This year the teams are organized into junior varsity and varsity, whereas in previous years, junior varsity was instead a froshsoph team. That means that this year, juniors can play with freshmen and sophomores, strengthening the team with their experience. Several junior players are grateful for the opportunity to play again. “I’m really happy that the league changed frosh-soph to junior varsity. It gives the juniors another opportunity to play together before moving up to a more competitive team.” said junior player Hannah Poplack. “It allows for those of us who aren’t really ready for var-sity to continue playing the sport they love at a comfortable level,” agreed junior Allie Munier.

The varsity team is guaranteed to do well, what with its powerful players and history of dominance over the other teams. This year the varsity will be in the PAL Ocean Division, playing against teams such as South San Francisco, Sequoia, Menlo-Atherton, and El Camino. Last year they made it to CCS, only inspiring them to persevere this season.

It’s no wonder the varsity team is so successful. Shining senior shortstop Karyn Jacobs and stunning senior centerfelder Candace Stephens are excellent examples of the tremendous talent the team possesses. “The team is just awesome. All-around, we are aweome. We have an awesome team spirit along with awesome skills, amounting to awesome results!” said Jacobs.

The junior varsity is also expected to do very well, considering froshsoph has only lost a couple games in the last two years combined. The team owes its success to a fantastic pitcher and equally as impressive set of fielders. Strong on defense, the team has remained a strong contender in the Ocean Division for years. “We also had a good energy as a team; I think that’ll stay the same with the new group this year.” said junior Diana Brewer, the second baseman for the froshsoph team the past two years.

For the next month or so, the Lady Bearcats will be working hard at practice as they rekindle their passion and dedication for the game. Games will begin shortly after, with the ladies’ first home game on March 15 against Aragon.  Don’t forget to check out San Mateo’s legendary softball team. The love from the crowd is what fuels the girls to victory.

The girls are off to their best start since the 2007-2008 season. “I think we are doing very well this year. We have beaten teams that we did not expect to beat,” said Alana. Despite a 41-58 loss to Terra Nova, the best team in the division, Alana has led the girls to victories against Sacred Heart Prep and Menlo, some of the best private schools in the Peninsula. Alana scored 27 points against Menlo, and 28 points against Sacred Heart Prep. She is one of the most exceptional players in the area.

“We always go out and give it our best,” said Alana. Alana, however, doesn’t always have great games. Sometimes, she may be cold and score less than she usually does. “My teammates on the bench really help me on and off the court when I am having a rough night, and I’m really glad that they are there for me,” said Alana. The love from the bench and the love from the crowd is what fuels Alana to perform to her best potential.   “I want us to go out and win most of our games, and I also want us to beat Terra Nova. They are the toughest in our division,” explained Alana. “In order for us to win, I think that I need to work harder in practice. I want us to win the state championship,” said Alana.

Alana is only a junior, and she looks forward to leading her team next year as well. With the departing seniors going off to college next year, Alana will have to think ahead and plan how she will guide her teammates next season. Next year, the team will lose some of its athleticism and height, and will be left with more guards.   Alana is looking forward to playing basketball in a PAC 12 school when she goes off to college.

As of January 21, the Bearcats have aggressively shown that they are ready to come out and win. Even though they sport a 1-1 record with a forfeit to Sequoia, the boys beat Oceana in a 64-38 victory at home on January 20.  The bearcats took the game with ease, with the score being 14-36 at halftime.    Team captain Darren Yamauchi is happy with the team’s progress. “I think our season is going very well. I feel that we are doing better than everybody’s expectations and proved that we are a good team. I was unsure of how we would do at the beginning of the season because of our additions of two new players and how they would ft in with our season,” explained Darren. Darren is averaging 11.8 points per game, most of them coming from beyond the three-point line. “I expect nothing but success this season,” said Darren.

Ben Skelton, senior captain and forward, has greatly impacted the team this season. Ben is averaging a double-double as of January 21, making around 17.2 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game. Standing at 6’4, most players expect Ben to be the center and big man of the floor, but many do not know about his exceptional shooting capabilities. “I’m really happy with our progress. We have beaten a lot of teams that we lost to last year, like Carlmont and Jefferson,” said Ben.

D’armon Collins, senior power forward, is also pleased with the improvement the team has shown. “We are doing a lot better than last year,” said D’armon. D’armon has been playing on Mateo basketball for four years straight, and has witnessed the changes the team has defense and scoring. We need to work on getting fewer turnovers though,” explained D’armon. “My goal is to win league, win PAL, and most of all win CCS,” said D’armon.

It is only the beginning of league play. Being the favored team of the di-vision, many of the other teams in the conference nowaim to beat Mateo to earn that favored spot. The next home game is on February 1 against Sequoia at home. Come out and support.

