February 2014 by The Bull's Eye

DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL

Matthew Aquino the rising star

sports 16

Randy Thomas

Diamond Bar High School’s cutest couples

a&e 10

Alumni Feature

feature theme 8-9

School’s Internet C***orship

feature 7

EYE OF THE EDITORS

editorial 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

White Out Game

STUDENT NEWSPAPER

The Bull’s Eye WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

Volume XXXII, Issue VI | ONLINE at dbbullseye.com | Published Monthly

State tests to be held early Administraters hope to start testing early to avoid interference with AP testing. BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

sionable memory with Darren. Filled with stories that revealed many humorous sides of Darren, the video offered occasional moments of chuckle amidst the generally solemn ambience. Many recollected his sarcasm and wit, traits that had made Darren fun to be around. It was his way of showing courage even in situations when it was hard to. By the end of the clip, the congregation had grown quiet, drenched in nostalgia, reminiscing on their own past experiences shared with their friend. The video was followed by a moving speech from three of Darren’s soccer teammates: DBHS seniors Alex Larcheveque, Vishal Bhupathiraju, and Carlos Amezquita, who reﬂected on Darren’s athleticism, ambitiousness, and resilience. The ceremony then transitioned into a special trio performance put

For students at Diamond Bar High School, the week of state standardized testing is closer than we think. Because the school must give students both California Standardized Testing and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, students will be required to follow a new testing schedule from late March to mid-April. Tentatively, during the week before Spring Break, juniors will take a ﬁeld SBAC, consisting of 25 questions of English Language Arts, 25 questions of Mathematics, and one Performance Task section. After returning from Spring Break, all students except seniors will be spending at least a week of April taking standardized tests. Although the CST is optional for schools, juniors at DBHS will be required to take the ELA and Math CST’s in order to take the EAP section, which is an extra section of the standardized tests. The EAP, also known as the Early Assessment Program, is a 15 to 25 question assessment that allows juniors to skip the California State University Placement tests. All sophomores, as required by the federal government, will be taking a No Child Left Behind Science portion of the CST’s, and all freshmen will be taking a practice CAHSEE test. The testing dates were pushed earlier this year because the CST

See PENG | pg 3

See TESTING | pg 2

GLORIA KIM

LAST WORDS - Students, all wearing Peng’s favorite color, gathered during lunch to sign a poster and write their final goodbyes.

Remembering Darren Peng Fellow DBHS student Darren Peng was honored for all the lives he touched. BY GLORIA KIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sweet, sarcastic, strong, supportive: these are the words friends and family used to describe Diamond Bar High School senior Darren Peng, who passed away last month on Jan. 27 from a brain tumor. A week and a half after his death, his memorial service was held at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. On a fair, breezy Saturday afternoon, over a hundred friends arrived at Skyrose Chapel, a sizable hall with large, glass walls and high beam ceilings. The wooden pews were quickly ﬁlled, and a handful of guests stood in the back.

Photo courtesy of Siris Tsang

BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY - Band director Steve Acciani leads Symphony Orchestra members during Peng’s memorial service, held on Feb. 8. With the onset of the sentimental tune, “Over the Rainbow,” a video created by Darren’s friends started, and the audience grew si-

lent, engrossed in the big screen projected at the front. In the video, each of his friends and teachers recounted his or her most impres-

Ennio brings his Spanish concert to DBHS This is the singer’s second year at DBHS after Justo Lamas retired in 2012. BY FRANCES WU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Spanish students had a chance to practice their Spanish skills outside of class last Friday at the Puerto Rican-American singer Ennio Emmanuel’s second annual concert. The concert, held in the Diamond Bar High School theater at 7 p.m., united students to learn Spanish language and culture through Ennio’s fun and motivational concert.

Some crowd favorites included “Manda Un Angel” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” from his album “Ojalá,” which means “I Wish.” The songs featured fast-paced, catchy beats and were aimed to increase the students’ interest in Spanish and to encourage them to follow their dreams. The concert featured dance students who danced along Emmanuel’s new single “Fuego Fuego.” Emmanuel also dedicated song “Manda Un Angel” to a student in the crowd, senior Taylor Raymundo, a tradition that he began last year. Crowd members were also asked to volunteer to perform on stage with him throughout the concert. Many attendees came onstage to dance along to his songs and play various Spanish instruments while

he sang. Students were also invited onstage to say tongue twisters and later rewarded with their choices of merchandise. The Spanish teachers were thanked personally by Emmanuel when he brought them onstage and gave a short speech in Spanish to express his gratitude for their organizing the concert. “The concert was a lot of fun, and I thought that the concert was a great way of incorporating Spanish into the lives of the students,” attendee Stephanie Wantah said. The artist also shared his backstory and how he became part of the music industry. He was inspired to change his way of life after several troubling incidents at XING YEN QUEK

See SPANISH | pg 3

SPANISH FESTIVITY - Ennio Emmanuel sings and dances with members from the crowd who volunteered to go onstage with the performer.

2 NEWS

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE BULL’S EYE

Former Master Sergeant recounts battle experience The Black Student Union honors Tuskegee Airman for his courageous service. BY CALVIN RU BRIANNA JACOBSON-PENMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

In order to celebrate Black History month, Black Student Union invited former Tuskegee Airman Master Sergeant Buford A. Johnson to come to Diamond Bar High School. The former mechanic of the all-black air corps had served in Japan, Korea, Africa, France and Germany talked about his World War II experiences on Feb. 19. After recounting some of his war experiences, Airman Johnson gave the students at DBHS several words of wisdom. He recommended students to serve in the military for four years before going to college, because it will open their understanding of the world. He also encouraged them to “believe in yourself,” one of the greatest morals he lives by. Tuskegee Airmen were part of an Army Air Corps program that trained African Americans to ﬂy and maintain combat aircrafts during the WWII. These African Americans also became crew chiefs, maintaining and supporting the personnel who ﬂew the planes. Although the Tuskegee airmen’s abilities equaled, if not surpassed, those of other Air Corps, they were discriminated against for the color of their skin. The Tuskegee Corps were also

EMILY LEUNG

FRESH FACULTY - DBHS’ new operations manager, Mefford, works at his office with plans of future renovation for the school.

Doug Mefford joins DBHS staff The new operations manager hopes to start modernizing the campus. EMILY HWANG

FLY FOR THE SKY - Master Sergeant Buford A. Johnson recounts his positions during the war and the valuable principles that he has lived by. particularly known for going into battle to protect U.S. bombers against German ﬁghter planes in WWII. They ﬂew around the bombers with red paint on their noses to help distinguish the ranks among scattered troops. They received awards for their bravery and various accomplishment through the years protecting the bombers and shooting down many enemy planes.

THE BULL’S EYE

Diamond Bar High School Student Newspaper

STAFF Editors-in-Chief News Editors Editorial Editor Asst. Editorial Editors

Gloria Kim, Angie Zhang Joy Chow, Katlyn Lee Gloria Kim Hanna Kang, Yusheng Xia

Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editor

Angie Zhang Emily Leung

A&E Editor Asst. A&E Editor

Claire Huang Emily Wong

Feature Theme Editors Asst. Feature Theme Editor

Hanna Yi Emily Hwang

Sports Editors Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Web Editor Staff Writers Advisor

Andrew Choi, Joseph Park Xing Yen Quek Emily Hwang Katlyn Lee Emily Leung Hanna Yi Vrinda Chauhan, Gaby Dinh Doug List

CONTACT

Diamond Bar High School, Room 563 21400 Pathfinder Road Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Phone: (909) 594-1405 x33563 Email: eye.editors@gmail.com Business Inquiries: dbhs_business@yahoo.com

EDITORIAL POLICY The Bull’s Eye is a public forum that welcomes the views of our readers. Letters to the Editor and Op-Ed pieces will be accepted only if they are signed. The author, may, however, request anonymity. The staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing content. You may forward letters to Room 563, or submit them online at dbbullseye.com.

On Nov. 6, 1988, President Bill Clinton approved Public Law 105– 355, which established the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Historic Site constructed a museum and programs honoring the Tuskegee Airmen’s service. Airman Johnson shared that he was quite proud when they were ﬁnally awarded for their hard efforts and their service for the country.

TESTING from pg 1

The testing dates will be earlier this year to avoid conflicting with AP tests. testing window was from April 7 to May 8, while the SBAC testing window was from March 18 to April 25. Administrators wanted to have all students take the tests at the same time, but did not want to have the standardized tests interfere with the Advanced Placement testing. Unfortunately, due to the new schedule and the new testing style, seniors will not have the week of break that usually comes with the week of CST’s. Although the exact schedule is not ﬁnalized, seniors are most likely to have only one day of late start. The schedule will be ﬁnalized by the beginning of March.

BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

The typical agenda of an operations manager at Diamond Bar High School includes everything from ensuring an adequate supply of toilet paper to overseeing new renovation plans for the school. After longtime operation manager Eric Gossett retired earlier last year and Dwight Baumann temporarily took over his position, Doug Mefford has now taken over this job as of Jan. 27. Mefford majored in Business Administration with a focus on Human Asset Management while at National University. He previously worked in church facilities management as director of several churches in the Inland Empire, and later, as the lead custodian of the Romoland School District in Riverside County. “I’ve been looking to further my career. My wife grew up in Hacienda Heights, so I have roots in Hacienda Heights, and when the position came available at [DBHS], I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to try to come over here,” Mefford explained. Once Mefford was hired for the position, his duties began right away. He has been in charge of day to day tasks such as administering the custodial staff, including the locker room and pool attendant,

and supervising smaller tasks such as replacing light bulbs, fixing lockers that are jammed, and maintaining the stock of basic items such as toilet paper and paper towels. “I ensure that the school is clean and open and inviting to not only the students but [also] the teachers and the community. We have a lot of outside people coming from the civic side to use our facilities,” Mefford shared about his job. His biggest goal for the future is to modernize the school. Starting from simple tasks such as repainting the wood to getting rid of the pink and off-blue walls in various classrooms, the new operations manager would like to see renovation in the campus. He also plans to integrate the three fire notification systems—one for the 600 building, one for the 300 building, and one for the rest of the campus—into one intercom system. “Our school is hopefully in the works for being modernized. The state does matching funds for modernization, and our school was built in 1983, so we need to go through some modernization update and put a new fresh look to our school,” Mefford said. Despite his short time at DBHS, Mefford already feels welcomed to the Brahma family. He really loves the way the students interact with each other and the staff. “[Being at DBHS] is a wonderful sense of family. I’ve been at meetings over at the district and to be welcomed by the superintendent, assistant superintendents, the directors of different organizations over at the district; I mean it’s just wonderful and so I’m really excited about that.”

