November Issue 2017

INSIDE THE ISSUE

opinion 5

opinion 4

a&e 9

the bull’s eye NEWS

sports 14

feature 8

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OPINION

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FEATURE

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NOVEMBER 8, 2017 VOLUME XXXVI, ISSUE III ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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SPORTS

TEDx takes center stage

A FRUITFUL HALLOWEEN

The Wellness Center will host talks by student speakers in the school theater on Nov. 28. angela yang asst. News EDITOR

AMELIE LEE

Shown clockwise, from top left, are Emily Chiang, Kelly Yap, Emily Cho, Joy Kao, Samantha Hong, Melody Lee, Lauren Chang, Angela Zhang and Benjamin He dressed in coordinated Halloween costumes as components of a fruit salad.

The inspiration of TED Talks has extended its reach to Diamond Bar High School, as the Wellness Center will host its first independent TEDx event on Nov. 28.

The talks will be given in the theater during periods one through six, with two to three speakers per period. Not all classes will be able attend, so teachers can sign up on a first come first serve basis.

Teachers will have the choice to

sign up according to the topics they would like their students to hear, correlating with the subjects they teach.

Student tryout sessions ended earlier this week, and final decisions on which Brahmas will speak will be made late this week.

“We always do some kind of fall event that promotes some aspect of wellness, so I was trying to think of something that would be a little bit different,” Wellness Center coordinator Sandy Davis said. “I use TED Talks all the time when I'm teaching; I really find them engaging and quick and informative, so I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if we got students to talk about their passions and how it connects to wellness?’”

TEDX ON P.3

New teachers enter mid-year After the departure of Breitag and Holmes, new staff members take over their classrooms. tess guan web EDITOR Although the first semester of the school year is drawing to a close, Diamond Bar High School is still welcoming new teachers.

Choir director Anastasia Glasheen and biology teacher Diana Wai have joined the Brahma family within the last few weeks.

Glasheen, who began playing the

piano when she was three years old, has known that she wanted to be a music teacher since she was five. She was involved with her high school’s choir and also sang at Potsdam College in New York state, where she was a piano major.

Over the course of her career, she has performed as a singer all over the world. While she was involved with the Broadway touring company of “The Buddy Holly Story,” she performed for President George H.W. Bush at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She also performed with multiple Broadway touring companies around the country.

Her first teaching job was in an East Hampton high school in New

York in 1984. In 2005, she moved to California where she began teaching at various colleges and universities, including USC. This is her first time directing a high school choir in ten years.

“I hope to continue the tradition of an award winning show choir,” she said. “I’d like to create new traditions with the students, some of which is expanding a more classical repertoire, adding the orchestra to have a big, huge community.”

In addition, Glasheen hopes to be involved with the musical in the spring due to her experience in musical theater. She also plans to introduce a new classical choir,

STAFF ON P.3

Blue team swamps competition USB introduces teambased Rainbow Races to DBHS this year.

Candidates campaign for leadership roles Juniors spent a week promoting themselves for a shot at next year's executive USB positions. catherine liu staff writer

ingrid chan ASST. photo EDITOR Students recently raced down the memory lane after experiencing the first ever Diamond Bar High School Rainbow Races. An activity normally associated with elementary and middle schools, this nostalgic event was brought back

by USB two weeks ago.

Of the six teams participating, Blue team was the ultimate winner with a total of 20 points, securing the prized Knott’s Scary Farm tickets. The Blue team winners included seniors Luca Kayahara, Rene Aguilera, Howard Yoo, Kyle Rojas, Zack Marin, Rich Tan, Mark Gomar, Leo Mireles, Robert Fernandez and Jovan Thompson.

AMELIE LEE

Incoming USB Vice President junior Royce Park gave his election speech in the upper quad during lunch on Oct. 25 as part of his campaign.

AMELIE LEE

Senior Zack Marin competed for the blue team in the sponge relay as a part of Rainbow Races in the ampitheater during lunch on Oct. 24.

“We’re all pretty close so we wanted to go to Knott’s Scary Farm as our own little group,” Gomar said. “We kind of already knew we were going to win since we were in

the lead the entire time.”

USB members senior Winston Wang and junior Sydney Holler

RACES ON P.2

The 2017 Executive Board candidates, who were all juniors, had been given a week to make themselves known on campus, preparing their campaign with posters, flyers and gifts, then students were given three days to vote.

The new executive board, announced last week, that will enter office next semester, consists of Melody Lee as president, Royce Park as vice president, Annaya Shah as speaker of the House, Woojin Jeong as IOC Chairman, Abigail Nakaishi as secretary and Hersh Doshi as finance director.

“I ran for USB president because I love what USB does and what it stands for, it made me want to be

the voice of the campus and lead USB to my best ability,” Lee said via Facebook.

Lee was on the e-board last year as the IOC chairperson and was the advertising commissioner her freshman year.

For her campaign, she handed out wristbands to students while her friends provided support in campaigning for her.

“As president, I want to continue to bring USB together and create events for the student body. I also want to make sure everyone student feels included when USB hosts events,” Lee said.

Meanwhile, Park who was the athletics commissioner for USB said that his previous experience in USB motivated him to run for VP. “My friend, Christian Park, who is the current vice president, inspired me to run for VP because he made the position seem like a really fun one by the way he did his events and had fun at the same time,” Park said via Facebook.

E-BOARD ON P.3

2

NEWS

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

Students to debut original artwork Photos and drawings by Brahmas will be displayed in the upper quad next week. sophia kim ASST. web EDITOR For the first time, Diamond Bar High School artists will have the opportunity to showcase their work in a school competition. Next week, drawings and photos submitted by students will be displayed on the upper quad and judged for a chance to win art supplies.

USB art commissioners, seniors Cami Kuruma and Derek Lai, created this event to help bring appreciation to student artworks.

“We decided to hold visual arts week because we feel that art is not as recognized compared to all the other weeks such as sports and performing arts,” Lai said.

Submissions will be divided into two categories, one for photography and the other for original pieces such as paintings and drawings.

During the first two days of the event, students will be able to observe the displayed artwork sub-

mitted and vote in-person for a favorite in each category. In addition, USB will anonymously vote for its own pick. The winners of each category will be announced and awarded their prizes at the end of the week, and all students attending the event will be able to take part in giveaways.

To encourage participation, some DBHS art teachers have promoted this opportunity to their students by awarding extra credit or talking about the benefits of showcasing their art to the public.

In addition, DBHS student photographers can submit their photos to be eligible for the same prize.

“I wanted to [enter the contest] to show my photography to the school and prove that you don’t need expensive cameras to make decent photos,” senior Eugene Jeon said.

Students participating in this event were asked to sign up through an online Google Form.

According to Lai, there were a variety of submissions ranging from watercolor to digital paintings.

“Visual arts week will encourage students to be creative,” Lai said. “Not only do they get to challenge themselves to create art but they can express themselves without using any words.”

INGRID CHAN

A new lab was opened next to the regular forensics classroom to allow students to carry out mock investigations.

Forensics classes take hands-on approach in lab The new room allows students to perform a larger variety of mock crime scene investigations. christina liu staff writer

CORRECTIONS In the last issue of The Bull's Eye, the Christopher Holmes article stated the date of his departure incorrectly. Holmes left the school on Oct. 31, not Oct. 6.

the staff Editors-in-Chief News Editors Asst. News Editors

Emily Jacobsson, Catherine Zhang Brian Chang, Hannah Lee Angela Yang, Cindy Liu

Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editor

Noor Naji Ted Yarmoski

Feature Editors Asst. Feature Editor

Emily Kim, Catherine Zhang Amelie Lee Emily Jacobsson, Pauline Woodley Amy Miyahara

A&E Editors Asst. A&E Editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor

Ryan Chae Justin Prakaiphetkul

Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editors

Hannah Lee Ingrid Chan, Amelie Lee

Business Manager

Tess Guan Tess Guan Sophia Kim

Web Editor Asst. Web Editor Staff Writers

Catherine Liu, Christina Liu, Samyuktha Vellaiyan

Advisor

Fingerprinting with powders and chemical processing are only some of the new things students are now able to do with the new forensics lab on the Diamond Bar High School campus.

The new lab allows students to carry out textbook exercises themselves, which was impossible in the regular classroom.

“I feel more students will be in-

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.

The room was once the graphics design room, with the class being discontinued.

The forensics lab currently has new cabinetry, chemical resistant countertops, sinks and a mock crime scene area that holds the hints to the crime.

Romero held the first hands-on lab on glass analysis at the end of October and has already ordered equipment to hold future labs and expand on the current curriculum.

“The new lab allows me to go ahead and do all those practical exercises that we learned about in the lecture,” Romero said. “ It allows the students to have a hands on [approach] as to the methods and techniques used by forensics science just in analyzing physical evidence.”

Brahmas revisit elementary games RACES FROM P.1 came up with the idea of bringing Rainbow Races to DBHS. The two were inspired to do so because they remembered how fun it was in in the past and figured that other people would be glad to see it return.

“It was stressful planning a completely new event,” Holler said.

“But it was definitely worth it to see how excited to participate students were and how much fun they ended up having.”

Sign-ups were based on a firstcome-first-serve policy, with six teams of 10 students selected. Rainbow Races were held in the amphitheater on Oct. 23, 24 and 27.

On the first day, participants ran

Doug List

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terested, and I will offer students a truer form of what forensics science is about, not only from a lecturer's standpoint, but from a lab,” forensic science teacher Leonard Romero said.

Romero was first notified of the plans for a new lab room in the fall semester of 2015 by Instructional Dean Gabriel Aguilar.

“I was excited, it was a total surprise and shock and I didn't realize how large the facility was,” Romero said. “ I couldn’t even imagine something that large.”

The new lab has been in construction since last year and was open to students in October.

The lab is located in room 266, next to Romero’s classroom, allowing students easy access between the two.

across the turf transporting water in small cups, which they poured into buckets. Team members ran back and forth until the bucket was filled. They then attempted to pass

“It was definitely worth it to see how excited to participate students were..."

SYDNEY HOLLER eggs from teammate to teammate without dropping any. Blue team placed first, Green team placed second and Orange team third.

For capture the flag the following day, participants were divided into

two groups of three teams each.

Both teams won one round, and the third round ended in a draw due to time constraints.

The third event, dodgeball, saw the Blue and Orange teams participating in the semifinals since they had accumulated the most points over the course of the competition. The other teams faced off for a chance to move on to the semifinal round against those teams. The blue team ultimately won.

“We went to Knott’s the day after we got the tickets,” Yoo said. “Rainbow Races was really fun, and since I’m a senior this year, I want to do as much as I can before graduating.

So if USB has any other events, I’ll definitely be joining.”

NEWSBITS NEW YORK

AUSTRALIA

PAKISTAN

Forget cowboy rodeos; police rodeos are the real deal. A bull came from an unknown slaughterhouse and galloped into Prospect Park, toppling over a one-year-old girl's stroller and injuring her in the process. It then ran into a car before running into the Parade Grounds.

There, the chase ended when the bull was hit by a tranquilizing dart and trapped between two vehicles. It was loaded into a New York Police Department truck and sent to Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in New Jersey.

Up she goes in a whirlwind of balloons, recalling childhood memories from the Pixar film, “Up.” British-Viennese artist Noemi Lakmaier was held up by 20,000 balloons in the Sydney Opera House for nine hours as part of her project, Cherophobia—the fear of happiness. The project was a part of Antidote, a festival meant to celebrate the arts in society.

Despite this being a difficult stunt to pull off, she had done the same live installation in London, except she was held afloat for a total of 48 hours.

Spilled milk is not something to cry over, but poisoned milk might be. After being forced into an arranged marriage, Aasia Bibi plotted to kill her husband so she could be with her boyfriend, who supplied her with an unknown poisonous substance. She mixed it into her husband’s milk, which he refused to drink. Bibi’s mother used the tainted milk in a yogurt-based drink. The beverage was served to 27 relatives, 17 of whom died and the rest of whom are currently in a hospital.

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

NEWS

3

Brahma attends national convention

Vast improvement seen in DB SBAC

Tsao participated in the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders this past summer.

Compared to previous years, the class of 2018 achieved considerably higher results.

catherine zhang editor-in-chief Diamond Bar High School senior Valerie Tsao was selected as one of about 3,000 students who received an opportunity to personally meet and chat with Nobel Prize recipients among other esteemed professionals one weekend this past summer in Boston.

