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OPINION
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feature 7
FEATURE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 VOLUME XXXVI, ISSUE I ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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SPORTS
Year of renovation for DBHS campus has begun
Galindo succeeds Prenger as dean
Work on the gym, USB room and the 200 and 300 buildings is almost complete.
Longtime DBHS English teacher named interim dean of English and Arts.
CHRISTINA LIU STAFF WRITER
will of the superintendent, so any administrator can get a job that way and lose a job that way,” Jones said. “In this case, the application wouldn’t happen for an interim position. Typically it’s done in unique, rare circumstances that warrant a quick move of leadership.” Both Jones and Galindo said Prenger’s departure came as a surprise. Despite this, the search for replacements for both Prenger and Galindo began the first week of school. “Teamwork is something where everyone's roles are well-defined,” Jones said. “There are really talented administrators here at Diamond Bar and at the district office, so when you have really skilled people that do a really good job, you can pick up the slack for other
Before the implementation of Measure O, which covers the remodeling the band rooms, the 500 and 400 buildings, the Walnut Valley Unified School District has already initiated other projects across the Diamond Bar High School campus. The district is funding the construction projects for the USB room, gym and both the 200 and 300 buildings, due to much needed renovation on campus. “I was really excited to learn that we would finally be updating the USB room. It’s been in talks for a long time, since before I was the Activities Director,” Janna Van Horn said via email. The initial planning was left to operations manager Mike Bromberg and Van Horn. However, seniors Hailey Shi and Derek Lai were also given the opportunity to help plan out the new room because both students nursed an interest in design. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity because it’s something I would have never dreamed of to be able to do at a school,” Shi said.
DEAN ON P. 3
ROOMS ON P. 3
Brian Chang News Editor After years of teaching English to Diamond Bar High School students, Julie Galindo has been selected as the school’s interim Dean of the Arts and English Division. Just days after school started, it was announced that Whitney Prenger, who served as the department’s dean last year, was leaving DBHS. Prenger was transferred to Vejar Elementary School to be its interim principal. District superintendent Robert Taylor then confirmed Galindo as the interim dean. Galindo had previously told school administrators that she would be interested in the position of dean if the opportunity arose, DBHS principal Reuben Jones said. Because of this, he nominated her to Taylor as a replacement for Prenger, and Taylor agreed. Jones said that since it is a temporary position, there was no formal application process. “Administrators serve at the
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sports 14
NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
INGRID CHAN
Julie Galindo succeeds Whitney Prenger as dean of English and Arts.
AMELIE LEE
New scoreboards have been added to the gym along with new wood flooring.
INGRID CHAN
Designed with the help of students, the DBHS USB room underwent renovation.
New staff members join the Brahma family Among the new faculty members is a large group of teachers in a variety of subjects. Cindy Liu ASST. News EDITOR Diamond Bar High School students will be seeing several new faces around campus this school year. Among the new members of the Brahma staff are history teacher Anthony Poullard, Spanish teacher Brenda Zavala, speech therapist Kiara Chan, math teachers Dawn Daza and Lisa Arionus, Pathways science teacher Jasmine Silver and history teacher Joell Hurtt, English teachers Stanley Hsu and Kristine Palisoc, kinesiology teacher and football coach Kevin Argumosa, guidance office administrator Jolina McCurry—who had worked part-time at DBHS for a few years—and front office administrator Carrie Yee. Poullard, who will be teaching World History this year in place of
retired teacher George Hardison, returns as a familiar face for many students. Having been a long-term substitute for AP US history teacher Lindsay Arnold last semester, a substitute for the Walnut Unified School District for the past two years and a summer teacher for the DBHS Dedicated to Learning summer program, he is well known on the DBHS campus. After Poullard graduated from UC Irvine with his master’s degree in education with credentials in social sciences, he juggled work as a substitute and student teacher for WVUSD and the Irvine Unified School District before becoming a teacher at DBHS. “For me, it was very important to build relationships and rapport with the students,” Poullard said. “It was through building those relationships that I was able to understand not just who they were in the class but [also] who they were as a person.” Having a permanent position on staff means a lot for Poullard, who was inspired to teach by his grandmother, a retired teacher who passed away a few years ago.
TEACHERS ON P. 2
HANNAH LEE
Back row, from left, Kiara Chan, Carrie Yee, Lisa Arionus, Anthony Poullard and front row, from left, Jasmine Silver, Stanley Hsu, Kristine Palisoc and Dawn Daza take on their new positions as faculty members beginning this school year.
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NEWS
Former mayor passes away
District integrates more technology The WVUSD school board introduced a series of new computerized programs. BRIAN CHANG NEWS EDITOR
Known for his involvement with Leo Club, Jack Tanaka is remembered for his service to DBHS.
Photo courtesy of WVUSD
Jack Tanaka and wife Wanda Tanaka were recognized by the Walnut Valley School District as Partners in Education of Quail Summit Elementary School.
SAMYUKTHA Vellaiyan STAFF WRITER Former Diamond Bar Mayor Jack Tanaka was a man of many accomplishments, from receiving international awards to inspiring students through his involvement on the DBHS campus. On August 3, Tanaka died as a result of lung cancer. He was 69. Tanaka and his wife, Wanda, were well-known on campus for being dedicated Leo Club advisors. The couple received the Lions Club International’s Lion of the Year award in 2012, a prestigious prize given annually for providing long term service to the community. The Tanakas were very motivated advisors. According to the club’s IOC Representative Ashley Pang, they attended every single Leo Club meeting and event.
“He [was] always ready to volunteer with us,” Pang said. “He was a great role model for everyone.” According to alumnus Ashley Chen, the Tanakas were always available to give a helping hand. One of Chen’s memorable moments with Tanaka was when she ran for DB4 Youth chairman. However, she ended up not getting the position. Tanaka told her not to give up and that one mishap would not prevent her from grasping future opportunities. A month later, she was crowned Miss Diamond Bar and he was in the audience cheering her on. Tanaka, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, was known for helping others. He engaged in many community activities, such as planning city birthday parties and concerts. “I was able to bond with Mr. Tanaka because he attended every
News Editors Asst. News Editors
Emily Jacobsson, Catherine Zhang Brian Chang, Hannah Lee Angela Yang, Cindy Liu
Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editor
Noor Naji Ted Yarmoski
Feature Editors Asst. Feature Editor
Emily Kim, Catherine Zhang Amelie Lee Emily Jacobsson, Pauline Villegas Amy Miyahara
A&E Editors Asst. A&E Editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor
Ryan Chae Justin Prakaiphetkul
Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editors
Hannah Lee Ingrid Chan, Amelie Lee
Business Manager
Tess Guan Tess Guan Sophia Kim
Web Editor Asst. Web Editor Staff Writers
single city event, pageant event and DB4 Youth meetings,” Chen said via Facebook. “Mr. Tanaka was an instrumental part of my life in Diamond Bar.” In addition to volunteering, Tanaka was well known by many in Diamond Bar for being a prominent member of the city council. He was first elected as mayor in 2005 and served two terms for the city. Afterwards, he served in the City Planning Commision as vice chairman for over three years. Last November, Jack Tanaka announced his retirement from 10 years of community service to the city and was praised by the Diamond Bar City Council. In honor of Tanaka’s passing, a memorial service was held on Aug. 31 at the Diamond Canyon Christian Church and was followed by a reception at the Diamond Bar Golf Course.
Plans for future technological improvements were revealed by the school board at its recent meeting. During the Sept. 6 meeting, Walnut Valley Unified School District Information Technology Manager Adam Doty spoke about the past use of technology in Walnut Valley schools. He then began discussing new measures recently put into effect, such as an online application called MyPortal. The program groups multiple apps together, such as Google Classroom, the Microsoft Office suite and Aeries, to allow staff and students to access them all with just one password. MyPortal replaced Blackboard, the district's old system. “We were noticing that at certain elementary schools, these third grade kids had 15 to 17 different usernames and passwords they had to remember,” Doty said. “We wanted to bring this all in, synchronize a lot of these applications.” In addition, Doty discussed Illuminate, a new testing system
put into practice last year, and a district newsletter highlighting teachers who have been using technology in their classrooms. Netop Vision is another piece of technology implemented throughout the district this year. The software allows teachers to view and manipulate student laptop screens. “[Having] eyes on me has never been this easy,” Doty said. “Say a kid in the back is having a tough time seeing the projector, everyone has a laptop. My screen is now on your screen, and I know what everyone is looking at at that time.” Doty said that during the past year, there has been a significant decrease in the number of Windows computers on campus. This is the third year of this trend, as more Windows laptops are being replaced with iPads and Apple computers. The district will focus on diving deeper into the applications of Illuminate, MyPortal and Google Classroom this year. “We are focusing this year on what we call the year of integration,” Doty said. “We really want to take all these devices, all these technologies that are available, and bring it all together. Bring it all into the classroom, make it easy to use and make it a part of everyday life.” The school’s wifi networks may also be expanded to include fields so students will have wireless access even outside the classroom.
raining on the brahma parade
the staff Editors-in-Chief
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
THE BULL'S EYE
Catherine Liu, Christina Liu, Samyuktha Vellaiyan
Advisor
Doug List
contact us
Senior Matthew Rodriguez is dunked with water while participating in Branding Iron activities at lunch in the upper quad.
Diamond Bar High School, Room 563 21400 Pathfinder Road Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Phone: (909) 594-1405 x33563 Email: eye.editors@gmail.com Business Inquiries: thebullseyebusiness@gmail.com
TEACHERS 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.
AMELIE LEE
Twelve faculty additions to campus “There was a part of me that wanted to continue on the legacy, and for me, that was really important,” Poullard said. “There were so many people who inspired me [to become a teacher,] but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be her.” Spanish teacher Zavala began working in the language department as a Spanish I and Spanish III teacher this year. Zavala taught Spanish at Chaparral Middle School for five years but decided to move to DBHS, since she wanted to teach more advanced Spanish.
“I like the fact that a lot of the students [I have now] I already know or I already had in middle school,” Zavala said. “It’s just very different because in middle school, you get the sixth-graders, and they’re still so little and then coming here... the students are older.” Even before coming to the United States from Mexico when she was 14, Zavala knew she wanted to be a teacher. She attended Cal State Fullerton, where she earned her B.A. degree and teacher credential, before studying at Whittier College for her master’s degree. Zavala is looking forward to becoming involved in the school, such
as being a part of Class Committee. “Being here for the students and making sure that the students are learning— that’s my main goal,” Zavala said. Speech therapist Chan will work with students on campus who have difficulties with communication. “I’m looking forward to connecting with my students and working with the parents who have Chinese backgrounds [so] I can use my language skills to help them,” Chan said. Chan, who speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin, came to DBHS for its reputation as a good school district.
