Half Moon Bay High School hmbpawprint.com Vol 3, No.1 November 2014

Half Moon Bay High Welcomes New Admin

Return of the Giant Pumpkins HMB High students jump into action as the 44th annual Pumpkin Festival comes to Half Moon Bay!By Jackson Crane and Abigail Drobnick

School: Just How Stressful Can It Be?Are Students on the Verge of a Mental Breakdown?

THiS week we set out on a mission to learn how the stress of school is affecting the students of Half Moon Bay High, and if there were any reoccurring factors that may be contributing to that stress.

We gave out a survey to 25 random stu-dents, based on an average day at HMB High.

The results that came back caused some concern.

Just in the Nick of TimeThe Nick of Time Foundation Brings Awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest to HMBHS

eVery THree days one high school stu-dent dies from Sudden Cardiac Arrest... And that’s just in the United States.

The Nick of Time Foundation has made it their mission to spread awareness of the seriousness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and decrease the number of deaths among young people.

iNSiDe THiS MONTH’S iSSUeAll the latest on what’s happening in and around our school and community

INSIDE

» continued, Pg. 2

» continued, Pg. 5

New principal and vice-principal join the Cougar family.By Lorna Mata and Sophia Perez

THiS ACADeMiC yeAr sees the arrival of a new principal and vice-principal at Half Moon Bay High. With 2014-2015 now well under way, both students and staff are con-fident of exciting times ahead!

Mr.Campana is the school’s new princi-pal. We are very fortunate to have a highly educated and devoted person as the head of our admin, this new school year.

Mr.Campana has been teaching and working with students, especially teenag-ers, for 17 years. In a recent interview he stated that he really enjoys working with teens, which is why he has mostly worked

years at a Heritage Peak Charter in Rio Linda, CA. After completing her master’s degree she spent two years teaching in the Elk Grove Unified School District, where she piloted Nspire technology, supported secondary education in mathematics, was a WASC Focus Group leader and learned from some of the best in UC Davis’ math in education programs.

After her time in Elk Grove she continued her growth as a teacher leader at Peninsula Alternative High School (PAHS), where she had the opportunity to lead. As a result she decided to pursue an administrative master’s degree from San Francisco State University.

As WASC Coordinator at Peninsula, she helped lead the site to a 6-year clear accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

For the last four years at PAHS, Mrs.Zammit served as the campus Instruc-tional Coach, Union Building President, Professional Development Coordinator, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Work Experience Coordinator, Math Department Chair, Onsite Credit Recovery Math Lead,

Mrs.Zammit. New vice-principal at HMB High.

Alternative Task Force Member, School Site Council Member, Site Leadership Team Member, Summer School Director, and Interim Assistant Principal. She pur-sued all of these leadership opportunities to learn all that she could around publiceducation, how it functions and most importantly to grow as a professional.

Again, we are delighted to welcome Mr.Campana and Mrs.Zammit into the Cougar family!

MAiN STreeT overflowing with people from all over, local highways mobbed with an endless line of crawling cars, and everything pumpkin possible, Pumpkin Festival is an icon of the quiet town of Half Moon Bay.

This year the Pumpkin Festival was held on October 18th and 19th with everybody’s favorite Cougar booths in attendance. The Pumpkin Festival is made possible by the help from local high-school volunteers who are taking advantage of this fund-raising and community service opportunity.

The boys’ basketball players woke up bright and early to cook some pumpkin pancakes and sausage at their annual pancake breakfast.

Interact Club ran the spin art and candle-making booth in the Bank of America

parking lot. Nearby, the popular water polo pumpkin smoothie booth, and the art department’s face painting booths, helped

to spread the festive spirit. The girls’ basket-ball program popped hundreds of bags of kettle corn on both Saturday and Sunday

while girls’ volleyball and soccer sold out of their prized tamales in no time, just like in past years.

The boys’ soccer team wheeled out their black and orange churro cart. Many more athletes and students partici-pated in fundraising activities which helped raise the money needed to keep their club or sport going.

Cougars have accumulated hundreds of hours of communi-ty service in just one weekend, either raising funds for a sport or helping out a local organiza-tion like the rotary club.

We took a survey and asked which Cougar fundraising event was the most popular. As a result we found that the

boys’ basketball pancake breakfast was the favorite.

» continued, Pg. 2

at high schools and middle schools. Mr.Campana graduated from St. Mary’s

College with a Bachelor of Arts in Com-munication, later attended SFSU and received a Bachelor of Science in United

States History and an Administrative Services Credential with a Master of Science in Educa-tional Technology from Notre Dame de Namur Univer-sity.Furthermore, Mr. Campana has also taught multiple subjects including Modern World His-tory, United States History, and Psy-chology at Aragon High School. While teaching there he also coached tennis and was the direc-tor of activities.

He spent six years as Dean of Students at Capuchino High School, followed by one year at Ralston Middle School. He is very experienced with teenage stu-dents and is deter-mined to provide help for students to thrive.

One very impor-tant and valuable factor that Cam-pana has to offer is he would like to expand the AVID program, so that

students become prepared for post-high school. AVID is a very beneficial program and we are excited to expand the program at our high school.

Our new vice-principal, Mrs.Zammit, attended Terra Nova High School, before studying at UC Davis. She earned a math-ematics credential and masters in educa-tion. During this time she taught for three

Just Keep Swimming!P.e. instructor and Students Share Opinions on Swim Unit

iN THe FreSHMeN P.e. COUrSe, swimming is a required part of the curriculum.

