The Mills High teachers and staff received a special treat during the National Teachers Appreciation Week, when a selfless man voluntarily delivered coffee everyday to the office as a token of appreciation.

Every morning during the entire week from March 15th to March 19th, fellow Millbrae resident Doug Callahan picked up freshly brewed coffee from the Millbrae Starbucks on Broadway, and delivered it to the Mills conference room for teachers and staff to enjoy.

As president of the Millbrae Leos Club, Callahan was able to arrange the generous donation with the club’s sponsor, Starbucks Coffee. In addition to coffee, Starbucks also offered Mills teachers and staff redeemable gift cards and coupons for pastries and beverages.

Although many teachers noticed the thoughtfulness from Callahan and the generosity from Starbucks, others had no idea where the coffee was coming from. Nevertheless, certainly all the teachers and staff appreciated the hot beverage every morning.

Callahan has been a close friend of Mills High School for many years. A single father who moved to Millbrae 18 years ago, Callahan witnessed all three of his daughters graduate from Mills High and decided to give back to the school.

“Mills did so much for my kids. It is like the Stanford of high schools,” said Callahan.

“I wanted to pay back the teachers for all the great things that they do for the students. Because of the California budget cuts, it is up to volunteers to help out the school.”

In addition to bringing coffee, Callahan also helped out with lunch for the teachers and staff during the Teachers Appreciation Week. Furthermore, he has been working with Principal Belzer in helping students plant trees on Arbor Day. In July of this year, he will become the new president for the Mills Sports Booster Club.

While he is retired, Callahan has contributed greatly to the Millbrae community. As a member of the Millbrae Lions Club, he started the Leos Club in January 2007, and the youth club now has over 150 members, most of whom are Mills students. Additionally, Callahan is a volunteer police for the city, and he manages the Peninsula Basketball Camp for the Millbrae Recreation Center. In 2008, he was awarded Millbrae Man of the Year.

There is no doubt that Callahan has done a lot for both Mills High and the city of Millbrae. He is known by many students and teachers to frequent the Mills campus, helping and doing whatever he can for the school.

“I look forward to being able to do a lot for the school in the future because it did a lot for my kids,” said Callahan.

This article was originally written by Hank Fanchiu.

Exploding firecrackers and dancing dragons ushered in the Chinese Lunar New Year in the City of Millbrae’s fifth annual Lunar New Year Festival on Sunday, February 21st.

The festival started the day before and lasted the entire weekend from 10 am to 4 pm each day at the Millbrae Civic Center, consisting of various live performances on a rented sound-equipped stage. Team Rock-It, a dance team from Mills, performed to the song TiK ToK by Kesha. There were also dumpling cook-offs, mahjong socials, and many booths held by vendors selling items ranging from American ginseng to fashionable belts. If one has been to the Hong Kong street markets, taking a stroll past the vendors’ makeshift tents filled with haphazardly piled items would have felt like déjà vu. The street fair ended early on Sunday due to rain, but the Tiger Parade was still held at 3:30 pm on Broadway. Firecrackers, clashing cymbals, and pounding drums could be heard all the way from the ending point—near the Millbrae Chetcuti Room outside the Millbrae Library. Mills Dragon Team supervisor Mr. Wayne Phillips proudly watched as the dragon, which had recently undergone a “makeover,” pranced with pomp through the streets.

Mr. Phillips proudly commented, “The new dragon runs far more elegantly because the body now matches the head and the tail [...]  A large number of freshmen and sophomores have been added to the team, and we can look forward to real robust group down the line when the seniors and juniors go, because they will have a lot more experience. I was certainly very impressed.”

Mills High Mandarin students were primarily in charge of showcasing Chinese culture and tradition at the fair, as well as helping set up and plan for the banquet. All Chinese classes were involved in the showcase and were divided into groups to present a certain topic, such as calligraphy or lantern-making.

