The Drake Jolly Roger

Expectations for high school events | Courtesy of Ricky Durwood

Who wants to go to Disneyland? Raise your hand! Oh, sorry. This year, seniors can’t go.

All seniors look forward to the end-of-year senior trip to Disneyland. Many students whose older sibling have already graduated know that Disneyland is an ideal way to wave goodbye to high school. But now seniors are no longer given that opportunity. In fact, seniors have become complacent, expecting less from school social events and trips with each passing year and accepting it without second thought.

Three years ago, school social events like the recent Winter Formal were classy, exciting occasions where students were rewarded for a semester of hard work with a dance held in the stimulating city atmosphere. Little did the students know that this extravagant event was the last of its kind.

Due to the display of inappropriate behavior and provocative dancing at the Winter Formal four years ago, all dances thereafter were unfairly canceled. Even after the students finally went through unnecessary negotiations to prove to the administration they were worthy of a second chance, the dances were never the same.

Our formerly high expectations for school activities and social events have dropped; by settling for adequacy, we are settling for a significantly lesser experience.

Until recently, dance restrictions, ridiculous behavioral contracts and increased chaperones drained the excitement from school dances, which now are hosted solely in the unglamorous and much-too-familiar gym. While Leadership stepped up to impress the student body with this year’s Black and White Ball, it is only one success in a long line of barely adequate events. For those who never had the chance to witness the dances of 2008 and early 2009, you’ll never know what you missed. But the senior class had its taste of an upscale dance, and know that they are simply settling for less.

Why should the students continue to be punished for the decisions made by those who have long since graduated? The high school memories that students hope to accumulate and look back on are now plagued with restrictions, unnecessary sugar-coated activities and limitations. Should I even mention Senior bonding day?

Class privileges and traditions are slipping away. The class-versus-class callouts at rallies are nearly extinct as the administration attempts to manage students and mold us into one happy-go-lucky school community. What is so wrong with a little friendly competition to ignite the air with class spirit?

Instead of protesting and uttering tired complaints, the student body, in particular the senior class, has remained silent and unhappy with the outcome of past school social events. Settling for less is not enough to build lasting memories. Students need to have a voice and speak up when dances and events fall short of expectations.

There is time and room for improvement, to send off the senior class with a last hurrah. With the upcoming senior trip, which surprised many seniors who believed the trip had been eliminated, there is a chance for a truly spectacular event that will bring together the senior class and send them out with a bang.

According to Vice Principal Katy Foster, a combination of high costs, a reported unpleasant experience by some seniors in the past and a lack of inclusiveness was enough for the administration to put a foot down and veto Disneyland. Yet again.

Last year, in place of a senior trip, the school hosted a Senior Fun Day here at Drake, which according to Foster, was “a great success.” According to many of last year’s seniors, it was anything but a good time. Why settle for the predictable and boring? Seniors want excitement and the thrill of a new experience that brings us all together in a new way.

Senior class presidents Kendall Ardito and Leila Rader seem to have the same concern in mind and are now orchestrating a senior trip that raises the bar beyond the ground level. While an evening boat ride around the bay can’t compete with the adventure of Disneyland, it is an acceptable alternative for a class that is used to settling.

According to Ardito, the boat ride would cost students approximately ninety dollars—a hefty price just under the ‘back-breaking cost’ for Disneyland that excluded students in the past—and would tour the San Francisco Bay.

While this moonlit trip is currently being negotiated with the administration, due to the risks of students boarding with drugs and alcohol, it is the only chance we got for a memorable senior trip and final farewell. Kiss Disneyland goodbye and hope that the administration helps the senior class have at least one memorable night.

French Toast at Two Bird Cafe Lauren Antone | JR

The quaint Two Bird Café is the epitome of a home-style restaurant. Located in San Geronimo, this cozy eatery adjacent to The Valley Inn offers a wide array of dishes and a comfortable, at-home atmosphere for its guests, many of them locals.

Over the past 15 years, the restaurant has remained popular, keeping its menu fresh and changing. When I sat down for a Sunday morning breakfast, the Café was packed with families, couples and teens as the wait staff moved from one table to the next, presenting the day’s specials on a whiteboard. Unconventional as this method seemed, the guests didn’t seem to mind.

After sitting down in one of the café’s three small dining areas, an attentive and polite waiter was by my side offering me and my companion coffee and juice. The fresh squeezed orange juice (small $3.95, large $5.00) was deliciously sweet and thick with pulp, expensive but a definite for those who have not yet enjoyed it.

