John Lawson

After all the national anti-bullying campaigns our school has taken part of, shocking new statistics have revealed a reverse effect has taken place; our school-wide bullying has increased according to a first-time school survey.

In an effort to counter rising bullying rates,  a new week has been planned to center awareness of student behavior on campus. Kindness and appreciation of others are some major focuses of our 2013 Acceptance Awareness Week.

This event will emphasize the importance of accepting all types of people and not discriminating them for different values, beliefs, and interests. Acceptance week will be put on by Peer Resource class, known for sponsoring multiple awareness weeks, such as DUI week, wellness week, and Distracted Driving Awareness week (which was their most recent event). However, this will be their first time ever sponsoring an event based on celebrating the diversity of others.

Drake’s leadership and Peer Resource classes have united to provide maximum impact for this upcoming week.

The Peer Resource group, a student-run class whose main motive is to provide teen-to-teen help and guidance with personal issues they may encounter, and Drake’s Leadership class has agreed to join forces to create an even more powerful impact on this Awareness Week.

One of Leadership’s primary responsibilities is organizing school activities, and when they expressed to Peer Resource how they have realized bullying has become a more prevalent issue in our school, the two classes decided it would be an excellent idea to work together and collaborate their skills and abilities to make this event superb.  The strengths of the two groups will combine to create the optimal effectiveness that neither could provide individually.

Senior Michael Swalberg is an active member of both Leadership and Peer Resource and expressed his thoughts on the two groups uniting, “I am really excited that we are both collaborating. Having more people on board is great because we have more people for labor (more people to go to advisories, set up events, etc.) but we also have more people to come up with great ideas. I like how this shows that students in a variety of groups are passionate enough to tackle this ongoing issue.”

Leadership isn’t the only group that has observed an increase in bullying among students; Peer Resource is also working with the Gay Straight Alliance Club (GSA) to advertise this event. GSA wants to stress the significance of supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning. (LGBTQ) students, a theme they have been working on to achieve since the club’s creation. Determining one’s sexual orientation can be a sensitive subject for some adolescents and it is important that students, whatever their orientation may be, can function in an environment where they feel safe, comfortable, and free from any hate or negativity.

Sexuality and LGBTQ will be one of the themes that Acceptance Week will focus on. Other themes include bullying prevention, self-acceptance, and acceptance of diversity within our school and community. Different activities and games, along movie showings, will be major highlights of the week, so get ready to be a part of this meaningful event.

Swalberg has high hopes that Acceptance Week will have a long-term, positive effect on students. “My hope is that long-term the culture will change [here] so people will think before they say/act in terms of making jokes/hurtful comments towards people of different races, sexuality, disabilities, etc. Most people aren’t intentionally trying to hurt people; they just say things without thinking. So looking at the big picture, I hope this week will have a positive impact on the culture.”

Lastly, Peer Resource plans to use Acceptance Week as a stepping stone to make acceptance a continual theme throughout next school year as opposed to just emphasizing it for one week. The event will take place April 29th – March 3rd, so make sure to check out the different events stationed around campus.

As spectators from basketball games and wrestling matches are filing out of the gym, a new set of athletes are preparing themselves for this season’s competition.

The spring sports include swimming, softball, lacrosse, girls soccer, boys tennis, boys golf, boys volleyball, track and field, baseball and mountain biking.

Our spring teams have a lot of potential this season, giving fans a lot to look forward to.

Boys Volleyball:

This season, there are seven new varsity players. Last year, the team placed first in MCALS and has been undefeated since March of 2010. There is a lot of pressure to maintain their rank, especially since they lost key players including John Herrero and Marcelo Bejarano last year. “Our coach has prepared us mentally and physically for the upcoming season. I believe this team will be the strongest it’s been in the last four years,” said senior and team captain Ben Sebastian.

Boys Golf:

The weight of this year’s golf season lies mostly on the shoulders of the new freshmen. Junior Steven Bohman believes they have a lot of promise and have already been an improvement to the team. “We did twenty strokes better than last year on our last hole,” said Bohman. Junior Dwight Scales agrees with Bohman, and thinks that this team definitely has more potential. “Last year we went two and sixteen and right now we’re one and four. So we’re looking a lot better than we were last year. We’re hoping to get at least four wins,” said Scales. When asked how they think the team will do this season, both replied, “probably not last place.”

Track:

Track and Field lost a lot of seniors last year, which worried Junior Lily Stander, “I was really nervous that we weren’t going to have any good freshmen to fill their places,” said Stander. The team is a lot smaller this year due to their loss of seniors, so they aren’t looking to win MCALs like in past years,“We’re just trying to do our best in our individual events,” said Stander. However, Stander realizes there isn’t much to worry about considering the new talent that was brought to the team this year, and the returners who already carry the team. “We have really good freshmen like Olivia and Chloe and Ashley, and Sam Gilbert is a really good addition to our team as well. Also Savannah Michaels and India Neville are our pole vaulters, and Savannah won league last year and set the school record,” said Stander. “Sam Gilbert is number one in the county for sprinting for the 100-meter already. She’s new this year, so it’s a great addition to our team.” Stander and the rest of the team look forward to a great season.

