1,2,3 CHEESE Senior Homecoming Prince LeonDrae Morris and Princess Angelica Chu wave at the crowd for the first time on the field without their cheerleading uniforms but with Homecoming court attire. “I was excited to finally become the Homecoming princess after four years. I was shocked,” Chu said. Morris thought differently.“I didn’t expect it but I knew it was possible. Everybody else would be excited but for me it’s just a title,” Morris said.
Renton High School 400 South 2nd Street Renton, WA 98057
ARROW dent ex
pression
e 5, Issu e1
A forum for stu
Volum
Vanessa Abenojar photo
FOUND Learn creative ways to find your hidden belongings. Check out the back page.
TWO PEOPLE ALIKE Two different people but with one similar quality. Check out the inside scoop on page 15.
LET’S PLAY A GAME Want to play a game? Match hidden secrets with interesting people. Check out page 12.
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HIDDEN PUZZLE PIECES
These pictures and phrases are pieces of our not-so-complex puzzle. It’s up to you to find the other pieces to make it fit
THE WORD THEY’LL NEVER FIND IT THERE
She falls through the money hole of lies in order to find the time to live but it consumes her as she stays a consumer when she doesn’t even understand what she’s consuming and while in that tangle of confusion she’s already been devoured and spit out 5 times before she could even realize what she’s gotten herself into.
Hey there reader, you’ve fallen into something you probably didn’t think you’d find but you’ve stumbled upon or have been handed to straight from the makers. Well actually, I didn’t think this would come out. But it did, so here. Take it and absorb every detail because this is what we kept in the dark corners of our minds and now we’re spreading it into the light, flat on paper, for you. What I’ve learned is that what you do in the dark will always come out in the light. We’re just speeding up the process. If you turn to page 10, there’s a secret singer’s whispered tale, by Andrea Buenbrazo, waiting to be discovered by traveling eyes about a voice finally heard. On page 15, you’ll find two ARROWREADS’ LGBT experiences from undercover times. And if you turn to page 12, there’s a match up game, by Mona Orejudos. It tests how much you really know about a person before reading their mini story. Everyone has something to hide but not everyone has the will to reveal it or cares enough to find it. Luckily, we found it and here it is. How often do you come across treasure that’s already been found for you? The theme for this issue is, “I kept it hidden” and “it,” in this case, can be anything. This is what makes this issue insane: if you wanted to keep something hidden, why would you publish thousands of copies of it and let everyone read it? Because we’re journalists and you are the reader. That’s why if you can relate to these stories or have any of your own would like to share, you should email me @ RHSARROW@ gmail.com.
Vanessa Abenojar Every issue, the editor-inchief explains the magical and maniacal torture behind the ARROW scene. If it’s less than (or especially) magical for you, let her know at rhsarrow@gmail.com
government should get rid of the mentality of selfishness.
Guys for Thighs
making sure the hard drive cannot remember anywhere I’ve been / that’s control -> Shift -> N
Every person, every fairytale, every super hero has a hiding spot
we know a lot more about the life and the feelings of others
Secrets Don’t Make Friends
Cover: Royalty leads the scene.
Page 10: Two sides to a singer in the shadows.
Page 2: Right here, right now. Page 3: Right over there on the right. About clothing. Page 4: Politics! Discussed!
Page 6: Seniors’ last home game is a W - not an L. Page 7: No I in team.
Vanessa Abenojar is a first rate fruit fly killer.................................................................................................Editor-in-Chief Ksenia Ivanova is not ghetto but is first class ratchet.............................................................................Managing Editor Queneshia Lee is craving Chinese food worse than a pregnant lady..............................................Copy/Intro Editor Eli De Los Santos doesn’t like being touched, so keep your hands to yourselves!.............................Photo Editor Alex Kalinin got a Japanese girlfriend, if you know what I mean....................................................................Arts Editor Brittney Nguyen loves dancing at the most random times and places.................................................Ads Manager Angelica Nicolas is excited for my little brothers to start wrestling again! :).........................................Cover Editor Monalynn Orejudos is a princess............................................................................................................................Faces Editor Amanda Dyer has a secret................................................................................................................................Know More Editor Naje Bryant thinks Vanessa Abenojar rocks sweats nicely......................................................................Play Hard Editor Andrea Buenbrazo craves Chicken Tortas. <3..............................................................................................Portraits Editor
ARROW is an open forum produced by an open-minded, creative, perfectly sane, loud, secret-bearing, awe-inspiring, uncorrupt and talented family with sugar-craving artists and journalists, trying to create a masterpiece with heart and soul, wearing outfits with the illest swag, saying YOLO all day. They all go to Renton High School at 400 S. 2nd St., Renton, WA, 98057. The editor-in-chief is Vanessa Abenojar. You can contact her at vanessa.abenojar@gmail.com
The staff welcomes letters to the editor and will publish letters which meet our standards of good taste (as space permits). Letters must be signed. ARROW reserves the right to edit letters, though every attempt will be made to preserve original
Page 14: Things are better kept hidden. Page 15. Some things are harder to expose. Page 16: Where did you put the hidden thing?
Pages 8 & 9: Spittin’ bars / rap excerpt
ARROW is printed eight times a year by Pacific Publishing Company in Seattle, Washington. Word processing, graphics and layouts are created on Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Creative Suite 3 programs. ARROW has a press run of 2,000.
Page 12: Stealing $ to buy stuff online. Page 13: Sometimes we aren’t who we say we are.
Page 5: Explosive minds. Oooooooooo!
FINE PRINT
Page 11: Weaknesses may not make us weaker.
Alicia Quarles is a straight-toothed goon..................................................................................................Perspectives Editor Annie Kwan is the secret sixth Robin................................................................................................................NUM83R5 Editor Mirjam Amstutz enjoys living in Seattle ..................................................................................................Ads& Business Staff Aidan Chaloupka is stuck in time but is time stuck in me?......................................................................Know More Staff Rafael Agas just demolished a box of white chocolate chip cookies..........................................................Play Hard Staff Julian O’Francia is fresh to death.........................................................................................................................Play Hard Staff Andrea Dyer didn’t choose the thug life, and the thug life did not choose her................................................Intro Staff Norma Campos hates mornings, ugghh ..............................................................................................................Portraits Staff Evelyn Fitz misses the Midwest and the Emo ~*~2006~*~ ...............................................................................NUM83R5 Staff Abigail Cetino wants to cut Naje’s hair off......................................................................................................................Outro Editor Derek Smith loves Heidi Lally..........................................................................................................................................................Adviser
content. Unsigned editorials and editorial cartoons represent the majority view of ARROW editorial board and do not represent the views of the Renton School District or RHS. Opinions, commentaries, satires, and perspectives are the views of the writers and artists, not the Renton School District or ARROW editorial board. ARROW advertising ranging from $20$80 finances its publications.
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ARROW234
You have questions. Arrow has answers
People seem mad about the revised dress code. What’s happening? SCHOOL DRESS REQUIREMENT/APPROPRIATE DRESS ATTIRE - Dress and appearance must not present health or safety problems or cause disruption. Students are expected to come to school or school activities well groomed, neatly and appropriately dressed. All students must wear shoes. Students who do not meet these standards will be required to correct the problem. Clothing that carries a sexual, vulgar, or offensive or reference the use of profanity, sex, drugs, alcohol, gang affiliation, etc. will not be permitted. Pants must be at waist. Skirts, jumpers, shorts, and capris-all items must be at knee length or longer. Students may not wear midriff-Type apparel. No spaghetti straps, tank tops, or visible underclothing, skin attire (spandex) OR low-cut suggestive, see-through, or revealing clothing is not acceptable. All tops must be at least 3 fingers wide on the shoulder. Holes and shredding on jeans, pants, etc. are not permitted. Wave-scarves, “do-rags” or inappropriate headwear are not allowed. Students are required to
|Ksenia Ivanova |Managing Editor
Student reactions to the recently revised dress code have ranged from general acceptance to online ranting to quasi-official, half-joking protests. “As an initial reaction, I felt like people reacted in a rebellious way,” senior class President Carol Xie said. “However, I don’t think a protest really happened. [There were] just individual rebellious reactions.” ASB President Jordan Bowens saw this discontentment as well. “Students were pissed... On Facebook there were rants three paragraphs long,” Bowens said. “People were writing full essays. I don’t get why they can’t do that in class.” That’s when an idea came up: “Guys for Thighs.” “I’m not proud of that,” Bowens said. “It was mostly a joke because I thought it was funny, but then a lot of people actually decided they were going to do it. At that point I thought I might as well talk to Ms. San Martin. Maybe she’ll change something or do something.” Vice Principal Giovanna San Martin heard students’ opinions, some of which were misconceptions. “Some kids were saying ‘we cannot wear flip-flops’ and ‘we cannot wear spandex’ and I’m going crazy,” San Martin said. “What are they talking about? It’s not even in the actual written policy.” The main reason for revising the dress code and increasing awareness about it was to ultimately reach a compromise with students. “We have been getting too many concerns from teachers primarily, the community, the district and we thought it would be to the benefit the students to actually implement the rules,” San Martin said. “Since we weren’t implementing them, we thought that, by raising the expectations a little bit higher than what we have, we would get to that happy medium.”
remove hats at the request of any staff member. Bandanas of any kind are prohibited. It is understood that individual teachers, in consultation with the school administrator, may restrict attire for safety issues. The administration has the authority to make changes at any time to the above dress code based on either safety, or health, or educational issues. If a student is found in violation of the school dress code policy, an effort to notify a parent to bring a change of attire will be made. If the parent is unable to bring a change of attire OR the parent cannot be found OR the parent does not give permission to go home and change, the student will not be allowed to enter the regular classroom and will serve the remainder of the day in IN-School Suspension (ISI). If the offence is repeated student will serve Friday School in addition to ISI. When a student is sent home, the absence will not count against the mandatory attendance rule if they are back to campus in 60 minutes.