Winter formal is a brand new event for San Mateo. The school allows only two off campus dances per year, so in the past San Mateo has not hosted a winter formal in order to accom-modate GRID and Prom. For this reason, the event will be held in the small gym.
“Come see a completely different gym! Our theme is “Come Fly With Us,” its going to be a really great night!” said senior class council member Juan Afanador.

Tickets go on sale January 30 for $20 and will sell until February 10, or until they are gone.
“Tickets are on firstcome, firstserve basis.  If you want a ticket, buy it early.  Don’t wait until the last minute. We can’t guarantee that everyone will get a ticket, so if you’re worried about getting a ticket, buy it early,” said SCC member Tayler Titus, in regards to attendance restrictions during GRID in the fall.

Guest passes are available on School-loop now.  They are due in Student Services by Monday, January 30.

“I’m excited! I have been hearing about Aragon, Burlingame, and Hillsdales formals for years, so I am excited that San Mateo fnally has one,” said junior Marie Angle.

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it. I wasn’t sure if it was for real, ” said junior Kayla Rose.

Today’s education system is deteriorating the youth grade by grade. Not only are students expected to interpret, retain and understand extensive amounts of complex information–calculus, rhetoric, government–on a daily basis, but they are expected to stay completely focused in a society full of distractions.

According to acclaimed world lecturer, Sir Ken Robinson, kids are under more pressure in school today than ever before, and that’s not what learning should be about. Learning should be enriching and exciting, but instead it’s bland and deadening.

The problem is that this system was designed for a different generation. Public education was established during the Industrial Revolution and uses many of the same elements as a factory: a bell schedule, separate subjects, classes grouped based on age group. Why is it assumed that kids interact best with their own age group?

My solution is a more personalized school system: kids take a skills test at a young age to determine in which environment, what time of day, and what age group they work best in and are placed in classes accordingly. This would offer a much more comfortable learning environment and make the kids more enthusiastic about learning. Kids would be free to go to classes at times that work best for them: the system would be made up of morning/afternoon classes and afternoon/night classes.

Students also would be placed in courses that suit their personality and interests. Teaching would be either very interactive and hands-on, or very independent, depending on student’s personal preference.

In retrospect, public education is an outdated system and needs reform. The laziness and  inconsideration in the government is hurting our youth and the future of our country and the world. Kids need to be taught that there’s more to life than book work and stress

T-ara is a seven-member girl group in South Korea, best known for their hit single ‘Bo Beep Bo Beep.’ They made their Japanese debut in 2011, and have been successful since the Japanese audience really loved that the songs were translated into Japanese for them.

Jisoo started small, but his dancing career soared in a rush to the spotlight. “I was a guest dancer at SF K-Pop Contest 2011, which was in Palo Alto,” Jisoo said.

“After the performance I was of-fered three different gigs, one of them being the leader of the backup dancers for the T-ara concert, meaning having to learn, teach and perfect the songs,” said Jisoo.

As a K-pop fan in America, K-pop happenings always catch his eye. It is one of his most favored activites.

“I was interested because T-ara is one of the top girl groups in Korea, and their popularity is growing rapidly right now,” Jisoo said.

“I didn’t want to miss an opportunity like this,” Jisoo added.   After landing the gig as dancers for T-ara, the backup dancers had a chance to show their skills by partici-pating in a flashmob in the food court in Lawrence Plaza in Santa Clara.

Not only did they receive attention from the crowd in Santa Clara but they also got 40,000 views on their video of their flashmob on Youtube after it was featured on a well known Korean celebrity news site, “allkpop.”

Jisoo has been following his heart all this time.

“Dancing is my passion and K-pop is my favorite genre of music, so I combined them to get where I did. I’m just doing what I love to do and people take notice,” said Jisoo.

Not only do the dancers get to dance with their favorite K-pop singers, but they also get a huge perk: the day before the concert they are going to be able to have dinner with T-ara, and the following day they get to hang out with them.

Come support our very own  Bearcats at the T-ara Concert! Buy your tickets now before it’s sold out.

2011 was a big breakthrough year for many artists, with numerous successful album releases. The nominees for album of the year are Adele’s 21, Foo Fighter’s Wasting Light, Lady GaGa’s Born This Way, Bruno Mars’ Doo-Woops & Hooligans, and Rihanna’s Loud. Most predictably, the award will go to Adele for her crazy suc-essful sophomore album. Although most all the nominees are deserving, Adele dominated the music world last year with four consecutively popular singles.

