Baby Zara Born
Mirador Family
into
the
The long-anticipated Baby Quiter has been born! After months
and months of Mirador staff writers guessing the gender and
offering all the best possible names to Ms. Quiter, Zara
Felicity Quiter has finally arrived.
Name: Zara Felicity Quiter
Weight: 6 lbs, 8 oz
Height: 18.5 inches
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Brown
Favorites:
—Mommy and Daddy
—Swinging in her swing with jungle noises in the background
—Burrowing
—Taking a bath
Major accomplishments:
—Flipping from her tummy to her back at one week old
—Being born with a strong rock climber’s grip
—Knowing where her tongue is
—Sleeps at night (for now)
“Right after Zara was born, I held her for like 20 minutes,
and she just stared at me and Brian–she totally knew who we
were. Then, when the nurse picked her up to examine her, Zara
threw a right hook at the nurse. At this point, Brian and I
knew we had a spunky little girl on our hands.” –Ms. Quiter
Student of the Issue: Kevin
Zheng
When self-taught dancer Kevin Zheng captured the hearts of
Miramonte students with his dance routine to Korean artist
Taeyang’s song “Wedding Dress” during the student talent show
earlier this month, Mirador became determined to track down
this talented sophomore. Zheng was able to take a break in
his busy schedule to talk about dancing, tennis, and the life
of a regular but interesting guy.
Name: Kevin Zheng
Favorites:
Color: Red
Country: China
Sport: Tennis
Movie: The Dark Knight
Animal: Peregrine falcon
Video game: Super Smash Bros Brawl
Actor: Heath Ledger
Music: BIGBANG
Speed: 7/10
Intelligence: 9.5/10
Super power: Obliteration with pure awesomeness
Dancing? Dancing’s a fun thing to do, it gets rid of stress,
it’s a nice skill to have at the dances that we have at
school. It’s good exercise, it impresses friends…it makes me
unique; I’m one of only a few guy dancers at Miramonte. It
makes me proud that I have a skill or at least a passion for
something that other guys don’t have. I started dancing
because of the music I listen to—it has a lot of great
dances. It’s mostly Asian music called K-pop. My favorite
band is called BIGBANG.
Your performance at the talent show? There were a number of
dance routines at the talent show, but I got the feeling that
mine was really well-recieved. People seemed to really enjoy
it, and I appreciated that. The song I danced to, “Wedding
Dress,” is sung by Taeyang who is a member of BIGBANG, and I
worked the dance out myself by watching YouTube videos and
practicing a lot.
How you got started?
taught myself. And
Actually, my mom was
my age, so I kind of
Watching videos, I guess. I just kind of
my family is supportive of my dancing.
an extremely talented dancer when she was
follow in her footsteps.
Singing? I would like to sing, and I’ve been working on it,
but my singing voice is not the best. It’s something that I
would definitely like to improve on, but I’m not certain it’s
my greatest talent.
Important things in life besides dancing? You know, general
school life, family, friends, and playing tennis. I’m hoping
to get the same stature in tennis that I have in dance. In
other words, I want to make the varsity team next year. I
take hard classes and I just try to do my best in everything.
Video games? I don’t play very many video games. I do play
sometimes, recreationally, but I’m not a huge gamer. I don’t
have time for video games on top of everything else I do.
Family? My family has been really supportive of my dancing and
of my interests.
They think it’s a really good form of
exercise and its a healthy thing to do. They’ve been great.
Typical day on a weekend? I’m just a regular guy. Well, I
guess I play some more tennis than a regular guy. I’m either
studying, playing tennis, working on a dance (you know,
putting the finishing touches on it), or clicking around on
Facebook or YouTube. That’s pretty much it, I suppose.
Plans for the future? A dream of mine is to join the
Entertainment of Korea.
If you’re talented in singing,
dancing, rapping—all that good stuff—then they take you in and
train you. Within a few years you’re ready to go be a dancer
or whatever they trained you for.
