the warrior november 2011

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Be Ready to Give an Answer “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Ephesians 6:10 Valley Christian High School 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose CA 95111 Volume 29 Number 2 Warrior.ValleyChristian.net Friday, November 11, 2011 INSIDE PIRATES - VC THEATER PRAYER NOVEMBER: DIABETES AWARENESS By Kara Hinton Across the United States, more than 8.3% of the population is affected by diabetes, but few people know the statistics. November is Diabetes Awareness month. 8.3% or 25.8 million people are diabetics and these numbers are rapidly rising. 18.8 million people have already been diagnosed, but 7 million people are still undiagnosed. For more information on diabetes, visit www.diabetes.org or look up the American Diabetes Association. Check out the nutrition plan! PAGE 6 By Kara Hinton Staff Writer Sadies, Sweet Escape for Students By Nardin Sarkis Contributing Writer Students enjoy a sweet evening of dressing up and dancing the night away. arrior W THE VALLEY CHRISTIAN PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF NARDIN SARKIS This year’s Sadies dance was truly a “Sweet Escape” for Valley Christian students. The dance was held on Saturday, October 29 in the new Conservatory building. Following the excitement of the Homecoming dance, students bought their golden tickets earlier for Sadies and caused the dance to be sold out! For weeks, students around campus had been organizing their costumes, asking others to the dance, and getting into groups, all in anticipation of this night. Centering on the “Sweet Escape” theme, the ASB went to work transforming the student life center into a fantasy candy land for the student body to enjoy. Complete with a Candyland path leading to With creative acronyms like PED and IVDARR, Alex McFarland, from North Carolina came to speak at Valley’s Spiri- tual Emphasis Week. Each day, McFar- land challenged students with something new. Senior Brittany Creel said, “I think it was a very inspirational experience, and it was a blessing to hear what he had to say.” Many students agreed that McFar- . s t h g i s n i e l b i d e r c n i h t i w d e s s e l b s a w d n a l Alex McFarland has spoken all around the country, and has written several books. He speaks to teens about apologetics, which studies the reasoning and defense behind what a person believes. Throughout his week at VCHS, students’ faith. McFarland attended the University of North Carolina and earned a degree in English, but felt that God was calling him to ministry. That was where his journey began with apologetics, and helping teens to know what they believe, and why they believe. His ministry has grown rapidly across the nation. Last year during Spiritual Emphasis Week, Frank Turek spoke a lot about atheism and how to debate using your faith. This year, McFarland expanded on the worldview, and talked about the views of atheists and how students could prepare themselves for the day someone questions their faith. On Friday, McFarland ended with a great message about the three things that make Jesus unique: One was His identity and the kind of spiritual leader He was. Second, was the message He gave, and the truth behind it. Third, was His credentials, and the ability He had to prove and defend His claims. Jesus was unique and like no other, and that was very important for students to understand from McFarland’s message. To reiterate his teachings from Monday through Friday, McFarland taught students to present, explain, and defend their faith, or PED. He also taught IVDARR, which stood for inspiration, virgin birth, deity, atonement, resurrection, and return: These are the core truths of the church. more about the acronyms, check out his book series, “Stand,” or go to his website . m o c . d n a l r a f c m x e l a . w w w t a updates about his debates, or follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Alex McFarland spoke with authority as he challenged students to “have the heart of a child, but the brain of an adult” when it comes to answering important questions about the Bible. BIG LOVE FOR SIZELOVE KEEP ON PRAYING! The Pirates of Penzance was a huge success this fall. Dillon Mena and the entire cast delighted audiences with their talent. See full story inside. PAGE 7 Spiritual Emphasis Week Challenges Students PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY VC THEATRE DEPT with lollipops, the Conservatory was ready to welcome students to the dance. Once the approximated 600 students arrived to the dance, they enjoyed the colorful decorations and made their way Conservatory building. The DJ provided great music as well as an entertaining light display, which kept students dancing until the dance ended at 11:00 PM. Students took breaks from dancing to have a treat at the many candy bars stationed outside on the deck. Students enjoyed dipping snacks in the chocolate fountains, eating cotton candy, and munching on a variety of candies. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the dance was seeing all of the original costumes students arrived in. From Avatars to Oompa Loompas, and from Cows to Crayons, there was a great amount of creativity in the costumes at the dance. Altogether Sadies was a huge success and students had a great time dancing the night away in the new Conservatory building. All in all, McFarland prepared students to be ready to give an answer to anyone who questions their faith. He prayed that students would grow into great disciples of God and be able to defend their faith. McFarland was a blessing on Valley’s campus by sharing his wisdom with the student body. Check out his websites for his speaking schedule and keep him in your prayers. “Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW LUNG EMOTIONS DANCE - NOV. 11& 12

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The Valley Christian High School Warrior student newspaper

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Page 1: The Warrior November 2011

Be Ready to Give an Answer

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Ephesians 6:10 Valley Christian High School100 Skyway Drive, San Jose CA 95111

Volume 29 Number 2 Warrior.ValleyChristian.netFriday, November 11, 2011

INSIDEPIRATES - VC THEATER

PRAYER

NOVEMBER: DIABETES AWARENESS

By Kara HintonAcross the United States, more than 8.3% of the population is affected by diabetes, but few people know the statistics. November is Diabetes Awareness month. 8.3% or 25.8 million people are diabetics and these numbers are rapidly rising. 18.8 million people have already been diagnosed, but 7 million people are still undiagnosed. For more information on diabetes, visit www.diabetes.org or look up the American Diabetes Association.

Check out the nutrition plan! PAGE 6

By Kara HintonStaff Writer

Sadies, Sweet Escape for StudentsBy Nardin Sarkis Contributing Writer

Students enjoy a sweet evening of dressing up and dancing the night away.

arriorW THE VALLEY CHRISTIAN

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This year’s Sadies dance was truly a “Sweet Escape” for Valley Christian students. The dance was held on Saturday, October 29 in the new Conservatory building. Following the excitement of the Homecoming dance, students bought their golden tickets earlier for Sadies and caused

the dance to be sold out! For weeks, students around campus had been organizing their costumes, asking others to the dance, and getting into groups, all in anticipation of this night. Centering on the “Sweet Escape” theme, the ASB went to work transforming the student life center into a fantasy candy land for the student body to enjoy. Complete with a Candyland path leading to

With creative acronyms like PED and IVDARR, Alex McFarland, from North Carolina came to speak at Valley’s Spiri-tual Emphasis Week. Each day, McFar-land challenged students with something new. Senior Brittany Creel said, “I think it was a very inspirational experience, and it was a blessing to hear what he had to say.” Many students agreed that McFar-

.sthgisni elbidercni htiw desselb saw dnal Alex McFarland has spoken all around the country, and has written several books. He speaks to teens about apologetics, which studies the reasoning and defense behind what a person believes. Throughout his week at VCHS,

students’ faith. McFarland attended the University of North Carolina and earned a degree in English, but felt that God was calling him to ministry. That was where his journey began with apologetics, and helping teens to know what they believe, and why they believe. His ministry has grown rapidly across the nation. Last year during Spiritual Emphasis Week, Frank Turek spoke a lot about atheism and how to debate using your faith. This year, McFarland expanded on the worldview, and talked about the views of atheists and how students could prepare themselves for the day someone questions their faith. On Friday, McFarland ended with a great message about the three things that make Jesus unique: One was His identity

and the kind of spiritual leader He was. Second, was the message He gave, and the truth behind it. Third, was His credentials, and the ability He had to prove and defend His claims. Jesus was unique and like no other, and that was very important for students to understand from McFarland’s message. To reiterate his teachings from Monday through Friday, McFarland taught students to present, explain, and defend their faith, or PED. He also taught IVDARR, which stood for inspiration, virgin birth, deity, atonement, resurrection, and return: These are the core truths of the church.

more about the acronyms, check out his book series, “Stand,” or go to his website

.moc.dnalrafcmxela.www ta

updates about his debates, or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Alex McFarland spoke with authority as he challenged students to “have the heart of a child, but the brain of an adult” when it comes to answering important questions about the Bible.

BIG LOVE FOR

SIZELOVEKEEP ON PRAYING!

The Pirates of Penzance was a huge success this fall. Dillon Mena and the entire cast delighted audiences with their talent. See full story inside.PAGE 7

Spiritual Emphasis Week Challenges Students

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with lollipops, the Conservatory was ready to welcome students to the dance.

Once the approximated 600 students arrived to the dance, they enjoyed the colorful decorations and made their way

Conservatory building. The DJ provided great music as well as an entertaining light display, which kept students dancing until the dance ended at 11:00 PM. Students took breaks from dancing to have a treat at the many candy bars stationed outside on the deck. Students enjoyed dipping snacks in the chocolate fountains, eating cotton candy, and munching on a variety of candies.

Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the dance was seeing all of the original costumes students arrived in. From Avatars to Oompa Loompas, and from Cows to Crayons, there was a great amount of creativity in the costumes at the dance. Altogether Sadies was a huge success and students had a great time dancing the night away in the new Conservatory building.

All in all, McFarland prepared students to be ready to give an answer to anyone who questions their faith. He prayed that students would grow into great disciples of God and be able to defend their faith. McFarland was a blessing on Valley’s campus by sharing his wisdom with the student body. Check out his websites for his speaking schedule and keep him in

your prayers. “Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”1 Peter 3:15

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EMOTIONS DANCE - NOV. 11& 12

Page 2: The Warrior November 2011

THE WARRIOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011NEWS - 2

By Marcus Tullius CiceroAnonymous Writer

Want to advertise in The Warrior? Contact Diann Fugate at

dfugate vcs.net for information.Note: The Warrior is a nonprofit

publication which is published throughout the school year by the associated student body of

Valley Christian High School. Views expressed in The Warrior are those of the student writers and do not necessarily represent the views of

the school, staff, and/or its students. All type and layouts are created in The Warrior

newsroom, Room 215. The Warrior is printed at Fricke-Parks Press, Union City, California.