Pentathlon swims to DBHS All swim teams from Hacienda League will meet to participate in the pre-season event. BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

With the long-awaited Denis R. Paul Aquatic Center ﬁnally settled under the roof of Diamond Bar High School, the Brahma swim team will begin its season by hosting a pentathlon event on Friday. The pentathlon competition is an annual event in which all the high schools in the Hacienda League come together to get an idea of what competition will be like dur-

ing swim season. “It’s kind of like one of those pre-competitions that show an athlete who you’re going up against,” senior Matthew Sia, captain of Boys’ Varsity Swim, stated. Fifteen swimmers from each school, 10 members from the varsity team and the top five from the junior varsity team, will be competing in five events: a 50 yard butterfly, 50 yard backstroke, 50 yard breaststroke, 50 yard freestyle and a 100 yard individual medley, which consists of one lap of each stroke. Time will not be recorded for the pre-season competition as the event doesn’t count as an actual meet. Instead, swimmers will have the chance to interact with the best athletes in the league and socialize with swimmers from other high schools before the season begins.

“The Pentathlon was started three years ago by the coaches of the Hacienda League. It was designed as both a ‘get to know you’ social swim event for the kids, and an opportunity for coaches to establish ‘baseline’ times for the upcoming swim season,” former swim coach Patrick Murphy shared. To the Brahma swimmers, the casual meet is not only a get-go to start preparing themselves for the upcoming, competitive season, but also a time to practice before every last second on the timer will count. “This is the only meet where varsity gets to swim shorter distances, [which] they usually don’t get to swim in normal races. Everything’s a sprint,” co-captain of the Girls’ Varsity Swim Team senior Vivian Sun commented.

NEWS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

PENG from pg 1

A Memorable Memorial Students performed at the service to remember Darren’s strength and neverending optimism.

XING YEN QUEK

AN ACT AGAINST CYBERBULLYING - DB Forum attendees watch a skit organized and performed by Peer Counselers, USB members, and teachers.

DB Forum ﬁghts cyberbullying Peer Counseling members held their semi-annual event last Friday. BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER

There is no doubt that as more teens’ lives revolve around social media, cyber bullying also becomes exceedingly common among adolescents. To tackle the rising issue, Peer Counseling has decided to host its DB Forum this year emphasizing the dangers of cyber bullying. The semi-annual event, which was held last Friday, focused on challenging negative stereotypes and addressed prevalent issues surrounding cyberbullying. Throughout the day, various activities such as icebreakers and student-led skit performances took place. Students were encouraged to break down social barriers by challenging their preconceptions of other people and discussing it with other group members. “Our goal was to raise awareness of cyber bullying. People tend to ignore it and think it’s not as bad as it is,” Peer Counseling senior Keerit Kohli said. “We want to teach kids how to respond. People don’t understand that sometimes, when you are confronting people on sites like Ask.fm or Tumblr that it exacerbates the problem and makes it worse.” After the skits, the attendees

were encouraged to think of ideas to make a better Diamond Bar High School and work against cyberbullying. “It was very eye opening and it was really nice to learn things about people I would never meet,” sophomore attendee Savannah de Leon said. “I think cyberbullying is stupid and it’s eye opening to see that so many people have been cyberbullied.” DB Forum was created by Peer Counseling advisor Sandy Davis to challenge positive-negative stereotypes and discuss challenging teen issues. It is entirely student-led by the DBHS Peer Counseling group and the adults that supervise the event merely assist the Peer Counselors. Around 100 students had applied to attend the event. “It’s a way for students to talk about what they feel is most important,” Davis explained. To reﬂect on their experiences at DB Forum, the students also attended a follow up meeting yesterday during lunch. The meeting was for students to meet up again with their fellow peers, see if they addressed the issues they planned on taking action on, and to watch a slideshow at the end of the event. “Peer Counseling works really hard all year long to make this event very special for the kids who attend Diamond Bar High School and those who do attend say they say it’s a life changing experience and they always have a good time,” Peer Counseling junior Bavani Sridhar said. “Those who don’t go really should because it’s an experience of a life time.”

together by seniors Denise Castillo, Tiffany Ding, and Eleanor Lee that warmed the hearts of the audience as the harmonic blend of voices, ukulele, and maraca echoed through the capacious hall. Each harmonic tone resonated throughout the quiet hall, causing a subtle, consoling atmosphere to settle in the room. The song was followed by more speeches made by friends Crystal Luo, Phoebe Ting, and Priscilla Tu; Victor, the father of Darren’s family friends; and Darren’s two nurses. Each story seemed to further bolster Darren’s upstanding character and the optimism and compassion that had left an incorrigible mark in the lives of everyone who had known him. Darren’s father, Philip Peng, had nothing more to say than how proud he was of his son. He recounted one of his recent memories with Darren, who had adamantly resolved to finish his college supplemental essays despite great physical difficulty. Darren, after having spent over a year in and out of the hospital, had developed a firm aspiration to become a nurse. Unfortunately, right as college application season hit, he was again hospitalized, and due to chemotherapy, was too weak to move his fingers or read words on the computer screen. Nevertheless, Darren insisted that he would finish, grasping onto his long-term goal. So, with the help of his parents—his father typing out the words while Darren spoke, and his mom reading the essay out loud back to him—Darren managed to submit his completed essays in time. Though he was not able to witness it, he received an honorary acceptance into UCLA School of Nursing program. To conclude the first half of the

Photo courtesy of Siris Tsang

FLOATING UP - Junior Kali DeCambra prepares an arch of blue balloons to add a sense of festivity to Darren’s memorial service. ceremony, the pastor from Darren’s church assuredly stated that he would meet Darren again in heaven because Darren had accepted Jesus Christ into his life. Then, with a prayer, the ceremony ended and people quietly shuffled out of the chapel, making their way to the burial site, while the DBHS orchestra, led by DBHS orchestra director Steve Acciani ﬁlled the hall with soothing melodies. At the burial site, the attendees gathered around, watching in silence as the casket was lowered into the ground. Each person was

handed a ﬂower and a paper crane, which they, one by one, dropped onto the casket. Darren’s family stood on one side, and friends and family formed a line to give hugs and offer comforting messages. Even after his death, Darren’s legacy lives on. “Hakuna Matata,” the Facebook page with over a hundred posts and nearly 700 members, was created in remembrance of Darren for friends to share memories of him. “This is not a goodbye, but a see you later,” Tu said in her speech for Darren.

All Club Food Fair

SPANISH from pg 1

Ennio is working on two new albums and will start his next tour this year. age 19. Now Emannuel is traveling across America to encourage students to follow their dreams and never give up. Over the last few weeks, Spanish students of all classes have prepared for the concert by listening to Emmanuel’s songs and singing along. To aid students and teachers in learning the lyrics, Justo Lamas’ website provides karaoke versions of Emmanuel’s songs as well as other interesting facts about the singer. Spanish is a complex language and students at school don’t have the opportunity to use it outside of school often. This concert offered students a chance to practice their Spanish colloquially. “First of all, they can sing along with the songs. Second of all, he’s got the words on a karaoke type of screen, so they can practice with that. And he involves students

throughout the concert, and interacts with them individually,” Spanish teacher Chris Buccola said. Spanish Club members, along with Spanish teachers Buccola and Marco Leal, organized the concert, and sold tickets for $14 at lunch. After the show, posters, CDs, and other merchandise were sold to the attendees. Emmanuel also came out after the show to take pictures with fans. The concert is sponsored by Justo Lamas Group and United Cultures and is on his second year touring the country. Justo Lamas, who preceded him, retired in 2012, leaving Emmanuel as the only singer for the group. Emmanuel currently has one Spanish album and is currently working on several new albums, one in Spanish and one in English. Several of his singles that he wrote for famous artists will be released later this year as well. His next tour, Enamorados, will start later this year and continue on until 2015. The singer is also working on his ﬁrst book, “Simple Thoughts For Everyday Life,” which will be released soon.

KATLYN LEE

GOURMET FUNDRAISING - To raise funds, clubs across campus sold varieties of food at the All Club Food Fair held on Feb. 12 at the upper quad. The clubs sold snacks including Chicken Bake, pizza, and slushies.

4 EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A student’s nightmare Twenty middle schools in New York will try out longer school days in an attempt to raise scores. BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

ick tock, tick tock goes the clock as most students anxiously await the hour hand to finally strike three. However, about 2,000 sixth-graders in New York will have to wait until 5:30 to finally breathe a sigh of relief and begin heading home. In an effort to raise test scores in light of the new Common Core Standards, 20 NY schools will be trying out longer school days. Although these extended days may benefit the academic aspect of the students’ lives, it will also take away time from extracurricular activities and cause more stress amongst students. New York City officials will be launching the pilot program this September. Twenty schools throughout New York with the lowest reading levels will be selected to undergo this plan of action. Sixth graders attending the selected schools will be forced to remain in class for an extra two and a half hours every day, for two academic years. For the duration of the extra hours, the students will receive intensive language tutoring. If they outperform their peers, the city will seek to expand the program. For the most part, however, this decision will be doing more harm than good for the students. The city officials seem to forget that adding two and a half hours to class time would also be cutting two and a half hours away from the students’ free time. In order for children to be well-rounded individuals, they will surely need to

participate in other activities outside of school. Whether it’s pursuing their hobbies or just relaxing, students need leisure time. School should not consume a student’s entire life. With the added school hours, students would either need to quit their hobbies or cram their schedule to include them, which would only increase students’ stress levels. Some students, for example, may simply prioritize other things before their education. Little Johnny may have a passion for football and want to be a professional football player in the future. Extra school hours will deter him from practicing the sport. Moreover, CCSS can lead to improved test scores if the standards focus on reﬁning the material taught in class. By improving the curriculum, extra time at school would be unnecessary. Perhaps this program can be applied on students who suffer academically, but the whole school shouldn’t be obligated to participate in it. For those who are doing well at school, these two hours will be a waste of time. The millennial generation has already proven to be the most stressed generation in America as it is. According to a study conducted by American Psychological Association, the stress caused by keeping up with schoolwork, social life, and extracurricular activities already derive about 50 percent of the generation of sleep. The study also revealed that academics are one of the primary causes for stress in this generation. Adding more school hours would only stress students out further. Can longer school days really make little Johnny read? I don’t think so.

