Practicing every week, D Street worked hard to compete against three hip-hop dance teams, including last year’s champions.

“While what we did is a reflection of our extreme hard work, we could have never done it without the encouragement, helpful criticisms, and effervescent presence of our amazing coach, Kelly O’Grady,” Joanna Mrsich (11) commented.

In addition to winning the title of State Champions, D Street also won first place in their division and the Judge’s Award at the competition.

For seniors this performance was more than just trying to win a trophy. It was their last chance to make their final mark on this team.

“We really made a lot of memories. Practices, competitions, performances, music videos, circle time, and sweat. Everything made us closer. D Street is not just a dance team. We really are a family. A never ending family” Cherry Huang (12) states.

Winning the State Championships has shown that the relatively young group has grown since last year, when they had placed 5^th.

Kristen Valenzuela was one of the parents in the audience and states, “The difference between them and everyone else was the fun they were having on stage while they were performing. They had presence on that stage. They demanded everyone’s attention with it.”

Because of their win, D Street has been invited to attend the next Bonita Unified School District (BUSD) Board Meeting on June 12th where they will be honored for their victory.

As of now, D Street’s season has come to an end and they are currently recruiting new members so they can win yet another state championship next year.

Country fans from everywhere flock to Indio, CA for what is known as the annual Stagecoach Festival.

April 26^th through the 28^th mark the dates in which music lovers will be able to camp out and travel from stage to stage to enjoy their favorite country artists.

2013’s highly anticipated lineup includes acts such as Toby Keith, The Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum and many, many more.

Whether making yourself at home with those in the campsite and enjoying all three days of the get-together or just coming and going as you please, the famous Stagecoach festival is known for its lively crowd, great food, and is highly recommended for those out there who fancy country music.

A bit of a mellower pack will gather in Monterey, CA from May 24^th through the 26^th for the California Roots festival.

Presenting acts such as The Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables, Tribal Seeds and more, California Roots allows attenders a chance to relax and enjoy some of the best names in reggae.

Long Beach, CA tends to become a bit more unique and creative when the Ink N’ Iron festival takes place from June 7^th to the 9^th.

Although popular artists such as The Dead Kennedys, Sublime with Rome, Iggy and the Stooges, and The Matadors are scheduled to perform, people are drawn to this gathering for many more reasons than just the music.

The Ink N’ Iron festival presents the opportunity to not only enjoy the live musical acts, but also appreciate vintage cars and explore a number of various tattoo styles.

These particular festivities combine together to give off the vibes of a concert as well as a car show and a tattoo convention, making it highly anticipated to all sorts of people.

Many more festivals, such as Make Music Pasadena, Outside Lands, and the FYF Fest are highly anticipated and of course, so are their lineups. Those excited for these particular events are unfortunately still waiting for the acts to be announced.

A “white lie” is something that is said that isn’t true and that can be said to avoid hurting people’s feelings.

One lie that can be commonly heard is, “No, you look fine!” when, in reality, you look like a hot mess and your friends just don’t want to hurt your feelings.

Lying isn’t really even ok but sometimes, in order spare people’s feelings, we do it.

But is lying in order to spare those feelings ok and just? Or is it just as wrong telling any other lie?

Travis Helm (10) explains that, “Sometimes it gets you out of situations that are too hard to understand.”

This can just mean saying something because you honestly don’t know how to respond.

Helm (10) also feels that sometimes telling a white lie “is nice at the time” if you’re trying to avoid telling someone that they look terrible or that they’re doing something wrong.

But Darion Tyner (12), on the other hand, says that “it kind of sucks because it hurts” if the person were to ever find out that you were just lying to them.

“It depends on the extent of the lie,” Tyner (12) plainly says.

These lies are mostly told in an attempt to not offend someone who you may care about.

“If you tell one lie, then you’ll tell another one and it can build into a ‘black lie’” Tyner (12) further states.

