The Drake Jolly Roger

The lot at 101 San Anselmo Avenue, between the San Anselmo post office and venerable Caesar’s Cyclery, has hosted various ill-conceived businesses over the last few years, but none of those survived long.  Now, Sweetlife Bakery and Café has occupied this space.

I paid a visit to find out if it has the potential to buck the trend and become a lasting establishment in the community.
The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, although slightly noisy. Apart from a pair of bizarre wall hangings made from mirrors, the aesthetic is neat and modern. Soft, yellow-tinged lighting complements the look well. There are many seating options – both tables and counters indoors, as well as additional tables outside.

The Café offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. The menu has a selection of red and white wines, and  beer is available. The bakery serves coffee, tea, and juices. I ordered the Caesar Salad, with Parmigiano-Reggiano and house croutons, for $7.00 and the Parisian Sandwich with French ham, Gruyere cheese, butter and Dijon mustard for $8.00.

Customers of Sweetlife Bakery and Cafe enjoy their tasty treats on the outside patio. (Blake Pannes | JR)

The staff was friendly and seemed very attentive, so I was surprised when my sandwich arrived ten minutes later without the salad. I assumed that the salad was simply taking longer, and began digging into the first part of my order.

The sandwich consisted of thin slices of ham and cheese stacked neatly between two pieces of flaky bread. The Dijon mustard was enough to impart some much-needed flavor to the combination, without being overpowering. Although the bread looked as if it might be tough, it was instead crisp and light. The result was a tasty sandwich which was more filling than I expected. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this item.

The sandwich was served with a small bowl of vegetables, including carrots, olives, and pickles. I found this to be a confusing choice. I’m not entirely sure how these had been prepared, since they weren’t listed on the menu, anddidn’t seem to have any relation to the sandwich, seeming like an afterthought. The sandwich was good enough to stand alone, and the vegetables seemed like an unnecessary attempt to fill space on the plate.

However, by that point I had a suspicion that my salad had been forgotten. This was confirmed when a waitress brought me my check. To the staff’s credit,  the missing salad was promptly delivered after I brought it to their attention, but the bungling of such a simple order was disappointing.

The Caesar Salad was unremarkable. It was fine—the lettuce tasted fresh, the dressing was as expected and the croutons were crunchy—but there was nothing to distinguish it from any other Caesar Salad in any other restaurant. It wasn’t bad, just bland. It would be nice if the house-made croutons were cut a little larger, so that their flavor could be appreciated more.

After finishing my meal, I examined the bakery options. The bakery offers slices of cake, cupcakes, various cookies, tarts, fresh bread, and more. I purchased a carrot cupcake for $3.50.

Sweetlife employees greet customers with cheerful smiles on their faces. (Blake Pannes | JR)

The cupcake was easily the highlight of the meal. It was soft, fluffy, moist, and topped with a delicious cream-cheese frosting that’s one of the best I’ve ever tasted. The combination of flavors was perfect. Once I finished it, I immediately wished I’d bought a second. I would return to Sweetlife just to eat another cupcake.

On the whole, I think Sweetlife is here to stay. The inviting atmosphere, appetizing food, and reasonable prices should prove to be a big draw, despite the kinks in the service. The staff seemed eager to help, so I’m confident that the service will only improve. It would be nice to see a slightly wider selection, both on the menu and in the bakery, but I enjoyed my meal—especially the dessert.  I would gladly eat at Sweetlife again.

There’s magic afoot in the halls of this school. During a recent tutorial, this writer sat down with a group of Magic: The Gathering players to find out just why this game has become so popular lately, and whether or not it’s just another senioritis distraction.

Anyone walking around campus at lunch or looking around during tutorial may have noticed the clusters of students intently peering at selections of cards. To those who have never played Magic (as it’s known to the fans), it can be a confusing sight. There’s little order or structure immediately apparent when the cards are spread on the table, but there’s actually a very precise system controlling each move.

“It’s a very complex game, and it takes a while to become an advanced player,” said senior John Wheeler, “but it’s easy to get started.” According to Wheeler, who has played Magic intermittently since the sixth grade, anybody can learn the basic rules in a few games.

