March 2014

DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL

PREDICTIONS

CH HOO OOSI SING SI N THE NG H RIGH RIGH G T CO COLL L EG LL E E

THE BUZZ

sports 13

restaurant review

a&e 10

Icce Bar

feature theme 8-9

UPROARING CHANGES TO THE SAT

feature 7

editorial 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

STUDENT NEWSPAPER

The Bull’s Eye WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014

DBHS wins Grammy

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

The Pirate’s Life

The school’s music program was chosen out of 123 semi-finalists for the esteemed title.

BY ANGIE ZHANG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A regular school day quickly turned extraordinary during second period for Diamond Bar High School Wind Ensemble students when band director Steve Acciani announced that they were named the 2014 National Grammy Signature School.

Out of 123 semi-finalists, DBHS was given the esteemed title and awarded $6,000 for its outstanding music program. In total, 12 schools were selected as Signature Schools: seven accomplishing great feats despite economic difficulties were given the Enterprise Award, two were named as Gold Signature Schools and two others as Signature Schools.

See MUSIC | pg 2

ANGIE ZHANG

THE PIRATE’S LIFE - Drama teacher Beatrice Casagran prepares her students for the upcoming play, “The Pirates of Penzance,” which will open on April 24. In this scene, junior Katarina Avalos practices playing a character who falls in love with a pirate, but is prevented from approaching him by her friends.

A glimpse of the substitute life

Rally efforts redone

Aside from filling in for missing teachers, these substitutes enjoy different hobbies.

After hours of preparation, the cancellation of the rally frustrates USB.

BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

BY FRANCES WU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BY JOY CHOW NEWS EDITOR

Rolling, lifting, pushing. Hanging, untangling, tying. The dedicated USB members worked strenuous hours to make sure that the Performing Arts Rally was pictureperfect. Staying after school the day before the rally and working in the gym until late at night, the USB students transformed the plain, wooden gym into a mystical junglethemed arena. Hanging up rope after rope, they tirelessly thought out plans to make every aspect of the gym feel like an outdoor scene of the wilderness.

Getting huge stand-up props and stages into the gymnasium is not an easy task. It takes much teamwork, commitment, and strength, both literally and metaphorically, to really set up a jungle-like ambiance. The students had to wrap all the tables in green and brown paper as well as paint wallpaper to embellish the simple walls. They created skits and videos to feature during the performance. And besides staying after school the day

See RALLY | pg 3

Substitute teachers are always a nice change for Diamond Bar High School students, but their temporary stay in the classroom gives students little time to learn more about them. Although regular teachers have an entire year develop a close relationship with their students, substitute teachers don’t get the same interaction as they busily fill in for absent teachers. However, substitutes are just as interesting as DBHS faculty members and with their flexible schedules, even have time to enjoy a few hobbies and passions. Here is a look at three substitute teachers and their lives in and out of the classroom.

Christy Passoth A familiar face at DBHS, Christy Passoth began teaching for the Walnut Valley School District 30 years ago after previously teaching in Chula Vista. However, in 2012, the English teacher became a substitute teacher, a position she took because she wasn’t ready to retire.

Having three credentials, she substitutes for all classes, from kindergarten to the 12th grade.

“I just love the whole educational process. My goal now is to be the absolute best because every day— that’s still a day in [a student’s]

KATLYN LEE

THE APPLE FOR THE DAY - Christy Passoth, explaining the set instructions to the class, enthusiastically approaches the new set of students. An experienced educator herself, Passoth enjoys interacting with different students. life. [It’s] important that they learn something that day,” Passoth commented.

Her favorite part of being a substitute teacher is seeing her former students approach her and even give her hugs when she substitutes at DBHS. “I am very endeared that [my students] remembered me in a positive way,” Passoth said.

Although she loves being around students, she also knows how to handle the difficulties that come with being a substitute teacher.

“I think the first thing you have to do is establish your authority. I don’t let the students call me ‘sub.’

I am not a submarine; I am a guest teacher, and I tell them my number one rule is: I respect you, you respect me and that will go a long

way,” she said.

Aside from her job as a substitute, Passoth is involved in many volunteer organizations such as Soroptimist International and Books for Babes, and actively earns money for breast cancer research.

Maggie Garcia Maggie Garcia, another substitute in the WVUSD and an alumna of Walnut High School, always knew that she wanted to be a part of the education field as a school counselor. She had worked for the Baldwin Park Unified School District for a few months, then transferred to the Walnut Valley Unified School District during October of 2012.While substituting, she also studies Educational Counseling at the University of La Verne and takes care of her two young sons.

“I decided to become a substitute teacher while enrolled in school with hopes of getting classroom experience and meeting people in the education field. The schedule is flexible and the learning experience is enriching and always keeps me on my toes,” Garcia shared via email.

Though she has only been a substitute teacher for a year and a half, she has experienced both the ups and downs of the job, the hardest being the inability to create rapport with the children. She finds it difficult when students think that they don’t have to do anything for the day because there is a substitute in the classroom.

See SUBSTITUTES | pg 3

2 NEWS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

APES classes start eco-friendly campaigning Judges will determine which group proposed the best solutions for ecological problems.

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

The annual, end-of-the-year AP Environmental Science project allows students to reach beyond the classroom to apply their knowledge to the real world. Throughout March, April, and May, four APES classes will campaign their project to promote eco-friendly solutions to environmental problems.

These groups were assigned in their classes to create a project that is not only ecological, but also local and relevant to high school students. The four classes are competing to make their projects the most effective and influential, as the most widespread project will receive the best grade.

In May, a panel of esteemed judges including scientists and professors will judge the class proj-

EMILY HWANG

A SPIN FOR CONSERVATION - Members of the Flush It Up group held a rally last Friday to inform students about a dual-flush toilet system that could save water in every flush and ultimately, save the school a lot of money. ects. The four groups, called the Brahma Board, Flush it Up, Toxic Take-Away, and Bottles for Benefit, will be judged and graded based on overall professionalism, application, and effectiveness.

One of the competing classes, Brahma Board, run by Angela Jensvold’s second period class, is in-

troducing different ways to reduce paper usage in the school to curb the waste of hundreds of fliers that are posted everywhere around campus each week. Brahma Board hopes to install digital monitors around school to display the same important information and simultaneously cut back on the amount

of paper used.

“Since many of us participate in different club activities and team fundraisers, we unknowingly contribute to the overwhelming number of fliers posted around campus.

We felt like making everything digital could really make a difference,” senior Grant Shao, campaign president of Brahma Bottles, commented.

Greg Valor’s second period class, called Toxic Take-Away, is assembling a project that seeks to ensure appropriate disposal as well as aware others of the effects of improperly disposed hazardous waste. Hoping to prevent the improper disposal of simple household hazardous items such as batteries, paints, and pesticides, the group plans to arrange hazardous waste pick-ups at the school, similar to an e-waste pick-up.

Planning to save one of Earth’s most limited and vital resources, Flush It Up, Valor’s first period group, is trying to install a new type of flushing device to conserve water. This new system, in which one must flush up for liquid waste and down for solid, will use only half of the normal amount of wa-

ter to flush.

“This project gives our student body a convenient way to save water. Without much effort, everyone can play a part in making a difference. All you have to do is flush up, flush down, and flush it all around!” senior Joy Chow, a member of Flush It Up, commented.

Another group aiming to impress the judges, Jensvold’s fourth period class assembled a project called Bottles for Benefit, which hopes to reduce the improper disposal and frequent usage of plastic water bottles sold on campus, as well as other recyclable items on campus. The group seeks to also introduce Brahma Bottles, reusable bottles that combine the convenience of a water bottle, with the eco-friendliness of a steel bottle.

“We have these projects so that students can experience the process of making a change in their community. Hopefully when they graduate, if there’s an issue they think need to be worked on, they will take a more active role and instead of being observers, they can actually be participants,” Jensvold said.

Weeks of testing coming soon for DBHS Standardized tests, which began today for juniors, will continue after spring break.

BY KATLYN LEE NEWS EDITOR

As seniors cope with college March Madness, underclassmen at Diamond Bar High School will

be going through another type of madness for standardized tests.

Although juniors have already started their Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium field tests today, which will continue tomorrow, they, along with freshmen and sophomores, will have more exams to take in April.

After spring break, all students except seniors will be taking their respective standardized test on April 11. The schedule for this day will be similar to that of last year, with seniors having their one day

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.

of late start. Juniors will be taking the mathematics portion of the CST, sophomores will be taking the required life science test, and freshmen will be taking a practice California High School Exit Exam.

The following week, from April 14 to 17, will follow a new block schedule so that juniors can take the English portion of the CST. Except for zero period, which will be as normally scheduled, all class periods will be two hour blocks, and juniors will take their English CST

in their English classes. This block schedule will run for four days, and the regular six-period schedule will resume on April 18.

The SBAC testing was originally scheduled to start this Monday; however, when the state announced last minute changes, administrators were forced to push back the field test to start today.

Although most juniors, separated into two groups, will be testing today and tomorrow, a group of selected students will be pulled out

after spring break to take the test.

To have the juniors take all the state required tests, yet not become too overwhelmed, the administrators finalized the new testing schedule considering several factors such as the number of available devices for the SBAC, instructional time lost for students, and the window of time necessary for the CST and SBAC. They also hope to find more efficient methods of testing after experimenting with the field test.

APUSH night sessions to start Watkins will help students prepare for the multiple choice and essay sections.

BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

With a passing rate of 52.1 percent, the AP U.S. History exam, which will be given on May 14, is one of the most difficult assessments faced by students. Luckily for these learners, APUSH teacher Ty Watkins is hosting night review sessions to help students prepare for the test. The official dates for the sessions will be announced after spring break with first priority given to Watkins’ students.

The setup of the APUSH test requires students to be time efficient.

APUSH exam takers have to complete a section of 80 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes, followed by a document-based question, an essay given 45 minutes to finish. In the final portion of the test,

students complete two more essay questions with 35 minutes for each.

The first essay will deal with topics that occurred prior to the Civil War, while the second will contain topics that occurred after the war.

Because he believes students need ample practice to prepare for the various components in the APUSH test, Watkins invites all his students to his annual night meetings until the exam date to review the course material. For the past few years, an average of 75 to 80 students attended every meeting.

Although the night sessions can be crowded, the meetings have been beneficial to students who detected areas of weakness on which to improve. Watkins learned through his time helping students that many have trouble creating adequate responses to the essay topics.

“APUSH students usually struggle with writing three essays and organizing their essays in an argumentative manner. Many times [they] just write facts and forget to write a thesis and then defend [it],” Watkins said.

To solve this problem, Watkins also invites all students to meet

during weekends to work specifically on essays. During this time, students at his meeting are given a full practice AP practice exam, which Watkins then grades and return them to students.

“I pass out exams and grade the essays before they leave, so they have an idea what they might get when they take the AP US History exam,” Watkins said.

A golf coach, FBLA advisor, and former basketball coach, Watkins is no stranger to spending additional time working with students. When it comes to school activities, he believes that the success of a sport or club comes with a teacher’s dedication to help out afterschool. Consequently he has hosted his APUSH practice sessions all nine years of teaching the class at DBHS. “On this campus there [are] not enough coaches or advisers, and many teachers don’t invest in the success of the sports or clubs. But, it is not in their contract to do any work outside, so teachers are not required to be coaches or advisers.

