Magnet magazine 2 2

December 2015

Vol. II

The Magnet

Enlisting into the future

Graduates go through an extensive process to join the military

Crickets become the new protein source Cricket Cuddlers win Eco Challenge with their alternative protein sources

Issue 2

Stop Requested

A ride through the flaws of LA’s public transportation system

Performing in public

A feeling of excitement or anxiety?

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Clark Calendar

Letter From the Editors Monika Petrosyan Alec Badalian

Lilia Lamas

We have crafted this issue around the holidays, with stories in the Lifestyle section that highlight a variety of hangout places during winter break, festive holiday drinks at Starbucks, five gift ideas under $20, and decorating tips that give some insight into different cultural traditions. We also take great pride in showcasing the artististic work of our students who share their creations in the Student Work section.

We also have a rather unusual yet riveting feature on the shocking truth of our nutrition called “Crickets become the new protein source,” by junior John Bandek and an In-The-Life story called “Stop Requested” in which sophomore Vache Sarkissian writes about his experience using the Los Angeles public transportation system. Bandek writes about the Cricket Cuddlers, a group of students in Dominique Evans-Bye’s Environmental GIS class who won the Lexus Eco Challenge in

January 2016

November. Bandek writes about insects are widely used in snacks such as Skittles. He also discovered that teachers found the cookies made of insects tasted like an ordinary cookie.

To continue reading more of Bandek’s story, please turn to pages 6-7.

Sarkissian writes about how he takes the Metro 90/91 bus to school despite the fact that few young people are even aware of the subway and bus system in Los Angeles. He conducted surveys where he was able to get students’ input at Clark and reveals their concerns about the risks of using the Metro. To continue reading more about Sarkissian’s experience, please turn to pages 18-19.

We hope you enjoy this magazine over the holiday season during a welldeserved break, just as you are enjoying the company of friends and family.

Sincerely,

Alec Badalian

Lilia Lamas

Monika Petrosyan

Table of Contents

Features Student Work Page 4 Immigration Page 6 Cricket Food Page 8 Senior Projects Page 10 Performing Page 12 Military

Page 14 Animation from Mr. Over, Haikus

Lifestyle

Page 16 Holiday Hotspots Page 17 Christmas Goodies

Opinions

Page 24 Immigration Laws Page 25 James Bond

A&E

Page 26 Oscar Coverage Page 28 Grimes - Art Angels Page 29 Christmas Movies

In the Life Page 18 Living a life as a Metro rider Page 20 Becoming a master of the piano Page 22 Coaching a Jr. NBA team

The Magnet Managing Editors Alec Badalian Lilia Lamas Monika Petrosyan Staff Writers Farah Ali Lauren Alparaz Alec Badalian John Bandek Argeen Ghazarian Lilia Lamas Hayk Martirosyan Natella Muradyan Christine Ohanyan Monika Petrosyan Eunice Ramilo Chelsea Santos Vache Sarkissian Staff Photographers Natalie Deravanessian Anthony Francisco Tina Keshishian Natella Muradyan Eunice Ramilo Henry Reed Karla Solorzano Website Editors Argeen Ghazarian Karin Najarian Vache Sarkissian Business Managers Rita Belamejian Argeen Ghazarian Thor Hauerbach The Magnet, an open forum, is published by the Clark Magnet High School Publications class (4747 New York Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214, 818.248.8324), which is solely responsible for all copy, designs and ideas contained herein. The Magnet has the right to edit any letter for purposes of clarification, length and grammar. The expressed opinions are not that of Clark Magnet High School nor of the Administration.

Layouts completed onsite. This magazine was printed by aPrintis Inc., 4695 Chabot Dr, Site 200 Pleasanton, CA.

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Features

How immigration helps America prosper Immigrant students share their stories Immigration

By Hayk Martirosyan From the Great Wall of Trump to Pres. Obama’s intention to allow 10,000 syrian refugees to enter the U.S., discussion over the topic of immigration has spread across the nation. One of the issues many Americans seem to have with immigration is that immigrants will overpopulate the country and spend unnecessary resources. Senior Trey Sanbar’s story, however, shows just the opposite.

Trey Sanbar’s uncle, Chakib Sambar, was born in Palestine. During the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the late 1940s, however, Sambar was

forced to survive outside, homeless as a bomb blew apart his home. Pushing through hardship, Sambar made it to the United States in his teenage years, where he graduated from Harvard. Afterwards, over many years of working in Southern California, he held several jobs in the field of education, including being a high school teacher, an Adjunct professor of the English Department, both a VicePresident and a President of Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, and a President of the GUSD Board of Education for three terms.

However, according to the Pew Research Center, at least 41 percent of Americans, will still argue that im-

migrants, like Sambar, steal jobs and harm the American economy, bringing down its businesses.

The argument that immigration, especially illegal immigration, harms the economy is true, somewhat. According to New York Times, illegal, or undocumented workers, have lowered wages for U.S. adults without highs school diploma anywhere between 0.4 to 7.4 percent. However the number of adults that fall into this category in US is only 15 percent of the entire population.

Most immigrants, both legal and illegal, however, strive toward more high class positions in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, Sophomore Rosalind Villa, while born here, left to Mexico and grew up there.

Returning here, she is excited with the opportunity to explore the field of engineering.

5 Seniors Fatma Abdel Rahman and Jada Javier discuss ASB business. Both were born outside of America and are now members of the school government.

and mathematics) fields. One such example is Senior Jada Javier.

Javier came to America from the Philippines. Back in the Philippines, Javier said that she wouldn’t attend a public school due to the system’s negative reputation, and instead she went to a private school. “Back there public schools were bad,” Javier said.

“I was even slightly worried about schools here, but I was very glad I got into them when I did.”

Now Javier is at the top of her classes, is renowned for her writing, and is the Student Store Commissioner for ASB. She looks forward to a career in psychology. “I want to be a licensed psychologist and help people,” she said. “Occasionally, I also want to go to shelters and provide free therapies for the less fortunate.”

Sophomore Rosalinda Villa said that she appreciates her educational opportunities in the United States,

hoping to enter into STEAM fields.

She lived five years in Mexico and now that she is in USA she strives to explore the field of engineering. “I have a love for tinkering with technology and fixing things up,” Villa said. “I hope to get a career somewhere in that field.”

However, these examples may seem to support arguments that state that immigrants like Javier and Villa steal STEAM-related jobs. Yet these arguments, too, are incorrect.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association found that most studies have shown that foreignborn STEM workers coming to the US showed 10-25 percent productivity growth between 1990 and 2010. On the other hand, there are not enough US-born, college-educated STEM professionals to fill all the available jobs.

In fact, a survey in 2011 proved

that STEM-related fields had the lowest unemployment rate, 3.15 percent, while the rest of the nation was up to 8 percent unemployment.

And yet many immigrants can still be made to feel bad.

One example of an immigrant being made to feel bad would be senior Fatma Abdel Rahman. She dreams of becoming a scholar in Muslim history and sociology. However, she could never shake off a specific negative feeling that made her feel bad. “I often felt like people thought I was stupid during the first few years I was here,” Abdel Rahman said. “People always acted incredibly surprised at how fluent my English was, just because I wasn’t a native born.”

And yet, Abdel Rahman is determined to achieve her goals. In fact, if the immigration influx was cut, there would be a huge percentage of vacant jobs.

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Crickets become the new taste protein source Students a new cuisine Crickets

By John Bandek Whey, protein shakes, and protein bars — that’s what some students at Clark are talking about. However, there is a team of five students that have found a better alternative protein source: crickets.

The “Cricket Cuddlers” are a group of students in Dominique Evans-Bye’s Environmental GIS class who were awarded $10,000 for winning the Lexus Eco Challenge last month. These students are trying to increase the biodiversity in the human diet by introducing crickets as an alternative protein source.

Cynthia Shamerzian, a senior on the team, said that this will be an interesting project and definitely a winner because no other team has done this

Senior Cynthia Shamerzian eats a cricket.

Senior Sipan Nazaryan sips on some green tea.

before. “Other teams usually focus on finding ways to prevent pollution, but that is too mainstream,” Shamerzian said. “Our project is original and could really help the human diet and the environment.”

Manuk Boyadzhyan, the social media accounts manager of the team, said that he sees benefits in the work the group is doing. “Our objective is very thoughtful of the world’s future,” Boyadzhyan said. “Insects are a neglected source of food in our diets. They offer more protein than other meat sources such as chicken or beef and require less resources to produce them.”

According to Exo, a company that manufactures food products made from crickets, it takes more than 2000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, while it takes one gallon of water to produce one pound of crickets. “Adopting such methods will allow the world to save much more water, which is much needed in the future,” Boyadzhyan said.

More than 80 percent of the world eat insects regularly. “Some people eat insects without even knowing it; for

example, the red dye found in Skittles is made out of an Amazonian insect,” said Sipan Nazaryan, a senior in the team.