Half Moon Bay being a beach town, we were surprised to hear from Mr.Anderson, the P.E. instructor, how many kids had never learned to swim.

» continued, Pg. 4

INDEXNewS 1-2STUDeNT LiFe 3SPOrTS 4OPiNiON 5eNTerTAiNMeNT 6

Pumpkin Carving 101Learn how to carve your pumpkins like a maestro!

Read more » Pg.6

Our New AdminA fun quick interview, introducing HMB High’s new admin from a different perspective.

Read our report » Pg.3

girls Volleyball Still going StrongAlong with other sports, the volleyball season is in full swing,

Read our report » Pg.4

THiS wAS followed by the water polo team’s pumpkin smoothie booth.

Senior Sam Mitchell has worked the pan-cake breakfast four years in a row and states that, “All of the hard work we put in really pays off. It’s good to see that people enjoy what we do and it’s really good food.” The basketball players will be working long shifts and putting a lot of time into making the pancake breakfast happen. Each year the pancake breakfast can be seen sport-ing an impressive line, leaving no question as to why it was voted the most popular Cougar booth.

The Cougar water polo team’s pumpkin smoothie booth has also been a hit at the festival the past couple of years. Four-year water polo player and pumpkin smoothie volunteer, Fiona Handler, offers her opin-ion, “I like spending time with my buddies on my team outside of a water polo set-ting and I also get to drink free pumpkin smoothies.”

These delicious pumpkin smoothies may be more accurately referred to as milk-shakes, but those extra calories sure aren’t

stopping many festival goers. Festival-goers could easily find the pumpkin smoothie booth, with the help of the boys water polo players, enthusiastically advertising with their picket-signs and witty lines.

So whenever you attend the Pumpkin Festival, be sure to stop in at the Cougar-operated booths because with their wide variety they are sure to satisfy.

This young local helped the festival reach new heights!

« Return of the Giant Pumpkins, contd.The 44th annual Pumpkin Festival comes to Half Moon Bay!

« Just in the Nick of Time, contd.The Nick of Time Foundation Brings Awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest to HMBHS

By Abigail Drobnick

SUDDeN CArDiAC ArreST (SCA) is defined as the sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness, usually caused by an electrical disturbance which stops the normal function of one’s heart. If SCA is not treated with emergency medical care immediately, it can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death. Due to the rapid progression of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the most viable form of protection is preven-tion, achieved by an ECG.

On September 26, Half Moon Bay High School was the first school in the Bay Area to benefit from a unique program offering 500 free heart screenings to help prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the leading cause of death among healthy teenagers. The service was free to all students who signed up thanks to many organizations in the Half Moon Bay community. Students had their heart pulse checked, were screened with an Electrocardiogram (ECG) if needed, educated in CPR and taught proper use of an AED. These exams and lessons are invaluable to the reduction of Sudden Car-diac Arrest deaths among students in Half Moon Bay.

As mentioned earlier, one seemingly healthy young person dies every three days in the United States from SCA. The Nick of Time Foundation is dedicated to reducing that number and making sure that as many young people as possible know about SCA and know about their heart health. Athletic Director, Justin Ferdinand, believes that every aspect of the heart screening event is valuable. “The Nick of Time heart screen-ings give the coaches and parents an extra level of understanding about their student-athletes and give them a little more peace of mind regarding potential heart problems that may not have come up in a regular physical,” commented Ferdinand.

The Nick of Time Foundation, the Coast-side Cougar Alumni, HMBHS Boosters, along with countless community volun-teers, teamed up to screen 457 young hearts and found that 11 students needed fadditional testing outside of what the organization can offer.

One of the main organizers and volun-teers, Pauline Burke, was a key player in helping organize and bring this event to the coastside. She fought hard to get four AEDs on the HMBHS campus, and with the help of Boosters and Dignity Health, the AEDs were installed on campus in 2013 making Half Moon Bay High a safer place for students, staff and the whole commu-nity.

Pauline Burke saw the heart screenings as a perfect way to help make our campus a “Heart Safe Zone”. “This program saves lives,” Burke stated. “There is no doubt in my mind that if the students that were screened (by the Nick of Time Foundation) and found to have a critical heart problem weren’t screened they may not be alive today. In the last four years, The Nick of Time Foundation has screened 12,025 stu-dents; 364 required follow up.” Those 364 hearts are still beating, thanks to the Nick of TIme Foundation.

Volunteers from the community as well as coastside professional doctors and firefighters flocked to the high school to make sure the event ran smoothly and that the students of Half Moon Bay High had healthy hearts. It was incredible to see a whole community come together and help owners Darla and Sue, who are Half Moon Bay High School graduates, spread their message and help prevent SCA.

Two students volunteers practice CPR.

For more information about Nick of Time, visit their website:

www.nickoftimefoundation.org

The Ceremonies Have BegunHMB FFA Competes in the Opening and Closing CeremonyBy Jenna Baxter

said Piccolotti. “I think I will probably attend more events in the future.”Senior Margarita Vasquez and Secretary of the HMB FFA Chapter has competed

multiple times in this competition. Vasquez was looking forward to “bonding more with my FFA members.” This competition also allows students to see friends from different

chapters. “We get to interact with people from all over our region,” said Vasquez.Along with the excitement of competing, the Opening and Closing Ceremony Competi-

tion helps students develop public speaking skills. “I feel that I have improved my public speaking skills and confidence,” said Senior Leticia Jarquin.

On the same note, Senior Ashley Utz said, “I have been able to take my past Opening and Closing experience and apply it to school and everyday life.”

