April 2015

inside the issue

to sleep or not to sleep

a special report on sleep deprivation at DBHS

feature 7

a&e 10

SPRING FASHION TRENDS

the bull’s eye NEWS

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OPINION

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F E AT U RE

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April 22, 2015 Volume XXXIII, Issue VIII ONLINE at dbbullseye.com

ART S & E N TE RTA I N ME N T

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S P O RT S

Waving goodbye to DBHS

Class dancers take the field at rally

This year, four of DBHS’ teachers will be leaving the school and retiring. frances wu asst. news editor

ANDREW CHOI

Students attend the last rally of the year, which focused on spring sports and the USB-chosen top ten students of each class and featured a teacher dance. The Coachella-themed rally was held in the football stadium after a two-week delay. Above, sophomore Gabrielle Minassian backflips during the class dance.

Teacher union calls for change

Staff is showing support for an ongoing districtunion negotiation. lilly ball asst. a&e editor

Whether students have taken notice or not, the Diamond Bar High School has been a little dark-

er on Tuesdays, as teachers were asked to wear black t-shirts weekly to show support of recent union negotiations with the Walnut Valley Unified School district.

On March 24, a majority of the Diamond Bar High School staff, both nonmembers and members of the union, participated in the activity for the first time, in attempts to bring attention to an issue involving teacher payment.

“From what I heard at

BREAKING nEWS

A tentative agreement was reached by the two sides.

See the website for the latest news. least 75 to 80 percent of our bargaining unit members participated,” teacher Salli Collins said via email.

A negotiating team has been in

talks with the WVUSD on behalf of the DBHS staff, which is in favor of a salary increase for teachers. The DBHS teachers believe that they have continually saved the district a substantial amount of money over the years, and that they have the right to the money that has been saved. The staff members have requested that it

˃˃ UNION on p.3

DBHS junior wins pageant crown Alexandra Ornelas received her title at the city’s annual Miss Diamond Bar. vrinda chauhan asst. a&e editor The city of Diamond Bar welcomed new royalty on March 27, as Diamond Bar High School junior Alexandra Ornelas was crowned with the title of Miss Diamond Bar of 2015 and received $2,400 in scholarship money.

DBHS juniors Rebecca Wang and Cynthia Preciado and senior Megan Quon placed as second, third, and fourth runner-ups respectively.

“I felt extremely excited and tried really hard to hold back my tears,” Ornelas said.

The contestants were judged based on various aspects, including

poise, fitness, and overall impression. Each contestant underwent a one-on-one interview with five different judges the morning of the pageant.

The pageant itself consisted of onstage questions, a swimsuit presentation, and an evening gown presentation.

“Training for the Miss Diamond Bar Pageant was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed every moment of it. I met new friends and had lots of fun,” Ornelas said.

The contestants trained by meeting with other pageant contestants and representatives every week for three hour practices.

During this time, participants had a chance to improve their skills in public speaking, interviewing, and walking onstage. Additionally, the participants took part in a self defense class, a photoshoot, and various other events and mixers.

“I think the most exciting part

˃˃ PAGEANT on p.3

Photo courtesy of REBECCA WANG

The winner (center), Alexandra Ornelas, poses the runner ups (from left to right): Megan Quon, Kathy Hermosillo, Rebecca Wang, and Cynthia Preciado.

It seems that teachers are unchanging constants in a student’s life, always there to give homework and advice. However, this year, four teachers will be retiring from Diamond Bar High School: math teacher Howard Alcosser, foreign language teachers Christine Buccola and Sue Benner, and fine arts teacher and tennis coach David Hamel.

Alcosser has been a part of DBHS staff since the school’s opening in 1982 and currently teaches AP Calculus BC and Math HL. While DBHS isn’t the only school that he has taught at, it is definitely the school that he has had the most influence on.

For example, every year, Alcosser hosts an event for former DBHS calculus students to return to give advice and relate their experiences to current calculus students. Additionally, as an AP consultant for the College Board, he occasionally hosts workshops to help teachers with their AP classes. He has also previously given presentations at AP conferences and math teacher conferences on motivating students to succeed.

“When I was a kid, I really liked my school and my teachers – especially my math teachers. So I thought, ‘this is where I want to be,’” Alcosser said via e-mail.

On the other hand, Buccola started at DBHS by working as a long-term substitute teacher, filling in for three different teachers in 1988 before finally becoming a permanent teacher a year later.

She taught different subjects at various private schools and junior colleges, and has worked as a “home teacher” as well before coming to DBHS. During her first years at DBHS, Buccola originally taught Spanish 1 and 2 classes. Later, she created the AP Spanish class for higherlevel students, and following that, the Spanish 3 Honors class because she felt that one year to teach all of the AP curriculum wasn’t enough.

Buccola says that she has wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a child, citing her elementary school teacher as a source of inspiration.

“I see all the time that people want to be challenged. People don’t want to pass away the time; they want to feel like it was worth it, and that’s what I try to do every day,” Buccola said.

Another Spanish teacher, Benner, has announced her retirement as well. She started teaching in

˃˃ RETIREMENT on p.2

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NEWS

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

HOSA excels at first competition The club came away with multiple awards and a chance to compete at Nationals in June. nadia lee staff writer Voted as the most professional chapter out of a 107 schools during the Health Occupations Students Association Competition held in Sacramento last month, Diamond Bar High School’s HOSA took another step forward in the club’s growing success.

President and founder, junior Crystal Chang, who competed in the pathophysiology category, placed second and qualified for Nationals, which will take place in Anaheim in June. Also qualifying in the top 10 in California were juniors Dawn Sul, for Dental Science, Thomas Liu, for Extemporaneous Writing, and Michelle Su, for Pharmacology. Juniors Lauren Ong, Su, Sul and Margaret Wang placed fifth as well in HOSA Bowl and were placed as alternates for Nationals.

The HOSA Competition tested and challenged the participants’ knowledge in specific medical fields. The event offered various medical categories for students to compete in such as pharmacology

and dental science. Participants first took a written test based on their respective field of knowledge and once passed, they moved on to the second level test, which varied depending on the category.

Team events such as CPR and HOSA Bowl—a jeopardy style game that asks questions about HOSA’s history, general medicine, and more—were also held during the competition.

Because DBHS’s HOSA chapter, advised by teachers Chase Paulson and Teresa Hebert, is in its first year of competition, the school only had 11 students participate in this event compared to other schools that sent on average 20 to 40 students.

In the future, Chang hopes to have the chapter compete in more events and plans to offer more opportunities for students to participate in. Her goal is to attract even more members to join HOSA and visit colleges along with medical centers for the remainder of the year. Chang is also hoping to offer more opportunities for the members to learn hands-on health procedures by getting certification classes started up.

“In the long run, my broad goal is for HOSA to continue to thrive even after I graduate. It’s all very tentative right now, but I think with our success this year, it’ll be easy to attract even more members,” Chang said.

CORRECTIONS

ANDREW CHOI

Students begin the test in the LINC as test procters explain the process of logging in and beginning the exam.

SBAC arrives at DBHS The DBHS juniors took the actual Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium for the first time. calvin ru staff writer The Common Core version of standardized testing has officially arrived in its most recent model as the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. While last year’s class of 2015 was able to take a field test of the SBAC, this year’s class of 2016 is the first to experience the newest and most updated form of the exam.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the juniors were separated into two groups based off their last names to take the math section of the SBAC . The Computer Adaptive Test took place on the first day and had 38 multiple choice questions split up into two sec-

tions. The difficulty of the second section varied and was based on the student’s performance in the first section. The following day, juniors took the Performance Task, which had five free response questions about zip-lining. The juniors will take the English section of the SBAC today and tomorrow, following the same schedule as last week.

“I felt the lesson in math class about zip lining that we had to prepare for the text was really useless,” junior Jeff Chow said.

The purpose of the SBAC is to test the inclusion of Common Core standards into all school subjects. The new assessments differ from the former multiple choice test by including freeresponse questions and critical analysis. “[This] generation is way more tech savvy that it’s important for students to be exposed to types of computer based assessments that the state is giving us now because you are going to get that in col-

lege,” Academics Dean Gabriel Aguilar said.

Although the SBAC is an updated version of the CST with half of the test taken on the computer, many students still find the evaluations to be unnecessary and an inefficient way of determining the ranking of schools nationwide.

“I don’t understand [why] we have to take time out of the school year to take a placement test when we already have SATs and ACTs,” junior Lauren Kashiwabara said.

“On top of that, we’re taking it right before APs.” Individuals could be exempted from the standardized tests with a signed note from his or her parents. However, despite the criticism from students, Aguilar thinks that the test does offer some benefits. “[The SBAC] is a great way to expose all students to [online testing]. There are challenges, but overall I think [the SBAC] is an evolution more than anything,” Aguilar stated.

Last issue, in “More on the Web,” Varsity Cheer, Song, and Dance Crew placements were incorrectly reported. Varsity Cheer took second place, Song won first place, and All-Male Dance Crew placed first.

Also, in the Write Offs article, it was written that Michelle Ki placed in the top three for her category, but she actually received seventh place.

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Bidding bittersweet goodbyes RETIREMENT from p.1 1980 in Arizona, but moved to California and began teaching at DBHS in 1985. Aside from DBHS, Benner also worked briefly at South Pointe Middle School and Walnut Elementary. Although this year will mark the end of her teaching career, Benner still has many goals, including volunteering at convalescent homes and learning new skills, like gardening and playing the piano.

“Teaching has been a blessing. I have been able to be a ‘positive’ in the world. It has been a wonderful

time for me, but now it is time to move on,” Benner said via e-mail.

The athletics department will be losing a familiar face too. Hamel, who has worked at DBHS for 16 years, is giving up his art room and the tennis courts to dedicate himself to other activities after retirement.

“Learning and growing never stop. It may sound self-inflating, but I can’t think of too many careers where you have this unique opportunity to mold a person’s life,” Hamel said.

Even though the four teachers work in different departments and teach different classes, they seem to agree that the thing they will miss the most about DBHS is the students and familiarity.

“I’m going to miss interacting with my students. I’m going to miss Diamond Bar because it’s my home. It’s a family place to me; it’s comfortable and it’s a good, safe place to be. I don’t feel like this is a job, and that’s why it’s hard for me to retire,” Buccola said.

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: thebullseyebusiness@gmail.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.

Photos by YUSHENG XIA AND FRANCES WU

Alcosser (top) instructs his Calculus BC class for one of his final lessons. Above, Buccola (left), Hamel (center), and Benner (right) are all leaving DBHS as well after long and fulfilling teaching careers.

NEWS

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

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Longtime district Juniors win Powderpuff superintendent Brown dies The junior girls dominated the annual football game held last week, winning with score of 12-6.

an education center for struggling students, previously called Del Paso High School, but now known as Ron Hockwalt Academies.

In 1982, 1,100 students from the overflowing Walnut High School were relocated to Diamond Bar High School. Brown said at the sarah markiewicz time that “DBHS [was] the only known opening of a comprehensive staff writer high school.”

During his years as superintenWhen superintendent David L. dent, the student population of the Brown retired from his position in district went from 5,000 to 12,000.

1991, he left this position at Wal- The district offices are located in nut Valley Unified School District the Dr. David L. Brown Educationwith twice as many students and al Center, which was named in his honor. several new Brown’s schools. Brown, “[At the time], DBHS [was] wife, Lenore who spent althe only known opening Brown, died most 20 years of a comprehensive high in the month as the head of school.” preceding his WVUSD, died death. He is on March 13.

DAVE BROWN survived by When Brown his son Russ began at Walnut in 1972, one decade before Dia- Brown and his daughter-in-law mond Bar High School was built, Judy Brown. The funeral for the the district was still newly formed. superintendent took place on Under Brown, a local school under- March 25 at Fremont Presbyterian took a new mission of serving as Church in Sacramento.

He was superintendent when DBHS first opened in 1982, passing away on March 13.

calvin ru staff writer

After battling for two grueling hours in the heat, the class of 2016 stood triumphantly over the class of 2015 in Diamond Bar High School’s fifth annual Powderpuff game. The junior Lady Brahmas scored two touchdowns against the senior team to win the close game with a final score of 12-6.

“The purpose of the competition is to provide a fun athletic opportunity for the Lady Brahmas to take the field as they compete with their class,” coach Whitney Prenger said. “It is also a fundraiser for Pep that we have done for the last five years.”

