INSIDE THE ISSUE
opinion 5
feature 8
a&e 11
the bull’s eye NEWS
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OPINION
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FEATURE
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sports 14
JANUARY 22, 2020 VOLUME XXXVIII, ISSUE V ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS
Brahmas make the big leagues Ten DBHS students earn early admission to renowned institutions. vera wang staff writer A life-altering letter. A spontaneous phone call. A congratulatory email. As four grueling years of high school come to an end and early admission notices are sent back to expectant students and their families, at least 10 Diamond Bar High School seniors have already received acceptances into prestigious colleges this year. Among the students are Mena Hassan, who was accepted to Stanford, Mason Pan and Jolynn Zhang to Brown, Christopher Lee to Columbia, Sean Chang and Jay Siri to California Institute of Technology,
Lawrence Wang to Johns Hopkins, Ryan Lou to Georgetown, Brandon Zhou to Washington University and Catherine Lu to both CalTech and MIT. Lee, who applied for early decision as a psychology major, was initially drawn to Columbia due to its location in New York and was also attracted to its core curriculum and history. Attributing his success to the honesty he exhibited in his essays, Lee was frank when addressing his flaws and failures, using them to his advantage to showcase the crucial roles they played in cultivating his triumphs. “If I had to choose one thing [that made me stand out], it’d be how my application told a unique story,” Lee said. “My essays weren’t written with the aim of perfection or quality; they were written to show exactly what I stood for, who I was, and why I did what I did.” Meanwhile, Zhou, Siri and Lou
Photo courtesy of CHRISTOPHER LEE
From left, seniors Catherine Lu, Mena Hassan, Jay Siri, Brandon Zhou, Lawrence Wang, Sean Chang, Mason Pan, Ryan Lou and Christopher Lee have received early admittance to well-known universities such as Stanford and Georgetown. credited their achievements to their extracurricular activities and the unique opportunities each experienced. Zhou, who wants to major in general biology, participated in badminton and won many accolades throughout high school. Siri, who hopes to major in chemical engineering, had a chemical engineering research internship at Stanford the summer before senior year.
A new bill will allow easier language transitions for English learners.
The new campus facility is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2021.
Two years ago, Measure WV was passed, gifting Diamond Bar High School’s instrumental music program with $9.8 million to build a new facility: an instrumental building that will be built near the school’s tennis courts. Construction is planned to start within the next month. The current band room is not the ideal size to fit the 700 students enrolled in the music program, according to band director Steve Acciani. The new building will have much more room to accommodate all the students and groups in the program. “It’s [current bandroom] too small and cramped for the size of the band right now,” band president Kyle Kato said. “A lot of the time, we have to shove groups into different rooms, like in the 500 building.” Acciani said that he is unsure about what the current band room will be used for once the instrumental music program moves to the new building. The rest of the
BUILDING ON P. 2
ences. “I chose to apply to Georgetown University because of its numerous perks,” Lou said. “Since I want to study political science, Georgetown’s location in Washington, D.C. could not be more perfect, allowing me to easily find research or internship opportunities.” Despite being undeclared at the moment, Lou combined his inter-
ADMITS ON P. 2
State broadens horizon for ELD
Work on music building to start abigail hong asst. photo editor
“I think [the internship] really showed my passion for STEM and my drive to seek out opportunities rather than waiting for them to come to me,” Siri said. Lou said he believes his engagement in various competitive campus activities was the main catalyst for his acceptance. Through his participation in Mock Trial and Science Olympiad, Lou was able to display his passion for both the humanities and the sci-
TIFFANY LEE
Carrie Yee, left, and Rhoda Dizon assumed the roles of recently retired Brahmas.
Adjusting to different job responsibilities
DBHS staff members are getting acquainted with their new positions. renee elefante news editor After Coleen Gee and Nancy Horton, longtime members of the Diamond Bar High School staff, retired in December, they were replaced by Rhoda Dizon and previous Office Assistant Carrie Yee. Dizon, who is a breast-cancer survivor, took over Gee’s classes in AP/IB Studio Art, AP Art History, Academic Support and Introduction to 3D Design. She was a student teacher at Suzanne Middle School and became a long-term substitute teacher there and at Walnut High School before
teaching high school English in the Chino Valley and Alhambra Unified School districts. She then worked in the San Bernardino City Unified School District as a ceramic art teacher. However, she went on medical leave after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment ended in July 2019. “After a few months of survivorship, I was ready to apply to art teacher jobs,” Dizon said via email. “Being sick and then becoming a cancer survivor confirmed my life’s purpose as a teacher.” Dizon found out about the position opening in Walnut, where she grew up, on edjoin.org and wanted to return to teach there. When she was a child, she drew landscapes and attended art galleries with her family. She then
NEW STAFF ON P. 3
comprehensive manner. However, since these classes didn’t meet their A-G requirements, students would have to take summer classes to ensure they received all their credits. By josh chou Before students can be in integrated classes, they must take a AND somiya jajieh state test called the English Language Proficiency Assessments In response to California Assemfor California (ELPAC), which bly bill AB 2735 that was passed last tests their proficiency in listening, summer, Diamond Bar High School speaking, reading and writing. is taking a new approach to its EnOnce students meet the test’s criglish classes. Specifically, the bill teria, they no longer have to take affects students who’ve recently the test. Some students meet the met the state requirement for Encriteria for the test within a year, glish proficiency, leading to their but the state of California requires integration into regular English every English learner to take the classes. exam until they pass. According to DBHS ELD teacher These students must also take Silvia Martyr, AB 2735 allows indithe Smarter Balanced Assessment viduals who are considered English Consortium. learners to partici“It’s pretty pate in mainstream rigorous as far “Students have the classes. The law as learning a right to take any class helps these students new language, they want regardless meet their A-G remeeting criteof their proficiency in quirements, as sturia of the ELthe English dents are allowed to PAC and being language..." take anything from able to pass it,” regular-level classes Martyr said. SILVIA MARTYR to APs. Instruction“Students have al Dean Julie the right to take any class they Galindo says that this will be a perwant regardless of their proficienmanent change at DBHS. cy in the English language, except While the curriculum won’t be for very, very newcomers, who will modified, teaching strategies will be having their English-developbe altered. ment class,” Martyr said. Teachers are given training by Before the law was introduced, the Sheltered Instruction Observastudents who were less proficient tion Protocol (SIOP), which focuses in English took sheltered classes. on components such as lesson deMartyr mentioned that these livery, comprehensible input and classes sheltered the material stuinteraction. dents were given in order to deliver information in a challenging and CLASSES ON P. 12
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NEWS
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
Securing spots at desired schools her admission. “The results came out at 4 p.m. ests in science and politics, considon Friday and I was volunteering ering to continue his education in that day when I gave my parents my international politics at the Walsh portal login because they wanted to School of Foreign Service. check [first],” Hassan said. “Then, “I have always been super pasa minute or two after, my mom sionate about influencing policy, comes running into the place where especially environmental, and to I was volunteering and she starts be able to learn to accomplish such screaming and hugging me, telling goals on a global scale through the me that I got in. When I got home, Walsh School is I hugged my para dream come ents and called “Be your own person. true,” Lou said. some friends and Find yourself. Put your Stating the watched some best effort into everyinitial appeal for Stanford videos Stanford as its that I was keepthing you do..." beautiful caming myself from CHRISTOPHER LEE pus, weather, and watching before close proximity so I wouldn’t be to Silicon Valley, Hassan, too sad if I didn’t get in.” who wanted to attend the Urging juniors to avoid school ever since her freshman procrastination and begin preparyear, was also greatly influenced ing their college applications in by the professors and top tier acaadvance, all 10 seniors emphasize demic resources offered at the uniauthenticity and passion as means versity. for success. She intends to major in com“Find something you like to do,” puter science while also studying Lee said. “Be your own person. public policy, political science and Find yourself. Put your best effort economics. into everything you do. If you reHassan was beyond ecstatic ally want something, nothing can when she found out the results of stop you.”
ADMITS FROM P. 1
the staff Editors-in-Chief News Editors Asst. News Editor
Maggie Liu, Elizabeth Peng Renee Elefante, Elizabeth Peng Anika Yatawara Grace Lee Reyna Wan
Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editor Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editors A&E Editors Asst. A&E Editor
Kate Zheng Somiya Jajieh, Emily Koh Josh Kim, Maggie Liu Josh Chou
Sports Editors Asst. Sports Editors
Ryan Lam, Johnny Wang Victoria Artale, Alex Chun
Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editors
Victoria Artale Abigail Hong, Tiffany Lee
Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Web Editors Asst. Web Editor Staff Writers
Nia Mitchell Ryan Chan Renee Elefante, Josh Kim Reyna Wan Connor Cho, Camille McCurry, Vera Wang
Adviser
Doug List
Photos courtesy of ANKUSH SAHGAL
Diamond Bar High School senior Ankush Sahgal, right, was awarded the youth grand prize with his submission “Winter.”
Keeping an eye on the prize DBHS participants in city photo contest win several categories. tiffany lee asst. photo editor Hundreds of Diamond Bar residents competed in the annual Through My Lens photography contest, with three Diamond Bar High School students securing the win for their submissions. The contest is open to DB residents and separated into two divisions: youth (17 or under) and adults (over 17 years old). Participants can enter one of five categories: nature, digitally altered, people and pets. Within each division, the grand prize, first place and honorable mention recipients were awarded $150, $100 and $50 in their categories, respectively. All submissions were due in October. Results were announced on Dec.
17 at the Diamond Bar City Hall, with returning senior Ankush Sahgal receiving the grand prize in the nature category with his submission titled “Winter,” which captured a hummingbird feeding on a flower near the gym. “For the hummingbird shot, I would watch its pattern and set up my shot where I thought the hummingbird would be in advance and wait for it to return to that spot,” Sahgal said. He also won first place in the people category for “Hungry,” a high-quality black and white photo featuring his friend in the rain during his photography class. DBHS photography teacher William Foley introduced his class to the contest before the deadline submissions. Although he didn’t help with nor had the final say in his students’ submissions, he taught his classes about the composition and the basics of using the camera. “I tried to recommend that all of my students enter,” Foley said. “But I do give special encourage-
ment to those students who are especially talented, based on what I have seen of their work.” In the digitally altered category, junior Aileen Park won first place with “I Believe We Will Win,” a picture showing a student cheering during Branding Iron “He was showing a lot of school spirit, so I wanted to highlight that in my submitted photo by changing everything to black and white except for the things that he showed spirit with,” Park said. Senior Alexander Moon won in the pets category with “Hard Day’s Night,” capturing his dog sleeping peacefully after a long day of play in a different perspective that shows a reflective light on the floor his dog is laying on.
CORRECTIONS In the December issue, the TEDx DBHS story mistakenly referred to junior Anna Chen as a sophomore.
A major addition for band BUILDING from P. 1 building, however, will remain as the choir room, drama room and theater. “We needed a building that could facilitate multiple groups rehearsing at the same time,” Acciani said. “At any one point, we can have 14 different groups rehearsing at the same time.” The ground floor of the building will have a room large enough to fit the 280 students marching band members, and it will also have an attached color guard room and percussion room. There will also be a uniform room and a parent workroom, a kitchen-like room for parents to prepare food for parades. This level will have 30-foot ceilings.
The second floor will not be a full floor, but rather a mezzanine with offices and recording studios for the students and staff. The final floor will be on the same level as the gym, allowing easy access, and will have an orchestra room that converts into a recital hall. There will also be practice and ensemble rooms. “We’ve been meeting with the architects for two years now, and what they’ve did, basically, was that they would watch how our program works, especially with our use of chamber music and small groups and individual lessons, and things like that,” Acciani said. The band directors had complete say in what would go in the new building, having held around
15 meetings with the architects so far. Acciani said that the design of a three-story building will make the facility more cost-effective and accessible. Initially, the building would have been low and flat, not allowing the marching band to have space to rehearse outside. However, this was a design made before taking the price into account. “They’re supposed to start breaking ground at the end of this month, beginning of February,” Acciani said. It is currently scheduled for Feb. 19 after school. The construction is planned to be completed 16 months after the groundbreaking, but with possible weather conditions and other delays to construction, the building should be ready by Fall 2021.