Girls Soccer:

The girls varsity soccer team has a lot of new talent this season, and with that, comes both challenge and promise. Junior Ali Birnbaum sees new energy on the team due to the young additions. “It’s a young team—so it’s going to be a learning experience. But a lot of the young players are really good. So that will be good to see how they grow,” said Birnbaum. Senior Grace Gurung sees potential in the younger players because they bring a lot of speed to the team, adding to the already talented returners. “They’re going to underestimate us, because we have such a young team and we’re not the biggest girls out there—we’re definitely one of the smaller teams. But I think with that, comes power, because we have the upper hand—because they’re not going to see us coming,” said Gurung.

Boys Lacrosse:

The boys lacrosse team has also lost a lot of key players last year. But the combination of returners and new additions make up for any losses. This season’s offense is strong, though defense could use some work, according to senior and captain Zack Haligman. “We lost a lot of older kids on defense, so it’s mostly an offensive system. You know, Mac Cowley is one of the best attackman in the league, I’m a pretty good mid-fielder, and look for the speed in Tucker Wasuta. It’s going to be a fast offense, really high powered, a lot of scoring,” said Haligman. Along with the returners, the new talent brought to the team gives promise to not only this year, but following years as well. “We got some young kids, young talent, Riley the freshman and Nick Doerschlag—future of the program right there. Those kids are amazing, I really look to them,” said Haligman.

Senior team Captain Mac Cowley also sees hope for the team despite their loss on defense. He believes they will step it up this season and push towards MCALs. “It will be an interesting year; you know we lost twelve seniors. But I got a lot of hope for the team; we’ll come through and make playoffs hopefully. Win a couple games and move on, and each year we’re just trying to improve. So I think we have some young talent that can really help us step into place and make a good run at MCAL’s this year,” said Cowley.

Girls’ Lacrosse:

Girls Lacrosse has proven themselves this year, starting the season off with three and one. This is a great improvement to previous years. Senior and team captain Johanna Oleson is excited for this season’s potential. “Last year we already started building on a good team. We have a lot of returning players this year, so we have our entire starting lineup that are people who have been playing for at least two years. So we have the experience and the talent,” said Oleson. Oleson said that they have a set of juniors and seniors who are really reliable, and they have a good set of offenseive players who can all score. “The points are spread out across the board,” said Oleson. In one of their highest scoring games of fourteen points, those points were spread out among six different players. “We are expecting a lot of wins this season, so everyone should come out and support us,” said Oleson.

Softball:

Softball has gotten off to a rough start this season; however, there is a lot of opportunity for improvement. They have a motivated coaching staff that is working towards bringing the team together. Junior Emma Goodwin has hopes for the team’s success  because she’s seen the season start out this way before, and progress as the season goes on. “We started off pretty strong then it’s kind of trickled downhill. But I have a lot of hope because I’ve seen us come out strong in the beginning,” said Goodwin. “I’m hoping to make MCALs—I know we have in the past few years—I think we will as soon as we come together. Because we’re still kind of struggling [because it’s the] beginning of the season,” said Goodwin. The team is short on underclassmen, with only one freshman, “so hopefully the program will grow,” said Goodwin. But this shortage will not stop them, because their talent will bring them back together. “Everyone has decent skill so we will come together,” said Goodwin.

Mountain Biking:

With almost a completely new team, Drake mountain biking has a different dynamic. There are no standout players as there were last year, who carried the team. “Our team is a lot more diverse this year. Basically we used to have a core group of kids that would go out there and do really well in one area. We used to really just have a strong JV, and that would help us carry our team,” said Senior Lucas Newcomb. He believes that the team has a new family dynamic because everyone supports one another. So even though there aren’t standout members, they are doing well as a group. “I think if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll definitely do well. I think our kids will even start doing better. Everyone is pretty much new on our team now, so the more races we do, the more experience every kid will get, and the better they’ll do,” said Newcomb.

Baseball:

This season’s baseball team has a lot to live up to considering last year’s championship win. But by the looks of this team, there isn’t much to worry about. “We won the championship last year, so this year we’re trying to live up to our expectations from last year. We have a much different team; it’s a good balance of returning players and young guys. We expect to be able to catch the ball really well. All our pitchers have done good this year so far,” said senior Eric Smith. Compared to last year, this team has a much tighter bond.

“There’s a lot of different personalities on this team. And what sets us apart of other teams is that we’re all really good friends. We’re a really close group of guys. We’ll hangout on weekends and it’s not really clique-y,” said Smith.

Junior Kyle Aubrey also believes that this season, there’s a new sense of team chemistry, which has strengthened their team dynamic and improved their playing. “We’ve been playing really well lately, so if you come to our games, you can always expect a good game and always a fight, even if we’re winning by a lot,” said Aubrey.

Boys Tennis:

This season, the boys tennis team is almost exclusively sophomores. Some of these sophomores have never played before this year. Sophomore Alec Fremier sees the possibility of a semi-successful season, “I think we can make the bottom end of playoffs, later,” said Fremier. This, he believes, is due to some of the teams’ standout players such as sophomores Jake Andronico and Kyle Kohlbrenner, and senior Jimmy Kramer. “We won’t do great this year, but the sophomore class will be good our senior year,” said Kramer. This year is the beginning of a team that holds a lot of potential for the future.