WISE
Struggles
to
Students Properly
Guide
During second semester there comes an exhilarating day for
freshmen, sophomores and juniors all across campus. Sometime
in February, counselors pop into each English class and
distribute that colored course sign-up sheet asking: What do
you want to learn next year?
For some juniors, this is a particularly exciting day because
they can finally sign up for that WISE “thing” they’ve been
hearing about for three years—“the class where you can leave
campus early!”
WISE is “English 4 Wise Individualized Senior Experience,” an
alternative senior English course. For the first semester,
students come to class and read the senior literature
requirements at an accelerated pace. During that time, they
choose an independent study project for second semester.
Instead of coming to class second semester, students spend at
least five hours per week at a “third space” that isn’t home
or school. Students generally intern, volunteer, or take a
class; third spaces this year include preschools, hospitals,
design firms, and music production classes.
Students each have a faculty mentor, and they meet with each
other biweekly during second semester and discuss how the
project is going.
Additionally, students keep a journal with 1,000 words per
week, and they do research related to their topic. At the end
of the year, students give a 30-45 minute presentation on
their experience, which is evaluated by parents, students,
teachers, and other community members.
WISE is reputed to be the class to take for students who are
creative, passionate, exploratory, and independent-minded.
The intent is to push students outside the boundaries of
Miramonte and Orinda, and to improve their work and
communication skills in professional settings. Students are
supposed to face real-world difficulties and, ultimately,
demonstrate personal growth.
Teachers Pete Clauson and Alison Burke introduced WISE to
Miramonte ten years ago after a WASC accreditation recommended
more opportunities for seniors. “It’s an authentic way for
students to learn as adults do,” says WISE teacher Elizabeth
Aracic.
It sounds like a perfect class; at least, that’s what I
thought when I enrolled last year. But certain structural
challenges are inherent in independent study courses, and WISE
is no exception.
For their entire school career, students have been learning
within specific and mostly uniform classroom paradigms. When
we sit in a classroom for 45-50 minutes each day, a teacher
can directly control and test our educational experience to a
large extent, as long as we demonstrate a minimum level of
engagement in the course.
In independent study courses, these paradigms are shifted.
WISE has to deal with this loss of direct control by creating
expectations for students: journals, research, a third space.
“WISE exists in a climate of education right now that’s all
about accountability and measurability and commonality. It’s
not something the SAT board can create a test for,” says WISE
teacher Steve Poling.
Whether it’s due to the current climate of education or not,
the course has to reconcile students’ projects with its own
curricular standards, and sometimes this can make students
feel that they have to turn their experience into something
that it isn’t.
The academic intention of the program—to develop students’
abilities to write high-volume reflective writing—is sound.
The attention WISE lavishes on the “personal growth” standard
is somewhat more problematic.
This concept is a touchstone in WISE; you’ll never stop
hearing it if you take the course. There’s nothing inherently
wrong with crafting a narrative about one’s growth over a
semester, but in WISE, communicating and evaluating that
growth becomes murky.
Although it partially depends on the attitudes of the
students’ mentors, teachers, and evaluators, one tends to hear
and see somewhat generic, quotidian responses to the growth
aspect of journals and presentations. Since that growth is by
definition
“personal”
and
hyper-subjective,
it’s
understandable why it’s tough to criticize.
But in some ways, it limits the course.
Some students have
difficulty conveying WISE growth, and the guidance and
feedback they receive can be inconsistent: “I bring up a
problem with my experience, and the adults instead focus on a
different problem that I didn’t know I had,” said an anonymous
student.
Keeping a WISE journal with the goal of monitoring “personal
growth” exerts a subtle pressure on students to put
experiences into an emotional box. Students will inevitably
grow during their second semester, but sometimes it feels like
they are being told what they learned or how they grew. There
are many ways to show growth, and WISE might benefit from a
more open definition of this concept in future years. This
would eliminate some of the unfocused rhetoric that inflates
both WISE journals and the class in general.