EXPLORING INTERNSHIPS
contact us Diamond Bar High School, Room 459 21400 Pathfinder Road Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Phone: (909) 594-1405 x33459 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 459 or submit them online at dbbullseye.com.
ABIGAIL HONG
DBHS seniors Varun Gomatam and Cassandra Jeon presented at the Brahma Tech Internship Fair on Jan. 14 in the LINC.
THE BULL'S EYE
JANUARY 22, 2020
NEWS
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IRAN-U.S. CONFLICT LEADS TO IRANIAN PROTESTS
A U.S. drone killed Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 2. In retaliation, Iran launched 20 missiles at Iraqi bases that held U.S. troops. That same day, the Iranian government accidentally shot down a Ukrainian plane that had 176 passengers and tried to cover it up. After the government admitted to accidentally shooting down the plane, Iranians, united after Soleimani’s death, took to the streets in protest. TIFFANY LEE
Diamond Bar High School graduates visited on Jan. 10 for the annual Calculus Alumni day held by the math department.
WILDFIRES SPREAD ACROSS AUSTRALIA
Guiding future generations
Kangaroo Island in South Australia went up in flames last week. Over a dozen koalas and kangaroos were killed, adding to the hundreds of thousands of animal casualties from fires in December. In an effort to help the animals, Steve Irwin’s family has opened their zoo to over 90,000 animals.
Alumni cover topics on mental health and provide academic advice. PHYS.ORG
BRITAIN TO LEAVE EUROPEAN UNION WITH BREXIT
Though the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, Brexit will finally become a reality on Jan. 31. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement, which describes the transitional period, was approved by the House of Commons earlier this month.
UNAUTHORIZED FUEL DUMP CAUSES INJURES
Sixty people, including 20 children, were treated for minor injuries after plane fuel was dumped on seven Los Angeles elementary schools on Jan. 14. Delta Flight 89 was making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport when the pilots decided to dump the fuel without asking for approval, an action that has raised questions among aviation experts.
MAJORITY OF RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT RESIGNS
Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a proposal on Wednesday that would allow him to stay the leader after 2024 when his presidency would end. He later suggested amendments that would grant the prime minister and parliament more power. However, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the entire Russian government resigned.
CAMILLE MCCURRY staff writer Students are constantly receiving college advice from teachers and parents. However, their experiences are different from those of current college students. With this in mind, Diamond Bar High School’s Calculus Department held the annual Calculus Alumni Day on Jan. 10, providing students the opportunity to learn about college from recent DBHS alumni. With this year’s event came some changes to the traditions established by the event’s creator and former math teacher Howard Alcosser. For example, attending alumni now have to sign up for periods ahead of time so teachers have an idea of which schools will be represented and can send questions in advance, allowing the speakers to prepare answers ahead of time. Thirty-eight alumni attending a
variety of schools had the chance to speak to Calculus AB, BC, HL and MACH5 students about a variety of topics. This year’s focus was mental well-being, with questions surrounding struggles with homesickness. “I purposely only applied to colleges on the East Coast just to get out of California, but that being said, homesickness is very real the first year of college; I cried every time I FaceTimed my parents,” class of 2018 alumna and University of Pennsylvania student Amy Xia said. “But it does get better with time, and like everybody said, you make your own life and you’re now developing yourself even more in college to the point where it does feel like home.” Questions were not only focused on mental health; the alumni also gave advice on college applications and academics. “There were a lot of things that I was told to do in high school, middle school, growing up that I’m glad that I did not do because they would have been a complete and utter waste of time for my mental health and me as a person, and I was right,” class of 2018 alumna and Boston College student Sun
Kim said. “If there are things that you hate doing right now, that you can’t wait to quit in college, just stop, because at the end of the day,…it probably won’t even matter in one or two years.” As many of the alumni attended college either out-of-state or on the coast, they had to find roommates. Class of 2018 alumnus Hunter Baoengstrum attends Santa Monica College, which does not have any on-campus living options, so he found an apartment. “The first year, I lived with roommates in West LA, and it was OK. We had some disputes, but overall it was a nice experience to live with people who aren’t going to university. For example, there was this one middle-aged couple that was living together to share the cost of an apartment,” Baoengstrum explained. “[I found them through] Craiglist. Use it with extreme caution, and meet them in person multiple times before agreeing to room together...because some people were more than a little bit concerning.” After the event ended, students could stay during passing periods or after school to ask the alumni any specific questions individually.
Getting a fresh start second semester NEW STAFF from P. 1
TIFFANY LEE
Neuroscience club sophomore member Elise Kwon, middle, looks at a sheep’s cerebral tissue with junior officer Nikki Yip.
Taking a peek inside the brain
The dissection event offered members an interactive experience. ANIKA YATAWARA ASST. NEWS EDITOR Trying a more hands-on approach for club activities, Diamond Bar High School’s neuroscience club held an on-campus brain dissection during lunch on Jan. 16. During the event, which was held in science teacher Richard Goya’s room, club officers dissected a sheep brain in front of the club’s members. During the dissection, officers offered an in-depth narration about the brain’s anato-
my and explained how the different parts worked. “We made connections [between] the sheep brain and the human brain, like how the sheep brain is smaller and not smart [compared] to the human brian,” senior officer Christopher Lee said. The members sat in four small groups with one officer assigned at each table. Only officers were allowed to make incisions during the dissection process while members were able to touch or hold the brains. “In this area, there’s not a lot of places where you can learn about neuroscience,” senior president Brian Lee said. “So, we wanted to create an environment where we can bring the knowledge to our members and instill a curiosity for
not just neuroscience but science in general.” Lee said the event was meant to elevate the learning experience for club members and give them a better idea of actual anatomy. “We didn’t want to do this in a traditional PowerPoint presentation because this [anatomy] is truly foundational knowledge that we want to make as interesting as possible to learn for our members,” he said. Club officers ordered the five brains used during the dissection through the school. “If we had a question, we could ask and they [the officers] could just tell us right away using the dissection,” sophomore Elise Kwon said. “Overall, I learned a ton and it was really interesting.”
enrolled in the IB art program at Nogales High School and later received her bachelor’s degree in art history and literary journalism at UC Irvine. She also received her teaching credentials in social science, English and art, as well as her master’s degree in education from Cal State Fullerton. In addition, she has created fan art of Marvel, DC, “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars” universes for fun, showcasing them at the Montclair Place and a few Manhattan Beach galleries. “Drawing and painting help me express my emotions and the challenges or successes I have experienced onto paper or canvas,” she said. So far, Dizon said she likes being at DBHS and is grateful for Gee’s help in transitioning into her new job. “Everyone is so warm, friendly and supportive,” Dizon said. “It is challenging to begin second semester, but I know that I’ll have help when I need it.” Dizon said she would love to advise an art or community service club. She is also willing to advise a travel/art history club because she has traveled through Europe and Asia or a wellness club since she has practiced yoga and meditation for 10 years.
Meanwhile, Yee worked as an Office Assistant in the front office since the end of the 2016-2017 school year. She still has some of the same responsibilities in her new position of Assistant to the Principal, like answering phones, greeting visitors and helping students and parents who enter the office. She was a psychology major at Cal State Fullerton and earned her master’s degree in Leadership and Management at the University of La Verne. Yee applied for the position because she said it would be a good opportunity for her to grow as a staff member while remaining at the school, allowing her to have the same schedule as her children, who attend Evergreen Elementary School, and spend time with them during the breaks. “I love it here at Diamond Bar,” Yee said. “It’s great to work here with the kids. The staff has been very welcoming and supporting in my transition to this new role, and ...working with them in this new capacity will allow me to get to know them even better.” In her new role, she wants to help students and parents have a good experience when they come to the school, and she also wants to help Principal Reuben Jones by taking some of the burdens off of him. The Office Assistant position is currently open and will be filled by the end of February.
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OPINION
EYE EDITORS
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ocial media apps are some of the biggest platforms for reaching audiences around the globe. Because of this, more and more international and domestic news have become more accessible to an increasing number of teens and children. However, these social media outlets, primarily Instagram and Twitter, are now simply tools for a majority of teens to “repost.” In the summer of 2019, Instagram was filled with posts and stories by accounts such as Plantatreeofficial, claiming to plant a tree for every “like.” As a result, gullible teens who hoped to contribute to the forest restoration and improvement of the environment reposted and promoted these posts. Though some of these accounts are credible, such as the company Tentree, which garnered over 14 million likes, a majority were not
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
and utilized the app’s users to gain money off of their posts. Recently, the Australian bushfires have made headlines in both news outlets and social media. Again, teens rushed to publish posts on social media, urgently calling to help the country combat its fires and save the wildlife. As sincere as these people might be, spending a minute and choosing which post they should put on their social media doesn’t contribute much to the conversation on the issue. People should spend more time to inform themselves on the topics at hand. Another current example is the standoff between the U.S. and Iran. People on social media exaggerated details about the situation through memes. Though these posts about World War III and military drafts started out as jokes, some people began to think that
- OPINION - Teens’ social media posts about serious topics
WW III was imminent. Although most of the population can only sit and watch as the situation unfolds, making jokes about the crisis is irrational and doesn’t add anything to the understanding of the conflict. It isn’t that the good Samaritans on social media don’t do some good—without them publicizing news much of the population would be unaware. Teens who truly want to contribute can instead make a change by supporting bills and petitions on issues that they care about, which is a more direct route for change. And if social media happens to be the most accessible and quick way to make an impact, people should take time to look into organizations and posts for credibility instead of promoting them because others on the Internet choose to do so.
are superficial and ignorant of their severity.
From the Brahma Perspective Most teenagers are pretty ignorant on [serious] topics since they’re just posting it for clout, fame and to fit in with people. WAEL ALSAYED (12) Even though [the posts] are jokes, it still raises awareness and affect the people who don’t know anything about it. QUANG PHUNG (10) Memes are a sort of coping mechanism, because [they] are a form of humor and can be used to lighten the burden of serious topics. IAN MCCURRY (9)
Hollywood minorities cast as diversity bait
Anika Yatawara Asst. News Editor
T
hroughout history, societies have become more accepting of the various communities within, including different races, sexualities and genders. Although popular culture has, in part, grown with these new standards, there is still much more it can do toward increasing representation. Since its inception, Hollywood has produced movies that idealize unrealistic standards of people’s
lives. In recent years, however, it has attempted to expand its categories with the objective of diversifying its content to reflect the lives of all types of people. Movies such as “Love, Simon” and “Call Me By Your Name,” touch on topics of self-acceptance and having the courage to come out to others. Such movies have definitely left a positive impact, not only inspiring and encouraging LGBTQ youth to express themselves but also teaching people the importance of acceptance. However, even in LGBTQ movies, the main characters are inevitably Caucasian males. Hollywood has attempted to embrace all communities, as seen in films like “Moonlight,” a story about a young African American named Chiron and his journey through life and adolescence. The movie captured the hearts of many
by perfectly balancing the exploration of sexuality and identity, with a person of color as the lead. This film, however, is a single exception as Hollywood remains too general in its approach in diversification. Netflix tried to add diversity to their platform by launching “Strong Black Lead,” an advertisement introducing their endeavor to include more African Americans in movies. Originally welcomed by the public, many soon saw the ad as more of a marketing campaign than a call for representation. According to an article from Medium, pop culture writer Cate Young said the campaign failed to capture any message they meant to convey other than reminding consumers of their inclusive platform. In this instance, I would side with Young. Other than the campaign’s failure to send a message to Netflix’s audience, the timing of its
debut blatantly points out the real reason behind the campaign—to cover up for their PR chief’s slip up and make money from the scandal. One reason why audiences feel that content is disingenuous correlates to those working behind the camera. Anyone involved in the creation of movies draw their inspiration from personal experiences. It can be difficult to create a narrative that is unfamiliar, especially if a majority of the people working on it are unable to relate. For this reason, it’s imperative that diversity is present among the people working on major productions too. Hollywood’s grounds for casting so few people of color in their films is due to the fact that many stars do not belong to this community. However, casting up-and-coming stars who are people of color can work to the industry’s advantage. One example is American actress Nora
The pain of social media detox
Kate Zheng Feature Editor
D
Cartoon courtesy of SARAH SEIF
ear Diary: With the entire world focused on meaningless events on social media, it can be hard to concentrate on things that are really important. Therefore, I have bravely decided to take on the overwhelming task of a social-media cleanse, I voluntarily choose not to use social media apps on my phone for as long as possible and instead socialize in person. After leaving my phone number on every app possible so that others can contact me in case of an emergency, I decided to begin my journey. It has been a solid two minutes and 35 seconds since I deleted my Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat apps. I have to say, I am feeling amazing! Without the constant notifications from my phone, I am now forced to focus on things that matter, such as improving my En-
Lum, otherwise known as Awkwafina. Lum starred in the hit 2018 movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” The film was praised for its amount of representation, due to its all-Asian cast. Since the movie’s release, Lum has fashioned a bigger name for herself, making Golden Globe history as the first Asian-American to win best actress. Although pop culture has expanded its horizon, more can be done. In the film industry, there should be more call auditions and roles designed and executed by people of color. Members of the LGBTQ+ community must have a bigger voice and more representation for their sub-communities. Popular culture continues to uphold blatant misrepresentation within the industry; it’s important that we as a society shine a light on this lack of diversity and pursue change.