Hannah LozinskiEditor-in-Chief

Jamie KeenerFeatures Editor

Sarah KoenigSports Editor

Drew OsumiPhoto Editor

Alec Varsamis Business Manager

WARRIOR STAFF

The WARRIOR 2011-2012

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og

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ag

es

Lindsey Allen Bethany Birondo

Alexis CoriniBrittany Creel

Jordan Dawkins

IN THE NEWS by Alec Varsamis

Jamie DequineKara HintonEddie SaoudKiley Stokes

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Anika AhujaNia Hayden

Katelyn DietzOlivia Chui

Victoria StaffordAndre Huy PhanSamantha Chong

Alicia LiuJonathan AllenNardin Sarkis

Andrea CoopersmithHugh ZhangThao NguyenAdora Choi

Claire KarlssonJayla Grant

Shannon TranEugenia ParkAndrew LungShelby HetrickRichard Geraffo

Eddie Ronco

Violent Outbreaks Occur as People Across the Globe Protest Corporate Greed That is the story behind the Oc-cupy Wall Street protestors. For over a month now, citizens from all over the country, and even some in for-eign countries, have been protesting the redistribution of wealth. In big cit-ies across the globe, like New York, Chicago, Washington D.C, London, Rome, and even our own neck of the woods, Oakland and San Francisco, these protests have been popping up. It is unclear what these citizens are protesting about, but it has got-ten a lot of media attention and is being recognized by the politicians in Washington. A recent poll of the protestors in Zuccotti Park in New York City, where the Occupy Wall Street protests began, said that they wanted a more radical redistribution of wealth. This means that they want the rich taxed more, and the poor given more leeway. It is yet unclear about how these protesters are going to get what they want. Stay tuned next month for a follow up on the events of the Occupy Wall Street Protests.

There is a presidential election looming over the horizon. In 2012, Presi-dent Barack Obama will go toe to toe against a Republican Presidential Nomi-nee. The question is: Who will be picked as the GOP presidential nominee? Of course, there are a few traits that the party would like in their candidate. The candidate must be able to beat Obama in debates. The can-didate must be able to garner support from all kinds of areas, including from oppos-ing viewpoints. The candidate must also have a plan that would work toward solv-ing the economic, social, and foreign cri-ses that America is facing at this time. As we look at the current field of Republican candidates, the names include, from order of highest national polling to lowest: Gov-ernor Mitt Romney, Mr. Herman Cain, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Texas Gov-ernor Rick Perry, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, former Senator Rick Santorum, and former Ambassador Jon Huntsman. You may not know all of these names, but let’s focus on the top four. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has long been known as the “top tier” candidate for the Republicans. Throughout the whole year of 2011, he has polled steadily in at 20%-25% of the vote, which is a substantial portion of the vote. While he is a major candidate, many question his beliefs of Mormonism and his centrist economic stances. He is known for promoting a strong government position on economic intervention and supports the protection of corporation’s rights. On for-eign policy, Romney is very intervention-ist, which means he is in support of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, bombings of Libya, Pakistan, and Yemen. He argues that by intervening throughout the world with American military presence, then the threat to American national security will be low-ered. To fund his campaign, Romney draws

from large donations from big corporations and banks, mostly from Wall Street. Since 2011, Romney has raised $28 million dol-lars, mostly from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America, all of which are from Wall Street. However, even with all his funding, Romney does not seem able to excite his voter base as well as other more grassroots candidates can. Herman Cain is a businessman that owned the pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza. Since entering the race in early 2011, he has seen moderate polling, around 8%. However, after his recent unveiling of his 9/9/9 plan, which puts a flat tax on income, corporations, and sales, spiked his polling to a huge 25% of the vote. Currently he is in the “top tier” position. However, re-cently, Cain’s polling has dropped, as more candidates have been unveiling their own economic plans. Currently he has dropped to 2nd place, and is probably going to drop even more. His foreign policy states that he is for ending the wars, as long as his gen-erals say he can. He has expressed that he will take advice from the generals and will continue the fight until the fight is over. His funding comes mostly from corporate do-nors, and his own funds. Cain’s campaign has had poor fundraising over the past few months, raising only $2.5 million dollars to compete in the campaign with other candi-dates. Congressman Ron Paul has long been known as the candidate who is un-electable. At age 76, he would become the oldest president to have ever been elected. Paul ran for president in 2008, and created a huge following through his ideas of lib-erty. In 2008, he gained a huge grassroots support base that would eventually form the roots of the Tea Party movement. Ron Paul’s polling since 2011 has also been steady, like Romney’s, at 8%-12%. Ron Paul touts his message as the message of liberty. He is a strict constitutionalist that believes in limited government and good economic policy. He has spoken against the

current economic policy of having strong government intervention in fixing prices, interest rates, etc. His social policy is one of protecting the individual’s right to life, liberty, property, and the right to choose what to do to their life. His foreign policy position is strictly non-interventionist. He follows the guidance of George Washing-ton in that America should not go into any alliances or wars, but be peaceful and trade with all nations. Ron Paul has long been known as radical in his ideas, especially those of abolishing the income tax and the Federal Reserve Act. His recently unveiled plan cuts $1 trillion dollars from the debt in one year and gets rid of five federal depart-ments. He is able to excite his voter base the best out of the candidates. Paul won the recent GOP Iowa straw poll with a whop-ping 82% of the vote. His funding comes primarily from individual donations from grassroots supporters. His moneybombs in 2011 have netted him over $13 million dollars in campaign donations. As Saturday Night Live put it, “Ron Paul is ideologi-cally pure and tough as nails. He isn’t going anywhere.” Finally, Governor Rick Perry has fallen down to fourth place in the polls. A late comer to the race, Perry launched his campaign in August 2011, which strategi-cally placed him as the Republican front runner for two months. Perry initially polled at a whopping 40% of the Republican vote, but has continually dropped throughout the months. Due to his poor debate perfor-mances and some uncovered “skeletons in the closet,” Perry has recently dropped to 6%-8% of the vote. Perry has recently un-covered his plan to establish a 20% percent flat tax, among other things. This has helped him gain some publicity, however his cam-paign will need to do something unique to get itself back on its feet. Rick Perry has raised over $16 million dollars mostly from the State of Texas, Bank of America, and other Wall Street banks.

THE FORUM

Steve Jobs: 1955-2011 Apple co-founder and visionary Steve Jobs died on October 6 at the age of 56 after 8 years of battling pancreatic can-cer and undergoing a liver transplant in 2009. Jobs created many revolutionary products, the iPod (you can have thou-sands of songs in your pocket), the iPhone, and the first of its kind, the iPad. Jobs will be greatly missed as his prod-ucts have shaped Apple, let alone our own lives. Jobs died of respiratory arrest at his home in Palo Alto.

Gaddafi Dead! On October 20, 2011, after intense fighting, Libyan leader Muam-mar Gaddafi was killed by rebel forces outside of his hometown of Sirte, Libya. For nearly 42 years, Gaddafi has been ruler of Libya after a military coup in 1969. Over the years he has supported terrorist regimes across the globe, including the terrible Lockerbie bombing that made a fully loaded 747 aircraft go down that killed 270 people. So now it can be said that the rebels have officially won and will need our help setting up a new government in Libya. Many celebrations occured for days after, celebrating their new found freedoms that the death of Gaddafi brought to the Libyan People.

Note: THE FORUM is a platform for VCHS AP Government students to anonymously express their views.

Page 3: The Warrior November 2011

THE WARRIORFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 NEWS - 3

As most people know the very last movie in the Harry Potter series came out this summer on July 15, 2011. Many people thought that as the movies ended enthusi-asm for the books, movies, and everything surrounding Harry Potter would die out and like many other things that define our culture, they would fade into obscurity. However a few Valley students are doing the complete opposite and have actually chosen this year to participate in Valley's first ever Quidditch Club. The club, which was started by sophomore Davis Gunter, meets in room 108, Mrs. Lindsay Mar-shall's room, every Monday at lunch. The club is planning to have games between the four houses and hopes to find other nearby schools to play against as well. Gryffindor has two captains, Sarah Bauer and Nick Angelillis. Hufflepuff's captain is Jessey Oxford and he is assisted by his co-captain Clarissa Olivares. Ravenclaw has also distributed power in a similar way. They are led by Captain Dillon Mena and Co-captain Clinton Dickson. Slytherin is the only house with just one captain and seeks its leadership in Kelly Bailey. Each house would like emphasize the fact that you can join at any time. All of the houses, especial-ly Slytherin, are in desperate need of play-ers. The entire club only has about 19 mem-bers but they need at least 28 members to fully form a team to represent each house. The average student might ask them self why they should join Quidditch. The actual club members can give you many reasons but they can best be summed up by Gunter, "Quidditch is beneficial to the everyday student because you can build character, burn calories, and expand your imagination." Another wonderful aspect of the club is that you get to meet several like-minded people you might not have even had the chance to meet. Your appropriate house can often be found by simply reflecting on your personality and naturally occurring at-tributes. Slytherins are cut throat, cunning

and extremely competitive. They have been said to have a malicious, manipulative side but Slytherins always embrace any negativ-ity others express about them and use it to their advantage. Gryffindors can be irratio-nally courageous and overtly passionate but are also incredibly loyal. They pride them-selves in being morally strong and unfalter-ing. Ravenclaws like to refer to themselves as the hipsters of the Harry Potter world but at the same time tend to be socially awk-ward. They are best known for being the "smart" house and are unnaturally clever and studious. Hufflepuffs are persistent but can become over committed and describe themselves as having "good fingers.” Mem-bers of other houses also say they can be quite dense. At this point if you are interested in joining you're probably wondering just how this game is played. Each team has seven players that are in play during actual game

play. There are three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. Chasers are responsible for getting the Quaffle down the field through running and passing and through the opponent's goal hoop by either throwing or kicking it. They earn ten points for each goal scored and wear white head-bands. The two Beaters wear black head-bands and throw Bludgers at the opposing team with the ultimate goal of temporarily knocking their opponents out of play. The Keeper wears a green headband and has re-sponsibilities similar to that of a goalie in a soccer game. They defend their goal hoops and prevent their opponents from scor-ing. The Seeker's goal is to find the Snitch Runner and remove the Snitch from their possession which ends the game and earns their team an extra thirty points. Seek-ers are identified by the yellow headbands they wear. The last player on a team is the Snitch Runner. Their only goal is to evade

the Seeker. The Snitch Runner's goal is not considered a part of either team and is free from most restrictions. They just have to be wearing all yellow or gold. It is hard to be alive in this day and age and not have memories of inter-action with Harry Potter at some point of your life. For many people in Quidditch the formation of this club has been making their childhood dreams come true. But you don't have to be a total Harry Potter fan to join. All you need is enthusiasm for trying something new and making literature come alive. Don't worry there's plenty of space left in each house and Slytherin is really open to newcomers despite some rumors that have been floating around. Remember you can join at any time. For more infor-mation you can go to the weekly meetings in Mrs. Marshall's room or contact anyone previously mentioned in this article.

