www.sonomadragonstale.
com
November 2009 - Volume 19 - Issue 2 - Sonoma Valley High School
SMOKE
SIGNALS
Filing flub
Ms. Hansen of the English
Dept. has granted the students in
Mr. Midgley’s and Mr. Merino’s
homerooms a one week exten-
sion on their Senior Project topic
approval packets. The glitch in
organization was the result of
a filing error. Each student has
been given the extra time in
order to revise his or her Senior
Project packet.
“Even with this setback, the
system this year is running very
smoothly,” commented Hansen.
“I would say that 95 percent of
seniors had their packets in on
time. It’s a serious improvement
from last year, and that’s partly
due to the new tier program and
loss of off campus privileges.”
H1N1 vaccines
available soon
A free H1N1 vaccination will be
available to those who do not have
health insurance. Target groups
are people six months to 24 years
of age, adults with chronic medi-
cal conditions, pregnant women,
caregivers for infants under six
months old and healthcare and
emergency medical service work-
ers. Clinics will be held at Cook
Middle School and Windsor High
School on Nov. 14 from 9:30 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. An additional clinic
will be held at Casa Grande High
School on Nov. 21 at the same
time. For more information go to
www.sonoma-county.org/h1n1.
Local climate action
The Sonoma Plaza witnessed a
little global unity when members
of the local community gathered
in front of City Hall in celebration
of the International Day of Cli-
mate Action on Sat. Oct. 24. This
occasion was meant to connect
the world in a rally for clean air.
170 different nations participated
with over 4,000 events. Only one
day prior, President Obama ad-
dressed the U.S. Senate on the
encroachment of climate change
and the necessity to take action.
Wild about the
wild things
pg. 3
C elebrating the return home
Students wait outside the Boys and Girls Club to enter the dance.
By Kirsten Aguilar
Homecoming at SVHS roared
to a start last week with Monday’s
“tie-dye” dress up day. The car-
nival on Wed. boasted spaghetti
sold by Stock Club, “ barely legal
bangers” sold by Forensics, and
“cookies for equality” sold by the
Gay-Straight Alliance.
Students played musical chairs
and dropped teachers and peers
alike into a dunk tank. The
weather held out the entire week:
at Float Fest, the bonfire went un-
hampered by rain; its sparks flew
high in the air, orange against a
blackened sky.
The parade on Fri. was uncom-
fortably hot—little kids who lined
the sidewalks waving signs and
parents who held video cameras
sweltered in the heat as the parad-
ing students cheered, every once
C o m m u n i t y m a k e s s p l a s h i n p o o l ’s f u t u r e
By Hannah Horowitz and
Danny Maggioncalda
SVHS students are familiar
with the vast expanse of grey
gravel lying behind the school’s
locker room complex. As of this
Nov., five years will have passed
since the pool that once occupied
the space was drained.
The closing of the pool served
as a catalyst for aquatic sports
enthusiasts and passionate com-
munity members alike to lobby
for its resurrection.
This movement has material-
ized into the Sonoma Splash
Program, a group founded by
Bill Hammet, but more recently
headed by SVHS water polo
Photo by Alejandro Tinajero
in a while breaking into battles
between the classes: seniors cried
“Twenty ten, twenty ten!” and
juniors retaliated with “one, one,
one, one!”
The Homecoming football game,
played against Casa Grande, end-
ed in a disappointing 41-6 loss.
Also disappointing was this
year’s lack of a streaker; no nude
graced the field before the half-
time display of the class floats.
The juniors’ Peter Pan float
soared above the others, placing
first in the competition. Sopho-
mores followed with their fierce
interpretation of The Lion King
and much to the chagrin of the
seniors, Alice in Wonderland
placed third.
“I don’t understand the judg-
ing,” said senior Nora Tisell, “If
the judges had seen the detail in
the senior float, we wouldn’t have
coach Sean Mullen as well as
colleague Marc Armstrong.
The program and its corre-
sponding website are designed to
gather information about the lo-
cal community’s view on the is-
sue. The group released a survey
in June which gauged the opin-
ions of 858 local citizens.
The vast majority, 99.1 per-
cent of participants polled,
wanted a pool for some sort of
use. Over 70 percent felt that the
city should pay for at least half
of the operating costs.
The results were sent to the
Sonoma City Council for review
in an effort to reinstate the idea
that the city should conduct a six
month study to reconsider poten-
Casa douses
Dragon’s fire
pg. 6
Jordan Albertson and Amanda Cisneros cheer in support of the class of 2011.
gotten third.”
The Boys and Girls Club was
transformed by Leadership’s
decorations on Sat. Oct. 24. A
red carpet spilled from the en-
trance beneath a glittering arch
tial locations around the valley.
If the city commits to this plan,
Sonoma Splash will begin a six-
month fundraising campaign.
Money will be procured through
pledges to build, endow, and op-
erate the swimming facility.
“The biggest obstacle is the be-
lief that we cannot afford operat-
ing costs,” explained Armstrong,
“Yet Sebastopol and other com-
munity pools are examples of
pools that were built without a
tax increase.”
“The SVHS pool was closed
due to insurance issues and there
was very little public input,” he
continued, “The creation of this
pool will really be a matter of
public will.”
Float Fest festivites pg. 4
Photo by James Fanucchi
that read “Homecoming.” Three
and a half hours into the dance
the lights came on and 2009’s
Homecoming King and Queen
were announced as Jordan
Villaseñor and Araceli Moya.
The pool would undoubtedly
be an advantage to aquatic ath-
letes and those looking to get a
little exercise or relief from a
sweltering day.
“We want a pool that everyone
can enjoy, no matter their age,
group, or interests,” stated Mul-
len. The pool would be open to
everything and everyone, from
toddler swimming lessons to
club sports, to senior aerobics
classes.
“A new pool would be really
convenient,” exclaimed Rosie
Connors, junior, a member of
SVHS’s water polo team.
The school board and Sonoma
Splash Program will meet to dis-
cuss pool-related plans this Fri.
 Opinion - Editorial
Students experiencing lack of rack Cross mounted on
a slippery slope
By Anna Haley locking their bikes at the science
wing. Students have to share the By Troy Cameron
While touring any parking lot with parents driving
college campus in their children to school. It is dan- There should exist a “wall of
California, you will gerous because students are weav- separation between church and
notice the bikes sig- ing in and out of cars. With the of- state,” Thomas Jefferson once
nificantly outnumber fice racks, students can come right sagaciously noted. Yet these for-
the cars. off the bike path and lock up their tifications seem to be crumbling
You will also notice bikes,” Moll explains. under the cruel Mojave sun.
the quantity of bike Safety is apparently not a fac- Instead, here exists an eight-
racks fits the growth tor concerning Villaseñor, as she foot tall cross, placed precari-
requirement, a com- locks her bike to the science build- ously upon a precipice within the
modity not met here. ing rack and does not feel her bike Mojave National Preserve. The
Many students on “is in any danger.” designated purpose of this monu-
the SVHS campus Even with the differing views of ment is to commemorate fallen
are avid bike riders, students and administrators on the war heroes. This in and of itself
but find the resources logistics of the racks, both agree may not be objectionable, but it is
here to be lacking. riding a bike is the best way for to only the tip of the holy spear.
As Stephanie Vil- get to school. The state park system, mean-
laseñor, sophomore, As Villaseñor mentions, “I ride ing the national government, has
confesses, “There Cartoon by Will Papadin my bike because I like to. It’s also revoked similar attempts to estab-
aren’t enough racks. good for the environment, even if lish a Buddhist monument nearby.
more bike racks if we knew there other near the science classrooms. This action brought about a low-
Bikes are always stacked on each a car is quicker.”
was a need. The only problem is all Despite there being several racks level court case in which the act
other. There isn’t enough room.” Mr. Moll agrees. “I support stu-
the bikes are difficult to watch.” in the vicinity of the office, there was found unconstitutional be-
This view is shared by several dents riding their bikes. It is obvi-
This, unfortunately, is true. There is only one in the other location, cause it favored a single religion.