Taking WISE is a gamble in a few ways.
First, not all
students who have signed up will be able to enroll.
Currently, there are two periods of WISE, one with Aracic and
one with Poling.
Due to budget constraints and lower
interest, however, WISE will only have one period next year,
with all students in Poling’s class.
WISE may not be exactly what you expect it to be. You, future
WISE students, need to be determined, focused, and willing to
make compromises—and not just at your third spaces.
Navigating the WISE mechanism inside the gates of Miramonte
may be your biggest challenge of all.
Treasure Island Redevelopment
Just off the San Francisco shore, Treasure Island is a known
but underrated landmark. Plans to redevelop and popularize the
island are being updated.
In early 2000, the Treasure Island Development Authority
(TIDA) initiated a plan to redevelop Treasure Island. The TIDA
Board and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors endorsed the
plan in 2006, and updates were recently made this month.
The redevelopment plans include 8,000 new residential units,
three hotels, new restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.
In addition, there will be a 400-slip marina, 300 acres of
parks and open space. The new Treasure Island will be designed
for easy walking, biking and public transit.
Treasure Island is connected to Yerba Buena Island, which is
connected to the Oakland Bay Bridge. Commuting to and from
Yerba Buena, Treasure Island, and the rest of San Francisco is
toll-free in both directions.
The Budget and Finance Subcommittee of the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors approved the project’s financial plan for
consideration by the full board.
The redevelopment plan was set to make more progress on May
11, 2011, however there was a setback due to environmental
issues. Organizations led by Sierra Club in San Francisco
complained that the enviornmental impact reports failed to
describe what the project entailed.
In addition to the plan coming to a temporary halt, there are
also complaints that the increased number of residential units
will affect the flow of traffic on the Oakland Bay Bridge. The
new Treasure Island is said to increase the population from
2,400 to 19,000, which will create a bigger traffic jam for
workers commuting across the Bay Bridge. Despite the minor
setbacks, the redevelopment for
Treasure Island is making progress.
Orinda’s
Cheryl’s
Closet
Sells Designer Clothes at Low
Prices
Located on 21 Orinda Way, Cheryl’s Closet features a variety
of gently used clothes and accessories from designers
including Free People, Gucci, Betsy Johnson, J-Crew, Joe, and
many more. Store owners and Orinda residents Brenda Horne and
Jackie Moreau are continually working to make the store an
appealing place for local teens and women.
“We love the sensory experience of working with luxury
clothing, shoes, accessories, and working with amazing
people,” said Horne. “It’s all about the treasure hunt:
finding great items at affordable prices is
always
exhilarating.”
If you’re looking for good deals or just want to go shopping,
Cheryl’s Closet offers the best of both worlds.
“Don’t think that because it’s a consignment store the clothes
are old and not wearable,” said Horne. “They’re current, cute,
and very wearable.”
Open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday,
Cheryl’s Closet gets consigners almost every day and gives 40
percent of the sales profits back to the consigner. Or if
consigners want, they can create an account and donate all
their profit to the charity of their choice.
One charity Horne and Moreau feel passionate about is The
Princess Project. The Princess Project is an organization that
buys prom dresses for impoverished teens so they can attend
one of the best nights of their high school lives. This year
Cheryl’s Closet has sold fifteen prom dresses and donated all
the earnings to The Princess Project. Along with the
donations, owners of Cheryl’s Closet plan to give all the
dresses they don’t end up selling to the project as well.
“Prom dresses have become so expensive these days and most
girls don’t even wear their dresses again after the event,”
said Horne. “We urge teens to donate their dresses to
organizations like The Princess Project or to consign them so
that other girls can get the chance to feel as beautiful as
they did.”
Owners for Cheryl’s closet feel strongly about reusing,
recycling, and not wasting anything. Walking through the
store, reusable, fashionable grocery bags are available for
purchase.
“Even if all you’re doing to help the world is not using
plastic shopping bags, it helps,” said Horne. “We strongly
believe that even the smallest things can make a difference.”