Quidditch Club Takes to the SkyBy Nia Hayden

Staff Writer

Members of the Quidditch club have a great time enoying the outdoors after a long practice.

Junior High Honored By Intel

On September 20, representa-tives from Valley Christian were invited to a dinner in Washington D.C where the Valley Christian Junior High School was named the top winner in the nation for math and science programs. For this hon-or, they received approximately $125,000 in cash as well as software and curriculum development programs. Valley Christian, along with schools from across the country, applied

for the Intel Schools of Distinction award that recognizes superior science and math programs that promote students to think critically. The junior high consistently scores in the top 17th percentile for math on standardized tests, and the curriculum especially impressed the judges. Out of 156 schools that applied, only eighteen were named finalists and received cash prizes. This is a great honor for Valley Christian and the math and science programs as they continue to improve and gain national at-tention.

By Hannah LozinskiEditor-in-Chief

Representatives from Valley receive the Intel Schools of Distinction Award.

Dance Club Shows Off Moves

Any dancers who like to bust a move, have a great time, and show off their skills are welcome to open battles usually held on Thursdays by the Conservatory or anywhere that there is space. The dancers also hold classes that teach other aspiring dancers how to show off their potentially boss moves. Instructors teach mostly hip-hop styles of dance including break-dancing, pop-and-locking, and cat daddying/ dougie. All of the instructors are skilled dancers who have been dancing for quite some time. They know all of the in’s and out’s to dancing as far as what will make the crowd scream and what will leave you on the losing side of a dance battle. These instructors know all of this because they have all been there. With dance battles, there will be a time to win and a time to lose. But whatever the outcome may be, at least you gave it your all.

Along with great instructors, there is great music. The music will make you want to jump in the middle of the circle and do the craziest of dance moves. There are songs by Skrillex,

Rej3ctz, and Cali Swag District. All dancing is appropriate and the instructors make it a point to ensure that everyone has a good time with appropriate music and dancing.

So all aspiring, skilled, and trained dancers are welcome to come out and dance. It doesn’t matter the skill level. As long as you dance your heart out and show that you are boss.

By Jordan DawkinsStaff Writer

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Jordan Dawkins shows off her dance moves.

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Page 4: The Warrior November 2011

Restaurant Review

THE WARRIOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011NEWS - 4

By Lindsey AllenStaff Writer

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By Alec VarsamisStaff Writer

The Valley Christian Cheer team is making plans to use their joyful spirits to glorify God in the Aloha State. Cheerleading isn’t just a walk in the park, but in fact a difficult position to have. Anywhere from flying, to memoriz-ing choreography, these ladies put all their extra time and effort into performing well to support Valley’s teams. Deanna Harris, a Valley Christian JV cheer member, shared that her favorite part of being involved with the cheer team is building relationships with the other girls on the team. She also stated that cheerleaders can have a positive influence in the school and student body by bringing excitement to the crowd and

Thanksgiving WishesBy Kiley Stokes

Staff Writer As the end of October quickly approaches, it is time to start thinking of Thanksgiving and all that there is to give thanks for. The idea of Thanksgiving origi-nated from the Pilgrims when they survived their first long winter with the help of the Wampanoag Indians. To celebrate, they held a three-day feast complete with lob-ster, seal, deer, and most deliciously swan, however they did not have any turkey. It is unknown where the tradition of eating tur-key came about, but almost ninety percent of Americans will eat it on the holiday. Other traditions associated with Thanksgiving are parades, the turkey par-don, and volunteering. The Macy’s parade has been around since 1924, and attracts a two million person audience. Floats, sing-ing, celebrities, giant balloons, and march-ing bands attract so many people to come in the icy weather to watch, and even more to view at home. Some families will just like to have the show running while preparing the bird, while others will sleep in tents to reserve the best float spot. Each year since 1947, one or two lucky turkeys are spared from being eaten by the president. He will send the turkeys to a farm where they will not be slaughtered, but instead are able to live out their entire turkey life. For five years, these super lucky turkeys were driven, or even flown, to Dis-neyland where they starred in the Disney-land Parade. One of the best traditions by far on Thanksgiving is going out and doing volun-teer work. Many people use Thanksgiving as a day where they not only give thanks,

Dedicated VC Cheer works hard on their dances for the football games.

showing others the joy of the Lord through God-honoring performances. The cheer team has been raising money to cheer in January for the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The girls have done various fundraisers, some held through restaurants such as Chevy’s and Rosie’s New York Piz-za. Each girl needs to raise $1800 individu-ally and have been working relentlessly to raise the funds. Anyone who desires to donate money toward the Valley Christian Cheer team can make a tax-deductible do-nation through Mrs. Sonia Avilucea in the main high school office. The cheer team works hard to show support the Valley football players and fans, so please make sure to support the girls in all they do!

but they give the less fortunate a reason to give thanks. Canned food drives and food serving are the two most popular ways to give in the holiday season. After everyone has eaten and done their personal family rituals, Black Friday seems to sneak around the corner. The very next day after filling the tummies serves as the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Stores across the country try their hardest to promote the best Black Friday sales, which proves very successful if one has ever seen Best Buy any time before Black Friday! All in all, the Thanksgiving tradi-tions are endless to name, and the majority do not have a definite origin. For the most part, people do not seem to mind though, because the traditions are a great thing to give thanks for.

Psalm 95: 1-3Come, Let us sing to joy

for the Lord;Let us shout aloud to the

rock of our salvationLet us come before him

with thanksgiving,and extol him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

Support VC Cheer!

New York thin crust pizza pies and slices, all cooked to order, as well as calzones. The best thing about this place is that it’s really inexpensive, for all of you who are on a tight budget. You can get anything you want on your pie, I’m a purist so I got pepperoni and mushroom on mine, and it was so nice and juicy and fresh ingredients straight from the oven. See the coupon be-low for two dollars off a large pizza, a great deal! Hopefully this will be your next place to go for a great pie!

Just recently, I found a hidden gem in the quaint little part of San Jose called Willow Glen. If you are looking for a great place to grab a piece of pizza, or, as they call it in New York, a pie, look no further than Bibo’s NY Pizza at 601 Bird Ave, San Jose. They have been getting great re-views on Yelp, and when I walked in and had a slice, I agreed with everything they were saying. They have large scrumptious

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Page 5: The Warrior November 2011

By Hannah LozinskiEditor-in -Chief

THE WARRIORFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Buddy Program Begins at Valley

Bhumika Rajput is a first grader at Grace Public School, and a pen pal of a Valley Christian student.

By Claire KarlssonContributing Writer

NEWS - 5

Valley Sponsors Frys.com Open

Members of the scientific research class Ashley Nguyen, Eugenia Park, Nick Angelillis, Emily Martey and Monica Bodd went to Stanford.

Surrounded by bustling crowds and excited chatter, a table stood in the Quad at lunch covered in pictures. On every picture was a face of a boy or girl wearing a plaid uniform and a small smile. For Valley Christian students, the pictures represent a tangible connection with the Grace Public School in New Delhi, India. The Grace Public School is locat-ed in the heart of the New Delhi slums, and with Valley Christian’s help, it has expanded to become a place of learning and faith for impoverished children in In-dia. This fall, Valley Christian students are not only giving generously to the school, but also have begun a new pen pal program with the children. In Septem-ber, the first pictures of the Delhi children arrived and soon afterwards, their faces adorned a table at the high school lunch. Students chose a picture of a child they wanted to become pen pals with from the table. With stationary, pens, and stickers, Valley Christian kids wrote letters to their pen pals in India, asking them about their school, their interests, and their lives.

The Grace Operation, a student group organizing Valley Christian’s sup-port efforts to India, will send these com-pleted letters to the Grace Public School for the kids to read, and, hopefully, the kids will write letters of their own to their new American friends. The New Delhi Pen Pal Program is linking Valley Chris-tian students with children thousands of miles away and strengthening the bond between Valley Christian and the Grace Public School. Although they are a small and simple gesture, the letters are building a personal connection among students that is transforming the Grace Public School from an abstract institution in New Delhi, to a place full of relatable kids not unlike Valley Christian students. In the coming year, the Grace Pub-lic School hopes to accept more children from the New Delhi slums, as well as hire another Christian schoolteacher. To help them achieve their goals, Valley Christian Schools plans to build further upon their relationship with the Grace Public School through prayer, donation, and the New Delhi Pen Pal Program.

KindnessWeek

Welcomedby Valley

By Kiley StokesStaff Writer

Kindness Week came back around the corner this past month with a success-ful triumph once again. This Valley Chris-tian tradition is a week full of encouraging messages and words given to all the student body, and staff members, as well as teach-ers. Even when life gets stressful and Val-ley Christian students and teachers become discouraged, it is always a wonderful week to have a reminder that Valley Christian is a loving and supportive family to all its mem-bers. During this week there were post it notes on the lockers, reminding each student daily of their importance and how they are loved throughout the day. Kindness grams were sent to many students for encourage-ment on a more personal level. This week has proven itself to be incredibly beneficial in the way of its contagiousness throughout the week and rest of the month. Although this special week ended, kindness never ends, so don’t forget to en-courage your fellow classmates and the Val-ley Christian faculty and staff!

For the second year in a row, Valley Christian sponsored the seventh hole at the Frys.com Open, an official PGA Tour event held at CordeValle, where many famous golfers competed, including Tiger Woods. As the official sponsor of the hole, Valley allowed its students, parents and faculty to volunteer at the event in a variety of positions. Held on October 5-9, the Frys.com Open attracted thousands of spectators. Approximately thirty representatives from Valley worked on hole seven as marshals, keeping these crowds in line from behind the ropes, including members of the golf team, teachers, and parents.

Valley teacher and varsity golf coach, Mr. Ken Shamanski and Mrs. Jolene Fugate, VCHS Athletic Director worked as hole leaders, coordinating with the other workers. Mr. Shamanski, along with Mr. Mark Lodewyk, Mr. Ryan Realini, and soccer coach Mr. Bill Stryker also worked as marshals for Tiger Woods, following him around during the tournament and controlling the crowds following him. The tournament went off with out a hitch, excluding the now infamous hot dog incident, when a spectator threw a hot dog at Tiger on hole seven. The perpetrator was quickly apprehended however, and Mr. Realini later reflected, “Tiger wasn’t even fazed.” Being an official sponsor of this tournament is a great honor for Valley,

and all the volunteers enjoyed their time working behind the ropes at this event.

Scientific Research Goes PlacesBy Hannah Lozinski

Editor-in-Chief

The six students in the scientific re-search class have been busy in the past month, going on two field trips to further their knowledge of putting together an ex-periment.