Swimming:

Our swim team has been in strong in years past, and by the looks of this season’s team, that trend will not be broken. “We got lots of new fast freshmen,” said senior and captain Leslie Schmitz. “Last year we got third in MCALs and we want to try and get third again hopefully—I’m not really sure how much the teams have changed so that will affect it. Everyone has lost fast people.” The team’s strengths are their speed. Not only are the new freshmen fast, but so are sophomores Kendall Christie and Quinn Galli. The team supports one another and shares a close bond. Schmitz believes this is another one of their greatest assets. “We’re all just trying to improve as a team, improve individually, and get best times,” said Schmitz.

Steroids, a drug that tempts athletes to glory and fame, recently took down two of America’s most famous sports heroes: Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong. Both athletes are record holders in each of their sports- Bonds holding the single season and career home run record, along with Armstrong having the most Tour de France wins of all time.

In 2002, Bonds was living in his glory days with four consecutive MVP awards just after he turned 37 years old. With such a dangerous swing, pitchers often gave Bonds first base by intentionally walking him rather than risk him taking extra bases.

Meanwhile, Armstrong was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated leaning on his bike, proudly sharing how cycling helped him beat cancer. After he conquered his battle with cancer, he went on to win the Tour de France four times. He was then proclaimed Sportsman of the Year, then won the Tour three more times.

Now, the era of these super athletes seems to be over. Since baseball created a performance enhancing drug testing schedule tied with serious punishments, home run records have fallen.

Other superstars including Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez, faced public confessions, suspensions, and evading suspensions due to their doping investigations.

Cycling was also found as a cesspool of performance enhancing drugs, thus disintegrating Armstrong’s inspiring image as a role model. There are constant investigations and punishments for drug use, but these committees are still struggling to keep up with the always changing drugs that make our athletes run faster, jump higher, hit harder, and maintain an overall better focus better.

Now that the public is aware of these athletes’ doping histories, it is unknown how fans will now treat their beloved role models. Already, there is a slow-moving attempt to normalize the actions of Bonds, Armstrong and the countless other athletes.

Although Armstrong was stripped of his medals, trophies, and sponsorships, many continue to support him. Armstrong’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey is expected to “start a multi-year healing process in which history will end up judging him more favorably… because he dominated cycling in an era when doping was the norm,” according to USA Today.

The claim that Armstrong would still have been the fastest bicyclist had everyone been clean, is questionable, but people can easily believe it. Armstrong went on to explain to Winfrey that he viewed doping not as cheating, but as leveling the playing field.

In baseball, there are many that don’t mind the use of performance enhancing drugs to boost athletic achievement. Five years after a baseball player’s retirement, he is nominated for Hall of Fame. Over five hundred members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America can vote the top ten athletes they believe deserve this honor.

With a 75 percent vote, an athlete is inducted. The “first ballot” Hall of Famers are the best of the best. Yet athletes missing the first ballot still have future opportunities be inducted in later ballots.

Bonds’ has denied the award for first ballot, but he will have the chance to be voted on again in July. Bonds is known as one of the best hitters the game has ever seen, and denying him entry into the Hall of Fame would be the boldest consequence of the steroid era.

In choosing to use performance enhancing drugs, these athletes chose to condemn themselves to an act that can never be considered a true athletic achievement. It is difficult for people to consider them as great sportsmen because they took steroids in the steroid era. Bonds and Armstrong chose to be super-human athletes rather than regular sports athletes. Whether or not they will be viewed as tainted athletes, their achievements will never be looked upon the same way again.

This New Year, some bands took New Year’s resolutions to the next level by making major comebacks. Reviving the pop culture of nearly a decade ago meant that 2013 emerged as the year of reinvention, with bands from across all music genres making a successful return to the top of the charts. Here’s a review of the comeback kings and queens of 2013.

Justin Timberlake

4/5 Hooks

Millions of now mid 20 year-olds squealed like preteen Justin Bieber fans when Justin Timberlake came out with a new hit. That’s right—the man behind “SexyBack”, the legend, the former member of the infamous band *NSYNC is back.

News first dropped of Timberlake’s new album titled The 20/20 Experience late last year. As it’s true with any majorly anticipated album release, the songs were leaked to the public early, and reception of his songs so far could not be more positive.

Timberlake’s first release of the track “Suit & Tie”, featuring Jay-Z skyrocketed to number one on iTunes. The star’s Grammy performance boosted song sales even more, and also managed to highlight his captivating stage performance. Timberlake also performed his second soon-to-be released song called “Mirrors”, which is rumored to be a dedication to his wife, Jessica Biel.

If JT fans from the mid-2000s were expecting the old Justin, they  may be disappointed. Timberlake’s new releases come more from the heart, something he attributes to his wild journey over the past five years. “Suit & Tie” has a typical R&B feel, and matched with producer Timbaland’s noticeable percussion sets in the track, Timberlake is certainly out to make a new name for himself. Timberlake’s new tracks are lengthy — “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors” average about six minutes long each.

Set to release on March 19, The 20/20 Experience album will be Timberlake’s own new musical journey with talented musicians like Jay-Z, Timbaland, and others. It is no doubt Timberlake has departed from the format of  his last 2006 album, Futuresex/Lovesounds.

Fall Out Boy

1/5 Hooks

In the 2000s, Fall Out Boy ushered in the age of “guyliner” and skinny jeans. With its return this past January, who truly knows what the band will bring?

