Dalia Perez! Come pick

up your free ticket in class 507!

Reporter: Olachi Obioma

On April 24, 2010, Richmond High’s “Tree Huggers”, originally known as the Aqua Team, painted a mural at the El Sobrante Public Library.  It took the team three weeks to figure out what picture was going to be  on the mural and what story they wanted to tell through it.  According to Daisy Villalvazo, a member of Aqua Team, “the priming on the wall went so fast, in fact it only took an hour. When the mural is done it will represent the earth’s cycle and the books on the trees represent . . .always learn[ing] from mother earth.” From day one, the students worked very cordially. At certain points the only thing that the students could do was wait for the paint to dry. For example, when they applied the primer on the wall, they were forced to wait in order to continue their project. Afterwards, the students came back to trace the outline of the mural. On the second day they did the actual painting. Approximately 15  students painted  for 4 hours and finished the mural.  Lots of them said it was a great experience.

Eloy with Achievers will be here Friday at lunch for the FINAL day of cap and gown sales.  The cost for the cap, gown and tassel is $40 in cash.  The tassel only is $10.  CASH ONLY.

05/07/2010- Our first ticket winner

is Stephanie Moreida! Come pick

up your free ticket in class 507!

The Bamboozie is an annual rain-or-shine music festival; every year, bands compete for sports during the two days.  Founder and ringleader of the Bamboozle, John D,  has created an institution and a must attend annual festival event.  Since its inception in 2005, The Bamboozle has become a weekend long crash course in today’s youth-culture scene.   It is the only place to watch over one hundred of the most talked-about bands in pop, punk, rock, rap and more perform live on one massive bill. Alongside all of the great music, The Bamboozle 2010 will also feature tasty food and drink, the world famous vendor village, band merch plus lots of exciting surprises.  Tickets are $2.00 each and there is no limit on the amount you can purchase.  If you would like to purchase a ticket you can go to room 507 after school. Journalism students will also be selling tickets at all times. Each Friday, for 2 weeks, one winner will be randomly selected and announced on the RHSNEWSWIRE.NET.Remember the more tickets you buy, the better chance of winning you have!

ATTENTION: We only recieved 2 of the 4 tickets we were going to recieve, so unfortunatley the contest has now ended. Thanks for your time.

-Rhsnewswire Staff

The viewing for former Richmond High School student Ramon Prado is at St. Joseph’s cemetery on Church Lane, Tuesday May 4^th from 4:00—8:00 p.m.

 Wednesday May 5^th there will be a mass at St. Paul’s church beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Reporter: Clarissa Martinez

Dinh Thi is a junior at Richmond High School (RHS). She is an artist, specifically an anime artist. She is the kind of artist that randomly starts drawing whenever or wherever she might be located . “My brain never stops working,” she says, images continuously come to her mind and form the basis of her drawings. After, these images come to her, she starts drawing, she works with about anything that comes to her. Many times she produces her beautiful drawings on random pieces of paper. Her talent seems to run in the family seeing that her grandfather was a famous artist in Japan. Though she spends a lot of time drawing she has been able to hold a G.P.A at 3.8. Apparently it was her aunt that inspired her to start drawing. Other than drawing she loves math and she is able to solve a rubiks cube in a very short amount of time.

Her artwork is featured and on display on the website, http://vansora.deviantart.com/. Through this website she receives hundreds of fan letters and comments, praising her art and many fans attest to loving her work. In spite of all the praise she receives, Ms. Thi has remained humble and says that her work only makes her “want to try harder.” Additionally, she uses digital art technology when she feels really bored or inspired. Ironically, she has not taken any art classes at school but is still capable of drawing. She started off drawing stick figures when she was very young and from that she has progressed to drawing complex and ingenious pieces, some inspired by her own friends. If she gets into UC Berkeley she will be very happy and interested in continuing on into medical school. For Ms. Thi drawing is just a simple hobby and pass-time, therefore, she doesn’t feel her talent will lead her into a career in art. However, her love for the arts will not end and she will continue drawing what ever comes to her mind.