On September 26 they went to Stanford where they toured the campus, and sat in on several science lectures. The members of the scientific research class also were able to speak with PhD students, who were presenting projects about a va-riety of topics, from motion sensors to sa-cromere imaging. The research class went on this trip to apply the information to their own projects when they enter the science fair next semester.

Their next field trip took them to the HP Pavilion on October 21, where they watched a performance of Disney on Ice. “It’s not like we just watched and ate popcorn. We had to fill out a huge packet and dissect the whole show,” senior Em-ily Martey explained about this excursion. The goal of this field trip was to teach the students how to convey their core message, or how to present experiments in a short and concise way. The research class will be

using the experience gained during these two field trips throughout the year, and their lives since they almost all want to

work in the scientific field. It is a class that is specifically designed for students who plan to work in a research-based career.

Tiger Woods at the Frys.com Open.

Page 6: The Warrior November 2011

THE WARRIOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011NEWS - 6

Math Team Excels

By Jonathan AllenContributing Writer

Some of the team members and mentors have dinner after a tournament.

By Brian HuContributing Writer

Even though the school year is young, both of Valley’s robotics teams are having quite an exciting and busy time. In regards to the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, the team members are solving problems, completing drawings, machining parts, writing software, and assembling the robot. Nearly 2 months since the season first started, the students have made great head-way into building a competition-worthy ro-bot, and with their first competition slowly approaching within the next few weeks, looming deadlines are motivating the team to quicken their pace and finish building the robot. According to builder and sophomore Chris Leege, “the chassis is finished, and the manipulator is on its way.” Their first competitions begin near the end of Novem-ber/beginning of December, so wish them luck! For the FIRST Robotics Compe-tition (FRC) team, a couple weeks ago on October 21-22, they fiercely competed in an off-season completion called “Cal Games,” designed to imitate a real competition dur-ing the actual FRC robotics season in the spring. However, the fact that this wasn’t an official competition did not mean that the team put any less effort into succeeding. Training a completely new group of rook-ie drivers, the team was able to overcome faulty field control systems and more than 30 other robotics teams to push all the way through the seeding matches and into the quarterfinals before being eliminated. Win or lose, though, the FRC team was glad to show the rookie members what an actual competition would look like and to have a lot of fun. The team hopes to carry this enthusiasm into another upcoming off-sea-son competition called “Madtown Throw-down,” which will take place on November 11-12, and into the official FRC robotics season starting in January.

Programmed For Success

The WarriorBorgs robot hangs another element during the recent Cal Games at Mitty.

Dancer Shares Nutrition Energy Plan Here’s a protein diet to get you through your day with energy left over!

Sunday:• Breakfast: 3 cups of lowfat milk, whole wheat pancakes (two 4” diameter), 2 tablespoons of natural maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 sliced up banana• Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 3 slices of roast beef, 3 big leaves of lettuce, 3 slices of tomato, 2 slices of jack cheese, 1 cup of yogurt, 4 slices of cucumbers with 4 small cubes of jack cheese, 1 cut up apple, 4 cups of water• Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 6 ounces of cooked pork, 2 cups of cooked broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, 1 cup of cooked brown rice, 5 cups of water• Dessert: 5 Strawberries, 15 blue-berries, 6 cherries

Monday:• Breakfast: 1 large or 2 small brown eggs, 1 toasted whole grain Eng-lish muffin, 1 teaspoon of butter, 3 cups of lowfat milk• Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 4 slices of Turkey, 3

leaves of lettuce, 4 cups of water, 1 cup of nonfat yogurt, 10 baby carrots, 1 cut up apple, 1 sliced orange, ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds• Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 6 ounces of Halibut, 3 cups of spinach leaves, 1 sliced tomato, ½ of a sliced yellow pepper, ½ cup of al-monds, water 5 cups of water

Tuesday: • Breakfast: 3 cups of lowfat milk, whole wheat pancakes (two 4” diameter), 2 tablespoons of natural maple syrup, 1 tea-spoon of butter, 1 sliced up banana• Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 4 cups of water, ¼ cup of flaxseeds, 3 slices of roast beef, 3 big leaves of lettuce, 3 slices of tomato, 2 slices of jack cheese, 1 cup of yogurt, 4 slices of cu-cumbers with 4 small cubes of jack cheese, 1 cut up apple• Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 3 chicken drumsticks, ½ cup of cooked split peas, ½ cup of cooked asparagus, 1 cup of cooked brown rice, wa-ter 5 cups of water• Dessert: 5 Strawberries, 15 blue-berries, 6 cherries

Wednesday: • Breakfast: 1 cup of cottage cheese with 1 sliced up peach, 3 cups of lowfat milk • Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 4 cups of water, ¼ cup of peanuts, 4 slices of Turkey, 3 leaves of let-tuce, 1 cup of nonfat yogurt, 10 baby car-rots, 1 cut up apple, 1 plum • Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 6 ounces of steak with 2 slices of cheddar cheese melted on steak, 1 full corn cob, 1 teaspoon of butter, 2 cups of cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, 5 cups of water

Thursday:• Breakfast: 3 cups of lowfat milk, 2 scrambled eggs and 1 chopped up piece of sliced ham• Water Break: 2 cups • Lunch: 4 cups of water, ¼ cup of Almonds, 4 cups of whey protein shake, 3 slices of roast beef, 3 big leaves of lettuce, 3 slices of tomato, 2 slices of jack cheese, 1 cup of yogurt• Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 5 ounces of Salmon, 1 cup of yogurt, 1.5 cups of brown rice, 5 cups of

water• Dessert: 5 Strawberries, 15 blue-berries, 6 cherries

Friday: • Breakfast: 1 large or 2 small brown eggs, 1 toasted whole grain English muffin, 1 teaspoon of butter, 3 cups of lowfat milk• Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 4 cups of water, 2 cups of whey protein powder shake, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with 1 sliced apple• Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 6 ounces of lamb, 2 cups of cooked brown rice, 2 cups of cooked zucchini, broccoli, and carrots, 5 cups of water

Saturday: • Breakfast: 3 cups of lowfat milk, 3 cups of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 protein bar• Water Break: 2 cups• Lunch: 4 cups of water, ½ cup of Tofu, 1 cup of nonfat yogurt, • Water Break: 2 cups• Dinner: 1 Chicken breast, ½ cup of soy beans, 1 cooked potato, 1 tablespoon of butter, 5 cup of water• Dessert: 5 Strawberries, 15 blue-berries, 6 cherries

By Shelby HetrickContributing Writer

The results from the September 22 Fall Startup Competition have been re-leased.The Fall Startup Competition is an event administerd by the National Asses-ment and Testing. Math club students of all grades competed to answer 100 gruel-ing questions ranging from basic algebra to advanced calculus in thirty minutes without calculators. Among all math club members, three students from each grade were ranked. In the senior division, Brian Hu ranked first while Jonathan Allen and Matthew Z Lin tied for second. Matthew Lin scored first in the eleventh grade divi-sion, while Karen Lu and Hanbo Fu re-ceived second and third place respectively. The top three tenth graders were Ethan Lee, Alexander Lee and Markus Tran. Freshmen Hugh Zhang, Brian Liu and Alicia Liu were ranked the top three in their class. For this competition, Valley Christian placed 17th out of all competing schools in the nation. In addition to this dis-tinction, two students received individual awards. Junior Matthew Lin captured 6th in the nation among all 11th graders while 7th grader Rionna Flynn scored 18th in the Middle School Division. Math Club advisor Mrs. Clau-dia Smith worked diligently to prepare students for this major contests, teaching them several clever trick and shortcuts and giving them many challenging practice problems to make students hone in on their mathematical skills as well as to train them to work fast in the little time allotted. On November 3, Valley Christian also partici-pated in the 2011 Team Scramble. Results from this competition have yet to be re-leased. Valley Christian will be participat-ing in all five of the National Assesment and Testing’s math tournaments this year. Their next competition is the Ciphering Time Trials on December 8. With this great start to the year, the math team is prepared to continue their tradition of excellence.

Page 7: The Warrior November 2011

It is the evening of the next showing of Pirates of Penzance. Hidden in the darkness of the theater’s wings, dressed in black from head to toe, I sit in the empty silence and check my watch. “Five minutes until 7:30. Standby curtain?” a voice crackles over the headset in my ear. I press the button at my hip to answer. “Curtain on standby” Suddenly, the wings begin to flood with actors. I do a quick headcount of the policemen next to me. Good, everyone is accounted for. I say as much in my headset before putting my hands on a rope that is far too hard to locate in darkness and waiting for my signal. The lights come on onstage, turning

Pirates and Stage Ninjas Behind the Scenes in VC Theater

By Kijana GilcrestContributing Writer flat red facades into the rocky crags of a

mountainous beach. “Curtain go,” my headset says, and I pull at the curtain hand over hand with all my might. As the policemen plod to center stage, I take a few moments to enjoy the show before slipping unseen to the back corner of the stage, picking up a large, preset cup of water and crouching beside a hidden crash pad. My next job will be to splash the Pirate King, preferably not in the face. No hard feelings if the water happens to land there, though, I hope. You see, I am what one would call a “Techie” or as I like to call it, a Stage Ninja. Our job is to remain unseen backstage or in the light or sound booth and make everything about a show run smoothly in the technical sense. We backstage types

Members of marching band and color guard perform together at half-time.

High Energy Cast Brings Life to Pirates of Penzance

Junior Daniel Krum performs “Modern Major General.”

By Samantha ChongContributing Writer

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 FEATURES - 7http://warrior.vcs.net/

FEATURESMarching to Success

Opening on October 13, Valley Christian theater’s Pirates of Penzance was sure to be a hilarious show. After many weeks of rehearsing and preparation, the cast of 27 was excited to show the audience what they had been working on. Night after night, the audience was entertained with many laughs and delights in the show. The Pirates of Penzance is a hilarious tale that centers around a young ambitious pirate, Frederick, played by senior Eddie Barsoumian. Fredrick is accidently indentured to the Pirates of Penzance by his nursery maid, Ruth, played by senior Melina Rapazzini. The pirate is released of his indentures and finds himself in a new found love with Mabel played by senior Danielle Peterson. Soon after, the pirates come to wed Mabels’ sisters when they realized they are all daughters of the Major General, played by junior Daniel Krum. Krum’s performance of “Modern Major General” was an audience favorite.

