On Saturday, January 30th, Frosh Council and their moderators threw an e-recycling party in Moreau’s Senior Lot from 9am-1pm, donating Moreau’s antiquated TVs and other student-donated electronics to E-recycling of California.

“Mr. Wilder said nothing was being done with Moreau’s old TVs,” said freshman class president Bryan Quibol, “so we saw it as an opportunity to raise money for events in the future.”

Both frosh council and their moderators, Phil Wilder and Petar Zegura, worked hard to spread word of their e-recycling event. The information is on Moreau’s website and the marquee at the front of the school. Council has created posters, flyers, which they have handed out, at Moreau and their old elementary schools, and even a Facebook event called the “E-Recycling Event – by Recycling of California.”

Many people gave away their old and unused electronics. Some hoped their good deed would be repaid with an upgrade, while others just wanted to be “green” and ensure their old hunk of junk is disposed of properly.

Rather than shipping the donated junk to third world countries for a profit like some recycling companies, the E-recycling of California company has a whole page on its website dedicated to showing exactly what happens to their donated waste. Circuit boards are refined, turned into chunks of copper, and reused in pluming, telephone wiring, and circuit boards. Metals are reused as car parts, new electronics, and paper clips. The glass of a computer screen is cleaned and lead removed and refined in order to make new Cathode Ray Tubes. And the plastic is melted down and used for injection molding, where it is turned into slides, park benches, and etc.

Before e-recycling had been an option, no one knew what to do with all of these old TVs.

“Some [TVs] were already given to an elementary school [St. Mary’s of Arcata],” frosh moderator Petar Zegura said.

Moreau’s other TVs rendered useless as administrators continued to look for a way to put them to good use. Mr. Wilder couldn’t think of any better use than giving the TVs to a company willing to pay them for tons of junk. Having done work with this company a few years back in order to raise money for the Cross Country team’s trip to Rhode Island, Wilder was familiar with how much money 15¢ per pound could add up to.

A majority of the money raised will be going towards the class of 2013, but the rest of it will help pay for the class shirts that weren’t sold during 2009 Spirit Week.

“I think we should save more instead of spending it all,” freshman senator Stephanie Chen said. “Hopefully we can spend a little more on decorations and make our class’s Spirit Week better.”

Chen traveled to Taiwan for a three-day trip in January where she gave presentations at various conferences and was interviewed by press for her teaching ideas and accomplishments.

The Taiwanese government strongly promotes the spread of Chinese language curriculum throughout the world and acknowledged Chen for her efforts and innovation for the cause. “I’m a little bit famous for teaching Chinese in the US, so the Taiwanese government told me to present how I use technology and what I think about Chinese teaching in the United States,” Chen said.

Students find this recognition interesting. “I just see her as my teacher, but it’s cool how she is well known in another country like that,” Senior James Hartanto said.

Chen presented her ideas at a couple of universities including Chang Gung University in the city of Gueishan and the National Taipei University of Education. She spoke about how the new generation of web development has transformed the way in which she teaches Chinese. Through e-books, audio applications, blogging, animations, and virtual drills and games, Chen has enhanced her students’ ability to learn Mandarin.

“It’s more interactive,” Chen said. “Instead of a boring PowerPoint, students are more attracted to the online collaboration and simulations.”

Chen was also a part of a competition where computer skills were essential. It was hosted by the Taiwanese Government and required participants to write teacher blogs. “That’s so easy for me because I write a lot. And I also do a lot of teacher training. I train Chinese teachers in the United States. So ask me to write a teacher blog is a piece of cake,” Chen said.

Chen had her eyes set out on the contest’s cash prize: money that she would use to buy a smart board for her classroom. “I attended a lot of conferences, and they were talking about smart boards,” Chen said. “One smart board is probably 2000 U.S. dollars at least, but we don’t have a grant or money. We couldn’t just pull it out my pocket.”

Chen did win the contest, but her earnings fell short of her goal. “There are two types of winners. One is how many people vote for you, so how popular you are. I got that one, 300 dollars on that. The second one is the real winner, so I got first place, so 500 dollars. So I say hmm, 800 dollars is kind of a shortage right? However I got a check from an anonymous person; it was kind of a thank you for my contribution to the Chinese teaching and promotion. So I got a 2,000 dollar check, exactly the amount I needed. So soon, they are going to install the new smart board in my class.”

