December 2016
Vol. III
Issue 2
The Magnet SoCal Corgi Nation takes on beach
Monetization hurts famous YouTubers pps 24
Starboy pps 28
Clark Calendar
Letter from the Editors For the second issue of the third year of The Magnet, we feature a variety of articles pertaining to different areas of interest that are truly radical and all over the place. An opinion article written by Ani Agesyan entitled “Proposition 56 leads to heavy tax increase on cigarette purchases” explains the benefits of the recently passed proposition which taxes each pack of cigarettes sold in California by an extra $2. Ani Sarkisyan also writes her opinions on YouTube’s recent monetization policy change. According to Sarkisyan, the policy will hurt many successful YouTubers. In the Features section, we have a story by Eunice Ramilo regarding the heavy amounts of stress on students entitled “A response to the S.O.S (Student
On Stress).” The In The Life section features an article by Arman Antonyan called “Art and fun in the form of parkour” which shares his experience venturing into the world of parkour at the Tempest Freerunning Academy. The article also focuses on parkour on a more local scale, as he went to the Glendale YMCA and wrote about the parkour classes there. Our A&E section for this issue features the new magical Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a review of the latest season of The Walking Dead, and The Weekend’s latest release, Starboy.
To help spread the season of the holidays, we’ve published an article in the Lifestyle section about what your fellow Clark Magnet students love and hate the most about the holidays. These, like all of the articles written by the Pubs staff, can be found on clarkchronicle.com.
Table Of Contents Features 2
Asians tend to stigmatize mental health issue Chelsea Santos
Sex Ed
Natalie Deravanessian
8 Lifestyle
Student athletes face significant injures Himanshi Ahir
In The Life 18
Art and fun in the form of parkour
What do Clark students feel about the holidays? Kasy Vasquez
Ratioclothing
Arman Antonyan
Henry Reed
Corgis pawty at Huntington Beach
Mitzee Terriyaki
Karla Solorzano
Alen Zohrabyan
Shooting arrows in Pasadena Shaye Holladay
26 A&E
‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Tiana Hovsepians
‘The Walking Dead’s’ seventh season breaks hearts Gabriella Kchozyan
‘Starboy’ leaves fans in a galaxy of emotions Chelsea Santos
Opinion 24 Monetization policy hurts famous YouTubers Ani Sarkisyan
The passing of Prop 56 greatly benefits America’s youth Ani Agesyan
The Magnet Magazine Magazine Editors: Eunice Ramilo Website Editors: Himanshi Ahir Henry Reed Arman Antonyan Anthony Francisco Chelsea Santos Vache Sarkissian Natella Muradyan Ani Sarkisyan Kasy Vasquez Vache Sarkissian Karla Solorzano Business Managers: Staff Writers: Kasy Vasquez Ani Agesyan Ani Agesyan Photographers: Arman Antonyan Himanshi Ahir Jaden Florita Rita Bilamejian Arman Antonyan Trisha Gomez Natalie Deravanessian Eunice Ramilo Tiana Hovsepians Henry Reed Shaye Holladay Alen Zohrabyan Gabriella Kchozyan
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 on-site. This magazine was printed by aPrintis Inc., 4695 Chabot Dr, Site 200 Pleasanton, CA.
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Features
A response to the S.O.S (Student On Stress) Students can transcend their struggles to become strategic when it comes to stress. By Eunice Ramilo Junior Courage Kim said that he has always been stressed from three things: tests, parental expectations and teachers’ expectations. Kim said that stressing over a test causes him to freeze or to blank out and forget everything he studied for; and as a result, he ends up getting a low grade. Along with the stresses of tests, Kim struggles to live up to the expectations of his parents as well as to those of his teachers. “My mom is all about grades,” Kim said. “If I get an A minus with only two wrong, she’ll complain about my two mistakes...it’s as if she doesn’t appreciate my effort.”
According to an article in USA Today, stress is having an increasingly negative impact on teenagers’ lives and on teenagers themselves. A study shows that 27 percent of students experience high levels of stress during
the school year, while 34 percent expect even higher levels in the following year. Along with stress comes its effects: 40 percent of teens say that stress makes them feel mad; 36 percent say it causes anxiety; and 29 percent of high school students say they’ve been “feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or longer during the past year.” Although it may be tempting for some to resort to junk food or social media to override stress, there are other healthy alternatives to relieve and deal with stress, one of them being sports. Even though sports have been perceived as sources for physical enhancement, physical activity is also a great source of mental health relief. According to an article from the Stress Management Society, participating in different kinds of sports increases the production of endorphins, which are chemicals released by the body that reduce one’s perception of pain. More endorphins mean less pain and more mental stress relief. The article also suggested that the best way to get involved in a sport or exercise is to start out with creating a simple routine whether it be going out to the gym once or twice a week, or taking 30-minute walks around the block every day. Sophomore PE teacher Judy Thomsen said that exercise helps improve students’ comprehension and memory, which can actually help them improve in their challenging academic classes. Thomsen also said that when one exercises, both the body and the brain benefit since they work in tandem with each other. Thomsen starts off the first five weeks of her class with the introduction of different kinds of
exercise. Afterwards, students create their own workout programs. In doing this, Thomsen said, students discover which exercises appeal to them the most, and once they do, they’re able to relax and release stress through exercising. “I want to introduce the element of fun in working out to my students,” Thomsen said. “I want them to apply what they learn here and take it with them for the rest of their life.”
“Whatever you’re stressed about is not important… Don’t be stressed unnecessarily because it will only bring you down and eat you up.” —Kuba Nogalski Senior Kuba Nogalski said that in order to release his stress, he shifts his focus to sports such as running and soccer. “When you do sports, you forget about everything,” Nogalski said. “Whatever you’re stressed about is not important. Once you look back at your stressful moments, you’ll realize how worthless being stressed is.” Another way of releasing stress is through music. In her article, “The Power of Music to Reduce Stress,” Jane
Features Collingwood discusses the positive effects that music has on the brain and how those effects can lead to further stress relief. According to the article, calming classical music seems to have the most effective results on the mind and body in that it “slow[s] the pulse and heart rate, lower[s] blood pressure, and decreas[es] the levels of stress hormones.” Listening to classical music is not the only way of releasing stress musically. Other ways include singing along to a favorite song or even doing some karaoke with a group of friends. Kim said that his main ways of relieving stress, in addition to listening to music, are through singing, songwriting and playing instruments. He plays the ukulele, violin, guitar and piano; but out of all these instruments, he works more with his guitar trying to create his own songs. “I like to take some time to play my guitar, strum some random chords, and try to come up with something that sounds good,” Kim said. “I make songwriting a habit because it’s my passion and it makes me ha Meditation and yoga are other effective ways of relieving stress. An article in The Huffington Post indicates that taking breaks, especially through meditation, are vital since giving the mind a break allows the body to rest for a while after a long day of expending energy. It also allows one to step back from hectic reality and just relax in a temporary paradise so that the mind would be able to unwind. According to an article in WebMD, meditation can help one to live a balanced life. It retains positive effects which include lowering blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, and improving the ability to concentrate. An informational article from Live and Dare shows the different types of meditation as well as its different approaches. Meditating can be as simple as sitting and staring at a candle, or it can be religious like mantra meditation in which one would continuously recite mantras while sitting in a quiet place. Math teacher Amir Ghavam said that he used to practice a type of yoga known as Hatha yoga which includes the practice of balancing oneself while
paying attention to one’s breathing, a practice he found beneficial. Ghavam said that meditation allows things to be just the way they are, allowing the release of stress. He also said that meditation allows one to embrace stress and make way for its existence rather than resisting it. “I’d like to think that It’s worth it for students to do [meditation and yoga] even for just a few minutes a day,” Ghavam said. English teacher Narine Tatevosian said that teachers should be aware of the stress students are going through because teachers relate with the fact that stress is something that everyone goes through, not just students. “Stress is the state of being overwhelmed,” Tatevosian said. “If you need to talk, then talk. Everyone needs that outside perspective to help them see things clearly.” Head Counselor Karine Turdijian said that student stress is a direct result of course load, family problems and emotional problems. She said that she and counselor Susan Howe share what they hear from students to the school administration through their weekly administration meetings. Based on the feedback from these meetings, the school district has provided psychologists to deal with students who are having a hard time coping with stress. “Last year, we only had one psychologist that worked one day a week,” Turdijian said. “Now our administration continues to request for psychologists to work [longer hours] per week so the