“Westernized culture is accustomed to disassociating the food with the animal.”

Nazaryan said. “When you eat chicken tenders you do not visualize yourself eating a dead chicken. However when it comes to insects, you actually see the insect which is most probably why one might get disgusted and not eat them at all.”

There are many ways one could incorporate crickets in their diet. “I am not telling you to go find a cricket on the floor and eat it,” Nazaryan said. “All I am saying is that instead of relying the protein source to come from a cow, try drinking a Cricket Protein Shake from Wayback Burgers, or an Exoprotein Cricket Bar, or simply bake your own cricket cookies.”

That is exactly what the Cricket Cuddlers, along with the Roosevelt “Cricketeers” did. The Clark and Roosevelt teams met at Roosevelt after school on Sept.

21 and baked cricket cookies using Bitty Cricket Flour. “It is flour made out of finely grinded crickets,” Shamerzian said.

7 Junior Christian De La Cruz and a student from Roosevelt Middle School taste silkworms.

cafeteria food. Clark’s Panther Pit Burgers contained much more lipids than the cricket cookies the team had baked. The protein content in the cookies were significantly greater as well.

Although the team won this year, team members say that they will continue their research in finding more information that could potentially help change the human diet.

Nazaryan said that the team will further investigate the benefits of crickets as a protein source, and will try to help change the world with their findings. The team plans to enter other competitions and work on winning the Lexus Eco Challenges’s Grand Prize.

A student from Roosevelt enjoys trying a crciket.

“You do not even taste or see the crickets when eating the cookies.”

The Cricket Cuddlers brought some of the baked cookies to Clark the next day and shared them with classmates and faculty. “The teachers’ reactions were priceless,” said Fatma Abdelrahman, a team member. “Many found it to taste like any other ordinary cookie.”

Besides seeing the teachers’ reactions, the Cricket Cuddlers along with Roosevelt and other Clark students took a trip to Santa Monica, to taste insects at Typhoon Restaurant, a pan-Asian cuisine that has several insect dishes on their menu.

The students tasted a variety of dishes, such as the Singapore-Style Scorpions, the Taiwanese Crickets and the Silk-Worm Pupae. “I never expected insects to be so nutritious,” said David Ghukasyan, project manager of the Baro Busters, the fish oriented team. “I really wished I went on the trip.”

The students stopped by at Wayback Burgers to taste the Oreo Cricket Milkshake. “It tasted just like any other ordinary Oreo milkshake,” Shamerzian said. “Every time you would drink an ice piece or an oreo piece you would think it was a cricket, but it thankfully wasn’t.

The milkshake, just like the cookies, are made from the Bitty Cricket Flour, so there are no solid crickets involved,” she said.

To further expand the research of the nutritious values of crickets com-

pared to other protein sources, The Cricket Cuddlers went to the IIRMES laboratory which is located in Cal State Long Beach. The team, along with students from the Science Research class, conducted experiments using various instruments in order to find the results.

After a couple of days later, the team received the chemical analysis.

The analysis showed the benefits on cricket based foods compared to Clark’s

Junior Anna Parsamyan tries the cricket salad.

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Guiding students to their future careers Learning tangible Senior Project

By Nairi Simonyan To some students, the senior project is just another assignment Clark Magnet throws their way and they just do it to get it done. Once finished with their project, they move forward, never looking back.

However, for seniors who choose

Karlen Galstian accepts his award for graduating the police academy.

skills to get jobs

a topic that is close to their interests, their projects can create a pathway to a future career. “The senior project is a great idea,” said senior class English teacher Narine Tatevosian. “If it’s not done correctly, though, I can understand why students feel like they can’t take anything away from it.”

The senior project was formed so seniors could demonstrate their ability to apply the skills they’ve learned in school to real-world situations and projects. It consists of a six- to eightpage argumentative research paper on a topic that relates to the project, fieldwork, a final product, a portfolio and a presentation.

Since the senior project lasts the entire year, senior class English teachers stress the importance of choosing a project that the students are interested in; otherwise it becomes a chore. “If you pick a topic just for the grade, then you’ll have a long nine months,” said English teacher Conrad Pruitt. “The judges and I want to see a project that students have put clear effort in and reflects true pas-

sion.”

Clark alumni Nicolas Alparaz was one who benefited immensely from the senior project. Alparaz graduated from Clark in 2005 and since then has been working on the board of the San Gabriel Valley chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an organization whose goal it is to provide affordable housing to deserving, low income families.

When Alparaz was a senior, he became involved with Habitat for Humanity by chronicling the creation of his family home in Glendale for his senior project.

“I chose to do this as my senior project primarily because it was very personal in nature,” Alparaz said. “My parents immigrated to the United States with a goal of one day owning a home, and Habitat for Humanity helped them attain this goal.

So I wanted to be as close to this process as possible.”

Alparaz’s involvement with Habitat for Humanity gave him an opportunity to join the organization once his project was done. Not only does the senior project provide opportunities for students to

Galstian poses along with his fellow graduates at the ceremony.

9 find a job suited to their interests, but it also teaches them important skills needed in real jobs. “At the most granular level, I learned time management and prioritizing when completing a project over the course of several months,” Alparaz said.

However, choosing a topic that is interesting to the student doesn’t guarantee that the fieldwork will be an easy process. 2013 Clark Alumni Karlen Galstian enrolled into a police explorer academy for his senior project. In the program, Galstian and others had to endure rigorous physical training and academic courses. His interest in law enforcement was inspired by his older brother who had went through police training himself and had enjoyed it. “I

The police trainees stand ready to finish their program.

learned the very basics of police work like the proper protocol to follow during police stops, some radio codes for different types of crimes, what an officer can and can’t do, and just some other general topics that come along with police work,” Galstian said.

Though his senior project piqued his interest, it also proved to be difficult to accomplish. Galstian had to wake up every Saturday at around 5:30 a.m. so that he could manage to drive to the academy to participate in gruelling physical exercises and boot camp-type training.

He had to balance the training, the courses from the academy and also his Clark schoolwork for the whole of his senior year. “After going through this,

Eden Burger satisfies with its specialty burger. which I consider to be one of the preliminary steps, I decided that police work probably wouldn’t be for me,” Galstian said. “It is essentially dealing with the worst of society or the worst of situations constantly.”

After finishing his training program and graduating, Galstian decided to look at the experience positively instead of regretting the entire project. “I’m glad I chose this project because it let me eliminate a potential career path which is better to do sooner than later,” Galstian said.

Jobs after high school don’t always have to be as grand as Alparaz’s. Sometimes all one needs is to just get one’s foot in the door. 2015 Clark alumni Artin Martirosyan did his senior project on working in the restaurant, Eden Burger Bar in Glendale, and understanding the drawbacks of GMObased food. “I’ve always been interested in creating dishes,” Martirosyan said. “I chose that as my senior project because I wanted to educate myself more regarding food and what it takes to work at a restaurant.”

After he graduated and his project was completed, Martirosyan went back to Eden Burger Bar and continued his work there but as a full-paying employee. With the experience he earned from working at the restaurant for his project, Martirosyan was able to secure a job that was suited to his interests. “The senior project helped me improve my cooking, social and time management skills, and without that preparation I probably would not have been able to succeed at what I do now,” Martirosyan said.

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Performing in public A feeling of excitement or anxiety? It all depends.

Public Perfromances

By Natella Muradyan “I think I fit in the category of people that enjoy their ride on the roller-coaster without any worries,” said junior Tristan O’Donnell about his level of confidence during performances with his band, the Polarizer.

There are two types of people.

Those who enjoy their whole ride on the roller-coaster and those who hold tight the entire time and look relieved when the ride is over. This is where the issue of anxiety versus excitement comes in. Some Clark students say that the excitement can lead to having a better performance instead of stressing out and surrounding oneself with a negative atmosphere. However, reaching that level of comfort to feel calm before any performance is a hard task for many to accomplish.

According to a study done by the American Psychological Association, in order to overcome performance anxiety, trying to calm down before a performance is less effective than trying to feel excited. Feeling excited, rather than taking big breaths to calm down, can lead to a better performance. There is something that can help people feel this way: self-confidence.

Tristan O’Donnell posing next to his band’s poster.

“Having self-confidence is the key to overcome feelings of stress or anxiety while performing,” said junior Nareh Abramian. Abramian said that she has been playing the guitar for almost five years bus still gets butterflies in her stomach before performances. However, she thinks that after practicing, it becomes easier to perform in front of people.

O’Donnell plays the guitar in his band but has never felt nervous about his performances. “If I know it enough, then I’m not nervous because I know I won’t fail,” O’Donnell said. To make sure that he is always prepared, he practices with his band

Nareh Abramian has been playing the guitar for over four years. every other day. It might seem that it’s harder to perform with a band because there might be the fear that someone else in the band might mess up, but O’Donnell said that he does not worry about this because he trusts that his band will also perform their best.

