How The Culinary Arts Chose Me. Getting Ready For My Future. By: Isabel Kitchen

Life will choose moments in which we discover where our true passion lies. For me it came at an unusual early age, while I was crying over a flat, burned badge of cookies. As my aunt walked in she asked what was wrong, and I told her about my three attempts in making white chocolate macadamia cookies. She told me not to give up, that baking is all about following the recipe right down to the letter and not ever allowing a failed badge of cookies keep you from baking another one. I watched and listened with an immense curiosity and an ache to learn. And then it happened, she started creaming the sugar and butter together without placing the butter in the microwave first. I asked her how come she didn’t just melt it in order to be able to stir everything together faster. She laughed and told me that that could possibly be the biggest crime one could do to cookies, for it loses its fluffy texture. I took a big spoonful of cookie dough and popped it in my mouth; I had found my true love, butter.

            Having a career in the culinary industry is the only aspect of my future I am certain off. I want to dream big. My goal is to become a diverse chef, knowledgeable in all world cuisines. I wish to work in all aspects of the cooking world in order to know what I should be looking for when I manage my own business. At the Art Institute I plan to start off by obtaining a baking and pastry diploma, going on to an associate’s degree, and finally a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Management. While in school I hope to start working so that I will be able to take full responsibility of my education. Culinary School will always be my first priority and I am determined to remain focused and consistent in my hard work. I am ready to put my all into my educational goals.

For Mrs. Mancuso, And For Dance. By: Isabel Kitchen

Dear Mrs. Mancuso,

Thanks to the privilege I received of being able to be a part of the Dance Team, my senior year is concluding filled with forever lasting memories and lessons learned. Dancing for you has not only helped me grow as a dancer but also as a person, I have learned so much of the importance of persistence and teamwork, I will be forever grateful for the selfless way you have built my confidence and that of my teammates. Every day in class I admire your passion for dance, so much that it has inspired my own. I have learned that dance is so much more than a hobby, it is an art, a dream, and to those who truly love it, a lifestyle. Defining the word dance is more complex today than it has ever been before, for it is now deeper than simply a stream of consecutive movements. Dance is an emotional release, it is passion in its purest form, it is the closest connection I have ever had with my body. I will never forget the early morning Tuesday rehearsals with Ashley (I have never sweated or worked so hard in my life!), reading the amazing letter or recommendation you wrote for me, learning how to tap, praying with everyone before a show, learning from Ms. Leonardo, finally being able to do the splits (on both legs) and off course, my most precious memory, leaving my heart on the stage. I will never forget when I walked up to you my Junior year after Dance Auditions had finished to tell you that I could no try out for the Dance Team because of the cost of the uniform, you continued to tell me that you would never want something like money to keep me from dancing and that we would figure something out. It was never easy for me, I had never danced before, I was not flexible, I did not know how to do a pirouette, I did not even know what a leap was, but I found a true love for dance, and a comfort in knowing that you had faith in me. I still do not know how I’ll be able to cope with not dancing every day, but I give you my word that I will always find a way to keep Dance close to my heart and as a part of my life. Dance has given me a sense of confidence and accomplishment, it has taught me about pride and dealing with disappointment, of sacrifice and happiness. You have taught me about love and patience, endurance and determination, control and hope. Thank you so much for doing what you do and being amazing at it. I will miss you very much.

                                                                    Love,

                                                                                 Isabel Kitchen

Don't Wait

I recently discovered this awesome new song by one of my favorite bands- Addison Road. It's called "Don't Wait" and I really feel it applies to everybody, especially us seniors as we are so close to graduation and so near to a completely new chapter in our lives. I think as young people, we often think we are indestructible and no harm can come to us. As we can see, this is not true. We have lost several students over the years at Osos, some even younger than us. Some of the main lyrics in the song are "We're not indestructible, our lives are unpredictable, it can turn on a dime, so now is the time, don't wait, gotta live today." The fact of the matter is, life is short. We are all headed for one of the best summer of our lives and into college. It is time to experience new things and live out your life to the fullest- there is no guarantee of tomorrow. So I encourage you all- try riding that roller coaster you've always been scared of, talk to that person you always thought you wouldn't like, eat that food you always thought was disgusting looking but also intriguing. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and wish everyone the best of luck in college. Congratulations on surviving high school and remember- Don't Wait! -Dorothy Z.

