FVHS ASB

On Tuesday January 17th during SSR, ASB will be conducting a student survey in order to assess student satisfaction.  The survey will consist of three open ended questions which students may answer voluntarily.  All responses will be kept anonymous and ASB will later analyze the results.

ASB Activities Director, Quinton Dang, said “the survey is one of our ways to try to reach out towards our students and listen to their voices, to see what they want and what they like and don’t like. We know that there are always certain people who would tell us upfront, but quite frankly, there are a lot of students who aren’t comfortable doing so, so we never get the right feedback. We’re hoping this survey will allow students to freely express themselves.”

ASB plans to take the results into consideration for improvements in the future.

One of the killed - a lion lies by a fence. Image taken from latimes.com

49 animals were killed, 6 were captured, and 1 animal has unknown whereabouts. These animals included tigers, lions, grizzly bears, and wolves that were set on the loose by Terry Thompson, an Ohio exotic animal farm owner.

On Tuesday, the 18^th of 2011, police and law enforcement offices were flooded with calls from people reporting sightings of exotic animals, a giraffe grazing alongside cars speeding on the highway, and a monkey in a tree.

By the time deputies arrived on his farm, Thompson was dead. He was reported to have shot himself in the head after throwing open animal cages, cutting open pens, and unlocking the gates of the farm, allowing the animals to roam wherever they please.

Most of the animals were shot since tranquilizers required more time to take effect in larger animals, as Muskingum County Sheriff reported:

“We just had a huge tiger, an adult tiger that must’ve weighed 300 pounds, that was very aggressive. We got a tranquilizer in it, and this thing just went crazy.”

49 out of 56 of Thompson\’s animals were killed as a means of protecting the public from potential dangers that the animals might cause. 6 of the animals were rescued successfully, it is still unknown where the animals will go but Marian (Thompson\’s estranged wife) has expressed interest in keeping the animals herself.

The last animal of the 56, reported to be a monkey, might have been eaten by one of the lions or tigers.

Thompson\’s farm has a history of animal abuse and neglect, with reports that animals are never provided with sufficient food and water. Living conditions are extremely unsanitary, with the layers of urine and feces that animals are forced to live on in addition to stench of carcasses. Some animals are even forced to live alongside the carcasses, as the dead are not moved until they are placed in a hole of the increasing number of animals dying from mistreatment.

Cages were not appropriately sized for the animals, with tigers and lions living in cages as small as dog kennels that didn\’t allow them to move around. The cages were placed right next to each other, creating anxiety and stress among the animals. One tiger was missing a tail as a result of the tail slipping into another cage and was ripped off or bitten off by another animal.

There have been many reports of cattle and horses breaking free in search of food and water, grazing on neighbors\’ lawns or licking the rain droplets off of a car for water.  There is also some speculation that one of the big cats that Thompson owned tried to eat him before running off, he has bite marks on his head and his body was dragged for a short period of time.

This occurrence has sparked a stricter reinforcement of laws protecting animals of all types, something that manyOhiocitizens say has been long overdue.

“I think that it’s sad that they had to have a tragic event occur for them to enforce laws for animal protection,” Julia Hong ’13 comments, “These animals are already endangered and they deserve utmost under law.”

Marian Thompson has told authorities that she and her husband took in the animals because they had been abused and neglected, confirming their reported reputation as “animal lovers”.

Authorities are still trying to figure out how Thompson got the animals originally and why he intentionally endangered them after claiming to love animals.

By Andrea Liu, Staff Editor

On Friday and Saturday May 27th and 28th, the FVHS Choir held their annual Broadway Under the Stars event. This year’s event was hosted in our very own FVHS bowl.

Prior to the event, many students saw the curtains and huge lights being set up during lunch in the week leading up to the event.

Audience members purchased seats in the bowl or brought blankets and sat on the grass. Hot chocolate, popcorn, and candy were available for purchase before the show and during the intermission.

Choir opened with the harmonious ‘Seasons of Love\’ from the musical RENT. The middle school choir, FVMSS, was also featured in the show, singing ‘We Go Together’ from Grease. The Baron Choir also sang a song from Glee, as well as numbers by Jersey Boys and Damn Yankees. Other numbers included ‘Stepsister’s Lament’ from Cinderella, ‘Pinball Wizard’ by The Who, and ‘Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love’ from the film Dreamgirls.

During the second half of the show, the Troubadours presented pieces from the musical Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim, a story that intertwines the classic plots of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella.

The performance was recorded digitally and rendered into a DVD, which is now available for order on the FVHS Choir website.

A sketch of the criminal. Picture taken from the Los Angeles Times.