Cartoon by GLORIA KIM

B L A Z I N G T R A I L S O F S AT I R E BY ERIC HONG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ere at the prestigious Diamond Bar High School, not only do we like to boast of our title as one of the highest ranking schools in the nation, but we are also especially proud of our high-quality restrooms. We students never fail to leave the bathrooms without making sure they look their absolute best, keeping to a strict code of conduct: do not ﬂush, do not use the trashcans, keep the ﬂoor wet and slippery at all times, and usage of toi-

lets is optional. Every day at lunch, I roam around from one restroom to the next simply to gaze at the extraordinary works of art. I love to marvel at and appreciate everything my fellow students have done to the places, from the poetically vulgar string of words engraved on the inner walls of each stall to the wads of wet paper towels stuck to the ceiling. Our restrooms truly are sacred. They serve as outlets for us to express our neverending creativity and exercise our artistic abilities. Just last week, one of the restrooms near the theater featured a new addition. The large, three by three feet blend of choco-

Cartoon by HANNA YI

late and strawberry milk on the ﬂoor strangely resembled ‘Starry Night” by Van Gogh. I admire the student behind this masterpiece most of all. Surely his generous act was out of goodwill and care, with his only motive being to please the restroom’s visitors and keep them from the depressing void of boredom—what a thoughtful person he is. However, the efforts of the unknown artist were soon brought down to waste, along with many other contributions. Later that day, I watched, mouth agape and eyes wide open, as the janitor relentlessly tore down every form of embellishment. To my horror, it was all gone in a matter of minutes. He might as well have gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and burned down every painting and shattered every sculpture under his very heel, as he did to my sad heart. The very next morning, I had quite a heart attack when I heard the news. The “Starry Night” virtuoso had been suspended for socalled “vandalism.” Nevertheless, despite the injustice served to our selﬂess hero and the janitor’s catastrophic act of merciless sabotage, the students of Diamond Bar responded with resilience. By the end brunch, the restrooms were back to their original exquisite condition; it’s amazing how they change almost instantaneously. The feeling of belonging came rushing back to me as I felt at home once again. This tradition is timeless, and we students will stop at nothing to survive it. No matter the consequence, our artistic passion will continue to burn like the scent of the janitor’s wretched Clorox. There’s no place quite like the restrooms.

Breaking the code If DBHS does not require computer education for all students, it will fall behind technologically. BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

o you want to create the next Flappy Bird, build your own website, or ﬁnd some of the best paying jobs on the market right now? Well, coding is your answer. As society speeds ahead with new technological advancements, people without the essential knowledge of computer coding are falling behind. Computer programming is the source of almost every piece of technology we interact with, which is why it is imperative that students are exposed to it at a young age. To introduce coding to students, Code.org, a non-proﬁt organization, started a nationwide campaign called “Hour of Code” early last December. Surprisingly, Diamond Bar High School did not participate in it. By not acknowledging the importance of computer science education, the upcoming generation of students will already be a step behind in the real world. Funded by Microsoft, LinkedIn and Google, the campaign was supported by Obama and featured free tutorials from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. For a week, schools from all over the nation designated an hour to introduce computer programming and encouraged students to learn the valued skill on their own time at home. For some schools, an hour just wasn’t enough. Soon after the campaign began, New York City partnered with Code.org to hire 120 computer science teachers, and the Chicago mayor made computer science a core high school

requirement and offered computer courses for students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. Some states such as Kentucky and New Mexico took a longer stride and even allowed students to learn HTML, JavaScript, or other types of computer programming as a foreign language class. It is unfortunate that DBHS, despite its high emphasis on academic excellence and college preparation, did not participate in this campaign and missed the golden opportunity that was available to them with just a click of the mouse. Because DBHS has not yet taken the time and effort to advocate computer science education for all students, it isn’t fully equipping students for a successful future. An adequate education, as emphasized by the new Common Core Standards, should help students have an easy transition from high school to college, and then to the workplace. If more jobs are requiring employees to know computer programming, DBHS should likewise push students to learn coding and other programming skills. Although tutorials that teach coding are widely accessible on the web, only a handful of students will pursue it on their own time. Therefore, it is crucial that DBHS take the ﬁrst step in introducing these skills to students and allowing them a taste of the programming world. Even a brief introduction can be enough to help many realize that coding is essential and is not difficult to learn. In this day and age, schools cannot afford to shy away from technology, rather, must quickly grab the opportunity to expose their students to the modern world.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

Eye of the Editors

Do you consider the Internet censor-

STUDENTS | ship at DBHS to be too restrictive?

WEB SECURITY| Due to growing Internet usage on school campus, students feel the need for lighter online restrictions on informational websites that help with research. “Yes. You find a website today and you find it blocked the next day.”

—Nicole Matsuda (9)

“No. In computer classes, if there wasn’t Internet restriction, people will get distracted and go off task by going on Facebook or online shopping. Internet restriction prevents students from getting distracted and it helps them stay on task.”

—Peggy Hsieh

(10)

Yes. We need to get on the Internet to do our research to stay smart. But we can’t do that with the blocked Internet here. So we would like to have Internet access at this school.”

One day during first period, a history teacher brought in a cart filled with new touchscreen laptops. “Today, I want you guys to go on my website and finish all the online worksheets that I assigned,” the teacher said as he was handing out the laptops. The first question was to analyze a primary source document on James K. Polk. Searching for the document on Google, the student sees many results waiting to be opened. After clicking on the first option, the student discovers that the site is blocked by the school district’s software. He selects the second option—same result. Third, fourth, and until the seventh option, he is met with the same disappointing screen. What is the point of using laptops in class if students cannot even complete the assignment until they get home? To keep up with the rapidly advancing digital era, Diamond Bar High School has implemented a wider usage of

laptops, projectors, and iPads in the classrooms. However, even though all this integration of technology is meant to enhance teacher’s lessons and heighten students’ learning in the classrooms, one flaw hinders everyone from fully benefitting from them: an over-restrictive Internet censorship. It is reasonable that the district should block any sites like social media, video sites, personal blogs, and sexually explicit websites. Certainly, students should not be able to freely surf through the web during class hours. But in order to censor sites that do not contain “educational” material, the district filters out many sites that actually offer greater educational information. When students try to complete class assignments using these gadgets, they are met with many restrictions. DBHS is not to blame for the highly restrictive filter system, however, because it is the district that controls which sites to block. Because the same standard applies to students

from kindergarten to the 12th grade, the filter seems especially restrictive for high school students who are able to handle more mature content as opposed to a second grader. The standard for a high school should indeed be more lenient than that of an elementary school. Some may argue that if the Internet censorship is loosened, students will take advantage of the new filtering system and indiscriminately use it in the classroom. However, DBHS currently holds a technology usage contract that students agree to keep in check what they are searching on the web. If the contract is broken, students will lose their technology privileges, so they are using it on their own risk. Meanwhile, the legislature must reexamine the current policy that binds such a wide range of age groups. If the policy is restricting education more than it is protecting students, a change is definitely necessary.

Eye of the Editors is an editorial piece of The Bull’s Eye. Statements and opinions expressed in the article herein are strictly those of the editors of The Bull’s Eye. The view of the editors does not necessarily reflect that of the entire staff.

—Kanya Bell (11)

“[Because} of the new Internet restrictions, I can’t check my Yahoo mail. I also can’t download files to my flashdrive. It’s a major hassle.”

—Bill Kwai (12)

Should schools have ‘the talk’?

The highly controversial issue of sex education in the classroom continues to spur strong opinions. BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER

PRO|

The good news is that the number of teenage pregnancies and STDs in America has been steadily declining in recent years. Despite the decreasing numbers, there are still myths and misconceptions teenagers have about sex, which often leads them to make poor decisions. To clear up these misunderstandings, students should receive sex education in schools, where they can get their correct knowledge on the subject. Sex may be an uncomfortable and controversial topic for many, but it is wrong for teenagers to not be aware of the implications that can occur with underage sex. These teenagers are missing out on a chance to clarify their uncertainties. Despite what some people might assume, many adults are not against sex education being taught in schools. A survey conducted by HickmanBrown shows that 93 percent of Americans believe that sex education should be taught in high schools. Those against sex education being taught in schools argue that different families have different beliefs, so parents should be the ones teaching their children about the sensitive topic. However, not all parents are actually willing to discuss this topic with their children. Even if such discourse takes place, some parents may end up giving noncomprehensive information such as choosing to abstain. While there is nothing wrong with telling children to stay away from sex to avoid getting pregnant or contracting a disease, teaching abstinence as the only

method of avoiding pregnancy is unrealistic. Whether or not adults want to believe it, statistics reveal that almost one in two teens will have sex in high school; in 2011, roughly 47 percent of high school students reported to have had sexual intercourse, and 40 percent of them had not used condoms according to Childstats.gov. Clearly, most American teens do not have basic understanding of the need for contraceptives or the potential dangers of unprotected sex. It is no wonder America is number one by a long shot in the developed world for teen pregnancy, birth, and abortion. Currently, there are more states that do not require schools to provide sex education than those that do. In the states that do, teens may only learn about STDs, but not know how to prevent pregnancy other than abstinence. Comprehensive sex education is important and taking a course in school be clear and detailed. Students should be getting information that would debunk any confusion they initially had. Advocates for Youth report that teenagers who receive a comprehensive sex education are 50 percent less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who receive abstinence-only or contraceptive-only education. There is also the argument that teaching students about sex will lead to increased sexual activity. This is not true. In a study by the World Health Organization of 35 sex education programs around the world, the WHO found no evidence that led to that conclusion. Adequate sex education is important because it helps give students knowledge that they will need for the rest of their lives. To ensure that people make wiser decisions and avoid making reckless choices, high schools must make sex education a required course.

BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

CON|

Sex education debate has always managed to be at the top of the American priority list. The argument has been ongoing since the 1960s when sex education was introduced. At the advent of this “sexual revolution,” the government decided that parents were ill-equipped to provide sexual education to their children in their homes. Recent debates have once again shoved aside parental authority and discarded a majority of the long-held foundations of sex education. This is no way to inform teenagers about the sensitive topic of sex. The Health course offered at Diamond Bar High School features a segment on STDs and sex education. The Health section of the Course Description Booklet reads, “The Physical Health Education segment is designed to provide basic information and understanding in the health areas of…STD’s, sex education… such that students will make sound decisions in their lifestyles.” While it may be true that DBHS hopes for a smart future for its students, the school is not in the position to decide what a sound judgment is. I am in no way advocating the restraint of knowledge of human sexuality from young adults. They have every right to be educated on this subject and only through such instruction will the teenagers be prepared to encounter and engage with the reality of sex in a mature manner. After all, nothing should be able to prevent a young person from receiving high-quality sex education. But my sentiments on this matter toward the opposition ends right here. Proponents

of sex education in schools argue that students will be provided with straightforward and objective lessons no different from those given in classes like math and science. They are completely wrong. Sex is not a subject that can be taught like any other subject offered at school. Given the level of sensitivity of the topic, one wrong move may insult racial and religious sects. And there is no such thing as an “unbiased” and “valuefree” sex education, which the opposing side presents as the solution to such problems. Every teacher has a distinctive teaching style and preference, and it is no doubt that their own beliefs will rub off onto the students during the course of the lectures. The essential problem that lies within this sensitive topic however, is the controversy over parental responsibility. Again, school sex education advocates erroneously contend that parents are incapable to manage the sexual education of their children. Parents know the needs of their children best and their complete intervention in matters concerning them, especially in moral and religious matters, is vital. Sure, parents can enlist help along the way, but they are ultimately accountable for their kids’ intellectual and moral progress. Therefore, parents’ deserved and constitutionally protected authority should no longer be trampled upon. Their judgment and insight are what really allows the children of the next generation to make healthy and sensible choices. It is true that the state has a genuine interest in reducing teenage pregnancy. However, it is wise to curb the state’s currently overwhelming control over what teenagers learn about sensitive issues such as sex education. Actually, that may be the key to parents being allowed to take on their responsibility for the betterment of their kids’ education.

