Media Academy teacher Richard Yacco is celebrating 40 years of freedom from prison.

It wasn’t a real prison in which he was incarcerated in 1971, but a prison set up by researchers at Stanford Univer-sity. Led by psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo, the study was de-signed to explore the way people react when given power or when deprived of power by society. The experiment is now world-famous and is often mentioned in sociology and psychology textbooks.

At the time, Yacco was a community college student.

To qualify for the experi-ment, interested participants had to fill out a questionnaire and a

Boys will no longer join girls for running, stretch-ing and healthy exercises during most of Fremont Federation of High Schools' physical education classes.

That’s because Principal Daniel Hurst and P.E. teachers Paul Coover and Darlene Miller decided students would focus better if the boys were sepa-rated from the girls.

“Ms. Miller and I both thought it would help raise grades in P.E.,” said Coover. “It was a joint decision.”

Eight weeks later, Miller is happy with the change.

“I like it because the girls that would usually not get dressed and participate around the boys are getting dressed and participating more,” she said.

Many students said they like having an all-boy or all-girl class during P.E.

“It’s cool because you can get more focus in for the boys because we don’t have to be with the girls and we can work out more,” said Media Academy

October 28, 2011 Volume 51, Issue 1

inside

scholarships and grants for college. The money will be available to eligible students on Jan. 1, 2013, meaning this year’s undocumented seniors will have to wait for at least seven months after high school graduation before receiving state help.

For Jessica, an undocumented student at Fremont whose name has been changed for this story, the passing of this bill means more than just money.

"The Dream Act to me,

– page 3

Freshmen go to CalStudents meet Media alumsduring code-switching field trip

Momentum is growing for a plan to rebuild the whole Fre-mont campus.

It is unclear how much money the school district will try to raise for the project, but some people say it could be as much as $70 million.

“Rebuilding the facilities would be one of the most critical ways we can improve the image of the school,” said Athletic Director Paul Coover, who has watched Fremont teams struggle to field enough athletes to re-main competitive.

The school board would first have to get voters to approve a bond measure to pay for the Fremont construction and other school projects in Oakland. If voters approve the plan, Fremont has been prioritized to be rebuilt first, according to Fremont Principal Daniel Hurst.

Fremont campus would be rebuilt under district plan

JUsT THe BOYs Mandela Academy freshman Dashawn Beard sprints down the field with his classmates during third period earlier this month. His class is male only.

photo by Alex Toris

see REBUILD page 2

Gloria 'Jack' Mejia-Cuellar

Pearl Joy Balagot & Tiffany sanders

Katelyn Bauzon “It hasn’t been a guaran-tee that the school board will approve the [plan] to rebuild Fremont, but the school board has put it at the top of its list,” said Hurst, who estimated the cost would be $50 million to $70 million.

Indeed, district facilities of-ficials are already working on finding professional architects to come up with a master plan for the project.

“The master plan focus will be on redeveloping the site for sustainability, reducing energy required, improving daylighting, using rainwater for irrigation, possibly including solar panels,” wrote Tadashi Nakadegawa, Oakland Unified School District facilities planning and manage-ment director, in an e-mail to the Green & Gold.

Construction would start no sooner than summer of 2013,

psychological profile. Yacco was one of the 24 students selected for the experiment.

“I found out after the experi-ment we had all tested similarly on the psychological profile,” said Yacco.

Zimbardo randomly assigned the prisoner and guard roles to the “similar” students.

For the first day of the experi-ment, Yacco drove to a Palo Alto home, where he was arrested by a policeman taken to the Palo Alto police station, then taken to the makeshift prison.

“They blindfolded me and drove me off,” said Yacco. “I didn’t know where I was going.”

It was part of the experiment that made the experience more realistic, Yacco explained.

Later Yacco discovered the prison experiment was held in a Stanford University basement. Yacco said it did not look like a

Some people skeptical after unfulfilled promise to replace gym, portables with 2006 monies

Media College Preparatory High School, Oakland, CA

Photo Editor

junior Eric Love.Boys aren’t the only ones to see the benefits.“It’s cool that the boys and girls are separated

because the girls might feel uncomfortable doing certain exercises around the boys,” said Media Academy junior M’kala Payton.

College Preparatory & Architecture freshman Sunjoy Padilla said she like it because there are fewer distractions.

But not all P.E classes at Fremont are single-sex. Fifth and sixth period classes continue to be co-ed because that’s when Miller and Coover have their conference periods, leaving only one teacher available. Miller teaches a co-ed class during sixth period, while Coover has one fifth.

Coover also sees another benefit to sepa-rated classes.

“It let’s students be able to do different activi-ties at different times,” said Coover.

But there is at least one downside to single- gender classes, he recognizes.

“It can sort of take away social opportunities for boys and girls to interact,” said Coover.

intentional gender gap

Physical education classes are now all-boys, all-girls

sChool Closures hit homeSenior speaks out on effect of having every one of her OUSD schools closed

– page 6

Finally FamousTwo Fremont teens review rapper Big Sean's latest album

– page 4

teaChers new to

Fremont– page 5

Media teacher took role inStanford prison experiment

see STANFORD page 5

Multimedia Editor

Staff Writers

'inmate' Rich Yacco part of world-famous psychology study

Aleanna santos

Undocumented students can now get college aidFeatures Editor

Thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown, undocumented students now have a better opportunity to take their education to a higher level.

Brown signed AB 131, also known as the California Dream Act, into law on Oct. 8, giving students who are not

citizens access to public funding from the state, including

means a whole different life," said Jessica. "I can get money that I would need to get the good quality education that everyone deserves."

Like other students who lack U.S. citizenship, Jessica has an emotional story as to why her family decided to come to America.

"My father always wanted a better life for his family," Jessica said. "He would go back and

see DREAM page 2

40 years ago

2 News October 28, 2011Green & Gold

Fremont sees gains, losses on API and state exams

LEVELING THE FIELD The lopsided goal post is just one of the many problems of the existing Fremont athletic field. Plans for a new field will be made soon.

HOW WE DID Mandela's API score rose by three points, Media's fell by six points and CPAA's rose by nine; now CPAA and Media share a 613 rating.

photo by Juan Aguilar

The 2011 Academic Performance Index and California Standardized Test results are in. Two Fremont schools improved moderately and one fell slightly in their Academic Performance Index rankings.

