Peer Resource To Host DUI Prevention and Awareness Week

by Jenae Casalnuovo

Our Peer Resource class is hosting a DUI Prevention and Awareness Campaign next week, from March 31^st through April 4^th.

Approximately one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. Every day in the United States, 28 people die as a result of these crashes. Kids who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an alcohol-related crash, according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is an extremely prevalent issue in Marin County – we have a higher rate of underage and binge drinking than state and national averages.

Peer Resource feels that many students do not fully recognize the consequences of drinking and driving. This is a huge problem that the class is trying to tackle through a hands-on education.

The week will begin with the presence of a wrecked car on campus, located next to the Senior Tree. The car will remain there for the entirety of the week to remind students the potentially lethal consequences of drinking and driving.

Tuesday will feature some games involving DUI statistics and others involving drunk goggles during the two breaks. A cakewalk and Wheel of Fortune game will take place during lunch.

Throughout the day on Wednesday, a student will be called out of class every 22 minutes to help students comprehend the statistic that a person dies once every 22 minutes from a drunk driving accident. A Peer Resource student will then read an obituary to the class the student was in, and the student will have their face painted white to signify being a part of the Walking Dead. A DUI video will also be shown to each advisory class.

On Thursday, there will be tables set up all day by the Senior Tree where students can pledge to designate a sober driver. After pledging, each student’s name will be entered into a raffle to win various gift cards and certificates to local businesses, such as M&G’s, Scoop, and Jamba Juice.

The week will conclude with guest speaker Sue Hunt LeMay talking about her personal experience losing a loved one due to drunk driving. This moving presentation will take place during Tutorial in the Little Theater. Other Peer Resource classes from our school district will also be attending LeMay’s talk.

Peer Resource hopes to bring attention to how fatal the consequences of drinking and driving are, in order to hopefully not only deter classmates from driving while under the influence, but also to encourage them to speak up if they see someone who they know has been drinking getting behind the wheel.

The class educates underclassmen about alcohol and driving under the influence through Social Issues presentations, and the students believe that DUI Prevention and Awareness Week will also bring awareness to the students who have licenses and are potentially faced with this scenario: the upperclassmen.

Pirate’s Run Ends in Loss to Chaminade

By Nick Seminerio

DHS State Championship Photo Gallery:

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Sacramento, CA –

The Men’s Varsity Basketball team fell to Chaminade High School (27-6) of Canoga Park, California by a 71-51 margin in today’s Division III state championship game.

The Pirates were in position to become Marin’s first public school champion since Tamalpais High School in 2000. The last time the Pirates have won a state championship was in 1982.

Drake was unable to stop Chaminade’s runs early in the game, led by Michael Oguine (4), who had scored 20 points by halftime.

“When they turned over, they got points off it, when we turned them over, we weren’t finishing,” said head coach Doug Donnellan in a post-game press conference.

Adding a twist to the lineup of the Southern California school, Chaminade was missing Jack Williams (32), a key offensive player, due to illness. Jake Porath (33) stepped in and finished the game with six points and two assists.

Donnellan thought that Chaminade rallied around Williams’ absence, and that he’s seen teams play better when a situation like that occurs.

However, the Pirates gave it their all and battled back. By the end of the 2^nd quarter, Drake had an 8-0 run to pull within ten points, with the score at 35-25.

Through the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, Chaminade’s lead grew, with Trevor Stanback (22), Oguine, and Justin Eisen (3) each scoring over ten.

Donnellan said a variety of factors could have impacted the game. “It could have been the arena, we weren’t making shots they normally do, and jitters early in the game were a possibility,” he said.

Both players and coaches alike were impressed and appreciative of outpouring of community support. An estimated 1500 Pirate fans encompassed over three sections of the Sleep Train Arena, which is home to the Sacramento Kings.

“It was a great crowd, I didn’t think that many people would be there,” said Junior Jesse Hunt (30). Donnellan echoed his player, saying that win or lose, the community will love the team no matter what.

Junior Cade Yongue (13) said this season has taught the team that they can compete with everybody. “There will be high expectations for next year,” added Junior Ben Bloom (25).

However, the Pirates are far from forgetting this season’s memorable run. “It’s a great experience that I think we will all remember for a lifetime,” Donnellan said.

This story will be updated.

From the Bus: Players and Coaches Excited, but Focused Heading into Today’s Championship

By Nick Seminerio

Following an exciting, school-wide sendoff of the Men’s Varsity Basketball team, players and coaches are feeling the positive energy but staying focused before today’s 4:00 p.m. championship.

Students and staff lined the main parking lot, and cheered the team as they boarded the bus.

“The parade was a blast – it makes the whole experience more special,” said head coach Doug Donnellan.

Junior Ben Bloom agreed with his head coach.

“The parade was unreal – what’s crazy is how much people care about our team,” Bloom said. “I’m  excited, It’s an experience I may well never have again – it’s good to share it with my friends and family.”

Donnellan said while the parade has been exciting, he is focused heading into the game. “I’m going through every possible scenario, I’m focused. My enjoyment comes after,” Donnellan said.