Give Youth a Voice

Imagine a desire so powerful it constricts the soul.

First, picture a room - larger than life itself. The walls are black. The floor, which is covered in hundreds of white fold-up chairs, is the hard, murky brown of convention centers and basements. There is a stage at the center of this huge room. Blue theater lights are splayed across it and the tables that are resting towards the back of it, as well as the black curtains draped behind these tables. Upon the tables, huge silver trophies rest, engraved with pinstripes like the suits that wealthy men wear.  People are flowing in to the room like the flood that both destroyed and saved everything. You are waiting behind that stage, heart racing, peering stealthily at this scene. You are wearing that pinstripe suit with a red, white, and blue ribbon pinned to it, hiding behind these illuminated curtains. You are awake, but dreaming.

This is a scene that every speech & debate member dreams of. It's the stage that students from all around the United States will perform on if they make the national finals. You have to be in the top 14 in the nation to get on that stage. Before they get here, though, they need to get to nationals. Before they get to nationals, they have to be one of the top two debaters in their district (our school's district is ALL of Southern California). Before they get to the district tournament, they have to be one of the top competitors on their team. Before they get there, they have to practice and compete to perfect themselves. Eat, drink, sleep, and breathe speech and debate. It's tough, really tough, to even get one of these steps done.

Our school has actually gotten to all of these points except standing upon this stage. Last year, though, we got close. I was in the top 35 debaters in all of the United States - 21 people away from that stage. Sarah J. (a sophomore then, now a junior) was in the top 60. Out of the over 300 kids that qualify to nationals in each event, out of the thousands upon thousands that compete to qualify - we were that close. This year, we both get another shot, and we are both better than before. Two other students from our school also qualified.

Unfortunately, things get complicated after qualifying. For our team to go to nationals, it will cost each student over $1,200 to go. I am going to be blunt and say that financially, it's impossible for me to go without help. Last year, I got to go because a company donated the money necessary for me to go. This year, the economy seems worse and no business has been willing to donate for me to go thus far. So, my team started a fundraiser with The National Forensics League (the speech and debate honors society) which has a really amazing website called Give Youth A Voice that allows individuals, organizations, and businesses to make tax deductible donations directly to our team. They will send donors receipts and thank you notes with information regarding the tax deductions after they have submitted a donation. Our page is as follows: http://giveyouthavoice.org/fundraiser/los-osos-high-school-speech-debate


If every single student in our school donates $1 to our team, we will have nearly met our goal. If most donated $1 and a few donated $5 or $10, we would be set. We need this help, really, really badly. Things are going slowly, and sometimes if feels like the people we ask are just plain ignoring us. This, I must say, is really painful. $1 is not much to ask for, neither is $5 or $10 - most people pay more than that daily for lunch. If you don't want to donate through this site (although the site is the only way to get a tax deduction) you can directly donate to myself or Mr. Pielstick, we have a jar that we're keeping physical donations in.


Please, assist us and donate. Ask your parents to help if you can't personally donate, especially if any of your parents own businesses that are looking for some tax exemptions. Post this on your facebook, share it with your friends who do not have this class. Most of you guys know me. You know that speech and debate is my life. I would give anything up just to go to this tournament again. People say that begging is bad, dishonorable, and rude. I disagree. We are desperate for help. Imagine a desire so powerful it constricts the soul. Then, realize that that is what this is and more. I want to stand on that stage before I graduate. Please help make it possible.

What's Left?

When I glanced at the calendar recently I realized that we have less than 3 months of school left till graduation! So I think the question we are all asking ourselves is what's left? College acceptances, prom, AP tests, senior activities and graduation might be some of our answers. I feel like senior year has rushed by us without knowing it and with so little time left, I have really begun to reflect on my last four years of high school. I feel like a much different person than I was when I came in from junior high four years ago. I have learned so much, grown both physically and mentally, and met so many new people. I have so many memories from high school, and I will definitely cherish them as I head off to college in the fall. My philosophy is this: embrace new and exciting experiences as you move into a different part of your life, but don't forget those you leave behind- you might meet up with them again someday. I wish everyone the best of luck as we come close to ending our high school journey. You can do it 11 Seniors!!! -Dorothy Z.

