Justin Bieber: As I pulled into the horseshoe parking lot I was struck by the attention-grabbing “Now Playing: West Side Sophomores” sign at the edge of the amphitheater. In fact, all of the decorations made me feel as though I had been transported to the Upper West Side of 1950s New York City.
Selena Gomez: I definitely noticed the bridge structure that lined the edges of the walkway. I peered over the frantically waving pompoms and horns and could see the New York City skyline in vibrant yellow on the other side.
JB: I was particularly appreciative that the well-placed tarp on the damp grass kept my $50 million Fendi outfit pristine.
SG: Did the sun bleach your perfect hair too?
JB: Yes, but the vibrant backdrop distracted me from such distressing thoughts. Also, the initial Martial Arts fight scene certainly kept me captivated. I would learn to do those moves but I might rip my jeans.
SG: The skit was completely clear and very easy to understand! I could understand every part even over the uproar of the crowd.
JB: At times the cheering made the voiceovers pause while the actors continued performing, making for a lack of voice and acting coordination.
SG: But you can’t deny that the sophomores were well-prepared and worked well with their class theme.
JB: Although the sophomore class should be commended for their efforts in promoting school unity, by the end, all the characters’ lines seemed to become preaches about unity and the dialogue turned even cheesier than that of the standard Homecoming skit.
SG: I did like the flow of the skit, but I was surprised that it did not include the traditional rival school that the classes unite against. In fact the only “antagonist” seemed to be the classes’ lack of school pride.
JB: Don’t be so harsh! The airbands were, on the whole, very good and, for the most part, well integrated into the plot. I specifically enjoyed the ballroom dancing, which was synchronized, clearly well-practiced, and gave each class a chance to cheer. The singing airband was also memorable, as Tony called them in to “serenade” Maria.
SG: The baton twirler earned everyone’s applause, as her talent certainly wowed all the classes. The all-boys dance was entertaining, although the references to Alex Chen were lost to most audience members.
JB: The skit did include several adorably corny pickup lines, and a particularly memorable scene was when Bernardo interrupted Tony and Maria’s final kiss.
SG: Overall, the sophomores put on an impressive performance and garnered praise from other classes and pride from their own. The Class of 2014 definitely raised the bar and has increased the pressure for the upperclassmen over the next two days. Best of luck to the Indiana Juniors tomorrow!
we were beyond amazing today. we definitely deserve the recognition for our AMAZING AF airbands and our AMAZING AF deco. Brandi said it was the best she’s seen in 12 years. we put so much effort into it, and it really paid off. <3
Sophomore definitely did really good. I LOVED their decorations (the bridge especially) and wonderful backdrop. All of the airbands were good, although the all girls hip hop and Tahitian seemed a little out of sync at times. My favorites were the ballroom, David’s hip hop, and the jazz. Great spirit sophomores!
Who gives other classes the right to “review” homecoming skits. This article is showing that seniors and upperclassmen have the right to critique another class’s homecoming performance. This act of critique implies that upperclassmen are better than sophomores and freshmen. How can a newspaper that prides itself on representing Mission as a whole do this?? By having students write reviews for homecoming, the smoke signal is subjecting our treasured class competitions to considerable bias.
“At times the cheering made the voiceovers pause while the actors continued performing, making for a lack of voice and acting coordination.”
“The skit did include several adorably corny pickup lines, and a particularly memorable scene was when Bernardo interrupted Tony and Maria’s final kiss.” <Many of these lines took a lot of hardwork and effort to make, we are supposed to be judged by judges, NOT by a bunch of upperclassmen (Who are supposed to be making an unbiased school newspaper!!!)
It is not so much the content that is aggravating but the fact that bias and "upperclassmen superiority" is being injected into a source that was previously trusted as friendly and neutral. Although not as upfront, THIS IS a form of class harassment and should be pulled off of the site immediately. Thank you Smoke Signal for ruining my day.
The upperclassman are critiquing it because they are in Smoke Signal, which makes it technically their job. You even admit that the content was not offensive, but just the fact that it was written by “upperclassman.”
And class harassment? Really? The classes aren’t the ones who will be making the final decision on which class gets what place, but we do have a right to constructively voice our opinion about the other classes through this site.