SATIRICAL
glish by writing and talking to my family, both activities I never would have thought to do if it wasn’t for this enlightening cleanse. Being away from social media for such a long time has also greatly reduced my feelings of anxiety. An excruciating ten minutes has passed since the last time I updated my diary, and I take back what I said about the reduced feelings of anxiety. Missing human connection, I picked up my first newspaper since middle school, but I was horrified to discover that our beloved Barack Obama was no longer our president. Instead it was this man named Donald Trump, and although I had just learned about him serving as the U.S. president, it seemed that he was already halfway through his presidential term. It has been 15 minutes since the start of my social media detox, and I can already feel the end approaching. I received a few important emergency texts and calls from friends asking to hang out. Although my cleanse is doing its job by forcing me to meet up and have face-to-face conversations with people instead of depending on FaceTime, I had to say no to their invitations. I mean, what is the point of hanging out with anyone if you can’t post a cute photo or Instagram boomerang to your story? It’s almost as if I can’t be hap-
s p o ra d i ca ll y
py with myself or continue living my life without all the online validation I receive through likes and comments from fellow peers. It has been one minute since I last updated my diary, and I am slowly realizing that my life has absolutely no purpose without social media. I mean, why am I even persevering with this cleanse for so long if I can’t post about it on my Snapchat story and relay to the entire world how brave I am for carrying through? What is the point of this detox if I am not encouraging other avid social media users online to do the same? I can’t believe I gave up hours of endless and humorous scrolling on TikTok for face-to-face conversations with my family. This is so not worth it. After a painful 20 minutes, I have decided that it is time to end my social media cleanse challenge. I am proud of myself for pushing through such an excruciatingly long and tedious period of my life in order to rediscover myself and my thoughts without the influences of social media. I feel rejuvenated and am learning to appreciate myself without validation from others (at least for the first half of my cleanse before the anxiety kicked in). So long detox, maybe I’ll see you again when I need to take another serious break from social media.
THE BULL'S EYE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Time for ERA has long since passed gracenotes
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Grace Lee opinion editor
early 40 years past its deadline for ratification, the Equal Rights Amendment is long overdue. Although the ERA would be a historical landmark if it were to be ratified, the amendment’s symbolic value is not worth the struggle to make it a permanent addition to the Constitution. The ERA intends to guarnatee equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex and ends legal distinctions between men and women. The amendment was first passed by Congress in 1972 at the height of the women’s movement, but only 35 states out of the needed 38 ratified the amendment before the 1982 deadline. Just last week, Virginia’s General Assembly passed the ERA, which opens the path for Virginia to become the last state needed for ratification. One reason why the ERA is implausible today is that even if Virginia became the 38th state to pass the ERA within the state legislature, the deadline set by Congress has already passed and five states have withdrawn their ratifications. Since the political and societal standings have drastically changed since the last century, it wouldn’t be right to say that the states’ ratifications from so long ago could
apply to the amendment. To be considered again, the amendment would need to go through Congress and garner the support of 38 states once again. Opponents have clashed with supporters by stating that since five states have rescinded their ratifications before Virginia passed the ERA within its state legislature, the three-quarters majority needed to ratify an amendment is still not met. Though it is unclear whether taking back support for an amendment is permitted, this just adds to the complexity of the situation. So many aspects of the current situation of the ERA are unclear, which means that the ERA would need to go through extensive debates for an agreement on its fate. The efforts to include the ERA in the Constitution overshadow the benefits that the amendment may bring. Maybe the fight to include the ERA in the Constitution would be worth it if it somehow magically solved the gender inequalities present throughout society. However, the ERA is a bold, vague statement that will not bring much concrete change, much less tangible results. In fact, the ERA may even hurt women. Many existing programs, such as ones that promote STEM education for young girls, may have to be debated in court, according to The Hill. Instead of wasting time to argue whether the ratification is valid, it would be better to focus on passing legislature to help women today. It is up to the state legislatures to create bills for women’s rights to help even the playing field. Although the Equal Rights Amendment would be the only other amendment besides the 19th, which gave women the right to vote, that guarantees women’s rights, it would be a better choice to focus on making concrete change instead.
OPINION
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An ‘F’ for effort
Cartoon courtesy of JAMES WU
Taiwan’s leader of change
Josh Chou Asst. A&E Editor
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uch to the dismay of Mainland China’s ruling party, Taiwanese citizens voted on Jan. 11 to re-elect Tsai Ing-wen as president for a second term. Tsai, a hardliner against reunification with China, brings uncertainty to the already strained U.S.-China relations. However, her win reaffirms Taiwan’s commitment to democracy and progress, as she is the only candidate pushing for deeper ties with the U.S. When strongman Xi Jinping gained control of Mainland China in 2013, many believed he would lead China down the road to democracy, similar to what Mikhail Gorbachev did to the Soviet Union.
Instead, he changed China’s constitution to give him an unlimited term. China’s Communist party has only tightened its grip over its local governments and people in a deeply troubling trend since then. Compromising with such a demanding, authoritarian administration will lead to nowhere for Taiwan. Hard lining toward independence is the only way that it can continue being a liberal beacon of democracy as China continues its human rights abuses toward Uyghurs, an ethnic group, and denies Hong Kong citizens their rights to freedom of speech and democracy. China claims that it would grant Taiwan a certain degree of autonomy if it integrated into the Communist government. However, after seeing Hong Kong’s violent attempts to protect its supposed “two systems, one country” rights, Taiwan won’t easily be swayed into a similar approach. Although Tsai’s first term was troubled by threats of Chinese invasion, economic sanctions and diplomatic quarantine, it’s clear that Taiwanese voters were more concerned with their independence.
Taiwan’s alliance with the U.S. remains somewhat shaky, but Tsai is the best candidate to strengthen it; in 2016 she phoned President Trump to congratulate him on his win, marking the first call between American and Taiwanese leaders since 1979. Since her re-election, Tsai has scheduled new free trade deal talks with the U.S. and proposed a new extradition treaty that would prevent wanted Taiwanese criminals from fleeing to the U.S. Perhaps even more controversial is Tsai’s request that a U.S. official be present at her inauguration. Her ambitious U.S.-centric agenda shows her willingness to take initiative in deepening U.S.-Taiwan ties: the opposite of what Beijing wants. Such an initiative is necessary for an independent Taiwan. It currently sets an example for a liberal, democratic Chinese nation, and remains the only free place in the Chinese-speaking world. Tsai is still a controversial figure and many fear her actions will lead to China invading Taiwan by force. But in times like these where Taiwan’s future looks uncertain, her vision and resolve are what the island needs most.
Redefining asylum and immigration
Maggie liu Editor-In-Chief
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s a first time voter in the 2020 presidential election, I know that it is vital to not simply vote along party lines but to thoroughly understand the best solutions to the trending—but often misunderstood—topic of illegal immigration. Building a physical southern border is not only rudimentary but also does not address the main forms of unauthorized residency in the U.S. Border protection should be focused on ports entry point where most illegal crossings take place. President Donald Trump’s irresponsible restructuring of funds is wasteful and ineffective. Also, many attempting to cross the southern border are asylum seekers. As outlined in Joe Biden’s policy, there should be pathways in place to help such people instead of shutting them out. The process of applying for and processing asylum claims must be streamlined to efficiently allow those with legitimate claims to enter legally. Biden plans to expand visas mostly to high-skilled workers. The Pew Research Center ranks the U.S. in the middle of developed
countries in terms of the percentage of immigrants with post-secondary education. However, a large number of undocumented aliens have overstayed their visas. Biden must include ways to circumvent this problem to help the economy and prevent illegal immigration. For the 11 million undocumented aliens currently residing in the U.S., a path to citizenship must be built. According to America’s Voice, an organization that supports immigration reform, naturalization will result in a $568 billion GDP revenue increase in ten years. This contrasts with the estimated $114 billion needed to remove all undocumented immigrants. Although Biden’s administration hopes to “aggressively advocate for legislation,” it does not have a definitive method in place. While many of Biden’s policies mirror those of his fellow Democratic candidates, his more moderate stance is the most beneficial for our nation as a whole. For example, one of Bernie Sanders’ leading goals to decriminalize immigration altogether is questionable. The 1929 law that criminalized border crossing was not widely enforced until President George W. Bush with Operation Streamline. Supporters of decriminalization like Sanders argue that even under these presidents the law was rarely enforced. However, by completely forgoing this law, illegal crossing will be encouraged. More energy should be put toward structuring legal pathways for those in need of asylum and with legitimate reasons to immigrate.
“Build the Wall,” one of many 2016 campaign slogans, remains one of President Trump’s main policy issues for his 2020 candidacy. Trump promised to build a 450-mile wall along the U.S.-Mex-
The progressive Bernie Sanders is one of the biggest advocates for creating a path toward naturalization for Dreamers. His official immigration policy calls for expanding DACA and Deferred Action for Parents of American and Lawful Permanent Residents. Sanders wants to provide naturalization for all 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
The Vermont senator proposed completely restructuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection by refocusing their efforts on drugs and firearms instead of people crossing the border illegally. Outlined in Sanders’ official policy, the “deportation, enforcement, border and investigatory authority would return to the Department of Justice.”
ico border by the end of this year. So far, only 101 miles of outdated fencing has been rebuilt. Although Congress already approved $1.3 billion toward the border, the administration will allocate another $7.2 billion from the Pentagon to further construction—bringing the grand total of federal funding to $18.4 billion. The Trump administration’s most infamous action in immigration policy—ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme
Court. The DREAM Act protects illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. before the age of 16. Trump’s rollback on this Obama-era policy leaves more than 700,000 people in limbo. Trump also calls for more restrictions on temporary residence. His administration will restrict H-1B, L-1 and international student visas. This will prevent the possibility of immigrants who simply overstay their visas, who comprise approximately half of the total illegal immigrant population.
The former Vice President Joe Biden is more moderate in regard to immigration. His official policy outlines a broad plan for 2020. Biden plans on ending the separation of families at the border and expanding the asylum system. He will execute this through reinvesting in case management programs
to give families the aid they need. As a part of the administration that created DACA and DAPA, Biden will undo the Trump administration’s rollback on the policy. Biden also plans on reinstating the program and ensuring that Dreamers are eligible for federal student aid.
