El Camino Real Charter High School October 24, 2012Volume 43, Issue 4

N S E D I :I

KING’S COURIERFind out the senior polls announced last night at Halloween Roller skating night.

Senior polls announced

Play production previews DTASC scenes to prepare for the festival.

Learn about the strange coincidences in history, pop culture and the lives of Elco students.

know to seem smart.

Your brain on news!

What you need to

Hawaii, Obama’s home state, had the lowest voter turnout

rate in the 2008 election.

Chance that a British vet-erinarian says he or she has treated a drunk dog: 1 in 4.

Three men were tried in Britain for planning a suicide bombing comparable to 9/11.

-CNN

D I D Y O U K N O W ?

-Harper’s Index-Young Hearts Mended

Young Hearts Mended raised nearly $6,000 last year for the Smile Train that fixes children’s cleft palates.

-CNN

Students dress to impress at Rollerskating Night

Maurine Lambert/King’s Courier

-page 2 -page 6

By MAURINE LAMBERT

School board member Tamar Galatzan hosted a free Town Hall meeting at Cleveland High School on Tuesday, Oct. 16 to discuss to local residents how Propositions 30 and 38 will affect Los Angeles Unified School District’s schools, and California’s state colleges if passed.

The first speaker was Prop. 30 campaign member David Gold-berg.

He explained to the audience the benefits of Prop. 30 passing. He explained how it will prevent any further deep cuts to schools, and help the state return to a bal-anced budget. Without Prop. 30, he said, California public schools and colleges face an additional $6 billion in cuts.

If Prop. 30 passes, the money will go to the education system, and the legislature cannot touch it, or be used for administrative purposes.

However, if Prop. 30 does not

pass, the UC and Cal State tuition could jump 20 percent for state residents.

Right now California ranks 49th among all states in teacher to student ratio, and the average number of students per counselor is 810 to one.

“Those numbers are crimi-nal,” Goldberg said.

The next speaker was Propo-sition 38 campaigner Kim Patillo, who explained the aims of Prop. 38, which plans to increase the state income tax.

If Prop. 38 does not pass and Prop. 30 does, the raised taxes will go straight to local funding for local schools, and cannot be touched by Sacramento. Deci-sions will be made at a commu-nity level, and districts will work to rehire staff.

There will be incentive for dis-tricts and schools to use the mon-ey correctly, because those who do not and are using the money incorrectly will be sentenced to jail time.

“I don’t know how we can morally defend taking $20 billion out of schools. “It is embarrass-ing,” explained Patillo.

“We are about making sure California tax dollars stay in Cali-fornia,” Patillo added.

LAUSD’s superintendent John E. Deasy was a guest speak-er at the meeting, stating his opin-ion of the propositions, and what they mean to the community.

Deasy became the superin-tendent in April of 2011, a takes his role very personally. One of his top priorities is to give every child he represents a superb edu-cation, and to do so during the budget crisis.

Throughout the meeting, the audience members were encour-aged to write any questions they had on pink index cards and their questions would be addressed at the end.

The meeting ended with four campaign members answering questions and explaining the out-come of each prop.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy was a guest speaker at the town hall event. He explained to the audience the effect both propositions would have on the school district if passed. Though he could not actually tell the audience how he wanted them to vote, it was clear that he supports Prop. 30, yet he says he is aware that California will not miraculously return to a balanced budget. “Even if 30 passes, we will still have pain; we will still have difficulty,” Deasy said.

Cleveland high hosts meeting

By GOLNAZ GUIVATCHIAN

Muffins support Smile Train British vets treat drunk dogs Hawaii votes the leastBritain stops terrorists

Creepy coincidences

-centerspread

Drama prepares for festival

Decked out in whiskers, shorts and animal ears, students skated and swayed to the beat of the mu-sic last night at Skateland for Hal-loween Roller Skating Night.

Toward the end of the event, Student Council announced the results of the senior polls that will be featured in the yearbook.

While most students chose more standard costumes such as cats, pirates, cowgirls, Min-nie Mouse and basketball play-ers, others planned their attire in pairs. Seniors Katrina Franklin and Alexis Silver won Best Cos-tume for their matched masquer-ade as the Sun Drop girls.

“We came because we drop it like it’s hot, yaaaa,” Franklin joked.

Other unique pairings were the Hooters girls, Hufflepuff students, and Student Council’s Scooby Doo gang.

Senior Lilli Shvartsmen, the Student Council member in charge of the event, dressed up as Scooby Doo.

“I expected everyone to be dressed in cat costumes, but I was still slightly disappointed because I would have liked to see more creativity,” junior Manali Kulkar-ni said. “Mean Girls is completely right. Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a slut and no other girls can say

anything about it.” The DJ spun songs such

as “Rack City,” “Thriller” and “Gangnam Style” for the students to skate and occasionally sing and dance to as well. The floor was crowded for the skating hour and then was cleared to announce the senior polls.

“The most difficult part of planning the event was to keep the senior polls a secret,” Shvartsmen said of the voting that took place in senior subject classes. The polls were given to the student council underclassmen to count because they were a secret for seniors. It took them about four weeks to tally. Student Council also added five categories to last year’s polls.

“Well obviously there is no one better than me and I do get around more than everyone else so I knew I was going to win,” se-nior and “Class Grapevine” poll winner Josh Dahlerbruch said. (Senior Poll winners are listed on page 2.)

“It’s pretty funny that I was voted biggest flirt” senior and Ac-ademic Decathlon member Jenny Chi said. “It’s all in good fun be-cause people know that I am not one.”

Overall, many of the poll win-ners said they were excited to be featured in the yearbook and re-membered for their specific qual-ities. The event started at 7 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m.

