April 2014

DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL

a&e 10

Hotel Manager

The

Buzz

sports 16

Alumni Spotlight feature 7

Did it cross the line?

editorial 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

DB baseball makes comeback against Los Altos 6-5

STUDENT NEWSPAPER

The Bull’s Eye WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014

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

Teachers recall first activities director at DB One of the original Brahmas, Dale Favier passed away this past month.

BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

SPRING BREAK SHAKE AND CAMPUS REPAIR

The 5.1 earthquake, which struck on March 28, caused much damage to the school campus, which was closed during the entire week of spring break.

BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

Diamond Bar High School has been shaken into some major upgrades after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck campus on March 28.

The school was closed to all students and staff two days later and reopened after spring break. During that week, construction workers busily made repairs.

“There were many contractors on site of the week of spring break.

[We had] plumbers, painters, roofers, engineers, ceiling repair, and to top it off we had scheduled to have the upper and lower parking lots repaired. We had activity going on everywhere,” DBHS Operations Manager Doug Mefford said.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, the total damage costs were estimated to be around $400,000.

Major changes at school included a new artificial grass turf in the amphitheater, a repaved parking lot in front of the school gym, and a replaced ceiling for the school library.

Ceiling damages had occurred in building 500 and the school library as the tiles fell from the top after the earthquake. Replacing the fallen tiles would have been nearly impossible, as the tiles have not been made for over 15 years. As a result, the entire library ceiling was taken down and the old tiles were used to repair roof damages in other buildings.

“The LINC sustained drop ceiling damage, [and] it was determined that it would be more cost effective to replace the LINC ceil-

It was the very first day of Diamond Bar High School in 1982, and new students, mostly from Walnut High School, hustled around the brand new campus. A hot air balloon hovered nearby as reporters and bystanders swarmed around to cover and witness the momentous day. Not only was this the birth of DBHS, but it was also the first day on the job for Dale Favier, the school’s original Activities Director, the man who planned it all.

And there was no other who could have been more perfect for the job.

Favier, who passed away on April 8, left an unforgettable legacy at DBHS. He was 79.

“Mr. Favier was one of the original Brahmas. He was passionate about Diamond Bar High School: the activities; the purple, gold, and white; the student store; USB; anything and everything that had to do with this school,” teacher Howard Alcoseer, who worked with Favier, shared. He gave 100 percent to everything that he did and would not accept anything less from you. His fingerprints can be found all over this campus: the student store, the activities office, the outrageous rallies, homecoming, prom, lunchtime activities, the AP/IB break-

Photo courtesy of DBHS Yearbook

MAKING HIS MARK - Also the first adviser of the school’s yearbook, Favier helps the new staff with layouts. fasts and lunches, and bingo. These things were admired by schools all over California who would come to observe what Mr. Favier created at DBHS.” After opening up the school with Principal Walt Holmes thirty-two years ago, Favier soon became the first to inspire change and bring improvements across campus: he founded the United Student Body, became the first yearbook advisor, and established the student store, nicknaming it “Fave’s Place.”

“He had the vision for the big

See FAVIER| pg 2

AP Literature standards change Photo courtesy of DBHS

A SHAKED UP SCENE - A construction worker repairs the roof damages on campus caused by the moderately severe earthquake. ing with a modern ceiling tile. We would collect the old ceiling tiles and use them to repair [building 500],” Mefford said.

In addition to the ceiling damages, there was a water leak in one of the pipes near the school’s art rooms that caused impairments in other buildings: floors were separated from the concrete foundation and walls were soaked. In order to replace the damaged structures, the flooded rooms were emptied out and relocated during the repair process. Although many adjustments were needed across campus, the school’s new math buildings and pool, fortunately, only experienced minor damages.

“Picture, plaque, and moving books were the only damage to the

math buildings. Our new pool also rode the quake well with no damage,” Mefford said.

Student safety also became a major area of concern following the tremor. Many classroom objects had fallen off the ceilings and walls during the earthquake, highlighting the danger of a similar shake if occurred during active school hours. In response, the school took many precautions that involve stabilizing classroom items and plans on hosting additional drills to make sure students know the correct way to respond to earthquakes. “[The school has] ensured that all book shelves are attached to the walls, and hanging items are properly mounted to the walls,” Mefford said.

AP Rhet students now can earn a “C” to qualify for the senior class.

BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

In another attempt to change the Advanced Placement program, one of the many prides of the school, Diamond Bar High School lowered the prerequisite students need to secure a seat in the AP Literature course.

“The prerequisite to get into AP Lit was lowered to open access to AP classes,” Julian Rodriguez, the Dean of English Language Arts, stated.

However, the changed prerequisites are not set in stone because the deans will evaluate how the changes impact students’ sched-

ules and the number of students taking the course. The prerequisites are open for modifications to cater to the needs of the students.

The class of 2015 will be the first to witness the effects the newly changed prerequisite, and seniors of next year’s graduating class have mixed feelings.

“I think that this change is really great because it gives people more of a chance to get into AP Lit even if they messed up this year and did badly in AP Rhet,” junior Andru Liu stated.

Some juniors, like Sharon Sengphanith, think otherwise.

“People who get C’s in AP Rhet will have a really hard time in AP Lit.” But regardless of the standard change, DBHS English teacher Joe Moran says that nothing will change in how he runs his class.

“I think it’s a movement on part

See PREREQUISITES | pg 3

2 NEWS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

COMMON CORE: EVOLVING EDUCATION

Fifth in Series

SBAC review Juniors who took the field test did not have positive reviews for the assessment.

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

The good news is that no one ever has to take another STAR test ever again. However, according to a sampling of juniors who took the test, all may not be fun and games for the coming years. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test left many juniors upset.

Described as a difficult and even unbearable experience by the DBHS juniors, the SBAC field test sought to test students’ abilities to analyze a problem and take necessary steps to reach a solution. As a result, students were not graded on the solution itself, but their thinking process.

“On a test, it’s either the right or wrong answer, but for this test, it’s [focused on] how you got to the answer. But they also grade a right and wrong way to get to the answer, so even if you got the answer right, if your work was the wrong way, you get it wrong. In the end, it really shouldn’t matter, because if the answer is right, it’s simply right,” junior Sharon Byeon said.

Byeon wasn’t the only one with this perspective. Many juniors believed that their own curriculum did not prepare them for the challenging questions presented on the test. One such junior was Joren Francisco, who also disliked the lack of multiple choice questions on the test. Another common com-

plaint was the wording of the directions, which made simple questions seem unnecessarily difficult.

“The way they worded things was weird. I spent the longest time on a really simple question because I didn’t understand what it was asking,” junior Kahayla Rapolla said.

Teachers and proctors ran into some problems during the test as well. This was caused not only by the new test format, but also by uncooperative student behavior.

“I think the main problem we encountered was that some students didn’t take it as easily as others and you can see them rushing through the test as you monitor it. Another difficulty was the part where proctors had to direct a group of students in a literary comprehensive part of the test, [because] it was really difficult to get students to produce responses and ideas that would ultimately count toward their score,” proctor Marc Natividad commented.

However, according to Instructional Dean Gabriel Aguilar, the coordinator of the SBAC, the test was simply a “test-drive” to inquire the level of difficulty students can handle. Sophomores, he explained, will have a greater advantage in this test next year, as Common Core curriculum will be by then implemented. Therefore, students will be more familiar with and prepared for the types of questions on the test.

“It’s no surprise students didn’t like it; they were simply used to a different way of testing. Students are trained to test well, but this test challenges your ability to comprehend the material in front of you and apply it in the real world. It’s mainly a challenge because it’s a transition,” Aguilar said.

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.

1 signifies the least amount of effort, 5 signifies the greatest amount

FAVIER from pg 1

Favier started many activities and events enjoyed by students today. student store that we have today.

Before that time, student stores in the area were small, selling bags of chips, candy bars, and maybe some school supplies. The old student stores were also walk-up windows,” Randy Thomas, the first USB president, said. “He had the vision to have a store large enough to walk in. His vision was a large store, selling all kinds of food, clothes, and school supplies.”