3 students can have more support.” As a response to the problems of human stress, the Glendale Unified School District has created a mandatory training for all teachers to help students with their stress. English teacher Maral Guarino said that in the training session, Karen Carlson, GUSD Coordinator of Mental Health, will speak to the staff about mental health and the signs teachers could look for in students in distress, whether it be through physical features or through writing. Guarino said that this is the first official training that teachers will be having regarding student stress. She also said that she is excited that Carlson is directing the training session because Carlson used to be the head counselor at Clark, and as such is aware of “Clark culture” and what the students go through. “We as teachers are very aware of student stress and we want to do everything we can alleviate to that,”
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Feature
Sexed out of sex-ed Are sexual education classes preparing teens enough for the real world? Natalie Deravanessian “Whatever we learned in health class didn’t prepare me for sex at all. It was useless. They teach abstinence, telling us not to have sex until it’s time. But then they don’t tell us what to do when that time comes,” said a Clark senior who did not wish to be named. This student’s comment about lack of education on sex translates to often unsafe sexual practices among teens. In 2015, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that 41 percent of all high school students claimed to have had sex, with 30 percent claiming to have had sex within the previous three months. Of this 30 percent, 43 percent reported to have not used a condom, while another 14 percent reported not using any method to prevent pregnancy during their last sexual encounter. These survey results show that many teens are not using protection, or any form of contraceptive, were supposed to instruct on in school, as required by many states. “Teens in the United States are far more likely to give birth than in any other industrialized country in the world.,” according to the US National Library of
Medicine, National Institutes of Health. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Nearly 250,000 babies were born to teen girls aged 15–19 years in 2014.” This information may come as a surprise, due to the fact that, according to the National Conference of State Legislators, 24 states along with the District of Columbia have required sex education to be taught in schools since March 1, 2016. Twenty-one of the 24 states have chosen to require sex education and HIV education. There is now a requirement for 33 states and the District of Columbia to inform the students about HIV/ AIDS. Sexual education is required to be taught in schools, yet according to the data showing how many teen pregnancies there are in the United States, along with the information on how few teens use protection, some say that sexual education does not do its job as well as it should. Freshman Vana Hovsepian said, “It we should learn about the health
Birth control pills are a common method of contraception.
problems from having sex and how to stay safe because at any moment you could be pressured and it’s always a good idea to be prepared.” At Clark, the freshman class is required to take college preparation for a semester and health for the next. For second semester, during which health in taught, students learn about “Nutrition and Physical Activity; Growth, Development and Sexual Health; Injury Prevention; Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; Mental, Emotional, and Social Health; and Personal and Community Health,” according to the California Department of Education Comprehensive Sexual Health & HIV/AIDS Instruction. The health teachers at Clark are required to follow these guideline by providing students with “knowledge and skills necessary to protect his or her sexual and reproductive health from unintended pregnancy and STDs (EC 51930),” and encouraging students to “develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual orientation, dating, marriage, and family (EC 51930).” Based on these guidelines, the message being sent by the California Department of Education is that there are many
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Feature What states mandate sexual education? SOURCE: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES, GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE AND SEX, ETC
STATES THAT DON'T REQUIRE SEX ED IN SCHOOLS
harms that result from having sexual intercourse, pushing the idea that students should not be having sex. During these lessons, however, students learn about the negative side effects that may result from having sex rather than focusing on instructing students on how to use protection to prevent diseases and pregnancy when the time comes. Judy Sanzo, one of two health teachers at Clark, said that abstinence in her classroom is more emphasized compared to teaching protected sex and methods of contraceptives. “Students come back to me later and ask me for advice, like when it’s the right time to have sex, rather than asking their parents or friends.” Breanna Hutchinson is teaching Health and College Prep in her first year at Clark. She believes that students
STATES THAT REQUIRE SEX ED IN SCHOOLS
STATES THAT REQUIRE CONTRACEPTION INSTRUCTIONS WITH SEX-ED
should be well informed on how to use protection. “There are two different sides to sex ed; there’s abstinence, and there’s preventative. You know, being in the teaching world for a few years, it was always abstinence, abstinence, abstinence. That’s great for the kids that do that, but what are you going to do with the kids who don’t do that? You have to teach them the preventative skills, and if you don’t do that, well, sometimes teachers can get in trouble for that. So, you have to [teach how to use protection] because if they don’t know those skills, and that time comes where they’re put in a situation where they do feel comfortable or they don’t feel comfortable, what are they going to do?” Hutchinson said. “They’re (a), probably going to get embarrassed; (b), not know how to put it on correctly,
STATES THAT REQUIRE BOTH SEX ED & CONTRACEPTION INSTRUCTION
and (c), something might happen that you don’t want to happen.” There are alternative sources for sexual education beyond formal instruction at school. Teens depend on their parents to answer their questions which may end up being inaccurate and incomplete. They can also depend on their health care provider, which happens during the adolescent’s primary checkup or visit, which may only last up to 36 seconds, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Lastly, teens can turn to digital media to provide them with either accurate or inaccurate information. “Snapchat is always posting feature stories from Cosmopolitan on sex-related topics, but I never know if I can depend on it,” said senior Cynthia Alejandre.
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Feature
Tackling the injury problem in school athletics Precautions are being taken to reduce the chance of permanent damage By Himanshi Ahir “You need a strong mindset to play football,” said senior Narvik Mousamoghaddam, “It’s a sport about not giving up even though something might hurt, about sacrificing yourself for the team.” Mousamoghaddam has sacrificed himself for his team, facing multiple injuries from his current and last year’s season, including a sprain on both his left and right ankle and a concussion. Like Mousamoghaddam, hundreds of thousands of students get severely hurt during games, runs, and even practices. According to the SouthWest Athletic Trainers’ Association (SWATA), high school athletes account for about two million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations every year. “The day I got my concussion, I was running downfield to block the receiver,” Mousamoghaddam said. “I saw my target, it was just me and him. I sprinted towards him and put my head down. That’s all I remember,” he said. “I was told I made the block after the game was over.” He said that his face went numb, and the team trainer pulled him out of the game since his helmet sensor went
off. The team trainer then asked him a few questions: What’s your name? Where are we? What month is it? Can you say the months in order? His responses were delayed and he was unable to recite the months. Mousamoghaddam said that he felt like vomiting after the game and had a headache for the next couple of days, which are common signs of a concussion. A survey from Safe Kids Worldwide shows that concussions account for 12 percent or 163,000 of the yearly ER visits student athletes make. As stated by SWATA, high school athletes are three times more likely to have a concussion after they have already had one. Reasons like this are why the athlete injury section was just added into the Glendale Unified School District parent handbook this school year. According to EdSource, there was a new law passed in January of 2013 in order to address “under-reporting and undertreating of youth concussions.” The law states that coaches should be trained in catching the symptoms of concussions and knowing how to respond to this knowledge. GUSD’s Assistant Director of Student Support Services Scott Anderle said that the new law requires school districts to inform parents of any inju-
Mousamoghaddam plays for Glendale High carrying an injury throughout the game.
