Former Assistant Principal Lisa Garcia has replaced Debbie Coco as the new principal of CVHS. When she was a young girl, her father was principal of CVHS and now, she is following in his foot-steps. I grew up always wanting to come back here, said Garcia.

Q: How do you like being the principal so far and have you felt welcomed?

A: Im enjoying it a lot. Stu-dents, parents, staff; everybody has been so wonderful.

Q: Do you enjoy the job of principal more than that of an Assistant Principal?

A: They are very different. I had no idea how different they would be. You dont know how different being the principal is going to be until you are the principal. I am enjoying it because Ive worked as an assistant principal for eight years and being the principal is a new challenge for me.

Q: What other responsibilities do you have now as principal?

A: Well, when youre an AP you get to focus more on students and how students are interacting with staff. As a principal you have more of a school-wide focus. Youre dealing a lot more with parent

concerns that are coming in and programming and staffing issues and youre also working with the entire staff. As an AP, youre working more with a piece of the big picture. But as a principal you really have to understand how everything is related together and then how our site relates to the greater district.

Q: What kinds of improve-ments are you planning on ap-plying to the campus?

A: We need to tighten the safety plan. Communication is also a big thing and we want to make sure that we are communi-cating effectively to students and staff members through e-mail, loudspeaker announcements and presentations. Communi-cation is key for this school so everybody knows what is going on all the time.

By Sophiana CarrellStaff Writer

Principal Lisa Garcia talks about her new career, as well as her future plans and aspirations for CVHS.

ChriS (hongzhe) Qian / Staff Writer

GARCIA: Page 8

Tack attack plagues CVHS campus

By Sholeh Salimi & Sophiana Carrell

Coach Craig Nieves rests his head in his hands after losing his final football game with the Trojans. Castro Valley's football coaches have all resigned. The basketball team controversy was one of the reasons why Nieves quit.

See story on page 6.

Chris (hongzhe) Qian / staff Writer

Varsity girls basketball coach Nancy Nibarger talks to her team during a pre-season game. Her belief in the teaching principles of sports made her stay as the coach.

See editorial on page 2.

Saritha KoSaruSSavadi / Photo editor

CRISIS: Page 6

A serious scare struck CVHS on Dec. 4 when an unusual form of vandalism injured at least eight students.

The school nurses office was filled around noon with students injured by thumb- tacks.

Nurse Sandee Velasquez tended to their slight wounds by cleaning them with soap and antibacterial ointment. Velasquez then checked the health records of the eight stu-dents to make sure their Hepatitis B and Tetanus vaccines were cur-rent. The students parents were notified and were told to contact a doctor to ask further suggestions.

A vandal or vandals strategically glued the tacks, face-up, to door handles and drinking fountains all throughout the campus in places such as the entrances to the 200 and 500 halls, and the drinking fountains near the weight room and 900 hall.

Sophomore Loren Apilado was pricked by a tack glued to the door handle of the 500 hall.

It was in the morning around seven, said Apilado. There was only one on the door. There were

a couple on the ground. She thought the culprit had glued

about five tacks to the handle, but some had fallen off.

Around 12:30 p.m., Principal Lisa Garcia made an announce-

LISA GARCIAPrincipal

Whoever has done this will definitely

receive..some serious counseling

support.

Castro Valley High sophomore Lisa Petty buried several three-pointers and freshman Kaitlin Endo cleanly blocked three shots, making the crowd cheer supportively. The Trojans girls Varsity basketball team opened their season with a discour-aging loss to the formidable Foothill Falcons on Nov. 28, but they at least looked like a solid team.

I think the kids are working really hard, and Ive been really pleased with the effort, said an optimistic coach Nancy Nibarger.

Nibarger is ready for the new season to begin since the last one ended quite unpleasantly for her. The coach has been involved in an ongoing conflict since the end of the previous season, facing parents ag-gressive requests for her removal and dealing with new restrictions.

After the final game of the last sea-son, parents took their private com-plaints to the school administration, and later to the school board, which held an extensive 14-week investiga-tion, Nibarger said. The board mem-bers cleared her of any wrongdoing, she assured, but they did take action concerning the team.

The board decided to introduce two ombudsmen (impartial observ-ers) and establish a six-person panel to help select this years basketball team.