I commend all those teachers who are coaches, class advisers, and club advisers,” Watkins said.

chamber groups, soloists, and even rock band were sent in for assessment.

Choir sent in its best recordings from the past two years.

“You want to have a selection from all the musical eras. and within that you want to show the diversity of culture and ethnicity,” choir director Patty Breitag stated.

This is DBHS’ second time as a Signature School, but first as a National. Acciani attributes this stepup to individual excellence and good fundamentals.

Marie Sato is the director of the lower level orchestras, and plays a

large role in developing the skills of younger musicians.

“My job is to make sure that they are getting good foundations so that I can then send them to [Mr. Acciani]. Every group is playing a higher level of music. The quality of music has gone up, so the kids are rising to that expectation and playing at a higher level, ” Sato stated.

Although DBHS was announced as the Grammy winner, it has yet to receive the award. The Grammy award will be presented to the music program on a future date here at DBHS.

MUSIC from pg 1

Breitag attributes choir’s success to dedication, work ethic, and teamwork.

“The Grammy signature school supposedly best personifies the ideals of the Grammy Foundation in terms of a broad based music education well supported by the community and of the highest quality in the nation,” Acciani stated.

The application process was extensive, and multiple recordings of the school’s band, choir, orchestra,

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Subs share memories

XIGN YEN QUEK

A GLEEFUL GUEST - Luke Spinelli, who starred in a Glee episode, came as a guest speaker for Best Buddies’ End the RWord Rally, which was held from March 5 to 7 in the upper quad and lower lunch area.

The last rally of the year may also be rescheduled due to testing. before the rally, the USB workers had to also arrive at school two hours earlier than usual on rally day to finish up final touches.

Not only did all the USB students invest countless hours into preparations, but the Class Committee members also spent days perfecting their class posters. With all the sketching, painting, and glitterapplying, representatives of every grade level were eager to see their posters proudly displayed during

the rally.

But when the day arrived, Feb. 28, due to severe weather conditions, the Performing Arts Rally was abruptly cancelled. Though the message of cancellation disheartened many students and performers, knowing that being safe is better than being sorry, the USB members efficiently coped with the sudden change and swiftly began to take down the preparations that were so whole-heartedly set up.

“We found out that the rally was to be cancelled thirty minutes prior to the first rally. It was definitely more upsetting than stressful or tiring,” USB Junior President Daniel Chai commented.

The cancelled rally was postponed until March 20, where once

NEWSBITS WASHINGTON Baby, Baby, Baby, ew… During passing periods and lunch at Tenino High School, “Baby,”

by Justin Bieber played continuously throughout the halls as a fundraiser for orphaned children in Ghana. The fundraiser was a success, as students quickly donated money to stop the music.

“Beavers, stop the Bieber,” signs read throughout the school, asking the school’s mascot, the beaver, to end the torture.

Although he set an initial goal of $1,200, Connor Stakelin, the student government president, promised to stop the music after raising at least $500. After only a day of fundraising, Stakelin was able to reach his goal and raise a total of about $900.

FLORIDA “My dog ate my homework,” “There was traffic!” Nearly everyone has an excuse up his sleeve, but Florida resident may have

the best one yet. James Olivos, charged with a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud, has claimed that he is too morbidly obese to serve his five-year jail sentence for his convicted crime. He also failed to show up on three different occasions to report to prison, all based on a variety of excuses including coughing up blood and foot pain.

COLORADO Amelia Earhart will fly around the world this summer: not the historically famous Earhart, but Amelia Rose Earhart, a weather and traffic co-anchor for NBC Denver affiliated KUSA, who will take this project to honor the famous female pilot.

The modern Earhart plans to fly in a Pilatus PC-12NG, a “stateof-the-art Swiss engineered plane,” around the world “in fourteen stops, approximately 28,000 miles,” and complete the unfinished journey around the world while inspiring female pilots everywhere.

3

SUBSTITUTES from pg 1

End the R-Word Rally

RALLY from pg 1

NEWS

THE BULL’S EYE

again, the students of USB redecorated the gym and hoped that this second trial would run more smoothly.

As of right now, due to new testing protocols, the Spring Sports and Top 10 Rally that was scheduled to be right after spring break may be rescheduled as well. The tentative dates are April 10 and 11.

“It takes some time to gain their respect and to get them on track,” Garcia stated.

She even recalls her first experience as a substitute teacher at Pleasant View Elementary School in Baldwin Park. She was assigned to a special education first grade class; however, because she had no previous experience with children with special needs, she had difficulty knowing what to do when an autistic boy suddenly began running around the classroom screaming and bolted out the door.

Garcia’s most memorable experience was when a student came into his girlfriend’s journalism class and asked her to homecoming with guacamole and chips. Inside the lid was the question, “Will you go to homecoming with me?” She found that moment to be so memorable that she even took a picture of the couple with her iPad to look back on for memories.

“I always wish I could sub in the same classrooms throughout the year more often. When students already know me and my expectations from the beginning of class, things run a lot smoother and our days are much more productive,” Garcia commented.

Mary Forslund A former teacher at La Puente for four years and at Chaparral Middle School for 35 years, Mary Forslund retired from the Walnut Valley Unified School District just over two years ago. Not accus-

tomed to the peace and quiet during the weekdays, Forslund began subbing for teachers soon after she retired. She has the most expertise in teaching history and English, but has also taught social science in middle school.

“Since I have taught my whole adult life, I decided why not go back to teaching since it is something I love to do and I know I can do it well,” Forslund said via email.

Some of her favorite memories of subbing include going back to Chaparral Middle and Diamond Bar High School to see her former students who remembered her as a teacher. However, like many others, Forslund makes an effort to establish her authority in class.

Over the years, Forslund has also learned that a great teacher is one gives interesting and engaging lessons and has an extreme amount of patience.

“I feel that I have the patience needed to be an effective teacher,” she said.

During her free time, the former history teacher also enjoys going to yard sales, finding collectibles, and reselling them on eBay. Another one of her hobbies is collecting classic cars with her husband.

Currently, the couple owns seven cars, enjoys going to car shows, and meeting with their friends from a car club. In the summertime, she and her husband return to Sweden every year and visit their large family.

Student writers place in state Five of The Bull’s Eye staff placed in the top fifteen at the state write offs in Long Beach.

BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER

Ready, set, write! After placing in the Regional Write-Offs hosted by the Eastern Los Angeles Journalism Education last month, seven members of the Bull’s Eye participated in Southern California Journalism Education Association’s statewide write offs, in which five of them placed in the top fifteen for

their respective section.

The competition, held at Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School in Long Beach on March 15, allowed student journalists to compete in various sections, including Photo, Opinion, Feature, News, Critical Review, Editorial Cartooning, and Sports. Award-winning staffers included seniors Claire Huang, who placed seventh in feature, Xing Yen Quek for ninth place in photography, Gloria Kim for 14th place in Editorial Cartooning, and juniors Joseph Park for 15th place in Sports and Emily Wong, who placed 12th in feature.

During the writing session, students were presented with a scenario to cover as a story, and then given additional time to obtain

more information by asking questions after the presentations. On the other hand, contestants in the Critical Review section were to review an animated television show.

Participants about had an hour to write their stories, with the exception of Photography, Newspaper Layout, and Yearbook, which allowed competitors two hours. Students were judged based on how engaging and organized their article or layout was.

Divisions such as Newspaper Layout, Yearbook Layout, Critical Review, Editorial Cartooning, Photography were open to all participants, while students competing in Sports, Feature, Opinion, and News were required to place in ELAJ’s Regional Write-Offs.

more on THE WEB PRO&CON: LIFE SUPPORT

By Emily Wong & Yusheng Xia Should life support be a state’s choice or a famiy’s choice?

MJ CAFE AND TEAHOUSE

By Lilly Ball A review of the Taiwanese restaurant in Rowland Heights ALBUM REVIEWS: ARTIC MONKEYS AND LORDE

By Vrinda Chauhan A review of the band’s and singer’s new albums, “AM” and “Pure Heroine.”

WOODSHOP TEACHER PROMOTED

By Gaby Dinh Mike Bromberg gets promoted as the district carpenter.

VISIT DBBULLSEYE.COM

4 EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 Do you think that a TA class is

STUDENTS | needed at DBHS?

Eye of the Editors

“Yes, because TAs help teachers who often need help with classroom things.”

TEACHER’S AIDE PROBLEM | Students’ freedom to request a TA class in their schedules should be maintained, but this right should not be taken advantage of.

Roaming in the hallway during class hours, walking in late after the tardy bell has rung, lingering in other teachers’ classrooms while class is still in session are clearly unacceptable behaviors for most students—unless they pull out the TA card, that is.

Interestingly, over the years, being a TA has given students special exemption from normal student consequences.

Though this indeed does not apply to all teachers’ aides on campus, a handful of students have been witnessed using their roles as TAs abusively.

There is no doubt that the teacher’s aide system is a beneficial one; Diamond Bar High School could not function without it. Each teacher presides over anywhere from 20 to close to 40 students, and on top of teaching lessons, assigning classwork, and correcting tests, teachers have the onerous task of controlling a class full of rowdy teenagers.

Often, teachers have as much homework as students to take home, if not more, eating into their personal time to be with family or friends. So indeed, their burdens are significantly alleviated when one or more TAs help knock a few things off of a teacher’s infinite list of to-dos.

Yes, TAs may be teachers’ heroes, but this cannot justify every action that they seem to be able to get away from. Taking much longer than necessary while running errands or going to the restroom, stopping to chat with a couple buddies in the hallway, appearing

in random teachers’ classrooms should not simply be dismissed because so-and-so is a “TA.” The TA period is equivalent to an elective; some students sign up for it at the beginning of the year, but in most cases, it is an alternative to a dropped AP or honors class. Because most academic and some elective courses move at rapid paces, and thus are hard to join after the first few weeks of school, the common option for a student in need of a new class is simply becoming a TA. This prevents students from taking an unwanted course, which would strain both the teacher and the student, and also keeps the students on campus if the dropped class isn’t a first or last period.

Having numerous TAs is fine, but when there are no definite regulations to the system, it creates much confusion and irritation. Currently, DBHS does not have a clear method of assigning TAs. A GLC may recommend a student to a teacher in need, but usually a student ends up aiding a teacher of their own choice as long as they obtain permission from the teacher. If a teacher is lenient enough, they will allow two or three friends in need of a home to reside in their room, as there are no limits to the number of TAs a teacher can have. This often leads to TAs napping, doing homework, or fooling around in the corner of the room. If they become disturbing to the class, most teachers may only ask them kindly to leave the

class to run errands, which results in multiple students lounging about in the hallway.

Which brings up another issue: roaming students. TAs that are carrying out a teacher’s request, especially during the 6th period, end up spending a little more time in the hallway than needed. These students easily get mixed up with those who get out early during the 4th or 5th period and create confusion for many, especially the security guards who are trying to keep outsiders off school grounds.

Another concern is that during emergency lockdowns, teachers will have difficulty tracking down their TAs’ whereabouts amidst considerable chaos.

With 30 of their own students to look after, teachers cannot ensure their TAs are in a safe place if TAs are never within the teachers’ sight.