Senior Narvik Mousamoghaddam and sophomore Garbis Balasanians of the GHS football team wear their uniforms. ries their children may have received. “It’s important that parents know what to do regarding concussions and to not let their kids continue playing a sport while still injured,” Anderle said. Safety precautions have been taking in order to ensure the amount of concussions GUSD’s athletes receive are cut to a minimum. “Our district’s football players have collision clips inside their helmets that indicate how hard they hit their heads,” Anderle said. “Once it hits a certain level it tells them to check the child for the concussion.” He also said that football players are supposed to receive a baseline check, a computerized assessment that measures the different types of brain activity and acknowledgement of past concussions, before the season so the trainers have prior informations to compare with how the student does on the check after getting a possible concussion. “We are now having trainers knowledgeable about concussions and school nurses as well,” Anderle said. “If a child were to hit their head during Physical Education, the nurse should be able to follow the concussion protocol and contact the parents.”
Feature
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Hoover varsity football captain James Tumbocon leads his team in a game against Glendale High.
While injuries like concussions are given a significant attention now, this is not because there has been a large increase in injuries, according to PE teacher Chris Axelgard. “I haven’t really noticed any increase in the amount of injuries students get over the years,” Axelgard said. He also said that he has never thought about the issue of water polo players getting concussions, but that is something he needs to take into consideration as a coach. “This is the challenge of playing a physical game with no padding,” Axelgard said. “I’ve broken my nose and gotten stitches by my eye too.” Even in a sport that involves protective padding like football, the injuries could affect players more than initially perceived by the athletes themselves. “Concussions could have serious lifelong effects as injuries stay with you for the rest of your life, which is why it is important to have regulations placed to reduce those injuries,” Anderle said. He said that though teenage athletes may feel as if they will only suffer for a few weeks/ months, even when they heal, they have created a fragile spot on their bodies. Anderle, himself, has personal experience with sports injuries, as he said that he injured his left knee while playing football, and he still feels the pain now, 35 years after it happened. “The greater increase of regulations, the better quality of life for these athletes,” Anderle said. On top of concussions, football players face several other injuries that could threaten their entire season — injuries ranging from twisted ankles to dislo-
cated shoulders. “Going into senior year with high expectations as second-year captain of my varsity football team, I dislocated my right shoulder in a summer passing league game with Village Christian High School,” said senior James Tumbucon. He said that he even dislocated his shoulder twice more during football season, is going through physical therapy, and will postpone surgery in order to continue playing this season. Compared to the injuries college athletes endure, those of high school students, like Tumbucon, occur more often. According to SWATA, compared to the amount of catastrophic football injuries college athletes face, high school athletes face three times as many. Many students continue to play for their team even while they are injured, which only intensifies the damage. “I’m getting reconstructive surgery after my season is over in November, because I don’t want to miss any more games,” Tumbucon said, “especially since I love
An MRI of Mousamoghaddam’s knee.
my teammates and have been with them for the past four years.” Tumbocon said that he regrets trying to block the player which led to him getting hurt since he had to sit out a couple of games due to injury which ended up hurting his team in the long run. Mousamoghaddam also had to miss two weeks of football after his left ankle injury late August. “After head-to-head contact, a pile of people landed on my leg, twisted my ankle, and I heard two pops which I assumed was my ankle popping out and back in,” Mousamoghaddam said. He said that he was on painkillers so the pain was not too bad, but he did have to go to the emergency room the next day since his ankle was swollen. As in this situation, students oftentimes have to go to the emergency room because of their involvement in sports. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, student athletes visit the emergency room due to a sports injury every 25 seconds, which is over a million times a year. What causes these accidents is the the passion present in the hearts of every player during the game. “The higher the level of competition, the higher the chance of getting injured,” Anderle said. For those part of a team, this risk is a chance many are willing to take. “It’s still worth playing despite all the injuries simply because there is nothing like it,” Mousamoghaddam said. “The adrenaline rush, the brotherhood, and the lessons it teaches: push through adversity and don’t give up. The way I look at it, my body is a tool for the team — to help win the game.”
Lifestyle
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Best and worst things Positives
Food, sleep. —Samantha Dominguez, junior
Not having to work as hard, you know everyone feels a bit more happy — that’s nice
Negatives
I think family, probably not seeing my friends —Samantha Dominguez, junior
How I still have to work during the holidays. —Mason Metz, senior
—Mason Metz, senior
One good thing about the holidays is hanging out with family, you get to watch them opening stuff and enjoy their excitement with them. —Ava Garcia, freshman
My favorite part is, first of all not going to school, second I get to stay home with my family on my time off, and also, I like the fact that I get to go out and shop for the people I love —Areen Andreasian, senior
It’s pretty close to my birthday so it’s pretty confusing, I can get all my presents on my birthday or on Christmas so it’s disappointing either way. —Ava Garcia
Gotta say the traffic, the overcrowded streets and shopping malls usually. It’s kind of crowded and that bothers me. —Areen Andreasian
Lifestyle
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about the holiday season Positives I think food. —Asher Gilbert, sophomore
Negatives Having to go out and find what people want because I don’t know anybody, I don’t know what they like..at all —Asher Gilbert, sophomore
The happy. The decorations because everything looks sparkly. —Lauren Rovello, senior
Buying all the gifts, as I don’t have that kind of money. —Lauren Rovello, senior
The holidays in general
No school —Ronald Penal, freshman
A good thing is the excitement. —Kevin Sinsommanat, sophomore
—Ronald Penal, freshman
A bad thing is that the holidays can be overwhelming. —Kevin Sinsommanat, sophomore
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Lifestyle
You haven’t worn clothes until you’ve worn Ratio Clothing
By Henry Reed No matter the quality of the material or its rating — super 220s wool or 200 two-ply poplin cotton — the fit of the shirt is the most important aspect. If a shirt is too large, it begins to billow and crease around the waist, making the person look overweight. If it is too small, it constricts movement. The problem with off-the-rack clothing, such as Calvin Klein or Hugo Boss, is that their sizing is based on averages. If one has a neck size larger than 14, the person is presumed to be wearing extra-large shirts. Hence, it becomes impossible to find clothing of the right fit, forcing one to befriend a tailor. An alternative to off-the-rack shopping — and costly visits to a seamstress — is made-to-measure clothing. Shirts that are handsewn specifically for a person’s body shape provide the
perfect fit, in addition to allowing for customization and personalization through unique collar types or monograms. Ratio Clothing, an American made-to-measure company, provided me with the best possible result I could imagine. The order process is simple. I picked the material, pink broadcloth in this case, and decided on additional features, such as a white club collar, white french cuffs and a pink monogram atop the left cuff. The pricing is reasonable. A shirt from Hugo Boss costs $125, and cutting the shirt down to one’s size can cost upwards of $40 in tailoring. Ratio Clothing’s prices start from $98 up to $150, which is cheaper than having an off-the-rack shirt tailored. The policy on remaking or altering shirts “as many times as it takes” allowed me to receive a second order, as my first set of measurements was slightly off. Dealing with customer service was pleasant and the responses were always prompt. The representative asked for pictures and then adjusted the blueprint.
After an additional three weeks, the shirt arrived. While it did have some stray stitching, the broadcloth cotton and sizing made up for those minor faults. The material is crisp while being wrinkle resistant, unlike the Charles Tyrwhitt Egyptian cotton which wrinkles at the sight of sunlight, and the hourglass shape of the shirt, which in the off-the-rack world is as rare as a striped unicorn, fits tightly throughout the whole body without being uncomfortable or limiting my range of motion. The combination of the pink cloth being contrasted by the white french cuffs and white club collar resembles the 1920s style that is often seen in Martin Scorsese films like Boardwalk Empire. Ratioclothing is one of the most cost effective and high quality options for men whose measurements do not coincide with those of ordinary manufacturers’, or for men who seek a personal touch through the many unique features.
