Issue of January 16, 2004
Vol. 87, No. 6
Click on a story title to view the story
News
Almendarez leaves principal post for new job at district
Cheerleaders qualify for Nationals
Can you hear me now? Cellphones proliferate on campusOpinions
Are gay marriages right?
Jacko gone whacko
Identity theft on the rise
New Year's resolutions
Both sides now: seniors have it harder!
Both sides now: underclassmen have it harder!Features
Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood: a review of local fast food joints
Antonious Pizza
Auction Chinese Food
Del Taco
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant
KFC/Taco Bell
Tom's Burgers
Leno's Rico Taco
Wienerschnitzel
Horoscopes by Madame Sandra
Coming to America (column)
The famous Yellowjacket Marching Band Drum MajorSports
Boys Basketball
Boys Soccer
Girls Basketball
Wrestlers
Girls soccer
Jerry has left the building
Principal Almendarez promoted to position at District Office; AP Pam Pike takes over in interimby Sean Durdle
January 16, 2004Taking advantage of what her deems "an opportunity that not often comes around," Principal Jerry Almendarez has left Colton High for a position as Human Resouces Director in the Colton District Office. He says he's leaving to "experience other relations and for professional growth." Assistant Principal Pam Pike will be serving as interim principal until a new principal is named by the school board.
Almendarez's new job will include labor relations and recruiting people for classes. He feels optimistic about his new job and the future of Colton High. "I feel good about changes made at Colton High, a lot of people were responsible for them, students and staff." Although he says under his administration the bar had been raised consistently, he does not think his absence will affect the school negatively.
The only regret Almendarez has and wishes he could have done at Colton High is to be part of making it a California Distinguished School, one of his goals. Almendarez leaves with a enviable track record as principal. Certainly many changes have occurred under his tenure, from the institution of the Tolerate No Tardies (TNT) program to raised test scores. When the school was to be accredited, they gave Colton a certain amount of time to meet the requirements. Efforts were committed and executed to gain the accreditation. Because of this, Colton was able to improve and the accredidation committe noted the positives in their report. Many standards have been set such as the high API scores for math. Almendarez has made many contributions in making Colton a better school, and he will be missed.
Cheerleaders qualify for Nationals as Number One squad
by Ashley Ellison
January 16, 2004Their cheers were loud, their stunts were strong and for the first time in over five years Colton High Varsity Cheerleading Squad qualified for Nationals on their first attempt. Over 30 schools participated in the competition on December 6, at A.B. Miller High School, but only ten could qualify for Nationals and Colton qualified as number one. They would have had four competitions to qualify, but the squad is glad they did it on the first time this year, because now they can really focus on doing good in Nationals and be capable of hitting their stunts harder, stronger and louder then in the past. "It was wonderful," commented Varsity Cheer Captain, Monique Martinez.. "The excitement from the crowd really motivated the girls to perform their best. All of our hard work finally paid off. That even through all the injuries we still managed to put it all together and to pull it all off."
Freshmen Bionka Aquirre, Ashley Warren and Kristina Heredia were pulled up for the competition and handled the new experience very well even though it is a very different experience to grasp then just practice or cheering for football games.
"Competing in cheer is hard work, but I am really proud of our team and our performance. I think its nice that cheer can get some well deserved recognition," said Martinez.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Cell phones explode on campus with new options, portabiltiy of numbersby Victoria Tuey
January 16, 2004Communication is a vital role in the success of any one unit. Cell phones have now provided a more convenient way of communication with family, friends, and emergency personnel. After taking a random student survey, I discovered that about 53% carried cell phones. Out of those students, over half do not pay their own bill and usually cross the boundary of the limited minutes clearly defined in their monthly contract. For teenage students, 53% seems to be quite a lot; but when asked about the purpose of their use, many responded with the excuse that their cell phone was for emergencies or being in contact with parents throughout their busy schedules. As of this year, Colton High School's district decided that cell phones would be allowed on campus, but were not to be used during school hours. No calls are to be made between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m; but what about text messaging? If you weren't aware, many phones are equipped with the capability of sending and receiving messages via satellite in somewhat like an HTML format. Although the abuse of cell communication is obvious amongst teenage consumers, there are also many plusses to the owning of one of these small technological devices. Many people are now so busy with work, their education, and transporting children that they literally have gone from living in a loving warm home, to living in their fortune costing, gas guzzling vehicles. Wireless phone companies have also come to realize this sad truth and are now providing a way to maintain that vital communication that becomes a necessity in life. They have introduced the concept of Local Number Portability (LNP). This allows you to retain your current phone number while you change carriers as long as you stay in the same geographic area. This feature was made officially available to you as of November 24, 2003. But, that's not the best part! For those of you who would like to save the hassle of distributing multiple phone numbers to contact you for another day, you can reduce that list to only one completely controlled number. The 24th was also the activation day for the feature of porting landline numbers to your wireless phone. There are many benefits to this idea besides the simple fact that you can carry it around everywhere you go. Some of these include limited caller identification, instant voicemail, and that you can always turn it off, put it on silent mode, or just refuse to answer the phone. You can also customize your phone with the vast selection of covers, lights, ring-tones, and other accessories that are available for your specific model. So for those of you who are contemplating getting one of these nifty little objects, those are some of the things to think about. The next thing is who is gonna pay the bill?