The annual Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders, a three-day program at the end of June, was hosted by the National Leadership Academies.

This nonprofit is dedicated to “supporting students with the skills, motivation, guidance and mentorship they need to stay on track to achieve their goals,” according to its official website.

The organization also offers a program for students interested in the medical field.

The Science and Technology Leaders program boasted a wide variety of speakers, including Nobel Prize recipients, deans of highly esteemed universities, leaders in the scientific field, successful

Student speakers to steal spotlight

technologists and award-winning inventors and scholars.

Some spoke about their research, while others gave motivational advice to the high school students.

During the convention, participants listened to several speakers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner.

After lunch, the attendees were given one hour to converse with the speakers who presented.

“It was my first time having oneon-one conversations with profes-

“It was shocking since I wasn't expecting to get an award. I went for the experience."

VALERIE TSAO sionals in the field I'm interested in. We have talented teachers [at DBHS], but they may not have the same experience as the researchers. I want to be an engineer, so having those one on one discussions with them was really insightful,” Tsao said.

In order to participate in the program, attendees were either nominated by a teacher or counselor or selected by the organization itself.

On its website, the program describes itself as a “national aca-

samyuktha vellaiyan staff writer demic honors program with strict requirements,” and all students nominated must have at least a 3.5 GPA to attend.

Due to her active participation in the program, Tsao received an award from the organization, given to her by DBHS Principal Reuben Jones.

The Award of Excellence was given to Tsao due to her active participation in engaging with the speakers and conversing with them among hundreds of students.

“It was shocking since I wasn’t expecting to get an award. I went for the experience,” Tsao said.

After completing the program, the students are added to an email master list that introduces information about potential scholarships.

“It was really eye opening because there were people that were achieving things like solving cancer that were close to our age. It was a [reminder] that engineering and other STEM careers are accessible to students,” Tsao said.

A HAUNTed pathway

Choir and biology teachers arrive

TEDX FROM P.1 The event is to replace last year’s week-long Respect Matters campaign hosted by the Wellness Center. According to Davis, she hopes these talks will pave a path for students other than peer counselors to be involved in promoting mental and social health at school.

A variety of topics may be presented in the talks, as long as the message encompasses wellness.

Besides the content of a speaker’s message, confidence is also a key factor in selecting the student speakers. According to Davis, the talks should also be engaging and rouse student interest.

While the topics have not yet been determined officially, a few potential subjects which students have tried out for include overcoming fear, identifying with one's emotions and teen dating. If the talks exhibit potential in being an event that enough students seem to be interested in, it may be hosted again in future years. However, this is not the first time TED-inspired talks have come to DBHS. A group of students on campus have been hosting TEDx Talks for the past several years, independant from the Wellness program.

"I wish I had known so I would've contacted them first," Davis said.

“This is an experiment; we're hoping that we meet our objectives of getting more people included and starting to shift the paradigm in the thinking that wellness is just about eating right or just about physical wellness when actually, it's important to be balanced, because not only will you be able to be a better student, you'll be able to have healthier relationships.”

After administrators implemented more rigorous approach to the testing, the Diamond Bar High School class of 2018 saw dramatic improvements on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test.

The state’s average proficient score for English and Math is around 60 and 32 percent. For English, 78.86 percent of DBHS seniors tested proficient and above, which is a huge step up from last year’s 69 percent and also an increase from the 77 percent in 2015.

About 21 percent of DB test takers for English ranked below state standards. For math, 74.69 percent were proficient or above, an improvement compared to 69 percent in 2016 but not to the 77 percent in 2015. About 25 percent of the students for math ranked below state standards.

“I think it is good to see the growth. I think we’re working hard on trying to get better every year, and every year we go through the test we get a little bit better because we have a better idea of what it is we are doing,” Instructional Dean Gabriel Aguilar said.

The SBAC is a Common Core computer-based test taken by students in their junior year which consists of an English and a math section. The exam is designed to help monitor how well a student

performs at school and collect data to compare the effectiveness of teaching among states. Currently, there are 13 states, including California, that administer this exam.

A common misconception among students and parents is that the SBAC only benefits the school.

“This test really does matter because it has to do with the reputation of the school that you’re coming from, and what colleges and universities are going to look at is what school did you go to.

The SBAC is one of the top tools that universities use to say how does this school compare to all the schools across the country that have to take these tests,” Aguilar said.

After a dip in last year’s results, DBHS teachers began taking the exam more seriously and worked with students on subjects covered on the exam, such as non-fiction reading.

“It’s kind of like 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' First year is too hot. The second year is too cold.

The third year is just right and it’s kind of what your teachers are going through and it’s what the students are going through,” Aguilar said.

In the past, administrators had a problem with students deciding to not take the test in April. In 2016, students 83 students opted out from the exam, but only 15 did so this year.

“As an administration and as a school, we were more focused on making sure the students understood why these tests were important. We also were very deliberate and incentivizing students as well with food. We had pizza and snow cones for the students who took the test,” Aguilar said.

STAFF FROM P.1

INGRID CHAN

DBHS Pathways Academy set up a haunted house downstairs in the language building for students during the school day on Oct. 30 and Halloween.

Next year's e-board leaders determined E-BOARD FROM P.1 During campaigning week, he handed out wristbands, pens and pencils but mainly focused on social media to advertise.

As VP, Park said he wants to make improvements to certain parts of the election process.

“Although the previous year's elections were very smooth, there were still problems with how people elected and not everyone voted,” Park said.

Park states that he plans on trying to improve the technological problems that come with the elec-

tion and encourage more people to vote and run.

Meanwhile, Nakaishi, who was involved with USB as attorney general during her sophomore year, gave out leis during election week to promote her Hawaiian-themed campaign.

She said she plans to guide new USB members so they are prepared for each event.

“I wanted to step up to a position where I could lead a group of people and help them, and I think with e-board, I could make a bigger difference than what I could make in USB,” Nakaishi said.

which will compete in similar shows as the show choir.

Wai is replacing Christopher Holmes in the biology department, and teaches both AP and regular biology.

This is Wai’s second teaching job.

She first taught at Alliance Morgan Mckinzie High School in east Los Angeles. There, she taught life sciences, including biology, medical science and AP biology.

Wai, who was born in Ecuador, came to the U.S. for college. She graduated from UCLA in 2011 with

a major in bioengineering and a minor in Spanish. She was involved in animal research throughout and after college, researching topics like metabolism, cardiology and obesity. She worked at a veterinary clinic after graduating, as she intended to be a veterinarian, but later realized she wanted to get into teaching.

“Along the way, I realized that I really liked sciences,” she said. “I also liked working with youth. If you’re really excited about something, you really like sharing it. It’s like a good movie—you tell your friends about it.”

MORE ON

THE WEB: MARCHING TO THE TOP

DBHS Thundering Herd emerged as the grand champions at the Placentia Heritage Days Parade.

WALNUT STUDENT COMMEMORATED

Students who knew Walnut High School freshman Julian Lopez share their memories of him.

FREE TUITION

A new bill may soon allow California residents to attend their first year of community college for free.

VISIT DBBULLSEYE.COM

4

OPINION

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

EYE EDITORS OF THE

Noor in a Nutshell

OPINION: The Pledge of Allegiance is a Diamond Bar High School tradition that should either be upheld with an understanding of its significance, or dropped entirely from USB announcements.

O

nce an ingrained daily routine at all schools, the Pledge of Allegiance occurs weekly for students at Diamond Bar High School. Recitations are held every Monday before USB announcements; but, instead of treating it like the patriotic recitation that it should be, students act as if it is a chore, showing little enthusiasm or knowledge of what they are pledging to.

The robotic, monotonic voices directed toward the flag are a result of elementary memorization.

Sluggishly, some students drag themselves up to stand and murmur the words, lazily reciting and saluting the flag. Some classrooms, in fact, don’t even have flags.

59 Freshmen

30 sophomores

Furthermore, the true meaning behind the Pledge of Allegiance is foreign to most students. While some history books skim the tip of the iceberg, others barely touch upon the subject at all, leaving the topic undiscussed.

Though 78 percent of students polled by the Bull’s Eye said they understood the significance of the Pledge, it doesn’t show in their lack of concern during the weekly empty-hearted recitation. Not only are the Pledge’s words foreign to some students, but they seem unaware of the loyalty they are pledging, and therefore, find no reason to take the exercise seriously.

If the school wants to continue the pledge every Monday, students

62 juniors

NOTE: All figures are averages of responses from all grades.

1 2 3 4

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PLEDGE TO YOU ON A SCALE FROM 1-10?

5 6 7 8 9 10

5.71

!

40 seniors

should understand what they are pledging to. There are several quick solutions to change the way students view the pledge. Fourth period teachers could address the importance to students at the beginning of the year, USB could include it in their morning announcements or history teachers could implement it in their lesson plans.

It’s been more than 100 years since the Pledge was introduced to schools. Originally, it was created in hopes of influencing an influx of immigrants to display loyalty towards the United States, and not their homeland. It was later implemented in classrooms, advocating for patriotism against the Communists; in fact, the words “under

From the Brahma Perspective should students be required to do the pledge?

34% yes 78% yes

Do you know the significance of the pledge?

22% yes 17% yes

G

ing to school, my mom is already at the table with breakfast ready.

What ever would I do without my parents? My mother carefully explains to me why it is so important to start the day learning at least 50 new facts about the wonders of the world and how it would help me get into Harvard, her dream I mean my dream school.

By 8 a.m., I am finally in school.

As I go from class to class, I occasionally get texts from both my parents making sure that I’m learning.

Of course, I ignore them because I know that they will surely call me during lunch to ask how class was and if I was paying attention to my teachers.

When school ends, mom is already waiting for me outside the school gates. I hop into the car while she breaks down my sched-

no no

Should dbhs get rid of the pledge?

Helicopter parents: in the updraft

et your flashcards out. The words I hear every morning once the clock strike 5 a.m. Dragging myself out of bed, I stare at a list of thermodynamic equations for the next hour. Now, at 6 a.m., my dad quizzes me on the different reasons why World War I started while I brush my teeth.

As I make my way downstairs to eat a quick breakfast before go-

no

Do you think the pledge should be done everyday?

About 30% of freshmen chose to get rid of the pledge at DBHS compared to 12% among upper classmen.

Emily kim feature editor

God” were added to the Pledge in the 1950s, hoping to separate the U.S. from atheist Communist countries.

Due to the Pledge’s oath toward God, controversy regarding religious and cultural backgrounds emerged; now, some schools don’t require students to pledge or stand for the flag salute.

But if the Pledge continues to be treated as a bother by DBHS students, it should be cut from Monday announcements entirely. (It’s doubtful that any class has been led in the Pledge on those occasions when the USB speaker skips the reading.) Without knowledge, the Pledge of Allegiance is just meaningless words.

ule for the day, from violin class to volunteering at a nearby soup kitchen. I have my mom do my math homework so that I can focus on my chemistry thesis about the importance of correctly calculating calorimetry in thermodynamics. Of course, it is all for the sake of getting into Harvard and their prestigious law program that I push myself everyday to be the most well-rounded student I know.

After a long day, I proceed to dump my bag near the kitchen table as soon as I am home (that’s where I always work so that my mom can monitor my progress) and then slump onto the nearby couch to rest for a few minutes.

This is all before my mom sticks her head into the room to tell me to start working, after all, a law degree doesn’t just fall out of no-

no SUBMISSIVELY SATIRICAL where.

While I do my homework, my mom visits every 30 minutes to check on my work and to ensure that I am not doing anything unnecessary like asking my friend how their day was or calling grandma to wish her a happy birthday.

Once my dad is back from work, I can finally take a break and eat dinner. I take this opportunity to tell my parents about the award I received for my art piece, which pleases them. But my mom seems to be even happier about the fact I got a perfect score on my English essay. Oh well. It’s not like I wanted to pursue a career in art, a subject that I actually enjoy. That’s silly!

Of course my parents know best.

I end my day and get into bed. I prepare myself for a new day of living out my parents’ dream.

Cartoon by INGRID CHAN

Radical costs due to conservative speakers

A

noor naji opinion editor

s alt-right speakers find a platform for their hate in universities under the banner of free speech, the costly bills paid by universities often goes unnoticed.

Alt-right media personality Milo Yiannopoulos spoke at Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 31, which prompted a heavy response from its student body prior to the event, garnering over 5,000 signatures for the petition to cancel the event.