Off-the-Rack (Hugo Boss): $125 Tailoring: $40 Ratio Clothing: $98-$150
Lifestyle
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Mitzee Terriyaki Hidden gem in Glendale strip mall serves up authentic Korean food By Alen Zohrabyan Hidden gems are hidden for a reason. These treasures stay a secret for so long until they are discovered and given the deserved exposure to the greater public. Mitzee Teriyaki, a restaurant at one of many Glendale shopping centers, is one of those treasures. The light yellow walls and framed sheets of paper with phrases in the different languages make this restaurant a unique place to dine. There are lightly colored wooden chairs
Mitzee Teriyaki 721 S Central Ave. Glendale, CA 91204 Hours Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday– Closed (818) 243-8078
and tables that complement the walls, set up with bundles of chopsticks ready to be used. The overwhelming aroma of teriyaki chicken being fried on the fry top — complemented by the scent of steamed broccoli, carrots and cabbage — fill the air with scents of Asian cuisine. The beef and chicken teriyaki with a side of chicken egg rolls, which are the restaurant’s signature dishes, are prepared the instant the order is given. For the cooks here, working quickly to accommodate the customers is a force of habit, and one can truly appreciate it considering the fact that the food is freshly made in house. The portions are very generous. As the tables are already set with chopsticks and other utensils, the hassle of asking for anything extra is unnecessary. Taking out the pair of chopsticks out of the bundle of prepared utensils, and picking up a piece of the well seasoned chicken brushed with the teriyaki sauce, one experiences an explosion of flavor, with the saltier taste of the fried chicken breast being complemented by the slightly sweeter taste of sauce. The bed of rice that the meat rests
on is perfectly steamed, and the soft jasmine rice is well salted. Not forgetting the side of vegetables, which are just as well steamed as the rice, the prepared plate is portioned impeccably. The menu ranges from certain types of chow mein, which come with the option of beef, chicken and shrimp, to more exotic dishes that include squid. Only downside to the menu would only have to be the lack of vegetarian options. Mitzee Teriyaki is truly a perfect restaurant. The food has love put into it, the service is fantastic with smiles all around, and the price to portion ratio is superb.
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Student Work
Taking a closer look at the little things Point of view and emulation projects Students taking photography this year are using different elements and properties to explore photography. The graduation ticket contest for Photography 1-2 students is designed to capture photography through different angles. Photography 5-6 students went to work on the group pictures needed for their AP portfolios while those in Photography 3-4 incorporated the style of a famous photographer in their emulation projects.
Luiza Vardanyan, senior
Areni Markarian, junior
Niko Tadevossian, junior
Natalie Deravanessian, senior
Aleen Kadoian, senior
Christina Zatourian, senior
Student Work
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Student Work
Showcasing the literary talent of Clark students Fury
Who I Am
By Ryan Ellinwood
By Chelsea Santos
Red-hot anger, steam blows through the ears. An uncontrollable rage causing destruction in its path. This is when wills are strongest, this is when resolve is unbreakable. There is no mercy and no remorse. A trail of fire is left behind like railroad tracks set aflame. There’s a tunnel, but no light at the end of it, rather it’s lit up by the orange glow left behind. The tunnel may split, either leading to the shame of failure, or the glory of a war hero. Whichever path is taken, regret is soon to follow. Remembering those that have been forsaken because of personal greed creates a hole in the heart and in the mind. This hole gets deeper and deeper as time passes until the body is left as a soulless husk. A dark void of humanity. Man’s downfall is the rawest emotion.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Fear By Taleena Gharibian My hands were trembling. My whole body was, actually. A warm sensation was flowing from my torso to my face. It wasn’t a good feeling. I wanted it to stop. I needed to be safe again. I had the urge to scream, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Feeling as if there was no hope left, I tried screaming. Nothing. Either way, the sound of my heart beat overpower any other noise. No one would be able to find me. I couldn’t stop shaking. How did I get here? I needed to find a way out. My worst nightmare became a reality. Could it possibly be? This was the life I’d be living. In this constant state. I’m not only a prisoner to another, but I’m a prisoner in my tragic life. Heavy breathing, warm uncomfortable sensations, urges to scream; this is my life now.
And when you look at someone, you don’t see them. You see a temporary body. You, too, are temporary. A speck of dust amongst the sands of time, but you still think you are important. You try, desperately, vainly, to make your mark on this temporary world. You leave your claw marks on the walls as you get sucked into the void. Admittedly, my nails are long.
My mom says I’ve got a heart of gold. People get rich and I grow poor as the years go by. I’m usually unbothered by it. This is one of the only instances wherein I am content in coming in last place. Everyone can come before me. A gold heart, but no gold medal. I don’t want it. I don’t want some shitty landmark, some eyesore erected in the middle of nowehre in my honor. That is temporary. One day, when we cease to exist, someday, this world will cease to exist, too, and what will be left. When we are all stuck in Purgatory, and I must atone for my wrongs, I am not going to bring my monuments with me.
I will only have my soul, the only difference between the whole and sum of my parts. The one thing that is ingrained so deep within a person that it takes a death unbind it from skin and bones.
And in the movie of my life, in the grand scope of things, a drama for the ages, something that the faint of heart would not be suited for, I am up for an Oscar. Best Drama. Best Actor. Incidentally, this is the only other instance I’d prefer not to win. If you’d like to submit your writing, please see the magazine editors during enrichment in Mr. Davis’ room.
Student Work
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Home By Gian Rivera It’s times when I think about where my most comfortable and relaxing place is, my home, as it would be, that I realize how simple I can be as a human being. See, home for me isn’t a store or a coffee shop. It isn’t in some classroom or a church. It isn’t at my computer. It isn’t even just with my friends. Not directly at least. See, the absolute most comfortable place I can think of is my bed. You know, just a normal bed. It’s not some super great bed, but it’s mine, just mine, and I can do whatever I want with it. Think of my bed as a home, within my home. I can do practically anything I want on that bed. I can do my homework. I can watch TV. I can draw. I can close my eyes and sleep. I can just chill and use my phone. A lot of my most, in-depth conversations I’ve had through texting friends have been on that bed. A lot of the best memes have been discovered on that bed. I think the only things I can’t do on my bed are just eat and go to the bathroom/shower. Otherwise, my bed has literally “had my back” for years. It’s soft and getting some sleep on it feels absolutely amazing. It feels like my back is finally getting some rest after a long day. It’s not complicated. It’s not deep. It’s just simple. I am comfortable on my bed. My bed is my home.
White By Lily Eloyan I am white. And this is not only relevant in political conversations. Every night I tell my mom I can’t go to the gym because I have too much homework. White lie. When really homework is the last thing on my mind. I push school into a small corner of my brain so it won’t be flushed completely out of my head when the white water rapids of thought sweep through. Because if I really thought about it, my gnawing fear of someday becoming a white-collar worker might paralyze me as it’s done before. A boring, mediocre person with a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence. Although I might just be headed there, because every morning I wake up and head to school as hours of class roll on and all I hear is white noise. All I see are white hatted teachers standing there, pretending that what they say benefits us, when all it does is boost their egos.
Sometimes I dream of being famous, my only job being posing in front of cameras on a red carpet and flashing my pearly whites. But I don’t think even that would be enough for me. I need to be doing something bigger, better, something that not only changes me, but the world. I’ve always been the opposite of the Snow Whites surrounding me. Obedient, perfect, plain. I would never be fooled by the evil witches in the world who want me to sleep on my dreams. I’ve never needed seven men or prince to take care of me or wake me up. Let the white rabbit pull me down. I can handle whatever he has to show me. I have too much potential to wear a white dress and hand my future over to the next “white knight” that comes along. I belong in the White House. I will never wave a white flag. I won’t give up when the White Walkers reach Westeros. I have been Lily-white. It’s time for some color.
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Student Work
Expressing emotions through various styles
Phobia, mason jar, and self-portrait art Students from Draw/Paint 1-2 created artwork that illustrates a phobia, and examplifies a creative representation using colored pencil.
POGONOPHOBIA – Fear of Beards Lauren Momijian, senior
ACROPHOBIA – fear of heights Wolfgang Yakkel, senior
SCIOPHOBIA – fear of shadows Morgan Andrews, freshman
ACROPHOBIA – fear of heights Lousine Aslanyan, junior
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Student Work
Students from Draw/ Paint 1-2 use their drawing and composition to create an observational painting of a mason jar. Students from Design 3/4 used lines to create a self-portrait of themselves.