However, not everyone can overcome the fear of performing before a large audience. Nevertheless, many believe in that they can do one thing to help them feel more confident before performing: practice, practice, practice. “Practice makes perfect,” said junior Anna Ghazaryan.

The first time Ghazaryan stepped in front of a large crowd was when she gave her speech in front of the amphitheatre at Clark for the class

elections. “I was really nervous to give my speech because I hate being the center of attention and I knew all eyes were on me,” Ghazaryan said.

She thinks the reason why some people get nervous and some don’t is depending on their personalities.

Nune Tadevosian, a piano teacher at International School of Music for 16 years, said that “it depends on the student whether or not they get nervous.” Tadevosian said that the students who stress out still do a great job at the end. However, she did agree that there are more students that get nervous about performing, and only a few are calm before their performances.

One of her students, junior Lily Nazarian, goes to Clark Magnet and has been playing the piano for more than eight years. For Nazarian, performing for the first in front of a crowd full of parents and people her age was the scariest aspect of the whole experience. She learned to overcome her stage fright after performing so many times. “I know that all the practice I put into learning the piece is going to show on stage,” Nazarian said. However, she is a little more afraid of singing in public, even though she goes to a choir. She thinks that it’s a lot harder for people to notice her mistake when she plays the piano, but when it comes to singing, she feels more judged.

Evelina Harutyunyan dancing during practice.

“Dancing in front of a big crowd that I don’t know makes me more anxious than when I’m dancing with people that I know,” said junior Evelina Harutyunyan. Harutyunyan has been going to dance for almost two

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years now and it’s one of her biggest passions.

“It’s a lot greater responsibility to perform in front of the crowd because when it’s just with friends and something goes wrong, they can just laugh it out and move on,” Harutyunyan said. “I don’t know why, but I always have the fear that I’m gonna fall down while dancing,” she said.

Fortunately, Harutyunyan has never fallen in front of a bigger crowd while performing, other than stumbling a few times during practice to reach the level of performance she wants to give.

Students performing at last year’s annual talent show on the last day before spring break. From solo singers to ensemble, these students seemed to have no fear in showing their skills.

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Enlisting into the future Graduates join the military Military Process

By Monika Petrosyan Unlike most seniors who will be applying to the more conventional colleges this fall, Clark Magnet High School senior Levon Gevorkian will try to enroll in West Point Military Academy. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Gevorkian, who will be majoring in political science. “I’m the first to join in my family and I want to do something good.”

Joel Angle, a Clark alumnus and former executive officer of a military intelligence company, had always been interested in technology, and after studying network engineering upon graduation in June 2001, had a hard time feeling motivated in his classes.

In an email interview, Angle said that he was feeling uncertain about his future until September 11, 2001, which changed everything. Angle, who read

Recruiters share with stuents the benefits of joining the military.

about the men and women who ran towards the buildings to rescue people, was inspired by their courage. “I started thinking about joining the military and the more I looked into it, the more I felt it would be something meaningful to do with my life,” Angle said. Angle joined the Army in March 2002.

Joining the military is not as simple as it may seem. According to CNN, nearly a quarter of students who attempt to join the army fail the entrance exam. In a different news article by CNN, studies show that 99 percent of recruits have high school diplomas and people with GEDs are often denied entrance to join the army. Medical conditions disqualify about 35 percent of applicants, prior drug and alcohol involvement disqualify 19 percent, and criminal records disqualify 5 percent.

These tough odds aren’t stopping Gevorkian from enlisting. According to Gevorkian, the military’s structure and different branches captured his attention. “I like the progress made in the ranks,” he said. Though he has participated in training programs and plans on attending West Point after high school, Gevorkian knows how difficult it is to actually get accepted.

The academy overall has a nine percent acceptance rate. In order to get in, Gevorkian first has to take an entrance exam. He then needs two letters of recommendation from members of Congress. Once he’s accepted, he has to train for four years while getting a normal education. “It’s worth it in the end because once you’re in the U.S. Army, you’re an officer.”

The military’s different branches, which are what interested Gevorkian from the beginning, each have different service requirements. According to TodaysMilitary, the physical demands depend on the branch of service, but generally speaking, potential service members should be in “good physical condition, of appropriate weight and able to pass standard physical screening.” In addition to the physical portion of the entry, recruits must be U.S. citizens or Perma-

nent Resident Aliens.

There is extensive training that recruits have to endure in order to qualify.

“I’ve been through a basic training program called ‘encampment,’” Gevorkian said. “New cadets go through ‘hell week’ where they are taught how to dress fast, pay extensive attention to details, fly planes and run.”

For Angle, the academics were easy; it was the lack of sleep and physical demands of training that were hard. “In basic training in 2002 and again in officer candidate school in 2011, I spent several months getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night, exercising several hours a day, taking exams and getting yelled at constantly,” Angle said.

According to an article on military. com, these various fitness programs require recruits with “a high muscle endurance” and those who have a viable “strength to body weight ratio for maneuvering through obstacles and combat conditioning courses.” Recruits must also be mentally tough. These training programs will “push you to your physical limit.” It is dependent on the person’s mental ability on whether or not they can move forward or quit.

“In that kind of environment, everyone gets broken down and many candidates quit,” Angle said, “The one’s who get through learn to reach down deep inside and find something that motivates them to keep their attention on the goal and muscle through the pain and exhaustion. “ High school students who join have multiple scholarship opportunities. According to GoArmy, scholarships are given to students based on “merit and grades,” and not the student’s “financial needs.” According to 2d Lt (second lieutenant) Jenee Christensen, an admissions officer and recruiter who comes to Clark on occasion, about 1200 colleges offer ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) scholarships. Some of the benefits with joining the army right after high school include having a job and receiving a salary. According to military.com, more benefits include “health and dental care for you and your family, special deals on

13 be best suited for everyone. “I encourage every student to think about what interests them, look at all of the college programs out there and do what is right for the future that they want,” Angle said.

“Joining the military is a very big commitment that isn’t right for everybody.”

According to Angle, military life requires significant personal sacrifices that include moving across the world every few years, living a regimented life, working very long hours, possibly being put into harm’s way, and postponing the ability to make choices about your lifestyle.

“It is not an easy life,” Angle said. “But I’m positive that it changes most people’s lives for the better, even if they only serve for a few years.”

Military recruits visit Clark often to enlist future cadets.

home loans, advanced technical and specialty training,” and more.

Angle, who left active duty in 2006, has received multiple educational, health and financial benefits from the military. Specifically, the G.I. Bill helped Angle get through his undergraduate program and almost all of his graduate program. Angle also received a $20,000 scholarship from the National Security Education Program to study Arabic in Egypt. Other benefits that Angle receives include discounted health care, cell phone plans and insurance.

Although high school, graduates receive numerous benefits upon joining the military after graduation, it may not always be the best choice. “If someone does join after high school, I would encourage them to pursue a military occupation that is in line with their long term interests and hold out until they get a duty location or program that interests them,” Angle said. “Once you get to you first duty assignment, you need to be ready to dedicate yourself to that unit, so hopefully it’s the one that you chose.”

Despite all the benefits that comes with joining the military, it may not

Prospective military trainees have to meet certain requirments in order to enlist.

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Student Work

by Mari Vardanyan: The characters below were Mr. Over’s animation class Art created for a story Vardanyan he wrote. She made them using Wacom tablets because that is what was (free time asssignments) convenient at the time. However, she said that she prefers to hand draw her art.

Student Work

Mr. Zamlich’s Photography 5-6

15 Mr. Zamlich’s 5-6 students create portfolios of their five best photos.

5 Quality Photos

Anna Tsaturian October 20, 2015 Photography 5-6

for

AP Portfolio

Haiku- Cause He’s a Zombie Wolfgang “Terry ” Yakkel (Junior)

Wolfgang “Terry ” Yakkel originally created the first stanza as a stand alone poem for an English assignment. He His hours are done chose the zombie to be He got out of bed It is now his time to leave Arrived at his tomb He begins to settle down the protagonist to have He fell and his head came off Zombies have no home.

Zombie “lives” are hard. emotion running around Cause he’s a zombie. an emotionless characHe goes to the store He eats his canned brains ter. Two years later the He started for work He gets some canned Then goes to his resting continued the poem for 12 a.m. the graveyard shift meats to eat the amusement of his place That’s when zombies work. The zombie bought brains. Zombies cannot sleep. peers.

After many years He is finally awake But he’s a zombie.

He worked many years And he really hated it But zombies can’t quit.

Now on his way home A dead man is on the streets The zombie waves hi.

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Five under $30: Holiday gifts

By Natalie Dervanessian

Christmas trees are being tied on top of cars and stores are starting to fill up with potential holiday presents.

From Secret Santa to getting presents for your grandma, we can all agree that it’s hard to find perfect gift for everyone. This holiday season make some changes and find something cool and in your budget, putting a smile on your and your loved ones faces.