Girls (above) skated around the rink in a variety of costumes including a superhero, and Regina George from Mean Girls. Some students who clearly found skating difficult socialized off the skating floor or in the back rooms where Student Council sold food and drinks. Other costumes of the night included skin-tight bodysuits, baby costumes, fairies, ladybugs, bumblebees, vampires, Mitt Romney, hippies, disco girls, Chip n Dales, leopards, and nerds. Senior Jonathan Baruch (right) and other seniors in a group costume dressed as the ghosts and Pacman from the popular arcade game.

KKM/King’s Courier

October 24, 20122 NEWS SUNDAY MONDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY FRIDAY TUESDAY

24 25 26 27

29 30 1 2 328 31KEY

PDD: Professional Development Day GT: Grieb Theater AH: Anderson Hall

, October-NovemberCHECK WWW.ECRCHS.NET FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS

Science Trip, Newport Beach, 7 a.m.

Latino Literacy Project 6:30-8:30 p.m., AH

Halloween Concert, AH, 7 p.m. Avid Olympics

12:30 p.m.Physical

Education Field

Drama DTASC FestivalWoodrow Wilson Middle

School, 8 a.m.

School Site Council Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

ACT 7:30-2:30 p.m.Classrooms

Science TripTheodore Payne

Foundation, (Turner-Graham), 8:30 p.m.

Science Field TripMount Wilson Observatory(Morshedi)

ROTC event UCLA6 a.m.-5 p.m.

Essay Workshop 4-6 p.m., Library

Music Rehearsal 10:30- 2:30, AH

Red Cross Blood Drive, AH

Festival Preview Show, Grieb Theater, 1 p.m.

Marching Band Competition

College of the Canyons, 2 p.m.

Music RehearsalAH 10:30-2:30

Young Hearts Mended Paper Bag Fundraiser

Robotics qualify for world, nationals

coming this year because I didn’t want to go through all the work of asking somebody, buying new clothes, and all that unnecessary work,” another freshman, Al Sa-rani said.

Last year, Homecoming was held at the Hard Rock Café at Universal Citywalk on the same date, Nov. 11, which was coin-cidentally 11/11/11. Rather than going to the dance, some students made other plans.

“Instead of going to the ac-tual event, my friends and I got dressed as if we were going to go the Hard Rock, but got dinner and walked around. I had lots of fun,” said sophomore Jennifer Lopez.

The last day to buy tickets will be Nov. 3, for $40.

Homecoming will be held at the California Market Center on Nov. 11, from 6:30-11:30 p.m. The California Market Center is in the renowned hub of the Los Angeles fashion industry. Student Council is selling 700 tickets.

Tickets are $40 and include unlimited drinks. Students can purchase tickets at the Student Store, or online at ecrchs.net.

For this year’s freshmen, it will be their first homecoming. “I’m excited to get a dress and my makeup done,” freshman Isela Bitar said.

However, some students chose not to buy a ticket.

“I won’t be going to Home-

By CLARE RAMIREZ

Homecoming in fashion districtBy ISABELLA CHAVEZ

Sarah Stigers/King’s Courier

ECR Robotics Team 404 be-gan its season by winning three national and world qualifications at its first two tournaments.

The first competition was the CAMS Vex Robotics Tournament at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach on Saturday, Oct. 13. The second was Clash in the Canyon: Viewpoint Patriots Sack Attack at Viewpoint School in Calabasas on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Team 404 set the high scores at both tournaments.

“We surpassed our expecta-

tions, but it’s only the beginning,” senior Sean Gordon said. “As the year progresses, we’ll expect only more difficult competitions and challenges.”

In the first tournament, the winning alliance consisted of the team captains, Gordon and fellow senior Timothy Holcombe.

Gordon went through both the qualifying matches and the final elimination matches undefeated.

Not many details about the world championships have been released. However, this year’s world championship will take place in Anaheim, Calif.

Best Eyes ......................................Claudia Rosas, Joey ReeveBest Hair..................................Melissa Duronslet, Owen PerryBest Dressed..........................Carly Schwartz, James NguyenBest All Around...................Maya Bovshow, Saam ShahrokhiBest Future Parent...............Ashley Cutting, Dashiell TrannerHottest Ride................Maurine Lambert, David RosenwasserMost Spirited...........................Lily Behdadnia, Max RobersonMost Athletic............................Jackie Altschuld, Greg MortonMost Likely to Succeeed.......Clare Ramirez, Amiel AzizollahiMost Likely to be on Reality TV........................Natalie Moses, Brennan TaylorMost Changed Since 9th Grade...............Shoshana Malmeth, Emon MasonFriendliest..............................Jessica Nakhla, Brenden PolakDesert Island Dream...................................Natalie Castaneda, Shayan ShahangianClass Couple......................Madisyn Tendler, Joshua ServeraCouple that Should Have Been.....................Elizabeth Juster, Hector BorgesWorst Driver .....................................Nicole Siag, Phat DuongWorst Parker.................Taylor Grossman, Gabriel FernandoShyest............................................Chandler Vogt, Mena SaidClass Clown...........................Jennifer Quinonez, Josh AdadTeacher’s Pet...........................Ali Isenberg, Amiel AzizollahiClass Grapevine..............Hallie Drapkin, Josh Dahlerbruch