Senior John Wheeler, Magic Fanatic, finds his inner wizard. (Melissa Hubbell | JR)

In Magic, gameplay revolves around cards which represent lands, creatures, sorceries, artifacts, instants, and enchantments. Creature and enchantment cards can’t be played unless a player has sufficient lands on the table. Each player creates a deck with a unique mix of these cards, seeking a strategic advantage over the other players.

Wheeler claimed to have spent at least $300 on Magic cards over the years. “Most spend a lot more,” he said. “The benefits of spending more money are more cards, new sets, [and] better combos.”

To see what the game was really like, this reporter sat across the table from Wheeler with a borrowed deck to try to learn to play. Just drawing the first seven cards from the deck, the intricate web of effects and requirements between cards was evident.

At one end of the table, a pair of rookie players were discussing the particular rules of a single card with noticeable confusion and anger. At the other end, though, senior Namkai Fairfield was whipping through a match. According to Fairfield, he first picked up the game when he was seven but, like Wheeler, has been an on-and-off player since his introduction.

“I like the art about it,” Fairfield said. “You can be really creative about the way you design your decks and the technique you use to beat other people.”

Creating a deck is no easy task. Fairfield estimated that there are “thousands and thousands” of Magic cards, and he’s not exaggerating: The organization that produces the game, Wizards of the Coast, claims nearly 12,000 unique cards have been created since the game’s original release in 1993. The cards, have very entertaining names: “Koth of the Hammer,” “Viridian Claw,” and “Wurmcoil Engine,” to name a few.

The game has been a global success and approximately six million people around the world play. The surprising popularity of the game has spawned the rise of tournaments, some with major cash prizes.

Fairfield, who has competed in some local tournaments, said, “They’re fun, but I think it’s more fun just to play.” Wheeler, who has never played competitively before, plans to enter a tournament in San Rafael later this month.

As this reporter stumbled through the basic motions of play, Wheeler offered to help. With just a quick glance at the cards, he made a suggestion, but before the move could be completed, the bell rang. “You would have won,” he said helpfully as everybody began packing up for class.

Although this reporter’s experience with the game was brief, it’s safe to say that discounting this game as childish would be a mistake. There’s enough complexity and unpredictability to keep even the most intelligent player on his toes. If you’re looking for a new challenge, you could do far worse than trying your hand at Magic.

The Mock Trial team is off to a promising start this year. They’ve got more members, a new advisor, and high hopes for the upcoming competition.

“Last year, we didn’t really do as well as we hoped,” said senior and second-year  Mock Trial member Will Gomez. “We did well. We just could have done a lot better.”

Senior Nicholas Carlson presents during last year's competition. (Courtesy of Eliot Zweig)

Spanish teacher Christine Garrabrant will be leading the team this year. Although she hasn’t led a Mock Trial team before, she does have experience in Forensics competitions (also known as debating).

“Mock Trial is so fascinating to me because it is complex and realistic,” Garrabrant wrote in an email. “My main goal for the team this year is to improve upon what we did last year.”

To start this year right, the team changed its recruiting process. Advisor Garrabrant brought members of the team together to think of new ways to bring in members. In addition to the usual posters, team members Gomez and Nick Carlson stood up and made a pitch for the team at the Homecoming rally. The idea seems to have worked—this year’s team is significantly larger than last year’s.

Gomez credits the rally announcement for the increased interest. “It wasn’t just the three or four kids that are really interested in doing something extra [who] found out about it,” he said.  “It was the whole student body.” Even some juniors and seniors joined the team for the first time

“As a coach, I am very pleased to see this mix of old and young, because it means we have a shot at having a great season with strong senior leadership,” Garrabrant wrote. “It means we can continue the trend next year, too.”

The competitions will be held in January and February, at the Marin Civic Center. Judges who have volunteered their time will preside over a  mock case, as students take on the roles of prosecutors, bailiffs, and every other participant in the case. Students will argue a hypothetical criminal case that includes a teen-relevant issue.

This year, the case is about a homicide. A young man is accused of murdering a childhood friend with a knife at a campsite in the desert. “Reading it, I feel like I’m watching a good episode of Law and Order,” Garrabrant wrote.