THE BULL'S EYE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
NEWS
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New interim Arts and English dean selected will remain as a full-time teacher. Galindo will be overseeing the roles.” Arts, English and English LanStepping into her new role as guage Development sections. dean, Galindo anticipated several These include the Cheer and Pep differences between being a teachSquads, the Wellness Center and er and an administrator. the Pathways Academy. “Teachers are able to establish She also directed Back to School close relationships with students Night and will be organizing Open and positively impact lives on House. a daily basis,” Galindo said via Galindo manages English and email. “AdminFine and Peristrators work to forming Arts support teachclasses as well. “I have thought a lot ers, students, Jones was about different opparents and put uncertain as to portunities to positive systems into whether Taylor impact students' lives place to facilitate would implement [...]" relationships. a full-scale search JULIE GALINDO Over the years, for a full-time I have thought dean. a lot about difA list of appliferent opportunities to positively cants for the permanent dean posiimpact students’ lives on a larger tion was compiled at the end of the scale. One of the ways to do that is previous school year when biology through school leadership.” teacher Nicole Cabase became an Kristine Palisoc, Galindo’s stuinstructional dean fpr STEM, at dent teacher last year, will be takDBHS. ing over her English II Honors and Jones said that list may also IV Honors classes. be consulted when selecting Jones said there will be an appliPrenger’s permanent replacement. cation and interview process in the The school’s other deans are Matt future to decide on whether Palisoc Brummett and Gabriel Aguilar.
DEAN FROM P. 1
Photo courtesy of WIKIMEDIA.ORG
This year's Homecoming will be held indoors at Sirona's Sports Bar and outdoors at Arcadia's Santa Anita Park Racetrack.
Homecoming dance heads back to the races this year The "Happily Ever After" evening will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Oct. 7. ANGELA YANG ASST. News EDITOR USB is placing bets that students attending this year’s Homecoming will enjoy taking a magical carriage ride through the enchanted storybook evening. Dubbed “Happily Ever After,” the first dance of this school year will be held on Oct. 7 at Sirona’s Sports Bar, just steps away from the famous Santa Anita horse racetrack in Arcadia, where during the day adults place wagers on the results of horse races. “It’s kind of like a storybook, and I think an easier way to understand it would be ‘Into the Woods,’” said junior Virginia Wang, one of
the USB coordinators of the dance. “The movie was a bunch of fairy tales clashing together, and that's just kind of what the dance is.” The theme is based on the combination of a variety of fairy tales, however, according to senior Jackie Gabela, another USB dance coordinator, not all are necessarily Disney stories. “It's just a mix of a lot of fairy tales like ‘Red Riding Hood,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Rapunzel,’ stuff like that,” Gabela said. At the dance, a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Santa Anita Racetrack will represent the Cinderella aspect of the theme. Karaoke and flipbooks will also be among the activities offered this year. As always, photobooths will be present to capture memories during the dance. "The venue already has a lot of what we really liked, which is another reason why we chose our theme because it went with our
Classrooms, USB room, gym under renovation scheduled to be completed between November and December. “I’m really happy that by coinci“For remodeling of the band dence that we got to do this.” room and science buildings, I’m Shi came up with the initial depretty sure no student gets to design of the room. sign it since it's left to the archiLai then used 3D design softtects,” Lai said. “So the fact that wares, Autodesk Revit and Autome and Hailey get to plan the room cad, to bring Shi’s idea of the room is pretty exciting, and it's also for closer to a reality. future generations.” Together with Van Horn, Lai and The reflooring of the gym is also Shi took into conscheduled to be sideration what completed by the USB would need, end of Septem“It's been in talks for such as a more ber. a long time, since beefficient storage Decorative fore I was the Activisystem and more stone on the exties Director." indoor space for terior walls and JANNA VAN HORN poster painting. new benches They also plan were installed to on having a partiimprove the look tion installed to make Van Horn’s of the front of the gym. office more easily accessible to Additional improvements to the students, since currently the office 200 and 300 buildings include redocan only be entered by crossing ing the ceiling tiles, repainting the through the USB room. purple trim of the windows. The furniture for the room has The doors are also to be painted yet to be decided on. black and the lights will be reMeanwhie, USB members are placed as well. organizing what they want to keep The project encompasses the rein the storage room and tossing out painting of the whole school next the rest. summer to create a uniform look The new USB room has already similar to that of the math buildbeen re-floored and construction is ings.
venue,” Wang said. Homecoming was held at the Santa Anita Racetrack and Sirona’s in 2013 as well. The spacious indoors site will feature a bar and seating area, and the venue will be serving fare from Frostbites Crepes & Frozen Delight. The dance floor is also separated into smaller areas, which may be more appealing to individuals who would prefer not to dance in the open, exposed areas that venues usually offer. "Hopefully people love it because personally both [Jackie and I] love the horse and carriage idea, so I think that was super cool,” Wang said. “I think it's a very different type of feel, because it's not at a rooftop, it's not [all] inside. It's half inside and half outside. It's a big area where you can do whatever you want." Presale prices have yet to be determined, and sales will begin next week.
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Drumrolling into a new year
ROOMS FROM P. 1
INGRID CHAN
From left to right, percussion members Edison Chow, AJ Cembrano, Isaac Kau, Michelle Wu and Johannah Chung perform in front of the school gates to welcome students and parents to this year's Back to School Night on Aug. 30.
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OPINION
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
THE BULL'S EYE
EYE EDITORS OF THE
OPINION: The student paper provides a forum for Diamond Bar High School students’ perspectives. Contact us to voice your opinion about issues discussed in The Bull’s Eye.
A
merica was built upon freedoms: the freedoms of religion, speech and the press. Newspapers have been in circulation for over 300 years, and editorial articles are a major part of any journalistic enterprise. While news articles report the facts or describe events, editorials allows writers to express their opinions and share them with the public. The whole of the Bull’s Eye is, essentially, a slice of reality among all the purple-gold hype. For students, the Opinion section is a forum in which students can discuss their opinions on a multitude of topics, from the condition of school bathrooms to presidential policies. Our goal is simply to dedicate
our writing and ourselves to the freedom of expression of student opinion. Diamond Bar High School is considered by many to be one of the best schools in the nation, but like all schools, it has its flaws. The articles discuss the unsavory aspects of high school that students whisper about in the hallways, cutting through all of the fluff and the pro-high school propaganda that thrives on every school campus. High school, while exciting and commonly regarded as some of the most important years of people’s lives, has its ups and downs, and that’s what the Bull’s Eye is all about. Our goal is not to tear down DBHS’ carefully crafted reputation,
but rather to expose the issues that students experience so that these problems can be solved. The Eye of the Editors, usually accompanied by student quotes, represents the collective opinion of editors, while opinions expressed in regular editorial articles are those solely of the writer. Additionally each issue contains editorial cartoons, each of which expresses a perspective through art and allows readers to interpret the image as they wish. However, the Opinion section isn’t only for the staffers. The Bull’s Eye encourages the entire student body to keep the discussion alive by sending in letters expressing different perspectives, some of
which may also end up printed in the newspaper or on the paper’s website. In a society in which teenagers’ opinions generally aren’t given much value, this is our way of expressing ourselves. Opinion is the exception to the rule; the one section to which anybody can contribute—take advantage of it. Email BullsEyeEditorial@gmail.com or use the QR code below to submit your opinion. Be Heard.
Reconsidering the popular vote Amy Miyahara asst. a&e editor
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tudent elections are undoubtedly the fairest way to determine class officers. However, the Diamond Bar High School voting system brings to question whether or not voters are adequately informed to choose the best candidate for the job. First of all, the candidates are
not given enough opportunities to present their views. Sure, maybe our Instagram feeds are flooded with campaign ads, or DBHS hallways are littered with posters, but these advertisements often say very little beyond “I’m the best candidate” in the form of a pun. The best chance for candidates to talk about their platforms is through their campaign speeches, given at lunch. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of students actually hear these speeches, and very few go out of their way to attend. An easy fix to this would be to use a different mean of sharing these speeches, such as giving them through the intercom. Speeches could also be recorded and posted online so those who are not able to
attend can still view them. Another way to better inform voters would be to have candidates write out specific points as to what they want to accomplish in their time in office, as well as a brief profile on their qualifications. This information could then be posted to the school website. It is also difficult for voters to adequately determine who are the most qualified candidates as many do not have a clear understanding of the specific qualifications for each position. The roles of each position are listed on the class officer application, but this application is not usually seen by the voting population. A quick search on the school website reveals little more than a class officer application dating
back to 2010. It would be beneficial for the duties of each position to be made more easily accessible to the student body, possibly by putting them on the school website or on the actual voting form. In the current system, student elections are a matter of who has the most eye-catching posters, the most social media posts or just their sheer popularity. This is unfortunate for students who may be extremely qualified, but simply do not know as many people. While it is not guaranteed that the patterns of student elections would change even if information were more readily available, a stronger attempt can still be made to ensure that students know exactly who and what they are voting for.
SUMMER ROUNDUP COMEY || Testifying against the White House, Comey implied that he was fired as an attempt by Trump to derail an inquiry into the his links with Russia.
JUNE
FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY
MCCONNEL || Senate Republicans draft health care bill after weeks of secrecy, and await approval of their proposal.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNEL
G20 SUMMIT || Leaders from 20 countries met for the G20 summit where they discussed climate change among other things. The U.S. was the only country present leaving the climate change agreement.
TRUMP JR. || Email chain of Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer released about incriminating documents on then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
JULY
MOSUL || Iraq announced ‘victory’ over ISIS in Mosul after nine months of fighting.
AUGUST
VIRGINIA || A woman in Charlottesville, Virginia is killed by a suspected far-right sympathizer amid protests.
CONFEDERATE STATUE PROTEST
FORT MYER || Trump vows to send more troops into Afghanistan after a Camp David meeting with military generals.
SPEECH TO SOLDIERS
Facing the reality of racism
noor naji opinion editor
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acism is very much alive and well, and the violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia was just another reminder of how race relations in the U.S. still have a long way to go. It was only a few weeks ago when Nazi protesters marched in Charlottesville, carrying Confederate flags and swastikas, only to be confronted with anti-racist protestors. Violence erupted quickly when a car drove into the crowd, killing a civil rights activist. This shook the nation to its core. Many had thought that overt white supremacy and Nazism was a mere figment of our history. However, for minorities, it’s a different story. There was no surprise. The daily dose of discrimination is a reminder of the systemic oppression of certain groups of people. It was never really gone in our eyes; it was always there, hiding, but nevertheless, present. After headlines of the march, it seems like the rest of America has just begun to catch up. This might come as a surprise for some, but President Obama did not end racism. What’s been building up for generations and has been in our books since the beginning of our history did not suddenly vanish when the country elected a black president. Journalist Mary Dejevsky, writing for The Guardian, put the situation in perspective. “The progress of civil rights and the election of Barack Obama have perhaps obscured the extent to which race remains a running sore in the U.S. and how far the Civil War remains unresolved in parts of the south.” The shock doesn’t end there. Forty eight hours after the incident, President Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence, and even claimed that there were “fine people” on both sides of the protest. Yes, the commander-in-chief actually sided with Nazis, and even claimed that some might be good people. This is proof that we can no longer seek guidance from our socalled leaders. Americans will have to face racism on their own. Not just in marches, protest and other events, but in ordinary daily situations, we must also stand up to oppression. It is frustrating and quite difficult to sit down and contemplate how our history and past still continues to affect us today--more than we have previously thought. But we should use the tragedies like the one in Charlottesville as a reason to finally discuss race issues in the U.S. As cliche as it sounds, a conversation needs to take place. While it is foolish to place such importance on a “conversation,” a genuine discussion across the nation can lead to action in the future. When people start voicing their concerns and discuss them on a deeper level than we do today, understanding, compassion and tolerance will mitigate and hopefully, replace racial violence. It will take time, but since the rest of America seems to finally grasp that racism and white supremacy is still alive, now is the time for that conversation.