His passion and creativity was also the source of the riveting spirit at DBHS. Favier held various events such as the Whopper Woof Down, asking football players to devour the most Burger King Whoppers in a given time, and started a tradition of going to an

Mr. Favier was full of energy and ideas. He always wanted to make every production big and memorable.

- Randy Thomas amusement park on the first day of school. The original USB advisor also proposed having class floats at the Homecoming Game and established the USB constitution by holding a student constitutional convention in 1983.

“Mr. Favier was full of energy and ideas. He always wanted to make every production big and memorable. He was a perfectionist, paying attention to every detail,” Thomas added.

Favier’s passion for student participation and spirit was unde-

Photo courtesy of DBHS Yearbook

PAINTING A LEGACY - Favier decorates the walls inside the student store. niable. In 1982, he assembled students who planned to attend DBHS the next year and had the prospective students choose the school colors and mascot.

“Mr. Favier was a true honor to work under. He was always the first person to arrive to DBHS in the mornings and usually the last one to leave,” Class Advisor Shari

De Cambra recounted about Favier. “I remember one night we were down on the football field, and seeing all the performing groups out on the field decked out in purple and gold he said, ‘This is what it is all about, this is why I do what I do, this is what makes me happy.’

He will truly be missed and never forgotten.”

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

NEWS

THE BULL’S EYE

3

Students say bonjour to France French exchange students came from Pontlevoy to experience American culture.

BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

EMILY HWANG

THE FILMING FRONTIER - Enriquez enthusiastically works with his Stampede students during lunch.

DBHS’ weekly broadcast gets a new director Mario Enriquez brings his experience in the film industry to the Stampede.

BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

Diamond Bar High School’s Stampede Crew members have much to learn from their new instructor Mario Enriquez, who is not only a professional in film production, but also a Kung Fu expert.

Enriquez, who previously taught Kung Fu for three years, actually knew the former video productions teacher, Kevin Ballejo, from high school. When Ballejo was offered a job in Florida late January, he suggested Enriquez to apply based on his strong production based background.

“I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for several years.

I have heavy background when it comes to film production. I have background in editing and working with my former TV video, ‘High School Teachers,’ for several

years, but I worked on big movies ranging from ‘War of the Worlds’ to a couple of movies with Christian Bale,” he said.

Having attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Ventura, Enriquez brings his students extensive knowledge about filming as well as invaluable experience from working on actual sets. He also hopes that his encounters in the actual workforce can enable and inspire the students to be more creative and to undergo the authentic production process when producing the school’s weekly broadcast.

“As far as where I want to take the Stampede, both for Pathways and for the regular students, I’m interested in having very similar aesthetics, but I want high production value. I want all the shots to be really well done. [For] the students, I want them to be able to understand what a film production is, because when we shoot the Stampede, there is always such a short amount of time for the turn around. So the idea is that I want them to have professional basis, to have them put out really good work, put out work they’re proud of,” Enriquez said.

The new video productions

teacher’s plans and expectations for his students have already begun to take effect in the classroom.

“He helps us [bring out] the characters that we actually are, and even when we did a great take we always just do an extra one because there’s always something better than perfect. We bring many different props now with Mr. Enriquez, and the creativity he has is just amazing,” junior Moustafa Elhadary, one of Enriquez’s students, commented.

Because Ryan Maine, who also teaches digital video for Brahma Tech, is resigning this year, Enriquez may become the main video production instructor at DBHS as well. If this takes place, he looks forward to helping students have the skills necessary in the film industry and be ready for the real world. “[The students] will be more in the production oriented goals of normal film productions. We’re all going to go from ground zero and follow the production line, so if kids do plan on going into the entertainment industry later on, they can do it and they’ll be used to that kind of turn around and aesthetics,” Enriquez said.

Two very diverse cultures united at Diamond Bar High School with the arrival of French sophomore students from Lycee Catholique De Pontlevoy, a private school in Pontlevoy, France, on April 15.

The exchange students came to the United States to experience a taste of American culture.

The French students who have been staying with their host families, will spend time in the area before leaving for San Diego on April 25. During their time here, they will have the opportunity to visit famous Los Angeles spots such as the California Science Center, Venice Beach, and Universal Studios.

To develop a friendship before meeting in person, both the American and French students had been keeping in contact via social media. Junior Molly McCabe, one of the students opening up their home to a French student, communicated with her French student through Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, and the two even snapchatted each other to countdown

PREREQUISITES from pg 1

AP teachers are not sure whether the change will be beneficial. of the state to be more inclusive, to give everyone the opportunity to take AP classes. The standards in my class will be the same and my students will receive the grade that they earn. I think it’s a bit incongruous that you can get a C to get into AP Literature but get a B to get into AP Language,” Moran commented.

The last time the AP program experienced a big change similar to this was two years ago, when AP

the days until the French students arrived. McCabe plans to take her French student to watch some of her basketball games, attend a concert in Los Angeles, and go paddle boarding in Huntington Beach.

Unlike those in America, schools in France do not offer as many extracurricular activities or sports and have schedules that run more like a college schedule with long lunch breaks. Moreover, students remain in one classroom and don’t switch classes; instead, the teachers are the ones to switch classes.

“French schools are more career-based at a young age. You basically chose what you want to do when you’re 12, and from then on you take classes pertaining to that,” stated McCabe.

Because American and French cultures are so different, the French students are eager to show the DBHS students their country.

In the past, a few DBHS students have even had the opportunity to stay with their past French students during the summer. McCabe hosted a French student last year, so her French student plans on taking her on a backpacking trip all over France after she graduates next spring. “[Hosting a student from France] makes me more comfortable speaking and helps my listening skills.

Even though we are supposed to speak English to them, a lot of people speak French because we want to get better too,” McCabe said.

Language was opened to juniors.

This consequently raised the number of AP students at DBHS, which was one of the factors that allowed DBHS to rank so high in the 2014 America’s Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post.

DBHS AP Lit teacher Deborah Clifford admits that she feels conflicted over the change. “On one side, I want the strongest students for Lit but I don’t think a C in Rhet is going to tell me who is strong.

Sometimes strong Rhet students are unconformable in Lit, so I don’t know if a C will gauge success in Lit. But I do want many to come into the class because I think it is a valuable experience. The question is between experience and access,” she said.

Celebrity Basketball Game check us out on

DBBULLSEYE.COM for more coverage on school events and student life

feel free to comment on the website or send a letter to the editor to eye.editors@gmail.com XING YEN QUEK

FAME GAME - Celebrity Thomas Kasp, who plays Doug Manganaro on the FOX television series “Surviving Jack,” runs through a tunnel made by DBHS cheerleaders at the Celebrity Basketball Game, held on April 17. The event was held as a fundraiser for the school’s basketball program.

4 EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

Eye of the Editors

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

How do you think cheating will affect students in the

STUDENTS | long run?

CELL PHONE CHEATING | The growth of technology has resulted in more students who resort to cheating.

Technology has advanced at a frightening rate in the past decade.

Consequently, the number of students owning smartphones has grown exponentially. This has led to a major pain in the side of the education department, which remains unsolved. The problem is cheating.

On the day of the big test, the teacher asks his students to put all their things away and says, “Remember to keep your eyes on your own paper. You may start now.”

Soon, the noise of pencil scratching on paper is the only sound that can be heard.

This silence is broken when the teacher suddenly walks out of the classroom. Students look up and stare at each other in disbelief at their unimaginable luck. Phones are pulled out and answers are shared. When the teacher returns, the room immediately grows quiet as if nothing had happened. The cheating, however, goes on. Under desks, behind pencil boxes, phones are carefully tilted toward the holders’ eyes so only they can see. Though they are not to blame, teachers are often clueless about how easily students can cheat.

As smartphones have become more prevalent, cheating has become more of a concern with school administrators. High-tech tools built inside the phone have made it increasingly easy for students to cheat, whether by texting answers to classmates, taking photos of the exam or looking up answers using the Wi-Fi system. Because phones are not taken away unless it rings or vibrates, students can discreetly take photos or send a text message during a test.

Students too often fall victim to the pressure to earn good grades in hopes of attending a prestigious

university. However, no matter what the situation may be, cheating is never an option to turn to.