Later on, the Pirate King, played by Dillon Mena and Ruth find a loophole that still binds Fredrick to the crew of

compassionate pirates. Once the pirates realize that the General has played on their innocent motives and compassionate hearts by lying that he is an orphan, the pirates decide to attack. Defending their general are the ensemble of police which won the audience over with their silly bits, tap-dancing, and their comical sergeant, played by junior Sean Leone. One stage fight and many musical numbers later, the police charge the pirates by Queen Victoria’s name, and due to their love for their queen, they surrender. At the end of the show the pirates turn to noblemen and each fall in love with a daughter.

The amusing and whimsical operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan proved to be a high-energy show that ran for two weeks and was reviewed by a high school theater spotlight blog. The show’s sense of humor engaged the audience and was truly brought to life by a hardworking cast. Even though the successful run of Pirates of Penzance is over, the theater department is still hard at work with auditions for the spring musical Titanic coming up in November and in putting together A Christmas Carol which opens in December.

Nardin SarkisContributing Writer

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Senior Eddie Barsoumian plays the part of Frederick, a duty-bound pirate.

carry out such important tasks as opening and closing the curtain and moving the set pieces, all without being seen by the audience. Our duties can also extend to helping actors locate and fix props, and playing Halo backstage. Well, that last part isn’t so much a duty as a thing we do to pass the time, but the concept is the same, I swear. I started being a techie last year because I love theater more than almost anything. I get the opportunity to get to know the wonderful people who make up Valley’s casts and crews, and watch the magic of Valley’s amazing theater department built from the ground up. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, even if it means I have to belly-crawl across the stage occasionally.

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If there is a group who exemplifies dedication to success, it ought to be the Val-ley Christian High School Marching Band and Color Guard. While their fellow class-mates were still enjoying their summer va-cation in August, these students were out on the field preparing to begin their competi-tive season with a bang. And begin it with a bang they did as they successfully hosted the Quest Classic on the 15th of October with a stunning show that redefined Valley Christian’s standards for future marching bands. Led by band director Mr. Jeff Wilson, Mr. Troy Gunter and Mrs. Ma-ribeth Weins, the marching band and color guard composed of approximately a hun-dred students gathered at Valley Christian at approximately 8.30 a.m. on the 15th and left an hour later for Chabot Community College in Hayward. At the Quest Classic, Valley Christian was joined by approxi-mately fifteen other schools, each compet-ing in different divisions. As hosts, Valley Christian was not officially a competitor in the AAA division, but nevertheless, led by Drum Major Serena Brown, they put on a display of skill worthy of the top ranks in the competition. Brown enthused, “I think it was a fantastic way to start off the season. Since we weren't competing, the pressure wasn't as strong, making for a more relaxed atmosphere and a great show!” This year, Valley Christian devi-ated from its usual method and chose to incorporate a fairy tale and drama element into the show. Drawing on inspiration from the Broadway musical Into the Woods, the marching band this year features vocal per-formers such as Emily Templeton, Emily Zerella, Emily Knowles, Alyssa McCoy, Carolynn Schmahl, Ryan Kroetch, Davis Gunter, Nick Bedard, Andre Phan, Ryan Sullivan and Genny Flynn. All these stu-dents lend their talent to the marching band through their love for music and their God-given talents, thus providing a rare twist to the show. Brown added, “I'm looking for-ward to seeing how the rest of the season progresses.” The next performance for the marching band and color guard is in two weeks at Independence High School. Come out and support your fellow classmates!

Page 8: The Warrior November 2011

THE WARRIOR FEATURES - 8FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

A Sweet Escape Photos by Drew Osumi & Sue Bowling, Now & Forever Studios

Page 9: The Warrior November 2011

THE WARRIOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011FEATURES - 9

Page 10: The Warrior November 2011

With the grand opening of the Conservatory of the Arts Center, comes a new window of opportunity for the students at Valley Christian. Bringing in students from elementary level to senior year, the school supplies a wide selection of music lessons from experienced teachers with training ranging from the cello to the trombone. Alongside this amazing opportunity, there are a variety of classes and private after school lessons available to

Conservatory Offering Private MusicLessons

By Jamie DequineStafff Writer

all students. If you are interested in learning how to play an instrument, then the Conservatory is the place to get hands-on learning experience. Teachers offer half hour lessons after school daily that work around the students’ schedule, and dedicate any free time to making sure their students excel. They also have years of teaching experience, and degrees from the most advanced institutions. Other classes the Conservatory offers include musical theory, band, jazz, strings and many more. Students benefit from the influence of professional musicians that are hired to inspire and influence students to excellence. The instruments available for instruction are as follows: bassoon, brass, cello, saxophone, guitar, harp, oboe, trumpet, violin, and voice. Lessons are given on both campuses and students will receive one credit for six hours of private instruction. Whether you are looking to major or minor in an instrument, Valley Christian offers a variety of instruments and private lessons for the students on campus daily.

THE WARRIOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011FEATURES - 10

The Conservatory Chorus performs at the Vocal Concert.

On October 26, seven top instru-mentalists piled into a van and headed to-ward University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. During what would normally be the last period of the school day, these select students traveled to the ACSI Honor Band auditions and concert. The students who were chosen to participate were fresh-man Emily Knowles, sophomores Sarah Chue and Jeff Tesik, junior Felicia Fang, and seniors Ryan Kroetch, Drew Galla-tin, and Serena Brown. The ACSI Honor Band is a gath-ering of the top instrumentalists from vari-ous schools state-wide. This year, the guest conductor was Dr. Tim Smith who is also the conductor for Contra Costa Wind Sym-phony. To be selected, the teacher must nominate the student and submit a form of recommendation. Wind Ensemble director Troy Gunter, nominated those students who wished to take part in the band. All seven Valley Christian High School instru-mentalists who were nominated were ac-cepted into the honor band. Upon arrival, the musicians auditioned for chair place-

ment according to instrument. Chair place-ment is the order in which the musicians are seated, such as 1st Flute, 2nd Flute, etc. There was hardly any break for the musicians from arrival to departure. After auditioning, the students had only one hour to settle in before rehearsal began. The mu-sicians rehearsed long into the night then went to their hotel to rejuvenate for the next day. On October 27, after breakfast, the band continued rehearsing with breaks only for lunch and dinner. Finally, all their hard work culminated into a public night concert. The concert not only showcased all the talent of the individual musicians, but illustrated how great music can be pro-duced from a gathering of hard-working musicians. Junior Felicia Fang commented, “I’m really glad that Mr. Gunter gave us the opportunity to participate in this event. I look forward to meeting new people and just making music.” All instrumentalists played their best and gave a dazzling per-formance. There is no doubt that these mu-sicians are dedicated to their art and work hard in every challenge they undertake.

Honors Band Performs at Festival in Stockton

By Katelyn DietzContributing Writer

On October 18, Valley Christian’s Conservatory held its first vocal concert of the year. The Fall Concert featured various well-known musical groups on campus, such as the Women’s Ensemble, Room 107, Worship Ensemble and Worship Choir as well as the junior high choir. The event was held in the concert hall of the newly-built Conservatory building in order to showcase the God-given talents of the performers as well as the new facilities that were installed in the Conservatory building. Each group had the privilege of performing three songs, with the groups joining together later for a mass perfor-mance of the worship song “The Bless-ing”. Earlier, however, each group had per-

formed songs that were according to their musical genre, and it was further enhanced by the new sound system in the concert hall, which allowed the audience to feel as though they were sitting in a cathedral. Wor-ship Ensemble took the stage with “Love the Lord” and “Amazing Grace,” which helped set the mood for the entire concert. Genny Flynn had the privilege of singing a solo for the classical piece entitled, “Mata Del Anima Sola” which was performed by the Women’s Ensemble. Later, the award-winning vocal group Room 107 took the stage in order to perform. Soloists Olivia Crayton, Pritika Nandakumar, and An-drea Wigginton collaborated together in order to lend their talents to the song “Joy-ful, Joyful,” a jazz-gospel arrangement in-

Vocal Talent Shines at Valleyspired by Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." They also performed an a capella piece entitled “Goodbye Love.” Overall, the performance was en-thralling and captivated audience members. Students were pleased by their performance as well, with performers such as Conserva-tory Major Adele Tong, who enthused, “The Vocal Fall concert that was put on this year was the smoothest running one ever, in great part to our vocal director Mrs. Burge. The new Conservatory building has been so wonderful for the entire music depart-ment!” Sophomore Erin Loo echoed this sentiment, adding, “I thought it was really fun and enjoyable. It was overall a great ex-perience and it made me want to play more for the Lord and worship to Him.”

By Samantha ChongContributing Writer

A guitar instructor encourages his student.

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Page 11: The Warrior November 2011

Girls Golf Advances to NorCals

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 SPORTS - 11www.gowarriors.netSPORTS

Little Warrior NationUnited We Stand

“My prayer is not for them

alone. I pray also for those

who w

ill believe in me

through their message,

that all of them m

ay be one, Father, just as you

are in me and I am

in you. M

ay they also be in us so that the w

orld may believe

that you have sent me.”

John 17:20-21

After School Student Enrichm

entSponsored by VCS K-12 A

thletics and Physical Education

Enrollment in Little W

arrior Nation includes:

l A

dmission to a m

inimum

of twelve clinicsl

“Little Warrior N

ation” t-shirtl

Adm

ission to regular season home gam

esl

A behind the scenes look at your favorite Skyway team

l Encouragem

ent from a “Big Buddy”

l A

nd introducing “Kids Night O

ut” (more info to com

e)

Cost: $225.00 for the yearTim

e: 3:15-5:00 pm

Open to all Valley Christian Elem

entary Students.

Please rank your most desired clinic dates 1-15

(1 being the most desired)

____ Sept. 9 Baseball

____ Sept. 14 Baseball

____ Sept. 16 Baseball

____ Sept. 23 Baseball

____ Sept. 28 Baseball____ O

ct. 5 Girls Basketball

____ Oct. 7

Girls Basketball____ O

ct. 12 Boys Basketball

____ Oct. 14

Boys Soccer____ O

ct. 19 Girls Soccer

____ Oct. 21

Girls Basketball____ N

ov. 2 Softball

____ Nov. 4

Softball *____ N

ov. 9 Flag Football

____ Nov. 11

Soccer ____ N

ov. 16 Flag Football

____ Nov. 18

Soccer ____ N

ov. 30 Volleyball

____ Dec. 7

Volleyball____ D

ec. 14 Track & Field

____ Jan. 11 A

quatics at Skyway ____ Jan. 25

Aquatics at Skyway

____ Feb. 1 A

quatics at Skyway ____ Feb. 8

Volleyball____ Feb. 22

Volleyball____ M

ar. 1 Volleyball

____ Mar. 8

Boys Soccer____ M

ar. 15 Boys Soccer

____ Mar. 22

Boys Basketball____ M

ar. 29 Girls Soccer

____ Apr. 12

Girls Soccer____ A

pr. 14 Girls Basketball

____ Apr. 19

Boys Basketball____ A

pr. 21 Football

____ Apr. 26

Football____ A

pr. 28 Football

____ May 3

Boys Basketball____ M

ay 5 Girls Soccer

____ May 10

Football____ M

ay 12 Football

____ May 17

End of Year Celebration (A

ll Little Warrior N

ation Invited)

For more inform

ation please contact Robin Realini, Student Enrichm

ent Supervisor at (408) 559-4400 or rcrealini@

vcs.net.