Overall the Half Moon Bay FFA Chapter did great! Members walked away with ribbons as well as a higher level of confidence and enhanced public speaking skills.

ON weDNeSDAy, October 15, seventeen HMB FFA members traveled to Dixon High School for the annual Opening and Closing competition. Opening and Closing refers to the way a FFA meeting is opened and adjourned. Each officer on a team has a certain part to say during the ceremony.

This is a type of speaking competition where students are judged on their pre-sentation, their professional appearance, and their knowledge of the ceremony.

Freshman, Anna Piccolotti was looking forward to competing. Even though she was “nervous because I think I will forget some words,” her novice team placed second overall. “I think it’s a good expe-rience to get more involved with FFA,”

“I feel that I have improved my public my public speaking skills and confidence” - Senior Leticia Jarquin.

How was your pumpkin festival? Got any good

stories or anecdotes? Why not contribute to

Paw Print Online? We’d love to hear from you!

www. hmbpawprint.com

hmbpawprint@gmail.com

Is National Convention Ready for You? Members from Half Moon Bay FFA Chapter attend convention for the first time in many years.By Kennedy Arnold

THe FFA NATiONAL CONVeNTiON was held in Kentucky from October 29th to Novem-ber 2nd. For the 80,000 FFA attendees, the week proved to be a wild one. It ranged from multiple positive sessions accompa-nied by keynote speakers, to rockin con-certs a few nights of their stay.

This event gives high school students from all over the nation a chance to meet new friends, take a deeper step into FFA, and grow their leadership skills.

Two members from Half Moon Bay FFA attended this convention for the first time in many years.

Before arriving, chapter President Ashley Utz told us what she thought members

would participate in during the conven-tion, “At National Convention I believe I’ll participate in leadership activities, attend the career fair, and enjoy the concerts!”

This convention is filled with fun and games. In addition to this, it also helps enrich leadership skills. “ I am so excited to meet new people from all over the country and make lasting relationships with them”, said Utz.

Anticipating the convention, Half Moon Bay FFA Chapter Vice President, Jenna Baxter added, “ I expect to meet people who are extremely involved in FFA, and are there to experience FFA at a higher level.” There are so many exciting activities to look forward to at Nationals. Baxter continued, “ I am most excited for the opening ses-sion because that will set the tone for the remainder of the convention”.

Like Baxter, Utz was looking forward to the upcoming adventures of National Con-vention. “ I believe that I will walk away with a better sense of how FFA impacts our country as a whole” said Utz.

2 NEWS November, 2014

By Jackson Crane and Abigail Drobnick

650 712-1766 events@samschowdermobile.com650 712-1766 650 712-1766 events@samschowdermobile.com

HOLIDAY PARTY? • Family Gatherings • Business Events • Group Celebrations

Sam’s ChowderMobile willbring the party to YOUat your home or offi ce!

Get To Know Our New AdminA fun quick interview that will introduce the new admin from a different perspective By Lorna Mata and Sophia Perez

THiS yeAr there are two new very impor-tant members of the Cougar Community, Mr. Campana and Mrs.Zammit. We are excit-ed to work and continue to grow alongside them to make Half Moon Bay High School the ideal learning environment.

Mr. Campana is the school principal and Mrs.Zammit is the assistant principal. Since they are both new to the Cougar Commu-nity, we went ahead and asked them a few questions, in order to get to know them better.

These interesting questions are more on the fun side, and will inform us on who they really are. They were both asked the same ten questions presented as follows:

1. What is your favorite sport? Team?Zammit: Basketball, Warriors.Campana: Soccer, Manchester United.

2. One word that describes you?Zammit: Pregnant.Campana: Improvement/Motivated.

3. Favorite candy bar?Zammit: Cadbury Fruit & Nut.Campana: Recess.

4. How do you spend your free time?Zammit: Friends and Family. Campana: Family, “It is important tomake time for my wife and son, and forthe gym”.

Community Service: You Need It! Before you graduate from HMBHS you need to complete 35 hours of community service. By Nicole Laughlin.

How to Get Through High SchoolCrises? Trauma? Stress? Here’s some advice on how to make high school a sucess.

eNTeriNg A New SCHOOL yeAr can be dev-astating for some people. School work can get hard, and close friends can tear you apart. You will might also experience rela-tionship and family crises.

Everything might overwhelm you, but here are some tips, to help you get through the school year:

1. Be yOUrSeLF. If you are an incoming freshman, or even just restarting the school year at HMB HS, start off in a good way. Try to avoid drama, and, even if it gets to you, just let go of it. If you think about it, the drama will not matter 10 years from now.

Always remember not to take things too seriously (besides school work). We’re all just a bunch of teens, and we’re still young. We don’t know how to face the world yet, we are still in high school, and the real world isn’t a game to be playing around with.

If you have a goal that you want to pursue, but you’re scared of someone saying something about it, don’t worry, just think about yourself and what you want to do, and focus on that. Everyone has flaws, there is no such thing as “perfect”. Find the values in yourself, and focus on them.

2. HAVe A POSiTiVe ATTiTUDe. When hard times strike, it’s important to keep your

self up, because negativity will only bring you down. Try and look at things in a differ-ent perspective.

Being positive will bring you positive vibes in all respects. If you set your mind to doing something, then you will. There is an opportunity for growth on an every-day basis, to become a better person both mentally and spiritually.

3. STAy ON TOP OF yOUr SCHOOL wOrk.High school classes really matter! Always try your best in everything. Remember, challenges can only make us smarter and stronger. High school is about getting ready for college and the adult life ahead of us.