This decision drew criticism from local residents and coaches, and

By Michelle Matsui & Alexandra Shiluk

gained publicity in newspapers, television and radio stations across the country.

Recently, the selection commit-tee finished choosing the team, which did not include any of the players involved in the conflict last season. This raised the girls suspicions concerning the validity of the panel, though Assistant Prin-cipal Marcie Plummer said all the members had extensive basketball experience.

Theyre all basketball coaches, all of them had at least six to eight if not many more years of basketball coaching girls, Plummer said. So they are very qualified.

With such restrictions placed upon her, many wondered why Nibarger would want to continue coaching the basketball team.

I believe in the principles that sports can teach people. I believe there is good that can come out of competition and hard work and feeling good about learning your position and being part of a team, said an adamant Nibarger. And so I have wanted to continue to be there for the kids and to be there to work with the kids and help them value the sport the way that I val-ued it when I was younger.

The allegations that were cited against Nibarger all revolved around concerns over communica-tion, she said, which she is trying to improve.

ment notifying students about the incident and advising them to take precaution while opening doors and using drinking fountains. The administration is still investigat-ing the incident and has already received a few leads.

We are not sure if this was done by a group or just one individual, commented Garcia. Whoever has done this will definitely receive disciplinary action and some serious counseling support.

School athletics are gen-erally positive activities that teach students not only sports, but also practical life lessons.

It is unfortunate that a conflict between athletes, their parents and a coach are getting in the way of that at Castro Valley High School.

At the end of last years basketball season, a group of players and their parents raised unspecified com-plaints about varsity coach Nancy Nibarger.

The parents took their grievance to the principal and to the district.

Eventually the school board held a meeting to dis-cuss the matter.

The board found no wrongdoing on Nibargers

The Olympian is a student publication of the Journalism Class, Castro Valley High School, 19400 Santa Maria Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546. 2006

Editor-In-Chief................................................................Flora TsangCity Editor......................................................................Mari Robinson News Editor.........................................................................Gray BaeOpinion Editor....................................................................Ellen YauFeature Editor...............................................................Kamry ZhangSports Editor................................................................Jasmine NandCopy Editors.................................................................Dawn Berden Kyle Friedrich Photo Editor....................................................Saritha KosarussavadiSystems Manager................................................................Gray BaeBusiness Managers...................................................Michelle Matsui

Candace Wong

Staff Writers: Malena Bell, Tim Buhlig, Julianne Burnette, Sophiana Carrell, Becky Chao, Christina Cross, Hayden Folks, Kevin Hanley, Hillary Johnson, Amber Kury, Esther Lee, Stephanie Lombardo, Laura Mitchell, Ariel Navarro, Chris (Hongzhe) Qian, Sholeh Salimi, Al-exandra Shiluk, Terry XiaoAdvisor........................................................................Matt Johanson

The Olympian welcomes letters to the editor and reserves the right to

edit letters for libel, spelling, gram-mar, length and style. Please limit

letters to 200 words. All letters to the editor must be signed. Submit letters to

cvhsolympian@yahoo.com or the Olympian office in room 113.

Dear Editor,

We would like to give you an update on Travis (Howard).

He recently has gotten enough movement back in his arm that they are going to modify his wheelchair so that he can drive his wheelchair with his arm instead of his chin. It is a huge unexpected change that has thrilled us and his therapists.

We would like to thank all of the students, staff and parents who bought and sold the bracelets and made donations to Travis.

We especially want to thank the library ambassador club for spon-soring the bracelet sale.

With the donation money we were able to buy him a van with a lift so he can go out with his friends and to all of his appoint-ments with much more ease and comfort.

The difference in our lives is huge and we are extremely touched and grateful.

Traviss mood and attitude are great and he actually gives us strength. Your support and prayers have been overwhelming and we

appreciate it more than words can say.

Margo Howard

Editors note: Travis Howard is a 2004 CVHS graduate who was injured in a motocross accident on Sept. 11, 2005. Margo Howard is his mother.

Editorial:

part, but decided to form a committee to choose play-ers for this years team and to place an ombudsman at practices and games.

These measures were not supposed to be a punishment, but rather a way to help mod-erate the conflict.