With that said, record of the year will most likely go to Adele as well. Her single “Rolling In The Deep” exploded at the beginning of last year and was played to exhaustion. Adele may ap-pear to have this year’s Grammy’s in the bag, but she’s going up against some tough competition:  Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave”,  Katy Perry’s “Fire-work,” and Best New Artist Nominee Bon Iver’s “Holocene.”

On account of indie-rock band Arcade Fire’s miraculous steal last year for Album of the Year,  it would be safe to assume that another latent band will take the spotlight this year. And by latent band I’m referring to the Wisconsin-based indie-folk Bon Iver, headed by songwriter Justin Vernon.

The band’s sophomore self-titled album, which released in June, expanded their popularity and gave them the recognition they deserve. If Bon Iver doesn’t win Best New Artist, Skrillex should take the cake. Other nominees include The Band Perry, J. Cole, and Nicki Minaj.   Remember to tune in on Sun-day, February 12 for the 54 Annual Grammy Awards on CBS. Don’t miss this annual and grand event coming next month!

San Mateo mounts both a prosecution and a defense team—the prosecution team is working to prove that Ryan Buschell did kill Becca Abeles, while the defense team is working to prove his innocence.

This year’s prosecution team, headed by junior Diane Liu, is responsible for proving Ryan Buschell killed his former best friend. On the defense team, there is also Nidhi Minoj, a freshman, and Samson Peter, a sophomore.

The defense team this year, led by junior Liza Leykina, has the job of showing, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Buschell committed the murder. Junior, Amin Nilchian, and sophomore, Megha Bindal, are lawyers on the defense attorney team as well.

The thrilling competitions begin on January 31; the San Mateo defense team will go against the prosecution team from Mills High School, and the San Mateo prosecution team will argue against Terra Nova’s defense team.

Our mock trial team reached semi-finals last year and hopefully will again this year. Our mock trial team has been practicing and working hard to make it to finals this year.

The first competition is on Tuesday, January 31, at the South San Francisco Courthouse and starts at 5:30 p.m. Come watch the mock trial team at their first competition of the year.

Apple’s head of marketing, Phil Schiller, said that when the iPad takes over the textbook market, textbooks would cost $15 or less. Apple released the iBooks application for free.

In terms of prices, schools will save money by switching to iPads instead physical textbooks, Schiller said. Text-books cost approximately $105 each. Textbooks last fiveyears on average, while iPads would only need the oc-casional software upgrade.

“It’s easier on everyone’s backs and you can’t lose any textbooks because they’re all in one place in your iPad,” said senior Delilah Unga.

Others have doubts about using an iPad as a textbook. “It’s better for our backs, but worse for our eyes,” said junior Joey Wong. “It’s hard to study on iPads because you can’t take notes or highlight any-thing,” said sophomore Rui Zhang.

“If the iPad started to malfunction or break at night, you wouldn’t be able to study,” said sophomore Teresa Lee. Apple hopes for the virtual switch.

De acuerdo con el  Departa-mento de Seguridad Nacional del los EEUU, (US Depart-ment of Homeland Security), Oficina de Estadísticas deInmigración, en la actualidad, la mayoría de los inmigrantes provienen de México, China, India, Filipinas y la República Do-minicana. La cantidad de nuevos residentes permanentes legales solamente de México y China son más de 200,000 personas por año. De acuerdo con la Oficina delCenso, en el año 2050, alrededor de un cuarto de la población de los Estados Unidos será de origen hispano.

Con una gran fluencia anual deinmigrantes, no es sorprendente que la población total en los inmi-grantes en los Estados Unidos sea el cuarenta y cuatro por ciento. Ellos también son una parte importante de la fuerza laboral, 21 millones de trabajadores inmigrantes hacen al-rededor de un quince por ciento de la fuerza laboral. Sin embargo ellos no están destituyendo a los trabajadores domésticos, ellos están haciendo trabajos que no habrían  existido si los imigrantes no hubieran estado en los Estados Unidos.

Por otra parte, según la “Fundación Kauffman” el índice empresarial es casi un cuarenta por ciento más alto para los inmigrantes que para los trabajadores nativos e inmigrantes que han participado en la fundación de las potencias de la industria; tales como Google y eBay.De acuerdo al Consejo Nacional de Investigación de los Estados Unidos (Na-tional Research Council), en el extremo inferior del espe-ctro económico, los inmigrantes que ganan salarios bajos no reducen los salarios de los trabajadores domésticos.Cuando se trata de la educación, los inmigrantes no faltan tampoco. De acuerdo con la Casa Blanca, el cuarenta por ciento de doctores en los Estados Unidos nacieron en el extranjero.Por lo tanto, los inmigrantes son una parte beneficiosa de nuestrasociedad.