INSIDE THE ISSUE
opinion 4
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 16
NOVEMBER 6, 2019 VOLUME XXXVIII, ISSUE III ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS
District increases campus security
Annual TEDx speakers chosen
DBHS will now scan identification cards of visitors to campus.
A student panel assisted in deciding which speeches to include in this year’s Wellness Center event.
ABIGAIL HONG ASST. PHOTO EDITOR RENEE ELEFANTE
The Walnut Valley Unified School District has added a new security system to the many school safety procedures being implemented this year. The system, called LobbyGuard, requires campus visitors to present their identification to be scanned to check for any sex offenders. “LobbyGuard is a school security system that uses a national database that searches for sex offenders and crimes that can help screen individuals who would like to have access to our campus,” Diamond Bar High School Principal Reuben Jones said. LobbyGuard, founded in 2005, will be used at every school in the district.
LobbyGuard ON P. 2
Leaving a digital imprint The decline of newspapers has caused journalism to slowly make its way onto the consumers’ screens. RENEE ELEFANTE NEWS EDITOR As someone unlocks their phone and taps on their News app, scrolling through the endless headlines that pop up, a print journalist packs up their bags and looks for work elsewhere.
With the rise of the Internet and social media, newspapers that were once filled with advertisements and flyers are now thin and disappearing. Advertisements have been a primary source of newspapers’ revenue, garnering at least $49.3 billion in 2006, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2012, that number dropped to at least $25.3 billion. Now that a younger generation has flocked to digital news, advertisers have followed them, causing the newspaper industry to slowly crumble.
RYAN CHAN ASST. BUSINESS MANAGER
In 2018, 35 percent of newspapers’ advertising revenue came from digital advertising, an 18 percent difference from 2011. These changes are now trickling down to the college and high school student publications. In a poll of 377 Diamond Bar High School students, about 51.5 percent said that they read the Bull’s Eye, while about 28.1 percent said they have gone on the website. In addition, only about 37.7 percent said they are aware of its social media platforms.
With two successful TEDx Talk events under its belt, Diamond Bar High School’s Wellness Center will host another round of inspirational speeches on Nov. 13. Eighteen speakers will present on an array of topics relevant to the high school youth, ranging from the speaker’s cultural identity to political activism during the all-day event held in the school theater, ranging from periods one through six. “My expectations are that peers that come in are going to be inspired by the messages from their peers,” Wellness Center adviser Sandy Davis said.
journalism ON P. 3
ted talks ON P. 2
Finding her place at Diamond Bar Magali Rosas moved to the U.S. from Peru before deciding to pursue a career in teaching.
VICTORIA ARTALE
Diamond Bar High School graduates who became staff members at the high school include biology teacher Jazmine Silver (c/o 2011), technology coordinator Randy Thomas (c/o 1984) and history teacher Lindsay Arnold (c/o 2000).
Brahmas retrace their steps
Many faculty members experienced the shift from student to teacher. ELIZABETH PENG Editor-in-chief Nineteen graduates of Diamond Bar High School have disproved the old saying, “You can’t go home again.” The former Brahma students
have returned to the campus and hold a variety of positions, including teachers, GLCs and department directors. Randy Thomas, who is in his 31st year of working at DBHS, was part of the original 1984 graduating class. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in education from Stanford University, he came back to Diamond Bar. He is the school technology coordinator and web administrator.
“It’s nice now to be part of the institutional knowledge of the school,” Thomas said. “I was here on the first day of school, and now I’m still here 37 years later. I was also the first student body president of Diamond Bar High School, and so I was really involved in the rooms, in the school opening, choosing of colors and mascot. I feel like I’m still part of that long history and now I’m kind of a repository of what happened.”
alumni ON P. 3
showed emotional intelligence and discussed the importance of being a team player. “It was a tough applicant pool but she really stood out as a teacher who has a lot of experience and wants to get involved.” Rosas, a native Spanish-speaker, CAMILLE MCCURRY moved to the United States from Peru after her husband was awardSTAFF WRITER ed residency by the U.S. government. When Diamond Bar High School Before leaving, she had earned Spanish teacher Marco Leal acher bachelor’s degree in accountcepted a promotion to become the ing at Universidad Nacional Mayor assistant principal at Granada Midde San Marcos, the oldest universidle School last month, it gave the ty in the Americas. administration little time to find a Rosas worked as an accounfull-time Spanish tant for several teacher. However, years, but after there was one apshe helped out “Every school has its plicant who stood with the Spanunique culture [and] out and was hired ish-English dual unique student soon after, Magali language immerpopulation..." Rosas. sion program her MAGALI ROSAS Instr uctional daughters were dean Julie Galinenrolled in, she do said that Rofound a passion sas “stood out because she showed for education and decided to bea wide variety of experience in all come a teacher. With this goal in Spanish levels.” mind, Rosas earned her teaching “There was a receptive approach credential at Cal State San Berto finding out everything about our nardino. students and becoming involved at rosas ON P. 2 our school,” Galindo said. “She also
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NEWS
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
Bonding with students Teachers introduce new activities to spur classroom discussion on wellness. connor cho staff writer Two months after Diamond Bar High School teachers gathered for the Social-Emotional Council meeting at the Walnut Unified School District to discuss new ways to improve students’ mental health, some teachers have implemented the methods into their classrooms. At the meeting, math teacher Maureen Baiz, suggested that teachers could write positive messages to a different student every day and be watchful of their students’ behavior. “When I see a student in distress, I talk to them about some mindful practices such as deep breathing and by [allowing] them to cope with situations that are very difficult,” she said. “I try to give my
students positive affirmations every day, just so that they know that I care about them and that they all have great hearts and they need to be proud of themselves.” Baiz also said that she has seen significant changes in her classroom’s environment after she utilized her strategies to help her students. “I just think the relationship that you can form between students is immeasurable,” she said. “Just the fact that they’re able to feel close enough and have a positive relationship with you and me as a teacher just surpassed my expectations and all my goals for the year.” Dawn Daza has also used tips from the meeting. She implemented a mood meter system into her Advanced Placement Statistics class, doing an M&M activity where students use M&Ms to indicate their current mood in the classroom. “I wouldn’t say there are specific changes to [student behavior], but overall, [the activity] gives
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
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 563 or submit them online at dbbullseye.com.
students a sense of respect in the classroom,” Daza said. Some students found that the activities offered by the teachers have made a beneficial impact on behavior. A few have become comfortable with being more open about their feelings toward their teachers. “[The mood meters] are helpful because I believe it could just give us a good break from the class so we could reflect on our feelings,” senior Katherine Chang, one of Daza’s students, said. “I think it’s brought changes to some of my peers who seem to be really stressed.” Overall, students have shared positive results from the activity, and many teachers hope to continue activities to support their students. “I think that having all teachers [participate] has changed the climate of our staff and the relationship with our students,” Baiz said. “One big thing is that I think most of us have [worked as teachers] so that we can impact our students in a positive way.”
TIFFANY LEE
Spanish teacher Magali Rosas replaces in former teacher Marco Leal.
Adjusting to a new campus rosas from p. 1
“I was working as a long term sub, and I was looking for a permanent position,” Rosas said. She worked as an AP Spanish teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale for two years before being hired at DBHS. “I’m still adjusting because the culture is different,” Rosas said. “Every school has its unique culture [and] unique student population, so here I have to adapt to the very high standards. And I do like it, but it’s a process.” Rosas and Leal actually expected to have more time to prepare her to
take on her new job. However, Leal had to begin his new job sooner, which came as a surprise to both staff and students. As a result, Rosas began teaching on her fourth day on campus, Oct. 14. With the help of Galindo and Spanish department head Charlotte Sorensen, Rosas said she has been adjusting well. Rosas is teaching Spanish II, II Honors and III Honors with the goal of teaching at the school for many years to come. She also plans to earn her master’s degree in Spanish to further her teaching skills.
Public speaking auditions undergo several changes ted talks FROM p. 1 “I hope people walk away with, like I said, being inspired and learning something new that maybe provides some insight to their own lives.” A change in the talks made this year by the Wellness Center was incorporating the TEDx Club on campus to help out with the audition procedures. “There were some members of the TEDx Club that helped with the judging because they were intimately involved in putting on TED Talks off campus,” Davis said. “And so, they just have a lot more experience. I also had some teachers help judge as well as one [senior] student named Karen Shao who has given two Ted Talks the last two years, so
she has a lot of experience.” The student judging panel gave the Wellness Center more input on the speeches, allowing Davis to make a more thorough decision on which topics were the most relevant to teenagers. This year, students were not required to make PowerPoint presentations for their auditions since the judges decided that they did not want to be distracted while judging. “This year, I decided to delete them because what we wanted to concentrate on the quality of the speech and how they delivered it,” Davis said. “So we were looking at the structure, how relevant it was, how their delivery was, their flow and their organization of ideas, I wanted to strip everything down and see the essence of their mes-
sage.” After the participants were chosen, they made PowerPoint slides and different visual aids to accompany their presentation. The Wellness Center tried to license its event with the help of the TEDx Club to become an official TED Talk. However, many technicalities prevented them from doing so because the TED organization had a list of requirements that had to be followed. “We couldn’t go along with some of the requirements, like we had to charge students, and we can’t do that as a public school,” Davis said. “Not that we would want to. Also, we could only have 100 in the audience, whereas our theater can fit up to 300.”
Reinforcing visitation policies lobbyguard FROM p. 1 At DBHS, the system has been up and running since Nov. 1. Lobbyguard scans the name and birth date of a person’s ID card, enabling it to match visitors’ information to any possible record of sex offenders. “We want to know who’s coming on our campus, and we want to know if there are adults that have broken the law,” Jones said. “They won’t have access to our campus.” However, if a parent is dropping off a student or leaving an item for a student, they will not have to have their ID scanned. The ID check will only be obligatory if a person of legal age wants to take a child out of school early or enter campus. When they are cleared to enter the campus, visitors will be given a
badge with their name, picture and destination by a front office staffer. This will also apply to staff members, who will be required to wear WVUSD badges when visiting other district campuses. “If I go to visit Chaparral and I don’t have on my badge, then I have to take out my ID and be scanned even though I’m the principal at Diamond Bar,” Jones said. The process of verifying adults who wish to enter schools is a relatively short process as the badges required to enter campus will be printed right after the system scans the ID. The IDs accepted by the new system are driver’s licenses or IDs issued by the state, a Martricular Consular card (an ID card given to Mexicans who are living abroad), a military card and a card for permanent residency.
Jones also confirmed that the cameras installed throughout the campus have yet to be activated.
VICTORIA ARTALE
The new digitalized security system can scan a visitor’s identification to keep sex offenders off campus.
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
NEWS
SBAC results show progress
SPOOKY SCHOOL SPIRIT
DBHS sees an increase in standardized test scores compared to last year’s. CHARLES TAM contributing writer
ABIGAIL HONG
Performing Arts students decked out in a variety of costumes to celebrate Halloween this year. See more photos on p.13.