Massachusetts allows gay marriages; can the rest of the U.S. be far behind?
by Julia Arenas
January 16, 2004It seems that homosexuality is gradually being accepted. On November 20, gay marriages took a tiny step forward, but unfortunately two steps back. In the state of Massachusetts, the highest court ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny same sex marriages. The supreme Judicial Court said that the state of Massachusetts cannot "Deny the protections, benefits and obligations conferred by civil marriage to two individuals of the same sex who wish to marry." In one state of the union at least, it is legal to marry with the same sex. But is it ethical, some are asking? Is it morally right that we allow same sexes to marry? I agree with this ruling; we have no right to say who can and cannot be married in holy matrimony. I see nothing wrong with people who are gay and want to be with each other. They are normal people that happen to like their own sex. What is so wrong about that?
Apparently, everything! Some feel it's wrong to have children in a same sex marriage, because it confuses the child. However, a major health group has stated "Kids raised by gay parents aren't worse off psychologically or more prone to be gay themselves." That's like saying straight parents have influence over their kids to be straight. Others argue that "normal parents" are no comparison, because that's the "norm." There is no such thing as normal because we are different from each other, so how can we be normal like every one else? Separately gay people have rights, but as soon as they want to marry it's wrong. They are people just like you or me, and they deserve to marry whom they want to be with.
In my religion, Catholicism, it is a sin to be with the same sex; Adam and Eve were a man and a women and that is how it is supposed to be. I feel that is a load of bull. People complain that the world is overpopulated, then turn around and say that man and women were meant to populate this world. What's up with that? Marriage is a magical thing and what is not right is that people who are offended by gay marriages prevent homosexuals from experiencing it. This is wrong; we have absolutely no right to stop others from finding happiness, even if it different from our beliefs and cultures. Don't you realize this isn't just about two people of the same sex being together? This is life-altering, world-tilting, child-like giddiness, sweeping-you-off-your-feet love! And if you stop and think about if for a second, with our judgmental views, we take that all away.
Survey: has Jacko gone wacko with his little slip up?
by Danielle Morrow
January 16, 2004On November 18, 2003 the police searched Michael Jackson's "Neverland" for evidence about the allegations of molesting little boys once again. They searched all day and found love letters to the little boy who came forward and said that Jackson touched him. Now the boy's brother came forward and said that he saw Jackson doing this dirty deed. Well I took a survey to see if people thought Jackson was guilty, not guilty, or if they even care; the results were pretty unexpected and surprising.
Before I give you the results I am going to give you my point of view. I believe that Michael Jackson is guilty. I mean, he lied about getting plastic surgery, so why wouldn't he lie now? He shows different suspicions of his behavior like he went and hid in Nevada after turning himself in, he wouldn't even talk about the subject, and he wrote love letters and slept with these boys in his room. I feel that he is guilty but I don't agree with the way the media is making this a big thing. He has his personal life and so do we. If he wants to keep it private then let him, he will deal with it by himself.
So back to the survey: I talked to 50 people and they all told me pretty much what they thought. Especially Tabetha Lindmulder, senior, had to put her say in: "I don't think it (Jackson's life) should be televised just because he is a pop star, that's his business not ours." Lindmulder said she thought that Jackson was not guilty. As I strolled around school on a regular day I asked all these people and they had all different opinions. In the news we see that Jackson is trying to prove that he is not guilty, but no one really knows until Jackson goes to court and the judge along with the jury say what he really is.
The results came in and were tallied by me. They are as follows: 44% didn't really care what would happen to Jackson, 24% said that they believe Jackson is not guilty, and 22% percent said that Jackson should get what is coming to him. So as we can see the results were shocking and were very unexpected. Now we can say that there are people out there that really care for Jackson but not many at this school. But, senior Erica Esquivel believes that he is not guilty and said, "I hope that he is innocent to prove everybody wrong." Even though nobody cares there are still some people that do.
So there are people out there that do care about what might happen to Michael Jackson and his oh so famous music. Even though there are some die-hard fans out there they are outnumbered by others who don't care. So in conclusion to this survey we see that not many at CHS really cares about the allegations against Michael Jackson..
Identity theft on the rise; will you be next?