THE BULL'S EYE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
OPINION
5
affirmative action:
necessary for today’s universities? disparity in standards. Take for example the Florida Board of Education. According to the FBE, about 69 percent of whites meet the reading benchmark while only 53 percent of Latinos and just 38 percent of blacks meet it. With such imbalances in the education system, something must be done to level the playing field. Affirmative action allows schools to take this imbalance into account when reviewing Emily kim a student’s application so that they are not punished for the disadvantages they have no feature editor control over. Discrimination is still prevalent in sociAffirmative action. Two ety today, as studies show that without affirwords that often leave a mative action most universities would have bad taste in many peoa whopping two percent black student popuple’s mouths. This seemingly foul concept is lation. It is hard to believe that this percentactually an idea to support because it seems age reflects the melting pot that America is that no matter how much time passes, peosupposed to be. ple will always find ways We should start questo discriminate. Affirmationing whether or not “With such tive action is a plan that this is the kind of image we imbalances in the tries to bring opportunities would like to present to the education system, for those who haven’t had rest of the world: a white something must be them due to the prejudice dominated domain despite done to level the that afflicts this country. the number of minorities playing field." President John F. Kenthat reside here today. Acnedy first set affirmative cording to Forbes, Carnaction into motion in order to reverse the egie Mellon is one of the most diverse top effects of long term discrimination in the colleges with 16.5 percent Asian American United States. It was meant to include peostudents and three percent black students. ple from minority groups in schools and Reading these numbers is shocking, and the workforce in order to create diversity it is even more amazing to think that within these environments. And whether some out affirmative action these numbers may be choose to believe it or not, it is working. even more skewed than they already are, esMany times, people associate affirmative pecially when considering that blacks make action with the notion of accepting underup 13.3 percent and Asians about 5.7 percent qualified students on the sole basis of their of the total country’s population, according race. However, it was instead started to to the United States Census Bureau. If one create a sense of equality in a world where of the most diverse private colleges has such about 72 percent of the U.S. population is amazingly low numbers, most other private white. schools are abysmal. In order to give minorities a level playAffirmative action may be painful in the ing field with those who have had the upper beginning. However, just like medicine, the hand in society for a long time, the environidea of affirmative action is a little hard to ment that affirmative action creates is cruswallow but the results are beneficial. Alcial. Without it, school and workplace racial though some believe that such measures to populations would look very different. reverse discrimination is not necessary, the Why we need affirmative action is simple: numbers tell a different story.
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in life,” said Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions. Many states have recognized this need for change, with eight states making it illegal to consider race in admissions. These states have implemented different policies and strategies in their public colleges to promote diversity without affirmative action. Schools such as the University of Washington have begun taking socioeconomic factors into account according to the ChronTed yarmoski icle of Higher Education. Some of these facAsst. opinion editor tors include family income, overall wealth, single-parent status, neighborhood demoAustin Jia. 2340 out of graphics, parents’ education level and high 2400 on the SAT, a 4.42 school performance. GPA, 11 AP classes, capWhen Jia applied to colleges that do not tain of the tennis team, part of the New take these considerations into account, Jersey state orchestra, the debate team and he had objectively better scores than his an advocate for an Asian-American student classmate, yet the colleges accepted his group. When he was rejected classmate rather than from the schools he applied Jia. This is despite both “Instead of looking to, Jia could not help but be of them being about the at race, universities skeptical about the policies same in terms of income, should look at that allowed his classmates the only difference being socioeconomic with far less on their applitheir ethnicities. These cations get into those same situations are easily factors to avoid unfair schools. avoidable when considadmissions.” Affirmative action, or ering socioeconomic facrace-conscious admissions, tors rather than race. is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an acCalifornia, Texas and Florida use percent tive effort to improve the employment or plans which guarantee admission to state educational opportunities of members of colleges to the top graduates from each high minority groups.” However, being part of a school in the state. This not only creates minority group should not warrant special geographic diversity, but also gives underprivileges. funded high school graduates opportunities President John F. Kennedy proposed affirto attend a wider selection of colleges. mative action in the 1960s. It has since been Minority percentages in these colleges adapted to fit into many aspects of Amerihave increased after eliminating affirmative can education and business. After 50 years, action. Out of eleven colleges studied by The it is time for widescale change. Century Foundation, nine had exceeded levRecent news has suggested that this els of minorities in the year before the ban. change will not come easily as lawsuits and Instead of looking at race, universities investigations come to light. Harvard is beshould look at more pertinent socioeconoming sued by Students for Fair Admissions ic factors to avoid unfair admissions. There and is under investigation by the U.S. Jusare already techniques for creating divertice Department for using affirmative action sity while maintaining a fair, merit-based to discriminate against Asian Americans. admissions process. Eight states out of fifty “Your ethnicity should not be something have realized this. Will the rest of America to be used to harm you in life nor help you follow suit?
CON
SAT: More than just a number
amelie lee asst. feature editor
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s SAT testing commences this school year, every student should be fully aware that this singular test will determine every aspect of your life for as long as you live. After all, it is common knowledge that a person’s SAT score is the only way of determining any skills, talents or ambitions a student might have. Hopes and dreams will have long been forgotten, as the singular goal of reaching that perfect 1600 replaces all of your other goals in life. As I’m sure you’ve heard from every college counselor and mil-
lennial, times are difficult out in the real world. As the SAT remains the only reliable source of determining a person’s skill set and intelligence, communication skills and ambition are no longer valued in jobs and future employment opportunities. All that employers are looking for is the number between 400-1600 on your resume that allows them to determine your qualifications. If your score is less than satisfactory, you should expect to be rummaging through the trash, looking for some source of nourishment, unable to fend for yourself. Not only is finding employment difficult, but the social repercussions of not scoring high are unbearable. You may find friends and family physically disgusted by you if your score does not come out as expected. Successful people risk ruining their reputation by associating with someone with a significantly lower scores than theirs, as the gap makes it impossible for any meaningful or intelligent conversation. How can one avoid such a
STANDARDLY SATIRICAL
Cartoon Courtesy of MEGAN LEE disgraced future? Students should put the appropriate amount of weight and importance in preparing for the test. Advisors suggest completely ignoring any extracurricular activities and focusing completely on SAT preparation. As ambition and passion hold very little weight in comparison to the cold, hard reliability of an SAT
score, pursuing clubs and activities you’re interested in will not get you as far as rereading your handy SAT prep book. Allow your parents to throw money at every preparation academy in the area, as every summer and weekend should be completely dedicated to nothing else but sitting in preparation classes. I cannot emphasize enough how
life-changing your SAT score is. As you eat dinner around the table with your grand kids, I am absolutely certain your number one regret will be having not studied as much as you should have for the SAT. This one test will decide the fate of your entire world, your entire high school career, and you should see it as such.
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FEATURE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
THE BULL'S EYE
Magnificent planners on campus Tess guan Web editor Not all heroes wear capes.The Magnificent 7, parent-volunteer groups that contribute to various Diamond Bar High School campus activities, are comprised of many parents who fundraise to collect thousands of dollars to the school and its programs. The Magnificent 7 consists of parents affiliated with seven volunteer groups: Brahma Boosters, the Council of African American Parents, Hispanic Organization of Parents and Education, Korean American Parents Association, the Southern Asian Parent Association, the Chinese American Parent Association and Brahma Foundation. Each group individually works to financially support the school through fundraising events, such as food truck festivals. Many of the groups have been long term supporters of the school, the African American council for example, celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. Deviating from the various ethnic groups in the Magnificent 7, Brahma Foundation supports the performing arts programs by funding drama productions, buying instruments for the band and acquiring other purchases for various art programs at DBHS. Holding
Restaurant Review
Instead of creating your own pizza or burrito bowl, you can now build your own Korean-style kimbap at the recently opened restaurant King Bap. Located in the small corner of the Crunch plaza in Diamond Bar, King Bap provides a modern twist to the traditional kimbap by offering a variety of dipping sauces, and serves meals that are both quick and healthy. King Bap offers just two items on their main menu: kimbap rolls for $4.95 and Korean-style bowls for $5.95. However, with the number of different combinations you can create with the toppings, customers can make a different meal with every visit. Kimbap is a Korean roll typically wrapped with rice, meat and vegetables in seaweed, while the bowl is essentially the same as a deconstructed roll. Both the kimbap and bowls contain the same toppings you choose, which include rice, vegetables and meat. With a similar design to a dessert
DETAILS CUISINE: Korean ADDRESS: 1106 S Diamond Bar Blvd., Diamond Bar, CA (909) 396-0420 PRICE RANGE: $4-$7 YELP RATING:
INGRID CHAN
A group of parents, representing the Magnificent Seven, poses at Back to School Night, with principal Rueben Jones. they raise should be used for; the Southern Asian group, for example, donated the overhead projector and sound system in the Golden Horseshoe. The group also donated laptops to the English department and supported the Robotics team through their competition season. Similarly, the African American
council sponsors an annual career fair with university professionals. They also hold seminars open to all students. “We live in a diverse population. The seven families provide every parent and student a voice and support for their unique needs,” Sharma said. In addition, the parent groups
provide academic scholarships, college prep and wellness seminars for students. For example, the Southern Asian parents raised $7,100 last school year. Of that total, $1,100 was donated to student activities such as band and the dance team, while $6,000 was given to the principal to support DBHS’s STEM program.