Our waiter returned immediately, bringing with him the large breakfast menu and the specials whiteboard. The breakfast prices on the menus ranged from $10.50 to $13.50, but were reasonable in terms of the large portion sizes and high quality of food. One of the waitresses told us much of the restaurant’s produce was grown on the property.

Seasonal dishes like Fresh Trout with a pumpkin seed crust ($12.95) or Miwok Pancakes ($10.50), a dish served with two fluffy pumpkin pancakes and pork-apricot sausage, were made with organic pumpkin and jumped off the specials board. But I was enticed by the French “French” Toast (10.50) with organic, fresh seasonal fruit.

Sitting near the glass doors in the sun-brightened dining room, time seemed to fly. The fireplace crackled and classical music hung in the air, but those sounds were mostly drowned out by the customers’ laughter. The wait staff was impeccable; my glass never went empty and my coffee was refilled twice.

The appeal of the restaurant was undeniable. As one group of customers left, another group filtered in, and everyone seemed to know one another.

Two Bird Café has all the intimate ambiance of an upscale restaurant, but without the longer wait you’d expect. The cook and wait staff had our food to us in less than 15 minutes, as quickly as a diner staff.

My beautiful plate of French toast was topped with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, powdered sugar and simple syrup. I didn’t add maple syrup because the flavor of the French toast was already so sweet. For those with a sweet-tooth, this is your dish. The French bread was crunchy but warm and had a lasting cinnamon taste.

My companion ordered the Eggs Benedict ($11.95) and claimed it was the best she had ever had. The hollandaise sauce was thick and creamy, draping over two poached eggs, two crunchy English muffins and two slices of Canadian bacon that were layered in between. It was served with scrumptious potatoes, perfectly seasoned, and a fruit salad of organic fruit, mostly melon.

“I love the food here,” said Two Bird Café employee and junior Mika Kakin. “The Eggs Benedict is one of my favorites.”

Two Bird Café is open not only for breakfast, but also for brunch, lunch and dinner. It has an extensive lunch and dinner menu, offering salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, chicken, fish-of-the-day and more.

According to Kakin, Two Bird Café is a great place to be Friday and Saturday nights because live musicians perform on the stage, located in the bar.

Even though I only sat down for breakfast, the great flavors of the food, coupled with the friendly staff and bright atmosphere, has convinced me to come back for most likely delicous dinner.

Savannah Whitman | JR

You sit in your seventh period class, filled with dozing students, waiting for the bell to release you for the day. Suddenly, your lecturing teacher lets the f-word drop, waking the class from their drowsy thoughts.

“And that was the last time I washed my underwear,” he says.

Immediately shocked, students react with nervous giggles and you move uncomfortably in your chair. It’s times like this when you have to ask yourself, just how much should my teacher really be sharing with me and my classmates?

In a classroom setting, there is a fine line that determines how much information is too much for teachers to share about their personal lives. But that line depends on the teachers and the relationships that they’ve formed with their students.

“I feel like there isn’t really a limit to how much is too much for teachers to share because I’m a really understanding person,” said junior Darrian Cross. “Usually I have really good relationships with my teachers so if they say something personal, I understand where they’re coming from.”

Some, like Cross, find humor in the outrageous or personal statements made by their teacher because of the type of relationship they have with their instructors.

Hearing about a teacher’s life outside of school can remove the disconcerting feeling that a student may get when they bump into him or her in the supermarket.

“It makes them more human,” said senior Maralisa Simmons-Cook about her teachers.

Teachers aren’t meant to be emotionless robotic vessels in education. Teachers are people with families, troubles, and hopes for the future, which make up who they are as people and how they teach in a classroom.

But at a certain point, the information shared needs to be limited.

“Sometimes hearing about their lives is nice because you get to know them better. It makes them not all about school, but I don’t want to hear too many personal details,” said an anonymous junior. “I just don’t want to hear about their super-personal lives.”

Some teachers use sharing about their personal lives as an excuse to entertain students for the period instead of actually fulfilling their instructional duties. Students quickly catch on to the personalities of these types of teachers, and begin to manipulate them so as to do as little work as possible.

The most effective teachers are relatable and understanding, but know how to engage students in a way that furthers their learning and maintains a balance that is personal and professional. Once a teacher goes too far across the ‘personal’ line, it’s hard to go back.

“It’s being professional,” said Spanish teacher Señora Ryan. “I try not to let anything in my personal life effect the ambiance of the class. There’s just totally a line.”

Depending on the context of the conversation, the intent behind sharing, and the predicted effectiveness in teaching a lesson, sometimes it may be appropriate for some teachers to take less structured approaches in the classroom.

Science teacher Barton Clark is well known for his shocking statements within his classroom and his lectures. “I do feel fairly free to say things, but 95 percent of the time [if] I say something outrageous, it’s to get your attention,” said Clark.

