October 2016

Page 1

INSIDE THE ISSUE

HOMECOMING ASKINGS opinion 5

feature 11

a&e 7

sports 15

MEGAN LEE:

the bull’s eye feature 6

NEWS

OPINION

USB revenue stream slows Income from student activity cards is outpaced by the group's year to year spending. Emily Jacobsson A&E editor Most students at Diamond Bar High School spend money on the yearbook, an activity card and a variety of products in the student store, among other things. Yet few students know where this money goes or how it directly affects the student body. Each year, USB starts off with a clean slate regarding its finances. Any profit made during the previous year goes into the general account, which as of Sept. 28 contains over $420,000. Those funds are set aside until needed. According to the group’s financial records, USB holds 15 revenue accounts, though these are overshadowed by the 69 expense accounts it holds. In the last fiscal year, $316,868 was spent, resulting in a net loss of $21,132. When the expenses exceed the income, as was the case, money is taken out of the general account to supplement. USB has not made a profit or broken even for the past few years. Should this trend continue, the general account will keep shrinking. “During football games, parents come up to the window and ask where does this money go? The school must be making a lot of money. We aren’t really making

FEATURE

SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS

OCTOBER 12, 2016 VOLUME XXXV, ISSUE II ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTS

money because of all the expenses,” Gina Vita, who manages accounting tech in the finance office, said. One of the biggest sources of revenue for USB comes in the beginning of the year as students buy their activity cards for $45. Last year, activity cards generated $109,418 in earnings. Over the past few years, activity cards and sales concessions have consistently been the largest source of revenue, with sales concession bringing in $102,852 in the past year. “We’ve had times that we’ve had more income and revenue with more students buying activity cards, more recently we don’t sell as many for whatever reason so we try and encourage students

USB ON P. 2

HANNAH LEE

A magic carpet night Homecoming will be held at Westin Hotel this year on Oct. 15 with a theme of 'Arabian Nights.' Emily kim sports editor HANNAH LEE

Diamond Bar High School students will take a magic carpet ride to Homecoming this year as “Arabian Nights” will be the theme at the annual dance to be held Saturday at the Westin Hotel near South Coast Plaza.

crowning royalty

Using a list of ideas from past commissioners, USB voted on the theme they believed would be the most exciting to bring to life. Although the administration does have some input on aspects such as the location of the venue, senior commissioners Joyce Lee and Muntaha Qadri are in charge of the project. They are aided by other USB members with poster painting, sales and advertising. An event planning company, SOS Entertainment, will also help to coordinate and provide different activities. “[SOS Entertainment] finds

their resources so that we don’t have to do everything individually, when it’s cheaper, usually, when you use a vendor like that,” Activities Director Janna Van Horn said. One complication was that Van Horn was on maternity leave while the members were deciding on a location. In addition, the first venue of choice was the new House of Blues at the Anaheim Gardenwalk, with a different theme to fit that location. Unfortunately, the House of Blues was double booked and USB

HOMECOMING ON P. 3

Bond given second chance A bond to renovate district schools will be voted on in November. brian chang news editor

CALVIN RU

Homecoming court nominees Connor Magpayo and Lori Kim participate in the Homecoming Court lunch rally on Oct. 10 in the gym

Less than a year after bond Measure O was rejected by district voters, the Walnut Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to place the $152-million general bond back on the ballot in November. If passed, the bond’s money will be used to upgrade 15 schools throughout WVUSD, including Diamond Bar High School. At DBHS, the district plans to modernize the 400 and 500 buildings. The 500 building will be turned into a Science Technology Facility and the 400 building will

be used for classrooms and a new Library Media Center. Both current structures were built when DBHS first opened and have not seen significant updates since. Additionally, the bond will provide funding for a new music build-

“...The district has been more open about exactly what this bond is for..." DAVID HONG ing and renovation of the current band room. Security camera installation, roofing repair and restroom renovations are also included on the project list. Classes will be held in portable classrooms while the main ones are under modernization, the cost of which is also ac-

counted for in the bond. Approximately $54 million, or 36 percent, of the bond money is set to be directed toward DBHS. DBHS Assistant Principal David Hong said he believes that making public the details on how the money will be used should increase its chance of approval. “I think, for one thing, the district has been more open about exactly what this bond is for by posting the list of projects that will be completed with the bond money,” Hong said. “I think the voters are a little bit more informed, a little more educated and hopefully as a result will be more likely to support it instead of just writing a blank check to the district.” For the bond to pass, at least 55 percent of the voters on Nov. 8 need to vote yes. If approved, construction would likely last anywhere

BOND ON P. 2


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NEWS

Meritable students contend for college scholarships Semifinalists have been narrowed down to receive the annual National Merit scholarship. sophia kim asst. sports editor For 17 students at Diamond Bar High School, achieving a high PSAT score has paid off when they were named semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship. The 16,000 semifinalists nationwide were chosen by the NMSC based on the results of the October PSAT taken last year. The cutoff score to qualify as semifinalists varied per state. California’s cutoff was higher than most states, 221 out of 228. According to NMSC, 1.6 million PSAT scores are submitted annually and less than one percent of those qualify test takers as semifinalists for the scholarships. The semifinalists from Diamond Bar High School are seniors Jason Ahn, Shannen Rikki Barrameda, Vinay Bhupathiraju, Benjamin Chen, Connie Chen, Justin Chuang, Brandon Hung, Peyrin Kao, Su Min Kim, Vickie Kuo, Aaron Lee, Adeline Lee, Monica Lin, James Lo, Leslie Sim, Sabrina Tseng, and Joanna Zhang. Last October, the class of 2017 was the first to take the new version of the PSAT. The new PSAT was released before the new ver-

sion of the SAT was first administered this March. The new PSAT is scored out of 1520 instead of 240 and is 35 minutes longer. The critical reading section changed to evidence based reading and writing, and the test now offers only four answer choices. In addition, the guessing penalty was removed. “I didn't even know what the new format of the PSAT was going to look like so I was surprised when I saw my score,” Sim said. “I guess not putting pressure on myself to prepare beforehand paid off because I was able to take the test calmly and not worry about my score.” The semifinalists are now getting ready to advance to the finalist level in February, where they will be competing for the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, Corporate

Sponsored Scholarship, or Collegesponsored Scholarship. In order to qualify as a finalist, students must complete an application, which includes listing their first-choice college and extracurricular activities, along with a teacher recommendation and an essay describing an experience or obstacle they have overcome. In February, around 15,000 semifinalists are notified that they have been chosen as finalists. However, only approximately 7,500 are confirmed as Scholars for the Merit Scholarship award in the beginning of March. “[Qualifying as a semifinalist] gave me another reason to push myself,” Kim said. “I thought that I closed some doors for myself after not performing as well in my junior year.”

CALVIN RU

(From left to right) James Lo, Adeline Lee, Benjamin Chen, Vickie Kuo, Justin Chuang, Shannen Rikki Barrameda, Peyrin Kao, Joanna Zhang, Sabrina Tseng, Vinay Bhupathiraju and Jason Ahn are semifinalists for a national scholarship.

the staff

MORE ON

Editors-in-Chief

Bernard Chen, Michelle Ki

News Editors Asst. News Editor

Brian Chang, Hannah Lee Angela Yang

Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editors

Eric Hong Stuart Kusdono, Noor Naji

Feature Editors Asst. Feature Editor

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

Michelle Ki, Catherine Zhang Amelie Lee Emily Jacobsson, Pauline Villegas Amy Miyahara

A&E Editors Asst. A&E Editor

Ryan Chae, Emily Kim Sophia Kim

Sports Editors Asst. Sports Editor

Eric Hong, Calvin Ru

Photo Editors

Emily Jacobsson Tess Guan

Business Manager Asst. Business Manager Web Editors

Bernard Chen, Tess Guan

Staff Writers

Ingrid Chan, Cindy Liu

Advisor

THE WEB: DBHS RANKS FIRST IN STATE Research organization Start Class ranked Diamond Bar High School as the top high school in California.

RUNNING ON MEMES

Unprofessionalism in politics has reached a new low with this year's candidates hurling unrelated insults.

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Doug List

Setting up to fight cancer The DBHS girls' volleyball team is dedicating a game to honor victims of breast cancer.

Those who attend the game wearing pink will be entered into a raffle for various prizes. Winners will be announced at the end of the night. The Dig Pink Foundation will also receive all of the snack bar profits throughout the night. Pauline villegas A taco truck will also be selling a&e editor food with a percentage of its earnings donated to the charity. During Breast Cancer AwareShirts were also sold during the ness Month, Brahmas are playing month to teammates and family big for a cure. members who will be attending the Diamond Bar High School’s game. volleyball program is supporting With only these purchases, the those who have been affected by program has already raised over breast cancer by honoring them at $500 for the Dig Pink Foundation. its upcoming home game against Senior Taylor Williams inspired South Hills tomorrow. the campaign after her grandThroughout the week, volleyball mother passed away due to breast players have been selling pink rib- cancer. Swetnam worked with Wilbons that can be worn at the game liams’ mother to organize the event to support both and all of the the JV and the fundraisers. varsity team. “We were su“Breast cancer hit my They also orper close and family pretty hard this dered special she was super year, and not just my pink jerseys involved with family." that will be finding the cure worn during the and fighting canKATIE SWETNAM games. cer in whatever All proceeds way she could,” during the game Williams said. will be going to the Dig Pink FounMost of the team members have dation, which works to encourage been affected by breast cancer involleyball teams around the nation directly through the people they to hold fundraisers for breast can- know. cer research. Survivors will be honored durThey will also be donating all of ing the game with pink roses. the money they received from the Swetnam also has family mempink ribbon purchases. bers who have battled breast canDuring the game the team will cer. be presenting a slideshow of inspiThey inspired her to take a large rational cancer survivors from the part in this fundraiser. community and listening to a moti“This fundraiser means a lot to vational playlist that was made by me. Breast cancer hit my family the team. pretty hard this year, and not just “I really just want us all to come my family. I hope that this can contogether and make a difference tinue on for years to come, and that where we can,” head coach Katie we can make it an annual thing,” Swetnam said. Swetnam said.

Bond proposal brings new opportunities BOND FROM P. 1 from half the school year to an entire school year. “The modernization of each building is probably at least six months, if not an entire year long project, so the most likely scenario would be moving teachers completely out of the building for the entire school year while the building is modernized, and they would move in the next school year,” Hong said, The bond also could set a precedent for a future statewide bond

measure and would place WVUSD as one of the first school districts in line to receive such funding. To ensure that money is being spent as it is meant to, independent audits and a Citizen’s Oversight Committee would have to be established, according to a report on the WVUSD website. With Measure O’s failure to pass last November, the current measure may potentially be the first to have been passed since the bond that provided for the creation of the 600 building and the aquatic center in 2007.

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USB FROM P. 1

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.

to be involved and get the activity cards, but we work with what we have,” Activities Director Janna Van Horn said. Clothing sales, Kaplan tests, and a portion of yearbook sales are also significant sources of revenue, raising $69,691 collectively. The remaining revenue consists of funds brought in through snack bar sales, general supplies sales, vending machine sales, gate receipts, the graduation video, donations, and interest. The total revenue in the last fiscal year was $295,736. Last year, the support services account generated the most expenses, at $56,886. This account

pays for any services needed at football games, other on-campus events and at the student store. Closely behind is the cost-of-goodssold account, in which $55,284 was spent. Fees associated with athletics, including CIF dues, transportation, and supervision, totaled $52,167. A total of $2,824 was spent on Renaissance giveaways and $28,639 on Homecoming. Other expenses for campus activities come from the Social Activities account, which spent $1,040. Each member of USB executive board has their own account and an assigned budget. They are given free reign over the money, so long as it benefits the student body. For example, food provided at IOC

meetings comes from the IOC account. Additionally, if a board member wanted to provide an incentive to a class for wearing purple, other than the raffled pizza party, they would take money from their respective account. USB spent $1312 on their uniforms and $2148 was used to cover costs for USB to attend conferences. “Things that aren’t fun to spend money on are our materials like butcher paper,” Van Horn said, “We have so many groups that come in and want to use our butcher paper and we have to limit the use because it’s expensive, and we spent [$6,297] on helium. All those expenses add up.”


NEWS

THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

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Illuminating the grading process A computer based grading system is introduced to teachers on the DBHS campus. cindy liu staff writer

Photo courtesy of CELINE PARK

The DBHS Thundering Herd marched down the streets of Placentia to compete with other Southern California bands.

Thundering Herd bands together to claim first place Band and color guard competed in their first band review of the parade season at Placentia. michelle ki editor-in-chief

Diamond Bar High School’s Thundering Herd marched its way to success after placing first in the band division at the Placentia Band Review competition on Saturday and claiming second place in sweepstakes. The color guard team also placed second and senior Rebecca Kimn placed third in Drum Major. The band performed “The Voice of the Guns” by Kenneth J. Alford. Each school was judged in three separate divisions: Band, Auxiliary or Color Guard and Drum Major.