student bikers, but not the admin- ously green and our students need
are only two places (two too few) causing the large piles of bikes As a side-note, the famed Ar-
istration. According to Vice-Prin- to learn the value of exercise”
where students can lock up their Villaseñor mentioned earlier. If lington Cemetery offers sixty-
cipl Mr. Moll, the school would If this is truly how the admin-
bikes: one behind the office, the you are not one of the lucky stu- four varieties of headstones for
be more than willing to “provide istration feels about students rid-
dents who arrive early, you lock their honored veterans.
ing their bikes to school, then
your bike to a tree. While this particular decision
Obama’s undeserved laurels Regardless of the second loca-
why don’t we have a more “bike-
friendly” campus? was not appealed, the government
By Luther Cenci has in fact released the pressure on tion, Mr. Moll maintains the in- had the bright idea to circumvent
Funding may be an issue, but
Iran that the bilateral Bush agenda tention is to have all students lock the proceedings. They explicitly
with world-wide green polices be-
Barack Obama finally got that had built up. Obama, by insisting their bikes to the office racks. transferred possession of the land
coming more relevant, the school
dreaded early-morning White on multi-party talks, has blurred “The administration has been into the hands of those who seek
can rustle up some money to en-
House call. This time, however, he the focus on nonproliferation. The worried for years about students to preserve its watchful gaze.
dorse our bicyclists.
was shocked to hear a Norwegian inclusion of regional powers such This may have been acceptable
voice informing him that he had as Russia, China and Israel has Costumes for the corner practice had they first removed
just been honored with the Nobel complicated the agenda with par- By Sigrid Forsythe and have impacted the evolution from the cross, thereby securing their
Peace Prize. tisan squabbling, giving the Aya- Chelsea Rose Shiery scary to slutty. neutrality. Instead, Congress spe-
The Prize is awarded by a se- tolla the breathing room he needed As the years pass, more and cifically cited its preservation as
lection committee chosen by the to progress towards a destabilizing When people walk into a Hallow- more costumes are being made for the reason for the land swapping
Norwegian Parliament to the indi- bomb. een store they expect to see caul- younger girls. The tarty togs are not hands. This clearly illustrates our
vidual who, “during the preceding The Iranian nuclear program, drons, frightful just for the adults government’s religious prejudic-
year [...] shall have done the most thought by the CIA to be halted decorations, anymore; kids es, and it’s not pretty.
or the best work for fraternity be- since 2003, has recently been re- scary masks, have been taught For some, this case is not neces-
tween nations, for the abolition or started, as evidenced by the dis- and sleazy Hal- that less cloth and sarily gripping, but the precedent
reduction of standing armies and covery of a secret uranium refin- loween cos- more skin is best. that it establishes is quite worri-
for the holding and promotion ery on an Iranian military base. tumes. Sex is taking some. If we continue to let our
of peace congresses.” However, Clearly, his foreign policy has On Hallow- over the world. It government dictate which denom-
Obama has not made the headway failed to promote “fraternity be- een, people of has now reached ination deserves the most respect
in his foreign policy to deserve tween nations.” all ages enjoy the 31st, a day after they lay down their lives in
these lofty laurels. Also, instead of working to- dressing up, reserved for chil- service of our “patriotic” country,
The Nobel Committee chose wards the “abolition or reduction trick-or-treating dren and candy. then they may as well mandate a
Obama “for his extraordinary ef- of standing armies,” Obama has and venturing The candy has universal religion along with uni-
forts to strengthen international di- in fact drastically increased troop through dark switched from ed- versal health care.
plomacy and cooperation between numbers in Afghanistan, while and murky ible treats to eye Essentially, this creates a rather
peoples,” stressing his commit- continuing to maintain armed haunted houses. delights, cad in slippery slope for all other spiri-
ment to nuclear disarmament. forces in Iraq. It is bittersweet Yet these activi- skin tight black tual displays on federal land. It
However, on all diplomatic irony that a president fighting two ties have gone leather. is necessary that our government
fronts, he has been distracted and foreign wars of occupation can from fun to What will be remains entirely secular in all of
deluded by the political charades win an international peace award. raunchy. Cartoon by Will Papadin next? If women its proceedings.
put up by rogue states. During The Nobel Prize may even be As children are dressing in Many of these religious injustic-
Obama’s first year in office, Iran domestic liability to Obama, fuel- scamper from house to house, sexy bunny costumes for Hallow- es go unnoticed due to the over-
has tyrannically oppressed dissent ing argument that he is all shine gathering their candy, their eyes een, will they save those costumes whelming majority of Christian-
and political freedom and restarted and no substance. Obviously, the are forever stained with the pro- for when Easter rolls around? ity in America. No longer can we
its nuclear program. This is a di- Nobel Committee was dazzled by miscuous woman walking down If this continues, girls around allow the masses to bully us into
rect result of Obama’s multilateral Obama’s public image and was the street. the world will not only follow in dealing with their archaic meta-
policies. unable to see the facts of his for- With the influence of naughty adults’ foot steps by wearing these physical nonsense.
His broadening of negotiations eign policy record. nurses and trampy kittens, girls will outfits, but they will start hav- It seems that the Christian
~Dragon’s Tale Staff~ grow up thinking that this is the ap- ing sex and pushing out babies at conspiracy is creeping into our
ADVISER - Alison Manchester propriate attire for Halloween. younger ages. money, mottos and monuments.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Clarke Campion When did this trend begin? Play- The costumes will no longer fit Its about time that we stand up for
MANAGING EDITOR- Peter Armstrong boy has a major contribution to the from the bulging bellies and hope- our freedom of religion, as well
LAYOUT EDITOR - Rachel Glago popularity of these alluring get- fully this will make them throw as our freedom from religion. Es-
TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN - Rachel Glago ups. Their “sexy bunny” costumes out their provocative costumes to
COPY EDITOR - Troy Cameron
tablishment Clause anyone?
the side.
NEWS EDITOR - Peter Armstrong, Kirsten Aguilar
OP/ED EDITOR - Alejandro Tinajero
~Editorial Policy~
FEATURE EDITORS - Chelsea Rose Shiery, Caity Tremblay The Dragon’s Tale is a limited public forum newspaper produced by the Sonoma Valley High School News-
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR - Gabe Bassett paper class. The newspaper attempts to inform its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects,
PHOTO EDITOR - Joe Gilmore and to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers.
SPORTS EDITORs - Clarke Campion, Rachel Glago The newspaper staff encourages letters for opinions and responses on the content of the publication. Only
BUSINESS MANAGERS - Mackenzie Kelley signed letters will be considered for publication. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all letters for
REPORTERS - Zachary Adams, Kirsten Aguilar, Dalton Amador, Anthony content.
Arjona, Troy Cameron, Luther Cenci, Sigrid Forsythe, Matt Fraser, Ben No material, opinionated or otherwise, will be printed which is libelous, irresponsible, advocates an illegal
Graff, Anna Haley, Hannah Horowitz, Mackenzie Kelley, Eva Lindstrom,
activity or which the editorial staff deems in poor taste.
Daniel Maggioncalda, Will Papadin, Will Smith, Jesse U’Ren, Victor Vasquez
Editorials reflect the collective views of the staff and will not contain bylines. Other opinionated pieces will
Connor Vickers, Charles Watson, Shannon Murphy
PHOTOGRAPHERS - James Fanucchi, Joe Gilmore
include editor’s columns, feature columns, letters- to-the-editor, and entertainment reviews.
ART AND GRAPHICS - Will Papadin, Kirsten Aguilar, Eva Lindstrom, If the staff discovers that a mistake has eluded the editors, a correction will be printed in the next issue.