Giving your personal info on the web is just asking for troubleby Julia Arenas
January 16, 2004Identity theft is when your personal information, such as your name, credit cards, and social security number, has been used without your consent. It takes months to years to clear your name, sometimes getting turned down by jobs, loans, or even get arrested for crimes you did not commit. Identity theft is a serious crime, one that happens every single minute of the day.
Worldwide, people are victims of identity theft everyday. Kids and teens are warned by parents not to give out any kind of information, something as trivial as your first name. Personal information is just what it says, personal, so should it be our choice or should people be prevented from giving out information? I think that it is your choice whether or not your want to risk someone else getting ahold of that information. It may seem that it is hard to obtain information, but what most people don't realize is, they give thieves the perfect chance of stealing your information. Your email address, what state you are in, and from that information they can find our where you live and change it by completing a "change of address form".
By doing that they have an all access pass to your bills (not that they'd want them), credit card numbers, and phone numbers. And all within a day or two, but for you it takes a long time to get rid of the charges, and any fraudulence that may occur. Of course, there are ways to stop fraud and protect your precious identity.1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts, and all three-credit reports will be sent to you free of charge.
2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
3. File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
4. File your complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations.
If you are a victim of identity theft, you are not alone. There are many programs and people that can help you immensely. Do not hesitant to take charge. A suspicion that is shoved aside could be a bad choice to make. Stop paying bills the "easy way". Take the time to actually read stuff off the internet. It may tedious, but at least your name is safe.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (The new year has come and resolutions must be filled)
by Danielle Morrow
January 16, 2004As the year comes to an end we all have a little something on our minds about what we want to do next year. But some of us have not even thought about what to do. I talked to five people and they all told me what their New Year's resolutions were and I am going to give you just a little taste of what they said. Michael Orem, senior said, "Go to class and stay there."
My New Year's resolution is to go to Crafton Hills College and get my Associates degree in general education so I can go to Cornell University to be a veterinarian. There are other resolutions that involve school for example, Virginia Rosas, senior (above left) said, "Study more and focus on my grades."
There are people who want to spend time with family for example, Erica Esquivel, senior, (below right) said "I want to spend more time with my sisters, Sylvia, Paula, and my brother Victor, Holler."
But like I said there were only a couple more people who said anything for example, Dr. Luis Gonzalez, band director, told me what he wanted his New Years resolution to be for the band: "I would like to have a solo section and a wind ensemble for the concert band."
We do have some oddballs and they just said some things that had no explaining; for instance, senior Christina Camacho said she wanted to "Drink more water." Celena Alleyne, senior, far right, wants "To stop stressing [about college and family things] and put my problems in God's hands, and have fun for the rest of this year."
So maybe there are a few of us who do know what our new year's resolutions are. For the majority of us, however…the new year is a bit up in the air. For those of you who have them, I hope you have the will power to stick to them and that it really works out for you. For those of you who don't, there's no problem with that, just kick it and have fun …haha…now you have a resolution!
Seniors or underclassmen: who's life is more stressful?
Seniors- by Sandie Brown
January 16, 2004Being a freshman….hard?? Yea right! A freshman's life as opposed to a senior's life, that is hardly comparable. Being a freshman all you have to worry about is going to your classes, and doing your work. Whether or not you get straight A's or not doesn't really matter, because you know if you happen to fall a little bit behind in one class you still have three summers and three school years to make it up. I mean of course you aren't going to try and fail, but if you happen to do somewhat badly in one class, you know you have plenty of time to fix it before you graduate.
I understand that some freshman entering into high school feel stressed out because they are so nervous about going to "high school" and being surrounded by people older than they are. This stage always ends within the first few months of school, but that is not real stress, that is simply nervousness. Seniors stress lasts a lot longer than simply the first few months of school; it's all year long. When you get to your senior year, the stress begins on the first day of school. All I have to say is "applications." Getting all of your applications done, your recommendations and official transcripts sent, is the most stressful time period in high school. On top of that you have to sit around and wait to be notified about whether or not you got into the school you wanted to, and that nervousness causes you to feel stressed.
Not only is applying to college a stressful part of senior year, but also the fact that you have to make sure you maintain a good grade point average throughout the whole year. Unlike being a freshman there is no time to make anything up. If you don't get that "A" in English that you are expected to get, you don't have time to go back and make it up if you want to. On top of that if you fail a class second semester, you have no hope of graduating. Whereas, like I said, if a freshman fails a class there is plenty of time to go back and fix the mistake.
Also, seniors have to worry about having a job. Most seniors have parents that expect them to have a job and pay for what they can for themselves and try to save up money for their future.....college. Freshman, on the other hand, aren't even old enough to get a job. So not only do seniors have to stress out about getting in to the college they want, they also have to worry about helping to pay for it.
There is no way anyone can say that a freshman has more stress to deal with than a senior. Seniors have so much more expected of them than freshmen. Colleges don't even really look at your freshman year, it's like it doesn't even matter. What really matters is the junior, and most of all, senior year. To any freshman that really think you are stressed, I can't wait until your senior year starts and you actually realize what school stress is all about.