Each category has its own scoring guidelines and is judged by specialized moderators. The sweepstakes winner is the band with the highest overall score. DBHS earned a score of 94.30 in the Band division, 477.0 in the overall sweepstakes, 89.10 in the Auxil-

“We really commit ourselves to this art more than just an ordinary band..." ALEX LIANG iary division and Kimn obtained a 92.00 in the Drum Major division. “I felt relieved [when we placed second]. There were several issues with the performance and we all knew we messed up. Even though we didn't have a perfect run, it's still nice to know that we actu-

ally did well. The choreography is quite difficult, so that helped boost the score a little bit,” senior Color Guard captain Sarah Lam said via Facebook. Kimn was less than pleased with her results. “[At first] I was disappointed to have placed third, but after thinking about it the whole day after competition, I chose to use this experience to bring improvement to my routine so that I can gain better results,” Kimn said. Band members consider themselves more than a band, but rather a family all working towards one goal. “We really commit ourselves to this art more than just an ordinary band, but as a family and working to continue our legacy from our predecessors who put just as much effort. [It] is a feeling that can't be taken away or described,” senior Alex Liang said.

Scantrons have always been a constant in the classroom for students, but that may change with a recent development at Diamond Bar High School. Along with other Walnut Valley Unified District schools, DBHS recently took a technological leap forward as it replaced its old DataDirector system with Illuminate Education. According to its website, Illuminate offers teachers detailed feedback on test data and a new way of grading papers. It may soon replace traditional Scantrons at DBHS and allow teachers to tailor lessons according to students’ needs. Instead of running green Scantrons through a machine, teachers can use printed pages of multiple choice questions and later scan them using a web camera or the document camera. Some teachers have taken advantage of this feature to immediately grade and pass back exams during class. “It can give you instant feedback on how students did on a particular area, we can change our teaching on the fly,” AP European teacher Emily Clark said. “I could take this, give a quick quiz, and check it right away. Within five minutes, I know exactly what you understood and what you don’t understand.” Illuminate reports offer teachers insight into commonly missed questions through graphs that can be compared with compiled data.

Additionally, teachers can upload, create, scan, and add to teacher or district created tests. While DBHS teachers are only now undergoing training to use Illuminate, many teachers have already started using it. To help the staff become more familiar with the new system, a teacher from each department attended a training session with Illuminate and later brought their knowledge to the rest of their department. Teachers Les Schaefer, Jon Hurst, Denise Mesdjian, and Chris Holmes represented the Math, History, English and Science departments, respectively. On late start days, they meet with their departments to instruct them on the features of Illuminate. Currently, they are only introducing general system details but will gradually progress to addressing specific needs the teachers encounter. “Scantrons are good, but it will not collect data for you. This is the same as the Scantrons, but once you’re done, it collects all the data for you. And you can save it, which is one thing that we need to start doing,” Schaefer said. Clark looks forward to using the extensive data to analyze her students’ results and find out which topics she needs to review. “Since I am a big fan of using technology and I’m lucky enough to have Chromebooks in my room, I’m looking forward to seeing exactly how I can integrate this and have it complement a lot of the other technologies I use,” Clark said. “This will just be another tool in the arsenal.” DBHS also plans to implement My Portal, a website associated with Illuminate that students can use to check their results as soon as their tests are scanned.

A new chapter for the LINC leadership Librarian Rachel Chandler takes over after Pamela Hunter retired over the summer. Photo courtesy of MOVOTO.COM

ingrid chan staff writer

This year's Arabian themed homecoming dance will be held at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel this Saturday.

Planning for a magical homecoming HOMECOMING FROM P. 1 had to search through several venue options once again. “It’s a beautiful venue and I like that we are going out toward the beach, driving toward Orange County instead of Los Angeles this time. It’s going to be a little different for our students,” Van Horn said. Despite the last minute decision, USB considers the Westin, in Costa Mesa, an apt choice, with a spacious setting that will cater to several activities including dancing and taking photos. “The Westin was actually unplanned. We had a lot of other different places in mind, but it just didn’t work out because we have a lot of students going,” Lee said.

Going with the theme, most of decor will be based around Moroccan design, such as floating lanterns. Several new elements to the 7-10 p.m. dance include a smoothie bar, a Mediterranean inspired food spread, flash tattoos and both a traditional photo booth as well as a different, more digital forward photo booth. “Obviously you won’t satisfy everyone, but you want to make sure that it’s a memorable night for everyone,” Qadri said. USB also prepared various lunchtime activities throughout the week leading up to the Homecoming game Friday, when the court will be announced. A single ticket costs $60 with an activity card and $65 without one. Duo tickets cost $120 with an activity card and $130 without.

To replace long-time librarian Pamela Hunter, who retired over the summer, Diamond Bar High School recently hired librarian Rachel Chandler to handle the school’s constantly busy Literary and Information Networked Center. Chandler is not new to the district, having worked as the Suzanne Middle School librarian for the past year and a half prior to coming to DBHS. In addition to that, she also has experience managing libraries as a student in college. “DBHS’ location is very convenient from where I live and it just seemed like a great school in general. So I thought to myself: why not work at Diamond Bar?” Chandler said. When Chandler first began college at Azusa Pacific University, her dream was to be a history teacher. She got even closer to her goal after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science. But, after experiencing work as a student teacher, she realized that it wasn’t the right occupation for her

and ultimately decided she would rather work as a librarian. As of right now, Chandler has not made any changes to the library as she has only been at the school for three weeks. However, she does have a multitude of plans for the future, including promoting the use of the library’s 3D printer and inviting a variety of different clubs to work in the library. “There used to be a book club here, so I’d like to get something like that started up again. Earlier, I was interested in getting some of the programming clubs to use the library, too. Tinker Tuesdays I know was just getting started, and I would also like to get some robotics competitions or other events going

on in the library as well,” Chandler said. Chandler’s acclimation to DBHS was greatly facilitated by the many student assistants who volunteer in the library, often stopping by to help her during free periods, lunch, and breaks, as well as by Peggy Laine, who manages the textbook room. “Laine is also a huge, huge help and I’d be so lost without her right now. Especially in the first week I was here when she was coming to help before school, after school, and during lunch to make sure I wasn’t left all by myself, helping me figure things out. Whenever I have questions, I ask her,” Chandler said.

New librarian Rachel Chandler started in the LINC a few weeks ago.

CALVIN RU


4

OPINION

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

EYE EDITORS OF THE

This year marks the first election where almost all millennials are eligible to vote. OPINION: The Bull’s Eye endorses presidential candidate Hillary Clinton due to her policies on education.

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he Bull’s Eye editorial board is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president because of her policies on the issues of education and immigration, those which directly affect students. The staff views Clinton to be the most experienced candidate, having served as secretary of state, first lady of Arkansas, the first lady of the US, a senator from New York and a law professor. Clinton’s experience adds to her ethos and shows that Clinton is capable of holding the highest office. Clinton’s experience, however, is not all that sets her part from her rival Republican candidate, Donald Trump. In terms of preparation, Clinton has shown to have a more concrete, detailed plan. More specifically, Clinton has a clear strategy on education reform, namely, the continuation of Common Core and a plan to provide free public college for everyone. Although Common Core has already been implemented and

has received much criticism, it is significant for a national education system to exist to ensure that schools are teaching the same curriculum to all students. The roll-out of Common Core, according to Clinton, was largely unsuccessful and done wrong, hence the opposition it faces. However, should she win the presidency, she will work to fix such a system, rather than removing the entire system in the way that Trump proposes. Furthermore, the cost of college tuition and student loans are out of control. Many low-income families are discouraged from attaining a post high school education. We believe that every student, or citizen for that matter, should be given access to a college education in order to perform better in the workplace. In addition to her stance on education, The Bull’s Eye looks favorably upon her immigration policies. Amnesty, we believe,

is the only practical solution. Contrary to what Trump claims, illegal immigrants do not have a negative impact on the American economy as a whole and do not avoid paying necessary taxes and bills. In addition, deportation of illegal immigrants or building a wall between America and Mexico is unfeasible, costly and ineffective Finally, the Bull’s Eye deems that the other major party candidate, Donald Trump, is largely incompetent and irresponsible for the single-most powerful job in the world. Most of Trump’s proposed policies have been based on fearmongering, while many of his statements are rash and offensive. A Trump presidency would ultimately lower the standards for being a president. For the purpose of education and immigration reform, thus, for the purpose of electing a truly experienced candidate, a Clinton presidency would be ideal.

The Debates: Child’s Play

4% Jill Stein

8% Undecided

50% Hillary Clinton

10% Not Voting

11% Gary Johnson

How millennials plan to vote this election

18% Donald Trump Data by Census Beareau

See pages 8 and 9 for DBHS polling

Snowden’s pernicious plea Brian Chang News editor

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Cartoon courtesy of MEGAN LEE

A freedom taken too far Ted Yarmoski contributing writer

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FL protesters have the absolute right under our Constitution to kneel and raise their fists during the National Anthem. However, they should remember that the singing of our National Anthem honors Americans in the past, in the present and in the future who have sacrificed and will sacrifice their lives to defend and preserve our democracy. Many of the 600,000 Union soldiers who were wounded or died during the U.S. Civil War sang our National Anthem as they marched into battle to, among other things,

fight to end slavery. There are many appropriate times to express one’s dissatisfaction with the police. The time when we honor those who have given so much for our nation is not one of them. NFL protesters need to ask themselves whether it’s worth denigrating the Americans who have died protecting our nation in order to make a statement that could easily be expressed in other ways. As celebrities, NFL players have access to many media outlets to express their political and personal viewpoints. The first NFL protester, Colin Kaepernick, has nearly one million followers on Twitter and 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and the NFL players who have joined him also have access to millions of people. Even though their protests during the National Anthem garner media attention, it comes at

a price. While some Americans, including President Obama, say that the protests have brought attention to legitimate topics that need to be addressed, our National Anthem is being degraded. Brave men and women who have served our country are being disrespected. In addition, many Americans who might have agreed with the protests may not support their protest due to the respect of our flag. This consequently creates a division between players on the same team over the protest. Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN commentator, has said that soldiers fight for the freedom that allows Kaepernick to have such protests, but he forgets that the anthem is our nation’s way of respecting our soldiers. The NFL protesters are making a mockery of the sacrifices made to preserve our democracy and the rights we exercise daily.

n a world of ever-evolving threats, national security is of the utmost importance, and anyone who willingly violates the security of their country deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The perpetrator of one of the largest leaks of national information in the history of the U.S., Edward Snowden, is no exception. He should not be granted a presidential pardon, and should remain snowed in inside Russia for the rest of his life. Some groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are pushing for Snowden’s pardon, though Snowden has claimed he will never ask for a pardon himself. However, he has also stated he believes he should be granted a presidential pardon. Those who claim Snowden deserves to be pardoned glorify him as a “whistle-blower” who broke the news regarding the National Security Agency’s surveillance of domestic phone calls, leading to reforms at a federal level. This may all be true. However, all of his would-be supporters overlook the glaringly obvious fact that what Snowden did was, in fact, illegal—absolutely, unflinchingly illegal. Snowden explicitly and knowingly broke the law, as well as oaths and contractual agreements, by copying and then distributing millions of the U.S. government’s secret files. While he did release information relating to the NSA’s gathering of telephone metadata, which shows the time of a call as well as its participants, there has been no evidence put forth that the metadata was harmful to domestic

security–because such evidence doesn’t exist. Snowden’s “heroic actions” amount to nothing; the data he unveiled had no negative bearing on the American people. Pardoning Snowden will only encourage others like him to disclose classified government information. Of other information pertaining to the NSA’s intelligence gathering released, very little involved individual American citizens. Snowden leaked information about the PRISM program, which is a separate, courtauthorized program designed to collect information overseas, as well as details on international surveillance operations. According to a bipartisan report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the leaks have the potential to cause “tremendous damage” to U.S. security. Snowden’s claim of working for a “higher cause” is ridiculous; there is no higher cause than a nation’s security. Snowden’s refusal to return to his country and face a jury of his peers is a tremendous blow to his case; if he truly believed he was innocent, he would not have fled to a country known for violently silencing its own whistleblowers. Snowden cites a clause in U.S. security-protection statutes that prevents him from claiming his so-called “higher purpose.” This may be a little bit of a stretch, but perhaps that clause exists because there is no such thing as a higher purpose when dealing with the security of an entire country. Edward Snowden compromised U.S. national security, and continues to refuse to accept any measure of responsibility for his actions. Instead, he continues to evade the laws he purposefully broke, while calling for a pardon. Snowden is a criminal and deserves to be punished like one, and no amount of positivity from Oliver Stone, director of a new film painting Snowden in a positive light, will convince me, and hopefully Barack Obama, otherwise.


OPINION

THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

LEGALIZATION: Greener on the other side?