By Patricia Le, Staff Writer

An 18-year-old female student narrowly escaped being kidnapped while walking alone on the sidewalk near the corner of Brookhurst Street and Bishop Place.

On April 4, at approximately 7:35 A.M., a La Quinta High School student was only a few yards from campus when from out of nowhere a man grabbed the student from behind and tried to shove her into his white, full-sized Sedan.  The young woman would not yield to his force and put up a good fight, good enough to save her life.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic, clean-shaven male with an average build and short, dark hair.  He appeared to be 5\’10” and 30 to 40 years old.

The suspect was reported to have taken the student from behind and tried to shove her in his car, but she resisted and screamed.  As she struggled to get out of his grasp, they both fell down and he fled the scene, south of Brookhurst Street.

The Westminster police department was immediately notified after the female student informed a school official.  The police department quickly responded, giving warnings to all police agencies in Orange County.  The Westminster, Garden Grove, and Huntington Beach school districts were also alerted about the incident through an email communication system.

When FVHS Principal Herzfeld received the email about the abduction, he held a meeting with the Assistant Principals to find a way to “inform but not alarm” the students of the event.  During fifth period, the incident was reported to all students and faculty over the announcer.

According to Principal Herzfeld, the attempted kidnap did not pose a serious threat to Fountain Valley High School, as La Quinta High School has already tightened their security control and the distance from FVHS  to La Quinta High School is three miles.

Still, our supervision staff has been warned to keep a close eye out for the described vehicle of the criminal and the Westminster police department is expected to keep FVHS, along with other local schools, updated if valuable information is discovered.

Principal Herzfeld hopes Barons will learn a valuable lesson from the attempted kidnap.  “What we want students to do,” Herzfeld stresses, “is to be mindful as they are walking home.”  He adds, “You could be followed and you wouldn\’t know it.”

Even in a seemingly safe neighborhood like ours, mishaps are still possible.  The assault is a grave reminder for us to think twice before we walk alone in a less crowded area.  “Be vigilant,” Herzfeld advises.

Staff Writer

On the first day of February, frenzied and confused students were spotted all over the Fountain Valley High School campus.  Some sighed in relief, while others grimaced in disappointment.  It was the start of second semester, and with new beginnings come new schedules.  Like it or not.

Guidance specialists get requests almost daily from students who want schedule changes.  Whether it is because of class conflicts, sports, or annoying teachers, the guidance specialists must try to help the students\’ every need with a smile on their faces (or at least most of the time).

Not all desired schedules can be given to students, even if they incessantly beg their guidance specialists.  “I really wanted an art class, but I was told all of my classes were impacted,” says an unsatisfied Baron, “I even visited my guidance counselor multiple times.”  This problem has not been unusual for students, and what seems like a few simple class switches for our peers can be a hair-pulling task for the guidance specialists.

The population of FVHS peaks over 3,000 students, and they are all under the management of four guidance specialists.  Each guidance specialist is responsible for the schedules of approximately 850 students, all with different classes and activity interests.  They just need to guarantee students all mandatory courses to meet graduation requirements in their schedule, make sure that there are no more than thirty-seven students in each class, and put a cap of 180 students for each teacher.  Still seems easy?

The hassle becomes even more complicated as Principal Chris Herzfeld\’s message on the FVHS website explains, “Per the teachers\’ contract, class size maximums must be reduced from a max of 39 first semester to a max of 37 second semester.”  This class capacity change was implemented by the “Man”, otherwise known as the Huntington Beach Union High School District.

The HBUHSD was also responsible for the ridiculously high guidance specialist to student ratio (1:850).  Our district assigned a specific number of high school students to each guidance specialist, and only if we grow to another 850 students will a fifth guidance specialist enter the campus.  Because the FVHS administration is unable to remedy this issue, Barons are stuck with overwhelmingly busy guidance specialists.

However, the guidance specialists are trying to handle this unfortunate situation with as much grace as possible.  For the students who have gotten schedule changes without their consent, it is done in an absolutely unbiased manner.  FVHS Assistant Principal Mrs. Peterson and four guidance specialists look at a list of student schedules identified by ID numbers to see which are most convenient for modification.  Their courses aren\’t altered, but they may get different teachers or periods based on the number of students in each class (it can\’t exceed the 37-student cap).

The one rule emphasized by Mrs. Peterson is, “There is no teacher shopping.”  This means that, to the dismay of many Barons, we can\’t opt for a cooler teacher without a legitimate reason (such as a pressingly impacted schedule).  Mrs. Peterson adds, “Unfortunately, schedule changes are unavoidable this time of year given our contractual obligations.  However, our goal is to keep changes and class disruption to an absolute minimum.”

