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-News- Batteries and bonding: By Josh Warner, Staff Reporter “


Hey dude, is the red one negative?” asked Ji Mann Kim (‘11) looking at the leads on the voltmeter. “No, the red is always positive,” an-


swered his lab partner, Ryan Richards (‘11), as he shook his head and laughed. Kim and Richards met with the rest of the AP Chemistry class on Monday, January 24, to make galvanic cells, or as they are more commonly known, batteries. AP chemistry students studied electro- chemistry, and this lab was a perfect way to use the skills they had been studying. “Building electrochemical cells is a


direct application [of electrochemistry],” said AP Chemistry teacher Sharon Van- denbroek. “The best kind of learning takes place when you can apply what you’ve been learning in a practical way, and that is what a lab does for you.” Labs generally happen about twice a


month in the chemistry classroom, be- tween the hours of six and nine p.m., where Vandenbroek herself presides over the “ding-dongs” as she calls them. “Why do all labs break around me?”


asked Alex Dracolakis (‘11). “Because you’re a ding-dong!” said


Vandenbroek. The back and forth bantering provid-


ed a much needed break for the students stuck in a classroom after hours. The ease of student-teacher conversation and ca- maraderie proves that the labs are good for more than just scientific learning; they also build relationships. In the midst of the laughter and jokes,


the students have to focus and stretch themselves; they are, after all, taking a col- lege level class while still in high school The class is one of six AP classes of- fered to juniors and seniors, including AP


Checking and rechecking the steps, Justin Wilson (‘12) manipulates the leads to his voltmeter. His studies in class were put to the test in this battery-powered experiment. Photo by Shelby Willis


Calculus and AP Biology in the math and science departments. “AP Calc is easier [than AP Chemis-


try], and AP Chemistry is relatively easy compared to AP Bio which I took last year,” said Kim. Chemistry takes a drive to perform and perseverance to stick with the college level course. “[If you want to take AP Chemistry]


consider where your priorities are,” said junior Justin Wilson.


Dracolakis said, “It’s just generally impossible. Don’t [take it] unless you are willing to take the abuse.” The class is challenging to all the students because it’s challenging the strongest students while preparing them to be competitive in college. “A few years back I had some really


smart, motivated kids who weren’t chal- lenged enough by honors chemistry, so I began working on AP Chemistry in order to prepare them for college,” said Vanden-


Precision and a steady hand allow Breahna Gillespie (‘11) to draw out the liquids needed in the experiment. The lab enabled her to further her practical knowledge. Photo by Josh Warner


broek. “I realized for them to be ready, I had to step up the science program.” She did step it up. Every year the pass


rates for both AP Bio and AP Chemistry have been high above the national aver- age, with AP chemistry students earning a 100 percent pass rate each time they’ve taken the test, partially because of Van- denbroek’s dedication to streching the students to reach their full potential.


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Dodge, duck, dive, and dodge! W


Underclassmen win at Dodgeball night By Alex Roth, Staff Reporter


ith the sound of sneak- ers whining on waxed


wood, and the distinct reso- nance of dodgeballs bounc- ing off of the students’ bodies, Dodgeball Night began. “I thought [the turnout] was


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1. Sophomore Ryan Wiest stands back to back with Jacob Callewaert (‘12), ready to take on the opposition from all sides. 2. Preparing to launch a ball at the opposite team, junior Jacob Valenzuela stays on his toes. Photo by Alex Roth


great! It was just the right amount of people, not so many as to crowd things, and not too few that the night was slow,” said Co-ASB ad- visor Amanda Beaumont, comment- ing on the fifty-six students who participated. Other students from nearby schools also attended, such as Nalu Polancic, a senior from Calvary Chapel Vista who said, “I was recruited by Marissa Smith about an hour before the event!” At first, team captains chose


the competing teams, but as the


event continued, Beaumont separated the students into teams by class. After several rounds, the seniors proposed a challenge. The seniors bet their one day of free dress against all of the un- derclassmen. If the seniors won, they would secure for themselves a week of


free dress, however, if they lost, the underclassmen would receive a day of free dress while the seniors re- ceived nothing. After a thirty minute assault of dodgeball, the underclassmen emerged victorious, and had their free dress reward on January 13. For future improvements, Beaumont said, “More referees, even though [Jon] Hornkohl and I were there, we were not able to catch everything, and as some say, ‘if you’re not cheating you’re not trying!’ Other than that, how- ever, I was just pleased with the number of students who came.” Even first year students,


such as sophomore Ryan Wiest, attended. Wiest said, “It was exciting for my first time!”


Unfortunately, as fast as the game


heated up, it soon died down, ending at 8:00 p.m. All participating students en- joyed the event, and the underclassmen look expectantly for next year’s Dodge- ball Night.


3. Shelby McElhattan (‘11) recovers from an attack on the underclassmen as the last senior standing. 4. Juniors gather their ranks to strike at the seniors for a free dress day. Photos by Alex Roth


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The Eagle Flyer


AP Chemistry lab electrifies learning


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