Pro hANNAh lEE nEWS editor

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ot, weed, dope, herb, joint, grass. Whatever one may call it, they all refers to the illegal substance: marijuana. The number of people in favor for the legalization of the drug has increased dramatically over the years. The AP-NORC Center reported that as of March, approximately 61 percent of Americans were in favor of legalizing marijuana. The majority of Americans are ready to see the end of marijuana prohibition, and it’s time for the government to recognize that. Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is not physically addictive like tobacco is. There are no physical withdrawal symptoms— no shaking, vomiting, or other signs of sickness that are seen in addictive drugs. There is also some evidence that a chemical found in marijuana, cannabinoids, can be linked to possibly reversing cancer’s effects. Tobacco and alcohol have long been legal despite causing more harm. Marijuana has proven to be much safer than drink and cigarettes, which are two of the leading causes of death in the U.S.; it is impossible to overdose on marijuana, and there has been no study linking lung damage from use. Marijuana legalization is also an economic opportunity for the government, considering the state of the national debt. By legalizing the drug, the new tax would bring in roughly $8 billion in new taxes. The U.S. currently spends billions of dollars on the “War on Drugs” to lock up drug users. Taxpayers then have to contribute to this financial burden by covering the expenses that comes with jailing someone, all simply for the possession of marijuana. There are rapists, burglars and murder-

ers spending less jail time than those sentenced for possession of marijuana. Perhaps instead of wasting time tracing down harmless people who like to get high, authorities can now focus on dangerous, less trivial crimes. Marijuana users will not let the law get in the way of their desire for the drug. With the law restricting users, they have no choice but to turn to dealers and cartels. Despite the fact that the drug is illegal in the majority of the country, nearly half of Americans reported that they have tried marijuana. Simply put, going through the process of attempting to keep something outlawed when prohibition is inefficient is not in anyone’s best interest. If marijuana was legal, drug c a r t e l s and dealers would be put out of business, ultimately ceasing the violent crimes and disputes that occur in this illegal business. As of now, only four states in the U.S. have legalized recr e ational use of marijuana. In November, California and four other states will consider legalization. It’s time for voters in our state to improve our nation and allow the recreational use marijuana.

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his November, five states, including California, will be voting on the legalization of recreational marijuana and four states will be voting on the legalization of medical marijuana. Marijuana has developed a negative connotation in our society for a reason, so why are we so eager to decriminalize a substance that the government has made illegal for the benefit of the general welfare? There is a stark difference between personal experience and scientific research. In regards to medical marijuana, much of the field is flooded with positive anecdotes, but when you look at the concrete evidence, any medicinal benefits marijuana can provide is uncertain and lacks long term research. Medical marijuana does not meet the standards of modern medicine and legalizing it will encourage its use in lieu of prescription drugs. While it’s true that cigarettes pose more of a health hazard, they don’t include the mind altering effects of marijuana that pose a danger to not only the users, but those around them too. The AAA Foundation for

EMILY jACOBSSON a&e editor

Traffic Safety found that the amount of drivers involved in fatal car accidents with THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis, in their system doubled in Washington after the state legalized marijuana. It would be remiss to ignore these statistics and hope they do not repeat themselves in subsequent states. Even in states where medical marijuana has already been legalized, recreational use should be restricted. If we are going to treat marijuana as a prescription painkiller, so to speak, it should be held to the same standards. Opening up a substance like morphine for recreational use is unimaginable, and the same should apply to marijuana. State governments should refer to the following case which the U.S. presented Canada in 2003 in an attempt to dissuade parliament from loosening their restrictions on marijuana: The legalization of marijuana is a betrayal to the anti-drug cause. U.S. officials also argued at the time that legalization would increase drug tourism, marijuana abuse, and negatively affect Canada’s relationship with not only the U.S., but with all nations. If the government still holds the health of the people in high respect, it would not allow for the legalization of marijuana. Should marijuana be legalized, what will stop the masses for using this as their case to legalize other substances, once universally agreed to be harmful? It’s best to put the fire out now, before it grows into something larger.

THE DIVIDED STATES No room for underdogs in our

Stuart Kusdono asst. opinion editor

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t is a miserable sight to see endless bickering between two uncompromising political parties, true debate in Washington reduced to ad-hominem attacks. Consequently, a frustrating stalemate is effected, a state in which lawmaking is inefficient and both executive and legislative branches are rendered ineffective. The so-called United States of America is an ironic name, for united we are not. The government is deeply divided over political, social and economic issues. Political polarization, as it’s called, has only worsened over the past few decades, and extends far beyond the government to the public itself. Indeed, any hope of reconciliation between the two sides is lost as the right continues to move to the right, and the left consequently moves to the left. This situation calls for drastic measures. I do humbly propose that the United States of America be divided into two different countries based on the differing political factions. More specifically, I propose that the Missouri Compromise be brought back, that the United States of America be split into the North and the South across the 36°30’ line. Any state that is caught in the middle of the line, such as California, will simply be split. The North shall be run

by the Democratic party, and the South shall be run by the Republican party. The states of Alaska and Hawaii will be given the choice of whichever government they wish to be under. Before one starts to wave this proposal as absurd, one must first consider the rationality of such a proposal and the potential benefits. For one, my proposal will achieve national consensus. So much dislike has arisen from one party to the other, from one whose political affiliation contrasts from another, that both sides will be glad to put a metaphorical wall between them. There will be significantly less conflict between neighbors, between governors, should everyone hold the same political platform. Bills in both the North and South will pass nearly instantaneously. Much progress will be achieved. Both sides are satisfied. It’s a winwin situation. This does bring into question, however, what happens to those in the South who are Democrats and to those in the North who are Republicans. I believe it is in the interest of both parties to initiate a large deportation program, a program in which Democrats living in the South or Republicans in the North will be able to immigrate to the North or South, respectively, and receive financial compensation for whatever they leave behind. Such a transfer would be expensive indeed, but the reward in the end-true, utter division-far outweighs the cost. And besides, the cost can be split between the Republican and Democratic governments. Democrats will tax the top 1 percent by 99 percent, and Republicans will tax the poor.

two-party-only government noor naji asst. opinion editor

“I

s this the best we could do?” This question was asked by many Americans after the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on September 26. It seems that the debate that many hoped would clarify for the undecided which candidate to vote for, instead ended with many wondering if they had another choice. And to answer that, yes, we do. Despite most thinking we only have two candidates, we actually have five, three of them running as third party candidates—Jill Stein for the Green Party, Gary Johnson as a Libertarian, and Evan McMullin as an Independent. Stein has run a campaign emphasizing issues such as climate change and renewable energy. On the other hand, Johnson running as a Libertarian, believes in fewer taxes and less government control, but is also pro-choice and for the legalization of marijuana. As for McMullin, he was one of the more notable Republicans for the “Never Trump” movement, and ran as an independent as an alternative for Republican voters. The reason you may have not heard of one of these candidates is because of their poll numbers are beyond low in comparison to major party candidates. According to the Committee of Presidential Debates, Gary Johnson is polling at 8.4 percent and Jill Stein at 3.2 percent, which isn’t high enough to include them in the televised

debates. And according to the public policy polling, McMullin is at 9 percent. A two-party system doesn’t mean the existence of only two parties alone, rather it means the existence of many political groups, but two that are more dominant. However, the mainstream media has paid little or no attention to the few remaining parties. According to the Conservative Media Research Center, all three third party candidates this election received only 0.05 percent of coverage combined. However, the reason the media doesn’t cover them as much as the other two parties is because they have little support. Most people don’t even know third parties that exist, let alone their candidates. The candidates might be good-willed people who care about their country, but without support, they mean nothing to the election. This is also why people shouldn’t vote for a third party candidate this election. Not only is it too late in the game, but the candidates won’t be able to gain enough popularity in the time given. There is absolutely no way that any of the third party

candidates can actually win the 2016 election. Third party candidates, in close a election, may have had somewhat of an effect in the past. For example, Raplh Nader, who ran as a third party in the Al Gore and George W. Bush election, stole votes from Gore and handed the White House to Bush. However, he had no possibility of winning. Despite third party candidates’ power to occasionally sway the election, and therefore “affect” it, they have never been close enough to actually winning. The people voting for a third party candidate this year either want to vote but don’t like their two options and feel guilty for not voting; or they actually agree with the candidates and believe that they actually have a shot at the White House. “A wasted vote is voting for somebody that you don’t believe in, and if we’re going to continue to vote for the lesser of two evils, that’s still evil,” Johnson said. And I would agree with Johnson if he polled high enough to actually win, but, and I hate to say it, a vote for a third party candidate is a wasted vote.

Photo courtesy of THE GUARDIAN Third party candidates Jill Stein (left), Gary Johnson (middle) and Evan McMullin (right)


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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Now Showing:

THE BIRTH OF A NATION Nate Parker directs and stars in the answer to the controversial film “The Birth of a Nation.” EMily Jacobsson A&E Editor As someone who tends to become emotional when watching movies, I had to prepare myself for the fact that a movie such as “The Birth of a Nation” cannot have a happy ending. Two hours later, I left the theater not only with tears in my eyes, but also an unsettling feeling that the story of Nat Turner had been done an injustice. This movie is incredibly upsetting and hard to watch, as it depicts the gross realities of slavery in America. It begins with the haunting words “based on a true story.” The story in question is that of Nat Turner, an African American preacher turned insurgent and the revolt he led, which resulted in the deaths of around 50 slave owners and over 200 slaves. Nat (played by the film’s director Nate Parker) is picked out by his masters as a child because they believed that God had blessed him with the ability to read. Elizabeth Turner (Penelope Ann Miller), the mother of the family he works for, gives him a Bible and works with him daily until he can read Bible

Photo courtesy of WARNER BROTHERS

Nate Parker and Aja Naomi King plat Nat and Cherry, two slaves who get married despite their initial differences.

verses in front of the congregation at church. However, young Nat is eventually sent back to work alongside the other slaves. Years later, Nat still works in the fields under the son of the family, Samuel (Armie Hammer). When other slave owners find out that Nat preaches to the other slaves every Sunday, they offer to pay Samuel to have Nat calm

down their own slaves using the scripture. However, as he goes from farm to farm telling slaves to submit, his eyes are opened, coming to the conclusion that God is guiding him to a different path: revolution. First time film writer-director Parker is seemingly apathetic to historical accuracy. In the movie, the rape of Nat’s wife, Cherry,

seems to be the catalyst that encourages Nat toward revolting. However, there is a lack of evidence that his wife was raped by slave patrollers, let alone that it was what made Nat want to revolt. The basis of his revolt was that slavery was unjust, immoral and went against the word of God. Critics have also complained about the lack of accuracy in Parker’s por-

trayal of Nat’s relationship with his family, his daily life as a slave and even the actions he carried out during the rebellion. What he lacks as a director, Parker makes up for as an actor. He is strong, heroic and most importantly, completely human. At no point, does he turn Nat into an over-glorified figure. It was inspiring watching the character finally transition from a submissive preacher and slave to a fearless leader. Cinematically, the movie is beautiful. The artistic angles and peaceful shots of cotton fields almost makes the viewers forget that the movie they are watching is anything but that. However, the plot hardly seemed to be present the first half of the movie and the suddenly accelerated story in the second half, starting with the actual rebellion, left me unable to feel anything other than confusion. When things slowed down again at the end and I was finally given space to breathe and internalize all I had seen, an overwhelming heaviness fell over me. For a feelgood, patriotic movie, look elsewhere; “The Birth of a Nation” reminds us of our shameful past.

Brahma Brings Idols To Life Amy Miyahara Asst. A&E Editor CALVIN RU

Juniors Emily Tran and Pauline Yang sing “Hallelujah” as part of the fall concert.

Choir celebrates fall festivities Ingrid Chan Staff Writer

To fully capture the somberness of the Fall season, the Diamond Bar High School Choir Department held their annual Fall Concert last Friday in an impressive show filled with a collection of traditional, serious pieces. Unlike the choir’s usual showcases, last week’s performance involved many classical songs sung in Latin. During the concert, every group, including the beginning choir Diamond Tones, the advanced chamber choir Chamber Elite and the advanced show choirs Solitaire and Marquis, had the chance to demonstrate what they have been practicing since the beginning of the school year. The show opened with a performance including every choir member, followed by an introduction to the individual department officers and Amanda Herrera, who is substituting for choir teacher Patty Breitag. The all-female Solitaire then sang five pieces before Diamond Tones took the stage with three songs. After that came Chamber Elite with three songs, and the show ended with three songs from Marquis. In between every group performance, several students demonstrated their individual tal-

ents with solos as well as one duet. Two especially attention grabbing pieces were performed by senior Ariana Gonzalez, who sang “Breathe,” and senior Allyson Cantimbuhan singing “Stand up for Love.” During the multiple climaxes of the piece, Gonzalez’s rich voice held impossibly long notes and rose to powerful, emotional pitches that neither broke nor faltered. Cantimbuhan, on the other hand, exhibited an incredible stage presence, often accentuating her performance with flourishes that displayed her confidence in front of the crowd. Her mature voice was especially noticeable as her wide range often moved from low to high notes while still maintaining her volume and pitch. In addition to the time the students practiced during their class period, the choir members also attended after school rehearsals on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, sometimes staying for up to five hours. In order to perform a solo, students had to audition with Herrera making all the final decisionst. “A lot of these kids are really talented since most of them have been doing this for a long time,” Herrera said. “Many of these students are already very musically inclined and I don’t need to always be going over the basics.”