Lastly, for a school that highly emphasizes using every minute of every day in the classroom effectively, the TA period refutes that goal. Some students are allowed to take the TA class on top of an elective and a sport. Fitting merely two or three academic classes in a full day schedule is wasting a student’s time to be educated. It is important to give students the ability to make their own decisions regarding their schedules, but the school should foster learning instead of carelessly tossing away valuable time.

DBHS must place stricter regulations on TAs to improve the safety, quality, and prospect of the school and its students.

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.

—Kenny Chang (9)

“I think they’re needed but we don’t need that many because some teachers don’t need [multiple] TAs.”

—Felicitas Anijelo (10)

“Yes I think it is needed because the teachers will be glad they are there and they need assistance with different tasks.”

—Faizan Aziz (11)

“TA classes are good because it is the student’s choice and they should be able to choose what class they want to take.”

—Renee Kau (10)

Raising spirit, or raising conflict?

The postponement of the Performing Arts Rally raises the dispute over whether or not DBHS should continue to hold rallies.

BY FRANCES WU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PRO| When school becomes tedious and classes seem unbearable, rallies arrive just in time to relieve students of their stress.

Rallies inspire students to enjoy school, support our different sports and performing arts groups, and join the extracurricular activities presented. Rallies have many different qualities that make them worthwhile and fulfilling, and thus should not be eliminated from the school routine.

Rallies are events that Brahmas have come to know and love, whether they are because talented students can showcase their skills or because they can spend class time being entertained. Despite the different age groups trying to outshine each other in the traditional contests, rallies are a time in which the entire school gathers to appreciate what fellow students have put together.

Some diligent students may claim that rallies are a waste of time, arguing that their IB and AP classes need every minute to stay on track. However, rallies are only 40 minutes long, which means each class is shortened by only seven minutes. Rallies take place around once every six weeks, so in the larger scope of things, the amount of time taken away from classes is insignificant.

These events can also help encourage teamwork. For example, class committees work hard to paint posters together and spend countless hours outside of school hours to decorate and set up the gym. The rallies encourage teamwork and allow them

to become involved in creating something for all students to enjoy.

One may think that after a couple of years, rallies become boring and repetitive. However, with each rally, the different performing groups present something new, while the sports teams often have different members and captains to introduce. Rallies may be tradition, but that doesn’t mean that they are always the same. They can inspire students to strive beyond simply obtaining a high GPA. Students may also be intimidated to join a club or try out for a sports team and rallies can be the push that they need. Seeing the performing arts teams that have placed in national competitions, and the sports teams that have won CIF League games consistently can encourage other students to get involved in school.

Also, students can use these opportunities to learn more about school and find out about teams that they may not have known to exist. These school-wide gatherings present a chance for distinguished groups to be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. When the athletes of different teams introduce themselves at rallies, they give others a chance to recognize them and cheer them on. Many teams that perform at rallies have competitions and games outside of school. However, the locations and times of these competitions make difficult for students to go and support. Rallies, therefore, offer an alternative where students can see the performances at school with no effort.

Although some may argue that rallies are a waste of time and money, they are actually forms of student expression. Rallies improve our school by providing a creative outlet and are definitely worth preserving.

BY MICHELLE KI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CON|

As students of Diamond Bar High School, we are ordered to go to rallies up to five times a year. During these rallies, large amounts of both money and time are spent for the intent of bringing “entertainment” to our school. However, is this “entertainment,” worth the money and time? Does it balance out to what this school is aiming for? In regards to the entire student population, it definitely does not, which is why DBHS does not need rallies.

Yet there are reasons why some students would enjoy rallies; they can spend class time listening to loud music while being entertained by performers. However, not everyone has a positive view on school rallies. Many students do not like rallies due to the annoying interruptions in their familiar schedules, deafening songs, ear-piercing screams, and overrated performances.

Although there are always different themes for each rally, countless students become tired of the same old dance routines, student skits and sweaty shouting teenagers that crowd the gym. It is just like watching the same movie over and over again; after seeing it a few times, people eventually get sick of it.

In fact, there are many students who would rather be in class than at a rally. For someone who is struggling with math, he or she would certainly want the most time they can get at school to improve upon their subject.

Yet, rallies cut class time by approximately seven minutes; these are the seven minutes

that just might allow a student to pass Algebra after they review the notes one last time for a test.

To the many students that don’t participate in rallies at all, the event is nothing but a burden. A burden to move to the end of the bleachers, apart from your friends; a burden to feel like you should be a part of something you’re not interested in. While the administrators order students to scream in excitement for these rallies, there are glum facial expressions for more than half the students.

Meanwhile, the amount of money that is invested into rallies is nowhere close to producing the desired response from students.

From the cost of buying and renting supplies to the unnecessary time spent on posters, the rally is practically a non-effective talent show held five times a year. No one can ignore that a few weeks ago, the Performing Arts rally was cancelled due to rain. This means that all the hours spent setting up the gym and all the money DBHS used on supplies were gone to waste. An even sadder fact is that no one cared. The only people who did show much concern were those who invested their time preparing for the rally.

The main reason for the continuation of rallies is to get DBHS students excited about school and to uplift school spirit. However, this school does not need rallies. It would be very rare to witness a student gain interest in school after a rally, because aside from the occasional exciting moments during the performances, all rallies are the same. This school is filled with overwhelmingly spirited, talented, and intellectual students. DBHS does not need rallies to show that off, as it is completely pointless and unnecessary and in fact, a waste of money and time.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

EDITORIAL

THE BULL’S EYE

5

EDITORIAL COLUMN

Divided we fall Weak American foreign policy prompted Putin to invade Ukraine.

BY HANNA KANG ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

The olive branch that the United States offered Russia in the form of a reset button returned broken into two pieces. No surprise there, however.

Back in 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a red button which had the word “Reset” printed on the bottom and the Russian translation on the top. It was meant to symbolize a new start in U.S. and Russian relations, which shattered after the Russian invasion of Georgia.

This “reset,” however, was just another political speak that is prevalent in the Obama administration.

Rather than establishing camaraderie between the two countries, the “reset” prompted Russian president Vladimir Putin to deflate U.S. influence around the globe, which gave him enough fortitude to invade Ukraine and occupy Crimea.

Turning only seventeen this year, I am relatively unpracticed in the area of international relations.

Nevertheless, it is not difficult to infer that Ukrainian-Russian tensions could have been prevented.

Former president George W. Bush lobbied hard to extend NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia. However, because his position complicated efforts to find diplomatic solutions, it failed to win over a consensus of NATO members. If the countries had been welcomed, NATO would be able to strike back at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At present, the organization is powerless and Putin knows it. He is taking advantage of the situation and is watching with glee as Western powers kneel.

I hope President Obama gains something from the Ukraine crisis.

His whole theory of foreign policy is, “If I’m nice, they’ll be nice.”

However, Obama needs to realize that Putin is a former KGB agent who will not change his stripes.

Burying the hatchet in the past will never land Obama the peace and cooperation he so desires.

The challenge at hand is how to procure Russia’s withdrawal.

Because Europe relies heavily on Russian fuel, imposing banking sanctions per se won’t work. The collapse of the Russian currency will mean suffering for American banks and Europeans who have grown reliant on Russian fuel.

Before imposing banking sanctions, President Obama needs to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

The pipeline will allow the U.S. to develop its resources so that Ukraine and other European countries can be free of Russian dependence. The reason Russia is unafraid of the U.S. is because of its ability to export to Europe. There is a direct relationship between economy and prosperity, and economy and power. Approval of the pipeline will allow the U.S. to reclaim some of its lost authority. It is not the time to worry about the environment when world stability is at stake, and the President must learn to sacrifice a part for the whole.

Imprudent decisions over the years and President Obama’s clumsy foreign policy has brought upon a major headache to society. The people in charge should learn from history and always remember that there is peace from strength, never peace from peace.

Cartoon by HANNA YI

Re-SAT-ing the exam The revamped SAT fails to discard its label of being a faulty analysis of a student’s performance.

BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

W

hen news erupted that College Board had finally decided to revamp its long dreaded SAT by the spring of 2016, many were hopeful for changes that would alleviate the problems of the current exam.

This overhaul of the assessment, however, is not made for the well being of high students, but instead for business reasons, or the SAT’s competition against the ACT to be more specific. In fact, some have argued that the changes made are only a cover-up to the critical problems of the SAT and not an actual solution.

College Board President David Coleman has ensured parents and students that the improved SAT would even out the playing field and lessen the advantage given to students who are from upper income families and take many afterschool tutoring classes. College Board guarantees that the new exam will be more relevant to topics learned in school. It has even started a partnership with Khan Academy to provide free online instructional videos to aid students in need.

But this approach will be made in vain; regardless of the changes, education programs like Kaplan and Princeton Review will still find ways to teach the SAT and disrupt the average score balance between students. Instructional videos have always existed on YouTube and other media sites; adding more videos will not solve the basic problem of students’ lack of interest in learning the topics for the test without a tutor.

The other modifications (see chart) to the SAT only offer minor changes that will not solve the imbalanced education between students.

Sure, the questions will be altered to force students into backing up their answers with specific facts from the text and improve their analyzing skills in the reading sections. It is also great that College Board is finally removing obscure English vocabulary terms and narrowing down the math section into three key areas. Yet, the major troubles will still exist.

On average, higher income families will still score better than lower income families. Bad test takers will still do poorly on the test that holds crucial value in deciding their future college.

Students at top-notch high schools will still be raising the bar to incredible heights and putting students at a lesser high school at a disadvantage.

Though they sound nice on paper, the adjustments to the SAT will, in reality, change nothing.

Over the past two years, the number of stu-

dents who choose to take the ACT has actually increased to exceed the number of students that take the SAT. This stiff competition has been the real catalyst behind the overhaul of the SAT. As a result, the new SAT will mirror characteristics of the ACT by no longer have a guessing penalty and by making its essay optional. In reality, this transformation has all been about business and not about the improvement of America’s education. Instead of encouraging individuals to be more exact on their answers and work on their writing skills, the new SAT will send out the message that guessing is fine and writing is a choice, not a necessity.

For a country that should be striving toward improvement and success, America seems to be lowering its standards. The SAT has long been criticized for being an inaccurate measurement of one’s proficiency for college and the changes that it has made are still far off from being an adequate solution to the problems that it faces.

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

BY ANGIE ZHANG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I

’ve come across the strangest realization recently, a realization that led to an epiphany of epic proportions. Just the other night, seeing my father come home from work and, with nothing else to do, immediately turn on the television, led me to the thought: why do students have homework?

Yes, I know, upon reading that question, you immediately countered with a billion answers. Students need to reinforce the topics learned in class and AP classes naturally require more work, you say.

In reality though, homework is actually detrimental. Once you look at this issue more closely, you’ll see the logic in my argument.

Firstly, let me get it out of the way and address the misconception concerning AP classes. There is no difference between these types of courses and regular ones; all classes are created equal and the two are obviously of equal duration: 56 minutes, exactly. My point is made. So there is no reason for all those extra summer as-

signments and additional hours of work; it’s all for naught since AP classes are basically the same as the typical courses offered.

Secondly, our parents don’t have homework, so why should we?

Running or working in a business is many times harder than learning in school, so logically, it should be them and not us, who need to do homework.

Let us level the table by ceasing the illogical assignment of work to students. Time at home should be utilized to bond with family members, not wasted sitting in front of a desk, straining the hands by clutching pens. Even more important is the time being lost from connecting with friends on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. No one wants to be clueless of the going-ons of peers or important gossip; it’s a precursor to being bullied, after all.

