Bike to School Week

Presentation students piled onto the soccer field in the early crisp morning air throughout the week of April 4th. Students pulled their bikes, scooters, and skateboards onto the field and gathered around to enjoy a complementary bagel and orange juice on the morning of April 4th. The event was put together by SEAS and ASB in order to promote awareness for helping to protect the environment. The simple act of biking to school instead of driving helps students make less of an impact on our earth’s environment. Even for those who live far away, carpooling is the way to go, and that week this greener choice was acknowledged.

Deepika Bhatnagar’12 talks about the purpose of this green event, “We’re doing this to promote green living, and to show people the impact of making a small change to your daily routine can have on our environment. If they like the feeling of the crisp morning air on their face as they cruise through the streets of Willow Glen, then we encourage them to make it a permanent change.”
Melanie Borreli, a Senior at Presentation High School, biked a total of 4.2 miles to school to help show her support for the environment. When asked why she biked to school she stated “I always wanted to bike to school and it just worked out this year. It was really good exercise and I love saving the Earth!” After being told about how much of an impact she made by not biking she said “I will definitely bike to school more often. I fell motivated to do it again!”

Melanie is just one example of the many students that helped make a difference by biking to school this week. Bike to school week was just the beginning of all the ways students can help make a difference at Presentation. It is up to you now to help protect the planet even if it is just by biking to school one day a week.

ASB Halloween Event

The annual ASB Halloween Event will take place on October 29 with new activities for all. For the freshmen, there will be a big sister assigned specifically for them so that they can bond and have a new face to say hello to in the hallways for the next two years. Not only will the freshmen be with the juniors, but they also will get to be with each other at this event during lunch and reunite as we celebrate Halloween at Pres.

New activities will be taking place including our annual costume contest, so get your thinking caps on for a costume to wear and join the contest! The categories have not been set yet, but as far as we know the categories will be: Cutest, Scariest, Most Unique, Funniest and Best Group. For those not bold enough to join the costume contest, there are various other activities such as watching Halloween movies in classrooms. Along with movies going on in classrooms, a new idea from ASB is trick-or-treating in the hallways of Pres! So grab your big or little sister and head down the hallways for some door-to-door fun and for a chance to grab some goodies before the actual day of Halloween. If you’re a fan of fruit, the classic game of bobbing for apples will be an activity for anybody to partake in. There is also an opportunity to take pictures with your big or little sister, or of course with your group of friends. Bonding time with your Pres sisters, as well as hanging with your friends, this ASB Halloween Event is sure to begin your Halloween weekend off to a good start!

Player of the Month of March: JT Wozniak

JT Wozniak. Everyone has heard of her. She’s that loud ASB officer with blond hair, who you can always hear as you’re walking down the hallways. It’s hard to believe that this is JT’s only second year here, and only her first time playing softball for Pres. JT went to Fremont High for her first two years of high school. She transferred here her junior year, and has become well-known throughout the school for her school spirit and hard work. As softball season is kicking in, The Voice decided to ask JT about her love for the game.

The Voice: How long have you been playing softball?

JT: I started playing T-ball, which is baseball, when I was 6 until about 8. Then I played for Bobby Sox, which is a recreational softball league, until I was ten. I’ve been playing competitive travel ball since then.

The Voice: What position do you play?

JT: Catcher

The Voice: Is this your favorite position, or do you prefer another?

JT: Oh, this is my favorite position. There’s just so much action, it’s the best.

The Voice: What do you mean by so much action?

JT: Because you get the ball at every play. The pitcher’s got to pitch it to someone.

The Voice: Do you have any favorite players/teams?

JT: Team USA, obviously! Also, Kaitlyn Lowe and Lauren Lappin.

The Voice: Who are these people?

JT: They are on team USA; Kaitlyn is from University of Arizona, and then Lauren Lappin went to Stanford.

The Voice: Why do you like them?

JT: They have great speed. Great base running. They are excellent defensive players.

The Voice: How have they inspired you?

JT: They pretty much inspired me to work hard and to train to be the best I can be. So I can be fast and agile, and everything like them.

The Voice: Have you ever met them?

JT: I’ve actually met Lauren Lappin. I have her autograph. She’s awesome.

The Voice: What is your goal this season?

JT: My personal goal is to improve my game in any way I can. Our team goal is to win CCS!

The Voice: How can you improve your game?

JT: Well, the main part of my game that I need to work on is my offensive game, so my hitting. By doing that, I would put in more hours and take more swings each week. Like go to the batting cage more. Waste more time when I should be doing homework.

The Voice: Why do you want to improve your game?

JT: O my goodness, because as an athlete, you can never settle. You always want to be the best you can be and be better than your opponents.

The Voice: Have you played any other sports?

JT: Yes. At Fremont High I played varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball. At Pres, I have been on the varsity swim team, and now softball.

The Voice: Is softball your favorite sport?

JT: Yes, yes, absolutely.

The Voice: Why?

JT: Okay well, I think partially it’s because I’ve been playing it for the longest. And also, there’s just something, I can’t really explain it, about winning a game. It just has to be a softball game. Nothing else. Like running onto the field, it’s just awesome.

The Voice: Do you feel that there is a difference between Pres softball and Fremont softball?

JT: Well, I just started, but I love the team here. It is much more intense, and we work so much harder.

The Voice: How many times do you practice?

JT: During the summer, for the travel team, I practice three to four times a week. And during the fall, about two times a week. For school though, I practice every day.

The Voice: How does the team look this year?