I have never before seen a completely “unbiased” review in my life. The whole point of a review is to recap an event while giving feedback. I feel that this article balanced all of it’s critiques with compliments, and that any of the critiques were made with constructive intent.
I rather feel that you are being dramatic with the whole “Thank you Smoke Signal for ruining my day” line. The Smoke Signal is an admirably objective SCHOOL NEWSPAPER that delivers its NEWS with every attempt to be unbiased. This was a REVIEW. Though the staff had every opportunity to bash on the Sophomores, they presented the Sophomores with a very concise critique that focused on what they did well and what they should improve on.
How can a class possibly improve their skits or airbands without constructive criticism? I rather suggest you reconsider your cynical view of what was supposed to be a very encouraging and helpful recap.
@anon senior
Of course reviews are inherently biased. That’s EXACTLY why they shouldn’t be in a school newspaper. Maybe they could be in sections made specifically for other classes, but not in a newspaper available to everyone. In the case of widespread availability one has to make sure an article as UNBIASED as possible, and appeal to all of the students collectively. By singling out and reviewing each homecoming the Smoke Signal is encouraging class rivalry and harassment. And besides why would other classes give “constructive criticism”, they all want to win, NOT give their opponents tips..
ALSO:
“I rather suggest you reconsider your cynical view of what was supposed to be a very encouraging and helpful recap.”
Wow. This is exactly what I am talking about…You just told me to change my view. An I not entitled to my opinion now? you advocate the freedom to write reviews but not the freedom of opinion. Good job in being consistent buddy.
@whimwhothehellcares
“upperclassMEN” not “upperclassman”
I don’t understand your argument…What point are you trying to make. All you are doing is reiterating what I wrote before.
Yet again your redundancy astounds me. You truly are a a hero.
Dawg, I hope you realize that it is a papers job and duty to review and criticize important entertainment events. Thus the reason papers review plays, movies, musicals, and concerts. No one reviewing any of these will be completely unbiased, the whole point is to CRITIQUE the work and give an informed opinion.
All in all the article presented is balanced and fair, every point made is supported by a reference to the skit, and no excessive “bashing” is done.
Finally, I think it is kind of stupid to blindly assume that the upperclassmen in Smoke Signal conspire to publish hurtful articles about underclassmen skits, I am sure they are all far too busy with SAT’s and College Apps.
“Dawg”, are you some sort of gangster?
No one cares about your opinion because of your uneducated gangbanger background. So go back to saggin your pants and poppin’ caps “Dawg”.
I think we’ve all just been horribly trolled here.
@tmsjtv: Attacking a person’s character is the worst way to defend your argument. Read a goddamn book, or see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
tmsjtv: Resorting to ad hominems is not the way to win an argument. Although you’ve argued vehemently elsewhere on the page, the arguments of people who say “Dawg” are just as valid as those of others. In fact, your statement implies that you are the uneducated one.
“And besides why would other classes give “constructive criticism”, they all want to win, NOT give their opponents tips..”
For someone who thinks the upperclassmen are biased, you sure don’t think this school has a lot of unity. perhaps some upperclassmen enjoy bashing the underclassmen, but for the most part, we all want to help each other.
“Of course reviews are inherently biased. That’s EXACTLY why they shouldn’t be in a school newspaper. Maybe they could be in sections made specifically for other classes, but not in a newspaper available to everyone.”
Find me a general-public newspaper that is bias-free. (i.e. not something that has to be objective like a scientific journal) Thanks.
Don’t state your opinion if you don’t want it CHALLENGED.
Back when I was at Mission, I had a lot of really dumb opinions, but I knew not to say any of it because they were stupid; I didn’t want them challenged because it was a worthless effort, as I would still hold the opinion afterward.
If you don’t have the open-mindedness to change your opinion if you state it, then don’t post it at all. In your case, I find that you sound like a coddled brat.
I may sound like a jerk by telling you to basically not state your opinion, so I’ll close with this: Have an open mind.
Opinions are not sacred cows around here, and there are no avenging angels to strike down people who expose gaping holes in others’ statements.
Don’t like it? Don’t read it, Don’t comment. Simple and Sweet.
