- Woodside World - February 2013 1

Sick of Waiting in Line for Lunch?page 10

Changes forBasketball

page 13

Remembering

Leyla Beban pages 8-9

Student Artworkin the Quad:WHS Art Boom!pages 6-7

February 2013

The Voice of the Wildcats The Woodside World

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Woodside World - February 2013 - Table of Contents2

PG. 11

Audio ProductionMr. Ford gives WHS Audio Production a new name.

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February 2013

Legally BlondeMany are excited to see this musical coming to WHS stage in mid-March.

WHS Art BoomStudent-made art of all kinds takes center stage in the Quad at lunch. Remembering Leyla Beban WHS students react to and remember the ac-cident.

Food for ThoughtWHS deals with the long lunch-lines dilemma.

Winter FormalThe dance was a hit and many students enjoyed themselves at the Mwasquerade.

Coach FountainStudent athletes wel-come a new coach to WHS basketballl.

Gender Bend in Football Randi Stafford joined the WHS Varsity Football team.

Cover Photo courtesy of the Jury-Fogel Family

Sports StatsGet updated with the winter sports results!

Photo by Alexis Carlson.

PG. 6Photo by Mackenzie Bray

PG. 13Photo Courtesy of Yearbook Staff

PG. 7Photo by Joel Martinez-Cobian

Photo by Chris Guillen

Woodside World - February 2013 3

PG. 13

Woodside World - February 20134

Arts & Entertainment - Woodside World - February 2013 5

This year’s spring musical, “Legally Blonde” debuts March 8, and the cast and crew are already busy preparing for the the show.

Jessica Marguet ‘16, has been chosen for the lead role, Elle. She is honored to have been chosen for the lead as a freshman and says, “many people told me I couldn’t do it.”

How is the school going to prepare for this exciting show? Marguet says, “the practices for me are nearly every weekday and most Saturdays, but for the rest of the cast it’s Monday and Fridays.” Productions of big musicals take time and effort, and hopefully Woodside can rise to the challenge and make this the best one yet.

Marguet is confident that Barry Woodruff “will work really hard to make the show the best it can be.”

Gianna Lyle ‘16, has plans to attend the musical and is “excited to watch all my friends perform because they are all really talented.” Mikey Rappaport ‘15 admits that he is

“looking forward to seeing a great show by people [he] loves.”

The people behind the characters are the main attraction for many of the cast mem-bers themselves. Ja-clyn Hovsmith ‘16 is using this experience to make friends in her first year at Woodside. Nadir Jang ‘16 is also motivated to meet new people as he admits he “signed up to spend time with the rest of the cast.” With all the prac-tices, they will certainly get the chance to spend plenty of time together.

Lead Jessica Marguet in her role in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” as the lead, Millie. Photo by Rodine Patton.

There hasn’t been a DJ in the quad for more than a month, and the students who gather there are starting to ask why. Most want to know what happened to the entertainment, and what the future is for the privilege that is unique to Woodside High School.

When asked about the DJ delays, Jonathan Ford, teacher of the audio production class, said, “there hasn’t really been a system set up with a group [of students].” His schedule is completely occupied and he has no time left to organize lunch time DJs. The equipment is a burden to set up and break down and if a person will not be DJing at that par-ticular moment, they rarely have any motivation to help.

“There should be a collective of [students] emerging who, if organized properly, will solve this whole problem,” says Ford.

The second issue is the type of music being played, which is the most discussed topic. People have asked for country, dubstep, dance, EDM, rock, and more. Every one of those genres is attractive to some, but repulsive to others.

When asked what music should be played in the quad, Daniel Dignin ‘13 said, “I do electronic music because that is my forte, but I think a diverse world of music should be presented.”

Students Need to Step Up to Bring Back Lunchtime DJBy Diego Perez, Staff Writer

A student in Audio Production class focuses on producing new music. Photo by Diego Perez

Cast Excited to Be Performing Hit MusicalBy Freddie Corcoran, Staff Writer

Woodside World - February 2013 - Arts & Entertainment6

An Afternoon in the Quad: Woodside Art BoomBy Nick Montalbano, Staff Writer

Students admire the ceramic pieces that their classmates have been hard at work on all semester.