If you’re struggling, you can try home-work club, ask classmates, or talk to a coun-selor. You may also ask someone about tutoring. There are classes that are required to graduate and also certain A-G classes that are required for UC’s and CSU’s.

Even though you’re new to high school, you should start thinking about colleges you’d like to attend, so that, once ready, you have all the requirements needed.

4. STAy OrgANiZeD. Staying organized will make your life less stressful. It is best to have notes, homework and other paperworkseparated, rather than all together.

“Trauma. Confusion. Pressure. Anxiety. Where am I?”

As funny and nerdy as it sounds, keeping an agenda is important. You can stay orga-nized and write down things on it, such as your homework, or if you have to study for a big test the next day.

Being organized is important for both inside and outside of school, to find time for all the things you want to do or get done. It is always great to make time for work, gym, sports, meetings, etc.

COMMUNiTy SerViCe is beneficial to the community and you. It is required to do 35 hours of community service before graduating from HMBHS. If you’re looking for opportunities for community service, here’s some help and advice.

Before you start your work, you’re going to need some proof that you have completed it. You can find the com-munity service forms on the HMBHS website under the counseling depart-ment. After you have printed your appropriate paperwork, you’re ready to go!

The Coastside Hope organization have opportunities for community service at their organization. These opportunities are broken down into four categories: Family Harvest food distribution, food pantry / drop-in volunteer, special events volunteer, and Adopt-A-Family volunteer. No pre-reg

istration is required; you can just show up at their warehouse in the Princeton Harbor. Their most popular volunteer work is the family harvest food distribution. Here you

will: unpack pallet loads of food; create family-sized servings, and load them into the clients’ cars.

Th e fo o d pantry volun-teering consists of sorting food, stocking shelves, and cleaning the pantry.

The special events volunteer work varies throughout the year, and may consist of fundraisers or other special events.

The annual Adopt-A-Family program offers weekend volunteer opportunities every year, and takes place two weeks after Thanksgiving.

For more information on Coastside Hope check out their website:

www.coastsidehope.org. Another great organization is our

chool’s Campus Beautification. A couple of dates are set for Campus Beautification. All you have to do is show up and the person person in charge will direct you.

This may consist of picking up trash, garden work, and more. The Campus Beautification dates for the 2014-15 school year are 12/06/14, 03/07/15, 05/02/15, and 06/06/15. All of the dates listed are on a Saturday and begin at 8 AM.

There is also a community service group in Leadership. You can speak with one of the members located in Ms. Tower’s class-room for more information.

I have surveyed several students who have done community service. The common answers on where they have got it done is from the Junior Guard programs, summer camps, and local work.

The surveyed students who have not done community service are expecting to do service involving picking up trash (such as campus beautification).

Once completed you can turn your com-munity service paperwork into your current history teacher.

Our New Exchange StudentsThis year we have two new exchange students: Ann Sophia, from Denmark, and emilia, from germanyBy Brenna Carroll & Nina Piccolotti.

Ann Sophia, from Denmark.

ANN SOPHIA What is a hobby that you enjoy?Handball, it’s like water polo on land. It’s fun and I’ve been doing it for a long time.How long are you staying with us at Half Moon Bay High School?The whole school year. It’s a long time but I think it’s enough to get an experience and get to be a part of the high school. I wish I could spend some of the summer here. Do you think other students should do an exchange program? Why?I think people should because people get to experience a different culture and you

Emilia, from Germany.

learn a lot about yourself and what’s weird about your own country.

EMILIAWhat is a hobby that you enjoy?Playing badminton and my friends.How long are you staying with us at Half Moon Bay High School?One year, the whole school year.Do you think other students should do an exchange program? Why?Yes I think it’s an experience. You can meet new people and a new family and grow up, I think it’s very good.

November, 2014 STUDENT LIFE 3

By Vanessa Aquino and Priscila Rodriguez.

4210 North Cabrillo Highway | 650.712.0245 | www.samschowderhouse.com

• LOCALS NIGHT •on Wednesdays

20% off food & beverages for locals living from Pacifica toPescadero, 4:30pm-9pm. Restaurant only, offer not valid in bar.

• LADIES NIGHT •on Thursdays

Half off well drinks, well cocktails, wine by the glass & beer(for all) + Half off one appetizer (ladies only). Bar only, 4-9 pm

OYSTER BAR

Participate in Our Virtual Workshop Online!

We hope you will participate in our Virtual Workshop to

learn more about the development of Connect the Coastside. This workshop will provide an opportunity for residents to learn about how the Plan is being developed

and share ideas about how to best meet the transportation needs of Coastsiders in the future. That includes bus service and bike trails to and from school!

Flint Strategies is pleased to support Half Moon Bay High School’s student newspaper The Paw Print by providing

information about important Coastside efforts!

For more information visit our website:

www.ConnectTheCoastside.com

Girls Volleyball Still Going StrongChemistry between team and new coach proving to be strong.By Ellie Henretty

THe VOLLeyBALL SeASON is still in full swing, with the girls competing in their regular league season. Varsity’s overall record is 5-2 after their game against Westmoor High School.

Junior volleyball player, Mia Cordes.

“We only have two seniors this year, so it’s a really young team.” Said Junior Mia Cordes. The age of the team is obviously not holding them back at all as they continue to dominate this season. Along with the age difference the team has a new coach.

“We have a new coach, it’s really different. But we all really like Ryan, he’s a really good coach and he wants to help us get better and win,” said Cordes.

The team chemistry between the girls and their coach, which is always a deter-mining factor between a winning and losing season, is very strong. “We all get along really well for the most part,” Cordes added.