6 FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Fame From Food and Fashion by Yusheng Xia, Asst. Editorial Editor Outfit: stunning; smile: wide; hashtags: present. With the snap of a camera and selection of the best filter, Diamond Bar High School junior Sharon Kim, like most other teenage girls, finishes up the final steps to posting a stunning “selfie” on the popular mobile app, Instagram. Yet, Sharon is a bit more than your average teen Instagram user. Boasting close to 2,000 followers, Sharon’s account “sharonnkim” is a diary of her daily life—one that comprises of food, fashion, and randomness that form an impressive collection of art. The online site Instagram has become a common destination for online photo-sharers and gained much popularity within the past few years. Users share photos and videos with their followers and interact through picture messages and comments. Like many others, the attractiveness of the app soon had Sharon interested. “I saw that everyone was downloading this popular app, so I decided to go do the same and downloaded it. I’ve probably been using it for more than two years now,” Sharon said. Sharon started off by using the app as a form off entertainment. She followed her friends and posted pictures like most Instagram users. By the time she purchased her first iPhone, Sharon started to use her account daily. Soon she had over 1000 photos and almost twice that many followers on her Instagram. “As time went by, people I knew started to follow me, as I followed them back. Every now and then I get those random followers, but mostly it is people I know. I’ve also received other fashion bloggers who are prettyy famous for their fashion. Honestly I think all my followers are cool, and it’s great to know that theyy want to follow me,” Sharon said. Sharon’s account is focused on the events of her daily life; she frequently posts pictures of her mouth-watering meals or snacks and presents regular “Outfit of the Day’s” (#ootd) for her loyal followers. Admired for her chic fashion sense and good taste around campus, her OOTDs have become quite well known by fellow Diamond Bar High School students who also use Instagram. “I usually post [something] everyday of what I’m doing or what I’m eating if the food looks appetizing enough to be on Instagram,” Sharon said. Although putting up pictures of ravishing meals, classy outfits, and lovely selfies get Sharon many likes, she finds posting pictures of her family to be her favorite; especially

Overheard in DB Every month, we will bring you some of the most ridiculous, hilarious, flat-out idiotic, and sometimes insightful things we hear around campus. So beware—we’ll be listening.

A: “One judge gave Yuna a 0. She had a flawless routine!” B: “Ugh. Go join a support group.”

“You guys are so entertaining. Why do I have cable?”

“Should I take another picture with Ennio? After the fourth time, I think he might recognize me!”

A: “You’re way too fat. No wonder you wear glasses.” B: “Glasses make me see your fatness more clearly.”

“I’m hotter than tamales marinated in tabasco.”

A: “I hate life. I’m doing homework in the restroom.” B: “Haha what’s wrong?!” A: “Because everyone went to sleep!”

those with her dad. “I love pictures I post with my dad because we don’t have too many photos of us together and when I take some, I usually post it up to make sure it’s secured somewhere I know I’ll look at a lot,” Sharon said. l In today’s society, Sharon sees Instagram as an excellent app that has a positive effect on her generation. She believes that it has helped bring many people closer m together and allowed t sharing one’s experiences with friends easier. “What’s great about Instagram is that it keeps us entertained by seeing what others are doing visually. It benefited our society because people can also interact on the app and everyone’s more connected on what’s going on with their lives,” Sharon explained. Sharon also has plenty of advice for fellow Instagram users. She recommends posting clear pictures and following users that frequently update their Instagrams to both learn from and enjoy their posts. Most of all, she encourages users to have fun and not worry about what others think. “My advice is to just honestly have fun with the app. Just don’t care if people don’t follow you back, or if you don’t have too many followers, cause in the end it’s for your own entertainment,” Sharon shared.

sharonnkim Missed my O O T D #ootd #vsco #vscofeature #creepers

sharonnkim Good lunch=happy Sharon

AIMING FOR THE BULLSEYE BY ANGIE ZHANG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Catching up on Season Three of “The Walking Dead,” one scene in particular just seemed to stick in my mind—I couldn’t stop snickering at the image of Haley attempting to kill a walker with a compound bow, and apparently failing miserably. I mean, surely it couldn’t be that hard, right? I set out to Hi-Tech Archery in Fullerton to test my assumption. Prior to my visit, I had in mind a building with shining chrome walls and brightly colored targets—it seemed that my expectations were just a tad high. Hi- Tech Archery also functions as an equipment store, so there was a limited amount of space dedicated to the actual range. Walking through a short hallway, I came upon a very warehouse-like room: brightly lit, air ducts visible, cardboard boxes stacked along one side, and what looked like cardboard targets arranged in a line on the far wall. It wasn’t that bad, but then I was directed to the ”beginner’s area” right upstairs, which was basically much shorter in length and had more haphazardly strewn targets. Excited to ﬁnally see if my skills were better than Haley’s, I quickly got over my initial disappointment. Our instructors were friendly, knowledgeable, and energetic. After going over how to handle the

Photo courtesy of htarchery.com

TOUGH TO TARGET - Hi-Tech Archery offers lessons to people of all ages. bow, we were given one and told to line up in front of the targets. The only downside was that our group was large, so everyone had to stand close together—really close, like my-head-is-about-15-inches-fromyour-head close (we were standing perpendicular to the targets). “All clear!” rang across the room, and we were ﬁnally allowed to attempt a shot. I notched an arrow, pulled the string back (a feat easier than imagined), sighted the target, inhaled, exhaled and let it go…only to see the arrow land on the ground about nine feet in front of me. I let out a disappointed sigh. “It might help if you pulled the bow string back far enough so that it touches your chin,” advised one of the instructors. I tried again and successfully hit the target—that is, my neighbor’s target. “Sorry about that,” I awkwardly said to him. My next attempts were substan-

tially better and actually landed on the object I was aiming at. The lesson was basically self-governed, but you could ask for some help or advice if you needed it. At $15 for an hour, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Just keep in mind that lessons fill up on a first come first serve basis, so get there around 15 minutes before it starts (times can be found on their website). In case you were wondering, none of the participants were seriously hurt during the lesson. My gravest “injury” was a small slap from the string, courtesy of a toolowly-placed arm guard. I wasn’t able to hit the bullseye, but overall, it was a great experience. Time flies when you’re shooting arrows, and now I can officially say that I should be able to nail a walker in the general chest area if the apocalypse comes. Emphasis on the should, not that a hit like that would even kill the thing.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

AlumniSpotlight

ASB President Then, DBHS Tech Coordinator Now BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

After graduating from Diamond Bar High School in 1984 as the first student body president, Randy Thomas returned to the school that he grew up in a few years later to start a different chapter of his life, one of a teacher and later a Technology Coordinator than that of a student. Thomas attended Walnut High School as a freshman in 1980, but a year later became a part of a planning committee that would help students transition into a new school, Diamond Bar High School. The planning committee was in charge of tasks such as voting for the new school’s mascot and colors as well as voting Thomas to be the first ASB president of DBHS. Looking back to when the school first opened in 1982, Thomas describes the campus to have had fewer buildings, a smaller staff, and a student population of only 1100 student. The first year the

school opened, it didn’t even have a senior class. “We had to start all the traditions; [DBHS] was a brand new place,” stated Thomas. Despite having to adjust to a new school, Thomas engaged himself in as much as he could possibly handle. On top of fulﬁlling his tasks a president, he was also involved with Chamber singers, Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, badminton, and his church’s youth group. After high school, Thomas was accepted into Stanford University, where he started out as an international relations major and then changed to a political science major. A few years later, he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s degree in education. At the age of 23, he was offered the position of a French teacher at DBHS while still in his master program for education. However, since Thomas preferred being a history teacher, he declined the job offer, but doors opened when Jon Goode, current GLC but a social studies teacher at that time, transferred to

WHS to become a basketball coach. This allowed Thomas to ﬁll the position of history teacher, teaching two classes, U.S. History and Government, for 11 years. “I was nervous because I was coming back, and I was with the teachers I left. It was only ﬁve years [since I left], so all the teachers were here, and now I was acting as if I was their equal, so that was what made me nervous,” explained Thomas. In 2000, a good amount of money was set aside for buying the school new computers, so a new position arose as a result of this for Thomas. He had already been doing some technology work for the school on the side, so this opened up his ability to take the new position of Technology Coordinator, which has now extended to include Web Administrator as well. Thomas’s legacy carries on as both his former student teacher Patrick Murphy and former student Lindsey Arnold are now history teachers at DBHS. Thomas enjoys witnessing the development of DBHS and has seen tremendous growth from its start in 1982.

Photo courtesy of Tushar Nandwani

STUDENT-OWNED STYLE - Brandon Wilson and Nimitt Shah pose in Hutch attire for a photo shoot for their Facebook page, where they made their debut.

CLOTHING FOR A CAUSE Photos courtesy of Randy Thomas

FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER- Randy Thomas smiles in his cap and gown and salutatorian medal with his father. At right, Randy, with his son, continues the cub scout tradition in the Thomas family.

Restaurant Review: BY JASMINE HSU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Though I am by no means complaining about the Asian cuisine that dominates the Diamond Bar/ Rowland Heights food scene, there are times when I just crave something different than Korean BBQ or Shabu-shabu. So I, in search of unconventional food, found a restaurant with a simple name but creative cuisine: Lemonade. Located in the upstairs level of the Fashion Island shopping plaza in Orange e County, the restaurant is structured like a cafeteria, with h a menu that encompasses a wide variety of food. Eager as I was to try the restaurant’s signature drink and namesake, I couldn’t help but dawdle in front of the food options. Everything seemed exquisite, and it took me a while to ﬁnally settle on my choices: the buttermilk chicken breast, seared ahi tuna with crushed orange-ginger ponzu, and avocado salmon louie, each at $6.50 per serving. I also

ordered two flavors of their famous lemonade, blood-orange and guava limeade. I dove into my choices of beverage at once. To say that I was satisfied is a glaring understatement; the blood-orange possessed a unique taste that left delicate tangy flavors in my mouth, while the tasty guava limeade left me wanting more of its addicting sweetness. With colors of soft pink and muted orange, the drinks tasted as good as they looked. It became clear then why the restaurant had chosen its name, Lemonade. The food, however, could not llive up to the standards set by d the t drinks. Though the food attracted me with its daintiness and exquisite appearance on display, it was disappointing to see how small the portions really were when on my plate. To its credit, the buttermilk chicken breast was in fact quite delicious, but I was angry at the small number of slices that I was served. To make matters worse, the sauces accompanying the chicken all seemed

to overlap each other in taste. It seemed as if the chefs were merely trying to impress their patrons with a “wide breadth” of sauces. The seared ahi tuna with crushed orange-ginger ponzu proved to be a big improvement from the chicken, though I had only received four moderately sized slices. Nevertheless, I hold back my complaints for this dish, as it had impressed me well enough. Despite my contentment with the ahi tuna, the avocado salmon louie infuriated me. The dish consisted of half an avocado with a small mound of salmon in place of the avocado seed. It was cooked to my satisfaction, but there was so little salmon that I soon found myself eating the avocado plain. Keep in mind, these dishes cost $6.50 per serving—I was paying $6.50 to eat some ﬁsh and half an avocado. But all complaints of overpricing and pretentiousness aside, I do have to admit that Lemonade is an interesting, fun place to visit. I’d deﬁnitely recommend this place if you are looking for a change of scene and thirsting for some really good lemonade—just be prepared to leave with a lighter wallet.