Donnellan hopes that any nervousness will fade away by game time. “High school kids aren’t used to playing in a game of this magnitude. [There is] a certain sense of nervousness, feeling of awe, which will hopefully dissipate by the end,” Donnellan said.

“They’ve earned this opportunity today. It’s an honor,” Donnellan said.

Schoolwide Sendoff, Final Details Planned for Friday’s Championship

By Nick Seminerio 

Details were finalized today for an exciting send off of the Men’s Varsity Basketball team as the team departs for Sacramento tomorrow morning.

Classes will assemble in pre-determined locations near the main parking lot at 10:15 a.m. to cheer the team members, according to Assistant Principal Eric Saibel in an email sent to staff members.

Teachers have the option of allowing their classes to walk out to the parking lot to watch the bus drive away, Saibel said.

Also, Comacad student John Hassen today released a promo video for Friday’s championship game in Sacramento. The video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeu5LxvWhBw and below.

Four student buses will depart our school at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow, and ticket sales for students wishing to ride on those will end at 3:30 p.m. today.

Saibel wanted to remind all students that no beverages of any kind will be allowed, and that students are subject to search. Bottled water will be provided, he said.

Friday’s contest comes on the heels of Saturday’s 54-49 win versus Archbishop Riordan, a team from San Francisco, in the Northern California finals.

The Pirates will take on Chaminade High School from Canoga Park, CA at 4:00 p.m. at the Sleep Train Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings.

 

Drake Varsity Basketball: Meeting and Surpassing Expectations

By Samantha Gilbert

While not much was expected from a team that lost ten seniors last year, four big returners and new blood from JV has recreated a team that is determined, dedicated, and dominant.

Earlier this season, Varsity coach Doug Donnellan certainly had high expectations for his new team, but he had no idea how deep a run they would make.  Even with the leadership and experience that the four returners brought, Donnellan was heavily relying on the immediate impact of the varsity newcomers. “Cade Yongue, Dane Wells, Jasper Verduin, James Hamilton and Brandon Vergara have all stepped in and acted like they’ve been on varsity before,” Donnellan said.

While these boys have quickly adjusted to the varsity level of play, they admit it was a big transition. Not only are the players bigger, stronger, and more skilled, according to Yongue, the intensity is also heightened. “There is less room for error at this level and it definitely requires a higher level of focus,” said Yongue, while Verduin added, “last year the games really only meant something to the us and now they mean something to pretty much the entire school.”

The newcomers to the varsity team knew that they had to step their game up to have a successful season, and that is exactly what they have done. “My focus for each game is to help the team in any way possible. Whatever I can do to make the help make the team successful I try to do,” Yongue said. “We play as a team and have each other’s backs, and that has made it a really fun season.”

Wells agrees with Yongue—each player tries to fills their own role on the court. “Its been great contributing to such a successful team,” Wells said.  “Everyone has really bonded and we all mesh very well together.”

According to Donnellan, being an underdog all year has been encouraged the team to play with a sense of inspiration. “When we play teams that are supposedly better than us, we play our best ball,” said Donnellan. “The problem has been playing teams that are supposedly worse than us because we tend to coast. Changing that will be a big focus for next year.”

Hamilton concurs with Donellan, claiming that they play better when they are scared of the other team. “We like to be genuinely concerned about our opponent,” Hamilton said. “We talk about every game like it’s our last.”

Lately though, they have only been playing highly ranked teams, which could be why they have managed to sustain this winning streak. Recently, before each game, Donnellan has been telling his team to “have fun, be aggressive and play like you expect to win.” While many of the pre-game talks consist of analyzing the opposing team, the latest talks focus on dreaming big to accomplish great things, according to Donnellan.

As for the state championship game this Friday, Donnellan is expecting Chaminade, who is easily the best team they have played this year, to come out with pressure right from the tip-off. He thinks the game will come down to how well Drake can handle Chaminade’s defensive pressure.  “This team [Chaminade] has all the pieces for success,” Donnellan said.

The turnout to the Northern California championship game last Saturday really surprised Donnellan and the team is looking forward to the energy the fans will supply on Friday because, according to Verduin, the players feed off of it.  Hamilton agrees that crowd energy is key. “When we step out on the floor, nothing gets us more pumped than the roar of our friends cheering us on,” Hamilton said. “The crazy atmosphere it provides makes us want to leave everything on the floor and hold nothing back.”

Although it won’t be easy, our school could potentially win the state championship. “Chaminade has four players that could have all been MVPs in our league,” said Donnellan. “We have to put in our best effort and believe in ourselves in order to pull this one off.”

Short Day, Transportation Plan Set for Friday’s Championship Basketball Game in Sacramento

By Nick Seminerio

It’s official – Pirates will see a special, short day on Friday.

Principal Liz Seabury today announced that Friday, March 28 will be a 12:45 p.m. dismissal day so students and staff can trek to Sacramento to watch the state championship basketball game.