Biggest Ego...............Samantha Delbick, Sina BasiratmandBiggest Flirt....................................Jenny Chi, Michael PopeMost Unique............................Scarlett De Jean, Zack BurkeMost Creative.......................Adrienne Lane, Mason HeinoldMost Likely to Speak their Mind......................Kaytie Brown, Josh VillarealBlondest........................................Julia Keating, Eric EckertMost Accident Prone...................Kayla Aihara, Owen PerryMost Likely to be Caught Ditching................Jacqui Chung, Kevin SantosMost Likely to Sleep in Class..........................Taylor Yalem, Austin WangClass Einstein...........................Nicole Lin, Andrew ShibataMost Talented.....................Zohar Achiasaf, Nick RobinsonFuture Star..............................Kylie Cipolla, Nick RobinsonLife of the Party......Ariana Marsoubian, Sina BasiratmandBiggest Procrastinatior......Katie Debus, Cameron DhanesMost Valley.........................Hallie Drapkin, Roman PalumboBest Friends (girls) Anysa Guiterrez, Anisha WeerasingheBest Friends (boys).................Ramsey Ismail, Faisi MeorziMost Likely to be Seen After School..Academic DecathlonBest Teacher.............................Ms. Crocker, Mr. SakaguchiInsta Famous.......................Kayla Aihara, Roman PolumboFuture President.............Lilli Shvartsmann, Jacob BurmanClass Tweeter..............................Mikayla Moss, Eric Eckert

2012 Senior Polls

Pictured above: Students representing the Hawaii Pacific University hula dance in front of Nadine de la Rosa’s room.Pictured right: Alison Galiher and her stu-dents pose in front of their Aztec-themed San Diego State University door. Galiher and Caroline Jones tied for the first place spot and won donut parties.

, Check out our new Web site www.ecrjournalism.net

for daily news updates and our TV show ECReality.

FHA EventWestchester High School, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Town Hall MeetingAH, 6:30 p.m.

Happy Halloween

List College recruiter 8 a.m.

Camerata EventWoodland Hills

11 a.m. -1:15 p.m.

Editorial Policy: All editorials on this page are the collective opinion of the King’s Courier editorial board. As with all major daily newspapers, these consensus editorials run without byline.

Contributing Editors: Amy Ayala, Brittany Brody, Rachael Cohen, Brit-El Gibson, Golnaz Guivatchian, Maurine Lambert, Ethan Millman, Clare Ramirez, Madison Spiegel, Sarah Stigers, Yasmin Torabi, Imani White

King’s Courier

October 24, 2012 3OP/ED

Write to the Courier!The King’s Courier is your newspaper, and we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you think of our coverage, for better or worse. You may submit articles for us to publish to S-6. Letters become the property of the Courier and may be altered by the staff of the paper for the sake of available space.Please include your name (even if you wish to remain anon-ymous), period 4 room number, and a contact number.

Contact the editors at: ecrjournalism@aol.com

2012 - 2013 STAFF

The King’s Courier is published by the Journalism 2 class of El Camino Real High School. Our address is 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367. The King’s Courier is hand-

distributed, free of charge, to a student body and faculty of over 3,700. Advertising information is available by emailing us at ECRJournalism@aol.com. Suggestions, comments, or letters to the editor may be dropped off during schools hours in room S-6, or placed in Ms. Messadieh’s

mailbox in the Main Office.

Editor-in-Chief......................................................................Sarah StigersOnline Editor-in-Chief.........................................................Clare RamirezProduction Manager...........................................................Christine YuenNews Editors.................................Golnaz Guivatchian, Maurine LambertOpinion Editors.........................................Rachael Cohen, Yasmin TorabiFeatures Editors............................................Brittany Brody, Imani WhiteA&E Editors...........................................Brit-El Gibson, Madison SpiegelSports Editors.................................................Amy Ayala, Ethan MillmanAdvertising Manager.........................................................Katherine AlasPhotographer........................................................................Nora MurphyPollster/Public Relations..................................................Mariapia Aquije Distribution and Exchange..............................................Isabella ChavezTechnology Director..............................................................Justin Hoang Adviser.......................................................................Kimberly Messadieh

Criticism helps... if constructive

IAN EDITOR’S INSIGHT:

then I would have nothing left to hope for in my future.

I am not the first person to contemplate this topic, and I certainly won’t be the last, but nevertheless I’m finding it difficult to write exactly how I feel, simply because I still do not know my own feelings, or I can’t dictate them well enough so that they make sense.

Normally I see things as very straightforward -- black or white, good or bad, wrong or right, real or fake -- but I will admit that fate remains a gray area in my mind.

The possible dark side to this gray area is that fate is fake, and nothing is purely chance; I either deserve something, or I don’t.

On the lighter side, however, if I accept that destiny exists, it could reassure me about the unknown and help me see that whether things work out or not, that’s how it is meant to be. Cliché, I know, but sometimes clichés exist because they are true.

I hoped that after writing this, I would finally come to some profound conclusion about the reality of fate, and I would convince myself to take a definite stance on the subject.

However, no matter which angle I try to see it from, I still clearly see the division between the two sides, and can acknowledge the truth in both of them.

Although a disappointing additional flaw to my black-and-white logic, I guess I’ll have to accept that fate is similar to Schrodinger’s Cat (a shout out to my fellow Big Bang Theory fans). We can realistically presume that fate is either present, or not present, until we experience it for ourselves.

Clare Ramirez/King’s Courier

The Long Island Medium is one of my guilty pleasures. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be a woman with platinum blonde sky-scraper hair and cat-like acrylics, who goes to the supermarket and makes people cry out of happiness, because she contacted one of their dead relatives? But sadly I can only wish that I had her life, so, I guess I’ll have to stick with Paranormal Activity 4.

Although I do not possess supernatural powers, this issue’s centerspread has had me thinking about the idea of destiny and fate.

On one hand, we see that JFK’s assassination is eerily similar to Abraham Lincoln’s, and that the Titanic was predicted to sink 14 years before it actually did. Was this destiny? Could these occurrences not have been prevented no matter what the situation?

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to wake up the day after the Mayan calendar is supposedly going to end, and the world will still be here. But really, this prediction isn’t unlike the others mentioned before.

Maybe I’m over thinking this, and maybe everything is merely coincidence. However, the idea of fate has always fascinated and confused me.