Dragon’s Tale Page 2 November 2009


Having a fling with
a wild thing
By Shannon Murphy
“Where the Wild Things Are”
is not only a heartfelt story of
acceptance but also a relatively
accurate reflection of human
behavior. Spike Jonze conveys
these interactions with the use
of emotionally complicated
fuzzy creatures.
Much like the book, the movie
is fueled mostly by stunning
visuals and one’s own interpre-
tation. Though some values in
the movie were rather blunt, they
were also enjoyable. The movie
itself appeals most to a teen and
adult audience, that is, an age at
which people can appreciate the
metaphorical value but are also
familar with the inner workings
of a adolescent mind.
Even Max, played by Max Re-
cords, isn’t able to sustain the uto-
pia he has tried to create amongst
the Wild Things. He begins to
see that, much like people, the
Wild Things aren’t flawless, that
they all suffer from their own in-
securities and each one expresses
it differently. Max also realizes
that he can relate to every Wild
Thing in one way or another, and
each one comes to respresent a
different aspect of his own per-
sonality.
Once the dysfunctional re-
lationship between the Wild
Things becomes a reoccurring
theme, Max begins to ask how
Twelve actors bring to life a story of justice and opinion
By Jesse U’Ren
Accusations fly and confusion
runs rampant as the Drama De-
partment begins rehearsals on the
play Twelve Angry Jurors, a story
about going beyond the expected
in order to find truth.
Twelve Angry Jurors shares
the same script as Twelve An-
gry Men, but changing the name
from “men” to “jurors” allows
both genders to audition for the
parts. Savannah U’Ren, fresh-
man, commented, “I think it’s ap-
propriate since most of our cast
are girls”
Practices have taken place four
times a week for the last two
weeks and performance dates are
looming over the actor’s heads.
“Everyone is working really hard
to make sure the play gets put on
on time…We’ll be ready by the
Dragon’s Tale Page 3 November 2009
Photo by Rachel Glago
he can make everyone happy. Of
course, it quickly becomes ap-
parent to him that no matter what
he does that there will always be
those who disagree with him.
The soft furry exterior of the
mysterious creatures accompa-
nied with their razor sharp teeth
and unquenchable bloodlust re-
minds us that all beings have
faults, and thankfully, this re-
vealed to Max that the best thing
for him to is to smooth things
over with his own family.
The tone set in the later half
of the film did more than depress
the viewer; it put things in per-
spective. Jonze did not sugar-
coat human, or in this case Wild
Thing, interaction; he presented
both the heights and depths of
human emotion.
It’s rather impressive how well
Jonze turned the 11 sentence
work of Sendak into a 100 minute
film that held the viewer’s atten-
tion. His adaptation of Maurice
Sendak’s classic children’s book
was beautifully complimented by
the majestic vocals of Karen O,
lead singer of New York’s Yeah
Yeah Yeahs. For those familiar
with the book, the movie gives a
nostalgic feeling that is felt even
after the cinematic experience.
While some believe that the
movie should have been hap-
pier, the realistic nature of the
film is what gives it its best at-
tributes.
time of opening
night,” assures
Savannah.
Kristen Palmer,
stage manager
for the previous
play, West Side
Story, has taken
up the same job
for Twelve An-
gry Jurors and
is very satisfied
with the play so The cast of Twelve Angy Jurors practice in the little theater.
far.
young Puerto Rican man as he
“Some of the kids are actually
is tried for murder. It brings to
really good at it, they take a lot
life the turmoil and frustration
of enthusiasm into it and its nice
in holding another person’s life
to see something that normally
within your hands.
bores people to death in sopho-
Through a slow process of anal-
more year [english] being used
ysis and questioning, the play
as it is intended,” proudly states
brings to light different points of
Kristen.
view and aspects of a seemingly
The story is that of 12 people
set-in-stone case.
assigned to decide the fate of a
Entertainment
BobDylan:Stillrollingwhicheverwayhewishes
By Connor Vickers and
Gabe Bassett
Eight thousand excited fans filed
into the Greek Theatre to watch
Bob Dylan, dressed similar to a
Dia De Los Muertos skeleton, play
a rocked-out set of new songs and
classic tunes.
The whole concert was a strange
mix of difinitively Dylan, yet he
lacked many of the classic Dylan
elements. He had a full band, in-
cluding two electric loud guitars.
This stands in stark contrast to the
idea of Dylan many have in their
head, the small, quiet man sitting
playing an acoustic guitar and har-
monica.
His voice was not nearly as
raspy as what was expected, but
it was definitely more worn down
than 1960’s Dylan, though he is
still the same classic rebel.
However, most of the songs Dy-
lan played were unfamiliar unless
close attention was paid to the lyr-
ics. Often times, the lyrics were all
Benefit concert brings in big bucks
By Peter Armstrong
More than six thousand audience
members attended the concerts at
the B. R. Cohn Winery this past
month, on Sat. and Sun. Oct. 3 and
4. The concert, which was put on
by “vintner, philanthropist, and
music artist manager” Bruce Cohn,
as described by sonomavalley.
com, raised money for many non-
profit organizations in the county,
including Sonoma Valley’s Boys
and Girls’ Club and the Level II
Trauma Center at Santa Rosa Me-
morial Hospital.
The weekend kicked off with a
dinner and auction on Fri. Oct. 2,
which raised over $165,000. The
dinner was prepared by chef Brad-
ley Ogden, and a total of 536 bid-
ders participated in the auction.
The main events did not begin un-
til Sat. Oct. 3, when The
Doobie Brothers headlined the
concert at the winery itself, on the
estate’s idyllic stage. “It’s one of a
kind,” said Cohn. “Where else can
you see the sun set over the vine-
yards?”
Performing with the Doobies
were such acts as Pablo Cruise, Lit-
Photo by Jesse U’ren
Twelve Angry Men teaches an
that was similar compared to the standouts included the classics
studio-recorded versions. Most of “Highway 61 Revisited” and
likely, Dylan is just bored with “Man in Me.” The encore was the
the repetitiveness, and it is un- cherry on top when he played the
derstandable to want to change up three cult classics, “Like a Rolling
the style considering that he has Stone,” “Jolene,” and “All Along
been touring and performing lon- the Watchtower.”
ger than any SVHS
student has been
alive. In fact, Dylan
has been dubbed as
going on the Never
Ending tour, which
refers to his non-
stop schedule since
June 1988.
As incredible as
it is that Dylan
is able to play Photo by James Fanucchi
his classic songs Bob Dylan and his band at the sold out Greek Theater
in any style he
wishes, it still
takes away from the concert ex-
Gabe Stein, senior, commented,
“He was much more unenthusi-
perience when your favorite song astic but he still had his musical
charm.”
comes on, and it is difficult to even
Musical charm he had.
identify it.
Dylan played a variety of songs
from a variety of eras. Some
High fidelity
5 songs to download
tle Feat, and Jackie Greene, a man
By Will Papadin
of great variety, who showed off
his skill of switching between two
1. Lady Jesus – The Asteroids
different guitars, a harmonica, two
Galaxy Tour
keyboards, and vocals. The lineup
A Danish alternative pop band, The
also included Pat Simmons, Jr., son
Asteroids Galaxy Tour have been
of the member of the famous San
gradually scaling the mountain of
Francisco eclectic rock band.
pop culture. “Lady Jesus” is their
The concert was given a new
second single. With a rough edged
feel when Journey headlined, af-
sound, loose, drunken vocals and
ter a number of preceding acts,
heavy druming, this song sounds
including Sonoma’s own Whisky
like it was recorded in a garage. This
Thieves. Giving the audience a sur-
is the exact reason why this song
prise twist, the band left the stage
should be downloaded.
finally after playing their clas-
sic, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and
2. Shining Down – Lupe Fiasco
seemed as if they would not be giv-
Lupe Fiasco is back for his third
ing any encores.
album, Lasers, and “Shining Down”
However, within a minute, they
is his featured single. Fiasco features
came back on, to the surprise of
Matthew Santos in “Shining Down,”
many, and ended with their famous
in a similarly collaborative manner
hit “Any Way You Want It.”
as “Superstar.” With Fiasco’s com-
The weekend ended with a grand
fortably fast rhythmic rapping and
total of over $400,000 raised for
faint laser sounds in the background;
charity, a stark contrast to their mea- this song is download worthy.
ger beginnings of just about $500,
23 years ago. Cohn remarked, “We
3. Animal – Miike Snow
have had some great charity events A Swedish band that apparently
here over the past 23 years, but I
spells Mike ‘Miike,’ “Animal” is
think everyone will agree that this a cool, laid-back electro pop song
is one of the very best we have ever
that needs to be downloaded. Main-
produced.”
streamers, if it helps your decision it
was just recently featured on a
Gossip Girl episode.
important message about think-
ing outside the box, not taking 4. Up, Up and Away – Kid Cudi
everything at face value, speak- You might know Kid Cudi for his
ing out for yourself and not giv- overplayed single, “Day ‘N’ Night.”
ing in to the status quo. But this song is a hidden gem that re-
Throughout the production, quires no adjusting. It is a song that
themes such as racism, cultural can be liked the first time played. Its
bias, fear, ignorance and deep- uplifting accoustic guitar and beats
seated personal prejudices influ- creates a Cudi anthem that all can
ence the decisions and judgments agree with.
that will decide the outcome of a
young man’s life. 5. Hurt Feelings –
Written by playwright Regi- Flight Of The Conchords
nald Rose in 1954 as a teleplay, Everybody has gone through it, the
and then adapted as a stage play self-pity process, dealing with hurt
the next year, Twelve Angry Men feelings. Fortunately this New
has been awarded three Emmys, Zealand duo displays it the best. This
twice for best director twice and song is hilarious and every time you
once for best actor. listen to it you will discover another
Although still a work in prog- ridiculous lyric. But music junkies
ress, the Drama department’s I recommend you don’t stop there;
production of Twelve Angry Ju- download the whole album to get
rors should be the must-see pro- the full comedic atmosphere of their
duction of the year. slapstick rhymes.
 Feature