The JV girls team is also continuing with a strong season. “Though we began the season with a shaky start, Im proud to see my team start to come together. When we play as a team, the people in the crowd can see how much we have improved and have athletically grown. I cannot be any happier with my teammates,” said Junior Megan Rodrigues.

Water Polo Jumps into Bay DivisionTeams well conditioned and ready for the season aheadBy Andrew Olivero and Ally Sarabia

AFTer THe greAT SHOwiNg Half Moon Bay water polo had last year in the ocean divi-sion, the entire program will be bumped up to the Bay division.

With this advance, the program has been playing more challenging teams, some containing members of the Junior Olympic U.S.A. water polo. Accompanying the tough competition, the teams also play in a regulation size pool. Our pool doesn’t have the proper width nor depth to reach

the standards set upon by the PAL Bay nights a week at the college of San Mateo division, so now our cougars practice two and are also playing all home games there. Senior, Alyson Osgood, spoke out about the topic, “It’s sad that we don’t have home games because there isn’t as much sup-port, but the quality of the games will be better”.

With the move to CSM, an intense atmo-sphere has been created in the water polo program. Head coach Justin Ferdinand, is pushing his players to their limits to keep them well conditioned and ready for the season ahead of them. Senior, Julia Loeger-ing said, “The CSM practices are really good because we can utilize a good Pool and we are learning how to understand the game mentally and physically”.

High School Sports: Constructive or Harmful?Do sports commitments eat into our study time?By Kennedy Arnold

rigHT NOw, not just at Half Moon Bay High School, but at all high schools, seniors are in the middle of the college applications.It is one of a student’s goals (or should be) to work to their very best potential in high school and get accepted into colleges. We attend and excel in high school, so that we are accepted into college, where we study to receive a degree to then work at a great job everyday.

A student needs a stable and strong GPA, but what is the number one thing colleges look for? That would be a well-rounded person. What is a well-rounded person? This means that most colleges are looking for students who are adept at multi-tasking, are able to maintain their grades as well as extra curricular activities, may have a part-time job, often participate in sports and community service projects, and, certainly not least, spend time with their families. All of these categories should have approxi-mately the same time requirements.

Very often, people believe that sports require too much time of the athletes who participate in them. After interview-ing some of Half Moon Bay High School’s juniors and seniors, this assumption proved to be incorrect. I had asked my intervie-wees “Do you feel the time required of your sport(s) is reasonable given the other responsibilities in your life?” I learned that most student athletes felt the time require-ments are justified. Most of the student athletes commented that participation in a sport is voluntary. Their opinion is that if you sign up for a sport, you have to recog-nize that you will need to be involved in all practices, games/meets, tournaments, and fundraising.

One junior student athlete commented, “No, I don’t feel the time spent on sports is reasonable. My coaches have said that we should all take our homework very seri-ously, and have academics come first, but then when I have homework that keeps me up until 2:00am, they get angry if we skip practice that following day.” Basically, it sounds like a double standard.

Participating in these sports help students become more of a well-rounded person. Half Moon Bay High School students seem to have it together, and can push through the challenge of managing many things at once! Sports have a constructive impact on our students. Go Cougars!

« Just Keep Swimming, contd. P.e. instructor and Students share opinions on swim unitBy Noah Skinner, Andrew Olivero and Ally Sarabia

We asked Mr. Anderson and two of his freshmen students, Tamia Parsons and Hayden Von Almen, for their opinions.

Tamia ParsonsQ: What has your swim experience been like?A: It was kind of fun, definitely better than running.Q: Do you think it is important to have a swim unit?A: No. It’s stupid, most people in 9th grade already know how to swim. Q: What is one thing you would change about the swim program?A: We need more time to get into our swim clothes.

Hayden Von AlmenQ: What has your swim experience been like?A: Pretty good, kinda fun. We just kick it, and I enjoy the showers afterwards.Q: Do you think it is important to have a swim unit?A: Yes, because in a life or death situation you want to know how to swim, and it’s good

exercise.Q: What is one thing you would change about the swim program?A: I think we should have more underwater swimming instead of just holding our breath

and practicing kicking.

Mr. AndersonQ: How long has swimming been part of the PE curriculum?A: I can’t answer that because I’ve only been here for three years. It’s been a part of my

curriculum all three years.Q: What is in the course material for the swimming unit?A: We try to keep it very simple, so basic strokes: freestyle, backstroke, we might throw

in breast stroke this year. With the different skill levels of the students it’s really hard to do the other important strokes. We’ll do things like holding their breath, the breath test, and treading water.

Q: Is it important to teach swimming in a community so close to the ocean?A: Absolutely, it kind of shocks me when students can’t swim at all. It’s definitely impor-

tant to have a life skill like swimming, to be able survive. You never know what’s going to happen, you could be out on a boat or something and if you don’t know how to swim you could be in big trouble. I definitely think it should be taught to all students middle school and under. It’s kind of late in the game to be teaching this in high school.

HMB Cross Country on the Rise Spectacular start two months into XC season.By Brandon Capers

THiS CrOSS COUNTry SeASON has been spectacular for both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams. After two months, here is a short recap of the season so far.

On September 11th at the first PAL meet in Westmoor, both the guys and girls varsity teams finished in second place, with Menlo-Atherton finishing first. Graham Faust led the varsity boys with a time of 12:57 and Clara Fassinger won the varsity girls race with a time of 15:09

On September 20th at the Lowell Invitational in Golden Gate Park, there were quite a few individuals who had good races. In the varsity races, Clara Fassinger (18:17) and Carmen Zafra(18:31) finished third and seventh for the girls, while Jackson Wooliver (16:05) finished 27th overall in the boys. Mackenzie Faust (14:29) finished fifth in the frosh-soph girls race and Natan Cristol-Deman (12:34) placed fourth in the freshmen boys’ race.

