Thanks for Giving

pg. 3, 4, 6

H1N1 Vaccine fuss pg. 4

Sanders leads canned food drive...again pg. 2

Volume 15, Issue 3 November 20, 2009

Sports scholarships pg. 8

PHOTO BY COREY SHEEFEL

GIVING THANKS: Stacie Sanders’ dedication to helping those in need has led her and her class to gather more than 900 cans in the past two weeks.

2 Wolf Pack Press

Volume 15, Issue 3 November 20, 2009

Students take advantage of early grad optionMany debate the pros and cons of graduating earlyJency JamesNews Editor

Whether students describe high school as the best or worst four years of their lives, not all students live by the four year rule. Instead some decide to graduate early, spawning a debate on the benefits and shortcomings of the early graduation option.

Students have varying reasons for graduating early. “Some kids don’t like school and want to get out early, some want to start community college and a few want to end school early and start work,” said counselor Roger Faranato.

There are significant benefits to graduating early. Students can get a head start on attending community college, which saves time and money enabling them to transfer to a four year school. In addition, they can begin work-ing more hours at jobs and jumpstart a career. Those who come from low income families can also assist their families financially.

However, there are also cons to the idea. “You’re socially isolated,” said Faranato. “You can’t go to any school events like the Senior Picnic or Senior Ball and Quad Dance.” Students must also go through more steps to graduate early. Although students can gradu-ate with a 1.0 GPA, they are required to complete the A-G requirements to walk the stage. Since this means completing 260 credits, students must take classes at Sierra in order to meet the requirements in a shorter amount

of time. Without completing the A-G requirements, students will have to pick up their diploma the day after graduation instead of participating in the ceremony.

One student taking advantage of the opportunity to graduate early is junior Manreet Sivia. She decided to do so in order to get a head start on college. “I’m planning on going to community college for two years and then transfer-ring to UC Davis,” she said. “I hope to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.”

In order to achieve this goal, Sivia had to advance into higher level classes early on. “I took U.S. History, Psychol-ogy and Sociology at ARC [American River College] in the summers after my freshman and sophomore years,” Sivia said.

“I’m also taking English 12 and Gov/Econ my junior year.” Taking col-

lege classes at such a young age can prove to be difficult and is not for the faint-hearted of academia. “Taking classes at college during summer was stressful because there was a lot of work over a short period of time. But the course load over the school year was the same,” Sivia stated.

When asked what other things were inconvenient about graduating early, Sivia said, “I’m not going to gradu-ate with my friends, which makes me sad.”

Overall students must carefully weigh the pros and cons about graduat-ing early and make a decision that best suits their interests and plans.

When asked what he would recom-mend about graduating early, Faranato said, “Don’t. You only live through high school once. Part of the experience is be-ing in high school and college, whether you like it or not.”

Sanders flexes generosity with food driveJustien MatsuedaStaff Reporter

Since Stacie Sanders’ second period class often wins the yearly canned food drive, many students wonder how she maintains her winning streak. Is she bribing her kids with things? Maybe she’s just really competitive. Perhaps she just knows how to motivate her stu-dents to donate in large numbers. One thing is certain - she and her students are making a difference for the needy.

Sanders, a Chemistry teacher on campus, currently tops the leader list with 2351 points and sits comfortably poised to hold the winner title for the second year in a row.

“I think feeding hungry people is good to do,” said Sanders, explaining why she is so competitive. To contrib-ute to the canned food drive, Sanders herself collected cans. On Halloween she went around her neighborhood asking for cans and in only an hour, she received 90 cans.

Sanders offered her students a free day if the class collected 3000 cans. Sophomores Alena Maudru and Morgan Dixon took the challenge to heart. Dixon drove around from house to house and Maudru went up to each door, collect-ing cans. They gathered about 250 cans and split them amongst their friends who helped. “One guy gave us a whole bag of cans plus $20 to buy more cans,” said Maudru.

“Mrs. Sanders is really good at motivating us. I don’t want to let her down. I love her; she’s the best teacher,” said Dixon. As a member of ASB, the organization who is sponsoring the drive, Dixon felt she should help out more than most people.

Even though it does feel good to win, Sanders and her class feel just as good about helping the less fortunate. “Some classes don’t really get cans, so I’m the one who makes up for all of it,” said Sanders, who even offered to take money donated by other teachers’ classes and buy their cans for them.

Students from other classes also worked hard to contribute to the canned food drive. In addition to ask-ing neighbors and coworkers of her dad to participate, freshman Rebekah Robertson asked local grocery stores to donate cans and gift cards. Target and Safeway contributed $25 gift cards while Walmart and SaveMart donated cans. Robertson’s efforts have brought in over 300 cans.

“Her enthusiasm has inspired me and the rest of my second period class to step up our effort and bring in more cans,” said Lisa Edmisten, English teacher.

Edmis-ten’s class c u r r e n t l y r a n k s i n second place with 1707 points. Car-ole Schwab’s second peri-od class sits close behind with 1327 points.

A s o f T h u r s d a y evening, the total num-ber of cans c o l l e c t e d by all WHS s t u d e n t s

Don AllenGuest Reporter/Counselor

The month of November is a vitally important month for seniors planning to apply to either the CSU or UC system for admissions next fall. The deadline for both of these university systems is Nov. 30.

Applications can be completed at the following websites http://www.csumen-tor.edu/admissionapp/undergrad_apply.asp and http://www.universityofcalifor-nia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply_to_uc.html .

November is also the time to fine tune personal statements, which are required for the UC applications.

It is highly recommended that the application be completed before Thanks-giving break on Nov. 20. There are many reasons to complete this task early; but a few are that if students need help with the application, their counselor will be available to help them.It is also less stressful to know that the task has been completed, so they can enjoy Thanksgiv-ing. Students sometimes lose track of the days when they are on vacation and don’t follow through until the 30th at midnight. Last minute applications can stall the websites and their application may arrive too late. So students should take care of business now!

Many private universities also have the end of November as their deadline. Make sure you check the individual school websites. Beyond the basic ap-plication, private universities also re-quire other documents such as official transcript requests, school profiles and recommendations from teachers and counselors. All of these things take time, so don’t leave it until the last minute.

and staff totaled 7739 cans.

TOP TEN CLASSES (as of Thursday, Nov. 19)

1) Sanders..........2351 points2) Edmisten.......1707 points3) Schwab..........1327 points4) Zoucha...........1058 points5) Bair..................987 points6) Front Office.....554 points7) Anderson.........401 points8) Larson.............356 points9) Bullard............341 points10) Hartman.........281 points

College Corner: November apps

News Editor, Jency James

Wolf Pack Press 3

NewsNovember 20, 2009

News Editor, Jency James

Katherine GriffinNewbie Reporter

It’s high school, the time in life where everything seems like the end of the world and nothing appears to make it better.