The overwhelming answer seems to be the rapper 2 Chainz. At least it is when it comes to their first live performance of their new song, “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up),” which was released in the beginning of February.

Much like the band’s old punk rock style, Fall Out Boy’s new release emulates their ability to be mainstream while staying true to their streak of teenage angst. The success of their album From Under The Cork Tree was immense in 2005 when it was released, with massive hits such as “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”, which topped music charts.

In 2008, Fall Out Boy returned with their much-anticipated album titled Folie a Deux. Unlike their previous album, this revival had only one chart-topper, the popular “I Don’t Care.” Numbers in the once immense fan-base dwindled, but the true diehards held on as the album was mildly received.

After the flop of Folie a Deux, the members decided to take a break and go on a hiatus. Five years later, the release of another one of their rebounding albums is set for the near future.

If the fan-base was dwindling before, with what Fall Out Boy’s singles have hinted at, they will keep declining. The band’s previous sound, which began to fade after the success of From Under The Cork Tree, has stuck with them and appears to be something they’re not willing to let go of quite yet.

With this in mind, will they be returning from their hiatus with a new music style? Only time will tell where this band will go.

Destiny’s Child

4/5 Hooks

While we all may just be living in Beyonce’s world, the original members of what made her an international sensation have returned. Marked by the surprising pop-ups of members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams during Beyonce’s Super Bowl half-time performance, Destiny’s Child is set to write music together again.

Titled Love Songs, the anticipated Destiny’s Child album was released at the end of January this year. Top selling singles from the album include “Nuclear” and “Emotions”, which emulate the empowering soul style from the height of the historic trio’s popularity.

Destiny’s Child defined a generation of female pop-goers at the turn of the century, releasing songs like “Say My Name” and “Bills Bills Bills” that skyrocketed to the top of the charts. The Grammy-winning group then returned as a trio in 2000 and released “Survivor” and “Bootylicious”.

The trio has a history of disappearing and reappearing, after they escaped from the spotlight following the success of their third album Survivor. The band went on a hiatus in 2002, returning just two years later with their fourth album “Destiny Fulfilled”. With this rollercoaster of a past, the return of Destiny’s Child seemed imminent for this decade.

Their smooth, soul style still holds true in their new releases, and while the overall success of Love Songs isn’t high, the die-hard Destiny’s Child fans are still holding on.

2/5 Hooks

Plot twists, an abundance of clichés, and so-so acting sums up the movie Safe Haven.  The slow paced accumulation of the plot made it not only boring and somewhat confusing, but also predictable, as most romance films are. Safe Haven is an adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Sparks, who has also written novels turned into motion pictures, such The Last Song, Dear John, The Lucky One, and the ever-so popular hit The Notebook.  Unlike the others, Safe Haven provides a thriller element and a surprise ending that is foreshadowed throughout the movie.

Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel portray the lead characters well, but chemistry was really lacking between the two, which is a major component of all romantic stories. Hough is better known for being an instructor on Dancing With the Stars than she is for her acting (dancing is definitely her strong suit).

The movie begins as Hough’s character, Katie, is running from the police due to a verbal-turned-physical fight that leaves her husband lying on the floor with a stab wound. With help from a neighbor, she changes her appearance by cutting and coloring her hair and then hops on a bus out of town towards North Carolina. Throughout the movie, there are flashbacks to the fearful night she fled, which allows the audience to fully understand what really happened that night.

Katie ends up, like in most Nicholas Spark’s movies, in a small seaside town where she meets a young, attractive widower, Alex (played by Duhamel) who has two children. The beautiful scenery and loveable beach-town vibe of Southport, North Carolina, gives this movie a little something extra. The location is a trade mark of Nicholas Spark’s movies, and fulfills the fantasies of young girls’ dreams of summer love.  Although the scenery is overused in these types of movies, if this story weren’t filmed at this location, it wouldn’t be as romantic or charming as it barely is.

Throughout the movie, the small things end up being unclear, like how Katie can afford to buy a small house simply with the minimal cash in her pocket. As Katie tries to run away from her past, she distances herself from the town’s inhabitants, and secludes herself in a home in the woods, where she has only one neighbor with whom she becomes close friends.

Eventually, she falls for Alex’s enduring charm, and begins to open up without telling him the truth about that fateful night. She becomes close to his daughter, while his older son ignores her presence. Although these relationships are clear, the developments of them aren’t, and they seem to just happen.

Like most predictable love stories, Alex and Katie find themselves at a crossroads, which seemingly lasts for a few seconds, as in the next scene he’s chasing after her, wanting her back, believing that she has done nothing wrong and saying he overreacted. Katie thinks that her past is finally done haunting her, until it shows up in town and the drama finally begins. Suspense and melodramatic acting fill up the last few minutes of this movie. From a house fire to a shooting, the last few minutes are overwhelming.

Compared to previous Nicholas Sparks’ movies, Safe Haven is most definitely on the lower end of the spectrum and is very mediocre. Safe Haven hardly stands up to public favorite, The Notebook.

Nicholas Sparks’ movies are for teenage girls who dream of a perfect love story. On sad, lonely nights, this movie is perfect to snuggle up to while eating a whole carton of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. But for a regular movie night, Safe Haven isn’t worth paying the ticket price; you should just wait until it comes out on DVD.