If I were to believe purely in fate, then I would leave nothing in my life up to hard work, which I whole-heartedly believe in, but if I chose to not believe in fate, -Sarah Stigers

We all need people who will say it to us straight and give their honest opinions. Everyone needs constructive criticism at some point and no one should feel that they are above it.

Some people think that it is their responsiblity to point out their peers’ flaws, believing they are fulfilling that need for constructive criticism. All that is, however, is criticism. What happened to being constructive?

Constructive criticism is a two-part process. The first part, which everyone seems to understand, is addressing what’s wrong. It’s simple to point out problems.

Part two is the part that most people fail to grasp, being constructive. It’s hard to give positive feedback when you’re criticizing someone’s work, but it isn’t impossible.

Take this scenario: It’s the beginning of the year and you want to impress your English teacher with the first essay of the

course. You spend hours fretting over every detail, perfecting your work repeatedly. Filled with satisfaction, you proudly turn in your paper.

Finally, your teacher passes back papers and you anxiously await the glowing comments you expect. But as you receive your paper and decipher the red marks, you realize the evaluation you had hoped for wasn’t at all what you were given.

For one reason or another, you didn’t do as well as you thought, and your teacher did not hesitate to let you know that.

Say it stopped there. How would you feel? How would you feel if someone harshly criticized your work and didn’t bother to suggest ways to improve it?

Now, take the same situation but imagine your teacher left you some feedback. A couple sentences on how to better structure your argument and what examples would have supported your position more effectively. Maybe even a note about what you did successfully.

The latter is what constructive criticism is. If you’re going to criticize someone’s work, every negative comment you give should be accompanied by a suggestion to help that person improve.

The point of constructive criticism is to help people understand what they did wrong and what they can do differently next time to avoid the mistake.

Some people insist that they criticize only to help, but everyone knows that criticism alone does no good.Without the constructive part, it’s just being mean. Only when you add the suggestions and advice does it become a helpful experience.

A lot of people mean well when they take the time to show you what you did wrong, but that’s not the way to help someone improve.

As much as you need to bring attention to the problems, you need to discuss solutions. In the end, the “constructive” is just as important, if not more important, than the “criticism.”

EDITORIAL

By YASMIN TORABI

t is no secret that Americans are often attracted to the British. After all, America is a

product of England.England established colonial

America during the 17th century. Jamestown, the first settlement, was established in 1607.

Until 1776, we considered ourselves English. We were still dependent on Mother England and many of our settlers still had their British accents. Most of our Founding Fathers were loyal to England themselves. America was built from the seeds planted by the British.

The British accent, which sounds sophisticated, polished and proper, has been one of the main attractions for Americans. When we hear a British accent, we tend to listen more attentively, because we view it as erudite and posh. The accent sounds elegant and cultivated.

We also enjoy their slang terms, such as “bloody Hell” or “blimey,” which are used as expressions of surprise. Just as American slang is trendy, British slang tends to be the same.

Music is another source of attraction to British culture. During the 1960s, the British Invasion hit in America, with popular bands, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Queen.

These bands influenced a lot of our music and artists, such as Green Day, R.E.M and even the very American Beach Boys, who were inspired to record Pet Sounds after hearing The Beatles’ Rubber Soul.

British music gained popularity because Americans loved the contemporary sound British bands offered. The influence of the British Invasion still continues. Coldplay, Adele and Taio Cruz have had success in America, each with a no. 1 hit.

Another attractive aspect is the elegance that seems to surround England. Growing up, we read fairy tales about the princess marrying her prince and living happily ever after. The marriage of Princess Kate Middleton and Prince William on April 29, 2011, paralleled this type of fairy tale. Middleton was not royal blood, yet she still became a princess.

The British are coming, and we adore them

This fairy tale ending makes the British seem stately and majestic. The event, which was televised live, was watched by 2 billion people around the world, according to The Examiner, exhibiting our evident interest.

With their intriguing accent, elegance and fairy tale endings, the British have maintained their presence in American hearts.

COMMENTARY

Illustration by Hanna Turner

While some spooky incidences can be dismissed as merely coincidental,

sometimes the coincidences stack up to a staggeringly eerie level.

• Both shot in the head on a Friday while sitting next to their wives• Lincoln sat in Box 7 at the Ford Theatre and JFK rode in car #7• Lincoln was shot in the Ford’s Theatre and JFK in a Lincoln, made by Ford• Both of their assassins went by three names--John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald• Booth (Lincoln’s assassin) shot Lincoln at theater and was caught in a warehouse, while Oswald (JFK’s assassin) shot JFK from a warehouse and was caught in a theater• Both assassins were killed by a Colt revolver• Both presidents were named after their grandfathers• Both had four kids• Both had two children die before becoming a teen• Both had a son die while they were in the White House• Both were elected into the House of Representatives in ‘46 (Lincoln in 1846, Kennedy in 1946...100 years apart)• Both were elected presidents in ‘60 (Lincoln in 1860, Kennedy in 1960...100 years apart)• Vice Presidents had the same last name (Johnson) • Andrew Johnson was born in 1808 and Lyndon B. Johnson was born in 1908 (100 years apart)

In 1838, Edgar Al-len Poe published a book called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Poe claimed that his novel was based on actual events, which was half-true, because the real-life events had not yet occurred.

One scene of Poe’s novel tells the tale of a ship lost at sea, killing all but four crewmen. Starving of hunger, the men drew lots to decide who would be eaten, which ended up being the young cabin boy, Richard Parker.

Forty-six years after the release of Poe’s book, a real disaster occurred at sea involving a ship called the Mignonette. Just as in the book, the men drew lots to decide who would be eaten and, believe it or not, they decided to eat their young cabin boy, whose name just happened to be Rich-ard Parker.