Garrabrant plans to change the way the team prepares for the competition. Instead of just two lawyer coaches practicing with the team, they’ll have three. In addition, a college student majoring in theater will be coming in to teach students to improvise and stay in character under pressure.

“We need to shift our focus from memorizing questions to memorizing information,” Garrabrant said. “You have to know your facts well enough to be able to change things at the drop of a hat.”

Garrabrant hopes that these strategy shifts will allow our school to finally challenge the dominant Tamalpais team.
“The team to beat is Tam,” said Gomez. “Tam has a phenomenal team; they’re doing practices every day; they have five or six lawyer coaches.” Last year, Tam extended its sixteen-year streak by winning the Marin County championship.

Despite this, Gomez isn’t intimidated. “They’re a great team, but I think we might have a shot this year,” he said.
Garrabrant agreed. “Our team is really talented… I think we’ll give Tam a run for their money,” she wrote.

Although the yearly competition is important, it’s equally important for the team to plan for the future. The team’s efforts this year have put them in a strong position for next year and beyond.

“There are a lot of kids who are really into it,” Gomez said of the team’s new members. “There are definitely people who are going to be there all four years and keep the team going.”

Senior Willa Murphy carries a sign near City Hall at Occupy San Francisco. (Courtesy of Justas Reskevicius)

Whether you’re with them or against them, you can’t ignore the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Beginning as just an idea on the internet, the Occupy movement has become a global phenomenon.

The Occupy protesters have no specific demands, but their main message is clear: they believe that corporate influence in governments and growing economic inequality is dangerous, unjust, and should be addressed by the government.

“Their message is relevant and powerful,” said senior and Politics Club president Willa Murphy. Along with other members of the Politics Club, she attended the Occupy San Francisco protest in October.

There have already been occupations in major cities of over 80 countries (see map below), and the movement shows no signs of slowing down.

Each bulls-eye on this map marks an Occupy protest. (Courtesy of Google Maps)

It’s been nearly six months since the Adbusters Media Foundation, a Canadian activist group, first proposed a non-violent occupation of Wall Street. According to the Vancouver Courier, Adbusters suggested the idea in one of its email newsletters, and internet activists quickly latched onto the notion. On September 17, the first group of protesters moved into Zucotti Park in lower Manhattan and set up camp.

Similarly structured Occupy protests quickly began springing up in cities across the United States. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Washington D.C., and Houston all saw Occupy protests in late September or early October.
“I think it’s getting bigger and bigger, and more people are supporting it,” said Murphy.

Most of the U.S. protests have avoided violence, but there have been conflicts between some protesters and police. On October 25, members of the Oakland police force marched into the Occupy Oakland camp. Their stated intention was to remove protesters due to poor sanitation at the protest site, but a confrontation occurred and police officers began firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Although the majority of the protesters escaped unharmed, ex-Marine and Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen, 24, was hit in the head by a police projectile. Videos of an Oakland police officer intentionally throwing a tear gas canister at the people trying to help Olsen, and of Olsen being carried from the plaza bleeding and unable to speak, quickly spread on the internet.

Olsen is currently hospitalized but expected to recover. Oakland’s mayor Jean Quan backed down on the evictions following this incident, but now Oakland police are again serving the protesters with eviction notices, raising fears of a second confrontation.

Senior Kiara Owens thinks that the violence in Oakland may be a preview of what’s to come if politicians don’t start paying attention. “The peaceful part of it is going to stop soon because they’re getting so little response,” she said. “I think Oakland is the forerunner of that trend.”

Despite the continually increasing size and spread of the Occupy protests, there has been no significant reaction yet from members of the U.S. government. Polls have shown that the U.S. public generally supports the movement, but no congressional actions have resulted from the demonstrations.

“It’s hard to believe that they’re going to get anything done because they’re not asking for anything specific,” said senior and Politics Club member Claire Asselstine. “They’re just angry. They have to say, ‘We want this to be passed.’”

Senior Justas Reskevicius, who attended Occupy San Francisco, thinks that the impact of the protests may not be felt immediately. “I think because of the protests, [economic inequality] will be a lot more relevant in the next election. It’ll come up a lot more. It’s being brought to the forefront of issues,” he said.