When the selection com-mittee chose different play-ers for this years team, the girls and their parents were understandably upset.

However, this entire is-sue has been taken too far already, and it would be in everyones best interest to just let it rest.

The current players do not need these complications affecting their season, and nobody else needs the stress and frustration of carrying on this issue.

We at The Olympian would like to commend Nibarger for her determination and dedication to her sport and her team.

There are few coaches who would remain so committed through all of the turmoil that Nibarger has been subjected to during this conflict.

Kudos to coach committed to b-ball

Girls are oblivious to the flaws of

their boyfriends

when they are 'in love.'

Do you know what makes me want to vomit even more than the thought that people like Britney Spears are allowed to have chil-dren?

The injustice of the relation-ship system we have going on at CVHS.

Have you ever noticed how when a guy totally gives himself up for a girl he is called gay or whipped, but when it is the other way around, its completely normal?

Girls are constantly compromis-ing their entire selves for guys. Ive seen girls change the way they look, talk, walk, and even think just to get guys to like them. It makes me sick to my stomach.

Do you know what the sad thing is though? I do it too. I dont think Ive ever met a teenage girl who hasnt.

In high school, it feels like all we ever do as teenage girls is hunt for boys.

Its like our lives arent complete if we are not head over heels in love with some boy who couldnt care less.

And when, by chance, we get the boy, we treat them like royalty and believe that they could do no wrong.

Girls are totally oblivious to the

flaws of their boyfriends when they are in love. But ladies, have you ever thought of it this way:

It takes two to tango. If one person is dancing and the other is just standing there, staring va-cantly into the distance, the danc-

ing person looks like an idiot as well as feels like one.

Love takes two people, not just one. When one person is in love and the other is not, it is only a half-love, the most painful love in the world.

But sometimes if we use our imagination enough, we can be-lieve that the other person feels the same way. Then we proceed in compromising morals and judg-ments.

I feel like 89% of high school

By Ariel NavarroStaff Writer

Gir ls need not be boy toysrelationships are half-loves. Soci-ety has taught women to fear and worship men, as well as treat them as superiors.

Women feel as if they are not complete without men. Sometimes women even believe we need them to be happy.

On the contrary, I know as well as every single other woman that happiness is only a state of mind, not a boy.

Doesnt it sound ridiculous that the people we believe will com-plete us are just little boys?

Lets face it ladies, we are emo-tionally and intellectually superior to men.

Whether we use our superiority or not is a different story.

Now here is the kicker: Why arent boys worshiping us? Why arent they changing the way they walk, talk, dress, and think for us?

Just think about it for one mo-ment. The answer is that there is no reason. We worship them because society has brainwashed us since we were born.

Every single expectation that our fellow male classmates have of us is because of what society shows them we are supposed to be.

Well I have news for you, boys: we are who we say we are and I say you cant hold us down forever.

A l u m n u s g r a t e f u l f o r C V H S s u p p o r t

CourteSy of the hoWard family

Parents, players both need to bury the hatchet

Two students take sides about Schwarzenegger

By Ariel NavarroStaff Writer

By Tim BuhligStaff Writer

Our governor, the Hollywood moron

Arnold perfectly fits governors throne

A r n o l d Schwarzeneg-g e r i s o u r governor. Just think about it for a second.

Our gover-nor is the very s a m e m a n who played a pregnant man, a robotic killer, and yes indeed, was actually a steroid-driven body builder.

I truly be-l i e v e w h e n people looked at their voting ballots and saw Schwarzeneg-ger s name , they snorted and checked

the box just because it made them giggle.

Either that or they just voted for him because hes a Republican.

Now think really hard, can you think of one thing, just one thing he has done?

Most likely you cant.

When the general public has no idea what is going on in the state they live in, that is the mark of a terrible governor.

It looks to me like he is basically the mascot of the state and sits on a float in a parade of politicians waving and smiling at everyone with bleached white teeth.

Schwarzenegger has done plenty of vetoing but only a tiny bit of actual proposing laws (let alone helpful laws). He has vetoed the gay marriage proposal, which is hurtful to much of our popula-tion in California, not to mention disrespects people of all sexuali-ties and differences - which is not what democracy is about.