Our schedules may not be perfect, but satisfying every Baron can be a nearly impossible task.  The best thing to do is wear a smile on your face through the frustration, just like the guidance specialists do.

Staff writer

Dissatisfied and angered with the hardship that dominates daily life perpetuated by the lawless and autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians took to the streets.

Recently, the economic woes of the Egyptian middle and working class have taken a turn for the worse as unemployment rates and food prices have sky-rocketed. More than 40% of the population lives off of two dollars a day. The culture of corruption and elitism created by Mubarak’s 30 year-long dictatorship has greatly upset the struggling population. In addition, the regime has gone out of their way to stifle any sort of free speech and opposition with a horrendous human rights record as proof.

In response to these injustices, people took matters into their own hands, spawning a populist revolution free of any religious influence. The crowds have been unified by a patriotic desire to oust Mubarak. On January 27, the Egyptian government cut off internet and cell phone communication in an attempt to quell the revolt. However, the masses would not be stopped. The next day, Mubarak sent the army to the streets of major cities like Cairo (for the first time since 1985). But with the military surprisingly in support of the people, demonstrators could not be deterred. He also announced that he would be dismissing his cabinet, but he would still remain in charge. In addition, the government shut down Al Jazeera, a popular independent news source. While crowds have not been discouraged to continue demonstrating, brute and violent force has been used against the protesters. One of the many videos to come out of the conflict showed a clearly unarmed protester being shot by the police.

The swiftness of the movement inspired by desires for change is prompting many to declare the unrest a revolution. Since Egypt is the largest Arab nation, this movement has the capability to spur pro-democracy movements in the rest of the Middle Eastern and Arab world. The world is watching as the Egyptian people fight for their freedom.

Photography Manager

If you have passed by the red brick wall outside the history buildings recently you may have noticed something strange: our red brick wall is turning white.

Why is this happening? The answer lies in the recent torrential downpour southern California received in early January. The non-stop rain dropped massive amounts of water onto Fountain Valley. That water is the root cause of the color confusion of the brick walls. Water seeping through the brick wall exposed salts in the mortar and brick that, once the sun came out, evaporated the water and left a thin layer of salt on the surface of the bricks. This process is called efflorescence. The water pushed its way through tiny holes in the brick and picked up salt particles along the way.

Brick isn\’t solid as many people may believe but full of tiny air pockets and microscopic caves. This allows water to seep through.

Thankfully the state of the bricks is temporary. Normally the salts will disappear in time but a quick use of efflorescence treatment will begin breaking down the salts in a matter of hours.

So if you were worried about the rather alarming shade of white that was slowly invading the wall outside the four hundred buildings, have no fear, the red walls will return to their natural color soon and all will be right with the world.

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killing over 300 thousand and leaving the entire nation in utter chaos and destruction.  While initially people around the world reacted to the disaster with open arms, little has improved in Haiti.  A year later, the nation is still far from being back on its feet.  The root of this difficulty to rebuild is the chaotic political climate that has impaired Haiti long before the disaster.

A Tragic History

By the late 18th century, Haiti had accounted for the majority of the Atlantic slave trade and France’s occupation had monopolized the economy.  France exploited the resources that the island had while leaving nothing for the Haitians.  The French Revolution inspired the Haitian slaves to rebel and fight the French.  On January 1, 1804, Haiti became the second republic in the western hemisphere, but their independence was not won without a price. Haiti had to pay reparations in order to be recognized by France and they took out loans from several nations including the United States.  Economic downturn leveled Haiti’s economy as debt increased.  Dictators soon took advantage of the country’s economic instability and lack of infrastructure.

During the 1950s to the late 1980s, father and son dictators “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” unleashed a reign of terror and corruption.  From 10 to 60 thousand Haitians were killed and even more were raped and tortured under their rule.  The two embezzled large sums of money and later went into exile.  In 1990, beloved by the public, Jean-Bertrand Aristed was democratically elected as president.  He ushered in an era of social and economic improvement. However, he was ousted shortly after his second term in which a US Government-staged a coup took him out of Haiti and into exile in Africa.  Since then, Haiti’s political leaders have been characterized by a lack of  genuine concern for the public and building the country’s infrastructure.  When the earthquake occurred, the whole country collapsed into chaos without a strong government to rebuild. It had to rely on abysmal amounts international aid slowly trickling through NGO bureaucracy for it’s grieving and starving population.