The Pirates will take on Chaminade High School from Canoga Park, CA at 4:00 p.m. at the Sleep Train Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Pirate,” Seabury said in her address to the school.

Friday’s contest comes on the heels of Saturday’s 54-49 win versus Archbishop Riordan, a team from San Francisco, in the Northern California finals.

Late Monday, the Administration released a letter detailing ticket sales and transportation logistics for students wanting to attend. The letter can be found below.

This story will be updated with more information.

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Tamalpais Union High School District Board Upholds Dismissal of Tam Teachers

By Nick Seminerio

Following a lengthy, passionate public comment section during last Wednesday’s Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) board meeting, board members voted to uphold the dismissal of three probationary Tamalpais High School math teachers.

Over 100 people showed up at the meeting, which was held at our school’s Student Center, to support the teachers: Ryan Fedoroff, Juan Vidal, and Anders Fairbanks.

Those who spoke out in favor of the teachers included current Tam students, parents, and fellow math teachers, including Tam Math department head Dave Wetzel.

“Do you know how rare a teacher with a math credential is, let alone a good one?” said Tam math teacher Curt Gebhard in his speech to board members.

After the public comments session, the board went into closed session and re-emerged with the decision that tenure for the teachers would not be granted.

Our school’s Math department teacher leader, Judy King, who also attended the meeting, said she cannot understand the decision. “I can’t understand this decision…everything I know about Anders and Ryan is that they are great teachers – and it’s very difficult to find great math teachers,” she said.

At the end of his speech, Gebhard asked the board to re-elect the teachers

“Do the obvious thing, the right thing,” he said.

Blinded by Technology (Winter Writing Contest Runner-up!)

by Walker Laughlin 

There’s no mistaking that we are living in the long anticipated Electronic Age. After all, anyone who isn’t 500 miles underground has stroked an iPhone, seen the infamous “Friday” video, and had some Breaking Bad episode spoiled for him or her. The influence of technology can be seen almost everywhere, but while we like to think of these societal additions as “gifts” brought to us by centuries of development and creativity, I believe that the groundbreaking innovations that have defined our century possess their fair share of flaws.

Take, for instance, the way the average attention span of people my age and below has lowered from that of an advanced life form to a level most easily compared to a common goldfish. We Millennials just can’t focus on one thing at a time anymore; with the addition of smartphones, tablets, and portable gaming systems, everything we do becomes less of a real experience and more of an interim between games of Candy Crush and online conversations with friends. There’s no denying that my peers and I have become slaves to the screen.

This new relationship between attention seizing electronics and their adoring operators first became evident to me when my family and I visited the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu. The trip was five years ago, when iPhones and iPods were only beginning to latch on to our minds, and so the bright glow of a welcoming screen was as foreign to me as the boisterous group of Germans that accompanied me and my family in the tour bus.

When the loud and bumpy ride to the crest of Mt. Machu Picchu ended and my family and I finally got to say “Auf Wiedersehen” to our new European acquaintances, we were made speechless by the magnificence of the 500 year old engineering and architectural wonders that panned below us. Mazes of restored buildings provided me with entertainment and knowledge as I ran through the rows and columns of perfectly chiseled stone and admired the many ancient buildings; my ten year old self beamed with fascination and energy. I felt like I was in a kid’s paradise, but it didn’t take long to find that not all children appreciated the ruins as I did.

As I neared what remained of an ancient Incan temple, I was flabbergasted by the sight of a cluster of Gameboy playing children. Coming from a family that had parents who were reluctant to even purchase a TV, I had never considered that some people would prefer saving Gotham City or stacking cumbersome block-structures to discovering the wonder of the world around them. But there those kids were, in one of the most fascinating and engaging places in the world, prioritizing their frivolous virtual realities over a once in a lifetime experience.

Sadly enough, clusters of screen addicted children have taken residence in nearly every conceivable place on Earth. I see them at school, in museums, and even out in treasured natural areas like Yellowstone National Park. Wherever there are screens, Wi-Fi networks, or nicely shaded nooks and chairs, there’s bound to have once been huddles of digitally interacting minors. Devices and their users have truly become inescapable.

I can even see these “screen-addicts” in the halls of our campus, playing games on their new school-issued iPads or screwing around with the Photobooth programs on the Macbooks in the Digital Learning Lab. Sure, teachers may think that their pupils are eagerly accomplishing whatever online task they’ve been assigned when they see wide grins behind the screens of school tablets and computers, but the truth is that almost every Drake student has at least once found the enticing glow of a trendy new app more compelling than their online assignments.

The image of the withdrawn and electronic device obsessed kid has become the most common stereotype for my generation, a model which I think we Millennials should be ashamed of. We young adults have the capacity to make life much richer with our new technological tools, yet I still would be surprised if pointless yet addicting games and hours spent away from real life is what media visionaries like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates truly envisioned when they brought their awe-inspiring creations to society. I think that if we humans power down our devices and breathe in the beauty of the real world, we can truly make an impact with the new innovations we have designed instead of living in a screen induced state of nearly constant passivity and boredom. All we have to do is log off.