Twin Boys, Twin LivesTwo boys, identical twins, were separated immediately after

birth, each adopted by a different family, both of which named the boys James. Both boys sought law-enforcement training, had abilities in mechanical drawing and carpentry, and each married a woman named Linda.

Additionally, both twins had sons whom they named James Alan and James Allan. On top of that, both men divorced their wives and married women named Betty. Each man owned a dog named Toy.

James Dean was killed in a car accident in his Porsche sports car in Septem-ber 1955. As the car was being towed from the accident, the engine fell out and onto a mechanic, shattering his legs. The engine was later bought by a doctor, who fit it into his race car, and was killed soon after in a race—the same race in which another driver was killed in his car, which had Dean’s driveshaft in it.

But it doesn’t end there. The garage where Dean’s car was later repaired was destroyed by a fire. On display in Sacramento, the car fell from its mount, break-ing a teenager’s hip.

One day, while on steel supports, the car mysteriously broke into 11 pieces.

Abraham Lincoln; John F. Kennedy

frighteningly similar

Poe predicts tragedy in novel

Car parts cursed; several left deadPresident Abe Lincoln and President John F. Kennedy elected and

assassinated 100 years apart

Edgar Allen Poe wrote novel based

on true events--that hadn’t happened yet

Creepy or Coincidental

While some spooky incidences can be dismissed as merely coincidental,

sometimes the coincidences stack up to a staggeringly eerie level.

Interview by BRITTANY BRODY

annah Zeleznick’s aunted House

HH

Q: What do you think your house is haunted by?A: “We know that an old woman lived and died in this house and we believe it is her who is still here.”Q: What led you to believe that your house was haunted?A: “Well, I haven’t seen any events. My step-dad

and sister, Sarah Zeleznick, have seen some things that they could not believe. They both saw a leg leaving our living room and entering into our kitchen. Also, my sister had a paper on her desk in her room and she turned around and heard it crinkle. When she turned back around it was turned over, even though she hadn’t touched it. It was pretty bizarre.”

Junior Hannah

Zeleznick believes that her house on

Semrad Road is haunted by an old woman.

When the first battle of the Civil War broke out near Manassas, Virg., the Confederates chose Wilmer McLean’s home to be their head-quarters.

McLean’s home became subject to artillery fire and, miraculously, no one in the house was hurt.

After that, McLean decided to move his family for their safety; however, the Second Battle of Bull Run exploded just outside his front door a year after the first battle. Soon after the battle ended, McLean sold his home and moved his family.

In 1865, the Confederates were chased by the Union Army across Virginia towards Appomattox Court House.

On Apr. 9, 1865, Confederate General Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, therefore ending the Civil War. And where did this surrender happen? In the parlor of McLean’s new home.

“The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor,” said Mclean after the two armies left his home the day they ended the war.

A century before James Cameron pro-duced the movie Titanic, American author, Morgan Robertson, wrote a book called The Wreck of the Titan.

Robertson’s novel was published in 1898, 14 years before RMS Titanic had even been completely built. In the novel, the Titan was described as being “the largest craft afloat and the greatest works of men,” “equal to that of a first class hotel,” and “unsinkable.” Both the Titanic and the Titan were British-owned steel ships, about 800 feet in length, sank after hitting an iceberg in April, “around midnight” in the North Atlantic Ocean. Both had too few lifeboats to accom-modate all the passengers on board.

Robertson’s novel, however, was wrong in one way: the Titanic did not hit the iceberg “400 miles from Newfoundland” at 25 knots, but rather it crashed 400 miles away from Newfoundland at 22.5 knots.

James Dean was killed in a car accident in his Porsche sports car in Septem-ber 1955. As the car was being towed from the accident, the engine fell out and onto a mechanic, shattering his legs. The engine was later bought by a doctor, who fit it into his race car, and was killed soon after in a race—the same race in which another driver was killed in his car, which had Dean’s driveshaft in it.

But it doesn’t end there. The garage where Dean’s car was later repaired was destroyed by a fire. On display in Sacramento, the car fell from its mount, break-ing a teenager’s hip.

One day, while on steel supports, the car mysteriously broke into 11 pieces.

haun Logue’s pirit Encounter

SS

By SARAH STIGERS

Poe predicts tragedy in novel

Car parts cursed; several left deadTitanic predicted to sink 14 years before accident

McLean runs from war, can’t hide

Racecar driver James Dean dies in his Porsche

spyder, others follow

his lead

Creepy or Coincidental

El Camino 2008 alumn shares his spooky experience

Paranormal activity was taken to a new level at the house of 2008 ECR alumnu Shaun Logue. One night around four years ago, Logue and his brother were watching TV in their living room when their three cats started acting strange.

“All of a sudden, the cats started bristling, and looking at the same empty spot in the hallway. Then we could feel the temperature in the room drop,” Logue said.

“The cats seemed as if they were looking at some-thing walking. We could clearly make out five paces, then the ‘thing’ they were looking at seemed to disap-pear behind the wall.”

After this occurrence, all three cats looked at each other and walked out of the room, “obviously freaked out,” said Logue.

Though this was not the first time seeming paranor-mal activities had occurred in their house, Logue says “this one was definitely the creepiest.”

October 24, 20126 Arts & Entertainment

My greatest disappointment in life is that I was not a teenager of the 1970s. That decade is the one I would have most liked to grow up in. The 1920s runs a close second. Some might say that there is no way I could transport myself back to those years, but I’d have to disagree.

Joe Jackson, a musical idol of mine, recently released an album titled The Duke. For this album, Jackson covered 10 of his favorite Duke Ellington tracks with his own twist, bringing together two decades of music in one incredible album.

This album is wonderfully represen-tative of Jackson’s ability to interpret other artists’ music in his own quirky, pizzazz-filled way.