The most important question for teachers to consider, though, is how do their statements affect the class?

“Personally, it doesn’t bother me [when teachers share their personal information] because I was raised in a very open environment,” said Simmons-Cook. “But there have been times in class when teachers have said things that have made my peers uncomfortable. I’ve had a couple of teachers that have said stuff about their sexual lives that was graphic, and I’ve had a lot of teachers that have sworn, [but] more in classes that have open discussions.”

In classes that inspire teachers to relate to their students on a more personal level, such as English or Drama, the line becomes more and more unclear. Not only can teachers’ language shift to seem more interesting, but often the content of the information shared can become uncomfortable in a classroom setting. Students are in class to learn, and no matter how boring the subjects may be, they do not need teachers to test their relationship with the class and spice up the conversations with too much personal information.

For instance, there is no excuse to share the intimate details of one’s sex life, let alone one’s personal or dating life, in a classroom. If a teacher relies solely on personal anecdotes to be liked by the class, and has a deeper intent to be perceived as ‘cool’ than to actually teach students, they are sorely misguided and should be re-evaluated in their positions. That’s not to say that we don’t love our teachers who make an effort to relate to us as students.

“I think it’s really hard to know what the limitations are. There are factors such as grade [level], the relationship between the student and teacher, and the class subject,” said Simmons-Cook.

Every teacher, student and class is unique, and teachers must use their intuition to gauge for themselves how much is too much. Sharing news of a pregnancy or an engagement is one thing, discussing your sex life or ongoing divorce is another.

The funny comments, stories and experiences that teachers share can sometimes be the best part of a student’s day, so teachers shouldn’t feel restricted to the point of discomfort. It is important for teachers to feel as though they can trust their relationship with students, just as it is important for students to feel they can trust their teachers to maintain a sense of respect and boundaries in the classroom.

Girls lacrosse team comes together at practice for a final cheer (Andrew Vargas Delman | JR)

Girls varsity lacrosse plans to start off this season with a cradle, pass, and a goal – or a slew of these – under the direction of their new coach, John Zerbe, Sr.

Earlier this year Zerbe Sr. heard from athletic director Pete Donoff that there was a chance that there would be no girls’ lacrosse team this year.

 “[Donoff] told me that they didn’t have a coach lined up … I was kind of hesitant to take it because I didn’t know the rules for girls [lacrosse],” said Zerbe Sr. “But I wanted to jump in and learn.”

Zerbe Sr., a dedicated Drake parent to junior John and freshman Claire, first joined the boys coaching staff two years ago when he and his family moved into the district. In his first year, Zerbe Sr. worked as an assistant coach for the varsity boys’ lacrosse and just last year took on the head coach position for the junior varsity boys’ lacrosse.

But he didn’t start his coaching career here. “I started coaching in 1993 at Novato High School,” said Zerbe Sr. “I coached the varsity boys [there] for five years.” Once a Novato High School lacrosse player himself, Zerbe Sr. has years of experience with the sport, both on and off the field. 

While Zerbe Sr. has always been a boys lacrosse coach, this years varsity girls are counting on him to learn fast and lead the way.

“I think it’s good that [Zerbe Sr.] is coaching because in the past the girls’ lacrosse team hasn’t won much. [The girls] need motivation to build up a better reputation and I think he can do that for us,” said Claire Zerbe.

Under the coaching of her father, Claire is confident that the team will benefit from his years of experience with the sport, and his positive and encouraging attitude.

“I know he’s my dad, but he works really well with all kids and gives everyone a chance, despite their reputation,” said Claire.

Having never played on a team with him before, Claire is excited to finally work with her dad. “He’s practiced with me, but he’s always coached my brother and local recreation leagues in San Francisco,” said Claire. “The best part is [after practice is over] whatever happened at practice gets left on the field.”

Zerbe Sr., who in the past has coached teams with his sons as team members, admitted that being both a parent and a coach can be a difficult position to be in. “It’s kind of tough to have your child on the team sometimes,” said Zerbe. “People can get upset” when they feel that their kids aren’t getting enough playing time. But he’s not the type to let that affect him. “I play the best and those who are at practice everyday.”

 As for their father daughter relationship, Claire says that the time they’ve spent together out on the field has brought them even closer. When asked about the teams’ opportunity for success this season, Claire was pleasantly optimistic. “We’re at least going to beat Novato,” Claire said.

 Similarly, Zerbe Sr. is confident in the team members’ abilities, although he isn’t making any preseason assumptions. “We will prepare the best we can, and if we prepare and work hard we’ll be okay,” said Zerbe Sr.  

