is different. Kids fail history because they don’t do their work, so it’s not as effective in history classes.”

When it comes to tutorial, everyone has a different point of view. Those who get to enjoy extended tutorial love it while those who are stuck in a class that they may not be failing see it as a waste of time.

Costa Mesa has just reinforced a littering policy, in response to all the trash that is accumulating all around the campus grounds.

Although this rule has just been announced to Costa Mesa last week, this is not the first time it has been carried out. This policy was administered before to students of the past, for the same reasons as of present. If a student or guest of the school were to make their way to the dome area, they would see the giant dome that kids eat under and all of the trash spread out everywhere on the ground.

With the no-littering rule being reestablished, Principal D'Agostino hopes to purge all of the trash once and for all and make the school a cleaner environment for future students. "We were hoping that students would be more responsible and clean up after themselves and to see how their campus benefits off of it," said Principal D'Agostino. The rule was placed in the hopes that students would heed the "No Littering" signs around the school and make the school a healthy place to be in.

The trash defiles the school grounds and makes it a bad place to work in, but that is not the only effect the trash has on it. Seagulls and all kinds of critters are attracted to the mess and come to the school in large numbers. "The trash is becoming a nuisance and it is attracting many winged-critters," explained Principal D'Agostino. After every nutrition and lunch, birds such as crows and seagulls swoop in to the dome area to finish off the leftovers that students have left for them all over the grounds.

Students also fail to realize that there are people that help clean up the mess that they have started: the janitors. The janitors are the unknown force working behind the scenes in order to preserve the beauty of Costa Mesa High, and are there to support the environment of the school making it a better place. "They work at the end of each lunch spending 2 and a half hours, a quarter of their day during an 8-hour shift, cleaning up trash," said Principal D'Agostino, "it is really disrespectful of the students to make the janitors spend their time cleaning up the mess they made."

In order to catch and spot anyone littering in campus grounds, security will from now on use the cameras positioned all around the school, all for the purpose of stopping the spread of litter. "We will be having more security and administration observing students," said Principal D'Agostino when asked what other measures will be taken to enforce the no-littering policy. So students should now keep in mind that they have people looking out for any litter-bugs who dare to break the rules and get a fine that they might not be able to pay off. The fine for being caught littering stands at $350 to $500. When asked whether or not they are able to pay off the fine if caught, Michael Ungeheier responded by saying, "Well no, I'm a high school teenager; I don't have that kind of money."

If you take in all of these factors, then I see no reason for anyone to be lazy and not use a trashcan. This trash problem, although it affects the school, also affects the environment as well as our planet. We should not make the janitors take care of the mess we have caused ourselves, seeing as they have plenty to deal with already. The point of a trashcan is in the name itself (a can that holds trash). These waste bins are also spread out everywhere to keep students from using the school itself as the trashcan, so I advise students to not be lazy and throw away your junk in the right places.

Music has changed a lot in the past decade. Virtually everything has gone through some sort of transformation. It’s expected for society's tastes to change with time, but the industry has gone through something a bit more than that.

I'm going to use a very over-used example, but it fits the point. The Beatles in their time were the one “big thing” and there was rarely a person who had not heard or seen them. This was when the music industry was young and not many bands had "made it big." Since the music-making community is so much smaller than today, every "big" band had a lasting effect on their audiences. In the time of the Beatles(1960s-1970s), rock was the primary genre. Dance, Hip-Hop, Heavy Metal, none of that had any place in this era. Due to this centralized music base, the music audiences were a group with similar tastes. This cohesive group followed the music industry as it grew from rock-and-roll to Classic Rock. But time keeps moving, and so does the music industry.

Years passed and society continued to modernize. New instruments, new tastes, cultures, and people accumulated together to create new genres. Many musicians drew away from the typical "guitar-based" music and began anew with synthesizers as their musical arsenal. From this grew genres like Hip-Hop, Rap, and Electronic. These new forms of music formed a new basis of music, creating a second "major genre." I'm going to call these two "major genres" Instrumental and Beat.

These two genres are still splitting as time goes on, giving us the countless sub-genres of today. Instrumental, (more specifically Rock) has not changed in structure that much. Beat, on the other hand, (Electronic music, Rap, etc.) changes with nearly every generation by taking advantage of new technology and tastes. As the two moved farther and farther apart, a border between the two became clear.

Because of the splitting genres, never again will there be one or two "industry-controlling" bands like the Beatles. There are just too many groups and demographics out there for that to ever happen again; no band could be that diverse. This gives our first overall change: the immense diversity of the musical audience.

While Instrumental once ruled the industry, fans of Beat music have grown more and more as of the 2000s. Artists like the Black Eyed Peas, and Nicki Minaj have climbed the ranks. The public's taste has evened out and may even be leaning a little towards Beat as technology becomes more prominent.
A massive change can also be found in the lyrics of songs. Compare these lyrics from the 70s... "Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream/ I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been/ To sit with elders of the gentle race..." -Led Zeppelin- Kashmir, to modern lyrics: "We ship platinum, them ******* are shipping wood/ Them nappy headed **** but my kitchen good I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish a ***** wooould/ You a stupid ***, you a, you a stupid ***."-Nicki Minaj-Stupid ***

Classic lyrics can be described as somewhat poetic and have a flow of their own. On the other hand, modern lyrics have two common factors: Extreme repetition and Excessive Profanity. The music industry will never stop moving, just as people and culture will never stop moving. Fads come and go, and there may even come a day when Instrumental or Beat is forgotten altogether. It’s impossible to predict the shifting tastes of 7 billion human beings, so just cling to that favorite band of yours because it’s up to you whether or not that band makes it another generation.