Seniors or underclassmen: who's life is more stressful?
Underclassmen's are!
Sophomore, Kyle McKnight
January 16, 2004Stress, eh? Well, funny thing, stress. It seems to always creep on you at the worst possible times. Stress is something we underclassmen go through all the time, and what with all of school's contributing variables it's no wonder. No, as an underclassmen, I think that you upperclassmen have it easy. I mean seriously, you're pretty much already done with most of your needed core classes and everything else is almost optional. So why do you claim to be so stressed? If anything its we the underclassmen who are so stressed. What with all the work we're given, it's nerve racking--especially if you came from a school where you were given relatively little work. Another thing is the teachers: now I'm not saying they're all bad. I mean, I actually have some good ones sometimes. But you know, it's just that most are either too old and set in their ways to adapt. Then are the ones that are too fresh and new who are experimenting with their lesson plan and we're there just having to put up with it all. It's just flat out stressful. Now you seniors may argue that you have jobs, or you're taking zero periods, or you're behind in credits, blah, blah, blah. You know it's your own fault. However, what about those of us who are just trying to get by? You think it's fun starting at the bottom tier (it's not, for those of you who didn't catch on the sarcasm) it's very difficult.. I mean you upperclassmen really go out of your way to make the underclassmen feel welcome, what with all the verbal abuse and the random trash canning at the beginning of the year for the freshmen. I'm not sayin' that these things aren't funny, but you wonder why people make threats and shoot up schools; it's because of stress caused by jerks who have nothing better to do because they're not stressed like us. So you think you're stressed? Maybe you should look back at your first two years of high school. Maybe they were better than ours but look at what we're dealing with now: budget cuts, second rate text books, large class sizes, schools so crowded it looks like cattle walking. And so we get stressed thinking stuff like "am I gonna' make it to class and if I do am I gonna' have to deal with the teacher being a jerk because I was late," it's crazy. So you upperclassmen have it easy. Maybe you have an "in" with the campus supervisors and they let you slide (I've seen it) and plus you get home periods. You have cars (maybe) so you don't have to put up with the bus (three to a seat is outrageous and god help you if you're late you may not even get a seat.) So if you're an upperclassmen and you're reading this then take it easy. You guys are practically on your way out the door. So how can you say your lives are so stressful? It's just blasphemous. We underclassmen have it so stressful that school becomes nothing more than a time for us to think of nothing but how to make it end faster. So trust me when I say we have it more stressful.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Antonious Pizza
by Sarah Hofman
January 16, 2004Name of place: Antonious Pizza
Location (address): 803 W. Valley Blvd. Colton
Hours:
Type of food served: Pizza
Prices (high to low): low prices
Best menu item: Pizza
Menu item you should try to avoid: If you are vegetarian or you don't eat meat than you should try to avoid putting on toppings like pepperonis or sausages. And if you don't like a certain topping than don't ask to have it put on your pizza.
Ambiance (your mood and feelings while in the restaurant): It was clean, but a little old looking. The chairs and tables where old and wobbly.
Service: Pretty good. They had the pizza ready and they gave it to me and made my soda.
Rated by the health department (A-F): not posted
Rated by you (A-F): B
Is the food cooked fresh: yes, every pizza is assembled to your order and then baked and cooked right there.
Opinions/ comments: Their pizza is pretty good and the prices are good. The environment isn't that kept up because it is a mostly pick up restaurant and not really a sit down and eat kind of place.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Auction Chinese Fast Food
by Victoria Tuey
January 16, 2004
Name of place: Aunction Chinese Fast Food
Location: 807 W. Valley Blvd.
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Type of food served: Chinese (mostly a mixture of meats, vegetable, noodles, and rice).
Prices (high to low): .50 Appetizer of single fried shrimp to $24.99 Party Tray of Cha Shu BBQ Pork
Best menu item: I only ate there once so I wouldn't really know.
Menu item you should try to avoid: Fried Rice; the vegetables were overcooked and the rice was undercooked.
Ambiance: Relaxed, yet slightly rushed, like the usually feeling of a fast food restaurant.
Service: Fast yet rude; they tended to carry on conversations in some other language while serving.
Rated by health department: The interesting part was that the placard outside the window stated that information was available upon request, but when asked, I was told that there was no information about their health department rating available.
Rated by me: C ~ based on cleanliness, service, food quality and pricing.
Is the food cooked fresh? No, it was precooked and placed in hot trays.
Opinion/Comments: Overall, I was not overly impressed with their food, I thought that personally it was overcooked and slightly bland. The service was mediocre and the floor was dirty. Although I do have to say that the food was plentiful and the environment was very bright and welcoming.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Del Taco
by Justine Boenke
January 16, 2004Name of the place: Del Taco
Location: 834 W. Valley Blvd. Colton, Ca 92324
Hours: Monday to Sunday from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. the drive thru open for 24 hours
Type of food served: Del Taco is served special Mexican food.