Location: 987 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach Phone #: (949) 717-7525 Hours: Mon - Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM Price Range: $4.50 $11.00

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

It started with three friends and one idea to make a mark on the world. Making use of their passion for design, Diamond Bar High School seniors Tushar Nandwani, Brandon Wilson, and Nimitt Shah launched their own clothing line, Hutch. Hutch, described as a brand based on the philosophy: “Stay Young, Grow Wise,” currently specializes in t-shirts and bags. Merchandise is primarily sold online on a Facebook page called Hutch Apparel but can also be found in Metropolitan Apparel, a local Diamond Bar store. Current prices for Hutch are $12 per shirt or $20 for two. “I don’t really see Hutch as a clothing brand. It sounds cheesy, but I see Hutch as more of a lifestyle. We don’t really do this for clothing, we do this to sort of create a name for ourselves,” Nandwani said. Shah and Wilson had toyed with the idea to start a clothing line long before Hutch made its debut last September. “At ﬁrst, it was something we’d just talk about and draw designs for. It was just something we thought about. Nimitt and I actually got really close through that. At one point, though, we decided that we had this concept that we had spent so much time developing, so we just put the plan into action,” Wilson commented. The pair had just started Hutch in their junior year when they came in contact with Nandwani, who had experience with entrepreneurship and knowledge on business from his family members who

are entrepreneurs. With the third member in place, they began to put the project into action. For about a year, they thought of different ideas and devised plans to officially launch the brand. “I think it took a whole year because we were afraid it might not work out, but by September we just decided to just take a leap of faith and hope that it would work out,” Nandwani explained. And it did. They officially launched the brand in September and advertised through various forms of social media, including Facebook and Instagram. They are currently in the process of creating a Hutch website. Shortly after launching, the trio hired a designer, DBHS senior Hannah Li, to help design future items. Li, who has experience designing clothes, created the second shirt in their developing line, which simply featured the brand’s name with a pair of hands around it that made a triangle. Li will also be designing the next line-up of Hutch Apparel, which may begin to also include women’s tank-tops. Since then, Hutch has been used to not only make money but also to donate to many different charities and causes. In light of the recent tragedy in the Philippines, Hutch sold drawstring bags with the slogan “We Will Rise”; for every bag they sold, one was sent to the Philippines. The company also contributed $400 worth of products as prizes for raffles and contests in Jesse Chow’s “charity: water” concert last month. The trio plans to take Hutch forward after high school and spread the brand to the college market. “I deﬁnitely want to continue Hutch, even if the only reason we’re doing this is to keep in touch and to keep this great friendship going,” Wilson said.

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n a j E h a Tiy i a h T h Kennet

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8 FEATURE THEME

“I like everything about Tiyah. She's funny, smart, cute, caring, and all the little things she does are the best.” -Kenneth Thai

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

AMOUR

“Although it's kind of cliché, I have to say spending time at Disneyland with Eleanor is honestly the best.” -Matt Cheng

“On Valentine's day, he took me out for Ayce sushie and gave me beautiful flowers. What I love most about Matt is his laidback personality, sense of humor, and smile. I first met Matt over a webcam converstaion and I remember that I thought he was really cute and sort of shy. The best gift I received from him would probably be a batch of cilantro (it's my favorite vegetable/parsley). He gave it to me as a Valentine's gift last year, and it cracked me up like crazy, and I ate it when i got home. [It is] seriously the best gift ever!” -Eleanor Lee

How they met: Over a webcam conversation

Together for: 2 years and 2 months

ine Skaa Will r Zhu

Just

EXPRESS THEIR LOVE

Campus Couples

“Valentine's Day was the White Out game so he was playing basketball while I was cheering on Song but we were able to hang out the next day and go to Disneyland! We usually don't have a favorite spot to go on a date. We have fun wherever we go!” -Tiyah Ejan

How they met: Kenneth’s dad introduced Tiyah to Kenneth.

Together for: 2 years and 6 months

“I like her because she is extremely understanding and caring [and has] a huge heart.” -Will Zhu

“For Valentine's Day, we had dinner at BJ's. [Out of all the gifts] Will [gave] me the flowers are the best Will is very sweet and the thing I like best about Will is how romantic, sweet, and understanding he is. I also really like to hang out at Birch Street in Brea for dates. ” -Justine Skaar

How they met: Justine and Will were both in sprints together during freshman year.

Together for: 1 year and 6 months

e e l r o n g a n e e l h E C t t Ma

“I'm truly glad that we are both in USB. We get to spend so much time together before, during, and after school. It's also the reason how we got to know each other!” -Daniel Shin

“The thing I like about Daniel is how genuine and kind he is towards me and everyone else. I love all the gifts I've received from him [as they are] meaningful and personal.” -Christiana Salvosa

How they met: On the last day of freshman year, Daniel and Christiana took a picture together. Daniel posted something on her [Facebook] wall a few weeks later and their relationship began to blossom from there.

Together for: almost 9 months

THE BULL’S EYE

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, February 26, 2013

THE BULL’S EYE

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Matthew Aquino

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

Lights, camera, action. Make way for Diamond Bar High School’s one and only Matthew Aquino. While being an exceptional student, Aquino is best known for his charismatic presence in drama. Aquino’s drama-ﬁlled adventure began in middle school where he ﬁrst started to develop some interest. His interest escalated in high school when he observed actors in the drama room one day during lunch. Both awed and fascinated by what he saw, Aquino could not resist joining the drama team at DB. Winning awards for “Best Young Actor” and “Best Original Script”, Aquino has established a name for himself in the history of Brahma drama. Aquino has played Willium Cubbert in “The Nerd,” Lazar Wolf in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Ken De la Maize in “Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” and Sheridan Whiteside in the “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” Not to mention Aquino accomplished all this without any professional training. “I’ve known him this year and he is incredibly talented. I think he can do anything. I’ve seen him in the Sheridan Whiteside fall play and I think it is better than professionals that I’ve worked with,” drama teacher Beatrice Casagran said. The one thing Aquino enjoys more than anything in drama is

BY CLAIRE HUANG A&E EDITOR

HANNA KANG

the exciting experience of performing on stage. “I love drama because of the rush of just being on stage and making people laugh and feel what you feel on stage. It’s the adrenaline when you are up on stage,” Aquino said. The day Aquino set foot in the drama room, he set foot in his new home. With such a supporting group of friends, Aquino does not view drama as a difficulty, although it is time-consuming with his AP-packed schedule. Aquino is currently taking AP U.S. History, Calculus BC, Spanish III Honors, Advanced Drama, AP English Lan-

heyclaire Claire Marshall has been my latest Youtube addiction—she is gorgeous, sarcastic, and stylish (plus, we have the same name). Claire is a freelance makeup artist turned vlogger and has a unique style, both in fashion and in video editing, that I adore. She also has an incredibly edgy style that is further emphasized by her extensive collection of tattoos, and I ﬁnd myself constantly looking to Claire for fashion inspiration. What I love about her is that her wardrobe is not the size of Macy’s. In other words, she has a decent variety of clothes and can be seen wearing the same Brandy Melville cardigan in countless styles or the same vintage t-shirt with different outﬁts. It allows me to realize the versatility of staple items in my closet and impels me to play more with what I have instead of developing an unhealthy relationship with online shopping. And lastly, I have to mention her cat, Bruce or “Brucifer Lee.” His feline presence in her vlogs and his sassy attitude never ceases to amuse me. Not to mention the fact that Claire has created an Instagram just for Bruce.

guage Composition, and AP Chemistry. “My biggest challenge would be time, other than that, I love doing it and it is a really fun thing for me. I look forward to doing it so I don’t really view it as a difficulty. I would say this is my home, if I need anyone to turn to, it is these people right here,” Aquino said. Such success comes from hours of practice. Aquino practices whenever he gets the chance, rehearsing over and over again whenever he is alone or even in the shower. He feels as if practicing when you are alone brings out the best in you. Aquino learns a lot from just at-

February Favorites “Kafka on the Shore”

Like Maria from the “Sound of Music,” I, too, have a few of my favorite things that help me push through my last semester of senior year.

JOSEPH PARK

DRAMA KING - Junior Matthew Aquino starred in this school year’s fall play “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” Aquino played Sheridan Whiteside, a demanding, ungrateful man who gives a very hard time to his gracious hosts. Aquino has been a part of the school’s Advanced Drama class since his sophomore year.

Recently, I have become more interested in modern surrealist novels, but I admittedly have mixed feelings towards “Kafka on the Shore,” by Haruki Murakami. What started out as an intricate novel about the lives of a 15-yearold boy running away from home and an elderly man mentally affected by a war accident made an odd turn when a rerun of “Oedipus Rex” appeared in the book. However, the book was beautifully written with countless metaphors and immersed me into a dream-like world of spirits, ghosts, and talking cats. Aside from the “Oedipus Rex” theme, the thought provoking ending reaffirmed my love for the book and left me pondering about the idea of the soul being broken up into pieces and the complexity of time.

8tracks 8tracks, although produced nearly ﬁve years ago, is an application that has just recently been downloaded onto my phone. For a girl who is just way too lazy to download songs, 8tracks provides an

easy way to listen to a mix that fits my mood and introduces me to new artists. Not only is there a large variety of playlists, but the accessibility of both the site and app is incredibly simple. All I have to do is type in keywords, such as “workout” or “chill,” and an endless list of mixes appear at my fingertips. This is the only app on my phone that I use more than Instagram and will be utilized literally anytime of the day. However, I find that I often listen to music when I am doing homework or writing, so my preference during my study sessions are indie rock, since it provides a softer sound. Some of my favorite mixes have been “Good Feelings,” by brookie. beat.96, “i think about you a lot,” by okrauhl, and “Straight A’s” by ahsela. These three categories have become essential parts of my daily routine in the month of February. And when the stress builds, when the day are long, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad!

Photo courtesy of youtube.com

L.A. VLOGGER - Claire Marshall gives us a peek at her beauty favorites.

tending drama class and learning from elders. Subsequently, Aquino admits his success is greatly contributed to his peers, his family. “Everyone in drama is my role model. They inspire me and we inspire each other,” Aquino said. With everyone helping each other out, Aquino feeds off the support he gets from the team. He plans to continue and ﬁnish his high school career in drama. Although Aquino does not plan on taking his acting to a collegiate level, he still plans on doing it as a hobby.