He also vetoed the proposal to make it possible for illegal immi-grants to get their drivers licenses. That veto left thousands of people without appropriate identification and, more importantly, prevented them from driving legally.

Dont get me wrong, I am posi-tively ecstatic about the recent election results; however, it would have been the icing on the cake if we had had a new governor who did more than just smile, wave and veto.

Ah well, I guess well just have to make do with cake without ic-ing.

PHOTOPiniOnsPHOTOPiniOnsPHOTOPiniOns

I think freshmen should be allowed to go off

campus for lunch. We are very responsible. Kyle

Callihan, freshman

The cell phone policy should be repealed. Its

not right to make it so we cant use them at break.

Maria Washington, junior

I think we should be able to sit on the stage at lunch. What some kids do affect all of us more responsible

students. Katie Nepodal, senior

COMPILED BY HAYDEN FOLKS

What school rules would you like to see changed, now that Ms. Garcia is the new principal?

I think the cell phone policy is way too strict. Not being able to use

them at break is too strict. What if I need to contact

my parents? Nick Choa, sophomore

The ballots are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again taken the capitol to be Californias governor for another term.

I personally think its great that he has another term, and hopefully hell improve California more. Or perhaps hell be criticized on ev-erything by people trying to prove a point instead of looking at what would be the greater good for the state of California. In his last term, Arnold had to resort to a special election because the legislature of California was bucking him on everything for its own political agenda, and he thought the people should decide.

Well, unfortunately a lot of the public sided with legislature and Arnolds special election did noth-ing because all of his propositions failed. Arnold still has done great things for California, but instead of getting credit for it, he is blamed for making it worse.

Arnold has straightened out the debt that the previous governor Gray Davis left behind, and while California still has a ways to go until it is out of debt, it is getting better. But Arnold was blamed for the mess that the previous gover-

nor had left behind instead of getting credit for fixing the problem.

He also tried to fix the educational system so that teachers would be paid on how well their students did on tests and in the class overall, instead of being paid for the students attendance.

The teachers would then have to work harder for their pay instead of getting paid for the students timeliness. The teachers union didnt like this, saying that the students could fail a class intentionally and teachers wouldnt get paid. The legislature and the people (mainly the teachers union) voted not to have this take place.

I think this is a shame as it would have increased the education of many students. Since the teachers are paid on attendance, they dont really have to care about the students or their grades to get a paycheck.

If this had passed it wouldve been different. The teachers would have to care about the students and their education or they wouldnt get paid.

Arnold has tried and succeeded at improving California but has

also been shot down by politi-cians trying to further their own political agendas. Hopefully, this term the politicians will look at the greater good of California instead of their own political agenda, and help Arnold improve this great state even more.

Any schmuck can be

born, but only a holy

savior of the human

race could rise from the

dead.

Christmas is coming. A season for love, spending time

with ones family, and remember-ing the birth of Jesus Christ our savior; or so the thousands of Christmas specials would like you to believe.

But lets cut through the medias sentimentality and hypocrisy for just a second, and ask ourselves, what is Christmas really all about?

Lets face it, its the presents. Not just the presents of course.

People really do cherish their families and celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas, but it is the massive greed and materialistic el-ements of Christmas that facilitate these sentiments.

Because Christmas is such a profitable and marketable holiday, the media and retail outlets all start shoving Christmas spirit down our throats as soon as possible.

Stores like Rite-Aid start sell-ing Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.

The airwaves are saturated with feel-good Christmas specials for kids, and feel-good overpriced toy

By Kevin HanleyStaff Writer

commercials interspersed between the positive programming. Not that the two are related or anything.

People decorate their houses and

yards with colorful lights, cheerful Santas, and uplifting and inspiring manger scenes.

Christmas is undoubtedly the most hyped, anticipated and en-thusiastically celebrated holiday

in America. And why is this? Christmas is supposed to be

about celebrating the birth of Je-sus Christ, but is that why people celebrate it so exuberantly?

Easter is supposed to be a cel-ebration of Christs resurrection, an act seemingly more important than his birth.

Any schmuck can be born, but only a holy savior of the human race could rise from the dead.

So why then is Easter not nearly as anticipated or vehemently cel-ebrated as Christmas?