Floating Festival
Disney fun for everyone Teacher of
the month
By Jesse U’Ren Makers and Span-
ish Club.
Expectations were Sonoma High’s
high as Sonoma High trademark band,
prepared for the much The Jaywalkers,
anticipated and re- took the stage,
nowned gathering of along with Burn-
spirit and excitement, ing Broadway, a
known as Float Fest. new band to the
Through a collab- school.
orative effort from all Made up of sev-
grades at SVHS, Float eral SVHS gradu- Photo by Anthony Arjona
Fest inspired feelings ates, Burning
of school spirit and Broadway played By Anthony Arjona
loyalty through excit- an impressive
ing games and activi- set of hard rock, With an amicable, lighthearted
ties. which caught the personality, it is not suprising that
The theme for this attention of many students have taken a liking to Den-
year’s floats was Clas- Photo by Andy Mitchell onlookers.
nis Housman, P.E. teacher.
sic Disney movies. The juniors’ float soared over the competition. “It’s a chance Growing up in a small town lo-
Seniors took Alice in D.J.’s on each float. Michael Darling soaring over a to go out there cated on the Oregon coast, Hous-
Wonderland, juniors had Peter True to the theme of the story, series of moss covered caves, re- and play music, it’s what we like man enjoyed playing many sports
Pan, sophomores received The the seniors’ float was as wild and sided near the ship of the dreaded to do,” stated lead singer Bryan during high school. These included
Lion King and freshman were random as Alice’s adventures in pirate known as Captain Hook. Martinez. baseball, basketball, football, track,
given The Little Mermaid. Wonderland, depicting images Sophomores built a model of After the floats were shown and cross country.
Each grade was given nothing of the Mad Tea Party, along with Pride Rock, with a young Simba and the bands were done, people “My favorite one to play was
but a flat-bed trailer and their the Walrus and the Carpenter standing upon it, along with col- congregated to the gravel area baseball, my most successful one
imaginations to create a float. poem which surrounded a tree ored lights. The float led into a behind the tennis courts for the was football, and I tried to play bas-
Nothing could be bought or built containing the Cheshire Cat. football grid with a goal post at much-anticipated bonfi re. ketball in college. I moved to No-
by parents. Peter Pan was the theme of one end in the spirit of Home- Every year Sonoma Valley vato during my junior year in high
The atmosphere at Float Fest the juniors’ float, which won coming. Fire Fighters oversee the burn- school,” elaborated Housman.
was one of fun and festivity as the float competition, and they Freshmen kept it simple, show- ing of nearly 50 palettes of wood Starting at Long Beach City Col-
each class showed off their hard certainly lacked no talent in the ing a scene of violent waves and along with a gracious amount of lege for one year, and ending at
work in constructing their floats. artistic department. Realistic a fearsome looking sea dragon, cardboard which lit up the en- Sonoma State for the rest of his
There was music as well as live drawings of Wendy, John and leaving much of what dwells tire parking lot and could be felt college career, Housman decided
“under the sea” to the imagina- from a good 40 yards back. to become a physical educator.
‘Teens In Action’ aspire tion.
Float Fest wasn’t just about the
By the end of the night ev-
eryone went home full of spirit
Housman started teaching in
the year of 1992 at West Marin,

for a positive reaction floats. Live bands preformed and

By Hannah Horowitz
As students delve further into
the school year and the rigor of
coursework increases, students
can easily find themselves caught
in a storm of stress and nerves.
Co-presidents and founders of
Teens in Action Club Elizabeth
Garcia, senior, and Yulianna
Camarena, senior, realized the
importance of a community in
which to relieve some of that
pressure.
“We wanted to start a new club
with no GPA or fee required”
describes Garcia. “Our club fo-
cuses on anything from help with
homework to information about
college and scholarships to a fun
place to hang out.”
Garcia elaborates on her inspi-
ration to create Teens In Action,
explaining, “Over the summer I
helped in the La Luz Center. They
talked about clubs for specific
things with a lot of requirements,
and Yulianna and I wanted to cre-
ate a club where everyone could
be accepted and have a part.”
The success of this last goal is
undisputed. The atmosphere of
the club is friendly and creative.
Kids take some time to unwind
before bringing their attention to
the board, where the leaders of
the club discuss potential volun-
Dragon’s Tale
teer opportunities before switch-
ing the focus to their upcoming
Halloween party.
The club, which meets in the
room of Danielle Lovejoy, Eng-
lish teacher, on Tuesdays, is in
the initial stages of development
The month of Nov. will be their
second month as a full-fledged
club and they are always looking
for members.
“We do fun things, and we do
what we can to better the school,”
explains Chelsea Rose Shiery, se-
nior. The club helps out the school
and the community at large by
picking up trash and helping each
other with homework.
So why join Teens In Action
when life is already crammed
with busy schedules and lunch-
time activities? While it may not
have the prestige of Interact or
Key Club, Teens In Action looks
for a new approach to old ways.
“It’s also just a good way to get
out of the rain and relax,” laughs
Garcia.
Their motto “Diversity and
Healthy Living” summarizes the
club’s hope for all students. These
teens are taking initiative to cre-
ate an accepting and fun atmo-
sphere, in which they hope all can
be involved and enjoy themselves
while they strive for a unified and
happy community.
food was sold by campus clubs
and pride
together
from what was an al-
successful and amazing
and transferred to Sonoma Valley
High in 1998. Working for the past
such as Interact, GSA, Money, Float Fest. eleven years, Housman still loves
his job.
Aerobatic Angels “Some of the best things about
being a P.E. teacher would have to
be that I can wear shorts whenever
the Team Oracle plane, with aero-
By Chelsea Rose Shiery I want, I can be outside whenever
batic pilot Sean Tucker behind the I want, and I have a lot less paper-
The soundwaves blasted on- action. work to grade,” commented Hous-
Hurtling through the air at a
lookers’ ears as they tilted their man in a jovial tone. “I also get a
heads back to observe the Blue stomach dropping 300mph, Tuck- cool sunglass tan along with a sock
Angels surging overhead. On Oct. er soared to great heights with a tan during the fall and spring.”
11, many witnessed a spectacle of few tricks up his sleeve. “Some of the other perks would
From skimming 10 ft. above the
a lifetime. have to be beating, no, pelting my
As the fog rolled in Sun. morn- water to shooting straight up in students with badminton birdies
ing, many were worried the Blue the air and spiraling back down, and I always feel young, as I am
this red plane left
Angels would not constantly surrounded by young
the audience in
make an appear- people .”
awe.
ance. Housman likes to spend time with
When the An-
However, anxi- his family on the weekends and of-
gels eventually
ety was quelled ten goes wine tasting.
bolted across the
when the Blue “I’m just an average Joe,” admit-
sky, the sight was
Angels pulled ted Housman.
breathtaking.
through with their After school Housman has “way
Each jet ap-
performance. too many meetings,” but after-
peared to be
Before the Blue wards, he enjoys an afternoon run.
Photo by Chelsea Rose Shiery connected to the
Angels sliced the “I run 5-10 miles and try to get
fog above the The Blue Angels taking the sky. next. They were enough rest for the next day, I wake
city, other jaw-dropping perfor- all in sync with each other as they up at 5a.m.,” stated Housman.
flew in tight formation, mere feet
mances entertained the crowd. After teaching a subject for so
Introducing the day’s presenta- from one another. long, people might wonder if it
With the booming sound, close
tions were the Patriots, a team of starts to get boring. “I would not
four jet flyers who proved to be proximity, and unity of the flyers, want to teach another subject. The
watching the Blue Angels is an
more than amazing. only class I wish I could teach
With streams of red, white, and event that will forever be remem- would be Honors P.E. or AP P.E.
blue following their every move- bered. If you like sports, can’t be a sports
With the excitement intensifying
ment, the pilots performed a num- coach, and can’t teach academics,
with each performance, this spec-
ber of aerial maneuvers. teach P.E.”
Following the fantastic four was tacle is truly something to see.
Page 4 November 2009
 Feature