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FEATURE
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
Rookie models strut down the runway Camille’s Cookbook How to bake: Earl Grey scones
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tudents often find themselves in a hurry to get out the door in the morning, causing them to skip breakfast. There’s a solution to this problem, though—these Earl Grey scones, adapted from King Arthur Flour’s recipe, have a caffeine kick and can be reheated in under a minute, killing two birds with one scone. This treat has long been a breakfast classic in its original vanilla flavor, spread with jam, honey or butter. The addition of a honey and Earl Grey icing to these scones eliminates the need for a spread, which takes extra time to apply. The acidity and sweetness of the honey also help accentuate the muted bergamot flavor of the tea. With or without the icing, these scones are the perfect way to start a productive day. Recipe (makes 12 scones): Ingredients Dry Ingredients 3 cups flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ cup sugar 6 bags or 2 Tbsp Earl Grey tea, ground to a fine powder Wet Ingredients 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream Icing - optional ½ cup milk (hot, but not boiling) 1-2 Earl Grey tea bags 3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar A drizzle of honey (optional) Steps: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl, whisking to combine. Mix your wet ingredients in a measuring cup and drizzle them over your flour mixture, then use a rubber spatula, or your hands, to combine all your ingredients into a ball of dough. You can remove the dough from the bowl for this step and knead on a clean counter. Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each one into a 6 inch-radius circle. Cut each circle into six wedges and position each piece on a baking sheet, placing them one inch apart. Continue by freezing the sheet for 15 minutes. Bake the scones 14-15 minutes. If you will not be consuming them right away, the baked scones also freeze well and can be reheated in a microwave for 45-60 seconds or wrapped in foil in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. While the scones are baking, make the icing: Steep the tea bags in your milk for 5-6 minutes before removing. Place powdered sugar in a bowl and add honey, about a teaspoon, if desired. Next, whisk in the tea-flavored milk a little bit at a time until the icing is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to still drip. If you add too much milk, balance it out with more powdered sugar. Once the scones are completely cool to the touch, eat them plain, spread with butter, or dip the tops in the Earl Grey icing.
Somiya Jajieh ASST. Feature editor As Charlotte Peng and Brianna Li navigate their way down the runway, they try to impress designers by adding their own unique touch to their poses to showcase the designs they’re wearing. Peng (right), a DBHS sophomore, started runway modeling last year because her parents thought it would be an effective way to improve her posture. She attends iDance, where she practices how to walk and pose on a runway. Peng attended IFSM Fashion Week in October 2018, where designer Hoa Jia spotted her at the show and asked Peng to perform for her. In order to walk at ISFM, Peng auditioned in La Habra eight weeks prior to the show and modeled for four judges. During the show, she had to go through several wardrobe and hair changes. To prepare for each performance, Peng practices how to walk. In order to impress the judges, models must perfect walking in a straight line with tall heels, keeping their shoulders back, holding their hands behind their back and standing up straight. “It doesn’t seem that hard, but
walking is so hard,” Peng said. “It’s just a bunch of different details. People think it’s just confidence, but it’s technique too.” Peng also spends two hours each Sunday at iDance working on her posture, posing, dancing, acting and public speaking. She said learning to dance helps with modeling because it synchronizes your steps to the beat and makes movement smoother. Initially, Peng was hesitant about attending competitions since she didn’t feel like her walking was up to par with the other models. However, after her coach assured her she was ready to audition, Peng went to Fete the Venue in Costa Mesa and received emails from designers Julio Quintero and Valerie Barney inviting her to work as a model. Through modeling for several shows, though, she’s learned to love it enough to pursue it as a professional career. “I like going on shows,” Peng said. “I like the feeling the adrenaline and going on the catwalk.” On the other hand, freshman Brianna Li started modeling two years ago as a way to break out of her shell. Li works at SBS Wonder Culture, where she attends fashion shows in order to sell the company’s designs. “My modeling teacher’s boss
Photo courtesy of WALNUT VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
CAPE President and Vice President, Jonathan Ho and Philix Lin (right to left), attended a conference in Sacramento to discuss mental health and school safety.
cape gives voice to education changes Ryan chan ASST. Business Manager
Association of Student Councils and Illicium to help achieve some of their goals in improving public education. Illicium is an organization that spotlights unsung heroes such as the many workers of the public education system. CAPE was founded by a group of high schoolers from various schools in California. The founders from Diamond Bar High School include Ho, junior vice president Philix Lin and junior publicist Aaron Hao. The founders are all a part of the CAPE state board and are led by Yiyi Ouyang of Webb High School and Ho. The CAPE state board met through various competitions hosted by other clubs and started CAPE after realizing the need for changes to the education system. “The first conference was held by CASC [Association of Student Councils] and we went to design policies and present them to the
Models ON P. 12
Many calls for changes to the public education system by students and teachers go unheard every year. The goal of the California Alliance of Public Education is to change this flaw and now Diamond Bar High School is taking part. “I’ve thought a lot about my own experiences [in school] and I believe we need to be a lot more vocal with our students to actually make more effective evidence based change,” senior CAPE Club President Jonathan Ho said. Some of the projects CAPE has been working toward include getting their proposals about school policies passed within the Senate as well as promoting improved education systems to the public. Since their club is still relatively new, CAPE has been working with other organizations such as the California
CAPE ON P. 12
Restaurants are beyond the days of sacrificing food quality for convenience, and no place epitomizes this change better than Native Fields, which is located in Walnut. Before the cost, the greatest caveat to this restaurant is the wait— my sister and I waited 20 minutes in front of the restaurant without seating. Their food is worth the
wait, though. The apple pie pancakes ($13) I ordered had a variety of interesting and delicious aspects, such as the orange syrup, well-cooked and spiced apples and the whipped creme fraiche. They may have been more worth the cost if I were able to finish the unnecessarily large three-pancake portion.
Native Field’s coffee was also tasty, but lacking in consistency— my sister’s vanilla latte ($5.50) was practically just sugared milk in light of my $4.50 latte’s bitterness, which was remedied with sugar to reveal a wonderful flavor. Overall, if you’re willing to shell out a little more money, Native Fields is worth a visit.
an Everything Bagel ($1.30) with cream cheese. Accompanying me were my sister, who ordered the same thing as I, and my father, who had a lox bagel sandwich ($9.75) and black coffee ($2.25). There was a lack of seating, but we managed to find a table in the busy cafe where we waited for our
food to arrive. The bagels came first, delightfully simple in their flavor, but less chewy than a traditional bagel. The lox sandwich was also amazing, with generous amounts of salmon and wellplaced capers. The real highlight of our visit, though, was the coffee which, although pricier, was the smoothest I’ve had in my life.
Inspired by the amazing Yelp reviews and recommendations from fellow students, my sister, mother and I visited Julie’s Cafe for what we assumed would be a quick, delicious breakfast. We were sorely mistaken. After placing our order of two bagels with cream cheese ($1.50), a Strawbanana smoothie ($5), and two vanilla lattes ($3.45), we waited
40 minutes before being served. The jalapeno bagel and everything bagel were the highlights of our visit, with delicious chewy crusts and just the right amount of toppings. Next to arrive was my Strawbanana smoothie, which was a sweet, watery, flavorless waste of $5 that left me deeply unsatisfied. Last and certainly least were the lattes,
Story by: Camille McCurry
Native Fields
Tucked into a small shopping center on Diamond Bar Boulevard, Bageloo’s plain, grungy outward appearance had me wary. To my surprise, behind that unassuming storefront was a quaint yet modern cafe filled with the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans and baked pastries. I ordered an affogato ($5) and
Julie’s Cafe
Bageloo
which smelled of rubbing alcohol and had notes of paint thinner. I managed two sips—the second to verify that I wasn’t insane—before I threw the whole thing away. The same went for my sister, who compared it to hotel coffee. Unless I’m craving a bagel, I don’t think I will ever return to Julie’s Cafe, whose wait times and beverages were sub-par.
FEATURE
THE BULL'S EYE
JANUARY 22, 2020
7
Finding an audience for cubing on YouTube tiffany lee ASST. photo editor When Diamond Bar High School junior Kevin Lee booted up his computer on May 23, 2015, he made the life-altering decision to create Cubing Encoded, a YouTube channel where he posts Rubik’s cube related content. Lee’s goal for freshman year was to reach 50,000 subscribers for his channel before graduation. Now as a junior, he already surpassed his initial goal, gaining 53,000 in five years. The aspiring YouTuber was first introduced to the 3x3 Rubik’s cube by a friend in sixth grade. After weeks of frustration, he finally solved it after learning techniques from YouTube tutorials. Lee drastically reduced the time it takes him to solve one cube— from four hours to a personal record of 8.74 seconds—by repeating the steps he learned from the videos daily. He began posting his own videos in sixth grade and came up with his channel name by combining
two of his hobbies: cubing and coding, creating Cubing Encoded. “I was pretty open with my family and friends with what I was doing, even when I first started. Today, basically everyone that knows me knows that I do YouTube,” Lee said. Prior to joining the YouTube community, Lee competed in the Orange Coast Puzzle Meet 2015 on April 18, 2015, solving a 3x3 in 31 seconds. Fours years later, during the Cubing USA Western Championships, Lee surpasses his previous time with his current best of 8.74 seconds. He also placed sixth in the 5x5 which placed him in the top 50 overall in the nation. Since his debut on the channel five years ago, Lee has upgraded his filming room with a white desk and filming equipment: a Panasonic G7 camera, lights and a plain white background. Lee says his editing process is very simple. He shoots a video in about 25 minutes, depending on the content. He then edits the footage for three to five hours, applying music, pictures and transitions if
TIFFANY LEE
Junior Kevin Lee has been posting Rubik’s cube videos online since sixth grade. necessary. Originally editing with iMovie, Lee has transitioned to working with Premiere Pro this month. He reads every comment posted about his videos to brainstorm for ideas of the upcoming videos. Lee said that the comments give him ideas for what to post next. Two years into his YouTube journey, Lee has gained 2K subscribers
and his first sponsorship deal. The sponsor sent him a cube for free in exchange for a review of it. “Despite it not being very significant, it was very special to me at the time,” Lee said. The sponsor, Rubik’s, a cube store, has been sponsoring him since his early stages. As Lee’s channel began to grow, he gained more deals with companies such
as Dashlane, an online password manager, and SkillShare, an online course platform. Although Lee has had much success with his channel, he is also susceptible to harsh criticism, especially comments that criticize the lack of effort in his videos. Lee said that that is not true, as he puts in several hours of work into each upload. He often works until the middle of the night to finish processing his videos. “There’s always going to be the occasional irritating comment and, although it can genuinely bother me, I never let them have a lasting impact on me,” Lee said. Lee experienced one of his first memorable moments during a recent competition. As he walked into the competition room, he unknowingly found around 10 to 20 of his fans waiting for his autographs. “That’s when I realized that it wasn’t a number or even views going up was that they were coming from actual people. Seeing the people in real life was very special to me,” Lee said.
Alumnus uses platform to represent minorities josh chou Asst. a&E editor
TIFFANY LEE
Custodian Francisco Espinosa helps to keep DBHS a cleaner campus.
Underappreciated staff creates a better DBHS vera wang staff writer
The earliest to arrive and the latest to leave, more often than not the hard work and dedication of many Diamond Bar High School employees not affiliated in educational departments are unrecognized. From maintaining a safe environment for both students and faculty to keeping the campus immaculate, custodians, security guards and kitchen staff are only several of the many underrepresented staff at Diamond Bar High School. Usually seen in a DBHS sweatshirt cleaning up lunch trays and leftovers around the cafeteria during fifth period, Francisco Espinosa has been employed by the Walnut Valley Unified School District for over 20 years. “I worked in a machine shop before this,” Espinosa said. “Here, I am one of the morning crew members, where we make sure that all the buildings are in sanitary conditions and secure.” Having a daughter and a son himself, Espinosa says he dedicates as much effort into cultivating a pleasant school environment at DBHS as he hopes the custodians do at his children’s school. Espinosa reminds students to always be polite. “I would appreciate it so much if the students just help clean up after themselves,” Espinosa said. “We have trash cans all around the campus. After lunch, I have to remind a lot of students throw their trash away, but some of them roll their eyes and give me [attitude].” Similarly, Angela Jackson has
also worked as a custodian at DBHS for 20 years. Jackson’s responsibilities include sterilizing water fountains, replenishing bathroom supplies and cleaning classrooms. “I love my job,” Jackson said. “I love this job so much that some of the kids even call me Auntie Ang. Jehovah really could not have given me a better job. My boss and everyone I work with is wonderful.” Another veteran personnel, John Rodriguez, has patrolled the halls and guarded the gates of DBHS for over two and a half decades. As one of the five security guards, his shift begins early in the morning and ends when the day’s campus activities are over. “I [used to] worked in North Hollywood as a sound engineer,” Rodriguez said. “I did voice over, recording and mixing for the Warner Brothers Animaniacs Department for five years before I came to work here.” In addition to inspecting visitors that enter and exit the campus, Rodriguez also safeguards the parking lot and monitors students that are released in between periods. Meanwhile, kitchen staff member, Cassandra Wetselline only joined the DBHS staff on Oct. 30. Formerly a stay at home mom and part-time hair-stylist on the weekends, Wetselline now works with the kitchen crew to prepare snacks and hot lunches. “I like that it’s fast paced and that there’s always something to do; you won’t ever really be standing around, Wetselline said. Wetselline expressed her gratitude toward the manners students express and thoroughly enjoys serving teenagers.