Because a magic bunny bring-ing eggs filled with candy is fun and all, but not nearly as fun as a fat jolly guy bringing kids scores of the hottest new toys and elec-tronics as presents.

So whether you look forward to Christmas because you can spend some quality time with your fam-ily, celebrate the birth of your sav-ior, or get a bunch of cool stuff, the reason America celebrates Christmas almost patriotically is for the latter reason.

The material greed elevates Christmas above all other holidays in this country.

God, or at least Santa Claus, bless America.

Ring in the greed for the holidays

Imagine a class where the stu-dents have perfect attendance, where no one goofs off or misbe-

Smiles play their way onto the faces of many young children as they receive fuzzy little teddy bears to brighten up their holiday.

These children reside at the Childrens Hospital of Oakland, and every year they receive a bear from various businesses, the PTA and Real estate companies. How is this made possible? By the Junior Achievement Program, who sponsors senior business stu-dents of CVHS to sell these bears. Whoever purchases one will have given a child from the hospital a new furry friend.

The hope is that by the end of the fundraiser, there will be enough money to buy a bear for every child in the hospital.

The purpose of this fundraiser is not only to provide a cuddly buddy for a sick child, but also to educate business students with hands-on experience in economics. The program will teach students how to operate a business dealing with the selling and purchasing of a

By Hillary JohnsonStaff Writer

By Laura MitchellStaff Writer

haves and where students count it a privilege to be there.

Although Matt Rain-water is a first-year social studies teacher at CVHS, he has previously taught just such a class in a prison.

During his own high school years, Rainwa-ter was a runner on his schools cross country and track teams.

He continued running as an undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona, even-tually competing at the NCAA Championships as a Division II athlete.

A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g from college, Rainwater pursued post-collegiate competitive running for a while, but he says, it didnt work out, and he

working in a running store. But having always been interested in becoming a teacher since his sophomore year in high school, he decided to return to college to earn a teaching credential.

While pursuing his Masters of Education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Rainwater ended up hav-ing an incredibly intriguing and satisfying experience.

To complete his credential program, Rainwater chose an unusual place to do his student teaching. While most of the other students in the credential program opted to work in the local primary

schools, Rainwater, who had always wanted to try something different, began teaching classes at the California Mens Colony, a prison in San Luis Obispo.

There Rainwater tutored inmates in everything, from learning to recognize letters of the alphabet to reading and writing.

He describes his experi-ence at the prison as very rewarding and interesting, and laughingly notes that it is often easier to teach in a prison than in a school.

For the inmates, going to class was more of a reward than it was mandatory and everyone paid attention. In fact, in the entire time Rain-water taught at the prison, he never experienced any problems; nobody misbe-

Bears bring business S i c k c h i l d r e n s m i l e

product. The students collect money

from different sources and then purchase the bears from the manu-facturer, GeneRise, Inc. Then the bears are delivered to the hospital to be handed out to the kids.

The whole experience is a great learning opportunity for the students, and is a creative way to spread holiday cheer to those less fortunate.

The excess bears are donated to Toys for Tots, and the rest of the profit to the Make a Wish Foundation.

We donate the excess profit to them every year because it is a good organization, said teacher Mona Kreuzer.

Bears will also be sold on campus for anyone who wishes to buy one.

The students can keep a bear for themselves or donate it to the children.

Everybody needs something to hold on to, and for the children at the Childrens Hospital of Oakland, these bears might be just that.

ultimately had to stop competing due to an injury. He still enjoys running as a hobby.

Rainwater then worked a variety of jobs, including construction and

haved. These days, Rainwater can be

found in his classroom in the 100 hall, teaching World Civilizations or U.S. History.

Imagine experiencing a new culture, an opportunity to meet people and to see the realities of a country somewhere else in the world.

Each summer the foreign lan-guage classes at CVHS offer stu-dents a chance to experience these things first hand with a trip to a country that speaks the language of their respective class.

This year, however, the trips to Costa Rica and France have both been cancelled.

We needed at least six [people] who were registered and paid to fly, said French teacher Te-resa Marshment. There werent enough people.

Likewise, the trip to Costa Rica was cancelled due to lack of en-rollment.

The German trip is still going to happen, though.