3.5/5 Hooks

Why fix something if it’s not broken? The new Thai restaurant Auryn is located on Sir Francis Drake Blvd in the same building that Lanna Thai used to occupy, next to Walgreens. However, a similar flavor leaves restaurant-goers wondering, what was the point of changing ownership?

One of the new managers says that Auryn differs from Lanna Thai because the menu has “less fusion and more authentic Thai,” but a regular restaurant goer wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two. Auryn offers a variety of tasty, though not outstanding, Thai dishes, just as its predecessor did.

When you enter the restaurant, the sleek wood décor, fountain, and tables and booths complete with Asian style throw pillows put you into the mood for Thai food even more than you probably already were when you entered. Around lunchtime, the restaurant is fairly deserted, and you’re able to pick wherever you choose to sit.

As soon as you do, a reserved but helpful server is immediately pouring you a glass of water, welcoming you to the restaurant, and handing you a menu. After looking over the menu and choosing either a dish for yourself, or a few for a family-style experience, complementary salads are brought over to the table. This opener is very fresh and light, with a creamy Thai dressing and wontons on top.

Some people like Thai iced tea, and while it is an acquired flavor, Auryn definitely has a good one. Creamy, sweet, and a little spicy, the beverage is both satisfying and refreshing at the same time. To Auryn’s credit, the food comes very quickly, and is piping hot when it arrives at the table.

As we started with an appetizer, we noticed that the spring rolls were delicious. The dish comes with three whole spring rolls sliced in half, totaling six pieces. They were crispy and salty on the outside, with crunchy vegetables and rice noodles inside. The rolls were accompanied by a delectable sweet and sour sauce of just the right consistency for dipping and enjoying; it added just the right sweetness and kick to round out the flavor.

Next was Pad Thai with tofu, to please the vegetarian diner in our group. The flavor was very peanut-oriented, but it was missing some spice. Though it was tasty, it got boring fairly quickly without some other aspect to amp up the flavor. There were perfectly cooked vegetables mixed in with the noodles however, which were crisp and flavorful, contrasted with the rest of the dish.

Finally came the yellow chicken curry, which we ordered with sides of steamed white rice. The curry itself was delicious: tender chicken, cooked potatoes, and vegetables in a yellow coconut milk curry sauce. It had a definite spicy kick, but the sweetness of the coconut milk created a perfect balance. The rice however, which one wouldn’t usually think twice about in a Thai restaurant, was very overcooked; it was sticky, clumpy, and slightly mushy. The curry was great, but it would have been much better had it been served over normally cooked rice.

When the meal was over, my first question was really one of confusion: what was the difference between Auryn’s dishes and that of Lanna Thai? I had been to Lanna several times before it closed, and had more or less ordered the same dishes. I, personally, didn’t notice a big difference in the Thai food, but perhaps my palate just isn’t fine-tuned enough to see the subtle differences they say they’ve made.

Overall, Auryn made for a pleasant experience. The service was polite and quick, the food was very tasty, though it did err on the side of blandness in a couple of the dishes. It was also mid-priced: we paid about $40.00 for lunch for three. Therefore, this is not a restaurant that high school kids will frequent during their lunch period, but for a nicer lunch or dinner out with friends or family, Auryn could be a good place to go when you are craving local Thai food. After all, it is your only Thai option in San Anselmo these days.

3/5 Hooks

The long-running Twilight series has ruined the reputation of fantasy romances for much of our generation. In contrast, Beautiful Creatures (based on the book by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl) takes a unique spin on a ubiquitous formula that seems entrenched in  today’s entertainment industry: supernatural being + human = love story.

While the thick southern accents can take a bit of getting used to for us Californians, the film’s engaging, fast-paced and complicated plot takes a  different direction from the ordinary “he loves me, I love him, but I’m a vampire (or in this case witch)” scenario.

Ethan and Lena are destined to be together; call it curse, fate, or just plain Hollywood drama. When Lena, the mysterious new girl who moves in with her even more mysterious uncle, relocates to Gatlin, South Carolina (a small town with high-strung citizens and a heavy religious influence)she meets Ethan.

The two have a highly disapproved attraction to one another, but despite the frowns from the rest of the community, the pair sticks together, falling more and more in love.

However, throughout their budding romance, Lena and Ethan face imminent danger. On Lena’s 16th birthday, being a female caster (witch), she will be claimed by either the light or the dark. From then on, her magical powers will be dominated by either the desire to do good or evil. To make matters worse, Lena is one of the strongest casters around, and that power will become full-blown when she turns sixteen and her estranged, dark mother makes a return and intends to bring Lena to the dark side.

The cherry on top, and mainly the core of the plot, is that Lena and Ethan are doomed from the get-go because of a curse forbidding a mortal and caster to be in love, which will eventually force Lena to be claimed by the dark. With the help of Ethan’s nanny, Amma, keeper of a collection of ancient caster books, the three search for a way to break the curse, though it seems impossible.

Beautiful Creatures is not a lazy movie-viewing experience, despite the inevitable cheesiness in the plotline, it is one of those movies with a lot of loose ends throughout the plot, until the end when everything comes together.  Nothing is overtly explained though, so if you are not willing to pay close attention for more than two hours, I don’t recommend this movie for you.

On the other hand, if you like suspenseful and intricate movies, with twisty plots along with some degree of predictable teen romance, this is movie is perfect for you, given that you are also a fan of fantasy and the supernatural.