 The varsity girls’ lacrosse season starts with a game against Ursuline on Monday March 7 at the Red Hill field. Originally an East Coast sport, lacrosse is gaining momentum and popularity here in the Bay Area, so come out and see them play!

Savannah Whitman | JR

Taking sick days every now and then is justified as an excused absence in our district, but if you plan to take time off for a wedding, tournament, or an extended vacation, forget it.

“I get between 75 and 100 calls per day [excusing students],” said attendance clerk, Millie Heim, “[And] that’s on a regular day. Not during flu season.”

That’s nearly 2,000 excused absences per month. That’s roughly 18,000 excused absences per year, including doctors, dentists, and orthodontist’s appointments scheduled during school hours.

But how many of these phone calls are genuine? Our current attendance policy that follows the compulsory full-time education law, Education Code 48200, grants excused absences for limited reasons.

This results in a ‘do what you have to do’ mindset among many students and parents.

“I know that my parents, and a lot of other parents, call their kids in sick so they can take time off to address an important moment in their life,” said an anonymous freshman. Important moments, such as celebrating birthdays, attending family gatherings, and taking an extended vacation now and then, are not considered excused absences, let alone warranted absences, in the eyes of our district and state.

According to district policy, excused absences are for attending funeral services limited to one day (unless the service takes place outside of California); quarantine under city or state direction; participation in religious instruction or exercises; medical, dental, optometry, or chiropractic services; and personal illness.

But what about the ‘I need a break,’ days, or the, ‘how the hell am I supposed to get all of this work done,’ days? As high school students, especially upper-class students, the workload from advanced placement and honors classes or the trying academies can be exhausting.

According to many interviewed for this piece, at times evenings and weekends are not enough time to handle the load and students will miss days here and there to toil at overwhelming course work.

“People need a ‘sick day’ every now and then,” said an anonymous sophomore who has been working hard to keep up her GPA. “Once a year, I’m like, ‘Mom … can I just stay home from school?’ and she’s like, ‘Okay,’ and she calls me in sick.”

Taking personal days when they are needed should be acceptable, but let’s face it, if they were excusable absences, our school would be empty. No one would come to class!

And still, every day parents call their child in sick, deliberately lying to give them the break they so desperately need.

Obviously our attendance system isn’t ethically working, as dishonest calls and visits are frequent in the attendance office.

“I just don’t like lying in general,” said Heim, “It’s not like we don’t give you enough days off.”

It’s no secret to the office and staff that many of the excused absences are blatant lies that allow students extra study time for tests or to take a day off to breathe.

But if a parent says they’re sick, then they’re sick. “Even if I know otherwise … I have to mark it,” said Heim. “[But] I don’t think it sets a good example when parents call, and lie to say their child is sick because we won’t excuse it … In life there are consequences for your actions.”

But where are the consequences? It’s living with the knowledge that you were dishonest. Maybe that sits well with you, but for some like me, it does not.

“It’s really not right,” said an anonymous parent, who perhaps too frequently calls her daughter in sick. “I don’t like lying, even for my [child].”

Sometimes that dishonesty caries to your teachers too, when they see on the attendance role exactly what you were excused for, and then ask, “Were you sick yesterday?” And you have to say, “Yes.”

It’s clear the district needs to reassess this policy, because its encouraging dishonesty that doesn’t settle well with the staff, students, and parents.

Of course, lying is an art, one which some people just haven’t perfected. Heim shares some of her more humorous stories, from students who claim everyday that their “alarms just didn’t go off”, or that they had “car trouble.” But how many times can your car break down in one week?

“Whatever you do, do not call me from the airport,” said Heim, who occasionally receives phone calls from parents declaring their child sick, with the announcement, “We are now boarding flight 180 to Hawaii” blaring in the background.

Students look on in confusion as crazed old-timer meanders through campus searching desperately for a through street. Bystanders assumed she was on her way to the Early Bird Special at IHOP. Sydney Cohen | JR

During lunch one Tuesday, students surrounding the senior tree were surprised to find an elderly woman turn the corner into the quad driving a four-door Toyota Camry as if she were searching for a through-street to an unknown location.

On August 31 this lunchtime invader in her unidentified vehicle raised a popular question amongst Drake High students and staff: What was she thinking?

“In all of my eighteen years being at schools this has never happened,” said Assistant Principal Katie Foster.

In her office at the time, AP Foster looked out her window just in time to see the Toyota Camry and its driver cruising through the quad, heading across the first corridor to the path behind the library. From that point the vehicle was said to have turned off campus and into the drop-off parking lot lining Saunders. “Kids described her as a grandma,” Foster said, but that she hadn’t looked confused.