To the average person observing mainstream Hollywood, Asian representation seems to be growing. From movies like “Crazy Rich Asians,” which reached $238.5 million in box office revenue, to “Parasite,” which won a Global Globes award and has been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, Asian Americans are finally seeing success in media. However, Diamond Bar High School class of 2001 alumnus James Boo isn’t so impressed. As an independent filmmaker, writer and podcaster, Boo is more concerned with telling stories from underrepresented voices that are meaningful to him. His current project, a podcast called “Self Evident,” invites guests to talk about what being Asian American means to them. Boo ultimately hopes to have his show aired on public radio, where the lack of Asian American voices is troubling. “I didn’t really hear any Asian American stories that I felt were really true and genuine and complex,” Boo said. Boo and his team of six have just wrapped up “Self Evident’s” six episode pilot season, but the process of getting there wasn’t easy. He spent a year developing the idea, pursuing initial funding and finding others to work with who shared
his vision. Stories featured on the show can range from historical tales to community conversations and personal narratives. Now with the support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Center for Asian American Media and the Ford Foundation, Boo is continuing his goal of making the podcast an ongoing series. Prior to “Self Evident,” Boo graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in Political Science and Russian. After working as a freelance writer for online publications, he focused on a web based docu-series called “1 Minute Meals.” The series consisted of over 60 one-minute clips portraying uncluttered, intimate portraits of restaurants in New York City. Boo taught himself how to film, edit and produce the series as a oneman videography team. He says that living in Brooklyn gave him countless opportunities to further his craft. “It’s a really good place to learn things fast because there’s such a great number of people who are also learning new things and trying new things,” Boo said. Much has changed since Boo first became hooked on podcasts after listening to NPR’s “Planet Money” in 2008, but public radio still hasn’t dedicated a show to Asian American stories. “It’s just that it’s very important for people who are underrepresented to be represented in the owner-
ship and decision making, not to be just literally represented like the people you see or the people you hear anyone,” Boo said. Boo’s approach to including underrepresented voices behind the scenes as well as on the stage has garnered support from other people of color that are also in public radio. “They know that what we’re doing the public radio system won’t do,” Boo said. Boo notes that many of public radio’s executives are still white men, who think that focusing a show on Asian Americans is a risky business venture. Rather than try to convince them otherwise, Boo’s team is taking matters into their own hands. “We’re not going to wait around for that to happen, we’re not gonna work our way up some other ladder in the hope that someday we get the chance to do the same thing we’ve wanted for 15 years,” Boo said. The responsibility of convincing local radio stations and distributors to air these Asian American stories lays solely on Boo’s team despite their inexperience and lack of funding compared to other well-established public radio shows. “Everything I’ve ever appreciated and understood to be meaningful in the world didn’t come from corporations or organization, they all came from other places, from communities just deciding to give it a shot even,” Boo said.
Photo courtesy of JAMES BOO
Alumni James Boo films, edits and produces footage for his web based docu-series, “1 Minute Meals,” in New York City.
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FEATURE
THE BULL'S EYE
JANUARY 22, 2020
A FIVE STEP GUIDE TO SKINCARE As much as I care about academics, appearance and body insecurities always loom in the back of my head. For me, skincare is something that gives me confidence, even if it's just a little. After multiple trial and errors along with numerous self discoveries, these products have truly made the biggest changes to my skin and confidence. Story by: Reyna Wan
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Although it is pricey, the moisturizing and rejuvenating qualities of the Essence Toner from the Moistfull Collagen make it worth the price-point. Made from a combination of natural oils and collagen water, the product is extremely light and delicate, staying on until the next application. As a badminton player, I believe the toner is especially important to me since it rids the leftover dirt and birdie feathers from my skin, making up for anything the cleanser left out. Its smooth and moist consistency balances the dehydrating effect of the cleansing foam, justifying the $15 price.
Lotion
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Lotion is the most beneficial and important part of the process, and the hydrating properties of the daytime cream moisturize any of the leftover dryness from the cleansing foam and toner. Light with a smooth application and flowery scent, the Emulsion cream from the Moistfull Collagen line keeps the skin hydrated. Filled with small particles of the line’s special Super Collagen water, the product provides a balanced level of firmness and hydration. Despite its online price being $18, the Emulsion cream provides the perfect summation of the hydration process.
Due to the problematic amount of blackheads I have, Etude House’s Lemon Soda Blackhead Out Stick is one of my most essential products. With its citrus scent and sandy texture, the product when used in the shower helps exfoliate and clean any remaining blackheads. Unlike the other recommended products, applying the product once a week accomplishes the job of removing a good amount of blackheads. Though the product may no longer be sold on the brand’s website, it can still be purchased through Amazon for $11.
Eye Mask
Toner
Blackhead Remover
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1
Face Wash
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Opening and cleansing the pores, face wash is the first step in my skin-care routine, preparing the skin for any further products. The Moistfull Collagen product line from Etude House has been perfect for my oily skin, especially the areas around my nose and chin. Averaging around $8 on the brand’s website, the cleansing foam may be slightly tightening in the beginning but is made up for by its longterm changes. Within a month of using the product, my original dark spots had immensely cleared up and left my skin feeling smoother and less scarred.
With the endless amount of late nighters, eye bags remain one of my biggest skin insecurities. After using the White Dew Intensive Eye Mask by Laniege, however, they have changed drastically for the better. Laniege is recommended by dermatologists and creates a variety of formulas catering to varying skin types. After a month of using the product, the mask brightened the skin around my eye and made the dark circles less apparent. Though it’s the most expensive product on the list at $20, its recuperation techniques to the area around the eyes makes it definitely worth it.
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
snapshots of society
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hotography for the masses goes back over 130 years. In 1888, the first Kodak camera was made available for general use. Almost 50 years later, in 1937, the first instant camera, Polaroid, which developed and printed images within a minute, came into use. Digital cameras, in the 1990s, took over photography and by the 21st Century, virtually every human on Earth was taking photos with their cell phones. With similar if not better picture quality than a physical camera, cell phones come with a variety of benefits for professionals and amateurs alike. Along with the rise of digital photography, social media has become the main platform for sharing photos. Apps such as Instagram and Snapchat allow users to conveniently share any photo or video in a few taps. These apps also provide photo filters to allow the user to change images to their liking. Social media may seem like the perfect home for ideas and sharing memories, but it has lead to people changing their photos. This leads many users to use photo editing apps such as FaceTune and Photoshop to alter the way their body looks. These programs can make users appear more slim, muscular or even erase unwanted blemishes.
More user-friendly apps like Lightroom adjust the lighting and tones of an image. This allows users to make all their images coherent with the images already on their profile. Because of the accessibility and usability of photo enhancing apps, it is uncommon to see unedited photos on social media. Another effect of mobile cameras is the rise in popularity of aesthetically pleasing restaurants and various photo-worthy locations. Most people geotag the pictures they take in such locations, causing others to also flock to the same spots. Nowadays it is normal to see customers of trendy restaurants to be focused on getting the best Instagram shot of their meal. A majority of photos taken today are of ourselves. Selfies have not lost any popularity since cameras became more portable and it’s common to see a picture of someone posing by themselves and looking completely content. A variety of filters may be applied for different reasons, whether it be to hide any unwanted parts of the photo or to add a cool element to the overall shot. With the newest cell phone always in popular demand, this generation is taking more photos than previous generations. Tons of apps and software are in the palms of our hands and we have become accustomed to editing our online images. This has created unrealistic beauty standards and has shaped our personal identities all while trying to fit into today’s image.
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10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
Playing on a higher note Connor CHo Staff Writer Having won national fame and recognition, Diamond Bar High School junior Mi-Hyun Suh and sophomore Andrew Shi earned the opportunity to continue developing their passion in classical piano at a prestigious program available for YoungArts award winners. The National YoungArts Foundation is a program that offers creative and professional development in various forms of visual and performing arts. Suh and Shi were both 2020 National YoungArts Foundation Hono r a b l e Mention winners in classical music and piano, an award which represents only the top 9.5 percent of applicants. The program will
start in a few months and offers YoungArts applicants lessons and master classes at UCLA and the opportunity to perform chamber with other winners. Along with winning the YoungArts award, Shi was also selected along with 20 other competitors worldwide to compete at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in March. “I think [the piano competition] is a really good opportunity for me because when I submitted my videos I didn’t really think that I was going to make it,” Shi said. “I knew a lot of people were going to try out for the competition but since I made it, I think t h a t these few months I need to really practice.” Shi was introduced to the piano by his parents at age five.
“I always moved around so [my parents] thought the piano was a good way for me to practice my focus,” Shi said. “After my first lesson I really liked the piano and then I just started playing it which brought me here today.” Shi also said he believes that playing the piano is a good way to express himself to others; however, he does not plan on pursuing in music as a career. “I think that piano is a really good way for me to communicate with many other people but I think that music wouldn’t be the best career for me but it would definitely be a good minor or double major in college,” Shi said. “After I get a job and start working, piano would be a really great hobby for me.” Meanwhile, Suh was motivated to play the piano after being inspired by her mother’s interest in music. “My mom really had a passion for music, and I remember her telling me how she really wanted to learn, but her parents could not afford even the cheapest musical education,” Suh said. “She wanted to give me what she loved and she bought an upright piano ten years before I was born so I started on that.” Suh passed up on the chance to participate in the YoungArts program because it didn’t fit with her
Photo courtesy of MI-HYUN SUH
Junior Mi-Hyun Suh submitted a piece called Prelude 1964 by Olivier Messiaen. schedule. “I wasn’t going to apply and I was just thinking about not applying and doing it next year,” Suh said. “But then I had a [musical piece] that was almost ready and that was the Prelude 1964 by Olivier Messiaen so I thought ‘why not learn it quickly’ so I got one lesson on it and then just recorded it and sent it and I was really surprised that I have gotten in.” However, she shares her mother’s love for music and plans on pursuing it as a career.
“What’s interesting is when people say ‘oh do you think [a music career] is gonna be worth it and you’re probably not going to make a lot of money,’” Suh said. “The way I see it, even though I might not make as much money, I’m doing what I love.”
To improvise smoothly in his performances, Li has to practice almost daily. “For musical improvisation, first of all, you need to learn a lot of skills,” Li said. “You need to learn the major skills, minor skills and there is so much more stuff that you need to learn.” Li created the group because he
other Brahmas, Li recruited senior bass player Brian Slack, junior drummer Abel Phan and senior pianist Prokkawn Majumdar. The band started to play together last summer. The band performed a paid gig at a party in September and also performed with DBHS commercial music group at a local guitar shop in October and at a local clinic for Veterans Day. After his experience with the band, Li said that he prefers musical improvisation over playing straight off of sheet music. “Before I just used to play all the notes that were written down and I was just reading off of it,” Li said. “But doing musical improv is like writing your own essay and you just put your own ideas into that and I think that it is really interesting and it allows you to use your own imagination to do whatever you want.” Although he enjoys playing the saxophone, Li said that he has no plans for continuing in jazz as a future career, but he will continue to play recreationally.
CORRECTIONS The December issue story on freshman Rachel Yang mistakenly identified her as a sophomore.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Robert Downey Jr. plays the titular role of Dr. Doolittle in this latest reboot.