Murphy agreed that the movement could have a significant influence on next year’s  presidential and congressional elections. “It’s going to develop… My hope is to see Occupy candidates, just like the Tea Party had Tea Party candidates,” she said. “It’s good that this is happening.”

Senior Gabe Maria rides his human-powered vehicle in the Saunders lot. (Sam McLaughlin | JR)

The Engineering Academy held its annual human-powered vehicle showcase on Friday, May 20, despite the theft of one of the vehicles earlier this year. The students in the academy displayed the pedal-driven projects that they have been working on since November.

Although most of the Engineering project teams brought their vehicles out to ride around in, one was missing from the line-up. After months of work by all of the students, a series of unfortunate events led to the theft and irreparable damage of one of the human-powered vehicles (HPVs).

The theft occurred in late March. “It was the day that everything flooded,” said Engineering teacher Ben Varvil. When the water rose to a depth of three feet in the academy’s storage space, teachers and students moved the vehicles outside.

“Some of [the vehicles] were completely submerged,” said Varvil. “We had to pull them out.” Seven vehicles were left in the corridor behind the academy’s workspace. “We were hoping we wouldn’t have any issues,” he said.

However, during the night, an unidentified group of people walked onto the campus and began riding and vandalizing the HPVs. “They got one of them on the football field,” Varvil noted.

Four times, the night custodians chased the offenders away. After the fourth incident, the custodians called the police. When the “hooligans” (as the Engineering Academy now refers to them) returned for a fifth time, the police were waiting. The police told the group to leave the campus, but no arrests were made.

The night custodians managed to fit the vehicles into the academy’s building to prevent any further damage. When the students returned the next morning, they believed that all of the vehicles had been returned. One group, though, noticed that their HPV was still missing.

“We realized that it had been stolen,” Varvil said. “Lena [Herrera] took it upon herself to go walking around.” After analyzing footage from security cameras to determine which way the vehicle had been taken, Herrera located the vehicle a mile up the creek. School staff transported it to the Engineering Academy in the back of a truck.

Unfortunately, the students failed to properly lock up the vehicle after it was returned. It was stolen again, and finally found on the roof of one of the school buildings. At this point, the HPV had been damaged beyond repair. “It was recovered too late to actually salvage,” Varvil said.

With the deadline for the showcase rapidly approaching, and insufficient time for repairs, the members of the group whose HPV had been stolen were reassigned to other groups.

Administrators were never able to identify any of the people who vandalized the HPVs during that night of flooding. “We looked at security footage, we saw the people, but we couldn’t make out any identifying marks because the lighting was dark,” Varvil said, with a hint of disappointment.

Reflecting on the frustration of losing a project after so much work, Varvil remarked that “this is just another example of us having to overcome obstacles that we didn’t anticipate. Sometimes it comes in the form of ‘how do we get our steering to work?’ and other times it comes in the form of ‘my goodness, what are we going to do when our storage unit floods?’”

He added, “I at least want the community to see that a student group didn’t get to do this because somebody thought it would be fun to steal from kids.”



Junior Sandy Curth and senior Emma Casey sail at the Richmond Yacht Club Regatta. (Courtesy of Mike Casey)

If what doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger, then the sailing team should be ready to crush the competition next season.

They’ve nearly sunk, they’ve capsized, they’ve made desperate repairs, yet the members of the team are confident that victory in the coming year will be theirs for the taking.

“We’re going to win next year,” said junior and current team captain Sandy Curth. The recently ended season was marred by mishaps and technical problems, but members of the team are looking forward to greater success in the season to come.

At the recent NorCal Championship, the sailors had to cope with some serious problems. “Our boat sank,” laughed junior and first-year member Colton Yalonis.

“The second day, due to some extremely valiant efforts on the part of Colton and Eric Jones, we basically built the boat on the dock 20 minutes before the race started, and we actually did okay, ” Curth added.

Despite these boat problems, the team placed higher in the NorCal Championship than they did the year before, and also placed well at the Rose Bowl regatta in Long Beach. Officially, the season is over, but some members of the team are still practicing.