As a part of the administrative team, San Martin was one of the three people responsible for making the decision. Principal Damien Pattenaude and Vice Principal Wendell Ellis make up the rest of the team. “We [researched] many high school handbooks before we wrote the current dress code,” San Martin wrote in a recent email correspondence with an ARROW reporter. “There are hardly any changes from what we encountered, only a very few changes toward skirts being at a much more appropriate length.” Bowens noted the irony of the situation. “Posting it up laminated and making it all known in every classroom was a bit much,” Bowens said. “The fact that they have these strict rules, but then they’re lenient on it, I don’t agree with.” “I feel like they should make more lenient rules. I get it, they need girls not to look like sluts or whores, but maybe if you make it more lenient and you really enforce it, it would be better than making these strict rules, but only enforcing some of them.” San Martin sees some positive outcomes in the situation. “There was no need [to be strict], because pretty much everybody understands that all that we’re trying to do is not to go to extremes,” San Martin said. “Now young ladies and young men are following the rules, and I’m ecstatic. “I’m very proud of all my young ladies and of how they dress here,” she added. Though part of the revised code is that skirts have to be at the knee, administrators understand the circumstances. “This just hit them as a surprise this year. We need to
SAN MARTIN
be flexible, and we need to be patient,” San Martin said. “As long as it is not a mini-skirt, we’re fine.” Since Seattle’s cold weather has kicked-in, students are more likely to follow the dress code. “Honestly, I haven’t seen a lot of shorts or skirts that are at the knee or below,” Bowens said. “Even the shorts I’m wearing now, they’re slightly above the knee.” Bowens was wearing green shorts for the Princess and the Frog themed Homecoming spirit day—but despite his minor, unintended break in the dress code, he ultimately understands the administration’s concerns. “Wearing just spandex short-shorts with nothing else… that’s not cute,” he said. As one of the Leadership class students who makes morning announcements over the intercom, Bowens found himself re-iterating the dress code to the student body days before the Oct. 20 Homecoming dance. San Martin estimated that out of the 422 people who attended, 280 were girls and maybe only 15 of those did not follow dress-code expectations. “Did I say they look beautiful? The dance went great,” San Martin wrote in an email to ARROW. “All and all, our RHS girls looked quite lovely and dressed very lady like, and still very modern.” “Exposing too much body is not a good thing at all,” San Martin said. “Even though we only have the ability to look after students when they are in the school house, I am concerned, as a female… You never know what situation they would run into.” Meanwhile, Bowens says he still wants to hear student concerns. “[For] bigger issues and smaller issues, I want you to come to me,” Bowens said. “I’ll talk to administrators and do my best.”
Who can give me the WiFi code?
Do you really need an off-campus form?
|Annie Kwan |NUM83R5 Editor
| Angelica Nicolas | Cover Editor
Renton High School has WiFi, but for some reason many students do not have the access code. “Yes, I’d like the school WiFi pass code,” junior Deshawna Sanders said. Many students want the password for the school’s WiFi. Some want it for schoolwork. “I would try to do homework in school without being in the computer lab,” junior Ahriika Jordan said. “And sometimes I would take out my laptop in pepband, and I wouldn’t be able to do it.” Not all students would use it for schoolwork though. “I get bored in advisory. Yeah, Tumblr!” Sanders said. Social media would be tempting. Some say WiFi access should be available but certain internet sites can be restricted. “Yes, there should be internet monitoring so that people aren’t abusing the WiFi,” Jordan said. Restrictions are nice to have most of the time. But sometimes they block off some important information students need. Having the WiFi isn’t too bad.
There are about 1200 students in the school and about 1/3 of them have turned in their off-campus permission forms. The form grants permission for students to travel off-campus for lunch. Yet some students have not turned in the form and do not leave campus. They mostly hang around the school cafeteria and commons during lunch. “I haven’t turned in my form and that’s why I haven’t gone off campus,” sophomore Justin Greene said. Some students go off-campus without a form. “I don’t have an off-campus sticker, and I go off campus,” sophomore Jose Anguiano said. In past years only upperclassmen were allowed to leave campus. This year freshmen are allowed to leave campus as well. “It is a privilege to leave off campus,” Angela Spates said. “These forms are for the safety of the student.” Out of the 1200 students in the school the majority of the people who have turned in the form are freshmen and sophomores. “I see a lot of seniors not turning in the form and not being responsible,” Spates said.
SANDERS
GREENE
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Elections Cause Teenage Political Opinions
A common stereotype of high school students is that they do not care about the real issues of the country, but what are their real opinions? Students express ideas on the upcoming election with their main political concerns
|Mirjam Amstutz |Ads & Business Manager The three debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are over, and the national elections are coming closer. With elections occuring on Nov. 6, students form their opinions of the candidates and the government in general. “The most important issues for me are gay issues,” senior Wynsday King said. “I think that everyone including gays should be able to marry.” KING King is not very interested in politics unless it’s about gay people and other human rights. “I don’t prefer a party,” King said. “Though I’m sure both Democrats and Republicans have good ideas and plans.”
Although King is 18 years old, she is not going to vote on Nov. 6. “Honesty is an important characteristic,” King said. “I think the people involved in government should be honest even if it’s not what the public wants to hear.” She also thinks politicians should keep the promises they make on the campaign trail. With the candidates doing everything to win, they may sometimes make promises they can’t keep. “I think they should be smart and know what they are doing,” senior Ramiro Mora said. Mora is more Democrat than Republican. The same is true for the state of Washington, which leans left toward Obama.
MORA
Amanda Dyer photo
“There are more benefits for lower income people [on the left],” Mora said. “I would vote for Obama if I could.” He will not yet be 18 years old on Nov. 6. Scholarships and college financial aid is an important issue for many students, especially for seniors. But also for other students starting to think about life after high school. “I would vote for Obama. Romney does not want to give as many scholarships,” senior Bryant Florence said. Junior Sheryll Acoba also thinks the government should focus more on the middle and lower class. “For me, poverty is an important issue,” Acoba said. Senior Morgan Thompson thinks the government should cut military spending and focus on more on what’s happening domestically rather than abroad. She cares a lot about educational and environmental issues. She does not favor a single party. “I have tendency towards Republicans or Democrats because whichever one has issues I agree on is the one I would vote for,” Thompson said. “I think government people should be accessible, reliable and caring.”
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THE CENTER OF IT ALL: The Homecoming princesses stand with roses in their hands, their presence radiating from their centerpiece roles. In total five princesses were selected. The look of excitement especially beams from Taylor Farris, the Junior Princess. “I was happy, nervous, surprised, and very overwhelmed,” Farris said.
WITS OR STRENGTH?: Special Education teacher Donald Ponds, ESL teacher Robert Conway and Math teacher Stacey Snyder represents the educators in the tug-of-war competition. Each one of them intently vied with the junior representatives for control of the rope. “I thought they might possibly use the teacher trick that we always do,” Video Production teacher Susan Johnson said, “For those who don’t know what that is, they start pulling, count 1, 2, 3 and let go, so the other team falls down”.
THE BEAT NATIONAL MERIT SEMI FINALIST
HANDS UP: Vibrantly dressed in red, Senior Nursalam Ibrahim shows a flare of pride during the Homecoming Assembly on Firday, October 19th. His attire was complete with a flashing red cape, crystal studded glasses acquired in a thrift store and a massive polka dotted bowtie. “I knew that on Friday I had to come all out spirited,” Ibrahim said, “I stayed up all night stringing them on.”