Students and teachers rock out to music that the audio production class created. Students can see what their potential portraits will look like as they wait.

Photos by Nick Montalbano

The Woodside Art Boom is a fantastic way for the art stu-dents to get their pieces seen. With all the classes that the school provides for students to express themselves, there is no end to the creative potential. With classes like photogra-phy, film critique, ceramics, and many more any student at Woodside can have the know-how to become a great artist in whatever that they decide to take on. The students that are involved with Woodside Art had the chance to show off their pieces in the quad to the entire school in Woodside’s first Art Boom. On Friday December 7, the art students at Woodside set up camp in the quad, from the photography students showing off their photos in a small booth to the 2D students hang-ing their art from the awning in front of the old gym. Such pieces include scenes of horses and nature scenes. The wonderful poetry on the side of the wall nearer to the ivy was in both Spanish and in English. Gwen Sidley, Video Production teacher, and her students

showed their videos from the previous months while the jazz band performed for the entire lunch period. Lastly, stu-dents had the opportunity to have their portraits drawn by Art Club students for free. All these different displays and activities gave students the chance to see what their peers had been doing this past semester and appreciate all that Woodside has to offer for the students that wish to express themselves through the beauty that is art.

Students that were not participating in the display were able to get close and observe the kind of masterpieces that their peers were able to create. Students could have their faces turned into a cartoon at the portrait table then go over to the audio production table and listen to music that their friends created, the same music that that is played in the quad dur-ing some lunch periods. Or they could go over and see all the paintings with the sound of the band in the background. Students wait eagerly for their portraits to be drawn by some of Woodside’s

most talented artists.

Arts & Entertainment - Woodside World - February 2013 7

Students can see what their potential portraits will look like as they wait.

Photos by Nick Montalbano

Jonathan Teaning 16’ described the show as a “fantastic way to incorporate all the arts at once.”

As happy as the artists were to show off a few pieces that they had, the teachers were probably even more excited to have all their students’ pieces shown. Sidley was ecstatic to stand by her students as hordes of students flocked to the film critique station. Teachers from non-art classes were also happy to come from their classrooms and enjoy all the work. Alan Eaton commented on the paintings, saying that they were ”magical and inspiring.”

Principal Diane Burbank was even down in the quad talking with Peter Cirincione, World Studies teacher and Journal-ism advisor, about one of the best pieces of art, Savannah by Alexia Cunha ‘13. Students and teachers were both moved by the effort that went into every piece of art and the results of that effort.

This was a great way for the art students here at Woodside to get their work seen by their teachers and peers. Hun-dreds of students were happy to have their faces drawn or listen to student made music, watch student made videos or simply just enjoy the paintings and other works. With all the recognition that students got from peers or their mentors, there is no doubt that the next Art Boom, on February 28, will be a great success.

Above: An array of ceramic creations shine at the sunny center of the Quad. Below: The brass section of the Jazz Band provide the Art Boom soundtrack.Left: Student visual art hangs in the Quad.Right: Alec Mullen, ‘16 and Jessica Page, ‘13 play as the band rocks the Art Boom.

Above: Members of the Art Club create portraits for their peers.

Below: Students join teachers Aaron Campbell and Jonathan Ford to listen to audio production’s amazing creations.

Woodside World - February 2013 - News8

Sonnet About Life

Alive I go to sleep in bed tonightAlive I wake up with the morning dew

A life is like a warm and lovely lightA life is like a spark so hot and blue

Alive when brown owls sing their haunting songsAlive when bright sun burns and scorchesA life is a place where all kids do belong

Swinging in the breeze on huge front porchesBut some days when the rain doth pour thickly

And all around you rule great godly forcesYou think that life gallops by too quickly

And then all days whizz past like racing horsesA life is like an ever-changing stream

And all of streams must end in broken dreams

~Leyla Beban, January 2011

The morning of Tuesday, November 27 was a somber one as students of Woodside High School arrived to a sea of blue t-shirts, a memorial tree in the quad, and a full range of grieving students.

Whether they knew her or not, the tragic death of freshman Leyla Beban left its mark on the entire Woodside com-munity. For the students and staff that did know her, they grieved the loss of the girl who they will always remember as smart, outgoing, and generous.