Many talented artists only dream of having their work displayed in front of many people, but for Simar Cheema, this dream became a reality. In September, the Diamond Bar High School senior’s art was featured as a part of the monthly Pomona Art Walk. Every second Saturday of the month, from 6 to 9 p.m., an art walk is held in downtown Pomona to support local artists. There are multiple galleries displaying the work of local artists, as well as live performances, food trucks and various venders. Cheema attended the art walk in March with her family in search of a gallery to showcase her work. She spoke with the manager of the Loft on 2nd, who was willing to display her work at a future art walk. Cheema contacted the

manager later, and they arranged for her work to be displayed at the September walk. Last month, Cheema had 16 pieces on display: six sketches and 10 acrylic canvas paintings. Cheema says that she draws inspiration from her passion for hip-hop, as well as influences from her culture. Her artwork gives her another platform for expressing herself. “I get to show things that I don’t really get to show at school, like how I have a really big passion for hip hop…and also things from my culture, like Bollywood actresses and things that I grew up watching with my grandma,” she said. Among the pieces Cheema displayed were portraits of Biggie Smalls and Kendrick Lamar. She also created a piece portraying Bollywood actress Meena Kumari, which took her about five months to complete. Cheema said that she was pleased with the results.

Photos courtesy of SIMAR CHEEMA

Simar Cheema, right, with her grandfather and sister, by her painting of Meena Kumari.

Simar Cheema’s painting of Biggie Smalls was displayed at the art walk. “[Kumari’s] sitting there, and she’s got this really beautiful expression on her face, and her hands are very graceful, very traditional. Just looking at it all, I like how it came together.” Cheema said. Cheema said that she had a positive experience participating in the art walk. “Seeing how many people had come to the show and how amazing it was to have people compliment you like that, it doesn’t happen that often, so I was just so blown away,” she said. Cheema took art class in middle school and fundamentals of art during her freshman year. After that, she pursued art on her own but didn’t show anyone until last year. Cheema said that while she loves art, she isn’t planning on pursuing art as a career. “A lot of people think that I should pursue [art] as a career, but that’s never what I wanted to do,” she said. “I just like it because it gives me another outlet. It’s a different form of expression.”


THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Converting videos to volumes

Favorite

Halloween

Youtube is no longer simply a social media platform where anyone can create and share; it now produces internet icons. With that, Youtubers have been seeping into mainstream media, essentially becoming their own form of celebrity. Vlogging is no longer a quirky hobby, but a full time job. Youtubers are bigger than ever, appearing on albums, magazines, television shows—some even having shows of their own (such as Tyler Oakley)—and now, books. Youtubers writing novels has become so common that many bookstores now even have an entire section dedicated solely to these internet stars. Youtube beauty and lifestyle vlogger Zoe Sugg, better known

as “Zoella,” has a whopping 11 million subscribers, gaining several thousands more each day. Being this large of an internet icon means two things: fame and money. With someone as influential as Sugg, her fan base will eat up anything and everything with her name attached. Her coming-of-age novel “Girl Online” was released in August 2014, breaking the record for the most first week sales since 1998. This was obviously a proud achievement for Sugg, rising from an internet beauty vlogger to a best selling author in just a matter of days. However, her time in the spotlight was cut short when, just three months later, the book’s publisher, Penguin, confirmed that “Girl Online” was the work of ghostwriter Siobhan Curham. Sugg mentioned in her announcement video

that writing a novel had always been a dream of hers. Yet when she was given the opportunity, she made someone else do it for her. Though Youtubers publishing books seems to be a common trend, it is hard to label all of them as books. Publishers often approach these Youtubers because they realize that the books will sell because of their large audiences, no matter the content. This gives them the freedom to produce any type of book that they please. Sugg’s long time vlogger boyfriend Alfie Deyes, better known as “PointlessBlog” on Youtube, released a book as well. Deyes also has a large audience, with a total of eight million subscribers on his two Youtube channels. The book was not ghostwritten, but this is because

Photo courtesy of PENGUIN BOOKS

Photo courtesy of BLINK PUBLISHING

Photo courtesy of PENGUIN BOOKS

Hannah Lee News Editor

Films

DBHS students remember the movies that gave them a fright. “My favorite Halloween movie is definitely ‘halloweentown.’ I watch it every year and it helps me get into the spirit for Halloween. ” celina hu, junior

youtubers on p.10

“My favorite movie to watch during this time of year is ‘Corpse Bride.’. I just love the kind of ‘unrequited love’ story that is featured.” Anali chauhan, senior

“I really like ‘Scary Movie.’ It’s Pretty funny...It’s basically like a regular horror movie, but with common sense.” Soraab Rupal, Sophomore -

Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes and Pewdiepie are just a few of the YouTubers who have transitioned from filming videos to writing books.

Brahma Brings Words to Life in New Poetry Book Tess Guan Web Editor From the small margins of her notebooks, Megan Lee’s doodles have found a new home in a published book. Over the summer, the Diamond Bar High School junior contributed over 40 illustrations for a poetry book. The book, “The Identity of the Heart: A Collection of Poetry and Artworks for All to Enjoy,” was written by Bowen Shen, a Walnut High School senior. Lee and Shen attend the same SAT prep school. The tutor, knowing of Lee’s artistic talent, recommended that Shen have Lee illustrate his book. The book includes around 300 poems about a high school student’s daily life, depicting the roller coaster of feelings experienced throughout junior year. Along with Lee, juniors Kristine Tu from Glendora High School and Selena Shi from Walnut High School collectively worked together on the book’s illustrations. Lee drew and designed the book’s cover and illustrated a majority of the poems. She began illustrating in May and had to draw 14 pages a week. Each illustration, in black and white, took approximately 20 minutes to ink and draw. Her pictures were later scanned and added into the book’s pages. “It was cool how a drawing can portray the meaning of a poem.” Although the book was a collective effort, the illustrators and authors spent most of their time working independently. Furthermore, since there were

multiple artists working on the project, there is a variety of drawing styles present in the book. “Megan drew simplistic yet beautiful depictions based on how she felt when she viewed the poems. Kristine also drew them from her own unique perspective, but their art styles differ, so hers is a bit more realistic,” Shen said. The self-taught artist enjoys drawing basic cartoons and doodles, she describes her drawing style as simple, quirky and cute. Occasionally, she draws editorial cartoons for the school’s newspaper. “[Working for] Bowen was different because I had less ideas. [The Bull’s Eye] usually gives me ideas on what to draw,” Lee said. “For articles you portray facts in

TAKE TWO

a more comical way, but for the poems, I had to figure out what it meant by myself.” The paperback book was finalized in July and has been available on Amazon since September. Lee was first inspired to draw after seeing her family friend’s drawings. She began copying her friend’s style of art and doodling in middle school. Her favorite artists include Marc Johnson and other online artists. Despite her artistic hobby, Lee is not in the school’s art program. Instead, she is taking the advanced architecture class, where she hones her designing skills and creativity. She plans on pursuing architecture in the future with drawing as a side hobby.

ERIC HONG

Megan Lee created illustrations for a poetry book that is now available on Amazon.

A picture of Young art lovers Pauline Villegas & Emily Jacobsson a&E editors Recently, it’s become pretty common for teens to go to the trendiest modern art museums over the weekend. It’s so nice to see a younger generation realize that art is something to cherish and value, except they absolutely do not. More often than not, the main motive for going to these places isn’t to observe and appreciate the art, but rather to take pictures to post online. It is disheartening to see the pieces of art become little more than the aesthetic backgrounds. The reason for this is that most teenagers don’t care about art at all; they care about their Instagram feeds. It’s unfair to say that this is something that only teenagers do--the truth of the matter is that most people in general don’t care about art. Art galleries and museums are filled with people looking down on their phones, taking pictures of the art rather than looking at it with their own eyes. If you walk into the LACMA, for example, you will see people taking pictures and using their phones, leaving 20 minutes later in search of the nearest Urth Caffe. Often times, visitors go specifical-

ly in search of an exhibit they’ve seen on social media so they can take a similar picture and leave. A prime example of this is the Urban Lights exhibit. Instead of looking for beauty or inspiration, they are looking for their next profile picture. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a cool picture, the least one could do is take the appropriate amount of time to analyze the art before moving on. In a way, every person is a little guilty of this. Even art fanatics have posted here and there about being at an art museum, but that doesn’t stop them from thoroughly enjoying the art. But, as with any type of unhealthy behavior, the first step is admitting to having a problem. From then on, people can work on valuing art as more than an interesting addition to our social media feeds. This seems to be a reoccurring trend, much like how teens only go to “trendy” restaurants to tweet about it later. At the end of the day, we should be going to art museums for a single reason: to enjoy the art. Next time you visit an art museum, leave the phone behind. Make an effort to connect with the art and you will see how much more valuable your experience becomes.


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Examining the issues: How each candidate would run the country Stuart kusdono noor naji Asst. opinion editors

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onald Trump has thus far proposed solutions deemed radical by many, including those in his own political party. Should Trump win the presidency, here’s what proposals might be

passed. Foreign Policy: As Commander-in-Chief, the president is given ost believe that a Hillary Clinton much power in terms of foreign policy. One of Trump’s main focus presidency will only be historic in his campaign is the fight against ISIS. Trump plans to send because of her role as the first fethousands of troops into ISIS-controlled territory and taking male president of the United States. They havover. Trump indeed has the power to send troops without conen’t thought beyond that. Here are a few changes gressional approval as long as he doesn’t declare war. that would occur if Clinton becomes president. Immigration: The possibility of Trump passing a bill for a Foreign Policy: Considered more experienced wall between Mexico and the United States is extremely unfor the job than any other candidate in history, Clinlikely. Although the Republican platform wishes to enforce ton would probably follow up with her three-step plan border control and security, it does not wish for a literal to defeat ISIS, unlike her opponent’s “secret” and nonwall to be built. The cost of the wall, including the conexistent plan. She plans to defeat ISIS’s stronghold in struction and the labor of maintaining security across Iraq and Syria, dismantle terrorist networks with the such a long border, is hefty and would require a very help of foreign allies such as the Middle-Eastern counlengthy and difficult process in Congress to pass such tries, and then work at home to spot and stop domestic tera significant bill. Concerning the topic of illegal imrorists. migrants, Trump’s proposed bills of deportation are Immigration: Clinton has pledged that she will further unlikely to be passed. Like the wall, his bill won’t be immigration reform during her first 100 days in office. She approved by Congress. would extend and add upon President Obama’s immigration Social Reform: Should Trump be president plan, which includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immiand Congress remain Republican-dominatgrants living in the U.S. Moreover, she would also revive Obama’s ed, Obamacare will most definitely end. Both immigration programs, which have been previously deadlocked by Trump and the Republican Party wish to rethe Supreme Court. peal Obamacare and have repeatedly statSocial Reform: Clinton plans to equalize the pay gap between ed that it will be repealed on Day One of a men and women. Perhaps she will finally enforce paid family and 12Trump presidency. As for a replacement, week medical leave. However, with a Republican Congress, it will be however, there is no clear plan offered by almost impossible for Clinton to achieve any of her promised goals--she Trump. In regards to Medicare and Social

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Photo courtesy of SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES (www.gettyimages.com)

58. 1% % 1 . 20

Clinton

In a poll by The Bull’s Eye, DBHS students were asked to vote for their preferred candidates, rate their political awareness and rate how strongly they felt for the candidate of their choice.

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Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump shake hands after the first presidential debate on Sept. 26.