Teenagers cope in many differ-ent ways with these emotions, based upon individual experiences and back-grounds. Commonly just talking their concerns out is sufficient. But when there is no one to help you through your problems and you’re without a place to release the stress, it will only build. A peer counseling program could soon change that for students.

Counselor Denise Burns, the heart behind this program, is organizing the second trial. While the first experience didn’t meet expectations, this time the bar is being raised. With marketing and the right people on board, Burns has a positive outlook.

Peer counseling will create an envi-ronment where students with a conflict or students who just want someone to listen to them without judgment can resolve their problems in a completely confidential and comfortable setting. Students will have the opportunity to talk to other students their own age, who are experiencing the same daily issues they are.

Student counselors will go through a two-to-three week training process that will educate them on how to prop-erly handle different types of counseling situations. The training will consist of group and individual work and then be

Jessica RobertsNewbie Reporter

The Coats For Kids Foundation is a charity that collects new coats and do-nates them to children who need them. For years, Woodcreek has been helping keep children warm by having an an-nual News 10 Coats For Kids drive. For a few weeks during November and December, students are encouraged to bring in coats that are in good condi-tion, to be sent to help keep children in their community warm.

This year the event is being held a little differently than it has been in previous years. Student government had the idea of adding a little competi-tion to the coat drive in order to collect as many coats as possible.

Junior Brandon Fields, ASB Club Commissioner said, “We decided to turn the Coats For Kids drive into a contest this year, because it is a chance for all clubs to join in and help serve the community.”

The clubs that have signed up to

completed with a mock conflict to see how well the students will react in a real life situation.

This program enables anyone interested in the therapy or social sci-ence fields to gain experience helping others work through conflicts to reach a resolution. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are encouraged to pick up an ap-plication form that includes a summary of the program, questionaire and staff recommendation form. The application process is a way to ensure the applicant is well-suited for this job. When com-pleted, the form will be reviewed.

This program offers many great learning opportunities and could bring schoolwide changes. With more stu-dents given a place to release negative or positive emotions, less stress will likely exist among our student body. This might be the key component to peace on campus.

The program will also give stu-dents a chance to gain beneficial work experience in a career field they are interested in. Peer counseling will pro-vide opportunities for students to learn techniques and to build basic skills that will be helpful in any career they choose to pursue.

In order to get this program up and running, it is crucial that interested students voice their interest. With the program set to start in 2010, interested students should contact Burns as soon as possible.

Peer counseling has the potential to support students and become a regular part of our school.

Annual Coats for Kids Drive comes with changes

Peer counseling program: take two

participate so far include the French Club, the JAM Club and the Key Club.

Each club is working hard to collect as many coats as they possibly can. Key Club member, junior Samantha Tegelman, said, “To collect more coats we have been making silver boxes [each club is making their boxes a different color], and we’re making signs to hang in grocery stores.”

Since the event is a competition, there has to be a prize. Fields said, “For now we think the prize is going to be funding for the club that wins.” Al-though a prize for the winning club is a good motivator, it is not the only reason to participate in the coat drive. “There is a reward at the end for the winners,” said Fields, “but for the clubs, it is more about the community service.”

For the students who are partici-pating, just being involved gives them a reward that can’t be bought in any store. They get to know that they have helped make someone, who is less for-tunate than themselves, happy.

It isn’t too late to sign up for the

Coat Drive, if any more clubs want to join the competition. “We’re always looking for more clubs who want to participate,” said Fields. “The Coat Drive doesn’t end until December 15, so there’s plenty of time to sign up.”

If you’re not in a club but still want to contribute, you can help by bringing in your extra coats. Key Club advisor, Laura Bullard said, “Especially this year, it is really impor- tant that w e work t o

make sure that all of the children in our area are taken care of. If students have little brothers or sisters or have little neighbor children who might have outgrown their coats, they should really consider taking the time to bring them in to donate.”

You don’t have to worry about going out and spending all your money on

some brand new coats either; because once

all the coats are collected, they will

be sent out for cleaning before being delivered to the Salva-tion Army.

GRAPHIC BY TYLER BENOIT

ROP Profile: Child Development Megan BarnettAssistant News Editor

As she reaches adulthood, senior Allison McInturf turns her attention back towards children. Enrolled in the Regional Occupation Program (ROP) for Child Development, McInturf works alongside young people who represent our society’s future.

Working with children presents nothing new for McInturf. “I work in my church’s nursery and I baby-sit a lot,” she said. Spending time around children and interacting with them is something that she enjoys do-ing. McInturf said, “The kids are really fun, and they’re re-ally interesting. It’s fun to interact with them and see them grow.”

The ROP pro-gram includes two stages: one a class and the other expe-rience at a training site. While the class prepares and teaches students to do hands on work with the chil-dren, the training site offers them the opportunity to put these skills into practice.

At her training site, McInturf works in three different classes and helps with the children and their projects.

Her class focuses on many aspects of the education of children. McInturf said, “In the class we get to learn about teaching skills and how kids develop.”

Understanding behavioral guidance skills and learning about new educa-tional philosophies, or theories, pre-pares these students to become teachers themselves. From discovering learning styles to applying them in lessons and activities, students engage in all aspects of instructing children. Another impor-tant subject they learn about is health and safety and how to make sure the children are well taken care of.

McInturf enjoys the class. She said, “I get to work with little kids, and it’s

fun to go to Au-burn, and meet everyone else in the class.”

Besides the f u r t h e r i n g o f skills in guidance and care giving, the class provides other benefits such as job train-ing that look good on a college appli-cation and on job applications.

In the future, McInturf plans to become a kinder-garten teacher. “I’m going to go to junior college, then UC, then a credential pro-

gram,” she said. This specialized ROP course pre-

pares students to pursue careers in elementary and secondary education. It also provides valuable experience for those interested in working as Head Start aides, infant/toddler caregivers, preschool teachers, teacher’s aides and in-home child care aides.

CHILD’S PLAY: Allison McInturf chose child development as a career to pursue because she loves work-ing with children.

PHOTO BY MEGAN BARNETT

4 Wolf Pack Press

Volume 15, Issue 3 November 20, 2009

Opinions Editor, Irina Levtsenyuk

Matt GeorgeStaff Reporter

After an exciting win on Friday night, the poor sport side of Del Oro once again emerged. Del Oro’s fans, stu-dents, and players are coming up with new excuses every day for the reason that Woodcreek beat them not one time, but two times in a row.

In sports, excuses are common. Around 90 percent of all athletes blame others for their sports mistakes. Del Oro students are not much happier than the football players at losing to Woodcreek two years in a row.

Players have been accused of cheat-ing or committing fouls and penalties that the officials “purposely” overlook. Accusations have been thrown at the referees for not calling the game up the middle, and students have started rumors that the referees were convinced

or hired to call the game against Del Oro.