Morgan Andrews, freshman
Ariel Hovespian, junior
Lauren Momijian, senior
Meri Vardanyan, junior
Rita Grigorian, junior
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In the Life
Art and fun in the form of Free-form gymnastics is still parkour popular with young people By Arman Antonyan I miss my childhood. As a child, I didn’t have to “know better.” I was daring. I could roll and jump and climb in every nook and cranny anywhere, in any position, and I didn’t fear judgment. Other children egged me on to experiment more, not less. My recent beginner’s parkour sessions at Tempest Freerunning Academy in Los Angeles were surprisingly reminiscent of those days. Tempest prides itself on being “California’s first and only training facility solely dedicated to the growth and spread of freerunning and parkour.” There, I groomed and indulged my nostalgia one hour at a time. I was able to do the crazy movements of my childhood at my classes, but better, being more mature and capable now. Parkour is applicable virtually everywhere that’s not an open field. It’s like a freer, more practical form of gymnastics. Both disciplines require a great deal of coordination, balance and body awareness. Parkour soon might also join gymnastics as an Olympic sport, according to the European Olympic Committees — impressive considering its youth. Parkour was popularized
only recently, in the late 1990s, mainly by Frenchman David Belle. Based on Google Trends’ measure of search interest over time, it reached its heyday in the early-mid 2000s, and has since been somewhat less popular, but still consistent in its popularity. Beginner student Daniel Harrison, 26, seemed to recognize as much. “I first discovered parkour in middle school online, back when it was at its peak.” Parkour is hard to formally define and to distinguish from its close relative, freerunning. My gym Tempest’s FAQ claims that parkour is focused on “efficiency of movement from point A to point B,” while freerunning is more artistic, focused on “freedom of movement” and the journey, not the destination. The World Freerunning Parkour Foundation appears to agree. However, my coach Jason Lockhart uses the two terms interchangeably, as does ParkourUK, the UK’s governing body for parkour. Whatever you call what I was doing at Tempest, it was a blast. Coach Jason, who’s been training for four years, concurred. “Part of the reason I started parkour, and the main reason I’m still here, is that it’s extremely fun.” That
Junior Ayedin Mahmoudi climbs a beam at the Hoover High School field. Sophomore Ayedin Mahmoudi limbs a beam in the Hoover High School field.
seemed to be the consensus opinion around the gym, and I’d guess it’s shared by almost anyone willing to do a new and extreme sport like parkour. Tempest’s gym itself looks like the setting of the best kid’s birthday party I never had, with its foam pits, jungle gym, trampolines and castle — all vividly colored, often decorated with Mario or Minecraft artwork. There are kids’ classes, and there are birthday parties, the latter having introduced my classmate Daniel to the gym, but overall Tempest’s casual looks deceive. Many of the gym members are in great shape and have been committed to parkour for years. They have the lean, nimble bodies necessary to manipulate their body weight efficiently. Some veterans, though, are surprisingly bulky, seemingly without sacrificing performance. I’m glad I met the age requirement for the beginner adult class, 17, because otherwise I’d be stuck in the earlier class with kids as young as 9, and not be training concurrent to some phenomenally talented people in the advanced class. I arrived late for my first session, in the midst of the warm up, and eventually realized I should follow the line of students roaming the gym. Fundamentally, the warm up was similar to that of the martial arts classes I’d taken as a kid. It was just much more dynamic. We didn’t stand in a big circle statically stretching for 10 minutes. We jumped over things, climbed onto them and ducked under them. I felt like a hotshot keeping up with others without having previous experience there. The obstacles were easy to traverse. Imagine my surprise and stupor when we reached the jungle gym, and the people in front of me in line took turns walking leisurely on top of the thin 7- 8-foot tall bars. My turn came, and I looked ahead with dread. For a moment
19
In the Life
I was ready to walk and swallow my anxiety instead of my pride. Thankfully, my lifelong fear of heights kept me still long enough for one of the staff members, Coach TJ, to yell that I could just climb through the bars. It turned out I was trying to keep pace with advanced students who had a different class with the same hours. Coach Jason focused our class on the fundamental parkour movements. We started with parkour (PK) rolls, which teach you how to fall safely — once you hurt your shoulder and bump your head on the mat a few times. “Don’t think,” Coach Jason told me after I failed a few rolls. That worked better than any cue he tried. This is a sport based a lot on intuition and independence. You move and experiment as feels comfortable. You advance when you’re ready. It’s a highly personal journey, and all the friendly faces at Tempest seemed to understand that. They are all, however, a cautious group. “The most important thing in parkour is to know your limits,” Coach Jason said. “Don’t jump off the roof your first day.” We continued with more movements, and between precision jumps, cat leaps and kong vaults, I picked up the lingo, and it was nice to end the day with some simple pullups. I took advantage of the open gym offered after class hours. Most people, even the veterans, like to unwind on the massive trampolines during this time. At open gym, my classmate Daniel taught me how to do a pullover, my crowning parkour achievement so far. In a pullover, you do as the name suggests. You pull your legs and then the rest of your body up and over a bar, until your arms
and body are straight and vertical over the bar. Halfway through my attempt, I got stuck upside down above the bar for about five seconds, and my face was beginning to resemble my colorful surroundings. I eventually managed to drop my legs, and I stood tall over the bar with pride. Parkour classes have reached the Glendale area too. At the Glendale YMCA’s gymnastics center, kids train basic movements with 26 year-old coach Varag Hakopian, who’s been doing parkour in some form or another since he was a child in Iran. Like many parkour practitioners, Hakopian didn’t start with any formal training. He learned from David Belle and Jackie Chan movies, and invented moves with his friends. Hakopian’s students are mostly young children, but he has older students like Clark sophomore Ayedin Mahmoudi, a trainee for several months. Mahmoudi likes parkour for its applicability. “It gives you abilities you can do that others can’t,” Mahmoudi said.
He’s used it to climb Hoover’s goalposts, Clark’s basketball hoops, and other urban zones. Hakopian and Mahmoudi’s training center is a lot less flashy than Tempest’s, but it too has obstacles to maneuver through. It only fails to provide what other gyms can’t either: The body and mind to overcome its obstacles. That only comes with training, which Hakopian tries to stress as diligently as a coach can with mostly elementary and middle school pupils. The kids get lazy and distracted sometimes, but they certainly don’t treat parkour like a chore. Their faces have a way of lighting up every time they get to learn and then show off a new flip or spin. Hakopian, a humble man, tries to be as curious as his kids. “In order to learn something new, you need to always be a student. If you consider yourself as a master, you never learn,” he said. Parkour is a truly global discipline. It’s realistic and functional. It requires that you have anything but an open field. You work your way around your environment instead of creating an artificial one. “You can say parkour is new, but it has a really long history in humans,” Hakopian said. “It’s the art of movement. Humans were using it during war, while climbing, while running. No one called it parkour, but they were passing through blocks and overcoming obstacles a thousand years ago too.”
Coach Varag Hakopian demonstrates a front flip for his YMCA students.
