But these past few weeks have also been a blast from the past—a past where men take charge, do the heavy lifting, and tell the girls not to worry their pretty little heads about anything. A past where the expectations of women don’t go far beyond looks.

Truth be told, these past few weeks have been a subtle indicator of the dated sexism prevalent in the lives of modern-day high school students.

Let’s think back to Homecoming. What happens the moment a girl sets foot in the gym? She’s being judged—from the length of her dress to the color of her eye shadow to how well she can walk in her heels—all this assessment coming from guys and other girls alike. Not to say that that the guys aren’t being judged as well. They’re being evaluated on the attractiveness of their date; sorry girls, this one’s on you too.

Appearance isn’t exactly a new struggle for the average female high school student. Girls have been dealing with heightened expectations in this area throughout their entire lives from almost every direction. And there are plenty of mixed messages out there: yes, try to squeeze into shorts that are two sizes too small, but no, don’t even think about showing up to practice in your sports bra.

Education-wise, things aren’t looking too good for the girls either. Girls are faced with tougher college acceptance rates as the number of girls seeking those coveted college acceptance letters continues to grow. And, ladies, did I mention what to expect after you’ve got that degree?  Believe it or not, women can still expect lower paychecks for equal work after they’ve joined the working world.

Don’t get me wrong—I think the male half of our Nighthawks has done an admirable job this Homecoming. But while the inequality that exists makes the guys’ lives a little tougher for a couple weeks, it reflects a much more difficult truth for the girls.

But to unequivocally claim that “girls have it harder in high school” neglects some of the double standards that teenage boys have to deal with.

The first: aggressiveness versus respect. Guys are expected to be the aggressor in most social situations—that is, they’re the ones asking girls to dances and on dates, and even more subtly, they’re the ones driving and opening doors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because most guys take it in stride and enjoy being chivalrous, but the problems arise when the dichotomy between aggressiveness and respect shows its head.

Society is, I’d argue, hyper-aware of disrespectful men, and it’s expected that “gentlemen,” the boys that girls want to keep around, are impeccably polite in everything they say and do. But for many guys, it’s sometimes hard to reconcile the notions of being deferential and being “forward.” Call a girl “hot” and you’ll get an enormous backlash with accusations of objectifying women, but call a girl “pretty” and it’ll get taken as a passing compliment, something the girl’s mother would say. It’s hard to find a happy medium, and the consequences on either side of that medium are not to be taken lightly.

And the second double standard: masculinity versus intellectualism. From a very young age, boys are taught that being male means neglecting things that aren’t “manly.” Now, I’m not going to go so far as to say that boys are taught to pick up sports at the expense of school. Rather, it’s that boys aren’t taught to flaunt their academic successes—show off that soccer trophy, but keep the Science Olympiad medal to yourself. And, however small, little inequities like that do subconsciously discourage boys from academic pursuits.

And here’s the kicker—society at large expects men to be the breadwinners, which wouldn’t be so bad if it hadn’t spent the adolescent’s formative years discouraging them from intellectual pursuits! In our day and age, landing a high-paying job more often than not requires a college degree. Are we setting teenage boys up to be successful in a world where intellect counts extremely heavily?

Again, I don’t want to belittle the problems that girls face, because I completely buy their arguments. But let’s not make this a one-sided discussion.

Call me naïve, but it’s young love. I’m smitten.

However, most people don’t view the ridiculousness that is the modern electoral process with the same nostalgic admiration as I do. I interned on a congressional campaign in the six weeks leading up to the election, and the biggest thing I learned was that most people don’t really know what’s happening in government, but they know that they don’t like it. They know that all politicians are bloated scumbags. They know that everyone in government is plotting against them. And, most importantly, they know that nothing is ever going to change.

That’s great if you’re 65 and watched your best friend die in Vietnam, but maybe the 17-years-olds that walk around our school squawking about how everything and everyone in government sucks aren’t quite justified in their opinion just yet.

I understand that teenage cynicism knows no bounds, but aren’t our high school years supposed to be a magical time of unjaded promise? Isn’t the cure to all world problems ruminating somewhere in our brains between integrals and the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars?

I’m not saying we all need to become bureaucratic groupies. Debate and dissent is what makes our American republic the great entity that it is. However, if the criticism is indiscriminate, if participation is futile, if our society and media has fostered a generation of 18- to 24-year-olds with the approximate critical palette of Oscar the Grouch, then we really are doomed.

In 1912, only 14% of the population was able to vote. Now, there are only two requirements: to be 18 and to be a citizen. Things change. If we don’t like what’s happening in government now, we can fix it. But (warning: cliché message ahead) if we don’t even try, we’ll certainly fail.