Thirdly, eliminating homework encourages students to participate in class. How, you may ask? Well, the logic is simple. Tired students don’t talk or engage themselves in their courses, but energetic students do. Not giving students homework would allow them to sleep more and recover from the late nights. As a result, they would

Cartoon by GLORIA KIM

be awake and actively learning during class hours. No teacher wants dull and unresponsive students, so taking homework away is a surefire way to prevent this situation from occuring. Another bonus is that students would overall be healthier.

Which brings me to the point: what’s the use of homework anyways? We’ve already learned the material once, so why review the boring concept again? Instead, it

might make us worse. Like exercise; the more you run, the more exhausted you’ll be.

All in all, having no homework benefits everyone: parents need not worry about bullying, teachers about listless classes, and students about health.

Everyone accuses us of complaining about our situation, but we have no reason to not stop whining, you see, as all my points are perfectly inaccurate.

6 FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

e g d E e h t n o g n i v i L

by Vrinda Chauhan, Staff Writer

Jessica Chang goes to class, hangs out with friends, dances, works and seems to lead an ordinary life—with the occasional urge to fling herself off a cliff. Chang, a senior at Diamond Bar High school, quenches her thirst for adventure by hiking, cliff diving, skydiving, and rock-climbing.

“I just really love being around nature and going on hikes. It’s so calming and peaceful, and it really helps you clear your mind. When you’re hiking, you mainly focus on the trail and going the right way and not tripping,” Chang said.

Chang began going on these adventures at the beginning of 2013.

Feeling depressed, she one day decided to take a walk in tunnels near Grand Avenue Park. In an attempt to temporarily escape from reality, she discovered more of the park, as well as her love for the outdoors.

These walks soon became a routine to watch the sunset and clear her mind, and Chang began to grow Photos courtesy of Jessica Chang fonder of hiking.

ONE WITH NATURE - On top, Jessica Chang jumps head first into a sky diving

By April of that year, she sought adventure. On bottom, Chang poses in Lytle Creek at Bonita Falls. longer and more intense endeavors,

AlumniSpotlight

Harvard Grad Lives the Corporate Life

BY GLORIA KIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Each graduating class has a handful of distinguished students who make it to the Ivy Leagues.

Katherine Han, a Diamond Bar High School alumna, was one such example, advancing to Harvard University after graduating from high school in 2005. Despite her successful background, Han maintains a modest disposition and a humble appreciation for life.

Han is currently a management consultant at the McKinsey Institute in New York. Her occupation involves helping large corporations improve performance by identifying problems and providing strategic oversight. Having always been fascinated with problem solving, her job, which requires her to come up with innovative solutions to complex issues, seemed apt for her personality.

Back in high school, Han was mainly involved in journalism and Future Business Leaders of America. She was part of FBLA when it consisted of merely 10 to 15 people, a drastic contrast to the size today, as it is one of the largest clubs on campus. In the Bull’s Eye, she served as the Editor-in-Chief for two consecutive years. She recollects fond memories of the great energy and passion present during Deadline Nights.

Han was also part of IB, which had been a formative part of her high school career. Although she described it as being challenging because it pushed her to study beyond her comfort zone, IB had ultimately prepared her for college, as well as providing her with creative learning opportunities and a chance to meet her core group of friends.

When it came to deciding on college, Han was torn between two top-tier universities, Princeton and Harvard, but finally decided

on Harvard because of its congenial atmosphere.

Han loved that her classes did not simply theorize about potential things, but addressed real problems that were plaguing society at the moment.

“When we walked back and forth from our apartment to campus we were able to see that, so it helped us keep connected to the fact that, yes, we’re studying a lot and we’re privileged, but at the end of the day, that knowledge should go and help those who are less advantaged and help society, ” Han said.

It was during her collegiate years, where she majored in economics and health policy, that she discovered her passion. She loved that economics provided the framework that she could use to understand the world better, while health policy allowed her to study tangible issues of America’s current failing Health care system so that one day she could help rectify them.

Over the years, however, Han has come to realize that there is never an easy resolution, “I remember while growing up … I saw so many injustices in the world and was like, ‘why can’t I fix it?’ Then I realized that yes, you can work hard … but at the end of the day, there’s no perfect theoretical solution. It’s going to be dirty, it’s going to be messy. The solution is not going to fix everything, but at least it will help push everything in the right direction,” Han said.

To many stressed out high school students, Han advises not to define success one-dimensionally.

“Before, it was getting into the

and became interested in swimming in natural-formed pools. This led to a consideration for cliff diving, and in pursuit of it, she went on her first legitimate hike to Sapphire Falls in Rancho Cucamonga.

Though she never reached the waterfall, this inspired Chang to continue hiking and exploring nature.

Over the course of a few months, she began hiking with friends and her even grandmother, who is also a nature-lover.

Her next adventure was to Hermit Falls, a popular Los Angeles waterfall, during spring break.

With the intention of hiking to the falls and diving off the cliff there, she set out with a group of friends.

However, upon arriving at the cliff, she wasn’t so certain she wanted to jump down 50 feet into the water.

“I remember walking to the edge of the cliff and the walking back for like 10 minutes. It was really scary to look down and it looked like there was a rock down there, so that scared me even more. I finally had to fling myself off the cliff so there was no way of walk-

Food of the Fittest the acai power bowl did not look very appetizing. With bland oats and chopped banana pieces on top, the bowl looked like microwaved morning oatmeal. There was only a meager amount of granola, so I couldn’t even get a decent portion Healthy is in. With staying fit of it in every spoonful. and eating right being an imporAlso, the blended acai at the tant concern for many students, we bottom of the bowl had an almost are always on the lookout for deligraham cracker-like taste. The cious ,yet healthy, places to go to consistency was very sticky and with friends. Luckily, it turns out didn’t have a very pungent flavor. that there are quite a few organic Additionally, something else that restaurants and shops dedicated I wasn’t very fond of was the huge to delivering chunks of fresh food frozen fruit around DBHS. in the acai And now, blend. Let me with the kale just say that and acai hypes, whole frozen I decided to strawberries try out some are hard to well-known chew — it’s healthy goodjust asking ies. for a brain When I orfreeze! Altodered Julie’s gether, the Cafe’s (Diabowl didn’t mond Bar) meet my exfamous kale pectations, smoothie, my and I am first thought positive that was, “This I will not be is so green… going back a bit too anytime soon green.” But “The amount of granola in the acai for another. after the first One of the power bowl was very meager, taste, I knew [and] the blended acai at the bottom most popular there was juices at Nanothing to of the bowl had an almost graham ture’s Juice cracker-like taste.” worry about. is the Green The smoothWorks drink, ie didn’t taste like vegetables at containing apple, celery, cucumall; it didn’t even taste remotely ber, kale, ginger, and lemon. I’m like kale, which made me wonder not a huge fan of ginger, so I hoped if anything unhealthy was added that this juice would make drinkto make the drink taste so good. ing ginger a bit more pleasurable.

Sweet and tangy all at once, the The ingredients that really stood smoothie had a very creamy texout in the juice were celery and ginture. The most overpowering flager, but I thought that the root was vors were apple and pineapple; I too strong for my liking. Every sip saw a few small chunks of the fortasted almost like a shot of juiced mer in my drink. Overall, the kale ginger. Although I saw the workers smoothie was delicious — definitesqueeze fresh ingredients, which ly better than expected. made the juice taste very organic, Right off the bat, I thought that the combination of ingredients Nature’s Juice’s (Walnut Village) proved to be subpar.

BY JOY CHOW NEWS EDITOR

Photo courtesy of Katherine Han

best college; once you got into the best college, it was getting into the best job; one you got into the best job, it was about getting the promotion. The more that I reflect and think about it, the quickest way isn’t always the best way. There’s actually a value to taking a bit of a random walk to just learn more about the world, and more about other people.”

Working at McKinsey, Han has contributed to making positive changes in various institutions.

One project included completely redefining how pregnancies were paid for in Arkansas. Because of that, providers in Arkansas today are incentivized to provide higher quality care that produces better outcomes for mothers and for newborns.

“If I can point to a couple of those type of things like fundamentally health care has improved, the result of some of the work that I was able to contribute to, I would be happy from a career perspective,” Han commented about her anticipation for the future.

ing back. It was one of the most exhilarating moments,” Chang said.

Her most exhilarating moment, however, was skydiving. She jumped last year and described it as “floating on clouds.” The adrenaline rush she experienced from this endeavor was unmatched by any other in the past. Falling at 150 miles per hour, her only fear was that she wouldn’t be able to breathe if she looked down. After a minute of free falling, her instructor opened her parachute and she was able to enjoy the view.

Chang hopes to go skydiving more frequently in the future and is even looking to get a license for skydiving so she can go alone. This summer, she also plans to climb onto and cliff dive off waterfalls throughout Malibu and San Diego.

In addition to her nature adventures, she also enjoys archery in her free time.

“I love how it’s sort of a private part of my life that no one else is really a part of. It feels like it’s just me and nature,” Chang commented.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

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.

“I’m saving my boyfriend -girlfriend relationship for college where there is a bigger pool of applicants.”

FEATURE

THE BULL’S EYE

A: You’re wearing sunglasses in a bus.

B: Yeah, but they’re Armani.

“I always get the impression that I’m full because my pants are so tight.”

“I’m going to eat fries because fries drown your sorrows.”

“I hate how people Instagarm pictures of their sun damaged hair and call it a natural ombre.”

A: I want to get asked to prom.

B: Is this more important than your college decisions?”

A: At this moment, yes.

7

REAL LIFE JACK SPARROWS

BY EMILY WONG ASST. A&E EDITOR

Most people associate teenage athletes with popular sports such as basketball or soccer. The Hou siblings, however, deviate from most teenage athletes. Juniors twins Annabel and Andrew Hou are two of just a handful of DBHS students who competitively fence.

Fencing, a popular sport in Europe, includes three weapon categories: foil, sabre and épée. The Hous compete with a foil, which is the most common weapon used in competitive fencing.

Andrew was initially inspired by the swordplay in “Pirates of the Caribbean” when he joined fencing.

Annabel decided to follow in her brother’s footsteps after accompanying him to sign up for classes.

Having fenced since the summer after sixth grade, the Hous have trained for nearly five years and gone through numerous coaches before finally settling on Sergei Golubitsky last September. An established Ukrainian Fencer, Golubitsky won three straight world championships in the Men’s Foil division and is considered one of the best fencing coaches in Southern California.

Going to their instructor’s fencing club, Golubitsky Fencing Center, has been fruitful for the Hous; their results in the Junior Olympics in Portland during President’s

Photo courtesy of Andrew Hou

FIERCE FENCING - Andrew Hou fences with his opponent at USA Fencing.

Day weekend last month proved it.

In fact, Annabel placed eighth in the Junior Women’s Foil event.

“I was just surprised. I went into that event thinking I wouldn’t make it that far. I kept on fencing and not thinking about anything, and once I got into semifinals I was like ‘oh look I made it,’” Annabel said.

Although one would assume that there would be a natural rivalry between the two siblings in fencing, Annabel admitted that she dislikes fencing her brother because of his sometimes painful hits.

“When I fence her, I get the feeling she’s really scared of me,” Andrew stated.