& Rad Royalty

Crowning new monarchs
By Chelsea Rose Shiery
and Caity Tremblay
Cheers resounded
through the Boys and
Girls Club as Jordan
Villaseñor and Araceli
Moya, seniors, were
announed homecoming
king and queen for the
class of 2010.
“I was excited because
I have never had that
much attention before,”
admitted the smiling
Moya.
Both candidates de-
cided to participate on a
whim.
“I wanted something
different, so I asked my
friends to vote for me
and they said they would
help,” disclosed Moya.
Moya was thrilled
about her candidacy; Araceli Moya and Jordan Villaseñor slow dance be-
Villaseñor, in contrast, neath the flickering lights at the Homecoming dance.
Leather on asphalt:
Mystery of the missing wallet
By Danny Maggioncalda
Everyone
feels the same
when a wal-
let goes miss-
ing. There is a
cycle of emo-
tion: the initial
jab of panic, followed by denial,
disbelief, anger, and finally a
jump ahead to, “Oh $%@#, not
AGAIN!” – acceptance.
For Mr. Ross, on Tue., Oct 13,
there was no sense of panic after
his wallet was left stranded on the
roadside across from the SVHS
campus. He was unaware of his
loss until he received a phone
call from Deputy Rocky Seffens
of the Sheriff’s Dept. His posses-
sions had been safely recovered
and would be returned to him in
the morning.
“It’s really a lucky thing. I
mean, that wallet had all my cred-
it cards, my driver’s license, and
cash,” explained Ross.
Upon inquiry, he was able to
recall the events of that morning
in full detail. On brisk mornings,
Ross wears a cold suit for added
protection as he rides his motor-
cycle to SVHS from Petaluma.
He remembers keeping the wallet
in one of the suit’s many pockets.
After arriving at school, he
placed the wallet on the back seat
of his bike, hoping not to forget it
after he’d stowed away the suit.
However, he proceeded to cover
up the bike and head off to his
classroom, thus leaving the black
leather wallet lying camouflaged
on the black leather seat.
At around 5 o’clock, Mr. Ross
left his room in a hurry to get
home. He uncovered his vehicle
Dragon’s Tale
Photo by Joe Gilmore
and zoomed out of the teacher’s
parking lot.
“From there, the laws of phys-
ics took over. I turned left into
the turn lane, and my wallet went
straight and ended up on the west
side of the road.”
An observant driver follow-
ing him honked his horn several
times, but Ross was unable to hear
over the music blaring through his
speaker system.
The driver, realizing he could
not gain the rider’s attention,
pulled over and picked up the
abandoned item. Just as he did so,
a second driver pulled up to the
scene claiming the wallet was his.
After an exchange of arguments,
a physical confrontation ensued.
Man #1 and Man #2 engaged
in a tug-of-war with the wallet
until Deputy Rocky Seffens ap-
proached with his lights flashing.
The perpetrator quickly fled.
Seffens approached the discov-
erer of the lost item, who iden-
tified himself as nothing more
than Pedro. Pedro believed the
wallet belonged to a teacher. Sef-
fens opened the folds in search of
identification, and a call to Mr.
Ross was quickly made.
Pedro saw to it that his duty as a
Good Samaritan was fulfilled. He
left after supplying his first name
and phone number to the deputy.
Mr. Ross subsequently made
multiple attempts to contact,
thank, and possibly reward Pedro.
Yet, he was never able to reach
the man directly.
“I would have liked to thank
him personally, but I guess this
is a situation in which I’m not
meant to. He was an honest citi-
zen, and I truly respect him for
what he did.”
was nonchalant. of the float theme. “I loved our
“I wasn’t tripping about it,” float, it was really creative,” agreed
reflected Villaseñor. “If I won I Moya eagerly.
won, if I didn’t I didn’t.” They also attended the football
However, the candidates were game, enjoying the lively atmo-
anything but inactive; they were sphere and vitality of the crowd.
required to attend all the home- “Even though we lost, everybody
coming events. had a lot of energy,” mentioned
“If I wasn’t one of the candi- Moya positively.
dates I probably wouldn’t have Though a school with a large
gone,” honestly commented latino population, it’s been years
Villaseñor. However, he en- since a latino pair were homecom-
joyed the various events, includ- ing king and queen.
ing Float Fest. “Usually it is the same people be-
“It was pretty sweet,” ing nominated,” Moya comment-
Villaseñor remarked about the ed. “I wanted to try something new
floats. “The juniors’ was good for myself and for the school.”
and seniors’ was artistic.” “It was pretty sick to have two
Both regal winners were fond Mexicans [for homecoming win-
Tamales with a tasty twist
By Victor Vasquez 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Fall is here and that means 1 tablespoon ground mace
a whole lot of Halloween candy 2 cups raisins, dark or golden,
and thanksgiving turkey, but if 36 dried corn husks (soaked,
you want to shake things up a bit, washed, and drained) plus more
here is a recipe for you!
When you think fall food, the
for ties.
First is the easy part: in a large
traditional Mexican dish of tama- bowl combine the masa, pump-
les would probably the farthest kin and sugar. Add the vanilla,
thing from your mind, however, mace, cinnamon, and raisins.
when you throw in pumpkin as Mix until well blended.
the main ingredient, you create Next assemble the tamales one
something truly unique. at a time. To assemble, place two
This recipe makes about three or three heaping tablespoons
dozen tamales. The ingrediants: of the masa mixture in the net
12 - 15 cups of basic fresh masa of the smooth side of the corn
1 10 oz can pumpkin puree husk. Fold the sides of the husk
2 cups sugar (use less to taste) in toward the center and tie the
Sowing seeds for future farmers then into smaller groups
called chapters, which
usually operate through
high schools; SVHS has
such a chapter.
The Sonoma FFA chap-
ter consists of six offi-
cers: seniors, Mackenzie
Mackling, president;
Leonela Armenta, vice
president; Stephanie
Campos, secretary; de la
Torre, historian; junior
Kaitlyn Weber, trea-
Submitted Photo surer; and sophomore
Sonoma Chapter FFA officers Blaize Lowe, Amanda Tori Cooper, reporter.
de la Torre, Leonela Armenta, Mackenzie Mackling, Sonoma chapter also has
Tori Cooper, and Stephanie Campos relax outside
a sentinel officer, Blaize
after a conference in Dixion. Not pictured: Kaitlyn
Weber Lowe, junior.
There are a few hoops
By Anna Haley prospective FFA officers have to
jump through. Firstly, students
There is one institution at SVHS must be enrolled in SVHS’s agri-
that provides a haven for students culture class.
who have a passion for agricul- “But that’s not all,” adds de la
ture. That organization is the FFA, Torre. “I had to fill out an ap-
or Future Farmers of America. plication with questions like
The FFA program is a nation- ‘What would you do as an of-
wide society which assists agricul- ficer?’ I also had to go through
turally-inclined students, which an interview with last year’s
holds conferences to inform them president, vice president, and
about new farm techniques and the two advisors.”
jobs relating to agriculture. With background in FFA span-
“I’ve always had an interest in ning back to high school, Ms.
animals, but I didn’t know what Story, the Earth science, plant and
I wanted to do. Ag gave me what soil science, and agricultural biol-
I wanted to do in life,” expressed ogy teacher, acts as an advisor to
Amanda de la Torre, senior and the officers along with Mr. Sou-
Sonoma FFA historian. kup, the agriculture teacher.
FFA is split into states, and “They [the students] come up
Page 5
ners]. It was a good change,”
Villaseñor added.
They were quite a pair: Moya,
quiet but nice, and Villaseñor, out-
going and energetic. Despite their
personality differences, they both
enjoyed the festivities which cul-
minated their senior year.
“It was fun to hang out and dance
and ride in a car,” Villaseñor com-
mented enthusiastically about the
Mustang.
Overall, the canidates had a blast.
“I thought it was really fun” bub-
bled Moya excitedly.
A slight smile played across his
lips, and Villaseñor summed up the
whole experience: “I am glad that I
did it. It’s a good memory.”
tamale at both ends.
Prick the husk several times us-
ing the tip of a sharp knife, and
repeat for the remaining tamales.
Then, steam the tamales for 45 -
50 minutes.
What you should be left with is
a sweet tasting version of a Mex-
ican classic, the perfect switch
up for fall!
Although making tamales isn’t
the easiest task in the world,
it’s still enjoyable. It is best to
make cooking a social event, to
round up some buddies to make
them. Don’t worry if you can’t
eat them all, they’ll be super
easy to give away; everybody
loves free food!
with the ideas. I just provide as-
sistance on how the students can
get the material they need or help
set up an event. But during most
of the meetings I never talk. It is
a very student-run organization,”
explains Ms. Story.
With the officers suffering from
the infamous reputation of the ag-
riculture program -- that it is not a
serious class, -- few students take
the next step to become officers.
“I think people know about ag,
but don’t know about the FFA.
Also, not everyone hears good
things about ag. People think
it’s an easy class where students
just have to raise a pig, but it’s
so much more than that,” pro-
fesses Ms. Story.
In the FFA program, students
raise animals, compete in public
speaking events, learn horticul-
ture, attend conferences, per-
form community service, inform
the public about agriculture, and
boost student leadership.
“FFA is important to the com-
munity,” states Mackling. “A lot
of people don’t take us seriously,
even though farming is how we
all get our food. Sonoma is based
around agriculture, so it’s very
important to us.”
Despite the myriad events the of-
ficers attend, Cooper remembers
the core reason for FFA: to learn
valuable lessons. “I’ve learned to
step up and try my best. I’ve also
learned to work hard.”
November 2009