In his hectic, yet enjoyable high school life, Aquino manages to ﬁt in other hobbies such as basketball, golf, and piano. “I like to play basketball with friends and just let loose,” Aquino said. The most rewarding thing Aquino ﬁnds in drama is the sense of accomplishment he gets when the red curtain closes. “People come up to you and say you did good. It’s all worth it at the end. For me, just being on stage with friends is very rewarding,” Aquino said.

Photo courtesy of Cuong Nguyen

DANCING THEIR WAY TO THE WIN - Sophomores Jessica Danner and Jason Lin, and junior Kimi Taira (left to right) take big leaps at Sonora High School.

Dance Department Dominates at Sonora BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

The dance teams of Diamond Bar High School opened their competition season with fire, marking the group as strong contenders to look out for in the upcoming competitions. The Brahma dancers competed in the USA Regional Competition at Sonora High School on Feb 8. High schools with distinguished dance programs such as Valencia, Fountain Valley, Saugus and Glendale attended the event as well. Despite the reputation of these schools however, DBHS came out as one of the top groves, with the All-Male Group and Coed Hip- Hop securing first place, and the Lyrical Division taking second place. “There were definitely some amazing schools there. However, we decided to focus not on beating the other schools, but on doing our very best. By only focusing on our own dances, we didn’t allow any of the other schools to make us nervous or get in our heads which is probably why we did so well. Also,

we’ve been practicing each dance for a few months now so we were more than prepared,” senior Dance Team captain Taylor Raymundo shared. The DBHS Dance Company has set its goals very high for its next round of competitions. “We were honored to take second in Lyrical because the first place winner, Saugus, has won Nationals every year since 2003. We are working hard and hoping to beat them too though,” first-year dancer, junior Rochelle Sun commented. DBHS dance instructor Janna Lindenberg is very proud of the dedication the group is demonstrating this year. “I’m very proud of the dedication this group is demonstrating this year. They are a class act on and off the dance floor,” Lindenburg said. On Saturday, the dance department competed during the Cal Pac Championships once again at Sonora. Like last time, they produced successful results with Large Lyrical, Medium Male Hip Hop, Coed Hip Hop placing first and Small Dance placing second. Soloists Alex DaSilva and Tiffany Wood placed fourth and first respectively.

Flap Away Birdie BY LILLY BALL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

You may have noticed the recent absence of a certain little yellow bird in app stores since Feb. 9. The popular game, “Flappy Bird”, known for being infuriatingly difficult, was mysteriously deleted by its creator. Dong Nguyen, the creator of the app, was reportedly making up to $50,000 a day from ads, making the app more successful than any of his other releases. But despite the success, Nguyen made his decision to take the app down on the 8th, breaking the news over twitter. The app and its creator faced a lot of criticism right from the release. Blogs denounced the art of the app as plain and ordinary, and, after playing it myself, I agreed. I deleted the game after about an hours’ worth of intense concentration, resulting in a high score of 2. The game was simple, but difficult and addictive. And soon I couldn’t go on any social media website without seeing people competing with one another for higher scores. Social media sites were flooded with pictures of people showing off their high (and low) scores. “Press people are overrating the success of my games. It is something I never want. Please give me peace,” he tweeted. Nguyen deleted the game in hopes of finally getting his “peace” but after releasing the tweet, he was met with angry words, and even death threats. Users ruthlessly tore apart the game play, stat-

ing that downloading it was “the worst decision that they have ever made”, we all continued to play, but Nguyen must have felt the guilt of creating such an “infamous” game. There has been speculation that “Flappy Bird” was deleted due to the app’s similarities to art work featured in Nintendo’s famous “Super Mario Bros” game. Nguyen has denied all claims and said via Twitter that it was not related to legal issues. Ever since “Flappy’s” rise to fame, I could hardly go anywhere without seeing someone tapping away at their phone screens. In a dead silent class room, angered whispers and tapping could be heard. The addictiveness of the game gave students only another reason to use their phones during class. Now that the game is gone, teachers can now walk into class knowing that they have won this round, until the next crazy app comes along. If you ever get past your stages of denial and anger, try to realize what Nguyen did that many app creators failed to do. His actions were meant to help not only himself, but the growing number of game players. Without the app available for downloading, we can now all live in peace knowing that no more relationships will be destroyed over a score of “5”. You may still have it on your phone, but look up from your screens and try paying attention in class for once. You are now free of your “Flappy Bird” demons. Thank you, Dong Nguyen, for doing what we never could, and saving us from the “Flappy” phenomenon.

Facebook REHAB

BY EMILY WONG ASST. A&E EDITOR

Once home, teenagers usually do one of two things: eat or go on Facebook. Of course, eating is a necessity of life but the latter is a serious problem amongst this generation as Facebook serves as an immense distraction. Teens constantly check messages, “like” photos, and stalk random people as a way of ﬁnding entertainment during those long nights with our textbooks. What results is a form of dependence on the social media site; one that borders an addiction that seriously affects our lives. So to what extent has Facebook taken over daily life? And how different would life be without it? Would homework be ﬁnished before 11? I attempted to answer these questions by putting several of the most Facebook-addicted Bull’s Eye staffers to the test. I, along with Claire Huang and Yusheng Xia, conducted a social experiment on what it was like to live out an inconceivable existence without our beloved site. On February 6 around 3:30 PM, we did the impossible and deactivated our Facebook accounts. On Day One, there was really only one feeling: emptiness. While working on our homework assignments, we would constantly go to the Facebook page ready to login before catching ourselves. In fact, I went on Facebook seven times within an hour of deactivation. With each failed attempt, reality slowly began to settle in. We were experiencing social anxiety. By the end of the day, Claire reactivated her account.

Then, signs of withdrawal began to form for the two remaining rehabbers. Around Day Two, the emotional loss had begun to seriously alter our daily schedules. Homework became unbearable, and Yusheng found it difficult to stay up working. “Facebook really helps to keep me awake at night because chatting different people keeps me from falling asleep. With it gone, I found myself dozing off a lot while working at night,” Xia said. Something interesting we noted from this experiment was that we turned to other forms of social distractions. For instance, those of us who were “lazy texters” began to text more often. In addition, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram were also used to make up for the lack of social activity throughout the weekdays. Therefore, the removal of Facebook did not actually allow us to focus better on academics. I never realized how much I depended on the site for communication, such as clubs, until I actually deactivated it. After a testing two days, I succumbed to this addiction. The last man standing, Yusheng, lasted ﬁve days after an intense struggle. This experiment proved that the extent to which social media sites consume our lives can truly become dangerous. Although we expected to get at least seven hours of sleep for once by abstaining from Facebook, we saw little improvement. The culprit isn’t just Facebook but technology in general, something most of our generation would not dare cut out of their lives for even a day. Now, we challenge you to try “Facebook Rehab,” or any other social media site you frequently use because the results just might surprise you.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE BULL’S EYE

BUZZ:

the

Wednesday, February 26, 2013

The Lego Movie

BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

Although “The Lego Movie” seemed childish in trailers, the animation film was surprisingly entertaining.

When I saw the trailer for “The Lego Movie,” I assumed it was just another dumb movie for four-yearolds. Little did I know that I would come out of the theaters feeling the exact opposite. “The Lego Movie” is built on the story of Emmet Brickowaski, a LEGO mini figure who lives an ordinary life as a construction worker in his city. By pure coincidence, Emmet is mistaken by a group of Master Builders to be a “Special,” the key to saving the universe. Despite his lack of intelligence and creativity, he consequently leads an extraordinary quest to save his world from Lord Business, a tyrant who wants to stop progress and make everything immoveable with Krazy Glue. Sure, the plot may sound cliché, but, under all the humor, it also sends out a strong message undermining the homogeneity in our society today. Before I go into the extraordinary subtleties of the film, I must first say it was difficult watching moving LEGO pieces for nearly two hours. Yet, it was surprisingly pleasing to see that everything, literally, was a LEGO piece. It was as if I built the set myself: running water was portrayed as falling half bush pieces, explosions spewed out cross bricks and pillars of smoke, and even the plastic

Photo courtesy of junkiemonkeys.com

BUILT FOR ACTION - Emmet Brickowaski, the “Special,” rides an aircraft with Master Builders WyldStyle and Vitruvius to fight Lord Business. fire blowing out of a spaceship was a special-edition piece itself. The filmmakers did an impressive job of ensuring that every CGI effect was authentic; so realistic in fact that I felt like I was reliving my favorite childhood pastime with over three million LEGOs right in front of me. But one thing more laudable than the animation was the humor that filled the theater with roaring laughter from both adults and children. The entire beginning of the movie was a satire itself, mocking the unexplainable routines and ridiculous uniformity that many of us unconsciously follow every day. The movie also seemed to allude to classic film characters such as Batman, Superman, Gandalf, and even basketball legend Shaq

O’Neil. Not only did the directors insert a remarkable number of cameos throughout the entire film, but they also ingeniously intertwined snippets of dialogues and iconic moments from other films into the movie’s captivating storyline. And speaking of a captivating storyline, no matter how well you can foresee into the future, you will be blown by the plot twist in the end. The complexity of this movie is so overwhelming that I cannot possibly cover every layer of this LEGO masterpiece. Despite the unoriginal title, “The Lego Movie” is definitely more than a film for four-year-olds, and is actually perfect for adults and kids alike, or anyone who has fond memories of these colorful building blocks.

THE FACEBOOK ADDICTS:

Claire Huang: Lasted 1/2 a day

Emily Wong: Lasted 2 days

Yusheng Xia: Lasted 5 days

“Props to Yusheng...my fingers literally trembled as I tried not to type in the URL. But, I realized I would miss a lot of notifications for club meetings, so sadly, I caved.”

“I don’t want to sound dramatic or anything but I honestly felt like a crack addict going through withdrawals. It wasn’t fun.”

“Not having Facebook is almost as bad as not having a girlfriend. It is unbearably lonely and I have no idea how I lasted so long.”

Infographic by EMILY WONG

12 FEATURE

THE BULLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EYE

Wednesday, February 26 , 2014

A GLIMPSE OF THE

Brahma Life DBHS ROBOTICS TEAM AT WORK

TRASH PICK UP

Photo courtesy of DB Robotics

Last week, robotics members finalized their robot, which was built to shoot a two-feet diameter ball. Their first competition, Inland Empire, will be held from Feb. 28 to March 2. They will also compete in the Las Vegas Regional from April 2 to 5.