Prices (high to low): Medium drink $1.19, Burrito $1,79, Small French fries $0.99, Nachos $1
Best menu item: I ate only once over their but I would they Nachos with cheese but I have also to say that you don't become much cheese for it.
Menu item you should try to avoid: I think the best item to try is the Nachos for $1, maybe you think other but not for a vegetarian.
Ambiance: I was relext but I would say that I was welcome, because I had this feeling that the service think "Oh my gush, can they go now" that wasn't good.
Service: The service is not so good, they are very fast with the food but they are not really friendly or nice. You have the feeling that they don't want you their.
Rated by health department (A-F): B
Rated by you (A-F): E
Is the food cooked fresh: The food is not really fresh. The French Fries are old and have no salted on it, the drinks stay in the machine I would say a month or more, because it taste so.
Opinion/ Comments:
That was my first and last time that I ate at Del Taco. The service wasn't nice not so that they should. The Restrooms were full with water and you have to careful to use it. And you have to go out of the building what is another - part. Also for a veritarian have they not really something to eat, only the veggie works that I tried it taste good for the first moment and then you taste how much beans they put in there.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
KFC/Taco Bell
by Lauren Young
January 16, 2004Name of place: KFC/Taco Bell
Location: 782 W. Valley Blvd
Hours: 10a.m-9p.m
Type of food served: Chicken, Tacos, Nachos
Prices (high to low): 12 Crispy strips ($14.59), Biscuits (49.), Mexican Pizza ($2.49), Bean Burrito (69.)
Best menu item: Popcorn chicken/ Chalupas
Menu item you should try to avoid: Honey Barbeque Sandwich, Mexican Pizza Combo
Ambiance: I felt ok when I was in the restaurant I was a little upset because of all the attitude that i was getting when i was in the restaurant.
Service: the service was some what fast., some were nice and respectful. Others had attitudes
Rated by health department: there was not a sign form the health department posted anywhere in the restaurant.
Rated by me: I gave this restaurant a "B" for there rating.
Is the food cooked fresh?: The chicken as I saw it was sitting under heat lamps, but on the Taco Bell looked like most of the food was cooked fresh.
Opinion/Comments: The people that work at this restaurant should try to avoid the attitudes that they have, but the food was good and it got to us quickly.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant
by Danielle Morrow
January 16, 2004Name of place: El Rancho Mexican Restaurant
Location: 821 W. Valley Blvd
Hours: Mon-Thurs 10a.m-8p Fri.-Sun. 10a.m.-9p.m.
Type of food served: Mexican Food
Prices (high to low): Highest: $7.95 for nine different combo plates. Lowest: $1.35 for one carne asada taco.
The best menu item: The carne asada taco
Menu item you should try to avoid: I thought the machaca was a little fuzzy
Ambiance (your mood and feelings while in that restaurant):I felt a little intimidated because everyone was speaking Spanish and laughing so I felt a little uncomfortable and they were very rude.
Service: the service was slow and I could not even get salsa for my taco I just had to eat it plain they didn't even acknowledge me when I asked them for our check I had to get up and ask them if they would give it to me. I had to ask them if they would clean my table before I ate and the restaurant was not very clean.
Rated by health department: I did not see a sign and when I asked they told me an A.
Rated by me: I rate the restaurant a D because I was not satisfied but the food was good
Is the food cooked fresh?: When I asked for my food and my mother hers it took them a long time to get us the food so I hope it was cooked fresh. I also herd the food sizzling so I think that it was fresh.
Opinion/Comments: The food was good but the people need to be nicer and when a person comes to eat there they need to have the place clean. I did enjoy the food but the people and the service needed to be a lot nicer. They also needed to put their rating in the window so that we can see how the health department rated them.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Leno’s Rico Taco
by Sean Durdle
January 16, 2004Name of place: Leno’s Rico Taco
Location: 549 W. Valley Blvd.
Hours: None posted
Type of food served: Mexican
Prices (low to high): $1.00 tacos to $6.00 combination plates
Best menu item: Any combination plate
Menu item you should try to avoid: Nothing really looked nasty
Ambiance: The floors were wet and it smelled funny
Service: Moderate
Rated by the health department: No visible rating
Rated by me: B
Is the food cooked fresh: Yes
Opinions/ Comments: The food was good but it smelled funny inside. I think the people played the Culture Club song “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” just to be mean because I was the only person inside and it was the only song they played.