Practicing their profession at their old high school alumni FROM p. 1 Half of the GLCs at DBHS are alumni. Richard Gonzales (1985), Sonja Burns (1998), Stephanie Duenas (2002) and Jenna Brummett (2004) were all once students at Diamond Bar seeking advice from their GLCs. Mike Bromberg (1998) is the operations manager, Janna Van Horn (1996) is the activities director and Albert Lim (1996) is the athletic director. Alumni brothers Jared and Jacob Kaitz run Diamond Bar’s Drama department, with Jacob serving as the stagecraft/theater manager while Jared teaches drama as well as English I. In the math department, class of 1988 alumna Maureen Baiz teaches geometry, class of 1999 alumna Jennifer Burns teaches geometry, class of 2003 alumna Courtney Corona teaches Algebra I, class of
2005 alumna Margaret Ku teaches trigonometry/math analysis and class of 2010 alumna Isabella Chiang teaches geometry and trigonometry/math analysis. Ku is also the current International Baccalaureate program coordinator, and Chiang also teaches AP Psychology. In the 1980s, Stacy Tenace (1988) was a member of the Taurus, Diamond Bar’s yearbook; now she’s the adviser to the publication along with teaching English. In the social studies department, class of 1996 alumna Jill Marquez teaches civics and economics while Lindsay Arnold (2000) teaches AP European History, AP U.S. History and IB History. Arnold, who received a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in education at Biola University, returned to DBHS 15 years ago. She said she was inspired to teach by the creative teachers
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she had at Diamond Bar, including history teacher Emily Clark and former Spanish teacher Christine Buccola. “[Mrs. Clark] has become one of my closest friends over the years and I never would have imagined that when I was a student,” Arnold said via email. Class of 2011 graduate Jazmine Silver returned to DBHS in 2017 after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology and a teaching credential from Cal Poly Pomona, receiving a master’s degree in administration from National University and teaching at Woodcrest Junior High School in Ontario. She currently teaches regular, honors and Pathways biology. “I’m comfortable with Diamond Bar High School; I know what it’s like, I know where all locations are, how the teachers teach [and] how the students are,” Silver said.
After the Diamond Bar High School administration took action due to the overall decrease in scores on the annual Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test by the class of 2019, the class of 2020 saw significant overall improvements. For the English Language Arts test, DBHS scores increased by over six percent—80.4 percent of seniors met or exceeded state standards, compared to the previous class where 74.2 percent of students did. The percentage of this year’s seniors that did not meet the standard decreased by over six percent—19.6 percent compared to 25.8 percent of last year’s graduating class. For the mathematics test, DBHS scores increased by over four percent—72.9 percent of this year’s seniors met or exceeded state standards, compared to 68.9 percent last year. The percentage of the class of 2020’s students that did not meet
the standard decreased by over four percent—27.1 percent compared to 31.1 percent of the class of 2019. The SBAC is a California assessment system taken digitally by students in third to eighth grade and again as juniors in high school. The English and math based exam is aligned to the Common Core State Standards, which tests students on their English and math skills while using a computer adaptive format where questions become more difficult when students answer correctly and become easier when students answer incorrectly. In comparison with Walnut High School, DBHS’s English scores that met or exceeded state standards were below by about two percent, with about two percent more of the students not meeting the standard. However, the Brahmas’ math scores that met or exceeded state standards were above the Mustangs by about two percent, with about three percent more of WHS’s students not meeting the standard. This year’s seniors scored dramatically above the state average. DBHS English and math scores that met or exceeded standards were 29.5 percent and 33.2 percent, respectively, above the state averages.
CAMILLE MCCURRY
Journalism in new century journalism FROM p. 1
US TEST SCORES SLIGHTLY DECREASE
American reading and math scores for fourth and eighth graders have not shown much improvement, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The results were gathered from the 2019 National Assessment of Education Progress. The 2019 fourth grade mathematics scores increased by an average of one point while fourth grade reading and eighth grade mathematics and reading decreased by an average of three points.
A NEW LEADER FOR ISIS
After ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest in a dead end tunnel during a U.S. raid on his compound in northern Syria on Oct. 26, ISIS named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi alQurayshi, previously unknown in the West, as the group’s new leader on Oct. 31.
The publication doesn’t receive any funding from the school district and relies on advertising and fundraising to support itself. In the past five years, advertising revenue for The Bull’s Eye has decreased by about $5,000 a year. In May 2018, UC Irvine’s publication announced on its website that it would become solely digital due to a lack of funding. A newspaper fund referendum, which would have charged students $3 quarterly to help finance the newspaper, failed: 60 percent of undergraduate support was needed to pass it, but it only received 52 percent. “I don’t think the future of college journalism looks quite as grim
as people would like to think,” San Diego State University journalism major Bella Ross said. “I still see a lot of passion from student journalists that often goes unmatched by their professional counterparts. Given the political climate, I hope more people are starting to understand the value of journalism, even as the job becomes tougher than ever.” Meanwhile, in some high schools, their newspapers’ layout transitioned from a traditional one to more of a newsmagazine where the front page resembles a magazine and each section only has a few stories. Many publications have also begun to focus on their websites and social media in addition to their printed versions.
The Bull’s Eye devotes the first five pages of the paper to news and opinion stories and the rest to feature-type stories, including sports. In the poll, 21.6 percent of students said they enjoy reading the News section, 12.8 percent said they enjoy reading Opinion and 8.8 percent said they enjoy reading Feature. 18 percent said they enjoy reading Arts and Entertainment while 16.5 percent enjoy reading Sports. “Within the next ten years, I would say most high school [newspapers], except for high school newspapers that are funded by the school district…[will] stop printing,” adviser Doug List said. “I just don’t see within ten years [that] the advertisers will continue to support to the level that’s necessary.”
REUTERS
RISING SEA LEVELS THREATEN COASTAL CITIES Residents in some Asian, South American and European countries may see sea levels between two and seven feet within the next three decades, according to the journal Nature Communications. By 2100, some areas could be submerged.
SECOND ATTACK ON MALI’S ARMY IN A MONTH
In one of the deadliest assaults on the Malian Armed Forces, around 53 soldiers and one civilian were killed at a military post in northern Mali, Africa, on Nov. 1. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack. This follows the attack on army posts that killed 38 soldiers in September.
RENEE ELEFANTE
Members of The Bull’s Eye staff work on layout pages and editing stories for their latest issue of the school newspaper.
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OPINION
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
EYE EDITORS OF THE
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OPINION: Diamond Bar High School students are too focused on grades rather than actual learning.
ny Diamond Bar High School student can attest to our school’s competitive nature. Whether in Advanced Placement or regular classes, it isn’t a stretch to say students’ concerns are 100 percent focused on performing well in classes and tests. DBHS boasts a rigorous and challenging curriculum that seemingly prepares students for college. However, in reality, the exact opposite is happening. Without any care for actually learning and retaining educational content, students simply forget about the material as soon as they stop viewing it as relevant to them. As a result, students adopt an attitude of achieving an A or 5 by any means necessary, including missing out on participating or asking questions in class, cheating on tests and homework and doing the bare minimum on assignments. Though it may pay off in the short run, they are only preparing themselves for a brutal and inevitable wake-up call in college. The school is at fault as well. Teachers push for students to perform well on AP exams and standardized tests in order to boost their record and the school’s rating.
gracenotes
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GRACE LEE OPINION EDITOR
or years, many have complained—by showcasing data after chart after polls—that the younger generations are not as politically active as older generations. However, it seems that when young adults finally head to polling places to make their voices heard, the group that is most hurt by this
If the school itself doesn’t strive for an active and engaging curriculum, students cannot be expected to become perfect students. Almost every student has been in a similar situation where they will only study or memorize enough to pass the test, immediately forgetting what they learned afterwards. Take math classes, for example. Teachers must constantly remind students of past formulas or general knowledge they “learned” and should have memorized. More often than not, only a select few will remember. It is dangerous for students to have the mentality of only studying for a good grade. By doing the bare minimum to receive an A or 5, students create a habit of laziness and don’t reach their full potential. Later on, this will prohibit them from being successful in college or life when they are competing against those who took their education more seriously. In the case of AP classes, some teachers will strictly teach material that is related to the AP test, choosing to neglect other areas of information that could be important later on in college or life. Rather than focusing on having a
well-rounded education, students pour all their resources into guaranteeing themselves a good score on the AP exam. Students are also guilty of this. If something is not going to be on the AP test, it will be neglected by students. How many times has a student asked the question, “Will this be on the test?” and if it won’t be on the test, it’s thrown out of their minds. Both sides are at fault here. The same students who didn’t care about learning as a whole or studying to understand the information will struggle in college or on the job. When college classes or a work environment requires students to discuss ideas and present meaningful solutions rather than a standard answer, DBHS students may find themselves at a disadvantage. To be successful in any area is to have mastered it, to understand the ins and outs of the matter, not just the bare minimum. Students need to get rid of this idea of working for an A or 5 on the AP exam. They are not doing any good for themselves in the future and are digging a hole for themselves by training to be good test takers, not good students or knowledgeable citizens.
A
s a teen in the 21st century, I’ve heard my fair share of adults complaining that we are on our phones too often. What they don’t realize is how critical our devices are for our health and sanity. Unfortunately, I don’t have the best phone out on the market. It is a three-year-old iPhone model called the iPhone SE. Since it’s such an old phone, my life is so much worse than everyone else around me. My life is constantly buffering. When I want to look up a synonym of “good,” it almost seems as if it
Students care more about their grades because they’re pressured into going to a good school by their parents and peers. KODI LEE (10)
I’m from a different school and people in the British schooling system focus more on understanding the content than the grade. DON AVERIA (12) It doesn’t matter what you learn in the classroom but rather what you get as your GPA because that’s what colleges see. LUKE XIAO (11) I do think that DBHS classes give you a fastpaced idea of what college will be so I believe they prepare you. CHANTELLE LUNA (10)
Silencing a rising generation’s voice newly rising voting group goes back on their word. According to the New York Times, while the rate of students voting in the 2018 midterm elections doubled from the 2014 midterms, Republican leaders are trying to deter the generally Democratic voting bloc from participating in elections. For example, Austin Community College, which set up temporary early voting sites to encourage students to vote, accounted for almost 14,000 student votes. However, the Texas Legislature closed down polling places that did not remain open for the entirety of the 12-day early voting period, including those of Austin Community College. In Wisconsin, Republicans put up additional barriers after
they allowed student IDs for voting identification, including requiring a proof of enrollment and a two year expiration date for voting IDs while student IDs lasted four years. It is completely backwards that younger generations are expected to fulfill their civic duty, and then face obstruction by the Republicans solely because liberal college students would skew the vote in the Democrats’ favor. Voting shouldn’t be about party lines. Regardless of whether or not they will vote for what you believe in, everybody— both Democrats and Republicans— should be encouraging people to do their civic responsibilities. Some may justify this by saying that college students are not as knowledgeable and only superficially vote for Democratic sides.
Our lives are our cellphones
Abigail Hong Asst. PHoto Editor
From the Brahma Perspective
would be faster if I just used my brain instead. In addition, any teen can tell you that climate change is a challenge that the world faces today. By using our phones, we’re doing the world a favor by cutting down on waste. We digitize our contacts to avoid printing useless phone books, download online games to discourage the plastic wrappings that physical board games come in and obtain our news through social media to save the trees. The worst thing that could ever happen to me is having my phone taken away. If I’m away from it for two seconds I throw a fit just so I can get it back. I don’t care if I get kicked out of the house with no money. All that matters is that I have a cell phone in my hand. Being disowned is not important in comparison to having my phone securely in my hands. In addition, my phone keeps me safe. Walking down the street is not an option, and I need to use an Uber or a Lyft to reach a place
However, that would be the same thing as saying that older generations cannot keep up with the times and are not making informed choices that respond to the current political and social climate. In a complete turnaround from the previous political apathy that they once showed, younger generations are displaying an increasing interest in voting, and instead of discouraging the nation’s future from speaking out, those in power should be celebrating their sudden inspiration to vote and make a change and applauding the future leaders of politics. It’s only natural that younger generations are speaking up. With a Republican-dominated federal government, many of the issues that younger generations rally and
SATIRICAL S Y S T E M AT I C A L LY
Cartoon courtesy of JAMES WU that is as far as one block away. Walking only gives you pain and increases the chances of tripping and falling on the rough sidewalks. I need my phone to go down the street because it sure is the most health-conscious way to do things. According to a study by Bob Smith of Harvarb University, studying through physical books and reading is a sure way to fail classes. Every student needs to
fight for is ignored, including gun control and climate change. With prominent voices such as Parkland teens leading the #NeverAgain movement and Greta Thunberg leading climate activists, it is clear that the younger generations are not satisfied with the status quo and have decided to speak up for themselves. To deny them the right to speak their thoughts through ballots would be like taking away their freedom to express themselves and make their voices heard in a democracy. If the Republicans really just don’t want the younger generations to vote, then they should acknowledge that their current legislatures and goals warrant such powerful response from them.
use their phones to study, like me. Audio books are the only option to actually understanding material, because we won’t become distracted while listening. The worst feeling is when my mother takes my phone away. I feel like I am being torn apart from the world every millisecond that I’m not touching my phone. It is the essence of life and without it I would surely die.