The young fencers practice three to four times a week for three hours each lesson. This intense practice does not discourage the siblings from tackling on rigorous classes.

In fact, Annabel takes five AP classes while Andrew takes four.

Due to their demanding schedule, they conceded that they procrastinate on their school work.

Because the sport is not as common as others, Andrew feels that fencing is unappreciated in the United States.

“They should allow fencing in school. There should be more clubs,” Andrew said.

Annabel advises aspiring fencers to not worry too much about their bouts, the fencing term for matches.

“When I don’t stress about anything in fencing, I actually do better. When I care about the results I make, that’s when I usually mess up.”

Despite their success, the siblings will only continue fencing until they graduate from college.

Restaurant Review:

by Xing Yen Quek, Photo Editor Driving down Glendora Avenue in West Covina, I almost overlooked The Ice Bar, its plain exterior is easy to miss. However, the desserts were anything but ordinary.

The Ice Bar is famous for its interesting twist to popsicles. Besides their signature items, they also carry a wide variety of ice cream, including horchata and coconut pineapple flavors. I visited The Ice Bar primarily to try out their ice popsicles. The popsicles without any toppings are $2.25 each and $3.25 with customized or house toppings. All ice creams are served in a bowl or, for an extra dollar, in a waffle cone. They are $2.25 for one scoop and $4.00 for two.

Given my extreme and semi-obsessive love for anything green tea flavored, I was immediately drawn to the Milk Green Tea Popsicle when I first glanced at The Ice e Bar’s flat screen TV menu. Next on my list of “must try items” was the Korean Pear Blueberry.

To my disappointment, it had sold out for the day, so I proceeded to order the rest of the popsicles on the menu: Nutella Bananas & Cream, Mango Strawberry, and Strawberry Lemonade.

I am usually not too creative when it comes to mixing and matching my food. So, I just went along with the original house toppings. Popsicles have always been one of my favorite childhood snacks. So, to see the popsicles transform into heavenly goodness with out-of-this-world toppings was fascinating.

My first bite, of course, had to be from the Milk Green Tea Popsicle.

It was soft and creamy, different

from the regular ice popsicle. The green tea flavor was accentuated by the green tea powder on top.

Other toppings included red bean brittle, vanilla bean gel, milk powder, and fresh mochi.

My initial impression of the m was Nutella Bananas & Cream that it would be too oo g. sweet to my liking.

Surprisingly, this popsicle had just the right amount of sweetn e s s and

cre creamin e s s , sin since the banana ban was lodged lo ged ins inside the pops sicle.

Topped with banana chips, c pie crusts, Nutella, vanilla n bean, and milk powder, this popsicle truly lives by its claim as being “sweet and creamy.”

Next up was the Mango Strawberry. The colors on this cold snack were vibrant and attractive.

The popsicle was decorated with mango gel, strawberry gel, fresh herbs, and Pico de Gallo powder.

The fresh herbs were actually just mint leaves and the Pico de Gallo powder is a Mexican seasoning made of tomato, onion, and chili.

The popsicle was a little sour but also refreshing.

Strawberry Lemonade was the

Address: 987 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach, CA 92660 Hours: Tue - Thu 12:00 PM - 11:00 PM Fri - Sat 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM Sun 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM Phone Number: (949) 717-7525 Specializes in: Dessert

last popsicle on the menu. It was covered in strawberry gel, vanilla bean gel, fresh herbs, and, interestingly, Pop Rocks. The Pop Rocks were a creative and original addition that added an extra kick to the already sour popsicle because of the frozen strawberca ries inside the popsicle. ri Overall, I really e n j oye d the Milk G r e e n Tea and Bananas & Bana Cream popCrea sicle. sicl They both had the bot right amount of righ sweetness coupled sw with a very smooth texture. The Mango Strawberry and Strawberry Lemonade, on the other hand, tasted just like any other fruit popsicle. However, their sour and icy elements made for a very refreshing option on a scorching summer day.

Each of the popsicles had its unique flavor, so ultimately, the taste is up to personal preference. I definitely will be back to try the Korean Pear Blueberry and the many other ice cream selections XING YEN QUEK The Ice Bar has to PLACED TO PERFECTION - Popsicles are carefully decorated with various toppings such as red offer. bean brittle, Nutella, and fresh herbs.

8

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

THE BULL’S EYE

FEATURE THEME

9

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

DESIGNED BY EMILY HWANG & HANNA YI

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

the

BUZZ:

Divergent

BY CLAIRE HUANG A&E EDITOR

This movie lies between “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight.” The plot is packed with action, but fails to properly build up the climax.

Although I do see the benefits oI have never read Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” nor did I know anything about the plot before I entered the theater. However, having watched a few unbearable episodes of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”, which stars “Divergent” actress Shailene Woodley, I did not have high expectations.

But, despite my biased mindset, I was pleasantly surprised—not because of the storyline or cinematography, but by Woodley’s performance, which was one of the few genuine strengths of the movie.

As the movie began, I was immediately enraptured by the setting and its history, even though it sounded a bit too similar to “The Hunger Games.” Set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, the film shows a society split into five factions, which are Erudite, Amity, Dauntless, Abnegation, and Candor. Based on their personalities, teenagers are then forced to choose one faction in order to, supposedly, enforce peace within society. When the main character, Beatrice Prior, takes the test that would help determine which faction she belonged in, her test results were inconclusive, deeming her as “divergent” and ultimately putting her in danger. Beatrice then embarks on a journey to self-discovery and transitions into a confident and brave heroine.

Aside from the interesting plot, the only other strength of the movie was the cast. Theo James, a

relatively new actor in Hollywood, was perfect and incredibly convincing as Four. Although he lacks the experience in Hollywood, it was evident that he was more than prepared to co-star in this highly anticipated movie. The character development was flawless, as he transitioned from a cold, authoritative figure to a sensitive, caring love interest. I was also entertained watching Kate Winslet play the villain in the movie and unleash a cruel, heartless side that has rarely seen in her previous movies. And finally, Shailene Woodley.

After watching “Divergent,” it was blatantly obvious that her role on “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” hinders her true acting abilities. In contrast to Woodley’s role as a shallow, teenage mother in the show, “Divergent” allows Woodley to naturally capture the determination and strength of a female heroine.

However, the movie itself was a bit lackluster. While I am the target audience: a teenager who loved “The Hunger Games” and is interested in action movies with a touch of romance, I felt that the movie fell flat during the last 20 minutes of its two hour and twenty minute length, when the climax was introduced and quickly resolved. Cliché after cliché piled up, as if the screenwriter got tired at the end and stuffed all his ideas into the remaining pages of the script.

In comparison to “The Hunger

Photo courtesy of altfg.com

ROMANCE- Sparks fly between Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) as they grow closer during training.

Games,” “Divergent” receives a much lower mark in terms of plot development. Admittedly, I did chuckle a few times in “Divergent,” but those mildly humorous lines did not make up for the fact that the script seemed to have snatched too many cheesy lines from a typical high-school bullying TV movie.

Overall, I would recommend “Divergent,” whether it be on DVD or in the theatres, solely for the powerful chemistry between Beatrice and Four and the somewhat impressive action scenes. This movie seems to be more fitting for preteens who would be encouraged by the message of self-empowerment (go girl power!), and young adults who don’t mind a shoddy ending.

Photo courtesy of cnn.com

DAUNTLESS- Tris (Woodley) and her friend jump out of a train to prove their bravery.

FOLLOW UP

MOVIE REVIEW

Senior Farago Mr. Peabody Animates History Releases Album

BY SARAH MARKIEWICZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR

Music has always been a big part of modern day society, but while most teenagers take part in listening to their favorite songs, Diamond Bar High School senior Amber Farago takes it a step further and creates her own. Since we last spotlighted her in the December issue, Farago has achieved great heights.

In fact, Farago just released her first music video “You’re My,” on Youtube on Feb. 24. “You’re My” is one of many songs on Amber’s new music album “Sincerely Yours,” which was made available to the public on Feb. 21 through iTunes.

“The album is basically about a teenage love story. It’s centered on love and relationships and how a girl would feel when she’s in love,” Farago said.

“Sincerely Yours” consists of the five different romantic songs. In addition to “You’re My,” the album also includes “Do it Right,” “More than a Crush,” “Fear of Flying,” and “Fight for Love.” Amber Marie, which is Farago’s stage name, had spent about a year producing the album. Although Farago found the

task time-consuming, she believes that it was worth it in the end.

“It took me about a year to produce the album. Some of the difficulties I had were times when I had writer’s block but with the help of my team it all eventually came together,” Farago said.

Meanwhile, Farago’s “You’re My” has gotten over 2,000 views in less than a month since it’s been out. In the song, Farago describes a boy that brightens her day considerably and brings “sunshine” into her life. The underlying message of the music video serves to illustrate Amber’s view that love during high school years should be carefree and enjoyable.

“At this age, it’s about having fun and not to [taking] it so seriously in a relationship because we are still trying to figure out life, love, and friendships,” the senior said.

The young singer also dedicated “Fear of Flying” to Diamond Bar’s very own class of 2014. The song reminds people to believe in who they are and trust themselves regardless of what others think. “ ‘Fear of Flying’ is a very inspirational song and I feel that it has a different kind of feel and meaning because it is about never giving up and following your dreams and not [being] afraid to be you, and that you can do anything, ” Farago said.

Based on past experience, I’ve found it difficult to enjoy children’s movies that are entertaining as well as educational. That’s why I thought “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” was an amusing refresher from most animated films that I’ve seen.

The movie is based on a cartoon from the 1950’s and 60’s called “Peabody’s Improbable History,” which used to appear as part of the “Bullwinkle and Rocky” show. Much like the original show, it involves an unbelievably intelligent and talented dog named Mr. Peabody, who travels with his son Sherman to different eras in history by using a time machine called the WABAC. Despite the fact that Mr. Peabody is a dog, he has an amiable relationship with his bright though sometimes naïve son, Sherman.

But when Sherman’s snobbish classmate Penny uses the time machine, the daring duo travels into the past to rescue her and make it home before her parents realize that they’re missing.

Like many other time travel movies, technical glitches impede their journey and cause a few unexpected stops along the way. There’s even a paradox in the space-time continuum, which brings familiar people and landmarks from the

Photo courtesy of eonline.com

FIRST-TIME AVIATORS - Sherman and Penny soar over Renaissanace Italy. past to modern day New York City.

Since I’m a self-proclaimed history geek, I was instantly brought in by the time travel factor. It was amusing to have the trio stop in time periods such as Renaissance Italy and ancient Greece, and I enjoyed seeing the wacky versions of King Tut and Leonardo Da Vinci.

There are many obvious historical inaccuracies embedded in the time travel scenes, but it’s justifiable since the film is meant to entertain young audiences.

But other than the small amount of slapstick humor, there wasn’t much that would make young children laugh. Although some of the adults in the theater laughed at the several puns and references, many of the jokes flew over the heads of younger kids. The things that would probably attract a younger

audience would be the vivid animation, quirky characters, and the novelty of having a talking dog as a father.

Other than the historical references, I was also captivated by other aspects of the film, such as the characters’ voices. Mr. Peabody, voiced by Ty Burrell, had the type of voice that you would expect to hear from an intellectual talking pooch. And I had to laugh when I heard the familiar voice of Patrick Warburton, who was in the role of King Agamemnon.