Jackson, a classic- ally trained pianist and violinist, has enjoyed worldwide success since the ‘70s, especially for his first single, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”

After listening to his new album, I almost wish to disassociate with this mainstream pop hi. His repertoire, which continues to change and expand, is much more extensive than that.

I’ve always considered Jackson’s style eclectic and versatile. From original work to covers, every tune is different and distinct. This new record only reinforces that idea.

Jackson adds a whole new flavor to an already succulent sound. His ability to make these timeless Ellington tracks his own is an insightful reflection of his talent, ability and style as a musician.

Through The Duke, Jackson exemplifies the crucial role Duke Ellington plays in music’s history. Ellington’s work is a perfect example of the innovative,

unprecedented style of the decade, characterized by big bands showcasing pounding percussion and blaring brass.

Jackson took these defining factors into account when he took his album to the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown L.A. Oct. 6.

Seeing Joe Jackson perform this album live, along with some other selections, took the album to a whole new level for me.

It was one thing to hear the new stylistic twists and modifications, but to watch Jackson play and interact with his band on stage made his purpose in recording the album evident.

He was performing music that he loved. His joy didn’t arise from the fact that he had personally crafted the covers of the songs, but because he was performing music that spoke to

him and inspired him to be the musician he is today.

From the bouncy i n s t r u m e n t a l “Rockin’ in Rhythm” to the mystical-sounding “Caravan,” which Jackson had translated into Farsi because he believed it was “the guy who delivered the pizza that added the lyrics,” he said during an interview with NPR, every song presents a different element of Ellington’s style and Jackson’s method of conveying it.

This carefully constructed album brings together the best of two decades of music -- the new and the newer, the crooning saxophone with the synthesizer, and Ellington’s lyrics with the voices of Joe Jackson, special guest Iggy Pop, and many other featured musicians.

Although I’ll never truly be able to visit the jazz clubs of the ‘20s or the reasonably-priced concerts of the ‘70s, this album got me pretty close.

By RACHAEL COHEN

Sir Duke: Joe Jackson reinvents, rearranges and revisits Ellington

After months of searching, location scouts found the per-fect house. It’s in a quaint little neighborhood on a quiet street called Hatteras, not far from El Camino. This was where they would film their next movie: Paranormal Activity 4.

The movie crew rented five lots along the same block, be-tween Manton and Sadring, for filming, editing, storing supplies, and parking cars and trailers. Over the course of the filming process, which began in June and ended in mid-Septem-ber, crew members and actors were often found walking back and forth between the lots to change costumes or get food.

Costume racks stood in the driveway and along curbsides. Large white trailers gave the ac-tors a hidden place to have their makeup and hair perfected for the next scene. Lights, camera, and action took place behind black-curtained windows of

gated homes. Screams echoed through the

darkness, late at night and early in the morning. Neighbors had been warned.

Editors reviewed the cap-tured scenes, observing the good, taking out the bad and putting the movie together, just a few houses down from where it was being filmed. And around the clock, security personnel guarded the properties. Af-ter re-shooting some scenes in mid-September, the movie hit the big screens everywhere on Friday.

Walking into the movie theater, with my popcorn and soda, I mentally prepared my-self for what was to come in the next hour and a half. Part of me expected to be bored out of my mind, as I was when I saw Paranormal Activity 2, the one where the movie seems to go on for hours and nothing happens, until the very end. Another part of me expected to see things moving in the open spaces or jumping out of nowhere on the

Paranormal Activity 4: An Inside Look

By BRITTANY BRODY

Play Production will perform a free preview show Thursday at the Grieb Theatre during periods 1-4 and after school.

The preview will feature the scenes that the students will be per-forming to compete at the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California Fall Festival on Satur-day, Oct. 27, for the C Division.

They will enter six scenes in their respective categories, each directed by one or two students.

Seniors Nicholas Robinson and Kylie Cipolla are directing a scene for the Musical category, from the musical Once on This Island.

Juniors Rohan Boone, Dean Rabinowitz and Carolyn Tickin are each directing a scene for the Drama, Comedy, and Restoration Comedy categories, respectively.

Boone is directing a scene from Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Rabinowitz from Boeing-Boeing, and Ticktin from The School for Scandal.

It is Ticktin’s first time direct-ing, and she said she is “having a lot of fun” and “making the best of this new experience.”

“[The actors in] my scene are very cooperative, and I’m so hap-py that Ms. Freitag chose me as a director,” she said.

Three PlayPro members are contributing not only their direct-ing skills but their writing abilities, as well.

Junior Ian Hanley and sopho-

more Noah Grossman directed and wrote an original play in the Student Written for Social Change category.

Hanley said they tried to “cram” as many social issues as they could in their play en-titled “Robot Communism: A Story about Social Issues and a VHS.”

“The main [issue] is pretty much that the economy is hor-rible,” Grossman said, adding that their play addresses the is-sues of unemployment and the government legal system.

Hanley and Grossman, also first-time directors, said that their category is easier than some might think.

“We could write and edit the scene to fit the five-min-ute boundaries,” Hanley said. “The final script was nothing like what we had when we first started.”

Sophomore Cameron Cipol-la is also directing an original scene in the Dr. Seuss/Student Writer category. Her scene is based one of Dr. Seuss’ books, Yertle the Turtle.

“Since [the words are] not from the book, it allows us to make it more comedic,” she said.

Only PlayPro students will perform and compete in Divi-sion C.

Other drama students will participate in the A and B Divisions, which will be the following week on Saturday, Nov. 3.

PlayPro prepares for DTASC festival

By CLARE RAMIREZ

screen, making me jump a little.The characters and the way

the movie was filmed made it more believable and a little scarier than the first two mov-ies of this series. The kids re-peatedly used certain words and phrases that we hear nearly ev-ery day (and that can’t be print-ed in a newspaper due to their vulgarity). The family consists of two parents who don’t fight frequently but aren’t affection-ate with each other, a little boy who befriends the new neighbor (for better or for worse…most-ly for worse), and a pre-teen whose boyfriend sags his pants and wears zip-up hoodies that are too big.