Were leaving on June 16 and well be gone for around three and

a half weeks, affirmed German teacher Barbara Klews. There are about 15 people going.

The cost will be approximately $3000, which will cover expenses for hotel accommodations, airfare and two meals a day.

Ive always wanted to go to Germany, commented senior Tawny Ditmer. Its really beau-tiful over there and the culture fascinates me. Plus, I can prac-tice my German. Its really an eye-opening, once in a lifetime experience.

They will begin their journey in Berlin, and travel all around Germany and into neighboring countries.

The group will also have the opportunity to visit a German school, so that they can get a taste of the culture and see the differ-ences between schools here and schools there.

There was a lack of inter-est and ability to commit, said Marshment. Maybe next time, in 2008.

By Julianne BurnetteStaff Writer

Germany trip survivesCosta Rica and France cancelled G u i d e t o G i f t G i v i n g

By Christina Cross & Sholeh SalimiIllustrated by Ellen Yau

For mothers:Sonoma microfleece

wraparound robeKohls, $19.99After a hard day itll

definitely soften your mom up.

For fathers:Superman Returns

DVDTarget, $19.99Unleash the Super-

man in your dad.

For lil sisters: The New Easy Bake

Oven Hasbro, $24.99Satisfy her sweet

tooth with this crav-ing-inducing gift.

For lil brothers:Speed Racer: Shooting

Star Mini Radio Control Car

Target $14.99With this control car,

hell stay busy and not have time to bother you.

For boyfriends:Family Guy, Vol. 2

(Season 3)Target, $28.76If you want to cud-

dle on the couch and make him smile, buy this hilarious DVD.

For girlfriends: S t e r l i n g s i l v e r

mult i -chain heart necklace

Kohls , $17.99Your g i r l f r iend

will love this present because we all know girls love jewelry.

Teaching inmates before kids

Have no idea what to get your loved ones for the holidays? Read The Olympians helpful guide. All gifts are under

Matt Rainwater talks about his variety of jobs before coming to CVHS.

Saritha KoSaruSSavadi / Photo Editor

Revie

wing

Almost everyone has seen the previews: Come see my movie film! If it not be success I will be executed! If not, you have been on MySpace and seen a funny looking guy with a big smile and a bushy moustache.

In the movie Borat, a fictional man from Kazakhstan (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) was sent by his government as a representative to find out more about the United States. He travels to New York and there he discovers Pamela Ander-son from watching Baywatch on

By Ariel NavarroStaff Writer

the hotel T.V. He falls in love with her, and with his fat assistant he travels across the country in an ice cream truck to find her.

Sacha Cohen is a genius when it comes to comedy. He had every single person in the movie theater laughing out loud. Cohen mixed a combination of real events where he interviewed people as the char-acter Borat filmed their reactions, and staged events like the scene where he put a giant bag over Pa-mela Andersons head and tried to pick her up and run away.

Borat is not only a funny mov-ie but it really shows the United Statess dark side. By far the most disturbing scene was when Borat went to a rodeo and a man told him to shave his moustache off because it made him look like an Arab or, in his mind, a terrorist.

Borat the movie was the per-fect blend of comedy and politics. It had politics for the left-wing adults to want to pay ten bucks to see it and comedy for the Jack-Ass movie goers to want to see it.

Go see this movie! I guarantee it will open your eyes to things Americans do that are really disgusting and arrogant, but at the same time it will entertain the pants off you!

You walk out of the library with Algernon the nerd waddling cau-tiously behind you. Suddenly two vicious bullies charge toward him intent on beating him up. Fortu-nately for him, you beat them up first and, two Indian burns later, the attackers flee. You successfully protected Algernon and earn five crisp bucks.

This is just one of the many missions in the new video game Bully. If you havent heard of Bully, you probably dont play

video games. S ince the game was an -

nounced, watchdog groups such as Peaceaholics and Bullying Online have attacked it, claiming it trivial-izes or glorifies bullying.

Miami lawyer Jack Thompson, a fierce detractor of violent video games, tried to stop the release of Bully, calling it a public nuisance and a Columbine simulator.

But that was before the game was even released. Now that the game is out, lets cut through the hype and see what Bully is all about.