Based on the rules of flag football, both teams—made up of girls from various athletic programs— were able to put together offensive and defensive plays under the guidance of its respective football coaches. Enforcing the match were football coaches turned referees Marcus Hughes and Albert Lim. “I just think that the seniors were going out there to make mem-

ANDREW CHOI

Senior Ariana Infante runs through defenders in an attempt to score. ories & have a good time,” senior Yasi Hekmat.

With nine girls on each team, the seniors started off their offense with a trick play. Unfortunately, the juniors caught on quickly and prevented the seniors from advancing the football across the field.

The game continued to go back and forth until senior Jayleen Ramirez scored the first touchdown after a quick pass and run.

In response, the juniors rallied quickly and Tricia Byerrum attained a touchdown by a successful catch and run, tying the score at 6-6.

“The seniors were really hyped

Turning the tables on tradition A new style of teaching, flipped schooling, is taking over some classrooms. catherine zhang contributing writer With the rising use of the Thayer Method in schools, Diamond Bar High School teachers are also experimenting with the unconventional way of teaching in the classroom.

Also known as the flipped or inverted classroom, the Thayer Method is a reverse teaching style that takes place in normal classrooms; instead of listening to teachers lecture during school and doing homework at home, students do the exact opposite. Instructors upload video lessons onto the internet while the pupils interact with their peers and teacher via internet discussions. After watching the tutorials, the students write down any questions they may have for the teacher. During school hours, students do their work, such as

labs or interactive activities, while the teacher stands by the side supervising.

“Actually, last year I had a science teacher who taught in a similar way. She uploaded tutorials on the website, and we did labs during class. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier because I was able to pause the video whenever I wanted to,” freshman Priscilla Chang said.

Although each student has his or her own learning pace, teachers often lecture only once for every lesson. If the instructor teaches too quickly, students may fall behind and not understand the lesson.

However, online lessons allow students to watch a lecture as many times as needed in order to get a full grasp on the topic.

According to knewton.com, a study conducted in Michigan’s Clintondale High School reported that half of the freshman class failed English while 44 percent failed math in a classroom using the normal method. However, a year after the teaching style was changed, only 19 percent of freshman failed English while 13 percent failed math.

“I think flipped classrooms are advantageous to teachers as well as students, especially to those who are hesitant to share out in class.

For them to be held individually accountable for expressing their thoughts so teachers can check for understandings of all students,” English teacher Connie Chen said.

Chen instructs her English honors classes using the flipped method, and prefers it compared to the traditional method.

“I think there are elements of the traditional classroom that I feel as though still need to be held on to. But on the other hand, I have been more effective in monitoring students that normally may have gone overlooked for longer periods of time before I notice,” Chen said.

However, the Thayer Method teaching style is not perfect, as it comes with many negative aspects as well.

“I don’t believe in pure flipping.

Sometimes, teachers will just give you the online videos and expect you to do a project during class, and that’s too hard,” science teacher Chris Holmes said.

Holmes teaches his biology

Going green at DBHS

classes in a combination of flipped as well as traditional ways.

Some students may not have internet access at home and have to spend their lunch watching the videos while their classmates are out enjoying their break. In other occasions, a sudden internet connection problem may arise and the student would end up not learning the subject required for the next day’s assignment. However, in the traditional method, most homework assignments are done by hand so the student would still be able to complete the assignment even without an internet connection.

“I prefer teachers teaching at school and doing homework at home since we have more time to do work at home than school. Also, there can be internet difficulties at home for some students,” freshman Brian Ng said via Facebook.

In addition, the ability to focus at home, with all the distractions there is another problem that students deal with. Without an instructor’s supervision, some students may skip out on the work and show up to school not knowing the lesson.

The girls will be attending events to represent DB PAGEANT from p.1

APES students called attention to local environmental issues and presented their projects in the Lower Quad.

ANDREW CHOI

of being a contestant was meeting so many new people. While a contestant, we went to many mixers in which we met people from Diamond Bar,” Wang said.

Other awards presented at the pageant include Best Smile to Ornelas, Miss Congeniality to junior Shannon Clewley, Miss Photogenic to Wang, and Miss MVP to junior Kaitleen Wong.

As Miss Diamond Bar, Ornelas will serve as a Diamond Bar ambassador, representing the city at many events including functions, mixers, and grand openings. Ornelas plans to also partake in the Miss Teen California pageant.

for the game and we were confident in our ability but it didn’t go our way,” senior Helena Kisor.

In the second half, the coaches and referees decided to have the girls play half field.

Near the end, the juniors took the lead after Janice Phansan ran the ball and scored the team’s second touchdown, making the score 12-6 in favor of the juniors and eventually securing the victory.

“The game is more entertaining to watch because it’s all ladies.

They are athletes, they are students, they are competitive and most importantly, they are having fun,” pep coach Prenger said.

Wearing black every Tuesday UNION from p.1 is added to their salary schedules, therefore increasing their current salaries and eventual retirement funds over time.

Though the district agrees that the staff has saved them money, they do not believe the money should be spent on teacher salaries, according to union representatives.

In fact, the district has told the union that they prefer to pay teachers this money all at once, which means that it will not be added to their salary schedules, or increase over time.

The union negotiation team argues that this type of payment is unfair; they argue that since the savings for the district are ongoing, so should be the teachers’ reception.

“With the implementation of Common Core the demands have increased and our team has requested time to prepare for these increased demands, class size equity, and a well-deserved salary increase,” Collins stated.

This disagreement is what sparked the demonstration of silent protest. Though the matching t-shirts were only a small form of objection, the large number of DBHS staff members that participated in the protest proved that the staff is capable of standing as a unit.

If the negotiations with the district do not go as planned, those in support of the teacher intend on increasing their efforts to bring more attention to their purpose.

Staff members collectively wore black t-shirts again on April 14, and many students have noticed the demonstration.

“I know that they [the teachers] are trying to make a statement, but I don’t know if wearing black will work. They have to actually do something if they want change,” Senior Ashley Ting stated.

A message was left at the district office of a WVUSD representative, but the call was not returned.

4 OPINION

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

EYE EDITORS OF THE

START SCHOOL LATER: School districts across the country have shifted the start times of high schools to address the growing issue of sleep deprivation among teens.

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here is no question that sleep deprivation among teens has a strong presence in a high-achieving community like Diamond Bar High School.

With the average student getting just over six hours of sleep, one would expect helping students get the sleep they need to be one of the administration’s top priorities. In schools in 43 states, starting classes later has proven to be extremely effective in helping students get the sleep they need. Unfortunately, this remains a change that Diamond Bar has yet to see.

Although changing school schedules has its complications, an overwhelming body of evidence has prompted schools into taking action. To sum it up, science says teenagers were not meant for early wakeup times.

During adolescence, a delayed release of melatonin makes it difficult for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 p.m. A bedtime of no

earlier than an hour before midnight coupled with a wakeup time before 8 a.m. makes it impossible for students to get the recommended nine hours of sleep. This dilemma is only exacerbated by heavy workloads, a problem all too familiar to a majority of Diamond Bar students, which not only causes students to sleep later, but also spurs many to wake up earlier in order to complete their unfinished work. With severe restraints on sleep from both ends of the spectrum for most, Diamond Bar High School may as well be the epicenter of sleep deprivation.

A common—and reasonable— concern among parents and students lies with the idea that if schools were to start later, they would also end later, further cutting time that would normally be used for schoolwork and extracurricular activities. However, studies indicate that later waking hours have not only improved

schools have reported:

before change

student SLEEP after change

students’ physical and mental health, but also have also attributed to students getting more sleep overall. In a school surveyed by Boston University with a 45 minute delay to 8:15 a.m., students received 33 additional minutes of sleep per night. In a study in Israel, an hour delay allowed students to get an additional 55 minutes, and in Norway, an hour delay translated to 66 minutes.

Across the board, schools have noted an increase in standardized test scores, and coaches reported improved athletic performances by their student athletes.

At a time when students who get a sufficient amount of sleep are part of a small minority, Diamond Bar’s administration needs to prioritize the well-being of its students and do whatever it can to fix this pervasive issue. It would be negligent to do nothing in spite of what is known, especially when countless benefits are just around the corner.

attendance academic performance athletic performance amount of sleep

UC system betrays California students

sleeping in class car accidents busing costs

FROM THE BRAHMA PERSPECTIVE: “Do you think having later starting times would be beneficial?”

SERENA TANG (9)

KEVIN GU (11)

“I think starting school later would help you because it lets you get more prepared in the morning and more rested.”

“I would love to start school later because I need more sleep and I don’t think I get enough sleep.”

AKIF KHAN (12) “I don’t think it’s a good idea because the whole day is wasted by the time we get out at 4. It’s better to start earlier and end earlier.”

GARY LIU (10) “It would be beneficial because students would have more time to do work at night and wake up because teenagers nowadays are really exhausted when I see them come to school.”

SERIOUSLY SATIRICAL

The University of California is unjustly admitting more out-of-state students at the expense of resident seniors. victoria ly asst. feature editor

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his year, Californian high school graduates received an unprecedented number of waitlists and rejections from UC schools. With state budget cuts on the rise, the UC system was forced to limit the number of instate admisions while it increased enrollment for nonresident students in order to compensate for the financial deficit.

Even so, it isn’t right for Californian students to be displaced within their own state. It is both disheartening and infuriating to see that well-qualified Californian students have narrower chances of being accepted to UC schools than non-resident students.

Californian students have every right to be angry upon discovering that the University of California is giving preferential treatment to outof-state students instead to those of whom they are suppose to put first.

The UC system was established with the intent of providing high quality, affordable education to Californians—it should adopt a solution while remaining loyal to its purpose.

The president of the University of California announced on March 31 that UC schools will cap in-state enrollments until the pending budget negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown show signs of being enacted.

“We will not be admitting students that we don’t know that we actually have funding for,” Napolitano said in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. The UC is in the midst of a

disagreement with Gov. Brown over a plan to increase tuition by 5 percent over the next five years if state funding does not provide enough revenue.

Because undergraduates from other states pay an additional $24,024 in supplemental tuition, the University of California argues that financially, it is necessary to admit more nonresident students to support spots for in-state students.

Yet, this shouldn’t be the solution to the problem. The University of California should be actively working to make compromises with Gov. Brown to increase funds.

As our universities are being wracked with budget cuts, the chances of California high school seniors gaining admission to the University of California are worsening each year. This causes families and some state lawmakers to question whether the UC system is truly loyal to its mission of providing quality and affordable education to Californians.

Students are angrily protesting that the rise in tuition costs are not funding the classrooms, but instead used to finance the salaries of UC administrators.

Gov. Brown needs to step up and come to an agreement with the University of California in respect to the negotiations for more funding. As these financial issues drag on, the admission statuses of Californian students to UCs are being withheld. We begin to ask whether the University of California is still a system working to provide higher educational opportunities for our Californian students or whether it has become an institution solely of monetary interests.

Cartoon courtesy of MEGAN LEE

frances wu asst. news editor

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pring break is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a week’s vacation for students.” This, I feel, does not adequately express the joy that I felt over this year’s break. It’s not merely just a week’s vacation, but rather a wonderful, exciting period of time during which I got the chance to catch up on all of my work, smile nostalgically while poring over my AP guidebooks, and try to remember everything that I’ve learned over these past eight months.

Walking around school the Friday before break started, I heard some completely unjustified complaints from students: they had been assigned a load of homework so large that they felt as if they wouldn’t be able to relax at all.

However, that was definitely not the case for me. To me, nothing was more stress-relieving than the feeling of coming home that Friday to a pile of shiny, new AP review books.

From then on, my spring

break just got better and better! While I received offers from my friends asking if I wanted to study with them, I politely refused. After all, my fun would be spoiled if I were to share this invigorating experience with others.

I soon developed a daily routine: wake up, have some Cheerios, pick a subject and study that until lunch, resume reviewing after lunch and work until dinner, then continue after dinner until the words began to blur in front of my eyes. It was complete bliss!

Nothing is better than the intense pressure that develops when AP testing nears: that chest-tightening feeling you get when you realize that you don’t recognize a term or concept, the exhilarating sensation you get when you look it up and it all comes rushing back to you, the wonderfully tired chuckles that you let out when you realize that even after six hours of work, there’s still more material that you can enjoy going over in the coming days. What could be better?

Occasionally, I would suddenly feel extremely worried that I was almost done reviewing and that I

would be forced to do something unexciting like taking a nap or watching TV. Words could not describe the relief I felt when I realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about running out of material for the foreseeable future.

However, it seemed as if the entire world was against me, because I was constantly interrupted! For example, my mom forced me to “take a break” and go out with her to lunch. Silly woman, didn’t she know that I was already taking a break?

