The group, a multi-national collective with children from Liberia, India and Peru, has been touring the country, performing its cultural songs and dances for schools and other communities. In the past few months, Matsiko Choir has been up and down the west coast, and will soon be touring in New Mexico.

“These children are the same children that will be touring the entire country,” founder Don Windham said. “We are really proud of them.”

On top of the singing and dancing, the group sold various trinkets to the audience. The listeners flocked to the table covered with bracelets, necklaces and CDs. The profits from the merchandise went toward funding for the International Children’s Network (ICC) and the education of the choir children.

The ICC is a sponsorship program that supports children in impoverished areas, and encourages and facilitates sponsorships.

After the singing, students got an opportunity to meet face to face with the performing children, bridging the culture gap with handshakes and smiles.

[Photo by Jade Hua]

Because the current color of the bleachers is sky blue, which is not a school color, the team decided to paint the bleachers royal blue.

“Hopefully, it turns out as a team bonding activity,” sophomore Amanda Jones said. “We are really trying to get our team personalities in sync, with it being a new year with new girls.”

The bleachers have already been power washed and primed by Amanda, junior Nikki Klepper, and their mothers. As opposed to merely wanting to attract people to their games, the team is painting their bleachers as a form of thanks to their supporters.

“Our goal for the next few years is to build a softball culture at LAHS, and part of that is making sure our bleachers and equipment are all showing our LAHS pride,” Amanda said.

“It’s a real honor to be named a Model Continuation High School,” Alta Vista High Principal Bill Pierce said. “As a Model School, we are held up as an example, or model, of what a really great continuation high school looks like. We host visitations from teachers and administrators from other continuation high schools, as well as county and state-elected officials.”

The school was first named a Model School in 1999. Although Model School designation only currently lasts three years, it lasted for five years in 1999.

“We went through the Model School application and visitation process again earlier this school year and the results of the visitation were announced this week,” Pierce said. “The Model School application process is very much like the WASC process that LAHS is going through. There are 20 Quality Indicators, along with supporting data, that each school must meet or exceed in order to be considered.”

After reviewing applications sent in by schools, a committee of State Continuation High School Leaders grants visitations to schools that seem worthy of receiving the model status. During those visitations, if the committee validates everything that was reported in the self study, the school receives the status of Model Continuation High School.

“The rigor of the curriculum paired with an extraordinary teaching staff and exemplary support staff, makes AVHS the Model School that it is,” Pierce said. “Our personalized and nurturing environment, supported by our case management program and CHAC counselors, provides the kind of setting in which our students thrive.”

The $2,900 raised from the rummage sale will go toward grassroots organizations in Haiti, the Haitian school the club is helping to build, and travel fees for members of the club who wish to visit Haiti but cannot afford the trip themselves.

Members and supporters of the club, as well as club adviser Seth Donnelly, met on the Friday before the sale to organize and price the goods donated by the students. The sale lasted all day on Saturday, and the club donated unsold goods to Goodwill.

“It was a success and it was really nice that we could get so many people in the community to come out and support this cause,” junior Audrey Cashen said.

This verdict upholds an earlier decision in 2010 by the now retired US district judge, Judge Vaughn R. Walker. A three-judge panel made the decision and was split 2-1.

This newest ruling was less broad then the earlier one. In this decision, the judges made clear that they weren’t addressing whether gay marriage was a constitutional right, but that Proposition 8 specifically violated the equal protection clause.

“All that Proposition 8 accomplished was to take away from same-sex couples the right to be granted marriage licenses and thus legally to use the designation ‘marriage,’” Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt said in the decision. “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gay men and lesbians in California.”

After this most recent verdict, many have speculated that this case will go to the United States Supreme Court. However, even if it does, it is unlikely that the case will be resolved by the end of this year.

Gay marriages are not currently being granted in California due to a two week stay put on them due to court proceedings.

Proposition 8 passed in 2008 with 52 percent of the vote, outlawing gay marriage in California. Six states currently recognize same sex marriage, while another five observe civil unions.

The contest consisted of individual and group rounds. Sophomore Xianglong Ni placed second in his grade level and juniors Willem Van Eck and John Dai placed second and third, respectively.

As opposed to merely preparing for contests, the Math Team solves problems together during their meetings.

“We’ve been solving problems together each meeting, and teaching each other new problem-solving strategies that we’ve learned individually,” Willem said. “That way, we each get to share off each other’s strengths and knowledge and synergize.”

Although the Math Team is currently a small-time team compared to the math teams at Gunn High School or Lynbrook High School, it hopes to become more competitive in the future.

“We’re looking ahead to even great achievements in the future,” Willem said.