THIS IS IT: The Senior’s final Homecoming is one of special importance and for more than one reason. Besides just princes and princesses they were the kings and queens of the school “I heard this time that the Homecoming was really amazing and I sort of wish I had went,” Senior Alvin Poquiz said.
ON TOP OF THE WORLD: Drum Major Danny Mar carries a vastly important role leading the parade musically, as well as physically. “He is one of the drumming majors. He helps keep everyone in order. I’d say it is one of the most important positions in a parade,” fellow band member Savannah Smith said. Angelica Nicolas, Mona Orejudos, Vanessa Abenojar and Eli De Los Santos photo
| Vanessa Abenojar | Editor-in-Chief Of the three Renton School District National Merit Scholar semifinalists, senior Jordan Bowens is the only student from Renton High School. “It seemed like every staff member knew about the scholarship but me,” Bowens said. “Because I didn’t get the news until after the news crew came to school and took my picture.” Bowens got his picture taken without knowing the actual reason behind the need for the picture, thinking that it was random. When he found out about the scholarship, he didn’t even know how he got it. To be a National Merit Scholar, you must score highest in your class on your PSAT. “The PSAT wasn’t hard, I just wanted to get it done,” Bowens said. His mom is happy for his achievements. “It would be awesome for him,” Bowen’s mom, Virginia Wyssen, said. The competitive scholarship only allows 16,000 students nationwide to be semifinalists. “I know there’s more people better than me but I’m happy, humble even,” Bowens said. “It boosts my confidence knowing I was chosen out of that many.” As an ASB president and an AP student, Bowens seeks to challenge himself because to be qualified as a finalist, semifinalists must maintain good grades, earn high SAT scores and submit an essay about leadership and community activities. “I’ve taken the SAT twice,” Bowens said. “I retook the SAT on Oct. 6 but I haven’t gotten my scores back yet, but I hope that they’re better than my first score of 2070.” Monique Smith is another semifinalist from Lindbergh High competing against Bowens for the finalist position. Although this scholarship may be competitive, Bowens and Smith are far from enemies. “Me and Monique are good friends and I’d be happy for her if she won,” Bowens said. “I’d like to win but I’m sure I can look for other scholarships.” Every month, The Beat explores the latest news going around the school. Everything from dress-code offenses to school-wide events. Breathe deep. Clarification on school news has arrived.
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Sitting in the sidelines now costs money Fall sports players are paying the same amount of money to play but some get more playing time than others. “I’m a good player but I have to show them a littl e more,” sophomore Gerald Hatfield said. Hatfield payed in full to sit in the sidelines. “I paid $sixty for ASB and equipment.” Hatfield said. “$65 to get in,” sophomore Julie Zaragoza said. She paid her fee to play soccer but sits out the first half of every game. “I play EVERY second half,” Zaragoza said. Not all of them play in the first half. “Coach wants to know how the game starts out.” Zaragoza said.
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Andrea Buenbrazo, Ksenia Ivanova, Julian O’francia and Brittney Nguyen graphic
HATFIELD
ZARAGOZA
THE BREAKDOWN* The gameday updates brought to you in an easy to read table
FOOTBALL Opponent
@Hazen
Evergreen
@Kennedy Catholic
Lindbergh
Date
Oct. 26
Oct. 19
Oct. 13
Oct. 5
30-6 (W)
6-42 (L)
24-48 (L)
Results
*source: www.seamountathletics.com
GIRLS SWIM Opponent
Highline
Foster
Lindbergh
Highline
Date
Oct. 18
Oct. 9
Oct. 4
Oct. 1
Results
40-132 (L)
85-45 (W)
92-5 (W)
92-0 (W)
Opponent
Kennedy Catholic
Lindbergh
Foster
Highline
CROSS COUNTRY Opponent
Seamount League Meet
Foster, Highline
Evergreen
Tyee
Date
Oct. 13
Oct 2
Sept. 27
Sept. 20
Results
Renton 15
Renton 15; Highline 50, Renton 15; Foster 50
18; Evergreen 45
Renton 20
Opponent
Kennedy Catholic
Lindbergh
Foster
Highline
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
BOYS TENNIS
Date
Oct. 18
Oct. 16
Oct. 11
Oct. 9
Date
Oct. 12
Oct. 10
Oct. 5
Oct. 3
Results
0-3 (L)
1-3 (L)
0-3 (L)
3-0 (W)
Results
0-7 (L)
0-7 (L)
1-6 (L)
1-6 (L)
Opponent
Kennedy Catholic
Lindbergh
Foster
Highline
Opponent
Kennedy Catholic
Foster
Evergreen
Tyee
Date
Oct. 25
Oct. 23
Oct. 18
Oct. 16
Date
Oct. 18
Oct. 9
Oct. 4
Oct. 1
Results
0-9 (L)
0-9 (L)
6-2 (W)
0-10 (W)
Results
32-71 (W)
36-66 (W)
30-78 (W)
18-31 (W)
GOLF
GIRLS SOCCER
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THOUGHTS FROM A FEW OF OUR FALL TEAM CAPTAINS Each gives a clear representation on how they grow as a family and how their bond remains strong
Soccer argues and bonds like a real family, on and off the field
Cross Coutry runs to their state championship
|Evelyn Fitz |NUM83R5 staff Everyone on the soccer team seems to love one another like family, but looks, like anything else, can be a tiny bit deceiving. They don’t fight like the football team do but they do argue. “Sometimes we get irritated with one another, “Captain Stephanie Rivas said, “We’re like a family, which means like a family, we don’t necessary love each other but we do get along very well.” Good games help improve their relationship, and change their attitude towards each other. “Except for good games, we get some attitude out of some of the other players,” Captain Justice Perry said. To help get along with one another, they do things together. They try to hang out together as a group but it’s hard to wrangle all the girls together. “We pretty much get along. Something we do to get closer is team bonding every other Friday,” said captain Shara Tidwell. The other players seem to think the same way about how they relate to one another on the team, but of course everyone has their favorite captains. “ I have to say I get along best with Stephanie on the team, because she also plays soccer outside of school,” said freshman Asia Brisco. But if it wasn’t for soccer, some of these girls would have never met each other and got to know them as well as they do now.
|Mirjam Amstutz |Ads and Business Manager The cross country teams have been working hard for the Washington state championship on Nov. 4. They ran 9 races this season and only one is left, two with the state championship. “You must be one of the top five teams in the district league to go to the state,” girls’ Captain Quynh Nguyen said. “We are trying our best to go there this year.” Nguyen is the new captain for the girls’ team this year. Captain Joy Barnes is out due to a trauma fracture to her foot. “I’m still captain but I made zero races this season,” Barnes said. “I want to get back before track starts.” On the Oct. 27, this past Saturday, these runners ran to see who may go to the state. The teams had to reach the 5th place. “I think we have a chance to go to the state,” Boys’ captain Brian Reilly said, “and the girls do so too.” If they didn’t reach their goal to go to the state championship as a team, there’s a possibility going of individually. “You have to be one of the top 25 runners in the district to make it,” Reilly said. “I’m sure I can run into the top 25.” At this time Reilly is 6th in the district and could make it to championships. Nguyen is seeded in 32th place as the best girl of Renton. “My personal goal is to break 21 minutes for 5 kilometers,” Nguyen said. “I’m really close to it.”
RIVAS
NGUYEN
Volleyball holds a tight knot on Despite being a single sport, the their bond using ribbons and ties tennis team holds a strong bond |Abigail Cetino |Backpage Editor This year, the volleyball team has been establishing connections between the returning players and the new recruits. “We’ve been doing more bonding to treat the players as family,” Junior Varsity Co-Captain Stephanie Gonzalez said. Even off the court they always think about their games. “We made hair ties with ribbons and talked about the games,” Gonzalez said. The ribbons helped tie them together as a team. “The ribbons were just bows that we put into hair ties to represent us as a team,” Gonzalez said. “We wrote our numbers, graduation year and names.” That connection helps the returning players associate well with the freshmen and newbies. “Learning their transitions seemed difficult but they were all motivated to do well and they fit in just fine with the rest of us,” Gonzalez said. Although games are constantly discussed, it’s not the only subject the girls talk about. “Sometimes [jokes are] about each other but we always laugh,” Joshua said.
GONZALEZ
|Queneshia Lee |Copy Editor Although the sport is played separately, the tennis team is very close. “On and off the courts we are close,” Captain Benny Souriyadeth said. Tennis is a team sport but during the game the points are counted individually. Souriyadeth and Angelo Ocampo are the current captains. “Each person has their strengths and weaknesses but they give it all they can when it’s game time,” Souriyadeth said. The captain has a good relationship with each team player and has big goals for himself. “My goal was to play my hardest and make it further in league,” Souriyadeth said. “I’m very happy because I made it to finals. I placed fifth in league.” He has always wanted to reach his goal. Everyone needs a little motivation to get them up and going. “My advice to everyone that plays tennis is that you only live once but you get to serve twice,” Souriyadeth said. “This is what I live by.” Angelo Ocampo on the other hand placed fourth in league and also lives by a motivational slogan. “No one is better than anyone,” Ocampo said. “Everyone has a chance to beat everyone.”