I had books on various topics and at least four notebooks covering every inch of my desk; what part of that doesn’t scream, “relaxing?”

I’d like to thank each and every one of my teachers for all the work I’ve been able to do over spring break. It truly means a lot to me that our teachers care enough to create and assign homework assignments.

Now that spring break is over, I must say that I feel a little sad.

Now I have to go to school every day and suffer through eight interminably long hours in different classrooms, which isn’t nearly as fun. But at least I had those nine days to relax, right?

OPINION

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

5

HANNA'S HARANGUES

FREEDOM OF Ignorance RELIGION isn’t bliss

American teenagers are often ignorant of major global issues despite being the generation to shape future policies.

hanna kang opinion editor

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he beheading of Coptic Christians by ISIS, Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, rising bids for the 2016 presidency, the Iran nuclear deal… do any of these topics strike a note? For your average high school student, probably not. Young American ignorance, an omnipresent issue, has been escalating to alarming heights, and it must be stopped.

Nowadays, so much of what the younger generation calls “news” is filtered through various social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Remember the viral dress phenomenon that spread through social media like wildfire?

Literally everyone I encountered in the days after the posting had something to say about the dress.

What about Sen. Rand Paul’s bid for the presidency? Few people even showed a vague recognition of the topic, let alone identify the guy.

Sadly, this lack of front-page knowledge has garnered the younger generation the reputation of being detached and unaware.

This shouldn’t be the case. We have loads of information right at our fingertips, yet too many of us opt for indifference, allowing ourselves captive to the belief that current events don’t affect us, and vice versa—a huge fallacy.

In fact, the choices we make today will shape our tomorrow, so it’s crucial for young adults to be actively engaged in important issues and aware of the world we live in. Partaking does not come without active participation; only by having the drive to educate ourselves are we able to critically evaluate the world and be an influence in policymaking.

We are the future of America; developing opinions and generating feedback on hot, important issues will foster us into informed citizens and lifelong newsreaders. It will provide a stimulus for those of us who do not already keep tabs on current events to pay deeper attention to the things happening in the classroom, school and community.

When I was a little girl— newspaper in one hand and dictionary in the other—I had no idea how helpful my appetite for pursuing and conversing about global issues was going to be later on. It certainly carried me a long way: SAT and AP prompts were finished with ease and 10 minutes to spare, class debates were enjoyable, and I was able to build on my self-confidence. But most importantly, my interests and knowledge weren’t limited to AP Calculus and Crash Course U.S. History.

It really isn’t a good feeling to be in the dark. Be in the know, or else you will never realize the excitement of engaging in heated (but healthy) conversations with others in the loop. The ball is in your court, beat the label and pick up a copy of the New York Times. Heck, come join journalism.

yusheng xia news editor

I

ndiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act sets a guideline for courts to follow when dealing with cases related to religious freedom. However, the criticism and backlash against the act have deemed it representative of prejudice and discrimination against the LGBT community. This is not the case.

Contrary to common belief, the RFRA does not give the people of Indiana the right to discriminate against the LGBT community. If that was the main intent, there never would have been a need for the law in the first place. Indiana indeed has an anti-discrimination law that makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, gender, or religion, but nowhere does it ever mention sexual orientation. Yet, not often do you see restaurant owners refusing to serve gays or hospitals shipping gays off to a separate facility because of religious convictions. The law is solely aimed to defend people or businesses from participating in certain events that go against their religious beliefs and freedoms.

Recently, businesses have been under fire for refusing to take part in certain events and have received fines from the government. Common examples are the florist who was sued for $1,000 for refusing to provide floral decorations for a gay wedding and the photographer who was fined $7,000 for refusing to photograph a lesbian commitment ceremony. In response, the RFRA

OR

dictates that courts must have a basis to deem their trials on for future cases regarding decisions like this.

This doesn’t mean that those who refuse to conduct business will win every time, as the overall outcome will ultimately be based on the court’s decision.

So is refusing to take part in providing services like a gay wedding really an act of discrimination?

Discrimination should be clear when we see it, yet if we were to look at the public’s opinion, as measured by an Associated Press poll, 57 percent agreed that wedding-related businesses should be allowed to deny service to gay couples and 85 percent supported wedding photographers’ right to refuse to shoot same-sex weddings, on grounds of opposing religious convictions.

It’s obvious in many cases that the reason for a business to refuse service isn’t based on hatred for gays, but rather a deep conflict between their own religious beliefs.

The gay couple that the florist refused to provide wedding decorations for was a longtime customer of the flower shop. The bakery that was fined $15,000 by the state for refusing to bake a wedding cake wasn’t refusing to serve a gay couple, but was refusing to take part in an event that contradicted and violated its religious beliefs.

In the same way that the lifestyle of the LGBT community should be respected, people with individual religious beliefs should be allowed to have their own voice and say. If we were to force individuals to act against the things they hold dearest to their faith for the benefit of another group, then this country really wouldn’t be nearly as free and equal as we thought it was.

FREEDOM TO DISCRIMINATE emily wong a&e editor

A

ll men are created equal.

Or are they? The governor of Indiana recently signed an updated version of the state’s religious freedom act, which essentially allowed business owners to refuse service to the LGBT community due to religious reasons. The law, which has been condemned by many including Indianapolis’ mayor, was revised to prohibit antigay discrimination in response to backlash. Even so, the inception of the law itself was a sad and unjustifiable regression of tolerance.

People have the right to believe what they want to believe. The freedom of religion is guaranteed in the First Amendment. However, business should not be mingled with personal beliefs. Most employers are taught to leave their personal feelings behind at work and to serve everyone, no matter their ethnicity, race or sexual orientation, with the utmost respect. For an anti-gay marriage baker, baking a cake for a gay wedding should be no different than baking one for a heterosexual one. Baking a cake is not necessarily condoning or participating in the gay marriage itself; it is merely for business purposes and should remain as such.

In addition, the law opens the floodgates to inestimable hypotheticals.

For instance, if a pizza owner does not believe in vaccinations due to religious reasons, does that give him the right to refuse service to those who are vaccinated? Can a teacher refuse to teach a student with married gay parents? What

about a person born through in vitro fertilization? Where is the line drawn?

By allowing business owners to refuse service based on sexual orientation, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is a blatant violation of human rights. For instance, a florist in rural Georgia refuses to sell to gay patrons but will sell to adulterers because homosexuality is “a different kind of sin.” This woman’s religious defense for what is actually genuine bigotry is just one example of how misguided this law can be. Unjustifiably refusing service to the LGBT community is eerily akin to the intolerable exclusion of African Americans by white businesses decades ago. The act is a poorly disguised legal discrimination and a slap in the face to every civil rights leader and everything they stood for. The fact that treating innocent people as second-class citizens is still a reality in 2015 is frightening. Disagreeing with someone’s way of life is one thing but discriminating against them— degrading them—in the name of God is delusional and pathetic.

While the extent of religious freedom has always been a sticky topic, Indiana’s divisive new act is borderline bigotry masked by an insincere plea for religious liberty.

The new law has no place among the rising tolerance in society and will reverse the years of progress fought for human rights. Freedom of religion may be considered a fundamental right but people must not forget that all men are created equal. Indiana’s action is a terrifying precedent that the progressive mindset of the millennial can easily regress back to the brutal, discriminatory mentality of the 1960s.

USB ANNOUNCEMENTS

KATLYN LEE

6

FEATURE

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

CREAM OF THE CROP

lilly ball asst. a&e editor

Popular for its unusual way of making ice cream, Creamistry has risen to popularity as the ice cream bar of the future. For weeks I saw post after post of Creamistry ice cream on my Instagram feed, so I finally gave in and decided to try it.

After a journey to the crowded Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights, I finally understood why my friends had been so obsessed.

Liquid nitrogen, the secret ingredient to the creamy treat, makes this dessert unlike any other ice cream I have ever tasted.

The employees at Creamistry, creatively called “Creamologists,” are specialized in preparing each order fresh, with the help of liquid nitrogen. The Creamologists combine an ice cream mix with the liquid nitrogen, which evaporates quickly, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that disperses throughout the store. The station where the ice cream is created is front and center, giving customers a full view of the process. Though a glass panel protects the machines,

ALUMNI FOCUS

Photos by LILLY BALL

Made from liquid nitrogen, the ice cream at Creamistry puts a twist on the classic dessert, offering a wide variety of flavors and toppings such as matcha green tea with mochi and mango sorbet with walnuts. there is a small slit where customers can stick their hands in to feel the icy smoke. Both children and adults eagerly pile up around the station and compete for space to touch the frosty clouds.

As soon as you walk into the store, you can’t help but notice a giant liquid nitrogen tank stationed in the corner. The sleek white tables and chairs give the entire place an overly sterile feel-

ing, like a lab. Creamistry’s décor certainly reflects its name, a play on the words “cream” and “chemistry.”

The most notable difference between Creamistry and other ice cream stores, other than the liquid nitrogen, is the large selection of flavors. The chain offers 40 flavors along with four different options for the base of the ice cream. Customers can choose between signa-

Former Brahma Strikes a Pose

michelle ki asst. feature editor Go to school, come home, study, sleep, repeat. Like any other high school student, this was the daily routine of Diamond Bar high school alumna Grace Cheng before she rose to stardom as a professional model.

Cheng graduated from DBHS in 2012—moving onto pursue a major in business at UCR. However, to achieve her long term goal of attending her dream school, USC, Cheng worked hard to transfer during her second year and is now a full time student at USC Marshall School of Business. Cheng will be graduating from the school in the spring of 2016 with a bachelor of arts in business.

“I hated school and life when I was [at UCR] but I realized it was worse than it should be because I made it worse. I realized if I didn’t like it, the only person who could change it was myself,” Cheng said via email.

During Cheng’s senior year of high school, she was scouted by modeling agency, Fox Models International, while shopping at Irvine Spectrum. She then attended a live modeling casting event in Orlando, to give modeling a chance. At the show case, there were 10 scouts from various modeling agencies.

Cheng followed up with the agencies she got call backs from and ultimately ended up signing with talent management agency, Wilhelmina Models, a top agency that represents Iggy Azalea and Nick Jonas. She is signed with the company in both Los Angeles and New York.

“I was never interested in modeling until I got scouted. Once I began to learn more about the industry, I became more interested and now I love it. [Modeling] makes me feel independent and more selfconfident,” Cheng said.

During high school, Cheng was unsure of what she wanted do in the future. What she did know was that she wanted to go through the business route as she grew up with two parents who are entrepre-

normal ice cream, almost like a frozen paste, and melts at a much slower pace. The green tea flavor was strong and a bit bitter but perfect for any green tea enthusiast.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that my topping was an entire dollar extra and was very surprised when my total came out to be almost $15 for only two ice creams.

A small size at Creamistry is $5.50, much more expensive than typical ice cream stores. As expensive as it was, the small was more than enough, and I struggled to finish my order. The high quality of the ice cream may be worth every cent, but becoming a regular customer here would leave me broke.

ture premium, organic milk, nondairy water based, and nitro dole.

There is also an option to order your ice cream as a “Nitroshake.”

Overwhelmed by the amount of options, I settled for a Creamistry “top pick,” one of the most popular menu item—green tea ice cream with mochi as a topping.

The consistency of Creamistry’s ice cream is also another unique factor. It is thicker than

2013 DBHS alumni and current model, Grace Cheng, poses for the camera. neurs. Cheng recalls her love for pep rallies, renaissance fairs, and one teacher in particular.

“I had a love-hate relationship with Mr. Goya. I both slept and texted in his class, which drove him crazy, but in the end, he was a good teacher and I really liked his class,” Cheng said.

Throughout Cheng’s modeling career, she worked with prominent brands such as Wildfox Couture, Levi’s, Nordstrom, Free People and Forever 21.

Cheng’s ultimate goal as a model is to participate in New York Fashion Week and walk for all the prestigious clients in the fashion industry.

After Cheng graduates and earns her degree, she plans to model full-time. When her modeling career comes to an end, she plans on opening up her own business. Before entering the industry, Cheng

admits to having her own stereotypes about models.

“I always saw [modeling] as being glamorous and that most models were snobby and stuck up. Although some of these assumptions are true, it doesn’t apply to all. I’ve met so many down-to-earth models that I got along very well with. At the end of the day, models are still normal girls like anyone else,” she said.

Cheng advises high school students to cherish high school while it lasts and to be positive.

“Not getting into your dream college isn’t the end of the world.

Getting good grades is important but don’t forget to have fun in high school while you can. The older you get, the more responsibilities you have. Also, if you don’t get into your dream college, go to your next best choice, work hard and transfer.”