“Inviting Milo Yiannopoulos is inviting the alt-right and white supremacists who follow him,” the petition read. “Allowing him to have a platform validates him and allows these groups to organize within our community.”

The College Republican club invited Yiannopoulos to the university to prove a “diverse opinion” to the “liberal” college. While there is no doubt that diverse opinions should be present on college campuses, one could do so by inviting intellectual conservatives. Speakers like National Review editor Rich Lowry are likely better representatives of conservatism and better qualified to start intellectual conversations.

It is clear that alt-right figures aren’t using universities to speak about the First Amendment and invoke dialogue, but are instead taking advantage of universities as a publicity stunt at little or no cost to them; the real cost often lies on the universities they attend.

University of California, Berkeley has already spent more than $2.5 million on security for inviting controversial speakers this year, according to USA Today. Moreover, the University of Florida president W. Kent Fuchs said that the university spent more than $600,000 for extra security when white supremacist Richard Spencer rented a university hall for his event.

These lofty costs are a major concern, especially when taxpayer money is used to pay for these circus shows. Revenue for state universities often come from two major sources: taxes and tuition. If the trend of universities losing money and speakers gaining publicity as a result continues, then universities might have to resort to increase tuition.

But how dare the university limit “free speech” and prevent students from hearing Milo’s witty words of wisdom and nuanced political opinions? Instead of those like of Yiannopoulos, who are antifeminist, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim and simply slap on the label of conservative, universities should invite those who will not invite violence or white supremacy if they truly care about sparking a real conversation—especially when the former is more costly.

“It is unfair that large public research universities are expected to pick up the cost for these events,” University of Florida President Fuchs said. “At some point, the courts will have to weigh in. We can’t be the only ones sharing this burden.”

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

OPINION

5

boy scouts

Is going co-ed a permanent solution? potential.

This “separate but equal” mindset does not take into account years of sexism and misogyny that already exists in our present society. In an ideal world, the GSUSA would hold as much prestige as its male counterpart, and the programs would parallel one another, paving the way for a new generation of capable and responsible leaders, regardless of gender.

Amelie lee Unfortunately, the reality of the world we asst. feature editor live in deems that even a complete reformation of the Girl Scout program would still fall short to the opportunities offered by the The Boy Scouts of AmerBSA. ica are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteFor decades, the title of Eagle Scout has ous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, garnered respect and admiration--someclean and reverent. On the other hand, the thing even the highest ranking Girl Scout Girl Scouts of the United States of America cannot compare with. While the GSUSA sell delicious chocolate covered cookies evoffer practical skills, the program does not ery year from January to April. compare to the BSA, and is mostly well Since the beginning of known for their yearly sale the 20th Century, the BSA of cookies. “...Even a complete has been teaching teenage With the GSA falling reformation of the Girl boys how to be capable and short of giving young Scout program would self reliant, paving the way girls in America a chance still fall short to the for a new generations of to make a name for themopportunities offered leaders built on a strong selves, it is understandable by the BSA.” moral code and responsithat the BSA has opened bility. up their program.

Starting in 2018, the program is opening Those who prioritize the traditionalist itself up to allow girls to join, and have the idea of a gender-exclusive troop over equalsame opportunity of obtaining the prestiity must realize the importance in providing gious rank of Eagle Scout. a chance for girls to have access to the same This decision has faced backlash, and opportunities as boys from a young age. much of it is based on a closed minded traThis integration is allowing a new generditionalist take on the program that includation of young girls to finally garner respect ing girls into the program takes away from in one of the most distinguished programs the original purpose of raising a group of in America. capable young men.

Self sufficiency, responsibility and a Outlets such as Fox News argue that boys strong moral code are not principles excluand girls are fundamentally different, and sive to the male gender, and young girls in that a Girl Scout program already exists.

America should be allowed to have the same They advocate that keeping the groups exopportunities as boys to achieve respected clusive further contributes to having a safe titles and rankings in the largest scouting environment where kids can grow into their program in the country.

PRO

efit our nation’s youth.

Since girls and boys learn differently, by segregating the two by gender, the programs are better able to cater to each’s specific needs. According to BBC, girls learn better in groups and discussion-based learning while boys tend to take control over in such situations.

By siphoning girls away from the GSUSA, the BSA is brushing its sister organization’s Brian chang woes even further under the rug and out of news editor sight.

The first step in solving any problem is to acknowledge that there is one, and with As the old saying goes, a smaller influx of girls into the GSUSA, its boys will be boys, and issues will be forgotten instead of resolved. after the Boy Scouts of On the other side of the spectrum, acceptAmerica’s recent announcement, girls may ing girls into the BSA is only covering up a be as well. larger problem—Scouting as a whole is in Beginning 2019, girls will be allowed to decline, and this slide must be stopped. actively join Boy Scout troops and achieve The GSUSA were likely on the mark the Eagle Scout rank. The announcement is when its leaders criticized ostensibly to eliminate the the move as an attempt 109-year-old organization’s “The two organizations for more members. The history of gender discrimiBSA peaked in 1972 with nation, but there are much must remain separate 6.5 million members and better ways to do so. in order to truly has been losing them ever The announcement only benefit our nation’s since, reporting only 2.3 serves to plaster a new fayouth.” million last year, accordçade over the problems ing to CNN. facing both the Boy Scouts If the BSA are really that desperate for and the Girl Scouts of the USA. Instead of more members, other measures should be recruiting girls to join the BSA, the GSUSA taken. should be improved. GSUSA leaders have As an Eagle Scout myself, I watched many criticized the decision, claiming the need of my friends drop out of the Scouting profor single-gender environments to promote gram entirely after reaching high school leadership development. due to other time commitments. There “The benefit of the single-gender enneeds to be a greater incentive for boys to vironment has been well-documented by remain in the program other than the Eagle educators, scholars, other girl- and youthScout distinction, which will, in turn, inserving organizations, and Girl Scouts and crease membership, a better alternative to their families,” the organization said. “Girl recruiting girls.

Scouts offers a one-of-a-kind experience for The integration of boys and girls in scoutgirls with a program tailored specifically to ing is detrimental for both sides, and other their unique developmental needs.” options must be explored, chiefly the reforThey are correct. The two organizations mation of the GSUSA. must remain separate in order to truly ben-

CON

Confronting the modern fraternity

TED YARMOSKI Asst. OPINION EDITOR

H

azing is the act of giving often ridiculous tasks to those wishing to become a part of Greek social life on college campuses and often involves large amounts of alcohol. When death becomes a reoccurring pattern in the supposedly harmless initiation process, the true purpose and overall worth of fraternities comes into question.

Ten students at Louisiana State University are facing charges for the death of Maxwell Gruver. It started with a game called “Bible Study.” The rules are simple: respond to a series of questions about the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and drink for each incorrect answer.

The hazing consisted of a terrible variety of “activities,” one involving harsh physical activity combined with strobe lights and loud music. These, in addition to

the drinking game, resulted in Gruver’s death. The autopsy found a high blood alcohol level as well as the chemical found in marijuana.

The students continued the game for the sake of tradition, even after Gruver made his condition known and members expressed concern. The pressure of the senior fraternity members and other initiates present would drive any young college student to continue the game. No one should have to suffer through something like this.

The recent case has already initiated needed change, as Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested policies regarding hazing, alcohol and drugs to be made more effective. However, rule changes and restrictions are simply not enough to keep these traditions from happening behind closed doors. The same pressure that drives members to go through with the hazing in the first place would most likely keep them quiet. The problem is with the fraternities themselves; schools need to take action toward completely removing them.

This tragedy could have been avoided if it were not for the following of backwards traditions of fraternities. There has been at least one reported hazing death each year from 1969 to 2017 according to Franklin College journalism pro-

fessor Hank Nuwer. Even during the decade after the first fraternities were established, two known hazing deaths occurred. This should have been a foreshadowing to the future of fraternity initiations, but instead they became more popular.

The idea of a fraternity is dated, with gender exclusion and secrecy being the key attributes of these student bodies. Although some partner with organizations to perform charitable acts, most merely host parties. In addition, alcohol and sexual abuse run rampant among fraternities. Sociology professors Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton found in their fiveyear study on college students that those in these organizations are much more likely to be victims of sexual assault. In fact, two women living on their floor were sexually assaulted at parties within the first few weeks of the study.

It is alarming when universities continue to support fraternities even though they are based on 19th century ideals. Organizations that harbor sexual assault, exclude a certain gender and engage in hazing rituals should not exist in 2017.

Schools should start seriously considering dissolving fraternities to create safer and more inclusive college environments.

This is not a drill

Cartoon Courtesy of MEGAN LEE

FEATURE

As students and teachers rush to school, barely surviving the morning traffic, one Diamond Bar High School teacher casually strolls into his class with a neon biking suit on.

Using cycling as a means of commuting to school, biology teacher Eric Sorensen takes on his passion for biking to a new level.

Riding his bike roughly 13 miles a day just for transportation, Sorensen uses his morning ride as an opportunity to prepare for much larger-scale events.

Every year since 2015, Sorensen has participated in a national cycling event called the MS150, in which riders cycle 150 miles over the course of two days to raise money for patients with multiple sclerosis.

After hearing that DB alumnus Jacob Hamilton was diagnosed with the disease, Sorensen decided to join a biking group called Team Jacobito to raise money for the cause. Along with chemistry teacher Jose Marquez, Sorensen cycles from Irvine to San Diego. So far, Sorensen has raised over $4,000 to help those with MS. In addition, Sorensen participates in a number of sprint triathlons nearby to stay fit. Although he competes in triathlons as a hobby, he said that winning first place within his age group in local tournaments motivates him to work harder.

Every June, Sorensen participates in the Tin Man triathlon at Cal State San Bernardino, and in April, he participates in the Possibilities triathlon in Yorba Linda.

“It’s a lot of fun for me, and it gives you a goal,” Sorensen said.

“If you sign up to do a triathlon,

restaurant review

ub

A fresh start with a new cup of tea BRIAN CHANG NEWS EDITOR

INGRID CHAN

Biology teacher Eric Sorensen bikes to school every day, and often participates in triathlons and local competitions and tournaments. you’re going to be more motivated to get out and run. You’ll be more motivated to hop on the bike and do extra training, more motivated to jump in the pool and do some laps.”

To maintain his speed and stamina for competitions, Sorensen focuses on training with time trials, during which he rides his bike as fast as possible within a set time frame. He enjoys biking to Mt. Baldy, the beach and the hilly areas of Chino Hills for exercise.

In addition to biking, Sorensen dedicates an average of 10 to 15 hours a week running around his neighborhood, cycling and swimming to prepare for triathlons towards spring.

Sorensen’s passion for biking started in high school, before he had a driver’s license to get around town. Having used a road bike to

get to school and local areas, Sorensen’s love for cycling has grown until today.

“I grew up in Dallas, and I would bike to different parts of the city I didn’t know about,” he said. “I couldn’t drive, and even after I could, I would ride [instead].”

Although Sorensen originally took up competing in triathlons as a hobby, he still hopes to improve and achieve more with his capabilities. Participating in smaller local events now, he hopes to branch out to larger competitions in the future.

“I really enjoy the ones that I am doing, and I want to stay competitive in my age group,” he said.

“Someday, I might do one of the longer ones. I may do a marathon or half a marathon, when I feel like I can do a good job.”

Two years after its predecessor club, Coffee Association of DBHS, went inactive, the Diamond Bar High School Coffee and Tea Society is brewing a comeback.

Originally, the club offered free coffee-making classes to students, but it went inactive due to the high costs associated with purchasing espresso machines for its members. At its peak, the organization had roughly 40 members.

Senior president Megan Li revived the club this year in order to share her passion for caffeine with other students on campus.

She added the tea component to the club in order to appeal to a wider audience.

The club opts to inform members about coffee and tea rather than instructing members how to create the drinks, which avoids the high costs associated with the club’s inactivity.

Li wanted it to be a place where students could enjoy themselves and meet new friends who share the same passions and interested in the drinks.

“Coffee and Tea Society is a safe haven for students to go on campus,” Li said. “Like how a lot of students go to Starbucks after school to do homework or meet up with friends, CATS is a place you can do

that on campus during school.”

During the club’s monthly meetings, officers distribute tea, coffee and snacks. They present information about the origins of the tea and coffee they pass out. Li said she wanted each meeting to be a forum for discussion and a place where members can bond over their shared interest in coffee and tea.

At the first meeting, officers gave out green tea and shared information relating to its history, which included discussing the differences between the Japanese and Chinese versions of the drink. The coffee was donated by a local business, Mr. Baker Bakery and Cafe.