20
In the Life
Corgis PAWty at Huntington Corgi Nation hosts Corgi Beach SoCalBeach Day By Karla Solorzano “Will you marry me?” echoed through the speakers. A sharp shrill came from the woman being proposed, to which was her “yes” in response to the big question. Who knew that such a romantic proposal could occur at a dog festival? On Oct. 25, So Cal Corgi Nation held its seasonal Corgi Beach Day at Huntington Beach in which hundreds of — if not a thousand — Corgis, Corgi lovers and owners gathered to PAWty on the sand. Corgi Beach Day is a day that celebrates mainly Corgis, but all other breeds are welcomed in order to raise awareness on common Corgi illnesses like hip dysplasia. “The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is prone to a number of serious illnesses not only hip dysplasia but also epilepsy and intervertebral disc disease,” said veterinarian Rebecca Schilling at the Pasadena Humane Society. “I think So Cal Corgi Nation is doing a great job at raising awareness for this breed.” The event began at 10 a.m. with the sounds and sights of low-riders racing on the beach sand. The event was kicked All dressed up for his day in the sun.
off with a kissing booth of Corgis dressed in Halloween costumes. I raced towards the booth and awaited to have my firstever kiss. The kiss was short-lived and like most first kisses, sloppy. I was overwhelmed with excitement and was still trying to recover from the kiss when I decided to visit the rest of the booths. Those of which included vendors such as bioDOGrable, FriskyCorgis, Bark N’ Borrow, Healthy Spot, Corgi Kingdom, and more. My favorite vendor hands-down was Bark N’ Borrow because it’s an app for dog lovers to borrow a canine or to dog sit for a period of time in the chance that one may not have the pleasure of owning a dog. One of the representatives, Kristen, said that she uses the app herself because it a fast and easy way to set up puppy playdates and find someone who genuinely cares for dogs to look after her own at an affordable rate. “This is our first year here at Corgi Beach Day and we are all quite thrilled to be a part of the Corgi nation,” she said. “I look forward to seeing more Corgi owners on our app so I can introduce one of these little guys to my dog Pablo.” After visiting a few vendors, I saw
All dressed up for his day in the sun. Chilling on on a sunny day.
Air Cooper digging frantically in front of the Volkswagen beach buggy sign. It was surprising to see how much the majority of Corgis enjoyed rolling around in the sand to the extent that they had covered their eyes with sand. Some of the famous Corgis that I spotted were Mr. Pickles (the host), Tobie, Daysie, Gatsby, Zion, Air Cooper, Tofu and Aqua. All were just as cute in person (if not more) as they are via Instagram. “They are so cute and their legs are so small!” said junior Courage Kim, who is a lover of the breed. “I think the cutest Corgi is Gatsby because his smile is the best, it always makes me smile.” The event first began in fall of 2012 with only 15 dogs. Other Southern California events which seek to promote and support dogs of other breeds include Strut Your Mutt (in Exposition Park, Los Angeles) which fundraises to help animals in shelters and Bulldog Beauty Pageant (in Long Beach) helps promote the wellbeing of Bulldogs. So Cal Corgi Beach Day has partnered since 2013 with a local Corgi and Corgi mix rescue Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue (QBSDR), which has helped rescue over 60 dogs since they began in 2013. So Cal Corgi Nation is proud to donate a portion of their proceeds to QBSDR, helping them to continue to “save low riders, one bark at the time!” This fall, aside from QBSDR, Healthy Spot also partnered up with Corgi Nation to provide organic pet food and supply at the event. They had several doggie stations where man’s best friend could stop by and get a sip of water or chow down on some organic kebble. My attention was diverted by the Corgis playing on the shore, and I found myself racing down to the shore with another Corgi. The four-legged guy had beaten me (to be expected) and after
21
In the Life
A fellow Corgi enthusiast at the beach.
petting him he joined his brothers and sisters in the waves. Unfortunately, this fella would get swept in by a wave and the owner would have to dive in and save him. It wasn’t until about the fourth time that the dog realized it should be more mindful of the thrashing waves. As I crouched down on the shoreline, I was attacked by a pack of Corgis all chasing a frisbee. I braced myself for the impact, and at this point I was propped up on my knees as one Corgi ran right in between my legs. Following the attack, a massive wave came hurdling towards me and I was drenched from the knees down. Over the speakers I could hear the emcee trying to get everyone’s attention. “Hello Corgis and Corgi lovers, It’s time for the Talent Contest! So please sign your Corgis up and make your way down to the stage!” I followed in hot pursuit right after and placed myself right behind the taped line. “Well, it looks like we have our contestants everybody,” said the emcee. “Please line up and we will have our first participant start shortly.” One by one, Corgis and their owners walked up to the designated stage and showcased their doggie skills. One Corgi attempted to walk on its hind legs, the second caught a frisbee, and the third tried “breakdancing” (little twirls). I enjoyed watching the breakdancing dog because the performance was accompanied by a hip-hop song. The
winner the crowd chose was Bungie from Torrance for his spectacular frisbee catching skills and was awarded a gift basket and a trophy. Around noon, the emcee shouted “Is everyone having a good time?” as the crowd cheered in agreement. “Good,
because it’s time for the Howl-ween costume contest!” One dog wore a Hostess Twinkie costume, another wore a Wonder Woman outfit, and one was dressed as a bumblebee. The winner of the contest was Taco for dressing as the house from Up and his owner sported a Russell costume. There were two more competitions later in the day — the limbo contest and best momo. My favorite out of all the contests was best momo because it crowned the Corgi with the best butt. The champion was no other than Cookie. Two-year participant Isa Hernandez was glad that she saw so many of her favorite Corgis like Zion but was devastated that Loki had passed away. “I think So Cal Corgi Nation has created a community that is able to come together and raise awareness towards the illnesses that may afflict this breed,” she said. “I look forward to the next Corgi Beach Day and hope more people come out to support these cute dogs.”
Gatsby the Corgi, Ryen the YouTuber, Churro, Churro’s owner, and Bungie
22
In the Life
Shooting arrows in Pasadena A fun activity to do with friends and family By Shaye Holladay McCarthy If you go to Lower Arroyo Seco Park on any Saturday before noon you will hear the sound of arrows being launched off bowstrings and cardboard being penetrated or balloons popping. When you arrive, there is a hill you have to go down if you don’t want to park in the streets. The area is mostly desolated, but you will see a bit of greenery from trees and bushes. The only other massive object besides the benches and signs is the shed where the bows and arrows are stored until classes on Saturday at the Pasadena Roving Archers. Carolyn Gruss, physics teacher Gerald Gruss’s daughter, used to shoot at the Pasadena Roving Archers and was part of the Junior Olympic Archery De-
velopment Program (JOAD’s). Her interest in archery was started because her mother did archery in high school and she wanted to try it herself, Mr. Gruss said. Carolyn started shooting four to five years ago. Like most of the archers, she shot a recurve bow, but her training fell under Olympic recurve as she was part of the development program at the range. Carolyn Gruss is one of the 20 million archers to participate in this sport. Considering archery is a sport, there is a lot less movement and running than there is for most other sports. When you dance, strength is from your legs. Archery is a sport where strength comes from your back muscles. When you actually engage your back muscles, you have a longer draw, adding more strength and speed to the arrow. As an Olympic sport, archery appeared in the second Olympics which took place in Paris in 1900. After the 1900 appearance, the sport wasn’t shown again until 1904, 1908 and 1920. After 52 years of not being in the Olympics, archery made its comeback in 1972 and hasn’t been excluded since then. Along with being a sport in the Summer Olympics, it was also a sport at the Summer Paralympics. Despite all the different styles of shooting, the only style of shooting allowed is barebow recurve. The original two events in archery was the men’s individual and women’s individual. In the 1998 Summer Olympics, the team competition was added and the Grand FITA
Round format was used. The Pasadena Roving Archers has a program to develop the skills of younger archers if they have an interest in shooting competitively. The program is known as the Junior Olympic archery development program. When I approached Coach Brian Seagrave to ask about tournaments I should participate in as a beginner, he said that when you want to start shooting competitively the 300 round is the best way to start. The style of a 300 round is casual and you’re only competing against yourself. I took his advice, and on Sept. 11 I went to take part in my first 300 round. Coach Seagrave said that he enjoys being an archery instructor because it gives him an opportunity to meet hundreds of archers each week and help shape their experience. “Archery is one of the safest sports in the world because of all that strict rules that are implemented on the range,” Seagrave said. We soon started to shoot the ten ends of arrows. There was a coach shooting at each bale to help score the arrows before we retrieved them. With this style of competition, you are timed during each end to shoot three arrows in two minutes. The time frame may seem small as it is, but when you’re actually the person on the line shooting arrows, you get enough time to rest between each arrow to maintain a consistent strength with each shot. The very outer white ring is worth one point, and as the rings get closer to the center they increase by one point each time, so the second white ring is worth two points. After the two white rings there are two black rings which are worth three and four points, then blue rings worth five and six points, red are worth seven and eight, and yellow is worth the most amount of points with nine and ten. Advanced archers will shoot at targets that have three different targets and they must hit each target once.