I was surprised by how entertained I was by the en-tire film. There were some comical moments that made the entire theater erupt in laughter and giggles, and other moments when people plugged their ears or hid be-hind their hands, waiting in fear for what was about to happen next.

ECR alumni, senior receive awards at LA film festivalBy CLARE RAMIREZ

When students graduate from ECR, they take their knowledge and experiences, and continue to channel them into doing what they love.

Senior Aaron Seller, along with ECR alumni Cameron Sper-ling and Dylan Johnson, entered their short film, “How to Live in L.A.,” in the On Loca-tion: The Los Ange-les Video Project fes-tival. 2012 grad-uate Daniel Yona than played the lead, and his classmate, Avery Kentis created the music. “I’d felt quite unproductive, and my buds weren’t interested in filming anything at the time, so I contacted another crew,” Yona-than said. “They said I might just work and I didn’t disappoint.

At the festival in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, the film won Honorable Mention in the 2-4-minute category as well as the Audience’s Choice award, meaning that it was the fans’ fa-vorite at the festival.

“It’s weird because we just kind of did it,” Seller said. “We never expected ourselves to win,

and the fact that we did is kind of awesome.”

The group’s film was the only entry submitted by teens, making them the youngest filmmakers to receive an award at the festival. Seller said most of the competi-tors were “mostly people right out of film school.”

“It feels really cool because it shows how good we are com-pared to other people in actual film schools,” Seller said.

“How to Live in

L.A.” was one of four films out of 66 entries that was rec-ognized at the festival. It’s modeled after the “how-to”

guides of the ‘50s, which in-corporate a narrator who describes what the actors are doing.

It is also in black and white but eventually transitions to color.

The film follows suit with the festival’s theme, which is to highlight Los Angeles as a loca-tion spot.

“Film is just a really amaz-ing medium for telling stories and getting messages across,” he said. “It’s just so much fun.”

Seller has been in the CEA film program since his sopho-more year, and he plans to keep making films after he graduates high school.

The close vicinity to El Camino adds a new level of eeriness for students. The house seen to the left played the part of home to the story’s evil neighbors.The 4th addition to the series of scary films opened in theaters on Friday, Oct. 19.

Sara

h Sti

gers

/Kin

g’s C

ourie

r

“Film is just a really amazing medium for telling stories and

getting messages across,”

-Aaron Sellersenior

photo courtesy of www.emusic.com

7SPORTSOctober 24, 2012

Pro Sports Face-off

By AMY AYALA and ETHAN MILLMAN

Amy’s SideThe Lakers so far are 0-6

in their pre-season games. Many fans are scared that this can somehow predict what the Lakers season will be like.

In no way, shape or form does it show that the Lakers will have a terrible season, for a few reasons.

We have only seen the full starting lineup with Dwight Howard once. He posted some very impressive numbers with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. In every game before that one we have seen the sec-ond round pick rookie Robert Sacre in place of Dwight How-ard.

The starters -- including Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol -- have all been playing limited minutes.

Jordan Hill, whom Mike Brown called a training camp stand out, played only the first game of the pre-season before getting hurt with a herniated disk. But not to worry; he will be back by the first game of the season on October 30.

So we haven’t seen the team at full strength so far this season at all. We have only got a taste of what we can expect, and we have seen many posi-tives and negatives.

I would rather make a real judgment of the team, when all the players are back and at full strength. The team needs to play together and gain chem-istry for their potential to be fully seen.

Ethan’s SideAs Laker fans are all aware,

the Lakers are currently 0-6 in pre-season play. This has sparked many debates on how the Lakers will play this year. While many people say the Lakers will still play great this season, I disagree.

I believe that the Lakers will play better than they are playing now, but I do not be-lieve that they will be the team everyone expects them to be.

Based on the names on the Lakers’ starting lineup, the team seems invincible. They were great having Kobe Bry-ant, but now they have Steve Nash and Dwight Howard too.

Though they sound amaz-ing, the team is still 0-6. They are clearly beatable. If a team like the Sacramento Kings can beat the Lakers, imagine what the Oklahoma City Thunder will do to them. Steve Nash isn’t young any more. I doubt he will be able to keep up with the Thunder’s Russel West-brook for four quarters and limit his speed for very long.

Expect the Lakers to get into the playoffs but lose in the quarter-finals.

S C O R E B O A R DFootball

vs Birmingham10/19/12l 42-0

bOYS WATER POLO

VS GRANADA HILLS

10/22/12W 19-16

vOLLEYBALLVS Granada

Hills10/22/12L 3-2

Girls tennisvs Granada

Hills10/22/12L 6-1

cross countryinvitational

mt san antonio10/20/12

Upcoming gamesBOYS WATERPOLO

wED. vS bIRMINGHAMgIRLS TENNIStHURS. vS biRMINGHAM

By IMANI WHITE

The girls tennis team tried to keep a positive at-titude despite their recent loss to Granada Hills Char-ter, one of their toughest and biggest rivals, with a score of 1-6.

Monday’s game was played at El Camino. Their previous game, on Oct. 16 against Cleveland played at Cleveland, also ended in a loss for the girls’ with a score of 4-6. Cleveland is the team’s other toughest and biggest rival.

This is the team’s sec-ond time this season play-ing the last year’s state champions, Granada. The first time the game was at Granada, the Elco girls lost the game.

“I don’t think there was anything specific as to why we lost [both Granada and Cleveland]. We tried our best and we’ll get them next time,” said sophomore Jacky Parizher.