CUISINE: ICE CREAM

ADDRESS: 1390 FULLERTON RD. STE, 104 ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA PHONE #: (626) 723-4971 PRICE RANGE: $6-$11 YELP RATING:

Club Corner

Kids 2 Kids frances wu asst. news editor

Photos courtesy of GRACE CHENG

D E TA I L S

Though most community service clubs at Diamond Bar High School focus on volunteering at homeless shelters or setting up for city events, Kids 2 Kids, gives high school students a chance to help younger children at local elementary schools.

Kids 2 Kids members work with children from Mondays to Thursdays by reading stories to them, helping them with homework, or even just playing board games with them.

On special occasions, such as Christmas, the club members host parties and game events for the elementary students. These activities allow members to become mentors for the children and develop close relationships, to the point where the children feel like younger siblings.

“We’re the kind of club that influences our future generation.

I love interacting with kids and I want to continue teaching tem, hoping that my lessons will be the best part of their week,” senior President Tiffany Chiang said via Facebook.

However, while Kids 2 Kids is mostly about helping children learn, members can also learn from the children in return.

“What I learned was the art of giving back to people. When a

nice act is presented to someone, it creates a ripple effect. I love interacting with kids and I want to continue teaching them,” Chiang explained.

In addition to working with children almost daily, the club also sends members to volunteer at local city events. For example, the students helped out at the annual Brea 8K event several weeks ago, and the officers are creating ways for members to help more people in different areas. “[The Brea 8k event] was not only a time for officers and members to bond, but also we helped the Brea community. We also started branching out to other schools.

Next year, we hope that we will have more members joining to go to those schools,” Chiang commented.

In the past two years, Kids 2 Kids members have partnered with children exclusively from Evergreen and Castle Rock Elementary Schools, but recently, Quail Summit and Maple Hill have opened their gates to the DBHS students as well.

“My buddy is like my friend.

Though I only see my buddy Florence once a week, the time I spend with her is so fun. And I know for many others, they have had the same buddy for two years or more, and over that time, they are able to see them grow up, and I think that’s awesome,” junior Secretary Akane Kang reflected.

VICTORIA LY

Club member Winnie Ho gives back to the community by tutoring students at Castle Rock Elementary School and being a positive role model.

FEATURE

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

7

CAMPUS FASHION | Spring ‘15

alec jahanvash //9

patricia he//12

muntaha qadri //10

SOO hyun KIM //11

Nick Alba //12

SHORT SHORTS

CROPPED peplum

m i x i n g p at t e r n s

OVERALL shorts

V I N TA G E ' 5 0 ' s f e e l

“I love pairing my outfits with the perfect shoes. Without shoes your outfit just isn’t complete!”

“I think wearing stripes with overalls really brings out a playful feel to my outfit.”

“I’m into casual street style. And my favorite clothing pieces right now are jackets and button ups.”

“Short-shorts are my “My style is a more favorite clothing item for sophisticated side of spring. My advice is just casual. Right now I’m not to be afraid to show really drawn to pieces like your knees.” colorful knit cardigans.”

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Choreographing USB Prepping for

PROM

sophia kim contributing writer

Photos by BERNARD CHEN

Janna Van Horn, former DBHS dance teacher, works hard to continue the legacy of USB as the USB Activities Director.

bernard chen asst. news editor Previously a Disney pixie, Janna Van Horn had an atypical start to her career. Now the activities director for Diamond Bar High School’s United Student Body, Van Horn has a new adventure every day.

As a student at DBHS, Van Horn participated in dance and became interested in performing arts.

While in college, where she earned a degree in dance, she also worked part time at Disneyland in a night parade called Light Magic, dressed as a pixie. The parade was based on the character, Tinker Bell.

“I got to wear wings, and dance with Donald Duck and Pluto, and throw confetti… or fairy dust, pixie dust, at the audience. It was a lot of fun,” Van Horn said.

Right out of college, Van Horn wasn’t sure what her future would hold, not knowing what to do with a dance degree. However, soon after, she began her work at DBHS as a walk-on coach for the dance team, later taking the opportunity for a teaching position in the dance department. She’s been teaching at

the high school for 14 years.

“I have had a lot of rewarding experiences working at DBHS. I have had the pleasure of working with some great students and I love to see them succeed. Just seeing my students do what they love gives me the most pride,” Van Horn said via e-mail.

Just last year, Van Horn became the activities director of USB, taking charge of planning the moments which make high school fun.

To her, the new position is very similar to being a dance teacher, as it involves the same planning and insight.

“With this job and with the dance job, I [am] often looking ahead to future events and making sure I was doing paperwork so that certain events could happen. I have the same types of students that are working on individual projects, and I get to see them through the projects, and see them succeed,” Van Horn said.

However, the job of activities director does differ from being a dance teacher, because she no longer has the physical components of teaching, such as dancing and stretching every day with students.

Van Horn is looking forward to getting more comfortable with the new position as it is her first year as activities director. She is still learning the ropes of the new job and is gaining lots of experience from her everyday activities. She also hopes to try new things and establish new traditions as well.

“There is nothing ‘routine’ about my position as activities director.

No two days are the same. My responsibilities include various tasks from blowing up balloons one day to planning graduation the next,” Van Horn said.

However, she works hard to continue the legacy of DBHS. Since attending as a student, Van Horn has seen many changes, such as the new pool, new math building, and an increase in students, but still recognizes older traditions from the old days.

“Along with USB, I get to support the various groups on the campus. For many students DBHS is their home away from home. I am lucky to be a Brahma, this is an extraordinary campus with so many gifted students. It’s a great place to be, it’s my home away from home too,” Van Horn said.

As the restless school year comes to an end, DBHS’ upperclassmen are preparing to go out to sea at this year’s prom. On May 16, junior and senior Brahmas will be boarding on to The Queen Mary in Long Beach to experience the same classic romance passengers felt decades ago.

“I’ve been dreaming about senior prom since elementary school,” senior Shirley Guo said. “It’s just one of those things you have to experience before graduating high school.”

As of last year, the Class of 2016 junior prom committee has been working earnestly to prepare for this year’s prom event. And while many of the committee members are anticipating the outcome of their hard work, a handful of upperclassmen are already anxiously thinking about how to ask out their dates to this unique and exciting prom.

“I’ll be making the poster with friends since that’s part of the fun,” junior Eric Ma said. “I can’t wait to go with someone special to the prom I created with my wonderful committee.”

While many boys are planning to make comical posters full of puns, junior Shawn Chae and senior Austin Kim have something else in mind. Chae has decided to make his asking a memorable one, creating a scavenger hunt for his girlfriend.

“I’m going to plan a scavenger hunt around my girlfriend’s

[neighborhood] and my neighborhood,” Chae said. “[I will] place letters and directions in each station.

Each station will have a special memory.”

Meanwhile, Kim, a member of DBHS’ All Male dance team, is planning to impress his date by giving her a lovely showcase during their dance class.

“I’m going to dance to the song, ‘All For You’ when she comes into zero period dance,” Kim said, “Then [I will] present a poster that says Round 3… Be my queen at prom.”

Whether it’s with a funny poster, an impressive scavenger hunt, or a breathtaking showcase, a long line of upperclassmen girls are hoping to be asked out to this nautical themed prom.

Since this dance will be one of their last memories of high school, the juniors and seniors are hoping to end the year with an unforgettable proposal.

“Being asked out [to prom] is quite an exciting feeling, and it’s something that I’m sure every girl has dreamed about ever since they could talk,” junior Doris Tsai said.

However, not everyone will be holding hands with their dates on the Queen Mary, and many students are content with the idea of having fun with their friends. To senior Amberly Cheng, spending meaningful time with close friends is more important than being asked out.

“I just hope we all have fun,” senior Amberly Cheng said. “I kind of imagine it like the high school musical one.”

NEWS

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

9

443 STUDENTS WERE POLLED FOR STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE for full stats, scan the qr code below

THE AVERAGE DBHS STUDENT WAKE UP TIME ERIC HONG & SASHA RIVERA ASST. OPINION EDITORS

SURVEYS ON SLEEP In the University of Michigan’s annual “Monitoring the Future” national surveys of youth behavior, 300,000 teens were asked in 1991-2012 surveys if they received at least seven hours of

sleep per night. In 2012, over half of the surveyed 15 to 19 year-olds reported not sleeping the seven hours. There was a drastic drop amongst 15 year-olds; over 50 percent in 1991 slept at least seven hours in comparison to the less than 43 percent in 2012. The reports improved for younger teens but worsened for older ones.

There were claims that increasing use of social media, smartphones and other electronics, and rising rates of obesity, and early school start times played a role in the lack of sleep.

“It sabotages your attention capacity during the day definitely. I’m a caffeine addict now. If you only can concentrate 80 percent of the time then you’re still losing that 20 percent of important information so you have to study on your own time and as a result, lose even more sleep.

It’s an uphill cycle that once you get on is very hard to get off of,” said DBHS senior Sabrina Liang about the negative effects of lacking sleep.

The AAP also reported that the average U.S. teenager regularly experience sleepiness levels similar to those of people with sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Overall, sleep deprivation has numerous consequences towards health and daily life. A lack of sleep affects mood, attention span, memory, behavior control, and can lead to depression, poor grades, and learning difficulties. More drastically, deficiency in sleep can even cause death and injury due to the higher risk of car accidents due to drowsy driving.

“I feel like sleep deprivation is a problem because students fall asleep in class due to the

lack of sleep,” Timothy Young, a freshman involved in many clubs such as debate, stated.

“Some students can’t sleep the whole night because the homework load is too much and they fall asleep in class to make up the lost sleep. The teachers find it rude and wrongly punish them for it. Sleep is essential to work properly and it’s like being drunk when you’re sleepy.”

STUDENTS’ SACRIFICE Many other students had similar complaints. Junior Rebecca Wang stated that she only slept four to six hours a night for the past two years, claiming that sleepdeprivation takes away from her ability to pay attention and stay awake in class. Through Facebook, Andy Shin, a junior with four advanced courses and a club officer position, discussed that he often falls asleep during fourth and fifth period, adding that this issue has been affecting his grades.

On the other hand, some students see sleep deprivation as a necessity so that they can spend more time participating in enjoyable activities.

“If we follow medical standards and achieve eight

SOPH OMO RES

percent of the student body, Diamond Bar students sleep an average of about 6.1 hours per night. However, these types of statistics are not just limited to the DB campus. Sleep deprivation in students is a major problem in the United States and is only growing more rampant. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, although recommended teenage sleep is eight and a half to nine and half hours, seniors reportedly get less than seven on average. Moreover, 28 percent of high school students report falling asleep at school at least once a week, while one in five said they fell asleep doing homework with similar frequency.

At adolescence, sleep patterns also change significantly due to the body’s delay in secretion of melatonin, a hormone indicating when it is time for the body to sleep. Therefore, it takes longer for adolescent brains to calm down and fall asleep than it does for people in other stages of life.

“This research indicates that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11 p.m. and is best suited to wake up at 8 a.m. or later,” the American Academy of Pediatrics statement said.

AY D Y VER E EP E L YDAY R S E F EV O P S LEE R S U YDAY F R E O O V S PE H E R E 2 U SL O F H O EVERYDAY P S E 2 E R 8 SL F U SO HO R U O H 3 0

GE TA BO UT GE 6.

TA JUNIO 5 B RS O UT GE TA 5.

BO SENIO UT RS G 6.

ET 0 AB OU T6 .

On

a typical day during Robotics season, senior Hall Chen wakes up at 4 a.m. in the morning to complete homework until 6 a.m., and then prepares to arrive promptly to his zero period Theory of Knowledge class.

After school, he heads off to work hours with his Robotics team, usually arriving back home at 9 p.m. After a quick dinner, he diligently finishes any assignments that are due before midnight; he then tries to get to bed by 10 p.m. and catch some snooze for the next day.

Taking seven classes with six of them being AP or IB, Chen has been following this schedule every year during his high school career. When he’s off Robotics season, he spends his after school hours on errands and miscellaneous business, and adjusts his sleeping schedule to from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Although Chen’s day may not be that of every student in Diamond Bar High School, it shows a glimpse of the hectic and demanding schedules that many Brahmas follow everyday.

As the competition and requirements for colleges have increased, so has the workload for high school students across the country. Consequently, more students experience sleep deprivation as they struggle to balance rigorous academics and extracurricular activities.

“Everyone is under a lot of pressure to accomplish so much that sleeping and health gets pushed lower and lower on their list of priorities.