Reporter: Kelsey Chew

         It has come to the attention of many residents of California that this year in November, marijuana might be legalized. Marijuana comes from two plants that are so closely related they are probably the same species. According to this website www.thebody.com/content/art6068.html, the plants are Cannabissativa (marijuana/hemp), and Cannabis indica,a bushier variety grown simply for its psychoactive (brain-altering) qualities. Cannabis produces male and female plants, and both of them contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol .Female plants, especially those that are not allowed to pollinate, or fertilize another plant, contain the highest concentrations of THC. Marijuana was later found to have other health benefits. It can lower pressure within the eye. This helps treat glaucoma, an eye disease which can cause blindness. Marijuana also reduces nausea and vomiting in patients taking chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It reduces muscle spasms in people with nerve problems like multiple sclerosis and can help treat some types of pain. These uses led to the development of the drug dronabinol Marinol, a synthetic version of THC. For example, a senior Roberto Lainez from RHS  stated ” I think legalizing marijuana is a good thing for people who are sick, but at the same time its a bad influence for young teens.  43% of high school seniors reported that they have tried is at least once. Now there is synthetic marijuana a product legally marketed as herbal incense that will reportedly get you high if you smoke it. Erick Almaraz, a senior from RHS stated “I think if marijuana was legalized it would help decrease drug related conviction cases where many people go to jail just for smoking pot” . According to the state of California when you are caught with pot you are suppose to be arrested and taken to jail, depending on the amount you are caught with.  Jose Loera, a junior from RHS stated “Im not really for it because its bad for you and i really dont like the smell, it makes my head hurt and I don’t think it would be smart to legalize something that is bad for you.”

 Reporter: Selene Calderón

Recently, Michael Canavan, a Latin and ELD teacher at Richmond High School (RHS), became a father once again.   Mr. Canavan already had three children from a previous marriage and this new baby boy is his fourth child and second son. He said he is “very happy” and glad about the baby’s arrival.  The baby was born at the Kaiser in Oakland on March 31 at 4:30pm,  weighing six pounds and five ounces.  The baby came six weeks earlier than expected. According to Mr. Canavan his other children were “in shock” with the baby’s arrival and happy with the addition of a new member to their family.  When Mr. Canavan and his wife learned that they were going to have a child, they decided that they would keep the baby’s gender a secret and await its birth to learn what it was.  This is the reason they struggled to find the adequate name for the baby once they learned that the baby would be coming earlier than they had known.  For much time after this, Mr. Canavan debated on what would be the most suitable name for his new baby. The name Michael  came to him in a dream where he saw a friend of his whom he has not seen for long time. His friend’s name is Michael and so he saw it as a sign that that was the most suitable name for  the baby. Furthermore, the baby was named James in honor of Mr. Canavan’s grandfather. Due to the fact Mr. Canavan’s name is also Michael,  he says it has caused him a bit of confusion when his wife calls for Michael because he does not know whether she means him or the baby.  Many people at RHS have seen pictures of the baby and like everyone Teresa L. Boardman, an English, Computer, and Journalism teacher, said “It is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen.”

Congratulations Mr. Canavan!

When or if to have sex is the question a great majority of our youth ponder; however, the true question is how to practice safe sex.  Not only do youth have to think about pregnancy, but they must also think about disease they can catch by having unprotected sex.  The safest and most inexpensive method for staying protected is abstinence. Abstinence is basically not having sex at all and restraining from intercourse. By using this method a person can have 100% certainty that they have not contracted any sort of STD (sexually transmitted disease) or are going to become a parent soon. Abstinence, is something that everyone can practice by saying no.  This is sometimes hard to do in the moment. 

On the other hand, for those that choose to be sexually active, there are various methods to prevent pregnancy and/or disease.   Teens have the possibility of using  several methods of birth control. 

In any relationship, both partners share equal amounts of responsibility for anything that they choose to do together, however if either partner is aware that the other is not using any form of protection, then it is their responsibility to make sure to use some. 

Everyone should use protection whenever engaging in sexual activity. There are many different birth control methods that could be used. You could always use condoms but they don’t always work. There are many options. Many girls are afraid to use these methods, because all of them could have side effects. It’s important to address the issue of birth control when students are sexually active. Many teens don’t and they end up with unwanted or untimely pregnancies. Birth control is a way for men and women to prevent pregnancy. There are many different methods of birth control, including hormonal contraception such as “the pill.” There is also the ring and the injection. All these methods could prevent pregnancy but also it regulates your period. It has other side effects. Eduardo Cacho stated “It made my ex loose her hair.” Also many girls are afraid to use birth control so they just go with condoms. I’m scare to use it” as Jennifer Vasquez stated. She has never tried birth control pills and does not plan to. The pill is taken by mouth by the woman to prevent pregnancy, and when taken correctly, is up to 99.9% effective. The injection known as the Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate, is a hormone injection that lasts for 3 months to prevent pregnancy. The hormones in the ring affect the ovaries and the uterus in order to prevent pregnancy. Well these are some methods of birth control but if you want to know more about birth control go to the CIS building to get further information.