Out of 290 Students

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POLL ON P. 10

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Many consider the upcoming Nov. 8 presidential election to be one of the most controversial in the history of the nation. Despite this, when given the chance to voice their opinion, less than 10 percent of the Diamond Bar High School students participated in the recent poll election. DBHS students were given the opportunity to choose the presidential candidate they supported, how strongly they felt about their choice and how politically aware they considered themselves. Out of a student body larger than 3,000 students, only 290 participated in the poll. The voters consisted of significantly more sophomores compared to the other classes, with the class of 2019 accounting for 47.9 percent of the votes. Of the remaining voters, 23.4 percent were seniors, 14.1 percent were juniors and 14.5 percent were freshmen. Between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump, Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, a 58 percent majority said they support Clinton. About 20 percent support Trump, 14 percent support Johnson and 8 percent support Stein. “I support [Hillary] because I think she’s the best option we have right now and I really don’t like Trump’s ideals and his beliefs,” sophomore Joanne Chin said. When asked to rate how strongly students felt about their choice on a scale of one to five, the

results were split. About 20.1 percent rated themselves a one, meaning they did not feel very strongly about the candidate; 13.2 percent rated themselves a two, 28.1 percent rated themselves a three, 18.4 percent rated themselves a four and 19.8 percent rated themselves a five. Students also rated themselves on a scale of one to five based on how politically aware they are, with one being politically unaware and five being the most politically aware: 13.4 percent of students rated t h e m s e l ve s a one, 16.6 percent said two, 25.5 percent said three, 26.2 percent said four and 18.3 percent gave themselves a five. In national polls of qualified voters, Clinton has a 47.6 percent approval rating, and Trump has a 42.9 percent approval rating, according to

st w s ud tr en on a can bou ts gly did t e fel a t a sca te on ch each le of 1 a avera -5 ged:

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Amy miyahara Asst. A&E editor

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Students voice opinion in favor of Democrat

Design by Bernard Chen

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2016 Presidential Election

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OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

Stein 7.7%

ELECTION

John s o n 1 4 .1%

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TRUMP ON P. 10

Election goes cyber Pauline Villegas A&E editor

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n 2016, social media takes part in almost everything we do. From choosing what to eat to selecting the next president, social media is almost always affecting people’s lives. One of the main factors in this year’s “too-close-to-call” race is the candidates’ use of social media to campaign. On Twitter, Donald Trump has pro-

duced over 33,000 tweets. Each presidential candidate utilizes social media to spread their ideas, whether in a negative or positive way. Politicians, both popular and lesser-known, are using social media as a free form of campaigning that won’t cost them a dime. One tweet will reach more people than any late-night commercial or cardboard poster could. The use of social media in the current presidential election will reshape the way politicians reach their support-

ers in years to come. In the future, candidates may campaign solely on social media, instead of at rallies. Showing their faces won’t be necessary when they can just share all of their opinions with the push of a button. Nowadays, most people get their news from social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. Each app has made news more accessible than ever. For example, Twitter has

SOCIAL MEDIA ON P. 10

Student political awareness from 1-5

Students grades 9-12 were asked to rate their political awareness from 1-5. Above shows the breakdown of the responses.


9 3.4

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Examining the issues: How each candidate would run the country Stuart kusdono noor naji Asst. opinion editors

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onald Trump has thus far proposed solutions deemed radical by many, including those in his own political party. Should Trump win the presidency, here’s what proposals might be

passed. Foreign Policy: As Commander-in-Chief, the president is given ost believe that a Hillary Clinton much power in terms of foreign policy. One of Trump’s main focus presidency will only be historic in his campaign is the fight against ISIS. Trump plans to send because of her role as the first fethousands of troops into ISIS-controlled territory and taking male president of the United States. They havover. Trump indeed has the power to send troops without conen’t thought beyond that. Here are a few changes gressional approval as long as he doesn’t declare war. that would occur if Clinton becomes president. Immigration: The possibility of Trump passing a bill for a Foreign Policy: Considered more experienced wall between Mexico and the United States is extremely unfor the job than any other candidate in history, Clinlikely. Although the Republican platform wishes to enforce ton would probably follow up with her three-step plan border control and security, it does not wish for a literal to defeat ISIS, unlike her opponent’s “secret” and nonwall to be built. The cost of the wall, including the conexistent plan. She plans to defeat ISIS’s stronghold in struction and the labor of maintaining security across Iraq and Syria, dismantle terrorist networks with the such a long border, is hefty and would require a very help of foreign allies such as the Middle-Eastern counlengthy and difficult process in Congress to pass such tries, and then work at home to spot and stop domestic tera significant bill. Concerning the topic of illegal imrorists. migrants, Trump’s proposed bills of deportation are Immigration: Clinton has pledged that she will further unlikely to be passed. Like the wall, his bill won’t be immigration reform during her first 100 days in office. She approved by Congress. would extend and add upon President Obama’s immigration Social Reform: Should Trump be president plan, which includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immiand Congress remain Republican-dominatgrants living in the U.S. Moreover, she would also revive Obama’s ed, Obamacare will most definitely end. Both immigration programs, which have been previously deadlocked by Trump and the Republican Party wish to rethe Supreme Court. peal Obamacare and have repeatedly statSocial Reform: Clinton plans to equalize the pay gap between ed that it will be repealed on Day One of a men and women. Perhaps she will finally enforce paid family and 12Trump presidency. As for a replacement, week medical leave. However, with a Republican Congress, it will be however, there is no clear plan offered by almost impossible for Clinton to achieve any of her promised goals--she Trump. In regards to Medicare and Social

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Photo courtesy of SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES (www.gettyimages.com)

58. 1% % 1 . 20

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In a poll by The Bull’s Eye, DBHS students were asked to vote for their preferred candidates, rate their political awareness and rate how strongly they felt for the candidate of their choice.

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Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump shake hands after the first presidential debate on Sept. 26.

Out of 290 Students

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POLL ON P. 10

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Many consider the upcoming Nov. 8 presidential election to be one of the most controversial in the history of the nation. Despite this, when given the chance to voice their opinion, less than 10 percent of the Diamond Bar High School students participated in the recent poll election. DBHS students were given the opportunity to choose the presidential candidate they supported, how strongly they felt about their choice and how politically aware they considered themselves. Out of a student body larger than 3,000 students, only 290 participated in the poll. The voters consisted of significantly more sophomores compared to the other classes, with the class of 2019 accounting for 47.9 percent of the votes. Of the remaining voters, 23.4 percent were seniors, 14.1 percent were juniors and 14.5 percent were freshmen. Between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump, Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, a 58 percent majority said they support Clinton. About 20 percent support Trump, 14 percent support Johnson and 8 percent support Stein. “I support [Hillary] because I think she’s the best option we have right now and I really don’t like Trump’s ideals and his beliefs,” sophomore Joanne Chin said. When asked to rate how strongly students felt about their choice on a scale of one to five, the

results were split. About 20.1 percent rated themselves a one, meaning they did not feel very strongly about the candidate; 13.2 percent rated themselves a two, 28.1 percent rated themselves a three, 18.4 percent rated themselves a four and 19.8 percent rated themselves a five. Students also rated themselves on a scale of one to five based on how politically aware they are, with one being politically unaware and five being the most politically aware: 13.4 percent of students rated t h e m s e l ve s a one, 16.6 percent said two, 25.5 percent said three, 26.2 percent said four and 18.3 percent gave themselves a five. In national polls of qualified voters, Clinton has a 47.6 percent approval rating, and Trump has a 42.9 percent approval rating, according to

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Students voice opinion in favor of Democrat

Design by Bernard Chen

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2016 Presidential Election

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OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

Stein 7.7%

ELECTION

John s o n 1 4 .1%

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TRUMP ON P. 10

Election goes cyber Pauline Villegas A&E editor

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n 2016, social media takes part in almost everything we do. From choosing what to eat to selecting the next president, social media is almost always affecting people’s lives. One of the main factors in this year’s “too-close-to-call” race is the candidates’ use of social media to campaign. On Twitter, Donald Trump has pro-

duced over 33,000 tweets. Each presidential candidate utilizes social media to spread their ideas, whether in a negative or positive way. Politicians, both popular and lesser-known, are using social media as a free form of campaigning that won’t cost them a dime. One tweet will reach more people than any late-night commercial or cardboard poster could. The use of social media in the current presidential election will reshape the way politicians reach their support-

ers in years to come. In the future, candidates may campaign solely on social media, instead of at rallies. Showing their faces won’t be necessary when they can just share all of their opinions with the push of a button. Nowadays, most people get their news from social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. Each app has made news more accessible than ever. For example, Twitter has

SOCIAL MEDIA ON P. 10

Student political awareness from 1-5

Students grades 9-12 were asked to rate their political awareness from 1-5. Above shows the breakdown of the responses.


10 ELECTIONS

Student poll given to DBHS POLL FROM PREVIOUS PAGE RealClear Politics. As the Democratic nominee, Clinton expectedly holds more liberal views than her opponent. She has expressed her support of comprehensive background checks for gun owners and finding an easier path for immigrants to become U.S. citizens. She also has a plan to make public college debt-free for students. “I would really rather have anyone else other than Trump, and I think it’s cool how [Clinton’s] a woman,” sophomore Shirley Dong said. In contrast to Clinton, Trump has been very vocal about his opinions against legal immigrants, supporting the construction of a wall along the U.S. border. Trump also wants to protect people’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. Senior Dustin Park believes that Trump’s more conservative policies will be best for the nation. “Social justice has been corrupting [the] media, and

it’s been putting ideology down our throats,” he said. “The liberals haven’t been doing well for the past six years to reshape America. We need conservative ideals in order to eliminate means of social chaos. We have to be more civil with our social disputes.” Economically, Clinton plans to ensure that wealthy corporations can’t take advantage of the tax system. Trump, on the other hand, has mentioned that he plans to cut business tax rates to 15 percent. Some students support neither Clinton or Trump. “I think [Trump and

Clinton] are both crazy,” senior Nicholas Kho said. “[In the debate,] Trump keeps interrupting, which is not professional… and then there’s Hillary, who lies and has deleted emails.” Less publicized than Clinton and Trump is third-party candidate Gary Johnson representing the Libertarian party. In addition, Jill Stein is running as a candidate for the Green Party. Although they have a very small chance at victory, any show of support may take away from Clinton or Trump and impact the results of the election. Voting is open to all United States citizens 18 or older. Registering to vote is simple and can be completed online. On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

youtubers continually put out books solely for revenue The trend of Youtube Stars selling books continues as fans find significant flaws. For example, Zoe Sugg has been accused of using a ghost writer. YOUTUBERS FROM P. 7 there was essentially nothing that was written; “The Pointless Book” truly lives up to its name. Calling this an actual book or Deyes an author is unfair to real authors out there. Far from a novel, it is an interactive activity book, each page providing different activities for the reader, such as drawing, ripping out pages or writing, based on the page’s instructions. The problem here is that the book is a rip-off version of the widely known “Wreck This Journal” that was published in 2007, with some pages bearing an extreme resemblance to it. Despite the criticism the couple received for their works, they both decided to release sequels, which once again, the fans blindly bought into. If Youtube were to crown a king, it would be Felix Kjellberg. Kjellberg, better known as “Pewdiepie,” primarily focuses his channel on gaming and currently has the largest following on Youtube with 48 million subscribers, averaging about 18,000 subscribers and eight million video views a day. Kjellberg is a unique character;

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

he often pokes fun at Youtube culture and his fame. Despite this, he still gave in to the trend of Youtubers writing books. Like Deyes, his book can not truly be labeled as a novel. The book was meant to be a parody of self-help books, which perfectly adheres to his brand and his audience. However, the book ultimately has no substance to it. Though it is a parody, it is hard to find the humor in it. Kjellberg is branded as a comedian, and his audience knows him for his quite dark, borderline offensive humor. Only a few pages long, “This Book Loves You” pushes that humor to its boundaries. The book is essentially a collection of extremely odd, abstract photo-shopped pictures with quotes that are equally as unsettling. Kjellberg obviously did not do much writing. The fact that the book got published is baffling; another clear example of Youtubers using their status to sell something that otherwise would not sell. “This Book Loves You” was released in Oct. 2015 and almost immediately landed on the New York Times best seller list. However, there are a handful of Youtubers that have published something with more substance,

such as autobiographies. Some Youtubers that have written these “autobiographies” are Joey Graceffa, Connor Franta, Shane Dawson, Caspar Lee, Tyler Oakley, Jenn McAllister and Marcus Butler.. The subscriber counts for these content creators range from three million to eight million. Since most, if not all, of these stars are either in their very early stages of adulthood or have just passed their teenage years, there is a distinct pattern in all of these books: they all touch briefly on their childhood, discuss their journey to internet stardom, and what they expect next. But again, their audience is fanatic for their idols’ 20 year life story. These are clear examples of why Youtubers have a bad reputation for simply using their large following for money, rather than doing things out of passion. Youtubers belong on Youtube. They were able to curate their audiences for a reason; they create video content that people find entertaining and enjoyable. Unless there is an actual interest and background for writing, these internet stars’ content belongs on screens, not pages.

The election online SOCIAL MEDIA FROM PREVIOUS PAGE added a “Moment’s” section, where users can easily get all of the trending topics and popular tweets of the day. The social media platform allows news to travel fast, but also to die down quickly. For instance, if one of the presidential candidates tweets something controversial, it will be forgotten within days as more news surfaces. In this fast-paced world of politics, these tweets come and go almost instantaneously. In this new era of politics, the candidates resemble teenagers at times in the ways that t h e y tweet

each other back and forth, calling each other names and bashing the other’s beliefs. Instead of further explaining their policies, the candidates are using social media to call each other mean names followed by a frowning emoji. For example, Donald Trump tweeted negatively about Obama endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, calling Hillary “crooked.” Clinton responded “delete your account,” which got a whopping 486,000 retweets and counting. With the race being too close to call and Clinton leading in the polls by less than 5 percent, one single tweet could tip the scale the other way.