On September 27th, the XC team ran at the Ram Invitational in Westmoor. For the boys varsity, Jackson Wooliver(13:10) got 26th. Carmen Zafra(15:41) came in 10th place for the girls varsity.

On October 4th, at Half Moon Bay’s own Artichoke invitational, HMB’s cross coun-try teams had a great showing. The girls’ varsity squad won the team title , with Clara Fassinger(14:27) and Carmen Zafra(15:12) leading the way with second and eighth places. In the varsity B girls race, Cleome Kerseg finished second with a time of 15:56.

On October 8th, Half Moon Bay hosted PAL Meet #2, Clara Fassenger(14:34) led the girls varsity team by winning the race, followed by Carmen Zafra(14:47), who finished second. On the boys varsity side, Khalil Droubi(12:46), Coery O’Driscoll (12:56), and Graham Faust(13:00) took the top spots for the team, with 7th, 8th, and 9th place finishes.

On October 17th the XC team traveled to Toro Park for the Monterey Bay invitation-al. Graham Faust(16:59) finished in 30th place. Clara Fassinger finished with a time of 19:24.

On October 24th in Southern California, the Half Moon Bay Cross country team com-peted at the Mt. SAC invitational. For the boys varsity, Corey O’Driscoll(16:55) finished as HMB’s first runner in 35th place. In the JV boys race, Javier Morales(18:20) finished second overall. For the girls varsity, Clara Fassinger(19:21) and Carmen Zafra(19:58) led the way with 7th place and 22nd place finishes

With half of the season done, Half Moon Bay needs to remain healthy and strong to stay on the path to the state cross country meet.

4 SPORTS November, 2014

The first question asked: “How many hours of sleep do you get a night on aver-age?” The majority seemed to be around 5-7 hours of sleep a night. For optimum health and per-formance, The Sleep Founda-tion claims that the average teenager needs 8 ½ to 9 ¼ hours of uninterrupted sleep. Without that many hours, the ability to solve problems decreases, while stress levels increase.

Question 2 asked: “How many hours of homework do you get a night on average?” Again, the answers caused some con-cern. The amount of hours p e a k e d at 3-4, with 7 students s t a t -ing this quantity. But, is that too much? Say that the average person has 3 ½ hours of home-work a night. If you add that to extracur-ricular activities, dinner, and studying, there isn’t much time left for the student to wind down after a long day, resulting in the stu-dent living under high pressure.

Also, any student who happens to play a sport has an especially tight shift to run, since most sports have daily practices that last a couple hours each day. How could anyone get the recommended amount of sleep with that schedule? School activities, homework, sleep. Repeat.

Question 3 asked students to rate their stress about school. Once again the results were alarming.

It was shocking to learn that out of all the options offered, the majority of people chose number five, which meant that they are so stressed about school that it has

resulted in anxiety, panic attacks, and/or depression. These are all serious condi-tions that have major affects, both long term and short term, on the mind and

body of a person. I understand that it is important to try your best in school, but if your best is at the expense of your mental and physical health, there is a point when one must ask: is it worth it?

Education should not contribute to mental break downs. Education should not contribute to students despising the thought of going to school.

As I read each survey, I noticed that on Question 3, people often underlined it, circled it several times in bold, drew arrows to emphasize stress, or put exclamation marks. I think says more about their frus-tration than any other survey data can.

Not surprisingly, a majority of those who marked low hours of sleep also recorded that they had a large amount of home-work a night as well as high levels of stress. Surveying these 25 people has made me deeply concerned about the students

both at this school and schools across the country. What we call “education” has, for the most part, turned into a conveyor belt system that rates the intelligence of a diverse group of people based on numbers and standardized tests that really only mea-sure rote memorization skills. I am deeply frustrated by what school has turned into for many people, and the fact that it has taught us that there is a huge difference between education and learning. If school is causing these people such high levels of stress, then something needs to be done about it. I feel as though students are pushed too hard into boxes that we no longer fit into. The times have changed, so why hasn’t our education system?

A typically stressed out HMB High student, complete with pressure and abject confusion.

« School: Just How Stressful Can it Be?, contd. Are Students on the Verge of a Mental Breakdown?By gillian Davis

Exchanging ViewsThe difference between American and german High Schools.By Emilia Vogt

Sociology/Psychology Elective Class Introduced to StudentsTrue college level course or just another High School lesson ?By Noah Skinner

THiS yeAr, a Sociology/Psychology course was introduced to students as an alterna-tive elective class. Sociology is the study of social behavior, its origins, institutions and development in order to better understand the nature of the collective “us”; what we know as society.

Psychology is the scientific approach to the study of the human mind, which we seem to have very little knowledge of, in order to better understand the way humans think; mental functions and behavior.

The course was said to be college-level, taught by an actual Soc/Psych professor from a university. Being avidly and increas-ingly interested in Sociology and Psychol-ogy myself, I signed up, but seniors were prioritized and I am a junior. Now I am hear-ing that almost everyone who enrolled has dropped the class, and those who are cur-rently enrolled are trying to drop it.

I interviewed my friend, Connor Whitt, also an aspiring psychologist, who, feeling disappointed, dropped out of the class.

Q: Why did you sign up for this course?A: I signed up for Soc/Psych because I

wanted to learn Psychology, and Sociology was part of the class.