Gauchos corral Dragons
Charlie Watson, senior, attempts to catch a pass from quarterback Steve Murden, senior, against Casa Grande in the homecoming game, on Fri. Oct. 23
By Ben Graff
Casa Grande quarterback Nick
Sherry and running back Kahlil
Keys lived up to the hype, defeat-
ing Sonoma 41-6 to spoil the Drag-
on’s Homecoming game.
It was the Gaucho’s defense that
told the story, virtually shutting
down star running back Yahya
Muslim, sophomore, holding him
under 100 yards for the first time
since the season opener against
San Rafael.
“We had them on the ropes,” stat-
ed wide receiver Tyler Rose, se-
nior, “But we made too many little
mistakes, which led to the loss.”
Rugby rage
By Rachel Glago
Through endurance, strength,
and composure, rugby is com-
monly known as one of the most
dangerous sports there is.
Grant Noble, SVHS senior,
takes on the challenge, play-
ing rugby for a Santa Rosa club
team. His team plays most of
their games in Santa Rosa, but
occasionally ventures out of the
country to play in different tours.
With a team of 40 players, 15
on the field at a time, Noble says
that rugby is “like a brotherhood,
a fraternity and a football team
combined to create this great
bond of guys.”
Noble plays 2nd row, also
known as “lock.” A lock, comes
in behind the front row of the
scrum. There are two locks that
bind together, coming underneath
to give support to the boys in the
front row.
“Rugby is a sport you can’t wait
to play. You step on the field and
you forget about all the dangers,”
explained Noble.
Dragon’s Tale
Casa opened the scoring early
in the first quarter, on the opening
drive of the game, backing up a
solid march down the field with an
11 yard pass by Sherry, but missing
the extra point to make it 6-0.
The Dragons were able to tie
down the Casa Grande offense un-
til late in the second quarter, when
Keys pounded the ball in from the
5 yard line, with a two point con-
version to follow, making it 14-0.
It seemed this would be the score
going into the half, but Sonoma
fumbled deep in its own territory,
and Gaucho linebacker Connor
Waggoner scooped up the loose
ball to take it into the end zone.
Soccer Dragons on a hot streak
By Charlie Watson
The Dragon boys, who have been
on a winning streak for the past three
weeks, have skyrocketed into an in-
tense SCL championship race.
After dropping a big game to
Windsor, the Dragons beat Analy,
Healdsburg, El Molino, Petaluma,
and Casa in an overtime thriller.
They rebounded from the tough
loss to Windsor by toppling a highly
favored Analy team in a dominant
2-1 victory, and have been on a hot
streak ever since.
With these recent victories, the
Dragons have improved their re-
cord to 12-5-1, and 6-2-1 in league.
With that record, the Dragons are in
second place with only three games
remaining in the season.
“Everybody gets along so there are
no side issues when we play,” stat-
ed senior co-captian Dylan How-
arth, when asked about the key to
their recent success.
The team chemistry and atti-
tude has been a major cause of the
team’s victories.
“We are all eager to get that win and
prove to people that we are a good
team, and can play with anyone,” ex-
plained Howarth.
If the boys hope to gain their sec-
ond league championship in three
years, they will need to win the rest
of their games, and have Windsor
lose at least one of their remaining
games in the season.
Their highly anticipated game
Sports
This gave the Gauchos a 21-0 lead
heading into the halftime Home-
coming festivities.
Ultimately, Casa was able to
score 3 more touchdowns to make
the score 41-0, before the Dragons
were finally able to get themselves
on the board.
Sonoma scored on a 5 yard pass
from Steven Murden, senior, to
wide receiver Cody Montgomery,
senior, which drew a sarcastic
standing ovation from the frustrat-
ed Dragon student section.
However, the Dragons then failed
to convert on their attempt for two
points, which brought the game to
its final score, 41-6.
Brian Clementino, senior, races towards the ball for a deep pass down field.
against Windsor, which was sched-
uled for Oct. 21, was rescheduled for
the Oct. 26, and played on the Jaguars
brand new turf field.
For the Lady Dragons, who have
not had as successful of a year, they
hope to finish off the season on a high
note and make playoffs.
With a 11-6-1 record, 5-5 in league,
playoffs are up in the air, but that
is not discouraging the team. The
Dragons lost a very good game to
league foe Windsor, in their excit-
ing Senior Night, 0-3.
The game against Windsor was
full of suspense and intensity, as the
Page 6
Photo by Joe Gilmore
Sonoma fell to 3-5, 1-3 in league
play, while Casa Grande improved
to 6-1, 2-1 in league.
With only two games remain-
ing, the Dragons will face a tough
matchup on the road next week
against, first place Petaluma, led
by electrifying running back Sean
Sullivan.
Following the Petaluma game,
Sonoma will return home for an
extremely important game against
Analy on Senior Night.
With Sonoma moving from North
Coast Section Division II, down to
Division III, the game against Ana-
ly, a fellow D-III school, will have
playoff implications.
Photo by James Fanucchi
Dragons were downed by a strong
Jaguar team. The game was full of
controversy and dirty plays. One girl
on Windsor tried to throw a punch
at one of the Dragon girls, and only
received a yellow card, which easily
could have been a red card.
The loss was tough on some se-
niors, mainly because it was most
likely their final home game, but
the season is not over yet. The Lady
Dragons still have a chance of mak-
ing playoffs, where anything can
happen. Their final home game is a
make up game against Petaluma on
Thurs., Oct 29.
Time-out
By Rachel Glago
Off the court, student athletes
jump into action and discuss
their current season.
Steven Murden, Senior
Varsity Football
1. Position: “I play quarterback
and safety.”
2. Number: “I am number 3.”
3. Pre-game meal: “The night
before a game, the team goes to
Mary’s after practice and eats
pasta.”
4. Other sport: “Wrestling is
another sport I play.”
Jersey Witous, Sophomore
Varsity Volleyball
1. Position: “My position is
setter.”
2. Number: “I am number 5.”
3. Pre-game meal: “Right
before a game, I have to eat
chocolate, but the night before,
our team usually has a pasta
feed and we load up on carbs.”
4. Other sport: “I also play
basketball for SVHS and club
volleyball.
Sarah Summers, Junior
Varsity Cross Country
1. Position: “We don’t have
positions in cross country. We
all run the same distance, which
is about 3 miles.”
2. Number: “We also do not
have numbers.”
3. Pre-game meal: “We can’t
really eat before we run, or then
we will puke, and it’s hard to
carb up the night before for the
same reason.”
4. Other sport: “For SVHS,
I also run track, but outside of
school I dance.”
November 2009