Souriyadeth
THE SIDELINES A LINEMAN’S PRAYER
| Queneshia Lee | Copy Editor During the battles we go through in life, we ask for a chance that’s fair, chance to equal all our stride, chance to do our dare. Those are some of the powerful words of the Notre Dame fight prayer that fills the men’s locker room as linemen on the football team lock arms prior to taking the field. “Saying the prayer really gets us hyped and ready for the game,” lineman Micah Prescott said. The prayer is only said by the linemen. Coach Chris Ulrich, the linemen coach brought this to Renton last year. The young men seem to be really grateful. “The words are so powerful,” lineman Dean Wohlers said. “We instantly go from being nervous to being ready to go out and dominate the field.” There are a total of eight linemen on the team. However, only three of them attend Renton the others attend another school. “As a team we give it our all,” Wohlers said. “The linemen are like the big brothers. If we mess up the whole team messes up. Without us the running back is unable to do his job. That’s why we say the fight prayer; we know we will give it 100% when we do say it.” The words have made their way throughout the world and now have inspired our team. “We just want to continue the Renton tradition, and by coming through and doing our job, we will do just that,” Wohler’s said. The Indians plan on continuing to take whatever field they play on by storm. No matter what opponent steps in their way, or what colors fill the field, the linemen will represent for their team. Their fellow teammates support them all the way. “The linemen play hard,” Jovuani Robinson said. “Their passion is there. They don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Even Robinson has seen the change in readiness as he looks on at the linemen as they say the traditional prayer. “The prayer is now a tradition thanks to coach Ulrich,” Robinson said. Every month, The Sidelines provides a first-hand account of a sporting event or activity with the sweaty, sticky details in tact. Relive the experience with the greatest glory, and maybe a few laughs.
789 ARROW
Despite the lack of support from his parents, he continues his passion for singing
Portraitsfacesnum83r5
FACES - Page 12 Can you tell who is keeping the secret? See if you can figure out who is hiding the worst things from their parents.
We all hide what we do when our parents aren t home...
a)
b)
1) “I like to put on make-up and go into my sister’s closet and play dress up.”
c)
2) “I eat and then watch Vampire Diaries, my favorite T.V. show!”
3) “I go out and drive to places. I also go see my girlfriend.”
4) “I take money from my parents’ stash and then I buy stuff online.”
RHO
become a singer, you don’t have to work hard to become one, you have to be born with it,” Rho said. Rho’s mom who attended a musical college and sings classical music hasn’t really shown support for Rho and his singing. “They don’t really care about my singing,” Rho said. “They think I’m just playing around.” Despite her lack of support, Rho’s mom did serve as an inspiration to him. “I didn’t tell my mom about this because I wanted to be like my mom because she has a really good classic voice,” Rho said. “So when I started to sing in the bathroom when I was taking a shower, my mom was hearing me do all those R&B style. My mom was thinking ‘Wow, he actually has vocals’ but she knows I’m having some mistakes in pitches and some a little off but she was thinking ‘I could teach you more.” Rho turned to YouTube for inspiration, emulating big Korean stars such as Paul Kim and David So and learning their style. They served as inspiration for Rho’s singing. “I can’t even describe their vocals.” Rho said “It’s very interesting, jazzy and R&B kind of thing. I always wanted to follow their vocals and make everybody like ‘Oohh. Hey damn, there’s another R&B guy.’” From pitches to notes, rhythms to melodies, YouTube offered the foundations of his singing career. “You know, I just searched how to sing in YouTube.” Rho said. “I just clicked that and it showed me how to sing
Ksenia Ivanova photo
with melodies, pitch, notes and how to harmonize. They have the whole list.” Along with YouTube, a cappella teacher Lizabeth Diaz also served as one of the first mentors in Rho’s singing. “He’s a lot more confident, I think he feels comfortable singing,” Diaz said. “I think he really enjoys singing now.” Rho felt afraid and nervous in trying to show his talents to the world. He tries to perfect his craft before he makes the leap from his bathroom stage to talent show and choir solos. “He needs to realize that making mistakes gives them an opportunity to learn, I need to hear them make mistakes just try, making mistakes is okay so that we can fix it from there,” Diaz said. Sophomore and younger brother Christopher Rho agrees. “Just sing,” Christopher Rho said. “If you wanna sing out for like solo and stuff, just sing.” Christopher serves as a different point of view in Edward’s voice. “Sure,” Christopher Rho said with a half smile “Sometimes when he sings sorta seriously, he’s good but when he sings awkwardly for fun, it’s kind of boring and annoying.” Despite people beng unsupportive of his music, Edward continues to produce music that he loves most.
e)
f)
5) “I do exercises like crunches and push-ups in my room. I try to do about 20 crunches and 15 pushups.”
6) “I eat everything! Then I sleep and relax. That’s really it.”
C) Kiera Houston junior D) Bruce Buenavista sophomore
F) Taylor Farris junior G) Hershella Dotson junior H) Alex Salinas freshman I) Dejanae Washington freshman
i)
We already started for you!
8) “I go to places where I’m not supposed to and I have friends over. A lot of friends over. I’m not allowed to have parties or allowed to be lazy. When they’re not home I just lay around.”
j)
9) “Generally, I bomb a sandwich. It’s really good and has everything on it. [My parents] complain I put on too much stuff.”
k)
10) “Usually I read the Bible. Whenever I need help in life it’s a great resource.”
l)
11) “I take out the mattress and jump on it and put it back before my mom comes home.”
12) “I walk around with my drawers and sports bra on. I can’t do that when my parents are home.”
NUM83R5 - Page 13 The graph in this section shows how students categorize themselves when it comes to finding out who they really are. Observe how not every student is alike. All are different in their own way.
Thirty-two percent of students a in front of strangers than in front ones. Thirty-six percent of studen of a different person in priv
SO WHO ARE W
ARROW asked students the question, What k real you? The size of the circles below repre of students who identified with each persona determined the size of the circles by multiplyi ages by one point five. This became th
m)
J) Bethlehem Alem sophomore 7) “I blast music and dance around the house, jump on the couch, and do everything I’m not supposed to. I eat all the food up and blame it on my little cousin.”
g)
B) D Angelo Miller junior
E) Sergio Perez senior
d)
|Rafael Agas |Play Hard Staff Junior Edward Rho’s parents don’t really support him much but that doesn’t stop him. “Every time I try singing in the bathroom, try to reach a high note, and when I did, I told my parents about it,” Rho said “but they didn’t really care. They’re busy doing other stuff like work and church.” Rho’s dad shows no interest in Rho’s passion for singing other than it just being another hobby. “He’s like ‘Oh hey, he can sing, cool I guess,’” Rho said “He doesn’t want me to become a singer. He wants me to be a doctor or any other major that gets paid. Singers don’t get paid.” Rho’s dad is only following his parental instincts. “‘Better education, better job, better money, the better future you’re going to reach.’ My dad says to me,” Rho said. “My dad doesn’t want me in his house when I graduate after high school. I’ll live on my own.” Through hard work, anything can be achieved but according to Rho’s mother, that may not be the case. “I remember my mom telling me this: ‘If you want to
A) A.Z. Delacuesta sophomore
y o u know: If y were at le million ligh and looked pointed at dinosaurs’ learned tha been discov things to h ¶ The most of watching thing but i “Care Bear chair remin how sweet a Sparkle, Ra left an imp feeling of w sound child Unseen. Ke hold onto w It could be
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Let s play a game! We mixed all the pictures, quotes, and names. Now match the name with the picture and quote! Answer key below.