“The skit did include several adorably corny pickup lines, and a particularly memorable scene was when Bernardo interrupted Tony and Maria’s final kiss.”
…I don’t really understand how you can get insulted by that.
I’m pretty sure the word “corny” has a negative connotation attached to it, so hence a slightly sensitive (but still reasonable) person could be offended.
Dear “tmsjtv”,
First, The Smoke Signal is an official school entity which is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution granting Freedom of Press.
Second, The Smoke Signal has been reviewing HC performances years before you or I were even born. It is a long standing tradition which receives the same credit and complaints year after year. However, there is no malice present, and all reviews are fair and balanced. They will not stop.
Third and finally, if you read the reviews of the Juniors and the Seniors to come, you will find that “upperclassman superiority” does not protect any single class from criticism. No performance is perfect, and as such no review is going to be perfect. Just like movies and music, reviewers are tasked with presenting their observations. In my WISE opinion, this is the most lenient and polite Smoke Signal review I have seen in years.
Please calm down and recognize that no one is forcing you to read the reviews and subsequently subjecting your day to being ruined.
Sincerely,
THE WISE ONE.
(Great job today 2014)
The reason why upperclassmen review your performance is because they KNOW better on what to expect and have actual experience. Instead of whining about how they were biased, use their constructive criticism to improve next year. Please stop complaining. Sophomores need to know their place.
Negative rating? Tell me how that works in a positive/neutral rating system.
BAWWWWWWWW
What’s wrong?
Can’t handle a little criticism?
Your class is just as whiny and full of Unwarranted Self-Importance as 2012 was during their underclassman years, but at least they had the charisma to woo over the administration.
i am a smoke signal member and sophomore HEAVILY involved in homecoming and I fully agree to the critique presented. There is always bias no matter who does the judging, but honestly there is no significant “upperclassmen bias” in the review with the exception of the Alex Chen reference. It’s a reference that’s only known well in our class, similar to how “wooblam” is well known in seniors (i have yet to find out what wooblam means)
however I would like to see more pictures of decorations, e.g. the bridge and skyline! 🙂
Your Name says “not in smoke signal or sophomore”, but your first sentence says “i am a smoke signal member and sophomore”
Why are you trying to lie to me when i can clearly see past it?
Wow. First of all. They do reviews like these EVERY YEAR. Do you know who the Smoke Signal is run by? STUDENTS, MAINLY UPPERCLASSMAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE ROOM TO TAKE JOURNALISM.
So I guess they should just dismantle this entire site since everything is student-written then.
I don’t understand why you replied….nothing you said refuted or contradicted my argument. All you did was provide an arbitrary, useless response that didn’t affect anything whatsoever. There was no reason to even bother posting if all you were going to do way say that seniors run smoke signal, and that these reviews were done before. In fact you may have actually supported my point rather than take a And as journalists you are expected to write articles that are unbiased and neutral in order to get the main point through with the utmost objectivity. Unless of course this is an opinion piece, in which case they should rename the smoke signal to “Opinion Signal, where bias lives”.
And if this kind of hurtful writing continues I DO hope the site is dismantled for being unfair and promoting harassment.
An “arbitrary useless response?” These articles are NOT meant to be taken seriously. It’s merely used to give a brief overview of the performance. The journalists of the Smoke Signal will write professional critiques in the ACTUAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER. Nothing that was said in this article was overtly offensive. I don’t even understand why you’re getting your panties in a knot over something so insignificant.
Also I love you completely missed the point of journalism. Journalism is comprised of both objective AND subjective content. And as for me giving you a “useless arbitrary argument,” Opinion Signal: Where Bias Lives? Seriously? Every form of media from newspapers to televised reports contain some level of bias. You’re basically telling the writers that they’re not allowed to have opinions, which is completely absurd since you’re reviewing a performance, which can be perceived differently by many people.
OH and also:
“At times the cheering made the voiceovers pause while the actors continued performing, making for a lack of voice and acting coordination.”
“The skit did include several adorably corny pickup lines, and a particularly memorable scene was when Bernardo interrupted Tony and Maria’s final kiss.”
There was absolutely nothing wrong with these comments. The second one was even positive.