Mrs. Pai Chie Chen-Chow, the Mills Mandarin teacher, explained the purpose for assigning her students to showcase aspects of Chinese culture at the festival: “As a Chinese teacher,  I like my students to expand their learning outside the walls of the classroom and into the community. This is a good opportunity to learn more. It is essentially part of the curriculum… culture and language cannot be separated. At the same time they [the students] are serving their community and also learning Chinese culture.”

The Mills Chinese Cultural Club, or CCC, delegated a few volunteers to help at the festival. All CCC officers were present and put in a tremendous amount of time volunteering.

After the parade, two hundred guests celebrated the end of the festival by attending a Chinese New Year Banquet at the Millbrae Recreation Center, presented by the Mills High School Mandarin Department. Although this is the fifth year Millbrae has put on a festival, it is the first year Millbrae has had a banquet. The banquet was primarily organized by Mrs. Chen-Chow. It was originally supposed to be a small dinner for Mandarin students and parents to get together and celebrate the New Year, but Mrs. Chen-Chow eventually made it into a community event, inviting the public to come and welcome in the New Year as well. The Mills Parents Chinese New Year Planning Committee met biweekly to plan the banquet during the fall semester. Millbrae Events planners organized entertainment for the night, and students from Mills performed for the guests. Megan Hu, a sophomore, played the zithr, or guzheng. Many Mills students including Daniel Lin, Kevin Wong, Michael Gao, William Ker, Kenny Lou and Kenny Shi performed in a humorous dance to the tune of traditional Chinese New Year songs.

Notable attendees to the banquet include Millbrae’s Mayor Paul Seto and his family, Mr. Belzer and his family, Mrs. Munoz, Ms. Katino, Mr. Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. Delbon, Ms. Shurter, Mrs. McCarthy, Ms. Miller, and Mrs. Chen-Chow.

Many Chinese people have moved into Millbrae over the past years, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that Chinese culture is integrating itself with Millbrae culture. For example, the Chinese New Year Festivals are beginning to become a more permanent fixture in Millbrae tradition each year. This, combined with the growing numbers of people attending the festivals, are an indicator of how Chinese culture has become part of Millbrae culture.

When asked about the effects of Chinese culture on Millbrae, Mrs. Chen-Chow responded, “I have lived here for ten years. My impression from the first day I got here is that … we are using Chinese New Year to promote a sense of belonging. For non-Chinese people, it is a good chance to introduce them to Chinese culture.”

Mrs. Chen-Chow may or may not organize a banquet next year, depending on the feedback from parents, who were the ones that made the banquet possible. However, the festival will definitely be held again next year, and the culture showcases presented by Mills will most likely continue as well.

Mrs. Chen-Chow would like to give kudos to the parent volunteers and students, especially for helping out at the banquet. She is grateful for them since this is the first year Mills has had this Chinese New Year banquet.

This article was originally written by Hannah Chan.

The Mills High Film Club will host its third annual Amateur Film Festival in the school Auditorium on Friday April 30th. In years past, the festival’s program has been a compilation of films made by Mills students and alumni. The Film Club accepted submissions from students, using films that were either made for fun or for a project, to put together a night that showcased the creative talents of Mills’ finest.

This year, however, the club will make a single film, the result of a collective effort on the part of the entire club. The project will be an homage to the famous thriller director Alfred Hitchcock and his various masterpieces, including The Birds, Rear Window, and Psycho. The movie will be a humorous parody of common patterns often seen in Hitchcock’s work, such as his infatuation with blondes, and his tendency to have a small cameo in each of his pictures. The club’s goal in making the film is to create a parody of the distinct characteristics and style of “Hitchcockian” films, while at the same time honoring the mark he made on Hollywood movies. Secretary of the club, Maddie Mori, says, “It’s going to be a new and unique approach to the Film Festival because it compiles [each of] our knowledge about the film industry.”

As a devout fan (he’s her favorite director), club advisor Ms. Campbell has a multitude of resources concerning the legendary movies Hitchcock created. She says “I am delighted that the Film Club is making an homage to Alfred Hitchcock. When I came up with the idea, I was not sure how it would be received. I have a passion for Hitchcock films, and the legendary filmmaker should be honored for his extraordinary body of work, that to me, no other filmmaker has ever surpassed.”