K) Yasmine Ahmach sophomore L) Jose Mora freshman M) America Kruse sophomore
13) “I bring people over. I would bring my boyfriend over and play basketball.” H) b 3 I) a 2 J) e 6 K) i 11 L) h 10 M) f 4
introportraitsFaces REFLECTING ON A ONCE SILENT VOICE
pulled down the volume slot until it hit the end, making sure it wouldn’t make a sound when I turned it on. I clicked on the Gameboy, suffocating it under my pillow just in case the volume was on. I slowly pulled it out. Squeak. I stuffed it back into my pillow and turned off the flashlight. I listened carefully for my parent’s bedroom door to close. Click. I pulled the Nintendo game console back out and turned on the flashlight. The screen showed the popular Pokemon Yellow that all my friends in kindergarten played ¶ Hidden things can consume you and lock you deep inside the abyss of untold stories where you can’t help but to shout it out to the skies and stand on top of tables to make sure every living thing around knows what your’re hiding inside. And, in turn, escape this abyss. ¶ When I was little, Saturday mornings / At six / were an escape from this chaotic world / Being attached to my childhood and living carefree helps me through the times that are the worst / So much imagination residing in an individual, dominating my own reality, mixing it with fantasy / Making life much easier since it’s hard on the outside but / Soft on the inside, like a Starburst. ¶ Secrets are on a fine line between bad and good. ¶ In the name of science / I also stray into the nerd side as well / Finding myself learning about physics and history, oh the irony, subjects left sitting on a shelf / Watching things about the string and quantum theory as well, reading about quantum mechanics and levitations / Opening new possibilities in my head proves there are no limitations / Parallel universes are a possibility / The sky is too bright / It becomes dark and there is no fourth dimension / Did
ANSWER KEY:
PORTRAITS - Pages 10 and 11 Sentimental sexuality and singing, you can find it on these pages. Your peers around you take you into their lives as they let you know why they kept their secrets hidden.
toe a s she twirled across the carpet floor. At the same time, she was a thug / Sometimes it was hip hop, sometimes it was head banging. A little bit of “Hold up… wait a minute…put a little love in it.”/ She ignored the thoughts of uncoolness / Her dancing wasn’t a guilty pleasure, and it wasnt a crime; rather, it was a hobby she kept to herself. A secret she’d rather not have shared. She would have died from embarrassment. She wanted to avoid the judgmental eyes and laughter / It was silent when she thought everyone upstairs was asleep / It wasn’t until her sister reached the bottom floor when she heard those quick faint footsteps. It was an alarm. She panicked, scrambling to sit by the countertop, scrambling to pretend to be idle. ¶ The word “secret” can sound strong. Just saying “I have a secret” makes people want to listen to every word because it’s about to be open to the public, so it’s got to be good ¶ Anime and Manga / “Gasp, you mean Hentai?” Ew, NO. That’s not what I meant. To clarify things, it’s a cartoon / Manga and anime fills up my browser, reading away the thoughts of being a high schooler and having no doubt what’s going to happen next or what’s going to happen now / Full Metal Alchemist, Naruto, Kenichi: History’s Mightiest Disciple and Rosario Vampire are some of the few / Waiting every month, every week, every day for something new / A new chapter, a new episode, a new fan art, a new piece of news / Blazing through each chapter that makes these times cruise / Makes me sad to feel like time is on a noose / When I read, I can read for hours on end / Not knowing when I began, not knowing when I’m going to end this reading session / Having blurry eyes when I look up from focusing on a small screen / Seeing circles and fireworks colored green. ¶ “Hidden Stories” are anything: words, thoughts and objects. ¶ I heard my mom’s footsteps, having a mini heart attack with every squeak. The floor screamed under my mother’s weight. I gripped hard on my small blue flashlight that gave me the yellow light to see my game. Back then, games didn’t provide the light. It was still black and white. I saw the bits of yellow on my brand new birthday Gameboy. “Sleep early and play it tomorrow. The game won’t run away,” my dad said. Yeah, I thought, like I would have the patience for that. I slowly
A) g 5 B) j 8 C) m12 D) d 1 E) l 9 F) k13 G) c 7
Flip the laptop open / Turn on the wireless fidelity and connect / To the internet and surf through uncharted territory and find new trends / Delete histories / Private browsing in Firefox and Safari / things I use to protect / My hidden secret that’s been buried for ages and ages under blank white pages / Make sure the hard drive cannot remember anywhere I’ve been / That’s control -> Shift -> N / That’s where it all began / The window for incognito mode for Google Chrome / That saved my life more than you know / Delete my internet history like it’s encrypted files / Make sure no one knows about my internet life / Carefully laid out like floors and tiles / So that no one notices the secret behind the laughs and smiles / Look constantly over the right shoulder, make sure no one’s snooping, peeking at a life in constant disguise / Do I got something to hide? / Yeah, I got something to hide from all these prying eyes / So, sometimes I have to lie to hide this complicated life of mine / Go through my internet history and all you see is blank pages, a blank white screen that’s been through numerous deleting processes / Now it’s sounding really shady / First thought to come to mind; too much porn, right? / Makes sense since I’m a sixteen-year-old in high school, testosterone flowing through the veins / But I have to tell you, you have a sick mind / I’m only acting like a spy, not leaving any traces behind for people to follow / So they don’t discover what I’ve got to hide. ¶ She didn’t stay quiet / In the background like me, so she was bullied. ¶ Fear / But now it’s time for the exposure / I can’t live in a lie. I just need people to realize and see with real eyes that all the lies are to protect the truth from all the judging girls and guys / I’m afraid of people giving me looks of ignorance / Afraid of people not being able to comprehend the reasons / Afraid of people not being able to understand the sentiment / I guess the peer pressure got into my head / Society got the best of me and now it’s deep beneath my exterior instead / Under this big sporty dude is a small kid attached to his roots / Trapped beneath the façade of a sports fan watching touchdowns, knockouts and hoops / Don’t get me wrong, I love sports and what they’re about / But whenever I’m online, my inner Asian nerd comes out. ¶ “‘Something hidden.’ What does that mean?” Well, I’m glad you asked. That something could be anything. Anything can be hidden. ¶ It began in silence / It began with no one home and a day filled with boredom. Of course, there was music blasting in her eardrums shooting from headphones connected to an iPod, but the room heard nothing when the dining room floor beckoned to be her stage. It was silent when she saw the perfection of a large, rectangle dining room mirror where she could practice every move / She was a ballerina, her feet on tip-
Numbers 9-12 on each emoticon represent the different classe numbers represents the amount of students of that class who c Annie Kwan and Evelyn Fitz graphic
ARROW8910
you east 125 ht years away d into a telescope Earth you would see the extinction? / I ju-st recently at something faster than light has vered: a neutrino. ¶ I don’t have many hide. My life is full of events, but no troubles. t recent reason I deleted my history is because g “My Little Pony”/ I know, I know, it’s a child it is somehow connected to me / Watching the rs” and “Bl-ues Clues” in my comfy little red ndes me of the innocence of my childhood and and cute those times were / Applejack, Twilight arity, Rainbow Dash, Pinky Pie and Fluttershy print in my head that brought the nostalgic watching “Zenki” and “Tom and Jerry”/ It may dish because it’s supposed to be. ¶ Hidden. Lost. ept under wraps. ¶ We all have something we when days turn to months and months to years / a special ring, an old dress or tennis shoes a pic-
tives
WE REALLY?
28%
%
23
10 11 12
5
zy 16% Cra
0%
28%
kind of person would you say is the esent the number and percentages ality trait. (For the fact checkers: We ing one/forth of each total percenthe diameter in centimeters.)
es and the percentages with the chose the emotion as their answer.
THE MEANING WHICH LABEL DO YOU BELONG IN?
¦ Evelyn Fitz ¦ NUM83R5 Staff About 18% of us describe ourselves as intelligent. Must be nice to make it through school and Math Analysis without stressing, everyone coveting your mind and your ability to breeze through smart person subjects. On the other side of the fence sits the 1% of students who think they are dumb. Dude, why? Do you feel inferior to those smart brainiacs? It s okay. Wipe your tears; we re all on the same boat. Dumb forever. Being crazy used to be a bad thing. But apparently that has changed because 16% of you self-identify as crazy. That s cool, man. I respect that. You like to let loose and enjoy the occasional skydive or cobra wrestling match. Living life on the edge and doing crazy things. Well, Ozzy Osbourne has just pulled up on the Crazy Train. I think that s your ride. You know those kids who hang around in the back of the classroom and crack dirty jokes? Thirteen percent of you think you re those kids. Some of you actually are. Thanks for getting lunch detention for interrupting class and giving us a tiny bit of happiness in our otherwise dull school days. 5% of you say you re loud. So do you walk around with a boom box on your shoulder or a megaphone in your hand? No, you don t. You were born with a megaphone. Your voice is the siren that cuts through the meaningless chatter. You can be hard to sit by. Then there are those kids in the corners: the quiet 8%. You blend in. We don t even know you re there half the time. You ninjas should all get together and defeat the loud people: Godzilla vs. Mothra. Now there s the 38% of you labeled yourselves other. Other what? Do you not like labels? Are you more than one thing, like a human Swiss army knife? Or are you so hipster that you can t even begin to define yourself? A tiny universe with so many worlds orbitting inside that a rare glimpse of the interior might blow our minds to smithereens? Sorry if we didn t offer you what you something to descirbe yourself as, hipster child. The Meaning offers an interpretation of the numbers you see to your left. The percentages you see are based off of surverys distributed to over 200 students during the week of Oct. 15-19 and have been mathematically calculated. Our margin of error is 6.14 percent.