              
  Last week, sophomores (and some upperclassmen) across the state of California took the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). According to the California Department of Education website, the test was created to “improve student achievement in high schools” and “ensure that students graduate from high school with grade level skills in reading, writing, and math.” It is a prerequisite to graduating from high school with a diploma.

The general consensus among sophomores is that the test was quite straightforward. In fact, for many, it was overly easy. The test was meant to test a student’s grade-level skills, yet it seems to test skills from much earlier. According to Mesa student Eric Vu, one of the questions in this year’s math section was “if x = 3, then what is negative x?” Variables and negative numbers are both taught early in middle school.

A test such as this can in no way test a student’s readiness to graduate from high school. How can it, when it assesses a student’s knowledge of middle school standards, and only requires a 55% score to pass the math portion and 60% on English? Anyone who has learned even the bare basics of high school level knowledge can pass the test; and for those who do not pass it the first time around, they likely are not performing well in school.

The CAHSEE therefore achieves almost nothing. It does not test a student’s knowledge of grade-level skills, unless by some mistake a student is able to take the test as an eighth grader. It does not provide a motivation to work harder in school, as the average student can pass with little or no effort. If the state of California truly wants its students to achieve greater things in school, then it should not waste its efforts on a test that does so little. Its students should be held to a much higher standard.

The CAHSEE is only an example of low standards of high schools in general. Though I cannot speak for other schools, Mesa seems to be very accommodating to its students, perhaps even overly so. As a student who is enrolled in three Advanced Placement classes, I can honestly say that I am rarely assigned more than two to three hours of work on any given day. As a freshman, I rarely even had to do any schoolwork outside of the school day. For many of the school’s classes, much of a student’s grade is based on participation and homework, neither of which require more than a little effort on the part of the students. And for those who fail multiple classes during their high school career, the school even provides credit recovery courses to allow them to graduate.

A true education is meant to challenge students to learn, not to spoon-feed them basic knowledge from years past. The CAHSEE is a test that serves only to reinforce the idea that very little is expected of high school students. If California wants to challenge its students to do well in school and in life, it should design a system of much higher standards that gives graduation much more significance. Passing middle school test should not be an official prerequisite for graduating from high school.

I believe there has been a George Lucas conspiracy for quite a long time in a galaxy far far away. I propose this as a possibility and nothing more. It has become apparent to me that with the re-release of Star Wars in 3D George Lucas may be providing more secret clues as to the inside workings of C3PO. 

Let us look at the facts: C3PO was built out of parts by none other than Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader).

As our storyline progresses, they are separated as Anakin gets trained as a Jedi. At some point, C3PO is lost track of and in Episode 4, he appears on the ship of the Princess.

Now is where it gets interesting. R2D2 is definitely looking for Obi-Wan and as Luke states “I think he's searching for his former master...I've never seen such devotion in a droid before...there seems to be no stopping him.”

 It appears there is some sort of built in devotion in droids that brings them back to their masters. With this being the case we can assume that C3PO has the same sort of devotion.

More Facts: C3PO never sees Darth Vader in Episode IV. He walks through the hall of laser fire and never catches eye contact.

In The Empire Strikes Back, C3PO is blown up on Cloud City and the one opportunity he has of seeing Darth Vader, he is strapped to Chewbacca’s back and states “turn around, I can’t see”.

Why would Lucas put that line in there unless he wanted to give a clue that C3PO’s devotion chip would kick in and he would align with Vader.

The last clue is given when at the end of Return of the Jedi, C3PO (the golden God of the Ewoks) is telling stories of the greatness and magnitude of Darth Vader (including mimicking his breathing).

I believe that if Episode 7 ever comes out it will be solely based on the exploits of C3PO as Lucas has always meant this to be the true emphasis of the characters he has given to the world.

Thanks for reading and any comments are welcome. 

If you have a car, you’ll notice that your car’s tank isn’t filling up halfway anymore with that twenty-dollar bill. The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California has topped the $4 mark, affecting drivers everywhere. And with a lot of Mesa’s student body owning a car, this can be rather disheartening…and expensive.

“I don’t drive around as much anymore,” says Kyndall Jack, a senior. “Yeah this weekend, instead of driving, I rode my bike to places.”

“It sucks,” adds in Trace Curet, also a senior. “They’re ridiculous.”

It’s true that we teenagers don’t really drive long distances for long periods of time. We might drive to school and back, the grocery store, and maybe visit a friend in the next town over.

“I don’t really drive that much…” Brooke Wanbaugh says, when Alex Sampietro adds in, “Yeah, like I don’t even remember the last time I filled up my gas tank,” while Brooke agrees with him.

The thing is though, this also affects teachers who drive to school (who would have thought?!). Many teachers don’t even live in the Costa Mesa area, or even in Orange County. “I drive here all the way from Riverside, I have to fill up my gas tank twice a week.” Mrs. Clark says.

A lot of students, however, don’t pay for gas themselves. “I don’t pay for my gas; my parents do.” Chris Henriquez states, a senior. Which is rather cool, but what happens if gas prices start to go up even higher? One main reason as to why gas prices are so high is because of oil speculation. If tensions between the West and the East do escalate, there will be serious oil disruption and gas prices will soar up to $5 a gallon. But for now, you can drive around peacefully paying for gas at $4.25 per gallon, because it won’t be long before gas prices spike up to $6…I’m just kidding. Not really.

It's expensive to be gassy...