King Bap earns its crown
Sophia kim asst. WEb editor
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weekly bingos every Saturday in the gym, the Brahma Boosters use the money raised to support the school’s football team, AP classes and various standardized testing. Rachel Chang, president of the Korean American division, supervises all the groups as president of the Magnificent 7. Other group presidents include Deborah Lin (Brahma Boosters), Yara Sands (Brahma Foundation), Vivian Wang (Chinese American), Donna Houston (African American), Veronica Martinez (Hispanic) and Sarbani Sharma (Southeastern Asian). “We need an expression to display our unity at the school through our diversity as people come for an education from so many cultures. No student should feel strange.” Sharma said. Funds raised by the Magnificent 7 go toward supporting school activities, upgrades in technology and resources for classrooms. The group sponsors events including Rodeo Roundup, Teddy Bear Tea and staff luncheons. “One of my favorite volunteer experiences is serving at the Staff Appreciation Lunch to personally thank our dedicated and hard working teachers and staff at DBHS.” Houston. Along with the Principal Reuben Jones, the Magnificent 7 decide what the best use of the money
bar, the restaurant was modern and clean, with televisions playing K-pop music videos. There are four steps in creating your quick meal. The first is choosing between the kimbap roll and the Korean bowl. The second and third step is picking the vegetables and “protein” add-on. The last step is choosing your sauce. In addition, you can buy side dishes such as fish cake soup, spicy rice cake and barley tea. At the recommendation of the friendly employee, I opted for the kimbap roll, which was the more popular option among regular customers. For my roll, I chose spinach, cucumber, carrots, pickled radish and kimchi as my five vegetables, and tuna as my protein, which cost $1.00 extra. Other popular protein add-ons include fish cake, Korean bulgogi, spicy pork and tofu which range from 50 cents to $1.95. I was a bit taken aback seeing that the add-ons were an extra charge, as I expected it to be included in the kimbap roll price. However, seeing the employee add on a plentiful amount of tuna in my roll made the extra buck seem worth it. In addition, the venue offered a large selection of vegetables, some of which I have never been exposed to in kimbap like burdock, asparagus, mushrooms and green beans. I was recommended to try the original green house sauce, as it complemented my tuna roll. Having eaten kimbap all my life, I’ve never tried kimbap with a sauce as it wasn’t a part of the traditional roll. Looking through their sauce menu, I was fascinated by the variety the venue offered including two different kinds of original house sauce, a spicy Korean red paste
sauce, sesame peanut, creamy Sriracha, ponzu, teriyaki and soy sauce. As a Korean-American familiar with kimbap rolls, I was not disappointed by the tuna roll. The vegetables and tuna inside were extremely fresh, and I felt very healthy as none of the ingredients were fried. The rolls were large enough to make the portion size sufficient for a convenient grab-and-go lunch. The kimbap roll tasted similar to those my mom makes for me, except the vegetables were a lot fresher, and the rolls were more aesthetically pleasing. The house green sauce tasted like honey mustard with a kick of cilantro and it went surprisingly well with the tuna roll. It helped give the kimbap a more savory spice to it and added more distinct flavor. The barley tea was refreshing, as it had no sugar or artificial sweetening. In addition, the fish
Photos courtesy of SOPHIA KIM
The restaurant King Bap serves grab and go Korean bowls and kimbap rolls. cake soup balanced the meal, as the savory broth helped digest the kimbap. Paying $6.50 for eight rolls was not cheap, but for the quality and freshness of the kimbap, I didn’t feel I wasted my money. Although you can buy cheaper kimbap rolls at a local Asian supermarket, having the opportunity to
customize the rolls and have fresher ingredients is worth paying a bit extra. Overall, for its price and quality, King Bap is a place I would visit to have a quick and healthy meal. It’s a great place to grab lunch or eat as a post-workout meal after hitting the gym nearby.
Photos courtesy of SOPHIA KIM
King Bap in Diamond Bar serves Korean-style rolls in a choose-your-own meal serving style with unique flavorful sauces.
THE BULL'S EYE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
FEATURE
7
DBHS Survival Guide Amelie Lee asst. Feature editor Rife with competition, high levels of stress and disappointments, many students find that Diamond Bar High School is not exactly the happiest place to be. From a student who has earned her own excessive share of failures, here are some tips to navigate through your four years at DBHS.
Stop Comparisons At Diamond Bar High School, we have an alarming number of students going to Ivy Leagues every year, national level athletes and students taking 9 AP classes. These are the students who sit next to you in math and get upset about a 95%. If you find yourself comparing yourself to them, you’ve fallen into the trap. It might be tempting to compare all your embarrassments and failures to their successes, but the truth is, that will just decimate your self esteem. Beat your own high score and set your own personal goals on what you can achieve -- not what anyone else accomplishes.
find your passion Find a passion School isn’t all that fun, and it’s understandable to dread waking up every morning. In the monotonous routine of school life, try to find one singular thing you enjoy and care about. Whether you adore building machinery in robotics or love popping and locking with Dance Team, find one thing at Diamond Bar High that you look forward to every day. Having a passion for anything at all makes it more bearable to make your way to school every morning.
Power nap to success Most students here take pride in the unhealthy amount of time they spend doing homework during the night, and how they spend their entire afternoon napping just to do it again. Napping for an arbitrary amount of time after school leads to hours upon hours wasted in your bed. However, a power nap, aka a quick 20 minute doze, can refresh you without wasting a lot of time. If you’re pulling an all-nighter, a power nap right after school or after midnight can relieve stress and gives a brief moment of relaxation. While not ideal, it’s better than getting no sleep at all, and should be utilized by every student finding themselves constantly falling asleep in class.
Design by Amelie Lee
Photo courtesy of NIEMAN GATUS
Class of 2011 alumnus Nieman Gatus (center) performs R&B music, recording singles such as “Planes.”
ALUMNI
Prescribing rhythm & blues
Samyuktha vellaiyan staff writer Many Diamond Bar High School students consider pursuing a medical career as the key to success in the future. However, alumnus Nieman Gatus disproves that stereotype. After quitting his path toward a job in the medical field, he has become a successful R&B singer. Gatus, a class of 2011 Brahma, has released more than 15 singles and featured many of his friends and relatives in his various music videos. His singles, “Planes,” and “Why Him” featured his cousin, Moira Dela Torre, past contestant of “The Voice of the Philippines.” Another single, “Why do I Still?” featuring May Angeles, hit No. 8 in the Spotify top charts in April 2016. “Being able to see my music reaching places all around the world is amazing,” Gatus said. “I can’t believe something meaningful for me is being shared and liked by people worldwide.” Unlike many R&B artists, Gatus’s songs include a mixture of R&B and pop, just like the R&B artist Daniel Caesar. His songs convey exhilarating beats and empowering lyrics, such as the song “Why Him?”while portraying the message of seeing your ex-partner more content with another person. In addition to the euphonious
Staff
tunes, his other songs present melodious acoustics and meaningful lyrics, as shown in the song, “Planes,” which conveys the different stages of a relationship. “Each song is very different, and it conveys my thoughts and heart, whether it be about what I’m going through in life or in relationships,” Gatus said. Gatus picked up singing in 7th grade and began acting while participating in children’s plays at his church. During his time at DBHS, he took part in drama, wrote his own songs and performed them at rallies and local venues. Though high school gave Gatus an opportunity to share his passion, college opened new doors for his career as he met his engineer, Wyatt Boskey, and producer and instrumentalist, Nick Pacoli, who have helped him made his music prosper. “College helped me gain a bigger network for making R&B music,” said Gatus. “I am thankful for my producer, Wyatt, who helped me and gave me the opportunity of having a studio and my producer, Nick Pacoli, without whom I would not be the same artist as I am today.” His process of creating music varies each time. Most recently, his producer gave him a basic structure for the song. Gatus would then build on the music by creating lyrics. Finally, the producer would build around his a capella with
background music. While Gatus is currently dedicated to his love for music, the career path that he intended to pursue out of high school was medicine. Originally, he decided to declare a biology major, but his love for the arts far surpassed his interest for the biology field. He ended up changing his major and graduated as a film major from Chapman University, since he had enjoyed film production since middle school. “I switched because I wasn’t passionate about Bio,” Gatus said. “I wanted to pursue something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” During his stay at DBHS, Gatus meet multiple influential teachers who shaped him into the more outgoing, confident singer he is today. He credits French teacher Tony Tietz for helping him become a stronger singer. Gatus stated that while he was in his class, Tietz discovered Gatus’s talents, and made him sing in front of the class. “Always listen to Mr. Tietz. He made me reach out of my comfort zone and helped me to become who I am now,” Gatus said. Gatus advises high school students to stay true to their ambition and seek a career in something you dream of doing. “Don’t be afraid to pursue what you want to pursue. If you are passionate about something, then you should go do it for yourself.”
A reel passion for fish
Catherine Zhang Editor-in-chief Stirring at the crack of dawn, before the sun even lights up the murky sky, surrounded by an empty, glistening sea that stretches as far as the eye can see and inhaling the nostalgic smell of the tranquil, blue seawater of his childhood, one teacher enjoys this breathtaking setting as his home away from home. Diamond Bar High School biology teacher Kerry Iwanaga has dedicated years of his life pursuing his passion -- fishing. “Fishing is relaxing and stress relieving for me. There’s this relaxing serendipity that some people find in nature. Some people may find that in forests, others in mountains and beaches. But for me, it’s in the ocean,” Iwanaga said. As a kid, Iwanaga enjoyed the multiple fishing trips he took with his cousins, brothers and uncles. With his innate interest for biology and living creatures, he pursued a job as a research biologist at the Department of Fish and Game and Occidental College, after graduating with a degree in biology. His work included researching and gathering data for the weight, size and reproduction of various fish inhabiting the Salton Sea. Along with studies of eggs and lar-
Photo courtesy of KERRY IWANAGA
Biology teacher Kerry Iwanaga has stated that the biggest fish he has caught weighed 240 pounds. vae from plankton samples, these statistics helped the researchers outline the areas the fish reside in, and the scientists accordingly devised plans to ensure the population of the diverse fish species. “Even though my time as a research biologist is just a specific part of biology, it gave me practical experience with doing fieldwork,” Iwanaga said. “Learning from the book isn’t the same as going out and actually doing fieldwork and collecting data. It was real work behind the scenes, and it helps you talk about things from a practical point of view.” Iwanaga embarks on two or three annual fishing trips, ranging
from 5 to 16 days. He prefers going on longer rather than periodic trips, allowing him to fish longer, travel further and catch different types of salt-water fish. Since his frequented fishing locations, such as Mexico’s Alijos Rocks and San Diego’s Hurricane Bank, are hundreds of miles away from shore, the fishermen often reside on boats that are well suited for such longer trips, offering sleeping facilities, showers, wifi, meals, air conditioning and televisions. “Just being out there in the middle of the ocean with nothing around with nice weather and waves. It’s hard to describe, and those who do ocean salt water fishing would have the same love of being in the ocean,” Iwanaga said. Over the years, Iwanaga’s skills have improved, and his catches vary in size and weight, with some fish ranging up to 240 pounds. Although skill and knowledge are factors of fishing success, he also credits luck as one of the most important aspects of fishing. “You can do the best you can to prepare in terms of gears riding smoothly, new fishing lines to prevent breakage and tying perfect knots. There are things you have under control, but you can’t choose if that fish bites your hook or the person next to you,” Iwanaga said.