The fact that the players and stu-dents can’t accept the fact that they lost not only the game, but their chances of a perfect season, is understandable; but the excuses and claims are just im-mature. No excuses have come from the coaching staff, but the players make up for it with numerous explanations and stories of their own.

It’s sports, people! All teams will have their wins and losses, and al-though some may be disappointing and unexpected, players and fans need to learn that in sports, anything can happen.

Sports aren’t groups of games you can guess on and suspect to always guess right. The worst team can pull a surprising victory over the best team just by having a strong night. Horses can come out with nobody on their side

and still run hard and beat some of the best. Betting o n s p o r t s m a y b e common, but it ’s not en-tirely s a f e . M o s t of the t i m e i t i s e a s y to iden-t i fy who w i l l w i n the game, but there is still the probability of sports along with it.

Del Oro’s students, players and

coaches know that Woodcreek beat them because they

played harder, wanted it more and believed they could do it. But

they don’t want the loss to crush

their image, so the mass of

excuses are used as a suit of ar-mor over their ego.

T h e s a d p a r t

about i t is h o w e a s i l y

p e o - ple buy into these excuses and rumors. No

matter how hard anyone tries, they can’t perfectly guess the results

and final scores of sports.

Del Oro makes excuses for crippling loss

Brittany AttwoodOnline Editor

Sierra College academic courses, no longer an option. The news struck me while discussing college plans with my counselor the other day.

My first thoughts: this drastically ruins my high school and college career path schedules.

You see, when I was a freshman I took History 17b during the summer. For those who don’t know how the Si-erra classes work, History 17b is a sub-stitute for U.S. History. My reasoning for such a choice was that I could fulfill my graduation requirements while si-multaneously opening up a period my senior year. The reason why: so that I could go to work and save up money for college. It seemed like a well thought out plan….or so I thought.

Not being able to continue using my vacation breaks to fulfill my college plan because “The classes I want to take are offered here” is just silly. I understand the administration’s thinking: if the classes are offered on campus, why would students want to go elsewhere? Really, though, not allowing students to take certain classes does nothing to our overall school attendance or our class size. Not enough people are going to Sierra to lower our class size until it becomes too small.

Plus, wouldn’t one think that hav-ing students take the same class offered on their campus somewhere else would actually help? I’ll answer that for you; yes it would. It would help reduce our over-populated classrooms, which

would help teachers as well by giving them more individual time with their students.

Another benefit of being able to take required courses at Sierra is it gives us an opportunity to take more AP and Honors classes. Needless to say, not being able to take Government and Economics at Sierra this fall will lead me down a harder and more stressful academic path. Okay, so maybe that’s a little dramatic; but it will cause me a lot more hardship. Knowing that I will be spending my senior year completing my mountain load of AP classes, meeting my thousands of hours for community service records and working to save money for college makes it hard enough. Now I even have to worry about doing extra government projects and intensely studying the economic theory.

Another reason why this news shocked me so is because I learned that we now have to pay for our courses at Sierra. With each unit being $26 dollars and 3 units for each class (Gov/Econ being two classes), the cost is a total of $156. Taking both AP Exams here would cost about $168. The school only loses $12. If the only motive for shut-ting down the Sierra course option is to increase school revenue, then obviously the school isn’t keeping the students best interest in mind.

The responsibility of a school is to produce well-educated, socially-enlight-ened students. I am not trying to say that this is not what we are doing here, all I’m asking is that you rethink this decision. Do you really think this is the best way to achieve our goal?

College plans ruined by cancelled classes

Jency JamesNews Editor

Many of this year’s headlines have caught our interest and somehow man-aged to captivate our attention. From Lady Gaga’s overnight success to the balloon boy hoax to the President’s progress (or lack thereof, but that’s another opinion story), a lot has hap-pened in 2009.

But the biggest and most lasting headline, both in world and local news, has centered around the Swine Flu. The latest news focuses on the newly developed vaccine and people’s hesita-tion over it.

What makes the Swine Flu differ-ent from the usual flu is that it is a new strain, so our bodies haven’t been able to build up resistance to it. Most people contract it and then get it out of their systems with some rest and treatment. However, there have been reports where victims have died from the flu.

The medical community has finally produced a vaccine against the Swine Flu and while some are grateful and en-thusiastic, others are exercising caution when it comes to the vaccine.

“It’s a new vaccine to us in the United States and since it’s new, people are hesitant because they’re not sure of the side effects,” said School Nurse Denise LaFazia.

But it’s not as if doctors just slapped some chemicals together to form a “vac-cine” for the sole purpose of alleviating the level of panic among the population. You can bet that careful research and testing went into the development of the

vaccine. With that careful development comes safe precautions and the idea of minimal harm to its recipients.

Now there have been some reports floating around about people undergo-ing serious problems after receiving the vaccine. There’s the U.S. cheerleader who developed dystopia and the teenage boy who became afflicted with muscle spasms. But these cases are considered with odds of being one in a million and there hasn’t been a clear link to the Swine Flu vaccine for their problems.

While the flu is new and develop-ing the vaccine meant going into un-charted territory, any side effects have been minor. “To date, there hasn’t been anything that confirms ill effects,” said LaFazia.

The only side effects confirmed from the vaccine have been headaches, fever, muscle aches and redness and tender-ness where the shot was given. Very rarely have any severe problems been reported. With odds such as these, there isn’t really anything that suggests the vaccine is harmful in any way.

It comes down to what odds you believe in. You can be like the chick in Scary Movie 3, who has a choice between a knife and a banana and chooses the banana that leads to her death. You can take the risk of contracting Swine Flu which does have the slight and incon-venient possibility of death or you can get the vaccine that’s designed to keep you stay healthy and that hasn’t been proven to have serious side effects.

Vaccines have always been helpful in the past. Why would that change now?

GRAPHIC BY TYLER BENOIT

Wolf Pack Press 5Opinions Editor, Irina Levtsenyuk

OpinionsNovember 20, 2009

Kelly MulliganStaff Reporter

With the holidays coming and the semester wrapping up, many students have lots of things on their minds. Keep-ing up grades, getting gifts and balanc-ing activities can lead to very stressful situations. Here are some tips for the top ten ways to relieve stress.

1. Find the stressorWhether it be family, your sig-

nificant other, friends, school, a sports team, etc. - whatever it may be that is stressing you out, come to terms with it. Find out why it is stressing you out and see what you can do to become less stressed.

2. RelaxTake a deep breath, do some yoga,

take a warm bubble bath or get a massage. Go outside and give Mother Nature a visit: let some sun shine into your life. Anything that can bring you close to nature and away from the fluo-rescent lighting and bright computer screens will help.

7. Take some time for yourselfDo something that you enjoy doing,

have a good time and have some fun. A mani-pedi perhaps? (Boys, you know you want to.)