If you are also a fan of special effects and costumes, this film will not disappoint. The special effects used do enhance the drama, and play up the witchy side of the movie quite nicely. The costumes are fun, and at times outrageous, following closely in the footsteps of the recent remake of Alice in Wonderland.

Though the overall storyline makes up for the movie’s lack of outstanding talent, one pitfall to the plot is that the story takes place over a hundred plus days. The tricky thing here is that the movie must portray the evolution of a hundred-day relationship in just two hours. This is no small task, and Beautiful Creatures does a shaky job of it. Though everything happens in sequential order, the time in between two scenes is sometimes very unclear, making the whole film a bit confusing.

Back to the lack of acting talent—but again, maybe it was just the accents— it seems as if the actors, namely Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert (Ethan and Lena), were meant more for an ABC Family drama than the big screen. Don’t get me wrong, their performances are nothing like Kristen Stewart’s infamous twitches in the Twilight movies, but there is no shortage of long, sultry stares that come hand in hand with most teen romances.

I’d like to ask you to answer these few questions honestly. If you answer no to more than one question, please don’t spend the $10.50 on a movie ticket: Do you like chick flicks? Can you handle mediocre acting, as long as the plot is engaging enough to make up for it? Do you like Twilight, Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries or Pretty Little Liars? Are you female? If you said Yes to most of the above, this film may be for you.

The law is not concerned whether you’re having consented sex or not; if you are reported, you could be cited and subjected to major charges. “Since turning 18, I’ve dated someone 17,” said a recent Drake graduate. “I am aware it is illegal but I don’t think it is wrong to love someone just because they are a minor. If we both feel the same way about each other, then why is that rape? It’s not.”

In California, the law states that a minor is legally unable to give consent to sexual intercourse whether it is with another minor or an adult; California’s legal age is 18. If an adult engages with sexual intercourse with a minor, they can be charged with statutory rape, face thousands of dollars in fines, and possibly jail time. The close-in-age rule of three years does not provide defense in California, but the charges do vary by the defendants’ age gap.

“[These cases are] very common,” according to Fairfax police officer Rico Tabaranza. “And we always pursue a case. Even your typical relationship where they were both 17 at one time, but then the girl turns 18 or vice versa. It’s our job.”

The police’s job is to investigate and record the case, and then send the record to the District Attorney’s office for review because they are responsible for the conviction of the case. San Rafael Juvenile District Attorney Ron Ravani reported that they would “most likely not” pursue a case of a consensual relationship between a 17 and 18-year-old student.

“All cases are different,” said Ravani. “But the maximum punishment for a consensual [18 year old senior, 14-year-old freshmen] is six months to three years in jail, but that doesn’t mean they always get those [punishments].”

Although those underage cannot legally give consent, sexual contact between two minors is not technically illegal. However, they can both be prosecuted; if there was an age gap or if there were repeated violations.  Minors may get charged with a misdemeanor offense or be given fines under the juvenile court.

“There are so many more severe issues the courts should be focusing on than our love lives,” said former Drake student Gillian Owens.

Cases can reach the police by reports from parents, community members, and personal calls for help. An array of public figures are mandated sexual abuse reporters ranging from teachers, doctors, counselors, and officers to staff of any organization whose duties require direct contact or supervision of minors.

Sometimes these reporters do not strictly adhere to the regulations. “I certainly do not feel like I would report sexual activity between two minors as long as it is consensual… If the relationship was consensual, and respectful, I would not want to intervene,” a local teacher wrote in an email. “[Only] if the relationship was initiated by the adult, if the adult were using their position or authority, or if the relationship was in any way abusive would I would feel inclined to report.”

Some people support the law. “I believe it should exist and be enforced more,” said junior Michael Dean. “Adults shouldn’t be able to sleep with minors, even if they are 17, because there are more responsibilities tied to being an adult.”

Junior Halle Russell disagrees. “I don’t feel like [the age of consent law] translates to actual relationships. How can you compare a perfectly functional relationship to pedophilia and say both of those are rape? You can’t.”

Parents’ opinions also vary. While Mary-Beth Leland, parent of a sophomore, believes that parents, teachers, therapists and other adults should determine if the age difference is appropriate, rather than “a policemen who doesn’t know the kid.”

However, Veronica Kerr, mother of three, strictly enforces the law with her children. “I dated throughout high school and missed out on so many opportunities because of it. Kids should not get seriously involved at such a young age. It takes you away from your friends, family, and other things you would and should be doing.”

Regardless of the opinions, the law still stands firm and enforced. However, this raises a question, why is it legal for organizations to provide contraceptives? Doesn’t that encourage minors?

“It is not encouragement,” said Woman Care Global director Garth Robert.  “It is just facing the reality that legal or illegal, kids have sex. Studies have shown that pushing abstinence only and not providing birth control results in a higher level of teen pregnancy and a higher transmission of STDs. So it is better for society to provide the means to not get pregnant and not to catch an STD, rather than trying to prevent it.”

In a Jolly Roger student survey, we found out that 82% of students reported that the age of consent law has no influence over their sexual decisions, and 18% say that it depends on the situation. No one said that they unconditionally abided by the law.