NOW SHOWING
‘Doolittle’ not doing enough Emily Koh Asst. Feature Editor Since I have never seen the previous movies about the adventures of Dr. John Doolittle, I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the theater to watch “Doolittle.” The film left me with mixed feelings, and, though there were some captivating moments, I wouldn’t watch it again. The protagonist, Doolittle, was first introduced in a series of children’s books which were later adapted into several films. Doolittle is a physician who has the ability to communicate with animals, preferring to care for them over humans. The character has been played by various actors including Eddie Murphy, Tim Curry, Rex Harrison and now Robert Downey Jr.. In the movie, Dr. Doolittle (Downey) is well known all over the world for his ability to talk to and heal animals. England’s Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley) gifts him a large estate where he can continue his practice. However, when Doolittle suffers a great tragedy he shuts out humans and stops his work as a physician and explorer. Once the Queen becomes terminally ill, however, Doolittle and his team of animals embark on an adventure to find a cure, facing sever-
al obstacles along the way. The one thing that this movie excels at is comedy. The jokes and well-timed comments genuinely made me laugh. Throughout the film, there are bits of comedy that lighten the mood at times when the plot becomes dark. Another highlight were the inventions that Doolittle creates, such as a harness for a whale or a machine that prepares food for all of the animals. The storyline is very predictable from the start except for a few events that seem forced and awkward. Despite this, the movie still grasped my attention. It was interesting to see the movie switch back and forth from hearing what the animals actually sounded like to what they were saying in English. After seeing how far CGI has come with movies such as “The Lion King,” I was disappointed with the animals in “Doolittle.” They didn’t look as realistic and at times look more like cartoons as opposed to high-tech CGI animals. Overall, “Doolittle” is very different from movies I had seen before, but the plot and special effects fell short. I would recommend this movie to people just looking for a light-hearted laugh, but if you want to see a surprising plotline and special effects that match the standard of today’s technology, this film is not for you.
ConnOr cho staff writer Since the arrival of the Beatles in America, high school musicians have been forming bands. But the group started by senior Frank Li with other Diamond Bar High School musicians is a bit different as they play a style of music few people still listen to: jazz. Li has been playing the alto saxophone since he was ten years old and was influenced by his mother who had also played the same instrument. In the eight years he has been playing the saxophone, Li has mostly performed classical and pop music. He only recently began to experiment with the jazz genre after being inspired by notable jazz musicians from the past, including saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. “I think that jazz is really interesting to me because of the way you are improvising and how you are just reading the music and interacting with the audience, it’s just very colorful and very amazing,” Li said.
“Doing musical improv is like writing your own essay and you just put your own ideas into that.” FRANK LI liked the idea of having a band with a variety of musical instruments and to raise interest in the musical genre of jazz. “There’s the jazzy sound that’s really colorful and when you listen to jazz I just feel like you want to dance along with it,” Li said. “That made me really want to do a live band and perform.” Sharing his passion for jazz with
ABIGAIL HONG
Members of Frank Li’s improvisational jazz band began meeting up last summer to practice playing together.
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Her brand on denim The sophomore has her own business, selling custom hand-painted denim jackets based on K-pop designs. Ryan Chan Asst. Business Manager Angel Zeng’s jacket painting empire emerged after she made a jacket to wear at her very first K-CON convention. The joy of wearing something she drew and designed has encouraged her to turn jackets into art. “I had wanted to do something special since it was my first time ever actually going to a K-pop concert and I thought it would be cool if I wore something I made,” the Diamond Bar High School sophomore said via Messenger. Zeng has sold her jackets to a few notable figures, including Hong Joong from the group Ateez, Kyla Massie from Pristin and a stylist from the company KQ. In addition, Zeng
schedules meet ups with customers at K-pop concerts to sell her jackets. Zeng starts off the process by buying denim jackets in bulk to cut down on costs. She then washes and organizes the jackets by size. This allows Zeng to start designing a jacket after an order without worrying about minute details. Most of Zeng’s designs are inspired by K-pop, including albums covers or designs in a music video. “I make a blueprint of the entire jacket … and then afterwards, I just freehand everything else onto the jacket,” Zeng said. “I use acrylics from Walmart and something called tempera which is a textile medium.” For the final step, Zeng runs an iron over the jacket to heat
seal the paint. The entire process of creating a jacket takes 16 to 20 hours. After the final product is complete, Zeng posts the jackets on social media, Ebay and A Bay, where she sells them for $120 to $300. “I sell mainly through social media, so many people contact me through Instagram, Twitter and Facebook,” Zeng said. Zeng finds the jacket making and selling process as a whole extremely fulfilling, especially after seeing the fruits of her labor immortalized on a jacket. “It’s satisfying to see something you designed come to life on a canvas, so I love the painting and the designing,” Zeng said. “The process is very therapeutic to me and I use it as a way to relax.” Zeng is gradually expanding her K-pop jacket business by painting on other clothing items. “I’ve started painting on a pair of Vans and I’ve painted on jeans, shorts and I’m going to try to do a leather jacket,” Zeng said. “It depends, if like a client wants it then I can provide.” Seeking to expand her brand, Zeng is working on starting up her own website, which she expects to launch in a couple of months.
Photo courtesy of ANGEL ZENG
Sophomore Angel Zeng draws inspiration from K-pop to design her jackets.
Closure through Circles
Record of the year 1) Bad Guy - Billie Eilish 2) Old Town Road - Lil Nas X 3) Sunflower - Post Malone / Swae Lee
Album of the year 1) When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? - Billie Eilish 2) thank u, next - Ariana Grande 3) Norman ... Rockwell - Lana Del Ray
2020 Grammy Predictons 100 Brahmas chose their top picks for the 62nd music awards on Jan. 26.
Best Pop Duo Performance
Josh Kim A&E Editor Mac Miller’s sixth album, “Circles,” dropped on Jan. 7, almost 16 months after his death due to an accidental drug overdose. Meant to go with his previous album, “Swimming,” “Circles” completes the idea of “Swimming in Circles.” Miller’s posthumous album tackles the same themes as “Swimming”: Getting over the struggles of life and moving on. The 12-track album is a rollercoaster of emotions, whether you’re a fan or firsttime listener. The opening track, “Circles,” details going about life without any sense of direction, yet ending up at the beginning. The song is mellow, accompanied only by a guitar, cymbal and a vibraphone. Even so, the song stirred my emotions. The next two songs, “Complicated” and “Blue World,” highlight Miller’s stressing about the intricacies and struggles of life. “Complicated” is groovy with its bass and synthesized sounds while “Blue World” features a choppy yet bouncy beat. Though I don’t like the songs as much as the rest of the album, both are upbeat despite their sad lyrics and enjoyable nonetheless. Followed by “Good News,” the beat turns more tamed and relaxed. The song entails Miller’s
dealing with wanting to please everyone. Wondering “Why can’t it just be easy,” Miller hates having other people say that everything is going great with him when it really isn’t. The chorus is catchy with a subtle, yet satisfying chord progression, singing: “Good news, good news, good news, that’s all they wanna hear.” My favorite track is “Hand Me Downs.” The only song out of the entire album with a feature on it, Miller and Baro are a wonderful combination. Finding his escape in a significant other, Miller reflects on his thoughts. What truly sets this song apart from the other tracks is its out-of-this-world instrumental and pre-chorus/chorus. The mellow guitar paired with thumping beat and resounding bass is only elevated by Miller and Baro’s singing. The clever wordplay and relaxing vibe made this song the best of the collection. Overall, the album is not his greatest work but still good nonetheless. Even so, the quality and completeness are evident. Seeing Miller’s growth as an artist, from his younger days as someone who rapped for fun to maturing into a wiser and genuine person is evident in his work. There is no doubt Miller, who died at age 26, left a great impression on the music industry and his fans in his short career. His influence as an artist will stay alive through his work.
1) Sunflower - Post Malone & Swae Lee 2) Señorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello 3) Old Town Road - Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
Best New Artist 1) Billie Eilish
2) Lizzo
3) Lil Nas X WARNER MUSIC GROUP
Production of “Circles” was finished by Jon Brion after Miller’s death in 2018.
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THE BULL'S EYE
BUSINESS
Club fights DB teens that model for better education MODELS FROM P. 6
CAPE FROM P. 6 Joint Committee on Education which consists of the senate and assemblymen,” Ho said. “We went with the purpose of improving CAPE here.” The conference in Sacramento was held Jan. 6-8. While there, the members of DBHS CAPE club helped with two different policies regarding mental health and school safety. Lin wrote the proposal regarding mental health. “Our proposal tried to take advantage of the school’s competitiveness and have their students rank their mental health at their school,” Lin said. “Basically, a better mental health ranking will attract more students to less stressful schools. In turn, the stressful schools will try and destress their school environment in hopes of getting more students.” The goal of the proposal is to convince the state Board of Education to create a universal standardized survey for students’ mental stress levels at school. “This semester we’ve been trying to establish ourselves as a grassroot organization in local schools and once we do that we are going to start our own activities,” Ho said. “I foster connections with city council members, senators and assemblymen, so we all have connections that can give CAPE a big network.” Some of their connections also involve students from various schools in Southern California. “We have weekly online calls that consist of members from multiple schools,” Hao said. “We discuss upcoming events, what direction we are going to take for that week and delegate tasks.” The group has created a website, gocape.org, which provides information about their club and their mission goal. “Most of the… [seniors] of CAPE have been through the education system and know what we want to change,” Ho said. “We’re all here because we care, we’re not here because we just want another line [on our] resume.” gfngfngfnfgnfgnfgn
is the CEO of SBS Wonder Culture, so when I walk on fashion shows they’re mainly [through] the company,” Li said via Instagram. Li helps mentor other girls in the company stating that her teacher uses her as an example of how the other models should walk and pose. While working with SBS Wonder Culture, Li attended The Movement LA. At The Movement LA, Li was
noticed by fashion designers Rosee&Babee as well as Hao Jia. They offered Li the opportunity to walk the show dressed in their clothing. “There was a lot of preparing, most of which was makeup,” Li said. “I went up to the fashion designers and showed them my catwalk [and] then they chose an outfit of their designs for me” As Li gains more experience, she hopes to venture outside of California.
English classes combine CLASSES FROM P. 1 “There are benefits to the Assembly Bill 2375 because teaching strategies and methods are implemented to support all learning styles,” Galindo said. “SIOP [supports] the learning needs of our bilingual students.” Many students who took sheltered English last year are responding well to the changes.
“You can learn more things, in sheltered you stay at the same level, in regular it’s a higher level,” sophomore Rachel Suo said. Others recognize the challenges but hope to embrace them. “Maybe some Chinese kids will... struggle with the English,” sophomore Miao Miao Zhang said. “But what’s good is that it forces them to learn English so it forces them to learn it faster.”
JANUARY 22, 2020
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
FEATURE
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Senior Rebecca Leung It’s made me extremely educational driven... and it also gives you a good sense of your extracurriculars. The best part is that there are a bunch of likeminded individuals; it’s such a big school that you’re going to find somewhere you fit in.”
How has attending Diamond Bar High School shaped who you are today? Thomas Avila Senior
Erin Wong Sophomore
Jocelyn Hwang Junior
“I love the people, and they make it worthwhile and pretty much my reason to come to school. What I dislike are teachers who choose not to do their jobs.”
“It just made me realize that people are really competitive and that people do a lot of things to get what they want.”
“I thought it was gonna be a really hard school like academic-wise but it’s not really that hard.
Junior Christian Gonzales “I would have been like in Algebra I as a freshman and all my friends were in a higher math, so I had to like totally pump up the gas. So it made me strive for more.”