First of all, Bully is in no way a Columbine simulator. It is more akin to a Dennis the Menace or Breakfast Club simulator. Nobody dies in the game and, instead of guns, your weapons consist of stink bombs, itching powder, and the like. In fact, the Entertainment Software Rating Board gave Bully a rat-ing of Teen, for people ages 13 and up.

Bully stars troubled teen Jimmy Hopkins, who, after be-ing expelled from several other schools, is sent to Bullworth Academy. There he must interact with various cliques and defend himself and others from the bullies

By Kevin HanleyStaff Writer

of Bullworth.Bully is a completely free

roaming game. One is given full run of the grounds at Bullworth and the nearby town. The world of Bully is fairly large, and can be traversed on foot, bikes, skate-boards, or scooters. Throughout the game missions are given, which involve doing favors for fellow students, teachers, or townspeople.

Besides the story missions, Bully is chock full of fun mini-games, such as taking a paper route, participating in boxing matches, and going to class, that earn you money or unlock skills or other items.

While the game is fun, it does have some flaws. If you fail a mis-sion, there is no option to restart. Also, there is a significant amount of backtracking and uneventful traveling from point A to point B. There is no radio in Bully like there is in Grand Theft Auto to listen to as you travel.

But the good in the game far out weighs the bad, Bully is filled with fun and challenging missions, hours of engaging game play, and best of all, it wont turn you into a psychopathic bully and or killer. Everybody wins!

Revie

wing

10.DeodorantWho in their right minds

would give deodorant for a gift? Are you trying to tell me that I smell? I do not! People who give deodorant: youre sick.

9.Picture Album This is the gift that says, I

dont really like you very much, so Im just going to go to Ross

and buy a $5 picture album with a picture of some chick I dont know skipping in a meadow on

the front.

8.A Mug Mugs are especially obnox-

ious when they have a jolly Santa Claus on the front and its March

when youre drinking coffee.

7.MoneyI dont know about you, but

when I get money, I end up spending it on things I need like toothpaste. I would rather have gift certificates so it forces me

to buy something really shallow and unnecessary, because thats

what Christmas is all about.

6.Fake Designer PurseI opened this gift up and got

all exited but then not so much when I noticed the cheap fabric

and tackiness. Fake designer purses are something the world

needs much less of.

5.Jessica Simp-son Holiday CD

I am in awe that such a thing actually exists. All Ive ever wanted is to listen to a leggy blonde sing all of the sappy

holiday songs that make me want to ram my head into a brick wall,

repeatedly.

4.Croc ShoesYou open your Grandmas

present to reveal (dun, dun, duunnnnn) Croc shoes. She tells you the lady at the mall said that Croc shoes are the latest fashion.

You smile but know that these will go straight to the dumpster because they are unacceptable

for anyone to wear.3.OrnamentsGreat, another one to add to

the overflowing box that sits in the garage all year long.

2.FruitcakeFruitcake tastes like feet and

nobody likes it! Make a mental note of this: just because every-one else jumps off a bridge (or

worse, buys Croc shoes), doesnt mean you have to.

1.Nonreturnables Seriously, nearly every gift I

get is returned for something that isnt so heinous or if they are not returnable, they get the dumpster.

Always give gift receipts.

Holiday GiftsBy Ariel Navarro

Staff Writer

Borat is the bombBully no Columbine simulator

10 Worst

Mouths dropped in shock as the class representatives an-nounced that Winterball would be held during the weekend before finals. The untimely date built upon the chaos already sur-rounding Winterball.

Students agree that it is already complicated enough to snag the perfect date or the perfect dress for Winterball. Now there is the prospect of finals, as well as un-excused tardies and absences to agonize about.

For those who have ten unex-cused tardies or five unexcused absences, Winterball is no longer an option. Tardies and absences can be checked when bids are bought in room 607 or with the assistant principals.

Winterball will be held on Sat-urday, Jan. 20 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. If the original calendar

By Esther LeeStaff Writer

was in use, finals would take place before winter break and Winterball after. However, the superintendent decided to move finals to after win-ter break.

Turnout is still expected to be high. I already have kids asking for guest passes, said leadership teacher Lin-da Little. Not to worry, the gym will still be crowded with many students. Junior Paul Noe said, Its a time to relax before a stressful week, a time to have fun.