As corny as the saying, “When you cheat, you’re really cheating yourself,” might sound, it actually makes a lot of sense. If students cheat on an exam that tests rules or formulas that is the basis of a certain course, those students will never fully grasp what is being taught in class. When the class starts doing more difficult problems built on previous knowledge, they will not know the basics and cheat constantly to make up for it. Every time students cheat, they are missing out on important skills that could be important in the future.

Furthermore, students who cheat are showing teachers and others around them that they are not trustworthy. This breach of trust will most likely be a serious impediment in a student’s success during their high school career. Teachers will become suspicious of everything the student hands in, and winning back that trust is close to impossible.

These unqualified students will end up in prestigious colleges they are unfit for. They may struggle or end up dropping out after a year or two. Some of these students may end up graduating by cheating here and there, but they will obviously be incompetent or dangerous in the workplace such as the medical field.

Taking everything into consideration, cheating is never acceptable. What is also unacceptable is students’ turning a blind eye to it. Telling on a classmate is obviously difficult, especially when the classmate is your friend, but in order to prevent cheating and the string of misfortunes it produces, it has got to be done. That way, students will be able to rely on their own knowledge and receive an outcome that truly reflects the time and effort they put in.

“Cheating not only affects one person, but affects others. It’s not fair for the people who actually studied.”

—Cindy Park (11)

“Unless it’s a subject they’re majoring in, in the long run, it won’t make much of an impact.”

“When you cheat, that house of knowledge you’re making will topple over without the right foundations.”

—Jeshow Yang (12)

“In the workplace, you won’t be able to cheat on everything. You will learn more and get experience if you don’t cheat.”

—Jessica Gomez (10)

—Derek Siu (10)

“Cheating is a habit that is acquired over the years.

It will be a resource students always turn to. It won’t help them at all.”

—Jeralin Rodrigo (11)

“Cheating will affect students’ getting into college and teachers will have a negative view on the cheaters.”

—Antonio Becerril (11)

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.

B L A Z I N G T R A I L S O F S AT I R E

BY GLORIA KIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A

fter having lived a long, fruitful nineteen years on this earth, I can confidently say that I have discovered the key to happiness.

What is this secret to happiness, you ask? It’s quite simple: enjoy life while you can. In other words, if there are tasks to be completed, by all means, don’t do them now. In fact, don’t do them in the next hour either.

Don’t do them until you have spent the very last second before the deadline indulging in what gives you the purest, shrillest satisfaction.

The truth is, you don’t have to spend five arduous hours on something that can swiftly be thrown together in five minutes, so why work today when it can be done tomorrow?

Most people are natural procrastinators because it’s in all of our genes.

Our procrastinating instincts date all the way back to our primitive ancestors, who needed to be impulsive for hunting wild game.

If you have ever worked in a classroom setting, you may have noticed certain pitiful colleagues who are eager to start on large projects immediately as they are assigned.

Those poor, naïve individuals have bought into lies that tell them that overcoming their proclivity to procrastinate by starting earlier leads to efficiency and quality. In truth, a coterie of extremely credible scientists have shared that such suppres-

sion of human nature leads to a combination of depression and mental disorders of many kinds.

And perhaps you are that pitiful student. While the birds are chirping outside on a sunny, spring day, you’re indoors, slaving away on your homework. I can’t even begin to express the tremendous sorrow I feel for your ignorance and meaningless efforts.

The further you push back work that needs to be done, the more you’ll enjoy doing it. This furious attempt of yours to finish exactly on the dot, without a minute to spare is what makes life worth living.

Under terrible time constraint, let your brain and fingers work madly under utmost pressure. Feel the rush of adrenaline and thrashing blood

surge through your veins. The thrill!

The suspense! Your life of bore and mundane repetition will rejuvenate in ecstasy with the fierce palpitations of your heart as you speed through your tasks before the due date.

If you can master the art of procrastination, life will be a breeze and a blast. Say goodbye to fretting over receiving a lower-than-expected grade like those who “diligently” started early, since you wouldn’t have tried anyway.

Who cares if you see your grades go down a couple letters, end up dropping out of college, or get fired from your job? At least you know you have lived a rich and content life, full of gratification and with absolutely no regrets.

Cartoon by GLORIA KIM

The Ugly Truth Does a college education secure the stepping stones to success? Here is the breakdown.

BY JOY CHOW NEWS EDITOR

I

n the inevitably materialistic universe we live in, the game plan for most students after high school is college, for college education seems to hold the key for a bright and successful future. It’s true—education tends to correlate with economic prosperity, but one crucial element in statistics and logic remains: correlation does not imply causation.

Astute and ambitious people typically graduate college with flying colors; in such cases, a college degree does influence what one becomes and where one ends up. However, many say that education plays a very minimal role in the destination of the journey.

People with strong wills often opt to attend college, but it is ultimately their own drive that causes them to be successful — not the fact that they took and passed courses at some university.

A diploma doesn’t guarantee the understanding of certain values in life. College can provide knowledge on how to complete a research paper, how to study literature from the 18th century, how to calculate limits using epsilon delta, and so on. But, in the end, the creative sight, the journey of survival, the experiences of the real world,

the essential aspects of living life through self-exploration, are not provided merely through college schooling.

In essence, a college education doesn’t necessarily lead to personal success. Based on statistics, a huge number of college graduates today are either unemployed or employed in very basic jobs that require little more than elementary training. On the same spectrum, some very affluent people dropped out of high school or college, or never even attended one at all.

Take Steve Jobs for instance. The innovative entrepreneur never completed college, and yet he was able to establish what is now one of the most valuable companies in America. Especially in the business world, cases like these frequently occur.

By no means am I recommending that dropping out of college is the way to go. I am simply underscoring that a college education does not necessarily provide the skills individuals need to work and behave productively. Thus, investing in what is supposedly a “proper” education doesn’t ensure future economic fruition.

Lastly, on a side note to the current seniors, remember that whichever college you end up attending, or whether or not you even attend a college, does not define who you are. Though it sounds cliché, it’s true. It’s ultimately up to us to decide what we will accomplish in the future.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

5

Hollywood’s latest franchise Darren Aronofsky’s big-budget film deviates too much from the Biblical story and portrays Noah as too dark and conflicted.

BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

I

know that it’s senseless of me to get angry at Hollywood, considering that the industry is full of fools who never seem to realize how ridiculous they are. It was irrational of me to actually hope for a film that stays faithful to at least the essence of the narrative when I heard that the story of Noah in the Book of Genesis was to be portrayed in a big-budget epic.

Please know that I do not possess extensive knowledge on the Bible. But growing up in a conservative Christian family with my father being a pastor has certainly helped me to the point where I can realize what is and isn’t right on the dot.

“Noah” is a wholly unbiblical fantasy, a film filled with a sacrilegious portrayal of God. According to the movie, the God who created the Earth is malevolent (and not necessarily the head God), the serpent is a hero and the fallen angels are righteous beings. This, however, is the exact opposite of what is taught in the Bible and is actually more in line with ancient Gnostic heresies. In the movie, Noah, played by Russell Crowe, is depicted as a dark psychopath who perceives through a dream that the enigmatic Creator, who by the way, is never referred to as God, intends to destroy the world with a flood.

However, in the Book of Genesis, much of Noah’s knowledge comes from direct communication between God and himself. In truth,

Noah was a close companion of the Lord and trusted and believed Him. In the film, God destroys the world for damaging the environment, harming animals and being meateaters, all of which are rendered in as the worst possible sins.

I understand that movies based on existing stories generally deviate from the original storyline, sometimes quite a bit. After all, movies are made to entertain people, and consequently, to rack up the cash.

However, director Darren Aronofsky made a huge mistake in twisting up the storyline, to the extent where even traces of the real story from the Scripture cannot be detected. By doing so, he crossed the line and downright ridiculed Christians and other religious groups. It was also senseless of Aronofsky to include evolution in “Noah,” as evolution directly crosses swords with Creation, which is the basis of the Bible.