However, this comes at a great price. Everyday I need to carry around a portable charger, and it weighs down my backpack. I only use my phone around six hours a day, but when the battery goes down to 50 percent, my hands start shaking in fear of a life without my trustworthy phone. I know I’m not alone in bearing the burden of a portable charger, however, because there are plenty of kids who use their phones over 10 hours a day. Despite what many adults claim, a lengthened period of using our phones is very beneficial for our health—scientists go on and on about blue light from phones degrading our vision, but it’s clear that blue is a soothing color that will allow us to relax more. Cell phones are the only way for people to function. We would be savages and wouldn’t be capable of any rational thought. Though it is a cruel and harsh world out there, our phones will constantly be the source of our light—literally.
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Parent Portal confusion
“W
PRO
e have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you,” Mark Zuckerberg said. This was the CEO and founder of Facebook’s ineffectual response to the 2018 data breach by the research firm Cambridge Analytica. This breach put Facebook under an unwanted spotlight regarding the great size of its platform and how much user data it possesses. Many have begun to call for the breakup of Facebook to combat these issues. Though separating Facebook may initially seem like a proper solution, the execution of such a plan is too far-fetched and implausible. It is evident that Facebook has problems. A lack of management and improper monetization of user data are the principal causes for these issues. However, breaking up Facebook is not the solution to either of these problems. Facebook can be viewed as a major data center. The user data of its two billion monthly users is stored in this data center. The problem does not stem from the possession or gathering of this user data, but the utilization of this data for advertisers. Splitting up Facebook will not limit its growth or size. It will simply drive up prices for user data as
that data becomes more dispersed with a break up. This is the same user data that is purchased by many small businesses who utilize Facebook for social media marketing. A breakup will affect the bottom line of these small businesses who are reliant on Facebook for marketing. Neither Facebook, nor those who advertise on Facebook, will benefit from such a change. The exact way in which Facebook will be “broken up” is bewildering. A company of such size cannot simply be cut into even parts. The entire financial structure of Facebook will be threatened by a break up. There is no clear proposal that can properly break up Facebook while still retaining its basic platform and services. Each individual component of Facebook acts in conjunction with its counterparts. Simply calling for a “break up” of such an intricate platform is not the appropriate solution. The underlying question of such a proposal still remains: to what extent can the government limit a private company? With Facebook’s size, some degree of
PResidentIAL AGE CAP Should there be a maximium age to run for president?
Another reason there should be an age cap for the presidency is the lack of mental sharpness found in older people. Although people do get wiser over the years, many mental diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s can hit people as early as in their 60s. Having a mental disease would impair a president’s ability to fulfill his or her responsibilities. Running an entire nation can also be an extremely stressful and draining job for someone who is weaker in the body and mind. Ryan Chan To provide an example, 78-year-old presiAsst. Business Manager dential candidate Bernie Sanders recently sufn order for a natural-born U.S. citizen to fered from a heart attack while campaigning. run for president, he or she must be at least Although Sanders stated that he will continue 35 years old. This age requirement was put to run for the presidency, this situation shows in place to ensure that the people running for us how fragile and susceptible to sickness old our nation’s most coveted and highest ranking people can be. It would be disastrous if Sandposition would be mature and responsible. ers were to win and suffer another heart attack However, once a person reaches a certain while in office. age, he or she is too physically and mentally Another problem is the lack of attention on unreliable to become president. This is why the vice president candidate. Many people only there needs to be an age cap follow the president during of 65 for candidates who run campaigns, causing them to “[An age cap] brings for the presidency. know little to nothing about innovative ideas One of the worst things their vice presidents. of the younger that could happen to a naThis can become a huge generation to the tion is the death of a presproblem since the vice prespresidency.” ident. Although the vice ident has a crucial role in president will step up to the government: the vice fulfill the president’s role, chaos could ensue president is responsible for taking over the especially if we were in the middle of a crisis presidency if the president passes away or is or war. Many other problems would also arise removed from office. This is important because from a president’s untimely death, such as insomeone who people may not be familiar with, stability and economic fluctuation. It would may become president due to an untimely create a long lasting political impact on the death. nation. Not only will an age cap prevent possible Throughout American history, eight prestragedies, it brings innovative ideas of the idents have passed away in office out of 44 younger generation to the presidency, allowing presidents that have served. Four were due to the nation to move forward. natural causes. This is one problem that could This is why taking the time to read up on all be easily solved. By setting a maximum age for candidates and having an age cap is important. someone to run for president, the nation can Doing so will help maintain the overall stabiligreatly lower the chances of the leader dying ty of the government if the President were to in office. pass away.
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5
Splitting Facebook not an answer
Harris Daud COntributing Writer
Cartoon courtesy of SARAH SEIF
OPINION
regulation is appropriate due to its impact on the public. However, pushing for an outright break up of a private company is fundamentally wrong. Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren called for Facebook to step back on its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp as a way to break up Facebook. However, such a change is not only preposterous, but inherently wrong. Facebook has incorporated the services of both Instagram and WhatsApp within its platforms. Stripping these acquisitions for the sake of breaking up a large media platform will cause further problems in ownership of these previously acquired companies. Breaking up Facebook is not the correct move. Facebook is being vilified purely because of its size and influence. What many are forgetting is that it is a social media platform which aims to build an infrastructure to connect a community of people. Rather than breaking down on this idea with a separation, a better solution would be increased regulation by the government and a stronger management on Facebook’s part. Strictly watching Facebook’s actions regarding user data and making sure the company acts within its limits is the first step. Having congressional oversight over the actions of Facebook in the long term will properly regulate its actions.
CON
as one may think and are more cognitively capable than are made out to be. Moreover, with the increased accessibility of advanced health care along with the prevalence of medical procedures used to cure illnesses, the health issues of the president are trivial concerns to say the least. The more pressing issue is experience and capability. Most older candidates have the astuteness and insight amassed from decades of political service incomparable to those of Alex Chun younger candidates, making informed suggesAsst. Sports Editor tions on mending society’s current issues. ge is just a number. In the 2020 presiSanders, 78, has shown his worth as a candential race, five of the 23 candidates didate throughout his political career, currentare in their 70s. Despite their age, the ly ranks third in most voter polls among the three oldest candidates in the Democratic 19 Democratic contestants. Sanders spoke for nominee race—Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden many young people when he proposed the pricand Bernie Sanders—are the top contestants, ey Green New Deal that would eliminate prowhile current president Donald Trump was duction of combustion-fuel vehicles and prothe oldest man in American history to enter mote reductions in electricity bills for citizens. his first-term. This vision to radically change the complexiWith the sudden emerties of society demonstrates gence of older candidates, the potential of older candi“...older candidates there has been an ongoing dates to satisfy current needs, have the astuteness debate about what is too old even inspiring the advocacy and insight amassed for the job. I don’t believe of climate activists and young from decades of that age should be a factor politicians like U.S. Rep. Alexpolitical service.” when considering presidenandria-Ocasio Cortez (D-NY). tial candidates. Rather than discouraging According to Ellen Langer, a social psythese septuagenarians for running as candichologist and professor of psychology at Hardates at such an old age, citizens of the younger vard University, old age doesn’t necessarily generation should take this opportunity to supincrease the likelihood of contracting illness. port the older politicians of today’s age, appreOther variables, such as education and wealth, ciating the wisdom and experience that they play a significant role in the well-being of huprovide. Older candidates should be included mans, demonstrating how older candidates in the discussions of social issues, shedding can maintain rational thinking despite prolight on the injustices of discrimination. gression in age. All in all, the age of presidential candidates According to a study conducted by Veryshould not be considered. It’s not that older Well Health, cognitive reserve, a development candidates are better presidents than younger within humans who have educated brains, ones. Rather, older nominees can serve as inprovides a greater resistance to declines in spirations, demonstrating the vast knowledge brain structure and impending diseases. Older and political shrewdness required to inhabit candidates are not as susceptible to disorders the toughest job in America.
A
6
FEATURE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
Tik Tok leads senior into world of business connor cho staff writer
ABIGAIL HONG
Sarah Seif, Gobind Singh, Sabrina Peng and Nia Mitchell (top left to bottom right) host many educational events that focus on catering to today’s youth.
teens make the library relevant ANIKA YATAWARA ASST. NEWS EDITOR Coming up with new, entertaining activities year-round can be challenging. The Teen Advisory Board tackles this task by creating events that they hope inspires younger audiences to stay connected with reading. TAB strives to educate the youth on the importance of public libraries and encourages them to continue using them in the future The group hosts events in the Diamond Bar Library to help attract younger readers. “We did a 4-D movie not that long ago with ‘Sunny With a Chance of Meatballs’ and it was really fun,” senior president Sarah Seif said. The event was suggested by the children’s librarian at Diamond Bar Library. Impressed by the success of other libraries that held similar events, librarian Janet Ramirez-Manchan believed it would boost the library’s growth, which it did, as more than 40 students attended that day. Throughout the movie, TAB members added special effects for the kids, including spraying them with water when it rained or handing out foods like jello when they would fall from the sky in the film. TAB’s events serve a variety of purposes. While some are designed to attract more visitors to the library, most events are educational.
Children are exposed to topics that range from how the library functions to the complex structures of cultures around the world. “We had a puppet show on Egyptian mythology during my first year in TAB, which was mostly meant to teach kids something they might not learn at school in a fun environment,” Seif said. Despite the club’s activity now, TAB had broken apart prior to Seif becoming president. “This past year the teen librarian at Diamond Bar got moved to Rowland,” she said. “So the spot was vacant which meant that TAB had to stop for a couple months.” Seif had been the only junior a the time, and with all the seniors having graduated, she took on the task of reviving the club. “I mostly just advertised on social media,” Seif said via Instagram. “I wanted people to know that it was supposed to be fun and not stressful and that they could come whenever it is convenient.” The senior said she felt that her casual approach toward gathering participants for TAB helped her attract more people rather than presenting stricter rules and making the club a huge commitment. Since the rough patch, TAB has grown from having six members to around 10 in attendance per meeting. Senior Sabrina Peng is among
TAB ON P. 12
the finances and Lee is responsible for brainstorming ideas to promote the brand and the ordering process for the products. “[The jewelry business] is under Utilizing the advantages of somy name so I created the face of it,” cial media to promote his business, Kuo said. “I also do the marketing senior Ricky Kuo, also known as part and basically I do everything Ricky Young to many of his fans else that is not numbers.” online, started a jewelry line with Regarding the jewelry line, Kuo his friends to sell products, such stated that TikTok has helped proas bracelets and necklaces, online mote sales and even led to an inwhile also entertaining others. crease of consumers. Kuo uses TikTok, a social meHowever, Kuo admits that the dia video app, to create skits and responsibilities dance videos on of managing the his account, @ “My main goal is not business and r i ck y _ yo u n g 1 . for profit rather to TikTok account After amassing create and put out has brought over 220,000 folstress into his lowers on the products that I have a personal life. app, Kuo introdeep passion for.” “Honestly, it’s duced his busiRICKY KUO kind of tiring ness, R. Young, sometimes beto his general cause you have audience. to keep creating this image that The senior started this project other people see you as, it’s quite after his friend, senior Sol Lee, shallow,” Kuo said. “There are also introduced him to junior Harris things in the business that I need to Daud, who has experience with look over like hyping up the busifinance from dropshipping. The ness, but overall it’s alright and it business was created from the coldoesn’t make much of a difference laboration of the three Diamond [to my life].” Bar High School students. Lee also explained that being “Harris followed me on Instapart of Kuo’s business helped him gram and I looked through his [fias well. nance statistics] and then I hit him “I think [the business] is good up and I knew that Ricky wanted to because I learned to manage the start a brand so I asked him if he backends so it helps with my reguwanted to be a team,” Lee said. lar dropshipping,” Lee said. “I just Each individual has their own use it as a learning experience esrole in the business. Daud handles
Photo courtesy of RICKY KUO
Kuo sells various necklaces, bracelets and rings on his website, ryoung.co.