Media Academy scored a 613 out of a possible 1,000, down six points from last year. College Preparatory & Architecture Academy gained nine points in 2011 and is now tied with Media. Mandela High School Law & Public Service Academy’s score was three points higher than the previous year, up to 536.

“The drop [for Media Academy] was so small I wouldn’t call it a drop,” said Fremont Federation Principal Daniel Hurst. “The gains made over the years were maintained.”

The Academic Performance Index is calculated with results from the California Standards Tests (CST), and, for high schools, include the percentage of students who pass the California High School Exit Examination as sophomores. Each school is assigned a number from 200 to 1,000. Schools that reach 800 or higher have met the state’s target. None of the district's high schools, however, are above the state target.

Fremont Federation’s three schools saw a mix of higher and lower scores on the 2011 CSTs. Mandela's

Algebra II scores dropped by 32.7 points for sophomores while life science scores went up 14.2 points.

CPAA’s World History scores went up. Freshman scores rose 38.2 points and sophomore scores improved by 20.6 points. Geometry scores for freshmen fell by 15.5 points.

Media Academy’s CST score has improved in science, English and history.

The school saw an average 25-point increase for juniors and a 12-point increase for freshmen in English Language Arts.

“It’s wonderful news,” said English teacher Candice Valenzuela. “Students saw the value of education and pushed themselves on the test. ”

Media Academy scores on biology and life sciences tests also went up.

Crystal Lopez, now a Media Academy junior, scored "advanced" on the biology test last year and says she is proud of her classmates.

“I knew they were going to try their best, but I never thought they would actually reach their goals of high test scores,” Lopez said.

Eighty percent of Media students taking the general life science test scored a “basic” or above, which was the best percentage of any of the 11 tests.

“The biggest reason for the growth is [due to] science teachers working together for the past four years," said

Sarah Mazzotta, who taught chemistry before becoming vice principal this year.

"By the time the juniors came to my class, they knew the type of rigor that was necessary to be successful in science,” she said. “I had a great set of students.”

However, Media students scored lower on Geometry than the previous year. Fifty-four percent of Geometry students scored a “far below basic” on the test.

Although Fremont had mostly higher test scores, Hurst thinks students can do even better on tests.

“We don’t want good, we want great,” said Hurst. "Students on campus have the potential to do that.”

Kim Mejia-CuellarEditor-in-Chief

from page 1

DREAM: Undocumentedeligible for grants in 2013

REBUILD: New field proposed

according to Nakadegawa.Many people feel Fremont desperately needs

the modernization. For example, the football field is only 90 yards. Athletes who use it complain the artificial turf is too firm and burns their skin. The field also has a set of lopsided goal posts. While the soccer team can use the field for games, the football team must travel by bus to play home games at Curt Flood field off Coolidge Avenue.

Some of Fremont's portables are also in disrepair. The red portables, which house Media Academy classes, were supposed to be a tempo-rary fix and replaced decades ago.

Teachers complain that the tile floors are fall-ing apart, the walls need fresh paint and some walls have holes. Mice, termites and mold are also a problem, they say.

“They should tear all the portables and replace them with brand new ones,” said Media Academy senior Diana Le while taking a class in one of the red portables.

In 2006, Oakland voters approved Measure B, which included a $10 million plan to mod-ernize Fremont Federation and replace many of the portables as well as the gym.

According to a March 2010 report, how-ever, the district has only spent $545,932 of that money at Fremont, fixing portable class-rooms at College Preparatory & Architecture Academy and a few science labs.

While the rest of Fremont’s moderniza-tion has been put on hold, the district has used more than $21 million of Measure B to rebuild parts of Oakland High.

Takedegawa said that while “Oakland High had some specific conditions that were deficient… It is clear that Fremont is due for some significant improvements.”

Reaction to the district plan is mixed at Fremont.

Many students are excited, but some are upset the project has been delayed for so long and are skeptical that it will ever actu-ally happen.

“It’s great that they’re rebuilding the school, but I also don’t like that it’s not go-ing to be built by the time I’m gone,” said Siliveinusi Tomasi, a Mandela senior who has had to play all his home games more than two miles away from Fremont.

Coover is not holding his breath.“I won’t believe that they’re rebuilding

the school until I see it,” he said.

from page 1

“Our country would lose out if it failed to let 'Jessica' become a U.s. citizen. she has so much to of-fer.”

— One of Jessica's teacher upon hearing of her legal status

Fremont API Scores for 2011

Mandela

Sch

ools

CPAA

Media

536

613

613

Score

forth to the United States for work. He saw himself struggling to maintain three children and a wife."

Jessica was illegally brought over to the United States from Mexico when she was only a few months old. Her family chose to come to the U.S. for a better life, especially to give Jessica and her siblings a better education.

But until the law passed, Jessica thought she would have to take a semester or a year off to save up money to pay for college. She is a junior and now will be able to apply for Cal Grants and other funding when she is a senior. Her hope is to go to University of California, either Berkeley or Davis, and major in Child Development. Her hope is to become someone who works with kids.

For years, undocumented high school students in California have not been able to receive scholarships or grants because of their citizenship status. Californians passed Prop. 187 in 1994, banning the state from giving undocumented students aid.

Not everyone is happy about the Dream Act’s passage.

A group led by California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, started collecting signatures last week to let voters decide if the law should be reversed, according to the

Sacramento Bee. “The so-called ‘Dream Act’

is an economic nightmare,” Donnelly wrote in a press release. “It will cost tens of millions in the first year alone.”

But at Fremont, many adults who work with undocumented students and watch them struggle are thrilled that the Dream Act passed.

“Many immigrant families value education and this act

[will be] supportive of what families want for their children,” said College & Career Counselor Nidya Baez.

Barbie Penn, a program assistant with Mills

Educational Talent Search, was interviewed before the law passed about how it would help high schools like Fremont.

“If undocumented students were given access to financial aid then I believe the student's would be more motivated,” said Penn. “If students are given the necessary resources to become successful in school and in life, they would have more to look forward to.”

Although students like Jessica are closer to reaching their dreams of a college education, one huge hurdle still exists. Unless the federal government passes a similar law for undocumented students that includes a path to citizenship, they will finish their college degrees and still be unable to work legally.