It’s a blunt statement that encapsulates the extraordinary liberty and freedom of our great nation. It empowers our people with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We the people—it’s such a simple declaration, yet its words form the foundations on which this resilient nation was built.

Nevertheless, when it comes to government, as Marvel-esque as it sounds, with great power comes great responsibility. As high school students, we are the future of this country: we will decide our nation’s fate, and we will be held accountable for the advancement of our free society.

“Your biggest responsibility as adults will be to make decisions for our society. If you are not well informed or well educated enough about the issues, you will not be able to make intelligent decisions for the nation,” says AP US Government teacher Mrs. Denise Dupas.

To test the political knowledge of students and gauge how well our education has prepared us to contribute to government, we asked students specific questions about different government officials. The results were surprising, to say the least: many students were under the impression that Arnold Schwarzenegger was still the Governor of California. Obviously, this is an issue; without a proper understanding of current government, how can we make intelligent decisions for our society?

Despite the shortcomings at the polls, it is worthwhile to judge the complexity of the study. Although a majority of students at Del Norte don’t know current governmental officials, we still immerse ourselves in the social issues that plague our nation, and we have a grasp of the political ideologies currently battling in America.

Still, we have a ways to go. We the people have great power; however, we the people must learn to use this power for the betterment of our nation.

The viciousness of the last election was scathing to say the least, and it was characteristic of both sides. Many Americans became disgusted with both candidates. On election night, I scrolled through an obscene amount of tweets from friends proclaiming their exodus to Canada in response to Obama’s reelection. And as I looked through these tweets, I realized that many Democrats would probably be doing the same thing had the night gone in Romney’s favor.

American politics is brutal and extreme—but we’re at a very delicate stage of history. We don’t have time to bicker and scream at each other over who is in charge of what. We don’t have time to debate silly “debt ceilings” and “fiscal cliffs.” We need to invest in science and nurture our sluggish economy. We need to fix education and healthcare and create jobs.

There are 36 months to go until the next election, 36 months for both parties to work on their résumés. So without further ado, let’s get to work.

So it’s no huge surprise that the Class of 2013 can now add 14 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists to its long list of achievements. Seniors Nithish Arunkumar, Tammy Chen, Sahil Chinoy, Rick Jung, Joyce Lee, Margaret Lee, Kimberly Liu, Michelle Niu, Sruthi Ramesh, Shraman Ray Chaudhuri, Jungwoo Son, Michael You, Sunny Zhang, and Jessica Zhou were selected based on their 2011 PSAT scores; the cutoff is around 220 in California.

Across the nation, nearly all college-bound juniors take the PSAT in hopes that he or she might be one of the 16,000 students awarded this honor. From there, they are given the chance to become one of 8,300 Merit Scholarship winners.

Rancho Bernardo had 13 semifinalists, Westview had 16, and Poway had four.

The marvelous level of achievement these 14 students have reached serves to identify the Class of 2013 as a unique one. They started out with little direction, but with the resources and guidance bestowed upon them by teachers and mentors, they’ll leave behind a path for future classes to soar up into greatness.

Welcome to Del Norte High Security Vault.

Clearly, the Fort Knox-esque measures have not gone unnoticed by the student body. Jessica Miceli (11) notes, “I do feel…security cameras are a little extreme…we already have yard duties and campus guards so that’s fine but I would say only cameras if there had been a big problem with our school and gangs and violence and stuff like that.”

However, the recent break-in to the school’s science department has many people reconsidering their stances. Asked his opinion on the extremeness of campus security, Nick Wong (9) replied, “Well, considering the recent science building break-in, it seems where it should be logically.”

While the break-in did rattle a few people’s psyches, it’s important to note that this is the first major event signifying campus insecurity. Mrs. Marie Galaz, our assistant principal, points out, “we haven’t had anything like that in the past.”

Break-ins and theft, however, are not uncommon on campus. Curious to know the number one item likely to be stolen? Cell phones.

“Typically the things we have stolen on campus are cell phones,” comments Galaz. “They are often stolen out of the locker room when kids don’t lock their lockers.”

Still, despite the break-in and thefts that have occurred, a sense of confidence in the integrity of the student body is apparent. School officials agree that Del Norte has been incident free on the whole for the past few years not only because of our campus security, but also because of the precedent set by the students.

The people that broke in don’t define what everyone else does, theorizes Mr. Frank Liao. “I feel just as secure as always.”

Those are words all too representative of the monumental Glenn Miller Orchestra. The gentlemen’s charisma left me frozen in the forties, with vintage swinging jazz entrancing and entertaining the audience in an intimate venue.