It just becomes an endless cycle where being tired and falling asleep in class makes it harder for you to accomplish what you want to,” Jasmine Jan, senior with multiple AP classes, said.

To examine this rising issue, The Bull’s Eye staff investigated how students at DBHS are being affected by what many consider to be a tiresome ordeal.

According to a Bull’s Eye poll that surveyed 13

FRE SHM EN

8

more on SLEEP on p. 12

percent of students who fall asleep in class

page designed by katlyn lee

NEWS

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

9

443 STUDENTS WERE POLLED FOR STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE for full stats, scan the qr code below

THE AVERAGE DBHS STUDENT WAKE UP TIME ERIC HONG & SASHA RIVERA ASST. OPINION EDITORS

SURVEYS ON SLEEP In the University of Michigan’s annual “Monitoring the Future” national surveys of youth behavior, 300,000 teens were asked in 1991-2012 surveys if they received at least seven hours of

sleep per night. In 2012, over half of the surveyed 15 to 19 year-olds reported not sleeping the seven hours. There was a drastic drop amongst 15 year-olds; over 50 percent in 1991 slept at least seven hours in comparison to the less than 43 percent in 2012. The reports improved for younger teens but worsened for older ones.

There were claims that increasing use of social media, smartphones and other electronics, and rising rates of obesity, and early school start times played a role in the lack of sleep.

“It sabotages your attention capacity during the day definitely. I’m a caffeine addict now. If you only can concentrate 80 percent of the time then you’re still losing that 20 percent of important information so you have to study on your own time and as a result, lose even more sleep.

It’s an uphill cycle that once you get on is very hard to get off of,” said DBHS senior Sabrina Liang about the negative effects of lacking sleep.

The AAP also reported that the average U.S. teenager regularly experience sleepiness levels similar to those of people with sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Overall, sleep deprivation has numerous consequences towards health and daily life. A lack of sleep affects mood, attention span, memory, behavior control, and can lead to depression, poor grades, and learning difficulties. More drastically, deficiency in sleep can even cause death and injury due to the higher risk of car accidents due to drowsy driving.

“I feel like sleep deprivation is a problem because students fall asleep in class due to the

lack of sleep,” Timothy Young, a freshman involved in many clubs such as debate, stated.

“Some students can’t sleep the whole night because the homework load is too much and they fall asleep in class to make up the lost sleep. The teachers find it rude and wrongly punish them for it. Sleep is essential to work properly and it’s like being drunk when you’re sleepy.”

STUDENTS’ SACRIFICE Many other students had similar complaints. Junior Rebecca Wang stated that she only slept four to six hours a night for the past two years, claiming that sleepdeprivation takes away from her ability to pay attention and stay awake in class. Through Facebook, Andy Shin, a junior with four advanced courses and a club officer position, discussed that he often falls asleep during fourth and fifth period, adding that this issue has been affecting his grades.

On the other hand, some students see sleep deprivation as a necessity so that they can spend more time participating in enjoyable activities.

“If we follow medical standards and achieve eight

SOPH OMO RES

percent of the student body, Diamond Bar students sleep an average of about 6.1 hours per night. However, these types of statistics are not just limited to the DB campus. Sleep deprivation in students is a major problem in the United States and is only growing more rampant. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, although recommended teenage sleep is eight and a half to nine and half hours, seniors reportedly get less than seven on average. Moreover, 28 percent of high school students report falling asleep at school at least once a week, while one in five said they fell asleep doing homework with similar frequency.

At adolescence, sleep patterns also change significantly due to the body’s delay in secretion of melatonin, a hormone indicating when it is time for the body to sleep. Therefore, it takes longer for adolescent brains to calm down and fall asleep than it does for people in other stages of life.

“This research indicates that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11 p.m. and is best suited to wake up at 8 a.m. or later,” the American Academy of Pediatrics statement said.

AY D Y VER E EP E L YDAY R S E F EV O P S LEE R S U YDAY F R E O O V S PE H E R E 2 U SL O F H O EVERYDAY P S E 2 E R 8 SL F U SO HO R U O H 3 0

GE TA BO UT GE 6.

TA JUNIO 5 B RS O UT GE TA 5.

BO SENIO UT RS G 6.

ET 0 AB OU T6 .

On

a typical day during Robotics season, senior Hall Chen wakes up at 4 a.m. in the morning to complete homework until 6 a.m., and then prepares to arrive promptly to his zero period Theory of Knowledge class.

After school, he heads off to work hours with his Robotics team, usually arriving back home at 9 p.m. After a quick dinner, he diligently finishes any assignments that are due before midnight; he then tries to get to bed by 10 p.m. and catch some snooze for the next day.

Taking seven classes with six of them being AP or IB, Chen has been following this schedule every year during his high school career. When he’s off Robotics season, he spends his after school hours on errands and miscellaneous business, and adjusts his sleeping schedule to from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Although Chen’s day may not be that of every student in Diamond Bar High School, it shows a glimpse of the hectic and demanding schedules that many Brahmas follow everyday.

As the competition and requirements for colleges have increased, so has the workload for high school students across the country. Consequently, more students experience sleep deprivation as they struggle to balance rigorous academics and extracurricular activities.

“Everyone is under a lot of pressure to accomplish so much that sleeping and health gets pushed lower and lower on their list of priorities.

It just becomes an endless cycle where being tired and falling asleep in class makes it harder for you to accomplish what you want to,” Jasmine Jan, senior with multiple AP classes, said.

To examine this rising issue, The Bull’s Eye staff investigated how students at DBHS are being affected by what many consider to be a tiresome ordeal.

According to a Bull’s Eye poll that surveyed 13

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percent of students who fall asleep in class

page designed by katlyn lee

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

Drama goes ‘Into the Woods’ sarah markiewicz staff writer Diamond Bar High School drama students are heading “Into the Woods” as they bring the fairy tale world created by Stephen Sondheim to life. Four months after Disney made its own version of the musical, drama students use their own design concepts to have the characters of Sondheim’s story jump off the page.

Three storybooks set the stage of the musical as Cinderella, Jack, and the Baker and his Wife lament their misfortunes and wish for their problems to be amended. The arrival of a witch serves as the catalyst for the fairytale characters to venture into the darkness as their

stories intertwine.

“On the simplest level [“Into the Woods”] is a mashup of fairytales, but it also deals with the human condition and makes those fairytales grow up,” director Beatrice Casagran said. “It talks about having to take risks going into the woods to make your dreams come true, but it also costs them to get what they wish for.”

While Disney modified the original “Into the Woods,” the drama department’s version will resemble Sondheim’s musical more closely.

Viewers can expect a darker mood, which adds twists to a story that many would think as clichéd.

“It’s different because we always do comedic plays,” senior Katarina Avalos, who will play Cinderella’s birth mother, said. “It’s a good

SARAH MARKIEWICZ

Amelia Anijelo conjures up trouble as the Witch during rehearsal.

Tune In:

change because the first act is really funny. But then in the second act you get to see us become very dramatic.”

The cast of “Into the Woods,” starring freshman Amelia Anijelo as the Witch, sophomores Daniel Durkee and Julianna King as the Baker and the Baker’s Wife respectively, and sophomores Chloe Reyes as Cinderella and Riley Mawhorter as Jack, has been rehearsing since February and lending hands to other elements of production.

“I think it’s probably one of the most ambitious shows in regards to our sets,” Casagran said.

“At the beginning of the original, they used little houses for the households of the Baker and Wife, Cinderella, and Jack.”

Drama changed this and had the opening feature storybooks for the main characters, to make it appear as though these characters leave the page and venture into a threedimensional forest.

Drama students have also worked to bring together a vast array of costumes, as well as master the show’s complicated songs, as they are accompanied by the DBHS orchestra.

“Stephen Sondheim takes the approach to music that has an actor reflecting the character’s the inner psychology, ” Casagran said.

The Witch in particular has songs that change key many times to reflect her emotional turbulence. These include “Stay with Me” and “The Last Midnight.”

“The meaning behind the music is so sad, but you can understand how [the Witch] feels,” Anijelo said. “There are great meanings in both of her songs.”

The performances will be held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week and next week.

Tickets are on sale at $12 for stu-

Kintsugi

evon hung asst. web editor As with all tumultuous patterns, Death Cab for Cutie’s history has finally reached a plateau— “Kintsugi” proves just that.

Its eighth album, DCFC’s “Kintsugi” portrays a resolve for the band. “Kintsugi,” a Japanese term referring to the formulation of broken pottery and gold to create a repaired work, is an attempt to culminate DCFC’s varied ideas and styles into one refined composition. Singer-songwriter Benjamin Gibbard sings abstract tales of maturity and woes to produce a universally relatable message.

Instead of a powerful comeback, it’s curious to find a solemn retreat as the forefront of the album.

Amidst the recent troubles the band has undergone (ex-guitarist Chris Walla’s departure, Gibbard’s divorce from Zooey Deschanel, and their audience’s subpar response to DCFC’s previous album “Cold and Keys,” etc.), the record gives off a vibe of abandonment. That isn’t to say, however, that the album is a total failure. In fact, it’s as signature as DCFC can get.

Well known for its trademark indie-rock vibe, DCFC presents a comeback, with enough of a stylistic twist brought by producer Rich Costey (Foster the People, Foo Fighters) that devoted listeners can openly welcome. There are moderate overlays of folk, chill alternative rock, and electronica that spice up the main indie feel. Otherwise, “Kintusgi” remains loyal to DCFC’s customary abstract ideas and poetic lyrics. The album is a stabilizer among its predecessors;

songs in the set list reflect an overall theme of somber reflection set in stone rather than raw, disorganized emotional spillage.

The record opens with the song “No Room in Frame,” which presents an interesting commencement of an ethereal ambience, accompanied with electronic fizzes and odd chord changes. Gibbard sings of loss with “how can I stay in the sun when the rain flows all through my veins,” that is mirrored in other tracks. The desolate mood and repetitive drone of electric guitar plucking patterns (Nick Harmer) and rumbling percussions (Jason McGerr) remain consistent throughout the album. There are, however, inclusions of instrumental climaxes that sometimes overwhelm the soft-spoken vocals. In this, I appreciated quieter songs that highlighted the woodsy timbre of Gibbard’s vocals.

The track “Hold No Guns” captivated me with its delicate atmosphere and warmth that Gibbard’s quavering voice crooned near the end of phrases. The acoustic backdrop plucked at my heartstrings and produced a familiar feel to “Follow Me into the Dark.” .

“Kintsugi” is huskier than DCFC’s usual approach in terms of overall message and production.

The record may satisfy a majority of loyal DCFC fans with its poetic justice; however, the mediocre work will attract no more than a sparse audience looking into the indie-rock realm. DCFC’s apex has long gone and the album is a respectable attempt at reviving the band’s hype—just not enough.

If anything, I’d return to the classic “Transatlanticism” (2003) for my DCFC craving.

dents and $15 for adults when bought during lunch at school.

Students can buy tickets at www. seatyourself.biz/ dbhsdrama or at the door, before the showing time.

returns emily wong a&e editor Although devoted “Game of Thrones” fans have suffered for a year anticipating the fifth season of the fantasy drama, the wait is finally over. The season premiered on April 12 and left viewers wanting more, not an unusual feat for this unpredictable show.

The premiere started off with a prologue scene of young Cersei Lannister (who is just as annoying as a teenager) meeting a psychic who tells her she will be queen— but only for a short time before a younger, more beautiful queen takes over. The episode then flashes forward to the present day, with Cersei paying respect to her recently slain father, Tywin. The episode then catches up with the rest of the major characters, ranging from Tyrion’s newfound freedom from his toxic, malicious family and

Daenerys Targaryen’s wavering rule over unsteady Meereen.

Overall, the premiere moved at a slow pace, significantly less action-packed than the usual “GoT” episode. The episode mainly served as catch up for viewers with all the characters vying for the throne and little plot progression. However, creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss compensated with dramatic scenes that foreshadow the seemingly exciting season and highlight underrated characters.

For example, the scene when Daenerys is scared off by her now massive dragons was both chilling and foretelling. Yet, the episode ended on a perfect note with Jon Snow (who is now tied with Tyrion as my favorite character) sparing Mance Rayder, the leader of the Wildlings, a painful death by shooting him with an arrow before he burned to death. The jaw-dropping scene was a poignant look into Jon Snow’s good-natured character, so

different from the rest of the corrupt characters.

Some things I look forward to in Season Five is more plot development with the bigger contenders for the iron throne, in particular Daenerys and Stannis Baratheon.