The sailing team pays a fee to the Richmond Yacht Club, which provides them with boats and coaching. Next year, the Richmond Yacht Club will be buying new boats – a purchase the team members are looking forward to. Currently, they often have to make repairs while out on the water during practice or competitions.

“This gives us a very unique skill set among the people we race against, because most of them don’t have to fix their boats in the middle of a race,” said Curth. “A competitive edge… Next year, we will have new boats, so that competitive edge will actually count for something.”

According to Curth and Yalonis, their new equipment, growing team and excellent coaching will be the keys to success next year. “Our team basically doubled this year,” said Curth. “Redwood used to have the biggest team. We now have them beat, I believe. It’s really close, and we usually have more people competing.”

In addition to new talent, the team will benefit from the coaching of Dan Brandt (jokingly known as Tan Dan the Sailing Man), who coaches at the Richmond Yacht Club. “We have a boss sailing coach,” said Yalonis

“We have the best sailing coach in the Bay Area,” Curth said. “He’s why we’re good.” Under Brandt’s supervision, the sailing team meets two to three times a week during the season. The team members run through drills, stage practice starts and mock races, and occasionally venture out to nearby islands.

It may sound like leisurely fun, but members of the team are quick to point out the conditioning and skill necessary. Dealing with the reputation of being an “easy sport” can be annoying, and Curth happily mentioned that this year the administration decided to grant varsity letters to members of the sailing team.

Legally, the sailing team is still a club, but according to Curth, “Athleticism and teamwork deserve some recognition by the school, even if we’re only a club… We’re a very serious, competitive club.”

Indeed, the sport of sailing is one of the oldest in the world. While it fluctuates in popularity, Curth thinks’ its gaining. “Right now, it is on the rise,” he said, “especially here.” If the rise in popularity continues, the sailing team will be poised to benefit from any new members or new interest.

The goal for the next year? “Domination,” says Cruth. “We’re going to win.”

Hallway wanderers, beware: school security guard Lena has acquired a new range of surveillance equipment to catch loiterers, truants, or anybody foolish enough to step out of their room without a pass.

“No matter how many students I caught trying to cut class, a few always got away,” said Lena. “Well, not anymore.”

Thanks to a generous grant (mysteriously not used to enhance or support any academic needs), Lena has been able to add a variety of new technologies to the school campus. Laser trip wires will be installed at all exits of the campus, and crossing these boundaries during class time will trigger a silent alarm in Lena’s new security office (situated at with a bird’s eye view of the campus, on top of the Student Center).

Ambitious slackers who try to avoid these boundaries won’t go unnoticed. A new fleet of General Atomics RQ-1 Predator drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) will be circling the skies above, armed with video cameras to spot wayward students.

“If aerial surveillance is good enough for the military, then it’s good enough for our school,” Lena said.

Tests have shown these highly advanced systems to be up to 352% more effective than traditional methods at deterring students from dawdling on the way back from the bathroom. However, Lena will still be employing some of the more traditional techniques.

A disguise kit will allow her to conceal herself among the crowds of students that clog the hallways during breaks – the only way to hear conversations that would otherwise be drowned out. A full selection of camouflage uniforms will also make it easier for Lena to hide in planter boxes, in the Senior Tree, or on the lawns between classrooms.

And to the occasional marijuana enthusiast, leave your stash at home. Lena’s new corgi/mining drill police dogs (hybrids of drug-sniffing dogs and powerful 3,000 rpm drills) have the capabilities to seek and completely destroy any suspect pockets containing bags of potential incarceration.

One of Lena's new corgi drills

Anyone unintelligent enough to incite punishment from Lena will be fitted with a state-of-the-art electric shock collar. These rings of potentially fatal electricity have the power to course 25,000 watts of painful retribution to any students who dares to receive a second offense on any school rule.

Campus administration is also pushing to pass a piece of legislature, one that would require any students going off-campus for lunch to be strapped into a mask and oxygen tank combination.

Campus authorities say that in addition to preventing students from inhaling unwanted substances, the low oxygen levels distributed to student’s lungs would render them physically unable to exert more energy than is required for a slow crawl. This will keep the “rowdy students” under control, and will make it easier for the Predator drones to keep tabs on the student population.

