NEWS
Lent Your Talents
Written by: Datu Nurdidagen Guimba Dilangalen
February 25, 2009, Ash Wednesday signified the beginning of the Lenten Season for the Priory. The Priory, students participate in annual tradition called ‘Lenten Talents’. In Lenten Talent, students think of ideas that will enable them to multiply the one-dollar that was given to them. This year, students once again showed off their creativity by thinking of fun, quirky, and unique ideas. [Read more...]
SPORTS
Face Off with Lacrosse
Written by: Nurdidagen Guimba Dilangalen
If I were to describe lacrosse in three words, it would be: football with sticks. True enough, the game’s physical nature is not for the weak hearted. The sport requires endurance, speed, physical and mental strength. More so, aggressiveness and a will to win is also important. Above all, the game requires patience and good hand-eye coordination. These traits make a champion and the Priory Lacrosse players are true champions. This year, as the lacrosse team enters their second season, they have proven to their adversaries that they are an unstoppable force with 8 wins under their belt. [Read more...]
Coach is Starving for Hungary
Written by: Ignas Pavilonis
The 2008-2009 Priory boys` basketball season was going to be a beginning of the new team without a 7’2” star from Hungary, and with a new coach, David Moseley. Led by coach Al Klein, the team had an outstanding 2007-2008 season and finished with a record of 26 wins and 6 losses. However, the boys soon received a shocking message from athletics director about coach Klein`s retirement and did not know what was going to happen. [Read more...]
STUDENT LIFE
Japan Trip 2009: The Bollman Perspective
Written by: Drew Bollman
After four years studying Japanese and going to Japan in Freshmen year, I felt I was ready to take the plunge one more time. I can’t say I remember much from my first trip to Japan, besides the fact that it was an interesting experience, and this fact enticed me to go one more time to really take in all the sights and make some lasting memories.
Now, I could take you through every destination and every event, but you probably don’t want to hear all of it, so I’ll just share what I want, and what I want is usually awesome, so you lucked out.
Getting Around-
While it may not be the most interesting aspect of the trip, we did spend a lot of time traveling from place to place, so I figure I should say something. The plane ride was long, but there were plenty of movies to watch (and Tetris!), and the bus rides were frequent and occasionally extensive, but we had our friends to keep us company. The train and subway were pretty cool, at least to me because there isn’t really anything similar in the bay area. The walking was a little bit much sometimes, but it did afford us time to observe our surroundings in detail and interact with the city.
Hotels-
The three hotels our group stayed at during the trip were all superb. In Osaka and Tokyo we stayed at large, modernized hotels in the city. Both hotels offered Japanese and Western style breakfast options as well as prime locations in the city for easy access to local attractions (like train/subway stations, shopping areas, etc.). We also were lucky enough to stay at a traditional Japanese style hotel in the Mt. Fuji area. This meant sleeping on futons, hot springs, sitting on the floor at our meals, karaoke, and traditional Japanese dress. Our time here helped to give us an authentic Japanese experience.
Food-
If I was a fan of raw seafood, or just seafood in general, I imagine the food in Japan would have been boss. Unfortunately, I am not a fan at all, so I had a little bit of a rough time. I tried the salmon, the cod, the octopus, the squid, and more, but my taste was not swayed. When I had to get meals on my own you could bet I was going to head to the closest McDonalds or MOS Burger to get my fix of chicken fillets. I know, I know. How uncultured and American of me, right? Well, I’m not here to talk about that, so I’ll just say this. I eat what I think tastes good, and this does not include traditional Japanese cuisine.
Attractions-
There was hardly a day that went by in Japan in which we did not visit some place of importance or popular interest. I’ll be honest, we did visit a lot of shrines and temples, which were not the most fascinating of places, but they were very beautiful and provided some good photo opportunities at the least. Some of the notable places we visited include the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka, which houses the second largest aquarium tank in the world, and Fujikyu Highland amusement park by Mt. Fuji, which includes the 3rd fastest and 8th tallest roller coasters in the world. We also visited places like Tagara Senior High School in Tokyo where we were able to sit-in on some of their classes (English, Calligraphy, Drawing, Taiko, etc.) and mingle with the students. As is part of the trip every year, we went to Disney, which for me was mediocre (we were there for 12 hours!), but I think it was a fun experience for most people, so I thought I would put it out there.
Shopping-
This was undoubtedly one of my favorite parts about Japan, if not the favorite of all. We were lucky enough to go to areas in Japan known for their shopping, such as Shibuya, Namba, Hep 5, Gotemba, and Harajuku. These locations, besides having all of the latest Japanese fashions, also had all the good stuff from American brands that you can never find in America. Not to say that it was perfect however. The prices are steep, with the cost sometimes being double what it would cost in America, and sizes in XL are rare.
Overall, it was an amazing trip, and one of the best things I could do to close out my Senior year here. I hope to return as soon as I possibly can.
Life After Priory
By David Calbert
For the seniors at Woodside Priory School, a time of great change is upon them, and a sense of finality and coming to a close is beginning to settle among the class of 2009. But it would be a mistake to assume that the transition is a totally unencumbered one, because it is filled with little obstacles.
[Read more...]
Breaking the Rules
By Nora Botos, assisted by David Calbert
How far can an ordinary student go with breaking the rules at Priory? David C. and I tried to experiment with rule breaking a couple of weeks ago. Warning: the following images might be disturbing for some viewers. Especially if you are a teacher!
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