Bath Bombs | LUSH $3-9 Is it possible for someone to not enjoy a good soak?

Now think about the idea of looking at a colorful bath bomb from LUSH fizzing in the tub adding some essential oils and beautiful colors. The Bath Bomb is a perfect gift to get anyone who enjoys a nice hot bath during the winter.

53” Plush Bear | Costco $29.99 Who doesn’t want a 53-inch teddy bear? The holidays

Getting festive with Starbucks

are the perfect time to get the one you love a huge teddy bear that they can cuddle with. No need for socks, robes or blankets when you can cuddle with a human-sized teddy bear. This gift would be perfect for anyone!

Limited Availability.

Tap Shower Waterproof Radio Amazon $19.12 The Tap Shower Waterproof Radio will have people “,singing in the shower.” Music has been around forever and it only keeps getting better, so why not get your friends a tap shower radio?

Instead of buying a normal speaker, go for this cool product which will definitely put a smile on someone’s face.

Cardboard Smartphone Projector | Ebay $17.99 Bring back old time projectors adding a modern twist. This is a great way to spend the holiday season

Bath Bombs $3-9 streaming videos on your phone and projecting in on the wall. Did I mention that it’s portable?

Bean Bag Chair | Target $20 Not including the fact that bean bag chairs are impossible to get out of, they are a great present for all ages. If you want a cozy place to drink your hot cocoa, read a book, or even sleep, the bean bag chair is for you.

Plush Bear $29..99

Bean Bag Chair $20

By Christine Ohanyan Face it fellow Californian, your winter isn’t going to feel like winter.

The bright and blazing sun of the West Coast, although beautiful, will make it difficult to look outside the window and feel in tune with the holiday season. But this doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the wonderful festivities that come along with this time of year. With the help of our beloved Starbucks and their seasonal “Red Cup Drinks,” we can be jolly too.

In the fall and winter seasons only, Starbucks displays a number of holiday-themed drinks to make you feel warm and cozy — the Christmas Cookie Latte, the Chestnut Praline Latte, the Gingerbread Latte, the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte, and more.

Junior Levon Gukasyan said that he especially looks forward to the release of the caramel latte. “Because during the winter season, you crave something hot and sweet, and Starbucks lattes always hit the spot,” he said.

Senior Annie Aschian also said

that she looks forward to the release of these sweet treats. “I drink Starbucks sometimes. I won’t go out of my house just to go to Starbucks, but if I’m at the mall and craving it, I’ll most likely get it,” she said. “I’ve never really tried the Christmas flavors, but I’m excited to try them. And of course the Pumpkin Spice Latte will always be in my heart!”

The magic of these Red Cup drinks is so prominent that some people who aren’t even a fan of Starbucks purchase them during the holiday season. Junior Melanie Kasparian said that these drinks actually give her a sense of holiday spirit. “I don’t drink Starbucks often, but I tend to enjoy it more during the holidays,” she said. “I can’t wait for the Creme Brûlée latte to come out this year.”

On the other hand, there are yearround Starbucks customers whose love for the coffee only becomes enhanced during this time.

“I’m most excited for peppermint

mocha because it reminds me so much of Christmas and the holidays,” said senior Cynthia Babakhanian. “It gets me in the spirit, and it’s the only one I’ve ever tried. But the rest seem very festive and delicious as well.”

Chestnut Praline Latte at Starbucks

Holiday decorating adds a twist to the holiday spirit

By Eunice Ramillo

It’s that time of year again, and as Johnny Mathis would say, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...”

Junior John Junio said that he likes to keep things simple and genuine when it comes to decorating for the holidays. “Decorating is a simple art that can spread joy and touch the heart,” Junio said.

One special decoration that Junio

17 has in his house is a parol, which is a traditional hand-made lantern used to light up houses in the Philippines during the holidays. It symbolizes the star of Bethlehem that the wise men followed to the birth of Jesus Christ Junio said that his family and he place a Christmas tree in the house adorn the windows with Christmas lights, and even decorate the car with a red nose and antlers to look like Rudolph the rednose reindeer. “I just don’t want Santa to be bored with my house,” Junio said.

Junior Christian de la Cruz said that he too keeps the same components of holiday decorating with Christmas trees and decorative lights; however, his family refrains from placing decorations outside since they’re afraid that those decorations might get stolen. Re-

Favorite hangout places to visit during the holidays

By Nanor Martirosian and Edit Simonian

It’s no secret that holidays are the best times for students, especially if you’re in high school. Excessive loads of work become nonexistent and all the assignments from semester one are put behind you, allowing you to start fresh.

Junior Anna Mikaelian prefers staying at her grandmother’s house because her entire family is all together and they get to spend quality time with one another. “We’ll watch a movie or two, and have some homemade food that my grandma makes,” Mikaelian said. “She makes amazing Georgian salad, Armenian kabob and chicken. It’s a real feast, especially while watching every abc family Christmas movie there is.”

Restaurants are also a lively place to hang out with friends and family. Junior Sevada Khashadoorian said Cheesecake Factory, Islands and BJ’s are his favorites during break. “Restaurants are by far my favorite because you get closer with family and friends.

The endless fries at Islands are absolutely amazing,” he said.

“Watching your favorite movies until late at night is the best. You can eat how much junk food you want, and in

the comfort of your own bed. It really doesn’t get much better than that,” said sophomore Mariam Panikyan.Winter break is the best time to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy a week or two with familiar faces. “The most magical place to go during winter break would have to be Disneyland,” said junior Leen Sabaar. “The colorful lights, the decorations and the outfits that the Disney characters have on create this unforgettable feeling that you wouldn’t be able to notice anywhere else.”

Another place she said she enjoys going to over her break is Pickwick Ice in Burbank because it truly makes her feel as if it is Disneyland

feel as if it is winter. Sophomore Aleks Melkumyan said that he always goes on vacation during his break. “I normally go to Big Bear over winter break because we don’t get snow in this area,” Melkumyan said. “It’s a great feeling

gardless of the decorations, Cruz values his family’s holiday traditions and enjoys the fun in decorating with them.

Others prefer to go beyond simplicity and bring holiday decorating to another level. Junior Anthony Karroum said that he makes sure that the holiday spirit is shown throughout the house. His house is fully decorated with an eight-foot tall Christmas tree, a complete nativity scene and wreaths on every window. “Decorating is lots of fun,” Karroum said. “It achieves a feeling that makes you warm inside.”

Parol lanterns are popular in the Philippines during the holidays.

when you are able to sit by the fireplace with friends and family without having to worry much. I like to go fishing in the mornings at the Big Bear Lake and hiking through the woods in the evening.”

Not everyone likes to get away for the holidays. “Not that going to a further area is bad or anything, but I would much rather stick to an area around my neighborhood,” said junior Enrique Vacquez.

“For instance, The Americana at Brand is perfect for relaxing, and even shopping.”

Junior Lily Nazarian said that she usually takes time to go out with friends and family, so she wants to rest at home this winter break. “My plan over winter break would be to catch up on sleep and watch all the shows that I’ve missed.”

The Americana at Brand.

Disneyland.

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In The Life

LA’s Metro System

By Vache Sarkissian

The platform at Hollywood/Vine station, appropriately decorated with film reels all over the ceilings. This is one of the nicest and most easily accessible rail stations.

Stop Requested A ride through the flaws of LA’s public transportation system

One would think that in such a vast and spread out city like LA, many people, especially students who can’t drive, would be more inclined to utilize the bus or rail system. On the contrary, many students avoid our public transportation system, calling it “dirty,” “inconvenient,” and at times “scary.” “[The bus] was very crowded and it look very uncared-for,” said sophomore Ani Babayan, reflecting upon a trip she once took on MTA bus line 201 in Glendale. The question that begs to be asked is this: If Los Angeles has a public transportation system, why don’t people take it

seriously?

Well, for one thing, most people don’t even know it exists. Although the MTA buses are quite hard to miss with their bright orange exterior, the subway lines remain buried below the reach of many Clark students.

Of 50 random students grades 9-12 surveyed in October, more than half claimed they did not know Los Angeles even had an underground transit system. When asked whether they had ever taken the subway, the most common response among students was “We have a subway?”

It’s difficult to blame them, however, considering the nearest station

to Clark is the Memorial Park Gold Line station almost 11 miles away in Pasadena. Or perhaps the North Hollywood Red/Orange Line station nearly 13 miles away. In a county which is 4,084 square miles, a rail system that runs only 88 miles is clearly underdeveloped.

“That’s sad,” said Spanish teacher Sevan Oskanian. “Many people aren’t able to live near Metro stations.

That’s why so many people rely on their cars instead.” People want a rail system they can live within a reasonable distance to, as one might in a city such as Paris or New York City.

But LA isn’t that kind of city. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) doesn’t even have a light rail system which runs through Glendale. The only rail that runs through Glendale is the Metrolink heavy rail, which is separate from the LACMTA. The nearest light rail stations to Glendale are the Gold Line station in Highland Park or the Red Line Station in East Hollywood at Vermont/ Sunset (a part of town most people don’t venture out into very often).