In addition, Li said the club hosts games for members at its meetings.

Students who attended the first meeting competed in a Kahoot quiz about the information given during the meeting, as well as pieces of trivia about the officers. The winner received a complementary Chick-fil-a gift card.

“I have good friends there, and I like coffee, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone,” senior Justin Feng said.

In the future, Li hopes for the club to host volunteering events in which its members will have the opportunity to share beverages with the Diamond Bar community.

She also said that the club is looking into working with other local businesses but Mr. Baker is currently their go-to option.

Bread and butter of Tawainese cuisine

kate zheng contributing writer Providing a perfect mixture of authentic Taiwanese cuisine with a delicious modern twist, Breadfish Cafe evokes a warm and welcoming vibe with dishes evoking the childhood nostalgia of the food I grew up eating.

The cute cafe offers a variety of dishes integral in Taiwanese cuisine, including snacks, entrees and shaved ice served with a wide selection of toppings. Breadfish also has a beverage menu, which displays all types of milk teas, flavored teas, slushies, smoothies and juices.

I arrived at the restaurant with my friend around 7 p.m., and although most of the tables were filled, I did not have to wait long to be seated. The small cafe was adorned with a simple interior design that’s not too cluttered or extravagant. Due to its wooden tables and flooring, Breadfish eluded a modern vibe. There were also a few cute blackboards and wooden deco-

DETAILS

CUISINE: Taiwanese

ADDRESS: 19253 Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 PRICE RANGE: $5-$10 YELP RATING:

r

SOHPIA KIM ASST. WEB EDITOR

e rn

Cycling into a hobby

Co

Staff

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

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rations hanging on the wall, which added to the simple beauty of the place.

As soon as we sat down, a friendly waitress handed us our menus.

One side of the menu covered the extensive array of snacks and entrees the cafe offered, while the other side displayed the various desserts. The venue only offered two dessert options: shaved ice or fluffy snow with the customer’s choice of any toppings they would like at the price of 50 cents per selection.

After a quick scan of the menu, my friend and I decided to order a serving of popcorn chicken for $4.65, the crispy fried chicken chop entree for $6.75, minced pork with pickles entree for $3.95 and the Taiwanese beef noodle stew for $7.95.

I also ordered a Thai milk tea for $2.59 to accompany my meal.

Although there were many food options, not all of them were available at the time of my visit. I had tried to order three other drinks and one other entree, which were all sold out.

Although I was disappointed, I quickly forgot about the letdown when all our food arrived within five minutes of ordering.

The first dish I tried was the cafe’s popcorn chicken, a staple at every Taiwanese restaurant, and I was extremely satisfied. The crispy exterior was seasoned well with spicy powder and pepper, and the chicken interior was succulent and tender. Like most popcorn chicken, the dish was addicting, and we finished the appetizer quickly.

The noodles in the Taiwanese

Photos by KATE ZHENG

Family owned restaurant Breadfish Cafe serves classic Taiwanese snacks and drinks, including popcorn chicken and tea. beef noodle stew were thick yet still perfectly chewy. The stew smelled delicious, enhanced by the numerous pieces of savory beef in it. The minced pork rice was also appetizing, but I would have preferred the rice to have a little more pork seasoning.

However, my favorite dish was the fried chicken chop entree. The serving came with a side dish of bean sprouts and pickled seaweed, which both had a delicious tangy flavor that paired well with the chicken chop. The chop itself was amazing: the outside was fried to a golden crisp with a beautiful crunch and the inside was both juicy and flavorful.

On the other hand, the Thai milk tea which was sweet and creamy, but it was a bit mediocre compared to other teas I had drank before.

There wasn’t anything striking or notable about the drink.

I had high expectations when I ordered my shaved ice dessert, which was topped with aloe vera, yam balls, grass jelly and red bean, for $7.70 after my meal.

The ice dessert also came fairly fast, and there was a caramelized brown sugar glaze that was poured across the top of the dish, giving the dish an appetizing glow. I dug in, and the first bite with all the toppings was heavenly.

The ice melted in my mouth, and the sweet flavors and chewiness of the toppings added to the delight.

Although the first few bites near the top of the dessert had the perfect amount of sweetness in them, the bottom of the dessert had no flavor to it after the sugar glaze and toppings on the top were eaten.

Although I’ve been to various Taiwanese restaurants before, Breadfish Cafe still stands out for its amazing food.

For its price, the dishes had large food portions. Even though I only ordered a few dishes, I still could not finish everything since the quantity in the servings was so big.

Despite not being able to order everything that I wanted due to certain dishes’ limited quantity, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, and I can confidently say that every cent was worth the excellent quality.

CORRECTIONS In the October issue, in the Luke Shubin article, one of the band names was misspelled. The name of the band is “Ben Jovi.”

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

DBHS ALUMNI EST. 1982

“Recently I’ve had to give up softball to get a job. Dropping a passion I’ve had for a long time was hard, but it’s to benefit my family and siblings. If it makes their lives easier, that’s what I’m going to do. Other people are more in need than I am right now.”

Michael Cheng, 10 “My greatest weakness is my lack of emotions. Thinking analytically allows you to focus academically, but it hinders the emotional side of things and impacts your social life. My plan is to work hard now so I can socialize in the future.”

Humans of Diamond Bar

7

Planting new cartoon ideas

AMY MIYAHARA ASST. A&E Editor

Ameris Fierro, 12

FEATURE

Although not everyone is able to turn their passion into a career, Diamond Bar High School class of 2001 alumnus Ryan Kramer took his love of drawing and pursued his calling in animation and cartooning. Kramer currently works as a storyboarder for the popular children’s television channel, Cartoon Network.

Kramer has been working Cartoon Network, which is based in Burbank, for five years. At Cartoon Network, Kramer serves as both director and writer for the storyboard of various shows.

As a storyboard writer, he draws outlines of what the finished cartoon will look like, through choosing visual elements and adding dialogue.

As a director, he oversees the overall storyboard to ensure that it is ready to be animated. Kramer said that while he enjoys the process of building a premise into a full episode, the hardest part of his job is meeting deadlines.

“Sometimes you have to turn in what you have knowing that it could be better if you only had some more time,” he said via email.

Kramer said that his interest in drawing and cartooning developed from childhood. During his time at Diamond Bar High School, Kramer was involved in athletics and participated in drama productions, but also continued to draw and create comics.

“From a young age I always enjoyed drawing and cartoons, but in high school I would draw comics

Photo courtesy of RYAN KRAMER

Ryan Kramer graduated in 2001 and pursued a career as a cartoonist. about my friends and would love getting a reaction from them. I figured I was decent enough at drawing and humor and decided to pursue a career in animation,” Kramer said. “My decision to pursue a career in animation was definitely influenced by my time in high school because art was the only thing I really felt excited about.”

After high school, Kramer studied animation at Cal State Fullerton, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts. From there, he found an animation internship, which gave him the experience to land his current position as a storyboarder at Cartoon Network.

Kramer has worked on the writing and storyboarding for popular Cartoon Network shows “Ni Hao Kai-Lan,” “Ben 10,” “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness” and “Uncle Grandpa.”

While the simple animation style of “Ni Hao Kai-Lan” allowed Kram-

er to focus more on the storyboarding element of his job, working on “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness” allowed him to develop a different set of skills because of the 3D, action-packed nature of the popular series. “Uncle Grandpa” was Kramer’s first experience writing cartoons from an outline instead of creating a storyboard from a script. “‘Uncle Grandpa’ for me was a special experience because it was a cartoon I would’ve loved to watch as a kid. I was really able to grow as a writer and artist on that show,” Kramer said.

In addition to his job at Cartoon Network, Kramer, along with some of his friends from college, runs a website called toonhole.com, where they post original animations and comics that they have created.

Kramer said that the website provides him and his friends not only a platform to share their work, but also a way to get recruited for other jobs.

“While [Toonhole] only provides chump change for us, it’s actually been the single most important thing we’ve done for our careers in TV animation because that is how we’ve been recruited and recognized for jobs,” he said.

Kramer advises students to pursue their talents, but acknowledges that compatibility and reliability are other important traits in achieving success.

“The best advice I can give is to spend your time doing what you want to excel at,” he said. “Also, you can’t just do good work... you have to be a likable person and be able to turn your work in on-time consistently.”

Photo courtesy of TOONHOLE

Toonhole comics is run by Ryan Kramer and other cartoonists to comment on recent issues.

Taking a gap for an impact Emily jacobsson Editor-in-chief

Cristian Vargas, 9 “My sister is basically me. We act very similarly, so we have a close relationship. She’s the first person I go to when I have a problem or if I need to rant.

We’ve been through a lot, with family life, school life and health.

She’s not only family, she’s a friend.”

Joy Kao, 11 “Be yourself. It’s the only thing that stays the same for your whole life, so you should face your imperfections and love yourself for who you are.”

It seems so natural: after graduating high school, most students attend college regardless of whether or not they know what to study for the next four years. Diamond Bar High School senior Zaina Siyed is challenging that typical path by taking a gap year to focus on herself and exploring the possibility of working with Boeing.

The idea of taking a gap year was first brought up to Siyed by her parents during her sophomore year when she was indecisive about her major. At first, she was opposed to the idea of falling a year behind her classmates, but over time, she also saw that area of study was wanted to pursue was unclear and decided that a gap year would be beneficial “My interests change, and I saw what I did and didn’t do well in when I started taking a lot of AP’s.

[A gap year] became more appealing to me, and now I’m really excited to take it and have a year to work with high school burnout,” Siyed said.

Though she will have a year off from school, Siyed is certainly not taking a break. She plans to utilize her time to continue working on FemSTEM, the nation’s first all-female robotics scholarship program that she currently runs by herself.

With a Los Angeles Times article and a Disney “In the Driver’s Seat” feature video, FemSTEM has gained a lot of media attention for its success. Siyed has also been invited to many conferences to speak about her work with the program.

As FemSTEM is a time-consuming dedication, Siyed looks forward to further developing it and decid-

Photo courtesy of ZAINA SIYED

Senior Zaina Siyed coaches her robotic team, FEMStem. She was featured by Disney in the video “In the Driver’s Seat.” ing what direction she wants to take it in.

Siyed’s supervisor during her internship at Boeing this summer has also expressed interest in hiring her to work at the company.

Normally, former interns can be invited back to lead intern programs, but Siyed will likely become a contract hire, someone who Boeing hires through one of its partner companies. However, she said her supervisor is still looking for a different route that would allow her to be hired as a paid employee; though without a college degree, her case is unprecedented and will be difficult to sort out.

Aside from working on her program and exploring different internship or work options, Siyed has plenty of figuring out to do before she applies for college alongside the class of 2019.

Ideally, she wants to pursue IT Law, the legal side of computer sci-

ence and engineering. Even though she has a specific idea of what she wants to study, Siyed wants to be confident in her decision before applying to college to avoid being trapped in a major she doesn’t want and realizing that all the money spent on college was wasted.

“I need to know exactly what I’m getting into before my parents drop hundreds of thousands on college tuition. This is me trying to figure out how to make the pain for college worth it.”

Siyed has thoroughly researched gap years and taken advantage of online student forums and books dealing with the topic to ease any anxieties she had. Though not a common route for most students, Siyed takes comfort in knowing that there aren’t any real dangers, so long as she keeps wary of any possible restrictions.

For instance, if she took any classes at Mt. Sac during her gap

year, she wouldn’t be allowed to apply to any UCs. Now, as DBHS seniors prepare to take on college as their next step in life, Siyed continues to look forward to exploring hers.

8

FEATURE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

Dear teachers: “Their attitudes toward teaching children makes an impact on the student’s life. I’ve moved around a lot, so teacher-student relationships were pretty important.”

T

Grace Jean

he typical gifts we give teachers range from Starbucks gift cards to homemade baked goodies.

But in reality, the real gifts we give our teachers are our attention and care inside and outside the classroom. However, we are not the true gift givers.

Teachers have given up much of their precious time and patience to work with students and give them a helping hand whenever they need it. This relationship is what students will truly remember about their high school education: here at Diamond Bar is where you can find plenty of those student-teacher connections.

Senior

Danny Mansour

“Teachers are very underappreciated. In reality, they’re the backbone of society. They’re how people learn. Nothing would occur without teachers.”

Junior

Lindsay Arnold

“I would like to think that they come out of my class feeling more positive about themselves and having a better balanced understanding of the world.”