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FEATURE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
THE BULL'S EYE
Clarissa Ta, Freshman “The classes are different, and I feel like there’s more freedom here. I’m slowly getting used to it. I see people going on international trips with the school, and I’ve always wanted to travel.”
Moller Myint, Freshman “It’s actually not as scary as I thought it would be. Going into high school, I thought I would be trampled over by freakishly tall people, but it was actually a lot nicer than I thought.”
Freshmen vs Seniors Caleb ziah rounds, senior “Freshman year, I wasn’t mature or focused. I learned from my past mistakes, and I think I’m finally pulling it together. Being on campus, I feel like I finally kind of own the place now. It’s more important to me now.”
Tiffany Ou, Senior “I realized that it’s my senior year, and I have to go to things I haven’t been to before. I wasn’t even planning to go to Branding Iron, but it’s my senior year and my last chance.”
Robert coventry, Senior “I’ve always thought of myself as someone who likes to see the bigger picture and tries to be open, so I’m waiting to see what leaving the school will be like. This school is preparing me for the world, and I’m happy it has done that.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THE BULL'S EYE
SEPTEMBER 13, 201 7
Binging: The series
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“Just one more episode” is something you’ve probably said to yourself once or twice at three in the morning. Don’t worry, the majority of America has been there. However, statistics make it apparent that there is a major divide between the watching habits of the young and the old. According to Nielsen, the amount of people over the age of 50 who watch live television and DVR is increasing, while the time spent watching by all Americans is expected to remain stable at about 50 hours a week. This is due to people 24 and under watching less TV every year as streaming services take over. Netflix subscribers alone stream over 125 million hours, or about 14,000 years, every day. The preferred way to catch up on popular series, binge-watching is now practiced by 73 percent of U.S. consumers, according to a study by consulting firm Deloitte. These binge sessions consist of an average five to six episodes—which makes up about four hours of content. These marathons are more common with teens and young adults, with about 90 percent of millennials and Generation Z (10-20 year olds) reporting that they regularly binge or have binged before. Out of the 134 DBHS students surveyed by The Bull’s Eye, 83 percent binge watch, while 41 percent admit that streaming negatively affects their schoolwork. Most streaming and binging takes place on Netflix although players such as Hulu and Twitch are forming their own niches in the streaming universe. “If there is a show I love, I’ll binge watch it all day, everyday, until I finish,” DBHS junior Sheryl Lin said. Twitch, where users can stream their own gaming content or watch others, has gained popularity in recent years. Similar to Youtube, it creates its own celebrities on the site, with people anticipating when their favorite streamer will be online.
There have been 21 million hours of unique content streamed on Twitch this year alone; that number rapidly increases each day. On average, users dedicate over an hour and a half of their day to the site. “I watch one to two hours a day, usually while I’m doing my homework,” DBHS senior Andy Chou said. “It really depends on who’s streaming.” Those who do not binge have daily routines with their favorite shows worked into them. Dedicating a certain part of the day to streaming is becoming a common practice, especially with students and those with a consistent work schedule. “I usually put aside one hour for Netflix before I start homework, which usually results in staying up late,” DBHS junior Matthew Santilla said. While there are many harmful effects that can come about from watching too much programming, such as not getting enough movement and a lack of productivity, the main side effect of streaming is the lack of sleep. Many students believe they are using TV as a sleep aid, when in fact it is decreasing their quality of sleep. When watching a show, the temptation to stay up and find out what happens next is difficult to resist, especially when violence, gore or suspense is involved. Episodes that end on a cliffhanger encourage the viewer to watch “just one more episode.” They are now committed to another full length episode potentially containing yet another cliffhanger. Not only does this take away from total sleep time, but it also makes sleep harder to achieve with anxiety and adrenaline released. “I lost two to three hours of sleep from streaming every night in the summer,” DBHS freshman Presley Moon said. Whether it be hours of binging or daily sessions, streaming has worked itself into the schedule of many young consumers, who prioritize that next episode over their health. Streaming services want to make sure that trend continues, as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “We’re competing with sleep, on the margin.”
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Ted Yarmoski Asst. Opinion Editor
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Binge watching is quickly becoming a major part of television-culture viewing as the amount of streaming platforms and content increases everyday.
41.4 %
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Say binging negatively affects their schoolwork
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Say binging does not negatively affects their schoolwork
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10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THE BULL'S EYE Pauline Woodley A&E Editor
Now Showing:
TAKE TWO The problem with popular ‘poetry’ Emily Jacobsson & Pauline Woodley A&E Editors
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e’ve all been there, sitting in English, lost in the middle of a discussion of a poem. When breaking down poetry in class, we can be overwhelmed with words we don’t understand, symbols we don’t immediately see and complex hidden meanings. Yet, amidst all the frustration, we realize that what we are reading is good poetry. Unfortunately, contemporary poetry seems to have lost its beauty. Teenagers can’t wait to purchase the newest poetry books, like Rupi Kaur’s “Milk and Honey,” and post pictures of her “relatable” poetry on their social media. However, it doesn’t get much deeper than page 157: “Stay/ I whispered/ As you/ shut the door/ behind you” The poems that have become popular among teens have no substance and are written in the most literal sense possible. While one of Langston Hughes’s poems could be broken down for days, an analysis of a piece of “trendy” contemporary poetry might last a little longer than three minutes. And yet, the public has still fallen in love with it. With 4.3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, “Milk and Honey” has received reviews raving about how heartfelt and inspirational her collection of poems are. In addition to her acclaim, sales have reached over a million copies and the book has topped the New York Times best seller’s list for over 40 weeks. “For a woman, every word she has written is important. I don’t know this author, but I believe her to be very intelligent and brave,” MaryKate Delila wrote in her review on TheOdysseyOnline. Kaur is not the only one guilty of unsubstantial poetry as these types of collections have become commonplace. Writers like Nayyirah Waheed and Lang Leav have written their own “Milk & Honey,” that is indistinguishable from its predecessor. Rather than having a true theme and central idea, these poems seem more like random, spur of the moment thoughts. This poetry is insulting not only to poets of the past such as Whitman, Poe and Dickinson, but also to the actual modern poets that are not receiving recognition for their talents. If it has any value at all, this kind of easy to understand, easy to relate to poetry might work as a good way to spark an interest of poetry in young people, but at what cost? Now we understand this may sound pretentious, and we aren’t trying to be literature-snobs, we just believe something as sacred as poetry should have some standards. Sure, not every poem ever published has to be excellent or groundbreaking, but at the very least it should make people feel, and the only thing these poems makes us feel are lack of hope in modern poets. Literature is a unique subject in that, in questioning it, there is never any one right answer. Everything is up to the reader’s interpretation. However, we still should be able to distinguish minimalistic poetry from an utter lack of effort and genuineness.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
“You’ll float too, you’ll float too, you’ll float too…” will be ringing in the ears of everyone who watches this movie for its relatable message that everyone is afraid of something. Based on Stephen King’s novel by the same name, “It” is perfectly scary in all the right places. Much like the original two-part TV movie, director Andy Muschietti’s “It” is not as terrifying as it may seem from the outside. This film is unlike any other recent horror movie because Muschetti is able to find the right balance of scares, comedy and good-hearted fun without trying too hard. In small town of Derby, Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Grazer) and Stanley (Wyatt Oleff) are your typical outsiders. Deeming themselves “The Loser’s Club,” these preteens’ everyday troubles include trying to ward off bullies and dealing with their overbearing parents. One rainy day, Bill’s younger brother Georgie takes the paper boat Bill made him for a test run. After the boat falls down a sewer, Georgie meets the terrifying, infamous Pennywise and is pulled down into the sewer by the less-than-friendly clown. The film fast forwards to the last day of school when“The Loser’s Club” dumps their homework in the trashcan as summer has officially begun. After all being harassed by the same grungy group of bullies, “The Loser’s Club” picks up a couple extra members, including home-schooled Mike (Chosen Jacobs), new-kid Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), and the town’s very own fearless Hester Pryne, Beverly (Sophia Lillis). This rag tag group of misfits may look like the average “Goonies” gang from the outside, but after each member begins seeing a terrifying clown every-
‘I T’ Stephen King’s novel has been effortlessly remade with a killer cast to appeal to a younger, fresher audience. WARNER BROS. PICTURES
where they go in the oddest places, they learn that their town has a horrifying history of missing children. The crew begins to investigate what is causing these children to vanish into thin air and who is bringing their deepest fears into their everyday lives. This remake of a cult classic is finally at home on the big screen. Pennywise the clown feeds off of children’s fears, and the movie makes it a point to show how fears can tear people down, but also bring people together. This film is as much a coming-of-age movie as it is a horror movie. In the same breath, Muschietti is able to transform an innocent first-crush scene into a scenario in which one of the characters is being swallowed by their bathroom sink. The thing that truly ties the film together is the phenomenal cast. Each character is effortlessly brought to life by the adolescent actors. Although each actor did an amazing job, the shining star and comedic relief was “Stranger Things” star Wolfhard who plays Richie with the perfect balance of wit and fear. In Hollywood, it is normal for scripts to make young adults seem either too childish or too mature, so audiences hardly see an awkward middle ground that these characters represent. Only a few horror films are able to master truly relatable fear, and this one did an excellent job in making shapeshifting Pennywise universally scary. For me, Pennywise was film’s highlight. He is known for his terrifying demeanor and actor Bill Skarsgård portrayed his chilling character beautifully. He was so horrifying, it was hard to imagine a real human being behind the makeup and costume. Anytime Pennywise was on screen, spines tingled due to his sheer fear factor. For those that are apprehensive about watching the film, I suggest you try your absolute best to see it. The movie was not jam-packed with scenes that made you jump, but the parts that were meant to be scary certainly did their job. This is not the last we’ll see of Pennywise as he returns every 27 years and Chapter 2 of the two-part saga is set to start filming next spring.
Singing along with broadway If mainstream pop just isn’t your thing, try listening to these cast albums to get a taste of the world of musical theater.
