Dahgaypaw is from Karen State in Eastern Burma. She talked about how Burma is an extremely poor country and how human rights are being violated all the time.

There are more than 2 million refugees from Burma. By explaining that Burma has more child soldiers than in Joseph Tony’s army in Uganda, Dahgaypaw emphasized the seriousness of the situation in Burma and their need for help. She also mentioned that the U.S. government has helped Burma out a lot, and Burma has the support of Hilary Clinton.

The presentation was organized by Maddy Nelson (12), the president of the Free Burma Club. If you are interested in joining the Free Burma Club, which meets once a month, please talk to Maddy Nelson.

One of E2′s current projects is planting a winter garden behind I-hall. If you have any seeds that you would like to donate, please deliver them to Mr. Gardner, the club advisor, in room B3. E2 is looking for winter crops such as carrots, broccoli, parsnips, celery, cabbage, kale, chard, lettuce, and cauliflower.

All students are welcome at E2′s meetings, which take place in B3 every Tuesday during A period. Mr. Gardner encourages any student who wants to get involved to attend.

The former Massachusetts governor held a double digit victory over remaining candidates Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum. The results early Sunday from 12 of 17 counties showed Romney with 41 percent support, former House Speaker Gingrich with 25 percent, Texas Representative Ron Paul with 22 percent, and Pennsylvania Senator Santorum with 12 percent support.

Yet to report its results included Clark County, home of Las Vegas, which often accounts for half or more of the votes in statewide elections. 28 Republican National Convention delegates were distributed in Nevada, which figures to be the site of a close battle in the fall between Democratic President Barack Obama and the eventual Republican nominee. Nevada awarded its delegates in proportion to the caucus vote totals, so that any candidate with at least 3.57 percent of the total number of ballots would be rewarded. As of Sunday, February 05, 2012, before the Nevada delegates are distributed, Romney had captured 87 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination. 50 of those delegates were from his win in Florida. Gingrich was a distant second with 26, 23 of which were from his win in South Carolina. Santorum had 14 delegates from his success in Iowa, and Ron Paul had 4 delegates.

Next up, the Republican race is headed to Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri on Tuesday February 7, 2012.

While director Stephen Daldry might not have included every tiny, precise detail into the screenplay, their exclusion did not detract from the whole of the film. On the contrary, the slight simplification of Jonathan Safran Foer’s intricately structured novel allowed the film to be more accessible to viewers who either hadn’t read the book or didn’t quite understand it if they did read it.

The star-studded cast – Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, and newcomer Thomas Horn – brought their characters to life in an extremely moving and incredibly realistic portrayal of a family’s struggle to reach closure after 9/11.

The twelve senior-athletes were honored in the Commons in front of friends, family, coaches, teachers and photographers. San Ramon Athletic Director John Raynor called out the athletes’ names, colleges they are committed to, and the sport they would continue playing.

Three players from the San Ramon football team attended the signing. Tight end Sean Miller (12) will be attending Cornell University in the fall. Offensive and defensive linemen Matt Fisher (12)and Jake Simonich (12) signed letters to California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and Utah State University, respectively.

Five senior girls are committed to Division 1 schools for soccer. Midfielder Shannon Hennessy (12) will be playing for University of Pennsylvania and center defender Mandy Davis will be heading to Malibu to attend Pepperdine University. Goalkeeper Beth Ritter (12) will also head south to University of California at Santa Barbara. Meanwhile forward Reilly Parker plans to attend University of North Carolina, and center defender Sam Zarling will be attending Colorado College in the fall.

Three water polo players signed their letters of intent on Wednesday. Megan Rodriguez (12) will be attending Wagner College. Nick Candau (12) will head to Southern California to Pepperdine University and Justin Roberto (12) will stay in the Bay Area and attend Stanford University

One by one, the athletes signed their letters of intent in front of flashing cameras and a proud crowd.