* Fifth grade science camp

Behind the Scenes Look at your favorite Skyway Team(check the one you’d like to attend)

____ Football:

Fri., Nov. 6th

____ Girl’s Volleyball: Wed., O

ct. 14th ____ Boy’s Soccer:

Sat., Jan. 9th____ Girl’s Soccer:

Sat., Jan. 16th ____ Girl’s Basketball:

Tues., Feb. 2nd

____ Boy’s Basketball: Fri., Feb. 5th ____ Baseball:

Fri., A

pril 16th ____ Softball:

Tues., A

pril 27th ____ A

quatics: Thurs., M

ay 6th

Sponsored by VCS K-12 Athletics and Physical Education

After School Student Enrichment

For more information please contact: Diana Steig, Student Enrichment Supervisor (408) 559-4400* TOTAL COMMITMENT *

See Football - Cont’d on page 12

FROSH FOOTBALLBy Eddie Ronco & Richard Geraffo

Contributing Writers

The Warriors were pumped for their WCAL rivalry game against the Bellarmine Bells. The Warriors started slow as quarterback Yusuf Haddad threw an interception on 4th and long. But VC made up for it, because a few minutes later Kirk Johnson intercepted a Bell pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown. Early in Second Quarter Jesse Osuna ran for a 10-yard touchdown run. Later in quarter Valley Christian shot themselves in the foot three times. Penalties took away a Johnson and Blair Ewers touchdown run. Later in that drive the Warriors fumbled the ball and the Bells jumped on it. The Warriors received motivating speeches by the coaches at halftime and they seemed to have paid off in the third quarter as VC scored three touchdowns. The first was a 60-yard run by Johnson. Next was a 25-yard rush by Ewers. Then, Tre McCloud ran for a 49-yard touchdown. In the 4th quarter scored another touchdown, this time for 25 yards. Throughout the whole game Dan Dunham, Sean Harris, McCloud, Colby Laubach, Osuna, Johnson, Ewers, Haddad, and Andrew Arnold made huge defensive stops. On offense Chase Batnich-Garcia, Dunham, Blair Murphy, Trevor Thomas, and Laubach The final score was a Warriors 41-0 blowout. The Warriors traveled to historic Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, California for their WCAL game vs. the Fightin’ Irish of Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Warriors started out explosive with Johnson taking back the opening kickoff 80-yards for a touchdown. VC defense was very strong as the Irish did not get a first down in the first quarter. On Valley’s first offensive possession Johnson ran 47-yards for a touchdown. The next Warriors drive Mark Quinby ran for a 9- yard touchdown. The next time VC got the ball Osuna powered his way for a 72-yard Warrior touchdown. On the first play of the second quarter Haddad used his vision and ran to a 72-yard punt return touchdown. After that the Warriors pulled all of their starters and gave other players playing time. In the second half physical stops on defense were made by Isaiah Riffel, Eddie Ronco, Robbie Keith, Max Mueller, Blaine Boyd, Austin Day, Jakob Good, Hugh Zhang, Richard Gerrafo, Vasili Panopolus, Trenton Tayrien and Aaron Chang. On offense, blocking by Thomas Jolly, Mueller, Ronco, Lokesh Maskell, Tayrien, Jason Tate, and Marquis Biglarderi opened up nice hole for hard runners, Good, Will Lubke, Zhang, and Chris Hawkins. The overall offensive yardage for the Irish was -2 yards. The final score was Warriors 35, Fightin’ Irish 0. In the WCAL league game vs. the St. Francis Lancers, the Valley Christian Warriors had a fast start. On the second play from scrimmage Johnson galloped for a 76-yard touchdown. Osuna also had a touchdown rush of 6-yards. In the second quarter Osuna scored another touchdown, this time for 5-yards. Later in the quarter, the Lancers were able to put together a scoring drive and the Warriors went into halftime with a 21-7 lead. In the fourth quarter Quinby sprinted to a 25-yard touchdown. Hawkins stopped a Lancers drive with an interception. An Ewers 48-yard touchdown was called back, because of a penalty, but the next play he scampered to a 35-yard rush. Late in the forth quarter Hawkins scored a 1-yard touchdown on forth and goal. With 10 seconds left the Lancers were able to score on a 1-yard rush. The final score was 35-14. Against Mitty, VC lost Johnson and Quinby to season-ending injuries, but Osuna was able to carry the Warriors to a 28-26 win. On November 11, the Warriors play undefeated Serra Padres for the WCAL Championship.

By Hannah LozinskiEditor-in-Chief

Sophomore Katie Bronk tees of at NorCals.

Varsity Football: Warriors Eyeing PlayoffsBy Eddie Saoud

Staff Writer

Coming off of a 1-2 non-league record, the Warriors have begun to flex their muscles in the WCAL with a 4-2 league performance, capped off by last week’s 35-28 defeat of Archbishop Mitty. The win put Valley in exceptional playoff position, as they have qualified for both the Open Division and Division 3 playoffs. The Warriors now sit at 5-4, possibly having hit a hot streak at the perfect time, despite their up and down season. After a strong showing to start conference-play against Riordan, VC didn’t have the best of nights at San Jose City College. Challenging rival Bellarmaine, the Warriors managed to exhibit their explosive offense, despite the score. They were the first team to run for over 100 yards against the Bells, including the national powerhouse De La Salle, racking up over 300. Yet, despite the relative offensive success, the Warriors only managed to put it in the end zone once. The Bellarmaine offense, on the other hand, seemed unstoppable, putting up 48 on the downtrodden Warriors. The Warriors were certainly beaten, but showed some promise despite the gargantuan deficit on the scoreboard. Attempting to rebound from disheartening defeat, the Warriors now faced a whole new challenge, an up-and-coming St. Ignatius squad. On the first drive of the game, the Wildcats drove it down the field for a 7-0 lead. Yet, VC outmatched the Wildcats with both an explosive offense

and tenacious defense, leading the Wildcats 17-7 at halftime. However, as the second half progressed, a botched punt and punt-return, both putting SI in the red zone, dangerously let SI sneak back into the game. Despite consistently outplaying the Wildcats, the scoreboard read 24-21. The Warrior defense rallied to stop the Wildcats once again, forcing a punt that gave them the ball with only a couple minutes left. Run after run, first down after first down, Valley marched down the field, until they finally kneeled on SI’s goal line. The score was close, though they had certainly outplayed the Wildcats, and the Warriors were relieved to walk off the field with a W.

Unfortunately, the next week would not play in the Warriors favor. After a trip to the top of their hill, VC players and fans alike were shocked as Saint Francis walked off the field with a win, tears of joy rolling down a number of their faces. The first points of the game came on the opening kickoff, as the Lancer’s Luke Anderson was barely grazed as he trotted into the end zone. The Warriors would come back to take the lead with a long Jarrod Lawson run and a goal line QB keep by Jay MacIntyre. Then, after a TD through the air by St. Francis, the Warriors would pound it in once again on the goal line giving them a 21-14 lead. The Lancers retaliated with two long runs that tied it up 21-21. The Warriors then began a drive of their own, taking it down the field at will. However, crippled by a holding penalty erasing a first down inside the Lancer’s 15

yard line, the Warriors were forced to settle for a field goal attempt, which was short. Although they had twice the rushing yards and limited the Lancers to less than 75 yards through the air, the Lancers managed to take the lead in the last minute by a field goal, which the Warriors would struggle to regain. A few desperation attempts later, the game was sealed 24-21, a game the Warriors wished they could have had back.

Adding still to the bitter taste of defeat was the fate of the Warrior’s two-way starter and captain, Theodore King. On the Warrior’s second to last drive, before the missed field goal, the athletic left tackle experienced a massive collision with Lancer linebacker Matt Casciani, temporarily losing consciousness. After attempting to get up, he fell once more before being helped by his teammates. King sustained a concussion taking him out for the next two weeks, which would leave gargantuan shoes to fill on both the Warrior’s offensive and defensive line.

Nevertheless, his absence did not seem to make much of an impact the next week with an admirable performance by sophomore replacement Adam Vasquez, as the Warriors rolled the 5-2 Fighting Irish 47-6. The Warriors were simply unstoppable, with a defense that gave up no points until the backups were integrated in the lineup, and a high-octane offense that

Three years ago, Valley Chris-tian officially started a girl’s golf program. This year, this team propelled to the top of WCAL, and tied for first place in the CCS tournament, qualifying them for NorCals on November 7 at Stanford Golf Club. The Lady Warrior’s varsity golf team became the team to beat in the WCAL league as the season approached the half way mark. With a 209-212 win over Mitty on September 29 at Silver Creek Country Club, they became the sole undefeated team in WCAL. They kept up with this streak with successive victories against Notre Dame Belmont and Presentation in the fol-lowing two weeks. Unfortunately, they fell short when facing defending WCAL cham-pions St. Ignatius College Prep at Santa Te-resa Golf Course on October 12, narrowly losing with a score of 216-213. However, the varsity team finished the season with a 10-2 record, earning second place in the WCAL league. Expectations were high as the Lady Warriors played at the WCAL tourna-ment at Poplar Creek Golf Course on Octo-ber 24. To advance onto CCS, they had to score 450 or less as a team on 18 holes. Not only did they qualify with a score of 427, but they came in second place, again nar-rowly losing to rival St. Ignatius. Out of the top ten players honored, three were from Valley. Freshman talent Cristina Glebova shot a 78, which tied her for fourth place. Juniors Samantha Han and Kalmina Wu

rounded off the top ten, shooting an 83 and an 84 respectively. For the first time in the short his-tory of Valley Christian girl’s golf, the players advanced to the November 1 CCS tournament at the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel. There they shot a 425 as a team, which tied them with St. Ignatius for first place. Although they lost the playoff on a technicality, this score allowed them to advance to the next weeks NorCal Regional Championships at Stanford. “I’m re-ally proud of everyone on our team. We’ve all grown stronger both indi-vidually and collectively. It’s amaz-ing how far we’ve come, from being low on the ranks the previous year to placing second at CCS and moving to NorCals as WCAL champions. It’s truly been a mind-blowing season” Wu reflected after the CCS event. At the NorCal tournament the next week, the girls had a strong showing, shoot-ing 442 as a team at the challenging Stanford Golf Course. Although this score did not qualify them to compete at state, they still beat many of the best teams in Northern California, includ-ing rivals Archbishop Mitty. Glebova shot a 78, almost qualifying for state as an individual. The future has never looked bet-ter for the girl’s golf program. Almost the entire varsity team is returning next year, and the junior varsity squad improved over the course of the season. JV finished with a

record of 4-4, defeating rivals Sacred Heart Prep and Archbishop Mitty. Members from both teams are looking to keep their skills sharp, to continue to dominate the league again next year.