On the morning of November 26, Beban was involved in an accident with a truck on the corner of Alameda De Las Pulgas and Jefferson Avenue. Contrary to the reporting of a number of news outlets, exactly how the accident occurred is not clear; the incident is still under investigation by the District and City Attorney Offices. The final report has not yet been released, and any reports issued before this are unofficial.

One thing is clear though, Beban’s death has had a pro-found effect on the Woodside community. The morning following her death, students were greeted by an announce-ment from Principal Diane Burbank about the events of the previous morning. The loss of a fellow Wildcat was felt across campus as Burbank shared the heartfelt words one of Beban’s teachers, Kathleen Coughlin. It read, “Leyla Beban embodied qualities we might value in any of our students: compassionate, open-minded, intellectually curious, kind, articulate, considerate, very competent, yet humble.”

Freshman and senior class presidents, Bianca Gabriel ‘16 and Laura Stelma ‘13, then lead the school in a moment of silence to commemorate such a special student. Other schools in the area, including Sacred Heart Preparatory, Menlo, Carlmont, Menlo-Atherton, and Nueva Middle School also took time to remember and grieve for Beban and her family.

As students left their 3rd period class and walked into the quad, their eyes were caught by the sight of a tree covered

Gone But Not Forgotten: Remembering Leyla BebanBy Haley Sheetz and Alexis Carlson, Staff Writers

Leyla Beban, ‘16 was an avid reader and an expressive writer, who often expressed herself in poems like the one above. Left: Portrait Courtesy of the Beban Family Right: A blue flower left a memorial to Leyla on campus. photo by Freddie Corcoran

News - Woodside World - February 2013 9

with origami, tissue paper flowers, and notes in Beban’s favorite color: blue. A Facebook page, Blue for Beban, was created the night of her death encouraging students to wear blue the following day in remembrance of Beban. The page reported that over 1,000 students wore blue in a tribute to the girl who wore a blue hoodie to school every day and whose loss was seen in the eyes of stu-dents across campus.

One such grieving student was Brian Wheaton ‘16, who shared his reaction after hearing the news. He said, “I couldn’t speak. I dropped the glass I was holding at the time and finally screamed. The first thing that went through my mind was: ‘This has got to be a joke. This cannot be happening. I will go to school tomorrow and see her smiling and reading as always.’ In other words, I was in denial.”

Indeed, many students were experiencing great pain at the loss of a friend. Grief counselors were available on campus that Tuesday and Wednesday for any and all mourning stu-dents. Tears were in no shortage in the days following, but from those tears sprung truly amazing memorials to Beban.

On the corner of Jefferson and Alameda, a chalk heart decorates the bike lane, and the streetlamp is consistently surrounded by flowers. In addition, a white bike, called a “Ghost Bike,” has been left at the scene. In honor of a fallen rider, other cyclists paint an old bicycle white and chain it near the site of the accident. The Ghost Bike serves as a reminder for drivers to share the road.

Beban was an avid reader and writer; one of her main goals in life was to have a book published. Since this was one of her favorite pastimes, the freshmen class, along with the help of students from Beban’s grade school, Adelante, are holding a book drive called Books for Beban. The books are being collected in Ms. Krampert’s room, C-5, and they will be donated to several worthy places, including Stan-ford Medical Center, where Beban was pronounced dead. There will also be drop-off locations around Redwood City for those who wish to participate. Beban’s family has responded to the community’s outreach by setting up a Causes page allowing people to donate to Beban’s former schools. Adelante Spanish-English Immer-sion School and Nueva Middle School will both benefit

from these donations, and will serve to educate the next generation of students. Any and all donations are appreci-ated and are a fitting way to commemorate such a bright young student.

As students, staff, family, and friends continue to celebrate the life of such a spectacular young girl, Joselyn Silver-man ‘16 offers a few words on the subject, which aptly convey the pain of loss all who knew her will continue to feel. She says, “If I could see her just one more time I would tell her that she was admired and loved for so

many different reasons, and she would always have a place in this world just because of who she is. I know that when-ever I look up at the sky, the brightest star is her.”