Her luck has given her the chance to integrate a smart board into her Chinese curriculum, something that she has heard mixed opinions on. “A lot of teachers use these to teach foreign languages. It opens another door for me. Some people say it’s so bad; some say it’s incredible. So I’m kind of in between. I think sometimes technology is easy to use, but you need to think about how to use it. So, it kind of challenged me wanting to have a smart board,” Chen said.

In this generation where students have the television, mp3 player, and iChat all on at once while doing homework, the smart board does have more of an attractive factor compared to out-dated textbooks and dusty chalkboards. The smart board allows a teacher’s finger to act as a mouse to control any computer application on a digital whiteboard and record any activity on the board along with an audio track making for good review sessions for students.

Chen sees the technology’s potential. “I think it will help my teaching, making students relate more because it’s visual engagement,” Chen said.

Although on a tight schedule preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year at Moreau while busy planning a future summer trip to Taiwan for her students, Chen can’t help but to stop and appreciate the school and what it has allowed her to do. Her passion for Chinese culture as well as technology has thoroughly integrated here, and she is always in search for the next innovative step forward in her teaching. “I am so excited,” she said, “because according to rumor, there is a new touch screen for apple, and, if we get a touch screen and a smart board, that will be a another new way of teaching.”

The idea of the potluck originated from Filipino Club Vice President, junior Mariel Hernandez, and Chinese Film Club President, junior Gaby Lee.

“We wanted to do something before finals and we wanted to show that the clubs were still active,” said Hernandez.

Not all clubs were seen at the event. Four clubs, however, were able to attend: Chinese Film Club, the Filipino Club, the Indian Club, and the Asian Drama Club.

“We really tried to invite everyone but we had complications,” said Hernandez.

Each club brought different types of food from their club’s culture.

“The Filipino Club, brought pansit and lumpia, of course,” said Hernandez.

Another club, the Indian Club, brought samosas, a fried pastry filled with spicy meat or vegetables.

Hernandez revealed the purpose of the potluck as a social event.

“Just the clubs getting together and bringing food.”

Students like juniors Danielle Tongson and Victoria Vergara attended the event and favored some foods over others.

“I thought the food was pretty good. I liked the lumpia, because lumpia is good,” said Tongson.

“The cake [from the Asian Drama Club] was my favorite because it had strawberry filling,” said Vergara.

Hernandez and Lee plan on having similar cultural potlucks in the future.

“It was fun and I’m glad it happened. We’re most likely going to do this again, for sure,” said Hernandez.

In previous years, the frosh retreats have been held off campus. Due to the needs of other departments, Campus Ministry had to hold the retreats in G-23.

Many of the current upperclassmen that have gone to other facilities for their frosh retreats believe that having the retreats at Moreau had significant drawbacks.

Senior Brian Tieu believes that outside facilities have special qualities. “The peace and serenity that they are able to achieve outside an environment that they relate directly to stress and work is essential to this primary experience with retreats,” Tieu said.

Senior Jun Oregana, a Campus Ministry Team (CMT) member, has a similar viewpoint. “The whole point of a retreat is to get away from school and be by yourself. The fact that we are at school means we are only getting away from our classes. We are not getting away from school in general,” Oregana said.

Senior Joseph Abenojar, a CMT member, sees the lack of space as an issue. “You are really cramped. People are tempted to talk with others that are not a part of their group,” Abenojar said.

Senior Jessica Gelico, a CMT member, disagrees. “ The location of a retreat does not really determine how great it will be. Retreats are about reflection so it doesn’t need to be in a certain place.”

The change in location of the frosh retreats was due to admission’s necessities. “The admissions office also needed to go out and do Moreau presentations earlier than previous years and needed the bus,” Campus Ministry Team Director Ann Tabora said.

Since the admissions office needed the bus earlier than past years, Campus Ministry needed to hold all the frosh retreats in August, September, and early October.

“I had to look for a facility that would accommodate all our dates, very close together, and that was a bit of a challenge,” Tabora said.

Tabora looked at 3 facilities but none could accommodate all the retreats. “Some classes had to go to one site because of the dates in their own calendar couldn’t accommodate all of them. This made it difficult to provide a common experience when the place wasn’t the same,” Tabora said.

Then came the possibility of holding the retreats at Moreau in G-23. Tabora believes that this change worked out well. “It proved to be really practical and convenient.”

A lot of money was saved. “Having the retreat here for the freshman, we saved almost six thousand dollars,” Tabora said.

In addition to money, time was another benefit. “We had a longer time with the freshman because it was right here. We didn’t have to travel,” Tabora said

However, Tabora admits that having the retreats at Moreau did have a disadvantage. “Where we used to go in Fremont, it was spacious, surrounded by garden, they could sit under a tree,” Tabora said.