This is the Film Club’s fourth year of existence. It was founded four years ago by Class of 2007 alumni Kevin McGuigan, David Cady, and Zack Yeager. The club’s purpose has always been to provide an outlet for student filmmakers to showcase their work, but they also emphasize movie appreciation. They watch and study famous movies at club meetings, or play movie trivia games, each game relating to a different genre of film.

The Mills Film Club anticipates a successful Film Festival, and hopes to see plenty of Mills students there!

This article was originally published by Cathryn Dalton.

Stephenie Meyer, the genius creator of the Twilight Saga, has just recently announced the addition of four more books that will continue the Twilight Saga and the release of Edward Cullen’s point of view of Twilight, the book Midnight Sun.

In a press conference held on February 28, 2010, Stephenie made the claim that she will be producing four more sequels to the Twilight Saga: Shadow Dreams, Silver Crescent, Midnight Promise, and Everlasting Blood.  Not only is she creating a whole new saga of the Twilight series, but she is also going to finish and release her most addicting edition of Midnight Sun, a version of Twilight written in Edward’s point of view.  With these five new books, she hopes to attract even more “TwiFans” and give her audience a deeper look into Bella and Edward’s love life with their daughter Renesmee.

Meyer had a “catastrophical” dilemma with Midnight Sun back in August 2008 when it was illegally leaked onto the internet for viewers to see.

“I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited, and published.  So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue.  In any case, I felt too sad about what happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely,” said Meyer in 2008.

However, at a press conference on February 28, she announced her continuation of the Midnight Sun draft starting April of 2010.  She hopes that by 2011, she will have enough dreams and ideas to finally finish the book.

“I believe that she has had enough time to reconcile and gain closure to be able to finish writing the draft of Midnight Sun and finally put her book out in the public,” said actress Kristen Stewart.

Despite the holes we have gained in our hearts from the deprivation on enrapturing stories about glorious vampires and rugged werewolves, the four new books will enable the readers to see how Edward and Bella cope with their new daughter Renesmee, maybe tell a story in the perspective of Renesmee (hint!), and see if Jacob and Renesmee’s love turns into more than just an “imprint”.  New surprises are around every corner and Edward and Bella’s life could head anywhere.

“Indeed, I am delighted to see how Bella and Edward continue their ‘unconditional and irrevocable’ love for one another.  I am also craving to see how my ‘daughter’ will turn out!” laughed actor Robert Pattinson at the press conference held by Stephenie Meyer.

All this gushing news is exciting to hear, but what is most anticipated is a new enemy of the Cullen family.  Inside sources say a new and unexpected enemy of the Cullen family and the werewolves is going to make an appearance in the continuing Twilight Saga.

“Expect what has never been expected before,” said Meyer’s spokesperson after the press conference.

And as for the hunky werewolves, more intervention by the pack in the new saga is guaranteed by Meyer’s recent blogs on her website.  With this “new enemy,” the Cullen family is going to need all the help they can get and since Renesmee is alive and well, Jacob cannot stand to be away from her.  Plus, it would not be a surprise to see the inextricable love bond between werewolf and vampire create a chain reaction.  Let’s just hope the werevolves don’t get too friendly with the vampires…

These new releases by Stephenie Meyer are sure to cause a smashing attraction of “TwiFans” in the next couple of weeks.  Be on the look-out for any more sneak peeks and upcoming blogs by Meyer and her cast stars: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner.  Here I come Twilight 2011!

This article was originally written by Monica Diliberto.

The African jungle will be Mills AP Biology teacher Aiko Michot’s new place of residence beginning this summer 2010.

In her recent years working in the San Mateo High School Union District, Ms. Michot has accomplished many things at Mills High School. Ms. Michot took on the AP Bio curriculum and changed the learning experiences of many students by implementing a service-learning program in which strong AP Biology students tutor others who need help in Biology. Ms. Michot is also the advisor for the new Green Youth Alliance club. When fellow AP Biology teacher and rival Mr. Stallings resigned to teach students in Costa Rica, Ms. Michot seems to have become quite jealous and unhappy.