Photo courtesy of RICKY KUO
Senior Ricky Kuo utilized Tik Tok to jumpstart his jewerly line. sentially.” When the team first started out, Daud was the most experienced in the business because of his experience with finance from his dropshipping investments. He utilized the e-commerce software, Shopify, to create websites to sell products online and invest money for more products. “I’ve been in e-commerce since 2017 and I’ve started by selling on eBay,” Daud said via text. “I started my own dropshipping store [on my website, Fast47.com], which I grew to six figures in revenue in a year and I now have four other e-commerce stores which all generate a steady income.” Kuo’s TikTok account has brought some opportunities for him to gain more popularity on his account from well-known artists and brands. “I haven’t cooperated with [the brands] yet, but I recently got offers from Universal Studios and Juice WRLD, where I have to promote their music by making TikToks for them,” Kuo said. Kuo and his partners all share the aspiration to pursue careers in the marketing business. “[When] my social media accounts grow I will expand my brand as well, to items like shirts and more jewelry and I’m trying to create an actual brand and not something like merch,” Kuo said via text. “My main goal is not for profit rather to create and put out products that I have a deep passion for.”
Cal Poly Pomona celebrates fall Reyna Wan Asst. opinion editor With the hundreds of pumpkin patch photos appearing on my Instagram feed, I decided to experience for myself what the hype was all about. Though I was able to relive one of my fondest childhood memories, the reality of the Cal Poly Pomona pumpkin patch was less exciting than the pictures depicted. Arriving at 5:30 p.m., my friends and I found parking easily and weren’t faced with huge crowds. Upon entering, we passed the activities that required tickets and opted to head straight to the patch. Placed on top of haystacks and vines, the pumpkins ranged in size and were adorned with small embellishments. Even with the seemingly large numbers of pumpkins surrounding the farm, many of them were disappointing due to bumps, scratches and bruises, making them unworthy of the $5-$6 price. However, the limited number
of pumpkins that were left, even some that were tainted, could be partnered with the patch’s photo frames toward producing genuine candids that seemed to brighten the night. The parts of the night that proved to be the most fun, however, were the activities and the farm store. Visiting the farm store was quite interesting as it housed different products that were organically grown in Cal Poly’s fields.
A sunflower field, hay ride, corn maze and other activities adorned the outskirts of the patch, including an insect fair. As unique as the insect fair made CPP, it was not as interesting as one might’ve thought. There were also community booths that housed food and product vendors filled with souvenirs and drinks to battle the heat. Though the vendors who attend vary year to year, this season host-
ed a variety of foods that ranged from snow cones to simple snacks like popcorn with majority sold from food trucks. As expected, however, the food was costly compared to the neighboring plaza, which housed restaurants and cafes that offered less expensive alternatives. Though they required tickets, the time we spent at the paid activities was more interesting than the free activity of exploring the patch. As much as the sunflower field,
Photo courtesy of KELCIE HARTLEY
The Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Patch offers a variety of fall themed activities every year, such as a corn maze and hay rides.
hayride and patch offered a delicate backdrop for photos and nice sceneries of the fall night, the highlight of my visit was the corn maze meant for kids. The patch did offer an alternative in the adult maze that was longer and more extensive but we decided on the simpler challenge. Although it was designed for children, the twists and turns proved to be quite an adventure, even though we were the only teenagers amidst a crowd of toddlers and their families. It was simple and lasted no longer than seven minutes, but the times when my group grew frustrated over hitting a dead end or getting lost proved to be great memories that will outlast even our photos. Overall, the 20 minutes I spent exploring the actual pumpkin patch paled in comparison to the time I spent at the surrounding events. Instead of dealing with the mass number of people looking for good lighting and places to sit, taking advantage of the smaller things the patch had to offer was probably the best decision I made. Though the patch is closed for their 2019 fall season, visiting the pumpkin patch with your friends might just be something else to add to your next year fall to-do list.
FEATURE
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
7
Vintage clothes for a better Valyou VICTORIA ARTALE PHOTO EDITOR Although it started as an inside joke, senior Angela Medina and her siblings have started their own business, Valyou Flea Market, where they sell a variety of clothes. The family-run business sells people’s clothes at flea markets, as well as gives the original owners an opportunity to trade items. “My team and I wanted to create the sense of a community of fashion, where everyone can just like, share...and have a place where they can not just buy clothes,” Medina said. Having a large collection of clothes played an essential role in the beginning of her business. Medina said she has always had a fascination with other people’s fashion styles and believes that what people wear reflects their personalities. By working long hours at the flea markets, she has gained the opportunity to talk to others about their personal styles and to also share her own.
“There’s something about just having your own sense of style that can make you relate to someone else’s, and I just believe that everyone dresses a certain way for a certain reason,” Medina said. “And just to find out stories about people on like how they develop their sense of fashion is really cool.” Valyou Flea Market only receives 10 percent of the profit, which they put back into the business. Another 10 percent goes to charity, and the rest of the money goes to the person who owned the clothes and was willing to sell them for partial profit. One charity the family donates to is the Filipino Immigrant Association, because it has a personal connection to Medina’s Filipino heritage. “We’re [her family] all like Filipino and so a big cause for us is the Filipino Immigrant Association,” Medina said. “So we try to give our money to charities that support Filipino immigrants who are like having struggles here.” In her upcoming flea market, Medina is having another 10 percent go to a family member battling
Photo courtesy of ANGELA MEDINA
Senior Angela Medina posts pictures of vintage clothing on her Facebook. leukemia, and she hopes to keep on giving to help others as well. Medina says that she is willing to give to different causes, and not the same one every time. “We’re actually donating our money to my cousin who was diagnosed with leukemia. And she’s not able to work so we’re raising money for her,” Medina said. “So we kind of don’t always donate to the same things.” Valyou Flea Market’s first sale took place in Medina’s garage where about 100 people showed up,
Photo courtesy of ANGELA MEDINA
Medina poses with vintage tees she plans to sell at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. and since then, the business has been able to obtain spots at various flea markets selling around 500 sales. One of these markets include Melrose Trading Post, a popular location in Los Angeles which has up to 8,000 people visiting every Sunday. “Wherever we can get a venue, we set up shop,” Medina said. “ We are going once a month but now we’re going to be more like fre-
quent and go twice a month...I’m selling practically all morning on Sundays.” For more information on Valyou Flea Market, you can follow them on Facebook to stay posted on when and where their latest setups are. Also, on their page you can find clothes for sale before setups and who to contact if you want to put your clothes up for sale.
Providing a voice for the unrepresented The first edition of their journal contained 13 stories submitted by Harvard graduate students, along with a foreword from a professor Among a myriad of accomplishwho was supporting the student ments achieved by 2013 Diamond publication. As for what the jourBar alumna Miso Kwak, now a nal publishes every issue, there are graduate of Harvard University, no strict guidelines to follow. is a publication dedicated to those “We as student leaders involved with disabilities. in this project purposefully left Growing up blind, Kwak said she genres and topics open, as long as believes her disability has shaped it was connected to disability, so nearly every element of who she that students could freely express is. While she explains that blindthemselves,” Kwak said. ness brings a The idea of multitude of this journal was disadvantages, brought up at the "I think the actual such as being very first meeting growth happens while slower to inof the IHED by we are getting to the teract with her her co-chair, Nikimilestone we are surroundings, ta Andersson. trying to achieve.” she has not let “Those who the disabilitook on the leadMISO KWAK ty weigh her ership role in the down. student organizaTo the alumna, this impairment tion were all thrilled about it, so we has only strengthened her personinvested our time and energy to get ality and work ethic, training her the project completed,” Kwak said. to gain perseverance and determiThroughout the creation of this nation, since even daily tasks could journal, the alumna’s largest inspiprove to be challenging at times. rations were her co-chair for IHED In May of 2019, together with her and The Office of Student Affairs co-chair from the student organizaat the Graduate School of Education International Higher Education. Kwak also mentions how the tion and Disability, Kwak launched project would have been impossia student publication, Disability ble without the help of numerous Disclosed, which is dedicated to professors, who provided invaluthose who live with disabilities at able support, and the students who Harvard. shared their written works for the “The main purpose is to highpublication. light the voices of students with Although Kwak knew that her disabilities and those who consider disability would always be an intethemselves allies to the disability gral part of her life, as a child, she community,” she said. never imagined she would be play-
KATE ZHENG FEATURE EDITOR
VERA WANG
The restaurant offers many traditional recipes originating from southwest China.
A traditional take on Chinese cuisine VERA WANG STAFF WRITER Nestled in the corner adjoining Albertsons, Chun’s Dining, a Chinese restaurant, stands out with baby blue pastel walls and luminous light fixtures that contrast greatly with the dark-hued and dimly lit stores surrounding it. As I walked in, I was greeted with the sounds of Chinese pop music playing in the background and the banter of a table of twelve, the only other customers. With only a few haphazard sketches of Parisian-themed artwork, a neon sign advertising daily specials, Brooklyn Bridge wallpaper and tropical foliage strewn around the vicinity, the integration of incohesive and noncomplementary decor exuded a strange, tasteless vibe more similar to that of a cafe. As I viewed their menu, it was apparent that Chun’s Dining chiefly reflects old-fashioned culinary recipes from southwest China, offering predominantly Sichuan style dishes known for their trademark bold flavors and abundance of chili peppers. Written completely in Chinese characters, the menu included no translations, and its English version consisted of less than half the dishes exhibited on the original, all of which were heavily Americanized influenced versions. With the help of my parents, I opted for the traditional dishes of braised beef noodle soup ($10), dan dan noodles ($9), soup dumplings
($9), three delight seafood noodle soup ($11) and crispy short ribs. ($12) The soup dumplings as well as the dan dan noodles arrived within ten minutes. Consisting of eight average sized portions in a classic metal steamer, the soup dumplings were subpar in both its texture and flavor. The filling was identical to that of any average dumpling and the thick outer dough was oversteamed, producing an unfavorable limp, sticky consistency. On the other hand, the dan dan noodles exceeded my expectations. Despite its overcooked noodles and overly salty meat sauce, the sweet overtone of the sesame sauce complemented the subtle undertones of the braised meat, with just the right amount of peppercorn oil added to create a perfect balance in flavors. Next were the braised beef noodle soup and three delight seafood noodle soup, both of which were adequate. The braised beef noodle soup came in a decently sized pot, where it was garnished with cilantro and pickled vegetables. With a deep layer of chili oil floating atop the soup, I didn’t find the dish too appealing due to the overpowering spiciness from the oil, which rendered me unable to taste the base flavors of the soup. Despite the overwhelming spice, the beef itself burst with flavor and the juicy tenderness of the meat paired with the al dante noodles created an exquisite combination. On the other hand, the three de-
dining ON P. 12
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Kwak published Disability Disclosed to give a voice to students with disabilities.
ing a role in amplifying the voices of other students with disabilities. She feels grateful and excited that she gets to play a role in helping them share their stories. “One of the best parts of getting Disability Disclosed published was that there were students for whom it was their first time sharing about their personal journey with their disability in a public platform,” Kwak said. Kwak’s most memorable experience at DBHS includes playing the flute in the school’s marching band and wind ensemble. Through recalling these memories, the alumna encourages today’s students to disregard obstacles blocking their goals and to not be afraid to take risks. “One of the biggest takeaways from my high school experience was the importance of taking the risk,” Kwak said via text, “even if this includes taking courses that feel too difficult or auditioning for something even though you feel like you may not get in.” Although auditioning processes for the flute were especially difficult for Kwak with her disability, she emphasized how even if the outcome of your efforts are not favorable, it is always the process of the experience that comes with valuable lessons for the future. As a student who is blind, Kwak stated that her biggest challenge, one that she still faces today, is fighting against prejudices and misconceptions that others have toward disabled people. Although she believes this is not a challenge she can necessarily overcome, she counters it by striving to be her most authentic and true self in front of others while spreading awareness about disability through projects like Disability Disclosed. One piece of advice that the alumna wants to bring to the students of DBHS is to appreciate the experience of high school and to learn from the people and processes on the way. “Achieving this or that milestone may feel like growth,” she said. “But I think the actual growth happens while we are getting to the milestone we are trying to achieve.”