Jasmine Huang

Ryan Lou Sophomore

“Teachers have really shaped my perspective on life. Empathy, confidence and the ability to be positive are all things I’ve learned from teachers.”

“I think most people just try to work for themselves, and they don’t really appreciate enough what the teachers do for them sometimes.”

Senior

José Marquez “They’ll realize that the first year chemistry course that they take in college is a lot easier for them because they had my course.”

Emily Clark “I want my students to learn how to challenge themselves and to believe that they can do more than what they think they can. It’s important to set goals and to believe in yourself.”

Dear students:

Kelly Chacon

“It’s not even about my teaching, sometimes my students need that person who believes in them or understands when they’re having a bad day.”

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

a history of heroes amelie lee asst. feature editor

I

t’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s (almost) a century of the superhero archetype in popular media! Since their first mainstream appearance in the early 1900s, superheroes, especially in the past decade, have taken over television shows, comics, movies and our lives.

From fanatic kids to nostalgic adults, people of all ages obsess over classic heroes such as Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Despite concerns that superhero movies are full of overused tropes and that saving the world is overdone, superheroes and their alternate personas have sustained their place in the media and entertainment for decades.

Superheroes began flying up in prevalence during the Golden Age of Comic Books, spurred by the creation of “Superman” by DC Comics in 1938. Complete with stunning super powers, a secret identity, a vicious archenemy and a beautiful love interest, Superman embodied what a true hero looked like in the 1930s, and his comics quickly grew in popularity. Seeing the public’s positive reaction to the patriotic hero from the planet Krypton, DC Comics swiftly released “Batman,” “The Flash” and “Wonder Woman.”

The rise in popularity of the caped avenger came along with weekly serial films based on popular comics, intended for children, starring various superheroes. However, as serial films decreased in popularity, so did superheroes in the film industry.

In the 1940s, Marvel Comics, then called Timely Publications, released the “Human Torch,” and they were greeted with success. While the Human Torch was well received, he did not leave as much of an impression on his readers, but created an active fanbase for Marvel’s next release: “Captain America.” A Nazi-fighting symbol of freedom, Captain America was an instant hit.

These heroes symbolized a beacon of light in a time when life seemed bleak. In the midst of World War II, everyday citizens looked toward Wonder Woman jumping at every opportunity to fight injustice and comic covers portraying Captain America punching Adolf Hitler in the face. Superhero comics not only entertained the media, but also pro-

vided a figures of hope who could save the world in any situation.

During the 1950s, heroes returned to the big screen through hit television shows, including George Reeve’s “The Adventures of Superman” live action TV series that lasted for six years, and Adam West’s “Batman” from 1966 to 1968. Following suit, the first Batman film was created in 1966, based on the television show.

These new releases created a shift in the media’s interest in heroes-with the public looking forward to new movies and TV shows, rather than the newest edition of their favorite comic strip.

This was not to say comics were obsolete, with the release of the “Fantastic Four” and the “Justice League” comic strips during this decade, heroes worked together for the first time. The new development established the interconnected DC universe and brought a new group of Marvel heroes that abandoned their humble Clark Kent secret personas in favor of a rich and famous Tony Stark lifestyle in the public eye.

As time passed, the Golden Age of Comics ended, and the popularity of classic heroes began to decline. Heroes evolved, but continued to reflect the political atmosphere of the time period: during the 1970s, the rise of anti-heroes began to show up in popular culture and were focused on the harsh realities of life. Heroes like Marvel’s Wolverine and Iron Man continued fighting crime despite their questionable character and lack of a strong moral backbone.

As blockbusters swept the film industry in the late 1970’s, Marvel and DC Comics began to release movies featuring classic heroes from the original comics from the Golden Age. DC Comics’ 1978 “Superman” film skyrocketed superheroes into popular culture once again, winning the first Oscar (for visual effects) given to a superhero film. TV still played an important role in the superhero culture, with the CBS se-

SUPERHEROES ON P. 12

check out our ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ movie review at Dbbullseye.com MARVEL

Founded in 1939

Founded in 1934

headquarters: New york city

headquarters: Burbank, CA

famous heroes: spiderman, wolverine, Captain america

9

From small scale comic books to the big screen, superheroes have left a cultural impact on entertainment and media.

One for the books From the classic comics of the Golden Age to those of the Modern Age today, superhero comic books have entertained readers for generations.

1938 to start the golden Age of comic books, dc comics released “superman.” superman’s amazing powers grabbed reader’s attention and marked the start of the rise of superheroes in pop culture.

DC COMICS

1941 marvel comics, which was then known as timely publications, published “Captain America,” who was a nazi-fighting symbol of hope in the face of world war ii.

MARVEL

1961 Along with Jack kirby, Stan Lee created the first fantastic four comic. He went on to create a number of iconic heroes for marvel, including spiderman, the hulk, iron man and the x-men.

MARVEL

Hungry for more superhero action?

MARVEL vs DC Owned by Disney

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Owned by warner bros. famous heroes: superman, batman, wonder woman, the flash

1986 the release of “Batman: the dark knight returns” embodies the more serious nature and dark content featured in books classified in the modern age of comic books.

DC COMICS

2016 DC COMICS RELAUNCHED WITH “DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH,” BRINGING BACK BELOVED CHARACTERS, NEW STORIES AND TWISTS AND THE INCOMING CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE JUSTICE LEAGUE AND THE LEGENDARY WATCHMEN.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Emily Jacobsson & Pauline Woodley A&E Editors

S

tan: a combination of the words stalker and fan, someone who is overly obsessed with a celebrity, often to the point where it is harmful to both parties.

It’s safe to say that in today’s society, everyone is a fan of someone.

Whether you consider yourself a Belieber or a Selenator, Team Jacob or Team Edward, there is some celebrity that you admire. And although it can be fun to buy t-shirts and make posters for your favorite stars, many young people these days have crossed the line.

Celebrities, especially teen celebrities, count on their young fan base for fame and fortune. But it’s sad to say that many young people are not able to control themselves when it comes to meeting someone they practically worship.

There is no more civility in the interactions between fans and celebrities. The deafening scream of crazy fans is enough to make a celebrity hesitate to want to meet their supporters. While things are bad enough during organized fan meets, should one of these “stans” see their idols on the streets, chaos ensues.

This obsessiveness translates to online activity as well. It’s not uncommon to see fan pages post things like, “I’m going to kill myself,” when the actors that portray their favorite fictional characters don’t get together. On the flipside, there are also the fans that have the same reaction when their favorite celebrity publicly shares about their relationship with their significant other. “How dare they date anyone other than me?”

This can be said of fans of TV couple Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse of the CW’s “Riverdale.”

Their characters Betty and Jughead began dating in the first season of the show, and were affectionately called “Bughead” by fans. The couple was an instant hit, and the show’s fan base began to obsess over whether or not Reinhart and Sprouse were together in real life. On each of their social media posts, you can find thousands of fans analyzing each of their captions, trying to decipher any secret messages that point to their unconfirmed relationship, something that lies strictly in the jurisdiction of their personal lives.

However, it’s not just the relationship statuses of their favorite celebrities that lead to fans going overboard. When Zayn Malik announced his departure from One Direction in 2015, fans started trending the disturbing hashtag #CutForZayn. Directioners were encouraged to take part in selfharm as a way to hopefully convince Malik not to leave. It’s truly horrifying when you see the lengths these young fans will go to, especially with social media encouraging them.

This infatuation with celebrities personal lives is hardly a new trend, but it is sad to see it in such young fan bases. With social media as their outlet, these fans are further affirmed in their thought processes by other fans with just as unhealthy of a relationship with these celebrities. Hopefully one day these younger fans will be able to take a step back and differentiate what it means to support a celebrity versus letting these celebrities consume their lives.

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Student Spotlight Christina pan

TAKE TWO An unhealthy ‘stan’ culture

THE BULL'S EYE

DBHS senior turns her passion for poetry into a book entitled “Imperfect Pieces” pauline woodley A&E editor While most students in middle school worried about their favorite artist’s new song or how to master the latest dance craze, senior Christina Pan had one goal in mind: write a novel.

In the last few years she abandoned the idea to focus on her new-found love of poetry. With help from her peers and the motivation it take to finish such a large project, her poetry book, “Imperfect Pieces,” was born.

Ever since Pan began writing in elementary school, she has had a passion for it. As she grew up, her writing style matured and she turned to poetry to express herself.

“The first piece I wrote for ‘Imperfect Pieces’ was a letter to my future self after the first day of freshman year,” Pan said.

Pan began writing the poems for “Imperfect Pieces” as a freshman, and continued to write short letters and poems all throughout her four years at Diamond Bar High School.

“Throughout high s c h o o l , writing was a form of stress relief.

I didn’t know the impact it would have on me until later.”

Last summer, she decided that she was ready to share her work with the world. After rereading all the poems she had, Pan wanted to take the next step in her writing career. She published one poem on the online publication “Germ Magazine,” made by students for students, and realized that she liked the feeling of her work being published. Afterwards, she began researching how to self-publish and found the exact platform she wanted to use.

“The company that I work with is called Create Space, and from there I was able to sell on Amazon and expand my channel to sell on the Barnes & Noble website. Once everything is approved, the book immediately goes up on the site,” Pan said.

Although Pan was primarily motivated by her love for writing and her personal experiences, she found strength in her friends.

Seniors Crystal Song, Denise Leong and Ashley To contributed by editing her work, formating the poetry and designing the cover art.

“I am

proud to be apart of something so special. I’m not really a writer myself but after this process I feel like I could potentially be a professional editor and it’s something I might be interested in,” Leong said.

Throughout the editing process, Pan had to decide what poems would be published in the final draft. Her goal was to keep her creations personal, but also generic enough that others could relate to it. She wants everyone to take something different away from reading her pieces.

Although Pan is planning on majoring in Management Information Systems, a mixture of computer science and business, next fall, she hopes to continue writing and possibly publish another book in the future. For Pan, writing will always have a place in her life.

Pan’s writing style is best described as personal and raw, as most poems deal with Pan’s experiences in school and relationships with friends and family. She finds inspiration in poet Rupi Kaur, author of the best-selling poetry book “Milk & Honey,” and Khalid, singer of the hit song “Location.”

“He’s only nineteen and for him to be able to put his work out there at such a young age was inspiring.

He made me think that if he could do it, I could do it,” Pan said.

Pan hopes to follow in Khalid’s footsteps and be an inspiration to those that are unsure about sharing their art with others.

“My advice would be to not be nervous. Remember that every artist has had to expose themselves in order to share their art.

Don’t be afraid to put what you work so hard for out there.”

Photo Courtesy of CHRISTINA PAN

“Imperfect Pieces” is a collection of poetry and short letters. Author Christina Pan was able to publish her work through a company called Create Space.

Composing from the heart The mother of a DBHS senior writes pieces for Symphony Orchestra catherine liu Staff writer From her first piano piece at the age of seven, I-chunn Ru has come a long way in her journey as a composer, now writing music for the Diamond Bar High School Symphony Orchestra, which her daughter currently plays in.

“When my son Dustin attended Diamond Bar High School as a freshman in 2011 and passed the violin audition for the Symphony Orchestra, the connection between me and the orchestra started,” Ru said.

After listening to a few of its Wednesday practices, she talked to music program director Steve Acciani and was able to start composing for the group.

“We love the idea. Any time we can get students connected to professionals and adults it’s a great opportunity and being a part of the creative process is a really neat thing for the kids,” Acciani said.

After Ru’s son graduated, Ru’s daughter, Clara Ru, joined the Symphony Orchestra as a freshman.

“She’s always composing at home so it’s something she wants to do and I think it’s good that she has this chance, especially since I’m playing and it feels good to

play her music,” Clara Ru, now a senior, said.

Ru, who majored in composition, graduated from Kow-Kwong High School in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and received a doctorate degree in Musical Art from USC. As a composer, Ru has written music for many ensembles, such as a percussion and a harp quintet group, which are mostly from the Physician’s Chamber Orchestra of Taiwan. She has also taken on projects from other organizations along with doing song arrange-

ments for individuals.

One of Ru’s most memorable experiences was 24 years ago when she was commissioned for a Musical Instrument Digital Interface project by the Grammy Award-winning classical composer Libby Larsen. Larsen was a visiting professor at CalArts at the time that Ru was studying for her masters. After viewing the work of all the graduate students in composition, Larsen had requested Ru to take on the Yamaha MIDI grand piano project.