Ms. Michot claimed, “Stallings was my arch-nemesis! It was weird not having him at school to make fun of or compare students’ AP test scores with. I love competition, but I also miss having someone to give me advice about running my AP classes, especially because I’ve only recently become an AP Biology teacher.”

With tremendous budget cuts mounting on the school systems in California, it is needless to say that we anticipate more teacher layoffs in the coming years if we continue to lack funds. Therefore, Ms. Michot decided to resign after this school year ends, in order to spare the occupations of other teachers. Ms. Michot looks at this as a chance for change in her life, as well as to take some time off teaching and focus on her own education. Ms. Michot will be pursuing a PhD in Developmental Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles as soon as the school year ends and will begin by conducting experiments for her PhD thesis. As with all PhDs, Ms. Michot is required  to publish a thesis with original supports. In regards to her thesis, Ms. Michot has already been working on it for the past several months and is in the process of designing her experiment.

“My whole life I have been curious about how humans interact with animals, especially young and developing animals. I want to conduct an experiment in which I can test how humans can communicate with animals and establish relationships over time. I would have picked the primate family for this experiment, but Jane Goodall beat me to it.  I think I’ll have to pick something else, like elephants,” commented Ms. Michot

Not only will Ms. Michot be in Africa to conduct her experiment, she will also be there to vacation and travel in order to observe the variety of organisms there firsthand. Ms. Michot states that she is very excited to travel in Africa, which includes many different climates, from tropical rainforest to arid desert. There is also a great diversity of animals there for Ms. Michot to observe and study.

“There are so many animals, I’ll be taking pictures nonstop! I’ll even send them to Mr. Stallings just to rub in his face that he won’t see the types of organisms I will see since he’s in Costa Rica,” Ms. Michot exclaimed,  “Maybe if I have time over there, I’ll adopt my own pet, possibly an ostrich. I can identify with them because they’re so out of place and they don’t fit in with the other animals there. The ostrich seems quirky and weird, like me, and its vestigial wings look pretty funny.”

Ms. Michot does not think she will be returning to Mills after the end of this school year. She will be moving most of her belongings with her to Africa and expects to be staying there for at least five years, which gives her ample time to set up her experiment and conduct it for a few years. However, the nature of her experiment calls for a larger span of time, as Ms. Michot would like to investigate the establishment of deep human-animal relationships “over time.”

Although most people are definitely sad to say goodbye to Mills’ dedicated AP Biology teacher, the entire student body and faculty of Mills High School wishes the best for Ms. Michot as she leaves to pursue her dream in Africa.

This article was written by Hannah Chan.

The Pew Research Center based in Landover, Maryland, recently published a study recording a peculiar phenomenon affirming the wives tale that students who wear specific college apparel consistently throughout their high school careers will be significantly more likely to get into said college.  The study followed 15,000 high school freshman from across the country for four years, constantly logging the hours of college sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts and panties worn, and finally the rate of their acceptance into their dream colleges.

Rayshawn Allen, supervisor of the study, commented, “We found that the proportion of those who wear apparel for a specific university are far more likely to be accepted”.

Apparently, the data collected  represent Allen’s most statistically significant study yet.

“The results were overwhelming, I am so surprised that more college bound students haven’t figured this out yet,” Allen stated.

With a p-value of .0000000247, and a consultation from Guinness Book of World Records representative Chris Culito, this is the most stastically signficant study ever conducted in the United States.

Head researcher Chadsworth Ochocinco explains how students are “seventy-seven percent more likely to attend their first choice university when wearing college apparel for ten hours a week.”  This amounts to about one or two days a week of one article of college clothing.  The results for more hours a week were even more astonishing: for twenty hours a week, the acceptance rate jumps to 109 percent, for thirty hours a week it is 132 percent.

Above those figures, the rate does not increase significantly until the eighty hour threshold is reached.