The point is, unless it covers more ground, the rails in LA are practically useless for anyone outside of Downtown or Hollywood.

Fortunately for some, more ground is being covered. The LACMTA is currently planning and executing an extension of the Purple and Gold lines, which might actually prove to be very useful, stretching farther out east from Downtown’s Union Station to Montclair and farther out west from Union Station to Westwood. Also under construction currently is the Expo Line extension which would allow for easy access from Downtown’s 7th Street station to Downtown Santa Monica in under an hour.

For some people, it’s not the ac-

cessibility of the public transportation system which dissuades them from using it. It’s what happens once they’re on it. “The ride itself was fine but the bus driver was really disrespectful when I asked him what the fare was,” said sophomore Ani Sarkisyan, who has once taken the 90.

Based on my own observations over the course of thousands of rides, the operators of Metro buses are usually the embodiment of a stereotypical angry bus driver. They don’t say hello, they don’t look you in the eyes, and they sometimes don’t even stop at the right stops. Seldom are they personable and willing to make conversation. It’s really hit-or-miss, and the drivers’ demeanors usually come down to several factors mainly pertaining to the time of day and location of the line.

For example, the line I take to school every morning, the 90/91, runs from Downtown to Sunland, and in all my experiences, the operators of this line have been fairly welcoming. However, based on my own personal observations, other lines which may run through the rougher areas of LA such as the 40 (which runs through Inglewood and Hawthorne) or the 83 (which runs from Cypress Park down through Slauson) will naturally have operators who are

more reluctant to talk to passengers.

Upon chatting with one of the operators and conducting some further research online, I was able to discover that Metro operators earn a fair pay and some pretty advantageous benefits as well as the freedom to select their shifts and the bus line they operate. The average pay for a Metro bus operator is $47,000 and $66,000 for rail operators.

The more crowded and busy the line, the higher the pay. So the operator of a line such as the 720, a line always bustling with passengers, which runs on Wilshire Blvd. from Downtown to Santa Monica would earn more than the operator of the 685, a short line which usually carries few people and runs from Glendale Community College to Glassell Park.

Another major obstacle to Metro ridership is the low level of security and safety among the buses and rails.

Most people won’t put themselves in any situation in which their safety is not ensured, and unfortunately, in most buses and subways in LA, it’s hard to say that it is. On most days, just getting onto a bus is a risk.

When I became a frequent user of public transportation around three years ago, I recognized the strange feeling of having to risk a little bit

The Metro’s safety, based on Sarkissian’s experiences.

19

each time I got on the bus or the subway. Several times, I found myself face to face with someone who was directly threatening my safety. One such example occurred on the bus in Downtown Los Angeles. A man had a schizophrenic fit and started yelling in my general direction but at nobody in particular. He then threatened another passenger and forced him to get off.

Many cases of sexual harassment have also been noted in subways in LA. An article in the LA Times shows that nearly one in five Metro passengers has been submitted to some form of sexual harassment in the last six months, most of these 18-25 year old women. Some rail lines are better than others. The Red Line, an underground rail which goes from Downtown to North Hollywood, sees some of the worst harassment and violence as opposed to the Gold Line, a mostly above-ground light rail which runs from East LA to Pasadena, which is among the safer rails of LACMTA. Public transportation is developing and the only way it will prosper is through increased ridership and support from Angelenos. “It needs to be easier and more efficient. Then people will start using it,” said Oskanian on the future of public transport in Los Angeles.

The inside of one of the cars of the Gold Line, the cleanest light rail. The line makes a U-shaped curve from East LA to Azusa, passing through downtown’s Union Station.

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Piano competition raises nerves Students perform in local contest Piano Competition

By Lilit Krkasharian My heart was pounding inside my chest. The palms of my hands were drenched in sweat. The audience was dead silent. I slowly placed my hands on the ivory keys of the piano, and I began to play.

I had never understood when people used the expression, “butterflies in my stomach,” until this day. When I woke up in the morning at 10 a.m, however, I didn’t feel too nervous about my piano competition. I had never been one to have stage fright or be scared about performing in front of an audience.

Sophomore Erika Hookasian, however, was very nervous before a similar piano competition last year, the Southwestern Youth Music Festival. “Before the competition, I had to distract myself from all of the nerves so I started listening to feel-good music,” Hookasian said. “If I can give advice to other people, it would be to not worry about missing any notes.

Just convey your feelings through the song.” I now know this is good advice, but before my competition, I wouldn’t have listened to Hookasian because I thought playing perfectly was a major part of the judging process.

Throughout the morning and during the half-hour car ride to Arcadia where the Los Angeles Young Pianist Competition would take place, I was feeling normal and wasn’t too worried. I knew I would be competing against some very experienced pianists, but I had practiced my pieces and was confident. I later found out that I wasn’t the only one who crammed a lot of practicing into the past few days. “I probably practiced for two hours every day for the past week,” said twelve-yearold participant Maddy Fukuda.

Although I wasn’t nervous about actually playing the piano, I

was worried that we would not arrive on time. My two sisters and I were planning to leave the house at 11 a.m, but we ended up leaving at 11:20 a.m. We went to pick up our grandmother from her house since she isn’t able to drive, and then we were on our way.

Around noon, we arrived at the Arcadia Community Center. When I entered the big, brown, old-looking building, I could hear students prac-

Krkasharian practices for her big competition.

ticing on the Mason and Hamlin piano before the judges came in. I went to the desk set up at the entrance, and I checked in. Staff members then directed me to the auditorium where I would be performing and told me I could practice my pieces for a few minutes when the others were done.

I waited impatiently for my turn to practice. I could see students wiping their hands on their clothes, and others blowing into their palms to

21 warm up their freezing hands. After a few minutes of waiting, there was an opening to play the piano, and I was able to practice my pieces. The piano was one of the best ones that I have ever practiced on. It was a completely different experience from practicing at home on my own piano. The sound of the piano at the competition was more clear and less harsh. The piano keys were also more smooth than my own.

The competition began with a professional tuning the piano for about 20 minutes. When he was done, Rosa Zee, the president of the organization, gave a speech and also introduced the three judges: Dmitry Rachmanov, Lee Galloway and Tianshu Wang. She mentioned their achievements and accomplishments and wished us all luck.

There were supposed to be 21 performers. Before we began, the judges notified us that they would be stopping us halfway through playing the song because the song was too long for them to listen to all 21 competitors. One of the board members then announced the first person that would be playing, and we began.

For the competition, I needed to learn one required piece that everyone would play during round one.

The judges would then pick five people to continue to the second round where they would be able to play their own choice of music. The mandatory piece was “Allegro - The First Movement from Sonata in G major, K.189 h (283)” by W. A. Mozart. The second piece that I chose to play was “Two Gossiping Old Women” by Aram Khachaturian.

I learned how to play this piece two years ago, and it has been my favorite piece to play ever since then.

My piano teacher thought that this would be the perfect piece for me to play if I made it to the second round since I have been playing it for a long time, and because I play it with much emotion.

At the competition, I was supposed to be the ninth person playing the piano. However, the person before me, number eight, did not show up, so when they called my name, it was an unexpected surprise. I stood up, and made my way forward. As I took the first step from my seat towards the piano, nervousness began

Krkasharian displays her mastery of the keys. to flood my body. With each step I took, the competition became more real, and I became more nervous. I reached the piano all too soon, and before I knew it, I was positioning my hands on the piano, and my right foot on the pedal.

The moment my fingers touched the piano keys, all of the nervousness I was feeling less than 30 seconds prior suddenly left my body. I did what I knew best; I let all of my worries float away with each note I played. I forgot about the audience and the judges and played only for myself. All was going well, until the unfamiliarity of the piano began to bother me. I was not used to the heaviness of the piano, and definitely not the amount of force needed to play loud chords.

Towards the end of the piece, the unfamiliarity finally got to me, and I made a mistake. I tried my best to go on and finish strong, and indeed I did, but I had already made one error and was sure that would ruin my chances of winning the competition.

Many of the other pianists at the competition agreed that they were all very nervous. However, in the end, all of the practice, time and effort put into the competition was worth it. “I was a little nervous, but when I got on the stage, I was pretty excited,” said finalist Rachael Lee. Fukuda agreed with Lee, saying, “It’s pretty nerve wracking, and you get anxious waiting for your turn, but I think it’s a good experience.”

There were also many pianists who were not worried about the judges scoring them, but rather about the audience judging them.

Second place winner Ryan Wisniewski said that he was most nervous about how people would react if he messed up, yet he played stunningly. Musicians all have different worries when performing.