3news October 28, 2011Green & Gold

Freshman class visits CalMultimedia Editor

puters hanging on the wall,” said James. “It had [digital] newspapers and we could read it.”

Several groups went to the Valley Life Sciences Building, where they saw a tyrannosaurus rex display.

Totten-Harris’ group visited UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium, but found it closed for construction. They also had a chance to see the outside of the col-lege dorms and to play on a soccer field

GEttinG thE scOOp Media Academy freshmen talk to 2011 Media Academy graduate cesar sanchez about his transition to Uc Berkeley.

Media Academy freshmen got a chance to sharpen their Academic English skills in a most appropriate place — col-lege.

The opportunity to practice code-switching came during a field trip to University of California, Berkeley on Sept. 15.

English teacher Sonja Totten-Harris, Journalism teacher Lisa Shafer and Multimedia teacher Howard Ruffner organized the field trip for the freshmen to UC Berkeley. Physiology teacher Paul Strain joined the trip as a chaperone.

Students reacted positively in general to the experience and the campus.

“I liked it,” said Marlisha James. “It was a real big college.”

Freshmen on the trip had time to speak with Media Academy graduates Cesar Sanchez and Johnny Phommasya.

Sanchez, former editor-in-chief of the Green & Gold and a freshman on a full-ride scholarship at Cal, told the students that he had only one class that day and three to four hours of homework to do for

photo by Howard Ruffner

that one class.This surprised some Media Academy

students.“Their class schedule is so different,”

said freshman Nicholas Tuiono.The freshmen also attended an admis-

sions presentation, during which they spoke with UC Berkeley Admissions Counselor Esperanza Bernal.

“She told us that since we’re fresh-men, it’s best for us to start [thinking] about college now,” said freshman Brian Randolph.

Before and after listening to Bernal, Randoph and his classmates broke up into four groups to explore the Cal campus. They had to explore on their own because official tours could not be scheduled that early in the school year. Shafer’s group visited Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism at Northgate Hall, where they coincidentally met Contra Costa Times investigative reporter Thomas Peele, a former colleague of Shafer’s.

Some students were amazed with displays in Northgate Hall, including one just inside the entrance.

“There were giant touch screen com-

Gloria 'Jack' Mejia-Cuellar

nearby.Visiting the college made some stu-

dents consider applying to UC Berkeley.Randolph said he enjoyed the field trip

and said he would consider applying to the university to major in sociology.

Tuiono also thinks he might apply to Cal to major in music and dance.

“Cal is a good school,” he said. “They have over a hundred majors and the cam-pus is very diverse.”

Fremont finally hits the target on enrollment

On the 20th day of school, Principal Daniel Hurst breathed a sigh of relief.

Enrollment on Sept. 26 was the figure the state would us to calculate how much funding each school got. On the 20th day, the three schools at Fremont Federation had exceeded the enrollment figures the district had assumed for its budget.

In other words, no teacher layoffs would be needed.No shifting of the master schedule would happen. No more blending of the three schools a year earlier than the reunification

planned for 2012-13.During the first month of school,

students at all three Fremont schools were in danger of having to make to drastic changes to the master schedules.

Media Academy had extremely low enrollment and Mandela Academy and Architecture Academy were not attracting as many students as they had in the past.

As of Sept. 26, Fremont schools had about 70 more students enrolled than

expected for the 2011-12 school year.

Last school year, Fremont had fewer freshmen than expected. But now the number of freshmen is up: there are about 10 more 9th graders at Media Academy, 20 more freshmen

at Mandela Academy and 20 more freshmen at Architecture Academy, for a total increase in 50 freshmen at Fremont.

Media Academy had a total of 245 students, Mandela had 315 students and Architecture Academy had 343 students enrolled on the 20th day. In all, the Fremont campus had a total of 903 students on the date the state used to determine funding.

One factor leading new upperclassman to Fremont were school closures.

"Paul Robeson and YES closed and I just picked Media," said senior Jorray Hart.

In a survey the Green & Gold gave to all Media Academy freshmen during the third week of school, many said that they came to Fremont because their parents chose it for them. Others said they did not want a large school like Skyline or Tech.

“I feel like I could get more attention in small school,” said freshman Brandon Etter.

Ruliver santos& Alejandro Vasquez

staff Writers

“I feel I could get more attention in a small school.”

—Brandon etterMedia Academy freshman

Caught by the bell: Tardy policy locks students out

When the bell rings at Media Acad-emy, the doors are locked.

That’s because of a new tardy policy that students discovered when they came back on Aug. 29.

During teacher work days before students returned for school, the Media Academy staff reached an agreement that there should be a new tardy policy.

On nearly every door, teachers have posted signs that say:

1. Classroom doors are closed and locked at the bell. YOU ARE LATE!!

2. Your ”Do Now” grade will be affected!

Most teachers are taking half the points away for “Do Nows,” which are quick assignments that are required to be started at the bell.

The new policy has a purpose, explained Sarah Mazzotta, who became Media Academy’s assistant principal this year.

lOckinG Up spanish teacher Felicidad Guirao locks the door at the bell. she and other Media Academy teachers have been cracking down on tardies.

photo by Araceli Ramos

Martin Ortiz& Jose Rodriguez

staff Writers

“To make sure all students are on time, we need to follow through with rewards for students who are on time and consequences when they are late,” she said.

Mazzotta also said that if all teachers were consistent with a tardy policy, more students would be on time to class.

Not all students are happy and some say the policy has backfired.

Some say that when teachers lock their doors, occasionally students just leave and don’t go to class at all — especially if the teacher forgets to unlock the door to let tardy students in after they have taken attendance and started the Do Now.

“I was surprised when I saw students waiting outside of their class for 20 minutes, because they were late,” said junior Diego Garcia.

Daniel Hurst, principal of Fremont Federation of High Schools, said that the Media Academy tardy policy was okay for now, but that he would want to review it before making a policy for the entire campus when the three schools combine next year.

Media Academy English teacher Candice Valenzuela said she is happy with the way it is going.

“It is making a difference, [there is] less yelling in the hallways after the bell rings and more students are coming on time to class,” said Valenzuela.