However, a variety of reasons may prevent students from showing. Girlfriends and boyfriends that cant make it will restrict their significant others from appearing at this formal dance. Devoted academic students might choose a higher grade over one night of dancing.

The date of Winterball is highly unlikely to be changed. Little com-mented, If its on another day, we have to cancel another event. The invitations have already been ordered with the printed date of Jan. 22.

The CVHS library will close for a $900,000 renovation start-ing the next fall semester. It will remain closed up until January 2008.

The library facility, apart from being 50 years old in all respects, is stocked with plastic chairs and tables, a less than satisfactory carpet, and a collection of books that were published several de-cades ago.

Junior Caitlin Colby expressed her concerns over the current state of the library: Its cool that theyre renovating it because its kind of musty and smells weirdthe carpet is so hard that its like hardwood flooring, too.

As a missing library will no doubt result in several prob-lems, library media teacher Terri Bucklin anticipates a portable or respective building serving as a makeshift book storage and checkout until the remodeled library is completed.

The online databases however, such as ProQuest and WebCol-lection, will remain operational and available to the CVHS stu-dents throughout the restoration

By Alexandra ShilukStaff Writer

process. I am very excited, said Bucklin.

[The renovation] is a step in the right direction.

When Bucklin first became the librarian in January 2000, there were only four operative comput-ers, two of which were hooked up to the Internet.

Since then, several measures have been passed in attempts to distrib-ute the money to the library systems and, within themselves, have prom-ised future improvements.

These developments, however, never came. Instead, the money was poured into the athletic programs and subsequent field maintenance, she said.

You can see where our priorities really lie, said Bucklin.

Only 63 percent of the shelving currently installed in the library will be allocated in the new plans for books, an issue that could jeop-ardize the librarys functionality.

Aesthetically its going to be beautiful, but it has got to be func-tional, said Bucklin.

California guidelines suggest a ratio of 24 books per student, that is 68,400 for the CVHS student population. With that taken into con-sideration, it is extremely shocking to learn that the library contains only

22,000 books, not even a third of the required amount.

Also, the renovation does not include the costs for a new ceil-ing, light fixtures, or furniture something that would inhibit Bucklins vision of creating a quiet reading area, furnished with comfortable armchairs and sofas in a corner of the new library.

Students in general, however, seemed unaware of the library undergoing construction.

Wheres the library at? asked junior Hilary Vander-heiden. Seriously, I didnt know.

The library was subsidized, in part, by the combination of the two bonds to create the School and Library Improvement Block Grant. This new measure appor-tions enough money to facilitate the refurbishment of Castro Val-ley school public libraries.

Bucklin is adamant that the plans be completed with ev-ery issue taken into account, ensuring that the library be functional.

Or else, as she ruefully de-clared, This library is going to have to remain the way it is for a few decades.

Q: What do you plan on do-ing differently than Mrs. Coco, if anything?

A: I think really the goal for this year is to continue the things that weve already been working on like continuing with the small learning communities. My big-gest thing is really revamping our school safety plan and making sure everything is up and running and in place. And also we need to update emergency bags to make sure we have everything that we need. I think thats really important because its a kind of behind the scenes thing but its really good to make sure were caught up.

Q: One of the main goals of our school is unity. How do you plan on helping unify the student body?

A: Well, I personally cannot unify the students but I can defi-nitely provide programs and more opportunities for students and staff to work together to help unify the school. One person alone cannot do that. It really has to be every-body working together and having

it be a school-wide commitment. We will provide opportunities for students like having different ac-tivities such as Challenge Day or activities for our staff to create a more unified Castro Valley High School.

Q: Finally, what do you hope for the student body of CVHS?

A: I would hope that the stu-dent body would feel comfortable in working with all staff, includ-ing administration and being able to step up and bring some sense to the appropriate places when they need to. The student body needs to work together to keep Castro Valley the great school that it is. We have a lot of great things going on here, its just that sometimes the negative things get highlighted in the press. We want to do what we can to make sure that they know about all the won-derful things at Castro Valley and have those overshadow all the other stuff. We dont want the media to think that Castro Val-ley is a crazy, crazy place to be. Its really a great school. I chose to be here.

GARCIA: From Page 1

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