Cheating - Melanie N.

You know what I find to be the most awful form of immorality and irresponsibility? Cheating. Especially when students cheat. I never took an honors or an AP class until my Junior year, and I was actually surprised by the huge increase of cheating from a prep class to an AP class. At first, I thought it would stop after a while. But it never did - students would cheat on every exam, every assignment, every little piece of work. It started to really bother me, and lately, as college acceptances come, it's started to always be on my mind. As senior year slows down for the students, it speeds up for the teachers and now as we are probably the least motivated, we have the most work. I think this year I have seen more cheating than ever, and it bothers me. These thoughts lurk in the back of my conscience at every moment of the day. They hide in the shadows, though, because I cannot always decide what I should do about cheating and how I ought to react to certain situations.

Now, I am not going to pretend like I've never copied someone elses' answers for a problem or whispered to my friend during a French test. I think we all have. But, for me, cheating has been increasingly rare since I started high school. What really irks me is those kids who cheat every single day, the ones who never study and get A's off of someone ele's brain. What has wounded me more than anything, though, is that so many of these students have gotten into fantastic colleges. I have been almost completely honest throughout high school when I didn't do something. I take the failing grade on an assignment when I deserve it - because I need to be responsible for my own work. So, when someone gets into Stanford or UCI or USC and I have watched them cheat their way through school, it's kind of painful for me to watch. Then these students ridicule others and brag about how they got into great schools and they did it through others' work. Am I the only one that sees this as a problem?

Mr. Dhennin, the French teacher at our school, has told me many times that these kids will get their punishment for it once they get to college or go into the working world. I can't guarantee that, though, and Monsieur's promise of this has not fully reassured me. Philosophically and morally, I am entirely opposed to cheating on anything at all. If they cheat now, I hope for them that they learn to do things the right way. As a student, I have been told indirectly that you don't "rat other people out" for cheating. Thus, I never have. Nevetheless, when kids in Chemistry steal Mrs. Haus' stamp so that they can give themselves 100% on every homework assignment and get an A and when students constantly copy each others' math homework or when someone copies their test answers for a friend that was absent, I start to become annoyed. Most people my age think there's no reason for these feelings of exasperation towards cheaters, but I'd like to thing that some people will change their minds.

I believe that if one holds themselves morally accountable, they should not cheat. Getting A from someone else's work or through dishonest means is no accomplishment. I feel like we learn more when we actually fail. Some students would definitely try harder if they refused to cheat. I know that I have, and I will continue to. I hope that people learn to hold themselves responsible and culpable for their grades and actions. It's not cool that you cheat and get away with it, even if you got into a good school. Maybe I'm one of few teenagers that feels this way, but I am definitely going to stick with it.

Invisible Man--by Melissa Mejico

Within a matter of minutes one can size up another person simply by observing their appearance. Society has many different views of different people according to their race, ethnicity, religion, and culture. In the novel Invisible Man, the narrator considers himself to be invisible as he comes to realize that his true identity is in fact invisible to those around him. His identity is potrayed through his race as a black man living in white America. "Keep America Pure with Liberty Paints" was the logo painted on the sign at Liberty Paints where the narrator worked. In a way I believe Ellison was saying that the white men were trying to keep America PURE and the African Americans were simply the impurity. "Our white is so white you can paint a chunka coal and you'd have to crack it open with a sledge hammer to prove it wasn't white clear through." In this quote, the white proved how powerful it was, the chunka coal were the blacks or in this case the narrator, and by painting the coal only covered up who he truly was, making his identity invisible.

"(What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue" by Bailey

I listened to this song by Louis Armstrong three times in a row, putting myself into the position of the narrator of Invisible Man (except I wasn't stoned, living under a building, or lightened with 1,369 lightbulbs). I must admit that my earliest reaction to the narrator's persistence in deeming himself invisible irritated me, but the manner in which he formed his words to describe his current state of mind overcame that small annoyance and I attentively continued on. As each succeeding page was turned, my admiration for him increased.