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Varsity Football Continued from page 11

would not be denied. The Warriors put up over 475 yards, more than 400 being on the ground, and featured two rushers that both nearly eclipsed 200. Despite only throwing 2 passes, Jay MacIntyre was perfect on the day, with receiver Michael Deans illustrating both proficient routes and fine hands. At the end of the day, the Warriors dominated in all three phases of the game.

However, the next week would bring its share of surprises to the Warrior team. Ranked 2nd in CCS, the Monarchs walked on Valley’s field with the utmost confidence. Yet, from the second the ball

was kicked, intensity flooded the Warrior’s stadium as the two WCAL powers clashed. Both teams continued to trade scores throughout the game, until a final VC drive put the Warriors ahead with little time on the clock. The real story of the game was the Warriors dual-threat sophomore quarterback Jay MacIntyre, who led the Warriors down the field for the win in the Warrior’s 2-minute offense. Big plays by star running backs Byron Marshall and Jarrod Lawson are to be expected, as Marshall particularly had a strong performance with about 175 total yards on

the day. Yet MacIntyre’s three touchdown performance (one rushing) racking up nearly 150 yards on 10-12 through the air had all season highs for the young quarterback. Going into a tough game against Serra, the Warriors have built up momentum moving forward, and with King returning for the final week of the regular season, the Warriors are prepared to go out and take second place in the WCAL right from the Padres.

Now, after a flawless game vs. Sacred Heart, the Warriors have a tough decision to make. This latest win has

solidified a playoff spot for the Warriors. However, they have the choice to either opt up and play in the open division or go to the Division 3 playoffs. The deadline for the decision is Saturday at midnight, conveniently after the Warrior’s battle against Serra. The Warrior’s performance against the Padres’s will likely play an instrumental role in the Warriors decision on whether to opt up, but at this point their minds are focused on simply defeating the opponent in front of them. The Warriors are chasing victory and either Division 3 or Open, the Warriors are chasing a championship.

Jarrod Lawson pounding the rock, following lead blockers Cody Cambell and Ryan Severson.

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JV FB Coach’s Corner

St. Francis Game Highlights: The first quar-ter was a defensive battle. VC started to drive the ball but was eventually forced to punt. SF drove down the field and the first quarter ended with them in VC’s territory but no points on the board yet.

2nd Q: SF completed their drive with a touch-down and a successful extra point kick. VC came back with a great kickoff return by Trent Dexheimer. The ball, unfortunately, ended up in SF’s hands after a fumble. The Warrior de-fense fought back; Jonah Moore batted down a pass and SF was forced to punt. With 9.7 sec-onds left on the clock, Tommy Arechiga threw a touchdown pass to a heavily covered Brandon Alexander for 6 points. Kody Kroening kicked a successful extra point bringing the score to a tie 7-7.

4th Q: The Lancer offense drove for a touch-down and an extra point kick with 4:35 left on the clock. The Warriors worked hard but ran out of time. Final score was 14 -7, SF.

Sacred Heart Game Highlights: Brandon Alexander started off the first quarter with an interception. Arechiga threw a 61-yd pass to Alexander for a touchdown capped off with a Kroening extra point. In the next possession, Daniel Ginther ran 11 yards for a touchdown.

Sacred Heart answered with a touchdown and attempted an onside kick, but Daniel Ribeiro recovered it for the Warriors. VC put 7 more points up with a run by Ginther. Jonah Moore put pressure on the Sacred Heart quarterback and recovered the fumble on the 41-yd line. Arechiga threw a pass to Austin Mayhew for a touchdown and hooked up again with Alexander for another score. 4th Q: John Wilkinson ran the ball in for 6 points. Sacred Heart came back with a touchdown and 6 points on the board. Chad Horsager had some great runs and Bran-don Le and Michael Venegas ran the ball for a touchdowns. 54 -25 VC Season Record 4-5Other games: 33-7 VC over Riordan 20-0 Bells over VC 27-0 SI over VC 22-16 VC over Mitty

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Varsity Girls Tennis: Successful Wrap to Season By Samantha Chong

Guest Writer

Seniors Holm, Lee and Chong at their Senior Day and last home match

If you head down to the tennis courts and visit the Varsity girls’ tennis team, you will be greeted with an overall euphoric mood as they celebrate a success-ful season together. Currently, the team, which is coached by head coach Cuong Duong, has a 10-6 winning record follow-ing their successful Fresno outing in Sep-tember. In addition, the team also notched first-time victories against Notre Dame Belmont, a school well-known for its talent and tenacity. Throughout the summer and the first two months of school, the girls have consistently put in the effort to improve their game and put their best foot forward in every match. Freshmen Tina Phan and Kara Hinton continue to shine in their re-spective matches as they repeatedly prove that despite their young age, they can hold their own with their more experienced and older opponents. Seniors Daniella Holm,

Carissa Lee and Samantha Chong serve in the meantime as the mentors of the team, offering advice and encouragement when they can. All this work has paid off, as shown in the accomplishments of the team in general. On the 13th of October, Valley Christian faced top-ranked Archbishop Mitty at home. Despite a loss, the girls were proud of themselves for being able to chal-lenge Mitty in every game they played, and they took this confidence to Sacred Heart Cathedral their next match, where Holm, Hinton, Phan and the doubles pair of Jac-queline Quirke and Kristie Lang notched convincing victories in order to give Valley a win. The girls continued on to beat Notre Dame Belmont in another close match and followed this up with another win against Presentation High School. Says Chong of her team: “I’m very proud of what we have accomplished this year, and I am glad that we all worked hard in order to be where we are at right now. It couldn’t have been done

Varsity Girls Volleyball Prepares for CCS

with just a few of us- it was a team effort.” It was with this euphoric mood that Valley Christian faced league front-runners Saint Francis on the 27th of Oc-tober. It was an emotional day as the

three seniors Holm, Lee and Chong played their last home match and recalled memories of their years on the tennis team- a fitting end to a wonderful season.

After traveling to Mitty in Tuesday night’s game, Warriors fought hard to take the Monarchs to four games. After a score of 25-19, 20-25, 21-25, and 14-25, the Warriors went home with a close defeat. The Lady Warriors then went onto to celebrate Senior night on Wednesday, in which the ladies faced Presentation, one of the top teams in California. After recognizing Valley’s devoted seniors, Maddie Burke, Kristin Sato, and Brittany Creel the game begun. Neck and neck the warriors fought with the Panthers, finishing a second behind with a score of 25-19. A closer game than the score could show. Valley came back to fight in the second game, in which they fell short with a score of 25-13. The Warriors then went onto to a third game in which they fought Presentation with a final score of 25-22. After a tough loss the Warriors were prepared to get the job done as they traveled into the Milpitas Spikefest. The Warriors cruiseed into the Spikefest tournament this weekend in hopes of adding some wins to their already strong 18-8 record. The Warriors traveled to Independence High School in which they continuously faced challenging teams throughout the day.

Warriors started the day off with a 21-25, and 17-25 loss to Central Valley Christian. However, they were not defeated. The Warriors came back to face Crystal Springs with a score of 25-14, and 25-19, a blowout win. They then faced Carlmont High School, atough competitor, always neck and neck with Valley. The Warriors came out with a fight and a final score of 25-23, 17-25, and 15-9. After a victorious celebration, Valley faced Homestead High. The Warriors came out to get business done, however they were shot down in game one with an astounding blow of 10-25. The loss did not shake their spirits. The Warriors came back in the second game to take the win that is rightfully theirs. They proceeded to win, 25-21 and 15-13. For the prize, Valley went onto fight Saint Ignatius for first place. With a final

By Brittany CreelStaff Writer

Seniors: Brittany Creel, Kristin Sato and Maddie Burke

score of 26-24 and 27-25, the Warriors took home the first place prize. Valley will now enter into CCS with high hopes ready to fight whoever comes their way. The Warriors will go onto play Berlingame at

home, Thursday night for their first round of CCS. The Warriors plan to fight hard and make their way to the Nor-Cal Finals and hopefully into state.

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High Hopes for Cross CountryAs the season comes to a close

Cross Country is trying to wrap up in the right way. They of course are super optimistic about the post season and are doing everything they can to best prepare themselves for the last few races this season which are the WCAL Championship, CCS Championship, and State. The first two are at Crystal Springs, Belmont and State is at Woodward Park, Fresno. They also had some exceptional races in the month of October, which were the Half Moon Bay Invitational, WCAL #1, the Clovis Invitational, and WCAL #2.

All went well at HMB with junior Corey Bentley taking 6th and senior Daniel Kleinsmith taking 12th in the Small Schools Varsity Boys B race. Their team score placed them 4th in the same division but 50th in comparison to every school that competed. In the girls counterpart of the same division junior Lindsey Folden placed 22nd and freshman Amanda Erwinwein placed 31st. Other freshmen girls that did well were Morgan Haag, Allison Mai, and Elaine Ma who all placed 40th or above. The girls also took 4th in their division as well but did a little better and placed 44th overall.WCAL #1 took place in Golden Gate Park. The team had one overarching concept they wanted to focus on: working as a team. Boys varsity worked together to achieve a new team record with leaders Sean Davis, Eyobed Mesfun, and Ryan Ensor. Davis finished in 16:59, Mesfun in18: 12, and Ensor came in at 18:15. Their team score was good enough to put them in 6th place with Dustin Laucella and Alex Ascencio coming in at 4th and 5th on their team. Girls varsity ran their first two miles as a team with only a slight change in their third. Runners Jessica Xu, Morgan Lira, Ashley Lara, and Kellianne Connolly all came in around 21:54 while runners Karen Mac and Megan Gillespie came in at 22:34 and 22:36.