Q: Why did you drop out of the class?A: I felt that it wasn’t what I was looking

for. The class was run like a typical high school class, even though it was supposed to be a college-level course for primarily seniors and juniors.

Q: Do you still think Sociology and Psychol-ogy are interesting subjects?

A: Yes, in fact, I will likely go on to study Psych in college.

Q: Would you say your reasons for dropping out lie more in yourself or the class?

A: Both, but mostly because of the class.

Do the Lockers Need a Paintjob?Should we repaint the lockers to represent cougar colors and pride?By Sophia Perez

i’M eMiLiA and I’m an exchange student from Germany. I would like to tell you something about the difference between German and American Schools.

In Germany, students stay in one class and change only for science subjects, like chemistry, physics or biology. Instead of students changing classes, the teachers are the people who move from class to class.

Here at HMB High, for the first few weeks of school the idea of changing classrooms between subjects was confus-ing to me.

In German high schools we can’t choose our subjects, and normally we have 14 subjects. How-ever, you don’t have all these subjects every day. At the beginning of 12th grade you can drop some subjects, except German, Math and English. You also have to take a test in all of them to graduate. Also, in Germany, our lessons are only 45 Minutes long, not one hour.

Another big difference is we don’t have sport teams in school. People do athletics

in a sport club outside of school. The only sport you do in school, is a sport

class comparable with P.E. You do things like gymnastics, basketball or running.

What was really new for me was the school spirit. On Fridays lots of students dress in school colors to be ‘spirited’. This was really surprising and cool!

We also don’t have things like Homecom-ing or Prom. In my opinion German schools should do this! It would be really cool to have this in my school. We also don’t have a dress code in Germany.

I can’t really decide what I like more. A pro in American high schools is that you can choose your subjects, and you have a big selection of sports clubs and activities.

A pro in German schools is that you don’t have the same subjects every day, in the same order. You have more variety and more time to do your homework. In conclusion both systems have their pros and their cons.

November, 2014 OPINION 5

COUgAr PriDe is something that all stu-dents have here in Half Moon Bay High. Representing their black and orange school colors is something each student, including myself, enjoys.

Half Moon Bay High should be able to represent those colors in any way possible, beginning with the school lockers. Being my first year here at the high school, notic-ing the lockers wasn’t very hard. Because the lockers blended in with the beige paint-ing surrounding them, the lockers didn’t stand out, but I knew they were there.

Observing the scratched paint on the lockers made me, as well as other students, realize that the lockers needed a paint-job. Going back to the idea of Half Moon Bay High needing to represent their school colors in as many ways possible, it came to my attention that the lockers should appear in black and orange colors, themselves.

Holding this discussion in class, Lorna Mata suggested something I agreed with: having each locker painted orange would work, because the locks on the lockers be represented not only with the clothes stu-dents wear, but everyday in the are already black. This way, school spirit would be

A sad looking HMB High student locker.

represented not only with the clothes stu-dents wear, but everyday in the environ-ment of Half Moon Bay High. The orange colors of the lockers would not only enhance the school spirit that already exists, but would also attract attention, and possibly enlighten the mood around campus, bringing more spirit than usual to our school.

A tip of the pressman’s hat to Half Moon Bay High School.

Half Moon Bay Review

Keep up the good work.

We are very proud of all the students who are involved in producing the Paw Print. We know it’s not easy to create a newspaper. We also know that a printed product, for whatever reason,

carries more weight than its digital counterpart. Plus you can make these jaunty little hats.

Want to make your own?

Courtesy of the late Guardian!

Keeping up with the Cougars since 1898.Are you a newspaper lover? Own a business? We are looking for one more supporter to take over this spot. It will help us print and distributre the high school paper as long as they make one. 726-4424

HMB High’s furry oracle of wisdom, helps sort out students’ lives.

Dear Cougie,I am a senior and I have a crush on a fresh-

man. Should I go for it or nah? I need your advice to make sure I am doing the right thing.

Cougie believes you should not go for it. Cougie thinks it’s just plain wrong. You should be wary of the age difference. There are a lot of complications with such a large age gap, especially when you consider the difference in maturity levels. She’s probably around 14, maybe 15, so considering you’re almost 18, I’d say leave it be. Nobody likes a cradle robber. But who is Cougie to tell you what to do.

- Cougie

Need to vent your spleen? got a rant that just won’t come out? Let Connor oblige.

By Connor Whitt.

reCeNTLy, My iPHONe 5, which I have had for almost 2 years, broke. The charger port at the bottom of the phone lost the components inside of it which hold the charger in, so the phone was no longer able to charge.

I honestly am not sure whether I’m more mad that I currently have no phone, or that I spent over $250 on a phone that didnt even last 2 years. Also, I have now been without a phone for almost 2 weeks. I’m honestly starting to believe that Apple designs its products so that they break, or have started breaking by the time the next generation of products comes out.

It’s bad enough that iphones break all the time, but it’s even worse that they cost a fortune. After my iphone 5 broke, I had to get a new iphone, and my only option was to get an iphone 6. As much as I like my iphone 6, the price was ridiculous. With the lowest possible price for the iphone 6 being $200, and the highest being over $1100, it is impos-sible to not spend a ridiculous amount of money on buying an iphone 6.

All in all, I like my iphone, but I think that it’s ridiculous how expensive and easy they are to break.

“iPhones are Terrible”

Music Choice at Half Moon Bay High Schoolwho’s listening to what? By Adam Azizi.

Student music taste at HMB High School.