So if you’d like a juvenile dose of history and science fiction, I would recommend “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.” Even if you’re not into those things, you might as well gain a more entertaining perspective of the French Revolution and the Trojan War.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Ai Puts the “I” in Design

BY CLAIRE HUANG A&E EDITOR

Diamond Bar is constantly recognized as a STEM school, or a school that is highly ranked for its calculus program. Seldom does the student body acknowledge the music department (they recently won a Grammy) or the dance team’s consistent first places at competitions.

However, in the rare occasion that these performing arts members are congratulated for their success, they are not supported by genuine interest in campus performances or plays. Students foolishly see the performing arts as a “waste of time”—time that can be used to cram for our IB HL Math test. Instead, the hardworking performing arts students are presented incentivized support from fellow classmates hungry for extra credit—if a teacher puts some value to the dance concert or band performance, say, 10 extra credit points on the next test, students will be flocking to the theaters.

BY EMILY WONG ASST. A&E EDITOR

Whether making a dress from empty cans or constructing an animal with only wire, Nancy Ai epitomizes ingenuity.

What started as a hobby blossomed into something bigger, something that distinguished her from the average art enthusiast.

Wanting to help the environment but lacking money to purchase new materials, the Diamond Bar junior began to repurpose clothing from the materials she already had.

Soon enough, she launched Aiparrel, her unofficial clothing line.

Although she has not established an official site, Ai occasionally sells handmade pieces through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and the online thrift shop Poshmark.

“I say that my apparel has a sense of freedom since I just start making the clothes whenever an idea comes to mind or when I get new fabric,” the junior stated.

One of Ai’s proudest projects is her Arizona Tea Can dress, layered with cut out pieces of Arizona tea cans. The idea was inspired by a pair of earrings she made out of Arizona tea can material and the styles at an Arizona clothing shop called Popcycle which features attire made from recycled materials.

In addition to her personal accomplishments, Ai has taken her talents outside her home; in fact, she has taken them out of the state.

Last summer, Ai participated in a pre-college summer program for architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, her dream school. There, she constructed two major projects: a white architectural building and a wire-only structure of a hybrid animal. The former consists of several artistic components, such as light, space, and shadow, while the latter coincides with a story that Ai conjured.

“I met people from around the world whom I still talk to, and really broadened my creativity and imagination,” Nancy said.

During her time there, she also discovered her love for green architecture, which is architecture that prevents a negative impact on the environment.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE BULL’S EYE

11

DB Leaves the Arts Behind Part of me believes that the problem lies with the community we live in. The demographics of Diamond Bar create a situation where arts aren’t as emphasized as the STEM field because of concerns of a stable career. Because parents of our students are so focused on job security, they deem the liberal arts as of little importance, unless, of course, the child can create an art portfolio that will strengthen their college application. However, what our community does not realize is that liberal arts and the sciences do have many interdisciplinary fields.

As aspiring doctors who should focus on the altruism of patient care, students should have some anthropology or literature classes meshed within their congested schedule of multivariable calculus and AP Biology. In the STEM field, especially the medical field, there is value in liberal arts that cannot be learned by memorizing the bones of the human body. Without a focus on art’s common themes, such as sympathy and morality,

students in the STEM field might as well be human encyclopedias, chugging out information.

The other part of me believes that the problem lies within our generation. We moan at the idea of Emily Dickinson and develop unhealthy relationships with Sparknotes and Gradesaver. Rather than analyzing literature, our eyes are glued to our phones, praying that we will achieve our high score of 23 in Flappy Bird or peppering the captions of our selfies with “witty” hashtags. Gone are the days when people read for fun and looked to the performing arts as entertainment.

The performing arts and liberal arts receive much less credit than they deserve. With rapid developments in technology and medicine, parents are given more reasons to dissuade students from “wasting their time” on the arts. Yet, arts are the fundamentals for any career and should be revered as the key components to a wiser, more cultured society.

Six-second Video Leads to Oscars

BY EMILY LEUNG ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

Photo courtesy of Nancy Ai

INCOMING ARTIST - Ai repurposes cans to form a corset. Above, she poses with her creation at RISD. She plans to make a career in it.

“I love fashion design and all but I think I can only do that as a hobby because I feel like I want [to] make a great difference with green architecture,” Ai said.

Ai credits her affinity for art to her grandfather, who taught her how to draw when she was around five years old.

“He did many traditional Chinese art[s] and loved it, and I guess that passed on to me,” Ai said.

The junior is proud of her original and unique projects that are produced in the heat of the moment and hopes to inspire others too.

“Let others improve your ideas, but never let others change your ideas,” Ai advised.

Seasoned actors, actresses, and directors alike all work towards one goal: to attend the Oscars. But, who knew that a six second video could get you there too?

Clay Boonthanakit, alumnus from the class of 2012, found out about Ellen DeGeneres’s Vine Contest after seeing a post on her website. The challenge was to submit a Vine, a six second clip linking short instances together in a continuous loop, reenacting an Oscar-nominated movie. Boonthanakit submitted a Vine of the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” in which he reenacted the scene when Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), took too many drugs and could not function properly.

Boonthanakit, former captain of DBHS’s All Male Dance Team, attends Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where he majors in film on the editing track.

The start of his memorable experience began when Boonthanakit found out Ellen revined his Vine. A

Photo courtesy of Clay Boonthanakit

POSING LIKE STARS - Class of 2013 alumnus Clay Boonthanakit and his mother take a picture on the Oscars red carpet at Dolby Theater. few days later he found out that he experience way more than I would. was a finalist for the contest on the Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but my Ellen show. And then his friend mother had some stars that she just Stacy Fang, who was actually an had to see. It was my little treat,” audience member at Ellen’s show, Boonthanakit said.

Though Boonthanakit has only informed him that he was the winhad his Vine account for half a ner.

He received a much bigger prize year, his Vine account has garthan he ever expected. In addition nered even greater fame after winto being featured on her show, he ning the contest.

Although Boonthanakit did not would be attending the red carpet have the opportunity to talk to any event of the Oscars with a guest.

At around 10 a.m. on March 2, actors or actresses, he was only a Boonthanakit arrived with his few feet away from all the action mom at the renowned carpet at of the red carpet at the People VIP section. They even saw firsthand Dolby Theater.

“I brought my mother because Jennifer Lawrence’s infamous trip I knew she would enjoy the whole while exiting her limo.

APOLLO NIGHT 2014

EMILY HWANG

TALENTED BRAHMAS - DBHS’s annual talent show, Apollo Night, held on February 28, included several talented Brahmas. Most of the performances comprised of singing shown in Allyson Cantimbuhan, left, and Rosemarie Grady and Shay Bawa, right. The night also showcased a dance, a stand-up comedy routine, and an opening act that included a mocking imitation of Kanye West’s “Bound” music video.

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

SPORTS COLUMN

Brahmas shut down Bulldogs BOYS TENNIS| Diamond Bar’s tennis team demolished and swept West Covina 18-0 to take home its second victory in the 2014 Hacienda League.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

From the start of the match, the Diamond Bar boys tennis team overpowered the West Covina 18-0 on, March 18. The Brahmas played a flawless game in which they were able to achieve 15 bagels and two “silver” sets.

“They played very well. They are hitting the ball well and are working as a team. We have couple of new strong players that have filled in some spots for us and everyone had rallied around that,” coach Dave Hamel said.

The Brahmas’ doubles teams went unblemished by winning all nine of its matches. The No. 2 doubles team of junior Russell Chen and sophomore David Chee managed to defeat the WC No.2 doubles team in ten minutes after achieving a “silver” set. A silver set occurs when a player wins a set by only dropping one point. The No.1 doubles team consisting of seniors co-captains Minsong Hsu and Kenny Sakata bageled every opponent they faced and showed why they are considered one of the favorites to win the League Doubles title. The No. 3 team of the Phan twins also won 6-0 in all three of its matches.

Although the DB’s singles team consists of two starting fresh-

March Madness Mayhem

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

men players, the Brahmas accomplished six bagels out of the nine sets. Freshman and No.1 singles player Allen destroyed every opponent and managed to achieve the second “silver” set of the night.

No.2 freshman single player Neil Tengbumroong, similarly to Chen, won all three of his matches in less than 30 minutes. Hamel would later substitute the bench players in the game in place of the starters.

“We are more determined than last year’s. They realized the potential they have and they are willing to be stronger for us than last year,” Hamel said.

With the Hacienda League in play, the Brahmas’ eyes are fo-

I

t is that time of the year again. College basketball fanatics all over the nation are researching nonstop just to satiate their NCAA March Madness Tournament. With 68 teams in the competition, no one can anticipate how every game will unfold since surprises and upsets are part of the sport’s nature. However, there is one thing I am certain of and it is that the No. 4 seed Michigan State Spartans will defeat the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats and bring home the trophy in East Lansing, Michigan.

The 2013-14 season has been one for the ages. Most of the attention was focused on the freshmen class, which some consider as the greatest of all time. Fans marveled over the high-flying dunks of Andrew Wiggins, and the great basketball IQ of Jabari Parker.With the 2014 NBA draft a couple months away, some professional basketball franchises are hoping for losing records to increase their chances of obtaining these once decade prospects.

Prior to the season, Michigan State was ranked No. 2 nationally. With stars like senior Adreian Payne and, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Gary Harris on the roster, many experts predicted the Spartans as the National Champions. Defeating the No.1 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and winning 18 out of the first 19 games, MSU looked on track to raise another Championship banner in its stadium. Howev-

They realized the potential they have and they are willing to be stronger for us than last year.

Coach Dave Hamel cused on the League title. Even though DB lost star Justin Yang to graduation, most of the players from the 2013 team are back for another year. The Brahmas are expected to be in the competition for the title and participate in the CIF playoffs.

“They should practice hard. If they practice hard and have fun, then winning is the result of it.

So far, that is what they are doing.

These guys want to be pushed and the end result of that will be a successful season,” Hamel said.

On Friday, the Brahmas defeated the Whitney Wildcats 14-4. DB has now advanced to an overall record of 6-1 and improve to 2-0 in Hacienda Laegue.

ANDREW CHOI

FOCUSED AIM - Sophomore David Chee, top, and junior Russell Chen, bottom, finish off their opponents for the victory.

Lady Brahmas struggle to get hits SOFTBALL| Although Diamond Bar could not take home the victory against the Schurr Spartans, it hopes to learn from its mistakes to improve its play for the rest of the season.

BY BROOKE MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Diamond Bar softball team lost to the Schurr Spartans 3-1 at home last Thursday bringing the Brahma’s overall record to 4-3. The Lady Brahmas’ offense went missing against the Spartans’ aggressive pitching.

The game was scoreless for the first three innings. Schurr scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth and the Brahmas held the Spartans to one run that inning by getting the runner out at

We worked well defensively today, but we should’ve hit a lot better than we did today.

Senior Arianna Martinez second. Unfortunately, it was not in time to keep the runner on third from scoring. The Brahmas tried to answer back with their first hit of the game by junior Danielle Cornejo. She was left on base and the inning ended 1-0. In the top of the fifth, Schurr scored again on a double to right-center field. The Brahmas held the Spartans to two after senior Aubrey Horita made the last out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, ju-

13

HEY BATTER- Junior Rae Lasko awaits the pitch from the Spartan pitcher. nior Rae Lasko was first up for the Brahmas and safe at first after hitting a ground ball to shortstop.