According to the study, students who consistently wear college gear are more likely to study harder and longer to achieve their goals.  The clothing operates on a subconscious level, serving as a constant reminder of their aspirations, and in many cases, the expectations of their parents.

“Well I’ve logged almost ninety-seven hours a week for the past three and a half years with my grey Berkeley sweater, and I guess it has all paid off.  I just wish Cal  had opened their lingerie store a few years ago,” Mills Senior Katie John said of her unvarying attire.

Another Mills student, Siddartha Sampangi says he also knew about this phenomenon, and is confident he will be accepted at Stanford University.

“Stanford? Oh I’m still waiting to hear back, but with all those hours I logged, there’s no chance they can deny me,” he said with confidence.

In response to this study, the Yale student store has ordered an immediate recall of most of their merchandise, as well as raising the price of sweatshirts left on the shelves.  Other prestigious universities intend to follow suit.

Conversely, the UC Merced admissions department has began a campaign to distribute as many free hoodies as possible before this fall.

Kaplan is also launching a four week pilot program to tutor ambitious students on the science of wearing college clothing.  According to their website, the course will be taught in a “dynamic class setting by… comprehensive and motivational all-star Kaplan instructors.”  Lesson books and flash cards  will be included in the price, which will even be reduced if purchased before April 31.

Mills student Sherman Siu said his mother is making him sign up, though he believes he has the fashion sense and college smarts to properly “mix and match his t-shirts, socks, and Bruins Briefs better than any damn Kaplan pseudointellectual.”

So all you freshmen, drop your SAT practice booklets and throw on your faded Stanford and Cal sweaters, as these articles of clothing appear to be the true keys to success.

This article was originally written by Erik Kramer.

Avatar, Up, or The Hurt Locker? Which movie should have won the 2010 Oscar award for best picture?

According to a small poll done on Mills campus, students have chosen Avatar as their award winning choice. Breaking two billion in box office sales, Avatar is definitely a crowd pleaser with its high tech motion capture technology and beautifully crafted world of Pandora. Pandora is a place where each foot step lights up a patch on the floor, ten feet tall blue Na’vi natives live, and where you can fly on the back of a fruity giant bird. Pandora is where James Cameron had to wait ten years for technology to advance so he could create this new planet.

“The world was enchanting, beautiful, mesmerizing, wow, Avatar should definitely win best picture” says junior Lydia Yee.

Although, the visuals are indeed groundbreaking, the significance of the storyline is unoriginal and lacking. The main concept of the movie is that humans are evil. We need to manipulate, abuse, and feed off the fooled victim’s resources in order to survive. Then we try to drive them away from their own land. But wait, there’s more! Our main character then falls in love with a native and he gradually obtains morals which influence his decision to fight against his own people. Does that not sound like the Disney classic Pocahontas? The movie is also quite ironic in some areas. The Na’vi are supposedly tree loving, peaceful aliens, yet they despise intrusive humans. In addition, the most engaging scene in the movie is when the peace loving Na’vi engage in an intense battle against the humans, killing them left and right.

However, the lack of a substantial plotline is made up for in the groundbreaking technology used that extends the possibilities for future movies. So does Avatar really deserve the Oscar award for best picture?

If not, what film does deserve the coveted title of best picture? Without a doubt I believe Pixar’s Up is the best movie of choice. Most think an animated movie does not deserve best picture, but ask yourself, why not? The movie contains an original plotline, unlike its opposing film, Avatar. Up evokes laugh out loud laughter to sobbing tears in the first 15 minutes, is enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be watched over and over again without ever becoming a bore.

Up is a touching story of a lonely and retired balloon salesman who decides to fulfill his and his deceased wife’s lifelong dream of traveling and living in South America. On his journey however, he finds out he is not alone and finds cute and chubby wilderness explorer, Russell, aboard Mr. Fredricksen’s balloon house. Through their journey, old man Fredricksen learns compassion again, Russell adopts a male figure in his life, and they both develop a strong friendship. Old and young, then and now, two different groups are combined, and together they overcome conflicts. So what if this movie was not a 300 million dollar production. From Up we are enlightened and we are able to then examine our own lives and ask ourselves, ‘Am I really living life to the fullest? Or wasting my time away merely existing?’