Contributions to Leyla Beban’s Causes page can be made at http://www.causes.com/causes/804581-honoring-leyla

Within a few days of the accident, a heart was painted on the bike lane where Leyla was hit to preserve her memory. Photo by Ben Gumbley

Flowers, candles, balloons, and notes were placed on the corner of Alameda and Jefferson as a memorial for Leyla. Photo by Ben Gumbley

Woodside World - February 2013 - Student Life10

If you’ve ever attempted to buy food at Woodside, you’ve experienced the commotion of the lunch lines. Often, the chaos caused by the ravaging, hungry group of students is enough to throw someone off the whole idea of purchasing a meal.

Food for Thought (FFT), a movement of students that want to make a positive difference, believes that the difficulties associated with the food services on campus are affecting the lives of students on a significant scale. After conducting extensive research, they have brainstormed a few solutions that they hope will address the issue, or at least inspire Woodside faculty to take action.

“We’re not doing this just for credit,” confessed Joel More-no ‘13, an FFT officer. “Our goal is to change something here at Woodside.” Brayan Suarez ‘13, another officer of Food for Thought, described the problem: “There is not enough lunch line [regulation]. Kids have to wait a long time, and while they wait, there are other students that just cut in front of them. There’s just not enough security, and most of the time kids don’t stand up for themselves.”

“If anything,” added Moreno, “they have to be stricter or much more vigilant. There are times when Eddie is turned around, not even watching, while several students cut the line.”

Despite their attempts, Food for Thought faces little support from the food-service body. Carol Cassidy, the Woodside kitchen supervisor, affirms that there is no actual problem to solve. “The lines are OK. We have security that takes care of the situation.” When questioned on the efficiency of rule enforcement, Cassidy confidently declared that of

the many cases of line cutting that occur each day, “close to one-hundred percent” are addressed.

Food for Thought, however, disagrees with that claim. Through a survey they conducted, they found that there was an overwhelming imbalance between the number of students that want to purchase food each lunch period and the number of students that end up receiving it. They also discovered that it take students an average of 10-15 minutes to wait in line. That’s a substantial portion of the 30 min-ute break time. Furthermore, 54 out of 56 survey subjects stated that they would support a petition to improve the flow and regulation of lunch lines

“When students don’t receive lunch, they have less energy to do well in their next class.” concluded Moreno. “Also,” added Suarez, “the time spent waiting in line could be spent interacting with friends, without having to stress over school assignments.” FFT is currently exploring alternate ways to provide lunch to students. “Before, Woodside had food carts that provided lunch, but they took them out” said Moreno and Suarez, “one of our objectives is to get student workers to run the carts [again].” There was speculation that the student food carts were still somewhere on campus, but after further investigation, Woodside World discovered that the carts had been removed from the school. Food for Thought could not be reached for comments on the matter.

Although the cause the FFT is fighting for is controversial and, in the eyes of authority, obsolete, it seems they might the public support necessary make a change.

Food For Thought: The Lunch-Line DilemnaBy Joel Martinez-Cobian, Staff Writer

Joel Moreno ‘13 and Brayan Suarez ‘13, the leaders of Food for Thought, take a break from fighting to improve lunch service quality.

Photos by Joel Martinez-Cobian

Students are rarely overseen by Eddie, Kenny, or Rosie at the G-wing kiosk. As a result, it is often overcrowded during the first half of lunch.

Student Life - Woodside World - February 2013 11

A night when identity is not a big deal, a night when ev-eryone plays the role of an impostor, the kind of night high school students dream about. Months of planning and pre-paring resulted in a successful winter Masquerade ball. Saturday, January 26 around 7:30-10:30 in the evening, the moment that many students of WHS had been waiting and preparing for happened in the blink of an eye. The students of Woodside High flocked to the school’s new gym for the masquerade themed dance. Breathalyzers, clutch checkers, and ID scanners welcomed students as they set foot in the transformed gym. Wearing their best dresses and suits that matched their masks, the students entered the door with smiles on their lips and a gleams in their eyes.