One of San Ramon’s athletes, Zach Kline (12), the famed quarterback of the Wolves, unfortunately could not attend. He had already signed his letter of intent last year and had graduated from San Ramon one month ago at the beginning of January. He was then enrolled at University of California at Berkeley in mid-January.

From then on Glass loved to teach. While she was at Monte Vista, a position at San Ramon opened up midyear. Glass took up this opportunity and started teaching at San Ramon on March 8, 1982. At the time she thought she was only going to teach for a couple of years and then go back to graduate school, but she loved the school so much that she decided not to leave.

When she first began teaching, her students would call her “Mrs. Yee” and she would not answer, thinking they were addressing her mother. After trying out several titles and revisions she was finally named “Chief” and even received set of customized license plates to commemorate the occasion. Her title has remained the same for the past 28 years. This year, 2012, will be Glass’s 30th year teaching at San Ramon. Glass has served as the Immediate Past President for the California Association for Music Education. Among other past honors received by the San Ramon Instrumental Music Program, marching band won first place at this year’s Merced competition, jazz ensemble received the Sweepstakes trophy (they earned the highest scores in all of the jazz competition) and jazz band won first place in its division. One of the things that Glass is most proud of is her three students that graduated in 2010 who were accepted to the music program at University of California at Los Angeles, a program that is very hard to get into.

The upcoming San Ramon Instrumental Music benefit concert will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012. The first concert was held just after the Performing Arts Center was opened in 2003. “Our Instrumental Music Program had the privilege of performing the inaugural concerts. That fall, our program was joined by the Colman family who connected us with OceanWorks Productions and the idea of doing benefit concerts. Thus, the tradition of doing music as a fundraiser was born,” said Glass. All of the proceeds from the concerts go to San Ramon’s Instrumental Music Program. Many organizations at San Ramon raise money by selling cookie dough or having car washes but Glass thought, “Let’s make money for our program doing what we love to do, music.” In addition many organizations ask the parents to fund their events, but Glass wanted to put on a concert so that the general public could help them and so the program would not burden the parents with having to fund something additional. The age range of people who typically attend this concert ranges from 8 to 88. The concert usually raises $5,000 to $10,000. “Beats selling candy bars!” Glass commented.

A wide variety of acclaimed bands have performed at the annual benefit concert over the years including Carlos Reyes, Joyce Cooling, The Sun Kings, San Jose Taiko (“taiko” is a Japanese form of drumming) PEACE with Jorge Santana and Foreverland: A Tribute to Michael Jackson. Each concert begins with an opening set by the student performers and is followed by a full concert by regional or national headliners. Student musicians sit in as guest performers with the main act for a few of their songs. A few days following the concert, students are treated to a master class taught by the headlining band, where they learn some of the ins and outs of the music and what it’s like to be a professional musician. This year’s headliner is “Evolution: The Ultimate Tribute to Journey.” The annual benefit concert is many things simultaneously: a learning laboratory, a student exhibition and a professional public performance. The concert is “edutainment” that serves the students, the parents and the community. Glass said that for the students “there is a difference between performing and putting on a show. This is putting on a show.” Glass’ student Claire Rogers (12) noted that the students participate in a lot of competitive shows but the benefit concert is just a fun show for the students and the general public. The students work really hard at competitions but, for this show, they get to loosen up and have more fun.

Doors open at 6:15 pm for the concert on Saturday, Jan. 28 at San Ramon’s Performing Arts Center. Students perform at 7:00 pm and Evolution performs at 8:00 pm. General admission tickets cost $25 advance or $30 at the door, Gold Circle tickets (preferred seating) cost $40, and San Ramon students & staff tickets cost $10. Call 707-869-9403 or go to www.communityconcerts.com online for information about purchasing advance tickets.