Up is my personal choice for the award, but The Hurt Locker, directed by James Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, prevails. Hoever the choice of The Hurt Locker winning best picture is debatable. Bigelow directs an American war film about a bomb squad defusing bombs. That is about all I see in this movie, there really is no concrete plot. Also, the independent film inaccurately portrays wartime conditions in Iraq. The actors in the movie fail to accurately neutralize an area while defusing bombs like a true bomb squad should. This error fails the movie as a documentary and the lack of a plotline fails the film as a respectable choice for best picture winner.

Although The Hurt Locker won best picture and Avatar remains in popular demand, I would like to stick with Up as my favorite movie of 2010. It has got character, a substantial plotline, and leaves me with a good impression.

This article was written by somebody.

CollegeBoard is an evil company. Its intimate relationship with multiple college partners has led to the monopolization of the college entrance exams. With that power in hand, CollegeBoard has exploited many students, sucking the money out of these poor individuals who only want to further their education.

These outrageous SAT, SAT Subject, and AP test fees have forced students to do the unthinkable. When allowance money is not enough to pay for these tests, students are seen soliciting outside Lucky selling stolen Girl Scout cookies or chocolate bars. CollegeBoard has been making millions off innocent students trying to get into college, but even this does not seem to be enough. CollegeBoard wanted to expand its sphere of influence into other areas, and has finally done so.

On March 17th, 2010, CollegeBoard announced that it would be taking legal action against the popular website Sparknotes.com, under the premise that Sparknotes had stolen and was illegally distributing intellectual property in the form of SAT/AP test prep questions. According to the the legal team, Sparknotes had questions that were “oddly similar” to ones CollegeBoard had published years earlier.

When interviewed, Sam Yagan, a founder of Sparknotes, says “I do not understand what the hubbub is all about. We are just trying to help students prepare for the SAT. We may have taken some questions from the CollegeBoard website, but they were all public domain.”

In response, Gaston Caperton, the current CEO of CollegeBoard, stated that “Under Section IV of our terms and services, test questions become public domain two years after the publishing date. The folks at Sparknotes are two months ahead of schedule.”

CollegeBoard then complained that such actions would cause them to lose profit from The Official SAT Book sales. I always thought CollegeBoard was a non-profit organization, but I guess it means “non-profit” for its competitors. As a result of intellectual property theft, CollegeBoard plans on suing Sparknotes for $57 million dollars, more than the worth of the entire Sparknotes Company. If CollegeBoard triumphs in court, ownership of Sparknotes would be transferred to CollegeBoard.

The real reason CollegeBoard is attacking Sparknotes is quite obvious. Working together with hundreds of colleges across the country, CollegeBoard often hears of teachers and professors complaining about the use of Sparknotes as a “cheating device” and criticizes the website as “the reason why kids are becoming dumber.” If CollegeBoard could shut Sparknotes down, not only would it mean more profit for the company, but it would also greatly increase the bond between schools, and perhaps CollegeBoard would have enough leverage to have schools make the SAT tests mandatory for all students.

The case was taken to court on March 29th, 2010. It was a bench trial, meaning that no jury was present, which was very convenient for CollegeBoard. As it turned out, the judges were former students at Brown, and a simple letter from an old professor led to a quick and unanimous decision. With two bangs of the gavel, Sparknotes belonged to CollegeBoard.

Sparknotes will be taken offline on April 8th, 2010. Students have lost out on a great tool for understanding literature; a tool that many owe their English grades to. Though students will be lamenting over such a tragedy, English teachers are rejoicing from all over. I can already hear Mr. Jackson reciting a sonnet of praise.  **

This article was originally written by Kenny Shi.