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Tom’s Burgers
by Sean Durdle
January 16, 2004Name of place: Tom’s Burgers
Location: Corner of Valley and 3rd
Hours: No hours posted
Type of food served: Mexican and American
Prices (high to low): $6.60 to .45
Best menu item: Super cheeseburger
Menu item you should try to avoid: Straight chili
Ambiance: Friendly environment, slightly awkward smell
Service: Fast and respectful
Rated by health department: No visible rating
Rated by me: B
Is the food cooked fresh: Yes
Opinions/ Comments: Tom’s was a good five-dollar place. Most the menu items were priced around this range, so if you go there, be prepared to spend a few dollars. The food is worth the price though, so dont be worried about not getting what you’re paying for. Tom’s has generous portions and will delight for whatever time you decide to eat there. After I was done all I could think was, “I wish I had four more bites.”
Eating good... In the neighborhood
No fewer than eight fast food/restaurant establishments reside within a two minute walk from the front gate of good ole CHS. We sent out intrepid (and hungry) reporters out to give you the low down on the local nosheries.
Wienerschnitzel
by Kyle McKnight
January 16, 2004Name of place: Wienerschitzel
Location: Across the street
Hours: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm Mon-Sat and 8:00 am to 11:00 pm
Type of food served:Hot Dogs, Fries, Burgers, etc.
Prices (high to low): Italian sausage combo meal ($5.59); Corn dog ($0.79)
The best menu item: definately the chili-cheese fries
Menu item you should try to avoid: Soylent green (It’s people! Just kidding)
Ambiance (your mood and feelings while in that restaurant): The place was quiet, a little to quiet.Well, never too quiet but you get my point. The tables were a bit dirty but that’s to be expected at a place which sells schnitzel. So other than that the people were nice and the place was quiet I was in no danger of being shanked.
Rated by health department: Unverifiable at this time
Rated by me: I give it a B; the place is called Wienerschnitzel but the menu lacked a certain variety. I would have liked to see some vegetarian options like salads.
Is the food cooked fresh?: This again was unknown it has become one of the great mysteries of life.But I think its microwaved and/or put under a heat lamp.
Opinion/Comments: All in all the place was cool and I would tell all people interested in schnitzel and/or wieners to check it out. Good fast food served fast.
Horoscopes By Madame Sandra
by Sandy Brown
January 16, 2004Aries (March 20- April 19)
There is tension between your heart and your general mood. More than likely, your romantic nature will incline you to adopt a selfish, impatient attitude, while the prevailing tone of the day calls for peace and balance.
Taurus (April 20- May19)
Now that you have gotten a solid grip on your situation, unexpected things may come along that change the rules all over again on you. Don't get angry; just realize that this is probably a sign that you need to move on.
Gemini (May 20- June20)
Use gadgets and electric devices to make your life easier today. Why take the time to chop things by hand when all you need to do is toss them in the food processor? Realize that there is most likely an easier way of tackling any task at hand.
Cancer (June 21- July 21)
Be careful of the information that comes your way today. There may be a tendency for people to make unwarranted claims and false accusations. Just make sure that when conversing with others, you take things with a grain of salt.
Leo (July 22- Aug. 22)
Maintain an air of detachment. Feel free to dream into your fantasy world and let your emotions carry you away to another realm. Let your imagination take you away. Share your lighthearted mood with others.
Virgo (Aug.23- Sept. 21)
You may find that things are much lighter and more elusive than they were the past couple days. This is a good time to let your physical body take a rest and let your mind and fantasy world take over.
Libra (Sept.22-Oct 22)
A large weight should get lifted off your shoulders today. The air has started to clear, and the winds of communication and exploration have started blowing again. Listen closely to the buzz in the air.
Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21)
People may be a bit abrasive with their words today, but you will find, after careful assessment, that they really don't mean any harm. More than likely, others aren't fully informed, and you will find that they are acting on misinformation.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21)
Don't criticize the situation until you have come up with a better solution. Be creative in your approach. Realize that much can be accomplished if you approach the situation with confidence.
Capricorn (Dec.22- Jan. 19)
Your thoughts may take on a dreamy quality today. You will find that things are much less stable than they have been for the past couple of days. Don't get discouraged by people with pessimistic views.
Aquarius (Jan.20- Feb. 17)
Your emotions are soaring high, and you should feel free to indulge in your greatest fantasies. Take a break from reality for a while, and let your inner child come out and play.
Pisces (Feb.18- March 19)
Reward yourself with 2 desserts today. Take a bubble bath. Share your fantasies with others and express yourself fully.
Coming to America
a German Exchange student's tales of culture shock
by Justine Boenke
January 16, 2004Christmas and New Year's
Oh dear, now it's already January, only 3 weeks. But before we have New Year and a New Semester, we have Christmas and Christmas break. But now let me tell a little bit about my birthday and the difference between German Christmas and American Christmas.