Photo Courtesy of I-CHUNN RU

I-chunn Ru has composed pieces for the Symphony Orchestra, which her daughter is currently in. Her works include “At the Faraway Place” and “Dance of the Mud Doll.”

“I named this solo piece ‘TonHwa Street,’ which is a famous night market at Taipei, Taiwan, the city where I grew up. From this precious experience, I used my ’notes’ to record and describe the memorable moment,” Ru said.

In addition to composing, Ru is a certified grade examiner of Yamaha Grade Examination in Piano, Electone and Fundamental and a judge of Yamaha JOC composition contest every year. She also provides lessons in piano, composition and music theory.

So far, Ru has composed “At the Far Away Place”(2013), “Pavement Road” (2015), “Dance of a Mud Doll” and “At the Far Away Place” (2017) for the DBHS’s orchestra. A 2017 version of “At the Far Away Place” was turned into a collaboration piece between the symphony orchestra and the leading guzheng (known as a zither in the U.S.) soloist Cynthia Hsiang at a Hollywood recording studio. Ru is also preparing for an upcoming piece before the end of the school year.

“The thing I like best about her music is it’s meaningful. She’s taking folk tunes, things that she grew up with and turning them into things for a full orchestra that allows us to understand more about her culture and be more connected throughout different generations,” Acciani said.

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Youtube channel ‘creates’ content featuring Brahmas Christina Liu Staff writer After seeing other people use Youtube to share their talents, juniors Claire Yim, Queenie Lau and Teri Ng decided to create a club– DBHS Create–to provide a platform for students to share their passion and creativity.

“Queenie and I spend most of our time on Youtube, and we figured not a lot of students put themselves out there,” Yim said.

They first came up with the idea for DBHS Create last summer and decided to publicize their new channel on Facebook.

“We are not the type of people to put ourselves out there, we are actually really introverted,” Yim said. “It was actually really scary, but then we got a lot of good luck messages, we gained a lot of courage and we were like ‘It can become something big.’”

On their channel, they make Q and A videos with students and have a series called “What It’s Like Having” to give viewers a student-perspective of their experience with different teachers and their curriculum. So far, the site includes summaries of the teaching styles of Jennifer Bravo, Lois Cook, Lisa Pacheco, Peter Kottke and Eric Sorenson.

“We are trying to make more student Q and A’s so that other students and teachers around the world can get to know what a student’s life is like at this school,” Yim said.

They have an introductory video on their channel that explains that students are free to post vid-

eos about music, gaming, makeup, sports, drawing, editing, school, dance and more. Yim says that the channel is open to any student who wants to showcase their videos.

“They don’t need to have talent, as long as they want to put themselves out there,” Yim said.

The club’s creators hope to eventually monetize their videos to raise money for Pencils of Promise. This charity uses funds to build schools in developing countries around the world.

“We were inspired to donate to Pencils of Promise because of this Youtuber named bubzbeau-

In an environment like Diamond Bar High School that’s so focused on promoting STEM-related classes, many students fail to recognize the benefits of exposing themselves to the arts. This isn’t just happening in DBHS, but in schools nationwide, as many educational facilities have begun cutting back on art programs due to budget restraints.

The truth is, different people excel at different things—some are more proficient at mathematics and science while others find their calling in the creative arts.

But, those who have managed to dip their paws into both fields tend to hold the upper hand; it becomes an advantage once they’re part of the young adult demographic looking for employment.

Many students have the misconception that choosing a profession in the arts will guarantee a struggle for survival in the future. In the 21st Century, the arts have expanded its influence further than ever before, having significance in almost every occupation — such as the promotional, graphic design and advertising departments present in almost every company.

In a recent study conducted by Education Week, a large population of high school students across

THE THRILL OF IT ALL

Photos courtesy of DBHS CREATE

DBHS Create posts videos informing students about what it’s like to have certain teachers (top), as well as Q&A videos featuring DBHS students (bottom).

the U.S. were tracked for three years and required to take a minimum one credit of art education.

Statistics reveal that students who took more than one credit of art education were 1.5 times more likely to meet or exceed the ACT Plan national average composite score.

These results can be attributed to the dedication arts require. Being an artist isn’t just about working on your art alone, it’s about time management. It teaches the ability to focus on one thing for hours on end, not because you have to finish it for class, but because you truly want to perfect it.

For many, it is also a way to relieve stress while still being productive and creative.

There’s something magical about smearing pencil and paint across a piece of paper and sculpting models with your hands; something special about finally perfecting a song after hours of practicing or watching a recording of yourself act out a compelling story; something unique in the feeling you get when capturing a stunningly beautiful image on film or the sensation of your entire body moving as you dance to a particularly energetic bop.

Learning how to express oneself with color, shape and form can enrich anyone’s life and provide more opportunities than one would have without it.

amelie lee asst. feature editor While Sam Smith might have lost weight since his last album, he hasn’t lost his ability to enchant his audience. Released this last Thursday, “The Thrill of It All” has already reached No. 1 on the iTunes sales chart, and it’s easy to see why.

When Sam Smith released “In the Lonely Hour” in 2014, I fell in love. His lyrics and impressive range had me counting down to his next album. “The Thrill of It All” does not disappoint: from gospel tunes to beautiful tear jerkers, almost every song had me in awe.

The album starts with two slower songs: the hit single “Too Good at Goodbyes” and “Say it First,” a song urging his partner to confess his love. Smith sings with raw emotion and a steady heartbeat-like drum accompanying lyrics. Like his 2014 hit, “I’m Not the Only One,” the song utilizes layered instruments and Smith’s vast vocal range to create a favorite on the album.

Despite being a vocal member of the LGBT community, Smith does not back away from the topic of religion. The entire album is supported with a belting gospel choir and blues-style harmonies, with Smith singing “I’ve never believed in you, no--but I’m going to pray” in his single “Pray.”

The Biblical allusions continue in “HIM,” starting the song with the lyric, “Holy Father, we need to talk.” The song is the most powerful in the whole album, with Smith begging, “Don’t you try and tell me God doesn’t care for us.”

The gospel-style music give his

usually heavy songs a kick, “Nothing Left For You” starting out relatively flat, but quickly escalating with the help of background harmonies. The song is exciting to listen to, and reminiscent of one a Disney villain would sing. With it’s dramatic lyrics and slow build up, I couldn’t help but dance along.

Staying in line with his ability to produce gut-wrenchingly sad music, “Burning,” “Scars,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Thrill of it All” and “Palace” all utilize string instruments and delicate piano that, paired with Smith’s never wavering powerhouse of a voice, emphasize lyrics about heartbreak.

Taking a break from his typical emotional piano ballads, Smith belts out upbeat tunes in “One Last Song” and “Baby, You Make Me Crazy.” While different from anything Smith has done before, these bright songs give the album more variety, complete with, once again, a gospel choir and uptempo piano chords. Walking away from the gospel style, “No Peace” ft. YEBBA added a pop tempo and catchy chorus to the album.

While almost every song on the album impressed me, “Midnight Train” stood out by far.

The song’s heartfelt melody and steady rhythm kept me engaged, and Smith’s heartfelt lyrics about walking away from a meaningful relationship had me in tears upon my first listen.

Although I loved the album, I was left a little disappointed that Smith did not deviate from slower paced songs more. His upbeat songs were catchy and left me wanting more. Despite this, I was ecstatic listening to Smith’s poignant lyrics and masterful piano melodies.

Los Angeles Review

AN A&E COMMENTARY Ingrid chan asst. photo editor

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ty,” Yim said. “She sponsors many of the Pencil of Promise projects and she donates a lot yearly, so we wanted to do it too.”

With over ten videos on their platform, they also run a DBHS Create club and hold meetings to offer students opportunities to contribute to certain videos, help with video editing and participate in Q and A’s. To make students more comfortable, they give them the option to post their videos anonymously.

“Students can actually find happiness,” Yim said. “It’s something that has never been at DBHS so I hope they will support us.”

BENEFITS OF ARTS IN A STEM-CENTERED UNIVERSE

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Two years after its Broadway debut, the hit hip-hop musical has made its way to a Hollywood stage. amy miyahara asst. A&E editor For the past two years, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” has taken pop culture by storm, telling the story of an often overlooked founding father through a number of catchy rap songs. Breaking the record for the most Tony Award nominations for a single musical, “Hamilton” has been praised for bringing history to life in a way that is innovative and exciting to a young generation of Americans.

Fans who do not live in New York have previously had to remain satisfied with just listening

to the cast album, but the road show of the musical has allowed fans nationwide to experience the musical in a full production.

As a part of this tour, “Hamilton” has been running at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater since Aug. 11 and will continue until Dec. 30, and fans who get the opportunity to see it will not be disappointed by stellar performances from the touring cast.

Based on the biography by Ron Chernow, “Hamilton” follows the life of Alexander Hamilton, first as he fights in the Revolutionary War, and later as he serves as Secretary of State under George Washington. Along the way, his

Photo Courtesy of THE HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES

Solea Pfeiffer (left), Emmy Raver-Lampman (middle) and Amber Iman (right) play Elizabeth, Angelica and Peggy Schuyler, respectively, in the Los Angeles production.

reputation is damaged, his ideas are challenged and his pride is hurt, but he constantly proves his ability to rise up and ensure that his legacy lives on for generations to come.

Reviews for the Los Angeles production have been nothing but positive, and it would be an understatement to say that I was excited to watch the show. My expectations were already sky-high, but I was completely blown away by the performance regardless.

As Hamilton, Michael Luwoye was perfect to portray the nonstop and tireless nature of his character. Broadway veteran and multiple Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry captured Aaron Burr’s underlying jealousy of Hamilton’s success through songs such as “Wait for It” and “The Room Where it Happens.”

Another memorable performance came from Jordan Donica, who was energetic and entertaining as Marquis de Lafayette in the first act, and a fitting balance of eccentric and cocky as Thomas Jefferson in the second act. In addition, Rory O’Malley, best known for originating the role of Elder McKinley in the original Broadway production of “The Book of

HAMILTON ON P. 12

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Heroes of all sorts SUPERHERO FROM P. 9 ries “Wonder Woman” marking the first superhero show starring a woman on television. Over the next ten years, multiple sequels to the public’s favorite DC heroes were published, mainly Batman and Superman.

The 90s saw the first “Captain America” movie released by Marvel. Deemed a failure by most critics, the movie prevented Marvel from releasing another major film until the start of the 21st Century.

Despite the flop, the entertainment industry’s thirst for superhero movies refused to be quenched.

The early 2000s brought waves of movies from both DC Comics and Marvel, featuring favorites from original comics such as “X-Men” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

DC Comics continues to release remakes of “Superman” and “Batman,” and the first two movies from Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy were greeted with almost unanimous adoration for their dark and thrilling content.

Recently, 2017’s “Wonder Woman” has also garnered mass attention, as the first full-length film starring a female superhero. The

character has become a feminist icon, through the impeccable portrayal by Gal Gadot.

Fanbases for heroes have been growing through the internet and by the time “The Avengers” was released in 2012, people were obsessed with heroes. Recent movies and TV shows showed heroes and antiheroes working together in unstoppable teams, with DC’s “Suicide Squad” and “Legends of Tomorrow,” along with Marvel’s “Defenders” and “Agents of Shield” gaining in popularity over recent years.

The “Avengers” dream team gave fans an opportunity to see all their favorite heroes on screen at the same time, further spurring fervor for Marvel content. In recent years, the Marvel universe has expanded, pulling together heroes from every corner-from “Doctor Strange” to the “Guardians of the Galaxy”-ready to fight in “Infinity Wars”.”

While superheroes no longer serve as hope for a country faced with war, society still seems to look to the heroes on our screens as symbols of justice. Their faces and identities are ingrained into pop culture, and celebrities are

Hamilton wins over Hollywood HAMILTON FROM P. 11 Mormon,” was hilarious as the role of King George, perfectly encapsulating the nuttiness of his character.

Much of the strength of “Hamilton” and what truly sets it apart has been in its diversity of casting, and the tour cast is no different.

Most of the lead roles are played by people of color, which serves as a good reminder of what it truly means to embody the spirit of America, especially during a time when the political climate has not favored minorities.

The most impressive part of the live production was seeing the choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler play out. While those who are familiar with the cast recording will find that the auditory elements of the show mostly parallel the album, watching Blankenbuehler’s choreography unfold on the stage was a completely new experience and a unique way of storytelling. Each movement was artfully calculated to express the mood of the scene, and the fluidity of the dancing completely enhanced the overall experience.