“I’m proud to say that Drake will soon be more secure than the average federal prison,” said Principal Don Drake. “I don’t think these measures are too extreme.”

Graffiti enthusiasts who have made bathroom walls their canvas will be deterred by the new retina scanners on bathroom doors. Every entrant will be logged, as part of the growing database that will be compiled with the movement habits and offenses of each student. These measures may seem extreme, but in the war against graffiti, extreme measures must be taken to ensure the safety of our walls. “The graffiti scourge will soon be eliminated forever,” said Principal Drake.

Intimidation tactics will also be used to keep pupils out of the halls. Holographic images of Lena will appear randomly in corridors, to startle slackers and send them dashing back to their room. In addition, imposing cardboard cutouts of Don Drake will stand guard at every exit.

To further secure the school afterhours, up to 15 mechanical security robots (mechs for short), will patrol the school after 5:00pm. Armed with three foot diameter incinerator cannons and a holographic projection of Lena’s visage on their faces, these mechs will protect the property of the school with “shoot on sight” protection programming.

Although some of these measures may sound drastic, they are nothing compared to the punishment imposed on students who break the rules more than three times: these crime-hardened repeat offenders will be forced to retake freshman P.E.

Lena hopes the new security will help to deter wayward youth, and prevent them from ending up in prison. Sometimes guidance just takes a little tough love, and a lot of supervision. Just remember: if you’re shot by a robot, while hidden from the Predator drones under a bush, in the middle of trying to remove your shock collar, it’s for your own good.

Mills, lathes bandsaws, and electronics—and no, this isn’t the Engineering Academy. Although Engineering gets most of the credit on campus for elaborate mechanized projects, there’s a small group of students building more complex machines after school.

The Marin Robotics team is preparing for an upcoming regional competition in Davis. The team, comprised of students and adult mentors, designs and creates robots to meet specific objectives for various challenges. The current challenge is to create one robot that can lift inner tubes of different shapes onto a nine-foot-high rack, and another smaller robot that can climb a pole.

“We only have three or four weeks to actually build the robot,” said sophomore Johnathan Scopazzi, a first-year member of the team. FIRST, the non-profit organization which runs the competitions, provides a standardized set of the most necessary parts for the robot, but the team needs to fabricate all other components from scratch. By the second week of February, the team had finished the main structure of their robot, as well as the claw to grasp and lift the inner tubes.

The amount of work requires that the team members meet seven days a week during the build period. “We meet at a warehouse… just a cold, empty warehouse,” Scopazzi said, laughing. “No, we share a space with Autistry Studios in San Rafael.”

Robotics member Eamon Kummert prepares for competion. (Alex Allen-Hyma | JR)

Not surprisingly, building a fully autonomous robot brings quite a few obstacles in construction and programming. “Last Sunday, they lost a part,” said Scopazzi. “It’s kind of a complicated part…I had to make one on the mill, which took me all day. They use computer controls in China, and I had to do it by hand.”

The team isn’t just for experienced robotics experts, either. “If you have never done it, you will learn,” Scopazzi said. After four weeks on the team, and with no previous experience with many of the tools, he has become the lead fabricator. It’s a fast learning curve, he said.

It’s also not just for fans of R2-D2. “I wouldn’t call it robotics,” said Scopazzi. “I’d call it engineering.” The skills used in conceptualizing, designing, and building robots can be applied to plenty of other projects or challenges. “If you are interested in engineering at all, or even going into the Engineering Academy, this is a great jumpstart for that.”

In addition to the team’s engineering aspects, they’re promoting environmental sustainability. As Team Recycle-It, they’re reusing scrap materials to build their robot. According to the team’s official website, one of their goals is to “develop systems to handle both conventional and electronic waste.”

The regional competition will be held in Davis on March 17. If the team does well there, they will have the chance to go to national or even international competitions. “We want to go to World,” Scopazzi said. “If we go to nationals, we’ll be happy. If we even get past anything, we’ll be happy. It’s just fun.”

For more information on Marin Robotics, visit the team’s website, marinrobotics.com. Information about the competitions is available at usfirst.org.