Tweets can also be wildly out of line yet still be praised. On Cinco de Mayo, Donald Trump proudly tweeted a picture of him and a taco bowl, claiming that the best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill and exclaiming that he “loves Mexicans!” This tweet has over 82,000 retweets simply because people found it funny. However, what most people don’t realize is by retweeting one simple tweet, they are spreading his ideals. While Clinton is, ironically, taking a more conservative approach on social media, Trump’s campaign is based completely off of the idea that “all press is good press.” The more ridiculous the tweet, the more retweets it gets. With each retweet, tens of thousands of people will see what he has to say. Twitter also works as a permanent hold for everything a candidate has ever said. When you tweet something for the world to see, it never truly goes away. In the recent presidential debates, Clinton called Trump out for saying that global warming was a hoax created by the Chinese. Trump immediately denied the accusation and Clinton fans were quick to provide the screenshots. Sure enough, people found that on Nov. 6, 2012, Trump tweeted, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” While both candidates use social media more than any presidential candidate in the past, they are each taking their own spin on it. These days, social media has become a boxing match between the candidates—the winner might have to punch, or tweet, their way to the top.

A look into each presidency CLINTON FROM PREVIOUS PAGE may end up with nothing passed. Also, she had said that she would continue the ObamaCare Medicaid Expansion if she were to be president. Another aspect that will be resolved during Clinton’s first few months as president is the vacancy in the Supreme Court. Republicans stated that Obama should not fill in the Supreme Court Justice vacancy following Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, although it is permitted by the Constitution. Rather, they

believe it should be the next president who does so instead of Obama. However, if Clinton becomes president, Republicans would have no other choice but to choose one of Clinton’s recommended people to fill the spot.

TRUMP FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Security, the Republican party wishes to have major reform, but Trump is rather neutral in this position, not wanting to make changes to either program. As such, social reform is not likely under a Trump presidency.

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THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12. 2016

FEATURE

Homecoming Askings

With a shining, shimmering and splendid night right around the corner, Diamond Bar High School students brought out the flowers

and posters to ask their prospective dates out for a magical night. Dancing his way to a date, sophomore Seth Gabriel enlisted the help of his fellow All-Male members to ask freshman Carina Wu. “I was constantly thinking of something I could do to be different from other people. I asked my friends if they could help and it all came together,” Gabriel said. Gabriel asked her friend to lead her to the lower lunch area while he arranged the dancers’ performance. The song Gabriel danced to was “Cold Water ” by Major Lazer. The poster was also inspired by the song.

Junior Steven Liang surprised senior Nicole Song with an at-home asking. In a “Romeo and Juliet” style scene, Liang had his friends hold the poster on the street while a mutual friend called Song and asked her to look outside her balcony window. Another friend then took nickels and tossed them at her window to have her step outside. “I haven’t seen any posters in the form of a check. I thought [it] was really creative and cute,” Song said via text. “I’m looking forward to spending time with him and my friends, and overall just enjoying what USB worked so hard to put on.”

Senior Brian Park asked senior Emily Mai after her drumline practice, having another member rush in to the band room to tell her that her friend fainted outside. When she ran to the amphitheater, several of Mai’s friends were holding balloons with “pop me” written on them. Inside were small notes that spelled out “Homecoming,” which she pasted onto a poster board. “He gave me a succulent instead of flowers. I actually had no idea that he would ask. I was pretty surprised,” Mai said.

Aiming to win USB’s cutest asking contest, Junior Tyler Parquette organized his Aladdin themed asking to match this year ’s homecoming theme of an Arabian night. He asked longtime girlfriend Kylie Hsu on Oct. 5 with a poster saying, “Will you let me be your Aladdin and show you a whole new world at Homecoming?” During his asking, four friends of Parquette carried Hsu on a board made to resemble a magic carpet. She was lifted through the hallway above crowds of students and was set down next to the band room, where Parquette was waiting with his poster and a bouquet of flowers. “I was honestly trying not to fall off, but the guys were all my friends so I trusted them,” Hsu said. “Last year they did a fake kidnapping so when I turned and saw his friends I was like, ‘oh no…’ in a joking way of course. It was super cute and I thought it was so sweet how he thought of the whole idea of the magic carpet instead of just holding the poster.”

Written by Emily Kim and Angela Yang Design by Catherine Zhang

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12 FEATURE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

D i a m o n d B a r R e s ta u r a n t w e e k This week, the city of Diamond Bar is celebrating Restaurant Week — seven days devoted to showcasing the city’s best restaurants. With variety from quaint cafes to the ever popular Chili’s, the event brings to hungry customers the best of Diamond Bar through social media and discounts. We have reviewed some of the lesser known restaurants on the list.

The menu also offers extensive choices for vegetarians to pick from and enjoy. The price for most of the entrees varied between $12-18. The quiet environment of the restaurant was peaceful but made me and my friends self-conscious about how loud and obnoxious we were being. Overall, the helpful,friendly staff and the tasty Indian dishes call for another visit--when I have saved up a bit more money.

The Attic:

Dilliwala Indian Kitchen: 303 S Diamond Bar Blvd., #G Diamond Bar, CA. 91765

Kid-friendly and packed with families, The Attic was welcoming from the moment I walked in. The Asian fusion restaurant serves both Asian and Western appetizers and entrees. The appetizers were probably the highlight of my meal, as both my $5 orders of sweet potato fries and Japanese style Takoyaki balls-crunchy balls of batter and shrimp chunks--were absolutely delicious.

I ordered a pesto pasta with mushroom for $12, which although rather a bit plain, was still a tasty selection. My dad ordered a Spanish dish of pork ribs with garlic sauce, which was tender yet a bit salty. The dish cost $13 and included a small mound of rice. Both entrees came with a small salad with your choice of either sesame, miso, or soy sauce dressing. We topped off our meal with a $3 green tea cheesecake, which despite being delicious, was very miniscule. The restaurant includes a playground complete with slides and a ball pit for children attached to the side. Overall, the bright family friendly environment of the restaurant in addition to the tasty appetizers guarantees another visit from me and my family.

Amy Miyahara Asst. A&E Editor The Whole Enchilada:

Amelie Lee Asst. Feature Editor Dilliwala Indian Kitchen:

While not cheap, Dilliwala Indian Kitchen offers an array of delicious authentic Indian cuisine as well as impeccable customer service. On the corner of Golden Springs and South Diamond Bar Blvd., the small restaurant is home to spicy flavorful meats, sauces, different curries, and light fruity lassis, and desserts. The restaurant is filled with the warm smell of spices. I especially enjoyed the Butter Chicken, garlic naan, and Kheer- a rice pudding dessert with nuts and raisins.

The Attic: 21050 Golden Springs Drive Diamond Bar, CA 91765 My drink, a $5 carrot and orange juice blend, tasted fresh and refreshing. The entrees themselves did not disappoint either.

Located in the middle of Diamond Bar, The Whole Enchilada serves an diverse assortment of tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, and taquitos that range from $11-$30. On the Friday night that I visited the restaurant, a majority of the tables were filled, but the place wasn’t packed. I thought the decor was outdated and tacky, although it did have a homey feel. I decided to try the Whole Enchilada meal, which allowed me to pick three different items for my meal. I selected a chicken taco, a beef enchilada, and two taquitos, and munched on the complimentary crunch chips as I waited for my

The Whole Enchilada: 1114 S Diamond Bar Blvd., Diamond Bar, CA 91765 food to arrive. I didn’t have to wait long, though, as the food arrived almost immediately after we ordered. For $12, I received more food than I could finish and had to take home leftovers. The taco, with its crunchy shell and moist interior, was the highlight of the meal. While I found the enchilada too greasy, overall it was well seasoned. The biggest disappointment was the tasteless taquitos, which I found to be bland, dry and underseasoned. While the dishes might not be authentic Mexican food, I was satisfied with both the flavors and the service at The Whole Enchilada and would possibly consider returning.

as well. Encore Teppan hosts a modern design and helpful staff, but the unremarkable food leaves much to be desired. During our visit, the interior was noticeably empty for a Saturday night. Regardless, we chose to sit in the small but aesthetic patio with a fireplace, and ordered the dragon rolls, teriyaki chicken dinner, and the Hirame Usuzukuri sashimi platter. The food arrived promptly, within only 15 minutes of ordering. The crunchy and flavorful dragon rolls were a well-spent $12, but unfortunately, I was unimpressed by the other two dishes. For $18, the teriyaki chicken meal includes multiple courses, but the actual chicken was very dry and lacks a unique flavor, and while the $15 sashimi platter had a nice and tender texture, it was overpowered by the spicy jalapenos that topped it. Although I was left impressed by the outstanding service, the mediocre food makes it doubtful that I will return to Encore Teppan in the future.

Encore Teppan:

Open for less than a year, Encore Teppan serves a wide variety of sushi platters and teppanyaki dinners. Most of the dishes range from $10-$30, which is reasonable for a Japanese restaurant, although there are a few pricier exceptions

Encore Teppan: 23525 Palomino Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765

Brahma finds a new role Halloween hangout

to help out students

Catherine Zhang Feature Editor Wanting a change in her daily teaching career, former Diamond Bar High School teacher Lauren Osajima-Baird stepped up as the newly appointed Intervention Counselor this school year. As the Intervention Counselor, Osajima-Baird is in charge of helping students who are under a 504 Plan, a section in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires schools to meet the academic needs of disabled students just as adequately as non-disabled pupils. On a daily basis, Osajima-Baird meets with students serviced under the 504 Plan and their parents in the front office. However, these meetings are often determined the day it occurs. In addition, her other duties consist of communicating with teachers of the 504 pupils and checking up on students whom the GLCs refer to her. Due to the unpredictability of her position, Osajima-Baird is often left wondering what her daily schedule will consist of. “I never know when or what I’m going to be meeting so I feel

Scan for this month’s Humans of Diamond Bar High School

Amelie Lee Asst. Feature Editor

CATHERINE ZHANG

DBHS intervention counselor Lauren Osajima-Baird helps students under the 504 plan and aims for their success in their academic classes. like I’m all over the place. I can sit down and start working on paperwork, then a kid will come in here. We will then start talking for like a hour,” Osajima-Baird said. Also, Osajima-Baird counsels any student who wants to vent about any emotional or academic issues, which is similar to the responsibilities of GLCs. However, she can help any student as she is not limited to just a specific grade level like the GLCs. In addition, she doesn’t handle disciplinary issues like the GLCs do. Prior to her change in position, Osajima-Baird served as an English teacher for around 11 years, teaching Pathways English and Expository English for seniors. “It was a shock at first, just being by myself as opposed to being with a class. It was difficult at first and a

weird transition, but I’m starting to understand this job and develop relationships with the kids, so I’m loving it now,” Osajima-Baird said. Outside of her counseling, Osajima-Baird has been the advisor for Muslim Student Association for about ten years. Although she hopes to be involved in the possible revival of Gay Straight Alliance, a club once active on campus, she views advising difficult due to her fickle daily schedule. Despite her dynamic schedule, Osajima-Baird considers her position a refreshing change in life. “I love developing one-on-one relationships with my students and I love the idea that kids here can come to me if they need to. My door is always open for anyone,” Osajima-Baird said.

Halloween is not typically a holiday associated with generosity and love, but Diamond Bar High School’s Girl’s League officers have taken it upon themselves to try to bring happiness to those who need it this Halloween. Tametha. Fulcher’s Autism Spectrum Disorder class is filled with 10 students who are already eagerly anticipating Girl’s League’s Halloween party during lunch, which is organized specifically for the disabled kids to provide an opportunity for fun. Advisor Lisa Pacheco hopes to create an experience that both Girl’s League members and Fulcher’s class can enjoy and learn from. “It’ll be a really good thing for [the officers] to work with the kids and interact with them. It is always a good thing for people to get a sense of empathy and understanding for what others who are in a different place than you are go through,” she said. The Girl’s League officers will attend and provide goodie bags, Halloween music, fun masks, and pizza for the students that day. The event is scheduled for Oct. 27, during lunch. Technology Representative Vanessa Do hopes to be able to brighten up the day of the students the club

is helping. “[The party] proves that we don’t have to sacrifice a lot to completely change someone’s life and make their day better,” Do said via Facebook. To the delight of Fulcher, the club advisor hopes to cheer up the ASD class with the party’s activities and create a memorable event for them. “These are the kids that Best Buddies matches kids up with. These are kids who are severely challenged and would really appreciate a fun lunch period,” Pacheco said. Currently, the club has over 150 active members and hopes to be able to help as many people as possible. They spend time planning events that can assist those who need it. “We are a club that reaches out to the school, the community and the world through our acts of charity. This year [club] is trying to become more actively involved in reaching out to the school,” Pacheco said. The club hopes that its efforts in packing goodie bags by spending their lunches with the students and planning exciting games will pay off. “I think they’ll have a lot of fun with it, it’ll be enriching for all parties involved, including myself. Hopefully we can put a smile on those kids faces for Halloween,” Pacheco said.