8
FEATURE
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Spicing up the fall season Every fall, stores across the country roll out their pumpkin spice-flavored goods, but with so many products to consider it can be difficult to decide which are actually worth purchasing and which are just gimmicks to cash in on the trend. To solve that problem, the Bull’s Eye reviewed five different pumpkin spice snacks and drinks.
The pumpkin spice trend has spread further than the reaches of trendy cafes and snack foods, in this case to your morning cereal bowl. This breakfast classic’s new spin turned out to be surprisingly good, especially with milk. At first, the flavor of pumpkin spice was unpleasantly overpowering, but after letting it sit in the milk for a minute or so, I was left with a bowl of pumpkin spice milk and only lightly flavored Cheerios. This was decidedly the optimal way to eat them, as otherwise the Cheerios would be too soggy or too flavorful. In terms of flavor, they definitely are a cut above the rest of the pumpkin spice products, with real pumpkin puree that can be clearly tasted in the cereal. Considering the strong, unique flavor of the Cheerios, though, I would only recommend buying a box with plans to share it, because the flavor becomes dull soon after the second or third bowl. Though many are aware of the classic Werther’s Original hard caramels, they are not so cognizant of their other candies, such as the limited edition Pumpkin Spice soft caramels—and that’s a good thing. I say this as a devout fan of every other Werther’s product, but these candies are a disappointment. They come wrapped individually in wax paper decorated with metallic orange lining around the label, but the candy inside does not live up to its packaging. They are flavorless, with cinnamon and pumpkin only vaguely discernible at the back of the tongue. The next issue is the texture of the caramel itself. The foundation of these confections was not up to snuff to begin with—there is no caramelized flavor, no stretch like the packaging would lead one to believe and most of all, they are grainy. If properly made, caramel should be smooth, stretchy and sticky but these are sadly starchy. In every aspect, these caramels disappoint. I would never recommend them.
If you’re into the fall mood but not exactly ready to drive to Starbucks every time you want a pumpkin spice latte, your best bet is Coffee -Mate’s pumpkin spice creamer. At half the price of a latte for enough creamer to make 30 cups, this is my new favorite way to drink coffee. Not only is the spiced flavor amazingly prominent, but it also has a heavenly aroma that mingles very well with the coffee’s awcidity. I drink mine with espresso to maintain a strong flavor even with large amounts of creamer, and it’s the best way to make the most of this product. Aside from being inexpensive, the creamer also has tons of spice and pumpkin flavor, something that usually only comes out as an undertone in other pumpkin spice beverages. This creamer is something I will be buying every fall.
Starbucks’s Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew arrived this year to fill the shoes of its piping-hot predecessor, the pumpkin spice latte, and does so exceedingly well. The cold brew has a delightful pumpkin flavor, and the pumpkin spice topping is neither overpowering nor too weak to taste, even when mixed into the whole beverage. It is served with pale orange pumpkiwn foam floating on cold brew and dusted with a light coat of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. I found the cream to be very enjoyable on its own, but in order to get the most of my drink I ended up mixing it all in. When I tried stirring in only a little bit of foam, it was impossible to taste the pumpkin or the spices. With all things considered, I highly recommend it—especially in the heat we’re facing this fall.
As Target’s store brand, my expectations were relatively low for these creme-filled wafer sticks. So, when they turned out to be one of my favorites of everything I tried, I was pleasantly surprised.Out of every pumpkin spice item I tried, these had the most spice flavor, leaning more heavily toward notes of clove than cinnamon, the reason I liked them so much. The clove created a warmer, spicier flavor than the other pumpkin spice products, which proved to be tasty and unique. The wafer itself is also incredibly flaky and crunchy, but not messy because of the way it breaks cleanly. The filling is not overpowering in its sweetness either, though I would have preferred it be creamier than it is grainy from the sugar. These wafers are surely one of my new fall favorites; something to look forward to each year.
Story by: Camille McCurry
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
9
A New ALternative Generation story by Maggie Liu, design by Josh Chou
IMMUNITY, CLARIO
S
ick and tired of mindlessly listening to the same few songs on the radio, I have made it my personal mission to find unique artists in the Alternative genre. This style was born in the 1980s underground music scene. Rock bands that weren’t signed to labels and or popular with the mainstream such as Minutemen defined this early stage of the genre. Today, Alternative music is characterized by a mix of rock instrumentals, subdued vocals and gloom lyrics. COIN, a four man band from Nashville, is one of my favorites. This group harkens back to the rock origins of the genre. In their 2017 album “How Will You Know if You Never Try,” the standout track “Talk Too Much” has strong guitar riffs and drums that keep my head bobbing whenever I hear it. Their newest single, “Crash My Car,” is also a great song that features pick out guitar riffs. There are multiple rhythm and tempo changes that are exciting, even after many replays. The lyrics were inspired by fans who abandoned their car after an accident in order to make it to a COIN concert. The refreshing tone of the song and the humorous origins of its lyrics make “Crash My Car” a song that will always be on my playlist.
Another band, Wallows, is also quintessential to this genre. Best known as the lead of the hit Netflix teen drama, “Thirteen Reasons Why,” lead singer Dylan Minnitte’s melancholy vocals meld seamlessly with the instrumentals in every track they release. Their 2019 album, “Nothing Happens,” is their best work by far. Songs like “Sidelines” and “Scrawny” highlight heavy drums, greatly juxtaposing the more relaxed tracks on the album, such as “Worlds Apart.” With so many different vibes in one album, Wallows shows great versatility. Featured on Wallows’s heartbreak anthem, “Aren’t You Bored Yet,” Clario is a female soloist that dominates Alternative music. While in high school, she started posting covers and songs on Soundcloud and Youtube. Clario signed to the music label Fader when her song “Pretty Girl” became viral, attracting more than 40 million views. Her newest album “Immunity,” shows her vulnerability through personal lyrics and soft vocals. “Bags” and “Sofia” resonates with me the most out of the 11 tracks. Both songs have upbeat instrumentals, punchy drums and most importantly Clario’s soothing, youthful voice. She has a wide variety of sounds and I am always excited for any song she releases.
FADER LABEL
NOTHING HAPPENS, WALLOWS
ATLANTIC RECORDS
CRASH MY CAR, COIN
COLUMBIA RECORDS FADER LABEL
10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
A fiery talent
Senior Jonathan Tan practices pyrography, burning images into wood with precision and detail. Josh Chou Asst. A&E Editor
Most artists reach for a pencil and paper to create works of art, but senior Jonathan Tan’s tools of choice are fire and wood. For nearly three years, Tan has practiced pyrography, the concise burning of wood to create images and designs, as a selftaught artist. “A few years ago, I got my first wood burning kit for Christmas,” Tan said. Soon after, Tan started an Instagram account, @ jt_pyrography, for his pyrography and started posting pictures of his art. “I wanted to document my progress and see how much I improved,” Tan said. Re c e n t l y, Tan posted his most complex art-
work to date: a sea serpent. After around four hours of sketching and five hours of burning over the course of one and a half weeks, the project was complete. “I’ve never taken art classes or anything, so I was surprised by how well it turned out,” Tan said. Given that Tan’s work requires lots of attention to detail and precision, one of the main tools he uses is a thin, a wire-tipped burning tool. “Most experts use the wire tip because you get more flexibility with what you want to do and you can also modify the tips you use,” Tan said. Due to its thinness, the wire tip heats quickly and makes consistency difficult. If not careful enough, the heat variability can easily cause uneven burning, leading to unwanted errors. “If you mess up, you might think that there’s no way to fix it, but actually you can sand the wood, which removes the top layer,” Tan says. H o w e v e r, sanding erases errors up to a certain
New opportunites for young dancers Nia Mitchell Business Manager Diamond Bar High School’s dance company will be holding its first Dance Youth Camp and Performance to encourage kids in the community to get on their feet and dance. The camp will be held on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for children 5 to 12 years old. The high school dancers will offer basic dance training to the youngsters along with teaching them a full dance routine. Participants will come back and perform the routine in the dance concert at DBHS on Nov. 22. Seeking to raise money for the upcoming competition season, dance company director Kari Simonson and the members of dance company are also very excited to give kids this opportunity. “Well it’s a fundraiser for us, but also to just kind of involve ourselves more in the community and to share who we are and what we’re about and involve the youth,” Simonson said. The camp will be led by seniors Rachel Kim and Melody Rong as
well as the rest of the dance company leaders. Students will experience what it is like to be a dance instructor and how to teach a large group. “Dance is one of the few things in life that is a place where people of all different backgrounds can come together and enjoy,” Rong said. “Having the privilege to teach a dance class is insane and I’m really grateful for opportunities like these.” The event is open to children in kindergarten to fifth grade and the cost is $45 per person. Included in the package are a T-shirt and dinner that will be provided on the night of the dance concert. Wanting to ensure a well-thought and meaningful routine, the leaders are currently preparing choreography for the event. “I wanted to teach one of the workshops because I wanted to share what I love doing with other people, especially those who are not part of the dance team,” Kim said. “I wanted to spread our passion and build a strong culture of art within the school.” Registration to attend ends on Nov. 8. Registration forms can be found online at dbhs.org.
ABIGAIL HONG
Members of the DBHS Dance Company will teach children at the youth camp.
degree and the resulting wood may look pockmarked. In order to better plan his pieces, Tan thinks about how an image would look in greyscale and sketches a design using pencil on a plank of wood. Afterwards, he goes over the sketch with a burning tool, adding texture, detail and depth of tone to the plank. Most of the wood he works with comes from Michaels, but on occasion he switches to a different medium such as coconuts. “With pyrography you only have one color: black,” Tan said. “You just have to learn how to shade really well like in pencil sketching, where you control the tone by applying pressure.” Tan plans on selling the piece, along with his complete collection of artwork, on Etsy. He and his sister started a joint account one month ago where she sells her calligraphy and stickers alongside his pyrography. However, only his sister’s artwork is up for sale as of now; Tan hasn’t listed his pyrography on the site. Due to college applications, Tan hasn’t been able to work on his craft. When he’s free, Tan said he plans to continue being an independent artist and to sell more artwork online. For the time being, however, he’s content with being part of the online pyrography community he discovered three years ago.
Photo courtesy of JONATHAN TAN
It took senior Jonathan Tan one and a half weeks to create “The Leviathan.”
Joe Lee
student spotlight
The sophomore composes and produces his own music, releasing it on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud.