Photo courtesy of DB Robotics

KATLYN LEE

Volunteers from several clubs such as FBLA and CSF spend some time during lunch to keep the campus clean.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Do or die win GIRLS BASKETBALL | The Lady Brahmas earned a berth in the CIF playoffs by defeating the Walnut Mustangs behind senior Norah Wu’s 15 points. BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR On the last day of the Hacienda League play, all the attention was focused on the Diamond Bar -Walnut girls basketball game. The winner would get a CIF berth, while the loser would take fifth and begin rebuilding for the 2014-15 season during the long off-season. Overcoming their loss to the Walnut Mustangs 45-29 in the previous game on January 27, the Lady Brahmas dominated the game, winning 56-43 and gaining a spot in the CIF Southern Division 1AA playoffs. DB finished the season third in the Hacienda League with a 13-13 overall record and a 6-6 league record. “Walnut is a really good team. It was a real push and shove, but this was a big step in the program,” coach Tony McCabe said. The game was already a blowout by the end of the first quarter. With the playoff berth on the line, senior co-captain guard Norah Wu came up huge for the Lady Brahmas, scoring eight points in the first quarter. Freshman guard Lauren Del Campo made the two threepointers that helped DB gain the momentum of the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Brahmas were leading 23-4. During the second quarter, the Lady Brahmas’ defense overtook the game. The duo of sophomore centers Destinee Garr and Kayla Rice in the paint prevented Walnut players’ field goal attempts and also held the Mustangs to one shot per possession. Garr finished the game with 9 points and 11 re-

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Five league champions WRESTLING| Fourteen Brahmas qualiﬁed for CIF Individuals and ﬁve won league titles. BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

XING YEN QUEK

HUSTLING FOR THE BALL- Senior Norah Wu fights for the loose ball to score. bounds. Heading into halftime, the Lady Brahmas were leading 40-8. “Destinee Garr, of course, is just a warrior in the post. She sure can take a lot of hits in the paint,” McCabe commented. Leading by 32 in the third quarter, the Lady Brahmas changed from their fast-break offense to a half-court offense. However, this transition helped the Mustangs end the third quarter with a 14-4 run. Despite the extra effort, the game was still out of reach for Walnut, which was losing 47-22 heading into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs were able to rally back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to ten with a couple

of minutes left. However, the Lady Brahmas sunk in three clutch free throws that sealed the game away. DB won 56-43. “The seniors stepped up today. Norah Wu, Natalie Wong, Colleen Siu, and the whole backcourt helped execute the offense into scoring 40 points in one half,” McCabe stated. DB has been heating up lately, winning the last four of ﬁve games. The team has been plagued with injuries and sicknesses throughout the early part of the season, but has ﬁnally recovered from the setbacks. The Lady Brahmas have now reached their full potential and are ready for any opponent.

The Diamond Bar wrestling program has always produced one of the most talented teams on campus. Throughout the regular season, the team, which included female wrestlers freshman Belen Espinosa and sophomore Melody Palmer, easily defeated all opponent in the way. On February 7, both Palmer and Espinosa competed in the CIF Northern Division Girls Wrestling Championship. Even with a shoulder injury, Palmer was able to pin her ﬁrst opponent in the 106-pounds weight class in one minute. However, her season came to an end when she lost to Marjoree Fargas, the second place wrestler of the tournament. Espinosa, in the 126-pound category, had a tougher time, as she lost both of her matches. With the disappointing ﬁrst round exit in the CIF Division III Dual Championship to Perris Citrus Hill behind them, DB dominat-

ed the mats in the Hacienda League Finals, with five wrestlers becoming League Champions in their respected weight class. All 14 wrestlers of the team were qualified to compete in the CIF Individuals on February 22. Finishing the season second place in the Hacienda League with an overall record of 5-2, the Brahmas came into the finals with high expectations. At 132 pounds, senior Jeremy Foo dominated every opponent in his way and became the first League Champion for DB. After two consecutive third place finishes by sophomore Ian Campbell and junior Derrick Moss in the 138 and 145 pounds weight class, respectively, DB had six of the next seven wrestlers become League Champions. Seniors Aaron Oh and Keandre Johnson proved their skill as co-captains of the team, both finishing first in their respective weight class. Senior Aleksander Jimenez also won first place in the 152-pounds weight class. DB ended the competition with senior Carlos Delgado taking first in the 285-pounds weight division. “Coming into today, each wrestler had the same mentality of trying to become League Champs in their weight class,” junior Jeffrey Lin said. Foo and Johnson both placed second at CIF Individuals and will be heading onto CIF Masters.

Thrilling double OT EMILY LEUNG

BOYS SOCCER| Although provided more chances to score in the two

DYNASTY- Wrestling runs through the Palmer family, even the daughter.

suspenseful overtimes, the Brahmas could not capitalize to win the game.

Palmer tradition

BY JAMES KIL CONTRIBUTING WRITER Despite two overtimes, the contest between the Diamond Bar boys soccer team and rival Walnut Mustangs on February 14 ended in a tie 1-1. But it was enough to secure the Brahmas the Hacienda League Champions for the third consecutive year in a row. “I actually think we played a fantastic game. I thought anyone who knows the game of soccer should know that we completely controlled the game,” coach Kemp Wells said For the first half of the game, the ball just went back and forth across the field. Both teams tried scoring, but could not break through each other’s defense. After the slow start, junior Guy Horcasitas gave an assist to senior co-captain Kelly Craft, who made the goal after the ball bounced off the post, putting the Brahmas up 1-0 during the second half. A few minutes later, the Mustangs dribbled the ball up the Brahma’s end of the field and shot the ball through the Brahmas’ defense and scored tying the game, 1-1. Throughout the game, the Brahmas’ backline played excellent defense and kept the ball on the Mustang’s end of the field for most of the game. Toward the end of the first overtime, the Brahmas had another chance to score and win the game, but time ran out and they were

PALMER FAMILY| It seems as if wrestling is a part of the Palmer family’s DNA. BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

KICK FLIP- Senior Rees Vollebregt strikes the ball with finesse. forced to try again during the next overtime. In the second overtime, the Mustangs were also close to scoring, but missed the opportunity and ended the game on a tie. The boys soccer team had a great season this year, going 8-2-2 and winning the league again. “Just winning it one time is a tremendous feeling, but to have

XING YEN QUEK

won it three times in a row is just a sign of how dedicated our team is,” junior Andrea Gamboa said. The Brahmas will have to focus harder as they head into the second round of the CIF playoffs after defeating Hemet 5-1 on Feb. 20. “Winning a ton of games, winning the ring,” Wells said about the team’s goals.

Often family members share a particular hobby or interest, usually a common bond between a father and a son; however, in the Palmer family, wrestling has become a family activity ever since sophomore Melody joined her brother, junior Donny Jr., and her father, Donny Sr., in this competitive sport. Donny Sr. started wrestling in middle school and continued through college. His passion for the sport led him to begin coaching at the age of 18. When he was a child, Donny Jr. followed his dad to wrestling practices. By the time he was eight, he was practicing with the California Grappler’s Club at Northview High School. Melody started at a later age, not until her freshman year at Diamond Bar High School when her dad and brother suggested the sport to her. After trying it out, Melody has enjoyed the sport and pursued it, just recently winning a match.

Wrestling is not a popular sport for girls at DBHS, in fact there are only two girls on the DBHS wrestling team, Melody and freshman Belen Espinosa. The girls have both made it to the CIF Championships this year; Melody went 1-2 and Belen went 0-2. However, other high schools, such as a Northview and West Covina, that have wrestling teams exclusive for girls with around 20 members. Melody would like to see more girls on the DBHS wrestling team, but it’s hard to recruit new team members when the sport is often portrayed in an overly gruesome light. “Some of my friends are scared to do wrestling because they think it’s too rough of a sport to join,” Melody said. This year, Donny has placed second at the Nogales Super Champs, ﬁfth at the Brea Olinda Holiday Classic, and seventh at the Carter Classic. Donny was also one of the eight Brahmas this year to be in the 30 Win Club. The Palmer siblings are used to having their dad as a coach since he also coached their soccer and baseball teams during their childhood years. Some beneﬁts they enjoy with their dad as coach is that he can coach them at home, and at practices, they have a better understanding of his directions. Wrestling gives the Palmer family a chance to spend time together, not just as a family, but as a team.

14 SPORTS

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

THE BULL’S EYE

Trampling past the Mustangs Sports passions GIRLS SOCCER| Displaying an exceptional defensive performance, the Lady Brahmas successfully manage a victory over the rival Walnut Mustangs.

turn into rivalries Teachers at Diamond Bar High School express their passion for the teams they love and follow. BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER

RESEMBLING MORGAN - Junior Helena Kisor utlilizes her precise ball control to get past her opponent.

BY ELAINE KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Diamond Bar girls soccer team advanced to impress as it advances toward the first round of the CIF playoffs with a 2-1 victory against the Walnut Mustangs on Valentine’s Day. Although the Lady Brahmas struggled through a tough first half, facing the equally aggressive play by the Mustangs, DB was eventually able to gain the lead in the second half. The Lady Brahmas began with a shaky start, missing many opportunities to score throughout the first half of the match. Passes made by the Lady Brahmas were frequently intercepted and the ball often hovered dangerously around the proximity of the DB net. However, it was again the DB’s defense that saved the Lady Brahmas in the first half of the match. The defense was an important factor in victory and it was not surprising, considering that it was observed to be DB’s secret weapon throughout the regular season. During league play, the Brahmas

scored 22 goals while only giving up 5. “I think the players battled through a tough ﬁrst half and put in a good effort in the second half to win the game” coach Matthew Brummett said. Heading into the second half, the Lady Brahmas’ determination prevailed as juniors Marissa

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we made a deep run into playoffs. Coach Matthew Brummett Favela and Angie Puerta each scored a goal. Although the Mustangs attempted to rebound and take charge of the game by making a goal, their offense could not penetrate DB’s defense, ending the match with a Brahma win. In addition to Favela and Puerta, sophomore Sabrina May showed her strength, playing particularly well on defense and contributing with two assists. Some notable players

XING YEN QUEK

include seniors and co-captains Sabrina Corpus and Lea Kolek, who both proved essential to Lady Brahmas’ victory. With this victory over Walnut, the Lady Brahmas showed their skill once again in this highly successful season. The Lady Brahmas finished second in the Hacienda League with an overall record of 16-4-3. “We won a big tournament. We had a great overall record. We also earned a home playoff game in the first round which I am proud of. This season has been a productive one” Brummett commented. With playoffs underway, the outlook for the Lady Brahmas seems bright. Their strong defense and efficient offense will hopefully take the Lady Brahmas far in the CIF playoffs after defeating Mayfield 2-1 in the first round by a gamewinning free kick by Favela. Favela has made a remarkable return from her an illness and is slowly working her way back into her old form of being a superstar. “In the playoffs, I expect us to give it our all and compete. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we made a deep run into playoffs. We have a defense that can shut down any great offense” Brummett said.

Academics is not the only thing teachers have a passion about. Many teachers at Diamond Bar have a certain team or college they follow with intense devotion. Sometimes, these love affairs with their sports team can lead to some friendly rivalries. Calculus teacher Jeff Brose supports the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. During AP testing season, he usually wears an Angels’ jersey with the number ﬁve on the back, to represent the AP testing score. Brose has been a fan of the Angels since he was a kid. He says it was the year 2000 when he became the bigger Angels fan. The Angels’ management and ownership impressed him by going to its playoff games and seeing the World Series

COACH PROFILE Name: Matthew Brummett Currently Coaching: Varsity Girls Soccer

Matthew Brummett is the coach of the Diamond Bar High School varsity girls soccer team. His passion for soccer originated from his experiences playing as a youngster. He began coaching the Fountain Valley High School freshmen team at 19. While coaching, he played college soccer at UC Irvine. After six years of coaching at FV, he became the coach of the DBHS soccer team. His proudest moment as a coach was when his team won the Hacienda League title two years ago, his first league title as a head coach. “I really wanted to give back to the sport that gave so much to me,” Brummett said.