However, I want to also see more character development with Jon Snow and Arya, the latter of which was not even in the premiere. But more importantly, I want to see less screen time for Bran Stark, who appears to be completely useless, and (perhaps this is wishful thinking) the death of Cersei Lannister, whose evil is second-rate to her son, Joffrey.

Knowing that the first four episodes of the season have leaked online, I still have been resisting going further with the season to maintain the anticipation. Even so, I cannot wait to watch this upcoming “GoT” season and know it won’t disappoint. “Game of Thrones” is back and it is ready for war.

Photos courtesy of GAMEOFTHRONES.WIKIA.COM AND WWW.ZAP2IT.COM

Sansa and Little Finger (left) discuss their future and Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, (right) fights to keep her reign.

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

WORDS WITH WONG:

Although I started off senior year thinking it would go by at a dreadfully slow pace, I write here surprised that my last column has arrived, exacerbating the bittersweet feeling of my last year in high school. I have always struggled thinking of topics for “Words with Wong,” but I had no doubt on my final topic: journalism.

This class is something I took on a whim in order to fill my class schedule. Expecting nothing coming into it, I leave equipped with more knowledge than any other AP or honors course has taught me.

It all starts with story planning, the day where every staff member contributes his or her story ideas, half of which are thrown out the next day. The next few weeks are grueling. In between the occasional editorial fights and neverending interviews, everybody is cranking out articles and layouts, good or bad, and praying it will be approved. Fifty edited drafts later, deadline night is here. The night when the people behind the words consume Chipotle and stay at school until 11p.m. to finalize the paper and endure countless curveballs thrown at them, such as computer blackouts, last-minute article flops, and (God forbid) a five column gap. It is all worth it when our efforts culminate in a tangible copy of our work, where we can see and feel our ideas outside of the computer screen.

However, it is the aftermath that is the best part, when everybody gives us a piece of their mind. I have

never seen students so insulted by an opinion piece that they feel the need to ostracize—even bully—the writer, even if they were friends before it printed. Sure, some accusations are substantiated but people even get upset by the little things, such as a misspelling or grammatical error, as if their existence is impossible in a newspaper. Yes, it is our duty as journalists to uphold and expose the truth and yes, people are entitled to their own opinions. However, I have never seen people become so self-entitled and forget so quickly that we are humans too. I have never seen some teachers, who students are meant to idolize, become so sensitive and unforgiving—even to innocuous articles. Hearing the reactions of peers and faculty has been the most liberating and strengthening experience in my entire life.

Even so, for every bad reaction, there are always three good ones.

As The Bull’s Eye has grown as a paper, I have grown as a person with it. I’ve never stood by something I believe in so strongly before.

I have also met some great friends, including soft-spoken Hanna Kang whose views are so fiery and controversial I can’t help but admire them, annoying Yusheng Xia, who has become like a brother to me, and bubbly Emily Leung, who is my better half. Nobody else will understand the stress of deadline night, InDesign mishaps, and unreliable interviewees more than the Journalism family I’ve become a part of. Journalism may have been something I joined on a whim but it turned out to the best decision I have ever made.

It has been a wild ride. And I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.

T h e Lo n g e s t R i d e emily jacobsson contributing writer Nicholas Sparks’ recipe for romantic melodrama often includes handwritten letters, soldiers, deaths, and the North Carolina coast. And it never fails.

“The Longest Ride” blends these elements together through two heartbreaking love stories from different eras. George Tillman Jr., the ninth director to take on an adaptation of a Sparks novel, knows just how to please an audience, without coming too close to turning “The Longest Ride” in a cliché chick flick.

Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood embody the image of starcrossed lovers perfectly in their portrayal of Sophia Danko and Luke Collins. At a bull riding show that Sophia is reluctant to go to, fate assumes its role as matchmaker and creates the perfect situation in which Luke, a rising bull rider, drops his hat near her. As expected, Luke tells Sophia to keep his hat and a romantic relationship ensues.

Their first date ends with a silent car ride home after Sophia admits that she is leaving for New York soon. The only thing that breaks the awkward silence is an overturned car on the side of the road.

Luke pulls the driver out of the car and Sophia salvages a box in the passenger seat. In the box are the hundreds of letters that the man, Ira Levinson (Alan Alda), wrote to his wife Ruth (Oona Chaplin) over their years of love and heartbreak.

Sophia forms a friendship with Ira and returns to visit Ira in the hospital daily to read him the letters he wrote. Through the letters,

Student Spotlight Joren Francisco bernard chen asst. news editor With advanced drama, intermediate dance, and Marquis at the top of his schedule, senior Joren Francisco lives to perform, and strives to improve every day.

“My passion in drama, choir, and dance is just performing. I love the idea of being onstage and telling a story,” Francisco said via Facebook.

He fell in love with performing after joining drama during his freshman year and has been going on stage ever since.

He also joined musical t h e at e r as a sophomore, a n d l a t e r, dance a n d choir as a junior.

N o w , Francisco is the d a n c e

11

Now Showing:

More than just a class emily wong a&e editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

captain and historian of Marquis, choreographing the dances for the choir and preparing the group for competitions.

“It kind of helped me come out of my box and become more active in things. Basically, I found musical theater and realized that’s really what I wanted to do. It’s really shaped my future and made me who I am now,” Francisco said.

Furthermore, Francisco places choir as his favorite activity, as it combines aspects of dance, singing, and acting. However, he feels that his acting skills are the strongest while he has a lacking in singing.

Choir teacher Patty Breitag is able to work with Francisco with the rest of the choir every day during class, and tries to give tips to improve each student’s abilities.

“He’s a very talented, energetic young man. He’s always center stage and he has this great personality on stage. He’s just a really good performer,” Breitag said.

Next year, Francisco will attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles where he hopes on becoming a success-

ful performer. After graduating from the academy, Francisco plans to stay in Los Angeles for several months, where he will focus his time in auditioning for roles. He hopes to move to New York to audition, but also has plans to return to business school if he is unable to receive any roles.

“My passion in drama, choir, and dance is just performing.

I love the idea of being onstage and telling a story.”

JOREN FRANCISCO His ultimate goal in the show business is to perform on Broadway, and though he acknowledges how difficult the task is, the idea of performing continues to motivate him to succeed.

“I know the performing arts industry is really hard to get into, and of course, it has broken me down a lot, but somehow, I’m always led back to performing and I can’t get out of it. It makes me happy,” Francisco said.

Outside of performing, Francisco is also involved in class committee as historian. While he dedicates most of his time to rehearsals and class committee, he also works at Afters Ice Cream in Chino Hills when he’s not performing.

the couple from the 1940s teaches Sophia that love means making sacrifices. She keeps this advice in mind when she decides between pursuing an internship in New York and staying in North Carolina with Luke. Meanwhile, Luke must make his own decision, whether to continue bull riding or stop for the sake of his health.

Eastwood is perfect as an oldfashioned cowboy who is capable of making any girl swoon. “The Longest Ride” has the potential to make Eastwood, who has never before had a major acting role, into a star. His bull riding scenes bring some action to the movie, perhaps giving the boyfriends who were dragged along to see the film something to look forward to. On the other hand, Robertson is no stranger to the big screen (she starred in “The First Time” and “ Ask Me Anything”) and is elegant and playful at the same time, making for a likeable female lead. Rounding up the exceptional starring cast, Alda brings genuine feeling to his role through his soulful acting. He

plays with the audience’s emotions like an expert.

While Ira and Ruth’s love story is an interesting addition to the plot, Tillman does a poor job integrating it into the movie. Their story, told mostly through the letters as Sophia reads them, feels choppy and incomplete. However, Young Ira (Jack Huston) and Ruth own the screen with a timeless charm that effortlessly outshines Eastwood and Robertson. Ira and Ruth’s problems make Sophia and Luke’s seem insignificant and petty. After all, what’s a professional bull rider and a college student to a World War II soldier and his wife awaiting his return? It’s a shame to see two stellar, young actors suffer because of poorly written characters.

“The Longest Ride” is a classiccountry-boy-meets-city-girl story that I felt like I’ve seen many times before. Nevertheless, the talented cast and engaging trip to the past gives the film a unique likability.

It’s no doubt that within weeks, girls will be in search of their very own cowboy.

Photo courtesy of SCENECREEK.COM

Luke (Scott Eastwood) takes Sophia (Britt Robertson) horseback riding.

What’s happening

in A&E...

Last month in A&E...

March 26: Choir students Jennifer King, Julia Kang, Kady Lee, Nick Zhou, Jeffrey Labunski, Karoline Chuang, Andrew Lee and Crystal Ng were selected for the California AllState Honors Choirs for 2015.

starting at 7 P.M. May 4: The Doppleganger Film Festival will be at 6 P.M. in the theater.

May 7-8: Choir Spring Concert, the last choir concert of the year, will be at 7 P.M. in the theater

March 27: “The Laundry Basket Escape Plan” May 14-15: won Battle of the Dance concert in Bands. the theater

Look forward to...

April 23-25, 30 & May 1-2: Drama presents “Into the Woods” in the theater

May 18, 20: Our Grammywinning band and orchetra is performing in the theater at 7 P.M.

12 NEWS

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

SNOOZING IN CLASS QUALITY CONTENT, ON PRINT AND WEB

Students sacrifice sleep to pile on extracurricular activities and AP classes.

SLEEP from p. 8-9

hours of sleep every day, it means we waste a third of our lives in the unconscious state…I’m more than willing to sacrifice sleep to do something that I love doing,” Chen, who usually gets six hours of sleep per night during the Robotics season, said via Facebook. “I’ve spent nights sleeping 2 or 3 hours after deviating from the schedule because I was practicing programming…you wake up feeling like a deranged banshee the next morning but it’s all worth it.”

Students are not the only ones who have raised concerns about the widespread sleep deficiency.

Stacey Woodward, the DBHS psychologist, acknowledged the problem.

“If you’re deprived of sleep on occasion, your body and your mind can recuperate from that.

What I see that is very concerning to me is students that are sleep deprived for an entire school year or seniors that have been sleep deprived for four years. That can result in some very significant long-term consequences, both medically and psychologically,” she said.

Consequently, a reported 23

percent of students at Diamond Bar regularly falls asleep in class.

Though some teachers choose to condone students sleeping in class, others have policies against sleeping that vary in severity.

“We have work to do in class,” English teacher Daniel Roubian

said. “Sleep deprivation is a problem among teenagers—I think it’s a big problem. But sleeping in class isn’t the answer.”

Roubian also claimed that technology is part of the problem, creating distractions for students and preventing them from finishing their work until late.

“I think it’s a combination in our world today, of the different electronics you have--like I mentioned, social media, Internet, video games, et cetera--interrupting homework, and then a full load of homework. So you com-

bine those two and teenagers aren’t getting the rest they need,” he explained.

Sonja Burns, the GLC for the Class of 2015, also commented on how often students are sent to her office for sleep-related incidents.

“We do receive referrals for students sleeping in class but not as often as you probably think. I am sure teachers try to change the behavior before they are sent to us,” Burns said. She also explained that one of the main causes is that students take on too much of a workload and need to better balance how many advanced courses they take in addition to their extracurricular activities.

“For the past 2 years, I’ve been getting about 4-6 hours of sleep each day on school days. This amount has definitely been affecting how I perform in school, as sleep-deprivation is taking away from my ability to pay attention and stay awake in class,” junior Rebecca Wang said via Facebook. “I think this is a legitimate concern as it causes students to not be able to absorb all necessary information from classes and takes away our ability to function.”

a solution for the SLEEP DEPRIVATION issue IN DBHS PAGE 4

DBBULLSEYE.COM

SPORTS

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

On track to a successful season

Record stays unscratched

13

BOYS TENNIS The Brahmas, aiming to pass the second round of CIF, stand on top of the Palomares League. james kil asst. sports editor

ANDREW CHOI

Senior Yong Choi prepares for his match against Mayfield today.

BADMINTON The undefeated Brahmas look to continue their winning streak as they head to CIF. sarah markiewicz staff writer On its drive for the next CIF championship, the varsity badminton team has no reserve in smashing its opponents. Already weeks into the season, the Brahmas have won five matches without a loss.

“We’re undefeated currently and we haven’t even been tested yet,” coach Kemp Wells said. So far DB has dominated teams from Redlands’ East Valley, Mark Keppel, Wilson, and shut out Mayfield High School. The Brahmas beat Mira Costa, last year’s CIF runnerup, 18-3.

“We’re led by our young men who were on the team last year,” Wells said. “[Senior] Tim Chui has been doing well as a singles player, and the other half of our Chui brothers, [sophomore] Vincent Chui, has been doing really well in mixed and doubles.”

