Robert Downey Jr. is back as Sherlock Holmes and bigger than ever. With his colleague Jude Law as Dr. Watson, they set off to solve one last case involving Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). This exciting crime thriller will keep you on the edge of your seats as you yourself try to unravel the complicated twists and turns of Holmes and Watson’s adventure. With more action and mysteries than the first, you’ll never want to stop watching, let alone have it end. All of Sherlock’s witty tricks will never let you stop laughing long enough to take that next bite of popcorn. Professor Moriarty keeps you wondering time and time again as he puts the two detectives in numerous challenging situations. This sequel is better than the first with more of everything you want in a great action packed crime thriller. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is one of the best movies of the year, with a great cast and amazing story. This movie will leave you begging for more and will make you want to watch it over and over again. This is a movie everybody should see; it is worth every penny and you will not be disappointed.

But of course the purpose of our Palooza is to showcase the many talents we have here on campus. We had many performances including singing, dancing, poetry reading. The first performance was from none other than our Poly Club! Each and every act was unique to the performer, and performances ranged from a slow acoustic ballet to a rap.

I would like to give a special thanks to all our parents and volunteers that helped at the Palooza. We couldn’t have done it without you! Overall, the Palooza was blast and if you weren’t able to attend this one, hopefully we’ll see you at the next!

But like a superhero from a comic book, Slader saves the day.

Slader.com is a new-found website created by Scott Kolb and Kyle Gerrity, who were friends in high school. Like any other typical teenagers, they shared homework to get by in their classes. “We knew there must be a more efficient way to share our knowledge,” reminisces Gerrity as he discusses Slader’s roots. The two realized the “possibility that there were [are] thousands of other high school students struggling on the same math problem from the same textbooks.” They were not the only ones who discovered this. A mutual high school teacher from the same school believed that “treating his classroom like a study hall….was a waste of time” when he could be using that time to teach new concepts. “…And thus led,” says Gerrity, “to the idea of Slader.”

Slader is here to revolutionize the education by providing an opportunity for students across the country to connect with one another to find the answer on their own. The site includes breakdowns on how to solve problems in textbooks used throughout the country, including California’s Algebra 2 textbook used here at Monterey Trail. Slader also provides explanations of well-known novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies.

It’s free to sign up, it’s efficient, it totally beats sitting hours on end with a tutor, and you get paid.

That’s right, there’s an awarding system that allows avid users to accumulate “gold” by actively participating throughout the site by offering explanations to the material given. You can convert this “gold” into hard-earned money in which could accumulate even to hundreds of dollars.

Didn’t write down the homework? Struggling with a problem but can’t keep contact with your classmates? Create a class profile, invite all of your classmates (which also gives you gold), and have avid discussions about the subject. No more “I’ll wait for your email” or need to stay after class for a study session. With the help of communication through the internet, Slader is a “study group based on the twenty-first century.”

With 1,923,353 exercises and 1,081,249 answers, Slader will help hopeless high schoolers turn into sucessful students strutting across the stage to grab their diploma. However, many would criticize that Slader will only help students cheat. On the contrary,”students learn the material more thoroughly when they must think about how to teach it to their peers, says the founders of Slader. “Slader is not a place to cheat; it is a place for students to thrive.”

And the staff of Slader aren’t shrivelled up old math teachers from a washed up high school (at least not yet). Two co-founders, Kyle Gerrity and Scott Kolb, ate In-N-Out at least once for 48 consecutive days.  All four members of Team Slader, who also include Peter Bernheim and Emily Finley, are all San Diegan and have failed a math class in high school at least once, so you could say they were once in our shoes.

They are so freaking awesome that they were generous enough to send us a promo code for Monterey Trail mustangs ONLY. The first 1,000 people who type in the word “grove” when they register will get 15 free solutions per day.

And with that, the Slader team leaves with one last piece of advice for you high schoolers ready to give up on becoming that amazing mustang everyone knows you could be:

“Contrary to the popular belief, you can always teach an old dog a new trick. There is no need to be lost when others know a way out. So speak up, reach out, and find the help you need: whether it be academic help or something else entirely!”

Doesn’t sound legit? Check it out for yourself at www.slader.com

However, the night of September 16^th was a change of plans, not just for the football team, but for coaches, staff, students, teachers, and even the marching band. It was the night when Monterey Trail and Florin High School came together to honor their shared stadium named after Vice Principal, Mark Macres; a man dedicated to serving happy to rowdy, over-emotional teenagers like us. And who better to play The Star Spangled Banner than a collaboration of Monterey Trail and Florin’s marching band? Little did anyone know that behind the scenes, these two bands were tying two rival schools together with the help of Mark Macres from up above and the universal language of music.

“It was only fitting”, according to Mr. Smith the band teacher at Monterey Trail, to have both bands collaborate to honor Mark Macres, a beloved vice principal for both Florin and Monterey Trail who passed from cancer in the spring of 2007. Because of the game, both marching bands were at school the whole day for 16 hours. To make up for their hard work and dedication, the band directors, Aaron Smith and Robert Holm, held a barbecue with the help of committed parents and teachers. But before that, the bands were hard at work practicing formations and songs for the game.