A Reminder From the Past And Uncertainty for the Future

Currently, the President of Haiti is Rene Prevail who came to power after a questionable and contested election.  The 2010 general elections have also been the scene of corruption charges.  The United Nations presence has been increasingly opposed by the public following the fallout over the actions of peacekeeping troops after the earthquake.  After 25 years in exile, Baby Doc returned to Haiti.  Although he was arrested, his return futher highlights the chaos of Haitian society in which a dictator may return.  This week, Aristed was finally granted his request to return after 6 years in South Africa.  Haiti’s political climate after the quake is quite uncertain.  Even a year ago Dr. Evan Lyon predicted how the future would unravel: “This aid attention is nice. The extra supplies are nice. The energy and the money is helpful. But if the Haitian institutions are not rebuilt, nothing will be durable, and in one year we\’ll be exactly where we are right now, which is in pain”.

Here’s what some of the students of FVHS have to say about their upcoming Winter Break plans:

Jordan Marc Diamond ’13 says: I probably will be eating a lot, getting fat, sleeping. So getting fat. More eating and watching TV; so activities that will get me fat.

Left to right: Angela Nguyen ’13 & Julie Dang ’13

Angela says: I am going to go Christmas shopping and spend time with my family and friends

Julie says: I am hanging out with my family and I am hanging out with friends and going shopping.  Oh and tumblr!

Left to right: Thao Pham ’12 & Jenny Huynh ’12

Thao says: I am going to Disneyland and hanging out with my family!

Jenny says: I am probably going to Disneyland with my friends and getting my license so I’ll be free to drive anywhere!

Angeline Tran ’11 says: I am going to the Harry Potter theme park in Florida and the Walt Disney park.

Left to right: Irving Nguyen ’14 & Christine ’14

Irving says: I am going to… I don’t know!  Probably sleep.

Christine says: I haven’t really decided yet.  I don’t know.  I’ll probably stay at home all day.

Due to severe weather and a local tornado warning, Fountain Valley High School went into lockdown on Tuesday, January 19th, at 1:02 PM. Students were in their 5th period classes when Principal Herzfeld made the announcement. The lockdown lasted until 2:00 PM when students were then released.

A timeline of what what transpired in the BBN class follows:

1:15 pm- The storm is supposed to hit, right now. My heart\’s racing, but I hope only my calm exterior is showing. A lot of people are screaming, “We\’re gonna die.” Most are treating this as a joke asking each other, “Do you have any last words?” One student is even updating her Facebook status.

1:17 pm- Mr. Ziebarth again announces no one is allowed outside. We are officially on lockdown.

1:18 pm- BBN is talking about assembling a team to report on the lockdown and storm.

1:19 pm- A group has formed around the computer checking and re-freshing the webpage, looking for updates on the storm. Someone mentions it\’s so calm outside it\’s scary. My mind keeps venturing back to the phrase “the calm before the storm.” Some students are attempting to console their friends by telling them, “We\’re not going to die” or “Everything will be fine.” Who can tell if their words are helping?

1:21 pm- We are all finding different ways to distract ourselves from the chaos surrounding everything. California is supposed to be known for earthquakes, not tornadoes, right?

1:22 pm-A group starts to gather together to play Signs. People start to join slowly, still processing what\’s going on.

1:24 pm- I look up and see Mr. Ziebarth talking on his phone and scanning the computer screen for any breaking news. The tornado was supposed to hit ten minutes ago.

1:27 pm- Someone turns on the song “Ave Verum Corpus” by Mozart.

1:28 pm- A student finds out her house has been flooded.

1:30pm- A map is visible on the projector screen as some of us try and figure out where the tornado is. The game of Signs is in full swing.

1:31pm- A student starts looking for alternate sites posting information about the current situation.

1:33 pm- My friend notices a couple in our classroom huddled together.

1:34pm- We learn Big Lots’ roof has caved in. A new jolt fear spreads through my body. My expression doesn\’t change though.

1:38 pm- It is rumored South Coast Plaza has been hit by the tornado. One student trying to ease tension pretends to be a weather man. Some of us start to think about the things most dear to us at home; our pets.

1:42 pm- Principal Herzfeld announces the lockdown will stand until two. People start yelling advice for those brave enough, or forced to drive home.

1:45pm- Students try to exit the classroom. Mr. Ziebarth puts his foot down and says if anyone really has to use the restroom, “We can set up a portable one. We have trashcans.”

1:48pm- Fifth period is usually over now. Instead the lockdown continues.
-Someone mentions the sun has come out.
-Students crowd around the window and Mr. Ziebarth snaps a picture.

1:53pm- Groups of people have crowded around talking. The atmosphere has shifted from panic to serenity.

1:55pm- Five minutes until the lockdown is over. People are laughing, texting, even singing along to YouTube videos.

1:57pm- Three minutes and counting. Outside the sky had turned a crystal blue, layered with giant cumulus clouds.

2:00pm- The lockdown is officially over. We breathe a sigh of relief.