Over-dramatizing the story is not the only way to attract a bigger audience, though “Noah” grossed $100 million in three weeks. Biblical epics that stay faithful to the Scripture have proven to be successful as well. In 2004, when Mel Gibson pitched his idea of a movie that accurately illustrates the last 12 hours of the life of Christ, he was told that it would not be successful. Gibson himself produced and financed “The Passion of the Christ,” and his $45 million investment grossed $600 million worldwide. Many Christian leaders were enthused and praised the film, and it won quite a string of accolades.

Hollywood has seriously distorted a biblical story once again, much to the resentment and outrage of a number of religious groups, mainly Christians. The depraved industry will never be able to redeem itself in my eyes, but as a start, movies such as “Noah” should never be produced.

Cartoon by EMILY SU

FOLLOW UPS RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS The United States will send a non-lethal aid package to Ukraine including medical supplies and clothing, but will not provide military-style equipment.

Photo courtesy of http://www.forbes.com

No firm decision on affirmative action The fierce controversy of showing favoritism for certain minority groups in the college admissions process remains unresolved.

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

PRO|

At first blush, the idea of affirmative action seems to disturb the basic American principles of equality. However, affirmative action, poorly understood by its antagonists, seeks to provide opportunities for all races, create diversity, and move toward breaking racial stereotypes.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, affirmative action is the policy of providing special opportunities for disadvantaged groups who experience discrimination to attend universities. This assures that people from all corners of the world, despite economic hindrances, can have an opportunity to be accepted into a university.

This policy does not sit well with some, as it seems to favor people of a certain race

BY ERIC HONG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CON|

For the past two decades, the debate on affirmative action in the college admissions process has been a heated one.

Although the program certainly benefits minority groups, supporters of the program fail to recognize its many flaws that will unjustly affect students of the higher education system in America.

Affirmative action has already been struck down in California once before—and rightly so. On November 1996, Proposition 209 was approved, prohibiting public universities from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in the admission process. Since then, most state universities have experienced an increase in minority populations, as they have not actually stopped favoring minority students. However, minority populations at California’s top public universities, UC Berkeley and UCLA, have drastically

or background above others. However, what opponents of affirmative action fail to understand is that by treating these races unequally, this policy is actually helping establish equality. Generally, minority students begin their college application process at a disadvantage. According to the National Poverty Center, about 15% of America’s population qualifies as poverty-stricken minorities and may come from lower income families or live in high crime, drug-infested areas. Among this group are hard-working minority students who don’t have the same paper qualifications as those who are more privileged. By favoring these minorities, affirmative action helps students overcome hurdles and creates a fair race for people of all backgrounds.

America should strive to be a nation that advocates equality instead of neutrality. Though requiring that people of different strengths and weaknesses compete in a uniform race is treating everyone equally,

it is, essentially, more advantageous to one group more than another. With this regulation, for example, students who could have afforded the expensive SAT prep and dedicated years to preparing will be going against students who may have not even had a chance to glance at the SAT practice test. This uniform race is not necessarily fair. By treating everyone equally, we are essentially ignoring the different backgrounds people come from.

In addition, according to a study by economists Stacy Dale and Alan Krueger, affirmative action directly impacts the economic future of many minority students. The study revealed that minority students who graduated from elite universities earned greater salaries, while the middle or upper class students from top universities showed no difference. Completely discarding racial consideration would not only reduce minority presence at selective schools, but it would also further limit intergenerational

class mobility even further.

Furthermore, affirmative action helps prevent stereotypes for higher education, and prevents the nation’s top universities and graduate schools from being overtaken by the affluent community. This will also impact employment, as more privileged students will continue to get the top jobs.

Affirmative action can help put an end to hierarchy systems in universities and at work.

This stereotype discourages minorities from applying to a university, thus further reducing the diversity within the nation. Diversity in college lays the groundwork for students to be comfortable interacting with a variety of individuals of different ethnicities—an essential skill to have in today’s global society, All in all, affirmative action can help America move toward equality, not away from it. Once we realize that we do not and cannot live in a colorblind society, it’s plain to see that affirmative action simply helps those who cannot help themselves.

decreased. The prestigious status of these universities illustrates the fact that many minority students were never really qualified to attend California’s top universities.

As a result of ethnic misrepresentation in these universities, some state officials felt that changes needed to be made. Earlier this year, the state Senate approved SCA5, an initiative meant to repeal Prop. 209 and reintroduce race as a factor in college admissions. Despite the officials’ positive intentions, this decision will jeopardize the quality of California’s college education programs by allowing underqualified students to study at the top universities.

Furthermore, while colleges seek diversity on campus, achieving it through affirmative action builds tension by creating a sense of racial bias. This leads to the belief that minority students are accepted into colleges not based on academic achievement, but because of their race. The notion of racial bias not only aggravates the non-minority competitors through supposed racial preference, but the minority students themselves. Many minority students have

come to believe that they absolutely need affirmative action to succeed in modern society. After SCA-5 was approved by the California Senate, many students believed that they would lose opportunities to attend California’s top universities to those who were far less qualified. After frenzied protest, SCA-5 was withdrawn for reconsideration and was never passed.

Some argue affirmative action is considered unconstitutional, offensive, and even racist. Such programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because they discriminate members of certain ethnic backgrounds by providing favorability over other students.

By enforcing SCA-5, officials would have been neglecting the very foundation of this country’s government and the laws that citizens were meant to abide by.

More importantly, affirmative action does not actually create equal opportunities among students in the U.S. Supporters have been given a false impression that lowering the bar for minorities to get into more prestigious colleges will bring equal

opportunities to all students, especially those that are economically disadvantaged.

However, according to studies by the Hoover Institution, such programs only benefit minorities from the middle to upper class.

Upper class minorities are the ones who are most easily accepted into universities.

Students of higher socioeconomic classes have access to first-rate educational resources while the poorer do not. When it comes to college admissions, this disparity is undeniably an advantage that will give wealthy minorities an unfair edge, although affirmative action was originally intended to benefit minorities of lower income.

Intelligence is colorblind; it does not vary among those of different skin colors. By supporting a program that clearly proves to be futile, officials have been providing the wrong individuals with unfair benefits. It is not the minority who needs extra leverage, it is the lower class that is at a far disadvantage, and the underprivileged of this country deserve equal opportunities as the wealthy, which is where the real discrepancy in this matter resides.

6 FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Budding Business Leader

Gregory Gunadi paints a bright future for himself in the business world most of Gunadi’s schedule, but according to him, his full schedule isn’t his most challenging task.

“I’d say the most time-consuming activity is probably taking care of my girlfriend.” Gunadi joked.

After realizing his true potenUnderneath the persistency tial, Diamond Bar High School and determination, Gunadi is still junior Gregory Gunadi was moa junior in high school, who, just tivated to achieve anything he like any other student, feels overcould think of. His determination whelmed at times. Holding officer resulted in six AP classes, countpositions where others constantly less memberships in clubs, muldepend on him is stressful, but Gutiple officer posinadi’s responsibilitions, and a seat ties motivate him in the highest to stay persistent. level orchestra “I just remind in DBHS, all in myself there are the short span of people counting three years. on me to do my job Throughout and that’s what his high school keeps me going.” career, GuGunadi said about nadi has been his positions. involved with By pushing himso many clubs self to manage his that he has lost heavy workload, count.

That Gunadi is also number has pushing himself gone down to toward his future. only a few, but After graduating his main focus from DBHS, he continues to be plans to major in the Future Busifinancial consultness Leaders ing in college and of America, in hopes to start a Photos courtesy of Wilson Lin which he serves SUCCESSFUL SPEECH - Gregory Gunadi speaks at the Leadership Develmajor firm of his as the California opment Institute for FBLA own one day, a goal State Secretary, he has clearly been and World Vision MOVE, where his parents, Gunadi works hard to preparing himself for even in high he is the Southern California State maintain his activities, while still school.

Secretary. saving time for a much-rewarded The amount of time and comIt was in his first year of FBLA time of playing video games every mitment that Gunadi has given that he found the motivation to benow and then. to DBHS is definitely what makes come so involved. As a freshman, “I realized that I could actually him stand out, and it is his dedicaGunadi joined the organization achieve what I put my mind to. My tion that has turned him into a role and found a role model in the 2012 parents also have been great inspi- model, just like the person who president of FBLA, Lavanya Jawarations, always supporting me in motivated him to be more than just harlal, who encouraged him to be my decisions.” Gunadi said about “average” his first year on campus. more than average. how he manages his workload.