Although lying can sometimes help someone out of a situation, there has to be a specific line drawn or else someone might end up being unintentionally hurt.

Most people don’t want to hurt people’s feelings so we try to cushion the truth with a little white lie in an attempt to save someone from the pain of the truth that we actually feel.

But sometimes telling the truth is better. At least then, if someone really has done something wrong or really does look like a hot mess, they’ll know and might be able to fix it.

The Bonita Administration has introduced a new means of keeping the school safe: The Bonita High School Text-A-Tip.

This new safety mechanism can be used to alert the administration of things on campus that may be harmful, dangerous or detrimental to the school.

Some students are happy that something like this has been created, mainly because it can be used anonymously.

A student who sees something such as vandalism, bullying or something drug related can simply text the number that is provided and tell the school what is happening without the fear of having their peers know that they had done so.

This means that more students are willing to help to protect the school because they won’t be judged by their peers and friends for telling on someone that is doing something wrong.

This sounds ideal, doesn’t it? Well, some students actually don’t feel that way.

This student, as well as some others, feel that this “Text-a-Tip” is a means of tattling and trying to hide it.

Certain students believe that things that don’t concern them are none of their business and that they should simply stay out of other people’s affairs.

If someone is being bullied, should someone really intervene? Is texting an authority figure really going to help?

Others are not exactly taking this school “Text-a-Tip” seriously and are texting false things or jokes to the administration.

Is this Text-A-Tip really going to affect Bonita?

Well, it already has. People have already been called into the office because the administration had received a text message that seemed suspicious and pointed in the direction of the one who was originally called in.

Since this is the first year that Bonita has had Text-A-Tip, we can only hope that it will be used for good and that it will help all the students at Bonita High School.

It’s that time of the year where the sun shines bright and that’s when you know that the Renaissance Fair is back for another glorious and fun-filled year.

Children running around, attenders dressed in their best Renaissance style outfits while the hustle and bustle of people fills the air.

“The excitement that surrounds everyone really stands out,” Megan Thomas (12) says.

Whether it’s going to go see an acrobat walking a tight-rope juggling pins on fire, or being able to participate in competitive physical events, there is always an undercurrent of excitement that is everywhere.

Jeffrey Croysdill (11), who has been working in the Renaissance Fair for five years, says that “you can talk to anyone for any reason” and that all the cast member are “like a family.”

There is so much more to the Renaissance Fair despite its appearance because it provides both a way to gain insight into the time period while also making it fun.

One of the things that undeniably stands out it is the extravagant language that the workers use.

“The language is a little bit confusing because it’s so different that what our modern age is used to,” Thomas (12) states.

Such eloquent language has long since been forgotten and it’s wondrous that it is still remember by few to this day.

The Renaissance Fair also depicts the class system of its own time in a fun way.

Peasants in booths trying to sell merchandise, maidens trying to make a living, entertainers doing what they do best, gypsies running around, and the higher class.

Croysdill (11) says that in order to work there “you have to take certain classes, like acting, improve and learning the history of what was happening during that time.”

All lot of hard work goes into making the Renaissance Fair as realistic as possible and at the same time authentic.

Another thing, although it is less common to be seen today, are the intense competitions.

“The ‘sports’ are so much different and dangerous than what we’re used to,” Thomas (12) says.

It shows just how hard knight’s had to train and keep up in strength.

“I love being able to [participate] because it’s fun and it also gives an insight into what [knights] had to do and go through.” Thomas (12) says.

It’s exciting to be able to shoot a bow and arrow, throw a hatchet or even swing a sword.

There is so much to take from the Renaissance Fair besides the food and the souvenirs; you just have to look a little deeper.

It is a place where students feel the need to go insane with their cars as they race out of the lot before everyone else, causing havoc and chaos.

Kaylie Franco (12) says that in the two years that she’s parked her car in the lot, “[she’s] seen three accidents happen in the lot and one outside the [student] lot.”