LEAH KOLEK ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Following Morgan’s footsteps

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

Known as an aggressive player, senior varsity soccer captain Leah Kolek dominates both on and off the ﬁeld. Kolek has been on the varsity team since the middle of her freshman year and has consistently led the Brahmas to success ever since. Inﬂuenced by her family, Kolek began playing soccer as a youngster. By the age of eight, Kolek was already playing at clubs such as the American Soccer Youth Organization and FC Barcelona. Since then, Kolek played for various clubs throughout elementary and middle school. Kolek, then, joined the Diamond Bar High School soccer program, where her determination landed her on junior varsity team in her freshman year. She quickly earned her way onto the varsity team midseason that year. She has been on varsity ever since. Kolek earned her title as team captain her senior year and has led the team to the

CIF playoffs twice. Among her many prestigious achievements, her most memorable one was during a game last year against Los Altos, where she scored the winning header of the game. “At ﬁrst, I just really liked the sport and being active, but I started motivating myself to get a schol-

I really like that feeling of winning and being competitive and sort of having that ‘game’ mindset. Senior Leah Kolek arship as I got older,” Kolek commented. Her hard work throughout her high school career proved to be fruitful, as Kolek also recently received an athletic scholarship to Whittier College and plans to play Division II soccer there. Although she desires to convert her passion for athletics into a career, Kolek remains uncertain on whether she wants to join National Women Soc-

in 2002 cemented it. “Since I grew up a Dodgers fan, they are my second favorite team. Way behind the Angels, though,” Brose explains. “So I can tolerate, even love, some Dodgers fans like Mrs. Lujan, Mr. Hong, and even my own brother.” As mentioned by Brose, Spanish teacher Irma Lujan is a major fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. She has been a fan of the baseball team for around thirty years and tries to tune into every Dodgers game she can on her TV with her family, or even attend the games in person during the season. “I like to talk to Mr. Brose so I can tease him when the Angels are losing,” said Lujan. In the most recent Super Bowl, history teacher and Athletics Director Kurt Davies supported the Seattle Seahawks while American history teacher Ty Watkins supported the Denver Broncos. Davies became a fan of the Seahawks fan when his father bought him season tickets in 1976. “I have had plenty of opportunity to talk about the Seahawks recently,” Davies said. “Mr. Watkins was a fair-weather Bronco fan, so it was nice to discuss the Super Bowl with him.”

cer League after college. Of course, being soccer captain is not always easy for Kolek. Because of her aggressive nature on ﬁeld, she is frequently in feuds with referees and is, on many occasions, forced to sit out of games during crucial moments. “It’s one of the worst feelings ever, watching everyone play and wanting to play yourself, but not being able to,” Kolek explained. Another hurdle the player had to tackle was balancing her school workload with her soccer schedule. However, despite her hectic schedule as a student athlete, Kolek manages to maintain a 3.4 GPA. Kolek is inspired to do her best by Diamond Bar alumni and professional soccer player Alex Morgan. Kolek uses Morgan as a driving motivation to improve as a player. “I really like that feeling of winning and being competitive and sort of having that ‘game’ mindset. It’s kind of like an escape when I play [because] I’m not stressed. I’m really close to a lot of my friends because of it, too, and it’s become more of a lifestyle for me,” Kolek commented.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Another loss for football RYAN MAINE| After the loss of collegiate prospect Cordell Broadus, the Diamond Bar football program

SPORTS COLUMN

What if Phil was coach?

is heading in a new direction with the resignation of previous head coach Ryan Maine. BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR The Diamond Bar football program suffered another loss after the resignation of head coach Ryan Maine on February 3. As the head coach for three years, Maine led the Brahmas to a 15-17 record including a second round CIF appearance. “We appreciate the efforts that Coach Maine and his entire staff have made [over] the last three years. We are in a much better place because of those efforts,” the school said in a press release. The football program has drastically improved under Maine’s coaching tenure. Before 2011, DB was a sub-par football team that only had one winning record in ten years. From 2004-2010, the Brahmas had a record of 22-47-1. When Maine gained the title of head coach, the football’s progress was slow. After two rocky seasons of going 4-6, the newly energized Brahmas surprisingly went 7-4 in 2013 and reached the second round of the CIF playoffs. During the season, DB destroyed the Walnut Mustangs 60-28 for a three-peat of the Branding Iron and upset the defending division champ Downey Vikings 63-29.

“Ryan has been an exemplary leader that will continue to grow in whatever the future holds for him,” Athletic Director Kurt Davies said via email. He told the DBHS staff that he expected to name a replacement next month. Maine has been with the football program through thick and thin. During Maine’s tenure, DBHS had garnered national attention due to the arrival of wide receiver Cordell Broadus, the sixth-ranked wide receiver in the nation and the son of rapper Snoop Dogg. Maine had an easier time transforming the sub-par Brahma team into an offensive ﬁrepower with the addition of Broadus, Kanya Bell, and Tyler Brown. In late October of 2013, the Brahmas’ season was going downhill, as they were forced to forfeit a game due to suspensions for the Diamond Ranch brawl incident. However, Maine helped the program keep its head up high, even under scrutiny from CIF officials. The DB football program has to quickly rebuild with the resignation of Maine and defensive lineman coach Jose Marquez plus the loss of Broadus and defensive back Brian Lamb. Broadus and Lamb have recently transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. However, with stars like quarterback Tyler Peterson and Bell on the team, the new coach of DBHS

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

Courtesy of BrahmaFootball.com

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NBA The Lakers still face injury problems, leaving little players left.

NFl Denver, the number one offense in history, fails in the Super Bowl.

he Staples Center roars “We want Phil, we want Phil.” Since November 12, 2012, when the Lakers organization signed coach Mike D’Antoni, everything has gone downhill for the team. Lakers fans, however, assume that if Phil Jackson had been hired instead of D’Antoni, things would have been so much better in LA. That is not the case. In the beginning of the projected 2012-2013 championship season for the Lakers, the team did not get off to the greatest start. Going 0-8 in the preseason, and starting off the regular season 1-4, the management hit the panic button too soon, firing head coach Mike Brown. While searching for a new coach, the Lakers narrowed their options down to two choices, Phil Jackson, the 11-time champion, or Mike D’Antoni, a coach who had never reached the finals and does not teach defense. Well obviously, Phil Jackson should be the obvious choice in every Lakers fans’ perspective. However, even if Jackson had coached the Lakers in the 20122013 season and was coaching the current season, things would not have been much better. First off is the injury problem. No matter how much experience or how many championships a coach possesses, he cannot prevent injuries. In the past two years, the Lakers were plagued with the injury bug: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, you name it. As the Lakers, without the help of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, got swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs, fans blamed D’Antoni and dreamed of Jackson. Why? Because Lakers fans needed a scapegoat to feel better about their losses. Although the Zen Master is famous for stirring up a team and creating chemistry, with the 20122013 squad, there was too much bad blood and drama that even the best coach could not have fixed. With Howard acting like an immature 12-year-old child and five-time champion Bryant desperately trying to will his team to the playoffs, the two of them never meshed. Many Lakers fans are probably reading this screaming about Jackson’s triangle offense and better defensive strategies. With the team composition that they had, D’Antoni was actually the better fit. The triangle offense makes twotime MVP point guard Nash pretty much useless and it requires a big man with post moves, someone the Lakers did not possess. As for the current season, I can’t imagine Jackson coaching this group of guys anyways. D’Antoni’s offense brings out the fullest potential in each player in the Lakers roster. Jackson would require talent on the roster to run his offense while D’Antoni needs less to run his. In the coming seasons, if the Lakers build a championship roster, there is no doubt that they should have the Zen Master lead the team instead of D’Antoni. However, for the past two season, Jackson, no matter how impressive his history proves, would not have made a big difference in the Lakers’ woes.

16 SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, February 26 , 2014

SPORTS

HEARTBREAKER DBHS White Out Game BOYS BASKETBALL| On Valentine’s Day, the Brahmas lost a rivalry match against the undefeated Walnut Mustangs 55-45. BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

As the buzzer sounded on Valentine’s Day, it not only ended the classic rivalry game in a loss for Diamond Bar against the Walnut Mustangs, but also concluded the regular season. The Brahmas failed to capitalize on their must-win mentality motivated by their previous loss to the Mustangs, losing 55-45 and finishing 8-4 in the Hacienda League. The atmosphere of the game was lively from the start. Both sides of the crowds were cheering as the tip-off began and chants of “defense” were heard from the outside of the gym. The first quarter was neck and neck, as both teams were hustling for every loose ball. The intensity of the defense of both sides was high. However, as DB struggled to get past Walnut’s center Richard Rycraw, who had many blocks and key stops throughout the game, senior Leo Li had many clutch shots to keep the Brahmas in the game. One thing the Brahmas were able to do was get to the free throw line consistently, which allowed them to score easy points. The first quarter ended with a score of 9-8 in Walnut’s favor. The Brahmas started to fall apart in the second quarter. Turnovers were a problem DB could not fix throughout the game. With Walnut increasing its intensity level on defense and the Brahmas making bad passes, DB found itself in a hole. As senior co-captain Christian Manalo and Li struggled to score, junior Mustang guards Jeff Huang and Zuri Williams took advantage as they scored easi-

ly against the lackluster DB defense. However, remembering that they climbed out of a bigger ditch in the previous Walnut match to keep that game close, an unrelenting group of Brahma seniors made sure DB took a turn for the better coming out of the second half. Whatever the coach said, whatever the seniors told their team, it worked. The offense ﬂowed smoothly and Li started to get things going. Both senior co-captain Bobby Meshesha and junior Tyler Peterson played well in the third quarter. Peterson had defensive stops which were converted into easy points. The Brahmas narrowed down the Walnut lead to 33-31. “We got some great senior leadership. The seniors did not want to go out poorly so they just played their hearts out,” head coach Henry Frierson said. The red hot Brahmas kept the momentum rolling as their defense remained intact. As Manalo and Meshesha got to the free throw line a couple of times, DB found itself leading at one point in the game. However, turnovers doomed the Brahmas. Toward the last minutes of the game, the duo of Williams and Huang scored to increase Walnut’s lead. A three pointer from Walnut’s sharp shooter, Rob Harrelson, sealed the game. Although it was not a victory, it was a loss to be proud of as the Brahmas displayed an audacious effort against an undefeated Walnut team. It was an arduous yet successful season for DB as it ﬁnished second in league, something that has not been done for over ten years. “We overachieved and we are really proud of the guys and looking forward for next season and the youngsters,” Frierson said. ANDREW CHOI