My birthday was on a Sunday; at first on this day we went to church, after the church we drove to an Italian restaurant with a kind of German food. It was very good and I have to tell you that you have to try it: "The old Spaghetti Factory." It's not expensive and has really good food. At four o'clock it was time for my surprise: my host parents went with me to the mountains and to the beach. I love the beach that's why we went over there. Sometimes in the mountains I was reminded of Spain or the German hills; you couldn't tell, "Are we in America or in Spain?" All in all my birthday was a very good day and I liked it.
Now we have December, and Christmas is very near. There are a lot of differences between the German Christmas and your Christmas. First of all we have, for every day to December 24, a chocolate calendar, called "Adventskalender." Also we celebrate "Advent;" it's on every Sunday three weeks before Christmas, you put for every Sunday one candle on, eat a lot of cookies and candies and spend the time with the family and watch "A Christmas Carol" most of the time. I miss this tradition from my country, because I love to sit with my family together, eat cookies watch a Christmas movie, outside begins to snow and everybody is in a good mood.
Very early you buy a Christmas tree, and decorate everything, sometimes I think, "Oh my, gosh, they have a lot of stuff." I can't tell so many things about the difference but what I can tell is that my Thanksgiving was like German Christmas for me. We ate all together, talked and had a lot of fun. And after the dinner we played games. The only thing what was missing was the gifts, but we had so great a time that I didn't miss it.
I think everyone celebrates Christmas in their own way, but one thing is the same: we're all together with the people that we love, our family, and that is very important. And don't forget be nice to your family because you have only one.
The famous Yellowjacket Marching Band Drum Major tells all
by Danielle Morrow
January 16, 2004
Full name: Kyle Andrew Morgan
Nickname: "Big Al"
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 125 lbs.
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Sports played: Marching Band (it's technically a sport)
Favorite food: Shrimp Picante Cup of Noodles
Favorite Drink: Hawaiian Punch
Favorite TV show: The Simpsons
Favorite Movie: Sneakers
Favorite Artist: Pablo Picasso
Favorite Thing to do: Play my Tenor Saxophone
Favorite Video game: I don't play video games
Favorite Celebrity: Thomas Edison
1. What is one major thing that you have accomplished in high school? I became a Drum Major of the great Yellowjacket Marching Band.
2. What do you see in your future? I see myself working at my job in the Army in the future.
3. How would you describe yourself? I would describe myself simply as the weird bald kid who walks funny.
4. What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I like to play my saxophone, mess around on the computer, play billiards, and create new paper airplanes.
5. Who do you look up to or who is your idol? Buckminster Fuller is my idol because he had so many great ideas and inventions far ahead of his time that were specifically designed to better the quality of human life.
6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would you be and why? If I could be anywhere right now, I would be at the Indian Canyons over in Palm Springs because it is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.
7. If you could switch places with anyone who would it be and why? I would never want to switch places with anybody else because I wouldn't trust them being in my place.
8. If you had a million dollars what would you do with it? I would keep most of it and give away a reasonable amount to people that I like and know well.
Boys basketball: trying to fit the puzzle together
by Lauren Young
January 16, 2004The boys varsity basketball team has gotten off to a bad start, and at this point things are not looking any better. At press time the team has played nine games and has a record of 2-7. But things could change for the team we will just have to wait and see. New Head Coach Goldkorn says that he is really happy to be here, and even though this is a very challenging situation, he is not going to give up on his team. He also says that he is very pleased with his freshman and junior varsity players, he feels that all of his kids are continuing to learn a new system. The varsity team has three co-captains: seniors Brandon Douglass, Joseph Beard, and Adam Brillhart.
Douglass says that the team is struggling right now, but he is sure that they will bounce back from this. According to captain Joseph Beard, "We are having a hard time right now, but we are working hard and learning a new system that we are all trying to get used to. The team will have a big turn around and we will start having a winning season." The Yellowjackets have lost to Notre Dame, Norte Vista, Poly B, Poly V, Kaiser, La Sierra, and Jurupa Valley, while racking up victories against Lutheran by a score of 63-42 and Coachella 77-64. The varsity team had their first regular season game on January 6, losing to Pacific by a score of 80-69. Even though they don't seem to be doing all that well this season, Goldkorn still thinks that they are playing as hard as they can and they are giving a 110%. Things can turn around for the varsity team they just need to keep up the hard work and play like a team. There next home game is on Tuesday against San Bernardino High School at 6:30 p.m., in the Hubbs gym.
Boys Soccer looking to get back in gear
Soccer looking to get back to their winning ways and get back in the run for the SAL title without looking back. In a league that can go either way Colton holds their own this season.by Paul Heredia
January 16, 2004As boy's soccer begins its regular season they look ahead to a league title that does not look to be that hard of a road to get through. Coming off a rough pre-season of growing pains and adjustments the team has not looked back on their 3-6-1 record, which says nothing of their true ability as a team.