Tiffany Lee Asst. Photo Editor Tapping away on the keys of a piano since he was five years old, Diamond Bar High School sophomore Joe Lee never would have imagined his lifelong passion for playing and composing music would turn into a part-time career. When Lee was eight, his piano teacher wanted him to play a difficult piece. Unable to do so, Lee became frustrated. As a result, Lee said he began composing his own music, allowing him to find serenity and a way to de-stress from school. From then on he continued to compose his own piano pieces until he started composing electronic music in eighth grade. “Making music is like a puzzle you have to find where all the pieces rest and this helps take away stress from my everyday life,” Lee said. “Some people have an outlet for stress, but I turn what I feel into music.” Most of Lee’s beats incorporate the piano, as he was inspired by the classical composer Claude Debussy. A typical beat-making process consists of Lee creating melodies in his head throughout the day and then recording a sample on his piano when he gets home and inputting it to FL Studio, a music software application that he uses. He then checks for unharmonized notes and odd placements of the music, which he calls “theory errors.” The last step is to release his beats on all his streaming platforms Spotify and Soundcloud. “People sometimes ask how I write music,” Lee said. “I really don’t know, throughout the day,
melodies just popped up in my head and then I translate them into the program.” Lee released his first lo-fi Spotify album on Oct. 14, “Peace of Mind,” under the pseudonym, Fqke. The album has garnered over 227 listeners in a month and 2.2K streams. Also posting on SoundCloud, Lee has reached over 119,180 streams. When Lee was just starting out
“To me, listening to the harmony, melody or rhythm of my music is better than therapy personally.” JOE LEE and thinking of an artist title, his friend was in agony over being scammed over fake clothing brand Supreme items, his friend and he soon realized that Fake could be his name. After brainstorming
how to make “fake” more creative, “Fqke” was born. “Whenever music producers struggle with making music or get into an obstacle it called beat block,” Lee said. “I go out and enjoy nature and I come home all refreshed and ready to go again.” The young producer said that he has sold over fifty of his beats to artists, one of which has over 32,000 followers and over 1 million streams in Spotify alone. Lee is unable to name the artist due to the contractual agreement. Although he has a passion for composing music and is well on the path of becoming a successful music producer, Lee sees his future career working as a computer back-end developer. Even so, Lee plans to continue making music on the side. “To me, listening to the harmony, melody or rhythm of my music is better than therapy personally,” Lee said.
Photo courtesy of JOE LEE
Sophomore Joe Lee released his debut album, “Peace of Mind,” on Spotify.
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Taking music to a higher degree her third year, where the music was broadcast on the classical radio station KUSC. Tsao said that since Colburn is focused on allowAfter hearing the positive feeding their attendees to improve as back their fellow orchestra and musicians; it makes her feel as if band members had to offer about she’s already experiencing college the Colburn School, several Diaeven as a high school student. mond Bar High School students “There’s a lot of rooms you can auditioned for and were admitted practice in,” Tsao said. “It gives into the Los Angeles conservatoyou a college feel already even ry’s music program. though you’re a high-schooler.” Colburn is a performing arts Similar to Tsao, junior Victoria academy that provides music proCanonizado’s family was an influgrams for all grade levels. One ential factor in her involvement in DBHS senior involved in the promusic, as her father and brother gram is violinist Kelly Tsao, who are both musicians. is also a member of the school “My dad’s a drummer,” Canonorchestra. She has attended Colizado said. “He was a big part of burn’s music program since the the reason why I got into that and sixth grade after her parents enwhy music is such a big part in my couraged her to go due to the atmolife. Also, my brother was just realsphere and prestige of the school. ly involved in the music program. “My teacher It’s very famiintroduced me to ly-orientated.” “The opportunities Colburn,” Tsao Canonizado I get at Colburn are said. “I heard it has been playsignificatnly better had a really good ing percussion than I think I would orchestra and since she was chamber music 10. When she get elsewhere.” program, and my was 14, her JONATHAN HO brother did go coach encourthere before so aged her to authat’s how I knew about it.” dition to the music program. In her second year of attendThough Canoniado is not ating Colburn, Tsao performed at tending the program this year, she the Walt Disney Hall, where she admired the focus the students at started to interact with other peoColburn placed in advancing their ple in her orchestra. Additionally, musical skills when she was inshe and her orchestral group pervolved with the school in the past. formed at the LACMA theater in “There’s no other place, I feel
Somiya Jajieh Asst. Feature Editor
Kelly Tsao, 12
“It kind of feels like how you would be in a conservatory even though you’re a high school student.”
Carissa Jeon, 10
“I feel like it seems a lot more professional, but at the same time our conductor tries to have a little bit of fun.”
Celebrity watch
Profiting off lies KATE ZHENG Maggie Liu
Photo courtesy of COLBURN
The Colburn School offers professional training in classical instrumental music. like, where you’ll see every single person has the same dedication to music,” Canonizado said. “At Colburn, everyone’s really involved in it as much as you are.” Canonizado sees herself becoming a professional musician in the future. “I’m definitely going to continue it after high school, and one of the big things I really want is to be in the orchestras that play for Broadway musicals,” Canonizado said. For senior and violist Jonathan Ho, the DBHS co-orchestra president, this is his first year attending Colburn. He chose to attend Colburn due to the popularity of the academy and the opportunities they have to
offer. “The opportunities I get at Colburn are significantly better than I think I would get elsewhere,” Ho said. “It’s well known. Good faculty, good guests go there. You get the best of everything as opposed to one good aspect of another youth orchestra.” Ho said the environment of Colburn is unique to typical youth orchestras because, since Colburn is a private school, the students and faculty of the academy are living alongside high school students. “When you have normal youth orchestras, it’s very kid-oriented,” Ho said. “But there, you’re meeting a lot of people more advanced than you that are teaching you.”
Tori Canonzinado, 11
Jonathan Ho, 12
“There’s no other place, I feel like, where you’ll see every single person has the same dedication to music.”
“People know Colburn, the reputation is big and it’s well known. Good faculty, good guests go there.”
Kanye praises the Lord Josh Kim A&E Editor Out with the old and in with the new, Kanye West has taken a whole new turn with his music, exchanging songs about drugs, money and sex for gospel music, praising God in his latest album, “Jesus Is King.” The eleven track album features a more spiritual Kanye, with every song containing multiple allusions to the Bible. While fans have had snippets of Kanye’s spirituality in his past songs, more specifically on “Jesus Walks” and “Ultralight Beam,” the “Jesus Is King” album is dedicated to exalting the Lord. The album’s first song, “Every Hour,” is sung by the choir from Sunday Service, a weekly churchlike gathering started by Kanye. As expected, this track is a gospel song. An upbeat piano, perfect harmonization and amazing vocals flow throughout the entire song, to “sing every hour, every minute, every second.” Surprisingly, however, Kanye’s voice is nowhere to be heard on this track. Despite this fact, it does not detract from the fact that the open-
ing track was powerful enough for me to feel it in my bones and get excited for the rest of the album. The next track, “Selah” sets up the rest of the album as it is packed with religious references. Kanye raps over an organ and heavy drums, mentioning how “everybody wanted Yandhi,” but “Jesus Christ did the laundry,” converting “Yandhi” into a clean gospel album, hence “Jesus Is King.” Kanye is bold in this track, comparing himself to the biblical characters Noah and Jesus. He parallels himself because he felt that he was judged by others like Noah and betrayed by people like Jesus. My favorite song on the album, “Follow God,” contains a catchy beat with unparalleled lyricism and head-bobbing flow. Kanye admits to the struggles of being religious in face of the temptations of the world. A recurring theme of the song is being “Christ-like.” Constantly arguing with his father, Kanye raps about comments by his dad on how Kanye’s actions aren’t “Christlike.” Even so, Kanye is always seeking to “not really do the fool way,” searching for ways to better
himself. One of the more interesting songs on the album, “Closed On Sunday,” exhorts listeners to become followers in the faith. Almost comically alluding to the fast food chain, Chick-fil-A, Kanye opens up the song with “closed on Sunday, you’re my Chick-fil-A.” The rest of the song entails having a religious family, raising up sons and daughters to “train them in the faith” and “always keep ‘em safe,” to “back up off my family.” Closing the album on a powerful yet short note, Kanye alludes to the Bible verse Phillippians 2:1011 that “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, Jesus is Lord.” It is a fitting and concluding song, reminding listeners of the theme of the album. For obvious reasons, this album is vastly different compared to his past ones. That being said, I still enjoyed the album due to its gospel theme and in my opinion, consider it to be a great album.
I
nternet personality Trisha Paytas embodies the word infamous. The celebrity seems to show up in new entertainment gossip every week, but never for the right reasons. While some idols rightfully use their platform and audience to spread awareness about political and environmental issues, Peytas seems to only exploit her influence to garner sympathy through outrageous lies and stories, perpetuating a toxic culture of lying for fame. The 31-year-old Riverside native began posting videos on YouTube in 2006 as well as appearing on multiple television shows. Paytas slowly gained popularity and now has amassed more than 4 million YouTube subscribers. Since her initial videos, the celebrity has been unable to escape multiple controversies. Her most recent scandal regards her gender identity. In the now deleted video, Paytas came out as transgender, identifying herself as a male. YouTube has been a platform for many in the LGBTQ+ community to discuss their identity and make similar videos; however, Paytas’s announcement has been viewed as questionable. She stated she wanted to be identified as a male and never felt comfortable with the pronouns “she” or “her,” but in another interview she said “I 1,000 percent identifty with the gender I was born with.” When asked why she would not undergo a full body transition as many in the trans community do, she stated that her body was her source of income and provided her with a sense of identity, contradicting her claim that she has gender dysmorphia. Although Paytas tried to refute audiences’ attacks on her using the video for sales and attention, by saying that her video was not monetized, it was revealed that she earned $8,000 from the one video alone, before it was deleted on YouTube. Her lies have only made others more suspicious of the validity of her gender identification. Paytas also has an alleged wedding coming up next week, but many believe this is just another lie. While on the H3 podcast, Paytas claimed she was marrying a straight male, which contradicts her gender identity and her own statement that she “is attracted and always has been to gay men.” Although some may dismiss Paytas’s outlandish claims because she seems to be perpetually wrapped in controversy, it is wrong to not hold her, or any other celebrity, accountable for their words. She profits off of the traumatic hardships of others who identify as transgender. Paytas should not be allowed to prey on a marginalized group in society without any repercussions. This statement also applies to the myriad of other internet influencers who have been using their fame and platform to make outrageous, and most times false, statements about their lives. Celebrities have a social responsibility to not mislead the public simply for publicity.
Maggie Liu and Kate Zheng write the Arts and Entertainment column on alternating issues.
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THE BULL'S EYE
BUSINESS
Team promotes DB city library TAB FROM P. 6 the people recruited by Seif for TAB, taking on the position of vice president. She shared that the event she is most excited for this year is the literary themed interactive rooms. TAB plans to recreate miniature versions of certain settings in the novel by using three different backdrops. Kids will be able
to be sorted by the sorting hat and experience other games like ‘pin the tail on the donkey,’ just with a Harry Potter interpretation. “It is centered around the Harry Potter book series which I believe will draw a lot of interest due to its widespread popularity,” she said. The club meets every Tuesday at Diamond Bar Library and will hold another 4-D movie showing of “The Grinch” this December.
Not top cuisine DINING P. 7 light seafood noodle soup was unsatisfactory. Even for those who generally enjoy seafood dishes, the bland soup and soggy noodles were substandard. As the last dish arrived at the table, I was extremely surprised to find the crispy short ribs inadequate. With the presentation of all the other orders beyond enticing, the rack of six measly meat chunks slabbed atop a wet lettuce leaf was less than appetizing.
The texture of the rib meat was dry and dense, the lack of moisture compounded with the unsavory flavor resulting in a major disappointment. Being the most expensive dish of the entire meal, it was definitely substandard. Reflecting upon my experience at Chun’s Dining, I believe there are far superior options for Chinese food in the area. Even with decently sized portions and stellar presentation, the lack of flavorful food and reasonable pricing doesn’t merit a return.
