Kirstie Lee

Senior Kiyoshi Harada was walking through the front parking lot when something caught his eye. “Why is that car peeing?” Harada thought.

Whether man sashayed into existence pre-made and gift-wrapped or has monkeys for his aunts and uncles is an argument that has pitted die-hard scientists against the born again religious for decades. A message to both of them: Leave it out of public education and let the poor kids learn science without snide remarks from the opposing side.

I would say that I’m pretty good at making most situations not awkward. I just talk incessantly, regardless of whether the other person can keep up with my fast-paced talking. If I’m placed in a situation where there are potential awkward silences, I’ll talk myself out of them. But there are a few situations when I can’t use words as my scapegoat.

The crowd waits, quiet. The spotlight falls on a group of five boys, clad in too tight shirts and clothed in outrageous colors—almost as loud as the music that starts playing in the background. As the lyrics come onto the speakers, the boys open their mouths and begin to sing and the crowd erupts into laughter and applause. This humorous event is the annual senior class fund raiser. Doesn’t sound too familiar? You may not remember since it hasn’t taken place in two years.

The holidays are a time for tradition, and the senior class fundraiser is succumbing to the same tradition it had hoped to avoid. In past years, Lip Sync has been the victim of numerous postponements and cancellations, something this year’s senior class officers were hoping to avoid. The annual fundraiser originally scheduled for Dec. 18, has been postponed until the spring due to a lack of participation, said senior class president Lewis Chen.

The marching band performed its last show of the season and for its 48 seniors, of their high school career, in the Western Bands Association (WBA) Championships at Diablo Valley College on Nov. 22. The band first competed in the preliminary competition and then placed 11th, qualified for the finals round in which they placed 11th as well. Before and after the competition, emotions ran high, ranging from warm hugs, slapping of high-fives and even spilled tears. Many were both critical of the performance and proud of the work they had done.

It is Thursday night and the piercing beats of the metronome cut through the evening air. School has started and so has marching band. The band season actually began two weeks before school even started, with nearly daily 11-hour rehearsals at school each day. With rigorous music and marching practices, the band has started the year on a good foot. The biggest difference this year is the size of the band, which currently counts 220 students.

Before spring break, the music department began the process of picking the 2008-2009 leadership team. Drum majors were decided the week after spring break, and the leadership team was announced last week. Seniors Julia Glausi and Paul Stavropoulos will join senior Mara Couch in leading the band at field show competitions as the new drum majors.

Not many people know what they want to do when they grow up. Some even have a hard time choosing their careers when they’re adults. But for senior Jennifer Wey, Wey knew that she had a strong future with the violin ever since age 3.