Amy Miyahara Asst. A&E Editor Musical theater music is most definitely a deviation from typical pop music, but it is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding genres of music. Each song allows the listener to personally connect to a specific character in a specific situation. Every Broadway cast album is unique in that it presents a storyline, lyrics and ambiance unlike any other, and although Broadway music has evolved throughout the ages, it has continued to bring a timeless joy to listeners everywhere. From classic to contemporary, these are some of the musical soundtracks worth taking a listen to. The King and I (1951): Based on the true story of Anna Leonowens, “The King and I” tells the story of an English teacher who travels to Siam to tutor the king’s children. Written by iconic duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who created a number of classic 1940s and 1950s musicals such as “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music,” the show highlights the beauty of true love while addressing controversial themes of oppression and colonialism. The music from “The King and I” is cheerful at times and somber at others, but every song increases the listener’s sympathy for the characters. When Lady Thiang sings “Something Wonderful,” she weighs both the flaws and the virtues of
the king, allowing the listener to deeply understand Lady Thiang’s frustration, yet devoted love for her husband. The cast recording as a whole has that classic musical theater vibe that so many have come to love, with heart-wrenching ballads that showcase the performer’s extreme vocal range, impressive vibrato and unbelievable control. A Chorus Line (1975): Many musicals are admired for their flashy costumes and high-produc-
tion dance numbers, but “A Chorus Line” shows the world behind this facade with songs full of honesty and raw emotion. The musical focuses on 17 dancers who are all auditioning for an upcoming Broadway production, showcasing the difficulty that performers face when trying to break into the industry. Because the cast album features many different characters, every song has a distinct style, yet the album still manages to be cohesive
MD MUSIC COMPANY
CBS
MASTERWORKS BROADWAY
GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS
The King and I, A Chorus Line, Avenue Q, and In the Heights all come from different eras and cover a variety of topics, resulting in diverse and exciting songs.
in its overlaying theme of ambition and struggle. For example, “At the Ballet” shows how the art of ballet saved three of the characters from troubling family lives and physical insecurities, while “Nothing” is more lighthearted in its mockery of a character’s acting teacher who told her that she would never be successful. While the auditionees all differ in race, family dynamic and personality, what comes through in each song is their love and passion for their craft. Some songs are hopeful, others nostalgic, some hilarious, others serious, but the lyrics all tell a unique story, making “A Chorus Line” a staple of the Broadway world. Avenue Q (2004): It seems strange that the same man who wrote lyrics for “Frozen” also wrote the songs for this musical, but this just goes to show Robert Lopez’s versatility as a lyricist. A loose parody of “Sesame Street,” with puppets making up most of the cast, “Avenue Q” is absolutely hilarious. Although its songs could be considered offensive, they explore themes of racism, sexuality, heartbreak and rejection, as each of the characters learn to navigate the real-world challenges and disappointments of life after college and attempt to find their purpose. This is perfectly encapsulated by “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English/ It Sucks to be Me,” which starts off with the main character expressing his desire to make a difference in the world despite his
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Student Spotlight: Alyssa Gore
Dancer and actress has a Sia music video and Grammy commercial on her resume Christina Liu Staff writer Since her first job in a Skechers commercial in the sixth grade, Diamond Bar High School freshman Alyssa Gore’s passion for entertainment has driven her to continue to act in commercials, short films and videos. Gore first started dancing at the age of two because she wanted to spend time with her friend, who was taking dance classes. Sixth grade was the turning point for Gore, as she began to win roles in commercials. Gore said that the most consuming part of auditioning for roles is waiting to see whether or not they want her for the job.
Gore’s first part was in a Sketchers commercial featuring their iconic Twinkle Toe shoes. “Skechers will always be memorable because it was my first job, it was also a great experience because it was so fun,” Gore said. “From my first experience in sixth grade, I learned from experience how to behave and
respect others on set.” Since then, Gore has continued to act in a number of commercials. Her more notable jobs include dancing in a Sia’s music video, in which Gore was chosen along with 48 other kids to perform in remembrance of the deaths of the Orlando shootPhoto Courtesy of ALYSSA GORE ing. She has
I want to do,” Gore said. also acted in the Grammy comWith all these activities, Gore mercial “It was You” as a young dedicates her time at home to finwoman aspiring to be a conductor. ishing school work. When Gore When she isn’t auditioning for knows that she has an upcomnew roles, Gore practices four ing audition or days a week at rehearsal that the Talent Facinterferes with tory Studio in “Yes, I am stressed school hours, she Chino Hills. sometimes and I lack tries to get her At the studio, sleep, but it’s somehomework done Gore works on thing I want to do." ahead of time. her choreograShe also spends phy for multiple ALYSSA GORE her free time national and practicing for difregional dance ferent auditions, and working on competitions. Besides taking part the choreography for her studio. in the Talent Factory, Gore spends Although currently Gore has no her time in Girls Scouts and on show business plans beyond high campus activities such as band school, she is hoping to be a reguand Song. lar in a television show by the end “Yes, I am stressed sometimes of this year. and I lack sleep but it’s something
Saxophonists blow away competition Cindy Liu Asst. News Editor In the small recital hall of Chapman University, all was quiet except for the soft footsteps of four saxophone players as they walked on stage. Hours of practice led up to this moment, and their heartbeats quickened as they raised their instruments to their lips and the first notes of David Maslanka’s “Recitation Book Movement V” rang out across the room. As the only saxophone group among the other string groups in the annual competition hosted by the Music Teachers’ Association of California, Quartet Xeno didn’t have high hopes for winning the state finals. Despite having no previous experiences competing as a group, Diamond Bar High School senior Nicholas Lucero, junior Ryan Li, sophomore Kyle Kato and alumni Joshua Park took home a first place trophy and $400 each in the Voice, Orchestral Instruments, and Chamber Ensembles competition. In their winning performance, Li played the baritone sax, Lucero played the soprano sax, Kato played the tenor sax and Park played the alto sax. “We kind of weren’t expecting it because we were the only wind group,” Lucero said. “But we went in anyways and gave it our best shot.” To qualify for the state competition, Quartet Xeno performed at the branch competition in Brea against another group, also from DBHS, that ultimately decided against continuing to the state competition. They then competed at the state level at Chapman University against the winners of the other branch competition, where they won first place in the Chamber Music division. As the first place winners for their division, they performed at the state convention in Santa Clara, where they received prizes and recognition. They decided to compete with
the support of DBHS Performing Arts Academy Director Aki Nishiguchi, who registered them with MTAC and helped them through the course of the competition. “She really helped us in this whole process,” Li said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. She was like our mom through the whole thing.” Prior to forming Quartet Xeno, the group members attended the same middle school, where they participated in school ensembles together and knew each other as friends. In their freshman year at DBHS, they joined the Performing Arts Academy and later decided to enter the VOCE competition. Li started playing the saxophone in fifth grade, but it wasn’t until halfway through middle school that he became more serious about the instrument. He played in the sax ensemble at South Pointe with Lucero and Kato and is now in the DBHS Wind Ensemble and Marching Band. Lucero, who plays in the DBHS Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, has played saxophone for nearly seven years. He was also first chair in the All-State Honor Ensemble, an elite group of the state’s best musicians. For Kato, who is involved in various prominent ensembles including the All-State Honor Bands and the Colburn Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, VOCE was not his first experience competing. Prior to entering VOCE with the quartet, he participated in the South Pointe Concerto Competition during his eighth-grade year and the Diamond Bar Concerto Competition his freshman year. Now that Park has graduated, a new quartet will be formed with sophomore Jonathan Tan. With the new quartet, they plan to compete at MPrize, an international chamber arts competition offering $100,000 as the grand prize. “Hopefully it will go well with lots of practice [since] our goal is to get to the top,” Kato said via Facebook.
Photo Courtesy of NICHOLAS LUCERO
The members of Quartet Xeno stand with two of their coaches after performing.
Apps to Aid Academics Whether it is waking up a few minutes later for school or procrastinating homework till the last minute, many of us start to get more relaxed with our time management as the weeks start to pass by. However, it is important to maintain your focus, and these are a few phone apps that can help you out. Catherine Liu, Staff Writer
Alarmy
Focus Keeper Free
Memrise
If you tend to continuously hit the snooze button, this may be a good solution for you. Unlike other alarms, Alarmy won’t turn off at the click of a button. Instead, you are given a mission of your choice that will confirm you are awake: shaking your phone, answering a math problem or taking a photo of your sink, for example. Alarmy is a great app for waking up on time to study early in the morning or simply getting up in time for school. To juggle work for multiple classes a day, it is important to manage your time wisely and make sure you have enough time to complete all your assignments. With Focus Keeper, you can set timers to manage the amount of time you spend working on your homework or preparing for a class. It alerts you with a ring to let you know time is up and allows you to have a preset five- minute breaks. By checking how much time you have left after each assignment, it helps you pace yourself to make sure you have time for your other assignments too. For students with extra time on their hands, Memrise is a great app for learning new languages and improving your skill in languages you already know. Memrise provides different courses that start off with learning basic words and progresses to forming complex sentences. It also provides courses for other subjects, such as math, science and technology. Overall, Memrise is a great app due to its large variety of usages.
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THE BULL'S EYE
Lights, music, Broadway BROADWAY FROM P. 10 concerns for the future, before introducing the rest of the characters and their various daily problems. In an unexpected but not undeserved victory, “Avenue Q” beat out the popular “Wicked” for the 2004 Best Musical Tony Award, and while the songs from the latter might be more typical of a Broadway hit, “Avenue Q” is distinct in its spurts of unexpected humor and satirical songs. While the lyrics and melodies of the album are simple, emulating the vibe of “Sesame Street,” this further adds to the humor of the show by putting the complicated aspects of adult life in the format of a children’s television show. In the Heights (2008): There’s a reason the Diamond Bar High School drama department chose this production as its spring mu-
sical last school year. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” has taken pop culture by storm over the past two years, but what some people do not know is that his first musical, “In the Heights,” is just as good. The show revolves around the daily life of Latin-American families living in the WashingtonHeights neighborhood of New York, as they deal with financial troubles and their desires to pursue life beyond the barrio. The soundtrack is as versatile as that of “Hamilton,” with colorful instrumentation and upbeat percussion that will excite any listener. A good example of this is “Blackout,” which shows all of the character’s reactions to losing electricity and their resulting feelings of powerlessness, through a mixture of rapping, emotional duets and full-ensemble singing. For those who enjoy Miranda’s use of synco-
pation and slant rhyme in “Hamilton,” “In the Heights” showcases this same style, while incorporating a unique Latin-American flair. The cast album has a perfect balance of energetic rap songs and more sensitive, personal ballads, all with a modern sound that listeners of all ages will enjoy.