So the questions remain unanswered and constantly debated. Does the law actually do anything? Should there be a law? Should the boundaries of the law be altered to be more effective? Does this law do more good or bad? The answer is up to you.

Looking at how empty the front parking lot becomes during sixth or seventh period, it’s obvious that many students have free periods. As tempting as it may be to ask for a free period in your schedule next year, first consider how worthwhile it may be.

Though it sounds nice to have a free period to go home, sleep in late, or have an extra long lunch, if you don’t plan on spending your time wisely, your counselor will probably urge you to sign up for one of many electives instead.

Counselor Shelia Souder said, “In my opinion, the vast majority of students don’t take advantage of the wealth of offerings we have here.” She said that there are many passionate teachers here who teach some interesting classes, and students who have free periods won’t realize what they are missing out on until much later in life.

Students should take classes that relate to something they want to do later in life so they can learn if it is something they want to do or not. For example, if you think you might want to become a doctor, you should take Physiology to find out if you can handle dissections or memorize the countless parts of the body. If not, you may have saved yourself thousands of dollars by skipping medical school.

If there aren’t any electives offered that interest you, Souder recommends finding a class at College of Marin, a part time job, or an internship that does. “It makes a great experience,” Souder said. “If you’re going to come in late, go work at a coffee shop or do an internship at a preschool.”

Souder said last year she had a student who wanted to be a forensic scientist, so she did an internship at the morgue and loved it. “For kids who don’t know what they want to do, internships are a great opportunity! If you love it, great. If you hate it, great, at least you learned something,” Souder said.

On the other hand, she recommends that during the fall semester of senior year, a free period may relieve the stress of college applicationsand a heavy course load.

Though it is uncommon, underclassmen sometimes end up with a hole in their schedule that they can’t fill. This year there are only two sophomores with free periods, and no freshmen. Senior Leslie Schmitz is an example of a student who had a free period during the second semester of her senior year.

“I was done with my art requirement after the first semester and I didn’t know what else to take. I didn’t want to take more art that I had to. I was a TA every day though, so it wasn’t really a free,” she said.

For those who are hoping for multiple free periods during senior year so they don’t have to work very hard, think again. Souder is very against students having more than one free period unless the student has a job or is taking multiple classes at COM that are of higher levels than those offered at Drake.

Senior Sasha Smith said, “I have a free sixth and seventh, but I work every day so they are really helpful. If I’m not working during sixth or seventh, I can go to the library so I don’t have to do all my homework when I get off work at night.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, senior Audrey Fremier has a free first. She decided that she had taken all the classes she wanted to, and since she has ballet every day after school, she is able to catch up on sleep during her free first. “It makes the week more enjoyable when you know you get to sleep in. And it allows me to stay up late to do homework without losing the sleep,” said Fremier.

The most common free period among students is seventh, followed closely by first, so it is obvious that students like to sleep in or leave early. If you do get a free period that is in the middle of the school day, you must be a teacher’s assistant, or TA. The school is liable for students from the time they arrive at school to the time they get home, so students cannot leave and come back without the school knowing where they are. If you try to go to Red Hill during your free fifth and get hit by a car on your way there, it is the school’s fault. Therefore, you need to stay at school.

Souder believes that having a free in the middle of the day is the best time to have one, though. One of her students this year has a free fifth and was a TA for the counseling office. After delivering passes, she was able to get all the counselors’ help with her many college applications and essays, or use the computer to do work, or go to the library. So, when confirming your schedule choices for next year and you find you have an unfilled period, look at the extensive list of electives offered, look at the COM classes brochure, or look for an internship, but don’t waste your free period sleeping or watching TV. Souder said, “Find some interesting, worthwhile adventure to do, don’t just sit around.”

Once upon a time we were all entrepreneurs. We were the ones who sold the over-sweetened lemonade on a hot day along with some store-bought cookies, held the makeshift sign that we waved as cars drove by, and collected dollar bills and coins in a jar. And who doesn’t remember screaming, “Lemonade! 50 cents!” at the top of their lungs while dancing and flailing the sign above their heads?

Some of us have continued with entrepreneurship; shedding the lemonade stand, and moving onto bigger and better things.

Senior Miles Lim became an entrepreneur while everyone was still selling lemonade. As a fourth grader at Brookside, Lim and a fellow Brookside bear decided to make duct tape wallets for the school fair.

“We made like sixty of them. We took them to school and we traded them for ‘Brookside Bucks’. And then you go to other classes and spend your ‘money,’” said Lim. “But then we kept making them and getting better. And once we started getting better at them, I started selling them at school.”

Lim sold duct tape wallets all throughout middle school and still carries around the one he made in sixth grade. Lim said that he never did it for the money; it was just something he enjoyed doing.

In high school, he continues to sell his work, but he has moved on to designing t-shirts. “People were like, ‘Hey can you make me a shirt of so-and-so,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, if you give me a white t-shirt and five bucks, I can make a stencil and paint it.’ So it wasn’t really like a money making thing,” said Lim.

Junior Halle Russell is also in the t-shirt making business. However, unlike Lim, she sews her own. Russell noticed the simple design of a shirt given to her by a friend. So she and her mom began making shirts of the same fashion. “I just started sewing shirts,” said Russell, “and then I would wear them and people would compliment me on them. And I’d tell them I made it! And then they’d ask me if I could make them one. So that’s how it got started; it wasn’t really a planned thing. It just sort of happened.”