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SPORTS
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
Mastering his passion for taekwondo Senior who started martial arts after being bullied, earned 4th-degree black belt this year.
of other students for 40 hours. The senior completed this insurmountable task on Nov. 16. “At first I honestly thought that it was just another basic test but when I was actually there, I was very nervous,” Huang said. “My alex chun grandmaster already had great exasst. sports editor pectations for me, but used me as a demo for the audience which made While kicking targets and breakit even more nerve-wracking.” ing wooden boards with a series Though Huang enjoys taekwonof flashy techniques, senior Kevin do now, he started martial arts beHuang fell in love with the discicause of his unsettling childhood pline of taekwondo at the age of experiences in the Rowland Unisix. However, the 11-year marfied School District. While attendtial arts veteran never thought ing Blanford Elementary School, of obtaining the Sa Dan rank: the Huang was bullied and found taefourth-degree black belt. kwondo as an escape from his con“It was my first activity and club flicts. that I had ever “I really joined,” Huang didn’t know said. “My parany self-de"...If I had this ents, but more so fense [to protect fourth-degree black my friends, intromyself] back belt, I would be able duced me to the then,” Huang to teach...something sport and I just said. “So I beI enjoy to do." stuck with it ever gan just kicksince.” ing or jumping KEVIN HUANG In Huang’s doaround when I jang, or taekwonwas a kid; as I do training studio, the fourth-degot older, I really enjoyed the new gree black belt is considered to be techniques that were taught by my a master’s rank, allowing the renew masters.” cipient to formally teach those who According to Huang, he develhave belts more novice. The test oped an attachment to the sport to achieve this prestigious status because of sparring, a one-on-one is extremely difficult, according to matchup featuring the display of Huang, featuring the demonstralearned martial arts techniques tion of all basic poomsae, which in a controlled setting. The senior are defined patterns of defense and used the simulated fighting enviattack motions, and the instruction ronment to release psychological
Photo courtesy of KEVIN HUANG
Senior Kevin Huang has competed in taekwondo since he was six years old. stress without bad intentions. “Although fighting another person isn’t the best way to release stress, it’s relieving knowing that I’m not hurting anyone because we have gear on and so it reduces the physical impact on the person,” Huang said. In the more advanced stages of the taekwondo curriculum, Huang primarily relished the aspect of tricking, a creative arsenal of dazzling kicking movements that deviate from the normal front or roundhouse kicks. “I do more 540 kicks, where you spin 540 degrees in the air and kick before you land; it’s really satisfying just to go through that motion,” Huang said. The senior has also participated
in an annual tournament where individuals, placed in groups of three based upon belt color, are assigned rankings and awarded medals based on their performances in bothw sparring and poomsae. “Competitions for sparring is always the hardest because you’re fighting with someone you don’t really know because they’re people from other states,” Huang said. “And because I’m not the fittest person, I usually get someone bigger put up against me; so there’s always that fear of getting hurt but I gradually got over it. But in forms, I got first place and received a perfect score on one of my competitions.” Although the senior has many regional and state accolades,
Boys mature as league begins Brahmas use fast-paced tempo to win first four league contests. Alex Chun asst. sports editor With a third straight league championship on the line, Diamond Bar High School’s boys basketball team has impressive performances against its conference opponents, resulting in a hot 4-0 start and an improvement in their overall record, now at 9-13. “What’s really been an eye-opener for us coaches is just how our younger players have grown up,” head coach Henry Frierson said. “There was a lot of times earlier in the year where immaturity had shown up, but when league came around, they’ve been much more responsible, especially in the golden minutes, or last four minutes in the game.” According to Frierson, the chemistry between the younger athletes and coaches has significantly improved since the beginning of the season, as the players have quickly developed an enhanced understanding of what is demanded on the floor. “We only have three returning players period, on this team of 19; of those three players, only one of them had played substantial minutes last year,” he said. “After a lot of growing pains earlier in the year, I think now we’re learning things on the fly despite not having a lot of experience of the floor.” Setting the tone in the first quarter is one of the primary reasons behind Diamond Bar’s nine wins thus far; doing so allows the Brahmas to capitalize on one of their strong suits: a fast-paced tempo
CORRECTIONS In the December boys basketball article, sophomore Jaden Ponce was misidentified as Jaden Perez in the three-column photo.
providing easy open-court scoring opportunities. “We’re still trying to figure out [how to play better in] that first quarter,” Frierson said. “It’s important for us to know how to put two halves together, but we just wish we don’t have to fight so hard in the fourth quarter of every game.” On the other hand, the Brahmas experienced major defensive struggles in their losses, giving up an astounding average of 64 points per game according to Maxpreps. Frierson stated how their lack of physicality in preventing offensive rebounds is one of their main flaws, allowing opponents more second-chance opportunities. “Us coaches just have to do a better job in our demanding of controlling the ball [handlers] and steering them off the elbows,” Frierson said. “This basically means we don’t want any straight-line drives going directly to the hoop.” For the remainder of the season, Frierson states how the Brahmas hope to attain small milestones such as limiting their opponents to approximately 40 points a game in order to set their sights on greater achievements. The Brahmas won a nail-biter in their season opener against the Montclair Cavaliers, mounting a comeback in the final period after falling behind by a double-digit deficit in three quarters. With a balanced array of buckets in the painted area complemented by sharp outside shooting, Diamond Bar edged out a one-point victory after going on a 21-8 run in the final eight minutes, escaping with a 5554 victory. “I was so proud of how resilient our young guys were [during the game],” Frierson said. In their following match, the Brahmas locked down the Chino Cowboys with an elite full-court press defensive scheme, restricting their opponent to a meager 34 points the entire game. The 12-point victory for Diamond Bar also featured a decent offensive outing, as the Brahmas outscored
Huang avoids participating in prestigious international competitions due to a wide variety of safety reasons. “Those competitions are really violent and competitive as well,” Huang said. “There has been incidents where participants have actually died during those [sparring] matches, and so my masters aren’t comfortable sending me out to those events.” With all this experience under his belt, Huang struggled to reach the Sa Dan rank in order to finish something he had started, feeling a sense of satisfaction after reaching his end goal. Moreover, he always had an affinity for developing relationships with his instructors, wanting to obtain the master rank in order to serve as an inspiration for younger martial artists. “Since I joined the Boy Scouts, I learned to teach other younger scouts; I felt like if I had this fourth-degree black belt, I would be able to teach younger students, which is something I enjoy to do,” Huang said. “I enjoy interacting with kids so much, and so it might help me start my own club or help other studios and all that.” Although Huang isn’t going to travel, he is willing to continue the sport in the near future. “Honestly, if my masters offered me to come back to just instruct the students, I would love to come back if I had the time,” Huang said.
ON THE SIDELINE
the Cowboys during three quarters of the contest. As of late, the Brahmas tamed the Ontario Jaguars with a convincing 10-point victory on the road, continuing their hot streak in league competition. After falling behind by eight points going into halftime, Diamond Bar proceeded to add 40 points in the latter half of the match to keep the game out of reach. “It would be easy for me to say us coaches had some crazy adjustment at halftime, but it was just the kids that became hyper-responsible and eventually figured it out [against Chino and Ontario],” Frierson said. Last Friday, Diamond Bar won another game that came down to the wire, edging out the Chaffey Tigers who are winless in league. Each quarter featured single-digit point differences, but the Brahmas eventually emerged victorious with a five-point win. The Brahmas will host a rematch against the Montclair Cavaliers this upcoming Friday.
TIFFANY LEE
Senior Mark Wu attempts a free throw to contribute toward the Brahmas’ dominant outing against Chino.
WITH: RYAN & JOHNNY
McGregor slams back into the octagon
A
fter his six-month suspension resulting from a post-fight brawl against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor stepped out of retirement and climbed into the octagon to face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone last Saturday. With a completely new outlook on his career, Irish UFC star known as The Notorious looks completely fresh coming into his first fight of the new year. Though he sees himself as the same young man, much has changed for him since 2019. “I certainly have turned over a new leaf… I definitely feel reenergized and refreshed,” McGregor said during the pre-fight interview. With a higher standard for health and training, McGregor felt that when dealing with sports, his body needed to come first, not glory and riches. “My health, my fitness, and that [has] helped me. And then you’re going to acquire even more when you’re sharp, and that’s what I am now,” McGregor said during Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. To extend the longevity of his career, McGregor took notes from NBA superstar LeBron James to invest more into his body. McGregor not only spent more money on his body, but he trained more in preparation for the first UFC fight of 2020. When he ran his own training camp, McGregor capitalized on everything in a UFC fight. From conditioning to mixed martial arts training, McGregor had everything
covered before his fight. “[The training camp] has been fully structured. I have a team of experts in many different fields…I had a set time for my practices… It was as structured as I’ve ever been,” McGregor said. With the preparation he had, he came out victorious in his return against Cowboy. Not only was it a decisive match, but it was one of McGregor’s fastest, lasting only 40 seconds into the first round. Within the first 10 seconds of the match, McGregor had Cowboy bleeding from his eye with shoulder hits in the clinch. Coming out of the clinch, McGregor threw an explosive left kick to Cowboy’s head sending him stumbling and noticeably hurt. McGregor pummeling Cowboy with strong elbows and punches afterwards gave the TKO to McGregor. Though McGregor looks good back in the UFC octagon, he still has many obstacles to reach his former glory. “I’m in shape. I don’t believe I’m there yet though just like I want to do. To get back to where I was,” said McGregor in his post fight interview. With ambitious goals ahead of him, McGregor promises a “mega year” for his fans. His new mentality on health has boosted his confidence for his future fights. Though it is too early to judge, UFC fans should prepare to see a resurgence in McGregor’s dominance at the lightweight and welterweight classes.
THE BULL'S EYE
JANUARY 22, 2020
SPORTS
15
Wrestling competes with a small team Wrestling succeeds in tournaments despite losing members in the preseason. Victoria Artale Photo EDITOR Although the team hasn’t competed in league matches yet this season, Diamond Bar wrestling has already captured many individual victories in competitive tournaments. “Since we don’t have the largest team, we can’t compete in the team category,” junior Gabriel Martinez said. “So, all we can do is compete individually in hard tournaments to get better.” The Brahmas have already competed in the Tournament of Champions, Brea tournament, Man Classic, Connor Classic and Mater Dei tournament. At the competitions, wrestlers competed in seven matches over the course of a couple days and had marquee matchups against stronger teams such as Poway, a top-ranked school in California that has gone to compete at the state level multiple years in a row. As of late, Diamond Bar was unable to reach the podium at the Tournament of Champions, but the wrestlers have learned a lot from their experiences throughout the
matches. “We went up against very good teams so that was a highlight in itself,” Martinez said. “It [Tournament of Champions] tested our skills and allowed us to get better.” Before league begins, the Brahmas need to address the scarcity of participants on their squad, since there are only twenty members combined on the varsity and junior varsity rosters. Without new teammates, the Brahmas will struggle to produce wins against league competition. “Right now, our biggest weakness is numbers because it’s basically impossible for us to win a dual meet,” Martinez said. “We can’t get the points because we are already going to lose points with not having people to wrestle the other team in the first place.” Diamond Bar initially had 40 members on the team; by the end of training camp, 15 participants had quit. Now, the team is focused on recruiting more members. The Brahmas are mostly looking for students to compete in higher weight classes, a key element Diamond Bar has lacked for the past few seasons. “I understand that our practices are really intense and a lot of people can’t handle the intensity, but we need people to help our team achieve our goal because we can’t reach them with the little people we have,” Martinez said.
Photos by ABIGAIL HONG
Junior Emily Li , left, and sophomore Isabel Hurtado help their team score against Montclair during its winning streak.
Undefeated but still improving Girls soccer wins first four matches in Mt. Baldy League, bringing their record to 9-3-2. ABIGAIL HONG ASST. photo editor Continuing their success from last season’s league championship title, the Diamond Bar High School girls soccer team is currently first in the league yet again with an undefeated record, 4-0. They competed in 10 preseason games and have an overall record of 9-3-2. “The girls have been progressing well, understanding what role[s] they all play on the team and what is expected of them in their roles,” head coach Matt Franco said. According to Franco, there are less conditioning and preseason
games in hopes of keeping the Brahmas competitive by avoiding injuries. In the Brahmas’ first league game on Jan. 7 against Montclair, the girls came out with a 2-1 win. Sophomore Alexis Fuller and senior Madison Bernardino scored goals, while Bernardino and senior Marissa Vasquez had assists. The Lady Brahmas defeated Chino, 5-3 on Jan. 9. Fuller scored twice while sophomores Alina Valdez and Samantha Marcello scored one goal each. Vasquez also scored a point for the team while Bernardino, sophomore Isabella Montelongo and senior Alyssa Ramos assisted in the scoring drive. “The team as a whole are extremely close on and off the field, which translates to good chemistry and our overall play in the game,” junior Julia Ruelas said. On Jan. 14, the Brahmas were
victorious in their match against Ontario, 5-0. Vasquez, Bernardino, Ruelas, Montelongo and sophomore Isabelle Hurtado all scored one goal apiece. The goals were assisted by Vasquez, Bernardino, Valdez, junior Emily Le and senior Samantha Alba. Against Chaffey, DBHS won 2-0 on Jan. 16. Both goals were scored by Fuller and assisted by Bernardino. “We need to play for each other and for our school,” Vasquez said. “With this mindset, I know we will be able to pull through and go far.” In pursuit to maintain their undefeated record, The Brahmas’ next game will take place tomorrow against Montclair. They played a match against Don Lugo yesterday. “We have the talent, speed and skills on our team, which makes us a triple threat,” Bernardino said.