Getting tickets for “Hamilton” is, unfortunately, not an easy or cheap task, but if you are given the opportunity, it is definitely

an experience of a lifetime. However, for those who do not have the chance to see “Hamilton” live, the cast album is available to all on iTunes, Spotify, and Youtube.

For those who have not listened to it already, I would highly recommend doing so, as it allows you to experience the magic of the story of Alexander Hamilton, and nothing compares to the flawless vocals of the original Broadway cast.

universally known for the hero they portray.

With new heroes released through television shows and movies like “Arrow,” “Ant Man” and “The Flash,” it’s clear that the entertainment world adores someone who does not hesitate to fly to the rescue. While other pop trends come and go, we will always need our heroes-like Gotham needs Batman.

dbbullseye.com Photo courtesy of MARVEL

FEATURE

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

13

LET’S GET PHYSICAL!

High school is a stressful time, and we often prioritize other things over our mental and physical health. Though it is easy to look past, exercise should be a part of every student’s schedule. See how these four students stay in shape despite busy schedules.

MARY ZHOU (12) “Working out gives you more energy and also, you can eat more after that. My goal is pretty general, I just want to be fit and be able to eat more. “

3:30

Routine Highlights: • Thirty minute walk home after school every day • Weekly 30 minute workout with personal trainer • Exercises with family at gym once a week

NATALIE SANTIAGO (10)

HOURS A WEEK

“My main goal of my exercising isn’t necessarily to stay fit, but to excel at the sports that I am in. Being healthy is really important, so everyone should try to work out as much as they can.”

Routine Highlights: • Differs per sport season • Cross country: bi-weekly 5-6 mile runs • Track: run the track and baseball fields • Basketball: practices dribbling, passing, scrimmaging and learning plays

8:00

HOURS A WEEK

JENNY KIM (12) “For me, exercising isn’t really for my appearance; it’s more for my mentality. I feel more relieved and stress free than normal.”

Routine Highlights: • Doesn’t follow set schedule • Exercises based on the moment • Push ups, squats and sit ups • Summer routine: weekly hikes

12:00 HOURS A WEEK

CHARLIE LIANG (12) “I like exercising because at a certain point in my life, I wasn’t comfortable with my body. I wanted to change and make myself happy. I’m happy now, and it has improved my self-confidence.”

14:00 HOURS A WEEK

Routine Highlights: • Monday: Chest and Triceps • Tuesday: Back and Biceps • Wednesday: Legs and Stretching • Thursday: Shoulders • Friday: Legs

SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ A MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THESE WORKOUT ROUTINES

14

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

Lady Brahmas reach quarterfinals VOLLEYBALL The girls’ five game winning streak came to a halt against St. Paul in the third round.

Ryan Chae sports editor After ending the season on a three game winning streak and placing third in the Palomares League, the Diamond Bar High School volleyball team’s run ended in the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs, losing to St. Paul in three sets.

The girls’ journey to the CIF was an arduous one, filled with the major loss of junior outside hitter Emily Chiang and close games, but after ending the season on their winning streak the Lady Brahmas claimed an official spot with a league record of 5-5.

“It’s been a roller coaster of a season,” senior captain Ana Figueroa said. “Those wins really helped boost our confidence because it showed we were able to adapt to changes.”

Early on in the season, the girls’ team goal was cohesiveness, but the rough beginning led head coach Katie Swetnam change it to energy.

“Our coach realized it was not about how well we work together, but how well we start together,” Figueroa said. “We would always start the game slow, and we wouldn’t have the right mindset entering the game. We needed to start off strong and finish stronger.”

Through seven games, the girls

were 2-5 and fifth in league. Down two sets on Oct. 13 against Ayala, the Lady Brahmas willed themselves to a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs and kept their CIF hopes alive.

It was this game that senior Ana Figueroa called “the turning point” of the season.

The girls won their next match against South Hills in a close 3-2 victory. DB won the first set, but the Lady Huskies won the next two sets.

The Lady Brahmas pulled off another clutch effort, winning their next two sets.

DB ended the season with a 3-1 win on senior night over second place Claremont, clinching them a berth in the playoffs.

“We finally played with cohesion. I had a lot of girls step up and take charge on the court after they started slow on the season. Our drive and our passion led to our winning streak,” Swetnam said.

In the first round of CIF, the team defeated Shadow Hills on Oct. 31 in three sets, winning the Lady Brahmas’ first playoff game in nearly five years.

They followed up that win with another victory over Cerritos on Nov. 2 in four sets. On Nov. 4, the girls’ five game winning streak came to end at St. Paul.

Though the season is over, Swetnam felt that the team did a great job this year.

“I’m extremely proud of the girls. Coming out of last season where we finished fifth in league, the expectations were low overall for our program, and it turned into a little Cinderella story,” Swetnam

PHOTOS BY HANNAH LEE

Senior Hannah Wangsa returns a volley against Cerritos on Nov. 2.

said. “We finished third in league and made it to the quarterfinals, which hasn’t happened since 2012.

I feel that we exceeded everyone’s expectations including our own.”

Next season, the team will be losing half their team to graduation, but Swetnam said she believed that the team will be fine with the experienced gained by the underclassmen.

“I think we’re going to look good next year. We’re going to be strong next year and we have to work hard, but a lot of the players on the court were juniors and a few sophomores.”

LA fans finally get taste of series The Dodgers play in the World Series for the first time in 29 years. ryan chae sports editor For the first time in the lifetime of Diamond Bar High School students, the Los Angeles Dodgers made an appearance in the World Series, playing in one of the most exciting seven game series in recent times.

The Dodgers took on the Houston Astros in what many have already called a World Series classic as the lead went back in forth during some of the most intense playoff games in years. Though the Dodgers lost the series, 4-3, many students were emphatic about their excitement that their Dodgers were in the postseason finale.

“I can’t believed it happened.

I finally got to see my team in the World Series,” junior Perry Wang said.

Faculty members were equally thriller about the series, including lifelong fan GLC Marc Natividad, who sported Dodgers gear multiple times on campus.

“I could remember back to when they won it in 1988. I remember being with my dad and watching the game with a lot of excitement. I was nine-years old when I saw that World Series,” Natividad said. “I remember the huge moments from the game.”

Each game had a different story to tell. From Game 1’s battle of the pitchers between the Dodgers best player Clayton Kershaw and the Astros’ ace Dallas Keuchel to Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood throw-

ing a no-hitter for the majority of his outing, everyone had a different moment they remembered vividly.

Both Natividad and Wang thought Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson’s three-run home run in Game 4 was the most memorable play.

Game 2, especially, had one of the craziest finishes in recent memories with six home runs in the ninth, tenth and eleventh innings. Senior Jeremy Kim had the good fortune to attend that game.

“We knew how privileged [we were] because my brother was a huge baseball geek. Everyone there was totally into it and excited to be there. You could tell how different it was from normal games,” Kim said. “Whenever we were on top or having our top hitters come up, everyone would go insane. People were saying the stadium looked

like it was shaking.”

Kim was so ecstatic at the game that he hugged a stranger that he had never seen before.

“I hugged a random man while at the World Series because we were so excited and celebrated at the fact that dingers were being hit, runs were happening and things were going our way,” Kim said.

Even though the Dodgers had lost that game, 7-6, Kim called it the “greatest game he had ever been to.” The series itself was not a disappointment, other than the fact the Dodgers had lost a great matchup against a stacked Astros team.

“It was really an endurance game. The Dodgers were so eager to win, but they were tiring out against the Astros. Still, it was the greatest World Series I have seen,” Kim said.

Photo Courtesy of JEREMY KIM

Senior Jeremy Kim attended Game 2 where the Dodgers lost 7-6 in extra innings.

The Lady Brahmas defeated Cerritos 3-1 in the second round of the CIF playoffs.

Playoff run ends at SCGA GIRLS GOLF The Lady Brahmas win their fourth straight league title.

Justin Prakaiphetkul asst. sports editor Winning every league match for the past four years, the Diamond Bar High School girls golf team has won its fourth straight Palomares League title with a 13-0 record in league and the CIF Central Divisional Title, along with its thirteenth Freelance Championship. The Lady Brahmas fell short of advancing to the CIF State Finals, however, as they finished sixth in the SCGA Team Qualifier Tournament.

In the CIF-SS Individual Finals, which coincided with the SCGA Team Qualifier Tournament, senior Crystal Wang and freshman Emma Han advanced to the CIF State semi-finals as individuals.

The girls won the CIF Central Divisional Title by shooting 379.

Wang led the team to the victory by shooting 2 under par. The Lady Brahmas have won five of the last six CIF titles in their division.

In the CIF Individuals Divisional, Wang placed second shooting 67, and junior Kailie Vongsaga tied with five golfers for 14th with a score of 74. Han was tied with nine other girls for 26th, shooting 77.

The three girls qualified for CIF-SS Individual Finals.

“The team did awesome. I’m super proud of how they played,” Vongsaga said. “Crystal did awesome, so I’m very happy that she’s doing well and it’s her last year so I’m really going to miss her.”

Although sophomore Angelica

Kuswono tied for 35th, she missed the cut line by one spot due to a sudden death match. Kuswono was named the first alternate.

“She went out there, she tried her best, and I’m just proud of her for doing that,” Vongsaga said.

“She never gave up.”

In the League Prelims and Finals, Wang finished first, shooting 6 under par to win the league MVP trophy, Han placed second and twotime league MVP Vongsaga took fourth. Kuswono and freshman Michelle Chang both finished in the top nine, while sophomore Esther Lee made the second team Palomares All-League Honors. The top nine golfers with the lowest scores earn first team Palomares AllLeague honors and also qualify for CIF Individuals Divisional.

The Lady Brahmas defeated Claremont with a score of 191-218 in their final league match to win the Palomares League. This year’s title win marks the ninth time the team has won a league title.

“I’m genuinely proud and excited that this team is continuing to grow and continuing to play their very best,” Vongsaga said.

Vongsaga stated that she was impressed by the way freshmen Han, Chang and Alicia Kuo have carried themselves this year.

The team also finished first for the second year in a row in the Ayala Tournament with a score of 392.

Lee, who won the tournament last year, was runner-up this year, losing by just one stroke.

“She stepped up and really did good, she had a great round,” head coach Tony McCabe said.

Although the team lost at the SCGA Team Qualifier Tournament, Wang and Han will continue to play at the CIF State individual semi-finals.

THE BULL'S EYE

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

SPORTS

Winless year sets up off-season FOOTBALL Finishing their first season with a new coach 0-10, the Brahmas continue to develop. christina liu staff writer With the Diamond Bar High School football team winless in both the preseason and the regular season, head coach Kevin Argumosa is preparing for the off-season, in which he can focus on getting the Brahmas in shape for the next season.

“Patience, a lot of patience,” Argumosa said. “In my 18 years of coaching, I’ve been going to programs understanding kids had knowledge of football, but while coming here, I felt the kids had not fully understand the game and what was going on.”

In their final game of the year, DB lost to Claremont, 45-32.

Entering DBHS, the coach focused on instilling the fundamentals of football and the team concept of “believing in each other.”

“It’s very hard coming in as a new staff and to a new program when something is new [for the players] to just buy into it, yet the boys bought into it much quicker

HANNAH LEE

Junior Jeremiah Chukwadobe rushes against Claremont in a 45-32 loss.

than expected,” Argumosa said. players, the coach disciplines the Also, the coach has started to players by enforcing extra condiemphasize the importance of discitioning, such as bear crawls or laps pline, creating around the a list of the track. players who “Both on “It’s really exciting that would be playthe field and we are going in next year ing games. off the field, with guys with varsity The list is we don’t get football experience.” based on the in trouble as KEVIN ARGUMOSA player’s attenmuch as we dance in pracused to in the tice and class, past,” junior and it dictates running back who will sit out for a quarter or the Jeremiah Chukwudobe said. “The entire game. Instead of scolding team as a whole is getting better,

and we just need to focus on fundamentals and focusing.”

Entering the season, there were few returning starters as the team lacked varsity experience.

“The younger guys have a lot of playing experience, so it’s really exciting that we are going in next year with guys with varsity football experience,” Argumosa said.

The young Brahmas struggled at times during the season, losing three of their league games by over 20—Glendora 45-13, Ayala 47-25 and South Hills 56-6. However, the team showed flashes of potential for next season as they lost multiple matches on last minute touchdowns, such as the boys’ season opener against Bonita, 42-39.