Pumpkin Carving 101

Cut hole around stem and remove the pumpkinpulp.

Draw a design on the sheet of paper.

Thumbtack your design onto the pumpkin.

Cut the outline of the design on your pumpkin, using a knife.

Throw away the extra pieces from the cutout. Light a candle and impress your friends!

MUSiC iS A MAJOr component of our lives, especially with the many genres that suit each individual’s preference. Even so, have you ever wondered what Half Moon Bay High School’s students listen to?

Intrigued by this, we performed a survey in which we handed out questionnaires with different types of music.

The music genres on the survey includ-ed: Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Country, Rock, R&B Soul, Electronic, Alternative, and Classi-cal.

According to the survey, at 35% Rap/Hip-Hop was the genre most listened to at Half Moon Bay High School.

In joint second place 15% of students said they listened to Country, along with the same percentage listening to Rock.

Following this, 10% said they listened to R&B Soul, whilst 9% of students surveyed prefered Pop.

Lower down in popularity, 8% said they listened to Alternative and 6% said they listened to Electronic.

The least listened to genre was Classical, at 3%.

What’s your opinion? hmbpawprint@gmail.com

Before The Conjuring there was AnabelleAnabelle from the movie The Conjuring is based on a real evil doll

By Vanessa Aquino

iF yOU’Ve wATCHeD THe CONJUriNg, you probably saw the creepy doll that comes out in the movie. The doll has a name, Ana-belle. Anabelle the movie was released this fall. The movie exposes the horrific story of Annabelle and features paranormal inves-tigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are also featured in The Conjuring.

So far we’ve heard comments about the

movie “not being too good” or “not being scary enough”. We’ve also heard comments such as “I hate dolls” , “I’m scared to go to the bathroom”, and “I’ve had to sleep with the lights on”. Whether

you have watched it, or will in the future, it’s all personal choice.

However, did you know that Anabelle the movie is based on a real evil-spirited doll? Annabelle is kept at the Occult Museum in Connecticut. She is really a seven year old girl; an inhuman demon spirit which died in the apartments being built where Donna and Angie live. Donna and Angie are in college, majoring in nursing. One day,

Donna’s mom goes to the store and buys her a doll. Donna sets the doll on her bed, not thinking too much about it.

Later on, Donna and her roommate Angie, start noticing that the doll moves on its own. Lou, a friend, suggests that they get rid of the doll as soon as possible. They then call a medium to talk to the spirit of the doll. The girls find out that Annabelle was a seven year old girl who died, and her evil spirit controls the doll. With the compas-sion and empathy that Donna has, she decides to keep the doll. Lou on the other hand, declares that they should get rid of

Hey!! Got something to say? Want to make a comment?

Let us know. Tell us about it. Your feed-back is important!

www. hmbpawprint.comhmbpawprint@gmail.com

- Cougie

Rap/Hip-Hop Country

Rock RnB/Soul

Pop Alternative

Electronic Classical

6 ENTERTAINMENT November, 2014

Dirty Dancing - Movie Review Starring Jennifer grey and Patrick Swayze ‘Dirty Dancing’ is many students’ favorite movie! By Rachael Rogers

wHeN SOMeONe ASkS you what your favorite move is, how long does it take for you to respond? For some fortunate students, like myself, the answer is easy, and can be blurted out in .58 seconds.. Dirty Dancing. Thismarvelous movie begins with 17 year old Baby (Jennifer Gray) on her way to a resort hotel in the Catskills with her mother, father, and sister. It is Baby’s last summer until she is supposed to join the Peace Corps, so naturally she wants this one to be exciting.

One evening she goes on a walk and ends up in a guest restricted area that is the employee dormitory. There she discovers a whole new way of dancing that is in fact, dirty dancing. Mesmerized by the way 25 year old Johnny (Patrick Swayze) moves, she is immediately intrigued. Johnny, along with his dance partner Penny are the main entertainment, but when Penny finds herself pregnant from one of the server boys she is unable to participate in the final show. Baby volunteers herself to learn the moves and perform in the final show with Johnny, but since Baby’s father believes Johnny to be a bad influence, she must keep her love for Johnny and dance a secret.

Connor’s Corner

eVer HAD great ambitions to carve a work of art into your pumpkin, only to end up with some sloppy mush of lacerated gloop?Halloween might be over for another year, but we’ve teamed-up with our on-campus experts, in the hope that these instructions

might show you the way for next year’s celebrations! What you’ll need:

Knife•A pumpkin•

Candle •Piece of paper •

5 thumbtacks • Patience & perseverance•

Cut hole around stem and remove the pumpkinpulp.

Draw a design on the sheet of paper.

Thumbtack your design onto the pumpkin.

Cut the outline of the design on your pumpkin, using a knife.

Throw away the extra pieces from the cutout. Light a candle and impress your friends!

By Adam Azizi and Tobias Leonardos.

it. Lou starts getting scratches and has bad dreams about the doll.

Ed and Lauren are demonologists who visit Donna and Angie and decide to take the doll with them on the road.

When they get home the doll moves around and appears in different places of the house. A friend visits and thinks the story is far-fetched. Ed strongly suggests that he not think that way. On the way home, the friend experiences a near-death car accident and is rushed to hospital.

The doll is now kept at Occult. One day a guy visited the museum. The guy started tapping on the glass in which the doll was kept, making fun of it. On his way home the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a tree. The guy died instantly, and his girl-friend was paralyzed for a year.

One thing for sure: Don’t make fun of this doll!

we can’t teach you how to etch a Picasso onto the side of your squash, but we can point you in the right direction!