The parking lot seems more like the Hunger Games arena than an actual parking lot with the amount of accidents that seem to take place near or around it.

Maria Pereira (12) says that “when [she] was walking to [her] car, someone almost ran [her] over because they were not paying attention to where they were going.”

“D” Street is in a sense, the Cornucopia of the school. Everyone tries to get there first for the chance of beating everyone to the prize, the freedom of being out of school.

“I try to miss the mad rush of everyone by trying to get out by leaving a little bit early or later,” Franco (12) says.

A good way to avoid any possible part-takings in the “arena”, just play it safe.

Of course, there are other ways to outsmart the chaos of the “arena”.

“I don’t really park in the parking lot,” Pereira (12) states, “I prefer to park on Evergreen. It’s a lot less crowded and it’s easier to leave when the bell rings.”

With only three exits and at least 100 vehicles, getting out of the lot can prove to be dangerous, especially when drivers speed ahead of others to get to the exit.

Franco (12) says that a tip for future drivers is “either don’t park in the school parking lot or try to get a parking spot that allows you to leave quickly.”

“Don’t text or talk on your phone while you are driving. And don’t try to show off to your friends,” Pereira (12) says.

Being careless is something that drivers should never be while behind the wheel. Especially in a lot full of students who are trying to make it home in one piece.

So, keep in mind student drivers, drive safely and smart because you don’t want to end up in a wreck on the asphalt.

Thoughts come to mind on whether or not this once in a life time occasion would actually be worth all it is hyped up to be. Firstly, if you were able to go into space and given that privilege, what about taking into consideration your safety and health.

Space isn’t exactly the most hospitable place, and there are also many negative side effects to being in space. After long amounts of exposure to space conditions, the human skeletal system becomes weak and brittle.

Not to mention the fact that you are forcibly sealed into that confined space with someone else for long amounts of time on end with no escape. This makes it sound like being an astronaut takes a tremendous amount of skill and training just as to not lose your own mind.

Jimmy Qui (11) acknowledged that “it would take about a week before I couldn’t stand someone else anymore.”

How long before enough is enough? How much of a person can you take before you drive yourself off a cliff and literally begin taking your own mind apart piece by piece? How can I get away in a place where escape means death and staying means total insanity?

Those are just some of the things to think about before ever doing something as extreme as going into space. While it may be a monumental achievement for yourself, think about the things you have to go through to reach that goal.

Junior Anthony Schmitt believes that “putting up with one other person is a small price to pay if it meant I could go to space.”

Those few brave, courageous, and temperate people that can actually withstand such a true test of human endurance and stamina exemplify the ideal that anything can be accomplished with a clear and level mind.

In California there has been a legacy of beach bonfires, however, these may soon come to be legends as opposition towards bonfires has been brought into question on how environmentally sound they are.

This question being whether the long standing tradition be cancelled to prevent environmental or allowing for prolonged destruction of the coastal ecosystem with all the trash these bonfires leave behind.

Most citizens in the community are fighting to keep the tradition going. Some even feel that if bonfires were banned completely then they would have no real reason to visit the beach.

Junior Jacob Stoehr states “I would probably never go to the beach again if bonfires were banned.

For many people the beach has held many memories, most of those memories being in front of a bonfire while listening to the ocean and the smelling of fresh sea air and charred wood.

Those same people also hope that their children will be able to experience the same memories they did, and that is why they would hate to see bonfires banned.

Brandon Fraijo (11) acknowledged that without bonfires “it would get rid of a lot of the fun and freedom of the beach.”

While it is true that the beach may never be the same without bonfires, if they were banned at least the environment would greatly benefit from this breaking of tradition.

With the cancellation of bonfires on the beach, then the water would start to become cleaner, the ecosystem would start to recover, and best of all the beach would actually be open more days out of the year than closed.

In that logic, while the beach may not be ‘as’ fun, at least if it be open more frequently open to the public and open more days out of the year.