“There were many games where we should have won,” Chukwudobe said.“We have all the assets, all the players. We just need to finish up the season.”

To build the players’ strength and stamina, Argumosa plans for the team to condition in the weight room two hours a day every week, once off-season rolls in.

“As long as the boys take the off-season program seriously and do what they are supposed to do, I could see us improving a lot more from where we are now.” Argumosa said. “The off-season is really going to dictate what is going to happen in-season.”

Brahmas find niche on ice Three Brahmas play hockey for Bishop Amat High School in La Puente and practice in Ontario.

On the West Coast, hockey is not a major sport for most high school students. But Diamond Bar High School junior Matthew Ho, sophomore Nolton Burns and freshman Aidan Yim go out of their way to pursue competitive hockey, traveling to La Puente to play for the Bishop Amat High School team.

Ho, Burns and Yim practice three times a week, two days on Wednesday and Saturday for a group practice while one day is for individual practice. The group usually holds practice at the rinks that are available in Ontario, such as the Center Ice Arena.

“We just go to the rinks and do some outdoor workout,” Ho said. “Then we would go onto ice for an hour to two hours just to weave in, weave out, do some drills and polish our skills.”

Ho started skating in third grade before taking up ice

why can’t I do it?’”

Ho was able to play his first hockey game through the program, In-House at Anaheim Ice. The program gave Ho experience in competing against other players and trying to work together with different people as a team. After playing hockey recreationally for three years, Ho wanted to play more competitively and researched ways to get involved, before discovering Bishop Amat’s hockey team online.

The Bishop Amat’s hockey team accepts players that do not attend its school to make up for their lack of players.

“We were able to get in contact with the manager, and she gave us the location of tryouts in the summer. I went in, and I got accepted,” Ho said.

He improved throughout the years, starting off his freshman and sophomore year as a starter for the junior varsity team before becoming a transition player for both the JV and varsity team in his junior year. When playing for varsity, he plays as the wing while he plays as a center for JV. M e a n while,

hockey in fifth grade.

Skating was something that Ho decided to do recreationally with his friends until he became interested in competitive hockey after watching a game.

“When I was nine, I watched my first hockey game,” Ho said.

“It was a really intense game, and I really enjoyed it. I was like, ‘You know, they’re skating that fast, so

Burns started playing roller hockey when he was four, introduced to the sport by a friend of the family.

“At first I didn’t like hockey, but the more I played it, the more I got

catherine liu staff writer

INGRID CHAN

Junior Matthew Ho, sophomore Nolton Burns and freshman Aidan Yim all played in the same recreational program before joining Bishop Amat’s team. to know the game,” Burns said.

Burns played roller hockey up until ninth grade when a friend recommended he play for the Bishop Amat team by his friend, who played roller hockey with him.

Burns played for one season with the In-House ice hockey team before trying out for the high school team.

“It wasn’t that different, but just the stopping and stick handling was the big difference,” Burns said.

He is now a transition player for the high school, playing defense for JV and forward for varsity.

“I like ice hockey better than roller hockey. I like the physicality of it,” Burns said.

Aidan Yim, who learned the fundamentals of hockey from his father, has played the sport for six years, including three with InHouse.

“My dad bought me a pair of skates and then I just played with him for a year. Then, he put me in an In-House league,” Yim said.

In sixth grade, Yim started to play for a club called California

Wave, and won a championship at a Christmas tournament with the team.

Hearing about Bishop Amat’s hockey team through his friends at the club, Yim soon tried out and made the cut.

On the team, Yim plays as a transition player for both JV and varsity, playing defense for JV and center for varsity.

Yim said that with hockey, he had to overcome the pressure he felt at times that would cause him to mess up.

“It is a lot of pressure on you sometimes and you don’t want to make mistakes,” Yim said.

Yim said that he is able to handle this by taking a break on the bench and focuses on relaxing before returning on ice.

Ho, Burns and Yim all said that they hope to continue playing hockey in the future and if possible, in college.

“I still have a lot to improve, I think I will try to [continue hockey] or do some recreational [games] in college,” Ho said.

15

SPORTS COLUMN

Heir to the NBA throne Justin Prakaiphetkul Asst. Sports editor

E

very decade, a new NBA superstar comes forward and replaces the longtime alpha dog as the new best player in the world.

Whether it was Michael Jordan dethroning Magic and Larry in the 1990s or LeBron James surpassing Kobe in the 2010s, a new face is guaranteed to take the league by storm before eventually hitting his prime and taking his rightful place as the NBA’s poster boy. With LeBron nearing his mid thirties, I see no better candidate to dethrone the King than the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (pronounced Yonnis Antay-tu-koompo).

It can be argued that Antetokounmpo is the most physically gifted player in NBA history. Antetokounmpo’s 7 feet 3 inches wingspan and 6 feet 11 inches, 222-pound frame, make him unguardable.

Players literally bounce off Antetokounmpo when he drives into the paint, similarly to how defenders are pushed aside when LeBron steamrolls to the hoop.

Additionally, Antetokounmpo can play all five positions, making him the most versatile player in the modern NBA. He has the handles of a guard, the elite agility and cutting ability of a forward and the height to play center, depending on the opponent.

Last season, Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in the five major statistical categories, averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. The scary part about this is that the Greek Freak is only 22 years old, which means he is years away from reaching his seemingly limitless prime.

This season, Antetokounmpo has recorded video game numbers, producing averages of 31.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 58.3 percent from the field. At times, it seems as though Antetokounmpo is simply cruising his way through the competition.

If Antetokounmpo is able to maintain this level of production and the Bucks finish as a top five seed, he should have the MVP trophy locked up, and he may even be the first player in NBA history to rack up back-to-back Most Improved Player awards.

Although players such as Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Davis certainly have their capability to be LeBron’s successor, they also have their drawbacks.

Meanwhile, the only weakness in Antetokounmpo’s game is his lack of a reliable jumpshot. However, with each passing year, Antetokounmpo continues to improve his field goal percentage. If he can keep up his current progression, he should be able to shoot jumpers consistently in no time.

Currently, I cannot see a ceiling for his game. Unlike most players, there is no perfect comparison for this freak of nature. When I watch Antetokounmpo, I see flashes of Magic’s ability to use his height to his advantage, LeBron’s speed and court vision and Kobe’s mentality.

There has never been a physical enigma like Antetokounmpo in all of basketball history. We, as fans, should be grateful that we are witnessing greatness unfold right before our eyes. The only thing that I can say with surefire confidence about Antetokounmpo is that he will one day be the best player in the NBA.

SPORTS

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NOVEMBER 8, 2017

THE BULL'S EYE

T F H O E E M T ON

74 60 19

Total Points

1st on the team

Total Goals

1st on the team

Total Steals

3rd on the team

Stats from maxpreps.com are available only for 17 games

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Division 6 2016 All-CIF Second Team

aa

ro

de

TH

ATHL

16

n velar

2016, 2017 USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics

38.4%

2017 DBHS Water Polo Leading Scorer

of the team’s goals

Starting water polo in his freshman year, the team’s leading scorer has spent all four years on varsity. cindy liu asst. news editor Transferring from one school district to another halfway through middle school is never easy, but Diamond Bar High School senior Aaron Velarde found a passion that made him feel at home.

“They brought me in; it was a giant family and I really like that atmosphere,” said Velarde, who joined the varsity water polo team in his freshman year and continued playing his entire high school career.

On the DBHS varsity water polo team, Velarde is a utility player, manning any position the team needs him at. However, he mostly takes on the role of the main scoring option.

According to Maxpreps, in 17 games Velarde averaged 3.5 goals per game and totaled 15 steals, 13 assists and 69 points. He also ended the season as the team’s leading scorer.

“Aaron is a natural leader,” water polo head coach Alexander Matal said via email. “He is humble, confident in his abilities and loves to compete.”

Just two years after joining the

sport, Velarde found himself competing in the 2016 USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics against athletes from all over the country. Last summer, he returned to the Junior Olympics and the team finished in second place in its division.

“It was a great accomplishment,” Velarde said. “I didn’t think I’d be getting that far because it started out to be just a hobby. [But] it just turned into something more [and] I became really serious about it.”

In addition to earning a spot in the Junior Olympics, Velarde also started for the Brahmas in his junior year when DB made a run to the CIF semifinals.

“It’s definitely nerve wracking because I have a lot of pressure on me going into games,” Velarde said.

“But as the games go on, the nerves go away and I just have to play my games and do what I can do.”

Outside of DBHS, Velarde plays for Chino Hills Area Water Polo Aquatics, one of the top water polo teams in the nation. He started playing with the club near the end of his sophomore year, which was when he became serious about the sport.

“I just really sat down and thought about it, and I knew I could

do something with this,” Velarde said.

Being on the water polo team also introduced him to coach Kevin Hammond.

“After I joined freshman year, I really looked up to our coach because he kind of took me in like I was his son,” Velarde said. “That was kind of cool, like I had someone watching over me over my high school years.”

Playing water polo also forced Velarde to manage his time well.

On top of balancing his academic and social life, he practices water polo for roughly 15 to 20 hours a week.

Having played on the water polo varsity team his entire high school career, Velarde saw firsthand how the team changed over the years.

The graduation of the senior players on the team led to some difficulties with maintaining the level of the team.

“A really big challenge is just the change from last year to this year because a lot of our more experienced players graduated last year so it kind of set us back because we had incoming [players] who weren’t really introduced to that level of playing until this year,” Velarde said. “We had to try and…use

our experience to help those new people to get used to the play style.”

Despite his success in high school, Velarde is unsure about pursuing water polo on the collegiate level.

However, water polo represents an important aspect of his high

school career.

“I’ve always strived for success since I started [water polo]. I always push myself and that’s why I keep going,” Velarde said. “Knowing that I’m pushing myself and getting better and better every day is what I love about water polo.”

Senior Aaron Velarde led the Brahmas in scoring and points this year.

CALVIN RU

CIF run ends in first round GIRLS TENNIS The Lady Brahmas’ CIF play ends in the first round, losing to Canyon 13-5.

“Overall our team [just needs to] remain confident and sure in our skills.”

AMY XIA

noor naji opinion editor After placing third in the Palomares League, the Diamond Bar High School girl’s tennis reached the CIF playoffs for the second year in a row with an automatic bid; however, the Lady Brahmas’ run ended in the first round.

In their first CIF match against La Quinta, the girls won 14-4. They subsequently lost against Canyon, 13-5, finishing the season with an overall record of 8-8 and a league record of 6-4.

For CIF individuals, seniors Casey Mach and Amy Xia were the only girls to make it past the first round for doubles after winning 9-7. However, the Lady Brahmas lost in the next round, 8-5, on the same day.

While the season was solid overall, there were many bumps and turning points throughout the fall season. According to senior captain Zaina Siyed, many of the other schools in league improved. She

Photos by INGRID CHAN

Singles players junior Ellie Delano and senior Angeline Cheng paired up. said that it was particularly true for Ayala and Claremont, as their “new players were very difficult opponents.”

Moreover, the team’s close win in a tiebreaker against Glendora was pivotal in changing the routines and practices for the Lady Brahmas. “[The tie] was too close for comfort. And in general, that is not

what we expected going into the match,” Siyed said. “Our coach felt that a lot of the players weren’t living up to their full potential, at least in that match. That was just a reminder to always be on the top level, so you don’t have close call like that again.”

After the win, the Lady Brahma immediately began planning better ways to improve and place higher

within their league. As a result, coach Alexis Feix maintained a strict practice schedule.

Moreover, instead of running through exercises as a team, Feix focused on certain individual strengths and weaknesses. The players were sorted into individual and doubles groups, as the two focused on different skills. Drills were categorized into stations, in which the players could practice on volleys, matches or serves. Feix focused on a handful of players at a time to help improve their technique.

According to Siyed, this year the team figured out doubles, and smooth partnerships over the course of the season. And their double game has generally improved.

“I think as a whole we worked together more, and [Coach Feix] really encouraged and motivated us to do better. Because we practice a lot and dedicate a lot of our time to the team, we are a lot better than we were in the previous years,”

Junior Megan Young returns a serve in a 13-5 loss against Claremont.

Mach said.

With nine seniors leaving the team next year, Xia believes that the Lady Brahmas will continue to do well as long as the players work hard and keep “a positive attitude.”

“Overall our team [just needs to] remain confident and sure in our skills, even if we do have a few rough patches and bad days,” Xia said.