PERSPECTIVES - Pages 14 and 15 This page gives you a real sense of who the reporters behind ARROW really are. Check it out as a few members of the staff take us inside some of their personal stories.
THE HEAT MIXED RACES. MIXED FEELINGS.
No one knew because I didn t think I would find acceptance |Naje Bryant |Play Hard Editor Without hesitation or notice of any kind, she kissed me. Although I had time to notice the little ridges of her lips, I’m sure it didn’t last more than fifteen seconds. Her lips were soft and had a slight taste of strawberry. “I’ll see you after school for lesson number two,” she said. I was in sixth grade. There was this one spot in the Brinley Middle School courtyard where I hung out before and after (and sometimes during) school. I loved that spot for two reasons: It was secluded— no one could see me—and that is where I got my very first kiss. From a girl. This special spot was a place for homework and hanging out with a special someone. She had experience in the dating field. I had never dated anyone, so she was probably five or six girls ahead of me. After she invited me back for another lesson, I said, “I’ll be here!” Granted, I may have said that with more excitement than needed but I was still in a trance from my first kiss—from anyone other than a family member. And I have to admit I liked it. After school, we talked about dating and eventually walked home together. We held hands the entire way to her apartment, which was in the building behind mine. Later that year I moved to Seattle and felt like I lost my first love. I lost my first girlfriend. I lost my best friend. I kept my sexuality locked up and threw away the key wishing that sixth grade could have lasted for ever. Years went by. Eventually that little shy, sixth-grade girl got over her first love and more comfortable with herself. Sort of. As I grew, I became two different people in one body: Naje, who showed up around my mother and other adults, and Jae, who danced around friends and select family members. They’re different by name, and each comes with certain personality traits. One day, laying on my bedroom mattress with my two personalities hacking my mind in half, I realized that not only was Jae louder and less OCD about details, she was more comfortable with her sexuality. I never planned to separate my emotions. I never planned on changing who I was depending on who else was in the room. Yet I feel like it has to be done. When I think back to the feelings I had that day in sixth grade, I can’t help but think they were a mixture of Naje and Jae. That’s who I am and who I am naturally. Both Naje and Jae have the same heart. I hope they don’t get lost in transition.
BRYANT
Eli De Los Santos Photo
She didn t save me in her heart, so I saved her on my Tumblr
|Vanessa Abenojar |Editor-in-Chief I kept these texts in my tumblr on private, and I kept them hidden from everyone but her. Until now. BUTTERFLIES FROM MY TUMBLR DASHBOARD A post from her tumblr: If I had a girlfriend and I went over to her house, I’d make her give me a piggy back ride to the kitchen when we get something to eat and open the door unexpectedly if ever she went to the bathroom. Then bother her with whatever she is doing throughout the day. The post after: I want a girlfriend. TEXT CONFRONTATION Me: Why are you teasing me? Her: What do you mean? Me: Your posts from last night had me trippin. Her: I didn’t mean it to seem like it was you that I was talking about and state things too obvious. You probably already know that it kinda was you. Me: I just started to wonder about things. Her: May I ask what you have been wondering about?” Me: Your posts also made me wonder if you’re actually interested in me that way or if you’re just teasing me and I’m wrong. Her: So that’s what you meant by me teasing you. The crazy thing is, I’m not at all. I’d love to get to know you more slowly. Your posts seem to attract me in some strange way that has always been making me think if I might be into girls. Specifically, you. Me: Same here, except for I know that I’m attracted to you. Her: Now I can worry about you being interested in someone else.
ABENOJAR
SWEET TEXTING Her: I thought talking to girls would be easier than talking to boys, but it seems harder. I’m scared I’ll run out of words to say. Me: Don’t think about it then. Just talk to me. Her: Haha, okay. As for you being bi, how did that start? Me: I started liking this girl but I was still unsure. When she got into a relationship, I got jealous. Then I knew for sure I was bi. Her: That’s the thing I’m waiting for. When the feelings come creepin’, then I’ll probably know for sure. Me: You’re still talking to me though. What does that say? Her: I like where this is going. THE TEXT THAT ENDED IT ALL Me: Hey so can you tell me what is going on here beause I’m still confused. Her: I thought about it for a while and I’m sorry if I lead you on or anything but I realized boys just fufill my wants and needs more. I guess I was just meant to be straight.
¦Tony Nguyen ¦Blueprint/Online Editor I kept my girlfriend hidden from my parents, especially my dad, because I was afraid they might not accept her for who she was. He thought I would fall in love, become distracted and dropout, which never happened. I didn t want him to be all up in my case about my relationship. She was a mix that he didn t like at all. Black and Mexican. We met on Facebook and chatted for a couple of weeks. We both wanted to see each other in person because we thought it would be easier to communicate that way. We met in person at school on the bridge before first period, freshman year. We blushed when we saw each other for the first time. She was different than I imagined her to be. She was beautiful, and I didn t know what I was getting myself into. A couple of weeks later, I asked her out on Facebook. She said yes. Being each other s first relationship, it was kind of awkward. A couple of people soon found out that we were dating, and they assumed that we were the “perfect” couple. My parents never knew about Aaliyah because I was afraid they wouldn t accept her for who she was. The only thing that we weren t hiding from anyone was our love for each other. On a cold, cloudy day before Christmas break, I met her mother. Alliyah introduced me when she arrived. Her mom said I was cute, which I didn t expect her to say. I said I love you before Lele left. After the meet and greet, she wanted to meet my parents, but I told her it was a bad idea. I knew something was wrong after a month into the relationship. I asked myself, What s wrong? , and that question lingered my mind all day. One day after school, she wanted talk, and I had an idea what she wanted to talk about. Her eyes looked sad like she didn t want to breakup, but she knew she had to. We had a serious but short conversation. In the end, I walked away. I rarely talk about our relationship unless people bring it up. After we broke up, my dad asked me if I was still with that one girl, and I said, No dad, not anymore. Each month, The Heat showcases the opinions and thoughts of a reporter willing to tell her personal truth. Or make your lower lip tremble. Enough reality to inspire action in you, our reader.
Alex Kalinin art perspectivesFound
ARROW 141516
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act somewhat differently t of close friends or loved nts say they re somewhat vate than in public.
9
ture ora teddy won in a game, which, by the way, aren’t always played fairly / “If you get a spade, you win.If you get a queen, you win double. If you get a queen of spades, you win triple,” they said sweetly / I know the odds. They should be charged with crimes against humanity / Taking all my money, my quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies / Now you know why I delete my history and you leave here knowing a little more about me.
FOUND - Page 16 Ever Put something away and never found it again? This page gives you a few tips and guidelines on how to never forget where you hid that item.
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I Kept It Hidden, and Now I Canʼt Find It Tips and Guidelines For Rememebring Things You Hid If you don t trust yourself with remembering where you put your item(s), you can always trust someone else. Telling a friend or a relative is a good way to ensure your item is safe and won t get taken away. However, make sure it s someone trustworthy cause otherwise stuff gets stolen. Secrets don t make friends...
Some people don t like letting others know, or they just don t have friends. To avoid paranoia or an awkward situation, chant a reminder. Say the item and location to yourself at least ten times in order to get it stuck in your head. Take it easy, though, you don t want to go freaking people out with your mumbling.