Wells also gives credit to junior Jonah Perea and sophomore Justin Lam, who play doubles and are currently undefeated. On the other hand, Wells hopes to see improvement on the women’s side of the lineup for the next few matches.

“We’ve lost a lot of starters on the women’s side of the lineup, so a lot of them don’t have a lot of experience either at the varsity level

or, specifically, in mixed doubles,” Wells said.

Still, Wells claims that seniors Ivorine Do and Claire Chen, new additions to the lineup, have been serving the team well so far. The team hopes to work on improving on mixed doubles as the season progresses.

According to Wells, there is little difference between the beginning of this season and that of the past few seasons, in which the badminton Brahmas have pulled through with impeccable records. They have been undefeated for the past three seasons, and in the past five years have had only two losses from matches against Mark Keppel High School.

While Mira Costa has challenged DB at the finals for the past two seasons, Wells sees little to fear from this team, especially after the Brahmas defeated them in a match already.

“It was at home, which was a huge advantage for us, but we should still be able to have a similar score on a neutral court,” Wells said.

Wells also predicts that the Long Beach Polytechnic High School team may also pose a significant adversary to the Brahmas in the future. Nonetheless, Wells anticipates many more wins as the season continues.

The Diamond Bar boys varsity tennis team has maintained its outstanding play as the Brahmas remain undefeated in the Palomares League, with a record of 6-0. With a team full of strong singles and doubles players, DB hopes to go deeper into the CIF playoffs this year.

“We’ve already made a statement in our league, so we’re preparing and working even harder now to get as far as we can in CIF,” senior Roger Yang said. “Last year we were able to make it to the semifinals for the first time in a few years, but we’re confident that we can achieve greater if we continue to improve as we have these past few months.”

Junior captain Garrett Masuda and sophomore Neil Tengbumroong are ranked among the league’s top players. Masuda, who just came back from playing in the main draw of the ITF Junior Tournament where top junior players in the world compete against each other, is not only the best in league, but is also ranked nationally. Some other notable players are senior Russell Chen and junior David Chee, who are undefeated and are the number one doubles team in the league. Seniors Daniel Chai and Roger Yang were also undefeated up until last Tuesday.

After starting the league out with a win against the South Hills Huskies, 15-3, the Brahmas continued to perform at their best, beating Claremont High School 11-7 on April 2. Spring break wasn’t a time to slack off as DB went against Bonita and Glendora High School, winning both games 13-5 and 12-6, respectively.

Last Tuesday, DB finished off with a win against Ayala High School, 15-3. Two days later, the Brahmas gained another win beating the Huskies again, 15-3. The doubles team stepped up and swept

Senior Russell Chen returns the ball to the Huskies, winning all three sets.

Photos by ANDREW CHOI

Sophomore Neil Tengbumroong will be competing in the Ojai Tournament.

South Hills 9-0.

“We expect to perform very well in the playoffs and a lot of it depends on the draw. If we begin to peak at the right time and continue to improve, there’s no reason that we can’t do as well as last year,” coach David Hamel said.

Recently, Tengbumroong was accepted to the singles draw in the Ojai Invitational Tournament, which will be held today through Friday, April 24. Chen and Chee were also invited to play in the doubles round.

“I’m excited to see many top players all around California and

being able to compete with them.

I’m looking forward to going as far as we can go in the tournament,” junior David Chee said.

Last year in the postseason, the Brahmas traveled up to Beverly Hills as the sixth seed, and faced the third seeded Beverly Hills High School. DB managed to pull off the upset, but the team’s playoff run ended the following round against Palm Dessert High School. For the first time in DB history, the Brahmas were invited to the State Regional tournament, where only 16 high schools in Southern California are chosen to participate in.

14 SPORTS

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

Piling up school records

SPORTS COLUMN

Predicting NBA’s best ryan chae contributing writer

SWIM The undefeated DB team honor suicide victim at the Claremont meet. calvin ru staff writer As victories against South Hills, Rowland, Chino Hills, Bonita, and Walnut High School slowly pile up, the Diamond Bar varsity swim team are in preparations for the upcoming CIF meets. With an undefeated record from the pre-season, both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams look to dive in with hopes to claim some victories at CIF. At their most recent meet against Bonita, both boys and girls swim won easily, 123 to 55 and 137 to 33 respectively. Senior Greg Lee also broke the school record at the Bonita meet, finishing the 100 meter breaststroke in 58.44 seconds.

“I was in shock because I wasn’t rested for this meet, but at the same time I felt relieved because I didn’t want to let my team down,” Lee said.

The DB swim team experienced an emotional meet against Claremont High School. Both swim teams honored Esme Page, a Claremont student who committed suicide the day before, by placing yellow ribbons, symbolizing the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, on a tree dedicated to Page.

“We have a really good diverse swim team this year. A lot of talent and all good kids and they showed that when they went to Claremont,” coach Darlys Ankeny said.

Like freshman Michael Lee and his 500 meters school freestyle record at 4:34, DB’s swim team is filled with top swimmers. Lee and sophomore Kathleen Gani recently participated in the Texas American Short Course Championships, a prestigious regional swim competition for swim clubs, and placed in the top 25 while junior Jenna Lloyd placed in the top 15. “[The Texas meet] was kind of intense because there were only fast people and there were a lot of college people trying to make it to college competition,” Lloyd said.

Along with those swimmers, sophomores Gabby Niko and freshman William Huang, and Kelly Cheng, are pivotal components to the team’s success.

“They’ve dedicated their whole lives to the sport. They spend countless hours at practice. They wake up at the break of dawn for morning practices, and work their butts off to drop time,” senior captain Vanessa Cheng said.

The team currently works on its endurance and stroke techniques.

In addition, the Brahmas have practices that consist of sprint days, where swimmers are expected to swim at the pace of a race while trying to maintain a certain time throughout each lap.

“We’re trying to get the swimmers to raise their expectations.

They have to learn that they have to swim fast at practice to do [well] at the meet,” Ankeny said.

Freshman Sofia Ramos practices her butterfly stroke.

the

JAMES KIL

JAMES KIL

Freshmen Claira Ru and Brita Liggins practice giving handoffs for the relay team.

Brahmas hurdle over opponents TRACK & FIELD The Brahmas athletes set personal records at numerous invitationals. victoria ly asst. feature editor Track season at Diamond Bar High School has started off on a good note. This year, the team was introduced to a whole new set of staff members, but along with an array of new coaches, the track team has been implementing more rigorous workout routines during practice. Head coach Sally Jarvis noted that the athletes have been seeing strong improvements in their running time.

“We seem to be having a lot of personal records” Jarvis said.

“The kids are dropping times left and right and the whole team is doing really well overall.”

Three athletes that stand out this season are senior Jeannie Huang, with a 5:30 mile time and sophomore Dylan Kenny, who runs the 800 meters in two minutes, and sophomore Paul Abdo with a 4:39 mile time.

So far the team has entered in a number of competitions from the Citrus College’s Bishop Amat Relays and Walnut High School’s Jim Polite Invitational. The team took

home third place during the Chino Invitational Relay in the Varsity Men’s and Women’s relay race.

Overall the DB’s track team has been showing improvements from previous years. One meet in particular that the team was excited to participate in was the UCLA Invitational which took place on April 3 and 4. The meet incorporated a mix of both high school and college track teams, and offered a great opportunity for Brahma track athletes to be recognized and even looked at by colleges.

“Being able to compete with some of the best high school track athletes and being able to watch several collegiate races was an unforgettable experience” junior Makiah Josephson said.

During the Invitational, freshman Samantha Blazek placed fourth and sophomore Ashly Ng placed fifth in Shot Put. DB ended the meet with great scores and accumulated new personal records as well.

“This is one of the best seasons I’ve had because I have a great group of kids who are eager and willing to be here,” Jarvis said.

more on the web: DBhs chooses the new student athletes of the year see dbbullseye.com

Parking Spot sports talk with joseph park

The new G-rated NBA joseph park editor-in-chief I always wondered what would happen if the Bad Boys Era played a game in today’s NBA. A foul call every millisecond? Needless to say, the NBA became softer than Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper.

The playoffs are here, my interest absent.

The turning point and transition from the “tough” era to the current “soft” era took place at the infamous Malice at the Palace, the 2004 Pacers-Pistons Brawl. Advertisement companies and businesses complained that they were investing in these players that were displaying such atrocious manners on a worldwide scale. The NBA’s financial state was at worry and Commissioner David Stern took

action, forever changing the NBA into a business show rather and a sport. Money really is the root of all evil.

It’s understandable to keep composure in a league after such an appalling incident, but to have the referees call fouls and the league issue suspensions and fines to ever player who is simply realistically and humanly doing his jobs is taking away the meaning and life to the sport. I can’t sit and watch a NBA game without hearing a foul call whistle every 10 seconds, and not to mention half of them are flops. Let the players shove, let the players talk trash, and most importantly, let the players play with emotion. Is having a good image for business matters important enough to take away the vigor and life in basketball?

NBA players look trapped in cages out on the court, wanting to

emotionally and realistically play basketball like human beings but not being able to for the sake of staying in the game. It’s distressing to see such tamed, robotic basketball. Has the NBA really become a showbiz? It sure wasn’t back then.

In the 1984 Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, Greg Kite decked James Worthy mid-air, knocking him hard on the ground. They were both permitted to continue playing with double-technicals. 2014 Game Six playoffs between Memphis Grizzlies and OKC Thunder, Grizzlies member Zach Randolph shoved Steven Adam. Randolph, a key member of the team, was suspended for Game 7, for a petty shove. A shove used to be the norm in an average basketball game back then; it’s now viewed upon as havoc wreaking action of complete terror that must result in suspension. The

contrast between these two eras is utterly, and sadly, too bright.

“This is playoff atmosphere!”

Whenever I hear a commentator announce this during a playoff game, I really don’t know what he’s talking about besides the fact that I saw an extra shove or two and some angry facial expressions. In short, playoff games nowadays are softer than regular season games back then.

These are professional, grown men. There needs to be physicality, grit, trash talk, and an overall sense of toughness that’s just not at all too familiar in this generation of the NBA. Limit the irrelevant and excessive foul calls and don’t issue suspensions for trivial emotional reactions such as anger and even happiness (excessive celebration penalty).These are necessary qualities that draw the line between a sport and a show.

With the postseason rapidly approaching, the NBA has to make the toughest decisions of the season: the individual player awards.

With a heated MVP race, standout defensive players, and a group of rising rookies, there will be many fans either nodding or shaking their heads at the league’s selections.

MVP Winner: James Harden of the Houston Rockets This year’s race might be the closest in a long time. You have Russell Westbrook, the triple-double machine, LeBron James, the greatest player in the world, and Stephen Curry, the league’s best shooter and ball handler. However, each player has their own flaws.

Curry has not provided enough MVP moments. James’s talents are hindered by playing on a stacked team that contains all-star point guard Kyrie Irving and star power forward Kevin Love. Westbrook has been dominant individually, but his team has been eliminated from the postseason. Harden, on the other hand, is the leading scorer in the NBA with 27.5 points per game, ninth in assists with seven a night, and fifth in steals with 1.9 per game, all while leading the Houston Rockets as a potential second seed without superstar teammate, Dwight Howard. The Beard is a blend of all the candidates with a little bit of his own flavor. It’s impossible to not see Harden as the MVP. Rookie of the Year: Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves The 2014 draft class has a large amount of talent and the first overall pick has not disappointed. Averaging 16.4 points a game, Wiggins is ahead of the rookie pack by at least five points. Wiggins has tough competition with Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls, Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Elfrid Payton of the Orlando Magic. However, what Wiggins has done better over these other candidates is consistency. The last two months have been splendid for the other rookies, but this time frame has been the only time they’ve truly shined. Two triple doubles, and a good month of scoring does not overshadow a consistent rookie campaign. Wiggins has bloomed since October, putting up more than 25 20-point-games. Be on the lookout for this Canadian native in the years to come.

Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors Green has proven himself worthy to become a vital piece of the NBA’s best team, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 8.1 rebounds a game. However, Green’s real value comes from the defensive side of the floor. At 6’7, Green has the ability to the guard all five position on the floor. If you don’t believe his worthiness, then follow the numbers. The former second round draft pick is first in most defensive win shares with 4.9 and is second overall in defensive rating numbered at 96.5. The only possible argument may be his block and steal averages. Green is 25th in blocks with 1.3 and 18th in steals with 1.6 per game. Yet, Green allows seven less points per 100 possession when he’s on the court. Numbers never lie.