Although it was not a competition, sophomore Osheen Manukyan was worried about not being good enough when he performed at the International Festival of Young Musicians in Armenia. He was only 13 years old at the time, and he said that all of the performers played like musical prodigies. “I was scared for every minute until I walked on stage,” Manukyan said. “When I started playing, I didn’t even think about it anymore, and I played great.”

Along with the students’ performances, the organization was also an impressive one. The Los Angeles Young Pianist Competition is a nonprofit organization. None of the board members or other workers are paid for the countless hours they contribute to guarantee the competition will be a success.

This year was the 32nd year of the competition. Organization president Rosa Zee was proud of everyone’s efforts. “The parents and students who attend these competitions greatly appreciate the board members who have made this competition possible for so long,” Zee said.

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Aspiring NBA players start with the basics of the game Kids learn to perfect basketball skills at Ararat basketball

By Tenny Vasghanian

Alex from the Jr. NBA Yellow team getting ready for a pass.

The whistle is blown. “Put the balls down and line up at the baseline,” says Melineh Ebrahimian, Jr. NBA coach for the Ararat D-League program at the Ararat Homenetmen North Campus facility in Glendale.

The players of the Jr. NBA Division put their basketballs back and line up on the baseline to start their pre warmup.

Homenetmen Ararat chapter is an Armenian youth organization that began over 70 years ago. The most recent addition to Ararat is the D-League program. For about seven years, Ararat D-League has functioned as an Armenian familyfriendly environment for boys and girls from ages four to fourteen who

have an interest in basketball. Tryouts are not required.

At the D-League program at Ararat, these teams allow the kids to improve their basketball skills. Parent Karolin Olavi had her kids take part in the D-League program for many seasons. Olavi stresses the importance of the amazing program and what an advantage it is for kids who have an interest in basketball. “I think it’s a great program for all kids with different ages and they learn a lot by coming there,” Olavi said.

“They grow with the community and with their peers and the team.”

Olavi’s two children have been in the program for many years and have immensely improved in basketball.

The team names for the four-to six-year-old division are colors because the younger kids are not familiar with NBA and college basketball team names. Higher divisions above the junior divisions consist of college basketball and NBA team names.

I began my first day as a volunteer coach on Oct. 17, three weeks into the season, where it was the Yellow and Black Team’s practice.

As I put my water bottle down and start interacting with the kids, I notice already some familiar faces from previous seasons and how much the children have grown. I stand next to the net, and after they shoot the ball I say “good job” or “nice shot.” If they miss, I still tell the kids what to improve, because from a young age, it is important to teach the kids that it is not always about winning.

As the kids start their warm-up, they jog and jump in place before they begin to run to the other side of the court and back. To motivate the kids to get ready for practice, I join them as they run to the other side of the court and back. I try to challenge the kids to a “race” and it sparks the energy inside them to get going. The giggles and excitement of the players begin as we begin the practice. Coach Melineh teaches the kids about passing, defense and shooting as we begin the drills because these are the fundamentals of basketball.

The players are divided up into three groups for each court and I take one group. One person will chestpass the ball to me and I will pass it back. The player will dribble from the baseline to the net on the opposite side of the court, shoot the ball and dribble back. I use this as an opportunity to learn the kids’ names. Once they pass the ball to me before they go, I ask for their names and repeat them to be sure. Sintiya Markarian, Director of D-League Operations, was helping with the group. “At the end, the kids come to me and give me a hug,” Markarian said.

The players take a water break, then we do a shooting competition where we split the kids into two groups. We go for about three rounds and make sure the teams are balanced out so one team would not completely dominate the other. Coach Melineh sets a target goal for the number of shots to see which team can get there first. This way, the kids are exposed

Talia from the DLeague Black Team intensely aiming to score a basket.

to taking quick shots and competing where there would be a winner and a loser. The kids are aware of the fact that it is just practice and do not complain about winning or losing.

Alec, a five year old from the Black Team, said “everything” was his favorite part about practice as we practiced passing the ball to each other. When the kids have fun, the parents are pleased. Mounika Haftavani, a Class of 2002 Clark graduate, said the kids benefit from playing with each other. “I like how all the kids learn new basketball skills and have a chance to hang out with new friends,” Haftavani said.

Haftavani’s son, Alek, three years old, from the Yellow Team, mentioned his favorite part of practice was “shooting.”

On Sundays, the three Jr. NBA teams all attend their practices including one extra practice day either on Thursdays or Fridays. These teams range from kids from ages four to six.

One of the D-League Executives, Martin Andriassian, said that the program has great benefits for children. “My kids were in it for four seasons and it was a great program,” Andriassian said.

With a variety of co-ed and same gender teams, the overall experience is beneficial. Another executive, Edwin Olavi, my former coach for D-League — I began when I was six — said that Jr. NBA teaches kids

Sevana and Anthony from the Yellow Team taking a quick break before starting the next thrilling exercise.

discipline to be better players. “I like the Jr. NBA division because it lays a great foundation for the young athletes to stay active as they get older,” Olavi said. “It also teaches them discipline and encourages them to be a team player.”

Towards the end of the practice, Coach Melineh blows her whistle and yells, “Huddle!” The players put their balls down and form a circle to end the practice with a team huddle.

Coach Melineh said how proud she was to see how the kids improve their basketball skills. “They learn so fast,” Ebrahimian said. “From beginning to end there’s such a big difference. I see [the] achievement and their improvement.” This is the age where the foundation and building blocks of the sport begins and I am glad to be a part of this amazing organization for them.

On the count of three the kids say, “Go, go, yellow team! Yay!” The applause of the parents’ and kids’ blasts through the gym and the practice is over. One parent, Armen Mousakan, said that he enjoys watching his son develop his basketball skills and learn how to play with others. “I like watching him play and being involved in a team where he is growing and learning while having fun,” Mousakan said.

D-League is also used to draft players to official Homenetmen Ararat Chapter year round teams that take part in tournaments like the

23

Navasartian Games, Winter HABC Games, San Diego and Fresno Games. Markarian is glad to be part of a program where she can inspire kids to work hard and have fun playing a sport they love. “I think everyone enjoys [the program] because the kids don’t just learn about basketball, but they learn about discipline and how to work with [one] another on the court and off the court,” Markarian said.

Passing is an important skill to perfect in basketball.

24

James Bond

Opinion

James Bond out of style?

From Hollyood with love

By Hayk Martirosyan I love, nay, adore all the James Bond films. I own and have rewatched all 23 of the Bond films at least twice, and I can practically recite scenes from the films. Despite all this, and despite my unending devotion to James Bond, I have wondered of late: Is James Bond’s formula getting old?

For the past 50 plus years, the Bond character has experienced the world. He went to Africa and fought a voodoo zombie, got blasted by the sun, went to space, fought Christopher Lee and Christopher Walken, all the while drinking martinis, playing poker, driving the best cars, and always getting the girl.

So, if isn’t obvious, Bond is designed to be the ultimate 21st century male fantasy, just as Rambo was the epitome of masculinity in the 20th century. However, times change, and over time Bond becomes more cartoony, as his formula becomes stale, and it becomes hard for people to say, “I’d love to be like Bond,” as he has become a caricature of himself.

This all is likely due to Bond being in some of the most ridiculous situations. As realistic as the modern movies, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, try to make Bond seem, it is very difficult to brush off the memories of the times Bond stabbed an anaconda with a pen, or surfed away from a laser wave from the sun, or fought an axe wielding failed Nazi experiment atop the Golden Gate Bridge.

And this fact holds true. Many of the more ridiculous Bond films — the majority of Roger Moore’s films, some of Pierce Brosnan’s, and even some of Sean Connery’s — are rated relatively low on modern review sites such as iMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. However, more thorough research reveals a more interesting side.

Reviews that were written when the given Bond film was released were strangely positive. The writers admit-

ted to the ridiculousness of the film and yet went on to say how much they loved it. Live and Let Die, the first film starring Roger Moore that includes scenes where Bond fights Baron Samedi, an ancient African legend, and then inflates the main antagonist until he explodes, is one of the higher rated Bond films.

In his 1973 New York Times review of Live and Let Die, reviewer Roger Greenspun noted how there “is a marvelous escape from an alligator farm.”

Indeed, the film contains a “superb collection of grotesque ways of killing, [with] a fine sense of pace and rhythm.”

A similar theme follows the rest of the Bond films, such as Dr. No, From Russia With Love, GoldenEye, etc.

The fact dawned on me that the audience realizes the ridiculousness of James Bond. Bosley Crowther, in his 1963 review of Dr. No, said, “Of course, it’s nonsense — pure, escapist bunk, with Bond, an elegant fellow, played by Sean Connery, doing everything (and everybody) that an idle day-dreamer

might like to do.” The lowest rated Bond films are the ones that don’t put in enough energy, and they don’t have the array of gadgets, stunts, sets or even a good villain.

While it is true that the plot of James Bond films often revolve around the same core concept, it is the elements around this core — the energy and excitement they evoke, as well as their ability to constantly shift and change — that make Bond movies last as long as they do. Each film adapts to the current times, to the people’s likes and dislikes. Thus, James Bond may just live on forever.