Many students arrived with dates, while others came to the ball alone or with a group of friends. The dance was organized by a group of sophomore students led by Katie Anderson ‘15 as a fundraiser for the sophomore class. The venue was decorated with ribbons and masks while tables and chairs were set for the free food that was offered. “I like the way they set it up, it was really pretty” Anastacia Josephine ‘16 said about the decorations and lights that filled the gym.

Music played everywhere, different colors of lights flashed on and off, voices came from the crowd, and of course, the non-stop dancing of students who were absolutely having a great time filled the gym.

Jamie Han ‘15, one of the students who helped to organize the dance, said that she was satisfied with the outcome of all their hard work. “We spent months on this and we’re really nervous about the outcome, I’m hoping they liked the dance but I think they did because of the free food. “ She said that the things that made the dance so special were that many people came out and had a good time with their friends, the way all dances should be. ”I just wanted to tell all the students of Woodside High, thank you for coming out” she concluded.

A couple of students also shared their opinions about the dance. According to Danielle Chetrit ‘15, she enjoyed the ball because the music was really good and she had a lot of friends with her. ”We danced a lot. I really do think that the money we paid for the ticket was worth it and it was fun because everyone is dancing into the music and the DJ was fabulous . It was everything I’d hoped it to be,” she exclaimed.

An evening meant for fun and excitement, turned out to be a memorable night in disguise indeed.

“I just wanted to tell all the stu-dents of Woodside High, thank you for coming out”- Jamie Han

A Night in Disguise By Leira Fae Montemayor, Staff Writer

Photo by Joel Martinez

Madison Holland, Lauran Holland, Monica Chonda, Emily Degnan, Christina York, and Lexi Mendoza step aside to take a picture together while enjoying the dance. Photo by Christopher Guillen

Many students concealed their identities with ornate and glittering masks at the Masquerade on January 26th. Photo by Leira Montemayor

Woodside World - February 201312

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Sports - Woodside World - February 2013 13

Woodside’s boys’ varsity basketball team is transitioning to their new coach, Doug Fountain. The shift has brought many changes, and the team is thriving under his instruction.

Fountain’s first impression of Woodside’s basketball program was, “The players are excited about playing. They have a passion for the game.” He is thrilled about being a part of it, and men-tioned how welcoming the team has been. “They brought us in as part of the family really quickly. If they had any reservations or ties to the old coach, they didn’t make that an issue.”

He has high hopes for the season and expects to be in the top five out of the twelve teams in the division. Fountain believes that the team captains--Ryan Blocker ‘13, Mitchell Hickman ‘13, and David Lopez ‘13--will bring his team to many victories.

Fountain is very pleased with Blocker’s potential. “I think Ryan Blocker is one of the best point guards. He has a high basketball IQ. He is going to have a great year, and he really is the engine that makes our team work.” He has just as high expectations for Hickman, and considers him “one of the top guards in the area, Certainly one of the better shooters in the peninsula.” Last, but definitely not least, Lopez holds up his end of the trio with his dedication. “David Lopez is also one of the top players. He is a really good shooter, and he works hard.”

Blocker has been through three coaches during his time on the varsity team. He noted that the team has gotten good at tran-sitioning to follow different authority. “Well there’s always an initial period where there are some hiccups when learning a new system and getting the feel for the new coach. But every year, especially this one the team has come together and worked hard to get through those rough patches and really start playing well as a team.”

The team is going strong under Fountain’s instruction. Blocker sees these improvements. “Coach Fountain’s awesome; the team really is coming along and learning a lot from him this year.”

Boys’ Basketball Thrives Under New CoachingBy Abby Taussig, Sports Editor

David Lopez ‘13 jumps up for a shot, bounding over the defense. Photo by Yearbook Staff

Woodside World - February 2013 - Sports14

We have all seen girls do a spectacular job on the softball field or the basketball court, but they can certainly turn heads in the wrestling ring and on the football field as well.

You don’t have to be an athlete to know that some of Amer-ica’s most famous sports, such as football, only feature men on their teams. Why not give girls a chance to let them prove to everyone that they really can be as good as the a male?