Glass has a full teaching schedule – she teaches six classes a day including both wind ensembles, both jazz groups, the orchestra, the marching band, and the AP Music Theory class. She particularly enjoys being able to collaborate with other teachers at San Ramon such as Mr. Abrams, the choir teacher, for musicals that are performed every other year. She has also collaborated with Mr. Weible, the theatre teacher, outside of San Ramon at the Diablo Theatre Company on some of the productions where he was the director and she was the music director. Glass played the bass at the Diablo Theatre Company’s orchestra for eight years, but now she conducts for them. Glass also plays those same positions for the St. Isidore orchestra, conducts for musical theatres, and generally likes staying busy. Her uncle told her that, “… whatever you’re going to do, do a profession you enjoy. Unless you are independently wealthy, you are always going to have to work.” Glass also said that, “I don’t say I go to work; I always say I go to school.” She says that that is the reason why she has lasted so long in the teaching world. Her favorite things to do are to jam with friends and have a good time making music.

This year the school has had to combine the two jazz classes: the advanced class and the intermediate class. As a student in the class, Rogers said that the intermediate students often have difficulty being dragged along to the advanced level at a rapid pace. The advanced students are sometimes frustrated to have to wait for the intermediate students to catch on. Because this combination is not helping either skill level, Glass and Rogers want to separate the two levels to their original state. To fund the separation of the jazz class, Glass and the instrumental music department would have to raise $17,000. “It should really be about getting the best quality information you can to your students. Parts of the struggles we’ve had in our recent history have been we forget that… this is for the students. Students first and everyone wins,” said Glass. Glass’ statement is a very true and honest statement that many schools need to start remembering. Students need the balance of math and science with music and art. “After the end of every year, there is a fear in the students that the class won’t be there next year and that the next year we won’t be able to play,” said Rogers. Many qualities that schools want students to gain are best expressed through arts where you have to work with difficult people, work in groups, and have to learn to problem solve. These qualities are also needed in college. In the band room there is a big banner above the wipe-off board that reads the state standards. In the music classes, Glass makes sure she hits all of these standards every day.

Rogers recounted that when she came to San Ramon as a freshman, she was not very happy with life, but now as a senior she is much happier because of the instrumental program. Rogers said, “There are many teachers that care about their jobs but not their students. Chief is one of the most aggravating people because every time you try to give her a compliment on something, she turns it back to her students and our hard work.” When asked if she had any last words of wisdom or things to say about the program and the concert, Glass said that she is worried about the economy for the students that want to become music majors. Having a music degree gives a musician flexibility, but with her job she gives students ideas so music will stay a part of their lives. She also said, “Please remember, there are students that don’t do well in school. Give them a reason for wanting to be here.” Rogers follows up with, “I used to come to school just for music sometimes.” Glass finished with her words of wisdom. “Make [school] something that the students want to do.”

Josh Corral, also known as Chachi, was a beloved student here at SRVHS who graduated in 2010. Many say that his outgoing attitude would light up the campus and brighten their day.

 “Chachi was one of the most charismatic young men I ever had the opportunity to teach and coach,” Coach Becker said of his former student. “His jovial personality coupled with his infectious smile could always make a bad day seem better. The work ethic and dedication he brought to my weights class were second to none as he came to class everyday with the sole purpose of preparing himself physically for his future in the Marines. He never disappointed! His efforts wore off on the other students and helped to earn Chachi the 2010 “Male PE Student of the Year” award at the Senior Awards Night celebration. I will always be indebted to Chachi for making me a better teacher and for allowing me to witness what true dedication and devotion really are… I am proud to have taught and coached a true hero and I am also proud to say that he was my friend.”

Josh Corral entered into the United Sates Marines after he completed his four years at SRVHS. While serving our country in Afghanistan, he was killed in combat. When his body was brought home, hundreds of people including students and staff lined the streets of Danville to honor the sacrifice of this SRVHS alumni.