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
FEATURE
Brahmas take on , Chelsea Wu, Mo g n a mo e aY n n
m Ta
Diamond Bar High School students express their Halloween spirit with creative costumes.
ida
Bre a
HALLOWEEN
Elisha Beck, Jowelle Wong, Chiara Harsojo, Carissa Wu
Step
hanie Tsao
Christopher Lin
Dhruv Chawla Crystal Yang, Vivian Huang
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Selena Wu
Kenneth Ov
Jordan Raeke, AJ Mcelrea
onilla, Annika Rev
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SPORTS
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
League champs to CIF ranks Boys water polo played in the first round of CIF yesterday after a perfect season. Vera Wang staff writer Surging through competition with an undefeated record of 8-0 to capture the Mt. Baldy League championship for the second year in a row, the Diamond Bar High School boys water polo team is now headed for the CIF playoffs. Consistently winning by double-digit margins, the Brahmas dominated the majority of their competition. But in the contest against Don Lugo on Oct. 15, the Brahmas struggled to earn points in the first half. With two Brahma starters out in the first quarter, both teams fought for the lead until the Brahmas finally outscored the Conquistadores, who committed a few technical errors, resulting in the Brahmas winning 15-8. “We expected to win, but honestly we expected to win by more because [they] were a really easy team and we wanted to show our
ended the first quarter trailing by dominance in the league,” senior two points and both teams conseccaptain Daniel Stahly said. utively tied during the next two. Prevailing in the remaining Senior captain Nicholas King was games of their season, the Brahalso fouled out early in the first mas defeated their competition in half, making the game more diffithe home game against Chino on cult than the team predicted. Oct. 21, winning 25-5 and claimed With their chance of becoming a similar lead against the Ontario league champions in jeopardy, the Jaguars 28-7 on Oct. 23. Brahmas claimed the lead after Last Monday, the team once two successful goal attempts and a again exhibited superiority in a game saving blocked shot by junor blowout game against Chaffey, utigoalie Nicholas Chebat. They won lizing fast-paced offense to their the title 12-11. advantage. The Tigers were unable “Even though there were setto match in speed and agility, ultibacks in the beginning, by the mately resulting in the Brahmas end [of the game], we utilized the triumphing 20-5. smaller size to “ O u r our advantage strength is and ended up that we have "Our strength is that winning our final an overpowwe have an league game,” ering offense overpowering offense Stahly said. that often oththat often other The team is er teams don’t now headed to teams don’t know know what to CIF playoffs, do with,” Stahwhat to do about." where they played ly said. “We’re DANIEL STAHLY against top Divivery fast, and sion 4 playoff conwe have strong tender San Juan shots.” Hills in the first round. In the final, deciding league game “I don’t know how far we’ll make against Don Lugo last Wednesday, it in CIF, but as long as we work the Brahmas won by one point to hard to improve upon our weakbecome league champs. nesses, we have a pretty good shot Unaccustomed to Don Lugo’s at being successful,” Stahly said. smaller pool parameters, the team
TIFFANY LEE
Senior Everett Chang goes for the shot when competing in the win against Ontario High School by a score of 19-7.
with RYAN LAM and JOHNNY WANG
It’s time to recognize the legitimacy of esports
A
s a growing community, esports has taken many by storm due to its popularity in the gaming industry. However, media sources like ESPN or print publications still don’t consider esports a competitive sport. Like traditional sports, esports takes dedication and hard work from the players to land a job in the professional leagues. Rick Fox, a former NBA athlete, believes that these gamers are on the same level as athletes because they have the same passion: they are digital athletes. “I think what it took for me to become a professional athlete, it took a lot of concentration, dedication, practice, preparation, stamina…professional gaming, they are sponsored, they have careers, they make hundreds of thousands of dollars,’’ Fox said on The View. These athletes have skill, dexterity and reflexes like no other. Everyday, they spend several hours working on their game. Players also train their body to be phyiscally ready for their tournaments. For example, they are required to eat healthy and do core workouts. Esports also has a structure to it, with many of the most popular games running a sports season and tournaments to play in. Esports also has a standardized set of rules and regulations for the players and teams. With very similar assets to sports, there is no reason to not call esports a competitive sport. Not only are other athletes acknowledging professional gamers as one of their kind, but the government also considers these players on esports teams as athletes.
The government is helping build the esports scene and growing it as a whole. With several countries, like Malaysia and Japan, funding a budget for tournament prize pools and building stadiums dedicated to esports, the online gaming scene has completely changed from a dream to a reality. In addition, the government has also recognized esports athletes by granting them P1 Visas, which allow these players to live in the country and perform in gaming leagues and tournaments for a length of time. With several huge games such as Fortnite and League of Legends, hundreds of major tournaments and a big following, nothing is stopping esports from becoming the next big thing. Recently, 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf won $1.8 million in prize money in the Fortnite World Cup, which is the highest earnings won by an athlete in a single tournament. Also, the first place League of Legends team, Invictus Gaming, recieved a pay check for 2.4 million dollars. There are over 800 professional league players and over 500 esports teams to play for. According to Esports Charts, from major tournaments like Counter Strike Global Offensive Eleague racking 49 million viewers to League of Legends’ Worlds attracting 74.3 million viewers, esports viewership is skyrocketing past large sports events like the NBA Finals. It’s time to recognize esports and its players as a competitive sport with professional athletes.
Kusnowo keeps calm and collected on the course Senior has been a mainstay of golf team for four years.
GIRLS GOLF 1st - 2016 CIF Regional
Emily Koh ASSt. Feature editor As Diamond Bar High School senior Angelica Kusnowo steps onto the grass, she is in a complete state of focus, preparing to shoot the small white ball at her feet through the air. Kusnowo’s father introduced her to golf eight years ago, and she has been playing ever since. She draws inspiration from her role model, Tiger Woods, and admires the fact that he was able to succeed in the face of adversity. Kusnowo said she likes golf because it is an individual sport and that it is played by all ages. “I love playing golf because it provides an escape for me, away from my academic and social life; golf is my life,” Kusnowo said. “I consider it as a way to get away from reality.” Golf doesn’t revolve around the physical aspect as much as some sports. It depends on muscle memory that takes years to learn. Before matches, Kusnowo said she finds the right attitude for a good game by practicing and listening to music to clear her head and calm her nerves. “Golf is so dependent on your mental game; you need to be able to really focus and not have any
2nd- Future Champions Tour 2nd - Ayala Tournament
NOV. AOTM: ANGELICA KUSNOWO
VICTORIA ARTALE
Photo Courtesy of ANGELICA KUSNOWO
Winner and last year, she tied for first at the 2018 Chappy Wheeler Tournament in Palm Desert. This season, Kusnowo placed second at the 2019 Future Champions Golf Tour at Olivas Link and was fifth last week at the CIF regionals. She will compete at the CIF Individual competition this week. One of her proudest achievements was being named girl athlete of the week by SoCal Prep Legends in her freshman year. “I’m really thankful because I didn’t believe I had won [athlete of the week] at first because there’s a lot of athletes in Southern Cali-
fornia, but for them to choose me, it really showed me my impact as a golfer and how widespread it was,” Kusnowo said. Aside from playing the actual sport, Kusnowo says her favorite part about golf is the connections she made with other players. She has met some of her closest friends during golf tournaments and when playing on the school team. Kusnowo plans to continue to play golf in the future and hopes to compete at the professional level. She is already committed to St. John University in New York, a Division I school.
Senior Angelica Kusnowo started playing golf eight years ago and was able to display her talents throughout her high school career on the DBHS golf team. distractions,” Kusnowo said. “Golf is a small scale game, so a millisecond or millimeter off can mess up a shot.” Kusnowo has been on the DBHS varsity girls golf team since she was a freshman and has been captain for the past two years. Although she said she prefers golf as an individual sport, Kusnowo feels that there are several benefits to being on a team. “This season, we have a really strong team so I’m hoping to make it to state and hopefully do better in state than we did last year, because last year we took third at state,”
Kusnowo said. Kusnowo also plays golf outside of school and attends various tournaments. She has competed in the American Junior Golf Association and the Berks County Golf Association. “I’ve gone to some local tournaments that are just for like California players,” Kusnowo said. “I’ve also played tournaments for the AJGA against national and international players, and I’ve gone to states as far as New York.” Kusnowo won multiple awards over the past few years. In 2016, she was the CIF Southern Regional
THE BULL'S EYE
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
SPORTS
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Striding to finish in best times Seniors Rosales and Amare lead the cross country team to CIF. Josh choU asst. A&E editor As the Diamond Bar cross country team finishes its final races of the year, they look forward to placing at league finals tomorrow. On Oct. 12, the runners had a strong showing at the Bell Gardens Invitational in Cerritos. Many of them improved for the season while several seniors obtained their lifetime personal record times. “George [Rosales] broke sixteen while Lukas [Amare] broke fifteen again and I’m really proud of them both,” head coach Malinali Cooke said. With times of 15:44 and 14:36, respectively, seniors Rosales and Amare led the varsity boys to another successful turnout. Rounding out the top five were sophomore Andrew Kim, junior Nathan Sinn and senior Brandon Rodriguez. Cooke was also pleased with the varsity girls, who only had a four second gap between the first four runners: juniors Keili Ishitaini, Allison Ear, Victoria Artale and Cameron Tsao. The Brahmas competed on Oct. 25 at the 72nd annual Mt. SAC Invitational. Amare was able to exceed Cooke’s expectations, placing first out of 109 runners in the varsity boys division while breaking Diamond Bar’s record for a Mt. SAC Invitational with a time of 15:39. On the girl’s side, Ishitani, Ear, Artale and Tsao kept their positions as the Lady Brahmas’ top runners.
Throughout this season, the girl’s team has faced injuries that prevented them from doing their best at league meets, leading them to place third place both times. Top runners Ishitani, Ear and sophomore Henna Gonzalo have all had difficulties. However, the girls’ immense improvement at Bell Gardens and Mt. SAC makes Cooke hopeful, despite Ear suffering a hip injury at the Mt. SAC meet. “I think we can cinch second place,” Cooke said. “We might take third again, which is upsetting because we took first last year.” Cooke expects the boys to win first, repeating their success from three previous league meets. However, she notes that their competition is intense and the margin of error isn’t forgiving. For the girls, she predicts that Chaffey will win first and Diamond Bar will have to face Ontario for second place.
Regardless of the outcome, Cooke has been impressed that almost all her runners have reduced their times compared to the start of the season “We’ve had a couple injuries here and there but for the most part they’ve improved consistently,” Cooke said. “It’s always heartbreaking to see a kid improve and then plateau and drop but we haven’t really had that this year.” Although she is sad to see the seniors graduate, Cooke still sees potential for growth and rebuilding from the underclassmen. As of now, Kim and juniors Sinn and Joshua Booker stand by to fill in the seniors’ shoes next year but she admits it’s hard to know for sure. “I just keep watching the younger boys and newcomers because you never know which of them is gonna develop and suddenly take off,” Cooke said.
VICTORIA ARTALE
Senior Lukas Amare ran a 15:39 to break the DBHS Mt. SAC Invitational record.
ABIGAIL HONG
Senior Lauren Chen gets ready to rally the ball as her partner prepares to serve.
Conquering the court Girls tennis finish second in league while sending three players to CIF Individuals. Ryan Lam sports EDITOR Ending the regular season 8-2, the Diamond Bar High School girls’ tennis team finished second in the Mt. Baldy League behind Montclair, who was also the league champions last year. “While coming second to Montclair is disappointing when we were so close to the win, Montclair had an excellent season and deserved the championship,” head coach Alexis Feix said. “I am proud of how the team managed the loss and used it as motivation to practice harder.” But the team is sending three players to CIF Individuals: senior doubles team of Elizabeth Peng and Kelly Tsao and freshman singles player Chloe Cadelina. The Lady Brahmas ended their season, defeating Chino 16-2, Ontario 13-5, Chaffey 18-0 and Don Lugo 15-3. At the league finals, the team competed for qualification
spots at CIF Individuals. Unfortunately, the girls had to also compete against themselves because of the tournament bracket system, resulting in fewer qualifications. However, the entire team still has an opportunity to compete, as their second-place league finish qualifies them for CIF team playoffs, where they will face Maranatha High School today. Many Lady Brahmas garnered league awards after the end of league play, with Cadelina, Peng and Tsao being named Mt. Baldy League MVPs and seniors Natalie Wang, Lindsay Kashiwabara and Lauren Chen being awarded second-team league honors. The senior-heavy lineup will leave room to fill for the underclassmen. However, some of the team’s top single players will be returning next season, including Cadelina, sophomore Lauren Gao and juniors Levia Zhu and Gustava Drew. “Every single senior has such a unique impact on our team culture, mostly bringing a level of maturity and deep understanding of the game of tennis to the team,” Feix said. “Their presence and commitment to the team will be deeply missed next year.”