The United States closed its embassy in Syria in an attempt to escalate pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to give up power yesterday, February 6. Along with the United States, Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus, Syria. This comes just days after diplomatic attempts by the United Nations to end the crisis collapsed.

For 11 months, Assad and the Syrian government has been experiencing an uprising as activists protested the strict restrictions of civil rights Assad placed on them.

Recently, the protests have increased to violence, including the bombing of Horns. In response to this intensified violence, the United Nations attempted to approve a resolution calling for Assad to step aside; however, both China and Russia vetoed the legislation.

China, in response to the onslaught of criticism, has argued that it was forced to veto the vote on Syria because it was called before differences in the proposal were bridged.

North Korea Opens Door to Talks with South Korea

North Korea is open to immediate talks with South Korea under several preconditions, North Korean Policy Department colonel Ri Son Gwon said to The Associated Press in Pyongyang on Thursday, February 2.

In the form of an “open questionnaire,” North Korea laid out several points for South Korea to achieve before it would be ready to open talks. These included ending the United States-South Korean military drills and an official apology from the South Koreans for failing to show proper respect to Kim Jong Il during the mourning period in late December.

However, in a statement released by South Korea’s Unification Ministry, they have called the preconditions unreasonable and stated that they feel no need to offer a response.

Because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, the Korean peninsula is still technically at war. With the North Koreans finally opening up, this event may finally signal a crack in the North Korean’s stance against talks.

Swedish Supreme Court Rejects Pirate Bay Founders’ Appeals

The Swedish Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Pirate Bay founders Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundström to overturn the increased damages ordered at their 2009 trial on Wednesday, February 1. The court’s decision will force the 3 to pay a combined $6.8 million. In addition to the fine, Lundström, Sunde and Neij will serve 4, 8 and 10 months in prison, respectively.

The case, which began in 2008, was filed by various entertainment companies against the group for their violation of copyrights in the form of their torrent site, thepiratebay.se. Ultimately, the group was found guilty in February 2009; however, following an appeal, they had their sentences reduced.

Sunde is disappointed by the Supreme Court decision.

“Sweden speaks well about caring about the Internets,” Sunde said in an interview with torrentfreak.com. “They spend a lot of money and time on helping activists all around the world. But who are these people that they’re so proud of helping? TPB has been one of the most important movements in Sweden for freedom of speech, working against corruption and censorship.”

Romney wins Florida Primary

The Florida Presidential Primary took place on Tuesday, January 31. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney won with 46 percent of the vote. This was far ahead of the second place finisher, Newt Gingrich, who received 32 percent.

Trailing even farther behind was third-place finisher Rick Santorum, with 13 percent, and fourth-place finisher Ron Paul, with 7 percent.

The Florida primary followed the South Carolina Primary, where Gingrich finished with an upset win over Romney. After South Carolina, many speculated that Gingrich would be a serious problem for Romney. However, after Romney’s win in Florida, his lead, while far from certain, seems far more significant.

See full poll results here.

Presidential Candidates Compete in Nevada’s Republican Caucus

The Nevada Presidencial Caucus was held on Saturday, February 4. Following his win in Florida, Romney won again–this time with 50 percent. Gingrich came in second, with 21 percent. Meanwhile, Paul received 19 percent and Santorum received 10 percent.

Nevada continued to solidify Romney’s lead in the race, although all the candidates promised to continue on with their respective bids for president.

The Missouri primary and Colorado and Minnesota caucuses are scheduled to be held today, February 7.

During the week of February 6, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students will participate in the annual AVID writing competition. After the writing test, teachers will pick the top three papers from each grade level and submit the essays to regional judges who will choose the winners.
This year’s theme is student activism. In past years, AVID students have written on issues ranging from equality to the impact of social media on interpersonal relationships.

Teachers are given writing prompts, which they integrate into the classroom curriculum to prepare students for the February competition. Each AVID class has 45 minutes to complete the writing test.

“It’s really [about] practicing critical reading skills and being able to explain and critically analyze a writer’s argument, and then support your own stance in what extent you agree or disagree with the writer,” AVID teacher Joanne Miyahara said. “[Students] integrate evidence from both text that’s provided and other sources.”

Ninety-one schools in Region Five participate in the AVID competition. Region Five encompasses schools in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Each school has the option of participating in the competition. Winners of the competition receive a monetary gift and a plaque. In past years, the AVID Department has had success at the regional competition. Last year, Olivia Palmer, ‘11, was one of the winners.