“We got this!” exclaims Cathy Looc, the drum major for Florin’s band. She also admits “being excited because after planning this for a long time and after 3 years of not doing anything like this, it’s something new.” Not only is it something new, but an “opportunity to experience something that they [the band students] don’t get to see or hear everyday,” says Mr. Smith. “It also gives them pride to play, to showcase what they got.” 

It has been about four years since Monterey Trail played in a halftime show, or even strutted out in full-on uniforms to football games. Due to budget cuts, loss of time, and lack of ability, the band stayed quiet until now. It’s full-on, full power, all the way this year. They are demanding attention, letting everyone know that music and visual and performing arts is still here, loud and proud at Monterey Trail High School, willing to overcome rough patches in the school’s cuts.

“This [band collaboration] shows that they [the students] are appreciating the the program,” says Robert Holms at the barbecue. “It’s publicly showing the support we still have for the arts. It’s better that we’re not competin–”

“Oh no, we’re competing,” says Mr. Smith. The two laugh warmly.

After a few hours in the hot sun, the bands combine in the field with uniforms of green and black and burgundy and white to play The Star Spangled Banner in honor of Mr. Macres. During halftime, the Mustangs’ marching band nailed the first halftime show after 4 years. After the varsity football team won 54-14, the mustangs walked out the the Mark Macres stadium with high spirits. On the way back to the band room, the marching band continued to get many praises from not only Mustang parents and peers but also from Florin fans and staff. The band was sweating from being in covered head to toe in uniform, sore from carrying heavy brass instruments, mute from screaming from the top of their lungs, aching from standing and marching for six hours, but definitely, unconditionally high in spirits.

It took weeks of work, but it was worth hyping up the crowd, tying the two schools together and honoring a man that took pride in what he did. “Although we had to share the stadium, this shows that there doesn’t have to be a rivalry- that we can work together,” says Seleba Outtara, a flautist in the band. After trudging back to the band room after a long day at the stadium, the band couldn’t help but smile. “We’re like a family, a dysfunctional one,” chuckles Kelley Ho, a sophomore alto saxophonist. “We got our ups and downs, but we back each other up.”

                The Tailgate Party for the Class of 2015 included food, games, an Impulse performance, air-conditioning, and a raffle for a free gift card to Starbucks, McDonalds, and Jamba Juice. All of which was free of charge and exclusively for freshman. Link Crew used this chance to socialize with the freshmen and advertise school events to get them involved. One game included “Pin the Horseshoe on the Eagle” in which students were to pin a MTHS horseshoe on a Pleasant Grove Eagle. “It’s to pump them up for the game tomorrow,” said Alex Cao, a Link Crew leader running the booth. Activities such as games of Ninja, limbo, hula hoop competitions, face painting and dance battles brought the true mustangs out of the freshman. “We all love it, being a mustang,” confesses Jasmine Aduna and Ayrelle Claments at the party. “We’re just really proud.” Impulse brought the party up a notch with a refreshing performance; everyone in the room could feel the exhilarating vibe.

                There are two main stereotypes for freshman: twitchy and shy nerds or rude and impulsive wanna-bes. However, is the class of 2015 changing up the game? According to a few teachers and upperclassmen at the Freshman Tailgate Party on August 26, the fresh meat at Monterey Trail are altering tradition. “I think they [the freshmen] have a good future. They’re really motivated and involved this year,” says Jennifer Stanley, a Link Crew leader helping out at the party. “They always ask questions and they love socializing.” Other upperclassmen couldn’t agree more. As Beverly Huey and Raksha Singh pass out refreshments, they agree that his year’s freshmen are “excited, more open, and involved.” Then again, they just might be doing it to survive high school.  According to Ms. Bott, the school’s Academic Literacy teacher, “They [the freshmen] have a strong work ethic. They’re smart kids with manners, but that’s probably because they have no choice,” she says with a chuckle.

                Either way, the Tailgate Party was an exceptional way to welcome the newcomers at Monterey Trail. The bumps on the road are yet to come, but for the moment, the mustangs on the Trail are enjoying (or dreading, whoever you may be) their back to school spirit. And with that, Zuri Lazare could not have said it any better: “I’m excited for a good year, and especially a good start to high school.”

As disappointing as it sounds to some students, this shot is necessary to prevent others from catching the latest and contagious disease that’s been spreading through California this year: the whooping cough (aka pertussis). Despite its humorous name, it’s no laughing matter. The disease has infected 7,000 people and caused 10 infant deaths so far, and in reaction the government has made an act to protect the soon-to-be seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen by requiring all students to get their Tdap booster shot and turn in written proof of receiving before they can attend school. So make that appointment and get your booster shot done with and turned in quickly!

For more info on the Whooping Cough: Click on the link below: http://children.webmd.com/whooping-cough-directory