Multimedia and graphic design teacher Howard Ruffner said he believes the new policy can help students build responsibility for the future.

“We need to enforce it and make it stronger,” Ruffner said. “Too many students miss out.”

FAns rEMEMBEr dAvis staff writer and Oakland raiders fan Alondra Alvarado writes a column on how the team and fans commemorated late coach Al davis during the game against the cleveland Browns Oct. 16. read it at mediagreenandgold.com.

photo by Alondra Alvarado

October 2011Green & Gold

women and the Den.“I like helping the teachers [Baez,

Isaguirre and Garcia] out,” said College Preparatory & Architecture senior Roy Christopher. who helps out in the Den. “They are also really helpful with homework, projects and any subject you need [help with]. The leaders also help with college applications, college info and personal statements."

LADY tigerS Den roxanne isaguirre, Veronica garcia and nidya Baez, all Fremont graduates, build school spirit and help develop leaders through many programs during and after school. Their new office is called the Den.

photo by Pearl Joy Balagot

After six years, rapper Big Sean is 'Finally Famous'Alex Toris & Adrian Nelson

Staff Writers

Big Sean has been making his way to the top of the rap game, scorching the scene with mix-tapes and countless hits.

He has come a long way since 2005, when he met Kanye West and has released a total of three mix-tapes. This year he was nominated as Best New Artist at MTV’s Video Music Awards. Now, he is signed to G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music, along with label mates Common, Kid Cudi and John Leg-end. He continues to gain respect.

He released his debut album “Finally Famous” on June 28. The album landed at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. The album has 16 tracks and many producers and collaborators. Artists on the album include Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West.

The Detroit native made waves with his lead single of "Finally Famous — “My Last." The song is loaded with punchlines and the beat makes you want to move. It also features great guest vo-cals from Chris Brown that give the song an extra kick.

Big Sean's second single, “Do It,” was an instant hit with the Hip-Hop commu-nity. The song displays Big Sean's skills with hot lines and an even hotter delivery. The new album makes the young emcee stand out and enlarges his fan base.

Now here's what the two of us think individually about "Finally Famous":

AdriAn nelson: “Marvin & Chardonnay” featuring Kanye West

and Roscoe Dash is a song that “pops” because of the beat and hook. The col-laboration adds a twist of deliveries and rhyme schemes. The song was also ranked No. 1 the week of Oct. 8 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts on Billboard.com.

Alex Toris: I feel that the album shows his improvement and progress as he enters his new phase of fame.

Big Sean is a great artist, arguably one of the best in a long time. I listen to the album occasionally. and it seems to never get old. No song sounds the same or have the same feel, so this gives the album variety of his talent.

nelson & Toris: We give the al-bum an 8 out of 10. Every track is worth listening to. Big Sean's great songs make the album a hit.

The "I Am Finally Famous,” tour will stop in San Francisco on . For tickets, visit UKnowBigSean.com.

AutumnSwagg

There’s a new place on campus where you can sign up for Leadership, get help with your homework and prepare for the SAT. That place is called The Den and it is located in Room 1124 right off the courtyard.

The Den opened on Aug. 29 as part of the 21st Century After School Program, which is run through a partnership between Fremont Federation of High Schools and the Eastlake YMCA.

“The Leadership class operates directly from the Den,” said Veronica Garcia, site coordinator of The Den.

The Den's room was previously occupied by Adult Education. Garcia explained that the after-school program needed to change locations from the library because it was easy for people to steal material such as snacks there.

The room was redecorated to make it a more welcoming place for teenagers. The Den's leaders spent three days fixing up the room. They replaced furniture and brought in computers. added a rug,

Big Sean is a great artist, arguably one of the best in a long time.

4 FEATURES

a donated couch and created a kitchen. They pinned different university pennants to the walls and put up a bulletin board to inform students about colleges and jobs.

The Den is used mostly for tutoring and as an office space for Garcia, fellow site coordinator Roxanne Isaguirre and College and Career Counselor Nidya Baez — all three of whom graduated from Fremont.

Isaguirre was part of Mandela Academy’s first graduating class in 2006. Garcia and Baez graduated in 2003.

Garcia started working at Fremont Federation of High Schools last year, while Isaguirre began on Aug. 29.

Isaguirre said her experience in high school was positive. Her teachers kept track of her and that's one of the reasons she came back. She is grateful for them.

“We are individuals who have pride in our school and want to meet new students,” said Garcia said of the Den leaders. “We want to improve the school culture.”

Garcia and Isaguirre plan to improve the school culture by teaching students “the value school can have through their

activities,” said Garcia. “We want to give students values like having patience and pride in their school.”

The Den is open before school, during lunch and after school for tutoring and any academic help.

“If students need extra support in math or English, they should drop by the Den,” said Garcia.

Students are appreciative of the three

Alums give back in the DenSherry Munguia & Jameela Rougeau

Staff Writers

They offer free tacos during football rallies and free hot dogs to promote after-school programs.

And this year they will be helping students get a voice in planning what the campus should be like when Fremont's three schools merge into one.

"They" are members of the Leadership Club and Leadership class.

Yadira Robles, a senior at College Pre-paratory & Architecture Academy, loves being in Leadership.

"You're more informed about school events and you also get a voice in plan-ning them," she said.

Robles said Leadership is a good program because "if you don't like some-thing, you get to change it."

The teacher of Leadership Class and

club is Nidya Baez.“Leadership is when students are tak-

ing action," she said. Baez was once a student at Fremont

High School. After she graduated from college, she returned to Oakland to work with others in creating Youth Empower-

ment School. That school closed at the end of last school year because of declin-ing enrollment, leading Baez to come back to support Fremont.

Her timing was good.“Because Fremont is going to become

one big school, all students’ voices need to be heard,” said Baez, adding that an-other goal for her is “to give Fremont that big family vibe.”

Also serving as a college and career coordinator, Baez supports the College Summit Peer Leaders program and offers help to students who drop in the Den to learn about colleges.

Baez says she believes one of the chal-lenges Leadership students will face is helping the campus come together as one.

“When Fremont does combine, Lead-ership wants to be there to help students adjust to the change of a big school.”