You can always make yourself a note and place it in a noticeable area. Though if you re more modern you can make a memo on your phone or mobile device since you re constantly on it anyways. To be more creative, make a map of your room or wherever you re keeping the item and place an X where it is. That way you can have a little adventure, or just place the item where it s visible and have less of a hassle. Abigail Cetino and Mona Orejudos art
Andrea Beunbrazo, Annie Kwan, Naje Bryant and Raffael Agas article
introportraitsFaces REFLECTING ON A ONCE SILENT VOICE
Despite the lack of support from his parents, he continues his passion for singing
|Rafael Agas |Play Hard Staff Junior Edward Rho’s parents don’t really support him much but that doesn’t stop him. “Every time I try singing in the bathroom, try to reach a high note, and when I did, I told my parents about it,” Rho said “but they didn’t really care. They’re busy doing other stuff like work and church.” Rho’s dad shows no interest in Rho’s passion for singing other than it just being another hobby. “He’s like ‘Oh hey, he can sing, cool I guess,’” Rho said “He doesn’t want me to become a singer. He wants me to be a doctor or any other major that gets paid. Singers don’t get paid.” Rho’s dad is only following his parental instincts. “‘Better education, better job, better money, the better future you’re going to reach.’ My dad says to me,” Rho said. “My dad doesn’t want me in his house when I graduate after high school. I’ll live on my own.” Through hard work, anything can be achieved but according to Rho’s mother, that may not be the case. “I remember my mom telling me this: ‘If you want to
RHO
become a singer, you don’t have to work hard to become one, you have to be born with it,” Rho said. Rho’s mom who attended a musical college and sings classical music hasn’t really shown support for Rho and his singing. “They don’t really care about my singing,” Rho said. “They think I’m just playing around.” Despite her lack of support, Rho’s mom did serve as an inspiration to him. “I didn’t tell my mom about this because I wanted to be like my mom because she has a really good classic voice,” Rho said. “So when I started to sing in the bathroom when I was taking a shower, my mom was hearing me do all those R&B style. My mom was thinking ‘Wow, he actually has vocals’ but she knows I’m having some mistakes in pitches and some a little off but she was thinking ‘I could teach you more.” Rho turned to YouTube for inspiration, emulating big Korean stars such as Paul Kim and David So and learning their style. They served as inspiration for Rho’s singing. “I can’t even describe their vocals.” Rho said “It’s very interesting, jazzy and R&B kind of thing. I always wanted to follow their vocals and make everybody like ‘Oohh. Hey damn, there’s another R&B guy.’” From pitches to notes, rhythms to melodies, YouTube offered the foundations of his singing career. “You know, I just searched how to sing in YouTube.” Rho said. “I just clicked that and it showed me how to sing
Ksenia Ivanova photo
with melodies, pitch, notes and how to harmonize. They have the whole list.” Along with YouTube, a cappella teacher Lizabeth Diaz also served as one of the first mentors in Rho’s singing. “He’s a lot more confident, I think he feels comfortable singing,” Diaz said. “I think he really enjoys singing now.” Rho felt afraid and nervous in trying to show his talents to the world. He tries to perfect his craft before he makes the leap from his bathroom stage to talent show and choir solos. “He needs to realize that making mistakes gives them an opportunity to learn, I need to hear them make mistakes just try, making mistakes is okay so that we can fix it from there,” Diaz said. Sophomore and younger brother Christopher Rho agrees. “Just sing,” Christopher Rho said. “If you wanna sing out for like solo and stuff, just sing.” Christopher serves as a different point of view in Edward’s voice. “Sure,” Christopher Rho said with a half smile “Sometimes when he sings sorta seriously, he’s good but when he sings awkwardly for fun, it’s kind of boring and annoying.” Despite people beng unsupportive of his music, Edward continues to produce music that he loves most.
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Her Grandpa’s Sound Is Locked Away
After her grandfather died she gained a harmonica - and hid it from her family
s pho
to
Kurle said, “but I would get pretty mad.” Her harmonica is rusted and silver and sits in a red case. She plays it whenever she takes it out. “[I can’t play] really well, but I can freestyle.” Her brother, Jakob Kurle, is another family member who got to choose a few things. “I don’t want it,” Jakob said, “I wouldn’t take it.” Kurle’s mom on the other hand would under certian circumstances. “Only if something happened to [Rachel],” Lisa Kurle said, “I would take it because it was important her.” The harmonica is safely tucked away by now. in a place were notbody can get to it. again.
l Aga
Although she got to choose the harmonica from a selection of objects openly displayed, she keeps it hidden. “[I hide it] from my brother ‘cause he might want it,” Kurle said. “It’s in a locked box under my bed in a purse. And nobody can fit under my bed.” Even though it’s not necessarily her harmonica, she doesn’t want anybody touching it. “No one has taken [the harmonica] before,”
Rafae
KURLE
|Naje Bryant |Play Hard Editor “My grandpa’s harmonica is something sacred,” junior Rachel Kurle said, “I want to keep it close to me and keep it safe.” Kurle got the harmonica after her grandfather died. “There was a table full of things he collected,” Kurle said. “My grandma said we could pick a few things.”
Portraitsfacesnum83r5
We all hide what we do when our parents aren’t home...
a)
h)
Let’s play a game! We mixed all the pictures, quotes, and names. Now match the name with the picture and quote! Answer key below.
3) “I go out and drive to places. I also go see my girlfriend.”
4) “I take money from my parents’ stash and then I buy stuff online.”
f)
C) Kiera Houston junior D) Bruce Buenavista sophomore E) Sergio Perez senior
d)
e)
B) D’Angelo Miller junior
5) “I do exercises like crunches and push-ups in my room. I try to do about 20 crunches and 15 pushups.”
6) “I eat everything! Then I sleep and relax. That’s really it.”
F) Taylor Farris junior G) Hershella Dotson junior H) Alex Salinas freshman I) Dejanae Washington freshman J) Bethlehem Alem sophomore
g)
7) “I blast music and dance around the house, jump on the couch, and do everything I’m not supposed to. I eat all the food up and blame it on my little cousin.”
K) Yasmine Ahmach sophomore L) Jose Mora freshman M) America Kruse sophomore
i)
8) “I go to places where I’m not supposed to and I have friends over. A lot of friends over. I’m not allowed to have parties or allowed to be lazy. When they’re not home I just lay around.”
j)
9) “Generally, I bomb a sandwich. It’s really good and has everything on it. [My parents] complain I put on too much stuff.”
k)
10) “Usually I read the Bible. Whenever I need help in life it’s a great resource.”
l)
11) “I take out the mattress and jump on it and put it back before my mom comes home.”
12) “I walk around with my drawers and sports bra on. I can’t do that when my parents are home.”
m)
13) “I bring people over. I would bring my boyfriend over and play basketball.”
ANSWER KEY:
2) “I eat and then watch Vampire Diaries, my favorite T.V. show!”
A) A.Z. Delacuesta sophomore
We already started for you!
H) b 3 I) a 2 J) e 6 K) i 11 L) h 10 M) f 4
c)
1) “I like to put on make-up and go into my sister’s closet and play dress up.”
A) g 5 B) j 8 C) m12 D) d 1 E) l 9 F) k13 G) c 7
b)
facesnum83r5Perspectives
ARROW121314
Thirty-two percent of students act somewhat differently in front of strangers than in front of close friends or loved ones. Thirty-six percent of students say they’re somewhat of a different person in private than in public.
SO WHO ARE WE REALLY?
ARROW asked students the question, “What kind of person would you say is the ‘real’ you?” The size of the circles below represent the number and percentages of students who identified with each personality trait. (For the fact checkers: We determined the size of the circles by multiplying one/forth of each total percentages by one point five. This became the diameter in centimeters.)
23
5 1 0 1 1 12
zy 16% a r C
9
%
0%
28%
28%
Numbers 9-12 on each emoticon represent the different classes and the percentages with the numbers represents the amount of students of that class who chose the emotion as their answer. Annie Kwan and Evelyn Fitz graphic
THE MEANING WHICH LABEL DO YOU BELONG IN?
| Evelyn Fitz | NUM83R5 Staff About 18% of us describe ourselves as intelligent. Must be nice to make it through school and Math Analysis without stressing, everyone coveting your mind and your ability to breeze through smart person subjects. On the other side of the fence sits the 1% of students who think they are dumb. Dude, why? Do you feel inferior to those smart brainiacs? It’s okay. Wipe your tears; we’re all on the same boat. Dumb forever. Being crazy used to be a bad thing. But apparently that has changed because 16% of you self-identify as “crazy.” That’s cool, man. I respect that. You like to let loose and enjoy the occasional skydive or cobra wrestling match. Living life on the edge and doing “crazy” things. Well, Ozzy Osbourne has just pulled up on the Crazy Train. I think that’s your ride. You know those kids who hang around in the back of the classroom and crack dirty jokes? Thirteen percent of you think you’re those kids. Some of you actually are. Thanks for getting lunch detention for interrupting class and giving us a tiny bit of happiness in our otherwise dull school days. 5% of you say you’re loud. So do you walk around with a boom box on your shoulder or a megaphone in your hand? No, you don’t. You were born with a megaphone. Your voice is the siren that cuts through the meaningless chatter. You can be hard to sit by. Then there are those kids in the corners: the quiet 8%. You blend in. We don’t even know you’re there half the time. You ninjas should all get together and defeat the loud people: Godzilla vs. Mothra. Now there’s the 38% of you labeled yourselves “other.” Other what? Do you not like labels? Are you more than one thing, like a human Swiss army knife? Or are you so hipster that you can’t even begin to define yourself? A tiny universe with so many worlds orbitting inside that a rare glimpse of the interior might blow our minds to smithereens? Sorry if we didn’t offer you what you something to descirbe yourself as, hipster child. The Meaning offers an interpretation of the numbers you see to your left. The percentages you see are based off of surverys distributed to over 200 students during the week of Oct. 15-19 and have been mathematically calculated. Our margin of error is 6.14 percent.