Marin splashes Dragons
By Matt Fraser
After a fierce start of the season,
taking down the two-year league
champion Cardinal Newman, the
boys’ water polo team has begun
struggling to stay afloat.
The boys faced off with Marin
Academy last week at the ACAC,
fighting hard to come out on top,
only to crawl out of the pool tired,
beaten and with an 11-6 loss. Bat-
tling for the Dragons were seniors
Clarke Campion with two goals,
Peter Armstrong with two goals,
Jeff Shoemaker and Dominic
Amara with one goal each.
The recent loss against MA is
a continuation of the weeks prior.
After the stunning victory over
Cardinal in the first league game,
the Dragons have not been able to
keep up the streak. Despite their
dedication and hard work, the last
four games have ended in losses,
bringing their league record to 1-4
and a 6-8 overall.
With one league game left in
their season, the boys’ team is
sure to practice hard and bring all
they’ve got to Ukiah and finish
the season on the same note they
started on.
The girls’ team has not fared
too well this season either, their
Krysta Young, junior, spikes the ball at a Windsor opponent.
Dragons devour Jaguars
By Zach Adams
Sonoma Dragons spiked their way
to the top against Windsor high during
their second round of SCL matches.
During their first encounter Windsor
was the victor, but the Dragons would
not allow this to happen again in the
home house.
The j.v. was in a similar boat seek-
ing revenge from their previous loss,
and they conquered their opponents
as well with a 25-10, 25-15 score.
Gabrielle Peterson, sophomore,
claimed, “It was the best we’ve played
all season and a good way to start off
the second half of the season.”
The varsity girls had more of a
battle in their match. Starting off with
a tough first game, the Dragons lost
17-25.
The second game began with Wind-
sor leading with a 0-4 shutout, but a
long-winded rally ended with Sono-
ma tromping, putting them on the
scoreboard.
Jersey Witous’, sophomore, serv-
ing gave Sonoma a combined total
of four points putting Sonoma ahead
8-5. After several smashed to all cor-
Dragon’s Tale
record being 0-5 league and 3-15
overall. Their game ended in
an 7-0 loss against MA, so they
too will be fighting in their last
league game to get a victory on
the board.
The boys’ j.v. team held their
undefeated title, and devoured
MA 7-3, while the j.v. girls did
not get a chance to play.
The boys’ water polo team is
comprised of seniors Zach Adams,
Dom Amara, Peter Armstrong,
Clarke Campion, Sean Hammett,
Michael Juricich, Kevin Phillips,
Jeff Shoemaker, Paul Sokoloski
and Mason Thomsen, along with
Chris Allard, sophomore, Danny
Fonsecca, sophomore, and Chase
Campion, freshman, 13 in total.
The girls’ team, with 14 players,
consist of seniors Melissa Balich,
Monika Bauermeister, Elizabeth
Lawlor, Eva Lindstrom, Shirley
Morovich and Destiny Reyes to-
gether with juniors Marissa
Bragstad, Olivia Connors, Taylor
Jordan, Natalia Minatta. Also
Ghitta Ferrara, sophomore, Zoe
Gaarder, freshman, and Rose
Greenberg, freshman.
While there happens to be a
large team this year, the team is
mostly seniors, causing much
uncertainty whether there will
Photo by Joe Gilmore
ners by Kendall Smith, senior, Sophia
Somers, senior, and Molly Lyons, ju-
nior, the Dragons stayed neck and neck
with Windsor on the score board.
An ace by Kaylee Vollert, junior, tied
the game up 15-15. The Dragons kept
fighting fire with fire but unfortunate
lost the second game 22-25.
They were by no means finished
brawling. Sonoma still had fight
left in them, which was more than
Windsor could say, and it was come-
back time.
Smith started the second game off
hard with two slams to the left cor-
ner. Lauren Fisher, senior, served a
combined total of six points in a row
putting the Dragons at 7-1. With sev-
eral slams by Sophia Somers and aces
by Suzanne Amaral, sophomore, the
Dragons conquered 25-16.
Holding the same firepower the
Dragons skirmished with Windsor but
came out on top 25-22 in game 4.
The fifth and final game ended with
a bang with a 15-4 triumph. The
Dragons had achieved the victory they
desired and were able to gain the re-
venge they had wanted from Windsor
on their home turf.
Sports
Sean Hammett, senior, takes a shot on goal against rival Cardinal Newman at Agua Caliente Aquatic Center on Oct. 14.
be enough players for the sport to
continue next year.
“I really hope that we can gath-
er a new team together, water
polo is so much fun, everyone
Phillies move on, look to repeat
By Ben Graff
Every young baseball player in
America currently aspires to be in
the position of Philadelphia Phillies
pitcher Cliff Lee.
Lee, who was acquired in a mid-
season trade from the Cleveland
Indians, has been the picture of per-
fection up to this point in the 2009
postseason, giving up just 2 runs in
24 and 1/3 innings for an earned run
average of 0.74.
“Lee has been dominant. He hits
his spots, and does a great job of
changing speeds,” declared Jeremy
Branconi, senior, a pitcher on the
Sonoma High baseball team.
Lady Dragons serve Casa Grande
By Charles Watson
The Lady Dragons tennis
squad, who dropped their first six
matches, upset SCL rival Casa
Grande in a thrilling match on
Tue., Oct. 6th.
After disappointing matches
against Casa Grande, Healdsburg,
El Molino, Analy, and Petaluma,
the Girls secured their first vic-
tory of the season.
The girls were led by Gianna
Johns’ 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 2
singles, as well as Laura Harvey’s
6-6 (7-5), 6-0 triumph at No. 3
singles.
The girls also obtained victo-
ries by Mackenzie Kelley, senior,
who downed her No. 4 singles
opponent 6-2, 6-4. At doubles,
senior Alexandra Zaualeta and
freshman Jessica Johnston beat
their opponents 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, and
freshmen Courtney Struthers and
Francesca Stornaiuoio downed
their foes 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
The 5-2 victory over the Gau-
chos was impressive and excit-
ing. However, the Dragons suc-
Page 7
should play!” exclaimed Danny
Fonsecca, one of the few under-
classman players.
With only 3 non-senior boys and
8 non-senior girls, there is still
Lee’s Phillies moved on to the
World Series, after beating the
Colorado Rockies in 4 games,
and knocking off the Los Angeles
Dodgers, who completed a surpris-
ing first round sweep of St. Louis,
4-1 in the best of 7 series.
Coming off a career year in which
he converted literally every single
save opportunity that presented it-
self, Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge
has been less than stellar this year,
making the end of games a huge
question mark for Phillie fans.
As for the American League, the
Minnesota Twins finished the season
in a tie with the Detroit Tigers atop
the American League Central, and
Photo by James Fanucchi Courtney
Jessica Forchione, senior, returns an opponent’s shot. Alexandra Zavaleta,
cess has not continued as of late.
They dropped their last match to
Windsor in a disappointing 6-1
defeat.
The tennis squad has two more
matches left in the season, not in-
cluding the SCL singles/doubles
Photo by Joe Gilmore
hope for the girls’, but the boys’
could be dying out. Unless the
few players left can rally together
at least 4 more players, there will
be no boys’ team next season.
captured a playoff berth in epic fash-
ion, with a walk-off win in the 12th
inning.
Once in the playoffs however, the
Twins faltered, getting swept by
the Yankees, who moved on to the
World Series against Philadelphia,
by defeating the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim, who had advanced by
sweeping the Boston Red Sox, 4-2.
Yankee 3rd baseman Alex
Rodriguez is looking for redemption
following some subpar postseason
performances that leave many fans
in New York questioning his merit
as an overall great player.
Prediction: Yankees over Phillies
in 6 games.
championships, which
is scheduled for Nov.
5-6 at Santa Rosa
Junior College.
The Lady Dragons
hope to be in position
to win their final two
matches, and end their
season on a high note
before SCL’s.
With only 6 seniors
on their 18 player ros-
ter, the Lady Dragons
will be looking for-
ward to having expe-
rience in the years to
come.
Comprising the girls’
tennis squad is Chi
Wong, Meagan Dur-
fee, Jessica Forchione
Struthers,
Francesca Stornaiuoio, Laura
Harvey, Sophie Howard, Gianna
Johns, Jessica Johnston, Macken-
zie Kelley, Mckenzie Lawrence,
Elsa Martinez, Regina Mellinger,
Elisa Merino, Raquel Rios-
Gomez, and Anna Robles.
November 2009