Miramonte Needs School Spirit
Three years ago, at the very first rally of the 2008-2009
school year, rally leaders Harry Forman and Colin Kramer
turned to the freshman Class of 2012 to begin the usual grade
level cheer.
In theory, the impressionable young’uns were
supposed leap to their feet, screaming as if they were
watching The Beatles at Shea Stadium. In reality, however, all
that transpired was a deafening silence. Paralyzed with fear
and insecurity, the then-freshmen Class of 2012 didn’t so much
as move a finger, let alone make a sound.
By now, only half the student body can remember those
seemingly endless moments of humiliation, but those moments
have nevertheless set the tone for the entire atmosphere at
Miramonte.
Miramonte students might pride themselves in their stellar
academic record, but when it comes to school spirit our
student body comes up short. There might be some sort of unity
in our shared anxiety and stress, but that just doesn’t
compare to some good old-fashioned school spirit. Communal
cram sessions at lunch may create camaraderie, but is that
really what we want to be our unifying factor?
We have turned high school into something that has to be
endured instead of enjoyed. No one is denying that academics
are a necessary component to a well-rounded education. But
that’s just it. They are only one component. At some point,
it’s time to stop playing misery poker, and start rooting for
the home team.
We have all fallen prey to a classic case of teenage
contrarianism.
Teens no longer think it’s cool to go to
school dances or get excited for pep rallies. We treat these
classic high school events with the kind of haughty disdain
that is normally reserved for, dare I say, homework.
Ironically, as academic tensions reach an all-time high, we
have turned away from our most reliable support system,
leaving our school spirit at an all-time low.
Many pinpoint the demise of Mats TV, Miramonte’s deceased
broadcasting channel, as the beginning of the end. A broadcast
program, even one as elementary as KOIS, creates a shared
culture among the student body, which to this day we still
lack. But while the loss of Mats TV undoubtedly only made
matters worse, the larger problem is both a lack of variety
and a lack of participation in on-campus extracurricular
activities. Many extracurriculars appear in a radically
reduced form or simply aren’t offered at all due to
historically low participation. Where’s the marching band?
Where’s the literary journal? Where’s Model UN? Even high
school necessities like Yearbook suffer from low
participation, and it’s only in the last few years that the
hardworking yet small cheerleading squad has been able to
rebuild the program.
The student body’s ambivalence is not entirely to blame. The
Latin Club and the Public Speaking program are the only clubs
on campus with an actual presence and a loyal base. Should it
come as a surprise that they also have charismatic, visible
faculty members at the helm? If the administration wants to
increase school spirit, as we all know they do, they need to
also increase the participation of faculty members. Students
can’t reasonably be expected to carry Miramonte’s API scores
on their backs, feed the starving kids in Africa, and create
and lead school-related extracurriculars all by their
lonesome.
However, there is one group that hasn’t given up quite yet.
The leadership class remains a relic of an era that has long
passed, and unsurprisingly they are becoming an increasingly
rare breed. This year three out of four ASB positions ran
unopposed, while the Class of 2012 only held elections for
President and Treasurer. However, this year’s turnout is a
triumph in comparison to last year when all four positions for
the Class of 2012 ran unopposed.
The leadership class works tirelessly to increase school
spirit every year, but they are frequently met with criticism
and condescension. Miramonte students often note that
leadership students are the only ones to dress up on spirit
days or attend school dances, and falsely use this as evidence
that the leadership class is “self-serving.” However, this
assumption could not possibly be more ill conceived. The
leadership class spends an enormous amount of time desperately
searching for fun ways to engage a disinterested student body
and create a cohesive community. The problem isn’t the
leadership class.
deaf ears.
The problem is that their pleas fall on
The most recent example of leadership’s persistence in the
face of utter indifference is their attempt to begin a
tradition of tailgating at home football games. Considering
that tailgating combines the two most American traditions
imaginable— eating and competitive sports—one would assume
that it would become a big hit with Miramonte students.