Visit our Spotify to listen to our Broadway music playlist and other hit tracks.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
Check off the boxes as you complete each step FAFSA application comes out Prepare letter of rec packets for GLCS, due beginning of the month Finish essays and begin revising
Create accounts for common app, UC and Cal State applications Begin researching and applying for scholarships Start asking for teacher recommendations
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staying on track: college applications
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Make sure all aspects of application are complete UC and Cal State applications due Early Decision and Early Actions applications due for many private universities
Begin submitting as early as possible to avoid website crashes on deadline Keep copies of your essay and application Look through forums to get a better idea on the atmosphere of the schools you are applying to Make sure you finish standardized testing (some colleges do not accept December SAT scores) Get advice from people who have been through the college application process
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Real heroes, fake sport Justin Prakaiphetkul asst. sports editor
W
ith the deaths of adored wrestling legends such as The Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper over the past three years, I feel as though it is time to get something off my chest. There is no denying that professional wrestling is fake. The promos are scripted, the wrestlers do not actually want to maim each other and the finish is predetermined. Yet, we must acknowledge the impact that professional wrestling has had on the world and the wrestlers that made it possible. Thanks to wrestlers such as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, professional wrestling has been a cultural phenomenon for several decades. During their respective peaks, these wrestlers dominated headlines internationally and brought the business to new heights. Sammartino, who held the WWE championship for a record 2,083 days, sold out Madison Square Garden a record 187 times. Hogan, with his gimmick of being an American “hero,” inspired an entire generation of children across the world to say their prayers and eat their vitamins. Austin, who was a leading force of arguably the most popular era in professional wrestling history- the “Attitude Era”- accounted for more than half of all the merchandise sold by the WWE in 1998. To this day, WWE’s Monday Night Raw remains one of the most watched weekly television shows, consistently averaging around the two to three million viewer mark. With weekly events throughout the year, by no means is professional wrestling an easy job. Wrestlers travel from city to city on a nightly basis to perform in front of thousands of fans. They spend years perfecting the execution of moves in order to not only avoid serious injuries, but to also make them look as intimidating as possible. When I think of a wrestler who has sacrificed his own body multiple times in order to entertain fans, Mick Foley fondly comes to mind. From having his ear partially torn off to falling off a 16 foot tall steel cage, Foley has sacrificed his life for the entertainment of the fans. Another popular name that falls into the category of wrestlers who have sustained multiple serious injuries is Daniel Bryan. For half of his life, in various promotions such as Ring of Honor and the WWE, Bryan has put his personal safety on the line with his high-flying style of wrestling. Last year, Bryan was forced to retire due to the fact that WWE doctors refused to clear him to wrestle. The next day, in an interview with ESPN, Bryan revealed that he had suffered 10 documented concussions over his 17-year career. Bryan also divulged that he had sustained post-concussion seizures in the past due to a chronic lesion in his temporoparietal region. Even though wrestlers know that just one misstep could lead to a life altering injury, they continue to perform at the best of their abilities possible every time they step into the ring in order to give the fans a memorable experience. There is nothing wrong with calling professional wrestling for what it is: fake. However, its impact cannot go unnoticed as one of history’s biggest sources of entertainment and the wrestlers that put their lives on the line year after year should be revered.
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THE BULL'S EYE
AD looks to push the limits An alumnus and teacher for the last eight years, Albert Lim takes over the Athletic Department.
“All [those skills] developed a foundation of my character, which allowed me to excel in some other careers I got involved in after high school,” Lim said. For the four years he was in the Army, Lim already had the self discipline expected from a soldier due catherine liu to his experiences playing sports. staff writer Lim then attended UC Irvine from 2002 to 2004, graduating with a From playing lineman on the Bachelor of Arts degree in crimiundefeated 1996 CIF football team nology, law and society. Right after to becoming a teacher and coach at college, he became a social worker. Diamond Bar High School, alumReturning to DBHS in 2009, Lim nus Albert Lim has taken quite a served as an assistant football journey to become the school’s athcoach until 2012. letic director. He was also a strength and conClass of 1996 Brahma, Lim was ditioning coach for the last seven an avid athlete during his time at years and in the classroom as an DBHS, as he participated in footintervention health and science ball, wrestling and an outside basteacher. ketball league. He played football “As a coach, I saw a lot of things for all four that needed to years on the change, and offensive and the change was “Making my student defensive happening realathletes grow and deline while he ly slowly,” Lim velop [is] the number one wrestled for said. focus.” three years. Now as the ALBERT LIM As a stuathletic direcdent, Lim felt tor, Lim said that his time that he is in playing sports impacted him more a position where he can make a than the hours spent in his acabigger impact on the students. demic classes. He also sets new goals for the ath“I was fortunate to have great letics department, such as ensurcoaches, great mentors. A lot of the ing that the coaches are teaching coaches impacted me. [The coachcertain skills that build the characes] really made who I am in terms ter of student athletes. of my characters and work ethics,” “Making my student athletes Lim said. grow and develop [is] the numThrough sports, Lim developed ber one focus. Just making sure noncognitive skills, such as goal we foster certain characteristic setting, working under pressure strengths, provide them life long and being more mindful in athlettools, and [we’re] more focused on ics. developing their character of who
INGRID CHAN
Athletic Director Albert Lim was on the 1996 CIF championship football team. they are,” Lim said. Lim also plans to implement some of the life lessons that he learned from his coaches and mentors and apply it in his work with student athletes, such as self discipline. He also wants to create an environment where students can start developing the skills and patterns needed for competing during a game, like goal setting and positivity. “I want the students to have these tools to overcome obstacles that life will throw at us and just be prepared to really reach their potential,” Lim said. However, the role of the AD has forced Lim to relinquish some of
his other responsibilities, such as serving as a peer counselor. He will still continue his duties as a Link Crew advisor with the help of co-advisor Morgan Galeener. Currently, Lim is focusing on the remodeling of the gym and how it affects the fall sports. Since the gym is unavailable, multiple sports teams such as volleyball and basketball have been using the gyms at nearby schools for practice, and they have to play their game at their opponents’ school. “We [are] kind of just developing that relationship with the middle schools, which we need to improve on anyways, so it’s just a lot of positives.” Lim said.
Rough start to new division BOYS WATERPOLO With the departure of eight seniors, the team looks toward new leadership. emily kim feature editor The Diamond Bar High School boys water polo team is entering uncharted territory, suffering two losses in their preseason and facing the loss of eight crucial seniors. Which means, the team will have to work hard to surpass last year’s monumental season. After reaching the CIF semifinals last season, the Brahmas are using what they have learned last year to improve both individually and as a team. Despite losing nearly half of their team to graduation in May, coaches Alexander Matal and Kevin Hammond do not view it as
hindering their progress for this season. “Although we lost a lot of our varsity team last year, the new team that we have this year is definitely capable of going back to CIF,” senior captain Aaron Velarde said. The team’s success in the past two years has allowed them to jump up to Division 4, when they were previously in Division 6, due to a reconstruction of CIF playoffs’ rules. The coaching staff consider the returning players ready to compete for the team and that the overall program is still growing. Senior Mark Parent said he believes that the loss of the strong seniors will be felt, such as former lead scorer Diego Hammond, who scored 30 percent of the team’s overall points last season, and former goalie Sebastian Houng, who saved 261 balls. However, there are new members stepping up to fill the gaps. In-
HANNAH LEE
Junior Raphael Mutuc protects the goal in a 7-5 loss against Brea Olinda.
AMELIE LEE
Senior Cameron Belden is one of the six returning seniors this upcoming season. cluding Velarde and senior captain Tyler Parquette, as well as junior goalie Raphael Mutec, leading the team’s defense. “We are coming back strong. Our coaches are still pushing us to be better,” Parent said. Last year, the boys ended with an overall record of 21-12 and losing 2-6 in league. In order to maintain their fitness, many of the boys participated in the summer water polo league. Several Brahmas also played for clubs outside of school practice to continuously hone their skills year round, participating in high caliber tournaments such as Club Championship, the National Junior Olympics Qualification Tournament and Junior Olympics Championships. Over the summer, the team participated in scrimmages against other teams and each other every week. The boys competed in tournaments over the weekends as often as possible. Everyday, the athletes were either practicing or playing in games, depending on if they participated in a tournament or league match. The Brahmas played any-
where from 30 to 40 games over the seven weeks in the summer program. The Brahmas currently practice six days a week for up to four hours. The coaches hope that the team is well prepared and trained after their summer training and are ready to take on the new season. The returning players will be an asset to the team in leading the younger members who are not acclimated to the program. To start the preseason, the team lost its first game against the Brea Olinda Wildcats 7-5. Despite being evenly matched for the first half of the game, the Wildcats began pulled ahead in the third quarter, scoring one more goal than the Brahmas. The Brahmas were unable to tie the Wildcats score in the final quarter. The boys’ second game against Schurr High School was a bigger loss, 14-7. “Although we have lots of talent on our team, it doesn’t work well unless we can work together better. We need more communication and leadership on our team,” Velarde said.
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After finishing second at CIF State, DB golf captain has high expectations for her last year. christina liu staff writer With more than 10 years of golf experience and multiple accomplishments that stretch back to her freshman year, Diamond Bar High School senior Crystal Wang has earned her position of captain. “Crystal is impressive as always. She was state runner up last year and is going to be the core of our lineup this year,” golf coach Mc-
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Cabe said. During the 2014 CIF playoffs, Wang was the only freshman on a team of upperclassmen, placing fourth in CIF Individuals and helping the Brahmas clinch the title. In the last three years, Wang and the Lady Brahmas have remained undefeated in the Palomares League, winning three league titles. Wang first started playing when she was four, but Wang truly developed a passion for it at age 12 when she began winning tournaments.
Her most memorable game was in the American Junior Golf Association Enagic Junior Championship, an individual tournament that was held in Temecula. It was a one day practice round and three day event, with Wang scoring a total of 205 shots winning the event. “I played better than I expected,” Wang said, “Everything just went right for me, and I never expected to shoot that score.” She participates in the AJGA, playing year round as well as ranking 181 in the group’s rankings. Since golf is an individual sport, Wang has never had the experience of competing together with other players until she joined the golf team at DBHS. “I wanted to play great for the team, make it into state and have fun,” Wang said of her thoughts when joining DBHS. Wang practiced intensively during her freshman and sophomore year, training four hours a school day, seven hours on weekends and six to nine hours during the summer. This dedication paid off in her junior year when Wang placed second in CIF State Individuals,
and was the only Lady Brahma to advance to the state tournament. In the same year, she was named Player of the Year by the Daily Bulletin. However, Wang said that she hit a roadblock during the spring of her junior year, when she was unable to practice. Since her mother had a surgery in the winter, Wang didn’t have anyone to drive her to her practices. To make up for that lost time, she trained on the golf course in the summer, practicing a
minimum of five hours a day. Wang’s goal is to make it to state this year. Although she advanced individually last year, she is confident in the ability of her teammates. “I don’t want to go alone; I want to go with the team,” Wang said. Rewarded for her success and hard work at DBHS, Wang was offered an athletic scholarship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Photo Courtesy of WATCHARA PHOMICINDA/SCNG
Senior Crystal Wang has played on varsity in all four years of high school.
No time for setbacks VOLLEYBALL Practicing off-campus since July, the girls are off to a 2-1 start in the preseason.
Senior Amy Xia rallies in DB's first match of the year against El Dorado.