A sacrifice bunt by senior Captain Arianna Martinez moved Lasko over to second and into scoring position. Freshman Ruth Munoz hit right over the first baseman’s head, giving Lasko the opportunity to score. The inning ended with Schurr ahead 2-1.

In the top of the sixth, Lasko caught the first out of the inning with her back against the center field fence. The next batter for the

Spartans then hit homerun in the same spot fence. The Brahmas kept the Spartans from scoring for the rest of the game, but the damage was already done. The Brahmas had three hits this game, with one runner left on.

“We worked well defensively today, but we should of hit a lot better than we did today,” Martinez said after the game.

After spending the whole practice the day before focusing on hitting, the team was disappointed with its performance at the plate.

ANDREW CHOI

“Defensively we were making the plays and, Andrea was helping us get the first out of every inning, [but] our bats just did not show up at the game,” head coach GarciaUyemura said of sophomore Andrea Gonzalez’s five strikeouts of the game.

“Going into season we look forward to winning league and hopefully making it as far as possible in CIF,” senior Aubrey Horita said.

Last year the Brahmas were second in league and made it to the first round of CIF.

er, the road got rocky since Payne and Harris both experienced bugging injuries during the middle of the Big Ten Conference play. Losing 7 out of the next 12 games, the Spartans were quickly on the verge of falling out of the Top 25.

Things will return in the Spartan’s favor as MSU ended the season on the right note after it became the Big Ten Champions after winning the Conference tournament. With all this momentum and confidence, the Spartans are a team every opponent should fear.

In the 2014 NCAA Tournament, expect the Spartans to casually reach the Sweet Sixteen. Reaching the Elite Eight, however, will be tough for the Spartans since they would be matched up with the ACC Champions, Virginia Cavaliers.

The game against the Cavaliers will go back and forth, but the Spartans will prevail behind the play of Payne and Harris. MSU will successfully reach the Final Four after the team defeats the Iowa State Cyclones in the Elite Eight.

The Spartans only consider a championship season as a success.

MSU will face the heavily favored Florida Gators in the semi-finals.

The Spartans will easily defeat the Gators by over 15 points and reach the finals against Arizona.

MSU will face the toughest opponent of the season against the Wildcats. Arizona, led by freshman star Aaron Gordon, are one of the best balanced teams in the nation.

With the eyes of millions focused on the game, the outcome of the game will come in the last minute of regulation. This championship will show why fans should not disregard any team that experiences many obstacles during the season.

14 SPORTS

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

THE BULL’S EYE

CANDACE RUCKER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH An all-around game

BY GABY DINH STAFF WRITER

Hard work and dedication drives senior Candace Rucker to excel in school and on the track field. Balancing many extracurricular activities, Rucker is not your average student. She is a varsity track star, a varsity cheerleader, and a dancer in Diamond Bar’s advanced dance.

Rucker has been in track for about twelve years and got involved in varsity track and field in her freshman year. Her father was the one that pushed her to begin the sport, as he was also in track when he was in high school. Even though Rucker enjoys track and field now, she says that it was not always the case.

“My dad was living vicariously through me and I didn’t really have a choice. I used to hate track, and my dad gave me an option not to do it this year. It made me realize that I actually wanted to do it now.

I started liking it this year,” Rucker said.

Rucker started most of her ex-

The return of Marissa Favela

BY VRINDA CHUAHAN STAFF EDITOR

While other players were fighting hard on the soccer field, Diamond Bar junior Marissa Favela was busy fighting cancer. The varsity soccer player’s passion for soccer inspired her to return to the team mid-season this semester.

Favela, a dedicated soccer player since the age of five, has been an accomplished and valuable player on the varsity girls soccer team since her freshman year. However, at the beginning of 2013, Favela said she began experiencing severe stomach pains, which result in occasional hospital visits. Her doctors kept telling her that it was nothing to worry about but Favela was not convinced. Her suspicions grew stronger when she would change clothes and see her stomach bloat.

Convinced that something was wrong, Favela insisted on a more thorough inspection.

A few days later, Favela was informed by her doctor that a tumor was inside her stomach. Though Favela was worried and upset, her doctor told her that the matter would be cleared after she went through surgery. This surgery would prevent her from playing

soccer for a few weeks, but Favela expected herself to be back on her feet in no time.

Little did she know that the tumor would return a few months later. It was during the checkup of this tumor that she was diagnosed with both ovarian and stomach cancer.

“Everyone was devastated. I knew I wouldn’t be able to play for a very long time and that just really made everything worse,” Favela said.

In order to recover, Favela was forced to take most of junior year’s first semester. During this time period, she stayed at the Children’s Hospital in Pomona to undergo chemotherapy for up to five days at a time. She went through four sessions of chemotherapy in total, and stayed at home to recover for two weeks before going back to school.

After her recovery, Favela performance on the field remained the same, if not better. Her proudest moment, she described, was during the CIF game against Mayfield, when she scored the tying goal at the very last minute to send the game to overtime. She also scored the winning goal.

“I think the most difficult part of all this was watching everyone play and not being able to play myself.

As soon as I found out I could play again, I went for it,” Favela said.

COACH PROFILE Name: Eric Shibley Currently Coaching: Varsity Boys Baseball Eric Shibley, Diamond Bar’s current varsity baseball coach, has been coaching for 21 years, immediately after graduating from college. He first began coaching baseball at his former college, California State University Dominguez Hills. The coach himself has played baseball since he was four years old. “I love the sport of baseball and everything that it stands for. That’s one of the things I love about coaching -- I get to make a team better at a sport I love and interact with the staff and students of this school,” Shibley commented.

tracurricular activities at an early age. In awe and admiration of her elementary school friend, Rucker was inspired to join cheerleading.

She became a varsity cheerleader in her sophomore year.

Due to her busy schedule, Rucker cannot be the varsity track captain and cannot go to all of the track practices. Despite these set-

It made me realize that I actually wanted to do [track] now. I started liking it this year.

Senior Candace Rucker backs, she is the only senior on the sprints team.

Rucker participates in the 100 meter and 200 meter relays. In her most recent track meet at Azusa Pacific University, she was able to place fourth.

“With track, it’s not all completely about points because you can be so close to first place with mere seconds. Of course, you could

be dead last, but with track it’s a lot different from other sports in that the gap that between first and second is usually not that far off,” Rucker said.

For Rucker, balancing her social life is difficult. It’s challenging for her to find time to hang out with her friends because her schedule is packed. However, a star student knows how to make time for fun while getting the work done.

Rucker manages her time well so she has time for both fun and work.

Despite this, she can always find a way to manage her schoolwork.

“Whenever I get home I do homework until I go to bed. I don’t procrastinate because I just think about how if I finish this homework now I can go to sleep earlier. I love to sleep, so that is my motivation to not procrastinate,” she said.

Rucker has decided to go to UC Irvine in the fall. She is considering pursuing track and field in college.

“I keep on telling people I don’t want to continue track in college but I think I might,” she said. “It’s a good way to stay fit and college is more stressful in high school so you got to keep that fitness.”

Brahmas abolish Mira Costa BADMINTON| Although Mira Costa seemed to be a competent opponent, in the end, Diamond Bar still defeated it with shining colors.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

After winning its opening match against the Webb Gauls 19-2, the Diamond Bar Badminton team is still undefeated after cruising past the 2013 CIF runner-up Mira Costa Mustangs 19-2 on March 13. With an overall record of 2-0, the Brahmas are on the path to win their third straight CIF Championship.

“We did very well and actually better than we expected. We thought that the score might have not been that great as last year’s because we lost some very strong players on the girls, but the girls played very well,” coach Kemp Wells said.

DB’s doubles team was the spotlight of the match, winning 13 of

the 21 sets played. The No.1 girls doubles team of seniors Coco Lai and Natalie Leung won both of their sets in dominating fashion.

The No.1 boys doubles team consisting of seniors co-captains Curtis Li and Adrian Sin experienced trouble in their first set. The duo won the first game 13-11, but lost the second game 11-13. With the set on the line, Li and Sin went on an impressive run winning the game 11-7, giving a point to the DB side.

Li and Sin later defeated their second opponents 11-2 in both games.

The mixed doubles team went undefeated in all six of its sets. The No. 1 mixed doubles team of Li and sophomore Krista Hsu and the No. 3 team of Leung and freshman Vinson Chiu were able to bagel four of the Mira Costa’s best players.

“Even though our girls team is young, fairly experienced, and have only one returning starters,

our girls has been playing well,” Wells said.

In the singles competition, the Brahmas won 7 of the 8 sets of the match. Against the No.1 player on the Gaul’s side, Chiu defeated his opponent 11-4 in the first game and bageled him in the second game 110.

With the Hacienda League in play starting on April 8, the Brahmas are expected to continue its winning tradition by becoming the CIF champs for three straight years.

“Winning League is always our first goal we set for ourselves. That should be easy for us to attain.

Since we won two years in a row, winning CIF is our second goal,” Wells said.

This performance is a precursor of what can be expected for the rest of the season. If DB can keep this play up, a championship is here.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

15

The legacy continues Ramirez tames BOYS GOLF| In a single match, the Brahmas came out on top against the Mustangs, the Panthers, and Highlanders.

BASEBALL| Junior Gerardo Ramirez stuck out

BY JAMES KIL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last week, the Diamond Bar boys golf team continued its winning tradition, defeating three teams: the Walnut Mustangs, the Diamond Ranch Panthers, and the La Habra Highlanders. After its hard earned wins, the scores racked up to 187-201 against the Mustangs, 193 against the Mustangs and the Panthers, and 193 against the Highlanders. After these difficult matches, DB increased its league record to 6-0 and its overall record to 10-0.

Junior Sean Hsu displayed the best performance throughout the match, shooting a 35, one under par. Juniors Jefferson Kao and Sahith Theegala also finished the match shooting 36 and 37, respectively.

Riding the momentum from the last match, DB played the Mustangs and Panthers at the Diamond Bar Golf Course. Junior William Yang and Kao both ended the match with the score of 38. Theegala continued his dominance from the last game, shooting 35, the lowest score of the match.

“We beat Walnut twice this week, which was our toughest competition in league last year. Our next tough opponent is Bonita. We will meet up with them after spring break,” coach Ty Watkins said.

After beating the Mustangs twice and the Panthers, the Brahmas were confident that they can win against the Highlanders at the Westridge Golf Course. They proved to be the better team after they crushed the Highlanders.

Theegala showed another impres-

the Lions seven Westminster Lions and only allowed two hits for the 6-0 win.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

EMILY HWANG

SWING OF VICTORY- Senior Dean Sakata looks to take home the win. sive performance, finishing the hole with 32.

“This season is starting pretty well and we have been winning all our matches. I am excited for what’s to come this season,” Kao said.

DB started the 2014 season playing in the Servite and Ontario Christian tournament. Theegala placed first and senior Dean Sakata placed second in the Servite tour-

nament, lifting the team to first place. During the Ontario Christian tournament, Sakata placed first and Theegala placed third.

This season, the Brahmas are hoping to continue their season undefeated and go deep into the playoffs. With Sakata graduating this year, the Brahma’s will be losing a valuable player. However, Kao and Theegala will fill his void to keep DB’s golfing legacy alive.