The performance was entirely reminiscent of the era encompassing World War II. I asked myself how one could live in that time and not feel constantly romanced by music alone.

When I broke my trance, I realized the vitality of the technique.

When the saxophones softened their tones, melting into slurs, I acknowledged a grand profession of love. When the trombones maintained a masculine rumble, I felt booming enthusiasm. When the clarinets chased note after note in a smooth wave, I was blanketed by a sophisticated heartache.

Technique tells the story, and the Moonlight Serenaders fully showcased their unity with this concept.

So how did Del Norte find itself so favored in showcasing the Glenn Miller Orchestra? Scratch that, in performing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra?

After asking around, I’ve yet to discover why Del Norte and our own Mrs. Jennifer Kitelinger were personally contacted by the Orchestra—yes, we were contacted by them! The only information I did discover is that we are the first and only high school the Moonlight Serenaders have ever coordinated with—and this is an orchestra that’s been around since 1938.

Del Norte’s orchestra was challenged to break out of the box of classical music and enter the world of the jazz string style. But both orchestras expressed that throughout the performance they found no hitches in working together, and instead an easy enjoyment of each other’s talents.

The magnificence of the music and the innovation behind the performance left me speechless. I only have three regrets.

One: I had no idea who Glenn Miller was until Sunday night. I am now perpetually obsessed.

Two: The performance was not well-advertised to students. As a generation of culturally-deprived youths, being persistently reminded to attend would’ve created a mass revelation of an unparalleled artistry.

Three: I was born into an era beyond the consummate perfection of the Moonlight Serenaders.

Brimming with themes of losing one’s soul to the fervor of political power, The Election incited an irate epiphany of media’s dominance over the political realm.

The play is a surprisingly detailed parody of the recent Presidential election using a local ASB election, and the plot goes to great lengths to make parallels: for example, in the first debate, one of the candidates appears tired and out-of-sorts because of excess homework.

In the beginning, an enormous fan club fawns over Mark Davenport’s (Montana Wilson [12]) every breath. Though he really doesn’t have any stances or opinions, he’s well-liked, and that’s enough to win him a following. But the snarling media (remember, this is a high school) soon manipulates the entire public into falling in love with the pristine image of Christy Martin (Montana Ray [11]). She, in contrast with Mark, has opinions—she wants to turn the school meals vegan—and she plays dirty, attacking Mark and twisting his words at every turn. And then the media turns back to favoring Mark, and then back to Christy…and then to the puppy-eyed, forever alone sidekick Carl? In the end, neither Mark nor Christy win, and, in a surprising plot twist, it is revealed that the whole election has been controlled by the high school media in a purely money-driven enterprise. Much like modern politics, the voters and even the candidates forget what the campaigns are really about, and instead buy into the simplistic back-and-forth attacks.

The most potent source of brilliance throughout the production were the actors. Although the plot deadened slightly from extraneous dialogue, the overall performance proved compelling because of the performers’ stellar role execution. And their job wasn’t easy—some scenes required on-the-spot improvisation, and though the lack of script was evident, on the whole the actors did an admirable job.

In a world where we believe whatever we hear, or we manipulate for personal benefit, media-fed lies become facts, and that’s true for a high school election just as it’s true for a Presidential election.

Chock-full of sarcastic wit and superb acting, The Election parodied our presidential election along with the purely conniving nature of political schemes.

“Our team is so tight that every day at practice is a breeze,” states Melanie Paige (10). “All my teammates are so fun and loving, like we’re all sisters practically.”

This support that the girls give each other has helped them win many games, including their game against Oceanside, which ended as a rout: the final score, 18-0.

When the team isn’t playing tennis, they are usually found bonding in one way or another. Eunji Yoon (12) reminiscences on a time when the Varsity team ate dinner together after a game, saying that it was like they “bonded even more through food.”

While enjoying the practices and matches, the girls also help each other improve.

“My team and my coach motivate me to try my hardest during practice, since I perform just how I practice,” says Ashley Han (11). “Every single point counts during a match, so focusing on consistency and accuracy is essential to the game.”

Casey Zhang (10) adds how the members constantly cheer her on and push her to the highest she could achieve, and the humorous JV coach just helps her get better.

While tennis can be a difficult sport, the kindness and the support that the team members give each other help make the practices seem less tedious and the matches less difficult.

“Going to practice after a stressful day at school and being surrounded by fun and caring teammates just brightens up your day,” states JV Captain Shweta Patkar (11). “As a member of the Del Norte tennis team for the last three seasons, I think that being on the team is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Throughout our season we play against some tough and some easy schools, but each match gives us something to learn from.”