Leadership wants youth voices in new school planningDevonyei Frazier

Staff Writer

Courtesy of UKnowBigSean.com

DeionDre ely

MandelaFreshman

Where do you shop?I often shop at Abercrombie & Fitch.

What are three words to describe your fashion?Swagg, unique, and me.

by Shantel Berry

MATTHeW PHorK MediaSenior

Where do you often shop?

I shop at Long Beach Clothing.

What are three words to describe your fashion?

Tight, SoCal, and original.

FinALLY FAMOUS

photos by Shantel Berry

Spirit WeekNov. 7 — Twin DayNov. 8 — Urkel Day (Nerd Day)Nov. 9 — Wacky Tacky DayNov. 10 — Green & Gold DayNov. 12 — Homecoming game vs. Castlemont

Leadership Events

Kemish RosalesStaff Writer

She used to feed piglets and now she teaches Algebra.Joanna Brownson lived in Michigan as a child.

“My friend’s dad owned a farm, and we would feed the baby piglets,” she said.

Brownson graduated from Wesleyan Univer-sity in Connecticut and then went to University of Pennsylvania to get her teaching degree.

She worked in a Philadelphia high school before she came to Media Academy.

“I wanted a [small] high school like the one I taught at in Pennsylvania,” she said to explain why she chose Media.

But Brownson is concerned students aren’t taking full advantage of the school’s resources. She wants her student to learn more.

“I want my kids to learn a lot, and I want to learn a lot from them,” said Brownson.

October 2011Green & Gold

Fernanda Lopez& Yuliana Mujica

Staff Writers

Fresh faces at FremontA new school year means new staff members for Fremont Federation. Below are quick looks at the backgrounds of four new staff members, the reasons why they chose to teach at Fremont and their favorite things to do. Read the full profiles online at mediagreenandgold.com. In future issues, we will profile more of the new teachers.

From opera singer to social studies teacher.Elizabeth Siarny is a new teacher at Media Academy. She teaches government, history and Street Law.

A Chicago native, Siarny likes singing musical theater and opera. She started taking singing lessons in high school and participated in a choir at the University of Chicago.

Before coming to the Bay Area, Siarny taught in Washington D.C. for four years.

“I decided to try out something new and move to California," said Siarny.

During her free time, Siarny likes reading fantasy, running, and walking her dog.

STANFORD: Yacco remembers prison experiment role

real prison.“On the first day, they took all of our

clothes from us,” said Yacco.Yacco and the other 24 prisoners were

then given smocks to wear and caps to cover their hair. They were sprayed to get rid of potential lice and germs. Each prisoner had a chain and a lock attached to each of his legs and was given a number. Yacco was prisoner 1037.

“There were three people in each cell, which was really a small room,” Yacco said. “We had cots but no toilet.”

Soon after the experiment began, one prisoner began to disobey orders.

“He said ‘This is an experiment,’ which was against the rules,” said Yacco. “He started a rebellion against the guards.”

Things escalated from there, he said.Soon the guards started punishing the

prisoners who rebelled, taking away their cots and waking them in the middle of the night to exercise.

Yacco was placed in solitary confinement once or twice for rebelling.

But some prisoners refused to rebel.“I was in protests and marches [at the

time] and I thought our generation was more liberal and open to challenging authority,” said Yacco.

After three days, the prisoner that had started the rebellion was released. He promised to return and break everyone out of prison. As the experiment progressed, the guards became more hostile.

“One of the guards was sadistic,” said Yacco. “The rest went along with it but didn’t generate what he did.”

When another prisoner was released, the guards had the rest of the prisoners chant, “Prisoner 819 is a bad prisoner.”

The prisoners didn’t know it at the time, but 819 was in another room and could hear their chant and began to cry.

“He really thought we thought he was a bad prisoner,” said Yacco. “I was saying something I didn’t believe in and I hurt another person.”

Yacco decided to leave the experiment early.

“I was turning 20 the next week and I realized I didn’t want to spend my birthday in the experiment,” said Yacco.

Yacco went to a simulated parole hearing, where he presented his case. The next day, one day before the experiment officially ended, the parole board released him

Some of the prisoners who had been let go had had mental breakdowns during the experiment, Yacco said.

“The parole board felt I was going

from page 1

'Ex-CON' Forty years after the Stanford Prison Experiment, Richard Yacco teaches radio and TV at Media Academy.

photo by Pearl Joy Balagot

to be the next one, but I disagree,” said Yacco.

In the end, Yacco said he thinks the experiment proved people act the way society expects them to.

“I even see that with students here,” said Yacco. “They have a lot of potential but to tend to fall into the role society assigns them.”

Caroline Kwon Mark SneedAaliyah KerrAssistant Health Editor

Find us on the web!Facebook page:on.fb.me/ MediaGG

View and comment on photos, videos and much more!

mediagreenandgold.com

5FEATURES

Joanna Brownson Elizabeth Siarny

Janea RushingStaff Writer

She is a new Fremont teacher who runs marathons in her free time. Caroline Kwon teaches Physiology at Col-lege Preparatory & Architecture Academy.

Kwon is originally from New Jersey. She at-tended Wellesley College in Massachussetts.

When the Teach for America program asked her to work at CPAA, she said she accepted it because she wanted to work in the Bay Area.

Kwon’s main concern about teaching is her students not doing their best.

“It frustrates me that some students only want to ‘pass.’ I hope that they will push themselves more than that because they are totally capable of achieving more,” said Kwon.

Outside of school, Kwon enjoys baking, playing sports and listening to music.

This Fremont teacher has a national collegiate championship on his list of accomplishments. He

also wrestles, bicycles competively and plays football and basketball in his free time.

Mark Sneed is an English teacher at Mandela Law & Public Service Academy.

From Chicago, Sneed attended University of California, Berkeley.

“I enjoyed playing football, rugby and winning the national [rugby] championship,” said Sneed.

Mandela was Sneed’s first choice to teach at because he wants to help students learn.

“I love the community. I want to help improve it,” said Sneed.

I was sad each time I got the news because I had bonded with students and teachers and those bonds would change since we weren't going to see each other anymore. We couldn’t talk about what we were going through be-cause most of us would end up at different schools.

There were even times when the school year was very close to starting and I still would have no idea of where I would be going to school. It is hard to leave an envi-ronment you’ve known for one or two years. It is hard to adapt to the customs and expectations of new teach-ers.