Num83r5PerspectivesFound
I HID MY INNER LIGHT IN THE BASEMENT The world left me alone, so I left the world alone
I would sit down and pray to God that I would have a good day, because I didn’t exactly grow up in a pleasant home. Oh, did I forget to tell you? Not everyone goes to their hiding spots for good reasons. I was always in my spot because it made me feel safe. The reason I invented that spot was because of all the family drama I endured in my house. In the basement, I felt protected by God. No one would ever find me or make me choose sides. I also remember being in the room for hours just writing and drawing random things. I sometimes danced in there too, but it wasn’t a very big space so I couldn’t really dance inside of it. It was a place for me to relax, and create things inside and out of my mind. As I got older my hiding spot ended up becoming a club house for some of my friends. Later still, it became my storage room. But no matter what, the basement was always the place I went to when I just needed to get away from the world and have some me time. Eventually, we all move on from our spots. Cinderella left her little room to live with her prince charming. Batman left his cave and retired. And me, I moved on, grew up and faced my fears.
| Brittney Nguyen | Ad’s & Business Manager It seems like every person, every fairy tale, every super hero has a hiding spot. Think about it: Batman has all his weapons and all his Batman things in his secret Batcave. Pocahontas has that tree she talks to in the forest. For me, my best hiding spot was in a basement. Sure I know what you’re thinking... “Why in the world would you go in the basement?!” Well, to me, that was the BEST SPOT in the world! The basement was one place I would never forget. I remember the first thing I would do every time I went inside the little white door with stars on it. I would turn on the light, which was hard to find because back when I was 7 they didn’t have switches for the basement light, so I always had to find the little white string that was attached to the light bulb. I hated that. Luckily, I had a little red chair inside of my cool getaway spot.
NGUYEN
Eli De Los Santos Photo
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ARROW 141516
THE HEAT MIXED RACES. MIXED FEELINGS.
No one knew because I didn’t think I would find acceptance |Naje Bryant |Play Hard Editor Without hesitation or notice of any kind, she kissed me. Although I had time to notice the little ridges of her lips, I’m sure it didn’t last more than fifteen seconds. Her lips were soft and had a slight taste of strawberry. “I’ll see you after school for lesson number two,” she said. I was in sixth grade. There was this one spot in the Brinley Middle School courtyard where I hung out before and after (and sometimes during) school. I loved that spot for two reasons: It was secluded— no one could see me—and that is where I got my very first kiss. From a girl. This special spot was a place for homework and hanging out with a special someone. She had experience in the dating field. I had never dated anyone, so she was probably five or six girls ahead of me. After she invited me back for another lesson, I said, “I’ll be here!” Granted, I may have said that with more excitement than needed but I was still in a trance from my first kiss—from anyone other than a family member. And I have to admit I liked it. After school, we talked about dating and eventually walked home together. We held hands the entire way to her apartment, which was in the building behind mine. Later that year I moved to Seattle and felt like I lost my first love. I lost my first girlfriend. I lost my best friend. I kept my sexuality locked up and threw away the key wishing that sixth grade could have lasted for ever. Years went by. Eventually that little shy, sixth-grade girl got over her first love and more comfortable with herself. Sort of. As I grew, I became two different people in one body: Naje, who showed up around my mother and other adults, and Jae, who danced around friends and select family members. They’re different by name, and each comes with certain personality traits. One day, laying on my bedroom mattress with my two personalities hacking my mind in half, I realized that not only was Jae louder and less OCD about details, she was more comfortable with her sexuality. I never planned to separate my emotions. I never planned on changing who I was depending on who else was in the room. Yet I feel like it has to be done. When I think back to the feelings I had that day in sixth grade, I can’t help but think they were a mixture of Naje and Jae. That’s who I am and who I am naturally. Both Naje and Jae have the same heart. I hope they don’t get lost in transition.
BRYANT
Eli De Los Santos Photo
She didn’t save me in her heart, so I saved her on my Tumblr
|Vanessa Abenojar |Editor-in-Chief I kept these texts in my tumblr on private, and I kept them hidden from everyone but her. Until now. BUTTERFLIES FROM MY TUMBLR DASHBOARD A post from her tumblr: If I had a girlfriend and I went over to her house, I’d make her give me a piggy back ride to the kitchen when we get something to eat and open the door unexpectedly if ever she went to the bathroom. Then bother her with whatever she is doing throughout the day. The post after: I want a girlfriend. TEXT CONFRONTATION Me: Why are you teasing me? Her: What do you mean? Me: Your posts from last night had me trippin. Her: I didn’t mean it to seem like it was you that I was talking about and state things too obvious. You probably already know that it kinda was you. Me: I just started to wonder about things. Her: May I ask what you have been wondering about?” Me: Your posts also made me wonder if you’re actually interested in me that way or if you’re just teasing me and I’m wrong. Her: So that’s what you meant by me teasing you. The crazy thing is, I’m not at all. I’d love to get to know you more slowly. Your posts seem to attract me in some strange way that has always been making me think if I might be into girls. Specifically, you. Me: Same here, except for I know that I’m attracted to you. Her: Now I can worry about you being interested in someone else.
ABENOJAR
SWEET TEXTING Her: I thought talking to girls would be easier than talking to boys, but it seems harder. I’m scared I’ll run out of words to say. Me: Don’t think about it then. Just talk to me. Her: Haha, okay. As for you being bi, how did that start? Me: I started liking this girl but I was still unsure. When she got into a relationship, I got jealous. Then I knew for sure I was bi. Her: That’s the thing I’m waiting for. When the feelings come creepin’, then I’ll probably know for sure. Me: You’re still talking to me though. What does that say? Her: I like where this is going. THE TEXT THAT ENDED IT ALL Me: Hey so can you tell me what is going on here beause I’m still confused. Her: I thought about it for a while and I’m sorry if I lead you on or anything but I realized boys just fufill my wants and needs more. I guess I was just meant to be straight.
|Tony Nguyen |Blueprint/Online Editor I kept my girlfriend hidden from my parents, especially my dad, because I was afraid they might not accept her for who she was. He thought I would fall in love, become distracted and dropout, which never happened. I didn’t want him to be all up in my case about my relationship. She was a mix that he didn’t like at all. Black and Mexican. We met on Facebook and chatted for a couple of weeks. We both wanted to see each other in person because we thought it would be easier to communicate that way. We met in person at school on the bridge before first period, freshman year. We blushed when we saw each other for the first time. She was different than I imagined her to be. She was beautiful, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. A couple of weeks later, I asked her out on Facebook. She said yes. Being each other’s first relationship, it was kind of awkward. A couple of people soon found out that we were dating, and they assumed that we were the “perfect” couple. My parents never knew about Aaliyah because I was afraid they wouldn’t accept her for who she was. The only thing that we weren’t hiding from anyone was our love for each other. On a cold, cloudy day before Christmas break, I met her mother. Alliyah introduced me when she arrived. Her mom said I was cute, which I didn’t expect her to say. I said I love you before Lele left. After the meet and greet, she wanted to meet my parents, but I told her it was a bad idea. I knew something was wrong after a month into the relationship. I asked myself, “What’s wrong?”, and that question lingered my mind all day. One day after school, she wanted talk, and I had an idea what she wanted to talk about. Her eyes looked sad like she didn’t want to breakup, but she knew she had to. We had a serious but short conversation. In the end, I walked away. I rarely talk about our relationship unless people bring it up. After we broke up, my dad asked me if I was still with that one girl, and I said, “No dad, not anymore.” Each month, The Heat showcases the opinions and thoughts of a reporter willing to tell her personal truth. Or make your lower lip tremble. Enough reality to inspire action in you, our reader.
perspectivesFound
ARROW1516
I Kept It Hidden, and Now I Can’t Find It Tips and Guidelines For Rememebring Things You Hid If you don’t trust yourself with remembering where you put your item(s), you can always trust someone else. Telling a friend or a relative is a good way to ensure your item is safe and won’t get taken away. However, make sure it’s someone trustworthy ‘cause otherwise stuff gets stolen. Secrets don’t make friends...
Some people don’t like letting others know, or they just don’t have friends. To avoid paranoia or an awkward situation, chant a reminder. Say the item and location to yourself at least ten times in order to get it stuck in your head. Take it easy, though, you don’t want to go freaking people out with your mumbling.
You can always make yourself a note and place it in a noticeable area. Though if you’re more modern you can make a memo on your phone or mobile device since you’re constantly on it anyways. To be more creative, make a map of your room or wherever you’re keeping the item and place an X where it is. That way you can have a little adventure, or just place the item where it’s visible and have less of a hassle. Abigail Cetino and Mona Orejudos art