In conclusion, this beach bonfire ban has its ups and downs, and it is the current hot topic for the beach community. We can either break tradition or further damage the environment, the decision is ours. This topic has brought up a lot of conflict and argument, and whatever the outcome may be, it will be a beach.

Scientific advancements in the world today are closer than ever to being able to produce actual, edible meats in labs. Before face palming at the idea of this ‘scientific steak’, just think about the problems in the world this would solve.

Junior David Audet stated that with synthetic foods “we could feed more people in the world today and it would be cheaper.”

We as human beings are always so resistant to change, but this change would have the possibility to essentially supply incalculable amounts of people with meals and solve the sustainability issue the world is currently facing.

Well if solving world hunger isn’t enough to impress, then what about the idea that this advancement would allow the world to actually be able to support our lives without hurting the environment as much as we do now?

That idea, known as Sustainability, means that the world will have the capability to endure with our existence without us slowly and irreversibly decimating the only planet so far that can actually support life.

Still think that this malevolent meat has no promise? Well let’s not also forget that it will also rid the world of its biggest annoyance.

Those stuck up vegetarians and vegans that think they are better than everyone because they aren’t ‘murders’. Well, guess what? With this new way of producing food, no animal has to be killed to feed the masses, so take that veg-heads that makes us equals.

Esteban Pardo (11) acknowledged how he felt about the consumption of synthetic foods in stating the “as long as it is safe and tolerable, then synthetic foods would be fine for the future.”

These hearty new hamburgers take 45% less energy and require 99% less land to be taken up by animal farms, according to a few recent estimates. Those numbers alone are already making mouths around the world salivate.

So, before you chastise this ‘mock meat’ in the future, just remember all the benefits it will bring to the world as a whole. Give the science meat a chance, then make your decision.

Going into the meet the boys knew they would have to put forth their best efforts in order to beat Los Altos and stay in the running for League Champions.

Although a close meet, unfortunately they fell short by six points, losing the meet and breaking their undefeated streak.

The girls on the other hand remained strong and won with a team score of 96-40.

Having won every league meet so far, they have a good chance of becoming League Champions.

Consistently strong in all events, the girls maintained a lead throughout the duration of the meet while for the boys it was a fight until the finish.

In the sprints each race was a close one. Stephanie Vana (12) came in third and Devin Rutherford (12) came in second in the 200. Both Vana (12) and Rutherford (12) got first in the 100 as well.

Competing in the hurdling events were Sarah Hernandez (10), who came in third in the 110 hurdles and second in the 300 hurdles, and Bailey Boardman (11), who came in second in the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles.

For the boys Brandon Moya (12) came in third for both hurdling events and Caleb Stanton (9) came in second in the 110 hurdles.

The distance events also helped gain some significant points for both teams.

The girls swept the 800, with Kailyn Scott (10) winning; the 1600, with Mackenzie Landa (11) winning; and the 3200, with Jordin Prado (10) winning.

On the boys’ side Dillon Nobbs (11) competed in all three distance events, winning the 1600 and coming in second in both the 800 and 3200.

Making important contributions to the score as well were the jumpers who swept nearly all their events.

Nikki Wheatly (11) and Seth McMinn (11) won the triple, high, and long jumps.

Kayla Faurot (11) came in third for the long jump and second in the triple while Jacob Broussard (11) came in second for the high jump.

In pole vault both boys and girls were strong. Moya (12), Erik Flavela (12), and Troy Prejusa (12) got first second and third as did Holly Senebandith (12), Cassidy Peng (10), and Torres.

As for the throwers Hayley Blockinger (11) received first in the discus and second in the shot put with Priscilla Rodriguez (11) close behind getting second in the discus and third in the shot put.

Matt Couch (11) placed second in the discus and Broussard (11) gained some points by winning first in the shot put.

Throughout the meet there were several impressive performances that the coaches are very proud of.

Even though the outcome was not what the boys hoped for they still have had a great season so far and are sure to continue doing so.