The week before the contest students had been diligently baking to produce the perfectly crafted chocolate chip cookie.  Many were optimistic that their baking skills proved victorious. “I felt really confident in my cookies because my mommy bought Ghirardelli chocolate chips,” said junior Alejandra Cardenas.

Some students, like junior Amanda Martin, disagreed, “Just because we have Ghirardelli chocolate doesn’t mean we’re going to win,” she said to fellow team mate Cardenas, “It’s all about the conversions.”

Those given the privilege to judge these cookies consisted of a wide variety of people, including teachers, administrators, and even students.   The judging is graded by color, texture, taste, and overall appearance of the cookie, each category with a potential two points.  “I have high expectations,” junior Nicole Harbert, one of the few student judges.

In the end it was sweet victory for some groups, including Group 3, consisting of Ali Giron, Andrea Aranzamendez, Marilen Atienza, and Melissa Nyguen.

“Some of them have been pretty sweet,” Couling said. “Students may have been making up for the lack of diet soda.”

This year, the get out of school barbeque encouraged 360 students to sell 150 dollars or more in raffle tickets. Students who ended up selling over 100 dollars were allowed to attend as well. The barbeque was a fulfilling reward commending students on their support for the school and its technological venture.

With more than 68,000 dollars raised in funds, Moreau’s classrooms will be sporting new LCD TVs come the new year. The 52% increase from last year proves that the barbeque was a draw for many students who otherwise would have not sold. Most students really enjoyed the carnival, and those who were unable to go, wished they had sold.

Sophomore Ashley Nepomuceno did not end up selling the required amount. “I didn’t really see it as motivation until my friends started deciding to attend.” During class however, she felt really left out.

Some students like junior Aditi Mishra didn’t sell in fear of missing important class work. “I felt like there was no point in selling since I had a history test my grade kind of relied on. I didn’t want to mess it up in any way, especially since it was towards the end of the quarter,” Mishra said.

Ultimately, Mishra regretted not selling because her history test was postponed. “If there is something like it next year, I am definitely going to sell,” Mishra said.

Senior Ashley Richards figured that it was a nice treat for people who were able to sell 150 dollars and sad for those who couldn’t. Her friend senior Taylor Chee sold for the sole purpose of getting out of class. She didn’t mind selling 150 dollars worth of tickets, “but then again, I would sell my soul not to go to class,” Chee joked.

Chee didn’t care much for the all the different activities at the carnival, instead she enjoyed the cotton candy. Junior Melissa Desuyo shared a similar opinion. “The only reason I’d go for is the Velcro wall,” Desuyo said.

Although Desuyo didn’t end up selling, she had a relaxing time in class. “Mr. Stone was at the carnival, so we had a sub. We ended up watching Legally Blonde 2.”

Senior Jessica Gelico however, sold the required amount, attended the carnival, yet found it somewhat lacking. “I think I expected a lot more out of it. It was fun in the beginning, when we were just getting there and seeing the activities and such, but after we already saw everything, ate food, and played a couple games it was done,” Gelico said. “When I first got there I was sad that I had to leave the party to go to collab, but then after a while, I found myself waiting for collab.”

On the other hand, senior Ryan Donida found the barbeque “really fun”. He participated in the games radio station KMEL set up, and enjoyed winning the prizes. He also loved participating in the water fight that broke out towards the end of barbeque.

Donida didn’t consider the carnival motivation, instead he thought of it as an added bonus. “I always sell the needed amount or more,” Donida said.

According to Lek, the decision to inform the school of the unusual number of absences due to this uncommon flu was “a strategic move by the Oakland Diocese, leadership teams, and the school’s administration.”

That move was deemed necessary because this flu season began much earlier than usual. The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website reports flu season to regularly peak in November and continue on until April.

The term “swine flu”, the negative connotation associated with it, and the fear from the deaths it caused in other countries also added to the decision to make the preemptive announcement.

Karen Strawn, of the attendance office, found the announcement useful. “It definitely made us more aware as a community of what was going on,” she said. “The second week of school, numbers of students falling sick were increasing and for a while we didn’t know why.”

Lek also felt it necessary to try to prevent the spread of the virus. “Many kids feel sick and have fevers but still come to school,” Lek said.

While some students decided to come to school even if they weren’t feeling well, some students automatically went doctor ‘s office after hearing Lek’s announcement. Freshmen Calyx Embry and Kim Ly both went the doctor’after they started experiencing flu-like symptoms.