The new head coach

The Diamond Bar baseball team is on track to follow its historical 2013 season after shutting out the Westminster Lions 6-0. The star of the night was junior starting pitcher Gerado Ramirez, throwing a complete game while only giving up two hits to the Lions. With a record of 7-2, the Brahmas are heading into Hacienda League play with a five-game winning streak.

Ramirez managed to make an impact on both sides of the ball. On offensive, the junior hit two singles and drove in two runs batted ins, while on defensive, he struck out seven batters and held the Lions to a 0.087 batting average. Ramirez is now 3-1 for the 2014 season and has 18 strikeouts with a 3.37 earned run average.

The game started off slowly as both teams were held scoreless for the first three innings. The Brahmas finally took control of the game after three runs in the fourth inning.

Senior catcher Austin Manzani led the Brahmas’ offense with two hits, two RBIs, and a double. Junior infielder Gabriel Duenas also managed to have hit two singles with two RBIs. “We came out flat offensively. We

were not prepared to play in the first three innings. Then we woke up in the fourth to get the win,” coach Eric Shibley said.

The Brahmas later scored the final three runs of the game to seal the victory against the Lions.

“We can certainly build up on each game. We have a lot to improve one. It was a team effort from all the players to get the victory,” Shibley said.

Last year, the baseball team had many seniors with a lot of game experience. The 2013 Brahmas managed to finish second, behind the Bonita Bearcats in the Hacienda League and reached the CIF Semifinals. The team would lose to the CIF Champions Serra Cavaliers 102. With the loss of stars like pitcher Zeph Walters to graduation, the 2014 team, which consists of many inexperienced players, hopes to reach further into the CIF playoffs and finish first in the league.

“We do not have as much varsity experience as last years. We lost a lot of former varsity players to graduation. This year, we are looking for new players to fill in those shoes. We want to play good fundamentally, clean baseball to increase our chances of winning the Hacienda League title. If we can do that, then that will lead us, ultimately, deep into the CIF playoffs. Ever since I have been her, DB baseball has always been competitive,” Shibley said.

Two beasts move onto nationals WRESTLING| Senior KeAndre Johnson and junior Donny Palmer will represent at nationals.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR

ANDREW CHOI

REPLACEMENT- Marcus Hughes, left, coaching in New York was, introduced as the new DB football coach.

MARCUS HUGHES| It was announced on March 12 that Marcus Hughes will lead Brahma Football next season.

BY ANDREW CHOI SPORTS EDITOR The “perfect man,” Marcus Hughes, will be the head of the pack for next year’s Brahma football. With a record of 67-13 in seven seasons at Cornwall Central High School in New York, Hughes coached his Cornwall team to three straight New York state playoffs and earned multiple Section 9 Football Class A New York Coach of the Years Honor.

“Out of the 140 applicants, Hughes is by far the best candidate for the job. Mrs. Real and I thoroughly searched for the ‘perfect’ coach for the kids. He’s going to do a great job and is going to be one

of the great Brahma coaches,” Athletics Director Kurt Davies said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Hughes inherits a football program that improved drastically under former head coach Ryan Maine, who resigned on February 3 with a record of 15-17 and one second round CIF playoff appearance in three seasons. DB was a sub-par football team before Maine stepped in as the coach, going 22-47-1 from 2004-2010.

Other than defensive line coach Jose Marquez, who also resigned, Hughes said he will retain the rest of the coaching staff for the 2014 football season.

“We are bringing in a couple of new coaches and keeping the rest of the coaching staff to make DB take the next step of becoming great. In order to be a winning team, we need a winning coaching staff,” Hughes said.

With spring practices just around the corner, Hughes has already adjusted to the new environment and made relationships with the players.

“I’m always a West Coast guy. I love the weather, the atmosphere, and the people here. I introduced myself to the team on Tuesday, made jokes with them, and also talked with some players like Isaiah Thompson and the Peterson twins,” Hughes commented.

Even though the start of the 2014 football season is months away, Hughes already has huge expectations to fulfill from the DB fan base. Although stars Cordell Broadus and Brian Lamb transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas over the winter break, most of the core players from the 2013 football team, which went 7-5 with a second round appearance in CIF, are coming back for the 2014 football season. With starters like the Peterson twins, juniors Kanya Bell and Antonio Hull back for their senior year, Hughes has the talent needed to help DB become successful again.

“We are going to insert new wrinkles in the offense and create a new defensive system,” Hughes said.

The Diamond Bar Wrestling team has achieved another feat in its 2013-14 historical season. Senior KeAndre Johnson, the team’s 220 pound wrestler became the first Brahma in the history of the Wrestling program to qualify for the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Also joining him at the March 28-30 tournament will be junior Donny Palmer, who will be wrestling in the NHSCA Junior Nationals tournament.

Posting an overall record of 35-7 during the season, Johnson’s year did not start on the right note. Due to the success of the DB football team, the senior did not reach his full potential until the end of the season.

“He had a rough start of the year.

He did not get the chance to practice with us until early December.

Once he got going, it took time to build his technique back up and he reached his peak when it counted,” head coach Scott Usher said.

Johnson’s success soon came when the regular season ended.

In the Hacienda League finals, the wrestler dominated his weight class and became the League Champion. However, Johnson did not stop there. At the CIF Individuals, the senior was one of two Brahma wrestlers to place second

and qualify for CIF Masters. After wrestling against the toughest opponents and placing fourth at the CIF Master’s, Johnson made DB history at the CIF State Championships. He became one of three other Brahma wrestlers to finish in the top 12 of the tournament. This allowed him to qualify for the prestigious NHSCA tournament.

“KeAndre has been one of our successful wrestlers in the school.

He handled all the stress better than any wrestler I have ever seen through his preparations, focus, and his ability to just handle the long grind of the season,” Usher said.

Before the Senior Nationals unfolds, Johnson has been practicing off campus with former wrestlers that qualified for State in the past years. Johnson has been sharpening his skills and mentally preparing himself. Throughout the post-

KeAndre has been one of our successful wrestlers in the school.

Senior Coach Scott Usher season, Johnson also wrestled at Mt. SAC to work and improve his game with high level coaches.

“During the practices, we made him focus on his goals and made sure he does not let the big arenas and the crowd noise make him anxious and nervous,” Usher said.

16 SPORTS

THE BULL’S EYE

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

SPORTS

Girls come up short as boys impress TRACK AND FIELD | While the Lady Brahmas struggled against the Bulldogs, the Brahmas displayed a wide array of talents for the win.

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR While the Diamond Bar girls track and field failed to outperform the West Covina Bulldogs, the boys evened the meet out. In a close head-to-head duel, the Brahmas managed to pull through with a final score of 71-65 and the Lady Brahmas lost 73-63 at home on Thursday.

“It was a pretty good dual meet.

Each Diamond Bar athlete put in their efforts,” distance head coach Christine Cortez said.

To start things off on the right note, the Brahma’s 4x100 relay squad, with relentless persistence, took first place for five points.

However, in the 1600 meter, the DB boys were shut out by the Bulldogs, losing 9-0 in the event. Trailing,

It was a pretty good dual meet. Each Diamond Bar athlete put in their efforts.

Coach Christine Cortez junior Isaiah Austin leaped to first and brought back life to DB in the 110 hurdles.

Although the Brahmas were swept again in the 400 meter, they bounced back in the 100 meter and the high jump to sweep the Bulldogs in both events. Senior Chris Lee and his partner in crime, senior Jonathan Dunn, boasted

their firearms in the discus event.

Lee placed first and Dunn placed second. Lee was heavy-duty material throughout the event as he placed first again in the shot put event alongside junior Jason Kim who placed third. The Brahmas were also dominant in the triple jump.

The score was 63-59 in the Brahmas favor with two events left, the 3200 meter and the 4x400 relay. Sophomore Walter Chang was the savior of the meet. Chang and freshman Paul Abdo placed first and second respectively in the 3200 meter, giving the Brahmas a safe cushion for the victory. The Bulldogs won the 4x400 relay but it was not enough.

The Lady Brahma’s 4x100 relay squad placed first. Junior Jeannie Huang took first in the 1600 relay.

Sophomore Sophia Arnold placed first in the 100 meter and Anabelle Cheng placed first in both the triple jump and 800 meter events. With sophomore Alison Kim leading the way, the Lady Brahmas swept in the shot-put event. However it was a strong effort by the girls, the Bulldogs proved to be too much for DB to handle.

“Our team played well overall.

The team really pulled together in both field and running events to put forth some good effort,” Cortez said.

The boys are now 2-0 in the season and an undefeated season is looking plausible.

“The student athletes are continuing to strengthen their individual skills and the team will learn from this previous meet against West Covina. It serves as a learning experience,” Cortez said.

EMILY HWANG

VARIETY OF EVENTS- Senior Daniel Ayala, top left, junior Isaiah Austin, senior Candace Rucker push to place.

First place becoming commonplace

SWIM TO WIN- Seniors Tiffany Cheng, left, and Theresa Luk, right, swim to defeat their opponents in the new Diamond Bar High School swimming pool

SWIMMING | Several swimmers find new events they excel in such, as Prestin Li and Matthew Sia who both placed first.

BY JOSEPH PARK SPORTS EDITOR

With an outstanding 4-0 record in pre-league for both boys and girls swimming, Diamond Bar’s swimming season is looking

brighter than ever. It was more of an experimental meet when the Brahmas and Lady Brahmas hosted and defeated Norco 92-77 and 125-23, respectively.

According to coach Darlys Ankeny, the swim meet was to give swimmers the opportunity to swim in events they usually do not swim.

Although a couple of Brahma aquatic members did not swim in categories they are accustomed to, their performance was still on par.

“As a coach, I liked it because it not only gave them the chance to try something [the swimmers] might be better in then they had ever imagined, but it also helped them gain understanding of a

team,” coach Ankeny said.

Freshman Prestin Li found his own niche in the 500 free.

Competing in the 500 free for his first time, Li placed an exceptional second place with perfect splits and obtained a LETT, which is for swimmers with qualifying times to earn varsity letters. In addition to the win itself, the Brahmas discovered many new talents and opportunities. Senior Matthew Sia swam the 100 fly for the first time and placed first with a LETT. “This is something that you cannot teach someone to do, distance swimmers instinctively do it. [Li] will be swimming that event again and [Sia] is confident he can

get a CIF consideration in the [100 fly] soon,” Ankeny said.

With great strides and technique, senior Tiffany Cheng made her opponents head swim as she finished first place in the 200 free with a time of 2:12.93. Freshman Kathleen Gani placed first in her 500 free and 100 breast individual events with times of 5:47.03 and 1:13.22 respectively. Gani also achieved a CONS time in the 100 breast which meant she earned a CIF consideration time and Junior Athena Chen also placed first in the 200 free with a time of 2:26.04. Junior Greg Lee not only experienced a drastic drop time improvement of -16.62 but led the

XING YEN QUEK

Brahmas for six points with a first place time of 1:58.57 in the 200 free.

A deep run in the CIF is imminent if DB continues to perform at this high level. With a fresh new pool and wide margin leads, the swim team has high hopes and expectations for its future in the regular season and more.

“I think we hosted a great meet and Norco really enjoyed coming to our pool. It was fun being able to host them,” Ankeny said.

This swim meet is a hint of what is to come in the regular season.

Total domination against any team is to be expected from DB. As CIF is right around the corner, every individual is preparing.