8. Get OrganizedClean your room, organize your

binder and clean out your desk. Make a calendar and organize yourself. Being organized can help you know what is going on and help you prepare ahead of time for it.

9. Disconnect from your surround-ings

Turn off your phone, TV and com-puter for awhile. Taking some time away from electronic distractions can give you some time to yourself to relax and just think about random things in your life. Like animal crackers.

10. Laugh!Laughter is the best medicine.

Laughing is fun to do and sometimes just laughing at the situation can give you a new outlook on it.

Dalton McBrideNewbie Reporter

Frost outlines the windows, the dim sun quietly rises, and there are the faint murmurs of excitement, for it is Christ-mas morning. The many preparations and decorations have left your dwelling appealing and warm under the sharp, awakening light of the Christmas tree. It has all been well worth the time, as well as the money invested.

You might have noticed, though, how every year Christmas advertise-ments appear much too soon with Hal-loween barely come and Thanksgiving faroff. The question is whether or not Christmas comes too early.

Seasonal hiring and sales have slowly triggered a great rush for jobs and presents recently. Seasonal jobs are offered extremely early for the holiday rush.

Sophomore Jordan Christ applied for a seasonal job at “Emerald City,” a decorating company for the seasons. Christ said, “The day after Thanksgiv-ing, there’s going to be decorating start-ing for Christmas already.”

If you were to search for a job right now you would often hear, “Seasonal hiring only.” Yet it is November and Thanksgiving decors have not even been greatly promoted.

On the other hand, there should be no dilemma about how early Christmas ‘starts’. It is a smart idea to go out and get gifts early, because of the insane mischief that intensifies as time counts down to the final day.

Also when you consider the fact that you find yourself with less and less time the closer it gets to Christmas, it is a great idea to put up any decorations as soon as possible.

With jobs offered and people ready-ing themselves for ‘the holidays,’ there is no reason not to get an early start. While there are p e o p l e who get an extreme- l y late start, there is no such thing as starting too early.

Some people say it’s never too early to plan for Christmas, which depends on your outlook or pri-orities. If you like to get your shop-ping or decorat-ing out of the way early, there should be no problem with it.

Christmas does by far over-power and out-advertise the other holi-days, and t h o u g h i t does, “Christ-m a s c o u l d never come too early.”

3. ExerciseTry-out for a sport team, sign up for

a gym membership, swim some laps, or go for a jog. Exercise helps burn off calo-ries and some of the built up stress.

4. Eat HealthyYou do not need to diet; just focus on

eating healthier foods. Put some slices of banana in your cereal in the morn-ing, throw in some baby carrots in your lunch and add a tasty Nature Valley granola bar in for a snack.

5. Get Ample SleepSleeping at least eight hours a

night is the minimum for the average teenager. Go to bed early once in a while and let your body and mind catch up on much needed sleep. Without sleep people lose their ability to focus and pay attention.

6. Stay HydratedWater makes up 70% of your body

and drinking lots of water not only hydrates your body but is essential for you to function.

Megan HoehenriederStaff Reporter

In the corner of the cafeteria lies a place where students can show their school spirit by purchasing a variety of Woodcreek attire. The Wolfmart sup-plies everything from sweatpants to lanyards and stickers to class shirts. However many students do not take advantage of this useful resource.

The Wolfmart is open during both lunches and can benefit any student on campus. The profits made by the store directly assist Woodcreek students; the money goes in the student government fund and is then used to pay for dances and activities like Homecoming or Au-rora. The Wolfmart still sells the usual cozy sweatshirts and Wolfpack t-shirts, but they also sell some new items.These include comfy sweatpants with the Woodcreek logo, a stylish Wolfpack lanyard and spirited car sticker.

If more students utilized their resources and actually used the stu-dent store, we could greatly increase our spirit. The football stands would swarm with maroon and black and students would demonstrate pride in their school by sporting their Woodcreek T’s on game days. We need to be an example to other schools by purchas-ing merchandise from the Wolfmart. We can demonstrate that Woodcreek is a force to be reckoned with. So stop by the Wolfmart, buy a new sweatshirt and wear it to a football game. Cheer on your school because Woodcreek is a high school to take pride in.

Wolfmart gets great reviews

Christine MurrayStaff Reporter

The worst thing that can hap-pen in the beautiful holiday season is to wake up with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. Fortunately, t h e r e a r e many things you can do to drastically prevent your chances o f receiving an illness. This cons is ts o f taking vita-min C and anti-oxidants either in food or pill form to help improve immune function; drinking lots of water, juice, and other healthy fluids; eating healthy; getting as much sleep as pos-sible and getting your daily exercise. Also simply not touching your face as much as you really need to makes a big difference. Your eyes, mouth and nose are the main places to avoid.

It’s important not to use your hands to cover up a sneeze or cough, because it makes it much easier for the germs to travel once you touch everything else afterwards - use a tissue or your elbow instead. In cold weather, getting a regular dose of fresh air is important

because central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to viruses.

A surprising act of prevention is to enter the sauna at your local gym.

By breathing in air with a temperature hotter than 80 degrees, it is almost impossible for viruses to survive.

Even though it is all up to opinion, some say these are effective medicines to take to treat your cold once you start to feel it coming on: Zicam, which reduces the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold when taken within 24 hours of the first symptoms shown, and Airborne, which helps

ward off harmful bacteria and germs with immune boosting vitamins and

herbs.But the most effective thing you can

do is to wash your hands as much as you can, or your second best option - use hand sanitizer. You should be washing your hands after going to the bathroom, being with someone who already has the sickness, blowing your nose, coughing and sneezing, but most importantly after touching door handles, drinking fountains, computers and telephones at public places like school.

Overall the way to be stuffy nose and sore throat-free this season is to try to be healthier and cleaner.

Our own Corey Sheefel suffers from completely avoidable cold symptoms.

PHOTO BY MATT GEORGE

Kick colds to the curb

Has Christmas come too early?

6 Wolf Pack Press Featainment Editor, Carley Higgins

Volume 15, Issue 3 November 20, 2009

Mr. Woodcreek will entertain for a cause

Zachary BredbergSports Editor

November 10, 1969: the TV show Sesame Street was broadcast to the young people around the world for the first time. Forty years and over 4180 episodes later, it is still as much a sta-ple for educational shows for children as it was in ’69.

Sesame Street gives children an educational pro-gram that enter-tains. Each episode is “brought to you by” a certain letter and number to help children learn these fundamentals.

While educa-tional, this show is still extremely fun and has some of the coolest characters. Big Bird, my personal favorite, is a 7-foot tall yellow bird who is always very worried but friendly. Oscar is a green grouch who lives in a trash can, which probably contributed quite a bit to his grouchiness.