AMELIE LEE
Focus set on postseason return GIRLS TENNIS Goals are at a high after reaching the third round of CIF. justin prakaiphetkul asst. sports editor After breaking their two year CIF playoff drought last year, the Diamond Bar girls tennis team enters the new season with high expectations once again. “I’m hoping that the girls and I will be able to use [last year’s] win [to] motivate us to do well again,” head coach Alexis Feix said. Last year, the team ended with a 6-4 record, finishing third in the Palomares League by winning four out of their last five games. In preparation for this season, not only did the girls focus on conditioning, but the team also adopted a new approach to the way they practice. The team has cut down on match-play during practices in order to put more emphasis on drills. Feix hopes the strategy will improve deficiencies in serves, volleys and overheads. “We really have worked on tightening up our practice schedule, making sure that everything we do is deliberate and purposeful,” Feix said. “We’ve really amped up working those skills.” Senior Casey Mach said that Feix
also has dedicated her time to help doubles players become consistent in working together and with perfecting volleys and overheads. The Lady Brahmas also strengthened their overall team mentality, a goal of Feix’s heading into the new year. Feix cites the entire team’s effort as the reason for an improved mental approach to the game. “We all got a lot closer this year, so I think as a whole, we’ll be much more cooperative,” Mach said. Considering the tough competition with other schools, Feix said she believes that the team can finish at least second in league, thus qualifying for CIF in the process. A team that Feix looks forward to facing is Glendora. Last year, DB lost both of their matchups against the Lady Tartans by four points or less. “Winning would show that we have grown...I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get the win at least once against Glendora,” Feix said. Even though the team will aim for CIF playoffs, Feix remains adamant that winning isn’t everything. “I want the girls to feel successful, whether we’re winning or we’re [losing a close game], that’s still success, and we can build on that,” Feix said. Due to extreme weather, the girls’ first preseason game was delayed. The team played their second preseason game yesterday against Wilson.
AMY MIYAHARA asst. a&e editor For most indoor sports, the loss of the gym would be perceived as a major setback. But the Diamond Bar High School volleyball team has continued to work hard and plans to start the season off on a high note. Instead of focusing on setbacks, head coach Katie Swetnam and the girls are focused on maintaining a hardworking and supportive team.
Currently, the team is practicing at Chaparral Middle School, but the Lady Brahmas still weightlift and condition at DBHS. Swetnam hopes that the gym renovation will be done by the time league starts in September, as to not further impact their scheduled practices and games. As this is Swetnam’s second year as head coach, she also hopes to build off of the work ethic and attitudes that the team developed last year. “Last season, we did a really good job in establishing our new culture,” she said. “We’re all devoted to putting the time in after school, whether it’s in volleyball practice or in strength and conditioning, just to make sure that we are the best that we can be.”
HANNAH LEE
The Lady Brahmas have been practicing at Chaparral Middle School since July.
While the team lost about half of last season’s starting lineup, both new and returning players are working hard to keep the team at a high level. In particular, Swetnam said she is looking to senior captains Ana Figueroa and Hannah Wangsa and junior captain Emily Chiang to lead the team. She also pointed to junior setter Lauren Chang as a key player, as this is her third year on varsity. “I’m looking forward to playing with the team because we have really good team chemistry, so it will be really fun to work with a bunch of new girls,” Chang said. “My personal goal is to become more of a leader on the court...and to help keep my teammates up when they’re down.” Over the break, the girls had a successful summer season, placing second out of 18 teams in their league at Whittier High School. Swetnam cited defense as one of the team’s strengths, but said that the team still lacks in terms of offense. “I think that we’re going to be one of the best teams in the league defensively,” she said. “[But,]we still need to work on mixing up our offense. We’re not the tallest team, so we need to be the smartest team.” Overall, Swetnam’s goal is to develop a team with strong cooperation skills, both on and off the court. “I just want to establish a group of girls that are all on the same page and working toward our same goal, which is to play together and be able to communicate effectively,” she said. The Lady Brahmas beat Diamond Ranch High School on Aug. 21, in five sets. They have also played Monrovia High School and Charter Oak High School. Although the girls lost to Monrovia on Aug. 24, the Lady Brahmas beat Charter Oak in four sets on Sept. 8. Volleyball has their first home and league match against the Glendora Lady Tartans on Sept. 19.
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Brahmas lose big to Covina FOOTBALL DB has yet to win a preseason game, losing to the Colts, 35-0. ryan chae sports editor
The Brahmas’ six-year reign as the winner of the Branding Iron ended on Sept. 1 in a 21-15 loss against Walnut.
HANNAH LEE
New coaching staff brings in new system FOOTBALL Settling into the new season, the team is off to a slow start after losing its first three games. ryan chae sports editor It’s a new year, new season and new system as the Diamond Bar High School football team takes on its first season under the guidance of head coach Kevin Argumosa and his veteran coaching staff. With over 200 years of combined coaching experience as well as being together for over ten years, the last six at Los Altos, Argumosa’s staff is fully confident that the Brahmas will be able to learn and flourish in the team’s new offensive and defensive systems. However, the staff knows that the team will face a few bumps along the way, having lost its first three games of the preseason, which includes ending DB’s six-year streak in the Branding Iron match with a 21-15 loss against Walnut. “We try to make every practice successful, and in every game, we try to do everything we can. We’re not going to be able to go 10-0. I’d love to, but the reality is that we
need work,” Argumosa said. Since April, Argumosa has worked on implementing his offensive and defensive schemes and formations. While some of the plays may be similar to previous years’ systems, learning the new verbiage has been an uphill battle. “On both offense and defense, you deal with different terminology. Just getting them acclimated to what we’re saying, to what we mean has been a battle. It’s tough,” Argumosa said However, understanding the language of the new systems was not the only change the players had to face as they are also working with a defense that has only two returning starters and an offense led by a sophomore quarterback, Dylan Karanickolas. Yet Karanickolas is not the only underclassmen taking lead of the offense: sophomore Jonathan Song has the responsibility of anchoring the offensive line as the starting center. “They’ve been helping each other out as much as the veterans, but because they’re the two pups in the huddle, they’re practicing extra and helping each other out,” Argumosa said. “They’re going to make mistakes, but they’re able to make the mistakes roll off their shoulders and continue to get better in
the game.” Though the underclassmen have taken on a large portion of the offensive responsibilities, seniors such as receiver Shane Wells and linemen Matthew Rodriguez and Matthew Reedy bring experience to the table. According to Argumosa, Reedy and Rodriguez help Song anchor the o-line through their words and energy. Wells, on the other hand, lets his playing do the speaking as he has been the team’s number one receiver since last season, during which he caught for over 1,100 yards and 10 TDs. At times, the Brahmas have had flashes of success such as driving the ball to Walnut’s redzone with one minute left and nearly defeating Alta Loma, a team that dominated DB last season, 48-28. Dating back to April, Argumosa’s main goal has been and still is to become a four-quarter team and play with the same level of intensity every single minute. “We’ve been sporadic. We’ll do good first and third quarter or second and fourth quarter. The moment we put everything together, things are going to change tremendously.” The Brahmas have two games left in the preseason against Brea Olinda and San Dimas.
Three games into the year, and the Diamond Bar High School football team has yet to win their first game, losing 35-0 against the Covina Colts. The Brahmas also faced another kind of loss during the second quarter after starting quarterback Dylan Karanickolas was thrown down by a Colts defender and injured his toe. According to head coach Kevin Argumosa, Karanickolas suffered turf toe, which strains the ligaments and muscles in the big toe. Karanickolas tried to return before halftime, but the coaching staff didn’t want to take further risks. DB’s defense started strong, forcing a turnover on downs on their 23 in Covina’s first drive. However, DB’s offense was not able to take advantage, punting on its 31 with 4:26 in the first quarter. With this possession, the Colts scored the first touchdown of the game and gained the extra point, leading 7-0. In their second drive, the Brahmas were again forced to punt, but a botched snap was recovered by Covina on DB’s 12. Already in the redzone, the Colts extended the lead with a 3-yard touchdown pass
and another PAT. Down 14-0 with less than nine minutes in the half, the Brahmas looked to cut the lead before the half, marching all the way to the Colts’ 22. But, a sack and fumble lost DB the possession and any momentum they built up. Again, Covina scored with a 15yard TD, stretching the lead, 21-0. The Brahmas tried to score to end the half, but a turnover on downs ended that drive. With a little over a minute, the Colts scored a 25-yard touchdown and took a 28-0 lead. On the final drive of the half, the Brahmas made a push, but Karanickolas was injured on this drive, forcing to kneel. Junior Darryn Onsing replaced Karanickolas for the rest of the game. In the third quarter, neither team was able to score as teams traded turnovers. When the fourth started, however, Covina scored the final touchdown and extra point of the game, putting them up 35-0. Both teams traded fumbles for the rest of the game, and the Colts ran out the clock after recovering the last turnover of the game. Next week, DB will take on Brea Olinda, and the following week, they will end the preseason against San Dimas. Argumosa hopes that in the two weeks, the Brahmas can correct their errors. “We can’t make those little mistakes. It’s still banging us around, just jumping offsides or not lining up correctly, not knowing the offensive plays. We have to tune that up so that we can get better.”
AMELIE LEE
Junior Darryn Onsing replaced sophomore Dylan Karanickolas as quarterback.
Sports facilities receive an upgrade Volleyball and basketball are among the teams affected by the renovations. angela yang asst. news editor Diamond Bar High School athletics will be able to enjoy a completely renovated gym, weight room and tennis courts by the end of this year. But some sports have been forced to make adjustments during refurbishment. Fall and winter sports, such as volleyball and basketball, are most impacted by the construction as they require the gym for practices and games. Football training, however, has not been substantially hindered by the renovation of the weight room, as it was finished by the beginning of August. The floors of the tennis courts were completely resurfaced and repainted, but the courts were also finished before the year started, which has not affected the players’
training. Construction in the gym began in July, and is projected to continue until mid-September, barring any setbacks. “It depends on the timeline of construction. We don’t have a definitive date, because things pop up all the time with construction and extra things tend to happen,” DBHS Athletic Director Albert Lim said. The volleyball team has been practicing at Chaparral Middle School since July, but the team expects to be back in the DBHS gym this month. Team members do, however, still condition and lift weights at the high school. Head coach Katie Swetnam said she hopes that the team can play their first home game in the gym, coinciding with the deadline by which construction should be completed. That match is scheduled for Sept. 20. “As long as everything goes according to plan, we’ll have our first home game ready to go,” Swetnam said. Like the volleyball team, both the girls’ and boys’ basketball
teams have been utilizing other facilities’ courts, practicing at South Pointe during the renovation. But according to senior varsity basketball player Jessica Barrera, the change in location does not seem to have negatively impacted their performance. “It’s [South Point] a big difference. It’s a bit smaller than we are used to. The floor isn’t as slippery in my opinion,” Barrera said. “It’s going to be a bit of a tough transition when we [return to our home gym] because we haven’t practiced on our court in a long time. But I think I can speak for the team when I say we are really excited for the remodeled gym.” League play does not start until winter, so home games should not be an issue. For now, the teams utilize the middle school gym during the evening Monday through Thursday. As for the gym itself, new scoreboards have already replaced the old ones. Currently, new wooden floors are being installed, and new writing, as well as a Brahma bull graphic in the center of the reconstructed floor.
INGRID CHAN
Tennis was not affected by the court renovations finished in the summer.