Randi Stafford ‘13, kicker on the varsity football team, defi-nitely thinks that girls should be given that chance to show what they have got: “I think if a girl really puts her mind to it and pushes herself to be as good as she possibly can, then she can definitely be as good as, if not better, than the boys.” Stafford then goes on to say, “but that goes with anyone in anything; if you put enough effort and hard work into some-thing, you can always be the best.”

Despite the fact that girls who participate in male-dominated sports get a lot of recognition for it, criticism and judgment come along with it. Because it is not every day that one sees a girl playing such sports, one cannot help but think that she could easily be hurt or not be good enough. Sarah Weller ‘16, a former basketball and softball player, seems to be all for the idea of girls playing whatever sports they please: “I think

that if a girl really wants to play a cer-tain sport, then she definitely should.” Weller claims that although girls can be judged for playing some sports, they will eventually be accepted. “Usually, guys are all for girls being on the team, so I really don’t see an issue with it. People are always going to make com-ments at first but they’ll eventually cheer them on with the other members of the team.”

Stafford admits that there not everyone was willing to accept her right away and adds: “I was definitely ridiculed at first by guys that weren’t on the team or that had played in the years before because they thought the team was bad enough to have a girl.” Even though Stafford was at first judged, she soon proved to

the students at Woodside that girls can be just as good as the guys are, adding, “after I played in our first scrimmages and games, people accepted it and encouraged me.”

Overall, girls have indeed proved to the many skeptics out there that they really can play these risque sports. Though there may be controversy caused from a story like Randi’s, she, along with many other girls, has proven that with enough effort and determination, a girl can and will be accepted as just another member of the team.

Kicker Randi Stafford ‘13 walks with her proud parents at the 2012 Homecoming Football game. Photo by Alex Lopez

Randi Stafford ‘13 (#41) prepares for the 2012 Homecoming football game against South San Francisco with her fellow teammates. The game took place on November 9, 2012. Photo by Alex Lopez

Tackling Gender StereotypesBy Luci Cerrillo, Staff Writer

All photos courtsey of Yearbook staff.

Sports - Woodside World - February 2013 15

Varsity Sports StatsBy Abby Taussig, Sports Editor

Boys basketball is living up to their expectations for this season so far bywinning half of their games.

Sights set on CCS, the girls basketball team established their league superiority after beating M-A 37-30

The girls soccer team shows strengths on and off the field with a first-place standing in PAL and a cumulative GPA of 3.85, which is “far and away the highest of any varsity team in any sport” according to Jim Proctor.

Overall Record: 14-3 League: 7-0

Overall Record: 10-10 League: 4-4

Overall Record: 6-5-4 League: 2-3-4

Overall Record: 12-0-2League: 7-0-2

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Boys Soccer

Girls Soccer

Woodside World StaffEditor-in-Chief: Makayla Karr-WarnerAdvertisement Director: Harry PatinoArt Director: Maya KuipersArts & Entertainment Editor: Mackenzie BrayNews Editor: Chris GuillenSports Editor: Abby Taussig Sports Editor: Collin MerwinStudent Life Editor: Kathleen Sandoval

Staff Writers: Alexis Carlson, Luci Cerrillo, Fred Corcoran, Eugenia Vasquez-Flores, Ben Gumbley, Kenzie Humpries, Joel Martinez-Cobian, Nick Montalbano, Leira Montemayor, Carolyn Oliveira, Emily Orrego, Caleb Levine, Diego Perez, Haley Sheetz, Raul Torres

Advisor: Peter Cirincione

The wrestling team’s hard training is paying off on the mat and they have earned an even record so far.

The boys soccer team is going strong and looking forward to the rest of their season after a recent 7-1 victory over Westmoor.Wrestling

League Record: 2-2

All photos courtsey of Yearbook staff.

Woodside World - February 2013 - Student Art16

Student Art

“Golden Gate Bridge” by Renna Esmabe ‘14 , Medium: photography

“Bird House” by Karla Osuna ‘13, Medium: clay“Alice in Wonderland” series by Annelise Barriga ‘13, Medium: acrylic paint

The Woodside World selects a few art pieces made by students to highlight in each issue of the magazine. To have your art considered for the next issue, please talk to an art teacher or email world@woodsidehighschool.org with your name, grade, the title of your piece, the medium, and with one or more high quality images of the piece attached.