A robotics pioneer cindy liu staff writer In all her middle school years of attending STEM competitions, Diamond Bar High School junior Zaina Syed never saw a fellow Muslim girl competing. All that changed this year when she decided to set up FemSTEM Robotics Scholarship Program, the first all-female Muslim robotics team in the country. FemSTEM is a team of eight girls of ages 10 to 15. Most of them have never considered trying robotics, computer science or engineering programs prior to joining. Now, they are regularly exposed to these as they learn the fundamentals of robotics, programming and design. “There’s not a lot of girls in STEM. There’s even less minority girls,” Syed said. “If I can inspire these girls to do STEM and they in turn can inspire others, I will have succeeded in my goal.” Muslims, especially females, have been severely underrepresented in the science workforce. With FemSTEM, Syed hopes to encourage Muslim girls to enter the world of STEM and foster leadership skills that will lead them to success. “It’s showing you that there’s a population of Muslim girls who are smart and that they can go to important places if they want to,” Syed said. While Syed’s work in robotics impacted her community and nation, she said she was never interested in STEM at an early age. However, meeting Melissa and Lavanya Jawaharlal, two Muslim sisters who opened STEM Center USA, inspired her to pursue robotics. Under their guidance, she became the youngest instructor at STEM Center USA and a two time state championship qualifier with awards for mechanical design and

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DIY Halloween Costumes catherine liu and kate zheng Contributing writerS

CALVIN RU

Junior Zaina Syed started the first all-female Muslim robotics team in the U.S. the research project categories as a middle school student. At the time, she also mentored her middle school team and helped them reach state championships. Now, as the mentor of FemSTEM, Syed meets with her team every weekend to coach four-hour practice sessions at the Institute of Knowledge, a school that allows the use of its facility in exchange for affiliation with the organization. There, the girls are mentored by Syed while they prepare for their upcoming FIRST Lego League competition during November by exploring the workings of robotics and practice building robots. The process of setting up FemSTEM consisted of her spreading the word about the organization, raising money on Gofundme, finding a practice location at IOK, and selecting applicants from those who applied via an online application. Currently, she is in the lengthy process of registering FemSTEM as a nonprofit organization. Once it is officially recognized as a nonprofit, she plans to write to potential corporate sponsors. To financially support FemSTEM, Syed set up a funding campaign on Gofundme. Within three months, 40 people had donated $3,812, surpassing her original goal of $3,690. The money raised from

the campaign will go toward buying robotic kits, practice FLL competition materials and tuition prizes for Creative Robotics class. “Now that they’re aware that something like this is happening, they want to support an effort like this and [because they know] that it’s an important cause,” Syed said. As a junior, she focuses on balancing schoolwork with the time she spends on FemSTEM. While she is part of the BrahmaTech program at DBHS, she did not join the robotics team so she could focus on enhancing her own program. “I don’t try to cut anything short with the program for my own benefit,” Syed said. In upcoming years, she hopes to expand the group into two teams and further spread FemSTEM across the nation by holding workshops and speaking events in other cities. She also may have some of the girls, who will be graduating from the program this year, help mentor the team next year. “It makes me really happy that I [am] able to do something like this and utilize my skills for something after I stopped competing in middle school,” Syed said. “I get to teach [and] use that knowledge for something that the girls can hopefully benefit from.”

Social media brings profit Angela Yang Asst. News Editor Most people can find old, forgotten heaps of clothing in the back of their closet, but few take the initiative to resolve the problem in a profitable way. Several ambitious Diamond Bar High School students have started up small businesses of their own by utilizing a social platform frequently used by majority of their targeted customers. Students, senior Samantha Lim and juniors Dora Varner, Mia Yu and Phoebe Sun, have discovered an efficient way to make use of the unworn clothing left piled at the back of their closet: selling them via Instagram. Not only does Lim manage a clothing “shop” account on Instagram, but she also donates her proceeds to charity organizations. “I find myself mostly pushing to alleviate conditions for the poor and providing educational opportunities to those in need,” Lim said. “I’ve seen the effects of poverty in action and I have very well acknowledged that it could be me begging in the streets instead of sitting in school where I’m being offered opportunities left and right.” Lim has grown up donating her clothes to the less fortunate whenever she outgrew or stopped wearing them. Lim began donating to help mitigate the effects of poverty in Cambodia, but she realized that her clothes were often not suitable for the conditions there and decided on a more efficient solution. Lim set up her Instagram account @samecloset and now donates the money

FEATURE

THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Butter fly filter Materials:

-Pack of 24 paper butter flies, .25 to 1.5 inches -A shoe box -A can of Spray Mount adhesive -Some golden glitter -Bobby pins -Super glue Instructions:

1. Place a paper butter fly face up in the shoe box. Spray the butter fly with Spray Mount, making sure to saturate the en tire front side of the butter fly. 2. Sprinkle golden glitter over the butter fly, and wait a few minutes for it to dr y before lif ting the butter fly up. 3. Repeat the process on the other side of the butter fly and for the rest of the butter flies. 4. Put a small drop of super glue on the back of the but ter fly body, and gently press the bobby pin half way into the glue. Make sure to not glue the pin shut. Now you can arrange those butter flies on your hair anyway you want.

Emoji Materials:

-a loose yellow T-shir t dress -glitter or color glue -printout (hear ts, sunglasses, circles, etc.)

Optional:

-felt paper -stickers as decorations Instructions:

1. Make a printout of an enlarged photo of cer tain par t of an Emoji, such as eyes,hear ts or sunglasses for reference. 2. Cut out the printout. 3. Use the printout to create an outline using color glue on your shir t. If you prefer using felt, use printout to cutout the felt. 4. With your outline, fill in the area with glue; if using felt, pin down the felt and sew on the shir t. 5. If you’re using glue, wait a few minutes for the shir t to dr y. 6. Use extra color glue or stickers to add extra designs to your shir t.

Beanie baby ERIC HONG

Materials:

Senior Samantha Lim and junior Dora Varner both sell their old clothes Instagram on their closet accounts: @samecloset and @dorscloset, respectively. she makes from selling her clothes to various charities instead. “My ultimate goal is to be able to expand from the learning experience I’ve gotten from having my own little online store and utilizing it to achieve greater things in the future: to give back much more than I have in the past few years with [the aid of] my store.” Lim plans to continue managing her online store until she graduates high school, as she predicts her busy schedule in college will not permit her to give it as much attention afterwards. DBHS junior Dora Varner also sells her clothes on Instagram @dorscloset to make money, allowing people to name their own prices. Varner describes herself as someone who loves fashion, a trait she now utilizes as a convenient way to bring in profit. “I really love to see trends and

Gucci and Prada and Louis Vuitton,” Varner said. “I don’t like to own any of these items but I like to look at them and I want to do that one day.” Friends Mia Yu and Phoebe Sun started their shared Instagram business account @closet.mp with the motive to make some cash of their own. “I first had the thought of selling my clothes over Instagram because I knew I wasn’t ever going to wear them anymore but other people may be able to put it to use,” Sun said. The items offered on their account range from clothing to accessories to shoes. Once sold, they meet their customers on the DBHS campus to deliver the products. According to Yu, the pair plans to continue selling their clothes over social media until they become too busy to continue.

-headband -felt -black outfit(preferably non-logo) -tail -old pair of leggings -cotton tag -Ribbon -red and white construction paper Instructions:

1. Outline and cut out cat ears on the felt and attach the ear s on the headband using hot glue. 2. Cut out the outline of mirror images of a cat tail on a pair of leggings, and sew along the edges, filling the inside with cotton balls. 3. Attach the tail to the back of the pants at waistline using duct tape, a safety pin, or sewing. 4. Fold the red construction paper in half and trace outline of the hear t shaped beanie babies logo. 5. Trace and cut out the “ty” on the white construction paper, then paste it the the hear t. 6. Cut out a piece of ribbon to hang the tag around your outfit or neck. DESIGN BY AMELIE LEE


14 SPORTS

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

Team starts league with loss FOOTBALL Starting the preseason 2-1, the Brahmas could not keep up their pace and have lost three straight matches, including their first league game. RYAN CHAE SPORTS EDITOR After starting 2-1, earning wins against rival Walnut and Covina, Diamond Bar High School football team’s overall record has slipped to 2-4, after losing their first league

game against Glendora, 42-8. Other losses before Friday’s game against last year’s league champs were to Brea Olinda, 40-20, and San Dimas, 49-0. During the three-game losing streak, the Brahmas have scored just 28 points while allowing 131 points. Head coach Marcus Hughes

is looking to make changes to both sides of the field. “Defensively, we need to work on tackling and placing the kids in the right places. [On offense], we have to work on just execution on the offensive line,” Hughes said. On defense, Hughes is looking to make adjustments in the team’s schemes while also hoping for senior defensive backs Tyler Cooper and Jaime House to lead. Offensively, the team has no set plans for every week, but the coaches adjust

ERIC HONG

Senior Grant Mestas looks for a receiver against Glendora. Mestas leads the league in throwing yards with 1,176.

the game plan before each match, based on its opponents. “Each game varies on our opponents. We would like to rush more and go with more pass action sets, but a lot will dictate on what our opponents do,” Hughes said. In the passing department, senior Grant Mestas has been the quarterback throughout the team’s six games. He leads the Palomares League in yards with 1,176. Mestas has also thrown for nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior Shane Wells has been a primary target for Mestas, leading the league with 544 yards and catching five touchdowns. While Wells is the main target, he’s trying to help the offense in other ways. “I get doubled more and covered more tightly, but that gives more room for other guys to get open,” Wells said. Senior Davion Bluitt has also been a big weapon for the team, catching for 255 yards and scoring two passing touchdowns. Bluitt is also the leading running back for the team, with 84 carries, 380 yards and four touchdowns. This Friday, the Brahmas have an opportunity to break their losing streak against Ayala. “We have a tough team. You have your highs and your lows. We’re trying to put our kids in the best position to be successful,” Hughes said.

MORE ON THE WEB: Cross Country

Preparing for their final league meet at Bonelli Park, the Brahmas hope to overcome their previous losses.

Volleyball

During an up-and-down streak, the team has changed its player rotation for future games.

Football Managers

Five Brahmas work behind the scenes during both football games and practices.

Football Update

The team’s first league game against the Glendora Tartans ended in a loss.

VISIT DBBULLSEYE.COM

IN HER GLORY DAYS ALEXIS FEIX CALVIN RU PHOTO EDITOR One of Diamond Bar High School’s new English teachers, Alexis Feix, has never been one to shy away from athletics. Despite her current position as head coach for girls tennis, Feix started off her athletic career playing soccer. From a young age, Feix played soccer in organizations such as AYSO and Spring Select, an AYSO program where coaches managed the team and competitions rather than the AYSO commissioner. Additionally, Feix also participated in basketball. She stood five feet six inches when she was ten years old. She said she was never able to click with the sport as she lacked the right skills. Eventually, Feix settled on playing tennis. “One of the things I love about tennis is that it’s an individual sport. I like that it’s just me on the court and I am one hundred percent responsible for what happens out there,” Feix said. Feix made the switch from soccer to tennis toward the end of mid-

CALVIN RU

Teacher Alexis Feix started with two other sports before settling on tennis.

dle school, influenced by her father who also played the sport. Feix’s father was her coach for two years as she entered Ayala High School’s varsity tennis team as a freshman in Doubles 1. She followed her father’s footsteps sophomore year, coaching and training athletes at Tennis Anyone, an organization dedicated to develop individuals’ skills. Entering her junior year, Feix trained with a professional coach, Steve Starleaf, who helped her adjust her form and power. As a junior, Feix advanced into the team CIF with her partner, beating Beverly Hills High School’s Doubles 3 and Doubles 2 before facing the school’s Doubles 1. Feix and her partner were able to win in a tiebreaker, with the final point resulting in the ball bouncing off Feix’s racquet, rolling over the top of the net, and dropping on the opponent’s side, Feix remembered. “Although we didn’t win as a team, [my partner and I] won all three of our matches, so that was a really good moment for us,” Feix said. Feix was unable to continue after high school due to a disease, which caused inflammation in the bones, tendons, or cartilage and caused pain and numbness in her knee. The constant pounding on the pavement aggravated Feix’s joints and caused her knees to become excessively swollen, making it difficult for her to walk the next day. Going into college, Feix continued to play tennis recreationally, but could not participate in professional games because of her knee. Right out of San Diego State University, Feix was offered the coaching position at Diamond Bar High School to fill the spot for retired coach Tisa Shavers. Feix is currently finishing her masters degree in education at the University of Redlands.

Freshmen Angelica Kusnowo (left) and Esther Lee (right) read the putting line in a match against Claremont.

ERIC HONG

Lady Brahmas take over tournaments GIRLS GOLF Starting off the season with 12 consecutive wins, the girls remain one of the top teams in league. SOPHIA KIM ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Winning match after match, Diamond Bar High School’s girls golf team is undefeated with a league record of 12-0. The young team clinched the league title with a win against Claremont, 193-217 on Oct. 6. With the average player shooting 80 for 18 holes, the team has been in the lead since the start of the season, defeating even their greatest rivals like Glendora and Ayala. However, despite their victories in all matches so far, the girls are not letting their guard down. “We’re not always too far ahead and there are schools that are improving every year,” junior Jacy Tsai said. “Our scores are getting closer and closer so we are preparing a lot.”