The cast of Live and Let Die, featuring (from left to right) Julius Harris as Tee Hee, Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi, Earl Jolly Brown as Whisper, Jane Seymour as Solitaire, Roger Moore as James Bond, and Yaphet Kotto as Mr. Big. The presence of such an exaggerated cast of characters has been evident in almost all James Bond films.

Laws need change

By Lilia Lamas Republican candidate Donald Trump has brought up more attention to a controversial topic — immigration. Immigration has increased in the United States with a 13.1 percent immigration share of the United States’ population. According to the Migration Policy Institute, “Since 1970, the number of U.S. immigrants more than quadrupled as it grew from 9.6 million in 1970 to 41.3 million in 2013.”

Laws on immigration need to be changed with a new president taking office in 2017. While the United States needs to strengthen the borders and let immigrants come in legally into the nation, Donald Trump’s tactic of “building a wall” around the United State’s borders is a little too rash. Although some immigrants come in to be criminals, many of the nation’s immigrants are hard working people looking for greater opportunities that the Unit-

ed States has to offer. According to new studies in an article NationSwell, “Immigrants are more than twice as likely to start their own businesses as people born in the United States.”

The controversial topic of immigration laws also brings up the ongoing debate that “foreigners” are taking the jobs and college spots of the natural born American citizens. According to an article on ABC news from 2012, “Sixty-five thousand H1B visas are given to companies every year, and 20,000 are given to foreign workers with a U.S. master’s degree or higher.” The number of visas that allow foreign workers to stay in the United States for six years with speciality occupations has dropped from 195,000 to 65,000.

There is competition to get a good job and go to a good college in the United States. However, many “foreigners” are very intelligent and bring in great ideas to the United States. They should have

the same opportunities to go to good schools and study, as well as to get good jobs.

Extra-Extra Fact or Fiction?

By Lilit Krkasharian and Karla Solorzano 1) Mrs. Pettegrew loves to read.

2)Mrs. Pettegrew has been married three times.

3)Mrs. Pettegrew rode a bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

4) Mrs. Pettegrew is a shopaholic.

5)Mr. Pruitt has eaten 12 Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

6)Mr. Pruitt attended the release of “Street Fighter” with his kids.

7)Ms. Sajjadieh lived in Israel for almost two years.

8)Mrs. McGrath is from the same state as Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.

1) Fiction 2) Fact 3) Fact 4) Fiction 5) Fact 6) Fact 7) Fact8) Fact

Immigration Laws

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26

Arts & Entertainment

Going into Oscar season Hollywood’s hardest hitters

Oscar Movies

Brooklyn (Fox Searchlight)

Carol (The Weinstein Company)

By Alec Badalian

Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent Directed by John Crowley

Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson Directed by Todd Haynes

Best Picture Contenders The Revenant (20th Century Fox) Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Fox’s second aim at hitting a nomination for best picture comes in the form of an independent romantic drama, rather than a brutal revenge thriller or Mars-set adventure. Generating great word of mouth from the festival circuit, it would be no surprise for this little gem to slide its way into the running.

Steve Jobs (Universal Pictures)

Without a doubt the most ambitious film of the Oscar season and even the year as a whole. Iñárritu is back in the awards race after last year’s Birdman, which won best picture as well as best director, and will likely be in the forefront throughout most of his competition. This is a shoe-in for best picture and will hopefully get DiCaprio his first Oscar after all these years.

Spotlight (Open Road)

Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams Directed by Tom McCarthy

Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen Directed by Danny Boyle

The Martian (20th Century Fox)

Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels Directed by Ridley Scott One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, featuring top-notch performances all across the board that are bound to get some attention.

Sorkin’s sharp screenplay and Boyle’s stylish direction also have high chances of getting recognized.

Bridge of Spies (DreamWorks)

Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda Directed by Steven Spielberg

An all-star cast tackles a highly intriguing, controversial topic under the direction/writing of a talented filmmaker. This is this year’s Oscar-bait that plays its cards correctly and delivers an all-around terrific product, as opposed to the kind of overbearing Oscar-bait whose sole purpose is to attract buzz.

With two powerhouse actresses in the lead, particularly Blanchett who may be looking at her second trophy, and an experienced director at the helm, this tale of two lesbian lovers has established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

This safe choice follows the kind of formula the Academy loves: a widely appealing actor working with a legendary director on a period piece based on a true story. Not a risky move by the studio whatsoever, but one that’ll likely pay off for them in some way.

Expectations were high for this sci-fi epic, and they were certainly met. Fox’s second Oscar-contender was both wellreceived from critics and audiences as well as a financial hit. The Academy isn’t typically friendly to sci-fi fare, but this piece cannot be ignored.

Inside Out (Walt Disney Pictures)

Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader Directed by Pete Docter

It’s guaranteed to snag best animated film, but perhaps the Academy will honor Pixar’s latest with a best picture nod. Though taking home the gold is unlikely, seeing this flick alongside all these mature dramas would be nice to see.

27 Best Actor Contenders

Best Actress Contenders

Best Director Contenders

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant

Cate Blanchett for Carol

Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant

Nominated for five Oscars and having won zero, DiCaprio has become the most underrated actor when it comes to the Oscars. However, bets this year are high that his raw-liver eating, carcass-sleeping frontiersman Hugh Glass will finally get him the gold.

Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs

Fassbender showed great versatility with his portrayal of the Apple CEO and his critical acclaim has solidified him as a definite contender. He was previously nominated for best actor for his harrowing performance in 2011’s Shame.

Eddie Redmaye for The Danish Girl

Hot off of his win from last year’s Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, Redmayne has nailed yet another meaty role that’s bound to get him some awards attention.

Johnny Depp for Black Mass

Stepping away from his sillier roles such as the Mad Hatter and Jack Sparrow, Depp masterfully performed here as vicious mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, making himself a hot pick.

Matt Damon for The Martian

This was a film that relied heavily on its lead performer, and thankfully, Damon managed to create such a lively protagonist worthy of major praise.

As mentioned before, Blanchett is looking to be the front runner of this category due to her beautiful work in this intimate romantic drama. After her tremendous Oscar-winning work in 2013’s Blue Jasmine, she’s managed to bring us yet another lively character full of depth and complexity.

Brie Larson for Room

No one expected this little indie from A24 to have such huge awards buzz, but due to Larson’s stripped-down performance, she has elevated its legitimacy.

Birdman won best picture and best director last year for Iñárritu, and he’s got another huge contender here with his frontier epic. This visual glory was shot over a treacherous nine month stretch of production, making a director’s mastepiece.

Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

McCarthy wrote and directed last year’s Adam Sandler comedy The Cobbler, which was regarded as one of the worst films of the year. Now, he’s directed what people are calling one of the best of the year. What a huge shift in such a short span of time.

Ridley Scott for The Martian

Jennifer Lawrence for Joy

After becoming an Oscar darling for her win in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence has high chances of slipping into the race any year she wants.

Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn

The legendary science-fiction director has had a relatively mediocre track record as of late, but his latest work is nothing short of fantastic and fully displays his mastery.

David O’Russell for Joy

Another young actress, this one a more up-and-coming one, Ronan delivered a lovely performance in this charming period piece and showed that she could carry a whole film on her own.

Simply put, O’Russell is an Oscar favorite. Even with a significantly underwehlming piece like 2013’s American Hustle, he’ll find a way in.

Steven Spielberg for Bridge of Spies

Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years

Definitely a performer who’s under the radar, 69-year-old Rampling displays a magnificent performance here in this elderly drama which is sure to be a favorite amongst the Academy.

Perhaps one of the most famous directors of all time has crafted a suspenseful period piece that’s made some waves in the award race.

28

The divine intervention The pop princess returns of Grimes with Art Angels Art Angels

By Vache Sarkissian Finally, Art Angels is here. After what seems like forever now, Grimes has released the follow-up to her 2012 album Visions.

Claire Boucher is Grimes, the selfappointed “surrealist yuppie” and sensational 27-year-old artist from Vancouver, BC, most popular for her music, although her talents extend to painting, filmmaking, producing records (her own and others’) and writing. The success of her previous masterpiece of an album, Visions, released on the legendary label 4AD, put her under the radar of all lovers of the indie music scene.

Visions wasn’t Boucher’s first album, but it was definitely the one that put her out there. Prior to that, she released Geidi Primes and Halfaxa both in 2010 and Darkbloom in 2011.

Gaining high praise from the likes of Pitchfork (who seem to follow her every move now), she became one of the most well-known indie musicians to emerge from the Canadian in recent years.

2015 has been a huge year for Grimes. Since early this spring, she has been publicly toying with the idea of releasing new music via her Twitter. On top of that, she toured with Lana Del Rey in the summer.

On March 8, Grimes released REALiTi, a music video which she claimed was a demo from “the lost album.” After drawing much confusion and some disappointment, she released a statement on her Tumblr a couple days later further explaining why she threw away an entire album of songs.