Mr. Torquemada included his memory of Josh. “What I remember best about Chachi was his smile and there were very few times I saw him without it.  One always had the feeling that he was up to something or knew something you did not … but that you would find out soon.  Chachi was never officially one of my students but I was often in the room during my prep period and would help him or others in the 3D class.  I got to hear many of his zany and outrageous comments without really having to worry about discipline as I advised him on his latest project.  I will always vividly recall the last time I saw him, so proud and mature in his Marine uniform (but he still had that smile).  The world is a sadder place without that smile.”

Josh Corral will be greatly missed, but he will always be remembered in our hearts. He will always be a great example for the rest of the pack.

San Ramon put some points on the board with a field goal by Matt Anderson (11) in the first quarter. The Wolves were up 3-0 until Monte Vista took the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for a score of 7-3. A 23-yard screen pass from Zach Kline (12), who was just recently named the Gatorade Player of the State, to Jordan Weiss (12) gave the Wolves the lead before halftime, and San Ramon began gaining momentum.

Monte Vista cheer and pom performed during halftime to entertain the crowd as the teams went into the locker room.

In the second half, a 63-yard touchdown run by Weiss and a 1-yard reception by Ryan Dunn (11) gave the Wolves the extra edge as they started to break out in the third quarter.

A 21-yard bullet to Michael Tagliaferri (12) with 10:35 left on the clock sent San Ramon students revving up for the post game field rush and Monte Vista students and fans towards home. Kline clinched the win with a touchdown run later in the fourth quarter, but Monte Vista scored twice more to lessen the margin for a final score of 37-21.

At the end of the game, San Ramon students stood on the side lines and rushed the field with the rest of the football team as the seconds ticked down towards the win that will send the Wolves and their loyal fans to the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, December 10. Come support the Wolves as they play the De La Salle Spartans in the NCS Division 1 championship for the first time since 2007.

Kline completed 18 of 28 passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Weiss ran 155 yards on 13 carries for 1 touchdown.

Weiss also caught two passes for 48 yards, followed by Patrick Worstell (12) with two catches for 48 yards and Tagliaferri with four for 40 yards.

The first half of the performance was loud but in a good way. The packed crowd, called “tonight’s loyal fans” by the teams, was eager to give suggestions to the plots of the games that the teams played. The teams on stage responded with even more energy than the audience had. At intermission the green team was leading but the gold team trailed close behind.

There were more opportunities for laughter when the other two improv teams that had competed Wednesday and Thursday were invited on stage to play a game. The stage was filled with people with jokes to crack and witty things to say. At the end of the game there was a moment when a bag of shame had to be placed on someone’s head that caused one of the biggest bouts of laughter among the audience. In the end, the green team beat the gold team.

There were still traces of laughter and giggling in the air when the audience filed out of the building. After a successful and entertaining sold out performance, it is clear that San Ramon’s Improv teams need no improvement.

Zach Kline (12) threw for two touchdowns and 180 yards in the first half alone, starting with a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to Michael Tagliaferri (12). The Wolves called for an onside kick and recovered the ball to make way for a zipping 31-yard pass to Justin Bangay (11) to make the score 14-0.

In the second quarter, Logan put some points on the board with a 2-yard run. The first half ended with a score of 21-7 after Kline sneaked into the endzone from one yard out.

Tagliaferri stopped a drive by Logan in the third quarter with an amazing interception at the 1-yard line. An early interception thrown by Kline in the fourth quarter became a Logan touchdown with 7:05 left in the game, and the gap was closed to 21-14. San Ramon Valley’s hard work paid off when Jordan Weiss (12) scored on a 13-yard run with 3:24 left in the competition to put the game away.

San Ramon ran out the clock after Logan’s final drive came up short, and the Wolves will advance to the semifinals of the North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs on Saturday, Dec. 3 against the number 6 seed, rival Monte Vista High School. Tickets for the game go on sale Nov. 30 during brunch, lunch, and for a short time after school. Tickets are also available at 5:30pm at Monte Vista on the day of the game.