Even though there have been negatives to all the school closures, I've also learned how to adapt to new environments and people in a positive way. I've been able to interact with numerous person-alities and adjust to new school policies. For instance, when I transferred from Robeson to YES, the bathroom policies were not any different, which benefitted me since I already experienced it. I did have to adjust to the grading system of teachers at YES since it

was very different from the system at Robeson.

While I still do not know why Explore closed, I hear Robeson closed because of its low test scores. The Robeson Class of 2012 — my class — was supposed to be the last class to graduate, but in the middle of the year, OUSD decided against it.

When I heard about what t h e district decided to do, I felt like they lied to us. It was like they knew what they were going to do to us all along and they fed us false hopes that we had a chance to

keep our school open. They made me feel like they could not be trusted, and I still feel that way.

YES closed because there were not enough teach-ers and the school had low enrollment, attendance and test scores. I was sad because the school

had a lot of good teachers and those teachers were now trying to decide on where they were going to be teaching the following year. While I was at YES, I met a lot of good people with a lot of different personalities. Fortunately, some of the students who attended YES are here on the Fremont campus.

I did not understand the dis-trict's reasons for closing YES. I

OpiniOns

"i like the small schools. it's easier for students to work in small setting. small schools are better."

Michael JacksonMedia Academy Director

Tiger Talk! Should Fremont keep its three academies when it becomes a big school? Why or why not?

OUSD should make Fremont a priority

For this senior, school closures are nothing new

green & goldthe

The Green & Gold is a vehicle of student freedom of expression and a public forum for the Fremont Federation of High schools community.

We welcome feedback about our content and would also like to hear ideas you have for future coverage.

Our staff reserves the right to edit for language and space.

Letters or guest opinion col-umns may be dropped off to B-3 or to Lisa shafer's mailbox in the Media Academy office.

EDiTOR-in-CHiEFKim Mejia-Cuellar

nEWs EDiTORDiego Garcia

FEATUREs EDiTORsAleanna santosFernanda Lopez, assistant

HEALTH EDiTORsAraceli RamosAaliyah Kerr, assistant

OpiniOn EDiTORArnice st. RemyRuliver santos, assistant

spORTs EDiTORsLaura LemAlejandro Vasquez

pHOTO EDiTORsKatelyn Bauzonpearl Joy Balagot

MULTiMEDiA EDiTOR Gloria 'Jack' Mejia-Cuellar

TECH DiRECTORJuan Aguilar

ART DiRECTORJameela Rougeau

WRiTERsAlondra Alvaradoshantel BerryKenay AndersonVanessa ChavarriaYuliana EstradaDevonyei FrazierJorray Hartsherry MunguiaAdrian nelsonMartin OrtizKenny perryKemish QuinteroJose RodriguezJanae RushingTiffany sandersJafeth santosAlex Toris

ADVisERLisa shafer

"They should keep 'em 'cause it gives everybody a chance to go different locations."

Briaunna SpragansMedia Academy, junior

Noil AngeloHead Security Officer

Jarell HubbardCPAA, sophomore

Jose LopezMandela, senior

6October 28, 2011

Green & Gold

When I saw on the news that my elementary school, Maxwell Park,

was on the list of five schools the district wants to close, I said to myself, “Really?” “Really?”

That’s because every single school I have attended in the Oak-land Unified School District has closed or may be closed.

I am a senior at Media College Prep, a high school that will be shut down and merged with two others at the end of this school year. I will be part of the last graduating class of Media.

Being phased out is not new to me.

My first elementary school, Burbank, closed in 2005; my middle school, Explore College Preparatory, closed earlier this year; my first high school, Paul Robeson Visual & Performing Arts School, closed in 2010; and my second high school, Youth Empowerment School (YES), closed this summer.

felt there were the right number of teachers in the classroom because we all received the attention that students in small schools should receive.

I'm not saying OUSD should necessarily stop shutting schools. I understand it's hard to fund the number of schools it has.

But the district should look more at improvements a school is making and trying to make, instead of closing a school based on test scores and attendance of previous students. The next time OUSD decides to shut a school, it should think thoroughly about how it will affect the students.

The district should think of alternatives to closing down a school completely. For example, instead of shutting down YES, the district should have combined YES with another small school that had similar problems with attendance and enrollment.

In addition to saving money, combing schools would have been a great way to save the students, their parents and the community from the trouble of finding another school.

If OUSD decides to close more high schools, they should let the freshman class be the last class to graduate, because closing schools means breaking bonds. And OUSD should never close a school that is improving — like they did to us at Paul Robeson.

JORRAY HART

EDiTORiAL

The school district has plans to rebuild Fremont’s campus, but it's not a guarantee, Principal Dan-iel Hurst told the Green &

Gold on Sept. 13.We believe that Fremont is in

dire need of being rebuilt. It is unfair that schools that did not need the renovations as badly have already been rebuilt.

Schools like Oakland High have been given tens of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, Fremont was only given $545,932, less than six percent of the $10 million from Measure B that was promised. The district complains that enrollment is dropping at Fremont, but

they are not giving us the money to rebuild and modernize our buildings.

Oakland High was already in relatively good condition and has had high enrollment rates. Fremont’s portables, in turn, are unsanitary and hazardous to students’ health. Most of the portables have been infested with rodents and have severe termite damage.

The wood on the Media Academy portables is so rotten that during the summer, thieves were able to take the doors off their hinges, break into the portables and steal valuable equipment.

The portables are so old and unsafe that many students feared the portables would collapse during the magnitude 4.0 earthquake on Oct. 20.

If the district gave us the funding that

we needed, then we would be able to get rid of the unsafe portables and get stable buildings. Students should feel safe being on their high school campus.

The Fremont football field is not the right size, so our football players cannot use it for home games. Instead, they have to travel to Curt Flood Field. Many students don’t go to games because they are too far away. If we were able to rebuild our field, more students would attend the games and that would build school spirit.

Despite not having enough resources and new equipment, students at Fremont have worked hard and improved test scores on standardized tests. We believe they deserve to have a better, modernized campus with more resources to help them succeed.

The next time OUsD decides to shut a school, they should think thoroughly about how it will affect the students.

"Yes, because in small schools are easier to manage and student get more help from teachers."