Boy's soccer started off the pre-season on a high level even though their record did not show it. They came out strong in the season opener against undefeated Redlands East Valley (REV), keeping them on their heels the whole game with a 1-0 lead. But, REV made a strong come back and defeated Colton
2-1. Then going into the Hesperia Tourney Colton had one game under their belt, and were going in looking to get more experience and to get their first win. Playing four games in two days the team went 1-2-1, getting their first victory and gaining confidence even though they didn't do so well, but fought for every game and kept it close all the way through. Coming off the Hesperia Tourney, Colton went up against Bloomington and Rialto, and lost to both 1-0 in games that could have gone either way. Going into the Riverside Poly Tourney, the team had a lot of confidence and was ready to show what they were really made of. Blowing by Kaiser 6-2 and Cathedral City 3-1 in pool play, they went up against Fontana in the quarterfinals. Ending in a 1-1 tie the game went into penalty kicks, where Colton lost 4-2. The loss put Colton in a rematch against Rialto, where they lost 1-0 in another battle that went into the night, making it hard to see for both teams.
Lead by new head coach Anthony Coronado and captains Hector Hernandez and Paul Heredia, Colton Soccer entered the regular season with a strong sense of victory and the league title. But in the San Andreas League opener against Pacific, the bounces did not go in favor of Colton in a 3-0 loss. In Colton's next match against Redlands, Colton went out hard in a final pre-season game, trying to get back on track for the rest of the season. But, in a hard fought game the ball fell Redlands, beating Colton 2-0. Colton's next game is on Tuesday January 20, against SBHS, at Colton.
Girl's Basketball Team "still young," looking to improve
By Victoria Tuey
January 16, 2004Basketball is always an anticipated sport for high schools. The 2003-2004 school year is no different. With many returning players from previous seasons Coach Scott Sunderland is happy to see improvement in his team. This year he hopes to see enough improvement throughout the season to "pull of a couple of wins and hopefully have someone fear us." Although there has been controversy rising amongst the players regarding multiple players quitting the basketball program within a short period of time, the team has not been discouraged. Coach Sunderland comments on Yodit Woldermariam's hustle and athletic ability, labeling her as a star player. "They [the team] are still young," says Sunderland, "but I'm seeing them improve." The team competed in an annual tournament Dec. 22-23, 26-27 with only a few scrimmages under their belt. They are looking forward to a more promising year than the last, which didn't live up to expectations. Hopefully our students can show their support and help boost team spirit. (Games from Jan. 6 and forward will be covered in the next issue.)
Grapplers undefeated in league play so far
by Ashley Ellison
January 16, 2004"We have six steps to go through for a league championship; we've climbed two, four more, then CIF," said senior, 145 lbs. weight class, Chris Garcia.
The Colton wrestling team hosted the Christmas Classic on Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20, 2003. 29 schools from all over the Inland Empire participated in the tournament and Colton finished in sixth place under head coach Steven Luna and assistant coaches Harold Strauss and Joe Trevino.
Colton is undefeated in league with a record of 2-0. They played Yucaipa High School on January 14 and the results of that match were unavailable. The team looks forward to playing Arroyo Valley High School on January 21. This will be their toughest match and the winner of the match will determine who wins league. "My expectations for Arroyo Valley are very high. The team is excellent together, and when we are at our full strength we are awesome," said junior captain, 215 lbs. weight class, Jonathan Calderilla.
The team hopes to take league, then go to CIF and prove to all the "unbelievers" of the Colton High wrestling team, that the team is good. "Colton's wrestling team does not get the attention it deserves," commented senior captain, Robert Precie (pictured above), 130 lbs. weight class. "We have an awesome team, and when we're at our full strength we are unstoppable. I hope taking league will open people's eyes towards are wrestling team."
Soccer star Albiso injured in tourney, may not return
by Sandy Brown
January 16, 2004Varsity girls’ soccer team took many people by surprise after taking second place in the tournament hosted by North High School in early December at the start of their season. The girls made it all the way to the final game against Poly High School by beating Paris high school, and some harder teams that they were not expected to beat such as San Gorgonio and North. Coach Mario Mendoza said, “The girls worked hard and proved to a lot of people that they are a great team.”
Next came the tournament hosted by San Gorgonio towards the end of December. This tournament had much impact on the team after the loss of a key player, Sophomore goalie Nicole Albiso. In the girls’ very first game, Albiso and a player from Magnolia High School had a pretty bad collision. In fact, it was bad enough that Albiso was escorted off the field in an ambulance after realizing that she could not get up on her own, or even with any help. Her injuries consisted of a lacerated liver and bruised intestines. She was told that she would not be able to play for the remainder of the season with her team. The rest of the tournament the girls played their hardest against the tough teams they were put up against and did well with the help of Junior Karen Portillo stepping in and taking the place of Albiso as the teams goalie.
The girls began their season with a 5-0 win against Pacific High School on January 6. Further results will be available in the next edition of the Pepperbough.