Friday, February 5

7:30 AM. Ninety-two bleary-eyed music students dragged instruments and suitcases into the bellies of three buses waiting to whisk them away to the magical world of Disneyland. At 9:00 am, students, parent chaperones, and music director Doug Miner filed onto the buses, pillows and backpacks, looking excited, sleepy, and grumpy about the prospect of spending the next seven hours on a bus.

Our apprehension was well-merited. The journey ended up consuming a grand total of nine hours – nine hours of ninety-two restless kids crammed into three buses. If you were on the red bus, that meant nine hours of an incessant chorus of, “Sittin’ on a toilet! Sittin’ on a toilet!”. The toilet in the back of the bus was apparently excited by the repeated invocation of its name, because it proceeded to permeate the stuffy air of the bus with its fragrance.

When we finally pulled up in front of the Best Western Inn, tired, cramped, and poisoned by toilet fumes, even the rain outside was preferable to another second spent on the bus.

7:30 PM. All of us ravenously hungry, we arrived in front of the Disneyland gates, only to discover that the park was going to close in thirty minutes due to inclement weather. Normally, this would not have been a problem, but the only money we had came in the form of Disney bucks – and we had a feeling that McDonald’s was not going to accept sparkly Mickeys as substitutes for crinky green Washingtons. Thus ensued a mad rush into the park gates and a desperate search for anything that could possibly be consumed. Some settled for pretzels and hot dogs while others, trekked farther in in pursuit of fresh fruit.

8:00 PM. We trudged back to the Best Western. That night, a whole wing of the Best Western rang with the sound of high school students falling gratefully into bed.

Saturday, February 6

7:30 AM. Wake-up call. Students rolled out of bed and trickled down to the breakfast room, where we made the best we could of cereal, hard boiled eggs, toast, and some questionable-looking gravy.

9:30 AM. We loaded up the buses, looking snazzy in white collared shirts, red ties, and black slacks and skirts. A few minutes later, the buses entered an unfamiliar Disneyland, one that seemed to lack its usual magic. Gone were the bright facades, the pretty princesses, and the stores filled with overpriced souvenirs. In their place, we saw a grey, industrial parking lot: Disney’s backstage.

In contrast to previous band trips, this year the Mills Music Department did not participate in Anaheim’s Heritage Festivals. The usual competition with other schools was substituted with a History of Music presentation for the choir and a recording session for the orchestra and band. The instrumentalists enjoyed a unique experience of playing soundtracks to clips from The Emperor’s New Groove, Fantasia, and Dinosaur. We felt quite grand and professional as we worked with conductor Bob Feller, headphones playing a relentless click track in our ears. The ultimate moment in which we combined the animation and music tied the entire experience together with a magical finish.

After the recording session, our combined musical group walked to Carnation Plaza for our performance. Band, choir, jazz band, and orchestra delivered a high-spirited performance. An audience of parents, supporters, and curious passersby enjoyed, among other songs, an epic medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber melodies (starting, of course, with “Phantom of the Opera”). The jazz band then had a chance to shine by themselves, jamming along to “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”. Our performance over, we waited as a shiny commemorative plaque was presented to us by the Disney staff,  our minds already dwelling on the fun we intended to have that day.

The next six hours were filled with all the delights that Disneyland and California Adventure had to offer.  Undeterred by the damp weather, our intrepid music students were determined to enjoy themselves, even though the park closed early once again. Senior Mauricio Vazquez especially enjoyed going on rides in the rain.

“The rain would pool in the space between you and the plastic shield on Drop Zone,” said Vazquez. Sophomore Emily Wang had a blast riding California Screamin’, which features a rapid succession of (literally) breathtaking turns, a ninety degree plunge, and a loop-de-loop. Many other students also enjoyed the thrilling rollercoaster (especially at night), while others, like freshman Vincent Siu, enjoyed watching people getting drenched on Splash Mountain. Meanwhile, freshman Natalie Tarangioli opted for the classic It’s a Small World ride, where she sang along with friends Joo and Breanna.

8:00 PM. After our long day, we weren’t disappointed that the party had to end early, but at least tomorrow’s forecast promised a whole day of dry sneakers.