“These articles are NOT meant to be taken seriously”
So you are saying that the smoke signal is a pointless newspaper that writes articles that aren’t supposed to be serious. Thanks for clearing that up.
“Also I love you completely missed the point of journalism. Journalism is comprised of both objective AND subjective content. And as for me giving you a “useless arbitrary argument,” Opinion Signal: Where Bias Lives? Seriously? Every form of media from newspapers to televised reports contain some level of bias. You’re basically telling the writers that they’re not allowed to have opinions, which is completely absurd since you’re reviewing a performance, which can be perceived differently by many people.”
I have to say buddy this paragraph made me laugh so hard i almost died. In fact I might have developed a small tumor from reading it. I know what journalism is, but do you? If this was meant to be an opinion piece why didn’t the authors let their name be known? It is their opinion after all isn’t it? The fact they didnt do this shows that the smoke signal believes that their “reviews” are absolute. That because THEY are senior to the rest of the student body THEY alone have the right to criticize without the scrutiny of others.
AlSO:
what kind of hideous sentence is this…do explain:
“And as for me giving you a “useless arbitrary argument,” Opinion Signal: Where Bias Lives? Seriously?”
Oh this is my FAVORITE:
“Also I love you completely missed the point of journalism.”
You bring up points that aren’t even relevant. I don’t see exactly why they need to explicitly mention their names when writing this article. It was tongue-in-cheek. You have an incredibly snarky sense of humor and you make horrible slippery slope arguments.
“So you are saying that the smoke signal is a pointless newspaper that writes articles that aren’t supposed to be serious. Thanks for clearing that up.”
Yes that’s exactly what I said. Thank you for your amazing reading comprehension. Obviously if I point out that one specific types of article is clearly not meant to be taken completely seriously then I’m calling the entire newspaper a joke. You are a genius.
And to reiterate your HORRIBLE tumor-infested logic:
“The fact they didnt do this shows that the smoke signal believes that their “reviews” are absolute. That because THEY are senior to the rest of the student body THEY alone have the right to criticize without the scrutiny of others.”
The Smoke Signal is made up of a combination of juniors AND seniors as well as some sophomores. When junior day or senior day comes they critique it with the EXACT same respect. Nothing in this article implied that they had absolute say or sole authority over the right to “critique others.” Please point that out since you such a beacon of wisdom. You provided no real evidence for your claims and merely made ridiculously over-exaggerated conclusions. Anonymous posting =/= sole authority, absolute say, or elitism. And there’s a reason why they included the comment section, so that OTHER students outside of smoke signal can voice their opinion.
Oh but please, reply with another snide remark. It really brings out the validity of your argument/
Oh, and please point out how the article was “harassment.”
“Overall, the sophomores put on an impressive performance and garnered praise from other classes and pride from their own. The Class of 2014 definitely raised the bar and has increased the pressure for the upperclassmen over the next two days. Best of luck to the Indiana Juniors tomorrow!”
GOODNESS. WHAT A HORRIBLY ELITIST AND DISRESPECTFUL REMARK FROM AN UPPERCLASSMEN! HOW DARE THEY!
I do apologize for what I just said, I am extremely infantile and don’t really understand what I type sometimes. Please forgive me for my inappropriate outbursts
Oh wow…Of course I forgive you!
I have severe borderline personality disorder. Please excuse my lack of ability to actually address the argument.
Now that we are friends let me impart onto you some advice:
“your HORRIBLE tumor-infested logic”
This remark was very cruel and made me cry. I know people with tumors and it is very hurtful when you talk about them in such a derogatory fashion. Of course I don’t blame you, it is clear to see that you have some unresolved issues with anger. If you want I can recommend you to a great therapist who once helped my uncle Jerome overcome his hatred towards convenience store clerks.The treatment package covers everything from spa visits to psychotherapy. I’m sure he can help you out 🙂
tsk tsk tsk whimsicott, why would you use copy my username to insult me?
That is such a childish and juvenile tactic. From your previous arguments and statements I had thought you were a mature and dignified debater. I’m afraid I was horribly mistaken.