Shockingly, however, few students bothered to show up, leading
rising ASB President Scotty Huhn to refer to the debacle as a
“failgate.” You know there’s a problem when a large group of
teenagers flat-out refuses to be bribed with cheap food.
We have to drop our egos and recognize that there’s no moral
high ground in being too cool for school. Next year, we have
an opportunity to rectify the mistake that the Class of 2012
made years ago, so let’s take it. It’s time for a new era to
dawn.
Three MHS Teachers to Retire
After years of sharing the gifts of language and art with the
Miramonte community, French teacher Pat Bowen, Spanish teacher
Doreen Wagner, and Art teacher Rosemary Jensen will retire at
the end of this school year.
Bowen, a French major and Spanish minor, spent the first half
of her 38 years as a teacher (Sept. 1992 – present) teaching
in France, and the latter half at Miramonte, teaching Spanish
and French. She initially taught only Spanish 1-3 at
Miramonte, but switched over to French 3 and 5 AP after her
first two years. She currently teaches French 2-3, French 4
Honors, and French 5 AP.
“I felt that after 38 years of teaching on two continents, I
was happy with what I had done,” said Bowen. “I am still
effective in the classroom and wanted to go out on the ‘top of
my game,’ rather than wait. Also, I hope that the students
remember me as young at heart and energetic.” Looking back,
Bowen enjoyed cooking in her classroom, dancing, studying
French songs, watching and discussing French movies, and
reading French literary works.
“[I’ll miss] the students, definitely! I also have wonderful
colleagues who have touched my life and those of my three sons
who graduated Miramonte,” Bowen said.
Jensen has taught art at Miramonte for 21 years; Art 1-3,
Honors Art, and AP Studio Art. In her retirement, she hopes to
write and illustrate children’s books. She will miss Miramonte
art students tremendously and is very proud of their many
portfolios and scholarships over the years. Jensen also plans
to visit with her husband’s family in Denmark and work on
painting there.
“Miramonte art students have strong visual voices and
challenge themselves to create in very diverse ways. They are
the best!” Jensen said.
Choir to
Concert
Perform
in
Pops
Tonight at 7:30 pm, the four sections of the Miramonte
choir—mixed chorus, women’s ensemble, concert singers and
choral artists—will be performing their pop music concert in
the theater. They gave their first performance last night.
The concert is usually the most popular event that the choir
puts on and is enjoyed by the singers as well as the audience.
The concert singers will be singing junior Carter Soso’s
arrangement of “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” by Deadmau5, and “Happy
Ending” by Mika.
The choral artists will sing “Because” by The Beatles, “Such
Great Heights” by the Postal Service, and “Brighter Than
Sunshine” by Aqualung.
Other popular features of the concert are the senior solos.
Hannah Tennant will sing “In the Aeroplane over the Sea” by
Neutral Milk Hotel, Jacqueline Garell will sing “Wild Horses”
by The Rolling Stones, Bo-ve Dong will sing “Paycheck” by
Jessie J, and Jamie Riley, Emma Smith, Emily Nenni will sing a
mash-up of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and
Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me.”
Tickets are for sale on Miramonte’s webstore and at the door.
Ticket prices are $5 for students and $8 for adults.
Increased Burglary in Orinda
Orinda has experienced a rise in the number of residential
burglaries during the past couple of months. According to
Jeanette Irving of the Orinda Police Department, there have
been eight incidents reported on Alice Ln., Oak Rd., and
Spring Rd., and three on Las Vegas, Claremont, and Via
Farallon Ave. Officers have reported to 76 false alarm calls
throughout Orinda.
There have been three auto burglary
incident reports on Meadow Ln, Morage Via, and Hartford Rd.
One stolen vehicle has also been reported.
On Mon. April 18, a house located on Camino Sobrante was
burglarized. While the family’s four kids were at school, the
mother was out and the father was at work, robbers broke in
the side door of the house. The burglars took TVs, iPods, an
iPad, laptops and a large amount of jewelry. The police have
two suspects, however they have not caught anyone yet.