According to her, “The album was scrapped cuz it was depressing and I didn’t want to tour it.” She also stated in the same post that “People’s opinions do not factor into my process.”

Throughout the span of her artistic career, it is this message which Boucher has made most clear. She is vigorously

intent on making sure that everything she does is her own. This time around, Boucher wrote and produced every song on the album as well as directed all the music videos.

She even launched her own record label, of sorts, earlier this year called Eerie Collective. Her very existence is a fight against the stereotypical “pop star” persona the media tries to label her as.

In late October, Grimes announced via social media that her new album was finally ready to be released. She tweeted the album cover and title and stated that a video would follow next week.

That video was “Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream,” a loud and energetic pop track which immediately confirmed speculations that her approach to the sound of this album would be very different than that of anything prior.

Upon first listen, the song is very generic and it seemed to lack the defining “noise” element that made her previous releases so unique. A couple of days later, with “Scream,” a song featuring Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes, some of the original stylistic elements of Grimes’ music became more apparent.

Prior to its release, she tweeted that every song on the new album was unique in style and that no two songs were alike.

This became evident when she released “Laughing and Not Being Normal,” the opening track to Art Angels.

Not only was this completely different than the previous two singles, it was completely different, even for Grimes.

Starting off with a string orchestra and continuing on to include operatic vocals, it became clearer than ever that Grimes is doing something more insane than she’s ever done.

The sound of Art Angels is undoubtedly more polished and mastered more professionally than Visions, or anything before, which Boucher admitted was recorded entirely on Garageband. Grimes also approached

Album cover for Art Angels. this album with a very different mindset.

The infamous story of how she recorded Visions involved weeks of sleepless nights and darkened windows and Adderall on an empty stomach.

She made clear that she was going to ditch that self-destructive formula and that while making the new record, she wouldn’t alter physical and mental health deliberately.

The product of that has turned out to be a collective gem of heavy beats, flashy synth-pop and her signature sharp and high-pitched vocals.

This album is energetic, loud, and often times very angry. Not only that, but it has something we’ve never heard in Grimes’ music before: real instruments.

She learned how to play the guitar and bass just for this album.

This change is extremely exciting.

Watching Grimes evolve as a human being and artist is such an emotional experience and one that resonates with many people.

Although the quality of the songs on Art Angels is not as consistent as the quality of songs on Visions, tracks such as “World Princess Part II” and “Kill V. Maim” make the entire album worth listening to.

This is arguably the most important album of the year and definitely the album that will cement a very prominent standing for Grimes in our modern culture.

29

ABC’s Christmas movies ignite holiday spirit

Enlighten yourself with these lovely films Countdown to Christmas

Santa delivers some Christmas cheer in The Polar Express.

By Nairi Simonyan To seniors in high school, when November starts winding down, they know that it’s time for college applications and research papers. To everyone else, however, November brings the promise of ABC Family’s “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” marathon.

Once Halloween is over, the television channel, ABC Family, wastes no time before advertising their annual movie marathon counting down from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25, Christmas day. The well-known cable channel has had this marathon programming block since 1996 and as a result has inspired the production of many Christmas TV specials.

The actual marathon, however, begins next month but ABC Family had also created a countdown to the marathon in 2007 for Christmas lovers who couldn’t wait for December to come.

The “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” began Nov. 22 and ended Nov. 30.

The countdown marathon usually

Will Ferrell as Buddy in Elf.

features movies and TV specials that have been fan-favorites time and time again, such as Disney and Pixar movies and the occasional Christmas movie.

ABC Family also takes the opportunity to premiere christmas themed or new

.The Incredibles

specials for the television shows frequently aired on the channel. Two of the channel’s popular shows, Young & Hungry and Pretty Little Liars, will be releasing new episodes along with behind-the-scenes content for viewers to watch exclusively during this countdown week.

The schedule for the “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” was released Oct. 29 and its lineup is filled with classic family-favorite movies, such as The Par-

ent Trap, Toy Story, and Jingle All The Way, that remind us of sitting on the couch in our pajamas when we were younger and watching movies that elicited some holiday spirit.

“I’m so excited for the countdown marathon to start!” said senior Annie Aschian. “I’ve always looked forward to watching it because it all just takes away the stress from school and college.”

Aschian also said that she has been watching the marathon since it started in 2007 and no matter what she is doing, she still tries to make time to watch all her favorite movies, especially Sleeping Beauty.

Willy Wonka brings some sass to the holidays.

30

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate’ fails to impress Assassin’s Creed

By Henry Reed Assassin’s Creed has been a longrunning series of watered-down, repetitive gameplay designed for a very large mass audience to increase profit margins. The newest addition, entitled Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, does nothing to deviate from the series’ infamy but add more problems, such as microtransactions and historical inaccuracies.

The game is set in Victorian era London, following an incredibly dull, lifeless mess of a character known as Jacob Frye and his equally dull and lifeless twin sister Evie Frye. Both have no personality, unless being cool is considered a character trait. Their mission, and essentially the entire plot of the game, is to kill the bad guys and stop them from getting magical artifacts. The storyline never gets any more complex than this.

The way the players are meant to kill these bad guys is by mashing their left mouse button. No other button press is required, nor is skill for that manner, because it’s almost impossible to die in this game. The health regenerates very quickly and the enemies happen to have a dumbed down AI system, to the point where some enemies won’t even attack the player.

Blocking attacks is useless, as taking a hit is faster and more efficient than watching a long counter-attack animation.

The game feels as if the player is a gym coach yelling at the Frye twins to swing their swords at the enemy, rather than actually playing as the Frye twins. The combat system is intentionally designed for the lowest common denominator — the casual gamer that doesn’t wish to put in any effort or face any challenge. As a result, Assassin’s

Album cover for Art Angels.

20th Century Fox will release their adaptation of the game in 2016, starring Michael Fassbender.

Creed: Syndicate becomes an exorbitant tutorial on the use of a mouse and completely falls out of the very definition of the word “game”.

Performance is a mess. The game has been tested on a computer with a GTX 780 and an i5-3570K overclocked to 4.2 GHz. Despite the power of this machine, the game’s framerate was constantly dipping below 60 frames per second. This would be understandable if the game’s graphical fidelity was on par with today’s standards; however, the game’s graphics are subpar to the point where the word subpar would be a major understatement. The game suffers from low-resolution textures and shadows.

The cloth is rendered at a 30FPS cap and it has so few polygons that the corners of Evie Frye’s dress look triangular and unrealistic. The situation becomes even more pathetic when the occasional graphic glitch appears, usually consisting of object pop-in, floating NPCs or broken AI paths.

The game is filled with microtransactions. In order to craft certain items required to advance the plot of the game, the player is forced to undergo hours and hours of mind numbing scavenger hunts to find resources required for crafting. These scavenger hunts are boring on purpose, to force the player to pay for microtransactions which

give the player these items. Exploring the game should be fun — the player should be rewarded to find a hidden chest filled with weapons. Instead, the developers designed for the system to be most efficiently monetized.

The list of differences between this Assassin’s Creed and the one released three years ago is a grappling hook and a female protagonist. The grappling hook serves no other purpose than to alleviate the pain of going through monotonous climbing sequences. The female protagonist, Evie Frye, is identical to Jacob Frye. They both have the same skills and are able to do the same actions. Their differences are only revealed closer to the end of the game, when Evie gets a boost in her stealth skills and Jacob in his combat skills, but that isn’t nearly enough innovation to set this game apart from the older, cheaper titles in the series.

Historically, the game portrays Victorian era incorrectly, especially with the inclusion of female soldiers proficient in hand-to-hand combat, use of a large variety of firearms and freerunning. This is a massive inaccuracy, considering the fact that at the time women didn’t have the right to property, let alone the right to join the army. Assassin’s Creed was able to portray women’s roles properly in previous installments — there is absolutely no reason for such a blaringly obvious mistakes.

It is astonishing that this series keeps on receiving more and more installments and that gamers all over North America keep on purchasing these games. This is the most uninspired, repetitive video game of the year, and yet, somehow it is still making enough money for Ubisoft to keep creating new additions to the series. Ubisoft is a genius at making efficient, unfailable cash cows and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is a major example of that.

Happy Holidays from the Magnet

Photo Credits 1. Tina Keshishian 4-5. Tina Keshishian 6-7. John Bandek 8-9. Nairi Simonyan 10-11. Natella Muradyan 12-13. Monika Petrosyan 14-16. Lilia Lamas/Wikipedia 17-18. Natalie Dervanessian

Eunice Ramillo

Nanor Martirosyan

Edit Simonian

19-20. Vache Sarkissian 21-22. Lilit Krkasharian 23-24. Tenny Vasghanian 25. Lilia Lamas 26. Hayk Martirosyan 27-30. Collider.com 31. Freestockphotos.com

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