Three years later, he has come a “[She] gave me a chance that Multiple extracurricular activi- long way and is now an inspiration no one else had. She gave me the ties and high-level classes take up to his fellow students.

BY LILY BALL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

VICTORIA LY

TRANQUIL TREATS - Tranquil Tea Lounge offers a wide variety of tea including Makena’s Passion and Mango Delight, on top. The perfect way to end a meal is with a blueberry tea cake and a side of vanilla ice cream, below.

Restaurant Review

Tranquil Tea Lounge

BY VICTORIA LY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

if you have that mentality, college will be miserable. -COLENE ENG

Take the summer off.

Forget the internships, the jobs, the enrichment programs and do something completely out of your comfort zone because you’ll never get a summer like this one. -JENNIFER WANG

Find a place where you feel you belong. Whether it be a group of friends, a sports club, journalism!! -LEA CHANG

What you’ll remember of college is not that econ quiz, but the times you spend with the people you care about.

-SARAH CHO

Com

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rk

Make sure that when you go to college you try to thrive instead of trying to survive.

-AUSTIN KONG

Your first couple weeks of school, you may get flooded with new faces and names to remember. Do your best to remember. It goes a long way to know the names of people you will probably meet again.

-ROSE KIM

Pa

In the March issue article “Real Life Jack Sparrows,” Annabel and Andrew Hou were reported to be twins. They are siblings but not twins.

Bring chopsticks so you can eat hot Cheetos or Don’t go into college with the chips while working on something. attitude that you’re going to -JUSTIN PARK transfer or that you hate the place;

h

CORRECTION

Class of 2013 seniors share some tips for the college-bound.

p se

Location: 106 W. Wilshire Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832 Phone #: (714) 869-3577 Hours: Mon - Saturday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Price Range: $3 - $10

ADVICE FROM ALUMNI

Jo

Amidst the chaos of finals and AP testing, students tend to fall into a harmful habit of consuming caffeinated, sugary drinks. However, here’s a healthier, organic alternative: Tranquil Tea Lounge, a quaint tea house located in the urban community of Downtown Fullerton. Its vision is to “create a tranquil environment to escape from the daily stress of life” and is a place where you can socialize with friends and family while tasting unique and refreshing tea blends.

The restaurant gives off a relaxed and calm vibe—quirky paintings hang symmetrically against the wall, adding a touch of humor to the overall warm and inviting setting. Shelves in the corner of the restaurant display an array of tea jars, giving off a soft aroma of tea that I could smell while waiting in line.

At the time I visited, the crowd consisted of young, college students who were looking for a place to loosen up, study and eat. It isn’t hard to see why college students are the most frequent customers; the calming wall colors, soft lighting, and unique decor create a very soothing environment that can lower anyone’s stress levels.

Of course, when at a tea lounge you have to order the tea. The menu offers over 95 varieties of specialty and organic loose leaf teas. The choices include black, green, oolong, herbal and wellness teas. They also offer a tea blend option, which compiles a variety of fruit mixes. Although the names of the drinks can be vague and confusing to read, the menu explains the ingredients of each drink clearly and the health benefits they offer as well.

Teas range from $4 to $5 and can be served iced or hot. If ordered iced, they come with refills served alongside the drink, which is a great accommodation. There is an option of adding lemonade to tea for 25 cents, and customers can also request to have sweetened or unsweetened tea.

The first drink I ordered was Makena’s Passion, a light and refreshing green tea blend. It has a slight fruity tang and tastes great both hot and cold. Another great drink I would recommend is the Mango Delight. Made with pineapple, mango and strawberry, the Mango Delight is a flavorful fruit tea blend that is semi-sweet and tastes great cold.

My favorite part of the Tranquil Tea Lounge experience would have to be the dessert. The menu offers several small desserts to choose from. Scones, tea cakes, mochi ice cream and hand-crafted macaroons complement all the teas perfectly. My personal favorite is the blueberry tea cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. The cake was served warm, as if it came straight from the oven, and had a moist, soft texture that is delicious paired with the vanilla ice cream.

Overall, I really enjoyed having lunch at Tranquil Tea Lounge. All of the teas are made with high quality, organic ingredients. I am looking forward to tasting more unique teas, and will be happily returning to this quaint, little urban tea house soon.

chance to be more than the average nerdy Asian kid, and I took the chance and ran with it.” Gunadi said via email about Jawaharlal.

Gunadi’s commitment does not only extend to his clubs, but also to everything he involves himself in. He tries to keep a balance, although with four AP classes, his involvement with DBHS’ Grammy winning Symphony Orchestra, Mock Trial, and a social life, it can be challenging. With the support of

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

7

AlumniSpotlight

Managing with a Touch of Magic

BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

Every young girl dreams of becoming a Disney princess; however, Rona Kay’s hopes for a similar Disney fairy tale came true with a little twist.

The former Brahma pursued a wide variety of careers before she transitioned into her current job as hotel manager of the Disneyland Hotel. Her love of math, which lead her to major in economics, began at DBHS. Kay attended Walnut High School for her freshman and sophomore year and was a active student who served as the freshman class president. When Diamond Bar High School opened up in 1982, she, along with many other students from WHS, transferred to the new school. At DBHS, she was involved with student government, as she had already participated in the committee to choose DBHS’s colors and mascot, Key Club, and varsity softball team. Some of her favorite teachers were Howard Alcosser and Terry Roche.

While attending DBHS, she began working at The Factory Piz-

zeria, and later moved on to the newly opened Round Table Pizza on Grand and Diamond Bar Blvd. as the youngest employee.

Kay graduated from DBHS in 1984, the first graduating class at the newly opened school. She went on to attend the UC Santa Barbara for two years and then transferred to the UCLA for another two years.

While in college, she again worked at the Round Table Pizza and later started to make an income through waitressing. She chose to major in economics as math came easy to her in high school.

“I attribute a lot of that [majoring in economics] to Howard Alcosser because in Santa Barbara, I just kept taking math because I really enjoyed it. It was easy to me the way he teaches it, and I just kept taking all these math classes, and next thing I know, I looked at the majors and all I needed was two more [classes,] and I had the economics major,” said Kay. After graduating from UCLA in 1988, Kay wasn’t sure what career she wanted to pursue. After taking an analytical test to help narrow down professions, she found that her future job would be best suited if she had to work with guests and employees and not at a desk all day; her interests were everything the

restaurant business encompassed.

Kay worked at Sizzler for nine years filling various positions from assistant manager to regional training supervisor, but when Sizzler filed bankruptcy in 1996, she met with a job recruiter to discuss the next job she could take, and in 1997, she began her career with Disney.

“It’s really interesting within Disney. I came in as manager of food and beverage in the Toon Town area, and then a few months later, [I] opened up Red Rockett’s Pizza Port,” Kay said.

Kay was offered to join the food concept and product development team to recreate what she did for Red Rockett’s Pizza Port as opening manager for all the restaurants that were to be opened in California Adventure, the unfinished side of Disney that would not open until 2001.

After working on the development team for a few years, she was given the opportunity to interview for the position of operations manager in Attractions, a department she had never worked in before.

“It was actually the first time I was asked to leave food and beverage and take an opportunity somewhere else; it was a little scary. I mean I had never done any-

thing else, and attractions [is] completely different,” Kay said.

After receiving the position of operations manager in Attractions, she later worked in Guest Services and Entertainment as well. When an opening became available for manager of the Disneyland Hotel, she transitioned into her current position with the help of her extensive work background.

Some of Kay’s day to day activities as hotel manager include heading divisions like guests services, parking, and custodial and meeting with her partners in departments such as sales, security, and labor relations.

“There’s always a little bit of everything which makes it fun; there’s never [a] same day,” remarked Kay. Kay enjoys working at Disney because the job comes with tangible benefits such as discounts, special viewings, and park tickets; however, Kay’s favorite aspect of the job is that she gets to work in an environment where everyone is working toward the same goal.