The many "I'm an invisible mans" caused the idea to never leave my thoughts, consequently allowing me to form many connections of invisibility within the prologue. Yes, he feels invisible and beats a man to gain a sense of individuality and to overcome the dehumanization he feels, he feels invisible and uses a slew of lightbulbs to emphasize his existence, and he feels invisible and keeps his identity a secret to us, the readers, and also the electrical company. But, the connection that I instinctually was delighted by was that of his listening to Armstrong. The jazz music discussed parallels the narrator's odyssey in which he yearns for his identity and the knowledge of his individualism. "(What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue",the song the narrator listens to, directly discusses the issue of racism, commenting on the daily inconveniences faced by blacks in a white dominated society. In lyrics like "I'm white...inside...but, that don't help my case ’cause I...can't hide...what is in my face" the consistent battle between inner feelings and emotions of frustration with the outer identity society forces upon blacks is recognized.

Armstrong made a name for himself, transforming jazz music from a collaborative ensemble of music to an individualized, and expressive solo act. He refused to remain an "invisible man", openly writing of racism, individual expression, and the troubles connected to each, exactly what the novel is centralized on.

It's Our Time

I have never heard a teacher speak so bluntly about their feelings towards "Senioritis" as I heard Mrs. Elliot speak today. I have to say that I myself am guilty of declaring myself as diagnosed with this “myth” as Mrs. Elliot referred to it, and hearing her talk about it made me realize how whinny and annoying seniors must sound to adults. We are preparing ourselves to go out into the real world were excuses such as laziness are not put up with. Taking responsibility for our actions is a key concept in life that we should all be working towards. We have come so far now to simply lay back and watch our grades slip simply because of how close we are to the finish line. Our discussion today in class has truly inspired me to just do the best that I can for these last few months we have in school, I mean I have been working my tail off for four years to go out with a reflection of last minute mediocre effort. I wish to also be a good influence for others that feel this way, the reason why it is so easy to blame our carelessness on “senioritis” is because we are all doing it! We see each other and hear each other acting on this word and therefore we think it is okay to act the same way. This is no time to slow down but rather to push ourselves in ways that we never have before. To build our strengths and work on our weaknesses so that we can truly be proud of ourselves when we walk across the stage inches away from that wonderful, long-awaited piece of paper. So I encourage every senior to give our last year their all, to try new things and to be excited for what is to come.

Equality - Melanie N.

Reading Jane Eyre (and hearing about Tess/reading certain parts of Tess) has really gotten me thinking again about equality. Throughout the beginning of the book, Jane is treated as unequal because she is not the specific kind of person that people want her to be. She is punished harshly, she is put into a horrible school (at least, horrible in the beginning) and then treated poorly there. She is treated unequally for being younger, for being female, for being poor, for being an orphan. She isn't given things which we as people now deem basic human rights and necessities. She later thinks of herself as unequal, she refuses to act like she is on the same playing field as the Eshtons or Mr. Rochester.

It's a bit sad, honestly, how people used to be treated. What's sadder is that it's still not entirely fixed. We still have a lot of societal mindsets that lead to discrimination. Many rich look down upon the poor, many races look down upon others. Many women are chastised for questioning their positions in society. I like to believe that mankind is inherently good and just misguided. Maybe over time, we will solve the whole problem. But nothing will ever be perfectly equal. There will always be rich and there will always be poor. There will always be young and old and black and white. There will always be people who believe God created the woman from the man and thus women must conform. However, I think that realization of the world's imperfections should lead us to further understanding the problem. It's about changing one person's opinion at a time, because swaying a whole society is impossible.

Equality is fundamental to society. We have universalizable statements such as "murder is wrong" because we believe all people equally deserve the right to life. When we fail to believe in the equality of all people, statements like this are false, because it then becomes okay to kill certain groups and people. We say that slavery is bad because we believe all people have the right to liberty. When some people are not equal, this statement doesn't matter because it is okay to enslave certain people who lack equality. Thus, equality is essential to morality and is necessary for laws to be fair and therefore necessary for society to function.

People should question more, like Jane does. People should talk more, and understand more. The very standards we base our lives off of do not matter when we discriminate against anyone or anything.