“When I went to the doctor’s they stuck a Q-Tip in my throat and tested me for something, and I stayed home for about two days,” Embry said.

“They did that to me too,” Ly added, “but I didn’t have swine flu.”

Suddenly, teachers started noticing up to nine students missing in a single class.

Seniors Kaitlin Renfro and Michael Capule both contracted viral infections. Whether or not they had swine flu is unknown to them, but they both shared the same symptoms: cough, sore throat, runny noses, fevers, weakness, chills, body ache, and nausea are a few.

Students responded to Lek’s advice by asking to leave class when they felt these symptoms.

“Students were coming down and asking us to check their fevers,” Strawn said.  “At first the attendance office was overwhelmed with the number of students falling ill, but the more information I collected, the more proactive I could be about disinfecting everything.”

Interestingly, not all the students falling sick had flu symptoms. Urgent care doctors at the Palo Alto Medical foundation claimed that the CDC is not testing for swine flu in particular. Only children under the age of 5 and seniors can be treated. Tests take almost two months to come back and by that time the patient is usually over the infection.

This means that it is difficult to tell for sure whether or not any Moreau student actually contracted the H1/N1 virus.

“No doctor has verified the cases of swine flu but there are some suspected cases,” said Lek. “The fever is the determination, and by encouraging students to use hand sanitizer we are motivating students to have good practices.”

Assistant Principal Mike Aquino fell sick for a while as well. He was not tested for the flu, but he understands the importance of taking precautions. “Staying at home and keeping good hygiene is the most we can do to prevent more students from falling sick,” Aquino said.

If over 15% of the studnent body fell sick with the same symptoms, the school would have to temporarily close.

“We are nowhere near that number,” Aquino said.

If that did happen, Aquino has worked with teachers to prepare a backup plan.

“We would depend entirely on technology,” he said. “Teachers would conduct synchronous chats and discussions with small groups of students at a time.”

For now, teachers are working to accommodate student absences.  Senior Jessica Lopez missed seven days of school, and when she came back she had a hard time catching up in Calculus. “Mr. Gongwer has been the most helpful and understanding teacher,” she said. “His calculus class is really hard for me and I missed a test and some extra classes, but he has really given me a lot of time to catch up and learn all of the material.”

For future prevention, the H1/N1 vaccine is being made available to the public in November.

This year all freshmen will be required by the theology department to create a spiritual portfolio, an on-going project for all four years of high school.

This new change came about after over 10 years observation from the Theology department through student’s written reflections.

“Spiritual growth does indeed occur within our students,” Theology Department Chair Amy Armstrong said. “And for many years, over a decade, we’ve wondered about how we might document this growth.”

Unlike the English portfolio’s that are just students essay the spiritual portfolios are a power point that students will add to over the course of their school year. By students senior year they will have one power point for each year.

Armstrong hopes the power points will become a compilation of highlights from their theology courses. “Students are beginning to document these moments – from in-class rituals or  activities, as well as insights gleaned from various theological explorations”, she said.

The upperclassmen, who are aware of this project have good things to say about it.  “I wish I had been able to do that as a freshmen, it would be interesting to see where I was then and where I am now”, junior Amanda Martin said.

At this point the overwhelming response from freshman interviewed is that they were unclear about what the portfolio was, as this is their first month, but once they heard about it, they seemed open, “It’ll be cool to see when I’m a senior,” freshman Kevin Tilli said.

Armstrong intends that the portfolios will be good documentation of spiritual growth for the students. “My hope is that students will appreciate being able to look back, perhaps years later, at the spiritual “snapshot” they created of themselves and feel appreciation both for who they were and for how they’ve grown”, Armstrong said.

Although most students are enthusiastic about the more permissive policy, some are wondering why one color is specifically prohibited.

“If we’re allowed to wear jeans, why not be allowed to wear blue jeans?” junior Alonso Avanto said, “It doesn’t hurt anybody.”

According to Alcott, it all comes down to responsibility. “It will help students learn how to make good choices, and hold students accountable for their actions,” Alcott said.

Prohibiting blue jeans also makes it easier for administrators and staff to easily identify if a student is violating the appearance code – just by looking at the color of their jeans.

Having an appearance code also enhances school safety. “It helps keep track of our students and identify those who don’t belong here,” Campus Supervisor Matt Kurpinsky says, “but I’d still like to see our school in uniform.”