"Keep them. Everyone i know in the other acade-mies loves their students too much to see them go."

"Yes, because having small schools is better and we get more support from the teachers."

When students returned from summer break, they noticed a favorite mural was sick — the Tiger

Clinic's colorful walls had been painted over.

Among other drawings, the mural had included images of a Tiger doctor and a human doctor. It had “Health + Knowledge” and “Tiger Clinic” in detailed, artistic graffiti.

Most of the mural was accidentally painted over this summer and now it is just a large patch of gold and white paint with a little bit of the old mural still visible.

“People are actually coming in and asking about it,” said Health Educator Katie Riemer.

Riemer explained that the mural was originally painted during the summer of 2004.

7HealtHPaint accident leaves clinic mural blank

After five years without a full-time nurse, the Tiger Clinic has finally hired one.

Amanda Dunn has been working on campus since Aug. 29.

“Having a school nurse means we have more staff to do wellness promotion on campus,” said Health Educator Katie Riemer. “When you don’t have a nurse, a lot of basic health concerns of students don’t get checked on. But when you do, everyone gets taken care of better.”

Below is a question and answer session with Dunn.

Where did you get your nursing training?San Francisco State University.

Why did you decide to work at the Tiger Clinic?I saw the opportunity to work at Fremont as a chance to connect with students entering adulthood, a position that would offer a very different set of rewards and

Diego Garcia& alondra alvarado

Staff Writers

araceli Ramos & Shantel Berry

Staff Writers

Tiger Clinichires nurse

challenges, than that of working with younger students.

Where did you previously work?Community United Elementary and Fu-tures Academy.

What are your goals for the Tiger Clinic?My goals are to see all of the student at Fremont healthy and successful in life, as well as to foster connections between La Clinica’s staff and Fremont Federation’s student population and staff.

Do you enjoy working with students at Fremont?So far I've had a great time meeting stu-dents with first aid needs in the clinic and I look forward to meeting more of you as the year goes on. Stop by and say hello!

photo by Pearl Joy Balagot

AMANDA DUNN

pAiNteD over the original tiger Clinic mural was painted seven years ago, but was accidentally painted over this summer.

“We were ready to go, but there was no design.”

—Katie Riemertiger Clinic, Health educator

Cafeteria awash in portraits of wellnessKim Mejia-Cuellar

editor-in-Chief

Fremont Federation’s cafeteria is not only for food but also for art, thanks to the Com-

munity Rejuvenation Project, an Oakland-based organization that seeks to improve urban neighbor-hoods through art.

Dave Kim is the artist who coordinated a mural project in the cafeteria over the summer.

“We were hired by Katie [Ri-emer] from the Health & Wellness Center,” said Kim. “We wanted the space to change and have a different feel. [The cafeteria before] didn’t excite students.”

The cafeteria project was com-pleted on July 1 and took a total of nine days to finish.

Twelve artists, including Desi W.O.M.E., Beats737, Pancho, Dave, Ente, and Mike360, created the mural along with student vol-unteers. They used spray-paint and some brushes.

The murals have a unifying theme of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Diversity was also a big theme, said Kim. The school mascot (Tiger), Polynesian danc-ers, and gardeners are just some of the characters in the murals, which covers most of the cafeteria’s walls.

“We met with the Health &

Wellness Committee students and brainstormed what we would paint. Then the artists narrowed down the [characters],” said Kim.

“Fremont is a challenge; this is a rough place,” said artist Desi W.O.M.E. “We hope we can help students’ physical and mental states through our artwork.”

W.O.M.E. helped found the Community Rejuvenation Project in 2005. Since then, the CRP has evolved from community gardening and cleanup to murals in Oakland.

“I hope students like the mural,” said W.O.M.E. “I hope they feel good and it inspires them to live healthy.”

But because the paint was fading and vandals had tagged it with grafitti, the clinic had made plans to touch it up over the summer.

That plan fell apart when the painters and the clinic staff realized that giving it a touch up was going to be hard to do,

since the mural was seven years old.So, the clinic and the painters agreed

replace the mural with a new one.“We were ready to go, but there was

no design,” said Riemer.Without knowledge that the plan was

on hold, one of the painters painted over the mural with white paint.

Some students are unhappy about

file photo by Shima Kaid

what has happened.“I don’t like this look,” said Media

Academy senior Matthew Phork.Riemer said she is looking for students

to help design a new mural. Anyone interested in designing the

mural can contact Riemer in the Tiger Clinic.

heAlthy liviNg over the summer, the tiger Clinic hired the Community rejuvenation project to create murals to promote wellness in the cafeteria.

aaliyah Kerr & Devonyei Frazier

Staff Writers

Weed users referred toschool version of rehab

Instead of ignoring a student who comes to school smelling like weed, Fremont Federation of High Schools is now making stronger efforts to get that student help if it turns out he or she actu-ally is using marijuana.

Fremont is offering students who are suffering from marijuana abuse a program called Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE), which is similar to rehab, school officials explained.

When a an administrator finds a student indeed has been using any illegal substance, the student is suspended and referred to TUPE.

According to Sarah Mazzotta, vice principal of Media Academy, too many people are smoking illegal substances or

using drugs on school grounds.All smoking and illegal drug use is

against school policies.“We are working towards transform-

ing the school,” said Mazzotta. “It doesn’t send a positive message when people drive by and see students smoking on the field. Students deserve a smoke free environment.”

During the fourth week of school, for example, Mazzotta referred three students to TUPE.

Besides being concerned about the image of the school, school and health officials are also concerned about what teenagers are doing to their health when they use drugs and alcohol.

“It kills the brain cells and the ingredi-ent in marijuana is THC," said Katie Ri-emer, health educator of the Tiger Clinic. "It affects the nerve cells that affect the memory."

Riemer noted that there are "more than 400 chemicals in marijuana. A single joint has more cancer causing tar than one cigarette.”

administration steps up to stop marijuana usethrough tUPe program

october 28, 2011Green & Gold

photos by Araceli Ramos

8October 28, 2011Green & Gold

Kenny PerryStaff Writer

When Fremont had its first home game against McClymonds on Oct. 14, the cheer-leaders may not have

been wearing traditional green and gold uniforms, but they still brought good-old fashioned Tiger Spirit.