Sunday, February 7

Sunday, our last day in the park, dawned bright and clear. This was lucky for us, since the next twelve hours were going to be devoted entirely to Disneyland.

We walked over as a group, and upon entering the park, were finally met with the cheery, energetic fantasyland we had all been dreaming of. Horse-drawn trolleys clopped briskly along, costumed characters paraded down the streets, and a marching band stood performing near the entrance of the park. Of course, we viewed this last sight with all the respect and envy it was due.

After a quick photo op, we split into groups and spread throughout the parks. A few boys parked themselves by ESPN Zone to await the Super Bowl, the chaperones set off for a few well-earned hours of enjoyment, and the rest of us made a beeline for the rides.

Real-life fantasy lands are not without downfalls, however. The cracks in the Disney façade of wonder occasionally reminded us, with a jolt, of reality: two-hour waits for the Tower of Terror, $8 chicken-flavored churros.

Food, other than breakfast, was generally agreeable. Gilbert Lim and Christine Leung relished gumbo in bread bowls, Chris Ford thoroughly enjoyed his lamb burgers, and the highlight of Julia Lee and Nina Levine’s trip was Sunday night dinner at Tortilla Jo’s in downtown Disney, where they were pleasantly surprised by a skilled balloon hat crafter.

11:45 PM.  Some of us were flourishing new Mickey Mouse ears, one couple had made a teddy bear baby together, and, coming from Tortilla Jo’s, one student was sporting a particularly fetching balloon hat – officially a “swan” (see below). More exhausted than ever, but finally satisfied, we said good bye to the happiest place on earth for the last time.

Monday, February 8

7:30 AM. After a quick breakfast, we proceeded to pack and load up the buses. Another six hours on the bus during which, thankfully, no one seemed inclined to sit on the toilet (metaphorical or literal one). We were all worn out from the weekend’s activities, but the end of the trip seemed to come far too soon.

None of us wanted to leave Disneyland and come back home – if only because the prospect of dragging ourselves to school the next day was less than appealing. Our reluctance, however, stemmed from much more than our aversion to school. The two and a half days we spent in Disneyland were a chance to escape the dull routine of school and indulge ourselves, an opportunity to forget about responsibility, school, and stress. Thanks to the music program, the parent chaperones, and Mr. Miner, ninety-two kids got to experience ninety-six hours of unadulterated fun, unforgettable memories, and unbelievable music.

This article was originally written by Katie Joh.

The seniors are at it again, bullying the poor little freshmen. Once, Burlingame was the only high school to uphold the tradition of Freshmen Friday, but now it seems as if the custom has rubbed off of Mills seniors.

What is the greatest fear of any Mills student? The answer to that is easy and undeniable: seagulls. This became part of a plot against an unfortunate 9th grader by cunning upperclassmen. A video of all the action was taken by one of the participant’s friends. It took four students to execute this scheme: one person lured the bird to them with a tasty morsel, while a couple pounced on it. The last person successfully hacked a freshman’s lock, allowing the others to stuff the seagull inside the locker. One could imagine the mess the bird made inside the stifling compartment. It was a mere coincidental bonus that the student just happened to have his lunch stored away with the bird. Hmm, what could have happened to the food? Or rather, what happened when the unsuspecting freshman, unaware of the sounds of struggle and flapping wings, opened her locker? Enough said. A shame that the finale was not caught on tape.

It looks as if Mills seniors have subtly declared war on the freshmen. But the young ones refuse to tolerate such despicable behavior. The despairing underclassmen have turned to colleges for help, which in turn proved to be very useful. Ivy-League University MIT suggested Mills to organize a Freshman Defense Corps, just as its own college newcomers did. The idea appealed to many, and was soon approved without much delay.  It is high time 9th graders started fighting back. Oh, yeah. Bring it, seniors! Weekends will be ruined as Mills freshmen celebrate the first anniversary of Senior Saturday/Sunday.

This article was originally written by Jessica Liang.