“My older brother went home after school to find the side door
wide open and the TV gone,” said an anonymous freshman. “He
then called the police and both my mom and Orinda police
officers came right away.”
The family has taken precautionary actions in response to the
robbery. However, the police told the family that their house
is the least likely to get robbed again soon because the
robbers already took everything.
“We changed the locks in our house and are just being extra
careful about locking the doors,” said the freshman. “If I
could talk to the robber, I would ask how they could go
through our house seeing all of our family pictures and still
go on with the robbery.”
Luckily, some Orinda families have been more fortunate,
catching the robber before any harm could be done. On Fri. May
6, a white car drove into the driveway of junior Kelly
McGonigle. A tall skinny man with long hair got out and
attempted to open the McGonigle’s door leading to their
garage. Both parents were home, and mother Sandra McGonigle
went out and asked the man what he was doing.
“I am looking for 23 Marin Way,” the man responded. Knowing
that there is no Marin Way around the location of the
McGonigle’s house, father John McGonigle called the police and
described the man and the type of car he was driving.
“An hour or so after the incident, my parents got a call from
the Orinda Police saying that the burglars had been caught,”
said McGonigle.
To prevent burglary, experts suggest having bright interior
and exterior lighting, installing alarm systems, keeping
windows closed and locked when out of the house, installing
solid-core metal or wood doors that cannot be pryed open, and
always keeping garage doors closed.
For more information on burglary and theft prevention, contact
the Orinda Police Department at (925)-254-6820.
Miramonte Appoints New ASB
Officers
Next year’s ASB President, Scotty Huhn, and ASB Vice
President, Brianna Bierbaum, along with fellow ASB officers
Carlyn Wright and Micah Solit are preparing for the upcoming
year as leaders of Miramonte’s student body.
The officers plan to work for and with the students in order
to accomplish the goals of Miramonte’s student body. Not only
are they responsible for overseeing the student body as a
whole, but also they will work with the leadership class and
each class’ elected officers to make sure each job is
correctly executed.
“We want to try and make students aware of serious issues. We
hope to conquer diversity, discrimination, and create a
positive atmosphere,” said Huhn. The team dedicates themselves
to making the student body happy. “We are open to new ideas,”
said Bierbaum.
The ASB officers, with the help of next years’ class
presidents, Belinda Yan, Neema Shoraka, Nick Coufal, and Sean
McFeely, as well as other members of the leadership class, are
looking forward to working harmoniously to make the upcoming
year unbeatable in terms of school unity and spirit.
“I am very excited to be next year’s Senior Class President,”
said Yan. “One thing I would really like to do is hear what
the students have to say, so I’m going to make some sort of
anonyous submission for thoughts and ideas.”
The leadership class is brainstorming upcoming activities for
the New Year. The homecoming theme and plans for the rallies,
led by rally leaders Emily Davis and Hank Kaplan, are already
in the making.
“I want to go back to how the rallies were our freshmen year,
where they had a cool movie, but also had a fantastic live
presence and performance,” said Davis. “I’ve wanted to be a
rally leader since the first rally I ever saw. Hank and I are
really excited to be the face of spirit at our school.”
Also, the class hopes to bring back the famous Miramonte food
days where different restaurants feed hungry students on the
quad. In the past, Loard’s Ice Cream, Top Dog, ROC (Republic
of Cake), and other Lamorinda favorites provided a smorgasbord
of foods at extended lunches for starved students.
The leadership class always tries to bring back more dances
during the second half of the year. For the past two years,
the school has put on only two all-school dances.This year,
the leadership class and administration surprised the student
body with an extra dance. But due to lack of enthusiasm and
poor turnout, school-wide dances are likely to become even
scarcer.
“It is hard to do things for the students if they don’t come,”
said Bierbaum, “We want to make it so they want to come.”