All the awards reflect how the regular season was played out and who shined in the 82 games.

However, when playoff time comes around, those achievements hold no value and all that matters is which team will be left standing.

SPORTS

THE BULL'S EYE

APRIL 22, 2015

15

Ariana Infante ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Ariana Grande 2.0 emily leung feature editor Senior Ariana Infante is best known as a tri-athlete, playing soccer in addition to running cross country and track. However what most don’t know is her that her real passion lies in her dream of starting a world-renown metal band.

Infante made the varsity track team as a freshman, the varsity cross country team as a sophomore, and the varsity soccer team as junior.

“When I started playing sports in high school, my goal was to earn a varsity letter my freshman year, so that I could get my letterman jacket. With my determination and hard work, I achieved this goal during my first track season,” Infante said via email.

Infante has been playing soccer since she was 10 and was previously a part of the Legacy Fútbol Club. She has played every position except for goalie during her soccer career, but her primary position is outside midfielder.

“I love playing outside mid because it allows me to get involved in both offense and defense,” Infante said.

As for track, Infante was influ-

enced by her father, who was the track captain when he was in high school. She currently runs the anchor leg in the girls varsity 4x400m relay team. Though it is tough for her to choose, track her is favorite out of the three sports as she enjoys the tenacity and high level of competition at meets.

“Sprinting gives me an adrenaline rush and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I set new

“I love playing outside mid because it allows me to get involved in both offense and defense.”

SENIOR ARIANA INFANTE personal records,” Infante said.

Throughout her time as an athlete, she has seen an overall growth in her character, further developing her leadership, teamwork, and motivational skills.

“I have become more outgoing and gained many amazing friends throughout the seasons. I learned to be more patient and to not only enjoy the huge accomplishments but also the smaller moments. I will always remember how much fun these many seasons were and how much I have learned since

IN HER GLORY DAYS

SONJA BURNS sasha rivera asst. opinion editor Most Diamond Bar High School students know Sonja Burns as one of the GLC’s for the Class of 2015.

However, her status as an athlete for DBHS is not as widely known.

Part of the graduating class of 1998, Burns played volleyball and softball for her first two years, and varsity soccer for all four years.

She served as the varsity captain for three years, playing the positions of center mid, stopper and defense.

Burns earned the First Team All Sierra League honors for two years, the Second Team All-Sierra League one year, and was named the Defensive MVP of the league during her senior year. During her time at DB, the team won league twice and made CIF playoffs each year, losing in the quarterfinals and once in the semifinals.

“I loved my time here playing soccer. My coach, John Hall, was phenomenal and was the best motivator ever. We [our team] were like a family. We had pasta dinners before all games and hung out together off of the field as well. We had so much fun. It was by far, my favorite part of high school,” Burns said.

Soccer also continued to be an essential part of her life throughout college. Burns received a full scholarship to play the sport at Cal State LA for four years, earning the position of captain for three years.

Burns later went on to be the graduate assistant for soccer at the University of La Verne.

“My first year we were really good but we didn’t take league...I met some of my best friends there who are still my best friends today.

We got to travel a lot more than you do in high school. I got to experience different college cultures

freshman year,” Infante said.

Infante has had a number of accomplishments in all three of her sports throughout her four years.

Most notably, she became the sixth fastest female cross country runner in all of DBHS history this past season with a time of 18 minutes and 58.6 seconds at the Dana Hills Invitational. She has also earned the Academic All-League Award for at least one year in each of her sports.

Despite her success in high school, Infante does not plan on competitively running or playing soccer in college because she would like to devote her time to pursue a career in music. She can play the piano and guitar in addition to transposing her own songs.

“My career plan is to major in music, form my own metal band and be the lead guitarist, get signed by a label, and go on tour around the world playing at large concerts,” Infante said.

Just last month, she was playing guitar for the Phorbiden Phunguyz in DBHS’s Battle of the Bands.

“I loved it because I feel so energized playing guitar in front of an audience. I love jamming with other musicians because the feeling of creating music is exhilarating,” Infante remarked.

Recovering from the Glendora loss BOYS GOLF Behind the play of seniors Sahith Theegala and Jefferson Kao, the Brahmas are in great position to capture the Palomares League title. andrew choi sports editor

and explore the different campuses to current student athletes. where we played. [Soccer] paid for “Work hard in the classroom my education,” she said of her time so you can play hard on the field. playing soccer in college.

Enjoy every second of it because In colleges, Burns said she expe- before you know it, it will be over,” rienced more difficulties because Burns stated. the team did not win as often.

“I never got too down on myself. I like to be positive and stay positive through frustrating moments…we had a good time and worked hard and did our best,” Burns said.

As a DB athlete, school spirit was an important factor for Burns.

She recounted her pride to wear the school colors of purple and yellow both on and off the field, as well as supporting other sports by attending all of the games.

She continues to be a supporter of the Photo courtesy of SONJA BURNS school’s athletics and offers advice Sonja Burns played four years of soccer at CSULA.

With one week left in the regular season, the Diamond Bar boys golf team is neck and neck with the Glendora Tartans as both teams are in grasp of capturing the Palomares League title. With a second place league record of 9-1 in the PL, the Brahmas are currently cruising on a five-game winning streak.

On April 14, the Brahmas faced the third place Bonita Bearcats at the Marshall Canyon golf course.

While averaging around 197 shots per match, the Bearcats shot a season best with 188 shots against DB. However, the Brahmas prevailed the match as they shot a 183. Seniors captains Sahith Theegala and Jefferson Kao both shot one over par, rounds of 36.

“We had a great day. Our worst score was a 38 so we had tremendous consistency. Our whole team showed up or we would have lost,” coach Tony McCabe said.

The Brahmas’ only blemish came from the road match against Glendora on March 19. The Tartans shot their season best with 203 while the Brahmas shot their season-worst score of 211. The loss to Glendora broke the DB’s streak of winning over thirty straight matches.

“Their house is very hard to win at. Nobody wins there because it is such a difficult course to play on and we don’t have the opportunity to practice it. Home court advantage in golf probably has the most value in any sport. You really have to be better than the opponent to win on the road,” McCabe commented.

Last Wednesday, the Brahmas participated in the annual Knabe

Cup Tournament. DB came into the tournament as the two-time defending champion. Last year, Class of 2014 graduate Dean Sakata captured the title for DB as he shot a 67. However this year, the streak ended as Palos Verdes came out as victors while the Brahmas finished in fifth place with a score of 307.

Theegala was the lone highlight for DB as he shot a one under par.

“We were a few shots out of first place. Palos Verdes is a very talented team. It was a good day for us, but we have a bigger fish to fry to. We sacrificed getting ready for the Knabe Cup to beat Bonita,” McCabe stated.

Theegala has been having a season filled with achievements.

Before he heads off to Pepperdine University to play for the golf team, the senior was invited to the United States Golf Amateur FourBall Championship which will take place on May 2 to 6 at Olympic Club in San Francisco.

ANDREW CHOI

Senior Alex Lee practices putting for his upcoming match against Wilson.

16 SPORTS

APRIL 22, 2015

THE BULL'S EYE

warming up ... baseball 4/22 vs Claremont 4/24 @ Claremont 4/29 vs Bonita 5/01 @ Bonita 5/06 @ Glendora

badminton 4/22 @ Mayfield

boys golf 4/23 vs South Hills 4/27 @ Claremont 5/11 Individual Regionals 5/18 Team Divisional Championships

softball 4/22 vs Claremont 4/24 @ Claremont 4/29 vs Bonita 5/01 @ Bonita 5/06 @ Glendora

boys tennis 4/23 @ Ojai Tournament 4/24 @ Ojai Tournament 4/28 vs Glendora 4/30 vs Ayala

track & field 4/23 vs Glendora 4/28 vs Ayala

swim 4/24 @ Meet of Champions 4/25 @ Meet of Champions 4/29 vs Ayala

SPORTS

Girls make most of team’s potential SOFTBALL After a rocky start to the season, the Lady Brahmas are still focused on building team chemistry to gain consistency in order to reach CIF. nadia lee staff writer Halfway through its season, the varsity softball team steps up to the mound determined to strike out opposing teams. With a 11-6 overall record, the Lady Brahmas are currently in fourth place in the Palomares League, with their league play having started after spring break.

Though the Lady Brahmas experienced a rocky start during their first tournament at Redondo Beach, they were able to work their way up the ladder once season started.

“My goal for the team is for everyone on the team to accept their role and do it to the best of their ability.

If everyone can show up with their game face ready to play hard [and], get dirty out on the field, then I will be a happier coach. Effort and attitude are the only two things that the players can control,” Roberta Garcia-Uyemura said.

Photos by ANDREW CHOI

Junior Andrea Gonzales (left) and freshman Alexis Tovar (right) battle against the South Hills Huskies, in a game the team lost.

Effort and attitude aren’t the only factors that will allow the players to excel on the field. Both Garcia-Uyemura and sophomore captain Rebecca Winder knows that team chemistry is also an important aspect that contributes to the girls’ performance on the field.

“We have gone through a lot together [such as] drama and struggled with conditioning and working out. [I’m] not saying that we don’t like it, it’s just that it is a lot

of hard work and we [need] to get through it together,” Winder said.

Garcia-Uyemera plans on having the team spend more time together outside of school watching college softball games so that they can to bond and learn.

“We will do different team bonding to make the team closer. We have gone to see a Cal State Fullerton softball game and will attend a Mt. SAC softball game,” she said.

Though it is its first time compet-

ing in the Palomares league, senior captain Danielle Cornejo is determined that the team will be successful in the league.

“Well we have a lot of potential.

We have so much power and speed on our team. I believe that we will fit right in with our new league and competitors. Our goal is to win league and go to CIF, but in this new league, we have a lot of good teams that are very competitive. So it’s going to be tough to come up on

top but that’s our goal,” Cornejo said.

From her past experiences, Winder believes that South Hills and Claremont will be the team’s toughest opponents to face.

“The competition is very good.

We are going to have a tough season, but I think if we work hard, we can win,” Winder said.

The Lady Brahmas travel to Bonita High School today for their third league game.

Winding up for the league finale BASEBALL On the verge of getting a berth in the CIF playoffs, the Brahmas are working towards keeping up with the Palomares League’s powerhouses. hanna kang opinion editor After a successful preseason, the Diamond Bar boys baseball team is currently struggling to remain in contention for the Palomares League title. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Brahmas are now in fifth place with an overall record of 10-9 and a league record of 3-4.

The Brahmas kicked off the break with an 8-1 loss against Hesperia High School in the Don Lugo Easter Tournament. In a home game against Paramount High School, the first of three games in the Don Lugo Spring Break Tournament, DB won by a whopping 13-1, bringing in six and seven runs in the first and second inning, respectively. DB could not keep up the momentum the following day, when the Brahmas lost a close game against Don Lugo High School, 9-8. In the last

Spring Break Tournament game, the Brahmas celebrated a close win against Capistrano Valley Christian, 8-7, scoring runs in almost every inning.

In the last inning against CVC, senior first baseman Gabriel Duenas hit a double down the line, allowing junior third baseman Kevin Han to score the tying run. Cooke then hit a ground ball toward CVC’s third baseman for what seemed like an easy out. However, CVC’s infielder misjudged the play, allowing Duenas to score the winning run on a throwing error.

Competition became fiercer last year, when it was decided that DB would move up from the Hacienda League to the tougher Palomares League. In their new playing field, the Brahmas face more seasoned teams like Bonita, Glendora, Ayala, and South Hills. The Brahmas are currently three games back from the 5-1 first place Ayala Bulldogs.

“I hope we finish strong. Each

game counts, because in our new league, every team is capable of beating each other. Not one team dominates the other,” Duenas said.

Senior captain Gerardo Ramirez leads the team as the leading pitcher for the team, however, the pitching rotation remains a question mark. Coach Eric Shibley is looking for consistency in the pitching rotation.

“We still have a lot of room for improvement. We’ll continue to work on those areas each day at practice,” Shibley said via e-mail.

Currently, Cooke is leading the Brahmas with a total of 13 runs batted in. Close behind Cooke is senior first baseman Dylan Miller with 12 RBI. Junior outfielder Keola Viloria has the top batting average of .438.

“We are having an up and down year. Having said that, our boys are still in good shape in league. We are one game out of third place at the moment. If we play the game the way our kids are capable, we could end the year strong. Making the playoffs is our number one goal at the moment. If we play clean baseball the rest will take care of itself,” Shibley said.

ANDREW CHOI

Senior Jacob Cooke fields a ground ball against the South Hills Huskies