She had more business at the beginning of the year, because she doesn’t sew “winter shirts” and the weather is warmer. But this didn’t stop her. “I haven’t stopped sewing!” said Russell. She sewed her own winter formal dress for the 007 themed dance in February. It was a dazzling, gold, swoop-necked, bodycon dress that wowed everyone on the dance floor.

Yet, Russell doesn’t make profits off of her sales. “I just sold them for however much it costs [to make them]. It depended on the fabric because some of it was eyelet fabric, some of it was just normal, simple, plain-colored fabric, so the price varies—and for different colored buttons and stuff. So, however much you’re paying for it, you’re paying for what you’re getting,” said Russell.

Russell doesn’t plan on continuing this business into the future however, but it’s a skill she will always use. “It’s definitely convenient to know how to sew your own clothes because I can always hem things if I need to,” said Russell. “I’ll sew something for people if they want me to, but I don’t want to make a living off of it.”

Russell encourages students to do things they enjoy, which in her case is sewing clothing, and it might turn into something more.

“If you keep doing it, and you wear the things you make or take pictures of it, or somehow get it out there that you’re making these things and you’re having fun doing them,” said Russell. “Then people will take interest.”

Russell was astounded by the interest and support she got from people in the area. “If you are interested in selling things you make, or just selling things in general, you’ll definitely find a huge support system immediately if you put your things out into the world,” said Russell.

There’s yet another student who makes and sells clothing as well. Senior Johnny Lawson began selling shirts and sweatshirts his junior year.

“The genesis of it all probably began with ‘FREE GREG’ shirts, which I sold for around seven dollars each, probably losing tons of profit,” said Lawson. (FREE GREG is a reference to the suspension of teacher Greg Doherty last year). “The administration didn’t like those, and shut it down, but that was only after I had secretly sold some of the shirts to staff members who wanted them.”

Lawson enjoyed making these shirts because there was meaning behind it. “I like to think that I made some people happy making shirts for a cause I supported,” he said.

“Designing clothing is an alchemical process,” said Lawson. It involves some kind of dye or bleach and he uses standard iron-on prints and sometimes fabric pastels and pens. “Almost everything I design these days is under the name PRIZM. The Twiggy logo I designed last year is usually printed on the sleeve. I sell original sweatshirts for thirty five dollars and shirts for twenty five dollars,” he said.

When asked as to whether he saw a future in apparel, Lawson responded with: “Continuing? I’m already backed up with orders from students at Drake. My first priority is to finish those by the end of this week before they stop talking to me,” said Lawson. “And then I can worry about my future. I think apparel design could definitely be in the big picture.”

There are more things besides clothing on the market these days, because Lim has begun selling his art. It all started when he was in Fairfix one day when a local artist was putting his artwork on the walls. The artist explained the process behind getting one’s artwork into the store, and it sparked Lim’s interest. He signed up, and eight months later, Lim got a call from the café, telling him it was his turn.

He then put together a show of his photography for Fairfix. “Only two people bought them—to me at the time I was like, ‘Oh my God’—but that’s really not that many people,” said Lim. “But I mean it is strangers, and it isn’t a big time for buying art.”

Lim grew up attending a Presbyterian Church in Sausalito, where everyone knew him as the little baby of the church. The art director of the church invited Lim to have a photo show there. “My mom had shown her a couple of my pictures and she invited me to have a photo show,” said Lim. “We had a reception and I ended up selling nine pieces or so, and made a lot of money. I ended up paying for a new camera. That was my second photo show.”

Over ski week, Lim began his third photo show where this time, he combined his art with his photography. The show was titled, “In the Right Place at the Right Time,” after a famed Ansel Adams quote. “It’s black and white digital photos from Point Reyes that I took a little while ago that I really, really like. And then I have a couple older photos from my last show from Venice, Colorado, Idaho, and around the Bay Area. And I put in a bunch of my art pieces.”

Lim describes his art as graphic design. They consist of words mixed with visuals using multimedia—paper, sharpies, and paint. “I like portraying meaning in it, as well as making pretty pictures. It’s a little bit of both worlds,” said Lim.

He has done other photography jobs like helping students shoot and create sports videos for college applications. He often shoots for the Jolly Roger, and also helps out the biking team by taking photos and videos during the season. “I just got a new offer from another team to travel with them and take photos of them this season,” said Lim.

“It’s mostly just knowing people and putting my work out there,” said Lim. He likes putting his work on Facebook because it’s a good way to get it out to the public so that adults, coaches, and friends can see it. “It’s awesome putting a picture up and people like it; it’s kind gratifying having people see it. It’s also just a good way to get yourself out there.”

For instance, Miles likes to think he’s a “gregarious person.” He enjoys being in the presence of people, meeting them, and having the opportunity to talk about his art. “So I’m an entrepreneur in [the sense] that I physically do,” said Lim.  This experience has taught him professional skills such as working with clients and executing projects.

“It’s definitely a good experience because I want to do photography in college, whether that be a major or just a hobby,” said Lim. “But I’m not doing this so that I can grow up and do it; I’m doing it because I like it.”

As we have learned from these entrepreneurial students, everyone has a little crafty businessman in them. As long as you do what you love, and get your work out there, people will notice. But let’s leave the lemonade stands to the fourth graders.