“Everyone wants to do the most for our guests and our fellow cast members as

well. Our mantra is ‘we create happiness’ and so no matter what role you’re in, that’s our goal,” stated Kay. Kay’s advice for high school students trying to choose a major would simply be to do what makes you happy, and if all fails, there is always something else out there for you.

EMILY LEUNG

THE HAPPIEST HOTEL ON EARTH - On left, the eco-friendly Disneyland Hotel Guest Room is complete with a light-up Sleeping Beauty headboard for a touch of magic. In center, Rona Kay speaks with a cast member in the front desk. On right, a view of the pool and water slide from a guest room.

Brahma Accepted Into Prestigious Art College

BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER

Being admitted into a college you never expected is nothing short of an amazing surprise. For senior Tristan Hsu, his passion for art made him want to attend Rhode Island School of Design, one of the most selective art schools in the country, but his chances of getting in were slim. However, thanks to his prolific art portfolio, Hsu now finds himself a future student at this prestigious university.

Influenced by the many artists and designers of his family, Hsu wanted to be an artist for a long as he could remember. To pursue his passion, he applied to many different art schools at the beginning of his senior year.

“It’s something that I’ve always been really passion-

ate about. It’s the only thing I could see myself doing in the future,” Hsu said.

He is not sure what his art style is yet, so he is still experimenting and exploring. In his application to RISD, he submitted a diverse col-

lection of his artwork to the university. Figure drawings, sketches, paintings, a paper sculpture, and a book that he crafted by himself were added in his application.

His portfolio took a lot of dedication and effort. Hsu learned how

to make the handcrafted pop-up book in a graphic design class he took over the summer at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. The pop-up book which had taken him three days to make was filled with pictures he took as he went around

Chicago.

During the time he waited for the results of his application to come out, Hsu was not very positive about the outcome from RISD. The admission rates at the university were extremely low, and Hsu figured that he would probably get a rejection.

As a result, his top choice of college was The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The acceptance he received from RISD on March 27 had him in a state of disbelief and overwhelming joy.

Hsu plans on majoring in illustration in college but also hopes to have the opportunity to explore different types of art and design majors.

“I know a lot of the possible routes I could take after graduating but I don’t want to be set on any one,” Hsu said, “I just know that I want to be a Photos courtesy of Tristan Hsu working artist and designCOLLEGE-WORTHY CREATIONS - Tristan Hsu’s passion for art has culminated in a portfolio including a painting of chess, on left, and a er, possibly for a company, book depicting his view of the city of Chicago, on right. but definitely freelance.”

8 FEATURE THEME

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Hot

Topic Sports Debate Topic:

Which team will

become the NBA

CHAMPS

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

W

ith the 2014 NBA playoffs under way, basketball fans and experts are predicting the Miami Heat to successfully complete a three-peat of the NBA title. While many are flocking onto the Heat’s bandwagon, people should not forget that the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the playoffs as well. Basketball viewers should place their bets on the Thunder, as it is time for OKC to hang up their first Championship banner.

Finishing the regular season with a 58-24 record, the Thunder managed to become one of the premier teams of the NBA by finishing second place in the Western Conference standings. The team, without its starting point guard Russell Westbrook for half of the season due to his three right knee surgeries, was led by superstar Kevin Durant, who had a MVP-type season.

Durant became the NBA scoring leader for the fourth time by scoring 32 points per game in the 2014 season. The 6’9” forward also handed out, on average, 5.5 assists and grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game.

Westbrook, however, had an inconsistent season. Even though he averaged 21.8 points and seven assists per game, Westbrook, at times, could be the best or the worst player on the court. Playing only 30 minutes a game, the point guard gave up four careless turnovers per game.

Throughout the playoffs, every team’s defensive focus will be on how to contain Durant and Westbrook. However, the Thunder can win by depending on the play of sixth man Reggie Jackson and power forward Serge Ibaka. Last year in the playoffs, Durant could not carry the load for the team as the Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. This year is different since both Jackson and Ibaka have matured over the season.

The sixth man now gained a reputation of being able to score baskets in bunches. Jackson scored 13.1 points per game compared to last season’s average of 5.3 points.

The Thunder has to lean on Ibaka to be the rim protector throughout the playoffs due to the inconsistency of center Kendrick Perkins.

Ibaka, nicknamed “Iblocka” has become of the best shot blockers in the NBA. When Durant holds the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the NBA finals, every basketball fan will know the Thunder will be the team to beat instead of the Miami Heat.

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

D

efense wins championships. As the best defensive team in the NBA, one of the most well-rounded teams and the first seed in the east, the Indiana Pacers are on their way to win the 2013-2014 championship, unlike the heavily favored Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pacers established themselves as one of the elite teams in the league with their top-tier defense and efficient offense. Allowing only 92.3 points per game throughout the season, there is not a team that can get past the Pacers with ease. Not only is its defense a strong point, but the team’s composition is also hard to beat.

The Pacers’ backcourt, consisting of point guard George Hill and shooting guard Lance Stephenson, is one of the most mobile duos in the league. With Hill’s versatility

13

and Stephenson’s explosiveness, the Pacers should be a threat to any defense. Indiana’s frontcourt is another contributing factor to its soon-to-be championship victory.

Power forward David West will handle the ball down in the post while 7’2 big man Roy Hibbert will be shutting down any explosive guards. The Pacers have too many options, even without its star.

The main man, all-star Paul George, is one of the most complete superstars in the league.

George has refined his game over the years. Improving his shot, decision-making skills, and passing, George has proven himself to be a player a team can rely on in the playoffs. George gave the champions, the Miami Heat, a big scare in last year’s playoffs with his clutch shots and 19.4 points and 6.0 rebounds average. This year is different. It is not going to be just a scare, but the Heat’s worst fear is going to turn into reality. With a revamped squad and George coming back with a vengeance, the Pacers are going to be one heck of a scary team, even for the Heat.

The Pacers should beat the Heat in a six game series and shortly after, face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals. The Thunder is no match for the Pacers. Although the Thunder has superstar Russell Westbrook and arguably the best player on the planet, Kevin Durant, the Pacers defense will be too much to handle.

The Pacers have it all: defense, offense, team chemistry, a productive bench, and a superstar, all of which, when combined together, will win a championship.

Brahmas continue to amaze Another DB blowout victory with their excellent play BOYS TENNIS| Diamond Bar shuts out the Bonita Bearcats in a 16-2 victory

BADMINTON| Wilson High School was no match for

with seniors Minsong Hsu and Kenny Sakata leading the way.

the two-time CIF champions, the Brahmas.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

The Diamond Bar badminton team continued its undefeated season by defeating the Wilson Wildcats 17-4 on April 16. The spotlight of the match was the boys singles and doubles team, which won all eight of their matches. The Brahmas now have an overall record of 6-0 and are on the path to win their third consecutive CIF championship.

“We did very well. Some areas they were stronger while there some areas in which they were much weaker than I anticipated,” coach Kemp Wells said.

The No. 1 singles player freshman Vinson Chiu, provided the highlight of the match, as he did not let his opponents score even a single point. In the boys doubles play, No.1 doubles team of senior

co-captains Curtis Li and Adrian Sin showed reasons they are favored to win the Hacienda League’s doubles play.

“Boys single did particularly well. It was Wilson’s weakest so the guys won easily. I was pleased that the number two doubles team was able to beat Wilson’s number one doubles,” Wells said.

The girls teams, however, experienced a harder time.

The girls doubles had a tough time finishing sets and lost three of the four matches. The only player of the girls team that had some luck was No.1 singles player sophomore Krista Hsu, who achieved two bagels and defeated her opponents in a timely manner.

With the season coming to an end, all members of the team have their eyes on the CIF championship.

“I expect to keep our undefeated streak all the way to the finals and we can beat every team out there easily,” Wells said.

XING YEN QUEK

TEAMWORK- Sophomore Krista Hsu and senior Curtis Li win the duo match.

ANDREW CHOI

FOCUSED RETURN- Sophomore David Chee positions himself to hit the return, looking to finish off his opponent.

BY JAMES KIL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Diamond Bar boys tennis team dominated Bonita Bearcats 16-2. Achieving six bagels in the April 15 match, the Brahmas improved their Hacienda League record to 5-2 and boosted their overall score to 10-3.