Instead of skirts and sweaters in the school colors, the cheerleaders wore black leggings and white T-shirts with the slogan of "Fremont Laney Camp 2008, which Athletic Director Darlene Miller gave to them to wear.

"We got started late on fundraising," said senior cheerleader Jorray Hart. "We are working on having our uniforms by the start of basketball season."

The cheerleaders have been told that they have to raise $200 each to pay for their own uniforms.

The cheerleaders were trying to reach their deadline of Oct. 20 to raise enough money to buy uniforms for the Nov. 12

Staff Writers

Cheerleaders struggle to raise funds for uniforms

Heart set on college volleyball

College Preparatory & Archi-tecture Academy senior Tierra Penny has been playing vol-

leyball for Fremont's for three years and plans to play it in college.

Green & Gold staff writers Araceli Ramos and Alex Toris asked her some questions so other students can get to know her better.

Her next game is against McClymonds on Tuesday.

How long have you been playing on Fremont’s volleyball team?

I have been playing [for] Fremont for three years now. I been playing this school started as a sophomore.

What are some strong points for you in a game?

Well, over time, my passing, hitting, serving and setting has gotten better. I’m very [good] in all of them, but my strongest for the team is setting.

Roughly how many points do you score in each game?

I don’t really keep track of scores or points, but my

objective in the game is to set everyone up so

that we could get points.

What motivates you

to play and stay in school?My parents. I don’t

want to grow up and have to struggle to survive, and I don’t want my kids to either.

And, plus, I'm just a book-smart person.

slow start, but will continue on, even though the team is low on runners.”

Coover said that "on a good day," the team gets more than eight runners to practice.

Fremont students with a minimum 2.0 GPA who have taken a physical examina-tion can join the team.

“We have five meets throughout the course of the season, but depending on the runners we have, we might not get to them all," said Coover.

According to Coover, the purpose of the team is to run, be competitive and win.

“This year is not going well,” said Coover. “If we want to be successful, we need more committed students in the team.”

Practice is every day after school. Coover said, “The sport is open to any student, who are willing to stay after school and improve their endurance at running.”

Although it had a slow start, the cross country team is now up and running.

While it is a sport on its own, cross country is used by many athletes to get in shape for other ports.

Mandela Law & Public Service Acad-emy senior Pedro Alejandre is a member of cross country who joined to get in shape for soccer.

“Cross country is open for everyone that wants to be healthy and in shape,” said Alejandre.

Alejandre also is a kicker for the Fre-mont Tigers football team.

Paul Coover, a physical education teacher and the Fremont boys athletic director, coaches the cross country team and has been frustrated that the team does not attract more athletes.

“The team has commenced with a

Cross country runs short on athletes

SPortS

Juan Aguilar& Jafeth Santos

Araceli ramos & Alex torisStaff Writers

photo by Juan Aguilar

Homecoming game against Castlemont, but fell short. Their next goal is to fund raise enough money to buy uniforms for the start of basketball season.

So far, the cheerleaders have sold popcorn. Some are selling Lady Tiger T-shirts with help from the YMCA After School Program. One of the cheerleaders is even selling snacks at lunch to raise her share of the uniform money.

"It’s disrespectful to cheerleaders. The school should help us because we are the school and the school would be dead without cheerleaders," said freshman cheerleader Keyioni Moore.

The cheerleading team has about nine active members, but up to a few dozen girls have been practicing since the beginning of the year. Some girls were unable to cheer at the McClymonds game because they did not make grades.

Despite not having uniforms at the first home game, the cheerleaders kept the spirit going. They held up green and gold signs spelling out "F-R-E-M-O-N-T T-I-G-E-R-S" and asked some fans to

TIGER SPIRIT Fremont Tiger cheerleaders may not have uniforms, but they have loads of spirit. Here they cheer on the football team against McClymonds at Curt Flood Field on Oct. 14.

photo by Laura Lem

help hold them. They made a sign that said "The Warriors" on butcher paper for the Tigers to run through and tear apart at the start of the second half.

The spirit is welcomed by football

players."We need each other," said quarter-

back Gregory Pierson. "Cheerleaders are the drums of the band. We the band; they're the drums."

TIERRa PEnny

ON A NEW ROLL

Strengthened by newly eligible players, the Fremont Tigers captured their first win on Oct. 21 in a 14-2 pouncing of

Oakland High on the Wildcats' home turf.

"It made me feel good," said run-ning back Marcus Robinson about his first game of the season. "It made me feel successful, and I know we had it in us to win"

Robinson, a senior at Media Academy, scored a touchdown on a five-yard run in the second quarter and was second in rushing for the Tigers with 56 yards.

Running back Sione Moli also made it into the Wildcats' end zone, scoring a touchdown off a five-yard run in the third quarter. Moli, a senior from College Preparatory & Architecture Academy, was the top rusher with 80 yards.

Pedro Alejandre and Joel Lopez each kicked successfully after each touchdown. The Wildcats scored a safety in the fourth quarter.

The win puts the Tigers in a two-way tie for second place in the Oakland Athletic League with

Skyline. McClymonds is now 2-0. Both Fremont and Skyline have lost to McClymonds.

But the Tigers are optimistic that they can keep winning.

"We do got what it takes. We got a strong team," said Coach Isamu Falevai.

The Tigers play Skyline away this Friday and players believe they will win.

"All we need is commitment, teamwork and to say that we have what it takes," said Alejandre.

Without many of its key players — Robinson, quarterback Gregory Pierson and Azel Grazty — Fremont struggled against its earlier oppo-nents.

In an Oct. 14 home game against defending league champs McCly-monds, the Tigers came up short, 32-15.

They also lost to Miramonte 0-30, Clayton Valley 6-31 and Liberty 0-40 in non-league play. The Tigers had to forfeit to Chowchilla and Galileo earlier in the season because they did not have enough players eligible to play.

Two years ago, the Tigers started 0-6, but went on to win the Silver Bowl.

Tigers get first win at OHighLaura D. Lem

Sports Editor

WHaT a RuSH Senior Marcus Robinson picks up more yards against Oakland High Wildcats on Oct. 21. The Tigers are now 1-1 in the Oakland athletic League.

photo by Benjamin Schmookler