Yearbook staff members Sydney Cohen and Ellis Garey were responsible for capturing images of the vehicle that were collected by Assistant Principal Eric Saibel and presented to the local police, who were informed of the woman’s trespassing, to identify the driver’s license plate digits. Furthermore, school security guard Rich Blasewitz, spent the seventh period hour checking the license plates of nearby vehicles with a copy of the license plate numbers.

Since, the school has not heard back from the local authorities as to the outcome of the woman and their response to her trespassing. Her spur of the moment drive through our high school campus caused a stir in the atmosphere, adding a humorous touch to an otherwise typical day.

Lauren Antone | JR

With the addition of three male cheerleaders, coed cheerleading has returned to our school for the first time in over forty years.

“They add an extra energy,” said varsity cheerleading coach Christian Friese of the new squad members. “We don’t even call them cheerleaders; we call them our stunt team.”

Juniors Deshawn Moncreif, Tommy Pedersen and Redwood transfer student Ian Wolf successfully joined our squad last May during varsity cheerleading’s biggest yearly tryout.

“In the beginning the girls didn’t think that we were serious about it,” Pedersen said, in reference to team members’ initial reactions.

Coach Friese questioned their motives as well. “I asked them at tryouts, ‘Who are you dating or who do you like?’” She was convinced the three boys had to be interested in some of the girls on the team if they were willing to tryout.

But Friese no longer questions their sincerity. She says the boys work hard and are “just as dedicated as the girls” to the squad.

Over the summer the boys’ efforts were recognized at the required cheer camp the entire team attended.  By the last day “all three boys were nominated for the NCA All-American,” Friese said, describing a national team offering tryouts for skilled cheerleaders.

Since then, Moncreif, as well as a few of Drake’s female cheerleaders, junior Morgan Clymer and senior Hannah Evans, made the team. “[The boys] were the rock stars of camp,” Friese said.

Pedersen, who was persuaded to try out for the squad by Clymer and fellow junior cheerleader Savannah Nichols, was surprised by how much he has learned from cheerleading.

“[It’s] interesting to do because not many others are doing it,” Pedersen said.

But for Wolf, cheering is more about trying something new.

Wolf’s role on the squad differs from that of the other boys. He dances in the routines as a showman with the girls on the squad, which adds more diversity to the boys’ roles.

“[Wolf] wants to dance,” Friese said, who has plans to showcase the new cheerleading squad at the next rally.

Not only are the boys enjoying cheerleading now, but they are also major contributors and a necessary component to the team’s success, says their coach.

“They help make our stunting safer,” Friese said of the new male cheerleaders. “They are definitely very strong and quick learners, essentially lifting 100 pounds with each arm.”

The boys have different positions on the squad during stunts. “I am a back spot,” Wolf said. “When we send a flyer to go up or do a jump or something, I’m the one who catches her.”

In the sport of cheerleading safety is key, and the boys’ presence helps to increase the safety of the female cheerleaders performing stunts. “They [also] help our stunts look better,” Nichols said, who is happy to finally have boys participating on the squad.

“It’s unique for us to have boys because a lot of teams don’t,” Nichols said. “[But] they don’t learn as much material.”

While the girls (and sometimes Wolf) are learning the dance routines, the boys are responsible for weight training, tumbling and stunting practice. Although the roles may vary, Friese makes it a point to explain the egalitarianism on the squad. “We treat them like anyone else,” Friese said, emphasizing how neither gender is viewed better or superior to the other.

But coed cheerleading doesn’t come without its challenges and its stereotypes.

“I’ve gotten a lot of crap from the wrestling team because I’m not sure if I’m going back [to Drake’s wrestling],” Pedersen said. “[But] I’d just explain that there was a one hundred to one guy-girl ratio at camp, so they usually shut up.”

Friese hopes that the rest of the squad has helped to keep the boys mentally strong, “to put up with ribbing.”

Despite any comments the boys may have heard, they are, as a whole, happy about the decisions they’ve made.

“I plan on being a cheerleader next year,” said Moncrief, who has shown his dedication since day one. However, Wolf isn’t certain as to whether cheering is the best place for him. He is contemplating whether to continue on with the sport next year.

With a more diverse squad, Coach Friese hinted at more complex routines coming up later this year. The teams’ recent efforts will be seen at upcoming football games.

“You need to trust each other with your lives,” Wolf said, and that’s what adds to the team members’ closeness and focus when practicing and performing. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have fun, cracking jokes while keeping positive attitudes.

When asked about the teams’ soaring to new heights, Wolf said, in a teasingly competitive way, “It’s because I’m the best male cheerleader there.”