“I think it went as expected. We have a very strong lineup and Bonita is down this year, so we took advantage,” coach Dave Hamel said.

The Brahmas singles team, once again, proved to be a difficult team to defeat. Freshmen No. 1 singles player Allen Chen and No. 2 singles player Neil Tengbumroong won all of their matches with ease, allowing the substitutes to take over and continue the winning streak. The No. 3 singles player sophomore

Garrett Masuda ran into a little trouble with his first match, losing 6-7, but was motivated by his other teammates to conquer his next two opponents ruthlessly, winning 6-0 for both.

The Brahmas doubles team demonstrated another reason the Brahmas should be feared, winning eight out of the nine matches. The No. 1 doubles team consisting of seniors co-captains Minsong Hsu and Kenny Sakata dominated its matches, only giving up two points throughout their games.

Sophomore David Chee and his partner, junior Russell Chen, did not let the momentum of the other matches disappear, winning all of their three matches in a dominating fashion. After the Phan twins won yet another match for the Brahmas, seniors Albert Phone and Preston Lee subbed in and won the second match of the third round.

As the Brahmas play a couple more games in the Hacienda League, the team is becoming more confident. Even though two league matches were lost to the Rowland Raiders and the Walnut Mustang in close games, the Brahmas are still strong and going to give the other schools in the league a run for their money.

“My expectations for the remainder of the year are for us to continue to work hard, improve our strengths, and get rid of our weaknesses,” Hamel said.

While they keep their eyes on the league title, the Brahmas must stay focused in order to make the CIFs in perfect shape.

“We will make the playoffs. How far we go depends on how prepared we are, which I know we will be, and how the draw is, who we will face during what round. That has a lot to do with how far we will get,” Hamel said.

14 SPORTS

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

THE BULL’S EYE

Tracksters trample the Panthers TRACK & FIELD| Both the Diamond Bar boys and girls team swept past the Diamond Ranch Panthers with ease.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

With the CIF prelims and the Hacienda League Finals right around the corner, the Diamond Bar track team, both the boys and girls, dominated the Diamond Ranch Panthers on April 10 and won 97-39 and 110-22, respectively.

“We did great today. We came in mentally and physically prepared and the Diamond Ranch was could not do anything against us,” junior sprinter Kenneth Thai said.

The boys team got off to a fast start by narrowly defeating the Panthers in the 4x100 meters relay, giving DB a 5-0 lead. The DB’s lead started to increase as junior Ryan Alvardo, freshman Paul Abdo, and sophomore Ronnie Alemany swept the 1600 meter race. The meet was later out of reach after the shot put event as seniors Chris Lee and Jonathan Dunn won first and third place, respectively while junior

Jason Kim finished in second. By this time, the Brahmas were winning 73-22. DB wrapped up the meet when sophomores Ryan Gan and Kyle Yada took first and second place, respectively, in the high jump event.

“There is nothing better than when our hard work finally pays off. Diamond Ranch is a good team, but they were no match for us,” Kim said.

The Lady Brahmas also started the meet off on the right foot. Juniors Regina Tenoyo and Jennifer Sierra swept the pole vault event placing first and second, respectively and giving DB an early 8-0 lead. In the 400 meter race, sophomore Annabelle Cheng won first place while junior Ariana Infante came in second. Cheng later won the long jump and the triple jump competition. Overall, the Lady Brahmas swept 10 of the 16 events.

The track team has one more meet left, tomorrow against the Rowland Raiders, before the tracksters compete at the League Finals on May 8.

ANDREW CHOI

DETERMINATION AND WILL-The talented and athletic Diamond Bar track team outshined the Diamond Ranch Panthers on April 10.

MINSONG HSU ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Excelling on and off the court

BY XING YEN QUEK PHOTO EDITOR

As the varsity boys tennis captain, a Mock Trial member, and an academically driven student, senior Minsong Hsu is an exemplary Brahma who has successful accomplishments in both extracurricular and grades.

Hsu’s passion for tennis has only continued to grow ever since he was first introduced to the sport in fifth grade. Although he was considered a late bloomer to the sport, his determination and dedication rewarded him with the opportunity to join the varsity tennis team his freshman year.

As a freshman, he and his teammates led the team into league finals but came up short. They made a successful comeback his sophomore year by winning league. In the individual division that year, Hsu and his partner, Kenny Sakata, also took home the league title, further representing the Brahmas.

“My team and my coach are my main motivation. When I entered

high school tennis, it really showed me that tennis is not an individual sport,” Hsu said.

Even with his relentless commitment to the sport, Hsu will have managed to juggle a total of seven AP classes by the end of his senior year. With outstanding academics, he was honored in the academic all-league team his junior year for

When I entered high school tennis, it really showed me that tennis is not an individual sport.

Senior Minsong Hsu having the highest academic GPA in the entire league.

Aside from his sport and academics, Hsu is an active member of the Mock Trial team and volunteers at Mary’s Soup Kitchen. He also coaches tennis to children in his free time.

Hsu plans to continue his pursuit of the sport by joining the college team or a club tennis team.

He will be majoring in business administration with a concentration in management and finance.

After his undergraduate degree, he anticipates continuing his education by studying for a Master of Business Administration. He also hopes to pursue his interest in flying by earning his private pilot’s license.

This season, tennis is currently number five in CIF with a 12-3 record. Hsu hopes to carry the team to yet another league title and possibly CIF championship.

“All I can really ask for at the end of the day is that I can bring out the best in all of my players both on and off the courts. Playing with confidence, intensity, and a respect for their opponents is what’s expected. The amount of potential this year’s lineup can achieve is quite remarkable and I know by reaching that threshold our success as a team will come along on its own,” Hsu said.

Although Hsu has not decided which college he wants to go to, the sport will follow him anywhere.

Hsu’s burning desire for tennis will never extinguish, even in college.

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

SPORTS COLUMN

Disappointing Defeat

Should college athletes get paid?

SOFTBALL| Although Diamond Bar never gave up throughout the match, it could not handle Bonita’s strong hitting and pitching, giving up 11 runs and remaining scoreless on the offensive end.

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

The first place Bonita Bearcats proved to be too much for the Lady Brahmas on April 15. Although Diamond Bar gave an unrelenting effort, its opponents still ended up taking the 11-0 win.

Throughout the game, the focus, concentration, defense and offense were nowhere to be found. Right from the start, the Bearcats shredded DB’s defense. Bonita scored with ease and the Lady Brahmas had no answer for Bonita’s strong hitters. In comparison to DB’s three hits, Bonita had 13, 11 of them were converted into runs.

DB had no answer for Bonita’s Vienna Benavides, who scored three runs, and Alyssa Meyer, who had three hits and one run.

“Bonita is first place in the Hacienda League. They showed why they are in first place with some timely hitting. Our pitchers did the best that they could against a strong team,” coach Roberta Garcia Uyemura.

Although the Lady Brahmas failed to get their offense flowing against Bearcat pitcher Kaelyn Mc Fadden and her six strikeouts, their defense improved in the second inning, limiting the Wildcats to only one run. However, DB’s de-

termination and will did not transpire into any runs. Bonita scored four in the fourth inning and three in the fifth inning, shutting out DB 11-0.

“The Brahmas fought hard and gave their best effort. The girls had a never-die attitude,” Garcia said.

Tuesday’s loss was a lessoned learned and DB is determined to recover and hopefully a earn CIF spot. The 11-0 blow-out re-

BY JAMES KIL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Imagine this: You are a collegiate athlete, which means that you will be spending hours working out, training, and studying your opponents. Along with all of this, you will need to do homework and study for tests. Do you think that you should be getting paid for being a part-time athlete in college?

The question of whether NCAA athletes should get paid for their performances is one of the most controversial topics in sports.

There are many opinions for and against the idea, but ultimately, for many reasons, these athletes should not get paid for playing for their respective sport.

First of all, playing a sport in college either means that a student is dedicating his or her life to reach for the top, or is just playing as a hobby. With that being said, why would the NCAA pay athletes to play in college? If the athletes were getting paid, student athletes would be more focused on the money rather than the competition they face. It would also change the perspective of some students, encouraging the students to play sports in college because of the money that they can receive instead of the opportunity to get a degree.