Then there are Bert and Ernie, the most nonfunctional pair of roommates

who always seemed to be in a fight. There is also the Cookie Monster who, you guessed it, loves cookies. However, he recently changed into the “Vegetable Monster” in an attempt to get children to like vegetables. But everyone knows vegetables are lame compared to cook-

ies. One of the best parts

of the show is the fea-tured guest stars - peo-ple like Michael Phelps, music star Feist and co-median Conan O’Brien.

Another fantastic part about each show is the “skits”. Each one lasts about a minute long and always com-bines fun and educa-tion.

As a child, one of my personal favorites

was the one where there was a dog in a trench coat and the dog would be counting or reciting the ABC’s. This was definitely one of the best because who doesn’t like a dog in a trench coat? It’s just precious.

Throughout its 40 years of broad-casting, Sesame Street has retained its ability to be one of the best educational and entertaining shows for kids.

Rachel AndriesStaff Reporter

Woodcreek High School is preparing to host the second annual Mr. Wood-creek competition. It is a chance for any senior boys who sign up to show the rest of the school their inner talents.

The idea of a Mr. Woodcreek compe-tition is not a new one. Activities Direc-tor Kim Bair said, “Other schools in our area hold similar events… Oakmont, for example, hosts “Big Man on Campus,” which is the same type of event.”

Last year’s Mr. Woodcreek compe-tition was a huge success, so much so that ASB is keeping up the tradition. Like last year, the competition will be held in the cafeteria. It will be on Dec. 7 with tickets selling at $3 a piece. At

7 p.m. parents, friends and classmates will get an opportunity to see the senior boys flaunt their stuff on the cafeteria stage.

As a whole, everyone is very excited about the approaching event. Signs have been put up all around school, urg-ing our boys to sign up and show their Woodcreek spirit. There was a booth set up in the quad during lunch on Nov. 11, 12 and 13 where they could sign up.

The ASB class decides if there are an appropriate amount of applicants to host the pageant. Bair said, “We will need at least eight competitors to make it fun. Any more than 20 would be too many.”

“[The point of Mr. Woodcreek is to] have some fun and raise money for charity,” said Bair. ASB hopes to make about $2000. This money will be from

both the tickets sold and the voting. Bair said,

“Students will have a chance to vote for their favorite contestants during the week prior to the event by putting money into that contestant’s box.”

At the end of the competition, the contestant who has the most money in his box will get to donate all of the money to the charity of his choice.

Bair said, “We have an opening number, a swimsuit competition, a tal-ent competition, an evening wear com-petition and a final question round.”

The judges will be Will Fewel, the winner of lasts year’s Mr. Woodcreek; Tiffany Tollett, a pageant coach for Miss Teen California; as well as another judge who has yet to be confirmed, ac-cording to Bair.

This competition is a chance for the

seniors to show their individuality and creativity, so there are very few restric-tions. “[There are no restrictions] as long as the boys’ talent is appropriate and their swimsuit is not a speedo,” Bair said.

The boy who is voted the winner will receive $100 and two senior ball tickets. He will also get a crown and a cape that can be worn around campus to let everybody know that he is the king.

The second place winner will re-ceive $50. “Third, fourth, and fifth place contestants, and the ‘People’s Choice’ winner get to donate money to their charity and will get a sash,” said Bair.

ASB hopes that this year’s competi-tion will be just as exciting as the last, so be sure to attend and be sure to bring all of your friends.

Megan HoehenriederStaff Reporter

Choir has put in countless hours of practice and dedication to bring Woodcreek an amazing winter concert. These talented student musicians are preparing a variety of holiday numbers to ensure a spectacular performance.

They have been busy preparing for the show during their fourth pe-riod chamber choir class. There, they rehearse festive numbers such as Do You Hear What I Hear, O Holy Night, All On a Starry Night, In the Bleak Mid-Winter and

many more holiday season favorites. The group is also practicing a hilari-ous selection called The 12 Days After Christmas. “I am really, really excited for the show because it’s going to be a really fun concert,” stated junior Jessica Bransen.

Currently chamber choir is heading to L.A. on tour from Thursday Nov. 19 to Sunday Nov. 22. “We’re going to workshops with different people such as a casting director for TV and commercials and will learn how to do an audition for that,” said

j u n i o r Kathryn Lewis. “We’re also working with a cast member

from the original Les Mis-erables in London. We’re

singing 16 bars from a musical and she is go-ing to work our song, like it was an audition for a musical.”

But even with all the activity of touring, choir will still manage to visit the Museum of

Tolerance and Disneyland.

When choir returns, they will once again be hard at work rehearsing and perfecting their numbers for the winter concert. “I’m very excited for the concert because we have many different types of songs. Not only will the audience hear classic Christmas songs, but also a Nigerian one and some funny ones, like The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas,” said Lewis.

To see how all their hard work pay off, join choir at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the theater and indulge in a night of beauti-ful holiday music.

Choir brings comfort and joy to the Winter Concert

THE GIFT OF GIVING: NHS members collect and count the Santa’s Helpers presents donated by the students of Woodcreek. These presents will be given to the less fortu-nate children of Aero Haven Elementary School in early December. About 400 children were selected to receive these much-appreciated presents.

PHOTOS BY LYKOS

Wolf Pack Press 7

November 20, 2009

Carley Higgins, Featainment Editor

Featainment

Drama’s dinner theatre a success

Carley HigginsFeatainment Editor

The merchandise found in every store is going fast and soon tickets for the midnight premiere will be a grand treasure to any fan. And come the night

of Nov. 20, screams will p i e r ce the eardrums of anyone near any of the lo-cal theaters. The upcom-i n g N e w Moon movie has fans of all ages go-ing out to support the premiere of second book in the Twilight saga.

It was 2005 when Twilight was writ-ten by Stephanie Meyer and within a month of its publication, it had already hit #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It wasn’t long until it hit #1. As the book’s popularity grew, so did the crav-ing for a sequel, New Moon.

New Moon tells the continuing story of Isabella “Bella” Swan and her struggle to overcome obstacles when Edward Cullen, her vampire boyfriend, leaves her for her own protection. Throughout the story, Bella puts herself through adrenaline-rushing activities that allow her to “hear” Edward, while her friend Jacob Black tries to comfort her and ease her pain. The movie also introduces Jacob to a further extent, revealing his newfound werewolf abili-ties. When Edward comes to believe that Bella is dead, he goes to the Volturi, the vampire royalty, wanting to die and Bella must rescue him.

The trailers of New Moon reveal the many conflicts that unfold throughout the story, including the climactic scene with the Volturi. “New Moon looks abso-lutely amazing!” says sophomore Vlada Bazilevskaya. “Thank God the Twilight saga has a new director.”

Many fans are either thrilled or dis-appointed to see some returning actors, such as Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward, as well as new ones, such as Dakota Fanning who will play Jane. Taylor Lautner, who takes on the role of Jacob, has already become extremely popular with the female population of New Moon fans, as well as those among Anti-Twilight. “I don’t see movies about stupid, vam-pire pretty boys that sparkle,” says sophomore Sara Gibbons. “But Taylor Lautner, he’s the only reason why I might see it.”