Halloween’s happily haunting happenings
Halloween Swing
Dance Party
West Coast Swing les-
sons and dance. Costumes
recommended, but not
required. Food and
beverages included.
When: 7 p.m. Lesson,
8 p.m. Dance
Where: The Dance Room,
2921 Santa Rosa Avenue,
--Santa Rosa, CA
Cost: $10
News
Caught in
Dragon’s Head
Haunted House
Fright Fest
Six Flags Marine World
Thought:
Local haunted house! hosts haunted houses and
What is your fa-
One of the best haunted exhibits as well as keeps
houses for thrills and their rides open for more vorite
excitement. Petaluma Corn thrills and terror.
YouTube video?
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Maze When: Park closes 10 p.m. 14th Annual
Where: 631 West Spain The four acre maze offers Where: Discovery Spooktacular
Street everyone a challenging Kingdom, 1001 Fair- Trick-or-Treating
-- Sonoma, CA walk through the 10 foot- grounds Dr. Free trick-or-treating at
Cost: $10 plus tall corn stalks. Only --Vallejo, CA 94589 Petaluma Village
one way in and one way Cost: Free with season Premium Outlets at
out. pass. Day pass for Six participating stores
When: gates open at 6 Flags (if bought online): When: 5:30 p.m. to
p.m. $29.99 9 p.m.
Where: 550 Stony Point Where: 2200 Petaluma
Road Blvd N.
-- Petaluma, CA --Petaluma, CA
Cost: $9 Cost: Free
“Charlie the Unicorn”

Harassment at Plaza -Mr. Jacobs, math

shocks students
By Dalton Amador
While protesting at the plaza, mem-
bers of SVHS’s own Gay-Straight
Alliance (GSA) and their supporters
were verbally harassed by a passing
man on Fri. Oct. 9 at 5:30. “He was
in his early 20’s, and looked and acted
very drunk,” explained Shane Ezen-
spergar, junior, and leader of the GSA.
According to Enzenbergar, the man
stood behind the protestors and yelled
insults like “fags,” “queers,” and “go
back to San Francisco.” Meanwhile,
the protestors continued to calmly ask
him to leave.
Aaron Bremner, junior, claimed that
he personally tried to convince the
teacher
When the police arrived, the man
had already left the scene, but was still
in the surrounding area. According to
Bremner, the police questioned the
man, put him in handcuffs, and drove
him away.
After the students finished protest-
ing, three of the protestors were walk-
ing down West Napa at 7:30 when
they saw the same man walking in
their direction. Despite their attempts
to ignore him, he allegedly gave re-
torts and shouted offensive remarks at
them. The protestors ignored him and
continued walking. “I am astonished
that people are still so drastically ho- “Bollywood videos”
mophobic,” commented Bremner.
Officer Reagan commented that Photo by James Fanucchi
-Kendal Krupa, senior

man to leave, but to no avail. “He told
me that homosexual relationships are
loveless and can only be physical,”
said Bremner. When the man alleg-
edly spit twice on the protestors’ own
rainbow flag, the Freedom Patriots,
a protesting group who primarily fo-
cuses on Democratic standings, called
the police.
students should ignore harassers and
continue protesting in such a situation
because what the man was doing was
not technically illegal.
Mr. Fichman, advisor to GSA, ex-
plained that the harassment of gay stu-
dents is a hate crime, and students can
file a complaint to the police if such an
incident occurs.
Phoenix on fire
The Phoenix Theater in Petaluma is plagued by financial woes.
By Gabe Bassett
The economic recession has hit
almost every aspect of the Ameri-
can Society, including the historic
Phoenix Theater in downtown
Petaluma.
The theater has hosted acts ranging
from Sublime to Andre Nickatina,
and has been a haven for teens in
Petaluma and Sonoma county for
over 25 years. The theater is open
every day, and is a safe environ-
ment for teens, providing various
programs to help needy students.
Recently, many of the theater’s
usual donors have encountered fi-
nancial cutbacks, and subsequent-
ly, are unable to donate the amount
they used to. Another factor to these
financial challenges is the grant
money has been dwindling.
“We don’t have any money in the
bank, and don’t have any coming
in the foreseeable future,” stated
Bruce Hagen, president of the the-
ater’s board of directors.
Due to these hard times, the Phoe-
nix has been forced to lay off Tom
Gaffey, theater manager. Gaffey
continues to work as a volunteer in
his old position. Along with Gaffey,
the Phoenix’s executive director
Amber Faur has also been laid off.
Hagen, commented “They have in-
credibly devotion to our cause, and
want to keep the theater open every
day.”
The only remaining paid employ-
ee at the theater is the music direc-
tor, Gio Benedetti. He has been cut
from full-time to half-time. “The Greatest
Adam Spry, frontman for the Jay-
walkers stated, “The Phoenix is a Freakout Ever”
very unique venue and the liveli-
hood of local music really depends
on its survival” -Adam Kohut, junior
“We’re at the point where we
won’t be able to continue what
we’ve been doing unless we get
more money,” lamented Hagen.
On the bright side, many individ-
uals have gathered to raise money
for the ailing theater. Over $2500
has been raised so far just through
a group of young people working
together to ask friends for contribu-
tions.

“ Cholo Adventures”

-Jose Gonzollez,
freshman

Dragon’s Tale Page 8 November 2009