Our girls will be ready to bounce back from this loss. We will fight hard to gain a CIF spot.

Coach Roberta Garcia ally caught the Lady Brahmas off guard after their 12-2 win against Rowland and 5-2 win against Walnut. If the Lady Brahmas continue this type of play, a CIF is in dim lights. However, DB’s previous wins proves that it has what it takes to defeat top tier teams. DB cannot fall apart like it did against Bonita if it wants any chances at earning a CIF spot in the future.

“Our girls will be ready to bounce back from this loss. We will fight hard to gain a CIF spot,” Garcia said.

15

ANDREW CHOI

DEADLY PITCH- Sophomore Andrea Gonzalez looks to strike her opponent out.

Sports Memes of the Month

Bike team rides as an official sport The Mountain Bike team is now in its second year as a sport of DBHS.

BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

As the Mountain Biking season reaches its climax, the Diamond Bar’s Mountain Bike Team has completed four of its five scheduled races for the school year.

Currently in its second year as a DB sports team, the group is involved in the SoCal League and is ultimately trying to send racers into the State Championships in Monterey County on May 11. So far, eleven members of the team have qualified for the State Championships.

“Many of our last season’s riders now know what to expect at the races. It is very competitive in every category. They are training harder and riding longer to

prepare themselves for the races,” coach Yoshimoto said.

The most recent event was the Cruise of the Keys race at Keysville on April 6. With over 400 riders from 50 different high schools competing, the high schools are split into two divisions with the top twelve put together in Division 1 and the 38 other schools put into

Photo Courtesy of Kenji Yoshimoto

Division 2. The Brahmas placed ninth out of twelve places in the highly competitive first division during the Keysville race. DB is currently ranked eighth overall and hopes to improve by the end of

its last scheduled race.

“The importance of team standings is showing how well the team works together to earn points for the team and your own standards in the race,” co-captain Kenji Yoshimoto said.

Now on his second year coaching, Yoshimoto believes that many bikers have stepped up and improved from last year’s team. Bikers include Sophia Wang, Daniel Zhou, Andrew Tseng, and Kenji Yoshimoto, all of whom have qualified for the state championships. With the last bike race fast approaching and the state championships coming soon, the team has increased the difficulty of its practices and now meet about three times a week to help prepare the Brahmas for championship success.

“We’re moving our practices to more climbing areas like Marshall Canyon or Chino Hills State Park to prepare for our next race as well as the state championships,” Wang said.

The Cow Pie Classic race will also be of utmost importance to the team, as it is the last chance

for those who have not qualified for state to gain an entry. Like most races, each race division is split into the categories freshmen, sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity.

“You have to get in the top 70% in your class for the race to qualify,”

The importance of team standings is showing how well the team works together to earn points [. . .]

Sophomore Kenji Yoshimoto Yoshimoto said.

Each class of racers has its own race length with the freshmen biking 10 miles, the sophomore biking 15 miles, the junior varsity biking a 15-20 mile distance, and the varsity biking 25 miles. The Cow Pie Classic will take place on April 27 and will be the last regular season race.

The mountain biking team looks forward to the final championship test to come.

Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson pointed out that the players are the ones helping universities make money. Although this is true, the university is the one providing the students with professors who teach them, scholarships, and most of all, the opportunity to play the sport that they love on a higher competitive level.

According to the NCAA, less than two percent of the athletes, actually get drafted to play professionally. Since the percentages are so low, it should be obvious that a scholarship to a college should be enough to satisfy these athletes.

NCAA athletes should be more focused on their degree just in case they do not make it into the pros.

Also, the NCAA is a nonprofit organization, so all the money that they make during the year must go back into its organization. Yes, they make a fortune every year, and can be considered to be a monopoly, but that money goes into funding things such as giving scholarships to athletes, salaries, equipment and traveling cost.

Some people would argue that athletes need the money for food because they eat more than the average student since they spend a lot of time training and working out.

Another reason is some athletes like Shabazz Napier, University of Connecticut’s guard, blatantly stated said that they go to bed hungry sometimes because they don’t have enough money. As a result, the NCAA recently voted that there shall be no bans on any food amounts, meaning that athletes do not need to spend even a dime on food anymore.

In the coming years, calls for collegiate athletes to get paid will increase, but I believe that NCAA will find a solution to appease and alleviate those on both sides of the argument.

16 SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

SPORTS

Lady Aquatics impress in rivalry win

XING YEN QUEK

AGAINST THE TIDES- The Brahmas swims through the waters with skill and talent, but fail to get past the Walnut Mustangs and their better developed swimmers.

SWIMMING| While the Brahmas struggled against the Mustangs, the Lady Brahmas defeated Walnut in a complete 101-69 shutout.

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

The ladies were the ones to represent Diamond Bar’s swimming legacy on April 16 against crosstown rivals Walnut Mustangs.

While the boys team suffered a

disappointing 126-54 loss, the girls shined with an impressive 101-69 win.

In the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle, the Lady Brahmas lost both events 8-6 and 9-7 respectively.

However, down 17-13 at this point, Erin Wu led in the 200 individual medley with second place, winning the event for DB 9-6. In the next event, the Lady Brahmas started

to pull further ahead of the Mustangs. In the 50 freestyle, DB defeated Walnut 13-3. Now with the 35-27 lead heading into the 100 butterfly, DB capitalized off its momentum with a 10-6 win in the event. The Lady Brahmas now commanded a 58-36 lead over the Mustangs. In the 200 freestyle, the Lady Brahmas defeated the Mustangs once again, winning 12-2. The meet was soon out of reach for the Mustangs at 86-54.

“We acted like a team, swam like a team, and I was very proud of

them,” coach Darlys Ankeny said.

The boys team failed to win any events throughout the whole meet.

“Walnut just had stronger and faster guys,” Ankeny said.

The Walnut boys had control of DB in every aspect. It all came down to who were the faster swimmers, and that was in Walnut’s favor. The DB boys started off the meet on the wrong note, losing the 200 medley relay 10-4 and losing the 200 freestyle 11-5. The losing woes continued to plague the Brahmas.

DB lost the 200 individuals, 50 free-

style, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, and it was hopeless from there. Individually, Juniors John Ang, Greg Lee, and Alex Song performed well, all placing second in the 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 50 freestyle respectively.

“It was a great team effort and there were lots of great swims,” Ang said.

The Lady Brahmas are now a perfect 3-0 in the season. With two more wins, they will be crowned Hacienda League champions of the 2014 season.

Diamond Bar comes back to stun Los Altos Conquerors BASEBALL| Down 5-3 in the sixth, the Brahmas rallied back in the late innings, scoring three consecutive runs to finish Los Altos 6-5.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR Losing 9-1 to the Los Altos Conquerors on April 15, the Diamond Bar baseball team enacted revenge on the Conquerors, coming out victorious 6-5 on Friday as junior outfielder Brett Tweedie scored the gamewinning run after the LA shortstop wildly error to first base. The Brahmas now have a 12-7 overall record with a 3-2 Hacienda League record.

After pitching four scoreless innings, junior Gerardo Ramirez looked as if he was going to pitch another shutout. However, Ramirez started to experience fatigue and his pitches lost speed and spin. The Conquerors took advantage of this and scored three straight runs in the top of the fourth inning. At the bottom of the fourth, the Brahmas responded by scoring a run after a LA error.

Tied 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning, a Conqueror batter found a perfect pitch and hit a two-run homerun off of Ramirez.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, senior infielder Austin Manzani hit a RBI double, scoring Duenas home. Heading into the seventh inning, the Conquerors were leading 5-4.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, it looked like the Brahmas were going home with another loss. However, with two runners on base, Ramirez hit a clutch RBI single tying the score and sending the game into extra innings.

Tweedie hit a double into left field. With one strike left, junior infielder Jacob Cooke hit an easy ground ball to the LA shortstop. However, the Conqueror infielder threw an erratic ball over the first baseman. Tweedie took advantage of this mistake and scored the game-winning run.

EMILY HWANG

THE RALLY- Juniors Gerardo Ramirez, top, and Brett Tweedie, bottom, pitch and hit to lead the way for the Brahma comeback in the seventh inning.