So come the night of the premiere, be ready for a mix of both squeals and groans as the lovers and haters of New Moon gather into a single theater for over an hour. Perhaps it will be approxi-mately two hours that they will never get back, or maybe they’ll be at the edge of their seats craving another bite.

New Moon

MOVIE POSTER COURTESY OF SUMMITT ENTERTAINMENT

Amanda NelsonSpecial Section Assistant Editor

Twinkling light are festooned above and an anticipating audience is feast-ing upon spaghetti below. Underneath the trees in front of the performing arts department, senior Morgann Ramirez is about to present a cast of eight tal-ented students for an unforgettable dinner theater.

“This is the first time—in my memory—we’d ever done some-thing like this,” says Ramirez, who organized and hosted the event. “This was more of an experiment to see if we could do a fundraiser like this. Overall, it was good; the only problem was the turnout.” Only seventeen people at-tended the dinner show, mostly friends and family of the performers instead of the desired or anticipated amount of students.

Despite this, the show went on smoothly with a number of monologues, songs and duets. Performances included an excerpt of the classic Alice in Won-d e r - land performed by sopho-

mores Vlada Bazilevskaya and Sara Gibbons

as Alice and the caterpillar re-spectively. Then there was the unforgettable

duet “Guy Love” from the television

series Scrubs, per-formed by juniors

Junior Dominguez and Brian Cabana.

Several students sang acapellas, including Bazilevskaya who performed a selection of songs from the musical Wicked alongside senior Ashaley Len-nex.

Sophomore Nick Helmer demon-strated dual musical talent with his guitar and voice. Helmer supplied a John Mayer-style medley during seat-ing as well as several songs through-out the show. The audience was even encouraged to participate by clapping and singing along to Helmer’s rendition of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz with the assistance of several performers.

As a whole, the show was lively and packed to the brim with oodles of talent, not to mention an amazing menu. Food was supplied by the performers’ parents and featured a full meal of spaghetti, salad and rolls, with brownies or cup-cakes for desert.

According to Ramirez, she intends to put on a second dinner theater in January of next term. If the amazing performances of the last dinner show are anything to go by, this second show is bound to be fantastic.

Nick NguyenNewbie

After watching This is It, I am com-pletely positive that I’m not the target audience for this movie. I am only a ca-sual fan of Michael Jackson, but that’s not to say I’m the typical “only knows ‘Thriller’ or ‘Billy Jean’ ”guy. Even so I acknowledge I’m not one to weep at the sight of the dearly departed King of Pop, so some of the sentimentality is lost on me.

The movie’s confusing premise is probably best summarized as the pre-production part of shooting an actual movie. A lot of it is watching people walk around and get ready for the end event and hearing them rehearse for the ef-fects you’d see if the actual concert ever took place. Not to mention that it’s very boring. The talking and rehearsal parts are uninteresting at best, and unneces-

sary at worst, making the film seem to drag on. The creepiest part of the movie is seeing Michael Jackson on screen, active and lively with people around, even though he is very much dead. In fact, the movie at times seems more of a cash-in on the King’s death than anything else.

Having said that, the few performances that actually were shown were amazing. My particular fa-vorites, “Smooth Criminal” and “Beat It”, were fan-tastic to watch and even more fantastic to hear. The choreography and music were all top notch, as ex-pected with a Michael Jackson tour, and watching performers glide on wired poles and fly via accelerated trap-doors

was satisfying and entertaining.Overall the joys throughout the

movie were excellent, but far too few. I’d compare the movie’s interesting performances and bland rehearsal to bread and butter. There is a lot of bread, way too much for my liking, and while the butter makes it tasty, there are so few bits of butter in the bread to make it worthwhile that its difficult to jus-tify going to watch it in theaters. I recommend it in theaters to only the most avid Michael Jackson fans; but it’s a

must-rental for those, like me, who are casual fans of his.

Irina LevtsenyukEditor-In-Chief

“Marley was dead; to begin with…Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”

But Ebenezer Scrooge is still kick-in’. His story is over a century and a half old, taking place in the center of the Victorian lifestyle of young London.

Welcome to a sweet, homely town that Charles Dickens himself would rent a condo in. Here ordinary life takes a back seat to all sorts of Christmas festivities and tomfoolery. ‘Tis the sea-son, right?

Not for dear Mr. Scrooge. The de-

crepit old man wants nothing to do with the comfort and joy that t h e holiday season brings. He prefers to sniff his money.

His wake-up call comes in the form of the restless spirit of Jacob Marley, who obviously isn’t as door-knob-like as we previously thought. Marley inconve-niently informs him that three ghosts will haunt him in one night (Paranor-mal Activity’s got nothing on this). What ensues is a montage of past, pres-ent and future experiences that lead Scrooge to discover the en-

chantment of Christmas in his own life.

Past renditions of this film, including the loveable “Scrooge McDuck,” have kept the story of the stingy miser alive. But those Ebenezers resemble dementia victims on breathing tubes in com-parison to Jim Carey’s char-acter, who manages back flips and joyous dances.

This most modern Christ-mas Carol brings Dickens’ beloved book into a much darker realm, and there it truly belongs. Definitely worth a watch this holiday

season.MOVIE POSTER COURTESY OF DISNEY

MOVIE POSTER COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

Volume 15, Issue 3 November 20, 2009

Sports Editor, Zachary Bredberg8 Wolf Pack Press

Anupe LittStaff Reporter

This year, the girls basketball team is working hard to make it to the play-offs, play well in the Sierra Foothill League (SFL) games and have fun along the way.

Last year the Lady Timberwolves finished at an outstanding 19-9 record along with a playoff appearance.

“This year, I want my players to play to the best of their ability so that we can become league champs,” said Coach Ray Beck. “However, I still want my players to have a lot of fun.”

“One of our season goals is to beat Del Oro this year,” said senior shooting guard Megan Shively. Last year Del Oro was Woodcreek’s biggest competi-tion, as the Eagles finished the season as SFL champions.

“We also want to make the playoffs again this year and advance further than last year,” said Shively.

“We needed to beat Del Oro last year to be in the championships,” said Coach Beck. “But this year they are in Division 1, so we are confident that we can dominate in Division 2”

Each player brings something special to the team. “Our biggest key players on our team are 4th year var-

Girls Basketball looks to start another promising season

Michael Kurtz earns full scholarship to UC Davis

sity player center Jennifer Judge and junior Joleen Chanco,” said Coach Beck. “They lead us as a team. They both are continuing to grow into excellent players. Also, all juniors coming up at a varsity level will be key. Everyone is important.”