Once teachers select the essays to submit to the regional competition, they notify the top three writers from each grade and invite them to attend the AVID writer’s conference. In past years, the conference has taken place at Stanford University, Santa Clara University and San Jose State University. While at the competition, students participate in workshops led by college professors.

“[Workshops] range from everything such as using voice to rhetorical strategies or more practical [topics] like building your college essay,” Miyahara said.

The creators of the test modeled the current version off of the California State University (CSU) English Placement Test. Their goal is to prepare AVID students for what they might encounter later on in their academic careers.

“The big picture is really helping all students get ready for college level writing,” Miyahara said.

The writing practice not only prepares AVID students for the February test, but also for other timed writing tests during their academic career, such as the SAT and the ACT. Although the time allotted for each of the essays is different, the concept is still the same for students.

“I feel it does prepare you for the SAT in a way because you experience how it’s going to be,” senior Cristin Marin said. “You have this amount of time and you have to [write] an essay in that amount of time.”

The competition practice also helps students become stronger writers in general. Practicing writing prompts in English class helps AVID students with their other classes.

“I’ve been in AVID since seventh grade,” junior Bhavdeep Singh said. “I was a poor writer, but as I did more prompts and practiced, I got better. It teaches me how to write quicker and analyze in a shorter amount of time.”

The Huffington post reported that these new standards will “cut toxic mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent, smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution by half and soot-forming sulfur dioxide by more than 70 percent.” This is beneficial to the public because according to the EPA, the effects include the prevention of 11,000 premature deaths, 4700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks every year.

However, the regulation faces opposition from coal-fired plants, who according to the Huffington Post are responsible for “up to three-quarters of the mercury that comes out of the smokestacks.” The EPA said that the rule will take effect once it is published in the Federal Register, supposedly in January or early February. Van Ness Feldman, a national law firm, said that “affected sources and industry groups are expected to challenge the rule in court, with the deadline for filing such petitions 60 days from the publication of the final rule in the Federal Register.” If the regulation holds, the EPA said that the plants will have three years to meet the requirements, and may receive more on an individual basis.

There is also current controversy surrounding the EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which the EPA said would require 28 states to “significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states.” Although the rule was planned for implementation by January 1, according to Reuters the “U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a request to stay the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, pending further court review.” Texas-based Luminant Generation Co. said that the rule would “cause the loss of 500 jobs” and force them to close two units.

Similar work to cut global emissions is also floundering on an international level. The UN Climate Change Conference ended on December 11, 2011, saying it had an agreement from all parties to “adopt a universal legal agreement on climate change as soon as possible, and no later than 2015.” Newspapers such as TheRegister.co.uk and TheDailyStar.net hailed it as a “failure.” According to Inhabit.com, research in 2011 by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that with the “amount of fossil fuel-run buildings and factories that are set to be built in the next five years, the human race will finally be locked into the critical mass of emissions that will push the Earth past the point of no return.” Inhabit.com also said that according to the IEA, “if we only start to limit emissions after 2020, we’ll have to spend $4 more for every $1 that we could have spent now to get emissions below climate change’s point of no return in 2050.”

One reason for inaction is the fear for the economy. In July of 2010, Democrats tried to pass a cap-and-trade bill, but “opponents argued that it would impose excessive costs on energy industries in a weak economy,” according to the New York Times. However, in October of 2011 California adopted the cap-and-trade system to take affect in 2013.

Around 30 students from LAHS, Mountain View High School (MVHS) and Alta Vista High School took a bus to downtown Mountain View where students met their job hosts. Students had the opportunity to get to know their hosts and ask them questions. After spending time with the hosts, students returned to City Hall for lunch where they were debriefed on their experience.

The professionals included building inspectors and civil engineers as well as employees from the police department, fire department, library, performing arts sector, Parks and Recreation sector and the Maston Architect Firm.

The coordination for the event was a collaborative effort between the Youth Resources Manager of Mountain View Kim Castro, College Career Center Coordinator Kristin Joseph, and the College Career Center Coordinator at MVHS and MVLA Workability Coordinator, Kim Jackson. The Job Shadow Day evolved out of Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization with programs to help educate young people about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

“We found [Junior Achievement to be] difficult because that involved a teacher in specific classes,” Joseph said. “We open it up schoolwide [with] juniors and seniors getting first priority.”

Job Shadow Day originally started six years ago with only Alta Vista students.

“It became a situation where we realized that it was something all students should participate in,” Jackson said. “So we opened it up for the entire district.”

Job Shadow Day allows students to get a perspective on different kinds of careers.

“I think it’s a way of exposure for students to learn more about what’s out there career-wise that perhaps they had no experience or knowledge about and gain that knowledge,” Joseph said.