In the Life
Practicing form after class. You don’t have to strictly be competing in a tournament to score any shots you take. On days other Saturday, you could score your own shots and try to improve. When all ten ends were finished, and we got our arrows back, I spoke with my coach who was on the same bale as me. He told me that when you start shooting in competitions as a beginner you probably shoot better on Saturday. On Sept. 17 (Saturday) I was shooting much better and hitting the middle of the target. “The reason you shoot better on a regular Saturday is because you aren’t used to the stress of competing,” San said. “And the only way to get over the stress is to continue shooting in competitions.” Ethan Chang, another archer who was competing, said, “I chose archery because the sport itself is interesting and requires a lot of concentration.” Ethan has been shooting at the range since he was six and is part of the youth archer program that the range offers. Kim Johnson said that she likes to compete in competitions at the range because it’s a great way to see how much you have improved. “I’ve shot at the range for about three years and took the trad class during my second year at the range,” Johnson said. After the competition was over at
noon, Coach San called me over to talk about goal setting for a competitions. “You want to start with simple goals like all your arrows in the target and it doesn’t matter where they land as long as they’re out of the hay,” San said. That was easy to understand and fix. “Once all your arrows are consistently hitting the target, then start focusing on the colors individually to fine tune your shooting,”
Archers practice speed pull after volley.
23 San said. Awards are given out at the end of every 300 Round year for each division. The divisions are based on age, gender, what type of bow they shoot, and if there is any modification like a sight or stabilizer. If you want to compete to earn awards from the club, you must shoot at this competition at least five times during the competition year which resets on the first day of November. “Ever since the release of the trilogy for The Hunger Games, the amount of younger archers coming to the range has increased greatly,” Coach Seagrave said. Seagrave said that the Pasadena Roving Archers has had a complicated relationship with the City of Pasadena, though. “The range has had to fight the community to stay open and not be cleared out to make more space for pedestrians who visit but don’t want to shoot,” Coach San said. Even with the challenges the range has faced, many Southern Californians continue to enjoy going to the range. Carolyn Gruss, who began her years of archery at the Roving Archers, continues to shoot as an archer now that she is in college, using archery as her sport instead of P.E. “Archery is a form of liberation from both my everyday life and as well as the stress of school,” Gruss said. “It gives me a sense of freedom for the mind and body.”
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Opinion
Monetization policy hurts famous YouTubers
Philip DeFranco discussing YouTube monetization at a conference.
By Ani Sarkisyan Popular YouTube star Philip DeFranco recently made a video titled “YouTube is Shutting Down My Channel and I’m Not Sure What To Do” in which he described YouTube’s eager approach to make the website a more “familyfriendly” outlet. According to his video, YouTube won’t monetize videos that do not meet the advertiser-friendly guidelines found on the YouTube Support website. This is a foolish move for YouTube because their website has been such a success, providing viewers with honest content that they enjoy watching. What YouTubers are finding most frustrating is that YouTube is also demonetizing already existing videos that break any of the guidelines. According to the guidelines, videos that contain “controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown” cannot be monetized. What this means is that YouTubers will not make money on videos in which they discuss any controversial topics,
because these videos are not “advertiser-friendly. YouTubers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their videos’ content in order to conform to the new policy. Ana Kasparian, host on the YouTube show The Young Turks, says that YouTube is doing this to make sure that ads go onto ad-friendly content. This policy is especially harmful to news channels on YouTube, because they cannot make money from advertisements if they chose to report on topics that incite debate.
“YouTubers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their videos’ content in order to conform to the new policy.”
According to Kotaku.com, videos about depression and even LGBT rights have been demonetized. Once a video is demonetized, the content creator can request to have it reviewed for remonetization, but the video does not make money during this process. Since
these famous YouTubers get most of their views during the first few days of the content being posted, having it demonetized will cost them a fortune. YouTube should rethink this move because upsetting content creators will ruin YouTube’s great reputation. Hank Green from the vlogbrothers channel got an email stating that his video “Zaatari: Thoughts from a Refugee Camp” got demonetized. This video included information about how poorly refugees in Zaatari lived. Once this policy spread internationally, the #YouTubeisoverParty was created. No, YouTube is not going to actually vanish because of the policy, but many content creators will make less money, forcing them to find different sources of income. Though this policy mainly affects YouTube news channels, gaming, comedy, beauty, and other channels should also be on the lookout. According to the YouTube guidelines, videos that include “inappropriate language” and “sexual humor” will be demonetized. Most YouTube comedians constantly curse in their videos, so not paying them is really irritating. Having to filter your own personality to gain advertisers isn’t fair because these famous YouTubers built their channels on their unique style in the first place. Though some of the guidelines are ambiguous and hard to follow, others actually contribute to a better YouTube community. According to the guidelines, the promotion of drugs and violence is inappropriate for advertising. This is probably the only positive aspect of the whole situation, because it actually helps to make YouTube safer. Since YouTube is a business, it has the right to do whatever it pleases, but content creators still have the right to be flustered.
Opinion
25
Proposition 56 takes a step towards a healthier Califronia Tax raise gives smokers a run for their money
By Ani Agesyan The election of 2016 was one of the most memorable ones yet, but aside from the crazy presidential race, there were many important propositions up for Californians to vote on. Although some may seem uninteresting, Proposition 56 has Californian smokers worried about having to pay more for their poison. This year has been a huge year for tobacco. The legal age for smoking was even officially raised to 21 in June. Smokers were rightfully worried, because on Nov. 8 California voters voted yes on Proposition 56. Proposition 56 raises the cigarette tax by $2 in California. Before this proposition was passed, the tax was only 87 cents. Although smokers were worried about the ballot measure’s passage, the proposition will only help them quit and get healthy. There is no doubt about how dangerous tobacco is to a person’s health and well being. According to Action on Smoking and Health, 20 percent of all deaths in the U.S. are from tobacco-related diseases. In California alone, about 3,839,000 (ages 18+) are currently cigarette smokers. That’s 3,839,000 people in California who are putting their lives at risk every time they
light one up. According to an article in Quit Day, a smoker who smokes one pack of cigarettes in a day, will spend about $2,011 in a year. Now, if you add that extra $2 for every day of the year, that’s an added $730 in tax per person. The financial burden is not manageable for everyone, but on the bright side it can maybe help people quit because they won’t be able to afford keeping up with an addiction that’s going to kill them in the long run. Behavioral economist Justin White, in an interview with National Public Radio, said that nearly all smokers wish they could quit. They know that smoking is terrible for them, but it’s one of the hardest habits to quit, it’s a serious addiction. Teens who smoke will also benefit from the tax increase. While some teens do work, most of them make minimum wage. With such little money from parents or a minimum wage job, they might decide to rethink before spending money on pricy cigarettes. They can’t get addicted if they can’t afford the habit. While this tax increase isn’t exciting for smokers, it might give them a reason to quit. The funding from the additional tax revenue is going towards multiple, beneficial causes. According to Ballotpedia, the extra funds primarily go towards funding existing healthcare programs, tobacco use prevention/ control programs, tobacco-related disease research and law enforcement, University of California physician training and dental disease prevention programs. Not only is Prop. 56 going to push
people to quit, it can help to prevent diseases. The funds going towards any of the prevention programs will help to continue spreading awareness about the dangers of smoking, methods of quitting and avoiding it.
“While this tax increase isn’t exciting for smokers, it might give them a reason to quit.”
Also, the funds going towards tobacco-related research and law enforcement are going to further help people who are already sick and will keep young people from smoking. Funding research can help find cures for deadly tobacco-caused diseases.. For law enforcement, the funds can keep underaged people from smoking and give consequences to the ones who are already smoking. Proposition 56 is taking a big step towards health and safety. The extra revenue going towards probable causes is going to be extremely beneficial for California.