Every day, the girls basketball team practices intensely. They lift weights at least two days per week. “A typical day at practice consists of 45 minutes in the weight room, quick agilities, posi-tion work, full court/open court drill, 15 minute defensive breakdown, and then at least an hour and a half going up and down the court scrimmaging,” said Coach Beck.

The girls know how to work hard, but they also know how to have fun. “We all love each other a lot and have tons of inside jokes,” said Point Guard senior Theresa Barrow.

Everyone on the team gets along, which helps them play well on the court and improve team chemistry. “We all have team dinners before games and dance parties,” said senior Amanda Pettinato.

There’s a lot to look forward to this year for the team. “This year I’m most excited about the Pink Zone game with senior night,” said Barrow. The Pink Zone game is an annual game which

Woodcreek hosts to support breast cancer research. The crowd attends the game wearing pink apparel and each player wears a pink ribbon to support the cause.

Matt GeorgeStaff Reporter

For athletes, winning a scholar-ship and a chance to play their game in college can sometimes outshine the game itself. All athletes dream of going from one high point to the other, from high school all the way up to the major leagues. For 7 foot-tall senior Michael Kurtz, varsity basketball center, his dominating height and considerable skill earned him a full-ride scholarship to UC Davis.

When asked about Kurtz’s accom-plishments, Vice Principal Mark O’Hair said, “People don’t understand how spe-cial this is for these players. Woodcreek has had, in the school’s 15 year history, only one boys basketball and 2 girls bas-ketball players receive scholarships.” O’Hair is clearly a friend and proud of Kurtz’s effort. “This couldn’t have happened to a better, nicer kid than Michael,” said O’Hair. “The reason why Michael got this scholarship is talent. Getting a scholarship isn’t about being nice or trying the hardest, but for the talent. He got his scholarship because he was the best.”

As center, your job is to defend the

basket and rebound shots both on of-fense and defense. Also having a good jump shot and the confidence that you can make a basket is very important for players in that position. While Kurtz’s height is a factor in his game, it’s his skills that matter more. As center, you have to want the ball just as much or more than everyone else. Height doesn’t matter in rebounding if you don’t have that.

Kurtz’s parents and brother are proud of his accomplishments, as are his coaches, teammates and fellow students.

This Timberwolf has an opportunity to go far and be big, not only in the world of basketball, but in anything he sets his mind to.

Jennifer Judge gets Cal Poly scholarshipAlex AyersNewbie Reporter

It was only four years ago that Jen-

nifer Judge was an aspiring freshman basketball player who was determined to be the best she could be. Even then she stood out as an exceptional player with exceptional motivation and be-cause of it, she garnered a spot on the girls varsity basketball team.

Now, even as a senior, she has refused to relent on her drive as an athlete and deservedly so has at-

tracted the attention of collegiate scouts. It

seemed to finally all come together last Thursday on Nov. 12, when Judge officially signed

her letter of intent to play for the Cal Poly Pomona Mustangs o n a ¾

scholar-ship.

“ I was re-

ally happy to get this scholarship. It was really unexpected. I was so excited, I called my mom and dad,” said Judge, sharing her initial reaction to hearing about the scholarship. “I was nervous because I will be playing for another four years; but in the aftermath, I am very excited,” said Judge.

After this year Judge will leave the Lady T-Wolves to play with a talented squad at a traditionally successful school, an achievement rare for any Woodcreek High School Athlete. The Mustangs, who have won 18 conference championships and five NCAA National Championships, will provide just the type of competition Judge enjoys.

During her time at WHS, Judge has proven to be an exceptional person who is capable of juggling academics, athlet-ics and community involvement all in perfect unison. Maintaining the grades to continue to play on the court, con-stantly improving her game, and still, somehow, finding time to be involved on the city council for Park and Recreation, all justly prove that it wasn’t Judge who lucked out, but Cal Poly Pomona.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK O’HAIR

Coming off of their terrific season last year, the Lady Timberwolves look to finish atop the SFL in 2010. With teamwork, skill and experience on their side, all things are possible.

ANTICIPATION: The Lady Timberwolves take instruction from Coach Ray Beck in practice, as they prepare to make a second consecutive playoff appearance.

PHOTO BY ANUPE LITT

John Peska warms up for prac-tice, shooting free throws.

Sports Editor, Zachary Bredberg Wolf Pack Press 9

SportsNovember 20, 2009

FB Playoffs clinched in 16-7 win over rival TigersMatt GeorgeStaff Reporter

Rivalries in sports bring a new edge to the game. They give fans more of a reason to cheer and one side an opportunity for bragging rights. For players, rivalries bring out a more competitive side and a new lust to win. The Roseville/Woodcreek rivalry is one of the biggest in the Roseville/Rocklin area and last Friday, the rivalry heated up once again.

Woodcreek’s varsity football team came into the game with a better re-cord (3-5) than Roseville (2-6), so the confidence was on the Timberwolves’ side. However past match-ups between Roseville and Woodcreek went in the Ti-gers’ favor. With that in mind, the Tigers brought some confidence of their own.

Both teams took the field same as always, excited and ready to play. After the coin toss Woodcreek received the ball first and got their offense started.

The game was a physical one; both teams hitting hard and trying to prove they were better. But in the end, Woodcreek prevailed, winning by a score of 16-7. The contest was never any question as the Timberwolves col-lected another victory at home, their

third in a row. Woodcreek’s offense was solid. Se-

nior James Nunley tore the field up, collecting 283 yards on a dominant 42 carries. Senior Quarterback Matt Mazzuca played an average game, completing a little under 50 percent of his passes and throwing for 124 yards. Woodcreek’s defense played as hard as they could, sacking Roseville quarter-back Nick Blaser once and intercepting two of his passes.

After a hard loss to Granite Bay, the regular season came to a close and Woodcreek just managed to sneak into the playoffs with a four win/six loss re-cord. Woodcreek will take on Folsom for the first round of the playoffs this Fri-day. Folsom has had a dominant season, winning nine out of their ten games. It’s going to be tough, but Woodceek has a chance to silence Folsom and move deeper into the playoffs. Woodcreek players are confident in their ability to come through and win a playoff game for the second consecutive season.

Another rivalry come and gone and next year the Tigers look to claw their way back and defeat Woodcreek. But the Wolves will stand their ground, prepared and ready to tame the Tigers again next season.

Wrestling looks to secure another successful seasonCameron SpharNewbie Reporter

With a new season starting up and long practices every day, these boys are ready for anything that comes their way this season. The wrestling team led a very successful drive last year, winning second in league and tying for third at sections. With Head Coach Doug Ma-son, the boys look forward to another strong season.

“We should win the league champi-onship and get second in section,” said Mason.

There are roughly 50 boys on the wrestling team, all working hard to win the coveted varsity spots, ten of which were vacated by graduating seniors. There are a few guys like Kyser left on the varsity team who are ready to fight and keep their positions.