But my therapy offer still stands buddy. 🙂
Yeah, anyone reading this entire discussion can easily see through your facade, without me having to explain anything. Oh but I am so sorry of having offended you. Really. I hope it did not give you too serious of a tumor. Wait too late.
Go back under the creek bridge you troll.
Please don’t respond to people like tmsjtv.
Your name says “not in smoke signal or sophomore”, but the first sentence of you reply states “i am a smoke signal member and sophomore”
Pretty strong argument there buddy.
I am a sophomore and I have not heard and do not know the Alex Chen reference
There is no Bob Chen in the sophomore class. Try again.
I’m so proud of our class and our hard work paid off pretty well. I’m glad we impressed the school, and I’m appreciative of all classes (esp. you upperclassmen!) for being hella nice to us.
“SENIORS ARE SEXY. SOPHOMORES ARE OKAY.” HAHA but c’mon we’re sexy and we know it.
Dear you,
T’was me who said that line. “Seniors are sexy. Sophomores are okay.”
If that line came off as offensive, I SINCERELY apologize. Perhaps in hindsight, a different way of phrasing it would’ve been more effective.
To reiterate, I was EXTREMELY impressed with 2014’s performance! I have abundant respect for 2014, their dedication and spirit.
Seniors are sexy, and Sophomores have earned their sexiness with their outstanding performance today. I am proud.
Go Warriors!
Respectfully,
-Mission Man (yes, it’s actually me.)
Yo Mission man who is better MSJTV or whimsicott?
I’m sure a lot of us are looking at the comments for additional feedback on today’s performances, not to see some random dude bashing on Smoke Signal because of some trivial reason. -.-“
@tmsjtv honestly? way to be a good sport, bro. why are you getting so butthurt? it’s just a review, you don’t have to agree with it. are you new here or something? We have reviews every year. get with the program. i also find it hilarious that you don’t tell us who you are. lol
Amazing, you don’t tell us who you are either…. How do you guys just assume MSJTV is bad without reading. If you read all of the arguments you can see that that whimsicott guys just straight up cusses him out while MSJTV keeps professional and composed the whole convo. Rock on MSJTV!
msjtv, tmsjtv is not! freshman, tmsjtv is! check comment on frosh day!
On the internet, anonymity is a good thing for the individual.
Also, I don’t think tmsjtv was really being very professional during the “convo” that probably is better described as an “argument” and borderline “flame”.
“Amazing”, you don’t tell us who you are either…. How do you guys just assume MSJTV is bad without reading. If you read all of the arguments you can see that that whimsicott guys just straight up cusses him out while MSJTV keeps professional and composed the whole convo. Rock on MSJTV!
This is a case of “Yay let’s post the same thing twice so that I can feel more important and annoy other people!”
Chillax bro. Its the case of laggy internet.
I think lolwut is tmsjtv.
lolwut
No disrespect brah but you kinda lost it for a sec. Don’t be taking it out on me
I would just like to say that no one in the Smoke Signal is allowed to write for their own class. The junior skit tomorrow will be reviewed by sophomores and seniors, and the Senior skit will be reviewed by sophomores and juniors.
So no, it’s not “elitist” because sophomores do review the skits as well.
I like turtles everyone~
FROSH ARE FRIENDS. NOT FOOD.
-n
wow. riveting argument up there, although I do not have time to read all of it due to extensive procrastination. WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE AND WHY DO THEY CARE SO MUCH O.O
Things are gonna get real interesting when the non-anonymous print review comes out.
calm down everyone must.
God speed young padawan.
I’d just like to reiterate a few points that may help clarify some of our processes:
1) As mentioned by someone before, we make sure that our reviewers each day are NOT of the grade performing that day. Freshmen were reviewed by a sophomores/juniors/seniors, sophomores were reviewed by juniors/seniors, juniors by sophomores/seniors, and seniors by sophomores/juniors.
2) The EICs and Ms. Cohen are required to make sure nothing slanderous or out of reason is being said before we post it online.
3) There is an enormous amount of respect in the reviewing process.
Thanks,
Andrew
The print reviews are not also written by the online reviewers.
Join the woobment! FREE WOOBAM!!!
WOOB WOOB
Sometimes, I cry when I think about college and the world beyond…
take notes sophomores
Does this concern the comments, the review, or the skit itself? Amongst all this debate I already got quite confused.