“We don’t have any

weaknesses, gotta stay posi-tive,” said senior Emily Nem-erovsky.

The positive attitude of the team members is also what makes them strong and creates strong communication which is important to a successful team.

“One of the team’s strength is our communication,” said seniors Alexandria Chavez and Nemerovsky.

The loss to Granada Charter isn’t keeping the team down. “We try to stay positive and sup-port each other,” said Parizher.

The team’s season is like a rollercoaster. It began with loss-es and then they started to win games prior to the Cleveland and Granada games.

“I have confidence in our team,” said Chavez.

Next the team will play the Birmingham Patriots at Bir-mingham on Thursday.

Previously the team beat BHAM with a victory score of 5-2.

Over the season the team has learned “how to communicate, place the ball and win more games,” said Nemerovsky.

Sophomore Mayra Jovic returns a serve from her opponent in the sin-gles 1 division, in her first match of the season due to time restrictions from her year-long stay in Argentina. “The match against Granada is always one of the most anticipated,” said Mayra. “I was very excited to be able to play with the team again.”

Girls tennis defeated by Granada Hills

Christine Yuen/King’s Courier

“Do the Lakers’ pre-season struggles foreshadow how they will play during the

season?”

Senior Jaylon James played in El Camino’s recent game against Cleveland High School October 5. This game ended with a close score of 8-7, El Camino on the bottom. This loss was followed by a win against Chatsworth the next week on October 12 with a final score of 47-14.

Football DEFEATS Taft in final game in regular season

Photo Courtesy of Jaylon James

By ETHAN MILLMAN

The football team was de-feated in their away game against Birmingham Friday. The final score of the game was a shocking score of 42-0, the largest loss of El Camino’s sea-son so far.

This is the first game of El Camino’s season where the team did not score a single point in the game. This puts the team’s record at 2-6 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Because of this loss, the Conquistadors fell to fifth place in their division and kept Bir-mingham in first place.

The Conquistador’s score-less loss proves Birmingham to be a tough team to beat.

Even though they are a good team, players could not help but be upset. Obviously, in a loss like this, there were things that the Conquistadors could have done better.

Since they were scoreless, is apparent that the team needed to capitalize on offense more. Also letting Birmingham score 42 points shows a need to change it up on defense.

Besides the blowout against Birmingham and a large loss to Harvard Westlake, El Camino’s defense seemed to be one of their stronger aspects during their season. They usually lim-ited their opponents to 24 points or fewer.

A possible effect on the team’s play could have been the unfortunate and untimely loss of assistant coach Bob Ganssle.

When he passed away, ev-eryone knew things would be different, but most did not ex-pect it to be like this.

The loss has prevented El Camino from advancing to the post-season this year.

Hopefully the team will plan for the future and get stronger as a team.

8 SPORTS October 24, 2012

The cross country team ran against Birmingham Charter High School at Pierce College on Wednesday, Oct. 17, but lost the meet.

“We’re a strong team, and something like this definitely should not bring us down,” said junior W i l l i a m Cabere ra . “This has made the team work harder.”

T h e team’s loss against Bir-m i n g h a m has made them train even harder than before.

They train all week long for the final challenge against the other schools, but sometimes the loss is necessary to be able to re-alize what is needed to improve. The team has been working as much as they can.

If the team wants to win, it not only depends on how strong their legs are, but also on how they can handle their upper body to run swiftly through the track, without any trouble.

Water polo defeats Granada HillsBy AMY AYALA

The boys water polo team has made some great strides this season to ensure they go deep into the playoffs. With an overall win-ning record of 9-6, the boys have built off of wins and losses to see in what areas they can improve.

“We are able to work togeth-er to conquer. Since our losses, so far we have greatly improved our shots, teamwork and ability to win,” said senior captain Justin Hoang.

The team won their game against Granada Hills with a score of 19-16. Even though the team struggled at the start of the

game, they were able to pull off the win in overtime. They were down 14-9 in the fourth quarter with only seven minutes left on the clock, but the team was able to come back from their deficit, tying it at 15-15 at the end of regulation.

Junior Sebastian Patrono scored the game-tying goal with only five seconds left. During the overtime, the team was able to score goals and pull away with the win.

Hoang said that the team needs to also continue working as a team and not rely on an indi-vidual to reach its goals. “There is no one person who is to blame for

a mistake, or who has contributed to the success. The entire team has worked together as one to get where we are now.”

The team knows what itsweak points are and what is needed to improve in order to succeed. “The main things are our communication and offense,” Hoang said. “Our defense is very strong but it could use more work overall, only minor things.”

“With only a few games left,” he added. “We are more confident that we will be one of the last teams in the playoffs, if not winning the city title.” Their next game is today against Bir-mingham.

“Having a stronger upper body, personally I feel like it helps our sprint form and it helps us pull through the race,” added Caberera.

Having each other also helps the team to thrive. As they make their way through the track, the team encourages each other when one of them is feeling like

they can’t go on.

T h e y have all trained to-gether, thus they are all working as a team to reach the final goal.

“ W h e n one of our teammates feels really tired, or is

staying behind during a race, we motivate them and we motivate each other to keep going until we finish the race, knowing that we gave it our best gives us sat-isfaction, even though we lost,” said junior Luis Melgarejo.

For the next game the team is training and working to reach its goal and beat the next school the Conquistadors encounter.

“The team will be up against Chatsworth High School on Wednesday, at Pierce College.

Cross Country defeated by rivalBirminghamBy KATHERINE ALAS

Junior captain David Salazar, 15, takes a shot against his opponent, Granada Hills, in the team’s second-to-last match of the season. The team’s last seasonal match will be against Birmingham today.

“We’re a strong team, and something like this definitely

should not bring us down, this has made the team work harder”

-William Cabrerajunior

Photo Courtesy of Aileen Ghobadi