To earn the varsity spots that were left open by wrestlers like alum Spencer Mason, the boys have to do wrestle off ’s in their weight classes to see which one is the better wrestler and to see who can hold their own in a varsity match.

There are 35 boys on the junior varsity team working hard to keep their weight down and keep within their weight class. Mason has high hopes for a couple of wrestlers to make the varsity

spots and wrestle their way to the top. Most of the boys have been training

hard for years, which should give them a distinct advantage. “I have been wres-tling for four years,” said Kyser, who has a good feeling that he will make it to state this season.

With the season only in the start-ing phase, the boys are practicing hard before they start with tournaments to kick off the season. To prepare for the the upcoming competition Mason said, “We are working hard and getting our fundamentals down.”

The team’s biggest competition this season, according to Mason, is Del Oro.

In the sport of wrestling, these guys have three minutes to pin their oppo-nents in a varsity match. With junior varsity they have two minutes thirty seconds to pin their opponent. In three periods with only that amount of time, they must either beat their opponents by points or by a pin. The wrestlers must train hard to be able to do this in a matter of minutes. In addition, they need to maintain their weight to com-pete in certain weight classes.

With an experienced team, some new talent and proven coaching, the guys head into the 2010 season with high hopes of bringing home a league banner.

Brooke BensonStaff Reporter

Spectators gather in the cafeteria, fidgeting in curious anticipation, can-ning the small cluster of on-lookers for familiar faces. Mr. Voice echoes through the space, signaling the start of argu-ably the funniest sport to grace Wood-creek. It’s competitive improvisation, it’s Comedy Sportz and it’s downright hilarious.

Comedy Sportz is a few solid hours that pit two teams of four against each other in varying games and competi-tions. It began as a professional sport and trickled down into the school sys-tems due to its immense popularity. The sport is known through the country, as teams representing different counties or areas across the state compete against each other (residents of the California league: Sacramento, San Jose and Los Angeles). Our high school variation is somewhat smaller, as our team (for the most part) keeps within the immediate

Roseville area.Tom Fearon serves as the Wood-

creek coach, overseeing practices and games. They have matches usually once a month and practices once a week, twice a month. The location varies between the theater, the cafeteria and other theater building rooms. Brian Cabana, Shelby Germillo, Cate Wayne, and Junior Dominguez are just some of the players on the Woodcreek team, competing with other local Roseville teams as well as Tokay, a high school up in Lodi, all as a part of the Northern California High School Comedy Sportz League.

“You have to listen. You have to sup-port one another and help one another. Everything you say and do has to help the scene move forward - and you have to be totally committed to whatever is happening on stage,” said Fearon when asked what he thought was the most important part of Comedy Sportz. Being improv, they learn the basics of acting - how to listen, build a scene, cre-ate a character, commit to a situation, work together for the common good. Games such as New Choice, Replay at Bernie’s and Expert Challenge rank top choice on Fearon’s list of Comedy Sportz games.

Of course winning matters; but in this game, it’s more about the laughs and the lessons you take from it all.

This unusual and popular sport guarantees you’ll leave laughing

Boys Basketball ready for playoff year

Jamie Geyer shoots around during practice.

Devin Murphy benches to pre-pare and build strength for the season.

PHOTOS BY RACHEL ANDRIES

Last Page Editor, Zach Bredberg10 Wolf Pack Press

Last Page November 20, 2009

Everyone has those days where there is nothing to do in class. Either you finished

your assignment early, finished a test early or just gave up on life and would

rather get kicked out of class to have a fun talk with Mr.

O’Hair. For those days, here are some ways to make them

even better.

Some may look at someone twirling pencils around their thumb and say, “Oh, that kid’s got too much time on his hands.” But no! People who make this assumption have no idea what they are talking about. Pencil twirling is an art form - a beautiful, elegant, amazing talent that should never be looked down upon. Some teachers get annoyed with the sound of a pencil hitting the table due to a failed twirl attempt; but when Kobe Bryant misses a jump shot, no one gets mad at him. What’s the dif-ference? Nothing! Respect those who twirl their pencils because it is a great way to waste time that doesn’t disrupt the class.

Teachers always call on the stu-dents who zone out in class. It’s their way to humiliate them and get them to pay attention.

This is wrong! Zoning out is posi-tive in so many ways. #1. Everyone gets to see the zoned out look on your face - mouth open, if you’re lucky, with a little drool. What’s wrong with that? It makes others smile and I’m pretty sure smiling never hurt anyone. #2. The person zoning out is probably day-dreaming about something to do with the inner workings of what they are learning - all about the workings of cells and mitochondria and what not. And #3. The person zonning out often falls out of his/her chair… pure beauty.

One of the most common ways to waste

time is to draw. Not only does this provide a way to pass time, but also a way to provide art for a world that is hungry for the next Mona Lisa.

There are also studies that show that doodling helps stimulate the memory and help students do better in school. One downside: if you are doo-dling in class, you set yourself up for a teacher to look at your artwork and make fun of it. So drawers, beware.

For those days when you have noth-ing better to do, the faithful Wolf Pack Press is definitely your best friend. You can get up to date on ASB and how Water Polo is doing, as well as see some nice pictures of guys in ponytails. Also, if you happen to be by a computer, the online site is even better because it’s in color with videos. And besides, every-body loves the Internet!

One of the most difficult arts in the book of

wasting time is kicking people. It is regarded as one of the most respected, however, if done right. The key is to kick just hard enough for the teacher not to notice and the victim not to beat you up after class. So if you are going to attempt this sacred art, watch out. It could get you hurt.

This is the most obvi-ous way to waste time in

class; however, it can also be the most annoying if done incorrectly.

If you are too loud, people who are working will get angry. In fact, they could get so angry that after class they give you a good, ol’ fashion, southern-style “talking to.”

If done right, it is a great way to have an interesting conversation with the fascinating fellow next to you. Ev-eryone has interesting stories to share. I once talked with a man who claimed to have climbed Mt. Everest.

A fun method to waste time is to follow one of the many “mystical book quests” that are found in several text-books across campus. Usually found at the start of a textbook, a “mystical book quest” instructs one to turn to a certain page. Once the page has been found, it will reference another page to find. These make the quest-er feel as though they are embarking on a life-long jour-ney that may never end in order to find what the mystery person hid on a cer-tain page. These are the most fulfilling quests that a person could do. However, never make one of these yourself. Be-cause after making it, your soul will be put into the book, much like a horcrux

from Harry Potter.

This is one of the more use-ful because this actu-ally helps you during the process. I n s t e a d of peeing yourself in the middle o f c l a s s ,

you are able to relieve your bladder. However, this power can be abused and it should NEVER be done. If it is done, then Shane will eat your brains...or just send you back to class. You know - it depends on what kind of mood he’s in. Also, if you are discovered abusing this power, you will be shunned by your class for the rest of the semester. PHOTOS BY COREY SHEEFEL