Since league started, the girls have been playing in three to four matches a week. For some tournaments, the girls leave school early to travel as far as San Clemente. Despite the hours spent during team matches, the girls have been practicing individually from two to four hours a day to maintain their proper swing and putting game. In addition to their league match wins, the girls have been sweeping up trophies in tournaments. The Lady Brahmas placed third in the South Bay Classic, first in the Rainbow Sandals tournament and Ayala Tournament, and second in the Knabe Cup. In the South Bay Classic, junior captain Crystal Wang took third place for individuals with a score of 73. In the Ayala tournament, Wang and freshman Esther Lee tied for first, but Lee took first place with a card-off. Until last week, sophomore Kai-

lie Vongsaga was unable to participate in matches due to a wrist injury. Having played a major role in the team’s success last year, the team learned to adapt to its circumstance and played the best it could, according to Tsai. Vongsaga’s absence led to juniors Tsai, Jasmine Zhang, and Susie Pan to substitute during games. During the Rainbow Sandals Tournament, Tsai’s win in the card off led to the team’s victory. Before matches, head coach Tony McCabe has been giving the girls advice on the courses, pointing out water hazards and out of bounds areas. In addition, during matches, the captains help their team partner with rules and tips on putting lines, in order to further increase their chances of winning the matches. Although the team is doing well, the captains said there is always room for improvement. “The team should focus on their putting game and short game,” Wang said. “We have to finish strong.”


SPORTS

THE BULL'S EYE

OCTOBER 12, 2016

15

Hit-or-miss matches bring trouble for team Photo courtesy of TOBY KIM

Sophomore Toby Kim competes in National Quarterfinals in Florida.

Young archer shoots for USA Three years after learning the sport, Toby Kim competed in the 2016 Junior Olympics in Korea. INGRID CHAN STAFF WRITER

Though sophomore Toby Kim started archery only three years ago, his dedication and talent have placed him among the top international youth archers. His participation in the 2016 Junior Olympics in Seoul, Korea is proof of his skills. ”Every year we have to attend at least four national competitions. This year it was in Florida, Alabama, California, and Arizona. If you placed in the top five, you got to go to Korea and compete internationally. I was fourth. I kind of expected it,” Kim said. This year’s Junior Olympics took place from July 18 to Aug. 5, during which the USA team finished in second place behind Korea. Ever since Kim began archery, he took lessons at the HSS Sports Academy and was coached by its two Olympic gold medalists, Seo Hyang Soon and Kim Kyung Wook. “At the Academy I go to, there’s an elite team with eight members. We have mandatory team training on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but

otherwise we try to shoot for at least three hours every day individually, especially since we were preparing for the Junior Olympics,” Kim said. In the beginning, Kim picked up archery because he was looking for an interesting sport to play in college. He first tried rock climbing, swimming and soccer before settling on the bow and arrow. “There’s a program that chooses four archers in the U.S. to attend Columbia University. They don’t give scholarships to us, but they do guarantee that four will be accepted,” Kim said. He hopes to qualify for the Columbia Collegiate Archery program selection. In order to meet his goals, Toby intends to continue training in archery throughout high school. Kim occasionally takes time off school to participate in archery competitions. As of right now, there are several events coming up for him in Irvine, Long Beach and Sacramento. If he places in the top three for each, Kim will then step out onto the national stage. State competitions normally only last about three days while national competitions take a week.

The Lady Brahmas 2-3 league record has been a close match for the girls. The team hopes for improvement in the future. Emily kim SPORTS EDITOR After losing their first two matches, the Diamond Bar girls tennis team has gone off to a slow start with a 2-3 losing record. The team’s first two league matches against Glendora and Ayala proved to be a learning experience for the girls.

The girls lost 10-8 in their first match against the Glendora Tartans on Sept. 20. Although they expected an improvement in their next match on Oct. 6, the team experienced another loss of 11-7. The girls gave up the most points in their doubles matches against the Tartans. The team experienced its second loss against the Ayala Bulldogs. Despite the 12-point loss, the team views it as a learning experience and is ready to face them again Oct. 11. “Ayala has a really young and fantastic team. We have a few tough years ahead of us,” Feix said. “But I do think that the rest of the teams in the league, from what I know, are

ERIC HONG

Freshman Lindsay Kashiwabara plays in a single match against Glendora.

beatable.” Feix plans on rearranging the lineup based on whether the school the Lady Brahmas face off against are “singles strong” or “doubles strong”. “It is hard the first time we played them cause we don’t know what their line ups are going to be. So we’ll make more educated choices the next time we play,” Feix said. The Lady Brahmas made up for their two losses in an away game against South Hills and a home game against Claremont. The team won both games 11-7. Several notable players include sophomore Jaida Wilson, who scored 18 points in singles during the match against Claremont. Junior Angeline Cheng contributed one win in the tough match against Ayala. And sophomore Ellie Delano won all three of her doubles match paired with junior Amy Xia. “It’s good to for us to play teams that are better than us because we can watch them and see what are they doing and how can we do that,” Feix said. Feix has been focusing practices on working one-on-one with the players to address individual problems. The team has not only placed a larger emphasis on conditioning as during practices but also spending individual time working on skills. Besides the time Feix spends individually with the Lady Brahmas, she uses skill stations to give the girls time to practice the skills they need to focus on. By setting up different stations, set up on various courts, it provides a way for the girls to rotate from station to station whenever to work on several aspects in one practice. “We’re really trying to hone in and increase their skill level in the areas that they are deficient,” Feix said.

Evolution in reverse The NBA has changed. The players have changed. Long gone are the days when stars could be counted on to remain loyal to their franchise. Now, fans have to always check in by September to see if any of their players from last year stayed on the roster. Before, fans didn’t have to worry about free agent signings. They were used to watching stars staying, resigning, and getting ready for the next season. However, since LeBron left the Cavs in 2010 for the superteam known as the Miami Heat that year, it has become almost a yearly ritual for a superstar to leave their team for an. In 2011, superstar point guard Chris Paul requested a trade from the New Orleans Hornets. In 2012, former dominant big Dwight How-

ard requested a trade from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers and left them for the Rockets in 2013. And then, 2014 saw LeBron return to Cleveland after losing in the Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, forming another superteam with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Most notoriously this offseason saw Kevin Durant shock the NBA, joining the 73-9 Warriors, the team that defeated his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Western Conference Finals. The characters of players today have changed dramatically. Players have traded in pride and loyalty for money and rings. If that doesn’t show you how much the league has changed compared to the days when legends like John Stockton, Reggie Miller and Elgin Baylor would commit to their

team until the end of their careers, then I don’t know what would. However, it’s not only the players that have changed. The way the game of basketball is played has become something brand new. Before, the success of the game was heavily based on physicality, solid paint presence and defense. But now, all that has seemed to be thrown out the window. Today, teams heavily rely on the three-pointer and even big men are being forced to learn to shoot long distances. Twenty-one years ago, the team average for threepointers per game was 12; last year the league average was just over 24. This increased usage of the three-pointer has slowly killed the tempo of basketball. It’s as if the entire match is just a back-and-

forth game of threes. From this, physical play has decreased and so has the excitement. As a result of this reliance on three-pointers, both inside scoring and star bigs has gone down. In the past, the league was heavily led by skilled and dominant big men like Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and KareemAbdul Jabbar. Now, the phrase “superstar centers” is just a memory. Today, fours and fives are expected to be shooters, facilitators, and ball handlers. Players like Draymond Green and Anthony Davis are becoming the model for bigs while physical centers and power forwards are becoming less of a commodity. It doesn’t help that defense is almost restricted to a point where a small bump is

considered a foul. It seems that any play that involves body contact is reviewed for a flagrant or a technical. These unnecessary reviews have also slowed down the momentum and energy of games. You can’t go 10 minutes through a game without seeing a review. What happened to this league? What happened to physical players like Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest? When did players decide to turn their backs on their teammates and fans for a bit more money and an easy path? Perhaps it’s just the process of evolution taking place in basketball. Maybe players are adapting to this new, progressive world. However, this adaptation seems to be hurting the game, not improving it.


16 SPORTS

OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE BULL'S EYE

WARMING UP ... football 10/14 vs Ayala 10/21 vs South Hills 10/28 @ Claremont 11/04 @ Bonita

girls volleyball 10/13 vs South Hills 10/18 @ Claremont 10/20 vs Bonita

girls tennis 10/13 vs South Hills 10/18 @ Claremont 10/20 vs Bonita

girls golf 10/13 @ Chino Hills 10/18 @ Los Serranos 10/24 @ Dad Miller GC 10/31 @ Los Serranos 11/03 @ Western Hills

cross country 10/15 @ Bell Gardens 10/22 @ Mt. Sac 10/29 @ Legg Lake

boys waterpolo 10/13 vs Bonita 10/18 vs Glendora 10/20 @ Ayala 10/26 @ Claremont 10/27 San Diego Open 11/01 vs Bonita

Brahmas rise to top of the pool BOYS WATERPOLO Already matching last year’s win total, the team has a record of 15-2. The team also went on a record 10-game winstreak. ANGELA YANG ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Brahmas moved down a division this year; their current record puts Diamond Bar at third place in the league. By this point in the 2016 season, the team has already racked up as many wins as last year’s total.

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RYAN CHAE SPORTS EDITOR From straight outta Compton to running back at Diamond Bar High School, senior Davion Bluitt has been able to handle change and take it in stride. Entering his third year on the varsity football team, Bluitt has become a leading presence for the Brahmas. In his senior year, Bluitt has now become the team’s primary offensive weapon as the no.1 RB, racking up 84 carries, 380 rushing yards, and four touchdowns. He has also proven to be a versatile back as he also has a caught 255 yards and two touchdowns. “I try to lead by example and do what I have to do to get the victories on Friday nights,” Bluitt said. For the first 12 years of his life,

“The varsity team has improved on their defensive awareness and body positioning,” Matal said. “It has led to an increase of steals per game and counter goals.” However, improving on maintaining the high level of energy

“from the first whistle to the last whistle” throughout each game is a task the team could improve on, according to Matal. The Brahmas will be traveling to compete in the San Diego Open on Oct. 27.

2016-2017 FOOTBALL SEASON STATS

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ERIC HONG

Senior Christian Galelli defends a California Knight player during a 12-8 victory; it was DB’s eighth win of the year.

ON

ATHL

Entering its third year, the Diamond Bar High School boys water polo team are finally experiencing winning ways. They’ve run their record to an impressive 15-2. Diamond Bar started off the season strong with a 13-7 win against Glendora High School, in its first league game on Sept. 29. This was a big step forward for the Brahmas, as they had lost to Glendora by margin of more than eight goals per game last year. The team’s record has improved dramatically compared to the previous two years. Diamond Bar’s only preseason defeat this year was a 10-7 game against Walnut, and players are feeling confident about the upcoming season. “We are winning game after game,” senior Kevin Guerra said. “The coaches are handling the team very well. They are pushing us to our limits and they expect a

lot out of us.” The team went on a record 10game winstreak after their loss against Walnut. However, it was ended in their second league match against league leader Ayala in a 19-7 loss. Although their win streak ended, the team continues to perform well in other games and tournaments. “We have a very good chance to qualify for playoffs in just our third season,” head coach Alexander Matal said via email. The team participated in the Inaugural Diamond Bar Invitational tournament, taking second place with a record of 4-1. They emerged as tournament champions in the Silver Division of the annual Varsity Bull Run. “Everyone on the varsity team has played well during our first two tournaments,” Matal said. “We have been led by senior Diego Hammond on offense and seniors Sebastian Houng and Kevin Guerra have been solid in the cage.”

Bluitt lived in Compton and Rancho Cucamonga, where Rancho, he began playing football for the local Pop Warner team in the sixth grade. At 13, Bluitt moved to Diamond Bar and attended South Pointe Middle School for the eighth grade. During this time, Bluitt only played football through the school’s flag football team, and he also played basketball for the school and for the club team AAYB. It wouldn’t be until his freshman year at Diamond Bar High school that he truly discovered his love for football. He played a year in frosh before being promoted in his sophomore year to starting cornerback for the varsity team. Bluitt wouldn’t see any offensive action until his junior year when he began backing up recent graduate DiMaggio Rico as a running

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RUSHING back. As the second RB, Bluitt only received 46 carries, rushing for 136 yards. However, he still had to cover duties as a starting cornerback, forcing him to play on both sides of the ball. Although Bluitt has been the leading offensive option, he credits multiple teammates for inspiring him to keep pushing his limits. “[Junior Shane Wells] works hard everyday, day in and day out. Doesn’t complain. Grant Mestas also motivates me, he’s underrated,” Bluitt noted. Wells, the leader in receiving yards and touchdown, also see Bluitt as a motivator and someone that he can rely on to help improve. “We battle each other in practice everyday. He gets me better and I get him better. We encourage each other and sometimes have some competitions with each other to see who can get the most touchdowns,” Wells said.

RECEIVING With just four games left in his high school career, Bluitt continues to show his passion for football. “The love for the game I had and

CARRIES wanting to make a brighter future for me led me to keep playing because football could be a ticket for a college,” Bluitt said.

ERIC HONG

Senior Davion Bluitt plays both cornerback and running back for the Brahmas.


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