26
Arts & Entertainment
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them New Harry Potter
prequel comes out with a bang and spreads its magic on the bigscreen.
By Tiana Hovespians J.K. Rowling’s screenplay Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was recently released as a incredibly magical film, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. Just like the Harry Potter films inspired by Rowling’s books, this screenplay adaptation was also directed by the same director, David Yates. The film was released on Nov. 18 in both 2D and 3D, and has created excitement and anticipation
in all the Potterheads out there. The movie takes place in 1926 and acts as a spin-off prequel of the Harry Potter series. The plot starts off with a peculiar British wizard named Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). Scamander appears very much connected to his mysterious briefcase as he enters the big city of New York. He’s only meant to be there for a short amount of time before he makes his way to Arizona, but a series of events delay his trip. On his adventure he is confronted with a No-Maj, a human with no magical ability (American way of saying Muggle), named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). The two are then soon joined by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Watson). When Scamander’s case is accidentally switched with the no-maj’s, the creatures that lurk inside are released. Tina tries to arrest Scamander for endangering the exposure of the Wizarding World to the No-Majs’, only to be dismissed from Madam President and the rest of the police force. When they find out about the accidental switch up, they find an injured Jacob in his apartment and take him to Tina’s house. There they are introduced to her sister, Queenie Goldstein (Fine Frenzy). They
Eddie Redmayne stars as British wizard Newt Scamander in new Harry Potter spinoff.
go through many turns of events and experience excitement, fright and sorrow together, including encounters with the mysterious young boy, Credence (Ezra Miller). The film unravels many secrets and brings out great qualities in all the characters. The film’s special effects are impeccable and the magical worlds within it are created with lots of vibrant colors. The acting is remarkable and and all the cast and crew put in a great deal of work into bringing the screenplay to life. The movie gets a bit confusing at times, as it seems like there is too much going on. One must really pay attention to understand the film’s concept. A background story for each of the three main characters would also have helped the audience connect with the characters. Nonetheless, this is an incredible movie and has drawn the attention of people of all ages. This is a great film to watch with family and friends. With having a budget of $180 million, the Harry Potter prequel has been doing well, as expected, and within just two weeks of it being released it has passed $500 million at the global box office.
Arts & Entertainment
27
The Walking Dead’s
seventh season breaks hearts
By Gabriella Kchozyan Warning: This writing contains spoilers for fans of this show who have not yet watched Season 7. “Hi, I’m Negan.” These are three words that ruined the lives of millions watching AMC’s The Walking Dead. Those who have not seen the show may think it’s only about zombies and gore. This is a common misconception, as any true fan will tell you all about how this thrilling, action-packed series is much more than that. Although it’s not uncommon for episodes to be dragged out, the show as a whole does successfully keep viewers returning to find out what happens next. The most anticipated episode of this season was “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” which revealed Negan’s first victims: Glenn and Abraham. Millions of loyal viewers who had waited months to discover this expressed their grief through social media. Actors Steven Yeun and Michael Cudlitz had their Instagrams flooded with fans in disbelief.
In this episode, viewers understand the wicked mindset of Negan who has acquired a massive band of cronies and enjoys brutally murdering people and taking their supplies. Jeffrey Dean Morgan proves to be the perfect fit for playing Negan, with a dangerous combination of a cruel and charismatic personality. Many deem the second episode, “The Well,” one of the most boring episodes in the series so far. The comic book character Ezekiel and his tiger Shiva were finally introduced, but the CGI done to create Shiva was pretty primitive. The episode certainly seemed to prolong an exciting plot event. Fans also speculated romance between Carol and “king” Ezekiel as he gave her a pomegranate. Maybe it was the best part of the episode. “The Cell” had fangirls in despair as it is revealed how Negan treats the heartthrob of the show, Daryl Dixon, in the confinements of a cell. Again, a pretty uneventful episode, but there was definitely more character development for Negan’s head minion Dwight. I’m sure everyone had an earworm from this episode, as “Easy Street” by The Collapsable Hearts Club kept playing for a good
chunk of it as a way to get Daryl to go insane. The 90-minute special, “Service,” was a step up. Judith isn’t Rick’s child. Shocking? Not really, but still important. Negan and “the Saviors” raid Alexandria of almost all their supplies and Rick’s tough demeanor and leadership continues to take a full swing in the opposite direction. With a few episodes left to go, fans are expecting the plot to build up soon. It has been relatively slow-paced with filler episodes, but everyone has been filled with spewing hatred for the new villain’s reign of terror. Achingly depressing, and now even more empty without Glenn and Abraham, Season 7 of The Walking Dead is a “diamond in the rough,” but will be sure to continue to shock and captivate viewers as the plot thickens.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays one of the most evil villains in the show so far: Negan.
28
Arts & Entertainment
Starboy leaves fans in a galaxy of emotions
The official album art of The Weekend’s third full-length album.
By Chelsea Santos The King of the Fall has done it again. Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, blessed his followers with Starboy, an 18-track album, on Nov. 25. It features collaborations with French electronic duo Daft Punk, and rappers Future (whose song “Low Life” enlists the vocals of Tesfaye) and Compton-born Kendrick Lamar. Lana Del Rey, one of his dearest friends in the industry, also makes a reappearance on the outro of “Party Monster” and in “Stargirl Interlude.” This is a comeback from Del Rey’s contribution in “Prisoner” from Tesfaye’s 2015 album, Beauty Behind the Madness. This is a genius move on The Weeknd’s part, to bring Lana back, as the combination of her soft, dreamy vocals with his provides for a sultry, smoky sound — like the manifestation of a fog machine. The lead, titular single, “Starboy,” was released two months prior to the album release date, on Sept. 22. This was a good choice to generate hype for the album; it’s catchy, with a good beat, and is versatile enough to be played on pop and hip-hop radio stations. “False Alarm” left much to be desired as the first promotional single. I didn’t care much for the occasional wailing and backing chorus of “hey, hey, hey, hey,” as it seemed a little childish,
but it still managed to work, lyrics-wise. However, the accompanying music video is fantastic—it’s shot as a bank robbery gone wrong from one man’s perspective, so it’s as if we’re watching the scene fold out in his eyes. It seems to be inspired by the 2016 movie Hardcore Henry, as well, which could be a plus for some. On Nov. 17, Tesfaye pulled a doublefeature and dropped “Party Monster” and “I Feel It Coming (featuring Daft Punk),” which ended up redeeming his shortcomings from the past single. The latter is dark, reminiscent of his old style, but simultaneously something you can find yourself listening to in your car going down Glenoaks at ten at night, while the former is brighter, more disco-themed, almost channeling the light, upbeat sound of ’80s dance music. While the 18 songs may be a bit much for many, with some citing that this work may be a disappointment, I must respectfully disagree. His sound is evolving as he is maturing, and it can’t be expected for a creative genius such as himself to make the same music for the entire expanse of his career. There are some songs that Starboy could have done without, but the standout tracks include “Nothing Without
The Weekend performing at Bumbershoot music vestival in 2015.
You,” “Six Feet Under,” “All I Know,” “Love to Lay” and “Ordinary Life.” All in all, the #KOTF gets a 8/10 for his endeavours on this project. Music isn’t as easy as it seems.
The single art for False Alarm.
29
Photo Credits Cover - Karla Zolorazno
Staff Photo- Eunice Ramilo 1. Henry Reed
Alen Zohrabyan
Karla Solorzano wikipedia.org
wikimedia.com collider.com
2-3. Eunice Ramilo artofliving.org
4-5. Natalie Deravanessian pixabay.com
8-9. James Tumbocon Greg Zamlich
Narvik Mousamoghaddam
10-11. Henry Reed
pixabay.com
12. Henry Reed
13. Alen Zohrabyan
18-19. Arman Antonyan 20-21. Karla Solorzano
22-23. Anthony Francisco 24. wikimedia.com 25. pixabay.com 26. collider.com 27. collider.com
28. wikipedia.org
Graduate Class of
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