ThIs review was very good and I dont understand how anyone could be upset about it.
Reviews are published on the Smoke Signal so that classes can read how others felt about their performances, they give an honest and fair response.
This article is not biased, it states the good and the bad accurately.
Any piece of writing is bound to contain bias. That is the inherent nature of writing, especially in publications like these.
However, note that “bias” does not equate to “bad”. In fact, a completely objective review is not really a review anymore. It is excessive bias that can lead to problems though, and I believe people’s notion of “excessive” may vary from person to person, and apparently tmsjtv’s threshold is set to very low.
I feel, however, that the dialogue structure of the review in addition to the approximately 3 lines per criticism (in the rather methodical attack-defend-attack format) possibly makes the personalities of the dialoguers quite randomly mercurial, always flipflopping and ultimately somewhat confusing to the reader. To me I think there was a slight lack of transitioning between topics, adding to my confusion. In the future, slightly more clarified reviews would be highly appreciated.
someone is trying to be smart
Purple prose alert.
Well it is a legitimate question. The characters’ moods go from highly defensive of the supposed criticisms to the opposite in the space of two or so lines. Transitions are nonexistent, and this makes the characters’ personalities fairly irrational and swingy.
Well I guess I see what you’re saying then.
PAGING CAPTAIN BANSALE. INCOMING WOOBLAM. PLS ADVISE
BUSHMAL BP
Ayy otc! Yiiiiizo! Lemme get some chokum up in here!
make sure to buy tickets for the ssrama tomorrow at lunch! and buy tickets to dance with captain bansale himself!
BUY TICKETS TO DANCE WITH BUSHMAL AS WELL
Ayyy lemme get some otc and swahib in here. Also pls if everyone can go to castro lane tomorroe to support captain bansal in his quest to conquer the ss rama it wid b much appreciated
YEEEE BOIIIIIIII
I was feeling kind of proud of being a sophomore, but tsmjtv ruined it. Now everyone thinks that we’re cynical, ungrateful jerks. Darn.
Also, good job Juniors today!
I’m 90% sure that tmsjtv is a freshman. o-O There’s a similar post on the frosh review.
Well, I still don’t want to be “defended” by a person who claims everyone except him is a shortsighted bigot. There’s irony in that claim.
The entire performance was a piece of crap
All I have to say about our performance is that we improved a lot. We may not have been perfect, but this year, we really stepped it up. I’m proud of us.
UNITY, WHOLE POINT OF HOMECOMING IS! GREAT JOB, WSS DID!
“I did like the flow of the skit, but I was surprised that it did not include the traditional rival school that the classes unite against. In fact the only “antagonist” seemed to be the classes’ lack of school pride.
JB: Don’t be so harsh!”
Is it a rule to have a rival school in the skit? Isn’t the skit/homecoming about class/school unity (which the school eventually had at the end) I felt that the quote indicated that not following tradition and not having a rival school was bad, which I disagree with.
This all brings up some questions:
1) Who moderates these comments?
2) Why do other people subsequently delete those comments?
3) Why do the comments that were supposedly moderated get deleted?
(I’m talking about a post with only the contents to a random internet meme picture, which I saw get deleted)
I agree that that post takes away from the cohesiveness (is there really any left… lol) of the comment chain. The question is why it got past moderation in the first place.
Best Tahitian performance i’ve seen throughout my whole 4 years of hs!
test
Honestly and not biased observation:
The sophomore backdrop are very artistically designed and made, fit with the theme of musical play “Westside Story” nicely, almost professional.
The bridge structure was a major highlight and the best I have seen. It is an amazing and memorable landmark on campus, too bad they took it down in a few hours – it must took a long time to engineer and build it. I wish Smoke Signal took good pictures of it and post them.
Great job sophomore!!!
Bias isn’t a bad thing!
YEAHH<3 Glad you thought that!
YO. WUSSUPP KIDS. STOP YO ARGUING. oh and nice trolling. I’m proud of you mission kids
I’m sorry guys. I take back all my comments. Everyone but the freshmen were good.
2nd PLACE!!!!! STAY C14SSY