In the JV races the Warriors Sophomore Megan Gillespie runs a great race!

By Nia HaydenContributing Writer

showed the great potential and skill they possess with stellar performances in both the girls and boys races. Eric Ortiz came out extremely strong and proved himself to be equally consistent as he finished his race in 18:44 after battling through a tough week. It’s easy to say we can expect great things from him being that he’s a freshman. Amanda Erwinwein has also proven she’s a very strong and dependable runner. She came in at around 25 minutes with Lindsey Folden. Another girl that’s been working really hard is Lisa Grossman and it showed with the great improvements she’s made throughout the season.

Just about 36 hours after their GGP competition the Cross Country teams headed over to Fresno to compete in the Clovis Invitational. At this invite there were 200 schools, but the Warriors still made their mark. Seniors Morgan Lira who ran an 18:25 and Sean Davis who also earned a school record with his time of 16:04, both placed 9th in their respective races. Girls varsity took 26th while boys varsity took 20th at the Invitational and also stayed on a pace that earned them a record of 90:33. The 5k course will also be where they will hopefully compete at State so their performance is an omen of good things to come. Their next race was WCAL #2 the following Tuesday in Crystal Springs.

WCAL #2 was a showcase of the strength Valley runners are bringing to the table. Due to his strategic running Davis had an exceptional day where he not only placed 1st in his race but also broke Steve Wheeler’s 26-year-old record by a considerable amount of time. His victory also makes him the first ever Valley Christian runner to take first in a boys varsity WCAL competition. This is also just one side of the story, in order for them to set a new team record the other runners also had to do their fair share of work. Mesfun also performed very well and finished under 18 minutes for his first time. Ensor ran extremely well and despite cramping, was able to cut six seconds of his previous best time.

Laucella also showed great improvement in this year’s race and with Eric Ortiz in fifth place, rounded out the varsity scoring.

The amazing Morgan Lira who won the race in 18:29 led the girls varsity team. Lira also ran a strategic race and stayed with the lead pack for the first 2 ½ miles but made her move in the last ½ mile and held on to the lead despite the approach of the second place Saint Ignatius runner who finished only one second later. The runners Kellianne Connolly, Jessica Xu, Karen Mac and Ashley Lara ran specific times for the first two miles. All four runners also earned a spot on the All-Time Top 20 list. Ashley Lara was the second Valley runner to finish and her time of 20:34, places her #13 all-time. Jessica Xu finished in third and her time of 20:49 was a huge improvement over her time from last year at Crystal Springs. Kellianne Connolly achieved her first time less than 21 minutes and hit the mark by completing the race in 20:58. Karen Mac, who wasn’t feeling well, was still able to finish 21:05, which was an improvement of 1:07over her time from last year. Rounding out the varsity team was Shannon Luu with her time of 22:36.

Heading into November the JV season will be coming to a close and the postseason action will just be beginning for the varsity teams. Varsity is focusing really hard on staying strong and running to the best of their abilities and is well prepared and determined to win. They should do great and go far in the postseason and hopefully will win State with all the talent they have.

By Samantha ChongStaff Writer

For months now, the junior varsity girls tennis team has been working hard. Led by coach Niles Parungao, the girls have been learning the basics that will serve them well in future sports and future years on the varsity team. The team has been consistently playing well against other top schools in the area. Led by captain junior Elizabeth Tran, the girls have taken the experience of playing matches to heart. The girls were soon rewarded, notching their 6-1 win against rival Notre Dame, Belmont. Freshman Claudia Chui said, “We worked hard for this win,” and indeed the girls have worked hard all sea-son. It is well worth noting that in the en-tire team of sixteen girls, only three juniors, Tran, Kelsey Jiang, and Hoai-My Tran, can claim veteran status on the tennis team. Almost the entire team is made up of not only freshmen, but also girls who have nev-er played on a tennis team before. Despite this, in every match the junior varsity team has consistently held their own with their competition, even coming close to winning their scrimmage with top-ranked Los Altos High. As young as this team is, it has poten-tial to develop in the future years in order to create a strong tennis program for the up-coming seasons.

Young Team Shows

Potential

Captain Elizabeth Tran

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After more than a month of games, the Valley Christian girls’ water polo teams continue to play strong. The junior varsity team has just finished their season, and the varsity team has moved forward to the WCAL playoffs. The junior varsity team has im-proved tremendously throughout the sea-son. Their final record was 9-9-1. They won their last tournament with three wins and one tie to Carmel High School, which was their first game. They returned on Saturday and dominated all three games. They start-ed off the day early with an 8:00 am game against Sacred Heart Prep, which they won 5-1. After a short break, they returned to the pool and easily beat Harbor High School 13-4. Their championship game was played at 2:40 against Mitty, who they had lost to twice in the season. After a tough game, they beat Mitty 5-3. In the last game of the season, the

THE WARRIORFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 SPORTS - 15

Girls Water Polo Enters WCAL PlayoffsBy Alexis Corini

Staff Writer

At the Presentation High School Tournament, the girls played Mountain View High school and won 2-1. The final score was 25-11 in the first game, 20-25 in the second game, and 15-11 in the third game. They were able to clinch victory. In the next game against Notre Dame High School Belmont, the girls ended up losing 0-2. The first game score was 12-25 and the second game score was 9-25. Next the girls played Presentation High School and lost 0-2. The first game was 16-25 and the second game was 15-25. However, Valley came back and defeated Summit High School 2-0. The first game score was 25-19 and the second game score was 25-16. The next game ended in defeat ,however, against Redwood High School. The first game ended with the score of 13-25 and the second game ended with the score of 9-15. That ended the Presentation Tournament. Valley then had an away game and lost against Saint Francis High School 0-2.

The first game was 7-25 and the second game was 6-25. In the Spikefest tournament, the girls played Mountain View High again and defeated them 2-0. The first game was 25-16 and the second game was 25-18. The next game, however ended in defeat against Notre Dame High School Belmont 0-2. The first game ended with the score 15-25 and the second game ended with the score 21-25. That was hard fought game. The next game against Sacred Heart Prep. was also hard fought, but we didn’t come out with a win. The final score as 0-2. The final game in the Spikefest Tournament against Presentation ended in defeat with the final score 0-2. Another away game against Notre Dame High School Belmont also ended in a bad way. The final score was 0-2. In the Kings Academy Tournament, Valley played Westmont High School and lost 0-2. But, in the next game against Summit High School Valley won 2-0. In the next game against Gunn High

Freshman Girls Volleyball Continues Busy Season of PlayBy Jordan Dawkins

Staff Writer

Freshman Natalie Picone swims with the ball.

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junior varsity team beat Presentation High School 5-4. The varsity team, who also played Presentation, lost 6-8. The varsity team, however, is not finished yet. They continue to practice to prepare for the WCAL playoffs. A few junior varsity girls including Marcella Kay, Wynne Stagnaro, Claudia Macedo, Jessica Carbonell, and goalie Mona Batmani have been invited to play with the varsity team during the playoffs. Wednesday, October 19, the last home game of the season, was Senior Night. This year’s varsity water polo team includes nine seniors. Before the game, seniors Paige Douglas, Nicole Kramer, Monica Macedo, Annie Pugliese, Shelby Seabaugh, Kate Staskus, Julia Thompson, Adele Tong, and Linda Trinh lined up and received leis made of candy, along with a customized hat and a small gift. They also each had a poster made with their name and number. In the regular season, the varsity

team held a solid record of 12-10, a huge improvement from last year’s 3-13 record. In varsity’s first playoff game on Monday, October 31, the girls beat Notre Dame High School Belmont 6-4. Their next game was played against Mitty on November 1, which they lost 3-13.

So with a solid season behind them, the junior varsity team looks forward to returning next year, while the varsity team looks forward to CCS. All the girls have bonded throughout the season, and leave the pool now with new friendships and great memories.

School, we lost 0-2. Moving from that game, Valley played against Harker School and won 2-0. Keeping their streak, Valley grabbed a win against Watsonville High School 2-1. In Valley’s home game against Sacred Heart Cathedral they lost 0-2. The first game score was 13-25 and the second game score was 11-25. Then in an away game against Presentation, Valley lost 0-2. The first game score was 20-25 and the second game score

was 13-25. The next away game against Archbishop Mitty High School ended in a loss 0-2. The next home game against Presentation High School ended with the score of 1-2. It was a tough loss to a hard fought game. The last game against Archbishop Mitty also ended with the final score of 1-2. It was another hard fought game, but we just couldn’t pull out the win. Overall, the girls did a great job.

Boys Water PoloBy Andrew LungContributing WriterVarsity Boys WP:

St. Ignacious. Varsity needed only one more win to seal their road to CCS. And this was their last chance. Many factors were against the team; they were playing in unfamiliar settings on top of all. The score was 5-7 at halftime; Valley was down two goals. But after a suspenseful turn of events, and the expertise of Valley Christian sophomore goalkeeper Brian Roush, who had sixteen saves, Valley had managed to pull into the lead 11-10 by the end of the third quarter. One more quarter to play, SI scored the first goal, tying the game. Sophomore Theron Kay scored the final two goals giving valley the win with a 13-11 victory against St. Ignacious. CCS is only a stone’s throw away. Coach Caleb Carlson has coached the team through its multitude of injuries. The varsity team has reached a record amount of wins this season. The team will be graduating four seniors this year, Danny Buzzetta, Cameron Martino, Nick Brugioni, and Zach von Szeremy. They have left a great impression of leadership on the team, always demanding the absolute best from

themselves and their fellow teammates. JV Boys WP: The Warriors JV water polo team, led by captains Adam Trinh and Alex Shulman, has experienced a tough, yet lucrative season in terms of experience. With the departure of a key player on the team, the Warriors have had to play many games against opposing teams of usually more than twice their size. Even with the addition of Zack Lowenstein, one of the fastest swimmers Valley has seen in the past couple years, the team has had to fight through constant exhaustion on their way to victory. However, though outnumbered, the team has managed to outsmart and outplay many of their opponents. The team has a season record of 9 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie with only one final tournament to play. Every win has been hard fought, and every loss has been an enormous gain in terms of experience. As stated by Jonathan Nyguyen, “The team is ready to finish the season strong.” With 3 final wins at their Carmel tournament on the weekend, the Warriors will be playing schools such as Carmel and Leland at the tournament.

Page 16: The Warrior November 2011

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