JT: Really, really good. We have a good preseason schedule. Hopefully we’ll make it to CCS. I know we will!

The Voice: How have you guys done so far in your games?

JT: It’s been great! Today [Thursday, March 04, 2010] we played Castelleja, and a typical softball game is 7 innings. Throughout the time, they held us to no runs, and we held them to no runs. It was 0-0, no one was winning; we went into an International Tie-breaker. We played all the way up until the bottom of the 10^th inning. We won 1-0. We were the home team, and we won! Boo-yah. We were screaming like chickens with our heads cut off! It was an insane moment.

The Voice: Who do you think will be the team’s toughest competitor this year?

JT: Mitty, of course!

The Voice: Why?

JT: There are two reasons. First, their team is filled with travel ball players, which means they have tons of more experience than the other teams we face. And they take the sport extremely seriously, they work really hard. They don’t have the losing mentality, they have the we’ll-win everytime-gonna-kick-your-butt mentality.

The Voice: And do you think we have that?

JT: We do, we do. But that’s why it’ll be the best match, because we’ll go head-to-head. Other teams don’t have that mentality. But we both have such a great desire to win, that when we go at it, it’ll be great.

The Voice: Have you thought about playing for college?

JT: Yes. I have been offered positions at various universities. But, I ultimately want to focus on school, and staying active. I am going to train for major triathlons. I want to become an anesthesiologist, but I also want to be a stay-at-home mom. So we’ll see wherever my path leads me.

The Voice: What colleges are you thinking about?

JT: I’m most likely going to go to college in the Mid-West; I really want to go to University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Voice: Why Nebraska?

JT: Because it’s awesome, dude. I’m going there. You just can’t understand my love for the Mid-West. It’s amazing.

The Voice: What is the best thing about playing softball?

JT: Team cohesiveness, just working together with a group of people. The best thing is winning a game and celebrating with your team.

The Voice: How do you celebrate with your team?

JT: The best thing to celebrate is the bus ride home. Blasting the music, dancing around. Just celebrating and enjoying the time, that’s really the best way.

The Voice: What do you guys do for team bonding?

JT: We haven’t really done anything yet. But we’re probably going to have Pie Night. The night before every game, we go to one girl’s house. Her parents cook us dinner, and people will bring pie. And we just eat. We devour that stuff.

The Voice: How has playing softball shaped who you are?

JT: It has made me a competitive person. Also, it has given me the skills to talk to other people, to compromise, and to learn how to work with a team. Ultimately, it has given me leadership skills.

The Voice: Speaking of leadership skills, how do you balance being an ASB officer and playing softball?

JT: Very carefully! I keep in solid communication with the coaches and Mrs. Hernandez. I try to keep on top of things, and don’t let things pile up on me.

Student Council Welcomes Newcomers

On Monday, Sept. 31, 56 elected representatives gathered together to have the first of many very successful Student Council meetings.

 

Student Council operates on the idea that the most successful way to influence change is by getting the student body involved in as much as they can in the school.

 

Each grade level is comprised of 14 officers who act as the liaisons between student council and the student body; 7 are class officers, in charge of class spirit and success, and 7 are homeroom representatives, in charge of specific homerooms as well as aiding the class officers.

 

“I think the purpose is to get ideas out on the floor so that changes can be made,” said ASB officer JT Wozniak. “We’re leaders so I really think that everyone wants to leave the school a little better than they found it.”

 

These leaders meet on the first Monday of every month. Led by the ASB officers, Pres girls discuss a plethora of topics including leadership skills, homeroom participation techniques, and any other school related topic that needs to be brought up to the floor.

 

This year many changes have been made to student council meetings. The biggest change is the emphasis ASB is putting on the importance of student participation. All students, regardless of whether they are on student council, are encouraged to attend meetings and contribute their thoughts and ideas.

 

Junior Sonika Suri said, “I really like how the meeting was open for everyone to join. I was really disappointed when I didn’t make it as a homeroom rep, but I’m so glad that there were still opportunities for me to be involved.”

 

Also, all students can get involved by participating in a committee, groups of students who are in charge of planning events and activities for a certain aspect of the school throughout the year. Each student council member is also involved in one of the five Student Council committees on campus. They are headed by an ASB officer as well as a senior officer on student council.

 

The committees give students a chance to be more active as leaders. Senior Megan Huber said, “I feel like being involved in a committee personalizes our role as leaders. We have more of a chance to take a leadership role and do something with it.”

 

The committees for this year are as follows:

 

Student Activities Committee heads the planning and running of ASB related events throughout the year and works closely with Spirit Squad to promote spirit and bring down the apathy level in the school.

 

Social Committee is responsible for the coordination of ASB dances and mixers. They are in charge of the logistical planning of the Big-Little Sister program and its events throughout the year.

 

The Chill Squad helps ease the stresses of students, teachers, and faculty.

 

Campus Improvement Committee works on ways to improve the appearance of the campus and the feel of the school.

 

Community Outreach Committee helps promote a positive relationship between the school and the surrounding neighborhood.

 

Though there are girls who really enjoy being active in Student Council, there are those who would rather occupy their afternoon some other way. Junior Ramey Parks argues that attendance at the meeting is definitely beneficial. She said, “A lot of the things that are said during the meetings are really helpful and I think that girls that are not in student council would benefit from it.”

 

If you want to see things happen your way, join a committee or show up at a Student Council meeting! Suri summed it up when she said, “If I could I would bring everyone with me. Everyone should get involved! It’s really fun!”