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June 11, 2010
Judy Wu
Fremont’s Earth Day Fair celebrated Earth Day’s fortieth anniversary, April 24. It also featured the WHS New Leaf Club as one of the eco-friendly exhibitors.
The fair was held at the Teen Center in Central Park. The fair offered free admission and was coordinated by Fremont environmental specialist Chanel Kincaid.
“I was thrilled with the fair’s outcome. More schools participated this year compared to last year,” Kincaid said. “There was also music which entertained the guests.”
WHS New Leaf Club had a booth with games, such as spin-the-wheel, hangman and a water game with toy cars. They gave out brownies and Capri Sun coin pouches as prizes. The club also sold plants and lemonade. They will use profits to buy plants for the planting. Sophomore New Leaf vice president Bharathi Gandi asked senior Christopher Valdez to play the guitar to attract guests to the booth. Many WHS students came to represent the New Leaf Club and earn community service hours.
“The booth looked like a success. We earned a lot of money from selling plants, lemonades and brownies,” New Leaf president junior Julien Malard said.
Other Fremont high schools participated in the fair. Kennedy High School’s Green Ventures Academy sold healthy, organic food. They will donate the money earned to Tri Cities Food Bank. Irvington gave out plants and brought the hybrid bus the school won from America’s Greenest School contest.
American made paper and sold the paper cutouts for $1. They will adopt trees with the money earned. Fremont’s Got Talent vocalists Levi William, Ciara Lunger and Derek Chan also performed some original songs to entertain guests.
“The Earth Day fair was nice. I thought Levi William was very talented,” Gandi said.
Union City Transit, Alameda County Water District, Tri City Ecology Center and other corporations set up eco-friendly booths. The corporations gave out brochures to inform guests about being environmental friendly. Some corporations gave out free tote bags, pencils and other goodies to attract guests.
There was a native tree giveaway, bicycle safety check up and a lamp exchange. People could exchange their old 300-watt halogen floor lamp and their PG&E bill for a new energy-saving version for free. The Union Sanitary District hosted a pharmaceutical disposal and mercury thermometer exchanges.
There were also activities for children such as a puppet show and arts and crafts. Guests were also invited to vote for Earth Day fair posters designed by Kennedy and Washington High School students. Finalists included students from Washington, juniors Steven Lee and Cheng Tan.
The fair was a way for the city, high schools, non-profits organization and the county to provide event-goers with educational outreach about local programs or how to get involved in various environmental topics. It emphasized the importance of giving back to the planet.
“The planet provides water, air and so much more for us. We should be thoughtful in return on how we are impacting those resources that we so readily rely on,” Kincaid said.
Photo Credit: Nicole Pham
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February 2, 2010
Nicole Pham
The wrestling team defeated Kennedy, 45-36, at the JFK gym, Jan. 27. The boys won 8 of 11 varsity matches. Sophomores Nicole Belingheri, Kaitlin Loob and Brittany Kinney did not have female competitors to play.
Sophomore Dominic Cesena, junior Raymond Chan and senior Mohammad Khalil won their matches with pins. Kennedy didn’t have opponents for sophomore Joel Weintraub, sophomore Joseph Dereis and senior Doran Martinez, so they won points each by forfeit.
Despite the school win, Kennedy’s aggressive tactics left many players bruised. Senior Cole Brower endured three slams in his lost match, and team captain senior Joey Johnson couldn’t continue his match after his opponent slammed him on his back. Wrestlers are allowed to slam opponents if they have at least one knee on the ground. The referee repeatedly reminded Kennedy players to “take it easy” on the magnitude of slamming. In Johnson’s match, the warnings were not enough. He came away with a bruised rib.
The team record stands at 2-2. The next meet is against Mission and Logan, Feb. 3.
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January 27, 2010
Simoneel Czar and Noelle Fujii
Many students upload videos on video-sharing websites, such as YouTube.
Senior Gordon Young makes videogame walk-throughs on his YouTube account, DMRhythm.
“[The best part about making videos is] making people laugh and entertaining them. When I get comments and subscribers telling me how much they enjoy my videos, it just makes me happy,” Young said.
Young is eager to continue making videos when he goes to college, unless it interferes with his school work.
“Sometimes my friends come over and appear in my videos. They usually make a bit more entertaining,” Young said.
However, making the final product isn’t an easy task.
“Depending on the video, it could take a few hours including recording, importing, editing and uploading,” junior Victoria Chan said.
Chan has a YouTube account, MiniTibbeh, where she posts videos about her random thoughts on life.
“I get a lot of inspiration from many famous YouTube celebrities like CommunityChannel and KevJumba,” Chan said.
Senior Tara Darland used to make YouTube videos as a hobby on her account, xtawaqueen. She has made videos about what happens in life.
“I’ve gotten a couple hundred viewers,” Darland said.
It has been a few years since she last made a video because she no longer has time to dedicate to the whole process.
The art of making web videos has turned people into Internet celebrities. YouTube is transforming into a medium for people around the world to connect their ideas, interests and cultures with the click of a mouse.