Studies have shown that students who attend schools with an appearance code or uniform benefit from it. According to the American School Board Journal in 2006, “School uniforms, proponents have said, can lead to improved discipline and classroom behavior, increased school attendance, respect for teachers, better school performance… and lower rates of violence and crime.”

Despite the expected objections from students, many are happy with the revised appearance code. “It’s better than wearing khakis,” freshman Mila Azofeifa says. “Limitations are good because if they don’t give us restrictions then we’ll abuse it,” senior AJ Anschutz said.  “It’ll be a free for all.”

Many are also in favor of the dress code because of the convenience it brings. “Being allowed to wear jeans makes it easier to find and buy clothes,” junior Lorena Salaverria says.

The appearance code is proven to be successful so far in regards to compliance from the students. “There’s been a lot less [detentions], but I expect to see more as the year goes by,” Kurpinsky says.

With the variety of appearance codes Moreau has used in the past, our school can only continue to progress. “It’s a steady process,” junior Paul Burchak said. “What’s viewed as presentable has changed through time. Who knows where we’ll go with the dress code in the future.”

“They did that to me too,” Ly added, “but I didn’t have swine flu.”

Suddenly, teachers started noticing up to nine students missing in a single class.

Seniors Kaitlin Renfro and Michael Capule both contracted viral infections. Whether or not they had swine flu is unknown to them, but they both shared the same symptoms: cough, sore throat, runny noses, fevers, weakness, chills, body ache, and nausea are a few.

Students responded to Lek’s advice by asking to leave class when they felt these symptoms.

“Students were coming down and asking us to check their fevers,” Strawn said.  “At first the attendance office was overwhelmed with the number of students falling ill, but the more information I collected, the more proactive I could be about disinfecting everything.”

Interestingly, not all the students falling sick had flu symptoms. Urgent care doctors at the Palo Alto Medical foundation claimed that the CDC is not testing for swine flu in particular. Only children under the age of 5 and seniors can be treated. Tests take almost two months to come back and by that time the patient is usually over the infection.

This means that it is difficult to tell for sure whether or not any Moreau student actually contracted the H1/N1 virus.

“No doctor has verified the cases of swine flu but there are some suspected cases,” said Lek. “The fever is the determination, and by encouraging students to use hand sanitizer we are motivating students to have good practices.”

Assistant Principal Mike Aquino fell sick for a while as well. He was not tested for the flu, but he understands the importance of taking precautions. “Staying at home and keeping good hygiene is the most we can do to prevent more students from falling sick,” Aquino said.

If over 15% of the studnent body fell sick with the same symptoms, the school would have to temporarily close.

“We are nowhere near that number,” Aquino said.

If that did happen, Aquino has worked with teachers to prepare a backup plan.

“We would depend entirely on technology,” he said. “Teachers would conduct synchronous chats and discussions with small groups of students at a time.”

For now, teachers are working to accommodate student absences.  Senior Jessica Lopez missed seven days of school, and when she came back she had a hard time catching up in Calculus. “Mr. Gongwer has been the most helpful and understanding teacher,” she said. “His calculus class is really hard for me and I missed a test and some extra classes, but he has really given me a lot of time to catch up and learn all of the material.”

For future prevention, the H1/N1 vaccine is being made available to the public in November.

Luckily for other students, Moreau has an additional insurance policy to cover accidents. “The screens are covered under an insurance policy, so instead of paying $700 replace a screen, students only pay the $100 deductable,” Mendiola said.

Through much use of the laptops over three years, the battery life is decreasing, forcing some students to stick close to an energy source. Senior Ken Hill is one of those students who lost the portability factor of his laptop. “Right now my laptop still can’t function without being plugged in,” he said.

According to Apple’s website, the batteries in the older generation laptops are intended to last only 300 recharge cycles.
“So these laptops are nearing the end of their lives,” Martin said.

Fortunately, the underclassmen don’t have to worry about this problem so soon because the new laptops are made to last about 1000 recharge cycles.

Perhaps the scariest problem for most students is hard drive failures, which leaves a lasting impact on a student’s daily school life. Without the hard drive, the computer might as well be a paperweight. Along with the dead battery, Hill also has troubles with his hard drive not working. Students can be seen transporting their laptops while open and running. They don’t give a second thought to how it could cause problems.

According to Martin, a possible cause to the problem is when the laptop is open, the hard drive continues to spin. Along with the askew position of the computer, it causes the moving parts to clash, resulting in a failed hard drive or CD drive.

The problems experienced by seniors have made them realize how valuable the laptops really are to school life. As Nepomuceno said, “I plan to use the case provided, in hopes of never being without a laptop again.”