Water polo starts strong with early win Lady Brahmas win against last year’s co-champs Montclair, as league competition begins. ABIGAIL HONG
Photo courtesy of SAMANTHA RUELAS
Senior Samantha Ruelas has played soccer since she was eight and is currently playing for the Legends Academy team.
Ruelas scores a spot at Davis Success with local soccer club, not DBHS team, earns senior scholarship to UC Davis. connor cho staff writer Though she hasn’t played soccer for Diamond Bar High School since she was a freshman, senior Samantha Ruelas is heading to UC Davis on a soccer scholarship after shining as a club player. Ruelas will start playing for UC Davis in July when she enters their summer camp after receiving the scholarship. She admits that she has felt disconnected from her childhood soccer friends because she hasn’t played for DBHS since her freshman year on the varsity team after leaving to play for a club team. “It wasn’t my choice and I really wanted to play [at DBHS] but I play for a club team called Legends Development Academy,” Ruelas said. “When you have the title ‘academy’ you can’t play for any high school sports just because you signed a contract saying that you belong to the club so I wish I could play for high school but I can’t.” Before she committed to UC Davis, Ruelas played soccer for ten
years and also competed in various While she’s still proud of being tournaments to build connections admitted for UC Davis after verbalwith college coaches. ly committing in her sophomore In addition, she had also made year, Ruelas was also interested it into Developmental Academy, in a few other schools because of the highest level below the nationwhat they had to offer in terms of al team status, in her club team prestige and opportunity. which is currently ranked fourth “I think everyone’s dream is to in the nation. go to UCLA but to me it’s more of “When you’re getting into high which [college] is best academicalschool and you go to these national ly and best sports-wise so I think tournaments just finding a there’s these good balance coaches there, was my main "UC Davis has a really so you do your goal,” Ruelas good medical program best to play said. “If I had so I chose it not just well while to choose I because it was a good you’re out think I’d play there,” Ruelas for Arizona school for soccer..." said. “Then State or PepSAMANTHA RUELAS they may ask perdine.” you questions B e s i d e s and send you committing to emails so when you really have an the school for soccer, Ruelas also interest in a school you email them applied to UC Davis with other and try to get on their radar to see goals in mind. The senior aims to if they want to commit you.” become a physician assistant and Soccer wasn’t her first sport; at chose UC Davis in order to make the age of six, she played softball her way towards her dream career until she found her place on the in her future after college. soccer field when she was eight and “UC Davis has a really good medwill be playing it for another four ical program so I chose it not just years after graduating high school because it was a good school like this spring. [Division I] for soccer but it’s also a “I really liked sports but I didn’t really good academic school,” Rulike softball, so I chose another one elas said. “Once I’m done with coland all my friends at school were lege, I’m planning on just ending doing [soccer] so I decided to play [soccer] from there because I kind too,” Ruelas said. of want to have a normal job.”
VICTORIA ARTALE photo editor With a 5-3 record in preseason competition, Diamond Bar girls water polo is ready to reclaim first place in the Mt. Baldy League. Despite starter junior Victoria Madrigal suffering an arm injury earlier this season, the team had an impressive 11-5 win against the Montclair Cavaliers, who were joint-league champions with the Brahmas last year. “We really want to come out strong and beat them in our first game against them,” Madrigal said the day before the big game. “If we do that, we will have less pressure going into league finals.” Prior to winning against their rival, the Brahmas lost two consecutive games against El Dorado, 13-8 and Temescal Canyon, 11-5. The girls bounced back against Norco and Walnut, edging out a close 12-8 win against the Cougars and crushing the Mustangs by a double-digit margin. More recent-
ly, the girls won against Ontario 18-3. “Honestly that [game against Walnut] was the best we played; we just like communicated and we meshed well together,” Madrigal said. Considering the two losses at the beginning of preseason, took their losses as an opportunity to learn and improve in the water. They honed in on playing better defense, a key component that was lacking in their games against El Dorado and Temescal Canyon. “This year we definitely have a lot less drama and that has impacted the team in a positive way,” Madrigal said. “I feel like the main reason why we don’t have drama is because we are all used to playing with each other at this point.” Julianna Longoria, a freshman who has seven years of experience playing with a high-ranked club team, is one of the most important players on the team this season. Although she is the youngest and smallest on the team, Longoria is considered to be a high-caliber talent on the roster. “We have freshmen on the team but she’s like our best player,” Madrigal said. “It’s kind of hard because not all of us can match her skill or match her intense mindset sometimes.”
ABIGAIL HONG
Senior Raquel Figueroa goes for the shot while teammates get ready to defend.
16
SPORTS
JANUARY 22, 2020
THE BULL'S EYE
Girls basketball still looking for buckets Lack of offensive prowess hurts the team’s chances of winning during the intial games of league play. Reyna wan Asst. opinion editor Despite having a rough start in the opening games of the league season, the Diamond Bar High School girls basketball team has rebounded with better shooting and a cohesive defensive lineup going into the season. After starting the season with a 44-21 loss against Montclair, the Lady Brahmas suffered two more losses, against Chino, 51-21, and Don Lugo, 42-35, before securing a win against Ontario, 42-24, later in the season. As large as the score margins were when going up against Montclair and Ontario, head coach Tony McCabe notes that experience and shot quality is their main source of trouble while competing on the court this season. “We did a really good job against Montclair, holding them to almost 15 points less than their average, but we didn’t score,” McCabe said. “It’s going to be how we come back from a tough loss and then go on the road and play the toughest team.” Though the team may be inexperienced compared to the Don Lugo and Chino teams in some aspects, the Lady Brahmas have managed to readjust to the unfamiliar waters of Division 4, even beating neighboring Division 3 school Rowland 43-39.
“If we make our shots, we’ll probably beat you,” McCabe said. “And, if we miss our shots, then we’ll probably lose because the games are so close.” Without any standout players, the team has depended on their balanced skill set, putting in extra hours to maintain the depth, precision and shooting averages of their games. “Each day we have somebody who does a little and has a great game, but nobody is displaying great every game,” McCabe said. Although the Lady Brahmas have found a leading scorer in freshman Kailey Taing, her shots continue to vary, scoring 14 points during some of their games while scoring single digits during others. Sophomore Gizell Lien, however, has maintained her skill level with consistent rebounds and a strong post defense. With the goal of making the Mt. Baldy League playoffs this season, the ladies work on refining different skills at every practice before playoffs this coming season, training for everything from defense to rebounding. Aided by the strong leadership of senior captains Karen Shao, Charlotte Tu, Juliana Calasan and Amanda Vasquez, the team’s focus and dedication off the court are becoming more clear on court the more they practice well together before games. “It’s not that we’re not physical and tough, we’re both of those things,” McCabe said. “So, if we fix that, we’ll be right there.” The Lady Brahmas play their next game at Montclair this coming Friday.
TIFFANY LEE
Junior Jayden Sanchez goes in for a penalty shot against Chino High School while teammates anticipate a scored goal.
Soccer suffers early struggle Boys soccer struggles with six ties and are trying to keep their hopes up for league finals. ryan chan Asst. business manager While the Diamond Bar High School boys soccer still has its sights set on becoming Mt. Baldy League champions, the team has dug itself into a hole. Just four games into the season, the Brahmas have a league record of 0-3-1 and an overall record of 1-6-2. In spite of the teams early mishaps, head coach Pete Orosco remains optimistic about the team’s success this season. “I think they are still putting all the pieces together right now,” Orosco said. “But they have the
right mentality, [which is] the spirit of competition and the enthusiasm for the game.” In the team’s first game, the team lost 4-1 to Montclair and then proceeded to tie 2-2 against Chino. “We aren’t doing as well as I expected but there are plenty of other games to play, and I expect that we will be able to have a good record this year and make it to CIF,” sophomore Jackson Haynes said via Instagram. One of the main reasons behind this early struggle is the team’s difficulty in sticking with formations. The team said they need to improve its offensive capabilities and synergy on the field. Despite these flaws, seniors Abdul Abboushi and Jayden Sanchez are having good seasons so far. “Myself and Jayden Sanchez are having a remarkable season, both of the reason why we are both
stepping up for our team and constantly want the ball checking in,” senior Abdul Abboushi said. Despite being one of the four sophomores on the roster, Haynes has surprisingly emerged as an x-factor, playing well as the center defensive midfielder for the Brahmas “Jackson Haynes is beasting it out there and is one of the more dominant players,” junior Aj Mcelrea said. With six games remaining in the season, the team remains in the hunt to place well in league and possibly make a postseason run. “I think we have a good chance to win league, but we just need to have a better start to games and finish our scoring opportunities,” Haynes said. In pursuit of their first win, the Brahmas will host the Montclair Cavaliers Thursday.
Vasquez prepares to kick off college turf The January Athlete of the Month persevered through setbacks in her soccer career. Elizabeth peng Editor-in-chiief Ever since she started sprinting down the sidelines at AYSO matches at the age of four, Marissa Vasquez found her passion for soccer and the sport remains a central part of her life. Playing varsity soccer since her freshman year, the Diamond Bar High School senior is an integral component of the team. As an attacking midfielder, she distributes the ball to create scoring opportunities for herself or her teammates. “Soccer is something I have worked to get better at all my life,” Vasquez said. “It’s taught me many things and has helped shape me into the person I am today. I’m pretty quiet but soccer is where I can be myself and be creative.” During her time on the girls soccer team, the senior has earned various awards. In her freshman year, Vasquez was named the Offensive Player of the Year and made second-team all-league in the Palomares League. She proceeded to achieve first-team all-league honors and was named back-toback team MVP the following two seasons, in addition to being named Mt. Baldy League MVP last year. While earning a multitude of accolades at Diamond Bar, Vasquez has also overcome challenges outside of school. Approximately five years ago, she was cut from the Fullerton Rangers (a competitive soccer club in north Orange Coun-
me to do it [join track] so I eventually did it,” Vasquez said. At the last league meet of the 2018 track season, her second time running the 800m, she lowered the DBHS record with a time of 2:17.65. She broke the record several times, reaching her final 2:11.98 personal record when she won the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals. At the CIF-SS Masters Meet, she placed seventh in the event with a time of 2:12.58. Despite her achievements in track, she decided to focus more on soccer after running on the DBHS track team for only one year. “I didn’t really like individual sports that much...track is a team sport, but [it’s still individual]. So I like working as a team better; it’s not like all the pressure is on me,” Vasquez said. In soccer, she enjoys meeting new friends and working together TIFFANY LEE with other players to achieve the Senior Marissa Vasquez will be playing college soccer when attending the University of San Francisco this upcoming fall. same goal. Legends FC 02 Academy II in 2019, “I’ve learned to work as a team she and her team became the Caland to keep pushing when things ifornia South State National Cup are hard or down,” Vasquez said. champions, CalAccording to ifornia Regional Vasquez, her League champicompetitive "Soccer is something ons, U.S. Youth mindset to get I have worked to get Soccer Far West better at anybetter at all my life. Regional chamthing she does It’s taught me so pions and Develdrives her to many things...” opment Player keep improving League champiher skills on the MARISSA VASQUEZ ons. The team field. also placed third The senior in U.S. Youth will continue Soccer National Championships. her soccer career by committing ABIGAIL HONG In addition to soccer, Vasquez to play for the University of San Vasquez has had many triumphs including being named MVP for two seasons. was on the DBHS track and field Francisco. Four of her teammates ty) because of her small size. Vasquez said. “After that I found team in her sophomore year. On on Legends FC also committed to “After I was told I wouldn’t play my Legends West team, which I track, she has run the 200 methe university, which made a big and mainly sit because I was too played with for two years until I ter, 400 meter, 800 meter and the impact on her. short and not good enough at U14 moved up to my team I’m on now 4x400-meter relay events. “I like After college, Vasquez aspires (in 2015), I went to the lower team last year.” running for training. That’s a big to play professional soccer as a caat [Fullerton] Rangers for a year,” As a part of the Chino-based part. And then people kept asking reer.
GIRLS SOCCER -First Team All-League
-CA Regional League Champs -Mt. Baldy League MVP
JAN. AOTM: MARISSA VASQUEZ