This year’s basketball team proved that Cam High’s games against Rio allowed athletes to focus on the game and remember what happened on the court instead of the the unfortunate events of last year.

In February of 2013, Cam High attracted attention from media sources after a three letter acronym was yelled by students in the home of the Scorpions. Cam High’s USA incident was not one of the school’s greatest, but this year’s game proved that all the controversy is left in the past.

To recap, Cam High students at last year’s game started chanting what was perceived to be slurs and slanders against the Rio Mesa team and audience. With chants of “USA”, Cam High’s students appeared to be demeaning their opponent’s ethnicity.

The following morning, after news of that night’s incident spread via the ubiquitous social medias, students who attended (and even some who didn’t) herded up to the gym to begin an impromptu protest that paraded in front of the school.  At that point, the students met with Mr. Glenn Lipman, Cam High principal.

Cam High received plenty of flak for the incident. However, events during this school year have allowed many in the Cam High community to note a change from last year’s storm of discord to the spirited Doppler conducted by the Cam High Cyclone.

“It just goes to show how important leadership is,” said Jessica Brockway, senior. She saw the event and noticed that the behavior of the crowd became problematic due to the chanting outbreak.

Students were easily prompted to join in on something that seemed appropriate because everyone else was doing it. High School peer pressure takes its toll: not in the physical, but in the spirit that possesses impressionable minds and shuts out critical thinking.

“I think everyone should practice decency and pay their dues to society like responsible humans” said Danika Elvine, senior.

The students, according to the Constitution, had the right to say what they did. But just because it was Constitutional, it does not follow that it was appropriate. If it did, that would mean things like Japanese interment camps during World War II and slavery, all countenanced by the Constitution, would be morally sound.  Aside from that fact, it doesn’t make much sense to cheer “USA” against another American High School basketball team.

But at the end of every storm, new weather emerges. In this case, the Cyclone took to the seas. Mr. Tom Ito, Cam High associate principal, said “The Cyclone really had a positive influence this year, oh my gosh!” Many administrators also added that this year was more tasteful than the prior and had more spirit that lived up to the outstanding numbers in student attendance.

“I really give credit to the kids: Camarillo really redeemed itself this year.” said Ito.