Lady Brahmas end season in CIF game Volleyball, after going 7-3 in the regular season, lost in the first round of CIF to Tustin High School.
have a better start and a better preseason...I’m not saying just to win but to be closer in points to the other teams, have a better preseason and just start off as a team better,” Humphrey said. Except for senior Faith Vasquez, Victoria Artale everyone on this year’s varsity had played junior varsity last year and photo EDITOR were not used to playing up to five The Diamond Bar High School’s sets.“I’m positive the team will do volleyball team ended its season better because they’re a strong and when they lost to Tustin High have mastered playing together,” School 3-0 in the first round of CIF Vasquez said via Instagram. “I playoffs on Oct. 24. think they’ll do amazing in league Considering the team entered next season even if it’s against new the season after losing a majoriteams.” ty of their preseason games, the Throughout the course of the Brahmas surprised many by qualseason, the players’ positions ifying for CIF on a wildcard after during games were never set in ending their run in the Mt. Baldy stone. For instance, Humphrey League with a 7-3 record. One of and sophomore Stephanie Molsley the team’s rivals was Don Lugo, switched off being middle blockwho beat them 3-0 to secure second er even though Humphrey startplace in the league. ed the season as libero. Overall, “We wanted to go further, but it was common for position to be we weren’t our switched. best at the end,” While the sophomore SydBrahmas had a " This season was a ney Humphrey rough start to nice start for my first said. “We played the season, the year on varsity, and our hardest in the young team I feel like these next game so that is views their years coming up will what really matfirst season have improvement," ters.” on varsity as a SYDNEY HUMPHREY Humphrey said learning expethat along with rience to help making it to the them next seafirst round of CIF, the teammates son. They hope to improve as well forming closer bonds with each as fulfill Vasquez’s expectations. other was an accomplishment in “This season was a nice start itself. for my first year on varsity, and I At the beginning of the season, feel like these next years coming the team found it hard to commuup will have improvement,” Humnicate on the court, and they were phrey said. “Overall, it was a nice lacking the team chemistry needed start to make it as far as we did and to win games. maybe next year we can push fur“One of my team goals is just to ther.”
Photos courtesy of JOSE MARQUEZ
Chemistry teacher Jose Marquez has completed two marathons and currently he gets his exercise from CrossFit.
Marquez makes it to the finish Chemistry teacher believes fitness is important in life and does various athletic activities. tiffany lee Asst. photo editor Though it’s been a few years since he was training for marathons, Diamond Bar High School teacher Jose Marquez still unwinds after school by working out at CrossFit Kinnick in Upland. But in 2015 and 2016, the chemistry and physics teacher participated in two marathons, completing the races in about 4 hours and 30 minutes. “I think what’s exciting is that you are accomplishing a really hard human feat like running constantly for 26.2 miles,” Marquez said. “Actually, running the miles is extremely difficult on the joints, but I think most people like to run marathons because it feels like you have achieved a life long goal.” Both of the 26.2 mile races were at Surf City Marathons, held at Huntington Beach on Super Bowl
Sunday. To train for both of the marathons, Marquez found a 12-week exercise plan online that consisted of running four to five miles throughout the week and up to 20 miles on the weekends. Other exercises included strength training such as lifting weights, stretching and massage therapy. “I like to compete and do challenges and I wanted to see if I could run a marathon,” Marquez said. After his first marathon, Marquez learned many valuable lessons. Marquez saw one of his toe nails fall off, and he later found out from an experienced marathon runner that many runners lose their toenails from not tying their shoes properly or wearing the wrong type of socks. During the race, there were water and food booths throughout the marathon. To replenish the energy he lost, he had to constantly eat snacks every hour or two while running. The teacher faced many obstacles when he started doing marathons, including “hitting the wall.” Marquez said that the first 23 miles would go by very smoothly with
little to no struggle, but when he reached the last three miles, he had the worst feeling when enduring exhaustion, hunger and horrible body aches as he neared the end of the marathon. But, Marquez was willing to take the pain. “I came so far I just didn’t want to stop. After running for 23 miles, it would be a waste to quit when I am so close to finish,” Marquez said. Though Marquez doesn’t have any plans to run in any upcoming marathons he continues to train at CrossFit three times a week after school and take long runs, ranging from five miles, on Saturdays. Since taking up CrossFit, Marquez has reduced his body fat percentage from 31 to 19 percent. “Paired up with healthier eating habits, both sports have allowed me to remain someone fit. But crossfit more than marathon running has allowed me to lose weight and be in the best shape of my life,” Marquez said. “Like all things of my life I prioritize things: faith, my wife, my kids and fitness and fitting my ecercise into my schedule, it is a respite from the chores of everyday life.”
16
SPORTS
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE BULL'S EYE
Boys clinch first CIF birth since 2013 Despite losing their last two games, the Brahmas earned a spot in the Division 13 CIF Section. Alex chun ASST. sports Editor Dominating most of their league competition, the Brahmas will be heading into the CIF playoffs for the first time since 2013, sneaking in despite the final game loss. The Brahmas will travel to Alhambra High School on Nov. 8 in what they hope will be a long run in the playoffs. Although this will be the athletes’ first CIF playoff experience, head coach Jeff Reitz seems to be unconcerned about the Brahmas’ performance. “We can play with anyone in this division, so I’m not worried about that,” Reitz said. “It’s up to whether we work hard enough and if they buy into the things I’m saying.” Their 3-2 record in league is mostly due to the defensive squad, which has allowed three touchdowns or more in just three of their ten games played. “It helps having someone in the middle like Leo Carreon, who is fast and is as great of a hitter than anyone you have in high school football,” Reitz said. “Pair him with Jojo Alarcon, having those two guys as middle linebackers make it easy to run a great defense while you have your role players making big hits and picks; they’ve been incredible.” Diamond Bar paired efficient defense with stellar offense throughout the season, averaging nearly 400 yards a game primarily due to senior quarterback Dylan Karanickolas. His rapid adjustments in game-pressure situations were essential to the team’s success. “It [success on offense] takes smart kids that buy in, because we don’t just run five plays throughout the game,” Reitz said. “Not only do I have this, but I have a special
ABIGAIL HONG
Sophomore Michael Gorbea runs the ball back following a punt in the Brahmas’ heartbreaking loss against Don Lugo. quarterback that can change the play anytime he wants if he doesn’t like the play and skill guys that were first team all league last year that have stepped in.” Reitz also acknowledged the offensive line’s development for much of their success, allowing the team to run the variety of plays he wishes to implement. “Last year, our offensive line was new, young and weak,” Reitz said. “This year, it’s the same offensive line, and they’re big and unbelievably strong.” All these components were on display in the Brahmas’ three wins during league, as the team blew out opponents by double-digit margins while holding them to less than scores of two touchdowns in every contest. Against the Chino Cowboys, the Diamond Bar offense exploded for eight touchdowns in a landslide
ABIGAIL HONG
Junior Josiah Hunter runs by the defense at the Homcoming game. victory. Both Karanickolas and junior running back Josiah Hunter exhibited their mastery on offense, combining for 350 yards with five touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the superior Brahma
defensive lines continued to sniff out the run-predictable Cowboy offense, consistently earning tackles for lost yardage. The Brahmas routed them 53-13. Diamond Bar continued their
success against the Ontario Jaguars, as Karanickolas yet again dissected the opposing defense by throwing four touchdown passes. The Brahma defense not only put up impressive numbers in sacks and tackles but also produced points as well, featuring a pick-six interception by senior cornerback Cory Ung to seal the win against Ontario, blowing them out 34-6. However, the Brahmas faced a tough opponent in their fourth league match, facing off against the Chaffey Tigers who also had a 3-0 record heading into the game. In spite of the terrific performance by Karanickolas, who threw for 346 yards on connections to junior wide receivers Blake Davis and Chase Wells, the Tigers’ run game proved insurmountable. Chaffey continued to run the ball down the Brahmas’ throat, accumulating seven touchdowns on the ground paired with 547 total rushing yards. Diamond Bar lost 60-27. The Brahmas also suffered a heartbreaking loss in their last league game against the Don Lugo Conquistadores. In the final game of the regular season, Karanickolas had another stellar performance, scrambling for extra yards after escaping the pocket and finding Davis and Wells down the sidelines for long yardage plays. Hunter also had a solid outing, finding holes in the Don Lugo defense on inside handoffs. However, a misread by Karanickolas in the fourth quarter caused a crucial interception, which subsequently allowed Don Lugo to kick the game winning field goal from 25 yards. The final score was 16-13. With these performances under their belt, Reitz said he expects the Brahmas to have a strong outing in the postseason. “They just have to believe in themselves, believe in me and then believe in all the things that we’ve been doing as a group together,” Reitz said. “They have to believe that they are going to reach the success that they want to have. They have to get into it and play hard.”
Traveling abroad with rackets and birdies Sophomore Kodi Lee gains opportunities to play badminton around the world. vera wANG staff writer Huddled on the sideline watching in awe as her parents fired a white feathery shuttle at one another, sophomore Kodi Lee never imagined she would one day dominate in nationwide badminton competitions, let alone rank first in the United States junior doubles listing. Garnering top placements and countless trophies since she began Photo Courtesy of KODI LEE GRACE LEE training competitively at the age of Sophomore Kodi Lee started competing since elementary school and has participated in Junior Olympic competitions in various countries including Russia. nine, Lee played in the World Junior Championships tournament where she received a bronze medal. strength training. an amazing and unforgettable exschool and aspires to become a held in Russia last month. Now, seven years after she Lee recently competed in the perience,” Lee said. “I got to meet professional, free-agent badminton At age 10, she was invited to play picked up the sport, she continues Pan American Junior Champiand become friends with lots of player. at the 2014 Pan to train at the onships in Moncton, Canada, seother great players from all over “My goal for the future is to go American JuGlobal Badmincuring two third places for her the world and also bond with fellow professional and travel from one nior Championton Academy singles match and placing first in USA players.” country to another competing in " Playing in the recent ships in Guateand is mentored doubles at the Junior Nationals Lee said she believes that keepthe highest level,” Lee said. “As World Championships mala, where she by Olympic gold tournaments held in Frisco, Texas. ing her future goals in mind is key for college, I hope to continue to in Russia has been an placed second. medalist Tony During the summer, Lee contended in finding balance within the maypursue badminton and play for amazing and Two years later, Gunawan. Atwith top players from across the hem of her schedule. UCLA.” unforgettable Lee placed first tending sessions nation in intensive eliminatory “Occasionally I get unmotivated, Lee is preparing herself for tryexperience" in doubles and with her personrounds based in Seattle and placed but my coaches, parents and myouts to compete in the 2020 Pan KODI LEE third in singles al trainer as well within the top two, granting her a self remind [me] of my future goals American Junior Championships at the Junior as partaking in spot to represent the USA in the and what I strive to achieve,” Lee in Cancun, Mexico, as well as the National Tourboth group and 2019 World Junior Championships said. “I always come back better 2020 World Junior Championships nament in Wisconsin and qualified private practices regularly, she in Russia. than before, ready to work hard.” in New Zealand. She will continue for another Pan American Junior spends an average of five days, or “Playing in the recent World Lee said she hopes to continto compete throughout her high Championship in Lima, Peru, 10 hours a week solely dedicated to Championships in Russia has been ue playing badminton after high school career.