opinion 5
inside the issue
Pro/CON: college food
ALL MALE’S
A GUIDE TO VALENTINE’S DAY feature 7
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OPINION
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F E AT U RE
Freshman Boxer
a&e 11
the bull’s eye NEWS
sports 15
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JANUARY 27, 2016 Volume XXXIV, Issue V ONLINE at dbbullseye.com
ART S & E N TE RTA I N ME N T
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S P O RT S
‘Caring’ coach is remembered Asst. water polo coach Alexander Alan Ruiz collapsed Jan. 12 and passed away soon after. emily jacobsson asst. a&e editor
ERIC HONG
Drama members bid farewell to students from Evergreen Elementary School as they leave the school after the conclusion of the Children’s Theater. The event was Tuesday through Friday, starting on Jan. 19.
Drama brings children’s stories to the big stage
Last week, the department put on its annual Children’s Theater for area schools. pauline villegas asst. a&e editor
Diamond Bar High School’s advanced drama department has lifted the curtain, dimmed the lights, and yet again shined on stage in their annual performance of Children’s Theater.
Lead by the head of the drama department, Beatrice Casagran, the advanced drama students each helped to write plays based on storylines straight from the minds of local children. From Jan. 19 to 22, the drama department performed five short plays to elementary school kids within the district. Each of the stories was written by children from local elementary and middle schools. The department then picked the five stories that they enjoyed the most and transformed them into plays.
The performance also allowed the actors to see what interests children. Each submission was written by someone under the age of thirteen, which gave the show a youthful vibe. “It has taught me what kids like. It has also taught me the different energy levels in theater. For first graders, we needed to amp the energy level up 100 percent until it almost feels ridiculous. That is something that is still a learning curve for all of us,” senior Julianna King
THEATER on p.3
More than just a dedicated coach, Alexander Alan Ruiz was a loving father, husband, and friend who touched the lives of many during his two years at Diamond Bar High School. On Jan. 12, Ruiz collapsed on campus after water polo practice and later died at a local hospital. The official cause of Ruiz’s death has not been determined, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. However, a brief explanation of the events of Ruiz’s collapse was given by interim principal Guy Roubian. When leaving campus after practice, Ruiz collapsed in the parking lot. The other assistant water polo coaches were with him at the time and were able to initiate CPR until the paramedics arrived. Ruiz still had a heartbeat when he was taken to the hospital, though he died shortly after. DBHS students are still coping with the loss of their beloved coach and role model, including freshman Isabel Cambiaso, who wrote Ruiz a poem which she shared with several of her team members to help with the mourning process. On Jan. 13, water polo team members were allowed to leave
Photo courtesy of THE RUIZ FAMILY
Alexander Alan Ruiz, who was a coach at DBHS, also served as a sensei at the Red Dragon Karate Studio.
their normal class schedule in favor of receiving grief counseling from a group of professionals brought on campus. “Coach Ruiz was the type of person you’d never forget after meeting. He was very caring and protective over us. Coach Ruiz was a wonderful person, and there won’t be a day that goes by where I won’t miss him,” senior varsity water polo player Mia Le said. On Jan. 21, during an away game at Glendora, the girl’s water polo team was presented a card signed by all the players from the opposing team, a tree to plant on campus in honor of Ruiz, and purple and gold balloons, which the girls on the frosh-soph team released. Ruiz had been involved with
WAter polo on p.2
Establishing a DB respite State enacts new legislation
Laws that take effect in 2016 include changes to driver safety and immunizations. brian chang asst. news editor
Not even the state government is immune to the “new year, new me” trend that accompanies the start of every calendar year. In 2016, California legislature is implementing laws that will radically affect the lives of its citizens, and several of them may directly impact students at Diamond Bar High School. Driving is a dangerous activity, but the state hopes to reduce some of the risks associated with getting behind the wheel with new legislature. It is now illegal to wear headphones or earbuds while
driving or while riding a bike. Furthermore, the California Highway Patrol is now authorized to issue more “Yellow Alerts” to help drivers identify and catch hitand-run drivers. These alerts will be placed on highway signs to give descriptions of hit-and-run cars, making it easier for passerby to identify and report such drivers. New drivers who are eligible will be automatically licensed to vote by a new piece of legislation. However, such a process will only be implemented after a statewide database of licensed motorists is created, a move expected to be finished soon after the primary elections in June. In the Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento, and Tulare counties, those who are convicted of driving under the influence are required to use Ignition Interlock Devices, which have prevented over one million cases of drunk driving in
laws on p.2
Located in room 254, the Wellness Center will be open for tired and stressed students. ingrid chan staff writer
In the planning stages since September 2014, the Diamond Bar High School Wellness Center is about to officially open. As a resource for struggling students to rely on, the Wellness Center will be promoting its usefulness by having a school-wide fair on Friday. “It has become abundantly clear to not only myself as the peer counseling advisor, but also to the counseling staff and GLCs that we need an extra layer of support for our kids, and that we have kids who are really stressed out because of academic pressure,” current Peer Counseling adviser Sandy Davis said. The center is located in room 254 and will offer several activities
and tools to help students deal with stress including advice, anxiety relief, yoga, and guided meditation. Trained student consultants are available to give others strategies on how to deal with their problems, and an adult counseling staff is accessible for individuals troubled with more serious issues. The student wellness interns will utilize what they have learned
“...it’s going to be awesome, and I hope that students will really embrace it and be proactive...” SANDY DAVIS over the past two years to help fellow schoolmates with whatever difficulties they may have. “There is a wellness internship, something students can actually sign up for as a elective. The requirement is that you need to have at least one to two years of peer counseling training. If someone’s interested in going into psychology, social work, or therapy, this
would be a great opportunity,” Davis said. The center will be open every school day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will always have a wellness consultant on hand to attend to the needs of students. The consultants of the Wellness Center will walk students through steps on how to solve their problems as well as provide strategies for anything that a student may be troubled with. Exercises to help students deal with stress and time management will also be made available at the opening. The goal of the center is to teach students how to develop social skills and ways to cope with everyday problems. The idea of such a place was proposed to former Principal Catherine Real over a year ago, and was then resubmitted after her approval because it had to then be approved by the district. Administrators have been very supportive of the project, and approval from the school district was
wellness on p.3